Macbeth and Disturbed Character

Explore the ways in which Shakespeare and Robert browning present a disturbed character in literacy heritage texts. Robert browning and Shakespeare both use very strong techniques when presenting their characters in the heritage texts â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"the laboratory† In this essay I will be exploring the ways in which Browning and Shakespeare both portray disturbed characters. Disturbed characters meaning out of the ordinary, Browning and shakes spear present their characters without following stereotypes. This gives the audience the impression that the characters are disturbed.The play â€Å"Macbeth† features many themes ambition, jealousy, strength but the main theme in this play would be feminism. Macbeth is a play written around the ambition of a woman named â€Å"Lady Macbeth† she and her husband contact spirits who tell her she shall be queen. Lady Macbeth acts very quickly on this fantasy, and swiftly contacts the spirits to change her into a more masculine figure. Shakes spear uses very strong language to show this transformation, he presents Lady Macbeth as a very strong, ambitious character in the first half of the play.We can see evidence of this when he writes â€Å"take my milk for gall†. In the play lady Macbeth changes everything she believes in and breaks every stereotype in historical context about women in order to commit the murder of Duncan. This is ironic because later in the play lady Macbeth has achieved the status she wants as queen, but does not have control of herself; evidence of this is in act 5 scene 1 when Shakespeare writes â€Å"when was the last time she walked† â€Å"her eyes are open†¦But their sense is shut† this tells us she sleep walks and does not have control over her body physically, furthermore lady Macbeth does not have control over her mental state either evidence of this is when Shakespeare writes â€Å"look, how she rubs her hands† this suggest the doctor cannot see the blood on her hands. Further evidence of this is â€Å"there’s knocking on the gate† this tells us Lady Macbeth is hearing things in her head and is conscious of people finding out what she has done.The poem â€Å"the laboratory† is much like Macbeth with themes of jealousy, ambition, strength, respect and the main theme of feminism. â€Å"The laboratory† is a poem written in the 1800’s about a woman names Marie who seeks revenge on her cheating husband and the other women involved â€Å"Pauline†, she plans to poison Pauline. Browning presents Marie as a very ambitious character throughout the entire poem, we know she is ambitious because Browning writes â€Å"pound at thy powder† and â€Å"to carry pure death in an earring† he uses very fragmented, violent speech for Marie, making her seem like a very strong, ambitious character.The play was written in the 1800’s and is themed around historical con text, this makes the poem ironic because women were expected to have a lot of respect for each other and work together because they all had equally no rights. This is ironic because Pauline shows no respect for Marie’s marriage in the first place, but then Marie carries this on by showing no sympathy or respect for Pauline and takes her life. Shake spear and browning both use strong language techniques to portray disturbed characters in there texts.Both use fragmented speak and repeating key phases, there are many examples of this in Macbeth act 5 scene 1 when Shakespeare writes â€Å"come ,come, come† and â€Å"to bed, to bed†. In this scene lady Macbeth also talks in a very quick and short manner this gives the impression that her mind is very jumbled furthermore this could imply she has a lot to say but not enough time to say it all. This then portrays her as a disturbed character. In â€Å"the laboratory† browning uses repetition to portray Marie as d isturbed character. Examples are â€Å"her head, her breast and her arms†. Browning also uses very dark and devilish speech in his poem.Examples of this are â€Å"devils smithy† â€Å"empty church† â€Å"pure death in an earring† using language like this at the start of the poem gives the entire poem a devilish feel, it could also symbolise what Marie is thinking, she only thinks evil things ;this then portraying her as a disturbed character. This language makes the audience aware that the poem is full of sinister and evil things. Macbeth and the laboratory have very similar themes. They are very much the same in the terms feminism and use of context. Both women in the texts going against ordinary acts of women in that period, this making them disturbed.Furthermore both women are also fighting for power, lady Macbeth is fighting to achieve her status as queen where as Marie is fighting for power in her marriage, this also makes them similar because they b oth end up in a broken relationship in the end. Both texts are set in similar settings the laboratory is set in a dark â€Å"devils† workshop and Macbeth is set in a dark room on a dark night, this giving the audience a very dark and sinister feeling about the texts. Lady Macbeth and Marie are very different in the way of the emotions and feeling.Firstly in â€Å"Macbeth† lady Macbeth tell the audience her thoughts and feelings making her seem open and feminine even though she had asked the spirits to â€Å"unsex† herself. Whereas Marie did not show any true feminine emotions. Marie does not feel guilt and says towards the end of the poem â€Å"next moment I dance at the kings† and â€Å"brush this dust off me† this shows that she does not feel guilt and has no regrets in her doings. However half of Macbeth features lady Macbeth after she has killed and she feels deep remorse, there is evidence of this when she says â€Å"the thane of fife had a w ife, where is she now?†.As the audience we also see more implicit evidence of this when lady Macbeth says â€Å"yet here’s a spot† this presenting lady Macbeth as disturbed because she has gone insane from the guilt. I think both pieces of text were influenced very strongly through the writer’s present context; this is why both of the characters are portrayed as disturbed in the text. They are portrayed as disturbed because women were generally meant to be meek and mild, but Shakespeare’s and Browning’s presentation of their characters go completely against the contexts and the expectations of women at the time.In conclusion I think lady Macbeth and Marie are both very disturbed characters, but I believe Marie is a more disturbed character because she does not feel guilt or remorse towards the end of the poem. â€Å"The laboratory† also features a lot more sinister text and the writing style is a lot shorter and quick making Marie seam more disturbed. More evidence to make Marie seem disturbed would be because Marie does not require help from the spirits to make her more masculine. She does it all in her own head and does not require help from anyone else is the poem, she does not show any true feminine emotions or feeling in the poem.

Disintermediation and Reintermediation of the Travel Agents Essay

1. INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the travel distribution channel is very complex and characterized by the presence of many different kind of intermediaries which operate in a very competitive market. Since the beginning of the travel industry, intermediaries have always played an important role for the development of tourism products and services. Indeed, intermediaries have the ability to organize and aggregate a large amount of data into one price. Moreover, they have a fundamental role for counseling and delivering a personalized service according to the specific need of customers (Kracht and Wang, 2009). Before the advent and further development of communication technology, the market was dominated by the large suppliers such as airlines, hotel chains and resorts. Travel agents were the conventional intermediaries which were independent from each other and represented a portion of the dominant players in a non-competitive market (Gharavi and Sor, 2005). Later on, with the high spread of ICT and the need of cutting costs the position of the travel agents has been threatened. New kind of middlemen emerged adding additional layers of intermediation, disintermediating certain players by bypassing the traditional intermediaries (Buhalis and Law, 2008). Technology has also allowed suppliers to directly communicate with consumers who have seen their choices enormously increased. This has increased the competition and the complexity of the market and has raised an important issue for the presence in the market of traditional travel agents. The aim of this paper is to investigate how disintermediation and re-intermediation have affected the way travel agents operate and whether there is still a place and a prospective of growth for travel agents in the market. 2. DISINTERMEDIATION AND RE-INTERMEDIATION OF THE TRAVEL AGENTS In the last twenty years several changes occurred in the tourism distributional channel. Every component of the chain value has been affected and particularly travel agents. Traditional travel agencies are being threatened not only by integrated tour operators, which control their own distribution channels, but also by the expansion of alternative distribution channels such as the Internet, Teletext, call centers, and even travel TV channels. This process is called disintermediation (Kracht and Wang, 2009). According to Bennett and Buhalis (2003) disintermediation is the process of eliminating intermediaries within the distribution channel driven by electronic means that enable consumers to access and transact directly with suppliers and destinations†. Before 1993, the traditional tourism system consisted of consumers, traditional retail travel agents, corporate travel agents, tour operators, GDS’s and suppliers. The 1993 was the year of the first commercial usage of int ernet. After that year many changes occurred and many more players enter into the market thanks to the reduction of barrier entry costs. However, the starting point of disintermediation was in the 1960s, when the American airline lunch the first GDS allowing consumers to buy tickets directly from the airline company (Kracht and Wang, 2009). Travel agents’ main source of revenue at the time was commissions paid to them by the airlines on tickets sold by them on the airlines’ behalf. Pressures to reduce costs in an increasingly competitive industry caused airline companies to look for ways to reduce their payments to travel agents. Initially, airline companies progressively reduced the amount of commission paid to travel agents while, at the same time, they opened up new channels and expanded existing channels to reach travelers directly. Airline companies encouraged travelers to book direct channel by various means with a very successful results. For instance, easyJet, a successful British low-cost carrier, in 2002 was already selling 90% of its seats through its own site (The Economist, 2002). After the public debut of the web, suppliers began establishing web sites to connect directly with customers, thereby beginning the disintermediation of traditional retail travel agents(McCubbrey, 1999; cited by Krac ht and Wang, 2009). For example, Hotels  also created their own websites to reach their customer. Establishing a direct relationship with clients allows suppliers to put in place various price polices and loyalty schemes. Suppliers believe they no longer need an intermediary to sell their products. They discover the internet to be a powerful and cheap distribution channel, and not just an online brochure (The Economist, 2002). Indeed, using information technology to develop supply chain relationships can reduce costs and bring higher quality of travel products into the market. Internet, perhaps, has been the most powerful means of disintermediation and it has radically changed the travel industry, adding more layers of intermediation and more players (Kracht, 2009) The travel industry, in fact, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting sector in terms of the possibilities offered by the internet. Internet travel reservations have increased dramatically in the last years with more and more users confi dent with the technology, and it represents the fastest growing segment of electronic commerce (Bernstein and Awe,1999; cited by Anckar, 2003). The success of internet in this respect, is perhaps due to the nature of the tourism product, which is a little more than an information product, easy to convey through the web (UNCTAD, 2000; cited by Anckar, 2003). However, as stated by Palmer and McCole (1999; cited by Bennett and Lai, 2005) â€Å"the internet does not change the principal role of intermediaries who exist to simplify buyers’ choice processes†. Indeed, even though internet allowed suppliers and consumers to communicate directly bypassing the travel agents, there were some important issues related to the internet. According to Bloch et al. (1996, cited by Wynne 2000), when potential tourists try to book directly with suppliers on the internet, they face a wide range of problems. For example, they require to know in which website to look. It takes at lot of time considering different options and prices. Often, it is not possible to book online. Thereby, the necessity of one stop-shopping, aggregation of information and comparison of price led to the formation of new e-mediaries or cybermediaries. Disintermediation indeed, push back to re-intermediation with new players coming into the markets and existing ones which re-intermediate themselves by reinventing their business. Re-intermediation has been defined by Bennet and Buhahs (2003) as â€Å"the utilization of ICT and internet tools for the development of either new intermediaries or new methods for existing intermediaries that  enable them to re-engineer the tourism distribution channel†. Re-intermediation is evident through the development of new electronic intermediaries such as Expedia, Yahoo Travel, lastminute.com and Travelocity which are based only online. Based on the premise that intermediaries exist because they provide value added services, these e-mediaries have the potential to pass economies of scale directly to the consumer, offering reduced fares as well as the convenience of making reservations 24/7 (Lai, 2005). As a result of both disintermediation and re-intermediation travel agents have been reduced in numbers and have to face a very competitive market. In fact, from one side they are threaten by the disintermediation put in place by the suppliers, and from one other by online reservation and therefore, by the e-mediaries or cybermediaries. The latter, in particular, with no established high-street presence, threaten established retailers by changing the distribution channel for consumer products. Reservations made online are probably the most important danger that traditional intermediaries like travel agents have to face. Figures show an increase of online bookings over the years both in Europe and United States but also in other markets (http://www.emarketer.com). According to Cheung and Lam (2009), to secure their position in the marketplace, and avoid disintermediation, travel agents must be able to acquire the new technology and be able to compete into the new channels as electronic -able intermediaries, without losing their advantage in the conventional market. To minimize the risk of disintermediation, travel agents need to reduce their dependence into simple transaction and increase revenues by focusing on more complex activities, like counseling and personalization of the service. 3. TRAVEL AGENCIES RESPONSES TO A CHALLENGING MARKET Despite the severe competition, and the possibility for booking online, many customers still prefer to purchase from travel agents. TTI chairman, Tony Allen stated that there would always be people who â€Å"didn’t trust the internet† and wanted face-to-face advice (Taylor, The Guardian, 2003). Indeed, travel agents have still many cards to play and can benefit from several advantages in the marketplace: * They are situated wherecustomers come, in shopping centers and in high streets; * Aggregation of the offer from various suppliers into one package; * They can offer a personalized service; * Human relationship; * Travel agents can offer an advisory service, and assist the customers in making a decision before processing with transactions; * Less time spent by the customers to buy a travel product. It can also be argued, that not all the effects of the disintermediation and re-intermediation have had a negative effect on travel agents. Gharavi and Sor (2005) have suggested, in fact, that because of internet and other forms of disintermediation, the bonds between the small travel agents and the dominant large suppliers like the airline companies, hotel chains and resorts owners, was finally broken. As a result of that, many independent travel agents, which continue to based their business on conventional methods such as commissions from suppliers, were pushed out of the market. However, many others entrepreneurs were stimulated to reinvent their business. Travel agents were allowed to deal with a variety of suppliers and organize into cooperative. Moreover, others entrepreneurs developed fran chises or merged, in order to have more bargaining power against competitors. Therefore they fight back the disintermediation and re-intermediate themselves. Organizing into franchising or into other forms of collaboration has allow several advantages to travel agents. First of all, it leads to gain more bargaining power which make more convenient for travel agents to dealing with suppliers. Second of all, it helps travel agents to focus only on the front office activities, while the centre office is in charge of the administrative procedures and of the marketing activities, such as brand building and advertising. Another reason, why this kind of collaborations are successful is that they can allow a better training of human resources and lead to better prospects for income. A great example of travel agency organized into franchising is definitely Harvey World Travel with over 170 stores in Australia and more than 70 in the UK which offer to its branches a very sophisticate software to create a very personalized package for customers (Harris and Duckworth, 2005). In order to fight disintermediation many travel agents differentiate themsel ves and/or focus on niche markets. They try to offer something different that clients could not find online. EuroTravel is a great and successful example of how a small independent travel agent can compete in the market. This company was able to leverage technology effectively in order to specialize and fight back against disintermediation. It specializes in sales to only the European destination, but has used the internet as its primary communication channel in order to acquire customers from a broader geographic area. This strategy seems to have paid off. In fact, in 2004, sales were  £ 6.5 m and in 2008 they reached more the  £8.5 m (Haris and Duckworth, 2005). Similarly, Thomas Cook is another successful experience. By being the first travel agent in the UK, Thomas Cook can count on a very long history and tradition. Over the years it has experienced many changes in order to adapt to a competitive market. In 2007, it merged with the competitor MyTravel, and nowadays Thomas Cook is the UK’s largest retai l travel network. It aims to dominate both, conventional and innovative channel (Williamson A., 2001). Thomas Cook has indeed, a very strong position online and continues to open new branches every year. Therefore, Thomas Cook demonstrates not only how a travel agent can fight disintermediation, but also how to grow and prosper in the marketplace. CONCLUSION Upon the introduction of Internet technology, travel industry has been strongly affected by electronic commerce that contributed the most to the disintermediation of the channel. This is true in particular for travel agents. It is clear that disintermediation and re-intermediation exist in the travel sector. In the intermediate phase, traditional travel agencies dominate the market. However, as new EC-only travel agencies emerge in the market and build up their competitive abilities, traditional travel agencies lost over 50% market shares (Cheung and Lam, 2009). As a result of that many travel agencies merged or organized themselves into some form of collaboration such as franchising. In order to survive in this competitive travel market, agents need to reposition themselves as travel consultants, but also must be more technologically oriented. They must focus on consulting and niche markets. As suggested by the Economist (2002), travel  agents future will be based on helping custo mers to buy what they want, rather than selling what is left unsold by suppliers. They now must look out for consumers’ best interest by using IT resources to help them find the best product. Indeed, it is necessary an integration of conventional business with the new opportunities offered by the web, in order to add value for the client. That is probably one of the most difficult challenge that travel agents have to face. ICT must seen as an opportunity more than as a threat which allows travel agent to reach more customers, get more information and therefore, adding more value for the latter. The ability to use new technology will also make possible for travel agents to compete with the e-mediaries. Porter (1999, cited by Anckar, 2003) claimed that the internet is going to be the death of a lot of intermediaries. However, if this prevision may be true for certain intermediaries, at the moment and perhaps in the long run, it appears not to be valid for travel agents. REFERENCES Anckar, B. (2003) â€Å"Consumer Intentions in Terms of Electronic Travel Distribution†. E-service Journal, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 68-86 Anckar, B. (2006) Reassessment of the Efficacy of Self-booking in Travel. 39th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Available at: http://www.virtual-community.org/images/e/ef/250760132b.pdf Bennet, M. and Kevin Lai C. W. (2005) The impact of the internet on travel agencies in Taiwan. Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2005, pp. 8-23. Bennett, M. and Buhalis, D. 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Global Reservation System used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations (www.businessdictionary.com) [ 2 ]. Travel Technology initiative: www.tti.org

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Case Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Non-discrimination is a Cornerstone of GATT Law Essay

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Reflection of Stock Market Project - Essay Example Mostly in the stock market, human psychology gets reflected by either greed or fear. During the period when the share prices of the MSFT was considerably decreasing, fear lead me to sell the shares immediately the prices reached the original price. The Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp shares prices decreased, but for the past four days the prices have exceed the $47 price margin I had anticipated selling the shares. Greed to profit from the increasing prices led more people to buy these shares by the close of the stock market on 10th December 2014(Graham 189-98). I sold least Apple Inc. shares because the company intends to launch its new iPhone models in 2015. The entry of the new iPhones will increase the earnings of the company considerably, and the shares will as well increase. Therefore, in anticipation of the increase, I will keep the shares and sell them when the new iPhones premiers in the market. From the experience in the stock market, I learned to rely mostly on the more scientific and economic factors. Human psychology slightly affects the stock as compared to the scientifically and economically conscious factors (Graham

What is Hegel's critique of Kant in Reason as Testing Laws Is Hegel Essay

What is Hegel's critique of Kant in Reason as Testing Laws Is Hegel fair to Kant - Essay Example For Kant the categorical imperative is important mainly because it "determines the will independently of the sensuous motives of which ordinary moral deliberation is suspect."2 Therefore for him there is a marked difference between acting honestly for ones own sake and acting honestly with the belief that truth is a "universal requirement" the latter of which relates to categorical imperative.3 For Kant duty requires more than the universal form of action and he brings out these ideas and notions of the categorical imperative which Kant claims are "merely so many formulations of precisely the same law."Also for him the categorical imperative contains an end which functions as the single limiting condition of moral action. 4 Thus in his book the Formula of the End, Kant says "Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end" Kant goes on to clarify further that if humans are to be treated as "ends in themselves" then each individual should be allowed to choose their own ends at the same time. Furthermore he claims that misleading someone (by lying to them) for a particular Design is the way of using that other person as means rather than an end. Therefore the assertion not to treat humanity as a means but an end, i.e. when they choose to help you themselves. Hegel's criticism of Kant Hegel has made some interesting criticisms of the emptiness that seems to surround the Categorical Imperative when he says that "The criterion of law which Reason possesses within itself, fits every case equally well, and is thus in fact no criterion at all."5 However in the... What is Hegel's critique of Kant in "Reason as Testing Laws† Is Hegel fair to Kant? For Hegel this idea is fruitless in many respects as he thinks that even immoral behaviour would qualify under the test given by Kant' and that there no formulation of a universal set of duties .Thus Hegel's criticism of Kant largely concerns Kant's so called formalism as has been discussed by Julian. Before discussing Hegel's critique of Kant it would be useful to explain the ideas of Kant who expresses interest in the relationship between reason and experience. For Kant knowledge begins with experience in a rather chronological sense. For Kant empirical knowledge should be a "compound of that which we receive through impressions and that which our faculty of cognition supplies from itself". And that reason should become the tool that isolates knowledge from everything empirical from it. Julian has pointed out that Hegel believes that Kant’s idea of a duty does not produce an â€Å"immanent list of duties;†. To be fair this is not one of Kant's objectives at all and it can be safely said that Hegel is missing the point of Kant’s claim, because devising such a list is not possible at all due to people’s differing notions of what morality or duties should be like.In this regard I would like to give the example of local conventions in certain areas. The notion of hospitality in Asian countries allows anyone to be welcome in another’s house and there is hardly any concept of â€Å"unauthorized entrance† as in the case of western countries.

Use of Indian mascots in sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Use of Indian mascots in sports - Essay Example As such, it is bout time the truth was let out to the people as a means of ending negative stereotyping and racism drawn from deep within our history. Such efforts can attain significant efficacy if the issue is tackled from the sports context which evidently bears much of the concealed negative stereotyping of Native American Indians. The National Congress of American Indians has in the past explained that most depictions of Native American stereotypes in educational and/or commercial settings vilify and defame tribal nations, native cultures, and native peoples. This happens in that they usually spread legacies of prejudiced attitudes and racism that are rooted deep within ancient American cultures that looked down upon the natives particularly in the pre-civil rights era. This does not however mean that the teams that use names such as the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves, and Cleveland Indians deliberately use them to annoy or humiliate the Native American Indians; in most cases, they have no idea what is concealed in the names and mascots. This means that even Indian images such as the Chief Zee, ChiefNoc-A-Homa and Chief Wahoo portray the Native Americans as ethnic groups frozen in history. In this, political inequity and racial segregation emerge. The matter of Native Indians being oppressed dates back to American history when they were being accused of being â€Å"unreasonable savages who had corrupted new national ideals of political stability and economic continuity† (Deloria 39). The contributing factor as to why Indian mascots and other related phenomena are used to mock Indians is the fact that they were rich in symbolism and had multiple objects, beliefs, and imageries that were associated with them. For instance, the Red Indian face with a feather sticking out of his hair and the tomahawk are identities associated with the Native American Indians. Today, such names and imageries are used in sports teams and in popular merchandise such as

Contribution of Management of Information Systems to Information Essay

Contribution of Management of Information Systems to Information Systems - Essay Example The paper tells that businesses are more prone than any other body to rely upon the use of information systems to conduct their daily operations and for communication within the organization. Information systems hold data regarding the business operations, employees, sales statistics, stock, and the most popular products. The software has also advanced to the level where it is easier for information systems to compare statistics and data and help management in forming critical decisions regarding business operations. It is also easier to transmit this data from one manager to the other and provide different managers with their required data easily. Not only do information systems show information, they are now able to analyze information and help managers in making decisions regarding the company. However, computers and information systems do not have a brain of their own and the decision of which software to use and which information system would be best fitted to the requirements o f the company, lies in the hands of the management of the company itself. Information systems are a critical and important aspect of businesses and other organizations now. The mismanagement of an information system can lead to the incorrect transmission of information, which can prove highly consequential for a company. Moreover, if the information system was chosen is not adequate for the task it is to perform; this may lead to inadequate results and an improper analysis. Hence, it is highly important for information systems to be managed correctly and the correct software is used with frequent updates to allow for information systems to be as beneficial as they should be for a company.

Investigate the provision for Special Educational Needs (SEN) in a Essay

Investigate the provision for Special Educational Needs (SEN) in a primary school. Consider how this provision promotes educational equality of opportunity - Essay Example The code also promotes an effective approach in meeting children’s needs and puts the rights of children at the heart of the process hence allowing them to take part in decisions concerning their education (Cumming 2012, p. 52). The code of practice also sets out effective school based support with little paperwork for teachers and mainly emphasizes on monitoring the progress of children with special needs to reach the identified goals. Special education needs provision has been categorized into four broad areas of need that include communication and interaction, social, mental and emotional health and sensory (Hallet F & Hallet G 2010, p. 78). Communication and interaction is impaired when a child has difficulty in talking and expressing ideas and also got difficult to understand what is been said to them and still this makes them to have difficulties in social interaction with others. Cognition and learning is impaired when anindividual learns at a slower pace than the peers do (Atchinson & Dirette 2007, p. 52). Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties are manifested when a person becomes withdrawn or isolated and displaying disruptive and disturbing behavior. In order to promote special education, a committee was set up in 1993 which its main aim was to make recommendations for identification of children with special needs and for future advancement of special education services, special schools and classes according to the child’s need (Butler 1994, p. 145). Guidelines were put in place which even to date promote the provision of special education. These include, all children with special needs have right to proper education, and in provision of education to a special child, the needs of a specific child should be the paramount consideration. Active participation of parents with children who require special education and their wishes should be taken into consideration also, provision of adequate resources by the state is important to

Gender, Culture and the Media Essay Example for Free

Gender, Culture and the Media Essay Media, in the context required, is a term used to define an interactive transmission that is visualized and then especially designed to reach a large audience, for e. g. a whole nation. These audiences, however, are very different from one another, depending on their culture and gender identities. The variance in culture and sexual identities, have an obvious impact on media which is why there is a dire need for exploring the relationship between the two. The most important tool in exploring and understanding the relationship between media and culture is communication. This is because communication plays a very effective role in the manner through which interaction is carried out with the masses (Gaunlett, 2002). For this purpose, extreme emphasis is given to the cultural differences that may occur. Such is the case of international campaigns or chains of restaurants; whenever they want to promote any product, they have to consider the differences, and keeping these differences in mind, they alter their product accordingly for e. g. , McDonalds in India, do not usually serve their people beef burgers as cow is sacred to them. Likewise, Indian people can relate more to it than others who are just viewing this product on an Indian channel. On this note, I would like to add that it is also a TV channel’s responsibility to be aware of the ethics with regard to culture. Although, media is known to show us situation and relationships from other people’s point-of-view, the impact is originated from a certain culture or social class, for that matter. However, it has been changing from time to time with the global development. So, we can say that the relationship between media and gender today, is different from how it was years ago. The reason is because people’s thought have changed in the passing years, the role models have changed and the attitudes of people have changed, which without doubt influences media. It is for these contemporary audiences that the media has to alter whatever it promotes, in the manner that is much acceptable to them. The rest is mere perception on the audience’s part. Talking about the perception of various people and how they interact with things like talk shows, MTV, the Internet, soap operas, television sitcoms, dramatic series etc. , it is very likely to notice that the people interact with the media on the basis of their culture and gender identities (Dines, 2008). An example is that of Lorillard’s Newport cigarettes, introduced in 1957, which after its struggle period in the early stages of introduction, became very popular with the African American crowd. Another comment on the same example is that Newport cigarettes contain menthol, which is supposed to be associated with women mostly. Relating this with media, the advertisements for this brand also focused on African American people in the beginning, as they had identified them as their target market. With the change in society and changing views of people, Newport gained its market recognition and broadened their target market and today it owns a most coveted place in the tobacco industry. In the society that we live in today, people dedicate a lot of time to television, magazines, surfing the net, and other publications. As a result, it is very inevitable to say that they come across culture and advertising almost everyday. Among these people, a large segment belongs to the younger generation, who are particularly sensitive and relatively effected much easily by the same. Childhood culture is an inter-textual universe which connects TV programs to movies, videogames, toys, T-shirts, shoes, games, crayons, coloring books, bed linens and towels, pencil cases, lunch boxes etc. This is where the impact part comes into play, which media has on children and that which the children have on the media (Geertz, 1977). One of the greatest impacts of the above stated example on media is that when a television program (for kids) is produced, a lot of things have to be taken into consideration. Not too much violence, abusive language or false imagery should be used. As far as sexual identity is concerned, men and women have different views, likes and dislikes, regarding different things. Women are more likely to read magazines like Gourmet, Culinary Trends, Bon Appetite, Food and Wine etc. Lately, men have also developed a similar trend in reading magazines but there choices are those like Extreme Sports, Chicago Sports, and Sports Illustration etc. Another aspect is that of men leading the global scene. When it comes to voiceovers, men dominate, regardless of the product. Men continue to work in their late ages on screen whereas women tend to disappear in their late thirties. Facial lines and grey hair are considered to be signs of maturity in males, while the same would pronounce females ‘old’ and not fit for TV (Buikema, 2009). On the other hand, it is also reported to have said that with the developing sense of equality with regard to sexes, the Times magazine cover wondered if feminism was dead in June 1998. To sum up, the media shows us situations and relationships from other people’s point-of-view and we begin to think that we can now see ‘how the world works’, in lives other than our own. Soap-operas showing how neighbors, friends and lovers interact with each other are not behaviors that the media has created by itself. It is the likes of people that have affected media to follow the same. That too, varies from culture to culture. Some counties believe in open cultures while others observe closed culture where too much intimacy and involvement is not look upon as appropriate. People claim that the reference points for them are film and TV but actually it’s the way round- people, their cultures and genders influence upon the way they interact with the media. References: Buikema, R. , Tuin I. , (2008), â€Å"Doing Gender in Media, Art and Culture†. Routledge Dines G. , McMahon J. , (2008), â€Å"Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-reader†. Sage Publications Gauntlett D. , (2002), â€Å"Media, Gender, and Identity: An Introduction†. Routledge Geertz, C. (1977). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books

Globalization And Global Warming

Globalization And Global Warming The Earth Hour launched by World Wildlife Fund since 2007 has entered its fourth year. This activity led the charge at first in Sydney, later the lineup expanded to countries around the world. However, after turning off the lights for one hour, what kind of awakening did people get? The symbolism of participating in this event is that despite the power of a few countries alone, people throughout the world must work together to solve the global warming problem. We live in a globalized world in which we obtain the prosperity and development. In this stunning development, however, the global warming or climate change problem hidden behind has seriously threatened the existence of the human environment. We must rely on the forces of globalization and the global joint efforts of people to tackle such a crisis and to safeguard the benefits of our next generations. Along with economic globalization, industrial production and free trade among countries in the world have developed to a very advanced stage; however, the damage to the environment, as well as the tremendous impact of climate change, makes us have to retake the great crisis of human existence lurking behind of the globalization into account. Nowadays, the atmosphere is gradually warming with the accumulation of the greenhouse gases (GHG), all kinds of climate change phenomenon such as droughts, floods, increasing temperatures and rising sea-levels bring impacts to the entire globe (Hallman, 2002). Chanda (2007) claimed that the connection between carbon-emitting economic growth and increasing trade and industrialization brought by globalization is unmistakable. In his article, he also pointed out that though globalization does not account for deforestation alone, it does become the conduit and accelerator for the forces which reduce the forest area. The news titled Globalization Is F ueling Global warming reported by Les Leopold (2007) also claimed that our world would continue to be chemically poisoned and globally warmed if the accelerating global trade was not limited sensibly. It also censured that the pro-globalization forces disregarded climate change and kept inculcating the advantages of free trade: falling prices, increased efficiency, shaking the country off poverty and achieving global wealth (Leopold, 2007). It is undeniable that commercial trade develops to enhance the peoples living standard, it is easier and more convenient to access to needed goods. However, if we do not take measures to protect the Earth, then, one day, we have no chance to enjoy the wealth because this land which we step on will perish. Climate change is not only closely linked with peoples daily routines, but also affect the production of peoples food, particularly the most common crops, rice and wheat food. If the bad weather causes crop failures, the worlds growing population will very likely suffers from famine. A news (December, 2009) from UN News centre reported that as Asias agriculture has been damaged by the climate change, 10 countries, held an UN-sponsored meeting in December 2009 in Hanoi, Vietnam to discuss how to maintain sustainable farming practices to meet the demand of the current population. According to the news, the World Meteorological Organization (MWO) recommended these countries to enhance indoor and urban agriculture to deal with the need of growing populations in Asian cities. While facing the increasingly severe climate change, this would certainly be a way to meet the needs of the population, but such a proposal is obviously a solution which demands substantial human and material resourc es. Moreover, among these countries, such as Vietnam, Afghanistan, Thailand are developing countries. Depending on their economic abilities may not be able to afford to set indoor and urban agriculture. In this case, if the rich countries can play the spirit of international mutual-assistance, funds will be injected into these developing countries to help them raise the level of agriculture and to save the threat of climate change to agriculture. Furthermore, a fact stated by Chanda (2007) is that the ozone hole has been partially mended by the effort of the Montreal Protocol in combating ozone depletion. This shows that if the states are willing to cooperate and contribute a force, it is possible to save the earth crisis. Nevertheless, the most critical work should be to reverse the phenomenon of climate change. The most important job to avoid the tragedy of the destruction of Earth is reducing GHG emissions to slow global warming rate. David G. Hallman (2007) argued that the global problem should not be equal responsibility of all people and a distinction between the luxury emissions of the rich and the survival emissions of the poor should be made. This is because the industrialized nations covering less than one-fifth of the worlds population were actually the main culprits for most of the GHG emission over the twentieth century. As he mentioned, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change had been adopted in the Rio Earth Summit 1992 and the negotiations had furthered another agreement requiring the industrialized countries to afford more precise aim of emission reduction. Although some campaigns which intended to convince the public and government of the downsides of gases reduction were mounte d in the western countries, dependable studies proved that enhancing energy efficiency brings advantages to ecological and economical aspects (Hallman, 2002). Besides, according to the negotiations, the industrialized nations could assist the developing countries in raising their manufacturing conditions, by increasing the energy-efficiency, to reduce emissions (Hallman, 2002). Therefore, those industrialized countries should make the best of their science and technology achievement to facilitate the emission reductions of other developing countries. Apart from this, when the communication and transportation are developed to promote links between people and increase access to information or goods, a potential consumption of resource and energy is caused. The suffering one is eventually the Earths ecological environment. An example taken from New York Times is China, which obtains an enormous economic growth, consequently consumes a large amount of fuel and power (Leopold, 2007). An ironic fact pointed out by Leopold (2007) is that while we import the high-efficiency light bulbs to save energy, the transportation results in the gain of carbon. Leopold hence proposed the next wave of green products to be made near to the product-using place; this not only creates homemade and green jobs, but also reduces global warming. It is worth noting while we think of using high-tech products to protect the environment, the transport strategy, manufacturing sites and other objective factors, to a certain extent, influence the green-environment al programs. Hence, we can deduce that not merely the national attitudes to environmental issues and their policy implementation are critical in dealing the global warming issue, but the consciousness of the entrepreneurs, business groups and individuals is also significant. Besides governments have leading powers on this issue of globalization while playing a role in international decision-making, the business groups and individuals also have to respond positively to the governmental policies on this global subject which has close relationship with the general public. Although many non-governmental organizations serve and contribute in this area, no power is more significant than those of the governments to fight against the problems (Chanda, 2007). Dahl (1998) also claimed that there is problem of values implanted in the institutional structures and the problem is aggravated by phenomena of rapid economic globalization, while the counterbalancing political structures have not kept pace and are losing their power over a globalizing world. Like he mentioned, the idea is that the social and environmental problems are the responsibilities of the government while businesses only account for businesses. This is incorrect because the Earth belongs to everyone . To protect it is not just of the countries and the government but the common task of all people. Actually, there is also an issue of global justice. Joseph E. Stiglitz (2006) indicated that the United States as the worlds biggest polluter had refused to sign the Kyoto agreement while the other developing countries had no commitments of reducing environmental pollution. He refuted some U.S. politicians opinion about reduction of emissions compromises the quality of American life, but also pointed out the inadequate point in the Kyoto Protocol, which is in line with national emission reductions relative to each nations level in 1990 (Stiglitz, 2006). There was conflict between the U.S and the developing countries. The U.S. refused to sign the protocol if the developing countries did not reduce emissions, while the developing countries consider unreasonable to allow them to pollute as much per capita as the U.S. (Stiglitz, 2006). Stiglitz (2006) hence put forward a proposal suggesting a global environmental tax on emissions, which requires the reduction level to equal the Kyoto tar get. This is an approach of everyone pays the social cost of their emissions. Actually, it is fair for those people who caused more damage to the Earth should contribute more forces in this case. They gain more benefits than others from business and industry, thus they should take greater responsibility to the environment. On the other hand, educating the public about the awareness to protect the earth and slow down the speed of climate change also becomes an important issue. We often say that a trend of the globalization is in the message transmission has reached the same speed of light for all around the world to receive messages. Therefore, we should use this advantage of globalization. In this era of information explosion, it is an easy task for a concept to spread around the world, so, the power of media to be should be made full use to spread the knowledge of protecting the earth and awake all people to show concern to the threat of global warming. In conclusion, under globalization, developed transport and communications are great achievements that they promote the trade prosperity and the exchange of the world, so there is large population mobility resulting in shrinking space and time. However, the climate change and global environmental issues have been serious threats to human survival. Climate change not only has implication on peoples daily life, but also affects one of the most basic needs of human life, the food production. Therefore, countries should help each other ride out the storm together. Many developing countries need the help of developed countries to achieve rapid economic development, so that they have enough technology to reduce emissions and help slow global warming problem. Developed countries with enormous wealth have become the biggest emissions culprits, so they should pay more efforts than the other developing countries to reduce emissions. In addition, global warming is not just the responsibility of the government, but all walks of life, all individuals should be concerned about it. Transport and communications should be developed as the benefits of globalization and provide a good channel to awaken people to care for the Earth. .

An Inspector Calls | JB Priestly

An Inspector Calls | JB Priestly What is the genre of An Inspector Calls and how does it fulfil its purpose? How would the audiences attention be sustained during the performance? An Inspector Calls is a play written by J.B. Priestly, first performed in 1945 in the Soviet Union, and set in 1912. It is considered to be one of Priestleys best known works for the stage and one of the classics of mid-twentieth century English theatre. The play is a three-act drama, which takes place on a single night in 1912, and focuses on the wealthy middle-class Birling family, who live in a comfortable home in Brumley and each of member of the family symbolises at least one of the seven deadly sins. The family is visited by a man calling himself Inspector Goole, who questions the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman, Eva Smith. The style of An Inspector Calls is based on old Morality Plays. It is a bit like a detective story or a whodunnit. Morality plays were religious plays written in the late middle ages. They tended to involve the seven deadly sins and tried to teach people how they should behave. They werent really plays for entertainment; they were war nings against the perils of temptation. An Inspector Calls follows the same idea as these morality plays; its quite blunt in pointing out everyones sins, and tries to get them to confess and repent, but not all the characters do though. An Inspector Calls is a morality play without religion and doesnt follow Christian ideas about confession and forgiveness. The moral judge isnt God, it is a police inspector. Priestley changes the religious background of the morality play and makes it secular. Priestly fought in the trenches in World War One when he was twenty. Priestley was already famous when he wrote the play, An Inspector Calls was written in one week in the final months of World War Two. By this time Priestley was already famous as a writer of plays and novels. The characters language shows their social attitudes. The Birlings and Crofts see themselves as respectable citizens; of the right social class. Men are referred to as chaps, but Gerald calls Birling Sir. They use Euphemisms to talk about certain matters, for example it is said that Eva/Daisy went on the streets where she led another kind of life and became a woman of the town. These are all euphemisms for became a prostitute. Inspector Goole uses language differently, he doesnt mess around, he just speaks his mind, and he doesnt waffle; he describes Eva/Daisys death as having burnt her inside out. This contrasts with Birlings long waffly speeches at the beginning of act one. Sheilas language changes during the play; at the start of the play she uses simple, playful and quite childish language. Sheila says, Im sorry Daddy, to Arthur when she has been admiring her ring, instead of listening to him. By the end of the play she is confident and assertive, using simple, plain and blunt En glish, just like the inspector; Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide. Sheila doesnt show any doubt, and is happy to pass judgement on herself and the rest of her family. Arthur Birling is the head of the family. He is rich and irritable. He is also very stuffy and traditional. Arthur doesnt care about anyone else unless they are making him rich or look good, he is also wrong. Arthur Birling represents four out of the seven deadly sins; Mr Birling represents Gluttony because in the play he is described as a heavy-looking, rather portentous man. He also represents Covetousness because he desires more power than he has got, in the play he says, Just a knighthood. Covetousness is like lust and gluttony, a sin of pursuit of wealth, status and power. Arthur represents Envy in An Inspector Calls, because he envies Gerald croft and wants to be like him, in the play he says, feels you may have done better for yourself socially. Pride is considered the most original and most serious out of the seven deadly sins, and indeed the ultimate source from which the others arise. Mr Birling represents Pride in the play because he is overly proud of what they have got a nd he is ashamed of Eric, his son. Sybil Birling is obsessed with etiquette and her status in society. She is stubborn and is the most cold-hearted character in the play. Mrs Birling represents two out of the seven deadly sins; Mrs Birling symbolises Wrath because she is always telling Sheila to be quiet; be quiet Sheila! Pride is showed through what she says, Feels like you could have done better for yourself socially. Sheila Birling is in her mid-twenties, is quite attractive and rather spoilt. Shes quite lonely and excitable. This means that tends to cry a lot. Mrs Birling is the most moral one of the family though. Sheila Birling symbolises two out of the seven deadly sins; she represents Sloth because she doesnt really do anything and has no job; thats something this public school and varsity doesnt teach you. Miss Birling also represents envy because she was envious of Eva Smith. Eric Birling is an alcoholic. He is a raging alcoholic who is rather nervous and paranoid. He doesnt like his parents, and they dont seem to love him much either. Eric Birling represents three out of the seven deadly sins; he symbolises Sloth because he doesnt really do anything, just like his sister, Sheila. He is always drunk, more drinks? and I thought this time it wasnt so bad. Eric also represents Lust because he went to the palace bar which was where he met Eva. Gerald Croft is thirty, attractive, really rich and engaged to Sheila. Gerald is self-satisfied and he agrees with Mr Birling about business. He is very successful, but hes a liar, and he has been unfaithful to Sheila. Gerald represents one of the deadly sins, Lust because he met Daisy at the palace bar; he used her, and paid for her flat, to help her. The audience dont know much about Eva Smith/Daisy Renton because we never meet her. We are not sure if they are the same person, or a completely different people. She might not even be dead! Inspector Goole is not a real police inspector. Unfortunately, thats as much as we do know. He is mysterious, purposeful and aggressive towards the family. Hes very moral and seems focused on getting them all to confess their sins. His name Goole, reminds the audience of ghoul, which is ghost. Edna is the maid. Her biggest line in the play is Please sir, an inspectors called. She answers the door a couple of times and thats it. Priestly has chosen to include several themes in his play, one being social class. The Birlings and the Crofts are high up socially. The Birlings are clearly middle class. Geralds family are seemed as superior to Arthurs because his family owns land which means they are of higher status than a city family who have made money out of business. Arthur was Lord Mayor two years previously and had been an Alderman for many years. Sybil Birling is a leading member of the Brumley Womens Charity Organisation. This is a group of wealthy middle class women who give money to desperate women. Small things matter when you are middle class in 1912. Arthur bought the same port as Geralds dad, hoping to impress him. It doesnt because Gerald doesnt recognise the port. Sybil disapproves of her husband saying what good food it was in front of Gerald. Playing golf with the Chief Inspector is something that Arthur thought would impress Inspector Goole. These little things matter to Mr and Mrs Birling beca use they show the world that you have a place in the social hierarchy; the more refined the ritual, the higher up you are. The middle class do a lot of hiding and repressing,  they dont speak about certain things, for example, prostitution; I see no point in mentioning the subject. The Birlings try to hid Erics serious drinking problem; Sheila had it worked it out but his parents didnt want to know. Sybil acts as if the working classes are a different species. She is obsessed with her social status, she refuses to believe that Eva/Daisy turned down Erics money because it was stolen, saying that a girl of that sort does not have fine feelings and scruples. Sybil is a cold person, and has probably repressed emotion all her life in the name of fitting into society and its not surprising she gets very distressed and collapses into a chair at the end. The class system of the early 1900s was wrong. This hierarchy of social class was based upon hypocrisy, lies and selfishness; it used an d abused those lower down, then threw them out if they became inconvenient and no longer useful, like Eva/Daisy. The Inspector warns that if they dont accept responsibility for each other, because they are all equal, it will all end in fire, blood, and anguish. Another theme Priestley chose to include in his play is Happy Families. They pretend to be happy, the mother and father are in control and the son and daughter mange light-hearted acceptable teasing. The meal finishes, so the ladies withdraw to the drawing room, to let the men talk. All the paranoid tension is in there, brewing, but is only shown in very subtle ways, for example, Sheila teases Gerald half playfully, but also half seriously, about last summer. Mrs Birling corrects her husbands social mistakes, for example, saying to Gerald that the food was nice. The family is left in a mess at the end of the play. Eric says he doesnt care whether he stays or leaves, he tells his mother that she doesnt understand anything and Eric calls his dad a bad father; youre not the kind of father a chap could go to. Shelia says she wants to get out of the family discussion because it frightens her, and she doesnt know whether she will every marry Gerald. The family is in a mess, and Sheila and Eric refuse to go on behaving just as we did. They dont want to pretend anymore and the parents no longer have any authority other their kids. The children end up thinking for themselves, the Inspector tries to make everyone equal, which destroys the family. Once Mr and Mrs Birling lose control, the family disintegrates. An Inspector Calls is set in 1912 and was written in 1945, The First World War would start in two years. Birlings optimistic view that there would not be a war is completely wrong, and The Second World War ended on 8th May 1945. People were recovering from nearly six years of warfare, danger and uncertainty. In 1912, there were strong distinctions between the upper and lower classes, and in 1945 class distin ctions had been greatly reduced as a result of two world wars. In 1912, women were subservient to men. All a well off woman could do was get married; a poor woman was seen as cheap labour and in 1945 as a result of the wards, women had earned a more valued place in society. Finally, in 1912, the ruling classes saw no need to change the status quo, and in 1945, there was a great desire for social change. Immediately after The Second World War, Clement Attlees Labour Party won a landslide victory over Winston Churchill and the Conservatives. The detective genre was popular in 1945; Priestley needed to create a play that held the interest of the audience. The typical detective play elements are all contained but cleverly described. The play is structured so that the audiences attention is maintained by talking about one character at a time and giving out little bits of information at a time, the time to read the play is the time that all the events in it happen. Priestley opens the play in the middle of a conversation, which engages the audience immediately because they want to figure out what is going on. When Inspector Goole arrives, the atmosphere becomes tenser and at first, the family seem happy to help, but then a few minutes later, everything changes. Arthur wants the Inspector to leave weve been modestly celebrating†¦ Geralds †¦engagement to my daughter, Sheila. We see intervals at the end of each act, and at the end of each act, Inspector Goole either says something, or does something and each act ends on a cliff-hanger which is done to create tension at the end of an act. The end of the play is the biggest cliff-hanger though, when Arthur answers the phone to find out that a second Inspector is on his way and that they thought was just a hoax was in fact true. Ending the play on a cliff-hanger makes the audience want to watch more and enable them to find out what happens next, and they are left thinking about the play and its meaning afterwards. The cliff-hanger technique is continued to keep the play focused and concentrated on one subject, it also draws in the attention of the audience and raises the tension. Only one setting is used throughout the duration of An Inspector Calls, the Birlings dining room which is where all the action takes place. The effect this has is that it is quite claustrophobic in there and the tension mounts up easily. They are all confined, and confess the sins they have committed in the outside world. Men do all the prestigious work; they own companies (for example, Birling and Company and Crofts Limited). Sheila and Geralds engagement may lead at some stage to a business merger; Mr Birling hints at this. Throughout the play the audience is interested in character development. Arthur Birling likes to be in control, but as the play continues, it becomes clear that he isnt. At the beginning of the play, Arthur is in charge of everything, even the port they are drinking! He is a public figure in Brumley and is obsessed with his status in the community. Birlings family is falling apart, and he can do nothing about it. Sybil stays loyal to him at the end and stands by him. An Inspector comes in uninvited and asks blunt and insulting questions. Eric turns out to be disloyal both as a son and an employee. Eric stole money from the company to solve his problem and says, youre not the kind of father a chap could go to when hes in trouble. By the end of the play Sheila is also no longer his obedient child; she learns and matures and is disgusted by her fathers refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. When the Inspector is in Birlings dining room, there is a battle going on between them . Arthur wants the Inspector to behave according to the rules of his own narrow world. He tries desperately to win the Inspector over, for example, Arthur offers him a glass of port. The Inspector refuses. Arthur says he plays golf with the Chief Inspector. Inspector Goole simply says, I dont play golf. Furthermore, Arthur tries to impress the Inspector with his record in public office (Lord Mayor Etc.). Inspector Goole says nothing. The Inspector does not share Birlings middle class values, Arthur proudly introduces Gerald Croft of Crofts Limited; the Inspector seems unimpressed. Arthur says to Sheila that the Inspector is going to leave. The Inspector contradicts him by saying Im afraid not. Mr Birling gets angry when Inspector Goole says Sybil is not telling the truth. Arthur is a very shallow man, he is obsessed with how things appear to people and his main concern is how his public image is going to be affected. He doesnt want the story to come out and ruin him for good. Birlin g is prepared to pass off Gooles visit as a hoax, which means nothing has changed for him. He is selfish and self-centred; he cant see why his children cant go on living as they were before. As a wife, Sybil is rather successful; she is loyal to Arthur, despite telling him off now and again. As a mother, she is something of a failure because she doesnt notice Erics alcoholism or any of the other problems until it is too late. Sybil Birling is stubborn and hard-hearted; she is a complainer and is very negative. She refuses to help Eva/Daisy because she uses the Birling name. She is slow to see that Gerald took Eva/Daisy as his mistress and she shows no remorse; I did nothing Im ashamed of. Furthermore, Sybil is a complete snob; she dismisses Eva/Daisy as just another girl of that class. Mrs Birling doesnt believe that a girl can have fine feelings and scruples. She cannot believe that a girl of that sort would ever refuse money. Basically, she thinks that the working/lower class are morally inferior. Mrs Birling is uncooperative with Inspector Goole; she sees him as an intruder and finds him rude and assertive. She tries to make him feel inferior, of course my husband was Lord Mayor only two years ago. She finds him impertinent for taking Sheilas side against her; Sheila tries to warn her mum about building up walls between herself and Eva/Daisy, and the Inspector agrees, making Mrs Birling look stupid. When the Inspector is interrogating her she denies that she recognises the photo and the Inspector accuses her of lying. At first she answers reluctantly. He asks her if there was a committee meeting two weeks previously; I dare say there was, she replies. Mrs Birling doesnt change at all throughout the play. She wants to challenge the Inspector and his views to suit hers. Sybil notices that Eric and Sheila have changed their views, but she still sides with Mr Birling. Miss Birling seems to be the perfect daughter in act one. The stage directions say she is very pleased with life and rather excited. She uses slang expressions like squiffy and says, dont be an ass which her mother disapproves of, (but its all quite light-hearted because its such a happy occasion). Miss Birling is excited about her engagement; she adores her ring and is distracted by it. At the start of Act One, she behaves appropriately, gets lots of attention and seems happy. Sheila was jealous and vain in Milwards, she loves shopping, especially at Milwards, it is her favourite shop and both she and her mother have accounts there. But last January, something happened that made her behave in a terrible manner. Sheila, for some reason was in a bad temper and says it was my own fault. She tried a particular dress on, although her mother and the assistant said it wouldnt suit her. Eva Smith held the dress up against herself to illustrate a point, and she looked very attractive in it; the dress really suited Eva, but it didnt suit Sheila. Miss Birling saw Eva smiling at the assistant, and interpreted this as doesnt she (meaning Sheila) look awful. Sheila reported Eva to the manager and threatened to withdraw her account if the girl wasnt sacked. Back then, the big customers, like Sheila were always right, and Eva was sacked straight away. Throughout the play, she doesnt act childish like she did at Milwards, getting Eva back was a bitchy thing to do, just for the sake of one random smile. Sheila is rich and she has got power, so she used it, but; she regrets her behaviour and she says its the only time that sort of thing has happened; Sheila seems genuinely remorseful and seems to have learnt a lesson. Miss Birling is different from the other, she is totally appalled by the death of the girl and when she realises her part in the tragedy (when she recognises the photograph) she runs out of the dining room crying. The Inspectors revelations change her for good, bef ore Gerald leaves to take some air, she hands back the engagement ring, saying that they are changed people; you and I arent the same people who sat down to dinner here. After the Inspector leaves, however, her parents want everything to return the way it was. Sheila is the only one who truly understands what has happened, and sees they all have to change. Sheila becomes a bit like the Inspector herself, she adopts some of the Inspectors techniques, she asks Gerald as many questions as the Inspector himself does, she reveals Erics drinking problem to her mother and at different times contradicts or puts down her mother, her father and Gerald, like the Inspector does. Overall, Sheila is a wise woman. There are clues that Eric isnt quite right, the first hint comes from Priestleys stage directions. We are told that Eric is not quite at ease. He is apparently half shy and half assertive. He finds things his family says funny, even when there is no joke; this shows he is out of place, or drunk. He has guilty secrets; firstly he is a drinker, a heavy drinker. He got a prostitute pregnant, and has stolen money from his fathers business to support her. Eric doesnt seem to be loved very much by the others, his father still sees him as a boy. Arthur wishes Eric was more like Gerald. Sheila seems to care about him, but mostly seems to pity him because he is in a mess. She doesnt try to help him, she just says, I dont want to get poor Eric into trouble†¦ but†¦ In going to the stalls Bar, Eric is only doing what all middle class men with money are expected to do. Eric is the villain and the victim, he doesnt have many friends; people who would stick up for him. He feels isolated a nd unsupported. He has had a neglected childhood and has had to find comfort elsewhere. The audience generally forgives Eric, he accuses the others of pretending nothings happened, you lot may be letting yourselves out nicely. Most importantly, Eric accepts responsibility for what he did, the fact remains that I did what I did. Gerald is like a mini-Arthur, but not quite as bad, he agrees with Birling on politics and women and laughs at his joke about getting into trouble. Mr Croft supports Arthurs sacking of Eva Smith; you couldnt have done anything else. Gerald does have secrets though; he hasnt been honest with Sheila and thinks he can fob her off by saying, all right. I knew her. Lets leave it at that. Gerald thinks he fell in love and gets upset about Daisy. He is distressed when it suddenly hits him that she is dead. He says he didnt feel about her as she felt about me. Gerald helped Daisy, for six months. He says he took pity on her and helped her, but he didnt feel so selfless about it that he wasnt prepared to start sleeping with her after a while. It is hard to see Gerald as good or bad, the Inspector wasnt too harsh on him. He notes that at least Gerald had some affection for her and made her happy for a time. Eva Smith/Daisy Renton, her first name is a bit like Eve, the first woman according to the bible. Her second name, Smith, ordinary and very common. The Inspector says there are millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left and their chances of happiness are intertwined with our lives. The subject of the play is not Eva/Daisy; the focus of the attention is the five people sitting around the table at the beginning. Evas looks may have been her downfall; she had big dark eyes and soft brown hair. Arthur Birling remembers her as a lively good-looking girl. Sheila remembers her as very pretty. Gerald remembers in the Palace bar she looked young and fresh and charming. Eric remembers meeting her there too and that she wasnt the usual sort. Sybil Birling doesnt say anything about her looks; she probably thinks a working class girl has no right to be pretty, based on her other views. All of Eva/Daisys jobs got taken away from her. First, she was a factory worker at Birling and Company. A Shop assistant at Milwards, she worked there for a couple of months and Sheila got her sacked. She was a prostitute and then a mistress to Gerald. He rescued her from the life of a working prostitute and put her up in a flat, gave her money and slept with her. This made her happy, until Gerald dumped her. Eva/Daisy ended up back as a prostitute. The audience dont find out whether Eva Smith and Daisy Renton were in fact, the same person, so at the end of the play, this is what they are left thinking about. There are reasons why Gerald claims there were lots of different girls. Gerald says, there isnt any such inspector. Weve been had. Geralds key point is Weve no proof it was the same girl. He says, for all we know, the Inspector could have shown us all a completely different photograph. Eva/Daisy never sought revenge, so the Inspector did it for her. The Inspectors manner is deceptive, the stage directions tell us that he need not be a big man but he must create an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. His authority strengthens his strong moral tone; he can cut into the dialogue with authority, as he does when he tells Birling that Eric can wait his turn. He speaks firmly when he contradicts Birling and allows Eric to have another drink. He gets more impatient and irritated as the night continues; just as the two parents show their own impatience and intolerance. Goole reveals new information that moves the play on, he starts it all off with a summary of the afternoons events, he moves Geralds account of events on by bluntly saying that Gerald decided to keep Daisy as his mistress. The inspector uses emotive language, he has come to stir things up. His descriptions of Eva/Daisy do this, he describes her as a pretty and lively girl who died in misery and agony; hating life. Goole says to Mrs Birling, that Eva/Dai sy was alone, friendless, almost penniless, desperate and all that she did was slammed the door in her face. The Inspector has an ally in Sheila; she does some of the Inspectors work for him by freely confessing her part in the Eva/Daisy story to everyone. She questions Gerald once she suspects, from his reaction, that he knew Daisy Renton. Sheila warns her mother not to go building up a wall, as the Inspector will knock it flat. Gerald reacts when Goole mentions the name Daisy Renton, then the inspector leaves the room. Gerald is left in shock, the genius of the inspectors exit is that it leaves Sheila alone with Gerald, and she then takes over the inspectors role and interrogates Gerald. His final exit is really dramatic; first he goes over all the nasty details for the final time and gives them a big lecture. Second, he makes them all feel guilty, and Mrs Birling collapses into a chair; his speech shows the full implications of what they did. Lastly, he tells them how their actio ns affect the whole world, if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night. Then he just leaves, leaving them staring, subdued and wondering. The genre of An Inspector Calls is Drama. The play is very dramatic through many different ways. The audiences attention is sustained during the performance by releasing a bit of information at a time using one character at a time.

Economic Recovery During The 1 :: essays research papers

During the 1920`s many economic problems occurred in Britain. However the main problems did not occur until 1929 when the Wall Street Crash occurred. The Wall Street Crash involved share prices falling to about 1/4 or even less than what they were bought for. This essay will examine how Britain was affected during the 1930`s and will look at the reforms introduced by the National Government. This will be done by examining four areas namely Depression, Labours Response, National Governments Response and other reasons for recovery. By examining these four areas it will hopefully become evident whether or not the reforms introduced by the National Government contributed to economic recovery. Depression was felt world wide especially in America and Britain. America was affected by the wall street crash more than other countries because many people held shares and due to prices falling were unable to pay their debts which led to financial ruin. Due to many people relying on trade from America and little money being available meant that America could not provide trade to the same extent as previous years. Britain was badly hit by depression in areas where industries such as coal, steal and shipbuilding were based. Due to demand for trade in these areas being low many of these industries had to lay off their workforce or even close down. Due to these redundancies and closures the levels of unemployment rose. Areas in Britain which were drastically affected by these closures were Clydeside, South Wales, the North East of England and Northern Ireland. During this time of high unemployment figures peaked at 3 million. This level of unemployment stayed the same for a period of t hree years. Overall it can be seen that depression occurred world wide and that full economic recovery was going to be hard to achieve. It can also be seen that it was going to take a long time to achieve full economic recovery especially in areas which relied on traditional industries. The first party to try and tackle the economic problems was the Labour party led by Ramsey McDonald. Labours approach to tackling the economic problems was to follow the traditional line of the classical economists which was to balance the budget and use laissez faire. Laissez faire meant that the government did not get involved in the economy. Their immediate response was to introduce 10% wage cuts for those working in the public sector e.

Essay --

The true Zodiac is conceptual division of space into 12 equal segments, which radiate out from the ecliptic, that is, the apparent path of the Sun. However, the Zodiac also refers to the 12 constellation of stars that nowadays symbolize different human personality types. The term â€Å"Zodiac† has Greco-Roman origins and means â€Å"Circle of animals,† although these â€Å"signs† are not restricted too zoological beasts but encompass human forms, too. The Chinese Zodiac bears no relationship to any constellations. The Zodiac is both a symbol in its own right as well as a collection of symbols. These symbols are totems for each of the 12 astrological signs. It is a circle of completion, a continually turning wheel, divided into a spiritually perfect number, 12. Each of the different segments expresses a phase of development in the cycle of the Universe as well as in humankind collectively and for each individual, singularly. By 2000 BC, the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians were using four particular constellations as markers for the changing seasons. These four star clusters are the ones that we stil...

The Aprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Quote Analysis :: essays research papers

"A man without land is nothing." Though the passage I have selected is short, I believe it is the most obvious indication to the main theme of the book, as well as a common goal for not only Duddy Kravitz, but countless others, fictitious and not. I could have chosen a longer quotation from the book, but I felt that this phrase clearly communicates to the reader that the "American Dream" has been a preoccupation with Duddy since he was very young. Duddy's grandfather acted as a prominent father figure to him during his early childhood, when his father could not always be there for him, and as a result of always having him around while Duddy was so young and impressionable, he had a lot of influence on Duddy's developing mind. Coming from someone in such a position at that point in Duddy's life, a statement like "a man without land is nothing", has a particularly strong effect. The words themselves are very blunt and closed to interpretation. He wasn't simply telling him it would be nice to own property, his grandfather was telling him he will never have amounted to anything in his eyes, unless he owns land. A message that strong coming from a figure with so much influence on a boy like Duddy can have a very monumental impression. It is clear that Duddy did, in fact, take these words to heart, as he is constantly involved in get-rich-quick schemes, starting when he is still in school. This preoccupation would eventually be Duddy's downfall. Though The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was written years ago, the idea of materialism, and measuring one's success by their possessions is also a prominent theme in pop culture in the West. Luxurious and excessive lifestyles are in, perpetuated by "blinged out" rap artists and rock stars who own multiple houses, and drive unnecessarily large and expensive sport utility vehicles and sports cars. Pop music has evolved throughout the 20th Century, and has now gotten to a point where it's not just music, but an industry. Singers are actors and vice versa. To make it big in the music industry you not only have to have talent, but a strong business sense, and your own clothing line, of course. The Aprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Quote Analysis :: essays research papers "A man without land is nothing." Though the passage I have selected is short, I believe it is the most obvious indication to the main theme of the book, as well as a common goal for not only Duddy Kravitz, but countless others, fictitious and not. I could have chosen a longer quotation from the book, but I felt that this phrase clearly communicates to the reader that the "American Dream" has been a preoccupation with Duddy since he was very young. Duddy's grandfather acted as a prominent father figure to him during his early childhood, when his father could not always be there for him, and as a result of always having him around while Duddy was so young and impressionable, he had a lot of influence on Duddy's developing mind. Coming from someone in such a position at that point in Duddy's life, a statement like "a man without land is nothing", has a particularly strong effect. The words themselves are very blunt and closed to interpretation. He wasn't simply telling him it would be nice to own property, his grandfather was telling him he will never have amounted to anything in his eyes, unless he owns land. A message that strong coming from a figure with so much influence on a boy like Duddy can have a very monumental impression. It is clear that Duddy did, in fact, take these words to heart, as he is constantly involved in get-rich-quick schemes, starting when he is still in school. This preoccupation would eventually be Duddy's downfall. Though The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was written years ago, the idea of materialism, and measuring one's success by their possessions is also a prominent theme in pop culture in the West. Luxurious and excessive lifestyles are in, perpetuated by "blinged out" rap artists and rock stars who own multiple houses, and drive unnecessarily large and expensive sport utility vehicles and sports cars. Pop music has evolved throughout the 20th Century, and has now gotten to a point where it's not just music, but an industry. Singers are actors and vice versa. To make it big in the music industry you not only have to have talent, but a strong business sense, and your own clothing line, of course.

Levi’s Swot Analysis

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY—————————————————————- 2. CURRENT SITUATION—————————————————————— 2-1-Strategic Posture 2. 2. Current Performance 3. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE——————————————————– 3-1-Board of Directors 3-2-Top Management 4. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS—————————————— 4-1-Societal Environment 4-2-Task Environment 5. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS————————————— — 5-1-Corporate Structure -2-Corporate Culture 5-3-Corporate Resources 6. ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC FACTORS —————————————— 7. STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMENDED STRATEGY — 7-1-Review of Mission and Objective 7-2-Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy 8. CONCLUSION—————————————————————————- BIBLIOGRAPHY————————————————————————- 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. CURRENT SITUATION Levi Strauss & Co. s a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. The core Levi's was founded in 1873 in San Fr ancisco, specializing in riveted denim jeans and different lines of casual and street fashion. Levi Strauss received a U. S. Patent to make the first riveted men's work pants out of denim: the first blue jeans. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews. Levi Strauss & Co. s a worldwide corporation organized into three geographic divisions: Levi Strauss Americas (LSA), based in the San Francisco headquarters; Levi Strauss Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in Brussels; and Asia Pacific Division, based in Singapore. The company employs a staff of approximately 11. 400 people worldwide. 2. 1 STRATEGIC POSTURE Vision and Core Values Levi’s believes that business can drive profits through principles, and that core values as a company and as individuals give the company a competitive advantage. Empathy — walking in other people’s shoes Empathy begins with paying close attention to the world around. Levi’s listens and responds to the needs of customers, employees and other stakeholders. Originality — being authentic and innovative The pioneering spirit that started in 1873 with the very first pair of blue jeans still permeates all aspects of the business. Through innovative products and practices, the company breaks the mold. Integrity — doing the right thing Integrity means doing right by the employees, brands, company and society as a whole. Ethical conduct and social responsibility characterize company’s way of doing business. Courage — standing up for believes It takes courage to be great. Courage is the willingness to tell the truth and to challenge hierarchy, accepted practice and conventional wisdom. It means standing by Levi’s convictions and acting on beliefs. Levi’s is the embodiment of the energy and events of time, inspiring people from all walks of life with a pioneering spirit. Generations have worn Levi’s jeans, turning them into a symbol of freedom and self-expression in he face of adversity, challenge and social change. Customers forged a new territory called the American West. They fought in wars for peace. They instigated counterculture revolutions. They tore down the Berlin Wall. Reverent, irreverent — they took a stand. 2. 2. CURRENT PERFORMANCE For its first 100 years, Levi Strauss & Company was a private company. Relatives of founder Levi Strauss owned nearly all the stock, and company employees owned most of the remaining shares. In 1971, the company went public to finance growth and diversification. However, in 1985, the company again went private, which it remains today. In September 2004, Levi Strauss announced plans to sell its Dockers casual-clothing brand to Vestar Capital Partners (a private equity fund) and an apparel industry executive for about $800 million. Selling the Dockers brand would have allowed the company to reduce its heavy debt and refocus attention on turning around the Levi brand. However, the company soon changed its mind and chose instead to reinvest in and revitalize the popular Dockers brand. Recently the company produces only for men under Dockers brand. Its products are sold in more than 110 countries worldwide through a combination of chain retailers, department stores, online sites, and franchised and company-owned stores. As of August 28, 2011, the company operated 499 stores within 31 countries. Levi Strauss & Co. ’s reported fiscal 2010 net revenues were $4. 4 billion. Regional net revenues for the quarter were as follows: The reported net revenues increase in Europe was due to currency; net revenues were down on a constant-currency basis. Gains from the expansion of the company-operated retail network and the continued success of the Levi’s Curve ID collection for women were more than offset by declines in the wholesale business. Revenue growth in Asia Pacific, primarily driven by the Levi’s brand and continued expansion of the company’s brand-dedicated retail network in China and India, offset the revenue decline in Japan. Cash Flow and Balance Sheet As of August 28, 2011, cash and cash equivalents were approximately $231 million, and $337 million was available under the company’s revolving credit facility. Cash provided by operating activities during the nine-month period in 2011 was $17 million, compared with $96 million for the same period in 2010; the decline reflected higher inventories, due primarily to the increased cost of cotton, increased selling, general and administration expenses and increased pension plan contributions. Net debt was $1. 75 billion as compared to $1. 6 billion at the end of 2010. 3. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 3. 1Board of Directors Fernando Aguirre, a director since July 2010, is currently Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. a position he has held since 2004. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Aguirre served as President, Special Projects for The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), a manufacturer and distributor of consumer products. From 1980 to 2002, he served P&G in various capacities, including in an executive capacity with P&G's Global Snacks and U. S. Food Products business. Mr. Aguirre is also a director of C oca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Chip Bergh, a director since September 2011, is the President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined the company in September 2011. Prior to joining Levi Strauss & Co. , Mr. Bergh was Group President, Global Male Grooming, for The Proctor & Gamble Company (P), a manufacturer and distributor of consumer products. During his 28-year career at P, he served in a number of leadership positions. Mr. Bergh previously served on the Board of Directors for VF Corporation and on the Economic Board, Singapore, and was a member or the US-ASEAN Business Council, Singapore. Vanessa J. Castagna, a director since 2007, led Mervyns LLC department stores as its executive chairwoman of the board from 2005 until early 2007. Prior to Mervyns LLC, Ms. Castagna served as chairman and hief executive officer of JC Penney Stores, Catalog and Internet from 2002 through 2004. She joined JC Penney in 1999 as chief operating officer, and was both president and Chief Operating Officer of JC Penney Stores, Catalog and Internet in 2001. Ms. Castagna is currently a director of SpeedFC and Carter’s Inc. Robert A. Eckert, a director since May 2010, is currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Mattel, Inc. , a position he has held since May 2000. He previously worked for Kraft Foods, Inc. for 23 years, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer from October 1997 until May 2000. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Eckert was Group Vice President of Kraft Foods, Inc. and from 1993 to 1995, Mr. Eckert was President of the Oscar Mayer foods division of Kraft Foods, Inc. Robert D. Haas, a director since 1980, was named Chairman Emeritus in February 2008. He served as Chairman of the Board from 1989 until February 2008. Mr. Haas joined Levi’s in 1973 and served in a variety of marketing, planning and operating positions including serving as our Chief Executive Officer from 1984 to 1999. Peter E. Haas Jr. , a director since 1985, is a director or trustee of each of the Levi Strauss Foundation, Red Tab Foundation, Joanne and Peter Haas Jr. Fund, Walter and Elise Haas Fund and the Novato Youth Center Honorary Board. Mr. Haas was one of the managers from 1972 to 1989. He was Director of Product Integrity of The Jeans Company, one of the former operating units, from 1984 to 1989. He served as Director of Materials Management for Levi Strauss USA in 1982 and Vice President and General Manager in the Menswear Division in 1980. Leon J. Level, a director since 2005, is a former Chief Financial Officer and director of Computer Sciences Corporation, a leading global information technology services company. Mr. Level held ascending and varied financial management and executive positions at Computer Sciences Corporation from 1989 to 2006 and previously at Unisys Corporation (Corporate Vice President, Treasurer and Chairman of Unisys Finance Corporation), Burroughs Corporation (Vice President, Treasurer), The Bendix Corporation (Executive Director and Assistant Corporate Controller) and Deloitte, Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte & Touche). Mr. Level is also currently a director of UTi Worldwide Inc. Stephen C. Neal, a director since 2007, became Chairman of the Board in September 2011. Mr. Neal is currently the chairman of the law firm Cooley LLP. He was also chief executive officer of the firm until January 1, 2008. In addition to his extensive experience as a trial lawyer on a broad range of corporate issues, Mr. Neal has represented and advised numerous boards of directors, special committees of boards and individual directors on corporate governance and other legal matters. Prior to joining Cooley LLP in 1995 and becoming CEO in 2001, Mr. Neal was a partner of the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Patricia Salas Pineda, a director since 1991, is currently Group Vice President, National Philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation for Toyota Motor North America, Inc. an affiliate of one of the world’s largest automotive firms. Ms. Pineda joined Toyota Motor North America, Inc. in September 2004 as Group Vice President of Corporate Communications and General Counsel. Prior to that, Ms. Pineda was Vice President of Legal, Human Resources and Government Relations and Corporate Secretary of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. wi th which she was associated since 1984. She is currently a director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and a mem ber of the board of advisors of Catalyst. 3. 2 Top Management in Turkey Hakan Atalay is the general manager of Levi’s Turkey since 2008. He graduated from Textile Engineering Department from Istanbul Technical University and he also has a graduate degree from the Management Department of Marmara University. He has a 16 years of experience in retail, sales and product management in local and multinational companies like Mexx Turkey, Network and Unitim. Lately he was the country sales director of Nike Turkey. He is now responsible for the management of Levi’s and Dockers brand operations and for the development of strategic vision of those brands in Turkey. Kayhan Ongun is the sales director of Levi’s Turkey since 2010. He graduated from Management Engineering Department from Istanbul Technical University and he has a Management of Business Administration degree from Rowan University. He worked at various sales positions in Michelin and Nike Turkey. Lately he was Football Sales Manager in Nike Turkey. Korhan Oz is the finance manager of Levi’s Turkey. Korhan Oz is a graduate of Istanbul University Department of Economics. He has in particular substantial experience in finance. He worked as Country Financial Controller at Ernst Audit, Intergen and Nokia and then worked as Executive Vice President for Financial Affairs at Krea Group. Orhan Ors is the Information Technology Director of Levi’s Turkey. He has been working for Levi’s for 22 years. Ozan Duman is the Human Resources Director of Levi’s Turkey since 2011. Lately, he was HR Manager of Kimberly Clark Turkey. Ipek Bekiroglu is the Marketing Manager of Levi’s Turkey since 2006. Lately, she was working as a Brand Manager in Carslberg Turkey. 4. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS 4. SOCIETAL ENVIRONMENT Socio-cultural Turkey has the youngest population in Europe with 31M under 25 and the population growth rate is 1. 35%. Life style changes heavily affect trends in casual apparel design and market. Being thin and skinny creates a trend in the market where skinny and tight jeans dominate the market. Economic There is a shortage in cotton supply in the world combined with high cotton prices due to several important factors: First, global stocks of cotton were drawn down sharply as less cotton was grown and shipped through the global supply chain due to competition from other crops. Second, climate changes and bad weather undermined global cotton production. Thirdly, government actions further aggravated the situation where India, one of the world’s largest cotton producers, slapped export quotas on raw cotton. And finally, demand for textiles and apparel rose. Retail landscape is evolving with the opening of many new malls and locations. In addition street store rents are increasing, so brands are investing on shopping malls in primary and secondary cities. In line with this development, traditional outlet stores on the highway breakpoints have been converted to outlet malls. Extended seasonal sale months, attractive promotions are offered throughout the year. There is high investment cost on one hand; as the average shop size is growing, rents are getting higher. On the other hand however, shopping malls have made significant discounts in their rents or currency rates have been fixed due to global crisis. Technological E-commerce is getting more popular with private shopping concept. (Trend-Yol, Markafoni and Limango are the main players in Turkish Market. ) Social media has a narrow effect right now but it is increasingly becoming a part of ompanies’ marketing strategies. Political legal There is continuous financial instability in Turkey that strongly affects the spending power of Turkish people. Income difference between regions is dramatic in Turkey which affects the spending power. However, lower income classes’ and regions’ spending is increasing. Environmental standards and regulations against hazardous jeans production are in creasingly applied by many countries and companies (The blue dust that stems while sanding jeans is a heavy irritant to the lungs). In the European Union, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations enacted 1 June 2007 require clothing manufacturers and importers to identify and quantify the chemicals used in their products. These regulations may even require manufacturers to inform consumers about potentially hazardous chemicals that may be present in their products. Actual end products are governed by stipulations of the European Equipment and Product Safety Act, which regulates the use of heavy metals, carcinogenic dyes, and other toxics used in textile manufacture. Additional consumer protection is offered by the European Union’s Oko-Tex Standard 100, a testing and certification program established in 1992. The standard gives the textile and clothing industry uniform guidance for the potential harm of substances in raw materials as well as finished products, and every stage in between—these include regulated substances as well as substances that are believed to be harmful to health but are not yet regulated (such as pesticides). The standard also governs elements such as colorfastness and pH value. Along with these standards, Levi Strauss and Co. Turkey does not produce jeans with sanding. 4. 2TASK ENVIRONMENT Rivalry among existing firms There is a heavy weight of local players in Turkish casual apparel market. Local retailers like Mavi, LC Waikiki, Colin’s, LTB (Little Big) have their own denim production facilities so that they can sell with reasonable prices. This fact that the competitors have low entry prices makes â€Å"price† the main differentiator. International and local brands are investing in key cities and key locations. (Zara, Mango, Adidas, Nike, Mavi, Colin’s). In addition, local competition is investing on O stores which are bigger than 200 sqm. Mavi was acquired by Turkven (private equity fund) with 35% share in 2008. The company has aggressive revenue targets and invests heavily in ATL communication. The company is focusing on head to toe look and as a result of this approach, their women and tops share increased. Colin’s is re-vamping the brand identity launched a new logo. The company focuses on O (owner and operator) model. In accordance with this approach, they re-fit O stores in major shopping malls. Lee is losing ground, they have no presence in stand alone stores, and they focus on department stores. LTB is re-fitting their O stores in premium shopping malls. Diesel has not been aggressive in communication for a long period. Jack & Jones is entering department stores. Grey market is an important factor that has a huge impact in the competition. The high number of grey market producers impacts the competition between the existing firms as especially the local denim producers try to differentiate themselves by price. Threat of new entrance New brands entered the market (H- 5 stores in 5 months) whereas local brands have elevated their retail environment to attract the young consumer. A will be opening their first store in Turkey in 2012. EFAS TABLE External FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment SROpportunities O1Turkey’s young population 0. 103. 00. 3 O2E-commerce and social media; new distribution channel0. 053. 00. 15 O3Malls; increasing number of shopping malls0. 105. 00. 5 O4Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions0. 04. 00. 4 O5Life style changes; new products0. 104. 00. 4 O6Environmental standards and regulations0. 052. 00. 1 Threats T1Financial instability0. 105. 00. 5 T2Grey market0. 103. 00. 3 T3High operational costs (O)0. 104. 00. 4 T4Marketing investments of the local brands0. 054. 00. 2 T5Increasing number of new competitors0. 053. 00. 15 T6Low cotton supply and high cotton prices0. 105. 00. 5 Total1. 003. 9 5. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS AND WEAKN ESSES 5. 1CORPORATE STRUCTURE The worldwide leadership team, which includes the CEO and ten executives, sets the company’s overall direction and is responsible for all major strategic, financial and operational decisions. Many of the senior-most leaders have risen through the company ranks over the past two or three decades. But to maintain the lead in the fast-changing fashion industry Levi’s leadership team also includes executives who bring leading-edge expertise and new ideas from other consumer companies and other industries. Levi Strauss Co. as a corporation has operations divided under three main regions: Asia Pacific, Europe and America. The company has headquarters in Singapore, Brussels and San Francisco. Every region is under the management of a Vice President. Country General Managers are directly reporting to their respective Regional Vice Presidents. In Turkey, human resources, information technology and finance departments are directly reporting to their respective region and they are indirectly reporting to Turkish General Manager. However, sales and marketing departments are directly reporting to Turkish General Manager and they are indirectly reporting to their respective region. Retail Operations and Sales Manager and Wholesale Sales Manager are directly reporting to Sales Director. Retail Operations and Sales Manager manages four District Managers and Wholesale Sales Manager manages three Account Managers in Turkey. 5. 2CORPORATE CULTURE Levi Strauss & Company as a multinational company embodies its vision that has four main values at the core: empathy – walking in other’s shoes; originality – being authentic and innovative; integrity – doing the right thing; and courage – standing up for what they believe. In addition to guiding the strategic decisions and actions, the company’s values also guide its social responsibility in various ways – through the grants provided by the Levi Strauss Foundation, through the support provided to communities in which it has a business presence, through its employee community-involvement program, and through its ethical code of conduct for its business partners. The company’s strategic move to outsourcing has presented its own challenges because of Levi Strauss’ strong commitment to socially responsible business practices. In 1991, Levi Strauss became the first multinational company to establish a comprehensive ethical code of conduct for its alliance partners in manufacturing and finishing. This code, titled the Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines, establishes business practices such as fair employment, worker health and safety, and environmental standards. The company remains committed to ensuring compliance with its â€Å"Code of Conduct† at all facilities and works onsite with its contractors to develop responsible business practices and continuous improvement. Trained inspectors closely audit and monitor the contractors and if it is determined that a business partner is not complying with the terms, Levi Strauss requires that the partner implements a corrective action plan within a specified time period. If a contractor fails to take corrective actions, the business relationship is terminated. By nature, the company is externally focused and determined to stay that way. This means constantly scanning developments that affect the business, and acting on that information to surprise their customers. The above are part of Levi Strauss’ global corporate citizenship culture. To make these to also diffuse to Turkish Levis’ employees working environment, the top management team is making radical moves. 5. 3CORPORATE RESOURCES STRENGTHS Levi Strauss and Co. is a member of Better Cotton Initiative. Better Cotton is a different way to grow cotton that decreases the negative environmental impacts and has the potential to improve the livelihood of the 300 million people involved in cotton farming worldwide. At its heart, the Better Cotton Initiative aims to make all cotton grown around the world more sustainable by reducing water and chemical use (including pesticides and fertilizers), protecting the health of the soil and promoting important labor standards including bans on child labor. The Better Cotton Initiative also focuses on training and empowering farmers to improve their long term financial profitability. This is a conscious effort made by all partners of the Better Cotton Initiative to help prevent prices for Better Cotton from rising dramatically in the short term. This is an advantage on behalf of Levi? s Turkey as the competitors in Turkish market are not involved in this initiative. Levi’s always had been described as a fashion innovator, as the company created the jeans market. The company continues to recognize the importance of the right products to its future success. One of Levi Strauss’s critical strategic goals is to â€Å"innovate and lead from the core,† and it continues to introduce product innovations. For instance, since 2001, the Advanced Innovation Team for the Dockers line has introduced several groundbreaking product innovations. For instance, in 2004 and 2005, the team developed three new and exclusive product innovations. The first was the Never-Iron Cotton that dramatically minimizes wrinkling. Another was the Thermal Adapt Khaki pants that adjust to body temperature. And the third was Dockers Shirts with Perspiration Guard, a special finish that wicks away moisture from the body and eliminates the appearance of perspiration marks. This is a strength that differentiates Levi? s from its competitors. In addition to this, the company recently decided to make a tradeoff and it stopped producing for women under Dockers brand. This is another wise strategic move on behalf of the company. And furthermore- in line with the above tradeoff- Levi’s was one of the first companies to tap into the mass customization trend by offering made-to-order jeans. In 1999, the company announced that it would begin offering customized versions of its classic denims to fit every woman’s body type, but this move was not successful at that time. In 2011, the company re-launched the same project under the name of â€Å"Curve ID† for women and now it proved to be a great success to regenerate growth on women? s product line. This is another important advantage that makes the brand stronger than the other brands. Youth panel- as a method of consumer-driven brand innovation- is a qualitative consumer panel focused on the consumer typologies that the company believes exercise greatest influence on the dynamics of change within the casual apparel market. The panel has been built up in most fashion significant European cities and comprises between 50 and 100 of the most fashion-forward youth. It is convened twice a year to fit into the line development calendar. This tool is strength for Levi? as it provides the best indication the business has of how much momentum a particular trend has in it, and so serves to guide both general businesses forecasting as well as specific product life cycle management. Every second quarter the brand and design teams dedicate a day to working with the insights coming out of the panel. It helps set the strategic agenda and also enables some very effective and immediate trouble- shooting. WEAKNESSES One of the company’s most valuable assets is its Levi’s brand. However, that venerable Levi’s brand had lost much of its popularity. Although Levi Strauss has one of the best-known names in the world, its market power has declined. An annual ranking of global brands with the most impact showed Levi’s ranked at number 32 in 2001, number 34 in 2002, and number 56 in 2003, and rebounding to number 44 in 2004. The products that baby boomers in the 1960s defined as hip and anti-establishment were now perceived as non-trendy and dull. In the brutally competitive apparel market, that type of image, particularly with younger consumers, has proven to be a disadvantage. As a way to span the consumer market, the company launched several new brands in USA and several other countries. But the same product strategy is not applied in Turkey and the product range is not diversified to cover all customer segments as far as price competition is considered. The company chose to stick with low-tech, in-store posters and other promotions; rather than mass media coverage – television and print ads which the biggest competitors in Turkey extensively use. The company doesn’t invest on brand image and use localized advertisement. But the competitors are using constant brand communications strategy including celebrities, outdoor events. IFAS TABLE Internal FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment SRStrengths S1High brand awareness 0. 155. 00. 75 S2Member of Better Cotton Initiative0. 053. 00. 15 S3Advance innovation competence0. 154. 00. 60 S4Profit growth0. 103. 00. 30 S5Product category fragmentation (Curve id-women; Dockers- men)0. 104. 00. 40 Weaknesses W1Inflexible pricing strategy 0. 155. 00. 75 W2Misuse of marketing communications budget0. 154. 00. 60 W3Brand image deterioration 0. 155. 00. 75 Total1. 004. 30 6. ANALYSIS of STRATEGIC FACTORS A. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS SWOT- SFAS TABLE SRInternal FactorsWeightRatingWeighted ScoreComment S1High brand awareness (global reach and scale)0. 05. 00. 50 S3Advance innovation competence0. 105. 00. 50 S5Product category fragmentation (Curve id-women; Dockers- men)0. 053. 00. 15 S6Financial strength0. 054. 00. 20 W1Inflexible pricing strategy 0. 054. 00. 20 W2Misuse of marketing communications budget0. 053. 00. 15 W3Brand image deterioration 0. 105. 00. 50 O1Turkey’s young population 0. 055. 00. 25 O3Malls; increasing number o f shopping malls0. 104. 00. 40 O4Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions0. 054. 00. 20 O5Life style changes; new products0. 053. 00. 15 T2Financial instability0. 055. 00. 25 T3Grey market0. 053. 00. 5 T4High operational costs (O)0. 104. 00. 40 T5Marketing investments of the local brands0. 054. 00. 20 T6Increasing number of new competitors0. 053. 00. 15 Total1. 03. 70 7. STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES and RECOMMENDED STRATEGY 7. 1 Review of Mission and Objective 7. 2 Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy TOWS MATRIX Internal FactorsStrengths S1. High brand awareness (global reach and scale) S2. Member of Better Cotton Initiative S3. Advance innovation competence S4. Profit growth S6. Financial strengthWeaknesses W1. Inflexible pricing strategy W2. Misuse of marketing communications budget W3. Brand image deterioration External Factors Opportunities O2. E-commerce and social media; new distribution channel O3. Malls; increasing number of shopping malls O4. Seasonal sale months extension, attractive promotions O5. Life style changes; new products1. Levis can continue to growth with new openings in different malls 2. Through high brand awareness, easy to take place in social media and cooperate with e-commerce websites as new distribution channels 3. Levis can adapt its products for different preferences1. New online campaigns to improve the brand image Threats T2. Grey market T5. Increasing number of new competitors T6. Low cotton supply and high cotton prices1. Developing new production technologies in order to use the raw materials effectively 2. Support social responsibility initiatives worldwide 1. Assessment of local competitors in order to redesign the marketing campaigns Recommended Strategy Functional strategy, marketing strategy; positioning should be made according to the target audience. Through social media and online campaigns Levis can improve its brand image and can reach Turkey’s young population. After several researches, it has been found out that the potential age group for both men and women is 14-25 in Turkish casual apparel market. However, it must also be taken into consideration that it is the 18-35 age group that consumes more and that women are the ones who increase the overall sales in general. The private shopping companies are growing very fast in Turkey. Levis can use e-commerce websites as new distribution channels to improve the brand penetration among 24-35 years old, worker segment. Levis is using its global marketing communications campaigns in Turkey, as they are. The company does not try to assess its competitor’s strategies or to adapt the tone of the messages according to local needs and preferences. However the local competitors are really aggressive in communication. Levis has to redesign its communication campaigns and reallocate its marketing budget. 8. CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY 1)http://www. levistrauss. com/ 2)Company’s 2012 plan 3)Company’s distribution strategy 4)Inspiring the organization to act: a business in denial, International Journal of Market Research Vol. 44 Quarter 2, 2002, the Market Research Society 5)Denim Pazar? nda Marka Konumland? rmalar? n? n Karsilastirilmasi,