Meaning in Short Stories free essay sample

A discussion of several short stories to demonstrate how the authors developed meaning through the development of character, theme, plot and setting. Five short stories are discussed: The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, AP by John Updike, I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen, Barn Burning by William Faulkner, and The Rocking-Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence. Each story is used to demonstrate the use of either character, theme, plot or setting in the development of meaning. PLOT THE STORY OF AN HOUR The plot in this story revolves around the death of the husband, which of course makes the story possible, but at the heart of it is the woman and her feeling of freedom that she feels when she finds out her husband is dead. She feels free, and even in this very short story, Chopin makes us understand why with a few simple lines, And yet she had loved himsometimes. We will write a custom essay sample on Meaning in Short Stories or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Often she had not. That is really the plot briefly the woman wanted more. We learn the two characters names in the story, but they, and the other minor characters do not matter, this is truly a short story with one theme, freedom, and is totally plot driven.

Corporate Strategy The Body Shop Essay Example

Corporate Strategy The Body Shop Essay Example Corporate Strategy The Body Shop Paper Corporate Strategy The Body Shop Paper The Body Shop (TBS) is an interesting and innovative international organisation. Their focus on core beliefs, press/advertising, management, supplier networks, training and treatment of staff are perhaps best practice. In this paper we will review the external environment, the financials of the business, conduct SWOT analysis and analyse its competitive stance from the Porter Five Forces Model. Our recommendations focus on retaining their core competencies and values, minimising financial risks, and opening up new opportunities in the future. These include mail order as well as the growing male market, and developing a CEO succession plan. Introduction The question for many businesses is whether they can operate successfully internationally and maintain integrity in a world of seemingly empty advertising claims. TBS has taken this challenge head-on. By selling only environmentally friendly recyclable or biodegradable products in minimalist packaging, they are practicing what they preach in a clearly identifiable way. Furthermore the way they develop new products by developing operations in third world countries (profits with principles) shows a commitment beyond most others who buy abroad solely for cost reasons. The article implies that they operate a best practice. Analysis will indicate whether this is the case and where any further opportunities lie. The External Environment The Hair-care market is fragmented in 1988 the total size of the UK market was à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½139M with the top five companies sharing 44%, the others 56%. The Shampoo market was similar 10-11 brands competed for half the market and 80-90 competed for the other half, with conditioner use growing. These products are highly advertised major brands in magazines and TV, leading to blurring of product lines to create new products e.g. conditioning shampoo. The market is segmented by price, target market age, function (health and hygiene, beauty products). Growth is mainly in upmarket product ranges mainly from women, with men on the rise. Supermarkets also have their own skincare ranges (30% of market) hair-care is being seen as a grocery item and is sold in family pack sizes. There is also growth in anti-ageing products minimising affects of wind, sun and polluted air. In 1986 the soap market peaked and was thought to be declining with bath oil/foam overtaking soap in 1987. Fruity soaps introduced by the Body Shop were imitated and pure fragrance-free brands like Simple and Pears and liquid soap were introduced. The latter had about 5% of the market then. The Body Shop is one of the few in colour cosmetics. Yves Rocher is main competitor to TBS which has a mail order focus and 1200 Beauty Centres worldwide. Financial Analysis Our financial summary (refer Appendix 1) is that there is generally good growth, however there are operational issues associated with the US market that require analysis and resolution. SWOT Analysis Introduction SWOT identifies the risks/opportunities of the position TBS is currently in refer Appendix 2 for the tabular summary: Strengths TBS overall has made good rising profits year over year, despite market forces. Its profitability comes from its leadership, the franchise system (lower cost of expansion for the company), rapid growth for the market for green products and the ability for competitors to enter a fragmented market with little direct competition. TBSs main competitive edge is its people and the way they are selected, trained and empowered to promote their products enthusiastically. TBS does not advertise. Rather, they depend on quality of product. Weaknesses The Body Shop is a small player in a fragmented market. Their products are easily imitated (although the natural ingredients make it logistically difficult) in fact most of ideas were copied from existing products and processes elsewhere in the world. The Managing Director in her bid to promote the company made enemies of prominent organisations that will not assist developing cooperative networks. In its efforts to enter the mainstream colour cosmetics sector of the market, has the company compromised its ideological stance? How will its loyal consumers regard this act will only unfold in the future. In some ways the Body Shop is trapped in its philosophical ideologies. The other markets sectors are only available by modifying their philosophy. Market wise the client base may age over time and the younger generation may not feel the same affinity towards all that the Body Shop stands for. A good example of this is Laura Ashley who failed to attract younger buyers to her clothes range and hence moved into home wares. Staking an almost holy claim on their environmental issues is fraught with danger should they falter allegations in 1989 regarding claims of Not tested on animals proved difficult but ultimately successful to defend (HREF3) and they did suffer share price ramifications during this time. A succession plan is required for Anita Roddick who is the face of the company. That successor will require similar skills and ideology mindset. Opportunities There are several opportunities to consider (refer Recommendations for discussion): 1) The growing younger market is health conscious and therefore demands products with this attribute. TBSs strategy is sound and should be continued. 2) Further expansion into the colour products is another areas that need to be considered, eg nails. 3) Development of TBS owned raw material facilities both locally and internationally. 4) Analysis, development and enhancement of the US market. 5) Strategies to tap into the emerging male cosmetic markets. 6) The development of its own stand in supermarkets where 30% of products are sold. 7) Mail order sales (case study is not clear whether this exists currently). Threats The major immediate threat to the company is its rival Yves Rocher. They produce and market similar products and have over 1200 stores. The recession is an external threat to TBS although it has performed above average so far despite it. The companys momentum is centred on the current leadership and the loss of Anita would be devastating. In summary their business is in a fairly strong position. Porter Five Forces Model Appendix 3 includes a summary table of the Porter model, which shows the competing forces of the beauty/cosmetics industry structure. Overall the areas are all moderate to high, however TBS has managed to ameliorate the major contingencies in each area to their advantage. Threat of New Entrants Low-moderate: TBS has key alliances with its suppliers, which make it hard to duplicate cost effectively, easily or quickly. Intensity of Rivalry High: However TBSs high brand identity, strong knowledge transfer to customers and low fixed cost and switching costs structure assist their triple bottom line. Bargaining Power of Buyers Moderate-High: Yet TBS enjoys high customer loyalty driven by value for money, product information, strong brand, and identifiable product differences vs. competitors. Threat of Substitutes High: Although customers are prevalent to substitute alternatives, TBSs strategies of as listed above diminish this likelihood significantly. Bargaining Power of Suppliers High: TBSs has lowered the bargaining power of suppliers by developing alliances with natural goods suppliers, benefiting the community as well as obtaining the necessary inputs required for their products. In summary, their strategies have been well crafted to execute their business in a highly competitive field. Key Success Factors (KSF) Consideration of KSFs as appropriate to the Hair-care and Beauty markets are as follows: * Strong recognizable brand required * Products must work as advertised * Natural ingredients increasingly highly marketable * Items easily available to purchase * A Product line from fingertips to fingernails * Friendly and informative customer service * Good press * Reliable supply of necessary goods * Value for money products TBS has most of these attributes, except perhaps somewhat limited distribution compared to products in department stores. Also TBS does not stock nail polish. This may be a deliberate strategic choice as they claim they are not in the beauty market or an issue of availability of natural product alternatives. Recommendations Recommendations are as follows: 1) Continue their current philosophy of product identification, natural ingredients, staff education, customer service and recycling -The growing younger market is health conscious and environmentally aware and therefore demands products with this attribute. Therefore TBSs strategy is sound and should be continued. 2) Further expand into the colour products, eg nails However this is contingent only if it can be done in situ with their core philosophies marketing to diversity of style rather than beauty. 3) Development of TBS owned raw material facilities both locally and internationally The question is whether their current resources are sustainable. Investing to ensure supply and management of their own fundamental core goods would assist consistency of supply. However, there are significant fixed cost implications. Also being tied to certain raw materials might stifle creativity/adaptability as new formulations and ingredients are discovered. The long-term business case needs further investigation. In the short term they should continue with their profit with principles philosophy. 4) Review of the US market opportunity A complete review of the US market and the conditions that have led to the à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2M loss is required. Potentially the cultural differences of the US market high TV watching, mass-market advertising, and svelte packaging are expected norms. Reliance of word-of-mouth is less likely given a more conservative market overall. Perhaps TBS could leverage their community projects to have a higher profile in the press. Additionally, snappier packaging (using an industrial designer) with biodegradable/recyclable materials may attract more interest on the shelf. Cost/benefit analysis of these actions need further review. 5) Strategies to tap into the emerging male cosmetic markets Key alliances with surfing/outdoor lifestyle shops may be a first step. These could offer after activity natural aftershaves/crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½mes/shampoos to suit the growing male market with a masculine emphasis. Additionally a larger male product selection in TBS stores could follow if successful. 6) The development of its own stand in supermarkets where 30% of products are sold. However customer service wont model the TBS stores and there may be some resistance given supermarkets have their own product range. Further, customers buying groceries generally are focused on minimising time in this task. For all these reasons this opportunity is not recommended. 7) Development of a mail-order catalogue given Yves Rochers success, mail order would appear to be a viable business venture. However it does diminish the hands-on demonstration and some aspects of the customer liaison benefits tied to TBS. Progress with care may require on-line customer assistance via web cam to work optimally. 8) Develop a leadership succession plan BTS needs to develop and train suitable candidates to take over Anitas lead at some point in the future. They need to have her ideology, mindset and press savvy. Conclusions The Body Shop is a formidable business that has put itself up to be counted against related industries that are less ethical and environmentally responsible. Fundamentally its position has gathered a momentum and empathy from customers who are looking for high quality, value for money goods that are ecologically sustainable. Staying true to this course, with a review of loss making markets and new opportunities in the male cosmetic markets and other fields should ensure their continued profitable performance.

Banana

Banana. When I look at this word, neither an ice cream sundae nor monkeys come to mind. Instead, I see my former self: yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Not long ago, when one got to know me, my native color of yellow peeled off, revealing the color of white that consumed the heart of me. When I entered high school, I began to feel ashamed and inferior because of my ethnicity. This was odd because I live in Hawaii, the paragon of racial diversity. But suddenly, I became aware of shared characteristics Caucasian girls seemed to posses. To me, they were beautiful, intrepid, intelligent, gregarious, and especially confident- all the qualities I longed to have. I began to feel ugly and small, even envious of their defined facial features and the strong certainty, with which they presented themselves. This admiration soon devoured me that I even tried to create double-eyelids with strips of tape. Thus, I was dubbed the nickname â€Å"Banana† by my sister. Soon, my mother and friends identified me as this deceiving fruit. This insecurity consumed me even more when I attended a leadership program in New York City. There, I met the most bright and self-assured girls. As I acted as a spectator throughout the week, my admiration for Caucasians rapidly grew. The division between Asians and Caucasians that constantly lingered in my mind was clearly illustrated one night when SeRyeong, one of the few Asians at the program, and I joined three Caucasian girls to Times Square. As we walked through the Friday night crowd, the three girls were in their own clump, always in front of SeRyeong and me. Everytime we tried to catch up to them, this gap always found its way back. This unconscious form was a mockery that bolstered my assumption: Caucasians would always be better than what I could ever be. To justify my insecurity, I began to blame the Asian race, especially my Asian pare nts. I convinced myself of the stereotype that Asians are raised to be submissive, demure, and vulnerable. I was never encouraged to openly raise questions. My family neither converses effusively at the dinner table nor always says â€Å"I love you† at the end of phone calls like my Caucasian friends do with their parents. When my parents and I get into a fight, I can never defend myself. Because of their academic expectations and tough love, I can neither achieve their full satisfaction nor that of my own. I believed these characteristics were the reasons why I was a small, insecure banana. But by constantly scorning my parents and Asian upbringing, I literally like a banana, bruised often and easily. Slowly, I began to realize that my insecurity was not a result of my ethnicity, but of me; my assumptions of Caucasians and Asians did not matter. I only blamed Asians to justify my assumptions and to hide from the fact that I was setting myself up for my own misery and insecu rity. I was my own hindrance from becoming the confident person I longed to be and could be; I was bruising myself. All this despondency, jealousy, and deprecation were completely avoidable, thus I’m the only one to blame. Although my trip to New York City was just about a year and a half ago, as a young woman who is about to become an adult, I had to overcome my weaknesses. As I mentally grew and matured during this time, I knew I needed to let go of this hindering mindset. My years as a banana have been turbulent and belittling, and truthfully, I am still in the process of shedding away my â€Å"Banana† name. But, I cherish these years for I learned that I am my most powerful catalyst. I am no longer oblivious to myself as a possible weapon of obstruction from becoming the best of me. I am beginning to let go of my immature and narrow assumption that I need to be Caucasian to feel beautiful, smart, and confident for I can embrace these characteristics regardless of my ethnicity. I am learning to no longer see myself as solely â€Å"Asian†, â€Å"wannabe-Caucasian†, or â€Å"Banana† for these distinctions do not consume me; I alone define myself.

Case study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case study Analysis - Essay Example Leadership usually follows a number of theories and practices due to which, the leaders are different from one another. Application of a theory is related to the personality of a leader as he or she adopts a theory after analyzing according to his or her persona. Leaders are highly important persons in an organization and they have a strong impact on the organization and its employees. No one can reject the influence of the leaders, as they are the one who have to lead a certain group in order to help the organization in terms of making income or gaining success (McGovern et al, 2008). The employees working under the leaders are more dedicated to their leaders as compared to the organization because of the convincing style of leadership of the leaders. There are eight leadership theories that can be considered as the most credible and convincing in terms of the concept of leadership in various organizations (Wagner, 2005). Firstly, according to great man theories the qualities of lea dership in some persons are inherent means they born by having leadership skills. Secondly, trait theories are based on that some persons are leaders because they inherit the leadership characteristics. After then, contingency theories are based on that type of leaders, which have an ability to change their style of leading according to the environment (Wagner, 2005). After that, situational theories are based on leaders should have the ability to select best leading style in different situations. After that, behavioural theory is based on that men learn leadership qualities through experience and learning (Wagner, 2005). Afterward, participative theories are based on the leader’s participation and contribution from group members that encourage them to give their 100%. Subsequently management theories (transactional theory) are based on management, organization and group performance (Wagner, 2005). According to management theory, leaders appreciate their subordinates by givin g praise or promotion for their good work and give punishment for their bad work (Wagner, 2005). Afterward, relationship theories (transformational theories) are based on relationship between leaders and followers. These types of leaders motivate their followers by helping them in task, but also have a requirement from the followers to give the all potential in the task (Wagner, 2005). 2.0. Case Study Analysis 2.1. Leadership Paradigms, Leadership Location and Leadership Substitutes at SAP In SAP (Systems, Applications and Products in data processing), the major and main head of the organization is its Chief executive officers (CEOs). The leadership at SAP is much committed and influence people to be a part of the organization. The main vision of sap is to provide software solution and business problems. SAP is a global organization but the head office of SAP is located in Walldrof Germany. SAP is driven by its two major boards, an executive board and an extended management board. S AP has seven layers of management and it is more profitable to have seven layers of management, it also makes it hierarchical. As SAP is managed by its self management teams, there is always a substitute for each of the management. But in case of leadership 2.2. Followers and Retention at SAP All the employees in SAP are very much important for the organization and the company does not discharge the people because of the less knowledge about the new developments and techniques. On the contrary, company tries

Don't change it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Don't change it - Essay Example While other philosophers like Rousseau opposed this crucial view of humans by viewing them as cooperative, selfishness and fear are the main reasons why humans harm each other (Rousseau, paragraph 12). Shifting from the evil human image that Hobbes explained, to the well-disposed human image of Rousseau, makes an obvious antagonism between both philosophers. Indeed, both Hobbes and Rousseau wrote about the same points, which are human nature, social contract, and the form of government, but each of them had different explanations to these ideas. In the idea of human nature, Hobbes started by explaining his idea through arguing that all men are created equal in their aptitude and wish (Hobbes 57). Indeed, Hobbes indicates that no man is above other men, but what make men different are sciences and the amount of knowledge that each person carries (Hobbes 59). Even though each man has a different amount of knowledge, a man in his nature always sees himself better than others and do not like to admit that other men are better than him (Hobbes 59). Rousseau illustrated that men are equal but they are different from each other based on two facts, which are their physical features such as their age, way of looking and the soul, which is mainly about human behavior and morals (Rousseau, paragraph 1). In addition, Rousseau views all men as free and this is evident when he argues that though man was born without any restrictions, everywhere he goes he is in chains. (Rousseau 81). The Chains Rousseau means in his writing are the restr ictions and the power the government puts on men’s freedom (Rousseau 81). Rousseau also believes that power is not created by nature but it is created by God’s wish. In other words, God is the one who choose specific people to give them power similar to the relationship between a parent and his or her child (Rousseau, paragraph 4, 10). Moving to the idea of conflict and competition, according to

Personality Disorders Essay Example for Free

Personality Disorders Essay In this paper I will be discussing how a particular Axis I disorder may relate to a coexisting Axis II disorder. I will explain how an Axis I disorder, can be easily confused with an Axis II disorders. I will compare and contrast, Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Paranoid Type, and explain how I would differentiate the two conditions. I will also compare Obsessive Personality Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and explain the difference between both conditions. Personality Disorders Since the DSM III, the DSM classification has been used to describe the different parts of personality disorder. Every person is different in the way they think, feel and how they relate to others. Some people will have maladaptive personality traits, it becomes a personality disorder when the maladaptive behaviors become a problem and prevent them from leading a normal life. In the DSM –IV personality disorders and mental retardation are diagnosed on Axis II. A personality disorder can predispose a person to suffer with an Axis I disorder. (Widiger, 2003) According to the authors of the multiaxial system they wanted to draw attention to personality disorder because of the â€Å"accumulating evidence that the quality and quantity of preexisting personality disturbance may†¦influence the predisposition, manifestation, course, and response to treatment of various Axis I conditions†. Paranoid Personality Disorder and Schizophrenia Paranoid Personality Disorder is defined in the DSM-V –TR as a pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent. (DSM-IV-TR 2005) Schizophrenia, Paranoid Type is defined as a type of schizophrenia in which the following criteria are met: A. Preoccupation with one or more delusion or frequent auditory hallucinations. The two disorders have many similarities but one thing that makes them different is that people that suffer with Paranoid Personality disorder do not have hallucinations. Obsessive -Compulsive Personality Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal  control. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is defined as a person having either obsessions or compulsions. (DSM-V-TR 2005) People that suffer from OCD suffer from disturbing thoughts, or images and they have obsessions that interfere with their daily life. Some of these behaviors are irrational, ritualistic and repetitive. People that suffer from OCPD are worried about being perfect, and being in control mentally and interpersonally. People who suffer with OCPD are very problematic, unhappy, and experience issues with family, friends, and at work. The main difference in these two disorders is that people with OCD have actual obsessions and compulsions. People with OCDP don’t have obsessions and compulsions. References (2005). DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Widiger, T. (2003, Oct). Personality disorder diagnosis. World Psychiatry, 2(2), 13

Commentary on My Writing :: Papers

Commentary on My Writing The text I have written is a letter to a writer in the tabloid newspaper "The Sun". This text is written in a style aimed at an older reader who is qiute educated with the age varying from 30-50 years of age, or a perosn who has similar opioions on some tabloid newspaper articles as the person I have presented myself as. Unlike my first piece, my second piece entitled "extracts from moments in time" is not opinionated, although the sublect is the same, both pieces are presented very differently with the content, audience and purpose in mind. I chose the topic of how the media intrudes on the lives of celebrities, and both texts explore this subject. The second text is in an autobiography style, which explores the feelings of a celebrity on a personal level. This piece is aimed at people from the age of 18-30, because it involves some issues that I feel some people of that age might be able to relate to. To begin with I will look at my first piece. My first piece is highly influenced by one of my inspirational pieces and in it I have included as one of the main topics of arguement quotes form that piece. The formality of this piece is very formal, this is shown by the layout of the letter and the inclusion of of a return address in the top right hand corner. I have used standard english in this peice, which is also another reason for why it is aimed at qiute an educated reader. I have also included some complex syntax which a younger or less educated redaree might find difficult to understand: " I believe that you Sir do not respect many people, or maybe you're acknowledgement of the pain you cause runs so thin that you do not have any idea why I am writing to you, and in such a tone as the one I carry." The use of the complex sentence used above also emphasis's the writers feelings and what is being said.