Saturday, August 31, 2019

Pestel Analysis

Literature review * Political factors – Essentials of Marketing (2002) says that many of the legal, economic and social developments in society is nothing more than political decisions put into action. The political climate is of great significance to the marketing firm and has a direct effect on many aspects of the economy and society. Factors in the political environment both national and international should be carefully monitored.Modern Management (2006) describes how nationally the government can affect business through its policies in relation to industrial service development, tax incentives, capital grants and expansion schemes that are available. Internationally it describes the influences the business has through policies in relation to international trade and deregulation. The main ways in which the government influence international trade in through their input into the general agreement on trade and tariffs. Individual governments can impose embargoes or sanctions on trade with any particular country they wish.Developments in the European Union in recent years have seen the deregulation of financial markets, public utilities and the airline industry. The aim is to remove protective restrictions on operations and to allow greater competition between countries. * Economic factors – In Modern Management (2006) they describe the economic factors as being shaped by the state of the economy in a particular country and the economic policies that is implemented within that country. In Essentials of Marketing (2002) they describe economic factors as being vital to marketing firms because they influence cost, price and demand.They can be viewed as opportunities or threats. Tieran et al, (2006) describes government’s implementation of different economic policies which affect key areas such as taxation, inflation, exchange rates and economic growth. Interest rates determine the extent of an organisations loans and investments. An increase in the inflation rate results in a demand for an increase in worker’s wages. As inflation increases the purchasing power of consumer’s declines as they can no longer afford products or services that they have been previously buying.Exchange rates have a huge impact on company’s who export large amounts of their products. If the currency rises in the country that the business is exporting to, their goods become expensive and in turn reduce their competitiveness. A business needs a firm exchange rate and low inflation rate to ensure that their business grows. As Ireland is a small open economy an important development has been the emergence of global interdependencies between different economies. * Social factors – Modern Management (2006) tells us that social factors are concerned with the demographics, attitudes and behaviour of members in society.Lancaster et al, (2002) say people’s basic beliefs, attitudes and values are shaped by the society the y grow up in. Modern Management (2006) describes demographics as identifying characteristics of people living within society, these include work groups, organisations and countries. These characteristics can be measured in terms of age, gender, family size, education and occupation. Buying behaviour is influenced by social conditioning. The social culture has an impact on the business environment. The company needs to be aware of the demographics when planning recruitment, selection and training of employees.Demographics have an impact on human resource policies and on what kind of products and services are available within society. Developments in the social environment can have implications for a business in terms of the behaviour and attitudes of their workforce and consumers being more environmentally aware. * Technology factors – Affect the way goods are distributed and promoted. It increases efficiency on how products can be distributed. Tieran et al, (2006) states that no organisation is immune to the effects of technology.It can affect the company in the following ways; technology innovation, production techniques, how the company is managed and how communication takes place within the company. Essentials of Marketing state that technology has a major impact on how market research is gathered and conducted. Sales forecasting is important and has become easier to do with the technology that companies have. The laser checkout can record consumer purchases automatically and is used to analyse sales, control and re-order stock. Sales reps can use audio visual to entice people to buy their good or services.Technology has influenced developments in products such as genetic engineering and cameras. * Environmental factors – Includes the weather and climate change. No organisation can ignore environmental issue according to Mastering Marketing Management (2002). Their actions have serious consequences on land, sea and air. In Principles of Market ing (2010) companies are expected to take measures to conserve and allocate scarce resources properly. They must be seen to show active interest in the welfare of the community and the people living within it.Consumers want to buy products and services from a company that is seen to be environmentally friendly. * Legal factors – Is related to the legal environment in which the firm operates. Legal changes can affect a firms cost and demand. In Principles of Marketing (2010) organisations are affected by government monetary and fiscal policies such as import/export policies and custom duties. Anti-pollution laws impact on marketing plans and policies. Marketing policy-making is influenced by government policies and controls throughout the world.There are many laws that a company must follow some of these are health and safety, employment laws and consumer law to name a few. Introduction of company chosen The company chosen to carry out an analysis of their macro-environment is Mc Ardle Transport Ltd Callenberg, Inniskeen, Dundalk, Co. Monaghan. According to Mc Ardle transport Ltd website (www. mcardletransport. com). Mc Ardle Transport Ltd was established in 1968. It operates one of the largest fleets of road transport equipment in Ireland. It employs 80 people on their site.Mc Ardle transport Ltd has become one of the leading specialists in transport, logistics, warehousing and supply chain management. They currently operate a fleet of 45 vehicles and in excess of 125 trailers ranging from mega trailers, euro liners, box vans, box fridges and skelly trailers. They are committed to providing a well-organized, flexible service, operating integrated satellite tracking and communications solutions in order to ensure peace of mind for their customers. They try to deliver a reliable, efficient, cost effective and personal service. Services offered by the company According to Mc Ardle Transport Ltd website (www. cardletransport. com), they offer transport and distribution services which include national and international transport. This covers collection and delivery service, full load and part load service, container loads, hazardous cargoes and refrigerated cargoes. Their export and import service include food, pharmaceutical, engineered machinery, palletised cargo, hazardous cargoes and chilled cargoes. They also offer a warehousing service, they have 5 separate warehouse units on site and 16 dock levelling loading ramps. It is a customs approved premises and department of agriculture food and fisheries approved.Warehousing services include materials intake, good manufacturing practices (GMP), inspection of export containers, container loading and safe operation fork truck and pallet truck. . Finally they offer satellite tracking on their fleets, this ensures that goods are delivered to the correct location, at the correct time, in the correct condition, thus customers are satisfied. PESTEL analysis of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd For the f ollowing PESTEL analysis the author spoke to Micheal Mc Ardle of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd to ask how the macro environment affected his company. Political factors: Government policies that have a major impact on Mc Ardle Transport Ltd are taxes such as duty taxes and regulatory policies relating to employment. In the current climate these government policies push costs up within the company. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd would like the current government to abolish green diesel completely and offer a rebate to essential users of diesel. For instance farmers that use green diesel have them as essential users, and rebate them to lower the price of white diesel. This would eliminate the problems relating to the laundering of diesel. companies within Ireland import all fuel to Ireland, one of these import 80% of all fuel to Ireland. Revenue would benefit if this area was properly controlled and it would also boost their income on tax. The current government could change taxes that are charged on trucks regarding toll roads in Ireland. Trucks pay a disproportionate amount of taxes compared to other road users. The government need to change policies with regards to how trucks are taxed. Currently trucks are taxed based on weight instead of being taxed by emission, if this was changed it would entice companies to cut down emissions and to re-invest in their company. Economic factors: In regards to exchange rates this area has little effect on this company. The Euro has eliminated this problem the majority of business is done in Euro, some in Sterling and very little in Dollars. Some of the costs are in dollars for example deep sea shipments outside Europe are usually quoted in dollars. Inflation rates over the last couple of years have tended to be reasonably stable which is positive for this company. Inflation was a problem in 2006-2008 in regards to wage inflation as it was difficult to get the right quality people for the job as they were drawn to higher paid jobs in other areas.Interest rates have been very stable over the last couple of years, which has assisted this company in re-investing. Mc Ardle Transport has invested in their company this year with a new fleet of trucks and expansion of their warehousing. * Social factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd encourages staff to up skill. They have some of their employees in DKIT courses ranging from management, logistics, health and safety and business admin. This is positive for the company as it’s a win/win for both sides. It helps the company and the employees to adapt to the current climate. Technology factors: Mc Ardle Transport is very dependent on broadband and uses an array of technology within the company. Satellite tracking is used to track the position of all trucks on the road and is used to send messages to and from the trucks. Engine management gives every detail of the truck, number of times the brakes is pressed, speed of the truck, working time and fuel consumption. It is used to m ake sure that working time directives are followed, management of fuel consumption, maintenance of trucks is kept up to standard and also tracking temperatures of cargoes carried.The driver sets the temperature of the cargo if the temperature goes up or down the company is notified by an alarm 24/7 through e-mail or text messaging. The company can give a full download of the temperature history of the cargo to the customer on arrival. Barcode scanning is used in the warehouses. All products received are scanned on arrival, this shows what the product is, how much of it there is and the batch number. This also is used to locate a position within the warehouse and it shows the location of each pallet. The company uses e-mail, telephone and internet on a daily basis. Environmental factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd has all of their warehousing insulated as well as temperature controlled and monitored. There are very aware of fuel emissions and when upgrading their fleet, they look for fue l efficient vehicles. They use technology such as engine management to monitor fuel consumption of all vehicles. They have an environmental officer on site to report on energy usage on site and to assist drivers in any way possible. They work with their customers to select the best route to help them reduce their carbon footprint. They offer to track their customer’s carbon footprint from collection to delivery.One of the major problems during last winter was access from their site to the main road, it also impacted on the efficiency of the schedule they could keep. Mc Ardle Transport tries to reduce their carbon footprint by assessing their fleet and the life cycle of their vehicles every year. * Legal factors: As Ireland is part of the EU, Mc Ardle Transport Ltd must follow EU regulations such as employment law, drive time directives and authorised economic operators, this is recognised companies who are compliant with revenue. They received their department of agriculture certificate and medicine board certificate from the EU.All vehicles must be DOE approved they must be passed and issued with a certificate of road worthiness. In terms of health and safety an independent consultant comes on to the site every week. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd provide training for health and safety, drivers who are working alone, first aid, fire safety, robbery response training and drivers who are carrying hazard material training. Conclusion As you can see from the above Mc Ardle Transport Ltd is affected by all of the macro-environmental factors particularly legal and technology factors.Being a part of the European Union has many advantages. It gives common standards to similar companies like Mc Ardle Transport Ltd throughout the EU, customers can recognise these standards and can see who is compliant. In terms of technology the lack of broadband options in Ireland is putting Mc Ardle Transport Ltd at a disadvantage. They are very dependent on a good broadband system fo r the daily running of their business in terms of satellite tracking their trucks, taking orders, sending quotes etc.All of these macro-environmental factors need to be monitored in order for the company to move forward and be successful in the future. Bibliography Lancaster, G. , Massingham, L. & Ashford, R. (2002) Essentials of Marketing, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Education Tieran, S. , Morley, M. & Foley, E. (2006) Modern Management and practice for Irish students, 3rd Edition, Gill & Macmillan Cartwright, R. (2002) Mastering marketing management, 1st Edition, New York, Palgave Dundalk Institute of Technology E- library (2011) Principles of Marketing [online], available from: http://site. brary. com/lib/dkitlib/Doc? id=10415387&ppg=47 [accessed 7 October 2011] Appendices McArdles Transport LTD 1) What government policies affect your company? 2) How has the current government affected your business? (i. e. any decisions they have made) 3) In terms of exporting your goods how has th e following affected that; a) Exchange rates? b) Inflation rates? c) Taxation changes? d) Interest rates? 4) In the current economic climate have you found that staff are up skilling in your company? (i. e. going back to college, evening courses) ) What technology does your company use? 6) How does this technology benefit your company? 7) Does the technology used benefit your customer in any way? (if yes then how) 8) During last winter how did your company cope with the extreme weather? 9) Was it a difficulty to keep on schedule during this time? 10) How have you prepared for this years winter? 11) Have you any pressure coming from environmental groups in terms of your company’s fuel emissions? 12) What measures have you taken to try and reduce your carbon footprint? 3) How has the price of fuel impacted on your company? 14) Do you find there is a pressure coming from your clients to be more eco-friendly? 15) Do you find that being a part of the EU gives your company an advan tage when doing business? 16) What are the main EU regulations that your company must abide by? 17) How did you obtain government approval for your warehouses? 18) What regulations must all your vehicles go through in order to obtain a certificate of road worthiness? 19) Brief overview of the main safety regulations that must be abided by?

Friday, August 30, 2019

Time and Life

Everyone wants to be successful in their own, different way. It is a mutual dream shared by all, to be rich and famous. In my perspective being successful is much different, because money is not everything. To make goals and follow your dreams will lead you down the road to success. Their will be bumps along the way, and you might have to take the harder road, but if you are willing to work hard and never give up, you will be successful. Like everyone, I have many dreams and goals that I would like to see myself accomplish during my life. I want to go to a great college and discover myself, what it truly means to be me.Then I will decide what I would like to spend the rest of my life doing because I honestly believe that, at my age, I do not contain within me the experiences necessary to determine what I want to be or what I want to do with my life. Given the opportunity, I would go into the ? eld of science to study biology or engineering to ? gure out how and why things work, livin g or not. But who knows? I might end up in a totally different ? eld, because wherever my heart goes, I am sure to follow. I want to go to a top school to start with a strong support in the world and to use this foundation to build my life upon.If the building blocks of my future are too small, I will be con? ned to certain things and not others that I would be able to reach with a bigger, sturdier base in knowledge. This will create limitless opportunities that may result in a great job. I want a job that pays well enough so that I could support a family, if I so choose. I want enough money to pay for little things in life, those that create great memories, but not so much that it will go to my head and make me a person that has worked so hard just to see himself become corrupt and sel? h. Above all I want to thank my parents for starting me off in the right direction, they gave up so much for me, because they instilled these values in me and made me who I am today. They have helpe d me this far, and they will help me in the years to come. Without them I would be nothing, and I believe that this deserves much more than simple thanks. My decisions will affect my future, whether it be the near future or in the long run. Seeing as I cannot predict the future, I will just have to work hard and make the right decisions.The right thing is not always the easiest thing to do, but is necessary if you want to reach your goals. The only obstacle that I see in the way of my future is myself. I can do anything I want if only I put my mind to it. But if I make the wrong choice and slack off, it is only that much harder to reach your goals. Another thing between my future and myself is time. Everything changes over time so it is only natural to believe that my short-term goals will too. But the things time cannot change are life long goals.The things you see yourself doing when you sit down and think of all the wondrous things in this world that makes you think what a miracl e life really is. Life is a gift bestowed upon us, and it is our choice to determine where it goes. My goals are what make up my life, what keep me determined to ? ght for the next day and the drive behind everything I do. My family plays a huge part in who I am, and my values. I want more than everything in my life to be successful, and for those I care about to be successful in their lives too.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Dutton Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Essay

Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book was written by Dutton about domestic violence. It gave us the history about assault on spouses. Dutton talks of two major social phenomena that emerged in North American and the Western countries in Europe. Rights of women were acknowledged by everyone after long and tedious struggle of women to get recognized. It goes further to state the measures and incidences of violence including theories concerning women assault.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is very important for it teaches about recognizing one another especially those who have the violent personalities. It is good for the society for it educates one to accept others rights and difference between marriage duties and rights. This book shows us that we can eliminate all odds in our society and try make each and every person feel that he or she belongs to the society fully without any intimidation and discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dutton’s ideas can be used to help those who have the abusive personality by encouraging them to attend psychiatrist’s teachings. It can be used to educate spouses in marriage so that they will evade future marriage problems. Also, in the current globalized world, the ideas in this book can help us socialize and live together in peace and harmony especially in a domestic set up. This book can help people who are married in other cultures to harmonize or leave those cultures and then live with the acceptance and respect of each other’s rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press,  2004. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this book, Surviving Domestic Violence, Elaine wrote about several stories of women who had been subjected to domestic violence. She got these stories by interviewing and later writing them down. It talks of what each one of them went through and how they later managed to escape it. It gives reasons as to why such incidences were happening. After getting out, the women took a very long time to recover the psychological and wounds they got due to thisviolence but some were yet to fully recover for the ordeal they had gone through had impacted negatively on their lives. Those who managed to deal with stress after coming out said that they felt stronger than ever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different stories taught in this book are the true causes and effects of domestic related violence. They bring about what one goes through and how one feels while undergoing the violence. Also, it helps to understand what to do when such incidences happen. It also shows its effects and how they change one’s life therefore targeting those who abuse their partners. This book is a very ideal example as it shows us that those who have already freed themselves from the marital abuses can educate others like the youth and couples about domestic violence so that they refrain from it   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The stories are very encouraging for they give the people motivation to solve their problems and also how one can escape this. They can be used by those specialists in parental guidance and counselling to help them shape their marriage when such incidences are reported to them and even before couples get married. The ideas in this book can enable those undergoing abuses to get out and look for a better marriage partner. One only needs to accept that he or she is undergoing domestic violence and therefore if it cannot be solved, one can boldly walk away and start life afresh. Marriage is not slavery but it’s a path towards achieving your goals in life as one needs a partner who is willing to assist where possible so that they make all their dreams in life to happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger,  2009. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phillip exposes how men goes through domestic violence silently. He talks of how real it is that men are going through domestic violence without the society suspecting. He brings several stories of men who have been undergoing through such violence from their wives for a long time. Then he goes further to give tips that can help one to find freedom from any form of abuse. Then he addresses resistance and acceptance for those who are abusing their spouses and how they come to realize that each and every person deserves to be respected. He also talks of new great approaches that can be used to reduce domestic violence. He then gives survey statistics of domestic violence in Canada. It also talks about how the relationship changes between the offenders to their victims.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story is helpful in realizing what some men go through. It gives statistics of domestic violence that people are not ready to talk about. The society is helped to recognize men who are undergoing domestic abuses from their spouses. It is helpful because statistics help people to know how long they have been living with their friends undergoing abuses without even realizing it. It talks of acceptance which can help those who are yet to accept their spouse the way he or she is. It is helpful for it shows how much men can be subjected to torture with use of dangerous tools such as knives, machetes and any other type of a life-threatening tool or machine so that one can force their partner to follow one’s commands.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Philip’s ideas can be used to know the men who are undergoing abuses experienced from their wives and enable us to help them come out of the problem. Also, it encourages courage especially those who are not courageous enough to come out and tell their ordeal to the society. This book can help men to free themselves away from any form of abuse and intimidation from their partners. This book is very important as it can be used to tell the extent in which men undergo violence in real life situations. Men can also use this book to help them evade any other form of domestic violence against them and therefore reducing the number of men who die as a result of domestic violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications,  2013. Print.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book has been written collectively by different authors who specialize in domestic violence ideas. It talks about prevalence and physical health impacts of domestic violence. It talks about types of abuses in marriage such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and coercive control and also it questions them and gives clues on how they are brought about and their solution. It also talks of effects of the person’s psychology which is deeply affected even in the future that may not get them out of his mind. It stresses on survival strategies to evade such abuses and also how one can control one’s mind to avoid damaging his or her psychology. This book also gives the kinds of interventions and responses people can take after or when you suspect any form of violence. Advices from professionals on domestic violence are also written down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book has directives on what causes mental problems after abuse. It also gives us ways on how to control ourselves and maintain a state of calmness so as not disturb our stressed mind. It educates us on different forms of domestic violence. It is an important text for it has pieces of advice on domestic violence from professionals’ point of view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story in this book can help us to evade mental problems due to domestic abuses and can be used by psychiatrists to know what causes a certain mental disorder and they can use the ideas here to enable their clients who are undergoing this problem to get out of it. It can also be used to educate couples so that when they are not in good terms to try to their best solve the problem before it gets out of hand. The advices written in this book can also be used in the same way to advice people especially those undergoing domestic violence depending on the root cause and the kind of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is directed to those who have been freed from domestic violence and especially women. Due to violent domestic situations, one may develop post-traumatic stress disorders which are not easy to get out of one’s mind and can negatively affect that person. It is aimed at giving programs known as cognitive trauma therapy which one undergoes to help him or her come back to normal. It gives the techniques one can use them to help himself or herself by identifying any form of trauma and distress one has that can enable one to deal with it to help control and change his or her life .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This book is targeting those who have been affected by domestic violence so that they come back to normal. It is an educational tool for the society to understand the devastating effects of wife battering. Therefore it makes us to even identify those who are going through post-traumatic stress. It contains technics and procedures one can follow so that they make him deal any results brought by domestic violence. It is also helpful as it helps chase out any fears one has due to what they went through during that horrifying period of domestic violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychiatrists can use this book to help traumatized people come back to normal. The ideas here can help us to even identify those going through stress in their marriage so that they are helped before it’s too late. This book can be used also by the parents who are not in good terms to read and understand what one may go through if such incidences happen. The techniques in this book about dealing with trauma after violence can be used by psychiatrists to help clients who underwent this so that they identify what they are in trauma of and this can help them to accordingly better their lives. It can also be used individually as one can remember well what went wrong in that marriage and help better their lives. References Cook, Philip W. Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence. Westport: Praeger,  2009. Print. Dutton, Donald G. Rethinking Domestic Violence. Vancouver: UBC Press,  2006. Print. Howard, Louise, Louise Howard, Gene Feder, and Roxane Agnew-Davies. Domestic Violence and Mental Health. London: RCPsych Publications,  2013. Print. Kubany, Edward S, Mari A. McCaig, and Janet R. Laconsay. Healing the Trauma of Domestic Violence: A Workbook for Women. Oakland: New Harbinger Weiss, Elaine. Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free. Volcano: Volcano Press,  2004. Print. Source document

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Business Policy and Strategic Management Research Paper

Business Policy and Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The author of the paper states that growth is the way of life. Almost all organizations plan to expand. This is why expansion strategies are the most popular corporate strategies. Companies aim for sustainable growth. A growing economy, burgeoning markets, customers seeking new ways of need satisfaction, and emerging technologies offer ample opportunities for companies to seek expansion. Apart from competitive strategies, competition could coexist with cooperation. Corporate strategies could take into account the possibility of mutual cooperation with competitors while competing with them at the same time so that the market potential could expand. Cooperative strategies could be of the following types: 1. Mergers 2. Takeovers (or Acquisitions). 3. Joint Ventures & 4. Strategic Alliances.  Merger and takeover (or acquisition) strategies essentially involve the external approach to expansion. Basically two, or occasionally more than two, entities are involved. There is not much diffe rence in the three terms used for such types of strategies and they are frequently used synonymously. But a subtle distinction can be made. While mergers take place when the objectives of the buyer firm and the seller firm are matched to a large extent, takeover or acquisitions usually are based on the strong motivation of the buyer firm to acquire. The takeover is a common way for acquisition and maybe defining as "the attempt (often spring as a surprise) of one firm to acquire ownership or control over another firm against the wishes of the later management (and perhaps some of its stockholders). Joint ventures occur when an independent firm is created by at least two firms. In an era of globalization, joint ventures have proved to be invaluable strategies for companies looking for expansion opportunities globally. Strategic alliances are partnerships between firms' whereby their resources, capabilities, and core competencies are combined to pursue mutual interests to develop, man ufacture or distribute goods or services. Organizations follow the growth paths can be pursued via external expansion and mergers are the most popular measures. In this case (Merger) the business does not create the productive facilities itself, but purchases existing production. A merger is a situation in which, as a result of the mutual agreement two firms decide to bring together their business operations. A merger is distinct from a take over in so far as a takeover involves one firm bidding for another's shares. One firm thereby acquires another. A merger implies that managers through negotiation have reached an agreement acceptable to both sides. Mergers provide a much quicker means to growth than internal expansion. Not only does the firm acquire new capacity, but also it acquires additional consumer demand. Building up this level of consumer demand by internal expansion might have taken a considerable length of time.  

Scientific Paper Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scientific Paper Report - Essay Example The main effect, in this case, is climate change and global warming. This paper explores climate change with the focus on explaining some of the causes of climate change alongside the recent changes in climate recorded on the surface of the earth. The term climate change can sometimes be used to refer to the climatic changes that are brought about due to human activities, rather than those climatic changes that are brought about as part of the natural processes of the earth. These terms have become quite relevance as far as the environmental policy, and the global warming anthropogenic are concerned. Global warming, in this case, represents the increases in temperature and climate change and deals with global warming, and other aspects including the levels of greenhouse effect. Arguably, the rate in which energy is received from the sun and the loosing rate to the space determine a great deal both the climate of the earth and the equilibrium temperature. As research would have it, th e energy is transferred all over the globe by use of ocean current, winds, and other different mechanisms which may affect the climate of other regions. It is worth noting that there are a number of factors that may lead to climate change. Key among them includes solar radiation, variation, and orbit of the earth, continental drift and the green house gas changes concentration. Different climatic alterations in climatic feedbacks can either diminish or amplify the forces that initially. Other parts of the system of climate such as ice caps, ocean. Within the climate variation context, human factors that are deemed to be affecting the climate are the anthropogenic factors. According to the scientific consensus concerning climate change, climate is always changing and the changes are largely due to human activities. Clearly, humans play an important role in so far as climatic alterations are concerned. Industrial revolution that took place in the 19th century brought about a large sca le use of the fossil fuels for purposes of industrial activities. Evidently, these many industries created many jobs causing people to migrate from their rural areas to cities and the trend has been sustained till present. Following this much of the land under vegetation have been clearly to pave way for houses. Natural resources, on the other hand, have been explored for purposes of constructing transport and industries. Consumerism has gone up by bound and leaps, thereby, creating mountains of waste. Moreover, the shooting up of the population has brought about incredible effects on the climate. All these factors have immensely contributed to the increase in the atmospheric greenhouse gases. Fossil fuels including coal, natural gas, and oil are the main sources of the energy for running vehicles, generation of electricity for industrial purposes, households and many more. Clearly, the sector of energy contributes on average three quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions, large quan tities of the nitrous oxide gas, and about a fifth of the methane emissions. Additionally, the energy sector, produce both carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides gases, though not part of the greenhouse gases, have a significant influence upon the chemical cycles within the atmosphere producing or destroying greenhouse gases. The most concern of these human factors is the increase in t

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 20

Philosophy - Essay Example Although it is not possible to say he describes the absolute truth in his works, the lens he uses to look at history—realism—is one of the most valuable and significant. What was Thucydides’ political philosophy? Simply put, people are not perfect and rarely have the best intentions of the human race in mind when they act, in particular if they are leaders of various countries. Thucydides looked at the characters and conflicts and his time and tried to understand why events happened the way they did. He didn’t act in a hardcore ideological way and he did let his curiosity motivate him, but he had decided views about politics. Although he admired Pericles, he hated demagogues who would rile up the masses and force the country and its leaders to act out of the basest of instincts. All of the issues and problems of politics that this great man came up with and first observed thousands of years ago are with us to this day. We can see the philosophical legacy of Thucydides present in today’s world amongst analysts who look at the world from a position of realism. These people would look, for example, at Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and they would say that Russia’s motives in invading Afghanistan were rooted in self-interests, vested interests, the desire to perpetrate the communist ideology in the whole world, the amassing of more powers that would tilt the balance of power in its favor and against the interests of its Cold War adversary, the United States. To the realist and to Thucydides, expansion of power is often a nation or person’s motivating force and ambition. States and people compete for economic resources and the highest degree of security possible. States value military and economic strength and they are stopped in its tracks only when the level of power of opposing claimants are stronger or just as equal. When analyzing a war—Thucydides

Monday, August 26, 2019

Law(freedom of religion) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law(freedom of religion) - Essay Example But unfortunately, the Forest Service decided not to adopt this recommendation, and it prepared a final environmental impact statement for construction of the road. Therefore a trial was set up and finally the District Court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the Forest Service from constructing the Chimney Rock section of the G-O road or putting the timber harvesting management plan into effect. But after a long discussion about the case, the court concluded that both projects would breach the Governments trust responsibilities to protect water and fishing rights reserved for Native Americans of Hoopa Valley. The Forest Service appealed the decision. All of the hard decisions made by the judge were mostly based on two important terms namely establishment and free exercise The term establishment means united states congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Because they need to be fair to all religions and cannot provide support for any religion. Free exercise on the other hand means congress does not have the right to prohibit the free exercise hence People can freely exercise their religions and the government doesn’t have the right to control it. These terms play a significant role in helping the judges to conclude this case. There is an interesting case which came to my attention and the case was about whether a government school in France had the right to dismiss a Muslim girl because she refuse to remove her veil in class. The girl at the center of this highly sensitive controversy was sacked when she refused to remove her veil in class because it was against her religious believes and also violates her right as a French citizen to practice her choice of religion with no interference from any authorities as the European human rights law say. Reacting to her dismissal the girl’s father took the school authorities to a European human rights court to

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Culture Exercise Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Culture Exercise - Research Paper Example My great grandmother and her mother (both deceased) belonged to the Cherokee cultural group. My family is a nuclear one, and my mother (deceased) was the only child of my grandmother. My mother has three children including my sister and brother. My maternal grandmother is still living, and she is the head of the family where my elder sister, her two adult children, and five grandchildren live. My husband and I live in a separate house, and we have †¦ children. Language formulations All our family members speak, read, and write English; it is the primary language we use. The closest language formulation I could identify is the use of slang by my family members. It seems that none of my family members uses the language of Ebonics. Some common Cherokee slang is unique to this Native American tribal group, and they have originated as local dialects within the US Cherokee communities. The slang we use may be unfamiliar to someone who does not belong to this family culture. Religious belief system My family of origin follows a particular religious belief system. Our religious practices or denominations include Baptist, Holiness, and Christian Methodist Episcopal. There are no additional special rituals. Religious belief is particularly important to the family because it notably influences the way the family members lead their life. Except the religious belief system, no specific philosophy is followed by my family. Admittedly, the intensity of religious belief is declining from generation to generation. Power holder in the family In our family culture, female is the head of the most of the households because male members are absent from family due to their choice. In some cases, male members are not present in the family due to increased substance abuse or imprisonment. Today, many African American leaders are vehemently working to make male members aware of the importance of family living. They also strive to enable women to choose mates who would help raise th e family. Although my grandmother is the matron of the family, each household enjoys the power to make its own decisions. Female members are the decision makers in the family because male members pay less attention to family affairs. Individual importance As per the current family structure, primary importance is given to individuals rather than the family unit. However, this family philosophy is subjected to changes under certain circumstances. To illustrate this, there is a shift of focus from individuals to the family unit with the death of my grandmother’s brother on 22nd May 2013. Once everything associated with this death is resolved, the focus will be shifted to individuals again. Every individual has unique views; hence, he/she perceives and deals with things differently. I give more importance to the family unit than individuals. Therefore, I primarily focus on the needs of my grandmother, husband, and my children. Celebration of holidays The thanksgiving celebration is the major celebration of the family. For this celebration, every family member gathers at grandmother’s home. Usually, we all do not gather at a place for any other celebration. However, it seems that family members living outside grandmother’s home usually celebrate Christmas, Easter, and other special occasions at their own homes. Special rituals My grandmother’s grandmother was a slave and was not allowed to practice her traditional ways. As a result, her children were

Saturday, August 24, 2019

E-commerce and globalization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-commerce and globalization - Assignment Example and taking into consideration the virtual space that has been created by the internet, coupled by the globalization of trade and the lifting of trade barriers by various governments, Amazon has been able to conquer nearly all parts of the world by its online businesses (Lynch, 2003). This has led to the classification of commerce as a specialized activity and special experience with Amazon becoming the largest commerce site for the selling of books and goods online. The first advantage relates to the experience that a person gets when browsing through the wide range of books online. Second, online selling spares buyers the time of moving around stores to sample the books that they need. Instead, one only has to do a click of their computer’s mouse and they have a wide range of books to sample. A person only needs to know about the name of the book as most people are unfamiliar with the ISBN concept. Third, online sale of books at Amazon Inc. entails very secure and simple buying procedures that any computer literate customer with basic skills would easily manage (Barfield, 2003). The payment procedures are also simple to use as a person would only require a PayPal account or credit card to make purchases. Subsequently, online sale of books allows the customers the opportunity to select between old and new books assuming that the old books are recalled when still in good condition. Nearly all books are available online and if not a request can be easily made for the same. Online sale of books is also efficient in the sense that one may just order online and then have the book delivered to their houses without having to move at an extra but, lesser aggregate cost. Finally, online shopping of books accords a buyer with the opportunity to assess books from different authors and publications. First, the buying and selling of books is at an extra internet cost that most people are unaware about. In most instances, these books that have to be sold online are to be

Friday, August 23, 2019

How Do the films Pretty Woman and Maid in Manhattan Attempt to Revive Essay

How Do the films Pretty Woman and Maid in Manhattan Attempt to Revive the Screwball Genre - Essay Example However Comedy as truly said in the quote above is a serious business. It is a serious business because unlike a real life business, comedy has only one agenda to achieve and that is to make a people laugh and be merry. In this essay we are going to analyse what is comedy with reference to screwball genre of comedy. After we have a look at various types of genres in comedy we will look into screwball genre with help of two movies ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Maid in Manhattan’. How do we define comedy? It is basically professional entertainment consisting of jokes to make the audience laugh. It can be in various formats such as plays, films, television shows, etc. Comedy comes in various types. What makes us laugh while we are watching a comedy? We laugh when we find something funny especially when something in front of us is twisted and crooked than our expectations from a situation. For ex: We laugh when we see someone stepping on a banana skin and having a fall. D o we expect people to fall tripping over a banana skin? Yes we do. But what if someone does step on a banana skin and doesn’t fall? Or the person even tries to balance him or herself awkwardly to avoid the fall? The entire gesture of regaining balance and composure becomes hilarious than the actual fall. It is contrary to our expectations of a person tripping over a banana skin. This is one of the many situations which gets funny and causes humour or comedy. There is no definite situation why a person may or may not feel humorous or funny. Comedy hence is very difficult to predict. In literature or other art forms, all other forms are definite, be it tragedy, anger, frustrations, seriousness etc. The audience reaction is predictable because the form is designed with a distinct purpose. For Ex: A tragedy like Othello or Macbeth is definite in its purpose which makes the audience feel strongly about vanity of values and ethics in life. Hence making people laugh or comedy become s a business seriously done. Although the basic purpose is to make an audience laugh, the shades of humour change from each type. Ranging from a very light effervescent humour to black dark comedies, comedy is a medium used to comment on the paradoxes of society. It is often said that comedy is essentially a good tool to put a point across, because it acts like a fist in velvet glove. Considering this we can state that comedy has different styles and types or genres. Let us have a look at various genres of comedy: 1. Slapstick comedy: Slapstick is a boisterous comedy usually consisting of crude practical jokes and physical humour. The topmost name in slapstick comedy genre is of Charlie Chaplin. Audience ruptured into laughter while watching Chaplin on screen. For ex: He is walking on a footpath looking here and there and without noticing the electricity pole and suddenly bumps into it drives the audience mad with laughter. Slapstick is a form which has stayed longest in all the com edies presented so far. The latest example of slapstick comedy is Jim Carrey in the movie ‘The Mask’. The mask brings out the inner desires and emotions of the person who wears it. No other form of comedy would have done justice to the eccentricity of the character portrayed than slapstick. 2. Parody and Spoof: Parody is deliberate mimicking to cause humour. Although spoof and parody have a very thin line of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Factors For and Against Essay Example for Free

Factors For and Against Essay Reasons for legalization (ranked from strongest to weakest) 1. Medical benefits for terminal illnesses such as cancer. 2. Police and court resources would be freed to pursue more serious crimes. 3. The FDA could regulate the quality and safety of the drug. 4. This drug has fewer side effects that most currently legal narcotics. 5. Legalization would lower prices, thereby reducing crimes such as theft. 6. If taxed sales of this drug would help lift the U.S. economy by billions of dollars a year. Reasons against legalization (ranked from strongest to weakest) 1. Issues such as driving under the influence may increase. 2. Legalizing this drug might increase the number of juvenile users. 3. This drug may be a gateway drug to more dangerous drugs such as heroin or cocaine 4. There would be an increase in lung damage and the damage to non-users through second hand smoke. 5. Legalization of this drug could lead to legalization of â€Å"harder† drugs 6. Some consider this drug morally wrong. I have seen the effects this drug has on a terminally ill patient. My late husband, who was just 39 years old when he died of colon cancer, used Marijuana on just a couple of occasions and the difference before and after its use were abundantly clear. Tom was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36, and only given 15 months to live, because of his military and ethical background he swore he would never use Marijuana unless it was legalized. As his illness got worse his thinking changed, he just wanted to feel better, and the narcotics he was prescribed by his oncologist made him weak, tired, decreased his appetite and caused nausea. He hated being on these narcotics as he didn’t feel he could enjoy the little life he had left, he could barely get out of bed let alone play with his children. During the second year of his illness we went camping with some friends, to a little cabin 2 hours off the paved road. Tom could scarcely sit up in front of the campfire, but tried his best to enjoy possibly the last camping trip of his life. After the children were asleep one of our friends began to smoke marijuana and asked if we wanted any, I declined but Tom wanted to try it, just to see how it would make him feel. Within five minutes of smoking marijuana Tom was up walking around, he ate, laughed and even began helping cut wood and attend to the fire. The difference was noticeable to us all, it was amazing. First thing in the morning he smoked some more marijuana, and was able to play with his children, go for a mile long walk and eat some more. Upon returning home Tom stated that while he would like to use the drug again, but he couldn’t bring himself to break the law, and therefore did not try the drug again. During Tom’s illness those two short days in the mountains were some of his best. The marijuana took away his nausea and pain, his appetite was increased and his pain was nowhere near the same high levels he experienced without the drug. Because I have seen the benefits of this drug in person, I have placed this as my strongest argument for the legalization of this drug. It was very difficult for me to rank the arguments for the legalization of marijuana, because I found them all to be quite beneficial, yet I had to place the fiscal benefit towards the bottom of the list. My reasoning for this is because if this drug were moved from a schedule I drug to a schedule II drug, and was only legal if prescribed, the prescription would not be taxed thereby eliminating this argument for the legalization. My strongest reason against the legalization of marijuana is the possible dangers of driving while under the influence of this drug. This is a big issue with most any drug, most notably alcohol, but this danger is not only posed to the user but those around the user as well. While many people are stopped and arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana, it would seem logical that this would only increase with legalization, much like alcohol. My weakest argument against legalization is that it is considered morally wrong by some people. The reason I placed this last is because not all people would consider this morally wrong. There are many things that people consider morally wrong, yet they are legal. For example the Mormon religion believes that alcohol, tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks are morally wrong, yet these are not made illegal. This argument seems to be the loosest of all the arguments, and therefore was placed at the bottom of the list.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Judicial Activism Essay Example for Free

Judicial Activism Essay Judicial activism is gaining prominence in the present days. In the form of Public Interest Litigation (PIL), citizens are getting access to justice. Judiciary has become the centre of controversy, in the recent past, on account of the sudden (Me in the level of judicial intervention. The area of judicial intervention has been steadily expanding through the device of public interest litigation. The judiciary has shed its pro-status-quo approach and taken upon itself the duty to enforce the basic rights of the poor and vulnerable sections of society, by pro ¬gressive interpretation and positive action. The Supreme Court has developed new methods of dispens ¬ing justice to the masses through the public interest litigation. Former Chief Justice PN. Bhagwat, under whose leadership public interest litigation attained a new dimension comments that the supreme court has developed several new commitments. It has carried forward participative justice. It has laid just standards of procedure. It has made justice more accessible to citizens. The term judicial activism is intended to refer to, and cover, the action of the court in excess of, and beyond the power of judicial review. From one angle it is said to be an act in excess of, or without, jurisdiction. The Constitution does not confer any authority or jurisdiction for activism as such on the Court. Judicial activism refers to the interference of the judiciary in the legislative and executive fields. It mainly occurs due to the non-activity of the other organs of the government. Judicial activism is a way through which relief is provided to the disadvantaged and aggrieved citizens. Judicial activism is pro ¬viding a base for policy making in competition with the legislature and executive. Judicial activism is the rendering of decisions, which are in tune with the temper and tempo of the times. In short, judicial activism means that instead of judicial restraint, the Supreme Court and other lower courts become activists and compel the authority to act and sometimes also direct the government regarding policies and also matters of administration. Judicial activism has arisen mainly due to the failure of the executive and legislatures to act. Sec-ondly, it has arisen also due to the fact that there is a doubt that the legislature and executive have failed to deliver the goods. Thirdly, it occurs because the entire system has been plagued by ineffec ¬tiveness and inactiveness. The violation of basic human rights has also led to judicial activism. Finally, due to the misuse and abuse of some of the provisions of the Constitution, judicial activism has gained significance. Besides the above mentioned factors, there are some other situations that lead to judicial activism. These are: (i) When the legislature fails to discharge its responsibilities. (ii) In case of a hung parliament where the government is very weak and instable. (iii) When the governments fail to protect the basic rights of the citizens or provide an honest, efficient and just system of law and administration, (iv) When the party in power misuses the courts of law for ulterior motives as was done during the Emergency period, and (v) Finally, the court may on its own try to expand its jurisdiction and confer on themselves more func ¬tions and powers. Areas of Judicial Activism During the past decade, many instances of judicial activism have gained prominence. The areas in which judiciary has become active are health, child labour, political corruption, environment, education, etc. Through various cases relating to Bandhua Mukti Morcha, Bihar Under trials, Punjab Police, Bombay Pavement Dwellers, Bihar Care Home cases, the judiciary has shown its firm commitment to participa ¬tory justice, just standards of procedures, immediate access to justice, and preventing arbitrary state action. Public Interest Litigation: An Innovative Step towards Judicial Activism Public interest litigation means a suit filed in a court of law for the protection of public interest such as pollution, terrorism, road safety etc. Judicial activism in India acquired importance due to public interest litigation. It is not defined in any statute or act. It has been interpreted by judges to consider the intent of public at large. The court has to be satisfied that the person who has re sorted to PIL has sufficient interest in the matter. In India, PIL initially was resorted to towards improving the lot of the disadvantaged sections of the society who due to poverty and ignorance were not in a position to seek justice from the courts. After the Constitution (Twenty Fifth Amendment Act, 1971), primacy was given to Directive Principles of State Policy by making them enforceable. The courts to improve administration by taking up PIL cases, for ensuring compliance constitutional provisions has also increased. PIL is filed for a variety of cases such as maintenance of ecological balance, making municipal authorities comply with statutory obligations of provision of civic amenities, violation of fundamental rights etc. It has provided an opportunity to citizens, social groups, consumer rights activists etc., easier access to law and introduced a public interest perspective. Justices P.N. Bhagwati and V.R. Krishna Ayer have played a key role in promoting this avenue of approaching the apex court of the country, seeking legal remedies in areas where public interests are at stake. PIL has been considered a boon, as it is an inexpensive legal remedy due to nominal costs involved in filing the litigation. But there are some problems also in the PIL cases. There has been an increase in the number of frivolous cases being filed due to low court fees. Genuine cases got receded to the background and privately motivated interests started gaining predominance in PIL cases. In view of this, the Supreme Court has framed certain guidelines governing the PIL. Presently the court entertains only writ petitions filled by an aggrieved person or public spirited individual or a social action group for enforcement of the constitutional or the legal rights of a person in custody or of a class of persons who due to reasons of poverty, disability, socially or economically disadvantaged position are finding it difficult to approach the court for redress. PIL is an extraordinary remedy available at a cheaper cost. As Justice Bhagwati observed in the case of Asiad workers case, now for the first time the portals of the court are being thrown open to the poor and the downtrodden. The courts must shed their character as upholders of the established order and the status quo. The time has come now when the courts must become the courts for the poor and the struggling masses of this country.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Women’s Changing Role in the Family and Society

Women’s Changing Role in the Family and Society Nicole M. Tortoris Today, women are tipping the balance of power in their favor. Women have gained power because society is becoming more aware of women’s potential, not only as mothers and housewives, but as businesswomen and entrepreneurs (Schoen, Astone, Rothert, Standish, Kim, 2002). The battle of the sexes continues; women are becoming more independent and more preoccupied with their careers. Women’s independence is why they are less dependent on men and men’s financial support, and less willing to start a family for reasons concerning only economic safety. The emancipation of women, which began decades ago, led to a more active and influential presence in the business world, also known as â€Å"a man’s world.† The time to be an obedient housewife and a dedicated mother has passed, while the time for education and profession is present. Women are becoming too busy for large families for whom they must care during their entire youth (Schoen, Astone, Rothert, Stan dish, Kim, 2002). In their study, Schoen, Aston, Rothert, Standish and Kim (2002) investigated whether or not married women’s employment threatens their marriages. They pose a complex three-part hypothesis in which they examine the likelihood of a marriage to end in divorce based on the woman’s employment and the happiness of both or either spouse. They investigated these hypotheses using data from the 1988 and 1992-94 National Survey of Families and Households. In their analysis of this data, the authors consider two theories using the variables role specialization, interdependence, and economic opportunity. The first suggests that a married woman’s employment does pose a threat to her marriage; however, the second argues that in itself, the wife’s work does not endanger her marriage, but would allow her to leave if she were unhappy with the marriage. The authors’ findings support the second theory, that a working woman would be more likely to leave an unhappy marri age. The risk of divorce for a full time employed wife when both partners are unhappy is 4.94 times greater than not getting a divorce, p Women’s fuller participation in the decision-making processes of our social institutions has shattered stereotypes that tended to limit females to feminine activities and pushed males into male activities (Heslin, 2007). As structural barriers continue to fall and more activities are degendered, both males and females will be freer to pursue activities that are more compatible with their individual abilities and desires instead of society’s prescribed roles. As stereotypes continue to be broken, new role models develop and socialization of children changes. Males and females will gain new perceptions of themselves and of one another. Sociologist Janet Chafetz (1974) conducted a qualitative longitudinal study utilizing focus groups, (based in large part on small class project by her students). In this study, Chafetz identifies 16 acceptable behaviors, eight for men and eight for women. Each of these themes focused on specific behaviors that are considered acceptable for men and women. This study’s findings were more useful in determining acceptable behaviors for men and women, and efforts to understand how far both men and women have advanced in terms of acceptable behaviors. This study was also useful because it looked at behaviors instead of stereotypes. In an attempt to take a new approach to this area of study, this study coded specific sex-typed behaviors, instead of using stereotypes, to assess gender in commercials. Chafetz (1974) explained that this change will allow men and women to express needs and emotions that traditional social arrangements denied them. Women and girls will likely perceive themselves as more in control of their lives, more assertive, and striving more for positions of leadership. With these roles changing, men and women will also develop a new consciousness of their capacities and their options, which will change relationships among men and women. Offen (1990) predicted that if current trends continue, American society may see a growing appreciation of sexual differences coupled with greater equality of opportunity. This has the potential of transforming society. According to Rogers and Amato (2000), there have been fundamental changes to gender relations. Since the 1960s, both men and women have become less traditional in their gender-role attitudes. Judge and Livingston (2008) examined the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a panel study administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The sample was a nationally representative sample of 12,686 individuals between the ages of 14 and 22 years of age when the participants were first surveyed in 1979. Individuals were surveyed annually through 1994 and then interviewed on a biennial basis through to 2005. F rom the original sample, 60.4% of participants remained in the study. Judge and Livingston (2008) found that women have a more egalitarian orientation than men do (B=-.361, p Kulik (2002) analyzed 232 Israeli retirees aged 58 to 85 years to compare the differences between husbands and wives and their views on marital satisfaction. The results of this comparison suggest that gender may have implications for those couples who are at similar life stages versus those who are not. Participants in the study were asked to complete a 20 minute questionnaire. Research assistants made sure the couples filled out the questionnaire separately. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether there were differences between husbands and wives with respect to marital satisfaction and gender role ideology, power relations, and division of family roles. Wives reported a lower level of marital satisfaction than their husbands F(2,103)=7.45,p In Kulik’s 1999 study of 348 men, 137 were pre-retired (up to 18 months prior to retirement) and 211 had been retired from 2 to 10 years. MANOVA revealed significant differences between pre-retired and retired husbands in gender role ideology (F [2,324] = 6.25, p Several potential explanations for a gendered division of household labor have been posited (Blair Lichter, 1991). One explanation suggests that household responsibilities continue to be shouldered by women because women are socialized to adopt this as part of their identity as a woman. Therefore, many women may discourage help from their husbands because this challenges their self-identity. Recognizing that husbands contribute more to household duties upon retirement (Atchley, 1992), regardless of their wives’ employment status, may suggest a potential source of conflict as men encroach upon what has traditionally been accepted as a â€Å"woman’s domain.† This may be an issue that is more pronounced for individuals in age discrepant relationships who transition into retirement at different times. Although Kuliks (1999; 2001) results do not suggest that age discrepancy may exacerbate potential sources of conflict that couples in age-similar marriages have alread y confronted and resolved, it is important to recognize that no specific data regarding age similarity between partners was provided. Moreover, Kuliks (2001) study focused on Israeli couples who were in dual-earner marriages. As a result, the potential impact of culture may fail to extend to American couples. Kurdek (1998) provides further support for the link between gendered divisions of household labor and gender socialization. Kurdek examined the relation among division of household labor, gender role orientation, and marital satisfaction. The link between gender role orientation and division of household labor were consistent with Kulik’s (1999; 2001) findings. Although the women in Kulik’s sample shouldered more of the household responsibilities than men, the division of household labor was not significantly related to marital satisfaction. According to Kulik, this may be because an inequitable division of household labor is consistent with traditional views regarding the roles of men and women and is therefore congruent with the expectations of both husbands and wives. Ward’s (1993) study provides additional insight regarding the relation between marital satisfaction and the division of household labor. Unlike Kurdek (1998), Ward’s study provided evidence supporting the link between the division of household labor and marital satisfaction for wives, but not husbands. Ward analyzed the National Survey of Families and Households, which conducted interviews with a national probability sample of 13,017 participants. According to Ward, unequal divisions of household labor are not responsible for gender differences in marital satisfaction. The link to marital satisfaction is based on whether wives consider these labor divisions to be fair. Ward used multivariate analyses to investigate the predictors of perceived fairness in household labor and marital happiness. According to his findings, women participate in household tasks more often than men do (means: women=37, men=15, p=.0001). Perceived fairness of household chores appeared to be rel ated to marital happiness. For women, unfairness to self is related to lower happiness, χ2 (1, N=538) =38.4, p Several studies have linked gender role ideologies to the division of household labor (Kurdek, 1998; Gerson 2004; Mannino Deutsch, 2007; Mickelson, Claffey, Williams 2006; Robinson Hunter, 2008), yet the impact of aging on attitudes toward sex roles remains unclear (Kulik, 1999). Inglehart, Norris, and Welzel (2003) found evidence that younger adults displayed more modern gender role ideologies when compared to older adults. Inglehar, Norris, and Welzel (2003) note that the differences between younger and older couples may reflect differences in socialization related to cohort. As a result, couples who are age discrepant may be more likely to experience conflicts related to the impact of cohort differences on attitudes toward sex roles. However, Burke and Cast (1997) note that newlyweds who have a newborn during the first year of marriage experience changes in gender identity that accompany gender role taking. According to Burke and Cast, gender-role-taking yields more congruency between partners with regard to gender identity. The implications of Burke and Castâ⠂¬â„¢s study indicate that retirement may present the same opportunity for gender role taking among age discrepant marriages that the birth of a child does for newlyweds. These are issues that have yet to be examined among older couples and age discrepant marriages in particular. Researchers have attempted to explore power, decision-making, and relationship satisfaction differences between males and females for years. There appears to be some sex difference in the levels of satisfaction within marriages. For example, there seems to be a difference in relationship satisfaction based on gender roles and ideologies (Mickelson, Claffey, Williams, 2006; Sprecher, 2001). One predictor of relationship satisfaction may be equal participation in household work. Many women perceive the contribution by their partner, however limited, as an expression of love or support (Pina Bengtson, 1993). Similarly, other studies suggest that balanced roles in relation to equal division of household labor (Mickelson, Claffey, Williams, 2006; Rachlin, 1987) and equal contributions to child-rearing (Coltrane, 2000; Dempsey, 2002; Yogman Bragelton, 1986) led to higher levels of relationship satisfaction. Tsang and colleagues (2003) and Marks and colleagues (2001) also concluded that when both spouses were employed full-time, relationship satisfaction was increased (Marks, Huston, Johnson, Macdermid, 2001; Tsang, Harvey, Duncan, Sommer, 2003). REFERENCES Amato, P., Johnson, D., Booth, A., Rogers, S. (2003). Continuity and change in mariatl quarily between 1980 and 2000. Journal of Marriage and the Family , pp. 1-22. Atchely, R. (1993). Retirement and marial satisfaction. In M. Szinovacz, D. Ekerdt, B. Vinick, Families and Retirement (pp. 145-158). Newbury Park, California: Sage. Blair, S., Lichter, D. (1991). Measuring the dividion of household labor. Journal of Family Issues , 12, 91-113. Burke, P., Cast, A. (1997). Stability and change int he gender identieies of newly married couples. Social Psychology Quarterly , 60, 277-290. Chafetz, J.S. (1974). Masculine/feminine or human? An overview of the sociologt of sex roles. Itasca, IL: F.E. Peacock. Chafetz, J.S. (1990). Gender equaily: An intergrated theory of stability and change. Newburry Park, CA: Sage Publications. Gerson, K. (2004). Understanding work and family through a gender lens. Community, Work and Family , 7 (2), 163-178. Grote, N., Clark, M. (2001). Perceiving unfairness in the family: Cause or consequece of marital distress? Journal of Personaility and Social Psychology , 80 (2), pp. 281-293. Henslin, J. (2007). Sociology: A down-to- earth approach (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Inglehart, R., Norris, P., and Welzel, C. (2003). Gender equality and democracy. Comparative Sociology , 1 (3-4), pp. 321-346. Judge, T. A., and Livingston, B. A.. Is the gap more than gender? A longitudinal analysis of gender, gender role orientation, and earnings. Journal of Applied Psychology 93.5 (2008): 994-1012. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. Kulik, L.(1998). The effect of gender and social environment on gender role perceptions and sex identity: A comparative study of kibbutz and urban adolescence in Israel.Journal of Community Psychology, 30(6), 533-548. Kulik, L. (1999, May-June). Continuity and discontinuity in marital life after retirement: Life orientations, gender role ideology, intimacy, and satisfaction. The Journal of Contemporary Human Services , 286-294. Kulik, L.(2001). The impact of men’s and women’s retirement on marital relations: A comparative analysis. Journal of Women and Aging, 13(2), 21-37. Kulik, L.(2002). Marital equality and the quality of long term marriage in later life.Ageing and Society, 22,459-481. Kurdek, L. (1998). The allocation of household labor in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual married couples. In D. Anselmi, A. Law, Questions of gender: Perspectives and paradoxes (pp. 582-591). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. Mannino, C., Deutsch, F. (2007). Changing the dividion of houselold labor: A negotiated process between partners. Rex Roles , 56, pp. 309-324. Marks, S., Huston, T., Johnson, E., MacDermid, S. (2001). Role balance among white married couples. Journal of Marriage and Family , 63, 1083-1098. Mickelson, K., Claffey, S., Williams, S. (2006). The moderating role of gender and gender role attitudes on the link between spousal support and marital quailty. Rex Roles , 55 (73), 81-91. Offen, K. (1990). Feminism and sexual difference in histroical perpective. In D. Rhode, Theortical perspectives on sexual differences (pp. 13-20). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Schoen, R., Astone, N., Rothert, K., Standish, N., Kim, Y. (2002). Womens employment, marital happiness, and divorce. Social Forces , 81 (2), 643-663. Tsang, L., Harvey, C., Duncan, K., Sommer, R. (2003). The effect of children on marital happiness: Evidence from a longitudinal sample. Journal of Family and Economic Issues , 24, 5-26. Ward, R. (1993). Marital happiness adn houshold equilty in later life. Journal of Marriage Family , 55, 427-438.

Justice in William Shakespeares King Lear Essay -- William Shakespear

Justice in William Shakespeare's King Lear The question of the origin of true, virtuous, and impartial justice has plagued mankind over the millennia and continues to do so today. In Shakespeare’s King Lear two potential forms of justice predominate: human examination through trial and divine supernatural recourse. Both systems emerge fundamentally flawed in practice, however, and by the end of the play a world of unjust chaos reigns supreme. Over the course of three â€Å"trials,† Lear’s daughters competing for his love, the blinding of Gloucester by Cornwall and Regan, and Lear’s imagined cross-examination of Goneril and Regan, Shakespeare strikingly illustrates the concept that human justice is essentially blind and the maintenance of faith in the divine intervention of the goods is hopeless naà ¯vetà ©. Man’s justice is profoundly corrupted by the imperfection of human nature and shrouded by the inherent vices of avarice and jealousy. The theme of flawed justice arising from defective character is demonstrated from the very outset of the play with King Lear’s demand that his three daughters compete for his love and estate. Certainly, any father that actively encourages sibling rivalry and so clearly plays favorites, as shown when he laments over Cordelia â€Å"I loved her most and thought to set my rest / on her kind nursery† (1.1.137-38), has something drastically wrong with his mindset. Thus, Shakespeare utilizes the establishment of Lear’s flawed character to reveal the detrimental effect imperfect human nature can have on the issuing of justice. Shakespeare does so in including the senseless decree that Lear rashly issues: the virtuous Cordelia and loyal Kent shall be banished, and Lear’s kingdom should be ... ...Lear states, â€Å"Through tattered clothes small vices do appear. / Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, / And the strong lance of justice heartless breaks† (4.6.180-83). Thus, only through madness is Lear able to see the rampant abundance of injustice present in the world caused by the abuse and negligence of the wealthy in power. The errant â€Å"trials† of King Lear all serve to illustrate the concept that human justice is inherently tainted by the natural human tendency to abuse power for selfish means. Furthermore, characters such as Gloucester who maintain a persistent faith in the divine justice of the gods are seen as fools in a world where the innocent are senselessly taken advantage of and ultimately killed. Thus, it seems that until the essential vices of human nature are eliminated, justice will remain shrouded, and evil will reign.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Gertrudes Suicide :: essays research papers

Gertrude’s Suicide? In the Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet," Prince Hamlet’s mother Gertrude encounters many misfortunes, which she feels that she is to blame for. Gertrude was brought into the middle of everybody’s dilemmas and thus felt responsible for the occurrences that happened to all of the significant characters throughout the play. She allows her emotions to build up in an unhealthy manner and this leads to her eventual death. The question that surrounds her death is whether she committed suicide or led a natural demise? This is an unknown fact because on the night of her death she drank a poisoned cup of wine which was meant for Hamlet. However there was a possibility that Gertrude knew that the wine had deadly toxins in it. Although there is no definite guarantee that she committed suicide, the evidence is overwhelming that she knew that the wine was tainted. Prior to the opening of the drama, Gertrude was having an incestuous affair with her husbands brother, Claudius. Claudius then killed his brother (King Hamlet), and shortly after married Gertrude. Prince Hamlet could not handle this and was disgusted by the entire situation. He then decided to put on an "Antic Disposition," meaning that he will pretend to be crazy in order to find out the details of what is going on. Gertrude observes that Hamlet is not his usual self, and she feels responsible because her remarriage is so soon after her old husbands death. This makes Gertrude feel absolutely terrible and could be a possible justification for suicide. The Chief Counselor of Denmark, Polonius and his family, play a big role in determining the motivation of a possible suicide. Hamlet was in the midst of avenging his fathers death, to kill Claudius. He was having a conversation with his mom when he heard someone in the room spying on them. Thinking it was Claudius, he drew his sword and stabbed though the curtain where the impostor was in concealment. It turned out to be Polonius, who was now dead, and again Gertrude couldn’t help but feel accountable. Polonius’ daughter Ophelia was affected dramatically by his death. She was romantically involved with Hamlet, and couldn’t handle the fact that her boyfriend murdered her father. This destroyed Ophelia’s character and led to her suicide. Polonius’ son Laertes, had now lost his entire family and wanted to get revenge by assassinating Hamlet. Laertes was having a meeting with Claudius and they were planning the details of how to kill Hamlet.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Eros Essay example -- essays research papers

In the Poem, EPƒÇƒÃÆ', by Robert Bridges, Eros is referred to as an  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡Kidol of the human race ¡K ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a perfect form and looks, however, he bears no expression on his face. On the other hand, in the poem, EROS, by Anne Stevenson, Eros is portrayed as a  ¡Ã‚ §thug ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a bruised and  ¡Ã‚ §patchy ¡Ã‚ ¨ appearance. I believe that although both authors are trying to convey the same message, they choose different ways to go about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the poem by Anne Stevenson, I believe that she is trying to show that while people, especially the narrator, were constantly asking for help and calling upon the gods, they were not thinking of others, but more so their own personal problems. When Eros first appears to the narrator, she is shocked and in disbelief of his appearance. Eros tells the woman that he has that form due to all of the feelings she and others have directed in his direction. He then tells the girl that since it is the gods that control the fate of man, they are the ones that take all of the blame for things not going well, and that is reflected upon their bodily form. I think that the author was trying to show that from the scorn of man, the gods were receiving these verbal beatings that resulted in physical marks, and to show the selflessness of the gods as well. This is done when Eros tells the girl that it is better for him to be all bruised than for her to not have love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, when comparing the work of Anne Stevenson ... Eros Essay example -- essays research papers In the Poem, EPƒÇƒÃÆ', by Robert Bridges, Eros is referred to as an  ¡Ã‚ §Ã‚ ¡Kidol of the human race ¡K ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a perfect form and looks, however, he bears no expression on his face. On the other hand, in the poem, EROS, by Anne Stevenson, Eros is portrayed as a  ¡Ã‚ §thug ¡Ã‚ ¨ with a bruised and  ¡Ã‚ §patchy ¡Ã‚ ¨ appearance. I believe that although both authors are trying to convey the same message, they choose different ways to go about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the poem by Anne Stevenson, I believe that she is trying to show that while people, especially the narrator, were constantly asking for help and calling upon the gods, they were not thinking of others, but more so their own personal problems. When Eros first appears to the narrator, she is shocked and in disbelief of his appearance. Eros tells the woman that he has that form due to all of the feelings she and others have directed in his direction. He then tells the girl that since it is the gods that control the fate of man, they are the ones that take all of the blame for things not going well, and that is reflected upon their bodily form. I think that the author was trying to show that from the scorn of man, the gods were receiving these verbal beatings that resulted in physical marks, and to show the selflessness of the gods as well. This is done when Eros tells the girl that it is better for him to be all bruised than for her to not have love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, when comparing the work of Anne Stevenson ...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Is Claudius Presented by Shakespeare as a Tragic Villain Without Any Redeeming Features? Essay

As the King, Shakespeare presents Claudius as an able ruler who is trying to prove his worthiness to his court. This is apparent in Act 1, Scene 2 in Claudius’ opening speech. Claudius can be seen as being sincere in this speech as he mentions the death of his brother: ‘bear our hearts in grief’ (page 15) and he also states that the country is ‘contracted in one brow of woe’ (page 15). His language could be interpreted as heartfelt in his opening speech as he feels genuine sorrow over his brother’s death. This is a redeeming feature as he appears to feel love towards his brother for mentioning him as he takes his place as King. The language Shakespeare uses in Claudius’ opening speech is dismissive about the threat that Denmark may face from Norway due to Fortinbras: ‘So much for him’ (page 17). This is because he wants to display his confidence as a leader and to calm the listeners. This contributes to Claudius’ redeeming features as he appears to be considerate towards the feelings of those within the court. He does not wish to worry them and therefore comes across as an able leader. It may be interpreted that Claudius is inferior to his predecessor and is trying to provide the court with the reassurance that he can follow on from the previous King. Hamlet states that Claudius is ‘no more like my father/Than I to Hercules’ (page 25). This imagery that Shakespeare uses shows the previous King as a stern warrior in the mold of classical Greek heroes. In contrast, Claudius is a corrupt politician whose weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Shakespeare structures juxtaposition between the setting of Act one, Scene ne and Act one, Scene two in order to show a contrast in the reality and the dream in Claudius’ mind. Act one, Scene one takes place outside the castle at the dead of night. This pathetic fallacy creates a foreboding and intense atmosphere, almost predicting the appearance of the Ghost. The Ghost represents the harsh reality that Claudius has to face and the reason for his feelings of guilt. Act one, Scene two contrasts with the previous scene as it takes place inside the castle, with Claudius at the centre. This is Claudius’ dream situation, that he is King of Denmark with Gertrude as his Queen. The dramatic change in setting between scenes makes Claudius appear more oblivious to the consequences of his actions, as he is now centre of attention as King. This disillusion that Claudius appears to be in may deter the audience, as he cannot accept the effect of his actions. Unlike the majority of speeches throughout the play, Claudius’ opening speech deviates from iambic pentameter. This reflects the disorder that Claudius has created because of the murder. Court life would ordinarily have order and tranquillity and the structure of Claudius’ speech does not reflect this. However, it can be seen that Claudius is trying to restore order through his speech as he settles the court over the threat of Fortinbras: ‘So much for him’ (page 17). However, this is unlikely as Claudius’ actions led to the destruction of many other characters and does not restore order. The fact that the speech itself does not fit in with the typical Shakespearean structure of iambic pentameter, could reflect that Claudius himself does not fit in as the King of Denmark as he disrupts the divine hierarchy. Claudius disrupts the Chain of Being, a hierarchy derived from Aristotle and Plato; this would have been followed during the Elizabethan time period. At the top of the chain are God and the angels; whilst at the bottom are plants and rocks. Claudius disrupts the hierarchy as he takes the place of the previous King by marrying the Queen and not being next in line to the throne: ‘†¦for which I did the murder/My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen’ (page 165). This can be interpreted as a villainous act that was committed purely for the gain of Claudius. Such an act would be typical of a tragic villain as his acts lead to the downfall of the other characters. For example, Claudius’ actions lead to Hamlet receiving a visit from the Ghost and therefore feigning his madness in order to, eventually, avenge his fathers’ death. However, it is possible that Claudius is not a typical tragic villain. Claudius appears to feel guilt for murdering his brother, which is clear from his soliloquy in Act three, Scene three: ‘My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent’ (page 163). His attempted prayer proves he cannot be wholly evil if he seeks forgiveness for his sins. He does this although he is not a religious man: ‘Bow stubborn knees’ (page 165), which suggests he feels deep guilt and resentment over his actions for him to turn to religion for forgiveness. This is not typical of tragic villains, who tend not to be religious or feel any resentment for their behaviour. This could show that Claudius wishes to be saved from going to hell after his death, which would not be a typical concern of a Shakespearean villain. Claudius also creates peace with the other characters. For example, in his opening speech in Act one, Scene two, he is trying not to worry the court about the potential threat of Fortinbras, and in Act four, Scene five, Claudius tries to calm Laertes’ rage rather than encourage him to kill Hamlet. Such actions would not be typical of Shakespearean tragic villains, such as Iago from ‘Othello’. Iago feels no guilt for his actions against Cassio, Othello and Desdemona and is aware of the pain he is inflicting onto others. His actions against Othello also appear purposeless as it is never revealed why he dislikes him and wants him to suffer so much. Claudius is unlike Iago as he does feel guilt and his actions are indeed purposeful. Whereas most of the other important men in ‘Hamlet’ are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius’ actions are focused on maintaining his power. Although Claudius is Hamlet’s antagonist, he does have a number of redeeming features. He appears to have genuine affection for Gertrude, as one of the reasons for the murder of the King was to marry her: ‘My crown†¦and my Queen’ (page 165). This also comes across in Act five, Scene two, as when Gertrude is about to drink the poisoned wine, he tells her ‘do not drink’ (page 281). Claudius is aware of the affection Gertrude feels for Hamlet and when trying to be rid of him, considers her feelings: ‘That as the star moves not but in his sphere/I could not but by her. ’ (page 223). The imagery that Shakespeare uses is very unlike Claudius’ character and more similar to Gertrude’s. The imagery of spheres, that at the time where believed to revolve around the Earth containing heavenly bodies, shows that Claudius has love for Gertrude and could not live without her. Claudius also appears to care for Hamlet to some extent. He appears to be concerned for Hamlet’s well-being, as he brings in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in order to work out the cause of his ‘transformation’ (page 77). However, some may argue this is just an excuse for Claudius to discover whether or not Hamlet may know the truth of his father’s death. He thinks Hamlet’s madness is ‘More than his father’s death’ (page 77) and therefore wants to uncover the reason behind it. It can be seen that Hamlet’s madness is feigned and he does this purposely to see if Claudius is becoming suspicious of his actions. For example, in Act three, Scene two after witnessing Claudius’ outburst when the Player King is killed, Claudius demands for the lights: ‘Give me some light – away! ’ (page 153). This could be seen as an expression of emotion as Claudius feels tremendous guilt over his brother’s death or as a way of not allowing anyone else to gain suspicion in him through the play. Other interpretations of Claudius that the audience receive are from the other characters. Shakespeare presents grotesque and vile imagery used by Hamlet and the Ghost to describe Claudius. When Hamlet sees the Ghost in Act one, Scene five, the Ghost uses imagery of disease and corruption to describe Claudius and his actions: ‘Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast’ (page 51). Shakespeare uses the word ‘beast’ in reference to a cuckold. In Elizabethan times, if a woman were to have an affair, the husband would be known as a cuckold with horns to represent their foolishness in â€Å"losing† their wives. This imagery contrasts with the audience’s first interpretation of Claudius where Shakespeare presents him as a competent leader. This is the only alternate view that the reader receives in the play as both Hamlet and the Ghost have reason for hating Claudius. The view that Shakespeare gives them will have been fogged by their hatred of him and not give a fair representation of Claudius’ character. To conclude, Claudius is not a typical tragic villain due to his feelings of guilt and his consideration of others. The representation the reader receives from other characters is not a fair interpretation due to their abhorrence of him. Bibliography Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare – ‘Hamlet’ sparknotes. com sirbacon. org – F. C. Hunt interpretation

Friday, August 16, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr Speech Compared to a Raisin in the Sun Essay

In the speech, â€Å"I have a dream† by Martin Luther King, Jr. , he talks about equality for the all men and how he dreams about a world where people can be in harmony with no division of color. The play, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, relates to this subject in multiple facets centering around dreams. The play and speech take place in the same time period of the mid twentieth century, where color was a major divide in society. There are many similarities between the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† and the speech â€Å"I have a dream†. One example of a similarity is that both center on a dream that they or a character has. â€Å"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustration of the movement, i still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the american dream†¦ † This is an excerpt from Kings speech that is him relating to the people that he has a dream about equality. The Raisin in the Sun also relates to this because the main character, Walter Younger, has a dream about supporting his family and supplying them with everything they have ever dreamt for. Another way they are similar is the way they reflect the inequality and hardship that racism inflicted on them and their families. In The Raisin in the Sun, the main character walter faces an unfair world where it is specifically better for people who are white instead of african american, this reflects on his career as white workers are paid significantly more than african americans. â€Å"The life of a Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. This is King explaining that after many years of african americans being released from slavery and become free americans, they are still treated the same and that they are not actually free until the people are all equal regardless to skin color. In the end, they both reflect the conditions that african americans had to go through to get equality from discrimination and segregation. Both the play and the speech had similar ideas about having dreams of equality and supporting their families.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Epic Hero Essay

Moral Courage EMMA WALSKY PRE-AP CHALLENGE ENGLISH 9 MRS. PEARSON 2 MARCH 2013 â€Å"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare. † (Mark Twain) Courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Aragorn, from The Lord of the Rings, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, and Katniss from The Hunger Games all demonstrate jarring courage throughout their journey to heroism.As Aragorn leads the Fellowship, they come across many obstacles and interferences. He is required to battle off Urak-hai, Orcs, and Nazgul and protect his comrades, all while continuing his quest to Mount Doom. Aragorn is a very loyal and intrepid leader whom is brought to heroism through his magnificent courage. Odysseus makes a very long journey in order to return home to Ithaca. He is forced to make tremendous sacrifices, survive the wrath of Skylla and Kharybdis, and take the form of an intelligent beggar.Odysseus is brought to his heroic means through his gallant courage and distinctive endurance. Katniss battles for days in order to win victory for her district. She protects fellow members, cunningly kills off enemies, and endures major physical and intellectual damage. Katniss’ stunning dedication and over powering courage lead her to great heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R.Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten. As an epic hero the first hero journey step, The Call to Adventure, acts as one of most important steps, as it begins ones strenuous expedition towards victory and t riumph.Odysseus, The Great Glory of the Achaians, was under oath to protect the marriage of Helen and Menelaus. After Helen was taken by Paris to the city of Troy, the Greeks demanded war upon the Trojans. Odysseus was asked by King Agamemnon and King Menelaus to endure war and bring his fleet of ships and soldiers. This marked the start of Odysseus’ lengthy journey to capture Helen, and defeat Troy. Odysseus proudly led the Walsky 2 Cephallenians, with twelve ships, who were settled in Ithaca, Neriton, Crocyleia, Aigilips, Zacynthos, and Samos.He was forced to leave his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telelmachus, for what soon became 20 years. Odysseus’ tremendous sacrifice to his country and his family along with his outstanding courage to bring home victory prove his title of an epic hero. Katniss, The Girl Who Was on Fire, begins her journey in the square of District 12. As the reaping begins, Katniss separates from her sister, Primrose, and waits for Effie Trinket t o announce which two children of the Seam will act as tribute. Effie reaches her hand deep into the ball and pulls out a slip of paper.As she crosses back to the podium, she smoothes the slip of paper and reads out the name in a clear voice, Primrose Everdeen. As a â€Å"strangled cry comes out of her throat and her muscles begin to move again,† Katniss screams out â€Å"Prim! † (Collins 22). Katniss makes way for the stage and pulls Prim behind her with one sweep of her arm as she gasps â€Å"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute! † (Collins 22). Katniss protects her sister from the dangers of the battle as she unexpectedly volunteers to take her place as tribute. With this, she displays shocking courage and wholesome bravery.Katniss’ great deed is one of many that prove she is a respectable epic hero. Katniss and Odysseus both embark on hearty journeys that force them to make important sacrifices, portray a leader figure, and act courageous in battle, whi ch ultimately prove themselves as epic heroes. Each epic hero heftily utilizes the third hero journey step, The Wise and Helpful Guide and the Magic Tailsman, to assist and guide them in their path to success and glory. Aragorn, The Great Strider, along with the rest of the Fellowship, is led from the shire to Mount Doom by Gandalf the Grey, later Gandalf the White.Gandalf is a wizard, and is also known as the head of the Istari after the fall of Saruman. Gandalf leads and protects the Fellowship through Brandywine, The Old Forest, Chetwood, Bree, Weathertop, Trollshaws, and Rivendell until the final reach of Mount Doom. Aragorn is loyal to Walsky 3 Gandalf’s decisions and respects his strategies and tactics. He allows Gandalf to lead the Fellowship and trusts his knowledge and intelligence. Aragorn’s ability to respect, along with his distinctive loyalty and dedication towards others distinguishes him as an epic hero.Katniss is mentored by Haymitch Abernathy, victor o f the 50th Hunger Games, and won for District 12 at the age of 16. Haymitch first appears to Katniss as drunk and staggering as he dives off the stage at the reaping, and once again as he vomits on the expensive floor of the train headed to the Capitol. After a small fight between the two and Peeta, Haymitch begins to formulate a plan as he is interested in ones who can put up a fight. He tells them to train and learn new things, to avoid practicing skills they excel in. Haymitch successfully trains Katniss, as she comes out with a very high training score.Katniss respects Haymitch, although she is aware of his drinking problem, and obeys his rules and consequences. Katniss’ capability to learn and regard others methods prove her as a true epic hero. Aragorn and Katniss are capable of respecting others and distinguishing loyalty towards their mentors, ultimately giving them the title of epic hero. An epic hero would be nowhere without the sixth hero journey step, Hero Partner s, to lead, guide, and build each other up throughout the course of their journey. To Aragorn, the members of the Fellowship act as his hero partners.Frodo Baggins, Wise by Experience, Samwise Gamgee, The Salt of the Earth, Merry Brandybuck, Meriadoc the Magnificent, Pippin Took, The Hunchback, Legolas, The Green Leaf, Gimli, The Fire, Boromir, The War Jewel, Faramir, The Jeweled Hunter, and Gandalf, The Elf of the Staff, are all comrades of Aragorn. Each member of the Fellowship has a different type of relationship with Aragorn, whether it is family oriented or merely acquaintances. Aragorn utilizes the skills and abilities of each individual Fellowship member to bring them to victory and triumph.His healthy relationship with each Fellowship member allows them to relate to each other and create a Walsky 4 stronger bond, which is very important in the ultimate win. Aragorn’s healthy bonds and strong relationship with his hero partners differentiates him as an epic hero. One o f Odysseus’ hero partners is Diomedes, King of Argos. Diomedes is asked by Nestor to go on a night raid to the Trojan camp to kill guards and destroy their supplies. Diomedes is â€Å"willing to visit the enemy camp. But if one more could go with, that means more courage and more comfort† (The Iliad. 10. 119).Agamemnon orders Diomedes to choose a comrade, anyone he likes, as he knows the force of two will be stronger than one. Diomedes â€Å"could not think of anyone but Odysseus, the best man of all, ready heart and high temper in every enterprise† (The Iliad. 10. 120). Diomedes, along with many other Achaians, trusts and respects Odysseus as a fighter and as a genuine and loyal man. Athena, the Grey Eyed Goddess, is also a hero partner of Odysseus. As Odysseus enters the Phaiakians city, Athena â€Å"poured a sea fog around him as he went† so â€Å"that no jeering sailor should halt the man or challenge him for his luck† (The Odyssey. . 111). She cares about Odysseus’ safety and does everything she can to get him out of harm’s way. Athena knows Odysseus is a caring, genuine man whom deserves protection from danger. Odysseus’ bold relationships with his army and the gods and goddesses, and his strong bonds with generosity associate with the necessary deeds of an epic hero. The intelligent and genuine utilizations of hero partners by Aragorn and Odysseus prove their title as epic hero. The seventeenth hero journey step, The Hero’s Return, is one of the most important steps because it marks the hero’s victorious journey home.Odysseus had a very long expedition back to his home land of Ithaca. Odysseus and his men sail to the island of Cicones where they slaughter soldiers and kill livestock. After leaving Cicones, they sail to the Island of the Lotus Eaters, where many of his men eat the lotus plant and are intrigued to stay. They then sail to the Island of the Cyclopes and are trapped in Pol yphemus’ cave. They brutally drive a pole into his eye ball and escape by hanging under Walsky 5 the sheep he lets out to graze.After leaving the Cyclopes Island, Odysseus and his men sail to Aeolia, where he receives a gift of stormy winds to return home to Ithaca. The men open the bag and are directed to Aeaea, where they are given food and drinks from Circe. They sail to the Land of the Dead, where Teiresias tells them how to fend of the Sirens, Scylla, and Kharybdis. They sail through sirens but 6 of his men are taken by Skylla. As they reach Lord Helios’ island, Odysseus notifies his men not to slaughter and eat the cattle. They do so anyway and they are killed, leaving Odysseus alone. After many days he washes up upon Ogygia, Calypso’s island. He is oused there for seven years, and then lands on the island of Phaeacia, where he is the guest of honor at a banquet in the Phaeacian King’s palace. The king orders his men to give Odysseus a ship and then he sails off to home. He safely arrives in Ithaca, and has completed his journey home. Odysseus has many difficult encounters, near death experiences, and challenging tasks he must complete in order to return home. His outstanding level of endurance, strength and perseverance allows him to complete this miraculous journey and hold the title of en epic hero. Katniss endures many physically harmful situations in her quest to victory.Katniss protects fellow district members, hunts for food, kills off enemies, and builds shelters. As Claudis reinforms Katniss and Peeta that â€Å"the earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rulebook has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed,† she strings her bow and points the arrow right towards Peeta’s heart (Collins 342). As Peeta drops his knife, Katniss lowers her bow and steps back with shame. The two decide to, on the count of three, feed themselves a handful of poisonous berries so that neither of them would feel the pain of killing the other.Just as they lift their hands to their lips Claudis yells for them to stop and is â€Å"pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games† (Collins 345). A hovercraft materializes overhead and two ladders drop for Katniss and Peeta. As she places a foot on the first rung Walsky 6 of the ladder, she is home. As she steps aboard the plane safety and security fill the air. Katniss endured very harsh conditions, poor consistency, and emotional swings while in battle. Her astounding dedication and devotion for the victory of her district, led her home with triumph.Odysseus and Katniss return home through their astonishing endurance, dedication and courage, ultimately proving themselves as epic heroes. The twenty fifth hero journey step, Final Victory, is the most important as it labels the victory and win of a strenuous expedition, completed by an epic hero. Aragorn leads the Fellowship to triumph through his excellent leadership skil ls, combat abilities, and intelligent methods. The Battle of the Hornburg began Aragorn’s final victory. He revealed himself to Sauron as the heir of Isildur, in order to distract Sauron's attention from Frodo, who was approaching Mordor.Aragorn defended the city with the Dead Men of Dunharrow, who owed allegiance to the King of Gondor. They defeated Saurons allies, and sailed to Minas Tirith. They arrived at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and with the help of the southern forces the armies of Gondor and Rohan rallied and defeated Sauron's army. Aragorn then led his armies to the Gates of Mordor, to distract Sauron. Sauron attacked with overwhelming force but at that moment the Ring was destroyed by Frodo and Sauron and his forces were defeated. Aragorn was crowned King of Elessar and as the heir of Isildur, bore the shards of Narsil.He demands â€Å"this day doesn’t belong to one man but to all† and vows to â€Å"rebuild this world that they may share in th e days of peace† (LOTR:RK). He is loyal to his country and even after acquiring glory and fame through his crown, he still believes the most important thing he can do as King is distinguish the world with peace and tolerance. As Aragorn is walking out of his coronation with his wife, Arwen, he encounters the hobbits as they bow towards his glory. Aragorn claims they â€Å"bow to no one† as he, along with the rest of the crowd, bow towards their tremendous accomplishment (LOTR:RK).Aragorn beholds genuine loyalty and Walsky 7 respect towards his fellow men and acts as a great role model to future epic heroes. His wholesome courage and bold leadership led the Fellowship to a final victory and prove he is worthy of being an epic hero. Odysseus battles many obstacles in order to share his identity with his family. As Odysseus arrives on Ithaca Athena covers him in a mist which allows him to reach his home without being harmed. Odysseus reveals himself to Telemachus, although it takes some time as he appears god-like.Then Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and ventures to his home with Eumaeus. A fight broke out between Odysseus and Antinoos, a troublesome suitor, and he was summoned by Penelope as she was perceptive about the â€Å"beggar. † He tells her all he knows about Odysseus’ whereabouts and is then sent away. As he is receiving a cleanse from Eur’ykleia, the nurse, she notices his scar directly above his knee from hunting wild boar. Odysseus grabs her throat as he braces her up against the wall and informs her he will kill her if she tells others his true identity.Penelope believes Odysseus is not returning and decides to have a bow and arrow contest, to see which suitor possesses the skills of Odysseus. One must string a bow and shoot the arrow through a line of twelve axes. None of the suitors complete the task, so Odysseus proposes that he try and Penelope insists that he be given a chance. Odysseus swiftly completes the task, and strings a second arrow through the throat of Antinoos. He reveals himself as Odysseus, and the suitors then realize they have been locked in the room by Eumaeas and Philoetius.A raging battle begins and within no time all of the suitors are killed. Penelope, who slept through the entire fight, was called down to the scene. She didn’t believe it was Odysseus, and thought a god was playing a trick on her. She then orders Eur’ykleia to move her bridal bed and Odysseus immediately flares up. He explains that the bed is immovable, how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the house had been constructed. Hearing him recount these details, she knows that this man Walsky 8 must be her husband.He is reunited with his wife and his son, and becomes part of a family once again. Odysseus cleansed his home with the blood of the suitors and their families were pacified by Athena. After twenty long years, he is finally home. Odysseus’ unimagina ble perseverance and outstanding courage are what lead him home to a final victory and prove that he is an epic hero. Aragorn and Odysseus both utilize their withstanding endurance and bravery to complete their final victory and return â€Å"home. † An epic hero is a brave, noble and courageous character, whom is admired for their great achievements.Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss are all classified as epic heroes through their outstanding courage throughout their journey to heroism. Heroes of epic orchestration, such as Aragorn from The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey, by Homer, and Katniss from The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, establish themselves as superior epic heroes through their intelligent utilization of the twenty-five epic hero steps, along with their astounding courage, bravery, and endurance which ultimately transforms them into three epic heroes that will never be forgotten.Aragorn, Odysseus and Katniss will fore ver be remembered as stunning epic heroes. One’s moral courage determines one’s future. Walsky 9 Work Cited Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: NAL Penguin Inc. , 1938. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1998 Tolkein, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Dir. Peter Jackson. New Line Cinema, 2001, 2002, 2003. Twain, Mark. The Quote Garden, 1998. http://www. quotegarden. com/courage. html