Systems Analysis: History, Concepts And Theories

Systems Analysis: History, Concepts And Theories One could unarguably suggest that systems exist, in various forms, since the dawn of time. From the Solar System, to our planets ecosystem, to the human societies where people gathered into teams to hunt animals or farm the land to be able to survive, all are prime examples of thousand years old systems. By definition, a system could be described as any entity, conceptual or physical, which consists of interdependent parts (Ackoff, 1960). As the human-controlled systems (i.e. society, organizations, information systems and business systems) started to become increasingly more complex, various issues appeared like an increase of costs, harder maintenance and more administrative complexities. The need to overcome and solve all these problems led to the appearance of the field of Systems Analysis. Systems Analysis: History, Concepts Theories The analysis, as defined in the Oxford Dictionary, is the separation of a substance into parts for study and interpretation; detailed examination. Subsequently, Systems Analysis could be described as the early process in the development of a new system, or the evaluation of an old one, where the analysts try to investigate a given situation, identify the main problems that need to be solved, break them up into sub-problems if needed, and finally recommend the most efficient and costless way to solve them (Yeates et al, 1994; Silver et al, 1989; Bingham et al, 1978). Plato once said: the beginning is the most important part of work. Nowadays, Platos words are proved far from wrong in the case of developing or evaluating a system. The first steps of working on a new project are probably the most important ones to guarantee any fair chance of success. This is the main reason why many organizations, companies and governments prefer to spend a significant amount of money in the early stag es of development, in order to be able to minimize the risk of potential disaster later on (Daniels et al, 1981). After all, the sooner a mistake is identified, the sooner it will be fixed, saving a lot of effort, time and money. There are many types of human-controlled systems, as previously mentioned, ranging from large-scale, complex human societies (whose boundaries are usually not so easy to define as they constantly interact with other societies near them), to small-scale computer information systems (whose boundaries are easier to define). Although each key author and researcher tried to describe his own concept of what analysis is and why it is critical to apply it in the development process, their thoughts and views share many common elements. Depending on the type of system they concentrated on, various definitions where given. To begin with, Systems Analysis is the process of investigating a systems boundaries, users, processes, inputs and outputs with the aim of suggesting more efficient and economical ways to solve the problems in question (Silver et al, 1989). Another, more general suggestion is that Systems Analysis refers to an orderly, structured process for identifying and solving problems (Gore et al, 1983). Finally, according to George Marshall in his book Systems Analysis and Design: Alternative Structured Approaches, Systems Analysis is the process of defining precisely what a computer system should do (Marshall, 1986). Igor Hawryszkiewycz describes in his book Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design that analysis is mainly used in order to effectively understand the structure of a system and what its requirements are (Hawryszkiewycz, 1994). John Bingham in his book A Handbook of Systems Analysis describes the analysis in six steps: the project selection, the feasibility study, the definition phase, the design phase, the implementation phase and finally the evaluation phase (Bingham et al, 1978). Perhaps one of the most straightforward explanations of Systems Analysis main objective is that it aims to transform user needs into specifications for programmers (Marshall, 1989). To achieve this, the systems analyst has to complete five tasks and responsibilities: to plan, investigate, understand, document and communicate with the rest of the team (Yeates et al, 1994). Firstly and probably most importantly too, the analyst must study the feasibility of the system. This means that he has to thoroughly search and decide if it is humanly possible to develop the system and how much effort in time and money it will cost to do so. Second step is to discuss with the systems target group and find out their needs in order to be able to understand and elicit the requirements. Third step is to research the existing data, human recourses and available computer procedures to find out the limitations, techniques or methods that will be used in the later stages of development. Usually from this phase and on the analyst works close together with the designers, programmers and testers in order to establish a successful communication between the team and share feedback with them (Parkin, 1980; Daniels et al, 1981; Open University, 1982). Although the human-controllable systems are in existence ages now, Systems Analysis as a scientific field is quite more recent, and its roots can be traced back a few decades. Before computers became mainstream, the first analysts where using more traditional approaches to analyze and solve the given problems. They followed two main steps: firstly they analyzed the projects requirements and secondly they specified these requirements. Although this practice was logical and theoretically correct, it depended too much on the human factor, which means it was prone to mistakes. Among the disadvantages of the traditional approach was that it required vast amounts of written documentation, many times there was a lack of communication between the analysts and the designers and last but not least it was very time consuming. All these negatives caused a great number of system development projects to face difficulties during the analysis phase in the 1970s (Yeates et al, 1994). Researchers in the field of Systems Analysis, in an effort to overcome all the problems caused by the traditional approach, focused their attention to develop new, more efficient methods of analysis. The result of the above efforts was a structured approach to analysis (Yourdon, 1976; DeMarco, 1979; Bansler, 1993). This approach, as described in the book Systems Analysis and Design by Don Yeates et al, follows three general principles: modeling, partitioning and iteration. Modeling is the extended use of models, diagrams, data flow charts and other graphic representations, which aim to provide a non-confusing, realistic image of the system to the rest of the development team. Partitioning is the method of dividing the system in question to sub-systems with the aim of making them more understandable to the rest of the team. Moreover, partitioning helps the analyst to decide which part of the whole problem every member of the team will be given to solve. Iteration is the method of cons tantly repeating the analysis stage, as many times as needed, in order to reach the best possible solution. The need for iteration arises from the fact that it is rare for a system to be represented correctly the first time, as many repetitions are usually needed, in order to achieve a standard of accuracy (Yeates et al, 1994). Following the appearance of a more structured and formal way of analyzing a system, researchers were trying to come up with various models, which held a central role for Systems Analysis. These models, if strictly followed, would significantly enhance the development process. The early software development models though, such as the Waterfall Model (Royce, 1970), did not allow a lot of room for feedback and changes because of their linear structure. In contrast to these early models, modified approaches like the V-Model (German Ministry of Defense, 1992) and the Spiral Model (Boehm, 1988) gave the analyst the flexibility to interact with the rest of the team even in the later development phases. This is particularly important for the sole reason that, as discussed earlier, Systems Analysis is one of the most crucial phases during a systems creation. By providing the team the option to interact with the analyst on the go, it can minimize the time needed for system revision and most im portantly save a lot of time and money. Although return of investment and risk minimization are two of the most salient reasons of why Systems Analysis is so important, there are a lot more benefits to be gained in the long term. The efficiency of the project team is greatly enhanced as goals are reached faster and the available resources are used more wisely. Furthermore, errors are recognized earlier which translates to less time invested in testing during the final phases of a project, which in its own turn leads again to more profit (Silver et al, 1989). It is very important also to mention that nowadays systems become so complex that usually consist of multiple subsystems, each one playing a key role in the whole process. These subsystems coexist and highly depend on each other. Any change that may occur in any of them could affect multiple other subsystems of the whole. It is critical for the analysts to spend a considerable amount of time and effort to understand the system as one single entity and identify all of its problems. Only after a thorough study of the system they will be able to really understand its purpose and support the development team in creating a system that will be safe, robust and effective (Hawryszkiewycz, 1994). In 1994, a study by the Standish Group provides a better understanding of how valuable the correct application of analysis during a systems development phase is. The company studied eight thousand software projects undertaken by 350 different companies in order to see how successful the development process was. The results were disastrous as around 31% of the projects were cancelled before they make it to the production phase (Standish, 1994). When in further study, these companies were asked about the reasons for these failures, more than 54% answered that it was various problems during the analysis phase (Standish, 1995). Systems analysis though is not a cure-all medicine. Like all approaches in system development, it has its own disadvantages and limitations. Some company, for example, could have so many internal problems, financial or not, that a single Systems Analysis, even the best one possible, could not be enough to save it from bankruptcy. Another disadvantage is that Systems Analysis costs a lot of money and time (Silver et al, 1989). Although, it has been proven many times that projects that went through a thorough System Analysis phase had greater chances to become successful, its still not a guarantee. As the human factor never stops to play a vital role in the whole development process, there is always the risk that something is mistakenly overlooked (i.e. a bug in the code that escapes the final testing phase), which leads to a fault product in the production line, which in turn leads to less sales or even stigmatize the organizations good name. Conclusion Systems Analysis has become a necessity, a highly important and integral tool that development teams, governments and companies use to enhance their productivity and raise their profit margins (Silver et al, 1989). As people say: money makes the world go round, and this is especially true nowadays that organizations put even more effort to identify and satisfy their needs in the most effective and efficient way. Systems and projects become even more sophisticated, even more advanced, even more complex and even more critical for the safety of the users. Developers must be able to adapt in this ever-changing environment if they want to survive in the highly competitive world of today. For all these reasons, Systems Analysis continues to play a key role, and researchers are trying constantly to find new ways to make it even more efficient in the future.

Avon Case Study

Avon Products, Inc. (Avon) is based in New York. The firm engages in the manufacture and marketing of beauty and complimentary products primarily in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.Avon’s products are classified into three product categories: Beauty, Beauty Plus, and Beyond Beauty. The Beauty category consists of cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, and toiletries; Beauty Plus includes fashion jewelry, watches, apparel, and accessories; and Beyond Beauty comprises home products, gift and decorative products, candles, and toys.The company sells and markets its products through a combination of direct selling, marketing by independent Avon representatives, and via its consumer Web site, avon. com. Avon was one of the prominent direct sales companies in the beauty products industry.Started in the late 1800s by David McConnell, the company sold a wide variety of beauty-related products to homemakers through its direct sales agents. However, by the 1980s, the co mpany had lost its luster and performance began to falter. A failed diversification strategy made it the target of several takeover attempts.Turnaround efforts were initiated in the 1990s under then CEO James Preston and continued by his successor Charles Perrin, however, they failed to make a significant impact. Performance began to improve only after Andrea Jung became the CEO of the company in 1999. Andrea Jung became president and CEO of Avon in 1999 and has totally revamped the company. Under her leadership, the company has updated its product line, launched new advertising, and created a new image. Avon’s sales have increased by 30 %, profits 40%, and the stock price has dramatically improved.Jung’s has been able to align the firm’s core capabilities with its strategic targets which has lead to phenomenal results. It appears that Jung has been able to establish a clear vision for the firm that has been incorporated in every aspect of the firm’s oper ating system.This vision is shared by all employees and representatives of Avon priming the company for continued success. Other strategies of Jung include cost cutting by reducing number of raw material suppliers, shifting production from smaller plants to larger ones, moving manufacturing from high cost nations like Great Britain to lower cost countries such as Poland.As mentioned in the Avon case study, the e-representative initiative also has helped Avon cut costs. The direct sellers are asked to fill in the order online. Avon’s brand has definitely resonated for women through the years.During the 1980s, the company began to diversify by investing in retirement properties and healthcare products, and launching catalogs for men and children. During the initial stages of this strategy, Avon started to remove itself from its core market of selling to women. The results were downward revenue trends and slow growth throughout the 1990's which resulted in several takeover bids. Unfortunately, Sears Roebuck and JC Penny do not really resonate well with being a carrier of women’s beauty supplies. The name â€Å"Sears† have been associated with appliance and not beauty products. The move of aligning with this companies and trying to sell higher end beauty products will only push Avon in the opposite direction that it should be heading, which is to move back towards tailoring to women domestically and globally. Over the years, Avon has experienced several problems leveraging its brand in many of its product lines.As a result, positive net sales and earnings growth for the past five years have been in single digits and steadily declining year after year. Specific problem areas are stagnated sales, slow earnings growth, limited distribution capabilities and shift in personal care preferences and spending habits.Andrea Jung’s proposal to expand into certain retail markets will only perpetuate Avon’s trend of declining net sales. The pr oposed plan will indeed create an additional distribution outlet and cater to this market segment. However, the question to examine is at what expense or cost will Avon endure making this decision?Avon has faced tremendous pitfalls marketing its product lines to effectively increase brand loyalty and recognition. Examples of this include the hair care product line. Avon did not effectively develop products for ethnic hair types. Additionally, Avon did not have a hair coloring product line. As a result, Avon suffered in building brand awareness and loyalty with the younger generation as well as the older generation that also demanded this product. Avon has lost loyalty and brand recognition as a result of its decision to diversify into different industries and different product lines.This has resulted in a loss of market share drastically affecting annual profit margins. To examine the previous question of what cost will Avon endure deciding to move into the retail markets? It is cle ar and evident; the cost will be a further extension of the existing internal problems that Avon faces. Deciding to move into the retail market to create a store inside a store is not in Avon’s best interest. This move would be a further expansion of Avon’s previous decisions to diversify into markets that do not have synergy and thus will hurt the overall branding of the company.Finally, implementing Andrea Jung’s proposal to enter the retail market would be detrimental to the already fragile state of Avon’s brand awareness, recognition and loyalty. Another factor for the underperformance of Avon in the late 1990s is its failure to develop the online business. For the fear of alienating its labor force, Avon downplayed the importance of developing the e-business. A company cannot ignore the environment and expect to be successful in the long run.Due to its internal struggle with the internet strategy, Avon fell behind other less established companies in taking advantage of the explosive growth of the internet Avon’s approach should build on original direction and implementations however expanding as necessary to fit current trends and environmental assessments.The focus should be on existing internal structures to build, create and advance current product lines. Avon’s focus should also exist in the field of technology to increase online selling opportunities, update internet technology and to re-brand themselves to be a leader of online sells.To accomplish this, strategy should focus on expanding kiosks globally and domestically. The expansion will leverage Avon by appealing to the market segment requesting additional distribution channels. This strategy will allow for trained beauty consultants to offer advice, education and samples thus increasing brand awareness and loyalty.Kiosks will have minimal start up cost and lower overheads. Focusing on product lines and catering to the needs and wants of each demographic group will prevent the previous pitfalls of lack of integration and decreased brand awareness and loyalty.Keeping Avon’s product offering separate and distinct will help existing challenges of branding. Focusing on technology improvements and online sales, Avon will have an opportunity to emerge as a leader in this area, thus adding additional channels of distribution and appealing to the overwhelming need.Under Andrea Jung’s leadership, Avon has faced a number of challenges. Some of these challenges were addressed successfully and others were not. In the early part of 2000, the management team had the daunting task of choosing an appropriate strategy for the immediate and long-term future for the company.One setback was a decrease in the firm’s growth rate to single digits and stagnated earnings. Avon’s CEO, Andrea Jung, was presented with a multitude of options that ranged from distributing through other departments stores, establishing kiosks, to overh auling the firm’s e-business. Jung was right in acknowledging that Avon’s core competency is direct selling and its major strength is its brand name. By refocusing on the core competency, improving efficiencies, and adapting to the environment with new initiatives, Avon could overcome the hurdles of the past and turn the company in the new direction.This case discussed the revival of Avon under Andrea Jung.1) What is your assessment of Andrea Jung’s performance as chief strategist at Avon Products? What has she done well? What overall grade would you give Andrea Jung for the job she has done as CEO? Answer:My assessment of Andrea Jung’s performance as chief strategists at Avon products is that she has done excellent job. Her first task was to hit the streets of her neighborhood, ringing doorbells, to better understand the desires of customers and needs of sales agents. She pushed for the addition of attractive new products to Avon and its sales representa tives.Andrea listened to the customers and grew global beauty category sales by new product development, sampling and more up-to-date advertising. The company was in serious trouble with annual sale growth of less than 1.5 percent and a crashing stock price during the general economic boon in history. Jung took the role of Avon lady to better understand what customers thought about company’s product and within field of direct sales model. . Avon’s grand strategy under the leadership of Andrea Jung has its merits and is the grand strategy is properly focused and directed.Andrea Jung has clearly directed the successful transformation of Avon Products Inc. by defining its vision as the company for women. With grand strategies in-place she is revitalizing Avon’s reputation as the world’s foremost direct seller of beauty products while leading the company into exciting new lines of businesses, launching a series of bold and image enhancing initiatives, and exp anding career opportunities for people around the world. The strategic plan in place has its merits and the grand strategy is properly focused and directed. Currently, Avon is the world’s leading direct seller of beauty and related products, with $7.7 billion in annual revenues.Avon markets to women around the world through 4. 9 million independent sales representatives. The evidence shows that Jung’s grand strategies were sound. The argument that the grand strategies were not optimal and needed to be refocused was weak due to the overall improvement of company performance and increase in shareholder wealth. Andrea Jung’s charismatic communication skills and management direction has catapulted Avon as a leader in the global beauty and cosmetic market. I would like to give Andrea Jung an â€Å"A† for the job as she has done her job well as CEO.She developed great strategy for Avon that helped to increase in sales. Andrea Jung outlined new vision and strate gic plan for Avon that call for highly innovative new products, build new line of business, critical link as internet in direct selling model and update its direct sales model to better fit 21st century. At age 40 Jung become CEO and in 2001, at age 42 she listed fourth on Fortune’s ranking of the 50 most powerful Women in American Business.2) What is Andre Jung’s strategic vision for Avon? Do you approve of the company’s new strategic direction? Why was it time for Avon to fundamentally change direction? Answer:Andrea Jung’s strategic vision for Avon was for them to be the company that understands and satisfies the product, service and self fulfillment needs for woman globally. I think their new strategic direction made sense. She knew products had to be made to fill the needs of different age group and races. It was time for Avon to become more modern and up-to-date. Jung’s view of new Avon was that of a company beyond selling cosmetics as truste d product which is needed by any women. She was in customer convenient strategy in beauty and financial services.She insisted that supporting women touches not only beauty, but health, fitness, self empowerment and most important financial independence. Yes, Avon’s new strategic direction would launch an entirely new line of business, the development of innovative products, new packaging, new channels to the distribution, a new approach to supply chain management, new sales models and new approaches to image building. When Andrea Jung became Avon’s new CEO in November 1999, the company’s annual sales growth had slowed to less than 1. 5 percent and its stock price had fallen from a high of $55 to a three year low $25.The strategies initiated by Charles Perrin had resulted in some improvement in 1998 with modest sales growth, but in late 1999 Avon was in need of bold direction. When Perrin resigned because of his lack in direct sales limitation, Andrea Jung need a fundamental change in direction. Jung understood the desires of customers and needs of sales agents. She heard the customer grips over product colors, mishandled orders, unattractive packaging, lack of innovative products and confusing promotions.Ultimately she discovered the structural obstacles to achieve in success. Policies for placing orders made difficult for sales agents to increase sales volume and commissions. When Andrea Jung stepped in as CEO of Avon, she brought with her many new, fresh ideas that helped make Avon what it is today. Her strategy didn’t agree with what consultants thought, but she willingly took risks to enforce what she believed to be the best strategy for Avon. We believe that her strategy was good, solid foundation that will continue to keep Avon at the top as America’s number one selling Cosmetic and Beauty Company.3) What is your assessment to the financial and strategic objectives Jung has set for Avon? Do they contain too much stretch ? Too little stretch? Answer:Several things happened once Andrea Jung was named CEO of Avon. First, she decided to reverse the current trend of losing sales. She did this by creating a strategy that would turn the company around. Jung’s suggested strategy to partner with Sears and JC Penney department stores was an idea that would help to promote the strategy she had come up with. It would introduce a new, upscale product line, thus increasing profits, sales and nationwide exposure to the baby boomer segment. Retail selling increased with in-store customer traffic and expected growth of spending power to 16 percent within five years.Face-to-face selling comprised 79.7 percent of direct selling, preferred among senior citizens. The marketing budget would be increased to target customer traffic at Sears and JC Penney. Investment costs were limited to $15 – 20 million to launch retail products, with a bulk of expenses being absorbed by the department store. Avon’s strengths would help increase global recognition of brand name and image. Jung suggested promoting certified Beauty Advisors in department stores and increased incentives for sales representatives.In addition, having department stores sell via the Internet would increase the channels of distribution, thus increasing consumer loyalty. Reduce inventory level while improving service to representatives which increase the forecasting accuracy and order fill rate in supply chain management. Strategy provides opportunity for sales representatives to increase their income and greater career opportunities through sales leadership. Develop E- commerce opportunity for Avon and sales representatives, improving operating margins 50-100 basis points though business process redesign.Another strategy is growing global beauty category sales through in new product development, advertising and sampling. All these factors would affect Avon’s long-term goals by forcing Jung to find new, creative ways to stay fresh in the market. Jung had created a strategic plan that met the vision of Avon; she had created goals that were measurable and geared toward future company growth. The goals seemed to be obtainable in the current business market. In addition, Jung’s idea that technology may be the answer was in response to a changing business environment which included movement toward e-business.This ideal would be synergistic and build upon their present success. It is too little stretch because the objectives were not set boldly and aggressively high. These goals were not impossible targets.4) What have been the key elements of Avon’s strategy been under previous CEOs? What new and different strategy elements have been initiated by Andrea Jung? How well does Andrea Jung’s new strategy seem to match features of the global cosmetics industry and Avon’s resource strength, competitive capabilities, and culture? Answer:Key elements to Avon’s strategy under previous CEO were set to sell directly to consumers via independent sales representatives working on commission. Avon catered to mostly upper middle income females and focused almost exclusively on US cosmetic market.Andrea Jung initiated expansion into markets outside US making Avon products available online, and began selling Avon products through retail channels. She also instituted a more upscale packaging to match the look of prestige cosmetic brands. She focused on a low cost/ low price strategy and focus to sale to low and middle income families.Andrea’s new strategy was likely to improve Avon’s financial performance and help build a competitive advantage. Her approach is sensible in light of what competitors are doing and the position they hold in the market place.Avon is highly backward integrated, self-manufacturing many of the items that they sell. This causes the competitive pressures of suppliers to be weak. Avon can get supplies from many parts of t he world because they have entered foreign markets and produce products in different countries. A lot of Avon’s supplies such as packaging, may be easily substituted if a supplier raised prices.Under Andrea Jung’s direction, Avon is focusing on developing nations especially China. Many developing countries are more receptive to direct selling by women since jobs with Avon are opportunities for women who want to be independent in the male dominated cultures. Avon has also recognized that the demographics has changed and recruiting younger women to sell to the younger customer base. Competitive pressures stemming from customer buying power is moderate because switching costs are low and customers have the ability to fulfill their needs by switching brands.Buyers tend to be well informed about Avon’s product prices and costs largely due to the Internet and this put customers at a position of higher bargaining power. Customers do not pose a threat of integrating bac kwards, because it would not be easy for women to develop their own make-up, perfume or skin care products. Due to the direct selling business model, there is an extremely large number of buyers. Another Avon objective that aims to alleviate pressures coming from competing sellers includes consists of reinventing their antiquated image.Realizing this, Jung endorsed the Williams sisters. Venus and Serena Williams were popular teen icons that portrayed the image where Jung hoped to achieve for Avon; young, powerful, and ambitious.5) How well has Avon’s new strategy been implemented so far? What are Avon’s strategy successes so far? What problems or missteps do you see? How important has Susan Kropf been to Avon’s implementation efforts? Was she a good choice as chief operating officer? Why or why not? Answer:Andrea Jung’s highly successful career would not be possible without effective and insightful management.†Throughout Jung’s ambitious expa nsion, her management style was to emphasize open communication, goal orientation, and feedback from her sales force. † Avon routinely brings in the top performing sales reps from across the globe to Avon’s headquarters in New York City in order to gather first hand feedback from the employees in the field. Ms. Jung herself even attempted to sale Avon’s products as a traditional Avon lady. An attempt she acknowledges was not one of her more successful endeavors. The attempt however, showed Ms. Jung’s commitment to understanding all aspect’s of the Avon business. A common theme in Ms.Jung’s leadership speeches encourage women empowerment and promote a belief that more women will continue to hold key executive roles. Under Ms. Jung’s leadership, Avon management supports flexible work schedules and encourages employees to create a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities.There are a number of missteps that Avon has taken u nder Andrea Jung’s leadership. They include partnering with companies that image does not adequately match Avon’s and the company’s problems with launching its online business segment. Recently, Avon announced plans to partner with Sears and JC Penney’s.One of the potential negative aspects for Avon partnering with JC Penny and Sears would be the possible lowering of brand name for Avon. The company ran the risk of possible further reduction of its brand name. † Since its inception Avon has worked very hard in tailoring its niche market towards women. Ms. Kropf’s most recent responsibilities included certain global staff functions. She retained responsibility for global marketing as well as the companywide Business Process Redesign efforts that have freed up nearly $400 million in the past three years for reinvestment in consumer brand building and other growth initiatives.Yes, Susan Kropf was a good choice as a chief operating officer of Avo n Products Inc. with full profit-and-loss responsibility for all of Avon’s worldwide operations, including global marketing and supply chain. Susan has played a critical role in Avon’s success by sharing her insights on Avon’s rich history and the company’s successful strategies for sustaining brand power for over a century. Susan Kropf reconfigured the value chain thereby cutting costs of non-value adding areas.6) Has Andrea Jung been effective in evaluating the company’s performances, monitoring new developments, and initiating corrective adjustments?Does Andrea Jung appear to have Personal traits well suited to refining and fine-tuning the company’s strategy and implementation efforts? Are her strengths better suited to instituting sweeping changes and quickly moving to a new project? Answer:Andrea Jung represents a great strength to Avon Products Inc. Regardless of gender, any CEO who can take a company with a 50 percent drop in share pr ice and raise company stock by 164 percent in five short years shows insightful leadership and effective management. In addition to the financial success, Ms. Jung has also played a vital role in Avon’s public relations arena.She shows an amazing ability to connect with a variety of shareholders and the public. Her ability to communicate with all levels of an internationally diverse Avon staff and public contribute to Avon’s ability to successfully implement strategic changes in direction.Yes, Andrea Jung’s vision of what she wanted to accomplish as CEO of Avon included a strategy to; improve brand image, introduce new products, increase use of the internet as a channel of distribution, provide greater incentives and opportunities for the sales force, reduce unnecessary costs in the value chain, and continue to expand into global markets.Product innovation was a large part of Jung’s strategy for Avon. In fact, in 1999 she challenged Avon’s R&D team to develop a new product within two years. In less than one year Avon introduced Anew Retroactive, an anti-aging skin cream. It achieved record sales for Avon and led to the development of other successful lines of business.In less than one year Avon introduced Anew Retroactive, an anti-aging skin cream. It achieved record sales for Avon and led to the development of other successful lines of business. For example, Avon Wellness products exceeded sales estimates by 300%.One problem that Avon faces is the strong competition within fields they are trying to expand into. Avon is marketing a nutritional product line called Wellness, which includes vitamins, supplements, bars, etc. This market is competitively strong. Being ahead of the industry in introducing new products combined with the company’s already strong market position could further improve Avon’s brand equity and therefore revenues. In particular, Avon should continue to integrate sales representative into all aspects of sales. This is Avon’s own key success factor and what sets them apart from their competitors.With the growing popularity of the internet as an outlet of commerce, Jung was compelled to implement internet sales into her strategy, realizing that the â€Å"Avon Lady† is the distinctive core competency for Avon in new projects.7) What additional actions would you recommend Andrea Jung take to help the company to achieve its long term strategic and financial objectives? Are any changes needed in the company’s vision? Its objectives? Its strategy? Its implementation efforts? What challenges might the new strategy present to Avon’s top management team? What risks do you see? Answer:Based on demographic data, China holds 20% of the world’s population. This represents a vast market of which Avon has only begun to cover. Avon should continue to focus on the expansion of retail outlet sales in China. Also, because the only sales in China are gener ated through retail outlets, Avon should further develop their Beauty Advisors training. Europe should also be a continued focus for Avon. Industry leader, L’Oreal’s attributes 50% of their total sales to the European market. Avon had a successful growth rate in Europe but only 23% of the total 2003 sales came from Europe.There is still room to expand in this market. Based on one of the industry’s key success factors, product innovation, Avon should focus even more resources on R&D especially in the areas of anti-aging products and teen products. Because 23 million teenagers have an average weekly disposable income of $85, Avon should continue with innovative teen marketing such as the current â€Å"mark† brand but also work on products for problem teen skin. Avon Products Inc under the leadership of CEO Andrea Jung is at a point where there are opportunities for growth for the organization. However Ms.Jung appears to be indisposed towards taking steps to take advantage of Avon’s position. Also her approach is flawed. Let’s take a look at her approach and then also look at viable alternatives. Andrea advocates: partnering with Sears and JC Penny department stores so as to create a store-within-a-store, Avon products.Based on this, the board of directors felt that Jung’s original options did not provide the same amount of increased sales and revenues, attraction to increased clientele base, motivation and acceptance by current sales representatives, or increase shareholder wealth as the consultant’s options did.The consultant’s options provided a means to Avon Products, Inc. to become a household name to those whom were not attracted by limited previous distribution channels, and Jung’s choices of re-invigorating the brand, instituting beauty advisory training, expanding multilevel sales programs or partnering with department stores. Kiosks were admittedly a risk. At $6,000 per kiosk and lack of information on kiosk performance, Andrea indicated these would be too expensive.Perhaps a trial run of a low number of kiosks in the environment would settle this question. In conclusion, the Avon CEO strategy did not impress as very well thought out and it was a good thing she went to the review board first. Avon should stick with their bread and butter – the sales representatives as it is the channel where they were recognized and where they became one of the largest beauty products in the world. The website should be a complement to the services that Avon offers. Recommendations:For promoting direct-sales through consumer and the business; one is to offer incentives to its customers and second is to motivate the business to promoting its products by advertisements, establishing sales competition for employees, participating in conventions, and by endorsing franchise of its products to retail stores.Promoting Avon’s products and high chance of increasing direct-s ales is to offer incentives to its consumers. Incentives provide a positive motivational influence to encourage and excite buyers to buy the products. Such incentives, appropriate for this situation, are coupons, rebates, product samples and awards.Coupons can be attached in mail, beauty magazines, newspapers, and advertisements on mail or on the internet company’s official website. Rebates can be offered also to attract more buyers to buy the products.Rebates can be advertised also on coupons through mail or the internet. Another successful way of attracting consumers is by offering samples of Avon’s cosmetic products, which can be done door-todoor or attached on an advertisement through mail. Finally, awards through prizes, contests or sweepstakes can offer consumers the chance to win something small or big like cash or free-trips.Also, prizes can be offering a free gift whenever a consumers purchase one of Avon’s products. This last incentive option attracts more attention from consumers than the three other options. Motivate the Avon business to reach its goals of promoting its products and gaining sales through advertisements, sales competition, participating in conventions and endorsing franchise. Advertising is the key to attracting consumers and the outcome is high sales. Such advertisement is done through media (television), mail, or the internet.The more awareness from the public of the company likely to attract more buyers and the outcome is high sales. The next option is to encourage Avon’s sales representatives with awards/prizes that reached their sales goals within a period of time.Another is participating in conventions and this is more likely to increase sales through direct contact with customers. Last is to endorse franchise of Avon’s products with small and big cosmetic-related retail stores, such as Macy, JC Penny, etc. This option can be most likely increase sales and in turn profit which is any companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ultimate aim.

The She s The Man By Viola Hastings - 955 Words

In the She’s The Man (2006), Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) cross dresses for the majority of the film, pretending to be her twin brother Sebastian. She does this in order to play for Illyria’s men’s soccer team as her school, Cornwall, cut the women’s soccer team and wouldn’t allow her to play for the men’s team. Her main motivation is to beat her former schools team and prove to them that even though she is a girl, she can play on the same field as the boys. While pretending to be Sebastian, Viola initially struggles to hide her femininity, such as when it is discovered that she has tampons in her bag. As the movie progresses her ability to hide this femininity and express masculinity becomes easier. Her cross dressing has an effect on everything and everyone around her and it pushes the line on the comfort people feel when stereotypical gender norms are challenged/ She becomes interested in her roommate, Duke (Channing Tatum) and throughout the movie the two become closer on an intimate level even though Viola is still masked as Sebastian. Duke is obviously uncomfortable with this as made evident by the end of the movie, when it is revealed that Viola was pretending to be Sebastian the entire time. His look of relief reinforces this idea of stereotypical, heterosexual gender roles, as now that Viola is revealed as a female, it is socially acceptable to be attracted to her. She’s The Man reinforces the stereotypical gender roles that society expects out ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Viola Hastings s She s The Man 987 Words   |  4 Pagesa) First Topic Viola Hastings, is the protagonist in the film She’s The Man. She is a female soccer player at Cornwall University, until the school cuts her soccer team off from the after school extracurricular activities program. After the sexist coach refuses her suggestion of joining the male soccer team, she impersonates her brother and tryouts for the soccer team at Illyria. She believes the only way to attest her capability is if she is unable to join the male soccer team at Cornwall is toRead MoreRelationship Between Masculinity And Femininity1177 Words   |  5 Pages SHE’S THE (WO)MAN KAYLA PRIHODA HARRY BENSHOFF RTVF 3610.001 NOVEMBER 14, 2014 SHE’S THE (WO)MAN She’s the Man (2006) is a film about Viola Hastings, a girl whose passion is to simply play soccer. When her women’s team gets terminated due to lack of players, the discriminatory men’s soccer coach states, â€Å"It isn t me talking, it’s scientific fact: girls can t beat boys. It s as simple as that.† Infuriated, Viola decides to impersonate her twin brother at another school in order to

Slavery During The 19th Century - 895 Words

During the 1800’s to 1850’s, slavery was undergoing a huge development in which helped the nation to grow into what it is today. The United States was split into two sections, the north and south, over the dispute of slavery. The south sought to further slavery while the north was in favor of abolishing slavery. Around 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, two politicians with completely different views on slavery fought each other with politicians trying to win the presidency election of 1860. This was known as the â€Å"Great Debates of 1858†. Slavery during the late 1800’s was at its highest peak; almost 1 out of 4 citizens had slaves. Slavery has become very popular in the southern states, working them to the very death as laborers, maids, sex, etc. but slavery in the northern states there were no slaves due to the slave act of 1850. The nation was at a brink of war when deciding how to handle states with slaves and states with no slaves. The northern states wanted to abolish all sorts of slavery throughout the nations although there were very few northern abolitionists. The southern states wanted to spread slavery throughout the nation. But then came a compromised called the Missouri compromise which states that anywhere up of latitude 36’ 30’ are Free states and anything down from there can be slave states. This gave the nation peace for a couple of years however the north still wanted the abolition of slavery. During this time there were two politicians who sidedShow MoreRelatedSlavery During The 19th Century1636 Words   |  7 Pages# 2 In the early years of the 19th century, slavery was more than ever turning into a sectional concern, such that the nation had essentially become divided along regional lines. Based on economic or moral reasoning, people of the Northern states were increasingly in support of opposition to slavery, all the while Southerners became united to defend the institution of slavery. 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Regulations And Or Laws A Business Must Follow - 1214 Words

Miranda Carpenter 17 February 2015 Mrs. Nagle Report #1 In today’s society there are many regulations and or laws a business must follow. Every day there are businesses that â€Å"cut corners† but there are also some businesses that are charged by the law, due to illegal practices. Two businesses/companies that have been charged with unethical and illegal practices within the past two years are ExxonMobil which is the world’s largest energy company and FedEx which is one of the world’s top carriers (Diaz-Shephard, 2013). In 2013, Exxon Mobil Corp. was charged with dumping more than 50,000 gallons of waste water in Pennsylvania. The waste water was coming from the Marquandt well sites waste tanks, located in Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County. As Inspectors from the States Department of Environmental Protection began their unannounced investigation, they discovered that a plug had been removed from the tank which was what allowed the waste water to exit the tank onto the ground, polluting a nearby stream. Furthermore, Exxon Mobil then was ordered to remove 3,000 tons of soil as part of the clean project (Diaz-Shephard, 2013). Pennsylvania’s attorney general website Bloomberg.com stated that â€Å"natural gas wastewater may contain a number of toxins, including chlorides, barium, strontium, and aluminum†. This company was charged with five counts of unlawful conduct under the Clean Streams Law, and also charged with three counts under the Solid Waste Management Act (Kennedy, 2013). 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Hatshepsut Free Essays

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut was one the greatest rulers of Ancient Egypt but her rise to power didn’t come without deceit and betrayal. As daughter of Thutmose I a great Ancient pharaoh and Ahmose his famous wife, Hatshepsut had a passion for power and the family blood to fulfil her dream. With Successful military campaigns, peaceful country and a thriving economy, Hatshepsut had all the components of a great Pharaoh but this did not come easy. We will write a custom essay sample on Hatshepsut or any similar topic only for you Order Now How did the first woman pharaoh rule for over 2 decades? What made her such a successful ruler and how did a woman come to power in a male driven society? Hatshepsut was a unique personality which gained her power amongst the Egyptian people. Born in the 18th dynasty to Thutmose I and Ahmose, Hatshepsut had power and authority in her blood to rule a great and influential nation. Hatshepsut acquired this authority from the rule of her father which left great expectations for her since birth. Hatshepsut was sister to Princess Neterukheb and her two brothers Wadjmose and Amennose who had both died at a young age leaving Hatshepsut as heir the Dynasty. This didn’t last long as she was married off to her half brother Thutmose II at a young adolescent age. As a child, Hatshepsut was taught how to read and write hieroglyphics by the royal scribe. Hatshepsut questioned her requirement to be educated as it hadn’t occurred to her that one day she may become pharaoh. Throughout Hatshepsut’s rise to power she obtained various titles to her name. Hatshepsut inherited the title â€Å"God’s wife of Amon† from Queen Tetisheri which was then passed down to Hatshepsut’s Daughter, Neferure. But it is clear that her greatest title she ever acquired was not only Queen of Egypt but King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Hatshepsut gained this position after the death of her Pharaoh husband Thutmose II whom which they shared the same father Thutmose I. Thutmose II only reined for about 3 years before an unknown illness took his life. This left his son to a minor wife Thutmose III the heir to the throne at a very young age. Thutmose III was too young to rein so Hatshepsut took the title or regent with the young soon to be pharaoh. She then crowned herself co-regent and finally declared herself pharaoh of Egypt. During her reign Hatshepsut had a number of people which helped her gain the power in which she held. Senenmut was a close associate of Queen Hatshepsut during and before her reign. Senenmut first entered the royal court under the reign of Thutmose II which led him to an influential associate when Hatshepsut announced herself as pharaoh. Senenmut had a close relationship with not only king Hatshepsut but also with her daughter Neferure. There were scandals of an affair between Hatshepsut and Senenmut which were recorded in graffiti by the workmen building the temple. Their close relationship resulted in Senenmut supervising the erection of Hatshepsut’s main monuments at Deir el-Bahri and Karnak. Although Senenmut played a significant role in the royal court, towards the end of Hatshepsut’s reign Senenmut disappears from view. There are many theories to explain the disappearance or death of Senenmut. These include that Senenmut decided to leave Hatshepsut and join with Thutmose III after the death of Hatshepsut’s daughter Neferure. Speculation remains high with Senenmut’s two tombs empty and unused by the royal associate. Imagery and monuments of Senenmut were attacked or desecrated soon after his disappearance leaving the question was it Hatshepsut or Thutmose III. Hatshepsut may have attempted to remove him from history as he was seeking to join Thutmose III, or did Thutmose III remove Senenmut with the expectation that Hatshepsut would soon fall. As Hatshepsut was one of peace and prosperity she had ample time to build and restore important monuments to the people. Hatshepsut repaired many temples and chapels including the Temple of the Lady Cusae and the Temple of Thoth. Many of her buildings were built for Amun-Re as he was her claimed father and Hatshepsut wanted to re-establish her connection with Amun-Re. But it is clear that her main achievements came from the new monuments at Deir el-Bahri and Karnak. The Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahri is one of Hatshepsut’s most recognised building projects. With its main dedication to the God Amun it also has parts dedicated to the God Anubis and Goddess Hathor. Located west of the great capital Thebes and designed and supervised by the royal associate Senenmut, Hatshepsut had created a master piece. Hatshepsut was particular about where the building was going to be placed but after numerous strategic calculations, Hatshepsut decided on Deir el-Bahri. It was positioned on the axis of the great temple at Karnak and in the sacred valley to the principal feminine goddess whom was connected with the funeral world. The most astonishing feature is that the temple stood in a straight line from the tomb which the Queen had proclaimed hers and had it excavated in the Valley of Kings. The temple consists of two ramps which lead to three layered terraces with the magnificent cliffs and the Valley of Kings as a background (See image 1). The three layered terraces reach 30m in height or 97 feet. Each of the Terraces is precisely constructed by a double colonnade of square piers and all the terraces are connected by long ramps. Hatshepsut still contained the classical Theban appearance with courts, a chapel, sun court and a sanctuary. On both sides of the entrance (See Image 2) are pillars which depict images of Hathor as the capitals. Under the roof line is in image of Wadjet who is the Goddess of Lower Egypt, Papyrus and the Protector of the Pharaoh. She is displayed as a two sided solar symbol and bordered by two long serpents. Hatshepsut often depicted herself as a male pharaoh by wearing false beards and the traditional male regalia of previous Egyptian Kings. She would often wear a Khat head cloth and false beard to show her power and to persuade the public that she was capable of performing a male role. She would wear a Shendyt kilt as depicted in many statues in the temple. Often Portrayed as a male it did not mean that she denied her female gender. Depicting herself as a male authority was a show to foreign rulers to respect her as a male and to gain acceptance among the Egyptian population. The temple at Deir el-Bahri includes an image that depicts Hatshepsut as a male pharaoh (see image 3) which shows her giving offerings to Horus the ancient sky god. Once stood statues and ornaments throughout the temple but they have since been stolen or destroyed by other pharaoh’s or robbers. It previously housed two statues of Osiris, an avenue lined by sphinxes and the many statues and sculptures of Pharaoh Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut led many expeditions but one of the most famous is the expedition to Punt. Hatshepsut took pride in announcing the departure of 5 Phoenician style ships to Punt which is now modern day Somalia. It was the first time in 500 years that the voyage had been embarked on. Punt was â€Å"God’s Land† as its terraced land was theoretically represented by the lands of gods. It is suggested that a French scholar Auguste Mariette believed that Hatshepsut’s Temple Deir el-Bahri represented the land of gods by being constructed in terraces like designs. The scenes of the expedition to Punt were carved on the walls at Deir el-Bahri on the Middle Colonnade opposite the Divine Birth Scenes representing and indicating the importance of the Expedition. The Expedition to Punt was most likely for trade with inner Africa rather than conquest of the rival civilisation. The trip was made to please her god Amun and fulfil his wishes of have a Myrrh tree in the garden of Amun. Amun had indicated that he would like to walk among them so Hatshepsut obeyed. Hatshepsut did not go on the voyage to Punt but she sent her official Nehesi and a selection of Egyptian soldiers. Sending the soldiers indicated that Hatshepsut had an army. The cargo of the ships included gold, ebony, elephant tusks, monkeys, baboons, panther skins, greyhounds and many trees. The cargo also included slaves and their young dependable family. When the fleet landed on the shores of Thebes, Hatshepsut and an elongated line of people marched the fleet. Hatshepsut was never far off making yet another dedication to Amun and she dedicated the best of the traded produce to Amun. The incense trees were planted in the open area of the central pathway at Deir el-Bahri. A stump of the tree is still able to be seen today. Hatshepsut was such a successful Pharaoh as she continued to re-establish a strong link with the god Amun which reassured the people that she was fit to be pharaoh. Hatshepsut created a thriving economy which created stability for the Egyptian people. Hatshepsut had many followers which made her rule so successful, for example Senenmut who supported throughout her reign till the unexplained disappearance shortly before she fell to Thutmose III. When Hatshepsut lost her throne and Thutmose III became Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, Thutmose III attempted to remove every written and visual piece of evidence to suggest that she was never pharaoh. In lists of the 18th dynasty pharaohs, Hatshepsut was often left off the list and her face hacked and cut out of art works depicting her as a pharaoh. Sculptures of Hatshepsut were removed and replaced with other Pharaoh statues and her name hacked out of carved writings. Thutmose III did everything in his power to remove her from history and yet she still is one of the most known Pharaohs of Egypt. Her accomplishments were triumphant making her a successful and respected Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Discussion-the availability of sources was ample as Hatshepsut is such a well known Pharaoh as she wasn’t just Queen she was King who ruled for over 2 decades. Different sites have different information for example one site will say that she ruled for 18 years and another will say 22 years. For the essay I had to take an opinion and use it in the essay as it was my piece of writing. Interpretations of images at various temples are different and you have to combine them to gain a complete understanding of the image. Appendix Image 1: Image 2: Image 3: | Bibliography: -NNDB tracking the entire world http://www. nndb. com/people/265/000162776/ Date accessed 6/5/2011 -Hatshepsut http://www. king-tut. org. uk/egyptian-pharaohs/hatshepsut. htm Date accessed 6/5/2011 -Hatshepsut – J. G. A. H. L. K. http://www. richeast. org/htwm/Hat/hat. html Date accessed 6/5/2011 -Hatshepsut – Caroline Seawright http://www. thekeep. rg/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/hatshepsut. html Date accessed 7/5/2011 -Senenmut http://ib205. tripod. com/senenmut_2. html Date accessed 7/5/2011 – Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut http://www. bluffton. edu/~sullivanm/egypt/deirelbahri/deirelbahri. html Date accessed 9/5/2011 -Midland Travel Tours http://www. comeseeegypt. com/hatsut. htm Date accessed 13/5/2010 -Hatshepsut first great woman in history http://www. all-about-egypt. com/hatshepsut. html Date accessed 13/5/2011 -Voyage to Punt http://www. camdenh. schools. nsw. edu. au/pages/Faculties/History/ancient/Hatshepsut/Voyage%20to%20Punt. html Date accessed 19/5/2011 How to cite Hatshepsut, Papers Hatshepsut Free Essays #301 Hatshepsut Hatshepsut was the fourth female pharaoh in Egyptian history, and was considered one of the greatest rulers, male or female, of her time. As Pharaoh, she encouraged trade and sent a voyage to the land of Punt, sponsored a vast building project in Egypt, added to the temple of Amon at Karnak, and commissioned her famous mortuary temple, Deir el-Bahri, decorated with her most impressive achievements. She is renowned for being strong and assertive, whilst also fair and just. We will write a custom essay sample on Hatshepsut or any similar topic only for you Order Now The many reliefs and paintings in this temple serve as sources from which we can draw conclusions about her life and her reign. Hatshepsut was the daughter of King Thutmose I and his wife, Queen Ahmose, and married her half-brother, King Thutmose II. When King Thutmose II died after a short rule, Hatshepsut’s stepson Thutmose III inherited the throne. However, as Thutmose III was considered too young to rule, Hatshepsut served as his regent. Shortly afterwards, some sources say Hatshepsut claimed the throne for herself, whereas others say that she ruled with Thutmose III as a diarchy. The birth and coronation scenes at Deir el-Bahri show Hatshepsut’s divine birth, although they have been greatly damaged, supposedly due to a vengeful Thutmose III. According to the scenes, Amon (a prominent god in Upper Egypt) goes to a sleeping Ahmose in the form of Thutmose I and awakens her with pleasant odours. At this point Amon places the ankh, a symbol of life, to Ahmose’s nose, and Hatshepsut is conceived. From this source, historians have been able to decipher that in order to justify her leadership, Hatshepsut claimed that she’d had a divine birth. In these scenes Hatshepsut is shown as a young boy, and through her claim of divinity she won the support of the priests. To further strengthen her position, the oracle of Amon was published on the walls of her tomb, stating, â€Å"Welcome my sweet daughter, my favorite, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare, Hatshepsut. Thou art the Pharaoh, taking possession of the Two Lands. † She also claimed that she was her father’s intended heir and had the following commissioned on the walls of her temple: ‘Then his majesty said to them: â€Å"This daughter of mine, Khnumetamun Hatshepsut, may she live! I have appointed as my successor upon my throne†¦ he shall direct the people in every sphere of the palace; it is she indeed who shall lead you. Obey her words, unite yourselves at her command. † The royal nobles, the dignitaries, and the leaders of the people heard this proclamation of the promotion of his daughter, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare, may she live eternally. ’ Hatshepsut is regarded as one of the most outstanding of Egypt’s female rule rs, and was the first to assume the Godship with the Kingship. She was often portrayed wearing the double crown, indicating sovereignty over the lands of both Upper and Lower Egypt. In many representations she has been shown wearing masculine attire and a traditional false beard, although it is unlikely that the false beard was actually worn, as opposed to being strictly an artistic convention. Statues such as those at the Metropolitan Museum of Art depicting her seated wearing a tight-fitting dress and the nemes crown are a more accurate depiction of how she would have presented herself. Hatshepsut took great pride in the trading expedition she sent to Punt in around year nine of her reign. We know that she regarded it as one of her major achievements as she had it carved on the middle colonnade walls at Deir el-Bahri. Reliefs show that exotic goods such as myrrh trees, frankincense, oils, ivory, ebony and animal skins were brought back and offered to Amon-ra. Inscriptions state, â€Å"the ships were laden with the costly products of the Land of Punt and with its many valuable woods, with very much sweet-smelling resin and frankincense, with quantities of ebony and ivory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There is another scene in which Hatshepsut is offering these products to Amon-Ra, with inscriptions showing him praising her and promising success for future expeditions. This evidence reinforces Hatshepsut’s obedience to the Gods, as well as showing her power and confidence in her officials to plan and undertake such a voyage. During her reign, Hatshepsut built a rock temple, now known as Speos Artemidos and dedicated it to the Goddess Pakhet. On the facade above the entrance there is an inscription in which she complains about the damage done during the reign of the â€Å"Asiatics of Auaris†, three generations before her reign, and reports, â€Å"I have raised up what was destroyed†. She claims full responsibility for rebuilding Egypt, and has inscribed, â€Å"My command stands firm like the mountains and the sun disk shines†. Hatshepsut also constructed four obelisks at the Temple of Karnak, one of which remains standing today at 29. 6m high, weighing 320 tonnes. It is inscribed with, â€Å"O ye people who see this monument in years to come and speak of that which I have made, beware lest you say, ‘I know not why it was done’. I did it because I wished to make a gift for my father Amun, and to gild them with electrum. Author and broadcaster Joyce Tyldesley teaches Egyptology at Manchester University, and is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, Liverpool University. She states that, â€Å"By promoting the cult of Amon, she was effectively reinforcing her own position and promoting herself. † Early on with the lack of evidence or inscriptions it appeared as though Hatshepsut was a pacifist and didn’t undertake any great battles. J. A Wilson in â€Å"The Culture of Ancient Egypt† states that, â€Å"She records no military campaigns†. However Redford in â€Å"History and Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty† states there were four to six campaigns. These included a campaign to Nubia, possibly by the Queen herself in the early period of her reign, a small battle in Palestine/Syria and two campaigns by Thutmose III shortly before her death invading Gaza and Nubia. Hatshepsut emphasises her military role by referring to upgrading the army and portraying herself as a traditional warrior-pharaoh sphinx. An inscription at Speos Artemidos reads, â€Å"My might causing the foreign countries to bow down, because the uraeus that is upon my forehead pacifies all the lands for me. â€Å"My army, which was unequipped, has become possessed of riches since I arose as king. † Hatshepsut died in 1458 BC during her twenty-second regal year; no record of her cause of death has survived. There were no bodies in Hatshepsut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings when archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed it in 1903. Ho wever, an unidentified female mummy, found with Hatshepsut’s wet nurse Sitre, and with her arms posed in the traditional burial style of pharaoh, lead to the speculation of the discovery of Hatshepsut’s remains. In June 2007, a molar was found with Hatshepsut’s organs and was matched with a gap in the mummy’s teeth. DNA tests were run, which established her identity and the theory was confirmed. â€Å"We are 100 percent sure,† said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council on Antiquities, when asked about the mummy. Tests of her mummified tissue showed that Hatshepsut died of bone cancer around the age of 50. She also suffered from diabetes and was obese. Many primary sources related to Hatshepsut are most likely biased. For example sources from her temple Deir el-Bahri could be considered subjective as she was alive when they were made and she had herself portrayed as divine, as was common for Pharaohs. These sources should only be relied upon to an extent, as they are open to interpretation. Individuals’ interpretations may also be biased and influenced by personal opinions and views. Sources from this time are also quite heavily damaged due to the fact that after Hatshepsut died, Thutmose III supposedly had her name and representations chiselled away from temple walls, and replaced with those of Thutmose I, II and III. The statues and sphinxes she had built in her temple were broken to pieces and thrown away. However, as with most sources, there has been controversy in interpretation. Both Gardiner and Wilson argue that as soon as the Queen died, Thutmose III, in hatred, immediately destroyed her name and monuments so as to obliterate her name and memory forever. However, recent research by historian Nims argues that the damage was not done until the year 42, when Thutmose III replaced Hatshepsut’s cartouche with his own. This leaves us speculative, if he hated her so much, why would he wait 20 years for his revenge? All new kingdom Pharaohs altered or destroyed some buildings of their predecessors, including Hatshepsut with the Temple of Karnak. New theories suggest that by erasing the cartouche of Hatshepsut and replacing it with that of Thutmose I or II, he was merely trying to legitimise his right to the throne by emphasising his links to these previous Pharaohs. Inscriptions often refer to both Hatshepsut and Thutmose III as Pharaohs, and show that Hatshepsut gave Thutmose III important roles leading the military. These sources lead us to believe that the relationship between Hatshepsut and Thutmose III may not have been hateful, as many sources state, and they may have indeed ruled as a diarchy. They also highlight the controversy often encountered in the interpretation of sources in general. Bibliography: J. G. , A. H. and L. K. 1998, Hatshepsut, Viewed May 1 2011, http://www. richeast. org/htwm/Hat/hat. html Jane Carlson, 1998, Hatshepsut, Queen of Egypt, Viewed May 1 2011, http://www. thenagain. info/webchron/africa/Hatshepsut. html Author unknown, 2010, The Immaculate Birth of Queen Hatshepsut, Viewed May 1 2011, http://kemetichistoryofafrikabluelotus. blogspot. com/2010/04/immaculate-birth-of-queen-hatshepsut. html Author unknown, Date of publication unknown, Pharaoh Maatkare Hatshepsut, Viewed May 1 2011, http://www. rystalinks. com/egypthatshepsut. html Patricia L O’Neill, Date of publication unknown, Her Majesty The King, Viewed May 2 2011, http://hermajestytheking. com/faq. htm Author unknown, date of publication unknown, Voyage to Punt, Viewed May 2 2011, http://www. camden-h. schools. nsw. edu. au/pages/Faculties/History/ancient/Hatshepsut/Voyage%20to%20Pun t. html Sayed Z. El-Sayed, 1995, Queen Hatshepsut’s Expedition to The Land of Punt: The First Oceanographic Cruise? , Viewed May 10 2011, http://ocean. tamu. edu/Quarterdeck/QD3. 1/Elsayed/elsayedhatshepsut. tml National Geographic, 2010, Egypt’s Female Pharaoh Revealed By Chipped Tooth, Experts Say, Viewed May 10 2011, http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/bigphotos/60526950. html Dr. Karl H. Leser, 2009, Speos Artimidos/Beni Hassan, Viewed May 25 2011, http://www. maat-ka-ra. de/english/bauwerke/speos_artemidos/speos_artemidos. htm Jimmy Dunn, date of publication unknown, Karnak in Thebes (Modern Luxor), Viewed May 25 2011, http://www. touregypt. net/karnak. htm Dr Joyce Tyldesley, 2011, Hatshepsut and Thuthmosis: A royal Feud? , Viewed June 3 2011, How to cite Hatshepsut, Papers

Poetry The Endangered Art Essay Example For Students

Poetry The Endangered Art Essay I, being born a woman and distressed Those are the beginning words of a poem wrote by one of Americas most renowned poets, Edna St. Vincent Millay. Literarily avant-guard for her time, she was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for her works in 1925. Yet with trend setters such as Millay, why is poetry an endangered art form? Having disappeared from the literary reviews, found in anthologies and circled among a privileged few, it seems that it is no longer available to the masses as it once was (Gioia). Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on February 22nd, 1892 in Rockland Maine. Born to a middle class family, by the age of 7 years old, Edna was being brought up by a single mother of three girls. Always encouraged by her mother to be self reliant and determined, she was introduced by her, to classical literature and music. While attending high school, where she was editor in chief of the school newspaper, her first great poem, Renascence, was published in an anthology called the Lyric Year, in 1912 (The Academy of American Poets). She was able to attend Vassar, subsequently with the help of a wealthy benefactor. Millay established her bisexuality, while at Vassar, as she had several relationships with students there. She continued to write plays as well as poems, and by her graduation, in 1917, she published Renascence and other Poems. After graduation, she moved to New York, and settled in Greenwich Village (Answers. com). She supported herself by writing short stories under the assumed name of Nancy Boyd. She also befriended many of the prominent artists of the time as well as political activists. Her second published works came in 1920, under the name A Few Twigs For Thistle, where she advocated feminism. By 1923, her fourth opus was published, The Harp Weaver, in which the poem, being born a woman and distressed was published. This literary masterpiece will confirm her as one of the most gifted writers of her time by granting the first Pulitzer Prize for poetry ever bestowed on a woman. She continued to write on till her death in 1950. Even though towards the end of her life she was more an engaged writer than the lyrical one of her beginnings, Millay left us with an indelible awareness on such themes as social consciousness, feminism and life in general (Gale). So why I ask again, is poetry an endangered art, with such tremendous legends such as Millay. We know that poetry is a literary art form but why has it become only available to a privileged few? But then one could retort, how is it so when academic writing programs, creative writing classes, subsidized magazines proliferate? Unknowingly, they have contributed to the isolation of poetry from the masses (Gioia). Having being educated in the French system, I always have been confronted to poetry. Whether in elementary school where we were taught poems by Paul Verlaine, Jacques Prevert or Jean de la Fontaine, the imagery of verse was used to enlighten our artistic knowledge. In middle school and then high school, our education of poetry was used more to teach about literature and language. Texts by Appollinaire, Charles Baudelaire, Boris Vian or Rimbaud were taught to us. No longer did we just learn and then recite them, but the meaning, influences, and themes were explored enabling us a better grasp of the art form. This not only created future creative writers but fervent and faithful poetry readers for years to come. Then it might be useful for me to rephrase my question: why is poetry an endangered art on this side of the Atlantic? .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .postImageUrl , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:hover , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:visited , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:active { border:0!important; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:active , .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0bc2de32a5696473f1d39f05f9599b5d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis on the poem EssayWell as I indicated, changing the educational curriculum would have a positive effect. Here, in the United States, only a selected few are exposed to poetry in their high school years, and only by choice. Poetry is not part of the basic curriculum. Enlightening our young readers, early on would broaden the literary horizon. That is not to say that for those selected few who are familiar with the art form, this does not create enthusiasm and maybe career choices. But then once they are on the professional path they restrict themselves to their peers. In the 1960s, poetry was not only an art form but a movement. Poets were activists and marginalized, actively part of the social and political forefront. When going to a poetry reading, one would here works by not only the speaker, but other authors as well, the goal of the reading was to publically celebrate the art form while getting a message across. Now, these same authors are relegated to the confines of academia, and specialized peer reviews. By elevating and revering poetry, publishers, journalists, and poets themselves have isolated it to the elitists few. Bringing back the weekly reviews, publishing poems in mass media, and giving it back to the masses, would give it a new life. Poetry is certainly not dead, but like any endangered species, it is living in a small community, among its peers. And although it lives in academia, bringing it to the young malleable minds early on in school would assure its growing, continued and sustained life. Making poetry part of the educational program like math, history and social sciences would guarantee that poetry be available to all at all stages of their life.