Thursday, October 31, 2019

Theory Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theory - Research Paper Example Over the years, the model has been adopted to examine a wide range of long-and-short-term health behaviours among people of all ages and nationalities such as the spread of cancer due to the failure by people to go for free cancer screening clinics (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley, & Rapp, 2006). The Health Belief Model was developed out of the realization that humans possess positive, negative and neutral values and their response to various issues is based on these three regions. The Health Belief Model often has two dimensions namely the threats and net threats. These two areas are categorized into susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers and it is believed that these four constructs explain people’s willingness to react to situations. While these four concepts are usually constant, an addition of cues to action usually triggers the willingness and motivates clear behaviour. In recent days, there has been an addition of self-efficacy, which is the focus on one’s self-belief in the capacity to successfully complete an action (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley & Rapp, 2006). Ideally, the Health Belief Model is founded on the hypothesis that if the end result is desirable, there is a higher likelihood for individuals to be more motivated to alter their behaviour. For this model to work, psychologists believe that certain behaviours are pointers to certain results. The self-efficacy expectancy concept posits that individuals have within them what it takes to bring about certain results. If a particular incentive is added to the environment within which an individual lives, then the chances of getting a certain outcome is amplified (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley, & Rapp, 2006). Perceived Susceptibility; this is usually defined as an individual’s opinion of the probabilities of acquiring a certain condition. In the Health Belief Model, this is often used to define the threatened people as well as in defining the risk levels. This concept

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Public sector management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Public sector management - Assignment Example The contributing factors for the rise in poverty are a lack of education, social participation, housing, health and access to the given services. These issues faced by the poor make them vulnerable to the crime along with the civil conflicts such as violence which cannot be restricted by the formal justice system (Government of Yukon, 2012). These issues of the society give rise to the need of poverty reduction policies which would help to ensure the better safety, security along with justice. With respect to the social justice and poverty reduction periphery, it can be stated that â€Å"People cannot be developed; they can only develop themselves† (Voipio, 2006). This implies that the poverty reduction is possible with the contribution of the people of the society and their positive attitudes of treating every individual equally. Moreover, the presence of social protection is of significance to reduce the level of poverty and improve wellbeing of the society by protecting peo ple from deprivation in order to lead decent life by reducing poverty (Garcia & Gruat, 2003). The aim of the study is to draft a plan to resolve a policy problem namely the issue of poverty reduction and social justice. Exploring the issues, challenges faced along with recommending strategies to mitigate the issues for better up gradation of the society will form the core of the discussion. One of the vital moral, social and political issues faced by the world is poverty at a large scale. Poverty causes various issues and hampers the economic condition of the country to a certain extent. This requires a reform and hence the countries are trying hard to reduce the level of poverty and improve social justice. According to the World Bank Group (2004), it is reflected that development agencies such as the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have the conviction to enhance the living condition of the poor and create a

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Adolescents Influence In Family Decision Making Social Work Essay

Adolescents Influence In Family Decision Making Social Work Essay Abstract This study examines the perceptions and behaviour of Adolescents influence in family decision making in different family circumstances and what products are more influenced through the child more than the adults. The research findings are based on different journal articles that show how much power children have in the decision making process based on different members of the family perceptions and how they get their message across on what they want through coalitions or solely on their own. In terms of family types; single-parent and step-families are increasing in todays society compared to intact families. Its now not unusual for parents to divorce and move on with someone else. This will make an impact on the childs role in family purchase decision making. Being a child in a single-parent family suggests that they have more power in the household whereas being a member of an intact family can cause disruption as there are many people to please in that household. However, in many circumstances the parents perceptions do not always agree with the childs opinion. A number of explanations and examples for this are given. Introduction For a long time, Adolescents have played an important role throughout family purchase decisions, with their capability to have an impact to directly and indirectly influence the decisions families make when purchasing products. (Thomson, Laing, McKee, 2007). This is put into practice throughout all different types of families, whether it is an intact family of 4, a family triad, a single parent family of 1 or a mix matched family making it a step-family. This means the perceptions on adolescent influence in decision making depend on what family the child belongs to. Adolescent behaviour is also important when the child makes an input into the decisions of purchase making. Coalition being the behaviour type authors focused on as children recognized a frequent need for a purchase between more than one family member and in the end created a coalition (Thomson, Laing, McKee, 2007). These include different members of the family working together with the child in order to make a stronger influence on family decisions whether it is a parent or a sibling. Children therefore play a part in family decision making no matter how big or small and the products in question can vary from groceries to holidays. Junk foods, toys, kids clothes and accessories for school are a few of the main products that children have been known to have a strong influence on. (Mangleburg T. F., 1990). Research on how much influence children have on certain products will also be explored. Childrens Behaviour -When and how do they influence buying? Children constitute a huge secondary market by influencing family purchases (McNeal, 2008). As soon as children have established the concept of using communication skills to make demands, they are then more involved in making an influence in family decision making. (Furnham, 1998), showing that from the moment they can talk, they will automatically have an influence on buying highlighting the fact that children are becoming a significant part to the family decision making process on purchases at an early age. The most important behaviour for a child when they influence decision making is the use of knowledge and information. When contemplating child purchase power, research shows that this is known as a uniting topic (Thomson, Laing, McKee, 2007). To get a child to participate in the decision stage of buying, knowledge is a great source as it points out the cleverness or experiences that the children have when a purchase is carried out by a family (Thomson, Laing, McKee, 2007). Inf ormation is also important as it shows whether the child knows about the products in question or not. Knowledge and Information is a significant role in justifying the childs choice of products and is the main factor on how they influence on the buying stage. Parents can decide whether the childs reasons are enough to buy the product in question through their knowledge and information. Studies show that lots of parents encourage the use of knowledge and information and are foreseen characteristic of some family decision making (Thomson, Laing, McKee, 2007). How do coalitions affect adolescents decision on purchasing? Coalition behaviour involves at least two members of a family to get together to form an alliance to influence the end decision of a purchase within a family. This process is often termed majority rule (Pearson, 1989). Majority rule may have a bigger impact than just the childs influence; therefore a child may form a coalition with another family member to make their influence have more of an impact on the final decision of the purchase. However, there have been authors that convey this as lousy behaviour. (Sheth, 1974) and (Belch et al. 1980) felt that coalition would be few and far in between. Coalitions can come in different forms: Mother and child, Father and child or if there is more than one child, siblings could get together. This can benefit the child as one parent might be easily persuaded into giving the child what they want and more understanding of the childs needs. It was distinguished that a significant number of coalitions occurred between mothers and daughters than mo thers and sons concluding that when the same-sex members of a family unite to influence a decision on a product that they have more power than what different-sex members would (Beatty Talpade 1994). This would suggest that daughters had more chance of having a stronger influence in the family household compared to sons when they both wanted to convince their mother of purchasing a product. Family Triads Should the child have an input? Before buying products for any family, there is a decision making process that they must think about in order to come to a concluding decision on what to purchase if they have children. This involves three stages of decision making; gathering information, negotiating within the family and the overall decision on what to buy. Family triads are found to disagree in their perceptions of adolescent influence on both a wide selection of products and general influence in family decision processes. Mothers, fathers and children all, however agree that children have some influence in purchase decisions for a variety of products. Previous research has put forward the fact that two family members can disagree in evaluating purchase decision influence (Burns Hopper 1985). Each member of the family triad had different opinions on how much power the child actually has when deciding on purchasing a product in studies shown in the Journal of Consumer Research. Out of 161 families from North Wester n Towns, The children themselves agreed that they have influence when shopping with parents, suggesting stores, brands and products, paying attention to new products and learning the best buy. Mothers and Fathers also agreed to some extent that the child had general influence on these factors when buying products. However, suggesting the price was one of the factors that all three members of the family agreed that the child does not have influence on the price of products (Foxman, Tansuhaj, Ekstrom, 1989). This concludes that not only does the children themselves think they have influence throughout the decision making process on products but the other members of the family also agree that children should have their say. Overall, family members regarding adolescent purchase decision influence came to the conclusion that: Families that agreed on the same level of childrens influence had older fathers, a concept-oriented family communication style, less children, and a mother who was a housewife. This would suggest that a family triad let their child have more influence than a family with more children would. Other family types does the child have more power in a single-parent family? There are different types of families where a child can influence on family decision making when buying products. Family triads are one but there are also single-parent and step families. Intact families can also have more than one child meaning there are more children to have an influence on the decision making. There has been a growth in rapid social change over the years where parents are divorcing, children are living with only one of their parents or living with people that are from another family due to one of the parents falling in love with someone else. The more a family has differences, the more likely they will have to face difficulties when making important decisions as consumers (cf. Rindfleisch, Burroughs, and Denton 1997). Children gain their knowledge and information through events such as going to school, eating out and technology. However, their family members are one of the most important sources a child could possibly have through their period of consumer learning (Moschis and Churchill 1978; Moschis and Moore 1979; Ward 174). This contributes to the fact that children grow up surrounded by their family; therefore they learn from their mothers, fathers or an older sibling. Depending on what family type the child belongs to, there will be a different level of how much influence they have. Studies (Darley and Lim 1986) show that children in single-parent families had greater influence in a family outing decision than did children in dual-parent families, but did not ascertain between intact and step-families. If a child has to convince two parents, it may be difficult as they will both have different opinions on products or will have the same opinion which will overrule the child, therefore a childs influence in a single-parent household will be much stronger as there are less people to convince and the bond between the child and parent will be stronger as they have went through certain circumstances to end up on their own. Two parents can joi n forces to back up each other when they dont agree with the childs influence when purchasing a product (Mangleburg, Grewal, Bristol, 1999). This will make the childrens influence weaker compared to the single-parent household which appears to be much stronger. A single-parent household is seen as the family type to let the child have a stronger influence on decision making when purchasing products as the child only has one parent to do their parental duties which means the parent will have weaknesses in parental control and find it difficult to be the boss all the time meaning the child will have more independence and equal rights to influence to balance out the family (Dornbusch et al. 1985; Hetherington 1988; Thomson, McLanahan, and Curtin 1992). Family type does have an impact on adolescents influence on decision making and specifically, children in single-parent families had greater influence in both types of decisions as compared with children in step families and intact fami lies (Mangleburg, Grewal, Bristol, 1999). Products children have more influence on Junk foods, toys, kids clothes and accessories for school are a few of the main products that children have been known to have a strong influence on (Mangleburg T. F., 1990). This information suggests that children have more power over products and services that they will be experiencing themselves as children tend to have more of an influence in product sections that are most significant to the children themselves (Beatty and Talpade, 1994). Contrasting, children dont have much of an influence on decision making for products that are expensive and not used only by the child (Foxman et al.,1989a, 1989b). Expensive items such as cars, TVs and furniture are not influenced as much by children as these as more expensive buys. The adults of the household feel they have more influence on bigger products that will affect the whole of the family. Studies from the Journal of Consumer Research (Foxman, Tansuhaj, Ekstrom, 1989) back this up as out of 161 families from North Western Towns, Both the parents and children feel that the parents should have more say overall on products such as Home computers, cars, furniture and cable TV. It appears that children do have a strong influence when it comes to decision making in the family based on purchasing products. However, the childs influence on certain products is weaker than the parents due to the price and who uses the product. Although some research has found next to nothing child influence for bigger, family buys, others have found higher levels of influence than was foreseen by earlier research ( Foxman Tansuhaj 1988; Lee and Beatty 2002). Family holidays and events that see the family come together to have fun are other purchase decisions that children can play a part in influencing (Mangleburg T. F., 1990). These products are seen as expensive and a treat for all the family, this shows that some authors may find that children dont have much influence on expensive products whereas others will find children do have in fluence on products more expensive than clothes and food. Grocery shopping within different families It has been proven that children have more influence on food shopping than expensive buys in the last section of this review. It has also been proven that children have different levels of influence in different family types whether it is a single-parent or dual-parent family. Studies show even though children have a strong influence on purchasing food, the level of influence differs depending on what family the child belongs to. Children in single-parent families are more likely to take part in family tasks, such as going shopping than other children do in bigger families with their parents relationship still intact. (Weiss 1979; Taylor, Glynn, and Taylor 1985; Peters 1985). This would suggest that the child in the single-parent family will participate more in influencing what is bought for the grocery shop compared to the dual-parent family where there are more people to influence what is bought. Summary and conclusion Adolescents influence the decision making process in the family when purchasing products. However, there are different levels of influence and this depends on what family type the child belongs to as this has an effect on how the parents relationship with the child helps or hinders on how much influence the child has when the decision making process is being done when buying new products differing from groceries, clothes and holidays. The review helped come to the conclusion that the most important behaviour for a child when they influence decision making is the use of knowledge and information. Knowledge and Information is a significant role in justifying the childs choice of products and is the main factor on how they influence on the buying stage. It has been discovered that a childs influence solely on their own against both parents can sometimes be overruled by the parents. This is when the child forms a coalition to get more support to gain a stronger influence on the decision making process It was distinguished that a significant number of coalitions occurred between mothers and daughters than mothers and sons concluding that when the same-sex members of a family unite to influence a decision on a product that they have more power than what different-sex members would (Beatty Talpade 1994). This review suggested that different family types determined the level of influence the child had, this included single-parent families, triad families and step families. However, mothers, fathers and children all agreed that children play a part in influencing a number of products in purchase decisions (Foxman, Tansuhaj, Ekstrom, 1989). Products that children have more influence on were also researched. Findings suggest that products that are actually used by the child themselves and not expensive were found to be the products children had more influence on whereas children have been found to have less influence on decisions making for products that are more expens ive and are not just used by the child themselves (Foxman et al.,1989a, 1989b). Grocery shopping is another group of products that children have influence on and the level of influence depends on what family type they belong to. It was found that children belonging to the single-parent family have more influence than children in a dual-parent family. Overall there are different levels of influence a child has when the family are making decisions and it all depends on family types, children behaviour and the products in question.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Transformation from Student to Teacher :: Education Teaching Classroom Teachers Essays

The Transformation from Student to Teacher Is there a transformation from student to teacher? The nature of a student is learning to develop skills to help them with there everyday problems. Later on in their schooling they will start to develop more advanced skills. Skills which will be used to help other students perform tasks to help the community, such as building bridges, teaching, networking an office building, and so on. After you have mastered a major role in society and can perform its task flawlessly you begin to teach others the same knowledge which you have acquired. One reason is because you have performed in that duty long enough to teach others how to do it properly and the precise ways, but at the same time you are still a student. Mainly because the world today has increased its standards, and increased the safety laws. During your term of teaching, your methods are becoming extinct and you are forced to increase your knowledge of newer ways and safer ways so your students will have the newest and most up to date knowledge of the subject. Some of the greatest are also the greatest students. My science teacher throughout high school was one of my favorite teachers. She knew how to bring her knowledge to life. Throughout high school I always chose one of her science classes. She had been teaching for at least fifteen years before I was ever a student of hers, and she was still a student in college. She was working on her doctrine in Physics. She was a very smart teacher and she played a big role in myself wanting to be a teacher. If it was not for education the world would be out of order and unorganized, which makes it difficult for everyone. If it were not for teachers being able to overcome the obstacles and having the nature of helping others, the world would be over run with ignorance and total chaos. As a teacher I would use a number of different philosophies if the classroom.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Process Documentation: Creating a Flowchart for PI Badge Manufacturing Essay

In this reflection paper I will be reflecting on the process documentation assignment that involved creating a flowchart for the PI Badge Manufacturing Company (PIBMC). I personally have created a flowchart for the revenues and cash receipts part of the company and have reviewed two other flowcharts representing manufacturing and purchases. The two main points of this reflection paper will be describing how creating the diagrams altered my perceptions of a business and accounting for the business and I will also explain any differences in mindset in preparing versus reviewing flowcharts. I will start with the first important point. By creating the diagrams, my perceptions of a business and accounting have been altered in many ways. One of the ways my perception of accounting have been altered is it helped me understand what process is going after a certain process. For example, after the purchase order (PO) has been accepted, it will be prepared on electronic invoice/picking list. After electronic invoice have been created, one copy goes to the accounting department and another copy goes to a customer, which makes perfect sense. The one part that I missed originally is the picking list, which supposed to go to the warehouse from the sales department. But, the way I had it set up was that picking slip was send to the warehouse from the accounting department, which is not accurate. The reason it is not accurate is because the customer would be billed first, and only after that receive the product. It is also will take the process twice as long to carry out the transactions, because the warehouse would have to wait for the accounting department to get done. My perception of business was also altered. For example, I can now see that as a manager I could use a flowchart to assign duties to employees and employees will have a clear understanding of the reporting structure in an organization. This was the eye opening moment for me. Now, I will move on and talk about any differences in mindset in preparing versus reviewing flowcharts. The second main point of this reflection paper is to explain any differences in mindset in preparing versus reviewing flowcharts. One main difference between creating and preparing is the pressure that was hanging over me to get it right. For example, I didn’t know how to start or even how to attach the lines between the figures. It was challenging and really helpful experience to know for the business and accounting professionals. When I was reviewing flowcharts, I was using my knowledge to find any mistakes that have been created. For example, I moved the figures around to make sure the lines were attached. I checked to make sure the right figures were used for processes, and also checked make sure the flowchart is making any sense in general. Now, I will summarize what I have discussed in this reflection paper. In conclusion, this reflection paper explained two main points which are to describe how creating the diagrams altered my perceptions of a business and accounting for the business and explain any differences in mindset in preparing versus reviewing flowcharts. It is also important to note that creating a flowchart is not as simple as reading and editing already created flowchart. It is critically important for an organization to have a well-designed flowchart, because it is essentially a summary of the flow of a business processes. It is important to note that the speed, the accuracy, and the controls of the business depend on the processes summarized in a flowchart.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Roman Class System

Roman Class System An integral part of Roman culture is the divergence of class systems. The laws of ancient Rome actually enforced this divide. People were born into one of two extremes. You were either considered upper class or lower class. There was no concept for a middle class in the Roman empire. This had a major influence in how you would live out your life.Children born into the noble class would eventually strive for a senate seat or to progress their wealth, while being born into the lower class, for the most part, were stuck there even though there was the ability for upward mobility it was extremely uncommon if not impossible in some cases. Aside from these two major groups of classes there was no bridging class between the two. No middle class to speak of creates a major distinction between wealth and life opportunities. The upper class consisted of two sub classes. These were Senators (Senatorial Class) or the rich (Equestrian Class).The Senatorial Class was completely defined by holding a political office and their families. They were distinguishable by tunics with broad stripes on them. There was also a massive monetary requirement attached as well, further enforcing the divide by being required to prove â€Å"that they had property worth at least 1,000,000 sesterces†(vroma. org). They had no income purely from being in the senate however but were forbidden to participate in any â€Å"nonagricultural business, trade or public contracts†(McManus). The Equestrian Class was the lowest of the Upper Class and was majorly defined by an individuals wealth or family line.They were set apart from society by wearing tunics with narrow stripes on them. â€Å"A man could be formally enrolled in the equestrian order if he could prove that he possessed a stable minimum amount of wealth (property worth at least 400,000 sesterces)†(McManus). This price was mostly unattainable for common people and was a major driving factor in the massive d ivide between the Upper and Lower Class. The Equestrians were mostly entrusted with business that was prohibited for anyone who was in the Senatorial Class. In this particular class there was upward mobility possible but it was infrequent and not common at all.However if an individual was elected into the senate he legally became a member of the Senatorial Class along with his family. The lower class was virtually every other person in roman society, spanning from common people, people who lived in italy, foreigners, freed people, and even slaves at the very bottom of the bottom. Anyone who was born into the lower class, just like the upper class, remained in the lower class after birth. â€Å"On the streets of Rome citizens, non-citizens, slaves and ex-slaves may have mingled quite freely, showing few observable symbols of their status† (bbc. o. uk). This can be viewed as a further divide between the social elite and the rest of society because they made sure that everyone w ho saw them knew who they were based on their attire. However despite the massive gap in social classes it was still possible to bridge into nobility from the lower end of society, besides freed people and slaves. â€Å"Birth remained important, and new citizens, however wealthy, could be stigmatised by their past. Ex-slaves in particular could not escape the taint of slavery, and were not allowed to hold high office† (bbc. co. uk).Slaves and even freed slaves were particularly interesting in ancient roman society. Freed people could either be released from slavery by their masters or buy their freedom. They were seemingly only released from the title of of slavery for their blood line from then on however. They were ineligible for office positions; this and being still in service of their former master, now their patron, made it impossible for a freedman to have any chance of mobility. Their children, on the other hand, became full roman citizens. But even then they didnâ₠¬â„¢t receive the same treatment or chances through life. There was a social stigma attached to being a freedman's son†(McManus). This made it difficult for even a freed person’s children to succeed because of the name that distinguishes them from any other Roman citizen. But it seems that after a few generations the stigma was lost due to the lack of people to attest to any particular person’s heritage over time as generations pass away (Dowlingsoka). This giving them just as much, although very slim, of a chance to bridge the seemingly impossible bridge from commoner to equestrian given enough success and wealth.It may have become clear that until now women have not been mentioned once. This is due to the fact that women had no say in their class. They were placed where they were purely because of the class that their father was or the class of their husband. Cicero makes it very clear how men saw females in society when he wrote, â€Å"Our ancestors, in their wisdom, considered that all women, because of their innate weakness, should be under the control of guardians† (roman-empire. net). This by no means says that women were not successful in their own right. while Roman women held no direct political power, those from wealthy or powerful families could and did exert influence through private negotiations† (Milnor) Women used their connections very powerfully. For example â€Å"most prominently Livia, who contributed to the formation of Imperial mores† (Rawson). Roman society seems to have been extremely rigid when it came to most things, social classes in particular however. While the ability to leap from lower class to upper class existed it was extremely difficult due to the wealth required to be legally considered an upper class citizen, and women were seemingly along for the ride.Women along side with slaves were unable to attain office and were looked down upon. However in both cases all was not lost, women too k advantage of their connections and were able to make a real impact on history and slaves were able to, while not being fully freed themselves, give their blood line hope down the rode to becoming wealthy and successful Works Cited Burns, Jasper. â€Å"Sabina,† in Great Women of Imperial Rome: Mothers and Wives of the Caesars (Routledge, 2007), pp. 124–140. DowlingSoka, Joel . People of ill-repute and Non-Romans in Roman Society. † Roman Civilization. The Ohio State University. ., Columbus, Ohio. 20 Feb. 2013. Class lecture. Hope, Dr Valerie. â€Å"BBC – History – Ancient History in depth: Social Pecking Order in the Roman World. † BBC – Homepage. N. p. , 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. . McManus, Barbara F.. â€Å"Roman Social Class and Public Display. † VROMA :: Home. N. p. , 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. . Rawson, Beryl. â€Å"Finding Roman Women,† in A Companion to the Roman Republic (Blackwell, 2010), p. 325.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Dan Flavin, Fluorescent Light Sculpture Artist

Dan Flavin, Fluorescent Light Sculpture Artist Dan Flavin (1933-1996) was an American minimalist artist known for his sculptures created using solely commercially available fluorescent light bulbs and their fixtures. He created works that ranged from a single bulb placed at an angle from the floor, to massive site-specific installations. Fast Facts: Dan Flavin Occupation: SculptorStyle: MinimalismBorn: April 1, 1933 in Jamaica, Queens, New YorkDied: November 29, 1996 in Riverhead, New YorkSpouses: Sonja Severdija (divorced 1979), Tracy HarrisChild: Stephen FlavinSelected Works: The Diagonal of Personal Ecstasy (The Diagonal of May 25, 1963) (1963), Santa Maria Annunciata (1996)Notable Quote: One might not think of light as a matter of fact, but I do. And it is, as I said, as plain and open and direct an art as you will ever find. Early Life and Education Born in the New York borough of Queens, Dan Flavin grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family. As a young child, he showed an interest in drawing, particularly wartime scenes. In 1947, Flavin entered the Immaculate Conception Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn to study for the priesthood. Six years later, he left the seminary along with his fraternal twin brother, David, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. There, he trained as a meteorological technician and studied art through an extension program provided by the University of Maryland in Korea. Artist Dan Flavin at the Paula Cooper Galler in 1992 in New York City, New York. Rose Hartman / Getty Images After returning to the U.S., Flavin left the military and ultimately enrolled at Columbia University to study art history as well as painting and drawing. Before graduating, he left college and began working jobs in the mailroom at the Guggenheim Museum and as a guard at the Museum of Modern Art to gain entry into the New York art scene. Minimalist Light Sculpture Dan Flavins early drawings and paintings show a strong influence of abstract expressionism. He also created assembled mixed media sculptures that relate to the movement. Some speculate that Jasper Johns use of light bulbs and flashlights in his assemblages might have impacted the creation of Flavins early works with light. In 1961, Flavin began to design his first Icon pieces with his wife, Sonja Severdija. He first exhibited the light sculptures in 1964. They consisted of box constructions illuminated by incandescent and fluorescent lights. Untitled (To Don Judd, Colorist) (1987). Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons 2.0 By 1963, Flavin stopped working with canvas. He used only fluorescent light bulbs and fixtures. One of the first works in his mature style was The Diagonal of Personal Ecstasy (The Diagonal of May 25, 1963). It consisted of a yellow fluorescent light placed on the wall at a 45 degree angle with the floor. Flavin dedicated the piece to sculptor Constantin Brancusi. Dan Flavin later explained that his discovery of the potential of the fluorescent bulb was a significant revelation. Hed always admired the readymade sculptures of Marcel Duchamp, and he realized that the bulbs were objects in a basic form that he could use in an infinite number of ways. Many of Flavins most significant works are dedications to artist friends and gallery owners. One of those, Untitled (To Dan Judd, Colorist), is a tribute to another artist who, along with Dan Flavin, helped define minimalist art. The pair were close friends, and Judd even named his son Flavin. Interior of Santa Maria Annunciata in Milan, Italy. Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons 3.0 In a clever reference to another of the most prominent minimalists of the 20th century, Dan Flavin created Greens Crossing Greens (to Piet Mondrian Who Lacked Green). Mondrian worked almost entirely with primary colors, black and white, ignoring blended colors like green. Later Life and Work Later in his career, Dan Flavin focused on large-scale installations utilizing colored fluorescent lights. One of his corridor constructions, Untitled (to Jan and Ron Greenberg), was created for a solo show at the St. Louis Art Museum in 1973. Flavin often designed sculptures but didnt construct them until someone purchased them or provided a location for construction. As a result, he left behind drawings and designs for more than 1,000 sculptures when he died in 1996. The last work completed before Dan Flavins death was the lighting of the Santa Maria Annunciata church in Milan, Italy. It is a 1932 Romanesque Revival building, and Flavin completed his plans two days before his death. The church completed the installation one year later. To Saskia, Sixtina, Thordis (1973). Philippe Huguen / Getty Images Legacy Dan Flavins decision to work solely with fluorescent light bulbs as the medium for the construction of his sculptures makes him unique among major 20th-century artists. He helped define minimalism using such limited materials, and he introduced the idea of impermanence to his work. Flavins works only exist until the lights burn out, and the light itself is the analogous element to other sculptors use of concrete, glass, or steel. He influenced a wave of later light artists including Olafur Eliasson and James Turrell. Source Fuchs, Rainier. Dan Flavin. Hatje Cantz, 2013.