Film Girl interrupted Essay

Susanna Kaysen is the author of Girl Interrupted, her memoirs that explore a two-year period that she spent as a patient in a mental institution for young women. Split into three sections, mind versus brain, the clinical definition of a borderline personality disorder, and her diagnosis, her memoirs serve as an argument against her clinical diagnosis. In â€Å"Mind vs. Brain† we are given a layman’s introduction to psychology. Kaysen, through the use of various writing techniques, explains to the average reader what psychology is. Then, as a preface to her main argument, we are shown the different aspects of a borderline personality disorder and how one is diagnosed. Along with this scientific methodology, Kaysen infuses her own thoughts and opinions. And finally, she presents us with her argument where she explores her life as a young woman; how conformity and period sex roles landed her in a mental institution. She revisits her friends and the events that occurred over 20 years ago while she was a member of the institution. Through her exploration, we the reader get to know her better by understanding the views and beliefs of the times and her personal struggle against conformity. Battling the role of women in society, Kaysen exemplifies the classic protagonist. She tells her story to revisit a past that she has locked away, and to educate using her life and experiences as a novel example. By applying the literary techniques of definition, narrative, and figurative language, Kaysen employs a unique writing style, the fusion of these persuasive techniques, to lure the reader in and keep them wanting more. There is a wide variety of figurative language employed throughout this piece that is essential to the effectiveness of Kaysen’s writing. The most notable application of figurative language employed by Kaysen is seen in her introduction, the exploration of the mind and brain. â€Å"I’m you’re mind, you can’t parse me into dendrites and synapses† (269). And with this statement, Kaysen personifies the human mind. Having a living breathing personality, the reader is able to draw a picture of it and see in a brighter light what she is explaining. She expands on this, explaining the interaction in the brain being that of two interpreters, one reporter and one news analyst. She turns the mind into a collection of conversations instead of a ball of gray matter. While this concept of gray matter is tangible, our minds can grasp  the idea of constantly battling interpreters. She continues by providing the reader with a model of the conversation that occurs in the human mind. Interpreter One: There’s a tiger in the corner. Interpreter Two: No, that’s not a tiger – that’s a bureau. Interpreter One: It’s a tiger, it’s a tiger! Interpreter Two: Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go look at it. (270) The dialogue acts as a short play that the reader can act out in his/her mind. By creating this metaphor, Kaysen is able to portray to the reader what many psychology textbooks often fail at doing; She explains how the mind works on a simple level. She then juxtaposes this healthy model with one that is afflicted by mental illness. Simply, the reader learns what separates a healthy mind from an ill one. This approach to modeling the brain is effective because she stretches out her initial thesis on the mind to span her discussion of the mind and brain. It is effective because she doesn’t begin her exploration by scaling the peaks of Everest. She traverses the foothills first, proceeds to hiking, and then begins her ascent of the mountain itself. Many scientific approaches to modeling the human mind begin at the top and evaluate its structure through soil composition, climate, biodiversity, and more. But, Kaysen starts at the roots and crawls slowly up through the branches, mak ing sure not to jump or skip over any necessary parts. Next, she deals with the role of psychoanalysts in the field. She compares their work to reporting on a country they have never visited. This conclusion to her initial thesis is quite effective in summing up the information she presented on the mind and brain. Basically, she explains that you can never really understand what is going on in the mind of a mental patient without being in their shoes and experiencing it for  yourself. â€Å"Psychoanalysts have been writing op-ed pieces about the workings of a country they’ve never traveled to,† (272) is how Kaysen puts it. One could interpret her metaphor as pointing out that they are hypocrites, but it is more accurately a suggestion she puts forth; you can’t understand mental illness fully without actually having been a member in its society. This is perhaps why Kaysen is able to describe the mind with such ease. The language and style employed by Susanna Kaysen in this literary work plays a profound role in conv incing the reader of her beliefs. Kaysen’s use of definition in this piece gives the reader insight to her life and has a profound impact on her argument. Perhaps the most important definition Kaysen applies throughout this paper is that of a borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this whole argument is to deconstruct the clinical definition by picking away at the invalid claims it cites, and proving her point; she was incorrectly diagnosed. Her whole argument teeters on the failure of the clinical definition to accurately classify a mental illness. Clinically, a borderline personality is classified by â€Å"a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image, interpersonal relationships, and mood† (272). She later argues against this claim of instability explaining that this is what defines teenagers. Teenagers, according to Kaysen, are uncertain of who they are and what their futures hold. She also explores the concept of an unhealthy self-image further, which is central to the clinical diagnosis. â€Å"I saw myself, quite correctly, as unfit for the educational and social system. But, [others] †¦ image of me was unstable, since it was out of kilter with reality.† (277) Reality, as Kaysen implies it, is adherence to the role of a young woman. She was different, plain and simple. Nowadays we classify different as good. We equate difference with individuality and everyone strives to be unique these days; we are all searching for that one thing that separates us from the rest of the crowd. Another aspect of the clinical definition is a chronic sense of emptiness and boredom. Kaysen comes clean and admits to this but not without providing a defense against it. She felt â€Å"desolation, despair, and depression,† (279) as a direct result of societal pressures, conformity, and being different. No one understood her and this only perpetuated more feelings of solitude and  isolation. This method of deconstruction is effective because it structures her argument. Her purpose is to provide a defense against this clinical definition. The reader, presented with a comprehensive and in-depth definition of the disorder, is able to juxtapose clinical theory with personal reality and see more clearly Kaysen’s point. This method is very effective in persuading the reader and is often employed in arguments to disprove a belief or position. It allows her to flow easily from science to personal experience and acts as a bond between the two, thereby making her writing a si ngular entity. Through the use of narratives, the reader comprehends Kaysen’s position and is able to explore her life in first person. In the third section, where Kaysen discusses her diagnosis and time at the hospital, we explore her life through a personal narrative. This section is quite important because it is where she begins to pull apart the clinical definition she cited in the previous section. We, the reader, get to see first hand what was going on in Kaysen’s mind as a teenager. She talks of her uncertainties, incapacities, wrist-banging, desolation and depression, self-image and much more. Her discussion of wrist-banging is one of the more memorable vignettes. She describes sitting on her butterfly chair in her room and participating in this extracurricular activity. We learn from her story that these activities were not a result of self-deprecation, but more a result of inner pain and isolation because she wasn’t like everyone else and people resented her for it. Having no one to relate to, and no one to confide in, she was left by herself to constantly question who and what she was. Being a teenager and not having the answers to society’s questions, she could not help but be led to such activities. This particular story is compelling because it arouses emotion in the reader and creates a sense of feeling and understanding for her and the trouble she has been put through. Some cynics would simply chalk this up to a deliberate emotional appeal of the author, but Kaysen has established that â€Å"all [she] can do is give the particulars: an annotated diagnosis,† (275) and leave the rest up to our interpretation. We can be assured that Kaysen’s intent in revealing this activity serves no more purpose than telling her story. She also explains her incapacities. She â€Å"was living a life based on [them],† (277) much like many other kids. We all are bogged down by what we can’t do. It depresses us and thwarts our progression. It wasn’t her incapacities that stopped her, it was those around her. She didn’t provide â€Å"any reasonable explanation for these refusals,† and perhaps that is why it drew so much attention. If she had told them why then maybe they could justify her feelings. But not doing so only perpetuated questions and suspicion. The reader can relate to this indecisiveness because we have all experienced a time in our lives when we just didn’t care about anything. The quintessential teenager is characterized by a chronic indecisiveness towards life. By exploring this aspect, Kaysen is able to draw the reader closer to her and makes this technique an effective strategy in her argument. Finally, in her narrative, she explores what clinicians call premature death and her own experience with Daisy’s death. She admits that she had thought of death, but â€Å"the idea of [it] worked on [her] like a purgative,† (279) and she always came to the final conclusion that it would only make things worse. Her ability to reason gives the reader more insight towards her diagnosis. She could reason between the two interpreters in her mind. She could separate illusion from reality and these abilities strongly emphasized her argument. The use of Kaysen’s narrative in this piece plays an integral role in convincing the reader and is effective in its purpose. Without such a persuasive strategy, Kaysen’s case would be poorly constructed, and lacking in support. While Kaysen’s unique writing format infuses new ideas into the reader’s mind, I do concede that there are several instances where these styles have limitations and even perpetuate a state of confusion in the reader. The main problem with Kaysen’s highly figurative language is that not everyone can follow or relate to it. This prevents those who cannot make a connection with her metaphors and analogies from understanding what she so eloquently writes about. This is a common barrier faced by writers: to simplify or elaborate. While simplifying opens your ideas to all readers, it stifles your exploration and sometimes prevents you from proving your point. Contrastingly, elaborating on your simple statements can lead to a jumble of  disjointed thoughts with no apparent connection. One must be wary. One must ride the thin border between the two and ultimately it is the decision of the writer which route is proper. While Kaysen teeters on the brink of both, in the end she comes through and accomplishes her purpose; to present a multitude of premises against her clinical diagnosis. Without elaborating in places, the reader would be left outside her mind unable to see her innermost thoughts and experiences. It is Susanna Kaysen’s ability to flirt along this border, above all others, that distinguishes her writing technique and makes it effective in supporting her argument. In light of this support, Kaysen is able to gain recognition from the reader. Perhaps most profound is the emotion that her writing induces, leaving the reader in a state of reflection and questioning, and a state of compassion for her and her tribulations. The most effective tool a writer has is the ability to bring about emotion in the reader. This can be considered a basic requirement of all art forms; to promote an emotion that pushes the subject to reflect on the story laid before them and their lives. All good art accomplishes this on some level and Girl Interrupted is no exception.

Marketing Skin Care Product Essay

Marketing Project Have you ever gone to the store to purchase a skin care product to help prevent acne and make your skin beautiful; all you find are products aimed towards older women stating something to do with wrinkles? I don’t know about you, but I’m too young to even think about wrinkles at this point in my life. I just wanted something to make my skin look and feel good but at the same time help prevent break outs. The solution is â€Å"Glow†. The name says it all. It will give you radiant, clear skin. â€Å"Glow† skin cream is not a need, it’s a want. Therefore, we must stand out above the many other products on the shelves. Our target audience is teenagers through early thirty year old, middle class women who are looking for radiant, clear skin at an affordable price. The best way to market to these women is through the internet and magazines. Glow skin cream is different than other skin creams on the market for many reasons: After just one week of use your skin will look and feel healthier, more radiant, it provides light-weight coverage, hydrates and smoothens skin, visibly reduces redness, conceals flaws, it’s infused with minerals and antioxidants, and has SPF 15 protection all in one bottle. Some beauty products have enough chemicals to clean a toilet! â€Å"Glow† skin cream is all natural and helps your skin to look its best. â€Å"Glow† is targeted to attract teenagers to early thirty-year old females. Let’s face it; teens won’t be purchasing this product on their own; parents will love the cost. The product is affordable enough that they will be  repeat buyers. If ordered online a discount will be given to buyers who purchase more than two at a time. According to the woman we surveyed they were happy with the way the product works as well as the reasonable price. â€Å"Glow† is available for all skin types and nationalities. Different woman require different needs depending on their skin type, their geographic location, and nationality. A woman located in Florida tends to need a product that protects against sun damage, where a woman located in Denver would need something to help with dry skin; â€Å"Glow† has different products featured towards these skin types. Packaging is aimed towards a younger crowd as well; hot pink with gold lettering. It’s attractive and girly; young and fun looking, but also has a touch of elegance. It will stand out on the shelf or online. It won’t be an eye sore, but it will grab your attention as you check out the shelf for a product. Teens these days are on social media sites all throughout the day. When they wake up in the morning they log in to Facebook; as if it’s the morning paper. I would advertise on this site; as well as many others. Twitter and YouTube, just to name a couple are great for targeting a certain market. Each site gives you options on whom you’d like these ads to pop up for based on the users demographics entered when they created their accounts. Google also offers an option similar to this. If a person were to enter in their search certain key words then your ad would be on the side of the page results. You choose the keywords that go along with your ad. For example, if someone were to search: face, cream, or skin care; then our ad for â€Å"Glow† would show up on the side of the search results. The Internet is a great resource to take advantage of for advertising. Most people are on the internet at least one time a day; as long as the ad is catchy, it will get someoneâ⠂¬â„¢s attention. Another great place to advertise to the twenty to thirty year old woman would be magazines, such as Cosmopolitan. For a fee you are able to get product ads located throughout the magazine, I would utilize this option and put a coupon on the ad to get the product at a discounted price. Overall, I believe if we market the product correctly; packaging, prices, and attract the correct consumers â€Å"Glow† will be very successful in the  tough skin cream market. All three of these are key focuses in having a successful product. References [Facebook Advertising]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/advertising/ [Google Advertising]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/ads/adwords2/ [Twitter Advertising]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://business.twitter.com/start-advertising [YouTube Advertising]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/

Investment Companies Essay

Investors need to consider a lot of factors before investing their money in any firm. Company stability and ability to generate profits is the main attraction for any investor. Bank of America and Apple Inc are some of the most stable companies in their respective fields. Besides these are some of the highest paying industries in the world today. Bank of America Bank of America is the largest brokerage house and consumer banking franchise in the United States (Lewis, 2010, p1) during the financial crisis, bank of America posted huge losses coupled by the untimely purchase of Merrill Lynch. However in April 2010 bank of America reported a $3. 2 billion first quarter profit signifying an imminent complete turnaround for the company. Interestingly, most of the profits were generated from the trading at Merrill Lynch. The gamble to buy Merrill Lynch had paid off. With the worst of the financial crisis over, bank of America is poised to make bigger profits and reclaim its eminence that it lost to JP Chase and Goldman Sachs. Though it is unlikely to continue with the acquisitions that characterized most of its growth phase, the bank no doubt will be a big player in wealth management in the US. Long term investment in bank of America therefore will be a wise decision by an investor who is looking to capitalize to a rising stock price and dividend per share revenue. Besides, the regulations that the administration will introduce will ensure profitability and stability of the banking sector. However, given that the financial markets have not fully recovered, coupled with the impending WallStreet reform by the administration, there is likelihood that resulting volatility may eat into the company’s profits and share price. Besides, the company, like many other banks is still repaying government bailout money, a move that will affect its profits and effectively its investors. Apple Inc Dynamism describes the world of technology today. New information gadgets are introduced to the market every year. Apple is on of the companies that has emerged as a market leader challenging established giants like Microsoft and easily cutting a niche for its itself in the market. Apple prides itself with successes such as the i-Pod, the i-Tunes Store, MacBook sales, and excellent Mac OS X. Innovation to meet the ever demanding market is the main driver of apple and with its cutting edge products like the i-phone, i-pod and recently the i-pad, investing in Apple inc will be a good decision because certainly these are not the last of their products. The company has one of the highest share prices in the New York Stock exchange which stood at $140 pr share as of 2008 (Tyson, 2008, p 11). Every time people buy Apple products, it increases the company sales and profits which in return drive up the stock price (Tyson, 2008, p 11). With the continued good performance, an investor is guaranteed of good returns in the long run. While some computer and software companies saw their profits plunge during the recession, Apple’s strong position ensures continued movement of their products, a clear indicator that the company can whether big economic fluctuations and guarantees an investors returns for their money. Apple Inc. has concentrated on developing mobile gadgets but the same effort is needed in developing products like the Mac desktop. Competition from other computer and software manufacturers is stiff and an information technology company that cannot sustain the innovation trends is likely to post less sales, profits and stock price. Competitors like Microsoft and phone manufacturers like Motorola are likely to come up with gadgets that will target the entertainment industry, enterprise and high performance computing, none of which apple is well prepared for (Martellaro, 2006, p1). Expanding their niche therefore to include more products will secure the future of the company and ensure long-term stability.

Alfred Hitchcock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Alfred Hitchcock - Essay Example Margot once had a relationship with Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), a crime writer for American TV, but broke it off when Mark went to America. The meticulous planning of his wife's murder invariably brings Tony under the spotlight but does not diminish his stature by one iota for the sole reason that he is not desperately trying as someone in his position should do. Tony's diabolical character and the macabre detail of the film make it not only a three dimensional suspense thriller but also a multidimensional critique of upper echelons of the society. German Expressionism and post-modernism could have influenced Hitchcock to a greater extent because he uses a lot of symbolism and mise-en-scene that borders on imaginative handling of the plot. Mise-en-scene is a production technique that enables the director to achieve some of the mood effects through improvisation. Hitchcock's incredible manner of seamlessly integrating the plot and then resolving it by using that uncannily characteristic deus ex machina in the form an untiring intelligent sleuth is obvious throughout the story. Though a number of films were made in keeping with this novel discovery, none of them could match the 'master effect' of it as "Pandora's Box" did. German Expressionism had a big impact on Hollywood by way of influencing some of the big studios to employ German migrs wh o were mostly cinematographers and directors fleeing Nazi rule in Germany.Expressionism, particularly, had a positive effect on horror genre and noir genre - both highly receptive to imaginary influences in design and production. Though the very far fetched features associated with this movement, were gradually rejected, the visual aesthetics of it continue to appeal to generations of film-makers till the present day. The plot thickens here with more suspense being added by Margot's susceptibility and naivety. When Margot is alone at home, Swann the hired would-be assassin sneaks in with a key that's been left for him. Tony calls his wife on the telephone, luring her out of the bedroom, and Swann strangles her with a stocking. But Margot buries a pair of scissors in her killer's back. Through some fancy maneuvering, Tony is able to make it appear that his wife acted against a blackmailer in cold blood. She's arrested and sentenced to death, but a police inspector (John Williams) beg ins to unravel Tony's story. Critics have not spared Hitchcock and his films of their poison pen. We should take a closer look at the Montage technique used in this film. From the 1930s to the 1950s, montage sequences often combined numerous short shots with special optical effects such as fades, dissolves, split screens, double and triple exposures and even music. There were special artistes to assemble these effects other than the director. Hitchcock made use of this technique to achieve a coordinated synthesis between the conveyed impression of a set and the anticipated response of the audience. Critics did not appreciate this technique much. Hitchcock's first American movie, Rebecca (1940), won the Best Picture Academy Award., but in spite of this achievement the critic in "Variety" (March 27, 1940) gave it a bad review. He wrote "Dave Selznick's picture is too tragic and deeply psychological to hit the fancy of wide audience appeal. General

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems Coursework

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems - Coursework Example These systems pool information sources from marketing, sales, customer service, sales and accounting databases to create one comprehensive tool. First, is the operation CRM systems, they focus on software applications integrating disconnected data sets in a business. The system has the capability to focus on customers and provide information from multiple databases on a single platform. The business employees can then provide quick service to the customer without need for many software tools to collect customer information. Another type of CRM system is the analytical CRM. It focuses on gleaning the perception of the customer from the available data in a business. These systems can use data mining to look for patterns and trends and can solve customer problems by focusing on widespread problems. Last but not least, we have collaborative CRM systems that move outside the business to include external contacts such as suppliers, vendors and distributors. The system allows businesses bring additional data to their customers’ service. They make the information available to the customers by use of a website or extranet. The main intent is to enable users work interactively with a business to improve service provision (Dyche 2001) OpenData by Socrata is a sample CRM system that is online. From my observation, this CRM maintains clients’ records and activities. For instance, it captures clients’ information from several sources, such as, an entry form, Google maps and discussion boards. It then harmonizes this information and presents it in a tabular form. Additionally OpenData CRM has the functionality of editing that available information and adding more information. In the available classification, OpenData CRM falls under the operational CRM system category. This is because it focuses on applications that integrate disconnected data sets and focus on

Achieving strong vertical and horizontal alignment Article

Achieving strong vertical and horizontal alignment - Article Example Human resource management (HRM) practices are critical to the success of business organizations. The goal of organizations is to maintain a strong customer base and increase revenue, but how to achieve this is equally importantStrategic HRM approaches involve a spotlight on the alignment of HRM practices with each other, which is referred to as internal consistency or alignment; and the alignment of the HRM procedures with an organization's approach, known as external consistency or alignment (Burke & Cooper 2005). Gratton and Truss (2007) proposed a three-dimensional people strategy used by HRM in organizations as vertical alignment, horizontal alignment, and an implementation dimension to show the extent to which the people strategy affects the daily operations of employees and the conduct of managers.This paper focuses on two of the three-dimensional people strategies as aforementioned. Vertical alignment involves the link between the people strategy and a business unit strategy, that is, the link between the HRM and the people in an organization. This determines whether HR interventions in decision making serve as inhibitors to success or confer competitive advantages to the organization. On the other hand, horizontal alignment operates within the limits of HR policies and aims at achieving a functional approach to managing the people in an organization (Gratton & Truss 2007).Effron, Gandossy and Goldsmith (2003) highlighted an example in which James Houghton became the CEO of Corning Incorporated by inheriting the job from his brother. The company (Corning) had been dilapidated and was suffering from among other factors, poor labor relations. However, less than ten years later, the company was producing new, high quality products that made it take a competitive position in the market. James simply formed a team that created a vision and change of behavior at the company while building an architecture of productive change (Effron, Gandossy & Goldsmith 2003) . According to McLeish (2002), vertical alignment is the employment of an approach that is manifested in the actions of employees through a jointly shared direction. This means that the management of an organization implementing vertical alignment takes an initiative to lead and empower employees in the work they do, thus improving job execution (Effron, Gandossy & Goldsmith 2003). In order to achieve strong vertical alignment, the HRM of an organization has to target "quick owns" by having an understanding of the processes that would result in a quick delivery of the business goal (Gratton & Truss 2007). For instance, the initiatives could be through innovative product offering or short term training programs to educate and empower employees in handling clients and customers. Effective reputation arises when a business organization meets the expectations of the line of management (Gratton & Truss 2007; McLeish 2002). Organizations that have strong vertical alignment are characterized by presence of business-focused HR teams. The HR team is usually very close to the business units as opposed to cases in which managers are separated from junior employees and rarely assess what the junior staffs do. A good example is the US-based company, Kraft Foods, whose staff in the business units work alongside managers in making strategic decisions (Gratton & Truss 2007). A strong alignment is achieved by proper planning with focus on key objectives and evaluation of success factors (McLeish 2002). The strategy must encompass the organization staff at all levels, and the employees must particularly understand the benefits that accrue at both personal level and organizational level (McLeish 2002). In this respect, each employee has to know the role that one has to play in order to achieve a specific goal.

Methods of Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education in the U.K Essay

Methods of Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education in the U.K - Essay Example Generally, teachers and research professionals make available time tabled classes and independent works for a sizeable amount of time based on the course. Independent learning programs play significant role in current education system in U.K. It has often been identified as promoting international standards for educational programs. Independent learning programs ensure more responsibility from the part of students and they also help students to practice effective time management (Quality Improvement Agency). Therefore, independent learning programs and teaching methods are essential for higher education classrooms for international standards. Direct and lecturing methods of teaching also bestow considerable assistance for students in their researches and they ensure desirable learner outcome and academic development among the students from U.K. Education professionals in U.K strongly advocates the implementation of learner centered education programs. Because of this they have design ed teaching methods with the backgrounds of learning theories. Conventional or traditional methods like lecturing, work place training, seminars and group discussion play vital roles in the field of higher education program in United Kingdom. Lecturing permits the students to get up-to date information about their prescribed topics. Seminars and problem solving methods in higher education class rooms help the students to improve personal skills and gain better understanding. All these teaching methods keep an eye on providing quality education for all and methods like seminars and group discussions help the students to acquire knowledge from various sources. Duke Maskell and Ian Robinson inform that â€Å"More whole class teaching will produce nothing but more classes taught as a... This paper approves that process of assessment demands higher level of accuracy and it plays a significant role in education process. Choice of assessment methods are mingled with the overall objectives of the program. In higher secondary level, it contains the systematic development of various disciplinary skills such as problem solving, observation, and creative thinking among the students. Students prepare assignments, essays, portfolio, open book examinations, dissertations and project works related with their prescribed subjects. Methods of problem solving and developing plans include various activities like work-based problem, group work, case analysis and preparing enquiry report and conference programs. This essay makes a conclusion that it is evident that innovative teaching methods and assessment techniques in universities provide sufficient academic development for students. Higher education programs in U.K. practices various teaching methods which included the elements of both traditional and modern teaching methods. Effective assessment methods are developed through the support of various learning theories like cognitive theory and constructivism. Existing teaching methods and assessment programs satisfy students’ requirement. Various fields of higher education in U.K. like language and literature, professional education, electronics and communication and healthcare provide international standard for its curriculum as well teaching and assessment methods.

Compare and contrast WHY WE CAN'T WAIT to IF YOU WERE ONLY WHITE Essay

Compare and contrast WHY WE CAN'T WAIT to IF YOU WERE ONLY WHITE - Essay Example Why We Cant Wait primarily highlights the concerns of Martin Luther King Jr. for the black community in the United States; African Americans. The ultimate issue is the integration of the black community in the American society in terms of having their rights and freedoms observed. The year 1963 marked a critical time for the concerns spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. Specifically, Emancipation Proclamation was meant to mark a new beginning in accounting for equality between the whites and the blacks (Weatherford 81). The proclamation was meant to bring to an end years and years of slavery and segregation of African Americans. On the other hand, If You Were Only White highlights the experiences of a baseball player by the name Satchel Paige. Paige was an African American who had become a successful baseball player, climbing up the game ladder to outperform both white and black baseball players (Partridge 294). He too, just like the rest of the black community, suffered the impacts of segregation. Amid this, he stood out for what he believed was right and good for the society. His fame and performance along his career line had broken racial ties in the United States between 1920s and 1980s. While Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates pushed for Emancipation Proclamation, Satchel Paige was using his baseball career to try and unite the American people beyond racial limits. King felt that the freedom of the black community had been delayed for a hundred years if not more (Weatherford 137). As a result, he fought for the freedom of African Americans and advocated for equality in the society. Even with emancipation, the facts of the matter were yet to be operationalized in Birmingham and beyond. This aspect provides the reason why the blacks felt they could not wait any longer. For Satchel Paige, his influence in the American society has caught the attention of both whites and blacks. The context of the arguments made in If You Were Only White refers to a

Needs & Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Needs & Motivation - Essay Example say will discuss the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory and how it is applied in Southwest according to the â€Å"People† section of 2011 Southwest One Report. Maslow was and industrial psychologist who studied human behavior. He said that human needs can be arranged in a hierarchy as individuals progress from the lower level to the higher level needs. Individuals would be motivated to fulfill whichever needs were important to them at a given time. These needs include self-actualization needs, Ego/esteem needs, socio-affiliation needs, safety/security needs, and physiological needs (Lauby 1). The Southwest satisfies the physiological needs of their employees by putting them first and offering them an opportunity to pursue good health. The need for safety and security is catered for by creating financial security for the employees. The socio-affiliation needs are taken care of by allowing employees to travel and socialize, have fun and stay connected. Making a positive difference caters for the ego and self-esteem needs of the employees. Self-actualization needs are met by allowing employees to learn and grow, create and innovate, and work hard to achieve their goals. The Southwest’s way, of motivating employees, is a good one and if I were one of its employees I would be positively motivated to work harder. I would work to achieve both personal and organizational goals. Putting employees first is a good way of

Sam 488 unit 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sam 488 unit 6 - Assignment Example There are several individuals who have key roles in emergency operation plan and they include the public relations officers as whose work is to handle the flow of information about the incident as well as the chief security officer in charge of warning systems and maintaining order in the operation. Communications to the responders and media is necessary to not only avoid speculations and distortions but to provide warning systems to the public. There are several individuals who have key roles in emergency operation plan and they include the public relations officers as whose work is to handle the flow of information about the incident as well as the chief security officer in charge of warning systems and maintaining order in the operation (Fay, 2011). Evacuation is the process of moving people from one location to another in the evidence of a disaster before or after searching the place. This is common during emergencies involving bombs. People are given the evacuation notice and then assembled on one location in order to be evacuated in a given order to safety. This procedure is carried out by various emergency responders trained to handle the matter (Fay, 2011). This is the mock evaluation carried out during emergency response training. The drills include steps and procedures to take during three stages of evacuation which are pre-evacuation, evacuation and post-evacuation. The drill involves emergency operation plans such as searching the premises, the houses of people, sending evacuation notices, identification of safe locations and later on after the threat has passed relocation of people. This step in the emergency operation takes place after an incident such as a bomb or earthquake has taken place. The search is for the survivors or even those who have suffered demise under the disaster. Rescue takes place in the order of those who can be rescued easily to harder and more challenging cases. This procedure has time

Explain and evaluate claims made by linguistic relativists regarding the relationship between language, thought and culture Essay Example for Free

Explain and evaluate claims made by linguistic relativists regarding the relationship between language, thought and culture Essay The relationship between language, culture and thought has been a controversial discussion over decades. Many linguists and thinkers have argued that language lead to large differences in culture and thoughts. Some argue that language controls people’s view and thought of the world, where language embodies worldview, and some argue the otherwise. Language, culture and thought may always refer as together, but any one of them implies the other two. In this essay, I am going to focus on linguistic relativism and I will evaluate claims made by linguistic relativists. Linguistic relativism is a weaker interpretation of linguistic determinism. It is â€Å"a window through which to view the cognitive process, not as an absolute. It’s set forth to be used in looking at a phenomenon differently than one usually would. † (Badhesha, 2001) Linguistic categorize and usage influence thought and certain kinds of non-linguistic behavior. Linguistic relativity hypothesis has always been a controversial and serious topic. In late-eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Boas claimed that there’s no intrinsic relationship between culture and language. (Boas, 1911) Acquainted with Boas, Edward Sapir was impressed with Boas’ statement. Later, he proposed a theory which becomes the most famous attempt in demonstrating relationship between language, culture and thoughts, â€Å"Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis† (Whorfian Hypothesis). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis can be broken into two simple concepts: Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativism. Linguistic determinism holds a stronger view. It refers to â€Å"the concept that what is said has only some effect on how concepts are recognized by the mind†, â€Å"A strict view that what is said is directly responsible for what is seen by the mind. † (Badhesha, 2002) This stronger point is supported by Sapir. Sapir: â€Å"language and culture are not intrinsically associated† but â€Å"language and our thought-grooves are inextricably interwoven, [and] are, in a sense, one and the same† (1921: 228, 232) Sapir believes that language and culture are not explicitly related but language, culture and thoughts are interwoven that cannot be unwoven each other. Sapir also expressed his view that language affects how we perceive the world, â€Å"Even comparatively simple acts of perception are very much more at the mercy of the social patterns called words than we might suppose. †¦ We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation. † (1929, p. 210) Sapir here explained that language determines our thoughts and culture, it affects our views of the world and culture is a product of language. Sapir’s student, Benjamin Lee Whorf supported and made his theory stronger. Whorf’s claims are both to the extreme, strongest but to the weaker and more cautious at the same time. The extreme perspective is linguistic determinism, where the weaker is linguistic relativism. In fact, linguistic relativism is widely spread through Whorf’s work. Whorf: â€Å"The background linguistic system of each language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas. † (1940, â€Å"Science and Linguistics,† Technology Review 42: 229-31, 247-8) In this quote, Whorf proposed the stronger form where language determines thought, language shapes our ideas. â€Å"The world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which have to be organized largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. † (Whorf, 1940a:231) This is a weaker form where Whorf argue that the world is somehow under the influence of our linguistic systems. Both in stronger and weaker form, Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis argue that our thoughts, ideas, behavior and culture are under the influence of language. This hypothesis is supported with evidence. Perception of colors is one of the obvious evidence that support language influences our thoughts. Different languages has their way to encode and categorize colors, in English, there are sixteen basic colors and common two color terms â€Å"dark† and â€Å"light†. However, Russian has different words to distinguish light blue (boluboy) and dark blue (siniy). When Russian and English speakers are put to a test to discriminate the two blue colors, Russian is found to be better at it. As Russian perceive the two blue colors as different colors unlike English speakers who categorize it as blue generally. In both English and Chinese, when giving directions verbally, we tend to use â€Å"left† and â€Å"right† instead of E/W/S/N, this is also true in many other languages. However, Kuuk Thaayorra (aboriginal language spoken in Queensland, Australia), they use E/W/S/N to represent â€Å"left† and â€Å"right†, e. g. when they refer to right hand, they may say east hand. Their perception of the world differs from us due to the use of direction terms. To them, the world needs to include precise orientations. This is an example of perception of space which display language affects our perceptions and thoughts. Grammatical feature is another proof of language affects our culture. Whorf asserts that â€Å"users of markedly different grammars are pointed by their grammar towards different types of observations†¦ and hence are not equivalent as observers but must arrive at somewhat different views of the world† (Whorf 1940b:61) Whorf suggested that speakers of different languages will think about the world differently. Hopi language (aboriginal language spoken in Arizona) is early evidence to Whorfian Hypothesis on language and thought. In Hopi language system, they don’t have tenses such as –ed, -ing, -s in SAE [1], they have different perspective of time from SAE speakers. Also, in Hopi, the concept of time cannot be counted and talked like a physical quantity. Language also affects and reflects our culture and values. In Hong Kong, we refer to relatives in different terms, not only â€Å"aunt/uncle†, â€Å"cousins† unlike English. For example, we have different terms for cousins that are older and younger than us, e. g. â€Å"biu-gor† (older male cousin), â€Å"biu-mui† (younger female cousin). It reflects the hierarchy and projects the importance of respecting senior in Chinese family. We can see that Chinese family, including families in Hong Kong divides and identifies its members. For Chinese people, they perceive seniors as people to respect. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is the idea that the language that person speaks will affect their perception of the world and accordingly their behavior and culture. In stronger form, language determines the way we think and what we are capable to think of where as linguistic relativity; the weaker form indicates that our thoughts and culture are under the influence of language. Although there are more and more scientific and real life examples that support Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, anthropologists and linguists still argues weather the hypothesis is too strong or not today. Many argue that instead of language determining our thoughts and culture, they are in fact inter-related and none of them should be dominating the other two. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis has received criticism over the years, and it summed up to be three main criticisms, the idea of causality, the methods and translations. While Whorf and Sapir claimed that language affects our perception of the world and the formation of our cultures. Both of them didn’t include the evolution of language, what made up our language, the cultural values that may have been included while setting language system. It is possible that cultural values that might have developed language helped the way we perceive the world. Humboldt (late 18th century) also questioned Sapir-Whorf’s hypothesis, â€Å"The spiritual traits and the structure of the language of a people are so intimately blended that, given either of the two, one should be able to derive the other from it†¦ language is their spirit, and their spirit is their language; it is difficult to imagine any two things more identical. † He also questioned the causality of such hypothesis. Whether if language is the spirit of thoughts and culture or the otherwise. He claims that it is uncertain which one should be derives and to be the spirit of the others. Another obvious criticism is the methods Whorf’s methods. Some believed that Whorf deliberately translated Hopi language in a certain way to support his own hypothesis, to emphasis another thinking system. Linguists, Steven Pinker accused Whorf’s method with strong attitude, â€Å"No one is really sure how Whorf came up with his outlandish claims, but his limited, badly analyzed sample of Hopi speech and his long-term leanings towards mysticism must have helped. † (Pinker, 1994) He also overthrown Whorf’s claim of Hopi people has different perception of time as â€Å"anthropologist Malotki (1983) has found that the Hopi do have a concept of time very similar to ours. † (Neil Parr-Davies, 2001) Translation is another criticism of Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Many critics raised the question, if our thoughts are really affected and determined by language, then presumably certain concepts would only be understandable to people that shared the same language. That suggested that if the hypothesis is entirely true, Whorf would have been failed to understand Hopi people’s concept, needless to say even to understand their first thought. Although criticisms are raised against Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, there are more evidence and claims that support it even in modern days. In fact, psycholinguistic have been studying far beyond perception of color and Hopi language currently, it has been studying and discovering more evidence in modern days such as emotion perception, memory etc. Modern famous researchers like Lera Boroditsky, John A. Lucy believe in Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, that language indeed influences thoughts, however in relatively narrow ways. I agree the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis to a large extent. I believe language does influence our thoughts and perceptions of the world. Recently, I have been studying different accents in the world and discovered that it is evidence supporting the linguistic relativists. For example, if someone speaks English in BBC accents or Queen’s English, we would immediately refer them coming from higher social status in Britain. Indeed, our perception can be easily affected by the trivial elements in language as accents. Even nowadays, there are more and more evidence that prove linguistic relativists; we cannot deny the fact that language does somehow shape our daily thoughts and life. Language changes the way we see different culture, it can reflect a certain culture and background of people. Taking Soviet Ukraine as an example, as the prices and supply of product was centrally controlled, they were very cheap and hard to find, and instead of saying â€Å"What are they selling? † they ask, â€Å"Shcho dajut? †(What are they giving? ). Through the language, we can see the cultural values and background of a country, allowing us to understand and perceive different cultures. Nonetheless, I disagree to a small extent as I believe, on one hand, language may shape our thoughts and culture; on the other hand, our culture and thoughts also shape language. Language may act as a tool merely reflecting our thoughts and culture. Under patriarchy and stereotyping, many European countries referred male as a stronger, rational and more dynamic member of the society while female were emotional, silent and subtle one. Leading European languages like French, Spanish are some examples that reflect social stereotyping under patriarchal influence. In French, almost all sport and daylight activities are referred as male, â€Å"le soleil† (the sun) while almost all night time activities are referred as female, â€Å"la lune† (the moon). Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is a powerful and leading linguistic theory that suggests the relationship between language, culture and thoughts. It can be interpreted as linguistic determinism and relativism; it remains arguable and controversial whether this hypothesis is too strong. Much evidence arises even until today supporting the hypothesis. It is inevitable that every hypothesis receives criticism, but I truly believe the reason why Whorfianism is still being studied today is because we can never deny the influence of language on our thoughts and culture. Language may not be the one the strongly defines our perception and values, but it does affects us in our everyday life.

Soft Drinks in India Essay Example for Free

Soft Drinks in India Essay Soft drinks off-trade value sales continued to record further growth in 2013 in India mainly due to growth in juices, and bottled water. Categories such as carbonates, and sports and energy drinks faced significant pressure due to growing health concerns but the strong grip of brands especially for carbonated drinks helped soft drinks to continue growth momentum during the review period. Soft Drinks in India report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2009-2013), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market – be they legislative, distribution, packaging or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2018 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage: Asian Speciality Drinks, Bottled Water, Carbonates, Concentrates, Juice, RTD Coffee, RTD Tea, Sports and Energy Drinks. Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data. Why buy this report? * Get a detailed picture of the Soft Drinks market; * Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change; * Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands; * Use five-year forecasts to assess how the MARKET is predicted to develop. Table of Content Executive Summary Soft Drinks Records Further Growth in Value Sales Launch of New Flavours Maintain Consumers Interest Amidst Slowdown Competition Between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Becomes More Aggressive Modern Retailers Gain Further Popularity Sustained Sales Likely To Record Steady Growth in Sales Key Trends and Developments Manufacturers Focus on Introducing New Flavours Celebrity Endorsements Remain As Popular Promotional Tool Modern Retail Gains Further Popularity East and Northeast India North India South India West India Rural Vs Urban Key Trends and Developments Trends Competitive Landscape For more information kindly visit: http://www.marketreportsonindia.com/food-beverages-market-research-reports-541/soft-drinks-in-india.html About MarketReportsonIndia Market Report on India is a portal where you can access thousands of reports on India starting from Aeronautics to Zinc (A-Z). We provide you with reports which will help you gain a better understanding of the Sectors, Companies, New Products and Latest trends.

Language And Reason In History History Essay

Language And Reason In History History Essay Language and reason, two ways of knowing, play important roles in the area of knowledge of history. They are both concerned with the extent to which they provide objective knowledge in history. The role of language in history is to provide a clearly crafted unbiased account of a historical event which is described to people through language, whereas the role of reason in history is to help the reader in order to make rational decisions in evaluating the validity of a historical account. Our first knowledge issue concerns the extent to which the language a historian uses, reflects their own paradigms. A historian must analyse information in the past accounted by other historians in order to gain insight into what has occurred, then pick and choose and organise in accordance with his insight as to what is significant (Abel, 1976, p. 165). As different historians will have differing perspectives about certain events, the history a historian writes about, will be based on his particular interests, which are, in turn, partially dependent on his culture (Alchin, 2006, p. 194). For example, a nationalist Croatian historian writing about the War of Independence in Croatia would hold a very different perspective to a communist Yugoslavian historian recounting the same event. One could argue that communism was not executed properly and therefore encouraged the rise of nationalism which slowly led to the dissolution of Yugoslavia, while the other would claim that communism is an effective sociopolitical structure and the war need not occur. A counter claim of this is that scientists are objective as scientific measurement can be tested independent from the individual scientist who proposes them despite the language they may use. This is because scientific explanations are not as reliant on the use of language because in order for a scientific law to be discovered or proven, experimental results must confirm an initial hypothesis. Therefore scientific explanations are more successful in providing us with objective knowledge. Similarly, another knowledge issue deals with the extent to which historians attempt to be objective. It could be argued that, since the past no longer exists, it cannot be changed and is therefore completely objective. However, as historians evaluate information based on their interpretations of the text through their own paradigms, the interpretation depends not only on the objectivity of the historian writing it but also on the person who reads it. This is evident in Russia in a new middle school history teachers manual by Alexander Filippov, which calls Stalin the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics most successful leader and an effective manager. Filippov believes, that it is wrong to write a textbook that will fill the children learning from it with horror and disgust about their past and their people. And it is why we need to have a generally positive term for the teaching of history in the middle school which will build optimism and self assurance for their young people and m ake them feel as though they can play their part in the bright future of this country (Josefs comeback, 2010). Filippov is not being objective as he is writing positive history influenced by Vladimir Putin, in order for the past events to not seem so daunting on the pupils learning about the history of their country. The implication of this is that Filippov is refraining the children from being able to fully understand and appreciate the events which took place, which has influenced how the country is today. These implications will be still present in one hundred years from now when there will not be any civilians alive who intrinsically know the full extent of Stalins impact on Russia and therefore can not equip the children with truth of events as they will be heavily influenced by the positive history as written in their textbooks. When a text is mistranslated from one language to another, this will hinder the extent of its objectivity. For example, when the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand was translated from English to MÄ ori in 1840, in the MÄ ori text of article one, British translators used the inadequate term kawanatanga, a transliteration of the word governance (Meaning of the treaty, 2010). In the MÄ ori text of article two, British translators used the term rangatiratanga, a transliteration of the word sovereignty. The implication of these mistranslations of the Treaty of Waitangi from English to MÄ ori was that in article one, the English version describes that MÄ ori completely give up their kawanatanga (sovereignty) and power to the British Crown. The MÄ ori version however only implies a sharing of power as they gave the British a right of governance. Another implication is that in article two, in the English version the Queen guaranteed to MÄ ori t he undisturbed possession and control over their lands, forests, fisheries, and other properties, emphasising property and ownership rights. The MÄ ori version however, promises much broader rights in regard to upholding the authority that tribes have always had over their lands and taonga, this implies possession and protection of things such as language and culture (Tourism New Zealand, 1999). There would have been no mistranslation in the Treaty of Waitangi if the British translators had used rangatiratanga in article one of the MÄ ori text and kawanatanga for article two, resulting in the problem of meaning and understanding from the misuse of language. Furthermore, an additional knowledge issue deals with the extent to which reason helps us acquire objective information in history. As the historian never indeed knows all there is to be known about an event, the historian will then select their facts and decide how they will describe them. As a result of this, historical accounts may be confronted, compared, and contrasted, emphasis and bias may be made manifest; evidence may be scrutinised; arguments may be evaluated (Abel, 1976, p. 168). Often a historian will use both deductive and inductive reasoning to draw a conclusion about a historical event. Using these particular methods, a historian can, move from the general to the particular (deduction) and then from the particular to the general (induction), in order to state a conclusion that was previously unknown and help bring us closer to the truth. However, deduction turns out to be no more certain than induction. This is because the premises on which deductive reasoning about th e world is base must be derived from induction. An example of this is that due to the use of fallacies when historians describe historical events in the past they make unwarranted inferences and draw a conclusion from something which does not follow from premises from which they initially drew it. Subsequently objective information is not always acquired. For example, during the witch hunt against communist in the USA in the early 1950s, Senator Joe McCarthys case against one alleged communist was that there is nothing in the files to disprove his communist connection (van de Lagemaat, 2005, p. 127). However, in order to show that someone is a communist; we need positive evidence of their political affiliation. This is because fallacies of this type occur if you attempt to claim that something is true on the grounds that there is no evidence to disprove it (van de Lagemaat, 2005, p. 127). When historians use such fallacies they do not allow the reader to obtain objective knowledge i n history and are therefore not enabling the reader to obtain the inner truth about something. Our last knowledge issue concerns the extent to which vague language can lead to poor reasoning in history. The role of reason in history is to make logical and rational decisions when it comes to evaluating sources and their validity. One of the main reasons of poor reasoning in history is the ambiguity of the language in which the historian describes a historical event. This is because, history is constantly being rewritten, not simply because new facts are discovered, but because it is always perceived by an individual as wrongly written. The past is in a steady process of reinterpretation and reconstruction as we want it to be meaningful to us in the present (Abel, 1976, p. 164). Historians use vague language in order to convey an idea to individuals as they themselves are not consciously aware of what happened in the past as they rely on primary and secondary sources to provide them with the information. In turn, however, there may be more than one true account of the past (Abel , 1976, p. 168), as through the ambiguity of the language used, two historians of opposing views on a particular event could both be providing the reader with true information, but due to the vague language used, it leads to poor reasoning of which the historians are not able to make explicit claims of what occurred. Both the roles of language and reason are important in acquiring the reader with objective information in the area of knowledge of history. Although language and reason differ in the way in which they help the reader obtain this knowledge, they both aim to provide an account which is true. As the reader, we hope that we will obtain a truth which is objective, however inevitably there will be elements of personal paradigms and bias which will hinder the extent to which the information in history is objective. Language and reason play an equally important role in history and as a knower I do not deem one to play a more critical role than the other. In the late 1830s, there were approximately 125,000 MÄ ori in New Zealand and about 2000 settlers. More immigrants were arriving all the time though, and Captain William Hobson was sent to act for the British Crown in the negotiation of a treaty between the Crown and MÄ ori.

The American with Disabilities Act Essay -- American Government, ADA A

As stated by the founding fathers of America â€Å"All men are created equal.† Black, white, brown, short, tall, smart, and dumb, all are created equally. Therefore every person deserves fair judgement. Unfortunately, it is a profound fact that not everyone is born normal and capable of task typical for a common person, who is free from disability. In my opinion, the quote â€Å"All men are created equal† serves to promote a friendly environment that helps encourage equality among people and aids to recognize the similarities rather than the differences that separates men. Even so, with this hope, the disabled community still struggles for equality. According to Legal Rights by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), â€Å"Almost 10 percent of all American have some kind of hearing loss. These ten percent suffer from unfair treatment from professional, social and government service providers, including court and police† (NAD 1). Obviously, because deaf and h ard of hearing have limited hearing, their communication and social skills are below the expectation of a common hearing person. Thus, most of these people are ignored, neglected, and discriminated against. However, as a citizen protected by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), deaf and hard of hearing individuals deserve equal rights and must be accommodated for as a disabled person. If everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedom that is set forth in the Declaration, disabled people should not be robbed of their rights. However, they are still devalued from conducting common tasks which puts them at the bottom of the priority list as an employee and even so as a friend. In search to solve this problem, according to â€Å"The Disabled† by Bender, D. on July 26, 1990, President G... ...er on Deaf Child Accepted† from the New York Times by Greenhouse, Linda on November 3, 1981. Supreme Court agreed to provide a sign language interpreter for deaf third grader. The appeals was based on the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Apparently, Amy Rowley a deaf student who was adept at lip reading and received help from her hearing aid was performing above average from her class without special help. However, the court ruled â€Å"she was entitled to be able to understand everything said in the classroom, a goal that could be achieved only through sign language†(Greenhouse 2). Even though Amy Rowley in the top half of her class the court recognized that she is still being denied of her rights. Therefore, the court ruled in her favor to accommodate her for education. With the accommodation she will be given an opportunity to achieve her full potential.

Negative Relationships in Hawthornes Rappaccinis Daughter :: Rappaccinis Daughter Essays

Negative Relationships in Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter How far reaching is the bond between father and daughter? To most, that bond serves to protect the child until she is able to protect herself, and then for her to be independent. For Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini and his daughter Beatrice, that bond was to be twisted and ultimately fatal for Beatrice. Beatrice, by her father's plan was never to be free and independent but rather isolated from the life of the world and dependent on the poison from her father. Dr. Rappaccini is obsessed with science and what the manipulation of nature can do for people. He is overprotective of Beatrice and thinks that he can provide the solution to all of her problems. Knowing the evils of the world as a young man, Rappaccini decides to take control over Beatrice's life and make sure no one can ever hurt his beloved daughter. By filling Beatrice up with poison, Rappaccini succeeds in keeping Beatrice from any evil; but at what price? Beatrice is free from any evil touching her, but she is also isolated from any good that may come to her. What could Rappaccini's rationalization for controlling his daughter's life so completely be? It is probably due to a hard life lived by Rappaccini and the assumption that the world is evil and that there is no hope for goodness. But, what Rappaccini does not understand is that purity is chosen individually, not forced upon someone. "His insane zeal for science"(2251) has made Rappaccini obsessed with controlling his surroundings. From isolating his daughter through poison, to spying on her activities, to engineering his garden, to changing another human being with poison to be with Beatrice. But, that is not to imply that Dr. Rappaccini does not love his daughter with all his heart. In his own way he does love Beatrice beyond any measure. This is his justification for why it is all right that he be so controlling. He believes that with his love and knowledge he can provide all that his daughter needs. But, this is where Dr. Rappaccini is wrong. His love is not all that Beatrice needs, and therefore she is not happy in her evil-free existence.

An Analysis of The Thurber Carnival Essay -- Thurber Carnival Essays

An Analysis of The Thurber Carnival  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The Fables for Our Time contained in Thurber's The Thurber Carnival are, in my opinion, particularly good examples of a writer successfully 'breaking frames' in order to create humor and satire. In this essay I am going to explore the main methods Thurber uses to create humor and satire in the fables "The Shrike and the Chipmunks" and "The Unicorn in the Garden"2. Firstly though, what do I mean by the 'broken frame'? This is a reference to the idea that the violation of our 'frames of reference', and the recognition of the incongruity caused by it, is the basic element of humour. If the incongruity needs to be explained, the humour will be lost. Kant expresses this idea when he says "Laughter is an affection arising from a strained expectation being suddenly reduced to nothing"3. Thurber violates several different types of expectation in his attempts to create humour and satire. These range from expectation of the rules of fable and other literature, to expectation of characterisation, and expectation of the familiar saying. "The Shrike and the Chipmunks", is first and foremost a parody of the traditional fable. It has all the traditional ingredients: the anthropomorphised Chipmunks, corresponding with stereotyped human characters, the building of suspense over a perceived right and wrong type of behaviour, a corresponding climax, and a moral at the end. Anthropomorphism is a common technique of humour. Umberto Eco explains that this is so that the audience can laugh at the 'broken frame', without the discomfort of empathy with the frame breaker. "It is for this reason that the animalisation of the comic hero is so important"4. But quite apart from this use, Thur... ... 1-9. Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Judgement, Book II. E307 Photocopy. pp. 196-203. Thurber, James. The Thurber Carnival. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1983.    End Notes 1. Umberto Eco, "Frames of Comic Freedom," in Carnival!, ed. T. A. Sebeok (Berlin: Mouton Publishers, 1984), p. 4. 2. James Thurber, The Thurber Carnival (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1983). Fables for Our Time pp. 278 - 305. "The Shrike and the Chipmunks" pp. 290-291. "The Unicorn in the Garden" pp. 304-305. 3. Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement, Book II, E307 Photocoy. p. 199. 4. Eco, p. 2. 5. Thurber, p. 290. 6. Thurber, p. 290. 7. Thurber, p. 291. 8. Thurber, p.305. 9. Burton Bernstein, Thurber: A Biography (Great Britain: Lowe & Brydone, 1975), p. 308. 10. Eco, p. 2.      

John Proctor Essay

This description adds an air of mystery to him – he seems subversive and breeds paranoia, which is bound to encourage the audience to dislike him. This unpleasantness about him rubs off on the characters who side with him such as Parris, Danforth and Abigail, and hence rubs off on the society that gets caught up in his hysterical witch-hunt. Similarly to Proctor therefore, we feel alienated from this society, so different to our own. So while characters such as Hale may be portrayed as popular in the community, and therefore as good citizens following the teachings of their society, the audience sees Proctor as a good man. Furthermore, as the audience comes to dislike this society more and more, partly due to Hale’s influence upon it, and as the events of the play become more serious, our disgust with Salem as a society grows. This leads us to side even more with the characters that are portrayed as ‘good people’ (not only Proctor, but those accused of witchcraft more generally such as Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor) and against the ‘good citizens’. This is simply due to the fact that the ‘good citizens’ chose to distinguish themselves from the ‘good people’ in the eyes of the audience by accusing them of witchcraft, thus forcing us to side against them. However, the audience’s sympathy with Proctor is perhaps not absolute. In his relationship/interaction with Elizabeth, we may find a darker, less appealing side to Proctor. When we first meet her, Elizabeth is â€Å"softly singing to the children†. She obeys John’s orders, seeming mild, sweet and gentle. This serves to instantly ingratiate her with the audience. But similarly, she gains our sympathy. She has the air of a repressed housewife. In obeying John’s every command, Elizabeth appeals to the hearts of the modern liberal audience living in an age of comparative equality. Everything down to the way she laments â€Å"Pray God. I hurt my heart to strip her, poor rabbit† makes her ever more sweet and sensitive and worthy of sympathy in the eyes of the audience. Because of the audience’s sympathies with Elizabeth, when Proctor begins to grow angry and shout at her, for the first time we are encouraged to side against Proctor. Elizabeth, seeming weak and sensitive plays on our sympathies, so when John shouts â€Å"Woman †¦ I’ll not have your suspicion any more†, the audience sees her as the victim of the ‘bully’, John. Even then however, John manages to redeem himself. Elizabeth’s sweetness does seem to have an effect on him. Eventually, he recognises Elizabeth for the good woman she is, and when he comes to resolve his inner battle between truth and life, he values her opinion above all others. He appears therefore, to be a man of some compassion. He begs her to judge him, something that he had rejected bitterly before then, and was the source of their original argument. In his own words â€Å"You are a – marvel, Elizabeth†. In Proctor’s struggle at the end of the play – his choice between a virtuous death and a haunted life – we see open, frank and emotional expressions of his goodness and compassion. Indeed, it is here that we see the true evidence that John Proctor really is a good man. Here, for the first time, he openly recognises his flaws – â€Å"I cannot mount the gibbet a saint †¦ Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that wasn’t rotten long before†. The audience now recognises him as a man of great humanity, who will own up to his past sins. Furthermore, his benevolence shines through in his recognition of Elizabeth as a better person than he. This is most prominently displayed in his desperation to be judged by her. He recognises her goodness and begs forgiveness, and when she sullies her own name his pain is most apparent: â€Å"PROCTOR (In great pain): Enough, enough – ELIZABETH (Now pouring out her heart): Better you should know me! PROCTOR: I will not hear it! I know you! † Never before has Proctor used such emotion as this, denoted by the short sentences, exclamation marks and short bursts of pained speech. It is clear that he loves Elizabeth above all other things, and would willingly die for her to think better of him. He is a man of true compassion and love. But most revealing of his good nature is Proctor’s ultimate choice. When it comes down to it, he cannot lie. As he tries to give the confession, he has great trouble in physically saying it. His jaws lock, we are told, as if God himself were intervening to stop a good Christian from sullying his name. His confession is short, pained and brief. He cannot bear to elaborate, simply uttering â€Å"I did †¦ He did† in answer to the charges against him. It is too much for this good man. He cannot darken his soul to save his life. He would rather die a good and honest Christian, than live a lie and stoop so low as those who interrogate and imprison him. It is here that he proves himself truly heroic, as he rises above the hypocrisy of Salem and dies a martyr to the cause of good and truth, and this he recognises himself – â€Å"I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. † Clearly then, John Proctor is absolutely the central character of ‘The Crucible’. He is purposely detached from Salem society and moulded into the key to a play with a deeper underlying meaning. In many ways he represents Miller himself, and shares a viewpoint with the modern audience, providing a window into a very different world. In order to do this it is vital that the audience sympathises entirely with his plight. His respectable and likeable character draws the audience to him, before Miller pits both him and us against the misguided witch-hunters – Miller’s own House Un-American Activities Committee. We side and sympathise with Proctor, just as Miller requires us to side and sympathise with him, before a greater evil. 6 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one?

Assessment Record and Feedback Sheet Essay

1. Understand the communication principles of computer networks 2. Know the main elements of data communications systems 3. Be able to implement different forms of network communications. (P5 – P6 – M2 – D2) Assignment Target Grade Final Grade Achieved Tutor Signature and Date Pï  ± Mï  ± Dï  ± Grading Criteria Date Achieved Date Ref’d 1st Date Ref’d 2nd Assessor Comments Address all comments directly to grading criteria. Please state clearly whether Formative or Summative feedback. Assessor Initials P5 – Describe the principles of signal theory P6 – Describe different transmission methods used M2 – Explain why particular transmission methods are chosen in particular situations D2 – Compare the effectiveness of different transmission methods Functional Skills Feedback Please include comments on English / Maths / IT General Comments and Performance Against Standards STUDENT’S COMMENT Comments on assignment feedback, including your Action Plan for next assignment. CHOOSE ONE of the following questions to answer with regard to your assignment: 1. What did you find difficult about the assignment? 2. What did you find enjoyable? 3. What else would you like to know about this particular subject/topic? 4. How are you going to improve your grade in future assignments? 5. How could you improve your literacy, numeracy or IT skills? 6. What do you feel needs to be done to improve this assignment and how will you do this? 7. Your lecturer’s comments Assignment-2 (Brief) Unit No. 10 Unit Title: Communication Technologies P/M/D Criteria covered: (P5 – P6 – M2 – D2) Learning outcomes – On completion of this unit you should: 1Understand the communication principles of computer networks 2Know the main elements of data communications systems 3Be able to implement different forms of network communications. Scenario A client wishes to know more about the issues surrounding the transmission of data. In this assignment, you will produce a series of mini reports to demonstrate your understanding of the various aspects of data transmission and the principles of signal theory. Task 1 (P5) This task will provide evidence for: P5 Describe the principles of signal theory 1. Signal Theory: With the aid of a diagram explain how data is represented in a digital format. What is a bit? What is a data packet? Draw a data packet and explain the individual parts. Explain synchronous and asynchronous transmission. Define bandwidth and give four common measurements from slow to fast (e.g. Bits Per second (bps) being the lowest). What is data compression and how is it beneficial to a network? 2. You should also explain with the aid of clearly labelled diagrams, how data gets from one point to the other by describing the following: Simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex. Serial and parallel communication. Task 2 (P6) This task will provide evidence for: P6 Describe different transmission methods used 1. Describe with the aid of drawings the features and benefits of the following transmission methods: a. Coaxial: i. Thinnet ii. Thicknet b. Optical Fibre: i. Single Mode ii. Multi Mode c. Twisted Pair: i. Unshielded ii. Shielded d. Wireless solutions: Radio- i. Explain how computers convert digital signals into radio waves. ii. List three strengths and weaknesses associated with radio transmission. Microwave- iii. What is microwave? iv. What are the main benefits of using microwave for data transmission? v. Explain point-to-point and point-to-multipoint microwave with suitable examples. http://www.intelephony.com.au/Networking/microwave Satellite- vi. What is a communication satellite? vii. What are the three main categories of satellite with regards to their position in orbit. viii. Explain the following MAC protocols for satellite links: 1. ALOHA 2. FDMA 3. TDMA 4. CDMA http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cis788-97/ftp/satellite_data/index.htm Task 3 (M2) This task will provide evidence for: M2 Explain why particular transmission methods are chosen in particular situations Based on the information produced for (P6) create a series of scenarios to aid your explanation of why certain transmission methods are chosen in particular situations. Task 4 (D2) This task will provide evidence for: D2 Compare the effectiveness of different transmission methods For this part of your assignment develop a detailed report comparing the effectiveness of the transmission methods described in P6. *Note: your report must focus on the good and bad points and not just be a description of the various methods.

Criminal Prosecution and Competencies

Through movies, we get the impression that police officers have all the right to arrest someone and bring him to court. But the underlying fact in this is that there are some things that must be done before a trial can be reached. For instance, an offender is arrested for committing a crime. There are steps in a criminal prosecution which leads to sentencing. During the arrest, the offender is handcuffed and taken to jail. The offender is then taken for booking wherein his photograph and fingerprints will be taken and he will be searched. A strip-search may be necessary at some point.Then, the police will ask about the offender’s personal information such as name, address, date of birth and social security number (American Hunt Saboteurs Association, n. d. ). The next step would be arraignment, which signals the court appearance for a felony or misdemeanor. During this process, the charges to be filed and the penalty applicable once convicted, and the Constitutional rights are recited to the defendant (Nichols, n. d. ). The offender also pleads guilty or not guilty during arraignment, after which the pretrial, readiness hearing and trial dates are set.If the offender does not plead guilty, the next step would be the pretrial hearing. This is the time for both parties to file pretrial motions or issues. Then there would be the discovery. Discovery refers to the information needed for the parties to prepare the case. The next step is motions, wherein both parties can present testimonies or arguments. The readiness hearing will follow. This hearing is mainly held to find out if both parties are ready to proceed (City of Oak, 2003). After these steps, the trial follows.For an offender who pleads not guilty, he will be tried and convicted by either a judge or a jury (American Hunt Saboteurs Association, n. d. ). The judge or the jury decides upon the verdict. This leads to the final step, which is the sentencing. In some areas in the United States, sentencing can be delivered in an expedite manner, or the defendant can return to be sentenced. Before a judge or a jury can put down a sentence, the judge must first hear the sides of the prosecution, victims or their representatives, the defendant and the defense attorney (City of Oak, 2003).Foundational and Decisional Competencies Foundational competencies, which are sometimes called Work Readiness Competencies, refer to competencies which serve as foundation for success whether in the workplace or school. Having foundational skills is very essential especially for workers to be able to learn new industry-specific skills. Foundational competencies are considered fundamental in occupations and industries (State of Minnesota, 2009). Foundational competencies transcend many other forms of competencies, such as ethical competencies, personal effectiveness, work place competencies and so on.Individual and cultural diversity and professional development are also classified as foundational. Take academic competencies as example. The critical competencies that people have learned in an academic setting such as communication, reading and writing, and basic computer skills are necessary in order to succeed in one’s chosen career. Academic competencies are the foundation for other competencies such as occupation and industry specific competencies. Decisional competencies, on the other hand, are categorized under workplace competencies. Possessing excellent decision-making skills is critical in both work place and school.Decisional competencies aid an individual in functioning â€Å"in an organizational setting† (Long Island University, n. d. ). Foundational and decisional competencies can be related in criminal cases, especially ones wherein the defendant suffers from a mental disorder. Foundational competencies can include the defendant’s basic knowledge of the charges and the adversary system as a whole. They also include the ability to â€Å"disclose re levant information to counsel. † Decisional competencies, on the other hand, would include one’s ability to understand legal alternatives and choose among these when necessary (Skeem, et.al, 2004). References American Hunt Saboteurs Association. (n. d. ). Arrest. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. huntsab. org/arrest. htm City of Oak. (2003). Steps in a criminal case. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. oakharbor. org/subcategory. cfm? id=12&sid=19 Long Island University. (n. d. ). The practitioner scholar model: Program competencies, goals and objectives. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. cwpost. liu. edu/cwis/cwp/clas/psych/doctoral/forms/PractitionerScholarModel. pdf Nichols, W. P. (n. d. ). Steps in a criminal case.Office of Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. co. monroe. mi. us/Monroe/default. aspx? PageId=387 Skeem, J. , Golding, S.. L. & Emke-Francis,P. (2004). Assessing adjudicative competency: Using l egal and empirical principles to inform practice. In Donohue, W. T. & Levensky, E. R. (Eds. ). Forensic psychology: A handbook for mental health and legal professionals. New York: Academic Press. State of Minnesota. (2009). â€Å"Building blocks† for competency models. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www. careeronestop. org/CompetencyModel/pyramid_definition. aspx

Crafting a Livelihood in India

building sustainability for indian artisans CRAFTINGALIVELIHOOD/ JANUARY2013 Tableof Contents Foreword Executive Summary 1 2 I. Craftspeople – The Backbone of India's Non-Farm Rural Economy Sector Overview, profile of indian artisans, crafts value chain and key challenges 4 In Sanskrit, Dasra means Enlightened Giving. Dasra is India’s leading strategic philanthropy foundation. Dasra works with philanthropists and successful social entrepreneurs to bring together knowledge, funding and people as a catalyst for social change.We ensure that strategic funding and capacity building skills reach non profit organizations and social businesses to have the greatest impact on the lives of people living in poverty. www. dasra. org II. Government, Private Sector and Non Profit Initiatives Role of key stakeholders in enhancing artisans’ sustainability 15 III. Harnessing the Potential of India's Crafts Sector Four cornerstones of artisans’ sustainability and recommended interventions for philanthropic support 26 IV. Mapping Non Profits and High Impact Interventions AIACA Avani 43 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations continue developing a modern view of philanthropy through which they defend the dignity and empowerment of each individual. The Foundations’ primary focus is on education, with projects in a range of areas: arts and culture, social entrepreneurship, intercultural dialogue, health and research and philanthropic education. Through their geographic locations and range of projects, the Foundations represent a rich, multicultural network. They endeavor to identify local initiatives and provide close monitoring of their numerous stakeholders while sharing this experience internationally.By applying an entrepreneurial method to the universe of philanthropy, the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations contribute to the growing professionalism of the social sector. They moreover work towards the recognition of th e pluralism inherent to all societies and the respect for their citizen’s many identities. www. edrfoundations. org Craft Revival Trust Dastakar Earthy Goods Foundation Gramshree Kala Raksha Khamir ORUPA SAHAJ Shrujan Concluding Thoughts Appendices A. Methodology and Selection Criteria B. End Notes C. Bibliography D. Acknowledgments and Organization Database 6 58 60 61 62 Report published in: January 2013 Cover Photo Credit: KHAMIR Foreword One of the biggest issues in India is that our markets do not recognize the true value of craft. When this value is recognized, and if people are willing to pay a higher price for craft-based products, this should translate into higher wages for weavers and craftspeople and act as a boost to millions of rural-based livelihood opportunities associated with this sector. The economics however is not as simple, as finally it comes down to the conflict between pricing and sales.If you out-price goods, you sell only a limited number. If you don' t give crafts people enough work, it kills the craft. Sustainable livelihoods will ultimately depend on finding a fine balance between the two. Fabindia follows an inclusive model of capitalism, placing craft at the center of the quest for profitability and growth. I grew up watching my father build this company. I was also very idealistic so I started a co-operative in 1989 and ran it till 1991. While I soon realized this was not the answer, this experience helped me understand what I wanted to do with my role at FabIndia.If you look at business, success is generally defined by measurable outcomes, financial profit and the material impact. We are taught to squeeze each and every opportunity as hard as we can to maximize profit. In a conventional way, all of this makes a lot of sense. But my experience in business has been different. I operate a business, which is one of the most profitable businesses in the retail space in India. Yet, it is also one in which the central theme is to enable all our producers to become stakeholders and beneficiaries of the larger wealth creation process.When we created this idea, every business analyst who saw it said it would not be viable. But instead it has opened up new avenues for business, which are collaborative. It has connected people in new ways, allowing them to give very differently of themselves. The business operates from the principle that people are not just instruments. When people feel they are valued, respected, a part of something bigger than their own immediate interest, the nature of their contribution changes. And this is at the heart of interdependence that Fabindia recognizes.We are building a very transformative model, and we need to take that to scale. Our greatest motivation has come from the 100,000 artisans that we see affiliated to it – that’s the big picture, needle moving idea that uses mainstream retail to give relevance to this sector. There are several very successful small scale stories in the crafts space. Taking these to the next level necessitates investment and resources which recognize the value of craft and the socioeconomic returns it generates for craftspeople. This is the perspective that this Report and its authors bring to the fore-front.And I wish this initiative every success. WilliamBissel ManagingDirector,Fabindia 1 Executive Summary India's industrialization and participation in the modern world economy is decades old. Nevertheless, millions of Indians still depend on indigenous modes of production, traditional skills and techniques to make a living based on handmade products. These craftspeople or artisans are the backbone of the non-farm rural economy, with an estimated 7 million artisans according to official figures (and upto 200 million artisans according to unofficial sources) engaged in craft production to earn a livelihood. Despite some instances of well-known design houses using handmade products and successful crafts-based busines ses such as FabIndia and Anokhi, the majority of craft production remains unorganized and informal with its full market potential untapped, especially by the artisan, who more often than not struggles for sustenance. Propelled by loss of markets, declining skills and difficulty catering to new markets, a large number of artisans have moved to urban centers in search of low, unskilled employment in industry.According to the United Nations, over the past 30 years, the number of Indian artisans has decreased by 30%, indicating the need to re-invest in artisans to safeguard history, culture and an important source of livelihood. 2 The Indian Government, the private sector and the non profits are each involved in the sector but their roles have evolved in silos, with little specialization and much duplication. On a policy level a cohesive and concerted effort is required to overcome the challenges faced by the crafts ecosystem through funding and programs.Simultaneously, the private sect or has a significant role to play in uplifting artisans through different market-led efforts made by retail chains, high end-fashion designers and a relatively more recent wave of social businesses. Non profits have been particularly active in the crafts space since the early 1960s and have evolved numerous models to support artisans in earning better livelihoods. To realize the full potential of the crafts sector, the gaps, overlaps and challenges in the value chain must be overcome to create an ecosystem that enables crafts to thrive.The different stakeholders involved need to come together to build what we call the four cornerstones of artisans’ sustainability. Philanthropy has a key role to play in supporting the creation of such an ecosystem. Harnessing the potential of this sector requires different types of investments to preserve traditional crafts, strengthen the sector, and improve the incomes of artisans. Investment should focus on building the four cornerstones of artisans’ sustainability: 1. 2. 3. 4.Handholding the Artisan through the Value Chain Increasing Demand for Crafts and Strengthening Market Linkages Strengthening the Decentralized Production Model Building a Multi-Stakeholder Approach This would realize the tremendous opportunities the crafts sector in India provides to improve economic, environmental and social conditions of rural communities. These include: Economic Opportunities : Employment and income: The crafts sector has the potential to provide stable employment and income generation to diverse communities and to those with different levels of education. ? ? Migration: Promoting hand production in rural areas can effectively check migration of rural labor to urban centers and prevent loss of skills Economic growth: The global market for handicrafts is USD400 billion, of which India's share is below 2%, representing a tremendous growth opportunity. 3 Competitive advantage: Artisans can serve as key drivers of speci alization and competence in precision manufacturing, similar to Japan and Korea. Economic Opportunities Environmental Benefits: Low energy requirement: Production processes used in crafts typically ave a low carbon footprint and promote the use of locally available materials as well as natural and organic materials where possible. Environmental Benefits Social Empowerment: ? Women's empowerment: Crafts production represents an opportunity to provide a source of earning and employment for otherwise low skilled, home-based women, improving their status within the household. Return for future generations: Investing in artisans leads to a trickle-down effect of improving the health and education outcomes for future generations of the most marginalized populations. Handicrafts embody India's history and diversity: Over many centuries, an extraordinary legacy has nourished Indians crafts across religious, ethnic and communal boundaries. They highlight the country's unique cultural mosa ic and offer a powerful tool for pluralism and co-existence. There is an urgent need for philanthropy to realize the economic potential of the crafts sector by investing in high impact scalable models that have the potential to strengthen livelihoods in a sustainable manner. Social Empowerment 2 3 major categories in craft hadi (cloth that is woven from handspun yarn) cotton handlooms processing of cotton textile by hand silk handlooms processing of silk textiles by hand zari (silver and gold threadwork) and embroidery carpets miscellaneous products made of wood, bamboo, cane and grass leather manufacture earthenware plating/polishing/ engraving metals jewelry and related products making of musical instruments I. CHAPTER Craftspeople: The Backbone of India's Non-Farm Rural Economy 4 â€Å"To write about Indian handicrafts is almost like writing about the country itself.So vast, complex and colorful, and yet with a simplicity and charm, difficult to attain under comparable condition s† – Upadhyay, M. N. : Handicrafts of India. 4 India has one of the most diverse and ancient traditions of handmade products, and its handicrafts industry is an important economic and cultural asset. According to the Twelfth Five Year Plan, handicrafts production is expected to double between 2012 and 2017 and exports are projected to grow at the compounded annual rate of 18% during the same period. As a result, the craft sector will employ an additional 10% of individuals per year up to that time. 6 The crafts value chain encompasses the full range of activities required to bring a handicraft product from conception through production to delivery to consumers. The Government, the private sector and non profits have played and continue to play an important role in the sector's development, although their efforts remain isolated and thus limited in their impact.From Vishwakarma's Children to Poverty: A Socio-economic Profile of Artisans Chart1: The story of Indian crafts is deeply embedded in mythology, history and culture as can be seen in Chart 1. Artisans are considered to be the descendants of Vishwakarma the presiding deity of crafts and architecture. During the Vedic Age craftspeople enjoyed a high social standing and were part of the landed gentry, responsible for the creation of temples and palaces. In the caste hierarchy that evolved during the post Vedic period, craftspeople were associated with Shudras or the lowest caste due to the manual nature of their work.While Hindu artisans occupied the lower echelons of the caste system, due to the menial nature of their work, artisans from other non Hindu religious communities were equally stigmatized. This adverse status led to a deeply rooted stigma which persists today long after the abolition of the caste system. Nevertheless, in subsequent eras when India was inhabited by princely kingdoms, crafts continued to flourish because of their utilitarian nature, royal patronage and the organizatio n of artisans into guilds. Until the second half of the 17th century, crafts enjoyed a steady market.With the decline of princely states, the entry of the East India Company and colonization, employment in crafts especially handloom declined due to trade between India and the UK which was organized and regulated largely by colonial powers. The result was the fragmentation of the artisan community, marked by inequality between those that could produce for British markets, traders and those that were only exposed to local markets. Subsequent industrialization marked the steady decline in crafts markets and livelihood potential for artisans.Despite the central role played by crafts in the freedom movement, where Mahatma Gandhi incited the nation to produce by hand, and subsequent welfare measures implemented by the Indian Government, artisans (with the exceptions of traders, and extremely specialized master craftspeople) never regained the social status and sustainable income they once possessed. The uniqueness of India's craftspeople has been their ability to work across religious, caste and cultural divides. Such a meeting of distinctive traditions has fostered dialogue, social inclusion and an extraordinary creativity.ROYALPATRONAGE Craftsusedtoreceiveroyalpatronage, whichhasnowdisappeared. Further,folk craftsnolongerfitintoeverydayusageas theyoncedidduetoincreasing urbanization. Thehandicraftand handloomsectorsarea `24,300crore (USD4. 48bn) industrycontributing `10,000crore (USD1. 85bn) toIndia'sexportearnings of`1. 62lakhcrore (USD300bn). 8 An important economic and cultural asset India's myriad crafts traditions and living crafts skills are vehicles of its cultural identity, passed on from generation to generation and a means of sustenance for numerous communities engaged in production.Crafts constitute one of the primary sub-sectors within Creative and Cultural Industries, defined by UNESCO as â€Å"industries which produce tangible or intangible artistic and creative outputs, and which have a potential for wealth creation and income generation through the fostering of cultural assets and the production of knowledge-based goods and services. â€Å"7 The crafts sector encompasses diverse activities ranging from embroidery and painting to leatherwork and pottery, with variations and regional specificities within each group.There are thousands of living crafts in India. For simplicity, these can broadly be understood as handlooms and handicrafts. Together handicrafts and handlooms play an important role in the Indian economy. Handicrafts typically refer to artifacts made by hand for decorative, religious or functional purposes. These products are often found in diverse markets from runways in Paris, and highend designer stores to domestic retail outlets and tourist emporiums. SWADESHIMOVEMENT Handproductionwasstronglyrootedinthe independencemovementandGandhi’sprinciples.However,themovementlostsignificanceinthe public’spe rceptionafterthe50sand60s. INDUSTRIALIZATION Thefactorysectorhas inherenteconomiesof scaleandgreater bargainingpowerfor cheaperhigherquality rawmaterials,whichhas adverselyaffectedthe craftssector. Further, thissectorhasbeen divertinglaboraway fromskill-based occupations. GLOBALIZATION Challenge:Lackof consumerawareness abouttheimportance ofcrafts Opportunity:Crafts providecompetitive edgeandunique identitytoIndiaina globalmarketplace 5 6Broadly, artisans are divided into the following categories with a rigid hierarchical division of labor between more and less skilled artisans in a particular craft : ? Skilled master craftsman ? Wage-worker ? Fully self-employed artisan ? Part-time artisan An estimated 63% of artisans are self-employed while 37% are wage earners. 9 Traditional knowledge and craft skills are passed down from one generation to another, so that whole families and communities are engaged in production. An estimated 71% of artisans work as family units and 76% attribute their profession to the fact that they have learnt family skills. 0 It is important to note that most official figures count only the head of the production unit and wage earners in official figures, leaving out the 5-6 family members who are also dependent on crafts for sustenance, thus creating an incomplete understanding of the sector's size and importance. The vast majority of artisans operate in informal work settings. In fact, according to one study, Vishwakarma's Children in 2001 only 9% of craftspeople benefited from formalized employment, while 42% worked out of their homes. 11 Most artisan production units tend to be micro enterprises.In fact, 39% of artisans incur production expenditures of less than INR 12,000/ USD 215 a year and only 19% spend above INR 50,000/ USD 900 a year. 12 Typically artisans sell their products to diverse markets including local markets, city outlets, private agents, wholesalers or retail traders and exporters. A meaningful analysis of the secto r requires focusing on particular geographies and crafts. For this report, we focused on the crafts sector in the states Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Odisha. These have among the largest number of artisans, as shown in the chart 2.In addition, Dasra's mapping of non profits involved in the sector, revealed the highest concentration of non profits working at scale in these states. The Crafts Value Chain is Fragmented For a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the crafts sector, as well as areas that need improvement, it is important to understand the crafts value chain. The crafts value chain shown in Chart 3 has been created based on our observations on the ground as well as inputs from sector experts. It aims to demonstrate the different stages in craft production from producers to markets and inputs required at each stage.It must be noted, however, that each craft will have a slightly different set of processes. The stages explained below have therefore bee n simplified to a certain degree to provide a general understanding of how the crafts sector functions. Chart3:TheCraftsValueChain PROCESS INPUTSREQUIRED Organization Human Resources ? LegalEntities ? Procuring and Processsing RawMaterials ? ? ? Credits Facilities Technology Chart2: DistributionofIndianArtisans 40% 29% 13% Production ? ? ? ? Design Technology Skills Enterprise Development Aggregation and Intermediary Trade Transport toMarkets ? Quality Checks ? Storage ? ?ODISHA UTTARPRADESH GUJARAT-RAJASTHAN Markets Marketing and Promotion 7 Source:ExportPromotionCouncilforHandicraftsand CouncilofHandicraftCorporationsandDevelopmentCommissioner(GovernmentofIndia) 8 1. Organization Artisans are usually structured into groups through informal contracts between traders, master artisans and low-skilled artisans. More formal systems of artisans’ organization involve four main types of entities:13 ? Self Help Groups (SHGs) are set up with the help of external technical intermediar ies such as non profits or through Government schemes, and typically comprise 10-20 artisans, usually women.SHGs serve as a form of social collateral, enabling artisans to establish linkages with input providers such as raw material suppliers, microfinance institutions and banks, and downstream players such as aggregators and retailers. Organization are often forced to rely on local traders who provide them with raw materials against orders, albeit at high prices, or switch to non-traditional raw materials. 3. Production Although techniques and processes vary widely from one craft to the next, crafts production generally takes place in households, with multiple family members engaged in different aspects of the process.Even where organized artisan structures exist, artisans typically produce within community settings. Production is generally seasonal, with crafts activity being suspended during harvest season, as most artisans are also engaged in agriculture to supplement their live lihoods. 4. Aggregation and Intermediary Trade ? Mutually Aided Co-operatives (MACs) are created to provide artisans with a platform for equitable participation. Legislated at the state Government level, MACs enable artisans to pool funds as equity and own their production units.However, due to strong Government influence, this structure has failed to gain popularity in most states other than Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. ` ProcuringandProcessing RawMaterials ? Producer Companies were created as a for-profit legal entity in the Companies Bill in 2002 to enable primary producers to participate in ownership and contribute equity. ? Private Limited Companies are for-profit legal entities that allow artisans to participate in ownership as shareholders, while enabling external funders to invest capital.Aggregation involves bringing together products from decentralized production units to enable economies of scale in transportation, storage and retail. Due to the dismal status of infrastruct ure and communication in India, aggregating products is a challenging task, and leads to many of the bottlenecks in the crafts supply chain today. Buyers and retailers lack incentives to overcome upstream, supply-side issues, which results in a loss of opportunities for artisans to access markets. Aggregationand IntermediaryTrade Markets 5. MarketsThe markets for the craft products can be broadly understood as local, retail shops – high-end as well as mainstream, exhibitions and exports. Among these, local markets are still the common markets for many artisans. 14 The contemporary markets, domestically as well as internationally, have grown with an expanding demand for ethnic products that have a story linked to them. However, these products are in low supply due to supply chain inefficiencies. However, most artisans continue to work independently as there is a widespread lack of awareness about the advantages of being organized into the above forms. ProductionDemand 2. Procu ring and Processing Raw Materials Traditionally, raw materials used by artisans were widely available due to the close linkages between evolution of crafts and locally available materials. Further, the jajmani system, which consisted of a reciprocal relationship between artisanal castes and the wider village community for the supply of goods and services, provided artisans with access to community resources. However, with the breakdown of these traditional structures, along with competition from organized industry, artisans find it challenging to buy quality raw materials at affordable prices.In the absence of raw material banks, they 6. Demand With the advent of globalization and the availability of cheaper and more varied products, crafts face severe competition in contemporary markets. They are typically perceived as traditional, old-fashioned and antithetical to modern tastes. There have been limited efforts to reposition the image of crafts and build consumer appreciation of th e history and cultural identity associated with handmade products. In addition, there are few instances of traditional crafts being â€Å"contemporized† to fit with changing consumption patterns. 10 India's Crafts Sector is in Disarray While crafts received royal and aristocratic patronage during pre-Independence days and played a central role in Gandhi's independence struggle, they have slowly lost relevance with the advent of industrialization. Currently, the sector carries the stigma of inferiority and backwardness, and is viewed as decorative, peripheral and elitist. This is compounded by the Government's treatment of crafts as a sunset industry, which has resulted in a lack of well-developed policies and programs to protect and strengthen the ecosystem for artisans.Traditional crafts have largely been marginalized by massproduced consumer goods, which tend to be cheaper due to the economies of scale associated with mechanization. The nature of the crafts sector and chall enges faced by artisans reduces their ability to compete with machine-made products. Catering to the mainstream market often necessitates a decline in quality and/or workmanship, leading to the eventual loss of skills over a few generations. There are very few instances like pashmina shawls where a traditional craft has successfully â€Å"contemporized† itself for Indian or overseas markets.Artisans were traditionally an essential part of the village economy, producing everyday utilitarian objects catered towards local markets, using designs and motifs that were of significance to their communities. However, with the advent of industrialization and increasing urbanization of markets for crafts, the historical artisan-consumer relationship has broken down, and largely been replaced by traders. This has rendered artisans' knowledge and skill, acquired over generations, virtually useless and made crafts an unsustainable source of livelihood.The five main challenges facing artisa ns in creating sustainable livelihoods in today's economy can be described as follows: low education levels for the family overall. The lack of education makes it difficult to manage inventory, access Government schemes and market information and bargain with traders and middlemen. It is estimated that in 2003 around 50% of household heads of crafts producing families had no education whatsoever, and more shockingly, around 90% of the women in these households were completely uneducated. 5 Outdated Production Methods- Artisans may also lack the financial capability to upgrade technology in production, or undergo necessary training on a regular basis, as would be available to them in a formal work setting. This compromises the quality of their products and raises the cost of production. 2. Inadequate Inputs Inadequate Inputs There are three main issues: Lack of Quality Raw Materials- Rural artisans often lack access to quality raw materials. Due to the low volumes required, they have low bargaining power and are forced to buy substandard materials at a higher price.In crafts such as weaving, handloom weavers have to compete with the power loom industry for high quality raw materials, which are more easily accessible to the power loom industry as a result of Government subsidies. Further, many raw materials used commonly by craftspeople such as wood, cane, silk, scrap and virgin metal are become increasingly difficult to acquire. The costs of some of these materials are rising faster than the wholesale price index. Lack of Funding- Craft producers suffer greatly from lack of working capital and access to credit and loan facilities.Often, producers are unable to fulfill bulk orders because they lack the capital to purchase raw materials, and simultaneously support their family's living needs while the order is being executed. While there are several Government schemes intended to fill this gap for artisans through institutions such as National Bank for Agricultur e and Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), it is difficult for the uneducated artisans to access these programs and manage the necessary collateral or funds for bribes.Banks cite poor recovery rates, wrong utilization of funds, lack of marketing facilities for finished products and lack of education on part of the borrowers as reasons for the low proportion of loans made to artisans. In general, this forces artisans to borrow from their local moneylender or trader at high interest rates. The All India Debt and Investment Survey (2002) showed that the proportion of money borrowed by rural households from money lenders rose by over 10% from 17. 5% in 1991 to 29. 6% in 2002. 16 1.Low Productivity The sector's informal nature and the low education of most artisans create issues such as: Unorganized Production- As a largely unorganized sector, handicrafts faces problems such as a paucity of professional infrastructure such as work sheds, stor age space, shipping and packing facilities. Low Education- Many crafts require the entire household to participate in production in some capacity. For example, in weaver households, women and girls traditionally undertake warping of the yarn, winding the thread onto bobbins, and share with men the task of starching the thread.In many cases, crafts also serve as a seasonal source of income for agricultural households. This means that children miss school, resulting in LowProductivity 11 12 Artisans' financial weakness also hampers their ability to sell they have low bargaining power at the marketing point and are forced to sell to buyers at a low price in order to recover costs and support themselves. Design Inputs- In most traditional societies, design evolved in the interaction between the artisan and the consumer.Further, the artisan was aware of the sociocultural context of the consumer, and could thus design products that suited their needs and tastes. Due to the breakdown of th e historic artisanconsumer relationship, and the increasing urbanization and globalization of markets for crafts, artisans have difficulty understanding how to tailor their products to changing demands. The artisan may not speak the same language as the consumer, both literally as well as metaphorically. An example of this includes women in SEWA's craft cooperatives who design block printed table napkins and mats, but may have never used these products themselves. f this, retailers have to directly source from select producers, which is often not viable in the long run, resulting in the loss of a large percentage of the market for artisans. 5. Lack of an Enabling Environment Information Asymmetry 3. Information Asymmetry Neglect by Central and State Governments- Rural artisans are neglected by both Central as well as State Governments, as is evident in the lack of available records regarding their numbers and socioeconomic status. The Government views the sector as a sunset industry , no longer relevant in India's technologydriven economic growth.Thus, schemes designed for artisans tend to have low priority in terms of execution and assessment. Within crafts, the Government's priorities are skewed towards the export market, with 70% of its crafts budget going towards development of environments to enable export. 17 Further, the fact that the crafts sector falls under the purview of 17 different Government ministries, ranging from the Ministry of Textiles to the Ministry of Women and Children, results in confusion and inaction. Lack of Interest by Second Generation- Rural youth are increasingly disinterested in continuing their family craft traditions, for three main reasons.First, having seen their parents struggle to find markets and fair prices for their products, they are inclined to pursue other trades. Second, the school system today does not integrate lessons regarding the importance of crafts into the school curriculum, and instead students are pushed to wards white collar office jobs, even if they are lower paying. Finally, crafts are strongly associated with a family's religion. In many cases, such as leatherwork, artisans are ostracized for being from the lowest caste, which further dissuades rural youth from joining the family trade.Reducing the obstacles faced by the sector can provide employment for millions of citizens especially those traditionally excluded from the mainstream, while restoring one of India's key cultural and economic strengths, a diverse and rich handicrafts industry. At the same time, it will provide the economy with key drivers of specialization and competence in global manufacturing. Lackofan EnablingEnvironment Due to their low education, artisans often cannot identify potential new markets for their products, nor do they understand the requirements for interacting with these markets.This reduces their understanding of the market potential of their goods, the prices of their products in different markets , Government schemes instituted for their welfare and diversification opportunities. 4. Fragmented value chain Lack of Market Linkages- While consumers of crafts products are increasingly becoming urbanized, crafts continue to be sold through local markets; artisans have few opportunities to reach new consumers through relevant retail platforms such as department stores and shopping malls.Further, due to their rural orientation, artisans are often unable to access training and technology to supply their products to online markets. Dominance of Middlemen- Although middlemen are necessary to enable effective market linkages, they often, if not always, exploit artisans by paying them a fraction of their fair wages. This may be due to lack of information on the part of middlemen about true manufacturing costs, or merely due to their ability to coerce artisans, who often lack bargaining power.Lack of Aggregation- Crafts production typically takes places in scattered clusters in rural are as, while markets are usually in urban centers. Currently, there is a lack of organized systems to efficiently aggregate goods from small producers, carry out quality checks, store approved goods in warehouses, and supply them to wholesalers and retailers in urban areas. In lieu Chart4: OverviewofKeyChallenges FacedbytheArtisans Fragmented ValueChain LackofMarket Linkages Lackofan enabling environmentNeglectby CentralandState Governments LackofInterest bySecond Generation LowProductivity Unorganized Production LowEducation Inadequate Inputs LackofQuality RawMaterials LackofFunding Fragmented ValueChain Information Asymmetry Dominanceof Middlemen Lackof Aggregation OutdatedProduction Methods 13 14 II. CHAPTER Government, Private Sector and Non Profit Initiatives Photo Credit: Sahaj 15 The Indian Government, the private sector and the non profits are each involved in the sector but their roles have evolved in silos, with little specialization and much duplication.Since independence, t he Indian Government has created a number of institutions, schemes and welfare programs for the crafts sector. However, on a policy level there has been no concerted and cohesive effort to address the challenges faced by the crafts ecosystem, with most governmental offerings mired in bureaucracy and inefficiencies. Simultaneously, the private sector has contributed to uplifting artisans through different market-led efforts made by retail chains, high end-fashion designers and a relatively more recent wave of social businesses.Non profits have been particularly active in the crafts space since the early 1960s and have evolved numerous models to improve artisan livelihoods. The chart below provides an overview of the evolution of crafts policy and programs in India. Government Program Although Government-led initiatives are often criticized, it cannot be denied that India is in a much more fortunate situation today in the preservation of its crafts than most other nations because of G overnment efforts immediately following Independence.During this period, the Government placed great emphasis on rural artisans, setting up the All India Handicrafts Board in 1952 to study the technical, organizational, marketing and financial aspects of crafts and design measures for improvement and development of crafts. The impetus for these efforts came in part from Mahatma Gandhi's legacy of the swadeshi movement and preserving cottage industries as a symbol of India's diversity and unity as a nation-state. Pioneering efforts were made to provide marketing support to artisans, and make regional crafts available at a national level through state-run emporiums.With industrialization becoming a foremost national priority in the 1960s and 1970s, the Government came to view crafts as more of a â€Å"sunset industry† and began to focus mainly on welfare schemes rather than approaching it as a sector capable of contributing to India's economic growth. Several divisions were mad e between State and Central Government responsibilities, and separate administrative bodies were set up for Khadi, Handloom, Handicrafts, Silk, and so on, all of which contribute to inefficiencies and inertia in policymaking for the sector today.At present, crafts are almost artificially bifurcated into Handicrafts and Handlooms, with two separate Development Commissioners in charge of each under the ministry of Textiles. In addition, 16 other ministries have crafts within their purview, including the Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries, Ministry of Tribal Development, Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.These bodies have often been pitted against each other on issues such as power loom versus handloom production, anti-dumping duty on foreign silk yarn to protect the interest of silk rearers versus removal of duty for handlooms and power looms and interest of petty traders versus greater control for home-based producers, leading to ineffic iencies and policy juggernauts. 19 Governmentefforts havechanneled anestimated `752crore intothecraftssector duringtheEleventh FiveYearPlan(200718 2011). Anumberofinstitutions havebeeninvolvedin fundingandimplementing developmentworkfor artisansthroughdifferent schemes.Suchas: 1. Councilforthe AdvancementofPeople's ActionandRuralTechnology (CAPART) 2. KhadiandVillage IndustriesCommission (KVIC) 3. SmallIndustries DevelopmentBankofIndia (SIDBI) 4. NationalBankfor AgricultureandRural Development(NABARD) Chart4:StakeholdersintheCraftsValueChain PROCESS Procuring and Processsing RawMaterials Aggregation and Intermediary Trade STAKEHOLDERS Organization InputSuppliers Production Markets LocalTraders IndependentArtisan SHG’sCo-operatives, Producercompanies NonProfits SocialBusinesses Government Exporters Retailers 16 17Despite these challenges, the majority of Government funds have been utilized in the following areas, largely with the support of non profits working in the sector: ? Welfare- Government efforts in the crafts sector are often designed with the intention of large-scale poverty alleviation. Schemes such as the Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana and the Janshree Bima Yojana for Handicrafts Artisans, under which artisans in the age group of 18-60 receive health and life insurance in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India for themselves and three dependents, provide some social security.Market Linkages- One of the most widely lauded efforts of the Government in the crafts sector has been the establishment of Dilli Haat, an open-air crafts bazaar in the national capital modeled on a traditional village market where artisans from around the country can rent space and display their wares for two weeks at a time. Set up in cooperation with Dastkari Haat Samiti, a non profit organization that works with artisans across the country, Dilli Haat has provided artisans with much-needed market linkages and access to consumers.In addition , the Development Commissioners for Handicrafts and for Handlooms run a number of emporiums across the country, which are retail outlets for crafts from different regions. Capacity Building- In recent years, the Government has moved its focus towards sustainable development of crafts through the participation of artisans. Capacity building efforts such as the Artisan Credit Card scheme and the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana scheme are generally led by the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts.Efforts include skills development, technological intervention, design and marketing support and reviving languishing crafts. The Development Commissioner for Handlooms runs Weavers Centers in many parts of the country along with the National Center for Textile Design to provide marketbased design input for handloom weavers. Awards- Each year, the Ministry of Textiles recognizes the work of several master craftspeople through the distribution of national awards. These are highly c oveted accolades that enhance the reputation enjoyed by master craftsmen and function as a quality approval of sorts. Private Sector InitiativesThe private sector has been the main conduit for crafts with over 95% of crafts production taking place through some form of private enterprise. Broadly, private involvement in the crafts sector is of four types: ? ? Traditional Intermediaries: Historically, private involvement in the crafts sector has been dominated by master craftsmen, traders and exporters who aggregated production, provided market linkages and offered financing mechanisms to artisans. Although not always the case, these relationships have often been exploitative to the artisan, who realized little of the value of his products.Design Entrepreneurs: These include high-end fashion houses that have imbedded traditional crafts in their collections. Designers such as Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra have worked closely with master craftsmen to create product off erings for high-end domestic and international markets. However, none of these efforts have placed crafts distinctly at the center of their enterprises but rather integrated crafts into their work. Their impact on promoting crafts has therefore been largely indirect. Other fashion designers such as Anita Dongre have created a istinct crafts-based collection, Grassroots, that aims at marketing clothing that promotes the skills and knowledge of traditional artisans, and has been made using organic materials and eco-friendly processes. Mainstream Retail: There have been a few successful examples of crafts-based businesses, which have not only contributed to improving numerous artisans' livelihoods but have also provided unique blueprints for future market-based endeavors. However those that exist are success stories that need to be more systematically replicated.Social Businesses: These are a more recent wave of businesses that have originated out of non profits or hybrid models that c ombine social and commercial goals. ? ? ? ? ? ? Photo Credit: Sahaj Photo Credit: Sahaj ? ? ? The Role of Mainstream Retail While relatively few, a handful of retailers such as FabIndia, Anokhi and Contemporary Arts and Crafts have played a pivotal role in keeping crafts relevant and linked to contemporary consumers. These companies have developed 18 For Government efforts to have the maximum impact, Government bodies mplementing programs need to be reformed and a policy environment more conducive to greater participation and specialization by different stakeholders needs to be created. 19 socially conscious business models wherein they work closely with artisans and ensure that they are equal stakeholders in the business. Due to their relatively well-organized supply chains and focus on profitability, they are able to provide consumers with quality products better suited to urban tastes as compared to subsidized crafts available at Government-run emporiums.The success of these mode ls has been built on the zeal of their founding members, who have overcome challenges in the crafts value chain through innovative strategies that not only ensure bottom-line growth for businesses but also fair and consistent wages to artisans. These models include: ? Fabindia, founded by John and Bissell in 1960, India's largest private crafts business that has taken tradition techniques, skills and hand-based processes to global markets. The company has been recognized worldwide for its socially responsible business model that links over 80,000 craft producers to markets.This has been achieved through its innovations in supply chain management through Community Owned Companies (COC), which serve as intermediaries and are owned by communities. Artisans form a significant part of the shareholding of these companies. Fabindia's supply chain (in the chart below) consists of numerous backward and forward linkages in a multi-layered supply chain from suppliers or artisans to Fabindia st ores. These linkages ensure that products sold cater to consumer tastes, a quality standard and timely delivery. The multi-layered supply chain ensures that each group's strengths are leveraged efficiently. Anokhi, founded by Faith Singh, is a clothing chain well known as an alternative role model for good business practices, and the ongoing revival of traditional textile skills. The company works closely with the Jaipur Virasat Foundation that provides capacity building inputs to artisan suppliers on design, techniques, quality control and enterprise development. In addition, the foundation works in other areas of Rajasthan's cultural industries such as folk art, music and dance to promote livelihoods and preserve heritages.Contemporary Arts and Crafts (CAC), founded by Vina Mody and run in partnership with Feroza Mody, is a boutique retail outlet that provides unique and rare craft products to urban consumers. CAC's success is based on its strong relationships with artisan communi ties in Gujarat and Rajasthan from where products are sourced. The CAC team invests significant time in understanding craft products and working with artisans to create outputs that will be appreciated in urban markets.In addition to these efforts, stores such as Shopper's Stop and Lifestyle have expanded their selections of handmade products and ethnic wear, providing much needed market opportunities for the crafts. However, for a deep and sustainable impact on the artisan, retailers and mainstream businesses need to leverage their business acumen in tackling supply chain issues and creating a larger demand for these products. ? 6 The SRC repleshnishes the stock by getting more of the fabric from the weaver Fabindia’sSupply ChainStructure The weaver weaves some yardage and shows it to a regional supplier region company (SRC) HOWTHEFABRIC REACHESTHESHELVES Fabindia’s Supply Chain is split into 17 regional supply companies The Role of Social Businesses The emergence of the social business model has provided a new opportunity to revive the sector. With their emphasis on the end consumer, social businesses have a greater incentive to bring in efficiencies in quality control and production management, which are often lacking in non profit organizations.Pre-production, social businesses may offer access to quality inputs, equipment, financing and training. Post-production, they improve market linkages through procurement, storage, transport and retail. Social businesses achieve this by focusing on three main areas, which essentially sets them apart from non profits: ? Supply Chain Efficiencies: Given the scattered and homebased nature of crafts production, enterprises often face challenges in ensuring a regular supply chain for their products. Social businesses have focused on fixing the rural supply chain for crafts, either by filling in missing or Through an order booking system, the store manager books the quantity needed. From the SRC warehouse st ock moves to the Fabindia regional warehouse Around 40,000 artisans supply goods for Fabindia It now has 144 stores in 35 top towns 2 The SRC calls the designers; they approve the fabric, work with the weaver to develop some samples. Photo Credit: Top – Anokhi Bottom – CAC 4 20 The weaver brings the completed order to SRC warehouse 3 Designers show samples to Fabindia's product selection committee, the price is finalised and an order is placed with the weaver 21 eak links in the value chain through their own operations, or by establishing creative partnerships with non profits, Government bodies, corporations and community groups. ? Artisans’ Ownership: The advantage of functioning as a business rather than a non profit in the crafts space is the ability to involve artisans as owners by giving them shares in the company. This ownership brings with it an increased sense of responsibility and efficiency, which is sometimes difficult to achieve in a non profit. In this way artisans are not only vested in the company's growth but also financially benefit from it through issue of dividends.Market Linkages: Due to their focus on standardization and supply chain management, social businesses are in a better position than non profits to create and maintain links between artisans and markets – domestic as well as international. Corporates typically prefer to partner with social businesses to bring crafts products to market due to more efficient processes in the company. This ownership brings with it an increased sense of responsibility and efficiency, which is sometimes difficult to achieve in a znon profit.Further, in this way artisans are not only vested in the company's growth but also financially benefit from it through issue of dividends. The biggest advantage faced by social businesses is their ability to raise capital from artisans in the form of shares, as well as external investors such as venture capital funds and corporates. In re cent years, businesses in the crafts sector have attracted funding from impact investors such as Avishkaar, Grassroots Business Fund and Villgro, who invest in social enterprises with the dual expectation of social impact and financial returns. Industree- Linking Artisans to Mainstream Markets: Industree, a social enterprise that connects rural producers to urban markets has been able to rapidly scale up operations through equity investment by Kishore Biyani's Future Group. This has enabled them to set up a retail brand called Mother Earth, and increase the number of clusters from whom they source crafts as well as provide artisans an opportunity to link to mainstream urban markets. ? Support from Multi-lateral Agencies and FoundationsThe international development community and private foundations have been pivotal in providing support to many non profits working in the crafts sector. United Nations agencies such as UNESCO have provided platforms for sharing best practices, research and documentation such as the Jodhpur Symposium. These initiatives have typically focused on project design and building frameworks to build a movement that strengthens creative and cultural industries. Others such as the World Bank channel funding to crafts organizations.A number of private foundations such as Aid to Artisans, Sir Dorab Tata Trust and the Ford Foundation provided long term grants to crafts non profits to scale their impact. Innovative approaches include Friends of Women World Banking’s funding strategy of credit provision to artisans through non profits. Together these efforts have helped sustain non profits’ work and strengthened models creating an impact on artisans incomes. Thecooperativemovement spearheadedbyElaBhatt, founderofSelf-Employed Women'sAssociation (SEWA),inthe1970s alsohadapositiveimpacton thelivesofself-employed womenartisansthroughthe formationofcraft cooperatives.Thesemembership structuresallowedthemto workwithinequitable structure sandreceivecredit, designandmarketinginputs, withoutfearofexploitation bymiddlemen. The Evolution and Role of Non Profit Interventions Non profit organizations have been the strongest supporters of the craft industry, both in terms of livelihoods promotion as well as cultural preservation. Following post-independence industrialization, the crafts industry was no longer viewed as an economic priority by the Government, which created a void in terms of support and finance available for the sector.A number of non profits were established in the 1970s and 1980s to fill this void and enhance the sustainability of artisans livelihoods. Many of these were run with the help of volunteers and were able to grow and thrive under a strong, charismatic leader with a clear vision for the sector. Examples of successful social businesses in the crafts sector include: ? Rangsutra- Enabling Artisans to Own a Share of their Crafts: Rangsutra was set up as a company of artisans, all of them shareholder s, from remote parts of the country.It seeks to be a bridge between â€Å"artisans and customers, tradition and contemporary, and change and continuity† and ensures a fair price to the producer and quality products for customers. It currently has 1,100 shareholders and has attracted investments from Avishkaar and Artisan Microfinance Private Limited (AMFPL), a subsidiary of Fabindia. Photo Credit: Sahaj 22 23 Most non profits functioning in the crafts space today are registered as trusts, societies or Section 25 companies. They are broadly of two types, based on their scope of work: ?Producer Groups: A majority of non profits in this space ? work directly at the grassroots level, organizing crafts producers into collectives to realize various economies of scale in financing, marketing and product development. Examples are URMUL, Kala Raksha and SEWA Ahmedabad. ? Apex Organizations: These focus on enhancing the sector ? by providing services ranging from design interventions t o market linkages to groups of producers, who typically serve as part of their membership base.They vary in scale and level of outreach from national to state to local levels. Many apex organizations are well-positioned to act as a bridge between producer groups and Government bodies, both by channeling information regarding relevant Government schemes as well as by influencing Government spending. Prominent examples are Dastkar, AIACA, Dastkari Haat Samiti and Sasha. Non profit approaches have evolved significantly in two main areas: focus of the model and financial sustainability.Most non profit groups have focused on all parts of the value chain from organizing artisans to marketing products, largely due to a lack of other players specializing in certain areas. This has resulted in limited capacity to scale their operations. Fresher non profit approaches focus on one or two parts of the value chain such as aggregation or working closely with artisans’ groups. Further, ther e has been a realization in recent years that traditional grant funded projects for creating crafts production structures have not succeeded in establishing commercially sustainable structures.Newer non profits have attempted to embrace this change in perspective by incorporating fee-based enterprise development projects into their scope of work, others have spun off business models that target aggregation and marketing, while the non profit focuses on building artisan capacity. The different stakeholders described above have each made significant contributions to the crafts sector. However, since they act in isolation from each other, their impact remains limited and they have not been able to halt the downward slide of India's crafts sector. 24 25 III. CHAPTERHarnessing the Potential of India's Crafts Sector Photo Credit: Jaipur Rugs Foundation 26 The crafts sector in India has vast potential to improve livelihood opportunities, generate additional income and strengthen the purcha sing power of rural communities. For this potential to be fully realized, the gaps, overlaps and challenges in the value chain must be overcome to create an ecosystem that enables crafts to thrive. The different stakeholders involved need to come together to build what we call the four cornerstones of artisan sustainability. Non profits have a particularly important role in such a program.Based on Dasra’s research, interviews with experts in the crafts sector and advisory committee discussions, Crafting a Livelihood suggests four key actions with the potential to transform artisans’ livelihood in India. The four cornerstones are: 1. Handholding the Artisan through the Value Chain Any investment in improving the craft ecosystem as a whole must pay particular attention to strengthening the individual artisans and enterprises engaged in production. Since challenges faced by artisans are pushing them into other dailywage earning jobs, concerted efforts are needed to upgrad e the current piecemeal nature of production.Crafts promotion efforts should focus on making artisans aware of the value of their skill, which would make them take greater pride in their work and encourage the second generation to enter the sector. Further, it is essential to help artisans continuously upgrade their skills and product offerings. This requires design inputs and skills development efforts. 2. Increasing Demand for Crafts and Strengthening Market Linkages There is an urgent need to revive consumers’ interest in crafts and make crafts relevant to increasingly urban lifestyles.Efforts are needed to sensitize the emerging middle class consumer to the history and value of crafts in India to ensure a robust domestic market. Strengthening branding efforts and introducing geographical indicators such as a â€Å"Handmade in India† classification, will enable Indian crafts to compete in increasingly global markets. Crafts can be branded on the national, regional o r local, and enterprise level. On the national or regional level, some countries are known or even famous for their excellence in handicrafts, or in specific crafts.The branding of a country's handicraft image depends on the public perception of that country's culture and handicraft skills. Countries that, for different reasons, de-emphasize their indigenous culture and traditions and focus on their modernism create a much tougher environment for the promotion and export of their indigenous handicrafts. 21 Crafts lies well within the informal sector, bringing with it challenges of taking a completed product to market. Most artisans produce at relatively low volumes and at irregular intervals, creating few opportunities to market products at scale.New business models are needed that blend social and commercial goals to provide value added services to artisans particularly in aggregation of products and intermediary trade. As artisans are scattered across geographies, there is a need for players who can source products from them in a centralized fashion and introduce economies of scale into the supply chain. These intermediaries will provide the essential bridging Asartisansareoftenproducing formarketsthatarealiento them,theyneedsupport servicessuchastechnicaland designskillbuildingtohelp reachtheincreasinglyurban consumer.Theseinputswill increasetheirbargaining powerandbuildtheircapacity tosupplydifferentmarkets. Dasra'sfieldresearchhas shownthatbuildingthe capacityofartisansinthis mannercanresultinuptoa ten-foldincreasein incomes. 1. Handholding the Artisan through the Value Chain 2. Increasing Demand for Crafts and Strengthening Market Linkages AconsumersurveyinEurope revealedthat40%of consumerssurveyedwere willingtopayapremiumof 10%fororigin-guaranteed products. SalesofIndian craftsstandtoincrease 20 fromsuchefforts. 3. Strengthening the Decentralized Production Model 4. Building a Multi-Stakeholder Approach 7 28 services between small producers and the diff erent markets where products can be sold and thereby smoothen seasonality of production. Creativeclustershavebeen identifiedasanimportant meansformicroandsmall enterprisestogrowstrongly throughmutualstimulation andleveragingofcommon knowledgeandmarkets. Typicallytheybenefitfrom lowerVAT,tariffsandexcise dutiesonhandmadeproducts. Creativeclustershavethe potentialtonotonlycreate productionefficienciesbut alsoprovideaplatformfor artisanstoaccesslocaland domesticmarkets. 3. Strengthening the Decentralized Production ModelThe fragmented supply chain, lack of organization and seasonal production characteristic of the craft sector need to be overcome to maximize production potential. Geographically scattered production, which is typical of the crafts sector, requires services at artisan's doorsteps. Leveraging technology for information as well as for innovations in process will infuse efficiencies in craft production and enable artisans to produce more. Limited education and low exposure to the skills essential to running a business prevent artisans from scaling up their operations.Providing business support in areas such as quality control, standardized processes, inventory management, cashflow management and securing credit would help them create strong enterprises. To this effect, capacity building cooperatives and producer owned companies would ensure standardized systems and processes, quality control, and professionally run businesses that can access capital and enable them to compete in markets. Dasra's field research has demonstrated a potential three- to five-fold increase in individual income through these efforts.Moreover, fragmentation in the value chain can be overcome with clusters such as Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for crafts. These are defined as a combination of production and distribution activities operating within a common structure, capable of promoting creativity, research applications and distribution systems. Historically, clusters in Indi a have been created for production and bureaucratic efficiencies, ignoring their function as a sales platform. While the sales focus has been tried at Bhujodi in Kutch, creative clusters are generally the exception in India. ensitizes them to crafts, deepens their understanding of tradition in a way that they can implement in the mainstream. This fosters the perseveration of culture by continuously adapting it to modernity. Setting up academies for