English Literature: Frankenstein Essay Essay

Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley when she was only eighteen years old after a nightmare she had. It was first published on 1st January 1818 and was an instant success. Using the style of the ‘Gothic Novel’, Frankenstein was the first science-fiction book ever written. Almost two centuries later it has become not only a widely read classic, but also one of the most influential novels ever written. Frankenstein is a moral tale that deals with issues and ethics of medical and scientific advancement and how far humans should go in tampering with nature. The story raises questions as to who should have final power over life and human nature, God or humans. Shelley calls her book a ‘Modern Prometheus’, because there are many similarities in the plots. The Greek God, Prometheus, gave the human race fire, out of pity so they could eat, but also brought them danger, and was punished for it by Zeus. Prometheus was a hero to humans, but Dr. Victor Frankenstein is a villain because he did nothing to contribute to the world; he did everything for himself rather than using his knowledge for the good of others. Shelley does not express her views, but simply tells a story. The story explores the dire consequences of meddling in such serious matters. In a dramatic and shocking way she is more persuasive and challenging to people than if she had directly preached her views. Without directly telling people what they ought to think, she is powerfully able to make people question the morality of their actions in a day of rapid scientific advances. The ‘Gothic Novel’ was a very popular style of writing in the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth century. Shelley used this style because she knew it would appeal to the masses. Its use of horror, violence and the supernatural was exciting, intriguing and macabre. Although at one level it was frightening, it was also intriguing and compelling. Although on the surface it repelled, at a deeper level a reader was drawn to the horror, just as the curious are drawn to view victims of an accident. Her clever use of horror disguises her Puritanical views by letting the dire outcome of an obsessed doctor who creates a monster speak for itself. Victor Frankenstein Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the main protagonist of the novel and is a complex character. The bulk of the story is told from his point of view, revealing his struggle to deal with the responsibility for the tragic consequences of his ‘playing God’ by creating a monster from dead bodies he stole from graves. Frankenstein is a very egotistical and conceited man. He believes totally in his own ability and power. He is self-centred, but at the same time lacks self-awareness. ‘†¦ I doubted not that I should ultimately succeed. ‘ p. 42 Frankenstein’s ego is so immense that he comes to see himself as God-like. His dream to create a physically superior race that will worship him as its God is the dream of a megalomaniac. He has delusions of grandeur almost to the point of considering himself as the Saviour of the world. Although Dr. Frankenstein admits that he was at first unsure about whether he should perform the act of human creation this hesitancy is quickly taken over by his arrogance and desire to succeed. He thinks he can do no wrong. ‘I doubted at first†¦ but my imagination was too much exalted†¦ to permit me to doubt of my ability†¦ ‘ p. 42 Frankenstein in one sense is an idealist in that he wanted to create a perfect race, a better race than current, imperfect humanity. He has a vision of an army of physically superior humans with high intelligence. However the reality of his method is to combine a collection of different body parts from different human beings, with different proportions, from graves and vaults. His ideal is very different to reality, showing how out of touch with reality he really is. It also shows his immorality, for he disregards authority and has a lack of respect for the dead. Frankenstein’s readiness to mutilate and steal bodies shows that he thinks of the deceased bodies as merely physical carcasses for use at his disposal. He seems to have no morals or ethics at all and doesn’t even think about the consequences if he was caught. ‘I collected bones from charnel-houses; and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. ‘ p. 43 Frankenstein’s obsession with creation drives him to break down the boundaries of life and death. He is oblivious to the outside world and nothing else matters to him. ‘†¦ Still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion. ‘ p. 43 But once creating his being, when the Monster awakes, Frankenstein is terrified by it, and runs away. His ideal of a perfect, flawless being is crushed at the sight of his hideous creation. Frankenstein instantly rejects the Monster, fleeing from its outstretched arms. He is judgemental and shallow, judging his creation on looks, not personality. However, scientists are supposed to be objective instead of subjective. ‘†¦ Now I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished’ P.

How War Affects the Economy Essay

Countries that have experienced periods of war have had their economies mostly affected negatively. Considering war and the economic history, it is evidence that war has influenced the economic history across the world for centuries. This influence is both negative and positive. In most cases, those who win during wars have ended up getting their economic institutions and trade patterns in shape. Wars have also led to technological development, increased workforce among others (Goldstein, par. 1). However, the negative impacts of war outweigh the positive impact in terms of waste of money and resources on war, destruction of human capital, trade, resources available and labor management. Wars have also led to loss of many lives thus reducing the population which greatly contributes to economic growth at large (Goldstein, par. 1 – 2). Where possible, wars should be avoided by all means, no matter how appealing the positive impacts might seem to be, since in return they are expensive, destructive and disruptive thus greatly affecting the economies of many nations negatively. The negative impacts of war During wars, the economies of the third world countries are the ones which often get affected to a larger extent. Winning in war is determined by how powerful a nation is. More powerful and stronger nations are better placed and able to represent their interests than others. For example, The United States of America being the super power wields incredible power and influence. Before any country engages itself into war, it should consider its strength and influence and also who they are fighting with (Wade par 1-2). Some of the negative impacts of war include the following; War Causes Increased Inflation Rate According to Goldstein (par 4), waging war requires three things; ‘money, money and money’. In short, waging war requires a lot of money and therefore many nations have ended up printing a lot of currencies to finance war forgetting that the printing of more money fuels inflation. Inflation always acts as an indirect tax on a national economy. For instance, during the first and second world wars, there was the industrial warfare that in return created inflationary pressures across large economies. The governments mobilized very many societies for war which led to conscripting labor, building up prices in markets for natural resources and industrial goods, diverting of capital and technology from civilian to military applications among others (Goldstein, par. 4), During the World War I, there were numerous inflations as participants broke from the gold standard to issuing of currencies freely. This led to increased inflation, a thing that was experienced even during the US Civil War, First and Second World Wars, Vietnam War among others. War induces inflation which is strongest in war zones but also to neutral countries, causing disruption and scarcity of resources, for example the US during the World War II. In addition, as war continues in the present day, inflation continues to increase driving the currency to worthlessness. The cost of war during World War I was almost $ 40 billion in addition to 85 years of inflation. This expenditure in figures would be closer to $1100 billion in the modern terms (Goldstein, par 2-5). War Leads To Increased Government Debts  Some nations borrow money for war and what happens is that they end up in a lot of debts for the government. War related debts always drive many states to bankruptcy. An example of such a nation is Spain in 1557 & 1596 when there was war (Goldstein, par. 5). Capital Depletion Many wars create zones of intense capital as well as destruction. This destruction happens in farms, factories and cities and cause reduced economic output which in return causes famine and plagues, for example during the 30years’ war that happened between 1618 and 1648. During this time, one third of the population was killed in Germany as the mercenaries plundered civilians with the latter becoming mercenaries so as to try to survive. In addition, the First World War reduced production by nearly half and starved hundreds of thousands of Germans to death. These led to more than a decade of lower Soviet output. Also, during World War I in 1918, influenza epidemic killed millions of people thus reducing the work force (Goldstein 2003, par8-9). Some other 407,000 Americans lost their lives during the Second World War and this led to decrease in human cost or labor which would have otherwise contributed to the economic growth of America (Henderson, par. 7). In Germany, there was a massive loss of lives which amounted to 1. 7 million young men and 4. 3 millions of them being wounded during the First World War. The total casualties were thus adding up to 7 million though this also included some prisoners and also those listed as missing. The Germany economy suffered terribly during this war and its industrial output fell by over 40% between 1914 and 1918. This was because many of the working men had been killed in war and so the machinery was run by ill trained people at the end of the war. In addition, the workforce was not physically fit to work very hard as a result of the food shortage that was being experienced in Germany then. Estimates show that 35% of all trade was usually organized illegally on the black market and the economy suffered from shortages of raw materials (School of History, par 2). War Impact On Domestic Economy Wars bring about impact on the domestic economy too. This happens through reduction of the level of capital stock as well as its growth. There is usually capital flight which dramatically leads to reduced private investments. In addition, the political economy models show worsened government’s fiscal balance which results from the internal conflicts that ends up affecting the aggregate domestic economy (Imai and Weinstein, par. 1). Economically, many activities are enhanced into conduct of war through the act of the government shifting the expenditure from output to war. Politically, there is evidence of weaker incentives which help maintain the fiscal balance. This is attributed to a shorter time horizon and weaker accountability of an electoral constituency. The result of all these shows that the driving forces can be attributed to the negative effects of civic war on the economic growth which is a decrease in domestic investment and especially the private investments (Imai and Weinstein, par. 1). War Is Expensive A lot of resources are normally used to wage war and this definitely leads to a minus in the economic growth of any nation. When a government spends a minimum of 2% of its GDP on its military on average, its economy is affected as well. Therefore, no matter where the finances or resources for funding comes from (payment of taxes or debts) , the resources used in war should be used to do other constructive things in order to raise the economic growth such as, paying more wages to workers to motivate them, construction of roads, large scale farming among others. Most governments ends up using a pool of finances to buy tanks, trucks, fuel, clothing, parachutes, bullets, guns, airplanes among other equipments of war. They also hire laborers to do the job that is, hiring more military personnel which is still expensive (Henderson, par. 3-4). All the capital and labor used to do the above produces output and labor that would otherwise have been used to develop the country’s economy. The cost of all that is used in war is called opportunity cost which means the value of the highest valued opportunity foregone. Thus, the opportunity cost of the resources used in war is the value of the resources that would otherwise have been used by the government on other things other than war (Henderson, par3-4). For example, during the Second World War, the US government spent more than 7% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), on war. In addition, there was a peak of the United States government spending a large portion of its (GNP) Gross National Product on war in 1944. This government spent about 38% of the GNP on war while as much of the capital and labor used in this war would have been used to produce things like automobiles for domestic economy or even exports among other things. In short, there would have been no rationing of meat, tires, nylons eggs, butter and sugar and the standard measure of prosperity would have been much more prosperous (Henderson 2006, par 4). On the other side, the cost of war in Germany during World War I was estimated to be US$ 40 billion; this was a lot of finances all being put to war (School of History, 2004, par4 ). Also, during World War 1and World War II, consumer spending is said to have increased a lot though it was still less than the long-term growth rate. The increase in output that was experienced during World War II considerably reflected the massive rise in military spending. At the climax of this war, the US government spending had taken up over 40% of the GNP whereas the Korean War spending was more moderate with the government spending a maximum of about 20% of the GNP (Ohanian 13). Another example showing the costliness of war is the Iraq war. According to some approximations made, Iraq and some other Middle East countries are assumed to spend significantly on defense. This is represented by an increase in defense spending by OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) which is a clear indication that the economic growth of these countries is affected (McKibbin and Stoeckel 2). The Iraq war is possibly costly to the economy of the world. However the costliness is dependent on how long the war lasts and also the compounding effect of many different factors. The main economic effects include higher budgetary cost, rising oil prices and the greater uncertainty of things, leading to negative effects on economic growth. For example, the United States can experience a knock-on effect if Japan is unfavorably affected by war with Iraq. In such a case, the rise in oil prices is likely to change the prices of other energy sources like coal and natural gas (McKibbin & Stoeckel 1). In addition, when the prices of oil rise, Japan experiences high risk in terms of economic effects than either Europe or United States since it depends mainly on imported oil. Australia is also not left out since it is also affected negatively when the oil prices rise despite the fact that it exports coal and gas in large amounts. The longer the period a war takes, the more there is prolonged and uncertainty of the cost of oil (McKibbin and Stoeckel, 5). The war in Afghanistan also led to estimated loss of US $ 2-3 billions to the economy of Pakistan in 2001. This caused effects such as loss in revenue, decreased exports, reduced foreign investment as well as a slow down in private investments (Nisar, par. 18). War Leads To Increased Tax Rate The tax rate is usually increased in many nations during war so as to be able to finance the whole process of war. For example, there was increased tax during the Korean War so as to help finance the war. The capital tax rose to nearly 63% in average, the highest tax rate of capital income that has ever been heard in the history of the United States and it was sufficient to finance the Korean War efforts. Moreover, during the Second World War, the labor tax rose to about 19% with the capital tax rates ranging to an average of 60% compared to the time prior to the war, whereby the average marginal tax rate on capital was about 45% and the average marginal labor tax rate was just 9%. This high tax rate generated significant revenues and at the same time, the revenue was not enough to finance the war spending (Ohanian 13). All the above listed effects show how destructive and expensive war is to the economy of any nation. The Positive Effects Of War On The Economy The positive effects of war are not as many as the negative effects and no matter how attractive they might be the negative consequences still stand conspicuously. Some of the positive effects include the following; War Leads To Development Of Infrastructures And Technology Sometimes war creates a chance for infrastructural development like roads and thus clearing away the outdated ones. This gives way to the rebuilding of the economy world wide thus leading to long-term benefits. Technological development also rises as a result of war though not always. For example, after the two world wars, French production is said to have grown faster after 1950 than before 1914. Also the layouts of European railroad networks were strappingly influenced by the strategic military consideration. This was evident after Germany used railroads effectively to conquer French forces especially in 1870 to 1871(Goldstein, par 12-13). According to Tassava (par. 1-32) there has always been scientific and technological innovations that comes as result of war. These innovations were the key aspects in the American war effort as well as important economic factor in the Allies’ victory. During war, there is usually development of weapons among other tools of war. The American experience after the Second World War was impressive because of the scientific and technological change which positively affected almost every aspect of the war economy. There was also the Manhattan project which was meant to creating atomic weapons. However, this project was often hidden from the public view because of the wartime secrecy. The U. S. army and several private contractors gave direction to scientists, engineers and workers to build a nationwide complex of laboratories and also plants that would manufacture atomic fuel. They also gave direction to fabricate the atomic weapons. For example the laboratories at Chicago and California-Berkeley universities, the uranium processing complexes at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Hanford, Washington among others (Tassava, par. 32). Another innovation that arose during war time is the building of ships. This was the third example of innovation’s importance to the war economy. The fighting fronts in Africa, Europe and Asia that had their plans allied in World War II were totally dependent on the movement of war material produced in the United States. Hundred merchant shipyards in the U. S produced 5,777 ships at a cost of about $13 billion between 1939 and 1945. The technology of building ship later became a low-technology compared to the atomic-bomb project and the aerospace industry a sector that was amazingly successful (Tassava, par. 35).

Case Problem Production Strategy Essay

1. The recommended number of BodyPlus100 and BodyPlus200 machines to produce? Sol: I recommend you sir to produce fifty one (51) numbers of BodyPlus100 and seventeen (17) numbers of BodyPlus200 machines so as to make the maximum profit in manufacturing of these BodyPlus100 and BodyPlus200 machines. The effect on profits of the requirement that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced must be at least 25% of the total production? Sol: The net profit that is obtained in manufacturing BodyPlus200 at least 25% of the total machines will be marginally less when compared to the profit that is obtained in manufacturing more BodyPlus100 machines i.e. more than 75% of total machines production.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As calculated, the total expenditure that is made in manufacturing BodyPlus100 (includes the raw costs and labor costs) is $1309 per machine The total number of working hours in manufacturing BodyPlus100 (includes machining, welding, painting, finishing work and for assembling, testing and packaging) is 15hrs. Now, the net profit that is made in manufacturing one BodyPlus100 machine after selling it to an authorized dealer for (70% of the retail price i.e. $2400) is ($1680 – $1309) $371. Now the profit made per hour on manufacturing one BodyPlus100 machine is $24.73 Admittedly, referring to the calculations from attachment 1 from ‘Production strategy’ the net profit made per hour on manufacturing one BodyPlus200 machine is $20.83   Where efforts should be expended in order to increase contribution to profits? Sol: I sincerely advise you, sir, to reduce the total percentage of manufacturing the BodyPlus200 in the total production as the profit obtained for each BodyPlus100 is more than the BodyPlus200.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also assigning lesser time for machining and welding is also resulting in the total number BodyPlus100 machines produced   so as to obtain more profits and time has to be managed well so that assigning ten (10) more hours for machining and welding will result in more number of products that can be manufactured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Instead of assigning 450 hours for finishing and painting, we can assign 440 hours for finishing and painting that can produce one more BodyPlus100 (taken that the total percentage of BodyPlus200 is just slightly less than the percentage recommended as 25% of the total production).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Case Problem2 Solution Plus: If Solutions Plus wins the bid, which production facility (Cincinnati or Oakland) should supply the cleaning fluid to the locations where the railroad locomotives are cleaned? How much should be shipped from each facility to each location? Sol:    No. of gallons required No of gallons supplied from Cincinnati (in gallons) Oakland (in gallons) Santa Ana 22,418 —– 22,418 El Paso 6,800 —– 6,800 Pendleton 80,290 30,290 50,000 Houston 100,477 50,447 50,000 Kansas city 241,570 191,570 50,000 Los Angeles 64,761 14,761 50,000 Glendale 33,689 —— 33,689 Jacksonville 68,486 18,486 50,000 Little Rock 148,586 98,586 50,000 Bridgeport 111,475 51,475 50,000 Sacramento 112,000 62,000 50,000 Total 990,522 517,615 462,907 Here we can see that the total numbers of gallons that are delivered from Cincinnati are more than 500,000 gallons. So we are short of 17,615 gallons of the locomotives cleaning agent that has to be delivered from Cincinnati. To satisfy the requirement of the majority of the dealers in the remaining locations, and considering the profits, all the 17,615 gallons of the cleaning agent is reduced from the Pendleton deal. What is the break-even point for Solutions Plus? That is, how low can the company go on its bid without losing money? Sol: The Break-Point is given by the point at which the company owns neither profit nor loss during the sale of the company products. Hence this is given as the zero profit and zero loss zone for the Solution Plus company. This Break Point can be calculated when there is no profit in the bid. If the price of oil is hiked and freight charges are also increased by the same amount, then the Break Point is calculated at $1,821,214.39 If Solutions Plus wants to use its standard 15% markup, how much should it bid? Sol: If Solution Plus wants to use its standard 15% markup, then it should place a bid for $1,821,214.39 Freight costs are significantly affected by the price of oil. The contract on which Solutions Plus is bidding is for two years. Discuss how fluctuation in freight costs might affect the bid Solutions Plus submits. Sol: Here, the net profit made for one year is $237,749.72 and if the bid is made for one year the total amount has to be $1,821,214.39 but given that the bid has to be made for two years, then the bid price would be $3,642,428.78 And the profit expected in two years (taken the oil prices are fixed) is $475,499.44 If the oil price is hiked by 15% then also profit is expected for the Solution Plus Company as there are few locations which are supplied with the cleaning agents without any shipping charges. So only a marginal amount of profit can be made in two years even after placing the bid.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the price of oil is slashed by any margin, then there will be more profits for the Company after one year.

Highly competent teachers who collaborate in planning and problem Assignment

Highly competent teachers who collaborate in planning and problem solving - Assignment Example Moreover, collaborative planning in education enables educators and learners to work on the same problem - real world situations - and solve them through shared knowledge. The teacher becomes part of the team and attempt to solve individual learning problems. They jointly stimulate solution finding and hence initiate systematic and practical learning. In practice, classrooms teachers can play the important role of change agent because they can facilitate hands-on experience for students through interactive and tactile learning environment. With the goal to induct students into practical settings like college and workplace in mind, teachers can develop learning structures such as: In addition, teachers who are competent recognize efficacy of personalization and relationship building to filter weak students from smart ones. Not will they stop at this but arrange for equitable learning environment involving shared tasks, knowledge, and peer learning. They will also assess performance not only based on right or wrong answers but how problems have been solved, leadership qualities, knowledge application and so on. Assessment of collaborative planning and problem solving outcomes is imperative for students’ motivation for further education. Assessment criteria should be fair, explicit and systematic in order to reach to a mutually accountable assessment outcome. For this to be viable, students should be given collaborative projects with collective outcomes but assessed based on their contribution in the project. Some examples of practical projects include presentation, field research, and real-life problem/case study. Students might work on these projects in collaboration with peers but they will be assessed based on ability to work in a team as well as independently. The objective of such a plan is to ensure students learn how

The Space Shuttle Challenger Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Space Shuttle Challenger - Personal Statement Example Seven occupants died innocently in the incidence that occurred on 28th January 1986. That was tragic, putting accountability and integrity of the designers into question. The scientists, having been warned of the danger that lay in wait if they opted to carry on with the launch questions their credibility and concern for humanity. It was evident that they cared little about the safety of the crew, and their anxiety to make headlines for launching the much talked about the space shuttle. There had been early warnings of the dangers that lay ahead if the idea was carried out. The space shuttle had structural failures, with an expert raising a rather worrying alarm concern. The O-rings of the shuttle could only survive temperatures at only 40 degrees. Any temperatures below that, safety and survival of the shuttle were not guaranteed. On the morning of the launch, the temperatures were as low as 18 degrees. The expert termed the idea of launching the shuttle on such a day as absurd and ridiculous. It was bound to explode anyway. This raises a rather disturbing question, why the ignorance by the scientists? Why were they so eager to launch the shuttle? The incidence calls for personal accountability of all parties involved in the success of any project. Every party ought to play its part in the project, making sure that nothing goes wrong during the whole project. Team spirit is portrayed by this incidence, where it is the responsibility of every member of the group to play their individual roles for the success of the project. If there is no proper articulation of ideas and thoughts, if there are flaws in one section of the implementing group, the project is likely to be a total failure, just like the space shuttle incidence. The importance of other team players exhibiting accountability and diligence in their work is a clear indication of their readiness to protect the end user of the product in question.  

The Importance of Accounting Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Importance of Accounting Standards - Essay Example They are the ones responsible for listing and analyzing every figure that comes in and out of the company's pocket. The main tool used by company's to determine their financial condition is the financial statement. It aims to supply important information concerning a company's financial position. Accounting practitioners have recognized the need to formulate accounting standards to be followed by every organization. They realized that it is of utmost importance not only to them but to all individuals who are engaged in business Part I Purpose and Significance of Financial Accounting Standards There are three considerations that Accounting Practitioners refer to when asked about the purpose of Accounting Standards. First is that it aids in sustaining the effectiveness of various accounting policies by getting rid of the discrepancies in financial statements. Second, it provides assistance to efficiently present credible and comparable data found in the financial statement of companies . Lastly it functions as an accounting alternative that lessens the notion of subjectivity in financial statements (Chandra, 2011). Accounting practitioners follow a set of guidelines while in the process of gathering financial information. They refer to it as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In the United States, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) prepared by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) serve as the primary basis for entries that are required to be present in financial statements of private companies (Kuppapally, 2008). So that organizations can sustain and expand their operation, internationally accepted accounting standards were formulated, also known as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The existence of IFRS in the global market made possible the reduction of incompatibilities in capital flows, leading to an increasing rate of investment in the global market. The International Accounting Standards Board (I ASB) is the body in charge of regulating the standards that are listed under IFRS (Chandra, 2011). Last October 29, 2002, FASB and IASB entered into a covenant known as "The Norwalk Agreement," which has recognized their duty to establish accounting standards that are adaptable to both domestic and international financial reporting. The two standard governing bodies of financial accounting made a deal to finally reconcile their differences in order to attain the objective of the agreement, which is to establish internationally accepted standard suited to the needs of the different companies in nations around the world. The signed memorandum of understanding focused on the convergence of the two. The gradual process of eliminating the differences with the help of joint projects will eventually result to an enhanced comparability of financial statements not only in the US but also in other nations (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2002). Independent auditors strictly follow the G enerally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). These auditing standards supply the benchmark on the quality of audit that auditors must comply with. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) made possible the implementation of GAAS in auditing nonpublic companies. Auditors are obliged to know all the statements on auditing standards (SAS) because the basis of making the final decision in auditing financial reports is their judgment on what standard

Quantative reasoning Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantative reasoning - Speech or Presentation Example This implies that half of the people of this group have a manual dexterity of over 79.5 and the other half of the employees have a manual dexterity of over 79.5. To calculate the standard deviation of Group A, firstly the difference of the values and the mean is calculated, after which these numbers are squared. The total of the squares are then calculated and then divided by the number of values to provide the Variance. The last step is to take the square root of the variance. This provides the standard deviation for the group. The Standard deviation along with the Mean, give the image of Group A to be a better option, whereas combining the Standard deviation and the median, Group B proves to be a better option. Thus these measures alone cannot be considered to make the choice. Other measures are to be kept in mind as well before making a decision by the company. Thus more data and analysis is required for this decision. 2. From the information that has been provided the Mean has been calculated to be 7.55 calls. For the mode however there are two possible answers, 4 as well as 8. This is because they are repeated the most number of times. However, 8 will be chosen as the Mode in this case as it is closer to the mean that has been calculated. The Median for in this case has been calculated to be 7. These numbers are quite accurate and are as expected. These values are all quite accurate, however the median can be considered as the most accurate measure. The Standard Deviation in this case has been calculated as 4.421255. This implies that the number of calls can be 4.421255 Â ­above or below the calculated mean. This deviation is considered to be good as the deviation is not very high and allows a clearer view of the number of calls the company can

Channel marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Channel marketing - Essay Example Nevertheless, this paper will assesses the service outputs supply of Wal-Mart and Costco in the food section, hence identify what the firms offers and their structures. Wal-Mart and Costco purchase products from manufactures and producers in large quantities and they are gradually broken down as they reach the consumers. The products of high value are squeezed in to small volumes, since it is cost effective to ship to end-customers compared to the cost of shipping a bulkier product (Perner, 1). Convenience has been identified as a significant factor used to influence the consumer food choices, by Wal-Mart and Costco, since they have changed ways in which the nature of products are provided in grocery stores, and the time consumed to prepare a meal. Wal-Mart focuses on responding to the demand by offering more in-store delis and ready to eat prepared foods such as chicken, salad and sushi, while Costco has introduced an increased selection of frozen and prepared meals for consumers seeking a quick meal from their grocery stores. Wal-Mart has made a substantial investment in information technology and logistics, which facilitates commitment in taking a risk of placing large orders in advance of customer, needs in order to focus on the reducing the waiting time and delivery time. On the other hand, Costco has developed an efficient distribution system, which is based on its information system and enormous demand, though they have short channels for perishable products. Moreover, Wal-Mart and Costco have to incur additional costs in order to ensure that merchandise is distributed quickly. Wal-Mart and Costco consolidate goods by carrying a wide assortment of goods from different manufactures to provide a breadth of assortment, whereby their stores carry different kinds of food from different suppliers. In this case, this makes

Urban Geography of Tokyo City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Urban Geography of Tokyo City - Essay Example    Development of Tokyo can be linked to its demographic and economic structure. The demographic structure is the study of a given population relating to employment, age, income, relation, and population among others. However, economic structure defines the balance of output, employment, and income among other factors relating to the economic sectors. Economic sectors include primary, tertiary, secondary, and quaternary sectors. Since Tokyo's is a metropolitan, its urban geography can be analyzed by comparing its population to that of Japan, focusing on its aged population, and considering its industrial sector.  In 2012, Tokyo’s population was approximately about 13.216 million. The population is a tenth of Japans’ total population. It is, therefore, the most populous prefecture out of the forty-seven ones that make up Japan. Tokyo has an area of approximately 2,189 kilometres squared which is equal to 0.6 % of the area of Japan. The figure makes the population den sity of Tokyo to be about 6,038 people per kilometres squared making it the most densely populated Japan’s prefecture. The statistics make Tokyo extremely populated compared to Japan. The population of the aged persons in Tokyo exceeds the standard set by United Nations. According to the United Nation's standard, the aged society in a given country should not exceed the 14 % mark.The Tokyo's "aged population" is approximately 20.14 % of the total population of the city. The percentage exceeds the recommended mark by 6.14% that is a huge margin.  

Case report review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case report review - Essay Example This just shows that when a group people agree on certain norms and communicate effectively, almost any endeavor is possible. Also, we observed that aside from playing different roles, we developed deeper relationships as friendships. We also understood the meaning of individual differences and tried to work around it. There were many times that some members expressed their different opinion and we have to find a way to compromise. Although we had difficulty in resolving conflicts, the more important thing is that we realized in a hard way that we need one another ( interdependence) to be able to achieve the goals. The worst experience that we had is not finding the right time to meet. This has been a struggle since we all have different schedules. The windows live messenger was helpful in aiding us when communicating but the scheduled live meetings were difficult. Most of the time, one group member was not available due to other commitments. This was hard for all of us since we agreed at the start to prioritize the group meetings. Another unpleasant experience was when a group member cannot perform his tasks as expected. Actually, this was a consequence of not being able to attend meetings since the absent member has no idea how to keep up with the pace of the group. It is very important that group members work together as a team since one member’s absence affects the other group members in performing their assigned tasks. Because of this, we have to scold the group member and make him realize the importance of agreements. Honestly, I became a matured person because of this experience. I used to do things in my own style and time before but I realized that when one is a member of a group, he must conform to certain rules that the group agreed upon. One of the challenges for me was coming on time for all meetings which was hard to do but I was able to manage my time well. I also learned to sacrifice some personal activities

Business Proposal Outline Essay Example for Free

Business Proposal Outline Essay This is a summary that can answer the question: what kind or type of business am I in? You must be able to answer this with a one sentence answer that summarizes everything youll do. Youll use this as a tag line when meeting business people as you market your business or as an introductorily statement presented to a lender. Structure Define your business as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, C Corporation, S Corporation or Limited Liability Corporation. To accomplish this will require the skills and expense of a good attorney specializing in small business. Management See more: argument essay format Youll need bios and resumes on your principal team players, including details of their experience, education, noteworthy achievements and why youll think they will be an asset. Employees How many and how will you hire them? What qualifications are you looking for? Will you outsource? What about compensations, benefits, workmans comp insurance or health plans? Finances Accounting In house or subcontracted? Computerized? What software will you need? Youll need a proforma profit and loss statement with income and profit projections forecasted out three years. What kind of a balance sheet method will you use? Youll need three-year projections of assets and cash-flow. Will you outsource for expertise in this area? Who can you hire and who can recommend reliable professionals? How much will a qualified CPA cost you a year? What services will he/she provide? Technology What are your needs? How will you use your equipment and in what aspects of your business? What file databases are you going to maintain? How much power do you need to maintain these? Can you option for online vendors or do you have to install an in-house system,? What about IT? Outsourced or hired? What is you budget for upgrades of equipment and software? Will you be doing graphics and promotional materials design in-house or outsourced? What about spyware, malware and virus protections? More Than An Afterthought Writing a business plan that is comprehensive will require a lot of work and thought. But once its done, youll have a tool that can breathe and grow as your business grows. A successful business plan template will be divided into sections allowing the reader an easy interpretation of what your goals are and how you plan to achieve them. It should include the following: †¢Cover Sheet. Includes the name of the new business and the principals involved. †¢Table of Contents. Easily divides the plan into different sections and allows for easy navigating. †¢Executive Summary and Mission Statement. Introduces the business idea, summarizes the ideas and goals and what you intend to accomplish. †¢Start-Up Costs and Operations. Lists all the details of the items and costs required to get started as well as the operating costs once the business has opened its doors. This includes all expenses such as rent, supplies, administration, equipment and employees. †¢Marketing Plan. Your strategy for advertising and other methods of gaining clients. †¢Revenue Projection. Your financial forecast over a period of several years. †¢Appendix.

Energy Needs Essay Example for Free

Energy Needs Essay Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a method used to extract valuable gasses from rock formations in the earth. Some of these gasses include shale gas, tight gas and petroleum. In South Africa fracking is used to extract shale gas in the Karoo. Shale gas is a natural gas that forms when air is captured in rock formations under the ground. It is one of the main reasons why hydraulic fracturing is used. Shale gas is used especially in America. In 2000 shale gas made out one percent of America’s energy producers but in 2010 it replaced over 20% of America’s natural gas resources. There was claimed by experts that South Africa has the fifth biggest shale gas resources in the world while China has the biggest. There is hoped that this gas could be an alternative resource of energy for South Africa’s growing need. That is why the eighteen-month moratorium for the use of fracking, to extract shale gas, was lifted. Even though this could be a great opportunity for our country the damage caused to our environment would be far greater than the little energy it would produce. When fracking is used to extract this gas, water, harmful chemicals and sand is pumped into the fractures of the rock formation. Manmade machines mostly make these fractures that drill holes into the rocks over three thousand meters deep. When this mixture of the water, sand and chemicals reach the shale rock formations hidroxide gasses are released inside the rock. These gases are than captured and used for the generation of electricity. No one can say that fracking does not have a huge impact on the natural environment. Unluckily I am not too sure that it is a positive impact. The chemicals and toxins used in fracking are released into the scarce  underground water of the Karoo, making the water polluted and unusable. Harmful emissions are also released into the air when extracted causing a greenhouse effect on the environment. A study shows that 3,6 to 7,9% methane is released into the atmosphere after fracking has taken place. Even the use of shale gas causes air pollution. The fact that fracking causes allot of pollution cannot be missed. It was even banned in France because of all the pollution it would have made. Because of the negative effect of pollution on the environment, in this case air and water pollution, I can’t understand why such a thing was allowed. For me as part of a new generation it is more important to use clean alternative energy rather than to use short-term solutions with financial benefit just to cause the earth to decline faster.

Definition of Research and Research Methodology

Definition of Research and Research Methodology In this section of study, components used to answer research questions and the methodology constructed to analyse those procedures are justified based on literature reviewed. Consequently, special emphasis is provided to other methods of research and the rationale behind them for not being subjected to be part of this exploration. However, constituent of research philosophy, research strategy and element of research design and research procedure are dealt in detail to offer maximum credibility to decisive findings. Besides, throughout the chapter ethical considerations have gained great substance allowing results to be analysed with immense attention. Research is used to describe a number of similar and overlapping activities relating a search for information. It is something that people undertake in order to find things out in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge (Saunders et al. 2009). According to Kothari (2004), endeavour of any research is to uncover the concealed reality that is yet to be exposed or revealed. However, research is constantly used to solve organizational problems through systematic strategies (Ojo, 2008). Foundations of research are built and conducted over a structure called methodology (Remenyi et al. 1998) and a valid study will always adapt encouraging research methodology (Buckley et al. 1975). Hence, it is decisively fundamental to deploy quintessential methodology with great care and systematic understanding of the intricacies involved (Amaratunga et al. 2002). In this particular piece of study, efforts are made to discover the factors that lead to bullying at workplace with special emphasis on ethnic bullying. Intentions of this research were to illustrate, appreciate, anticipate, criticize and interpret the existing social science phenomenon (Maylor Blackmon, 2005) by systematically obtaining data to solve research problem (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). 3.3 Methodological Considerations: 3.3.1 Preconceptions and frame of reference: Generally research questions are derived from preconceptions. When study samples respond to these questions they react differently with reality (Lundahl Skarvad, 1992). Meanwhile, frame of reference formed in the minds of people due to preconceptions, repeatedly affect on findings of any research either directly or indirectly. Johansson Lindfors (1993) writes there are three major aspects to be considered in perceptions; Epistemological perceptions, Common perceptions and Theoretical perceptions. Temporarily, epistemological perception is a method used to explain the knowledge in the form of theories (Fisher, 2004). Thus, it is obligatory to know the acceptable knowledge of any discipline (Bryman Bell, (2003). While formation of common perception are developed through personal experience or firsthand information gathered from work or studies, Theoretical preconceptions provide an opportunity to appraise a range of views attained through various theories of academic sources, books, journals, articles, and magazines. To be precise they are impractical to compile through personal experience (Johansson Lindfors, 1993). 3.3.2 Research Philosophy and administration: Given that the research philosophy transmits the enlargement of knowledge and its temperament, chosen research philosophy ought to answer all the research questions in actual fact (Saunders et al. 2009). A lot of times research philosophy inculcated will manipulate the researcher views and the methods that are chosen to construct research strategy. But, within the context of social science there is an uncompleted argument to pick the most suitable position from the excessive horizons of positivism to the extreme end of interpretivism (Smith et al. 1991). However, research philosophy is further broadly classified into three major categories; Positivism, Interpritivism and Pragmatism or Realism. Core regulations of any approach are authentic/perceptual knowledge and hermeneutics (Johansson Lindfors, 1993) which constantly travel in opposite directions to each other (Andersson, 1979). While authentic/perceptual knowledge or positivism represents phenomenon of a discipline through quantifiable observations (Dayarathna, 2009), hermeneutics interprets the same social components through qualitative observations (Saunders et al. 2007). Under positivism there is a possibility of cause effect relation that can be confirmed or rejected (Patel Davidsson, 2003). Here, values of researcher and phenomenon of the study are clearly distinguished with a rule or law helping the researcher to observe reality. Whereas in interpritivism, this rule or law doesnt exist thereby making it viable for the researcher to involve in the process (Hartman, 2004) by allowing him/her to interpret the work at any desired stage in any desired ways to obtain complete knowledge. The philosophy adopted here is believed to express both positivism and interpritivism. Objective methods are used to measure properties of externally existing social world and are not subjectively attached through sensation, reflection or intuition (Smith et al. 2008). Hence, working with an observable social reality and the product of such research can be law-like generalizations similar to those products by natural and physical scientists. (Rememyi et al. 1998, pp. 32). For the moment, Interviews and self administered questionnaires are used here to gather the required data by emphasising on both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The objectives of research: To discover different sources of ethnic minority bullying at work To inspect diverse forms of ethnic minority bullying at work To find out important causes that leads to ethnic minority bullying at work To expose effects of bullying on ethnic minority employees at work To observe reactions of ethnic minority employees to unhealthy practices bullying at work To realize various defensive mechanisms developed by ethnic minority employees to prevent from being bullied at work To examine the management/managers perspectives on ethnic minority bullying at work To suggest recommendations to prevent ethnic minority bullying at work A range of problems will be encountered throughout practical implementation of the project or research administration (Rowley, 2002). To avoid these inadequacies, study should infuse the objectives that are measure driven. Concurrently all the aims of research cannot completely revolve around human interests and beliefs (Smith et al 2008). Because, qualitative approaches often fail to reproduce commonality of the results (Sekaran, 2003). In such situations quantitative approaches appears much more meticulous. 3.3.3 Research strategy: Normally intentions of research invade strategy, where time, resources, philosophy and approaches play a greater role. But, there will always be an element of deduction in any type of studies undertaken (Ticehurst Veal, 2000), thereby persuading the researcher to be selective towards the data required or the data gathered. However, quantitative strategy is a method of data collection under deductive approach where data will be accumulated through survey questionnaires and acquired data will be analysed through statistical methods. Sub-sequentially deductive approach always helps in verifying or discarding a hypothesis by assembling and quantifying data (Dayarathna, 2009). Being objective and scientific in its nature this strategy is considered to be black and white method due to its lack of consideration with the results (Bryman Bell, 2003). Owing to positivism deductive approach is used for this study. Although there are various types of research strategy, general and business research rely more upon survey based strategy (Saunders et al. 2009). Because, the techniques applied here to collect data largely depend on purpose of the study, intensity of the problem, information required and the availability of time, money and human resources (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). Indeed, under this strategy data can be gathered in three different forms; personal interviews, survey questionnaires and telephone interviews (Bernard, 2006) and for the current project, personal interviews and survey questionnaires are used to extract required information. As part of quantitative analysis, a self administered questionnaire will be sent to the ethnic minority employees working in the organization to extract maximum information on ethnic minority bullying, and the sources, causes, and forms that leads to bullying behaviour. Personal interviews will also be used as part of study to know the responses of the employees to bullying manners and the measures anticipated by them in abolishing ethnic minority bullying at workplace thereby fulfilling the requirements of qualitative analysis. First section of the survey questionnaire consist of five basic or personal information questions; Age, Gender, Job Level, Ethnicity and Work Experience and in the second section of the questionnaire, eleven close ended and three open ended questions were asked focusing more on bullying and ethnic bullying at work. Especially, Open ended questions were used to present employees with an opportunity to express their genuine ideas and thoughts about the subject without any barrier. Primarily, all questions of the study were designed and uploaded to an online survey portal; SurveyPirate with a note in the beginning of the questionnaire clearly stating the purpose and objectives of the survey in brief. Later, link of the portal leading to questionnaire was downloaded and delivered to the respondents by emails with the help of Vice President-HR, ABB. India. Constructive nature of qualitative method makes it central to understand respondents views and how they generate meaning in an active manner (Maxwell, 2005). To involve interview approach as part of study researcher has to be very open in his perspective. As nature of the project demanded a qualitative approach to explore the unquenched myriads of ethnic bullying, a prior prepared semi-structured interview questions were also used during the study along with quantitative methods of data collection (Saunders et al. 2003). Personal interview conducted with the managers during the project will help in understanding the mangers perspective towards existing ethnic bullying practices and the problems caused by them. Furthermore, it also assists in recognizing the policies and measures implemented by both organization and the government to address these unpleasant and unfavourable workplace traditions By making use of qualitative or interview methods, analysis of the report gains a comprehensive and exclusive edge over other similar explorations undertaken on bullying. As it lend a hand in gathering valid and reliable information relevant to the questions and objectives of the research (Kahn Cannell, 1957), it becomes easier to compare the outcomes of the study to the theoretical frameworks ethnic bullying. Under qualitative method understanding between the author, respondents and the subjects will be on much higher grounds than other approaches of data accumulation (Bryman Bell, 2003) because Interview is nothing but a conversation or exchange of views and ideas between two people on a topic of mutual interest (Kvale, 1996). In order to accomplish the aims of the study eight managers from different department were interviewed with prior appointment. The ambitions behind interviewing managers were to bring broader viewpoint to the observations made and to explore the problem on macro levels. All the interviews were carried out as per the semi-structured questionnaire designed with in the time limit allotted. Despite all the above precautions qualitative methods can be very subjective and the final outcomes could involve element of bias due to preconceptions (Patel Davidsson, 2003). Semi-structured Questionnaire: Q1. Is ethnic minority bullying at workplace a major issue in your organization? Why do think so? Q2. What according to you are the major reasons that ignite and magnify ethnic minority bullying in your organization? Q3. In what form does the bullying take place in your organization and who are people that are often involved in the bullying practice? Q4. Have any staffs of yours left their job or taken time off work in the past six months? If yes, what were their reasons for leaving? Q5. How do the employees react in your organization when are being bullied? Q6. How do you tackle ethnic minority bullying in your organization? Q7. In your opinion what are the crucial factors that might lessen the likelihood of ethnic minority bullying in your organization? Q8. Does your organization make any efforts to prevent ethnic minority bullying? What are your views? Q9. Does your organization provide counselling services for bullied employees? If yes, how effective are they? 3.4 Research Design: According to Gauri and Gronhaug, (2005, pp. 56), The research design is the overall plan for relating the conceptual research problem to relevant and practicable empirical research. It is an important method used by the authors, in order to answer research questions (Saunders el al. 2007) and any design under the control of researcher will adjoin more flexibility in terms of valuable information. Meanwhile, there are four major types research design; exploratory, inductive, and casual descriptive (Zikmund, 2003) and the most appropriate way to get solutions to the research problems is through exploratory design (Zikmund, 2003). In exploratory design, researcher will have a weak idea about the problems as they are defined very poorly. But, the moment author starts accumulating relevant information; the entire picture becomes brighter and better thereby supporting to find healthier solutions to the problems (Gauri Gronhaug, 2005). On the other hand, inductive design employs various theories built on observation. Diverse approaches are carried over for deliberating and pursuing these observations. Justified theory emerging out of these observations will further aid in discovering appropriate solutions to the research problems. Although casual research is better structured than the other designs of research, cause and effect relationship is often confronted. In fact, during majority of instances it becomes very easy to predict the final results evolving from the changes incorporated (Nargundkar, 2003). Nonetheless, in contrary to the explorative method, problems are well defined under descriptive design. Thus researcher can start assembling secondary data associated to the problem instantaneously. In some circumstances, where there is a scarcity or absence of resources author will have attempt to collect data through different data collection techniques (Gauri Gronhaug, 2005). The research design used for this project is descriptive approach where a concrete problem is identified and defined by exploiting secondary sources of data existing. It is frequently used to depict precise silhouette of person/persons events and situations (Robson, 2002). Since research question is a problem which necessitate further investigation to formulate anticipated results (Bjereld et al, 2002), question for the current study is derived from the area of interest. Passable numbers of study samples are involved right through the process and unbiased measurements are practiced to execute and report about on project. Given that the sampling is important in this form of research, survey questionnaires and interviews are included with definite time limits. 3.5. Research Process and Procedure: 3.5.1 Sources of data: Sources of data are broadly classified in two categories, primary and secondary. According to Parasuraman et al. (2004) primary data are the information collected for the first time to bring about any explicit needs of a particular research. They are the firsthand descriptions represented by research reports, published in a scientific journal or periodical to reflect on the observations performed by the researcher (Gravetter Forzano, 2008). Furthermore, they also facilitate authors to illustrate their research by answering and substantiating against the questions or uncertainties rose during the progression of investigation. Like, why and how study was undertaken, what results were found, and how those results were interpreted. However, course of primary data collection entail a range of diverse means. They are, personal or emails based survey questionnaires, face to face or telephone interviews, observations and focus groups (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). Primary data is often more consistent with the research questions and objectives. Under this method of data gathering questions can be formed both formal and informal ways (Parasuraman et al. 2004). Yet, success of this approach relay largely upon the capabilities of the researcher, who pose the questions to the respondents (Bryman Bell, 2003). Major downside of this data source is that they require ample amount of time and may consume lot of money (Malhotra Bricks, 2007). Since the researcher is completely dependent on the willingness and ability of the respondents, at times it becomes very hard to approach respondents (Kanikapati, 2007). Secondary data is detailed information accessed by the researcher through other available sources of information to obtain thorough literature review. In fact, most of the studies begin in that fashion (Kanikapati, 2007). It is a second hand report where the observations of different authors will be discussed by the researcher to accomplish aspired objectives (Gravetter Forzona, 2008). Generally secondary information is of high standards (Bryman Bell, 2003) and fundamentally used to understand and explain research problems better. Secondary source of data is very easy to extract and available in plenty through, books, magazines, journals, articles, websites and etc. More importantly it is inexpensive and time saving but, its basic nature of collection for different purposes during different time span with different objectives makes it less effective to robust into present study. In this project, a combination of both sets of data are used achieve maximum results. Since the objective of the research is to observe whether, membership of an ethnic minority plays a greater role in work place bullying? A significant role is played by the primary data as it is directly accumulated from the employees in the ABB, UK. All over the study secondary data have been utilized to explore literature on the consequence of bullying, workplace bullying and ethnicity bullying. Majority of the data pertaining to study have been collected trough books, magazines, journals, websites and articles. 3.5.2 Direction-finder: Opportunity of every large study requires to be tested on a smaller sample size before execution. Direction-finder or pilot study will assist in inspecting the pros and cons of extensive process to be accomplished further. According to Saunders et al. (2007) questionnaires needed to be experimented on a limited population, to assess the difficulties that might encounter in answering the questionnaire and while recording data. By doing so, researcher can make certain that the collected data is valid and reliable. Conversely, pilot study is also essential to realise that the collected data answer all the research questions, easy to scrutinize and findings of the study are valuable (Smith et al, 1991). In the meantime, a direction-finder test was conducted to 4 employees of the Lebara organization, UK to investigate accuracy of questionnaire in extracting require data and their precision in gauging ethnic bullying factors in ABB, UK. Pilot process not only helped in understanding whether the respondents have interpreted the research questions as the same way they are intended to but, made the author realise that there were lot of concerns pertaining to open ended questions. However, a few of them were later modified or replaced with close ended ones. 3.5.3 Time horizons: At the outset, collection of samples was planned for the Month of July 2010 but shortly it was rescheduled to October 2010. Soon there were Christmas holidays to follow in the Month of December 2010 decision was made to distribute questionnaires in the Month of October to capture a balanced response as highlighted by Saunders (2007). 3.6 Research Context: 3.6.1 Obtaining permission: To obtain data, a request letter (Annexure) drafted by the researcher explaining the purpose of the study and the types of data required was sent to the Manager-Human Resource of ABB, UK through Vice President of ABB, India. Mr Rajesh Kumar Roy (Vice President ABB, India), who happens to be previous employer of the researcher accepted the request and recommended the proposal for further consideration. This was later approved by the respected authorities of ABB in UK. 3.6.2 Sample size: Multi-cultural or ethnic diverse nature of the research topic encouraged the researcher to choose ABB, UK for sample selection. Since the organization has its branches in more than 100 countries, mobility of ethnic centred employees within the company will be abundant. And this movement of workforce will be much more effective in UK because of its versatility. As it is impractical to survey the entire ethnic minority staff of ABB, UK due to time and budget constraints, a sample of 120 employees that represents the entire ethnic minority population of the organization was viewed as satisfactory for the quantitative method of study (Saunders et al, 2007). But, when it was realised that whole ABB labour force in UK consists approximately 8% of ethnic minority employees, the numbers of sample numbers were further reduced to 92 by considering 50% of the total ethnic minority workers (8% of 2300 is 184 and 50% of 184 is 92). On the other hand, qualitative research requires very limited num ber unlike quantitative approach (Miles Hubermann, 1994). Thus it is restricted to 8 members from four different locations (Daresbury Park Warrington, 9 Moorbrook Park Didcot, Park House Eastern Avenue Burton-on-Trent and Unit 15; Peddie Street Dundee). 3.6.3 Sampling techniques and selection: Selection of appropriate sample is the key in both qualitative and quantitative procedures of research (Maxwell, 2005). There are two major types of sampling techniques; Probability sampling or representative sampling Since they reflect the characteristics of the population, they often provide the most valid or credible results. But, they are expensive, time consuming and require certain level of skill sets to perform (Adamchak et al. 2000). However, under probability sampling every element has a chance of being selected and the selected elements probability can be calculated. Any variation between the elements is only a matter of chance as there is no bias involved (Adamchak et al. 2000). Non-probability or systematic sampling Though these methods are more elastic, cheap and require very limited time span, they are less desirable than probability samples due to their weaker evaluation and outcomes (Adamchak et al. 2000). But, their validity can be increased by approximating random section, and eliminating sources of bias. Here the elements are obtained on the basis of opportunity, judgement and referrals from other sample subjects (Adamchak et al. 2000). Probability sampling technique or procedure cannot be employed for this research because the population of the study is well defined. Therefore, systematic stratified sampling method is used to represent all the ethnic minority employees of ABB, UK without any discrimination. 3.6.4 Non response bias: Non response rate of any study depend upon sensitivity of the subject, clarity of objectives and level of confidentiality. However, anonymous questionnaires always enjoy high response rates. Hence, a covering letter (Annexure) stating purpose of the study was attached to the questionnaire to attract soaring response rates. Meanwhile, questions of the survey were kept anonymous to convince the respondents that the data collected will be treated with confidentiality (Sekaran, 2003). 3.6.5 Response rate: Respondents interests vary depending upon the type of research being conducted. Response rates tend to be very high among educational oriented studies. However, according to Saunders et al. (2007) satisfactory response rate of a research lies between 30% 40% and they could become even lesser when a topic is more sensitive and hard to relate. Meanwhile, unbiased approaches and ethical considerations might boost response rates despite all obstacles and hardships that could come in between. For the current research 92 survey questionnaires were distributed and 72 returned back. So the total response rate for this project was 78.26%. Non-response rate for the project was 21.74% and the core reasons for non-response could be refusal to become a part of the study or reluctant to answer all the questions (Dayarathna, 2009). 3.6.7 Rejected methods: Even though, focus groups are the supreme means of understanding through exchange of ideas within a group. They are not involved in the study due to their unfeasible nature. They are boring and often unsuccessful in bringing the group together under a single roof. Moreover, they dont provide sufficient time to the respondents during group discussions (Parasuraman et al. 2004). 3.7 Ethical Considerations: Issues pertaining to ethics of the study arise throughout research starting from formulation of research question, till presenting results. According to Saunders et al. (2007), they arrive in five stages; topic selection, designing and gaining access, collecting data, processing and storing data and during analysing and revealing findings. To begin with, access to data collection was attained by drafting a formal request letter to the concerned authority explaining the purpose of the study. When the access was granted a covering latter was prepared addressing respondents of the study ensuring that the data collected will be kept confidential and will be used only for the academic purpose. Anonymous questions were formed to conceal the identity of the individual participants (Smith et al. 1991) making it hard for other to recognise separately. To avoid personal bias and to add credibility and validity to the report research was conducted with minimum intervention. Collected observations are carefully analysed and results presented without any manipulations. All the secondary sources used for the study are recognised and acknowledged. 3.8 Limitations of the Study: Limitations are often accompanied by the element of human factor. Like any other general and social research even this research escort certain amount of boundaries to its procedure, scope and applicability. Firstly, Very limited numbers of open ended questions are used in the study and the ones that are used with the help of qualitative approach can make the results of the project biased (Patel Davidsson, 2003) by reflecting lack of transparency (Brayman Bell, 2003). Secondly, Closed ended questions used in the study might have restricted the respondents from indentifying various others factors that encourage workplace bullying. Finally, there will always be a problem of time, money and resources when a particular study is undertaken. 3.9 Conclusion: Comprehensive discussion about methodology for the selected study was presented in the above chapter to justify tactics incorporated is in line with the topic chosen. Deployment of deductive approach and addition of positivism and interpritivism were proved to be appropriate for the research due to various reasons as illustrated. Sampling procedures, sampling techniques and the size of samples were also explained along with the data collection methods, ethical considerations and limitations of the project. In the next chapter results of the research will be evaluated in detail.

Gus in James Duncans The River Why Essay -- James Duncan River Why Es

Gus in James Duncan's The River Why James Duncan’s book entitled, The River Why, focuses around the main character, Gus, and how he changes throughout the book. In this book Gus is discovering what life really is and that the whole world does not revolve around fishing. After moving out of his erratic house he spends all of his time fishing at his remote cabin, but this leaves him unhappy and a little insane. He embarks on a search for him self and for his own beliefs. Duncan changes Gus throughout the book, making Gus realize that there are more important things to life than fishing, and these things can lead to a happy fulfilled life, which in turn will help Gus enjoy life and fishing more. Duncan introduces a character, Eddy, who significantly changes Gus’s views on what he needs in his life and she gives Gus a sense of motivation or inspiration. Eddy changes Gus by their first encounter with each other, when Eddy instills in Gus a need to fulfill his life and when they meet up again, completing his ne ed. Fishing is Gus’s first passion but he loses it after he puts all of himself into it, and when Eddy comes into his picture Gus feels a need to have more in his life, like love. Through finding love he re-finds his passion for fishing and learns more about himself. When Eddy and Gus finally get together, he sees this â€Å"equilibrium† between his old passion, fishing, and his new one, Eddy. Duncan’s use of Eddy gives Gus a new found sense of purpose and to have a more fulfilled life is a critical step in Gus’s development as a character. This is why Eddy is the most important character to this book, because she gives Gus inspiration to find himself. On their first encounter with one another Gus is compelled by her differences in dress, techniques and gear. After she leaves, Gus feels a â€Å"need† to fulfill his empty life. Finally when she shows back up in his life, Gus then has everything he could ever ask for: a beautiful woman who loves to fish, just like him. He explains how he first sees Eddy on page 151 as: â€Å"A barefoot girl. A full-grown one. One who wore the top tenth or so of what had long ago been a pair of blue jeans. One who wore a short, skin-tight, sleeveless sky-colored t-shirt through †¦which revealed the shape of the†¦Ã¢â‚¬  After sneaking his way up to the tree where she sat â€Å"motionless†, not noticing Gus, his attention is diverted, if not comp... ...fter hearing stories of Gus the great fisherman. Eddy sees more in Gus than she thought she would, so she decides to come back the next day to talk. The next day she gives Gus a plan that he must follow of catching a fish with her techniques. He finds his equilibrium on page 274 â€Å"Equilibrium derived from a kind of inner balance: it transmitted itself from the soul to the mind, and from the mind to the body, and when a man possessed of it put his hand to an art or craft he was capable of unheard of feats.† Gus’s equilibrium was his love for Eddy and he states on the same page â€Å"Why shouldn’t love be my Equilibrium? Why shouldn’t love be the forceless force running through the wound and into the fish? Couldn’t love create that sacred balance? Wouldn’t love dissolve all stress?†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eddy also changes as person because she stays longer and longer with Gus, doing all sorts of things together, eventually marrying Gus. They both find their equilibrium in each other. Gus re-finds his fishing passion through Eddy, but looks on everything in a whole different way. Eddy gave Gus motivation to know himself and he fulfills the emptiness. He got the two loves of his life: fishing and Eddy.

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada Essay -- firearms weapons gun

Gun Ownership and Gun Control in Canada The Oscar-won documentary ‘Bowling for Columbine’ has aroused people’s awareness of gun ownership and gun control issues. Should gun ownership be banned or should guns be controlled? Does gun ownership create a violent society? The answer is not measurable, however, from the firearm situation between America and Canada, the answer is more obvious. America probably has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. In Canada, the percentage of Canadian households with a rifle is approximately equal to the level in United States. According to the statistics of gun murder rates around the world from ‘Bowling for columbine’, America has 11,127 gun accidents while Canada merely has 165. Is the number of gun ownerships a main factor behind a violent society? Indeed weapon does not commit crimes, the perpetrator does. As well, most crimes do not involve licensed gun owners. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimated the pool of illegal handguns in Canada to be about 50,000. Shockingly, in New York City alone, conservative estimation put the number of illegal handguns at over 700,000. Well, it seems the firearm problem in United States is worsened by the illegal gun owners. So, who should own guns? To the members of NRA (National Rifle Association), anyone who interested in shooting should own a gun; however, guns are more destructive weapons than knives. Therefore guns should only be legalized for certain occupations or certain purposes. Occupations such as policemen, bank or airport security guards and farmers should be allowed to use guns. For leisure gun sport activities, guns should be o... ... law system, however not all illegal applicants can! Some politicians strongly support bans on gun uses will solve the firearm problems more effectively. Significantly, bans on guns will indeed raise the demand for illegal guns underground, which makes it harder for police to control gun uses. i.e. a FAC gun control system in Canada works very effectively due to the fact that fewer guns are traded in black market. ‘Useless laws weaken necessary laws.’ --- Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1775) Importantly, gun ownership doesn’t create a violent society, but lenient gun control does. Nevertheless, bans do not make something disappear, rather harder to control! Therefore a strict, uniform federal gun control system is far more essential so as to ensure no collateral effects of any gun uses!

Health Promotion Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Health by definition is the complete physical, mental and social well-being (Burch, 2001). In the past health has been defined as the absence of disease. Health promotion enables people the ability and resources to improve and control their overall health. Being able to adjust and adapt to various social and physical environments in day-to-day activities is a trait of a healthy individual. Health promotion is not just the responsibility of those individuals in the health field. An individual?s well-being reflects whether or not that person has a healthy lifestyle. Therefore health promotion becomes an issue for employers, retailers, sports and policy makers among others because issues such as safety and environmental factors will have an influence on the well-being of an individual (Ottawa Charter, 1986). Collaborative and coordinated efforts to provide safer goods and services, and a cleaner, more enjoyable environment should be the goal for all. The goal of all involved sho uld be to provide a healthier environment that will provide a better well-being for the population. Promoting health requires the detection of any barriers that would hinder the health promotion process and removal of them. Promoting health is, also, educating the public to current health issues. There are various aspects of health promotion. Health promotion can be applied to any group or environment. A few of the more popular places and populations we see health promotion being addressed more often are the workplace, community, among adolescent, and the elderly. However, I believe the most effective and important place to begin health promotion is within our school systems. Promoting a healthy lifestyle, bettering quality of life, and prev... ...r 1, 2001 from Expanded Academic Index ASAP database. Manson, S. M., (1997). One small step for Science, one giant lead for prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 2, 215. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from Expanded Academic Index ASAP database. 1Center for Disease Control, (2001). Healthy Aging: Preventing Disease and Improving Quality of Life Among Older Americans. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag-aging.htm 2Center for Disease Control (2001). School Health Programs: An investment in Our Nation?s Future. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/ataglanc.htm Healthy People, (2001). http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/ Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986). First International Conference of Health Promotion. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.who.dk/policy/ottawa.htm

Legalizing Marijuana

I. Introduction Marijuana has been one of the most researched drugs in the history of pharmacology, and there is still considerable disagreement about its short-term and long-term effects. It was made an illicit drug in the United States, and many states have established harsh penalties for those convicted of possession of even small amounts. In the recent years, there has been a move toward decriminalization of marijuana. The purpose of this study is to show why marijuana should be legalized. II. Discussion A. What is Marijuana? Marijuana is the name given in the United States to the drug produced from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The use of cannabis derivatives under such names as hashish, charas, bhang, and ganja is widespread throughout the world. The most active ingredient of the plant derivative is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The potency of this chemical is indicated by the fact that the average street sample of marijuana contains less than .5% THC. Some samples are considerably higher in THC content; thus, effects from the drug vary according to its quality, meaning its THC content.   The flowering parts of the plant contain the greatest amounts of THC (Belenko, 2001). These are usually dried and smoked, but they may be made into a drink somewhat like tea or blended into various cooking recipes. B. Why should it be legalized? Marijuana is being used as legal medical therapy for several conditions. Careful studies have shown that it is effective in treating severe nausea in cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. Older patients seem to respond less well than younger patients and complain more about side-effects, including feeling â€Å"stoned.† Researchers are continuing studies of marijuana’s possible usefulness in reducing pressure within the eye in glaucoma and in treating muscle spasticity (Earleywine, 2002). Marijuana has been used for thousands of years, both as a medicine and for its intoxicating effects. In the form of tablets, marijuana is frequently prescribed to relieve the nausea and vomiting that often accompany chemotherapy. Its non-medical use, however, is illegal in the United States and most other countries. The penalties for possessing or using marijuana are, in many states, as severe as those imposed for the possession or use of much more potent drugs (Goode, 2000). Many argue that marijuana is no more harmful than cigarettes and liquor and should be legalized. III. Conclusion In conclusion, most people use marijuana for the altered states it produces. These states are a little easier to control than those produced by other hallucinogenic drugs, unless the dosage is very high. At low to moderate dosages, hallucinations are not present. Instead, the person typically reports of calmness, increased sensory awareness, changes in space and time, and increased appetite, often with a craving for sweets. Many researchers too have concluded that smoking marijuana is no more dangerous, and perhaps even less so, than smoking cigarettes or using alcohol. Reference: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Belenko, S. R. (2001). Drugs and Drug Policy in America: A Documentary History. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. Pp. 34-67. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Earleywine, M. (2002). Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence. Oxford University Press. New York. Pp. 123-156. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goode, E. (2000). Marijuana. Atherton. Chicago. Pp. 567-575.   

Consider the representation of women in James Bond films

Since 1962, when the first film was produced, a total of 22 James Bond films have been made. The James Bond franchise has become extremely popular and well-known all over the world. Although each film is unique in its own way and the storyline differs from film to film, there are certain generic features that have become things the audience recognises and expects to find in all Bond films. These features include gun fights, car chases (usually featuring an Aston Martin), exotic locations, gadgets, villains and last, but certainly not least, girls. All of these things make up a kind of ‘Bond cocktail' that the audience of these films has come to love and that has made these films as successful as they are. Umberto Eco described the Bond narrative as, ‘a series of moves on a chess board, with characters playing out their usual functions. ‘ This refers to how the Bond films all have similar pieces or ingredients and they each have a part to play to make up this ‘Bond cocktail' like how chess pieces all have different moves they can make. One of the most important of those generic features is the Bond girls. Bond girls also have certain criteria that the audience expects them to fulfill in the films and they have become famous for. The connotations of the term Bond girls are normally attractive, desirable and sexually available, especially to Bond. However, Bond is often seen to use the women as playthings for his pleasure that he often sleeps with and then discards. They are regularly portrayed as needing Bond's protection and acting in a very passive and submissive manner towards Bond. However, it is debatable as to whether this is not the case with all women in Bond films and some people believe that some Bond women are liberated and they use Bond themselves rather than it being the other way round. The definition of liberated is ‘not bound by traditional or sexual roles' and for this to apply to the female characters in Bond films they would have to avoid fulfilling their traditional roles in the films. The traditional role of women would be as housewives that stay at home and do domestic tasks while the men go out to work. In sexual terms women would traditionally get married and settle down and only have sexual relations with one man. A big traditional role of women is that they are second to men and men are more dominant and have power over women. Two Bond films where women play very large parts and are showcased in a number of different ways are, ‘Goldfinger' and ‘The World Is Not Enough'. Goldfinger was first screened in 1964 and was one of the first Bond films produced; at a time when audiences were just being introduced to the ‘Bond cocktail' and more specifically, Bond girls. The story follows Bond as he tries to spoil the plans of the villain Goldfinger who aims to contaminate all the gold in Fort Knox so that his own gold increases dramatically in value. This would severely damage the world economy and Bond has to stop Goldfinger from detonating a nuclear bomb in order to save the gold. One of the main women in this film is Pussy Galore; she is a pilot employed by Goldfinger that is repeatedly given the job of escorting and taking care of Bond, before switching sides, with Bond's influence, and helping to stop Goldfinger. The other two women that play important parts in the film are sisters, Jill and Tilly Masterson. Jill initially works for Goldfinger, before meeting with Bond and then being killed by Goldfinger as punishment. Following this, Tilly attempts to murder Goldfinger for revenge; however she becomes involved with Bond in the process before also being killed by Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob. ‘The World Is Not Enough' was released almost 40 years later in 1999, meaning it was aimed at a more modern audience and this is visible throughout the film. The storyline is similar to that of ‘Goldfinger', as a villain (this time a man called Renard) is attempting to blow up a stretch of oil pipe line with a nuclear bomb, meaning the only supply of oil can come through one pipeline. This pipeline is owned by Elektra King who is initially meant to be innocent and under Bond's protection until it is revealed she is working with Renard. Bond then faces the task of stopping the bomb with the help of a nuclear physicist called Dr. Christmas Jones. Apart from Christmas and Elektra there is one other woman that has a big role in the film and that is M (head of MI6); which contrasts with ‘Goldfinger' in which M was a man. In the 1960's the roles of women were changing a lot. During the Second World War women had been given the opportunity to go and do â€Å"men's† jobs in factories as the men were abroad fighting the war. After this women began to move closer to equality with men and they started to have their own freedom. They were no longer just housewives that were inferior to men and this attitude continued into the 1960's. In Goldfinger this is visible because the women in Pussy Galore's flying circus are pilots, which is quite a difficult and complicated job. However, there are also parts of this film that show that women may not have reached complete equality with men yet, as some of the female characters appear weak both physically and mentally and are left out of important events. Feminism is all about recognizing the need for women to have equality with men and feminists work to create that equality. In history there have been three major waves of feminism and one of those took place just after the Second World War, continuing up until the start of the 60's. This surge in women campaigning for equality worked alongside the fact that women had proven themselves in men's jobs during the war and, although some men disliked it, women did make a very large step towards full equality with men. In the 1990's, attitudes towards women had changed even more and were very similar to today. Women had equality with men and could pretty much do any job that would have before been seen as a job purely for men. This is shown in ‘The World Is Not Enough' where Dr. Christmas Jones is a nuclear physicist which is an extremely hard job and she must be very intelligent to do it. However, some of the Bond girls in the film still seem to just be used as sexual objects by Bond and this would suggest they are not fully liberated despite reaching equality with men. Two key parts of both the films are the opening credits. In ‘Goldfinger' images from the film are projected onto the body of a woman, who is painted in gold, using multi-layering. The connotations of gold are things like precious and artistically-pleasing and this could be a metaphorical symbol for women, as the girl is motionless and very passive so she does appear to be something to be looked at and appreciated visually. Gold is also a high value commodity that can be bought and sold and this could also symbolise women being almost like possessions that men can own and that they can be bought and traded. However, the women is also wearing a bikini, which was a fashionable item of clothing in the 60's and could be worn just to emphasise that the woman is to be looked at because it is a very revealing piece of clothing. But, this could also show the liberation of women because it shows the more liberal attitude of the 60's that allowed women to be more open and free sexually. The opening credits in ‘The World Is Not Enough' differ slightly from those in ‘Goldfinger' as there is now more than one girl and they are covered in oil rather than gold. This shows that the film is more modern, as oil is probably now as, if not more, valuable than gold and this means that it has the same kind of connotations as gold; it is very expensive and precious. However, these titles contrast to those in ‘Goldfinger' because the women are a lot more active and are dancing, but they are dancing in quite a provocative way which could mean the audience is being invited to look at them and admire them, which is similar to ‘Goldfinger'. The girls are also completely naked which represents how women have become even more sexually liberated since ‘Goldfinger' and nudity had become more acceptable with the audience. An important part of the titles in ‘The World Is Not Enough' is the song and more specifically the lyrics. Firstly, the song is sung by a woman and the notable lyric is, ‘We know when to kiss, we know when to kill. ‘ This suggests that women are very smart and devious and can be killers just as easily as they can be lovers, which goes against the traditional idea that they are very affectionate and maternal and not violent at all. This could also be directly linked to the character of Elektra King who uses her body throughout the film to seduce men to get her own way and is also involved with her father's murder at the start. In ‘Goldfinger', the first female character we meet is a dancer. She is quite attractive and very scantily-clad, which shows she is dressed to be looked at and to entertain the men she is dancing for. This is shown by a high angle camera shot that initially picks her out among the men and they are all looking at her body. When Bond is speaking to his friend he looks over at the dancer and says, ‘I have some unfinished business to attend to. ‘ This is quite derogatory because he isn't referring to her as a person, which also suggests she doesn't mean very much to him. The word ‘business' is especially important here because he is kind of saying she is like a job that he has to complete and nothing more. When he then goes to see her she is initially naked in the bath and there is a camera shot of her bare back, this shows that she is vulnerable and Bond has the power in the situation because he is fully-clothed and standing over her. Then when she goes to kiss Bond he accidentally pokes her with his gun and she jumps back. That incident has a bit of sexual innuendo and when she asks him why he carries it around he jokes that he has an ‘inferiority complex'. This is sarcasm because he is actually a confident and dominant man. However, the dancer has actually double-crossed Bond and this is shown when a man walks into attack him when the dancer distracts him with a kiss; this is revealed with an extreme close-up of the girl's eye, where Bond sees the reflection of the attacker. He then uses her as a shield against the man, which suggests that she didn't mean anything to him and he puts himself before women, although it could just be because he realizes what she has done to him. This shows that Bond was tricked by the girl and she used her body to get to him, but then she was also being used by someone else to get to Bond, so she still isn't in control. Bond seems surprised that she double-crossed him, when he looks at her and says, ‘very shocking. ‘ This could suggest that he didn't expect a woman to do that to him and perhaps he underestimated her and didn't expect a woman to be that cunning. The next time we see Bond he is again with a woman and this time it is a character called Dink, who is massaging Bond whilst he relaxes on a sun lounger. This suggests that he uses women for pleasure and it is also shown that he has control over her when his friend Felix comes over. He introduces her and then says, ‘Dink say goodbye. ‘ This is an imperative, so he is not asking her to do something he is ordering her around. He then says it is ‘man-talk,' which shows that women are kept out of matters of business and they are kind of a liability. The way he talks to her with short words in short sentences also suggests that she is not very bright and gives the impression men are seen to be more intelligent than women. Finally, he slaps her bottom to dismiss her and that is very disrespectful, but she doesn't argue and just does what he says, so it appears Bond has power over women and can get them to do what he wants. A slightly similar character to Dink in ‘The World Is Not Enough' is Doctor Molly Warmflash. She is seduced by Bond when she is giving him a check up and she gives in straight away, saying, ‘you'll have to promise to call me this time. This tells us that this has happened before and it appears she can't resist Bond so again he has this kind of power over women and they find him very attractive. However, he is just doing it to get a clean bill of health, so although he may get a bit of enjoyment out of it he is still just using her to get what he wants. The difference is that she is a doctor so she is obviously quite intelligent, but even so she doesn't act professionally and is quite happy to be used by Bond. She is on top of Bond though which is a position of power, but it is still clear that Bond is in control. A complete contrast to the characters of Dink and Doctor Warmflash is the character of Money Penny. She appears in both films as she works for MI6, which is quite an important job, and is always dressed very respectably. She is also very conservative and holds traditional views and this is shown in ‘Goldfinger' when she says, ‘The only gold I know about is that on your third finger. ‘ This shows that she obviously thinks marriage is important and she is showing that she is attracted to Bond, but she wants something more than just sex, she wants a proper relationship. This is shown in ‘The World Is Not Enough' when Bond offers her a cigar and says, ‘You know what you can do with that. ‘ This could well be linked to the Bill Clinton sex scandal that had just taken place at the time, in which President Bill Clinton had been accused of having sexual relations, involving a cigar, with a woman in the White House. Money Penny then chucks the cigar in the bin to show that she isn't interested in that kind of a relationship with Bond. So Money Penny is an example of a Bond girl that doesn't get seduced by Bond and is more interested in marriage than just a sexual relationship. However, Bond then doesn't seem very attracted to her which might suggest he isn't interested in settling down and just wants to stick to sleeping with women and then moving on. The next woman that Bond meets in ‘Goldfinger' is Jill Masterson. When he first sees her she is helping Goldfinger cheat at cards and she is dressed in a very revealing bikini and is lying in quite an alluring pose. Bond then finds out that she is being paid to be seen with Goldfinger as well when he says, ‘What else does he pay you for? ‘ Here he seems to be suggesting that Goldfinger might be paying her for sex which links back to the idea that women could be seen as a possession that can be bought. However, she denies doing anything else and is clearly holds no allegiance to Goldfinger because she is then very fickle and changes sides. There are a lot of camera shots on her body during this scene that expose the fact she is only wearing a bikini, so it is again inviting the audience to look at her. She is also very passive and at no point does she try to stop Bond and it is clear he is in complete control over her which is also shown by the fact she is lying down and he is looking down at her. Then Bond quite clearly looks down her top at her breasts when she leans upwards and she doesn't seem to care, she is quite happy for him to look at her. However, she is then left out of Bond's conversation with Goldfinger, which shows that women are kept out of important affairs. This happens again when Bond receives a phone call in his hotel room and he pushes Jill's face out of the way. This is quite disrespectful, but Jill just lies back and doesn't seem to care – she is happy to do what Bond wants her to. This gives the impression that women are just seen as something to give Bond pleasure and when it comes to matters of business he sees Jill as a bit of an annoyance. They are then fully-clothed in bed which is testament to the fact that full nudity was not acceptable in films at the time. Bond is then knocked out and he finds Jill lying naked on the bed covered in gold paint. She has been murdered and yet she is glamourised in her death as she is covered in gold. Bond is extremely business like about her death and shows very little emotion despite the fact that it was partially his fault. After this he just moves on and appears to forget Jill completely, which supports the idea that Bond looks to girls purely for pleasure and then is happy to discard them afterwards. In the most recent Bond film, ‘The Quantum of Solace', there a girl called Agent Fields that dies in a similar fashion. However, she is covered in oil instead of gold, and although oil is valuable it isn't at all glamorous and the black colour actually symbolises fear and death. There is also a shot of Jill Masterson in ‘Goldfinger' where there is a cushion placed in the way of her bottom and this is because the audience at the time wouldn't of approved of that level of nudity. However, in ‘The Quantum of Solace' there is an almost identical shot of Agent Fields, but there is no cushion hiding her. This shows that audiences have changed over the years and nowadays nudity is much more acceptable. Later in the film Bond runs into Jill's sister, Tilly Masterson, and she appears to be very different to her sibling. Tilly is a lot more active as she is driving aggressively and tries to shoot Goldfinger twice to get revenge for him murdering her sister. She is also dressed very respectively with her hair tied back and she uses very assertive language when speaking to Bond; seemingly unaffected by Bond's charm like her sister was. Another difference between her and her sister is that she is a lot more independent and says to Bond, ‘I can take care of myself. ‘ This contrasts to the typical Bond girl that would need Bond's help and protection. She does, however, appear to be very much governed by her emotions and says, ‘I want to kill him. When she says this she sounds almost like a little girl that is really upset and angry that they can't have there way. This is when it becomes clear that she is being controlled by her emotions, which is a more womanly characteristic because traditionally women are more emotional. She also misses Goldfinger when she tries to shoot him and then later on she is making lots of noise in the forest when Bond is silent. These things show that she isn't as skilled as Bond and it suggests that women aren't supposed to be doing the kind of work Bond does and they are incapable. It is when they are in the forest that Bond takes control and Tilly starts to become more like her sister was before she died. She becomes more passive and follows Bond's orders. Her hair is also down now, which seems like a very minor change but it symbolises the fact she has turned into more of a typical Bond girl. Then Bond there is a car chase and Tilly appears to admire Bond and all the gadgets he has in the car and even smiles a bit when before she had been serious the whole time. Bond's charm also seems to start to take an affect on her now, which suggests that all women become attracted to Bond after a while and supports the idea that Bond girls can't resist Bond. However, Bond then tells her to, ‘Run when I tell you,' which results in her being killed by the henchman Odd Job. Bond at first seems quite concerned and runs over to her, but then he seems to shut out his emotions once again and puts her behind him. This is similar to how he reacted when Jill died, it just seems to annoy him a bit and apart from that he doesn't seem to care. The main female character in ‘Goldfinger' is Pussy Galore and the first thing that is noticeable is her name. The name is very suggestive and another name that is a bit suggestive is Doctor Molly Warmflash from ‘The World Is Not Enough'. Those names are another example of the sexual innuendo that is in both of the Bond films and the name of Pussy Galore could have come from the fact that in the book written by Ian Fleming that the film is based on, Pussy was a lesbian. When Bond first wakes up to see her he says, ‘Who are you? I must be dreaming. Bond says this because Pussy Galore is very attractive and she is well-dressed, but the clothes she is wearing are quite tight-fitting and show off her body. She is friendly towards Bond, but immediately tells him she isn't interested in him when she says, ‘Turn off the charm – I'm immune. ‘ This gives the impression she isn't attracted to Bond and this is different from the idea that women can't resist Bond. She is a pilot for Goldfinger, which is quite a challenging job and Bond appears surprised when she tells him. She also has her own flying circus which shows she is a successful women and independent as she has her own business. All the pilots in this flying circus are also female which again goes against the traditional idea that women can't do jobs like piloting aircraft. She has to transport Bond on the plane and he seems to think he is in control because he swings on the chair, acts very relaxed and when she threatens him with a gun he explains it would shoot through the fuselage to try to make her look stupid. However, she doesn't appear phased by Bond and stands over him in a position of power and ignores his witty remarks towards her so she is actually the one in control. The camera shots also show this because they are mainly from Bond's perspective looking up at Pussy or from her perspective looking down at Bond; this emphasises her position over him. On board the plain there is a servant called Mai Lee who balances Pussy Galore out because she is more of a typical Bond girl. Her job is to serve Bond and she is very considerate and apologetic towards him. She also needs his help to put the plane steps down when they arrive, which suggests women are weaker and they need Bond's help, however Pussy Galore goes against this as she does everything without Bond's help and is very independent. Bond also looks at her bottom when she walks away from him which again shows women as something to look at. Later in the film Goldfinger hints that Pussy Galore should dress up to seduce Bond and distract him and this suggests that women are maybe a weakness of Bond's and he can't help himself. This links back to earlier in the film when Bond first meets Tilly Masterson and says to himself, ‘Discipline 007. ‘ This is because he was already told off by M for getting involved with women during his missions. Pussy agrees to it, but she also explains that she won't get any pleasure out of it when she says, ‘Business before pleasure. This suggests that she sees it purely as business and again is not attracted to Bond at all. It makes sex seem almost like a kind of business when it would normally be for pleasure. Pussy then dresses more in a more revealing way and puts on a friendlier front to seduce Bond, saying, ‘I'm completely defenseless. ‘ Here she is actually using Bond which contrasts to the way that Bond usually uses women and shows that women can control Bond as well as he can control them. Pussy Galore and Bond then end up having a kind of play fight in a barn and Pussy defends herself well because she knows Judo. This is unusual because women aren't normally expected to fight and perform martial arts, which again shows how skilled she is. However, Bond then gets the upper hand and ends up on top of Pussy and at this point her attitude and character change very rapidly. Bond tries to kiss her and at first she resists and fights back, but then she just gives in and kisses Bond. This is a very big piece of evidence to support the idea that the women can't resist Bond because Pussy had appeared didn't seem to be attracted to him and had been in control of Bond, but then everything changed. This could also show that it isn't that the women can't resist Bond, but they don't want to resist Bond as she gave in so easily. This also signals Pussy's change of sides and she helps to stop Goldfinger. When we next see her she is wearing light colours and this is symbolic of her change to the good side. Bond says he, ‘appealed to her maternal instincts. ‘ Which would suggest that women are caring and don' want to hurt anyone; however this motherly attitude is twisted earlier on in the film. When the pilots go to drop sleeping gas on Fort Knox they call it ‘Operation Rock-A-Bye-Baby' which is a nursery rhyme a mother would sing to nurture her child but they are actually killing people. The final part of the film shows Pussy Galore trying to signal a rescue helicopter after her and Bond jumped out of a plane with a parachute, however, Bond pulls her back and says, ‘This is no time to be rescued. ‘ After this he covers them with the parachute and it is clear that he wants to make love to her. This shows that she is a completely changed character because she has succumbed to Bond's charm and is now a traditional Bond girl. She is also positioned underneath Bond so he is in a position of power over her. ‘The World Is Not Enough' shows women as being a lot more active than in ‘Goldfinger' and this is seen with the cigar girl who is the first woman to appear in the film. She is very business like and is wearing a suit so she looks completely professional. However, she is also quite attractive and you can tell Bond notices this when she says, ‘Do you want to have a look at my figures,' and he replies with, ‘I'm sure they're all perfectly rounded. Here he is obviously referring to her body rather than the mathematical figures she is referring to, but Bond's charm doesn't rub off and she looks at him angrily. However, Bond could be saying this because he doesn't because he doesn't think that a woman should be involved with business affairs and that is why he made the joke about body, because when she goes and sits to the side he becomes a lot more serious in conversation with the men in the room. However, the girl then kills the banker Bond is speaking to and runs off, which shows that women are obviously just as capable as men at killing people. Bond then meets her again in a boat chase around London. During this she is dressed in red, which symbolises danger and could be a metaphor for how dangerous the women is. She has a bigger boat than Bond which gives her a bit of power over him and she also fires a gun at him during the chase; showing she isn't afraid to kill again. Despite this whole action sequence though she still remains dry and always looks beautiful, where as Bond is soaked. This could again show that she has power over him, or it could suggest that she is still something to be looked at. During the course of this she seems very in control and dangerous she sacrifices herself at the end when Bond has caught her after saying, ‘You can't protect me; not from him. ‘ This shows that she is actually very scared and fearful despite putting up a fearless front during the boat chase. A female character with a very important role in ‘The World Is Not Enough' is the head of MI6, M. This differs from ‘Goldfinger' in which M was a man and it reflects that, in reality at the time, the head of MI6 was a woman called Stella Remington. Obviously this role gives M a lot of power and is the first woman we have seen that actually has power and control over Bond and he has to follow her orders. She also fits the role very well and remains calm when the bomb goes off in the building she is in. However, she does show her emotions at a funeral, when she hugs Elektra in a kind of motherly role. Later on in the film Bond accuses her of letting herself be ruled by her emotions when he says, ‘With all due respect, I don't think you should be here. This is after M has come to see Elektra and then, when Elektra reveals that she is actually in league with Renard, M realises that she did actually make a bad judgment based on her emotions and she loses control and slaps Elektra. This incident suggests that women may always be governed in some way by their emotions and that they can't always control them because M slaps Elektra out of anger. The idea of emotions clouding a woman's judgment suggests that men are more in control of there emotions and don't let them get in the way; this is shown by the cold heartedness Bond seems to show at the death of the women in both films. Earlier in the film however, M does show that she is perfectly capable of keeping her emotions locked up when she explains how she advised Elektra's father to not pay the ransom for Elektra when she had been kidnapped before. She says, ‘Against every instinct in my heart, every emotion as a mother. ‘ This again refers to the maternal instincts of women and how they want to be affectionate and care about people; however it also shows that they can ignore those maternal instincts as well and act more like a man – putting their emotions aside. The thing that stands out most about M though is that fact that Bond treats her with a great deal of respect, even when he thinks she is in the wrong, and this is shown again with the quote above in which Bond says, ‘with all due respect. ‘ M is possibly the only woman that Bond willingly allows to control him and that he has a completely professional relationship with. Finally, M shows that she is very clever and capable to fend for herself, when she uses a clock to send out a signal to Bond after she has been captured by Elektra and Renard. Elektra is possibly the most important woman in ‘The World Is Not Enough' because she is a villain and she manages to use and manipulate Bond during the course of the film. She tricks Bond, at first, into believing she is innocent and they end up making love with each other. This shows again that Bond's desire for women is almost a weakness for him because initially he says to Elektra, ‘This is a game I can't afford to play. ‘ Here he is referring to getting into a relationship with her, because M had told him not to. However, he then ends up sleeping with Elektra, which suggests he couldn't resist her. This is a role reversal because it is typically women that can't resist Bond, but here it is the other way around. During the bedroom scene, both Bond and Elektra are on top which could symbolise a balance of power between the two. There is also more nudity than in the scene between Bond and Jill Masterson in ‘Goldfinger' which reflects the fact that it is aimed at a more modern audience which now finds nudity more acceptable. During that scene, Elektra also reveals to Bond how she escaped her kidnappers, ‘I seduced the guards. I used my body. This shows that she is willing to use her body to get what she wants and that could very well be what she was doing at exactly that moment with Bond because it gave her power over him. This is because Elektra then turns on him later on after he accuses her of being with Renard, ‘You used me, you used me as bait. ‘ Here she is referring to him sleeping with her and it shows how manipulative and clever she is because she is making Bond feel guilty when it is actually her in the wrong. Elektra is also the only woman that actually seems to appeal to Bond's emotions in the films. When he sees a tape of her after she escaped from her kidnappers she is crying and Bond touches the screen and seems genuinely sorry for her and he appears to care for her a lot. Later in the film, Renard teases Bond with the fact that he slept with Elektra before him, ‘I broke her in for you. ‘ Bond gets really angry at this because he realises that Elektra was just using him. The language Renard uses here is very derogatory and sexist and suggests that he was in control of Elektra and took advantage of her; however she could again have been using Renard to get what she wanted. The way Elektra uses her body to manipulate men and get what she wants is quite ironic because that is what Bond normally does to other women and it proves that it can work the other way around. In the casino Elektra draws a queen of hearts and this could also be a symbol of the way Elektra uses her body to play with men's emotions of love and with their lust to get her way. Finally, Bond is put in an execution chair and Elektra is slowly tightening the screw that can break his neck when she says, ‘I've always had a power over men. This is symbolised by the fact that she is on top of Bond in a position of power and she also has the power to kill him. She is also obviously referring to how she has used her cunning to manipulate Bond and he is now completely vulnerable whilst she is in control. However, Bond counters this by saying, ‘You meant nothing to me; you were just one last screw. ‘ This is again sexual innuendo because he is referring to when he had sex with her and also to the fact that she is about to kill him with one last turn of the screw on the chair. After this Bond escapes and points a gun at Elektra. It appears, at first, that his emotions are affecting him because he doesn't seem to want to kill her, possibly because she is a woman. He does shoot her though and afterwards he doesn't seem to care very much. This shows that Bond puts his emotions aside and links back to the idea that the Bond girls don't mean anything to him and he just discards them and moves on. The final Bond girl in ‘The World Is Not Enough' is Doctor Christmas Jones. When we first see her there is quite a long camera shot that pans up her body and this again invites the audience to look at her and admire her body, like an object. She wears some very tight-fitting clothes that emphasise her body and are quite revealing as well, but she also wears some scientific clothes that show that she is obviously very intelligent because she is an IVA Nuclear Physicist. At first she doesn't appear at all attracted to Bond and says, ‘Are you just hoping for a glimmer too. ‘ Here she is putting him down and it again questions whether Bond girls actually find Bond irresistible. Christmas is also very professional and even when she is in danger she appears calm and looks like she can look after herself. At one point however, Bond grabs her to remove her from danger and this could be for either of two reasons. It could be because she is a woman and he cares for her, or it could be because he realises he is going to need her help. Later on it is clear that Doctor Jones is more intelligent than Bond, but he still seems to control her and tell her what to do and she doesn't object. Later in the film, she dresses up and uses her body to lure Zukovsky and distract him. She is very clever, but she still needs to use her beauty, which suggests that Bond girls can't just be intelligent; they have to be attractive as well. She is also left out of the business conversation between Bond and Zukovsky despite the fact she is very smart and knows what is going on. This links back to the idea that women can't be involved in business affairs and don't have a part in making decisions. At the end of the film, Bond makes two jokes about Doctor Jones that involve sexual innuendo. First he says, ‘I've always wanted to have Christmas in Turkey,' and then he says, ‘I thought Christmas only comes once a year. ‘ These witticisms both refer to him sleeping with Doctor Jones and again she has given into Bond's charm by doing so. Her behaviour is similar to that of Pussy Galore in ‘Goldfinger' in the way that she initially resisted Bond and didn't seem attracted to him, but then gave in and ended up sleeping with him like a typical Bond girl. In conclusion, I think there are examples in the Bond films of girls that are like the stereotypical Bond girls that are attractive, sleep with Bond and require his protection before he just discards them and moves on. These women, like Jill Masterson and Molly Warmflash, appear to be used by Bond partly for his pleasure and partly to get what he wants. However, there are other characters, Elektra King especially, that use Bond themselves to get what they want. The main way they seem to do that is by using their bodies; as it appears Bond is at times incapable of resisting his desire for women. Another important thing to note is that in ‘Goldfinger' the only woman that really had any power and an important role was Pussy Galore. Where as, in ‘The World Is Not Enough' nearly all of the female characters have power and a big role to play. It is also the only film where any women have power over Bond, because M is obviously his boss and at times Elektra King has power over him as well. This proves that Bond is not always on control of women. This change in attitude over time is most likely because attitudes towards women changed and they gained equality with men by the time ‘The World Is Not Enough' was made, while they were still moving towards equality at the time ‘Goldfinger' was released. These historical factors are the most likely reason for the kind of evolution of Bond girls to the point where they sometimes control and out-smart Bond where as he used to always have power over them. Overall, Bond girls do appear to be liberated to a certain extent because they are not always bound by traditional sexual roles, which is shown by the way they are sometimes on top and in control in bedroom scenes. However, there are many instances where Bond has power and control over women and nearly every woman in the films seems to find him irresistible, which suggests that Bond girls are not completely liberated because they still appear in a lot of aspects to be inferior to men. Although, in the more recent films, Bond girls seem to be liberated in nearly all aspects they still don't appear to be quite there yet. I think Bond girls never will be fully-liberated either, simply because if they were they wouldn't be fulfill the well-known criteria of Bond girls and would therefore ruin the Bond cocktail. However, I may be wrong and, referring back to the quote by Umberto Eco, perhaps Bond girls could be the queen in the game of chess and they have the ability to move in any direction making possible for them to change without ruining the formula.