Hamlets Contradicting Traits Essay Example for Free

Hamlets Contradicting Traits Essay William Shakespeare created many complex characters in his play Hamlet. One of these complex characters being the protagonist, Prince Hamlet. Hamlet has many contradictory traits, two of them being that Hamlet sometimes thinks rationally, and that being overcome by the command left by the ghost of his belligerent father, King Hamlet, he tends to make irrational decisions. When Hamlet is first introduced to the ghost’s commands in scene one, act 5, they begin to consume him with thoughts of vengeance, to murder Claudius, his father’s murderer. Throughout the play, Hamlet acts in such a way to provide evidence supporting both traits. Conflicted by these two opposing traits, Prince Hamlet has a war of two spirits in his mind, deciding which side is right. During the length of the play, Hamlet frequently argues with himself. Many of his soliloquies are debates between Hamlet and the warring side of his mind that believes he should listen to the vengeful plan of his father’s ghost. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is a rational scholar from Wittenberg. When he returns from Wittenberg, his mother, Queen Gertrude confronts him concerning his melancholy. He replies â€Å"Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not ‘seems’† (1. 2. 76) He is very straightforward with her and speaks in a sensible and rational manner. This conversation happened before Hamlet encountered the ghost; therefor the militant and vengeful spirit has not yet influenced him. When Hamlet is preparing to rig the play to gage a reaction from Claudius to prove he is guilty of murdering his father, he is thinking rationally. Ill have these players/Play something like the murder of my father/Before mine uncle: Ill observe his looks; /Ill tent him to the quick: if he but blench, /I know my course. † (2. 2. 601-605) it takes and intelligent, sensible, and rational person to develop such a precise and functioning plan, therefor proving Hamlet is able to think rationally. Once Hamlet has met and been influenced to his father’s ghost, he becomes consumed with the thought of avenging his father. Hamlet is not a violent person; therefor the thought of murdering Claudius causes a lot of internal conflict for Hamlet. As Hamlet and Laertes fight in Ophelia’s grave, Hamlet says to Laertes â€Å"For, though I am not splenitive and rash, /Yet have I something in me dangerous, /Which let thy wiseness fear† (5. 1. 265-267). This quote proves that Hamlet is aware that though he is not generally a violent person, he now possesses something dangerous in him due to his dead father’s command. Later, Hamlet claims to Laertes that he is mad. â€Å"Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. /†¦ Who does it, then? His madness: ift be so, /Hamlet is of the faction that is wrongd; /His madness is poor Hamlets enemy† (5. . 224-233) according to Hamlet it was not him who killed Polonius it was his madness. Again, Hamlet is aware that avenging his father has driven him to be something he is not, and to do irrational things such as murdering Polonius. Hamlet had stabbed Polonius through a curtain simply because there was a slight chance it would have been Claudius hiding. Before chec king, he quickly stabbed Polonius, this is completely irrational and risky on Hamlet’s part. This dramatic turn of events caused negative repercussions towards Hamlet. By killing Polonius, Hamlet pushed Laertes to decide to avenge his own father and in the end, he murders Hamlet. The overwhelming urge to avenge his father caused Hamlet to act without thinking, putting Hamlet in a dangerous situation. Due to Hamlet’s strongly contradicting traits, he frequently argues with himself, usually in his soliloquies. Hamlet’s soliloquy â€Å"To be or not to be† is a literal debate between scholarly, rational Hamlet and Prince Hamlet as the soldier-son, seeking revenge for his pugnacious father. In this soliloquy, Hamlet questions his motives and morals. To be, or not to be: that is the question:/Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, /Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, /And by opposing end them? † (3. 1. 56-60) he is debating with himself on whether or not it is worth it to avenge his father. This way of making a decision is a rational and logical thought process in which Hamlet is evaluating all of his options and their repercussions. However, had Hamlet not had irrational thoughts to begin with, he would not have to go through with this process. Eventually Hamlet`s irrational urge to avenge his father consumes him. Most of his rationality has vanished and all of his thoughts concern revenge, or are not fully thought through. In his â€Å"My thoughts be bloody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  soliloquy, the irrational part of Hamlet`s divided soul is convincing him that if he does not avenge his father essentially he has no purpose â€Å"What is a man,/If his chief good and market of his time /Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more† (4. 4. 36-38) Hamlet says if he has no purpose, he is nothing. At the end of the soliloquy Hamlet decides â€Å"My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (4. 4. 68) this is him saying that if his thoughts are not concerning violent actions towards Claudius, they are worthless. These thoughts are completely irrational, and the benefits and downfalls of this decision have not been taken into consideration. Later when Hamlet is asked whether he would prefer to battle Laertes now, or give himself some tim e to prepare, he quickly responds that he will fight him now, leading to Hamlet’s death. Again, Hamlet has irrationally made a decision without considering each side of the argument. The command left by the ghost of his father has completely overcome his mind leaving him not thinking logically or rationally as he was at the beginning of the play. Hamlet is an irrational rationalist. Before the ghost confronts him, Hamlet is a rational scholar from Wittenberg, however afterwards, the ghost’s vengeful thoughts consumes him, giving Hamlet an irrational and violent mindset. During the play, these two combative traits are warring in his mind, and expressed through soliloquies. Many of Hamlet’s soliloquies are debates between these two opposing traits. Eventually, the vengeful thoughts consume Hamlet and he becomes highly irrational. He does not plan or think anything through as he did at the beginning of the play. Hamlet’s irrationality is potentially the cause of his madness, and death. Had Hamlet not been so irrational whilst making decisions and allowing the vengeful thoughts left by his father to consume him, Claudius would not be seeking to murder him. Though Hamlet is genuinely a rationalist, his need to avenge his father’s death consumes him, causing him to make irrational and illogical decisions.

United States Parcel Service Essay Example for Free

United States Parcel Service Essay Founded in 1907 as a messenger company in the US, UPS has grown substantially into a multi-billion dollar corporation. Today UPS is a global company with one of the most recognized and admired brands in the world. They are the world’s largest packaging and Delivery Company and a leader of transportation and logistics services. Every day they manage the flow of goods to more than 200 countries worldwide. In 1907 there was a great need of private messenger and delivery services in America. A young entrepreneur named James E. (Jim) Casey, borrowed $100 dollars from a friend and established the American Messenger Company in Seattle, Washington. Six years before the US Parcel Post system was established, messengers would run errands, deliver packages, carry notes, baggage, and deliver food from restaurants. Most of the deliveries were made on foot, and bicycle for longer trips, because there were few automobiles in existence and horse and wagons were many used for deliveries to department stores. At only 19 years of age Jim and his partner Claude Ryan ran the service, taking phone calls within their basement. The company did well despite stiff competition, according to accounts that there were quite a few messenger services already in the area, some of which Jim had worked for in the past. The messengers were a handful of teenagers including Jim’s younger brother George, these messengers ran off very strict policy of customer courtesy, reliability, round the clock service and low rates. These same principles guide UPS today, and are summarized by Jim’s slogan: best service and lowest rates. Between 1913 and1918 the company focused on package delivery for retail stores. The year in 1913 brought several significant changes, as improvements of the automobile and telephone were causing a decline in the messenger business. For the next two years their biggest client was the US Post Office, for which they delivered all special delivery mail entering the Seattle area. During this period the company started combining packages addressed to a certain neighborhood on to one delivery vehicle. Doing this enabled them to use manpower and motorized equipment more efficiently while still keeping up their low rates principle. Also during these times, Jim agreed to merge with competitor Evert (Mac) McCabe. The merge reflected a shift in the primary focus of the business form messages to packages and created a new name: Merchants Parcel Delivery. The young company built a strong reputation among stores in the city, and by 1918 three of Seattle’s largest department stores had become regular customers. Due to their high standard of service and personalized attention to every package handled many stores got rid of their own delivery cars, some of which Jim would purchase and slap the name Merchants Parcel Delivery on the side. In 1919 the company adopted its current name the United Parcel Service, and made its first expansion beyond Seattle to Oakland, California. â€Å"United† served as a reminder that the companies operating in each city were part of the same organization, â€Å"Parcel† identified the nature of the business, and â€Å"Service† indicated what was offered. In 1922 they introduced their innovative â€Å"common carrier† service that they acquired in a company in Los Angeles. This new common carrier service included automatic daily pickup, acceptance of checks made out to the shipper, and weekly billing. UPS was one of the few companies in the U.S. to offer common carrier service at the time. In 1924 they created another technological that would shape their future, by introducing the first conveyor belt system for handling packages. The retail delivery service had also expanded to include all the major cities on the U.S. Pacific Coast. It wasn’t until 1930 that UPS extended its reach to the East Coast when it began consolidating the deliveries of several large department stores in the New York area. During WWII, there were shortages of fuel and rubber which influenced retail stores to restrict their delivery services and encourage customers to carry home their packages. The trend continued after the war, throughout the 1930s and 40s they had continued to expand their retail store services, though by the early 50s it was clear that contract service to retail stores was limited. In 1952 UPS decided to expand its services by acquiring â€Å"common carrier† rights to deliver packages between all customers. This placed UPS in competition with the U.S. Postal Service, and in direct opposition to the regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission or the (ICC). So they decided to begin common carrier operations in cities where they could do so without authority. In order to satisfy the growing public demand for their services, they went before regulatory commissions and courts to obtain certification to operate over wide areas. It wasn’t long until UPS provided air service through privately operated aircrafts in 1953. They tried this in the past in the year 1929 but due to a lack of volume the service had to end the same year. When they began their air operations, they offered two-day service to major cities along the east and west coasts. It wasn’t until 1979 when air service was available in every state, between the 1950s and 70s the company was still restricted from operating in many parts of the country and fighting with the ICC to freely ship in all states. In 1975 was when they were first able to serve all 48 contiguous United States, and now available coast to coast and all around the world. Before this was available senders sometimes had to transfer a package between several carriers before the package reached its final destination. Because demand for air delivery was increasing during the 1980s UPS began to assemble its own jet cargo fleet. In 1985, UPS entered the overnight air delivery business, due to the growing demand for faster service. By 1988 UPS, officially became an airline, after they received authorization from the FAA to operate their own aircraft. The UPS Airlines was one of the fastest growing airlines in history and today is one of the 10 largest airlines in the United States, and features some of the most advance operating systems in the world and operates in more than 200 countries and territories. `By 1993 UPS was delivering 11.5 million packages a day, and with such a high volume they had to develop new technology. That’s when they came up with the handheld Delivery Acquisition Device that we see every UPS delivery driver using. It was developed to record and upload data to the UPS network, so customers can have real-time information about their packages, in case of any change in sche dule or delays. It wasn’t until 1994 that UPS.com went live, allowing for customers to be able to track their packages. Then in 1995 they became the first company to allow same day departure and over-night deliveries. Over the past 100 years, UPS has become an expert in transportation growing from a small messenger company to a leading provider in air, ocean, ground, and electronic services. The company maintains its reputation for integrity, reliability, employee ownership and customer service. As the world’s largest package delivery company and leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services, UPS continues to develop the frontiers of logistics, supply chain management and e-commerce, by combining the flows of goods information and funds.

The Recording Of Lets Dance By David Bowie Music Essay

The Recording Of Lets Dance By David Bowie Music Essay He produced it and plays all rhythm guitar sections. Stevie Ray Vaughn recorded the guitar solo. He said in an interview that he sat in a corner and waited for his cue then added an improvised Albert King style solo. All in one take. This songs lyrical message is simple but David usually has a more complex character and this song seems to be a bit out of his style. That is why the song is not appreciated by a lot of Bowies fans. I see it as Bowies way of getting out of his skin, »Ã‚ ¿ letting his spirit run free forgetting all that holds up back to thinking with clarity. Bowie said that it was one of his lowest periods as an artist, although Stevie Ray Vaughn was credited on the album he wasnt still that famous and after that he became internationally famous with his own album. Bowie admits that this wasnt his best period creative wise but great at the time. Reinventing himself as an 80s pop icon was the kiss of death on his imitators such as David Sylvian, yet in truth the 2 becam e even more alike. It was almost like Bowie was playing him at his own game. LetHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lets_Dance_(David_Bowie_album)HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lets_Dance_(David_Bowie_album)s Dance was released as the first single from the album with the same title in 1983, and become one of his most successful records during that underrated part of his creative work. Bowies approach to the song and lyrics seems different compared to previous albums. The song is simple, but polished not neccesarily following the true image of Bowie in the seventies. The single was the fastest selling in Bowies career. It entered the UK single charts at number five and two weeks later the song stayed in top of the charts for a period of three weeks. That was Bowies only song to reach number one on the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It narrowly missed topping the australian charts, peaking at number two. Lets dance was the fourth best selling single in 1983. Lets Dance helped Bowie to find a new younger audiences, unaware of his past career in the 1970s. The piece was one of the most played on the Serious Moonlight Tour (the name came in from the lyrics in lets dance I have been using the studio version for the analysis which is approximately seven minutes and thirty eight seconds. There is an edit of that version for the single release of the track, which is shorter in length 4:10. The song was recorded and produced by Nile Rodgers. He had a strong influence on the song and was working with his band Chic at that time. Lets Dance was the most commercial product in the album according to Bowie. Thats why it was also chosen for title of the album. It represents his best work from that time. Almost like it was written to remind the public that hes still writing quality, in fashion music. He wanted to be famous and he achieved it once again. The song was designed to appeal to young generations at the time, but still he managed to combine the disco with his own style and that makes it harder. Nowadays the typical mainstream artists such as Lady GaGa appear to be a bit monotonous compared to Bowies work. All of her songs that are mostly played by drum machine and a single DJ. The usage of a DJ limits the improvisation in a piece, because that way you have everything controlled by a single person that has to do all the work. Theres a strong element of electronic instruments and sequencers involved in the production. Even on her live performances shes doesnt use real musicians and the music is played by a single DJ usually. It feels like its missing the human feel compared to Bowies art. Lady gagas music seems a bit narrow in terms of improvisations and experimenting with harmonies and melodies. She also tried to use the same dance clichà © with a song with the title Just Dance. In an interview she admits that she was influenced by Bowie who spent the majority of his early career pretending that he came to this planet from outer space. Gaga has been sporting a collection of shiny suits made popular by Bowies alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. Gaga once said Fashion is everything to me in contrast with her Bowie oversaw the downsides and benefits of using digital instruments, but he remained true in his nature. He changed, but while listening is easy to distinguish his version of Lets Dance to the one by Lady Gaga which is not that unique. They are both similar in the whole dance approach to the piece, but musically Bowies delivers a lot more musical content with regards to the solo of Steve Ray Voughn whos still a legend today. Bowies art is evergreen it should last for a long time and its not just the music that makes it. Its the whole approach to it, the makeup and the drama he makes. Twenty years later his music is still relevant to whats going on nowadays. As in the music video there are still many third world poor people. And the dance music still dictates the commercial industries. The Disco became mainstream or popular in 1978-80 Its roots are coming from the jazz, classical and soul music. At first the music was in support of the rights movements and homosexual people. There was major revolution in a musical cultural and ethical form in that pre nineteen eighties pop. One of the first underground dance genres was strongly influenced by chic. Similar to the way that Blues, Jazz and Soul were used as a platform for a cultural revolution the disco was mainly exploited by black people in the beginning until it became popular. Chic dominated the charts for several y ears with a series of carefully crafted songs, including Le Freak and Good Times. Before long, other artists were turning to Rodgers and Edwards for their production, arranging, and songwriting skills, resulting in massive hits like Sister Sledges We are Family. In 1979, Rodgers brought his magic touch to David Bowies Lets Dance and a few years later he hit solid gold, producing Madonnas landmark singles Like a Virgin and Material Girl. He later continued to work with a diverse crop of famous artists, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran, David Lee Roth, INXS, Grace Jones, and even jazz legend Al Jarreau. Nowadays Rodgers heads up his own label and production company, as well as Sumthing Distribution, a national record distribution company. The song was produced mimic early dance production in the eighties, although recorded with acoustic instruments the gated drums and the delay effect on almost everything suggest that song was intended to recreate the atmosphere of the new decade. Nile Rodgers is known to use drum machines in most of his productions, even though the groove of the band is more important to him as a producer. The groove has to be right before the start of overdubbing. He never used a metronome in Chics records even thou they were supposed to be a dance band. Years later he developed that technique. Theres a melody in the bass that was performed by Carmine Rojas who is known for working for Rod Stewart as a bass player and also a music director. During his time with David Bowie he was one of the most respected bass players in the industry. He was introduced to Bowie by drummer Tony Thompson. Carmine and Tony knew met when they were playing together in Labelle. In 1986 Carmine worked as a studio musician on a song recording for Alphavilles album Afternoons in Utopia. The bass seems to be a bit artificial like it was double tracked with a synthesizer. Thumping the bass in that way gives it more character to sustain the beats typical for many records in that era. Theres also a guitar in these first eight bars that was performed by the producer Nile Rodgers. He was a producer and a guitar player at the same time. He first began his career as a session musician living in New York he had the opportunity to play at the famous Apollo theater on one stage with the likes of Screaming Jay Hawkins, Maxine Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Betty Wright, Earl Lewis and the Channels, Parliament Funkadelic. Later in the seventies he met bassist Bernard Edwards. Together they formed a band called the big apple band. They made a huge success with a single hit, which allowed them to tour and even an opening for the Jackson five on their first tour in 1973. The band was disbanded after the second album failed to reach enough popularity to provoke enough sales, but Rodgers and Edward didnt give up and joined the drummer Tony Thompson. With his influence in the band they recorded as a Funk-Rock band called The Boys, which played many gigs on the East Coast. Despite the huge interest from the labels to sign them they didnt have any luck just because they were black. There was a concern that the black artists were too hard to promote. The band was playing at the local pubs at that time. Another New York artist, Walter Murphy, had a band also called The Big Apple Band and Rodgers and Edwards were decided to change the band name to avoid confusion in the public. In 1977 the band changed their name to Chic. They begun recording material with back vocalist Luther Vandross mainly disco tracks. Their success later helped the disco become popular, two of their most popular songs were called Everybody Dance and Dance, Dance, Dance I think David Bowie thought of the song as a clichà © to what became popular since his last album. Compared to his old songs such as Space oddity (1969) Life on mars (1973) that changed peoples lives and influenced revolutions. Althought David Bowies frequent changes of image, direction and carrer have been written about and discussed to the point of saturation, his songs are often overlooked. For instance Space Odity, released in 1969 to coincide with the US landing on the moon was his first major hit. Bowies fascination with space figures frequently in his early carreer. After abouncing he was gay, he reinvented himself from hippy singer-songwriter into Ziggy Stardust full on glam rocker from another planet. With the same unusual combinations he used Lets Dance as a clichà © for that period of time and how the trends were changed. He wanted that to work with musicians of Chics class, because they were the godfathers of the disco that was pretty popular at the time. Most of their records have a similar feel of the bass line being chopped to eights and sixteenths in 4/4 in tempo. Although the line is in short rhythmical dura tions still theres a pulsing downbeat every crotchet, just like on modern underground dance music. The music tended to layer soaring, often-reverberated vocals, which are often doubled by synthesizers. The use of wah pedaled effects that sounds like metallic scratches in short durations. Peculiar backing keyboard instruments such string synthesizers and electro acoustic keyboards such as the Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, and Hohner Clavinet. Synthesizers are also fairly common in disco, especially in the late 1970s. The rhythm was usually played by spectacular, syncopated basslines (with common use of octaves) played on a bass guitar double tracked with synthesizers. The drum part was played on acoustic drum kit, African/Latin percussion or electronic drum machines such as the Simmons and Roland drum modules. Although some of James Browns songs are strongly influenced by black people the disco it still remains heavily improvised on stage, but with the disco there wa s a new way to improvise live with the recently invented digital and analog pads and samplers implemented in the recent technology development. A shift in the audience from younger generations introduced the disco as a new type of funk mixed with analog synthesizers that could hold a sustained and controlled downbeat and without the need of a real drummer. The fixed beat technology developed enough with the help of drum machines to ease the process of live production holding a fixed tempo without a need of a drummer and at the same time sacrificing the musical content in it. The role of Nile Rodgers was to balance these two aspects. The song begins with a voice intro performed by Bowie which reminds of something from the sixties called layered seventh. In the first bar there is only one vocal which is the first tone in Eflat major, then in every new bar there is a new vocal layered, the third and the fifth until reaching the dominant seventh major and resolving to first at the fifth bar (0:09)Thats where the basics of the pre-verse are formed. After the intro the chord verse structure is changed with a tonal centre of Bflat7sus . Followed by a Eflatseventh in the second bar. Fsharp in a six chord in the third bar and Bflat minor sixth in the fourth. In instrumental intro which consists of eight bars trumpet solo in the beginning performed by Mac Gollehon. It can be characterized as a jazz improvisation. Bowies voice enters the verse, which consists of sixteen bars. Theres a wooden block played percussion instrument played in sixteenths, a stereo delay is also applied. Splitting the signal into a dry sound, which is panned to the right and the delayed sound is panned to the left. Theres a short saxophone melody played by Bowie at the end of every eight bars in the first verse. A big amount of delay was used on the lead voice; it bounces in far left and right. The rhythm guitar and snare seem to use the same technique with using a long delay time. And then it goes to the chorus section with the lyrical content: With the harmony change in A flat in the first bar that goes to C sharp major and Eflat major on the phrase run with you and its repeated again by the guitar and bass. The whole melody line is repeated once again. And then on my love it goes from Aflat major through F minor, C sharp and E flat. The end part of the chorus from and tremble like a flower Is in Eflat major seventh followed by a Bflat7suspended4, eflat major again Fsharp major six chord and the whole chorus ends on Bflat minor sixth. ABBA Dancing Queen (1976) Andy Gibb Shadow dancing 1978, (B)Anita Ward Ring my bell 1979, Barry White »Ã‚ ¿ Youre The First, The Last, My Everything (1974), Hot Chocolate You Sexy Thing (I Believe in Miracles) (1975), Lipps Inc Funky Town (1980), Sister Sledge We are family (1979),

Risk Assessment: Putting a Price on Human Life Essay -- Essays Papers

Risk Assessment: Putting a Price on Human Life Thesis: In the area of risk assessment society struggles, sometimes irrationally, with the value of human life, hoping someday to reach a reasonable balance between cost and effect of saving lives. From the day that each person is born, there is only one fate that everybody can be sure of: some day s/he is going to die. No one can know exactly how or when that is going to happen. Unlike the certainty of death, no one can predict if that newly born individual seeing the outside world for the first time is going to be rich, pretty or happy. Nobody can say if that person is going to get married some day and raise children. The only conclusion that all can reach with absolute assurance is that this child is predestined, like all living creatures in this world, to die some day. In spite of the inevitability of death, it is amazing to see how hard society and individuals try to avoid this unavoidable destiny. Life is customarily considered of utmost value for every one. But at the same time people put their lives in danger each day, actually, several times a day. From the time one gets up in the morning and turns on the light, s/he is exposed to the risk of electrocution that claims 500 lives each year in the U.S. alone (Wilson, 1979). Taking a shower in the morning brings the risk of a fall and cranial trauma that is responsible for five of each 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year (Viscusi, Vernon and Harrington 1992). The breakfast in the U.S. commonly sets unhealthful food on the table, rich in fat or sodium both elements responsible for a large amount of heart disease, the number one cause of death in the world. Driving to work, taking a bus or riding a bicycle all contain ri... ...ce:your Money Or Your Life?" Reply. {Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes} Sep. 1997: 355-73. Pearce, Fred. "Global Row over Value of Human Life." {New Scientist} 19 Aug. 1995: 7. Radford, Tim. "Juggling Life's Comical Odds." {The Guardian} 12 Aug. 1995: 14-15. Singer, Marcos. {Decisiones Estrategicas Y Teoria De Juegos}. Santiago: Universidad Catolica, 1998. Viscusi, W., J. Vernon, and J. Harrington. {Economics of Regulation and Antitrust}. 2nd ed. Cambridge, Massachussetts: The MIT Press, 1995. Wang, X. T. "Framing Effects:dynamics and Task Domains." {Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Process} Nov. 1996: 145-57. Wilson, Richard. "Analyzing the Daily Risk of Life." {Technology Review} Feb. 1979: 41-46. Wilson, Richard, and E. A. C. Crouch. "Risk Assessment and Comparison: An Introduction." {Science} 17 Apr. 1987: 267-70.

Just Like in the Movies Essay -- Creative Writing Short Story Essays

Just Like in the Movies As the credits began to appear and the typical end-of-movie music started to play Anne sat quietly in her chair while the tears streamed down her face. This was not a new moment for her; in fact this is how every weekend night since high school had been spent. Most people would find something wrong or sad with this, but the truth was there was no other place she’d rather be. There was comfort she found sitting bundled up with a box of tissues and popcorn in front of whatever her movie choice of the night may be. Anne rose from the faded green chair and switched off the TV, sending the room into immediate darkness, until she flicked on the overhead light. â€Å"If that was only me,† she wondered aloud, as it was a common, almost routine question after every film for anyone who was willing to answer. The single meow of spunky, her feline companion was the only response she ever received, and tonight was no different. She shuffled her way to the kitchen to wash out the plastic popcorn bowl and glanced at the clock on the wall, 2:06 am, not a surprise. She switched off the light and headed for the bedroom with spunky close behind. Anne crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling waiting for her dreams to come carry her away. Anne Hathaway was pretty average to anyone who never took the time to get to know her, which was just about everyone. She was one of those girls that was ugly in middle school, but became beautiful in adolescence. The only problem was she didn’t know it, as far as she was concerned she remained the ugly duckling. Which was far from reality. Anne was about two weeks shy of her twenty-third birthday and could pass for eighteen. She had soft copper hair that reste... ...er reactions more than she was watching the movie. When it finally came to and end, Anne found herself smiling â€Å"well that was different.† Then she turned to Eve, who was almost on the point of laughter. â€Å"I’m sorry, I just had to show you this movie† â€Å"Why are you sorry? I liked it, I’ll admit it was ‘different’, but it was still good† Anne said, â€Å"is this what you meant when you said you wanted to see a love story that wasn’t like all the other ones?† The look on Eve’s face began to change to that of a scared little puppy. Anne looked at Eve and everything seemed to fall into place, she let go of all her hurt and leaned forward slightly to meet Eve’s lips with a kiss. There was no need for either of them to say anything, Eve had seen something in Anne, and fallen in love, and Anne had never let herself until now fall in love again.

Lady Audleys Secret Essay -- essays research papers

The Style and Genre of Lady Audley’s Secret   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lady Audley’s Secret, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, is a novel of many elements. It has been placed in many different style or genre categories since its publication. I feel that it best fits under the melodrama or sensational genre, and under the subgenre of mystery. It contains significant elements of both types of writing, so I feel it is best to recognize both, keeping in mind that melodrama is its main device and mystery is a type of Victorian melodrama. In order to understand how the story fits into these categories, it is necessary to explore the Victorian characteristics of each, and apply them to the text. In addition to establishing the genres, it is important to explain why and how these genres fit into Victorian culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term melodrama has come to be applied to any play with romantic plot in which an author manipulates events to act on the emotions of the audience without regard for character development or logic (Microsoft Encarta). In order to classify as a Victorian melodrama, several key techniques must be used, including proximity and familiarity to the audience, deceit rather than vindictive malice, lack of character development and especially the role of social status. The sensational novel is usually a tale of our own times. Proximity is indeed one great element of sensation. A tale which aims to electrify the nerves of the reader is never thoroughly effective unless the scene be laid out in our own days and among the people we are in the habit of meeting. In keeping with mid-Victorian themes, Lady Audley’s Secret is closely connected to the street literature and newspaper accounts of real crimes. The crimes in Braddon’s novel are concealed and secret. Like the crimes committed by respected doctors and trusted ladies, the crimes in Lady Audley’s Secret shock because of their unexpectedness. Crime in the melodrama of the fifties and sixties is chilling, because of the implication that dishonesty and violence surround innocent people. A veneer of virtue coats ambitious conniving at respectability. Lady Audley’s Secret concludes with a triumph of good over evil, but at the same time suggests unsettlingly that this victory occu rs so satisfyingly only in melodramas (Kalikoff, 9... ...r with seemingly no real purpose in the novel turns out to be the key to unlocking the whole plot. This technique was very popular in Victorian mystery. By using the elements of both melodrama and mystery fiction, Mary Elizabeth Braddon was able to create her most famous work of her long lasted career, Lady Audley’s Secret. Her ability to construe a mystery and keep the reader involved in her work shows the talent she had for writing. Mary Braddon would not have been a popular Victorian novelist if she had not engaged in a certain amount of sentimentality (melodrama) in her fiction (Peterson, 165-166). Her choice of the mystery made her famous and revered by many of her colleagues. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote to her once that he wished his “days to be bound each to each by Miss Braddon’s novels';, and Tennyson declared that he was “simply steeped in Miss Braddon'; (Peterson, 161). By exploring the elements of both melodrama and mystery, it becomes clear that Lady Audley’s Secret fits into both. Using these genres, Braddon was able to create a successful novel of her time that incorporated both reader em otion and Victorian culture.

Corporate Governance Essay

Conduct a review of the governance of your organisation (or one with which you are familiar) in the form of a report to the Chairman (or President) of the Governing Board of Directors. In the brief report use the concepts, tools and techniques learned in this subject to review the structure, process and effectiveness of the governance of the organisation and make recommendations for appropriate improvements. Executive summary This report sets out to review corporate governance at a private company, namely, Paramount Insurance Company. The specific objectives were to identify the relevant codes the organisation follows, why they are important and review the structure, process and effectiveness of the governance of the organisation. Throughout the report, it was evident from the findings that Paramount although once a successful organisation, had some governance issues that can and should be improved for the best interest of the company and its policyholders. Finally, several recommendations for improvement of the organisation’s governance were outlined. Introduction Corporate Governance has evolved from the early days of merchants and monopolists and the concept of corporate governance is as old as trade but the phrase is new. (Tricker 2011).At its simplest, corporate governance can be regarded as being ‘about promoting corporate fairness, transparency and accountability’ (Wolfensohn 1999). All corporate entities need governing however, good corporate governance that takes into consideration a variety of frameworks, including various perspectives such as the relationship, stakeholder, financial, and societal. This report will review the corporate governance policies of Paramount Insurance Company Limited (â€Å"Paramount†). Firstly I will supply an overview on the company’s profile and define corporate. Then the report will look at the composition and criteria for the Board of Directors of Paramount and demonstrate any corporate governance issues that the company may be facing. Finally recommendations are given for mod ifications or improvements in the company’s practices relevant to this business. Company profile Paramount was an insurance underwriter predominantly writing motor business for individuals in the United Kingdom. Based in Watford, Paramount Insurance Company Limited (â€Å"Paramount†) wrote motor insurance over a period of around forty nine years until May nineteen ninety six when it ceased underwriting. Initially, the company primarily provided motor package insurance, that later expanded into also writing some legal expenses cover. Paramount was incorporated in Guyana and therefore the company complied with the Insurance Act 1998 and the Companies Act 1998 of Guyana. These acts provided a guide to Paramount along with the Guyana Corporate Governance Code (GCGC) to some of its corporate governance practices. The Corporate Governance Code of Guyana is not mandatory or enforceable but simply provides a list of principles for best practice. Throughout this report, it is evident that Paramount has a number of issues in relation to corporate governance. This eventuated with issues for policyholders as was estimated that there may be 40,000 current policies at the time of the provisional liquidation. Definition of corporate governance The term â€Å"governance† is derived from the Latin â€Å"gubernare† which means â€Å"to  lead†, suggesting rather that â€Å"the governance† (Corporate, in this case) implies more the steering function than the control one. BALC et al. (2013, pp. 14-17). Corporate governance has many definitions as it is often used in a variety of perspectives, operational, relationship, stakeholder, societal, and a financial economics perspective. For the purpose of this report, corporate governance is defined as the relationship that exists between company management, stakeholders and the board. Objectives of the company are usually set, attained and monitored through the structure corporate governance provides. (Balgobin 2008).The Guyana Corporate Code of Governance is similar to the UK codes of corporate governance and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2004).These principles serve as a reference point that can be used by companies to develop their own frameworks for corporate governance that reflect their own circumstances or situations. Composition and criteria at Paramount The Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer There is extensive research on board composition and the importance it places on different aspects of organisation performance. (Kang H, et al 2007). At Paramount the unitary board exists, where according to the textbook, a unitary board is when a company has a single governing body (Tricker 2009). A non- executive director is defined as a person who is not involved in the day to day management of an organisation but rather in business tasks such as strategic planning, and monitoring of executive directors. An executive director tends to be more involved in the managerial aspects of the company. The Chairman and four other directors are independent non-executives, and the CEO and one director are non- executives. Diversity of board members A diverse board is defined as a varied composition of a number of parameters for example, gender and age. ( Jhunjhunwala, S et al. 2012). It is often believed that women bring a somewhat different approach to leadership in an organisation. They are seen as better at building relationships, are perceptive in decision-making, etc. (Hughes et al 2012). Paramount’s board consists of one female executive director, Ann Estorffe, out of its eight members. She previously worked for one of the company’s subsidiaries in the  Caribbean and thus was deemed fit because of her experience, knowledge and competency on insurance and policymaking. In addition, there are no young directors on the board. According to the Company Secretary, all of the board members are in excess of sixty five years of age. This is well above the retirement age outlined by the company, which is 60 years. Some in the company may argue that it is risky to have appointed younger individuals on the board as th ey lack the experience that comes with age and they are higher risk takers. However, studies have shown that diverse boards may help in formulating strategies, improving productivity and creative problem solving. (Jhunhunwala & Mishra 2012).Appointment to the board and subcommittees Tricker et al. 2009 makes reference to two reasons why unitary boards create subcommittees: To enable independent directors to meet separately from the board as a whole, in order to fulfil their oversights roles; To delegate board activities to reduce the burden on the boards as a whole. All the directors are subject to re-election by policyholders every three years but this system is fraught with ineffectiveness to implicit pressure to re-elect the current directors. Paramount had several subcommittees consisting of the audit, remuneration, nomination, marketing, government and compliance committee, finance, and strategic planning subcommittees. This report specifically will be outlining the three committees, which are responsible for providing oversight to management. These are Audit, remuneration and nomination committees. (Tricker 2009) It is the impression of the Board that this power resides with them as they can choose the best person for the committee. In other words, some still feel that the right to appoint board members is the heart of corporate power. (Tricker 2009).Paramount’s audit committee considered and made recommendations to the board on rules, corporate governance codes, and the law. This committee also assists the company to comply with relevant accounting standards and legislation. Hence, this requires a company to have effective internal audit functions to manage the monies entrusted on them. The effectiveness of the audit is reflected in annual reports, with the intent to create transparency aimed at improving accounting and auditing standards and promoting good corporate governance. The Remuneration Committee of Paramount consisted of two independent nonexecutive directors and one chair. This committee is responsible for setting remuneration for  all executives and the chairman however; it is the board or the policyholders that determine the remuneration of non-executive directors. (Guyana corporate governance code 2011) It is said that the remuneration committee is where in interest of the shareholders conflict with that of management. (Carson 2002). The amount of remuneration received by directors and chairman are disclosed in the company’s annual reports In addition, this monitoring ensures that when profits are low, director’s remuneration can be adjusted and the issuing of incentive payments. Directors of Paramount were not viewed as self-serving and were viewed as effective in this aspect of corporate governance. Board performance evaluation One of the principles of Guyana code on corporate governance states that a board should have an annual evaluation of its own performance, its committees and individual directors. In addition, every three years this evaluation should be externally facilitated. This principle aligns with the UK corporate governance code. Studies have suggested that corporate governance markers such as the uses of sub-committees, independent directors, and an appropriate board structure may not be the best forecasters of board effectiveness. (Tricker 2009) In other words, a form of performance appraisal for directors may ensure they act in the best interest of the company and of the shareholders. Performance appraisals give feedback to individuals and facilitate changes or improvements. (Noe et al 2009). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in essence can be defined as corporate entities acting as good citizens not evident within Paramount. UK Companies Act 2006 highlighted that quoted companies have to provide information on environmental matters, employees and social and community issues. Early attitudes towards corporate governance were a voluntary bureaucratic, expensive box-ticking exercise. Board members focused delivering on creating wealth not complying with principles. The changing expectations in the governance of organisations saw CSR strategies and policies developed, along with CSR competency frameworks created to increase shareholder value. Conclusion This report has given an account on corporate governance of a business in the private sector, namely the Paramount Company. The investigation first set  out to discuss the laws and corporate governance codes the company complies with and then reviews the governance in the organisation. The research suggested that organisations should have adapted to principles of corporate governance, however. These included the lack of a nomination committee, and an inactive performance evaluation board and the development of a ccorporate social responsibility framework. It was also apparent that the re-election of directors was ineffective and that retirement age seems not to apply to board members. This may be due to lack of proper succession planning or to the belief that people like similar minded people and in this case age was a commonality. If the above mentioned areas of opportunities were addressed earlier could this have prevented the outcome? That outcome being on the twenty first of May in the year nineteen ninety six the Department of Trade and Industry withdrew authorisation for Paramount to write new insurance business, and avoid having the directors of Paramount petitioning the court to wind the company up. The paper concludes that for too long emphasis of corporate governance has been around the relationship between managers, boards and shareholders and not so much on how corporations are financed and managed. There needs to be a multiple theoretical perspectives employed to allow for a better understanding of issues like allocation of resources and return and overall economic development. Recommendations Based on the report, there were a number of approaches that could have been actioned to improve governance at Paramount. Firstly, the organisation needed to embrace diversity, the acknowledgement that people are different and harnessing this diversity would have provided great benefit to Paramount. Promoting the health, well-being and opinions of staff, promotes individuals being valued. Fitness programs supported by the company with exclusive membership offers is an example of building a stay and thrive culture. This can be achieved through fair and transparent employment practices, regularly communicated to employees. Secondly, to eliminate the subjectivity of nominating board members and also the complacency. Developing a nomination committee consisting of independent nonexecutive directors, will help to establish criteria for selection of board members, which will help to ensure directors chosen, are truly independent to  contribute effectively to the board, to reduce the chances of a dominant director. Thirdly, Paramount should have developed a system to allow for the anonymous re-election of board members by not only outside policyholders but also inside policyholders e.g. employees as well. Fourthly to assist with CSR responsibilities and commitment a corporate policy statement can be generated, focusing on the six core characteristics of; Understanding society Building capacity Questioning ‘business as usual’ Stakeholder relations Strategic view Harnessing diversity Swire Pacific Ltd. developed a decentralized approach to generate its Sustainable Development Policy and appointed Director of Sustainable Development, Robert Gibson, in 2007. The intent was to create a long term approach to the sustainable development of their businesses and excel as corporate citizens. Finally, performance evaluation of board members is important to determine their effectiveness. Paramount took the initiative to form a sub-committee for this process however; it remained inactive for a number of years. This is an imperative function for a company to establish such a committee to see real long-term change and benefits in the governance of the organisation. Feedback on performance is critical for a board to improve any dysfunctional behaviour. References Tricker, B 2009, corporate governance principles, policies and practices, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Balc, L, Ilies, R, Cioban, B, & Cuza, B 2013, ‘Corporate Governance. Conceptual Approaches’, Managerial Challenges Of The Contemporary Society, 5, Pp. 14-17, Business Source Complete, Ebscohost, Viewed 15 July 2014. Balgobin, RS 2008, ‘Board Characteristics that Promote Effective Governance: A Perspective on Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica’, ICFAI Journal Of Corporate Governance, 7, 2, pp. 20-41, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 15 July 2014. Donaldson, L, & Davis, J 1991, ‘Stewardship Theory or Agency Theory: CEO Governance and Shareholder Returns’, Australian Journal Of Management (University Of New South Wales), 16, 1, p. 49, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 15 July 2014. Balgobin, RS 2008, ‘Board Characteristics that Promote Effective Governance: A Perspective on Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica’, ICFAI Journal Of Corporate Governance, 7, 2, pp. 20-41, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 15 July 2014. Guyana Corporate Governance Code 2011, viewed on 9 July 2014 Kang, H, Cheng, M, & Gray, S 2007, ‘Corporate Governance and Board Composition: diversity and independence of Australian boards’, Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15, 2, pp. 194-207, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 13 July 2014. Jhunjhunwala, S, & Mishra, R 2012, ‘Board Diversity and Corporate Performance: The Indian Evidence’, IUP Journal Of Corporate Governance, 11, 3, pp. 71-79, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 July 2014. Hughes, R., Ginn ett, R. & Curphy, G 2012, Leadership enhancing the lessons of experience, 7th ed, McGraw Hill Irwin, New York Vafeas, N 1999, ‘The Nature of Board Nominating Committees and Their Role in Corporate Governance’, Journal Of Business Finance & Accounting, 26, 1/2, pp. 199-225, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 July 2014. Wolfensohn, J 1999, Financial Times, 21 June.