Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Introduction Southwest Airline, since time in memorial, has been one of the outstanding competitors in the Airline industry. Its low fares have propelled it to glory among the commuters of United States; these fares are said to be 30% lower than its fieriest rivals in the airline industry in the US.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition to this, the company possesses a structure that is low in terms of cost, which has enabled it to record high margins of profits in spite of the financial year being bad. A good example of a bad financial year was in 2002, when the airline industry faced decrease in demand due to the September 11 terror attack. It has been identified that 2001 to 2005 were the worst years of the airline industry in its history. However while the other airlines were losing money the Southwest airline was reportedly earning money. The operations o f Southwest airlines are unique from other airline thus making it distinctive. While other airlines like the United Airlines and American Airlines deal with routing passengers through hubs, the Southwest deals with routing the passengers from point to point. This enables the airline to acquire more and more passengers to obtain the required demand. Delays are hence reduced tremendously due to the avoidance of hubs. Another factor that ensures a success story of the airline is cutting of training cost, inventory costs, and maintenance costs. This is ensured by using of one kind of aeroplane called the Boeing 737. The employee to passenger ratio is the best in the airline industry (Hill and Jones, 2009, p. 105). Factors of success Integration One of the key factors that have enhanced the success of the Southwest Airline is the way the airline integrates its activities. The airline has successfully integrated its activities in a manner that has made it a headache for its competitors to try to emulate them. The strategy used by the Southwest Airline in integrating its activities is one of its pillars to successful undertaking of differentiation strategy or integrated cost leadership. This hence enables the firm to operate profitably as compared to its competitors. The sixty-fourth consecutive profits announced by the firm only confirm the success story of the firm (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2009, p. 104). Unique culture and customer service The firm’s culture is suggested to be its key in influencing its integration and a major contributor to the existing identification of the firm’s unique service to its clients. Apart from lowering of the cost, the uniqueness of its service separates the firm from its competitors. The customer service and the unique culture of the firm are some of the success factors that have become impossible for other competitors in the industry to emulate.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's se e if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Competitors like Continental Airlines, US Airways, and United Airlines had attempted to emulate the Southwest Airlines by lowering their prices but were unable to offer any unique distinction to customers especially while in air. In addition to this, these competitors were unable to operate at the same range of cost as the Southwest Airlines (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2009, p. 104). Indomitable will to succeed The Southwest Airlines has been founded on an independent spirit since early days of its incorporation. In 1994, various major airlines conspired against the Southwest Airline thereby barring it from Travel Reservation Network. In a twist of events, the airline did not involve itself in endless and costly court battle but rather it launched the Ticketless Travel a service that has since become a standard mark of the industry. In addition to this Southwest Airline has been awarded numerously f or its indomitable spirit to succeed. In 1996, the airline was awarded for its high rated performance in terms of performance, baggage handling and less customer complaints (Yerkes, 2007, p. 48). Compensation The compensation rate of the Southwest Airline is higher as compared to its competitors. At a time, these compensation rates are said to be the highest in the airline industry. In addition to this, the airline offers the company offers a benefit package that is relative good as compared to other airlines. Profit sharing plan is an operation that was started in 1973 in the Southwest Airline (Thompson and Gamble, 2008, 518). The compensation procedure undertaken in Southwest Airline emphasizes on productivity, flexibility, and creativity. The pilots are paid according to the trips undertaken and not as per hour. This hence helps in creating the attitude within pilots of minimizing the time of the aircrafts at the airport. Evaluation of Southwest Airlines A lot has been said about Southwest Airline but the fact remains more is still to be written. This airline has passed the test of time through the drummer it has faced throughout its history. Its success story has earned it attention and admiration from its competitors in the airline industry. Customer service is regarded as the top priority of the Southwest Airlines. If fact the airline often refers to it as â€Å"Positive Outrageous Service† which is elaborated to mean that in spite of your rank in the in the airline your required to take all the required steps to ensure customer satisfaction (Bacon and Pugh, 2003, p. 266).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Southwest Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In terms of cost the Southwest airlines ensured that, the productivity of the people and the plane were at their maximum. In order to succeed in this the employees had be ready to work harder. A culture of tight-knit family evolv ed which included listening to other people’s ideas. In other words, it has been expressed that the spirit of the Southwest Airlines is what keeps them intangible (Bacon and Pugh, 2003, p. 268). Unless one learns of what Southwest Airline is made of, its success cannot be understood. By out classing its opponents the Southwest Airline cannot be ignored and is a name to reckon with. In the wake of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, the Southwest Airline increased its presence by solidifying its position in the market in terms of expansion. This goes further to indicate how this airline is opportunistic even worse situations (Gittell, 2003, p. 5). The airline prefers a model that enhances quality and effectiveness in operations to an extent that it forms a significant part of the firm’s business strategy. The Southwest Airline has been termed as the best profitable company in the US. Its capitalization is higher than a combination of several US ai rlines. This is contrary to the first year of its incorporation where it faced financial difficulties as the airline was in a survival mode. In short, the culture of Southwest Airline has transformed over time from a culture that was limited to southwestern area of USA to a culture that embraced knowledge, mutual respect, and common goals. Conclusion The business model used by the Southwest Airliner conclusively define why the airline is has successfully established itself in the airline industry. The identification of the customers to be served and ensuring the airline is the lowest cost provider are the main pillars to its ever-growing profits. The business strategy used by the Southwest Airlines is that of low cost provision and is accompanied with the use of regular services. Significant amount of monies are used by the Southwest Airlines to train their employees and develop their daily operations. Each and every work that is undertaken by the Southwest Airlines has it s own mec hanical and training department. Despite having a unionized airline, the Southwest Airline does not have rigid rules in its work environment. The corporation of people has also enhanced the making of Southwest Airlines a low cost carrier.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More All in all the Southwest Airlines has a culture that allows its clients to have an economical travel with enough freedom to enjoy. In addition to this, the culture set by the Southwest Airlines is that which incorporates making of a positive difference in the firm, acquiring of shared knowledge and obtaining of mutual respect. These initiatives introduced in this airline have enabled company management to be efficient and not only that the managers in this airline rely on them in their daily activities. In competitive cost advantage, the Southwest Airlines are based on work done by people in terms of their compensation, cost of meals, corporate culture, and reservation system. References Bacon, T. R. and Pugh, D. G. (2003). Winning behavior: what the smartest, most successful companies do differently. NY: AMACOM. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=zDgC8yc9lhUCpg=PA266dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=4ved=0CD0Q6AEwAzgK #v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false Gittell, J. H. (2003). The Southwest Airlines way: using the power of relationships to achieve high Performance. NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=BapojOGVz5cCprintsec=frontcoverdq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=FT81TciWNJH14QbOkKm-Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false. Hill, C. and Jones, G. (2010). Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach. OH: South-western Cengage. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=CzIK9ELsyYwCpg=PA105dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCsQ6AEwADgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D. and Hoskisson, R. E. (2009). Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. OH: South-western Cengage. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=ul5FsIlWa3ECpg=PA104dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xo i=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CDEQ6AEwATgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false. Thompson, A. A. and Gamble, J. E. (2008). The Southwest Airlines in 2008: Culture Values, and Operating Practices. AB. Retrieved from Attachments. Yerkes, L., (2007). Fun works: creating places where people love to work. CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=lK86xiz-xgUCpg=PA47dq=southwest+airlineshl=enei=Uz81TdOdL4m54Aav67i2Cgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=3ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepageq=southwest%20airlinesf=false.

Canadian Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Canadian Identity - Essay Example The immigration of people from all over the world and their adoption of an essentially Canadian way of life have led to a situation where the people of this country have been united. This union has come about mainly because the increasing number of immigrants has been able to counter the some of the negative effects brought about by the British- and French-speaking populations. Immigrant communities have been able to bring about diversity in the political, social and economic life of Canada. These individuals have, in addition, been able to adapt to life in Canada so effectively that they have become a basic part of life in the country. They have further been able to promote a strong Canadian identity, especially in the second and third generations after the original immigrants, that they have not only transcended the political and social conflicts previously experienced, but have also been instrumental in the creation of a strong Canadian identity that has allowed the nation to cont inue thriving. In conclusion, the discussion above has attempted to show that Canadian identity has come about as a result of its multicultural nature, the identification of a common destiny by its people, and immigration which has become a basic part of the country’s policies. Among the most significant aspects of these has been its multiculturalism which has allowed for the creation of a diverse nation. Through the development of a strong national identity, these cultures have been brought together in such a way that they have fostered unity.

ECON ASSIGN 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ECON ASSIGN 1 - Assignment Example With the nation experiencing a recession and government over spending its annual allocations, the only choice that was left for survival was borrowing. The plan was effective in enabling the nation get through the recession. Another advantage of deficit spending is the fact that a nation or household is enabled to invest loan money and also benefit from the profits made from borrowing. In an argument by Baumol (2005) deficit spending allows a nation to create investment opportunities that are not included in the budget. The author further points out that the investment has potential of repaying its debt and creating a surplus. Baumol (2005) points out that deficit spending put future generations in debt that they did not benefit from. Large deficits spent may take years for them to be repaid. For years, the borrowed money may be used for investment which the current government may use the profits for other financial purposes. For this reason, the debts may be recurring for generation to generation. Deficit spending may also minimize the level o loan allocation for private organizations. Seater (2008) points out that, large borrowing from the government may reduce the rate at which investors and financial institutions offer the same services to private business entities. The crowding effect refers to the creation of financial and other resources deficits after over utilization by the government. Seater (2008) crowding out enables the government to be the only market determinant as private organizations does not have je opportunity to access financial and other resources. However, crowding out effect may also create investment opportunities in the market. The jap created by large borrowings provide an opportunity by wealthy private investor to capitalize on the situation. In analyzing the pros and cons of deficit spending, it is an

Hospitality industry Essay Example for Free

Hospitality industry Essay I HAD the good fortune of being able to attend the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events/Exhibitions Conference, or MICECON 2011, sponsored by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and by many hotels and resorts in The Queen City, Cebu just recently. I just found out that the next one will not be until 2013 since the Philippines is hosting PATA next year. Green and technology were the main themes of the conference which brought international speakers like Hitesh Mehta, a sustainable architect; Noor Ahmad Hamid of the ICCA ;Corbin Ball; Max Hitchins, the Hospitality Doctor; John Peacock of Associations Forum, Australia; Susan Cardenas of Inkaterra fame, among many others who talked about green, sustainability and the use of technology to make for more efficient MICE operations. It was a welcome sign of improvement in our local hospitality industry to see the following changes, albeit for the better: †¢ The conference did not use any Styrofoam. Water was served in reusable glasses; coffee was served in paper cups and you could use a permanent marker to write your name on the cup, so you could reuse it throughout the day. Radisson Blu gave out reusable water bottles in their trademark blue color. †¢ The conference served snacks on banana leaves on â€Å"nito† trays and during one Coffee Break, Bluewater resorts even used a nipa box lined with banana leaves that many speakers took home. †¢ The Shangri-La Mactan gave away Citronella candles in cute woven containers, as their theme was GLAMPING or Glam Camping and citronella candles sure come in handy to ward off insects in camp. †¢ The MICECON organizers led by Stanie Soriano gave away flash disks or usb sticks so you could download the presentations, rather than bringing home tons of paper or handouts. This was appropriate because of being both techie and green. †¢ The governor of Cebu gave away little banig bags with a souvenir â€Å"puso† keychain and a mini ukelele that Cebu is famous for. †¢ The Marco Polo gave away little baskets of dried fruit or mango tarts, rather than Swiss chocolates. †¢ I could feel the locavore fever running through everyone’s minds, when this event was planned. Even the speakers’ send off gifts were local Tablea Chocolates wrapped in a reusable buri box courtesy of ECHOstore (shameless plug). So, it can be done. Show the best of the country and the province, rather than buy something cheap from China or pick the usual corporate or conference giveaways. The presents were tastefully done and the meals well-prepared. The conference was very inspiring, to say the least. It gave me hope that we can plan events with a meager budget but come up with something original, environment-friendly and promote locavorism. As soon as our panel discussion on greening the industry was over, a lady approached me to seek help â€Å"to remove all plastic from her hotel.† I told her we would help find suppliers for her needs. Some attendees approached me to say they were now ready to â€Å"buy local and use local.† Our locavorism will differentiate us from other more modern Asian countries. If we use more local ingredients, use more local food and drink, we surely will stand out because we have our own unique flavors. In architecture, we also can now promote our â€Å"bahay kubo† (nipa hut) than compete with the latest glass and steel structure of Thailand or Singapore. Like the old saying goes: â€Å"If you don’t have the height, maybe you have the speed!† So let us not be disappointed or discouraged when we are compared with our Asian neighbors. Nature is in. Eco-friendly is in demand. Eco lodges are the newest craze in the hospitality industry. Even Bill Gates now  stays in a â€Å"natural† resort in China, as mentioned by our speaker Hitesh Mehta. Who knows? Maybe we can claim the unique selling proposition that we have the best eco-friendly lodges and sustainable food and drink. After all, we do have banana leaves in abundance, we have organic rice and other organic foods because we cannot afford fertilizers and growth enhancers. Let us promote our being natural, eco-friendly and sustainable. Just like MICECON 2011 did. Kudos to The Tourism Promotion Board for a job well done. Chit Juan is an owner and co-founder of ECHOstore sustainable lifestyle at the Serendra and Podium malls. She also heads the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (www.wbcp.ph) and the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. (www.philcoffeeboard.com). She often speaks to the youth and corporate groups on Social Entrepreneurship, Women’s Empowerment through business and Sustainability. You can email her at [emailprotected] or follow her on twitter.com/chitjuan.

Essay --

1. What controls the Nanowire diameter ? Seed particle size / volume can be considered as a major factor controlling the Nanowire growth in conjunction with super saturation which is considered as a major factor controlling the Nanowire growth. Seed particle in most of the cases is a catalyst, e.g. Au. Sung Keun Lim et al [3] related mathematically the Nanowire diameter with the volume of seed particle and parameter beta (ÃŽ ²) which is the Particle-Nanowire contact angle. These authors [3] made use of two different precursors (group III and group V) : one soluble in the seed and other insoluble in the seed particle which in this case is Au. They proposed a mechanics that controls the Nanowire diameter and this mechanism is based on the diffusion (or more precisely dissolution) of the soluble precursor in to the seed particle and further reaction with the insoluble precursor If we operate at the steady state in such case Nanowire diameter remains constant because the rate of injection of soluble precursor into the seed and rate of further reaction with insoluble precursor are exactly t...

Fairy Tale Analysis Essay

â€Å"Fairytales are unique, not only as a form of literature, but as works of art which are fully comprehensible to the child as no other form of art is. † we were introduced several versions of Cinderella in â€Å"Damsels in Distress†. For generations, the Cinderella story had been one of the most popular fairytales around the world; there are countless modified versions of it. For this analysis, I chose â€Å"Cinderella† by Charles Perrault and â€Å"Ashputtle† by the Grimm Brothers and applying them to the ideas from the article, â€Å"The Struggle for Meaning†. The most familiar version of â€Å"Cinderella† in western society was the written by Charles Perrault in 1667, it was then later used by Disney for a children’s film production. The Grimm Bothers’ modified version of the story is mainly based on Perrault’s version with a little twist in it. In general, both of the stories share a similar story-line. A widower with his daughter (Cinderella or Ashputtle) was remarried to a â€Å"stuck-up† woman and her two daughters. The man’s daughter are Cinderella or Ashputtle, they were named by their stepsisters, and have been treated poorly by their stepsisters. It happened that the King of the kingdom had a son who was anxious to get married; so he gave a ball, and invited all the ladies in the kingdom to go to it. Cinderella (or Ashputtle) was invited, but her evil stepsisters forced her not to go. Cinderella (Or Ashputtle) made a wish to go to the ball, and magic happened, it clothed her in a beautiful dress, but it will only last until midnight. The Prince fell in love with her at the ball at first site, but Cinderella (Or Ashputtle) ran home, leaving only a glass shoe behind, because it was almost midnight. The prince ordered every woman in the kingdom to try it on, he knew he found the real Cinderella (or Ashputtle) when no other woman in the kingdom could fit the glass shoe but Cinderella (Or Ashputtle). The authors made the morals of Cinderella and Ashputtle very clear. The story of Cinderella had one simple moral, always be generous to people, Cinderella accepted her sisters’ apologies at the end of the story. Ashputtle had the same moral but told in a different way, Karma will always strike back; Ashputtle’s sisters’ eyes were pecked out for treating Ashputtle poorly. â€Å"Many parents believe that only conscious reality or pleasant and wish fulfilling images should be presented to the child- that he should be exposed only to the sunny side of things. But such one-sided fare nourishes the mind only in one-sided way, and real life is not all sunny. † In Bruno Bettelheim’s â€Å"The Struggle For Meaning†, Mr. Bettelheim talked about how fairy tales can be so effective at grasping children’s minds into the ideas and morals of the fairy tales. â€Å"A child needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his unconscious. † Cinderella is a very â€Å"effective† story, just like children’s fantasy, the setting of the story is in a kingdom involved with kings and queens. The magic is a crucial part of the story of Cinderella; it turned the ordinary story into a fascinating fairytale. Most fairytales gives the reader a straightforward message to the moral. This way, it allows younger audiences to relate to the main character or the hero of the story to him or herself to understand the story, â€Å"The more simple and straightforward a good character, the easier for a child to identify the hero from the villain. † Ultimately, the message sent to the child from Cinderella is, â€Å"bad guys die, I don’t want to die, I want to be good. Another reason that fairytales are effective, â€Å"In fairytales, as in life, punishment or fear of it is only a limited deterrent to crime† â€Å"Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life† (The Piccolomini,III,4. ) Fairytales portray realistic views of human nature and struggles while incorporating enchanting fictional themes and characters, after all it’s this fictious fantasy sparks the reader’s interest, as they may find some valuable meanings of life from the tale.

Renaissance Polyphony - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2623 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/09/12 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Renaissance Polyphony: The Foundation of Modern Western Music Renaissance Polyphony: The Foundation of Modern Western Music The music of the Renaissance was essentially the beginning of all modern musical thought- the first to truly integrate various forms of harmony with definite structure. The music provided rapid and significant advancements in harmony within western music, evolving from the parallel lines of Ars Nova and culminating in the base ingredients for tonality and monodic chord analysis all in a relatively short period of two hundred years. The evolution of Renaissance polyphony expanded tonal harmony through the use of multiple voices and their interval relationships, established aural and music technicality conventions, and provided the groundwork for all tonality based western music. The foundation of Renaissance polyphony can be found in the organum of the eleventh century and more specifically in the ars nova which came to prominence in the fourteenth century. Organum briefly appeared in the tenth century but was dismissed by the Catholic Church and did not become popular until the eleventh century. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Renaissance Polyphony" essay for you Create order Organum was the first notable use of harmony in the western world and was the first genre to more than one voice part (in this case, two). Composers took melodies from Gregorian chant and extended them harmonically with parallel fifths and especially parallel fourths. The intervals of the perfect fourth, fifth, and octave were considered the only concords during this period and use of other intervals was considered cacophonous. Later organum used stepwise motion within the mode of the composition to reach the concord interval as well as to move in oblique motion to end in a unison. Organum from the Notre Dame school based out of Paris in the thirteenth century even created the first contrary motion, with one voice moving from unison upward a step and the other downward by a minor third to form a perfect fourth interval (Ferguson, 46-47). From late organum the ideas of Ars Nova were established, becoming standardized and prevalent through the writings of composers and music theorists Marchetto of Padua and Phillip de Vitry. Vitry coined the term Ars Nova, which means â€Å"new art†, in a music theory essay in order to separate the concept from Ars Antiqua, a reference to music before harmony (Pirrotta). Ars Nova was founded upon three new principles, the first two of which are still felt today (in non-serialist music). The first is the concordance of third and sixth intervals, which became the basis for all modern tonal music. It was also during this period, particularly within the writings of Walter Odington, where the harmonious aspects of major and minor thirds were first theorized. The second principle is the minimal use of parallel fifths, fourths, and octaves. This ban on the use of parallel fifths and octaves is still prominent today. Finally, the third principle of Ars Nova is the allowance of small amounts of discord. Discord was used both for the purpose of creating small amounts of tension and release but mostly for passing motion between consonant intervals. Discord was not encouraged, however, and was permitted on the weaker beats of a piece only (Ferguson, 70-72). As Ars Nova moved forward into the early Renaissance it began to expand harmonically to include more oblique and similar motion. This new concept is referred to as polyphony, or two or more voices moving in melodic independence. Though Ars Nova also had independent voice movement, the newer polyphony had differed in style and complexity. The new style of polyphony contained both more voices and more variety in its use of harmony between melody lines (more variety in the intervals between voices). The use of modes in music theory was beginning to shift as well, moving from the 12 modes used by the Greeks and in the Middle Ages to the 8 modes considered in modern tonality (Reese, 185). These were further expanded with the formal introduction of the accidental in the late fourteenth century into the early Renaissance. The accidental had been used sparingly for centuries, either lower the seventh scale degree a half step to avoid the tritone with the fourth degree or to accent the third and sixth scale degrees tendency to resolve to a perfect interval, but found universal use and acceptance only in the (Pirrotta). The early Renaissance polyphonic music was the first true overlap of secular music into uses in sacred music. It became common for composers to use secular tunes as a basis for their melodies, often not even altering them. Composers then layered their compositions with contrapuncture, often with those second melodies chopping and splicing the original melody. Secular tunes even became the basis for many sixteenth century masses.. The practice of using folk melodies continued on after the Renaissance (though theoretically banned with the Council of Trent), especially in nationalist and traditionalist composers in the twentieth century. The undeniable master of involving secular music in sacred polyphony was Josquin des Pres, who based almost all his sacred music compositions on secular tunes. Josquin was born around the year 1450 and was culturally French, though originally of Flemish decent. He was a member of the Papal Choir for 8 years and served as maestro to various cathedrals throughout Milan and Cologne, among others. Notably works included his 16 masses, which were composed in a paraphrase mass style, and his 61 motets. Musically Josquin is inarguably considered the finest composer of the middle Renaissance (Reece, 235). The early Renaissance polyphony was the first to utilize many other concepts of tonal music theory. The music of the early period was the first to place emphasis on the cadence at the end of a composition. This was usually done either with the use of stepwise motion downward in the tenor voice or with the leading tone (raised 7th step) in the highest voice going to tonic, with all voices ending in unison or octaves. Rhythmic innovations included the first use of tuplets, which used abnormal divisions of the beat contrary to the key signature. The most common combination was using triplet rhythms into simple meter, such as three notes divided into two beats. The most significant form of composition for the majority of the Renaissance was the Mass, a sacred choral composition which bases around six main sections as well as smaller vocal bits. Many of the masses of the day were composed around a lead tenor who sung a cantus firmus, the melody and most often a tune taken from Gregorian chant, with polyphonic harmonies independent of the melody provided by the choir. By the middle of the fifteenth century cyclic masses, which had a unified cantus firmus through each of the main six movements, became popular. By the middle of the sixteenth century the mass had been surpassed by the motet, which was a multiple voiced choral composition but with reliance on a central cantus firmus. Moving into the sixteenth century the melodic lines of the counterpoint began to become more isorhythmic and the polyphony more complex. Composers began to experiment with multiple melodies layered isorhythmically and having more independence between the voices. The modal system continued to decline due to the expanded use of accidentals and modulation. The Ionian mode (now considered major) and Aeolian mode (now considered natural minor) took what would become permanent dominance in this period, with the other 6 modes falling into the background. The music of the middle and later Renaissance was greatly impacted by the advancement of new printing technology, which allowed mass produced, accurate copies of music to be sold and distributed throughout civilized Europe (Furgeson, 123). This allowed new musical ideas to be accurately transported and shared throughout the European continent. Additionally the use of printed music led to a standardized music notation technique, such as the introduction of standard oval notes for music as compared to square shaped noteheads and standard clef designs (Reese, 289). Coinciding with the advancement of printing technology came a rise in the prominence of the patronage system in music. This increased the impact of individual composers, giving them more value and power in the music market. This also lead to a slight variance away from the secularly based music of composers like Josquin as composers no longer needed to find approval from the general population but instead from small groups of associates, contemporaries, and patrons (Ferguson, 118). Both the system of patronage and the growing division of secular and sacred music would culminate in the later Renaissance with the Council of Trent and the Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent had tremendous impact on the music of the middle and late Renaissance. The Protestant Reformation divided the realm of sacred music, allowing music in the Protestant north (particularly England) and Catholic south to take separate directions. A meeting of church officials known as the Council of Trent was formed to discuss grievances within the church. The Council of Trent was essentially a Counter-Reformation effort from the Catholic Church to fix problems within the church and hinder the growth of Protestantism. The Council had both positive and negative effects on composers of Catholic sacred music in the era. Artistic integrity was diminished greatly by the Council since the delegation found the new, more complex polyphony being composed was taking away emphasis from the text and banned the practice (Reese, 448-451). However, the Council of Trent also led to an increase in Catholic patronage in music, though composers were slightly censored by the restraints of the new polyphonic laws of the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent unintentionally caused the sacred music of the late Renaissance to have a stronger focus on melody instead of contrapuncture. As composers emphasized less complex rhythm, the music of the late Renaissance became more homophonic, a trend that would continue after the Renaissance with counterpoint. Additionally dissonances were approached more methodically, only allowed in quarter note sequences on off beats. Suspensions and other ornamentations were strictly bound with rules not common in earlier Renaissance music (Reese, 460). This strict use of rules and resolutions of dissonances would later become the foundation to strict counterpoint and the music of the Baroque period. These changes in music impacted mostly Catholic populated areas such as Italy and Spain, but had minor impacts on Protestant Europe. These rules had the largest impact in the Roman school of composition, which was mastered by and molded around the works of Giovanni Palestrina. Giovanni Palestrina was the pinnacle of a Renaissance period composer. He was born just outside of Rome, music capital of the later Renaissance, around the year 1525 and was studying music at the Papal Basilica by the age of 12. At age 26 he was appointed maestro di cappella of the Popes choir t St. Peters Basilica and both led and composed for the choir. His music was the ideal product of the Council of Trent and not only had many pieces commissioned to â€Å"justify† the Councils statements but was given the task of cleansing all of the Churchs music of impurities. Inarguably his greatest works are his 105 masses, which are textbook examples of the aforementioned late Renaissance composition standards (Reese, 469). His death in 1594 seemingly heralded the end of Renaissance music into the beginnings of the Baroque period. From the last music of the Renaissance a compositional revolution took place that shook all know structure in music theory. The monodic revolution, as it is called, recreated the way music was analyzed. Instead of examining music from the contrapunctal multiple melodies of polyphony, monodic music theory analyzed compositions as a series of consecutive chords, or a combination of pitches related harmonically (Fergusun, 154-55). This paradigm shift took many years to full integrate, particularly in areas where polyphony flourished, such as Rome. Other cities which had never had a particularly strong school of polyphonic composition, such as Florence, adapted quickly to the monodic style (Gray, 124-125). The first practical integration of the chord based system came in the emerging new frontier of opera, a genre which would eventually grow to become the largest source of entertainment in Europe. Furthermore the monodic system has made polyphony essentially obsolete, with the exception of a few cases of traditional revivalism. This monodic chord system became the basis for the concept of tonalized music, which became dominant in orchestral music through the middle of the twentieth century and still continues to be dominant today in popular music. Twentieth century modern music and music theory differentiated itself from its predecessors in the dichotomy between the music theory of classical works (or â€Å"modernist†) and that of the emerged mainstream popular music. Even within modern orchestral music a separation occurred between the post-Romantic and neoclassical against a new compositional technique known as serialism. Post-Romantic and neoclassical music, which found its basis in the tonal music of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, maintained strong ties to the intervals of thirds and sixths as well as retaining much of the monodic format from the late Renaissance and early Baroque, though much more experimental. A more experimental compositional technique called serialism came into prominence in the middle 20th century. Serialism emphasized chromaticism by using either all twelve tones or a non-tonal series of notes in a matrix and arranging them almost mathematically in different series. However, since serialist composers had theory training in traditional tonality, often works had traditionalist influences (coming from the late Renaissance) along with their modern serialist and experimental elements (Born 293-295). The impact of late Renaissance music is even more noticeable in modern popularized music. Popular music, also known as commercial music, combines Afro-rhythmic syncopation with the third based tonal or monodic system. The chords used in the popular music genre of jazz are completely based around the interval of the third, specifically compounding multiple thirds to create 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths. The eight modes standardized in the Renaissance reemerged in middle to late twentieth century modal jazz, particularly the Dorian mode built on the second scale degree. Popular music, with the exception of more experimental jazz music, almost exclusively follows the series of chord relationships and rules perfected by Palestrina and the late Renaissance composers. The impact of the patronage system which began in the middle and late Renaissance can be seen in the rise of modern popular music. Composers during and after the Renaissance earned a significant amount of their income from private patronage, which held the composers accountable to their financiers more than to the attitude of the general public. This separation from public opinion paved the way for a new commercial and â€Å"popular music† that came into prominence in the twentieth century. Popular music found its base in capitalism rather than patronage and provided a music for the common person disregarded in the patronage system. The music composed during the Renaissance and particularly the late Renaissance laid down the foundation for the development of the vertical, chord based system of music theory and music composition as well as brought tonality to western music which is still at the base for much of modern music. The compositions of the Renaissance not only touched millions of listeners during its popularity but continues to affect millions around the world today with its reach into the modern world. Works Cited Born, Georgina. Modern Music Culture: On Shock, Pop, and Synthesis. Ed. Simon Frith. Popular Music. Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. London: Routledge, 2004. Google Books. Web. 12 April 2010. Furgeson, Donald N. A Short History of Music. New York: Fs Crofts and, 1943. Print. Gray, Cecil. The History of Music. 7th ed. London: Lund Humphries, 1947. Print. Jeppesen, Knud, Alfred Mann, and Glen Haydon. Counterpoint: The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Google Books. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. Pirrotta, Nino. Musica Disciplina 9 (1955): 57-71. JSTOR. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. Reese, Gustave. Music in the Renaissance. New York: WW Norton and, 1954. Print.