How accurate is the film Gladiator Essay

Gladiator is a wonderful story and won Best Picture in 2000. Even though the movie is so well done it does not mean that the story is historically accurate. The movie includes many historically accurate facts ranging from some of the characters to the society of Rome. However, Gladiator is for pure entertainment, and just like the real gladiator battles, it is for the enjoyment of the viewers. The film added to the cinematic categories such romance and intrigue but at the same time took away from many historical aspects. Even though the movie is on the whole historically inaccurate there are a few historically accurate details. In Gladiator, the hugeness of the Coliseum is very well and accurately portrayed. The Coliseum is larger then Shea Stadium, and that greatness and grandeur is shown correctly in the film. Also, the movie correctly portrayed the armory of the times. The breastplates were correct and so too were the facemasks and other such battle suits.( http://www.online-shrine.com) The movie shows these true details in order for the viewer to think that the other more amazing parts of the plot are true. Also, by adding the truths it makes sure that the movie will not seem neither phony nor cartoonish. The reason Gladiator can not be considered historically accurate is because of the glaring errors in the characters and the emotions and actions of the characters. Firstly, Crowe’s General Maximus Decimus Meridus is a total fake. He is not a real person nor is he very similar to any one else in history. Maximus is instead a hodgepodge of many other people. The one true person who is totally shown incorrectly is Commodus. Commodus is shown as a grownup that never outgrows his childhood. However, he in fact was not like that at all. In the film Commodus is shown killed is father because his father believed he wasn’t fit to rule. In truth Commodus did not kill his. Historians generally agree that, Marcus Aurelius died of the plague in Vienna on March 17, 180 CE (www.nmia.com). It is also untrue that Marcus found his son unfit to rule. He had Commodus named Caesar when he was 5 years old, and named Commodus as his successor when he was seventeen. As a Roman father he undoubtedly loved and spoiled his son terribly. Gladiator is not a historically accurate film and is filled with hogwash. The film can not be used to study that time period and can only be used as a great Hollywood film but nothing more. Gladiator deserved all of its accolades because of the film in its own right but not because of the history it used to tell the story. Gladiator 28 Feb. 2004 < http://www.online-shrine.com/reviews/gladiator.php> Is Gladiator true 28 Feb. 2004 < www.nmia.com/~pslock/r_glad.htm>

Explain the problems of religious language Essay

Explain the problems of religious language. (30) Some words used within religious language may be viewed as contradictory to our inherent beliefs and logical view as human beings one example of this would be the story of the ‘virgin Mary’ as there is no logical explanation to how she gave birth. Many of the words used in religious language are also metaphysical and have no physical representation therefore it is very hard for us as humans to fully comprehend the ideas they are expressing. An example of this is ‘God is timeless’ as we as humans live in a world where time is very much present so humans’ attempting to understand the phrase causes problems as it is outside of our past experiences. Many of the metaphysical questions within religious language can be problematic as it can not be answered through science or our logic for example ‘why were we created? ’ or ‘how did we get here? ’. Some scholars argue that our human language is not enough to describe religion thus we are doing God an injustice by attempting to explain it in human language, and that we should not expect that applying worldly language to religion to be adequate for our understanding of it. Similarly some argue that we should not even attempt to understand language hence why synagogues have no pictures of God. It may be argued that by giving God human-esk characteristics we are athromorphising god. Another key factor to religious language causing problems is that it is very difficult to interpret whether something should be taken literally or non-literally one example of this is God turning water into wine some interpreters may view it in its literal form whilst others may state that he turned a simple resource into something much more complex. Even if somebodies interpretation is completely correct there is still no real way of proving this. Something else which also causes confusion within religious language is the same words having different contexts for example ‘spirit’ one context is alcohol the other is God (the holy SPIRIT) these are to very different things and would cause great confusion if interpreted incorrectly. Another inherent problem of religious language is the argument that Russell put forward when he stated we should not believe a statement which has no evidence to back itself up with and religious texts offer very little of this evidence. Ayer also stated that ‘if it is not analytical and cannot be tested, then best to call it cognitively meaningfulness’ this ideology would be problematic for religious believers as religion cannot be tested.

Mimesis, Plato and Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mimesis, Plato and Arts - Essay Example This, despite the fact, that Baumgarten coined the term in 1735. Rather, it intends to raise the notion that mimesis and aesthetics have been considered as an integral in understanding both the human nature and the human condition in the story of humanity. In this context, mimesis and aesthetics draw us towards the notion that there is sustained effort in understanding the relationship between arts, society and humanity, as there is a continuing attempt to grasp beauty, forms, myth and structures in and through the arts. In this regard, Plato is no different from other eminent thinkers. In The Republic, Plato has provided one of sharpest arguments against mimesis and arts to the point that Plato proposed the position that the arts should be banned in the city (392a-401e; 595a). Plato’s concept of mimesis is complex (Cohn 45). However, it has been valuated as negative towards the arts (Schipper 200). Nonetheless, despite the seeming negative judgment to Plato’s stand, Pl ato is correct in ascertaining that any forms of mimetic arts should be prohibited. As the purpose of this paper is to create a deeper understanding mimesis vis-a-vis arts, it will attempt to address the following questions. First, what are the notions of mimesis relevant to arts? Second, what are the roles of imagination and play in mimetic exploration? Third, what is the value (or harm) of mimetic exploration? Finally, what is its connection to aesthetic value of a work of art? Recognizing the enormous academic literatures related to the subject matter, the study would focus on Plato’s theory of mimesis. ... It gained more impetus when the word mimio is associated with the term mimeisthai, which was used by Homer, to refer to the chorus of Maidens in the Hymn to Apollo who imitated the voices of all men and captivated the audience. As mimeisthai refer to imitation of voices in chorus, Aeschylus introduced the concept of mimeisthai as imitating movements of animals in Pindar. In addition, Aeschylus, in the play Theo roi, also instigated the idea of mimeisthai as referring to an object that has taken a realistic form by rendering its appearance as lifelike. (Halliwell 18 -19) From its evolving etymology, it can be observed that since the Ancient period the word mimesis has been used within the arts – poetry, music, dance and visual arts. In addition, the term is consistently associated with actions, both in the performing and visual arts, as imitating or mimicking others. As such, even during the Ancient period mimesis has been ‘praised’ in view of its effectiveness in deceiving others (Halliwell 20). These observable characteristics of the term mimesis are indispensable in understanding the reason why there are different conceptions of mimesis in relation to art. Conceptions of Mimesis The concept of mimeses has been approached from several perspectives. It is viewed as referring to imitation. It is ascribed to the dichotomy between truth and lies, and, it is considered as referring to the distinction between the interior feelings and sentiments of men and women vis-a-vis the outside world. Finally, it connotes the supposition that it assists in identifying the gap and tension between art and nature, imagination and creativity, illusion and idealism

Palestine Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Palestine - Term Paper Example There are different negotiation believes in United States, Arab world, Asians, and Africans as depicted in the different stands they take in negotiating showing the strong impact of culture on negotiations. This study aims at investigating the impact of Palestine culture on their negotiation through an in-depth analysis of the importance of face and loss of face to Palestinians in Negotiations and the type of negotiation styles to which they employ when negotiating. Language is the means through which a person’s culture is communicated from one generation to another is the best way to gauge the influence of culture on communication. The first negotiation technique used by the Palestinians is an admiration and frequent use of ambiguity in discourse showing that culture has a high impact on Palestinian negotiation. This is well in line with Palestinian culture where an ability to manipulate communication and relation to others is admired and respected. This is due to the mistrust and inability to take the face value of offers in negotiations. Proper etiquette and mannerisms is the other behavior common among Palestinians in negotiations due to the high ranking of hospitality, etiquette, and correctness in Palestinian culture. Palestinians will try their very best in being polite despite tensions in negotiations as they are required in their culture to both a foreigner and a member of the Palestinian community showing an impact of culture o n negotiation. Palestinian culture requires them to maintain honor at all times in their communication, thereby affecting their communication in negotiations. This requires Palestinians to behave modestly and hospitably to the other negotiators. Palestinians use the Musayra as a communication code in their negotiation where they try to ensure the negotiator goes along with the communication. Palestinians aim at maintaining an engaged relationship during negotiations as their code of

Comparing two electroinics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparing two electroinics - Essay Example Therefore, this paper aims at contrasting the two devices in order to make a good decision of the favorable electronic to buy. The both devices have similar Bluetooth capabilities, memory, and hard drive (Miser 5). They have internal wireless LAN cards of 802.11, with the same speed at ay given distances, although the MacBook has connections that are more reliable. In addition, the Vaio sonny consumes a lot of power, as compared to Apple Mac book pro since it has NVIDIA Card that generates a lot of heat. Fortunately, Vaio sonny has two graphic cards NVIDIA and Intel while Apple Mac book pro has only Intel GMA 950. In terms of software comparison, the Vaio sonny uses Windows XP while MacBook have both OSX10.4.8 through a BootCamp And can be set to boot with Win XP. The OS X is more stable that Win XP (Warren, web). In conclusion, if I were to select one device from the two, I would buy a MacBook since it is more favorable to my requirements. It will be supportive to my travel since it saves energy, have connection that is more reliable in many environmental areas (Barr 10-30). The selection is guided by my purpose for the device, although the Vaio Sony has more features than MacBook, but is unfavorable for travelling

Company Profiles of HSBC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company Profiles of HSBC - Essay Example Historical Background HSBC was reported to have been founded by â€Å"Thomas Sutherland, a Scot who was then working for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company† (HSBC Global Site, 2012, par. 2). Its establishment was disclosed to have been fuelled by the perceived need to finance increasingly expanding trade between Europe, China and India. As such, the first bank was noted to have been opened in 1865 in Hong Kong and in Shanghai, China one month after. In the UK, its official website disclosed that the roots of HSBC bank was traced from the establishment of Birmingham and Midland Bank which was founded by Charles Geach in Union Street in the city of Birmingham on the 22nd of August, 1826. Only in 1992 was it officially identified as part of the HSBC Group by joining as member. Historical facts revealed that in September of 1999, the Midland Bank was already renamed HSBC Bank to communicate to the public its corporate leadership as a global financial bank. Compan y Structure and Organization HSBC UK is governed and headed by its CEO, Brian Robertson. Three managing officers report directly to him under Personal Financial Services, Business and Commercial Segment, and Commercial Banking (The Official Board.com 2012 ). Main Products and Services The categories of HSBC’s products and services are initially classified into two broad categories: personal and business. Under personal products and services, there are four distinct offers: everyday banking; borrowing, savings and investing, and insurance. Under business products and services, HSBC provides professional advices regarding starting a business; and banking depending on stipulated capitalization ranging from turnover up to ?2m (business banking); turnover of ?2m to ?25m (commercial banking) and turnover in excess of ?25m (corporate and structured banking). Likewise, HSBC offers international banking services that range from maintaining international business accounts, insurance an d protection, internet banking, importing and exporting and even global cash management, among others (HSBC UK 2012) Areas of Operations HSBC UK operates more than 1,500 branches across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As revealed, HSBC UK scope of operations â€Å"extends to the full range of our commercial, corporate, premier and private banking services - as well as to subsidiary brands like First Direct, M&S Money and HFC Bank. The UK is also home to our global headquarters, 8 Canada Square. Located in the heart of Canary Wharf, 8CS is one of the country's tallest buildings, spanning 42 floors and employing more than 8,000 people across hundreds of different roles† (HSBC Bank plc, 2012, par. 2). Financial Structure The financial highlights sourced from HSBC’s financial interim reports for the period ended June 30, 2011 are summarized below, with comparative figures from June 30, 2010: Financial Highlights (?M) June 30, 2011 December 30, 2010 Net Inter est Income 3,622 3,710 Profit for the Period 1,435 979 Total Assets 857,288 798,494 Total Liabilities 824,760 766,137 Total Equity 32,528 32,357 Source: HSBC Bank plc, Interim Report 2011 ` From the financial highlights, it could be deduced despite the apparent 2.43% decline in net interest income of HSBC from the December 30, 2010 period to June 30, 2011, the profit for the same period exhibited a remarkable increase from

Employment Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Employment Law - Assignment Example Subsequently, these employees had approached the Managing Director, who confirmed their dismissal, without making any further investigations into the case. He approved the dismissal by simply going through the available paper work relating to the issue. Thereafter, the company had received an ETI claim form and ET3 response form from the Employment Tribunal. Several basic and radical changes were effected to the law pertaining to workplace grievance and disciplinary issues, by the Employment Act 2002. These changes were implemented by the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004, and became effective from 1 October 2004 (Duncan, 2005). The advantage of employing the rules and procedures for addressing disciplinary and grievance issues lies in the fact this promotes fairness and transparency. Such rules and procedures have to be stipulated in a written and unambiguous manner. The development of rules and procedures should involve the employees or their representatives (Code of Practice 1 ACAS Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, 2009). Analysis Under the present statutory provisions, in order to qualify for protection against unfair dismissal, an employee must have completed at least one year of continuous service with the same employer, if he had been appointed prior to 6 April 2012. For those appointed after this date, the qualifying period is 2 years. The sick leave period, holiday period and maternity leave period are also included in the period of service of the employee in the company (Compact Law, 2012). In our present problem, Janice Hall had been working with the company for more than a year. Hence, she is eligible for making a claim of unfair dismissal under the provisions of the Employment Rights Act. However, Kelsey Fields cannot make a claim for unfair dismissal, as she had been working for the company for less than a year. Although, employers are not required to adhere to any statutory disciplinary procedure, the Advisory, Concil iation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures that specify the fundamental principles relating to a fair procedure. An unreasonable failure by an employer to adhere to the provisions of this code can cause the tribunal to enhance the compensation awarded by it to the extent of even 25% (Employment Law Advice, 2011). An employee is entitled to be provided with written notice of dismissal, provided that employee has worked for at least one year in the business establishment of that employer. This is with regard to employees who had commenced work prior to 6 April 2012. However, with regard to employees who had started to work after this date, they should have worked for at least two years (Citizens Advice Guide, 2012). Although Janice had worked for 2 years, no notice of dismissal had been served upon her by the company. This constitutes a gross violation of the statutory fair procedures by the company. At the very least, employers, wh ile addressing disciplinary issues, should carry the required investigations for establishing the facts; convey to the employees the root cause of the problem; conduct a meeting to enable employees to present their case; permit the employee to be accompanied at the meeting; and allow the employee to appeal the decision. In addition, there should be no unreasonable delay and

BUS IP 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BUS IP 4 - Essay Example Today distance learning is gaining popularity in various groups of peoples who are keen to learn and upgrade them for better career opportunities. There are numbers of benefits offered by distance learning educations. Some of the key benefits are convenience, flexibility and freedom, effectiveness, Interactivity, increase access to learning and efficiency. Distance learning offers student increased access to learning. They have an opportunity for knowledge and skill enhancement simultaneously working or doing their job. Student can learn from wider number of institutions from their choices and have access to learning at any time and any place. It basically provides an alternative to traditional classroom learning. It has been found that some times it is more effective than traditional classroom learning. It can meet the needs of student who can not attend on-campus classes or lives far from school. It also provides an opportunity to the student to learn with their own pace which is generally not provided by traditional classroom training. Student can also submit their assignment by using email which removes the travel time to school for submitting assignments. Distance learning uses wide variety of materials such as audio, video, books and many more other types of learning resources that can meet every student learning preferences. One of the main benefits of distance learning is increased interactions among students. Many of the courses offered by distance learning institutes have options of attending class room on specific weekdays or period of time. This offers another benefit of distance learning as interactions among student’s increases. In such cases distance learning creates interactions that stimulate understanding and exchange of ideas between students from correspondences and also it provides ability to do interactive teamwork between groups. The financial and

SOAS - University of London Essay Example for Free

SOAS University of London Essay 1. Introduction Barclays PLC is one of the celebrated multinational bank holding companies, which has had a comprehensive international commercial impact in the worldwide. The first Barclays Bank was established on Lombard Street, London in 1862 (Barclays PLC Annual Report 2009), the group total income attained 32.292 million pounds in 2011. This report mainly analyses the environment and strategies of Barclays plc. Vision, Mission and value Vision: Barclays wants to set up an integrated universal banking model, possess diversification by business, geography, client and funding, as well as maintain an unremitting focus on customers and clients. Mission: Barclays Bank aims to â€Å"assistance people achieve their ambitions with right methods† (Barclays.com). Value: As Antony Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barclays Group (Barclays.com) represented, their corporate goal is to become a ‘Go-To’ bank for all stakeholders by setting up their own mode of thinking, working and acting in order to guarantee that consumers’ and clients’ demands are the central of operations. 2. Formal organization Barclays PLC partitioned into four major areas. Barclays Capital (BC) has the highest percentage of total income in the last decade compared to the other branches. BC is the investment banking department, offering clients a full scope of solutions to cater to their strategic advisory, financing and risk management needs. In September 2008, the financial crisis resulted in the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc  (LBHI), which BC then purchased and incorporated into the investment department, which lead in turn to a substantial increase in BC’s business and impact. Barclays Corporate provides integrated banking solutions to large corporate and financial organization internationally. Barclays Wealth focuses on private and intermediary clients worldwide, providing international and private banking, fiduciary services and brokerage. Investment Management was sold on 1st December 2009. However it used to manage the Group’s economic interest in Blackrock, Inc and the residual elements relating to Barclays Global Inve stors. Organizational structures Barclays implements the functional structure and product and geographical structure. Leadership is partitioned into three main sections: Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Chief Executive. The Board’s primary duty is to advance the long-term success by creating and delivering sustainable shareholder value. In setting and supervising the performance of strategy, the Board schedules ensure that the system is efficiently and highly administrable. Furthermore, the accurate risk management and regulatory oversight process of the Board are the center of organization, which delivers growth in a controlled and sustainable way. The Board of Directors includes Group Chairman, Chief Executive and non-executive Directors (Barclays Annual Report 2011 p13), their duty is to advise and constructively challenge management and supervise the success of the company. The Board representatives have obligations to the â€Å"day-to-day management of the Group to the Chief Executive† (Barclays Annual report 2011), who is turn in accountable for ensuring that the company is operating efficiently while conforming to the strategy and risk to the requirements. Barclays’ hierarchy clearly delegates responsibility for the management for all tasks. Utilizing functional organization encouraged specialized management and work efficiency, each department performance its functions. Furthermore, district directors are â€Å"responsible for the operation of the division and may be accountable for its profitability† (Hannagan T. 2008 p279), in overseas markets. The latter structure provides adequate control of wide-ranging areas of business and applies to employees with different qualifications, experiences and backgrounds. This structure avoids  over-centralization to a certain extent, allowing it to fit into different markets, due to the f act that the Group must rely on individuals to take actions to improve operations rather than handing down directives. 3. The Environment analysis PESTEL analysis PESTEL framework helps managers to categorize external impacts into six main areas and understand the key drivers of change to adjust the strategy. (Johnson,G. Scholes, K. 2009) Political: The Financial Times (Norris. F 2012) indicated that Barclays had been involved in a political storm owing to suspicion surrounding is manipulation of the London Interbank offered rate (LIBOR). LIBOR is one of the benchmark rates that form the operational bedrock of futures contracts, bulk commodity trading, individual consumption loans and Secured Line of credit. The action of Barclays may affect the policies of Central Banks, for instance Swiss National Bank, Bank of England and European Central Bank (ECB). The outside pressure might threaten the reputation of Barclays, which may encounter extensive lawsuit from the world’s largest banking groups as a result (Treanor J. 30.10.2013). Economic: â€Å"Market conditions in 2011 were particularly difficult as investors’ nervousness over global economic growth prospects grew and concerns about the fiscal deficit of certain Euro-zone countries became acute.† (Marcus Agius Group Chairman 2011) Since the economic resurgence impacted the share prices of banks by the Euro-zone debt crisis, Euro-group leaders committing to a system of enforceable fiscal rules for the repayment of their debt. Moreover, the action of the ECB to provide liquidity support to banks has helped boost confidence and the European downturn has shown a moderate upward trend. Social: Bob Diamond (Barclays Annual Report 2011) mentioned that banks need to become better citizens, not only because out of a sense of pure philanthropy, but also in order to deliver real commercial benefits in a way that creates actual value for society. Moreover, Barclays became the title sponsor of Barclays Premier League and Barclays Singapore Open Golf since 2004 and 2011 respectively. Technological: Barclays has strengthened the programming of IT system for effective, accurate and humanized services. Barclays chief Antony Jenkins has used several presentations to the public to announce his company’s great use of IT techniques that might prevent a ‘colossal mistake’ that would abolish 1,700 operating posts. (Treanor 2013) Environment: Barclays assists renewable energy firms in accessing finance from the capital markets and offers advisory services across the sector. In Ireland (Barclays Annual Report 2010 p27), Barclays has supported the erection of onshore wind farms and has played a strategic financing role in vital energy infrastructure project. Legal: UK promulgated Banking Act at 2009, strengthened the protection of depositors, formulated the bankruptcy institution, improved the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and remedied the institutional deficiency. To sum up, according to the PESTEL, the external impacts such as economic resurgence, social status, legal protection and world investment system are conductive to the further development, since the position and role of Barclays are relatively stable. 4. The strategic fit between the organization and environment Capital strategy and risk management are the core components of Barclays PLC, which aims to achieve the maximization of shareholder’s value. Barclays provides a feasible service by offering sufficient financial support to cover the Group’s existing and forecasted business requirements and correlative risks (Barclays Annual Report 2011 p41). The finance department guarantees that the Group and its legal subsidiaries possess sufficient capital and analyzes the possible hazards that may arise under the stressed conditions. Furthermore, the post-supervision department supports Barclays’ service rating, Group growth, environment changes and market. Risk management is highlighted by the Barclays PLC as one of its most important strategies. Its task is to: Identify and profile the significant risks of management’s new policies, ensure the operability of infrastructure to sustain the business growth, thereby pledging the financial returns remain feasibly deliverable under a range of business situations. â€Å"Optimize risk return decisions by taking them as closely as possible to the business, while establishing  strong and independent review and challenge structure.†(Barclays PLC Annual report 2010) Help executives and advisers improve and explain the further development and market positioning of the Group. (Murphy. D.2007) Porter 5 forces Porter’s diamond focuses on the internal impacts of market by analyzing the level of threats, suggests the inherent reasons why some nations are more competitive than others. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The main suppliers to Barclays are equipment and technology services corporations. However, the bargaining power of these suppliers only represents a medium level of risk. The strategies are covered under building appropriate, strong and stable relationships with suppliers. Bargaining Power of Customers: Customers focus on the future benefits, appropriate human resource of the specific services and probable risks; hence they need some comparison with other banks that also provide the similar banking products. The power represents a medium level of risk. Threat of new entrants: Banking industry is an active business, and as such new entrance into the field could strongly influence the performance of Barclays on different levels, resulting in policy changes. Therefore, new entrants represent an area of high risk. Barclays’ strategies for mitigating this risk emphasize four points: guaranteeing the stability of each branch, enhancing capital usage efficiency, ensuring service quality, and pledging long-time running. Threat of Substitutes: Banking products have homologous functions with diverse emphasis. Consequently, this threat is low for the banking industry. Competitive Rivalry between Existing Players: This item includes regulatory risk and new products development. Regulatory risk arises from an inability to comply completely with the laws, regulations or criterion applicable especially to the financial services industry, such as general changes in regulatory policy, competition and pricing conditions, non-performing loan ratio and local consumers or depositor compensation. This bargaining power is at a high level. To summarize, Barclays should focus on the new entrants and existing competition by improve service and products quality, increase diversity  index, in order to promote market expansion. 5. Recommendations To preserve their position as the market leader, according to the analysis, Barclays needs to monitor the impact of regulatory changes. That might restrict the company’s project activities, results in the growing accounting cost and may impact the overall income of the Group as well as its social impact. In addition, introducing a non- risk leverage assessment system based on the value chain and risk management, available for evaluate the feasibility of the strategies and capital budgeting. Moreover, Barclays must improve their credit rating, as the scandal directly affected the investors’ psychology and the risk perceived by the public, resulting in a crisis of confidence. 6.1 References Barclays (2009) Barclays Annual Report 2009 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/annualreport09.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2010] Barclays PLC Official website Available at: http://www.barclays.co.uk Norris, F. (2012) The New York Times: ‘Bank’s Ability to Rig Rates Shows Need for Change.’[Online] Available at: http://www.cn.nytimes.com [Accessed 12th July 2012] Johnson, G., Scholes, K.,(2009) Exploring Corporate Strategy, London; FT. Prentice Hall. pp65. Treanor, J. (2013) The Guardian: ‘Barclays assisting with investigation into currency market manipulation’, [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/30/barclays-cooperating-investigation-manipulation-currency-markets [Accessed 30th October 2013] Barclays (2011) Barclays Annual Report 2011 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/annualreport11.pdf [Accessed 08th March 2012] Treanor, J. (2013) The Guardian: ‘Barclays warned of ‘colossal mistake’ with plan to cut 1,700 branch jobs’. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/14/barclays-warned-mistake-cut-17 00-branch-jobs [Accessed 14th November 2013] Barclays (2010) Barclays Annual Report 2010 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/ammia;report10.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2011] Hannagan, T.,(2008). Management- concepts Practices, London: FT Prentice Hall. PP279 Murphy. D.,(2009). Understand Risk: The Theory and Practice of Financial Risk Management, London: Chapman Hall/CRC. PP39-46 6.2 Bibliography Ackrill M. Hannah L. (2011) Barclays: The Business of Banking, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Alan, M. (2008) The Oxford Handbook of International Business. New York: Oxford University Press. Campbell, D. Stonehouse, G. Houston, B. (2008) Business Strategy. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd Press. Economist: www.economist.com Observer: www.theguardian.com Barclays (2012) Barclays Annual Report 2012 [Online] Available at: http://www.barclays.com/ammia;report12.pdf [Accessed 8th March 2013]

Eddie Lyons Essay Example for Free

Eddie Lyons Essay The musical play Blood Brothers, written by Willy Russell, is the story of twins separated at birth. Mrs Johnstone, a working-class Liverpudlian mother of seven children, agrees to give one of the twins she is expecting to her wealthy but barren employer, Mrs Lyons. The infant kept, Mickey Johnstone, grows up in poverty while his twin, Eddie Lyons, enters a privileged life. Bound by fear of discovery, and superstition that should either of the boys learn he has a twin, both will die on that day, so the mothers keep the exchange secret. Completely unaware that they are brothers, Mickey and Eddie meet as seven-year-old children and form friendship that lasts until the day they die. It is that concluding tragic event in fact, that is the opening scene of the play, which then backtracks to recount their separate and interwoven lives of success and despair. Willy Russell wrote Blood Brothers in the 1960s. He was born in 1947, in Whiston which is just outside Liverpool, and has based the story here around his own experiences. He grew up in Liverpool in a working class family, singing in clubs to earn a living and at the age of 22 he worked in a warehouse to raise money for college. He was confronted even from an early age with the injustice of the two-class society. Thus there are clear biographical parallels to the character of Mickey. He was also influenced by females during his life thus the strong relations to the mother in this work. Liverpool in those days was split according to social class. This means people in that time were divided along the lines of being rich and poor, the educated and non-educated etc. Liverpool has been the home to one of the highest levels of unemployment in the developed world, with over 25% of the workforce out of a job, and it is important to consider this when taking account of Russells depiction and own views of class and unemployment The main theme of Russells play is based on this social class difference although there are strong elements of fate and destiny, superstition, surrogacy, childhood and adolescence, humour and tragedy. Blood Brothers is more than a simple morality tale of twin brothers separated as infants, who, after radically different upbringings, reunite (oblivious of their blood bond) as closest friends. It also focuses on two very different mothers, one-the birth mother- unselfishly giving and accepting, while the others love is neurotic, stifling and ultimately destructive. These two mothers lived all their lives close or near to each other, but in terms of class they lived miles apart. Mrs. Johnstone a single and working class woman is earning a meagre living as a cleaning lady at the home of the affluent Mrs. Lyons. We are first introduced to Mrs. Johnstone, who describes her experience of a halfhearted marriage and the arrival of her numerous children. It is with a bittersweet attitude of acceptance that she explains the moment her husband deserts her, the costs of living for which she has little means and the news that she is expecting not one more mouth to feed but two. Mrs. Lyons does not need to go to work, only shopping. In contrast to this Mrs. Johnstone cannot even pay the milkman, she says, I said, I said, look, next week Ill pay y. We see the contrast of social classes between Mrs. Johnstones home and the home in which she cleans, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lyons. Whilst the home of the Johnstones plays host to the constant clamour of childhood Games and battles, Mrs. Lyons is often alone whilst Mr. Lyons is on business, in an impeccable house that suffers somewhat from a cold and sterile atmosphere. The opening scenes develop this theme. All through the play we see significant differences between Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. Johnstone. In the beginning the Narrator describes Mrs. Johnstone as the mother, so cruel but this is not actually what he means. For instance, the fact that Mrs. Johnstone allows the boys to go to the cinema to watch the Swedish Au Pairs film could be seen as negligent, and we know that Mrs. Lyons would have definitely not been so liberal. In reality we see that Mrs. Johnstone has a better understanding and acceptance of the fact that young boys will be sexually curious and she does not try to suppress their curiosity. She is depicted as a down to earth and the more approachable mother- she of course gains instant credibility with her two sons. This incident also exemplifies that happiness when growing up is not assured by social status or wealth. Instead of viewing Mrs. Johnstone as a cruel character, we are lead to sympathise with her dilemma. We see her handle her house full of children with endless patience and tenderness. Despite being trapped by her social position and her lack of funds, she is down to earth and does not see money as the answer to her problems. We see her refuse money (for giving her child away) from the desperate Mrs. Lyons MRS LYONS: Thousands Im talking about thousands if you want it, and think what you could do with money like that. MRS JOHNSTONE: Id spend it. Id buy more junk and trash; thats all. I dont want your money. Ive made a life here. Its not much of one maybe, but I made it. In contrast, Mrs. Lyons is very aware of her social position and the above scene indicates that she sees money as a solution to the problem of Mrs. Johnstone. Mrs. Lyons is also portrayed as a cold woman who doesnt show much emotion. She is very over-protective of Eddie and fears his bond with the Johnstones. Later in the play this fear becomes more evident and she appears as a troubled, weird character that appears to be losing control this is evident when she attempts to attack Mrs. Johnstone with a kitchen knife. Mrs. Johnstone is very strong not only physically but also psychologically. She is not a person who cries for help and gets depressed and upset if something goes wrong. An example of this is highlighted on the way she copes ( laying on a smile for him ) with the judge when Sammy gets into trouble. In contrast to this Mrs. Lyons asks for help from her husband every time she has difficulty. She gets depressed very easily e. g. when Eddie isnt in the garden because he went away to play with Mickey, so Mrs. Lyons forces her husband to leave work during the day to find Eddie. She also runs away from problems whenever she can, rather than dealing with them e.g. she was prepared to move homes to split Eddie from Mickey.

Woolworths Australia History

Woolworths Australia History Woolworths has the biggest supermarket chain in Australia and is owned by the Woolworths Limited. Woolworths Limited was established in 1924 with the initial store opening in Sydneys Imperial Arcade. Its opening advertisement claimed that every city required the Woolworths and thus everybody needed a handy place where good things were cheap (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). Woolworths was founded by Stanley Edward Chatterton, Harold Percival Christmas, Ernest Robert Williams, George William Percival Creed and Cecil Scott Waine. Stanley Chatterton and Percy Christmas had opened the first floor Frock Salon in Queen Victoria Markets currently the Queen Victoria Building at the corner of George and Market streets in Sydney (Collier and Evans, 2010). Formation of Woolworths limited It was obvious in 1924 the premises of S.E. Chatterton were small steered to opening of another branch. Formation of the new company (Woolworths limited) incorporated with the nominal capital of 25,000 shares each. The once proposed Woolworths Bazaar seemed cumbersome and on 22nd September in 1924, the company got registered as Woolworths limited after realization that the overseas Woolworths Company has no agenda to open in Australia. It had the following founding directors: S.E. Chatterton, H.P. Christmas, C. Scott Waine, E.R. Williams and G.W.P. Creed as the nearest advisers (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). There were 15,000 shares which were given to public though there was small confidence in the business enterprise. Only 11,707 shares got subscribed by 29 people mostly the friends of promoters. Despite the mode, it was decided to go on and open soonest possible. The store was an instantaneous success and in its initial year the company remunerated a dividend of 5%, 40% in the second year and 50% in its third year (Collier and Evans, 2010). The policy of the founders to sell good in popular demand on cash and carry basis had been maintained (Peter Schulz, 1982). Woolies before Transition Retail environment in Australia Over the last 50 years, the Australia enjoyed fine business environment with increased population with the shopping centre developers becoming some of the leading in the world. The country enjoys fine weather all the year round, apart from having many of open air shopping centers. The usually encompassed centers have also an outdoor component with enclosed air conditioned areas which offer the respite from summer heat in warmer states. Evolution of supermarkets came with huge impact on Australias retail landscape. Riding on the strength of supermarkets retailing, Woolworths were at the time prepared on their way to become the biggest largest retailers. The Woolworths and Cols have currently neared 10% of the total Australian retail sales. As the retail sector in Australia has grown, it has also remained flexible and strategic to cope with micro and macro economic challenges, consumer trends, technological advances, new retail formats, consumer trends, globalization, rising retail rents, and increasing competition. Warehousing At first the Sydney Bulk Store was built on the two floors above Oxford Street store in 1929 though the space was outgrown quickly and in 1933 the three floors of the nearby Wentworth Avenue warehouse got taken over. The 20,000 sq ft seemed enough for the foreseeable future though it was outgrown within two years. This lead into purchase of 1 acre site at Pyrmont and 100,000 sq ft warehouse establishment opening as Sydbulk in 1936. Within the two years of growth, the space was outgrown as now Woolworths had 71 stores bulk and trading buying was the significant part to supply the best prices to customers. A novel bigger site was obtained at Glebe and in 1940 a modern warehouse of 262,000 sq ft was opened. Simultaneously, the Sydprint which was initiated in 1934 as the silk screen department in Majestys store moved likewise into Glebe warehouse (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). The availability of enough warehousing was short lived and the influx of troops in the World War II created a space at the premium and in 1942 the Woolworths managed to bargain for smaller area in the attempt of taking the Glebe Warehouse as 100,000 was fenced for Americans. The World War II had brought the companys growth into termination. Many Woolworths men and women joined into military services which made it difficult for the company get its stock and staff (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). The company saw a big change in its top management in 1940 with the appointment of Mr. Theo Kelly as the General Manager preceding Mr. H.P. Christmas then in office after the company sought the relief solution from increasingly arduous duties. Mr. Kelly who had joined Woolworths in 1928, its dedication interest in stock control issues led into his appointment as the Warehouse Manager two years later (Peter Schulz, 1982). Mr. Kelly was transferred to New Zealand in 1931 as the general manager and after three years he was appointed as the Director of Woolworths NZ. He took leave from position of General Manager to serve in RAAF for a few years and then got appointed into the board on his return. In 1945, Mr. Christmas retired as the managing director which led Kelly to be appointed as the successor at age 37. Mr. Christmas retained his Board position though on his oversees trip he suddenly died at Bordeaux in France. His position on Board was taken by Mr. Cedric Hart who joined the company in 1928 as the Queensland Accountant and got appointed as Secretary at the Head Office, Sydney in 1929. Post-War Expansion The termination of war brings the duty of rehabilitating the returned service personnel and the depleted warehouses and stores. The first post-war store was commenced at Brankstown, Sydney in 1948 and other stores quickly enhanced. In 1954, the Woolworths purchased the Majestys building for $ 2,200,000, Australian record price for one piece of the real estate and in 1955 the Woolworths opened the 200th store in Civic Centre, Canberra (Collier and Evans, 2010). Woolworths continued to grow in New Zealand to acquire 10 McDuffs stores by 1951 and in 1955 there were already 50 Woolworths stores established in New Zealand. In 1956 the company commenced its staff Journal which soon came to be called the Woolies News and circulated to all the states and stores to keep the Woolies family updated on the activities of rapidly expanding company (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). Woolies Transition Woolworths limited continued to develop and in 1929 it saw its establishment in the London Buying Office (Australasian Chain Stores Ltd) and its related company in New Zealand, the Woolworths Zealand ltd whose initial store opened at Cuba Street in Wellington in 1929. By the ending of 1933, Woolworths limited had grown into 23 branches in Australia and 8 branches in New Zealand. The initial Victorian store was opened at Bourke Street in Melbourne in 1933. On the proceeding year, the former Bargain Basement Imperial Arcade in Sydney was closed after the company got the lease of her closest Majestys Theatre (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). Following the considerable internal reconstruction, her new Majestys branch at Market and Pitt Street became the Woolworths major Sydney store which opened on 1934. In 1938, another new company was built to control the freehold properties of Woolworths properties ltd, Woolworths freehold properties and in 1942 the companys initial architect was selected. Woolworths had consistent advertisers in daily newspapers from beginning. In 1937, the company decided to utilize the comparatively new medium of radio sponsoring; the evening program referred to as Rhythm Round-up aired in station 2GB in Sydney (Collier and Evans, 2010). The Woolworths appeal for almost unfamiliar before breakfast resulted in Jack Davey to get its initial peak-time break in the show business and became one of the Sydneys principal personalities (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). In 1981, the construction began on novel 74,000 sq metre warehouse complex on a land of 13 hectares at Yennora at the approximate cost of $20 million. The Yennora Distribution Cntre opened in 1983 and became the companys initial computerized Food warehouse. The second computerized Food Warehouse was established at the Acacia Ridge, Qld in 1983 and the novel meat processing plant at Wacol, Brisbane stated its production in July. In 1985, acquisition of 126 Australian Safeway Stores brought Woolworths to be the biggest food retailer in Australia. The Safeway Stores were located in Queensland and Victoria, New South Wales and involved the Northern New South Wales and Food Barns in Queensland. The stores got acquired following the agreement in which the Safeway Inc received 19.99% interest in Woolworths Limited (Peter Schulz, 1982). This led into Mr. J.W.R, the managing director and chairman of Australian Safeway stores, and Mr. P.A. Magowan, the chief executive officer and chairman of the Safeway stores Inc, USA got appointed into the Woolworths Board (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). Currently the Food Store Chain included Philip Leong, Flemings (NSW), BCC, Food for Less (QLD), BCC, Fabulous (SA), Nancarrows (Vic), and Food Fair (WA) and it was concluded that from 1986 the businesses would operate as Food and Wholesaling Unit based at Mascot, Flemings, and Sydney. Woolworths also enhanced into franchising with the passing of Clancys franchises from the testing stage and 12 Clancy stores which operated in New South Wales. On January of 1985, acquisition of 50% for issued capital of Chandlers, Australia got pronounced. Chandler operated the chain of 59 electrical retail stores in Northern New South Wales and Queensland while in April the initial Dick Smith store was established in San Francisco, United States (Collier and Evans, 2010). In 1985, the minute group of 12 Homemaker stores was terminated. These stores were initially established in 1973 with stores in Jesmond in NSW and Bankstown Square, which involved a wide range of furniture, white goods and furnishings. On November, the IEL advised the unconditional offer to all shares in Woolworths Limited at the price of $3.65 cash per share. On December, the chairman for Woolworths declared the Woolworths directors had agreed on IEL offer to get the Woolworths shares. In 1989, the IEL had acquired 98.4% of shares in Woolworths and went on with compulsory acquisition of remaining Woolworths share (Collier and Evans, 2010). Woolworths became fully owned subsidiary of IEL at the cost of $ 850 million and on 31st of May, the Woolworths Limited shares got delisted and the company never appeared on Stock Exchange Boards after being listed for 65 years (Peter Schulz, 1982). The Woolworths limited stores had not been given attention until the premises offer on the highly advantageous terms which resulted in Woolworths opening at the store in Queen Street, Brisbane in 1927. On the preceding year, the company opened a store at 370 Pitt Street, second in Brisbane in the Valley and initial in Western Australia at the Hay Street, Perth (Peter Schulz, 1982). Cost and Benefits On October in 1964, the Woolworths opened its initial entirely sponsored and established the regional shopping centre (Jesmond Centre), near Newcastle, NSW. The 12 acre $2 million project involved the Woolworths initial BIG W department store, extensive car parking and specialty shops. In the preceding year the company opened the second BIG W department store at Chatswood. In 1964 Woolworths celebrated its 30th anniversary for its total retail sales which totaled $250 million setting the record for Australian retailer. It saw the building of laboratory of food testing at Perishables Warehouse in Auburn hence launching the company on the Quality Assurance Program which became one of the biggest and most comprehensive in retail industry in Australia (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). In October 1965, Woolworths opened the second regional shopping centre at Newcastle in New South Wales. The $4 million establishment was referred as Kotara and in August 1966 was preceded by a drive-in shopping centre at the Liverpool nearby Sydney. And in November 1968, the Rock-hampton (Central Queensland) got its initial drive in the shopping centre when the Woolworths started the Northside Plaza (Karen Plunkett-Powell , 2001). On the proceeding year, Sundale on Queenslands Gold Coast was established on March and the fifth drive-in shopping centre got entirely expanded by Woolworths. Also the $71/2 million regional shopping centre on a 13 acre site comprising 50 shops was flagged as one of the developed designs in Australia by the time (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). The drive-in supermarkets greatly spread as Warrawong Regional Centre in the nearby Port Kembla, and New South Wales opened in 1969. Woolworths drive-ins opened its seventh shopping centre south of Warrawong at Warilla Grove with Woolworths supermarket and other 20 specialty stores (Peter Schulz, 1982). Woolworths formed an export division in 1963 as Woolworths registered in Malaysia, Thailand Philippines and Hong Kong. In May 1965, the Woolworths Limited in Malaysia acquired the management interest in Fitzpatricks Food Suppliers, the Far East Limited, which is one of the Leading Singapores retail, agency and wholesale organizations. This was consequently sold in 1970. In 1965 Woolworths had the significant events of acquiring the long-term lease in Bebarfalds building the famous Sydney landmark at the corner of Park and George streets opposite Sydney Town Hall. In 1978, the board agreed the offer from LD Nathan and Co Ltd, from New Zealand to buy the Woolworths 40% interest in Woolworths (NZ) ltd. The company had the net gain due to transaction of $2,016,000 and 1,887,844 shares in Co.Ltd and LD Nathan which represented the 15% interest in the company (Peter Schulz, 1982). In 1979 Woolworths shares in LD Nathan plus Company Limited got sold to the New Zealand institutions bringing into an end the association which extended over half century. Woolworths established their initial New Zealand store in Cuba Street, Wellington in 1929 and lastly got 98 stores in New Zealand. In the marketing style changes of the Woolworths first self-service, a variety store was started at Beverly Hills, in a Sydney suburb on October, 1955. In the similar concept in retail trading overseas, especially in America, customers no longer waited to be catered for but serviced themselves to the items they required to pay at the checkouts as they moved out of the store (Peter Schulz, 1982). In 1983, the company made the year sales of $3,243,701,000 and the net profit of $56,965,000 after taxing. To recognize the companys 60th anniversary, the directors issued for bonus issue of shares made to all shareholders in the proportion of 1 to 10. The dividend reinvestment plan was pronounced and became operating in 1984 last dividend. In the year, 10 small stores in north of Western Australia got acquired from Elders IXL. The acquisition brought Woolies into a sole rich Pilbara region of north Western Australia for initial time and into the total number of 793. The concept was successful and the second self-service store got opened in Carnegie, in Melbourne the preceding year. In this whole period, the company experimented with small food sections in the rear parts of its variety stores including the Burswood, Punchbowl, Dee Why and Campsie (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). The grocery range was limited though it included delicatessen items, fresh vegetables and packaged fresh meat sold in refrigerated cabinets. The variety sectors were serviced while the food sections were on self-service basis and had their own checkouts in the middle of the store. In May 1958, the company enhanced his fewer food outlets by acquisition of other 32 BCC (Stores food markets) in Queensland. The quick expansion enabled Woolworths to open its 300ths store in Wentworthville in December 1959. 1960 was the momentous year as Woolworths continued to proceed into the food sector to acquire John Wills supermarket chain which consisted of nine stores in Western Australia (Collier and Evans, 2010). With enhanced expertise in food marketing, the Woolworths planned for a series of comprehensive supermarkets, self selection stores, giving a variety of goods and range of food under one roof, with nearby parking space to meet the needs of fast growing population of car owners (Peter Schulz, 1982). The first Woolworths supermarket was opened at Warrawong, New South Wales in 1960 and was a great success which the other stores planned on drawing board reviewed to allow for full growth of the entire sites. In November and December of the same year, supermarkets got opened at Seven Hills, Berala, St. Ives, and Fairfield Heights, New South Wales, Margate and Coorparoo in Queensland and Elizabeth in South Australia. Acquisition for the 55 store Flemings food Chain in June and 57 New South Wales stores At McIraiths in November enhanced Woolworths food marketing. Woolworths became the initial retailer to function widely in Australia in 1960 when it bought the Northern Territory business for Centralian Traders Pty Ltd, in Alice Springs and Woolies were brought in the centre of the continent as Darwin followed in 1962. Following the massive expansion, the Glebe warehouse became a bit small and the existing stock-handling techniques too cumbersome. By the beginning of 1960, a new eighteen acre distribution centre at North Auburn, Silver water in NSW got established in stages. It occupied the entire block and offered the largest building for its kind in Australia with 800,000 sq ft of the storage space on two levels (Peter Schulz, 1982). The variety stock was held in one floor with consumables and groceries on other. Installation in the warehouse of Ramac, electronic computer for distribution and modern stock control, built Woolworths as the leader in computer usage in retail industry. In 1962, the completion of warehouse in Sydprint shifted from Glebe warehouse to Silverwater and got renamed as Woolprint and remained there until 1989. A new subsidiary Meatex was formed at Auburn for meat supplication to supermarkets and by 1961 another smaller Meatex plant got opened at Welland, South Australia before it relocated to Marleston in 1963. In August, a novel Meat distribution centre got completed in Blacktown to replace the Meatex at Auburn. The modern plant had extensive facilities which facilitated distribution for fresh meat to Woolworths NSW supermarkets (Collier and Evans, 2010). In 1960s, Woolworths expanded again into apparel market. It purchased 70 Rockmans apparel stores which operated in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland in 1961 and by November purchased the manufacturing company (L.O. Bailey Pty Ltd) 78 and other related Chic Salon lingerie shops. The initial stage of enhanced alterations towards the building now called the Woolies Corner, culminated in November opening of the new look Woolworths variety store which occupied the basement, first and ground floors (Peter Schulz, 1982). There was the addition of two additional storeys, and the upper floors became the head office of the company in March 1970. Her Majesty store which traded for 36 years terminated in 1970 and the building got sold to AMP Society for redevelopment as a portion of Centre point project. In 1966 a Knighthood, the Queens Birthday Honor List was pronounced for Woolies Chairman and Managing Director (Sir Theo Kelly) in reorganization for his services to industry and Commerce. Sir Theo Kelly had taken the part of Mr. C. Scott Waine as the Chairman of Board in 1963, to hold the appointment jointly with Managing Directorship. In 1967 eight Cox brothers department stores got acquired successfully to comprise the Foys at Bourke Street in Melbourne and the stores in Melbourne in Chadstone suburbs, Prahran, Northland and Collingwood; Cox-Economic at Hay stret, Morshead atBallarat, Cox-Foys and Perth at Mt Gambier SA. The Victorian group of 26 food stores (trading as Nancarrows) was acquired in 1969 and further group of 75 Crofts Food Stores in 1970. The stores added to existing Food Fairs to make it the composite group of 120 food stores which trading as Nancarrows and offered the strong entry into Victorian market (Collier and Evans, 2010). Woolworths opened a novel BIG W Centre at Booval near Ipswich Qld which featured the complete self-selection and checkout process to merchandising in department store as well as food in 60,000 sq. ft. trading level. On the preceding year, a similar store opened at Indooroopilly in Brisbane. This became announced as the Woolworths Family Centre and Booval store got adopted at the same time (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). Simultaneously, it was decided to hold the trading name of BIG W department stores for the purpose of transferring the existing stores to new Woolworths Family Centre Division. In the end of 1970 other three Woolworths Family Centers started to operate in Queensland at Mt, Isa, North Rockhampton and Mt Gravatt, Brisbane. Popularity in Woolworths Family Centers, Queensland gave way for more expansion for this new division and in 1971 the initial New South Wales centers started at Warilla Grove shopping centre and St, Wollingong. These got followed by the Wagga NSW, 10th and the Phoenix Park near the Fremantle WA, 31st. By the end of September in 1971, there were opened six more Family Centers, three in Queensland, two in (NSW) and one in WA. Also the company lauched its 25-year club in 1970 where the Woolworths honors its employees retired or active with 25 or more years service. The inaugural functions got held in the entire states at Companys London Office (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). Sir Theo Kelly retired in 1971 and Owen Price the general manager since 1969 was appointed as the companys chief executive. Sir Theo remained as the chairman of Woolworths Limited, subsidiary and associated companies and the managing and chairman of Woolworths, in New Zealand Limited. In November 1972, the last surviving member of Woolworths group who founded Woolworths, Mr. Stanley E. Chatterton CBE, retired from the directors board to severe the link of great historical importance. In 1974, the general manager, Mr. Owen Price, resigned and Mr. Paul Simons and Mr. W.B Dean got appointed jointly as general managers and Mr. C.T. Waldon became the deputy general manager. On December in 1978, Mr. C.T. Waldron the deputy general manager became appointed as the joint general manager corporate services after resignation of Mr. Paul Simons as Mr. W.B. Dean maintained his responsibility as the Joint General Manager (merchandising). In 1973 Woolworths introduced the carefully organized series of Woolworths own brands. It launched 200 items under five different names: St Mark, Chevron, Grandway and Woothworths which all bared the Own Brands seal. For qualification in inclusion of the Own Brands range, the e product retained the least equal quality to national market leader though it sold at a minimal price (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001) Woolworths limited 50th anniversary was celebrated by the shoppers in the entire Australia on 5th December as Australia shaped cakes which bared 50 candles got distributed in all the stores for customers and staff to share (Peter Schulz, 1982). That year saw the retail sales of $702,024,065 and the operating profit minus the tax of $9, 933,770. The staff currently which totaled 32,000 made the Woolworths as one of the largest employers of private labor enterprise sector (Collier and Evans, 2010). The Woolworths board recently established the four clear corporate objectives: To offer the customers with good quality merchandise at cheap prices. Improved profit on shareholders funds to make the people owning Woolworths To receive good returns on investment. To offer their customers with adequate and friendly services. To provide good conditions, wages, job satisfaction for its employees. In 1975, there was a high inflection in Australia and Woolworths got affected by the heavy increases of wages. Even though, 143 new stores got completed in the year and significantly the policy discussions got held to rationalize the trading operations and plan for establishment of BIG W Discount Store Division, the novel style for retailing of Woolworths. The BIG W concept was for big store, and sold the general merchandise on a sole level with enhanced parking facilities. The initial BIG W DISCOUNT STORE was started at West Tamworth in New South Wales in 1976 and by the ending of 1978, up to 13 BIG W Discount stores operated with stores in the entire states and ACT. Also in 1976, Woolworths became the initial Australian retail organization to get the sales which exceeded $ 1 billion in a financial year and the initial Annual Report to staff got distributed, an additional initial Australian Retail Industry (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). In 1980, Sir Theo Kelly OBE retired from the position of Chairman and got succeeded by Mr. E.P. McClintock. Sir Theo Kelly was established to commemorate his 52 years in the company and 17 years as the chairman. The foundation offered the scholarship to enable managers from the industry participates in the moment of tertiary education aiming directly to develop the skills in Executive Retail Management. On January, 31st, Mr. AJ Tony the previous state manager for NSW was selected as to general manager and also chief executive and director for the board before his appointment as the managing director in 1981. In the year which ended in 28th January in 1981, the company sales exceeded by $2 billion for initial time and the increased results made the bonus issue of usual shares of 1 for 10. A $30 million pronounceable rights matter for convertible unsecured was made to ordinary shareholders to help in funding of new store development. In 1981, the Woolworths got 60% of the established companies operated by Dick Smith Electronic, and the remaining 40% of Dick Smith group got acquired in 1983. The food store group was based in Townsville, Qld as Philip Leong was taken in April and acquirement of Purity Group of 14 supermarkets and Roelf Vos group of 10 supermarkets in Tasmania. Woolworths had been in the forefront in utilization of the latest technology and improved its retail performance. In year 1926 the receipt-printing cash registers got installed by National Cash Register Company which declared Woolworths Limited was the words firt variety store to implement that kind of machines to record its sales (Collier and Evans, 2010). In August of 1982, the Arndale Supermarket and the Frenchs Forest formed the initial centre for scanning operations with NCR equipment in Sydney. Preceding the successful pilit scheme, the scanning systems got introduced in 10 supermarkets in Purity Stores and New South Wales in Tasmania. The Proceeding year on 5th of December, there was the introduction of the worlds first national electronic funds transfer system at the point of sale at that supermarket at Neutral Bay, New South Wales. The Food Plus and BP Australia joined Westpac for this historic initially. In 1998, the trial for the first scanning system got launched at Glenorchy Purity Supermarket, Tasmania. In the first week of December, celebrations were held in the entire Woolworths stores to celebrate the companys 60th Anniversary. This followed the giving of 11 kilo maps of Australia cakes to all Woolworths stores for cake-cutting ceremonies and presentation in the community groups. This give opportunity for the 25 year club with the membership f 705 which held special functions in all the states. The community gestured for 60th anniversary and the poster of Australian flags with 38 flags depicting the Australian history got produced for Australian day. Two of posters were given free to all the Australian schools, state and independent likewise to make available in all the parliamentarians and any interested parties. They proved to be successful and became an annual event with the new poster on Australian theme designed and distributed every year (Collier and Evans, 2010). The Future of Woolworths Improvement in Profitability The companys results reviewed a dramatic turnaround from negative effects of 1987. The half year trading of 1988 confirmed the improvement trend in profitability of company though the directors never declared on interim dividend. In the period of 1988 to 1989, the sales and the group operating profit increased and again putting the Woolworths as the leader of retailed food in Australia (Peter Schulz, 1982). In 1989, the new concept of store presentation introduced alongside Crazy Prices Store that was opened at Eastwood, NSW. Formally growing from aggressive efforts into clear stocks on closing of unprofitable variety stores, the precepts was then enhanced into new sites and in two years the 20 Crazy Prices stores got established (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001). Environment Woolworths looked for various ways of reducing its effects on environment. It engaged in recycling of in-store waste like polystyrene boxes, cardboard boxes, meat off cuts and chicken rotisserie fat and the supermarkets came up with storefront bins of plastic bag recycling. In the last half of 1989, Woolworths established the testing program and became the CFC free and utilized only the HFC refrigerants. All the refitted and new Woolworths supermarkets are fitted with HFC products nationally (Peter Schulz, 1982). Woolworths currently uses the latest technological advances to offer the service for their customers. The Woolworths Online Fresh Food Website involves the personalized meal planning features. The site gives room for the customer to browse around 2000 delicious recipes, dietary advice and practical cooling tips from the leading nutritionist: Rosemary Stanton and register for dietary requirements and personal food preferences. Proper meal plans particularly tailored to those kinds of requirements are generated and after the recipes are chosen, the sites form a shopping list and advice to the viewer of their nearest Woolworths Purity, Safeway or Roelf Vos Supermarket. Its Home Page Services got extended when the Homeshop went live in 1998. Centered on the Woolworths store at Eastwood, Sydney, the Homeshop enables the customers to view for products range including fresh fruit and vegetables, groceries, serviced deli, fresh meat, liquor, frozen and chilled foods. The customers have got their chosen groceries delivered within the nominated 2 hour delivery window amidst 7am and 11pm by the refrigerated Homeshop van as the payments are made via mobile EFTPOS on their arrival. The service has been expanded rapidly with plans to cover the for 140 suburbs in Sydney (Collier and Evans, 2010). In July of 1998, the Woolworths and Commonwealth Bank pronounced the alliance purposed at offering the range of co-branded financial services to personal customers. Immediately after the Woolworths had announced it, contracted with the Dan Murphy Cellars liquor business (in Victoria) with five other retail outlets in metropolitan Melbourne. It had been the intention of Woolworths to sustain the Dan Murphy business as the autonomous expand and operation nationwide in the new brand-name concept (Peter Schulz, 1982). Woolworths goes on to enhance its activities with novel marketplace shopping centers in construction , and more so Metro Stores being opened in New South Wales and Queensland likewise to Woolworths +Plus Petro enhancing up to 42 outlets and new distribution and warehousing centers at Minchin bury, broad meadows and New South Wales, Victoria (Karen Plunkett-Powell, 2001).

Kadohatas The Story Devils: An Overview :: essays research papers

Kadohata's The Story Devils: An Overview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Story Devils, by Cynthia Kadohata is a look into the life of a young girl looking to protect her family in any way possible. The story is based on a real life experience of the author and shows how we can, at times, let the devil in ourselves come out and play. The author, now living in Los Angeles, writes this as almost a warning; but the reader gets the feeling that she would do what she did again, in a second.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story takes place after World War II in the town of Chesterville, Arkansas. It was a small town with small town problems, and had a Japanese community living within it. The story was written in 1989 and reflect the uncertainties of the post World War II period. Within the small community there lived a woman that had been through a recent divorce, and was raising three children, Kate, the author, and her brother Sean. Because the mother is having a problem making ends meet, she begins to go to church and meets the antagonist, Mr. Mason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story is told by the author in the body and mind of an eight year old. It is a first-person narration and she is playing the part of the protagonist. The point of view remains constant throughout the story, which gives you only the viewpoint of the author to get facts from. Although this may be a possibly unreliable perspective, due to selective memory, the story is told in a straightforward manner suggesting truth and honesty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the story the author realizes that Mr. Mason is a violent man. This is learned through several instances, such as when he forced the mother into a crying fit in her bedroom in the beginning of the story. He was also violent when he threw a rock at a young boy that had wandered over to the yard to play. These incidents forced the author to do something that she did not relish, but deemed necessary in order to save her family from this man; since she new her mother was planning on marrying him. She lied to her mother and told her that Mr. Mason had hit her. At first it wasn't believed, but when her quiet sister Kate backed up her story, the mother sought to separate herself from this man. The family moved to Chicago and the author never saw Mr. Mason again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As was stated before, the story was believable because of the author's almost relenting of a story that she had kept inside for a long time.

The Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of the Family Essa

The Usefulness of Functionalism for an Understanding of the Family Functionalists focus on the roles of the family as an institution and its interaction with other institutions, such as the ratio of functions the family has to perform compared to those that other institutions such as schools and the NHS perform. Functionalism sees the use of the family in society and how it can take pressure from the government by becoming an almost dependent institution that will help support its own members. George Murdock analysed 250 societies and studied the purpose of the family, he came up with a final definition; that the family performs several main functions. These functions help the individuals within the family; Murdock believed the functions are sexual, educational, economic and reproductive. However, Murdock did not consider that the family may have a detrimental affect on members of the family as he seemed to assume that all families are harmonious and do not have any arguments or problems. He also overlooked alterna...

Officer Selection Process

Officer selection is a very detailed process. Every police department wants to recruit, select, train, and maintain the best and brightest officers possible. The job of a police officer requires an individual that can deal with stressful situations and the ability to interact with the community. The job requires quick decision making and good judgment. Police duties vary from writing reports to maintaining order to responding to criminal situations, all of which require critical thinking skills. Officers should possess certain traits due to the range of duties they will have to perform. These traits include physically agility, the ability to cope with difficult situations, well-developed writing skills, good communication skills, sound judgment, compassion, strong powers of observation, and the ability to both exert and respect commands of authority (Grant & Terry, 2008). Every department sets its own standards therefore there is not a set standard for officer selection. The minimum requirements that most departments require that the officer be at least 21 years of age, have a driver’s license in the state or be eligible for one, have no prior felony convictions, and be able to pass a written exam, a medical exam, an interview, a physical agility test, and psychological screening. Individuals must be able to obtain a driver’s license because their primary duty will be patrol and must be twenty one years of age as they will have to qualify for a firearm. A police officer will not have full police powers until at least the age of twenty one, for that reason some departments will not even allow recruits to enter the police academy until they reach that age. A convicted felony is prohibited from possessing a firearm, which thereby bars them from becoming police officers. Most police departments now have educational requirements for recruits. Nearly all departments require officers to have a minimum of a high school diploma, and many require at least some college credits. Officers need to be able to deal with the constant changing law of criminal procedures, and the idea is that the departments need to raise their requirements to keep pace with the rising levels of education in society. With the increase use of technology in policing is another reason for high education among the officers. In most states, small departments send their new officers to a state training academy or program certified by the state. During this time the officer is on probation for a period of a year or two years in which the officer is evaluated. Some of the programs are operated through community colleges. The separate police academies run by the large police departments are similarly certified by the state. Officers who complete state training are then certified or licensed as peace officers in the state. The academy provides formal training during which the recruits who prove to be unqualified are weeded out. During the time at the police academy the officers receive physical training, training in the use of firearms, and training in the systems of patrol and traffic. The officers must learn about the department, its policies, and its relationship with other agencies such as state, county, federal. Once out of the academy, the police officer is assigned a field training officer (FTO). The FTO assist the new officer in using the knowledge and skills learned at the academy. The FTO also assist the new officer to acclimate into the police culture, and experience the socialization process. The FTO’s can have a significant influence over the new officers and assist the officer in dealing with the stress and cynicism that comes with the job. In some states, the officers are required to be Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) certified as the officers are often confronted with acts of civil disobedience. The promotion process for police officers is very competitive. Officers may be promoted through several methods; these methods may differ from department to department and agency to agency. The officer typically will take a written exam and partake in an interview; the officers are then assessed on qualities relating to the job. The written exam usually is in a multiple choice format. During the interview, a board of several members asks the candidates a variety of questions. These questions may range from information about the candidates background and personal characteristics to judgments about policing situations. After the interview, the candidates are assessed, during which time the candidates are observed, tested, rated, and evaluated. The purpose of these assessment tools is to determine how well the candidate would perform at supervisory levels. Promotions are not based on these factors alone, but are considered in combination with the performance evaluation. Performance evaluations look at the candidate’s quantity and quality of work, work habits, human relations, and ability to accept new situations. The officer selection process has evolved over the past 100 years. The police began actively recruiting women and minorities, implement affirmative action policies to keep the departments as equal opportunities for hiring of police officers. The selection process is similar among the local, state, and federal agencies. The law enforcement departments are all looking for the brightest and best for their departments. The departments require the officers to be healthy of mind and body, ability to learn and adapt to different situations, and have good communication skills with the community. Each agency is willing to train and educate the officers as it is difficult to find the ideal candidate with all the qualities necessary.

Iphone and Ipad Innovation

Assessment 1: Case Study Report The Success of the iPod and iPhone raises the licensing question for Apple†¦ again. 1. Use the Cyclic Innovation Model figure to illustrate process in this case and provide a brief description? Innovation refers to the successful implementation and introduction of new products and services to the market. The Cyclic Innovation Model specifically focuses on the innovation processes, looking at the detail and providing a broad perspective. The Cyclic innovation modern does not coincide with the linear-chain concept; rather represents the circle with four ‘Nodes of Change’.These are: * Scientific research * Technological development * Product creation * Market transition (Berkhout & Rietdijk, 2010) There are also the ‘Cycles of Change’ which inspire, correct and supplement. In order for the organisation to communicate and connect with various organisations, markets, business and appeal to other disciplines (Berkhout, Hartmann & Trott, 2010); these processes will need to be managed efficiently and effectively by a sole figure who establishes and distributes these cycles.Apple addressed the consumer’s needs and wants by introducing a smart MP3 player that subjugated competitor products for years. The IPod is a clear example on how an organisation can correctly execute the Cyclic Innovation Model. The IPod introduction and implementation can be broken down into the various steps and nodes. Initially, the ‘Scientific Research Node’ collects information from market variations and lifestyles variations. With the introduction of my IPod, the social change was that everyone began to want one, therefore the demand increased and also corresponded with the music industry.The ‘Product Creation Node’ allows them to establish and maintain the product to suit the needs and wants of consumer, considering the changes over time meaning it will be required to upgrade with the improving soc ial recognition of the market. The improvements of the market leads to the ‘Technological Development Node’ which recognizes and meets required improvements in the product; and then incorporate it with the existing product to allow consumers to easily adopt and absorb.The ‘Market Transition Node’ is the final products introduction to the market. The introduction of the product is essential; leading to value increasing as well as demand increasing. 2. With sales if iPod falling and Apple facing fierce competition from all quarters such as Sony, Dell, Samsung and other electronics firms as well as mobile phone makers who are incorporating MP3 players in their devices, can the iPod survive? Success| Failure|Portability of music is essential in current lifestyles| Preference of an all-in-one product (Phone, internet, mp3)| Increase iTunes usage and sales| High value for just a single product| Target adolescents who are not able to spend too much on a smart phon e| Synchronisation requirements| Decreasing interest on CD-Rom| iTunes compatibility| Opposing the iPod is the newly introduced iPhone. Many consumers will easily pay the added difference to purchase the mobile device that has an internal iPod.This product has enabled Apple to fight off competitors who have looked at possible beating the organisation to creating such a product. Even so, there is still a large portion of the market who have daily needs that are suited by the iPod. Examples can include people who use it while at the gym or going for a run; retail stores, cafes and restaurants that have background music playing and do not want to occupy their phones, and parents who do not want to spend significantly on an iPhone.The biggest challenge for Apple would be the maintaining of interest in the iPod. Correct marketing; advertisement and promotion of the product will attract consumers who believe that it would be a product to match their needs. 3. How can Apple influence futur e technology developments or establish strategic alliances to ensure it is a dominant force in the hand-held devices that will incorporate both the cellphone and MP3? Apple has created each and every one of their products to integrate with all of their other products to a certain degree.This coexistence has allowed many consumers to only purchase Apple products so that they are all working together. For example, iMac computers, iTunes, iPhones, iPods and iPads all synchronize together to allow a consumer to have certain information and date on all devices. To have this working, Apple have also created a principal to make each product user friendly, thus creating such interest that the brand has become one of the most popular household products in the world. Apple is simplifying modern day technology through user-friendly interfaces.The cooperation with the music industry must also continue to excel iTunes and have it prevailing across all of their products, as it is. Reference List 1. Berkout, G & Rietdijk J, 2010, ‘Cyclic innovation model: circular vision in open innovation’ viewed 18 March 2013 ‘apportal. dedicated. nines/Cyclic-innovation-model. pdf’ 2. Berkout G, Hartmann D & Trott P 2010, ‘Connecting technological capabilities with market needs using a cyclic innovation model’, R&D Management, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 474-488. Turn-It-In Paper title: Assessment 1 Paper ID: 314036265

Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison

†Battle Royal† is a chapter in â€Å"Invisible Man†, a novel by Ralph Ellison. In his lifetime, â€Å"Invisible Man† is Ellison’s sole novel but it won him the National Book Award in 1953. What makes the novel special is that it addresses the intellectual and social issues during the post-civil war American Black identity. It also includes the relationship among Marxism, Black Nationalism and the racial policies started by Booker T. Washington. †Invisible Man† was published in 1952 and it showed another angle of the racial tensions that were brewing in America at that time.It was unapologetic and was aware that racial equality was not emerging. It was inspired by the Harlem Renaissance with the goal of uplifting the black race through art and literature. †Invisible Man† takes on a pessimistic point on race relations. Ellison’s approach was not entirely alongside the black arts movement literature. It was in between the e xtreme and the conservative, similar to the literature that was released during the 1960s and 70s black arts movement. â€Å"Invisible Man† served as the indicator of the transitioning period (Schor 240). The narrator has no name.He introduces himself as the â€Å"invisible man. † According to him, people are unwilling to notice him, primarily because he is black. But he has a positive way of seeing this. Because of his ‘invisibility’, he doubts his existence and is anguished. He feels that he needs others to see him. He tries but he rarely succeeds. Basically, the central struggle of the Narrator is his conflict on how others view him and on how he sees himself. The stereotype of him as a mugger is generated because of his color. The â€Å"blindness† of others is rooted from the inability of the Narrator to not allow these cliches be imposed on him.(Sun Joo Lee) It is also ironic that the Narrator confirms his invisibility to the readers by not men tioning his name. He introduces himself as the Narrator, no more no less, thus only heightening his ‘invisibility’ even to those who he’s letting into his life. The chapter entitled â€Å"Battle Royal† begins with the Narrator recalling his grandfather. He was meek and often said yes to the whites. He received great praise from them because of this quality. However the Narrator was not proud of this particular trait of his grandfather and claimed that he was in fact haunted by it in their town.The important points raised in the first chapter titled â€Å"Battle Royal† began when the Narrator recalled the time he delivered a class speech at his graduation. The speech encouraged submission and humility for the advancement of the African Americans. This suggestion was a success that the town arranged him to deliver the peace in the gathering with the white citizens. The Narrator and some of his African American classmates were asked to take part of the even called â€Å"battle royal. † It was the highlight of the evening. They wore boxing gloves and entered a ring.A naked blonde Caucasian woman with an American flag painted on her belly marched around the ring. The African American students, including the Narrator looked down. The whites insisted that they looked at the woman. The whites placed blindfolds around the African Americans and asked them to pummel each other.They encouraged them to viciously fight one another. The Narrator was defeated during the last round. The whites removed their blindfolds. The contestants were led to a rug that had coins and some bills. The boys grabbed the money but were electrocuted because there was a current running through the rag.The white men forced the African Americans to remain on the rug. When the Narrator was giving his speech, the white men scoffed at him and ignored his quotations and verbatim texts from Booker T. Washington. He was asked to repeat the â€Å"social responsibi lity† part of his speech.He finished delivering this and received a round of applause. The white men handed him a briefcase made of calfskin. He was told that the contents would determine the fate of the African American. Inside the briefcase, the Narrator received a scholarship grant to the state college for African Americans.He was still excited despite his discovery that the coins on the electrocuted carpet were only brass tokens. †Battle Royal† is only one chapter in â€Å"Invisible Man† but it already holds the main points of Ellison’s novel. To analyze it, we begin with the narrator’s grandfather’s take on the emotional and moral ambiguity of the racial tensions in the United States. It is no question that the grandfather was submissive and allowed to be dominated. The grandfather confessed that he is a traitor to the policy because of his meekness.The Narrator felt that his grandfather betrayed not only himself, but his family, hi s ancestors as well as his future generations (Wolfe). It is crucial, according to the grandfather, that the Narrator, as an African American maintain two identities. Outside, he should embody a good slave, behaving the exact way the master wanted him to. Inside, he should keep the resentment and the bitterness that was imposed by the false exterior. This is ambiguous because why would one encourage an action when it would only lead to something negative in the end.Here, role-playing is introduced. It becomes a method that is important in the rest of the novel. While the Narrator is attacked by outside forces, he can bring out his mask as his form of defense. The Narrator was encouraged early on to pull off a performance as the good slave.This attacked his sense of self. The text mentioned that the excessive obedience to the expectation of the white Southerners became the disobedience for the African Americans. According to the grandfather, the family could â€Å"overcome the white people with yeses, undermine them with grins.† It suggested that an African American family could play the rift between the perceptions of others in contrast to how they perceived themselves (Valiunas 3) The Narrator believed that by obeying his grandfather’s command, he too would receive praise and respect from the white Southerners in their village.He was right, in a way. The Caucasians granted him a scholarship. However, it was ironic that on the night he received this opportunity, he was also asked to take part on the barbaric and degrading battle royal. This showed the tension between rebellion and obedience and on how the white men continue to manipulate the African Americans.The battle royal showed Ellison’s metaphor of blindness. It was also a way of masking the African Americans their objectives from what was asked of them. The white men viewed the African Americans as not only inferior beings but as animals as well.The blindfolds the African Americans wore pertain to their own blindness. They were unable to understand that the goodwill that was being showered to them (the coins and the bills) was all false. To add salt to the wound, there was the electric current running on the rug. Ellison, as a writer, did not limit his work to allegories and symbolisms.He presented his thoughts through the narrator’s speech. He entered the tradition of the Black Movement. He discouraged the optimistic social program headed by Booker T. Washington. The speech, in particular, had long quotations from the great reformer’s Atlanta Exposition Address of 1895 (Bloom 28).Ellison didn’t believe in the optimistic assessment of the Caucasians. During his time, the successful African American businessmen were still vulnerable tot eh racial prejudices of poor and uneducated African Americans. Ellison argued this pointing out Washington’s belief through the Narrator’s grandfather ideology.Then there was the white audience who taunted and humiliated the hardworking yet polite Narrator. Finally, the briefcase was coined as â€Å"badge of office. † This was another irony because when one pertains to a badge, they usually refer to an emblem or an insignia that is associated to the job and position of the person. The text however only elaborated that the Narrator was in â€Å"office† because he was a good slave. The briefcase appeared throughout the novel, which served as the reminder for the Narrator of his self-effacement.If the reader would continue reading â€Å"Invisible Man†, he would discover that the Narrator matured and developed a new understanding on race relations. He began to assert his identity with his relations. Similar to other works such as Charles Dickens’ â€Å"Great Expectations† and â€Å"David Copperfield†, Charlotte Bronte’s â€Å"Jane Eyre† and Mark Twain’s â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†, Ellison’s novel  "Invisible Man† discussed the individual’s existence alongside people who deemed him different because of his non-traditional ways.The â€Å"novel of formation† is considered to be the kind of existentialism that combines the story of the lead with the world where he discovered what he was trying to find out in terms of his race, his society and his identity (Butler 588). †I felt a wave of irrational guilt and fear. My teeth chattered, my skin turned to goose flesh, my knees knocked. Yet I was strongly attracted and looked in spite of myself. Had the price of looking been blindness, I would have looked. † (Ellison 939).This was from the original short story â€Å"Battle Royal† which eventually became the first chapter of the â€Å"Invisible Man. † This conveyed the desired of the African American spirit during the age of oppression that was overshadowed by fear and ignorance. Ellison used perception in order to give the readers the thoug ht provoking and shocking dissertation on what the African American culture had to go through, despite the notions that equality was brewing. â€Å"Battle Royal† is an allegory that illustrates the African American community’s journey to overcome the oppressive attitudes of Caucasians.The novel is a record of the African American’s search for success over the adversities he faced. Like any other fiction, Ellison devotes his work to an experience. The Narrator shifts from naivety and enchantment into a structured realization of his pretentiousness.Ellison’s work continues to be updated, despite it being published in 1952. The Narrator wondered â€Å"Could politics ever be an expression of love? † This might be a meaningless question for most but for the Narrator, it is appropriate that he presented his thoughts as the passive victim of every experience.He was dissuaded by the white to discover his real self and was limited when it came to the possib ilities. His â€Å"invisibility† was manipulated by the social group that was deemed to be superior than his. He wasn’t able to fully assert his individuality.The fact remained that the Narrator had to stumble over various social fences before he could recognize those â€Å"infinite possibilities† in front of him. Regardless, â€Å"Battle Royal† is abundant of the primary talent that was rooted from Ellison.With his intelligence on the subject matter, the novelist was wildly inventive in coming up with the scenes that were dipped in tension. It was probably painful for him to see his people bleeding so he wrote in a language that stung the reader.No other writer was able to capture the agony, gloom and confusion of the African American life as well as Ellison. Most reviewers commend â€Å"Battle Royal† as a good reading, not only for African American studies but for English Literature as a whole.This short story is a cry from the African Americans that they should be heard and by reading this, they would be.Works Cited Schor, Edith Visible Ellison Greenwood Press, 1993 Sun Joo-Lee, Julia, â€Å"Knuckle Bones and Knocking Bones† Vol 36, 2002 Wolfe, Jesse â€Å"Ambivalent Man: Ellison’s Rejection of Communism† Vol 34, 2000 Valiunas, Albert â€Å"The Great Black Hope† Vol 119 March 2005 Bloom, Harold, African Americans In Literature Chelsea House, 1986 Butler, Robert J. , The Critical Response to Ralph Ellison, Greenwood Press, 2000. Ellison, Ralph, Invisible Man. Chelsea House, 1986.