Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Portfolio - Essay Example al environment and achieve the objectives of the organisation. To do everything possible to promote and improve organisational standards through adherence to defined standards of work. To continually expand my knowledge and skills through continuous professional development. To work with creativity and initiative, through team work and deliver my best with full readiness to adopt and learn new skills in any dynamic field. To utilise the knowledge and skills I have acquired to serve the organisation efficiently and dedicatedly. To learn new ideas, skills that will enable me to acquire expertise, while serving the organisation. To serve the society without discrimination and help each individual achieve their desired objectives in life. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: ********** ************ *********** *********** ************* *************** JOB EXPERIENCE ********* *********** Extracurricular Activities and Hobbies Watching documentaries Playing and watching football Travelling Participati ng in talks and debates Painting REFEREES: **** **** **** Discussion The C.V. contains a description of my personal, educational and professional life. The career aspirations and goals resonate with the skills disclosed in the skills audit section. The information contained in the C.V is very helpful as it can be used by a potential employer to assess my qualification, skills and capability. As such, the C.V. has been written coherently to reveal my strengths such that potential employers can understand why I could be the best candidate for a particular position, which I will be interested in. Therefore, this CV is designed to attract an employer’s attention by making it possible for them to assess my unique qualities in the shortest time possible. For that reason, the CV has started by highlighting what I can offer to the employer at the beginning. Ideally, my CV captures the following skills which were also the main components in the skills audit.1 My teamwork capability ha s been emphasised in the CV. As part of my career objectives, I have disclosed that I want to be a team player. This issue is fundamental considering that most of the organisational goals cannot be achieved without people working together as a group, and therefore any potential employer will be on the lookout for those potential employees who are driven by the spirit of teamwork. In my profile, I have mentioned that I am a strong communicator, a quality that resonates with written and verbal communication skills mentioned in the audit section. Certainly, any business activity involves communication and many employers are interested with employees who have strong verbal and written capability. Strong initiative and creativity is also empathised in my CV, because as explain in the skills audit, this skill will make employers to realise that I can add value in the companies because creativity will help solve problems and come up with new ways of doing things. This unique quality differ entiates me from a crowd of applicants. Also my strong computer qualifications as disclosed in the CV

Applied Electronics Assignment. Coursework Lab Report

Applied Electronics Assignment. Coursework - Lab Report Example This lab report was based on the application of Arduino that is the hardware of the computer from the open source. In the design of a combinational circuit, a connection to the seven segments was done, and this has seven sections that were each controlled in ON or OFF to display a figure that was desired. The codes provided in the screen shots were used in the design to come out with the needed device. The desired figures were in the range of 0 – 9 that were displayed in the combinational circuit and these were in the seven segments connection. The letters were from A – F and these were hexadecimal letters used in the circuit designed. After entering all the necessary codes, the seven segments was able to display. This device (seven segments) are organized in such a way that it could make the shape like square â€Å"8† that is a little bit inclined towards the right. The device used was based on the LED and in this task; a reasonable stress was imposed on the display of the LED seven segments. On this LED, seven segments including a dot element were entirely based on the LEDs (Balagurusamy 2008). 3. The code used was 0001and the output displayed was 1 for 0010 of the output display, and the output result shall be 2, etc. The circuit was driven using 7446 IC, and this was based on the PCB to the seven-element display power drive of IC and was of a low active output. Every output to the PCB had the fully completed rippled bank and had no outside transistor driver. In the PCB, there were the built test functions that could be used for the test. Holding the ripple blanking high the test input pin was low all the LED element result was

Case Study Simulation Cotton On Limited Marketing Essay

Case Study Simulation Cotton On Limited Marketing Essay The purpose of the report is to establish three strategies which will address issues within Cotton-On Ltd causing their current financial troubles. The three chosen strategies are: research consumer buying habits, introduce online sales and expand sales into the European Union countries. These strategies will be explored and discussed to explain how they help improve the situation at Cotton-On Ltd. The first strategy research consumer buying habits shows how we look through the range of methods used for researching consumer buying habits in order to make a recommendation which is most suitable related to Cotton-On Ltd. Gathered data can be used to make decisions regarding various concerns with Cotton-On Ltd, such as product range, pricing or available sales channels. The methods used for researching consumer buying habits helps support other strategies because it allows Cotton-On Ltd to understand potential customers in new market settings. The second strategy introduce online sales refers to Cotton-On Ltd using the internet as a tool to strengthen the company because it is increasingly beneficial for them. Through extensive research Cotton-On Ltd should introduce online sales because of their position within the market otherwise they will be disadvantaged compared to competitors. Also the potential of the online sales channel is an opportunity for them to expand online and take advantage of the internet as a marketing tool. However there is a range of different ways Cotton-On Ltd can choose to approach selling their products online and this will be further discussed within the report. The third strategy expand sales into European Union countries explores this topic in context of online sales. The UK is a leading European country in relation to online sales however there are bigger markets to be explored, since some of these markets are expected to grow in the next few years. The topics which will be discussed is the European market related to Cotton-On Ltd, the aspect of the language barrier, the pricing / currency and any other points will be taken into consideration. All three strategies are explained to show the advantages for Cotton-On Ltd and highlight the main issues. We show how the strategies are linked together and where possible, suggest methods for implementation and overcoming issues. Those strategies are a starting point for the company to overcome their problems. Research Consumer Buying Habits Methodology Consumer buying habit is a complex matter and there are many factors that influence buying decision of the customer. When it comes to researching consumer behaviour for a business it is the greatest mystery of any business to solve (Matt Alderton, no date). There are many ways we could find out about consumer buying habits, but before doing anything else we need to investigate Cotton-On Ltd, its System or any previous study on the matter. One of the following techniques would be chosen to suit Cotton-On Ltd namely, interview, questionnaire, survey and consumer panel, but the best would be to organize customer focus group to help Cotton-On Ltd identify and find consumer specific needs. Customer focus group will produce good customer data in their own words, which would help create more effective marketing campaign and will expose problems within Cotton-On Ltd (Matt Alderton, no date). To get the best out of customer focus group it is important to stay focused on Cotton-On Ltd objectives that would have to be why the business is losing sale and how to save money? Predetermined questions and Moderator who be able to speak comfortably, easy to approach. Recruit up to twelve participants; the selection will be according to our question and will avoid random customer. Record the focus group either with a tape recorder or a video camera, but will have to ask participants permission. Evaluate feedback by reviewing the session to improve the quality (Matt Alderton, no date). As well as organising focus group Cotton-On Ltd should have a Consumer Panel to test our product as Consumer Panels are useful for fast short survey (DJS Research Ltd, no date). Discussion There are a few problems with Cotton-On Ltd system needs updating, improving and even would be scrapped once the new recommendation and system is implemented, but global issues have to be taken into account too, due to economic climate of UK, which is either flat or negative growth for the last six months family budgets are tight only spending where it matters most. The first issue has been noticed in Cotton-On Ltd case is that until last year it represented 20 per cent of UK customers, which is equivalent of 30 per cent of the UK sales revenue. That means Cotton-On Ltd prices are higher and something needs to be done in order to increment the sales revenue, whilst retaining the same sales revenue at least for now. In the light of the focus group Cotton-On Ltd will have to move accordingly whether to keep the same price for the moment, but offering something in addition to what customer buys or anything, otherwise desired. As Cotton-On Ltd have 20 stores across the UK and the only other mean of sale we have is through mail order, the Office for National Statistics retail sales figure for January 2012 out today 17-February 2012, non-store retailing which is mainly internet sales, grew by 13.3% in January (Chloe Rigby, 2012). So the shift continues from high street sales to online and mail order Cotton-On Ltd needs to recognize this and move accordingly. As a retailer the key for Cotton-On Ltd is to combine the flexibility that online and mail order delivers, with the customer service of the physical shopping. By bringing those together Cotton-On Ltd services and offers become more compelling to it is customers and this will lead to increased revenue, and will improve Cotton-On Ltd brand value (Chloe Rigby, 2012). As it shows in meeting of Cotton-On Ltd directors that the business does not know sales of their products by colour, size and Cotton-On Ltd should know which product is selling well and which one is not. So once we produce the final report on consumer buying habit we would be able to know these answers to some extent. Cotton-On Ltd would be able to decide accordingly to whether it is best to have online system that can filter separately each online sold product to our database then it will be easier for Cotton-On Ltd to see the products selling more, less, or none. In this way, we would be able to collate the data easily without losing them and produce in our factories according to these good and rich customers data. For finding out more about customer buying habits Cotton-On Ltd should have a good information system that allows collating data from online sales and also customers should be able to track their order. In this way we can expose our customers buying habits that how often they buy, their desired colour, for example it is very likely giving the system we have in Cotton-On Ltd that there are lots of certain products colour and sizes that never or very little been sold, so we need to cut producing those product in order to reduce waste and will result saving money. Introduce Online Sales Justification Cotton-On Ltd provides their customers with a few traditional ways of buying their products, they also have presence on the Internet via their website and advertising but they do not use it as distribution channel. Research shows that in the current market, where many traditional retailers have already introduced Internet sales, this step becomes a strategic necessity (Bernstein et al., 2008). Therefore Cotton-On Ltd is currently left in a disadvantaged position. In addition, even in this time of economic difficulties, when the traditional retail sector is shrinking, the number of online buyers and online sales are increasing (Datamonitor, 2011a). According to Datamonitor (2011a) in 2010 the online retail sector in the United Kingdom reached revenue of over  £24.1 billion ($38 billion) and sales in apparel (including accessories and footwear) reached  £3.5 billion ($5.5 billion). The entire market is expected to grow to over  £41.9 billion ($66 billion) by the end of 2015, 11.6% growth. This shows the potential of the online sales channel. It is relatively easy to enter into Internet retail, especially for an established company with set up distance sales, as the costs are low and there are little additional regulations (Datamonitor, 2011a; Great Britain. Office of Fair Trading, 2006). Implementation and Issues Cotton-On Ltd may not have staff with sufficient skills to build and maintain an online store integrated with their website; however this is not the only way of implementing this strategy. Using an existing online service, which allows retailers to sell through their website, may prove more feasible as the first step in providing online sales. Even though this is not an ideal solution (Bernstein et al., 2008) it also addresses other issuers mentioned later in this section. The current website can be updated to direct interested customers to the service where they can make a purchase, while the staff will only be faced with learning whatever interface the service is providing. There are a few other concerns related to online sales and gaining new customers through this channel. Research suggests that the reason for the strong standing of the online market is the convenience of lower prices and price comparison tools (Datamonitor, 2011a; Bernstein et al., 2008). Therefore price competition may be stronger than in the traditional market. At the same time, use of online sales helps to reduce transaction costs and some of those savings can be passed to customers (Bernstein et al., 2008) at least partially addressing the pricing issues. It is likely that this strategy will reduce sales through other channels, but this redirection is desirable due to the aforementioned reduced costs (Bernstein et al., 2008). The effects should be monitored and further decisions should be made accordingly. For example, telephone sales may no longer require as many staff members, but they may be trained for support in online sales and customer service via email. Trust is the main issue when attracting new buyers in the online setting. Customers are concerned about the security of online transactions, which means they are more likely to select known and trusted retailers (Datamonitor, 2011a; Premazzi et al., 2010). A study conducted by Premazzi, Castaldo, Grosso and Hofacker (2010) find that customers are more willing to provide their information only for certain compensation (prizes, vouchers etc.). And therefore, if this method is used, the type of compensation should suit the targeted audiences. It also concludes that well designed, user friendly and error free websites may increase customer trust. Another way of targeting new customers may be by using an already known and trusted service, for example Amazon. They are one of the biggest online retailers (Datamonitor, 2011a) and they offer ways for retailers to sell products on their website with relatively low cost (Amazon, no date). Products made available through Amazon website will be exposed to millions of shoppers that use their services, and Cotton-On Ltd could use Amazons position in the market as a declaration of the safety of the transaction to the customers (Amazon, no date). Additionally, successful transactions will increase Cotton-On Ltd brands exposure and increase trust for it. Legal considerations Selling over the Internet is considered the same as selling over the phone in light of distance selling regulations (Great Britain. Office of Fair Trading, 2006). Therefore we can expect that Cotton-On Ltd is already adhering to those regulations. However the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 introduces additional rules regarding advertising and sales using electronic channels. Because Cotton-On Ltd is already advertising on the Internet, hopefully with respect to those regulations, only extensions to sales specific regulations are required. Those rules affect: Information provided on the website used for sales. Technical means provided to customers (for example for identifying and correcting errors). Method of acknowledging orders (i.e. receipt supplied by electronic means). (Great Britain. Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 2002). Introducing an online distribution channel should not cause high additional costs related to legal matters. Additional Benefits Besides reduced costs and the chance of attracting new customers, use of the electronic sales channel also automates data collection and saves time required for order processing. If the changes are monitored and correct decisions are made to maximise benefits, Cotton-On Ltd will not only attract additional revenue but also lower its operation costs. Expand Sales to European Union Justification We propose the expansion of sales to other European Union countries only applies to the sales over the Internet. Costs of online expansion are relatively low, compared to a more physical solution (Premazzi, 2010) and high cost projects will probably not be possible due to the current situation at Cotton-On Ltd. The United Kingdom represents 23.5% of the European online retail sector (Datamonitor, 2011a). The other big markets are France, Germany, Italy and Spain with respectively 21.5%, 14.9%, 7.2% and 5.5% share of the market (Datamonitor, 2011a). It is also worth noting that both France and Germany have larger predicted growth over the next few years than the United Kingdom market. The French market is expected to exceed  £57.8 billion ($90.8 billion) 21% growth, and the German market is expected to exceed  £27.8 ($24.2 billion) 12.5% growth. Apparel (including footwear and accessories) accounts for 14.1% in both the German and French markets (Datamonitor, 2011b; c). This means that there is a large potential market outside of the United Kingdom. Implementation and Issues The technical and trust issues were already covered in the section on introduction of online sales, and the information provided also applies to this strategy. Pricing issues will be revisited in the context of foreign markets, due to issues arising from currency differences. The Single Market The European Union market is easy to access. European Union member states standardise their law to operate in a single market programme. The aim of this programme is to make doing business with other European Union counties as similar as possible to doing business in the companys country of origin. Measures, that European Union countries have introduced to achieve this, include: Reduction of paperwork accounting for the purposes of VAT is the same as for sales/purchases in the United Kingdom. Unified standards complying with United Kingdom technical and safety standards ensures meeting standards in other European Union countries. Free movement of people it is easy to employ European Union citizens in United Kingdom companies. Free movement of goods goods produced in the European Union or imported into a member state with duty paid, are considered to be in free circulation, further customs duty is not payable. Common currency 17 out of 27 member states have introduced the Euro as their currency, which reduces currency considerations for businesses. (Business Link, no date c; d; f) Languages Even though English is the language used internationally in business, it is still beneficial to have knowledge of countrys language and culture while doing business there (Business Link, no date a). A Eurobarometer pool found that almost half of the European Union citizens only speak one language (European Commission, 2012). Cotton-On Ltd needs to translate their website and products descriptions to the languages of targeted countries to not miss out on potential customers from those markets. They should also consider providing customer service in selected languages; it is possible they already have staff with language skills and if not, the free movement of people within the EEA makes it easier for businesses to find employees with the right skills (Business Link, no date b; d). Pricing Customers in other countries expect prices in their local currency. Therefore a company entering a foreign market should consider pricing and issues related to currency exchange (Business Link, no date h). Additional research into the market is required to make decisions on pricing; prices appropriate in the United Kingdom may not be appropriate in the new market (Business Link, no date e). Other Issues Cotton-On Ltd should also research competition in the new markets; consider marketing, delivery methods, payment methods and related costs (Business Link, no date e). Implementation suggestions The solution proposed for introducing online sales, where Cotton-On Ltd would use a known online retailer is also applicable here. If they choose an online retailer that already operates in their target markets, like Amazon (Amazon, no date), it may reduce some costs and solve some technical issues. Because each countrys market and culture is different, and some European countries still operate with their own currency, it is probably not feasible to expand to the entire European Union at once. Cotton-On Ltd should perform more detailed research into potential target markets and decide which to enter. Conclusion In our report, we established the three strategies: Research consumer buying habits, introduction of online sales and expansion of sales to European Union, which we think will address some of the problems arising at Cotton-On Limited. The main problem of the company is its financial situation and we are finding ways on how the three strategies and the process that can help to cope with this problem. We also talk about the possibilities on how the company can increase their sales through the strategies. In our research we also found out that the Cotton-On Ltd cannot only increase sales, but can also gain new prospected customers if Cotton-On Ltd follows the right procedure in implementing the strategies. In the Consumer Buying Habits, we were able to explain the methods that can be used to help the company with the targeting of their consumers. With the production of their products, the company will be able to target consumers who will be interested in the products. Interviews, questionnaire, survey and consumer panel are the method that can be used to get the target market for Cotton-On Limited. The Introduction of Online Sales is about using the Internet as a tool in selling their products. This strategy can also strengthen Cotton-On Limited, because it shows in the research that the number of online sales in the UK is increasing and will continue in same scale. We raised the implementation and the legal issues that the Cotton-On Ltd should take into consideration. We find out benefits as well that the company can get like reducing of cost however; they can still increase their profits. They can also attract new customers and gather customer information. There is a major issue in gaining customer trust. Most customers do not trust online sales so we recommend Cotton-On Limited to use known online retailers such as Amazon to target new customers and increase trust for the brand. In the Expansion of Sales to European Union, it is more likely the introduction of online sales because the company need to use the Internet for this strategy. Cotton-On Limited can use their internet setting so they can easily expand their business to the European Union countries. There are issues in this strategy such as the currency because most European Union countries use different currency so customers expect the prices to be in their local currency. With this issue, Cotton-On Limited should consider the pricing and issues related to the countrys currency exchange. We also talked about the language issue because different country speaks different language. It is discussed that it will really not be a big problem as English is the language used internationally in business however; customers expect their native language to be used so in selling the products, Cotton-On Limited needs to use the native language of the country where they are running their business. The company should also consider that they will enter a new market so they will also have new competitors in the business. The goal of these three strategies is to increase the revenue of Cotton-On Limited. The three strategies mentioned can help in increasing the funds of the company. If the company will be able to increase their funding because of the three strategies, they will have more budgets to make further improvements to increase the money coming in to the company. The company can also do stock control. This is a very useful improvement to increase their revenue. Stock control is very important because if they cannot do it effectively, it can lead to loss of sales or it can damage the reputation of the business. They have to make sure that they have enough stock all the time at the right time. They have to make sure that they have products to offer to their customers to gain business reputation so that they can have loyal customers and gain new ones. The company should make sure that they make careful planning with their stock control because having effective stock control can lead to making the business larger. The company will also need more tailored information system across their departments so they can get support on gathering data that can make the operation smooth and can reduce related costs.

The Evaluation Of The Microprocessor. Essay -- essays research papers

The Evaluation of the Microprocessor. The microprocessor has changed a lot over the years, says (Michael W. Davidson,http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/chipshot.html) Microprocessor technology is progressing so rapidly that even experts in the field are having trouble keeping up with current advances. As more competition develops in this $150 billion a year business, power and speed of the microprocessor is expanding at an almost explosive rate. The changes have been most evident over the last decade. The microprocessor has changed the way computers work by making them faster. The microprocessor is often called the brain of the C.P.U.(or the central processing unit)and without the microprocessor the computer is more or less useless. Motorola and Intel have invented most of the microprocessors over the last decade. Over the years their has been a constant battle over cutting edge technology. In the 80's Motorola won the battle, but now in the 90's it looks as Intel has won the war. The microprocessor 68000 is the original microprocessor(Encarta 95). It was invented by Motorola in the early 80's. The 68000 also had two very distinct qualities like 24-bit physical addressing and a 16-bit data bus. The original Apple Macintosh ,released in 1984, had the 8-MHz found at the core of it. It was also found in the Macintosh Plus, the original Macintosh SE, the Apple Laser-Writer IISC, and the Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet printer family. The 68000 was very efficient for its time for example it could address 16 megabytes of memory, that is 16 more times the memory than the Intel 8088 which was found in the IBM PC. Also the 68000 has a linear addressing architecture which was better than the 8088's segmented memory architecture because it made making large applications more straightforward. The 68020 was invented by Motorola in the mid-80's(Encarta 95). The 68020 is about two times as powerful as the 68000. The 68020 has 32-bit addressing and a 32-bit data bus and is available in various speeds like 16MHz, 20MHz, 25MHz, and 33MHz. The microprocessor 68020 is found in the original Macintosh II and in the LaserWriter IINT both of which are from Apple. The 68030 microprocessor was invented by Motorola about a year after the 68020 was released(Encarta 95). The 68030 has 32-bit addressing and a 32-bit data bus just like it's previous model, but it has paged memory management buil... ... 80-bit floating-point numbers, and 18-digit BCD (binary coded decimal) operands; it coincides to the ANSI/IEEE 754-1985 standard for binary floating-point arithmetic. The 80387SX operates individually on the 80386SX's mode, and it performs as expected regardless of whether the 80386SX is running in real, protected, or virtual 8086 mode. The microprocessor mi486 also called the 80486 or the 486 was invented in 1989 by Intel(Encarta 95). Like its 80386 predecessor, the 486 is a full-bit processor with 32-bit registers, 32-bit data bus, and 32-bit addressing. It includes several enhancements, however, including a built-in cache controller, the built-in equivalent of an 80387 floating-point coprocessor, and provisions for multiprocessing. In addition, the 486 uses a "pipeline" execution scheme that breaks instructions into multiple stages, resulting in much higher performance for many common data and integer math operations. In conclusion it is evident by the following that microprocessors are developing at leaps and bounds and it is not surprising that if by the time it hits the teacher's desk or by the time you read this the next superchip will be developed(Encarta 95).

Superflat

Bijutsu Fine art Kindai Bijutsu Modern art Manga Manga are comics and print cartoons, in Japanese and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. Otaku Known as a mass media product presenting Japanese Culture, anime, has gained an increasing exposure and acceptance overseas during the 1990s.The term otaku, which was coined in 1982 and came into popular usage by 1989, is usually translated as ‘geek’ or ‘aficionado,’ and refers to a group of people who ‘take refuge in a world of fantasy, drinking in the images supplied by the modern media – usually from television, magazines and comic books, but also computer images or video games’ (Baral 1999: 22). The etymology of â€Å"otaku† was drawn upon the work of Volker Grassmuck in his seminal otaku-studies article: I'm alone, but not lonely†: Japanese Otaku-Kids colonize the Realm of Information and Media, A Tale of Sex and Crime from a faraway Place. Superf lat art â€Å"The world of the future might be like Japan is today – Superflat. Society, customs, art, culture: all are extremely two-dimensional. It is particularly apparent in the arts that this sensibility has been flowing steadily beneath the surface of Japanese history †¦ [Superflat] is an original concept that links the past with the present and the future. † (Murakami, 2000: 9)Superflat is a concept and theory of art created by the contemporary Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. The Superflat (2000) exhibition in Tokyo marked the launch of this new aesthetic which took contemporary Japanese art and identity into a globalised milieu of critical thought. The exhibition, which was curated by Murakami and subsequently travelled to the United States, featured the work of a range of established and emerging artists drawn from art and commercial genres in Japan. As an essential part of Murakami’s political strategy, Superflat was always designed to travel g lobally.An elaborate, bilingual catalogue Super Flat (Murakami, 2000), which included Murakami’s manifesto, A Theory of Super Flat Japanese Art, accompanied the exhibition. In this manifesto Murakami affirmed that the Superflat exhibitions were created to provide a cultural-historical context for the new form of art that he was proposing, and which was specifically exported for Western audiences. Superflat art, as a cultural text, is intricately enmeshed in the tensions between the location and representation of local/global cultural identities.These identities, while proffering resistance through the assertion of difference, are also formed as part of the processes of globalization rather than in strict opposition to it (Robertson, 1995). In producing Superflat for Western art markets and Japanese art worlds, Murakami addresses existing discursive knowledge of Japanese art, history and popular culture, while simultaneously presenting a new variant of those identities. In thi s way, Superflat is part of the politics of commodification and expression of cultural difference generated in global consumption.Murakami’s Superflat concept identifies a new aesthetic emerging from the creative expressions produced in Japanese contemporary art, anime (Japanese animation), manga (graphic novels), video games, fashion and graphic design. Superflat is presented as a challenge to the institutions and practices of bijutsu (fine art), which Murakami argues are an incomplete import of Western concepts. Murakami is specifically referring to the modern institutions of kindai bijutsu (modern art) that were adopted during the Meiji period (1868–1912) as part of Japan’s process of modernization and Westernization.To Murakami, the innovation and originality of post-1945 forms of commercial culture represent a continuation of the innovations of the Edo (1600–1867) visual culture. Murakami problematically argues that Edo culture represents a more â₠¬Ëœoriginal’ cultural tradition, because it was a time of restricted foreign contact. At the same time, Murakami self-consciously uses Western art markets and the popular appeal of Japanese consumer culture to propose the Superflat alternative. That is, Murakami utilizes the Western popular imaginings of Japanese culture as a hyper-consumeristic, postmodern layhouse (Morley & Robins, 1995: 147–173) in constructing Superflat. SUPERFLATNESS: GLOBALIZING STRATEGIES IN ART MARKET As the interaction between social groups has become increasingly globalized, the meaning-making and expressivities associated with ‘art’ have also become progressively more engaged through national and transnational gradients (Papastergiadis & Artspace, 2003). In particular, the formation of identity and expressive modes in a national genealogy becomes problematic within a globalizing cultural sphere.Many artists struggle to find the binary position of balancing East and West cultures , while Takashi Murakami, contemporary Japanese artist, with his theory of Superflat art, worked out his way in this dilemma. He provides a useful case study of the strategies artists can employ to negotiate cultural and artistic identities ‘in between’ this binary. This paper investigates the Superflat concept and analyses Murakami’s art works to expose the tensions and dialogues regarding cultural identity and commodification that are produced by their global circulation.The first section maps Murakami’s strategy in constructing Superflat and contextualizes this in relation to discourses of Japanese national-cultural identity. The second section applies this theorization by analyzing the visual codes of Murakami’s figure sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy. This figure sculpture is part of a series in which Murakami combined the aesthetic codes and markers of otaku culture, particularly the prominence of anime and manga characters, with various art histo rical references.This piece demonstrates the multifarious local/global codes and cultures that Superflat art engages. Global Flows and the Soy Sauce Strategy Globalization creates spaces in which mobile elements interact with both positive and negative effects. Three key issues emerge in contemporary theorizations of globalization that are relevant to this discussion: firstly, the problem of how to retain the concept of local/national cultural particularity and to concurrently recognize the onvergences and overlaps between cultures in a global context (Robertson, 1995); secondly, how to recognize the value in cultural difference as a tool of critical (oppositional) agency (Fisher, 2003) and acknowledge that difference can also become a commodity in the global market place (Hall, 1991); and thirdly, to acknowledge the dominance of Western cultural, political and economic imperatives in globalization (Hardt & Negri, 2000), but also to recognize that it cannot be reduced to this condit ion (Held et al. , 1999).Consequently, concerns and celebrations are generated by the increasing fragmentation of national and cultural identities (Morley&Robins, 1995). In response to this process of deterritorializing identity, impulses arise to reclaim local and national identities in a form of resistance (Hall, 1995). This resistance is complicated because it is formed in relation to the transnational imaginings of the Self and the Other, stimulated by the constant circulation of people and mediated images through globalizations (Appadurai, 1996).These are irresolvable struggles and they demonstrate how globalization contributes to rather than eliminates incommensurability (Ang, 2003). Thus, while cultural identities can become territorialized and demarcated, for instance as ‘Japanese’, they are also challenged by the processes of deterritorialization activated through interaction and exchange. The meaning of ‘Japanese’ is therefore open to re-articulat ion by both global and local forces allowing new strategic identities to emerge.These processes are evident in Murakami’s â€Å"soy sauce strategy†. Murakami demarcates the identity of Superflat as Japanese by proposing it as an affirmation of a Pop Art aesthetic that is â€Å"born from Japan† and distinct from Western art: a type of post-Pop (Murakami, 2005: 152–153). Murakami asserts Superflat as an example of the current influence of Japanese culture globally and as a model for a future aesthetic, thereby identifying the ‘Otherness’ of Superflat in a positive way.Even though Murakami acknowledges that this sensibility emerges from the transformations arising from the influences of Western culture, he simultaneously reaffirms the originality of Superflat as a Japanese sensibility. This is what he refers to as his â€Å"soy sauce† strategy. Japanese contemporary art has a long history of trying to hide the soy sauce. Perhaps they will strengthen the flavor to please the foreign palette, or perhaps they’ll simply throw the soy sauce out the window and unconditionally embrace the tastes of French or Italian cuisine, becoming the Westerners whose model of contemporary art they follow †¦I see the need to create a universal taste – a common tongue – without cheating myself and my Japanese core †¦ I continue to blend seasonings †¦ I may have mixed in the universal forms and presentations of French, Italian, Chinese, or other ethnic cuisines – and I am vigilant in my search for their best points – but the central axis of my creation is stable †¦ at its core, my standard of ‘beauty’ is one cultivated by the Japan that has been my home since my birth in 1962. (Kaikaikiki Co.Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 130) This essential Japanese identity of Superflat is reinforced by the ways in which Murakami connects (visually and ideologically) the kawaii (cute) forms of anime and manga with the playful aesthetic of Edo period artists and the two-dimensional formal properties of Japanese screen painting. This foundation is then used to propose Superflat as an alternate lineage of Japanese visual culture, one that breaks away from the canon of kindai bijutsu and Western art history.Edo functions in Superflat as the determinant of its cultural authenticity – that is, as the DNA of Superflat (Murakami, 2000: 25). Edo is presented as the site of Japan’s cultural tradition and subsequently as a symbol of its Japaneseness. This is a convention from modern Japanese discourses in which Edo becomes the repository of nostalgic yearnings for a pre-modern, traditional Japan (Ivy, 1995).In the late 1980s and early 1990s this was extended to become part of the debates on Japan’s (post)modernity; postmodern cultural expressions in Japan were considered to be a revival of Edo concepts and practices and thus particularly à ¢â‚¬Ëœindigenous’ to Japan (Karatani, 1997). However, as Gluck (1998) points out, the definition of authentic and traditional Japanese expression in relation to a fixed point of origin in Edo culture has been heavily challenged. Therefore, Murakami’s use of Edo to mark the culturally authentic transmission of the Superflat aesthetic should be treated with caution.At the same time, Murakami has emphasized that he is not presenting Superflat as the definitive interpretation of Japanese art nor does he claim a unified identity for Japan: Unfortunately, I can never give ‘Japan’ a fixed shape. I cannot meet my real ‘self’. Nor can I discern what ‘art’ really is †¦ I thought I could solve the problem by lining up a series of images in a powerful procession that words could not clarify. (Murakami, 2000: 9) Even this position can be critiqued.Murakami self-consciously demonstrates his awareness of the historical interaction between J apan and the West and stresses the hybrid history of Superflat. However, he also tends to celebrate Japan’s skill in assimilating and domesticating foreign influences, echoing other discourses on Japan’s hybridity as a national-cultural trait (Tobin, 1992), which paradoxically reconstructs Japan’s hybridity as an essential identity. Murakami’s intention to create an epistemological context for Superflat is explicitly part of his aim to sell work in international art markets: First, gain recognition on site (New York). Furthermore, adjust the flavoring to meet the needs of the venue. 2 With this recognition as my parachute, I will make my landing back in Japan. Slightly adjust the flavorings until they are Japanese. Or perhaps entirely modify the works to meet Japanese tastes. 3 Back overseas, into the fray. This time, I will make a presentation that doesn’t shy away from my true soy sauce nature, but is understandable to my audience. (Kaikaikiki Co . Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001:131)The impulse in Superflat towards the affirmation of a national-cultural aesthetic can be considered as a form of self-Orientalism: an identity formation that is constructed in relation to the Western Oriental gaze (Said, 1995). While self-Orientalism has been considered (although not specifically in relation to Superflat) as an empowered strategy, because it appropriates the West’s gaze of Japan and re-packages it for the same audience (Mitchell, 2000), others have considered it collusive to Orientalism and a continuation of the Japan/West binary construction (Iwabuchi, 1994).This self-Oriental identity is complicated by a number of factors. First, Superflat does echo conventional discursive constructions of a Japan/West binary, which obscures the connections and power relations in this structure. In particular, Superflat can also be interpreted as being part of the discourses on Japanese identity, particularly the emergence of nihonjinron and postmodernism post-1970s in relation to Japan’s economic and technological influences (Befu, 2001). There was a tendency in both these strains of discourse to emphasize Japan’s national identity as unique and different from the West and the East.Secondly, while Murakami acknowledges the Western influences on the Superflat aesthetic, his simultaneous transposing of this hybrid identity into a reinforcement of a Japanese identity, characterized by cultural assimilation and hybridization, reinforces a unified national-cultural identity. This identity is supported by the references between Superflat and already existing discursive constructions of Japanese culture as post-modern and the interpretation of the two-dimensional properties of Japanese art, which will be discussed later in the paper.Thirdly, Superflat is also part of ongoing trade relations and cross-fertilizations of visual culture forms between Japan and the West particularly since the late nineteenth century. These include the adoption of bijutsu in the Meiji period, the popular consumption of Japanese visual culture in the West (in late nineteenth century Japonisme and since the 1990s with the consumption of anime and manga), and the post-1945 influx of commercial culture from the United States and its subsequent impact on the development of the anime and manga industries (Kinsella, 2000).In some ways, the self-Orientalism of Superflat can be interpreted as a post-colonial defensive reaction. Superflat is presented by Murakami as a localized expression of cultural uniqueness resisting the global hegemony of Western art and transcending the imported colonialist history of bijutsu by presenting â€Å"icons of excessive otherness† (Matsui, 2001: 48). This resistance, in turn, strategically uses identity as a commodity in Western art markets.By explicitly emphasizing the differences of Superflat, and Superflat as Japanese, Murakami becomes open to criticism that h e is merely providing a futuristic Orientalist spectacle for Western audiences (Shimada, 2002: 188–189). Furthermore, the ever-present danger with this position is that the centrality of the United States and Europe is re-asserted rather than challenged. Murakami explicitly reinforces this centrality through his statements regarding the importance of his profile in New York, London and Paris (Kelmachter, 2002: 76).Murakami’s strategy of merging artistic expression and the commercial imperatives of Orientalism also echoes the export art of the late nineteenth century in which new works were created for foreign markets, according to the dictates of those markets (Conant, 1991: 82–84). Export objects were deliberately constructed to appeal to the taste for Japonisme that was fashionable in Europe and the United States at the time. Murakami’s affirmation of Superflat as a Japanese-made model for the future also reiterates the recent rhetoric on Japan’s global cultural power in relation to the export of anime and manga (McGray, 2002).These discourses emphasize the symbolic (and subsequent economic) capital of the Japaneseness of anime and manga texts and they deliberately emphasize the commodity potentials of self- Orientalism. Murakami draws attention to these politics in the Superflat exhibition Coloriage (Coloring) at the Foundation Cartier by referring to it as â€Å"post-Japonisme† (Kelmachter, 2002: 103–104), thereby both connecting with the past market in Japanese art and suggesting a new contemporary context for the consumption of Superflat art.However, to reduce Superflat to a collusive Orientalism, or to see it as just a commodification of identity in a pejorative sense, misinterprets the dynamics in play. Murakami is both proffering resistance as well as marketing his work strategically. Firstly, Murakami articulates his identity through the exhibition structures of the West as well as through conventional signifiers of Japanese aesthetics in order to establish his profile and to sell his work.Yet he also acknowledges the ambivalences of his own position and the playfulness of this global soy sauce flavoring: In the worldview that holds delicate flavoring as the only concept of ‘beauty’ with any value, heavy flavouring is taboo, and too much stimulation is definitely problematic†¦ In order to create something that is understandable both to the West and Japan, what is needed is an ambivalent flavor and presentation †¦ . (Kaikaikiki Co. Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 131)Furthermore, dominant scholarly arguments on the popular consumption of anime and manga outside Japan hold that these forms express plural cultural identities and, as Allison (2000) shows, are detached from specific representations of space and place. This suggests that the consumption of Superflat, like that of anime and manga, is not simply based on a desire for reflected images of Japaneseness as a cultural Other; rather, it offers audiences a flexibility of alternate identities, free from specific geo-cultural connections.It can also be argued that a critical factor in the reception of Murakami’s works in the United States and Europe has been the familiarity of the Superflat aesthetic to anime and manga as part of a common rather than Orientalised visual vocabulary. Superflat echoes the paradox of affirming the non-nationality of texts, while also presenting them as expressions of national-cultural identity. However, there is another way to explain this contradiction of Superflat between the affirmation of non-national and specific cultural identities.The critical theorist Yoda Tomiko (2000) presents contemporary anime forms as a useful example of a coterminous fluidity between local codes that are interchangeable and coexistent with non-local elements. Elements in the text can be swapped around and adapted for different audiences, and these elemen ts are simultaneously collated with non-specific elements drawn from a wide variety of sources; therefore, the overall form remains transportable as well as expressing cultural proximity.While this process of adaptation is not new, what Yoda indicates is that it is increasingly becoming a normative process within the logic of postmodern consumer society. The local identity expressed in Superflat utilizes the connections with Edo and anime and manga culture to articulate its cultural specificity and yet it also expresses a postmodern fluidity and self-reflexivity that enables it to be globally circulated. The following section demonstrates the multifarious local/global codes and cultures in Murakami’s figure sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy. Superflat IdentityTakashi Murakami may have been the happiest at Sotheby’s Auction on May 14th. My Lonesome Cowboy, his larger-than-life sculpture of a boy waving an ejaculate lasso, brought in $15. 2 million — quintupling the ar tist's previous record at auction. Just like what Alexandra Munro has written, â€Å"Murakami does not merely appropriate the manga and anime based worlds of otaku subculture; he operates within them. His lushly bright, mutant characters, all of which have names, act coveted by convenience store consumers as much as they are sought after by international art community. Murakami’s works always act in the multiple spaces in and between Japan and the West, referencing there intertwined relations. My Lonesome Cowboy can be linked to a number of familiar aesthetic forms from both Western and Japanese art history, thus it is a field of knowledge operating both within and between the social, cultural and aesthetic conditions of East and West. My Lonesome Cowboy is characterized by a large lasso of ejaculate reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s splash paintings in the late 1940s.The confident masturbatory pose of the figure can be interpreted as a parodic and sexualized reference to the phallo-centric ideology of Western Modernism, in which the autonomy and expressive subjectivity (as well as the masculinity) of artists such as Pollock was celebrated. The title itself, My Lonesome Cowboy, also references the heroism and romanticism of the iconic image of the cowboy, which was celebrated in relation to the New York Abstract Expressionist painters, and was parodied in the homo-erotica of Andy Warhol’s film Lonesome Cowboys (1969).The stream of ejaculation fluid is both an exaggerated and grotesque parody of otaku (hard-core anime and manga fans) imaginings and masturbatory activities and a parody of the ‘unique’ stroke of the brush of the artist. The overt and ironic decorativeness of the fiberglass splash subverts the modernist ideology of the unique mark of the artist’s hand as an expression of interior subjectivity in a manner that is reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein’s series of screen-prints, Brushstrokes, created in the m id to late 1960s.These references are then combined with recognizable Japanese aesthetic markers. For example, the Dragon Ball Z character Goku is the model for the head of the cowboy; the splash of ejaculate is also reminiscent of the static dynamism of Hokusai’s ukiyo-e print View of Mount Fuji through High Waves off Kanagawa (ca. 1829–1833). The standing pose of the figure with the power and energy concentrated in the hips thrust forward, accentuated by the expulsion of liquid from the penis, is something that has also been specifically linked to the style of character pose developed in anime (Kaikaikiki Co.Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 96). This is contrasted to the Western comic hero pose in which the concentration of power and muscular strength is emphasized in the pectoral muscles (96). The sense of dynamism between stasis and movement in My Lonesome Cowboy can also be linked to various forms of compositional structures in Japanese screen-paintin gs and anime. One of the key features of early Japanese television animation is an aesthetic based on the frozen pose, in which a figure can leap in the air and freeze the pose, unfixed from gravity.Part of the rationality behind the frozen moment in animation was a response to budget constraints and efficient production processes; by freezing the frame and allowing the dialogue to continue fewer frames of animated movement were needed for the narrative (Lamarre, 2002: 335). As a stylistic tendency, the technique of freezing the action in animation relies on selecting the most dramatic or aesthetic moment to freeze, creating a dramatic pause before the action (2002: 335–336).Therefore, what is evident is that Murakami simultaneously articulates Japanese and Western aesthetic markers in My Lonesome Cowboy. While these references can be individually demarcated and identified, there is also an interchangeable flexibility that is addressed. More specifically, what this means is t hat the splash of semen can simultaneously reference Pollock, Lichtenstein, Hokusai and Kanada. Thus, it becomes a fluid and slippery signifier. This can be explained as one of the reasons for the global prominence and popularity of Superflat and Murakami.Furthermore, the art historical and popular cultural references would be considered relatively conventional markers for audiences conversant with these texts. Many of the Japanese works in the Superflat catalogue are held in Western collections, including Hokusai’s Great Wave. Murakami’s works are therefore characterized by a particular inter-determinacy, which enables him to manipulate the Japanese identity of the works while also utilizing the familiarity of the visual references for Western audiences. This trategy is further complicated by the overlapping historical aesthetic relationship between Japan and the West. First, the concept of Superflatness, as an aesthetic of two-dimensionality, reinforces the Western i mage of Japan as a culture of surface. The development of the flat surface, which has been interpreted by Clement Greenberg as the underpinning aesthetic realization of Western modern painting, was influenced by Japanese art, particularly ukiyo-e prints, in the nineteenth century (Evett, 1982: ix–x).In particular, an aesthetic of two-dimensionality was identified as a distinctive feature of Japanese art in late nineteenth century Europe (1982: 30). 13 In contrast to the Western discursive construct of Japanese art as inherently two-dimensional, Western practices of linear perspective by this time had already influenced Japanese art. 14 Secondly, because anime and manga are increasingly familiar to consumers outside of Japan, particularly since their export in the 1990s, they have become part of the database of visual aesthetics of artists and fans outside of Japan (Craig, 2000: 7).The complex visual cultural relationships between Japan, United States and European art are more politically intertwined than these explicit and obvious references imply because they are influenced by ideologies and constructions of national identity. The image of Japan as a culture of surface continued into the twentieth century and was translated from the mid-1980s into the confirmation of Japan’s post modernity: Japan as a culture of surface was now celebrated (Barthes, 1982; Field, 1997) and it was constructed (arguably) as the epitome of post-modernity (Miyoshi and Harootunian). 5 This was contrasted to Western modernist discourse of the surface as a manifestation of interior subjectivity. Postmodernism presented a challenge to this concept of originality and interior/exterior distinctions through theories of simulacrum, pastiche and the collapsing of surface/depth models as developed by Baudrillard (1983), Jameson (1991), and Virilio (1991). Even the discourses that emphasized Japan’s creative skill in domesticating foreign imports (Tobin, 1992) as a contra st to the earlier pejorative concept of mimicry reinforced the image of Japan as an appropriator of different styles or surfaces.While the distinction between surface and depth is not absent in Japan, the duality between surface and depth in Western modern epistemology (and even in subsequent discourses that challenge it) is not necessarily expressed using those dichotomous terms in Japanese culture; rather, the surface is considered to be meaningful and creative. For example, the art historian Tsuji Nobuo (2002: 18) identifies the decorative surface as providing a link between the ordinary and everyday sphere and the extraordinary metaphysical realm.In this way, the decorative surface does not ‘lack’ meaning but is active as an intermediary expression and aesthetic. Hendry (1993) also identifies the importance of ‘wrapping’ in Japanese culture, in which the external layers, whether they be clothing, architecture or gifts, form the critical meaning structur e. Wrapping operates as a method of accumulating ‘layers of meaning’ that are not normally present in the unwrapped object (1993: 17). This process inverts the Western philosophical privileging of the core (the object inside the wrapping) as the primary site of meaning and the external wrapping as obscuring the object.In fact Hendry argues that the meaning of the enclosed object and the layers of wrapping are conceptually embedded in each other and cannot be separated (1993: 17). While flatness and the emphasis on surface quality and decoration in Superflat art can thus be considered an exploitation of the Western construct of Japan as a culture of surface aesthetics, it can also be interpreted as an assertion of the creative value of the surface in Japanese culture. In this latter interpretation Superflatness becomes a unique aesthetic form that articulates multiple and active spaces, not the erasure or reduction of meaning.The concept of active flatness and continual transformation is a useful approach to understanding the Superflat aesthetic. It is difficult to differentiate a singular point of origin or a stable and unified subject in the multiple cultural identities embedded in My Lonesome Cowboy. Such is the shared history and cross-fertilization of aesthetic forms that these multiple layers of references and aesthetic histories of Japan and the United States/Europe present a significant complexity to the explicit identification of these references as Japanese or Western.Furthermore, to presume that they will even be decoded as signifying geo-cultural aesthetic territories is equally problematic. It is evident that Murakami’s explicitly playful references act as heterogeneous and malleable signifiers of identity, and thus can be readily interpreted as a postmodern expression of multiplicity. Furthermore, the inter-textual references to Japanese art history, Western art history, and imagined constructions of Japanese identity, play to the knowingness of audiences. The Westernization of Superflat and its Japaneseness articulate two forms that can be accessed by Murakami from his database of codes.

I’m Not Scared Essay

His choices, with exception of the ‘Judas’ secret, are the right ones. His compassion and natural sense of what is right and wrong are sure guides, despite his age, naivety and fears. Michele draws upon a naive but heroic sense of right and wrong as he accepts responsibilities. His humanity overwhelms his fears. Fear is one of the most incapacitating and destructive emotions as I’m Not Scared demonstrates. The experience of fear and the ways in which fear can influence the characters actions are at the centre our minds. To say ‘I’m Not scared’ is to deny being afraid, but most of the novels central characters do experience fear. Traditions, circumstances and events govern the lives of both children and adults and create fears. Firstly his fear circulates around peer group isolation and anxiety. He fears losing and having to do the forfeit, but his realization that there was ‘something dirty†¦. something nasty’ that he did not want his sister Maria to see, in Skull’s treatment of Barbara, makes him accept the forfeit in her place. Michele’s protection of his sister, though reluctant, is a moral duty he does not shrink, and is the first sign of his innate goodness. Skull’s abuse of power makes all the children live in fear. But it is how Michele’s is overridden by the morally correct thing to do in this situation even though he feared of not wanting to the forfeit. Michele has imaginary fears of ‘witches meeting at night in abandoned houses’ and ‘an ogre’ that will ‘eat him bit by bit’. Derived from religious stories, comic’s television shows and his vivid imagination, monsters filled his dreams. He tried to foil them by imagining luring them into a golden bus to take then ‘all to the circuses. He imagines that then his stomach opens and they ‘all walked happily into it’. Unfortunately, as he learns more about Filippo Carducci, the kidnapped son of the Lombard business man, Michele’s nightmares shift to reality of his own living world. Michele’s discovery of the boy in hole and what to do is the most serve test of his moral character. The principle questions are; will Michele do anything to help the boy? Or just pretend he never found him? Even when Michele knows he is right to be afraid, he is compelled to act by his sense of moral obligation. He knows he ‘must go’ to see Filippo after he hears Filippo’s mother’s declaration of love on the television, even though he ‘was scared’. His loss of innocence and world of betrayal are distressing and difficult lessons for him. â€Å"Papa was the bogeyman. By day he was good but at night he was bad. † After Michele has promised on his father head that he would not go visit Filippo again, he was torn by the fact that he had also promised Filippo that he will visit him. He calls upon enormous reserves of both physical and moral courage to break his oath sworn on his father’s head, disobey his own father’s edicts, confront his own fears and overcome injuries to free Filippo.