The Wife of Martin Guerre Essay Example for Free

The Wife of Martin Guerre Essay The wife of Martine Guerre by Janet Lewis is a 16thcentury love store set in the bleak and harsh society of medieval France. The main protagonist in the novel, Betrande De Roles is faced with an unusual and appalling situation when an imposter poses as her husband Martin, who has been absent for 8 years. Despite the belief of her husband, Bertrand is not to blame for the awful situation, but instead it is the family and those surrounding Betrande who are to blame for her acceptance of the imposter, ArnaueDeTil. Her husband’s sisters, Martins Uncle, the priest , her son Sanxi, Martin and even the imposter, ArnauDeTil, himself are all equally, if not more to blame for the situation that confronts the Guerre family. Bertrand lives the life that many women with well-off families lead in medieval France; she is married at the age of 11 and goes to live with the family of her betrothed husband at the age of 14. Although Bertrande and Martin initially do not care for one another (on their wedding night Martin hits Betrande, and when they are forced to share a bed, she is fearful of him), after a period of living together, Betrande and Martin find themselves attached to one another, and they share a special bond within the household â€Å"they were a camp within a camp†. Shortly after Betrande gives birth to a son, Sanxi and the household flourishes and prospers. When Martin decides to leave, due to fear of punishment from his father after stealing grain to plant his field, the peace and happiness within the household that Betrande and the family have so become accustom to, is disrupted. The untimely death of Martins Mother is an indication of how unstable the household becomes â€Å"she was not an old woman and it may have been possible, as her daughters believed that the illness which she suffered was greatly aggravated by the prolonged absence of her after the death of Martins father, Martins uncle Pierre takes over as head of the house, The households fragile and insecure state leaves them vulnerable, and thus when ArneauDeTil poses as Martin they are eager to accept him as the true Martin even though there are signs that suggest he is not the true Martin Guerre. Martin leaving was the triggering factor to the entire series of events, and thus Martin is just as much to blame in the situation that unfolds, as anyone. When Arnau DeTil comes into the household pretending to be Martin, both Pierre, Martins uncle and Martins sisters are thrilled. For Pierre, this means he is no longer head of the house, leaving these responsibilities to â€Å"Martin†. When Betrande begins having suspicions that this man who has entered into the household is not the real Martin, he suspicions are dismissed by both Pierre and Martins sisters. Pierre simply says that being in the world has â€Å"matured him†, and the sisters urge Bertrande not to say anything to anyone of her uncertainties. It is not until later in the novel, after an old friend of the real Martin arrives in Artigues and proves that Arneau is not the real Martin (he says that the real Martin has a wooden leg after losing it in battle) that Pierre begins to believe Bertrand’s suspicions. In comparison Martins sisters are trying to convince Bertrande to drop the allegation even during the Trials. Both Martin’s sisters and his uncle Pierres are to blame for the situation, as if they had initially listened to Bertrande when she insisted that something was wrong, the situation may not have unfolded as it did. In the novel, the priest plays a key role in convincing Bertrande that Arnau is the real Martin. When she goes to confess her concerns to him, she is dismissed and simply told to â€Å"be at rest and go in peace. The priest and Arnau form a friendship, and because of this the priest is eager not to let Bertande follow up these accusations. The priest also prefers the new Martin, he is religious, polite and caring towards the priest and the priest becomes a good friend of the Guerre household, being regularly invited over for dinner. Arnau DeTil is obviously the key component of the deception, posing as Martin and deceiving Bertrande and the household. DeTil is incredibly cunning, and seems to have an answer to all of Bertrandes problems. Whenever Betrande begins asking questions, DeTil seems to have an explanation, telling her not to worry, and acting concerned for her. He is able to do this for some time until eventually Betrande is completely convinced he is not her husband, but even then DeTil seems to have a solution, and he threatens Betrande, basically telling her that if he neeed to, he could convince the household she was mad. Bertrandes son, Sanxi warms to DeTil quickly, he loves his newfound father and the two build a very strong bond. Bertrandes love for her son could also be to blame for the deception, as seeing how happy Sanxi is with his â€Å"father†, she convinces herself it must be him. In conclusion, Betrande is not responsible for situation, as it is the many different people in her life and particularly within the household that are responsible for un-intentionally covering for the imposter, and convincing Bertrande that he is the real Martin.

The Mirror of Time and Memory. :: Essays Papers

The Mirror of Time and Memory. Live in the house-and the house will stand. I will call up any century, Go into it and build myself a house†¦ With shoulder blades like timber props I help up every day that made the past, With a surveyor’s chain I measure time And traveled through as if across the Urals. I only need my immortality For my blood to go on flowing from age to age. I would readily pay with my life For a safe place with constant warmth Were it not that life’s flying needle leads me on Through the world like a thread. Arseniy Tarkovsky The films of Andrey Arsen’evitch Tarkovsky fall into the separate genre of cinematic creations: they are more than drama or psychological thriller, more than philosophical cinema. Although Tarkovsky’s work has been deeply influenced with such prominent film directors as Kurosawa, Bunuel or Antonioni, the poetry of his father, Arseniy Tarkovsky, Boris Pasternak and many other Russian poets and writers, his films manage to form something completely unique to the mind of their director, convey a diaphanous psychological message. His cinematography is a celebration, a theatre of â€Å"imprinted time,† trapped with the skillful techniques of the plot-creating and camera usage of the director. As if in the ‘Zone’ of his Staler the art of Andrey Tarkovsky freezes the moment, the gasp of time, enclosed into almost sculpture-like solid creation that opens up to the viewer its nostalgic breeze. The time exists, it crystallizes in form of faerie, elfish ara besque figures and characters and yet it evaporates filling the space with a sense of solitude and sorrow for the past. Tarkovsky’s film Zerkalo or otherwise known as Mirror is a story of the human life; it is not quite a celebration of it; but rather a depiction of the web of the human senses. It is an autobiographic tribute to his abandoned by her husband during the war years mother, filled with the feelings of grief and amusement with her zealous self-sacrifice for the sake of her children. The narrator, or perhaps Tarkovsky himself, is trying to appease his guilty with indifference and scorn conscience with the memories of his childhood and attempts to relive or even incarnate the experiences of his past. The problems of the past are reflected and repeated in the present. Remembering Proust, Tarkovsky describes the effect of finishing Mirror:† Childhood memories which for years had given me no peace suddenly vanished, as if they had melted away, and at last I stopped dreaming about the house where I had lived so many years before .

Modern management

If Dollar General wished to raise the prices of an item that was previously priced lower than their competitor, there are a number of steps they should take to maintain control of the process. Perdue has eased the control of prices by building in some slack in the pricing system to allow for raised prices. The first step is precontrol, in this case determination of the appropriate price – i.e. controlling price changes so that they can raise the price of the product without losing too many sales. This requires analysis of the price elasticity of the item in order to determine how much they can raise the price. The second step is concurrent control – communication of the new price to the stores, which may include provision of new price tags, communication through company channels such as email or generated reports, etc. and monitoring by managers to make sure the price changes are implemented. The third step, of feedback control, is monitoring the price change in order to make sure that the price change did not produce more than the accepted loss of sales as determined in step one.   These steps will allow the stores to implement a higher price on a previously lower-priced product. ‘The CEO should consider the relatively low sales at higher square footage stores to be a symptom of a problem, not a problem in and of itself. Dollar General’s store layouts and inventory assignments are tightly controlled and optimized for maximum efficiency and sales. However, most of their stores are smaller stores, averaging 7,000 square feet or less. This puts the larger stores at a disadvantage because they are carrying a mix of products that may not be optimal for the store size. This means that the lower sales per square foot is a symptom of a non-optimal inventory mix and layout superimposed on a larger store, not a problem in and of itself. While it should be solved, it can be solved indirectly by analyzing the inventory and layout needs of the larger stores rather than directly tackling the lower sales. A discount retailer such as Dollar General should use all three types of control (precontrol, concurrent control and feedback control) when attempting to control shrink. Precontrol can include such measures as establishing shrink management practices, such as careful cash control and cash handling training for employees, stock handling procedures, and security, in order to prevent common anticipated problems. Concurrent control, such as monitoring of security systems and active employee observation, can prevent shrink from shoplifting and excess employee waste. Finally, feedback control in the form of incentives such as bonuses or prizes for stores with low shrink percentages can help to reinforce the precontrol and concurrent control measures taken. Control measures are most effective when all potential routes of control loss are considered and actions are taken at the appropriate level to deal with them. It would not be appropriate or effective for a manager or other controller to attempt to poor cash handling after each incident   – it is more effective to develop policies that mandate teaching employees proper cash handling beforehand. 1. Information quality is the degree to which information represents reality. Information timeliness is the extent to which the receipt of information allows decisions to be made in a timely manner in order to allow the business to benefit from its use. Nike is using the information gained from its information systems to determine its required inventory levels, which are dependent on the projecte d demand for the product. This means that information quality is important because less than quality information could mean that Nike focuses its manufacturing and distribution efforts in less than optimal areas. The initial implementation of the information system generated more than $100 million in incorrect orders due to lack of information quality. Information timeliness is also important to Nike. Because the information system is tied to the manufacturing and distribution system, the timeliness of the information provided directly impacts the organization’s ability to produce and distribute the appropriate inventory. If the information is not provided in a timely manner, the manufacturing and sales may appear to be reactive rather than proactive, and Nike may miss the top of their demand curve because information was provided too slowly or because the system generated orders too early. 2. The security issues for Nike’s sales forecasting and factory order system include automated threats such as worms, viruses etc, and internal sabotage by disgruntled employees and external breach by either hackers or industrial spies. Automated threats are a threat at any time when a system is connected to the Internet; while it is less common now than in the past, viruses may also be transmitted via infected media such as CD-Rom or removable solid-state media. Internal sabotage by disgruntled employees can also be a problem; in order to mitigate this, permissions and access to the system should be handled on a minimum required basis (each employee should be given only the permissions required to perform his or her job, and permissions should be actively managed as employees move from task to task). Outside breaches by hackers or industrial spies is a concern for Nike because they are a high-profile company in a highly competitive business, making them a tempting target for hackers to try to gather lucrative information from their information systems. 3. Currently Nike targets individual groups of consumers with games and information online that is targeted to their special interests, and provides an IM-based game for soccer fans. There are a number of other uses for the World Wide Web that could help Nike communicate with its customers. They could use online surveying techniques and online feedback forums to enhance their market strategies and improve their products and address customer complaints. They could also utilize the Web as a central platform for their marketing strategy, including running specially designed Web sites for high-profile new products, creating customer contests, games and trivia and building a Nike community around their sites. Nike also has opportunities to create product tie-ins based on the Web. Their IM soccer game is a prototype of a way in which games or custom-branded software can keep the Nike brand in front of their customers all the time. Streaming media allows for music and movie tie-ins delivered via the Web. Nike could also use the Web for internal purposes. For example, an employee recruiting web site could increase the number and quality of their job applicants, as well as provide a prescreening facility for the HR organization. Skillful use of the Web also portrays the image of a technologically savvy and forward-looking company, which is vital to its market viability. Modern management 1. Organizational resources are the prime variables that ultimately translate into the cumulative compilation of production output. It can be stated that production is the final result that is instrumented by several processes that make up the basic procedure of the production unit. The term ‘organizational resource’ can be enumerated as a compilation of different aspects that include variables like personnel, motivation, cost of raw materials, supply chain management, knowledge management, material processing and market forecast analysis. All these together ensure the success of the ultimate quality and quantity of the production along with the favorable pricing per unit for the produced output. Thus it could be mentioned that the relation between the organizational resources and the production is inseparable and vital for the health of the industry. For an industry to obtain favorable conditions in the market it is necessary to formulate a strategy that would enable the organization to keep every aspect of the units involved in a well passed manner. The purchase of material would ensure that the value is obtained out of the purchase while the supply chain would ensure that there is no wastage of materials and the materials are presented to the processing unit in proper time. The same principals are true with the processing units too. The efficiency level of the personnel involved along with their motivation level ensures the best possible production out of the initial possesses involved. Thus it could be stated that organizational resources and production relation is vital and inseparable for any organization and the ultimate success of an organization is ensured by this relation. (Lamb, 2004) 2. The aspects of managerial effectiveness and efficiency are interrelated and are highly potent if applied in a well formulated manner. Any industry survives on the potential of the strategy that is taken and implemented by the management of that industry. As a result the prime factor that should be instigated in the organizational operational activities is the proper and smooth transaction of managerial effectiveness and efficiency into an enhanced and even relationship. The relationship between managerial effectiveness and efficiency is vital for an organization because for any industry effective personnel at suitable position are a primal factor for success. A person might be very efficient at formulation and modeling strategy. But the same person might not be an effective administrator. That is way it becomes important to position the best person possible at position where the efficiency could be yielded at maximum. Thus relation between managerial effectiveness and efficiency becomes an object of prime concern for any organization. It can be stated that by the term managerial effectiveness it is understood as the positional utility of a personnel whereas by the term efficiency it is reflected that the potential of the positional utility is utilized in full.   To compile and relate these two important variables it is important to evaluate the human resource structure at its maximum to yield the utmost possible result. The success and failure of an organization largely depends on such a formulation and practical implementation of the human resource department at its highest extent. The managerial effectiveness and efficiency is the keystone of success and the competitive advantage of an organization is dependent on such important organizational factors or variables. (King, 2001) References: King, H; (2001); Management Principals Today; HBT & Brooks Ltd Lamb, Davis; (2004); Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; National Book Trust. Modern Management Corporate Social Responsibility is the duty of the management of the company to ensure that the welfare of the society is brought about along with promoting the development and wellbeing of the company.   It is the duty of the manager to ensure that both the social interests and the organizational interests are maintained and developed (Cresto, 2006).   However, at the moment, the opinion regarding corporate involvement in social responsibilities is differing.   The arguments for and against social responsibility activities by the corporate could be considered.Positive outcomes for the business by performing social responsibility activities:-The good name and the reputation of the company would be promoted as they would perform their duty of maintaining and developing the interests of the society.  As the interests of the society are improved, the social system would improve and this could also be beneficial for the corporate.  The management of the corporate would be more interested in maintaining the interests of the society along with the organization.   Hence, the Human resources that would be a part of the corporate would be of high quality.As the organization would mutually benefit with the society, the ability of the company to grow and survive in that particular society would be higher.   Hence, the corporate could move into identifying and organizing certain long-term plans.   On a long-term basis, the chances of developing sustained profits would be higher if social interests are maintained.  The unemployment rates in the society and the job satisfaction in the company would improve due to the economic growth felt by the corporate presence.  If the consumers are a part of the society, the chances of developing and maintaining relationships with them would be higher.]Negative outcomes for the business by performing social responsibility activities:-  According to Friedman, the chances of the management to indulge in unethical prac tices are higher so as to make profits that would ensure performance of social responsibilities.They could be a conflict within the management or outside the management for maintaining the goals of the organization or the goals of the society.The corporate would be spending the money of the consumers on maintaining and developing the interests of the society.   This could raise the prices of the goods or services produced by the company.   Consumers may prefer to purchase a product or services from a company that does not have a social benefit policy than a company that does, as the price is more likely to be less.The stakeholders of the corporate and the potential investors may not want to invest in that particular company, as they fear that they would be losing their money on social beneficial activities. The company would be using fewer resources on production (as the financial resources are spending on social interests).   The production would decrease and the chances of h aving higher amounts of profit would be lowered.   The company’s ability to develop a stronger long-term plan would be less likely.A Multinational corporation (MNC’s) is a company that has its presence felt in more than one nation across the World or does business at the global level.   The term MNC’s was utilized in the 1970’s in the US.   MNC’s usually do not consider national barriers that would restrict business.   Recently, the foreign investment in the US has improved drastically, and the chances of it improving further in the future are realistically high.   The process of a company becoming a multinational occurs in stages.In the first stage, the company merely exports products to foreign nations.   In the second stage, the company develops sales units in the foreign nations.   In the third stage, the company would permit foreign-based companies to make and sell their products and services under the main company’s name.    In the fourth stage, manufacturing units are set up by the company in the foreign nation.   In the fifth step, the management of the company is multi-nationalized in such a way that a corporate decision in the parent company would be affected in the foreign nations.   In the last stage, the ownership of the company is multi-nationalized.Two companies that are US-based MNC’s include General Electric and IBM.   General Electric had sales of $ 129, 853 million in the year 2001 (Listed by Forbes Global).   The portion of foreign sales was about 33 % and the net profits were about $ 12, 735 million.   It has $ 437, 006 million as assets and it market value is about 406, 525 million $.   The enterprise value of the company is about 613, 268 million $.   IBM has sales of about $ 88, 396 million in the year, and its foreign sales is about 58 % of the total sales.   Its net profit of about $ 8, 093 million, and its total assets is about 88, 349 million $.   It h as a market value of about 167, 206 million dollars and the enterprise value is about 194, 097 million $ (Cresto, 2006).Two foreign investors MNC’s that have invested in the US include Daimler Chrysler AG (from Germany) which is an automobile company and ING Group (from Netherlands) which offers financial services.   Daimler Chrysler AG had a total revenue of 86, 071 million $ in the year 2001 in the US, and its total assets in the US was more than 82, 000 million $ in the US.   The ING Group had revenue of about 14, 997 million $ in the year 2001 in the US and its net income was about 442 million US $ (Cresto, 2006).References:Cresto, S. C. and Cresto, S. T. (2006). Chapter 3: Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics, Modern Management, (10th ed), New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, pp. 50-76.Cresto, S. C. and Cresto, S. T. (2006). Chapter 2: Modern Management Challenges, Modern Management, (10th ed), New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, pp. 80-102.Cresto, S. C. and Cr esto, S. T. (2006). Chapter 2: Modern Management Challenges, Modern Management, (10th ed), New Jersey: Upper Saddle River, pp. 106-111.

Vinland Saga’s

VINLAND SAGAS: THE QUEST TO NORTH AMERICA BY: KAMALJOT BRAR 5206404 HISTORY 1F90 PREPARED FOR: AARON RODENBURG 3, THURSDAY, 1000-1100 DUE: OCTOBER 11th 2012, SUBMIT: OCTOBER 11th 2012 A saga is described to be a short story with historical significance that summarizes in detail events that took place during a certain period of time. In terms of Ancient Scandinavia and the Viking Age, sagas are stories of voyages of Vikings that include subjects like migration, battles, and family and inter-societal interactions.These sagas were written by unknown authors well after the actual events occurred. The Vinland Sagas translated by Keneva Kunz and edited by Gisli Sigurdsson includes two accounts of the Norse voyage to North America; The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. Both sagas help to describe the journey to discover North America. However, each tell the prose in a different perspective. The differences between the two sagas include the initial accidental discover y of lands west of Greenland, the discovery of Keel Point, and the voyage by Thorvald.On the other hand there were also similar aspects of the sagas that include the way the western lands were discovered and named, the story behind Leif and the shipwrecked crew, and the length of the voyages. While both sagas are detailing the events of the Icelandic migration to North America, they are not completely identical in the way the events are summarized. One difference between the two sagas is the initial discovery of the lands to the west of Greenland. In The Saga of the Greenlanders, after Bjarni initially noticed the lands to the west, curiosity spread amongst the people of new lands.Leif was the first to venture to the West in hopes to find the lands; he soon purchased Bjarni’s ship and led on a voyage of his own with fellow companions. 1 However, Eirik the Red’s Saga records the initial discovery of the new lands by the voyage by Karlsefni and Gudrid who were accompanie d by Freydis, Thorvard, Thorvald, and Thorhall. 2 This shows the discrepancy between the sagas and questions validity of who actually found and named the lands. The 1 second difference between the two accounts is the origin of Keel Point.The first saga tells the reader after Thorvald’s ship was wrecked, he announced to his companions that the spot of this unfortunate event will be called Keel Point. 3 Instead, the second saga reveals that Keel Point was just another piece of land named by Karlsefni and Gudrid’s voyage, after they witnessed seeing a keel of a boat around that area. 4 This difference outlines the different perspective the writers had in the story, it forces one to question the meaning of that ship wreck. Another difference is the role of Thorvald, and how it differs between the two sagas.Thorvald in the first saga is seen more independent as he leads his own voyage with his own companions after he thinks Leif did an inadequate job in exploring Vinland. 5 His role in the second saga is altered. He does not lead his own voyage, instead travels along with Karlsefni and Gudrid during their voyage to Vinland. 6 The less importance of Thorvald in the second saga makes historians believe that the writer of the first saga could have been closer to Thorvald which gives him more of an image. Along with the differences, the sagas do have many details of the voyages that can be closely comparable.In both the sagas the reader is told about the discovery of the lands west of Greenland by an accidental occurrence. The first saga describes Bjarni’s discovery of the lands to happen after his ship is blown off course to Greenland where he was going to meet with his father. 7 This is similar to the second saga where Leif finds Vinland by chance, when he is tossed about in the sea while on his way to Greenland to spread Christianity. This allows one to validate the route taken by the voyagers to North America. Another similarity between the two accounts is the story about Leif and how he earned the nickname Lucky.In the first saga, Leif comes across a group of stranded men 8 2 on a skerry and ends up rescuing fifteen of them. 9 This story is alike to the one from the second saga. Leif on his way to Greenland comes across a shipwreck, where he finds men in trouble; he ends up taking them home and sheltering them during the winter. 10 Thus, he gains the nickname Leif the Lucky. This similarity not only shines light on Leif Eirikkson, but also helps to confirm Leif’s voyage to Greenland, since both the accounts agree upon the event.The last similarity is the close connection between the lengths of the voyages. During Leif’s voyage in the first saga it is said that the time spent at sea between one point to another was two days. From Markland to the discovery of Vinland it took Leif two days at sea. 11 Likewise in the second saga the voyage of Karlsefni and Gudrid had similar lengths to the voyage of Leif. Ident ically to Leif, Karlsefni’s voyage from Markland to Vinland also took two days at sea. 12 Since both sagas describe the oyages to have taken the some amount of time, it allows historians to value this source in validating the discovery of the lands because there is no discrepancy between the length of time spent at sea. As a secondary source The Vinland Sagas prove to be a valuable piece of history. Not only because the sagas are the only account available from the 11th and 12th century, but that the accounts together help to piece together the voyages made by the Vikings to America. Together the sagas compliment each other because they help to give different perspective of the Vikings discovery.Since there are many similarities between the two, it allows historians to infer that the sagas truly are factual pieces of evidence to the past. They are also important because it removes the stereotype of the Vikings being nothing but pure savages. It shows that the Vikings were suc cessful pioneers and made profound discoveries 3 In conclusion the sagas hold both differences and similarities. The differences they had was the person who initially had discovered and named the new found land, the origin of the place called Keel Point, and the role of Thorvald as a voyager.In contrast the similarities they held included the naming and way the lands were discovered, Leif’s reputation of being Lucky, and the identical travel time on sea. Although the sagas may fluctuate with the differences and similarities, this source of history is still very feasible and valuable when looking back to the 11th and 12th century during the Viking Age. 4 Notes 1. Gisli Sigurdsson, â€Å"The Saga of the Greenlanders† In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London: Penguin, 2008), 5-7. 2. Gisli Sigurdsson, â€Å"Eirik the Red’s Saga† In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London: Penguin, 2008), 40-41. . Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 10. 4. Sigurdsson, Eiri k the Red, 41. 5. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 9-10. 6. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 40. 7. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 4. 8. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 34-35. 9. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 8-9. 10. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 35. 11. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 6. 12. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 41. 5 Bibliography Sigurdsson, Gisli. â€Å"Eirik the Red's Saga. † In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London: Penguin, 2008. 23-51. Sigurdsson, Gisli. â€Å"The Saga of the Greenlanders . † In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London: Penguin, 2008. 1-23. 6

Racial Discrimination, Deviance, and Redemption in “Crash” Essays

Racial Discrimination, Deviance, and Redemption in â€Å"Crash† Essays Racial Discrimination, Deviance, and Redemption in â€Å"Crash† Paper Racial Discrimination, Deviance, and Redemption in â€Å"Crash† Paper Paul Haggis’ (2004) movie â€Å"Crash† is a powerful portrayal on the way in which racial discrimination as a complex social problem affects the lives of people. Set in Los Angeles, the movie shows how different people often â€Å"crash† into each other’s lives and unconsciously create ripples in these interactions. The effectivity of Higgis’ depiction lies on the utter simplicity by which the movie is able to show the nuances of interlocking problems from multiple perspectives. Interestingly, the movie also poses the problem of coping in a multi-cultural society where racism is almost a norm in itself and shows how gender and socio-economic gaps contribute to and reinforce racial stereotypes and biases. The film’s exploration on the barriers erected by racial, gender, and income disparities is perhaps best portrayed by Matt Dillon who plays the character John Ryan, a police officer who has been working for seventeen years with the Los Angeles Police Department. Ryan is a single, white, male who lives with and takes care of his aging father off-duty and who spends most of the time in the movie demanding a better doctor from his father’s healthcare company. Ryan is both a dutiful son to his father and the police force, however, his character harbors the frustration resulting from the conflicts of his status as a male Caucasian in the lower rungs of the economic ladder which prevents him from providing better quality of healthcare to his ailing father. It is from thses conflicting roles that his bitterness and disdain towards privileged people of color arises. Most of the poignant scenes which emphasize his bitterness and his attempt to compensate for his disadvantaged position show Ryan attempting to get back at his perceived tormentors either by physically or verbally harassing them using his position as a police officer and his status as a Caucasian. In the early part of the film, for instance, he is the stereotypical white, racist cop who stops an SUV driven for no apparent reason than the fact that it is driven by a black American and proceeds to create false charges against him. Clearly a case of selective perception where people are almost always quick to prejudge other people based on the color of their skin or other stereotypes, Ryan treats the man, a film director, like a common criminal. Unfortunately, the man’s wife, played by Thandie Newton, sees the cop’s real agenda for stopping them and protests arrogantly that â€Å"You thought you saw a white woman performing fellatio on a black man? †¦ †¦? that’s why you stopped us. † (Haggis, 2004) This visibly enrages Ryan who, not wanting to show weakness and lose his power in front of his much younger police partner, retaliates by subjecting the woman to a body search and sexually offending her. The act is both an offense and an insult against the woman and her husband, who are forced to endure the harassment and even apologize to the police officer for a supposed crime. In another scene, Ryan pays Shaniqua a personal visit to discuss his father’s deteriorating health and painful condition which expectedly ends in conflict when he subjects her to racial slurs in an attempt to compel her to do more for his father. He tells her of his father’s effort to provide employment in his business and of the loss he suffered when the Government started adopting a preference for companies owned by racial minorities. She is not moved by Ryan’s tirade of his father’s contribution to the African-American community, however, because of Ryan’s racist remarks and instead tells him that she would have signed the necessary papers if Ryan had been nicer.

Marketing Across Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Marketing Across Cultures - Essay Example Thus what is seen is just as important as what is written or what is spoken. Therefore visual or non-verbal communications about brands and products must be adapted to culture to connect with people in high context cultures. In particular, people from high context cultures are more socially oriented and prefer to have face-to-face, or interpersonal dealings in communications (Usunier & Lee, 2009). The idea is to establish some sort of a connection to consumers in high context cultures. For example, when distributing goods in places like China, Japan and India, connections can be made by appealing to local cultural symbols. Japan’s high uncertainty avoidance culture makes it the most difficult market for foreigners to penetrate. High uncertainty avoidance cultures are usually not amenable to anything new or uncertain. Thus the state and social norms typically implement rules and norms to restrict the introduction of uncertainty in terms of the introduction of anything or any ph enomenon that is foreign or different. China and India are cultures that are more amenable to uncertainty than Japan is (Usunier & Lee, 2009). Many products fulfill both a functional need as well as a social need. When deciding how much to adapt an existing product for a new foreign market, which type of need should a marketer focus on? Explain your answer. When adapting an existing product for a new foreign market the marketer should focus on social needs. For example in masculine cultures where men make a majority of the purchasing decisions, the product should be adapted to appeal to men. Likewise, in â€Å"highly feminine individualist cultures† the social and financial burdens are shared by men and women (Usunier & Lee, 2009, p. 71). Thus when adapting an existing product to this culture, the product does not have to be gender-specific. However other cultural norms may require adaptation. For example, explicit images displaying some degree of nudity in packaging may be o ffensive to some cultures. A food product such as a soup brand may want to replace a soup made of forbidden meat products with a more appropriate meat in countries where the meat is not an acceptable food source. This will be particularly important in high uncertainty avoidance cultures. High feminine collectivist cultures are similar to high feminine individualist cultures in that men and women share responsibilities for economic and social decisions. However, these individuals typically lack individual authority. Thus products must be adapted so that they appeal to this group dynamic. It therefore follows that products should be more family oriented as high feminine collectivist cultures emphasize the importance of the family as a whole. As Usunier and Lee (2009), in high feminine collectivist cultures, the entire family has a significant influence on â€Å"consumption behaviour† (Usunier & Lee, 2009, p. 71). Comparing a supermarket in Tokyo, Japan with one in Dallas, Texas , which of the two is likely to have higher sales of snacks and sweets (Items usually found near the cash register at the checkout)? Explain your answer using the most relevant cultural dimension. Items are typically placed near the cash register in supermarkets and other stores generally to appeal to impulsive or unplanned consumer purchasing behaviour. Asian cultures are typically linked to the collectivist dimension of

Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana, Cocaine and Heroin Research Paper

Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana, Cocaine and Heroin - Research Paper Example Currently the largest problem facing Florida is cocaine followed by marijuana. The use of heroin remains low except for Boca Raton and Miami-Dade. The greatest numbers of people turning to drug rehabilitation centers do so due to marijuana addiction. In 2007 alone more than 13,000 people entered treatment facilities in Florida to deal with marijuana addiction. Around 47% of these people were aged between 12 and 17 years of age. Similarly the number of cocaine addicts seeking help was some 10,000 in 2007. It has also been estimated that some 380,000 people in Florida are addicted to illicit drugs but did not seek any help (Narconon, 2011). When the Florida drug scene is considered, it is noticeable that the abuse of legal drugs is much higher in Florida than the abuse of illegal drugs. In 2006 alone some 1,400 people in Florida died from overdoses of benzodiazepines such as Xanax or from overdoses of a narcotic such as OxyContin. On the other hand some 633 people died in Florida in 2006 from cocaine overdose. Moreover most of the marijuana that is found in Florida is grown locally rather than imported. Between 2006 and 2008 the number of indoor marijuana plants eradicated shot up from 36,000 to 78,000. (Narconon, 2011) All in all the Florida legal and illegal drugs scenario presents a grim picture that needs further support from the government in order to deal with this menace at large. Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin have been legalized in certain parts of the world such as the Netherlands but the impact of these policies is often underplayed or overplayed in order to make an argument. In order to realize the true impacts of such policies, it is pertinent to consider the peculiar socio-economic circumstances that surround the legalization of drugs in these nations. Portugal decriminalized the possession of drugs for personal use in 2001. By law anyone caught with such drugs was subject to therapy and