Jainism and ahimsa Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jainism and ahimsa - Assignment Example Secondly, the religion helps in reducing violence since it emphasizes on complete nonviolence to all living beings (Kenneth 2014). As such, the religion promotes peace in the society by urging its followers to maintain a serene, peaceful environment that does not harm anybody or anything. Thirdly, the religion promotes equality of all living things. In general, there is an improvement in the moral behavior of people since the followers practice their beliefs in day-to-day life and observe the vows keenly. On the other hand, Jainism religion is seemingly ancient and the followers of the religion are outdated. Moreover, Jainism has many restrictions that are seemingly obscure and senseless. For instance, it is unrealistic to practice vegetarianism when we visit our friends since we cannot question the ingredients of every food. Apparently, Jainism is only reasonable for a minority. The extreme rules are not flexible to changes that apply to modern religions. In addition, many people wonder what the followers think about God and the life after death. Most religions also believe that it is not possible to exist without killing living creatures and

Toyota Case study Essay Example for Free

Toyota Case study Essay Jalopnik The crisis: Toyota recalled a total of 8.8 million vehicles for safety defects, including a problem where the cars accelerator would jam, which caused multiple deaths. How Toyota responded: Toyota initially couldnt figure out the exact problem, but it sent out PR teams to try and stop the media backlash anyway. The upper management was invisible in the early stages of the crisis, skewing public perception further against the company. Toyotas response was slow, with devastating results. But it served as a wake-up call for the company, which somehow turned it around in the months following the debacle. The company failed miserably in its initial crisis management, but thats what makes Toyotas case so intriguing. Despite its monumental mistakes early on, Toyota still bounced back. Why? It didnt take long for the public to remember Toyotas previously stellar reputation. The company offered extended warranties and pumped up marketing, leveraging its long-term track record and reassuring consumers about safety. Its ads in the following months were more thoughtful and sincere, showing the companys dedication to fixing the problem. Toyotas executives especially in the US became more visible, speaking to the media and becoming active in the investigations. The result: The Toyota brand showcased its resiliency, with its positive reputation built up over decades of good performance. The company leveraged this, focusing its marketing once again on safety and its proven track record. It had to show that this disaster including its own horrible mishandling of the situation was an aberration. And it worked, with a little bit a of luck. NASA exonerated Toyota of the blame for most of the accidents in 2011 and the companys brand equity leapt 11% this year, according to WPP.

The use of innovative marketing and product concepts

The use of innovative marketing and product concepts Innovative marketing and product concepts made OSIM International Ltd a leader in the industry of Home Health-care products. Franchise agreements among most of the cross border operations are implemented to ensure capitalization of local marketing expertise and practices of the franchisees. OSIM International Ltd are now employing expressive marketing and distribution system which enables the management to analyze customer needs and preferences both on the regional and local market bases and customize product designs to exceed customer expectations and also in order to address the company weakness. Despite of this effort of the company, the current financial situation of the company is quite unusual, thus a need for financial situational analysis is a must. For most businesses today, the progress and development they created are recorded as basis of their success. These records also serve as essential thing in making decision in business and of course as a benchmark for measuring the firms performance for the period under scrutiny (Ali, A 1993 and Pike, R Neale, B 1999). A financial situation analysis is one such gauge that documents current and future financial situation in an attempt to determine a financial strategy to help achieve organisational goals. Objectives The objective of this paper of evaluates and analyses the business performance of OSIM by reviewing the financial information for the past 3 years. Actually, it attempts to examine the financial statements of the company by using tools such as Ratio Analysis and also to see what might be the other factors that can influence the companys growth and its decision making and than to see the limitations of the financial analysis. These performance indicators are better known as ratios and constitute the main tools of conventional financial analysis. This serves as a proof that more and more organisations are realising the importance the analysis of their financial situation in order to keep up with the demands of the business world. Basically, this paper will be discussing the financial status of OSIM holdings Ltd. in accordance to their financial ratios in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Corporate Profile of OSIM OSIM International Ltd was believed a global leader in healthy lifestyle products. The company was originally founded by Ron Sim in Singapore in 1980. During that time OSIM was under the name of R Sim Trading, an electrical and household appliance company. Using their small start-up capital, the company engages with the promotion of household products such as knife sharpeners, knife and mobile clothes drying rods. Apparently, in 1989, the company listed with the name Health Check and Care, and later on shifted their main focus to healthy lifestyle products. The time following this created great development for the company, and it manages to produce outlets in Indonesia and Malaysia. In 1993, the company officially introduced the OSIM brand name and its distribution network grown up to 60 point-of-sale outlets in Asia. By the year 2002, OSIM formed its global business headquarters in Singapore at 65 Ubi Avenue 1. The Business Headquarters Status (BHQ) was awarded to OSIM by The Economic Development Board. In 1993, the company opened its first concept shop in Shanghai, in the Peoples Republic of China. Currently, OSIM operates about 1,100 outlets in more 30 countries worldwide. Current/Future Trends Figure 1. 2007 to 2009 Business Performance of OSIM Source: www.ft.com As seen in figure 1, the performance of OSIM is at its peak in the 2nd quarter of 2007. But suffers from continues decline in year 2008 up to the 1st quarter of 2009 due the global recession experienced not only by OSIM but of most businesses around the globe. Despite of the recession, OSIM still devices some strategy that will enhance their business performance. As seen in the presentation, there is also a slight revival of business performance in 2009 and it seems that this trend will continue up to the end of 2010. As recorded in ft.com, OSIM International Ltd (O23:SES) set a new 52-week high during todays trading session when it reached 0.615. Over this period, the share price is up 692.04%. Over the last week OSIM International Ltd (O23:SES) outperformed the Straits Times index.. Competitors As indicated in the company report of OSIM, their primary markets are located in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan and currently no company poses a significant threat to them as a major competitor (Osim International Ltd. 2009). The company believed that they have the have a competitive edge over their competitors in their primary markets as their extensive distribution network of outlets is dedicated to home health-care products. As part of the business development of the company, they currently exercise the full control over their point-of-sales network and dictate to their distribution chain how to sell and not only what to sell (Osim International Ltd. 2009). Furthermore, OSIM also control their supply chain, from the design of the products up to the distribution and marketing of the products. In general, the company considers Sanyo and Omron as their competitors. Actually, Sanyo is a major electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide. On the other hand, Omron is an old company which was established in 1933 and incorporated in 1948 by Kazuma Tateishi. Similar to Sanyo, Omrons core expertise is the manufacture and sale of automation components, equipment and systems, but it is generally known for medical equipment such as digital thermometers, blood pressure monitors and nebulizers. As seen, these competitors are not directly targeting the market of OSIM which are mostly home health-care products. However, in response to the competitors and in order to handle competitive pressures from manufacturers of low-priced products in the PRC market, the company have developed NORO as a secondary brand to sell lower-priced massage chairs and kneading massagers to the segment of the consumer market which are more sensitive to pricing (Osim International Ltd. 2009). While the barriers to entry into the home health-care products industry are not exorbitant, new entrants may possibly face high start-up costs and needed to compete against established brands. New entrants may also be short of the knowledge of how to sell and where to sell. Thus, the company is convinced that in this industry, strategic marketing and branding are crucial. Furthermore, new entrants might find it more complicated to set up a distribution network. For example, owners of strategic departmental stores and suburban shopping malls usually prefer the more well-established names. In addition, the comparison of financial values can will be discussed in the next secrtion. Ratio Analysis Characteristically, financial measures as well as the affiliations employed in performance depth are designed to stress outcomes with least or no consideration of the decision processes of the manager. The usual or conventional way of performance was based on episodic profitability gauges without the concern to particular variables that drive these measures (Daroca Nourayi, 2002). Performance in the past is mainly based on conventional accounting and measures based on market performance. In particular, these measures include the evaluation on net income, return on equity/capital employed, earnings per share as well as share-price return. Some financial outrages have put corporate governance in the business spotlight. Basically, the issues and interest in the subject corporate finance can be traced back at least to the eighteenth century and economists such as Adam Smith. Certainly, there is probably little new in the existing debate involving to financial negligence, except for the range of the financial and economic consequences which replicate the greater importance of finance in the current economy. As stated previously, the aim of this presentation is to scrutinize the economic and financial context of corporate governance of a home health-care products company i.e. OSIM. It attempts to evaluate the past, current and future situation of this business in terms of the financial reports. Basically, corporate governance has significant impact for the performance of the financial sector and, by addition, the economy as whole. Well-organised resource allocation is supported by strapping shareholder control rights, which assists investment in fresh development actions and confines the scope for corporate over-investment. Actually, investment decisions are further correlated to corporate governance insofar as investors prefer to invest in suitably supervised businesses and be fitting to avoid investing in uncertain environments. In this manner, the investor assertion created by sound corporate governance stipulations and the security of marginal shareholders encourages the financial market progress by encouraging share ownership and capable capital allocation across firms. Transparent financial reporting is necessary to sending efficient corporate governance. For the last several years, the home health-care products industries in Singapore have seen the rapid growth of the number of firms offering financial situation analysis services. This serves as a proof that more and more organisations are realising the importance the analysis of their financial situation in order to keep up with the demands of the business world. Analysis of Information Profitability Ratios As seen in figure 1, the Osim International Ltds 2009 revenues grew revenues 4.40% from 456.66m to 476.77m. This along with an increase in selling, general and administrative costs has contributed to a reduction in net income from a gain of 99.44m to a gain of 23.33m. From the record for 2009, the company actually suffers from profit decline due to the effect of global recession. As seen, their 2007 performance is expressive compared in 2008 or even in 2009. From these results, we can deviate that OSIM was not performing well in 2009 and 2008 as compared to their expressive 2007. Despite of some downturns in 2008 and 2009 due to the global business crisis, the year 2010 shows interesting trend. From the gathered information, it is expected that in 2010 both the revenue and net income of OSIM will be constantly moving upward. Figure 2. Summary of Profitability Ratios (Prices are in SGD) OSIM Sanyo Omron Source: http://www.ft.com From the given situation and results of revenue and net income of OSIM, the company not only needs to evaluate their business strategies but also the political, economic, and cultural factors of their host country i.e. Singapore. It is not whether the business is in a market oriented status or not. The business norms in Singapore have been changing and are becoming more compatible with international codes and norms after a series of economic reforms (Barton, D., Newell, R. Wilson. G. 2002). Given the nature of the Singapore economy and the large potential of the market, doing business with Singapore requires a continuous process of learning, caution for instability, and flexibility to catch opportunities. In terms of gross margin, OSIM surpasses both Sanyo and Omron. Despite of the large market of Sanyo and Omron, OSIM was still performing expressively. Liquidity and Debt Ratios In financial analysis, the balance sheets of company reports conform to the financial ratios (see Appendix for the complete details of balance sheets of OSIM). The purpose of ratios is to find out how profitable the company is, we can calculate if company has enough liquid resources to pay its creditors, employees and finance charges. It is a useful to shareholders to find out their value of shares. Ratios are most powerful and simplest tool to evaluate companys performance and its validity (Riahi-Belkaoui, A 1998). Atril Mclaney (2004) stated that by calculating a relatively small number of ratios, it is often possible to build up a reasonably good picture of the position and performance of a business. Ratios help to highlight the financial strengths and weaknesses of a business, but they can not, by themselves, explain why certain strengths or weaknesses exist, or why certain changes occurred. Just by details investigation will find the reasons. Ratios can be grouped into certain categories; each of them identifies a particular aspect of financial performance or, position. In this part of the paper, well be considering the liquidity ratios and debt ratio of OSIM. Liquidity ratios show how quickly the company can meet its short-term obligations using its current assets (Riahi-Belkaoui, A 1998). The following ratios are needed to determine the status of liquidity of the firm under analysis: Current Ratio; and Quick Ratio Each of them are calculated for OSIM as follows: The current ratio shows the ability of the company to pay its liabilities, i.e. debts and payables during the period (Pike, R Neale, B 1999). It is expressed as: As an alternative to the use of the current ratio, which may include financial statement items that are not easily liquidated and have uncertain liquidation values, the quick ratio does not include inventory in the computation of liquidity (Pike, R Neale, B 1999). In formula: Figure 3. Summary of Liquidity and Debt Ratios OSIM Sanyo Omron Source: http://www.ft.com It is evident in the computations that OSIM was always in good position to meet its short-term debt for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 compared to 2005 despite of the global crisis. This means that OSIM is always bale to meet their current liabilities using their current assets (cash, inventory, receivables) as compared to both Sanyo and Omron. The figures are not high so as to make the shareholders fear that the assets of the company are not working to grow the business, and not low so as to drive creditors away with respect to the level of risk present. Since quick ratios are perceived as a sign of the companys financial strength or weakness, the figures in the previous table shows the relative stability of the financial strength of OSIM. A higher number would indicate stronger financial performance, and a lower one means weaker performance. Apparently, the high financial leverage ratios of OSIM provide an implication that the organisation is solvent in the long-term. With this regard, the debt ratio shows the OSIMs position to meet its long-term obligation or liabilities. Debt ratios are dependent of the companys classification of long-term leases and other items as long-term debt (Pike, R Neale, B 1999). Pike, R Neale, B 1999, stated that this is the gauge with which the financial strength of a company is a sign of the ratio of capital that has been funded by liability, counting preference shares. A higher debt ratio (which means the company has low equity ratio) does not give the firms creditors the security they require from an organisation (Pike, R Neale, B 1999). The firm would, as a result, find difficulty in raising supplementary financial support coming from outside sources if the firm wishes to take such action. Therefore it reveals that the higher the debt ratio, the harder it is for the company to raise funds from the outside. Market Share For the recorded 2007-2009 business performance of OSIM Holdings Limited, the company generated a worldwide group turnover of around SGD 477 million. This is an expressive market share in global home health-care products business. In Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan which is OSIMs largest markets, their combined domestic sales accounted for 85.6 per cent. of their Groups revenues. In Singapore, IPS Brothers Enterprise Pte Ltd and Goh Joo Hin Pte Ltd market akin home health-care products under the brands of Oto and Lifestyle respectively (Osim International Ltd. 2009). In Hong Kong, National and Omron are OSIMs competitors. In Taiwan, there are many retailers in the home health-care products industry and OSIM do not consider any company as a major competitor to them (Osim International Ltd. 2009). Actually, the claim of OSIM is valid since there are no published statistics or official sources of information on companies engaged in the retail and distribution of home health-care products in their primary markets, thus, the company are unable to determine their market share. However, the company assumed that they are one of the leaders in Asia in this business based on 2 market surveys in 1999 which they had commissioned international survey firms, The Gallup Organisation and ACNielsen (China) Ltd (ACNielsen), to undertake to determine their market positions in Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. The Gallup Organisations survey revealed that in Singapore, OSIM is the number 1 brand for electronic home health-care products when compared to other brands like National, Omron, Oto and Lifestyle, in terms of the following (Osim International Ltd. 2009): brand awareness market share perceived image in terms of quality, trustworthiness, brand preference, technology, designs and features, range of products, customer service and value for money. On the other hand, the ACNielsens survey revealed that in Hong Kong, OSIM was also number 1 in terms of overall brand preference for massage chairs, foot reflexology rollers, pulse massagers and pulse monitors (Osim International Ltd. 2009). Actually, in the ACNielsens survey, OSIM was compared with brands like National, Oto, Sharp and Philips. SWOT Analysis With respect to the given information in the company website, the following presentation will show the SWOT analysis of OSIM. Actually, SWOT analysis can provide a framework for identifying and analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat. This can also provide an impetus to analyze a situation and develop suitable strategies and tactics, a basis for assessing core capabilities and competences. Moreover, this can provide the evidence for, and cultural key to change and a stimulus to participation in a group experience. Strengths Wide experience in apparels market as they have been in the business for almost 42 years now, their directors can consider their experience in operating venture as strength. Reasonable price offerings of products and services- since they able to keep their overheads low, this allows them to have better control of their prices. This is considered strength because naturally, people would look for a reasonably-priced place to stay in that equally do not sacrifice service and product quality. Already has developed a good reputation for value for money since they have been operating for great number of years, they already have built a name for themselves, attracting a number of loyal customers along the way. Good industry skills the directors of different divisions of OSIM are natural for the business that they ventured into, both being outgoing and friendly, the most important public relation skills that clients look for. Weaknesses Although, the company has seen much strength, OSIM also encompasses some weaknesses. One of its weaknesses is the declining confidence of some of its shareholders. Even though the group was successful, some of the shareholders are not confident due to the current crisis. The company should create ways to address this weakness. Another weakness of OSIM is their inability to have a system that will enhance their marketing and distribution processes. The advancement of technology nowadays is one of the weaknesses of OSIM. Although the company are now adopting different advance technologies, the room for improvement are still open. Thus, it is suggested for the group to have focus in their research and development department. Actually, the group was expressively dominating in the market of Singapore but with regards to the current global financial crisis, OSIM are dragged by the current condition of the country as seen in their financial ratios. Thus, another form of their weakness is their mutual bond to the economy of Singapore. However, if economic growth grows at a rate greater than inflation, then the total of business earnings should be dragged along as well. Opportunities To increase profitability in the face of increased demand for their business offerings this opportunity came from the social areas in the rise in the number of population and changes to consumer preferences. To better improve business performance due to the presence of more competitors, they have the opportunity to develop the business core competencies so that they can still get ahead of the game. To expand business coverage through excellent management and marketing activities, the OSIM could enlarge the business, not only increase the size of the physical facilities and improve offered amenities, but also to expand market scope, possibly to other countries. Threats Continued increase in the number of competitors. Increase in competition would mean tougher business development. Inability to cope up with modern developments this serves as a serious threat, as the competitors have shown that they have the capacity to include modern technology in their services and products offerings. Aggressive competitors as seen in the current environment of Singapore, there are numerous businesses that offer services and products similar to OSIM. This is, off the bat, the most aggressive competitor that the business has to face for the time being, aggressive with respect to the quality of product and services offerings. Porters Five Forces A Five-Force model (see Figure 4) was conducted in the context of the global cosmetic industry. Despite being a market leader, OSIM is not yet resting on its laurels of success, but instead, continuously innovating and developing their company in order to maintain what it has managed to achieve up to this time. Thus, they have constantly formulated competitive strategies in order to attain this. Forces outside the industry are significant primarily in a relative sense; since outside forces usually affect all firms in the industry, the key is found in the differing abilities of firms to deal with them. The most dominant strategic management paradigm in recent years is known as the strategies model (Fredrickson 1991). The state of competition in an industry, in this case the apparel industry, depends on five basic competitive forces, which will be here. The strength of the competitive forces in an industry determines the degree to which the inflow of investment occurs and drives the return to the free market level, and thus the ability of firms to sustain above-average returns. The underlying structure of an industry, reflected in the strength of the forces, should be distinguishable from the many short-run factors that can affect competition and profitability in a transient way (Porter 1998:3). For instance, variations in the economic environment over the business cycle manipulate the short-run productivity of the retailing industry, as can material deficiencies, strikes, and the like. Even though such factors may have strategic implications, the focal point of the analysis of industry structure is on categorising the basic, fundamental features of the industry rooted in its economics and technology that shape the arena in which competitive strategy must be set (Porter 1998). The five competitive forces suppliers, buyers, competitive rivalry among firms currently in the industry, product substitutes and potential entrants to the industry reveal the fact that the competition in the home health-care goes well further than the already existing business (Davies Lam 2001). Customers, suppliers, substitutes, and potential entrants are all competitors to firms in the industry and may be more or less prominent depending on the particular circumstances (Porter 1998). All five competitive forces mutually establish the amount of industry rivalry and productivity, and the most influential forces are prevailing and becoming decisive in terms of strategy formulation. In OSIMs case, even them who have a very well-built market leadership in the home health-care products industry where entrants have little or no threat will receive small returns on their profits if it has to face a superior quality and lower-cost alternative. Figure 4. Porters Five Forces Model Industry Competitors. In the global business industry, regulatory and technological changes are the main catalysts, making entrenched competitive structures obsolete and mandating the development of new products, new processes, new strategies, and new public policies toward the industry under analysis. Financial centres, in vigorous competition with each other, have undergone further regulatory change in their efforts to capture a greater share of international trade in financial services, even as common efforts at the regional and global level have tried to support safety and soundness and a reasonably level competitive playing field. Basically, there are numerous cosmetic players in the industry, included in the list is OSIM, who strive for market leadership in all their business aspects. As such, the level of industry competition is very stiff and very aggressive. Potential Entrants. Natural barriers to entry in the global apparel industry include the need for capital investment, human resources, and technology and the importance of economies of scale. It also includes the role of contracting costs avoided by a close relationship between the vendor and its client, which in turn is related to the avoidance of opportunistic behaviour by either party. The competitive structure of the industry therefore depends on the degree of potential competition. This represents an application of the contestable markets concept, which suggests that the existence of potential entrants causes existing players to act as if those entrants were already active in the market. Consequently, pricing margins, product quality, and the degree of innovation in this industry exhibits characteristics of intense competition even though the degree of market concentration is in fact quite high. Buyers. Home health-care products have a long historya history rich in product diversity, international scope, and, above all, continuous change and adaptation. These competitive changes have forced adaptations, and in general have improved the level and efficiency offer to clients, thereby increasing transactional volume. Coupled with these, the customers have become informed concerning clothing products that OSIM-like companies offer. They have required that service providers meet their very specific individual needs, therefore showing that clients to this industry have shaped what it is right now. This means, on an overall note, that buyers have a high influence on the workings of the global industry pertaining to home health-care products, as they have the ability to affect it. Suppliers. The suppliers to this industry are mainly the providers of technology and materials in home health-care firms use in the conduct of their businesses. There is an enormous variety of new hard and soft technologies at work within the said industry. Hard technologies include advances in telecommunications, computers, analytics, software tools, and video communications, which are enabling participants to have better information at lower cost; to integrate this information with thinking, communication, and analysis; and, finally, to use the resulting knowledge along with other technologies to distribute services to clients more efficiently, effectively, and economically. Soft technologies, or financial innovation things like, say, the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate and currency swaps often use these hard technologies to rethink the delivery of services. Out of these hard and soft technologies have come the securitisation and globalisation movements so oft en talked about in the press. From the above enumeration, it could be said that suppliers significantly affect the cosmetic industry through their tools of trade. Substitutes. There is a high level of substitutes for the healthy and lifestyle products industry, evidenced by the numerous numbers of major players in the global market. The cost to transfer to another beauty firm is also relatively low, so the substitution rate is pretty high. Conclusion The results of the analysis carried out on performance, financial and marketing indicated very significant effects on business sustainability, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that the business strategies such financial and marketing could still be expected to improve business sustainability faster than average. The review of financial capabilities and resources towards business sustainability revealed very little inconsistencies regarding its strategies. This is coherent with its traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for marketing. Moreover, it can be said that OSIM is a company whose financial situation is stable and highly likely to improve in the years to follow. To sustain their development, the company should regularly assess the value of their portfolio of its business. They have to be positioned on fast-growing opportunities, whether geographically or by market segment through choosing to invest in businesses with long-term tail-wind profiles. If the current financial situation carries on consistently, OSIM would well achieve their vision of becoming the leader in their industry and a major player in each of their market segments and key geographical markets. The comparison of the past and present performance helped in bringing out pertinent bits of information which led to the conclusion that the Singapore offices adds value and contributes significantly to the progress of the firm as a whole. References: Atrill, P. McLaney, E. (2004). Financial Accounting for Decision Makers, 4th edn., Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. Ali, A. (1993). Decision-Making Style, Individualism and Attitudes toward Risk of Arab Executives, International Studies of Management Organisation, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 53+. Barton, D., Newell, R. Wilson. G. (2002). When Is a Good Time to Make Strategic Advances? during a Crisis, of Course. The McKinley Quarterly, pp. 77+ Daroca, F.P. Nourayi, M.M. (1996). Performance Evaluation and Measurement Issues, Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 206+. Pike, R. Neale, B. (1999). Corporate Finance and Investment Decision and Strategies, 3rd edn., Pearson Education Limited, England. Riahi-Belkaoui, A. (1998). Financial Analysis and the Predictability of Important Economic Events, Quorum Books, Westport, Connecticut. Osim International Ltd. (2009) Company Report. Accessed January 12, 2010 from OSIM Ltd. (2010). About Us. Accessed January 12, 2010 from http://corporate.osim.com

Essay on the Importance of Language in The Tempest -- Tempest essays

The Importance of Language in The Tempest      Ã‚   In discussing Derrida's view of Western literature, Geoffrey Hartman writes that "Western tradition has been marked . . . by a metaphysics of light, by the violence of light itself, from Apollonian cults to Cartesian philosophies. In the light of this emphatic light everything else appears obscure; especially the Hebraic development of aniconic writing and self-effacing commentary of textuality" (xix). This point is well illustrated by the nature of Prospero's power in The Tempest for his control of natural and supernatural forces is achieved through book-learning the bringing to life of Logos. That which Prospero does not control completely is the vilified character of Caliban. The denigrated and unwilling servant seems to represent Prospero's shadow, and in light of the above statement, perhaps Caliban represents the shadow of our light-infused Greco-Roman style of domination of the material world. The text tells us that when Prospero first arrives on the island Caliban wi llingly reveals its secrets to him. Only when Caliban threatens the chastity of Prospero's daughter, Miranda, does the relationship turn into one of master and slave. Prospero thus draws the line between the shadow realm and purity. His action suggests that sexuality, too, must be kept in a role of servitude if one is to retain control of one's kingdom. In affirming this schism, Prospero simply enforces the dualistic nature of the Western tradition. In heaping scorn upon Caliban, Prospero embodies the West's extreme dualistic nature vis-a-vis its perceived schisms existent between light and dark, mortal and immortal, good and evil.    Caliban's transgression is thus never effaced and brings the diametr... ...are Commentaries. (1877):787-800. Rpt.   Scott. 304-307. Hartman, Geoffrey H. Saving the Text: Literature/Derrida/Philosophy. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1981. More, Sir Thomas. "Utopia." The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 1. Ed. David   Damrosch. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1999. 637-706. Platt, Peter. "Shakespeare and Rhetorical Culture." A Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. David   Scott Kastan. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999.   277-296. Sacks, David Harris. "Political Culture." A Companion to Shakespeare. Ed. David Scott   Kastan. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999. 100-116. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. Ed. Rex Gibson. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995. Snider, Denton J. "A review of The Tempest." The Shakespearian Drama a Commentary: The Comedies. (1890). Rpt. Scott. 320-324.

Douglasian Cultural Model in Indian Context Essay

Introduction Today’s world is being dominated by daily innovations in technology and increasing globalization which helps organizations to spread and to operate globally in a successful way. Every organisation operating at a global level is trying to improve their financial profits. The success of such organizations greatly depends on their workforce and their decision-making capabilities. Many times the ethicality of such decisions have been questioned because of the profit driven strategies of these organizations. As Nobel Prize winner economist Milton Friedman quotes, â€Å"An executive’s responsibility generally will be to make as much money as possible while conforming to their basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.† The decision-making process and hence ethicality of the decisions in such organisations is greatly influenced by the culture of the workforce. Bartels (1967) was one of the first to note the importance of the role of culture in ethical decision-making. There are different studies which discuss the diversity of ethical decision-making based on different perspective for example, Vitell, Nwachukwu and Barnes, 1993 discuss the effect of culture on ethical decision-making with the help of Hofsted’s typology while Patel and Schaefer, 2009 discuss the same with the help of Douglasian Cultural Theory (CT) perspective in the Indian context. Summary Patel and Schaefer’s article discusses the impact of culture on ethical decision-making from a Douglasian Cultural Theory (CT) perspective. It explains the dynamic ethical behaviour of the individual with four solidarities of CT. The Article also discusses the business ethics in the Indian context. Authors argue that applying static conception of culture to the process of ethical decision-making in business results in several problems. The Authors propose CT as an alternative model to these static conceptions to avoid these problems. The Article says that every social system is ethically plural because of the presence of all four solidarities together. An Individual from different solidarities may have a different perception of an issue’s moral intensity which may lead to different levels of moral awareness and hence to different moral judgements. The Article explores the dynamicity and diversity of ethical decision-making in business using the CT framework within the I ndian context with examples of Amul, SEWA, Tata Steel, ONGC and Reliance. Strengths This article offers an alternative approach of CT stating the impact of culture on ethical decision-making process in business. Authors argue that applying the static conception of culture to the business ethics results in different problems like national stereotyping, focus on only national cultural aspect ignoring the other aspects and broad generalisation of culture at national level. This article strongly supports the scholars who challenge the essentialist culture approach like Hofstedian framework. Singh (1990) and Bosland (1985a) have shown that it is possible to have different scores on the four Hofstedian dimensions within the same country. Hence there is possibility of difference in ethical behaviour within the same country. The Authors also talk about the same ethical dynamicity in behaviour. The article powerfully illustrates the diversity in business ethics within Indian context using CT model. The Article talks about the different cultural patterns existing in same corporation at same time. This article supports the argument by Sathe (1985) which says that although, the term â€Å"corporate culture† is used as if organisations have a monolithic culture, most companies have more than one set of beliefs influencing the behaviour of employees. The Article also supports the Thompson’s (1997 a-c) theory who argues that same individual could be a member of different solidarities in different contexts which explains the different ethical behaviour of an individual at a different social context. Also the article studies the ethical practices of different types of companies and business entities to understand the business ethics beyond large private corporations with respect to all the four solidarities of CT. The article debates about the dynamicity of ethical decision-making by citing the examples of all the solidarities existing in different Indian corporations. Also it talks over about the historical and philosophical background for the adoption of different ethical strategies by different corporations. Weaknesses The article explains the process of ethical decision-making in business from a ‘Douglasian Cultural Theory’ perspective only. The article does not identify many other factors beyond culture that may account for differences in work behaviour across nations. Scholars like Parboteeah and Cullen (2003) have suggested the need to include noncultural factors to isolate the influence of culture on ethical behaviour. Also many scholars have talked about the other personal characteristics like education, age, gender and religion that affect the ethical decision-making but they have not put any light on this part in the article. According to Kracher, Chatterjee and Lundquist, education plays an important and positive role in one’s ethical decision-making. Also Singhapakdi et al.: JBE (1996) talk about the relationship between ethical sensitivity and age being significantly positive. Ameen, et al., (1996) suggests that ethical judgments vary according to gender, where females have historically been more ethical compared to males. According to Singhapakdi et al :JBE (2000), there is a positive relationship between religion and perception of an ethical problem. The article has not mentioned all these perspectives while considering the process of ethical decision-making. Patel and Schaefer explained the ethical behaviour in Indian business context with the help of CT and argue that as CT is not limited in its scope of application, what is true for one country should also be true for other countries. This contradicts the findings of the researchers like Tsui which states â€Å"The major contexts that may separate one nation from another include the physical, historical, political, economic, social, and cultural.† This may cause an individual from another country to behave differently in the same context compare to individual in India. My standpoint The research article applies CT model to explain the ethical decision-making process in business within Indian context which allows us to look beyond static and limited conception of national culture. The authors have explained the ethical behaviours using examples of different Indian business entities. Since India is one of the largest growing economies, this research paper will be useful in providing the insights of the ethical practices in India. In my opinion, the authors have raised valid questions about the studies that link static conceptions of the culture to the business ethics. The authors have successfully associated dynamicity in ethical behaviours with the different cultural patterns as per CT which proves the existence of all the four solidarities in every social system. Paper also gives us insights about how all the solidarities co-exist and try to dominate each other. The Authors explain it in an Indian context citing examples for each solidarity. Moreover, authors have highlighted the important fact that managers operating under different cultural patterns may perceive and attend to information about moral issues differently which results in different ethical behaviours. The article considered the very important factors of history and politics that may have influenced while discussing dynamicity of ethical behaviours within Indian context. I am of the opinion that the Douglasian cultural theory is not sufficient to judge the ethical behaviour in business. There are many other factors like education, age, gender and religion which hold a significant role in the decision-making process. The authors have failed to consider these factors. I believe the consideration of the above mentioned factors would have made this research work more reliable. Also I disagree with the authors’ argument of what is true for India should also be true for other countries since every country has a different political, economical, cultural and physical background. Conclusion Taran Patel and Anja Schaefer have criticized the static and limited conception of culture to ethical decision-making in business. They have provided the alternative approach of Douglasian cultural theory to explain the dynamicity and diversity in ethical behaviours with the help of examples from business entities in India. The Authors advocate that the managers should be sensitive to the beliefs of all the four solidarities to be more effective. The Authors also agree that more empirical and theoretical work is needed to strengthen the relationship between the cultural patterns and business ethics. References Bartels, R.: 1967, ‘A Model for Ethics in Marketing’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Jan., 1967), pp. 20-26 Vitell S, Nwachukwu S and Barnes J. : 1993, ‘The Effects of Culture on Ethical Decision-Making: An Application of Hofstede’s Typology’, Journal of Business Ethics,Vol. 12, No. 10 (Oct., 1993), pp. 753-760 Hofstede, G. 1980. (Revised in 1984). Culture’s Consequences – International Differences in Work-related Values. Sage Publications. Singh, J. 1990. Managing Culture and Work-related Values in India. Organization Studies, 11(1): 75-101 Bosland, N. 1985a.An evaluation of Replication Studies using the Values Survey Module.Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation, Rijks-universiteit Limburg Working Paper 85-2, Maastricht Sathe, V. (1985), Culture and Related Corporate Realities, Irwin, Homewood, IL. Thompson, M.: 1997a, ‘Rewriting the Precepts of PolicyAnalysis’, in M. Thompson and R. J. Ellis (eds.),Culture Matters: Essays in Honour of Aaron Wildavsky(Westview Press, Boulder, CO). Thompson, M.: 1997b, ‘Cultural Theory and TechnologyAssessment’, in F. Fischer and M. Hajer (eds.),Living with Nature: Environmental Discourse and Cultural Politics (Oxford University Press, Oxford). Thompson, M.: 1997c, ‘Cultural Theory and IntegratedAssessment’,Environmental Modelling and Assessment 2,139–150. Kracher, B., A. Chatterjee and A. R. Lundquist: 2002, ‘Factors Related to the Cognitive Moral Development of Business Students and Business Professionals in India and the United States: Nationality, Education, Sex and Gender’, Journal of Business Ethics 35(4), 255–268 Parboteeah, K. P., & Cullen, J. B. 2003. Social institutions and work centrality: Explorations beyond national culture. Organization Science, 14(2): 137-148. Patel, T.: 2005, Using Dynamic Cultural Theories to explain the Viability of International Strategic Alliances: A Focus on Indo-French Alliances. PhD Thesis, Open University. Milton Keynes, UK. Singhapakdi, A., S. J. Vitell and K. L Kraft: 1996, ‘Moral Intensity and Ethical Decision-Making of Marketing Professionals’, Journal of Business Research 36, 245–255. Ameen, E., Guffey, D. and J. McMillan. 1996. Gender Differences in Determining the Ethical Sensitivity of Future Accounting Professionals. Journal of Business Ethics 15: 591-597. Singhapakdi, Anusorn, Janet K. Marta, Kumar C. Rallapalli, and C.P. Rao (2000), â€Å"Toward an Understanding of Religiousness and Marketing Ethics: An Empirical Study,† Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 27, No. 4, 305-319.

Critique on Gordon Allport (Theories of Personality)

Gordon Allport- theory review PSY201 Boitumelo Chantelle Mangope ? Introduction Gordon Allport was truly a phenomenal personality theorist who explained what a personality is and he bent most of the rules that were set out by other theorists including the father of personality himself, Sigmund Freud and in addition to that, he considered Freud’s theory of personality as the worst theory of all time. The Life of Gordon Allport Gordon Allport was the first American-born personality theorist and hailed from the state of Indiana, Montezuma.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/allport-1.jpg" alt="allport criticized older theories of personality for" width="340" height="322" />He was born on 11 November 1897 and died a month before his 70th birthday (9 October 1967) due to lung cancer. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts, (majoring in Economics and Philosophy), Masters of Art in 1921 and a PhD (all three at Harvard University) at the tender age of 24. After he completed his degree, he took a g ap year and taught English and Sociology at a university in Istanbul, Turkey. Gordon was lucky to have encountered an experience with Sigmund Freud for when he was returning back to the U.S to start off fellowship to do graduate work in psychology at Harvard, he stopped off at Vienna to visit one of his brothers and wrote to Freud (who was situated there) a letter asking for permission to visit him. The permission was granted and he explained there encounter as an unsuccessful on. He told Freud a story of whereby he met a young boy in a tram car ride who had a dirt phobia and he frantically told his mother not to let a dirty man sit next to him. Freud then went on to insinuate that the little boy was Allport and this caused a misunderstanding between them.This event lead to Allport having to probe further into psychology and the elements of personality because he felt that depth psychology overlooked the important truths. He developed a theory that ignored the unconscious and that w as not scientifically-based thus, stating that in order for one to learn about an individual, they have to be studied and not base the person’s personality on their unconscious motives nor on a study that was based on a group of people and an average which determined that group’s personality was found. During his prime, he held many prestigious positions and received many honors.Firstly, he served as the President of the American Psychological Association (1939) and also president of the Eastern Psychological Association (1943). He was also the editor of the Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology (1937-1949) and in 1964, he received the APA’s Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology. In addition to that, he received another award, i. e. APA’s Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award (1964) and as if that wasn’t enough, he was the first lecturer to teach the first course on psychology (the course was dubbed Personality: Its Psychological & Social Aspects) ever offered in the United States.Work Gordon Allport was one of the first psychologists to focus on the study of personality, and is often referred to as one of the fathers of personality. He believed that one’s personality could not be determined from the support of science and rather, through thoroughly studying an individual. He defined personality as â€Å"the dynamic organization within an individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment† Allport was a trait theorist who believed that one’s personality was made up from different traits (i. . mental structures which initiate and guide reactions and thus ultimately accounts for the consistency in one’s behavior) and those traits were organized accordingly. To further support this, he said that those traits arise within a given situation e. g. if one has a trait of being aggressive, that trait will be suppressed until the need for it to be exposed to a situation due to a stimulus (e. g. during a quarrel). He rejected the behavioral (which he thought was too deep) and humanistic (which he thought wasn’t deep enough) approaches.He emphasized on the uniqueness of each individual and the importance of the present, as opposed to his/her history, for understanding their personality. From that statement alone, it is clear that Allport was optimistic towards human nature for he further on went to say that there are individual traits, i. e. a unique pattern of traits which are possessed by an individual, and common traits, i. e. traits which are used to describe a group of individuals. One can clearly see that Allport was for human nature and uniqueness and appreciated that each individual had their own pattern of traits which could not be exactly the same as anyone else.He also went on to say that individuals are motivated by present motives and not passed motives and called this concept, t he Functional Autonomy. Major concepts of Gordon Allport Gordon Allport deduced that there are different types of traits being individual traits and common traits. As mentioned earlier, individual traits are those traits which are possessed by a certain individual and common traits are those traits which are shared by several individuals. Allport believed that in order for a personality theorist to succeed in studying an individual, they (the theorist) should focus on the individual traits and not the common traits. Those individual traits are actually a cluster of traits and not just one trait. For example, a pattern of traits which I possess are the humanitarian trait, talkative trait, friendliness trait and many more. This pattern is unique to me for it is rare for any other individual to possess it. Gordon Allport believed in using the idiographic method of research and not the nomothetic method of research because, with an idiographic method, a theorist or analyst uses a single case through intensively studying an individual whereas with a nomothetic method, one studies a group of individuals and deduces an average (i. . traits/ personality) for that group. Allport then went on to identify three types of individual traits (which he later called personal disposition). These were cardinal, central and secondary dispositions/traits. i. Cardinal Trait This trait is the one which dominates an individual and it shapes an individual’s behavior and becomes the dominating theme within a person. An example would be of Mother Theresa, the dominant theme which ran throughout her life was a humanistic theme. It is rare for most people to lack a single theme that shapes their lives. ii. Central traitsThese traits are general characteristics which are found in some degree in every person. These are the basic building blocks that shape up most of our behavior although they are not as dominant as cardinal traits. An example would be a trait of honesty. iii. Seconda ry traits Secondary traits are similar to habits or attitudes but are still more general than either. They must be included in order to provide a complete picture of human complexity. An example would be the types of clothes or food that an individual prefers. Aspects of Gordon Allport’s theory that I liked â€Å"The same fire that softens the butter hardens the egg†.That statement caught my attention when I read it and I went back to read the concept that was supported by it over and over again until I really agreed with it. The concept which supported that saying was Gordon’s concept of trait were he says that since no two people possess the same pattern of traits and that traits respond to an environmental situation (i. e. they are not always present until the need for them arises), if a single stimulus was to be administered to two different people, they would reacted differently to that stimulus. I conquer with this concept for this always happens to me.My best friend and I respond differently to stimuli. For example, I once made her buy my favourite ice-cream (because she didn’t know which one to buy) and she ABSOLUTELY hated it! This goes to show that Allport did in fact appreciate the fact that individuals are different, thus you cannot say that people who had horrible childhoods will turn out as X, Y and Z. I also favoured the â€Å"Letters from Jenny Concept† were Allport believes that one of the best methods to use in order to study an individual is to use personal documents such as diaries, autobiographies and letters.I also conquer with this for most females always write down their feelings through diaries. This has been told to us that it helps us relieve the pain or the stress and if a psychologist was to use one’s diary to determine the traits which that person possesses. There is a consistency which can be picked from a person’s daily entrants that are within their diary. Aspects of Gordon Allpo rt’s theory which I did not like Within Allport’s theory, there is a part whereby he talks about a healthy mature adult and an unhealthy (neurotic) adult.The difference between a healthy and a neurotic person is that is that the motives of an unhealthy person lie in the past whereas the motives of a healthy person lie in the future. I agree with that statement but I did not conquered with him where he mentions that one can swinging back and forth from being an unhealthy to healthy person and back to an unhealthy person (it’s a cycle). According to him, the characteristics of a healthy person are similar to those who have self-actualized (through Abraham Maslow’s theory of motivation) and Maslow states that in order for one to self-actualize, they need to go through a series of stages.So, the question here is that can a man go through important steps which help him build him up then instantly dilapidate and return back to an unhealthy state? Concepts that I would use in my personal theory For my personal theory, I would definitely use the Allport’s concept of trait (whereby he mentions that a stimulus is reacted differently to different people) because it is a concept which is very practical and one goes through it on a daily.Secondly, I would use his components of personality statement whereby he states that personality is constantly (Dynamic Organization) changing. This is evident for I believe that one’s personality cannot be determined whilst they are within their first five years (unlike Sigmund Freud) because that individual is going to go through many trials and tribulations which will influence the person to ensure that they do not step into the same river again thus, they will change to a certain degree to ensure that they do not go through that again.For example, if a naive 17 year old girl has a trait of promiscuity and during her prime time, she gets raped by someone who is totally unexpected two weeks befor e her BGSE exams, she WILL change her ways of living to ensure that she never has to go through that ordeal again. Personal Critique I believed that this theory is researchable qualitatively because it stresses on how one cannot use nomothetic methods of research and should instead, use the idiographic method of research because it involves an intense study for a single case.There are a lot of cases whereby one can do their own primary research to determine whether Allport’s guidelines are in line. Also, there is a lot of secondary data which is available online and even at the library which deal with Allport’s theory. However, there are a lot of people who have criticized Allport’s work by saying that it is impossible for one to ignore the fact that scientific research needs to be done in order for one’s personality to be analyzed and assessed.This leaves a lot of field to do further investigations for someone who is interested in finding out whether All port’s work is feasible by testing his concepts and also taking into consideration everything that the critics have said and ultimately, determining their one findings. I also believe that this theory is of clinical utility because as the saying goes, â€Å"your past does not determine you future†.There are patients who are not naturally expressive of how their past was shaped up (maybe because they may be too embarrassed to voice it out) thus, a clinical psychologist could use any personal documents of the patient to try and determine problems which cannot be voiced out. Also, a clinical psychologist will be able to understand the pattern of traits that their patient has by probing on the matter of knowing what their motives are and ultimately, determine whether they are a healthy adult who is future driven and doesn’t base his/her motives on the past (as of an unhealthy person).However, this theory will not ensure consistence because if three clinical psycholo gists were to analyze one patient, each of them will have a different analysis because they will all have their own opinions thus, they might not all agree on whether the individual is a healthy adult or not. This theory is highly applicable within Botswana’s culture for Batswana are receptive people who are looking for ways in which they can better their futures. Therefore, the healthy and unhealthy concept would work greatly within our land.As a matter of a fact, the theory as a whole would experience high and positive agglutination within Botswana. In order for one to understand the nature of Botswana’s culture, one has to look at it from the following point of view. The culture of Botswana may be looked in two aspects. The older generation practices enculturation* whereby they stand strong on the Tswana morals and beliefs and practice them on a regular, for example, the patlo, kgotla meetings & letlhafula events. The younger generation practices acculturation* whereby they are receptive towards other cultures and eventually practice them for example, following he pop culture of piercing on every part of one’s body and wearing baggy (men and lesbians) and skimpy clothes (females and gays) and the culture of food (Western, Oriental, Italian and Vegetarian). If Allport’s theory was to be practiced within Botswana, it would have to be amongst the receptive group of Batswana who are willing and able to share their future goals (i. e. motives) and allow a psychologist to take a look at their personal documents and this is likely to be the younger generation.This theory is unique in its own way for it truly emphasizes on not using scientific methods when analyzing ones personality thus most theories are not like it. However, since Allport was a trait theorist, it can be noted that he wasn’t the only trait theorist. Raymond Cattell and Hans Eysneck were also trait theorists who believed that one possesses a lot of traits. How ever, they used nomothetic methods of research thus, their beliefs were not the same as Allport’s theory. Allport’s theory does not emphasize on the development of personality at the expense of another.He focuses on personality as a whole and gives a holistic view of it. Since he did not conduct nomothetic research or scientific research, he could not use the backing of those research methods to determine whether when one aspect grows, another suffers on its account. Gordon Allport was truly a man who stood by his word no matter who criticized his work and he backed his concepts with relevant research that even a lame man would understand. He is one of my favorite personality theorists and I believe that his theory is applicable to my life.

Story Structure Three Models For Your Book

Story Structure Three Models For Your Book Story Structure: Three Models for Your Book Nothing makes the challenging task of writing a novel feel more attainable than adopting a story structure to help you plot out your narrative.While using a pre-existing blueprint might make authors worry they’ll end up with a formulaic, predictable story, you’ll find that most of your favorite books can be grouped into various narrative structures that writers have been using for decades.In this post, we’ll cover three story structures you can use to bring your own novel idea to fruition. Three narrative structures you can use to bring your own novel idea to fruition. What is narrative structure?Narrative structure is composed of two things: story and plot. Whereas the  plot  is a chain of events that dictate a book,  the  story  refers to the underlying factors that drive the dramatic action. Story, then, would encapsulate the protagonists,  key conflicts, and setting of the book. Meanwhile, plot would indicate the connected plot points that make up the narrative at hand.The importance of narrative structure is in its name. If a story didn't have structure, then it would be a formless blot without a clear beginning, middle, and end. It's story structure that lends definition and comprehensibility to a narrative - which is paramount to holding a reader's attention throughout a story. We covered three popular narrative structures in our series on story structure. To explore those particular story structures further, simply head below:the Three-Act Story Structurethe Hero’s Journey (otherwise known as Joseph Campbell's Monomyth)Dan Harmon’s Story Circle A slightly less detailed adaptation of The Hero’s Journey, the Seven-Point Story Structure focuses specifically on the highs and lows of a narrative arc. The Seven-Point Story Structure is made up of:The HookPlot Point 1Pinch Point 1MidpointPinch Point 2Plot Point 2ResolutionAccording to the  Seven-Point Story Structure-creator, author Dan Wells, writers are encouraged to start at the end, with the resolution. You should have an idea of what the final state for your protagonist/plot will look like. Once you’ve got that determined, go back to the starting point - the hook - and have your protagonist/plot begin in a state that contrasts the final one. From there, fill in the rest of the five plot points to flesh out how the protagonist/plot gets from that first state to the final one.Let’s elaborate on this narrative structure using Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as example.The HookThe start of the seven-point narrative structure is meant to dr aw readers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the novel should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the novel.Example: The novel starts out with Harry living a neglected life in the cupboard under the stairs of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s home.Plot Point 1Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else - there should be a "Call to Adventure" that sets the narrative and character development in motion.Example: Hagrid arrives to tell Harry that he’s a wizard. With Hagrid, Harry escapes the Dursley’s and head off to Diagon Alley to prepare for his new life as a wizard-in-training.Pinch Point 1Things can’t be all sunshine and roses for your protagonist. Something should go wrong here that applies pressure on the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.Example: A troll is found in Hogwarts on Halloween. Harry and Ro n go to find Hermione who is unaware of the troll. They end up luring it into and locking the troll in the girl’s bathroom - without realizing that’s exactly where Hermione is. Together, they take down the troll.MidpointA more apt name for this part might be â€Å"Turning Point† - as it doesn’t technically need to fall in the middle. But it does need to include the main character changing from a passive force to an active force in the novel. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on here.Example: Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn about the Philosopher’s Stone, and realize it’s being kept guard in Hogwarts. They also learn that Voldemort is after the stone and decide they must find it before he does.Pinch Point 2Not again! The second pinch point involves another hit to the protagonist - things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. Also called the â€Å"Dark N ight of the Soul,† this might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.Example: The trio journey through the magical protections set in place to protect the stone. Harry loses Ron and Hermione on the way, leaving him to confront Voldemort on his own.Plot Point 2Phew! After the calamity the protagonist undergoes in the Pinch Point 2, they learn that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.Example: At the height of the story’s primary conflict, Harry looks in the Mirror of Erised. Because his intentions for finding the stone are pure, the stone appears in his pocket and he learns that if Voldemort touches Harry, it will harm the dark wizard and not himself.ResolutionThe story’s primary conflict is resolved - and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform them from who they were at the start of the novel.Example: Armed with the discoveries the Mirror o f Erised gave to Harry, he defeats Voldemort. The seven-point narrative structure is all about the highs and lows of the narrative arc. We've said it before and we'll say it again: story structures aren't an exact science and you should feel welcome to stray from the path they present. They're simply there to help you find your narrative's footing - a blueprint for the world you're about to start building.

Free Essays on Tess Of The DUrbervilles

â€Å"I take thee to be my lawful wedded [husband], to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto me, until death do us part.† Traditional wedding vows are held sacred not only to the ones who pronounce them but vows are also kept sacred in many religions. There are many contrasting views of this sacred sacrament that Christians call Marriage. In the religion of Catholics, marriage is a sacred bonding of the mind, body and soul. "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.† (Proverbs 31:29) In Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Tess, the focal point of the novel, remained faithful at heart to her marriage despite all of her hardships. As marriage completely changes people’s lives â€Å"for better or for worse† every day, Tess’s ceremony affected her actions and her ability to progress as a young woman. The book is divided into seven phases, each of which tells a concise and particular story within the larger story of Tess's life and each accomplishes specific goals in moving Tess from her simple, youthful life in the country to her tragic early death. To an extent, this makes the characters in Tess seem one-dimensional. Angel Clare, who appears briefly in the first section, is shown to be graceful, kind, and life loving but after a while, the genuine â€Å"angel† turns cold and heartless. Alec D’Urberville, who in the beginning took advantage of the pure Tess, ended up offering a home and family to her when she had no one else to turn to. For the reader, Hardy created predictable characters to produce suspense of not being able to guess how they will turn out by the end. Many readers of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles believe that Alec, logically, is Tess's opposition throughout the novel. Often, readers lose perspective of not only the negative impact Angel has on Tess's l... Free Essays on Tess Of The D'Urbervilles Free Essays on Tess Of The D'Urbervilles In Phase five of Tess of the D’Urbervilles I feel that Tess really grew as a person. In this chapter she grew up and took responsibility for things that have happened and that will happen. She knows that everything that has happened isn’t totally her fault but, she needed to own up to her part in those events. In this phase she understands the estrangement from her husband and because of that she doesn’t want to go to his family to ask for more money. At the same time her family needs money to fix their roof that has started to leak and she is devoted to them so she sends them the rest of her money. About the same time that she has to give all her money to her family she gets a letter from her friend Marian telling her of work on a farm. She now knows what she has to do and that is go out and get a job to support herself. On her way to the farm she looks for work at other diaries so she doesn’t have to face her past but, she has to face it anyway when the man that Angel hit on Christmas Eve shows up. He again says that he made no mistake who she is and that she should apologize to that other man for deceiving him. This really sends her back to her past and she goes running into the woods to hide from the man and her past. After she gets to the dairy though she gets to talking to Marian and she tells her not to refer to her as Mrs.Clare but just plain Tess. This is because she doesn’t want to be sent back to everything she has been through Tess really wants to move on. I think that so far out of all the phase in this book that I’ve read this is my favorite. I feel this way because of the fact that I think Tess has really truly grown and learned something important life lessons here. I think that the growth from this phase will make the next even better.... Free Essays on Tess Of The D'Urbervilles â€Å"I take thee to be my lawful wedded [husband], to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto me, until death do us part.† Traditional wedding vows are held sacred not only to the ones who pronounce them but vows are also kept sacred in many religions. There are many contrasting views of this sacred sacrament that Christians call Marriage. In the religion of Catholics, marriage is a sacred bonding of the mind, body and soul. "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.† (Proverbs 31:29) In Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Tess, the focal point of the novel, remained faithful at heart to her marriage despite all of her hardships. As marriage completely changes people’s lives â€Å"for better or for worse† every day, Tess’s ceremony affected her actions and her ability to progress as a young woman. The book is divided into seven phases, each of which tells a concise and particular story within the larger story of Tess's life and each accomplishes specific goals in moving Tess from her simple, youthful life in the country to her tragic early death. To an extent, this makes the characters in Tess seem one-dimensional. Angel Clare, who appears briefly in the first section, is shown to be graceful, kind, and life loving but after a while, the genuine â€Å"angel† turns cold and heartless. Alec D’Urberville, who in the beginning took advantage of the pure Tess, ended up offering a home and family to her when she had no one else to turn to. For the reader, Hardy created predictable characters to produce suspense of not being able to guess how they will turn out by the end. Many readers of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles believe that Alec, logically, is Tess's opposition throughout the novel. Often, readers lose perspective of not only the negative impact Angel has on Tess's l...

Approved and Listed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Approved and Listed - Essay Example If you are listed, it could mean you are permitted, therefore there is an agreement and acceptance, and so, there is an approval. A list is also a plan that is approved. It is necessary for approved item to be listed and kept for future references, in the same manner that listed items, must be set aside for future consideration. In contrast, approved things may be listed, but a list of things may not be approved. In other words, you can make a list of terms that may be approved but you may not approve of a list that is not acceptable. A listed plan may or may not be agreed upon or considered. The approval of certain lists depends on its content. There are listed items that cannot be approved or accepted. But there are approved items that need to be listed for further confirmation. Moreover, the term approved and listed may mean the same in some aspects, and contradict each other in one or two instances.

Changes in the Nature of War and Diplomacy after 1989 Essay

Changes in the Nature of War and Diplomacy after 1989 - Essay Example This led to the carving out of the world into two: the Sino-Soviet East and the Anglo-American led West. Although the United States was the first country to create and use atomic bombs in the Second World War, other nations like the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bombs. In the first decade after the Second World War ended, Britain had also joined the group of nations with atomic bombs. These atomic bombs were further developed into nuclear bombs and France and China also acquired theirs. In the 1960s, a trend known as Atomic Diplomacy took centre-stage because the Soviets and the Americans had these weapons (Watson, 1989). However, the extent of damage that the weapons could cause for civilians in both countries. The need for deterrence prompted diplomacy for these two nations. One significant thing that came up after the Second World War was the formation of the United Nations which became a machinery for the rapid decolonisation of nations around the world (Robbins, 2010). The United Nations declared that it was illegal for nations to be ruled by foreign powers and this led to the collapse of the British and French colonial empires.... The first war was the Korean War fought right after the Second World War in the early 1950s. It led to the division of Korea into two parts, a Communist state in the north and a Capitalist state in the south. Other conflicts raged on in Vietnam and other countries where there were divisions on the lines of the dominant global ideological trends and patterns. There were internal struggles and coup d'etats that were influenced by these dominant powers. These were proxy wars that were fought by the chief proponents of these ideologies through their agents in foreign nations. This trend ended until the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and fought a deadly and expensive war with Muslim militants who were backed by the West. This war effectively ended in 1989 and led to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. The end of the war marked a significant change in patterns and trends in war around the world. Aims and Objectives This paper seeks to identify how the nature of war has changed sin ce 1989. The essay would examine the important changes that have occurred in the conduct of war from the perspective of international relations. In doing this, the paper would explore the following objectives: 1. An examination of important changes in international relations and global order since 1989 2. Influence of the changes in international relations and global order after 1989 on wars. 3. Analysis of theories that define the current global order and its impacts on wars. 4. Evaluation of new trends in global order: Terrorism, Islamic Militancy & Internal Strives Changes in Global Order after 1989 In 1989, the Berlin Wall which acted as the symbol of the Iron Curtain which separated the Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe from Western Europe. The unification of

The Joint Intelligence Committee model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Joint Intelligence Committee model - Essay Example The most sparkling thing with the Joint Intelligence Committee is that the committee has managed to maneuver all the critics and scandals that are likely to occur in such a remarkable organization and of high value. According to Aldrich (1992, pp.112) Joint Intelligence Committee is a success that the British government has enjoyed for a long period of time. With time, the Joint Intelligence Committee has attained the label of the government’s flagship. Other researchers have traced the reports of the Britain’s central intelligence in the quest for looking for information that answers all questions that pertain to the Joint Intelligence Committee. In fact, other analysts have made a great attempt to trace the works of the Joint Intelligence Committee’s former chairman, all in an endeavor to understand their records and thoughts on the Committee. This essay will undertake a detailed research on the Joint Intelligence Committee by analyzing the works of various analysts who have undertaken a great percentage of their time to conduct a detailed research on the project. For an understanding of the project, it is important to evaluate the parallel systems in other countries, to comprehend the effectiveness of the Committee. In as much the Joint Intelligence Committee has recorded massive failures whilst in its operations, notable- the onset and closing stages of the cold war- it is important that, both sides of the operations are weighed to avoid bias wile taking the final conclusion. For instance, if the Joint Intelligence Committee is judged on the basis that, it was able to predict the attack of the Soviet bomb to the Britons by 1954, but occurred by 1949, would be taking a harsh stand on the ability of the Joint Intelligence Committee to create a situation whereby they are able to come up with workable solutions on the validi ty and reliability of the committee. 2.0. Brief history on the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) has had the longest history prior to its establishment. Grant (2009, pp.178) indicates that, the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) traces its roots to the early 1940s. During this period, the Committee played the role of a synchronizing the founder chiefs of the organizations in order to, have a stable base of operation. The major proponents of this Committee included, the directors and delegates of persons with intelligence form various governments’ settings like, UKs army, navy, Economic warfare as well as, the coordinator of information. The growth and development of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) was hastened by the 1947 National Security Amendment that made room for refurbishing the outmoded approach. It is after 1947, that the Committee witnessed hastened growth with the incorporation of persons with ideas on the advancing int elligence in all forms of the Committees’ systems and departments. For instance, it is at this time that, the Committee aimed at creating a situation whereby military intelligence is combined. However, the Committee did not manage to create a unified military intelligence attributes from Phythian’s (2005, pp.654) argument that, no evidence has been documented on the Committees’ statistics that national intelligence estimations are vivid. In response, research conducted by Aldrich (1992, pp.98), indicates that, the committee had to conduct a series of meetings in an attempt to alleviate the hitches that were present in the system as well as, allocating specific roles to various members of the committee. For

Bar Code Implants Instead of Social Security Numbers for Research Paper

Bar Code Implants Instead of Social Security Numbers for Identification - Research Paper Example VeriChip, a prototype of radio-frequency identification (RFID) nanochip, stores six lines of text and is slightly bigger in size compared to rice grain. This nanochip technology contains a few kilobytes of silicon memory and a tiny radio transmitter. Special scanners can easily pick up the device’s emission of approximately 125-kHz radio frequency signal (Scheeres). It is an implantable nanochip device (Grossman). Verichip is created and manufactured by Applied Digital Solutions. This company largely markets the nanochip in the United States. As a medical device, Verichip implanted into the patient’s body allows hospital workers to simply scan the body in an emergency situation to access their medical history (Scheeres). Aside from the medical use of the VeriChip, security is also part of the business plan. The method of operation to implant the nanochip or microchip into the body is fast and simple. It takes about seven seconds to perform the operation. Three things are only needed: an antiseptic swab, an injection, and a Band Aid (Grossman). Usually, doctors load a wide-bore needle with a microchip, and injected it under the left-arm skin. Using local anesthetic, the device is injected through a syringe. The microchip is immutable once injected (Scheeres). In fact, the chip is fully biocompatible. Medical Reason. If something unexpectedly happens to a cancer-survivor person, for instance, and nobody knows anything about his or her medical history, an ER doctor or any hospital worker will be able to scan and eventually access the patient’s entire medical information (Scheeres). The special scanner looks like a Palm handheld computer. Particularly, Jeffrey Jacobs experienced a serious car accident, upon arriving in the hospital, he was in no shape to tell his health background to the hospital workers. Nanochip technology implants could give voice to the patients when they don’t have one (qtd. in

Business Plan - Major Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Plan - Major Assignment - Essay Example The reason for picking this line of business was due to the nature of the service sector in returning profits on investment. However, the investment has to undergo intense planning in order to ensure that the factors that guided the operations and running of the restaurant will ensure returns on investment. The main reason of picking the Montclair region is due to the availability of a facility that the owner of the business inherited from their father. In effect, this facility shoulders some of the burden that comes with leasing property to conduct business. The company venture into this area due to the lack of another restaurant to offer two differentiated products at the same time. In this case, the restaurants, fast foods, and other franchises operating in this area operated along one segment without considering combining two segments in order to offer differentiated products. Company Profile This new company will be unique from any other restaurant in the area chosen to establis h the restaurant. In addition, the restaurant is going to be a sole proprietorship, which means that the owner will own the facility and be responsible of any profits and losses or profits that the business might incur. The idea to start the idea was born when the facility to establish the restaurant was offered to the owner by his father who operated a restaurant in the same location. Tentatively named, Eagle Group Restaurant, the restaurant will serve a dual service role in that it aims at providing families dining services as well as provide these families with an experience of intimacy. To achieve this, the restaurant will offer customers a diverse menu that will come along with portions that were generous at reasonable prices while adopting a Texan Midwestern theme. In order to recreate this theme, the restaurant will provide the dining area with a smaller unique menu that will continuously be changing depending on the season in time. The decor of the restaurant will include be ige colors, tubing made of black metal, and a fountain garden styling with the walls constructed of bricks. In order to ensure that the decor remained unique in nature, the restaurant will feature an entertainment platform that focused on live cooking for a section of the clientele. Mission Statement The mission of the company will be to aim at exceeding the expectations of a customer by providing the appropriate ambience for the perception of all their senses. In order to achieve this mission, the restaurant will ensure that the atmosphere was pleasing to their senses of touch, smell, sight, hearing, and tasting by being provided with an exciting environment that was creative in nature. In addition, the restaurant will train their employees and equip them with the exceptional skills for customer service that will ensure that they made decisions based on business philosophies. Market Research Montclair, New Jersey has recently witnessed an influx of restaurants with many of these re staurants being franchise operations such as the Acappello (Acappello). However, the industry appears to be stable, which indicates that there is room for growth in the future with the economy of the area set to be maintained

Select a historic building that you consider to be at-risk and Assignment

Select a historic building that you consider to be at-risk and suitable for rescue by a Building Preservation Trust - Assignment Example Rothesay Pavilion still continues to act as the center of the island community for many activities being that it has a large carrying capacity (Primack, 2003). Until then, the building management team, the council and the entire population were not aware how important Pavilion was to the surrounding location. When it was neglected, the community came to realize how multi-activity pavilion was including fitness, leisure, accommodation, attraction site to visit to mention but a few (Eberhardt & Thomas, 2011). When the council realized the importance of the pavilion which was at a great risk of losing its Art Deco splendor, tourist center and generally how it positively impact on the environment, they ordered for a rebirth of pavilion to restore back its beauty. The process of achieving regeneration and restoration was not all that easy with pavilion managers alone but it became a successful activity with the involvement of the prince’s regeneration Trust. The regeneration of Rot hesay pavilion has received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund with a great amount of development funding (Becker et al, 2009). ... th the endorsement of regeneration activity, the local project will therefore progress with the input of funds from the various sources in order to create and develop a strategy to the BPT as the charity group in ensuring that the project is completed early in 2016. Its completion will restore back the functions it used to serve of being a cultural center, visitor attraction which will change the Rothesay seafront and impact positively on the economy of the area and the United Kingdom at large (Fanger, 2000). The involvement of the Prince’s Regeneration trust gave Scotland a real progress in the resurgence of the Rothesay Pavilion to its initial cultural venue for the community (Fanger, 2000). It would not only serve an important heritage but also a positive regeneration of the town. The pavilion is a building that is loved by so many people because of its unique architectural style and so many memories it holds for the people. Therefore, the main goal the entire population sh ould have is that is to bring back the beauty, magnificence and greatness back to the Pavilion its initial glorious state (Becker et al, 2009). The only challenge at Rothesay is not only to organize for the funds for restoration of this iconic building but also to reinvent as a feasible community building that will have an appeal to visitors nationally (Eberhardt & Thomas, 2011). It is therefore important for the restoration of the building in order to avoid many logistics involved in the environmental planning in setting up a new building. This initiative also helps in environmental conservation by avoiding new constructions which that can lead to land denudation as a result of ground excavation during new construction. Hence, restoration of the already existing buildings is the best

Bar Code Implants Instead of Social Security Numbers for Research Paper

Bar Code Implants Instead of Social Security Numbers for Identification - Research Paper Example VeriChip, a prototype of radio-frequency identification (RFID) nanochip, stores six lines of text and is slightly bigger in size compared to rice grain. This nanochip technology contains a few kilobytes of silicon memory and a tiny radio transmitter. Special scanners can easily pick up the device’s emission of approximately 125-kHz radio frequency signal (Scheeres). It is an implantable nanochip device (Grossman). Verichip is created and manufactured by Applied Digital Solutions. This company largely markets the nanochip in the United States. As a medical device, Verichip implanted into the patient’s body allows hospital workers to simply scan the body in an emergency situation to access their medical history (Scheeres). Aside from the medical use of the VeriChip, security is also part of the business plan. The method of operation to implant the nanochip or microchip into the body is fast and simple. It takes about seven seconds to perform the operation. Three things are only needed: an antiseptic swab, an injection, and a Band Aid (Grossman). Usually, doctors load a wide-bore needle with a microchip, and injected it under the left-arm skin. Using local anesthetic, the device is injected through a syringe. The microchip is immutable once injected (Scheeres). In fact, the chip is fully biocompatible. Medical Reason. If something unexpectedly happens to a cancer-survivor person, for instance, and nobody knows anything about his or her medical history, an ER doctor or any hospital worker will be able to scan and eventually access the patient’s entire medical information (Scheeres). The special scanner looks like a Palm handheld computer. Particularly, Jeffrey Jacobs experienced a serious car accident, upon arriving in the hospital, he was in no shape to tell his health background to the hospital workers. Nanochip technology implants could give voice to the patients when they don’t have one (qtd. in

Select a historic building that you consider to be at-risk and Assignment

Select a historic building that you consider to be at-risk and suitable for rescue by a Building Preservation Trust - Assignment Example Rothesay Pavilion still continues to act as the center of the island community for many activities being that it has a large carrying capacity (Primack, 2003). Until then, the building management team, the council and the entire population were not aware how important Pavilion was to the surrounding location. When it was neglected, the community came to realize how multi-activity pavilion was including fitness, leisure, accommodation, attraction site to visit to mention but a few (Eberhardt & Thomas, 2011). When the council realized the importance of the pavilion which was at a great risk of losing its Art Deco splendor, tourist center and generally how it positively impact on the environment, they ordered for a rebirth of pavilion to restore back its beauty. The process of achieving regeneration and restoration was not all that easy with pavilion managers alone but it became a successful activity with the involvement of the prince’s regeneration Trust. The regeneration of Rot hesay pavilion has received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund with a great amount of development funding (Becker et al, 2009). ... th the endorsement of regeneration activity, the local project will therefore progress with the input of funds from the various sources in order to create and develop a strategy to the BPT as the charity group in ensuring that the project is completed early in 2016. Its completion will restore back the functions it used to serve of being a cultural center, visitor attraction which will change the Rothesay seafront and impact positively on the economy of the area and the United Kingdom at large (Fanger, 2000). The involvement of the Prince’s Regeneration trust gave Scotland a real progress in the resurgence of the Rothesay Pavilion to its initial cultural venue for the community (Fanger, 2000). It would not only serve an important heritage but also a positive regeneration of the town. The pavilion is a building that is loved by so many people because of its unique architectural style and so many memories it holds for the people. Therefore, the main goal the entire population sh ould have is that is to bring back the beauty, magnificence and greatness back to the Pavilion its initial glorious state (Becker et al, 2009). The only challenge at Rothesay is not only to organize for the funds for restoration of this iconic building but also to reinvent as a feasible community building that will have an appeal to visitors nationally (Eberhardt & Thomas, 2011). It is therefore important for the restoration of the building in order to avoid many logistics involved in the environmental planning in setting up a new building. This initiative also helps in environmental conservation by avoiding new constructions which that can lead to land denudation as a result of ground excavation during new construction. Hence, restoration of the already existing buildings is the best

Money Today Essay Example for Free

Money Today Essay Money today seems to be the most important thing in peoples lives, examples of this are shown in Paper by Catherine Lim; which tells the story of Tay Soon and his wife, and their general obsession with owning their own dream house. Another story that helps to prove this point is The Winner by Barbara Kimenye which centers itself around an elderly gentleman named Pius who is forced to deal with the acquisition of a large sum of money. While the two stories contain characters, which hold different values they both hold a similar ironic ending, and both stories prove that money changes peoples lives. Although both stories help to prove that money indeed does change peoples lives; both Paper and The Winner do it through characters that hold completely different values. For example in Paper Tay Soon is obsessed with his money. Even after he had made enough to buy his dream house he refused to sell his stocks because he wanted more. Whereas in The Winner Pius doesnt really care when he is informed that the original amount he had won had to be split between 300 people. Tay Soon was also very vocal about the actions of his mother and how it appalled him when she refused to try the stock market. I was kind enough to offer to help her make money. But since shes so nasty and ungrateful, well leave her alone. Pg 77 This proves that Tay Soon is a take charge kind of guy. This is further proved by his actions, as he buys and sells all his stocks himself and waits in the brokers office for the latest stock tips. However Pius who similarly is discontent at first with Cousin Sarah passively says nothing to her about it and keeps his discontent to himself, showing that he doesnt really like to take charge of his situations. This is further proven by how easily he is influenced by his best friend Salongo, for instance when Pius is being interviewed by the radio reporter and Salongo keeps telling Pius to say nothing and sure enough Pius says nothing. This all shows that the  difference in character values does not affect the similarity in the theme. While the two stories may be separated by a difference in character values, they are similar in irony. Both stories posses similar ironic endings in which both endings turn out differently then foreseen by the main characters in both stories, thus changing their lives. In Paper Tay Soon expected to make millions playing the stock market and buy his dream house, however in the end he lost all his money, which led to his death; and to further the irony Tay Soon was buried in a model dream house made of paper, the very thing that caused his death. In The Winner the main irony came from the fact that at the beginning of the story Pius thought Cousin Sarah was annoying and wanted to get rid of her. Pius listened to her confident aplomb with growing horror, whilst Salongo frantically nudged him and whispered There what did I tell you? That womens a stickler. Pg 78 However in the end it was proved that Cousin Sarah was the only one who would stick by him when everyone found out there was no money then originally thought and Pius and Cousin Sarah end up getting married. So as you can see money does seem to be the only thing on peoples minds these days. For example look at the growing number of lawsuits and reality based game shows. They just show that people will do anything for a quick buck these days, further proving that money changes peoples lives.