Natsume Soseki has written Kokoro

Natsume Soseki has written Kokoro in such a way that the reader be acquainted with Boku and Sensei.   Through them, Soseki believed that a person’s actions should be coming from their true emotions and not by what others perceive of it.   A person should always do things in accordance to what he thinks is right and not by merely considering what the people dictates to him.   Sometimes people tend to live up to what the people tell them because their reputation is at stake.   Just like the planned graduation party of Boku[1].   Even though Boku did not want to have a party, his parents insisted because his father has a reputation to maintain in their community. Kokoro was also written in such a way that there is a special connection between Sensei and Boku in being able to see their imperfections by means of their shallowness.   Despite the two characters having different worldly views, they still found company in each other’s presence.   Boku is somewhat a person who wants to know who Sensei really is and Sensei was not the type of person who would reveal the real him. The style of the first part of Kokoro resembles that of a detective novel, and helps first to establish the reader’s curiosity towards Sensei. Narrator Boku provides no self-introduction and no adequate explanation for his interest in Sensei. Instead, he continuously feeds the reader small ‘clues’ – pieces to the puzzle of Sensei – to gain the reader’s curiosity. ‘â€Å"I cannot tell you why,† Sensei said to me, â€Å"but for a very good reason I wish to go to that grave alone. Even my wife, you see, has never come with me.† [End of passage]’[2] Sudden breaks in narrative are often used to leave these clues hanging, helping to compound the suspense felt by the reader. Additionally, despite having already experienced all the events he describes, Boku chooses to present them in the original chronological order and to narrate his original thoughts regarding each event.    â€Å"I wondered also why Sensei felt the way he did towards mankind.†[3] Revealing his thoughts and experiences in this manner assists Boku in linking with the reader, as it constructs between them a shared interest towards Sensei. Soseki seeks to direct this interest, as evident in the sentence: â€Å"Had I been curious in an impersonal and analytical way, the bond between us would surely not have lasted.†[4] This explanation of the nature of Boku’s curiosity can be interpreted as a suggestion to the reader; in order to complete the puzzle of Sensei, the reader needs to explore Sensei on a more personal level – not simply to analyse from a third person perspective, but rather to attempt to interpret Boku’s regard for Sensei by examining the similar attitudes and values that the two espouse. In the third part of Kokoro, Soseki switches to a new narrative frame, and we read Sensei’s letter through the eyes of Boku. Sensei directly addresses Boku in the letter – driving us as readers even closer to Boku, as we to try to interpret Sensei’s words through the mindset of Boku. Contrastingly, despite the title ‘My Parents and I’, part two of the novel serves to distance the reader from Boku’s family. As readers, our interest draws to a peak when Sensei agrees to tell Boku about his past. However, Sensei does not, and instead Boku’s father’s illness forces Boku to leave for home. This is frustrating for Boku, and for the reader, as is revealed in the passage: ‘†¦ there was much that I did not know about Sensei. He had not told me about his past, as he had promised. I could not be content until he was fully revealed to me.’[5]  Even as Boku’s father lies on his deathbed, Boku’s thoughts wander towards Sensei – physically represented by his moving back and forth between his bedroom and his father’s bedroom. In the process of affiliation with Sensei and Boku, the reader is exposed to the two characters’ disdain towards external appearances and opinions.  Both Sensei and Boku show their disregard for academia. Boku shows little regard for his diploma – he ‘pretends his diploma is a telescope’ surveys the world outside his window in it, and then throws it down on his desk. Similarly, Sensei does not know where he put his diploma.  In contrast, Boku’s parents hold Boku’s diploma in the highest regard. They scold Boku for not having taken better care of the diploma, and display it in the house. Boku’s narration shows that he also is not interested in the appearance of things.   He tends to observe, conclude and investigate on it.   Just like what happened when he saw Sensei at the beach centre.   He overlooked at Sensei’s appearance and focused his attention more on his behaviour thus speculating Sensei’s state of mind.  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"He was always aloof and [†¦] seemed totally indifferent to his surroundings†.[6] Sensei bears a similar disregard towards appearances to others and describes it:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I used to consider it a disgrace to be found ignorant by other people. But now, I find that I am not ashamed of knowing less than others †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [7]  Sometimes people tend to pull themselves down because they think they know less about things.   But come to think of it, even though a person does not graduate high school or college, it means that he is more ignorant than those who have graduated.   People know different things and not all individuals can learn everything. With these, it forms a sharp contrast with Boku’s parents.   The parents of Boku have a high regard for the physicality of things while Sensei and Boku do not.   Boku’s parents seem to relate the physical aspect of a thing with its value just like the diploma.   For them, being able to have a diploma is something that should be cherished, treasured and be well cared of.   While for Sensei and Boku, a diploma is somewhat like a representation of the knowledge acquired while in the university.   A diploma is just a paper, nothing more, nothing less.   What is important are the learning obtained during the years studying in the university. In conclusion, Kokoro is a classic example of presenting two characters that may turn out to be indifferent from one another at first but later on saw their similarities.   Even though these two characters obviously come from different generations, they still were able to find a common ground.   These two started out as complete strangers and tended to avoid the fact that they needed each other’s company but in the end, it just proves that no matter the distance of two persons, they still are close when always remembered. Bibliography Soseki, Natsume. Kokoro (Part 2) Chicago: Regnery Gateway, 1957. 21 Jan. 2000. http://www.eldritchpress.org/ns/k2.html [1] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Online Version, 2001. part 2                                                                                                                               [2] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p11 [3] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p22 [4] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p11 [5] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p65 [6] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p5 [7] Natsume, Soseki. Kokoro. Quiet Vision Publishing, 2001. p37

Flow of Gold and Silver Dbq

Chantelle DuncanMr. Richman AP world 1/22/12 DBQ on Flow of silver in mid-16th to 18th century The increasing flow of silver during the mid-16th to early 18th century had a very large impact on the economic and social parts of many countries through effect on land, trade, and value of silver. The huge influx of silver brought many economic problems in both Spain and China. Antonio Vasquez de Espinosa, a Spanish priest appears indignant at the huge amount of silver being taken and stolen from the mines in the west indies some paying no 20 % tax and/or registry fee and shipping silver out to the Philippines and china. doc 6) As shown in document 2, a Spanish scholar, named Tomas de Mercado, tells of the problems that the sudden influx of silver is causing Spain. â€Å" The streets of Manila in the Spanish territory of the Philippines could be paved with granite cobblestones brought from China†¦ in Chinese ships coming to get silver for China† De Mercado is showing anger in the amount of Asian ships coming to receive silver, the large amount of which is undoing the Spanish economy.Wang Xijue, a Ming dynasty court official reports to the emperor (document 3) that Chinese economy is declining, with cheap grain despite poor harvest â€Å"due to the scarcity of the silver coin† The government . The large amount of silver coming in created problems socially as well. Xu Dunqiu Ming, a writer, tells in an essay that seems directed at the general public, of the unfairness of dye shops in the commercial city of Hangzhou. Dye shops must now be paid with sliver from a moneylender, instead of livestock or crops.Borrowing from a money lender instead of trading animals or food is plunging china’s poorer class of people even further into debt, as well as changing the economy type of the Chinese people. (doc 5) Socially, other problems occurred as well. Greed became serious, as shown in doc 1, where Ye Chunji, a county official, says â€Å"the frugal ma n with only one bar of silver currency can have something left over, whereas the extravagant man with a thousand can still not have enough† on the topic of limiting wedding expenses. Wang Xijue in Doc 3. ells of how due to the government requiring silver though dispensing little, farmers are receiving less returns and thus less land is being cultivated. British merchant Ralph Fitch tells of his trip to the West Indies, telling of how the Portuguese use Chinese goods bought in china to trade for obscene amounts of silver in japan, which they go back to china and use to bring home luxury goods to the west indies. (doc 4) In conclusion, the huge influx of silver posed both a social and economic problem in mid-16th to 18th century in Asia and parts of Europe.

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest Social class and public reputation are two of the most common things that influence a person in their decision making. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde mocks a society for their reasons of choosing who to marry. Oscar Wilde expresses an ironic and satiric perspective on a society that builds a marriage upon a foundation of money, power, and deceit. The play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† is one of the most perfect examples of satire in our culture. Although it is set in England, it makes fun of the upper class.The play uses dramatic irony to show how Oscar Wilde sees the upper class as too formal and snobbish. It is dramatic irony because the characters in the play obviously think that they are high class with their multiple houses and butlers even though the author thinks that the upper class is too snobbish. The play also uses hyperbole to make its point. Every character in it is exaggerated. The character s Jack and Algernon are both willing to change their names to Earnest just because the women they love say that they will only love a man named Earnest.This is an example of how much emphasis Wilde believes that society places on love and how important it is to us. In they play, Wealth is a desirable aspect in life that many people crave. Many people will venture to extreme limits to acquire riches. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, prosperity is wanted so much that woman will consider wealth as their rationale to get married. In the book, when Jack Worthing proposed to Gwendolen Fairfax, Gwendolen’s mother refused to let her marry him. Her reasoning was since Jack didn’t know who his parents were; he would not receive an inheritance.Lady Bracknell refused to let her daughter marry someone who was not exceptionally wealthy. In this society, a person who descends from wealth is forbidden to marry someone from a lower class. It is considered disrespectful towards the family and it would degrade their self image. Power, in Wilde’s society, is also greatly commendable for a man who wants to marry. When Lady Bracknell questions Jack about his social status within the city, she is disappointed to hear that he is not of high class.Without money in the society, it is impossible to be a part of the high-class society; which is where power is attained. In this society, people marry inside of their own social and economic class. Since Jack does not have any power within the city, and does not have a lot of money to his name, he is not qualified to marry a woman of upper class. In addition to power and wealth being two ludicrous factors being heavily weighted for marriage, a man’s name also decides eligibility for matrimony. Jack lies to Gwendolen and tells her that his name his Ernest.When she learns that his name is not in fact Ernest, she refuses to marry him. Oscar Wilde used humor and irony when titling the play, â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Earnest describes a person who is honest and sincere, which does not describe anybody within the play. All of the relationships in the play are built upon lies and deceit. Jack Worthing’s friend also deceives the woman that he loves, Cecily. Algernon also lies about his name and creates an imaginary friend so that he can avoid spending time with people that he does not want to see. Algernon and Jack come to call it â€Å"bunburying. When a social event is occurring that Jack or Algernon does not want to attend, they fake a visit with an extremely sick friend or relative. Eventually, Cecily and Gwendolen learn of all the secrets that Jack and Algernon are keeping. At first they are justifiably outraged. But after they all have talk, all is forgiven. This is another example that shows absurdity towards marriage. Cecily and Gwendolen realize that the men that they are supposed to marry have lied to them about everything. They don’t e ven really know who Jack and Algernon truly are.Even though Algernon and Jack have lied about everything, Gwendolen and Cecily both agree to carry on with the wedding. â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† provides many ironic and satiric views in a society where marriage is built upon all of the wrong foundations. Marriage, in this society, is built upon wealth, power, lies, and deceit. The characters in the story are very scandalous and indecent. Men lie to their fiances and women marry them for money and power. In today’s society, this would be considered a huge disgrace and would be untolerable. ? The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance Of Being Earnest â€Å"Women’s roles are often tokenistic in dramatic comedy† To what extent do you believe this to be the case in relation to the play you have been studying? In dramatic comedy it can often be said that women’s roles are ‘tokenistic’ which essentially means: that women are there to serve a little more than the minimum, or may not serve much of a purpose at all, they may also follow social stereotypes during the era of this literary piece.In this essay I will be assessing this statement and come to a final decision by looking at both sides of the argument and looking for secondary sources/opinions to prove some points that will be made. I believe that women are not tokenistic in terms of comedy in The Importance of being earnest because they do serve a purpose and add to the humour but on the other hand they may only do the very minimum within the story line and many of the female characters follow social stereotypes s trongly.Wilde often uses characters within his plays and pieces as an opportunity to discuss or highlight certain contemporary issues, and may sometimes mock them through satire and farce. An example of this is the character of Gwendolen who is used to create humour; Oscar does this by presenting her as an inversion of the traditional female during the era Importance of Being Earnest was written.In the third act Gwendolen Says â€Å"But we will not be the first to speak† and then instantly contradicts her statement and addresses Algernon straight away after saying so, this would be found rather humorous by contemporary audiences because women were traditionally meant to be quiet and should ‘speak when spoken to’ Gwendolen recognises this, but yet she does speak first, and this is a break of a social stereotype.This is an example of a women’s role within The Importance of Being Earnest as un-tokenistic because she serves a purpose in creating humour, and al so the language used in that line suggests that she is leading the conversation and in turn leading Cecily, that is because the plural â€Å"we† in the quote indicates both herself and Cecily, should both conform to her statement, she is in a sense telling Cecily what to do. Also linked to this, after the later quote she then begins to interrogate Algernon and Jack, and she is the first to do so.This shows that she is accustomed to being in a position of power, so to conclude this point: how can Gwendolen truely be tokenistic if she serves a purpose in terms of comedy and is in a position of power within the stated conversation/section. On the other hand Gwendolen seems to support the typical patriarchal society which is present in The Importance of Being Earnest’s era. It is shown by this quote – â€Å"How absurd to talk of the equality of the sexes! † And â€Å"men are infinitely beyond us† Both in Act 3 also the use of the word infinitely emphas ises this driving Gwendolen’s further.Gwendolen indirectly mocks the idea of ‘new women’ which was a  feminist  ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence on feminism well into the twentieth century as well. It can be said that her role knocks back equality, which then leads to us thinking she is indeed tokenistic. But her role and this particular quote draws attention to the unfairness and importance of the issue at hand. This could be another example of Wilde using characters and satirical mocking to highlight certain issues, so therefore she again does indeed serve a purpose and an important one at that, so she may be un-tokenistic.Another example of roles of women serving a purpose is Lady Bracknell – â€Å"The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square† on page 20 act 1. This is an example of Oscar Wilde’s satirical mocking technique, directed towards the upper classes and the education system, through characters such as lady Bracknell and Gwendolen.Also the use of language and words such as ‘radically’ and ‘theory’ emphasises the satire because they are fairly emotive or serious words, contrasting with the absurd bigoted point. â€Å"Lady Bracknell is the main character to portray this satirical technique, as she believes the upper class to be much more educated than the lower class, purely because of social status† – hubpages. com/education, this point taken from an online website agrees with the idea that Wilde uses characters as a way to highlight issues and mock them. This is shown in the wording.And in turn this point suggests that if characters used to mock and highlight issues within society, then they are serving a purpose a nd are important to aspects of comedy within the play, examples of such characters are, Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen. So how can they be tokenistic if they are doing so? This shows that they are un-tokenistic. On the other hand Oscar Wilde often uses stock characters to enhance comedy and have no real purpose. â€Å"A  stock character  is a  fictional character  that relies heavily on  cultural types  or  stereotypes  for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics† – Fritzfreiheit. om, this shows that characters following stereotypes could be considered tokenistic, such as Lady Bracknell, who is described as â€Å"a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative/repressive values, and power† – Cliffnotes. com, this shows tha t Lady Bracknell follows contemporary social stereotypes and only serves a minimum purpose and that is to make the audience laugh.So she may well be tokenistic. Also many other stock characters are considered to be tokenistic because they are only used to enhance comedy, not to add to the story or to highlight issues. Examples of a stock character with a minimal role is Miss Prism she is an example of a stereotype of an aspiring romantic novelist, she is the typical woman of the time with a dream that is suppressed. This means she both abides by contemporary social stereotypes and in no way highlights issues as much as Gwendolen or other characters may.So this could be suggested that indeed she is tokenistic due to the later points made. In conclusion I believe that female characters in Oscar Wilde’s Importance of being earnest such as Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell both serve a purpose in terms of comedy by enhancing it with the use of; farce, satire, and mocking. Linked to th is he also uses the humour created by these characters as well as the actually characters themselves as an opportunity to mock or highlight issues and ideals, for example Lady Bracknell and the upper class.But on the other hand it could be said that any female characters are stock characters which follow stereotypes and therefore produce a minimum affect, examples of this are Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell who has proven to be most contradictory and can be used by both sides of the argument because she does serve an important purpose. Over all I believe the large majority of female roles within The Importance of being earnest are not tokenistic because they most serve a purpose and enhance comedy.By James Rae Bibliography – Importance of Being Earnest * http://rachira. hubpages. com/hub/The-Importance-of-Being-Earnest-Mocking-Education – Author: RachiRa (username) – Date of citation: 14/3/13 * http://fritzfreiheit. com/wiki/Stock_character – Author: Fritz Freiheit – Date of citation: 14/3/13 * http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/literature/importance-of-being-earnest/character-analysis/rev-chasuble-miss-prism. html – Author: Susan Van Kirk – Date of citation: 14/3/13 The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest Social class and public reputation are two of the most common things that influence a person in their decision making. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde mocks a society for their reasons of choosing who to marry. Oscar Wilde expresses an ironic and satiric perspective on a society that builds a marriage upon a foundation of money, power, and deceit. The play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† is one of the most perfect examples of satire in our culture. Although it is set in England, it makes fun of the upper class.The play uses dramatic irony to show how Oscar Wilde sees the upper class as too formal and snobbish. It is dramatic irony because the characters in the play obviously think that they are high class with their multiple houses and butlers even though the author thinks that the upper class is too snobbish. The play also uses hyperbole to make its point. Every character in it is exaggerated. The character s Jack and Algernon are both willing to change their names to Earnest just because the women they love say that they will only love a man named Earnest.This is an example of how much emphasis Wilde believes that society places on love and how important it is to us. In they play, Wealth is a desirable aspect in life that many people crave. Many people will venture to extreme limits to acquire riches. In â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, prosperity is wanted so much that woman will consider wealth as their rationale to get married. In the book, when Jack Worthing proposed to Gwendolen Fairfax, Gwendolen’s mother refused to let her marry him. Her reasoning was since Jack didn’t know who his parents were; he would not receive an inheritance.Lady Bracknell refused to let her daughter marry someone who was not exceptionally wealthy. In this society, a person who descends from wealth is forbidden to marry someone from a lower class. It is considered disrespectful towards the family and it would degrade their self image. Power, in Wilde’s society, is also greatly commendable for a man who wants to marry. When Lady Bracknell questions Jack about his social status within the city, she is disappointed to hear that he is not of high class.Without money in the society, it is impossible to be a part of the high-class society; which is where power is attained. In this society, people marry inside of their own social and economic class. Since Jack does not have any power within the city, and does not have a lot of money to his name, he is not qualified to marry a woman of upper class. In addition to power and wealth being two ludicrous factors being heavily weighted for marriage, a man’s name also decides eligibility for matrimony. Jack lies to Gwendolen and tells her that his name his Ernest.When she learns that his name is not in fact Ernest, she refuses to marry him. Oscar Wilde used humor and irony when titling the play, â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest. † Earnest describes a person who is honest and sincere, which does not describe anybody within the play. All of the relationships in the play are built upon lies and deceit. Jack Worthing’s friend also deceives the woman that he loves, Cecily. Algernon also lies about his name and creates an imaginary friend so that he can avoid spending time with people that he does not want to see. Algernon and Jack come to call it â€Å"bunburying. When a social event is occurring that Jack or Algernon does not want to attend, they fake a visit with an extremely sick friend or relative. Eventually, Cecily and Gwendolen learn of all the secrets that Jack and Algernon are keeping. At first they are justifiably outraged. But after they all have talk, all is forgiven. This is another example that shows absurdity towards marriage. Cecily and Gwendolen realize that the men that they are supposed to marry have lied to them about everything. They don’t e ven really know who Jack and Algernon truly are.Even though Algernon and Jack have lied about everything, Gwendolen and Cecily both agree to carry on with the wedding. â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† provides many ironic and satiric views in a society where marriage is built upon all of the wrong foundations. Marriage, in this society, is built upon wealth, power, lies, and deceit. The characters in the story are very scandalous and indecent. Men lie to their fiances and women marry them for money and power. In today’s society, this would be considered a huge disgrace and would be untolerable. ? The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance Of Being Earnest â€Å"Women’s roles are often tokenistic in dramatic comedy† To what extent do you believe this to be the case in relation to the play you have been studying? In dramatic comedy it can often be said that women’s roles are ‘tokenistic’ which essentially means: that women are there to serve a little more than the minimum, or may not serve much of a purpose at all, they may also follow social stereotypes during the era of this literary piece.In this essay I will be assessing this statement and come to a final decision by looking at both sides of the argument and looking for secondary sources/opinions to prove some points that will be made. I believe that women are not tokenistic in terms of comedy in The Importance of being earnest because they do serve a purpose and add to the humour but on the other hand they may only do the very minimum within the story line and many of the female characters follow social stereotypes s trongly.Wilde often uses characters within his plays and pieces as an opportunity to discuss or highlight certain contemporary issues, and may sometimes mock them through satire and farce. An example of this is the character of Gwendolen who is used to create humour; Oscar does this by presenting her as an inversion of the traditional female during the era Importance of Being Earnest was written.In the third act Gwendolen Says â€Å"But we will not be the first to speak† and then instantly contradicts her statement and addresses Algernon straight away after saying so, this would be found rather humorous by contemporary audiences because women were traditionally meant to be quiet and should ‘speak when spoken to’ Gwendolen recognises this, but yet she does speak first, and this is a break of a social stereotype.This is an example of a women’s role within The Importance of Being Earnest as un-tokenistic because she serves a purpose in creating humour, and al so the language used in that line suggests that she is leading the conversation and in turn leading Cecily, that is because the plural â€Å"we† in the quote indicates both herself and Cecily, should both conform to her statement, she is in a sense telling Cecily what to do. Also linked to this, after the later quote she then begins to interrogate Algernon and Jack, and she is the first to do so.This shows that she is accustomed to being in a position of power, so to conclude this point: how can Gwendolen truely be tokenistic if she serves a purpose in terms of comedy and is in a position of power within the stated conversation/section. On the other hand Gwendolen seems to support the typical patriarchal society which is present in The Importance of Being Earnest’s era. It is shown by this quote – â€Å"How absurd to talk of the equality of the sexes! † And â€Å"men are infinitely beyond us† Both in Act 3 also the use of the word infinitely emphas ises this driving Gwendolen’s further.Gwendolen indirectly mocks the idea of ‘new women’ which was a  feminist  ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence on feminism well into the twentieth century as well. It can be said that her role knocks back equality, which then leads to us thinking she is indeed tokenistic. But her role and this particular quote draws attention to the unfairness and importance of the issue at hand. This could be another example of Wilde using characters and satirical mocking to highlight certain issues, so therefore she again does indeed serve a purpose and an important one at that, so she may be un-tokenistic.Another example of roles of women serving a purpose is Lady Bracknell – â€Å"The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square† on page 20 act 1. This is an example of Oscar Wilde’s satirical mocking technique, directed towards the upper classes and the education system, through characters such as lady Bracknell and Gwendolen.Also the use of language and words such as ‘radically’ and ‘theory’ emphasises the satire because they are fairly emotive or serious words, contrasting with the absurd bigoted point. â€Å"Lady Bracknell is the main character to portray this satirical technique, as she believes the upper class to be much more educated than the lower class, purely because of social status† – hubpages. com/education, this point taken from an online website agrees with the idea that Wilde uses characters as a way to highlight issues and mock them. This is shown in the wording.And in turn this point suggests that if characters used to mock and highlight issues within society, then they are serving a purpose a nd are important to aspects of comedy within the play, examples of such characters are, Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen. So how can they be tokenistic if they are doing so? This shows that they are un-tokenistic. On the other hand Oscar Wilde often uses stock characters to enhance comedy and have no real purpose. â€Å"A  stock character  is a  fictional character  that relies heavily on  cultural types  or  stereotypes  for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics† – Fritzfreiheit. om, this shows that characters following stereotypes could be considered tokenistic, such as Lady Bracknell, who is described as â€Å"a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative/repressive values, and power† – Cliffnotes. com, this shows tha t Lady Bracknell follows contemporary social stereotypes and only serves a minimum purpose and that is to make the audience laugh.So she may well be tokenistic. Also many other stock characters are considered to be tokenistic because they are only used to enhance comedy, not to add to the story or to highlight issues. Examples of a stock character with a minimal role is Miss Prism she is an example of a stereotype of an aspiring romantic novelist, she is the typical woman of the time with a dream that is suppressed. This means she both abides by contemporary social stereotypes and in no way highlights issues as much as Gwendolen or other characters may.So this could be suggested that indeed she is tokenistic due to the later points made. In conclusion I believe that female characters in Oscar Wilde’s Importance of being earnest such as Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell both serve a purpose in terms of comedy by enhancing it with the use of; farce, satire, and mocking. Linked to th is he also uses the humour created by these characters as well as the actually characters themselves as an opportunity to mock or highlight issues and ideals, for example Lady Bracknell and the upper class.But on the other hand it could be said that any female characters are stock characters which follow stereotypes and therefore produce a minimum affect, examples of this are Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell who has proven to be most contradictory and can be used by both sides of the argument because she does serve an important purpose. Over all I believe the large majority of female roles within The Importance of being earnest are not tokenistic because they most serve a purpose and enhance comedy.By James Rae Bibliography – Importance of Being Earnest * http://rachira. hubpages. com/hub/The-Importance-of-Being-Earnest-Mocking-Education – Author: RachiRa (username) – Date of citation: 14/3/13 * http://fritzfreiheit. com/wiki/Stock_character – Author: Fritz Freiheit – Date of citation: 14/3/13 * http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/literature/importance-of-being-earnest/character-analysis/rev-chasuble-miss-prism. html – Author: Susan Van Kirk – Date of citation: 14/3/13

ZARA It for Fast Fashion and GAP Research Paper

ZARA It for Fast Fashion and GAP - Research Paper Example Zara Success in Introducing a Disruptive Business Model within the Apparel Manufacturing and Retail Industry Zara has successfully introduced a disruptive business model within the apparel manufacturing and retail industry by its IT leverage in the fashion industry. Its investment into the IT field significantly gives a boosts to its business activities by allowing it to develop its capabilities. Secondly, the application of POS also poses a challenge for Zara business within the industry because it is not availing more time for their management to accurately perform their administration functions. Core Competencies of Zara Zara has various core competencies makes it to compete favorably in the market with other companies producing similar products like them. Their key competencies lie with the resources that are found within the company and which are useful in achieving production within the company. Design g and manufacturing have been the key focus for Zara; therefore, they have a tight a control over their production process. In addition, the numerous partnerships they conduct within their market niche are located near their headquarters and this helps in maintaining a design for their products. Time is also a key competency for Zara because they ensure that their products are produced in a timely manner and are transported by the various intermediaries involved to reach the customer in a timely manner, therefore, serving their needs by availing the products at specific places within the provided time. Zara is also blessed with the capability of producing numerous products at a time; therefore, their products always satisfy the existing demand in the market. Lastly, Zara is always advanced with the changing trends in the fashion industry, therefore, are always on the front to satisfy the different needs of their clients. This builds customer loyalty amongst their client leading to an increase in sales for the products being produced. Characteristics of Zara ’s Target Consumers Groups, Who They Are and Their Behavior Attitudes Zara’s target customer group consist of young of mostly young adults who are price conscious and highly value fashion trends existing in the market. The percentage of their customer group is constituted by women who form more than half of the total customers who visit the shops. Secondly, men who form of a quarter of thee customers with a small fraction of children being customers of the products produced by the company (Hill & Jones, 2010). Unique Consumer Behavior Which Zara Has Been Able To Build In Its Primary Customer Base Zara has been able to build unique customer behaviors by the products and services through their products which they have designed to be fashionable and affordable. Most, customers of Zara prefer products which are trendy while at the same time trendy in appearance. The company has guaranteed this by deciding to cut edge fashion at affordable prices enable their customers to c omfortably purchase their products. Secondly, Zara satisfy their customer behavior of diversity by offering large choice of styles by their products. Being that there are different occasions, Zara’s customers have developed the need to have different clothe types and fashions. By offering large choice of styles of products produced, Zara competently satisfy the existing need in the market through their products and other services. Lastly, Zara’s customers always prefer their products availed at strategic points and Zara has satisfied this gap by

Forgiveness, Justice, Revenge Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Forgiveness, Justice, Revenge - Research Paper Example Body Statement III: The biblical story 'Parable of the Prodigal Son’ reinstates 'forgiveness' as the act of remission of sins, which can bring back a repenting person to the path of righteousness, and by doing so, he is saved from being lost again. Body Statement IV: â€Å"The Sunflower† shows the struggle between the inner demon craving for revenge, and the righteousness in an individual by hating the crimes done by himself, as well as the whole Jewish community. Body Statement V: The movie ‘TSOTSI,’ brings to focus the hope forgiveness and social acceptance of Tsotsi. Body Statement VI: In the movie ‘UNFORGIVEN’ the ancient notions of justice are projected, where only the act of vengeance can bring peace to the gratification of mind. Conclusion: Forgiveness, Justice, Revenge 'Forgiveness', 'Justice' and 'Revenge' are the three significant concepts that have allured the writers of all ages. The perspectives about these concepts vary according to the workings of individual mind, and the extremity of victimization. These notions have different meanings attached to them, yet they are closely related to each other. This paper provides a definition to the concept of forgiveness with reference to the concepts of justice and revenge. The thesis statement of this study is that, the concept of forgiveness can be defined as the pardoning of sins, so that we can let go the feeling of hurt from our heart, freeing ourselves from anger, malice and contempt. Barb Toews in her work "Restorative Justice for People in Prison," (What is Restorative Justice?) states that a crime has the power to hurt its victims, offenders, as well as the community. In this book, Toews suggests that the victims and their families, community members and offenders and their families require a variety of lawful needs such as companionship and security, strengthening one’s status, expression of inner thoughts, right to know, development, and transparency . Since each of the lawful needs experienced by the individuals vary from each other, these needs can be met with the help of a community, committed to restorative justice. The needs of those victims struggling with the aftermath of crime, if met in time, can reduce crime the crime rates in future. The victims of today have the potential to become the offenders of tomorrow, as they surrender themselves to the cold-heartedness and self-imprisonment of vengeance. The victims of crime should be served with justice, or else they will be inclined to take law in their own hands, rather than fighting to make the law work. By serving ‘justice,’ the victim is served right, and by forgiving he can let go the hurt caused by the crime. The term ‘forgiveness’ is entangled with the terms: ‘justice’ and ‘revenge’. To define ‘forgiveness’, it is essential to distinguish between ‘justice’ and ‘revenge’. Reveng e is an insane and brutal notion in which a man seeks 'an eye for an eye’. In revenge, an individual cultivates anger and hatred in his soul so much, that his consciousness is overcome by the inner demon. In revenge, a man seeks to outdo injustice with another form of injustice. In other words, it is an act or thought of settling justice in a

Describe Joe leap horn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Describe Joe leap horn - Essay Example Thatcher came to Joe’s aid by seeking his help in investigating a heinous crime. Joe agrees to live the house and accompany Thatcher for the investigation. The chapter presents Joe Leaphorn as a complex character who accommodates the Navajo traditions and the western thinking. Joe studied at assimilationist schools where he specialized in cultural anthropology though he did not like it (Hillerman 68). He dropped his academic pursuit and joined Navajo Tribal Police to be close to his wife, Emma. He lacked a deep connection with Anasazi culture and adopted the western way of thinking. However, he respected the Navajo rituals and the society had immense respect for him. Apparently, the balance between respect for traditions and modernity depicts Joe as a fascinating character. The chapter presents Joe as an intuitive and dedicated cop who knew the terrain very well thus becoming significant in criminal investigations. Indeed, the chapter ends by showing how Joe Leap Horn succeede d in unearthing the mystery behind the Houk

Casestudy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Casestudy - Case Study Example IAS 16 requires that the recognition principle is applied to all property, plant and equipment costs only at their occurrence. Amongst other things, the costs include the initial costs incurred for either the acquisition or the construction of an item of property plant and equipment and the subsequent costs that are incurred for replacement of parts or service. There exists two types of accounting models under IAS 16. These include the cost model and the revaluation model (International Accounting Standards Board, 2006). While the cost model requires that assets are assessed at costs that are less than the accumulated depreciation and the impairment, the revaluation model requires that the assets be recorded at a revaluated amount hence making its fair value at the date of revaluation less the subsequent depreciation and impairment only with provisions that the fair value can be measured with much reliability. The company that we will be taking into consideration is ING Group N.V., a global financial services firm that is based in the Netherlands (ING Group, 2012). The company applies critical accounting policies that the management believes are not only important to the portrayal of the organizations financial condition and results, but that is also require the most difficult, subjective and complex judgement mainly resulting from the need to make estimations about the various effects of matter and that are also inherently uncertain. Key to note is the fact that various judgements and uncertainties that affect the application of the policies which may result reporting of different amounts that are significantly material under the various different conditions or through the use of different assumptions. The company considers financial reporting and disclosure practice and employs the use of accounting policies quarterly in a bid to ensure there is not only accuracy in the reported information that is not only relative to the prevailing economic conditions, but also the business environment. The company’s property, plant and equipment are reported at a cost that is less the accumulated depreciation. The depreciation realized on property, plant and equipment including even the assets under capital is computed on the straight line method over the estimated useful lives which in most cases range between 30 to 40 years in the case of buildings and 2 to 15 years in the case for equipment (ING Group, 2012). The company immortalizes leasehold improvements over the shorter of the leaseholds estimated useful lives or the related lease life that is mostly not less than 10 years. In the instances where the leases have the options of renewable periods, the company employs the use of original lease term that excludes renewal option periods aimed at determining the estimated useful lives. In instances where a failure to exercise a renewal option results into imposition of an economic penalty to the company, the company may determine at the incept ion of the lease about its renewal being reasonably assured and may include the inclusion of the renewal option period in the determination of the various appropriate estimated useful

Operations Management (OM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operations Management (OM) - Essay Example Service System. Unlike product systems or manufacturing systems, service systems are unique in that they tend to be based more upon face-to-face customer interaction. In the bank, however, an effective service system will take advantage of the inherent nature of the business of banking. Banks do not manufacture money, but they do interact with individuals and companies to assist them with their financial needs. Accordingly, the branch manager can implement a service system that accommodates customer needs. Even though a banking-based service system will be somewhat intangible, the benefits of a well-designed one will be notable. For example, the branch manager may know that Friday afternoons are high volume time periods for the bank, as the local factory pays its employees on Fridays. Since no person want to stand around waiting on tellers to cash or deposit their checks, the branch manager could study the customer volume data for a month and then implement a service system that focu sed upon scheduling tellers and account managers around the times of highest volume. This OM technique would provide both efficiency in staffing as well as a happier client base. Job Design. Job Design. Job design is a relatively straightforward way of increasing operational efficiency in all organizations, but particularly in the banking industry. Like any other business, a bank has to maintain a productive workforce, and economic efficiencies are very important. Accordingly, our branch manager could spend a little research time on every segmented task within the bank. Looking for areas of overlap or opportunities for cross-training, the manager could design the job descriptions to maximize productivity without sacrificing customer service. For example, the job design of the teller would involve the standard activities of a bank teller; processing deposits, cashing checks, overseeing counter activities, etc. Similarly, the job design of an account manager is very easy to determine; be available to open new accounts for existing and new customers, perform customer service duties by telephone, solicit new accounts through various means, etc. If our branch man ager were to implement an effective job design, she might be able to construct a head teller or other hybrid position that could assist with teller operations during high volume times, and solicit accounts during times of low counter activity. This is an example of effective job design, and such an OM tool is very effective in this application. Quality Management. As we know, modern quality management is not so much about correcting mistakes after they occur, but preventing them from occurring at all. In a bank, customer service quality and the absence of numerical or clerical error is paramount to both the operations and reputation of the institution. The branch manager should place a high emphasis on attention to detail and quality job performance in both the technical (teller) and customer relations (account manager) departments. By utilizing such methods as regular staff meetings, on-going skill training, and written policy manuals, the branch manager can utilize the OM methodology of quality management

Perceptions of performance feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Perceptions of performance feedback - Essay Example ent follows though busy with commitments" and out of 15 people, no one strongly agreed, 14 agreed, 1 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The eleventh question was "Receive coaching and training" and out of 15 people, no one strongly agreed, 9 agreed, 6 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the options. Questionnaire # 2 Perceived Perception of Change The first question was " I am part of the decision making process" and out of 15 people none strongly agreed, 2 agreed, 8 neither agreed nor disagreed, none strongly disagreed and 5 chose not applicable. The second question was "Thoughts and ideas are taken seriously" and out of 15 people, 1 strongly agreed, 10 agreed, 4 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the two options. The third question was "Encouraged to offer solutions" and out of 15 people, none strongly agreed, 15 agreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The fourth question was "I take pride in working for the company" and out of 15 people 2 strongly agreed, 13 agreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The fifth question was "Promotes a family atmosphere" and out of 15 people, 12 strongly agreed, 3 agreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The sixth question was "Company values are compatible with my values" and out of 15 people, 12 strongly agreed, 2 agreed, 1 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The seventh question was "Company contributes to the community" and out of 15 people, 1 strongly agreed, 14 agreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The eighth question was "Would recommend the company to my friends" and out of 15 people, 4 strongly agreed, 6 agreed, 5 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the... The third question was "Management makes frequent positive comments" and out of 15, 4 chose strongly agree, 9 chose agree, 2 chose neither agree nor disagree and no one chose strongly disagree and not applicable. The sixth question was "Supervisor cares about personal development" and out of 15 people, 5 chose strongly agree, 5 chose agree, 2 chose neither agree nor disagree and no one chose the rest of the two options. The seventh question was "Expectations are the same for everyone" and out of 15 people, 2 strongly agreed, 7 agreed, 5 neither agreed nor disagreed, 1 strongly disagreed and no one chose the last option. The tenth question was "Management follows though busy with commitments" and out of 15 people, no one strongly agreed, 14 agreed, 1 neither agreed nor disagreed and no one chose the rest of the options. The first question was " I am part of the decision making process" and out of 15 people none strongly agreed, 2 agreed, 8 neither agreed nor disagreed, none strongly disagreed and 5 chose not applicable. The first question was "I always have the supplies to do my job well" and out of 15 people, none strongly agreed, 6 agreed, 3 neither agreed nor disagreed, 6 strongly disagreed and no one chose the last option. The survey

Analyse the structure of the UK supermarket sector Assignment

Analyse the structure of the UK supermarket sector - Assignment Example According to the UK Retail Food Sector Market Brief, supermarkets made up for about 6400 stores with an estimated value of 98 billion pounds in 2008 (Sainsburys And Waitrose UK Supermarkets Porters 5 Forces Competitive Advantage, 2009). The UK grocery market has increased to 133.3 billion pound in 2007, which accounts for a 4 percent increase from that of 2006 (Nicholson, 2008, p. 3-4). The major supermarkets that occupy the bulk of the market share (almost 75 percent) are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda (owned by American retailer Wal-Mart) and Morrison’s. These are commonly known as the â€Å"Big Four†. The other retail chains include Marks and Spencer (UK’s biggest clothing marketer), Waitrose, Somerfield, Budgens, Netto Iceland, Aldi, and Lidl. Tesco is the largest non-food market chain in the UK which includes outlets like Extra, Homeplus, Metro and others. Each of these retailers focuses on some particular market section. Tesco for instance, marks the middle market offering economy as well as expensive products. Compared to Tesco, Sainsbury’s targets a little up-market while, Asda, a Wal-Mart chain and Morrison’s focus a little down-market. Even Somerfield operate at the sam e level as Asda and the others namely, Budgens, Iceland, Aldi, Netto and Lidl are all price-focused retailers. Waitrose, a John Lewis Partnership, is however the most up-market retailer among all. Discount retailing has become a growing division of the grocery retailing in UK and Tesco ad Asda contest a strong competition in this field. Among them, the top position is occupied by Tesco, with a market share of 31.4 percent which is quite ahead of the other retail chains. Second to Tesco is Asda with a market share of 17.1 percent followed by Sainsbury’s occupying the third position. It covers 15.7 percent of the total market. Morrison’s rank last among the four with a market share of 11.2 percent (Nicholson, 2008, p. 6-7). The market structure exhibited by the

The European Court of Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The European Court of Human Rights - Essay Example This is with the respect that human rights and freedoms should be upheld and respected at all costs. In some instances, the European Court of Human Rights has come under sharp scrutiny and focus. This is a direct result of its overall mandate, jurisdictional application and accrued results (Mignon, 2012). This paper will dissect an article on the European Court of Human Rights. It will provide an in depth analysis and summation of the article with the aim of synthesizing the author’s thoughts. It should be realized that the need and respect for international justice and reprieve was one of the leading building blocks of the European Court of Human Rights. As a direct result, the pressure that the court faces over the years has created scenarios where the United Kingdom has opted to drop out of the convention. The court is experiencing fierce battles with many terming it a gross violator of human rights. This is a direct result of the many rulings and judgments made that favor terrorists and prisoners at the expense of ordinary people (Smith & Van-Der-Anker, 2005). In other instances, the court has been observed to blatantly ignore common sense in many of its rulings. During the formation of the court, Sir Winston Churchill envisioned a judicial process that could never interrupted. This was an emergent need as many governments had submerged many of their judicial ideals in totalitarianism and dictatorship. Churchill’s ideology was highly strengthened as the world watched the disaster that claimed lives during the Nazi regime. The court gained powers and support to ensure that it could adequately deal with such international injustices (Mignon, 2012). It is not possible to ignore the amount of work that has been concluded by the court. The court has set historical rulings at both individual and national level. This has guaranteed many people in Europe, rights and privileges that they could not previously attain. Despite this, there is a frenzy of r eactions that have decried the decisions arrived at by the court. In an analytical way, the author states that there are instances where the court has shrugged off external opinions regarding judicial interpretation (Smith & Van-Der-Anker, 2005). This is especially in cases where the court is seen to have handed down an unpopular judgment. In other areas, it has been observed that the court has failed to offer compensation to plaintiffs that rightfully deserved compensation. This is one of the reasons why the change of laws to counter the court’s rigidity has been presented by external pressures. The back log of cases that the court is experiencing is a direct result of the lengthy periods that take to interpret laws (Mignon, 2012). This results in inefficiency as speedy judgments are made without due consideration for all the required legal proceedings. In other areas, the court struggles to apply existing laws to new states. This is because the laws may not be directly appl icable in the new states. In conclusion, the author accepts that the creation of the European Court of Human Rights was a formidable idea. Over the years, the court has deliberated on a lot of issues. This is a direct result of law application and understanding (Keller & Sweet, 2008) . However, despite this positive strides, there a few areas that have been left behind. As a result, laws have been misinterpreted, a myriad of cases pending, threats of

Business Types of Ownership Essay Example for Free

Business Types of Ownership Essay

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk

Shipping Industry Analysis: A.P Mollar-Maersk The global shipbuilding industry has changed in the last two decades, the demand and supply of goods in the international market, that many sectors in the market of shipbuilding in force. The transport of goods in bulk can only be transported by large commercial cargo ships. Shipping industry is a huge industry that requires a lot of skilled and cheap labour. Shipping industry requires expensive investments. In the 1960s in Europe were dominant in this industry. Globalization and free trade have opened up opportunities for new life to the shipping industry. There are many factors that directly or indirectly affects to the present day companies such as government policies, regulations, laws, competition, technology, international organizations, institutions of world trade, minimum wage, accidents, risk, violence, safety, labour, supplies, etc. So for any company to survive they have to plan the strategies accordingly to overcome those factors. But in practice it is virtually impossible to consider all these various factors. There are certain models like Michael Porter five forces that determine to the external factors to the environments of shipping industry. As a managing consultant of A P Mollar-Maersk shipping company I found that, in most of the countries the government is providing enormous support to promote foreign trade for the economic development, as well as my personal experience in shipping industry under A P Mollar-Maersk group gave me thrust to explore more about the shipping industry. Here I analysed the companys [A P Moll ar- Maersk] growth and present situation using Porters five force model. The five forces determine industry profitability because they influence the prices, costs, and required investment of firms in an industry the elements of return on investment. Buyer power influences the prices that firms can charge, for example, as does the threat of substitution. The power of buyers can also influence cost and investment, because powerful buyers demand costly service. The bargaining power of suppliers determines the costs of raw materials and other inputs. The intensity of rivalry influences prices as well as the costs of competing. The threat of entry, places a limit on prices, and shapes the investment required to determine entrants. INTRODUCTION Shipping is the primary means of international transportation of any essential raw material or finished goods. There are three main segments consisting of bulk carriers, specialised cargo shipping as well as container shipping. This industry is fundamental to trade, globalisation and economic growth of a country. Out of the shipping industry A.P Mollar-Maersk group became the worlds largest container ship operator. About the company The A P Moller Maersk group is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world since 1996. Maersk Line offers a truly global network of containerization and services providing shipping solutions for cargo imports and exports. Maersk Line India is the leading Container Shipping Line in the region with footprints across 16 offices and close to 400 employees covering all major locations and cargo hubs. Maersks activities are organised in different business segments, they are container shipping and related activities, A P Mollar terminal, tankers, offshore and other shipping activities. Maersk established its foothold in India on August 6, 1990 and has since expanded its operations in the business across the supply chain. Maersk Line India carries cargo to and from all major Indian ports. Maersk Line India major exports include Garments and Apparel from Tirupur, Mumbai and New Delhi; Cotton from Mumbai, Tuticorin and Gujarat; Iron and Steel from Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi and auto products from Mumbai, Chennai and Ludhiana. Container shipping activities is the largest business area for Maersk groups, providing half of the groups revenue in 2008. Since 1996, Maersk is the largest container shipping company in the world. Maersk Line operates over 550 vessels and has a capacity of 2.2 million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). 2. Analysis of Porters Five Forces for Shipping Industry Porters five forces is a framework for analysis of industry and development of business strategy, it also determines the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness is referred to overall profitability of industry while unattractiveness drives down profitability. This model implies that profitability or return should be constant across firms and industries; however studies have affirmed that different industries can have different levels of profitability due to their varied structure. The model can be used by organizations to develop edge over rivals. Conventionally, this tool is used to identify whether new products, services or businesses have the potential to be profitable. 2.1 ATTRACTIVENESS FOR SHIPPING INDUSTRIES Government of most of the countries are liberal towards the licensing and development of shipping business. Major part of the countries economic profit will be evolved from the shipping business. So the threat of new entrance is high, but as the profit margin is high, the attractiveness is also high. Many competitors are available in the market and they provide perfect substitution in terms of services, freight rates etc, but the resources are also easily available. So the attractiveness is also high. Suppliers are more in this field and the available facility is very less so the cost is high, which makes suppliers in weak and buyers in strong position. So the industry attractiveness is low in this case. The bargaining power of buyer is high and potentiality of business is high then many buyers will be there in the market. This will increase the attractiveness. Existing players are many, but constant technological advancement and updated services and facilities will increase the attr activeness. 3. Threat of New Entry Every person would like to do business in shipping industry due to large profits involved in it. It may seem easy, but practically it is more difficult and virtually impossible to set up in container line business. The main problem involves in the large capital investments in the form of vessel, operating risk of a vessel and the container availability. In the case of Maersk, we can understand that it had taken more than 100 years to establish themselves to reach at the top level. Still there can be threat from existing companies like APL and MSC to expand into new sectors which will reduce the share of the company operating in that region. Maersk is generally operating in every part of the world. In certain regions it may be the only player operating, in such case its profit margins from those operations would be huge. But the profit can be severely affected, if APL or MSC introduce their service in those regions. If there are any new potential companies who would like to jump into this sector with huge capital then other factors like licensing, government rules, regulations, policies are all secondary. Capital requirement is high. Profit margin is high. Chance of expansion into new sector is less. Switching cost is less. Government restriction is less. Capital requirement of the shipping industry is very large, so the threat from the new entrants is less. As the capital is very large the profit is also too high in shipping industry. Because all exporters and importers know the best mode of transport their goods is the shipping line. Switching cost of the customer is high because of the lack of experience of the new entrants. Most of the countries main economy evolves from the shipping industry. So the government will give full support for the new entry. So overall threat for the new entry is high. 4. Threat of Substitution Substitution threat is also an important factor especially when something is going wrong in an organization. Competitors are waiting to catch that opportunity for their benefit. Substitution threat is the result of change in buyer behaviour towards competitor or against company. Substitution may also result because of change in quality of service, increase in freight rates and increase in transit time. From view point of switching costs, buyers are not affected at all due to higher number of suppliers and freight forwarders available in market. While it may affect the company to certain extent as they have to start new search of customer, establish strong relations and educate them on company policies and systems. Switching costs become even more at times of downturn due to decrease in supply of business from customers. Cost factor is primarily responsible for substitution while service specification comes secondary. In case due to the delay of service or quality become poor and at the same time the wagon rates are also similar, then the customers will switch on to the new substitutes [wagon]. If the oil price [crude oil/diesel oil] shoots up then the company is forced to increase their delivery charges. Due to the increased rates in shipping and delayed timing to reach the destination on time, customers will go for the substitutes like airline, wagon or even trucks [for certain limited destinations]. If the airline or wagon [goods train] can almost cost the same rates of the shipping companies but can reach on time then customers will think for such substitutes. Substitution threat will be major problem for a reputed company like Maersk. If any service or the goods are not delivered in a proper manner then the customer trust on company will go down. In this present world people wont compromise for any thing. If they are not satisfied by the service they will jump to other substitutes who can give better rates and services. Availability of the substitutes is high. Price of substitutes is high. Quality and performance of the substitutes is high. Switching cost is high. Cost factor is less. More number of market players is available, but they all are dealing in different prices, performance and quality will increase the attractiveness of shipping sector. As the switching cost is high, customer stick to their present seller will increase attractiveness. Cost factor is less important because all players will play a role of defender in market will moderate the attractiveness. So overall threat of substitutes is high. 5. Bargaining Power of Supplier Suppliers barely make any difference to companies involved in shipping line business, especially who are leading players like Maersk in this business. While it may affect to certain extent to small players like Five star shipping company, Varun Shipping company etc. who are struggling to establish within the industry. Many suppliers are such which are borne directly by customers but arranged by shipping lines like pesticide, wooden pallets, container repairs and truck transportation due to corporate contract or link ups of companies with service providers. While there are cases when these same services are borne by shipping lines but then these charges are included in freight rate which would be higher if the suppliers were not arranged by company. Maersk supply service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. Another supply which is related to loading of containers on third party vessels is very important here because this is the only supply where shipping lines have to face the bargaining of suppliers. Not all shipping lines own the vessel and therefore they hire the service of other companies, to load their containers for different destinations. Maersk is the largest container operator in Kandla port. But its own vessels are not operating from Kandla due to drift problem and therefore they hire the services of third party feeder vessels to load its containers till JNPT [Jawaharlal Nehru] port in Mumbai, from where Maersk mother vessels are operating across continents. In this case Maersk may have to pay extra money if demanded by ship operators. While this is not the case with MSC [Mediterranean Shipping Company] which has its own small vessels operating from Kandla to different gulf locations. But if we move to location like JNPT port in Mumbai, the situation is totally different. Maer sk vessels are the biggest here operating among other carriers and those small carriers are using slot on Maersk vessels for transporting their cargo. There are other supplies like loading/ unloading of containers from vessel ie, movement of containers to CFS (container freight station) and vessel towing which are provided by port authorized suppliers and companies. Port authority charges fixed amount towards these handling from shipping lines and shipping company charges the same from customers after adding their profit margin. Number of the suppliers is high. Price factor of the suppliers is high. Profit of the supplier is less. Switching cost of the supplier is high. Operating cost is high. So overall power of suppliers are low. 6. Bargaining Power of Buyer Buyer is one of the strongest factors in shipping line business. Buyers may be in form of importer or exporter, clearing agent, freight forwarder or manufacturer of goods. Sometimes manufacturer himself acts as an exporter or importer if not, then trader acts on behalf of manufacturer of goods. Container line business is based on two main core factors price and quality of service. Price refers to freight rate at which one container is decided by shipping company to transport from one place to another. Due to much competition in this sector and limited number of operators, bargaining power of buyer has increased in relation to freight price. Almost all shipping lines have service to Jebel Ali (an important transit hub in Dubai) from India, and customer is sure to get very competitive rate for this location from market. For such locations customer are virtually like king but when it comes to transporting cargo to far Europe or America, then this power is transferred to companies operating in those regions. Therefore Maersk has strategized the businesses in such a way to get maximum profits from service to odd or far reaching areas and make normal profits from operation to common areas like Jebel Ali. Another factor Service refers to fast processing of documents, bill of lading and prompt loading and movement of containers etc. It is rather difficult for customers to get better quality of service than getting competitive freight rates. In this world of technology every company is trying to adapt to new technology in their day to day businesses like e-processing of documents and fastest data entry to name a few. Maersk is so technologically advanced in this field, that all its data processing is being done electronically by back office and customers are able to access all information relevant to shipment though dedicated space available on company website. Electronic processes are shipping bills, vessel certificates, freight invoices and bill of lading in encrypted format, once the payment is done by customer either electronically or at Maersk local office. Companies like APL and MSC do have electronic processing systems but are not fully fledged and as a result much of the work is still being done manually. Other sections of buyers which may affect container line business are freight forwarders or clearing agents, with rapid expansion of shipping industry and import/export businesses. Many agents acting as freight forwarders have came up in market to share the profit in form of commission. These agents earn commission by way of collecting excess freight from exporter than charged by shipping lines. It is relatively easy for shipping lines to entertain these agents, so there is no difficulty of approaching different small exporters. Numbers of the customers are high. Switching cost is low. Customers information and awareness is less. Customers ability to demand is high. Freight forwarders and clearing agents are high. Number of customers is high in this field due to the export and import of goods from different parts of the world. But the similar price and quality will lessen the attractiveness. Customers ability for demand during purchasing will be high, because suppliers are in threat of loosing customer. Switching cost of customers is low because of more number of suppliers. Due to easy availability of containers through agents instead of searching by the shipping companies in different places the bargaining power of freight forwarders and agents will be more. So overall bargaining power of buyer is high. 7. Competitive Rivalry Rivalry exists in every field be it business, science, space, technology, education etc; actually speaking it is a part of the day to day businesses. It is sometimes bad because companies have to share hard earned profits with competitors and sometimes goods because it gives opportunities to one company to stand in line with another in terms of quality of service, business strategy, job satisfaction etc. Considering the rivalry in shipping industry, it will be held valid due to enormous margins of available profits combined with continuous growth of around 14% since last couple of years. If we consider the rivalry between our top of the table players (Maersk, MSC and APL) we will find that all these players are good in some and bad in some and therefore stiff competition exists between them. Maersk dominates the market due to its wide area coverage, better connectivity, best business practices, and cost controlling measures. But on other side, its strict and non flexible policies and highly technological advancement at very base levels which is not digested by people working in lower educated market. MSC on other hand has balance of advantages and disadvantages. It has done well in recent times in attracting business due to its competitive pricing model and better connectivity of services. In contrast it has failed to control administrative, operational and higher output costs. It has been seen practically at Kandla port location where Maersk is having higher outputs compared to MSC but staff recruited to control that output and time for completing the tasks was almost double compared to Maersk. APL on other hand has much controlled costs measures and highly technological advanced processes as in Maersk but it doesnt have far reaching connectivity like Maersk and therefore relies on third party services in certain regions. Also it has lagged behind in attracting customers due to non availability of killing marketing strategies. Number of competitors is high. Cost leadership is high. Switching cost is low. Industry growth is high. Competitors move to new customer is low. More number of competitors is high in shipping industry, because of the thought that the profit margin very high in this industry. Cost leadership is high for the market leader (MAERSK), because the new entrants and the minor players in this industry cant sustain with very low cost of the market leader. Industry growth is high, so the chance of exit from the industry is less. Competitors move to new customers is very low because of the non-awareness of their profile. Switching cost is low, because of the less familiarisation of the new suppliers may lead to argument or disagreement. So overall competitors of the industry is high. 8. Conclusion Container line business is a flamboyant industry in the whole world. Due to rapid economic development since recent past, trade between developed and developing countries has increased significantly. Maersk Supply Service expects a lower result than in 2010 due to lower contract coverage and weaker spot market rates than at the beginning of 2010. In 2010, A P Mollar entered into a joint venture agreement to establish a new terminal in Santos, Brazil. So that company dont want to keep their cargos in any of the external port. Thus by paying money to the other ports for keeping the cargos can be avoided and then the profit can be increased. The terminal is expected to open in 2012 and when completed have capacity to handle 2.2 million containers in a year. In the wake of the worst year ever for container activities in 2008 2009, the Group continued its focus on strengthening Maersk Lines competitiveness. In 2010, the Groups container shipping companies shipped practically the same number of containers with the same average rate as in 2008, but nevertheless generated a profit that was USD 2.2 billion higher than in 2008, primarily due to streamlining and cost savings. Maersk Line should set a new industry standard for on-time delivery, and customer satisfaction will reach the highest level ever measured by Maersk Line. It is also essential that Ministry of Shipping of each country in particular should take more proactive steps like, regulations in free movement of foreign exchange and international trade to be more liberal, easing export/ import duties to make this industry work more freely and contribute even more to the economic development of country. Companies at same time should adapt more technology to make easy and efficient work environment for the customers and employees.

Waste Isolation Power Plant Issues

Waste Isolation Power Plant Issues Introduction: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, commonly abbreviated as WIPP is the third deepest geological repository in the world. This is after the closure of the repository German plants such as the Schacht Asse II, and the Morsleben radioactive waste plants. This geological repository site has been licensed to dispose radioactive waste, for a minimum period of 10,000 years. Furthermore, the WIPP is also responsible for the production of nuclear weapons (Olsson, 32). The estimated cost that this nuclear plan incurs is estimated at 19 billion United States dollars. The WIPP is found at 42 km, east of the town of Carlsbad. This town is found in the city of New Mexico, in the county of Eddy. This region is considered as the nuclear corridor of the city of New Mexico, and it also includes a National Enrichment Facility and a Waste Control Facility. Capilla, Jaime, and Andrà ©s (257) therefore explains that New Mexico hosts very important nuclear and geological facilities in United States. In the year 2010, the department of energy was able to mothball, the previous plans to develop and build the Yucca nuclear waste repository plant in Nevada. This had an effect of leaving the WIPP as the only repository facility that had the capability of storing waste products that had accumulated at the commercial nuclear plants, in the United States (Olsson, 39). However, there were a series of mishaps and accidents in the year 2014, and this is because of the growing backlog of nuclear waste, that were emanating from commercial nuclear power plants (Seong and Yoram, 1011). Because of these accidents and mishaps, there is a growing concern that this situation may turn into a danger to the citizens of the country, hence the need of building more nuclear repositories that can handle the nuclear activities of the country. Geological History of the WIPP: The WIPP is located in the Delaware Basin of the state of New Mexico. It is a 600 meter deep in length, and it is a salt basin. This basin was formed during the periods of the Permian, and it is approximately 250 million years ago. The Permian is a geological period, and it is characterized by the diversification of organisms into turtles, mammals, archosaurs, etc. Capilla, Jaime, and Andrà ©s (255) explains that an ancient sea once existed where the Delaware Basin is, and it evaporated over a given period of time. This had an effect of leaving an impermeable layer of salt that over a given period of time was able to cover a 300 meters of rock and soil. Olsson (41) further explains that the Delaware basin has some geological similarities with other basins that were created or made through the evaporation of the sea. One of this characteristic is the existence of salts and rocks. The Delaware basin is very salty and rocky, hence depicting this universal characteristic that is found i n all the basins that exists because of the evaporation of the sea. The saltiness of these basins occurs because of the nature of the sea, which is always salty. In 1975, the department of energy began drilling in the salty beds of the Delaware Basin. Geologists were able to discover that the edge of the Delaware Basin had experienced some disturbances. This had led to the movement of the interbed layers to a vertical position. In response, the geologists were able to move the site towards a more stable center of the Delaware basin. Capilla, Jaime, and Andrà ©s (255) explains that there was a suggestion during the early periods of investigation, that the complexity of the geological basin was problematic. This had an effect of causing or making the hollowed-out caverns as unstable. However, Seong and Yoram (1011) explain that what others consider as a form of instability is viewed as a positive aspect, and this is because salt is transformed into a rock. Furthermore, as early as 1957, the National Academy of Science was able to recommend that salt s hould be used as a radioactive waste disposal. This is because it had the capability of plastically deforming a motion that is referred to as the salt creep, which exists in the salt-mining industry (Olsson, 32). This helps in sealing and closing any opening that is created during the process of mining. Furthermore, it also closes and seals any opening that is found around the repository. Geological Location of the WIPP: The WIPP lies on a general flat plain, which is covered with caliche, desert bushes, and sand. The geological name of the region in which the WIPP is located, is called the gypsum-karst region. A subsidence landform, commonly referred to as the Nash Draw lies 5 km, across the Western side of the WIPP site. The Nash Draw is 10 to 16 km wide, on the eastern side of the WIPP, and it has experienced a series of erosion by fill and solution of soluble rocks (Olsson, 27). This is a process that has happened in the past period, and it is also currently happening. The Pecos River also flows from the North West of the WIPP to the South East of the repository. This river is approximately 20 km, from the repository. Because of the existence of saline creeps along the Pecos River, the WIPP has been identified as an area that has the capability of discharging nuclear waste products that emanate from the commercial nuclear sites, and the repository itself. Geological Issues related with WIPP: The geological characterization of the WIPP began in 1974, after the government abandoned the Lyons, Kansas site. The government abandoned this site, in the year 1972. The Atomic Energy Commission was the one which was responsible for selecting the Kansas site. However, it was deemed unsuitable because of unmapped gas and oil wells, which were located within the region or area (Mahaffey, 38). These unmapped wells had the potential of compromising the ability of the planned plant to contain and preserve nuclear waste. The government feared that proceeding with the construction of a nuclear site at the Kansas location, may lead to the emergence of serious health hazards, such as nuclear leakages. This may result to a serious negative impact on the environment. This is because nuclear wastes have the capability of destroying the environment, and the lives of people. Because these concerns were raised by the people, and professional geologists, the government was able to abandon this program, and look for a new site. In relocating this project to New Mexico, the government was encouraged by the interests that emerged from the communities living in the region. Based on these facts, the department of energy was able to relocate this new program to the Delaware salt beds, which are located in New Mexico. The early activities that characterized the classification of the site was focused on obtaining data on hydrology, potash resources, and stratigraphy at the WIPP site. As these studies continued, a variety of geological processes and features were identified, and these features could negatively affect the capabilities of a radioactive waste repository system. Because of the existence of these geological issues and safety concerns, the exact loc ation of building this site was able to change on numerous occasions. This is because the government was keen on protecting the security of the community of people living in the Basin. One of the minerals that posed a safety concern was the presence of Brine deposits. The discovery of brine occurred in the year 1975, when a drilling process was able to release a pressurized deposit of brine, from beneath the repository level. Olsson (46) therefore explains that construction of this plant, near the brine deposits could compromise the safety of the facility. This is because brine has the capability of leaking into the repository, and hence dissolving the radioactive particles or elements. Furthermore, brine had the capability of entraining particulate matter or elements with radioactive waste substances to the surface. This can negatively affect the environment, and the people living within the environment under consideration. These were some of the factors that were considered during the creation and development of the WIPP nuclear plant. Importance of WIPP to the Study: Understanding the geological characteristics and formation of WIPP is important because of the fact that it is a nuclear facility, and any breaches of its security, can lead to very grave security concerns and environmental damages. Take for example the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of 2011. This was a Japanese nuclear disaster that occurred in the year 2011, after being hit by a tsunami (Fermi and Salvatore, 41). This disaster saw the release of a substantial amount of radio-active elements, making it one of the largest nuclear disasters of all time. This led to the contamination of the Pacific sea, affecting the marine life there. Furthermore, there were risks that people could acquire cancer, because of exposure to radioactive elements. Understanding the geological properties and conditions of WIPP would help in minimizing risks associated with the leakage of radioactive elements (Fermi and Salvatore, 41). Conclusion: Storing nuclear waste substances always gives a significant problem to the continuous usage of nuclear substances or materials. There are various challenges that exists in the storage of these nuclear facilities, and this is demonstrated by 2011 Japanese nuclear crisis, and the recent fires that occur at the WIPP nuclear plant. Salt mines have been traditionally used as storage sites for nuclear plants; however, workers in these locations are always vulnerable to acquiring medical conditions that are not conducive to them. Furthermore, the notion that salt mines have the capability of blocking a diffusion of waste products is not a certain belief. It is based on these facts that the WIPP repository should be placed under heavy surveillance to ensure that it does not present a health hazard or risk to the community living there. Works Cited: Energy.gov. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. http://energy.gov/em/waste-isolation-pilot-plant>. Seong, Kwanjae, and Yoram Rubin. Field Investigation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Site (New Mexico) Using a Nonstationary Stochastic Model with a Trending  Hydraulic Conductivity Field. Water Resources Research (1999): 1011. Print. Capilla, Josà © E., J. Jaime Gà ¶mez-Hernà ¡ndez, and Andrà ©s Sahuquillo. Stochastic Simulation of  Transmissivity Fields Conditional to Both Transmissivity and Piezometric Head Data—3. Application to the Culebra Formation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plan (WIPP), New  Mexico, USA. Journal of Hydrology (1998): 254-69. Print. Olsson, P. Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear Fusion and Fusion Engineering. New York: Nova  Science, 2009. Print. Fermi, Enrico, and Salvatore Esposito. Neutron Physics for Nuclear Reactors Unpublished  Writings. Singapore: World Scientific, 2010. Print. Mahaffey, James A. Nuclear Fission Reactors. New York: Facts on File, 2011. Print. Appendix One: Image One: This image was removed from the ENERGY.GOV website, managed by the Office of the Environmental Management (Energy.gov, 5). The following is a link to the website, http://energy.gov/em/waste-isolation-pilot-plant This is a truck carrying nuclear waste products, shipping them to the WIPP. This image is developed courtesy of ENERGY.GOV (Energy.gov, 5).

Changing Attitudes Of Ferhat Abbas :: essays research papers

Changing Attitudes of Ferhat Abbas Introduction Ferhat Abbas believed in the peaceful solution and that the French are willing to co-operate with the Algerians. With this co-operation, he thought, it was possible for all to live together. He was brought up and thought to believe in democracy and parliament, to look for these in a peaceful fashion and that the people have to be asked what to do with their country and not to be terrorised to be convinced differently. However in the 1950's we can see a clear change, a turn in his thoughts. He accepts more violent ways in order to gain what he believes in. In order to explain the change in attitudes of Ferhat Abbas it is important that we first look at his background. In 1899 Ferhat Abbas was born. He had, like many others, received entirely French education at Constantine and at the University of Algiers. After finishing his studies he had served the French Army for two year after which he founded a pharmacist shop in Setif. There he also founded a student union which was a start of his political career. Soon he was accepted into the city Council where he fought for the emancipation of Algerians from the French. In 1938 Abbas founded the Union Populaire Algà ©rienne which peacefully fought for the equal rights of Algerians and French. Believing in the possible co-operation of French and Algerians he had, fought alongside the French. Political Career During the war Abbas still continues his work towards the equality. In 1943 he wrote the 'Manifesto of the Algerian People' which was than proclaimed and several times sent to the French authorities. "The French colony only admits equality with Muslim Algeria on one level; sacrifice on the battlefields." This manifesto represented some very revolutionary ideas and proposed the equality of rights and "immediate and effective participation." Also in this manifesto Abbas continuously condemns the French oppressive colonialism and even asks for the self- determination of the whole population as a different culture. Soon afterward he wrote an addition to the manifesto in which he sees the Algeria as the country separate from France. In the book 'A Savage War of Peace' his attitude is described as following: "Of pacific temperament, although he was a skilful debater, he was no rabble- rouser..."(Horne,1979, p.40). The A.M.L On its rejection by the French governor general, Ferhat Abbas and an Algerian working-class leader, Messali Hadj, formed the Amis du Manifeste et de la Libertà © (A.M.L. ; Friends of the Manifesto and Liberty), which envisioned an Algerian autonomous republic federated to a renewed, anti-colonial France.

Global Cultures Essay -- essays research papers

Begler, Elsie. â€Å"Global Cultures: The First Steps Toward Understanding† Social Education. September 1998, 62(5) pg. 272-275.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Begler’s Article a discussion on how educators should go about teaching culture occurs. The article starts out by giving a definition of what is meant by culture and the different aspects of culture. The Author sets up the guidelines for which she will interpret and use culture. The definitions of culture are presented very clearly so as the reader can fully understand where the author is coming from in the rest of the article.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author spends significant time discussing the World Culture Model, which could be a very useful tool to a teacher that is developing a unit on culture or just incorporating aspects of culture into the classroom. The model that is presented can be particularly useful when comparing cultures because one of the hardest aspects of comparing different cultures is the fact that there are no common grounds to judge the different cultures. The model breaks down culture into easy to look at portions, which makes it easier for both student and teacher to study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The end of the article is dedicated to giving a lesson plan and examples of how to use the model and implement culture into the classroom. The example given is very well displayed and gives some great ideas that teachers can use in everyday lessons or as ideas for their own lessons. ...

Bloodchild: Oppression in Science Fiction Essay -- Butler Bloodchild E

Bloodchild: Oppression in Science Fiction Throughout American literary history, nearly every form of literature has covered the topic of slavery and black oppression in America. From William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist papers to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s controversial Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, the exploration of the black position in America has been a theme that engrossed generations. In the past century, as science fiction has established its place in the literary genre, authors such as Octavia Butler have become increasingly popular. In her short story "Bloodchild", Butler extends the discussion of oppression in America into the science fiction genre. In this manner her story, "†¦like almost all science fiction, though it seems to concern itself with human beings and worlds of the far distance and future, it also concerns itself with the here and now" (Asimov 110). Within the first few passages of "Bloodchild", Butler establishes that the Tlic clan has oppressed the Terran clan in the past. Though this history of superiority and oppression exists between the two species, T’Gatoi, a Tlic, is still a friend of this Terran family. "Only she [T’Gatoi] and her political faction stood between us and the hordes who did not understand why there was a Preserve†¦or†¦did not care" (Butler 1036). Gan and his family are forced to live on a preserve, keeping the Tlic from entering in and enslaving his family further. Already, one can see the similarity to the United States of America’s relations with the African-American people. Butler substitutes the race issue with a difference of species, creating an obvious physical incongruity between the oppressed and oppressors. This physical difference was often r... ...d its treatment of those who differ physically from the majority of the population. Through science fiction, Butler has reached another section of the literary audience, and challenged them to open their minds and to change their world. Bibliography Primary Source Butler, Olivia. "Bloodchild." The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Ed. Garyn G. Roberts. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall Inc., 2001.1035-1049. Secondary Sources Asimov, Isaac. "Science Fiction and Society". Asimov on Science Fiction. American Medical Association. 103-111 Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Fold. New York: Fawcett World Library, 1903. Litwak, Leon. Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow. New York: Knopf, 1998. Rundblad, Georganne and Peter Kivisto. Multiculturalism in the United States. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2000.

Marxist explanations of social class inequalities Essay

In society there are many different factors which divide us and result in social inequality. In this essay, I will be covering social class. Karl Marx believed that in society, there are two major social classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. The bourgeoisie are basically the upper class; in order for you to be classed as a part of them you must own the means of production such as factories etc. In order for these factories to run, they would need workers, which is where the proletariats come in. The proletariat only owns their labour force which they sell in order for a wage. Karl Marx stated that the proletariats are exploited through low pay and poor work conditions, but due to capitalism, we deal with it as were tied down to the economy. Conflict theory coined by Karl Marx suggests that suggested that social order is maintained by domination and power opposed to a shared consensus among society. This inequality is derived from social and political aspects established in s ociety. Marxists believe that social in equalities are implemented by the bourgeoisie in order to maintain a disturbance among the proletariats in order to keep them distracted from existing economic issues. A way they do this through the media. They distract the public with celebrity’s lavish lifestyles and people are tied to the economy in an attempt to imitate them. Factualists would counter this perspective claiming that social inequalities benefit society positively. They believe that it works as an incentive for individuals to work harder and achieve their maximum potential. The education system also ensures that the most suitable are picked out for the job. It also ensures that social order is maintained as people would accept their position as they had an equal chance to everyone else. Factualists also believe that the individuals at the bottom of the fragmented social scale are needed as some has to do the less attractive jobs. The New Right have a very traditional view of so ciety. They believe that women should embrace the assigned expressive role and males should be the breadwinner in the family. They have old fashioned views and are often of the Christian religion despite recent secularisation rates. The New Right are one of the few perspectives which with holds a cultural argument. They believe that failure in society is a result of the individual’s actions and choices. They believe that all the wealth within society slowly â€Å"Trickles† down to the rest of society. They believe that  business entrepreneurs create jobs for the rest of society by setting up business such as industries and factories which then create jobs; hence the wealth being distributed throughout society. Although inequalities exist and are relevant in the contemporary UK, it’s very rare that there are cases of absolute poverty due to free services provided by the government such as health care and education which then give individuals more equal life chances. Capitalism has gotten rid of many working class jobs throughout the UK such as factory jobs and mining, because of this, these working class jobs have been replaced with many middle class jobs. This has given people a better standard of living and made them more aspirational for the future. Within the past 50 years, the middle class has massively grown and become the largest social class within the UK. There are also exceptionally much more university graduates. Karl Marx was strongly against the concept of capitalism. He disliked the fact that there was income inequality. He pushed for a communist society and equality. He predicted that this would happen in the future as capitalism was unstable and was inevitable to fall. He stated that we would all achieve a class conscience and be aware of the fact that we are being exploited, realising our true value. He predicted we would all revolt against the system. The fact that we all still live in a capitalist society proves he was wrong. Sociologists such as weber countered this prediction and believed that the proletariats would be too distracted with domestic problems amongst each other forcing them to divide as opposed to sticking together.