Macbeth was basically a good man lead into evil ways Essay

The statement ‘Macbeth was basically a good man led into evil ways’ is one I agree with, to a certain extent. His evilness certainly progressed throughout the play, but his influences from the witches and Lady Macbeth and degree of goodness at the start is debatable. I shall also discuss the reasons for his destruction, which ties in the plays themes – for example ambition, order and disorder and guilt and conscience. The play opens with a scene of disorder – lightning and a coven of witches. This really sets the scene for the rest of the play. The disorder finally reflects on Macbeth, therefore leading to his destruction. When we watch the first scene we wonder how big a part the witches will play and how influential they will be. At the end of the scene we know that they are going to meet Macbeth and we are anxious to know what is going to happen to him. We also know that they are evil creatures and they intend to play around, their final words leave us with a feeling of uncertainty and disbelief; ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air.’ The audience asks themselves what does this mean? Can good be bad? These words sum up a lot of the play; the good can be bad and vice versa. ‘Hover through the fog and filthy air’ tell us that the play will be evil and full of cunning schemes and dirty tricks. It is also wondered why Shakespeare didn’t introduce Macbeth in the first scene, as the play is entitled after his name. However, Shakespeare’s use of the witches in the first scene emphasises how influential they are. By going against the expected, the audience becomes more afraid of what will happen. The witches are unexpected and so add even more to the feeling of uncertainty and anxiousness. But was Macbeth good from the start? Firstly, in his defence, the king thought highly of him. Regarding the treason committed by the Thane of Cawdor, he says ‘What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won’. By referring to Macbeth as ‘noble’ it gives him a good impression, that he is loyal and just, but in what sense it is directed is unsure. Is he referring to the character of Macbeth, or the military skills? As this scene is set on the battlefield and Macbeth is one of his best soldiers, he may have been referring to his military skills. But as the play commences we learn that Duncan and Macbeth are socially connected, as they dine at each other’s homes. So it does seem that Macbeth was seen as a good man at the start of the play. If this is true, what made Macbeth turn to evil ways? Firstly ambition played a part to start his destruction. In Act 1 scene 3 we first meet Macbeth, who has his first encounter with the witches, which has immediate effects. The first thing the witches say to Macbeth is; ‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.’ ‘All hail Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor.’ ‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.’ By saying these things the witches immediately have the attention of Macbeth. In these times, the 15th and 16th centuries, many people believed in witchcraft. Between 1560 and 1603 hundreds of people (nearly all women) were convicted as witches and executed. So it is no surprise Macbeth believed theses things said to him, but maybe partly because he wanted to believe. Also the witches predict that Banquo’s son will become king and at the end of the play he does. However Macbeth does no know this. The audience think that the witches intend to create evil but they are not sure where, when and with whom. So they are not sure what to make of the predictions. We also learn in act 1 scene 3 more about the witch’s powers. One of the witches says; ‘Although the bark cannot be lost, yet it can be tempest tossed.’ She is speaking about a sailor’s wife who would not share her chestnuts so the witch will create a storm to sink the boat he is sailing in. This tells us that the witches have enough power to create a situation that could destroy, but not to physically destroy. So this is another argument to say that Macbeth was good from the start – the witches had him in their power. On the other hand Banquo did not believe what the witches said – showing he was more level headed. But when Macbeth finds out that Duncan appointed him as Thane of Cawdor, he really does believe in what the witches say. The witch’s power is well illustrated in this scene because they put Macbeth in the situation in which he could think of murder, but they do not suggest it directly. If they were trying to led Macbeth on then this scene tells us he is an easily lead person, as he seems deeply affected by the witches words – this weakness is also shown later in the play concerning Lady Macbeth and the plotting of a murder. This scene cleverly portrays the difference between how Macbeth and Banquo reacted to the witch’s predictions. Banquo is also offered great hope that his sons will be kings but he does not believe that good news can come ‘from voices of Satan’ and does not trust them even though they could become true. ‘Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root,’ Banquo was used by Shakespheare to show that Macbeth must make the choice between good and evil. From the structure of this scene we are fairly sure he will choose evil. Yet Macbeth’s degree of evil is not yet shown, it is only at its potential stage. None of his bad thoughts about Malcolm being the successor to Duncan have not been taken into action. Lady Macbeth is partly to blame for this. In Act 1 scene 5 Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth, telling of his experience. She too believes that the witches are true. Her power and strong beliefs are soon shown when she says; ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood †¦.Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers.’ This really shows the power and strength Lady Macbeth has. It also relates to the latter part of the play where it is clear that Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in their relationship. An argument brought forth by some is that this speech is a spell. We are led to believe further in the play that Lady Macbeth has witch qualities when she thinks she has blood on her. This is another characteristic of these times – people believed that this was a sign of a witch. So we cannot say that Macbeth was forced to murder King Duncan by the witches as the encouragement of Lady Macbeth is shown greatly in scene 7. The witches did not put the idea into Banquo’s head that he should murder Macbeth to ensure his son would become king, so therefore we cannot say that they put the idea into the head of Macbeth. Critics argue that Lady Macbeth was the one who forced Macbeth into killing Duncan. However, it was Macbeth who had the first thoughts of murder, In act 1 scene 5 Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her about his meeting with the witches; ‘I have learned by the perfectest report they have more in them then mortal knowledge.’ This is untrue because Macbeth does not know that they were telling the truth and Banquo did not believe them in the same way. Therefore he does not know anything by the ‘perfectest report’. This shows us that Macbeth may have been trying to tempt Lady Macbeth into thinking the first thoughts of murder, leaving the blame lying with her, whilst attempting to clear his own conscience. Lady Macbeth’s character takes blame for the murder as she shows no sign of repent once the crime has been committed, until the end of the play when she becomes insane. Before the murder takes place she takes matters into her own hands, criticising her husband; ‘It (Macbeth’s nature) is too full o’th’milk of human kindness.’ She then says at the end of scene 5; ‘To alter favour is to fear, leave the rest to me.’ So the actual influence of Lady Macbeth is uncertain; she is either subconsciencly persuaded by Macbeth to persuade him, or she has an actual evil inside her. Macbeth’s evil really comes to its zenith when he becomes king. He has murdered, and lied just to gain power. Ambition over took him, fired on by the powers of the witches. It is debatable whether Macbeth was originally a good man who was led into evil ways, or if he was evil from the outset, but I believe that evil is made not born. The ethics and morals of people are created at childhood, through the observations of others, being told by parents what is right and what is wrong. This belief brings me to the conclusion that the witches had some uncontrollable force over him, whether this was a mental forced – sparked off by Macbeth’s great ambition or whether they had actual power I am uncertain. But for Macbeth to be so changed and affected by these creatures when his friend was encountered the same and not affected at all leads one to believe that he has a weakness in his character. So it is well argued to say that yes, Macbeth was a good man led into evil ways.

Influence of Pop Art Essay

The Influence of Pop Art Illustration Essay To be someone who goes ‘against the crowd’, you must have a lot of courage. Well, back in the late 1950’s, pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and many others did exactly that. During this time period, pop art was a challenge to the traditions of fine art by using images of pop culture. You may be asking yourself, what is pop art? Pop art consists of objects that are removed from their original context and combined with unrelated material. In her article from Design Magazine, Adriana Marinica has a great explanation of how pop art appeals to us Americans and how pop art has it’s own style, â€Å"This art derives its style from the visual activities and pleasures of people: television, magazines and comics. † (Marinica) Pop art influenced American culture greatly while influencing the art culture as well. It created a different perspective for art, rather than fine art. Most people have seen Andy Warhol’s work, the most famous being the campbells soup cans, he is the most known pop artist. Not only did pop art influence American culture but it also influenced British culture, but in a different way. In 1952 was the beginning of the pop art movement known as â€Å"The Independent Group† who represented young artists of that time. Even today, pop art is still seen around the media and even street art. Back in it’s time, pop art was much different than anything anyone has seen. It has been the most â€Å"popular† art movements of the modern era. This movement was supposed to be a rebellion towards the ‘Abstraction Expressionists’, or artists who were perceived to be pretentious and over-intense. Fine art was popular from the 17th century on, it had much detail and focused on being realistic including paintings and drawings, while compared to pop art which has bright colors and it is more cartoony and not very realistic. Pop artists took images from popular media which made it easy to relate to the works. With the images from popular media, they would combined it with a background or other objects that had nothing to do with the media images. On the other end of the spectrum, most fine artists used a contemporary style while pop artists were more focused on the  attitudes rather than the art itself, such as irony and parody styles. Most pop artists prefer to use colors such as red, yellow, and blue since they are so vivid and are sure to grab your attention. Marilyn Diptych (1962). Campbells Soup (1968). Just a few of Andy Warhol’s most known pieces of pop art. You’ve seen the multi-colored soup can picture in your high school art class, and maybe you’ve seen the oddly colored portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Warhol had many other different styles and pieces, but he was very popular with his pop art works. Warhol seemed to have a great interest in creating images of well known actors and actresses. Not only is the iconic Andy Warhol famous for his pop art, we need to recognize that there are many other artists who have adopted the pop art culture. Some of those artists include Crash, Jim Dine, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Tom Wesselmann. Pop art became very popular in the late 1950’s in North American culture. The term ‘pop art’ was officially introduced in December of 1962. Origins of pop art in North America emerged as a way of expression for artists at a time where the world was lacking any interest or excitement. This movement was to emphasise that pop art could take images from mass-media from popular culture and can still be considered fine art. At this time advertising had used many elements of modern art, which had artists searching for more clever ways to advertise to keep up with the changing world. American artists found their inspirations by living within our culture. In the United States, pop art was made as a representational art as an ironic response by artists to subdue the personal symbolism. Mass produced imagery was very popular in America, these works of art had more bold and aggressive overtones. Back in the 1950’s and 60’s pop art was associated with pop music which includes swinging and covers of the Beatles’ and Elvis Presley’s cover albums designed by the pop artist Peter Blake. In contrast, Great Britain viewed American pop art from a different perspective. Great Britain adopted romantic, sentimental, and even humorous overtones. Early pop art in Britain was inspired by American pop culture, but they did not experience this culture as Americans had. During the time of post-war, pop art culture improved the prosperity of their society. English pop was considered to be more of a metaphor or to have a theme. Introduced in the United Kingdom, the Independent Group was formed in London, 1952. This was a group of young painters, sculptors, architects, writers, and critics who were challenging modernist approaches to the culture and traditions of the fine arts. The group was mainly about popular culture implications from mass advertising, movies, product design, comic strips, science fiction, and technologies. Even with origins early as the 1950’s, pop art culture is still very alive to this day. Pop art has a very strong influence on today’s top fashion designers. As Marylou Luther of the Cleveland, Northeast Ohio News states, â€Å"To me, the most important art force that has popped back into fashion and the one most likely to have a trickle-down effect to the streets is Pop art. The art movement has been so iconic and profound that it is still featured, studied, and produced to this day. Some inspirations are helpful towards interior architecture, fashion, fabric, and something even as simple as packaging. A popular way pop art is used is the well known comic style that is based on American animations. While searching for how pop art is used today, I found a quote on a website that I felt should be included in this essay, â€Å"This type of fine art is so popular nowadays that we recognize its potential to continue growing and attracting more followers all around the world. As you can see, pop art has had a very big impact on our culture that we still see to this day. Not only has it inspired our culture and our artists, but even other countries’ culture and artists as well. I can say that I’ve been inspired by pop artist Andy Warhol with his amazing works of art. As we see daily; Hollywood, magazines, television, and newspapers are all producing different images which is enlarging popular culture majorly. Without the pop art movement, our culture would not be the same. Marinica’s point of view may better help how pop art has influenced our culture and how it is still very much alive today; she states, â€Å"Pop Art continues to be hailed as a success to this day, whether we’re talking about original pieces selling for big money, or prints selling in huge numbers. It became clear that pop art was much more than just a statement and it’s hard to ignore it. You can see it wherever you go. It’s in public places and even advertising, as it was used initially in the 1950s.

10 Reasons to Get a College Degree Essay

In the article â€Å"10 Reasons to Get a College Degree† by Kelci Lynn, she discusses tangible and intangible reasons on why getting a college degree is important. One tangible reason is that a person with a college degree will be able to make more money than a person without a college degree, and able to get a better job than a person without a college degree. Leaving the person with the college degree with a larger range of income. A second tangible reason is better job opportunities. It is easier to get a good job with a college degree compared to a person without a college degree. With a college degree in hand, it opens up more and/or better job opportunities. A third tangible reason to have a college degree is that is prepares you for situations in life that have yet to occur. A degree better prepares someone for changes that can occur in the world around them when thrown their way. They will know how to handle and overcome them once they happen. One intangible reason on why to get a college degree is that it makes someone feel better about them self knowing that they accomplished something. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay A second intangible reason is a college degree can help someone realize that they can do and accomplish bigger and better goals and/or dreams. The third Intangible reason is that while getting a college degree is gives a person an opportunity to meet and become friends with a lot of people that could become helpful to them in the future if needed. For example: A doctor, lawyer, or even a teacher. I am attending college to get a degree for a few reasons. One reason is because I want to set a good example for my younger siblings so they will go farther with their life and want to go to college when they get older. I want them to be able to look at me and think to themselves that they can also accomplish something with their life, and be able to have better opportunities instead of just settling with a GED. A second reason is because I want to become successful as a person and actually do something with my life by having a career instead of just a job. With a college degree I will be able to go farther in life than I would without a college degree. A Third reason why I am going to college is I want to have the chance to be able to have a better income, rather than making minimum wage for the rest of my life. With the job I have now I hardly have enough money to put gas in my car, but by getting a college degree I can have a career instead of just a job and have a better chance of making a higher income. One of the last reasons why am attending college to get a degree is because I want to open more doors in my life. I would like to have more opportunities with the choices I am going to have to make in the future, so I can have a greater chance of becoming successful at what I want to do.

What Factors Contribute to a Successful Computer-Based After-School Dissertation

What Factors Contribute to a Successful Computer-Based After-School Programm for At-Risk Children in an Urban Middle School - Dissertation Example The scope of this work is focused on whether the participation in an after-school program is beneficial to at-risk middle school students. This topic is important because there is a need for increasing the amount of time in which students are involved in educational activities beyond the regular school day. In these days of increased budget constraints any program that is competing for funding will have to be able to prove its efficacy. Having data to support the impact on academics of at-risk students will be beneficial to the program which requires funding, the entity which will supply the funding, and the students themselves as they will be able to determine if their time and/or money will be well-spent. This was a research project using interviews and reviews of academic progress reports/report cards. These methods allowed the researcher to not only establish a baseline as far as the students’ grades are concerned but allowed for a look at the students’ points-of-vi ew of the program. The interviews took place at a middle school. The findings show that participation in the after-school program led to improvements in academic performance in math. However, there were also several additional benefits as a result of the participation in terms of feelings, attitudes and behavior. ... I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Theodore and Patricia Wilson for their encouragement and support in what has turned out to be one of my greatest journeys. Without the additional support and understanding of my family and friends, this dissertation would not be in existence. Acknowledgements I would like to express my appreciativeness to my committee chair and mentor, Dr. E. Alana James, for her constant inspiration, feedback, and reinforcement. Thank you to Dr. Camilla Ferebee and Dr. Thea Williams for serving stupendously as my dissertation committee members. Their valued suggestions and knowledge have guided me through this wonderful three year journey. Table of Contents Abstract II Dedication III Acknowledgements IV Table of Contents IV Chapter I: Introduction of the Study 1 Background of the Study 1 Problem Statement 2 Purpose of the Study 3 Research Questions 3 Early Signs of Need of Extended Day Learning 4 Key Terms 4 Assumptions, Limitations, Scope, a nd Delimitations 5 Assumptions of the Study 5 Limitations of the Study 5 Scope of the Study 5 Delimitations of the Study 6 Significance of the Study 6 Summary 6 Chapter II: Review of the Literature 7 Introduction 7 History of After-school Programs 7 No Child Left Behind 10 Federal Role of Out-of-School Learning 12 At-Risk Students 14 Computer Usage in After-school Programs 15 Attendance and Academic Success 17 Benefits of Math After-School Programs 18 Summary 18 Chapter III: Methodology 20 Introduction 20 Research Questions and Hypotheses 20 Research Questions 20 Hypotheses 21 Background and Purpose 21 Methodological Design 22 Participants 24 Data Collection and Analysis 24 Consent and Confidentiality 26 Assumptions and Limitations 26 Summary 27 Chapter IV: Results 27

Political Risk Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Risk - Assignment Example Moreover Wal-Mart customers are based largely U.S population’s beliefs (Overholt, 1982). The strategy used by Wal-Mart to deal with political risk was first by opening up of new Wal-mart super-center in certain cities and areas. They had to make good financial decisions, those areas which were disturbing the welfare of store and not making good profits were avoided. Wal-mart knew profits were not expected in areas which has down falling economy. For example Wal-mart would initiative risk by making more than 1500 jobs in their stores. If the economy goes down the jobs would be eliminated, and they incur a financial loss because a lot of money has been used in training those employees. This brings financial burden to the company. They expanded their stores in Brazil but it has its risk itself. Looking for people to hire and training them took a lot of money and time. Although, Brazil is a wealthy nation like U.S any economic downfall if it was to happen would make the company to incur lose to people, stores and money (Overholt,

Tourism Management Course Work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism Management Course Work - Assignment Example If the front desk doesn’t respond pleasantly and efficiently to the needs of the traveler, this also will leave a bad impression. How a guest is treated is more important than the looks of an establishment, which does not diminish the need for a beautiful venue. It just means that beyond that beauty should be substance, which is represented by the quality of the staff. 3. As a resort hotel manager, do you believe your guests need to be educated about environmental protection? Do you need to educate your staff? Answer: Because of the new trends in green tourism, the staff definitely needs to be fully informed on all the ways that the hotel is implanting green policies in order to leave a smaller eco footprint. The staff should also be prepared to answer questions concerning ways in which the guests might take issue with one policy or procedure or another which does consume more than what might be desired. The guests should see literature in their rooms and at the front desk tha t shows what measures have been taken in order to lower the rate of consumption by the hotel. This type of information is both instructive and develops good relationships between the hotel and the guests. The information, however, should also be subtle because those who are at the resort are there to experience a sense of luxury. A good balance between maintaining the appearance of excess, while also showing responsibility, will provide for the best possible outcome regarding this issue. 5. For new developments, should the access roads be supplied by a government agency, the developer, or both? If both, who should supply what? Answer: Access roads to a new development are supplied by the government as the building of new commerce is considered to be a benefit to the city. Negotiations between the government and the developer will often allow for other considerations as well, but the access roads, as they are connected to the main roadways, are the responsibility of the government ag ency who is in control of road development within that specific area, whether it be city, county, state, or federal. 8. The sports director of a large resort hotel has been instructed to upgrade the hotel's physical fitness program. Provide some suggestions as to how this might be done. Answer: When approaching physical fitness within a resort hotel environment, conservative is the best approach because of the liability risk involved in active participation. Low impact, high result physical activity is the best method so that guests are attracted to the hotel, but are not in danger of physical injury. Although all physical fitness has some risk, making sure that staff is fully prepared to help guests and that any activity that is programmed has fully certified instructors is the best possible mitigation to risk. The second element of reconstructing a physical fitness program is in looking at the current trends and selecting those trends that reflect safe use, but also are exciting t o the guest. Dance routine type programs, such as Zumba, an exercise program which incorporates salsa dance, provide an environment of fitness while supporting something that is relatively safe. Being current while mitigating risk factors is the key to any new physical fitness program in a resort environment as it is likely some guests who participate will have not had much previous physical activity in their background. Therefore, the third element is making sure the program is

Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Qualitative Research - Essay Example Hubbard reckons the gendered attitudes and beliefs to arise from a merging of the students’ school, family and community ethos. Her results prompt the author to question â€Å"the wisdom of Ogbu’s undifferentiated treatment of the African American student population.† (p. 605). In her study, Hubbard found that a combination of ethnicity, class and gender determined the academic achievements of her subjects whereas Ogbu had asserted that under-achievement in schools by minority students was influenced essentially by cultural factors, and not by any inherent deficiency of racial, genetic or academic traits. According to Hubbard, â€Å"Recognizing the salience of gender in constructing academic identities extends the work Ogbu started and corrects an oversight that plagues his work.† (p. 606). Hubbard has chosen to focus on cases of successful minority students rather than look to explain the reasons for minority students’ failure. Through this study, Hubbard has tried to find answers to several questions including how to â€Å"account for the relative success of African American students who not only stay in school but also do well and become eligible for college?† What made the subjects of her study â€Å"not assume an ‘oppositional stance’, as Ogbu’s theory predicts?† and â€Å"why are female African American high school students typically more academically successful than their male counterparts?† The gender issue in the educational field is not a new phenomenon and it is not restricted to any ethnic group. In fact, low aspirations coupled with poor examination results in boys seem to be a global problem. Furthermore, gender-based differentiation vis a vis over-achieving girls and under-achieving boys has become a common feature in recent years so that experts in education are strongly advocating specific strategies intended to improve educational outcomes for

Augustines City Of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Augustines City Of God - Essay Example In his Preface, he gives a surprisingly modern day Abstract and tells us the compulsion, idea and purpose of his writing the book and the significance of its title. "I must consider this city as far as the scheme of this work demands and as occasions serves". Practically speaking it is only a powerful defence of Christianity that took him thirteen years to write and it dominated the political thoughts of medieval ages. Critics call him 'Prophet of Personality' for having possessed one the most impressive personalities, while his style and language are considered as immaculate. Augustine was known to be particularly influenced by Plato. "In The Republic Plato had constructed an ideal city, based on right and instinct with Righteousness, which might almost be described as a City of God, and is actually described by Plato as 'laid up somewhere in heaven,'" Saint Augustine, The City of God ( p. xxii) It was also beginning of search for authentic Christian philosophy to popularise the religion and amass followers. Calling the time as an end of an era, Burleigh says: "Strange as it may seem St. Augustine has no consciousness of living at the end of an era, or even in a period of transition," (1944, p.10). Deane argues that he wrote the book on the 'theology and psychology of fallen man." Augustine replies the charge against the Christians and says they were not responsible for destroying Rome. If the overall view of the book is taken into consideration, it is neither totally political nor wholly religious. From the Preface we can find that Augustine justifies the work he has undertaken as the work of God, and his contribution to Christian theology. "This security it now awaits in steadfast patience, until 'justice returns to judgment'; but it is to attain it hereafter in virtue of its ascendancy over its enemies, when the final victory is won and peace established. The task is long and arduous; but god is our helper." It is also considered to be the 'first major intellectual achievement of Latin Christianity'. Marcellinus, the encouraging friend, perhaps was worried at the consequences of devastatingly negative reaction amongst people, produced by the sacking of Rome with unnecessary violence, which left Christian faith in a negative light. This is a kind of pacification of an ill-treated and humiliated, but proud population, almost an explanation and healing of persisting wounds. While rendering explanation to what happened by saying that the retributions and sufferings were due to ignorant worship of pagan Gods, he does his bit of missionary work by informing the unhappy and vulnerable people about 'City of God' and Christianity, where Jesus is all powerful and merciful and healer of all ills. The crux of the work is establishing Jesus as saviour of mankind. Whatever little kindness was shown to people during destruction of Rome, Augustine argues, was due to

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics Research Paper

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example The code of conduct is a document that has been framed for the well-organized and effective performance of the overall performance of the company. Code of ethics used by the PetSmart helps to improve the problem solving ability of the company. The Board of Directors has authorized the Management Team under stewardship of the Managing Director to direct the norms regulating the Code of Conduct, Ethics of the responsibilities allotted to the various departmental heads of the PetSmart. About the company: The company PetSmart, Inc. was established in the year of 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona. It is the one of the biggest specialty retailers of services and solution for the lifetime requirements of pets. The company PetSmart has in excess of 1,172 pet stores in the Puerto Rico, U S A and Canada and in excess of 172 in-store Pets Hotels dog, Doggie Day Camps and cat boarding services. And also PetSmart is the one of the leading online supplier of pet materials and various information’s r egarding the pet care. Company also offers a wide variety of competitively priced foodstuff for pet and pet provisions, and provides various pet adoption services and pet training. Mission statement: The mission statement of the PetSmart is to develop the quality of existence for every companion animals by generating and supporting agendas that save the existences of homeless pets and encourage healthy relations among pets and people. Ethical system used by the organization: Organization used various type of ethical system to improve the overall productivity and problem solving ability of the company. Ends-driven, relativistic, entitlement and duty-driven (legal or religious) ethics are the some of the widely used ethical system. Code of ethics used by the PetSmart is legal code of ethics. Every Associate should read, be aware of and employ the Code of Ethics of the PetSmart and company Conduct and connected policies. Every Associate has also the duty to identify and keep away from or prevent conditions that may cause possible breaches of the Code. In this case, the Code of ethics would be to treat all members of the work force equally without any kind of discrimination on the basis of age, gender, sexual preferences or disabilities. Besides, the Code of Ethics require to consider that there necessitate be no discrimination, or bias in favour of any gender in terms of work allocation, or its execution. Besides, there is need to identify, instil and enforce a code of work practices, which would lay down minimum standards for potential workers. It is essential that every the new workers read and follow the Written Manual of Code of Conduct and ethics of this business which has been provided to them upon accepting appointment in this company. The existing members of the work force would also be provided with copies of written manual which sets forth their ethical and moral interfacing with this organization. Consequences for Breach of Code: All members of the com pany have been provided with a written copy of the revised Code of Conduct/Ethics. Any deviation shall be strictly dealt by way of in commensuration with exiting laws and the company’s own policies and procedures regulating its Code of Conduct. How the code of ethics is used by the company: The pet smart is used legal code of eth

Social survey Essay Example for Free

Social survey Essay Diabetes is the seventh major cause of death in the United States of America. Diabetes is a condition that arises from the inability of the body to produce insulin or to utilize it appropriately. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for converting blood glucose into a more body friendly form called glycogen. When the body’s ability to convert glucose to glycogen is compromised there is an increase in the blood glucose levels. This is detrimental to the health of an individual because, it causes extensive damage to the blood capillaries resulting to a myriad of other diseases. These include blindness, kidney diseases, amputation of the limbs especially the lower extremities and heart diseases (Aubert, 1995). In 2008, CDC announced that more than 23 million individuals who live in the US have been diagnosed with diabetes. This depicts a three million increase over a period of two years. In addition to this, more than fifty seven million Americans have pre diabetes. More than five million people in the United States have diabetes and they do not know it. This means that doctors often diagnose it when it is too late. This results to the large number of deaths that arise from it (Joslin, 2008). The prevalence of diabetes among minority populations is even higher due to the social inequalities they experience when it comes to medical care. Genetical make up has also been associated with diabetes (Cheta, 1999). African Americans have a 60% higher chance when compared to Caucasians while Hispanics are the most predisposed with more than 90% increased chance. On average, Hispanics have twice the risk of developing diabetes as compared to the white population. Native Americans and Alaskan Natives living in America had extremely alarming rates with more than 16% of the entire population suffering from diabetes. These rates are also evident in children especially teenagers. Researchers identified that in the children they assessed form 1990 to 1995; more than 30% had pre diabetes. This is mainly due to the changes in lifestyle with most American children living sedentary lives with little or no physical exercise. There is a very high correlation between obesity, diabetes, coronary diseases and hypertension among all the ages in the American population. All effort must be therefore geared towards campaigns that will inform and create awareness among the American population especially the young so that there can be a lifestyle revolution to uproot these diseases from the society (Krasnegor, 1990). There is an increase in the efforts of the government and the health practitioners to reduce these rates especially among the younger generation. The best approach is to create awareness to the population regarding diabetes and create collective responsibility that will hopefully result to behavior change. In addition to this the government has been putting a lot of effort to impart knowledge among the citizens on the best methods of managing diabetes (Betteridge, 2000). This study will assess the information that the youth have regarding the causes and prevention of diabetes. Statement of the Problem According to the CDC results, diabetes rates have continued to soar over the last two years. There is an increased incidence at the rate of diabetes in children. Majority of the children in America have pre diabetes, a condition that largely predisposes them to diabetes. Regardless of the race and the social status diabetes, needs to be addressed by everyone. This social survey is therefore very timely as it seeks to find out how much information the youth have regarding to preventing and managing diabetes and how much of these strategies they are implementing on their day to day activities. In order to bring these high rates of diabetes down, it is important to assess the lifestyle of the teenage population and how much information they have regarding the control and the management of diabetes. From these findings the government can prescribe the most effective way of addressing the situation. Objectives of the study †¢ To assess how much information the American teenagers have regarding diabetes. †¢ To determine whether the youth are actively participating in fighting diabetes. †¢ To compare the information that teenagers from different races have. †¢ To determine how much teenagers are emulating from their parents in regard to exercise and diet Research questions How many American teenagers know about the relationship between obesity, coronary diseases, hypertension and diabetes? How many Americans teenagers have been diagnosed with diabetes? Are American teenagers aware of the causes of diabetes? Who American teenagers think as the most likely age group to have diabetes? How much correct information do American teenagers have concerning diabetes? Are American teenagers doing anything to prevent diabetes? 23 million individuals who live in the US have been diagnosed with diabetes. This depicts a three million increase over a period of two years. In addition to this, more than fifty seven million Americans have pre diabetes. More than five million people in the United States have diabetes and they do not know it. This means that doctors often diagnose it when it is too late. This results to the large number of deaths that arise from it (AMA, 2007). Minority populations have experienced majority of these increases. Mexican populations that reside in the United States researchers have reported a sharp increase in child hood diabetes. Researchers have long blamed genetic make up for this predisposition although a recent study indicated that the high blood pressure rates in African Americans are not reflected in West Africa where they originated from. This means that lifestyle is mainly to blame for the predisposition. Obesity is similarly higher in the Hispanic and African American populations. It is the major factor that is triggering the high rates of diabetes and high blood pressure. Research has indicated that the rates of obesity are rapidly increasing among young children and adolescents. African Americans Caucasians and Hispanics teenagers are the most predisposed to diabetes. On average, Hispanics have twice the risk of developing diabetes as compared to the white population. Native Americans and Alaskan Natives living in have also experienced high diabetes rates among their children. This can be attributed to changes in lifestyle with most American children living sedentary lives with little or no physical exercise (Zaidi, 2007). In a study conducted in the late 1990s researchers observed that more than 20% of white girls were overweight. The percentages were even higher in the African-American and Hispanic groups with the black community soaring highest at 31%. These children had high serum cholesterol levels, were hypertensive and had type 2 diabetes at the early stages. What this translates to is that the younger generation will most likely be predominantly obese. As a result, they are more prone to more cardiovascular diseases. These results suggested that children are becoming diabetic at earlier ages (Finucane, 2008). The changes in lifestyle have led most households to live sedentary lives. The predisposition to diabetes is primarily as a result of poor exercise and high caloric intake. A study on the lifestyle trends of the Hispanic population concluded that of the population that was interviewed more than three quarters participated in inadequate or no physical recreational activity. There is also the tendency for children to learn from emulating role models. In the life of a child the role models are usually the family members. A child who comes from a home or a society where exercise is undermined and rarely done will likely also develop a passive lifestyle that will be carried over to adult life (Moran, 2004) There is familial incidence of diabetes. This means that children of diabetic parents are more likely to suffer from diabetes than those form non diabetic patients. From the CDC statistics of 2008, researchers concluded that a quarter of the population above sixty years had diabetes (Colwell, 2003). Gestational diabetes which is prevalent in pregnant women has also been associated with the vulnerable races. In addition, a more determining factor to this is obesity with more overweight pregnant women getting it during pregnancy. Since we all learn from emulating the society, there is need to advocate for collective responsibility so as to eradicate these preventable diseases. By targeting the teenagers as the most influential and vulnerable generation the government can ensure that the future population is making better health conscious decisions. Mode of data collection I will conduct a cross sectional survey research. I will use questionnaires in particular will use face to face interviews. Face to face interviews are effective since they will allow me to use open ended questions. They will also allow the interpretation of complex issues depending on the age of the respondent. They have also been proved to be more effective than other modes since they encourage a more participation and the interviewee learns more. They also encourage the use of visual aids in the interviews (Fowler, 1995). Self completion actively involves the respondent and motivates them to complete as opposed to the other modes. Questionnaires allow the researcher to use longer survey instruments making the research more intensive than the other types of data collection. Respondents have shown a better liking to in person interviews and are more likely to cooperate and answer honestly (Czaja Blair, 2005). However, they are more expensive and prohibit large studies. They are also time consuming taking up a lot of time for data collection. Due to variance altering due to the design effect they require follow ups which are also expensive and time consuming. They also require personnel who are familiar with the locality under study (Czaja Blair, 2005). Because this study involves teenagers as the respondents, face to face interviews would be better so that their cooperation is increased. Sample frame My target population is American teenagers between the age of thirteen and eighteen. This is too large so I will use a smaller working population by restricting the study to one state and in particular one county. After seeking appropriate permission I will use administrative records from the local high schools to create a database of the available population. To remove bias, random numbers will be assigned to each potential respondent and from these numbers random sampling will be done (Hakim, 1987). Since this is a survey research I intend to collect information from respondents themselves. Due to the financial constraints and logistics, I will target on a smaller sample size of one thousand high school students. They will include both female and male teenagers from all the representative American communities. Sampling technique My study population is American teenagers between the age of thirteen and eighteen. This is the most appropriate age because they are making changes and choices for themselves. They are under less parental control. This is a crucial age and most pre diabetic children will be diagnosed at this stage. I intend to use a simple random sample of teenagers between the age of thirteen and nineteen attending local high schools. Random sampling has the benefit of removing bias. It is simple to design and execute and is applicable to any population. Errors of either type one or type two, occur in research. However random sampling allows the easy estimation of these errors and allows the researcher to collect unbiased information. However random sampling is cumbersome for large estimates and highly inconvenient when large populations are being studied (Czaja Blair, 2005). Ethical issues Since my study will involve underage children I will have to seek consent from the guardians and the relevant authorities. As with all studies that involve human beings I will have to ensure that before collection of data, permission will be sought from the respective guardians and the schools so as to obtain information regarding the teenagers. Information regarding the purpose of the study will be frankly explained to both the guardian and the teenager (Punch, 1999). In addition the teenagers’ permission will be crucial and will be sought before the interview. Only with the consent of all involved parties will data collection take place (Vaus, 2002). The study has considered the impact of the research to the teenagers on a later date as a result all the expendable personal information has been removed from the questionnaires. This has removed the risk of exposing the child to psychological, social, financial and physical harm. The study will be conducted anonymously. Confidentiality will be upheld and will only be available to the researchers. In addition the teenagers actual information will not be used anywhere apart from the process of randomization (Vaus, 2002). The researchers will leave the guardians and the teenagers with contact information incase there is further need for clarification even after data collection. The researcher will request for information and not offer threats or bribes in exchange of data. The refusal by any of the teams to cooperate even after due explanation will lead to exemption of the respondent (Cannell etal, 1981) At no time will the rights of the respondent be disregarded. These are the right to privacy and the right to respect meaning that the conduct of the researcher will be professional and courteous at all times (Dijkstra etal, 1982). The information regarding the client will not be diverged. The right of the respondent to choose whether to answer and how to answer will be observed as well as the right to safety. In addition the clients’ right to be to be informed, the right to be heard and to redress will also be observed and the researcher will give all the information the respondent will enquire regarding the study.

Life And Work Of George Gershwin Music Essay

Life And Work Of George Gershwin Music Essay The name of George Gershwin linked one of the most interesting periods of music history of the United States. One hundred years after his birth, George Gershwin is the most widely remembered of the songwriters who dominated African popular music between the end of World War I and the rise of rock-and-roll (Teachout 46). George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. His parents were immigrants from Russia. He did not receive systematic music education and began to study to play the piano with the help of a famous music teacher Hambitzer in 14 years old. Then, already a famous author, he took lessons in composition and harmony. Since 1913 he worked as a pianist-accompanist at the music store and began to write songs in the style of I. Berlin (1888-1989) and D. Kern (1885-1945). Soon he achieved a success in musicals. Many of the songs from the musicals have become extremely popular with the crowds. The most popular musicals written by Gershwin are the following ones: Ladies, please, Funny Face, Crazy and many of his songs. The real fame came to Gershwin in 1924, after writing Rhapsody in blue for the piano and orchestra, performed by the author with the orchestra conducted by P. Whiteman. Thus, in this paper we are going to discuss and examine biographical information about this composer, to explore musical styles and forms which he is famous for, and to describe one of the major works of George Gershwin that is called Rhapsody in blue. Biographical information about George Gershwin Gershwin was born on September 26, 1898 in New Yorks block of Brooklyn. He was a son of Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father was a native of St. Petersburg. The real name of the famous composer was Jacob Gershowitz. Since childhood, absorbing jazz culture (they say, that Gershwinhas heard jazz music at age 6), he was a lover of jazz concerts. In 12 years old, George began to learn to play the piano himself. Much later, as a famous composer, Gershwin has never ceased to learn, and improve his technique. During these lessons, he became acquainted with unique American composers of those years Henry Cowell, Wallingford Constantine Rieggerand Russian Professor Joseph Schillinger (Joseph was famous for the fact that he approached to the process of composing music with a mathematical position, trying to develop a universal algorithm). In 1914, Gershwin began to play music professionally, working as an accompanist in the company of Jerome Remick. Two years later, the first authors work of George Gershwin was presented to the audience. Despite the fact that this work had not much success with the crowds, some well-known and famous Broadway producers and directors paid attention to a talented composer. For example, Sigmund Romberg happily included music of Gershwin in his operetta The Passing Show of 1916. In those years, Gershwin, playing the piano and mastering harmony and orchestration, earned extra money as a pianist in different restaurants. In 1918-1919, on Broadway there were a lot of works of Gershwin: Swanee entered the musical Sinbad and had a resounding success in the performance of Al Jolson. In 1919, a famous performance La, La Lucille was entirely based on the works of Gershwin. In 1920-1924, George Gershwin created several dozens of works for George Whites Scandals, and in 1922, he even wrote a real opera, which was named Blue Monday (also known as 135th Street). After the premiere, he was invited by Whiteman to a jazz band as a composer. George wrote especially for Whiteman a real pearl of his work Rhapsody in Blue. In 1924, Gershwin created his famous musical Lady, Be Good! that had much success and brought a composer the first wide popularity on Broadway. In this performance, Gershwin first worked with his brother Ira Gershwin, who wrote all the lyrics. The next decade, this creative union was one of the most productive and popular unions on Broadway. The most successful show was Of Thee I Sing, 1931.They r eceived the Pulitzer Prize, first awarded to a musical performance, for this show. The most extensive and ambitious work in the biography of George Gershwin was a folk opera Porgy and Bess, 1935, staged on the novel by Edwin DuBose Heyward, who took part in writing the libretto for that opera. According to Crawford, Gershwins Porgy and Bess (libretto by DuBose Heyward with help from Ira Gershwin)-the stage work that has come to at the Great American Opera tag (minus Kahns stenographers and subways) perhaps better than any other-opened in New York (697).In early 1937,Gershwin was diagnosed with symptoms of a brain tumor. Gershwin was placed in Leben-Clinic, where he died on July 11, 1937in Los Angeles without regaining consciousness after cancer surgery to remove a tumor. Musical styles and forms of Gershwins masterpieces The musical styles and forms of Gershwins works are well-known and can be characterized as dynamic contrast images, humor or satirical grotesque combinations of traditional African-American folk and jazz music with the principles of symphonism. The melodies of Gershwins songs are unique for their combinations of identity and almost complete dissolution of African-American melodies and harmonies. Sometimes, his music is influenced by cantorial singing, though the Jewish theme is virtually absent in his work. It is interesting to know that Gershwin not only composed and created light music. By 1919, he wrote a string quartet that was called Lullaby. This composition represented a very high-style opus, written in the genre of light blues, but it had a resemblance to elegant music of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky. Gershwin joined the classic means with intonations of jazz in the opera music. All compositions and works that were written by Gershwin, permeated by a common idea to make music accessible to everyone, do not break away from everyday life, do not turn away from the sound arrogant streets, dancing, do not erect the adamantine walls between classical and popular music. This idea led George Gershwin to the creation of his works included in a music custom all over the world, which raised American music to the level of classics. Rhapsody in Blue Rhapsody in Blue is one of the most famous and successful works of George Gershwin. Rhapsody was first performed by the author on February 12, 1924 in New York, accompanied by the orchestra of Paul Wightman. This work was ordered by Wightman on January 5, 1923, as an experiment to create a new musical style that combines jazz and classical music. Initially, that product was called An American Rhapsody. The well-known name of this work was suggested by the composers brother Ira Gershwin, after visiting an art exhibition of James McNeill Whistler. Rhapsody in Blue became a masterpiece of classical music and jazz, and, in various interpretations, played by musicians in different fields of music. This composition that includes elements of jazz, the Negro folk music and light music are combined with a brilliant piano writing in the style of Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff. This work was a kind of bridge between the so-called light and academic music. Rhapsody is one of the most freque ntly performed concertos for the piano and orchestra (along with the concerts by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, etc.) and the repertoire of the finest pianists in the world. Music is characterized by vivid signs of early American jazz: a syncopated rhythm, a sense of improvisation, etc. However, the development of the main themes goes on within the strict framework of sonata form, the author uses a classic orchestra, and solo piano reminds a romantic style of Liszt and Rachmaninoff. In this musical composition, the themes are based on the blues scale that consists of major and minor thirds and lowered sevenths. There are significant differences in presentation styles of each theme. The harmonic structure of this composition is difficult to express and analyze. One thing can be said that the piece of Rhapsody begins and consequently ends in B flat. Different contemporary styles and jazz are present in this masterpiece. The tempos of Rhapsody in Blue vary directly and widely. There is an extreme use of rubato in a lot of places throughout this composition. According to Howard, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Rhapsody is irresistible still, with its syncopated rhythmic vibrancy, its abandoned, impudent flair that tells more about the roaring twenties than could a thousand words, and its genuine melodic beauty colored a deep, jazzy blue by the flatted sevenths and thirds that had their origins in the Negro slave songs (par. 3).In addition, Schiff stated that Rhapsody in Blue is an enduring monument to the love affair of Americans and people around the world with the African-American idiom that became the most influential language of twentieth-century music (3). Conclusion Taking the above-stated information into consideration, it is possible to draw a conclusion that George Gershwin was one of the most famous and talented American composers in the first half of the XX century. In his work, he has managed to combine seemingly incompatible phenomena: the European late romantic music, jazz and pop. The composers creative experience is unique and no one could repeat it exactly. However, a style found by Gershwin (a combination of different spheres of music), proved to be fruitful and prosperous for American culture and led to wonderful phenomena, such as musicals of Leonard Bernstein. Many critics noted that Gershwin mixed folk and classical music. However, it was a common thing for a lot of great composers. Music of ordinary people finds its place in symphonic music with the majestic compositions. Gershwins creativity is distinguished by a great emotional and original melodic, harmonic and rhythmic language, enriched with folk motifs of African-American songs. Harmony and characteristic rhythms of swing and jazz were influenced by the music of George Gershwin. Despite ingenious rhythms and beautiful lyrical melody, his music arises primarily from his own harmonic structure. After Gershwin, the development of jazz can be mostly attributed to the expansion and complication of harmony.

Strategic Marketing Management Sainsburys

Strategic Marketing Management Sainsburys Introduction J Sainsbury plc is a huge UK based food retailer with interest in financial services. Its chain of supermarkets has survived the challenges of competitive retail business since 1869, which makes it the longest standing major food retailing chain in UK. With the heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food it has indeed come a long way from a small store from Drury lane to the current headquarter in Holborn, London. Currently it is serving over 18 million customers just in a week and have a market share of a staggering 16%. Along with its 502 supermarkets it has over the course of time diversified its business to 290 Sainsburys convenience stores, an internet-based home delivery shopping service and Sainsburys Bank. The internet-based home delivery shopping is available noticeably to about 88 percent of the UK households. They clearly identified five areas to focus on in order to maintain their superiority in the retail business which were a) Great food at fair prices b) Accelerating the growth of complementary non-food ranges c) Reaching more customers through additional channels d) Growing supermarket space e) Active property management. Situation Review In order to perform the situation review as a Marketing Consultant I have decided to conduct a SWOT analysis of J Sainsbury Plc. The reason behind my selection of SWOT analysis is that it has been used for a long time and is a trusted tool of strategic and marketing analysis. Its importance in reviewing the situation of a company is massive as it suggests ways in which the organisation can profit from strengths and opportunities and shield itself from weaknesses and threats (Adams, 2005). After the explanation of every SWOT elements of J Sainsbury Plc Ive also mentioned the likely effect of such elements to their competitive advantages and brand. However it is a method that has to be used very carefully because if not thought or investigated properly the results will not provide the actual picture. Strength There are several strengths of Sainsbury that needs be highlighted when performing a situation review which are analysed below: Sainsburys as a brand: Brand of Sainsburys stands it out amongst the crowd of other supermarkets. The goodwill that has been built over 140 years of service in its business is represented by its brand and that has several benefits like customer loyalty, brand familiarisation, increase and maintenance of customer belief etc. If Sainsburys want to increase its outlets the cost involved for advertisement for the local areas will be far less than that for a smaller organisation with a lesser known brand. Having such a strong brand is definitely continue to enhance its competitive advantage as other new competitors will have a hard time building up such a good brand as it needs a lot of time and effort. Use of effective Marketing Strategy: Sainsburys like any other large company has to use effective marketing strategy. It has been doing so very well and which is why it stood up the test of time. Sainsburys use of Jamie Oliver one of Britains most high profile chefs who famously launched campaigns regarding healthy eating in different sections of the community in its advertisements can be considered as a very good marketing move. It was like using a renowned dentist to promote toothpaste as it adds to the customers the trust for healthy food for good price. The positive effects of the campaign were apparent as shown in the growth of the sales in Sainsburys. With its effective marketing strategy Sainsbury is far likely to attract more customers and increase their competitiveness and enhancement of their already powerful and attractive brand. Human Resource Policy: There is equal opportunities policy in Sainsbury on different functions like recruitment, promotional, training and development etc. Their policy basically focuses on keeping their staff motivated and providing them with proper training. These kinds of policies have enhanced the reputation of Sainsbury as a very good employer. Having a good HR policy will only have positive results in terms of their competitiveness and brand as people will be more inclined towards joining with their team and most importantly staying with them. Conveniently located: Due to its huge network of outlets there is always a Sainsbury nearby. This is a very good advantage to have which backs up the effects of the brand. Even if Sainsbury had built up a good brand most people will be only be interested in going to buy groceries and daily necessities if there is a Sainsbury close by. Groceries and daily necessities are prime products of Sainsbury and in order to boost their sales location is of prime importance. Like I mentioned convenience is a key to a retailers success and its wide spread outlet helps them to provide customers with opportunity to stay loyal to them. Reliability and trust: Sainsbury have built up over the years, a sense of the trust and reliability among customers. Customers believe on Sainsbury that it would not compromise on health and safety issues. They also trust Sainsbury on providing very competitive prices for the products if not the cheapest. When there is trust among customers about your product and services they will continue to remain your customers. Extra care is taken by Sainsbury and this will in future continue to boost their image. Environment Friendly: Sainsbury has always been environmentally aware while performing its business. Some of Sainsburys efforts are mentioned below: It uses environment friendly till printers. It gave away eco-friendly loo rolls as promotional offers. It opened environment-friendly store in Dartmouth, Devon which was built with recycled materials and will help in reducing its energy bills. It signed a landmark deal that has enabled the creation of a new  £8 million wind project at Lochhead in Scotland, due to be completed in Summer 2009. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) means that Sainsburys will purchase energy direct from A7 Lochhead Ltd. for the next ten years. These efforts mean that customers will have in the back of their mind that Sainsbury is doing its part in the great cause of saving the environment. The reputation has been slowly building in this regard and will continue to grow further. Try something new today: Even by the slogan we can understand that there are a range of products available in similar categories. Sainsbury take every possible care to match the changing needs of the different cultures and communities with its products and on doing so provides multi choices to customers. For example, Frozen Chicken Tikka Masala (Indian dish), Chicken Dumplings (Chinese dish) etc found in Sainsbury. This strength of Sainsbury means that it will increase its customer base, retain its customer by spoiling them with choice and attract new suppliers as well, boosting its competitive advantage and brand name in the process. Weaknesses Lack of international expansion: Sainsbury has always been a brand that is famous only in Britain. It hasnt ventured into the international market that much as yet. In other words it has not been adventurous enough. Its main rival Tesco has been more successful in this regard than them which will hamper their growth and market domination. This weakness will definitely haunt them as with more international coverage its rival will be more powerful and have more flexibility which means theyll gain more competitive advantage and a better brand name. No self-service: In todays world time is money. The service should be up to the standard at the same time it should be time efficient. Due to which self-service system has proven to be very effective over the years. However, there are no self-service systems like self-checkout counters in most of the Sainsburys stores. Providing time efficient service in every way is a key to any companys success and Sainsbury has not fully integrated this theory in their practice which will have negative effects in their competitive advantage and brand. Implementation problem: There have been many such cases in Sainsbury where they have been found short on the implementation of the pre-determined plans. It can be considered as one of their major weakness. There is no point of planning if it were not be implemented. It will affect adversely to their morale and brand doing a world of good to that of their competitors. Opportunities Every organisation in order to survive and compete in a market has to keep a close eye on any opportunity of growth, expansion, diversification, merger etc. Opportunities are something if not grabbed at the right moment the value of it later will be significantly diminished or elapsed. On the current situation I have tried to categorise some of the opportunities that lay in front of J Sainsbury, which are as follows: Growth: Sainsbury has been involved in other projects as well like its investments in property, banking, environmental issues etc. These kinds of alternative business present great opportunities for future growth. Growth is vital for any companys competitiveness and for Sainsbury its no different. Suppliers and Partners: Food for Britain (FFB) is Sainsburys partner and supplier. FFB helps its clients access new opportunities abroad through a network of nine international offices, associates in developing markets and a range of London-based services. Maintaining a good supply chain will help Sainsbury to be cost effective and hence competitive. Technology: This is a modern age of technology where every company has to find ways to upgrade their services using technology. Sainsbury has had bad experiences for not planning technology better when they had to buy back  £1.8b worth of technology outsourcing deal with Accenture. However there are huge opportunities in front of Sainsbury in the future for further development in technology. Technology is one of the key aspects in todays IT age to stay competitive. Previously overlooked Market Segments: Ive mentioned earlier that Sainsbury has not ventured into many international markets. This thus provides it with great opportunities for future to go forward towards those markets which were not considered fruitful. Markets changes with the economy and previously overlooked markets need to be analysed now and then which might prove very helpful to edge ahead of your competitor. Social Patterns: Understanding of the changing social patterns is a challenge as well as opportunity for Sainsbury. Understanding the need of the current society is vital. Threats Threats are other external factor that needs to be give considerable attention in order better prepare the company to face them in a proper way. It is one of the major component on determining the companys performance and situation. There will definitely be some underlying threats for every kind of industry and the company must take appropriate measures to deal with them. Threats however cannot always be identified beforehand so awareness of the environment is the key. Some of both the underlying/imminent and possible threats of J Sainsburys are explained below: Entrance of new competitors: Sainsbury needs like any other company watch out for entrance of any new competitors. This is a serious threat and emerging competitions should be monitored. Too much environment friendly: Huge investments have made in environmental and green issues without immediate benefits. There is a threat of doing it a bit too much. Actually a balance has to be maintained and cost should be controlled to remain competitive. Technological Changes: Technology is changing all the time and it is a massive threat to Sainsbury as well. Expansion of Competitors: Expansion of its competitors like Tesco have to be monitored carefully as their expansion is a clear threat to Sainsburys market coverage. This threat if not addressed properly can harm gravely to the competitiveness of Sainsbury and its brand name as well. Foreign company takeover: We can say that Sainsbury represents the British people. It lacks of international expansion also means that most of their customers are British. However there was a takeover bid by the Qataris Private equity firm which can have serious implications as its customers who are predominantly British will gravitate towards other British companies at the prospect of Sainsburys being governed by a foreign firm. This is also a significant threat as it will diminish the competitive advantage and brand name built by Sainsbury on British people. Task-B Explanation of various marketing strategies and how they can be used by J Sainsbury Plc to achieve competitive advantages and long term growth. In order to fulfill the visions of a company by fulfilling the its goals a proper marketing strategy needs to be formulated. Marketing strategies are the corner stones upon which marketing plans can be based. Market strategies include a series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective in order to achieve marketing goals. Marketing strategies amalgamates the organizations marketing goals, policies, and tactics into an effective unit. Markets change their nature and behaviour constantly so for marketing strategies to become successful it needs not only to be properly planned but should be dynamic and interactive. Types of strategies Marketing strategies need to be formulated as per the need of the market situation for any given company. However there are of ways of generalizing some of the common strategies. There are several general marketing strategies that have emerged of which some are presented below: 1. The strategies that are based on market dominance Here there are basically three types of market dominance strategies: Leader Challenger Follower 2. Innovation strategies This strategy basically goes for promoting new product development, cutting edge technology and business innovation. In this type of strategy there are three types: Pioneers Close followers Late followers 3. Growth strategies This scheme focuses more on growth of the company. Some ways of differentiating the strategies are as follows: Horizontal integration Vertical integration Diversification Intensification 4. Porter generic strategies Porters these strategies are the most commonly used strategies so needs to be discussed in detail. Michael Porter described the generic strategies as not firm or industry dependant but general. These strategies were initiated in the early 1980s, and till date it has been widely used. According to Porter for any company go generate profit the attractiveness of the industry itself may be the main factor however even if the industry is doing not very well the company can still make good returns if it holds a good position in the industry. In order to position itself properly in the industry the firm has to leverage its strengths. When these strengths are applied in either broad or narrow scope the following generic strategies are evolved: Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Further explatnation: Cost leadership: The motto of this type of strategy is to remain cost effective and gain competitive advantage though being able to produce at the lowest cost at a given quality level. With its low cost the company can benefit in two ways. One, it can obtain higher returns against its rival while selling at industrial average and two it can benefit from increased market share while selling below industrial average which it can do without making loss. There are many ways to achieve this kind of leadership some of which are mentioned below: Improving the efficiency of processing Research in obtaining cheaper raw materials Utilising the benefits of outsourcing Avoiding various leakages in cost controls. Differential Leadership: As its name suggest, this strategy tries to dominate the market by developing products and services which are different and at the same time also appreciated by customers more than other products and services available generally in the market. The customers are hence ready to pay some extra due to the uniqueness of the product. However it needs the following kinds of strengths to achieve success in this strategy: Able to invest in research and developments. Highly skilled manpower. Creativity and insight. Proper marketing tools and media. Goodwill in regards to quality and innovation. No close substitute of product/service available in the market. Focus Strategy: This strategy basically focuses on attempting to achieve either cost or differentiation advantage upon a narrow segment of market. The assumption behind this strategy is that when strategies are focussed on a narrow segment of market the actual needs of such a market can be addressed. It tries to achieve as much customer loyalty as it can in order to be competitive. The main drawback of this strategy is that it will lose its bargaining power with the suppliers while focussing on a narrow market and producing less. Other risks might be that a broad-market leader may influence its target market and as its market is limited there will be no flexibility or room for tackling such competitiveness. Having said that, if the focus strategy is based on differentiation advantage due to its uniqueness it will be able to maintain its competitiveness. In light of the marketing strategies propounded by Michael Porter, J Sainsbury Plc can use these strategies to gain competitive advantage and long term goals in the following ways: As the brand of Sainsbury is of such worth it can use differential strategy to invest in research and production of its own organic food, special diet food, environment friendly recycle bags and other products. Due to its huge coverage of market and large human resources it might be beneficial for them to use differential strategy like opening its own training institute for retailing, health and safety clinics etc. As close proximity of its stores is a major strength of Sainsbury it can use focus strategy to increase its sales. For example: opening special vegetarian oriented store in a community which is thickly populated with Gujrati people ( a tribe of Indian people who are mostly vegetarian). Due to its strong and long partnership with Food For Britain (FFB) and its operation in a broad scope with good purchasing power it can use cost leadership strategy and reduce its cost of purchase. Differential strategy can be used to promote its products as it already has goodwill as environmentally friendly retailer. With its possession of good HR system and career security it can use differential strategy and can acquire capable human resource at affordable price. Task-C Analysis of Current marketing environment for J Sainsbury Plc and Recommendations on how the marketing mix elements may be developed to contribute to enhance their goals and values. In order to comment on the marketing mix that can be developed by Sainsbury to contribute to enhance their goals and values Ive first analysed the current marketing environment of J Sainsbury Plc and then explained further about the marketing mix. Environment and its factors: Globalisation: With rapid increase in globalization Sainsbury like any other company has to face a lot of challenges. The basic challenge is to fight to off the competition to achieve best value for quality supply of its products. Opportunities like entering new markets via joint venture and partnerships etc also arise due to globalisation. The price fixing scandal: Sainsbury is one of the four retailers within the UK who are most likely to be affected by this scandal or allegation. Sainsbury has a strong presence in the market and possession of a good public image there is a serious threat of this being hampered by the recent allegations. Tax rate: Corporation Tax rate is fixed by the government in UK like any other country. It keeps on fluctuating generally upon the need of the industry. Currently UK government has changed the tax rate to 28% from 30%. A huge amount of tax is paid by a company like Sainsbury every year and this change of 2% is a massive cut in the tax rate which means there is more margin in profit. Cost of products prices: Food prices have risen dramatically since the increment in global food crisis resulting in the rise in Sainsburys costs. This will mean that the increased cost will be passed on to the customers and theyll have to pay more. Unpredictable fluctuations in the fuel costs also has made it even harder to plan and control the cost of production and delivery. The credit crunch: The mentioning of credit crunch while discussing about the current market situation has been an obligation recently. There are basically two ways in which itll affect Sainsburys. One getting finance has become so much difficult as the market has become almost dead and two credit crunch have decreased the purchasing power of consumers. This has created a sense of distrust and suspicion in the market. Sales of luxury items have gone down and even basic products are being bought less. Another section of Sainsbury that has been hit by this is its bank. The Sainsbury bank is not a very established bank and when even the big players in the banking systems are in trouble it has been really difficult time for Sainsburys bank. †¢ Nowadays there seems to be more emphasis on fresh, easy style cooking. This serves an opportunity for Sainsburys to encourage new recipes and unfussy The Internet sales: In order to stay competitive in todays market, internet sales is a phenomenon that has to function well. The Internet accounts for 8% of global advertising spend and is growing rapidly (The Economist, 2007). Sainsburys can further develop in this area. It can either develop itself or outsource the internet system to increase its sales. Marketing mix It is a commonly used marketing term probably the most famous one. It is also known as the Four Ps which are product, price, place and promotion. It is the combination of the elements of marketing and what roles each element plays in promoting your products and services and delivering those products and services to your customers. In short the marketing mix is a set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that work together to achieve companys objectives and goals. The elements of Marketing Mix and how they can be used by Sainsbury: Product: The product is the first element of marketing mix elements that needs to be explained. The products or services offered to your customer have physical attributes what they do, how they differ from your competitors and what benefits they provide to the customers. The product/service has to maintain quality, features, packaging, guarantees, and after-sales service. The basic objective of Sainsburys Supermarkets is stand as the leader of the pack when it comes to consumers choosing their food. They want to deliver products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working faster, simpler and together. For that their product has to be given top priority and only quality products will do for that reason. Environmental friendliness should also be considered while deciding on the product. Services like banking should be made efficient and easy to use. Price: Price is the second most important thing of marketing mix elements. How you price your product or service so that your price remains competitive but allows help to make a good profit. How price plays a role in your marketing strategy with respect to differentiating your products or services from your competitors. The pricing policy including discounts, allowances and credit policies. Your pricing should be based on a realistic assessment of all your costs and take into account what the market will bear and the image you are trying to create. To stay competitive, price should be competitive as well as it is a prime element in the marketing mix. If the price is either very high or very low in regards to its competitors the long term goals will be hindered. Place: Place may also be used in your marketing strategy to differentiate you from your competition in the market. Where your business sells its products or services and how it gets those products or services to your customers. By considering good locations, retailers, inventory implications, transport and warehousing you can reach close to your customers. It will obviously give you a competitive advantage. Place is another important factor that has to be considered by Sainsbury to achieve its long term goal. It has a huge number of outlets around UK and is in close proximity with its customers. It should however always look to build upon it more. Promotion: Promotion is used to communicate with the customers and express the features and benefits of your products/services to your target customers. Promotions may include advertising, personal selling, public relations, networking, web-based marketing etc. By doing this you will express your product and its features to the customers to attract them to by the products and it will be helpful to earn profit. Sainsbury has built up its image as a very good retailer in terms of its product quality, environmental friendliness, services etc. Partly its such success in creating such an image goes to its promotion and advertisements, like using Jamie Oliver in its advertisements. There are much rooms for improvements in that area as well. References: Lecture notes provided by our lecturer Dr. Roman Puchkov Mica R. Endsley, Daniel J. Garland, 2000, Theoretical Underpinnings of Situation Awareness, 2nd Edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 383pp. O Connor J and Galvin E, 1999, Marketing in the Digital Age, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall. Doyle P, 2001, Marketing Management and Strategy, Prentice Hall. Official website of Sainsbury, www. Sainsburys.co.uk

Commentary Against Absurdity in Goethes Faust Essay -- Faust Essays

Commentary Against Absurdity in Faust Goethe's "Faust" could be called a comedy as readily as it is subtitled "A Tragedy." In the course of the play, the author finds comic or ironic ways to either mock or punish religionists, atheists, demons, and deities. Despite the obvious differences between these, Goethe unites them all by the common threads of ego and ridiculousness. Thus, the play as a whole becomes more of a commentary against absurdity than against religion. The first victims of satire in Faust are Satan and God, who appear in somewhat small-scale form in an early scene that parallels the Book of Job. In Goethe's Heaven reigns "The Lord," to whom a trio of archangels ascribe creation. Enter Mephistopheles, and all semblance of seriousness is lost. Introduced as a demon, and arguably THE Devil, he is witty, cynical, and in general a caricature of what religionists throughout the ages have labeled pure evil. The Lord proceeds to give Mephistopheles permission to go to his "good servant" Faust,...

The Slavery of the Millennium Essay -- Ethical Issues, Sex Traffickin

It is common ideology that slavery is a thing of the past. This is far from true; sex trafficking is prominent all across the world on a massive scale and is the new form of slavery. According to the U.S. Department of State estimates that 560,000 women are trafficked each year across international borders and forced into the sex industry. {{34 Holman,M. 2008; }} Other non-government programs such a UNICEF have these numbers in the millions. {{34 Holman,M. 2008; }} The real numbers of sex trafficking are unknown, but the problem is evident. The general public is unaware of the sex trafficking epidemic because the forced labor business is not only inhumane: it is well hidden. The business is kept underground due to the stigma associated with prostitution. Because of this most of workers of the business are from â€Å"forced recruitment†. {{25 Samarasinghe,Vidyamali 2007; }} Sex trafficking is not only an issue over seas, it is also a problem in the United States a culture tha t â€Å"glamorizes pimping and prostitution."{{31 Kotrla,K. 2010; }} This culture of tolerance, fueled by the glamorization of pimping, is embodied in multiple venues of daily life, including clothing, songs, television, video games, and other forms of entertainment. Traffickers easily control victim of their trade by using techniques such as â€Å"force, fraud, or coercion, including techniques such as confinement, beatings, rape, confiscation of documents, debt bondage, false owners of employment, and threats of harm to the victim or the victim's family.†{{30 Potocky,M. 2010; }}Once in the business, it is almost impossible for a victim to escape, and if they do they are not likely to come forward to authorities. There are four main ways out of sex trafficking enslavemen... ...ggling are often confused as activities, and the police and immigration officials are ill-equipped to recognize and respond to the problem as one involving victims as well as offenders.† (28) [add to this] If these simple changes are implemented to the standing sex trafficking legislation, mainly the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act implemented in 2000 failing in its attempt to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute traffickers. The TVPA will be up for reauthorization in November 2011. As this quickly approaching, it is imperative the public is educated on the human exploitation that is often ignored. Sex trafficking is a global problem that can only be taken down by the help of a government that recognizes the weakness in its current policy. The victims and the public deserve better than the U.S. government has done thus far.

Global Media, Global Culture Essay

‘The boundaries that separate one nation from another are no more real than the equator. They are merely convenient demarcations of ethnic, linguistic and cultural entities. They do not define business requirements or consumer trends.'(IBM). Boundaries delimit countries. Or, at least, this is their function. Boundaries separate traditions, languages, governments, currencies, people, economies and cultures. But, is this true? Nationalisms are rising in a world that tends to the globalization. Is it so that we are all equal for the multinational companies? There are a lot of definitions of globalization. Most of the definitions (to not say all of them) are related with the capitalism system. According with Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez globalization has three steps in the history until arrives to the actual situation: â€Å"We can understand globalisation in two senses. In a wider sense, it means the expansive tendency that took place in the capitalist system. This concept talks about the power that drove capitalism to go across the boundaries to look for raw material and new markets. In a strict sense it means a concrete phase that begins with three concrete historical facts: the success of the neo-liberal powers such as USA or United Kingdom (Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher), the foreign debt in the Third World (1982) and the fall of Berlin’s wall in 1989†. Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez (1999), p. 12 All of us (I’m referring to the develop countries) are connected between computers and internet, press, radio, television and cinema. We can learn new traditions or new ways of life with each media. Everybody knows who is Nicole Kidman or Gucci. We can drink a Coke with a Big Mac in somewhere. There are not boundaries for information or products. We can see the same advertisement in US or in India. But are not they different? Don’t they have different culture, tradition or language? New ways of advertisement can overcome the boundaries. Only have to show images and sell the products without words. The media configures our lives, our way behaviours, our minds. They make us. They are cultural factories. They make the perfect target to the products, the perfect consumers’ trends. The national identity is threatened. â€Å"Young people drink the same soft drinks, smoke the same cigarettes, wear identical branded clothing and shoes, play the same computer games, watch the same Hollywood films and listen to the same Western pop music.† Ellwood, W. (2001): pp.53. Governments make pacts about laws and economy. The European countries are being united in the European Union (EU). Although the citizen of each country have different tradition, they culture is very similar and is almost like the American one. These countries share currencies, economics’ politics and, in soon time, laws. â€Å"The challenge of producing and marketing in many countries, with many currencies, has fed the creation of modern international money market and currency trading.† Davis, J (1999): pp.38 Countries member of the European Union share a European Parliament, Justice Court of the European Communities, European Central Banc, Committee of the Regions and so on. The products of each country can transfer boundaries without taxes. These products are sold without differences in each country. It doesn’t matter if are German or Italian. The products are sold like if they were from the same town. They share a new globalizated culture. Somehow this globalizated culture has adopted elements characteristics from each country. In this way the globalizated culture can survive. â€Å"Business are in the business of government and governments are in the business of business.† Sivanandan, A. (1999): pp.9. Sivanandan makes a perfect summary of as the governments are in disposition of the great companies. And these companies want to make only one market around the world. In this way, they only have to make only one marketing campaign. Helped by mass media and governments, multinationals can obtain their objectives. Governments take profits of the business and help to the great companies to develop their plans. Countries depend on the others in the production of their products. They have decentralized the production of the products in different countries looking for a cheap manual labour. â€Å"This stretching of the boundaries of the economically possible by new technologies happens at al points of the circuit of capital – in production, and in the circulation of commodities and money. As companies, driven to expand profits, take advantage of the new boundaries, the components of â€Å"globalisation† take shape.† Davis, J (1999), pp.38 But in this world where culture and business are globalizated, nationalism take more popularity around the countries. Nobody wants to lose his identity. They mixed the globalizated culture (American culture) and the traditional culture. French person will keep it traditions and way of life but will wear the same cloth, will drink the same drink, will eat the same food and will see the same films than a Cyprus or Turkey person. In conclusion, globalization is a process that shows two faces: the first one shows the differences between countries and the diversity around the world, creating a nationalism and pride to belong to a country. And on the other hand shows how the countries depends on the others and there are similitude between countries, cultures and markets. In this way, I agree with the topic of the assignment: boundaries only delimit ethnics, languages and cultural entities. Marketing, mass media, governments and multinationals have made disappear the boundaries and the great differences between the cultures creating an only and great world-wide market. Reference list: – Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez, V. M. (1999) Globalizacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, nuevas tecnologà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as y comunicacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n. Madrid: Ediciones de la Torre, pp. 12 – Davis, J (1999) â€Å"Race & Class: The threat of Globalism† (Vol.40, no.2/3, 1998-1999), London: Institute of Race Relation, pp.38 – Sivanandan, A. (1999) )†Racism, culture, markets†, London: Institute of Race Relation, pp.9 – Ellwood, W. (2001). The no-nonsense guide to globalization. London;Oxford, pp.53 Bibliography: – Marà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ez, V. M. (1999) Globalizacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, nuevas tecnologà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½as y comunicacià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n. Madrid: Ediciones de la Torre – (1999) â€Å"Race & Class: The threat of Globalism† (Vol.40, no.2/3, 1998-1999), London: Institute of Race Relation – Sivanandan, A. (1999) )†Racism, culture, markets†, London: Institute of Race Relation – Ellwood, W. (2001). The no-nonsense guide to globalization. London;Oxford – Gabriel, J. (1994) Racism, Culture, Markets. New York: Routledge

Intertextual Relations Between Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones Diary Essay

Each text is not the effort of one person; theme and plot derived from existing texts are present in newer texts through repetition and similarity. Authors compile from pre-existing texts known as intertextuality, the use of prior texts in current texts. Julia Kristeva, a psychoanalyst is the first to introduce the term ‘intertextuality’. She redefines the theories established by Ferdinand de Saussure and Mikhail Bakhtin and suggests a text is not simply interpreted by its words, instead it is a study based on the works it has adapted (lecture). Kristeva mentions that although a writer usually talks to a specific audience, a text exists in time, and it is reprinted and translated with addressing the language of the current time period known as parole and langue. The novel Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813, but another novel based on the same plot called Bridget Jones Diary, a modern version of Pride and Prejudice was published in 1996. Every text is the absorption and transformation of another, with similar themes and conditions considering the lifestyle in that time period, known as a mimetic orientation. Intertextuality, the relationship to other prior texts is present among Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones Diary, and A Dog’s Head through the overarching similarity of characters, value of class and synchronic language. The common element of character development is interacting between Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones Diary, and A Dog’s Head. During the 1800’s, the value of high culture and wealth was outstandingly important to the people of that decade. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a plot consisting of high culture, and is strongly referenced in connection to Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones Diary. Fielding’s borrows the plot from Austen and also has some of the same characters and events in her novel. The character of Elizabeth Bennett and Bridget Jones is similarly constructed with the hardships and love crisis they suffer from. First of all, both protagonists fall in love with a man whose last name is Darcy. Both Mr. Darcy are respected and wealthy men. Furthermore, both protagonists share similar feelings, for example, at the ball event Elizabeth is hurt to hear that Mr. Darcy thinks of her to be â€Å"‘tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt’† him (Austen 13). Similarly, Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice hurts Bridget by saying she is ill mannered and does not know how to talk (45). At this time both the protagonists dislike both Mr. Darcy and have severe hatred for him. Secondly, Mr. Wickam in Pride and Prejudice is the same as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones Diary. Both Mr. Wickam and Daniel Cleaver are despised by Mr. Darcy but admired by the heroine at first. Bridget’s mother is a bit like Mrs. Bennett, as they both insist their daughters get married to wealthy men. Bridget believes she is unattractive because she is fat. When things do not work out with Daniel Cleaver, she questions, â€Å"Why does nothing ever work out? It is because I am too fat† (Fielding 181). Bridget is unhappy about her appearance all the time, which is similar to the character of Edmond in A Dog’s Head. The novel A Dog’s Head introduces the unrealistic character of Edmond who is born with the head of a dog, a spaniel in particular. Ovid establishes the theory of metamorphosis emphasizing the transformation of a human to an animal feature in his poem â€Å"metamorphosis†. This theory is present in A Dog’s Head as Edmond is a human but has a dog’s head. Edmond is always troubled in life because people criticize him for having the head of a dog, and to add to that, â€Å"the head of the most ridiculous dog to be found† (2). He has a series of unsuccessful relationships, for which he blames his appearance to be the reason, somewhat like Bridget who also blames her weight for her breakup with Daniel. Although the author does not provide a description of Bridget, we know a bit about her through the writings in her diary. Bridget’s negative image of herself results in a lower self-esteem, as well as Edmond who also has a low self-esteem when he remembers he has the head of a spaniel. At one point, losing his virginity to a prostitute becomes hard because no one wants to sleep with an animal (125). His personal relations with his parents are negative from the day he is born. His parents are happier to be alone so his dad gives him money, â€Å"Edmond stuffed the notes into his pocket, kissed his papa and mama and went away, never to return† (47). This further notifies us that although there are minor matches from Edmond’s personality with Elizabeth and Bridget, there is a similarity between the characters through physical appearance and their lives. The theme of class relates to reputation, the value of money being an ever-long requirement in society. People have been classified into hierarchical sectors according to their financial circumstances. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett’s mother Mrs. Bennett is astonished at the fact that Mr. Bingley is a wealthy and handsome young man visiting their town. She immediately informs her husband and desires one of her daughters marry him. Mrs. Bennett is portrayed as a shallow and self-centered woman as she constantly persists her daughters marry the richest men. This is evident when Elizabeth announces her engagement to Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Bennett replies â€Å"Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it†¦Oh! My sweetest Lizzy! How rich and great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! † (Austen 357). Similarly, in Bridget Jones Diary, Bridget’s mother introduces her to a recently divorced, wealthy man. Bridget is certain on her mother’s motives and she claims, â€Å"I don’t know why she didn’t just come out with it and say ‘Darling, do shag Mark Darcy over the turkey curry, won’t you? He’s very rich. † (Fielding 12). Comparatively, Edmond from A Dog’s Head lives in a shallow society, where money can overpower anything, even a man with a dog’s head. Edmond invests some money in the stock market and realizes it is more valuable than anything. â€Å"Wealth brought Edmond great enjoyment. First, it canceled out his head. [†¦ ] Oh, the sublime effect of bank notes! Overnight that hideous or ridiculous object became just anybody’s head. † (85) He makes a lot of money and realizes that money has always been there and supported him more than anything else. A hierarchy of social classes has created the boundaries between families and people historically. The importance of class depicts a social value and worth in society. Lower class people are treated as inferiors while upper class people gain more respect and value. As evident in A Dog’s Head, Edmond is treated better when he has more money and class, and Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Jones want their daughters to be married to rich men. The language and text of Pride and Prejudice is a lot different from Bridget Jones Diary and A Dog’s Head. In order to understand â€Å"one text as an intertextual representation of another† (Salber) the individual composition of values and attitudes needs to be understood in different contexts. With this said, Pride and Prejudice is a realist text composed in the nineteenth century. What is happening in the real world at the time the author writes the text is incorporated into the text, known as mimetic orientation. The author associates a mimetic version of the reality of everyday life set in the Regency period of England, a time when â€Å"power and marriage within one’s own class was essential† (Salber). The novel Pride and Prejudice also reveals â€Å"aspects of gender, class, identity and marriage as political institution† s a presentation of English history (Art). Language as it exists at any moment of time is referred to as the synchronic system of language (lecture 4). The power of language, synchronically applied suggests that the language in Pride and Prejudice slightly differs from the 20th century language used in Bridget Jones Diary. For example, the word ‘simpleton’ used in Austen’s novel indicates the life of a simple, unmarried girl, whereas in Fielding’s novel, the word ‘singleton’ is used to categorize the career oriented women in search for a perfect male companion. This supports Kristeva’s statement that â€Å"language is read as at least double†, and that the structures of language exist within a certain time period (Salber). As mentioned earlier, Bridget Jones Diary is a modification of Pride and Prejudice and is a more modern approach to the same story. The means of communication are different; for example, Daniel Cleaver and Bridget initiate romance through computer messaging, whereas in Pride and Prejudice communication took the form of letters. The langue, a language viewed as an abstract system used by speech community, is different for every person. In Pride and Prejudice the vocabulary Austen uses is archaic and demonstrates the time period in which it was written. For example, a conversation between Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner,â€Å"It was first broken by Mrs. Annesley, a genteel, agreeable looking woman† (Austen 226). The word ‘genteel’ may not be used in today’s novels and speech and represents its time period. Likewise, the words ‘singleton’, ‘smug marrieds† and ‘emotional fuckwittage’ became a part of the British popular culture when used in Bridget Jones Diary. The plot of Pride and Prejudice is the same as Bridget Jones Diary since Bridget Jones Diary is a modification of Pride and Prejudice and is a more modern approach to the same story. The female protagonists both worry about the relationships in their lives. The plot begins with the life of the female protagonists, and continues to their developing lives as the plot moves on. Both Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones Diary are the same story, where the first event, the ball in Pride and Prejudice is held with the attempt to find a suitor for Mr.  Bingley who is a young and wealthy man, and similarly a Christmas party is held by Bridget’s mother to introduce Bridget to Mr. Darcy. The events that occur further on in the texts lead to the same conclusion in both novels. The value of class and reputation is an overarching theme similarly applied in the three novels proving money has the value to make anyone happy. Lastly, the use of language and difference in word choice is what makes the novels acceptable in their time periods. These intertextual relations combine the three novels with many similarities.