Hamlet Essays (1135 words) - Characters In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet

Hamlet Gertrude is the beloved wife and mother in the play, Hamlet. Many say that she is responsible for Hamlet's agony in not being able to proceed with his revenge, and Claudius' hesitation to guard himself through the destruction of Hamlet. She is the woman who was "my virtue or my plague, be it either which," for both of her loves, and is herself a very ordinary person. Seemingly beautiful and warm-hearted, she has no mind of her own, and is vulnerable because she tends to be pulled by whatever force is the most powerfully aimed at her at any moment. Because of her character and personality, she turns to the "sunny side of life" and hates facing pain or any type of conflict. Also, the fact that Claudius carefully hid his crime of killing her husband from her shows her lack of criminal daring and his concern for her peace of mind. When things worked out so that she was able to marry her lover, however, she was happy and only wanted all the difficulties of the past to be forgotten. Hamlet's refusal to forget the death of his father or to forgive her of incestuously remarrying Claudius are the only things that stop Gertrude from being perfectly happy; they remind her of the continuing difficulties of the position she is in, which, because of her incredible naivet?, she had hoped would end by changing the ordinarily accepted form of marriage. If she could only get Hamlet to accept her new husband as his new father, she could completely put away the past and start thinking about the present comfortably. She therefore begs him to remain at Elsinore so that this reconciliation can take place ("I pray thee, stay with us. Go not to Wittenberg." Act 1, scene 2, line 123). But as she watches her wonderful son only become more and more mentally deranged as the months pass by, and sees his offending behaviour beginning to disturb even the patience of Claudius, her happiness starts to wither. She hopes that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will be able to bring him out of his depression ("...And I beseech you instantly to visit / My too much changed son." Act 2, scene 2, lines 37-38). Then she wonders of the possibility that Hamlet's "madness" might actually be a result of his love for Ophelia rather than her own behaviour and hopes that Ophelia will be able to cure him ("...And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish / That your good beauties be the happy cause / Of Hamlet's wildness. So shall I hope your virtues / Will bring him to his wonted way again..." Act 3, scene 1, lines 42-45). Her spirits rise for a moment when she sees Hamlet's excited involvement with the play and his attentions to Ophelia, but then they immediately drop as Claudius rises from the performance in anguish. Finally she is pushed by Polonius to do the one thing that she has avoided for all these months: to meet Hamlet privately, discuss his behaviour, and try to understand its source. Probably the only reason that she gives in to this idea is because she sees it as the last resort to "curing" Hamlet. Hamlet's immediate charge towards her, "Mother, you have my father much offended," (Act 3, scene 4, line 13) confirms her worst fear the she is responsible for Hamlet's state of mind, and she tries to put a quick end to their talk, rather than having to face Hamlet "condemning" her. But she is so shocked that she gives in to Hamlet's violent rage and ends up releasing onto Polonius, who is hidden behind the arras, who Hamlet then kills. Hamlet's continues to insult her, and she first answers as if her conscience is innocent: "What have I done that thou dar'st wag thy tongue / In noise so rude against me?" (Act 3, scene 4, lines 47-48). She avoids criticising herself so completely, that she actually believes she has nothing to answer for, except for the effect her hasty remarriage has had on her son. But as Hamlet continues to draw her attention to the antipathy of her remarriage, she gradually comes under his spell and begins to feel guilty for the way she has acted. Even though the appearance of the ghost, which she cannot see, convinces her that Hamlet is mad and that his verbal abuse towards her was the result of increased melancholy, she cannot forget the feeling of guilt he had given her. When Ophelia

A Man For All Seasons essays

A Man For All Seasons essays The definition of humanism is A philosophy centered on the values, interests and potential of human beings (Websters Dictionary 1984, p. 340). In the play, A Man for all Seasons by Robert Bolt, Thomas More is a humanist as he knows his own values, interests and potential, and observes those of other people. Thomas More was a man who held onto his values no matter what. Thomas More believed in what the church said greatly. The king had a dispensation so that he would be able to marry Catherine. When the king wanted a divorce without a true reason, Thomas More wouldnt throw his beliefs away and refused to say that he agreed with the divorce. When Thomas More refused to swear to the act he was put in prison. He was charged with high treason and was beheaded. Thomas More saw that the people in his country held no value on being true to their religion, but he did. Hear me out. You and your class have given in-as you rightly call it-because the religion of this country means nothing to you one way or the other. (p. 122). Thomas More knew that the people had given up something they once had claimed to believe in. He knew that they gave up on what their religion said because they didnt want to stand up for it. They didnt have a high enough value on it to stand up for it. Thomas More on the other hand refuses to drop what his religion says because he believed it. I will not give in because I oppose it-I do-not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but I do-I! (p. 123). Thomas More was against the king getting a divorce because it was a value he held. The values that Thomas More had he held onto dearly and he wouldnt change them for convenience. He did not hold a value for popularity, he held a value because it is what he truly believed to be the right thing to hold onto. Thomas More believed that a person...

Pricing Strategy - LiveFace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pricing Strategy - LiveFace - Assignment Example Pricing policy is informed by factors such as corporate objective, market demand, government policies, costs, micro and industry barriers and reactions from competitors (Saxena, 2009). There are a number of pricing strategies used by firms around the world some which could be suitable options for Blue Team Focus Company. To start with, the differential pricing strategy is where a firm charges different prices on its product in different market segments mainly because of different social economic statuses of the target markets. This strategy could be an option for the Live Face product. Blue Team can also adopt the geographical pricing strategy which seeks to maximize on the economies of scale by charging lower prices on the product in some areas compared to those charged by competitors (Saxena, 2009). The company could also explore the penetration strategy where it introduces the product with a lower price and increases it gradually based on demand of the product and market

Aviation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aviation - Case Study Example Most people avoid the airport if they have urgent business. The reason for these delays has been blamed on the capacity of the airport visa vie the growing demand. Possible revenue has been lost by the airport due to the delay. The problem has been identified and, therefore, measures to curb the problem should be developed. The airport has a potential market and, therefore, investment for redesigning of the terminal and ground access (runway) will be recouped faster. Expansion of the terminal will enhance the speed of security check and other services requisite for the passenger. Ground access give the chance for planes to land and take-off, and this delays plane from landing and departing, extra runways should be constructed for take-off and landing off planes. If the two elements are taken into account ALICE Spring Airport will be more efficient and more passengers will be lured into the airport. Passengers are always time conscious and will choose an airport where processes will be

Obesity and health clubs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obesity and health clubs - Essay Example The reason for this could have been due to the rise in membership fees, which account for 75% to 85% of health club earnings. An alternative cause could be that health clubs are spending less than before, which accounts for a decrease in company expenditure. According to a report by Mintel (2011), the health and fitness club market has 5.33 million users, and as previously mentioned, this figure is predicted to increase with the upcoming Olympics. Market Trends The health club market has had some positive turns due to increasing awareness of obesity problems, and negative turns due to the economic crisis. Obesity In the UK, the high rate of obesity is a very serious problem that requires action to be taken. The following statistics by Keynote (2011) are obesity predictions for 2050: 60% of men, 50% of women, and 25% of children. This is a very large percentage of the population. In 2010 (confirm year), the government created a scheme in England called ‘Change4Life,’ whic h aimed to change the lives of the population of England by altering diet and exercise habits. This public encouragement of exercise could have influenced the rise we now see in health club use. Public and Private Health Clubs However, due to the current economic crisis, it is becoming difficult for health club members to pay the annual fees. In addition, as people are looking to decrease spending, health clubs are likely to be considered unnecessary during hard times, despite member loyalty. With an increase in government spending on health and welfare, public health clubs have seen improvements and increases in available resources. However, this does not benefit private health clubs like Virgin, which rely on membership numbers to generate profit. Distribution Health clubs provide a service in exchange for payment of membership fees. Some clubs also charge a joining fee. Once fees are paid, members can utilise the facilities as they please within the timeframe they have purchased. Health clubs often have an additional system where consumers can pay less for access to fewer facilities. At health clubs, members can also purchase items like water bottles or food, and often health-related products such as protein shakes and powder. Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs with 194 locations throughout South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and the United Kingdom. As of April 2011, Virgin Active had 69 health clubs in the UK, with a total of 265,000 members; this averages at 3,841 members per club. The fee to join a Virgin Active health club ranges from a monthly fee of ?50 to ?90. Virgin Active’s Competitors According to Mintel (2011), the leading fitness and health clubs in the industry in 2011 were: David Lloyd with 450,000 adult members, Virgin Active with 419,000 adult members, Fitness First with 400,000 adult members, DW Sports Fitness with 250,000 adult members, LA Fitness with 215,000 adult members, Bannatyne Fitness 180,000 adult members , and Nuffield with 150,000 adult members. After Virgin Active’s purchase of the Esporta business, the company moved into second place;

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession An investigation into Companies Usage of Outsourcing and a Critical Analysis of How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession, Specifically in relation to Northern Ireland. Aims and Objectives The Aim of this research is to determine whether or not the current economic recession has affected companies decisions to outsource. It is important to decipher whether or not companies have increased their usage of outsourcing as a direct result of the recession or whether the increase or decrease in outsourcing is due to other factors. The Aim of this research shall be applied in relation to Northern Ireland companies and build a general consensus that Northern Ireland based companies during this time of economic pressure are increasing their outsourcing. Based on this there shall be three objectives of the research. These shall be; To determine companies have increased their outsourcing during the unstable economic climate. To determine that this increase is due to the unstable economic climate; and To determine the relation of outsourcing and the unstable economic climate to Northern Ireland Companies. Importance of the Research In todays volatile and largely unstable economic climate, it is important to note that the recession as it is referred to affects not just large corporations such as banks and multinationals, but ordinary people living in an everyday environment. The state of the economy affects the modest corner shop consumer right to the small to medium sized business entrepreneur. The word recession has become a word synonymous in everyday language. It is due to this that it can be seen to be important that research is carried out to determine exactly how this has impacted the behavioural patterns of people, businesses and theories. This research is important, and more so relevant, to today than ever before with many companies being forced to cut costs and overheads, and inevitably, manpower, as they try to stem the tide of financial loss. The term Outsourcing is subcontracting a service to a third party and the decision to employ this concept is based upon the companies hopes to achieving a higher margin of profit by lowering their running costs. Lankford et al 1999 defines it as the procurement of products or services from sources that are external to the organisation It is believed today that firms should aggressively adopt the practice and the practice is almost becoming a given, and consultants presentations talk of a revolution in outsourcing. The academic literature on the subject has grown in kind. (Lonsdale and Cox, 2000) Outsourcing for businesses has been an integral part of a well oiled operating system for many years. It came to the fore in the 1980s and has since been used in business lexicon, and it is today in the midst of the economic downturn that it has been a vanguard of companies value systems. Few management practices have attracted as much attention as outsourcing is enjoying at the present time (Lonsdale Cox, 2000) The idea of a subcontracting deal to make the most of time and money in the depths of economic downturn would seem like a perfect opportunity to cut the cost of overheads and use resources efficiently. Faith (2009, p.36) agrees, stating As the recession persists, managements are enforcing stricter budgets. All departments are reviewing their processes to find ways to reduce costs and save money. Outsourcing is an area where companies can limit expenditure Research into the recession and its effect on outsourcing has never been more important than it is today, and while companies cannot predict when the recession is going to end, and with the increasing uncertain future and the possibility of more volatility, research into this area of business practice is vital. In a historical sense, the United Kingdom has experienced the onslaught of a recession before. The last recession struck in the 1980s, and this is where companies found the advantages of using outsourcing during a period of economic downturn (Charsley, 1986) Within Northern Ireland, research into the recession linked with outsourcing within Northern Irish companies has been under researched and indeed very little work has been published. So while periods of boom and bust continue throughout the decades in the worlds economy, research into aspects of the need of cost cutting exercises through outsourcing remain essential. There have been many research papers in the area of outsourcing and the implementation of such a business rationale, as there has been in the area of recession, however the development of one in relation to the other has only been lightly touched on, and this is one of the main reasons for the importance of research into this common area, and hopefully add to academic debate. Critical Literature Review A review of literature published suggests that the recession has caused many firms to reshape and refocus their energies into cost cutting exercises, and one of these comes in the form of outsourcing. The literature suggests that there are pros and cons of such an exercise, and that there may be a negative impact of such an implementation. This research is set to highlight the benefits of outsourcing as a key business tool, especially in a period of economic downturn and that it has increased during recent times in this period of economic instability. Past recessions have changed the way businesses operate and the ability to outsource entire departments have compounded this change. Industrial organisations in the late 1980s and early 1990s experienced a turbulent environment brought about by an increase in internationalisation and a downturn in the economy (Tucci et al, 1997) As a result of cost-cutting efforts during this period, many companies are opting to go the outsourcing route to cover either routine and/or non-core work. (Charsley, 1987) This proposal by Charsley would back up the research to determine that the increase in outsourcing is due to the unstable economic climate. The disintegration, outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing and other non-core functions have been seen as irresistible trends (Shi and Gregory, 2003, 2005; Sturgeon, 2002; Arnold, 2000) Outsourcing and the recession appear to come hand in hand when a business is restructuring to save costs. The advantages of such a restructuring and outsourcing during a recession have been highlighted in Joanna Faiths article in Outsourcing becomes luxury in recession where she states that the advantage of outsourcing rather than hiring internal resources is that if the state of the company declines, there is no need to make redundancies This helps stave the negative consequences of firing staff and leaving the workforce unsettled, while saving the companys reputation within the market. Mukesh Butani from BMR Advisors in India believes that If you outsource you can just terminate or alter the contract in seasons of peak and downturn however Graham Beck of PA Consulting stated that many firms who were involved in multi-sourcing were unaware of the risks. These include the integration of all the suppliers after the multi-sourcing, despite admitting that multi-sourcing would drive down costs. (Financial Management, 2009, p.7) PA Consultings outsourcing survey found that with the result of the recession firms are re-evaluating their outsourcing contracts or in effect outsource more elements of their firm. Research has also found that Human Resource chiefs have lost control over making outsourcing decisions, as finance directors and chief executives look to rein in costs during the recession (Logan 2009) In January 2009, a study by outsourcing firm Ceridian found that 20% of two hundred and fifty senior Human Resource professionals had the ultimate say in outsourcing recruitment, payroll and benefits for their organisation. Thirty one percent (31%) of the decision making went to the CEOs. Steve Joyce of Ceridian (2009) stated that The credit crunch has left no business function untouched, and it is clear in some organisations now that HR directors are not masters of their own strategy. Barker (2009) believes that In a recession, sometimes it is not possible to take a long-term perspective, especially where firms are really facing an emergency, and it becomes a matter of survival to cut costs wherever they can Charsley, 1987, states the opportunities brought about by outsourcing are several Charsley saw these as, firstly, management could balance the work force with the load, since contracted employees and can be brought on board or dismissed This could be done without the headaches generally involved in changing permanent staff levels. He also identified that management can focus on core work and more easily determine actual cost to the organization provided by non-core support units. In his book, Management Consultancy-A Cost Effective Resource Charsley states The ability to determine costs and allocate them across different parts of the organisation also allow management to consider new structural forms that might enhance the firms overall competitive position However in an interview of 1,000 firms all around the world about their experiences with outsourcing, also by the PA Consulting Group, the results show that the most common outcome was a fairly neutral one. As a result of the cost-benefit analysis comparing contract labour to company personnel, many managers were and are becoming more willing to opt for the contractor through outsourcing contracts because of the total cost of continuing the relationship with the company employee To summarise, there has been very little research conducted to verify whether or not within Northern Ireland the recession has had a direct impact on the decision of companies to outsource more of their business. By conducting further research into this field the purpose of this investigation is to shed more light on the topic as it is of high significance in this turbulent economic climate. Many authors agree that outsourcing is an integral part of the business acumen. The shaping and refocus of business objectives because of the recession has led to this. However there a handful of experts who believe that outsourcing has led to the relationship between the company and employee being stretched. Proposed Methodology The study being undertaken can be described as an exploratory research study. The research aims to find and explain the relationships between the outsourcing and the recession amongst companies in Northern Ireland. The research aims to assess the phenomena of companies outsourcing to cut their overheads and to maximise profit in the time of high economic uncertainty, and to find out what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002 taken from Saunders, 2007) This research project is set to explore data and develop theories from which will directly relate to previous literature. This is an inductive approach. The use of primary sources for the purpose of this research is decided on the fact that the researcher can focus on specific issues and have a higher level of control over how the information is collected and used. The research can be implemented on a strict timescale. A survey strategy shall be implemented in-order to meet the aims and objectives of the research. Survey strategies are popular in business and management research and are frequently used to answer questions raised by previous research. The benefits of a survey strategy are that they allow a large amount of data to be collected from a large population in an economical way. Survey data is also seen as straightforward to comprehend and illustrate. To conduct this survey, questionnaires shall be drawn up and sent to companies based around Northern Ireland. In social research, questionnaires are one of the most widely used in data collection. For the questionnaires a sample shall be selected from the wider population. The population in this case is all the registered companies in Northern Ireland. Because it is not feasible to send questionnaires to all the companies in Northern Ireland, for the purpose of the research, an appropriate sampling frame shall be drawn up. This is a complete list of all the cases from which the sample shall be made from. The sampling base shall be unbiased, current and accurate. Upon collaborating a suitable sampling frame the next stage of the process will be to decide how many (the sample size) and the method by which the companies shall be chosen. Large sample sizes can be sought without the burden of major costs, and produces quantifiable data. In this instance, systematic sampling shall be used. The reason behind this is it works well with either a small or large number of cases. It is also suitable for geographically dispersed cases. Actual lists are not always needed either. The relative costs are low and is relatively easy to explain. The next stage of the research having identified the method by which the data shall be collected, the sample and the sampling technique is to decide upon the technique of data collection. For this research it is proposed to collect the data via postal questionnaire. This is decided upon the characteristics of the respondents and the size of the sample. Having designed the questionnaire the next step is piloting. The purpose of piloting the questionnaire is to refine it so that the respondents have no ambiguity as so how to answer the questions and the questionnaire exhibits face validity thus ensures accurate feedback of results. In addition to this it shall provide some form of validity to the questionnaire and the results. Reliability of the results is the main aim here. Initially to pilot the questionnaire, a group of experts in the field of which the questionnaire is to given to, should be asked to complete it. Allowing suggestions to improve the questionnaire would further enhance the content of the questionnaire. Upon completion of the pilot, the necessary adjustments can be made. The pilot should also ensure that the structure of the questions is correct and there is an established flow allowing an easier understanding of what is being asked. For the purpose of this research it would be suggested that ten pilot questionnaire s be distributed amongst a field of experts to ensure that any trace of ambiguity or misinterpretation be eliminated before the actual questionnaires are distributed. The responses of the questionnaire will provide an idea of reliability and sustainability. It is good research practice to follow through with a pilot of the questionnaire. The final stage is administering the questionnaire. Attempts must be made to maximise the response rate. In order to do this, factors such as appearance, type of delivery and incentives, should be considered. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, the key data collection method employed shall be interviews. For the purpose of the research the key figures to be interviewed shall be managers from the Human Resource (HR) departments. Reasons for this are that evidence from prior research suggests that it is this department who are in charge of outsourcing despite Logan, (2007) suggesting that many companies are taking this responsibility away from the HR departments. To conduct the interview for the purpose of the research a semi-structured interview shall be implemented as opposed to a fully structured one. The drawbacks of the fully structured interviews in research like this are the fact that the answers that may be given could be irrelevant, providing little or no use to the research, the questions are normally closed and thus does not allow freedom to operate outside the constraints of the questions and removes the interviewers ability to back track and highlight certain topic areas. As questionnaires shall be produced and sent out to various companies, the need for a structured interview is further outweighed as fully structured interviews are broadly similar to structured questionnaires. To complete the semi structured interview the main areas of the research to be covered shall be worked out in advance so the overall focus of the interview can be guided by the researcher. The advantage of using the interview situation is that the response rate can tent to be higher than perhaps if requesting information in a non face to face environment. The ability to judge the seriousness of the answers can be helpful in interpretation as well as noting body language. The planned sequence of questions may change during the semi structured questionnaire. This is a huge advantage, as a number of topic areas may covered simultaneously and the interviewee may revert back to a question to be covered in more detail. The naturalism of conversation can take effect and allow the interviewee peace of mind. Before the interview takes place, the interviewee shall be asked whether or not it is possible to ask for the interview to be recorded for further evaluation. This would be an advantage as the flow of the interview shall not be disturbed. In-order to gain access to the HR department within the companies, adequate time shall be allowed to let the organisations allow feedback, and the proceeding follow up contact. A clear account of purpose shall be given to the company. This should clear all concerns regarding credibility. The gatekeeper is the sole source through which contact should be made to gain access to the interviewee. This is done to ensure feasibility of the actual interview. The analysis of the semi structured interviews shall take the form of transcribing the conversations and from that withdrawing key themes and concepts which may help with the implantation of the research objectives. This is known as grounded theory approach, a widely used method for generating a theory from research. The data derived from this research method shall be qualitative data, and shall emerge from the data collected rather than being imposed. Having completed the transcriptions of the interviews, and the keys themes of note are recognised, the information must then be transformed into a form of quantifiable data which allows easier understanding. This involves coding. The data is split into segments which are relevant and meaningful to the overall research and the aims and objectives. The purpose of this is to highlight any trends which may appear from the qualitative data and add weight to what the research is investigating in a statistical manner. As more data is analysed the codes may change. The program used to carry out statistical analysis is SPSS. Time Scale The research shall commence on January 11th 2010 and will be collated over the course of the following fourteen weeks. It shall conclude on April 16th 2010. Here is a detailed plan of the timescale of each proposed stage of research. While conducting the research it will be important to note that there will be time allowed for contingencies should there be any unforeseen circumstances occur. Due to Undertake Activity Activity Week 1-3 Background reading Week 3 Construction of Questionnaire Week 4 Pilot questionnaire/Select Sample Size Week 5 Feedback from pilot questionnaire and modify accordingly Week 6 Perform final questionnaire, allow three weeks for postal surveys to return and begin interviews Week 9 Collect data from Postal Questionnaires. Begin interview Transcriptions. Week 10 Begin coding of questionnaire results Week 12 Results and Discussion Conclusion and recommendations Week 14 Final Draft prepared and Submitted

Cinnamon Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I closed my eyes and sat quietly in the classroom. The slightest scent of cinnamon in the air and I was stuck. It was like turning back the hands of time to the most beautiful Autumn season I could remember. The aroma painted a picture in my mind that was so realistic every one of my senses were triggered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first sense that my brain detected was my sense of smell. I could smell holiday baking in the kitchen. Other things that I could smell were Big Red Gum, cinnamon buns, cinnamon pop tarts, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, basically I could smell any fragrance associated with just plain cinnamon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With my eyes still shut, I focused more on the photograph in my memory. There...