James Bond personality Essay Example for Free

James Bond personality Essay Film making involves the cooperation of diverse persons with dissimilar attitude. Often these attitudes are employed so as to bring the best out of the involved characters handling distinct roles. For instance, James Bond the legendary tough boy is often depicted as a lethal, quick and strong in nature despite his instinct of picking his subjects. Therefore, by attempting to evaluate Bonds character clinically, it would be instrumental to assert that, the diverse tools employed to diagnose an individual antisocial inclination may not provide the real picture of this fictional character. Basically, it would be pivotal to underline the fact that, individuals who defined as psychopaths are known to prey on others using crude and unfriendly manners which may include: low conscience, limited empathy or lack of it, pathological cheating as well as abuse of social norms including disregard for the established public laws among others. Thus, looking at the character of James Bond, it is apparent that he exhibits none of the mentioned deficiencies (Cleckley, 1982). Due to that observation, I am convinced that, James Bond is a creation of destiny, this can be attributed to the fact that, the way he carries himself or as he is seen through motion pictures and novels, he is more often depicted as a reserved individual who is not bent on committing crime or going against the law, but rather he is typically as a carefree hero who is in one way or the other is an extrovert. On a clinical approach he fails to qualify as a psychopath. For instance, if he could be placed under Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) a formidable diagnostic tool typically employed to rate an individuals psychopathic or antisocial inclinations. Placing the James Bond personal clinical analysis under this tool, it would be pivotal to unearth the fact that, his degree of psychopathy would be significantly lower than that of any common psychopath. From a clinical perspective, psychopaths are known to exhibit such symptoms as shallow emotions as well as a history of victim izing other people of which James bond do not exhibit. By using this checklist developed by Robert Hare, it would be paramount to accept that, the diagnosis or the clinical evaluation intended can be negative, note that, the usage of this checklist by diverse health and correctional professional when handling such individuals who may have succumbed to crime and sex offending. Thus by examining the laid down scope of dealing with psychopaths, it is vital to understand that, when diagnosing an individual as a psychopath, one has to know that this is a very serious procedure (Bartol,et al,2005). This is due to the fact that, this whole process may end up creating either highly positive or disastrous implications to the individual, friends as well as his or her family despite that, the consequence may as well upset the future clinical and equally forensic examinations. Therefore, if the clinical evaluations pertaining to James Bond are to be carried under the Hare PCL-R diagnostic tool which holds two parts involving a semi structured interview and an analysis of the individual’s files and records. This procedure involves scoring at least 20 elements that are employed to measure the key psychopathic traits. In essence these factors are designed to cover the diverse nature of the involved individual interpersonal relationship, his or her sentimental or expressive participation; reactions to other individuals and to circumstances; proof of collective deviance; and everyday life. The elements thus envelop two essential features that help characterize the psychopath: self-centred and unsympathetic persecution of other people, and an unsound and unsociable lifestyle (Hicks, et al, 2006). Some of the twenty attributes evaluated by the PCL-R score include: †¢ ostentatious opinion of self †¢ pathological lying †¢ shrewd and manipulativeness †¢ lack of regret or responsibility †¢ shallow emotional reaction †¢ pitilessness and lack of compassion †¢ parasitic way of life †¢ pitiable behavioural controls †¢ sexual promiscuity †¢ lack of realistic long-term goals †¢ carelessness †¢ juvenile misbehaviour †¢ criminal adaptability The interrogation part of the assessment covers the individual’s surroundings, as well as such factors as occupation and academic history; matrimonial and family position; and scandalous background. Since psychopaths lie regularly and effortlessly, the data they give must be established by an appraisal of the credentials in the individual’s case account. Going by the way James Bond carries himself, it would crucial to assert that, even if compelled to undertake this test, his traits do not qualify him to be declared as a psychopath. Thus, it would be likely that, under the PCL-R score, James Bond would score a zero, while under this process a prototype psychopath acquires a maximum score of over 40,while those individuals with no psychopathic elements or traits gets zero score (Haycock,2010). James Bond as is depicted in both the novels and the film, he is a military intelligence specialist, as a unique individual, more than often he is presented as a character of sound mind   as well as having a strong spirit. Exploring his past, it is apparent that he lost both of his parents while at the tender age of 11 years. Despite this sad twist of his life, subsequently he lost his only surviving relative in his early teenage period. Just like most of those individuals who have lost their parents or guardians in their youth, too, Bond has equally similar abandonment surroundings. This perhaps reflects why he is seen as an individual who rarely makes long lasting liaisons with both men and women. Though in some instances he is quoted as having mentioned having fallen in love, he maintains no friendship. More so, though, he professes restricted memories of his early formative years as a youth in Europe, he is note remorse, but profoundly lives and enjoys his present social status (Holmes,et al,1988). However, from a close examination of his personal convictions, he has only minor thoughts or vague thoughts about old age and retirement and this does not qualify him to be a psychopath.   Reflecting on the profound behaviors   and attitudes of most psychopaths, it would instrumental to assert that, Bond have so strongly exposed his character which cannot be defined as antisocial. Naturally, no individual is perfect, hence Bond as a human being has his share of weaknesses, for instance, he does not fear death, and is solitary. Another, predominant element apparent in Bonds character is that he is courageous and fearless, this can be evidenced by the fact that, during his time at University of Geneva, he led a team of fellow students to an expedition to the same mountain where his parent perished, and he never told his friends about the tragic association with this mountain. As a healthy and vibrant individual, he is inclined to propelling himself to the very limit, both physicall y and mentally. Analyzing his personal life when on and off duty, his character presents him as an individual who loves to keep it to himself, compared to a psychopath, Bond is simple, respective and lethal when provoked. Hence, this could be the principal reason that propels him to spend his time in his flat. So does that qualify him to be illustrated as a psychopath? Actually no. Under the aspects of Hare scale Bonds traits can be said to be either zero or below three, this can be linked to the fact that, at some cases he is depicted as extremely aggressive, while in other instances he is illustrated as a composed and humble individual .despite his social anomalies such as addiction to whiskies as well as his tendency to heavy smoking, I do assume that, Bond is normal, and more so his personal life do not fall within the scope of him being branded as psychopath (Hare,1993).   According to On Her Majestys Secret Service film, he is painted as a man who loves to have a series of simple and meaningless relationships with several but dissimilar women, who he discards the minute the develop to be a cause of inconvenience

Meaning of Life and Australian Cultural Identity Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Australian Cultural Identity Essay â€Å"From separate catastrophes, two rural families flee to the city and find themselves sharing a great, breathing, shuddering joint called Cloudstreet, where they begin their lives again from scratch. For twenty years they roister and rankle, laugh and curse until the roof over their heads becomes a home for their hearts. † (Winton, 1991) Tim Winton’s critically acclaimed novel, Cloudstreet is a masterful tale of love, meaning and heartbreaking tragedy that speaks strongly of a post war Australian society that was essentially rebuilding itself after years of political upheaval and financial struggle. Good Morning/Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman. I am a representative of the National English Curriculum board and today I am here to demonstrate to you how Cloudstreet is authentic and believable, and as Marieke Hardy suggests: â€Å"It is Australian. Reading it felt like coming home. † Throughout Cloudstreet, there are numerous concepts that portray the Australian cultural identity; and the theme of religion and spirituality is especially prominent and appealing. The concept of luck, Aboriginal spirituality, and the search for the meaning of life, are all Australian ideas that Winton expertly portrays. Spirituality can be defined as â€Å"a concern for that which is unseen or intangible; as opposed to physical or mundane. † (Greenberg, 2008) It encourages a sense of peace and purpose within an individual and promotes a feeling of belonging. Additionally, religion can be defined as â€Å"the belief in, and worship of a superhuman controlling power. † (Religion) Both concepts are widely integrated into the core of the novel and are depicted through the Australian notion of luck. Luck, which some would argue has long been etched into the Australian consciousness as a common working class superstition, is, whether they are conscious of it or not, a form of religion for both families. The Pickles family, most notably Sam, rely on the â€Å"shifty shadow of God† (p 12) to warn them about future events, while the Lamb’s simple game of â€Å"spinning the knife† (p 53) acts as their metaphorical life compass. â€Å"The Lucky Country† (Horne, 1964) is a phrase that originated from a book of the same name written in the 1960’s, and since then, has gained widespread popularity and thus, been attached to the Australian culture for a long time. Winton has cleverly examined this historical background to incorporate an accurate facet of the Australian identity into the novel and its characters. Also related to the concept of luck, is the fact that after Fish drowns, Oriel, once a devoted and â€Å"god fearing† Christian, begins to question her faith and the reliability of believing in God. When Fish is resuscitated, but only â€Å"some of him comes back†, (p 32) both she and Lester are emotionally forced to abandon God and Christianity and instead, turn to luck, hard work and the idea that â€Å"life and death, was all there was,† (p 65) in order to endure their circumstances. This draws on the common â€Å"Aussie battler† tradition, of which a working class person overcame challenging situations through perseverance, faith and steadfast determination. In terms of the Australian cultural identity, Winton has again taken an important and recognized historical Australian idea and shaped it to evoke feelings of familiarity and intimacy between the readers and the characters of Cloudstreet. The frequent appearance of the â€Å"Blackfella† is yet another example of how the Australian cultural identity is portrayed through examination of Aboriginal Spirituality. However, in many scenes throughout the novel, the blackfella signifies both Christian and Aboriginal spirituality through allusion and comparison. For example, he is likened to Jesus by walking on water and again when he produces a never ending supply of wine and bread in Quick’s car. This comparison is particularly effective as it symbolises the â€Å"coming together† of Christianity and Aboriginality, which was a particularly delicate Australian issue during the time period of the novel, due to Aboriginal marginalisation and the rise of Christian ideals. Essentially, the Blackfella acts as a reminder of the original religion inherent to Australia and its development, during a time when social and political change was overtaking that of its native beliefs. The â€Å"Blackfella† also acts as the conscience of the characters when they have lost their way or their family unit is threatened. This can ultimately be seen when he leads Quick back to Cloudstreet after he runs away to the country, knowing that Quick feels secretly lost without his family, and needs them to feel fully alive. He also persuades Sam not the sell the house and states that â€Å"you shouldn’t break a place. Places are strong and important,† (p 406) referring to not only the house and its tragic Aboriginal history, but also to the fragile families who live inside it. In doing so, he ensures that the families stay whole and together, which is an important and dominating religious value for Aboriginality and Christianity, both during the time period of the novel and in our modern Australian society. Consequently, the â€Å"Blackfella’s† role in Cloudstreet is a significant contribution to the novel’s relevancy to the Australian cultural identity. The Australian cultural identity is also illustrated in Cloudstreet through the spiritual symbolism and personification of the river, and its connection to the character’s search for the meaning of life. This is particularly significant for Quick Lamb, who, is spiritually linked to the river in a number of ways. The river acts as a place of peace, purpose and belonging for Quick. Connecting with his mother when they go prawning, glowing after fishing in the country, and most importantly, falling in love with Rose Pickles, are the most significant spiritually defining events that Quick experiences while on the river. Through realising just how symbolically important the river is to him, Quick finally understands the true meaning of his life, and gains a feeling of belonging that allows him to finally shed his self-degrading title of â€Å"the lost lamb. † (p 310) Australia is a country that values the water. Geographically, we are surrounded by it, with most of our population residing close to the shores. As a result of this, the water is seen as a common gathering place, from which one cannot easily escape nor regard as irrelevant to the Australian way of life. Winton has taken this idea and incorporated it into Cloudstreet, to emphasise and promote a relevant part of Australian culture. Finally, the river’s spiritual and religious connection to Fish Lamb is perhaps the most important concept of the novel. After Fish drowns and has his soul ripped into two separate pieces (spiritual fish and physical fish), the river that he so desperately longs for, essentially becomes his gateway to the spiritual world; to the place where he belongs. It is not until the end of the novel when Fish is finally free to reunite with the water that he is truly whole again. â€Å"I burst into the moon, sun and stars of who I really am. Being Fish Lamb. Perfectly. Always. Everyplace. Me. †(p 424) For many, water in Australia is culturally considered to be the blood of the country; a place of cleansing and rejuvenation. Likewise, for Fish, the river embodies the epitome of the spirit of Australia in the form of life giving water. Although his life was initially taken by the water, it is eventually returned to him when his physical self re-joins his spiritual self. In conclusion, Winton flawlessly encapsulates the cultural identity and spirit of Australia in Cloudstreet through symbolic representations of luck, Aboriginal spirituality and the search for the meaning of life. The characters’ connection with religion and spirituality resonates strongly with the reader and successfully evokes feelings of belonging and familiarity that confirms Cloudstreet is indeed a classic Australian novel. Bibliography Associates, R. Q. (2008, September 16). Ideology in Cloudstreet . Retrieved 2013, from www. englishcurriculum. com. au Cloudstreet Notes. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring: http://www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Details-Cloudstreet-notes. pdf. Dot Point Notes Cloudstreet. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Sydney Home Tutoring : http://www. sydneyhometutoring. com. au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Dot-Point-Notes-Cloudstreet. pdf. Greenberg, N. (2008, October 8). Retrieved 2013, from Can Spirituality Be Defined: http://notes. utk. edu/bio/unistudy. nsf/935c0d855156f9e08525738a006f2417/bdc83cd10e58d14a852573b00072525d Horne, D. (1964). The Lucky Country. Penguin Books Australia. Religion. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2013, from Google Definitions: https://www. google. com. au/search? q=religion+definition Winton, T. (1991). Cloudstreet. McPhee Gribble.

Theory Of Civilization And The Caribbean History Essay

Theory Of Civilization And The Caribbean History Essay Oswald Spengler was a German historian and philosopher. He was born in 1880 in Blankenburg. His parents were Protestants. His father came from a family of mine engineers while his mothers family had a bias towards the arts. Spengler inherited both traits as was evident in his interest in both arts and sciences. He grew up in an emotionally reserved home, leading him to turn to books for solace (Spengler, Oswald). Spengler studied a wide range of subjects in school including Greek, Latin, mathematics, natural sciences, poetry, drama and music. He also studied a wide range of courses at the universities of Munich, Berlin, and Halle including history, philosophy, mathematics, natural science, literature, music, and fine art. His doctoral dissertation was on Heraclitus, the Greek Philosopher.(Spengler, Oswald) Spengler worked as a teacher in several schools around German. Scholars who have attempted to study this Germany Philosopher note that his life was relatively uneventful and punctuated by long spells of loneliness. He died in 1936(Spengler, Oswald) Oswald Spengler is best known for his controversial book The Decline of the West, published in 1918, coinciding with the collapse of German. This was the first of his two-volume work. It was subtitled Form and Actuality, while the second volume was subtitled Perspectives of World History. (Stimely, n. pag) The emergence of first volume of The Decline of the West was received with mixed reactions around Europe. The main critics of this book were professional scholars and historians who claimed that Spengler was an amateur, not a trained historian. In spite of this, the book was a great success. Spenglers approach to history was inspired by Goethe, a German writer and Nietzsche, a philosopher (Spengler, Oswald). His approach entailed taking a direct look at things as opposed to strictly scientifically. Spengler was of the view that science often masked the real meaning of things and that the so-called professional historians were victims of this kind of blindness. As a result, Spengler believed in his ability to not only unravel the mystery that is history but also to predetermine it. According to Spengler, history is not the study of a consistent progression of events, but a comparative study of cultures (Spengler, Oswald). He rejected the linear view of history in support of the cyclical, implying that history comprised of events and developments that generally repeated themselves in cycles. Spengler was strongly opposed to the traditional way of categorizing history in terms of ancient, medieval, and modern. Instead he majored on eight cultures, sometimes referred to as Spenglers cultures. These cultures are Egyptian, Indian, Babylonian, Chinese, Classical (Greek and Roman), Mexican, Arabian and Western. (Spengler, Oswald) Each one of these cultures has its own unique features. For example the Egyptian culture was symbolized by their preoccupation with religion, architecture, such as the pyramids and art. Each culture too, evolves through a cycle of stages more or less like a plant through the stages of youth, maturity and then death (decline). Each culture, according to Spengler goes through its stage of civilization which could be referred to as its declining phase. In other words, civilization, according to Spengler is what remains of a culture after its development phase fades. In his book, Spengler mainly centers on comparisons between the Classical and Western cul tures and civilizations. He noted that the civilization of the West since the late nineteenth century exhibited similar characteristics to ancient (Greek and Roman) civilization in its decline. He claims that in each of these cultures 1000 years of active life there existed a cycle of development and decline (Stimely, n. pag). In his book, Spengler described the then Western culture as doomed and headed for extinction just like all the other high cultures that had existed earlier. He faulted it as being based on the illusion that everything would always get better and better eternally, instead of understanding it as having a distinct and fixed life-span moving from birth to maturity and then onto death just like in a living organism. The West, according to him was in the heart of its civilization phase and its end was probably just decades away. During the civilization phase, in a high culture there exists severe social disorder, mass movements of people, persistent wars and unending crises. At the same time, emergence of great megalopolis is witnessed, causing the surrounding rural areas to be drained of their strength, brains and spirituality. The residents of these new urban centers soon grow into immoral and materialistic people. Soon the push for democracy and a free press set in following the desire to amass more wealth and money. This leads to conflicts and supremacy battles between the new culture and the original culture, marked by bloodshed and strangulation of democracy. Only blood is seen as strong enough to overturn the rule of money. Eventually, the cities start to depopulate, with the people going back to the countryside and re-inventing their old religious and artistic symbolisms. This results in the end of the culture and the civilization that came with it. According to Spengler these phases recur within a p eriod of time and at some point in future, these great cultures will experience phases similar to those that they went through years back. He predicted that there would be recurrence of such events as the world wars followed later by a nearly united Western civilization. Spenglers theories opened up inspiring and divergent social views in the western civilization. A number of scholars and analysts continue to ponder over whether or not Spenglers analyses are correct, in spite of some of his predictions having come true. Many critics viewed his work as outright pessimism, although he remained one of the most read authors in the early 20th century years. Even his critics acknowledge that his greatest strong point was the parallel comparisons he made between the classical and western cultures. His strength in the arts played to his advantage during his study and analysis of different cultures. He is considered by some to have paved the way for National Socialism (Spengler, Oswald). The history of the Caribbean dates back to around 4500 B.C. Before the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas and the subsequent colonization, civilization in the Caribbean was clearly organized and operational. It is believed that the coming of the Europeans into the Caribbean introduced ethnocentric beliefs that ensured the collapse or disintegration of their civilization. With more and more European countries claiming territorial shares in the Caribbean, rivalries emerged among these European nations, making the Caribbean battleground for European wars for many years. In addition to the instability caused by these wars, diversification was introduced in the Caribbean region bringing in new religions, cultures, architectural designs among others. Caribbean civilization has evolved from an ethnically and racially plural society to a relatively inclusive society comprising almost entirely of migrants from Africa, Europe and Asia. These peoples share a common history of colonialism and slavery in a blend of great diversity, thus making it a one-of-a-kind civilization. In addition, the Caribbean has a unique physical environment that has further played to attract in more foreigners, thus further diversifying their culture. Despite their widely varied backgrounds, the people of the Caribbean managed to forge a unity that resulted in one culture characterized by shared political ideologies, a common language and corporation aimed at improving each others lives. Looking back at Spenglers theory of civilization, it can be argued that it fell short in addressing racial differences among different cultures as is the case in the Caribbean. Spengler preferred to look at race as a minor difference in the members of the same race. He viewed race as not being of significant implications on the unity or disunity among people of the same culture. In so doing, Spengler contradicts the science of biology and heredity. In the Caribbean case, the unique mixture of people from different racial backgrounds was a significant factor in the development of their civilization. Further, Spengler considers each culture and civilization as a closed and isolated unit, bound together only by a common strong idea or belief. Critics argue that such ideas cannot undergo organic evolution as purported by Spengler since they are a mere creation of the human mind, lacking any substance. If that were the case, the Caribbean civilization would have been long gone the way of the classical culture. By only studying a few cultures, Spengler was, according to critics, not better placed to generalize on the fate of all civilizations since he did not have accurate information. Finally, Spenglers theory claims that each of civilization came into being independently without borrowing from other cultures. The Classical cultures existed and became extinct in totality. On the other hand, the West viewed their modern civilization as a rebirth or continuation of the Classical civilization. The similarities in some of these cultures therefore clearly points to the fact that there exists an inter-relation between them that continues to survive the test of time. The Caribbean civilization borrows from a number of other cultures and civilizations from Europe, African and Asia shaping them into a single strong culture.

What is the effect on the audience of John Proctors decision in act 4? :: English Literature

What is the effect on the audience of John Proctors decision in act 4? How does miller build up tension and drama in this section? How is it still relevant to a modern audience? This essay is on the main importance of John Proctors decision and how Miller builds up a sense of tension (and also drama) throughout Act 4. I will also mention how relevant the play is in modern day times by discussing McCarthyism. Firstly, John Proctors decision in this section is quite simple, sign the agreement or not. But it is the way that this section influences the audience that is significant, because it gets the audience more involved. John has several problems with signing the agreement, for example in signing the agreement he signs his name away, in other words he will lose his reputation. We can learn that Proctor values his name, and sees it as the only thing he has left, apart from Elizabeth; â€Å"I have given you my soul, leave me my name!† This shows us, the audience which Proctor although is shown as a stern man through out the play, in this part he is shown as being emotional and considers his name as a symbol of self respect. Following on from the previous point, humiliation is used well to make us feel sorry for Proctor due to the fact that he is faced with his name and confession being pinned to the church door, the example of this is, when Proctor exclaims; â€Å"God does not need my name nailed to the church door† This helps us strengthen our beliefs that Proctor values his name. Proctor also has other reasons to struggle with his decision, mainly because the others involved are what we know as saints; Rebecca and Martha are very holy people, who believe that they should never lie, even though the consequences may be as extravagant as death, the two saints are holding out against the interrogation of Danforth, therefore John takes it into account that although he is not as holy as they are, to keep the faith, he must hold out, but, the audience gets a shock when John considers the agreement, this gives us an element of surprise and a will he wont he effect, making us watch even more avildly. Other influential things that help John make the decision, is the fact he has a family, he has two boys who he does ask questions about, not only does he ask about his two boys, but also he asks about his unborn child and his wife Elizabeth, who he cares for dearly; an example of

Essay example --

The Republic by Plato talks about justice and what it means to be a just person. When having a conversation with Glaucon about justice, the ring of Gyges is brought up to prove a theory about people and the social contracts that make up our society. The legend of the Ring of Gyges tells the story of a man who was a shepherd but when an earthquake revealed a body of a skeleton of a giant from the past he was giving an opportunity to change his status. He stole the ring and discovered that by twisting it in a certain way he could become invisible. The thief would then sneak in to the castle and convince the queen to help murder her husband, and the thief took the throne. With the common knowledge of the thief and the ring Glaucon poses a question about what a supposedly good and decent individual finding the ring would do with the power of invisibility. Socrates believes that a just person would not even put the ring on, directly contradicting Glaucon. There would be no reason to be moral because the impulses would be too overwhelming. Glaucon argues that if someone had a ring which made him invisible, then that person would be foolish not to use it for personal advantage. Hence, Glaucon is arguing for ethical egoism.He acknowledges that "all who practice it [justice] do so unwillingly, as something necessary, not as something good." (358c) He explains that the only reason that people act the way they do is because they are afraid of the consequences that they could face if they get caught. The common conception of justice in Plato's day was a social one, which involved the following of laws and conventions. Glaucon states that, for most people, "what the law commands they call lawful and just." (359) The laws of the time were ... ...e is still striving to find that knowledge. One of the most famous doctrines associated with Socrates is the virtue is knowledge. It comes up time and time again in Plato’s books The Apology and The Republic as an aspiration to help lead the most just life. In the case of the ring of Gyges internal harmony has to be achieved so that the just person would not even want to touch the ring because putting on the ring means that the appetite part of the soul is overpowering the knowledge and spirit in the internal soul. The kind of intellectuality that the Sophists were applying to the practical affairs of life Socrates thought should be applied to the moral life. One could not be virtuous without first knowing what virtue is. Once one has attained the knowledge of virtue, then, according to Socrates, one cannot help but be virtuous since no one does wrong voluntarily. Essay example -- The Republic by Plato talks about justice and what it means to be a just person. When having a conversation with Glaucon about justice, the ring of Gyges is brought up to prove a theory about people and the social contracts that make up our society. The legend of the Ring of Gyges tells the story of a man who was a shepherd but when an earthquake revealed a body of a skeleton of a giant from the past he was giving an opportunity to change his status. He stole the ring and discovered that by twisting it in a certain way he could become invisible. The thief would then sneak in to the castle and convince the queen to help murder her husband, and the thief took the throne. With the common knowledge of the thief and the ring Glaucon poses a question about what a supposedly good and decent individual finding the ring would do with the power of invisibility. Socrates believes that a just person would not even put the ring on, directly contradicting Glaucon. There would be no reason to be moral because the impulses would be too overwhelming. Glaucon argues that if someone had a ring which made him invisible, then that person would be foolish not to use it for personal advantage. Hence, Glaucon is arguing for ethical egoism.He acknowledges that "all who practice it [justice] do so unwillingly, as something necessary, not as something good." (358c) He explains that the only reason that people act the way they do is because they are afraid of the consequences that they could face if they get caught. The common conception of justice in Plato's day was a social one, which involved the following of laws and conventions. Glaucon states that, for most people, "what the law commands they call lawful and just." (359) The laws of the time were ... ...e is still striving to find that knowledge. One of the most famous doctrines associated with Socrates is the virtue is knowledge. It comes up time and time again in Plato’s books The Apology and The Republic as an aspiration to help lead the most just life. In the case of the ring of Gyges internal harmony has to be achieved so that the just person would not even want to touch the ring because putting on the ring means that the appetite part of the soul is overpowering the knowledge and spirit in the internal soul. The kind of intellectuality that the Sophists were applying to the practical affairs of life Socrates thought should be applied to the moral life. One could not be virtuous without first knowing what virtue is. Once one has attained the knowledge of virtue, then, according to Socrates, one cannot help but be virtuous since no one does wrong voluntarily.

Slaverys Coexistence with Other Economic Systems :: A Respectable Trade Capitalism Slavery Essays

Slavery's Coexistence with Other Economic Systems Slavery as economic order based on the ownership and exploitation of human beings as property is widely covered in A Respectable Trade. The film, however, does not solely reveal slavery and its characteristics. It is a film rich in reference to other economical orders as well, because besides elaborately showing from different aspects the processes typical for the establishment of slavery, it touches on and gives examples on economic relationships that are rather characterized as capitalist, feudal or self-employment-related. The action in A Respectable Trade takes place in 1788 in the English city of Bristol, starting with the marriage between Frances Scott and Josiah Cole. Frances, an educated and refined young woman of genteel origin, is left poor and with no inheritance after the death of her father. For lack of a better alternative, she marries the rough and uneducated Josiah who trades with ships, led by the motive to import slaves directly to England, have them educated and polished by his wife, and sell them as house servants at a better price . Josiah is far from successful in his trade: he only manages to import eight slaves and eventually to sell only two of them. However, this is enough to elucidate the main characteristics of slavery as an economic order. The arrival of his slaves, the process of educating them and their final escape represent a peculiar slavery-cycle that elaborates on important economic issues such as the slaves' status, the creation of subservient attitude in them (or at l east the attempt to), the strategies of breaking up their independent spirits, and their resistance. A typical characteristic of slavery is that slaves are considered just another element of the productive resources. They are regarded as property, as chattel, and can be freely sold as such. Never considered human beings with consciousness and will, slaves are often described with the term 'instrumentum vocale', meaning that they are seen just as instruments capable of producing human speech. Naturally, like any human beings, slaves have a consciousness of free and independent people, and it takes time and effort to impose on them an attitude of subservience and obedience, a consciousness of being no longer human beings but enslaved pieces of property. In A Respectable Trade that is achieved in several different ways. Firstly, the slaves are imported by ships to England - extremely far from their homeland, especially in the context of the 18th century. Slavery's Coexistence with Other Economic Systems :: A Respectable Trade Capitalism Slavery Essays Slavery's Coexistence with Other Economic Systems Slavery as economic order based on the ownership and exploitation of human beings as property is widely covered in A Respectable Trade. The film, however, does not solely reveal slavery and its characteristics. It is a film rich in reference to other economical orders as well, because besides elaborately showing from different aspects the processes typical for the establishment of slavery, it touches on and gives examples on economic relationships that are rather characterized as capitalist, feudal or self-employment-related. The action in A Respectable Trade takes place in 1788 in the English city of Bristol, starting with the marriage between Frances Scott and Josiah Cole. Frances, an educated and refined young woman of genteel origin, is left poor and with no inheritance after the death of her father. For lack of a better alternative, she marries the rough and uneducated Josiah who trades with ships, led by the motive to import slaves directly to England, have them educated and polished by his wife, and sell them as house servants at a better price . Josiah is far from successful in his trade: he only manages to import eight slaves and eventually to sell only two of them. However, this is enough to elucidate the main characteristics of slavery as an economic order. The arrival of his slaves, the process of educating them and their final escape represent a peculiar slavery-cycle that elaborates on important economic issues such as the slaves' status, the creation of subservient attitude in them (or at l east the attempt to), the strategies of breaking up their independent spirits, and their resistance. A typical characteristic of slavery is that slaves are considered just another element of the productive resources. They are regarded as property, as chattel, and can be freely sold as such. Never considered human beings with consciousness and will, slaves are often described with the term 'instrumentum vocale', meaning that they are seen just as instruments capable of producing human speech. Naturally, like any human beings, slaves have a consciousness of free and independent people, and it takes time and effort to impose on them an attitude of subservience and obedience, a consciousness of being no longer human beings but enslaved pieces of property. In A Respectable Trade that is achieved in several different ways. Firstly, the slaves are imported by ships to England - extremely far from their homeland, especially in the context of the 18th century.

Wahaha Case Study

QUESTION 1: What â€Å"international strategy† and â€Å"modes of entry† did COKE/PEPSI use to penetrate the Chinese Market? How effective were these choices? When Chinese markets opened up in 1980’s, Coke/Pepsi focussed on defining several strategies to Differentiate, Market and distribute their Cola products to Chinese consumers. International Differentiation Strategy: Both used two main aspects of this strategy â€Å"Branding† and â€Å"Cost Leadershipâ€Å"to force local producers to withdraw from the market or establish joint ventures with them.They invested heavily in Brand recognition and used lots of advertising and sponsoring to support their cola brands. They replicated their global rivalry in China and initially were determined to seize market share from domestic cola producers, even at the cost of profitability. Later, Coke instituted the â€Å"Glocal† strategy which means â€Å"Think Local, act local but leverage global† but Pe psi instituted its positioning on young consumers. International Marketing Strategy: Coke spent heavily on Marketing to create a sound brand image and included Chinese cultural icons like windmills and dragons in its advertising.Local films and sports stars were engaged, sponsored National Soccer teams and International Olympic Committee as well with funding up to $1. 1 Billion for Beijing Games. Pepsi also used a great deal of Marketing like using popular entertainers such as Faye Wang, Guo Fuchen as endorsers. Pepsi became the most popular soft drink brand for young consumers due to its focussed Marketing for this demographics. International Distribution Strategy: Both preferred to establish their own distribution networks while setting up Joint Ventures with bottlers and bottlers managing sales in their assigned territory.They set stringent sales targets for bottlers, and in turn bottlers would set targets for distributors. While in most of the joint ventures, Coke did not have m ajority shareholding but Pepsi sought a majority share in the joint ventures. Global vs. International Strategy: Coke/Pepsi both maintained a global image and product offerings with a strong level of standardization in terms of Product quality, taste and branding but adapted their marketing strategies as per local market.For Example, Coke has taken the â€Å"think local, act local† approach and localized their marketing activities to be in sync with Chinese consumers. They sponsored National Youth Soccer Team and also extended their sponsorship for Beijing Games to create a sense of belonging among the end consumers. International Collaborative Strategy: Both Coke/Pepsi did collaboration with local Chinese companies and set up joint Ventures which helped them understand cultural, political, competitive and economic differences among various provinces in China.They were also successfully able to reach end consumers through local companies and create accurate customer profiles which helped them understand complexities in Chinese market. International Diversification Strategy: Product diversification strategy entails any modification of a current product that serves to expand its potential. Product diversification is different from product development such that it involves creating a new customer base, which expands the market potential of the original product. Coke/Pepsi used this strategy quite effectively to widen their customer base and target new segments.They launched several local products specific to Chinese needs and culture and did marketing in localised manner. For Example: Coke launched Minute Maid Pulpy Super Milky drink and the Sprite Tea drink and both have been regional hits. Both drinks have been developed out by the research and development unit in China. These strategic choices made by Pepsi/Coke were quite effective in China as they had successfully implemented them in other countries and both companies gained combined market share of 7 1% in Chinese Cola market by 2000.QUESTION 2: What resources, capabilities and competencies enabled Wahaha to compete successfully against Coke and Pepsi when most other local Chinese soft drink manufacturers had failed? Wahaha was able to successfully compete against Coke and Pepsi due to these factors: Wahaha’s Leadership : Wahaha Group was managed by Zong Qinghou who had a great vision and deep knowledge of markets and consumers in various regions. He had 20 years of sales experience in Chinese rural markets and Wahaha launched Future Cola in rural areas first which was untapped.Wahaha’s Marketing : Marketing, research and development (R&D) and logistics management were centralized at headquarters, while the subsidiaries were engaged in production. Wahaha’s marketing was clearly home grown and pitched the product as a â€Å"Chinese Cola† creating a sense of patriotism among end consumers. Wahaha’s Advertising : Wahaha’s advertising target ed the mass market, and not just the wealthier urban consumers. The prices of its products were usually lower than those of comparable products from its multinational competitors.They spent half of their advertising on CCTV which had huge rural coverage and credibility among consumers. Wahaha’s Distribution Network: Wahaha had developed unique relationships with distributors over last 10 years and was able to quickly deliver its products, reaching even remote corners of China within days. Wahaha established offices in more than 30 provinces with sales staff co-ordinating operations with the distributors.Wahaha JV’s and Acquisitions: In order to obtain world class production technology and survive competition from both local and multinational companies, Wahaha chose to partner with French giant Groupe Danone and both established several production oriented Joint Ventures(JV’s) which resulted into revenues and profits growing more rapidly. Wahaha also made several acquisitions such as loss making companies which were larger but poorly managed and it supported geographic expansion and production in local provincial markets.Wahaha’s R&D : Wahaha co-operated with R&D institutes and leading domestic flavor producers to ensure that its cola would be of a high quality and conducted thousands of taste tests worldwide. Its taste was designed to be close to international colas, but a little bit sweeter and stronger to cater to the Chinese consumers’ taste. Wahaha’s Production: Unlike Multinational companies, Wahaha had set up its own bottling plants as subsidiaries which allowed it great flexibility and also opened 68 production lines over China in various provinces.Wahaha’s Competitive Edge: The biggest competitive advantage which Wahaha had over Coke/Pepsi is that being a local company it understands the Chinese culture diversity pretty well and also their unique relationship with distributors in even remote parts of Chi na. They identified the opportunity in rural markets which was untapped by big multinationals and advertised heavily on local TV Channels, especially CCTV to create a solid Brand image in minds of Chinese consumers.Above all, since Wahaha had successfully sold many products like bottled water, flavoured milks, children’s nutritious drinks before launching Future Cola so it had enough experience, network and capital to support its Marketing, advertising expenses unlike other local Chinese soft drink manufactures who failed. QUESTION 3: What were the relative â€Å"Strengths & Weaknesses† of the three competitors in the Chinese Cola War? | Strengths| Weakness|Coke| International ExperienceStrong presence in urban areasExcellent sales force Huge capital to support price warsWide Range of productsIncreased local market knowledge| Weak Rural presenceCross territory sales by distributorsRivalry with Pepsi| Pepsi| International ExperiencePopular among young consumersProven St rategy in other marketsStrong hold on main cities| Weak Rural presenceJoint Venture conflictsRivalry with Coke| Wahaha| Understanding Chinese Culture DiversityRelationship with distributors in rural areas68 Production lines over ChinaJoint Venture with DanonePricing flexibility due to production by own subsidiariesChina’s own Cola| Week attendees in main citiesSales force|Wahaha seems to be winning the Cola war if they build on the strategies and implement them successfully in urban areas as well where multinationals have strong presence and also continue protect their current market share in rural areas. Another reason why Wahaha seems to be winning over because it has branded its products as â€Å"China’s own Cola† Made in China products and which resulted into a sense of belonging and loyalty among the Chinese consumers and it can be successfully implemented in big cities like Beijing, Hong Kong as well. QUESTION 4: Describe the Competitive Strategies and Tac tics each company (Wahaha/Coke/Pepsi) used to gain Market Share in China.Did any company appear to be winning the cola war? Support your answer. We can describe the competitive Strategies and Tactics used by each company to gain market share using Porter’s Five Force model. Industry Rivalry: When Chinese markets opened up in 1980’s, Coke and Pepsi invested heavily in Brand recognition and used lots of advertising and sponsoring to support their cola brands. They replicated their global rivalry in China and initially were determined to seize market share from domestic cola producers, even at the cost of profitability. They either forced local producers to withdraw from the market or establish joint ventures with them.Wahaha decided to target the rural market first because it knew and understood this market, and because it was not the focus of Coca Cola and PepsiCo. It focussed on the mass market of 1. 1 billion people in rural areas. Suppliers: Pepsi and Coke preferred to establish their own distribution networks while setting up Joint Ventures with bottlers and bottlers managing sales in their assigned territory. They set stringent sales targets for bottlers, and in turn bottlers would set targets for distributors. They used this model successfully in many countries. Their bottlers will map every place where their products can be sold and create one of them most accurate customer profiles.Coke had 28 bottling plans with Joint ventures (Minority shareholding) but Pepsi had 16 bottling plans with Joint ventures (Majority shareholding). Bottlers had little Supplier Power since they were into joint ventures with Coke and Pepsi. Wahaha did not had any suppliers since it had set up its own bottling plants as subsidiaries which allowed it great flexibility with its sales team and resulting into more price flexibility. It had more than 40 WOS and majority holding companies in 23 provinces. Buyers: Chinese cola consumers were segmented into two broad area s urban and rural, while urban market was captured mostly by Coke and Pepsi and Wahaha had excellent rural reach due to its unique relationship with its distributors in remote parts of China.Coke target market was large population centres, rolled out its products in cities based on population with up to 85% distribution penetration, Pepsi focused on key markets and cities, youth segment and had 65% distribution penetration but increasing faster than Coke. Wahaha focus initially was on smaller cities and rural areas which was yet untapped by big multinationals. Wahaha priced its products quite lower than Coke and Pepsi since rural consumers had more price sensitivity than urban buyers. It spent heavily on CCTV advertising which had huge rural coverage and credibility among consumers. They did the Marketing of their products as â€Å"Made in China† which made consumers more loyal towards it.Pepsi/Coke made money from sale of concentrate while Wahaha made it from sale of final p roducts due to its own subsidiaries doing production and so Wahaha had high pricing flexibility than Coke/Pepsi and was able to undercut multinationals. Potential Entrants: Coca Cola and PepsiCo’s success against the domestic Cola producers in the early stages and their strong brand name and sales network in big cities formed a high entry barrier for new competitors. However, later Wahaha successfully competed against them due to good knowledge of Chinese culture, sound distribution network and excellent Brand Management and timely launch of quality products in rural areas which was untapped by big companies. But, still sector has high entry barriers there by resulting into limited potential entrants.Substitutes: There are several substitutes to Cola like Iced Tea, Sports and Energy drinks, Non – Carbonated drinks, juices, packaged water etc which pose a great challenge to Cola Industry and growing at a higher rates up to 10% in comparison to 2-4% growth rate in Cola d rinks. This has resulted into Coke, Pepsi and Wahaha launching several other products in these categories Value Creation for Shareholders: While Coke/Pepsi endorsed local film stars, included cultural icons in its advertising and sponsored various Chinese Sports programs to localise their marketing as per Chinese consumers but Wahaha focussed on advertising using TV Ads especially on CCTV which had huge coverage and credibility and also sponsored Soccer World Cup and spring festivals. QUESTION 5: What future strategies should Wahaha consider to compete successfully against such large multinational enterprises?There should be a Four Step Action Plan which Wahaha should consider to compete successfully against such large multinational enterprises: Step1: Wahaha need to maintain and protect its leading position in Rural market since both multinationals Pepsi/Coke are going to improve their distribution network, product offerings and further localise their Marketing to penetrate rural m arket. It can do it by increasing Marketing activities in rural areas and projecting its â€Å"Chinese Cola† brand image more comprehensively. Step2: It need to target main cities where multinationals have strong presence and fetch market share so that it can maintain its overall market share in case of downside in rural market share. Step3: It needs to explore new markets which are yet untapped fully by multinationals and are similar to Chinese ulture since it can brand its products successfully in similar manner as it did in China Step4: It needs to broaden its product line and enter into other substitutes category like Iced Tea, Bottled water etc which are posing a threat to Cola segment by registering higher growth rates. It can also start research on new product segments like Alcoholic drinks etc to see if market potential exists or not. Strategy| Actions| Protecting and maintaining leading position in Rural Market| * Increase Marketing activities in rural areas( Sponsor for local events and ads) * Offer Bounce system to maintain distributors loyalty . | Market Penetration| * Target Main cities first where Wahaha has good reputation like Beijing, Hong Kong etc. Promotional campaign every quarter for Brand Recall| Market Development| * Expand in neighbour countries with similar Chinese culture since it can use similar marketing and branding strategies in those countries which Wahaha has successfully implemented in China. * Use the Danone JV to enter in markets where Danone has good presence. | Product Development| * Prepare new production line for non – carbonated soft drinks since other substitutes like Iced Tea, Juices, Bottled waters are showing a higher growth rates than Cola segment. * Start Study to produce alcoholic drinks like Beer. | References: 1: International Trade & Academic Research Conference (ITARC ), 7 – 8th November, 2012, London. UK. on â€Å"COCA-COLA: International Business Strategy for Globalization† 2: Por ter’s Five Force model of Competition: http://www. managementstudyguide. com/porters-model-of-competetion. tm 3: Cola Wars in China: Case Study Analysis Source: Strategy Analysis and Practice 2005 McGraw Hill Education Europe 4: Cola Wars in China : The Future is Here ; Case Study by Nancy Dai at Richard Ivy School of Business. 5: Cola Wars – UTS 21715 – Strategic Management Lecture 3 University of Technology Sydney 6: Alon, I. , Littrell, R. F. , & Chan, A. K. (n. d. ). Branding in China: Global product strategy Alternatives. http://www. aabri. com/OC09manuscripts/OC09002. pdf 7: Espitia E. , Manuel and Ramires A. , Marisa The impact of product diversification strategy on the corporate performance of large Spanish firms. Spanish Economic Review Volume 4 Number 2. P. 119-137 2002.