Saturday, August 31, 2019

Racial Diversity Worksheet

According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia African Americans have experienced significant changes in their economic, social and political standings since the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans have more access to getting a higher education, a better paying job, and they are more involved in the American political process than any other minority group in the United States. Even though you still see many African Americans living in poverty, struggling to survive, and having limited access to healthcare, you also see many African Americans working extremely hard to accomplish many great things.Many of them have great jobs, own their own homes, and are living a wonderful life all together. For example, Barrack Obama beat all the odds and became the first African American President of the United States. Barrack Obama survived being and â€Å"average† American to complete school, go to college, raise a family, and eventually becoming the President. He is changing the way the â€Å"a verage† African American and Americans in general are viewed and what their potential standings in economic, social, and political America will be.  I know that President Obama is having a lot of issues right  now and not looking like a good role model, but at one point he was someone that African Americans and all Americans did look up to.1. There are two definitions for racism. The first definition of racism is the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others. The second definition of racism is discrimination or prejudice based on race. There are many ways that racism affects diversity. Racism keeps people away from people of different races and with that happening they are not learning about all the different ethnic backgrounds.2.  According to the National Journal the interactions of racial groups has become more positive than negative or neutral. Many people do not see their friends and neig hbors as different races even though they are. Today many people are open to diversity. They are willing to learn more about the different cultural backgrounds, because of the potential day to day interaction with friends, family, and neighbors.3. Even though we the people believe that we are all equal there is still existing social inequities based on race. African Americans and Latinos are more likely to live in high- poverty communities than poor white people.  This means that African Americans and Latino are at high risk of not being to have quality schools, housing, healthcare, affordable consumer credit, or anything else that will help them to get out of poverty.4. I believe that the causes of racial prejudice and discrimination in today's society is people are afraid to give a person of another racial group a chance to prove who the really are. Many people live in the past and are brought up to believe that their racial group is superior over any other racial group. Many of these people are stuck in their own ways and are not open to any change.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Role of Media in Public Awareness

The media play an important role in increasing of public awareness and formation their views and attitudes toward certain issues. Nowadays, Internet resources are one of the most common means of communication as mass media. Today in Tajikistan, blogging and participation in social networks are one of the most common activities of Internet users after the e-mail and search programs. This trend is particularly noticeable among young people who spend more time on the computer and obtain more information from the global network.Today, blogging is also a good way to express views on any issues. With the proper formulation of the issue and placing posts in the blogs, social networks and forums, the discussions on the topic can continue for months and attract more attention than other types of media. Now, there are many blogs in the internet created by residents of Tajikistan or Tajik bloggers living abroad. Many people are becoming bloggers now despite of their professions, education and s tandard of living.Many of them are celebrities and idols whose opinions considered by most of the population, especially young people. We should expect that gradually the Internet will be the most popular way of exchange of information. The importance of this method of informing the public and attracting the online communities’ attention to various problems is the most efficient way to disseminate information. If we compare the traditional media to Internet resources, the important difference is that you always can post comments in the internet.The Tajik Family Planning Alliance in its operations put emphasis on the sharing of information, advocating, providing services and subscribing to services in order to advance the sexual and reproductive health and rights of the citizens, with special focus to HIV/AIDS and STI prevention, unwanted pregnancy, as well as unsafe abortion. For this purpose TFPA works with mass media such as newspapers, radio and television within the frame works of various projects.This year we started our work with a new direction, which is blogging. Within the framework of Access project it was held three day training for bloggers-journalists on the topic of â€Å"Blogging is an internet-based mechanism for the dissemination of information field about SRHR† to improve access of young people to information. 15 representatives of various newspapers have participated in this training. During the training the participants were taught how to create a blog in platform of WordPress. om – one of the most popular and multi-functional platforms for blogging. Participants were provided not only the information on how to create blogs, but also basic information on SRHR and family planning. In practical part of training, the participants created their own profiles on popular social networks such as Face book, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. By creating a profiles and blogs, they contributed to a greater dissemination of information i n the global network.In spite of the free choice of topic for a blog, most of the participants selected the topics related to SRHR and family planning, and the rest the aspects of healthy lifestyle. Thus, it was created 10 blogs, which included both personal blogs and blogs of newspapers. TFPA plans to continue to work with blogs and online journalists by supporting bloggers and active users of social networks and implementing variety of activities on promotion of relevant Internet resources, including the traditional media.

W. H. Auden’s Mus

In addition, the contrast In words used within the poem (â€Å"Innocent behind†) are used to Juxtapose how W. H. Aden has put the Idea of Europe practically Ignoring the Holocaust with the Cirrus disaster – which is used to illustrate Addend's opinions and views of what was happening during the asses in Second World War Britain. ‘Musse des Beaux Arts' includes variations of language devices. The use of sibilance in the poem, â€Å"disappearing†¦ Passionately†¦ Sun shone†, highlights the contrast of the mood In Addend's prose.This makes it clear that the tone of the poem vanes throughout. For Instance, the first stanza opens with a drabber opening (â€Å"About suffering†) yet ends with the juxtaposition â€Å"innocent behind†. This shows the dissimilarities in the mood throughout the poem. Aden tends to use fronting to get his point across quicker. â€Å"About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters; how well they understood †. This sentence adds an effect by being grounded – It has deliberately been put back-to-front. It gets the theme of the poem across quickly and gives us judgment on the key themes.Therefore, it announces the theme of the poem. However, one could argue that the theme of the poem is not about war. Alternatively, one can see how the poem Is about religion and Jesus – hence the reference to suffering. The mention of â€Å"martyrdom† links with how Jesus was believed to have died Tort our sly. The structure of the poem is very irregular. The first stanza is a lot longer than the second stanza. This is because Aden wants to state his case before he mentions what the poem is about. â€Å"On a pond at the edge of the wood: they never forgot†.The SE of enjambment on the sentence highlights the continuation of the poem. Aden is Just setting up his hypothesis and uses both enjambment and end stopping to conjure up the idea of using the second verse as a quick er, punchier stanza. In conclusion, Addend's ‘Musse des Beaux Arts' identifies many themes and uses historical context to summarize his own view on Nazi Germany during the time of the poem's composition. By using language and structural devices in an irregular way, he is able to highlight the contrast in tone and imagery throughout the text.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Discussion and Writing Suggestions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion and Writing Suggestions - Essay Example The solar power technology has improved dramatically over the years and the largest solar power generation plant is located in the Mojave Desert in the state of California. The solar power generation is through the Concentrated Solar Power where large mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight to produce heat that can be used to produce steam that can turn turbines to produce electricity. Solar power has advantages and disadvantages both to the environment and the economy. There have been various concerns raised by environmentalists on the viability of solar power generation especially through the use Concentrated Solar Power which has various effects on the environment (Demirdjian 2). The article of Marla Dickerson â€Å"state solar plans are as big as all outdoors† points out some of the major environmental concerns that arise due to the setting up of a solar power generation plant in Mojave, California and other solar power stations. These environmental issues are also raised by Peter Maloney in his article â€Å"Environmentalists against Solar Power†. The major environmental concerns are the need to use large amounts of water to cool the turbines in a land where water is already a scarce resource. This implies that more water will be extracted from the desert thus depleting further the underground water resources. Maloney elaborates that the mirrors and the solar panels will need to be washed which will require more water. According to Peter Maloney a successful Solar Power generation can be successfully integrated through the use of rooftop solar energy. This recommendation will eliminate the need to use large tracts of land to generate energy. Behrens and Leonard (87) states that the Mojave, California Solar Power generation occupies 78,490 acres of land in the desert. Peter Maloney argues that the land is home to many living things which include squirrels, humans and other small animals. The use of this desert land will lead to the reduction in biodiversity since many living organisms are destroyed. Peter Maloney quotes the founder of the Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy, Jim Harvey saying â€Å"Our position is that none of this is needed. We support renewable energy, and we support California’s renewable energy targets, but we think it can be done through rooftop solar† Rooftop solar power generation has limited implications on the environment. Marla Dickerson elaborates how California has the largest and most sophisticated solar thermal facilities in the world that can be utilized effectively to supply energy to the entire state. Marla points out that the dependence of energy from outside the state will be reduced since California will be able to supply its residents with reliable sources of energy. The objections put forward by Maloney and Dickerson are of great significance to the wellbeing of the environment. To provide a clean and habitable environment, human actions must be closely scrutinized in order to make judgments on the positive and negative impacts of human actions. Use of solar power has various positive impacts on the environment. Murakami (32) points out that solar power helps in the reduction of green house gases which have a negative impact on the ozone layer. Traditional sources of energy generation like the burning of

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Successful security management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Successful security management - Research Paper Example Since security is a mission to protect the people, property and the business, an integrated approach in policy making is essential for successful security management. A formal security frame work in an organization incorporates various security controls which need continuous review for an efficient functioning of the security system. A good security management model envisages security standards for effective practice which increases confidence level of the various stakeholders of the organization. The structure for security management in an organization should be established with clear-cut authority and clarity in reporting system since coordination during the times of exigencies and emergencies will be very crucial. This ensures proper communication at all levels, improves coordination and avoids delays Talbot & Jackman (p. 10) state, â€Å"The term â€Å"security† can of course be a much broader term. For example, if we consider security as a â€Å"state of being protected from hazards, danger, harm, loss of injury,† it also includes elements of protection from natural disasters and concepts of organizational resilience.† Security management is closely related to risk management. Risk could emanate due to various factors, such as accidents in work place, damages due to acts of god, eruption of fire, wars, political and communal violence, theft and loss of confidential information and business secrets. Combination of one or more factors may lead to loss of financial resources and bankruptcy. Also, risks involve health and safety of people and property. Liberalization and globalization drive in various countries have actually increased the risk profile of the projects and businesses considerably due to innovations in information technology and telecommunications and pose threats to the lives of industrialists and politicians. Industrial espionage which is aided by sophisticated

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Primary Crime Data Sources in the United States Essay

Primary Crime Data Sources in the United States - Essay Example This means that unreported crimes are not covered by the data. Therefore, the Uniform Crime Reports can not be said to cover all crimes but only reported crimes. They conclude that alone the Uniform Crime Reports do not provide comprehensive and conclusive data on incidence of crime in the United States so they must be considered only one part of an analysis of crime an supplemented with other sources of evidence. While they do not consider the National Archive of Criminal Justice Datas National Incident-Based Reporting System the same could be said of it. Its data is based on reported crime and leaves unreported crime unconsidered and unaccounted for. No official publications on crime rates consider unreported crime. Arguably, by definition, unreported crime cannot be considered using strictly quantitative measures. Unreported crime is best studied using other research methods such as interviews with residents of and employees of social service agencies in the city or area under examination. They may be particularly true in areas where law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system are distrusted or feared. Lynch and Jarvis (2008) point to an even greater problem with academic statistical analysis of the Uniform Crime Reports. They note that the data is produced by and for law enforcement agencies and is intended to provide broad indicators of crime trends to law enforcement agencies. They also note that the data is not statistically rigorous, nor does it claim to be, because it was never conceived as a tool for academic analysis. Unlike the Uniform Crime Reports the National Incident-Based Reporting System also includes data on clearance or the disposition of incidents. This is particularly useful data for researchers and is not impaired by the fact that only reported incidents are included in the data set. For example, Jarvis and Regoezci (2009) used the National Incident-Based Reporting System to

Monday, August 26, 2019

Political socialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political socialization - Essay Example There are many different agents of political socialization, which have various kinds of influences on the people who are exposed to them. The basic understanding of the processes of political socialization could be considered from the point of view of the shaping of individuals’ minds towards certain directions. Some of the agents of political socialization include family, the media, peer influence, school, religious affiliation, geographical factors, environmental factors, and other realities that influence perceptions and attitudes towards tasks (Greenberg 41). Individuals may awaken to political realities in accordance with the general direction provides by the family. Usually, parents or the elderly people in the family teach the younger members of the family about certain political subjects. In most cases, such early contact with political realities eventually affects the manner in which people come to perceive of political matters in their future. Studies have pointed out that family is usually the most important agent of socialization for any individual or a group of individuals. It is therefore important to consider the fact that family affects people and individuals in a very significant way. The media is another most influential agents of political civilization (Greenberg 55). The function of the media as an agent of socialization could be seen in terms of its standard roles, which includes informing, entertaining, and educating. Many people come to learn of political realities through the information they get from the media. The media may have a lot of influence on the attitudes and opinions regarding certain political positions. Generally, the media provides the kind of information that helps people to make decisions regarding political matters. It expands the understanding of people by reporting and analyzing political events, personalities, ideas, and situations. Families and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Politcal Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Politcal Science - Essay Example On 20.7.1962, President Kennedy made a statement signing Bill Accelerating the Development of the Pacific Islands Trust Territory and the statement was an expression of happiness and satisfaction2 as he was concerned about it prior to becoming President. The President, hailed as a visionary, had nothing against the law and hoped for best results. On 12th August 1998, President Clinton made a statement3 "These are tough times for many American farmers. We must continue to look for ways to help our farm communities get through them." This statement finds the President in total agreement with Congress and he was merely showing his concern and compassion that might lead to further actions to fortify the present law. So, Presidents make them only they have strong feelings about a certain law and involved in it in one way or other. There had been various remarks on recent presidential signing statements. Gregory Borse proclaims that Presidential signing is not 'bypassing law'4. According to him, 'it accrues extra-constitutional powers of the President to the executive branch'. Technically speaking, it is a note that the President makes after signing, a token of his involvement. Or simply calls attention to an aspect of the bill that President believes to be in violation of Constitution. Signing statement could be used as a weapon against the encroachments of Congress on Executive authority.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Green Technology against Global Warming Research Paper

Green Technology against Global Warming - Research Paper Example Green Technology involves the design, operation, construction, renovation and maintenance, and even demolition. All these processes must be environmentally responsible for mitigating the effect of global warming. The green building and the technology behind it strives to reduce the effect of the built environment is having on the natural environment and human health by implementing the following; reduction of the effect of pollution, wastes,   and environmental degradation, improvement of the employees productivity, and efficient use of water, energy and other naturally available resources. The Green industry technology is being embraced by every country in the world; this is towards the concerted effort to reduce check on the global warming. The technology provides employment to any individual in the world and several firms have associated themselves with the technology. In the United States alone, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on March 2012 that the industry employs about 3.1 million employees (Rider, Glass, & McNaughton, 2011). This translated to about 2.4% of the total national employment in the nation according to the 2010 statistic in the US, the report further cited (Rider, Glass, & McNaughton, 2011). The industry contributes significantly to the environment in more than one way. The technology employs many factors in ensuring that the environment remains undisturbed and therefore fit for human and plants habitation by ensuring the following;   that there is a significant reduction in the waste that is discharged into the environment as well the pollution of the environment. The technology also prevents environmental degradation, which involves depleting resources such as water, air, and soil (Yudelson, 2007). The technology also takes care of the ecosystem and the vast flora and fauna in their various habitats. The technology ensures the ecosystem of remains stable and that the environment disadvantages no organism.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Sociology Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sociology Assignment - Essay Example It also shows that people find beauty in products of mixed races. Nicole Scherzinger, is an example of a popular celebrity who is a product of mixed race. Speaking of celebrities, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a multiracial family not by natural ways but by adoption. And since this is world wide, it is safe to assume that the conditions, the issues, and situations these mixed race families, also known as multiracial families, are similar in most cases. I have chosen an article from Family Magazine Los Angeles entitled Finding Ways to Share Ethnic Differences in Multi-Racial Families as a representation of the family. This is how I see families – multi-racial, multi-cultural, dynamic and unique. The article discusses the challenges that multi-racial families face in the society and shares some ways to cope with these challenges as well. This paper in turn will show my analysis of the family as I see it through multi-racial families. First the paper discusses the definition of family and how it has changed through time and then analyze the family’s characteristics and show why families are multi-racial, multi-cultural, dynamic and unique. Today’s society’s definition of family has changed from how different societies from different eras define families. Before, issues of survival, economics, and politics has dictated how people form families. At present, there are existing laws and cultural practices that also dictate how families are formed. These practices and these dictates have changed all through the centuries. Several factors have affected these practices and beliefs and some identified factors have led to the current state of families today. Divorce has been prevalent thereby expanding the members of the family to siblings from ex-spouses, ex-parents and new parents. Single parenthood as a result of teen pregnancies has also changed the definition of family life because normally family is composed of a father,

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Employee Satisfaction in Human Resource Management Research Paper

Employee Satisfaction in Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example Complaints are normal in any organization as people are not similar. The handling of conflicts by the management is what encourages or discourages employee satisfaction. Complaints should be handled according to the set rules, guidelines and principles of the organization meaning with all fairness and justice. If any party is favored, then the other party will be angry and remorseful preventing job productivity and may even lead to employee turnover due to lack of satisfaction of the level of justice in the company. Conflicts are almost similar to complaints and should be handled in a sensitive manner. Conflicts are normally between the supervisor and lower level employee and this situation demands listening to both parties before any final decision is made. Employees are satisfied where they are treated equally in cases of conflicts without regards to rank or job position. If the conflicts are handled wrongly, it means that one of the parties is underappreciated and this leads to lack of job satisfaction in the employee and may even lead to lawsuits against unfair judgment and treatment of lower level employees (Zeqiri, Aziri and Mazllami, 2010). Harassments in the work place are of numerous natures. The most common of all the harassments is sexual harassment where an employee harasses another based on their sex. In this type of harassment, the most common victims are the employees and the perpetrators the employers or supervisors. When the matter is handled internally by the human resource department, in most cases the case is settled by transferring the employee or merely suspending the perpetrator and no further action is taken. After this, the victim is victimized or even threatened by the perpetrator for reporting and may even give false allegations just to get back at the employee. The victim therefore lives in fear and anger and does not enjoy work at all and this is an example of lack of employee satisfaction. This is common where

The Art Institute Essay Example for Free

The Art Institute Essay My goals in life are not hard to achieve at all. First and foremost, I realize for a goal to be achieved,it will take determination and discipline to achieve it. Walking across that stage is my number one goal. Having the ability to graduate with my friends comes from hardwork and dedication, but I know recieving that high school diploma is just the beginning of my career. Being accepted into the Art of Institute has brought me closer to achieving my goal. My number 1 goal is to own my on Bakery (Moonies Goodies). The institute would help me achieve the basic steps and take responsiblity on moving in the right direction of my career. Art Institute will help me reach my goal in becoming a Pastery chef. Attending this institiute will also give me a step closer to reaching my main goal in my life. I realize that choosing this college was the best college for me because my goal after high school was to attend a culinary college that will offer me the skills I need in business managment, which will bring me closer to owning my own bakery. After researching the Art of Institute online, I knew that the Art Institute will give me the guidance needed to set me on the right path for my goals. To be successful in the commitment to my education will require determination and taking on more responsibilitites in my life. I know that my participation is acquired and will be given. I am looking forward to meeting and making a connection with my instructors, whom will share in a vital part of my career goal achievements. Also, looking forward to working beside peers whom are excited about their goals, such as I. I will attend any event that is being offered by the institute. Goals are challenges and in order for one to be successful, one must achieve the goals that lies within you. Having the ability to train amongst peers, is a dream come true. Thankful that I was accepted into the Art of Institute.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Postcolonial Criticism Has Embraced Cultural Studies Essay

Postcolonial Criticism Has Embraced Cultural Studies Essay After the end of World War II, there occurred a large-scale process of decolonization of the territories subjugated by most of the imperial powers (Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium). Postcolonial literature and criticism arose both during and after the struggles of many nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere for independence from colonial rule. The 1950s and 1960s saw the publication of seminal texts of postcolonialism: Aimà © Cà ©saires Discours sur le colonialisme, and Frantz Fanons Black Skin, White Masks. In 1958, Chinua Achebe published his novel Things Fall Apart. George Lammings The Pleasures of Exile appeared in 1960 and Fanons The Wretched of the Earth followed in 1961. In his book Postclonialism: A Very Short Introduction, Robert Young regarded that the founding moment of postcolonial theory was the journal the Tricontinental, which initiated the first global alliance of the peoples of the three continents against imperialism (Young 16-17). E. ii. Main aims of the theory Postcolonial criticism has embraced a number of aims: most fundamentally, to re-examine the history of colonialism from the perspective of the colonized; to determine the economic, political, and cultural impact of colonialism on both the colonized peoples and the colonizing powers; to analyze the process of decolonization; and above all, the contestation of forms of hegemony, and the articulation of political and cultural identities (Young, White Mythologies, 11). Early voices of anti-imperialism stressed the need to develop or return to indigenous literary traditions so as to restore their cultural heritage eclipsed by the imperial domination  [1]  . Other prominent voices, such as Said and Spivak, have advocated a deconstructive critique of Western discursive formation of knowledge in order to attain their own political and Acultural ends. However, recent voices, led by Homi Bhabha, have embraced the notion of hybridity as a space of cultural articulation and negotiation. E. iii. Scope and projects The scope of postcolonial discourse extends over the domains of gender, race, ethnicity, and class. Indeed, it might be an oversimplification to treat either the colonizer or the colonized as homogeneous entities, which can somehow be mutually opposed. Such a rigid division undermines the fact that both class exploitation and gender oppression function in both the West and in colonized nations (Young 8-9). Hence, postcolonial discourse has been associated with ethnic studies of various minorities in Western societies such as African-American, Native American, Latin American, and womens studies. All of these discourses have challenged the main streams of Western philosophy, literature, and ideology. In this respect, it has become a common project to question and revaluate the literary and cultural canon in Western institutions. The 1960s saw left-wing uprisings against the elements of liberal humanism: Western democracy, the Enlightenment rationalism, objectivity, and individual auton omy. This reaction against the Western mainstream tradition was fostered largely by the emergence of French literary theory, which insisted that the text was an indirect expression and often a justification of the prevailing power structure. This structure was inevitably a hierarchy in which the voices of minorities, women, and the working classes were suppressed. In fact, the appeal to timeless truths in the Western literature, which is presumably claimed as universal in its scope and purpose, has always transcended historical, economic, and political contexts. Such claim reveals the extent to which Eurocentric representations of the Self, resting on the Enlightenment project of rationality, progress, civilization, and moral agency, were constructed on a binary opposition to various forms of Otherness, which are founded on polarized images such as superstition, backwardness, barbarism, and moral incapacity. E. iv. Recent developments in the postcolonial theory Saids landmark work Orientalism appeared in 1978. More recent works include The Empire Writes Back (1989) by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin and Gayatri Spivaks The Post-Colonial Critic (1990), as well as work by Abdul JanMohamed, Benita Parry and most importantly Homi Bhabhas The Location of Culture (1994). In his book White Mythologies, Robert Young sees postcolonialism as continuing to derive its inspiration from the anti-colonial struggles of the colonial era. Anti-colonialism had many of the characteristics commonly associated with postcolonialism such as diaspora, transnational migration and transcultural identities. Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin also use the term postcolonialism in a comprehensive sense to cover all the history impacted by imperialism from the moment of colonization to the present day, which is a form of continuity between the colonial and postcolonial periods. Most of the exponents of postcolonialism have regarded the trio: Said, Spivak and Bhabha, as the most influential theorists of what has become known as postcolonialism  [2]  . Their works have largely been at the center of various contemporary postcolonial debates. Saids Orientalism is generally regarded as having inaugurated the field of explicitly postcolonial criticism in the West. He argues that the Western representation of the Orient was produced by the imaginative geography of Western scholarship and has been instrumental in the colonization and domination of non-Western societies. Postcolonial theory reverses the historical center/margin direction of cultural studies. Critiques of the metropolis and capital now emanate from the former colonies. Moreover, Homi K. Bhabha has questioned the binary thought that produces the dichotomies-center/margin, white/black, and colonizer/colonized-by which colonial practices are justified. The work of Gayatri C. Spivak has focused atten tion on the question of who speaks for the colonial Other and the relation of the ownership of discourse and representation to the development of the postcolonial subjectivity. Nowadays, postcolonialism offers a fundamental critique of the ideology of colonial domination and at the same time seeks to subvert the essentialist thought that produced conceptual as well as economic divides between West and East, civilized and uncivilized, First and Third Worlds. In this respect, postcolonial theory has brought fresh perspectives to the role of colonized peoples- their wealth, labor, and culture- in the development of modern European nation states. While postcolonial criticism emerged in the historical moment following the collapse of the modern colonial empires, the increasing globalization of culture, including the imperialism of multinational capitalism, suggests a continued relevance for this field of study. E. v. Delimitation of postcolonial theory Postcolonial theory, as any other theoretical approach, has conceptual boundaries and limitations. Although it offers a theoretical approach that highlights the importance of examining the present colonial legacies, most of the early literature in postcolonial theory has emerged from the decolonized world of the twentieth century that theorizes mostly from the British imperial discourse. Thus, for the most part, it has not only overlooked the (post)colonial texts written in native languages, but also created a kind of postcolonial canon that has so far reinforced and maintained the supremacy of the colonizers language that has served as a tool for colonialism and imperialism. According to Wail Hassan and Rebecca Saunders, Anglophone postcolonial studies have sustained British literature as a frame of reference (18). Therefore, only Commonwealth Anglophone writers are introduced to English departments, while writers who write in their native languages are neglected. As a result, Anglo phone postcolonial literature is a highly selective field [] [that consolidates] the argument that Anglophone postcolonialism has become a mimic canon that functions effectively to reinforce neocolonial hegemony (Hassan and Saunders 18). Nevertheless, the use of english  [3]  as the language of expression makes the postcolonial works available to a wider audience and, thus, gives voice to ex-colonial subjects (Subaltern/Other) to speak for themselves and restitute the agency of self-representation. According to Ashcroft, through using E/english, colonized people have subverted the tropes by which they have habitually been marginalized, and, ultimately, have permanently influenced even the educational disciplines by which those tropes were perpetuated (Ashcroft, On Postcolonial Futures, 2).

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

External Environment of Baker Mckenzie

External Environment of Baker Mckenzie 1. External Environment of Global Legal Industry To analyze Baker McKenzie organization in order to provide its authorities with specific recommendation for the successful future management of the firm and its employees it is critical to evaluate the principal factors of External Environment of global legal industry that have implications for the management of people and organization. To design an elaborate plan and implement it successfully in the firm it is essential to be aware of the wide business environment in which firm operates and of how this environment is changing over time. PEST analysis is used to access Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors of the Global Legal Industry (see Appendix 1). In general, the legal market was highly segmented comprising a few prestigious law firms at the top and small practices, consisting sometimes of a single attorney at the bottom. As a result of the globalization pattern a lot of legal firms became more international. While entering new markets and opening offices in new areas such political factor as local licensing laws pushed the firms to employ local lateral hires. If we have a look at the global legal industry on firm-levels we can state that the structure of an average law firm was common: LAW FIRM Equity Partners Ownership stake in the firm Revenue generating Responsibility for attracting new clients Associates (law-degree) No ownership stake in the firm Everyday routine consultancy Opportunity to be promoted to Partner (depending on the performance and firm needs) Support Staff Paralegals assistance to lawyers (law degree is not required but possible) Personal Assistants assistance to all levels In USA and many other legal jurisdictions the system of regulations was quite strict and law firms were not allowed to generate capital though IPO (Initial Public Offering) and the firms lawyers were the only ones who could held an ownership stake. This was a way to protect the company in terms of possible conflicts of interests. By 2004 various industries had to face high turnover trend and legal industry was not an exception. Such social factor as a work-life balance tendency added a new criteria which were critical for potential employees while entering the company. In law firms associates were changing the employers more often than ever before due to various factors the main of which is disaffection of: Poor firms culture the main reason resulting into â€Å"long work hours, lack of meaningful assignments and unfriendly work environment†. Compensation system as a result of â€Å"war for talent† and the practice to attract and retain star attorneys from competing firms (â€Å"lateral hires†) there was a high spread between partner and associate rates (sometimes as much as 20:1). Promotion system firms expansion strategyaffected the timeline for reaching the status of equity partner which was extended and a second tier of partner termed â€Å"junior partner† was addedto prevent the growing number of equity partners. In many firms it was understood that high billables were a requirement for advancement but in reality it did not necessarily encourage efficiency and taking into account the global character of some law firms such practice ran the risk of superseding all other metrics when promotion decisions were being made. In the recent years the customers appetites to the quality of legal services have been changing significantly and the clients expectations have been rising all over the world. The legal market was saturated with the number of law firms with appropriate professional expertise but only a few of such firms could offer a †value-added† service. Thus, to have a competitive advantage in the industry and to make a client happy a law firm had to accelerate its efforts to reduces associates turnover by focusing on corporative culture and soft skills and emotional intelligence development in the organization reviewing the performance management systems, financial patterns as well as each firm is to pay appropriate attention to all aspects of the international character of business and personal development maintaining a good relation with clients to make them satisfied. 2. Internal Environment of Baker McKenzie Baker McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 and from the very beginning has intended to be truly global. By 2004 it was the largest law firm in the world by headcount comprising about 9000 employees spread across 70 offices in 38 countries and being among the industry leaders in revenue. Regardless of the fact that the firm has a strong position in the legal industry there are some areas alarming that Baker McKenzie is to review its internal environment particularly focusing on attorneys retention, motivation and improving companys culture. Such concepts as firms strategy, structure and culture are to be analyzed. 2.1. Organizational Strategy For a long period of time the general strategy of Baker McKenzie was global expansion. Due to the increasing competitiveness in global legal market and bearing in mind the fact that some clients became more oriented on not expensive routing legal needs in the late 1990th the firm felt that some changes were required not to lose competitive advantage. Baker McKenzie came to conclusion that their initial strategy which included such learning program as professional management education for partners, key-client account program and four-point strategic plan, was not efficient and ambitious enough. Even though the firm did make impressive progress on many fronts a more sophisticated approach was needed to develop further. By 2004 a new strategy was developed the main objectives of which were as follows: To achieve market preeminence by building upon unparalleled international capabilities through: deeper penetration of major clients; growth of core practice areas; greater industry specialization; To develop the firm in a systematic way so each office is able to support multinational clients and global strategy and excel and prosper in its local market; To align the firms organizational, financial and management structures more effectively with its strategic objectives. Finally, Baker McKenzie realized that people were paramount to the firms successful future and in this updated strategy the focus was shifted from the expansion to peoples qualities prioritizing the HR management. To achieve a competitive advantage in the quality of legal services the following combination of HR and competitive strategies (Armstrong, 2000) were followed: Companys Strategy HR Strategy Resourcing HR Development Reward Achieve competitive advantage through quality Use sophisticated selection procedures to recruit people who are likely to deliver quality and high levels of customer service Encourage the development of a learning organization and support total quality and customer care initiatives with focused training Link rewards to quality performance and the achievement of high standards of customer service Achieve competitive advantage by employing people who are better than those employed by competitors Use sophisticated selection procedures based on rigorous analysis of the special capabilities required be the organization Develop organizational learning processes; encourage self-managed learning through the use of personal development plans as part of a performance management process Develop performance management processes that enable both financial and non-financial rewards to be related to competence and skills; ensure that pay levels are competitive One of the major improvements in HR strategy was the implementation of Associate Training Program (ATP) which allowed the associates to transfer for the period of a year to 18 months among any Baker McKenzie office in the world. The strategy was a success as it enhanced the lawyers experience by exposing them to different jurisdictions, laws and cross-border terms. Also it was a great tool to embed and develop the relationships across the firm. It is also important to mention the rewarding performance which was used in the firm. For many years Baker McKenzie used a compensation system of objective nature called â€Å"the formula† rewarding the following four criteria: â€Å"Work Credit† (personal productivity of a partner; â€Å"Client Credit† (partners ability to delegate and supervise work done not by partners); â€Å"Associate Profit† (work done by non-partners); Tenure with the firm (number of years as an equity partner). As a result of such strategy the partners were not focused on development tasks but principally on generating fees. Such compensation system was suitable in early years when the firm opened its first offices in different countries. However, such formula is not efficient today and Baker McKenzie was to review it bearing in mind the best interests of the business. In 2002 the firm adopted new rules that facilitated the evolution to discretionary compensation systems based on more subjective criteria. In spite of the fact that not all partners were satisfied with such method and it was hotly debated before being approved, the key implication of such approach is growing recognition within the firm that changes in the financial structure and compensation system were needed to advance the overall strategy. However, the updated compensation system involving such new subjective elements as development associates and demonstrating leadership used for the evaluation of partners meant that there could be risk for the partner to receive substantially less. To conclude it is to be emphasized that new strategy requires a well-developed framework for its successful implementation. 2.2. Organizational Structure As it was mentioned in the previous chapter the principal strategy of Baker McKenzie for a long time was global expansion with the local lateral hires which were more steeped in techniques and traditions of their regions law (only few offices were staffed from the main office)3. It resulted to decentralization and spread among continents (see Chart 1). As per Burns and Stalker (1961) Baker McKenzie could be defined as an Organic structure rather than Mechanistic and can be characterized by the following: High decentralization of authority; Tasks loosely defined; Horizontal communications; Greater individual authority; Flexible and adaptable. Chart 1. Baker McKenzie organization, 2004 The advantages offered in the decentralization are that it: + Increased responsiveness to the local circumstances; + Enables decisions closer to the operational level of work; + Improved level of personal customer service; + More in keeping with developments in flatter and more flexible structures. But there are also some negative aspects: The same lateral hires results in tough control over offices letting no interference; Firm becomes inert to new programs and changes or their implementation results are low; Low sociability and interaction between offices caused by rare meetings. 2.3. Organizational Culture A key weapon in the war for talent in the 21st century is going to be organizational culture. To analyze the culture of Baker McKenzie it is important to look at it from different perspectives and use various approaches. In general, Baker McKenzies culture was a strong one encompassing several core elements such as: Internationalism and multi-culturalism; Sense of friendship; Equality of employees; Strong sense of independence; Consensus-building based on multilateral mindset and highly consultative, transparent and respectful style; Attention to selection process of laterals. According to Goffee Jones (1996) Grid (see Chart 2) Baker McKenzie located in Mercenary area gravitating to Fragmented organization as of its numerous offices around the world which tend to be autonomous. That results in general low sociability of the employees. This can be supported by the fact that international interaction was quite poor, presented only by annual meetings for equity partners and some star lawyers. Solidarity is high due to result-oriented strategy (a lot of billable hours required to be rewarded by bonus) and high compensation for partners level only. Chart 2. Goffee and Jones (1996) Grid Organizational cultures and their associated structures typology of Charles Handy (1986) is another popular model to examine the firm. According to his classification Baker McKenzie is â€Å"the person culture cluster structure† which is described as structure where autonomous experts and professionals pursue their own interests. This type of culture is characterized by high autonomies of partners and associates where management hierarchies are not acceptable and the legal business is operated by mutual consent and influence based on expertise. Having noted that it could be stated that such culture is in balance with the decentralized structure mentioned in the previous chapter. Facing high turnover and â€Å"war for talent† Baker McKenzie has to pay more attention to its employees to shape a firm-friendly culture required not only for personal and professional development of the lawyers but such culture which could have an immediate positive effect on the successful future of the firm. 3. The Development Framework By 2000 Baker McKenzie recognized importance of retaining associates as every lawyer who left the firm within the first two years never provided the firm with even a partial return on investment in terms of training, development, and replacement costs. The developed HRM strategy was placed in jeopardy. To find the causes of high associates turnover KPDC lunched a survey lead by two outsourced HR specialists which educed the following gaps in performance management: No or poor feedback on associates performance were provided (no deep review, no examples are given). This circumstance was complicated by cultural obstacle as many of associates reported that â€Å"it is not the practice of their offices to conduct reviews or that is a new concept†; No guidelines explaining business and legal skills required for each career step were given to the associates. This resulted in low motivation and lack of self development; Development opportunities and training programs were not clearly explained or not explained at all to the lawyers. In April 2003 two industrial psychologists were invited to develop new framework to overcome these asperities and meet common performance expectation across different locations of the firm. It was the right choice as it is almost impossible to deal with the different cultures from the position of usual management. The following final Development Framework qualities were highlighted as the basic criteria: Personal Qualities (PQ); Key Performance Areas (KPAs) comprising Individual Activities Categories (IACs). By such framework associates have been rated on a scale of 1-3 for each component: 3 â€Å"exceeds expectations†; 2 â€Å"meets expectations†; 1 â€Å"falls short of expectations†. This highly segmented system of evaluation could satisfy everyone and could meet the needs of the multicultural firm. Also it represented an actual approach to talent management. In general, the talent management strategy of Baker McKenzie can be characterized by the following main aspects: Recruitment identifying and selecting right people to met the challenges of the firms strategic goals; Development personal and professional development of the employees; Career Management coaching and supporting the employees throughout their careers. Having analyzed the external and internal environments and the Development Framework it can be concluded the main tool for Baker McKenzie successful recruiting, developing and retaining the chosen talent and to win war for talent is to find a common language within international offices of the firm for discussing excellence in order to facilitate firm activities and find the best fit between a lawyer and Baker McKenzies operation and culture. 4. Recommendations Undoubtedly, the New Development Framework is a well-designed foundation ready to be implemented and now it fully depends on how much effort the Executive and KPD Committees will contribute to convince each partner of its implementation importance. Based on the analysis of the Baker McKenzies organization, culture and strategy, including New Development Framework aimed on successful recruiting, developing, and retaining the talent it is recommended to pay more attention to the following aspects: Recruitment and Selection Process Organizational performance depends considerably on the quality of its workers. It is required to continue generating a pool of skilled and qualified associates, which have some of the necessary attributes to enable a suitable candidate to be selected. Appropriate range of selection methods of evaluation which can be partly taken from the Development Framework (IACs and PQs) are to be applied to cover such gaps as lack of soft skills for the potential employees. This will facilitate the candidates to integrate into Baker McKenzies culture and to meet the expectations of the firm. It is worth recommending while selection and recruiting process to bear in mind the fact that firm is working on standardizing its processes on international level. It means that there should be given more attention to the ability of the candidate to be a good team member. Such characteristic feature of the human being can be measured by some psychological testing as well the firm could several steps of selection process one of which could be a simulation or role-playing within the number of candidates. Such simulation should be observed by a number of specialists and assessed accordingly. Also it can be added that due the nature of globalization the preference is to be given to those candidates who have international experience or willing to obtain it. Developing Competent Employees In spite of the fact that the firm is focused on the highly qualified attorneys recruitment we should not underestimate the role of work-based learning. This is particularly important for paralegals being loyal to the firm and associates whose target is to become partners. Such methods can be divided into following groups: Learning from another person consists of coaching and mentoring. Mentors provide two functions: 1) career advice and support, 2) psychological function. As we could see from the analysis of Baker McKenzies performance management the lack of career development advice was one of the main drawbacks in the firm. It is important to note that coaching does not come naturally to all managers and it requires a number of skills which can be developed by sending the responsible managers to special management courses; Learning from tasks consists of job rotation and delegation. This involves moving lawyers into different limitrophe groups (e.g. associates from the Major Project and Project Finance group may broaden their expertise by being placed into International Commercial or Corporate group, etc.) Delegation is also a way of developing of employee as it can offer new challenge and responsibilities. Retaining Associates As the final point Baker McKenzie have to be focused on staff retention as high turnover damages not only performance, service quality and financial side but also a corporate image. First of all, Motivation is directly expressed by how to make people contribute to organizational goals while satisfying their personal needs. A good balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation is the key to success. In terms of extrinsic motivation can be applied such tangible rewards as: improved salary, the firm is to develop a more reasonable and balanced compensation system between partners and associates which can result to comfortable work-life balance; Perks like corporate transport or enhanced workplace. Performance Management is the other aspect which is extremely important for the firm to develop particularly in providing associates with: Constant and detailed feedback with clear explanations of their performance. Exposing their strengths and weaknesses; Guidelines explaining business and legal skills required for each career step. That will result in high loyalty and motivation as well. All these recommendations will result in successful Talent Management and firms prosperity in the future. Detailed Implementation Plan provided in Appendix 2. Also it is important to control and shape the implementation of current Development Framework. The future researches on the results of implementation have to be carried on as well. Bibliography Case study. Baker McKenzie (A): A New Framework for Talent Management. MPO lectures. Goffee, R. and Jones G. (1996). What holds the modern company together? Harvard business review, November-December. Mullins, Laurie J. (2005), Management and Organisational Behaviour. 7th ed. Pearson Education Limited, Essex, England. Green, Richard, (2003), Business Environment: An MBA Study Guide. University of Hull, Hull, UK. Palmer, Adrian and Hartely, Bob (2002), The Business Environment. McGraw-Hill, New York, USA. Graeme Martin (2006), Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Disjunction versus Communion in Raymond Carvers Short Stories Essay

Disjunction versus Communion in Raymond Carver's Short Stories Raymond Carver, poet, essayist, and short story writer, was very different from some other writers in that he clipped his writing until only the essential remained. " Carver not only acknowledged the effect that fiction could have on readers, he proclaimed that it should affect readers."( Bonetti 58) Thus, when Carver writes about intimate relationships, the reader perceives the stories as more than entertainment or skillful language; the reader relates to the characters' situations and applies the knowledge to their own lives. It is within this realm of character affirmation that Carver draws a much more elaborate, and meaningful detail in his short stories. I propose that Carver's characters either connect or fail to connect on an intimate, spiritual level. It is this difference in his short stories which either draw the reader into or away from the meaning. These relations make certain writings in Carver's stories more interesting. More directly, it is the communion in his later writings, and the disjunction in his earlier writings, that distinguish the two types of styles. Communion within the characters of Carver's later writings, as in his collections in Cathedral, create much more depth and interest in his stories. It is within this scope of communion that Carver's stories seem to become more fulfilling with character affirmation. Communion occurs in Carver's stories when several conditions are satisfied. The difference in the two criteria; communion and disjunction, is simply defined. "Communion, n 1. A sharing of thoughts or feelings 2. a A religious or spiritual fellowship." (Websters, 141) It is a connection between characters which allows them to transcend the ordinary and redefine themselves. A moment in which words, actions, and objects take on exaggerated significance . Carver uses this bond between characters in his later writings more directly, such as in his anthology Cathedral. You must first initialize an intimate interaction between two or more characters who can communicate--- either verbally or physically. If an individual is still projecting his/her personality onto another, that individual has not experienced the loss of self- awareness which is necessary for communion. Another important element for this experience is touch. The charac... ...ders and move them to action in their own lives. Works Cited Bonetti, Kay. " Ray Carver: Keeping." Conversations with Raymond Carver. Marshall Bruce Gentry and William L. Stull, eds. Jackson, Mississippi :University Press of Mississippi, 1990. 53-61. Carver, Raymond. Cathedral. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. ---. No Heroics Please. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. ---. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Davis, Alan. " The Holiness of Ordinary. " Hudson Review. Vol.45 Winter 1993: 653-658 Gardner, John. On Moral Fiction. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1978. Halpert, Sam. " Interviews" †¦when we talk about Raymond Carver. Peregrine Smith, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publishing, 1991. 51-84 Sexton, David. " David Sexton talks to Raymond Carver." Conversations With Raymond Carver. Marshall Bruce Gentry and William L.Stull, eds. Jackson, Mississippi: University of Mississippi, 1990. 120-132. Stull, William L. " Matters of Life and Death. " Conversations with Raymond Carver. Marshall Bruce Gentry and William L. Stull eds. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1990. 177-191.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Fiscal Policy In The US Essay -- essays papers

Fiscal Policy In The US â€Å"Real plans for real people.† This was the coined theme for the Bush campaign back in September. As far as I can see with his tax cut plan in doesn’t involve â€Å"real people†. It may just depend on your definition of the term, but the â€Å"real people† of America are the middle class, hard working families. Bush’s tax plan is now said to be $1.6 trillion over a ten year period of time. Most of this money will go to the upper brackets, the â€Å"better off†. Granted they do pay the most money, but then when you think about it, why do they need the cut? Can they not afford to pay their taxes? In this economic time of a feared recession our government should be doing everything in their power to avoid this situation. Having a prolonged tax cut does nothing to help the economy now. By the time the money is given back we and more than likely to have already succeeded this economic down low. The economist will tell you the in order to dodge this the money must be given back now. If the money is given back earlier there is a better chance of people spending it and stimulating economic activity. When looked at by this point of view I most definitely agree with Laura D’Andrea Tyson when she said, â€Å"Bush wants a large tax cut for political reasons, not economic ones.† When Robert J. Barro discuses how he thinks the tax cut will stimulate investment and growth, increase incentives to work and save, and lower the amount of money Congress can spend, I find myself d... Fiscal Policy In The US Essay -- essays papers Fiscal Policy In The US â€Å"Real plans for real people.† This was the coined theme for the Bush campaign back in September. As far as I can see with his tax cut plan in doesn’t involve â€Å"real people†. It may just depend on your definition of the term, but the â€Å"real people† of America are the middle class, hard working families. Bush’s tax plan is now said to be $1.6 trillion over a ten year period of time. Most of this money will go to the upper brackets, the â€Å"better off†. Granted they do pay the most money, but then when you think about it, why do they need the cut? Can they not afford to pay their taxes? In this economic time of a feared recession our government should be doing everything in their power to avoid this situation. Having a prolonged tax cut does nothing to help the economy now. By the time the money is given back we and more than likely to have already succeeded this economic down low. The economist will tell you the in order to dodge this the money must be given back now. If the money is given back earlier there is a better chance of people spending it and stimulating economic activity. When looked at by this point of view I most definitely agree with Laura D’Andrea Tyson when she said, â€Å"Bush wants a large tax cut for political reasons, not economic ones.† When Robert J. Barro discuses how he thinks the tax cut will stimulate investment and growth, increase incentives to work and save, and lower the amount of money Congress can spend, I find myself d...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

The Role of Media in Society

In the world of today, media has become almost as necessary as food and clothing. It is true that media is playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society. It helps us to know current situations around the world. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon society. Because of its inherent ability to reach large number of public, it is widely used to convey messages to build public opinion and awareness, its duty is to inform, educate and entertain the people.One of the major duties of media today is to inform the people about the latest happening around them and the world. They cover all the aspects of our interest like weather, politics, war, health, finance, science, fashion, music, etc. The need for more and more news has evolved into creation of dedicated TV & radio channels and magazines. People can listen, watch and read latest news whenever and wherever they want. Media people from television and print takes the risk of their lives to inform us about import ant news.The original idea behind the media was certainly to entertain masses. Media connects us through several mediums. Especially internet has become a need almost for every single individual both for our work and to connect with our friends. Facebook, is a global website where everyone can sign up and have an account. Since 2004 facebook has impacted the world. 80 percent of social media users prefer to connect with brands through Facebook because of its popularity.Roughly, near of 163,071,460 of americans have a facebook account. This is more than the half of the population of the United States Of America. To conclude, media plays a big important role in our society. Though it can cause annoyance for some people, it actually informs us about what it is going on through different mediums. We shouldn? t blame the media because I can assure we all have been involved with it at least once in our life.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Individual Assignments from the Readings Essay

2- Define the distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in a secondary search Primary source as stated is original data. Primary source is based in facts from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation. Therefore, primary sources is considerate the root of original materials on which other research is based, the first formal appearance of results in physical, print or electronic format. Primary sources present original ideas and thoughts, report a discovery, or conduct new information. Secondary sources are considerer less important than primary sources. Secondary Resources are material written after the fact that provides point of views of hindsight. The fact is that are interpretations and evaluations coming of primary sources. Secondary sources are not original materials, but rather opinions on and discussion of evidence in such information. According with the text, secondary search is easy to interpret as a tertiary source as well. Tertiary sources conduct an analysis of material which is a distillation and compilation of primary and secondary sources. Generally, consist in a summary of information provided with own point of view of such materials 3- What problems of secondary data quality must researchers face? How can they deal with them? The fact is that in some cases is vital to aware of the problems that can arise with secondary research so if it is that case the researcher will be able to work with these problems. Secondary search is in many cases the only material that a researcher can find on certain information; therefore, for a researcher this issue can have further problems and consequences putting together a new project as well. The problems of secondary data quality that a researcher must face is; â€Å"verifying and determining the value of the secondary sources the researcher would like to use† (Cooper & Schindler, 2006). Researchers who use secondary sources must make their best efforts to verify the accuracy of the information. On the other, hand, is a fact that all sources need to be cited appropriately in a paper, even if they are only secondary in nature. For example, a researcher who cites an article about a political event should dig further to verify the information. To do this they may need to get primary source data of the politic event. It may not be the primary data to verify secondary data in research, but every effort must be made in order to prove the credibility of the sources being used in any research effectively. Chapter: 7 Discussion Questions 1- How does qualitative research differ from quantitative research? Generally, can be some researchers who feel that one is better than the other. A major difference between the two is that qualitative research is inductive and quantitative research is deductive. Quantitative research differs on numbers or quantities. Quantitative studies have results that are based on numeric analysis and statistics. In many cases, these studies have many participants. Perhaps is not abnormal that has there to be over a thousand people in a quantitative research study. It is good to have a large number of participants because this gives analysis more statistical accurately. Qualitative research studies are based on differences in quality, rather than differences in quantity. Results are in words or pictures rather than numbers. Qualitative studies usually have fewer participants than quantitative studies because the depth of the data collection does not allow for large numbers of participants. It important to remark that both, quantitative and qualitative studies have strengths and weaknesses, a particular strength of quantitative research is that statistical analysis allows for generalization to others. The goal of quantitative research is to choose a sample that closely resembles the population. Qualitative research does not seek to choose samples that are representative of populations and this make a considerable difference in both. 2- How do data from qualitative research differ from data in quantitative research? Data from qualitative research and quantitative research differs in many ways. When conducting research there will be a time when you have to decide between the use of qualitative and quantitative research. Understanding the differences in data that is gathered from these resources will help you decide what type of research you will need to use. â€Å"Material subtracted from qualitative research can contain different uses because the researcher can use as many knowledge as searcher can during research to adjust the data extracted from the next participant† (Cooper & Schindler, 2006, Ch. 8). Although, this event influences the details of the data obtained by the research effectively, allowing data and research to condense through obtained information properly. In quantitative research identical data is â€Å"desired from all participants, so evolution of methodology is not acceptable† (Cooper & Schindler, 2006, Ch. 8). Quantitative requires specific data to be retrieved at all time, and qualitative research allows for change. This difference also impacts the way that data from these research methods will be interpreted and analyzed. 5- Assume you are a manufacturer of small kitchen electrics, like Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex, and you want to determine if some innovative designs with unusual shapes colors developed for the European market could be successful marketed in the U.S. market. What qualitative research would you recommend, and why? For this event, is good idea to suggest a focus group so doing that may collect information from a wide variety of participants regarding specific question (Henderson, 2009). Is important that to be sure that it has a good cross-section of people to be in the group and that their observations are honest and not biased in any way. This task may be difficult, but necessary to give it an honest try. In addition, by affirming theories to compile trough what people say and do, qualitative research is not based accusing of imposing theories upon participants. Is therefore, by maintaining detailed records of what its said and of what happens qualitative research does not limit the complexity of social life to anybody can manipulated equations. â€Å"Rather than skating on the surface of everyday life, its close contact and detailed recording allows the research to glimpse beneath the polished rhetoric, or the plausible deceits; it is able to take more time to focus upon the smaller yet powerful processes which other methods gloss over or ignore† (Schostak, 2009). In addition References University Libraries, University of Maryland (2010) Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources, retrieved from: http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/primary-sources.html#tertiary on January 20, 2013 Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2006). Business Research Methods (th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill retrieved on January 20, 2013 Henderson, N. (2009) Managing Moderator Stress: Take a Deep Breath. You Can Do This!. Marketing Research, Vol. 21 Issue 1, p28-29. Schostak, J.F. (2002) Understanding Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research in Education Framing the Project Open University Press Ganty, S. (2010) Problems with Secondary Data Research and How to Deal with It from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5771198/problems_with_secondary_data_research_pg2.html?cat=3 Retrieved on January 20, 2013

Case Problem: Stateline Shipping and Transport Company Essay

Rachel is considering using each of the plant and waste disposal sites as intermediate shipping points. Now, there is a possibility to reduce the transportation coat by utilizing alternative routes. For example, as per the given cost table, cost to transport from Kingsport to Duras is $17. Instead of this route, if we transport first from Kingsport to Macon and then from Macon to Duras the cost is only $15 (4 + 11). We have to recalculate the transportation cost considering all possibilities. For this, we are given transportation costs from various plants to plants and sites to sites in attached MS Excel Spreadsheet. Solve the model you developed in #3 (above) and clearly describe the results. Plants were labeled 1 through 6, waste facilities labeled A through C. Problem was set up in 2 Stages: Stage 1 = shipment from plants to intermediate/final location; Stage 2 = shipment from intermediate to final location. Objective function: Solver add-on solution in MS Excel yielded the following results: 19 bbl of wastes shipped from Kingsport to Macon to Duras, 16 bbl of wastes shipped from Kingsport to Los Canos, 26 bbl of wastes shipped from Danville to Los Canos, 42 bbl of wastes shipped from Macon to Duras,  17 bbl of wastes shipped from Selma to Macon to Duras, 36 bbl of wastes shipped from Selma to Columbus to Whitewater, 29 bbl of wastes shipped from Columbus to Whitewater, 38 bbl of wastes shipped from Allentown to Danville to Los Canos. Total Cost = $2,630 Interpret the results and draw conclusions that address the question posed in the case problem. What are the limits of the study? Write at least one paragraph. The results show that Rachel can save some dollars per week. Rachel can save by using a few routes that involve intermediate points. An example would be  17 bbl of wastes shipped from Selma to Macon to Duras. The cost analysis fails to consider the actual physical risks of dealing with potentially hazardous industrial waste if there is spillage. The dropping off and picking up of waste at intermediate sites may cause a time delay, which may impact the risk of the waste becoming a potential hazard. Also, the additional handling of the waste associated with loading and unloading at intermediate sites may cause increased risk of a problem. Even though Polychem has agreed to handle the wastes at no additional cost, there may be additional risk that has not been evaluated.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Marketing plan Essay

This Report presents the strategic Market entry plan of Victoria Secret in Singapore. Victoria Secret is an American brand owned by Limited Brands Company with retail of Lingerie, Women’s Wear and beauty products with annual revenue of USD 8. 7 billion and market share of over 50 percent in North America. It was launched in 1970 by Roy Raymond who started this chain when he had nightmare experience while showing Lingerie for his Wife. He believed that â€Å"Underwear† is not just an Innerwear but can be converted into a Fashion product by tuning in proper colours, styles and patterns and make a product a sex symbol. As it caters to large market in its home country it has been strongly based but now for better growth and more returns Victoria secret has started International expansion. It is one of the fastest growing Lingerie products under Limited Brands Company Umbrella and contributing more than 40% of profits. 1000 number of Stores give strong presence to Victoria Secret and Online shopping ads to the charm. Victoria Secret invests heavily on Advertising with USD 65 Million average for year. The brand symbolizes romance, class, love, desire and romantic moments. They marketed these products by show casing their products with angel looking models breaking ice of set standards of modelling. It is one of the most watched and appreciated Fashion Shows of the world and features world’s best Supermodel as there showstopper creating a feel of sensation in female gender. The brand also took lines from Dove Advertisements by redefining beauty and showing the product users with boosted confidence and sexier looks. The company has done horizontal integration by expanding product range from Lingerie products only to cosmetics, women wear and cosmetics. The appealing brand image gave quick returns on the new product range and helping Victoria Secret in capturing new markets at higher pace. Also what is helping Victoria Secret is its excellent supply chain and IT collaboration which have helped in cutting down overheads. As companies are looking for growth and stability the expansion into Asian market is unavoidable so is for Victoria secret. Singapore being expanding and booming economy can be next destination for Victoria Secret. Singapore also has high fashion conscious population with high income. Singapore being financial hub and supply chain hub is residence for people who have highest per capita expenditure on luxury brands in all segments. In Asia, Singapore boosts for being top market for growing luxury brands. Country also boosts strong tourism and having largest malls in South east Asia helps cater to being selected as best destination in Asia for expansion. Being business friendly government adds to positive of Singapore. Business environment Factors Demography Population rose 2. 5% in 2012. Total population was 5. 4 Million. The Demography of Singapore consists of mix of Chinese, Indians and Malays which account for 74 %, 9 %, and 13% respectively with maximum population between 20-64. Singapore also is world tourist attractor and counts for approx 12 million tourists a year. Total female population is approx 50% and this results in large market size. Female also play dominant role in the society as they also earn. This results in freedom of females and opportunity for them to satisfy their needs. Political Stability Singapore the synonym for freedom to do business was ranked in top 10 best countries to start business. It takes 3 Days on average to start business in Singapore and this is result of stable political System in the country. It has been ranked among top countries for business environment for consecutive 14 years setting benchmark. Singapore is worlds one of the least corrupt country in the world. It ranks 1’st in corruptions perception Index, 2013. The political Stability in the country has provided the most stable economy in South East Asia. Economy The Economy of Singapore is strong with 5. 1% in 3’rd of 2013. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore was worth 274. 70 billion US dollars in 2012. The Expected Net GDP for Singapore is expected to beat market trends and grow more positively in 4’th quarter. The Economy is supported by FDI, skilled labour and fully planned and excellent Infrastructure. The Rising economy has lead to rising per capita income. With the current economic scenario Singapore will attract more youth and global players which will bring more fashion conscious society which will indeed help growth of luxury segment. Industry With rising brand conscious population and trending international brands today brand is equally important for innerwear as is for outer wear. This was proved by growth of this segment industry even during depression of 2008. The rising economies of scale and large production numbers has led to reduced price of product which has increased demand and purchasing capacity. The following factors have contributed largely for growth of this industry: 1) E-Commerce: With rising e-commerce trend and more sophisticated players coming in picture the market has been taken by storm by these players. The customers have not fallen but E-commerce has attracted more customers because of easy access and getting products sitting home. Singapore boosts well E-commerce network with many local players in market along with international Players. The E-commerce has led to fall in prices of product as it involves lesser overhead costs. Association with global E-Commerce players has helped Victoria Secrets attain marvel in other countries and can do the same in Singapore also. 2) Sophisticated Supply chain: With rising use of Sophisticated IT tools for inventory planning, forecasting, Designing and scheduling has helped to reduce costs and development of industry in total. Many Global Brands with innovation in Supply chain have set example for the world. Singapore boosts excellent supply chain network and being Supply chain Hub is excellent destination. Market Analysis Singapore Market size Increase in Per capita income has led to entry to Luxury and premium brands coming in Singapore. The Size of market is expanding and will have higher success rate in coming years. The Table Below shows the growth of Women’s Inner-ware in Singapore. Source: Euro monitor International from trade associations, trade press, company research, trade interviews, trade sources a) Target Females in Age group of 18-50 which means 200,000 females. Middle and Upper Class Tourists Young and Brand Conscious Generation. Competition Triumph , Aerie , Calvin Kline , Armani , Sorella , Etam , La Perla Adore-Me offers direct-to-consumer lingerie at about half of Victoria’s Secret prices Intimint asks customers to take a quiz and sends them new lingerie selections every month, based on their preferences True ; Co. sends women five bras a month, giving them the option of keeping what they like and sending back what they don’t. Low Price and high variety local Players who have well established network in Singapore c) Porters 5 Forces 1) Supplier Power: LOW, As Victoria Secret has Production facilities in Thailand and India the supplier Power is very low. Buyer Power: HIGH, As Singapore already has high end Lingerie brands in its vicinity the Customers have wider options and can shift their preferences. The market has both lower prices segment and more premium segment. 3) Competitive Rivalry: HIGH, As Singapore already houses Premium Luxury lingerie brands who have worldwide recognition, Victoria Secret has high competition. 4) Threat of substitution: HIGH, The price range plays critical role as Victoria Secret has Competition with lower, same and high price range Products. 5) Threat of New Entry: LOW, Being well established worldwide name has its own fan following which attracts masses. New entries will take time to create impact and in that mean Time Victoria secret can come up with Contingency plan. Landscape a) Independent Women: Singapore being modern and economically sound has Independent women who earn well and spend well. This has led to brand conscious population b) Internet Penetration and Media sensitivity: Singaporeans are always connected to Internet. This has led to Strong E-commerce market here. The Media plays important role as Singaporeans try new western brands more frequently and invest heavily in it if the like the brand . Population Mix: Being strong economy Singapore has attracted  nationalities from various countries which have brought in sense of fashion, demand for authentic classy items. This Demand is of high end products. d) Location: With production plants in nearby countries such as Thailand and India and Strong Supply chain hubs the Location is also ideal. Singapore being small can’t accommodate Production facility so being centre for supply chain helps. ENTRY IN SINGAPORE: MARKET FEASIBILITY STUDY Design Victoria Secret is renowned for its strong designing team which comprise mixture of people around the world to understand each geographic trend. Once they understand the trends they create new trends in the market. It defines Sexiness as youthful, mature, energetic, adorable and intimate. The competitors have targeted another value like Triumph emphasises on Simplicity. Victoria Secret will benefit from point that Singapore is mix of many. The Design Teams have large market size which they can target with larger variety. Bold and Loud Brand Promotion This brand brings sense of comfort and pride among women. This is reflected in there promotion activities. The brand highlights the beauty of every individual and helps concealing imperfections with its unique designs. It is most bought product by models. Their Catalogues feature world’s hottest and sexist women in the world. Singaporeans are vivid about Fashion and Luxury products. With Rising Per capita income and proper promotion by hiring trending models of Singapore Victoria Secret can target masses. The Footfall in malls is one of the highest in Asia which can contribute to high sales if located at proper places. Rapid Growth of High-end Female Market Women are booming rapidly in Singapore who are either in White collar jobs, Leaders, Elites, working in Multinationals, entrepreneurs etc. These women have decent jobs, High disposable income and strong purchasing power. Maximum percentage of Women are highly educated. They are open and eager to accept and use trendy and fashionable Products with good quality. They Care about their Lifestyles, Health and bodies. This is supported by fact that Singapore has low obesity Rate of 7. 3 % in females and ranks much below America where obesity is 35. 5% in females. As women consider themselves independent and delicate it is highly possible for them to spend a remarkable amount of income on underwear and branded lingerie for self rewards. This will help Victoria Secret to enter the market easily and reap Benefits of growing and educated economy. Price Barriers and Distribution Channels Normal bra Ranges from 40-80 USD in US which reduces to almost half during sales. Singapore can also cater to demand with same or lesser Price as there are production facilities in India and Thailand. This will help in taming local players who play games of lower prices. Price would not be a Barrier for Victoria Secret to enter into Singapore. Having strong supply chain network with both these countries and being placed near the demand can be met. The Retail Distribution channels are strong and can be built easily in Singapore owing to small country size and Strong local infrastructure. Being Business friendly environment will help Victoria Secret to Establish Strong Distribution channels in Shorter Periods. Overview Retail market in Singapore is up by 3. 3% in August 2013 is back on track after falling slightly. Total number of Retailers in Singapore is more than 30000 with less than 1% for Lingerie Products. The Scope of market is high. Singapore is heavily sustained on Imports from US, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. Market Challenges and Opportunities Singapore has tightened foreign nationals working in labour market and this has led to increase in labour markets. The Rentals have gone for toss and are very high. The overheads cost the most for setting up business in Singapore. Being business friendly country the market attracts large number of players who provide cheap products, copied items from various world renowned brands. With challenges are opportunities also, being supply chain hub the country can act as stepping stone to enter bigger markets like of china. The Strong judiciary System and quick decision making helps to curb challenges faced such as intellectual copyrights and those related to design copying. SETTING UP RETAIL OUTLET IN SINGAPORE 1) Documents Required for Registration The following documents/information is required for registering a Singapore branch office: a) A certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of the foreign company. b) A certified copy of Memorandum and Articles (MAA) of the foreign company. c) Particulars of the directors of the foreign company. A memorandum of appointment and details of at least two persons resident in Singapore who will act as the agents for the Singapore branch office. e) A memorandum executed by or on behalf of the foreign company stating the powers of the local agents. f) Details of the registered office address in Singapore 2) Registration Procedure and Timeline The professional firm hired to handle the branch office registration will take care of all the necessary registration formalities. No physical visit of company executives is required from headquarters. The registration process consists of two basic steps: 1) Name approval 2) Entity registration. The name for the Singapore branch must be the same as that of the parent company. It will generally be approved unless it is identical to any existing company name or is vulgar in nature. Assuming necessary document are ready and there are no delays in the name approval process, registration of a Singapore branch can be completed in 1-2 days. The company registrar will send an email notification confirming the registration of the Singapore branch 3) Retail Outlets – Key Facts and Requirements a) Business Incorporation: Before one can begin operations, retail outlet must first be registered with the Singapore Companies Registrar, ACRA. This involves just two procedures that can be completed online within 24 hours. It is best if retail outlet offers unique products and services that are not currently available in Singapore’s colourful retail market. b) Approval for Premises: One must ensure that intended business premise is an approved location for retail business. To have retail outlet in a conservation building or private property, approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) is required for making additions or alterations to the premises. A Fire Safety Certificate from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) must be obtained to verify that retail outlet meets all fire safety requirements. If outlet is located in a shopping mall, the landlord may expedite the necessary approvals for you. 4) Licenses for Setting Up a Retail Outlet in Singapore Depending on the nature of the merchandise or products offered by retail outlet, apply for the relevant licenses. If outlet offers products which can affect human health and safety, relevant licenses may be required. To Import and sell cosmetics products domestically, notify the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) before placing the product in the market via the HSA’s PRISM site. The fee for the notification of cosmetic products is pegged to each product’s risks and variation (colour etc). 5) Hiring Staff Starting a retail outlet or franchise means that one may need to bring on board employees from home country to oversee operations. If one intends to employ or transfer employees from home country, apply for the relevant Singapore employment pass on their behalf. The Singapore employment pass is however subject to approval by the manpower authority and must meet Singapore’s new productivity vision. 6) Taxation of Singapore Branch A Singapore branch is generally considered a non-resident company for tax purposes. Non-resident companies are not eligible for tax benefits resulting from available tax incentives and tax treaties meant for resident companies.   Annual Filing Requirements Section 373 of the Companies Act requires a foreign company to file its Annual Report and the audited accounts of its Singaporean branch office within two months of its Annual General Meeting, or within 7 months from the  end of its financial year whichever is earlier. Also, each Singapore branch is required to file a Tax Return on an annual basis. MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY Victoria secret can enter Singapore Market in following ways: American exporters use agents or distributors to serve the Singapore market and other markets in Southeast Asia. Singapore firms are aggressive when it comes to representing new products and usually respond enthusiastically to new opportunities. Singaporean companies are open to joint venture proposals. Price, quality and service are the main selling factors in Singapore. Prospective exporters to Singapore should be aware that competition is strong and that buyers expect good after-sales service. Selling techniques vary according to the industry and product, but are comparable to the techniques used in any other sophisticated market. It is also important for U. S. firms to visit their representatives and maintain a good relationship with them. Victoria Secret has expanded in Maximum countries with 100% ownership strategy expect countries where it is difficult or impossible. As Singapore is business friendly and Provides Option for 100% investment Victoria Secret should come as 100% subsidiary. RECOMMENDATIONS 1) Enter the Singapore with 100 % subsidiary 2) Launch all product range in one go from Innerwear, shoes, cosmetics and clothes. 3) Target Shopping Centres for their retail operations for better Visibility 4) Promotion using both international and domestic models for better appeal 5) Enter with 2-3 Stores in Initial Phase for better understanding and Expand Further after setting customer base 6) Join hands with E-Commerce industry both domestic and International to promote brand 7) Target not only Young but also Middle age and Old age 8) High Variety and Utmost quality to remain Core of Business in Singapore also 9) Customized Marketing using social media and Electronic Platform 10) Customized Designs for Singapore Customers as per their taste and like 11) Customer Engagement using print media 12) Virtual Trial Rooms and trained Women staff for guidance on shape and size

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

To what extent is the true of Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy?

‘Sternly moral and strangely perverse' (Schoenbaum 1955:6), The Revenger's Tragedy explores the ethical complexities of the revenger figure, Vindice, through his determination to take vengeance upon the lecherous Duke. The very nature of revenge tragedy shows an inversion of the morality play, in which the protagonist would face a series of temptations and ultimately choose a virtuous life over one of evil. Revenge plays on the other hand invariably include; secret murders and plots, disguises, violence and catastrophe, all of which are presented in The Revenger's Tragedy, but also within the character of Vindice. He is not, however, the soul revenger in the play. Irving Ribner lists nine different situations which involve revenge (1962:80) and therefore it is not surprising that some critics argue that Middleton's1 work should be more accurately named ‘The Revengers' Tragedy' (Adams 1965:61). In order for Vindice, and the other malicious characters, to exact revenge, they must enter the world of their enemy, to achieve maximum devastation from the inside out; 'embracing evil in a vain attempt to destroy evil' (Ribner 1962:80). Is this, therefore, the real tragedy of the revenger, insofar as the revenger must debase himself to the level of his adversary, in order to punish him? In the opening scene of the play, Vindice holds his dead fiancie's skull in his hand and vows to get his revenge on the Duke who attempted to seduce her and subsequently poisoned her. In terms of a revenge plot, this appears very straightforward – an ‘eye for eye' (Exodus 21:24) vengeance, but this becomes more complex with the sacrifices that Vindice has to make. Initially, he must find an entrance into court which is achieved by becoming pander to the Duke's son, Lussurioso. Having previously left the court after his father's death, merely becoming involved in this society again is a compromise, exposing him to the corruption he so readily criticises. Perhaps the audience is supposed to be impressed at Vindice's restraint, being so close to an enemy and not striking immediately, though it is this determination which ultimately turns him villain from hero. As Bowers states, ‘only rather villainous revengers are presented as waiting such a period. †¦ ] No normal, sympathetic person by Elizabethan standards would harbour his wrath for such a time and withstand the promptings of religion for forgiveness' (1959:136n. ) Being under Lussurioso's command, Vindice's escape from the planned revenge is not so easy and it could be maintained that his fate is sealed from the start; not only must he kill the Duke, but his son as well. Under his guise as Piato, meaning â€Å"plated† (Neill 1996:404), Vindice sinks further into tyranny by accepting money from Lussurioso, and presumably also from the Duke, for his work. Perhaps he had no choice in this acceptance, and therefore again, Vindice's fate is marked. Neill notes the suitability of the name Piato and its associations with the repeated ‘coin' image throughout the play. As a man in disguise, Vindice is the embodiment of the ‘deceptive glitter of the whole court'; he has become the â€Å"blanched† coin, a ‘base metal plated over with silver to improve its appearance' (Neill 1996:404). In adopting this costume, Vindice becomes consumed by the traits he puts upon himself, and poisoning the Duke completes this conversion. Piato and Vindice become, characteristically as well as physically, the same person. Murray warns that ‘the name and the disguise are intended to fool Lussurioso, but we should not be fooled into seeing a contradiction of character where none in fact exists' (1964:214 original emphasis). ‘The crucial transformations in the play are effected by poisoning, figurative or literal' and the literal poisoning of the Duke is reflected in the figurative poisoning of Vindice's mind and character (Murray 1964:196). Although he has now completed his revenge plan, Vindice forgets his original purpose and not content with ‘the death of †¦ his logical victim, must scourge from court all his vicious progeny' (Bowers 1959:133). In losing focus of his initial goal, ‘Puh, 'tis but early yet†¦ ‘ (III. V. 171), Vindice aligns himself with the Duke, whose own aim had been to seduce Gloriana, but resulted in poisoning and ultimately murdering her. Murray argues that Vindice's ‘degeneration' can be followed through ‘subtle changes' in his attitude toward Gloriana and her skull (1965:124). After this episode, Gloriana is hardly mentioned and Vindice has reduced her to a similar level to himself; dressing up her skull, creating falseness, an ironic comparison with Vindice himself, as well the courtiers, having heavily painted or masked faces. This mask image is repeated with the masque at the close of the play, in which Vindice carries out his last gruesome acts in yet another disguise. The movement from simple costume to the masque brutality is a perfect example of the shift in Vindice's character. From this moment he is ‘never shown hesitating at the thought of violence' and as is noted by many critics, ‘no-one else in the major tragedies of the period goes to such extremes of takes such delight in the doing on violence on an enemy' – Vindice embodies the ‘spirit of violence' (McAlindon 1986:140). Through the enjoyment and pleasure of violence, Vindice loses all focus, control and rationality. Murray's argument that ‘[Vindice's] moral perception is blinded at the moment when disillusion cuts through to his sexual obsession, and he is driven to sadistic revenges' (1964:223) is another example of Vindice turning tyrant, by becoming the lecherous man he has despised for so many years. Vindice almost sexualises Gloriana's decorated skull, ‘†¦ methinks I could e'en chide myself / For doting on her beauty' (III. V. 68-9) and he revels in the ingenuity of his revenge on the Duke, though he does not realise that ‘it destroys the moral value of Gloriana's martyrdom, making a whore and a murderess of her' (Murray 1965:218). His lust even extends to his own sister and in trying to tempt her to court, Vindice has some of his most poetic and well-reasoned lines: ‘Why are there so few honest women but because 'tis the / poorer profession? ‘ (II. I. 225-6). McAlindon sees Vindice's plea to Castiza to prostitute herself, as the ‘depth of [his] self-deception' and although of course he is happy when she rejects his offers, the ‘image of a noble self we see in flashes is not restored in the end' (1986:146). The play's moral dilemma is of course that Gratiana and Castiza can enjoy the riches too, if they agree to become corrupted (Salinger 1982:242). In his discussions with Lussurioso, Vindice again displays this side of his personality. The audience cannot help but draw comparisons between Vindice, the Duke and also his lecherous son, in the manner that he describes lust and sexual depravity: ‘I have been witness / To the surrenders of a thousand virgins' (I. III. 49-50). Vindice's arguments seem to flow all too easily, ‘premeditated' (Ornstein 1954:85) perhaps and convince his mother within seventy lines. Nicholas Brooke argues that his decision to carry out this ‘project' has its ‘own perversity', as his rage turns to ‘excitement' and a ‘delight in the paradox' (1979:15) which leads him to a dangerous resolve, ‘to try the faith of both' (I. III. 177). Although his asides show some regret for his actions, ‘Not, I hope, already? ‘ and ‘I e'en quake to proceed' (II. I. 104, 109), Vindice appears to continue his persuasion with little further thought on the matter. Later, when he decides to punish, and almost take revenge, on his own mother for agreeing to Castiza's prostitution, Vindice exhibits some of his most morally disturbing behaviour by Elizabethan standards. Gibbons notes that ‘in a society where parental authority was so strong, a parent's submission to a child was a deep and disturbing breach of custom' (1992:88n) and the image of Hippolito and Vindice either side of their mother, presumably with weapons, is almost a direct parallel of the way in which the brothers handle the Duke: ‘Nail down his tongue, and mine shall keep possession / About his heart' (III. V. 193-4). This can be viewed symbolically where Vindice must, for his own satisfaction, kill the ‘heart' and perform psychological torment, by showing the Duke his wife and son together. It could be argued that it is this image that kills the Duke. As his next target, the murder of Lussurioso must, of course, out do the death of the Duke, despite his reasoning being less substantial. To get his change however, Vindice must now become himself and is hired to kill ‘Piato'. This symbolism releases Vindice of all mental guilt, as it allows him not only to re-enact his killing of the Duke, but also stabbing the image of himself pushes him further into the ‘manic glee' (Brooke 1979:25) of the revenger character. Neill sees this episode as if Vindice were ‘facing the image of his death' (1997:84), a form of premonition to his inevitable downfall and death at the end of the play. For the audience, this image of Vindice killing â€Å"himself† is ironic, and the idea of arranging the corpse in a lifelike way is a shocking mirror of the ‘bony lady' (III. V. 120) Gloriana. With this gesture intended to separate the characters of Piato and Vindice, this actually brings them together as one, though Vindice fails to see this, as does Hippolito who says ‘In thine own shape now I'll prefer thee to him' (IV. I. 60) Vindice constantly makes the distinction between the characters; ‘am I far enough from myself? ‘ (I. III. 1), he asks, when first dressing as Piato, and later he claims his alter ego to be ‘a witch' (V. III. 121). Although this is a popular argument, critics such as Heather Hirschfield disagree, stating that Vindice is enacting a quest for ‘self-disclosure' and is ‘less about obtaining an impossible justice and more about orchestrating scenes that allow him to proclaim his own sinfulness' (2005:113). She argues that by putting himself in situations which allow him to give rise to someone new and pure through self destruction, Vindice is actually not looking revenge at all, merely a passage to a better life. With his final confession, Vindice hopes to attain this cleansing, however this moment of self-revelation ‘shipwreck[s] him on the very sinful self that confession is meant to overcome', and perhaps this is a critique of ‘hollow' Catholic penitence (Hirschfield 2005:113). Irving Ribner agrees with this view, arguing that ‘Heaven is responsible for Vindice's fall, but heaven's instrument is time, which changes all, and reduces life to death' (1962:77-8). It could be said therefore, that the tragedy of the revenger, is not his debasement to the level of tyrant, but his impatience for exacting his revenge, and the ‘failure of his faith in heaven' (Ribner 1962:80). Vindice fails to recognise and embrace the ‘inevitability of divine retribution' and the ‘self-destructive quality of evil' and by believing that he fully understood and was in control of himself, ultimately lost grip on his moral identity (Ribner 1962:75). At times Vindice seems somewhat irrelevant to the plotline in having no ‘clear-cut opponent' and being out of control of the majority of the action. In the masque scene, for example, the deaths of Ambitioso, Supervacuo and Spurio have ‘no indication' that they were anything more than an ‘unexpected accident' (Bowers 1959: 136,7) in which Vindice was simply an innocent bystander. Vindice, however, is not the only revenger in the play and the most notable other is Lussurioso when trying to take revenge upon Piato. He mirrors, albeit unwittingly, the masking and lying that ‘Piato' had displayed, in being untruthful about the reasons he wants revenge. Lussurioso claims that Piato had disobeyed his commands and attempted to seduce Castiza for himself using jewels. Ironically, this is just what Vindice had done, on Lussurioso's behalf, yet he fails to see this paradox, and is simply angered at the falsehood. Supervacuo, Ambitioso and Spurio try to take revenge on each other, as well as their elder brother. Again, they lower themselves to each other's level, climbing over one another in an attempt to become the next Duke. It could also be argued that Antonio has the final revenge, on Vindice, by condemning him to death. Is, therefore, Antonio as guilty as Vindice? Throughout the play he is described as ‘discontented' (I. V. sd) at the death of his wife, rather than grieving, which is a term usually associated with the character of the malcontent; Lussurioso claims that ‘discontent and want / Is the best clay to mould a villain' (IV. I. 48-9) Antonio, like Vindice, is deaf to the truth, condemning Gentleman1 for allowing the Duke to leave the court alone. It is ironic, perhaps, that Antonio's sufferings are so alike to Vindice's yet h e condemns him still. The nature of the relationship between Vindice and Antonio is described by Machiavelli: †¦ hat whoever is responsible for another's becoming powerful ruins himself, because this power is brought into being either by ingenuity or force, and both of these are suspect to the one who has become powerful (1532:15) In punishing Vindice and Hippolito, Antonio protects himself. Again, conceivably Vindice's fate was sealed from the very beginning, in that by allowing Antonio to become Duke as a consequence, he became in danger. It is possible then, that the ‘blazing star' (V. III. sd) looming over the banquet and masque, marks Vindice's fate, rather than Lussurioso's. He knows it is useless to argue against Antonio, who is ‘tainted because he shares [the brothers'] guilt' (Murray 1964:228); ‘Vindice loathes vice, but he has no faith in virtue' (Ornstein 1954:86). Justice seems to be lacking at the end, just as at the beginning of the play and as a result, Vindice's work seems futile. In conclusion, it can strongly be argued that Vindice turns tyrant to punish tyranny and that from this guise he is not redeemable. However whether this is the tragedy of the revenger is still debateable. Perhaps rather, the tragedy is that Vindice could not keep up his performance, his act, long enough to succeed or even take the Duke's seat for himself. In playing himself rather than Piato, and in his confession in the final scene, Vindice metaphorically admits to being taken in by the court that is ‘so given up to evil' and despite an ‘intense awareness of his own sin', he cannot save himself (Murray 1964:192,215). By the close of the play, the audience come to the realisation that ‘those who seek justice are no less corrupted than those who seek sensual pleasure or power' (Murray 1964:228). It is impossible, however to align Vindice with the â€Å"tragic hero† character, as though despite his admittance, he fails to achieve ‘self-knowledge' and ‘he amuses himself and us so much †¦ he seems incapable of suffering and inner conflict' (Ribner 1986:151). Through the enjoyment and gratification in the deaths and violence, Vindice's confession comes to nothing. He does not argue for forgiveness or try and show his regret but merely accepts that †tis time to die when we ourselves are foes' (V. III. 112). Peter Murray argues that Vindice is one of the more ‘believable portraits of neurotic perversion in all of Jacobean drama' and therefore the ways in which he evolves as a character is truly accurate to reality (1964:247). Can therefore, turning tyrant really be Vindice's tragedy, if any other character would have come to the same fate? ‘It is worth remembering that death is what we commonly expect at the end of a revenge tragedy' and Middleton simply alters the normal style of the close of a revenge play. In showing Vindice's lack of self-recognition, the audience would leave the theatre with a ‘particular sense of imperfection' (Ribner 1962:86). The tragedy of the revenger then, is not that Vindice has turned tyrant, but that he represents everyman, and in allowing oneself to be consumed with rage, desire and lust, every one of us would come to the same fate. Vindice does not realise that he has become the butt of his own joke; Lussurioso sought to hire a villain, and he succeeded.