Case Study Mcdonalds Essay

It operates over 35000 restaurants in more than 100 countries on six continents. 5 It has an unparalleled global infrastructure and competencies in restaurant operations, real estate, retailing, marketing and franchising. McDonald’s website says that it is a leader in the area of social responsibility and is committed to protecting the environment for future generations. 7 Strong and wide communication channel in the market. (deng, 2009) 8 Play areas for children. 9 Large target markets. 10 Recession resistant (Birchall, 2008) 11 In September 2003 successful backing up of new products was launched with MTV’s advertising campaign featuring the new tag line, â€Å"I’m Lovin’it†. (Jennifer, 2004) WEAKNESSES 1 McDonald’s has not achieved its growth expectations in past several years. Narrow Product lines. (deng, 2009) 3 McDonald’s brand association as a junk food. (deng, 2009) 4 Few option for healthy eating 5 High employee turnover rates. (macy, 2012) 6 McDonald’s also have some bad effects on environment. (ltd. , 2006) 7 McDonald’s also faces many types of legal actions on many issues. OPPORTUNITIES 1 Product packing for McDonalds now features QR codes for customers to get nutritional information. Mcnamara, 2013) 2 Opportunity to enlarge market, the consumers who care about health issue. (deng, 2009) 3 Slightly changing market brand image of McDonalds. (deng, 2009) 4 In 2009, McDonald’s launched its hefty Angus burger in all U. S. A locations. 5 Introduction of trans-fat-free French fries in all restaurants in the U. S. A and Canada. 6 Introduction of McCafe. 7 Testing marketing fruits and vegetables as happy meal at some outlets. 8 McDonald’s franchises overseas became a favorite target of people and groups expressing antiglobalization sentiments. Entry into new and highly popular product categories. THREATS 1 Public attack about obesity issue. (deng, 2009) 2 Changing taste of consumers. (deng, 2009) 3 Unable to keep patrons as special order sandwiches offered by rivals Burger King and Wendy’s. 4 Promotional plans like McDonalds game found conspiracy with 51 people charged in a part of scam winning $24 million by stealing winning McDonald’s tickets. 5 McDonalds showed a delayed effect than other restaurants operators in switching over to zero trans-fat cooking oil. In 2001 McDonald’s was sued for hurting religious sentiments by vegetarian groups for not revealing its flavors in French fries as it added beef extract to vegetable oil and showing it as veg in menu. 7 Consum ers began filing law suits that eating at McDonald’s had made them over weight. 8 Competition from burger kings and Wendy’s. (Thomadsen, 2007) MARKET SEGMENTATION TARGET MARKET| BABY BOOMERS| GENERATION X| GENERATION Y| GENERATION Z| DEMOGRAPHICS| 45-65+| 35-44| 19-34| 0-18| GEOGRAPHICS| URBAN| URBAN| URBAN| URBAN| PSYCOGRAPHICS| More concerned with low cholesterol food| More concerned with low fat food| More concerned with physical fitness food products| Generally eats taste oriented food products| BEHAVIOURAL| Mostly concerned with good quality of food products| Requires access with quick and fresh food service| Generally catch-up food by themselves by reaching out| Check out with friends and family| ISSUE ANALYSIS In 2004,Morgan Spurlock’s documentary film Super-Size Me gave very criticism to McDonald’s fast â€Å"nutrition†, in which he shows how he gains fat and destroy his health by eating McDonald’s. 2 In 1998 McDonald’s started â€Å"Made for you† System but it was not successful. There was a decrease in growth of sales in stores. 3 In 1999 before the implementation of â€Å"made for you â€Å"scheme ,McDonald’s planned to provide about 190 million in financial assistance to its franchisees ,but the actual cost of implementing the system ran much higher than the corporation had estimated. In 2001, 51 people were charged conspiring to rig McDonald’s game promotions over the course of several years, revealing that $24 million of winning McDonald’s game tickets had been stolen as a part of scam. 5 In 2004, McDonald’s was sued for extracting a small amount beef added in to the vegetable oil used for cooking French fries. 6 Many people still complain that the food served by McDonald’s is not hot to eat. RECOMMENDATIONS PRODUCT :- 1 McDonald’s should provide hot food to eat because many customers complaint that their food is not so hot to eat otherwise it will affect sales. McDonalds should bring some new healthier products for all ages because bad effect on health is one of the weaknesses of McDonald’s and bringing some healthier food will help to overcome this image. 3 McDonald’s should provide some free snacks because it will help it compete with its competitors and increase sales. 4 McDonalds should make their products in fat free oil because it will have good effect on health. 5 McDonald’s should also provide some regional food because in this way some rural people will also start accepting its products. Launching of new fried and bone in treats in Chicago. PRICE:- 1 The price of products should be affordable because if they will not be affordable to small income group then its sale will be affected and it will also give the opportunity to competitors to increase their sales. 2 The prices of products should be regularly checked so as to compete with competition because people will buy those products which they can get in low price. PLACE:- 1 McDonald’s should open new franchises in small cities also . It will help them to expand its business and increase growth. McDonald’s should increase the number of its franchises in all countries in order to expand its business. PROMOTION:- 1 McDonald’s should provide some discount on more products purchased because in this way people will buy more. Because some people will start purchasing more items if they can get discount. 2 McDonald’s should provide home delivery service because sometimes some people can’t go to store in order to pu rchase them. It will increase sales. 3 McDonald’s should provide online sale because in this way people can place their orders online. McDonald’s is working on new salads and wraps . (wong, 2013) 5 McDonald, s will test the new fried and bone in treats in Chicago. (wong, 2013) 6 Success of mighty wings in Atlanta. (wong, 2013) BEST RECOMMENDATIONS PRODUCT:- McDonald’s should provide some healthier food for all ages because health obesity is the major problem with McDonald’s . In this way they can get good image regarding health. PRICE:- Prices of products should be regularly checked in order to compete with competition because people will cheapest product. PLACE:- McDonald’s should open new small franchises at small cities also because it will help him to expand its business and increase growth rates. PROMOTION:- McDonald’s should provide home delivery service because sometimes people can’t go to store in order to purchase product. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bibliography Birchall, J. (2008). McDonalds claims fast food sales fighting off slowdown. Financial times. deng, t. (2009, may). McDonalds new strategy on changing attitudes and communication. International journal of marketing studies, 37-42. Jennifer, R. (2004). online branding :the case of McDonald’s. ritish food journal. ltd. , n. m. (2006). ICCR sponsered proxy resolutions on genetically modified organisms gain recognition among shareholders at wendy’s McDonald’s . financial wire. macy, a. (2012). financing a remodel:a case of McDonald’s Franchisee. journal of case research in business and economics. Mcnamara, B. (2013). McDonalds give the people wha t they want. Nutrition business journal. Thomadsen, r. (2007). product positiong and competion:the role of location in the fast food industry. Marketing science. wong, V. (2013). will McDonald’s mighty wings fly? Business weak.

Maketing Process Various Element Essay

The focus is the mass production. A business orientated around production believes that the â€Å"economies of scale† generated by mass production will reduce costs and maximise profits. In this process there is less focus on product design and packaging and even to be special or unique look, at the end customer are paying for the product and you pay for what you get. So for this is a plain marketing in my opinion. Product Orientation This approach is almost opposite to the previous one. This type of companies believes that its product’s high quality make it a superior product. Neglecting sometimes about the customer’s wants and needs. Sales Orientation Make the product, and then sell it to the target market. However as we know sales usually aren’t this simple. An effective marketing strategy requires market and marketing research. Market Orientation This type of strategy puts every effort to understand the customer and his needs. Market research is the key to launching new products or services, every single step. Jack Cohen started his business in a very critical period for the UK there where a food shortage after the First World War and a big crisis just got to its top Situation was very difficult! Jack Cohen applied a strategy of ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’. His strategy was a great success because he knew exactly what customer’s need and so for all his focus is to make sure there enough food for everyone. In London space is limited he went outside to bigger space this step was a great success. Jack Cohen did adapt to this problem of space by giving Tesco bigger place to promote its products. As he was focused on sales and customer needs he should have been on top of it all time but it did come a period where he didn’t realise that people after 2nd world war are changing and needs are not simple are very variable and complex, customers are looking for more than just what would satisfy their basic needs! And that’s where Tesco life cycle got into its down or decline that’s where Tesco did face problem. After a good few years of hardship Tesco managers have had another way of sorting all in once getting help from local authorities this was the key door to a new era Tesco newly born and adapting to the market needs segmentation of the market through offering different stores in size and product will make Tesco the though number1 of stores as different ages and categories is attracted, he had the price already in good and successful strategy low enough to attract individuals from low household income and the loyalty cards that offers more saving. According to (Kotler, Marketing management) marketing should be dealt with and visualised around minimum 4 elements, product, place, price, and promotion and in further editions of his book he added other elements to those as politic, public†¦ I think Tesco have a good name and long history and that needs to be highlighted more and more, a good marketing strategy needs on top of pricing as well positioning the product and make it unique in satisfying that group of people’s needs, so for sibling a group of people and making a product to satisfy their needs and give it the price that makes them happy and promoting this product. Sale is the outcome or a result but don’t forget to make them come back by giving after sale service, where the customer will be secure and happy knowing he has been backed up by you the seller. Your supermarket or place of shopping, it’s not only where you buy your food supply from as well as the name that you trust and adhere to, as a business focusing on your existing customers it’s a better strategy than trying always to win more customers. By listening to your customers and knowing their needs and the after sales service will give the company a longer life cycle.

Discuss the View That Roles of Men and Women in the Family are Becoming More Equal

The aim of this essay is to attempt to come to a conclusion as to whether the gender roles within the modern-day family are equal, whether they are becoming more equal, and whether they shall ever be equal. In doing this, we shall have to study the views and opinions of many schools of thought, the results of different studies, and recognise and fully appreciate the arguments of different people and groups. The title question itself raises many debateable points, as it makes assumptions that ignore the diversity of the family. Firstly, and most obviously, the question assumes we shall only deal with heterosexually based families, not same-sex relationships. While same-sex families most definitely exist, they are a minority and do not really come into the issue of gender, therefore I shall ignore them for the course of this essay. Secondly, no two families are exactly the same. Families in different countries will no doubt have different attitudes on the subject of equality, and there will be noticeable differences across race, class and culture divisions, as well as between two different families with (superficially at least) a lot in common. This type of diversity would require its own set of studies and essays, and so for the sake of this essay I shall limit my studies to families from this country, and to statistical evidence; rather than individual families. There are many different views concerning the equality between men and women in the family. The traditional nuclear family as we consider it today would be a married man and woman with children, with the man going out to paid employment and the woman staying at home to do housework and look after the childrenWillmott and Young's views are similar to those of Postmodernists, a sociological school of thought that developed in the 1980s. Postmodernists believe that we live in a postmodern world, where differences in gender, race, class etc are now obsolete. As a result, they see gender roles in the family to be equal and egalitarian, and claim that any inequality or dissimilarity between gender roles in individual families is due to the choice of the members within the family. Many people have attacked Willmott and Young's study, claiming insignificant evidence and inaccurate methodology to back up their conclusions. Edgell's Middle Class Couples (1980) claims that while the division of housework is more equal than in the past, the vast majority of families are far from being egalitarian. Edgell also puts emphasis on the fact that the division power within the family also still seems unequal, with men making the majority of decisions for the family. Many feminists also claimed that the statistics show that men still do a disproportionately small amount of work at home. While some more liberal feminists believe we are on a steady path to gender equality within the family, many more hard-line and radical feminists argue that gender roles are far from equal. Ann Oakley's The Sociology of Housework (1974) and Housewife (1976) argue that modern women work a ‘double-shift', juggling full-time employment and housework. Oakley claims that â€Å"One occupation in particular, that of housewife, is exclusively feminine. In Britain, 76% of all employed women are housewives and so are 93% of non-employed women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Housewife (1976). She argues that while feminism has forced change in waged employment, social attitudes in the home remain the same. According to Oakley, men do very little in the home, with dishwashing being the only housework men do more than women. She also argues that men see doing housework as a favour to their wives, rather than a duty; and that childcare for most men is merely a spasmodic activity of recreation. Many other sociologists attack Oakley's views, accusing her of hypocrisy as she attacked Willmott and Young's methodology, while her own studies into housework completely ignore the more traditional male jobs, such as DIY, operating machinery, gardening, simple household repairs and so on. A. Warde's Domestic Divisions of Labour (1990) offers a more well rounded view: * Male Partner Female Partner Shared Plastering 32 4 2 Tidying Up 2 67 23 Cooking 4 77 17 Checking Car Oil 79 9 2 Bathing Children 22 44 33 It may also be important that the female-dominated jobs (Tidying up, Cooking, Bathing children) are much more often ‘shared' than the male-dominated ones (Checking Car Oil, Plastering) Burghes (1997) argues against Oakley's dismissal of male childcare, stating that more fathers are taking an active role in the emotional development and support of their children. Marxists argue that the traditional nuclear family was merely a way for the capitalist class to control and exploit the proletariat through ideology. Therefore, Marxist-Feminists believe in a ‘patriarchal ideology', in which girls are socialised into a male-led world to accept their role as housewives, and make marriage and family their main goal. In turn, this will benefit the capitalist society by keeping the status quo, and creating a new generation of similarly socialised male workers and female housewives. Marxist-Feminists believe this patriarchy occurs at all levels of society, from making girls wear skirts to advertising dolls on television, and that to truly achieve gender equality we must dispense with socialising our children into gender roles. People often dismiss this view, claiming that gaining equality should not mean compromising identity, and many other feminists believe that retaining their femininity is as important a part of the struggle for equality as gaining equal rights. The New Right believe that the nuclear family is the ideal family structure, and that Britain went through a ‘Golden Age' during the 1950s. Since then, they claim that feminism and equal rights have caused women to demand jobs, and thus be absent from home. As a result, the New Right argue that this puts stress on the nuclear family, often tearing it apart, and that absent parents cause deviance and social problems amongst their children. They claim that this has caused a decline in the family, and an increase in what they consider social problems (egg divorce, single-parent families). They believe that the current equal rights movement is wrong, and that people should return to the traditional nuclear family, which gives everyone an equal but separate, individual role. These views are similar to those of functionalists. Functionalists also believe that the nuclear family is the perfect and desired family type, as each member is supported within the family unit, and each person agrees on their role within the family to keep it working. Robin Fox (1969) argued that roles in the family were based on biological rules, while Talcott Parsons (1955) took a similar view, claiming that naturally women are best at ‘expressive' roles, such as caring, empathising and socialising, while men are best at ‘instrumental' roles, such as working for money. Therefore, functionalists believe that biological factors determine gender roles within the family, and the traditional roles within the nuclear family are the perfect representation of these roles. What is more, functionalist claim there is a consensus within the family, whereby all members of the family agree to these roles. These functionalist and new right views are viciously attacked by Marxists, feminists and postmodernists, all of whom agree that gender roles are culturally, not biologically, determined. Marxist-feminists claim that the consensus is an illusion, as women only accept their roles in the traditional family as they have been socialised to do so by patriarchal ideologies. All feminists also disagree with the New Right idea of the ‘perfect' nuclear family and the ‘Golden Age', claiming that all these things did were control and manipulate women, and that roles within such families were never equal. As this essay has shown us, views on gender roles in the family are fiercely contested, and opinions differ drastically. Functionalists and the New Right insist that gender roles in the family are biologically intended to be different, and were most equal in the traditional, nuclear family. Postmodernists and followers of Willmott and Young claim we have moved into an era of egalitarianism, where gender roles are shared and equal. Feminists argue that while there has been a small amount of progress, gender roles are far from equal, and females still have a much worse ‘deal' than males. I have attempted to fully understand all these points of view, and come to a fair conclusion. In truth, it seems to me that the real nature of gender roles within the family is somewhere between all these points of view. I believe that as we currently stand, gender roles are equal, but not egalitarian. More males share more of the housework and childcare than ever, while more females are pursuing careers and learning what were traditionally ‘male' skills (eg DIY, repair, vehicle maintenance etc). People tend to still do jobs that were traditionally considered ‘right' for their sex, and there are most definitely still differences between the genders, but these boundaries are being pushed every day, and more and more families are sharing more jobs and decisions. I think we must remember that social attitudes take more time to change than social actions, and we must recognise that change is occurring. Since the 1970s, when Ann Oakley wrote her books on housework, we have seen the rise of the ‘new man' and ‘house-husbands'. Meanwhile, more and more women are proving Fox's and Parsons' theories of biologically determined roles to be wrong. Not all families will follow the statistics; there will always be a few male-dominated households, just as there are now ‘role-reversal' families. And families will always differ slightly from each other. But within a few generations, I believe that Willmott and Young's vision of an egalitarian family will become our view of the majority of families, as we're halfway there already.

Summarize the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summarize the article - Essay Example Doyle says that she has a good grasp of all the areas of business at Aon, and a good relationship with her peers, both necessary to ensure that they are sympathetic to diversity issues within the company. She also stresses that a diversity officer should ensure organizational visibility for self, and mentions an instance when one of the executives came to meet her with his department head, because they had no clue to what this 'diversity issue' was all about. The newspaper El Watan reported Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem's announcement that the country is making serious attempts to privatize business, by stopping subsidization of loss making state ventures. Additionally, Credit Populaire d'Algerie would be privatized, and a 30% stake in Banque de Developpment Local, a government venture, would be offered to the private sector. Dubai based Eemaar Properties is planning four ventures in Algeria-a new town called Sidi Abdellah, a tourist resort, a health resort and a redevelopment of the Algerian waterfront. This would help diversify the Algerian economy from its current concentration in the hydrocarbons sector, provide new jobs to the high number of unemployed and bring in foreign direct investment (FDI) of US$ 20 billion. Despite all this, the prospects for FDI in Algeria look mixed, with problems of violence, bureaucracy (time taken to trade

Comparing three poems in the book The Rose of Time written by Bei Dao Essay

Comparing three poems in the book The Rose of Time written by Bei Dao - Essay Example In Bei Dao’s poetry, the presence of ‘nature’ is essentially affected and afflicted by the poet’s oppressed self; but since Bei Dao rarely mentions the reasons of his discomforted and distressed soul explicitly in his poems, his poems turn to be emblematic of some meta-reality. Unlike Du Fu, Li Po, and Wang Fei’s poetry, Bei Dao’s poetry does not have any pure philosophy of ‘Nature’. Though few remarks for â€Å"nature† from Du Fu and others’ poems come directly to clarify their philosophy and thoughts on Nature, it is obvious that nature, in most of their poems, appears to serve the purpose of a background that is vast, endless, somber and generous as Nature itself is. Whereas Du Fu and other medieval poets’ â€Å"self† seek serenity and solace amid the vast and endless generosity of ‘nature’, Bei Dao’s ‘nature’ is enigmatic of the poet’s distressed present exist ence and, therefore, Du Fu’s nature envisions about untold but desired future. More or less directly the country landscape appears in Li Po and Wang Fei’s poems as a symbol of freedom where the choked ‘self’ takes the deep breath to be free of the contamination of spirit and body. Mostly because of the prime concern of ‘nature’ with the spirituality of each of the two poets Wang Wei and Li Po, their presentation of ‘self’ in term of ‘nature’ is greatly spiritual. Unlike Wang Wei, and Li Po, Bei Dao’s presentation of ‘nature’ is affected by the poet’s current state. As a result, the mode of presentation changes from time to time in his poems. For an instance, in the poem â€Å"The Morning’s Story†, the â€Å"morning† is not any usual morning that the readers are accustomed to view in their daily life. Rather the readers grow curious when they are informed that another â€Å"morning established by the violence of language/ has changed the morning† (à ¢â‚¬Å"The Morning’s Story†). Again in the same poem, the

Recent trends in top tier banks in U.S., Europe, Asia, or Latin Term Paper

Recent trends in top tier banks in U.S., Europe, Asia, or Latin America - finance - Term Paper Example such as money transfers, payroll services, bank reconcilement, credit services such as asset based financing, lines of credit, commercial loans, or commercial real estate loans, deposit services such as checking or savings account services and foreign exchange. The latter involves services such as securitization, financing of mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, underwriting of shares, private placements of equity shares and debt securities with the investing institutions. These two services which were specialized by two distinct set of bankers are now being increasingly converged to be undertaken by same banks in view of deregulation of the financial sector. The banks have also started entering into insurance businesses. These changes have catapulted the banks to become an important and integral part of global business environment (Trends in the banking industry). In this context, this paper seeks to trace the recent trends in top tier banks in the U.S. and other countries in re spect of products, competition and global advancement. Since World War II through1970, there had been not many bank failures as it used to be a stable business. There were just ten bank failures in the U.S during the postwar period. It was only after deregulation, and liberalization identified as the catalysts for competition and growth, bank failures began to raise during 1980s and 1990s. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (2004) and other studies of Blommestein and Lange (1993) and Blommestein (1997) provide a thorough analysis of bank failures in the U.S., Japan, Europe and others. Figure 1 showing the trend of banking failures during the period from 1934-2003 is clearly illustrative of this. The deregulation and liberalization has resulted in consolidation of banking industry during the last twenty five years. In the U.S. alone, the number of commercial banks which was 13,000 in 1980 has come down to 7,600 as in 2005. The last two decades have been characterized by

The Vertical Boundaries of the Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Vertical Boundaries of the Firm - Essay Example â€Å"Total Quality Management is a wide management perspective that deals with processes and attitudes† (Delfmann & Thorsten, 2008). It emphasizes quality as a major objective in a manufacturing environment as opposed to traditional mode of maximizing production. It is worth noting that quality in production not only applies to manufacturing environment but also in knowledge service industries for instance universities. â€Å"Total quality management operates under the principles of continuous improvement of quality as opposed to maintenance of a static level† (Gattorna, 1998). It aims at approaching quality at an increasing scale. This is possible through training and motivation of employees so as to better quality. It is therefore paramount for the top management to state their commitment open to all employees. The advantage of the mode is that it has the ability to immediately detect and correct quality problems. It doesn’t rectify problems after occurrence. â€Å"Just in Time† is a philosophy in management that seeks to eliminate manufacturing wastes by producing right quantity at the right time and at the right place. Its main goal is to do away with non-value adding operations during production. Lean production or stockless production is a philosophy that aims at reducing inventory levels to an absolute minimum. Effectiveness of logistics performance index to transnational organisations in decision making. Relationship between logistics index and supply chain location selection.... It aims at approaching quality at an increasing scale. This is possible through training and motivation of employees so as to better quality. It is therefore paramount for the top management to state their commitment open to all employees. The advantage of the mode is that it has the ability to immediately detect and correct quality problems. It doesn’t rectify problems after occurrence. â€Å"Just in Time† is a philosophy in management that seeks to eliminate manufacturing wastes by producing right quantity at the right time and at the right place. Its main goal is to do away with non-value adding operations during production. Lean production or stockless production is a philosophy that aims at reducing inventory levels to an absolute minimum. Looking closely at the three aspects, Just in Time increases production, performance and quality in manufacturing industry. Lean, controls stock levels to avoid unnecessary production while Total Quality Management works towards good quality of products. The three aspects support each other in a manufacturing environment. â€Å"Toyota manufacturing industry adopted this principle which saw a reduction in manufacturing defects and parts storage problem† (ElMaraghy, 2012). Question 3 Rough plan Effectiveness of logistics performance index to transnational organisations in decision making Relationship between logistics index and supply chain location selection Management in transnational organisations is a challenging task especially in decisions making pertaining to supply chain. The use of logistics plays a crucial role in the success of supply chain. â€Å"Order execution is an imperative element

Response paper to peter brooks' reading for the plot, and one of Essay

Response paper to peter brooks' reading for the plot, and one of freud's most famous - Essay Example on the "temporal sequence and progression" (xi) of a narrative through the plot, which spurs the movement in the narrative and makes the readers continue to the next page. Brooks gave importance to the middle of the narrative, which instead of being boring and tedious to read becomes â€Å"a highly charged field of force† (xiv) through the use of hermeneutic and proairetic codes to generate suspense, excitement, and a sense of mystery. He further went on to stress the significance of the use of metaphors and metonymy as figures of speech that can make the narrative more lively and creative. Peter Brooks’ technique of giving importance to the plot and its twists through the manipulation of the hermeneutic and proairetic codes is a good way of making a narrative more exciting. The hermeneutic code’s â€Å"function [it] is to articulate in various ways a question, its response, and the variety of chance events which can either formulate the question or delay its answer; or even, constitute an enigma and lead to its solution† (Allen 86) while the proairetic code refers to â€Å"the other major structuring principle that builds interest or suspense on the part of a reader or viewer† (Felluga). Brooks further states that the plot is â€Å"an overcoding of the proairetic by the hermeneutic, the latter structuring the discrete elements of the former into larger interpretive wholes, working out their play of meaning and significance† (18). In other words, the way certain events and actions remain unexplained exudes a sense of mystery and suspe nse that make the readers want to read more until the plot is resolved at the end. Instead of focusing on the structure of narratives, like Barthes did, Brooks found a way to concentrate on how to make the plot and the middle part of the book exciting. In short, the whole narrative is made more compelling and gripping that will certainly have the readers hooked. Brooks diverted the focal point from the structure of the narrative to

IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with Customers Essay

IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with Customers - Essay Example In addition, discussion of the key elements of the IFRS 15 and challenges facing entities will be undertaken. In conclusion, potential improvement in global performance reporting as a result of implementing the IFRS 15 will be identified. According to Wagenhofer (2013), effective and comprehensive revenue recognition framework plays a pertinent role in the provision of financial information to capital markets and facilitation of performance evaluation. Wagenhofer (2013) therefore noted that the information of revenue was important for the following purposes; informing capital providers, facilitation of performance evaluation and in the management of earnings. Revenue information underpins the effectiveness of the decision-making framework of capital providers (Holt 2013b). Information on revenue provides the basis of performance measurement by major companies thereby serving as the fundamental indicator of the financial status of the company. McConnell (2014) noted that the reporting on revenue provides the company’s financial information that includes gross income, gross profit and net income. Vis a vis, revenue provides capital marketers with vital valuation information within a given period. Assessment of t he revenue by financial analysts provides information on the size of the company and the trajectory of the growth pattern of the company. Additionally, revenue enables financial analysts to project future performance and growth of the company based on financial records such as market demand for the goods and services of the company. Therefore, comprehensive revenue information adequately advices investors and financial analyst on the current status of the company. Revenue information is further crucial in the management of the operations of a company. Revenue serves as a key tool in the evaluation of the performance of a company. According to Holt (2013c), most companies are guided by the statistics of their revenue in setting performance

Symbolic Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Symbolic Interaction - Essay Example Similarly, the dominant methodological approach, survey research, was criticized as dehumanizing, as eliminating the most significant elements of human life, and thereby producing a distorted picture of the world. "Symbolic Interaction is a down-to-earth approach to the scientific study of human group life and human conduct. Its empirical world is the natural world of such group life and conduct. It lodges its problems in this natural world, conducts its studies in it, and derives its interpretations from such naturalistic studies." (p.67) Blumer's theoretical and methodological arguments were an important resource drawn on by many of the critics of sociological orthodoxy in this period. Symbolic Interaction grew popular as a theoretical counter to functionalism, and the 'naturalistic' methods advocated by Blumer became one of the most common alternatives to survey research. On both sides of the Atlantic, there was considerable growth in the amount of interactionist ethnography in many fields, but especially in the study of deviance, medicine, and education. Blumer was an important, though by no means the only, influence on those adopting this approach. Most of the arguments currently used to legitimate qualitative research are to be found in his writings. S Symbolic Interaction rests on three primary premises. First, that human beings act towards things on the basis of the meanings those things have for them, second that such meanings arise out of the interaction of the individual with others, and third, that an interpretive process is used by the person in each instance in which he must deal with things in his environment. It was Blumer's perception that the first premise was largely ignored, or at least down-played, by his contemporaries. If mentioned at all, he asserted, meaning is relegated to the status of a causative factor or is treated as a "mere transmission link that can be ignored in favour of the initiating factors" by both sociologists and psychologists. Symbolic Interaction, however, holds the view that the central role in human behaviour belongs to these very meanings which other viewpoints would dismiss as incidental. As to the second premise, Blumer identified two traditional methods for accounting for the derivation of meaning and highlights how they differ from the Interactionist approach. First, meaning is taken to be innate to the object considered (i.e., it inheres in the objective characteristics of the object). In this view, meaning is given and no process is involved in forming an understanding of it, one need only recognize what is already there. Second, meaning is taken to be the cumulative "psychical accretion" of perceptions carried by the perceiver for whom the object has meaning. "This psychical accretion is treated as being an expression of constituent elements of the person's psyche, mind, or psychological organization." The constituents of the individual's psychological makeup that go to form meaning, then, are all of the sensory and attitudinal data that the person brings to the instance of meaning formation with her. In marked contradistinction to these viewpoints, Social Interaction holds that meaning arises out of the

Gordale beck Essay Example for Free

Gordale beck Essay In general, there is quite a variety in terms of detected total hardness levels for the different areas of Malham. Notably, from Table 1, it can be seen that the area with the highest total hardness is the Rwer air at Gargrare (with 280 ppm) followed by the Gordale spring (with 230 ppm). In relation to this, the lowest readings were from the Malham cove (180 ppm). Incidentally, upon inspection of the Malham area map in figure 2, these three areas were of the closest in proximity with each other. In terms of calcium hardness, the location that registered the highest reading was the Malham tarn outflow (with 210 ppm) while the lowest was from the Gordale beck (with 110 ppm). The resulting total hardness levels indicate that the waters surrounding Malham range from slightly hard (140 to 210 ppm) to moderately hard (210 to 320 ppm). It is evident that an area having high total hardness is not enough reason to assume that it also has high calcium hardness. This is due to the fact that total hardness is determined by the presence of magnesium and calcium and not calcium alone. In fact, the greater the difference between total hardness and calcium hardness, the greater is the resulting value of magnesium hardness. This is a rather simplistic way of determining the magnesium hardness, but it is efficient since methods for separately analyzing magnesium from calcium are not easily done. Table 3 shows the computed magnesium hardness values, which also brings a possible point of error in getting the readings pertaining to the Malham Tarn outflow. There was definitely an error since it is quite impossible for the calcium hardness to surpass the total hardness. To better understand the main factor affecting hardness, a topographic analysis of a certain location must be done, which in the process, determine what types of rocks are present. In various areas of Malham, there is a difference in amount and occurrence of limestone (Gorman n. d. : 1). The presence of limestone dictates the resulting calcium hardness levels since these are mainly composed of calcite or calcium carbonate which disperses into the surrounding passing water. Take note that calcium carbonate is the one measured in tests for calcium hardness. Other points realized from the resulting data are also present. For one, there is no evident correlation between pH and hardness readings. In relation to this, the pH levels still play a role in the resulting hardness since they partially dictate the degree of solubility, but due to the fact that there are other factors at work it does not greatly influence the resulting hardness level of water. Another point observed is in terms of colour endpoints in titration. All samples were violet for calcium hardness and grey for total hardness. The last point observed from the resulting data is in terms of the relationship between absorption and calcium hardness. Figure 2 shows that there is a direct relationship between calcium hardness and absorption reading. Hence, as the absorption reading increases, so does calcium hardness. This is probably due to the fact that absorption readings are enhanced when there are more suspended particles or substances in water. These particles block light better than water alone, hence the greater degree of absorption. List of References Dartmouth College. (2008) Titration [online lab manual] delivered for Chemlab: The Chemistry 3/5 6 Laboratories on 1 October 2008 at Dartmouth College available from http://www. dartmouth. edu/~chemlab/techniques/titration. html [26 March 2009]

Application Letter Essay Example for Free

Application Letter Essay I am writing to apply for the position of fireman in the Bureau of Fire and Protection. As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my resume and three references. The chance presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that my strong practical experience and education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include: I am magnificently physically fit and capable in order to sustain the jobs high level of emotionally, mentally and physically demanding activity. I am always ready to jump into action despite the down periods in my job. In addition to attempting to put out fires that might need to help treat victims and perform other vital life-saving or public functions, I provide exceptional contributions to safety of those involved in a fire and offering medical aid to the injured. With a BS degree in Computer Technology and a Civil Service Exam passer last  October 2013, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of being a fireman. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed. Please see my resume for additional information on my experience.

Hella Company Human Resources

Hella Company Human Resources Manage Human Resources as a manager in an organization Introduction: I am going to represent a report on Human Resources as a Human resource manager of HELLA New Zealand. HELLA-New Zealand Limited was founded in 1973. HELLA manufacture, market and distribute products in New Zealand. Company is part of the HELLA Asia Pacific Group. Today the company designs and manufactures innovative lighting products for the commercial transport and automotive industries, using the latest LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. With these products HELLA New Zealand is a supplier to automotive manufacturers and commercial transport fleets all over the world. HELLA is a prominent brand in the New Zealand aftermarket and in the commercial transport sector, with key relationships with original equipment bus, coach and trailer manufacturers. HELLA New Zealand strives to provide world-class products that contribute to the safety of the automotive and transport industry through enhanced vision and visibility. HELLA is a leading edge designer and manufacturer of energy efficient lighting products that always meet customer expectations for innovative design, durability and quality Organizational Structure of HELLA New Zealand In Organizational structure of HELLA NZ top most position in Auckland Branch is Managing Director and All Department Heads Reports to MD. In Every Department there is Supervisor and process workers. Supervisor reports to Department Head. Skills and abilities of three positions from Organizational structure. I have selected three positions Assembler, Production Supervisor and distribution Supervisor. First we will discuss about Assemblers skills and abilities. Main job of assembler is to assemble different parts and create a full thing. In HELLA assembler is who assemble different part and make a light which can be fitted in car or other vehicles. Skills requirement for Assembler Job. Ability to follow instruction and diagram Accuracy and speed for repetitive task performance Concentration on work IT skills Computer knowledge Quality focus Decision making Control of instrumentation Safety management These are skills which required for a assembler job. Person must have ability to use these skills. Person should be healthy, Eye vision should be perfect, High concentration level is required to perform tasks, Person should be able to sit/stand for a long time period etc. Skills requirement for Production Supervisor. Production Supervisor is person who is looking after employees associated with production work. He keep eye on work and workers to ensure good and quality work to be done. He manage team of workers and handle all inquiries of them. Supervisor requires to have multiple skills and ability to perform job. Speaking or communication skill Critical thinking Monitoring self and others work performance Coordination Time Management Decision Making Comprehension of reading Active listening Leadership Analytical Complex problem solving Management of material and financial resources Service oriented and Quality control Supervisor must have abilities to perform his role like Active listener, attentiveness, concentration, analytical mind, problem solving, helping to others. Skills requirement for Distribution Supervisor. Distribution Supervisors job is to organize storage and distribution of goods. Here in HELLA NZ There is distribution team managed by distribution supervisor. After production of final product distribution team is doing the work of storage and distribution to the companies or buyers. Distribution supervisor require skills similar to the production supervisor and some extra skills also required. Good time management ability Decision making and problem solving and offer creative solutions Numeracy and commercial awareness Ability to handle electronic data and IT knowledge Change management A Strong interpersonal skills and manage people Excellent communication skill, written and speaking Analytical and negotiation Positive attitude Identify deficiencies in current and optimal skills and abilities. In the above three positions, skills and abilities of the employees is as per the required optimal skills and abilities but there are little deficiencies in the skills of the employees. Optimal skills and abilities are those which are required to achieve organizational objectives and goals. Success of any organization is based on the ability and skills of its employees how they perform work and the productivity of workers. Each departments should have their goals and they must work to achieve that goals which are linked with the goal of organization. In the above said positions the product supervisor is somehow not cooperative to the employees and other departments. His behavior towards worker is not good. Team meetings in the team is very necessary and effective for productivity but he is doing meeting everyday which was not scheduled It waste time of workers which effect production of company. He should schedule meeting before shift or after shift. Work should not interrupted. Inte rpersonal skill and time management skill here lack in this position. Recommendation to address deficiency in skills and abilities Here there is some recommendations to fulfill deficiency in skills of employees we need to escalate it to higher management and give feedback to supervisor about his behavior and unnecessary waste of time. There is company policies about behavioral issues in the company employees should get aware of these policies. A time management training program should be organized for all employees. To improve skills of employees company should arrange training and development programs. According to my view organization structure of the company is perfect and it is as per optimal structure. Every position is as per hierarchy. Reporting of the staff is to supervisor, supervisor reports to Assistant Manager, Assistant Manager to Head of the department or Manager and Every Manager report to Managing Director of the Company. If there is any issue unresolved by reporting manager it can be escalated to next management level. Alternative of Staffing HELLA NZ is supplier of automobile lights. We hire temporary staff for fixed term in the busy time when there is more demand of lights and during the Christmas period when factory remains closed for three weeks. For other alternative of staff we hire some casual staff to backup of our employees when someone need leave or sick leave. We are also hiring some part time employees to occupy the shifts when there is less workers. We have contract with a recruitment agency who provide us staff when there is need of more employees.

science fiction and fantasy :: essays research papers

The question is whether it is possible to distinguish between fantasy and true science fiction. I am reminded of the analogy, attributable I believe, to Theodore Sturgeon, of the elf ascending vertically the side of a brick wall. In a science fiction story the knees of the elf would be bent, his center of gravity thrown forward, his stocking cap hanging down his neck, with his feet quite possibly equipped with some form of suction cups. In a fantasy, on the other hand, the elf would simply stride up the wall in a normal walking posture, with his stocking cap standing straight out from his brow. What is the difference between these scenarios? The typical answer is that the science fiction story must play by the implicit rules of the universe; in this instance, gravitation. Fantasy, however, need not "tip its hat" to the Law of Universal Gravitation the story can bend the rules in which gives it the fantasy genre. But what if, for some specified reason, in the local vicinity of the elf on the wall, the vector of gravitational force just happens to be perpendicular to the side of the wall rather than parallel to it? In this case the behavior of the elf in the fantasy would be in perfect accord with physical law. One might then say that the fantasy is actually science fiction since we have posited a "scientific" explanation for the behavior of the elf. Both science fiction and mainstream fiction explore the political and social implications of religion. The chief difference is one of setting. Science fiction considers what religion may become under vastly altered circumstances. Leigh Brackett The Long Tomorrow (1955) suggests the possibility that one religion might better prepare its followers for post-holocaust existence than others do. Kate Wilhelm Let the Fire Fall (1969) takes place in a future United States swept by millennial fanaticism. Frank Herbert Dune stories examine in some depth the effects of political rule by characters that are regarded as divine (Martin 1981). Certainly this is not a complete list of the ways science fiction writers treat the theme of religion. But it is suggestive of a much deeper and wider interest in the theme than many has been willing to recognize. So far, literary criticism has not adequately dealt with this fact. In light of the cultural influences already mentioned, these essays, by and large, take a generally Christian and theological approach to the topic.

The Fall Of Satan :: essays research papers

The Arch-Fiend   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Arch-Fiend, in 'The fall of Satan'; by John Milton, is a minded firm person who gets his word across to others. His stubborn attitude and arrogance shows that he is the strongest and smartest. The pride that made him believe he 'equaled the Most High,'; meaning he felt equal to God. The story, describes Satan's appearance, his action, his words, and his effect on others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story Milton describes Satan in many different manner. He first talks about him as a form of a snake, tempting 'our grand parents'; to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Milton also shows Satan's appearance as a beast. Pretty much you can see how his appearance and personality are quite related. Milton gives us a vivid description of Satan. That he has eyes that sparking blaze, monstrous size. This describes to us how Satan looks now, but before Satan was an Angel. He is not the same being that he was before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Satan's actions also are shown on Milton's writings. It starts out as early as the beginning of the earth. When Satan attracted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. In his speech to Beelzebub he said that ' good will never be their task, but ever to do ill our sole delight and out of good still find means of evil.'; This shows us that Satan tempts us to do evil actions and like it, and how most of us get pleasure or amusement out of it. Milton also writes that Satan with 'the force of subterranean wind transport a dill torn from Pelorus, or the shattered side of thundering Etna, whose combustible…aid the winds, and leave a singed bottom all involved with stench and smoke.'; Satan's actions are executed for one main purpose, and that is the rebellion he took on God. That came from his jealously and envy of mankind. Untill Satan wins his battle he will not stop making mankind attracted to evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Satan also led people to do evil through his words. He talked to Eve to eat the apple. He replied Beelzebub and said, 'out of out evil seek to bring forth good, our labor must be pervert that end, and out of good still to find means of evil.'; Satan telld mankind to do evil things just like God who tells us not to. Some choose to do bad and some good.

Hotel Alka, Varanasi Essay --

Varanasi, the city of temples has 52 ghats on the banks of River Ganges. Hotel Alka is one of the top five hotels that provide one with a memorizing stay along the River Ganges. Located in the heart of the city on D3/23, Meer Ghat between the Dasaswamedh and Manikarnika ghats, the hotel is easily accessible from the Lal Bahahadur Shastri International Airport which is situated at a distance of 25 kms from the hotel. The hotel is much closer to the Varanasi Junction Railway Station that is only 5 kms away from it. It’s a breathtaking experience to view the beautiful Ganges from all the rooms of the hotel. One can also see splendid sunrise and sunsets, the Lord Vishwanath’s temple, boats floating on Ganges, people practicing yogic asanas and taking sacred bath in the holy river and a serene atmosphere filled with background score of the devotional songs from the balconies, rooms and restaurant of the hotel. One can really explore the River Ganga and Varanasi from hotel Alka. The best feature of the hotel is a huge courtyard and balconies perfect for relaxing and... Hotel Alka, Varanasi Essay -- Varanasi, the city of temples has 52 ghats on the banks of River Ganges. Hotel Alka is one of the top five hotels that provide one with a memorizing stay along the River Ganges. Located in the heart of the city on D3/23, Meer Ghat between the Dasaswamedh and Manikarnika ghats, the hotel is easily accessible from the Lal Bahahadur Shastri International Airport which is situated at a distance of 25 kms from the hotel. The hotel is much closer to the Varanasi Junction Railway Station that is only 5 kms away from it. It’s a breathtaking experience to view the beautiful Ganges from all the rooms of the hotel. One can also see splendid sunrise and sunsets, the Lord Vishwanath’s temple, boats floating on Ganges, people practicing yogic asanas and taking sacred bath in the holy river and a serene atmosphere filled with background score of the devotional songs from the balconies, rooms and restaurant of the hotel. One can really explore the River Ganga and Varanasi from hotel Alka. The best feature of the hotel is a huge courtyard and balconies perfect for relaxing and...

Carter cleaning

Honesting testing at carter cleaning company. Questions and Answers. 1 -What would be the advantages and disadvantages to Jennifer's company of routinely administering honest tests to all its employees? Polygraph testing raises a large number of legal and moral issues; issues Carter Cleaning must avoid. using some of the available â€Å"paper and pencil† honesty tests may be a possibility. In general, these have been shown to be reasonably reliable and valid.They are still controversial. The costs associated with these tests may also make them prohibitive to a small operation like Jennifers carter cleaning. 2. SpecifIcally, what other screening techniques could the company use to screen out theft-prone employees? How exactly could these techniques be used? More thorough background checks are a recommend technique to eliminate thieves. Some firms chose to contract this out to a private security agency (Costmay be an Issue to Jennifer.However, the company can quickly check to se e If savlngsfrom educed theft would offset the cost of an outside agency. As part of the job preview,Carter must communicate that jobs in her company are worth keeping; dishonesty and theft will not be tolerated. Further company policies regarding theft should be clearly communicated to new and existing employees. 3. How should her company terminate employees caught stealing and what kind of procedure should be set up for handling reference calls about these employees when they go to other companies looking for Jobs?Terminating employees for theft should include the involvement of proper authorities and should only be done when there is absolute proof of the theft and who committed it. Such an action will also send a message to the other employees that you will not tolerate theft of company resources . While many employers are reluctant to prosecute employees for theft , developing evidence with police and through the courts can be beneficial in providing future employers of the ind ividual with truthful and factual Information.

How does Elizabeth Bennet contradict the typical image of an 18th century woman? Essay

The 18th century women of Jane Austen’s pages and of her times lived a gentle, sheltered and delicate life. The rules of conduct especially in relation to women were defined and strict. All women were expected to be courteous, decent, fragile, polite, refined, modest and respectable, have â€Å"good breeding†, impeccable manners and perfect social etiquette. Women were limited to very few activities- mainly drawing, singing and dancing. They had to be accomplished in every sense of the word. An accomplished â€Å"woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to deserve the word: and besides all this she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be half deserved.† Such were the requirements that society asked of every woman if she wanted to hold a place of her own in the marriage rat race. Elizabeth Bennet, the twenty-year-old heroine of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and the second oldest of the Bennet sisters, has all these qualities in her. However she is superior to all the other women that are presented to us in the novel. She is ‘accomplished’ and beautiful but unlike other women, she does not show-off at every opportunity. She is not a hypocrite or a snob like Caroline Bingley, or â€Å"ignorant, idle and vain† like her youngest sister Lydia or tactless and insensitive like her own mother, who is the butt of her husband’s sarcasm. Elizabeth is the fast favourite of her father and has inherited his wit, intelligence and independence. Through Elizabeth, Jane Austen mocks the snobbery, hypocrisy and materialism of many people like Caroline Bingley, Lady Catherine, Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is fully aware of the shortcomings of her mother and her younger sisters. She is ashamed at her mother’s embarrassing lack of refinement and discretion, which are demonstrated firstly at the Netherfield ball when she makes a premature public announcement that Jane Bennet is to marry Mr. Charles Bingley, and secondly, by her disdainful treatment of Mr. Darcy, her social superior. Mrs. Bennet’s lack of good breeding, intelligence and sense of humour is very evident. â€Å"The solace† of her life was â€Å"visiting and news†. She loved a good gossip, which is rather typical of a woman- 18th century or otherwise. Gossiping was a major pastime for women and we can see how fast information gets around town. Mrs. Philips, the sister of Mrs. Bennet, provides her with the gossip around Meryton. It was Mrs. Philips who informed Mrs. Bennet about Mr. Bingley buying Netherfield, the talk around Meryton about Lydia’s scandal and Mr. Bingley’s return to Netherfield. However not all women indulged in gossip. We do not see Jane or Elizabeth interfering with other people’s business. â€Å"If it was to be a secret, say not another word on the subject. You may depend on my seeking no further.† Their attitude differs from their mother. Then again, it was a ‘necessity’ for Mrs. Bennet to keep tabs on everything going around because any information might help in race to get her five daughters married off. We can see the importance of marriage in the 18th century clearly through Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas. Their main occupation is arranging for their daughters to be married to rich husbands. This desire governs Mrs. Bennet’s life. â€Å"The business of her life was to get her daughters married.† The immoral behaviour of her youngest daughter Lydia is of no importance to her once the wedding had been announced. Instead Mrs. Bennet’s immediate concern is the wedding clothes which Lydia may buy after she is married. However Mrs. Bennet’s desire to get her daughters married off as soon as possible are based on economic facts since they would not inherit any money after their father’s death. Wealth was the main criteria for a ‘successful’ and ‘secure’ marriage and that was what Mrs. Bennet, like all other mothers, looked for in prospective grooms. Love and happiness did not matter much or in fact, at all. As Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte Lucas put it â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.† This was a very common attitude in the 18th century. Charlotte accepts the proposal of Mr. Collins, a pompous and foolish man even though she knows that the two of them are incompatible. However she is a practical and sensible person and she is aware of her poor financial state and of her age, at twenty-seven she was considered to be an â€Å"old maid†, and thus was prepared to marry solely for the sake of money. This shows us that very few options were open to a woman in Charlotte’s position. She could either become a governess or a companion to a lady or just remain at home, reducing her younger sisters chances of being married. Jane Austen uses the theme of â€Å"Love and Marriage† to show us how the whole of a woman’s life revolved around marriage. From the time she is born, she is trained and tutored to be a â€Å"perfect wife†. She is thought how to sit, stand, walk, talk, eat, drink, dance, sing, draw, and sew in the hope of securing a good, wealthy husband. Elizabeth Bennet is perfect in her manners, her expressions and her â€Å"civility†. But I find her very different from the conventional 18th century woman because of her ideals on love and marriage. She has all the necessary ‘qualifications’ of an eligible spinster but chooses not to marry for the sake of it. Elizabeth remarks, â€Å"One has got all the goodness, the other all the appearance of it†, referring to Wickham and Darcy. Here the difference between appearance and reality is highlighted. The ease with which even sharp people like Elizabeth could be deceived by appearance was a real danger in Jane Austen’s society, with all its emphasis on manners and breeding, and with its strict code of public behaviour. People like Wickham who could â€Å"perform† well in public were judged on that rather than on their true characters. Elizabeth’s pride and her prejudice blind her to Wickham’s faults and lead her to accept his slanderous portrayal of Darcy.. â€Å"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me;† is what Darcy said of Elizabeth at their first meeting. This hurt combined with the knowledge of Darcy’s hand in separating Jane and Bingley leaves Elizabeth with a strong dislike for Darcy. Therefore when Darcy proposes to her she is thunderstruck and dismisses him to be â€Å"the last man in the world I could be prevailed upon to marry†. I think Elizabeth’s rejection of Darcy’s proposal a very brave thing to do because it would have been considered sacrilege, keeping in mind the importance given to money in the 18th century. She impresses both Darcy and the readers with her wit and liveliness. Darcy, while maintaining that Elizabeth’s manners are â€Å"not those of the fashionable world†, is nevertheless attracted to her spirit and an independence of mind. However by the end of the novel Elizabeth accepts that not all â€Å"first impressions† can be taken at face value. We can see the themes of â€Å"Appearance versus Reality† and â€Å"Self-realization† being brought out. Elizabeth’s independence of spirit is show by her decision to walk to Netherfield in order to visit her sister. It is looked upon as a monstrous thing that Elizabeth Bennet should walk three miles on a country road, and Miss Bingley criticizes her exclaiming â€Å"to walk three miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum. She looked almost wild!† This sneering remark of Caroline Bingley shows us the typical 18th century woman mentality. Elizabeth’s behaviour is considered to be â€Å"unorthodox† and very â€Å"unladylike† since she walked, unescorted all the way from Meryton to Netherfield just to see her sick sister. This shows us that Elizabeth places her sister before any social rules of etiquette. Elizabeth’s affectionate nature is demonstrated by her close relationship with her elder sister Jane, whose sensitive and compassionate nature she admires. It has been suggested that Elizabeth and Jane’s relationship mirrors the close relationship the author had with her own sister Cassandra. However Jane is different from Elizabeth in her gentle nature, which is so pleasant and amiable that it is almost a failing due to her unquestioning acceptance of others. Elizabeth is more outspoken and prides herself to be a good judge of character. Her perception does not allow her to be taken in by the superficial and two- faced Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst who are proud and rich and make their superior social rank known. They are introduced as â€Å"fine women with a decided air of fashion.† To belong to a family whose fortune was made in trade was to belong to an inferior class. It is ironic to see Miss Bingley and her sister criticizing Jane for having an uncle with trade connections, when their own fortune was gained through trade. In the 18th century society, Miss Bingley and her sister are called ‘ladies’ as they fulfill all the requirements: they have money, beauty and are accomplished. But as Elizabeth notes, with irony, that they were: â€Å"in every respect entitled to think well of themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  their subsequent behaviour, particularly with regard to the Bennets is far from ‘ladylike’. Jane Austen here reveals the theme of â€Å"Appearance versus Reality† again and also shows us, through Miss Bingley behaviour, that ‘manners’ are a better indication of ‘breeding’ than birth into an upper-class family. The character of Lady Catherine de Bourgh proves this point again. She is an overbearing, self-important, and controlling aristocrat who has a narrow-minded, unpleasant and selfish manner. She feels that her rank as a ‘Lady’ gives her a right to meddle in other people’s affairs. Everyone is in awe of her except for Elizabeth, since she attaches little importance to rank for its own sake. Elizabeth stands up to her and senses that she must be the first person to ever have done so. This shows us that Elizabeth is not afraid to stand up for herself especially when Lady Catherine attempts to persuade her not to marry Darcy. Elizabeth’s defiance shocks Lady Catherine who makes her reasons for objecting to their marriage very clear. She says â€Å"honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it†- all reasons which Darcy had declared that he had overcome when he proposed to Elizabeth at Hunsford. Elizabeth’s choice of love reflects her desire to find a husband who matches her in terms of character and taste. Elizabeth’s relationship with Darcy is beyond what any other couples share in the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†. The bond between Elizabeth and Darcy is â€Å"rationally founded†, based on â€Å"excellent understanding† and â€Å"general similarity of feeling and taste.† Elizabeth likes Darcy for the fact that he has no airs about him and he is honest, frank and very similar to her in character. Darcy in return is impressed by Elizabeth physical and mental energy and by her sharp wit and her ability to laugh at misfortune and her optimism. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth as her mouthpiece when she says, â€Å"I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.† Elizabeth is like Jane Austen in that she is shown to be interested in the human character. Unlike other women of her times, Elizabeth has a good sense of humour and possesses the ability to laugh at herself. Austen’s sense of humour and intelligence allow her to show the reader the â€Å"follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies,† of her characters. The way Austen presents Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are a good example of this. She does this without being unfair, as she laughs not at them but at what they do. Her use of irony and satire are more serious; she uses them to show meaning without telling the reader directly and to make fun of things, especially those with social importance and meaning. The tone of â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is li ght, satirical and vivid. We can still, despite the vast differences between her 18th century society and our own 21st century society, recognize ourselves in the way her characters think and behave. We all know people as cleverly manipulative and outwardly affectionate as Miss Bingley; as self-involved as Lady Catherine de Bourgh; and as charming but as lacking in principles as Wickham. We conceal ourselves with arrogance like Darcy; assume we understand more than we do like Elizabeth and revel in gossip Like Mrs. Bennet. And the very fact that Jane Austen’s characters are so relatable to makes the novel all the more readable. Her writing also appealed to me because of its simplicity. I do not mean to say that her work is easy to understand, but that she uses ‘simple’ English. I found the character of Elizabeth to be very intricately designed for she has timeless appeal. She is by no means perfect but is by far the closest to perfection among all the other women in the novel. Elizabeth is vivacious, teasing, sensitive, perceptive and filled with sparkling beauty and wit. Her dialogues are full of intelligence and precisely crafted often to convey subtle meanings. Elizabeth is Jane Austen’s best, most loved and certainly most popular creation. â€Å"I must confess I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print†, wrote Austen of Elizabeth; few readers have ever disagreed. Elizabeth Bennet contradicts the image of the typical 18th century woman who is born and brought up only with marriage in mind. She has a mind of her own and quite a sharp one at that. She captures and captivates not only Darcy but the readers as well. She has all the qualities in her that were desired in a ‘perfect’ wife. But besides these she has a certain ‘something’ in her that no other woman has. She is a woman far beyond her time and would not seem out of place in today’s world, two centuries later. I think Jane Austen has really created a marvelous masterpiece, which will always survive the changing demands of literature.

Crimes of the powerful Essay

Introduction In this age of an almost overwhelming profusion of criminal activity, it may seem surprising to discover that not all crimes and criminals are treated in the same manner. In fact, on closer inspection, research has suggested that there is a tendency for certain crimes and criminals to be positively overlooked, typically these being crimes of the powerful. (Ditton, 1977; Box, 1983; Chambliss, 1989; in Muncie, 1996) Before embarking on the differential responses to the crimes of the powerful, it is prudent to clarify exactly what is meant by powerful and the nature of crimes they commit. Powerful is defined as being influential, dominant and authoritative. Studies have shown that the types of crimes committed by such individuals are often in the affluent, private sphere of business and commerce, with a stable family background who consistently possess a good character. (Hughes, Langan, 1996) Studies by Sutherland (1949/67, cited in Hughes et al, 1996 p.244) described the types of crimes the powerful commit as, â€Å"†¦violations of law by persons in the upper socio-economic class are, for convenience called ‘white collar’ crimes† There are many different kinds of white collar or â€Å"corporation† crime, ranging from fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, to health and safety, environment crime, tax evasion, and crimes against the consumer. In considering the existence of corporate crimes and acknowledging that to each victim there is an individual cost, how can we explain the lack of reporting, detection and punishment? Discussion In Henry & Milovanovic’s â€Å"Prism of Crime† (1996, in Muncie, 1996 p.21), crimes of the powerful tend to have low visibility, have an indirect influence on society and elicit a conflicting response from the public. Crimes of the less powerful, by contrast, have a high visibility, a direct influence on individuals and provoke a response of agreement from the public. The myth that all crimes were committed by members of the lower socio-economic classes was expounded by Sutherland (1949, in Muncie, 1996) who showed that more significantly, members of the higher socio-economic classes were likely to be involved in crimes notably worth much more than all robberies, acts of larceny and thefts put together. In 1965, the FBI approximated that $284 million were lost in burglaries, compared to the staggering $9 billion the most affluent percentage of American people defrauded from the tax office the same year. (Pearce, 1976, in Muncie, 1996) Society’s attitude towards â€Å"ordinary† crimes as opposed to â€Å"corporate† crimes are often polarised for the following reasons. Ordinary crimes such as burglary, vandalism, rape and murder are often committed by members of the lower socio economic classes and typically have an easily identifiable perpetrator and victim. (Sutherland, 1949/67 in Hughes et al, 1996). These â€Å"street† crimes are highly personalised, close to home and are often accompanied by high media coverage – â€Å"If it bleeds it leads†. The shocking nature of these crimes grab our attention and we feel a personal hostility to the perpetrators compounded with a sense of empathy for the victims. (Nelken, 1997, in Hughes et al, 1996) It is easy to understand who has been mugged, raped or murdered and these days street crime even has a face, â€Å"..society’s perception of the perpetrators of street crime are conceptualised as a poor, young man belonging to an ethnic minority†. (Reiman, 1998) The conceptualised corporate criminal is more likely to be perceived as a trustworthy, legitimate role model for society and whilst society does see corporate crime to be deemed a crime, it is not seen to be as important as street crime. Moreover, the nature of this type of crime can also lend itself to complexity and a lack of understanding. With its possible global connections, corporate crime can often appear rather remote and distanced from society’s daily occurrences. (Hughes, et al 1996) Corporate crimes, more often committed by older, affluent, white members of  the higher socio economic classes, are by the very nature of this crime, very difficult to establish from a faceless corporation. Who is to blame and who exactly is the victim? Corporate crime does not have the immediacy of blaring police sirens, the frantic hunt for a killer; it lacks the blood and violence associated with street crimes. (Levi, 1999, in Hughes, et al 1996) This lack of shock value could perhaps contribute to a similar lack of media coverage. Nelken observes that † There is a great ambivalence surrounding the nature of white collar and corporation crime, not only does the state deal differently with white collar criminals and ordinary criminals, but there is also a marked difference in the public attitudes towards them.† (Nelken, 1997, cited in Hughes, et al 1996. p.241) There are many reasons why this type of crime often goes unreported. Clearly the media cannot report on all crime, therefore reporters tend to choose the most newsworthy stories. Studies have shown (Bailey & Hale, 1998; Surette, 1998) that violent crimes are typically over represented and exaggerated in the media. Young observed that â€Å"newspapers select events which are atypical, present them in a stereotypical fashion and contrast them against a backcloth of normality which is overtypical.† (Young, 1974, cited in Muncie, 1996. p.45) Indeed, in the highly publicised case of the ‘ordinary crimes’ of Fred West, the press, calling for even more publicity to an already saturated story, persuaded the police to be photographed carrying out an empty box, the public assuming it contained the remains of his victims. (Hughes, et al 1996) In contrast, â€Å"white collar crimes† receive a much lower public profile. Corporate crimes do not seem to fit society’s stereotype of a common criminal. Indeed, many large corporations hold a positive and trustworthy image, for example – Bill Gates of Microsoft, has had to respond to charges of antitrust violations. There would also appear to be a general reluctance on the part of â€Å"whistle-blowers† to report corporate crimes. One reason could be their subsequent treatment afterwards, loss of face or job, coupled with possible court repercussions. The European Commission’s former chief accountant Marta  Andreasen, (see www.bbc.co.uk) fired two years after she was suspended for disloyalty and breach of trust. claimed there were holes in the EU budget system. It would appear that the daunting task of standing against a very powerful corporation or leader is sometimes enough for the problem to appear less crucial. Corporate crimes, by their nature are highly specialised, involving legal jargon and typically too complex for the general public to understand. As they are executed by members of the upper socio classes, they often involve high level intelligence, skill and knowledge. Major fraud, embezzlement etc can involve many individuals, have links to other corporations, use global connections and take place over many years. (Hughes, et al 1996) In addition to the under representation in the media, there appears to be a low visibility even within the private domain of the corporation itself, permitting these crimes to remain undetected. The very complexity of fraud, embezzlement and insider trading lends itself to confusion and disinterest. In fact, many employees involved in the Guinness attempt to take over Distillers did not realise that fraudulent activity was taking place, leaving the general public none the wiser.. (Hughes, et al 1996) These crimes are typically hidden in the private sphere and require expert investigators to expose these frauds. They are not subject to the public eye and therefore do not have the familiar day to day interest that street crimes do. A further reason for corporate crimes to remain undetected could be a possible government involvement. The 1993 â€Å"Arms for Iraq† incident was only disclosed after a long awaited public inquiry, (see www.trytolive.com) The publication of the report by High Court judge Sir Richard Scott, revealed that Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s, followed by John Major’s in the 1990s, covertly approved arms sales to Saddam Hussein. The report revealed that the origins of the scandal are in the 1980s arms-export drive  by Thatcher. Mark Thatcher earned himself an estimated $160 million in commissions as an unofficial salesman in the process, including up to $40 million from a single deal with Saudi Arabia. Suffice to say that Major’s Conservative government survived the February 26 House of Commons debate on Scott by a single vote, thereby escaping punishment. Disappearance is another means of evading justice. In May 1993, Asil Nadir did just that after some 0 million disappeared from the Polly Peck company. Perhaps he had followed Robert Maxwell’s cue who ‘died’ under suspicious circumstances in 1991, after it was revealed that he had defrauded 0 million from his employees’ pensions. (Muncie, 1996) The very apathy that surrounds corporate crime is also to blame, compounded with a general lack of policing for corporate violations. In 1985 only 538 from a force of 120,00 were designated to the Fraud Squad, reflecting societies perception of the severity of corporate crime. (Hughes, et al 1996) Once caught, perpetrators typically receive minimal sentences for their crimes. In 1993, the Australian Oil Refinery pipeline spilled 10 tonnes of oil into Botany Bay for the fifth time in seven years. They were fined $300. (see www.aic.gov.au) There is also a difficulty in establishing who is to blame. Both the tragedies of the Herald of Free Enterprise and the Marchioness disasters had prosecutions brought by authorities and the families but no charges were imposed and the only liable perpetrators were deemed to be the cabin crews at the time (lower socio-economic class) and not the owners (higher socio-economic class). (Hughes, et al 1996) Society appears to accept that at the very heart of successful businesses is the â€Å"buy it cheap, sell it dear† culture. With this is mind, the general consumer is defrauded every time he makes a purchase but this is not seen as criminal, simply good marketing. This accepted culture, from the outset, lends itself immediately to transactions of a deceitful and fraudulent nature. For society to then understand that specific actions, when deemed a violation of certain laws, are to be deemed illegal must certainly cause confusion. In point of fact, not all corporate crimes come under the criminal justice jurisdiction. There is an emphasis for the various regulatory agencies to prove malign intent’ (mens rea) and this has shown to be difficult, particularly when dealing with corporations and not individuals. As a large number of corporate crimes are deemed to be regulatory offences, they are not prone to the same methods of prosecution as are ordinary crimes. (Hughes, et al 1996) Very often, these corporations have self regulating bodies for which, research has shown, inspectors for these bodies regard their duties as advisory rather than policing (Hutter, 1998, in Hughes, et al 1996) which can lead to an ethos of complacency at the very least. These corporations fiercely appose outside influence and there is a reluctance on the part of the agencies to interfere with private business practice. (Clarke, 1990a, in Hughes, et al 1996) The problem of global policing and prosecuting corporate crimes is finally being addressed, with George W Bush (see www.rtmark.com) setting in motion a series of new statutes aimed to view these crimes in a similar way as ordinary crimes, in that corporations take on a human form. â€Å"While some experts dispute whether corporations can actually become human beings, most agree that punishing corporations for the crimes they commit will at the very least have a positive effect on the market.† (Bush, 2000) Corporations can then be prosecuted and subject to the same punishments within the criminal justice system as would an individual. Corporations would be hit where it hurt them most, financially. Bush has outlined a two tier system for misdemeanours and felonies. Punishment would range from short or long term share confiscation, dividends to be used to provide health care to victims; to a â€Å"negligent homicide† charge in which shareholders are subject to a prison term, the length of which is dependant on the amount of shares they hold and the severity of the crime. Bush has recognised that leaving corporations subject to regulatory agencies is not ideal. â€Å"We must remove the burden for controlling corporations from big government, from regulation and fines, and place it squarely on the judiciary,† (Bush, 2000) Thus bringing corporate crimes full circle and in line with crimes of an ordinary nature. Conclusion It is clear that the human cost of corporate crime is very real to the individual, whether it be financial loss, environmental damage, injury or loss of human life. The need for recompense and the recognition of a moral responsibility needs to be expected by society, not ‘dumbed down’ because of the criminal being a corporation and not an individual. The act is no less personal and no less criminal! References Andreasen, M. 2002, sourced in http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3742148.stm accessed on 20/03/05 Bailey, F & Hale, D. 1998. Popular Crime Culture and Justice. Belmont CA, West/Wadsworth Bush, G W,. 2000. sourced in http://www.rtmark.com/bushprcorpcrime.html accessed on 21.03.05 Box, S. 1983. in Muncie, J. 1996. â€Å"The Construction and Deconstruction of Crime† p. 9-44 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Chambliss, WJ. 1989. ibid Ditton, J. 1997. ibid Clarke, 1990a, in Hughes, G. with Langan, M. 1996. â€Å"Good or Bad Business? : Exploring Corporate and Organised Crime† p.240-273 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Hughes, G. with Langan, M. 1996. â€Å"Good or Bad Business? : Exploring Corporate and Organised Crime† p.240-273 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Hutter, B. 1998 ibid Levi, M. 1999 ibid Muncie, J. 1996. â€Å"The Construction and Deconstruction of Crime† p. 9-44 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Nelken, D. 1997 in Hughes, G. with Langan, M. 1996. â€Å"Good or Bad Business? : Exploring Corporate and Organised Crime† p.240-273 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Pearce, 1976 Reiman, J. 1998. The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Prison. Boston Press Surette, R. 1998. Media Crime and Criminal Justice: Image and Realities. Belmont CA, West/Wadsworth Sutherland, E. 1949, in Muncie, J. 1996. â€Å"The Construction and Deconstruction of Crime† p. 9-44 in The Problem of Crime edited by J. Muncie and E. Mc Laughlin. Sage Publications Young, J. 1992. ibid Further sources Australian Institute of Criminology http://www.aic.gov.au accessed 18.03.05 Arms to Iraq http://www.trytolive.com/cor332.htm accessed 19.03.05

Venuti’s Theory of Foregnisation Applied to the Phenomenon

Fan-Translation and heterogeneity: Venuti’s theory of foregnisation applied to the phenomenon of fan-translation In this essay I set out to explore the extent to which Lawrence Venuti’s theory of foreignising translation can be usefully applied to explain the practices of fan-translation communities. Fan-translation (hereafter, FT) is a relatively recent phenomenon. O’Hagan , following Flew’s definition of User Generated Content (Flew 2008 in O'Hagan 2009, p. 7) derives the term ‘User Generated Translation’ (hereafter, UGT) in order to describe a â€Å"wide range of translation, carried out based on free use participation in digital media spaces where translation is undertaken by unspecified self-selected individuals† (O'Hagan 2009, p. 97). The user in question is therefore somebody who â€Å"voluntarily act as a ‘remediator’ of linguistically inaccessible products and ‘direct producer’ of translation on the b asis of [his] knowledge of the given language as well as that of a particular media content or genre, spurred by [his] substantial interest in the topic (O'Hagan 2009, p. 7). UGT then could be applied to all those translations carried out by non-professional translators, often for non-financial motives. The term FT in this essay will be used more specifically to describe the practice of those users whose interest is directed towards a particular genre: that of Japanese cultural commodities or, more specifically, Japanese graphic novels (Manga), and animated movies (anime). The question that I would like to address in this essay is whether Lawrence Venuti’s influential theory of translation (Venuti 1995,1998)can help further understanding the phenomenon of FT.The intention of this essay is to claim that some aspects of Venuti’s ‘foregnisation’ theory do indeed serve to characterise fan-translators activities, despite the obvious contextual differences. Thes e differences are easily summarised: FT is not carried out by a single individual or even by a single group of individuals (unlike the cases cited by Venuti, where he either refers to a group of romantic intellectuals in 19th century Germany, or later isolated cases (Venuti 1995, pp. 9-147, 187-272), but a practice carried out on a wider scale, embraced by a greater number of individuals working together as a community of practice, mostly composed of non-professional translators, often very young, not always sharing the same national identity, and mostly lacking the clearly defined cultural agenda that Venuti exposed as a justification for advocating the adoption of foreignising translation practices (Venuti 1995, pp. 6-17). Fandom Fan activities have gathered scholarly attention in recent years due to the opportunities for community building and the ease of sharing content that the recent incarnation of the World Wide Web, or Web 2. 0, offers (see for example (Diaz Cintas and Munoz Sanchez 2006; Lee 2009; Sanchez 2009; Koulikov 2010; Watson 2010; Denison 2011; Lee 2011; Castells and Cardoso 2012).The reason for such scholarly attention is that fan activities, in the form of sharing digital content online, can be said to occupy a ‘liminal space’ (Denison 2011) that is dangerously close to what is often called (but not often clearly defined) ‘piracy’: fan texts that are at the â€Å"liminal edge between fan creativity and piracy. Essentially†¦text augmented by, rather than created by, fans† (Denison 2011, p. 450).For this reason, fan activities built on the relationship that is constituted in the reception of a particular form of literature have been the subject of academic interest: â€Å"Anime texts have become nexus points for discourse around ownership and rights†(Napier 2007 and Thornton 1995 in Denison 2011, p. 450). Within the wider spectrum of fan-related practices, some individuals play the role of ‘pr osumers’: producers and consumers of products, rather than passive spectators (Tapscott and Williams, 2006 in O'Hagan 2009, p. 9). Prosumers not only consume cultural products, but also manifest agency by responding creatively to their favourite text or medium. Some examples of fans creative response analysed by legal scholars could be the theatrical audience participation to showings of The Rocky Horror Show, Town bands performing free concerts, the American musical tradition â€Å"the blues† (Madison 2007, pp. 87-703), amateur fan actors producing new episodes of Star Trek, fan produced Harry Potter Lexicon, fan-made flash based animation derived from music, fan-created version of commercially created virtual mascot Miku Hatsune (Noda 2010, pp. 149-158), which are all forms of participation that sit uneasily with the notion of intellectual property rights. The practices of fans of Japanese comics and animation have been of particular interest to legal theorists (Mehr a 2002; Hatcher 2005; Lessig 2005; Muscar 2006; Noda 2008, 2010).Here it is useful to distinguish between the practices of the dojinshi (hereafter non italicised) community and the practices of the FT community or, to be more specific, communities, since fan translators operating on different media are described with different names: translation of Japanese graphic novels is carried out by a process of Scanlation; subtitling of Japanese animation is carried out by a process called Fansubbing; and finally, the process of modification and translation of video games is called RomHacking. DojinshiWhat are dojinshi, and why are they of interest to legal scholar? Lawrence Lessing, professor of law at Harvard Law School and founding board member of Creative Commons, in his 2004 work Free Culture: how big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity, uses dojinshi as an example of derivative works that could not exist in America, since dojinshi are â€Å"A kind of copycat comic†¦ It is not dojinshi if it is just a copy; the artist must make a contribution to the art he copies, by transforming it either subtly or significantly.A dojinshi comic can thus take a mainstream comic and develop it differently—with a different story line. Or the comic can keep the character in character but change its look slightly. There is no formula for what makes the dojinshi sufficiently â€Å"different. † But they must be different if they are to be considered true dojinshi† (Lessig 2005, pp. 25-26) Dojinshi are the Japanese version of what is otherwise called fan-fiction; in other words, unauthorised fan-created version or original works.The term Dojinshi (. Literally ‘dojin’ stands for ‘same person’ and ‘shi’ stands for ‘periodical publication’, which in English could be rendered as Fanzine or Fan-magazine). Dojinshi denoted a type of fan works that are â€Å"self-published, small scale publications written by fans for fans of a particular work (be it a movie, a book, a television series, or a video game) or of a particular romantic pairing possible within that work†(Hemmann 2010).Dojinshi are an important side of the culture that surrounds Japanese graphic novels (manga: literally ‘man’ stands for ‘whimsical’ and ‘ga’ stands for ‘drawings’) in Japan. Manga represent both an industry and a form of expression, so much so that in recent years the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) began to see manga as the new source of Japan’s â€Å"Gross National Cool’ (McGray 2002 in Koulikov 2010, p. 18) and began promoting the country’s content industry abroad (Yoshimoto 2003 in Koulikov 2010, p. 10).The Japanese manga industry and the dojinshi fan-communities reinforce each other in a way that is perhaps surprising to western legal theorists because it raises import ant questions in regards to the efficacy and meaningfulness of copyright practices and of the ideas about originality and authorship that underpins copyright law and associated commercial practices in the west: â€Å"This market exists in parallel to the mainstream commercial manga market. In some ways, it obviously competes with that market, but there is no sustained effort by those who control the commercial manga market to shut the doujinshi market down.It flourishes, despite the competition and despite the law [†¦] in the view of many, it is precisely because it exists that Japanese manga flourish† Lessing 2004, p. 26 The practice of scanlation and fansubbing differ from those of dojinshi artists in some important ways. First of all, they are mostly carried out by fans outside of Japan, and more specifically, while they are carried out in a variety of languages, the majority of the work is carried out by English language fans (Denison 2011, p. 54). Additionally, I wo uld argue that scanlation and fansubbing do not inhabit the same conceptual space of fan-fiction and dojinshi, even if copyright law regards adaptation and translation equally as derivative works (WIPO article 2 (3)). Dojinshi artists working within the idea of ‘complementing the original work’, while unauthorised, are conceptually closer to the wider spectrum of fan activities that are often tolerated in the west (like audience participation to theatrical performances).FT seems to inhabit a narrower conceptual space, closer, and more readily compromised by proximity, to the practices of unauthorised copying that is denounced as piracy, despite the ambiguity of the term piracy itself: â€Å"piracy has never had a stable legal definition and is almost certainly better understood as a product of enforcement debates than as a description of a specific behaviour. The terms blurs, and is often used intentionally to blur, important distinction between types of uncompensated use† (Karaganis et al. 2011, p. ) In order to attempt a conceptualisation of the practices of fan translators, here I would like to adopt Venuti’s framework of domesticating and foreignising translation. My intention in the next part of the essay is to illustrate how FT of Japanese manga and anime could find precedents in the history of translation. In short, I draw from Venuti’s critical genealogy of fluent discourse in the English language translation in order to show that FT should not merely be thought of as free-riding, but that it contains elements of previous use of translation as tool for building a national culture (Venuti 1995, 100).Similarly, FT can be said to represent a vehicle for the construction of sub-cultural capital , the â€Å"knowledge about an area of fandom that allows one to feel comfortable with other like-minded fans, but also to gain status among fellow enthusiasts â€Å" (Napier 2007, p. 150 in Denison 2011, p. 450) Translation Trans lation studies as an academic discipline has a relatively short history, emerging about twenty years ago from the back of comparative literature departments. The independence of translation studies as an academic discipline revolves around its methodology and the questions it aims to answer.Hence, an important question faces every Translation Studies student: should one restrict his enquiry to the analysis of linguistic features of a text, or should attention be paid to the context where the practice of translation takes place: the figure of the translator; his/her motivation; what void in the receiving culture is the translator trying to fill; the interests played behind the importation and exportation of culture; how law, market, social norms and publishing practices all influence the creation of culture of which translation is part of; whether all these form a kind of censorship, and should the translator resist of conform to such censorship, even when is self-censorship? In this essay I would like to explore the possibilities offered by the latter approach, by comparing and contrasting two common elements of contemporary translation: on the one hand, the critical work of Venuti in regards to ‘domestication and foregnisation’ and on the other, the â€Å"phenomenon of user participation in otherwise highly specialised areas of professional translation practice† (O'Hagan 2009, p. 96). To begin with, I would like to introduce the work of Lawrence Venuti (1995, 1998).Venuti describes the state of contemporary translation around the world as characterised by imbalance: the imbalance between the large number of books that are translated from English and the small number of books that are translated into English. This trade imbalance is an effect of the global domination of English which, according to Venuti, leads to a â€Å"complacency in Anglo-American relations with cultural others† apparent in publishing practices in Britain and Ame rica that â€Å"decreases the cultural capital of foreign values in English by limiting the number of foreign text translated and submitting them to domesticating revision† (Venuti 1995, p. 7) According to Venuti, publishing practices in Britain and America reinforce the global domination of English by imposing â€Å"Anglo-American cultural values on a vast foreign readership†, while adopting practices of translation that produce domestic cultures that are â€Å"aggressively monolingual, unreceptive to the foreign, accustomed to fluent translations that†¦provide the readers with the narcissistic experience of recognising their own culture in a cultural other†(Venuti 1995, p. 15) Emphasis added). Venuti is critical of the canon of fluency that dominated the practice of translation into English. By fluency, Venuti wants to describe a particular way of translating which emphasise the production of texts that conceal their foreignness and instead makes them app ear as the original expression of the foreign author, essentially unmediated by the process of translation. Venuti defines such process of assimilation, in a manner that conceals the text foreign origin, as ‘domestication’.While admittedly all translation is appropriation and assimilation, domestication has the troubling effect, according to Venuti, of reinforcing an ethnocentric attitude towards foreign cultures: the belief that other cultures are in fact no different from one’s own and therefore, that one’s own culture is universal: â€Å"the prevalence of fluent domestication has supported these developments [the monolingual, unreceptive and narcissistic culture above] because of its economic value: enforced by editors, publishers, and reviewers, fluency results in translation that are eminently readable and therefore consumable in the book market, assisting in their commoditisation and insuring the neglect of foreign texts and English-language transla tions discourses that are more resistant to easy readability (Venuti 1995, pp. 15-16).In order to â€Å"resist and change the conditions under which translation is theorised and practiced today, especially in the English-speaking countries† Venuti wants to put forward a â€Å"strategic cultural intervention in the current state of world affairs, pitched against the hegemonic English language nations and their unequal cultural exchanges in which they engage theory global others† (Venuti 1995, p. 20). Venuti’s argument then is that literary translators, in an effort to challenge current translation practices, should attempt a ‘foreignising’ approach to translation. What this mean in practice is the production of texts that read as translations and the suggested method to achieve this effect is a theory of translation that emphasise heterogeneity of language.Languages are never monolithically homogeneous entities: different agents will employ language in a different way, according to whom, and in what manner, is an utterance is addressed. Standard literary English is language that exists only in translated foreign literature. Foreignising translation then should attempt to disrupt the homogeneity imposed by textual ‘transparency’ and ‘fluidity’ of the reading experience by inserting traces of heterogeneous language (slang, dialect, archaism, cliques, etc†¦ ) into an otherwise canonical translation. Foregnisation, according to Venuti, â€Å"can alter the way translations are read as well as produced† (Venuti 1995, p. 24).Whether foregnisation can achieve the results that Venuti’s cultural political agenda aim towards is still unclear; Venuti himself reports that critical reviews of his translated works did indeed cause some reactions; some reviewers found this choice of words unconvincing, suspecting that Italian romantics would not have expressed themselves with the obvious colloquiali sm that Venuti strategically employed (Venuti 1998, 19). Such criticism only goes to confirm Venuti’s belief: â€Å"the fact is that Italian romantics would not have used most of the words in my translation because they wrote in Italian, not English† (Venuti 1998, 19-20). The reader had to suspend her cultural and linguistic expectations towards to the foreign text and was forced to take notice of the mediated nature of the translated text, exposing in the criticism the â€Å"dominant narrative form† and â€Å"a prevalent ethnic stereotype† (Venuti 1998, 20). Pym (Venuti’s Visibility Anthony Pym Target 8/2 (1996), pp. 65-177) is unconvinced about the passage from foregnisation to the professed democratic agenda: â€Å"if translators refuse to produce fluent texts, if they make themselves visible through the use of â€Å"resistant† strategies†¦all the rest will surely change too. Such would appear to be the gung-ho reasoning that makes Venuti so visible (Pym 2010, p. 2). The passage from a disrupted reading experience to the wider democratic agenda that Venuti takes for granted is rather unclear. Supposing a reader ‘gets’ what Venuti is trying to do and is taken out of the illusion of being actually reading the words of the original author: the reader becomes aware of the translation being a translation. How can this, beyond achieving a degree of visibility for the translators, achieve further goals?Venuti himself is aware of these difficulties and asks â€Å"what would happen if a translator tried to redirect the process of domestication by choosing foreign texts that deviated from transparent discourse and by translating hem so as to signal their linguistic and cultural differences? Would this effort establish more democratic cultural exchanges? Would it change domestic values? Or would it mean banishment to the fringes of Anglo-American culture? † (Venuti 1995, pp. 40-41). Central to Venutià ¢â‚¬â„¢s concerns, however, there is an aspect of translation that Pym recognizes as key to contemporary translation practices: the question of copyrights. Copyrights Venuti dedicated a chapter of his 1995’s work to the Italian writer Iginio Ugo Tarchetti (1839-1869) (Venuti 1995, 148-186). In 1865, Tarchetti plagiarised Shelley’s tale â€Å"the mortal immortal† by translating it into Italian without acknowledging the English author.While Venuti recognises that â€Å"the shrewdness and sheer audacity of Tarchetti’s plagiarism may make it attractive to dissidents in Anglo-American literary culture†, he also recognises the practical limits of such practice: â€Å"Tarchetti’s translation practices cannot be imitated today without significant revision. Plagiarism, for example, is largely excluded by copyright laws that bind translators as well as authors†¦ to publish an unauthorized translation of a copyrighted foreign text is to invite le gal proceedings whose cost will far exceed the translator’s income from even a bestselling translation† (Venuti 1995, 185). Venuti advice to contemporary English-language translator is not break the law, but rather, to choose carefully what to translate: The choice of a foreign text for translation can be just as foreignising in its impact on the target-language culture as the invention of a discursive strategy.At a time when deviations from fluency may limit the circulation of a translation or even prevent it from getting published in the first place, Tarchetti points to the strategic value of discriminating carefully among foreign texts and literatures when a translation project is developed† (Venuti 1995, 185-186). Venuti calls attention to the manner in which contracts and copyright laws regulate the production of translated literature. Translation, according to the Berne international copyright convention is defined as ‘derivative’ work (WIPO art icle 2 (3)). Therefore, translation is morally and legally bound to the will of the original author (WIPO article 8).Copyright law varies according to nations, the US and UK lacking the concept of ‘Author’s rights’ that is present in most continental Europe’s laws, while the US and UK have clearly defined ‘fair use’ clause that are not present in continental Europe. Pym agrees that copyright law on translation need revision: â€Å"The idea of limiting the author’s translation rights to a short period of perhaps five years sounds like an excellent practical way of stimulating translationsâ€Å" but at the same time, he is sceptical of drastic measures: â€Å"But is our complaint really that â€Å"the translator’s authorship is never given full legal recognition†? (Venuti 1995, p. 9) Do we have to do away with the distinction between author and translator, or even with copyright altogether? † (Pym 2010, p. 4).Intern ational Copyright law reinforces the idea that translation is not ‘transformative’ work, which is defined more narrowly in terms of criticism or parody. Translation as derivative work falls within the category of ‘copy’ that is regulated by ‘copy-rights’. While much translation theory in the past 20 years since the emergence of translation studies as an academic discipline has struggled to establish translation as a serious intellectual endeavour worthy of scholarly attention, the commercial reality that regulates the production of translation tells a strikingly different tale: literary translation, as a form of cultural production, is regulated by the practices of the publishing industry.The translation of foreign literature is subject to norms, laws and market restrictions, as well as architectural conditions. Lessing model of restriction that applies to all cultural commodities (i. e. : culture that is bought and sold, of which translated li terature is part of (Lessing 2005, 133). Lessing sees cultural commodities as subjected to restrictions that until the 20th century were fairly balanced: publishers’ rights were regulated by copyrights law, so as to limit their monopoly over the production and distribution of culture. This guaranteed the exclusive ability to reproduce and translate literary works on behalf of the author for a limited time.The concept of a ‘limited monopoly’ was balanced by the fact that once such monopoly expired, artistic works would fall into the public domain and so become available for the general public to read, print, distribute and translate without the need to acquire the copyright holder permission. Unlike the law in continental Europe, according to common law practices in the US and UK, the copyright holder could control the distribution and translation of a work regardless of the author’s wishes. In continental Europe, by contrast, the concept of ‘authorâ €™s rights’ recognise the moral right to claim authorship of a work and to retain the ability of stop distribution of his work.One might wonder if, before the introduction of copyright laws, translators indulged indiscriminately in the plagiarism of foreign works as in the example of Tarchetti. The truth is that until 1790, in the United States the right granted by a copyright only gave the author the exclusive right to ‘publish’ a particular book and did not extend to derivative works: â€Å"it would not interfere with the right of someone other than the author to translate a copyrighted book, or to adapt the story to a different form (such as a drama based on a published book)† (Lessing 2005, 136) It seems almost impossible in the contemporary world to imagine a time where the right of translators matched those of the foreign author.It seems natural to imagine the chaos that lack of copyrights would cause: an infinite number of translators plagiarisi ng the work of foreign authors and passing them as their own creations. It is this anxiety in regards to plagiarism, of a lack of clearly established standards of authorship that drives suspicion about translation. Authorship as creative genius is a value that is attached to a person or a work of art. This value can be seen reflected in the idea of ‘intellectual property’ which depicts copyrights rights as a natural state of affairs, that is, a natural property right. However, according to William Patry, copyrights are created solely the government and therefore should not be understood as an end in itself, but instead an end to a social objective: furthering learning (Patry moral panic, 103).Patry argues that the essence of property is not absolute dominion over things, but rather, it is determined by a system of social relationships: â€Å"property is quintessentially and absolutely a social institution. Every concept of property reflects†¦those choices that we – as a society- have made† LAURA UNDERKUFFERLER, 203, 54 IN PATRY 103 (Patry 103). That means that copyrights, and the idea of authorship that underpins copyrights, are determined by social practices and therefore reflected in social norms, and finally and more concretely, in the legislation that regulate copyrights. Before copyright renewal in the United States became automatic in 1992, only a small percentage of authors claimed them, and even smaller percentage applied for renewal (Patry, 67-68).Paradoxically, copyright became valuable to corporations only when they were given automatically without authors having to do anything to claim it: â€Å"Survey of renewal rates in the United Stes from 1910 to 2001 found a range between 3 percent in 1910 to 22 percent in 1991†¦of all the books published the united states in 1930, and therefore under copyright until 2025, only 174, or 1. 7 percent, are still in print† (Patry 68). The boundary that separates a legiti mate creative response to a work of art and an illegitimate one is made tangible in law by the prohibition to copy, adapt or translate without the consent of the foreign author. Such law, which seems almost common sense in contemporary society, has a relatively short history. Changing attitudes towards intellectual property rights reflect contemporary anxiety in regards to originality and authorship, which contributes to the marginality of translation.According to Venuti â€Å"whereas authorship is generally defined as originality, self-expression in a unique text, translation is derivative, neither self-expression nor unique: it imitates another text given the reigning concept of authorship, translation provokes the fear of inauthenticity, distortion, contamination† (Venuti 1998, 31). This anxiety affects the most those concerned about plagiarism, especially academic institutions and academic publishing: â€Å"translation is rarely considered a form of literary scholarship, it does not currently constitute a qualification for an academic appointment in a particular field or area of literary study, and, compared to original compositions translated texts are infrequently made the object of literary research† (Venuti 1998, 32). Here Venuti is critical of the academic deference towards the ‘original’ at the expenses of translation.The concept of authorship here joins that of fluent translation in an attempt to present the foreign author as the one who is ‘speaking’ through the medium of the text, in order to â€Å"ascertain the authorial intention that constitutes originality† (Venuti 1998, 31). The Translator hence become an uncomfortable middle man that must hide, as much as possible, both the facts that the text in question is a not the original, and that the foreign author did not employ the language of the translation. The middle man goes unnoticed, not by mere oversight, but quite deliberately. Copyright law, a lso reflected in translation contracts, perpetuate this neglect. Copyright, as we have seen, by defining translation as derivative work, justify contracts that employ translators as work-for-hire, so that the product of their work belongs to the publishing company who do not have to acknowledge the translator.Practical example of this is the lack of the translator’s name on the cover of a volume or in library catalogue indexes, or the disparity between the royalties that the translator receives in comparison to those of the foreign author. The disparity between authorship and translation affects the whole production of commercially translated literature. What i would like to explore next is the side of contemporary translation that is not affected by commercial consideration or in need of academic recognition. Here the terminology varies from non-commercial translation to amateur translation or fan-translation, but from the point of view of copyright holders it represents a m ore straightforward phenomenon: theft of intellectual property, or in other words, piracy. PiracyAs Castells and Cardoso points out, we usually look at media consumption, of which translated literature is an example of, starting from a media industry definition (Castells and Cardoso 2012). In other words, the content that is normally available to us to read, watch or listen to is usually made available through the payment of a fee or because it is supported by advertising. The commercial relationship that binds together media companies and individual is regulated by a set of rules that are legally formalised into rights and obligations (Castells and Cardoso 2012). Piracy, by infringing these rights and obligations, can be a usefully employed to illustrate some of the issues that characterise the status of translation in the current world, how translation is produced and distributed.In short, the argument I would like to put forward is such: piracy is used to describe everything that is not in the public domain but that can be obtained from non-authorised sources, shared with others, whether for free or not. This means that piracy could be whatever is made available to share that contain even parts, or traces, or adaptations, of existing copyrighted works. A pirate here is defined as anybody who makes use of existing copyrighted material in order to express something of his own (with the exception of criticism or parody, which are allowed by law) (WIPO? ). On one side of the debate there are internet users and in particular peer-to-peer (P2P) networks function as efficient tools of distribution of digital content. On the other, litigious media corporations fighting a moral crusade against intellectual theft.The sides of this war, however, assume different connotations depending on who is doing the description: for the copyright holding corporations, authors are being robbed of the fruits of their work; here the fight is described as one between intellectual cop yright owners and thieves. On the other side, is it estimated that more than 40 million American citizens have used the internet to download content; hence a substantial part of US citizens is being criminalised. Lessing asks: â€Å"Is there another way to assure that artists get paid without transforming forty-three million Americans into felons? Does it make sense if there are other ways to assure that artists get paid without transforming America into a nation of felons? † (Lessing 2005, 202).The model of distribution of culture that once revolved around a few selected corporations is now being challenged by technological innovations that were unimaginable a generation ago. Digital content can be shared across the world free of physical constrains (such as books, shops, printing press, etc. ) but also free from the editors, publishers, and reviewers which Venuti sees as the source of neglect of foreign texts and translation practices that emphasise heterogeneity of discour se. The sharing possibilities offered by the net act as a source of heterogeneity: they provide easily accessible, free to share, translated foreign literature that constitutes an alternative to what is available commercially.Venuti limited his theory of translation within the boundaries of commercial translation, albeit as a form of dissidence in respect to the practices enforced by institutional channels. What is of interested here from the point of view of translation are the possibilities offered by working outside the commercial paradigm, the translation practices of those communities that focus on literature, like dojinshi, that are not accessible to the translators working within the legitimate sphere, whether due to social norms, ideology, poetics, of purely economic reasons. The net provides a venue (cultural space? Deleuze and Guattari) for that sub-cultures that are neglected by commercial organizations (and that could not be catered for legally by other institutions). 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