Business Strategic Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Strategic Report - Essay Example So this is a platform which helps them in their exposure to the real world. The report is understanding the strategy of P4CK and also look into the external environment of the packaging industry. PESTLE is a memory helper which in its extended structure means P for Political, E for Economic, S for Social, T for Technological, L for Legal and E for Environmental. It gives a million of perspective of the entire environment from numerous diverse edges that one needs to check and keep a track of while pondering on a certain thought/plan (Oldroyd, 2004). All the parts of this procedure are pivotal for any industry a business may be in. More than simply understanding the business, this structure speaks to one of the vertebras of the spine of strategic management that characterizes what an organization ought to do, as well as records for an associations objectives and the methodologies stringed to them. It might be thus, that the significance of each of the variables may be diverse to various types of businesses, yet it is basic to any procedure an organization needs to create that they lead the PESTLE analysis as it structures a substantially more complete form of the SWOT analysis. The UK has a statutory maker obligation administration for packaging. This places a lawful commitment on organizations which make or use packaging to guarantee that an extension of the packaging they put available is recouped and reused. To help individuals and associations capitalize on chances to spare cash by decreasing waste, the government has distributed the Waste Prevention Program for England. The expense of keeping up labourers may be affected by the change in future pay rates as it builds consistently. The National Minimum Wage rises consistently, has gone up from  £5.93 in 2010 to  £6.50 presently. Worldwide packaging deals are anticipated to climb by 3% in 2013 and develop at a yearly rate of 4% to 201 Because of the peril issue the more

Individual Assignment Essay Example for Free

Individual Assignment Essay Financial Concepts Guillermo Navallez is challenged with a market changes that have occurred over the past couple of years. With the economic environment created by the new competition and increase in labor costs, he will need to apply principles of finance to determine the best course of action to allow his furniture store to survive. After review and thoughtful consideration Guillermo decided to use the following to determine the best course of action: The Principle of Self-Interest Behavior, the Signaling Principle, and The Principle of Comparative Advantage. Using the behavioral based principles, economics and psychology can be integrated to help in the decision making process. Likewise, expertise can be the basis for choices made. The Principle of Self-Interested Behavior People generally, act in their own financial self-interest. The Principle of Self-Interested Behavior states that when all things are equal, parties involved will gravitate to the action that is most financially advantageous. A key concept with this principle is the idea of opportunity costs, or the difference between the value of one action and the value of best alternative (Emery, Finnerty, Stowe, 2007). To maximize potential profits, Guillermo will want to review carefully the different options available. The development and review of anticipate financial results will help identify from a purely financial perspective. The Principle of Self-Interested Behavior would help Guillermo with his end decision, if his financial interest was the most important component. When considering his concern the effect that the decision will have on his family life, this principle will likely not be the guiding force in the decision he makes. The Signaling Principle The Signaling Principle is an extension of the Principle of Self-Interested Behavior (Emery, Finnerty, Stowe, 2007). Decisions of one party in a financial market will provide signals to others. The old adage â€Å"actions speak louder than words† is a clear explanation of this principle (Garger, 2011). The actions of the competitors can play an important role in the decision making process. Guillermo understands that how others are handling the changes in the market can help him with his decision. He learns that many of his competitors are consolidating in to large organizations. The path taken by the others in the industry were not attractive to him. Guillermo saw that additional management reasonability and the forced retirements were not fitting to his lifestyle or personal financial expectations. The Signaling Principle would be a good practice for the foreign competition as they would benefit by understanding how others capitalized on the situation of the individual furniture makers left in the market. The Principle of Comparative Advantage Much like the very idea that the United States’ economic system is based, the Principle of Comparative Advantage stated that if people do what they do best, the most qualified people will be completing that type of work. One can pay another to do what they do best and vice versa. Foreign trade is based on this same idea. Some countries can produce goods more economically than others. By producing these goods and trading them with countries that can efficiently produce another needed good, everybody benefits (Emery, Finnerty, Stowe, 2007). Through his research, Guillermo found a company that was still operating in exclusively in Norway, but was looking to distribute in the North America. Guillermo had connections with distributors and expert knowledge as to the furniture being sought after. By becoming a representative for the Norwegian company, he would work with the network he had developed to distribute their products. His company focus would change from primarily manufacturing to distribution. The Norwegian company would pay him for work he was extremely qualified to do, and they would make a majority of the furniture that would be sold. Both Guillermo and the furniture maker would win under of the Principle of Comparative Advantage. Conclusion Principles of finance can be very beneficial in making business decisions. They can deal with the competition in the economic environment, creating value and economic efficiency, and financial transactions.

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay

Is Graffiti Art Or Vandalism Cultural Studies Essay I am intending on exploring whether graffiti is art or vandalism. By exploring this research topic I will be breaking it down into different sections. The first section I will be defining what vandalism is, the perspectives of other researchers and the actions of vandalism. In the second section I will be defining art. I will also define graffiti and discuss its history and development. Researching about a well known graffiti artist will also be included to make my research more effective. This debatable question is addressed to people with limited knowledge about graffiti. People claim that graffiti is an illegal act without getting their facts straight. I am hoping that my research would widen ones horizon of knowledge once they read my essay. At the end I will conclude and give my own opinion to this subject matter. Introduction Graffiti is an interesting topic because it sparks conflict and debate all over the world. It is important or worth studying graffiti because to many people around the world graffiti is not a good sight to see, mainly because it is not normal to them, foreign, unknown and a problem to everyday organised living. The disliking of the writing on the walls by ordinary people has allowed for anti-graffiti laws to be created by politicians with little fuss and usually with the publics support. In turn, the creators of the writing have become outlaws, simply because of the criminalization of the public act of getting up their names and messages. Vandalism Vandalize is to deliberately damage things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Not deliberately destroying things or damaging private (your own) property may not be considered as vandalism. Vandal is someone who deliberately damages things, especially public property (Longman Active Study Dictionary- Elizabeth Manning). Someone that damages their own private property cannot be classified as a vandal because he is not destroying it deliberately or destroying someone elses property. A person damaging another persons property with that persons authorization can also not be classified as a vandal because he/she got the approval. The term vandalism was invented in 1794 by Henri Gregoire, the Bishop of Blois, to describe the destruction characteristic of the extreme phase of terror .The statement is correct because it is almost similar to the meaning in the Longman Active Study Dictionary. Destroying or damaging property is one of the destruction characteristics. The term vandalism takes its genesis from the Vandals (an ancient Germanic people) who developed mailed cavalry and who were armed with long spears and bows. They are associated with unnecessary destruction as a result of their taking over of Rome under King Genseric in 455. The term was quickly adopted across Europe. Around AD 1700 their name became notorious with the idea that they were a barbaric group with a lack of culture, with rude behaviour and with the ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable. There are reasons why people commit vandalism. Stanley Cohen has typified and outlined reasons why people execute vandalism. The six types of vandalism are ideological vandalism, acquisitive vandalism, tactical vandalism, vindictive vandalism, play vandalism and malicious vandalism. Ideological vandalism: property to gain publicity for a particular cause and is justified by long-standing grievances or political beliefs- Perhaps one of the most famous historical cases of ideology. Acquisitive vandalism: to acquire money or property. Tactical vandalism: a means of achieving some other end. Vindictive vandalism: to get revenge. Play vandalism: fun or high spirits. Malicious vandalism: the category which people fail to understand because it appears to be vicious, apparently meaningless. (Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art- Frank Coefield Pg. 32-33). Vandalism as Crime Citizens commit vandalism when they damage or spoil the property of others on purpose. Some vandalism may qualify as culture jamming or sniggling. Culture jams changes logos, fashion statements and product images to challenge the idea of whats cool, along with assumptions about the personal freedoms of consumptions. Sniggling is a prankish act of social commentary, art, disruption, or protest (Wikipedia 02/08/10): it is thought by some to be artistic in nature even though carried out illegally or without the property owners permission. Criminal Vandalism takes many forms. Graffiti is more common in many inner cities as part of gang culture on public property: however, other more serious forms of vandalism that may take place during public unrest such as rioting can involve the wilful destruction of public and private property .I believe a person without legally recognized excuse of destroying or damaging any property belonging to another should be punished or charged for their appall ing behaviour. Vandalism as art Though vandalism in itself is illegal, it can also be an attraction or art to some people. According to Colin Ward (1990) The vandalism of the last centaury becomes todays tourist attraction (Discussion Paper on Vandalism and Graffiti, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London, 18 June, 1-10). What he means by this is that, the vandalism that had happened in the past will be a historic moment and some people may agree. Some people may oppose to this statement because deliberately destroying property on purpose is not a good idea to them or art to them. What is Art? To a historian trying to study at, growth of art, the knowledge of it and the history of it, it will leave him confused. Art doesnt have logic. In science there is a progression but in art, you will keep going backward and forwards. To understand Art we have to look back at art history. If you apply logic to art, it is artificial. The philosophy of art is how you view the world visually. What is Art? Is a frequently asked question of the evident world by the visual sense, and the artist is simply the man who has the ability and the desire to renovate his visual perception into a material form. The first part of this action is perception and then you express what you perceived. The entire history of art is a history of modes of visual insight: of the diverse ways in which man has seen the world. The inexperienced person might not agree that there is only one way of seeing the world- the way it is presented to his/her own immediate vision. But this is not true-we see what we want to se e, and what we want to see is determined, not by the unavoidable laws of optics, or even (as may be the case in wild animals) by an instinct for survival, but by the desire to discover or construct a realistic world. What we see must be made real. Art in that way becomes the construction of reality. Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.(Wikipedia 09/08/10) Since art is a very broad topic, breaking it down will make it easier. Visual art Visual art is a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online) Graffiti Graffiti is a form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group. Although the common image of graffiti is a stylistic symbol or phrase spray-painted on a wall by a member of a street gang, some graffiti is not gang-related. Graffiti can be performed in order to gain attention or as a form of thrill seeking (antisocial behaviour), but it also can be understood as an expressive art form.(Encyclopaedia Britannica online) Graffiti and graffito are from the Italian word graffiato, meaning scratched. Graffiti is applied in the history of art to works of art formed by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is graffito, which involves scratching through one level of a pigment to reveal another underneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who glaze their wares and then scratch a design into it. In ancient times graffiti was carved on walls with a sharp object and sometimes chalk or coal was used. The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions and markings found on the walls of ancient sepulchre or ruins, such as in the civilizations of Greece and Rome (as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii). The most primitive forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BCE in the form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as animal bones and pigments. Graffiti was done by the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings and even the Mayans. These people communicated with each other about daily life, current events, etc: offering us a direct look into their ancient street life. It is tradition of communication. Even before this, there were caves in France where prehistoric man left markings on the walls to let us know who was there. Modern-style graffiti In the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) is where the first known example of modern style graffiti survives. It is positioned near a mosaic and stone walkway, the graffiti shows a handprint that vaguely resembles a heart, along with a footprint and a number. The ancient Romans engraved graffiti on walls and monuments, examples of which also survive in Egypt. Prehistoric graffiti displayed phrases of love declarations, political rhetoric, and simple words of thought compared to todays popular messages of social and political ideals. Modern History Modern graffiti art originated in New York City, and it was known first as New York Style graffiti. This art movement began in the late 1960s when adolescents used everlasting markers to tag or write their names, followed by the number of the avenue on which they lived and in subway cars. This style originated with the emergence of Taki 183 which was the label of a Greek American boy named Demitrius. After an interview with him was published, hundreds of children began to write their names all over New York. This was a start of getting recognized, when writers used their signatures to become heroes in their own communities. Tagging soon became a way to get ones name known throughout the town. However, tagging appeared in Philadelphia before New York. The monikers, Cornbread and Cool Earl were well known in Philadelphia. They gained a lot of attention from the Philadelphia press and the community by leaving their signatures everywhere. As graffiti became more and more popular and more noticeable, writers formed new styles and thought of new ways to write their names and make their tags only one of its type. Writers created many new scripts and scrawl styles and improved their tags with flourishes and symbols. Some symbols were strictly for visual impact while others had meaning, such as crowns, which writers used to proclaim themselves kings. They used arrows to show movement and underlining to show importance. Quotation marks and exclamation points became essential design elements. This time, between 1969 and 1974, is referred to as the pioneering era, when graffiti experienced a surge in styles and popularity. But it was still strictly tag- based. The next major progress was scale. In addition to the growing difficulty and creativity, tags grew larger as writers increased letter size and line thickness and outlined their work. This was the beginning of the piece, short for masterpiece. It is difficult to be certain who did the first true piece, but it is commonly credited to SUPER KOOL 223. The thicker letters provide the opportunity for writers to further improve the name and to colour the interiors of the letters with patterns and designs. Around 1974, writers like TRACY 168 and BLADE created works that had serious backgrounds, incorporating characters, scenery and other illustrations on subway cars. This formed the basis for the mural whole car, called the burner, when the entire car is covered. By the end of 1974, the foundations were laid, allowing styles to develop that departed from the tag-styled pieces. This was a turning point in graffiti history, when graffiti made the leap from tagging to style-driven pieces. Soon arrows, curls, connections and twists ran all through the letters. These additions became the basis for semi-wild style and unreadable wild style lettering. Writers such as RIFF 170 too got ideas from other writers and enhanced upon them, helping the competitive atmosphere, which is a necessary aspect of graffiti. Other writers, including FLINT 707 and CASE 2, made major aid in the advance of three-dimensional lettering by adding up depth to the piece, which became the standard. Graffiti worldwide The stretch of graffiti worldwide happened during the 80s with the outbreak of hip hop subculture. Fuelled by music videos and films, images of New York street culture were channelled around the world. Almost overnight, everyone wanted to be a New York B-boy. Modern graffiti is often seen as being mixed with hip-hop culture. However, lets be clear: modern graffiti predates hip hop by at least a decade. Graffiti was here before hip-hop, graffiti will be here after hip-hop, and if it wasnt for graffiti, there would be no hip-hop. Hip-hop and graffiti reached Europe together. European writers spent years studying letters, styles and New York Street culture. They copied the early styles, and then expanded upon them. Graffiti magazines documented early movements across Europe. And the printed media proved to be an additional catalyst for the expansion of graffiti art worldwide. Also during the early 1980s, American writers began touring Europe via art galleries in cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stuttgart. There was one major difference: European writers were focused on painting walls, not trains, which led to different styles. Europeans also wanted to paint in the birthplace of modern graffiti; so many Americans hosted them in what were called Pilgrimages to Mecca. American writers went to Europe to paint and Europe writers came to American to paint. By the late 80s the European graffiti scene was in full swing. Today Graffiti is influencing the works of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology. Why are we attracted to graffiti? I believe that part of it has to do with what I call the psychology and self-affirmation. There is something inside us that wants to take up space and announce our existence. Graffiti has always been about uprising, style and observation. When you do your thing today, you will influence the people of tomorrow, and the observations they create will influence the next generation after that. And the pursuit of styles becomes a never ending expedition. We must all think about improvements, about getting better, because history will be watching. I believe everyone-taggers, bombers and pieces-needs to take their own style to the absolute limit, and then do it all over again. Is Banksy a Street Artist or Vandal? Banksy is low profiled British graffiti artist whose identity used to be unknown. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco, Banksy was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. He was a son of a photocopier technician. He trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s. His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stenciling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksys work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti. Art auctioneers have bee n known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder. (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Career Steve Wright says Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist in 1992-1994 as one of Bristols DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. From the start he used stencils as elements of his freehand pieces, too. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stenciling after realizing how much less time it took to complete a piece. He claims he changed to stenciling whilst he was hiding from the police under a dumper truck, when he noticed the stenciled serial number and by employing this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol and London. Stencil on the waterline of The Thekla, an entertainment boat in central Bristol (wider view). (Wikipedia 13/08/10) Banksys Graffiti Genuine Works of Art or vandalism? Many of his graffiti work has been cleared off surfaces and remain now only in the photographic record. However some of Banksys art pieces have been said to be to be genuine works of art. People who have removed Banksys graffiti works will come to regret these actions as the price of his works are fetching handsome prices at the auction houses. Bristol Council has allowed a piece called Naked Man which portrays a nude male dangling by one arm from a window sill, to be left in place by popular demand. His other art work Space Girl Bird has made a record  £288,000.Banksys stencils feature shocking and funny images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or anti-war. Subjects often include policemen, monkeys, soldiers, rats, children, and the elderly. One of the most common arguments for Banksys work as skill is that his works damage public and private property. Within the terms of the law this is absolutely correct and this simple argument does not deal with the question of Banksys work as potential art. Many of the most respected artists of the past met in their lifetimes as their art challenged common perceptions and pushed the boundaries of what people perceive as art. In effect, Banksy has taken his art out of the possession of the middle class gallery prowlers and returned it to the street and to the working class for whom it is targeted. Its important to take note that Banksys art has provoked debate in regards to whether his graffiti paintings are art or vandalism specifically, this is important because provocation and discussion are two of the most important and desirable results of art, especially in this post modern era. While many people may not like Banksys art, the fact that it encourages debate and at times affects discussion of its subject matter means the works are effective as an artistic force. Anyone can spray paint a wall and it doesnt necessarily constitute as art. Anyone can also offend public values and that also does not constitute as art. Banksys paintings are very deliberate and they attempt to affect the landscape in ways that are both supposed to be positive and subjective, thus moving his paintings into consideration as possible artworks. Not everyone will like Banksys graffiti work, although its hard to deny his work has captured and excited the imagination of many. While some people may be opposed to the idea of Banksy as an artist, Banksys popularity has arisen somewhat out of the fact that his art is offensive to some and creates controversy in certain ranks. So to a degree, the controversy surrounding his work to helps grow his success and popularity without those people who consider Banksy a vandal, Banksy would struggle to gain the notoriety that makes many see him an artist. Graffiti in exhibitions Graffiti art is an emergent art form. Today, it is influencing the work of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, illustration, and fine art and even multimedia and technology-moving away from the street and into private collections and galleries. The self-taught graffiti artists turned walls of public (and sometimes private) buildings into giant panoramas and subway cars into moving murals. Later, graffiti artists began to paint on canvas, walls or large sheets of paper, attracting the attention of art dealers and collectors. One of the first dealers to buy and collect graffiti was Sidney Janis. His heirs Conrad Janis and Carroll donated almost fifty works from his estate to the Brooklyn Museum in 1999. Graffiti is drawn primarily from this gift and added extra element by material the Museums Libraries and Archives. Graffiti in exhibitions explores the ways graffiti has moved away from the painted wall into the medium of print making, creating distinctive, exciting visuals along the way. I strongly think that Governments should in courage graffiti artist to take their artistic displays into exhibitions rather than preventing them from doing what they love doing. It is pretty difficult to prevent people from doing what they love. (http://www.peeta.net/street_art_energy.html) Mr. Totem Painting Graffiti-funded by council/organization Graffiti is considered a crime in most places because of the risk graffiti artists, or writers take when they tag, and the speed and effectiveness with which they must create their pieces, have helped figure the form itself. Individuals however, in a variety of places around the world, are recognizing graffiti as an authentic art form and now grant legal spaces for it. Below are 8 places where tagging is legal, and in some cases, encouraged. 1. Hosier Lane, Melbourne, Australia Photo by BlueBec This is a famous place that is popular to tourists and other graffiti artists. This place encourages graffiti and it is also featured in travel guides and advertising campaigns. Banksy even tagged his work here. 2. Warsaw, Poland Photo by *gorolla The local police dont have a problem with graffiti here. This space provides space for writers and stencil art. 3. Queens, New York, United States Photo by rawmeyn This place is free to the public and it is almost covered by graffiti. Graffiti artists that put their work here have to be granted permission by curator Meres One. 4. Paris, France Photo by Gabriel Radic There are many legal tagging sites in France. Graffiti groups are very territorial with their space and they are not afraid of being confronted. 5. Taipei, Taiwan Photo by neogenova The police only get involved here only when the owners of the space or place complain or property is destroyed. 6. Zà ¼rich, Switzerland Photo by inthesitymad This place is independently run by graffiti artists and is left out by the city. This place is now a cultural centre and is one of the few places where graffiti is legal and encouraged. 7. Sydhavnen, Copenhagen, Denmark Photo by tobiashm Here individual pieces dont last long due to the popularity of the place. 8. Venice, California, United States Photo by jakedobkin This location is world famous for being an open and creative space for street artists Conclusion: In a nut shell Graffiti cannot be precisely considered as vandalism. Graffiti can transform a horrid location into an attractive environment. Graffiti cannot be accurately classified as vandalism because the public property is not destroyed, but made to look stunning. Graffiti is art because it is deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. Graffiti can also be thought-out as an art that vandalizes property if it is carried out without permission. But if it is carried out legally (with authorization) it can not be thought out to be vandalism. Vandalism is anti-social behaviour. Criminals carry out their anti-social behaviour during their leisure time. Graffiti artist should learn to carry out their work in places where they dont vandalise. The government should spend money and provide legal areas where graffiti artists can continue with their work. The government prefers to spend money erasing an illegal piece of art, which could be recreated in that same spot, with little cost to the artist, and arguable harm to the community, instead of spending money supporting better education, which will have long-term results, and help the entire economy, not just the immediate area. The jobs created by that money could easily have spent to enable better jobs for todays youth tomorrow. What a waste. Most of the graffiti artists are prosecuted and even gone to jail, as cities get cleaner in order to attract big retailers and big money. Others retire and go on to work in the arts, designing clothes, ad campaigns, or selling paintings in galleries. Other groups of artists continue to paint in the streets and tunnels, disregarding the laws designed to jail them. References: Elizabeth Manning: Longman Active Study Dictionary-Pg.823 Frank Coefield: Vandalism Graffiti: The state of the art-Pg. 32-33 Wikipedia Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

The Challenge of Good Advice :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

The Challenge of Good Advice Good advice is in the eye of the beholder. Advice needs to be relative to the situation. If something is missing from advice the whole topic may be dismissed. If there is too much some info may be missed because some is forgotten or attention diverted. For advice to be good options should present themselves. I won't want to be told there is only one way to do something. No straight forward answer should ultimately clinch it for me. I'd want insight from a variety of sources. Such as verbal and non-verbal, sentences and actions. Cautioning against something too much may have the reverse effect, every once in a while I've been known to see what will happen, even if guided to do otherwise. The same advice given to two different people may trigger different actions. My mother has said this to me "Save your money for something you really want" when I was young, like age 9, I ignored this advice because I wasn't ready for it and I "wanted" candy. My age, 18, allows me to listen better save it for college or to buy a car. The older I got the more willing I was to accept advice. It all depended on what I was thinking and feeling at a particular time or age. Or 18 year olds, like some of my friends could disregard the advice as well and just "want" to party. To me good advice comes from someone I respect or even want to be like. However, if that person is on the wrong track with advice then they could lead me astray. Their so-called good advice may be the worst advice I could ever receive. Taking advice has to be a judgment call as well as a learning process. If I were to choose the wrong path it would be no one's fault but my own. I usually want drawn out examples of situations in order to choose what advice is good for me and what is not. Yet my brother wants advice straight to the point and easy to refer back to. Then sometimes I want a little of both. To me the somewhat drawn out examples help me to choose the path to go. With more examples I'm bound to remember at least one if not more. The short, but not always sweet, explanations may leave room for interpretation which occasionally have led me to the eve of destruction.

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle Robert Craven and Stuart Chambers ‘Warwick Castle – the finest mediaeval castle in England. ‘ INTRODUCTION The Stratford-on-Avon and District Hotels and Caterers Association (SCATA) publishes a brochure which has described the Castle as follows; â€Å"This magnificent ancient Castle, situated at the very centre of England, is a treasure house of great beauty and splendid, rare quality collections of pictures, furniture, furnishings and an outstanding collection of arms and armour which bear witness to the power and influence of the Earls of Warwick down through the centuries.The beautiful grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, where peacocks roam freely, are a delight in all seasons. . . Excellent catering facilities are available all year round to suit every pocket and disposition, as well as several gift shops† Warwick Castle is less than two hours by road from London with easy access from all major cities by motorway, road and rail. This e xcellent infrastructure allows the area to be part of the itinerary of any visitor to the UK.The County of Warwickshire is lyrically described in the SCATA brochure: â€Å"Stratford-an-Avon and Shakespeare's Country. When you think of England, and the very best of England, you are probably thinking about this fascinating region. Here in this most English of English landscapes, the broad rolling sweep of the Cotswolds, the classic half-timbered villages of the Vale of Evesham and leafy Warwickshire, there is an unparalleled variety of attractions.The birthplace of the world's greatest dramatist, William Shakespeare; the finest mediaeval Castle and most-visited stately home at Warwick; England's most magnificent palace at Blenheim; and the world's most famous theatre in Stratford† THE CASTLE The Castle is part of the Tussauds Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pearson plc, which also owns the Financial Times Group and Royal Doulton among other varied interests.The Tussauds Gro up runs entertainment centres that include: Madame Tussauds, the famous waxworks in Baker Street, London; the London Planetarium and Laserium; the Royalty and Empire Exhibition at Windsor; Alton Towers, the UK's only world-rated leisure park; and Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo. The Castle's General Manager, Martin Westwood, works in the stately home, from a majestic suite of offices overlooking the grounds.He is enthusiastic about the Castle both as a building steeped in history and as a business. In the relaxed atmosphere of his office, where he is surrounded by portraits and old paintings of the Castle, he refers to it as ‘a brand leader' in stately homes for it is in the top five most visited historic sites that charge entry fees (see Table 1).Table 1 Historic sites attracting more than 300,000 paid admissions 1 Tower of London 2 Roman Baths and Pump Room, Bath 3 State Apartments, Windsor 4 Stonehenge, Wiltshire 5 Warwick Castle 6 Shakespeare's Birthplace, Stratfor d 7 Leeds Castle, Kent 8 Hampton Court Palace, near London 9 Tower Bridge, London 10 Blenheim Palace, Wood stock, Oxford 11 Beaulieu, Hampshire 12 Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London 13 St George's Chapel, Windsor 14 Anne Hathaway's Cottage, Stratford 15 HMS Victory, Portsmouth 16 Mary Rose, Portsmouth 17 Royal Pavilion, Brighton 18 Chatsworth House, Derbyshire 19 Hever Castle, Kent 20 Fountains Abbey, North Yorks.Paid admissions (000s) 2298 950 855 703 685 604 540 525 528 517 493 411 372 365 340 333 314 306 303 300 As you pass through the ticket office from the large car park you catch your first view of the Castle. The view truly takes your breath away and fully warrants the description given by Sir Walter Scott in 1828: ‘the most noble sight in England'. MARKETING Marketing Manager, Sarah Montgomery, is another enthusiast of the outstanding beauty of the Castle.Discussing the marketing of the business she considers that the Castle's unique selling point must be that carried on al l the promotional material: ‘Warwick Castle – the finest mediaeval castle in England. ‘ But she does not discount the Castle's unique state of preservation, the breadth of attractions it offers, its location on the banks of the River Avon or its thousand-year span of history. In the year 1068 the first castle was built at Warwick and since that time it slowly developed into a mighty stronghold and later a grand mansion befitting the station of a high ranking nobleman. . In November 1978 the present Earl sold Warwick Castle and its contents to Madame Tussauds of London. The Castle's marketing team recognised that the Castle attracted a diverse audience, each segment of which wanted different things from a visit. So in targeting audiences the team had to decide whether it was trying to sell the Castle aspect, the stately home aspect or the gardens. It was felt that all three areas attracted different audiences and conjured up different expectations.Research had esta blished that from the public's point of view ‘castles' were not associated with grounds and formal gardens, and neither were they associated with the notion of being someone's home. On the other hand, stately homes were associated with grounds and gardens but were felt to be formal and museum-like, with ropes keeping the public away from the interesting areas. So, was the ‘most visited Stately Home in Britain' really a castle, or was the Castle also a stately home? This conundrum had to be solved.The Castle management has a deliberate policy of charging one overall admission charge for all areas of the Castle and Grounds open to visitors. In the past they had considered charging separate admission prices for the Castle and the Grounds but this, it was felt, would confuse the customer. (See Figure 1 for price and attraction details. ) The Castle regularly has detailed market research questionnaires compiled by an outside company. Sarah said that market research is taken v ery seriously by the team: â€Å"On average, overseas visitors represent 42 per cent of the total.Twenty-five per cent of our customers seem to come in groups of greater than 20 and these groups are predominantly from overseas. On the other hand, 58 per cent of visitors come from the UK, of which roughly half come from within a 100 km radius of the site. Another interesting point is that 25 per cent of all customers are repeat visitors which we feel reflects the popularity of the Castle. With UK visitors 33 per cent are repeats. Of the nonlocals, that is UK residents from outside the 100 km radius, 78 per cent stay overnight in the area and the remainder have travelled over 100 km to visit the area for the day.With the recent opening of the M 40 motorway into London (approximately180 km} it is felt that travel time may be a more important factor to consider than distance travelled in kilometres† Figure 1 Admission Rates and attractions at Warwick Castle The data are collected over a period of days, and the market research reports sent to Sarah include not only the profile of visitors but what parts of the Castle they visit. The popularity of various parts of the complex varies according to how busy the site is. For instance, on a quiet day 87 per cent might visit the Private Apartments, but on a busy day this igure drops to 68 per cent. Likewise, during one such busy period, the visitors to the Woodland Gardens increased from 17 per cent to 20 per cent, to the Mound from 46 per cent to 52 per cent, and to the River Island from 34 per cent to 40 per cent. On average, visitors stayed on the site for three hours. Coach parties tended to visit for three hours, probably because the Castle was part of a full-day, tightly scheduled excursion that included other nearby tourist attractions. Competition for the paying tourists' disposable cash was quite fierce in the area, it was felt.Other sites competing for the ‘leisure pound' were the Black Country Muse um, Drayton Manor (Adventure) Park, West Midlands Safari Park, Cadbury World, Blenheim Palace, Alton Towers Theme Park, Ironbridge, Stratford’s Shakespeare and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. In the Undercroft Restaurant marketing researchers overheard an elderly professor in conversation with a friend he had encountered in the Castle grounds: â€Å"I came early in the morning to avoid the rush. Any major historic tourist site is going to be heaving by midday in the summer and personally I hate all the queuing and tourists with cameras and all that.I got here at about 10 a. m. when the place opened this morning. I was able to enjoy the pure magic of the building with relatively few other people around. By lunch-time the queues were what I felt to be unreasonably long, but it is August and this must surely be their peak time here. I do wonder, for instance, should they not encourage more visitors out of season and what about allowing people to visit early morning or in the ev ening to avoid the lunch-time crush? † MANAGING DEMAND Warwick Castle brochures show a wide variety of activities that supplement turnover outside the peak season.According to Sarah, this literature was intended ‘to push up the shoulders of demand': Every Friday and Saturday evening the Undercroft provides the setting for splendid five-course mediaeval banquets recreating the eve of the Battle of Agincourt. . A special events calendar has been published (see Figure 2). The Warwick Arts Festival uses the Castle as a venue in the evenings for a week in July. Exclusive tours of the Castle, and separately of the Gardens, are run by experts for pre-booked groups.These are available during the periods October to March, and March to November respectively, except during school half-term holidays and bank holidays. †¢ †¢ As a profit centre for the Pearson Group, the Castle is given targets that increase at a rate exceeding inflation. From these, prices are derived based on product developments, the prices that competitors are charging and known external factors that may affect demand (such as exchange rates and elections! ). The Castle expected between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors in the next year and profit projections were made based on these estimates.All catering facilities are run by the Castle, recognising franchising to another company would result in lost control and reduce potential to participate in profitable activities. Martin Westwood commented on fluctuations in demand: â€Å"Staffing varies relatively little with demand. It is felt that once the basic positions around the Castle are attended by staff, there is little that an additional staff member can provide. Winter weekends attract more visitors than winter weekdays, such that Saturday and Sunday combined turnover is the same as the other five days of the week put together.In summer things are more even, a Saturday or a Sunday being equivalent to two weekdays, although Sunday is usually busier than Saturday† Figure 2 Warwick castle Special Events Calendar BUSINESS OBJECTIVES Martin is clear that the Castle's prime objective is ‘to achieve growth in earnings per share for its shareholders'. At the same time he emphasizes the sense of responsibility the management feels ‘as custodians of this precious monument' to work within it and use integrity and sensitivity at all times. Hence all signs, directions and facilities take a very low profile. Flashing neon lights are not the order of the day!Sarah Montgomery commented on the need to underplay the commercial side of the organisation: â€Å"Coca-Cola have offered us a sponsorship deal. They will give us money for a particular project which will increase our revenue and also the number of visitors we are getting. The problem is that Coke is the epitome of youth and fizz while the Castle's target market is adults ABC 1, average age somewhere around 45! So how do we pull this deal together? â⠂¬  It is the ‘integrity' of the business in which the management take pride. It is not any business site but a very special building that is loved and cherished by the staff.Their constant concern is how to run a business from the Castle without destroying the charm and romance of the buildings, and without covering it with obtrusive signs and facilities. All staff are very polite and courteous and, though they are available to the public, tend not to interfere with the customers' visit. In fact they blend in with visitors as they wear little that suggests they are actually staff. And when the Castle is relatively empty of visitors it has a really enchanting atmosphere. PERFORMANCE Evaluation of the performance of the business has difficulties.On the one hand, queues are an obvious problem (see Table 2) but then the customers do not seem to mind too much! Above all, the business is going from strength to strength, and achieving healthy profit performance. So, while the criti cisms have to be noted, management has been achieving the high returns and growth that the shareholders require. Table 2 Observations of queuing and flow, Tuesday afternoon Queue to Private Apartments (number of people) 1. 00pm 130 1. 20 147 1. 40 128 2. 00 153 2. 20 132 2. 40 119 3. 00 137 Flow through doors to Private Apartments (number of people) 1. 00-1. 20 104 1. 20-1. 40 113 1. 40-2. 0 107 Flow from Private Apartments and State Rooms (number of people) 1. 00-1. 20 127 1. 20-1. 40 117 1. 40-2. 00 121 Queue to Rampart Walk 0-20 people at anyone time Number of people entering Rampart Walk 1. 40-1. 50 174 Queue at top of ramparts to get down (number of people) 6 minutes 63 Martin Westwood was defensive on the question of queues: â€Å"What popular tourist attraction doesn't have queues, and in any case, the queues here move pretty quickly. If we get queues for one part of the Castle we simply put out a sign suggesting people move on to the next attraction, although, to be frank, that doesn't really work.You see, the trouble is, that once people see a queue they don't want to miss out so they still join on the end of it. Our marketing questionnaires (see Appendix 1) suggest that we've got the operation about right, but there's always room for some improvement† The Professor in the Undercroft Restaurant had raised several issues connected with this: â€Å"The Castle really is in a unique condition of preservation. It's truly marvellous but I wouldn't seriously consider visiting it in the peak season. I just happen to be in the area because we're going over to Stratford tonight to see Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.I'm really looking forward to it! I wonder why they don't have off-peak rates for those not visiting around midday and maybe open earlier and close later. I would be more than happy to spend more time on the site if it weren't for all the other tourists everywhere. And another thing, couldn't they do a package deal with the th eatre at Stratford? I'm sure a lot of visitors here also go there. In fact, I would pay a premium price to have the Castle almost to myself. For instance, I'd find it simply delightful to sip a Pimms or a gin and tonic in the grounds as the sun went down.I know that I am rambling but I am sure there's a way to re-jig the prices so that the site basically generates more income throughout the year. And even if you say they do things out of season I've not heard about them, so what's the use of publicity if it doesn't reach the people that want to spend money? † Sarah Montgomery, mindful of the need to keep a close eye on customers' diverse requirements, often talked to individuals at the exit. A transcript of one such encounter is reproduced in Appendix 2.APPENDIX 1 MARKETING QUESTIONNAIRE OF RANDOM SAMPLE OF PEOPLE LEAVING WARWICK CASTLE Age range 0-5 6-15 16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 66+ 7 37 27 25 34 17 20 33 Area of origination Local (within 100 km) UK (outside 100 km) Euro pe (excl. UK) USA/Canada S. America Australia Africa Asia Other/unspecified Length of stay in area Day trip 1-3 days 4-7 days 8+ days Method of transport Coach trip Own transport Hire car Public transport Other (bicycles etc. ) 37 27 25 47 3 11 5 14 2 96 50 13 5 96 74 31 20 12 Did you find that you had to queue very much? Yes 186 No 12 No comment 2 Did you feel that the queues were the same as other large tourist sites?Same 190 Better 4 Worse 6 Did you visit†¦? State Rooms and Great Hall The Private Apartments The Watergate (Ghost) Tower The Armory The Dungeon The Torture Chamber The Gatehouse and Barbican 191 190 31 104 193 183 87 Guy's Tower, the Rampart Walk and Clarence Tower The Victorian Rose Garden The Peacock Gardens The Conservatory The River Island Foxes Study and Cedar Walk Pageant Field The Mound Refreshment Stall Stables Restaurant and Tearoom Undercroft Restaurant The Bookshop Did you.. .? Bring your own picnic Did you see the Red Knight Did you buy a brochure How long have you spent at the Castle? hours Is this your first visit? Yes No Would you visit again? Yes No Maybe Don't know 186 103 117 102 57 31 101 54 118 52 71 62 32 81 99 5 67 75 37 16 148 52 144 31 23 2 APPENDIX 2 TRANSCRIPT OF A CONVERSATION WITH A VISITOR Christabelle Trymko, Oldbury-on-Severn, Gloucester ‘We got here at about midday. We came up for the day from Gloucestershire. It was quite a good trip and the kids behaved themselves in the car. We had heard a lot about the Castle from some friends who have just moved up to Stratford, which is just down the road from Warwick. ‘The Castle's in superb condition!You don't know what it's going to be like until you get past the ticket office and it really is amazing. It has been kept in impeccable condition, and the gardens are beautiful as well as being far less crowded than the Castle. ‘There were too many people in and around the Castle. The queues were an irritation but I parked my husband in the queue and too k the kids elsewhere until he was near the front and then we joined him. I think a few people got upset because we seemed to be pushing in, but I'm not prepared to wait with three children in long queues in the sun.Mind you, it's nothing like the queues at Madame Tussauds in London, they really are crazy. ‘I didn't realise quite how big the grounds were. If I had known I think we would have spent longer at Warwick Castle and made a full day of it. We should have come here at about ten and then spent the whole day here. That way the queues inside the Castle would have been shorter for us. The grounds are lovely and they've got special picnic areas which I thought was a nice idea. (I wish we'd brought a picnic. ) Mind you, it does seem to be more than a bit light on entertainment for the kids. Nicky loved the man with the wonderful moustache dressed up in full Crusader uniform on the horse. He was very good with the kids. Nicky also liked the waxworks in the Private Apartments p lace. The queue wound its way up, down and around the place but apart from mild feelings of claustrophobia (that's my problem, I suppose) it went at about the right speed and I guess it lasted a bit under an hour. Oh yes, the Rampart Walk, they ought to warn you about just how many stairs you have to climb. I mean, I know there is a sign but you don't take it seriously, do you!You go up and up and then there's that great spiral staircase up the inside of that tower, I won't do that again in a rush! But it was worth it for the view. ‘All in all it was a good day. More interesting than the average castle and not full of the usual touristoriented rubbish associated with tourist attractions. The commercial side is very much underplayed and I like that. You don't feel obliged to buy ice creams and tee-shirts and pencils and tea towels. Maybe some of the signs were a bit too discreet – we had to ask where the toilets were – but it makes a pleasant change. Also I like t he one price for everything. At other places, I object to paying an admission charge and then paying on top of that for particular attractions. You always feel mean if you don't pay up, and then you also feel that you might be missing something. No, I'd recommend the place and it's so much less hassle than the tourist places in London which you almost feel obliged to visit every so often. ‘ This case is from: Cases in Operations Management (Second edition) Johnston, Chambers, Harland, Harrison, Slack, FT Prentice Hall 1997

Pride and Honour- Mercutio and Tybalt Essay Example

Pride and Honour Pride and Honour- Mercutio and Tybalt Paper Pride and Honour- Mercutio and Tybalt Paper Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet The play I am referring to is the romantic tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, called ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The film was then interpreted again the 1990’s by a director called Baz Luhrmann. The key characters in this story are Romeo, one of the central protagonists; Juliet is the other main character. There is Mercutio who is Romeo’s best friend and finally Tybalt a character who is an enemy to most, and always wanting a fight. The basic outline of the story is: Romeo is part of the Montague house and Juliet is part of the Capulet house, in the play these two families have an ancient and on-going feud between them. The setting is in Verona, Italy where peace does not last for long. Romeo is faced with unrequited love between himself and Rosaline, part of the Capulet house. Then Mercutio takes Romeo and a few other friends to a ball at the Capulet mansion so Mercutio can prove that Rosaline isn’t the only girl ‘available’ to Romeo. Incidentally at the party Romeo meets Juliet and falls in love with her a first sight. A short while later Romeo and Juliet get married by a priest called Friar Laurence. After the wedding Tybalt is seen provoking the Montagues and insisting to start a fight. Eventually Mercutio get stabbed and Romeo pursues his best friend’s murderer, in revenge Tybalt is killed brutally by Romeo. Next the police sentence Romeo to banishment from ‘Verona walls’. Meanwhile Juliet is forced into a fixed marriage with a famous, rich lord called Paris. This love is again unrequited, with Juliet having no interest in him. Consequently Juliet goes to Friar Laurence and he gives her a potion to make her look dead on the day of the marriage so when Juliet wakes up she can run away with Romeo. The fatal flaw in this story is when Romeo finds Juliet looking dead he commits suicide and when she wakes up to find her lover killed she then slaughters herself. After hearing from the tragedies from both families the Capulet and Montague house end the feud and rivalry and become friendlier with each other. The story first starts with the Montague and Capulet houses having an open street brawl. Luhrmann chooses a petrol station for this encounter to create more atmosphere. We first meet Tybalt Capulet at the apocalyptic petrol station fight interpreted by Baz Luhrmann in the opening scene. The audience first witnesses him when he steps out of the Capulet car and the camera zooms in on his feet, putting out a cigarette. This shot demonstrates that Tybalt is a defensive and territorial character. Also this could show his superiority and protectiveness for the Capulet family. Additionally the cigarette being put out could signalise the Montague family possibly loosing the brawl by being crushed and the ‘light would have gone’. Tybalt is also represented as having an aggressive and violent persona by William Shakespeare in the opening scene. This is shown when Tybalt says ‘Peace, peace I hate the word’. Firstly when he repeats ‘peace’ this shows that he is mocking the expression. Secondly Tybalt emphasises the word ‘hate’ this illustrates his vented anger and frustration towards the Montague family. In his eyes the idea to end the rivalry is an insult and a disgrace to him. When Tybalt says this line he is refuelling the family feud. Tybalts general tone towards the Montague family is very icy and silky also he purposely mocks a lot of phrases made by the opposing family, this shows; he is not genuine and usually sarcastic. Tybalt dresses very dignified and superior, when the audience first sees him in the opening scene. Furthermore he is always seen (apart from one scene in which he dies), wearing a bullet proof jacket. This could show that he is all the time ready for a fight and never vulnerable. To back this point up Tybalt is constantly carrying around two pistols with the Capulet logo on them. Curiously he is seen wearing a vest with Jesus printed on the front during the opening fight. This might suggest that the never-ending family feud between the Capulet and Montague families could be because of a religious reason. Tybalt actions and movements give him he nick name ‘Prince of Cats’. This is supposedly so because he is very agile and swift like a cat. His activities are silkily and smooth and he also has a very accurate aim, in the street brawl Tybalt does not stumble or fall over at all. The next time the audience sees Tybalt is at the Capulet ball which Mercutio ‘smuggles’ Romeo and some friends into. Tybalt’s feelings during and after the ball are very strong towards the Montagues as he sees Romeo showing affection toward Juliet when they first meet. This is clear when he says ‘that villain Romeo’, which suggests that every member of the Montague family is seen as an enemy and foe without even knowing him personally. The phrase ‘don’t judge and book by its cover’ couldn’t be more evident during this line. Tybalt instantly assumes that Romeo is up to no good and a mischief maker when he sees the connection between Romeo and Juliet. Again during the Capulet ball Tybalt has the need to exert his anger and frustration about the central protagonists ‘wrong-doings ‘at he party by complaining to his uncle ‘Capulet’ the head of the family. He adamantly rejects Tybalts plea to start an open fight. Following this Tybalt becomes even more aggravated by this and tries to go out individually to fight the Montagues, without thinking about the possible consequences. In Act 3 Scene 1 it brings and end to Tybalt’s ‘reign of terror’ during the play. The setting of the corruption takes place on Verona beach when Tybalt and a few others approach the Montague’s looking to cause a scene and a fight. Luhrmann presents this encounter by playing sinister and menacing music to introduce the Capulets; this would give the audience the impression that there will be some sort of disagreement. The music is foreshadowing the epic brawl that is going too happened between the two houses. After the Capulets enter, the surrounding public is scared a frightened with an atmosphere of silence and quietness takes over the beach. It is obvious to see that society is afraid of the family feud and prospect of Tybalt starting a fight. Then Tybalt insults Mercutio by saying ‘thou art consort with Romeo’. Mercutio takes this the wrong way and thinks he possibly could have meant do you ‘homosexually like’ Romeo? Mercutio clashes with him the fight has started. Luhrmann uses dramatic and loud music to portray this melee. Also there are handheld camera shots of the two foes, showing the viewers the characters reactions and facial expressions. After Tybalt and Mercutio have thrown their insults at each other, Romeo pulls up in his car and tries to resolve the problem by shaking hands, but instead Tybalt rejects this offer and insists to fight with him. This action really reflects Tybalt’s overall personality; he is always ready to fight and is an aggressive and destructive character. But contrastingly he purposely removes his bullet proof vest to show he is ready for a fight to the death, additionally when Tybalt removes his vest it shows that he is expecting to win the fight. Lastly Tybalt’s friend Abra empties all of Tybalt’s bullets except for one which confirms that one person will die in the fight. Luhrmann really creates ambience in this scene by using the weather to portray the atmosphere and feeling of the characters. Firstly when Mercutio and Tybalt clash the weather suddenly become stormy and wind with thunder and lightning in the sky. This technique used is pathetic fallacy and gives the audience a huge insight into the character feelings. Such as Tybalt is feeling satisfied because he has got the exact reaction out of Mercutio as he wanted, he intended to agitate him and drive him on argue and clash against him. Next Tybalt fatally stabs Mercutio leading to his death, and in revenge Romeo peruses his friend’s murderer with vigorous action. In this bid of vengeance from Romeo he wildly and violently chases Tybalt who now looks life the coward as he is hunted down by Romeo. He seems scared and worried for his life, as if sub-consciously knowing that he has gone too far. Following on there is a short street battle, until Romeo finds a Capulet gun and shoots Tybalt many times before falling into a fountain underneath the Friar Laurence’s Church. Throughout the film Luhrmann uses all different types of imagery. He uses mainly fire and water imagery all through the movie. Water Imagery is often used or plays some part in a characters life in this play. Tybalt is seen falling into water when he dies, Romeo and Juliet’s first camera shots we either near or in water. Also fire imagery is portrayed after the opening scene after being a representation of the family feud. Fire destroys are consumed which is the similar connection with the on-going family rivalry. But water extinguishes fire, which could suggest that the deaths of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Mercutio collectively put out the fire therefore dousing out the family feud. Mercutio is a character who can be described as polarised, two faced or multi-faceted. He has a very changeable and suddenly adaptable personality could change rather randomly. The two main ‘faces’ of Mercutio are: eccentric, flamboyant, playful and fun but he can become pensive, melancholy and easily frustrated. He is introduced by again the camera showing a close-up of his feet first before any part of his body. This is the first similarity between Tybalt that Luhrmann recognises. This shot could show that Mercutio is also protective, defence and territorial. Baz Luhrmann interprets the character of Mercutio as unconventional, bizarre and possibly homosexual in his actions. When the audience first see Mercutio in Act 1 Scene 5, just before the Capulet ball, he is dressed as a girl and uses a very high pitched voice, when he sings a song to try and cheers up Romeo from his heartbreak with Rosaline. The costume he wears matches that of his personality by being peculiar and strangely different. Also the director understands the character to be homosexually attracted towards Romeo. This is backed up by the way he talks nimbly, politely and lightly to Romeo. Another trait of Mercutio is that he enjoys being the centre of attention and ‘centre stage’. This is backed up because during the Capulet ball Mercutio is seen numerous times dancing and singing solo on the stage. At the first glimpse of the party Romeo is having a hallucination and in his ‘dream’ he saw Mercutio singing ‘Young hearts Run Free’, with him also being the main act on the stage. This choice of song strongly reflects Mercutio’s ‘happy’ side. The lyrics of the song is about someone who does what ever he/she wants when ever they like, which is very alike to Mercutio’s personality as he does not usually follow anyone else’s lead and mainly decides to do what he wants. Also the music is loud and blaring again portraying Mercutio’s persona. The final part of the story that Mercutio plays a major piece in is Act 3 Scene 1 in which he dramatically dies. The significance of his words before he dies illustrates that he could have been upset with the Montagues before he died. Additionally when Mercutio says ‘A plague o both your houses’, this suggests that Mercutio is exclaiming that he is cursing both the Montague and Capulet houses, and blatantly accusing them of causing his death. Mercutio is also fully aware that the family feud has claimed yet another life. Hence he has unintentionally sacrificed himself, in another opposing family brawl. This portrays his pride because in theory it is Mercutio’s own fault that he was murdered, for interfering when he wasn’t needed. He irritated and antagonised Tybalt consequently leading to his own downfall. Moreover this could be interpreted differently by stating that Mercutio was protecting himself and Romeo, from Tybalt but it was Romeo’s fault for not defending him. Lastly Mercutio says ‘A scratch, A scratch’ after he has been fatally stabbed. This proves that de does not want the recognition or attention for his terminal injury. Mercutio believes that he should not show his discomfort, distress, or worry as he feared he could be called a coward. After this is takes his late few steps and struggles onto Verona Beach and dies. In Mercutio’s final scene he is wearing a white shirt, this could indicate that he was innocent in this battle, as white is the colour of purity. Finally with Mercutio dying on the beach the sand could show that the brawl that had just happened could have been a ‘western showdown’ with the windy conditions, loud dramatic music and desert like surroundings. The water imagery used in Mercutio’s death is before the Capulets come to the beach, he is shooting into the water angry because of Romeo’s mystery towards them. His friend Benvolio insists that they leave otherwise they ‘will not escape a brawl’ as there is a lot of tension and anxiety between the opposing families. Also Mercutio dies on the beach which is near water, again showing the water imagery presented in this film. It is obvious to say now that water imagery is a symbol or foreshadows death. Finally to sum this essay up the characters Tybalt and Mercutio are portrayed and illustrated as slightly contrasting personalities by William Shakespeare and Baz Luhrmann. There are many similarities and difference between them, but overall in the story they are both represented as very proud and honourable characters, no matter how extreme and bizarre, every story must have some sort of entertainment.

Eqypt vs Mayan essays

Eqypt vs Mayan essays The Egyptian civilization that developed along the Nile River was comprised of desperate human communities forced by the growing desert to live there. It grew to be one of the first great urban cultures of human history. The Mayan Civilization was an ancient Native American culture that became of the most advanced civilizations in the Americas. The people known as the Maya lived in the region that is now eastern and southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras. The basis of both of the societies was agriculture. Agriculture lead to every other aspect of these two diverse, yet similar cultures split by the globe. The Mayans and the Egyptians both had very primitive farming techniques in the beginning. In order to be successful at all, the people had to work together. No one could do all of the labor alone. This meant that the cultures needed many workers to help out with the work. As the farmers and people began to cooperate, an organization began to grow. They found leaders among them who directed the workers. Forms of government and religion developed and due to this fact the people soon began to build cities and to manufacture things. Eventually they even began to trade with their neighbors. That is how it all started. This was the founding ground for both of their societies. To be a successful society the people needed a food supply, which meant that they had to have trust and faith in their farming techniques and in the supernatural gods that controlled their fate. Today, as then, every society has a god or idol they worship to explain why life takes the path that it does. Both the Mayan and Egyptians had a very strong religion centered society. The Maya worshiped agricultural gods, such as the rain god and, later, the corn god. Eventually they developed the belief that gods controlled events in each day, month, and year, and that they had to make offerings to win the gods favor. The ...

How to add cool graphics to your LinkedIn Profile!

How to add cool graphics to your LinkedIn Profile! Have you always wondered how some people got really cool graphics into their LinkedIn Profiles? Is it magic? No, it’s easy! All you need is your character map. â€Å"What’s my character map?† you may ask. If you are a mac user, I refer you to this forum. If you are a Mac user, I refer you to this list of how to insert special characters. Apple provides this help page as well for inserting emojis, accented letters, and other symbols into documents. If you are a PC user, go to your start menu and start typing character map into the search box. Or, if you dont have a search box because of an odd technical situation (not that I know from experience about this.. ehhemm) you can click on All Programs, then the Accessories Folder, then System Tools, then Character Map. Heres what youll see once you enter the character map: Choose the symbol you want to insert into your profile and double click on it. The symbol will appear in the Characters to copy box: Using this feature, you can insert foreign language alphabets, bullets of many varieties, and any other symbols that strike your fancy. You will then be able to create profiles that look like these (click to see full profiles): Another trick is to insert a line across the page for emphasis. Lines take up 40 characters but I think they’re worth it. The easiest way to create a line in your profile is to copy one from someone else’s profile. You can also use arrow instead of bullets. Heres what it looks like: Using a combination of graphic highlights, you can make your profile â€Å"pop† in a way that everyone else’s does not. In my opinion, it’s worth putting a bit of effort into any strategy that will keep people interested in reading past the first glance. Graphics can do that! Have you used graphics in your profile in creative way? You are invited to share what you’ve done in the comments below!

Compare and contrast business systems in Japan and China. Answer with Essay - 1

Compare and contrast business systems in Japan and China. Answer with reference to relevant theories and use comparative country - Essay Example As identified by Gordon Redding, who serves as a professor in the management department at the University of Hong Kong, the global arena can be categorized under five major cuisines and three of these cuisines which can act as a gateway to economic prosperity are Asian – namely Japanese, Chinese and Korean. By effectively integrating the cultural norms, values and traditions of the land of Asia which are characterized by the presence of collectivism rather than Western individualism, the aforementioned Asian nations have been able to develop a unique and admirable model that has enabled them to address the requirements of their cultural practices.The key element in this scenario however, is the finesse with which Japanese, Chinese and Korean business and management systems have been able comprehend the â€Å"hierarchy-sensitive and collectivist norms of Asian culture† to unite the organization as an energetic group. The Japanese economy emerged as a leading force on an international level as a consequence of events which occurred in the nation during the post-war period. The extensive expansion and growth which was experienced by the economy precisely took place from 1955 to 1990, thereby, permitting the living standards of Japanese citizens to coincide and eventually exceed those of their Western counterparts. An examination of the business systems in Japan can only be conducted effectively once the historical background of the development of state-business relations is assessed from multiple perspectives. In this regard, the implementation of state policies in Japan before World War II and after World War II must be highlighted and their association with the present scenario identified. Towards the departure of the 19th century, the process of industrialization was initiated in Japan amidst strong state intervention in the formulation of industrial policy which was characterized by the agenda of establishing a wealthy nation with unparalleled military strength. A fundamental feature of the economy during this time was that of high concentration with the focus of the government directed towards developing industries which could be termed as strategically significant to the state. In this case, the influence of the government in the entire process meant that industrialization was promoted for the purposes of fulfilling a particular political agenda rather than maximizing the well-being of citizens. While, the influence of the state on the economic affairs of the land remained constant in the period preceding World War II, the traditional forces of Japanese culture exercised similar power over business systems. Assessing the influence of such elements on the development of Japanese business and managerial practices, Chen outlines the role of large business groups that are termed as keiretsus who have been dominating the nation’s economy to the present day (4). A defi ning feature of keiretsus is their relationship with the zaibztsus which comprised of individuals belonging to the same family managing large-scale financial and industrial business

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Marketing - Essay Example 8).† The engagement This engagement relates to the period during the second half of the last year, when a distant relation of mine wanted me to help him in designing the marketing department and developing the marketing aspects of his start-up family restaurant. This relation of mine took retirement from the Royal Navy as a Chief Petty Officer. He approached me to help him in designing and developing the marketing aspects of his business. I being a student of business studies, he thought I would be in a better position to help him in guiding on the marketing aspects. According to him, the navy taught him everything about cooking and gave him enough exposure on the culinary skills, managing the production facilities and managing men, but he lacked seriously on marketing knowledge. Although he believed if he starts a restaurant, with his culinary skills and personnel management as the chief cook in a frigate, he would be able to do good business. On the flipside, he was sceptical that the different and highly competitive environment may make it very difficult for him in the formative days. He felt that some help in marketing would make him more confident. He was undecided about to how to go about the whole thing about marketing. For me this was an opportunity to make application of my lessons in marketing. Defining Marketing To gauge his understanding on marketing, I asked him to tell me what he knows about marketing. According to him, marketing includes such activities as selling, advertising, marketing research and so on. I explained him that marketing is a way of doing business which starts with a focus on customer needs and expectations. I quoted the definition of UK Chartered Institute of Marketing which states: Marketing is the management process which identifies, anticipates, and supplies customer requirements efficiently and profitably. (Blythe, 2001, p. 11; cited by Schaefer, 2010, p.8) I explained him that to begin with we have to understand what he visualises about his would be customers, their likings and dislikes in respect to their food habits and decor and ambience. I continued that in addition to these factors, we need to know about their level of income to gauge about their affordability, so that we can plan to meet their requirements both efficiently and profitability. With this information, we would have to apply the marketing concepts. Setting the orientation I discussed with him about the four types of orientations a business can have, namely the (1) product orientation, (2) the production orientation, (3) selling orientation and (4) the marketing orientation. I advised that we develop a marketing orientation of the business, which in reality is an ‘outside-in’ approach in contrast to the other three approaches of inside-out approaches. Here, we had to start with a thorough assessment of the needs and expectations of buyers and then trying to fulfil those needs and expectations in order to attract cus tomers. I explained that in this perspective, he not only have to assume what its potential customers may want, but also he has to find out what his customers would actually want. Accordingly, the business offering have to be

Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966) & Williams v. Florida 399 Assignment

Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333 (1966) & Williams v. Florida 399 U.S. 78 - Assignment Example The unprecedented penetration of contemporary communications and the extreme difficulty associated with obliterating prejudicial publicity from the perception of the jury, necessitate the trial courts to adopt stringent measures to prevent a bias against the accused. The US Supreme Court found that the accused had been denied due process and reversed his conviction. With regard to the balance to be maintained between the First and Sixth Amendment rights, the Court held that collaboration between the press and counsel, regarding information influencing the fairness of the trial was subject to regulation, and was extremely censurable and merited disciplinary measures. The US Supreme Court decried the absence of decorum in the trial court, and the free reign given to the press during the hearing. The prejudicial posturing of the press had biased the jury, which declared the accused guilty, on the basis of the adverse publicity promoted by the press and not the evidence. In Williams v Florida, the prosecution admitted the deposition of an alibi witness to establish the guilt of the accused. The latter was convicted, and the conviction was upheld by the appellate court. At the US Supreme Court, Williams contended that his Fifth Amendment rights had been breached, as the evidence of the alibi witness had been utilized for convicting him. He also contended that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated, as the denial of a 12-man jury had deprived him of his right to trial by jury. (U.S. Supreme Court, Williams v. Florida, 399 U.S. 78 (1970), 1970). In this case, the US Supreme Court set aside precedent and legal tradition and declared the 12-man jury to be the perpetuation of a traditional idiosyncrasy. Accordingly, the Court upheld the constitutionality of the six-man jury, and held the 12-man jury to be its operational counterpart. The US Supreme Court held that the Florida criminal procedure did not force petitioners to provide courts

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Journal - Assignment Example I also dream of the future with no environmental pollution. I am aware of the dangers caused by environmental pollution, which encourage me to work hard unceasingly towards the achievement of that future. I believe that change begins with me. Therefore, I employ numerous management principles by ensuring that I conserve the available resources to preserve for future generations. This includes using energy, water, and land only to the capacity that can sustain me. I try as to use any alternative that is pollution-free or less-polluting. I have learned that through management of the natural environment, I have become a responsible individual all my life. I also believe in group work in management. This has led me to influence many other people in environmental issues. I lead by example to ensure that the current generation and the generation behind me adopt the same style of leadership. A good manager is also required to sharpen skills and competencies continually (Plunkett 12). I have done this by participating in seminars and other training sessions touching on the environment as well as reading articles on environmental

Paper about Finance Debt, Derivative, and speculation on financial Essay

Paper about Finance Debt, Derivative, and speculation on financial instruments - Essay Example Debt financing is a tool employed by firms to raise capital and expenditure funds through sale of bonds, notes or bills to investors who may be institutions or individuals. The buyers are promised repayment of the principal plus interest on their investment and as such are creditors to the selling firms. The term ‘debt financing’ may carry some negative look but this tool of financing is really helpful in raising starting business to run operations. Even firms with very healthy balance sheets resort to raising working capital through debts. It is also known as leverage in financial terms. When used well debt financing may help firms take advantage of lower interest rates from financial institutions and as such obtain cheap capital. The firm has therefore obtained capital readily, is repaying at lower interest rates and the repayment is spread over a period of time. If carefully employed debt financing is a sure way to obtain capital and maintain ownership. After the obtaining funds from the lender the only obligation is to repay back with interest. The borrower has the advantage as they invest the funds in their business without any interference. Firms also enjoy the benefits of tax deductions on the borrowed funds as well as the interest hence if carefully invested debt financing is a cheap source of capital. However debt financing may come with negative effects if misused; the borrower is obligate to repay regardless of the macro-economic environment hence it can result in to bankruptcy and legal suits. The borrowed funds also have to be repaid with interest and it affects a company’s credit score. Another financial tool in the world of business involves financial derivatives. This instrument of finance is associated with an indicator of finance or a commodity and through these certain financial risks

Pacific Northwest History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pacific Northwest History - Essay Example The potential for conflict existed because of the agricultural bounties in this largely unexplored region such as thick coniferous forests that can support a large timber industry (ideal for shipbuilding too), lumber for commercial uses, an almost unlimited supply of fur, to include sea otters and the very rich fishing grounds, particularly the chinook salmon considered by many as â€Å"pink gold† that served as a crude currency for barter (Merchant 97). There was also another reason for staking a claim: geopolitics. America, flush from its relatively recent victory in its war for independence, was eager to spread its wings and this was expressed in its expansionist aspirations via a political philosophy of â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. The belief was that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, that is primarily westward from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific seaboard to include Canada, Cuba and Mexico, even parts of Central America. These territorial ambitions were advanced as obvious or readily apparent (manifest) and inevitable or inexorable (destiny) but this came into conflict with Great Britain that also explored this US region known as British Columbia. Viewed from this perspective, the joint occupancy served more as a diplomatic course to exploit the regions riches and avoid a war for resources of which the two countries fought briefly, between 1812-1815 known as the War of 1812. This particular war was actually part of the larger Napoleonic wars in Europe between Great Britain and Napoleon of France. This was actually a modus vivendi (a diplomatic accommodation of a temporary nature) despite the political, cultural, economic or cultural differences for the sake of expediency. Incentives for suing peace were very much evident because neither side could gain an upper hand either in territorial gains or military supremacy. The larger

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 55

Journal - Assignment Example I also dream of the future with no environmental pollution. I am aware of the dangers caused by environmental pollution, which encourage me to work hard unceasingly towards the achievement of that future. I believe that change begins with me. Therefore, I employ numerous management principles by ensuring that I conserve the available resources to preserve for future generations. This includes using energy, water, and land only to the capacity that can sustain me. I try as to use any alternative that is pollution-free or less-polluting. I have learned that through management of the natural environment, I have become a responsible individual all my life. I also believe in group work in management. This has led me to influence many other people in environmental issues. I lead by example to ensure that the current generation and the generation behind me adopt the same style of leadership. A good manager is also required to sharpen skills and competencies continually (Plunkett 12). I have done this by participating in seminars and other training sessions touching on the environment as well as reading articles on environmental

Pacific Northwest History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pacific Northwest History - Essay Example The potential for conflict existed because of the agricultural bounties in this largely unexplored region such as thick coniferous forests that can support a large timber industry (ideal for shipbuilding too), lumber for commercial uses, an almost unlimited supply of fur, to include sea otters and the very rich fishing grounds, particularly the chinook salmon considered by many as â€Å"pink gold† that served as a crude currency for barter (Merchant 97). There was also another reason for staking a claim: geopolitics. America, flush from its relatively recent victory in its war for independence, was eager to spread its wings and this was expressed in its expansionist aspirations via a political philosophy of â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. The belief was that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, that is primarily westward from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific seaboard to include Canada, Cuba and Mexico, even parts of Central America. These territorial ambitions were advanced as obvious or readily apparent (manifest) and inevitable or inexorable (destiny) but this came into conflict with Great Britain that also explored this US region known as British Columbia. Viewed from this perspective, the joint occupancy served more as a diplomatic course to exploit the regions riches and avoid a war for resources of which the two countries fought briefly, between 1812-1815 known as the War of 1812. This particular war was actually part of the larger Napoleonic wars in Europe between Great Britain and Napoleon of France. This was actually a modus vivendi (a diplomatic accommodation of a temporary nature) despite the political, cultural, economic or cultural differences for the sake of expediency. Incentives for suing peace were very much evident because neither side could gain an upper hand either in territorial gains or military supremacy. The larger

Technology and the Environment Essay Example for Free

Technology and the Environment Essay With the development of Computers and information technology came talk of a new environmentally friendly era. The need to create and store documents on paper would be gone, along with the need to travel from city to city to conduct business meetings. The developers of computers sold Government Originations and Corporate America on these cost saving concepts. The promises made by computer developers proved to be somewhat true, especially given the wide spread deployment and use of Internet and email. Although computers have succeeded in reducing paper consumption, time, and fuel wasted while traveling they have managed to create some other waste management disasters. E-Waste is a new phrase that has been coined in the last few years. The term refers to the massive amounts of electronic waste that is being generated by ageing computer equipment being sent to disposal facilities and landfills each year. According to the National Safety Council, more than 150 million used PCs are sitting idle in storage in the United States with an additional 315 million computers that will need to be recycled or scrapped in 2004. The manufacturing of computers has transformed life in the second half of the 20th century. This also leads to rapid product obsolescence and lack of focus on environmental and social impacts of expanding production. The average computer platform now has a life span of about two years; hardware and software companies constantly generate new programs that demand more speed, memory and power. It is usually cheaper and more convenient to buy a new machine for the newer software than it is to upgrade the old machines. Disposing of e-waste in a landfill may seem harmless but in reality it is very dangerous to water supplies, plant life and humans in the surrounding areas. Electronic computer equipment is a complicated assembly of more than 1,000 materials, many of which are highly toxic, for example chlorinated and brominated substances, toxic gases, toxic metals, photo-active and biologically active materials, acids, plastics and plastic additives. Health impacts of the mixtures and material combinations in the products are unknown. The production of semiconductors, printed circuit boards, disk drives and monitors use very hazardous chemicals, and workers in chip  manufacturing are reporting cancer and birth defects. New evidence shows that computer-recycling employees have high levels of dangerous chemicals in their blood. The list of toxic components in computers also includes lead and cadmium in computer circuit boards, lead oxide and barium in computer monitors cathode ray tubes, mercury in switches and flat screens, and brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, cables and plastic casing. Considering the fact that landfills leak and even the best are not completely secure they will eventually allow a certain amount of chemical and metal leakage into the surrounding environment. The Environmental Protection Agency is just now beginning to recognize that these problems do exist and are creating new laws and regulations to correct disposal of e-waste. Several states are now adopting disposal programs, and some are even designating sites where consumers as well a businesses will be able to dispose of their unwanted computers without fees. These government programs as well as independent companies trying to recapture IT assets are proving successful. Although computers are responsible for a large increase in the amount of waste generated they have also been responsible for a significant decreases in fuel consumption and air pollution. With the rise of the communications era in recent years there is less need to travel. With video conferencing people can now go to a meeting without leaving their home, talk to someone with a cellular phone and do a myriad of other things including work, shop, search and communicate through the World Wide Web. With all this, there is less reliance on cars, which translates into less harmful carbon monoxide emissions. By using these advanced techniques and dealing with waste in a more responsible manor we would reduce air pollution and overfilled landfill sites saving valuable resources along with our invaluable environment. Waste recycling efforts, and utilization of technology hold the key to  solving our waste problems. By using methods such as recycling and responsible manufacturing techniques to reduce waste we would eliminate the need for designated landfill sites and the resulting massive pollution clean up costs. Computers like promised can be the solution, not cause of societies waste problems.

Fair Trade Movement

Fair Trade Movement The Aims and the Effects of the Fair-Trade Movement â€Å"What aims and purposes motivate the fair-trade movement? To what extent do you think that the methods adopted by fair-trade organizations achieve those aims?† Introduction In 2006, Fair trade certified sales amounted to approximately $2.3 billion worldwide, a 41% year-to-year increase. And fair-trade products generally account for 0.5-5% of all sales in their product categories in Europe and North America. In October 2006, over 1.5 million disadvantaged and marginalised producers worldwide were directly benefiting from fair-trade while an additional 5 million benefited from fair-trade funded infrastructure and community development projects. It seems fair-trade becomes more and more important in the social life. So it is better to understand what is fair-trade. 2. Definition of fair-trade In 2001, a common definition of fair-trade was developed by FINE, an informal association of four international fair-trade networks (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, International Fair Trade Association, Network of European Worldshops and European Fair Trade Association): Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers especially in the South. Fair trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade. The fair-trade movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. It focuses in particular on export goods from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, tea, and some other products in agriculture. 3. Motivation of the fair-trade movement In this section, we will try to answer the first question: What aims and purposes motivate the fair-trade movement? We can find the answer to this question on the website of FLOI (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International), the aims and purposes of the fair-trade movement, or called fair-trades strategic intent is: â€Å"deliberately to work with marginalised producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. to empower producers and workers as stakeholders in their own organizations. to actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.† The first aim is about marginalised producers and workers. They are the object and reason of the movement. Normally, they are easily hurt economically and treated by unequal conditions. And the fair-trade movement deliberately tries to protect those producers and workers. The second aim pays attention on the role of producers and workers in their own organizations. Normally, those marginalised producers and workers do not have enough power in their own organizations to protect themselves. But the Fair Trade movement aims to strive for more power for them in their own organizations. The third aim focus on the equity in international trade environment. It is important to create the opportunities and equity conditions for those marginalised producers and workers in domestic environment. But at the same time, we also need to take account into the international situation. And the fair-trade movement tries to reduce the gaps in different industries in different countries. IFAT (International Fair Trade Association) prescribes 10 standards that fair-trade organizations must follow in their day-to-day work and carries out continuous monitoring to ensure these standards are following: Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers Transparency and accountability Capacity building Promoting Fair Trade Payment of a fair price Gender Equity Working conditions Child Labour The environment Trade Relations I think these can be seen as a very good addition and explanation to the three main purposes of the fair-trade organizations. Those standards tell us how we can identify the aims of the fair-trade movement in practice. One can visit the website of IFAT for details. 4. Effects of the fair-trade movement Now, we should consider the second question in this section: To what extent do you think that the methods adopted by fair-trade organizations achieve those aims? 4.1 The methods To answer the question, we need to know which methods are adopted by fair-trade organizations. In nowadays, the main method adopted by fair-trade organizations is Fairtrade labelling. Although Solidarity trade occurs in 1960s, but the sales of fair trade products only really took off with the arrival of the first Fairtrade labelling initiatives. In 1988, the first Fairtrade labelling initiative, Max Havelaar, was created in the Netherlands The independent certification allowed the goods to be sold in the mainstream stores, reaching a larger consumer segment and boosting fair trade sales significantly. The labeling initiative also allowed customers and distributors alike to track the origin of the goods to confirm that the products were really benefiting the producers at the end of the supply chain. In 1997, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) International was created, an umbrella organization whose mission is to set the Fairtrade Standards, support, inspect and certify disadvantaged producers and harmonize the fair-trade message across the movement. At present, over 20 Labelling Initiatives  are members of FLO International. Before my own comments of the question, I would like to introduce some popular argument of the fair-trade movement. It will be good if we can learn others opinion firstly. 4.2 The debate Fair-trades increasing popularity has drawn criticism from both the leftist who flavor fair-trade very much, and the rightist who against fair-trade. These arguments can be divided into three different categories: The price distortion argument, advocated by the Adam Smith Institute, and The Economist magazine calling fair-trade a misguided attempt to make up for market failures encouraging market inefficiencies and overproduction. They believe that this kind of artificial intervention of market price is easy to mislead and cause market failure. This is the opinion of rightist who oppose fair-trade. The creation of insider/outsider markets argument is defended by the Booth and Whetstone. They do not explicitly criticize the ideals behind Fair Trade, but rather current certification, production and pricing systems. They just try to improve the effects of the movement by adjusting current method mildly. The mainstreaming argument is defended by French author Christian Jacquiau, which criticizes segments of the fair-trade movement for working within the current system, rather than establishing a new fairer, fully autonomous trading system. It is a very extreme suggestion from the leftists. One can read their articles for detailed discussion. But we can see lots of different points of view, by considering the different aspects of the Fair Trade movement and its main method, Fairtrade labelling. Now the question is, does Fairtrade labelling help the movement to achieve the aims? I think the answer is yes. 4.3 The effect By using Fairtrade labelling system, those marginalised producers and workers can gain more power in their own organizations and achieve greater equity in international trade, so to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. They really benefit from this movement, no matter more or less. As the mild people said, we can redesign the current certification, production and pricing systems to make it more efficient to help the marginalised producers and workers. Or as the leftist suggest, we can adopt a complete new trading system. Maybe this extreme suggestion is best for those producers and workers in developing countries. So we can say that the Fairtrade labelling system help fair-trade organizations achieve their aims. And we still have some methods to make the whole system more efficient. But, on the other hand, we should notice that current Fairtrade labelling system, or the advices of system changing and creation, are harmful to the market. On the point view of economics, the more often fair-trade organizations disrupt the goods market, the more possible market failures occurs. So market failure may be the price of Fair Trade movement, and we know that is bad for the whole society. Other people in economy may be worse off because of this fair-trade movement, which is also unfair to them. 5. Conclusion As a conclusion, I should say that the three main aims of the fair-trade movement are found. And Fairtrade labelling system, as the main method adopted by fair-trade organizations, is helpful to achieve those aims. But we should be careful about those misleading effects on market and other people in economy. References