Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Director Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, the classic story of an angry young man, heralded a new kind of cinema for British audiences. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a classic social realist film of the British New Wave. Made in 1960, it was groundbreaking in both its portrayal of the industrial nightmare of working class factory life, and its unrepentant, cocky anti-hero Arthur Seaton. The British New Wave and La Nouvelle Vague Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) was Karel Reisz's first feature film, made in the light of a number of outstanding documentaries from the Free Cinema movement. Interestingly, this film emerged at the same time as Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature A Bout De Souffle (Breathless). Reisz and Godard, the enfant terrible of the French New Wave, shared certain traits. Both were critics turned film-makers whose debut films were the first commercial hits of their respective new waves, and both films were anti-establishment pieces from directors with political agendas. The Angry Young Man Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was a film to which many people could relate. Alan Sillitoe, who adapted his book for the screen, was the creator of one of the original angry young men of cinema history, Arthur Seaton. Arthur is a working class anti-hero whose boredom of factory life is assuaged only by his reckless attitude to life. Trapped in a dead end job, Arthur represents the individual against the system. He makes the most of his leisure time in an attempt to escape the mediocrity of his life. Arthur is blunt and cocky, out for a good time with women, booze and a well cut suit. But he is angry about the restrictions placed on him by his working class life. The cause of this aggression – factory life – united a public who recognized his anger. Cinema attendances reflected the fact that this was one of the first times audiences felt their own lives were represented on screen. Fatally Flawed At the beginning of the film Arthur is having an affair with Brenda, a married woman, who he gets pregnant. He tries to help her when she says she wants an abortion, although ultimately this is unsuccessful. It is a testament to the film-makers that this storyline does not alienate audiences. In fact, for all his gruff, rabble rousing, Arthur remains a likable, if flawed, character. He is seen to get a sort of comeuppance when Brenda's brother in law beats him up at the Nottingham Goose Fair, but audience sympathy is still with Arthur. This is also due in no small part to Albert Finney's amazing portrayal of Arthur as a working class lad coming to bitter terms with the responsibilities of manhood. The Midlands – A Backdrop For Social Realism Setting the film in Nottingham adds a further dimension of imprisonment, through iconography which has since been integrated into British cinema. The imposing chimney stacks and factories serve to increase the feelings of claustrophobia and provincial entrapment. Karel Reisz had already shown in his documentaries Everyday Except Christmas and We Are The Lambeth Boys that ordinary people could provide stories and entertainment, but his directors vision also demonstrates a poeticism of social problems. The views Reisz portrays through his lens have become embedded in British films, and typify a landscape still seen today in any British film within the social realist cannon. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Saturday Night and Sunday Morning By Alan Sillitoe Adapted by Amanda Whittington [pic] Harrogate Theatre 22nd February – 8th March 2008 Directed by Joyce Branagh Resource Material [pic] Alan Sillitoe's ground breaking picture of 1950's Britain, as seen through the eyes of the unforgettable Arthur Seaton (immortalised on screen by Albert Finney), is now brought raging back to life and bang up-to-date in a fast-moving new stage adaptation.Classic kitchen sink drama blended with high energy action and a toe-tapping 1950's fuelled soundtrack makes this at turns funny and heart-rending tale of the life and loves of the original angry young man a must see for three generations. ContentsPage Brief Synopsis Historical context About the author The adapted text List of Characters Principals Analysis In different media 21st Century references Synopsis Saturday Night and Sunday Morning tells the story of Arthur Seaton, a young Nottingham factory worker, who is having an affair with Brenda , the wife of Jack, an older co-worker.He also has a relationship with Doreen, a woman closer to his own age. When Brenda becomes pregnant with Arthur’s child, he goes to his aunt for advice on aborting the child. Jack discovers the affair. His brother and a fellow soldier give Arthur a serious beating. The play ends on an ambiguous note, with a recovered Arthur and Doreen discussing marriage and the prospect of a new home. Historical context 1958: The European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation. The birth of Rock and Roll, which resulted in the emergence of clubs. Jerry Lee Lewis’s Great Balls of Fire reaches no 1 in the US charts.Women’s rights were still limited, but this was to change over the coming decade. Marie Stopes, a campaigner for women’s rights, dies, aged 69. The first man-made nuclear fusion was created. The class divide was still very prominent and strong. Labour were in government. Queen Elizabeth II had only recently bee n crowned. The idea of a new age had begun. About the Author Name:Alan Sillitoe Born:4th March 1928, Nottingham. Family:Second son of an illiterate tannery laborer. His father, Christopher Sillitoe, became one of the long-term unemployed during the 1930s Depression.On different occasions he worked as a house painter. Once he was imprisoned for â€Å"running up bills for food that he had no hope of paying. † Sillitoe's mother, Silvina (Burton) worked in a lace factory. â€Å"We lived in a room on Talbot Street whose four walls smelled of leaking gas, stale fat, and layers of mouldering wall-paper,† Sillitoe has recalled. Early life:Left school at 14 Sillitoe’s childhood was shadowed by the financial problems of the family, but he also found early on the joys of literature and started to plan his career as a writer.However, his first semi-fictional tale about his wild cousins was burned by his mother for being too revealing. At the age of 14 he left school and wor ked in a number of jobs in Nottingham factories, including a bicycle factory from 1942 to 1946. He served in the Royal Air Force, where he was a wireless operator. After returning from Malaya, he was discovered to have tuberculosis. Sill toe spent sixteen months in an RAF hospital. During this period he started to write again and read intensively. Pensioned off at 21 on 45 shillings at week, he lived in France and Spain for seven years in an attempt to recover.In 1951 he met an American poet, Ruth Fainlight, who was married, but they decided to go abroad together. From 1952 to 1958 they lived in France, Italy and Spain largely on Sillitoe's air force pension. Encouraged by Robert Graves, whom he met on the island of Mallorca in 1956, Sillitoe began to write his first novel, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING (1958), a story about working-class life in Nottingham. Adapters of the book †¢ Amanda Whittington Previous plays for New Perspectives include: The Boy on the Hill; Last Sto p Louisa’s; and Player’s Angels.Other plays include: Ladies Day (Hull Truck); Satin N Steel (Nottingham Playhouse and Bolton Octagon); Be My Baby (Soho Theatre and subsequently staged by Oldham Coliseum, Hull Truck and Salisbury Playhouse); Born To Run (Third Space); Bollywood Jane (Leicester Haymarket); The Wills’s Girls (Tobacco Factory, Bristol and Radio Four). Publications include: Satin N Steel and Be My Baby (Nick Hern Books); and Twist & Shout, Runaway Girl and Shirley’s Song (SchoolPlay). Amanda has also written for film and television, and was joint winner of the 2001 Dennis Potter Screenwriting Award. David Brett David Brett is an English actor, singer and arranger. David Brett is one of the original members of The Flying Pickets. He arranged a number of the group's songs, including the number one hit Only You. Brett is working as an actor, mainly performing on stage, but he has also participated in a number of TV productions and played Dedalus Diggle in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone[1]. Characters Arthur Seaton: (21) a tall, iron-faced, crop-haired youth Loudmouth: (40) a sailor Brenda: (30) a married mother of two Em’ler: (20’s) Brenda’s friend, a bit touchedWinnie: (25) Brenda’s sister, small and fiery Waiter: too old for the job he’s forced to do Sweeper Girls: (20’s) factory workers Tealady: (40’s) a fixture of the factory Jack: (30) self-contained, fresh-faced, with a perpetual frown Robboe: (40) the foreman, a quiet man with tortured eyes Aunt Ada: (50) the personality of a promiscuous barmaid Mick: (40’s) an Irish drunk Landlady: (50’s) worldly-wise and cynical Courting Couple: (20’s) love-struck Grieving Man: (30’s) confused and sad Doreen: (19) fresh and innocent with a sharp edgeSwaddies: (20’s) army thugs Can be staged with a minimum of six actors, playing: Arthur Brenda/Tealady/Landlady Jack/Loudmouth/Grieving Man/Sw addie Winnie/Aunt Ada/Sweeper Girl/Ratface Doreen/Em’Ler/Sweeper Girl/Courting Girl Waiter/Robboe/Mick/Courting Boy/Swaddie Principal Analysis Arthur: Arthur Seaton, a lathe operator in a bicycle factory in Nottingham, England. The blond, muscular twenty- one-year-old fights to remain independent of society, employers, and marriage. He dates married women—first Brenda, then Winnie—and engages in boisterous drinking bouts.After a beating by Winnie’s soldier husband, he settles for the single Doreen, deciding that he need not reject all that life offers to remain independent. Brenda: Jack’s wife and Arthur’s lover. A young mother of two, she is bored with Jack and finds romance and excitement with Arthur. She is part of the dangerous â€Å"Saturday Night† life of the first half of the novel. After having an abortion, and after Arthur, discovered by Jack, has been beaten, she fades from the action. Doreen Greatton: a factory worker. Nine teen years old and single, she is eager to be married but seeks to curb Arthur’s excesses.She represents marriage and settling down to Arthur in the â€Å"Sunday Morning† half of the novel. She fails to get him past every pub but has won commitment from Arthur at the end. Winnie: nicknamed â€Å"Gyp,† Brenda’s sister. She is livelier and more reckless than her older sister. She, too, has an affair with Arthur. Her husband, Bill, is a soldier stationed in Germany. He returns on leave with a friend and, tipped off to the affair by Jack, beats Arthur. By dating Winnie, Arthur hastens an end to the dangerous life that he is finding to be a strain.Jack: Brenda’s husband and Arthur’s foreman at the factory. He is steady but dull. Rather than confront Arthur, he betrays him to Bill, Winnie’s husband. Aunt Ada: Arthur’s widowed aunt, a large, boisterous, and nurturing mother figure whose house teems with family at Christmas. Following his beating by Winnie’s husband, Arthur becomes withdrawn and cautious. It is in her house, under her vital influence, that Arthur breaks out of his withdrawal and returns to life, but with new attitudes. In different Media Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was first a novel written by Alan Sillitoe in 1958.It was one of the first kinds of Kitchen Sink Drama’s, with other noticeable ones being Angry Young Men and Billy Liar. It was adapted into a film in 1960, starring Albert Finney. The screenplay was adapted by Sillitoe himself. The next adaptation was by David Brett in 1964 as a low budget stage show, with a then unknown Ian McKellen in the role. The next proper adaptation was by Amanda Whittington References and Themes in the 21st Century Adultery Loyalty Revenge Violence Love/Friendship Deceit Rectification of your Mistakes

Ethics in Advertisements

Ethics in advertisements Advertisement is the process of communicating the most persuasive selling message possible, to the right potential consumer of products or services at the right time and place, at least possible cost. Advertisement acts as a communicating bridge between producer and consumer. With industrialization and expansion of market access, importance of advertising is steadily on the increase in modern society. Advertising, using media as its vehicle, is a pervasive, powerful force shaping attitudes and behavior in today's world. At times it goes beyond the traditional role of ‘fair and truthful’ information and portraits obscene, undesirable and unethical scenes giving a detrimental result especially on the young population of the society. The article have talked about various types of unethical advertisements like advertisements endorsed by children, surrogate advertising, false and misleading advertisements etc. This article also talks about few advertisements which are ethical. The ethical aspect of Indian advertisement is extremely important for restoration of our Indian culture, norms, ethics and heritage. Introduction: Ethics: Ethics have always been an important aspect of every business activity, although the term has meant different things at different times in different lands to different people. Nonetheless, as ethical concerns are an inseparable element of business, advertising cannot ignore them. Sadly, the advertising industry has rarely cared to look beyond immediate marketing objectives. The argument in the industry is that it is the government's job to judge what is right and what is wrong. Shirking its own responsibility for regulation, the industry has belittled business values and agencies have harmed their balance sheets. For any business, customer is very important, and businessman attempt to communicate to all their target customers using means of communication like advertising and sales promotion. Advertising is a very powerful and most commonly used tool. Definition of ethics in advertising: The term ethics in business involves â€Å"morality, organisational ethics and professional deontology† (Isaac, cited in Bergadaa', 2007). Every industry has its own guidelines for the ethical requirements. However, the principal four requirements for marketing communications are to be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Unfortunately, in a society where the course of action of the companies is determined by profit targets the use of marketing communications messages â€Å"may constitute a form of social pollution through the potentially damaging and unintended effects it may have on consumer decision making† (Hackley and Kitchen, 1999). Benefits of advertising Communication The organization has to attract the customer and crededate a market for its products. For this purpose, advertising is the most powerful and widely used tool for communicating message regarding products/services to a large target audience. To raise the standard of living In our developing economy, adverting with its micro and macro level influences, exerts vast and varied influences that have played key role in raising the standards of physical and material well being of the Indian society. To make market competitive In India, one finds many innovations being introduced which has changed the market structure from seller's market, and thus the result is more competitive market conditions. Product differentiation It is a fact that advertising brings about products variety through real and psychological product differentiation. Critical evaluation of advertising Though many benefits are achieved through advertisements, the ad message is becoming more and more exaggerated. To achieve competitive advantage, advertising magnifies unimportant differences, resorts to clever, tricky product promises, and claims more and more unbelievable benefits. The customer finds many advertisements as false, deceptive, or misleading. Consumers are uncertain regarding whether or not the performance of a product purchased will in fact meet their needs. If they find that the product lacks in quality, advantage, durability etc. , as advertised they might not buy it again, and develop an aversion to every other product of that company. Unethical advertising Advertisement is considered unethical in the following situations; When it has degraded or underestimated the substitute or rival's product. When it gives false or misleading information on the value of the product. When it fails to give useful information on the possible reaction or side effects of the product. When it is immoral. Ways of misleading the consumers: Many a time, traders entice the customers into their stores by advertising goods at a very low price, but they stock only a handful of such sale items in the store. When the advertised goods are sold out, consumers are steered towards the higher-priced stock or lower quality goods. Sale offer should be for a limited period. Advertisement should declare that sale offer is for a limited time period. The period of the offer should be made clear in the advertisement only when the advertised goods are available for a limited period or stocks are limited. Traders often offer insignificant price reduction. To illustrate, a trader may advertise that the price of product is reduced to Rs. 99. 95, when the normal selling price is Rs. 100. The trader must include the normal selling price and discounted price in his offer . The trader sale offer is misleading if the trader claims the product is below cost, when the price is not below cost after discounts, rebates and other allowances it is misleading if the trader simply shows a fictitious higher price as normal selling price in the advertisement. Advertisement must clearly indicate the total price of goods or services. All price comparison must be truthful and must not intentionally or unintentionally mislead the consumers. Under the Fair Trade Practices Act, retailers have an obligation to ensure that they do not mislead or make false representations to customers with respect to price of the goods. The consumers who shop around and compare the prices of various products are less likely to be deceived by misleading claims consumers should also be aware of what is a reasonable price of goods and not take any advertised discounts at face value. While many sales are legitimate or genuine, the consumers should not get attracted to such sales offers i. e. , â€Å"Hurry†¦ very few days remain for sale†. The consumers should be aware of what to expect when retailers place items on sale and how to avoid being misled by discount advertisements. A marketer should take care to ensure that when goods or services are advertised to be available at a discount or as being on sale, it is a genuine discount or sale. Categories of advertisements: Personal ethics Business ethics Human values Societal ethics Personal ethics: Advertisements which shows impact on personal feelings and relations are divided into two categories viz. , ads which convey personal ethics and which do not. Advertisements which convey personal ethics are: HDFC life insurance: This ad tells about personal relationship between father and his daughter. Surf Excel: This ad conveys the student’s affection towards his teacher. Advertisements which do not convey personal ethics are: Mentos: This ad shows declining respect of a student towards his teacher. Close up: This ad degrades the value of friendship. Business ethics: Advertisements which follow the business rules and values are divided into two categories viz. , ads which follow business ethics and which do not. Advertisements which follow business ethics are: Clinic all clear: This ad follows business ethics by only promoting its product. Horlicks: This ad promotes its product by exhibiting its product. Advertisements which do not follow business ethics: Adwars which come under this category are: Coke vs pepsi Rin vs tide Human Values : Advertisements which shows human nature, cultureand behavior are divided into two categories viz. , ads which convey human values and which do not. Advertisements which convey human values are: Airtel: This ad features its promotions by showing the importance of togetherness. Fair and lovely: This ad shows the importance of human values. Advertisements which do not convey human values are: Dairy milk silk: This ad features its promotion by degrading the importance of culture Fair and lovely: This ad shows the impact of beauty on culture Societal ethics : Advertisements which shows responsibilities towards society are divided into two categories viz. , ads which convey societal ethics and which do not. Advertisements which convey societal ethics are: Tata tea : This ad shows the need of public participation and importance of politician towards society Pulser mania : This ad mainly concentrates on promoting itself rather than safety Idea : This partly conveys societal ethics but donot concentrate on the applicability of it There are many other advertisements which show concern towards the society. Some of them are: Aircel, which has taken an initiative to save our national animal by the campaign â€Å"save our tigers† Conclusion: Reputable companies and advertising agencies avoid telling lies. They realize the cost of being caught. A dent in trust can prove to be much costlier than the failure of an ad campaign or for that matter, even a brand. The challenge before advertisers and agencies is to ensure that ads reflect our values. We must endeavor to see that â€Å"advertising† does not remain a dirty word.

International Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Law - Research Paper Example Goliath and Junior are correct because their trade policies cannot be termed as monopolies outside the United States. Cayman Islands (Junior, Ltd.) is a foreign company and is, therefore, not subject to the laws governing trade in the United States. Goliath Inc is also not liable to the law suit being supported by the United States since its contract with Junior Ltd does not affect the American market. Regulations concerning price fixing are normally applied internationally. However, when there are laws that seek to restrict price fixing to national sovereignty, challenges arise in finding out whether Goliath and Junior violated the anti-trust law (Mann and Barry, 2004). The major controversy arises due to the applicability of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to foreign businesses. It is true that Goliath was in contract with a company of foreign origin. However, its market is outside the United States. It is, therefore, difficult to enforce the law to the international market (Hylton, 2003). The geographic market is very important in determining whether the two companies engaged in illegal dealings. According to the act, the confines of the market are only within the United States. The market in which companies sell their products should be national, regional or local but not global. Goliath Inc. and Junior Ltd. have not committed any crime by engaging gin contracts that may affect the international market. The United States government should only be concerned if the operations of the two companies are affecting the national and interstate markets. The market in which an organization, for instance, Goliath Inc. and Junior Ltd. serve is not limited by transportation costs, the kinds of service, or product they sell and the geographic location of their competitors. Different countries have different laws concerning market monopolies. It is, therefore, difficult to find Junior Ltd with any wrong doing since the company is registered in line with

Bullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Bullying - Essay Example Secondly, bullying may take place as a way of shifting attention. For example, it may occur to conceal bad things taking place in an organization such as dishonesty and misuse of funds. On the other hand, bullying in the workplace leads to various effects. Some of the effects include demoralization, lack of teamwork, and makes one feel alienated (Tim Field Foundation 1). Bullying may also make an organization inefficient and unproductive. Bullying behaviors are also shown to be behind all form of negative things experienced in the workplace. Such negative things include favoritism, harassment, unfairness, abuse, and conflict and violence. On the other hand, workplace bullying is said to occur in stages. These stages include ‘isolation, control and subjugation, and elimination’ (Tim Field Foundation 1). Isolation is said to be characterized by criticism, fault finding, and being sidelined. Control and subjugation, on the other hand, is characterized by patronization, humiliation, and being a target of gossip. Elimination is characterized by subjection to disciplinary procedures that end with the

Civil Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil Service - Essay Example From this study it is clear that   there are people who are dedicated enough to work tirelessly without thinking of the appreciation and rewards coming their way. Indeed such federal employees deserve all the accolades for being devoted to their respective jobs and demonstrating professionalism on an out and out basis. These federal employees find it easier to satisfy their conscience more than anyone else and this remains a much debatable aspect related with civil service nonetheless. The need is to understand how civil service could prove to be a positive force behind the nation’s perceptive regimes. The answer lays in the fact that accountability and hiring of dedicated staff could actually solve the anomaly with the issue at hand. This study outlines that the recognition and appreciation aspects of the federal employees come about when they do something extraordinary. However they are not given much credit when they do their work in a responsible manner, for the sake of the public. Indeed the fault lies within the public itself which fails to recognize the true talent of the civil service and the people who work within these areas – the federal employees. The state should also enact certain policies which ask of the people to give feedback with regards to these federal employees so that betterment within the relevant fields could be achieved. The civil service is indeed a domain of the government in one way or the other and hence the government should be accountable for the mistakes that these federal employees commit.  

Parpgraising paragragh about phosphene and alkynyl legand Essay

Parpgraising paragragh about phosphene and alkynyl legand - Essay Example Large variety of phosphines are thus possible, while different widely available verities include 1,1’ (BINAP) and 2,2’-bis (diphenylphosphino). In such chiral systems, steric constraints come up, that can be resolved into diastereomers. While discussing reactivity of complexes belonging to phosphine ligands, two properties of these ligands are considered important. These properties relate to their steric bulk and their accepting ability, also called electron donating ability. (d-Metal OGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY) Like alkyl groups, alkynyl, alkenyl and aryl groups can bond to a metal form through a single carbon atom. For this property, these groups are described as â€Å"monohapto’. However, there is a possibility of each of these three groups accepting â€Å"pai† electron density into anti-bonding orbitals, although the same has not been observed, largely, so far. This can be ratified by an example, which shows little change in the stretching frequency of the triple bond in alkynyl complexes, as they attach to a metal; although â€Å"n-1 –alkynyl group† might be considered analogous to a CO group. As per d-metal organometallic chemistry noting, the displacement of halide with a lithium reagent at a metal center can make way for introduction of alkynyl groups into organometallic complexes. While looking at the donor-pair scheme of electron counting, alkynyl ligands are considered to be two-electron donors with a single negative charge. (alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Anything - Essay Example On the other hand, the benefits derived from age-appropriate content amongst children range from staying connected to friends, developing and expressing your individual identity, sharing content of self-expression such as artwork and music and developing new social contacts amongst peers with similar interest. Firstly, I argue against by asserting that socials sites exposure is toxic to young minds. Children are gullible hence any material presented to them indeed provokes a feeling of interest. In this case, internet exposure takes a dramatic twists as most of these young minds are concentrated on experiences that are beyond their understanding (Warburton & Hatzipanagos, 2013). Time spent in social media must have been cut out from other useful activities such as school projects, help around with small household chores and cases of sleep deprivation. A child under the influence of such will showcase discomfort and reduced concentration capability. Children will likely attracted to the internet because of quick access to Information that may seem vulgar and inappropriate, keeping in mind that in such a situation no objection is involved. Accordingly, an anticipated outcome is the deterioration in class performance. On the other hand, I argue for by asserting that through proper restrictio n to ensure age-appropriate content amongst children presents an opportunity for children to benefit from social sites. Parents must monitor and ensure safety based on free discussion with the children and guiding them appropriately on the use of social sites. Parents must keep control of their information by access restriction to some sites, keep their full names, address, telephone number, social security number to themselves. Ensure the children only post information they are comfortable with everyone viewing and talk to their parents before considering

Organizational Innovation and Change - Critical Thinking Mod 7 - Tyco Essay

Organizational Innovation and Change - Critical Thinking Mod 7 - Tyco - Essay Example Dialogue is an important skill that changes the behaviors of persons in different ways. It changes a person’s behavior in such a manner that one speaks out the touchy issues that disturb the mind (Glaser, 2009). Dialogue improves a person’s attitude. Through management involvement, the unyielding of an individual attitudes is prompted. It also transforms the cultural feelings brought about by the existing organization through creation of new regulations to govern a large organization. The new transformation team in Tyco Company involved its employees in decision making which increased the workers morale. Dialogue helped in creating team work in the company. Worker involvement in the organization issues was not portrayed in the former management (Glaser, 2009). Problem solving was brought near the worker and the problem solving by the management was enhanced by the implementation of offered solutions. In dialogue, the participants should put down their positions and opin ions so as to give each speaker time to give out views that should be respected. Vignettes There are many issues that should be taken into consideration in writing the vignettes to be used by an international company like Tyco. Problems such as language barrier, ethnicity, tribe, workers nationality, religion and economic aspects are prevalent. Hard work and determination will be highly valued in any organization and this should be the case with the workers and the associates of the Tyco Company. Respect is also a factor of major concern in the company. Every person in the Tyco fraternity is of importance and is highly valued therefore respect should prevail amongst all workers in the organization. No intimidation whatsoever is expected in the company irrespective of the status anyone holds in the organization. No one should be intimidated on matters relating to sex, nationality, religion, age or ethnicity so as to defend the sovereignty of the organization. Incase of crimes relatin g to any issue, should be channeled to the management through the right channels so as to maintain togetherness and tranquility in the organization. Organizational wrangles might develop internationally if these instructions are not channeled in the right manner. Changes Employed by the Top Management Change is very important in every institution that leads to morale and appraisal to the members of the organization. This can be affected in an organization through involvement of the workers in decision making process (Tanya, 2010). This will give the workers the morale to work so that they can be promoted to management position. This can be given a try by wiping out conspiracy in the organization which makes the top management to implement new laws that does not tolerate incompetence but upraises those who abide by the law. Bringing management to the roots helps in relieving workers after the end of the worse regime. Workers involvement in the institutional issues helps the managemen t to get first hand information in the areas that need reshuffle due to arguments from workers (Tanya, 2010). The satisfaction of employees helps to get relevant information on the reactions of seniors towards juniors. Address to Shareholders Shareholders are the major sources of capital for every organization. The shareholders of Tyco Company are the major people who can lead towards the attainment of Tyco’s organizational goals. Therefore due to the end of the down trawling regime the company’s fame must be defended and retained at all cost. This can be

Motivational Climate Task and Ego Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivational Climate Task and Ego - Essay Example Motivational climate ego is of entirely another genre. The motivation for the ego is to win and win at any cost. It will even resort to lying and cheating to achieve victory. The ego thinks it is the best, does not like the second place and wants none else to be the better player (Schwarz, Joel, 2007). The aim of the ego to win at all times irrespective of the methods used to win is not truly satisfying or fulfilling. It inflates the ego for some time but such victories are consigned to history and become fodder for statistics. Motivational climate task dwells on mastery with a difference. It concentrates on tasks for mastery without overtly looking forward to win and humble the opponent. It is more concerned about its performance at the present time in comparison to the past. The proponents of motivational climate task will complement a player according to his performance, irrespective of whether he lost or won (Walling, Mary D & Duda, Joan L, 2009). The investment on a team of players through the application of motivational climate task sends the team soaring in high spirits. The realization that something is being done about their weaknesses is a positive development that not only improves individual performance but also boosts team morale. In motivational climate task "Studies that view coaches' behaviors a... It is not possible to be totally free of egoism in team efforts. There is the mix of task as well as ego-oriented attitudes in any venture. The idea is to raise awareness about the task and not to pay attention to the ego. Tasks motivational climate involves a broad approach to the game. It does not include winning by wrong means. Individuals prefer tasks motivational climate when they play a game to "develop their skills, compete, and interact with others" rather than concentrate totally on just winning (Walling, Mary D & Duda, Joan L, 2009). Ego-centric motivational climate dwells on the methods and abilities of individual players. It defines strategies to win at any cost. It does not consider broad team work and strong and principled stand when playing. Ego-centric motivational climate does not strictly abide by the rules. It might even resort to bullying and cheating if these help in securing a win. Research shows that majority of adults and even children prefer to play for fun and participation. This certainly augurs well for tasks motivational climate. Normally, any community groups consist of men and women of experience and qualify for mastery in motivational climate task. As such, they are in a position to foster a learning environment that encourages innovation and growth. Thus, the group succeeds in establishing an attitude for competitive and healthy growth in a socio-cultural environment that balances individual strengths and weaknesses and sets the stage for motivational climate that provides the growth curve. "Teaching that is based on adult learning theories of motivation and infused with techniques for

Business Law Essay Example for Free

Business Law Essay Introduction At the course of Business Law, we got the knowledge about the contract. In addition we have an assignment that provides a contract analysis. This evaluation of the contract will be reviewed in accordance with the following requirements: 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. So, a contract is any voluntary legally binding agreement between two or more people or businesses. In our case the two parties will be represented by The State of Oregon, and by Pro DX, who will provide services and goods to the first one. 1. What specifically makes this contract enforceable? Based on the English Statute of Frauds, not every contract has to be in writing to be valid and enforceable, but some contracts should be. This agreement between State of Oregon and Pro DX, should be in writing because this contract involving the providing of services (repairs, replacements, maintenances, and others) exceeding a big amount of money. To avoid misunderstandings and disagreements and to reduce the possibility of perjury by one party or the other, this contract should be in writing. Furthermore, because it can be performed in less than one year, this kind of contract can be in oral form, and it requires involving the third party (a witness) who in case of the trial will bring a reasonable and effective evidences, otherwise one of the party might deny that the contract ever existed or might disagree on the terms of the contract. Besides that this contract is a service contract, it is also a good contract because it requires implementation of goods components in modernizat ion of the software. (Article 2 of the UCC) This contract, like all contracts become enforceable if all the elements of the contract have been fulfilled without fail. First that prove that the contract is enforceable is the offer. * The offer is a proposal made by one person to another person for the sale and purchase of goods, to engage in a job, action participation, and provision of services. So this contract offers software system design and programming services, in the future is valued at $ 52,800.00 for the state of Oregon. * Another element mentioned in the contract is acceptance. In general acceptance of an offer is a manifestation of assent to the terms thereof made by the offeree in a manner invited or required by the offer. Acceptance in this case is described that contractor, herein Pro DX, agrees to perform the work in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract. * Another important element found in this agreement is the legal consideration; this means that each party must provide something of value. In our contract this means that one party (Pro DX) will provide a service (such as maintenance, programming services, software), or a product, in exchange for money (from the State of Oregon, therein represented by the DHS). * If talking about a Professional Data Exchange Company and State of Oregon, we automatically can say that another element of contract is automatically respected. This is capacity to create a contract such means that each party must have the legal capacity to enter a contract. In most jurisdictions that means that they must be at least a certain age and of sound mind. For this mentioned companies it may mean that the individual is given express authority to enter a contract in the company’s bylaws or other formal documents, such is State of Oregon that is acting by and trough its Department of Human Services, Office of Information Services, hereinafter referred to as DHS. * An element with the biggest importance is that this contract has a legal purpose. And it is, because this agreement refers just to providing of services and not illegal things. * The last element that should make enforceable this contract is that both parties should be mentally competent. In special this contract, has all this requirements but it is still unenforceable because it doesn’t have so little elements that also make a contract enforceable. These are: the commencement date of the contract, party’s rights written in and not only the responsibilities, and party’s signatures and stamps. 2. What are the responsibilities of both parties? The important responsibilities of the contractor (therein as Pro DX) are: * To provide system design and programming services, including COBOL II, Easytrieve Plus, CICS, CA Intertest and VSAM and DB2 file structures, and make corrections approved by DHS Project Manager. * To construct or modify and implement programs/ files that will control the processing of rates on the JD/CBC system, based on DHS supplied Project Design document and criteria. * To perform design changes, programming, acceptance testing or implementation to address unforeseen error(s), newly discovered bugs and/or interfacing issues. * To demonstrate successful implementation of the production system content with the requirements of Statement of Work to DHS Project Manager. * All these services should be provided in specific limit of time and cost. While the DHS Project Manager responsibilities are: * To provide the necessary methodologies and standards that conforms to documentation standards. * To promote the rules for completing each task within time frame and approval of every task. * To define and document what testing data is needed for the CBC/512 rate structure project. * To pay for services provided by contractor herein as Professional Data Exchange (ProDX). 3. What are the possible damages and liabilities? If Pro DX breaches the contract, the possible damages can be: * The DHS might sue the party for a remedies under the law; * The Pro DX will be enforced to pay the caused damages, that can be compensatory, liquidated, nominal, and/or punitive damages. * The Pro DX can be enforced to a specific performance. Basically a decree requiring the breaching party to perform their part of the bargain in the contract. * Pro DX might meet with the terms such -Cancellation and Restitution. A non-breaching party may cancel the contract and sue for restitution if the non-breaching party has given a benefit to the breaching party. The former contract which is the subject of dispute is â€Å"rescinded† (cancelled), and a new one may be formed to meet the parties’ needs. * Pro DX will have to pay the attorney’s fees and cost. (in case of litigation). If we will look from the DHS’s side, the possible damages that can appear are: * To waste time waiting for the performance; * To lose the work that should be provided after the implementation; * Damage also includes the costs of hiring another company to finish the job. The liabilities that can be provided by Pro DX are: * To provide the programs and software that will satisfy the State of Oregon; * To complete all maintenance work within time frame; * To not to exceed the cost and work hours. The liabilities that should be provided by DHS are: * To establish the criteria and methodologies necessaries to accept the new right implemented programs and software; * To make corrections (if needed) in the supplied services; * To pay money for successful implemented system. 4. What impact does a potential breach of contract have on the business? So in the case of non-fulfillment of a contract by one party (for example by Pro DX), as a result the other party (DHS) suffers losses. Breach of a contract has negative effects, and has wide ranging consequences both legal and practical to the parties to the contract: * Loss of money – (if, for example, Pro DX refuses to form his side of the bargain on the due date or performs incompletely, in result the second party, DHS, will lose their money for this implementation and also will lose their time spend on waiting for, and somehow will lose the profit that can be made further). * Loss of time (if, for example, Pro DX’s programs and software will not be accepted by the DHS’s side, the first will result that lost their time, and some files or programs, for doing this job). * Loss of a financial partner- it can be lose a potential investor or/and the business with who you are dealing. * Loss of trust- it is bad for any business, because no one will have pleasure to make business with an entity that lost trust in the market. * Loss of markets- insufficiently active or successful business means a loss of competitiveness and loss of market. * Injury to reputation It is not good for a business reputation if word gets out that they have not honored their part of the contract. Other companies will be reluctant to do business with an entity which has previously defaulted on other contracts. 5. Summarize, by reflecting in general on the impact legal issues can have in both small and large businesses. Although some recent studies have looked at the impact of regulations on the relationship between government and private business in general, the attention has been directed toward understanding precisely how government regulations have affected small businesses. There is good reason to believe that size matters. Precisely because of their smaller size, small businesses are likely to be less diversified and less able to leverage economies of scale or to access capital markets. As a result, small businesses might be more risk-averse and less able to react to unexpected events compared to larger businesses. Large firms with deep pockets might be more frequent targets of employee discrimination, wrongful discharge and other suits. Large firms might also have a stronger incentive to spend substantial resources aggressively defending any one suit so as to deter future suits. On the other hand, small firms may be more vulnerable to breach of a non-compete agreement or violation of trade secrets rules as the entire business may depend on that trade secret. As a result, they may be more likely to prosecute, in spite of the costs and the risks of bankruptcy. (http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html, Source: U.S. Census Bureau.) Also as an owner of a small business or a large business, the common danger of crippling litigation should also be at the top of your priorities. Disgruntled Employees, Discrimination/Harassment Cases, Immigration Audits – any business should make sure that all its company’s employees can legally work in the United States. Unsatisfied Customers Customers who are unsatisfied can file class action lawsuits against the company, in which they gather in large consumer groups and attack the company over faulty products, services or promises. With enough unsatisfied customers, class action lawsuits can do more damage than any individual or corporation and irreparably tarnish your brand’s image. Other Legal Issues These are only some of the most common legal issues facing small and large businesses today. Good communication in the workplace and a hands-on approach to management is the best deterrent to legal issues. Of course the big companies that are facing with these issues, the damage (financial risks, or company image) are higher and have a more sever reflection, than a small company could have. 6. What are the implications this project has for your chosen career? At the end of this evaluation of the contract, as a future accountant, I understood that the contract is the safer way to make an exchange of goods and/or services. I got the knowledge what is a valid contract, what it makes enforceable, what are the elements of the contract, what are the risks and liabilities. This big source of information will help me to be more capable and to feel free while signing a contract. Those skills will help me to manage my business or my job as accountant without breaking the law. Everyone in his life has deals with the contracts, even if this is unwritten or is written one. Even in the supermarket, or when we are buying clothes, we are doing the exchange of money and a product. So the rules of the contract is that one party is offering something, when another party is considering your offer and decides to have a relationship with you or not. Also, as an accountant or a business woman, an important thing is to know how, to behave in unexpected situation. In activity of businesses can appear the situations called Force Majeure- this is an emergency, do not depend on the participation of the parties. (For example: fire, earthquakes, hurricanes, and others.). In this case, none of the parties is legally responsible for its obligations. Further, to that contract, is made an additional agreement, which specifies other conditions. So knowing what is legal and what are the criteria that make a contract valid and enforceable will help me to succeed in my accountant ca reer. Conclusion Business law courses were often overlooked in high school, or college. It’s not an education required strictly for attorneys that represent and defend businesses, in fact it’s pretty much for almost anyone. Contracts are written or oral agreement between two or more parties. The parties can be individuals, companies, non-profits or government agencies. With a contract, two or more parties agree to exchange services or promises. Many parts of our daily lives involve contracts. When we buy an insurance policy for the home or the car, for example, we are entering into an agreement. Many people have employment contracts. Even when we go to a doctor these days we have to sign a contract agreeing to receive medical treatment. If speaking in special about this analysis of a contract, about knowing how and when we enter into a contract to be safer, more convenient and profitable. So business law through information and specific examples will help us to get more information sought. In analysis of such a contract, we are able to focus on the elements and requirements so, that we do not overlook anything. This practice will develop in the future to have a professional behavior in the process of concluding a contract.

Nissans Global Strategy

Nissans Global Strategy Nissans global strategy with focus towards its entry and expansion to India Introduction Globalisation in terms of strategy actually makes us aware of to two simultaneous changes, the globalisation of industries and the globalisation of markets. The globalisation of industries refers to the increased integration of business across national borders due to rapid advancement in communications, transportations and the absence of wide spread high intensity world conflict leading to increased international trade flows and foreign direct investment. The technological advances combined with successful implementation of free trade policies by many countries has resulted in companies being able to expand their operations internationally as well as compete itself in multiple countries. The globalisation of markets refers to the concept that demand preferences are becoming more homogenous across national borders which means people are increasingly looking for same product around the world. Both these aspects play predominant importance in a firms global strategy towards its expansio n internationally. (Scott Gallagher, 2005) Nissans Global Strategy Nissan Motors global strategy involves its aim to become an industry leader in zero-emission vehicles and to cultivate developing markets with low-cost global cars. As part of zero-emission environmental friendly vehicles, it would be beginning with the launching of the new electric vehicles (EVs) which would be powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries to be jointly developed with electronic maker NEC Corp. The EV to be introduced will have a unique body style on an all-new vehicle platform which would be compact for the city, yet big enough to carry five adults. Importantly, it will be thoroughly usable with brisk performance and a range of 160kms. It will have the performance of a typical 1.6-litre petrol-engine car while recharging from a high voltage source will restore 80 per cent of the battery capacity in around 30 minutes. The company with its alliance partner Renault, which holds 44% stake in it, has been developing partnerships with various governments and specialist compa nies to build a sustainable mobility network and create public awareness towards EVs as its preparing for marketing them on a mass scale. Various understanding has been signed with electricity companies, charging station suppliers and governments to promote the concept of zero emission mobility and provide infrastructure support, craft legislation or offer incentives such as tax relief, parking or toll rebates for EV buyers (Source: The Japan Times online, May 14, 2008). Cultivating developing markets with low-cost global cars, Nissan is globally launching its new small car on a fresh global platform. The common global platform strategy is part of Nissans endeavour to produce a host of cars, be it hatchbacks or sedans, across five countries in which thus far India, China and Thailand have been identified as key manufacturing locations. The new small car, touted as a replacement for the Micra, will first go into production in Thailand with shipping out key components from India and t hen later on the production would be from India. Nissans Entry Expansion to India As part of its entry and expansion to India, the company is tying up with its alliance partner Renault and stetted up a manufacturing facility in Chennai, India with an investment of INR 4500 crores, which will have a capacity of producing four lakh units. It also has alliance with Ashok Leyland to build Light Commercial Vehicles, with Bajaj to develop ultra-low-cost cars, with Hover for marketing, sales and dealer development support and with Maruti-Suzuki to export A-segment vehicles to Europe (Source: The Hindu Business Line, Sep 30, 2009). Apart from setting up a manufacturing facility, Nissan Motors India Private Limited is also developing a high-tech research and development facility in Chennai mainly used for developing Robotic painting that would help in boosting up the quality, enhance flexibility, increase saving and improve safety for its international business. This R D facility would allow the company to claim the weighted tax deduction of up to 150% for in-house resear ch and R D activities entitled by the government of India, making its product more likely cheaper (Source: Rediff India Abroad, Apr 10, 2009). The company believes that the scope of growth in India is immense since the penetration of vehicles into the markets is less than 50 per 1000 nationals compared to US of 800, Germany, Japan, UK and France of 600 vehicles per 1,000 people. The total industry volume globally increased 6.1 per cent even though Western Europe was flat, the US market was down 3.5 per cent and Japan was down 5.3 per cent in 2008 (Source: Business Standard, May 13, 2008). As part of its marketing strategy, the company, which already has two models ‘Teana and ‘X-Trail for the Indian market from 2004 onwards, is rolling out new sports car ‘Z370 in 2010 and fully redesigned luxury sedan ‘Teana and ‘X-Trail. The ‘Teana which was pitted against the Volkswagen Passat and the BMW 3 Series, won the Indian Executive Car of the Year 2008 for its excellence in driving comfort, performance, design and style, purpose with relevance and value for money. All these three vehicles is brought as Completely Built Units from Japan paying 109 percent duty showing that the company is making all possible efforts to expand its presence in India. Apart from that the company, will increase its product range to nine models by 2012, five of which will be manufactured in the Chennai plant. The first among these, to be launched in mid 2010, will be a hatchback based on the platform of Nissan Micra, expected to be priced close to INR 5 lakhs in t he Indian market (Source: The Economic Times, Sep 27, 2009). The company will begin exporting to Europe by second half of 2010, approximately 110,000 units (expected to grow to 180,000 units in future), manufactured in India per year, for which it has a contract manufacturing alliance with Maruti Suzuki. For exporting from Chennai, India, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ennore Port Ltd (EPL), making it the first automaker to utilize this eastern gateway port of India as an export base. EPL will complete development of a berth with space of 140,000m2 for vehicles by the end of June 2010 and would provide dedicated jetty for exports of Nissan cars to Europe (Source: Drive Inside.com, Oct 18, 2008). There is no information on how Nissan is going to price its car in Europe, exported from India, but the company will have to definitely address the import-export tariff rates as the EU-India Free Trade Agreement is still under negotiation and is most likely to be signed at the end of 2010. Regarding the exchange rate issues, it will depend upon which currency the company is going to invoice on. If its in US Dollars, as done for most of the trading between EU and India, then the company would have to look into the exchange rates between Indian Rupee Dollar and Dollar Euro. If its going for Euro trade, then it would have to address the exchange rates between Euro and Indian Rupee. In both these cases, the company will have to come up with fixed exchange values for fixing price and hope that it does not vary drastically on the negative side leading to reduced profit margins. The company wouldnt have problem converting the profit to Japanese Yen as the Indian currency is fully convertible in the current account. Business in India Doing business in India is all about knowing the system, reading the signals (political and economic) as well as understanding the mood of the market before making investment decisions. The country is politically stable having a parliamentary system of democracy, economically growing rapidly at around 8% in spite of economic downturn, culturally diversified and technologically advanced. It has an efficiently structured business enterprise system with regulatory laws in place which are updated regularly, in keeping with the needs of the industrial and management systems. It is the home to a huge middle class population whose purchasing power parity is rapidly growing which itself forms to one of the biggest consumer bases in the world, besides the growth potential, relatively low risk on investment, easy availability of highly skilled manpower, established contract law, developed legal system, modernizing stock markets, national banking system and democratic institutions constitutes t o some of its advantages. Indias return on investment is one of the highest in the world at 19% compared to Chinas at 14% owing to efficient use of capital, the reason for it is the cost of doing business in India is lower than most countries of the world because of the availability of inexpensive labour and advanced telecommunications (Source: Doing Business in India 2009, WB IFC). The business culture of India is a reflection of the various norms and standards followed by its people. It is so diversified that it changes between every province affecting the way business is done. A sound knowledge of Indias cultural practices and business etiquettes is necessary for any trade or business venture within the country. A proper understanding of culture and business etiquette would not only demonstrate a respect for India but will also create a feel good factor amongst the prospective clients. Culturally and as a mark of politeness, Indians have difficulty in saying no, this could be a stumbling block in negotiations and in closing contracts. The notion of time, time management, punctuality is still an anathema in India. It is more to do with the mindset and ingrained in the Indian culture. It would not be surprising if meetings are postponed, re scheduled, cancelled or organized at a very short notice. Bureaucratic hurdles and a laidback approach to work in the gove rnment circles results in delay in processing and overload of paperwork, hence immense patience is necessary for any business transaction. Also due to the lack of infrastructure and inadequate supply chain management, doing business need to be carefully organised and should be ready to overcome such hurdles. The companies follow the hierarchical system and decision making is usually from the top to bottom (Sandy Naidu, 2008). All companies doing business in India must comply with the regulatory laws under the Companies Act, 1956. It is mandatory for every company in India to register its Articles and Memorandum of Association with the Registrar of Companies (ROC) and should accompany Declaration of Compliance which must be duly stamped and signed by an advocate of the High Court or Supreme Court or chartered accountant in whole time practice, Notice of the situation of the registered company, Particulars of Directors and the ROCs letter indicating the approval of the nomenclature of the company in original. Automotive in India The automobile industry in India is the ninth largest in the world with an annual production of over 2 million units. It emerged as Asias fourth largest exporter of automobiles, behind Japan, South Korea and Thailand. Following economic liberalization in India in 1991 which included opening for international trade and investment, deregulation, initiation of privatization, tax reforms and inflation-controlling measures, the Indian automotive industry has demonstrated sustained growth as a result of increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions. The industry clearly stands out as a significant contributor to the economic growth as it contributes to almost 4% to the GDP, accounting for about 5% of the total industrial output (KPMGs India Automotive Study, 2007). The Indian automobile industry has seen rapid technological change over the last decade in terms of both product characteristics as well as manufacturing processes. At the same time, technological changes and the deepening of technological capabilities have been confined not only to the car manufacturers but also to the auto components industry. The industry has witnessed an unprecedented boom in recent years, owing to the improvement in living standards of the middle class and a significant increase in their disposable incomes added up with easy availability of car loans, affordable rates of interest, smooth repayment facilities and the deductions offered by the retailers (KPMGs India Automotive Study, 2007). Keeping that in mind, most of the major global car manufacturers have established a presence, either through their subsidiaries or through Joint Ventures. These manufacturers have access to the latest technology in product, manufacturing process terms and range of products usin g which trying to make inroads into the Indian market. This has helped transform the technological landscape of the Indian car market by segmenting itself with all varieties of car models like the small cars, mid-size cars, luxury cars, super luxury cars and sports utility vehicles. The constant changes in the existing car models with regard to design, innovation, technology and colours have led to a fiercely competitive market. In spite of all these, the small cars still hold the major market share in terms of sales, making most of the manufacturers to develop cost effective technology to compete in that segment, since the consumers are extremely cost-conscious and have greater awareness towards the latest technologies. Seeing the rapid growth of vehicles in the country, government of India introduced range of policies to tackle vehicular pollution, as a major step towards this, India-2000 norms were introduced, which is Euro-I equivalent. Subsequently Bharat Stage-II (Euro-II equivalent) norms were put into place for passenger cars and multi-utility vehicles and now BS-III BS-IV norms are being adopted in highly polluted cities (Chikkatur, Ananth Sagar, 2007) . At the same time, government has also mandated a reduction of a number of critical pollutants from automobile fuels. Meeting these standards requires the implementation of some combination of technologies such as fuel injection, multi-valve engines, catalytic converters, fixed exhaust gas recirculation and need substantial change in engine design (A.D.Sagar P.Chandra, 2006). All these factors like intense competition, customers price sensitivity, increasingly sophisticated demands and progressively tighter emission standards have acted in concert to place a tremendous pressure on the manufacturers to reduce costs as well as offer an improved and wider range of technological features to their Indian and global customers. This, in turn, has resulted in a series of changes in the technological landscape of the Indian automobile industry. Challenges for Indian Automotive Industry Among the many issues facing the Indian automotive industry, the biggest by far is the poor road infrastructure. Indias road network, comprising of a modest national highway system is woefully inadequate and shabby and can barely keep pace with the auto industrys rapid growth. Most roads are single-lane roads crowded with two-wheelers, bullock carts, pedestrian humans and even cows. Traffic laws are not well enforced leading to one of the highest per-capita accident rates in the world. Secondly, attracting and nurturing talented manpower not only for the creation of better and reliable products but also for servicing and maintenance throughout the life cycle of the product. Thirdly, the massive increase in the cost of input materials like steel which has increased by almost 40%, copper by 45% and natural rubber by 40% and also the significant tariffs imposed on import products and components combined with the inconsistency of currency exchange rates make localization compulsory for c ompanies entering the Indian market. Some of the other issues are like inadequate testing facilities and inspection, maintenance and certification system. Presently the country has testing facilities at the Automotive Research Association of India and the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, but the need for additional and more extensive test facilities has become clearer in the past few years. The country has Inspection and Maintenance policy but it is widely regarded as having only limited effectiveness and an upgraded inspection, maintenance and certification system with better enforcement is urgently needed (Automotive Mission Plan 2006- 2016, Dec 2006). Challenges for Nissan in India Other than the challenges discussed above, that is existing in the automobile sector in India, Nissan will have to overcome some of its own operational challenges like teaching the mindset of ‘Kaizen to its workers and local suppliers and to constantly and consistently raise their quality standards. Kaizen simply means continuous or constant improvement. In Japanese Kai means â€Å"to take apart† and zen means â€Å"to make good.† Together these two words mean to take something apart in order to make it better. Kaizen is based on the fundamentals of scientific analysis in which you â€Å"take apart† the elements of a process or system to understand how it works, and then discover how to influence or improve it. Continuous improvement is the small, gradual, incremental changes applied over a long period of time that add up to a major impact on business and quality results, the realisation of how important a smallest idea is in attaining greatest results. As part of that, under the guidance of team of engineers from Nissan and Honda, Caparo India, the Indian unit of a British auto parts maker that manufacturers steel body panels and other metal parts, have built up a new assembly lines using the Japanese and Taiwanese factory equipment and have effectively adopted Kaizen management (Source: The New York Times, Jun 26, 2008). The other threat the company has is, entering a market segment that is highly competitive, dominated by old players like Maruti-Suzuki, Hyundai Motors and Tata Motors, which together hold majority of the market share for so many years building the confidence of the customers, making it a late entry. The first car to be revealed by Nissan from the platform of Nissan Micra is going to compete with established and highly selling brands like ‘Swift of Maruti-Suzuki, ‘Getz of Hyundai Motors and ‘Indigo of Tata Motors, two of this brand are also exported to Europe. Conclusion But in spite of all these challenge and threat factors, the company positions itself well and capitalise on its strengths like major global presence making it a reliable and approved international brand, commendable presence in the Europe market, good tie-ups with local Indian manufacturers like Bajaj, Mahindra and Ashok Leyland enabling them the ease of penetration by understanding the needs of customers and customising it accordingly. More than that, since the Indian car industry is expected to grow from 2 Million to 8 Million units by 2020, gives considerable opportunity to all players and Nissan could be one of the main gainers keeping in mind its international reputation and standards. References * Ambuj D. Sagar Pankaj Chandra (2006), Technological Change in the Indian Passenger Car Industry, Indian Institute of Management * AMP- Automotive Mission Plan 2006- 2016 The Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India (Dec 2006), www.siamindia.com/upload/AMP.pdf * Chikkatur, Ananth, and Ambuj Sagar (2007), â€Å"Cleaner Power in India: Towards a Clean-Coal-Technology Roadmap†, Indian Institute of Management * Doing Business in India 2009, World Bank and International Financial Corporation * KPMGs India Automotive Study 2007, ‘Domestic Growth and Global Aspirations, KPMG International, 2007. * Sandy Naidu (2008), A Detailed Pocket Guide To Indian Business Culture, IQebooks.com * Scott Gallagher (2005), Why Does Firm Performance Differ? * Business Standard, May 13, 2008, www.business-standard.com/india * Drive Inside.com, Oct 18, 2008, www.driveinside.com/News/Press-Releases/55XGNS/NISSAN-WILL-BE-FIRST-AUTOMAKER-TO-EXPORT-FROM-ENNORE-PORT.aspx * Rediff India Abroad, Apr 10, 2009, http://www.rediff.com//money/2009/apr/10nissan-micra-in-india-in-2010.htm * The Hindu Business Line, Sep 30, 2009, www.blonnet.com/2009/09/30/stories * The Japan Times online, May 14, 2008, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20080514a2.html * The Economic Times, Sep 27, 2009, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/ news-by-industry/auto/automobiles/Nissan-to-launch-sports-car-Z370-in-India-in-2010/articleshow/5059873.cms * The New York Times, Jun 26, 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/ business/worldbusiness/26iht-nissan.4.14028225.html * www.fleetcar.ie/index.php/news/169-nissan-puts-zero-emissions-at-centre-of-its-global-strategy * www.nissannews.com * www.stylusinc.com/business/india Bibliography * Indian Brand Equity Foundation, www.ibef.org/economy/economyoverview.aspx * Robin John Grazia Letto Gillies (2007), Global business strategy * SIAM -Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, www.siamindia.com * Tilman Altenburga, Hubert Schmitzb Andreas Stamma (2007), Breakthrough  Indias Transition from Production to Innovation * www.carazoo.com/autonews/0603200802/Nissan-keen-on-Indiaas-key-production-centre-for-future-cars * www.mfg-matters.com/kaizen/ * www.nissan-global.com/EN/DOCUMENT/HTML/FINANCIAL/SPEECH/2008/e-20080513.html

The Existential Theme of London’s To Build A Fire Essay -- Build Fire

The Existential Theme of London’s â€Å"To Build A Fire"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Jack London’s short story, â€Å"To Build a Fire,† is the tragic tale of a man who decides to travel alone through the hostile environment of the Yukon in sub-freeing temperatures and falls victim to the unrelenting and unforgiving power of nature. During his journey, the man gets his feet wet as he falls through the ice into the water of a hot spring (London 122). Because of the severity of the cold, some â€Å"one hundred and seven degrees below [the] freezing point,† the man’s life depends upon his ability to promptly light a fire to keep his feet from freezing (122-23). After one, half-successful fire-starting endeavor, and several other pitiful attempts, the hopelessness of the man’s lone struggle against the hostile environment of the Yukon begins to become apparent. After a lengthy episode of panic in which the man tries desperately to return the feeling to his extremities by â€Å"running around like a chicken with its head cut off† (128), the man at last â€Å"grows calm and decides to meet death with dignity . . .† (Labor 66). The story’s central theme is one portrayed by many existentialist writers—that man lives a solitary existence which is subject to the relentless, unforgiving forces of nature; an ever so subtle part of this theme is that it is man’s goal to find meaning in his existence. The word existentialist, as well as the subject of existentialism itself, evades definition. Davis McElroy points out this problem by comparing the act of defining existentialism to the act of trying â€Å"to explain human existence in a single sentence . . .† (xi). For the sake of brevity, perhaps a short, simple definition would be best; according to the American Heritage Dictionar... ...s artful placement of irony within the story. Works Cited â€Å"Existentialism.† The American Heritage Dictionary. 3rd ed. New York: Dell, 1994. Hendricks, King. Jack London: Master Craftsman of the Short Story. Logan: Utah State U P,   Ã‚  Ã‚   1966. Rpt. In Jack London: Essays in Criticism. Ed. Ray Wilson Ownbey. Santa Barbara:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Peregrine, 1978. 13-30. Labor, Earle. Jack London. New York: Twayne, 1974. London, Jack. â€Å"To Build a Fire.† Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama.   Ã‚  Ã‚   6th ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 118-29. McElroy, Davis Dunbar. Existentialism and Modern Literature. Westport: Greenwood, 1968. Perry, John. Jack London: An American Myth. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1981. Walcutt, Charles Child. Jack London. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1966.         

My Good and Bad Habits :: Personal Narrative Essays

My Good and Bad Habits A habit can be many things, some good, some not so good. Everyone has habits that they would like to change and maybe improve upon. I believe the majority of habits I have are good ones but some are not. These bad habits are the ones I will talk about. Smoking is a bad habit that is not only harmful to myself, but also to the people around me, namely my wife and children. They are the ones that receive the most harmful and the most concentrated amounts of smoke. I inhale through a filter, my wife and children do not. Another of my irritating and potentially harmful habits is my ability to let anger build up inside and redirect it to another source. The main reason that I say that this is potentially harmful is that when a man lets his anger build up over an extended length of time he eventually becomes a bomb, ready to explode at any time. This anger could show up at any time and be redirected toward anything, such as cars, other people, or things in the home. After the birth of my first child, I had to learn to develop constructive ways to vent anger. One of those ways was to go off alone, count to ten, and think about what it was that made me angry. After I discovered the root of my anger, I often asked myself, "Will it do me or anyone else any good to be angry?", and, "Will being angry do anything to solve the problem", and the answer to both questions was usually no. By the time I had done the walking and thinking, I was usually not angry anymore. Even in light of these habits I believe the worst habit is my use of foul language. I know that "four letter words" are only a sign of a limited vocabulary but old habits die hard. I believe I have gotten better after my son was born, due to the fact that it seemed he could repeat the "s" word more plainly than he could say "ball" and usually at the most inopportune times.

The New Community: MMORPGs and Social Networking Essay -- Social Netwo

Community is changing. As far back as the twentieth century, a social community was a group of real life acquaintances that had a common interest, goal, or career. Back then, to update one’s â€Å"status† might mean to attempt to improve a person’s social standing within a particular community or group of friends. Today, people don’t need to be told what online social networking is. It’s so engrained into the current culture that people almost can’t remember how they interacted before the internet came along. How did people keep in touch? How did they interact and socialize and play? Before social networking sites like Facebook existed, people had to rely on the email, now the cultural norm for written communication. And prior to that, people had to send letters, an ancient form of communication that, believe it or not, involved rubbing graphite on paper to create a message, and then paying a courier to take it to your intended recipient, sometimes taking days or even weeks. Communicating took a bit more effort, and, in fact, so did recreation. To play together people had to meet up in something called â€Å"real life† and interact. For example, there were fantasy role-playing groups that played games like Dungeons and Dragons back in the 1980s and 1990s, but those cultures too have moved to the internet and amassed a huge following. Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs, or MMOs for short) are part of a new emerging subculture that has already swallowed millions of people into a relatively new social gaming experience. Fantasy and science fiction universes have been created by artists and programmers, and the subscribers (usually via monthly subscription fees) create an online avatar that exist in new, massi... ....org. Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/#pro_con Rao, L. (2011, February 7). Comscore: Facebook keeps gobbling people's time. Tech Crunch, Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/07/comscore-facebook-keeps-gobbling-peoples-time/ Understanding, assessing and treating online role-playing game addiction. (2010, May 27). Counselor, Retrieved from http://www.counselormagazine.com/feature-articles-mainmenu-63/113 Van Grove, J. (2009). Study: Social media is for narcissists. Mashable Social Media, Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/08/25/gen-y-social-media-study/ Yee, N. (2006). The psychology of massively multi-user online role-playing games: motivations, emotional investment, relationships and problematic usage. In R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson (Eds.), Avatars at Work and Play: Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Video Environments London:

Filipino people Essay

Women have always enjoyed greater equality in Philippine society than was common in other parts of Southeast Asia. Since pre-Spanish times, Filipinos have traced kinship bilaterally. A woman’s rights to legal equality and to inherit family property have not been questioned. Education and literacy levels in 1990 were higher for women than for men. President Aquino often is given as an example of what women can accomplish in Philippine society. The appearance of women in important positions, however, is not new or even unusual in the Philippines. Filipino women, usually called Filipinas, have been senators, cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, administrators, and heads of major business enterprises. Furthermore, in the early 1990s women were found in more than a proportionate share of many professions although they predominated in domestic service (91 percent), professional and technical positions (59. 4 percent), and sales (57. 9 percent). Women also were often preferred in assembly-type factory work. The availability of the types of employment in which women predominated probably explains why about two-thirds of the rural to urban migrants were female. Although domestic service is a low-prestige occupation, the other types of employment compare favorably with opportunities open to the average man. This favorable occupational distribution does not mean that women were without economic problems. Although women were eligible for high positions, these were more often obtained by men. In 1990 women represented 64 percent of graduate students but held only 159 of 982 career top executive positions in the civil service. In the private sector, only about 15 percent of top-level positions were held by women. According to many observers, because men relegated household tasks to women, employed women carried a double burden. This burden was moderated somewhat by the availability of relatives and servants who functioned as helpers and child caretakers, but the use of servants and relatives has sometimes been denounced as the equivalent of exploiting some women to free others. Since the Spanish colonial period, the woman has been the family treasurer, which, at least to some degree, gave her the power of the purse. Nevertheless, the Spanish also established a tradition of subordinating women, which is manifested in women’s generally submissive attitudes and in a double standard of sexual conduct. The woman’s role as family treasurer, along with a woman’s maintenance of a generally submissive demeanor, has changed little, but the double standard of sexual morality is being challenged. Male dominance also has been challenged, to some extent, in the 1987 constitution. The constitution contains an equal rights clause–although it lacks specific provisions that might make that clause effective. As of the early 1990s, divorce was prohibited in the Philippines. Under some circumstances, legal separation was permitted, but no legal remarriage was possible. The family code of 1988 was somewhat more liberal. Reflective of Roman Catholic Church law, the code allowed annulment for psychological incapacity to be a marital partner, as well as for repeated physical violence against a mate or pressure to change religious or political affiliation. Divorce obtained abroad by an alien mate was recognized. Although the restrictive divorce laws might be viewed as an infringement on women’s liberty to get out of a bad marriage, indications were that many Filipinas viewed them as a protection against abandonment and loss of support by wayward husbands. http://www. mongabay. com/history/philippines/philippines-the_role_and_status_of_the_filipina. html La Mujer Indigena – The Native WomanA description of the Filipino Woman during Pre-Spanish Timeby Lorna S. Torralba Titgemeyer| | Introduction:When Sr. Mary John Mananzan came to Vienna to give a seminar on the comparative role and status of the Filipino woman in the family and society, past and present, initially I was not so sure of participating, for reasons difficult to explain. Partly because I was confident of my status as woman and wife, or maybe I was afraid that my individualism and self-confidence might be influenced or could cause changes in me. But curiosity got the better of me. The day turned out to be very amusing, very interesting and very informative. The following is in part a summary of Sr. Mary John? s one-day lecture, reflecting on the status of the pre-Spanish Filipino woman, as this helped me understand why we sometimes have this strange feeling of being different from how we had been brought up†¦ that is, being meek, obedient and humble†¦ in short, a good mujer christiana. From Catalona or Babaylan, La Mujer Indigena to La Mujer ChristianaThe Philippines during the pre-colonial period was not a whole entity, the way it is now. It was made up of loosely related principalities with their own separate social, political and economic systems under their own tribal rulers. Community life and social activities were organized mainly on the basis of kinship, beliefs and economic interest. A group of elders were advisers to the tribal ruler and jointly they acted as judge and lawgiver. In some communities, the Babaylan was highly respected as priestess or religious practitioner, as well as healer, counselor and mediator in the tribe. Although differing in name, every tribe had its own religious practitioners, who were preferred to men. In fact, when a male performed the religious office of a Catalona or Babaylan, he was dressed like a woman. With this reference, I would like to present the unknown image of pre-Spanish Filipino woman, la mujer indigena totally in contradiction to the prevailing belief that the elevation of the status of women, was one of the benefits brought by Spanish colonization. The matriarchal society which many of us believed we always had in the Philippines is also a false presumption. The falsely taken patriarchal upbringing with its machismo and a touch of misogyny came uplater with the Spanish colonization. In the eraly Philippines there had always been an egalitarian relationship not only between husband and wife, but also in the upbringing of offsprings. The early Filipinos gave equal importance to both male and female offsprings. Inheritance was divided equally among them, distinguishing only primogeniture and legitimacy. Education was an opportunity for both sexes. Arranged marriage was a custom among pre-Spanish Filipinos. The groom and his family gave dowry to the bride? sparents, an amount agreed upon according to their means. When married the woman did not lose her name. In some Tagalog regions, if the woman was especially distinguished, the husband usually took her name. So it was usual to hear people refered to the husband of Ninay or the husband of Isyang. The pre-colonial Filipino wife was treated as a companion, not as slave. She enjoyed freedom in making decisions in the family. Her say was not only confined to domestic affairs like having a baby or not. Giving birth many times was disliked by women, especially those who inhabited towns near the sea, saying that in having many children, they are like pigs. For this reason they practiced abortion after having the desired number of children. What name to give a child was also her prerogative. She enjoyed a key role in the economic stability of the family. Formal contracts were done only in her presence. In fact there were only very few husbands who would dare enter into contracts without the consent or presence of their wives. It was seldom that a woman did not know how to manage the family landholdings. She had the task of agricultural production once the ground had been prepared by the man. She engaged herself in weaving and pottery-making and usually managed the trading of products and wares. The role of women in the political field, especially leadership role is a disputable subject for those who say, this was based merely on legends. Remember the legend of Queen Maniwantiwan, the wife of Datu Marikudo whose consent had to be secured before he could sell his lands to the Bornean immigrants led by Datu Puti. Another queen who is reported to have ruled Cotabato in the seventh century was Queen Sima. The practice of primogeniture with regard to inheritance regardless of sex allowed women to succeed their fathers as rulers of tribes. The most famous of the women leaders of pre-Spanish society was Princess Urduja of Pangasinan. She was supposed to be a beautiful Amazon, courageous and intelligent, possessing knowledge of languages and culture of Old Asia. In Teresita Infante? s documented study, The Woman in Early Philippines and Among Tribal Minorities, there is a description of the role of women among the Kalingas: â€Å"Kalinga women are not barred from belonging to the highest rank of society, which entitles them to the privileges equal to those of men in similar rank. Some are recognized as pact holders and as she is the one who owns the pact, only her children or relatives have the right to inherit it. † Pact holders were those who held agreement with a prominent citizen of another tribe or community in which each party agreed to give protection and aid to all members of each other? s community while they were in his/her territory. Punishment was imposed if any harm had been done to them by his/her tribe member. This important position of being a pact holder was recognized among women in the pre-Spanish society. In the event of divorce caused by childlessness, infidelity, failure to fulfill obligations towards family, etc. the dowry had to be returned by the bride? s family if she was at fault. However, if the husband was at fault, he lost any right of its return. The children were divided equally between the two regardless of sex. The conjugally-acquired property was also divided equally. This way, she possessed equal rights with regard to divorce according to law and custom. To summarize, the pre-Spanish filipino woman, the mujer indigena had an honoured position in the family and society, which was dispensed with by the Spaniards. A new Filipina was formed, a person moulded to the image and likeness of the perfect woman of the Iberian society of her time. She had to follow many rules and regulations on how to lead the life of a good mujer christiana, which meant lesser freedom and rights. | http://www. univie. ac. at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/wstat/mujer. htm.

John Kenneth Galbraith

He was a U. S economist, public official and diplomat, and a leading proponent of the 20th-century American liberalism. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from 1950’s through 2000’s, during which time Galbraith fulfilled the role of public intellectual. In macro-economical terms he was intitutionalist. He was America’s most famous economist for good reason. A witty commentator on America’s political follies and a versatile author of bestselling books that warn prophetically of the dangers of deregulated markets, corporate greed, and inattention to the costs of our military power including the â€Å"THE NEW INDUSTRIAL STATE†. Galbraith always made economics relevant to the crises of the day. Galbraith was born on October 15, 1908 and was raised on a small Canadian farm. He began to teach at Harvard in his twenties. He was a long-time Harvard faculty member and as a professor of economics stayed with Harvard University for half a century since 1934. In 1938 he left to work in New Deal Washington. Following his years as a writer at fortune, where he did much to introduce the work of John Maynard Keynes to a wide audience. He returned to Harvard in 1949 and began writing the books that would make him famous. He was a prolific author and wrote four dozen books, including several novels and published over a thousand articles and essays on various subjects. Among his famous works were popular trilogy on economics. (American Capitalism 1952), (The Affluent Society 1958), and (The Industrialized State 1967). Galbraith was also active in Democratic Party politics, serving in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He served as United States Ambassador to India under the Kennedy administration. His prodigious literary output and outspokenness made him arguably â€Å"the best-known economist in the world during his lifetime. Galbraith was one of few recipients both of the â€Å"MEDAL OF FREEDOM† and the â€Å"PRESIDENTIAL FREEDOM†. Over the years, Galbraith developed a distinctive way of â€Å"doing economics,† and it made him a critic both of conservatives and of many liberal economists. Galbraith was often at the very epicenter of politics in his time. Ako gi focus ag Popular niya na books ag trilogy. Iya first books which is the American Capitalism, ag Industrialized State and The Affluent Society. And The culture of Contentmen which was published in 1992. So in his first book which is the American Capitalism: The Concept of Countervailing Power in 1952. So it is the concept of acting or to avail against with equal power. In this book Galbraith exposed the myth that competition between different firms in an industry prevented monopolistic exploitation. In the Affluent Society (1958). Galbraith exposed the idea of â€Å"consumer sovereignty†. He argued that large corporations invested large sums in the design, planning and manufacturing of a new product. To make sure that the product sold, they had to create a want for it. In other words, â€Å"wants are created by those who satisfy them†. Galbraith also argued that the government should make large investments in education and transport infrastructure by using funds from general taxation. Galbraith worked as an adviser to President John F. Kennedy who originally planned to appoint him as a Secretary of the Treasury. After Kennedy was pressured he gave the job to another person. In 1961 Galbraith was appointed as U. S ambassador to India. He held the post until the assassination of Kennedy in 1963. In The New Industrial State (1967) Galbraith continued his attack on the capitalist system. He argued that in advanced industrial economies it is the managerial and other experts of the large corporations who really run the system, â€Å"subordinating the activities of the state to their own goals of corporate growth and personal self-esteem†. Galbraith remained active in politics and worked as an adviser to politicians on the left of the political spectrum. He once said that â€Å"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. † He was also critical of communist governments: â€Å"under capitalism man exploits man. Under Communism, it’s just the opposite. † The Culture of Contentment in 1992. – galbraith pointed out that around 50% of Americans take little interest in politics. As they rarely vote, they are ignored by politicians. The two major political parties in the United States therefore concentrate on those who do vote the better of classes. This group tend to demand that taxes are kept low and that they are used on programmes that help the contented classes themselves. As a result, only a small percentage of government revenues are spent on helping the underclass or repairing America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Part Four Chapter I

Lunacy 5.11 At common law, idiots are subject to a permanent legal incapacity to vote, but persons of unsound mind may vote during lucid intervals. Charles Arnold-Baker Local Council Administration, Seventh Edition I Samantha Mollison had now bought herself all three of the DVDs released by Libby's favourite boy band. She kept them hidden in her socks and tights drawer, beside her diaphragm. She had her story ready, if Miles spotted them: they were a gift for Libby. Sometimes at work, where business was slower than ever, she searched the internet for pictures of Jake. It was during one of these trawling sessions – Jake in a suit but with no shirt, Jake in jeans and a white vest – that she discovered that the band was playing at Wembley in a fortnight's time. She had a friend from university who lived in West Ealing. She could stay over, sell it to Libby as a treat, a chance to spend time together. With more genuine excitement than she had felt in a long time, Samantha managed to buy two very expensive tickets for the concert. When she let herself into the house that evening, she glowed with a delicious secret, almost as though she were coming home from a date. Miles was already in the kitchen, still in his work suit, with the phone in his hand. He stared at her as she entered, and his expression was strange, difficult to read. ‘What?' said Samantha, a little defensively. ‘I can't get hold of Dad,' said Miles. ‘His bloody phone's engaged. There's been another post.' And when Samantha looked nonplussed, he said with a trace of impatience, ‘Barry Fairbrother's Ghost! Another message! On the council website!' ‘Oh,' said Samantha, unwinding her scarf. ‘Right.' ‘Yeah, I met Betty Rossiter just now, coming up the street; she was full of it. I've checked the message board, but I can't see it. Mum must've taken it down already – well, I bloody hope she has, she'll be in the firing line if Bends-Your-Ear goes to a lawyer.' ‘About Parminder Jawanda, was it?' asked Samantha, her tone deliberately casual. She did not ask what the accusation had been, first, because she was determined not to be a nosy, gossiping old bag like Shirley and Maureen, and secondly, because she thought she already knew: that Parminder had caused the death of old Cath Weedon. After a moment or two, she asked, sounding vaguely amused, ‘Did you say your mother might be in the firing line?' ‘Well, she's the site administrator, so she's liable if she doesn't get rid of defamatory or potentially defamatory statements. I'm not sure she and Dad understand how serious this could be.' ‘You could defend your mother, she'd like that.' But Miles had not heard; he was pressing redial and scowling, because his father's mobile was still engaged. ‘This is getting serious,' he said. ‘You were all quite happy when it was Simon Price who was getting attacked. Why's this any different?' ‘If it's a campaign against anyone on the council, or standing for council †¦' Samantha turned away to hide her grin. His concern was not about Shirley after all. ‘But why would anyone write stuff about you?' she asked innocently. ‘You haven't got any guilty secrets.' You might be more bloody interesting if you had. ‘What about that letter?' ‘What letter?' ‘For God's – Mum and Dad said there was a letter, an anonymous letter about me! Saying I wasn't fit to fill Barry Fairbrother's shoes!' Samantha opened the freezer and stared at the unappetizing contents, aware that Miles could no longer see her expression with the door open. ‘You don't think anyone's got anything on you, do you?' she asked. ‘No – but I'm a lawyer, aren't I? There might be people with a grudge. I don't think this kind of anonymous stuff †¦ I mean, so far it's all about the other side, but there could be reprisals †¦ I don't like the way this thing's going.' ‘Well, that's politics, Miles,' said Samantha, openly amused. ‘Dirty business.' Miles stalked out of the room, but she did not care; her thoughts had already returned to chiselled cheekbones, winged eyebrows and taut, tight abdominal muscles. She could sing along with most of the songs now. She would buy a band T-shirt to wear – and one for Libby too. Jake would be undulating mere yards away from her. It would be more fun than she had had in years. Howard, meanwhile, was pacing up and down the closed delicatessen with his mobile phone clamped to his ear. The blinds were down, the lights were on, and through the archway in the wall Shirley and Maureen were busy in the soon-to-be-opened cafe, unpacking china and glasses, talking in excited undertones and half listening to Howard's almost monosyllabic contributions to his conversation. ‘Yes †¦ mm, hmm †¦ yes †¦' ‘Screaming at me,' said Shirley. ‘Screaming and swearing. â€Å"Take it bloody down,† she said. I said, â€Å"I'm taking it down, Dr Jawanda, and I'll thank you not to swear at me.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ ‘I'd've left it up there for another couple of hours if she'd sworn at me,' said Maureen. Shirley smiled. As it happened, she had chosen to go and make herself a cup of tea, leaving the anonymous post about Parminder up on the site for an extra forty-five minutes before removing it. She and Maureen had already picked over the topic of the post until it was ragged and bare; there was plenty of scope for further dissection, but the immediate urge was sated. Instead, Shirley looked ahead, greedily, to Parminder's reaction to having her secret spilt in public. ‘It can't have been her who did that post about Simon Price, after all,' said Maureen. ‘No, obviously not,' said Shirley, as she wiped over the pretty blue and white china that she had chosen, overruling Maureen's preference for pink. Sometimes, though not directly involved in the business, Shirley liked to remind Maureen that she still had huge influence, as Howard's wife. ‘Yes,' said Howard, on the telephone. ‘But wouldn't it be better to †¦? Mm, hmm †¦' ‘So who do you think it is?' asked Maureen. ‘I really don't know,' said Shirley, in a genteel voice, as though such knowledge or suspicions were beneath her. ‘Someone who knows the Prices and the Jawandas,' said Maureen. ‘Obviously,' said Shirley again. Howard hung up at last. ‘Aubrey agrees,' he told the two women, waddling through into the cafe. He was clutching today's edition of the Yarvil and District Gazette. ‘Very weak piece. Very weak indeed.' It took the two women several seconds to recollect that they were supposed to be interested in the posthumous article by Barry Fairbrother in the local newspaper. His ghost was so much more interesting. ‘Oh, yes; well, I thought it was very poor when I read it,' said Shirley, hurriedly catching up. ‘The interview with Krystal Weedon was funny,' guffawed Maureen. ‘Making out she enjoyed art. I suppose that's what she calls graffiti-ing the desks.' Howard laughed. As an excuse to turn her back, Shirley picked up Andrew Price's spare EpiPen from the counter, which Ruth had dropped into the delicatessen that morning. Shirley had looked up EpiPens on her favourite medical website, and felt fully competent to explain how adrenalin worked. Nobody asked, though, so she put the small white tube away in the cupboard and closed the door as noisily as she could to try and disrupt Maureen's further witticisms. The phone in Howard's huge hand rang. ‘Yes, hello? Oh, Miles, yes †¦ yes, we know all about it †¦ Mum saw it this morning †¦' He laughed. ‘Yes, she's taken it down †¦ I don't know †¦ I think it was posted yesterday †¦ Oh, I wouldn't say that †¦ we've all known about Bends-Your-Ear for years †¦' But Howard's jocularity faded as Miles talked. After a while he said, ‘Ah †¦ yes, I see. Yes. No, I hadn't considered it from †¦ perhaps we should get someone to have a look at security †¦' The sound of a car in the darkening square outside went virtually unremarked by the three in the delicatessen, but its driver noticed the enormous shadow of Howard Mollison moving behind the cream blinds. Gavin put his foot down, eager to get to Mary. She had sounded desperate on the telephone. ‘Who's doing this? Who's doing it? Who hates me this much?' ‘Nobody hates you,' he had said. ‘Who could hate you? Stay there †¦ I'm coming over.' He parked outside the house, slammed the door and hurried up the footpath. She opened the front door before he had even knocked. Her eyes were puffy with tears again, and she was wearing a floor-length woollen dressing gown that dwarfed her. It was not at all seductive; the very antithesis of Kay's scarlet kimono, but its homeliness, its very shabbiness, represented a new level of intimacy. Mary's four children were all in the sitting room. Mary gestured him through into the kitchen. ‘Do they know?' he asked her. ‘Fergus does. Somebody at school told him. I've asked him not to tell the others. Honestly, Gavin †¦ I'm about at the end of my tether. The spite – ‘ ‘It isn't true,' he said, and then, his curiosity getting the better of him, ‘is it?' ‘No!' she said, outraged. ‘I mean †¦ I don't know †¦ I don't really know her. But to make him talk like that †¦ putting the words in his mouth †¦ don't they care what it's like for me?' She dissolved into tears again. He felt that he shouldn't hug her while she was wearing her dressing gown, and was glad that he had not, when eighteen-year-old Fergus entered the kitchen a moment later. ‘Hey, Gav.' The boy looked tired, older than his years. Gavin watched him put an arm around Mary and saw her lean her head against his shoulder, mopping her eyes on her baggy sleeve like a child. ‘I don't think it was the same person,' Fergus told them, without preamble. ‘I've been looking at it again. The style of the message is different.' He had it on his mobile phone, and began to read aloud: ‘†Parish Councillor Dr Parminder Jawanda, who pretends to be so keen on looking after the poor and needy of the area, has always had a secret motive. Until I died – â€Å"‘ ‘Fergus, don't,' said Mary, slumping down at the kitchen table. ‘I can't take it. I honestly can't. And his article in the paper today too.' As she covered her face with her hands and sobbed silently, Gavin noticed the Yarvil and District Gazette lying there. He never read it. Without asking or offering, he moved across to the cupboard to make her a drink. ‘Thanks, Gav,' she said thickly, when he pushed the glass into her hand. ‘It might be Howard Mollison,' suggested Gavin, sitting down beside her. ‘From what Barry said about him.' ‘I don't think so,' said Mary, dabbing at her eyes. ‘It's so crude. He never did anything like that when Barry was -‘ she hiccuped ‘- alive.' And then she snapped at her son, ‘Throw that paper away, Fergus.' The boy looked confused and hurt. ‘It's got Dad's – ‘ ‘Throw it away!' said Mary, with an edge of hysteria in her voice. ‘I can read it off the computer if I want to, the last thing he ever did – on our anniversary!' Fergus took the newspaper off the table and stood for a moment watching his mother, who had buried her face in her hands again. Then, with a glance at Gavin, he walked out of the room still holding the Gazette. After a while, when Gavin judged that Fergus was not coming back, he put out a consoling hand and rubbed Mary's arm. They sat in silence for some time, and Gavin felt much happier with the newspaper gone from the table.