Analysis of Ducatis Success Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of Ducatis Success - Case Study Example Minoli’s turnaround was attributed to the company’s identification of its core competencies which were used for the turnaround. To this end, significant resources and money were devoted. Furthermore, In addition to the creation of Ducati stores in particular markets, the company has expanded its customer base which was once restricted to a handful of expert bikers. Ducati can sustain its position in the sports segment if it manages to remain focused on this niche segment and continues to innovate. This is because the company already enjoys a strong position in this segment by virtue of its unique valve control system which has an unmatched sound (see Appendix 1). Furthermore, it can capitalize its already strong reputation owing to its high performance in the international racing circuit symbolized by the â€Å"dramatic victory† of its 750 Super Sports model (Gavetti, 2002). This, added with favorable press coverage and the company’s branding strategy of collaborating with various players in the racing market, can increase the demand for Ducati’s products and strengthen its image (see Appendix 1). Considering that most authors have vouched for the significance of competitive human resources as a source of competitive advantage (Kleiman, 2010), Ducati to has a team of top class engineers that shall enable it a continued success in the segment. Ducati faces threat from Japanese manufacturers that were more reliable and efficient than the motorcycles developed by Ducati. Although Honda and other Japanese manufacturers pose a threat to the survival of Ducati in this segment, they cannot stop Ducati’s growth in this segment. This is because Ducati possessed top class engineers that were adamant at defeating Japanese competitors.  Ã‚  

Rhetorical Analysis of George Saunders's story Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of George Saunders's story "christmas" and "sea oak" - Essay Example One of his sisters contends that if they had secured a diploma certificate, they could understand the television content and not be sidetracked in any way. The sisters discuss about the number of sides a triangle has from their low social class Sea Oak home. The neighborhood is rife with crime, even as Thomas and Auntie Bernie are forced to sacrifice their own life and dignity in an attempt to improve the poverty situation. This paper explores the use of satire in Sea Oak; the importance of the literary style to and effectiveness in the storyline. Saunders’s portrayal of the low-class setting is both comical and somehow pushy into resignation. There is a wind of hopelessness in the whole scene. At first, Freddy orders the children to make a squat, hence projecting the image of the dangerous crap-hole more vividly. Then the engulfed lot feels the tragic side of life in the freaking American life where capitalism dictates that the underprivileged work out extremely hard to earn a place in the less risky crap-hole. According to Saunders, the demise of Aunt Bernice plunges the family into financial doldrums, which affect her giving of a decent burial (4). The bereaved are forced to buy a low-priced, balsa-made coffin for the Aunt. Immediately the burial, a church minister tells them the body of their loved one had been procured inappropriately. Bernice’s spirits then leave her body and advance in the house in Christ-like fashion to offer the family effective guidance on how to overcome the nasty situation they are in. Bernice continues decaying in their residence. As her arms break away, she utters wise words on how to cope with life. She repeatedly tells Thomas to go show his manly strength out there. Rando says message basically implies that the only path to success in the society is to steer clear of morality and becoming a prostitute (438). Although she succumbed to death without ever being touched by a man, Aunt Bernice is lamenting that

National Junior Honor Society Essay Example for Free

National Junior Honor Society Essay To be SCHA Queen would be a great accomplishment. I would be able to demonstrate my leadership skills and express my love for show and horses. As SCHA Queen, I would take great pride in being a spokesperson and representative for SCHA and be able to increase membership in SCHA. SCHA means a number of things to me. This was my first year, but I always looked forward to waking up and going out to ride. Another reason why SCHA means so much to me is it keeps me and my horse in shape for other things involving our riding career. Its always fun to see how much my horse changes and develops during the season, and even how I change throughout the season There’s no where to go but up, and that means improvement. SCHA has changed me by changing my attitude about competition. I’ve now learned that winning is not always everything. , it may sound cliche , but, everyone is a winner when you improve on anything. I also have become more confident horseman and I am able to push my horse to do his best. I have only been riding for about 3 years and SCHA has truly brought out my inner horseman. Now that I am more confident in my riding skills I try to teach my horse new things as well as teach myself. In addition to new skills and confidence I also made new friends. I met new people and learned some facts about riding I hadn’t known before. In general I am very shy and usually keep to myself, but this season has really taught me how to come out of my shell and talk to everyone. I now know that I can talk to anyone in the club and they will be more than glad to help me with anything I may need. A key part of being Queen would be helping others in SCHA. This would include encouraging others during their events and being a good sportsman. I can also give positive feedback about what a person is doing while riding, to help them in a way that they can ride better and be a better sportsman. To help others in SCHA I can share the knowledge I have learned in SCHA and my experience with horses. Just as other people have shared their knowledge with me, I can do the same for other people so the horse community can grow. My friends are always curious about what I do with horses and what SCHA is. I’m lways more than happy to share that information with them in hopes that they will be bit by the horse bug too. Â  As SCHA quee n I will bring a good values, leadership skills and a positive attitude to SCHA. It would mean a great deal to me to be able to represent SCHA at this level level.

The Adventure In The Context Of Tourism Tourism Essay

The Adventure In The Context Of Tourism Tourism Essay Adventure Tourism has known a rapid popularity during these last past decades. This rise and sudden popularity was partially thanks to a progression in the commercialization of outdoor recreation (Buckley, 2000, 2004a; Travel Industry Association, 2005) in (Buckley, 2007). Adventure travel existed since a long time; it began with early settler and has amplified increasingly since this period. The first adventure travelers were early explorers in quest of discovery, in the hunt for new resources, lands and looking for unknown places. Columbus, Cook, Da Gama, Magellan and Raleigh are among the well known early explorers in quest of adventure (Swarbrooke et al, 2003: 41). Mercenaries were also characterized as early adventurers having as main interest money, risk seeking while some others like Pilgrims were looking for spiritual knowledge (Swarbrooke et al, 2003). Adventure tourism is currently receiving a lot of attention and is the fastest and fashionable growing sector of the tourism industry. It is perceived as being a niche segment and take in land, air and sea-based activities. Adventure travel is becoming well-liked and individuals are now striving to find equilibrium between work and leisure. Adventure travel has recently created a center of attention for the older people most precisely the baby boomers (Patterson and Pan, 2007). This new cohort born between 1946 and 1964 are getting engaged in new adventure activities. This tendency is principally due to a change in lifestyle, being financially secured than previous cohorts and having more time now that their children have left home. Baby boomers are pushed and pulled by different motives to engage in Adventure tourism. One can have the wish for new experiences, escape from the daily routine, baby boomers in todays world no longer want to sit in a bus going for sightseeing they want t o experience in the activity. Baby boomers can be soft adventurers in pursuit of easy-doing activities containing low level of risk like bird watching, horse riding or hard adventurers in quest of thrills, challenge and adrenaline. Therefore, to better exploit the subject, research has been undertaken to explore and analyze what really motivate this generation to engage in adventure tourism, identify the different motivational factors, the types of activities they are more likely to participate in and their profile characteristics. Lot of research has been done on Adventure Tourism (Vester, 1987; Hill, 1995; Sung, 1997, 2000, 2004; Ewert and Jamieson, 2003; Beedie and Hudson, 2003; Gyimothy and Mykletun, 2004; Kane and Tucker, 2004; Weir, 2004; Flucker, 2005; Williams and Soutar, 2005; Cater, 2006; Page et al, 2006; Buckley, 2000, 2006, 2007; Patterson and Pan, 2007; Schott, 2007; Dimmock, 2009; Reynolds, 2012). Moreover there are some books of particular relevance to adventure tourism. These include Miles and Priest (1999) on adventure programming in outdoor recreation; Swarbrooke et al, 2003 on Adventure Tourism: The new frontier; Buckley (2006) on the structure of adventure tourism products and Patterson (20 06) on Growing older, tourism and leisure behavior of older adults. 1.1. Problem Statement Several studies have been written on adventure tourism, however no other studies apart from Patterson and Pan (2007) has been found on the motivation of baby boomers in adventure tourism. Most of the existing studies focus on adventure tourism from a general point of view (Vester, 1987; Buckley, 2006; Whiriskey and McCarthy, 2006) or look at different perspective such as Mountaineering and Adventure Tourism (Beedie and Hudson, 2003; Pomfret, 2006). Though, there is relatively little research neither on the motivation of people to engage in adventure nor on baby boomers. Ewert and Hollenhorst (1989) focused on adventure travel and its wilderness. Sung, Morrison and OLeary (2004) investigate on the segmentation of adventure market by activities while Dimmock (2009) explored on the comfort in adventure and Reynolds (2012) studied on the motivation and lifestyle of surfing as an adventure travel. Thus adventure tourism has been studied but through diverse perspectives and none apart from Patterson and Pan (2006) has focused on the motivation of Baby Boomers in Adventure. Subsequently to compensate this gap, this research will go deeper to assess those motivations that indulge baby boomers to participate in adventure tourism. 1.2. Aim and Objectives Aim The main aim of this study is to assess what motivate baby boomers to engage in adventure tourism. Objectives Assess the socio-demographic characteristics of baby boomers. To evaluate the trip arrangement factors of baby boomers To differentiate between hard and soft adventure and identify in which type of adventure activities baby boomers are more engaged in. Examine the push and pull factors that influence baby boomers in their choice. Outline of Study This study consists of five sections: the introduction, the literature review, methodology, results and discussion and conclusion and possible recommendations. Chapter 1: The study starts with a brief description on the field of research. This includes an introduction on the expansion of the tourism industry, the emergence of adventure tourism in todays world. It also includes the problem statement, aims and objectives of the research. Chapter 2: The literature review is divided into two parts which is chapter 2 and chapter 3. Chapter 2 is the first part of the literature review. This entails the theoretical background; starting with brief definition of different terms namely adventure Tourism, baby boomers, the types of adventure tourism. Chapter 3: The second part of the literature review lays great emphasis on the motivational theories; this chapter goes deeper onto the different motives that influence individuals in their choice for adventure. Chapter 4: This comprises of the methodology, this explains how research was conducted, the questionnaire design, method used to collect the data, sampling techniques, the data analysis and limitations of the study. Chapter5: This includes the results and discussions of the results Chapter 6: The last chapter reviews all of what have been discussed in the research and ends with some possible recommendations Chapter 2 2.0. Introduction This chapter consists of the literature review; the literature review sets the theoretical framework of this study. Before coming to the definition of adventure tourism, the term adventure is first explained, entailing its core characteristics. This is followed by an explanation on the term adventure tourism and baby boomers, types of adventure tourism as well as a the different types of activities involved in adventure tourism. 2.1. Adventure Adventure is all about action (Kane and Tucker, 2004). The term Adventure does not have a single definition. Adventure could mean different things to different people. What is Adventure for one can be routine for another (Weir, 2004). It varies from a vacation experience to a daily work life of an individual. In order to better understand the term adventure, it is crucial to pass on to its core characteristics; this is demonstrated in the figure below. Figure 1: The core characteristics of Adventure Source: Swarbrooke et al. (2003) These characteristics effectively go over the main points of adventure. Swarbrooke et al. (2003) affirm that these characteristics are mutually dependent since one element can develop the stimuli of another. For instance, novelty may lead to new exploration and discovery, escape from daily life, a look for challenge, danger and risk and develop contrasting emotions. 2.3. Adventure in the context of Tourism Tourists in todays world are not the same as it was in previous years. In this day and age, tourists are desperately in pursuing momentous and unique experiences. They want active rather than passive participation, seek new sensation and change from their ordinary life (Moeran, 1983:17). Adventure tourism is the new emergent and niche sector of the tourism industry. This sector count up 15% of all leisure travel and this rate is going to enlarge in the coming future (Hawkins, 1994; Loverseed, 1997; Fluker and Turner, 2000). Researchers has defined adventure tourism through diverse interpretation (Buckley, 2000; Bentley and Page, 2001; Hudson, 2002; Swarbrooke et al. 2003; Page et al. 2005). Amodeo (2004: 84) define adventure tourism as travel to places that require a certain degree of effort and commitment to get and are about the experience and the journey rather than just a list of places visited or the level of luxury. On the contrary, Muller and Cleaver (2000, p.156) define adventure tourism as physically bracing, adrenalin-driven, somewhat risky, with moments of exhilaration punctuated by many opportunities to assess and reassess what has been done or accomplished. As compared to Amodeo (2004), Muller and Cleaver (2000) definition of the term is mostly inter-related to the two constructs of perceived risk and perceived performance, where high physical ability and risk sensation is mended for it to be extreme and dynamic. Nevertheless, Weir (2004) argue that Adventure do not necessarily contain high level of danger, since there exist adventure with no element of risk or hazard. In the tourism industry, this is normally termed as soft adventure. On the contrary of the definition provided by the researchers, Swarbrooke et al (2003) state that Adventure tourism is not defined according to specific activities that are undertaken, but more by the state of mind and approach of the participant. This means that it is the personal interpretation and perception of individuals towards Adventure that will more clearly define the term. Six major dimensions of adventure tourism have been developed by Sung, Morrison and OLeary (1997) and these are namely activity, experience, environment, motivation, risk and performance. These components can be seen as major essentials for people to go for adventure travel. The activity and environment will consist of the physical location of the adventure travel, and this can be the natural environment. The experience will be the outcome to gain at the end, this can be self-achievement. Moreover, the motivation is all about the interest of the individual and endeavors to engage in adventure while risk and performance is a look for challenge and competence to do the activity. Adventure tourism takes in a range of activities and this includes air, sea and land-based activities (Hall, 1992; Fennel, 1999; Page et al. 2003; Pomfret, 2004; Gajda, 2008).This is illustrated in table 1. Table 1: Conventional and contemporary adventure tourism activities Land based Water based Air based Mixed (land/water/air) Abseiling Body boarding Ballooning Adventure racing Backpacking Canoeing Bungee jumping Charity challenges Bicycle Canyoning Cliff jumping Conservation expeditions Caving Cruise expeditions Gliding Cultural experiences Climbing Kayaking Hang-gliding Gap your travel Dog sledding Sailing Micro-lighting Hedonistic experiences Hiking Scuba diving Paragliding Spiritual enlightenment Hunting Snorkeling Parachuting Wildlife watching Horseback riding Surfing Skydiving Jungle exploring Water skiing Motorcycling White water rafting Mountain biking Wind surfing Mountaineering Orienteering Quad biking Scrambling Skiing Snow boarding Snow mobiling Snow shoeing Via Ferrata* Wilderness experiences* â‚ ¬Ã‚ ªBackpacking, climbing, hiking, mountaineering, skiing, via ferrata and wilderness experiences are all mountaineering-related activities Sources: Hall 1992, Page et al. 2003, Pomfret 2004 2.4. Types of Adventure Tourism Adventure tourism is composed of diverse types of activities which can fit to the need of different adventure traveler (CBI, 2011). Types of Adventure tourism can be categorized in two section which is hard and soft Adventure. The categorization of the Adventure tourism aspects diverge between researchers (Hill, 1995; Cloke and Perkins, 1998; Sung, Morrison and OLeary, 2000; Ewert and Jamieson, 2003; Ryan and Trauer, 2004) in (Schott, 2007). For example, Sung, Morrison and OLeary (2000) categorized the types of activities into six groupings including soft nature, risk equipped, question marks, hard challenge, rugged nature and winter snow (Beedie and Hudson, 2003). Several studieswere categorized in terms of activities and principally between hard and soft adventure and the researchers study will follow this trend (Hill, 1995; Millington and Locke, 2001; Ewert and Jamieson, 2003:69; Miller, 2003:2; Adventure Travel Society, 2003; Patterson and Pan, 2007). Table 2 present some example s of soft and hard adventure tourism. Table 2: Examples of soft and hard adventure tourism Soft adventure Hard adventure Wilderness jeep safaris Climbing and mountaineering Supervised and escorted trekking Long distance back country trekking Cycling holidays Downhill mountain biking Sailing holidays Paragliding Learning to surf and to windsurf Heli-skiing holidays Camping Canoeing and kayaking Source: Sung et al. 2000 2.4.1. Soft Adventure Soft adventure can be defined as adventure activities that require low level of risk, low physical effort and obligation. These are activities usually undertaken by novice adventurers or people who want passive activities level, accompanied with experienced guides (Hill, 1995) in (Schott, 2007). On the other hand, Goodnow (2005) described Soft adventure journeys as travel to new and exotic locations with low force activities. Some major examples of soft adventure activities are horse-riding, biking, hiking, canoeing, snorkeling, and animal watching, walking in natural areas, safari (Beedie and Hudson, 2003; Swarbrooke et al, 2003; Williams and Soutar, 2005; Patterson and Pan, 2006; CBI, 2011) Generally, novice adventures engaged in soft activities due to the fact that they lack some experience, it can be misperceiving risk and their competence and perhaps choose soft activities because of a sensation of fear and hesitant and thus want to be on safe in a secured environment (Priest, 1999, p.160, cited in Miles and Priest; Pomfret, 2004). 2.4.2 Hard Adventure Hill (1995) labeled hard adventure as activities requiring high level of risk, extreme commitment and superior and sometimes specialized skills. Hill also point out that hard adventures necessitate good skills in risky and dangerous situations. Risk and competence are two major aspects involve in hard adventure activities. Those engage in hard adventure are generally in quest of challenge, adrenaline rush and risk(Peterson, 1989; Rubin, 1989; Mallett, 1992) in (Williams and Soutar, 2005). People have a desire to seek new sensations (Zuckerman, 1979), and are motivated by challenge and mastery (Ewert, 1985). These people are commonly known to be brave, skilled and having good physical intensity (Pomfret, 2004) Some examples of hard activities are mountain climbing, bungee jumping, canyoning, caving, ballooning, parasailing, surfing and so forth. 2.5. Baby Boomers Baby boomers can be defined as a cohort of young-old people who were born between 1946 and 1964. They are now aged between 48 and 66 years old in 2012, (Gillon, 2004) in (Patterson, 2006, p.15). The history of baby boomers dated from the period of the Second World War. Baby Boomer develops its name due to a growth in birthrate during the years 1946 and 1964  [1]  . During this century, soldiers came back home from war and wanted to start a new life, build up a family, which show this sudden rise in birthrate (Ohio History Central, 2005). Statistics recorded 79 million births during this period1 Another synonym for baby boomers can be Lucky Generation (Mackay, 1997, p.60) in (Hamilton, M and Hamilton, C., 2006). The term Lucky was used to describe them because they have grown up in the first generation enjoying a reasonably prosperous and serene society. Additionally, Hamilton (2006) point out that during retirement baby boomers will definitely have more money to spend after long years of hardworking and savings from pension plans. Baby boomers enjoy a better health than in the past; they are taking special care to their diet, though living longer and happier and more importantly being physically active by engaging in various types of leisure activities (Cochran, 2005; Sperazza and Banerjee, 2011). Baby boomers are seeking new change and novelty; they no longer want to rely on repeat leisure program like bingo party, voluntary actions or mere leisure interests. These activities are getting outdated and this is not going to be in the interest of the baby boomers in retirement. As a result, Experts will definitely have to look at new leisure products, or programs that will attractenthusiastic, energetic participants rather than passive participant (Cochran, Rothschadl and Rudick, 2009). 2.6. Adventure Tourism and Baby Boomers Adventure Tourism has become very popular during these last past decades. Adventure Tourism is considered as an alternative form of tourism. In todays world, people no longer want to enjoy basic activities; they want to surpass the mass activities, being deeply in the thrill and excitement of the adventures. The aging process has also altered intensely during these past years. According to Xola Adventure (2006), old people aged between 41-to-60 years old represent the greatest participating age category in adventure travel at a rate of 42.2 percent. This has emerged and is going to develop more in the future. When talking and thinking about aging process our first impression was an inexorable slide into illness, impotence and immobility (Kraus, 2001). Nowadays, this image of the baby boomers is no more present. Patterson (2006) also shares his opinion on this change. She argues that this is a time of new experiences and feelings. Baby boomers need to feel they are free to do what they want or what they have always dreamed of and which were not fulfilled years before (MacNeil and Teague, 1987; Leitner, 1996; McGuire et al., 2004). Adventure is not reserve for younger people, nowadays lots of people aged between 42 and 64 are being engaged in adventurous activities. Gone are those days where older people used to spend their leisure time in sedentary and socially based activities like watching movies, listening to the radio (Lawton, 1993) in (Patterson, 2006: 7). Research has demonstrate that we are moving through an era where things are changing, habits of older people from previous generation differs from that of the present generation. Baby boomers see their retirement as being the time to refresh, experience novelty and new sensation. They acquire a feeling of freedom and harmony, do what they want, things that was impossible for them to accomplish perhaps due to overload of work, looking and caring for their children (MacNeil and Teague, 1987; Leitner 1996; McGuire et al., 2004). Being more financially secure, in good health and physical condition, and also well-educated encourage baby boomers to engage in outdoor recreation activities. This enables them to feel at one with nature, physically fit and more importantly a way to feel they are still young. Lipscombe (1995) in his research find out that lots of older adults are at present requesting activities that engage physical defy, not purposely danger but travel that have at least journeys, intellectual challenge, and involving the exploration of new places and cultures (Gibson and Singleton, 2012). It is to be noted that baby boomers are not seeking for simple and easy-done activity; they are looking for a certain degree of challenge and risk. They want to have fun, seek thrill, these can be a principle motive because they were too focus on their career years before, striving hard to cater for the needs of the family. All this was such a big responsibility that they now want to relax and enjoy, do something for themselves while children had grown up and get away in the routine they had imprisoned themselves for years. Chris Doyle, vice president of ATTA point out from an interview with Airoldi (2008) that the50-plus traveler is a major market for adventure sector; especially because they are among those who travel more frequently since they have the financial ability to do so. Muller and OCass (2001) explore the different motive of older men and women in engaging in adventure activities. He note down that young at heart older men were more interested to take part in activities such as white-water rafting, glacier hiking, rock climbing, caving and hot air-ballooning. On the contrary to the young at heart older men, the young at heart older women has a preference for mountain hiking, rainwater treks, bird-watching and walking for inner journeys while being on travel holiday. It is then observed that men prefer hard adventure activity as compared to women who enjoyed generally soft ones. A Marketing to women report (2000) sustain such statement by arguing that women aged between 55 and 75 are more likely to engage in soft activities like safaris, hikes and trips to striking locations. They further point out to favor being in a secure environment with professional adventure providers, and with company of others having similar ages. Adventure can be classified in certain words, Play, Freedom and Reality (Kane and Tucker, 2004). The authors basically described adventure as a game played by participants in tourism; being free to engage in any particular activities and experiencing the reality of it. Moreover Kane and Tucker interpret the term play, as being a game for the adults, reliving their childhood and though enjoying this freedom to play like a child again. Hence, this fresh cohort of retirees is hungry to get off the beaten path (Symonds, 1998). 2.7. Summary From this chapter, the researcher has been able to gain a theoretical knowledge of the basic theories on adventure tourism and baby boomers. The different types of adventure tourism was examined, which is hard and soft adventure. The baby boomers generation was also defined, where proper information was gathered in regards to their lifestyle and their interaction in leisure and adventure tourism

Schizophrenia: The Disease and Treatment Options :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Schizophrenia: The Disease and Treatment Options Leann was a beautiful 17-year- old with a great future ahead of her. She was the star of TV commercials, and sang in the high school choir. She was the envy of all the schoolgirls and the teachers' favorite. She lived in Crawford, Colorado and helped her family on the farm. She had high hopes of becoming a beautician and hairdresser and going on to college or technical school to develop her talent. Now, at age 45 she lives in an apartment in an assisted living center in Grand Junction, where she has lived for the last 23 years of her life. She endures the multitude of medications. She sits in her room, writes songs and sends them to famous country singers, like Toby Keith, hoping to hear her song on the radio someday. She walks downtown to the swimming pool and goes for a swim every once in a while during the hot summer days. She tries to live as normally as she can. About every night we get a call at our house around 6:00 every evening. On good nights she talks about her day and asks us how we are, and what we are going to do the next day. She talks about how she sent her song to some singer and sent something else to the White House. She tells me that I should go to Mesa State College and study to be a hairdresser. On bad nights, however, it is a totally different story. During one of her bad night conversations, she talks about off the wall things that none of my family can understand. She talks about how she thinks my sister can "call events" (tell the future) and how somebody told her that it was true. We try to tell her that my sister can't tell the future, but she doesn't believe us. She talks about how people just come into her apartment and harass her. She thinks that everything she sees is connected with some big plan or conspiracy against her. Often, she will be talking about one thing, and then giggle and just jump to something totally different. All the random changes in subjects and crazy ideas are typical to those who suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, a disorder that affects over 2 million Americans (Mayo Clinic, 1998). Often Leann hears voices and sees people who do not exist and that is how she gets all her ideas about her or others reading minds and telling the future.

Dimitri Shostakovich Essay -- essays research papers fc

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich, born on September 25, 1905, started taking piano lessons from his mother at the age of nine after he showed interest in a string quartet that practiced next door. He entered the Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg, later Leningrad) Conservatory in 1919, where he studied the piano with Leonid Nikolayev until 1923 and composition until 1925 with Aleksandr Glazunov and Maksimilian Steinberg. He participated in the Chopin International Competition for Pianists in Warsaw in 1927 and received an honorable mention, after which he decided to limit his public performances to his own works to separate himself from the virtuoso pianists. Prior to the competition, he had had a far greater success as a composer with the First Symphony (1924-25), which quickly achieved worldwide recognition. The symphony was influenced by composers as diverse as Tchaikovsky, Paul Hindemith, and Sergey Prokofiev. The cultural climate in the Soviet Union was, compared to the Soviet Union at its peak, free at the time. Even the music of Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg, then in the avant-garde, was played. Bela Bartok and Paul Hindemith visited Russia to perform their own works, and Shostakovich toyed openly with these novelties. His first opera, The Nose, based on the satiric Nikolay Gogol story, displayed a thorough understanding of what was popular in Western music combined with his "dry" humor. Not surprisingly, Shostakovich's undoubtedly finer second opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (later renamed Katerina Izmaylova), marked a stylistic retreat. However, this new Shostakovich was too avant-garde for Stalin. In 1928, Joseph Stalin inaugurated his First Five-Year Plan, an "iron hand fastened on Soviet culture," (Johnson) and in music a direct and popular style was demanded. Avant-garde music and jazz were banished, and for a while even Tchaikovsky was looked down upon. Shostakovich remained in good favor for a time, but it has been said that it was Stalin's personal anger at what he heard when he attended a performance of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in 1936 that sparked the official condemnation of the opera and of its creator. The focus of the opera was based around murder, conspiracy, and trickery, all of which were the worst things that a Russian could speak of. Shostakovich was brutally attacked in ... ...obert Dearling. The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich: the symphonies. Tantivy Press, 1979 Brown, Royal S. ‘Interview with Shostakovich.’ High Fidelity, 23 (October 1973). Fanning, David. The Breath of the Symphonist: Shostakovich’s Tenth. Royal Musical Association, 1988. Fay, Laurel E. ‘Shostakovich vs. Volkov: whose Testimony?’ The Russian Review (October 1980), pp. 484-93. Johnson, Priscilla and Leopold Labdez (eds.). Khrushchev and the Arts: the politics of Soviet Culture, 1962-64. MIT Press, 1965. Kay, Norman. Dmitri Shostakovich. Oxford University Press, 1972. MacDonald, Ian. The New Shostakovich. Northeastern University Press, 1990. Norris, Christopher. Bibliography of Russian Composers. White Lion, 1976. Olkhovsky, Andrei. Music under the Soviets: the agony of an art. Praeger, 1955. Salisbury, Harrison. ‘A Visit with Dmitri Shostakovich.’ New York Times, 8 August 1954. Schwartz, Boris. Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia, 1917-1981. 2nd edition. Indiana University Press, 1983. Sollertinsky, Dmitri and Ludmilla. Pages from the Life of Dmitri Shostakovich. Hale, 1981. Volkov, Solomon (ed.). Testimony: the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich. Harper & Row, 1979. Dimitri Shostakovich Essay -- essays research papers fc Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich, born on September 25, 1905, started taking piano lessons from his mother at the age of nine after he showed interest in a string quartet that practiced next door. He entered the Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg, later Leningrad) Conservatory in 1919, where he studied the piano with Leonid Nikolayev until 1923 and composition until 1925 with Aleksandr Glazunov and Maksimilian Steinberg. He participated in the Chopin International Competition for Pianists in Warsaw in 1927 and received an honorable mention, after which he decided to limit his public performances to his own works to separate himself from the virtuoso pianists. Prior to the competition, he had had a far greater success as a composer with the First Symphony (1924-25), which quickly achieved worldwide recognition. The symphony was influenced by composers as diverse as Tchaikovsky, Paul Hindemith, and Sergey Prokofiev. The cultural climate in the Soviet Union was, compared to the Soviet Union at its peak, free at the time. Even the music of Igor Stravinsky and Alban Berg, then in the avant-garde, was played. Bela Bartok and Paul Hindemith visited Russia to perform their own works, and Shostakovich toyed openly with these novelties. His first opera, The Nose, based on the satiric Nikolay Gogol story, displayed a thorough understanding of what was popular in Western music combined with his "dry" humor. Not surprisingly, Shostakovich's undoubtedly finer second opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (later renamed Katerina Izmaylova), marked a stylistic retreat. However, this new Shostakovich was too avant-garde for Stalin. In 1928, Joseph Stalin inaugurated his First Five-Year Plan, an "iron hand fastened on Soviet culture," (Johnson) and in music a direct and popular style was demanded. Avant-garde music and jazz were banished, and for a while even Tchaikovsky was looked down upon. Shostakovich remained in good favor for a time, but it has been said that it was Stalin's personal anger at what he heard when he attended a performance of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District in 1936 that sparked the official condemnation of the opera and of its creator. The focus of the opera was based around murder, conspiracy, and trickery, all of which were the worst things that a Russian could speak of. Shostakovich was brutally attacked in ... ...obert Dearling. The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich: the symphonies. Tantivy Press, 1979 Brown, Royal S. ‘Interview with Shostakovich.’ High Fidelity, 23 (October 1973). Fanning, David. The Breath of the Symphonist: Shostakovich’s Tenth. Royal Musical Association, 1988. Fay, Laurel E. ‘Shostakovich vs. Volkov: whose Testimony?’ The Russian Review (October 1980), pp. 484-93. Johnson, Priscilla and Leopold Labdez (eds.). Khrushchev and the Arts: the politics of Soviet Culture, 1962-64. MIT Press, 1965. Kay, Norman. Dmitri Shostakovich. Oxford University Press, 1972. MacDonald, Ian. The New Shostakovich. Northeastern University Press, 1990. Norris, Christopher. Bibliography of Russian Composers. White Lion, 1976. Olkhovsky, Andrei. Music under the Soviets: the agony of an art. Praeger, 1955. Salisbury, Harrison. ‘A Visit with Dmitri Shostakovich.’ New York Times, 8 August 1954. Schwartz, Boris. Music and Musical Life in Soviet Russia, 1917-1981. 2nd edition. Indiana University Press, 1983. Sollertinsky, Dmitri and Ludmilla. Pages from the Life of Dmitri Shostakovich. Hale, 1981. Volkov, Solomon (ed.). Testimony: the memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich. Harper & Row, 1979.

Black Power Movement Essay

The movement for Black Power in the U.S. emerged from the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. Beginning in 1959, Robert F. Willams, president of the Monroe, North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, openly questioned the ideology of nonviolence and its domination of the movement’s strategy. Williams was supported by prominent leaders such as Ella Baker and James Forman, and opposed by others, such as Roy Wilkins(the national NAACP chairman) and Martin Luther King.[10] In 1961, Maya Angelou, Leroi Jones, and Mae Mallory led a riotous (and widely-covered) demonstration at the United Nations to protest the assassination of Patrice Lumumba.[11][12] Malcolm X, national representative of the Nation of Islam, also launched an extended critique of nonviolence and integrationism at this time. After seeing the increasing militancy of blacks in the wake of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and wearying of the domination of Elijah Muhammed over the Nation of Islam, Malcolm left that organization and engaged with the mainstream of the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm was now open to voluntary integration as a long-term goal, but still supported armed self-defense, self-reliance, and black nationalism; he became a simultaneous spokesman for the militant wing of the Civil Rights Movement and the non-separatist wing of the Black Power movement. An early manifestation of Black Power in popular culture was the performances given by Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall in March 1964, and the album In Concert which resulted from them. Simone mocked liberal nonviolence (â€Å"Go Limp†), and took a vengeful position toward white racists (â€Å"Mississippi Goddamn† and her adaptation of â€Å"Pirate Jenny†). Historian Ruth Feldstein writes that, â€Å"Contrary to the neat historical trajectories which suggest that black power came late in the decade and only after the ‘successes’ of earlier efforts, Simone’s album makes clear that black power perspectives were already taking shape and circulating widely†¦in the early 1960s.† By 1966, most of SNCC’s field staff, among them Stokely Carmichael (later Kwame Ture), were becoming critical of the nonviolent approach to confronting racism and inequality—articulated and promoted by Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, and other moderates—and rejected desegregation as a  primary objective. SNCC’s base of support was generally younger and more working-class than that of the other â€Å"Big Five†[14] civil rights organizations and became increasingly more militant and outspoken over time. From SNCC’s point of view, racist people had no qualms about the use of violence against black people in the U.S. who would not â€Å"stay in their place,† and â€Å"accommodationist† civil rights strategies had failed to secure sufficient concessions for black people.[citation needed] As a result, as the Civil Rights Movement progressed, increasingly radical, more militant voices came to the fore to aggressively challenge white hegemony. Increasing numbers of black youth, particularly, rejected their elders’ moderate path of cooperation, racial integration and assimilation. They rejected the notion of appealing to the public’s conscience and religious creeds and took the tack articulated by another black activist more than a century befo re, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who wrote: Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. †¦Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will. Most early 1960s civil rights leaders did not believe in physically violent retaliation. However, much of the African-American rank-and-file, and those leaders with strong working-class ties, tended to compliment nonviolent action with armed self-defense. For instance, prominent nonviolent activist Fred Shuttlesworth of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (and a leader of the 1963 Birmingham campaign), had worked closely with an armed defense group that was led by Colonel Stone Johnson. As Alabama historian Frye Gaillard writes, †¦these were the kind of men Fred Shuttlesworth admired, a mirror of the toughness he aspired to himself†¦They went armed [during the Freedom Rides], for it was one of the realities of the civil rights movement that however nonviolent it may have been at its heart, there was always a current of ‘any means necessary,’ as the black power advocates would say later on. During the March Against Fear, there was a division between those aligned with Martin Luther King, Jr. and those aligned with Carmichael, marked by their respective slogans, â€Å"Freedom Now† and â€Å"Black Power.† While King never endorsed the slogan, his rhetoric sometimes came close to it. In his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here?, King wrote that â€Å"power is not the white man’s birthright; it will not be legislated for us and delivered in neat government packages.†