Corporate background Essay Example for Free

Corporate background Essay The Body Shop International plc is a well-known brand in beauty care or cosmetics industry since the company stick to their string commitment or philosophy of developing and producing the natural and ethical beauty care and cosmetics product. The Body Shop was established in 1976 in UK by Dame Anita Roddick although some analysts see that the copy of The Body Shop brands from local entrepreneur in California, USA (The Body Shop International plc, 2008a). Currently, after the 30-year journey as well-known cosmetic product, The Body Shop already expands their services and retail shops in more than 55 countries with over 2,100 stores. Currently, while keep developing products continuously, the Body Shop already has more than 1,200 kind of natural-ingredient products (The Body Shop International plc, 2008a; Pirkayastha and Fernando, 2008). One competitive advantage that the Body Shop has is the awards that the company receives for their commitment of developing cosmetic products without conducting test on animals. The company becomes the first company that awarded the Humane Cosmetics Standard for our Against Animal Testing policy. Furthermore, The Body Shop’s philosophy also underlying their action to conduct a Community Trade, their fair trade program, resulting in the company’s complete strategy to trade fairly. To date, The Body Shop already conducts community trade programs with 31 suppliers that spanned in 24 countries, which represent more than 15,000 people across the globe (The Body Shop International plc, 2008a; Pirkayastha and Fernando, 2008). Figure 1 the Body Shop Source: http://images. businessweek. com/ss/05/10/index_awards/image/bodyshop-2. jpg 1. Marketing Strategy of Body Shop 1. 1 Issues in Cosmetic Industry In developing marketing strategy, a company should analyze their competitive position in the respective market by analyzing the potential market of products and the moves and actions of competitors. One aspect in determining the competitive position is the capability of a company to deal with issues in respective industry in appropriate manner. In attracting the consumers, especially women, a cosmetic and beauty care-producing company usually develops many kinds of product since there are many skin types, each has to be treated in different manner and thus need particular mix of ingredients as well. Since the development may involve the testing, branding/campaign, and regulation compliance; therefore the three components become three issues in the cosmetic industry.   Internet marketing The use of internet as media for product campaign is rising significantly within the last decade. According to a few reports, internet is considered to increase efficiency and product sales for cosmetic companies since the media offer the ability to develop new channel alternative, complementing the existence of retail shops that located in several locations. Amazon. com, for instances, firstly grows from selling book, but turns out today to sell various kinds of cosmetics in their online stores. Interestingly, it is found that the growing internet users have award several cosmetic with raising number of online purchase. In compliance with the internet marketing, The Body Shop also offers special price for customers who bought via their online stores (http://www. thebodyshop-usa. com/bodyshop/). Figure 2 shows the home page of the Body Shop official online store. Figure 2 Online Store of the Body Shop Source: http://www. thebodyshop-usa. com/bodyshop/ †¢ Corporate Responsibility Issues (CSR) Another issue that influences the marketing of cosmetic products is about the propaganda in which many companies involve in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) that found to produce real influence on the cosmetic industry. In addition, such CSR initiative is also driven by government control over the distribution of cosmetic product to comply with specific country’s requirement. In the U. S. , FDA (Food and Drug Administration) become the regulator that monitor the safety standards of cosmetics products in the market (Health Reports Co. UK, 2005). †¢ Animal testing Animal testing also considered as vital issues in cosmetic industry since the rising concerns of public about the humanity has brought significant influence towards the use of animal testing in the development of cosmetic products. F or example, in European Union, where the Body Shop located, announces its decision to ban animal testing on cosmetics products, which immediately raise pros and contras. This regional policy follows the previous policy made in several European countries including the Austria, Netherlands, and Britain in which they have already banned animal testing which means that several cosmetic products are receiving tight supervision on their research and production facilities (The Humane Society, 2005) 1. 2 Branding. The branding factor also highlights The Body Shop strategy in strengthen their awareness by incorporating their philosophy of natural ingredient products. The company’s brand of becoming the cosmetics manufacturer that only use natural ingredients products is strong since it provides customers with an image that The Body Shop develops and sells safe cosmetics, which in line with customers’ concerns of having safety. This is inline with the customers’ preferences, especially women that wants a secure feeling when using cosmetics. The demands are translated into The Body Shop program to use the highest quality natural ingredients. In addition, the company sticks to five values; they are Protect the Planet, Support Community Trade, Against Animal Testing, Defend Human Rights, and Activate Self Esteem (The Body Shop International plc, 2008). Figure 3 The Body Shop Morinaga Products Source: http://www. shinygloss. tv/Moringa%203. jpg Reference: Health Reports Co. UK. (2005). Cosmetic Industry on Notice. (2005). Retrieved March 5, 2009 form http://www.health-reports. co. uk/content/view/52/2 Perner, Lars. n. d. â€Å"Consumer Behavior and Marketing†. Consumer Psychologist Newsletter. San Diego University. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/#Strategy Pirkayastha, Debaprati and Fernando, Rajiv. (2008). Body Shop Brand: Repositioning to Target the ‘Masstige’ Segment and Impacts of its Acquisition by L’Oreal. Icfai Center for Management Research The Body Shop International plc. (2008a). About Us. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://www.thebodyshop. com/bodyshop/company/index. jsp;jsessionid=ERFaLulEQWzSEOutEFWERw**. bsbwilapp03-bsprd-app-102? cm_re=themeB-_-Footer-_-About_Us . (2008b). Support Community Trade. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://www. thebodyshop. com/bodyshop/values/support_community_trade. jsp The Humane Society. (2005). French Government Challenges EU Cosmetic Directive. Retrieved March 5, 2009 from http://www. hsus. org/animals_in_research/animals_in_research_news/french_government_challenges_eu_cosmetics_directive. html.

Contract case study

Contract case study Contract Case Study Contracts are a legal binding agreement made between two or more parties to work on and to accept all the terms binding to it. All business needs to form a contract during its business life cycle. The two important aspects of a contract are the offer and acceptance. The party that makes an offer in a contract is called the offeror and the party who accepts the offer made by the offeror is called the offeree. There are many terms and conditions stated in the contract which have to be accepted by both the parties to enter in to a legal binding contract. The offeror must state his readiness to create a binding contract by accepting the terms to the offeree. The offeree can offer to form a binding contract an individual, group of people and to the public. Offers made to the public are considered as an invitation to treat since it welcomes offers by many people within a stated time in which the offers need to be made. But there is a significant difference among offer and invitation to tre at. The response to an offer is usually acceptance whereas in the case of invitation to treat, the response would be an offer. Invitation to treat is more as an invitation to make an offer by understanding the terms. Invitation to treat helps in getting a variety of offers and therefore increasing the chance to accepting a better and a more profitable contract. In the case study given, Golden Antiques had posted an advertisement on Monday through the internet which had stated For sale, three Victorian style beds, gorgeous,  £5000 each, cash, will brighten up any bed room! This advertisement is an invitation to treat since it was made to the general public and a response to this invitation to treat would be considered as an offer. This relates to the case of Partridge v Crittenden [1968] ¹ An advertisement by Partridge appeared in the magazine Cage and Aviary Birds, which contained the words quality British, bramble finch cocks, 25 shillings each. Partridge was charged with illegal offering for sale of a wild bird against s.6(1) of the Protection Birds Act 1954 Therefore this will form a unilateral contract since the offer to be in a legal binding contract has been decided by only one party. David, the manager of White Halls Ltd sends an email to Golden Antiques immediately saying that he is interested in buying all three Victorian style beds at the cost of  £4500 each and enquires about any credit facility available upon this purchase. This is an offer made by White Halls Ltd to Golden Antiques. Therefore in the current situation, White Halls is the offeror and Golden Antiques is the offeree. The offeree ( Golden Antiques) must decide upon the offer made by White Halls Ltd and can take any decision since accepting or rejecting the offer is completely in their hands. The reply made by White Halls Ltd must be considered just as a request for information about the terms and other opinion available in the contract. White Halls have not accepted the original terms and cannot be considered to be a counter offer. Therefore a request of information cannot enforce a binding contract. A similar case related to this would be the case of Stevnson, Jacques and Co V McLean [1880] ² Mclean wrote to Stevenson asking if he wanted to buy iron ore at 40S per ton in cash, and the offer was open till Monday. Stevenson asked if the goods were available on credit. They received no answer. On Monday afternoon they contacted the defendant to accept the offer, but the iron had already been sold to someone else. The plaintiff won the case against McLean Golden Antiques responded to the email sent by White Halls Ltd seeking information about the price and the credit facility being available. Golden antiques in response said the following We are not prepared to sell for less than  £5000 each. Credit facility only available if your guarantor is acceptable to us. Please confirm by close of business today if interested. By stating this Golden antiques have made a counter offer to their initial offer. This counter offer states that the contract can be enforced only at the original price mentioned and their terms. They have taken into consideration about the credit facility and have stated that it is available only if White Halls Ltds guarantor is acceptable to them. They have also mentioned that the acceptance to the counter offer has to be conveyed by Tuesday. Stating the time frame for the acceptance, Golden antiques have made it very clear that the acceptance to this offer will not be accepted after Tuesday and therefore be communicated properly. Counter offer is an offer made against the previous offer by the former offeree after taking into consideration the request of information by the offeror. This counter offer is usually the final offer made in the good interest of both the parties to form a legal binding contract. The counter offer nullifies the previous offer made by the offeree. No contr act can be formed if this counter offer is not accepted by the offeror. A relevant case would be the case of Hyde V Wrench [1840] ³ Wrench offered to sell his farm for  £1,000 but Hyde declined. He offered  £950 and then Wrench refused to accept. Finally Hyde agreed to buy the farm at old price but Wrench refused, therefore a counter offer destroys the original offer. After providing a counter offer, Golden antiques will now be the offeror and White Halls Ltd will be the offeree. The counter offer will become a legal binding contract if White Halls Ltd accepts the counter offer made by Golden antiques. Golden Antiques have specified that the offer is valid till Tuesday and any acceptance received after this date will not be taken into consideration. This says that they need a response immediately through effective and fast means of communication. The case related to this will be the case of Tin V Hoffman [1873]4 in this case the offeree was specified to reply by post, any method which to be more effective or faster than post was also acceptable. In this case, the offeror had specified the means of communication through which the acceptance had to be communicated. The court ruled that the offeree must accept this technique of communication or the next best alternative to communicate to the offeror. Relating this to the case study, Golden antiques h ave said that the acceptance to the counter offer need to be made by earliest on the Tuesday which made it obvious that a reliable and fast communication was necessary. If this was not communicated properly or was delayed due to a slower means of communication, the offer becomes invalid due to lapse of time. A contract come into existence only when the latest offer or counter offer is accepted. Acceptance conveys that two or more parties have agreed to all the terms and condition specified in the contract. The most important part of acceptance would be the method of communicating. This is important because acceptance is not effective if it is not communicated. The other important aspect of acceptance is that the parties must obey to the way of communication decided upon i.e. if the offeror has specified a means a communication through which the acceptance has to be communicated, it must be followed. This has to be communicated effectively and within the time frame in which the offer will be valid or it will be cancelled due to lapse of time. If revocation is made before the acceptance takes place, the offer will be cancelled. After receiving the counter offer made by Golden antiques, David faxes the acceptance stating his willingness to purchase the three Victorian style beds at  £5000 each. This acceptance letter also includes the letter from Black Halls Ltd, the guarantor for White Halls Ltd which states It is our policy to ensure that our subsidiary, White Halls Ltd remains solvent at all times. This letter of acceptance by the offeree was not transmitted properly and therefore was not received by Golden antiques. A case that relates to this situation will be the case of Felthouse V Bindley [1862]5 Felthouse tried file a case on the basis of breach of contract however Bindley had the case favoured to his side since it was stated that acceptance was not communicated thus a contract was never really formed. David posted his acceptance on the same day at 5pm even when he was aware of the fact that there was a postal strike on that day. David was well aware that the letter of acceptance would not reach the offeror, Golden antiques at the right time. Therefore, David must have opted for a better means of communication which would be reliable, effective and fast. The time frame being given in the counter offer shows the urgency and importance of communicating the acceptance as fast as possible. But posting the letter is considered as being received according to the postal rule thereby leading to forming a legal binding contract. Postal rule apply where the means of communicating the acceptance to the offer is post or telegram. Postal rule states that the acceptance is effective on the date and time at which the letter is posted and not when the letter of acceptance is received. The postal rule ignores the facts of the time taken to deliver the post and any other circumstances such as post b eing lost. The case that satisfies this will be case between Adams V Lindsell [1818]6 because to the wrong address the post by the Lindsell reached Adams by 5th of September. Adams replied back to Lindsell but the letter reached by 8th of October and the time limit was till 7th of October. The defendants argued that the time limit specified had been passed and they didnt heard a reply hence the offer was already lapsed. However if Lindsell would have addressed the first letter correctly then the plaintiffs could have managed to reply back in time. However the plaintiffs won the case since the postal rule was being applied. On the other hand, there are many exceptions to the postal rule. The postal rule does not apply if the method to communicate the acceptance has been specified by the offeror. White Halls Ltd and Golden antiques had initially started communicating through e-mails and ways a very reliable and fast way to communicate among the parties. Golden antiques showing the urgency and the given time frame show that they were expecting a response from White Halls Ltd through e-mail or a fax. This can be seen when Golden antiques said Please confirm by close of business today if interested and can therefore be taken as an exception to the postal rule. The fax sent by White Halls Ltd was not clear and hence the acceptance was not communicated effectively. David from White Halls Ltd must have tried to send through a different fax machine or might try another time. David must have e-mailed the acceptance letter to Golden antiques which was their initial way of communication. This could have been bett er than posting a letter of acceptance when he was assured about the delay which will be caused due to the postal strike. Therefore, the postal is not applicable in the case of White Halls Ltd and Golden Antiques. A similar case would be Entores ltd V Miles far East Corporation [1955]7 In this case it shows that both the parties had instant communication method (that is telex in this case). Entores sued the M E C for breaching from the contract. The court stated that the negotiations were made by telex so instant communication was available. The defendants tired to argue with postal rule, however it was ruled that if acceptance was made on telex then the postal rule wont doesnt apply. Postal rule does not apply in the above detailed case and the acceptance was not communicated. There has been lapse of time and no contract was formed. Therefore the offeror, Golden Antiques is eligible to form a new contract with the third party and has no legal binding contract existing with the previous party. Roger an accountant who has prepared the financial statements for Golden Antiques called up on Wednesday morning saying that he is interested in buying the Victorian style beds. In this situation, Roger is the offeror and Golden Antiques is the offeree. Roger has provided the service of preparing the financial statements are half the cost he usually charges. This is an example of past consideration and a past consideration has no value in the future. There can be no consideration given for an activity performed in the past. Its the parties own will to charge for an activity to be performed and form a contract for which he will get a return from the other party which are agreed upon by the parties. A relevant case here would be the case of Re McArdle [1951]8 the agreement to pay the money was not enforceable as a contract as the work had been completed and the consideration was wholly passed. The offer made by Roger is valid since there has been no contract between Golden Antiques and White Halls Ltd. To accept this offer, Golden Antiques sends a letter of revocation of the offer on Wednesday to David of White Halls Ltd saying that the Victorian style beds are no longer for sale. A revocation is the termination of an offer. Once a revocation has been communicated, the acceptance of an offer will be ignored and is no longer possible. Revocation is an exception to the postal rule and is considered only when revocation is received by the other party. In a situation where offer and revocation was made on the same day, the decision will depend on whether the offer or the revocation was received first. This will be further explained by the case of Byrne Co V Leon Van Tienhoven [1880]? Tienhoven tried to withdraw the offer, they posted the letter by 8th of October which was received by Byrne Co by the 20th of October. It was ruled that the offer couldnt be withdrawn since the acceptance was already into existence due to the postal rule. In this case the time gap between the revocation and offer being received is very small and is therefore harder to judge whether revocation is effective or not. Golden Antiques received the acceptance letter by post at 3:45pm on Thursday and the fax on revocation is received until 4:00pm. In my opinion revocation should be effective since the posting of the letter is not considered as a means to communicate acceptance in this case. Advise on the parties legal position: There are three parties in this case which are Golden Antiques, White Halls Ltd and Roger. The above detailed case shows that there is more evidence in the favour of Golden Antiques than that of David. Golden Antiques have obeyed the terms of forming a contract and on the part of revocation. They have made it clear on the terms of the contract and also have given the time frame in which the other party must respond and give in their acceptance. The advertisement made by Golden Antiques is an invitation to treat. David the manager of White Halls Ltd makes an offer and negotiates the price of the Victorian style beds. But this is rejected by a counter offer made by Golden Antiques to David and specifies the time frame in which he must convey his acceptance. David tried to fax the acceptance letter but due to technical difficulties was unable to do so. He then posted the letter to convey the acceptance which he was well aware of not being able to make on time. This offer was not affective after Tuesday due to lapse of time. David must have used a better means to deliver the acceptance. He could have adopted the initial way of communication which was email. Revocation letter was then sent by Golden Antiques to David of White Halls Ltd stating that the beds are no longer available for sale. According to the postal rule, the revocation has to be received before the acceptance was received. But in this scenario, the postal rule should be ignored since posting a letter was not an acceptable form of communication in a situation with a short time frame. Therefore David will not be able to take any legal action against Golden Antiques. On the contrary, it will be considered as Davids fault of not considering the terms of the contract. Legal advice to the parties: The three parties involved in this case are Golden antiques, White Halls Ltd and Roger the accountant. From the given clear picture of the case above, it is quiet comprehensible that The Golden Antiques side of the case was more convincing as compared to that of David. If the manager of white halls ltd, be likely to sue golden Antiques, they will not be accused for any claims. Golden antiques had made its companys intentions very clear from the very beginning, i.e. when they had first advertised their invitation to treat. David first makes an offer showing his interest towards the purchase of the Victorian style beds, which was immediately rejected by making a counter-offer by golden Antiques. In the offer it was very well stated that if acceptance not conveyed by Tuesday which in turn makes the postal rule irrelevant. When the acceptance sent by fax was not communicated due to transmission errors, David should have used some other means of communication which would have been equall y fast and effective. As the acceptance was not communicated on time the offer has lapsed. Golden antiques then sent a letter stating the revocation of the offer as they had now decided to sell the beds to Roger and are legally contracted with White Halls. Even though the Revocation of the offer was received or conveyed after the receipt of the acceptance letter from David, this will be regarded as Davids fault for not complying with the terms of the offer. Therefore, it is not advisable to take any legal actions against Golden Antiques because the judge verdict will be on the favour of Golden Antiques. TABLE OF CASES Partridge v crittenden {1968} 1 WLR 1204,{1968}2 ALL ER 421,(1968)112 SJ 582 Stevenson,jacques Co v Mclean {1880) 5 QBD 346 Hyde v Wrench (1840) 3 Beav 334 Tin V Hoffman (1873) Felthouse v Bindley (1862) 11 CBNS 869 Adams v Lindsell (1818)1 B Ald 681, {1818} 106 ER 260 Entores Ltd v Miles Far East Corporation {1955} 2 QB 327,{1955} 3 WLR 48,{1955} 2 All ER 493, CA McArdle,Re {1951} Ch 669,{1951} 1 All ER 905, (1951) 95 SJ 651, CA Byrne Co v Van Tienhoven Co (1880) 5 CPD 344 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ewan McIntyre, Business Law, 4th ed. Pearson Longman, 2008 Catherine Elliot Frances Quinn, Contract Law, 7th edition, Pearson Longman, 209 Charles Wild Stuart Weinstein, Smith and Keenans Company Law, 14th edition, Pearson Longman, 2009

Femininity And The World Of Semiotics Cultural Studies Essay

Femininity And The World Of Semiotics Cultural Studies Essay Semiotics is the doctrine of signs. Signs take the form of anything that society invests meaning into. Such signs as words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts or objects only become signs when they are interpreted as having meaning (Chandler, 2009). Roland Barthes was a French theorist who had a major contribution to structuralist semiotics. His contribution was to extend the idea of the sign into myth. He later moved towards a post-structuralist view. Barthes began to read culture from a mythic perspective, where myths were seen as connotations. (Bignell, 2002, p58)Ursula, in the film the Little Mermaid, is portrayed as a villain due to her resistance against the discourse of femininity. The discourse of femininity is the social constructions that dictate how women are expected to behave and look. Ursula desires power, which is not considered a conventional feminine trait. This positions the audience to see her as a villain. The film creators have specifically chosen everything about Ursula. The filmmakers are aware of the connotations associated with femininity. They have used this knowledge to create Ursula as a villain. Her image, gender performance and her interaction with animals are all individual signs of her rebellion against femininity. Barthes originally adopted Louis Hjelmslevs notion of orders of signification. (Chandler, 2009) After Barthe had extended the sign he began to read culture through a mythical perspective where he linked myths with connotations and ideologies. The semiotic interpretation of a myth differs to the preexisting definition of a myth being false. Myths help to make sense of experiences within a culture. A myth to Barthes supports ideologies and relates to social realities (Bignell, 2002, p58). A myths function is to make dominant cultural and historical values, attitudes and beliefs seem entirely natural and true reflections of the way things are (Chandler, 2009). Barthes linked myths and ideologies very closely as he also defined ideologies as reinforcing the existing system as appearing natural and acceptable to society (Bignell, 2002, p58). Barthes believed visual signs in media are used to trigger a range of connotations attached to the sign and that connotations came from our social ex periences. (Allen, 2003, p42) Barthes believed when signs and connotations were brought together they shaped a particular message. (Bignell, 2002, p58). Ursulas image is associated with unfeminine connotations. Every detail of Ursulas image, from her clothing to her weight represents a desire for power and resistance against femininity. This positions the audience to view Ursula as a villain due to the myth society holds regarding femininity. These myths are automatically accepted by society, as we believe the connotations associated with these signs are true reflections of reality. Parents and authoritative figures encourage young girls from an early age to speak and act in ways which displays their femininity. Behaviour like wearing frilly dresses is a symbol for appearing weaker and less aggressive than boys (Larner, 2009). Ursula wears a black revealing dress, which refers to her strength, aggression, and power that goes against femininity. Ursula has sharp angular features that she highlights with heavy eye make up, which is a symbol of an unnatural woman. (Stoll, 2005) Ursula is an overweight character who shakes her hips and m oves in an exaggerated and sluggish manner. She is languid, lacy and floppish. (Stoll, 2005) Overweight characters in Disney films have negative connotations associated with them. They are considered ugly, unpleasant, lazy and un- married (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, Tanner, 2004). These connotations come from the myth that attractive women need protection because they are helpless and are therefore more likely to marry. (Towbin, et al., 2004). Ursulas hair is a disruption to the image of femininity. She has short, bleached and butch hair. (Mallan, 2000) Feminine characters are usually represented as having long, flowing hair that is often seen as sensual. Therefore Ursulas short hair is associated with resisting the discourse of femininity. Throughout the film, Ursulas image is associated with suspense and tension. (Stoll, 2005) Each time the viewer sees Ursula they are reminded she is the villain who brings evil upon others. As Barthe suggests the visual signs within The Lit tle Mermaid trigger connotations associated with femininity. These signs and connotations create a message that Ursula is a villain due to her desire for power, which is represented through her image. Ursula is conveyed as a villain through here gender performance. Gender performance, according to Judith Baxter, is the term that argues that gender norms are constructed by society. She suggests that as much as femininity is about image, femininity is an act and does not automatically come with female genitalia (Frus, P. Williams, C. 2010, p201). Performance is about the repetition of gestures, words, acts and desires. Ursula tries to teach Ariel how to preform woman by bumping her hips through sexual gestures while speaking the words dont underestimate body language. Her gestures and words refer to the connotations of sexually perversity and promiscuity, which is controversial to the image of femininity. Ursulas performance shows the disconnection between the female body of the performer and her masculine persona. Ursula is parallel to John Waters transvestite diva character, Divine. Divine was a drag queen that had a monstrous figure and attempted to resemble a female. (Hallam, 20 09) This false female who conveyed masculine acts and gestures did not fool the audiences. This is parallel to Ursulas character whose overly phallic body represents sexual perversity. The fact Ursula is sexually aware displays her masculine traits, as feminine characters in Disney films are often seen as innocent and unaware of sexuality. The innocent female ideology is reinforced through The Little Mermaid. This demonstrates Ursula is unacceptable to society because she resists this ideology. Desires are a contributing factor to gender performance. Ursula desires patriarchal authority rather than a marriage, which is an unconventional feminine trait that destabilizes gender. In accordance with Barthes theory of semiotics, and the connotations and signs associated with Ursulas performance it is evident that Ursula is an unfeminine character, who for this very reason, is portrayed as a villain. The way animals react and engage with Ursula conveys her villainous behavior and her rebellion against femininity. Wicked women in Disney films are often considered antisocial and are associated with ugly animal helpers who take pleasure in disastrous events. (Bell, Haas, Sells, 1995) Flotsam and Jetsam are Ursulas assistants. These characters demonstrate Ursulas desire for power. Her assistants appear to dedicate their life to her and display no evidence of a life of their own. Ursula fails to show gratitude towards her assistants. These two characters do wicked odd jobs Ursula doesnt want to do. They are inferior characters, yet essential to the portrayal of Ursula. (Stoll, )Ursula steals Ariels voice with the help of her accomplices. Ursula attempts to lure the prince into marrying however she fails, as the surrounding animals are not fooled by her false femininity. Her attempt to usurp male power fails and she is punished and humiliated. The animals degrade Ursula in a performanc e at the altar. Birds fly between her outspread legs, starfish smack her face and the princes dog bites her behind (Zuk, 1998). The animals hatred towards Ursula is highlighted by their love for Ariel. All women are expected to be caring from birth and desire a family. Ursula displays no caring attributes towards others and is a self indulged woman. Women are subconsciously warned of the negative consequences of stepping outside feminine sex roles as the stereotypical female is expected to be biologically maternal. This myth refers to the expectation that feminine women are expected to care and nurture animals and have an automatic bond with them. The way Ursula treats her assistants, Flotsam and Jetsam is an accurate portrayal of Ursula. The way the animals react around Ursula also highlights her wickedness, as they feel hatred towards her and are also cautious of her power. As Barthe suggests, the signs and connotations associated with Ursulas interaction with other characters por trays her as a villain. Ursula resists the discourse of femininity through her image, gender performance and her interaction with animals. Ursulas image resists femininity through her Clothing, weight, hair and make up. The connotations associated with each of these reinforce that Ursula is negatively different from the other female characters and is therefore a villain. Gender performance includes gestures, desires and words. Ursula fails at feminine performance due to her sexual awareness, which is demonstrated through her gestures and words. Her desire is to have patriarchal power over the human and underwater world is considered a male and villainous trait. The way animals react to Ursula shows her true villainous nature and unfeminine qualities. Her accomplices Flotsam and Jetsam are essential to the portrayal of Ursula as they add to her wickedness. As Barthe suggests the signs and connotations within Ursulas image, gender performance and her interaction with animals have shaped the message that Ursul a is a villain due to her resistance against femininity.

The Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay -- Lotter

The Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric but strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are "gathered around quietly." The black box is the central theme or idea in the story. It symbolizes at first some type of mystery, but as we read the ending we realize that it is synonymous with doom. Someone's fate lies in an inanimate object, the black box. We do not always enjoy change, even if it might prove beneficial to us. The box is symbolic of our loathing of change; it is old and splintered showing that we cling to what is familiar rather than change and it also symbolizes the traditions of the community. No one in the little town questions the origin of the black box, but accept it as an intrical part of their lives. There is always discussion of people getting a new box, but no one ever really goes through with it. "Everuy year, after the lottery, Mr.Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done". The lottery itself is symbolic of the paradox of the human psyche between compassion on one hand and the thirst for violence and cruelty on the other. An example of this is when the children are enjoying a break from school, playing and being children, and suddenly they are being joined by "rational" adults in stoning a mother to death. It appears that tradition has blinded these people in an irrational way, making them unable to think of a reason why this possibly should not be happening. When forced with the possibility of death, human nature in all its complexity, comes down to one instinctive urge, that of survival. When Tessie was in no danger she was gossiping with the other ladies and even encouraged her husband to go and pick a piece of paper. When Tessie wins the lottery; she pleads for another chance and screams for mercy. She demands that her daughters take their chances as well, which is indicative of regression toward our ... ...in. They chose this method of sacrifice in order to yield themselves from the responsibility and burden of murder. Even though the towns lottery has lost all traditional value the sacrificing has held steadfast. As it says in The Lottery ? although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remember to use the rocks.? This quote means that even though their tradition has gone off course they will always hold to their beliefs about sacrifice. To summarize they held true to their beliefs because of apprehension. So tradition has subconsciously made the community unaware of their horrible actions. The citizens of the village are not afraid of change. They are afraid of what change will bring. The present community has never known a year without the lottery or depleted crops. They fear if they if they disband from the traditional sacrifice their crops will fail. Also their warm safe homes will fade away and the dampened caves that have become so fictional to them will appear to be realistic problems. Works Cited: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Lottery. New York: Popular Library, 1949.

The Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay -- American History WWII World War

The Attack on Pearl Harbor The United States is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Pacific Ocean to the West and is bordered by two friendly nations, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Attacks on United States soil have therefore been rare. The surprise attack by the Japanese in 1941 on the United States at Pearl Harbor resulted in a great loss of life and changed the course of history. Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States was an isolationist country and coming out of the Great Depression. There was a war raging in Europe in 1939 that involved many United States allies. Hitler’s German troops were attacking France, Poland, Great Britain and other European countries. Despite the attacks on these United States allies, citizens in the United States wanted to remain neutral. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Japan had invaded China and Indochina and was making preparations for broader war. As late as December 1941, Americans thought that the United States Government should stay out of World War II and not interfere with European and Asian affairs (Gailey 29). On the morning of December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States and its Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii--â€Å"A day which will live in infamy†. The United States immediately entered the war and changed the course of the 20th century. Pearl Harbor is a land-locked harbor on the Southern coast of the Oahu Island in Hawaii. It is West of Honolulu. Pearl Harbor is one of the largest and best natural harbors in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Close by are many United States military installations. They include the Chief US Pacific Naval Base, Hickam Airforce Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station ... ...ry for Americans during World War II (Pearl Harbor, 1986). It made Americans even more determined to go kill the enemy. Works Cited Bahrenburg, Bruce. The Pacific Then and Now. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1971. â€Å"A Brief Overview of the Attack.† Pearl Harbor Remembered. 7 July 2001. 15 October 2001 . Gailey, Harry A. The War in the Pacific. Novato: Presidio Press, 1995. Layton, Edwin T., Roger Pineau, and John Costello. And I Was There. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1985. â€Å"Pearl Harbor.† Encyclopedia.com. 2001. 15 October 2001 . â€Å"Pearl Harbor.† The Golden Book Encyclopedia. 1986 ed. Renzi, William A., and Mark D. Roehrs. Never Look Back. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 1991. Weintraub, Stanley. Long Day’s Journey into War. New York: Penguin Group, 1991. â€Å"World War II.† Encarta.com. 2001. 15 October 2001 .

Locate Examples for 8 of the 15 Logical Fallacies Discussed in This Lesson in Your “Dialogues: an Argument Rhetoric and Reader, ” 4th Ed., by Goshgarian, Krueger, and Minc

Composition 2 GE 127 Week 2 minor assignment December 28, 2011 Locate examples for 8 of the 15 logical fallacies discussed in this lesson in your â€Å"Dialogues: An Argument Rhetoric and Reader,† 4th Ed. , by Goshgarian, Krueger, and Minc 1. Ad hominem; An Ad hominem argument is a Latin phrase that attacks the man instead of the argument. Example: You are so stupid your argument couldn't possibly be true. Logical Fallacies or Fallacies in Argumentation retrieved on Jan. 1, 2011 from http://carm. org/logical-fallacies-or-fallacies-argumentation 2. Begging the question is assuming some to be true that you cannot prove – similar to circular reasoning. Example: I think he is unattractive because he is ugly. Beg the question retrieved on Dec. 28, 2011 from http://begthequestion. info/ 3. slippery slope: Presumes a change in procedure, law, or action, will result in adverse consequences. Example: If we allow doctor assisted suicide, then eventually the government will control how we die. List of common fallacies 1997 retrieved on December 28, 2011 from http://nobeliefs. om/fallacies. htm 4. Circular Reasoning Also known as the fallacy of redundancy, begging the question, or tautology, this is when the conclusion or claim is merely a restatement of one of the premises. Christian apologetics is filled with tautologies: Example: Is there a God? Yes. How do you know? Because the Bible says so. How do you know the Bible is correct? Because it was inspired by God. In other words, God is because God is.. How Thinking Goes Wrong ret rieved on Dec. 28, 2011 from http://www. ositiveatheism. org/writ/sherm3. htm 5. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc, or after this, therefore because of this. This fallacy assumes that because one event occurs just prior to another, the first event caused the second. Example: In one recent case, an operations group asked for help solving a problem with the disruption of the flow of one ingredient in a process. The group felt the problem was caused by a rise in the viscosity of another ingredient. Although logic indicated the iscosity of one material had no impact on the flow of the other, the sequence of events led the group to the fallacious conclusion that it did. The key to avoiding this fallacy is the old adage, â€Å"Don't jump to conclusions. † LexisNexis Academics retrieved on Dec. 28, 2011 from http://www. lexisnexis. com. proxy. itt-tech. edu/hottopics/lnacademic/? verb=sr;csi=8406;sr=lni%283VB5-28H0-00H1-023M%29 6. Red Herring Red Herring is when you attempt to confuse the audience by introducing a topic that has nothing to do with the situation at hand. Example, I know your car isn't working right. But, if you had gone to the store one day earlier, you'd not be having this problem. Logical Fallacies or Fallacies in Argumentation retrieved on Jan. 1, 2011 from http://carm. org/logical-fallacies-or-fallacies-argumentation 7. Ad Populum Argument: An argument aimed at appealing to the majority. Example: â€Å"Man could alleviate his misery by marriage. This close companionship enhances the joys of one and mitigated the sorrow of the other, and anyone knew God always provided for married people. Lee Emily Pearson, Elizabethans at Home, (Stanford Univ. Pr. ), 289. Philosophy. Lander. edu retrieved on Jan. 1, 2012 from http://philosophy. lander. edu/logic/popular. html 8. The Bandwagon Appeal. This is committed when someone user irrelevant arguments based on popularity to make a point and is widely used in advertisements, Example: Everyone is selfish; everyone is doing what he believes will make himself happier Harry Browne, â€Å"The Un selfishness Trap† retrieved on Jan. 1, 2012 from How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (1973).

Professional School Counseling Essay

The 5 themes are character education, bullying, social-conflict, academics, and mental illness. Additionally, this paper will include important elements of school counselor identity, function and ethics. A section of the paper will give biblical values and insights related to the subject of professional school counseling. The experience of research has provided the reader with the personal reflections concerning school counseling and a discussion of the commitment to provide biblically grounded, ethical and empirically based services from the point of view of the writer. Introduction Children are in a society where the world is rapidly changing. Due to influx of social and economic changes and problems that are brewing within the homes of our students: these problems tend to spill over into the schools. The problems that are presented in the schools are escalating, when you think that things are improving. The purpose of this paper is to give some insight on the problems that professional school counselors faced in our schools. Every problematic area is not covered in this paper because it is so much research on many degrees of issues that professional counselors face. We propose that with the proper training, programs and support of the schools, counselors will be able to see a positive change. History and Development The factors leading to the development of guidance and counseling in the United States began in the 1890s with the social reform movement. Formal guidance programs using specialized textbooks did not start until the turn of the twentieth century. In 1958 the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was enacted, providing aid to education in the United States at all levels, public and private. One of the consequences was the compulsory education movement and shortly thereafter the vocational guidance movement, which, in its early days, was concerned with guiding people into the workforce to become productive members of society. The social and political reformer Frank Parsons is often credited with being the father of the vocational guidance movement. His work with the Civic Service House led to the development of the Boston Vocation Bureau (Sandhu, 2000). Guidance and counseling in these early years were considered to be mostly vocational in nature, but as the profession advanced other personal concerns became part of the school counselor’s agenda. Introduction of Topic Professional school counselors are certified and licensed educators with a minimum of a master’s degree in school counseling that make them uniquely qualified to address all students’ academic, personal/social and career development needs by designing, implementing, evaluating and enhancing a comprehensive school counseling program that promote and enhance student success (Sandhu, 2000). Professional school counselors are employed in elementary, middle/junior high and high schools; in district supervisory positions; and counselor education positions. Professional school counselors uphold the ethical and professional standards of ASCA and other applicable professional counseling associations, and promote the development of the school counseling program based on the following areas of the ASCA National Model: Foundation, delivery, management and accountability. Five Aspects