Confedrates in the attic

Tony Horwitz in the book, â€Å"Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches of an Unfinished Civil War† travels throughout the south following the path of the Civil War he meets many people interesting and different people and visits the cities and towns along the path of the Civil War there are many themes throughout the book, but the two I found most important were Reality, and The Life of a Solider. The reason I choose these as my most important topics are because I feel it is necessary to understand the reality of the Civil War and to do that understanding the life of a solider is necessary.During Horwitz' travels one of the first things he learns is that the reenactments are not as easy and fun as he had expected, however there are people who have the same love as Horwitz but do not take Reenactment's as seriously, â€Å"We try to be authentic, but no one wants to eat rancid bacon and lie in the mud all night. This is a hobby, not a religion† (Horwitz 130). The life of a soldier in the 1860's was difficult and for the thousands of young Americans who left home it was an experience none of them would ever forget.The average reinactor was male thirty-four, and did this for fun, so magine how harsh it was for an eighteen year-old drafted solider to leave home and eat rancid bacon and lie in the mud all night. â€Å"Soldiers would carry their cards, dice, writing utensils, letters, and other necessary goods for passing time in their haversacks. Soldier often had to carry these supplies as well as several other things that they needed with them at all times. The types and amounts of supplies available to these soldiers depended on the resources of their armies. â€Å"( Capman and Jankoviak 9).Here the textbooks goal is to make students aware of what the reality of a solider as carrying the personal with them twenty-four/seven. Racial Tensions in the civil war Throughout the Civil War racial tensions grew exponentially, this was not a very good thing f or African American soldiers either fighting with the north or being forced to fght with the south. Getting a Haircut in the army â€Å"The Union and Confederate armies were haphazardly raised, badly organized, poorly trained, inadequately fed, clothed and housed, and almost wholly without comforts, sports, entertainments or proper medical care†(Commerger 1).Im one of ommerger's articles he writes about getting a haircut during the Civil War something that seams so normal to any of us but at camp Cameron there was only one person who knew how to cut hair, one time a man came running through the camp screaming,† The Yankees are coming! † and right there in the middel of his haircut they picked up their weapons and marched into War. How The Civil War Soldiers Marched No hardships were harder than the marching The roads were dusty in the summerand muddy in the winter; the soldiers were dressed in heavy wool, loaded own with fifty or sixty pounds of equipment, often w ithout food for most of the day.It is no wonder that straggling was almost universal, or that thousands of men fell out of line and got lost. It is difficult to know whether the Confederate or the Federal soldiers suffered most from marching. More Confederates than Federals were country bred, and theretore more accustomed to cross-country hiking; on the other hand the Confederacy was low on shoes, and there are any number of stories of Southern soldiers marching barefoot, even in the winter months.

An Inch Closer to My Dream Essay

My exposure to my father’s dental practice has effectually inspired me to pursue a profession along a similar line. This dream has become an ultimate priority at this point in my life. It is my dream and I would do anything just to reach that dream, understanding the time, effort, and good work ethic that the dream requires. As a dentist, my father has specialized in implant surgery, and firsthand, I was able to see how his work transformed the lives of his patients – not only changing them physically, but changing more profoundly the way they looked at themselves and the world. I am a Korean, majoring in Art and I went to the United States to study Biology instead at California State University, Northridge. I have discovered that this degree has fully maximized my potential and it led me to the path where I am most fulfilled. Science is very essential to everyone’s existence and I cannot bear not to think critically of what is happening around us. It was very stimulating for me to solve problems of nature and life that I would wish to extend my study and earn a Master’s degree within the same field. I am very looking forward of pursuing functional anatomy, physiology, genetics, and embryology. My reason for pursuing oral biology at NYU is not merely because it is to my personal preference or liking. While that is one factor, I have also considered wanting to contribute to the betterment of Korean society in my own little way. I feel that through oral biological research, I would be able to make a dent in our social fabric, discovering new things about cures for diseases or mechanisms of seemingly untreatable illnesses. This has been a personal mission because I have had the chance to be exposed to indigent communities who are in dire need of help. Through oral biological research, I may be able to help these communities alleviate their poverty within my own sphere of influence. My volunteer work at my father’s clinic has allowed me to foster this desire to help other people authentically through the dental arts. Fortunately, I was enhance familiarity with dental procedures, including orthodontic treatment, root canal, prophylaxis, x-rays, among others. The idea alone of being able to make a difference in people’s lives, through oral biology, excites me. It makes me even more eager to pursue my course and be very competent biologist. Apart from wanting to help impoverished communities, I have also taken careful note of the level of scientific progress that Korea has attained. Unofrtunately, it is not as advanced as first world countries such as the United States. Thorugh my own contribution, I would like to see the advancement of science in my home country. I would love pursue my studies in a different university and I chose New York University to broaden my horizons, and gain new perspectives from a different environment and from different set of individuals. I believe that I can learn more by being exposed to a diverse culture and New York is the right place. Being able to study in New York, and also later work there is a great opportunity for me. Moreover, the Graduate Program in Oral Biology fits perfectly to my needs. Going through NYU’s website, I am filled with excitement as I realize that this course shall accord me with a solid foundation in the oral biological sciences, which are more specifically targetd at teaching and research. Some areas which I am particularly interested with are periodontal and caries microbiology, chemical carcinogenesis, mechanisms of mineralization, periodontal wound healing, and tumor immunology. I also believe that this school only produces the best, and I want to become the person I would be proud of in the future. This is where I should start my future. I think that exposure to various cultures shall also help me grow significantly as a person and professional. I will be able to learn how to deal with people with different backgournds, upbringing, and cultural heritage. Because I shall have the chance to interact with them frequently, I will be able to understand and respect their culture. This is very important, since stereotypes cause people to make biased decisions, which lead to social inequity. I would love to think that my enrollment in the university will help me become more impartial to race / color. I feel that the thrusts put forth by the university are strongly consistent with those that I personally uphold. I have high hopes that I will qualify to form part of this prestigious institution. It will surely be a privilege that I will take profound pride in. And because of such pride, I will work hard to excel academically. The ultimate goal is for me to become a competent professional – to be able to contribute substantially to humanitarian causes.

Can Business Ethics Be Taught?

Business Ethics can be defined as the study and evaluation of decision making by businesses according to moral concepts and judgments. Ethical issues range from a company’s obligation to be honest with its customers to a company’s responsibility to preserve the environment and protect employee rights. Ethics includes the need to produce a reasonable profit for the company’s shareholders with honesty in business practices, safety in the workplace, and larger environmental and social issues. Business ethics calls for an awareness of social responsibility and this includes addressing social problems such as poverty, crime, environmental protection, equal rights, public health, and improving education. Can business ethics be taught? This is a question where there is no absolute answer yes or no. But I believe the ethics and business ethical examples should be and have to be taught in business school. First, it is important to help graduates understand other people's value systems and expectations of them, to be able to engage and discuss this side of things in a decision making process (especially if other people's expectations have become rules or laws, as with accounting and disclosure requirements, rules against conflicts of interest, etc). Second, it's important to help graduates realize the horrible consequences (especially for others) of some seemingly harmless selfish acts. We certainly shouldn't delude ourselves that a required course in grad school is going to make bad people into good people, or mean people into kind people. Nor should we be sanctimonious about it and feel that offering a course on ethics somehow makes us (the instructors or administrators) â€Å"good people. † But the first approach above will make it easier for the graduate to interact with others in the workplace, and to avoid oblivious violations of industry regulations. And the second approach above might actually change the way some people behave, at least a little, by instilling a greater awareness of how their decisions affect or harm others. However, most people would agree with that ethics is very difficult to be taught especially when the financial reward to do unethical behavior is greater than doing the right thing. The strong ethical behavior will not prevent another melt down that was witnessed on Wall Street. Too many times, the issue is all about money. How much can I get in the short term, can I get out before the long term risk hits, and can I retire before with the money I made. This type of mentality forces high risk taking to get the greatest return in a short time. For any company, this will eventually hit the bottom line. The company may even see bankruptcy. The Board of Directors has a major responsibility to the shareholders. That is to develop strategic plans to ensure growth, but to ensure longevity of the company to survive the long haul. Not quick profits and get out. The shareholders need to also control the Board of Directors to ensure that Board of Directors financial gains are measured appropriately and to ensure longevity of the company. But what happens only a small minority shareholders have enough stocks to make decisions. The rest are just along for the ride. What is needed besides ethics, is being held accountable for the actions taken, and ensure that all actions are not in the gray area white and black are no longer seen. We have been read and seen too many unethical issues happened, such as Enron Corporation, Andersen, Bernard Madoff Fraud etc†¦ Also so many unethical things in China, Sanlu infant milk powder issue which has killed so many babies, a big number of corruption issues about high position officials, which we can often read news from medias. But if some shareholders or anyone can stand up and say something in the beginning before the things went too wrong, it probably would prevent some corruption or fraud, to some degree. People who don’t believe the ethics can be taught have their concerns. â€Å"It's unrealistic to expect people's behavior is going to change because they sit in classes,† says Marshall Goldsmith, an executive coach based in San Diego and an adjunct lecturer at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. â€Å"Is there any proof in any executive education †¦ hat anyone who went to any course ever changed any behavior as measured by anyone else over any period of time? Not that I know of. † Mr. Goldsmith and others concede that new emphases on ethics in business schools send a message to future managers that ethics are important, even in the corner office. But, they caution, expectations for a big impact from these programs are pie-in-the-sky thinking. â€Å"No one is going to come out of those courses as a different person,† Mr. Bruhn says. â€Å"The thing those courses are going to do is create awareness. They're not going to change behavior because ethics is learned by modeling, not by reading a bunch of books over a weekend. † There is another main problem is the patterns of moral behavior are formed long before students are able to study in the business schools. An analysis shows that the key period for shaping a person's moral character falls between the ages of 2 and 10. When we reach business schools we normally are more then 22, it's kind of too late. The students are already all formed their own moral thinking, behavior and ethical habit. Ethics should be learned since we start knowing and sensing this world, and be taught by our parents, seniors, teachers in kindergarten, in primary schools, by the environment we grow. It is about a whole education system for a country. Especially for the education of our young next generations, we have to put more emphasis into subject of moral virtues. Ethics should be a basic issues in any organizations and be taught in all levels of education. Over all, to some extent, yes, ethics can be taught in a classroom, if the schools, teachers, professor and the students adopt a practical approach, in preference to a philosophical one.

Describe history of multiculturalism and its evolution in the United Essay

Describe history of multiculturalism and its evolution in the United States - Essay Example This text puts into perspective the history of multiculturalism and its evolution in the United States from the time of its inception. The United States is often referred to as melting point due to its cultural diversity. Multiculturalism began in the US in the late 19th century and was based on the pragmatism movement. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a paradigm shift and multiculturalism was characterized by cultural pluralism and political symbolism (Bayor, 2011). The various dimensions of multiculturalism in the US emerged as a result of imperialistic tendencies by the European powers especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Consequently, the immigration tendencies by Eastern and Southern Europeans to the US marked the beginning of a diverse society (Frazier & Margai, 2010). Mass migration was experienced throughout the 20th century with the US being a home to various groups from diverse cultural backgrounds. Indians, Africans, Europeans and other racial groups gained root in the US with each outfit being identified by unique cultural features. The assumption at the advent of the multicultural era in the US was that every racial and ethnic group automatically got integrated into the American society. The assimilation process was established as a consequence of ensuring national unity. Essentially, the diverse cultural society of America ensured that various sectors of the society had to be institutionalized to deal with tendencies of domination and supremacy battles (Bayor, 2011). The institutionalization process was meant to ensure the free interaction of various cultures without barriers that would otherwise have threatened peaceful coexistence. Multiculturalism is a myth that that inspires America’s past and is an important symbol of national unity. Multiculturalism was institutionalized in a number of dimensions ranging from politics to education. The political angle of multiculturalism advocated equal

Apply structural andinstitutional explanationsof the behaviorof Essay

Apply structural andinstitutional explanationsof the behaviorof AustriaHungary until 1914 - Essay Example Austria was a quasi-independent state in the Middle Ages within the Holy Roman Empire. The Habsburgs inherited the crown of Hungary with part of the Kingdom preserved from the Ottomans. The Ottomans were driven out of Hungary in 1669. Austria and Hungary were a personal union from1526 to 1848 under the Habsburgs (Fromkin, pp.11-16). Taking into consideration the status of the Hungarian Kingdom before the revolution, it can be seen that the kingdom was formally part of the Empire of Austria. Based on the Article of the year nineteen seventy, it was stipulated that the regnum independence with a separate Monarchy. The Empire of Austria had never lawfully included the Kingdom of Hungary. The policy was consistent with both public and constitutional law as discussed. The government of the Hungary Kingdom could be in a position of preserving a separate and independent budget since the begging of the personal union from 1527.The Hungarian budget was after the revolution of 1848 to 1849. The budget was independent too. Despite all these, the Kingdom of Hungary maintained its customs borders. The borders separated the Hungarian Kingdom from the other parts of the Habsburg ruled territories. The union had made a consent/agreement customs union between the Austrian and Hungarian where they were to negotiate in every ten years. The contracts were also renewed and signed by Budapest and Vienna at the end of every ten years since both countries hoped to get mutual economic benefit from their relationship (Fromkin, pp.11-16). Austria-Hungary also declared war on Serbia on July twenty-eight in the year 1914. Austria-Hungary made a step further to mobilize for plan B against Belgrade. There was the need for the warring governments to defend and explain their decision, with the Germans publishing a first set of diplomatic papers in early August. The propaganda machinery of the government supported the decisions that

Race and power in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race and power in the US - Essay Example However, the measures taken by the government and its officials have raised questions and protests regarding violations on civil liberties. This paper attempts to answer the question: "In time of war or national emergency we respond too harshly in our restriction of position, grounding it in a discussion of post 9/11 events." Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United states Constitution states that: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." However, it seems that the restrictions imposed by the U.S. government in response to 9/11 and its war on terror, h as seriously infringed on the liberties of the very citizens which government seeks to protect. A majority of Americans (65.9%) are concerned that the war on terrorism has seriously affected civil liberties.1 Several instances support the claims of civil liberty advocates. The 9/11 detainees, 750 Arab residents in the U.S., were rounded up and were held by authorities for several weeks. Hundreds were deported after secret immigration hearings were held. All of them were never charged with any connection to 9/11. Congress and President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act which allows the government to expand its powers and conduct electronic surveillance and obtain personal records in criminal investigations and terrorism cases. The Justice Department also broadened the FBI's ability to conduct surveillance on domestic organizations despite the Patriot Act facilitating for the Bureau and other law enforcement agencies, access and share information from the CIA. Around 660 foreign nationa ls are being held without access to legal counsel or judicial review at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after being captured in Afghanistan. The U.S government is preparing military trials which have few procedural rights. Two "enemy combatants" are being held incommunicado at Charleston brig, one of them Yasser Hamdi a U.S. citizen, after their capture in Afghanistan. The imprisonment of foreign nationals especially Arabs and Muslims is becoming a condemnable pattern. However, those that support government actions say that the measures taken by the Bush administration are less severe than those in the past when people of German origin were harassed during World War I while American citizens of Japanese ancestry were herded into camps in the Second World War. However, post-war generations have condemned these injustices and if we know or even feel that what we are doing today is in the same although "less severe" track as what we had done in the past, I do not believe that it is enough justification. Any form of infringement on civil liberty is unacceptable. We should condemn the government's unilateral and covert actions which undermine judicial review. The basic rights of the accused, in this case the rights to a legal counsel and fair and impartial trial, long upheld by American jurisprudence and

American Flatbread Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Flatbread - Case Study Example The mission statement indicates that the value of the business is customer satisfaction and employee safety. George Schenk owns the American flatbread company and values community service based on healthy food as well as environmentally friendly workplace. Besides, he values quality and integrity achieved by perfecting simple menus that appeal to families and other pizza lovers. Schenk has been able to bring his own vision concerning food through making a popular American flatbread sold both locally and to other states. Making clean and healthy food has seen his efforts appreciated nationally. Also providing support to the community through hosting regular benefit bakes. Father, he expanded the facility to a wholesale and retail outlets and involves himself in the daily operations of making a stable food model which is reorganized worldwide. American flatbread supports business practices, which are socially responsible through participation in community organizations other than buying local products as much as possible. Occasionally, American flatbread holds meetings that are aimed at raising funds to benefit the community and giving attention to individuals who deserve it (Craig 1). The needy are also considered by the company as they are able to have free flatbreads. Educating children about food through accommodating class trips to enable them make their own pizza. Small business owners should be close with their employees in their communities to enable mutual understanding and fairness that is beneficial in a two way. This also enables a peaceful coexistence of the business and the community members. The benefits associated with franchising a business includes building a vision that is shared and helping in stimulating deeper conversations with the entire community through purchasing and sharing of benefits from the business. The small business franchises may also benefit directly through showcasing already

Philosophy of Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of Justice - Research Paper Example Socrates was a mysterious personality, attributed as one of the originator of Western philosophy. He was a firm believer that justice is good, this could be attained through self-knowledge. It is imperative to understand what is good i.e. justice and what is injustice or evil. According to Socrates, natural needs are good. Good is always desired. The desire or the requirement to be satisfied varies with a person's nature called the daimon. It is exclusive to every person. Thus, in this scenario, it is the individual's knowledge that plays a vital role in deciding the good and taking the decision. If knowledge is enabling a person to apply for good, then knowledge is also good. It is knowledge that empowers a person to discriminate between good and evil. A wrong action is a direct implication of ignorance. Socrates defined four virtues viz. bravery, self-control, justice, faithfulness (Socrates: the Search of Justice). According to Socrates, retribution for the offense is the treatmen t for wickedness and justice leads to that penalty. A man who has done no erroneous is better-off than a man who has received retribution for his proceedings. Socrates pronounced that the just life is more significant than outside belongings. If one scale evil, first is the man who does incorrect and finds chance of escaping where as the man who does wrong comes second (Socrates: the Search of Justice). On the contrary Adolf Hitler was a firm believer of Bible. According to Hitler, "As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice". He said, "I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator" (Brainy Quotes). These quotes imply Hitler's temperament towards justice. He defensible his battle for the people of Germany and in opposition to Jews by means of Godly and Biblical interpretations. In reality, one of his most enlightening declarations further enunciate this: "Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." Apart from Socrates, who believed that knowledge plays an imperative role in judging and providing justice; Adolf Hitler was of the opinion that God and His preaching aids in interpreting and defining justice. Although, Hitler was always misapprehended as he never practiced religion in church (Hitler's religious beliefs and fanaticism). In today's scenario this holds true to some extent. Knowledge is powerful in making a person judgmental and to appreciate the truth and honest opinion. Beliefs related to religion and its preaching find little relevance in the epoch of technology. Justice is what is being followed as per the guidelines set by the organizations of the nations, any violation of these set norms is considered to be injustice. Knowledge and awareness about self and surroundings is vital in taking decisions. To some e xtent the saying "power corrupts" holds true as it is capable of changing the thinking of a common man about the justice in the present scenario. The dictatorship portrayed by Saddam Hussein is known worldwide. He was known for creating horror and terror of his personality against his own crew. He was known to be the greatest tyrants. He was a brutal killer and neither knowledge nor the

David by Donatello, Michelangelo, Bemini Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

David by Donatello, Michelangelo, Bemini - Essay Example As the increasing pursuit for artistic excellence vividly reflects in the exquisite creations of Donatello and Michelangelo, their contemporaries were equivalently inspired to develop art forms according to the Greek and Roman concepts and this trend of innovative craftsmanship has carried on to influence even the works of Baroque sculptors like Bernini and those of the current modern artists alike. Religious themes had been immensely prevalent in the Renaissance art and David, a prominent biblical figure, became one of the famous subjects which distinguished the style and professional insights of one artist from the other as depicted in the masterpieces of Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini. Based on the momentous event marked by God’s will, the subject pertains to an Israelite shepherd boy who accepts the challenge and obtains triumph over the once was invincible Goliath of the Philistines. In each artist, there emerged a response of imagining how the image of David and th e projection of his heroic character may be brought to a three-dimensional interpretation that highly captures a substantial depth of detailing his major act of faith. The marble statue of David which served Donatello his first commission of the subject is apparently one that radiates naturalism in part as David’s curious look in the face seems to scrutinize the enemy at the onset of the fight. After defeat of the enemy, however, such facial expression liberates a new meaning quite transcendental, which is of Gothic effect that dissolves the initial attitude into a degree of general unaware countenance. A view of David that occurs detached from struggling emotion of having fought the gigantic adversary entails perpetual sense of conquest. Certain scholars have assumed this to be a subtle if not a humble fashion of exposing the pride and any premeditated confidence of vanquishing the enemy. When Donatello proceeded to come up with the bronze case of David in ca. 1440s, the scu lpture took on a significantly different approach from the marble pattern. Being the first freestanding nude male sculpture portraying an uncircumcised David bearing Goliath’s sword, the bronze statue wears an enigmatic smile besides the controversial effeminate positure. Commissioned by the Medici family for their palace in Florence, Donatello chose to sculpt David with a slight bend in his waist and one of his hands placed on his hip. The contrapposto pose was thought to be feminine; especially for a young man that just decapitated a giant like Goliath. David also had a look on his face that symbolized his youthful joy of his great accomplishment (Sayre 556). Both the laurelled top hat and boots add to the frail or fetish look that partly deprives it of the expected manly appearance which is rather plain to see in the crafts of Bernini and Michelangelo. Though it does not depart from the Greek idea of nakedness under contrapposto, the biblical essence is only slightly manif est in the bronze structure whereby the characteristic theme of the subject is less inclined to be prophetic than political. With the redundant appearance of a stone in David's sling and Goliath's forehead, Olszewski proposes that Donatello's use of the same stone twice indicates that David holds the loaded sling in the present tense while envisioning the stone's future placement in Goliath's head below. He further notes that this is in accordance to the scriptural account in which David responds to the Philistine giant in the future tense as he foretells what he is about to do to him (Olszewski, 1997). It was not until the 15th century, according to a review by L. Morelli, that idealized human figures

A Brief History of Environmental Movements Assignment

A Brief History of Environmental Movements - Assignment Example Climate change was experienced way back during colonial period. Destructive human activities practiced long ago, has continued to the contemporary times. People nowadays continue to practice Deforestation, poor fishing methods, water pollution and has lead to adverse climate change. There is shortage of food, reduction in aquatic and wild life species as well as depletion of soil formation. It has however come to be felt throughout the world by its effects and that is why environmental movements are continuously formed worldwide to address the situation. Women environmental heroes and die hards like Amrita Devi who formed a strong revolution to protect the trees. She was just a woman with an unbelievable passion and courage that not even many men could possess. She fought through pain and blood just to protect the trees which they believed was sacred. The group encircled the trees and was killed in huge numbers one after the other before the government intervened. After the brutality, three hundred and sixty two lives were lost inclusive of the matriarch. This was a phenomenon effort to protect the environment. Industrial revolution was a major transition of events which brought about the modern agriculture farming, infrastructure, technology, modern heath care, commerce and civilization. This revolution however came with a lot of demerits. Some of the problems included water and land pollution from the steamship, slavery, nuclear radiation as well as pollution of the air due to the smoke. Industrialization is the mother of modernization across the world. It brought about machinery, chemicals like pesticides as well as insecticides. These chemicals have greatly affected human and animal life through the food chain. Numerous heath complications have been brought about by the consumption of chemically processed foods. Climate change is a major issue throughout the globe. It is caused by

Peace and Conflict Essay Example for Free

Peace and Conflict Essay While the term conflict generally is associated with negative encounters, conflict itself is neither inherently good nor inherently bad. In fact, engaging in conflict can have positive effects on relationships and organizations. Conflict among people, institutions, organizations, nations and in all relationships are a normal, natural and inevitable part of life. In itself, it is to a great extent a necessary tool that enhances development and can be regarded as normal and a prerequisite under certain conditions. In view if this, this paper will labor to clearly examine the conditions in which peace is said to be a normal phenomenon. The term conflict will exhaustively be defined from different school of thoughts and its kinds or types outlined, followed by cited conditions that advocate for the presence of conflict as being normal. Thereafter, a comprehensive conclusion will be drawn from the entire discussion. Conflict can be defined in many ways and can be considered as an expression of hostility, negative attitudes, antagonism, aggression rivalry and misunderstanding. It is associated with situation that involve contradictory or irreconcilable interests between two opposing groups. The term conflict is derived from a Latin word that means to clash or engage in a fight. It is a confrontation between one or more parties aspiring towards incompatible means or ends, Miller (2005). ‘’Conflict is a multi-dimensional social phenomenon which is an integral feature of human existence, essential to the ongoing processes of history, to social change, and transformation,’’ International Alert et al. 1996, 3). Swanstrom and Weissmann (2005) define conflict as being the result of opposing interests involving scarce resources, goal divergence and frustration. This is outside the traditional military sphere and is based on behavioral dimensions. The process begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affect, something that the first party holds in great esteem or importance. In the same sense three forms of conflict have been identified. This implies that it has levels to influence namely; Interstate, which is the disputes between nation-states or the violation of the state systems of alliance; Internal conflict, is type of dispute that happens within a given society or part of the given society such as territorial disputes, and civil and ethnic wars; and State-formation, this is the battles over control of government. These are internationally recognized as challenges, which to some extent have been classified as a normal phenomenon as people are heterogeneous in their interests and desires, Wallensteen (2002). Differences in interpretation of the conflict result from different orientations in an effort to resolve and overcome conflicts. One thing that different approaches agree on is that conflicts are essentially clashes among people. These clashes arise from differences of values and interests of opposing parties, those parties being individuals, groups or entire organizations, (Adler, 2002). Conflict also has a positive dimension as normal forms of social interaction which may contribute to the maintenance, development, change and overall stability of social entities. Many social scientists hold that periods of change, be it economic growth or decline, political transitions, or social innovation are associated with conflict. A Dutch scholar by the name of Bonger, believed that theirs is a causal link between conflict and economic and social conditions. Existing institutions come under pressure and may be unable to control or integrate new forces, demands, and collective actors. Change is likely to be uneven and to create a sense of relative deprivation, injustice, and threat among the losers. A recent example is the pressure mounted on the government of Chad in ensuring there is proper accounting procedures in the management of the country’s oil revenue. The activities of these organizations have been both positive and negative. From the positive side, they have been able to curb some of the excesses of governments in many developing countries, (African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes [ACCORD], 2008). Traditional human rights theories seldom took conflict theories to exam the conflicts between different rights and social movements. Under conditions that human rights are violated or a particular class in society feels their rights are not fully being exercised, conflict can be seen as a normal phenomenon. In 1997, the Taiwan feminism movement was separated by the sex worker’s issue. The major feminism groups denied sex could be seen as a right to work, but more tended to see it as a product by exploitation. To those support sex workers, they addressed sex workers have their rights to use sex or body as a work, and even further claimed that sex work is a radical sexual movement, (Ho, 2005). In such a situation, conflict is normal and beneficial as it acts as a podium of debate and its advantages of fostering an awareness of problems that exist and leading to better solutions is clearly seen. Above all the norms of society are readjusted. The more diversified and heterogeneous a society becomes, the greater the probability of more frequent conflict as subgroups who live by their own rules break the rules of other groups (Best, 2004). Conflict is a natural part of relationships. While relationships are sometimes calm and predictable, at other times events and circumstances generate tensions and instability. This phrase suggests that life gives us conflict, and that conflict is a natural part of human experience and relationships. Rather than viewing conflict as a threat, the transformative view sees conflict as a valuable opportunity to grow and increases our understanding of others and ourselves. Conflict helps us stop, assess and take notice. South Africa for example has a multiracial and multiethnic population. â€Å"Blacks constitute 77% of which the Zulu make up 22. % of the overall population,† (ACCORD, 2008, 15). The liberation struggle during the years of white minority rule cemented the Blacks, Asians and coloured people together. The unity forged by the blacks, Asians and colored people under white oppression collapsed when state power was to be competed for by all groups. The conflict of power here is seen as a means of uniting these different groups for the purpose of achieving a common goal, (ibid, 2008). Furthermore, conflicts with some groups bring about fraternity. It maintains and revises the balance of power among antagonists. When conflict breaks out, the former accommodation between the parties involved is rejected, the relative war of each group is tested and a new equilibrium can be established. Such arrangements in the balance of power thwart any one group from being dominant over other groups. As long as their power is continually challenged, members of the ruling group will be blocked from exclusive control of the social system. In most African states where the fight for independence was intense, most ethnic groups worked together to secure independence. Conflict continually creates new norms and modifies old ones. It bringing about situations to which the usual rules do not apply, conflict stimulates the establishment of appropriate guides to action. Moreover, the threat of attack, preparation for war or any hostile challenge from outside can strengthen a group’s solidarity and cohesiveness (Galtung, 1990). Conflict within and between social groups disturbs habits of thought and behavior and creates an atmosphere for innovation and creativity. This is another positive attribute of conflict that can be regarded as normal is that it facilitates the ovement or flow of one generation to the next. This is achieved in that society evolves over a period of time as values and norms of people continue to class and oppose each other within society. The changes may be positive hence benefiting humanity at large though in most cases these benefits are unanticipated and long-term. Finally, Weber contended that it will always exist, regardless of the social, economic, or political nature of society, and that it was functional because of its role in bringing disputes into the open for public debate. Even though individuals and groups enjoying great wealth, prestige, and power have the resources necessary to impose their values on others with fewer resources, Weber viewed the various class divisions in society as normal, inevitable, and acceptable (Curran Renzetti, 2001). However, it must be noted that if conflict is not managed, it pauses a great danger to humanity. If conflict is to be accepted as a normal phenomenon, it has to be managed or resolved quicker and more efficiently than letting it fester. For Mial and Wood House (2001), by conflict resolution, it is expected that the deep rooted sources of conflict are addressed and resolved, and behavior is no longer violent, nor are attitude hostile any longer, while structure of the conflict has been changed. Desmond Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop emeritus of South Africa, is reported to have commented from within the situation of social revolution in South Africa that â€Å"without reconciliation, there is no future† (Wustenberg, 1998, 5). It is therefore now right to conclude that peace is a normal phenomenon but not when it is poorly managed or resolved. Issues such as the rearrangement of the balance of power, readjustment of group norms and the maintenance of group unity have been examined as the product of conflict even though conflict can be destructive in nature. Contemporary understanding of conflict represents a belief that conflict is not only a positive force of one group, but it is also absolutely essential for achievement of the efficiency of the group.

Morality and Obligation Essay Example for Free

Morality and Obligation Essay 1. Two preliminary steps taken, that may be necessary, before one can intui? vely appreciate the rightness of an ac? on are thinking fully about the consequences of an ac? on. In other words, think before you act. Also give thought (considera? on) to the persons involved in said ac? on or your rela? on(ship) with the persons involved. 2. An ac? on is considered morally good in addi? on to being right when it is the right thing to do, while also stemming from a good place. When the person or agent performs said act because it is right, from a feeling of obliga? on, a morally good act is also right. 3. According to Prichard, an ac? on done from a sense of obliga? on, there is no purpose consis? ng either in the ac? on itself or in anything which it will produce. A mo? ve, being something that moves one to act, can be the sense of obliga? on, an ac? on done from a sense of obliga? on can indeed have a mo? ve. 4. Avirtuous act is done from a desire that is intrinsically good. A moral act may be done from obliga? on. There cant be an obliga? on to act virtuously, because we can only feel an obliga? on to act or do something. We cannot, however, feel an obliga? on to act from a certain desire 5. It is a mistake to expect moral philosophy to prove through argumenta? on that we ought to ful+ll our obliga? ons, because moral rightness cannot be demonstrated, only apprehended directly by an act of moral thinking. The sense of obliga? on is a result of a moral thought or thoughts. Moral philosophy can provide re-ec? on on the immediacy of our knowledge of moral rightness and the intui? ve recogni? on of the goodness of the virtues.

Business Essays Puma Company Brand

Business Essays Puma Company Brand Puma Company Brand 1. Executive Summary Puma AG is a multinational company that is based in German and manufactures high athletic and sportswear shoes both for women and men, It was founded by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. 1.1 Introduction Puma was founded in Dassler Schuhfabrik, Herzogenaurach, Germany by Rudolf Dassler after a dispute with his brother Adi Dassler with whom they had founded the Dassler Schuhfabrik in 1924. Until early 2003 puma had a very poor brand image that show a decline in its market share and prompted puma to change it strategic decisions to improve on its image, this process of change was led by Jochen Zeitz Puma CEO based on phases one to four of strategic plan to change puma’s image so that it can compete favorable in the marketplace and within a couple of years Jochen Zeitz had change puma’s brand image into one of the most desirable and sought after brand of sportswear and footwear worn both buy celebrities and fashion followers all over the word. This report is divided in three parts, Part one presents the factors that influenced puma to change it brand image and it further goes to describe these factors under Macro-environmental analysis basing on market trends, rivalry between customers and strategic group mapping. The second part presents the puma’s resources and capabilities in terms of strengths and weakness as well as virtuallity as seen as strengthens and the third part of the report presents puma’s winning strategies basing on pumas situation that fits the company, sustainable completive advantages and as a better performing company. According to case study of Puma AG (in Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J. and Gamble, J. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy (Fourteenth Edition), McGraw-Hill, New York, pages C411- C432), The environmental and competitive factors that influenced Puma’s strategic decision to improve its Brand image is identified under Macro- environmental factors, rivalry between competitors and strategic group mapping as below. 1.1.2 Macro –environmental factors Lack of social acceptance of Puma brand from the upper class customers who were not willing to wear the brand because they considered to of poor quality and were sold â€Å"dirt-cheap† Puma’s brand was compromised and this a affected it’s value for example Rudi’s son wanted puma products to reach all the customers of all social back ground and this move was seen by the upper class people as some thing below them and they can not be seen wearing the same brand as people on welfare recipients. In order for pumas brand to be accepted as a high quality brand of value, force puma to change and improve its brand so that it can be socially accepted by customers. Change in customers taste and style for example there was high demand for supports ware and fashion apparel tend that was oriented toward high value and lifestyle products, this change in customers demand influenced pumas to changed it’s brand image to meet the customers growing demand Demographic change in soccer market for example their was a high demand to respond to needs of both kids playing on local pitch and nationals soccer team playing professional at international level that required high quality brand and in order for puma to tap in to these demographic change puma needed to improve its brand image. Market change of 1980 when sports brand became more dynamic and consumers taste diversified into new and more exciting high price that make products more desirable this forced puma to change its brand image so that they can charge high price as customers associate high prices with quality of brand or product and the more highly charged the more desirable the brand. Introduction of niches in the market offered attractive growth rates both incumbent and new market players for example skateboarding markets, golf sports, sports equipments for out door activities made puma change its brand image, for example for puma to enjoy this attractive growth its brand has to be of high quality. Merging of manufactures to form one big group for example Rosso joined forces with several other manufactures in northern Italy to form Genius group this was seen as a threat because this means more resources and strong financial stand and this led to high fragmented global market and for puma to survive in a highly fragmented market it needed to change its brand image Puma’s brand was disreputable and had lost specailised sports dealers in its distribution network in order for puma to gain its distribution network it had to improve on its brand image 1.1.3 Rivalry between competitors Puma greatest rivalries are from the following competitors: Nike Inc Nike is the number one sports brand in world over and from the case study Based in USA Has got sub brand like Tiger words and Michael Jordan Adidas Salomon AG Deals on core sports (soccer, athletics skiing) Has got stronger financial resources Has got it’s marketing and design departments in Germany and France Prada Sports Luxury brand It has entered in to sports segments four years ago Deals in trendy fashion wear of high prices Diesel Based in Italy Fashion brand ,majoring in sunglasses, footwear Competitors entered the market such as Adidas, Nike, Rebook among others entered the market and made competition for market share was very high and these competitors had better quality brand than puma and among them, they shared 27% of the market share, this stiff competition influenced puma to improve on it’s brand image to survive to survive in the competitive market Nike was the biggest competitor of all and it had the largest market share for example Nike was became the world’s largest sports equipment manufacture in the late 1980 and maintain this position since then. Puma was dealing in almost identical products like puma but its brand was poor so in order to have a share in the market place puma needed to improve on its brand image. Adidas-Salomon was also another competitor that entered the market as the second world’s largest producer of sports equipment manufacture in world with approximately $6.5 billion in sales and was present in every country this put puma in a very difficult situation and in order for puma to have a favorable share in the market it needed to change its brand Reebok also entered the market at the time when puma brand was poor, Reebok was the world third largest player in the sports market, Reebok identified footwear industry as a key market and began to aggressively into overseas market this expand was seen as a threat to puma and to survive it puma had to change its brand image Prada though a luxury bran, it also started deal in sportswear four years ago and this is a threat for Puma and because though the price for Prada brand is high, it high quality goods do attack customer who are willing to spend for example super starts, this is a threat to puma because puma has to not only with Prada but with Nike, Adidas and Reebok for customers. 1.1.4 Marketing strategies Acquisitions of groups for example Rosso bought out other partners and embarked on growth and expansion this means more competition for market shares as he built a solid and vast distribution platform across five continents reporting annual sales of $330 million with luxury brand selling jeans for as much as $100-$200 a pair making it’s brand more appealing to customers and in order for puma to survive Such a hash market, it needed to change its brand image Innovations as a marketing strategy for example Nike diversified his product portfolio to target people of ages 20 -30 with enthusiastic sports appeal, Reebok changed its marketing strategy and began transition toward football, baseball and soccer which Puma was one of puma product line and in order for puma to attract new customers it has to change it brand image for example puma designing and new functionality in new collections and launched retro looks of the 1970s/80s All companies engaged in massive advertisement for their brand a awareness so that they can compete favorable in the market for example in Nike marketing strategy, it focused on sponsoring huge events and popular events, Reebok also sponsored popular events and had a licensing agreement with national basket association that increased its brand awareness To compete with each other favorability each company outsource production and raw materials where their cost was cheap and labour was available this enables each company to cut on production cost. Product differentiation causes constraints on rivalry for example the is high rivalry for example between Nike, Adidas and Reebok because thought there is high brand identification in the market they almost dealt in similar sports equipments which offer customer the usage. 1.1.5 Strategic group mapping to position competitors Strategic Group Map on Footwear Mark From the strategic group mapping, the rivalry between Puma and Nike is very low and puma doesn’t pose a threat because Puma doesn’t enough market shares as compared to Nike, This is because Puma is a stage where its brand is poor and customers are not willing to buy puma products and this explains why the position of puma and Nike are far a part from each The close positioning of Nike, Adidas and Reebok are and narrow and almost tight because they are competing for almost the same size for example the rivalry between Adidas and Reebok are almost of the same size in market share and they have to keep competing for the market with no dominance from Adidas and Reebok as a leading rivalry, this is because the cost of production is low and so is the cost of labour The cost of switching from one brand to another is very low for customers the rivalry firms because customers can freely buy from another from Nike, Adidas and Reebok especially where there is no brand royalty that’s why they are so close together Nike, Adidas and Reebok entered the market almost at the same time when puma’s brand image needed improving this cause high competition for the market shares and for customers and this explains why less room for expansion for Nike , Adidas and Reebok that needs to protect it’s market share from Puma The cost of production was low between the rivalry firms as most of had outsourced all production and raw material where they were cheap to produce, this made the market so unstable and due to high competition for the market share. 2 Puma’s strengths and weakness 2.1 Strength Puma had collaboration with some of the famous designers from different cultural back ground for example puma’s new projects were developed under the supervisions of trendsetters like Yashuiro Mihara and Jil sanders which are strongly influenced by kickboxing. This cooperation and collaboration opened a new wide market for puma for example where high fashion meets sportswear, for example this collaboration led puma to produced high quality brand that suppers starts like Madonna were happy to be spotted wear puma brand and this made many fashion and brand wearer buy more of puma products Puma launched new collections which blended with sports, lifestyle and fashion for example puma curato shoes, unala cropped woven women’s ware which are very sport fashionable and trendy, such causal sportswear became like very day kind of wear for certain age group for example the young starts who identified themselves with puma logo and style, this made it easy for puma to target and reach the right market as at the right time as puma knew it’s market and customers well Innovations -puma carried innovations at each part of the process for example puma worked with engineering teams of Jordan grand prix Racing to learn about new materials like carbon fire which are then built into pumas shoes like shudou shoes, this innovation enabled Puma to produced high quality sportswear that were so desirable that puma gain a lot more customer that puma became looked upon as a trend starter in the footwear market for other companies like Nike and Adidas as follow Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries , this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors Puma had knowledge and experience, this is one of pumas major strength because according to the case study Zeitz’s understanding of fashion as â€Å"the new combinations of elements of the past it easy for puma to produce products without having to design for scratch rather than use its heritage, this made it easy for Puma to re-launched older products for example the retro look where some parts were taken from 1970/1980 collections were re-launched after adding modern elements such as fit or color way shoes Puma has good planning and timing for example puma for example puma entered the sports market two years before its revival in order to maximize profits and this gave puma enough time to prepare for up coming demand, Puma had gain market experience and gave customers the impressions of always being in the sports market. Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arose customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, for example Puma use the MTV and Music Mongol as Jazzy to promote footwear and other apparel this made lead to the popularity of puma brand and in the last five years saw increased sales as the brand was considered â€Å"rebellious and stylish â€Å" as two most desirable attributes as compared to it’s competitors Acquisitions of other company for example puma acquired Swedish company Tretorn, Europe’s third largest manufacturer of tennis ball from Proventus for â‚ ¬23 million which the contributed to â‚ ¬45 million in sales and puma was able to allocate its over head cost of distribution functions Puma had a shareholder New Regency which put puma in several successful Hollywood movies such as devil and high crime this benefited puma massively from generous product placement. This new regency made it easy for puma to reach it market audience through movies, adverts that portrays the image of puma as a company Technologically puma created a web presence that fit its imaged for example its home page displayed different adverts from Jamaica line. Interactive stories transported readers into managers’ thoughts during his 96 hour business tripe around the world wearing pumas casual and business attire. A project promoted on the internet was the â€Å"top winner thrift† A collection of 510 unique and individual shoes was created and sold at premium prices all over the world. 2.1.2 Weakness Poor brand Image Before the revival, puma has a very bad brand image that most customers from the upper social class did not want to buy puma products because it was considered cheap, this ruined poor reputation and it took years for this image to be rebuilt through phases. Luck of financial resource Puma did not have a strong financial resource as can be seen from the balance sheet of 1999-2002 this could have been due to reduced sales as the brand was of poor image. From the case study puma has the lowest balance sheet compare to its competitors Luck of customers Due to puma poor brand image of 1992-2002 it was not attracting customers because the brand was poor the substitute were readily available on the market most of pumas customers might have crossed to Nike or Adidas as they had better quality footwear Limited market when the brand was poor puma has the least market share as compared to Nike, Adidas and Rebook that to gathered shared 27% of the market share. This failure by puma to capture a larger make share is a weakness and this decreased on brand attractiveness, this can be due to puma’s marketing communication which is different for market segment Puma lost its sports dealers distribution network due to poor brand image and unhealthy sale. Though this was gained, Puma still missing the sports segments distribution systems From the case study Puma has a higher overhead as compared because some of its products were sold cheaply at a very low price making it really hard to figure out what the profit was made as costs were being attached to total sales regardless of what product segment was sold 2.1.3 Virtuality Puma is the first virtual sports company according to pumas mission statement and uses Virtual Warehouse Management System. According to Jochen Zeitz, CEO of puma Virtual actually may be the wrong word. One should probably say a virtualized company, where location doesnt really play a role anymore. Its totally independent from location and how you do business, and move things forward. Take product development, for example. Its actually divided among all the three hubs, with certain development functions in Germany, certain in the U.S., and others in Hong Kong. They each complement each other and work together. Its all integrated through proper IT, so no matter where you are, you can access the same kind of information and add to the entire development chain†. (Reveries.com, Dec 2202). 2.1.4 Virtuality as strength for puma Information sharing Puma has a global management structure several head quarters supported by a strong information technology infrastructure this makes it easy for sharing of vast network resources on a global scale for example during design stage and using the Lotus notes and information database application, key information about design process and procedures and it can be entered in to the database and it can viewed by all the production team located in all the regional hub, this makes exchange of idea and decision making fast without the need for production team and designers to be physical locations in one place. For example footwear can be designed in German then it can be checked by product development team in another country, the review is done throughout the production cycle till the product is finished and ready for sale. Hi technology infrastructure The strong information technology infrastructure can be used to link all the global regions together for example during executive meetings video-teleconference can be use link all the mangers in the various regions together during a meeting enabling fast sharing executive information for managerial decision marking Online Reseller Puma’s virtuality has enabled puma to provide its customers with aid of viewing and buying products through a web based stores and retailers for example puma’s â€Å"Qualified Puma Online Reseller† has made it possible for customer to order products and view their purchase status as they a wait delivery whenever their locations Family Websites Through virtual presence puma has been able to a couple of puma family websites for example in 2000 puma featured an online store in offering a few product in United States only though this has become more common of Pumas online stores, this makes it easy for puma presence to be very where in any country in the world and makes it easy for puma sales team to interact with customers online. Puma also open it’s door to the public via web presence (Pumabiz.com) by allow users access to company information such as corporate structure, financial reports and puma performance in the market, this web presence enabled puma attack potential and future business partners as well as recruiting new staff using the Pumabiz.com website. Virtual warehouse Puma’s virtualisation process lead to the creation of a virtual warehouse where as soon as customers order goods they are assigned with unique making it easy to locate the goods and goods are dispatched to customers no matter where they are with the specific given period. The virtual warehouse system solves puma’s traditional way of storage and led to a feeling that puma is everywhere as the virtual warehouse was everywhere puma has a subsidiary. By using vitulised system puma has competitive advantage for example Puma all core competence is seen as a single big company and globally it’s employees are all over the world and through use of puma communication technology employees are able to share all the resources and the process of virtualisation is being seen as a future that most companies will follow (cf Fuderholz, 1998) The interaction of customers, suppliers and shareholders through the use of information system and communications between organisations have brought only supplier and investors together but has brought shareholders closer for example shareholder through the use on information system are able to search and find out how the company id performing in the market 3 Winning strategies There are evidences from Puma financial reports that suggest puma strategies in the resent years have led to winning strategies; this can be seen from its broad actives that have improved puma’s image considerably. 3.1 Fits the Company’s situation well Increase in orders Pumas orders has increased by product line according to puma’s outlook for example order for footwear went up by 4.7% to â‚ ¬ 721.1 millions and order for apparel has increased by 19.9% to â‚ ¬ 397.7millioms followed by accessories which increased by 13.6% to â‚ ¬68.9 million See Appendix ii 111 Global branded Sales growth Puma management confirmed increase in sales on of footwear, apparel and accessories for based on the financial results for the first quarter of 2008 this has the strength of Euro against other currencies for example footwear sales were down by 4.6% to â‚ ¬404.1 millions, Apparel almost remained the same as last years total â‚ ¬246/9 millions and accessories increased by 30.0% to â‚ ¬ 90.1million Consolidated sales In the first quarter of 2008 consolidated sales grew for example sales in footwear flat but with all puma region meeting satisfactory sales level except USA, the sales of apparel goods increased by 18.5% to â‚ ¬ 231.8 million and accessories in creased by 16.5% to â‚ ¬ 47.3 million with contributions from the entire region in double digits Europe, Middle East also saw increased sales of 19.9% which all together left the company with 3.4% revenue of which footwear sales accounts for up to1.9%, apparel increased by 5.7% and accessories by 3.7% despite a slow sales in America. (26 February 2008 | Source: just-style.com) Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7% Gross profits at 5% from the sales and earning development report, puma’s gross profit from the first quarter increased to 52.2% as compared to last years. The margin of footwear increased from 52.0% to 52.1%, accessories increased from 53.4% to 54.9% and apparel was low compared to last year’s gross profits Puma embarked on phase IV Puma has started its phase IV in 2006 of becoming â€Å"most desirable sports lifestyle company† that consists of expansion out side of European market as all as expansion of product categories; this includes entering the already existing markets as well as entering into new areas for example puma aim to offer products that cover all the sport lifestyle such as incorporating sportswear into fashion and making puma more distinguished to beat off competition from its rivalry. Phase IV expansion strategy show tremendous growth in profits as result of continuous high sales and puma ability to spot new trends in the market and offer products accordingly Puma’s shareholders value In 2007 Puma’s main long term goal was founded, when Pinault Printemps Redoute of France take over Puma, this brought the two companies that share the same vision and culture together, for example the take over made it possible for each company to provide support to the other to reach it’s strategic objectives. The take over was not objected by the share holders because the offer price of â‚ ¬330 per share was considered fair and this made both companies more money. Good balance sheet Pumas sales for the full year of 2005 consist of consolidated and license sales which increased by 18.4% to â‚ ¬ 2.4 million for which the sales of apparel accounts for 16.5%, accessories increase to 16.5% and footwear increased by 17.7%, this as compare to pre 2003 shows that puma has got a healthy balance sheet for example puma equity ratio is above 60% and of March 31, 2008 total assets increased by 0.8% to â‚ ¬ 1,811.5 millions 3.1.2 Competitive advantage Barney (1991) defines sustainable competitive advantage as A firm is said to have a sustained competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors and when these other firms are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy (italics in original) (p. 102). Based on both Barney’s work and the definition in the dictionary, a sustainable competitive Advantage is defined as long term benefit of implementing some unique value-creating strategy not currently being implemented by any known or potential competitors along with the incapability to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. Factors that have enabled puma achieve sustainable competitive advantage are identified below Knowledge and Expertise Puma has uses expertise in design knowledge with major competencies in all parts of design and marketing for example with the acquisition of Puma by PPR group has enabled puma to use PPR large base design team to produces high quality of desirable brands, this knowledge and expertise makes puma completive set a part from it’s main competitors. Brand as completive advantage Pumas brand is so strong and dynamic according to Zeitz that by 2003 puma’s popularity was so strong that mega starts like Madonna was proud to wear Puma’s, This brand image and associations of it’s brand with international starts is of competitive advantage in selling of apparel and footwear because it brings about publicity for puma and brand awareness and open up venues for other opportunities for example by 2003 puma signs a deal to be the official supplier of apparel and footwear to the FIA world rally champion. Expansion into other market Puma has been expanding its market especially in china, for example puma has open many stores in Olympic village in china to showcase new collection and meet the demand for Puma’s footwear demand , this expansion has attacked new customers and puma has provided support to individual sports personality for example, the CEO of Puma is quoted as â€Å" If we find the right person we will consider partnering with those Chinese sports starts† ( China daily report 26,2007) Innovative products Puma has a advantage in footwear, apparel and accessories because it a lot easier for puma but fashion know who with the help of designers and the CEO of puma has the understanding of fashion â€Å"the new combination of elements of past† in which when puma spots a new trend instead of making a new brand, puma uses it old brand to design and this counted for 10% of footwear, apparel and accessories based on the old design and this also made puma a trend starter. In footwear puma also collaborated with sought after designers like Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen to produce new line of women’s and men’s footwear which was launched in the spring of 2006 Broad consumer appeal Puma offer a very diverse product line for everyone and this accounts for the broad customer appeal because there is product for everyone. In the spring collection of 2003 did carter for both male and female for example Nuala product line with cropped woven pants and Nuala Nylon coat for women as well as Kings ss soccer shirts that catered for both men and women. Puma also ventured into Action sports line for emerging sports like BMX skateboarding and downhill mountain biking creating platinum series offering causal footwear and apparel and accessories for such events Relational market asserts Puma has got greater bond with its customers this has forged a working relationship work with customers to manufactures highly unique and customized brands for example in the case study puma promoted the â€Å"top winner thrift† a collection of 510 unique and individual shoes that were created out of recycle cloths from Jeans and ties, with the purchase of such items, customers allowed to enter puma’s exclusive community on the web. Supplies to meet the various demands of consumers Puma’s major supplier was Yue Yuen, the largest supplier of footwear, so when the demand for particular footwear goes up puma is more readily meets the demand from constant supply of branded products from YueYuen. Intellectual market asserts Puma has great in depth knowledge regarding customers needs and preferences for example puma has gained knowledge and credibility in sportswear and equipment, this was a results of many years of trading on the same product line and which made it very easy to have competitive advantage over others fashion industry, this knowledge made it easy for puma to re-launch products that customers most prefer to have. 3.1.3 Better company performance Marketing campaign Puma participated in various marketing campaigns to arise customer brand awareness for example it sponsored big events, chose music television channel which was known for its young audience who tired to differentiate themselves and targeted them with puma adverts, this has resulted in o better performance because it improved brand awareness which in turns led to high sales performance. Out sourced production Puma outsourced all productions and raw material procurements in European were to expensive and raw martial were cheap in Asians countries, this allow puma to reduce it’s working capital and allow puma to shorten the production and enable full quality control of input factors, this results in a better company performance because it enables puma to meet the market needs effectively and save a lot of money from having

Theme Analysis of D.H. Lawrences The Horse Dealers Daughter :: D H Lawrence Horse Dealer Daughter Essays Papers

Theme Analysis of D.H. Lawrence's â€Å"The Horse Dealer's Daughter† Many authors are recognized by a reoccurring theme found throughout their works. The author D.H. Lawrence can be classified into this group. He is well known for his reoccurring theme that romantic love is psychologically redeeming. He wrote â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter† , a short story that exemplifies this theme quite accurately, in 1922 (Sagar 12). Through excellent use of symbolism in â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter†, Lawrence renders his theme of romantic love being psychologically redeeming through the emotional development of the two main characters, Mabel and Dr. Fergusson. In â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,† symbols are used to fulfill the quest of happiness and love. This love story has many symbols, which show hidden meaning. One can fully understand a story, if one can point out certain symbols. Symbols create ideas and images for the reader to better understand the story. (Symbol)Mabel, one of the two main characters in this story, is depressed and suicidal. After her mother died, she feels like there is nothing to live for. Her mother was the love and joy in her life; without her, she is lost. All she has left is her house, which she is extremely proud of, and her brother, which she seems not to care for. She decides to release herself from her troubles by drowning herself in a pond. The other main character, Dr. Fergusson, sees her and tries to save her life. This pond is a strong symbol with many meanings. It is a start of a new experience, and a change of two people’s lives. The pond is described as dead and cold. This symbolizes that Dr. Fergusson had no feelings for Mabel before the incident. The narrator describes the pond as lifeless right before the doctor had entered it. Before going in, the relationship between them was dead and cold, and they had no passionate feelings for one another. Dr. Fergusson tries to rescue Mabel for no other reason but because he was doing his job. The pond also describes Dr. Fergusson’s life as dull and pointless. His life was still and silent before he had met her. He was afraid to go in too deep into the pond, and was afraid of drowning. This represents his fear of falling in love. He was scared of the water because he could not swim, and also because he was scared of love.

Old Professor New Lessons Tuesdays with Morrie Essay -- Essays Papers

Old Professor New Lessons Tuesdays with Morrie Thesis: In the novel Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Aldom gains a new understanding on life's lessons taught by his old professor Morrie. Old Professor-New Lessons Mitch Albom attended many classes taught by Morrie Schwartz during his years at Brandeis University, but he does not attempt to learn the meaning of life until he is in his forties. The knowledge of his favorite professors illness forces Mitch to rekindle an old friendship. In the process of finding an old friend, Mitch acquires many life lessons that give him a new meaning to his existence. Mitch and Morrie meet on Tuesdays. On the second Tuesday, the topic of discussion is feeling sorry for oneself. On this day Mitch asks Morrie, "Do you feel sorry for yourself." (Albom 56) Morrie responds: Sometimes in the mornings, that's when I mourn. I mourn what I have lost. I mourn the slow, insidious way in which I'm dying. But then I stop mourning. I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things in life. I don't allow myself any more self-pity than that. (Albom 57) Mitch is amazed how well Morrie takes his illness. People in Morrie's situation sit around and feel sorry for themselves. The idea of putting a daily limit on self-pity is a revolutionary idea for Mitch. This lesson shows Mitch that time on earth is precious and to find a ray of light in life's darkest days. On the forth Tuesday the l...

Theme of Entrapment in The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper

Theme of Entrapment in The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper Topics of great social impact have been dealt with in many different ways and in many different mediums. Beginning with the first women’s movement in the 1850’s, the role of women in society has been constantly written about, protested, and debated. Two women writers who have had the most impact in the on-going women’s movement are Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The Awakening and The Yellow Wallpaper are two of feminist literature’s cornerstones and have become prolific parts of American literature. Themes of entrapment by social dictates, circumstance, and the desire for personal independence reside within each work and bond the two together. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived and wrote around the same time during the nineteenth century. This time period, like most others, is characterized by a society which the patriarch is the center and leader of the family structure. The protagonists in each story are women, who are trapped by the circumstances surrounding their current situations within society. Each protagonist finds liberation in very different ways, each leading to a downfall that is inescapable in the society of the time period. In The Awakening, Edna begins to learn and experience things that empower her and lead her to believe that she can become more independent. The new freedom that she enjoys is only fleeting as the dictates of society do not allow for such freedom from a married woman with children. The protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper is trapped by a much different set of circumstances. Her husband believes she is mentally ill and begins to deprive her of the freedoms, such as writin g, that she has previous... ...orks could be the topic for countless doctoral dissertations. They are both intriguing and ambiguous, which leaves much up to discussion and speculation. The role of women in society has been and will continue to be a point of great debate and perpetual change. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman have influenced other great women writers such as Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, and budding male writers such as Ben Eisner. The events and experiences of one’s upbringing help to shape future writings and ideas. Kate Chopin and Charlotte Perkins Gilman had different formative years, which are evident in their approaches to their characters and their ideas of women in society. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Penguin Putman, Inc. New York. 1976 Perkins Gilman, Charlotte. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings. Random House, Inc. New York. 2000.

My First Impression of Critical Thinking Class Essay

My first impression when I went to this university was very positive. The person I spoke to just made me feel completely at home because he said when I started as a mature student and that’s what I wanted to hear. He asked me about my experience so far and treated it as though it was something important, something worthwhile talking about and interesting and then he gave me chance to prove myself although I didn’t have the conventional qualifications, to prove myself by doing a written piece of writing which gave me access to the course. Quite pleased because I felt I was intelligent enough to get onto a course, intelligent enough but not educated enough, I didn’t have the certificates to prove it and this was my chance to do so. I’ve no way of knowing really to be honest I’ve nothing really to compare it without I imagine that obviously with the engineering and those sort of sciences you do need to show that you’ve gone through the steps, yes I can imagine there would be the difference, yeah.. My course is like a general introduction to socio-economic, political, even psychological studies and as you go through from one year to the next you can concentrate more on the areas that you find you are interested in but you don’t regret having done other areas which you weren’t particularly fascinated by because it’s building blocks and you build on the last one before you go onto the next one. I found it really hard work fitting – think fitting 6 subjects in one year is quite a lot to fit in. It would be nice if it was just 5 perhaps but that’s life. The deadlines are really hard work but I suppose you’ve got to have them so that’s okay. I chose to study full-time so I can’t really complain. I find the university itself a rather alienating environment. In the library it is difficult to concentrate – there are always people chatting, letting doors bang and so on. It’s mostly minor practical things like the long two bus journeys that I have and the fact that there is nowhere to base yourself. You can’t make yourself a coffee – you haven’t got a room of your own, not even a locker. You have to carry everything there and back every day and pay 82p for a drink, like a shopper going round town. You can’t find anywhere to have a nap if you’re tired and I love catnapping – it just revives me instantly. Study rooms get really hot. The food canteens are not as good as I’d expect but it’s great – I could stay all day reading in the library – it’s a fantastic resource. There is just so much there – and I think of it as an archive – as time goes on the more and more, the older stuff gets more and more important – the fact that it’s still there because if you compare it for example with the internet there’s loads of stuff on the internet but it’s all pretty current. The old stuff hasn’t necessarily been archived, it can just be switched off. Lack of grass roots involvement, choices and accountability – altogether you are treated more like a consumer than a participant but with no customer services hotline. You’ve very much following a series of chosen paths like levels in a computer game. The choices are just which subjects, not fundamentals like where, when and how to study – it’s not a democracy, it’s an institution. It’s not what I’d expected coming from the voluntary sector where every organisation is run by a committee that the grass roots can contact and appeal to. You can even put yourself forward to join the committees. Student Union’s just not the same, to me that’s like being invited to be a critic in the audience, not to have a share in running the show. Here they ask for one student rep from our group – just one – why not all of us? Why not an open forum meeting every few months to feed all our comments – big and small – through to the management. Why not a suggestion box at least? Where is the annual report to students? Where s the accountability? It was a surprise to find my course entirely full of 18 year old white kids – they all look the same. There must be less than 5% mature students which is a shame. The youngsters are so docile in the classroom, like sheep, they never challenge anything, they just don’t know loads of stuff like recent British history, politics. Of course, it’s easier if you’ve lived through it but I don’t think some of them even listen to the news. I feel sorry for anyone just studying the National Curriculum. The mature students mostly got kids, like me, I’ve got teenagers, some also work, have other activities, some are even doing other courses at the same time, they know how to push themselves. Even so, a lot feel unconfident at the university. They just don’t get what’s required of them, at least for the first year. I was a mentor when I started my second year for an adult in her first year. She said I really helped in lending an ear and explaining things. Mentoring is a really good system. I wish I’d had one when I started. Co-operative work, team work, committee skills. The whole emphasis is on developing you as an individual. You will become a researcher, not a team. We are also carefully told how to avoid plagiarism but people are afraid to actually work together – in fact, university doesn’t teach team work in general. It could. In reality there are vital committee skills some graduates won’t come across till they get to the workplace, making them look naive. I mean practical things like meetings, having agendas, minutes, standing orders and so on. In the voluntary sector I’d been used to organisations having good, well worked out policies and procedures which are publicly available documents. Here, the nearest we got was one session on ground rules in an introductory course which was never repeated, reviewed or built upon. Value and experiences, using skills and building your self-esteem. Something I got from training as an adult trainer was an appreciation of good methods in bringing out what people already have as a starting point for education. Lectures are obviously pretty much one way but seminars don’t have to be. I was taught to be a facilitator not a teacher with the idea that the group works together towards a result. The process of doing this is educational. It builds up self-esteem because everyone contributes – their input is valued. Their previous experiences in life and skills and attributes in group work come out. There is no time for that here. Seminars are mostly just tutors trying to get kids to talk about what they’ve understood from the text of some great intellectual man who’s probably dead now. Perhaps that is just in social science, I don’t know. Social justice, rights, respect, equality and diversity – all these things are central to the objectives in the voluntary sector. I am sure they are here in the mission statement for the university but the reality is different. The staff seem to be 100% white. I am on a course which must be about 98% white. Why aren’t people screaming about that? Where are the anti-racism posters around the place? It’s as if no-one wants to stir up agitation for a change. One good thing is that here in working-class South Yorkshire the university does open its library doors and other facilities to everyone although it doesn’t make a point of advertising the fact – perhaps they think that would cause trouble. Perhaps they’re not proud enough of the community focus part of the mission. Activism, forums, notice-boards. I was expecting university to be a hive of student activities like it perhaps was in the 1960’s but it’s not, as many people have said. The student societies are, to say the least, not high profile. This is a shame because it’s such a learning experience for people’s skills trying to organise something. One reason is that there are so few lively, open notice-boards where activities can be advertised. The few existing notice-boards are glass-covered, it’s not obvious if they’re for student use and people secretly try to slide notices through the glass where they just stay there for months curling up. Split between several campuses there’s no feeling of a sort of open forum for stalls. It’s as if a vital source is missing. True engagement with the community. Before I’d started at university I’d seven years or more with the credit unions which is part of the voluntary sector. It has it’s own culture perhaps, but it has good principles and tools which are used. Principles like diversity, equality, co-operation, mutual respect, rights and social justice, user management, community management, local provision and grass roots basis and a critical awareness of power structures. Democracy, self-esteem building and capacity building, accessible facilities with childcare if necessary, environmental awareness, accountability and sustainable progress. Useful tools include the use of ground rules for meetings, experiential learning, valuing people’s own experience, avoidance of jargon and good policies and procedures. The Hallam volunteering project has an impressive track record and it’s obviously a step in the right direction. It gets students out of the ivory towers or out of the pub and into the community for some real-life experience. But I wonder how this impacts on the organisations they work with. There is such a thing as institutional memory and I wonder whether they’re having a good or a bad experience with student volunteers in those organisations. The local voluntary action organisations could advise on this but I never heard much about Hallam volunteering when I worked in the voluntary sector. It may be a false impression but they seem to come for one-off projects, then go away to write up their experiences. For the full-time volunteers and clients of others in the voluntary sector it must feel a little bit like being experimented on I think. I’d like to think that students could be prepared with an idealistic visionary missionary statement in their minds about the voluntary sector – perhaps a course on community work, it’s principles, it’s forward-looking ideals. The voluntary and community sector is historic – it is immense, it is something Britain should be proud of. If this vision met the hard reality of imperfect organisations, over the years something would rub off for the organisations as well as the students and it would be a two-way learning experience. There are many hard-working development workers in most fields who would be grateful to show the ropes and get some real student volunteers if they came along with some grounding like this. The vision I would have of being a self-directed learner would be spending hours in the library and hours on the internet looking things up. With the guidance of an essay title, perhaps a list of resources that are recommended, web-site links, books by key writers on the subject but not an open brief, definitely working towards an agreed or a set title and writing an essay about that. Yeah it would be nice, it would be nice to have a completely free hand in setting an objective and working an open-ended way to collect data. The nearest I’ve come to that type of experience is in the final year dissertation but even that is within you have to choose within a subject area and then within that you can almost by negotiation choose your wn title for the essay or piece of work. I think I’ve found it quite liberating to be released from the confines of writing an essay – an essay is rather like, well I suppose that is the whole discipline of it – narrowing your words and your thoughts down to one and a half thousand words, certain format, very strict – yeah, that’s difficult, it is an art in itself but I’d much rather be doing something open-ended given the freedom and the flexibility to determine the limits myself. Yeah, I’ve seen people walking round with cameras, with questionnaire sheets. It seems as though I’m guessing, I might be wrong, but it seems as though they’re following year after year the same pattern so I imagine that cohorts of students come round every year and ask the same passers-by the same series of questions. In the first year or two of university is certainly following orders, like following a worksheet or following what you’ve been told to do. In my particular field I’d like to be more in contact with other people discussing working on the same areas. I think I like websites and I’d like to think, for one example off the top of my head, that I was working to a cumulative sort of website where we were each contributing pieces of work in the areas that we’re interested in which would build up as a resource over several years so that new students could come along and be shown this website – look at this as a resource and contribute and discuss with the people currently working on the website. That’s just one idea. Other things that make studying interesting would be student publications which were not reviews of pubs and bands and so on but on the topic so perhaps if the university had a tradition of contributing to the journals. There is a massive, massive range of journals which are great to read and very intellectual and some universities I think have this tradition of contributing and I haven’t seen anybody at undergraduate level making a contribution – you can do.

Administrative assistant

I am actively seeking an executive assistant opportunity in a demanding, fast-paced multi-tasking office. I possess years of executive experience, which have equipped me with a multitude of skills, and I would like to continue my growth at AB Volvo’s Group Accounting Department.I am a college graduate and am proficient in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of software (MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint).Throughout my career I have demonstrated for my employers an exceptional facility for meeting organizational objectives and demands. In addition to my secretarial skills, I am an adept event planner, and am proficient in administrative work regarding the Sarbanes Oxley Act. I am also well versed in financial related communication due to my having worked in accounting environments previously.Furthermore, my current and previous employers have regarded my secretarial skills in planning meetings, taking minutes, filing and documentation as high quality.I am certain I would pr ove to be an asset at AB Volvo as well.If my abilities meet the needs of AB Volvo’s Group Accounting Department, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity of speaking with you personally at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time.Sincerely,Jane Smith

Growth and Development of Characters: Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley Essay

In order to adapt in an ever-changing society, teeming with benevolence and intrigue, an individual must be able to adapt to differentiating surroundings. The human mind and body must grapple with disturbing memories or enthralling dramas of life. These thoughts are channelled through various emotions. Emotions are physical or mental expressions, often involuntary, related to feelings, perceptions or beliefs about elements, objects or relations between them, in reality or in the imagination. The growth and transformation of any entity cannot be justly physical, but also mental strength and wisdom. Past experience of any manner colours the human being for future of constant change. Gustad Noble of Rohinton Mistry’s Such A Long Journey and Elaine Risley of Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye demonstrate the pattern of the â€Å"circle of life†: karma, religion, family and friends. The readers can visualize modest lifestyles maturing in the wake of sudden changes. These modifications have the characters questioning their moral heart as their life charts towards uncharted waters. The authors’ interpretations of these realistic situations construct a model for the readers to judge their lifestyles by. Mistry and Atwood use literary devices, diction, and clever wordplay to enhance the reading experience for the audience. The readers witness the protagonists becoming better individuals through adversity, as they overcome unforeseen challenges. Eastern and Western societies are so different in so many ways, and yet there are some elements that are universal: betrayal, love, compassion, family, and friendship. The emphasis of Elaine and Gustad’s struggles creates an illusion that their tragedies are the readers’ tragedies as well. The central theme of both novels is the need to embrace emotions, especially sadness, and not to run from them and also their different perspectives of change and isolation. It depicts that life has its fair share of bumps in the road, but with persistence and determination, they can be overcome. In the storylines of both novels, friendship and betrayal become quite evident and explicit. In Cat’s Eye, Elaine Risley allows her body and mind to be abused by her so-called â€Å"friends† and to question her sense of identity. This teasing by the girls, Cordelia, Grace, and Carol, shatters Risley’s self-esteem and leads her to adopt disturbed habits, such as peeling her skin, biting her nails, and chewing her hair. In the aftermath of the bridge incident, Elaine stands up for herself and takes a step forward for freedom the girls’ torment and torture. Realization comes crashing down on her, of how she had fallen for the illusion of false friendship. Her childhood was scarred from all the emotional pain she endured. Similarly, in Such A Long Journey, Gustad Noble had also believed he had been betrayed by his closest friend, Major Jimmy Bilimoria. The Major had sent him a large sum of money to be deposited in the bank, however it was money supposedly to be used to aid rebels in East Pakistan in its war effort. Gustad first thought it would be a heroic mission, aiding the army, but he soon realizes the danger he is bringing to his family and career. Unlike Elaine, who was emotionally attached to her â€Å"best friends†, Bilimoria’s actions came as a sudden shock. Jimmy was like family to the Nobles, the children respected and loved him, and provided so much enjoyment to all. First, he departed without a goodbye and then left the Noble family into a trap of deception. Gaustad has his suspicions, but sees this as a test of loyalty to his old friend. His entire family was against it, and for the most part, so was he. However, Gustad would not let his friend’s call go unanswered, but needed a little persuasion. In both situations, the readers want to reach out and help, and make the ordeal seem less complicated, but both characters are emotionally attached to their friends. When it comes to whether friendship was of importance, Elaine and Gustad stand on opposite sides. Gustad was the more open-minded of the two, even showing respect to the mentally unstable Tehmul, while Elaine shunned Cordelia physical, but was still shaken by her past traumas. Gustad does not prefer change as his life in the past is described as paradise to him. It is with change, comes problems. He blames the theme of change of causing his son not to go to IIT, as his son has changed into a different person from before who does not respect him. He also blames the theme of change on Jimmy’s betrayal as Jimmy in the past was seen as the â€Å"loving brother† but now, he focuses on deceiving Gustad to gain his own selfish goals. Gustad’s reluctance to change is further emphasized by the black wall which represents his life in the past during the war, and by leaving those on his windows he emphasizes that he wants things to be just as how they were back then. The black wall is another symbolist element used to represent change, although Gustad is disgusted by its pungent odour, he doesn’t want the wall to be demolished as it is the source of his isolation and separates himself from the rest of the world. On the contrary, with Elaine, change is almost constant throughout the novel. Her suffering in the hands of Cordelia, Grace, and Carol have left her scrambling for answers and questioning her sense of identity. As she matures into an adult, her haunting memories of her childhood continue to stay with her. Constant flashbacks remind her of the past, and how she overcame it. The marble of the cat’s eye is used to represent change, as it was like a talisman that protected Elaine from her past hardships. Before, it was Cordelia who held the upper hand in their relationship, but as they became adults, Elaine realized how both their lives ended in completely contradictory paths. Since everything did not go her way in her past, everything must be perfect in the future, and thus constant change. Both Elaine and Gustad explore the nature of memory and identity, and how experience of the present is coloured by past events. Spirituality and religion also impact the growth and development, as it plays a crucial theme in the lives of Elaine and Gustad. As the world seemed to crash down on him, such as Roshan’s illness, Sohab’s attitude towards going to IIT, Major Jimmy’s issue and his quarrel with a neighbour, Gustad would always turn to his prayers to solve these problems. In Hinduism and Christianity/Catholicism, a person of pure heart is always commended with good fortune, and this was displayed with both Gustad and Elaine. Elaine can be depicted as an immigrant from the start of her arrival in Toronto, different physically and mentally. She was raised as a boy, growing up with her brother Stephen, and was interested in different things than what â€Å"normal† girls would like. The other girls used Elaine like a lower being, in order to feel good about their sub-par appearance. The emotional pain Elaine felt was cured with the aid of the Virgin Mary. One can imagine the Virgin Mary speaking through Elaine as she rejected Cordelias’ demands, freeing her from her prison of unjust treatment. Likewise, Gaustad and his kusti allowed him too overcome the various obstacles in his life. For example, his sacrifice to save an elder’s life left him only with a minor limp, as his friend Major Bilimoria saved him from extensive damages. Also, as the stress began to mount to its peak on Gustad, the readers can easily identify his Gustad’s misfortunes began turning the other way; Roshan recovering, Sohab returning, and learning of Jimmy’s true motifs of the money. One can imagine the wall of divine beings, an idea of Gustad himself, helped alleviate these burdens. This wall became a temple itself, as provided a diverse mental comfort to those to look at it. Gustad would always praise the street artist who brought this monument to life, as it depicted the spiritual beings that the mortals worshipped to prosper in various aspects of life. Faith is almost always the first thing people turn to in times of need and quite different in both Elaine and Gustad’s cases. Elaine did not even believe in any superior beings, until Grace invited her to attend church. It’s peculiar because afterwards, as she prays to Jesus, that she is demanding her prayers are granted. She imagined God as someone who would answer all her problems in a heartbeat. In reality, sometimes life doesn’t turn your way all the time, and Elaine did not know that. This may be why she converted into a Catholic and worshipped the Virgin Mary. Gustad, on the contrary, seems to have been a religious man since his childhood. His childhood memories were fantasizing about protecting a castle and fighting off dragons with his sacred kusti. In the current timeframe of the novel, the readers learn countless people made it theirs. The wall had a certain calming aura about it, and that it is his morning ritual to pray before he commences anything else. Although both Gustad and Elaine’s thoughts upon faith and religion are quite different, one can say that it was divine intervention that aided them throughout all their hardships and suffering. Individuality or independence can be defined as the state or quality of being free from subjection or from the influence, control, or guidance of individuals, things, or situations. Gustad and Elaine feel the necessity of isolation, and confining themselves in their minds, without expressing inner emotions for a majority of the novels. The readers can witness the evolution of Gustad’s character as the novel progresses, before problem after problem began to amount. One can only imagine the internal pain he feels as Roshan falls ill, Sohrab defying his father’s ambitions, and Bilimoria’s apparent betrayal, it is hard not to wonder how he manages to cover his emotions. Gustad is one who does not like to express his emotions publicly, but is very open with his wife Dilnavaz. They both share a special bond, where they continuously support one another through the rough times. Again, the black wall comes into significance again. Gustad covers the windows of Khohad Building to isolate it from the atrocities of the world. The wall can be symbolism to support, protect, or guard something; similarly this is the same idea in the confines of Gustad’s mind as the wall represents the congested emotions trapped in his head. By demolishing the wall, it is as though he is letting himself become vulnerable and open. This represents the theme of isolation, as Gustad locks his emotions and only releases them when he cannot bear it anymore, especially when Tehmul dies and Sohrab returns towards the end. Elaine can also relate to isolation as well. As the other girls were tormenting her, she was always alone, no one to turn to. Her parents were completely oblivious to what was going on with their daughter. For example, after Elaine fell into the river and returned home, her mother did not accuse the other girls at all, even though Elaine covered up for their sake. She kept all her thoughts and feelings to herself, not knowing the load she had put on herself. Even as an adult, she continued to hide things from her closest family; another example being hiding her relationship with Josef from Jon after they were married. The readers understand Elaine’s behaviour; she cannot trust another person because of her past experiences. She hasn’t fully recovered from the entire ordeal. However, the one true difference between the two is that Gustad always turns to his family, while Elaine keeps to herself. When analyzing Mistry’s Such a Long Journey and Atwood’s Cat’s Eye one can clearly distinguish the significant components of both novels that the protagonists evolving as an individual and adapting tot their changing societies with a fair amount of struggle. Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley share many similarities, and also a variety of differences. They have both been through tough situations, and recovered in an assortment of ways. The readers witness the protagonists becoming better individuals through adversity, as they overcome unforeseen challenges. Eastern and Western societies are so different in so many ways, and yet there are some elements that are universal: betrayal, love, compassion, family, and friendship. Gustad had to let go of a simple lifestyle and found himself innocently drawn into a dangerous network of lies and deception. Elaine on the other hand found herself not being able to let go of a horrific childhood where a trio of other girls torment ed her. This impact on her life caused her to become more cautious in the future and also developing an obsession over those who caused her the misery. Family, friendship, karma, religion along with change and isolation affected how both Gustad and Elaine solved their problems. Gustad was amounted with family problems, with is daughter falling ill and his eldest son defying his ambitions. Gustad turned to his faith in order to find some sort of compassion and sympathy in his darkest hours. He did not express his emotions publicly, only releasing them to Dilnavaz when he could not bear them anymore. Change was not an option for Gustad, as he was not ready to accept them all; one example being the apparent betrayal for Major Jimmy Bilimoria. Unlike Gustad however, Elaine had no one to turn to discuss her issues. Due to the traumatic ordeal with Cordelia, Grace and Carol, Elaine had her self-esteem and body image shattered as she scrambled for answers. These events lead her to living a very conservative life, almost turning into the person she very well hated. As both she and Cordelia became adults, it is almost as if there fortunes had turned tables, on opposite ends of life. The same with Gustad, his good-natured character allowed his suffering to be minimal. Religion and spirituality had different affects and meanings with both protagonists. Gustad believed all his problems would be answered if he prayed with the right mindset. Elaine thought that her troubles would just disappear because of the abilities of superior begins, and the reason why she began attending church. Material objects also play important roles, Gustad’s black wall and Elaine’s marble. The black wall represented isolation and protection from the horrors and filth of the outside world. Even though it was treated without value, it provided Gustad with a special comfort, and probably the reason he turned it into a shrine. Elaine used the cat’s eye marble was used as a talisman, protecting her from her dilemmas. Even as she grew, one of her most influential paintings was the image of her marble, showing how she recovered from her horrific past. Thus, both Gustad Noble and Elaine Risley were impacted differently by family and friends, the themes of change and isolation, and most importantly, their understanding of their past experiences allowed them to mature as individuals.