Monday, January 27, 2020

Dido Eminem Song Stan Film Studies Essay

Dido Eminem Song Stan Film Studies Essay The name Stan is the tile of a song that was recorded in 1999 by one of Americas best rappers; Eminem. The song features one of British best singers of all time; Dido. Eminem who real name is Marshal Bruce Mather III is one of Americas most celebrated record producer, rapper, actor, and song writer. Eminem is ranked among the best selling artists on the globe and this is evident in his sales throughout the 2000s. He is also one of the most celebrated rappers of all time and this is evident in the different magazines and charts all over the globe. In one of the rankings conducted by Rolling Stone magazine of best artists, Eminem was ranked 82nd out of the 100 greatest artists. He has also been declared as being the king of hip hop in many instances and by different magazines. From his worldwide sales, it is evident to note that the artist is a great influence. Eminem has managed to sell over 100 million copies of his records worldwide. This quantity of sales puts him on a high ran king position with regards to the best selling artists on the global platform. The artist is from Detroit in Michigan and was born on the 17th day of October in 1972. The author is associated with different labels most of which originate in the United States. Some of these labels include Interscope Records, Shady Records, Bassmint Productions, FBT Productions, Mashin Duck Records, and Web Entertainmen. Some of the close hip hop artists that have worked with Eminem in the past include Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Royce da 59, Xzbit, Slaughterhouse, Dido, D12, Prrof, Obie Trice, and Bad meets Evil. This paper will focus on conducting an extensive critique on Stan (Stubbs). Stan has received numerous awards from numerous international organizations. The song has been nominated for different awards since its release in 1999. Some of these awards include best song, video of the year, the best rap video, best cinematography, best direction, and best international artist. Some of the international entertainment institutions that have seen it fit to accord this song with the various awards and nominations include MTV, MTV Europe, and MuchMusic. There are numerous magazines that have also ranked the song under different categories and awards. In the various instances where entertainment organizations have compiled the best songs done by Eminem, this song has received high ranking positions. For instance, the Complex Magazine compiled a list of some of the 100 greatest songs done by Eminem and Stan was ranked second. In other similar compilations done, the song has received numerous high ranking positions. The song had such a big impact on the entertainment wo rld that it gave rise to slang. Today, the title of the song Stan is used in referring to a kind of obsession. Over the internet and online interactions, the name Stan is usually associated with the overzealous and sometimes maniacal obsession attached to a personality or celebrity (Hasted). The entire song is based on a fictional character that is presented as Stanley but mostly referred to as Stan. The character claims over and over that he is the biggest Eminem fan. This is presented in the various letters that are written to Eminem by the fan and how he tries to elaborate his exemplary attachment to Eminems lifestyle. The letters are written to the artist and every new letter brings out the ever growing obsession of the fan to Eminem. His obsession leads to anger when the Eminem fails to take note of the efforts of Stan. Stan is disappointed by the fact that Eminem does not seem to take note of the different efforts he makes in trying to establish communication with the artist. Each unanswered letter leads to progression of the fans anger and he gives up on writing more letters to the artist. The progression of his anger leads him to attempt a new mode of communication. According to the fan, this new communication is designed to be so intense that it will not only capture the attention of the artist, but also prompt the artist to respond to the communication. Stan creates a voice recording which he sends to the artist in a bid to get his attention. The recording is suicidal and Stan hopes to get the attention of the artist through providing a recording of his last activities (Stubbs). In the recording by Stan, he provides the artist with the events surrounding the attempt to not only end his own life, but also that of his pregnant girlfriend. Stan records himself in his car as he is speeding down on the highway headed for a bridge. In the recording, he starts off by telling the artist that he is sending him the recording with the hope that he will get to hear it and understand his anger. He tells Eminem of how he is doing 90 which is quite a high speed on the freeway but does not reveal his true intentions as of yet. After this, he goes on to scream to someone in the car. Stan screams at the other person to stop talking and from the manner he Stan expresses himself, it is evident to note that the other person is female. He goes on to introduce the person as his girlfriend. Throughout this time, there is a lot of screaming and screeching that is taking place within the recording. Stan informs Eminem that he has to get off the phone because he is almost at the b ridge. It is here that his Stans intentions are made clear with regards to the purpose of the recording. He presents his intention as being suicidal but stops to think about how he was supposed to send the recording to Eminem. Before he can contemplate on how he is to send the recording after he has driven the car into the river, the sound of tires screeching is heard then followed by a loud splash (Eminem). In the structure of the song, Stan initiates communication with Eminem and this is brought out in the first three verses. Here, Eminem is singing as Stan and most of the events present the activities surrounding the suicide by Stan. The fourth verse is delivered by Eminem and he presents information about how he attempted to initiate communication with Stan. He however realizes that he is late and the news about Stans death has already featured on the news. In one of the interviews conducted on Eminem by his radio station, there was additional information about the song that does not feature in most analyses. In the interview, Eminem stated that there was a verse in the original writing that did not feature in the song. The verse that was exempted was about the events that followed Stans survival of the suicide attempt. After the failed suicide attempt, Stan attempted to get back at Eminem and kill him. In the omitted verse Eminem ends up in hospital after defending himself but Stan does not give up. Stan goes on to attempt finishing what he had started at the hospital but ends up dead after Eminem kills him. The song was inspired by the demise of one of the closest members of the Eminems family. His uncle Ronnie is the inspirational force behind the writing and recording of the song. In 1991, Ronnie killed himself and this had a great impact on the life of Eminem as brought out in this song (Stubbs). The first verse of the song presents Stan in his bid to capture Eminems attention. He talks about how he Stan is for the third time writing to Eminem, with the hope that he will be in a position of communicating back to him. Throughout the course of the first verse, there is the sound of rain and thunder in the background. The sound of a pencil scratching on the surface of a paper as a person writes a letter is also one of the important sounds in the first verse. This depicts the unending efforts by Stan in trying to capture the attention of Eminem. His level of devotion to Eminem and his work is also brought out in the first verse. Here, Stan informs Eminem about how he has build up a whole room filled with the pictures and posters of Eminem. He also informs him about the two letters he has drafted and sent in the past. He goes on to state that Eminem might have most probably failed to receive the letters. Stans obsession of Eminem is also brought out through presenting details about his girlfriend. Stan informs Eminem about his girlfriend being pregnant and how he plans on naming the child Bonnie. The name is derived from one of Eminems songs in the Slim Shady Album. Stan goes on to express his commitment to Eminem when he passes his condolences about the dealt of one of Eminems family members (Stubbs) The second verse is the genesis of Stans frustration and this is brought out in the manner through which he expresses himself. He goes on to tell Eminem about how his lack of response is an issue of grave concern to him. He talks about how rude it is for Eminem not to respond to his fans. As Stans frustration increases, the background becomes louder and increasingly unsettled. In the course of the third verse, Stan presents information to Eminem about how he is going to kill himself and his girlfriend who is pregnant who he has tied up in the trunk. In presenting information about his girlfriend, Stan references one of the songs of Eminem named Kim in which Eminem killed his girlfriend by slitting his throat after realizing that she was cheating on her. Before he contemplates about how he can have the tape recording delivered to Eminem, Stan crushes into the river. The fourth verse is all about Eminems expression of the entire situation and how things have turned out (Hasted).

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Body Glove Case

Question 1: For what purpose does Body Glove use its budgeting system? Which purposes are emphasized? The purpose of Body Glove’s budgeting system was to project expenses and forecast revenues for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget is used to monitor performance (but not linked to performance based incentives) and detect early warning signals of problem areas. The budgeting system allows the managers of each department monitor their expenses in which budgets have been set for materials, salaries and legal expenses amongst others. Question 2: Trace the steps in the development of the budget at Body Glove. What are the key events that relate to the timing of the steps in the budgeting process? 1. The budgeting process of Body Glove began in November 1990. The management team estimated sales growth for 1991 and the national sales manager, Kurt, then broken down these forecasts to provide the total projected sales per month per product. 2. Each department was requested to developed monthly projection of key expenses such as materials, salaries, legal expenses, etc. for the upcoming fiscal year. 3. Russ (president of Body Glove) consolidated, reviewed, and discussed them with his managers, suggesting changes if any changes were necessary as some managers were too optimistic with their forecasting. 4. The budget was finalized by the end of December 1990, by Russ. 5. Throughout the fiscal year the budget was used to ensure figures were met and monitor the performance of departments. It was also used to detect early warning signals of problem areas by comparing actual performance on monthly basis and re-evaluate departments not achieving their budget targets. It was not linked to performance based incentives. The key events that led to the budget being established were the fact that production was scheduled based on historical and pre- book data which meant that they did not have enough inventory and were one month behind getting products into stores, which had two main impacts 1) the cost of inventory stock outs was greater than inventory carrying costs 2) the reputation of the organisation was impacted. The budgeting process meant that managers based their forecasts on a wider scope of information rather than just pre book sales. Question 3: The case says that Body Glove never prepared a budget prior to fiscal year 1991. How can a company like Body Glove function effectively without a budget, or can it? Body Glove had a great product with the neoprene wetsuits and had gained significant market share through its niche fun life style image which challenged competitors. The business had a small but loyal customer base, and had attained no.2 market share. Whilst the business had significant growth, I don’t believe it ran completely effectively. An extract from the case state mentions they lost $1 million in sales due to a shortage of inventory and its forecasts on future sales were not accurate. Anthony, Hawkins & Merchant (2008, p.740) assert ‘If the total costs in a responsibility budget are expected to vary with volume, as is the case in most standard cost centre’s, the responsibility budget may be in the form of a variable budget. Such a budget shows the planned behavior of costs at various volume levels.’ If the company was able to better understand its costs, and forecasts for growth it could have made the necessary investments in upgrading the manufacturing operations to meet the demand. Body Glove’s reputation was at stake and in 1990 the company decided to break away from employing ‘family only’ which may have been a sign that they needed some ‘fresh eyes’ to drive growth. Question 4: What changes to Body Glove’s budgeting and review process would you recommend, if any? * Body Glove needs to undertake some major strategic planning to ascertain company key objectives and ensure that the budget reflects these plans. * Managers should not be the final people to establish the key figures relating to the budget, this should be done separately based on information provided by previous years data (a board or a strategy department should be in charge of this) to eliminate bias in forecasts * The president needs to ensure that the goals of the organisation are communicated clearly throughout the company and how each department directly relates to these goals. Calling a meeting with personnel from each department may be important in communicating this information. * Each individual should relate to the budget. For example, the sales forecasts are dependent upon the work of the sales team and therefore should be a motivator for them to perform. Achieving outcomes should relate to performance incentives, this includes managers also. Question 5: If Body Glove continues to grow and, perhaps, diversifies, what changes will have to be made to the budgeting and review process? Strategic budgeting is imperative in any organisation. Leland (2003) asserts ‘The behavior or capabilities of the large and complex organisation cannot be fully comprehended by analyzing its individual parts. Because of its complexity, the organisation or system, displays emergent behaviors arising from the relationships among those parts.’ Strategic budgeting is about comprehending the whole organisation in order to understand emergent behaviors. It requires a top down approach, not a bottom up approach and at the present the budget system is not really valued by the organisation. The budget system can be easily modified, managers (whose forecasts will be biased) are setting numbers and the outcomes of the budget are not linked to organisational performance which would leave any manager to wonder what the disincentive is not to meet the results. A long range plan should be established so that Body Glove can start some long range formal planning, they should also look at a Strategic Human resource approach whereby they incorporate these long term goals into the behaviors and performance of staff. How do these outcomes relate to an organisation that you are familiar with? Whilst at GSK, each year in February the company would commence the working year with a sales conference where all sales staff would meet and the opening day would include a talk by the managing director on the goals of the organisation. The MD would talk about previous year performance, what worked and what didn’t work so well and key learning’s. We were then told of the total operational budget and this was broken down into sales for our various products. As sales teams, our managers would then discuss with us which Key performance indicators we would be measured by, which was a mix of sales results and behaviors. Throughout the year, our direct managers would often re-communicate the budget to us and we would receive a monthly break down of targets and results.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Etched in Our Minds (Rspc Memories) Essay

Hundreds of memories refreshed my mind as I remember the flashbacks and echoes from my time of yore. My past RSPC years were not quite in high spirits. I did not win any contest in Journalism; a sad smile was always drawn on my face every now and then. It was not easy to recover after all the downs, disappointments, dissatisfaction, and setbacks. But this year’s Regional Schools Press Conference brought me into the new world where all dreams came true and fairytales did exist. New friends came into my life and new-fangled memories were made to bring smiles in everyone’s face. Bayugan City is what they call it. This is where the 2012 RSPC was held. Strong competitors battle in for the honour of their division and school. Vigorous cheers and yells rocked in the gymnasium to let everyone know that they have what it takes to be a regional winner and national qualifier. Spanking faces welcomed me into the new chapter of my life as a journalist. Another task to complete and another competition to win. But after all those academic mind activities, still a bunch of crazy friends surround and make me happy as each precious day passes. Typically, journalists from schools are nervous for what topic will be given, who will be their proctors and the question that cannot be beat is â€Å"Will I Win?† Well, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you have to exert immeasurable efforts to win up a battle but besides the contest. I expect the reminiscences of fun with my co-contestants of my school and the division. I admit that I don’t really know everyone of my division but I do know that everyone of us wanted to meet each other. Wait! I know you are waiting for the love story chapter of this story, right? Well, that part is always present. This I call â€Å"Mr.JE† was with me. A lot of never seen before scenes happened those nights. And remember Mr. _ _ _ _? My greatest enemy? I caught him staring at me, not just once and but 4 times, don’t wonder why I know. I counted it! And surely he also saw me staring at me. Actually, there were three princes with me in RSPC but definitely I know â€Å"Mr.JE† would be my prince in reality. Just kidding! The night before the day that the winners will be aanounced was made memorable. Music videos of Call Me Maybe, Glad You Came and Live While Were Young. I can say that my co-journalists are really crazy and they made everyone including our Tatay Jay and Mama Ghen enjoyed that night. Tumultuous voices and creams of fun filled our headquarter. We did not waste any millisecond, because in life there are no rewinds. At the day of announcing of the first past the post. We did not win in any individual contest but guess what? â€Å"Champion in Collaborative Desktop Publishing Secondary Level English Category, BAGANI†Ã¢â‚¬ , announced by the speaker. Everyone was shocked and traumatized emotions mixed up. We did not expect this to happen and we directly rushed to the stage like we own it. Thanks to our coaches who exerted immense support. As the day slowly come to an end, home sweet home at last. I grabbed my diary and wrote up those recollections. Surely, the exuberance that we had in Bayugan will always be treasured though it will never happen again but it will always be etched in our minds forever.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

5 Superstar Female Sociologists You Should Know

There are many female sociologists who do important work around the world, on topics ranging from the achievement gap, to global consumption patterns, to gender and sexuality. Read on to learn more about 5 superstar female sociologists. Juliet Schor Dr.  Juliet Schor  is arguably the foremost scholar of the sociology of consumption, and a leading public intellectual who was awarded the 2014 American Sociological Associations prize for advancing the public understanding of sociology.  Professor of Sociology at Boston College, she  is the author of five books, and co-author and  editor of numerous others, has  published a multitude  of journal articles, and has been cited several thousand times by other scholars. Her research focuses on consumer culture, particularly the work-spend cycle—our tendency to spend more and more, on things that we don’t need and that won’t necessarily make us happier. The work-spend cycle was the focus of  her  research-rich, popular companion hits  The Overspent American  and  The Overworked American. Recently, her research has focused on  ethical and sustainable approaches to consumption in the context of a failing economy and a  planet on the brink. Her 2011 book  True Wealth: How and Why Millions of Americans Are Creating a Time-Rich, Ecologically-Light, Small-Scale, High-Satisfaction Economy makes the case for shifting out of the work-spend cycle by diversifying our personal income sources, placing more value on our time, being more mindful of the impacts of our consumption, consuming differently, and reinvesting in the social fabric of our communities.  Her current research into collaborative consumption and the new sharing economy is a part of the MacArthur Foundations Connected Learning Initiative. Gilda Ochoa Dr.  Gilda Ochoa  is  Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Pomona College. Her cutting edge approach to teaching and research has her regularly leading teams of college students in community-based research that addresses problems of  systemic racism, particularly those related to education,  and community-driven responses to it  in the greater Los Angeles area. She  is the author of the 2013 hit book,  Academic Profiling: Latinos, Asian Americans and the Achievement Gap. In this book, Ochoa thoroughly examines the root causes of the achievement gap between Latino and Asian American students in California. Through ethnographic research at one Southern California high school and hundreds of interviews with  students, teachers, and parents, Ochoa reveals troubling disparities in opportunity, status, treatment, and assumptions experienced by students. This important work debunks racial and cultural explanations for the achievement gap.   Following its publication, the book  received two important awards: the American Sociological Associations  Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Anti-Racist Scholarship, and the Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Outstanding Book  Award from  the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She is the author of numerous academic journal articles and  two  other  books—Learning from Latino Teachers  and  Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican-American  Community: Power, Conflict, and Solidarity—and co-editor, with her brother Enrique, of Latino Los Angeles: Transformations, Communities, and Activism.  To learn more about Ochoa, you can read her fascinating interview about her book Academic Profiling, her intellectual development, and her research motivations. Lisa Wade Dr. Lisa Wade is a preeminent public sociologist in today’s media landscape. Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College, she rose to prominence as co-founder and contributor to the widely read blog Sociological Images. She is a regular contributor to national publications and blogs including  Salon, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Slate, Politico, The Los Angeles Times, and Jezebel, among others. Wade  is an expert in gender and sexuality whose research and writing now focuses on hookup culture and sexual assault on college campuses, the social significance of the body, and U.S. discourse about genital mutilation. Her research has illuminated the intense sexual objectification that women experience and how this results in unequal treatment, sexual inequality (like the orgasm gap),  violence against women, and the socio-structural problem of gender inequality.  Wade has written or co-written over a dozen academic journal articles, numerous popular essays, and has frequently been a media guest on radio and television. In 2017, her book American Hookup was published, which examines hookup culture on college campuses. With Myra Marx Ferree, she  has co-authored a textbook on the sociology of gender. Jenny Chan Dr. Jenny Chan  is a  groundbreaking researcher whose work, which  focuses on issues of labor and working class identity in iPhone factories in China, sits at the intersection of the sociology of globalization and the sociology of work. By gaining hard-to-come-by access to Foxconn factories, Chan has illuminated many of the things Apple doesnt want you to know about how it makes its beautiful products. She is the author or co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, including a heartbreaking and analytically shrewd piece about a Foxconn suicide survivor,  and is writing a book with Pun Ngai and Mark Selden, titled  Dying for an iPhone: Apple, Foxconn, and a New Generation of Chinese Workers. Chan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and was previously a Lecturer at the University of Oxford. In 2018, she became the Vice President of Communications for the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Labour Movements. She has also played an important role as a scholar-activist, and from  2006 to 2009 was the Chief Coordinator of Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) in Hong Kong, a leading labor watch organization that works to hold corporations accountable for abuses happening in their global supply chains. C.J. Pascoe Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, Dr. C.J. Pascoe is a leading scholar of gender, sexuality, and adolescence. Her work has been cited by other scholars  over 2100 times and has been widely cited in national news media. She is the author of the  groundbreaking and highly regarded book  Dude, Youre a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, winner of the 2008 Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association. The research featured in the book is a compelling look at how both formal and informal curricula at high schools shape the development of gender and sexuality of students, and how in particular, the idealized form of masculinity boys are expected to perform is premised on the sexual and social control of girls. Pascoe is also a contributor to the book  Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living  and Learning with New Media.   She is an engaged public intellectual and activist for the rights of LGBTQ youth, who has worked with organizations including Beyond Bullying: Shifting the Discourse of LGBTQ Sexuality, Youth in Schools, Born This Way Foundation, SPARK! Girls Summit, TrueChild, and the Gay/Straight Alliance Network. Pascoe is working on a new book titled Just a Teenager in Love: Young People’s Cultures of Love and Romance and is a co-founder and co-editor of the blog Social In(Queery).