Honda Motor Company free essay sample

A look at Hondas marketing trends from the early nineties until today. Using Honda Motor Company as a case analysis, this paper examines why the companys entrance into the United States market was successful. It looks at the strategic issues which faced Honda in the early nineties and compares how this strategy was different from their strategy for European markets. The paper continues with how the economic trends of the mid 90s affected the company and predicts what the future might hold. Hondas entry into the United States was successful for a plethora of reasons. What makes Hondas success particularly remarkable is the fact that Honda managed to survive and prosper in a relatively quick frame of time in an automobile industry that is known for its massive capital requirements. One of the most important factors that contributed to Hondas success in entering the United States market was its willingness to be aggressive and take risks, both in terms of its design, marketing, pricing, and production operations. We will write a custom essay sample on Honda Motor Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another fact that bolstered Hondas success in the United States market was its willingness to adapt to change, as evidenced by the fact that Honda commonly revamps its models every 4-5 years.

USS South Dakota (BB-57) in World War II

USS South Dakota (BB-57) in World War II In 1936, as the design of the North Carolina-class moved towards finalization, the US Navys General Board met to discuss the two battleships that were to be funded in Fiscal Year 1938.   Though the group favored construction of two addition North Carolinas, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral William H. Standley insisted on a new design.   As a result, construction of these vessels was pushed to FY1939 as naval architects commenced work in March 1937.   While the first two ships were formally ordered on April 4, 1938, an additional pair of vessels was added two months later under the  Deficiency Authorization which passed due to increasing international tensions.   Though the escalator clause of the Second London Naval Treaty had been invoked allowing the new design to mount 16 guns, Congress specified that the vessels stay within the 35,000-ton limit set by the earlier Washington Naval Treaty. In conceiving the new South Dakota-class, naval architects developed a wide variety of designs for consideration.   A key challenge proved to be finding ways to improve upon the North Carolina-class but remain within the tonnage limit.   The result was the design of a shorter, by approximately 50 feet, battleship that employed an inclined armor system.   This allowed for better underwater protection than its predecessors.   As fleet commanders desired vessels capable of 27 knots, designers worked to find a way to accomplish this despite the shorter hull length.   This was found through the creative arrangement of machinery, boilers, and turbines.   For armament, the South Dakotas mirrored the North Carolinas in mounting nine Mark 6 16 guns in three triple turrets with a secondary battery of twenty dual-purpose 5 guns.   These weapons were supplemented by an extensive and constantly evolving array of anti-aircraft guns.   Assigned to New York Shipbuilding in Camden, NJ, USS South Dakota (BB-57) was laid down on July 5, 1939.   The lead ships design varied slightly from the rest of the class as it was intended to fulfill the role of a fleet flagship.   This saw an extra deck added to the conning tower to provide additional command space.   To accommodate this, two of the ships twin 5 gun mounts were removed.   Work on the battleship continued and it slid down the ways on June 7, 1941, with Vera Bushfield, wife of South Dakota Governor Harlan Bushfield serving as sponsor.   As construction moved toward completion, the US entered World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.   Commissioned on March 20, 1942, South Dakota entered service with Captain Thomas L. Gatch in command.   To the Pacific Conducting shakedown operations in June and July, South Dakota received orders to sail for Tonga.   Passing through the Panama Canal, the battleship arrived on September 4.   Two days later, it struck coral in the Lahai Passage causing damage to the hull.   Steaming north to Pearl Harbor, South Dakota underwent the necessary repairs.   Sailing in October, the battleship joined Task Force 16 which included the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).   Rendezvousing with USS Hornet (CV-8) and Task Force 17, this combined force, led by Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, engaged the Japanese at the Battle of Santa Cruz on October 25-27.   Attacked by enemy aircraft, the battleship screened the carriers and sustained a bomb hit on one of its forward turrets.   Returning to Noumà ©a after the battle, South Dakota collided with the destroyer USS Mahan while attempting to avoid a submarine contact.   Reaching port, it received repairs for the damage caused in the fighting and from the coll ision.   Sortieing with TF16 on November 11, South Dakota detached two days later and joined USS Washington (BB-56) and four destroyers.   This force, led by Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee, was ordered north on November 14 after American forces suffered heavy losses in the opening phases of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.   Engaging Japanese forces that night, Washington and South Dakota sank the Japanese battleship Kirishima.   In the course of the battle, South Dakota suffered a brief power outage and sustained forty-two hits from enemy guns.   Withdrawing to  Noumà ©a, the battleship made temporary repairs before departing for New York to receive an overhaul.   As the US Navy wished to limit the operational information provided to the public, many of South Dakotas early actions were reported as those of Battleship X. Europe Arriving at New York on December 18, South Dakota entered the yard for approximately two months of work and repairs.   Rejoining active operations in February, it sailed in the North Atlantic in consort with USS Ranger (CV-4) until mid-April.   The following month, South Dakota joined Royal Navy forces at Scapa Flow where it served in a task force under Rear Admiral Olaf M. Hustvedt.   Sailing in conjunction with its sister, USS Alabama (BB-60), it acted as a deterrent against raids by the German battleship Tirpitz.   In August, both battleships received orders to transfer to the Pacific.   Touching at Norfolk, South Dakota reached Efate on September 14.   Two months later, it sailed with the carriers of Task Group 50.1 to provide cover and support for the landings on Tarawa and Makin.     Ã‚   Island Hopping On December 8, South Dakota, in company with four other battleships, bombarded Nauru before returning to Efate to replenish.   The following month, it sailed to support the invasion of Kwajalein.   After striking targets ashore, South Dakota withdrew to provide cover for the carriers.   It remained with Rear Admiral Marc Mitschers carriers as they mounted a devastating raid against Truk on February 17-18.   The following weeks, saw South Dakota continue to screen the carriers as they attacked the Marianas, Palau, Yap, Woleai, and Ulithi.   Briefly pausing at Majuro in early April, this force returned to sea to assist Allied landings in New Guinea before mounting additional raids against Truk.   After spending much of May at Majuro engaged in repairs and upkeep, South Dakota steamed north in June to support the invasion of Saipan and Tinian.    On June 13, South Dakota shelled the two islands and two days later aided in defeating a Japanese air attack.   Steaming with the carriers on June 19, the battleship took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.   Though a resounding victory for the Allies, South Dakota sustained bomb hit that killed 24 and wounded 27.   In the wake of this, the battleship received orders to make for Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs and an overhaul.   This work occurred between July 10 and August 26.   Rejoining the Fast Carrier Task Force, South Dakota screened attacks on Okinawa an Formosa that October.   Later in the month, it provided cover as the carriers moved to aid General Douglas MacArthurs landings on Leyte in the Philippines.   In this role, it participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and served in Task Force 34 which was detached at one point to aid American forces off Samar. Between Leyte Gulf and February 1945, South Dakota sailed with the carriers as they covered the landings on Mindoro and launched raids against Formosa, Luzon, French Indochina, Hong Kong, Hainan, and Okinawa.   Moving north, the carriers attacked Tokyo on February 17 before shifting to assist the invasion of Iwo Jima two days later.   After additional raids against Japan, South Dakota arrived off Okinawa where it supported the Allied landings on April 1.   Providing naval gunfire support for troops ashore, the battleship suffered an accident on May 6 when a tank of powder for the 16 guns exploded.   The incident killed 11 and injured 24.   Withdrawn to Guam and then Leyte, the battleship spent much of May and June away from the front. Final Actions Sailing on July 1, South Dakota covered American carriers as they struck Tokyo ten days later.   On July 14, it took part in the bombardment of the Kamaishi Steel Works which marked the first attack by surface ships on the Japanese mainland.   South Dakota remained off Japan for the remainder of the month and into August alternately protecting the carriers and conducting bombardment missions.   It was in Japanese waters when hostilities ceased on August 15.   Proceeding to Sagami Wan on August 27, it entered Tokyo Bay two days later.   After being present for the formal Japanese surrender aboard USS Missouri (BB-63) on September 2, South Dakota  departed for the West Coast on the 20th.    Arriving at San Francisco, South Dakota moved down the coast to San Pedro before receiving orders to steam to Philadelphia on January 3, 1946.   Reaching that port, it underwent an overhaul before being shifted to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet that June.   On January 31, 1947, South Dakota was formally decommissioned.   It remained in reserve until June 1, 1962, when it was removed from the Naval Vessel Registry prior to being sold for scrap that October.   For its service in World War II, South Dakota earned thirteen battle stars.

Global Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Business Plan - Essay Example It has introduced magnificent devices which have been in vogue for the last two decades. Garmin GPS can be studied under the following headings: Geography: Being a wonderful navigation-devices manufacturer, Garmin has brought revolution in the discipline of geography and space sciences. With the help of the tools introduced by Garmin, it has become very easy to search and detect an area or a place, and everything related to a specific region all over the globe. Garmin devices are not limited to land only. On the contrary, one can detect almost every route existing in the air, under deep water, in thick jungles, over the high mountains and in vast deserts. In addition, Garmin has rendered its valuable services in the fields of sports, hiking, communications and learning. Competition: Being a superb manufacturing corporate organization, Garmin seeks tough competition from the rival companies. There was a time when it was the sole producer of navigation equipments, but with the arrival of competitor brands, in the wake of IT revolution, Garmin faces tough competition. TomTom, Hoover’s, AstroFly Litkin, Shenzhen and thousands of other companies are now the competitors of Garmin GPS. With the splendid rise of the Chinese companies, Garmin faces great competition from the Asian markets. Legal/political structure: Garmin GPS is well aware of the legal rights including intellectual property rights and others the political and legal authorities offer to the corporate firms and industries. Regarding its political structure, the company was co-founded by Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao, and is still administered by both these persons. The company has well-established it administrative hierarchy, which consists of board of directors and managerial and technical staff. The board of directors is responsible for devising strategic schemes, policies and plans for the company,

Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole - Assignment Example this happens, is because as the sun moves across the sky, it moves through the atmosphere and this allows it to be absorbed or reflected as necessary. This will mean that the energy cannot reach the ground to warm it. Seasons are also marked with something called equinoxes and solstices. There is one in the summer an one in the winter. When people talk about the solstice it is a term that astronomers use to show which way that the Earth is tilting. When the north and south poles are tilted to the furthest point, either toward the sun or away from it, people call it the solstice. This also is the reason why there is a different between the daytime and night time hours. Every June 20 or 21 and every December 21 or 22, there will be a solstice; everyone knows this as the beginning of summer or winter (Page 2009). The equinoxes are when spring and fall begin. The spring equinox is called the vernal equinox and the fall one is called the autumnal equinox. These two tell us that the seasons are changing again. March 20 or 21 is the official Spring, and September 22 or 23 is the official fall (Page

Personal Financial Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Personal Financial Planning - Assignment Example Ruth receives index-linked occupational pension of 16,000 per year. She has 50,000 in ISAs which earns 7,000 yearly. They own a house with a net value of 350,000. They also want to leave something to Edward and William, hence, they will need to invest in a National Savings Certificate which can be encashed by the mother if both boys are still below seven years old. Since they will need a pre-income tax level of 3,000 pounds monthly, the couple needs to invest their money in a better set of investment instruments that will let them achieve this income level. At the moment, they only earn a total of 2,450 monthly from the current wealth portfolio they hold. Except for the National Savings Certificate income, the other investment returns are subject to a 20% tax rate. Ned Larken's 300,000 in a FTSE Short Index 100 share Exchange Transfer Fund (ETF) and 200,000 in a S&P 500 Exchange Transfer Fund (ETF) nets a yearly return of 11%. An ETF is a basket of securities that trades throughout the day on a particular exchange in the same way that a company share does. The ETFs are priced continually, and the price fluctuates throughout the day. The ETF pays a dividend if the dividends of the portfolio shares exceed the fund's expense. The advantages of an ETF investment consist of passive management, low expenses, trading flexibility and transparency. The aim of the ETFs is to replicate the return of their benchmark indexes. The ETFs usually hold the same securities as their indexes in an effort to match their returns. The ETFs charges a low annual expense for management and other fund expenses. It also possesses a certain trading flexibility. The ETF is transparent as the securities held in an ETF are always well-known. As shares trade throughout the day, the fund's holdings must be disclosed in order for the shares to be correctly priced. Institutional investors can take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity as well, which exists when there is the potential to profit from the differences between the ETF price and the price of the given basket of securities. This tends to help keep the fund's price close to its Net Asset Value.The first disadvantage of the FTSE 100 and S&P 500 is that it is less diversified, ow ning a large number of shares in one or two industries. Thus, the ETFs are likely to be more heavily affected by movements in the prices of these securities than funds that are diversified across a greater number of shares. Their performance will depend more on how this kind of security performs. They are less diversified than the broad stock market ETFs. For example, the five biggest companies in the FTSE 100 constitute approximately one-third of the market value of the overall index, and two of them are global oil companies. This lack of broad diversification makes the performance of the FTSE 100 and related ETFs very sensitive to the changes in the oil industry. The second disadvantage of the FTSE 100 and the S & P 500 is that the performance of sector ETFs is dependent on the timing of their purchase and sale. For instance, the price of these funds can rise rapidly when demand increases for the product or service provided by the companies. Similarly, the price can also drop sharply when there is an

How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare: Analysis

How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare: Analysis When Joseph Beuys performed his piece, How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (November 26, 1965 at Galerie Schmela in Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany), he presented a new way of thinking about the structure and meaning of art. Unlike traditional artists who practiced in painting, drawing, or sculpture, Beuys practiced a then new media of art called Performance Art. Like the name suggests, performance artists did not make objects to be displayed, instead they displayed themselves by creating live presentations.[1] In his performance, Beuys makes his way around a small room while whispering inaudibly to a hare carcass which he carries in his arms. Throughout the piece Beuys would have the hair burrow while holding its ears up with his teeth, he would lie down in the middle of the floor, and pose himself or the hare in different positions around the space. The audience viewed the three-hour long scene through a window of the gallery. Felt was attached to Beuyss left shoe, and steel to his right. The sound of the steel hitting the floor was the only break in the silence of the piece. Honey and gold leaf covered his head and face. Around the room, pictures hung on the walls and a dead fir tree laid on the ground. When the three hours passed, the audience was allowed into the gallery with Beuys sitting in a chair with the hare on his lap, his back facing them (see Figure 1). Every part of Beuyss performance held meaning, both his actions and the specific items he chose. The honey stood for life and the gold leaf stood for wealth. Together they also created a shaman aura for Beuys which connected him to the spiritual. The hare represented death and mortality. The felt personified spiritual warmth, and the steel stood for hard reason and a conductor for invisible energies. The materials themselves were unorthodox and were used to challenge the conventions of art. With How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare, Joseph Beuys revolutionized conceptual art. Conceptual art markedly de-emphasized or entirely eliminated a perceptual encounter with unique objects in favor of an engagement with ideas.[2] Beuys had a need to replace conventional art with a more spiritual and natural form of communication.[3] He created art that was supposed to be felt or intuited by a viewer rather than understood intellectually.[4] The concept of spirituality is the foremost subject of How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare. Even though all the afore mentioned items have their own individual meanings, they all contribute to the central demonstration of spiritual importance. An article in Phaidon describes the ending of Beuyss performance as him protectively cradling the deceased hare in a manner  akin to the Madonna in a pietà  .[5] This is a profound comparison. The Madonna in a pietà   is one of the most produced images that we see in the history of art. Before the sixteenth century, the Madonna in a pietà   was seen more than an emoji is seen today. It was the epitome of religion and devotion. In turn, comparing How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare to the Madonna in a pietà   alludes to the notion that Beuyss performance is also the picture of religion and devotion. The hare is the most significant aspect of Beuyss piece. It is seen in many other artworks by Beuys. For Beuys the hare was an integral part of the spiritual message. According to him, [The hare] has a strong affinity to women, to birth and to menstruation, and generally to chemical transformation of blood. Thats what the hare demonstrates to us all when he hollows out his form: the movement of incarnation. The hare incarnates himself into the earth, which is what we human beings can only radically achieve with our thinking: he rubs, pushes, and digs himself into Materia (earth); finally penetrates (hare) its laws, and through this work his thinking is sharpened then transformed, and becomes revolutionary. Even a dead animal preserves more powers of intuition than some human beings with their stubborn rationality. Human thinking was capable of achieving so much, but it could also be intellectualized to a deadly degree, and remain dead and express its deadliness in the political and p edagogical fields.[6] This disdain for rational thinking is why Beuys remained silent in his piece. He wanted the audience to come to the conclusion that How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare is about the spiritual connection between death and humanity and the invisible energies that guide nature and our lives by themselves. Beuys wanted an unspoken connection between him and the audience, the same connection he alluded to in his performance. He did not want to lay the meaning out in a clear and rational form such as the artists of the high renaissance. This was not a piece that the viewer should ponder and try to decipher with their head, instead it was supposed to be felt with as much natural instinct as a hare would use when burrowing and creating a home. WORD COUNT: 835 Figure 1. Joseph Beuys in his final stance of his performance, How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare. He is seen here sitting in his chair with the dead hare cradled in his arms. (November 26, 1965 in Schmela Gallery, Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany) Beuys during his Action How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (Wie man dem toten Hasen die Bilder erklà ¤rt), November 26, 1965. Schmela Gallery, Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany. Accessed March 13, 2017. http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/march/03/why-joseph-beuys-and-his-dead-hare-live-on/. Garberich 6 Bibliography Beuys during his Action How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare (Wie man dem toten Hasen die Bilder erklà ¤rt), November 26, 1965. Schmela Gallery, Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany. Accessed March 13, 2017. http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/march/03/why-joseph-beuys-and-his-dead-hare-live-on/. David Craven. Conceptual art, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed March 13, 2017. http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T018962. Davies, Penelope J.E., Walter B. Denny, Frima F. Hofritcher, Joseph F. Jacobs, Ann S. Roberts, and David L. Simon. Jansons History of Art. 8th ed. Vol. 2. Pearson, 2015. Roselee Goldberg and Margaret Barlow, Performance art, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Accessed March 13, 2017. http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T066355. Why Joseph Beuys and his Dead Hare Live On, Phaidon. Accessed March 13, 2017. http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/march/03/why-joseph-beuys-and-his-dead-hare-live-on/. [1] Roselee Goldberg and Margaret Barlow, Performance art, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, accessed March 13, 2017, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T066355. [2] David Craven. Conceptual art, Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, accessed March 13, 2017, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T018962. [3] Davies, Penelope J.E., et al. Jansons History of Art. 8th ed. Vol. 2. Pearson, 2015. [4] Davies, Penelope J.E., et al. Jansons History of Art. 8th ed. Vol. 2. Pearson, 2015. [5] Why Joseph Beuys and his Dead Hare Live On, Phaidon. Accessed March 13, 2017, http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/march/03/why-joseph-beuys-and-his-dead-hare-live-on/. [6] Why Joseph Beuys and his Dead Hare Live On, Phaidon. Accessed March 13, 2017, http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/march/03/why-joseph-beuys-and-his-dead-hare-live-on/.

Repetition, Diction, and Simile in Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing Essay

Repetition, Diction, and Simile in Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Crossing, there is a dramatic sequence described by the narrator.   The author uses many different techniques to convey the impact of the experience on the narrator.   Some of these such techniques are: repetition, diction, and simile.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of the aforementioned techniques, the most obvious is repetition.   The author uses the word â€Å"and† a total of thirty-three times.   However, the simple usage of the word is not what is to be noticed.   It is the placement of the word that is interesting.   In sentences in which there is mention of the wolf, the word â€Å"and† is used twenty times.   This amount is 150% higher than the amount of times the author chose to include the word â€Å"and† in sentences which did not mention the wolf. There are times in which it would be just as easy, if not easier, for the author to leave out the word â€Å"and†.   For example, McCormac could have said: â€Å"he touched the cold, perfect teeth†.   However, â€Å"and† was again squeezed in for the purpose...

Battle Of The Sexes In Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

It is fascinating that a dramatic narrative can create such a strong representation of a person through words alone, determining their social class, their gender, their relationships and even their intelligence. â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  by the respected dramatist William Shakespeare explores the shallowness, the naivety and the innocence of human beings through the characters of Hero and Claudio, the two protagonists who dominate our generation today. However through the seemingly minor characters of Don John and Don Pedro, a contrasting analysis may be made of how someone’s actions can affect others and through comparing the relationship of Claudio and Hero with that of Beatrice and Benedick we understand how differences in experience, maturity and conformity can seriously affect a relationship. Count Claudio, the leading male in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  is an impulsive, handsome, young man, who initially gives us the impression that he will make the ideal husband. However we soon learn that in that traditional, militaristic ideology of feudal aristocracy, male comradeship is much more important than really loving a female. Claudio is insecure and wanting as a lover, forcing us to question whether underneath his flawless brilliance there really is the heroic soldier that we hear about in the opening scene. Leonato describes him as an honourable soldier: â€Å"I find here that Don Pedro hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio† and we understand that this boy is some sort of patriotic symbol to the Messinian community, but we as an audience never see him fight or even show the bravery for which he is renown and for this reason we are compelled to believe that he really is just another naive adolescent in love with an idealistic idea of militarism. Shakespeare deliberately emphasises Claudio’s badge of youth, particularly when his brotherhood are brought to tears by Claudio fighting the war â€Å"in the figure of the lamb, the feats of a lion† and he is referred to as a â€Å"boy† six times and as â€Å"young† on four occasions by his seniors. However despite his youth, Claudio succeeds on Messinian terms and thus secures for himself glorification based on reports of his bravery and heroism. So it is no surprise that included in Claudio’s noble vision for himself is a trophy wife worthy enough to enhance his image and it is through this vision that we are introduced to the beautiful and romantic Hero who suits all of Claudio’s love ideals. In the first scene Claudio admits that â€Å"she is the sweetest lady that e’er I looked on†, which immediately makes us question whether his love is merely based upon an adolescent idea of attraction, as this young man has spotted a woman of beauty and suddenly is announcing his deep love for her and his willingness to cement this ‘love’ in marriage. Elizabethan audiences would see nothing strange in his enquiring after Hero’s inheritance before he takes the blushing Hero’s hand in marriage, but from a modern perspective we find this gauche, although comparison with the high profile relationships of celebrities today who profit economically from advantageous marriages are proof that money based relationships still very much drive notions of love. Claudio is the typical Elizabethan romantic, beguiled into notions of chivalry by society’s stereotypical view of males as creatures honourable and confident and easily enticed into romantic love through the perceived honour of being loved by a beautiful woman, so we can conclude that it is nothing less than the converse of courtly idealisation which characterises Claudio’s attachment to Hero. However it is not just notions of courtly honour which undermine this relationship. Our precious Claudio also fails because his personality is underpinned by a shyness which ultimately leaves him unable to express his feelings, clearly evident when Don John slyly dupes Claudio into believing that Don Pedro is in love with Hero and the reticent Claudio says nothing but chooses to suffer in silence. This shyness makes him appear to be an innocent, sweet lover but the truth is very different. When we witness Claudio’s mistrust after he has believed the rumour spread by Don John, â€Å"I come hither to tell you, as circumstances shortened, the lady is disloyal†, we see Claudio as the inadequate, adolescent he really is. His mistrust in the faithfulness of Hero and his behaviour the following day when he embarrassingly and cruelly rejects her in front of the entire community on their wedding day, because he thinks she is not pure and has betrayed him, in turn degrades his perfect social image making him callous and shallow. It is completely unacceptable for Claudio to humiliate Hero in this way and if Claudio had sincerely loved her he would have at least spoken to her privately or treated her in a more respectful manner which again highlights the flaws in this relationship built as it is upon youthful innocence rather than intellect and conversation. Although in the early 1600’s the idea of being â€Å"pure† was interpreted as having your virginity until your wedding night and an unchaste bride was considered a worthless thing, it was still far more natural for the aristocratic warrior to defend his own honour than to invest any real trust and commitment into the keeping of a woman’s. Interestingly, when Claudio finds out Hero is supposedly ‘dead’ from false accusations, he desires her even more and quickly accepts marriage with her ‘cousin. Claudio’s willingness to acquiesce to Leonato’s demand to marry this cousin seems crass and shallow and negates the undying love he once stated he had for Hero. When Claudio discovers that Hero is not actually â€Å"dead† they reunite and Hero herself certainly seems to have no compunction in reuniting herself with the man who publicly humiliated and abandoned her on the basis of malicious gossip and a contrived conception, which fo rces us to examine her motives. So who is Hero, this woman who has so completely captivated Claudio? Hero is the daughter of Leonato, the Governor of Messina and his push for her marriage to Claudio is a calculated attempt to improve his social profile. Hero is a woman who barely speaks in public but amongst her female company she displays a keen and flexible wit. When faced with men her reserved and restrained nature signifies both her innocence and the superior market value she holds. Her youth, her wealth and her social position all contribute to her aloofness. In typical Elizabethan society women were marginalised and tightly circumscribed into the categories of wife and breeder (to be protected) or the whore (to be discarded). Initially Hero seems to possess the qualities required for the successful advancement of a soldier’s career, being self possessed and silent. However as with Claudio, Hero’s youth and innocence is her downfall. She is shy, differential and rendered totally defenceless against Claudio’s public humiliation and false accusations of her fidelity at the altar on her wedding day and it is here that we see Hero’s shyness as a real weakness, as she stands there speechless, unable and unwilling to prove her innocence and we feel frustration at her passivity and wish she had more of the spunky Beatrice’s poise and confidence. Claudio’s accusation of disloyalty is made more heartfelt because of Hero’s prior prophetic comments on love â€Å"some Cupid kills with arrows, others with traps. † We know how important chastity is to Hero when on the night before her wedding she confesses to Margaret â€Å"my heart is exceedingly heavy† as the prospect of losing her virginity confronts her. The idea of impurity before marriage was inconceivable for any respectable woman in the Elizabethan era and Hero’s innocence is poignantly captured as we see her view her wedding night with both fear and trepidation. Hero embodies the enormous pressure placed on the women of Messina to conform to the male ideal. In Elizabethan times, a woman like Hero submitted herself to her man and rarely retained a voice for herself, but Hero’s willingness to marry Claudio after he has disgraced her is problematic. Her fidelity to an unworthy man who vindicates himself in terms of the male code of honour is disappointing as she condemns herself to a life shared with an untrusting lover. She herself says â€Å"And as surely as I live, I am a maid,† and true to her role as a conventional, romantic heroine, she is exemplary in her patience and forgiveness. The relationship that Hero has with Claudio is your typical ‘Twilight’ romance and markedly different to the one Beatrice shares with Benedick and it is through comparing these two young couples that we gain a deeper understanding of the battle that individuals have within the bounds of society to be themselves. Claudio and Hero’s relationship provides the spine of the play and presents the ideal of beauty, love, reconciliation and sexual attraction prevalent during Elizabethan times, a relationship that is no different to the typical high school relationships of today. Hero and Claudio seem to be at ease with indirect ways of communicating through their friends, just as today’s relationships communicate through means of cyberspace. Facebook, email and text messaging are all chosen over face to face confrontation. However Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship is founded on very different terms. From their first appearance the audience is aware of an excess of feeling between these two that testifies to anything but indifference. These lovers, who have previously fallen out of love, are now determined to confront each other at every possible opportunity as they publicly deny their love for one another and we realise that the distrust that defaces this relationship must somehow be cancelled out if they are to ever accept their love for one another. Both vow they will never marry, but once deceived into admitting the truth about their love for each other, they quickly come together in a truce, determined to love each other for who they are, as individuals, proving that if the magnetic fields of attraction and repulsion are somehow reversed love will surely be the eventual result. A popular misconception about language is the idea that words have innate qualities, but when Beatrice and Benedick eventually declare their love for one another they find themselves stumbling round to find the right words, whilst their words came trippingly when they were hurling insults back and forth between each other as a way of covering up their true feelings of affection. The merry war which exists between Beatrice and Benedick is a rivalry which is not exactly hostile because it is filled with wit and romance. In contrast with the ‘bashful sincerity and comely love† which exists between Claudio and Hero, based on first impressions, wealth and ignorance, Beatrice and Benedick’s love is affectionate and colourful, yet difficult to interpret amongst their playful poetry, covered as it is with a seemingly strong distaste for each other. However when their commitment towards each other is tested through Beatrice’s two seemingly simple words, ‘Kill Claudio’, we see Benedick reluctantly agree to throw away his antagonistic values of war and male camaraderie for love and chivalric respect for a female. By comparison, Hero and Claudio’s love is distant and removed and although playful lacks the humour and suspense that Beatrice and Benedick share. However as Beatrice and Benedick discover, no relationship can be defined through words, suggesting that true love has its own uniqueness in the context of lovers. Shakespeare shows us through these contrasting relationships that ‘love’ can be expressed in many differing ways and that the consequences of love can even mean death. Furthermore, the relationship between Beatrice and Benedick is contrasted with Claudio and Hero’s to illustrate the themes of deception versus reality. Beatrice and Benedick claim that they have no feelings for one another whatsoever, while Hero and Claudio blatantly declare their love for one another without exchanging a single word. Benedick makes the claim that he â€Å"is loves of all ladies.. ut truly [he] loves none,† whereas Beatrice claims that she would rather â€Å"hear a dog bark at a crow than hear a man swear he loves her. † Although Benedick purports to be uninterested in the opposite sex, through Don Pedro’s clever plan of deception, careful conversations are cleverly staged so that Benedick hears Don Pedro and Claudio talking about the â€Å"undying love† that Beatrice has for him. Similarly, when Beatrice overhears her kinswomen reading a sonnet which Benedick has written for her, she too quickly acquiesces. This gossip, fictitious as it is, is helpful in solving the tension their friends have sensed exists between them and when both Benedick and Beatrice hear these fabricated â€Å"facts† that â€Å"t’were true†, their bottled up affection for each other is unleashed, and by the end of the play they are committed to the idea of marriage. Beatrice and Benedick are unconventional for their time. Beatrice is overpowering and slightly masculine in her ways, an unusual trait at a time when women were meant to be passive and submit to their husband’s will. However the asexual Beatrice’s seemingly unfavourable social position gives her a freedom the other characters cannot enjoy. Likewise, Benedick, too, is free to shed his suit of honour in order to fulfil his preposterous mission to prove his love and it is precisely because Benedick is unconcerned about dismantling his social standing that he is free to love unconditionally. But what is the relevance of the brothers and how do they affect both the relationships of Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. These brothers, Don John and Don Pedro, are pivotal to the climax of the play where we witness Hero’s humiliation and rejection. Don John and Don Pedro’s relationship is based on jealousy and shows us the depths that rejection can lead us into and how the actions of one person, can significantly change the outcome of a relationship, particularly when that relationship is based on superficial qualities. Don Pedro is the most elusive and seemingly noble character in the social hierarchy of the play and his friends, Claudio in particular, must defer to him as their positions depend on his favour. Don Pedro has power, an attribute he is well aware of and whether or not he abuses this power is a matter of opinion. For instance, he insists on wooing Hero for Claudio, while masked, rather than allowing Claudio to profess his love to Hero himself, and although everything turns out for the best, Don Pedro’s motives are purely in the interest of his friend, we are left wondering why Don Pedro feels the need for such an elaborate way of informing Hero of Claudio’s romantic interest. Although it is Don Pedro’s royal prerogative to do exactly as he wishes and no one can question him, despite his cloudy motives he does work to bring about happiness for everyone and it is his idea to convince Beatrice and Benedick to admit their love for each other. It is Don Pedro who brings the two competitors together as he orchestrates the deception and plays the role of director in this comedy of wit and manners. Contrastingly, his brother, the bastard villain Don John, also orchestrates a deception, Hero’s denunciation, but here he is using power for nefarious purposes. Through the concept of static villainy, Don John is conveniently portrayed as the ‘author of all’ and thus becomes the scapegoat for a society looking to free themselves of the guilt and drama that â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  personifies. By only blaming Don John, Claudio, the Prince, and Don Pedro are exonerated and Hero’s humiliation, which destroyed her reputation without hard proof of her infidelity, is blamed on Don John’s villainous deception. So in reality the whole purpose of Don John’s character is to have somebody to blame for everyone else’s mistakes, because nearly all the characters in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬  play some role in the climatic rejection of Hero at the altar. In â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬ , whether it be Claudio the misunderstood returned war romantic, Hero the innocent and wrongly accused wife-to-be, Beatrice and Benedick, the witty yet confused couple or Don Pedro and Don John, the conflicting brothers, Shakespeare has cleverly crafted these characters in such a way that we can relate them to our own lives and it is our identifying with these characters that allows us to fully understand their motives and reasoning. When this play is analysed it is obvious that in â€Å"â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†Ã¢â‚¬ , it is difficult to think beyond the aristocratic code of honour, complicated as it is by conflicting ideas of love and that if the battle between the sexes is ever to be resolved the key lies within each of us if only we are brave enough to love as individuals.

Cretoxyrhina - Facts and Figures

Cretoxyrhina - Facts and Figures Name: Cretoxyrhina (Greek for Cretaceous jaws); pronounced creh-TOX-see-RYE-nah Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Middle-late Cretaceous (100-80 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 25 feet long and 1,000-2,000 pounds Diet: Fish and other marine animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Medium size; sharp, enameled teeth About Cretoxyrhina Sometimes, a prehistoric shark just needs a catchy nickname to attract the attention of the general public. Thats what happened with the awkwardly named Cretoxyrhina (Cretaceous jaws), which surged in popularity a full century after its discovery when an enterprising paleontologist dubbed it the Ginsu Shark. (If youre of a certain age, you may remember the late-night TV commercials for the Ginsu Knife, which purportedly sliced through tin cans and tomatoes with equal ease.) Cretoxyrhina is one of the best-known of all prehistoric sharks. Its type fossil was discovered fairly early, in 1843 by the Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz, and followed up 50 years later by the stunning discovery (in Kansas, by the paleontologist Charles H. Sternberg) of hundreds of teeth and part of a spinal column. Clearly, the Ginsu Shark was one of the top predators of the Cretaceous seas, able to hold its own against giant marine pliosaurs and mosasaurs that occupied the same ecological niches. (Still not convinced? Well, a Cretoxyrhina specimen has been discovered harboring undigested remnants of the giant Cretaceous fish Xiphactinus; then again, we also have evidence that Cretoxyrhina was preyed on by the even bigger marine reptile Tylosaurus!) At this point, you may be wondering how a Great White Shark-sized predator like Cretoxyrhina wound up fossilized in landlocked Kansas, of all places. Well, during the late Cretaceous period, much of the American midwest was covered by a shallow body of water, the Western Interior Sea, which teemed with fish, sharks, marine reptiles, and just about every other variety of Mesozoic marine creature. The two giant islands bordering this sea, Laramidia and Appalachia, were populated by dinosaurs, which unlike sharks went completely extinct by the start of the Cenozoic Era.

Car polltion UK essays

Car polltion UK essays Because of environmental degradation cars should be taxed at a higher rate and petrol prices doubled to deter the use of cars. Cars have how become a very important part in todays society as it is the most convenient way to travel in todays world it has brought us flexibility, freedom and mobility but still there are some disadvantages of using the car the main one being the pollution caused to the environment. This is why the government is trying to implement a number of different plans to combat the pollution caused by cars and also reduce the use of cars as many roads have just become to congested. If people are be deterred from using their cars there has to be a very good and reliable form of transport that can be used instead of the car this is most likely to be in the form of public transport. The transport system would have to be nearly as much of a convenience as the car. At the present time the public transport system is not quite good enough for cars to be not used by people. Raising tax and petrol prices of cars, would not necessarily deter the use of cars as in the last two years taxes have risen and petrol prices have gone up by about twenty five percent. Even though of this increase there are more cars now on the road than there were two years ago. But even with the increasing costs of owning a car there is an ever-increasing amount of more and more cars on the road today. The proof of this can be seen as Britain is one the worlds highest priced countries in which to by petrol and has the highest priced petrol than anywhere else in Europe even with the high prices p eople still seem to want to drive cars. Then in some parts of the country where there is no other means of transport or where there is such little public transport that it is practically non existent. These people are dependent on the use of cars and have no other real choice but to use their cars as they have no other means of ...

Paper2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper2 - Essay Example However, the period between completing high school and joining university gave me enormous insight into what I really wanted, which was to learn. The actual choice of my college hinged on its ability to land me in an environment in which I developed communication and interpersonal relations, and learnt at the same time. The experience was fulfilling. I graduated with a 2:1 from college, but I feel that I was a first-class student and should have graduated with first-class honors. As referenced in question one, I viewed college as a place to interact and learn, but after joining I indulged myself too much and my grades suffered. My only exemplary year was as a sophomore, but the rest of the years I underachieved. I also missed out on a lot of placements due to misplaced priorities while in my senior year. In summary, my life was not balanced. If I had an opportunity I would: I would run for student leadership positions; I would work towards improving the relationship between students and faculty; and I would engage in social and volunteer work as part of my contribution to the surrounding community. For me, there is no better feeling than helping students overcome the very same challenges I faced in college and either failed to triumph over, or emerged from heavily-scathed. I imagine freshmen and sophomore students struggling to balance their class work with their social life and I saw myself. Being a practical person, this was a chance for me to steer young people to the right direction and create confident, successful individuals. I joined as a tutor and graduated to a lecturer a year after completing my masters. Two years after getting my post-graduate diploma, I was promoted to a senior lecturer. I am now an assistant professor and still on course to become a full professor by 40. I was the chairperson of the journalism club, vice-chairperson of the student’s union and secretary of the exchange students association. I am currently a member of the

Paradoxical Nature Of Organizational Culture, As Incorporating Essay

Paradoxical Nature Of Organizational Culture, As Incorporating Elements Of Both Stability And Change - Essay Example These paradoxes, according to popular opinion are a consequence of socially constructed management discourses, whereby concepts such as change and flexibility, centralization and decentralization, flexibility and control etc., tend to co-exist, and at times, encouraged and perceived as inevitable elements for organizational success. For the purpose of this study, the predominant and widely recognized organizational paradox of change and stability, will be discussed at length. Change and flexibility, with regard to organizational environment, are perceived as two of the most inherent and crucial tools of achieving organizational growth and success. Companies, all over the world, constantly use these elements to drive their organizations towards growth and ensure long-term sustainability in the marketplace, particularly in situations whereby the external environment is characterized by strong competition or when the companies are caught in the midst of a crisis. This paper aims to disc uss the paradoxical nature of organizational culture, with regard to incorporating the widely popular albeit highly contradictory elements of change and stability. ... , managers today, encourage continuous innovation, improvement and change within organizations in order to address the challenges posed by the economic environment. The management is faced with the persistent challenge of adapting to the continuous innovations taking place in the external environment and devise and implement appropriate change management policies within their organizations, accordingly. It is on account of this very reason that various authors and researchers have concluded that change takes precedence over stability in contemporary corporate environment (Daft, 2010). It is a widely established fact that in order to survive in this highly dynamic corporate environment, the firms are required to include elements of innovation, flexibility as well as change from time to time. However, at the same time, they are also required to ensure stability and reliability (Farjoun 2010). The existence of this duality of change and stability, is one of the most widely popular and e ssential paradoxes in the field of organizational management (March & Simon, 1958; Thompson, 1967; Weick, 1979) which has received widespread attention and recognition in the field of management research, over the years (Farjoun, 2010; Gupta, Smith & Shalley, 2006; Leana & Barry, 2000; Lok, 2006; Nelson & Winter: 1982; Schultze & Stabell, 2004; Smith & Lewis, 2011). Literature review There is a high level of awareness within the field of management, regarding the existence of paradoxes ultimately leading to a rise in complexity and ambiguity (Farson, 1996; Handy, 1994; O’Connor, 1995). Most of these terms are widely popular and predominant in changing organizations wherein change is given crucial significance (Lewis, 2000). Van de Ven and Poole (1988), hence, making the concept of