Analysis of the “Gladiator” trailer

Trailers are a very important part of the advertisement and promotion of a feature film. Trailers usually consist of a collection of carefully chosen clips from the film that give the audience a vague idea of what the film is about and hopefully persuade the audience to go and see it. Trailers usually contain certain information about the film and the plot. One of the main points that you would expect the trailer to show the audience is the genre of the film. The genre of a film is the category that it fits into or the type of film that it is. The trailer usually makes the audience aware of the genre by the settings of the film or costumes, actors and the music used in the film. By showing the genre of the film, the trailer often also makes the audience aware of the target audience or group of people that the film is aimed at. Trailers often focus on the films main selling points and things that are unique about the film (USPs). This could be many different things. It is often the director, actors in the film or a particular aspect of the plot that makes the film unique and catches the audience's attention. Overall, a trailer is a small part of a larger promotion campaign to persuade the audience to go and see a particular film. The trailer does this using the best moments from the film, paying special attention to the main characters, and arranging them in a way that makes them attractive to the audience. Although the main aim of the trailer is to tell the audience about the film and to persuade them to see it, there are a few other important pieces of information that it will show the audience. It will normally show a date of release. This is important so that the audience know when they can come and see the film. The trailer may also show the audience an age rating for the film. This is very important because adds to the audience's knowledge of the target audience and explains who the film is suitable for. All of the aspects that I have mentioned are important in adding to the overall effect of the trailer and fulfilling its aim of promoting the film. In this essay, I will be analysing the trailer for the blockbuster film â€Å"Gladiator† in great detail and discussing the effects that this trailer has on its audience. It is made clear by the trailer that this film is an epic, historical, action film. There are a number of things in the trailer that show us the genres of the film. In the trailer, all of the characters are wearing armour or other historical costume. This makes it very clear that the film is set a long time ago therefore showing the audience that it is a historical film. The camera shots showing the colliseum also make this part of the genre known. Throughout the trailer, a number of fight and battle scenes are shown. This along with the fast pace of the trailer, shows the audience that the film involves quite a lot of action. Last of all, the strong music and overall impression of the trailer makes it clear that the film is also epic. From the genre of the film, it is often possible to work out the target audience. I think that this trailer shows the target audience if this film to be men and older boys. I think that this is mainly because of the large amount of action in the film. The â€Å"Gladiator† trailer begins by showing the companies who made the film. The Universal logo is the first image to appear on the screen. This shows the audience that the film has been made by a well known company and this may start persuading the audience to come and see the film. After the Universal logo followed the Dreamworks logo. This will show the audience that the film contains special effects of a good standard because Dreamworks are well known for this. This again will persuade the audience and will make them aware of who the target audience might be. Both of these well known companies could act as USPs for the film and make the audience want to see the film. As these logos are being shown, a strong drumbeat is being played. It is military style drumming. This gives the audience, immediately, before the actual trailer has started, an idea of what type of film it could be or what the genre is. The opening sequence of the trailer contains a number of clues as to what the film may be like and who it is aimed at and has already begun to persuade the audience without any clips from the film being shown. The first thing to appear on the screen as the actual trailer begins is text. The words â€Å"The general† appear in bold. They are white on black background and they stand out to the audience. The words introduce the main character and also give a bit more of an idea about the genre. The words give a visual voice-over for what is about to happen in the trailer. The visual voice-over replaces a traditional voice-over in the trailer and is used to explain what is going on in the trailer. This has an impact on the audience in a number of ways. One of the ways that it does this is that without an ordinary voice-over, the music can be heard better and is therefore more dramatic and has more of an affect on the audience. The visual voice-over also makes the audience focus on the screen and therefore they are more likely to notice the clips that are so important in persuading them to go and see the film. This again adds to the trailers overall effectiveness. Straight after the words, an image, of who we presume to be the general, appears on the screen. He is standing in front of lines of soldiers. He has a very determined expression on his face and he is walking strongly. The camera shot is at eye level. This allows the audience to relate to the character more as if they are there with him. The slow motion in this clip emphasizes the determination and strength in his walk. This makes him come across, to the audience, as a brave, strong-willed man. All of the soldiers are dressed in armour and the man, who we presume to be the general, is also dressed in historical costume. This therefore confirms the audience's thoughts about the genre of the film and also gives the audience a very vague idea of what the plot may be like. The fact that the shot focuses so much on this man makes it clear to the audience that this is the main character and that he is important in the plot of the film. As the clip freezes and disappears, the words â€Å"who became a slave† appear on the screen, again bold and standing out to the audience. The words not only describe the plot but also get the audience thinking about how these things could come about. Especially with this particular phrase as it could puzzle the audience as to why this has happened and how it is possible to go from the status of a general to a slave. This could make the audience more interested in the film because it shows that the film has an unusual plot. This could be a unique selling point for the film. As the text on the screen disappears, another clip from the film is shown. This time it shows a long row of slaves standing still. This shot is a long shot which pans down the line to show the audience all of the slaves. This might shock the audience slightly because it is such a contrast to the last clip. In the line of slaves, there is one who is standing tall and determined and his stature tells the audience that he is the general who we saw before. This tells the audience that he is the main character in the film and that he is the person that we should focus on throughout the film. The image uses certain colours, oranges, browns and yellows, to add to the audiences understanding of the genre and to make sure that they know that the film is set in ancient times. The main point of this clip is to show the audience who the main character is and why he is different to all of the other slaves- his strength and determination. After this shot, the visual voice-over continues with the words â€Å"the slave†. This shows the audience that the trailer is going to talk them through the plot of the film, step by step. The audience will like this because they like to know what to expect although the visual voice-over will just give them the basic plot and leave the audience wanting to know more. As the visual voice-over disappears once again, another clip is shown. This time it shows the same man, with his back to the audience, walking into the colliseum, his head held high and proud. We can't see his face but we presume that he is the same man as before. There are cheers in the background. The way that he is walking proudly shows the audience that he is not going to be a slave for much longer and that he is going to be the hero of the film. The cheers in the background show the audience that the man is popular. It also shows the audience what he may become in the future- a gladiator. Finally, the colliseum in the background again shows us that the film is historical and also possible epic. The visual voice-over continues to talk the audience through the story with â€Å"who became a gladiator† as the image changes. We now see a gladiator who we presume to be the man talked about by the visual voice-over, leading others into the centre of the arena. He is dressed fully in armour making him unrecognisable to the audience. The camera pans, following him as he walks along. The camera tilts to a low angle making the gladiator appear powerful and dominant. The crowd can be seen in the background, a mid-shot, and along with the cheering, this builds up atmosphere and makes the audience feel part of the scene or the crowd. This clip begins to introduce the theme of action to the trailer letting the audience know the next part of the genre. A long, deep drum beat is played as the scene freezes and more text appears on the screen. The next section of the visual voice-over to appear on the screen is â€Å"the gladiator†. This text clarifies the previous clip for the audience making sure that they understand the plot so far. Next, as the military style drumming continues, we are shown an eye-level close up of the gladiator. The dark colours with red, sandy tones reinforce the genre, as do the costume. The warm colours also make the character appear unthreatening to the audience and make it clear that he is the hero or â€Å"goody† in the film. The fact that the camera shot is at eye-level means that the audience feel, in each shot that they are getting to know the character more. The fact that the shot is quite similar to the first camera shot in the trailer means that the audience instantly recognise the character. The determined expression also makes it clear that he is a hero figure in the film. Overall, the clip continues to introduce the main character paying more attention now to his personality rather than his role in the film. The image links the visual voice-over to the character making it perfectly clear who it is talking about. Again, the image freezes and the visual voice-over once again appears on the screen. This time it states â€Å"who defied an empire†. It is continuing to take the audience through the plot of the film, step by step. In the image that is shown after the text, the trailer introduces the audience to a new, different character. The image shows a tall, obviously powerful man. He is standing on a balcony, waving to a huge cheering crowd below. This image relies on the audience's knowledge of stereotypes and expectations to show them that this is a powerful person, the emperor. The cheers in the background along with the giant crowd, from which the noise is coming, show the audience that this man is well-known and highly respected. This again adds to their knowledge of the character's role in the film. After this clip, a number of action shots are cut together quickly. The speed of the trailer creates excitement in the audience and also adds to the audience's knowledge of the action genre within the film. The clips that are shown in this fast paced section also show the action aspect of the film. There are a number of clips showing different fight scenes in the colliseum. This adds greatly to the audience's knowledge of both the historical and action aspects of the film. The next clip that is shown in this section is a close-up view of a golden mask. This instantly attracts the audience's attention because they begin to ask questions about who is behind the mask but the clip changes before they have a chance to find out. The shot switches to a bold, bright action shot which shows a gladiator, presumably the one who has been shown throughout the trailer, on his chariot, flying through a sea of flames. This catches the audience's attention because of the bright colours which suddenly appear, very different from the earthy colours used throughout the trailer so far. Again there is also mystery that makes the audience interested because, again, they can't be sure who they are seeing in this clip and they may then want to see the film in order to find out. The shot of the storming chariot is also shown in slow motion so this makes the shot even more effective as it builds up suspense and tension as the audience wonder what will happen next. Again, the clip pauses and we are once again shown the colliseum. It is a low angle camera shot. This makes the colliseum appear very large and dominant over the screen. This shot shows the audience how important this building will be in the film and also how much the historical genre will affect the film. The trailer now cuts again to the character that we were introduced to not long ago, the powerful man. As we see him, he is screaming at a woman, his face angry and his voice loud. The dialogue shocks the audience because it is so sudden and unexpected. The man is screaming at a young woman who seems so powerless compared to him. He is screaming â€Å"am I not merciful? â€Å". This instantly portrays this man, the emperor, as a villain. It makes the audience dislike him. It does this partly by sympathy. The audience may feel sorry for the young woman as he screams and may feel that by upsetting her, he is a bad person. The trailer also portrays him as a villain using out stereotypical view of people as well as our expectations. The audience will most likely be expecting there to be both a â€Å"goody† and a â€Å"baddy† in the film as this is normally the case. The audience will also, most likely, have a stereotypical view that the villain or â€Å"baddy† in the film will be aggressive and most likely a powerful figure. This shot uses both speech and the audience's expectations and stereotypical views to portray the emperor as a villain. Next we are shown another clip of the emperor telling the audience even more about his character and personality in the film. He is shown in a mid-shot looking down at the camera. He has a stern, evil expression on his face which confirms that he is the same man who was shown in the previous clip. The way that he is looking down at the camera or the audience shows that he is powerful and that he knows this. The expression as he stares down at the audience makes him appear dangerous and again adds to our feelings about him as a villain. Overall, this low angle shot makes the emperor seem dominant and in control of us and the fact that he seems to be making eye-contact with the audience adds to this making us feel slightly threatened by him. The visual voice over is now re-introduced to the trailer with â€Å"This summer a hero will rise†. This caption of text plays along to the audience's expectations that there will be both a villain and hero in the film. It also gives the audience an idea of when the film is released and has also incorporated this into the explanation of the plot. As this text is disappearing an extreme low angle shot appears on the screen. It shows the gladiator standing tall and bold. The extreme low angle shot makes him appear brave and heroic while his stature tells us that he is a hero. On the clip, he is rising up the screen. This links in with the text that was shown just before and turns the metaphorical phrase into a physical happening making it easier for the audience to understand. In this section of the trailer we are also shown another fast paced montage of clips from the film. The first clip in this section shows the man standing in the arena, his hand in the air. This seems to resemble victory and shows the audience that he is most certainly the hero of the film. As this clip is being shown, over the cheering and background music, a piece of dialogue is played. â€Å"Caesar is proud to present Avius Maximus†. This instantly makes the audience feel that they can relate to the man better as they assume that the man shown is the one being talked about. The way that the dialogue is spoken also shows that the man is highly respected, has done amazing things and is a hero. This again shows us the epic aspect of the film. The next shot in this fast-paced sequence is a mid shot of a man who we presume to be Maximus, kissing a young woman. This is especially important to the secondary target audience. Females might be much more likely to want to see the film now that they know romance is involved. It shows the audience that the film isn't just about action and that it can fit into many different genres. This could be another unique selling point for the film. Overall, this shot is an extremely important part of the trailer, because, it makes the film appeal to a wider range of people in the audience and promotes the film greatly. The fast paced action scenes continue before more text is shown on the screen. This time, the text is showing us the name of the director, Ridley Scott. This instantly catches the audience's attention because he is such a famous director and is renowned for his action films. This will have a huge affect in promoting the film because it is yet another unique selling point that will persuade the audience to come and see the film. Straight after this text disappears, a bold logo appears on the screen saying â€Å"Gladiator†. As it appears on the screen, a deep, loud drumbeat is played to symbolise the importance of this word or logo. By not showing the name of the film, till the very end of the trailer, the audience are kept in suspense, wanting to know what the film is called. As well as this, the title of the film summarises the whole trailer because of the relevance that it has to the overall theme of the film. The one-word title is catchy and because of the way that it is presented in the trailer, it is likely that the audience will remember it and are therefore, more likely to go and see the film. The final thing to be shown at the end of the trailer is the release time of the film. However it is given a slight twist. The exact words on the screen are â€Å"coming soon 2000 AD†. While this gives the audience a clear understanding of when the film is to be released, it also adds to the final trace of the historical genre as the letters AD show us that the film is not set in the present day or they would not bother to put the letters there. Overall, I think that this trailer is effective and that it promotes the film using a number of different, useful techniques. The first reason why I think that this trailer is effective is because of the music. The music that is played throughout the trailer is just different variations on a simple military style drum roll. The thing that makes the music so effective is the way that it is synchronised with the different clips in the trailer. The music fits the trailer together in a way that makes it have most impact on the audience. After analysing the trailer, I have also found that the camera shots make the trailer very effective. The way that the different shots are used to communicate the importance, personality and roles of the characters, gives the audience a much better understanding of the characters and the overall plot of the film. Finally, I think that the way in which the trailer uses our stereotypical views and expectations make it very effective. The trailer gives the audience the basic plot but leaves the audience to decide for them self about the characters instead of spoon-feeding the information to them. This means that the audience have much more personal views about the characters and therefore feel more need to see the film. In my opinion, the â€Å"Gladiator† trailer is very effective and the use of camera shots, music, originality and plot should make the trailer successful in promoting the film.

Education and Essay School Uniforms Essay

SCHOOL UNIFORMS should not be abolished. Schools around the world would not be the same should the rules change. The gap between the rich and the poor widens as rich students will definitely put on their branded clothes to show off their wealth while the students from average-income households might feel inferior as they could not get a chance to experience the luxury. In this essay, I will demonstrate how the wearing of uniform provides us with a powerful sense of unity and gives us better self-restraint. When students are not wearing school uniforms, they may claim that their daily clothes are more comfortable then school uniforms. However not all students are as fortunate as others. Those who can afford more expensive clothing will certainly mock those who are not as rich as themselves. This will cause much discrimination against the poor students. With wearing school uniforms there is no need to figure out what to wear every day and there is more concentration on academics. Instead of competing over who is wearing what, there is more focus on the daily school work. In many cases, girls try to dress provocatively or to outdo one another. Using school uniforms takes away these distractions. Moving on to my second point, uniforms make the school more secure. Should all the students wear their own clothes, it would be much easier for a terrorist, to enter the school. If the whole school wear different clothes, sneaking into the school will be incredibly easy for a terrorist to enter. Wearing uniforms dramatically reduce the school’s security risks. The guards will not have to check all the students if school uniforms are worn. The wide array of colours and designs of clothes that students put on act as a source of distraction. Their colour combinations become topics of discussion among students that they lose concentration over their studies. Students will then become very concerned about their peers’ wear. There is not really a need to look fabulous in school. Schools are places for studying not a fashion show. School uniforms can abolish all the fanciful thoughts, allowing the students to be able to focus during lesson time. All this shows that abolishing school uniforms will prove useless. As a conclusion, wearing school uniforms gives the students a variety of benefits, the most prominent being the sense of unity instilled in the students who wear school uniforms, the security benefits and the sense of self-restraint. The abolishing of school uniforms will not help. In my opinion, school uniforms should not be abolished.

Antony and Cleopatra Essay

Explore the presentation and effects of love in Antony and Cleopatra Antony and Cleopatra is Shakespeare’s peculiarly fluid and intimate historical retelling of the love tale of the Roman soldier, Mark Antony, and the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. The male protagonist, Antony, is a noble Roman soldier. That being so Shakespeare introduces him as having many cultural personality traits which in this play are affected, alongside with his judgement, by the love he feels for Cleopatra. From the outset of the play, the audience can see that Antony’s judgment has been affected by love. This can be observed from the people in Antony’s company. While it is obvious they regard him as a powerful figure they also disapprove of his relationship with Cleopatra. The audience can see this from Philo’s description of Antony’s â€Å"dotage† that â€Å"O’erflows the measure† (1, 1, 2)1. This shows that his obsession with Cleopatra surpasses a sensible level. Philo says that Antony’s heart has â€Å"become the bellows and the fan/ To cool a gypsy’s lust†. (1, 1, 7-10)2 This shows that some of his former greatness has gone as he has been degraded to serving, what others see as a â€Å"gypsy†. In addition to this the word â€Å"gypsy† also reinforces the Romans disapproval of their relationship as â€Å"gypsy† would give the audience connotations of a promiscuous woman. However moments before this Antony is described to have â€Å"goodly eyes† (1, 1, 2)3 which â€Å"glowed like plated Mars† (1, 1, 4)4. Philo’s reference to â€Å"Mars† the powerful Roman God of war, presents Antony as a powerful, invulnerable God-like being. However this is a demonstration of hyperbole as the reader knows that Antony, no matter how magnificent, is still a fragile and breakable mortal. This use of hyperbole adds humor to the play as the reader identifies the exaggeration and knows that Antony is mortal. This description enables us to see the vivid change in Antony’s judgement. As the play progresses the audience can further observe the deterioration of Antony’s greatness mainly because of awful decisions made by his affected judgement. This mainly happens because he struggles with the choice of whether to devote himself to a life of work, or a life of love. As a powerful Roman military leader and one of the three Roman rulers Antony should have extremely strong work ethics and ideologies, which in turn means any decisions he makes should favour work and responsibility. However this is not the case and his judgement is often affected by his feeling for Cleopatra. In turn this dramatically affects his actions, which contradicts with his ethics of work and responsibility: â€Å"Let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch of the ranged empire fall† (1, 1, 33-4)5. Antony expresses his love for Cleopatra by saying he does not care if the Roman Empire falls. This shows the height of Antony’s love for her and the great deal that she has affected his judgement. This is more so as although this comment rejects Rome it also shows its greatness. As Antony is one of three rulers of Rome it should be his primary concern to uphold the Roman Empire rather than dismissing it for love. In addition to this Antony describes the empire as having a â€Å"wide arch† this metaphor illustrates to the audience that he believes that the Roman Empire is strong and will remain strong without him. Thus he can have a more pleasurable and relaxed lifetime. This quotation is also suggestive of Antony’s highly regarded position in the triumvirate. This is reveled due to Shakespeare’s use of the literary technique of iambic pentameter. As it is very complex to write in it enhances the importance of his speech, this is done primarily because he is stating his passion for Cleopatra which he believes is more important than anything else. During Act 3 Antony catches Thidias kissing Cleopatra’s hand. His jealousy enrages him and he commands his men to â€Å"Take hence this Jack and whip him† (3, 13, 94)6. This is less noble as he displays irrational behavior and angry which are seen as Egyptian traits rather than Roman cultural traits, as Romans are precise, measurable and rational. His treatment of Thidias can be seen as an Egyptian trait mainly because it recalls Cleopatra’s similar treatment to the messenger in Act 2 scene 5 as she also says: â€Å"Thou shall be whipped† (2, 5, 65)7. This again shows irrationality due to love, which both the lovers share. This parallel implies a similarity in their passionate temperament that can be provoked beyond self control. In turn this shows their height of passion as they both are envious and irrationally jealous, which displays the intensity of their love. In addition to this the lack of self control demonstrated by Antony shows his affect of judgment as Romans see self control as an act of responsibly, which is held just as high as their ethics of work. Despite Antony’s less than accurate judgment in previous scenes he is still a Roman at heart and shows certain aspects which benefits Rome and the notion of work. Antony experiences a major emotional struggle when he marries Caesar’s sister Octavia. Antony participates in the marriage for political reasons hoping to cement himself to his responsibilities. However, he was still caught in a struggle between Rome and Egypt.

The concept and importance of CPD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The concept and importance of CPD - Essay Example They basically work to enhance the talent of those working and responsible for the human resource in the organizations. A good HR manager basically has all the qualities that need to ace him in the complex professional organizations of today. He is a good role model and works with integrity and consistently all through his professional life. He also has the ability to make quick and right decisions under pressure and makes stress work in his favor. A good HR manager additionally has the potential to influence people and make them clearly see his point of view and gain consensus and support from a diverse workforce. His additional understanding of the business processes, activities and plans helps him ace his business towards success. He has the potential to engage, involve and commit the employee to the organization. The strategy that I opted to grow in my HR career was networking. My networking was not entirely internally focused; it was also concentrated on connecting with the peop le outside the organization. It allowed me to grow and get fresh ideas. Another behavior that I adopted was initially work as a generalist role and got exposure to all areas of HR. A behavior or skill that I think specifically worked to help me grow in my career was my ability to judge and evaluate the situation at once. I as a human resource professional see myself along the definition of band two. I have gained enough experience to be able to advice and manage human resource issues occurring all across the organization. I have it in me to stand objectively and view things like an outsider would and come up with solutions that work for everyone. I have evolved and gained knowledge, skills and competencies that make me successful at what I do. At band 2 I am more flexible and empowered to action and influence others to work effectively and efficiently. My aspiration to be the centre of the HR department and work as a HR mentor specified at band four makes motivates me to be more res ponsible, accountable and innovative. Performance and reward, though being a part of band 1, I understand it is a key driver of HR & Business strategy and developing an organization culture. Performance and reward refers to linking performance with reward – tying rewards with performance. Team/Group incentives, Sales commission, Recognition award are the examples of the aforesaid definition. Performance encompasses quantity, quality & timeliness of output, presence at work, cooperativeness, etc. etc. Rewards refer to all kind of financial and non-financial return by the employer. There are two types of rewards: Intrinsic rewards come from inside the person. Motivation, recognition, appreciation or acknowledging one’s efforts are the examples of intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards refer to tangible rewards, such as annual pay raise, bonuses or days-off, etc. Employee Engagement: Organizations now realize that a â€Å"satisfied† employee does not guarantee maximu m productivity. Another category of employee (above satisfied) is an â€Å"engaged† employee – the most productive & loyal employee. An engaged employee is always willing to move a way forward in order to delight the customers. He/She is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organization, tries to yield 100% and is always passionate about his/her goals whilst committed to live by its values. Organization design: In this context, I give below the dimensions of five configurations: - Simple structure: It is usually found in small organizations where the manager and owner is one and the same person. It has a low degree of departmentalization and formalization while span of control & authority is delegated to a single person. - Machine bureaucracy: It refers to highly routine operating tasks having very

Decisions in Paradise III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decisions in Paradise III - Essay Example With newspaper or Third Estate being a key part of optimal democracy, the people and importantly responsible government could welcome it. Factors affecting the decision As discussed in the case scenario, there are certain internal as well as external environmental factors, which could impede CBTL’s plan of launching the new business. When one focuses on the external factor, the main problem is the destructive and inconsistent weather pattern in Kava. Kava being in the â€Å"danger zone† of many natural disasters including earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, etc, any business initiative of CBTL in Kava has to face its repercussions. These natural phenomenons have the power to completely destroy the newspaper office and its network, if the intensity is greater or even closer to the newspaper infrastructure. Although, CBTL can technologically safeguard its infrastructure and network, it cannot be fully trusted, until it effectively faces and survives a disaster. Th at is, there will be skepticism regarding how CBTL can protect its infrastructure, creating doubts even among the upper management and stakeholders of the CBTL. This could lead to blocking of finances for the project, thereby making the newspaper plan unsuccessful. In addition, the upper management could raise skepticism about the reconstruction costs, which may be incurred on the CBTL, if the technological safeguarding does not work out well and the infrastructure gets destroyed. So, the solution mainly focuses on building a strong and disaster proof infrastructure for the newspaper office and its network, even building at a safer location. Resources and actions required Natural phenomenon could wreck CBTL’s business plans and could even diminish any chances of it developing a hold in Kava. Thus, all the natural and even man-made factors, which could destroy or even impede the newspaper plan has to be solved through certain measures. As part of these plans, the newspaper off ice including its network has to be located in a safe and secured location within the islands. Although, most of Kava is disaster prone, locations with minimal threat level can be selected after good study of the geography and importantly after analyzing previous incidences of natural disasters. After finding a safe location, CBTL can put all its technological resources to build a stronger and effective infrastructure, which will be able to withstand most of the natural phenomenon. To further make its investment in the infrastructure foolproof, CBTL can go for insurance cover. With the insurance scheme, CBTL can be financially protected in the case of disasters, and could do the reconstruction with that option. In addition, to further strengthen its business and also to fulfill CSR, CBTL can recruit local people for jobs in the newspaper office. Qualified and equipped employees can provide good employment option for CTBL. Ethical aspects A lack of business ethics on the part of orga nizations and corporate leaders can contribute sizably to the demise of the organization (Adadevoh, n. d). When CTBL carries out various steps to solve the threats to its newspaper plan, it could also lead to some ethical issues. As mentioned above, as part of CSR and also to tap good talent, CTBL can recruit local people for its newspaper operations. However, with HIV having incidence rate in Kava and with the targeted population of youth being the main sufferers, there may be ethical dilemmas on

The social and political films of the 1930s Essay

The social and political films of the 1930s - Essay Example Even though equipment was new, but American public was poor at the time, as a result by 1933 movie attendance fell by 40 percent. To survive, the industry trimmed salaries and production costs and also shut down one third of the US theatres. The depression 1gave rise also to such movies that were more propaganda in nature. For example due to influx of refugees from Germany, a lot of Germans were even working in the movie industry led to the Anti-Nazi themes. It was under this feeling that by the end of decade, fronts were formed against Anti-Nazism, such as Holy Wood Anti Nazi League that explicitly made Anti-Nazi movies, a move far from away from entertainment. The rise of communism also made its presence in Hollywood. In 1930s Hollywood had its own Communist party under the leadership of screenwriter John Howard Lawson, who championed the cause of intellectual rights. Our Daily bread (1934) is a movie based on Communism in the backdrop of Depression, which portrays that communal spirit could enable a community to overcome the economic problems. The Great Depression 2increased poverty; while Prohibition shifted ideologies, which were clearly reflected in the movies. The Depression broke the promise of American Dream; many thought of a revolution to bring change in the White House. In 1932 the American Legion mentioned that the reason for chaos was American political system that needs to be changed. The response it was believed is revolution, as capitalism failed; Stalin seemed the rescuer for new setup. This provided dictatorship craze 3in Hollywood, a series of films that have strong tyrannical personalities, who with all their flaws had the power to steer the nation. The Power and Glory (1931) is made around such character, the railroad tycoon Tom Garner, who in the wake of railroad crisis brings workers to heel through his haughty personality. A times comes, when Garners happens to kill 400 workers to suppress strike, again shows that cruelty is acceptable, if it can bail out the people. Employee's Entrance (1933) shows the ruthless world of the business. The film depicts establishment of business since 1878 throughout the roaring twenties with a tone, that in business there is no room for sympathy, again is depiction of blind power from Hollywood. The rise of Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany and political corruption also produced characters for the movies. Colombia pictures presented an alternative to American inefficient democracy of the time, Mussolini Speaks (1933), where the pre-credit inscription mentions " This picture is dedicated to a man of the people whose deeds for his people will ever be an inspiration to all mankind." The narrator of the movie praises in the preface and mentions that, "Whether we agree with a man's policy or not doesn't matter. We're interested in a man if he marks himself a leader", depicts American society loss of faith on its leadership. This yearning for strong leadership is based on the assumption that even if leadership is flawed and tyrannical, if it knows, how things are done is better than democracy. Similarly in Gabriel over the White House (1932) again the need for a strong leadership is repeated, when newly elected president Judson Hammond is shown to be a lackey of his party willing to follow the party line

Democratisation Localisation of Democracy Essay

Democratisation Localisation of Democracy - Essay Example The present study would focus on a democracy as a government in which citizens in a country participate in making decisions that affect their lives. Primarily, this involves making decisions that affect legal aspects of people’s lives including drafting, debating and enactment of legislation to become law. In addition, democracy involves people participation in making social, economic and cultural decisions. In democracies, representatives or leaders put in record people’s contributions towards making of laws of the land, by-laws and other relevant social instruments depending on the extent of democracy. The constitution is the supreme law of the land in most modern democracies, and all other laws, including customary laws must be consistent with the constitution. Otherwise, they are null and void and cannot be enforced by any law enforcing agency in the country. According to historical events, democratic rule and governance is the fairest and most preferable of all typ es of governance as citizens are free to decide their fate by offering their views in various ways. There are many types of democracies depending on how the people express their views, and how they implement them. However, these many types have two main characteristics, where the people present their views on governance directly, and where people choose representatives to present their views; direct democracy and indirect democracy, respectively. In indirect democracies, the people elect political representatives. For instance, they elect parliamentarians who go to parliament to debate and pass laws, and each representative presents the key issues affecting his or her people. The various forms of indirect democracies include parliamentary, presidential, semi presidential, constitutional, and liberal constitutional democracies. In presidential democracies, the people elect a president who is the head of state and wields many executive powers. This democracy has other political leader s, but all leadership revolves around a powerful presidency. A semi presidential democracy has both a president and prime minister, with both sharing the powers of an executive president. A constitutional democracy is similar to a parliamentary democracy, but the parliamentarians make all decisions in accordance to the country’s constitution. The people have the power and mandate to petition against the parliament if the latter oversteps the limitations of the constitution on their duties. Finally, representative democracies include liberal constitutional democracies. A liberal constitutional democracy is just like the constitutional democracy, but its parliamentarians have the capacity to alter the constitution to fit the prevailing circumstances (Dworkin 2008, p. 218). Apart from representative democracies, there is the direct form of democracy whereby the people participate directly in governance. In this case, there are usually no representatives and the central governmen t has to consult the people every time it wants to make a decision that affects the legal, socioeconomic, and customary aspects of people’s lives. However, due to the number of people in each country, this democracy is not common and the preferred form of democracy is representative. People practice direct democracy in scenarios where the people involved are few, and it is an economically viable option. Subjects in a representative government vote for sensitive matters like changing a government, altering or changing a constitution, petitioning a non-performing leader, and subdividing the country among others directly in referenda. A referendum is one of the cases where citizens in a representative democracy express their direct opinion to the central government without their parliamentary representatives coming into play. However, these processes are expensive due to the number of people involved and, therefore, having a referendum is rare (Gaus and Kukathas 2004, p. 144). O ther scenarios where people

The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the Essay

The Great War What were the war aims OR military strategies of the various belligerents in World War I How was the Great War the first truly global conflict - Essay Example Reflecting on what happened during the Russo-Japanese War, Block felt that this new, technological sort of war would destroy Europe. 1 A new belief circulated amongst European General Staffs that contingency plans needed to be made allowing them to win any future war they might come upon. The main problem that followed from this, however, was the fact that they did not understand the concept of modern war, and thus the plans they put together actually resulted in a catastrophic war of attrition. Four reasons actually caused this catastrophe. The first issue was the fact that industrialization resulted in weapons and equipment being made on a large scale. Next, there was a huge population growth which allowed for the manpower necessary to create the large armies necessary to fight the war. Third, reserves became a popular concept, and this allowed the armies to grow quickly. Last, the creation of large railroad networks allowed for armies to be supplied in the trenches. The combination of these four concepts would alter the face of war forever, and this resulted in a near death struggle by the end of 1914 that neith er country wanted nor expected. Furthermore, none of the European rulers could discover a way to end the terrible war or justify the large amount of men lost to it during the first months of war. Most of them, instead, focused on the next campaign, believing that it would finally win the war-and of course, it never did.2 Each side involved in the war had several issues it needed to face. These issues included figuring out how to mobilize the necessary items in order to actually but together a successful industrial war without completely destroying society as a whole. History indicated that a short, decisive war would be best (the only recent war standing out that stood out in contrast to this at the time was the American Civil War, which at this time was largely ignored as a usual war). The most recent wars, which has included the Russo-Japanese War and the Italian Unification Wars made many believe that modern wars could be quick, fast business forcibly decided by a few short battles. So, there was an overall feeling present in Europe that the European military establishments could win quickly. 3 However, they would be wrong, and they could not have necessarily guessed or understood that they would be. Obviously, they were searching for an answer and looking at things from optimistic perspectives, although they did not necessarily realize this at the time. They are not to blame, because even today, modern historians have problems understanding this war. If one, for example, decides to take a close look at memoirs and study each campaign, the picture simply becomes more and more complex. The only way one can truly understand this war is by taking a close look at military demography, economic systems, labor controls, and transportation theory. One can only understand the Great War by taking a close look via a material assessment in order to lift away obscurity. Therefore, one needs to conclude that three material factors led to the outcome of the war, and these two items include economic mobilization, human and resource mobilization. With this concept in mind, one can understa nd how each coalition developed its strategies to win the Great War. The outcomes of the Great War were serious indeed; the excessive force of economic

Small business fianical assignment Setting up a Business

Small business fianical Setting up a Business - Assignment Example With a population density of 1,419 people per square kilometer, the retail store will be run by 14 members of staff (10 employees and 4 directors). Such a team of dedicated employees will ensure that all the needs of the prospective customers are catered for. Customer loyalty will be maintained for future plans of expanding the business into a corporation. As a small business, the registration requirements are minimal. We will have to apply for a business license from the Municipal Government. The business license would ascertain that our business is legitimate and acceptable by the national government (Morris, p. 27). All the inventory items will be taxed under the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) requirements for all sales in Canada. All goods have indirect tax attached to their price. As a small business, our liability to the HST requirements will be through the indirect tax imposed on all goods. However, the tax burden will be passed to the final consumers of the goods and services. They will have to cater for the indirect tax burden through the price charged. The municipal government will require that we pay monthly municipal tax. Such a tax is a requirement for all businesses. The tax will be used to cater for the well-being of the municipality. The fresh farm produce will be inspected by the public health department to ensure that the food commodities are fit for consumption. We will be required to have a certificate of quality check from the same department. If the business were a corporation, there would be significant set-up and filing changes as required by the central government. Setting up a corporation would require the following documents (Morris, p. 95); The corporation will be required to fill tax returns forms. All the sales that the corporation will make will be taxed according to the Harmonized Sales Tax requirements in Canada. In addition, the corporation will be required to fill the following

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why, if at all, is freedom a good thing - Essay Example The Anti-Terrorism Act 2001 has already made privacy and freedom to conduct political manifestations of the Freedom of Speech a thing of yesterday.We have accusations of hate speech and incitement everywhere.. All this has left us wondering whether Freedom can exist with law or Voltaire said we are in the shackles of law,regulations and even democracy everywhere we go.Are we actually free or have we been led to believe that we are free in the trap of the legal norms of this society The so called modern British Citizen is not free from the nuances of being controlled by the Government.Many recent developments would indicate that the modern British citizen despite being domiciled in a free country is still subject to draconian laws like the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 which allows public authorities to access communications data, of British citizens for investigation. Furthermore these public authorities can also obtain communications data from operators of telecommunications or postal services. Therefore now the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the National Crime Squad, the Commissioners of Customs and Excise, the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and any of the intelligence services all have access to an individual's private information which is indeed a scary prospect.It is also true that the word freedom has become a concept much played by political bias and historical arm twisting.Consider the situation post 9/11 where Mrs M ary Robinson,1 once stated "Unfortunately, what I saw and heard was undemocratic regimes using the tragedy in the United States of 9/11 to pursue their own repressive policies, secure in the belief that their excesses would be ignored. New laws and detention practices were introduced in a significant number of countries, all broadly justified by the new international war on terrorism. The extension of security policies in many countries has been used to suppress political dissent and to stifle expression of opinion of many who have no link to terrorism and are not associated with political violence." Of course then all the atrocities in the Iraq and Afghan war were carried out in the name of Freedom.The media responded by taking "freedom of speech" for granted by showing its own versions to the audience and shamelessly selling its credibility as many "fair and balanced" members of the media chose to become "embedded" journalists. Today there is no concept of paid political advertising on television and radio. This is a flagrant breach of the freedom of speech and expression. Moreover this ban on political advertising does not just apply to political parties, but anyone with political views. All is not lost however. The saving grace comes from the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998 which have aided the judiciary in upholding the notions of Freedom of speech and privacy. Taking the example of the Data Protection Act 1998.This act compels data controllers to erase information like patients details or telecoms customers call records etc. Data controllers can be anyone from a doctor to a telecom company. Moreover the Human rights Act 1998 has played a large role in strengthening the

Accounting and finance for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting and finance for Managers - Essay Example Capital structure decisions are significant as they determine the company’s profitability and financial flexibility. Therefore, while forming capital structure plans, the financial decision maker must consider the nature of business, external & internal conditions, economic conditions and the future plan of a company. This paper will attempt to analyse the capital structure policies of a public company (listed on stock exchange) along with the merits and demerits of capital structure. The primary focus of this paper will be to evaluate the capital structure policies of the company in context of relevant capital structure theories. The initial sections will have a brief discussion on various capital structure theories. This will be followed by a brief overview of the selected public company so as to understand its nature of business and the prevailing capital structure policy of the company. The overall findings of the project will be discussed in the concluding section. Designing the capital structure of a public company is very much crucial as it helps to reduce financial risk. Besides, the financial managers have to keep redesigning the company’s capital structure for maintaining proper leverage. Gerestonbeg has defined capital structure of a company as â€Å"the composition or make-up of its capitalization† that includes â€Å"all long-term capital resources i.e. loans, reserves, shares and bonds† (Patra, 2006, p.237). Many scholars have developed various capital structure theories for trading off between the owned capital and loaned capital. Some of popular theories of capital structure are trade off theory, pecking order theory, agency cost theory and Modigliani & Miller theory. Out of these theories, Modigliani & Miller theory is the most important and widely accepted capital structure theory. In order to trade off between costs and benefit of debts, the financial managers must choose the optimum level of capital structur e. The cost of capital

Things That I Will Do for Malaysia If I Become a Celebrity Essay Example for Free

Things That I Will Do for Malaysia If I Become a Celebrity Essay What if I am a celebrity? It sounds ridiculous. But what if it really comes true? What will I do? I am wondering what I should do after that, maybe I could do something for my most beloved country, Malaysia. First of all, I will make my country to become well known. I will make it famous as a tourist center so that there will be a lot of tourists come over our country and enjoy the Malaysias splendid environment. I will also tell them that Malaysia is a beautiful and also a wonderful country. Not only that, the people in Malaysia is also very friendly and amicable. They make no distinction between whats ones own and whats anothers and always be on very intimate terms. Therefore, the tourists would be interesting with the uniqueness of Malaysia and our countrys economy will also increased due to the advent of tourists Next, I will let the whole world to know about our country. By achieving this, I will let everyone to know the location of Malaysia. I will also introduce the Malaysians culture, traditional an lifestyle to the world. Since Malaysia has three major ethnicities which are Chinese, Indians and Malays, so it would be fascinating and amusing for the people to know how we lived in our country without taking offense about other race. Other than that, I will help the country by improving the public facilities such as light rail transit (LRT), monorail and also bus. This can make things easier for people so that they can feel more convenience when they go for work or maybe school. As a conclusion, I would like to say that I will do everything for my county, Malaysia if I had become a celebrity. I will make it as a harmonious country that people always look forward to.

Properties Of Soil Including Density And Porosity Environmental Sciences Essay

Properties Of Soil Including Density And Porosity Environmental Sciences Essay Experiments were undertaken to obtain the bulk density, particle density, and soil porosity of four soil samples. Bulk density, particle density, and soil porosity are all interrelated terms. Density is the relationship between the mass (m) and volume (V) of a substance. . Based on this relationship, an object or substance that has high mass in relation to its size (or volume) also has a high density (D). Soil bulk density (Db) is a measure of the mass of soil per unit volume (solids + pore space) and is usually reported on an oven-dry basis. The particles that make up a soil have a specific particle density (Dp), which is defined as the mass of solid particles in a unit volume. This can be expressed as, . The particle density of a soil is not affected by particle size or arrangement; rather it depends on the type of solid particles present in the soils. Unlike the measurement of particle density, the bulk density measurement accounts for the spaces between the soil particles (pore s pace) as well as the soil solids. Soils with a high proportion of pore space have lower mass per unit volume, and therefore have low bulk density. A bulk density greater than 1.6 g cm-3 may indicate soil compaction, which means these soils have a low proportion of pore space and, therefore, low porosity. The bulk density indirectly provides a measure of the soil porosity which is the ratio of the volume of soil pores to the total soil volume. Clayey soils generally have an abundance of very small pores that give them a higher total porosity compared to sands, which are dominated by larger, but fewer pores. MATERIALS: 1. Core soil samples 2. Balance (0.1 g precision) 3. Flat-bladed knife 4. Veneer calliper 5. Disturbed soil samples 6. 100 ml measuring cylinder 7. De-aired water METHOD: The bulk density of the soil was calculated after following a series of steps. Firstly, excess soil from each of the disturbed soil sample was removed using a flat-bladed knife, ensuring that the bottom of the sample was flat and even with the edges of the ring. Excess material or roots penetrating from the sample was cut using a scissors. The dimensions of the core were then measured using a veneer calliper and the dimensions obtained were plugged into the formula Volume= à Ã¢â€š ¬ * radius 2* height to calculate the volume of the core. This value was then used to obtain the bulk density of the soil (Db = ). Afterwards, approximately 50g of soil was weighed out in a weigh dish for each soil sample and the soil weight was recorded to the nearest 0.1 g. e 50 cm of water was then poured into a 100 ml graduated cylinder and the previously weighed soil was added into the water in small increments. Air bubbles were eliminated by stirring with a rod and the final volume of the soil water suspension was read and the value was recorded. This value was then used to calculate the particle density of each soil sample (Dp = ). Using the measured densities the percentage soil porosity was calculated via the formula, 100-( Db / Dp * 100). Data was recorded and presented in a tabular format. RESULTS: SOIL SAMPLE HEIGHT OF CORE (cm) DIAMETER OF CORE (cm) VOLUME OF CORE SAMPLER (cm3) 1 5.548 5.36 125.2 2 3.862 5.58 94.5 3 4.889 5.858 131.8 4 4.798 5.384 109.2 FIGURE 1: TABLE SHOWING THE HEIGHT, DIAMETER AND VOLUME OF THE CORE SAMPLER FOR EACH SOIL SAMPLE. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT VOLUME (cm3) 1 319.6g 69 2 276.6g 69 3 273.2g 71 4 343.6g 70 TABLE SHOWING THE WEIGHT AND VOLUME OF THE FOUR SOIL SAMPLES. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT OF FIELD MOIST SOIL SAMPLE (g) WITH CORE WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL SAMPLE (g) WITH CORE WEIGHT OF CORE (g) WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL SAMPLE (g) (WEIGHT OF DRY SOIL WITHOUT CORE WEIGHT) 1 356.7 319.5 188.5 131 2 277.4 276.6 105.1 171.5 3 390.1 273.2 145.8 127.4 4 245.6 343.6 104.5 239.1 FIGURE 1: TABLE SHOWING WEIGHT OF FIELD MOIST SOIL SAMPLE AND OVEN DRY SOIL SAMPLE. SOIL SAMPLE WEIGHT OF SOIL SAMPLE (g) INITIAL VOLUME OF WATER (cm3) FINAL VOLUME OF WATER (cm3) VOLUME OF THE SOIL PARTCLES (cm3) 1 50.00 50 69 19 2 50.00 50 69 19 3 50.00 50 71 21 4 50.00 50 70 20 FIGURE 4: TABLE SHOWING WEIGHT OF SOIL SAMPLE, INITIAL VOLUME OF WATER, FINAL VOLUME OF WATER AND VOLUME OF SOIL PARTICLES. SOIL SAMPLE BULK DENSITY (g/cm-3) PARTICLE DENSITY (g/cm-3) SOIL POROSITY (%) 1 1.9 6.9 72.5 2 2.49 9.03 72.4 3 1.8 6.1 70.5 4 3.42 12 71.5 FIGURE 2: TABLE SHOWING THE BULK DENSITY, PARTICLE DENSITY AND SOIL POROSITY OF EACH SOIL SAMPLE. To calculate how many grams of soil are in a hectare plow layer: Depth = 15cm =0.15m Hectare = 10,000m2 Volume of HPL = Area of Hectare * Depth of plow = 10,000 * 0.15 = 1500m3 Db = 1.4g/cm3 = 1kg = 1000g à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ´1400kg=1400 ÃÆ'-1,000 = 1,400,000g Therefore, there are 1,400,000g of soil in a hectare plow layer. DISCUSSION: Soil porosity and bulk density are interrelated terms. Soil bulk density (Db) is a measure of the mass of soil per unit volume while soil porosity is the ratio of the volume of soil pores to the total soil volume. Bulk density (Db) is closely related to the soil porosity through the following relationship:. The bulk density indirectly provides a measure of the soil porosity (amount of pore space). The value obtained from the measurement of soil bulk density can be used to calculate pore space. For soils with the same particle density, the lower the bulk density, the higher the percent pore space or total porosity. Soil porosity values range from 0 to 1. Soils with a high bulk density have low total porosity because empty pores do not have any mass. When the bulk density is zero, porosity equals 1, meaning there are no particles. If the bulk density is equal to the particle density, then there are no pores and porosity is zero. Soil porosity can be affected by changes occurring in the soil. The porosity of the soil decreases in compacted subsoils and increases in well- aggregated, high organic matter surface soils. The values range from as low as 25% to more than 60% respectively. Soil management can also alter soil porosity values such that, cultivated soils tend to have a lower total pore space as a result of a decrease in organic matter content and a consequent lowering of granulation, in comparison to uncultivated soils. Bulk density and porosity are also affected by changes in soil texture. Fine-textured soils including clay, clay loam and silt loams typically have lower bulk densities as compared to sandy soils, due to the presence of pores between and within the granules. As a result, these fine-textured soils containing a high proportion of pore spaces to solids tend to have low bulk densities. Sandy soils, on the other hand, though larger in particle size have larger yet fewer pore spaces, resulting in a higher bulk density. In terms of porosity, fine-textured soils are very porous. This is because of the large amount of micropores in fine-textures soils which allow water to be held. These micropores prevent the water from being drained away and therefore, result in high total porosity. In contrast, sandy soils have less total porosity due to the relative absence or lack of fine, within-ped pores. This allows water to be drained away easily through the macropores present in sandy soils. Addition ally, bulk density and porosity are affected by changes in the size class of the soil particles. Bulk density is lower in sandy soils or well-sorted sand where the particles are generally of one size class whereas a mixture of different size particles (well-graded sand) will cause a high bulk density. In well-graded sand the smaller particles partially fill in the spaces between the larger particles causing a reduction in the pore spaces and a resultant increase in bulk density. Soil porosity, on the other hand, is decreased in well-graded sand as compared to well-sorted sand. Another factor impacting bulk density and porosity is compaction. Soil compaction refers to the disruption and reduction of the large pores within the soil. It can be caused in a variety of ways such as, the practice of poor agricultural practices, use of machinery on soil, etc. Compaction increases the mass in a given volume, which increases the measured bulk density. Bulk density increases because both the micropores and macropores in a soil are significantly reduced after compaction has taken place. Therefore, with the removal of these empty pores, the mass of soil increases in a given volume. With regards to porosity, compaction reduces the total pore spaces and hence, the total porosity. In conclusion, bulk density and porosity are two interrelated soil properties which are altered by various factors including soil texture, compaction and soil structure. Calculations into the bulk density and porosity were carried out. Some limitations presented were the fact that bulk density and porosity values would differ from place to place due to certain factors, for example, the level of compaction in an area. However, these figures can be useful in determining the crop yield of a soil.

Vidal Business Strategy Overconfidence

Vidal Business Strategy Overconfidence Introduction During the annual business plan meeting regarding the shower gel brand Vidal, it was decided for 2017 to decline the 1+1 promo quantities in an effort to achieve better profitability versus last year. From the arguments that were presented, i believe that the team has overestimated the probability for the latter scenario to happen, since the decision might has been impacted by overconfidence. The aim of this report is a) to present arguments that justify the latter, b) to detect the source of this bias and c) to recommend de-bias techniques that will be proved useful also for the future. The case Vidal, in a short period of time became the 3rd player into the segment, with a continuous growth. Last year it gained +3.5 points in terms of market share and a +30% increase in value sales. Managers pointed that the key drivers of success were: a) the great value for money product b) the highest rate of 1+1 promo intensity c) the investment on distribution and traditional advertising. The team concluded that the objective to penetrate the market was completed and there is an opportunity to achieve better profitability and ROI at the end of 2017. This could happen by a 20-25% reduction in 1+1 promo quantities. Following this strategy, managers estimated that they can retain at least last years value sales, which in combination with the lower cost of selling goods will improve the brands profitability. The greatest ally that will support the latter is products excellence and consumer loyalty. More specifically, they considered that the combination of products low price (2ndlowest) and quality is so unique, that by reducing the 1+1 promo, consumers will be directed towards the regular product. Moreover, after the distribution expansion the team estimated that the products superiority versus competition will attract new consumers. I feel that both scenarios are overconfident and their probabilities should be reassessed for the following reasons. Initially, the findings of a qualitative research indicated that Vidal is a value for money product, but still lacks in terms of packaging. Most consumers considered the packaging as old fashioned and correlated it with Private Label. Additionally, they indicated some practical issues during the usage which are capable to restrain both users experience and perceptional quality. From a quantitative perspective, it was noticed that 55% of Vidals revenues were generated from the 1+1 quantities whereas the regular product presented a sharp increase in 3 out of 5 variances, mainly because of distribution expansion and not from gaining consumers from other players. Private Labels are leaders into the segment while in 2016 presented a substantial growth. From the data report, I noticed that the second player had around -40% lower price during some periods that are not supported from their 1+1 promo wave. From the latter I suspect that they might invested in price reductions in order to constrain PLs growth since they are more expensive. As a consequence I would like to underline that: Private labels are growing significantly in a price sensitive segment. Maybe by reducing 1+1 quantities we might push our consumers towards them, since we are highly correlated and more expensive. Palmolive might has realized the threat of PL and might has adapted its strategy by offering price reductions. The initiative to reduce our investment under these circumstances might also outflow consumers towards them. I think that the team has overestimated the regular products competitive advantage compared with competition and underestimated the importance of 1+1 promo. I believe that the source of this bias is generated by the teams motivation to improve profits since its a key performance indicator for both the companys and managers growth. During this effort managers knew that is not feasible to increase investment in order to boost sales and consequently they thought about a cost reduction strategy. The initial feedback about the very good results might boosted their confidence, whereas the fact that the brand has experienced only successes might constrained them to consider alternative scenarios. In order to improve the decision making process I would like to recommend some techniques of reducing overconfidence. The first is related about the importance of counter-argumentation. This means that managers when taking a decision should consider reasons why this decision might goes wrong. If the latter is difficult then they could ask from outsiders to express their opinion. For example in our case before approving the decision all the team members is recommended to list a number of reasons why the 1+1 reduction could not lead to increased profitability. In case that no one could think about any reason then, the Sales force should provide some input, since they have excellent sense of the market and its dynamics. Secondly, I would indicate the importance of feedback. The company is operating since 1970 while is consisted form experienced and new members. It is a great opportunity to exploit the companys knowledge by creating a case-study library that will host all the companys past successes and failures. Once a year we could organize the Sarantis-Training-Academy, in which managers will be assigned with cases, and they will be asked to provide their input for each strategy by assigning probabilities about their favored hypothesis. Afterwards, they will be informed about the real outcome and managers will be aware if they are overconfident or not. Finally from now on, I recommend that the Brand manager should be accountable for every decision. After every business plan meeting he will be responsible to present the proposals on the board of directors. The fact that he will have to present the ideas to seniors and experienced members might help him to enhance both self and group-criticism and reducing overconfidence. Conclusion The marketing team might has overestimated the probability of their scenario regarding the brands strategy of 2017, whereas this time has neglected also the normative approach. The excellent launch in combination with the fact that Vidal has experienced only successes might boosted the level of confidence. In order to improve the decision process this report has proposed 3 debias techniques (feedback, consider-the opposite and accountability) that according to the behavioral research seem to eliminate overconfidence. Part B Introduction Overconfidence might be proved a deleterious element for the decision making process since it does not only evokes people to overestimate their probabilities about the favored scenario but it also can cause catastrophic consequences. For example, in a study that examined the effect of overconfidence on newsvendors forecasts, showed that the higher the overconfidence the faster the profit loss (Crosson and Ren, 2009), while nowadays overconfidence seems to be a key driver for many start-up failures. This report is based on previous studies, and aims to underline the causes that triggered overconfidence to the Vidals marketing team while in parallel is focusing to provide a series of debiasing techniques in an effort to eliminate its effect. Overconfidence and Success In Vidals case I feel that the successful launch among with the wide recognition of the teams efforts, might have boosted their level of confidence. This relationship between success and overconfidence has lot of similarities with the case of Ducati. More specifically, in 2003 Ducati entered the motorcycle racing circuit MotoGP without having high expectations. During this effort, the team was focusing on data analysis and was gathering continuous feedback from the drivers for its improvement. At the end of the first year, Ducati surpassed every expectation and gathered the 2nd place, whereas for next year the team targeted the 1st place. This time the differentiated point was that the team stopped looking deeply into the data and receiving feedback. They considered that now their experience was enough in order to create an even better motorbike. Once a team member indicated you look into the data to understand whats going wrong and not why you are performing well. The next year Ducati did not covered expectations and performed even worse than the previous year. (Gino and Pisano,2011). Similarly, like on Ducatis case, it is remarkable how the Vidals marketing team after its successful launch didnt look deeply into the data, since so far it was a key principle prior taking any action. Additionally, the team seemed overconfident not only about their predictions but also about the products characteristics and performance. There are findings which show that success can inspire overconfidence. For example in a recent study, Hilary and Menzly (2016) found that analysts becoming overconfident when they achieve accurate forecasts as they tend to rely more on private information and to neglect markets reaction. As a consequence they perform less accurate predictions in the future. Additionally, when a trader achieves successful performance he becomes overconfident as he tends to revise his perceptional skills higher than the expected. The latter leads him not to use important information even though he might has a good database (Gervais and Odean, 2001). Walter and Ferrier (2004) stated also that success could generate overconfidence while it makes managers intolerant on new prospects. Since, success inspires overconfidence, it is important for managers to examine and understand the causes of success (Gino and Pisano,2011). Definition and Sources of Overconfidence Plous (1993,p.217) stated that no judgement decision is more prevalent and more catastrophic than overconfidence. In order to support this rationale in his book are some examples of the negative consequences of overconfidence. One of them is the destruction of Pearl Harbor, since Americans considered impossible the scenario for someone to conduct a proper attack in that location. Similarly, NASA, before the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, had estimated that the risk of failure was 1/10,000. Overconfidence might has different forms. The first is related when someone overestimating the probability of the favored outcome to occur (Griffin and Varey, 1996), while the others are related when people consider themselves to be better than others, or when someone overestimates his skills or performance (overestimation) (MooreHealy,2007). I believe that in Vidals case both types are valid. This happens because the team might overestimated the probability to retain the amount of 2016 value sales by neglecting critical information, while they have excellent perception about the products potential. Russo and Shoemaker (1992) stated that a major cause of overconfidence is a persons difficulty to imagine all different outcomes that an event could have (availability bias).Due to this deficiency people become overconfident regarding their predictions as they have fewer paths to consider. In Vidals case the team could not envision different consequences of the cost reduction strategy, whereas the fact that the brand had only successes, might restricted the teams effort to recall or envision different scenarios. Another cause of overconfidence according to Russo and Shoemaker is anchoring. They stated that managers are anchored to one value or idea without making any adjustments, As a result they might generate sales forecasts before setting and adjusting their confidence rates. A prior study of Tversky and Khaleman (1974) confirmed this relationship by also stating that people tend to underestimate the risk of failure. The fact that cost reduction was the first thing that crossed the teams mind, might be due to an association based error. People are not used to think hard and usually trust the judgment that comes first into their mind (Kalheman,2003). Here, the first thing that the managers noticed was that Vidal had by far the highest promo intensity, while they might recalled from their semantic memory that cost reduction is a common and direct way to improve profitability. Arkes (1991) stated that people can think reasons to support their judgments much faster than the contradictory ones. The latter in combination with the fact that supportive reasons are greatly cued can cause overconfidence. Debiasing Techniques and Limitations Lichtenstein and Fischhoff (1980), stated that people are usually overconfident, but in an experiment that they conducted they found that feedback could improve participants calibration. Calibration is the skill to assign probabilities that equals the correct estimations (Sharp et.al, 1988). Performance feedback is one out of four types of feedback (outcome, process, environmental, performance) that are related with judgmental predictions, and can be divided into two subtypes (scoring-rule and calibration feedback)(Benson Onkal, 1992). In 1987, Arkes conducted an experiment between 2 groups in order to detect the effect of feedback. The 2nd group was informed that will have easy questions to answer while the 1st group was told that the questions were difficult. However, in reality both questions were difficult. After the first 5 questions the second group had higher confidence but same accuracy ratio with the first group. During the next sessions and after the second group received the discouraging feedback the members expressed less confidence and better accuracy. Similarly, in a recent study in which participated 57 students it was founded that performance feedback reduced overconfidence and lead to more accurate predictions (Al-Harthy 2016). Moreover, Richards (2015), examined as well the effect of feedback. This time the sample was consisted from 171 MBA students with 5 years of working experience. The participants were asked to assess themselves in 5 areas and afterwards to participate in a 3-hour assessment regarding their skills (problem solving, decision making, leadership, teamwork and planning).After the assessment, they participated in a pedagogy course in order to understand the essentials of behavior in relevance with the above skills. In parallel, they were being involved with many tasks such as: feedback and discussions with students. At the end of the semester the subjects repeated the same assessment. It was found that participants initially were overconfident in their self-assessment but after the feedback and the training cou rse their overconfidence level was reduced. Russo and Shoemaker(1992) pointed out the importance of feedback in companies since its a fast and cheap way to reduce overconfidence. He proposed that, companies should provide the employees with actual past cases where the result is known and to ask them to provide their guesses combined by their confidence level. With this method that was applied also successfully in Shell in order to train its junior gemologists, the employees learn to assess their level of confidence in relevance with their job and to identify if they are overconfident or not. However, all the above do not mean that feedback is always effective. Meikle et.al (2016) stated that this method is not suitable for people who have vested interest in seeing the world in a biased way. More specifically, a study in which participated football fans showed that feedback was not able to improve their accuracy on predictions since most of them still had preferences towards their favorite team (Massey et.al,2011).Additionally, the scoring-rule feedback (subtype of performance feedback) in which the forecaster gets rewards or penalties according to the outcome of his prediction doesnt show to reduce overconfidence (Fisher,1982). Finally, its important to indicate that this method is less efficient on overconfident CEOs, as they tend to show greater resistance on feedback which restricts them from improving calibration (Chen,et.al,2014). Feedback is useful for improving the decision making process since one of its characteristics is to warn that something, goes wrong or it might go wrong Thaler and Sunstein (2008). Kahneman (2003) stated that an outsiders view can provide more accurate predictions while it is less possible to provide unrealistic estimations. This happens because the outsiders view can provide safety against favored predictions that have less probabilities than the expected to happen (Kahneman Lovallo,1993). The outsiders can exploit knowledge from previous experiences by taking also into account the problems unique characteristics and data. As a result, since many people are overconfident, it is recommended for important decisions to ask either from an outsider to share his opinion or the decision maker to try to think like an outsider (Bazerman, 2013). This means that the decision maker should either think of reasons why his scenario might go wrong or to ask from others to provide counterarguments (Russo Shoemaker,1992). The latter might be proved helpful since considering the opposite scenario is capable to reduce the high levels of confidence (Soll et.al 2013).In a study that was conducted by Koriat et.al (1980), it was found that when subjects wrote down contradicted reasons and alternatives against their selected answer, they showed less confidence and better calibration. One way that might lead to this direction and to reduce overconfidence is accountability. The fact that the person is accountable for the decision, will lead him to enhance his pre-emptive self-criticism as he will have to present the decision and its rationale to others (Larrick, 2004).This mechanism will lead him to improve the decision quality and to assess more objectively the alternatives (Tetlock et.al, 1989). In a study that was conducted by Tetlock Kim(1987) the subjects participated in a person-perception process. The participants after receiving responses from each test taker they were asked to submit a short personality brief and to retake the test. This time they had to predict the responses of each test taker by assigning probabilities and level of confidence. It was found that subjects that they were told (before the test), that the researcher would like to have a detailed interview about their answers, to show more appropriate levels of confidence and better accuracy. Similarly in a recent study that participated 71 student students in a computer-based laboratory showed that accountability reduced significantly overconfidence (Jermias,2006). However, Brown (1999) stated that accountability might lead managers to take decisions that are most favorable to their peers, while the great amount of information could cause the lost-pilot effect if it will not being used properly (Larrick,2004). Accountability, does not seem to improve calibration in organizations in which the answer to the question what is a good decision is maddeningly subjective (e.g advertising agencies), whereas it is more effective in preventing rather reversing judgmental biases (Tetlock Kim 1987). The positive effect of overconfidence recommendations Contrary to all the above, overconfidence does not have solely negative effects. As Goethe wroteFor a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is. Bernardo and Welch (2001) stated that overconfident entrepreneurs are more likely to explore their environment and to provide additional information to their social group while overconfident managers are more willing a)to take risk decisions b)to devote more effort and c) to motivate the team to accomplish its goal (Gervais et.al,2002). Finally, Taylor and Brown (1998) indicated that overconfident and optimistic people are more positive, happier and they have excellent ability for caring about others. Since overconfidence has also a positive side, Russo (1992) recommends that managers should distinguish between deciding and doing. This means that the decision process should be combined by realism and rationality, whereas the implementation of the decision should take advantage of the motivational benefits of overconfidence. As a result, its important for the decision makers to realize what they do know and what they dont, while the ones who are implementing the decision should indulge overconfidence when they think that will be proved beneficial for the performance. Conclusion Overconfidence when impacts the decision process could have negative consequences. However, it has some advantages that can be exploited from the ones who are implementing the decision. Since the decision process is critical, it is suggested to eliminate this effect by using three debiasing techniques. Performance feedback seems to improve calibration, whereas when people are thinking about why their decision might go wrong, they tend to reduce overconfidence. Finally, in special cases accountability seems to enhance self-criticism and to lead to a more rational way of thinking. References       Al-Harthy, I. (2016). Prediction Accuracy: The Role of Feedback in 6th Graders Recall Predictions. International Education Studies, 9(3), 212. doi:10.5539/ies.v9n3p212 Arkes, H. (1991). Costs and benefits of judgment errors: Implications for debiasing. Psychological Bulletin, 110(3), 486-498. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.110.3.486 Arkes, H., Christensen, C., Lai, C., Blumer, C. (1987). Two methods of reducing overconfidence. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 39(1), 133-144. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(87)90049-5 Bazerman, M. (2013). Becoming a first-class noticer. How to spot and prevent ethical failures in your organization. Harvard Business Review. Bernardo, A. Welch, I. (2001). On the Evolution of Overconfidence and Entrepreneurs. Journal Of Economics Management Strategy, 10(3), 301-330. doi:10.1162/105864001316907964 Benson, P. ÃÆ'-nkal, D. (1992). The effects of feedback and training on the performance of probability forecasters. International Journal Of Forecasting, 8(4), 559-573. doi:10.1016/0169-2070(92)90066-i Brown, C. (1999). Do the Right Thing: Diverging Effects of Accountability in a Managerial Context. Marketing Science, 18(3), 230-246. doi:10.1287/mksc.18.3.230 Chen, G., Crossland, C., Luo, S. (2014). Making the same mistake all over again: CEO overconfidence and corporate resistance to corrective feedback. Strategic Management Journal, 36(10), 1513-1535. doi:10.1002/smj.2291 Chen, G., Crossland, C., Luo, S. (2014). Making the same mistake all over again: CEO overconfidence and corporate resistance to corrective feedback. Strategic Management Journal, 36(10), 1513-1535. doi:10.1002/smj.2291 Ferrier, W. Lyon, D. (2004). Competitive repertoire simplicity and firm performance: The moderating role of top management team heterogeneity. Managerial And Decision Economics, 25(67), 317-327. doi:10.1002/mde.1193 Fischer, G. (1982). Scoring-rule feedback and the overconfidence syndrome in subjective probability forecasting. Organizational Behavior And Human Performance, 29(3), 352-369. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(82)90250-1 Gervais, S. Odean, T. Learning To Be Overconfident. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.36313 Gervais, S., Heaton, J., Odean, T. Overconfidence, Investment Policy, and Executive Stock Options. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.361200 Gino, F. Pisano, G. (2011). Why Leaders Dont Learn From Success. Harvard Business Review, 1-8. Griffin, D. Varey, C. (1996). Towards a Consensus on Overconfidence. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 65(3), 227-231. doi:10.1006/obhd.1996.0023 Healy, P. Moore, D. The Trouble With Overconfidence. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1001821 Hilary, G. Menzly, L. Does Past Success Lead Analysts to Become Overconfident?. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1753771 Kahneman, D. (2003). Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics. American Economic Review, 93(5), 1449-1475. doi:10.1257/000282803322655392 Kahneman, D. Lovallo, D. (1993). Timid Choices and Bold Forecasts: A Cognitive Perspective on Risk Taking. Management Science, 39(1), 17-31. doi:10.1287/mnsc.39.1.17 Koriat, A., Lichtenstein, S., Fischhoff, B. (1980). Reasons for confidence. Journal Of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning Memory, 6(2), 107-118. doi:10.1037/0278-7393.6.2.107 Larrick, R. (2004). Blackwell handbook of judgment and decision making. Choice Reviews Online, 42(08), 316-337. doi:10.5860/choice.42-4710 Lichtenstein, S. Fischhoff, B. (1980). Training for calibration. Organizational Behavior And Human Performance, 26(2), 149-171. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(80)90052-5 Massey, C., Simmons, J., Armor, D. Hope Over Experience: Desirability and the Persistence of Optimism. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1552394 Meikle, N., Tenney, E., Moore, D. (2016). Overconfidence at work: Does overconfidence survive the checks and balances of organizational life?. Research In Organizational Behavior, 36, 121-134. doi:10.1016/j.riob.2016.11.005 Plous, S. (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making (1st ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Ren, Y., C. Croson, D., T.A. Croson, R. (2016). The overconfident newsvendor. Journal Of The Operational Research Society. doi:10.1057/s41274-016-0103-5 Richards, D. (1997). Developing Cross-Cultural Management Skills: Experiential Learning in an International MBA Programme. Management Learning, 28(4), 387-407. doi:10.1177/1350507697284001 Russo, E. Shoemaker, P. (1992). Managing Overconfidence. Sloan Management Review, 1-7. Sharp, G., Cutler, B., Penrod, S. (1988). Performance feedback improves the resolution of confidence judgments. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 42(3), 271-283. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(88)90001- Soll, J., Milkman, K., Payne, J. (2015). A USERS GUIDE TO DEBIASING, 1-29. Sunstein, C. Thaler, R. (2008). Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness (1st ed.). Clitheroe: Joosr Taylor, S. Brown, J. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103(2), 193-210. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.103.2.193 Tetlock, P. Kim, J. (1987). Accountability and judgment processes in a personality prediction task. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 52(4), 700-709. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.52.4.700 Tetlock, P. Kim, J. (1987). Accountability and judgment processes in a personality prediction task. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 52(4), 700-709. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.52.4.700 Tversky, A. Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124-1131. doi:10.1126/science.185.4157.1124

Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

The novel The Great Gatsby is a story that takes place in the 1920’s. The story tells about Nick Carraway moving to New York and the actions that take place during his time in New York. The two main characters of the story are Nick Carraway who moved to New York and the other main character is Jay Gatsby who is Nicks new neboir and a very rich man who always has parties. The main conflict in the story is Gatsby’s long lost love who is Nick’s cousin, Daisy, reunite and her husband finds out about the affair .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story starts out with Nick moving to New York and then going to dinner at his Cousins he meets Jordan Baker who he begins a relationship with. At the dinner party they make planes to go to Tom’s, Nick’s cousin’s husband, run down apartment he uses for his affair. Myrtle the girl Tom is having a affair with taunts him about his wife and Tom brakes her nose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the summer continues Nick is invited to one of Gatsby’s parties. When he gets there he sees Jordan they talk and then meet Gatsby for the first time he is surprisingly young he talks to Jordan privately about Daisy Gatsby becomes in love with Daisy again. He tells Nick to have a dinner party and invite him and Daisy but not tell Daisy about him being their. This works and Gatsby and Daisy start to see each other again. Tom figures out that his wife is cheating on him with Gatsby. He is very mad even though he himself is involved in an affair. Tom conf...

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Essay -- Education Classroom Learning

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling In 1999, the US Department of Education estimated there were 850,000 home schooled children across America. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, between 1.5-1.9 million children are now being home schooled in grades K-12. Why are so many parents taking their children’s education into their own hands? Most parents say it is necessary because they want their children to learn at their own pace. Others say it is for safety concerns or that they want to tailor their child’s education to suit his/her needs. Whatever the reason, it is a growing trend in America.(Walsh, Mary (2001). Human Events. (57)) Many companies now sell home schooling curricula for parents to buy. The religious sect has made home schooling publications available. These include: A Beta Books, Alpha Omega Publications Inc., and Bob Jones University Press, which is affiliated with Christian University in Greenville, S.C. There are home schooling publications for almost any subject or philosophy. One upside is that 40-50% of home schooling families spend less than $400 per year. However, there are many different sources of home schooling curriculum, some with outrageous prices. (Walsh, Mark (2002). Home School Enrollment Surge fuels ‘Cottage’ Industry. Education Week (21)) Parents choose to home school their children for a variety of reasons. Most home schooling parents agree that letting their children learn at their own pace is very beneficial. Another reason that parents like to home school is for convenience. Parents who telecommute to work can stay at home at teach their children while also working. Parents get to spend more time one on one with their child... ... parents may feel that these new teachers are not going to be as effective as teachers of the past. The teachers union has made tenure easier to achieve and this has resulted in many teachers being solidified in their positions, unwilling to change their teaching methods because of their secured job. Teachers in the public school system go on strike to demand increases in salaries and benefits. These problems are not faced in the home schooling atmosphere. Whatever side you take with the debate over home schooling one thing is clear. The number of home schooled children is increasing. This trend may persist until enough pressure is brought to bear in the public education system so that parents have faith in it again. There are undeniable advantages and disadvantages to both styles of learning. In the end the child’s best intentions should be the goal.

The Relevance of Sophocles to Today’s World :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Relevance of Sophocles to Today’s World A play is meant to entertain. A play that amuses the audience is considered a comedy, and a play that saddens is classified as a tragedy. Sophocles wrote tragedies about ordinary people and their interaction with fate. All of Sophocles’ major characters posses a heroic flaw. A heroic flaw is a trait that brings both good and bad events upon the character (Magill 3). Sophocles’ use of heroic flaws, the irony between a prophecy and a characters attempt to avoid it, his definition of what makes someone great, and his view of laws are the reasons why his plays are still read almost two thousand years after they were written. Sophocles was born in Colonus, Greece in 496 b.c.e. At the time of his birth, there was a legend about an exiled Theban king, Oedipus. It was said that Oedipus disappeared somewhere around Colonus, and because of this he protected the area (Magill 1). This tale was the source of three of Sophocles’ greatest plays: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone (Romilly 2). Sophocles’ involvement in theatre started at a young age. He sang in a chorus celebrating an Athenian naval battle. As an adult, Sophocles was credited with playing the lyre, a musical instrument, and he also played the lead role in one of his plays. However as he aged, he stopped appearing on stage because of his weakened voice. This ended the Greek custom of playwrights playing the lead role in their own plays (Magill 1). Sophocles won his first award for his plays at the festival of Dionysius in 648b.c.e. The other contender for this award was Aeschylus, an older and more experienced Greek playwright. A legend about this first victory states that because of high tensions over the competition, ten Athenian generals presented Sophocles the award instead of the customary ten government officials. Sophocles went on to win this award twenty more times, more frequently than any other playwright. When he did not win, he came in second. He never came in last place (Magill 2). A position in the government was a symbol of a person’s status in society. When Sophocles’ plays were at the peak of their popularity, he served as the head of the treasury and as a general for the city of Athens (Magill 2). Sophocles’ power, popularity, and the greed of his eldest son provide an insight into how he viewed himself.

Ceballos Lincoln And King

I will also discuss at least one thing that separates them, what stands out most in mind twine the two writings mentioned above, and explain how the story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell adds to my perspective of Lincoln address and Kings letter. â€Å"l have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in Birmingham, even if our motives are at present misunderstood. We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned we may be, our destiny is tied up with America's destiny†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ writes Martin Luther King Jar. In Letter from Birmingham Jail (p. 29). â€Å"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with ermines in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan-to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations† said Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Speech (p. 815). So as you can understand, both men wanted best for their country. MILK and Lincoln wanted to heal the pain and suffering that our country has sustained.Though it took many years for their dream to become reality it eventually did. Their hard work and dedication made an impact on our country. Martin Luther King Jar. Was an activist, preacher and a civil rights leader. Though, during his time in the Birmingham jail he was being categorized as an extremist. He quotes Abraham Lincoln in his letter by writing â€Å"And Abraham Lincoln: This nation cannot survive half slave and half free† (p. 826). He is trying to explain that isn't Abraham Lincoln amongst others â€Å"extremist† because they are fighting for something they believe in whether it is love, Christian gospel, or equality.Lincoln was our 16th President had led our country through the Civil War. Lincoln also wanted equal rights for African Americans. So King fought hard for African American rights even though he Was persecuted and Lincoln led us through a War and abolished slavery. Lincoln states his Second Inaugural Speech â€Å"Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease† (p. 814). Lincoln wanted to build a strong nation after that.In both Lincoln address and King's letter they mention God a lot so it seems to me that they both believed in God's will and power. In Kings letter he writes ‘We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal God are embodied in our echoing demand† (p. 829). Lincoln says in his address†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ As was said three thousand years ago, so still must be said the judgment of the Lord are true and righteous altogether† (p. 814). Both men f eel that God is someone they highly believe in and that God is a part of what is happening. What stands out the most to me in bothLincoln address and King's speech are how many times God is mentioned. I can see in Lincoln address he mentions God at least 6 times. In King's letter he mentions God at least 14 times. In present day there are so many restrictions on religion. Have never heard any political public figure mention God as much. Like that both have a heavily belief in God. I like fewer restrictions but with so many people having different Gods can see why we have those restrictions. Lastly, the story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is about a police officer who is expected to kill an aggressive elephant.The elephant had got loose because it was in heat but was actually a tamed elephant. The police officer in no way wanted to harm this elephant let alone shoot and kill him. Orwell writes â€Å"But at that moment glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. They did not like me, but with this magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching' (p. 787). He ends up shooting the elephant but feels terrible because the elephant dies a slow death. â€Å"l often wonder whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking like a fool† Orwell writes (p. 89) In this case he didn't do what e believed in, he didn't go against what he felt was right, he decided to look like a hero instead of a fool in other people's eyes. The difference between Lincoln and King is that they fought for what they believed in regardless of what people thought. They did the right thing. Of course so many people didn't like them but that was important to them. So even though one was our President and the other was a civil rights leader, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther had many things in common. Both men fought long and hard for what they believed in, they both were leaders and they both believed in God.