Golden Ratio

Golden ratio ; The Definition of Beauty â€Å"Geometry has two great treasures: one is the Theorem of Pythagoras; the other, the division of a line into extreme and mean ratio. The first we may compare to a measure of gold; the second we may name a precious jewel. †Ã‚   Johannes Kepler, 1571-1630 The golden ratio is present in everyday Life. The golden proportion is the ratio of the shorter length to the longer length which equals the ratio of the longer length to the sum of both lengths. It can be expressed algebraicay like : This ratio has always been considered most pleasing to the eye.It was named the golden ratio by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, the numeric value is called â€Å"phi†, named for the Greek sculptor Phidias. The Golden Ratio is also known as the golden section, golden mean or golden rectangle. The Golden Rectangle has the property that when a square is removed a smaller rectangle of the same shape remains, a smaller square can be removed an d so on, resulting in a spiral pattern. It is a unique and important shape in mathematics which also appears in nature, music, and is often used in art and architecture. Our human eye „seesâ€Å" the golden rectangle as a beautiful geometric form.Leonardo Fibonacci discovered the unusual properties of the numeric series, that’s how it was named. It is not proven that Fibonacci even noticed the connection between the Golden Ratio meaning and Phi. The Renaissance used the Golden Mean and Phi in their sculptures and paintings to achieve vast amounts balance and beauty. Throughout the centuries, artists have used the golden ratio in their own creations. An example is â€Å"post† by Picasso. The Golden Ratio also appears in the Parthenon in Athens. It was built about 440 B. C. ; it forms a perfect Golden Rectangle. Another example of the Golden Ratio is shown in Egyption Pyramids.Ancient Egyptions used the Golden Ratio to build their pyramids. The pyramids show one o f the first examples of using the golden ratio in architecture. The Golden Ratio was used to build these wonders of the world back in around 2500 B. C. In India, the Golden Mean was used in the construction of the Taj Mahal, which was completed in 1648. After writing this essay an interesting result has occurred. Now I see the examples of the Golden Ratio everywhere. It is like my eyes were opened whole time but didnt take any attention about those detais. And I'm glad because it changed.

Aes Cost of Capital

International Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital Agenda 1 2 3 4 5 International Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital Analyzing Cost of Capital among Countries Cross Border Listing of Stocks International Asset Pricing Model (IAPM) The Financial Structure of Subsidiaries Case Analysis – AES Corporation 6 International Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital Your Logo International Capital Structure and the Cost of Capital †¢ Firms are becoming multinational in both scope AND in capital structure †¢ Fully integrated financial markets = the same cost of capital both domestically and abroad o If not, opportunity may exists to decrease cost of capital Cost of Capital †¢ The minimum rate of return an investment must generate to cover its financing cost †¢ Firms will undertake projects if the return is expected to exceed the cost of capital †¢ Return = Cost of Capital : value unchanged †¢ Return > Cost of Capital : firm’s value incre ases †¢ Return < Cost of Capital : bad investment Weighted Average Cost of Capital (K) †¢ When a firm has both debt and equity financing, weighted average cost of capital: K = (1-? )K+ ? (1- t)i K = (1-? )KL + ? i(1- t) †¢ (1- ? = weight of cost of capital that is from equity †¢ KL = cost of equity capital †¢ ? = debt-to-total-market-value ratio (weight of total cost of capital that is from debt) †¢ i = before-tax cost of debt capital (borrowing) †¢ t = marginal corporate income tax rate o Interest payments are tax deductible K = (1-? )KL + ? i(1- t) †¢ (1- ? ) = weight of cost of capital that is from equity †¢ KL = cost of equity capital †¢ ? = debt-to-total-market-value ratio (weight of total cost of capital that is from debt) †¢ i = before-tax cost of debt capital (borrowing) †¢ t = marginal corporate income tax rate o Interest payments are tax deductible K = (1-? )KL + ? i(1- t) †¢ (1- ? ) = weight of cost of capit al that is from equity †¢ KL = cost of equity capital †¢ ? = debt-to-total-market-value ratio (weight of total cost of capital that is from debt) †¢ i = before-tax cost of debt capital (borrowing) †¢ t = marginal corporate income tax rate o Interest payments are tax deductible K = (1-? )KL + ? i(1- t) †¢ (1- ? ) = weight of cost of capital that is from equity †¢ KL = cost of equity capital †¢ ? = debt-to-total-market-value ratio (weight of total cost of capital that is from debt) †¢ i = before-tax cost of debt capital (borrowing) †¢ t = marginal corporate income tax rate o Interest payments are tax deductible K = (1-? )KL + ? i(1- t) †¢ (1- ? ) = weight of cost of capital that is from equity †¢ KL = cost of equity capital †¢ ? = debt-to-total-market-value ratio (weight of total cost of capital that is from debt) †¢ i = before-tax cost of debt capital (borrowing) †¢ t = marginal corporate income tax rate o Interest payments are tax deductible Example †¢ K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company is financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 0)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 Example †¢ K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company is financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 70)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 Example †¢ K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company is financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 70)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 Example K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company is financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 70)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 Example †¢ K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company is financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 70)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 Example †¢ K = (1-? )KL + ? (1- t)i o Company s financing 30% of capital by debt (? ) ? So they’re financing 70% (1-0. 30) by equity (1-? ) †¢ Cost of equity capital is 10% †¢ Before-tax cost of borrowing is 6% †¢ Marginal corporate tax rate is 15% K = (0. 70)0. 10 + 0. 30(1-0. 15)0. 06 K = 8. 53% Minimizing weighted average cost of capital(WACC) †¢ Lowest WAC C is obtained when the optimal combination of debt and equity are used †¢ Increases # of profitable capital expenditures o Firm value is increased as long as the return on new projects exceeds the firm’s WACC †¢ Internationalizing the firm’s capital structure helps to decrease the cost of capital Firm’s Investment Decision and the Cost of Capital †¢ A firm that can reduce it's cost of capital will be able to increase the profitable capital expenditures that they can invest in †¢ This results in increasing shareholder wealth †¢ We can do this by internationalizing our cost of capital Factors that affect the WACC Controllable Uncontrollable †¢1 Capital structure policy Proportion of debt and equity †¢ Interest rates Increases cost of debt, may indirectly increase cost of equity †¢ Investment Policy Degree of risk associated with new projects †¢ Tax rates Increase in corporate tax rate decreases cost of debt decreases WA CC Economic conditions Ie. Financial crisis of 2007/2008 Calculating the firm’s equity cost of capital Usually estimated using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM): †¢ Ri = Rf + ? (Rm – Rf) †¢ Ri: Expected return of security I †¢ Rf: Risk-free interest rate †¢ ? : measures volatility of security i compared to the market portfolio †¢ Rm: Market portfolio Cost of capital in segmented vs. integrated markets †¢ Ri = Rf + ? (Rm – Rf) †¢ In segmented markets, Rm is usually proxied by the S for the United States †¢ In integrated markets, Rm can be proxied using the MSCI World index Cost of capital in segmented vs. ntegrated markets†¦ continued †¢ Same future cash flows are likely to be priced differently in different countries in segmented markets, why? o ? is measured against the domestic market portfolio a this differs from country to country †¢ In fully integrated markets, same future cash flows will be priced the same as ? is now measured against the same world market portfolio Analyzing Cost of Capital among Countries Your Logo Does the Cost of Capital Differ among countries? ? Researches suggest that although international financial markets are not segmented anymore, they are still not fully integrated ? The empirical evidence is not clear-cut If the international financial markets = less than fully integrated, then there can be systematic differences To illustrate that capital markets are less than fully integrated, McCauley and Zimmer (1994) provided a direct comparison of the cost of capital among the 4 major countries: Germany, Japan, UK and US Method: 1. estimate the cost of debt and equity capital 2. compute the cost of funds (weighted average cost of capital) – using capital structure in each country as the weight 3. compute the cost of capital in real terms after adjusting for the inflation rate Effective Real After-Tax Cost of Debt Cost of Equity Debt -to-Equity Value Ratios Real After-Tax Cost of Funds Example – Novo Industri †¢ Produces industrial enzymes and health care products †¢ 1970s, management decided to finance planned future growth of company by entering international capital markets †¢ Danish stock market was small and illiquid – company needed to internationalize †¢ Novo management felt they were facing a higher cost of capital than competitors because of the segmented nature of the Danish stock market Example – Novo Industri Went international by: Increased transparency by presenting financial and technical statements in Danish and English †¢ Cross-listed on the London Stock Exchange, †¢ Listed ADRs (so that US investors can invest in US dollars rather than Danish) The Result: †¢ Novo Industri’s stock price increased while other Danish stocks didn’t Implications of the example Firms operating in small, segmented domestic capital market can gain access to new capit al and lower the cost of capital by listing their stocks on large, liquid capital markets like the New York and London Stock Exchanges. Cross border listing of stocks Your Logo Cross-Border Listings of Stocks †¢ Firms can potentially benefit from crossborder listings †¢ Why? o Gain access to additional sources of capital while lowering cost of capital by increasing investor base o Increase in stock prices due to more demand and trading of the stock Cross-Border Listings of Stocks †¢ Firms seem to prefer to list in neighbouring markets †¢ Why? o Similarities in markets o A â€Å"home bias† Cross-Border Listings of Stocks †¢ Generally, o Potentially expand investor base, which leads to a higher stock price and lower cost of capital lower transaction costs ? improvement in quality and quantity of firm specific information available to investors o Creates a secondary market for the company’s shares and facilitates raising new capital in foreign mar kets liquidity of a company’s stock o Enhance Cross-Border Listings of Stocks †¢ Generally, o Enhances the visibility of the company and it’s products in foreign markets shares may be used as the â€Å"acquisition currency† for taking over foreign companies o Cross-listed o May improve the company’s corporate governance and transparency Cross-Border Listings of Stocks May improve the company’s corporate governance and transparency† †¢ Once companies cross-lists its shares on foreign exchanges (NYSE, LSE), they are required to follow strong disclosure and listing requirements †¢ On average, foreign companies listed on U. S. exchanges are valued ~17% higher Cross-Border Listings of Stocks †¢ Disadvantages o Meeting disclosure and listing requirements can be costly (U. S. GAAP) in overseas markets o Volatility o Foreigners may take a controlling interest in the company and challenge domestic control International Asset Pricin g Model IAPM Your Logo IAPM For understanding the effects of international cross-listings. †¢ assuming cross-listed assets are internationally tradable assets and internationally nontradable assets. IAPM †¢ CAPM: Ri=Rf+(RM-Rf)Bi Bi = Cov(Ri , RM)/Var(RM) =; Ri=Rf+[(RM-Rf)/Var(RM)]Cov(Ri,RM) AMM risk-aversion: Y*=[E(r)-rf]/(A? 2)  » AM is a measure of aggregate risk aversion  » M is aggregate market value of market portfolio =; Ri=Rf+ AMM Cov(Ri,RM) IAPM †¢ Asset pricing mechanism under: †¢ Complete integration – assets are trade internationally according to world systematic risk Complete segmentation – assets are trade respected to country systematic risk. Suppose two countries: Domestic Country and Foreign Country †¢ IAPM Complete Segmentation †¢1 Domestic Country E(R): †¢ Foreign Country E(R): Rg = Rf + AFF Cov (Rg , RF) Ri = Rf + ADD Cov (Ri , RD) Complete Integration Both Domestic and Foreign: Ri = Rf + AwW Cov (Ri , RW) In re alty, assets are priced as partially integrated world financial markets IAPM Partially Integrated World Financial Markets †¢ Internationally tradable assets are priced as if world financial markets were completely integrated †¢ Non-tradable assets will be priced by world systematic risk (pricing spillover effect) and a country-specific systematic risk. o o Spillover effect – externalities of economic activity or processes those who are not directly involved in it. Pollution, technology, even financial markets IAPM Nontradable assets of the domestic country: Ri=Rf+ AwW Cov*(Ri,RW)+ ADD [Cov(Ri , RD)- Cov*(Ri , RD)] Cov* (Ri , RW) Indirect world systematic risk Cov*(Ri,RW) is the indirect covariance between the ith nontradable asset and world market portfolio. Cov(Ri , RD)- Cov* (Ri , RD) Poor domestic systematic risk Cov*(Ri , RD) is indirect covariance between the future returns on the ith non-tradable asset and domestic country’s market portfolio that is ind uced by tradable assets. IAPM implications: 1. International listing (trading) of assets in otherwise segmented markets directly integrates international capital market by making these asset tradable. 2. Firms with non-tradable assets get free ride from firms with tradable assets in sense that former indirectly benefit from international integration in terms of a lower cost of capital and higher asset prices. Effect of Foreign Equity Ownership Restrictions †¢ Restrictions on maximum % ownership of local firms by foreigners †¢ Mexico and India: limited to 49% †¢ Two different classes of equity Chinese firms issue A shares and B shares †¢ Ensuring domestic control of local firms Pricing-to-market (PTM) phenomenon †¢ Constraint is effective in limiting desired foreign ownership eg. Korean firm’s restriction on foreigners is 20% Foreigners want to buy 30% †¢ Foreign and domestic investors may face different market share prices Asset Pricing under For eign Ownership Restrictions †¢ A firm’s cost of capital depends on which investors, domestic or foreign, supply capital. †¢ A firm can reduce its cost of capital by internationalizing its ownership structure. An Example of Foreign Ownership Restrictions: Nestle †¢ Nestle used to issue two different classes of common stock: – Bearer shares: foreigners – Registered shares: Swiss citizens – The bearer stock was more expensive. Nestle An Example of Foreign Ownership Restrictions: Nestle †¢ On November 17, 1988, Nestle lifted restrictions imposed on foreigners, allowing them to hold registered shares as well as bearer shares. †¢ A major transfer of wealth from foreign shareholders to Swiss shareholders. †¢ The total value of Nestle increased substantially when it internationalized its ownership structure. †¢ Nestle’s cost of capital therefore declined. An Example of Foreign Ownership Restrictions: Nestle †¢ The Ne stle episode illustrates: – The importance of considering market imperfections – The peril of political risk – The benefits to the firm of internationalizing its ownership structure The Financial Structure of Subsidiaries Your Logo The Financial Structure of Subsidiaries Three different approaches to determining: 1. Conform to the parent company’s norm – where the parent company is fully responsible for the subsidiary’s financial obligations – not necessarily consistent with minimizing the parent’s overall cost of capital The Financial Structure of Subsidiaries Three different approaches to determining: 2. Conform to the local norm of the country where the subsidiary operates – When the parent company is willing to let its subsidiary default, or the guarantee of obligations becomes difficult to enforce across national borders – Not the optimal one approach (immature nature of local financial markets) The Financial Structure of Subsidiaries Three different approaches to determining: 3. Vary judiciously to capitalize on opportunities to reduce financing costs and risks – Most reasonable and consistent with minimizing firm’s overall cost of capital – Take advantage of subsidized loans Taxes deduction of interest payment – Take advantage of various market imperfections (ex. political risks) CASE: Globalizing the Cost of Capital and Cost Budgeting at AES BRIEF BACKGROUND AES Originally Applied Energy Services †¢ Founded in 1981 †¢ Publically traded since 1991 †¢ In 2003 – Leading independent supplier of electricity in the world – $33 Billion in asset (eg. Power plants, generation facility, other energy related businesses) stretched across 30 countries and 5 continents AES Early Success †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 1983: 1st cogeneration facility is built in Houston, Texas 1988: Net income = $1. million 1991: AES goes public, net income = $42. 6 million 1991-1992: AES initiates international expansion 1996-1998: estimated 80%-85% capital investment is overseas †¢ 2000: Revenue = $4. 958 billion Net Income = $778 million AES Typical Investment Structure AES AES stock price (market cap in 2000 reached $28 billion @ $70/share) AES AES stock price (market cap in 2002 fell 95% to $1. 6 billion @ $1/share AES What Happened? †¢ It's recipe for success (international exposure) became their recipe for disaster o Much of AES' expansion took place in developing countries (there was more unmet demand vs. eveloped countries) †¢ Main factors: o Devaluation of key South American currencies ? Argentine, Brazilian, Venezuelan currency crises o Adverse changes in energy regulatory requirements ? Government mandated energy rationing and competition o Decline in energy commodity prices AES AES ISSUES AES Simple Domestic Finance Framework †¢ 12% discount rate was used for all contract generation projects o al l dividend flows from projects were deemed equally risky ? fair assumption because businesses had similar capital structures o most risks could be hedged in the domestic market AES Same Model was Exported Overseas Worked well initially, when they first expanded to Northern Ireland o had many of the same characteristics as domestic projects †¢ Model became increasingly strained in Brazil and Argentina o Hedging key exposures was not feasible (currency, regulatory.. ) AES SO†¦ AES needed of a methodology for calculating Solution by AES valuation & cost of capital for capital budgeting at AES businesses in diverse locations around the world AES How did AES deal with it? †¢ Rob Venerus, director of Corporate Analysis & Planning questioned whether the traditional CAPM would suffice †¢ He did not advocate the use of a world CAPM o AES owned businesses in poorly integrated capital markets Countries such as Tanzania and Georgia did not have any meaningful capital markets †¢ He did not advocate the use a local CAPM either o AES How did AES deal with it? †¢ So Rob Venerus developed a new model: Step 1 †¢ Calculate the cost of equity using U. S. market data for each of AES' projects o Average the unlevered equity betas from comparable U. S. companies o Relever the beta to reflect the capital structure of each of AES' projects o Cost of equity = Rf + ? (Rm – Rf) AES How did AES deal with it? Step 2 †¢ Calculate the cost of debt by adding the U. S. risk free rate and a â€Å"default spread† o Cost of Debt = Rf + Default Spread o The â€Å"default spread† is based on the relationship between EBIT ratios for comparable companies and their cost of debt. AES AES How did AES deal with it? Step 3 †¢ Add the sovereign spread to both the cost of equity and the cost of debt o this accounts for country-specific market risk, which is the difference between local government bond yields and corresponding U. S. Treasury y ields. †¢ These steps allow AES to calculate a WACC that reflects the systematic risk associated with each project in its local market. AES AES How did AES deal with it? BUT†¦ †¢ Most of these local markets are developing markets where â€Å"access to capital was limited and information less than perfect† –> project-specific risk could not be diversified away †¢ â€Å"Project-specific risk† must be accounted for! AES How did AES deal with it? Example of project-specific risk: †¢ There are 2 hydro plants in Brazil that are identical in every aspect, except for the rivers that feed them. River #1 produces cash flows that vary +/50%, River #2 by +/- 10%. If they are financed by 100% equity, CAPM says they are worth the same. Rob Venerus thought this was unconvincing Seven types of â€Å"Project-specific risk†: 1. Operational/Technical 2. Counterparty credit/performance 3. Regulatory 7. Contractual Enforcement/Legal 4. Construction 5. Commodity 6. Currency Weights estimated from AES' ability to anticipate and mitigate risk. Then given a grade between 0 (lowest exposure) and 3 (highest exposure), multiplied by their weights to yield a â€Å"business-specific risk score† AES Example Risk Score Calculation for Lal Pir Project (Pakistan) Business-specific risk score Used to calculate an adjustment to the initial cost of capital o 0 = no adjustment to WACC o 1 = +500 basis points (5%) o 2 = +1000 basis points (10%) o 3 = +1500 basis points (15%) †¢ Overall (exhibit 8 from case): 1. calculate cost of equity and cost of debt using U. S. market data 2. add sovereign spread to each 3. calculate WACC 4. Add a business-specific risk adjustment to WACC SUGGESTION & RECOMMENDATION FOR AES CORPORATION Suggestion & Recommendation †¢ AES Corporation’s current method of valuing risk is clearly inadequate. Not enough risks were being considered in their model, especially political and economic risks in dev eloping countries that the company expanded to. Under this current model, country-specific risk is also difficult to measure. †¢ This new model to value cost and risk should be implemented by AES. – It gives the company a more realistic projection of the risks that they may face with projects that they take on internationally. – Risks such as political, economic, country-specific and business-specific risks are now considered, where in the previous model they were neglected. THE END THANK YOU! Your Logo

How has the evolution of the internet and ethics changed the practice Essay

How has the evolution of the internet and ethics changed the practice of marketing communication - Essay Example eception doctrine has been relatively easier to substantiate compared to unfairness, and this is specifically applicable for electronic media (Johnson & David, 1996; Who’s Watching the Web, www.aaf.org/relations/onlineprivacy.htm). The current study seeks to evaluate the evolution of the internet and ethical and their implications on the practice of marketing communication. It presents the factors which are perceived as unethical by internet consumers, and the significant predictors of consumers’ evaluations of fairness and ethicality. The following section presents the review of related literature. The components of the unfairness doctrine suggest that an organization is in discordance only when â€Å"injury† is sustained as an outcome of the marketing communication under contention. A critical issue has been borne out of the tangibility of the requirements to justify injury, and the intrinsic intangibility of the internet. Particularly, this has reinforced the ability to concretely link an organization’s marketing activities on the internet to a monetary or physical injury inflicted on the consumers. This challenge has caused the FTC to dedicate substantial attention and energy to drafting standards for internet marketing communications, in that claims to consumers must be adequately justified through research. However, the issue remains regarding how such a policy that is drafted in the present will be transferable to unfairness issues in the future (McGrath, 1999). The FTC has very distinguished and specific principles and guidelines with regards to determining when marketing communications have committed a violation of fairness. The original policy has been drafted on December 18, 1980, with the intention of precluding â€Å"unfair†¦acts or practices in or affecting commerce.† Drafting a list that stringently expressed that all that is considered â€Å"unfair† would be unproductive due to very dynamic and fast changing market conditions in each industry.

Science and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Entrepreneurship- Patent - Essay Example It works a great deal in detecting cases of diabetes to those who show no symptoms towards the disease. Working tirelessly with my colleagues, we have developed a system whereby it would be simply easy to test for diabetes, pre-diabetes or people who have suffer from diabetes complication. The information included therein contains every procedure and the test device used to test for diabetes. In this regard, the information remains intellectual property of the original owners according to US Patent rights. The information contained in the file named under, â€Å"METHODS FOR DETECTING PRE-DIABETES AND DIABETES USING DIFFERENTIAL PROTEIN GLYCOSYLATION†, Application and Publication Number US 13/457,225 & US20120214179 A1 respectively is the property of the inventor. The materials and procedure provide a unique way which has not be invented by any other individual on testing of pre-diabetes which are those likely to have diabetes in future. This is the cutting edge as the owners’ claims exclusive rights towards an improved diabetes testing

Guanxi and Ethical Judgement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Guanxi and Ethical Judgement - Research Paper Example Problem Statement: The study focused on the determination of the impact of the use guanxi concept in the Chinese organizational managements and the effects on the ethical standards and judgement of the organization. Approach: The research has been a secondary source based research and obtained its materials and understanding from the earlier researches conducted on the concerned topic. Results: It has been obtained from the study that the concept of guanxi has an extreme significance in the management of organizations, particularly with respect to the Chinese organizations. Conclusion: Although there are certain negative aspects of following the concept of guanxi, yet from the study it has been concluded that the concept is an essential factor for the Chinese organizations that have records of success stories from using the guanxi concept and maintaining enhanced interpersonal relationships. Discussion: The study reflected that if the misuse of the concept can be controlled, then the concept would prove to be an efficient and successful one not only for the Chinese organizations but for every other organization. If the world of business is considered, it can be realized that different decisions are taken within the managements that involve the relations that are prevailing among the organizational members. By Guanxi, it is referred to a unique form of relationship that involves reliance, favour, dependence and adjustment between the individuals thus enabling efficient decision making processes that are based on internal relationships. Theorists have speculated and mentioned that this could be used as an instrument for marketing as well since it is involves decisions related to the performance of marketing and the business as a whole. However, there are other theorists who focused on different views and reflected that guanxi if followed at a personal level might lead to unethical behaviour (Chan, Cheng & Szeto, 2002, p.327). Guanxi believed to be capable of leading organizational members to unethical practices; there are severe concerns for the ethical considerations for the business practice s in the Western countries. However, when China is considered for research, it has been observed that the Chinese organizations consider guanxi as an ethical practice (Chan, Cheng & Szeto, 2002, pp.327-328). Guanxi in China is recognized as a major activity in its world of business as well as the society. Guanxi had been realized and introduced in the management policies of Chinese organizations intending to cope with the ever-changing business environment. Although the concept of guanxi has not been clear with respect to China, yet, the process is considered as a realistic way of bringing accord between the different organizational members (Wong, Wong & Wong, 2010, pp.2142-2143). The current research focuses on the practice of guanxi and its relation to ethical judgement in the context of Chinese management behaviour. Literature Review and Propositions Development: Several studies have been conducted on the business ethics practice in Chinese organizations and the use of guanxi in the management policies among the Chinese organizational members. Other researchers who had conducted studies on the business ethics in China focused on how the practice of ethics developed in the country. Earlier the concept of ethics did not have any practical implication. However, their studies imply that ethical practice has now developed to a great extent and it is a part of the organizational management in the Chinese business world. Al-Khatib, Vollmers and Liu however mentioned that there has been a huge decline in the moral standards of the

The Cost of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cost of Justice - Essay Example (Collins English Dictionary2011) Defining cost answers the question what is the cost of justice? Cost is defined as something that is not free. If something has a value it can be bought. In terms of being bought, can justice be bought? Justice is something that is supposed to be free to everyone. Everyone deserves the right to justice. In America justice does not live up to its definition. Justice can be bought for a cost. The cost can be money, freedom, discipline, or losing something. Many states offer justice for a cost. Justice can be very expensive when dealing on a statewide level. The cost is great for states wanting to keep justice free and well disciplined. The cost for justice in most states can be very expensive. The state of Virginia spends a great deal of funds on different expenditures. These expenditures can range anywhere from $10.00 to tens of thousands of dollars. justice may have out of pocket expenses. Some seeking justice have no way of paying and are required to seek justice from the state. Although that justice may be free to the individual, it is not free to the state or federal. Justice comes from somewhere at a specific cost. To make sure justice is served, states like the state of Virginia have costs. In 2005, â€Å"the average prisoner in a Virginia prison costs $31,200 for the year.† (Stephan.) If there are 500 prisoners, the costs for one year are well over ten million dollars. That is a lot of money to spend on justice for one year. That amount is only for prison expenditures. There is much other state expenditure that provides justice. Justice does come at other costs. Punishing others and sentencing them to prison is only one way to provide justice at a cost. Health care for corrections has an even bigger costs then keeping a prisoner. The state of Virginia, â€Å"spends over 4,333 million in corrections healthcare costs†. The costs for corrections are huge. After looking over some of the

FEDERAL CONTRACTING ISSUES Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FEDERAL CONTRACTING ISSUES - Term Paper Example CCR is the official free on-line registrant database for the US Federal Government that collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition agency acquisition and award missions (BPN, 2011). After training and being registered, one can start soliciting for opportunities to do business with the federal government. In some instances, businesses offering similar products or services team up to solicit the federal contract opportunities. The law requires the large prime contractors to come up with opportunities of subcontracting with small business ventures. For this assignment, our company, Global IT & Office Solutions Ltd that specializes in computer solutions and office machine repair and maintenance services would like to offer these type services to the government agencies. This type of business falls under category NAICS 811212 (SIC 7978, FSC/ PSC code 74) which comprises of establishments primarily engaged in repairing and maintaining computers and office machines without retailing new computers and office machines (NAICS, 2011). To register the following information was provided: Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number provided by Dun and Bradstreet; Tax Identification Number (TIN) and Tax Payer name used in federal tax matters; statistical information about the business; and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) information for payment of invoices (BPN, 2011). Global IT & Office Solutions Ltd is based in Erie, PA and was founded in 1997 to offer computer and office equipments repair and maintenance services to our esteemed customers who range from individuals, institutions, government agencies and multinational corporations. We service all models and makes of computers and office equipments. Our strength is based on keeping up-to-date with technological advancements; highly trained, experienced and

Hotel Rwanda Essay Example for Free

Hotel Rwanda Essay Hotel Rwanda describes the rivalry between two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Both groups shared the same language, culture, territory, customs and beliefs but had different physical features and belonged to different ‘classes’. On the 6th of April 1994, the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed when their plane was shelled by rocket fire as it attempted to land at the airport in Kingali, Rwanda. The assassination of the Hutu president was attributed to the Tutsis just as a pretext to begin violence since it is believed his own people, the Hutus, murdered him. Then the genocide begins. The film focuses on the story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a Hutu hotel manager at the Mille Collines, a Belgian-owned luxury hotel. We also learn early in the film that his wife and her family is Tutsi. Along with checking in guests, Rusesabagina must use his wise business sense to buy supplies from a rebellious Hutu who strives to get him involved in taking a stand against the Tutsis. As chaos ensues, United Nations forces, previously stationed to help, leave the Rwandans with nothing but their own will. Tutsi refugees turn to the Hutu Rusesabagina for help. Paul becomes the hero of the film saving over 1,000 refugees from death by harboring them in the hotel that he manages. Hotel Rwanda is a film made to show the world the violence and cruel things that were going on in South America. Nearly 1 million people were killed in less than 3 months. Paul Russesabegina (Don Chedle) was an amazing actor in the movie. He made a point. He was a true actor. He showed the viewers that he loved his people and wasnt going to let neither himself nor anyone else give up. European guests and staff at the hotel are flown out of the country, and Paul is left in charge. He finds that his conscience wont allow him to watch as the innocent are slaughtered, and before long, the hotel has become a well-appointed refugee camp. Some sees Paul as a traitor putting his life in danger. The predicament of his guests grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) and a UN peacekeeping colonel (Nick Nolte), the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre. For me, the main theme of this movie is writing a wrong that is so terrible in nature that everybody is just unwilling to take a stand. The wrong is so unabashedly violent and righteous that everybody is willing to take a step back and wait for somebody to handle it. In this movie’s case, all hope was on the UN. However, only the foreign nationals initially got the aid of the UN. The nationals were left to figure things out on their own. In this case, Paul Rusesabagina became the unlikely hero. Doing the right thing at that time proved to be dangerous on himself and his family. It would have been easier for him to sell his soul rather than go against the majority movement. And yet, he did go against the tide and did the right thing by using his cool intellect and calm manner of dealing with his staff, the military, the militants and the rest of his family members and neighbors. Seeing death being done is bad enough. I can only imagine how devastating that can be. However, I understand his emotions when he saw his son traumatized by the situation. As a parent myself, I would not want any of my sons to witness such brutal acts of humanity on another human, let alone the violence that was done to the boy, too. Although Mr. Rusesabagina acted cool and composed in the film, I cannot help but wonder if, indeed, he was composed during the entire time he was still in the country. The atmosphere of the entire movie came across to me as harsh. That is, the scenes were unforgiving in their abrasive, visceral violence. The discordant scenes of killing and women being abused and disrespected were forceful. The film strived to be earnest and honest in the depiction of this inhumane genocide that affected the world. While watching the film, I was reminded of Hitler’s move to eliminate Jews from the world. This was WWII. It was and still is a horrible way of thinking. Yet, Hitler still found people to commiserate with his vision and ideal world. 50 years later, this genocide happens in Rwanda. Horrible. And yet, this incident did come to pass and it’s a true story. How can people treat their fellow human beings in this manner? Why act like savages when we have the capacity for love and compassion? What is it that drives such a crooked point-of-view to gain momentum? I’ve thought about this the whole weekend. The only answer I can come up with is that God gave mankind the gift of free will with our intellect and humanness. It is really up to us to use these gifts to the best of our ability. The choice to do right and wrong will always be upon us. Therefore, the consequences of our decisions and the foregoing actions that ensue because of these decisions will shape our lives. As such, the genocide that happened in Rwanda cannot be undone. But, we can learn the lessons needed to become better people. As with Paul Rusesabagina, his choice to fight passively with single-minded intention of getting his family and friends safely out of the country helped these individuals continue a life on this Earth. For just this trait, I salute him not only for standing on his belief and principles but for letting love and compassion identify the living force within him and having him translate this into the saving of human lives.

Conflict Between US And USSR History Essay

Conflict Between US And USSR History Essay In the stressful conflict that accrued between the United States and the U.S.S.R. Was after the Second World War with Hitler. The United States and the Soviet Union In 1945 became the two leading super powers in Europe, with the USSR predominately occupying the countries of Eastern Europe. The United States was the peace keeper of the countries of Western Europe. These two superpowers, in Germany along with France and Britain, agreed on occupied areas of land which made up a framework for four-power control over Europes land mass. In the February meetings at Yalta, in July/August at Potsdam in 1945 the two superpowers and Britain negotiated to divide the states for a land territory settlement of Europe. When the Potsdam conference became serious many differences were fought over about the future evolving status of Germany and the rest of the states of Europe. Each meeting the super powers discussed the Far East They paid very close attention to the admittance of the USSR into the war against Japan. By 1947 an east-west division of states was manifesting its head with the Soviets seriously intending on undermining democracy and establishing puppet communist regimes in Eastern Europe. In Germany the Soviets were bent on crippling their economy and creating an overwhelming influence in their territory that they wanted to occupy. The Soviets defended their desires of Europe in terms of creating anti-Fascist governments which were friendly towards the USSR and her beliefs. The USSR was portraying the United States as bent on destroying communism while the United States portrayed the USSR as determined to undermining liberal democracy in the United States as well as Europe. The Cold War was marked by the Berlin Blockade Crisis of 1948-9. As time progressed the victory of Maos Red Army of the American sponsored Nationalist Government in China in 1949 and the Korean War in 1950, received pressure from the Soviet military occupation of Hungary in 1956. From Berlin on to 1958 leading up to the Wall crisis of 1961 in Berlin, Germany and the Missile Crisis in Cuba in 1962. During this time the Americans pulled their resources together and their new role as leader of the West was offering assistance to the economies of the Western European states they occupied through the implemented Marshall Plan of 1947. Recently allied to an emerging alliance of Western European states America signed the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949; taking the lead in controlling the Federal Republic of Germany from the three Western zones that were occupied in 1949. In the early 1950s America worked for rearming of these new states and its full membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization during the year 1955. The USSR proclaimed its territories in Germany as the German Democratic Republic completely created a formal alliance with its Eastern European new friends in 1955 which created the Warsaw Pact Treaty Organization. The Americans concluded an alliance in Asia making a peace treaty with Japan in 1951 and 1952 and included other states such as Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines, within a series of alliances, while the USSR finished an alliance with China in 1950. but the Americans gradually became entangled in a more complex war in Vietnam while the war in Korea ended in 1953 in which it supported the South Vietnam against North Vietnam which the north was backed by the USSR and China. Throughout this era the two countries made policies of rearming of nuclear weapons with continued developed of long-range weapons where they could destroy each other from their own countries. The Cuban Missile Crisis relations got much better after the agreements were finished in stabilizing the situations in Europe. The Quadripartite Agreement from Berlin in 1971 led to the two German states entering the United Nations in 1973. The Helsinki Accords agreed the Co-operation in Europe in 1975 which appeared to mark a tacit peace treaty to end the Cold War and World War II by the Conference on Security. Agreements that limited the nuclear arms race were also finished. The conflict between the superpowers kept on going even through this era of this easing, as of tension between competitors. Even in new areas of rivalry such as was in Africa crossed its Continent while the betterment of relations continued between China and, the United States with the added work of President Nixon, the Secretary of State Kissinger, and Premier Chou En-Lai. Together they eased the tensions between the United States and the USSR worsening the relations between her and China. This gave a new shap e to negotiations towards peace between the two superpowers in the 1970s. By the mid-1970s the Cold War in its original form can be said to have died away. The arms race between East and West had all the characteristics of a classic action-reaction model of international conflict in which each side reacts to an earlier step by the other side. The explanation of the origins of the conflict is more complex, though three broad categories of explanation can be identified. First, some analysts have emphasized that the Cold War occurred primarily as a result of the destruction of German power, the resulting power vacuum in Central Europe and the new bipolar balance of power between the superpowers. From this perspective, the Cold War was a traditional great power conflict in which ideological rivalry was essentially secondary and the structural constraints of bipolarity crucial in throwing the two sides apart. A second explanation, sometimes called the orthodox or liberal interpretation, stresses the American desire for a return to a much more limited internatio nal role after the Second World War. However, after having begun to disarm and disengage from Europe, the Americans were obliged by Soviet expansionism in Eastern Europe to take up in 1947 a much more active, and unsought for, role in Europe in order to contain Soviet power. A third explanation stresses the long-term objective of the American capitalist power to undermine communism and to expand American power throughout the Middle East, the Far East, and all of Europe. Some writers in this category thus trace the Cold War back to American opposition to the 1917 Russian Revolution. Of course, many accounts weave together two or even all three of these broad categories. In the 1980s there was a short-lived but intensive reawakening of the Cold War, sometimes called the New Cold War. DÃ ©tente petered out in the late 1970s, arms control faltered, and in December 1979 the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan. From the year 1980 onward the USSR exerted intense pressure over the government of Poland. In the United States Reagan denounced the Soviet Union in ideological terms and in Britain Thatcher denounced the Soviet Union in ideological terms which was unheard of since the worst days of the Cold War. On the Western side there was rearmament in Europe, under the so-called double-track policy of NATO, changes in the American doctrine of deterrence which appeared to emphasize the political utility of limited nuclear war, and the American pursuit of defenses against Soviet missiles in the Strategic Defense Initiative. In the post-year 1945 era it was difficult to disentangle action and reaction between the two sides. In any case, by 1987 the two superpower s had moved decisively back towards a better agreement on treaties by 1989 while Soviet power itself had crumbled. The US and Russian agreements needed to work together against terrorism after September 11, 2001 which marked the most dramatic change in their relations since the start of the Cold War in 1948. The imploded views of the socialists in Europe in 1989 started this new European order. Germany was brought back together, healing the pain and suffering along Europes heart and soul. This time in history that has been described as the Cold War, needed to be ended. Soviet spokesperson Gennadi Gerasimov stated, this era of conflict had last from Yalta to Malta, a reference to the time between the famous 1945 summit and a brief conference with the U.S. President George Bush including Gorbachev off the coast of the neutral island of Malta in December 1989. Latter at a summit, Gorbachev announced the end of an era and the start of a new one, a lasting and peaceful one, promising that he would never start a hot war against the United States. Bush said, that he looked forward to enduring cooperation. The real end to the period would come two years later, when the Soviet Union ceased to exist. (Freedman, L. 2010)

Ethical Issues in Business: Accounting and Environmentalism

Ethical Issues in Business: Accounting and Environmentalism Cassandra Swinden Part A: This section is to outline the importance of social accounting and social reporting and to define this with an in depth explanation; in terms of within a business society. The use of the company Apple as a case study and further references, will allow a detailed analysis of these terms, to give a deeper understanding to the reader. Social accounting and reporting is a huge factor in measuring companies’ performances, however there is no single agreed definition. Therefore we could ask what actually is social accounting and reporting, if there is no official identity to the terms. Social accounting and reporting is a way of evaluating a business’s performance only on numerical figures. It takes into account other Stakeholder groups rather than just Shareholders, as it highlights the importance of a business responsibility to differing issues. Issues include; environmental, local and national involvement (charity). This statement can be supported by many sources including; D. Crowther (2000) as he defines social accounting in this sense as an approach to reporting a firm’s activities which stresses the need for the identification of socially relevant behaviour, the determination of those to whom the company is accountable for its social performance and the development of appropriate measures and reporting techniques. [1] Another definition to identify the term â€Å"social accounting† comes from O,Dwyer (2006). However he defines the term from the perspective of an accountant stating â€Å"social accounting scholars are a group of individuals with ‘commitment to stakeholder accountability and democracy’†.[2] However this is not always be case, as social accounts may be biased for different reasons. Accountant’s desire for work fees could lead them to saying things which aren’t completely true, which can cause huge legitimacy problems. Secondly soc ial accounting can also be recognised as a contributing factor of many social conflicts and disputes. This links to Apple as looking at the report â€Å"Apples un-kept promises†; we can see that legitimacy problem have arisen, from the claims made in their progress report. Apple claims: â€Å"We don’t tolerate underage labour. Our code requires our suppliers to provide special treatment to juvenile workers.†[3] However the China labour watch disclosed in their report ‘Apples un-kept promises’; that within 2 factories they found many underage workers and employment right were minimal or even non-existent. However social accounting may seem a positive driver for pleasing numerous Stakeholders, nevertheless it still has its disadvantages as a performance measure. Stuart Cooper (2004) â€Å"Social and environmental accounting is flawed as it does not address the problem of the capitalist system†. This suggests that as long as money is the main objective in companies, they will never be legitimate with its social accounting objectives. Apple are a company which seem to adopt a capitalist culture, due to evidence discovering the length of working hours and the wage workers receive. â€Å"Working hours are too long, with 7-day weeks, shifts exceeding 12 hours and 80 hours of overtime a month not uncommon. It appears that falsified attendance records help disguise the real figures†. [4] Further from this the pay rate is at only ‘$1.20 per hour’. Looking at Grey, Owen, Adams theory of social responsibility stances we can see that Apple clearly adopts an expedients approach, as they only proposed changes in 2012 (the progress report), to rebuild their tattered reputation. The report â€Å"un-kept promises† published by the China Labour Watch, showed how all promises mentioned in the progress report, to better employment rights and increase interests with different Stakeholder groups, were shattered, as independent enquiries were made to show that workers were receiving less than adequate treatment, for example no action was made to better environmental issues. To conclude social accounting is an important measure for all businesses. However its importance differs in different ways, as some businesses only accepts social responsibility as long as it benefits them. However some companies genuinely put the importance of social responsibility, before profits and reputation, these companies usually take a deep ecologist view to responsibility and include companies such as Greenpeace. Overall social responsibility is mainly adopted for self-benefits, and this is where the term â€Å"Green wash† has emerged. Part B: This part of the essay outlines what is meant by the term ‘ethical issues’, giving an understanding of the two theories ethical relativism and ethical absolutism. The report is also to highlight the importance of ethics within companies, and give justification for its importance. Furthermore the use of Apple articles and further references will allow an assessment to be made, and assumptions on Apples performance to these matters will be highlighted. The use of different viewpoints from varying Stakeholders will make the reports analysis more solid, as this will allow advantages and disadvantages to be seen in differing scenarios, rather than just seeing the benefits/negatives of main Shareholders. Ethical issues are mainly defined through two different theories; either relativism or absolutism. Ethical absolutism is a theory where something is only right or wrong, it does not consider any other situations or scenarios. On the other hand Ethical relativism this theory were nothing is categorically right or wrong, as it is mainly relies on the circumstances of an individual, culture, beliefs or emotions. Therefore there is more tolerance on positive or negative actions that may be seen as immoral due to the moral absolutism theory. Looking at Apples Progress Report for 2012 outlines, how Apple have managed ethical matters to suite many Stakeholders involved within the company, demonstrating strong cooperate responsibility. Many statements are made within report; differing amongst Stakeholder groups, however the quote â€Å"We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.† [5] This statement evidently indicates the importance of the employee, pressure groups and environmentalists to the Apple brand; this analytically shows good responsibility to these stakeholders welfare. However contrasting this other sources have indicated that Apple has not complied with many of the statements they have made, regarding their ethical responsibility. A report called the ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle (2011) found that â €Å"it was discovered that Lian Jian Technology had environmental violations, as they â€Å"did not carry out the appropriate measures which resulted in hazardous waste material run off. They also had not filled out the hazardous waste transfer manifest documentation.† [6] From this we can evidently assume that Apple have minimal interest in changing practices to make them more environmentally friendly, they’d rather pay heavy fines. As changing practices would be costly and may affect the annual profits of Apples displeasing the Shareholders. This indicates that social responsibility is only implemented for the interest of Apple. Similarly according to a report from the China Labour watch show cased many ethical issues involving employees throughout all three factories, issues such as; an immense number of underage workers were discovered and of which did not receive any exceptional protection/treatment in comparison to workers of age. They were made to work within t he same conditions and hours of employees of legal age. Additionally all workers were made to sign documents to falsify the hours that they do, therefore breaking employment regulations. However overseas employment is greatly important to many less economically developed countries, Apple provides an income for their employees, as well as giving them opportunities to learn new skills, and increasing their life satisfaction. A Case Study involving Man Power to recruit a workforce force from the Monga-hit region of Rangpur, supports this as â€Å"the government assigned a quota to send 18000 poor people from the Monga-hit region comprising greater Rangpur to overseas countries with job.† [7] As well as offering â€Å"loans to poor youths of the Monga-hit region consisting of greater Rangpur for overseas employment.† [8] This shows the importance of companies being overseas, as governments of these less developed countries heavily encourage inward investment, as it benefits them in many ways; as the government gain more taxation to improve public services, as well as less dependency on them for income. Shareholders will also benefit as wages are much lower overseas, therefore increased profits could be made, increasing dividends. To conclude Apples performance towards its promises to alter social issues, have been extremely poor. As evidence through investigations by the Chinese Labour Watch and a report from the Friends of nature, IPE and Green Beagle all have identified many issues involving numerous Stakeholders, including: employees, environment and its suppliers, where all parties were suffering from the production of Apple products. However on the other hand these factories do play an important role economically to the countries. As they provide employment to very low-skilled people, and most likely pay better wages than competitors. As well, governments promote inward investment into countries like these, as they financially aid the country through additional taxes, as well as a reduction in the unemployed, therefore less dependence on the government for survival. This view is supported by the Case Study on Manpower. Overall for Apple to be socially responsible they do need to address ethical issues th at have been mentioned, as eventually them only providing the advantage and employment to a country won’t be enough. In the future more damage could be made environmentally, costing the government large amounts of money. Part C: This part is to outline why companies might possibly report on environmental responsibility, it is argued many only report on these issues for business case reasons. Furthermore an analysis on what is meant by the term business case will be made, through the use of differing definitions from a range of sources. Applying apple to principles to help understand why companies report on environmental issues and what impact business case reasons has on a company, this will give a greater understanding of the importance of business case, as it will give more personalised answers as Apple may have a differing situation/position to other companies. Also using an existing company to show proposed changes, will lead to a sustainable planet. Finally there will be an explanation on what is understood by the term â€Å"Greenwash†, using multiple references and also demonstrating how it distresses particular Stakeholders. Companies that do things to reflect environmental responsibility but however only do them to in fact increase profitability, sales and even reduce waste to only reduce unit price of products, are only doing these things for business case reasons. Whereas if companies actually take a moral responsibility to environmental practices i.e. reduce their carbon emissions, they are doing this for ethical reasons instead of business case reasons. Therefore business case reasons highlight that companies only demonstrate an environmental policy to maintain a good reputation, however the practices they change/implement is done only to benefit themselves. However according to a report â€Å"beyond the business case† by Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts they state â€Å"A single-minded focus on economic sustainability can succeed in the short run; however, in the long run sustainability requires all three dimensions to be satisfied simultaneously.† [9] This statement suggests those bus inesses that only concentrate on business case issues, intending to make changes to gain economic advantages; this will not benefit them in the long run. As mentioned they need to focus on all three dimensions which include; economic, ecological and social aspects. Therefore, for a business to be a success they need to take into account environmental and social issues. This statement links to Apple as evidence suggests that Apple heavily focuses on economic issues, however neglecting ecological and social issues, which affects a vast majority of Stakeholders, and the reputation of the business. A report called the ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle (2011) identified many environmental issues within the company which affected many internal Stakeholders. For example in the Lain Jian factory they used an alcohol based solution to clean screens and other parts within the construction of their products. However Apple changed its process â€Å"In August, 2008, however, W (Suzhou) suddenly began requiring its employees to replace the alcohol-based cleaner with n-hexane. When interviewed, workers at the factory stated that n-hexane evaporated much more quickly than the alcohol-based cleaner, thereby i ncreasing their efficiency rate.† [10] But controversially Apple didn’t recognise the dangers of this solution, by not reporting the change to the authorities this violated China‘s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases. Not only this, it affected the health of many employees in the company, as it is a poison it left many sick, as the chemical can cause unresponsiveness of limbs. â€Å"Many of the employees at Lian Jian Technology have been falling sick†, â€Å"According to hospital tests and the doctors ‘diagnosis, these employees ‘upper and lower peripheral nerves had been damaged† [11] This clearly shows major environmental and social issues in Apple, and how the importance of increased efficiency was more important, than ensuring the safety of its employees. A lot of employees form this incident decided to leave the company, as it was unsafe for them to work there. They received little compensation, and many of employees had to leave as they were given no other option, leaving them unemployed again and vulnerable as their skill set is minimal. Therefore Apples business case, really need altering as this undoubtedly demonstrates the importance of having all three dimensions (economical, ecological and social) as mentioned in the report â€Å"beyond the business case†. Greenwashing is a tool which a lot of major companies use to make them appear that they take responsibility for environmental issues, but in real terms they don’t; they only publish what they do to enhance their business reputation and brand image, which could possibly increase profitability and sales. It’s only done for self-interests. This is supported by a view from greenwashingindex.com as they state â€Å"It’s greenwashing when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be â€Å"green† through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact. It’s whitewashing, but with a green brush.† [12] Overall from the evidence gathered about business case reasons, which are now known as actions that only benefit the company i.e. increased profits? Are a big tool used in companies, however this continuous approach to only look at economic advantages does not benefit companies in the long-run. As from the report ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle, showed how they only focused on economic benefits through replacing a cleaning solution, which increased efficiency, however it led to huge pay-outs and loss of many employees, meaning large costs and a tattered reputation. This highlights that the view of needing to concentrate on all 3 dimensions, by Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts is grossly important. This leads to the view of Greenwashing, many companies use this tool to appear environmentally involved, but only for self-interests, such as increased brand image and reputation, as well as the possibility of more sales. To conclude comp anies to succeed in the future need to really take on board the importance of environmental and social issues for them to be a success. As these responsibilities are becoming more important to consumers, and other Stakeholders in this day and age. References: D. Crowther, Social and Environmental Accounting (London: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2000), p. 20. Carol A. Tilt. (2008). Corporate Responsibility, Accounting. Available: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDAQFjABurl=http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9783642026294-c1.pdf?SGWID=0-0-. Last accessed 25th February 2014. China Labour Watch. (July 29, 2013). Apples un-kept promises: Cheap iPhones come at high costs to Chinese workers. Available: http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pdf/apple_s_unkept_promises.pdf. Last accessed 22nd February 2014. Hilmar Schmundt and Bernhard Zand. (July 29, 2013). Undercover Report: Apple Faces Fresh Criticism of Factories. Available: http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/labor-violations-rife-at-apple-manufacturing-partners-in-china-a-913652.html. Last accessed 25th February 2014. Apple. (2012). Apple Supplier Progress Report 2012. Available: http://images.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2012_Progress_Report.pdf. Last accessed 24th February 2014. Friends of Nature, IPE, Green Beagle. (2011). The Other Side of Apple. Available: http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf. Last accessed 27th February 2014. The Financial Express. (2010). Call to restore overseas employment opportunity for Monga-hit poor. Available: http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472. Last accessed 26th February 2014. Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts. (2002). Beyond the business case for cooperate sustainability. Available: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDUQFjABurl=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/36386947_Beyond_the_Business_Case_for_Corporate_Sustainability/fi. Last accessed 26th February 2014. [1] D. Crowther, Social and Environmental Accounting (London: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2000), p. 20. [2] http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDAQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_downloaddocument%2F9783642026294-c1.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0-0-45-811809-p173912904ei=oUcBU7_hC-H17Aak8IGwCwusg=AFQjCNEdu9SuaBK8pz77C14bqGV6TQOy5gbvm=bv.61535280,d.ZGU [3] http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pdf/apple_s_unkept_promises.pdf [4] http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/labor-violations-rife-at-apple-manufacturing-partners-in-china-a-913652.html [5] http://images.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2012_Progress_Report.pdf [6] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [7] http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472 [8] http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472 [9] http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDUQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F36386947_Beyond_the_Business_Case_for_Corporate_Sustainability%2Ffi. [10] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [11] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [12] http://www.greenwashingindex.com/about-greenwashing

Moral Ambiguity of Charlie in The Little Drummer Girl Essays -- Little

Moral Ambiguity of Charlie in The Little Drummer Girl   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In George J. Lennard’s, â€Å"John le Carre† critical assessment of the ending of Little Drummer Girl, he claims that â€Å"Charlie can not continue to act in the theater of the real...she can no longer return to the romantic fluff of Western middle class society.† Charlie’s last line in the novel, the theater of the real, are â€Å"I am dead† (pp.659), which confirms Lennard’s statement. Charlie, an actress, by nature and craft is a coerced into a scheme to infiltrate a terrorist ring, against her convictions. By playing upon Charlie’s insecurities and her need for acceptance, this scheme forms a kind of moral ambiguity and uncertainness inside Charlie. When it ends, her world is shattered, and she becomes â€Å"dead† in a figurative sense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theater of the real forces Charlie to give a performance of a lifetime as her own life is at stake. In the beginning Charlie, willing and naive, accepts the script given to her by Joseph. Joseph himself, trains Charlie how to act in this scheme, much like an acting coach trains an inexperienced theatrical student. Along the way, Joseph gives her important pieces of advice such as â€Å"stay with the logic of the fiction...weaken and you will ruin the operation...we’ll repair [any] damage (pp. 468), advice which Charlie does not closely follow. In a world that will be turn upside down for Charlie, Joseph is her one remaining constant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people Charlie comes in contact with can be best described as characters or actors in fiction as well. The characters names change almost as frequently as Charlie’s views of her situation. The changing names give way to the belief that the characters, under disguise, can not really be held responsible for their actions as they are in costume. As the novel progresses, Charlie also changes costumes much like a chameleon changes with its environment. When Charlie’s character is the Israelites, she is sympathetic to them; likewise, when she is with the Palestinians, she takes on their beliefs, which in it self creates a chaos and provides substance to the theme of moral ambiguity in le Carre’s novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlie begins her journey into moral ambiguity with the death of Michel, a Palestinian terrorist. Following her script carefully, Charlie infiltrates the terrorist ring, convincing them that she was Michel’s lover. Charli... ... [into the real] is futile† (pp. 600). And so, Charlie enters back into the world of the real changed and alone, even â€Å"dead† because she is unable to ever be the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlie’s character deals with concerns of terrorism, the persuasive power of love and the moral ambiguity on both sides of the fence. Perhaps her most important discovery is when she realizes the cost of violence to those who preform it. Although Charlie is clearly the protagonist of the novel, she makes an important discover which seems to eliminate the conflict of moral ambiguity: there is good and evil in everyone. This lesson affects Charlie in ways the writers of her script never could have known. Like the writers of a good novel, she has already begun to miss the character she has fallen in love with– herself. Charlie now, neither belongs in the theater of the real no in the real world– she will no longer fit in either as she once did, Making her â€Å"dead† to herself and everyone who once knew her Le Carre leaves us with an image of Charlie preforming works of art in a theater for a real audience. Significantly because Charlieà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ambiguity of herself can best be seen by playing the characters of others.

The Social Construction of Workers’ Collectivism Essay -- Unions

Union renewal depends largely on increased member participation, generating and maintaining strong collective identities and mobilization of union resources. It was further contended that collective identities are not given, but constructed and sustained through narrative framing and engagement of individuals. These processes highlighted the importance of trade union leaders’ ability to construct and sustain workers’ collective identity and interest via strategies which seek to broaden the relevancy of trade unionism. In a time when worker collectivism is in a decline, the relevant question is to what extent is this possible? According to Muckenberger (1995), the decline of trade unionism in terms of density and the importance of trade unions as socio-political actors are often interpreted as representing the decline of worker collectivism. The underlying assumption that were put forth of the decline from literature has been the ascendancy of individualization over coll ectivism. There has a socio-cultural transformation whereby working class values of collectivism have given way to more individualistic orientations (Hyman 1999). Trade unions were formerly built on pre-existing solidarities such as the principle of collective identity that predated capitalist employment relationships. Collective experience at work was complemented by domestic life in nearby shared recreational, cultural and religious pursuits. In a nutshell, trade union was an institution embedded in an encompassing social landscape (Hyman 2002). The shift from collectivism to individualism was the result of the growth in affluence, skills level and geographical mobility, which enable acquisitive individualism overriding collective interests (Brown 1990). It was fu... ... a national labour centre that is representative of trade unions in Malaysia, it is in the process of rebranding itself as serious political actor in light of new opening, with broader aggregation of political and social interest. This research intend to looks at ways in which union leaders in MTUC is going to construct its identity and organization and reshape Malaysian workers’ views on the nature of trade unionism. In conclusion, it is argued that structural factor such as level of employment and institutional and legal frameworks of industrial relations create more or less favourable condition for collectivization of workers. However, they themselves may not generate workers’ collectivism, since collective identities are not given, but constructed and sustained through narrative framing and engagement of individuals by union leaders and activists.

The Vindication of Rights of Women Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mary Wo

In Mary Wollstonecraft’s essay â€Å"A Vindication of the Rights of Women† she constantly compares men and women. Her comparisons range from their physical nature to their intelligence, and even down to the education that each sex receives. Wollstonecraft states, â€Å"In the government of the physical world it is observable that the female in point of strength is, in general, inferior to the male.†(line 1.35-37) to show that women are inferior to men in physicality, and a number of areas throughout the essay, yet through it all she voices her concerns for the rights of women and how well deserved they are. Throughout mankind’s history there has been an obvious bias towards men. Men have always been deemed superior to women, whether it be physical or intellectual. When Wollstonecraft says, â€Å"†¦I presume that rational men will excuse me for endeavoring to persuade them [women] to become more masculine and respectable.†(lines 1.81-83) she tells her fellow women to fight for equality, while flattering the opposite sex. Her statement tells women that in order to get what they want [equality] they must change their ways and habits. Its sort of like–If you can’t beat them, join them. There is just one thing holding women from their full potential–men. Wollstonecraft states, â€Å"†¦men who, considering females rather as women than human creatures, have been more anxious to make them alluring mistresses than affectionate wives and rational mothers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (lines 1.17-19) Regardless of what women do there will always be men who will continue to degrade and discourage rational, intelligent, and free-thinking women. Humans have been around for thousands of years, yet men still degrad... ...†¦the heart should be clean†¦Women ought to endeavor to purify their hearts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (lines 1.129-132) Wollstonecraft felt that women had to ignore and shed all of the things that men had told them and taught them. Women need to be themselves and not conform to anyone’s regulations. Wollstonecraft wants women to be strong, to defend their honor and innocence, and to learn to think rationally again. She says, â€Å"Weakness [in women] may excite tenderness, and gratify the arrogant pride of man†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (lines 1.142-143) and â€Å"†¦the woman who strengthens her body and exercises her mind will, by managing her family and practicing various, become the friend, and not the humble dependent of her husband†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (lines 1.145-147) Rational and independent thinking will help women in their endeavor for equality, and Wollstonecraft was an excellent example of that.

Jaws: An analysis of the suspense techniques used in the film and the effects that they had upon the audience

Lay back and imagine, you are on a beach; the sun currents lightly burn you skin. You are in captivating and enchanting surrounding like laughter from young and old. You go into the calming blue ocean, in the thought that you are going to have a pleasant and moderate swim. But could there be a huge blood-hungry shark in the water? Could it have heard the vibrations of your movement and is now coming to consume you? This was indeed what happened in the film ‘Jaws'. In this essay, I will be examining the suspense techniques used in the film and the intended effect upon the audience – what makes Jaws scary? The unique film Jaws was made in the year 1975and directed by Steven Spielberg, who was only twenty seven at the time. The film is based upon Peter Benchley's No1 bestseller and he also wrote the screenplay. Jaws broke all box office records to become the biggest box office hit of it's time. It grossed an amazing sum of $260.000.000. The two scenes I am going to focus on from the film are the opening scene where Chrissie is attacked and the following scene where Alex is attacked. Jaws is set in the small town of Amity Island on the coast of Florida. Firstly, I am going to analyze what happens in the opening scene of the play. At the start of the scene there is a young people's party on the beach. The director uses panoramic shot of the shark then uses a panning shot of the young people at the party. He uses these techniques to create tense and suspense, makes us think about who is going to be attacked; who is the victim of this inevitable horror? Another technique used at the start of the party on the beach is laughter and soft music to relax us, but never-the-less we hear sound of waves in the background to remind us of the shark. Suddenly a woman leaves her boy friend on the beach and goes swimming. We are shown a shot of her swimming in the moonlight. The kind of shot used is a Long Shot. The director uses this to show the darkness surrounding her, this makes us makes us nervous and expectant of something horrible to happen. There is darkness in the background throughout the scene because it creates a sense of mystery. As the shark starts to move in for the kill, the music used changes from soft music to the shark's signature tune. This is done so as to increase the tense of the moment. When the shark attacks, the girls is shown in a P.O.V shot from below. The shark then carries the girl in its mouth. This is made to look like a kid having some harmless fun. The intended effect upon the audience is to make it seem a bit less horrible. In the background we hear Jaws signature tune which is increasing tremendously. This is done to increase the tense further. In the middle of the attack the shark suddenly stops, and the girl clings to the buoy as a nerve-racking silence takes over the scene. This creates a feeling of suspense – what is going to happen next? Soon the shark attacks again and finishes her off in a rather quick and painless manner. At the end of the scene we are given a panoramic shot of the beach. All we hear is the sound of waves, and young people talking. I think that the director does this because he wants to end the scene the way he started it, suggesting nothing has happened. This has the effect of making us feel more relaxed. I think that this opening scene is particularly good in building suspense because he uses different types of techniques such as awkward silences and blindness. I now plan to the suspense techniques that Steven Spielberg uses in the scene where a little boy called Alex is seized by the shark. At the start of the scene the camera moves between shots of Chief Brody and the beach. This is done to show us the beach from Brody's eyes (P.O.V shot), and then show his reaction of what is seen. Furthermore we see a black dog playing with its master. The colour black is used to symbolise funeral and death. This tells the audience that the dog could be the victim to the massive messenger of death. A pet dog is used because people will be more likely to have sympathy for a cute Labrador rather than a Pitbull etc. When we see Alex for the first time he asks his mother if he can swim in the water for longer. In response his mother lets him swim an extra five minutes. This makes us think that he is going to be the next victim. Alex is shown with a yellow lilo, which is used to represent light, life, joy etc. We are then shown two good examples of false alarm. The first of these is when we see the shape of the shark in the water, which is actually the hat of a man. Spielberg uses the camera to increase the tension by showing us Chief Brody looking at the ocean. He also has the man coming out of the water in a very slow manner. The other example is when a young lady gets lifted up from the water from below, screaming, with her legs astride. This makes us think that the girl is being attacked by the shark. However, we find the girl is being lifted by her boyfriend. After a set of false alarms, we start to sense some false comfort, but this quickly turns into fear as we are shown the dogs stick flowing in the water with the dog nowhere in sight. Immediately after this we see the shark's eye-view of the boy's legs from below, and the music changes to jaws signature tune, the effect of this is that we know that the boy is, Alex, is going to be attacked. The director, Steven Spielberg, personifies the shark cleverly. The director makes the shark deliberately go past all the people in the water and directly go to the poor little boy – this makes the shark look evil†¦ a human quality. After the attack, the camera is used to show the chaos and fear from the people at the beach. This is intended to make us sense the fear the people on the people on the beach are experiencing. The music also changes from Jaws music to series of chaotic sounds. This is done to increase the panic of the sound. We are then shown the boy's mother on her own on the beach as the other people create a distance from the water, with their children held tightly. Only Alex's mother is missing her child. The kind of shot used here is a long shot. The all music and sound stop so as to make us focus on the mother. Finally, we are shown the punctured lilo being washed up on the shore. It is covered in the boy's blood, which suggests that the life and light has been destroyed by darkness and death. I now hope that your imagination has been satisfied with loads of images from the creative but scary film Jaws. In this essay, I have tried to look in dept the techniques used to make this film spectacularly unique film of its time. Spielberg has made Jaws a wonderfully scary film by taking the suspense techniques to the next step – he uses camera shots and sound to build up suspense e.g. Jaws signature tune. I would recommend this film to people of all ages including my own because this film is one of few films that have taken suspense techniques to the next level. So, next time you go to the beach, will you only be concerned about swimming and pleasure? Or will you be concerned about deadly horrors that might lie beneath the beauty of the water, in the depths of the ocean? The only advice I can give is to watch the film and treat it only as a film, for it is not real. Otherwise, we might risk never going into the waters again!

Lord of the Flies by William Goldings: Keywords Essay

Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 as William Goldings debut novel. It was written and set around the time of the Second World War. The keywords in the essay title are ‘order’ and ‘deteriorates, therefore in this essay I intend to look at first how order is established and will then show how order deteriorates. I will do this by looking at the individual episodes and themes throughout the book that I believe show law and order. Lord of the Flies is a novel about a group of boys aged between five and twelve, who survived a plane crash during their evacuation from England. They crash on a small tropical island. The story begins with Ralph and Piggy getting to know each other. The topic of class then becomes apparent, Piggy is very ‘working class’ and has a strong cockney accent, and whereas Ralph is middle class and uses more sophisticated language but they are both of similar intelligence. Ralph begins to think of what may lie ahead of them and says, ‘No grown ups!’ (P12), this is the boy’s first realisation that they are alone and have complete freedom, however what will happen now that there are no adults? After a while a large group is formed, off all the boys from the plane, the choir all in black capes led by Jack come across the beach all marching together. This symbolises order, they are all wearing the same outfit of the same colour and mimicking each other and there is an obvious and strong leader whom they are following and obeying. The choir could also represent a presence of danger on the island as they have a sinister uniform and the contrast o f the black uniforms against the white sands is strong. Ralph finds a conch, which to the group means whoever has the conch may speak this shows that leaders and order are trying to be created. Ralph uses the conch to assemble the boys for a meeting to decide who will be leader. Jack, the head boy, feels he should be chief as he is older and has a position of responsibility within the choir, ‘I’m chapter chorister and head boy, I can sing a C sharp’ (pg 29) jack seems arrogant and immediately assumes he will be leader. There is a democratic vote and Ralph is made leader. Ralph however realises he needs to work together with Jack not against him and says, ‘Jacks in charge of the choir, they can be†¦what do you want them to be?’ (Pg 31), jack decides they will be hunters. The whole process is very democratic and mature, and with the absence of parents the boys are trying to bring in order and discipline and by choosing a leader they are creating a parental figure that they can look up to. The conch has by this point become a symbol of order and to speak at a meeting one must hold the conch. Ralph then selects jack to go and explore the island with him, this is an attempt at sharing the role of leader and is a friendly gesture to try and remove any bad feelings for each other. Ralph also chooses Simon to take with him, Simon is a member of the choir and earlier in the novel fainted, Ralph chooses Simon to show he is fair and sympathetic. Ralph leaves Piggy to collect the names of the other boys. As the bots explore the island there are many subtle references to the outside world, ‘Like a bomb!’ (Pg 37) this is an ironic reference to the real atomic bomb, which occurred in 1945. They also give a hint of religion or god, ‘The coral was scribbled into the sea as though a giant had bent down†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Pg 38) this is like god being the creator of nature and moulding the land it also poses the question, how long will this paradise last after the arrival of the boys. It was mentioned earlier that Jack chose to make the choir the hunters, the hunting brings the boys together in a positive and constructive way, it relieves boredom and it is a focus for the boys. It also brings a stable food supply to the boys, and makes everyone feel they have a role to play on the island. But why are they hunting? There are plenty of berries to keep everyone happy and healthy, it may possibly be due to freedom from parents and rules that makes them want to hunt for the pigs or maybe because its what they have read in books or heard stories of and hunting is what they believe they should do. The next theme that represents order on the island is the fire on the mountain. The group assemble at the end of the day, ‘the choir, noticeably less of a group had discarded their cloaks’ (pg 42) this represents the group working together and order being present now within the whole group and them becoming equals. Ralph starts to develop their plans for rescue and takes on well his role of leader, he also boasts about his father, ‘My fathers in the navy. He said there aren’t any unknown islands left†¦and sooner or later a ship will put in here. It might even be daddy’s ship,’ (pg 49), he is showing off to the other boys that are mostly younger than him, he is trying to earn their respect and be seen by them as a good and strong leader. He is obviously quite intelligent as he decides they need to build a fire on the mountain so that passing ships will see the smoke. The boys were really keen, there was riot and noise, the novelty and rules with the conch had been forgotten and now the idea of building the fire. They worked as a team to collect leaves and logs and completed the fire. I am now going to talk about how order first starts to deteriorate, and what first starts the breakdown of order on the island. After the fire has been made, it was figured out then that they could use Piggy’s glasses to light the it, they wrestled him for them, ‘Here let me go! His voice rose to a shriek of terror’ (pg 53) this incident shows possibly a mob nature emerging, they have become so obsessed with the fire now that they have lost all sense of order. Ralph holds the conch and says, ‘ We need special people for looking after the fire,’ (pg 55), and this shows that there is a hierarchy or ‘pecking order’ beginning to develop on the island; Ralph is taking control by deciding who is special and who is not. The fire rages out of control, it spreads and sets light to the trees and creepers on the island, ‘Beneath the capering boys a quarter of a mile square of forest was savage with smoke and flame’ (pg 57). One of the small boys dies, Golding never named him he is only ever referred to as ‘the boy with the birthmark’ the boys reflect on the boys death, ‘The crowd was as silent as death,’ (pg 60) this is using strong irony because of course there had actually been a death. I think the boy is never named so that he isn’t seen as a real person and therefore is almost seen as a symbol, a symbol of control and order he dies, therefore control is seen to die with him. The fire also symbolises control, and it raging out of control represents the feeling of order on the island raging out of control. Its almost as if the fire and order on the island mirror each other throughout the book, order is built up, the fire is built, order begins to lose control, the fire rages out of control; the fire is an extended metaphor. The beast is discussed at a meeting at it unsettles a lot of the boys and is the, the beast is seen as something beyond their control and therefore Jack and Ralph really don’t want to believe its real. The boys reassure each other that it’s not real, but inside every one of them there is doubt. Following this meeting and the fire incident shelters are built on the beach, I think they symbolise the boys protecting themselves from the fire and the beast. It also shows them trying to create a civilisation, and trying to create home. Jack becomes obsessed with hunting; he desperately wants to catch a pig so that he can be seen as fulfilling and being successful in his role on the island as leader of the hunters. He also wants to succeed in hunting to show Ralph that he is a success and earn respect from the boys and possibly even take their attention from Ralph and make them see him as being the natural leader. Jack fails to catch a pig for the second time he is not used to dealing with animals and definitely not used to killing them. Him and Ralph argue as they both have different priorities on the island Jack’s is hunting and meat, ‘We Want Meat’ (pg 65), and Jacks priorities are the shelters and keeping the fire alight, ‘We need shelters’, (pg 65). Ralph’s ultimate goal is rescue and to do this they need the fire so Ralph’s idea is definitely the better one. The argument they have over this shows that there is fierce competition between the boys, and while they are busy fighting and competing for control, order and control is actually being lost. Jack takes all of the choir or the hunters as they are now known off on a hunt; he is determined to catch a pig. Therefore while they are hunting there is no one tending the fire. Ralph checked the fire from the beach, its almost as if he was checking up on Jack, and he realises it is producing almost no smoke. He tells Jack but he is distracted by his plans for catching a pig Ralph gets annoyed, ‘I was talking about the smoke! Don’t you want to be rescued? All you can talk about is pig, pig, pig!’ (Pg 68). Hunting gives the boys power over life and death, and as their lives are out of their hands it gives them back a feeling of control. Jack introduces camouflage to his team of hunters, they paint their faces with mud, charcoal and clay they go off to hunt with Jack’s plan. Painting their faces represents them going feral and going back to nature, ‘For hunting like in the war – like things trying to look like something else’ (pg 79). It creates the feeling of a gang or tribe, all working together and it makes them quite aggressive. The paint hides their faces but it also hides their individuality and identity and gives them an excuse to kill, they mould into one great gang. A while later they return from the hunt and it was a success they killed a pig, ‘We hit the pig – I fell on top, there were lashings of blood,’ (pg 87). Jack is so proud of the result and boasts to Ralph and the boys expecting a positive response, Ralph is angry and really doesn’t want to talk about the hunt all he wants to talk about is the fire going out. A ship had sailed past without stopping on the island, due to the fire going out Jack had taken all of the boys on the hunt, ‘We had to have them for the hunt, or there wouldn’t have been enough for the ring,’ (pg 87). The boys see it as that was their only chance for rescue and all hope is lost. Piggy is really frustrated and angry with Jack, ‘You didn’t ought to have let that fire go out, You said you would keep the smoke going,’ (pg 89), Jack got angry and lifted Piggys glasses ff his face and threw them on the rocks. Piggy has been the main source of intelligence on the island and is the one staying very controlled and organised, but without his glasses he cannot use his intelligence. The group is slowly splitting into two the hunters, which are Jack and the choir, and the others which still go by the rules of the conch, which are Piggy, Ralph and the younger boys who build the shelters and try and manage the fire. Ralph calls for a meeting, he outlined all the concerns he has been having, he doesn’t really want to direct this at the whole group I think he is just trying to get his point across to Jack and by holding a meeting he is showing that he is the leader and he makes the decisions. His five issues he brings up at the meeting are, fresh water, shelter, lavatory area, fire to burn constantly and to deal with the beast. Ralph tells the group that the fire is the key to being rescued, ‘How can we ever be except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?’ (Pg 101) throughout his time on the island he has remained focused and not got carried away by hunting or another pointless craze, he is intelligent and knows the fire is their only chance, ‘You’ve got to make fire up there or die,’ (pg 101). He then moves on talk about the beast at which point Jack joins in, Jack believes that the beast is just in peoples minds and that they’ve created it. Maybe with absence of secure homes and adult figures to look after the children they fear that they are not protected and so they create scenarios in their heads. Ralph is unsure about the beast but he cannot let the group be scared he tries to convince them that there is no beast on the island, ‘Course there isn’t a beast in the forest. How could there be?’ (Pg 104). The beast is still on the minds of everyone and when the twins Sam and Eric are tending the fire, they catch sight of what they believe is the beast. ‘They became motionless gripped in each others arms, four unwinking eyes aimed and two mouths open,’ (pg 122). Everyone is thinking about the beast and their minds are probably playing tricks on them and with the heat, lack of water and pure insanity of the situation its no surprise that they aren’t going to be thinking straight or logically. The twins alert the group and Ralph calls an assembly immediately and it is decided that Jack is going to hunt the beast, ‘This’ll be a real hunt, who’ll come?’ (Pg 125). Jack, Ralph and the hunters went to search for the beast, they don’t find it, but while searching the island Jack finds a spot which he thinks would be great for a for fort. Him and the hunters move away from the rest of the group and live on the other side of the island; this is where order is absolutely destroyed. The two natural leaders are now enemies; one is focused on rescue the other turning savage. Jacks and his group of hunters form into a tribe and tempted by hunting and feasting and not having to work many of Ralph’s group join Jack’s. Ralph’s group are still aiming towards rescue and stand for order and fairness but being the smaller less powerful group they are at a huge disadvantage. Its becoming war between two armies and Jack is still trying to prove that he is leader, and trying to take the control and power. The newly formed tribe spend the evening doing a ritualistic tribal dance, they paint their faces and its like a re-enactment of the time when they succeeded in killing the pig, and its also like a build up to the war between the two sides and a build up to the killing of the beast. Ralph approached Jack and his tribe and asked him to hunt for the beast with him, ‘I’m going up the mountain to look for the beast, coming?’ (Pg 148). This is a huge test and Ralph’s desperately trying to keep the group together because he knows that he cant make any changes or achieve any of his goals on his own, such as keeping the fire alight and building shelters. Jack agrees to go with Ralph, Roger went with them too as they walked through the forest they were picking up on every sound and every thing they saw, which shows they were on edge and frightened. They crawled on there hands and knees towards a figure, ‘there was confusion in the darkness and the creature lifted its head, holding towards them a ruin of a face,’ (pg 153), throughout the hunt Jack and Ralph are competing for power and control, courage and leadership, ‘if you don’t want to go on,† said the voice sarcastically â€Å"I’ll go on my own’ (pg 149) this is what Jack said to Ralph, neither of them wanted to make fools out of themselves or give the other any clue of how scared they were. They call what they found a beast and it was actually the pilot from the plane that crashed on the island, he was wearing a parachute and when the wind blew it pulled the figure making it seem like it was moving. They were terrified and fled from the figure almost immediately. War is now declared between Jack and Ralph after an argument they had after they found the ‘beast’, ‘I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too,’ (pg 158). After this the divide is definite and there is no going back. Along with the hunters Roger and Bill go onto Jack’s side, Ralph’s group concentrated on the fire and didn’t notice Simon wandering off into the vegetation. Simon is seen as a Christ like image in this part he has gone into the quiet and tried to get away and reflect on the situation. I really don’t think he wants to take anyone’s side and doesn’t want all the violence and bitterness. Jack’s side concentrate mostly on hunting but they do make a fire, only their fire is purely for dancing around and showing their tribal nature whereas Ralph’s fire is for purely practical and even life saving reasons. Jack plans to kill a pig and leave some for the beast to eat so that it won’t bother them; this is a very primitive and pagan ritual. Jack puts the head of the pig on a stick; it is elevated and treated as a god like creature. ‘They listened and the loudest noise was the buzzing of flies over the spilled guts,’ (pg 169) this is why the book is named ‘Lord of the Flies’ the lord is the pig. To the boys the lord of the Flies represents their whole reasons and achievements on the island, which is the hunting. The use of the animal a pig is to mirror Piggy, they are both exploited for the groups own needs and the group see both the animal and the boy as dirty, common and coarse. Golding also uses pigs because they are mammals and therefore are similar to humans and hunting pigs is linked and similar to killing humans. Simon is still alone in the forest and he comes across the ‘Lord of the Flies’ he hallucinates it may possibly have been an epileptic fit or maybe a spiritual awakening. In Simon’s hallucination the ‘lord of the Flies’ talks to him, ‘There isn’t anyone to help you, only me, and I’m the beast,’ (pg177), the links between the beast and the pig is, they have both distracted the boys and therefore affected the rescue attempt with the fire and they are both hunted by the boys and when Simon becomes conscious he finds the parachutist they both are covered in flies. Simon realises it’s the dead pilot and realises there is nothing to fear. Simon walks towards where Jack’s camp is; he wants to tell them that the beast isn’t real. Jack and his tribe had painted their bodies and were re-enacting the murder of ‘Lord of the Flies’ they were shouting, acting dancing and were really carried away, ‘Do our dance! Come on! Dance!’ (Pg 88). They had made a chant which they bellowed as they danced, ‘Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!’ (Pg 188). Jack spotted Simon and the whole grouped moved in on him thinking he was the beast they crowded round him with sticks and spears and stones, ‘the beast was on its knees in the centre, its arms folded over its face’ (pg 188) it wasn’t the beast it was Simon they continued to beat the ‘beast’ until there was no movement. The hunters killed Simon, they were so carried away with the tribal or mob nature they let it take over them and made them murderers. In the book Simon was always neutral he ne ver took sides and was the only person who didn’t get swept away with all the conflict, he was like the small bit of purity on the island, and this made him the Christ like character. Now on Ralph’s side there is just Piggy, Sam and Eric, Piggy and Ralph speak about the occurrences of the night before, Piggy says, ‘there was that – that bloody dance. There was lightning and thunder and rain we was scared,’ (pg 193). Only Piggy recognises what really happened and that was murder. Jack and his hunters attack Ralph and Piggy in there own shelter, it was all quite violent but it ended quite quickly, but Piggy’s glasses were broken and taken by Jack. I think Jack does regret what happened but he’s not going to give up the war between him and Ralph, he wants to keep control and he’s not going to back down. Ralph and Piggy sum up all the crimes that Jack has committed, ‘at night and in darkness, and stole our fire, they stole it,’ (pg 209). He has also killed pigs unnecessarily, killed Simon and stolen Piggy’s glasses. Ralph and Piggy decide to go to Jack’s side of the island with Sam and Eric too, when they reached Jack’s area Ralph called for an assembly obviously with no results because Jack is their leader they don’t take orders from Ralph any more. Roger begins the attack he throws stones from above Ralph’s group, but aims to miss. ‘I’ve come to see about the fire and about Piggy’s specs Ralph said,’ (pg 216) all he received was laughter. Ralph confronted Jack and left Piggy below near the bottom of the cliff. Ralph and Jacks argument gets quite physical but Ralph defends himself well, he is trying to be strong but he is now the minority and although he carries the name of leader he really isn’t any more. Piggy tried to speak but he was being aimed at with stones, ‘which is better law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up’ (pg222) I think this statement sums up the book, Piggy is really quite intelligent and even with all the panic, excitement and hysteria he can see through that and spot the underlying point. This statement enrages Roger and he levers a huge boulder off of the top of the cliff and it hits Piggy, he was killed. By this point Jack is used to seeing death he has no reaction to this, his compassion for people has gone consumed by his tribal nature and devoted to hunting. With Piggy the conch was also smashed and so have Piggy’s glasses been broken, the conch represented purity, control and order and now that Piggy has gone those things have gone too. Now that Piggy is dead, Ralph hasn’t got his intelligent partner and the glasses represented his intelligence and they have been smashed too, will Sam and Eric stand by him or will he be on his own? Both the deaths of Piggy and all of the pigs have been pointless and the victims have all been helpless this shows strong irony. Sam and Eric do join the savages because they know that is their only chance of survival if they stayed with Ralph they would be hunted down and killed too, Ralph is now alone. All that awaits him is to be hunted like one of the pigs, hunted down and killed like an animal. It would be another pointless murder of an innocent and helpless victim. He is no threat to Jack now; he is alone so Jack is only hunting him to show that he is leader now and that he holds all the power and control. He goes to try and talk to Sam and Eric he finds them and they tell him to hide, get away and hide because they are going to hunt him down tomorrow. He goes to Castle Rock where Jacks tribe are the next day, they hurl a boulder off the cliff at him in an attempt to kill him, and they try again with another stone it misses again but only by inches. Jack and the hunters made a fire now in an attempt to smoke him out, the metaphor of the fire is used again, and the fire gets out of control just like the order on the island has. The fire rages out of control, Ralph escapes and runs as fast as he can to the beach where he stumbles upon a naval officer. Ralph is a strong person and he survived being hunted, his only goal all the way through was rescue and close to his last minutes of life his wish comes true. In conclusion, in the beginning of the story the boys try to mimic the order the experienced at home with parents and school, partly because of their immaturity and inexperience and partly due to Jack and Ralph’s fight for control order is not kept and this is symbolised by the conch and the fire. Jack becomes the dominant force on the island purely due to his brutality and violence, in the end they are even prepared to kill jack, the only remaining sign of order on the island.