Implementation of School Uniform

Argumentative Essay Implementation of School Uniform Students spend most of their time at school. They are very conscious about their over-all looks especially in the school. When it comes to appearance, clothes and style are one of the best and easiest ways to express themselves, and by all odds helps people to understand of who they really are. Even so, there has been an ongoing debate on whether school uniforms should be completely abolished in all schools or uniforms should become a compulsory to all educational institutions.Despite both pros and cons of this issue, I personally stick to the idea that school uniforms should be introduced in all public and private schools. Some important points to consider why they should require students to wear school uniform in all schools are the following: security in wearing uniform and promotes equality among students. Safety is among the most important duties of a school. To wear a certain school uniform may help reduce distractions and im prove school safety.For example, there will be less bullying and degrading to every student. Sometimes, children who cannot afford the latest fashion are ridiculed by their peers. Uniforms can also prevent students from wearing inappropriate clothing inside the campus that is sexually, illegally, etc. Another thing is when the students are required to wear matching uniforms; they are easily distinguishable from other groups. For an instance, it is easier to notice students while out on field trips and other outings because they are wearing uniform.Most importantly, it is harder for terrorists or trespassers to enter the school vicinity and do harm to anyone. Moving on to my second point, wearing uniform promotes equality between students. Wearing school uniform removes social barriers and put everyone equally on the ground. Itprovides a sense of belongingness to each and everyone inside the campus, it also provides students the opportunity to be accepted and included. And lastly, we aring school uniforms destress clothing as a means of conformity. It encourages equal environment in school by imiting socioeconomic difference among students. It may reduce bullying, teasing and cliques to students who can’t afford. As a whole, having a certain uniform in the school is a great solution. Wearing the same clothes provides security for students so as the faculty, the school in whole and advocates the sense of equality to everyone. That helps the individual to feel like they belong rather than they don’t fit at all. In my own point of view, school uniform should be implemented in all schools, both public and private for it is a good idea.

Importance of Organic Foods Essay

The definition of organic agriculture is farming with the use of synthetic chemicals. After World War II, larger and increasingly automated farms, known as â€Å"factory farms,† put the synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides developed in the 1920s into widespread use. They found that more crops could be produced mass produced. What they did not realize were the dangers of using these chemicals and the effects they would have on the environment and human health. The USDA must approve all products claiming to be organic and there are many strict guidelines farmers must follow. Farmers must abstain from the use of prohibited materials (pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, and sewage sludge) for three years prior to being certified organic and then continue these practices throughout their organic license. They must employ positive soil burning, conservation, manure management and crop rotation. They must provide outdoor access and pastures for livestock and refrain from the use of antibiotics and hormones in their animals, while sustaining livestock on 100% organic feed. Farmers may not use genetically modified organisms or irradiation. Organic products are grown in healthier soil and contain higher levels of nutrients and non-organics. Many organic may even taste better. Food irradiation is worse than the radiation from a television or microwave. The ionizing radiation processes used on food break up molecules and deplete food of essential vitamins and enzymes. Many pesticides are linked to diseases. An example is glufosinate, which is commonly used on sugar beets and canola, has been shown to cause birth defects. Chemical companies influence the government to raise the acceptable levels of chemicals in foods so that they can make more money on their product without concern for the environment and the safety of people. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging the use of biosolids (human waste) to be used as fertilizers in order to solve the problem of there being too much waste than they know what to do with. They problem is that industrial waste and toxic chemicals get mixed in. Many toxins such as PCBs, DDT, asbestos, dioxins, and toxic heavy metals are being used in the cultivation of food. Yuck. Another problem we face is the use of hormones and antibiotics in our livestock. Bovine growth hormones end up in our dairy products, and those BGHs and linked to prostate and breast cancer. The ingestion of antibiotics can damage the balance of beneficial bacteria in our bodies and create drug-resistance, so that if we really get sick, antibiotics may not work anymore. Many people may try to eat healthier by cutting down on fast-foods and processed foods by eating more fruits and vegetables, but this can even defeat itself. For example, non-organic spinach contains for pesticide residue than any other fruit or vegetable. The twelve most contaminated crops are: strawberries, green and red bell peppers, spinach, cherries (US), peaches, cantaloupe (Mexico), celery, apples, apricots, green beans, grapes (Chile), and cucumbers. More than 90% of all pesticides used don’t even reach the desired plant they were used on! There are many reasons to buy organic foods. You will protect future generations- decrease the cancer causing pesticides in foods. You will prevent soil erosion- soil is the foundation of our food chain, and chemicals fertilizers deplete healthy soil. You will protect water quality- water makes of three-fourths of the planet, and the EPA has estimated that pesticides contaminate the ground water in over thirty-eight states. You will save energy- modern farming uses more petroleum than any other industry, but organic farming is based mainly on labor intensive practices and uses green manure to build up soil. You’ll keep chemicals off of your plate- the EPA considers 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides, and 30% of insecticides carcinogenic. You will protect farm worker health- over one million people are poisoned annually by pesticides, and farmers exposed to herbicides have a six times greater risk of contracting cancer. You’ll help small farmers- most organic farms are small and independently owned, and the US has lost more and 650, 000 family farms in the past decade. You’ll promote biodiversity- insects become genetically resistant to insecticides, and soil is left lacking natural minerals and nutrients if chemicals are used. And the number one reason to buy organic- your food will taste better and contain more essential vitamins and nutrients! Pittsburgh Organic and some helpful websites: East End Food Co-op 7516 Meade Street PGH, PA 15208 412-242-3598 E House Company 1511 East Carson Street PGH, PA 412-488-7455 www. eastendfood. coop www. nascigs. com -request a free carton of smokes! www. cleanvibes. com www. organicconsumers. org www. odemagazine. net www. organickitchen. com www. sare. org www. themeatrix. com.

Essay on “The Red Scarf Girl” by Ji Li Jiang

â€Å"The Red Scarf Girl† â€Å"Many friends have asked me why, after all I went through, I did not hate Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution in those years. The answer is simple: we were all brainwashed. †p. 276 The book â€Å"The Red Scarf Girl† is a memoir written by author Ji Li Jiang recounting what it was like to grow up during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, taking place in China from 1965 to 1968.During this time, a political leader named Mao Zedong convinced the people of China that the â€Å"four olds†, or the old ways of China, were wrong and that the only way for their country to move forward was to completely revamp their beliefs and ways of life; basically creating a whole new culture for the Chinese. By ways of torture as well as basically brainwashing the people into thinking whatever he said was true, Chairman Mao single handedly shaped China’s culture by removing all anti-communist beliefs.During the first part of th is book, little things that Ji Li Jiang witnesses and says hints that Chairman Mao was forcing change onto the people of China. For example, in chapter 2, Ji Li helps destroy a sign for the Great Prosperity Market, saying that names like this are four olds. Many other words and phrases such as â€Å"fortune† and â€Å"innocent† were also considered four olds, and were not to be used. But this was just the first step of Chairman Mao’s plan.He also convinced his workers, called â€Å"the red guards†, to publicly humiliate people for various anti-Communist acts. These public humiliations got more and more violent as time went on; in the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, people were mainly humiliated for their clothing. On page 30, a man’s clothing is cut apart while he is standing in the middle of a street because the tight pants and pointed shoes he wore were considered four olds; â€Å"†¦tight pants and pointed shoes are what the Western b ourgeoisie admire.For us proletarians, they are neither good looking nor comfortable† said the Red Guard preforming this act. But as the story progresses, people are forced to wear dunce caps and signs with horrible messages written about them around their neck. They were then paraded around while people yelled horribly mean things at them, sometimes even throwing things. Many people were treated this way because of their, or someone in their family’s occupation; if you or anyone in your family was a landlord, you would definitely be treated this way.Landlords were believed to be â€Å"black welps†, meaning that they were evil people, because they would take land from the poor if they did not pay their taxes, and also often were wealthy enough to afford housekeepers. Many teachers were also treated harshly if the Red Guards had any reason to believe that they were teaching their students anti-communist ideas. The people of China did not think twice about this beh avior, however, because Chairman Mao had convinced them that people like this should be treated harshly. To us Chairman Mao was god. He controlled everything we read, everything we heard, and everything we learned in school. We believed everything he said. Naturally, we knew only good things about Chairman Mao and The Cultural Revolution. Anything bad had to be the fault of others. Mao was blameless. † (p. 276) Certain people were treated even more severely. Struggle meetings (gatherings within the workplace where people were publicly humiliated) were very common and often used physical violence to correct people.During one struggle meeting, a woman is beaten and forced to climb the chimney of a factory as a punishment, for she was believed to be a teacher pushing anti-communist beliefs on her students. Ji Li Jiang’s father is forced to partake in these daily because he was believed to be conspiring against the communist party. Even if The Red Guards did not have substa ntial evidence to torture these people, they had full permission to anyway under the power of Chairman Mao. â€Å"When I started to write this book, I asked An Yi’s mother if she had hated Mao when she was forced to climb the factory chimney. I didn’t hate him’ she told me. ‘I believed that the Cultural Revolution was necessary to prevent revisionism and capitalism from taking over China. I knew that I was wronged, but mistakes happen under any system. If the country was better for the movement that persecuted me, I was still in favor of it. It was only after Mao’s death that I knew I was deceived. † For Ji Li Jiang, it was not until her father was tortured that she realized that the Cultural Revolution may not have been great as it sounded. Before then, Ji Li Jiang actively participated in these events.So did all of her siblings and classmates. They all believed whole heartedly that Chairman Mao was doing this for the good of the people. Bef ore the Cultural Revolution, people had big ceremonies for their ancestors, and for the Chinese New Year. They believed in many superstitions, such as not sweeping the floor on New Year’s Day as to not sweep out the god of wealth, and eating spring rolls to â€Å"roll in the money†. People were not ridiculed because they were wealthy; wealth was admired and people strived for it. People collected stamps and other valuable things and cherished them with all their hearts.They kept photographs of themselves and their family members. They wore fancy clothes on special occasions, and the elderly kept elaborately decorated trunks containing all their families heirlooms and passed them down from generation to generation. People were allowed to hire housekeepers to help them around the house and with taking care of their children. But during the Cultural Revolution, none of these things were allowed. They were all considered four olds, and people’s houses were searched and pillaged to make sure that none of these things were going on.Years after the Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao was proven guilty of unleashing this chaos onto the people of China purely to protect his own political position. â€Å"It was only after Mao’s death in 1976 that people woke up. We finally learned that the whole Cultural Revolution had been part of a power struggle at the highest levels of the Party. Our leader had taken advantage of our trust and loyalty to manipulate the whole country. This is the most frightening lesson of the Cultural Revolution: without a sound legal system, a small group or even a single person can take control of an entire country. This is as true now as it was then. †

MGR #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGR #8 - Essay Example Even when things are that desperate, through humbleness to God, human beings can find solace by hoping for the grace. Servanthood is Godliness. In Jung (2011) chapter 11, the author gives a view that people should have a lifestyle that significantly reflect on kindness to others and God. The author gives the verses in the old and New Testament that reveals how servants and kings view servanthood. The degree of motivation for service and the associated features evidently shows that God is at the core of human service and, His son the example of servanthood commitment and the spirit is the facilitator. In modern day living where people perform works of different kinds to earn a living, it is prudent that they understand that when they offer services, they serve God indirectly and not to their employers alone. Therefore, they need to do it devotedly to gain a healthy relation with the organizations. Through that, the employers may also reciprocate by doing good things to their

Learning Types Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Learning Types - Coursework Example Their learning is predominantly through what they see and can visualize. The teacher should therefore ensure he/she uses many demonstrations and also learning materials that are visually pleasant as well as striving as much as possible to make mental paintings and images. Auditory learners are active listeners by natures and tend to talk slowly while thinking a very linear manner. They prefer verbal explanations as opposed to written notes and as such they most favored method of learning involves listening actively and verbalizing. The teacher therefore needs to sound very good, have a meticulous lesson plan and deliver content through active organized conversations. Learners categorized as kinesthetic are typically extremely slow at talking and making decisions. They engage all their senses in the learning process and they learn better when trying and solving problems in real life. They therefore the hands-on approach to doing thinks and their learning is predominantly by trial and error. The teacher should be hands on at demonstrating, use case solution discussions and engage them practically in tackling problems. In conclusion therefore classroom learning and teaching is a complex process requiring the teacher to have a concise understanding of his class. There are different types of learners in the same classroom requiring different types of skills and therefore by knowing this the teacher is better placed to employ the best teaching strategies that involve all the learner types in the process without favoring a particular learning

AL 3 CRJ 520II Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AL 3 CRJ 520II Response - Essay Example Current research suggests drug court programs and juvenile programs, which include therapeutic, educational, and family components, appear to be effective in recidivism reduction (Drake & Miller, 2009). According to research, cognitive-behavioral programs often lead to positive outcomes. These positive outcomes are expected to result in a 6.9% recidivism reduction (Drake & Miller, 2009). With regards to high risk offenders, Lipsey and Landenberger (2005) found smaller sample size, attendance monitoring, intervention adherence, and mental health professionals characterized the research and demonstration programs. Positive outcomes were reported. Researchers further suggest positive outcomes are depended upon the quality of the cognitive-behavioral program provided. Perhaps implementing adult treatment programs that resemble juvenile treatment programs will prove to be effective. First, I would receive feedback from citizens in my home state in order to get a general consensus. I would hold a town hall/community meeting in large/key jurisdictions. I would invite key players to speak including county jail and state prison officials, individuals who specialize in offender treatment programs, probation officers, correctional officers, a budget analyst, and a few rehabilitated inmates who have benefited from treatment during and after confinement. In addition, I would also invite family members of inmates to speak regarding the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Of course this seems a bit over board, but we are discussing an issue that affects everyone in the state. My speech: We are all aware that crime rates fluctuate. Some research and statistical data contend crime rates have dropped. Yet some research and statistical data contend crime rates have increased. In addition, throughout this country including this state, we have witnessed an increase in incarceration rates, without any plausible

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Globalization - Essay Example Globalization we can is inevitable in this day and age. Now that it has taken place there is no turning back and no country that has been touched by globalization can reverse the process and survive and prosper. This is because today economies are more complex and complicated than ever and technology has shrunk the world to such an extent that all countries and economies are interdependent and cannot survive individually (Kustin, 1993, pp. 4-8). Long Term Befits of Globalization The benefits of globalization are many and while there are many short term benefits of globalization likewise we can also name many long term benefits of it. Some of the short term benefits of globalization have been the lower cost of goods and services that have been achieved by the use of comparative advantage and also economies of scale. For instance having goods produced in China has lowered the prices of many goods that are currently sold in the United States. Big retailers like Wal-Mart contract manufacturers in China to produce for them due to the cheap labor that is available that will give them a price advantage, which they will not be able to gain if the goods were produced elsewhere - where labor was more expensive. Likewise globalization has helped increase service levels like has been done in the health care industry in North America. The issues related to the acute dearth of radiologists in North America has been addressed by radiologists in India, based in India being hired to fill the vacancies, however unlike in the past they are not physically present North America but carry out their duties virtually with the help of modern day... The essay looks at the external forces that have to be encountered by organizations that are preparing to go global or are already global. In the next section the essay then investigates why some organizations choose to stay local or regional while others decide to go global and how the local and regionally focused organizations survive in this day and age. The impact of the internet and other technological innovations on globalization are closely evaluated in the next section. The article then goes further and looks at the broad gains and losses that have been made from globalization in the last decade or so. Next the paper goes on to look at the main reasons behind international expansion being key to the growth and survival needs of today’s multi-national companies. Last but not least the author gives his personal opinion on globalization and concludes by summarizing the main points covered in this essay. This paper makes a conclusion that globalization today is inevitable and no country nor economy that has been touched by globalization can turn back the clock and survive without globalization because all economies and countries are interdependent on each other for their survival and globalization is the thread that keeps them all connected. There have been many short and long term benefits of globalization such as lower priced goods being manufactured and individuals having access to products and services that they never had before. Likewise though, there have been many long and short term drawbacks due to globalization.

Sexual Revolution in America Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sexual Revolution in America - Research Proposal Example The feminists ever asserted that single women too had the same sexual needs and should be allowed the freedom to indulge in it freely. It basically meant female sexual empowerment and the causes were the changing educational and occupational status of women, infidelity and divorce, the erosion of shame and awe in sexual matters, the liberalization of the media, sex education in schools and increasing number of divorced parents (cited by Judge, 1997). According to GLBTQ (2004) the sexual revolution was caused due to three factors that culminated at one point. These included the contribution of the Freudian theories by Wilheim Reich along with empirical sex research by Kinsey; the empowerment of the media which include the pornographers and the writers and thirdly the counter culture movement, the women’s lib movement and the gay and lesbian movements. The cultural revolution of the 1960s and the 1970s was recognized by the mass media almost immediately. Sexual encounters between unmarried adults were common. Since people were getting married at a late age, young men and women had more time to encounter sexual experiences with partners before staring a monogamous relationship. With the Kinsey report in 1948 a new awareness of human sexuality started to spread in America (Hippy, 1997). It opened people’s mind towards the diversity of sexual behavior. This study revealed even at that time that about 10% of the people were gay. This encouraged many more to see homosexuality in a new perspective. It also revealed that nearly everyone masturbates. Discussions on once forbidden topics like vaginal orgasm become common after the publication of the study of Human Sexual Response by Masters & Johnson in 1950s. Social change was evidenced by the frequent indulgence in Viagra, increasing number of sexual harassment suits, abortion, Aids research, and rising divorce statistics (Shere, 1999). Technology contributed to the

Case study analysis - Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study analysis - Report - Essay Example Consequently, the Doctors focused on the reduction of costs and shortening of stays of various patients in the hospitals, after surgery operations as shown in exhibit 1 in the appendix. However, they faced problems with increased cost pressures throughout healthcare industry increasingly affecting prestigious and expensive academic hospitals such as MGH. Additionally, care path did not dictate the medical treatment of patients. Consistent treatment procedures embodied significant philosophical shifts of physicians generated in making independent medical decisions based on cases. Therefore, the implementation of CABG for surgeries by the doctors incorporated several problems that affected costs on medicines, medical treatment, philosophical shifts, and decision-making processes that delayed processes of operations for coronary artery bypass graft. Bohmer, as the care path facilitator, believed in the success of care path through the corporation and accepted assistance of hospital staff to enable the development of pathways since it hastens the ongoing reduction of hospital bed count. Moreover, it leads to loss of jobs because of more efficient practices (Wheelwright and Weber 2). Torchiana, the team leaders, instrument the creation of care path and continued implementation. Moreover, emphasis on the need for controlling costs and care path merits develops from ideas that Torchiana put across at MGH, despite the problems that they face. Moreover, total quality management (TQM) implementation becomes difficult since the cost of implementing and developing CABG becomes difficult to allow for surgery operations. TQM presents a management approach in an organization that focuses on quality and participation of all members of the organization (Chartered Quality Institute 1). The approach applies to the entire organization. The care path developed at MGH did not introduce new treatment technologies. It attempted to

Computer Incident Response Teams Are Needed for Controlling the Impact Research Paper

Computer Incident Response Teams Are Needed for Controlling the Impact of a Security Breach - Research Paper Example CIRT or Computer Incident Response Teams are especially those kinds of teams that are formed for the purpose of minimizing and controlling the impact of a security breach or other emergency (Brussin, Cobb, & Miora, 2003). They are also known as CERT (Computer Emergency Response Teams) and CSIRT (Computer Security Incident Response Teams), but they basically attempt to do the same in case of a computer security threat. This question can only be truly answered by predicting the trends in intrusion and the level of threats expected. Usually, the answer is yes to the above question since an organization rather be safe than sorry! With the increasing number of viruses, spyware, backdoors in the systems being detected, having a CIRT is a must for any organization having informational data on the computers. Before assigning the team and its task, the management needs to make a proper business plan in case of an incident. The plan includes all the details about the CIRT and all the information that the CIRT need to know. Furthermore, for the plan to be successful, the strategy must be feasible, approved and legally reviewed. "It is critical that practice emergencies are staged and response times measured. This would require financial and executive/upper management support and commitment to the CIRT need". (RHE, 2004) Policies regarding the computer system must be in place beforehand. The breach would usually occur when that policy is not obeyed, thus it is imperative to have policies so that the root cause of the problems can be found. These policies need to be documented and provided to every member of the organization so that everyone is aware of security guidelines and the procedures for emergency situations. (Lucas & Moeller, 2003)

Work, Culture, and Society In Industrializing America 1815- 1919 Essay Example for Free

Work, Culture, and Society In Industrializing America 1815- 1919 Essay It is historian Herbert G. Gutmans thesis that the conflicts between the working class and the non working class resulted in a departure from its values and principles. The working class did not want this departure to happen; it was only the inevitable result of the growing industrialization. The conflicts between the rest of society and the working class resulted in the disappearance of its principles. During the beginning of the 19th century, the United States had remained a pre-industrial society and there were few workers and factories because at the time, it was dominated by a farming, skilled workers, and agricultural culture. However, after 1843, the industry developed radically through the civil war and was followed by a new nature industrial society that appeared in 1893. During this development, both skilled women and men were forced to modernize. Just as Sidney Pollard had described, a society of peasants, craftsmen, and versatile labourers became a society of modern industrial workers. This process was difficult because it required a task of industrializing whole cultures. Nevertheless, the process was achieved as the nation gathered and worked to transform themselves and new groups from the pre-industry to the new. This progression was continually altered by immigration, social conflicts, and through various other elements. These women and men sold their labor to an employer to join this new changing factory working condition. Work habits in comparison remained the same from the native culture and to the immigrants. Also, the working pattern also parallels one of that of the European patterns in pre-modern development. There were also tensions between culture, work, and society. Work habits of men and women in the new factory and labor life attributed to the diverse pre-modern cultures. During the early 19th century, many Americans were newly introduced to a more efficient process of production called the factory. At this period of time, most work was done by man, not machines. Conversely, as time developed, more and more factories, beginning with textiles and cotton industry used unskilled labor to work in mass producing products. Drinking was common in this time even while working, it caused unproductive labor and often be inclined to have more accidents and deaths. Reform movements began and to solve this there was a temperance movement although it was short lived it served its process. Also, managers began to fine and deduct from wages if there was unproductiveness, for instance, drinking liquor. And at places where unskilled factory workers could easily be replaced, they took this as an advantage and often fired those who did become drunk. The effect was better working habits to society. These work habits were not just common to pre modern America but also later generations of factory workers. And by 1920, two thirds of workers in the twenty-one major mining and manufacturing industries came from either Southern or Eastern Europe or were American blacks. Many of these cultures and factory workers had numerous of the pre-industrial work habits. Assorted patterns of working class behavior accompanied the industrialization of the United States. Forms of protest occurred throughout the periods and development of industrialization in America. This followed the ever changing behavior and diversity of the cultures that were in the working class. Another form of culture was included in street gangs that were believed to hold artisan and lower class workers and were organized by ethnicity. Others, people often had food riots against the monopolies and the rising food prices. Similar behaviors in riots even decades apart for instance, the 1837 food riot wasnt much different from one from 1902. For instance, women became organized and were led by a woman butcher and these people protested the rising price of kosher meat and a disloyalty among the members in not boycotting it. Like the previous disorders and riots, these women battered shops and carried the meat like flags although they did not steal at all. The development of the industrial age was a process where many progressed and left their previous values behind, although there was some resistance to this new modernization.

Samsung Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Samsung Case Analysis Essay 1. HISTORY Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company. It is the chief subsidiary of the Samsung Group that was established in 1969, and its headquarters is located in Samsung Town, Seoul. Samsung Electronics is one of the largest electronics producers in Asia, and its product line includes semiconductors, televisions, telecommunication equipment, computers and many other kinds of home appliances. The Samsung Electronics unit was created to get into the prosperous television and consumer electronics industry. Its first product was a small simple black-and-white television which was sold in the early 1970s. The division developed a diverse line of consumer electronics, and while in its beginning products was only sold domestically; exporting goods began a few years later. It took the company savvy management and huge investments in research and development, but Samsung Electronics expanded their products to creating color televisions and a variety of other consumer electronics and appliances. The company manufactured, shipped and sold a broad range of these appliances and electronic products worldwide by the 1980s. The fast progress and success of Samsung Electronics was not a surprise to people who knew the founder of the Samsung Group, Byung Chull Lee, a highly praised Korean entrepreneur. He overcame several obstacles with the small trading company he founded in 1938. Starting with a $2,000 nest egg and 40 employees, he was one of the ten largest trading companies when the Korean War started. The conquest of Soeul by the North Korean army forced him to give up his operations in 1950. However, one year after losing almost all his inventories and relocating to Pusan, Lee started the company over again with the help of the savings of one of his managers. After only one year, the company had experienced unimaginable growth and its assets twenty folded.Lee, being an entrepreneur that was always looking for more opportunities, founded Cheil Sugar, a sugar refinery in 1953, which became a very profitable business that allowed him to expand into a wide variety of markets. These included insurance, broadcasting, securities and even department stores. Lee was heavily criticized for some of his actions, such as building the â€Å"first manufacturing facility in South Korea after the Korean War† but many of his companies prospered under his vision of making Samsung the leader in every industry he entered. Despite facing major setbacks and fighting political battles in the 1960s, Samsung generated revenues over US $100 million annually. Lee not only broke into â€Å"the mass communication industry by launching a radio and television station†, but also founded Samsung Electronics. Entering the manufacturing televisions and electronics components industry, one that was under the control of US and European companies, seemed to be a risky venture, but Lee succeeded with the help of the national government. The head of the state, Park Chung-Hee encouraged the growth of dominating domestic industries in contradiction to his predecessor, who ruled with favoritism and corruption in order to keep his power. Park protected major industries and the larger companies in South Korea from foreign competition and gave out financial assistance as a part of his economic growth plan. The Samsung Group was one of the main beneficiaries, profiting from the ban on several countries to import consumer electronics, thereby eliminating the big competitors in the home market. As the company was trying to establish itself in the television industry, it added consumer products and appliances to its product lines. In addition to the ban on imports from certain countries, the government also prohibited foreign companies to invest into Samsung, while Samsung was still allowed to invest in overseas businesses. As a consequence, Samsung Electronics rapidly controlled parts of the home market while it also started exported successfully. As Lee had already predicted in the first decade of its existence, Samsungs Electronics division was the main industry for the company’s future. To ensure that Samsung became a major player, he entered the semiconductor business in 1978. Government regulations again played in the entrepreneur’s favor, as foreign telecommunication equipment manufacturers were required to provide semiconductor technology in return for access to the Korean market. In 1983, after receiving proprietary technology from Micron (USA) and Sharp (Japan), Samsung became the first Korean manufacturer of DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips. Producing relatively low-tech DRAM chips at a lower cost, Samsung Electronics became a large supplier to computer and electronics manufacturers throughout the entire world within the next couple years. Samsung Electronics increased its efforts on other electronics operations in the meantime as well. Assembly plants were built in Portugal (1982), New York (1984) and England (1987). Together these plants produced 1,700,000 televisions, 700,000 microwave ovens and 300,000 VCRs. Thus, Samsung Groups annual revenues rose to $24 billion in 1987 (from $1.3 billion ten years earlier), which equated about a fifth of South Koreas entire GDP. Most of that growth resulted of Samsungs Electronics success. Despite the death of its founder Byung-Chull Lee, sales for the Samsung Group almost triple folded between 1987 and 1992. His successor, his son Kun-Hee Lee, did not only recognize the importance of the electronics division but moved it to the core of the Group. He combined several divisions and removed some operations while introducing different ideas that were put in place to enhance product quality and employee motivation. Lee focused on pushing Samsung to become a technological leader in the semiconductor, electronics and communication industry and doubled research and development investments. He was also credited for intensifying partnering efforts with foreign businesses to make Samsung the pioneer in the semiconductor technology. During the 1990s, Samsung underwent a groundbreaking change. After Samsung begins to reinvent through design (1993), sets up its in-house design school (â€Å"The Innovative Design Lab of Samsung†) and hires design consultancy IDEO to help develop computer monitors (1994), its biggest change had yet to follow. With the appointment of Yun Jong Yong as the President and CEO, Samsung changed its strategy drastically. Despite making profits as an established low cost supplier of many components to larger and well-known companies as well as providing customers with lower-priced appliances that were more affordable than the more expensive products by brands such as Sony, Yun was worried about the company’s future. He could not envision the company continued success on a low cost strategy with products whose technology had been developed by others. Yun believed that it was not secure to expect to be continuously able to scout for low-cost production locations successfully while retaining high volumes of production. This concern mainly a rose out of the emergence of many low-cost producing countries such as China. The CEOs scare became reality as within the first year of his tenure serious financial trouble threatened the company’s survival. Huge debt and the economic crisis in Asian resulted in the loss of millions of dollars and Yun stated that â€Å"if we continued, we would have gone belly-up within three or four years.† (Dess, 2010, p. C123). A turn-around was the much needed consequence. After trying to continuously compete in a price-cutting environment and increasing volume throughout the economic recession, Samsung Electronics had to lay off more than one-third of its workforce, which accumulated to about 30,000 employees. To get rid of its large inventory, many factories were closed down for more than 60 days. The company also sold off $2 billion worth of business that it perceived to be with minimal significance for its future. Yun decided to move Samsung’s future away from a company based on a lower-cost strategy to one emphasizing product development that woul d ultimately impress their consumers with their attractive design and advanced technology. Developing Samsung into a premium brand was the vision of the leader, and he recruited new managers. Yun removed the seniority-based system and put a merit-based system for advancement in place. These efforts resulted in the construction of newly designed products such as the largest flat-panel televisions, cell phones with new features (Cameras, PDAs, etc.) and thinner notebooks and computers than ever before. Hiring Eric Kim, a marketing whiz, who changed the advertisement agencies from 55 to one to create the same brand image anywhere in the world, worked hard to place a more upscale image of Samsung products into consumers’ minds. To undermine this perception, Samsung pulled out its products of big discounters such as Wal-Mart or Kmart and placed these into more expensive retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Circuit City). Yun was aware of the fact that the company would only be able to maintain its higher profit margins if the firm was able to bring its products faster to the market than its competitors. To ensure a sustaining model of this competitive advantage, the CEO removed several layers of bureaucracy to win approval for new products, budgets and marketing plans. Second steps to maintain an advantage are the huge investments in key technologies. The company has invested more than any of its rivals in research and development (RD), as it almost puts 9% of its revenues aside just for RD. To decrease the time of innovative product development, the large number of designers and engineers that are working in 17 locations throughout the entire world are not only facing the pressure from their own management but also competes with outsiders. Samsung attributes these strategies to its success in the effort of decreasing the time from a â€Å"new product concept to rollout† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). from over a year to â€Å"as little as five months† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). The determined work of the firms top manager, designers and engineers in the firms VIP center is at the core of the products rapid innovation and production. The reduced complexity for project teams in the design cycle’s early stages allows the company to move its products quicker to manufacturing while reducing problems and costs. Jung, a senior manager of the center states, explains that: â€Å"Seventy to eighty percent of quality, cost and delivery time is determined in the initial stages of a product.† (Dess, 2010, p. C124). A senior VP of Best Buy, George Danko, affirmed that â€Å"they will get a product to market a lot fast than their counterparts.† (Dess, 2010,p. C125). Among Samsungs first-to-market products are the first voice activated phones, handsets with MP3 Players and digital cameras that send photos over global systems for mobile communications networks. In addition to that, the firm was first to market projection TVs using new chips from Texas Instruments that employ digital-light processing. (Dess, 2010, p. C125).Yun envisioned that the company’s digital technology advances can result in a po ssibility of dominating the â€Å"digital home†, a home where he envisions that all appliances (from computers to refrigerators) are linked to each other and are capable of adapting to the personal needs of every individual consumer. One of the first products that have been brought to the market includes NEXiO, a combination of a cell phone and a handheld computer, or the Zipel, a refrigerator that has a 15-inch touch screen in its door that allows consumers to browse the web. To emphasize the importance of design, Yun implemented quarterly design meetings with top executives and opened or expanded design centers in San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Shanghai. Additionally, the post of chief design officer was created who ensures that designers can get their ideas to top managers. (Dess, 2010, p. C125). Despite all the improvements that Samsung Electronics made since the mid-1990s, Lee Yoon Woo replaced Yun as the CEO in May 2008. After a tax evasion scandal that involved the parent firm Samsung Group, a major-shakeup along the top executives occurred that not only reassigned over half of its executives to new positions but also introduced many younger executives to various leadership teams. The purpose of the restructuring was to increase efforts and deal better with the prevailing bad economic conditions. Samsung went into the economic recession with a market value of over $100 billion, thus placing them in an elite market position shared only with three other Asian firms. Samsung moved past big players on the market such as Nokia, Sony and Motorola, thanks to their revolutionary products. The efforts to improve design by overhauling it design every two years has been paying off and Samsung won well over 200 awards from internationally prestigious design institutions since 2006. Even though Samsung prides itself of having lower cost structure compared to most of its rivals, the firm experienced its first quarterly losses in the last three months of 2008, when the company lost $14.4 million. This is Samsungs first net loss since it began reporting quarterly results in 2000. The overproduction of memory chips and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) worldwide was mentioned as the main reason resulting in a quarterly loss. Despite recording a quarterly loss, the company still made a yearly profit in 2008 and has increased its revenues steadily in the past decade. Samsung underwent two major restructures in the last three years, one in 2009 when the company began to slim down operations into two divisions from the five separate ones it had the year before. It also appointed Choi Gee Sung the new CEO shortly after the company made him the head of the newly formed digital media and communications unit. Chois appointment was a breakthrough for Samsung Electronic as it previously only picked top managers that had their backgrounds in engineering. In December 2010, Samsung underwent the second restructuring as it switched its management style from the single CEO system of the previous year to a two person management team. Choi Gee Sung remained the CEO of the company but was named Vice President and Lee Jae Yong is now the President and COO (Chief Operating Operator). The firm also added a digital imaging business division so that Samsung Electronic currently consists of eight divisions. (FundingUniverse, 1999) 2. VISION As Samsung stated in its new motto, the company’s vision for the decade is to Inspire the World, Create the Future. his new vision reflects Samsung commitment to inspiring its communities by supplying Samsungs three key strengths: â€Å"New Technology,† â€Å"Innovative Products,† and â€Å"Creative Solutions.† Samsung has also established three strategic approaches in its management: â€Å"Creativity,† â€Å"Partnership,† and â€Å"Talent.† As part of this vision, Samsung has mapped out a specific plan of reaching $400 billion in revenue and becoming one of the world’s top five brands by 2020. Samsung states that it looks forward to increase its diversity by exploring new territories, including health, medicine, and biotechnology. (Samsung, 2010) 3. BUSINESS DIVISIONS 1. Visual Display Business Samsung Electronics has achieved the world’s No. 1 market share in TVs for five years in a row since 2006. After establishing the new market for LED TVs in 2009, the firm has extended its competitive lead with sales of 45.11 million TVs. That included 39.26 million flat panel TVs in 2010, as the Full HD 3D LED TV became readily available. Samsung also leads in the next generation market with total sales of 3D TVs (2 million in 2010). Samsung Electronics announced a monthly record this past October 2011 as it sold more than 1 million units in the United States. A company official was stated: â€Å"Selling over 1 million units in the North American market in just one month is a first for the company, but it is also unprecedented in the industrys history.† According to the official, the company was experiencing increased demand in the â€Å"premium TVs , e.g. the 3D and especially smart TVs, which were just released in 2011 and featured Full HD picture quality and Smart Hub options. Samsung announced that the global share of its 3D TVs came to over fifty percent as of last months ending. Meanwhile plasma display panel (PDP) TVs also reached 40%. [pic] (Samsung,2010) 3.2. IT Solution Business After the implementing of Samsung’s global marketing strategy for mobile PCs, Samsung Electronics realized rapid growth and reached sales of 10 million units in 2010 worldwide. The firm launched a printer for consumers that supports mobile printing. Samsung Electronics provides business customers with a complete product line, including the first dual core CPU-equipped printer on the market, a multifunction printer and an A3 copier. The easy-to-use features and the products powerful performance secured second global market share in the A4 laser printer category in 2010. Samsung Electronics led the world market in the categories of mono laser multifunction printers and color laser multifunction printers for the second consecutive year. In the future, the firm expects to achieve strong growth by launching an ultra-light high-performance laptop for the premium market and by bolstering its business-to-business (B2B) product line. Samsung Electronics anticipates continuing growth in the printer business in the upcoming years. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 3.3. Digital Appliance Business Samsung Electronics is strengthening its brand image by introducing premium home appliances that offer essential services for daily life. In 2010, innovative products such as the twin cooling side by-side refrigerator; the front loader washer with vibration-reduction technology, the energy-efficient air conditioner; and air purifiers with humidification that maintain clean air quality in rooms resulted in great response worldwide. Samsung brought innovate, smart appliances to the market that deliver gracious and convenient lifestyle options such as Samsung’s autobot vacuum cleaner that cleans rooms automatically. Other products include kitchen ranges and microwaves that offer cooking features suitable for anybody. Samsung Electronics will extend its market leadership by releasing additional premium appliances. These will be supported by strong marketing with the purpose of becoming the world’s most trusted digital appliance brand. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 3.4. Mobile Communication Business In 2010, Samsung Electronics reinforced its market leadership by achieving sales of 280 million mobile phones worldwide. This number is up 23% compared to 2009. The flagship GALAXY S model posted sales of 10 million units, while the GALAXY Tab also led the Android tablet PC market, earning great customer reviews. The firms leadership in full touch and messaging mobile phones continued in both advanced and emerging markets. Samsung Electronics plans to aggressively challenge a vey competitively growing market. It launched the GALAXY S II, the company’s flagship smartphone, only one day after Apple announced the new iPhone 4S and the Samsung phone received great feedback. The firm plans to keep expanding and improving its unique mobile solutions as it strengthens its competitive lead in both services and content. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 5. Telecommunication System Business Samsung Electronics develops forward-looking products for two major 4G platforms, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and the Mobile WiMAX (WiBRO). In 2010, the firm established the first LTE commercial services network in the US and currently expands in North America, Asia and Europe. Mobile WiMAX—introduced by Samsung Electronics and adopted as a global standard in 2007—has been experiencing dramatic growth in major mobile communications markets, including the US, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Based on its established technology leadership, the firm is expecting to lead the worldwide mobile broadband market in the upcoming years. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 6. Digital Imaging Business Samsung Electronics is working hard on its brand image and recognition to become a premium brand by introducing a rising number of premium digital cameras and digital camcorders. The product line of interchangeable lens digital cameras was extended in the last year and the newly released mirror less digital camera (NX11) secured the firms competitive lead over professional optical brands. Samsung plans to continue to debut world-first and world-best cameras such the ST700 Dual View camera (which offers excellent image quality plus fun and convenient self-portrait option), the EX1 (the world’s first ultra-wide F1.8 zoom lens), the SH100 (which features Wi-Fi (DLNA) functionality) and many others. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 7. Semiconductor Business Samsung is the worlds second largest semiconductor manufacturer and is the industry sales and technology leader in the areas of DRAM, SRAM, NAND Flash and TFT-LCDs. A key partner and premier supplier to the global IT industry, Samsung Electronics offers the widest range of advanced semiconductor devices and solutions for PC, server and mobile applications. The firm intends to play a major role in the growth of the green IT industry as they implement their Green Memory strategy, which emphasizes high-performance memory products with lower power consumption. Samsung Electronics differentiated product competitiveness has awarded the company the No.1 position in the worldwide memory market for 18 years in a row. The company consistently leads the industry, and began the world’s first mass production of 30nm-class 2Gb DDR3 DRAM, 30nm-class 4Gb LPDDR2 DRAM, 20nm-class NAND flash memory, 512GB SSD and more. In the storage systems division, the firm introduced high-capacity hard disk drives (HDDs) to the market, including a 2.5 inch 334GB HDD and a 3.5 inch 667GB HDD. [pic](Samsung, 2010) 8. LCD Business Being the industry leader, Samsung Electronics has achieved the No. 1 market share for LCD panels for nine consecutive years. The industry-first active 3D technology supports True 240Hz for 3D TV, which has reinforced Samsung’s leadership.Samsung released trendsetting displays as such as an LCD panel for the tablet PC (which offers vivid colors at a wide viewing angle), a low-power IT panel built with advanced LED backlight technology and more innovations were key to the firms leadership. In 2011, Samsung has been improving its product leadership as they developed differentiated offerings, including ultra-large panel technology, a full range of LED LCD panels, high-value IT products and DID panels. For the future, Samsung stays committed to research and development to produce tomorrows best products. That includes focusing on an oxide semiconductor panel, plastic LCD, transparent LCD and developing high efficiency solar modules. The firm’s goal is to develop the industr y’s most efficient and highest quality products. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) 4. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Samsung Electronics has been increasing its sales from 2008 till 2010 by more than 10% annually. These are extraordinary numbers, given the economic circumstances in todays (western) world. Despite big investments in research and development, the firm managed to almost double its net income from 2008 to 2009 and almost triple it from 2008 to 2010. [pic] (Samsung, 2010) Samsung Electronics experienced an increase in revenue in the first 6 month of the fiscal year of 2011 compared to the first two quarters in the previous year. However, this increase in revenue did not result in an increased operational profit in that period. As shown in appendix 1, the main reason for the decline in operational profits are two factors: increased cost of sales and increased research and development expenses. Stock Information Samsung Electronics stock trades on the stock markets in Seoul, London, and Luxemburg. Samsung Electronics stock is listed on the Korean Stock Exchange as 005930. As the chart below indicates, Samsung Electronics stock price has been considerably grown in the last two decades. However, it experienced many setbacks, the latest ones in the latter of half of 2008 and beginning of 2009 as well as during the third quarter of 2011’s fiscal year. The worldwide economic recession and first quarter losses in last decades in the fourth quarter of the year 2008 were responsible for the declining demand of stocks, while this year’s first half decline is probably most attributed to the slowing world economy. However, the stock price rose to the level of the years beginning in the late summer this year. 1 KRW (South Korean Won) = 0.00089 US Dollar (as of 11/9/11) [pic] (Market Watch, 2011) Financial RatiosRatio data as of 06/30/2011 [pic] (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2011) In the following, I will discuss three major financial ratios. 1. Return on Assets: Return on Assets is an indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. The ratio gives an understanding of how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earning. Samsung Electronics Return on Assets is 6.87%, a number that is a little below industry average and shows that the company can definitely improve its efficiency. 2. Cash Ratio: The cash ratio is the most conservative ratio for measuring liquidity and is often used during periods of economic turmoil because cash is the most important asset many companies possess in difficult times. If a company has a ready supply of cash, it can survive sudden drops in sales that might put another less liquid company out of business. Samsung Electronics Cash Ratio (1.6x) is generally speaking a decent number and as indicated above an above average number compared to the industry. 3. Total Debt/Equity The total debt/equity ratio is calculated by dividing the firm’s total liabilities by stockholders equity and indicated what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. High debt/equity ratios generally mean therefore that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt, which can result in unstable earnings as a result of the additional interest expenses. Samsung Electronics 11.6x Total debt/equity ratio is a high number that gives some room for concern, as high interest rates could have a negative impact on the companies financials. 5. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis will examine the internal and external factors influencing Samsung Electronics. It will identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the company. Samsung electronics has many strengths that can be pointed out. First, they are a very innovative company. As part of their new strategy they have begun developing its own products rather than copying those of other firms. In fact, they invest 9% of their revenues into research and development. This has helped them to gain a competitive edge. Also they switched to a merit-based system for advancement rather than a seniority based system. We believe this is effective because it will motivate employees to work harder knowing that if they perform, they can advance with the company. Interior competition is also healthy to a certain extent. Samsung encourages its two divisions to compete with each other to boost sales and innovation. Also Samsung is very efficient and effective in their product development process as well as getting the product to market. They lead the industry in this and can get a new product developed and released in as little as five months. Another key strength is their brand name. Samsung is recognizable all over the world as a top quality company. Next it is important to exploit Samsung’s weaknesses as a company in order to identify their key issues. The first is interior competition. Note that this was also listed in strengths, but if pushed to far can be a detriment to the company. Too much competition between divisions could cause a loss of focus on the company’s overall vision and more focus on beating each other. This could also cause the divisions to think more short-term rather than focus on sustainability. Also, the company is reluctant to branch out into music, movies and the game industry. Branching out could increase their revenues tremendously and sky rocket the company’s business. Their former low cost structure should be pointed out as well because they focused less on quality and more on cost, which essentially kept them from becoming a premium brand that appeals to a more luxury consumer demand. Overall Samsung has many opportunities to take advantage of. The first is their innovation; with this they hope to expand into creating the full â€Å"digital home† experience. This means that they wish to change the way our homes our designed and essentially used with the use of their technology. This could be a huge cash cow for the company and could create a constant stream of revenues. In addition, they could begin to aggressively pursue and acquire other technology companies in markets that they are not currently in. They have already started this with the failed attempt to acquire SanDisk, a company that makes storage cards and other such products. Furthermore, they should continue to build new factories around the area in low cost areas. Keeping production costs low is a key factor in increasing and maintaining the highest possible profit margin. Due to the innovation and research of Samsung they could penetrate many new markets as well as expand market share. Samsung Electronics also faces many external threats. The current economic state of key areas such as the United States has caused a large decline in demand. This means that they have a large amount of inventory sitting in warehouses. This could put a damper on a company’s financial situation due to holding costs and a decrease in revenues. Also if there is an overcapacity in global production this could drive down prices. When prices are driven down; profit margin decreases and your company could feel the financial impact. Lastly, there is a large amount of competition in the industry. It is important to stay innovative and one step ahead of your competitors to m aintain market share. 6. Porter’s Five Forces The threat of new entrants is relatively low in this industry. The majority of the companies in this industry are established and operating at a very high output. It is hard to enter the market due to the extremely high amounts of costs put forward to research and development, as well as bringing your product to the consumer. Next, there are very many substitutes to the products that Samsung offers. There are many companies competing in the electronics field and they are constantly looking to gain market share. Also companies in the technology industry are constantly copying each other’s innovations in hopes of improving them. The bargaining power of the buyers is high in this industry. The consumer has a large array of options and substitute products. This enables them to have a large impact on the price of the product. This is why it is important to keep your prices competitive. The bargaining power of suppliers for Samsung Electronics is low. This is due to the large market share that the company has. The company develops and manufactures their products in house, which enables them to have more control over their complete supply chain. Ultimately this helps them to be more efficient and keep costs down. Within the electronic industry, there is a very large threat of competition. They face strict competitors such as Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Philips, and Sharp to name a couple. This is why it is important to stay innovative and keep emphasis on quality, as well as satisfying your consumers’ needs. 7. Problems There are many problems that Samsung faces as a company. We do not believe they are being aggressive enough in entering new markets. The cost of losing opportunity while it is there could be detrimental to the company. Also, because the technology business is always rapidly changing, they could lose sight on the overall long-term growth of the company. Samsung also has very high operating costs because of the constant amount of research and development they use. The company should actively seek ways to become more efficient to keep costs low. High costs and lack of demand have caused their profit margins to decrease. A lack of an internal distribution system could also drive costs up. A problem in the general environment that diminished Samsung’s return is the global economic slowing growth (or in parts also recessions) that Samsung has to keep considering carefully in its product investments and overall company strategy. Our own research conducted in the local Best Buy store also pointed out that even though Samsung’s smart phone series Galaxy is growing in market share, it consistently has lacks and downtimes, which frustrates many of the customers. 8. Solutions/Suggestions There are many possible solutions to some of the internal and external issues that Samsung is experiencing. First, we believe that Samsung should branch out into music, movies and the game industry. This could help the company to expand in a positive manor and could open up many new markets to them as well. Next it is important to keep planning for long-term sustainable growth. Samsung should continuously invest in new technology to keep its market share. Also, they should take full advantage of opportunities to acquire other business entities in new markets. They should take a proactive approach to expansion to help them gain and maintain a competitive edge. The company should also keep looking for new ways to keep their operating and manufacturing costs low. They could even look into bringing their distributors in house by buying them out, or even implement their own distribution division. This could be very effective in keeping distribution costs low. Samsung also has to solve the ongoing problems with its leading smart phone on the market, the Galaxy. Bibliography Dess, G., Lumpkin, G, Eisner, A. Strategic Management Text and Cases.(2010). New York, New York, McGraw-Hill Irwin FundingUniverse. (1999). FundingUniverse. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Samsung-Electronics-Co-Ltd-company-History.html Samsung. (2010). Samsung. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics: http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ir/financialinformation/annualreport/downloads/2010/SECAR2010_Eng_Final.pdf Market Watch. (2011, 11 9). MarketWatch. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. GDR Pfd. 144A: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/ssngy Bloomberg Businessweek. (2011, 11 10). Businessweek. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD : http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/ratios.asp?ticker=005930:KS

The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics English Language Essay

The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics English Language Essay Mao Zedong(1893-1976), who led the Chinese people to have obtained liberation and independence and established their own country, is a great leader, a distinguished statesman, a prominent thinker and a famous strategist. He is loved and respected by the Chinese people. However, at the same time, his fame as a poet is incontrovertible. Willis Barnstone, Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University in Bloomington, considers Mao Zedong an original master, one of Chinas most important poets (He Qixin, 1992:8). His poems, a crystallization of politics, history, military affairs, philosophy and art, upholds and represents the advanced Chinese culture. And his poems are cherished as a gleaming gem in Chinese contemporary literature. Zang Kejia once commented on Maos poems like this, His poems open up a new realm for Chinese classical poetry and reach the peak of modern poetry.(Lv Zuyin, 2007) Considering the highly artistic, idealistic and cultural value of Maos poetry, it is of great significance to work on its translation and the study of existing translations so as to improve their quality, guide future translation and expand the influence of Chinese poetry and culture. However, in fact, the study of English translation of Maos poetry has lagged far behind the study of Maos poetry itself. And these studies have mainly focused on the roles of the translator and the translated versions from the perspective of deconstruction. The former study analyzes the translators roles as a reader, a decision-maker and as a writer in the process of translation, and as a cultural mediator in cultural turn. It demonstrates the significance of translators roles more clearly and forcefully. The latter analyzes the ideological content in different English versions of Mao Zedongs poems. It reveals that translation is a dynamic rather than a static process under the constant influence of different ideologies. Until recent years, under the free atmosphere in the academic study, great changes have taken place in the study of Mao Zedongs poetry. The aesthetic study has achieved a great many results from the multi-level or multi-angle aspects, moreover, the linguistic features or the aesthetic features have been covered as well as the humanistic study. However, the aesthetic study of Mao Zedongs poetry has less referred from the formal and the rhetoric perspective, thus this thesis is just an attempt to the field. To present a clear account of this research, here is the outline of this thesis: The introduction briefs the writing motive of this thesis; Chapter Two reviews Reception Aesthetics theory and its core concepts, as well as feasibility studies for the translations of Mao Zedongs poems with RA; Chapter Three reproduces formal beauty and rhetorical beauty of Mao Zedongs poems; Chapter Four is a comparative study of how the construction, rhymes, rhythms and rhetoric of Maos poems are reproduced and refreshed in the four English versions (Oxford version, The official version, Zhao Zhentaos version and Xu Yuanchongs version); Chapter Five makes a summary of the comparison and discusses the losses and gains in Maos poetry translation and analyzes the reasons. The conclusion sums up the whole thesis. Chapter One Introduction to Maos Poetry and Its Four Selected English Versions 1.1 Introduction to Mao Zedongs Poetry In Maos lifetime, he wrote 67 poems altogether. Among them, 42 poems were revised and agreed by him to publish finally during his life. While another 25 poems were released to the public after his death. The writing of Maos poetry is closely related with his living background, as well as the modern history of China and the world. So, only carefully study the history background and the concrete processes of many great events, as well as Maos experience, thoughts, character and mentality, we can reveal the rich and deep connotation of Maos poems. Style of poetry refers to poems characteristics and personality of some poet. All good poems have their own styles, and all poems by famous poets have their own styles, so do Maos poems. Just as Mao Anqing had commented his father Father is a man of affectionate nature. When his emotions exalt to poems, his poems find their lives. No matter grief and joy, or vulgarism and elegance, all rest his feelings on poeple. So, to read his poems is to know him. (Xu Yuanchong, 1993:3). Thus Mao composed his poems with his whole heart and the living background. Besides, Mao likes reading and studying classical Chinese poetry, discussing about poems and arts with poets and scholars, and enjoys summarizing his poem creative experience to form his unique characteristics. 1.1.1 Profound Ideological Contents As mentioned above, the number of Maos poems is small. But each of them is full of luxuriant imagery, profound meaning and philosophy. Meanwhile, covering various themes like nature, society and life, these poems are rich in epochal character and combativeness, and always encourage people to pursuit higher target. In order to study, the 42 poems can be divided into four groups according to diachronic: The first group has 4 poems created from the founding of the Chinese Communist Party to First Great Revolution (April 1918-July 1927). Changsha, tune: Spring in a Pleasure Garden'(à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¥Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) is a good example. These poems are Maos youth work, which are slightly inferior to later ones. But they are also very inspiring for their lofty spirits and soaring determinations. The second group has 16 poems created from the Agrarian Revolution and the Anti-Japanese War ( August 1927-August 1945), like The Autumn Harvest Uprising, Tune: the Moon over the West River' (à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆÂ ·Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹), Mount Jinggang, Tune: the Moon over the West River' (à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆÂ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹)etc. This period is a prolific period in Maos life. Recording the most difficult historical period of the Chinese revolution, the poems are ingeniously conceived with great subjetcs and full of lofty revolutionary heroism and optimistic spirits. The third group has 2 poems created during the War of Liberation (September 1945- September 1949), like Capture of Nanjing by the Peoples Liberation Army(à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ -à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) etc. Though the number of poems is small, they were written before the victory of the Chinese revolution, with strong actuality, magnificent style and clear attitude. The last group has 20 poems created with the perspective in Maos poems from revolution to socialist transformation and construction, after the founding of Peoples Republic of China in 1949, like Swimming, Tune: Prelude to the Melody of Water' (à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ °Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã…’à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ³Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) and so on. The poems have quite a new approach to the subjects with enterprising spirit, more allusions and humorous language, which are rich in romantic color and high artistry. However, according to synchronism, Maos poems can be divided into three groups: The first group concentrates to describe natural scenery, such as Changsha, tune: Spring in a Pleasure Garden'(à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¥Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹), the Yellow Crane Tower, Tune: Buddhist Dancers' (à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ®Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) etc. These poems exhibit magnificence of natural scenes and extol the life of nature. The second group mainly describes society and history, such as Mount Jinggang, Tune: the Moon over the West River' (à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆÂ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) and two tunes of Pride of Fishermen(à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ²Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹) and so on. These poems pay attention to describe the fighting of peoples army and the historical changes of whole society. And the last group mainly describes life and love, such as Seeing Luo Zhanglong off to Japan(à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ºÃ‚ µÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã†â€™Ã… ½Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã…“à ¨Ã‚ ¡Ã…’à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹). These poems show the poet has the experience of death and parting, and even loneliness as normal people. In a word, no matter how classify, no matter how length it is, Maos poems create an absorbing poetic imagery with wonderful design, rich ideas and sentiments, and are good at expressing the complicated historical causes with terse language. Distinct Artistic Style Style is the unique spiritual temperament and creative personality showed in writers own works by themselves. It runs through all works of a writer, as well as every writings theme which composes the work, such as rhyme, rhythm, diction, rhetorical devices, and text structure and so on. Therefore, style is the writer (Buffon ¼Ã…’1753). Maos poetry is full of candid and vigorous artistic style. First, from the internality of poetry, Mao likes Li Bai, Li He and Li Shangyin (known as Three Li) very much, and is in especial love of poetry by Cao Cao. Their poems are full of broad minds and high aspirations, which strike a chord in Mao Zedong, for passion is the emotional characteristic in Maos life. Mao also said only writing out the writers own bosom and sentiment in poems, it can strike a responsive chord in readers and make them excited. (à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¼Ã…’2002:19). Second, from the styles of poetry, Mao pursuits the styles of diligence, fortitude, largeness and boldness. He once said I prefer Cao Caos poems, with powerful spirits and grieving feelings, which shows him a true man. (à ¦Ã‹Å"â€Å"à ¥Ã‚ ­Ã… ¸Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦Ã‹Å"â€Å"à §Ã‚ »Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2003 ¼Ã… ¡67). Mao also said Li Bais poems are unconstrained and imaginable, which make people relaxed and happy. So, reading Li Bais poems more could make readers open th eir minds. (à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¼Ã…’2002:191). In all, the spirits of vigor, perseverance and self-reliance in these poems tally with Maos poetic features well. Third, from the expressions of poetry, Mao likes romantic works with rich imagination and usages of exaggeration and personification. So, Mao admires the famous poet Su Dongpo of powerful and free school in Song Dynasty very much, as well as the famous poetess Li Qingzhao of subtle and concise school. Therefore, Maos poems have characteristics of the two schools, just as he criticized himself I has a bias in favor of the style of boldness, but never totally ignore the style of gracefulness (à ¥Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¶Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã…’1955:413). 1.1.3 Magnificent Imagery Just like other classical Chinese poems, Maos poems are tending to use various images. Mao even showed his attitude toward poetry creation in a letter to Chen Yi that poetry conveys ideas by means of images. First, on images, Mao usually expresses feelings by nature, which makes the image great and magnificent. The most used word in his poems is à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©(sky), such as à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¦Ã†â€™Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ §Ã‚ ±Ã‚ »Ãƒ ©Ã…“Å“Ã ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ §Ã‚ «Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ±, à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ©Ã…“Å“Ã ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ §Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¢Ãƒ §Ã†â€™Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ « and so on. à ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±(mountain) and à ©Ã‚ £Ã… ½(wind) are second, like à ¨Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , à ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ «Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã…  Ã‚  Ãƒ ©Ã… ¾Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ©Ã… ¾Ã‚ , à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ©- ², à ¨Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ… ¸Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ©Ã‚ £Ã… ½Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã…  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ©- ´. à ¦Ã‚ ±Ã… ¸(river), à ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´(water) and à ¦Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·(sea) are third. Consequently, Mao prefers things with imposing vigor, but never uses à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‹Å"à ¥Ã‚ £Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(hill), à ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ª(stream), à ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ³(creek). Besides, Mao also prefers snow, rain, wind and frost in nature. According to statistics, there are 12 à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¨(rain), 13 à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ª(snow) and 8 à ©Ã…“Å“(frost) in Maos poems. In term of à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©(sky), Maos usage is different from the ancients. à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©(sky) in classical Chinese poetry mostly mapped a gloomy and mournful image, for example, à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ °Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã…“à ©Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ©Ã‚ £Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ©Ã… ¡Ã‚ ¾, à ¦Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¥Ã…  Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã…  -à ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ã… ¾, à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ £Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆÃ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©, à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¦Ã… ¡-à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ žÂ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ §Ã… ¸Ã‚ ¥ or à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à §Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¦Ã…“â‚ ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ «Ã‹Å" etc. instead, à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©(sky) in Maos poems shows a strong revolution will, and is often used to describe the glories and the foibles of man, such as à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ °Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…’à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ·, à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã…’à ¦Ã‚ ­Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ²Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ©Ã‚ £Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¦Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ½, à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ½, à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ºÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ £Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¿- ¼Ã…’à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¦- ¥Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆÃ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦- °Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©, à ©Ã‚ £Ã… ¾ à ¨Ã‚ µÃ‚ ·Ãƒ §Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ §Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¨Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã‚ » and so on, which obviously represent Maos heroic character and broad mind. Second, Maos images in his poems are colorful. Among various colors, Mao likes red best. For example, à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ §Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¢Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ §Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ £Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, à §Ã…“†¹Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ §Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¢Ãƒ ©Ã‚ Ã‚ , à ©Ã‚ £Ã… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ §Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ » etc. While, in à ¨Ã‚ µÃ‚ ¤Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ©Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ©Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ §Ã‚ ´Ã‚ «Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã…’ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ©Ãƒ §Ã‚ »Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬Å"à §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾, metonymy is vividly used to describe rainbows magnificence with seven basic colors. At last, Mao is good at using creative and impassioned verbs to present a dynamic and exultant picture of nature. Just like à ©Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ »Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã…’à ©Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¢, à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ »(cleave) is more forceful than à ©Ã‚ £Ã… ¾(fly), while à §Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ (glide) is quicker than à ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¸(swim). A comparatively still object will move in Maos poems. Take à ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±(mountain) for example, à ¦Ã‚ ¨Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸- ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã… ½Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å"† Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ, à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ©Ã‚ £Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ³Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚ ·Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã…’ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ §Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦-†¹, à ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å" ¶Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¡. à ¥Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ±(mountain) in Maos poems is not stable and silent, but could dance, fly, walk and even run, in all, with kinds of ways to move. (à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾Ãƒ §Ã… ½Ã‚ ²Ãƒ §Ã… ½Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2005) Therefore, images of Maos poems are magnificent, glorious, moving and bright colors. These not only show his heroic bearing as a giant of Chinese revolution, but produce unique rich images of classical Chinese poetry. When translating Maos poems, translators should pay attention to these characteristics. 1.2 Introduction to Four Selected English Versions According to incomplete statistics, domestic versions of Maos poetry have come to more than 200 now, including Chinese versions, minority versions, foreign versions, as well as handwriting versions, copybook versions and melodization versions and so on. Among them, the most influential ones are Mao Tze-tung: Nineteen Poems, Mao Zedong Poems (37 pieces), Collection of Mao Zedongs Poem (50 pieces) published by Peoples Literature Publishing House and Collection of Mao Zedongs Poem (67 pieces) by Central Committee Documents Publishing House. Various versions of Mao poems not only make a profound and lasting influence in poetry circle, but lay a foundation for the further research. Since rhetorical devices translation in four English versions of Maos poems will be studied in this thesis. it is indispensable to know about the four selected English versions. This part will give an overall introduction to these versions; the basic information about each version will be presented in the table below: Basic publishing information about the four selected English versions Oxfords version Official version Zhaos version Xus version Translator Michael BullockJerome Chen Yuan Shuipai, Ye Junjian, Adler etc. Zhao Zhentao Xu Yuanchong Book Name Mao and the Chinese Revolutio: with Thirty-Seven Poems by Mao Tse-tung Mao Tse-tung Poems Mao Zedong Poems Selected Poems of Mao Zedong Publishing House Oxford University Press Foreign Languages Press Hunan Normal University Press China Translation Press Company Publishing place New York; London; Peking Changsha Beijing Time 1965 1976 1992 1993 Among the four versions, the former one is translated by foreigners and the latter three by Chinese. The former one is in the form of prose and the latter three are in the form of poetry with rhyme and rhythm. In the following part, more detailed information about the translator and the format and general characteristics of each version will be provided respectively for comprehensive and better understanding of their translations. 1.2.1 Oxfords Version It is the translation that doesnt come from Chinese translators, but sinologists aboard. Among these translations, the translators special position decides there never occurs any anxiety and fear, and there also has no need to bow in worship before the original author. For the subjects of translating will appear in the horizons of readers from the English-speaking world first as a literature works, the translators consider more needs of that kinds of readers when they translate. Also, it is easy to find that the translating activities by foreign scholars mainly happened in 1960s-1970s, so there will be more chance to have commons among these translations for the short time-span. In 1965, the Chinese (-Born) American scholar Jerome Chen collaborated on Mao and the Chinese Revolution: with Thirty-seven Poems by Mao Tse-tung with American scholar Michael Bullock, and published it in London and New York by Oxford University Press. As a history professor, Jerome Chen studies Chinese movement of communism and knows much about Chinas revolution and has a relatively comprehensive and deep understanding of what Maos poetry writes about. There is an introduction to Maos poems before the translations. After each translated poem, notes including the writing background and explanations of some important Chinese cultural things are given to help English readers gain a relatively complete understanding of the poems. 1.2.2 The Official Version The official translation is Mao Tse-tung poems published by Foreign Language Press in 1976. In this book, there is a photo of Mao Zedong and one of his calligraphy on the preface. The title of each poem was printed in red, while the subtitle and the lines of each poem were all printed in blank. After these translated poems, there is a NOTE ON THE VERSE FORM by translators to briefly explain the style of the poem. Because the original author Mao Zedong was occupying the leader of the nation at that time, the translating activities was held by officials and became a serious political task under the guidance of leaders from countrys most powerful office. The translation was completed by Mao Zedong poems translation group and issued by the government. All of these made the 1976 translation have great difference with others, no matter from contents or forms. 1.2.3 Zhao Zhentaos Version The name of Zhaos version is Mao Zedond Poems with thirty-nine poems. It was published by by Hunan Peoples Publishing House in 1992. There are two prefaces in the version: one is written by Han Suyin and the other by the translator himself. The translator also wrote two articles about several issues in the translated versions of Maos poetry. The two articles mainly point out the mistakes or something improper in the translated versions which show the translators carefulness and earnestness on the understanding of Maos poetry and his great faithfulness to the original especially in details. In this version, the translator adopts the form of Chinese-English contrast and provides the simple notes after each translated poem. 1.2.4 Xu Yuanchongs Version This version is named Seletced Poems of Mao Zedong containing forty-seven poems and it is published by China Translation and Publishing Corporation in 1993 for the memory of the 100th anniversary of Maos birth. In this version, there are English notes after each poem. Xu Yuanchong, the gifted and well-known poem translator, who is a professor of Beijing University and has achieved a lot in the field of translation, has idea of translating poetry with poetry. With his translation theory of three beauties, he thought the translated poem should be as beautiful as the original in sense, sound and form, and that among the three beauty, beauty in sense comes first, and beauty in sound second, and beauty in form third, and that if it is impossible to achieve all beauties at the same time, the resemblance in form will come first and then in sound as to achieve faithfulness and beauty in sense. (Xu Yuanchong, 1992) In this version, there is a photo of Mao Zedong with Mao Anqing and Shao Hua on the first page and the short preface written by them. Besides these, there is the preface written by the translator himself in both Chinese and English about his translation views and principles, mainly about the application of Three Beauty Principle in translating Maos poems. The translator also adopts the form of Chinese-English contrast and provides the English notes and some background information after each translated poem. The above versions are short for Oxfords, the Official, Zhaos and Xus separately in the following discussion. Chapter Two Reception Aesthetic Theory Review 2.1 A Brief Introduction to Reception Aesthetic Theory Reception theory is neither a general study of essence of aesthetics nor a study of criticism about literary art theory. It is rather the system of methodology concerning the study of succession of factors and laws in readers reception process, based on the theories of phenomenology and hermeneutics and aimed at readers reception in the literary work. (Davis, Linell, 2001:33) Reception aesthetics (or reception theory) was developed in German, arouse in the later of 1960s and matured in 1970s. Its main representatives are some professors from Constance University of south German, such as H.R.Jauss, W.Iser. RA broke through the traditional critical molds with writer center and works center and turned to the mold with reader center, which opened up the sight of art criticism. No matter how great difference and divarication the inside of reception aesthetics exist, there is a common basic theory, which puts readers (or reception subjects) in the central position of literature activities. According to reception aesthetics, literature is a new communication activity and it must have certain condition and place. The artworks are a medium (or tool) for artists and readers to communicate. If the words written by writers havent read by readers, they are just semi finished articles (i.e. text) and have the potential ability to be literature works, but not real ones; only read by receptionists (readers), they will be real literature works. According to this theory, writers must preset a reader (i.e. implied reader or potential reader) when writing, Literature works are regarded as a dynamic communication form between text and reader, but not a free thing. So, writing for writer is to communicate and make dialogues with his preset reader. Reception Aesthetic theory challenges traditional author centered or text centered theories which ignore the function and status of readers as well as the interaction between readers and texts. Reception theory soon spreads all over the world, and becomes a very important theory of literature and criticism. Just as Holub said, Virtually, every methodological perspective and area of literary endeavor has responded to the challenge that has raised by reception theory. (Houlb, 1984:15) 2.2 Core Concepts of Reception Aesthetics 2.2.1 Horizon of expectation Horizon of Expectation is the core conception of reception aesthetics, which refers to receptor about oriental psychological structural schema. This directional emotion is transformed from the current life and aesthetics experience, and it is a mental foundation for aesthetics, including the education level of receptor, living experience, aesthetics and literature interest, as well as experience, knowledge and works expectation formed from the familiarity about various forms and skills, which have been gotten from the whilom aesthetics experience. Among these factors forming horizon of expectation, the times, nation, culture and class where readers are make radical influence on receptors appreciation and interests. Horizon of Expectation theory points, the literature participation of any reception subjects is just a process that their horizon of expectations seek to express. Only if the works must adapt for readers horizon of expectation, they will arouse their interests and set up a channel for reception objects and subjects, then, get into the reception process. If works horizon of expectation is far away from readers, the works will lose their attraction and the channel wont be built, at last, the works will fail to make receptors get into the reception process. Translation also takes readers as objects. The direct receptor of translation is the main body of readingreaders. If there are no readers, the meaning, connotation and expression forms cannot become the objects of aesthetics, and translation also cannot have a definite object in view when conveying its information. Therefore, in this theory, readers are regarded as an important part of translating to research. 2.2.2 Fusion of horizon Since we have horizon of readers, it is not strange that horizon also includes the authors horizon and the translators horizon. The authors horizon has effect on the creation of works, which means, with different backgrounds and experiences, different authors will create different styles of works. The readers horizon mainly concerns about the process of reception. The translator, actually, has the function as a bridge. On one side, the translator is the reader who appreciates and understands the original works. On the other side, he or she is a translator. Because different translators have different background like personality, skill, education, interest, views to the world and so on. So, the translators version and recognition about translation activity and original works will be diverse. In order to let the translated versions be accepted, the translator should develop his translation skills and strategies to cater to the readers horizon. The activity of fusion of horizon happens between past experiences which are contained in the original works and present interests of its nowadays readers. It is a dynamic process. 2.2.3 Indeterminacy and blank of meaning Iser mainly focuses on the gap or indeterminacy of the text. To Iser, the most important difference between a literary and a non-literary work is just the indeterminacies that have contained in the works. There are lots of indeterminacy that constitutes the most important elements for literary works, Meaning is not contained in the text itself, but rather is generated during the reading process. It is neither purely textual nor totally subjective, but the result of an interaction between the two: the extent of our participation and the degree of the works determinacy defines the type of text with which we are dealing (Selden, 1986: 327-329). It is the existence of these blanks and gaps that force and stimulate readers to recreate and concrete. Iser proposes that literary works have two poles: artistic pole and aesthetic pole, in which, the artistic pole just means the original text created by the author, the aesthetic pole is about the realization of meaning carried out by the readers. The meaning of one certain work can only be realized through the activity that readers fill in the indeterminacy during reading. When readers read the works, they will commonly make prediction or pre-judgment. When encountered with blanks or gaps, they will fill them up actively from they own creativity, skills and so on. This process is the so called concretization of reading. In the creation of literary works, the author usually describes the main features of the text fully and clearly, while at the same time, omits purposely some unimportant features or clues and leaves them to the reader for aesthetic effect and semantic function. When Jauss was doing research on the role of literature in history, Iser decided to analyze and study the reading process and the role of readers. In Isers mind, it is the reader who helps to form the meaning of text by filling in blanks or gaps. 2.2.4 Implied reader Maybe the most distinctive feature of reception aesthetics is its emphasis on the notion of readers. Different readers have different horizon of expectations before activity of reading. It is not strange that different understanding may occur toward the same literary work. To the theorists of reception theory, literary works are created for readers; readers help to realize the meaning of literary works to a large extent. It is the historical position of literary works. Implied reader roots deeply in the textual structure, the emergence of textually and structurally anticipated acceptor and there is no need to define the acceptor. (Iser, 1971:19). Iser asks for an actual reader or empirical reader, but doesnt consider the expression of the reader. The relationship of implied reader and the text is the central focus for Iser, The implied reader embodies all those predispositions necessary for a literary work to exercise its effect predispositions laid down, not by an empirical outside reality, but by the text itself. Consequently, the implied reader as a concept has his roots firmly planted in the structure of the text; he is a construct and in no way to be identified with any real reader (Zhu Gang, 1998:116). Reception aesthetics believes that the process of literary creation is not a self completed task, it is not self-sufficient. The process is also an activity that helps to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions and so on to the other people. Literary works can only be seen as a possible existence before being read and understood. Only after the reception of readers can literary works significance be realized. While during the process of reception, the receptive activity is not a passive one but an initiative one. The readers not just simply read the works, but he or she will fill in the gaps and indeterminacies with his or her own imagination, life experiences, interests, etc. Without participation of the reader, literary works are not true. The aesthetic sense and function of literary can be achieved only through the interaction with readers. It is the reader that creates the beauty and vitality of literary works persistent. 2.2.5 Appealing structure The concept of Appealing structure is put forward firstly by Edmund Husserls student Roman Ingarden. Iser has absorbed many ideas from Ingarden, among which, the concept of indeterminacy and blanks were Isers focal point. It is the existence of indeterminacy which links the writers ideas in the process of writing and the readers reception ideas in the process of reading that make literary works lively and vital à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦only through readers effort can the writers ideas shown in the text be actualized or concretized in different ways and reappear in different looks in readers mind. Indeterminacy of the text and vacancy of meaning urges readers to look for the meaning of the text; as a result, readers are given the right to participate in forming the meaning: the meaning is the result of an interaction between text and reader rather hides in the text to wait to be discovered. Thus an open text and its meaning blanks form the basic structure of the text, which is what we called ap pealing structure. (Houlb, 1984:25). In conclusion, reception aesthetics breaks through the traditional text-centered theories and establishes readers-centered viewpoint. It proposes that the meaning of literary works is depended on the readers. The dynamic interaction of the readers previous experiences and the text gives birth to the concept of the readers response. The readers imagination and interpretation can be fully realized from the indeterminacy and gaps that are contained in the text. The appealing structure forces the readers to participate in the interaction with the text and to actualize the hidden meaning of the text. To reception theorist, literatures historical significance lies in the readers pre-experience which joins literature to history. Different readers with different background, interests, education, aesthetic abilities and so on will interpret the same text differently. Reception aesthetics is either important to literature theory or to criticism. Just as Jauss mentioned, Reception Aesthetics opened a view the possibility of renewing literary history, exhausted and mired in positivism, by giving it the task of seeking a new understanding of the history of literature as a communication process between all three parties, namely, the author, t