Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the Essay

Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the main action (ONE single main action) of the film . Support your position by using Kant's moral philosophy - Essay Example Gone, Baby, Gone is a film directed by Ben Affleck which follows the case of a kidnapped girl, Amanda, whose family approaches the Boston-based private investigator, Patrick Kenzie, to follow up the case. Patrick, along with his partner, Angie Gennaro, discovers the perplexing and highly complex web of corruption as they go about investigating upon the case. As the case progresses along the length of the film, the lines between good and bad are nearly blurred due to interest and mysterious motives. Based on Kant’s moral philosophy, Amanda’s uncle was motivated by greed and a dishonest intention of freeing Amanda from her failing parents. Although the consequences would have been good for Amanda as well as her aunt, the action was immoral due to its immoral motives. As Patrick uncovers the corruption embedded in the case, it becomes clear that Amanda’s aunt and uncle are immoral. Their scheme to free Amanda from her neglectful parents would have had a good consequence as the girl would have escaped her parents’ neglect and would have come under the care of more responsible guardians. However, Kant’s theory of morality depends not on the consequence but on the motive which had undoubtedly been immoral and treacherous. Through a well-planned plot, her uncle was able to stage Amanda abduction and then approach Patrick for a fake investigation. Amanda’s uncle had been aiming to cleverly fool the investigators and obtain the traded drug money by involving many of the investigation police officials. In fact, man personnel from the police department had been involved including Captain Doyle who had hidden Amanda in his house along with his wife. The kidnap had been attempted with great planning and dishonest motive which in volved immense corruption from the reputed police department of Boston. Therefore, all the individuals involved in the staged kidnapping of Amanda had a bad motive for their immoral action. The

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Essay Example for Free

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Essay The word revenge is defined in the dictionary as : get satisfaction by deliberately causing injury in return for a person or oneself suffering. Governments and countries often take revenge by fighting, like with after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor the U.S government gave an order to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki as revenge. Kings and dictators also take revenge by invading other countries, and even the ordinary people, like us, take revenge on smaller issues. But is it morally justified? The answer to this question is largely depends on whom you ask, and it may vary according to the concepts and values that he/her was raised on it differs among different peoples, cultures and traditions. In this essay I will try to answer this question from the point of the story The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. In order to discuss the revenge issue of this book let us begin by a brief summery of the story. Edmond Dantes, a young sailor, gets a reward to be a Captain of a ship, but unfortunately four men arranged that he will be imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. The four men are Danglars, Villefort, Fernand Mondego, and Caderousse. Dantes has spent fourteen years in prison and then he escaped with a friend that taught him many things and gave him a map to a treasure. The friend (Abbe) died, and when Dantes finds the treasure he becomes rich and famous and is known as The Count Of Monte Cristo. During all of this period he didnt stop thinking about revenging his enemy. He just waited for the perfect time and now it came. His mission is to revenge the people who imprisoned him and help the people who helped him. The Count Of Monte Cristos opinion about revenge and death is that people who made other people suffer for a long long time should not die quick, in other words you dont just kill them, you torture them so that they will die slowly and painfully. Dantes wants them to be miserable and give them a hard time for a long period of time just like he suffered for a long time in jail. That is why he did not hire anyone to kill his enemies or kill them himself. This is proven in the following quote that The Count Of Monte Cristo said: If a man has tortured and killed your father, your mother, your sweetheart, one of those beings who leave an eternal emptiness and a perpetually bleeding wound when they are torn from your heartdo you think  society has given you sufficient reparation because the man who made you undergo long years of mental and emotional suffering has undergone a few seconds of physical pain? For slow, profound, infinite, and eternal suffering. Id try to avenge myself by inflicting similar suffering-an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. This last sentence in the quote, is a sentence from the bible and I think that by telling us this, the author wants to show us that even in old time, in a book that suppose to teach us about life, revenge was taken and was not immoral. This sentence also serves as well as a justification for him to carry out his revenge plans. Monte Cristo was very smart. He looked for the weak points of each person of whom he wanted to take revenge of, and there he hit. He learned a lot about his enemies after he escaped from prison. For example we know that Danglars loves money, so Monte Cristo arranged for him to have no money, he destroyed him financially. Another example is Fernand Mondegos case. After Fernand reaches a high position and became Count de Morcerf, Monte Cristo told the public that Morcerf is a traitor, and by this act he wrecked him socially. We also learned from the story, about Morcerfs love and devotion to his family. This was another target for Monte Cristo and he succeeded in separating him from his family. Fernand was so miserable that he committed suicide. Villffort, for my opinion is the most egoist person I have ever heard of (even though he is fictional). He would do anything and sacrifice anyone to his desire. One Quote in the book even stated so: I would sacrifice anything to my ambition, even my own father. Because of his political craving, Villfort was eager to have an innocent man imprisoned for a whole life time. I think that in this case revenge is very morally justified, because for a man such as Villefort, who was willing to put an innocent man in prison, then revenge is very morally justified. Danglars framed Dantes (wrote the letters), because he was envy and jealous at him because he gets the reward to be the captain of the Pharon (ship), and also at his spirit and self confidence Dantes had. I think that it is very obvious why Mondego framed Dantes. He was jealous of Dantes Fiancee, Mercedes. Gaspard Caderousse, was to greedy. Monte Cristo actually gave Caderousse a chance to  change and become honest, but Caderousee didnt. He was killed while trying to rob the Counts house. But Dantes was not revenging all the time he was a moral, good, and generous person. For example when the Abbe was dying, Dantes did not abandon him. Which shows us that Edmond Dantes is a good man. As we can see, Monte Cristo took his revenge in a way that didnt involve any act that was illegal. I think that revenge is morally justified in this particular story, because he did suffer a great deal, and there was a very good reason for his revenge. In every day life taking revenge is somewhat childish, but not taking it is surrendering. In my opinion revenge should be taken, and a person should be punished for a bad thing he did. The power of revenge is found in everyone of us, but we all have to know how to use it wisely.

Management, Leadership and Public Health Planning

Management, Leadership and Public Health Planning Student Name: Aphrodis Ndayisaba 0. Introduction The complexity and dynamism of healthcare systems around the world make them require strong, knowledgeable and skilful managers and leaders. The need for effective health managers and leaders is of paramount importance in allowing organisations and professionals to achieve their goals. Part of the knowledge and skills that healthcare services managers and leaders should have include planning and change management. In this essay, we will discuss, using a health project and examples, the steps undertaken in planning process and later on we will be discussing on various ways that healthcare services managers and leaders would partake to effect organisational change. 1. The steps in a health planning process According to Ardal et al (2006), a plan is defined as â€Å"a map, as a preparation, as an arrangement†. Planning defines the direction where the organisation or a person is heading and how to reach there. Various activities are undertaken in health planning process. It is stated that health planning process follows as the same basic steps as any planning process and these steps form a cycle which is normally repeated in the planning process for programs, populations, systems or health goals. The necessity of repeated cycle is due to the prevailing conditions which some or all may push to the change of the existing plan. For example, new evidences to create, restore or support health are released unceasingly, thus to incorporate these evidences into plans, the planning process should be cyclical (Ardal al, 2006). According to Ardal et al (2006), most planning cycles comprise seven steps which are: Surveying the environment Setting directions Identify problems and challenges Identify ranges of solutions to the problem and challenges Identify the preferred solutions Implementation Evaluation According to the same source, some people might argue that planners are only involved in the first five steps yet planners are also instrumental in understanding and supporting to shape the implementation plan and evaluation. They may be invited to provide support in these latter activities. To discuss on these steps, we use an example of a community health project on fighting against malaria in a local district. 1.1. Surveying the environment This step is concerned with the information collection to determine the current situation regarding the issue under consideration. The assessment of the current situation is done from various perspectives. For example, in the planning process for the project to fight against malaria, those involved in the planning process can review the previous plans about the project. According to Chatora and Tumusiime (2004), the review of the previous plans is essential in the planning process as it helps find out whether the government policy changed over a period of time and what its impact on the plan. Additionally, the planners can review the previous plans to see any change on certain key information in the planning like demographic information on the number of the target population, social, economic and cultural factors, community engagement in the process and health delivery. Similarly, the review of the previous plans provides information on the change about resources like human, financia l and material resources and about the performance of the previous plans. 1.2. Setting directions This step involves goals and objectives setting and the establishment of the standards against which the existing health/ illness status or existing organisational or system performance will be compared with. Simply put, at this stage, health planners seek to answer the key question â€Å"where do we want to go?† or â€Å"what do we want to achieve†. In other words, the health planners identify the desirable future state or outcome for the issue in question. For example, during the planning process of the project intended to fight against malaria in the district, those involved may set the target of having zero death due to malaria in the district during a certain period. 1.3. Identification of problems and challenges This step is concerned with the identification and quantification of the shortfalls between the existing situation and the desirable situation. To identify problems and challenges, the available data should be taken into consideration; data from health information management system, community surveys, census, reports, and anecdotes alike. Problems can be either primary or secondary. On one hand, Primary problems include illnesses identified in the community like malaria, tuberculosis HIV infection, leprosy or other related to socioeconomic factors like inequity, unfairness or patient dissatisfaction. On the other hand, secondary problems or contributory problems are those problems related to poor health systems like shortage of health resources, poor health delivery services and poor management skills which contribute to the primary problems (Chatora Tumusiime, 2004). For example, during the process of planning the project to fight against malaria, planners have to make use of various data sources to determine the causes of the deficit between the current situation and the desired situation about malaria in their district 1.4. Identification of range of solutions to problems and challenges At this stage, a range of solutions to each identified problem and challenge is identified. Also, at this stage, an assessment of each possible solution, using criteria like feasibility with the available resources, cost-effectiveness, is done so that each solution can be compared with each other to ease the process of prioritisation. For example, in planning process about community health project to fight against malaria, each identified problem and challenge that impede the initiatives to fight malaria a solution should be sought to it. However, given the complexity of this step in identifying solutions to the problems and challenges, creativity is of paramount importance as some problems and challenges may not have readily available solutions (Ardal al, 2006). 1.5. Identification of preferred solutions This step is concerned with the selection of a solution or a range of solutions to deal with the identified problems and challenges in the above step. The selection of the solutions may require to take into consideration fiscal and political context and other limiting factors (Ardal al, 2006). For example, in choosing solutions to the problems and challenges to the fight against malaria, government policies and guidelines and the available resources and other limiting factors should be not be ignored. 1.6. Implementation This step deals with the implementation of the selected solutions and it is preceded by the development of implementation plan. 1.7. Evaluation It stated that this step may start with the development of an evaluation plan well prior to the actual evaluation. This step is concerned with the evaluation of the outcomes of the implemented solutions to determine if the latter resulted in achieving the goals set in the planning process. It is also concerned with the evaluation of the environment in which the plan was carried out to determine if any change occurred hence helping depict whether the implemented solutions were less effective, more effective or irrelevant. Additionally, it involves developing ongoing tracking system methods to be used to continuously make identification and assessment of the planned or unplanned outcomes of the implemented actions (Ardal al, 2006). 2. Various ways to effect organisational change Healthcare organisations, like any other organisations, either public or private constantly undergo changes. The need for change or reform in these organisations is reported to be fundamental to the management process. Managers of these organisations need to adapt how they work when faced with contextual changes such as the emerging new technologies, changes in environmental pressures, demographics, political ideologies, socioeconomic context and rising demand and cost (Goodwin et al, 2006). So, organisations have to change as their internal and external environment constantly change. Numerous models and theories of change management have been proposed in the literature. These models include the 7-S model, PESTELI, soft systems methodology, Kurt Lewin’s classic three-phase model of change-unfreeze, move or change and unfreeze, John Kotter’s popular 8 step change model, etc. (Goodwin et al,2006; The State of Queensland, 2014). It is stated that each model has its own advantages and disadvantages and no one approach is best in all circumstances. â€Å"Indeed it is not so much the actual model or theory that is important, but more that the approach that is taken is relevant to the circumstances† (The state of Queensland, 2014). In essence, the best change model appear to make use of and adjust aspects of various models to meet the culture of the organisation in question and the context of change needed. Basically, it is reported that the goal of all change management is to secure the involvement of each and every one to the change and align indiv idual and team behaviour and skills with the change (The state of Queensland, 2014): For the case of the director of the Directorate of Public Health who needs to replenish the image of the organisation after observing that it was getting negative, below are the proposed ways that can be partaken to effect the health organisational change. They are the analytical tools that they can be used to develop a coherent strategic response to the situation like the one mentioned above. The 7S model PESTELI Soft systems methodology Process modelling SWOT analysis 2.1. The 7S model The 7S model is one of the diagnostic tools that healthcare organisation managers can use to conduct situational analysis to assess the gap between what is and what ought to be and it is often a tool that can be used for the justification for change management programmes. This model suggests that there are seven criteria which require the harmonisation of each other. These criteria are the following: Strategy: this criteria is concerned with the plan or course of action that leads to the allocation of organisation’s resources to achieve its goals. Structure: This involves the outstanding characteristics of the organisational chart. This is related to the organisational leadership structure and how its parts are interconnected inside the organisation. Systems: This criterion is concerned with the processes and procedures and the information flow around the organisation. Staff: This criterion is concerned with the categories of human resources within the organisation. Style: This is related to leadership style that the managers use to reach the organisation’s goals. Shared values: This is concerned with the guiding principles that the organisation instil to its members. Skills: This is related to the staff capacity of the organisation. Goodwin et al (2006) state that the 7S model can be used in two ways: in identifying strengths and weaknesses by taking into consideration the linkage between each criteria and how change made in one criterion will impact on all of the others. Despite its attractiveness of its dual emphasis on soft and hard organisational components, it is criticised of providing one-sided organisational culture with the only sole focus on the similarities that stick to the organisation and ignore other important aspects like conflict and disagreement (Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.2. PESTELI PESTELI is described as checklist used to analyse the environment in which the organisation operates. It stands for: P: Political factors: political impetus and influences that have an effect on organisational performance or other options open to the organisation. E: Economic influences: competitive nature that the organisation faces and the financial resources available within the economy. S: Social trends: change in demographics, trends in the behaviour and attitude of people regarding how they live, work and think. T: Technological innovations: new ways of doing new and old things and mitigating new or old problems; be it equipment or new ways thinking or organising. E: Ecological factors: this involves defining wider ecological system to which the organisation belongs and the manner the latter interacts with. L: Legislative requirement: these extend from the employment law to environmental regulations. I: Industry analysis: this is concerned with reviewing of the rousing quality of the industry to which the organisation belongs. As the 7S model, PESTELI can be used to conduct an analysis of the favouring factors in the environment in which the organisation operates and those that hinder the progress (Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.3. Soft systems methodology It is a tool which helps in articulating complex social processes. This is done by bringing together concerned people so that they can express their points of view, challenge them and test them. The following steps are undertaken when using this tool: Identify a problem and its causes from the stakeholders, cultural and political perspectives, without any attempt to impose a preconceived structure or to over-simplify the processes in place. Articulate root definitions of relevant systems: purpose, dynamics, inputs and outputs. Discuss on the situation with the stakeholders by describing the needed activities to achieve the root definitions using for instance process mapping tool or cause-and-effect diagram. Compare models with reality by observing, discussing and defining what to alter on the structure, process and attitude. Take action to implement the proposed solutions. Despite the importance of this tool in making change happening, it was criticised of being time consuming and costly. Also, there are concerns of whether organisational members are enough motivated to undertake the task to its end (Iles and Sutherland, 2001 cited in Goodwin et al, 2006). 2.4. Process modelling Process modelling is used as an approach to capture and clarify different views and expectations of a process. It helps increase the understanding of the situation at hand and how the proposed new one will make a difference. Simply put, the aim of this tool is to capture the dynamics of a situation so that those involved can brainstorm and come up with the best practices to change the current process. 2.5. SWOT analysis SWOT analysis is another important tool used to examine an organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses, its opportunities for growth and improvement, and the threats the external environment presents to its survival (Harrison, 2010). It is a systematic way of examining why an organization needs to change. SWOT stands for: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This tool can be used in combination with other tool. For example, it is used together with the 7S model to identify organisational internal factors and PESTELI to identify external factors that hinder the growth or the normal functioning of the organisation. REFERENCES ARDAL, S. ET AL, 2006. The Health Planner’s Toolkit. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/transformation/providers/information/resources/health_planner/module_1.pdf [6-11-14]. CHATORA, R., TMUSIIME,P., 2004. District Health Management Team Training Modules. Module 4: Planning and Implementation of District Health Services. https://www.k4health.org/sites/default/files/Module%204.pdf [5-11-14]. GOODWIN, N. ET AL., 2006. Managing Health Services. London: Open University Press. HARRISON,J., 2010. Essentials of Strategic Planning in Healthcare. Washington: AUPHA Press. THE STATE OF QUEENSLAND, 2014. Change Management Best Practices Guide: Five (5) key factors common to success in managing organisational. changehttp://www.psc.qld.gov.au/publications/subject-specific-publications/assets/change-management-best-practice-guide.pdf [6-11-14]. 1

Effects of Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy Essay -- Essays Papers

Effects of Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy Throughout the years of my life, I have had to deal with people that I love dearly suffer from cancer. When I was 10 years old, I lost my father to cancer. It was a devastating blow to my life, even though I was young and didn’t really understand what was going on, the impact that it played made on me, made me think what was the point of living. As time went on many people that played a special role in my life died of cancer, and many survived and fought the dangerous disease. Just a year ago, another person to me that meant the world to me told me that they had cancer, and that was my mother. The first thing I thought, death, and how was I going to cope with it. My mother always taught me to think positive before negative, but the word cancer makes you think of death being the fact that it’s a deadly disease. Eventually my mother overcame the disease and is doing well, despite some things that she can’t do anymore due to the effects of radiati on. Radiation has not changed my mother at all, but it has made her a wiser person, and she is not ashamed to tell anyone her story. Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Cancer is caused by both external and internal factors. â€Å"More than 175,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 1999 and approximately 44,000 died of the disease† (Kasper and Ferguson 1). Many people with diets that include a high-level of fruits, vegetables, and fiber may lower the occurrence of some forms of cancer. â€Å"Statistically about 547, 000 people will die of cancer† (Cook 5). This is nearly 1, 500 people will die per day. â€Å"In the United States, brea... ...mes suicide. Most people can’t deal with the fact that they can’t go back living their normal lives. Some people won’t admit the guilt, resentment, anger that they feel. Family is a good source to turn to talk about your feelings, and how to cope with the issues your facing. In addition to family, religion is strength for a person to turn to. â€Å"There has been a steady rise in the cancer mortality rate in the United States in the last half-century† (Cook 5). The future of cancer has nowhere to go but up. With all the treatments that helped people overcome the dangerous disease, there will never be a cure for cancer, and if there is than we’ll just be in suspense. Many people survive and beat the disease, but 1 out of every 10 people that beat the disease, will experience the disease again, maybe in the same form, but often in a more serious stage.

Evaluate the appropriateness of business information Essay

In this task I will be evaluating the appropriateness of business information used to make a strategic decision. In this part of the task I will be focusing on Tesco business. I will be talking about the importance in strategic decisions within Tesco and how they use the decisions for their business. Also I will be evaluating how the strategic decisions affect the financial performance of Tesco. Tesco Price Promise Website: Tesco uses the price checker to show customers that they are the cheapest supermarket out of the three leading supermarkets, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda. This is an important strategy for Tesco as they are able to gain customers as well as being competitors this leads to Tesco being able to make more profit compared to Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. Tesco has given this facility to people so that they are able to see where they have saved money and what they have got cheaper. Tesco has mainly got the price checker facility for themselves and this would be so that they can see what they need to do to be able to gain more customers as they are able to see what there consumers like. Tesco’s provide information which is valid and up to date so that it is easy and fast for the customers to compare the prices of every product they buy. This strategy is used to create marketing plans which then leads on to the strategic decisions made for Tesco. This is done by using the information as part of their marketing plan which will gain customers and maintain their business. Tesco Price Promise Receipt: Tesco doesn’t only provide their customers with the facility to go home and check on the internet how much they are saving but they also give their customer the opportunity to check how much they have saved compared to Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. This is done when they buy 10 or more items, they would automatically compare your final prices with the other supermarkets and give you two receipt of which one contains your main shopping list and prices and one says you have ‘ £ (something amount) off your next shop’ and this something amount is the amount of money you have saved in your shopping that same day. You are given two options at the bottom of the receipt which is where you can go to the customer service desk and get a voucher for the  amount you have shopped of using the code go onto online. Most importantly Tesco is giving the chance for you to do everything while shopping this is an advantage towards the customers as they would not want to go home and go through a long process whereas they can do it fast and much more easily. This increase profits the profit within the business as Tesco is providing you with products for cheaper and helping you. This also becomes more competitive against a rival as they have a way to increase customers and steal the customers there rivals have. This concludes to a positive financial performance as Tesco are gaining customers and earning a profit compared to other supermarkets. Tesco Club Card: Tesco has a club card facility, and this is a card which can be kept as a key ring as well as a card in your wallet. This allows you to gain points every time you shop at Tesco. This is also beneficial to Tesco as well because they are able to see what you have bought in your shopping basket and according to that they send you vouchers on your most bought items, allowing you to buy more. Also they give you vouchers so that you come back to Tesco as your shopping would be cheaper than it normally is, this attracts customers as they are saving money on their shop and this is what they want. This information Tesco is gaining helps them as they are able to achieve more customers so this increase the rival competitors and they are also gaining an increase in profit and customers due to the fact more people are shopping at Tesco and using the services they provide, this also means Tesco are able to develop even more. Tesco’s financial accounts from 2011-2012 The image above shows the financial highlights of Tesco within the world and the image on the right shows the financial highlights of Tesco in the UK. These figures reflect on the strategic decision as it would help Tesco to make future budgets and it also shows whether the services and facilities they have set up actually help make a profit for the business. Also it helps make long term decision like where they should expand next and how they would meet their aims. Also the price checker would has contributed to this as it has increased the amount of customers that shop at Tesco also it has shown people awareness of the Tesco business itself and this has increased the sales of Tesco which has been able to increase the sales revenue. Conclusion: Overall, I believe that Tesco has many strategies and these strategies help Tesco to make further decisions on what they will be doing as they would be aiming to increase profit, and become the better rivals. Tesco’s financial performance is getting better due to the better strategic decisions made within the company to increase profit and gain customers. Tesco uses the clever tools for them to be an effective company so that financial performances increase, which allows marketing plans to be made. This allows Tesco to create their strategic decisions, proving the information is appropriate.

Frostbite Chapter 12

Twelve I WAS OUT OF BED in a flash. We found the entire lodge abuzz with the news. People clustered in small groups in the halls. Family members sought each other out. Some conversations were conducted in terrified whispers; some were loud and easy to overhear. I stopped a few people, trying to get the story straight. Everyone had a different version of what had happened, though, and some wouldn't even pause to talk. They hurried past, either seeking out loved ones or preparing to leave the resort, convinced there might be a safer place elsewhere. Frustrated with the differing stories, I finally- reluctantly- knew I had to seek out one of the two sources who would give me solid information. My mother or Dimitri. It was like flipping a coin. I wasn't really thrilled with either one of them right now. I debated momentarily and finally decided on my mother, seeing as how she wasn't getting it on with Tasha Ozera. The door to my mother's room was ajar, and as Lissa and I entered, I saw that a sort of makeshift headquarters had been established here. Lots of guardians were milling around, moving in and out, and discussing strategy. A few gave us odd looks, but no one stopped or questioned us. Lissa and I slid onto a small sofa to listen to a conversation my mother was having. She stood with a group of guardians, one of whom was Dimitri. So much for avoiding him. His brown eyes glanced at me briefly and I averted my gaze. I didn't want to deal with my troubled feelings for him right now. Lissa and I soon discerned the details. Eight Moroi had been killed along with their five guardians. Three Moroi were missing, either dead or turned Strigoi. The attack hadn't really happened near here; it had been somewhere in northern California. Nonetheless, a tragedy like this couldn't help but reverberate within the Moroi world, and for some, two states away was far too close. People were terrified, and I soon learned what in particular made this attack so notable. â€Å"There had to be more than last time,† said my mother. â€Å"More?† exclaimed one of the other guardians. â€Å"That last group was unheard of. I still can't believe nine Strigoi managed to work together- you expect me to believe they managed to get more organized still?† â€Å"Yes,† snapped my mother. â€Å"Any evidence of humans?† someone else asked. My mother hesitated, then: â€Å"Yes. More broken wards. And the way it was all conducted†¦it's identical to the Badica attack.† Her voice was hard, but there was a kind of weariness in it, too. It wasn't physical exhaustion, though. It was mental, I realized. Strain and hurt over what they were talking about. I always thought of my mother as some sort of unfeeling killing machine, but this was clearly hard for her. It was a hard, ugly matter to discuss- but at the same time, she was tackling it without hesitation. It was her duty. A lump formed in my throat that I quickly swallowed down. Humans. Identical to the Badica attack. Ever since that massacre, we'd extensively analyzed the oddity of such a large group of Strigoi teaming up and recruiting humans. We'd spoken in vague terms about â€Å"if something like this ever happens again †¦Ã¢â‚¬  But no one had seriously talked about this group- the Badica killers- doing it again. One time was a fluke- maybe a bunch of Strigoi had happened to gather and impulsively decided to go on a raid. It was horrible, but we could write that off. But now†¦now it looked as though that group of Strigoi hadn't been a random occurrence. They'd united with purpose, utilized humans strategically, and had attacked again. We now had what could be a pattern: Strigoi actively seeking out large groups of prey. Serial killings. We could no longer trust the protective magic of the wards. We couldn't even trust sunlight. Humans could move around in the day, scouting and sabotaging. The light was no longer safe. I remembered what I'd said to Dimitri at the Badica house: This changes everything, doesn't it? My mother flipped through some papers on a clipboard. â€Å"They don't have forensic details yet, but the same number of Strigoi couldn't have done this. None of the Drozdovs or their staff escaped. With five guardians, seven Strigoi would have been preoccupied- at least temporarily- for some to escape. We're looking at nine or ten, maybe.† â€Å"Janine's right,† said Dimitri. â€Å"And if you look at the venue†¦it's too big. Seven couldn't have covered it.† The Drozdovs were one of the twelve royal families. They were large and prosperous, not like Lissa's dying clan. They had plenty of family members to go around, but obviously, an attack like this was still horrible. Furthermore, something about them tickled my brain. There was something I should remember †¦ something I should know about the Drozdovs. While part of my mind puzzled that out, I watched my mother with fascination. I'd listened to her tell her stories. I'd seen and felt her fight. But really, truly, I'd never seen her in action in a real-life crisis. She showed every bit of that hard control she did around me, but here, I could see how necessary it was. A situation like this created panic. Even among the guardians, I could sense those who were so keyed up that they wanted to do something drastic. My mother was a voice of reason, a reminder that they had to stay focused and fully assess the situation. Her composure calmed everybody; her strong manner inspired them. This, I realized, was how a leader behaved. Dimitri was just as collected as she was, but he deferred to her to run things. I had to remind myself sometimes that he was young as far as guardians went. They discussed the attack more, how the Drozdovs had been having a belated Christmas party in a banquet hall when they were attacked. â€Å"First Badicas, now Drozdovs,† muttered one guardian. â€Å"They're going after royals.† â€Å"They're going after Moroi,† said Dimitri flatly. â€Å"Royal. Non-royal. It doesn't matter.† Royal. Non-royal. I suddenly knew why the Drozdovs were important. My spontaneous instincts wanted me to jump up and ask a question right now, but I knew better. This was the real deal. This was no time for irrational behavior. I wanted to be as strong as my mother and Dimitri, so I waited for the discussion to end. When the group started to break up, I leapt up off the sofa and pushed my way toward my mother. â€Å"Rose,† she said, surprised. Like in Stan's class, she hadn't noticed me in the room. â€Å"What are you doing here?† It was such a stupid question, I didn't try to answer it. What did she think I was doing here? This was one of the biggest things to happen to the Moroi. I pointed to her clipboard. â€Å"Who else was killed?† Irritation wrinkled her forehead. â€Å"Drozdovs.† â€Å"But who else?† â€Å"Rose, we don't have time- â€Å" â€Å"They had staff, right? Dimitri said non-royals. Who were they?† Again, I saw the weariness in her. She took these deaths hard. â€Å"I don't know all the names.† Flipping through a few pages, she turned the clipboard toward me. â€Å"There.† I scanned the list. My heart sank. â€Å"Okay,† I told her. â€Å"Thanks.† Lissa and I left them to go about their business. I wished I could have helped, but the guardians ran smoothly and efficiently on their own; they had no need for novices underfoot. â€Å"What was that about?† asked Lissa, once we were heading back to the main part of the lodge. â€Å"The Drozdovs' staff,† I said. â€Å"Mia's mom worked for them†¦.† Lissa gasped. â€Å"And?† I sighed. â€Å"And her name was on the list.† â€Å"Oh God.† Lissa stopped walking. She stared off into space, blinking back tears. â€Å"Oh God,† she repeated. I moved in front of her and placed my hands on her shoulders. She was shaking. â€Å"It's okay,† I said. Her fear came to me in waves, but it was a numbed fear. Shock. â€Å"This is going to be okay.† â€Å"You heard them,† she said. â€Å"There's a band of Strigoi organizing and attacking us! How many? Are they coming here?† â€Å"No,† I said firmly. I had no evidence of that, of course. â€Å"We're safe here.† â€Å"Poor Mia †¦Ã¢â‚¬  There was nothing I could say to that. I thought Mia was an absolute bitch, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy- which, technically, she was. Immediately, I corrected that thought. Mia wasn't my worst enemy. I couldn't bear to leave Lissa's side for the rest of the day. I knew there were no Strigoi lurking in the lodge, but my protective instincts ran too strong. Guardians protected their Moroi. Like usual, I also worried about her being anxious and upset, so I did my best to diffuse those feelings. The other guardians provided reassurance for Moroi too. They didn't walk side by side with the Moroi, but they reinforced lodge security and stayed in constant communication with guardians at the scene of the attack. Information flowed in all day about the grisly specifics, as well as speculation about where the band of Strigoi was. Little of this was shared with novices, of course. While the guardians did what they did best, the Moroi also did what they- unfortunately- did best: talk. With so many royals and other important Moroi at the lodge, a meeting was organized that night to discuss what had happened and what might be done in the future. Nothing official would be decided here; the Moroi had a queen and a governing council elsewhere for those types of decisions. Everyone knew, though, that opinions gathered here would make their way up the chain of command. Our future safety could very well depend on what was discussed in this meeting. It was held in an enormous banquet hall inside the lodge, one with a podium and plenty of seating. Despite the businesslike atmosphere, you could tell this room had been designed for things other than meetings about massacres and defense. The carpet had the texture of velvet and showed an ornate floral design in shades of silver and black. The chairs were made of black polished wood and had high backs, clearly intended for fancy dining. Paintings of long-dead Moroi royalty hung on the walls. I stared briefly at one of a queen whose name I didn't know. She wore an old-fashioned dress- too heavy on lace for my tastes- and had pale hair like Lissa's. Some guy I didn't know was in charge of moderating and stood at the podium. Most of the royals on hand gathered at the front of the room. Everyone else, including students, took seats wherever they could. Christian and Mason had found Lissa and me by that point, and we all started to sit in the back when Lissa suddenly shook her head. â€Å"I'm going to sit in the front.† The three of us stared at her. I was too dumbfounded to probe her mind. â€Å"Look.† She pointed. â€Å"The royals are sitting up there, sitting by family.† It was true. Members of the same clans had clustered near each other: Badicas, Ivashkovs, Zekloses, etc. Tasha sat there as well, but she was by herself. Christian was the only other Ozera there. â€Å"I need to be up there,† said Lissa. â€Å"No one expects you to be there,† I told her. â€Å"I have to represent the Dragomirs.† Christian scoffed. â€Å"It's all a bunch of royal bullshit.† Her face set into a determined expression. â€Å"I need to be up there.† I opened myself up to Lissa's feelings and liked what I found. She'd spent most of the day quiet and afraid, much as she had when we'd found out about Mia's mom. That fear was within her still, but it was overpowered by a steady confidence and determination. She recognized that she was one of the ruling Moroi, and as much as the idea of roving bands of Strigoi scared her, she wanted to do her part. â€Å"You should do it,† I said softly. I also liked the idea of her defying Christian. Lissa met my eyes and smiled. She knew what I had sensed. A moment later, she turned to Christian. â€Å"You should join your aunt.† Christian opened his mouth to protest. If not for the horribleness of the situation, seeing Lissa order him around would have been funny. He was always stubborn and difficult; those who tried to push him didn't succeed. Watching his face, I saw the same realization I'd had about Lissa come over him. He liked seeing her strong too. He pressed his lips together in a grimace. â€Å"Okay.† He caught her hand, and the two of them walked off toward the front. Mason and I sat down. Just before things started, Dimitri sat down on the other side of me, hair tied behind his neck and the leather coat draping around him as he settled in the chair. I glanced at him in surprise but said nothing. There were few guardians at this gathering; most were too busy doing damage control. It would figure. There I was, stuck between both of my men. The meeting kicked off shortly thereafter. Everyone was eager to talk about how they thought the Moroi should be saved, but really, two theories got the most attention. â€Å"The answer's all around us,† said one royal, once he'd been given leave to speak. He stood by his chair and looked around the room. â€Å"Here. In places like this lodge. And St. Vladimir's. We send our children to safe places, places where they have safety in numbers and can be easily guarded. And look how many of us made it here, children and adults alike. Why don't we live this way all the time?† â€Å"Plenty of us already do,† someone shouted back. The man waved that off. â€Å"A couple of families here and there. Or a town with a large Moroi population. But those Moroi are still decentralized. Most don't pool their resources- their guardians, their magic. If we could emulate this model†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He spread his hands out. â€Å"†¦ we'd never have to worry about Strigoi again.† â€Å"And Moroi could never interact with the rest of the world again,† I muttered. â€Å"Well, until humans discovered secret vampire cities sprouting up in the wilderness. Then we'd have lots of interactions.† The other theory about how to protect the Moroi involved fewer logistical problems but had greater personal impact- particularly for me. â€Å"The problem is simply that we don't have enough guardians.† This plan's advocate was some woman from the Szelsky clan. â€Å"And so, the answer is simple: get more. The Drozdovs had five guardians, and that wasn't enough. Only six to protect over a dozen Moroi! That's unacceptable. It's no wonder these kinds of things keep happening.† â€Å"Where do you propose getting more guardians from?† asked the man who'd been in favor of Moroi banding together. â€Å"They're kind of a limited resource.† She pointed to where I and a few other novices sat. â€Å"We've got plenty already. I've watched them train. They're deadly. Why are we waiting until they turn eighteen? If we accelerated the training program and focused more on combat training than bookwork, we could turn out new guardians when they're sixteen.† Dimitri made a sound low in his throat that didn't seem happy. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands, eyes narrowed in thought. â€Å"Not only that, we have plenty of potential guardians going to waste. Where are all the dhampir women? Our races are intertwined. The Moroi are doing their part to help the dhampirs survive. Why aren't these women doing theirs? Why aren't they here?† A long, sultry laugh came as an answer. All eyes turned toward Tasha Ozera. Whereas many of the other royals had dressed up, she was easy and casual. She wore her usual jeans, a white tank top that showed a bit of midriff, and a blue, lacy knit cardigan that came to her knees. Glancing at the moderator, she asked, â€Å"May I?† He nodded. The Szelsky woman sat down; Tasha stood up. Unlike the other speakers, she strode right up to the podium, so she could be clearly seen by everyone. Her glossy black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, completely exposing her scars in a way I suspected was intentional. Her face was bold and defiant. Beautiful. â€Å"Those women aren't here, Monica, because they're too busy raising their children- you know, the ones you want to start sending out to the fronts as soon as they can walk. And please don't insult us all by acting like the Moroi do a huge favor to the dhampirs by helping them reproduce. Maybe it's different in your family, but for the rest of us, sex is fun. The Moroi doing it with dhampirs aren't really making that big of a sacrifice.† Dimitri had straightened up now, his expression no longer angry. Probably he was excited that his new girlfriend had mentioned sex. Irritation shot through me, and I hoped that if I had a homicidal look on my face, people would assume it was for Strigoi and not the woman currently addressing us. Beyond Dimitri, I suddenly noticed Mia sitting by herself, farther down the row. I hadn't realized she was here. She was slumped in her seat. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face paler than usual. A funny ache burned in my chest, one I'd never expected her to bring about. â€Å"And the reason we're waiting for these guardians to turn eighteen is so that we can allow them to enjoy some pretense of a life before forcing them to spend the rest of their days in constant danger. They need those extra years to develop mentally as well as physically. Pull them out before they're ready, treat them like they're parts on an assembly line- and you're just creating Strigoi fodder.† A few people gasped at Tasha's callous choice of words, but she succeeded in getting everyone's attention. â€Å"You create more fodder still if you try making the other dhampir women become guardians. You can't force them into that life if they don't want it. This entire plan of yours to get more guardians relies on throwing children and the unwilling into harm's way, just so you can- barely- stay one step ahead of the enemy. I would have said it's the stupidest plan I've ever heard, if I hadn't already had to listen to his.† She pointed at the first speaker, the one who had wanted Moroi compounds. Embarrassment clouded his features. â€Å"Enlighten us then, Natasha,† he said. â€Å"Tell us what you think we should do, seeing as you have so much experience with Strigoi.† A thin smile played on Tasha's lips, but she didn't rise to the insult. â€Å"What do I think?† She strode closer to the stage's front, gazing at us as she answered his question. â€Å"I think we should stop coming up with plans that involve us relying on someone or something to protect us. You think there are too few guardians? That's not the problem. The problem is there are too many Strigoi. And we've let them multiply and become more powerful because we do nothing about them except have stupid arguments like this. We run and hide behind the dhampirs and let the Strigoi go unchecked. It's our fault. We are the reason those Drozdovs died. You want an army? Well, here we are. Dhampirs aren't the only ones who can learn to fight. The question, Monica, isn't where the dhampir women are in this fight. The question is: Where are we?† Tasha was shouting by now, and the exertion turned her cheeks pink. Her eyes shone with her impassioned feelings, and when combined with the rest of her pretty features- and even with the scar- she made a striking figure. Most people couldn't take their eyes off her. Lissa watched Tasha with wonder, inspired by her words. Mason looked hypnotized. Dimitri looked impressed. And farther past him †¦ Farther past him was Mia. Mia no longer hunched in her chair. She was sitting up straight, straight as a stick, her eyes as wide as they could go. She stared at Tasha as though she alone held all the answers to life. Monica Szelsky looked less awed, and she fixed her gaze on Tasha. â€Å"Surely you aren't suggesting the Moroi fight alongside the guardians when the Strigoi come?† Tasha regarded her levelly. â€Å"No. I'm suggesting the Moroi and the guardians go fight the Strigoi before they come.† A guy in his twenties who looked like a Ralph Lauren spokesmodel shot up. I would have wagered money he was royal. No one else could have afforded blond highlights that perfect. He untied an expensive sweater from around his waist and draped it over the back of his chair. â€Å"Oh,† he said in a mocking voice, speaking out of turn. â€Å"So, you're going to just give us clubs and stakes and send us off to do battle?† Tasha shrugged. â€Å"If that's what it takes, Andrew, then sure.† A sly smile crossed her pretty lips. â€Å"But there are other weapons we can learn to use, too. Ones the guardians can't.† The look on his face showed how insane he thought that idea was. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Oh yeah? Like what?† Her smile turned into a full-fledged grin. â€Å"Like this.† She waved her hand, and the sweater he'd placed on the back of his chair burst into flames. He yelped in surprise and knocked it to the floor, stamping it out with his feet. There was a brief, collective intake of breath throughout the room. And then †¦ chaos broke out.

My Childhood Nightmare

My Childhood Nightmare ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ My nightmare followed a series of events in my life from the age of about five when I was old enough to understand things. My twin brother Bernard was born with a heart defect that required major surgery. His condition was so acute that the doctors told the family he would only live for four years after the diagnosis. However, with the encouragement and support offered by the family, Bernard fought his condition bravely until the age of twenty when he finally gave up the fight.ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ It was around midnight in summer when Bernard lost the battle. I remember lying on top of my bed that night, unable to sleep, just thinking of Bernard in hos pital following his second major operation. Everything was quiet; all you could hear was the sound of hungry foxes in the nearby bushes searching for food, dogs barking in the neighborhood. I gazed from one corner of the room to another as my mind wandered as to whether the operation was going to save Bernard's life.Following the operation early that afternoon, Bernard's condition deteriorated. He was on a life support machine and his chances of survival were very slim. The telephone rang shortly after midnight and I rushed to pick it up. It was the hospital informing us that Bernard had passed away.ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ ÂÆ'‚‚ Two days later, Bernard was put to rest. Traditionally, as a twin, I had to undergo some customary practices. This is a tradition practiced among twins when one dies. There is a myth behind this that non performance of this ritual has adverse mental, emotional and socia l effect on the remaining twin. It is believed that the spirit of the deceased will live in the living twin's body, which in turn hinders the living twin's control of his/her life. This...

Happy Stakeholders in Special Education

Happy Stakeholders in Special Education Stakeholders in special education are the people who have something at stake. First, there are the parents and the child, who have much more than success on standardized tests at stake. Parents are concerned about their children gaining the skills they need to reach independence. Students are the ones in school. Their stake includes both the things they are currently aware of, like Am I happy? and things which will only be evident when they reach maturity: Will I have the skills to go to college or find a job? The Education of All Handicapped Children Act (PL 42-142) established rights for children with handicaps. Because of the failure of public institutions to provide adequate services for children with handicaps, they gained new rights to these services. Now educational institutions, states, communities, and general education teachers have stakes in the successful delivery of services to children with disabilities. We as special educators find ourselves in the middle. Students First, of course, are the students. Keeping them happy in the present moment may make our lives easy, but denies them the challenges they need to do their best and acquire the skills they need to live independently. For a special educator the Rigor that we need to create is to align our instruction as much as possible to the standards: in most states today they are the Common Core State Standards. By following standards, we guarantee that we are laying down a foundation for future success in the curriculum, even though we may only be approximating the general education curriculum. Parents Next, of course, are parents. Parents have delegated the responsibility to act in the best interest of their children, though in some cases legal guardians or agencies may act on the childs behalf. If they believe that the Individual Education Plan (IEP) does not meet their childs needs, they have legal remedies, from asking for a due process hearing to taking the school district to court. Special educators who make the mistake of ignoring or discounting parents may be in for a rude awakening. Some parents are difficult (see Difficult Parents,) but even they usually are concerned about their childrens success. On the very, very rare occasion you will get a parent who suffers from Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, but mostly parents seeking to get the right kind of help for their children dont know how to go about it, or they have been treated so dismissively that they will never trust a special educator. Keeping communication open with parents is the best way to have them as allies when you and their child face a really big behavioral challenge together. General Educators When the Education for All Handicapped Children was written, it established a couple of legal standards against which all programs are measured: FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education) and LRE (Least Restrictive Environment.) The law was based on the outcome of the PARC Vs. Pennsylvania lawsuit, which, when settled in the interest of the plaintiffs by the U.S. Supreme Court, established them as rights on the basis of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Initially, children were included in the General Education program under a concept called mainstreaming which basically placed children with disabilities in general education classes and they had to sink or swim. When that proved to be unsuccessful, the inclusion model was developed. In it, a general educator will either work with the special educator in a co-teaching model, or the special educator will come into the classroom a couple times a week and provide the differentiation the students with disabilities need. When done well, it benefits both special education and general education students. When done badly it makes all stakeholders unhappy. Working with general educators in inclusive settings is generally very challenging and requires developing relationships of trust and collaboration. (see General Educators.) Administrators Generally, there are two levels of supervision. The first is the special education facilitator, coordinator, or whatever you district calls the person in this chair. Usually, they are just teachers on special assignment, and they have no real authority of the special educator. That doesnt mean they cant make your life miserable, especially if the principal is dependent on that person to see that documents are completed properly and the program is in compliance. The second level is the supervising principal. Sometimes this responsibility is delegated, but in most cases, the assistant principal defers on important matters to the principal. Either the special education coordinator or the supervising principal should serve as the LEA (Legal Education Authority) at students IEP meetings. Your principals responsibility is broader than just being sure that IEPs are written and programs are compliant. With the NCLB emphasis on testing and progress, special education students may first be viewed as a demographic rather than individuals with challenges. Your challenge is to help your students while at the same time convincing your administrator that you are making a contribution to the success of the whole school. Your Community Often we miss the fact that our final stakeholder is the community in which we live. The success of children impacts our whole community. Often the cost of educating students, especially in smaller communities like those in New England, a few children with significant disabilities can create huge expense which can challenge fragile budgets. Private residential programs can be extraordinarily expensive, and when a district so fails a child that he or she ends up in a program that can cost a quarter million dollars a year, it has a serious negative impact on a community. On the other hand, when you as an educator succeed in helping a student become independent, develop communication or in any way become more independent, you are potentially saving your community millions of dollars.

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation Essay - 2

Organizational Design, Culture, and Adaptation - Essay Example The internal factors that were considered during the restructuring and reengineering were mostly comprised of the attitudes that the employees had on a day to day basis. The external factors were mostly to do with the patients, who were essentially the customers for the sake of the hospital facility. The healthcare manager, therefore, suggested that these two factors formed the very core of knowing where anomalies were coming in and how these needed to be resolved at the earliest and without much hassle. The transformation came about due to the changing attitudes of the employees (the internal factor), which was the reason why the transformation was required in essence. The external factors were given similar importance because the patients are the basis of any hospital’s long term success. If they are contented, then this means that the healthcare facility is doing well but if these are not, and as the healthcare manager suggests, then there is much to learn on the part of al l and sundry. This outlines how well the hospital facility has been able to rein in commitment towards its transformation. The healthcare manager faced quite a few obstacles and barriers in the beginning when the restructuring and re-engineering aspects were outlined in essence. This meant that he needed to face them, analyze them and turn them in his own favor with the passage of time. There were attitudinal problems that the healthcare manager talked about with the internal domains not being beefed up properly.

Marketing strategy and KSFs of Apple Incorporation Dissertation

Marketing strategy and KSFs of Apple Incorporation - Dissertation Example Globalization has posed a major challenge to organizations to manage international business. Technological advancement has pervaded every field and marketing of high-technology products has become a specialized activity. The global economy is driven by technological innovation as the scope of high-technology applications is no longer limited to computers. The high-tech industries are characterized by a high degree of uncertainty as far as the markets, technology and competition which makes the traditional marketing tools unsuitable for these products. Apple Inc. features among the top 50 companies in Business Week in 2006. This is an Independent Research paper (IRP) with the objective of evaluating the marketing strategy and the key success factors (KSF) adopted by Apple Inc. when they were virtually on the verge of closure. Literature review of the existing marketing theories and principles was carried out and the framework for the IRP determined. This IRP is totally based on secondary data collected through academic journals and reputed websites through reputed search engines. The study concludes that the marketing strategy of Apple is based on several factors. They focus on continuous product enhancement and they anticipate and incorporate the customer needs of which even the customers may not be aware of. Over the years they have build a brand image and today they enjoy high brand equity on which they thrive. They have several channels to reach their products to their customers and have been able to build a community of Apple users. Long-range vision of the CEO contributes to its KSFs apart from the brand loyalty and the value they create for the customer. The key success factors of Apple include the long-range vision of the CEO, the brand loyalty, the value they create for the customer and the excel lent customer experience they provide at their stores. The study concludes with recommendations for further research. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Rationale for research 2 1.3 Organization of the study 3 2. Literature Review 5 2.1 Marketing strategy 2.1.1 Introduction 5 2.1.2 Product positioning/branding 6 2.1.3 Niche marketing 7 2.1.4 Customer engagement behavior 8 2.2 Theoretical perspectives 2.2.1 Competitive strategy 9 2.2.2 Key Success factors (KSF) 9 2.3 Overview of the computer industry 10 2.4 Overview of Apple Inc 10 3. Research Methodology 12 3.1 Purpose of the research and phenomenon 12 3.2 Research Philosophy 12 3.3 Research Strategy – justification for the chosen method 13 3.4 Data collection 14 3.5 Data Analysis 14 3.6 Limitations of the study 14 4. Findings 4.1 Introduction 16 4.2 Apple’s strategy 4.2.1 Product differentiation strategy 16 4.2.2 Advertising strategy 16 4.2.3 Brand Value 17 4.2.4 Distribution channels 20 4.3 Appleà ¢â‚¬â„¢s KSFs 4.3.1 Apple customer experience 22 4.3.2 Long-range vision 22 4.3.3 Creating value for the customers 22 4.3.4 Technological paradigm 23 4.4 Strategies of competitors 23 5. Discussion on findings 27 5. Conclusion and Recommendation 5.1 Conclusion 31 5.2 Learning outcome 32 5.3 Recommendations 32 References 33 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Globalization has posed a major challenge to organizations to manage international business. This requires organizations to have skills, efforts and resources in terms of manpower, financial resources and the capability to handle issues that may arise during the course of international operations. Globalization has led to unlimited competition across nations, cultures and organizations (Faria & Guedes, 2005). Technological advancement has pervaded every field and marketing of high-technology products has become a specialized activity. These require an effective marketing strategy, an understanding of international management of busine ss and knowledge of managing across different cultures. The global economy is driven by technological innovation as the scope of high-technology

In a clear and concisely reasoned 9, which addresses the work of the Essay

In a clear and concisely reasoned 9, which addresses the work of the author, Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example Most notably, he was one of the Americans who participated in the First World War although not as a soldier. During that war, he worked as a volunteer serving as an ambulance driver a vocation that saw him seriously wounded. This essay will highlight the outstanding features that defined Hemingway’s writing style. Some of his famous works such as, â€Å"The Sun also Rises† and â€Å"The Old Man in the Sea† will be used to demonstrate the uniqueness in his style. Prior to highlighting the writing style of Hemingway, it is important to establish the background of the period in which he lived and wrote his works. Being a 20th century author, he experienced many of the defining aspects of that century. As highlighted above, one of those aspects is the first and the second world war that altered the perception of many people in the globe. Worth mentioning is the fact that Hemingway was of American origin (Bloom 67). Therefore, one of his outstanding experiences is the desperation that defined many of the American citizens after the world war. Moreover, the post war period that was defined by the emergence of individualism, materialism, pessimism and degraded moral values are aspects of life that Hemingway lived to see. Without doubt therefore, these experiences serve to define some of the common themes in his works. He underwent the radicalization of that century a factor that was also similar to many of his contemporaries. Hemingway was interested in joining the army in his earlier years, but his failed sight denied him the chance. After the voluntary venture of being an ambulance driver, during a time when many atrocities of the first world war were being perpetrated, he later joined journalism. For a period of time, he was a reporter with one of the publications in Kansas city. His career in journalism served to influence his writing style, making it uniquely distinctive from that of his

Essay one Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One - Essay Example Education helps the good citizen building process immensely. Under such circumstances, it is logical to argue that the responsibility of giving education to the public is the duty of a nation. If that is true, there is no point in arguing against making education free. It should be noted that India like emerging countries are currently developing rapidly because of their immense educated manpower resources. America like countries is currently struggling because of the shortage of skilled manpower. For example, majority of the nurses working in American hospitals are from overseas countries. Same way, majority of the American IT jobs are currently outsourced to countries like India because of the lack of availability of IT professionals in America. All these examples clearly point towards the necessities of making more educated and skilled people in America. According to Rajesh Gandhi (2009), â€Å"Higher education is fundamental right for a decent livelihood† (Gandhi). Higher education is an expensive act in America now. The recent recession destroyed the financial backbone of many families. I belong to an ordinary family and I know very well how the recent recession caused financial troubles in my family. My parents forced to cut down all unnecessary expenses to escape from the recession. My ambitions for higher studies would also be in danger, had I failed to get some scholarships from the government. There are plenty of youths who failed to go for higher studies because of financial problems. It is difficult for an ordinary American youth to afford the expenses of college education without financial assistance from the government in the form of educational loans or scholarships. All these facts clearly suggest that it is better to make education free in America. Taxpayer’s money can be made use for making the education free since educated people contribute to the society in one way or another. On the other hand, there are plenty of

The Theories of the Job Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Theories of the Job Design - Essay Example The various elements that consideration entails include job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation and activities to be perfromed. Successful companies according to organizational psychology are companies which takes human capital as a critical and fundamental asset. As such, there is needed to come up with a management team whose role is to manage human captial with an intention of achieving competitive advantage and success in the organization. The human response tries to identify and exploit the employees’ talent in the organization through motivation and training. It also rewards the employees who have shown significant growth and development. The overal approach to management of human resource in a strategically is defined as strategic human resource management. The management is in line with the organization’s intention and its future projecction. It entails issues affecting the employees in long term basis and big isssues about quality, culture, structure, val ues and commitments that supports the organization’s futureachievments. The definition of culture according to hofdtede (2010) is a cummulative mind programming which identify a set of people from a group. It entials people’s way of understaning and their behaviours. Elements of job design There are three key elements of job design that affects any organizations ability to laverage its human resource. These are the task analysis, employee analysis amd environmental analysis. Task analysis The element entails all the tasks in the organization that needs to be done, hoiw each task will be performed and the connection of the task with the aim of forming a job. In the given case, it is evident that task anlysis is one of the factors that... This essya stresses that job enrichment- the element aims at enhancing a job position through opportunity addition meant for higher ranks of recognition and responsibilities via development of personal skills and acheivement. To ease the difficulties related to task management, Legacy Leisure Centre management need to implement planning and control features assignment to the workers. This report makes a conclusion that every organization’s aim is to constantly improve the business with a view of achieving competitive advantage. The neture of job design contributes significantly to achieving this goal since it has critical influence on maintaining organizational culture and corporate employees. The organization should take job design theory as a critical tool of achieving the business goals through employee satisfaction and elimination of boredom. When ther is stiff competition between different firms, the key assset of the company is the employees. It is therefore improtant to have in place a well established job design whose key responsibility is to embrace employee satisfaction by developing and motivating employees. In the modern, the culture that an organization has developed is an inherent aspect of an organization. The way a business firm organize itself to create a competitive advantage in a particular field very improtant int the company. The repor t has clearly potrayed how the relationship between human resource management, corporate culture and strategic objectives and goal in an organization.

Employment Relations in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employment Relations in Australia - Essay Example In addition to this, the trade unions are deemed not to be of necessity as this would bring conflicts which are a vise and would bring disruptions. From the perspective of the employees, they should be multi skilled, flexible and should focus on improvement of business processes. Their efficiency is required to de full time in every field that they may be required to work in. The unions that are to be recognised are only those which are going to further communication between staff groups and the company but not for fighting of rights and seemingly propaganda. In addition to this, good relations and decision making participation is enabled and this is done to improve performance, enhance innovativeness, promote creativity and this is expected to improve the conditions of employment. The conflicts in an organisation are in this believed to emanate from inadequacy on the communication of management policies and information lack The unitaristic approach in Australia is more fictitious as it assumes that the employees will have a common interest with that of the organisation and the employers and that is to focus on achieving maximum results, following company’s policies and adhering to their goals under all conditions. This opposes the thought propounded by Moore and Gardner on managerial prerogative, the validity of unitary in Australia is in question as the theory is only a lie that lies in the heart of HRM philosophy. The insistence on maintenance of a unitaristic state in organizations has gone far and wide to creating tensions in work places and is even believed that the employees no longer work out of good will, but out of lacking an alternative and have to bear the burden of following that which most of them do not believe in. and although they are involved in the decision making process, their interests do not supersede those of the organization and are therefore subordinate to them. Whenever there has been any tendency of formation of unions, measur es have been taken, first to deal with those involved and then with disintegrating the unions as demonstrated by Plowman, David H. (2005) in Recruitment strategies and union exclusion in two Australian call centers. The result which is a case of inequality has led to controversies far reaching even to the policy makers who have not taken it to be a serious case. Their argument is that for a case where growth and development has occurred, this should not be taken as a problem but an avoidable circumstance. Inequality in itself is not a state of poverty, but it’s a situation where equal efforts are not rewarded the same to different employees. It is seen more to be way of discriminating between parties for one reason or the other, either as a punishment or it may go too far to be a bit personal where even benefits and bonuses are involved. This may take different forms; due to race, gender, age, ethnicity, or as a way to let one learn a lesson in obedience to a certain powerful external force. Discussion There has been means in which this has evolved over time, most of which has been innovative and varied over time. For instance, the workplace relationships and awards have shifted from being centralised to being decentralised and the joint negotiations, agreements and awards to being individualised, the permanent contracts on jobs are no longer applicable as contingent working environments have taken their place. This has diminished the collective bargaining

Essay one Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

One - Essay Example Education helps the good citizen building process immensely. Under such circumstances, it is logical to argue that the responsibility of giving education to the public is the duty of a nation. If that is true, there is no point in arguing against making education free. It should be noted that India like emerging countries are currently developing rapidly because of their immense educated manpower resources. America like countries is currently struggling because of the shortage of skilled manpower. For example, majority of the nurses working in American hospitals are from overseas countries. Same way, majority of the American IT jobs are currently outsourced to countries like India because of the lack of availability of IT professionals in America. All these examples clearly point towards the necessities of making more educated and skilled people in America. According to Rajesh Gandhi (2009), â€Å"Higher education is fundamental right for a decent livelihood† (Gandhi). Higher education is an expensive act in America now. The recent recession destroyed the financial backbone of many families. I belong to an ordinary family and I know very well how the recent recession caused financial troubles in my family. My parents forced to cut down all unnecessary expenses to escape from the recession. My ambitions for higher studies would also be in danger, had I failed to get some scholarships from the government. There are plenty of youths who failed to go for higher studies because of financial problems. It is difficult for an ordinary American youth to afford the expenses of college education without financial assistance from the government in the form of educational loans or scholarships. All these facts clearly suggest that it is better to make education free in America. Taxpayer’s money can be made use for making the education free since educated people contribute to the society in one way or another. On the other hand, there are plenty of

Employment Relations in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employment Relations in Australia - Essay Example In addition to this, the trade unions are deemed not to be of necessity as this would bring conflicts which are a vise and would bring disruptions. From the perspective of the employees, they should be multi skilled, flexible and should focus on improvement of business processes. Their efficiency is required to de full time in every field that they may be required to work in. The unions that are to be recognised are only those which are going to further communication between staff groups and the company but not for fighting of rights and seemingly propaganda. In addition to this, good relations and decision making participation is enabled and this is done to improve performance, enhance innovativeness, promote creativity and this is expected to improve the conditions of employment. The conflicts in an organisation are in this believed to emanate from inadequacy on the communication of management policies and information lack The unitaristic approach in Australia is more fictitious as it assumes that the employees will have a common interest with that of the organisation and the employers and that is to focus on achieving maximum results, following company’s policies and adhering to their goals under all conditions. This opposes the thought propounded by Moore and Gardner on managerial prerogative, the validity of unitary in Australia is in question as the theory is only a lie that lies in the heart of HRM philosophy. The insistence on maintenance of a unitaristic state in organizations has gone far and wide to creating tensions in work places and is even believed that the employees no longer work out of good will, but out of lacking an alternative and have to bear the burden of following that which most of them do not believe in. and although they are involved in the decision making process, their interests do not supersede those of the organization and are therefore subordinate to them. Whenever there has been any tendency of formation of unions, measur es have been taken, first to deal with those involved and then with disintegrating the unions as demonstrated by Plowman, David H. (2005) in Recruitment strategies and union exclusion in two Australian call centers. The result which is a case of inequality has led to controversies far reaching even to the policy makers who have not taken it to be a serious case. Their argument is that for a case where growth and development has occurred, this should not be taken as a problem but an avoidable circumstance. Inequality in itself is not a state of poverty, but it’s a situation where equal efforts are not rewarded the same to different employees. It is seen more to be way of discriminating between parties for one reason or the other, either as a punishment or it may go too far to be a bit personal where even benefits and bonuses are involved. This may take different forms; due to race, gender, age, ethnicity, or as a way to let one learn a lesson in obedience to a certain powerful external force. Discussion There has been means in which this has evolved over time, most of which has been innovative and varied over time. For instance, the workplace relationships and awards have shifted from being centralised to being decentralised and the joint negotiations, agreements and awards to being individualised, the permanent contracts on jobs are no longer applicable as contingent working environments have taken their place. This has diminished the collective bargaining

Prospero and Ariel Essay Example for Free

Prospero and Ariel Essay She just wants to be. This is why I want Lady Macbeth to show her emotions quite clearly when she is telling the spirits to take her emotional ways. I want her to be yelling these things and perhaps crying as she says to take all these things away from her. As soon as she says Come, you spirits I want her to drop to her knees with her hands spread out above her head, beckoning them to come to her. Lastly when she says to cry, Holy, hold, I want her to just cry silently holding herself tightly, her head down. This would have intrigued both Elizabethan audience as well as today; all though she wants to be apart of evil spirits and kill someone who in Elizabethan times would have been chosen from God, which would be a sin above all sins, not only to kill, not only to trust the witches but to kill somebody appointed from God would be blasphemy. But she would still have emotion showing that she is still human. After this soliloquy I want fog to immerse her to represent the evil that is folding around her and I want the lights to go out. When the lights come back on I want her to be in perfect condition, like it had never had happened. This is when Macbeth will enter. In this first section of the play there are certain words I need the actress to put extra emphasis on. We know that Lady Macbeth is controlling, evil, power-hungry, and a temptress. This is why during this scene I want her to say Thus thou must do, if thou have it hissing the words, and grinning slightly to herself. This represents how she is plotting her evil ways to kill Duncan. Also when she says bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower But be the serpent under t I want her to have one hand on Macbeths face tracing over it and another hand around his waist, very close into him. I want her to make serpent loud and very clear for it is very important. Elizabethans are very religious as noted before, but the serpent is a representation of the serpent in Adam and Eve. Where it deceives Eve and makes her eat the apple. Elizabethans would be fearful of snakes and they would have dark and evil aspects associated with this animal. Which is why their must be great emphasis on it. I do this to emphasize her control over Macbeth, by touching him and to show him how to manipulate his face, but also how she uses her sexuality to make him do so. Lady Macbeth has the last words in this scene, this shows her power over Macbeth and how she is the one leading. Now Shakespeare tends to keep the last lines a rhyming couplet to summarize the scene. This one though does not fit this pattern, it ends with Leave all the rest to me. This is to emphasize that Lady Macbeth is going to be the one to kill Duncan. This sentence is very important for she also cuts off when Macbeth says We will speak further, this shows how Lady Macbeth is controlling Macbeth; she is giving him no choice. This relationship bond would have also intrigued Elizabethans at this time. Not only was she condemning herself to eternal damnation she also was being the man in a relationship. Woman Elizabethans would have been thought to just smile and give men children, while cooking and cleaning. Lady Macbeth defies this view on woman, for she controls her husband and tells him exactly what to do. While in todays society this would be almost considered normal that she had some power in the relationship. Later on in the play we see a gradual change in Lady Macbeth. The scene where I feel there is the most contradictory to what we first see of her is in act 5 scene One. In this scene we see Lady Macbeths mental state be torn and how she goes into madness. She is sleep walking, and dreaming of the murder of Duncan. Before Lady Macbeth even enters the stage, she is already being talked about behind her back, by people who had once been a lower status then her. This immediately shows Lady Macbeth has lost her status, and control. When Lady Macbeth enters the room, she is holding a candle. This is very significant because it shows how Lady Macbeth is afraid of the dark, and in this case the dark is associated with evil. For this reason I want Lady Macbeth to be holding the candle very close to her bosom and protecting it from the wind or any draft. She must seem very close to it and must not let it out of her sight. When she says Hell is murky I want her to say it extremely slowly with her eyes closed and her face in pain while her hands wrapped around herself. I pay close attention to this because it now shows how Lady Macbeth who once did not care of hell, is now scared of it. I want her hands wrapped around her for this particular sentence to show how she is alone and vulnerable as well as her eyes closed. This further proves that she does have a conscience. This scene is very significant to the audience to see such a change in Lady Macbeth. I would need Lady Macbeth to not look at anyone straight in the eyes; she would have to seem in another world. For she is, she is dreaming. Her hair would probably be tousled to further indicate her inability to keep up with reality, slowing falling into her own little world. We see her trying to rub the blood off her hands (which in reality is not there), we know this for the gentlewoman says washing her hands; I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour and Lady Macbeth says Yet heres a spot. By spot Lady Macbeth refers to Duncans blood on her hands and in her mind she cannot get it off, its a stain on her conscience. Her conscience is controlling her, doing exactly what she didnt want to happen in the first place. She wanted control; she wanted to be able to do this without caring about the death of men yet she goes into madness from doing it. This part is also in straight relation to when Macbeth killed Duncan, for he had said that there was blood on his hands, Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? But at that point of time Lady Macbeth had taken it literally, and told him to wash his hands, A little water clears us of this deed;. While now she now sees how it never goes away no matter how much she scrubs. Lady Macbeth feels as if she is a murderer and what she has done cannot be undone. But also to this self hatred and regret she also believes she has made a monster as well. She says Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? Shakespeare draws immediate attention to this sentence for its a rhyme. Shakespeare is emphasizing how Lady Macbeth knows Macbeth killed her, and that this killing had also helped with the tearing of her conscience. She feels that she created this beast and that it is her fault that the wife of the thane of fife is dead. I want her to say these words shaking her head and crying, to show how much that this one death has affected her more because she did not want her to die. During this scene Lady Macbeth now speaks in prose. This shows how Lady Macbeth has a loss of control and status. It is also very highly punctuated this forces the actress to speak in a broken fashion, which reflects Lady Macbeths state of mind. I want the actress to embrace this and speak with lots of different paces and pitches. I dont want her to speak with anything flowing, every word should b disjointed almost, especially when she repeats what she said in the earlier scenes such as Fie, my lord fie! A soldier and afeard and also Heres the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! Oh! Oh! , which related to what Macbeth had said before Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous seas incardine, Making the green one red. I perceive this as a very sad scene. The Doctors last words in the scene make us pity Lady Macbeth. Elizabethans would have seen Lady Macbeth almost as a devil, today even we would have seen Lady Macbeth particularly evil, but in this scene this perception of her transforms into pity and sorrow for her. We see her being tortured by her wrong doing. The Doctor says Still keep eyes upon her, he talking about God to take care of her and to forgive her of her wrong doing and make her soul at peace. The Doctor knows what she has done, for Lady Macbeth in her dream state is spilling the murder. Even with this he asks for God to look down upon her and protect her from herself. These lines he speaks would have to be much emphasized with a lot of sadness in his tone of voice. Perhaps after his lines Lady Macbeth could drop to her knees and start frantically rubbing her hands with desperation to further make the audience have a touch of heart for Lady Macbeth. All though I think todays audience might only slightly pity Lady Macbeth, while in Elizabethans times not at all. Elizabethans would be glad that Lady Macbeth is in pain and is suffering from her wrong doing, and they would of thought that if you do evil, God will punish you.

The Influences Upon Steven Berkoff

The Influences Upon Steven Berkoff Upon studying Steven Berkoff as a practitioner I have always profoundly noted that his theories are very hard to define due to their ever changing and versatile nature. The lack of official documentation on Berkoffs theories makes it especially hard to fully comprehend what exactly the Berkovian performance style involves and dictates. Fortunately he has written a few journals which chronicle the rehearsal and creative process he has gone through for his various productions. Among these publications is Mediations on Metamorphosis (1995), a journal of Berkoffs time spent in Japan directing the tenth major production of Metamorphosis, and Coriolanus in Deutschland (1992) which chronicles the rehearsal process for his 1988 production of Coriolanus in Munich, Germany. However, these journals are primarily autobiographical and lack much theoretical context. In 1969, Steven Berkoff presented the debut of his adaptation of Frank Kafkas Metamorphosis at the Round House Theatre in London. Thi s production was significant because Berkoff serving for the first time as writer/adapter, director, and actor in a full-length project presented an aesthetic which would become identified as his artistic trademark. Metamorphosiscombined elements of Brechtian Epic Theatre by using actors to purposefully represent characters rather than become them; Antonin Artauds Theatre of Cruelty by breaking from traditional theatre texts and asking the actors to bare their inner thoughts as if they were human-sacrifices to create ritualistic theatre; Jean-Louis Barraults total-theatre by using all possible means to uncover the meaning conscious or otherwise of the play; and Jacques Le Coqs theories of mime, movement, masks, and ensemble, by using the performers to create the environment. Berkoff has also been seen to incorporate some of the visual techniques used in Kabuki, a highly stylized, highly rhythmic classicalJapanese form of theatre. Kabuki music rises about the body of the actor. I t does not impose itself upon the actor, but instead gives musical and rhythmic expression to his movement, and in doing so increases the flow of theatrical expressiveness toward the audience. (1974, p.113) Another aspect of Japanese Kabuki is evident in Berkoffs dealings with masks and face paint. Even though Berkoff appropriated production styles from others and adapted the spoken words from a novel, the end result was uniquely Berkovian. In Mediation of Metamorphosis (1995) Berkoff seems to somewhat challenge someone to define his style when he writes, More than ever I feel my work develop into a kind of school, not by rigid formula but by learning certain techniques which expand your ideology and communication skills. (1995, p.137) There are themes that have undeniably remained relatively constant throughout Berkoffs work, themes that can be seen as somewhat of a base to the Berkovian theoretical framework. These themes I speak of are routed mainly in the belief that the actors instincts should be trusted over all else and the job of theory is to help evoke these instincts. Berkoffs common themes of extensive physical expression, transformation, and over-exaggerated experimental emphasis upon the spoken word should therefore be used as a means to evoke and exaggerate the ac tor instincts when dealing with the character. The atmosphere is in the sound which should come from the throats of the actors. Therefore their sound can control and amplify their situation, since people make sounds as well as moving and speaking. This is total and human, and in this way you return to the actor his mimetic gifts and his oral expressiveness. At the same time one is seeing the situation in human terms, as a story told to us by players. (Gambit, 1978, p.17) Berkoff believes actors should create their own sounds and so breaks traditional mime conventions. Like many of Le Coqs students, Berkoff freely changes the pure form of mime to create his own individual style. Surprisingly Le Coq encourages this practice as it essential to his belief in allowing the actor to work as an individual, believing it is important to be open and not to copy the style of someone else because you will never be as good as he is. Each is better in his own style (Lust, p.106).In drawing from this extract it is clear that I believe Berkoff is often sometimes regarded too highly for originating his performance style when thinking in particular about his instruction of individual development. Most of his performance style is derived from Le Coq who has been proven to have firm roots in the practice of Commedia delle Arte. It seems that most of the Berkovian individuality stems from his Berkoffs own mannerisms. InModern and Post-Modern Mime, Thomas Leabhart summariz es the influences upon Le Coq: Lecoqsschool is one of those theatres that, rather than being a rsum of what has happened, has helped young performers find new directions and so revitalize the theatre. Lecoqs whole vision of the theatre is like Copeaus, remain on the fringes of the commercial theatre, not wanting to give themselves to it as it exists. They, like their teacher, work apart, preserve their artistic vision, nurture their strength, and steadily increase their power to influence the course of theatre history. (1989, p.101-102) Like Lusts definition of postmodern mime, Leabharts summary of Le Coqs influence is applicable to Berkoff. Previously in 1973, Berkoff and The London Group declared their own mission statement: To express drama in the most vital way imaginable; to perform at the height of ones powers with all the available means. That is, through the spoken word, gesture, mime and music. Sometimes the emphasis on one, sometimes on the other.(Theatre Quarterly, 1978, p.39) This philosophical statement is an ideal example of the constants that have remained throughout Berkoffs subsequent career; stylised movement, mime, exaggerated vocal work, direct address, asides, and improvisation are components of nearly every Berkovian performance. Berkoff expects actors to willingly sacrifice themselves physically and emotionally, ready to perform whatever tasks are necessary to illuminate the text. When dealing with texts, as a director, Berkoff does not seek to produce a literal reproduction of texts on stage. It rare to see Berkoff relying on the intent of the author, instead he uses the texts to relay his own ideas on stage. He hasnt denied this. He said himself said that his version of Hamlet (1979) was a dissection of the play (I am Hamlet, 1989), and his staging of Agamemnon was attempted as an analysis of the play rather than a realistic rendering. (2007, p.123) Berkoff predominantly always sees the set as his own responsibility as he believes that it is vital in accordance with his desired aesthetic and theoretical projection. Most of the time he is seen to use minimalist sets usually consisting of one stationary prop, a sofa or a table for example. He believes that any mental environment desired can be created using mime and so it is unnecessary for excessive use of props. Many of his works have been performed in tight close quarter environments with extensive use of glaring light and shadow which seek to emphasize the physical presence on stage. Forever on a quest for vitality Berkoff is very prone to break theatrical conventions, resulting in a style of heavily a contradictory nature. These contradictions are a spouse of his determination to see how I could bring mime together with the spoken word as its opposite partner, creating the form and structure of the piece (1995, p.53). Characteristics such as this can be easily traced to his training with Jacques Le Coq, whom Thomas Leabhart, author of And Post-Modern Mime (1989), as modern teaching mime to talk. (1989, p.101) To fuse these opposites, Berkoff relies on mime, a traditionally silent form, yet he cherishes the spoken word; his productions are very over-the-top energy wise yet depend on great subtlety; the actor should never show himself to be self-conscious yet his presented self is very much so; Berkoff carefully choreographs movement yet he encourages improvisation. Other sources of Berkovian theory is rooted in interviews and short articles (some of which Berkoff has written) which have been printed in various journals. One the most significant of these articles titled Three Theatre Manifestos. (1978) In an interview present in the Three Theatre Manisfestos (1978) Berkoff outlines his philosophy which, according to him, has changed little through the years; he summarizes his theories by stating: In the end there is only the actor, his body, mind and voiceThe actor exists without the playhe can improvise, be silent, mime, make sounds and be a witness. (1978, p.11) Another extract from Three Theatre Manifestos depicts Berkoff sounding remarkably similar to Antoni Artaud and his Threatre of Cruelty: Acting for me is the closest metaphor to human sacrifice on the stage; (1978, p.7) other echo the thoughts of Brecht By describing the accident, the witness becomes the accident; he is there reliving it. (1978, p.11) The visual elements of a Berkovian production are strikingly stark. Classical Greek theatre, Japanese Kabuki, and Vsevelod Meyerholds constructivism, are particularly influential on Berkoffs visual aesthetic.By mixing minimal sets with very theatrical costumes, masks, and lighting, the visual focus is on the actor. Though the costumes draw attention to themselves, they serve to emphasize the performer and help to create the environment and the characterization. To draw a conclusion on Berkoffs authenticity in theatre one must take at look at his work in a broader sense. Berkoffs contribution and influence upon theatre is clear, but his place as a name in history in questionable. Berkoffs performance aesthetic will undoubtedly always exist in various different forms but whether he will be credited with association is a question for future historians. However because his work is thoroughly grounded in the works of many famous theatre names his style will undoubtedly be incorporated into many future artists works knowingly or not. Bibliography: Berkoff, S (1995) Mediations on Metamorphosis, London: Faber and Faber Berkoff, S (1978) Three Theatre Manifestos.Gambit vol.32 p.7-21 Berkoff, S (1989) I am Hamlet. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, Interview with Anthony Claire.Anthony Claire Show. BBC Radio, London. N. dat. Berkoff, S (1996) Agamemnon and The Fall of the House of Usher. Oxford: Amber Lane Press Elder, B (1978) Doing the Inexpressible Uncommonly Well. Theatre Quarterly, p.37-43 Ernst, E (1974) The Kabuki Theatre, Hawaii, University of Hawaii Press Leabhart, T (1989) Modern and Post-Modern Mime. New York: St. Martins. Lust, A (2000) From the Greek Mimes to Marcel Marceau and Beyond: Mimes, Actors, Pierrots, and Clowns: A Chronicle Of The Many Visages Of Mime In Theatre. Kent, Scarecrow. Keefe, J (2007) Physical theatres: A Critical Reader, London, Routledge