John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Holocaust from a Child’s Perspective Essay

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne is a story that tells of the holocaust through the eyes of a child, Bruno, a boy who discovers a peculiar friend that lives a strange existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence. The important ideas presented in the novel are cruelty, discrimination, and abusive power, the holocaust from a child’s perspective and the misinterpretations from a child who gradually discovers the world to be not as enjoyable as he thought. Using some of these ideas listed above the storyline of the book gradually becomes more evident and keeps you interested in the book to finding that the story is of the holocaust and how the Jews were once treated, last century. Cruelty and racism is the most important idea being expressed in the book. The Nazi’s were cruel to the Jews by keeping them in concentration camps where they were beaten, starved, threatened, gassed, burned and forced to work day in and day out, it impossible for them to earn a living. The way they treated the Jewish race was all because making the Nazi people purely didn’t like them, which is racist because they had no other reason for their murderous behaviour toward them. One example of cruelty recognised is on page 208, in the last few pages of the book where the meaning behind the whole story begins to be more obvious. â€Å"In fact everywhere he looked, all he could see was two different types of people: either happy, laughing, shouting soldiers in their uniform or unhappy, crying people in their striped pyjamas, most of whom seemed to be staring into space as if they were actually asleep. ‘I don’t think I like it here,’ said Bruno. † This part in the book clearly states that Bruno is beginning to feel uneasy with where he is, and recognise that the Jewish people aren’t actually having fun on the other side of the fence but for some reason are unhappy, due to what we work out ourselves, the cruel and inhumane way that they were being treated. Abusive power is another significant issue presented in the book. Many characters in the story have abused their power, three being Lieutenant Kotler, when he physically abuses Pavel on page 148, a Jew who clumsily makes a small fault and knocks over a wine bottle in front on lieutenant Kotler, and the soldier takes him into the other room and beats him. â€Å"What happened then was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant Kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one – not Bruno, not Gretel, not Mother and not even Father – stepped in to stop him doing what her did next, even though none of them could watch. Even though it made Bruno cry and Gretel grow pale. † The fact that Pavel was being beaten made Bruno feel uncomfortable to even be in the room, making it obvious that lieutenant Kotler had abused his power. The second one is Gretel, Bruno’s older sister; she did this several times in the book by constantly criticizing him because of his age and height, which really lowered Bruno’s self esteem. The last and third example is that of Bruno’s parents, as they did not allow Bruno to have a say or choice in moving homes. All Bruno knows is that he was being moved from his comfortable home in Berlin to a home in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. The Holocaust is expressed through many different techniques in the story. The main technique being used is ‘through the eyes of a child’ which allows us to read the novel and get the entire perspective from Bruno, a young boy. The point of this is so that the book isn’t disturbing for us to read because a child has a much more innocent view of the world. â€Å"Bruno was oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe in his country. † This sentence is on the blurb on the back of the book and reinforces that Bruno doesn’t know for almost the whole book what is happening on the other side of the fence, we just catch glimpses of what is really happening when he describes how unhappy the Jewish people were. Capitalisation is another expression used when describing something. Capitalising words or phrases changes the effect of how you read it in a book. For example, if you were reading something in lowercase it would simply be read in a normal low tone voice calmly if it is capitalised, even if we do not recognise it, we pick up our pace when reading over that section and read it in a more angry tone to express the aggressiveness in the sentence etc. Misinterpretations and mispronunciations are the next two strategies used in the book. Misinterpretations are evident on page 210 where it explains that Bruno misconceives what is happening and that he doesn’t understand, â€Å"He didn’t know what everyone looked so frightened about – after all, marching wasn’t such a terrible thing – and he wanted to whisper to them that everything was all right, that Father was the Commandant, and if this was the kind of thing that he wanted the people to do then it must all be right. † Following this he says, â€Å"’I have to go home. † But just as he said this, his feet brought him up a set of steps, and as he marched on he found there was no more rain coming down anymore because they were all piling into a long room that was surprisingly warm and must have been very securely built because no rain was getting in anywhere. In fact it felt completely airtight. ‘Well, that’s something’ he said, glad to be out of the storm for a few minutes at least. ‘I expect we’ll have to wait here til it eases off and then ill get to go home’† Bruno thought that the soldiers were keeping them in this large room out of the rain to be warm, but what was actually about to occur was much worse then that. The last idea I’m going to discuss is discrimination which relates majorly to the first argument but I wanted to state this again because it is racial inequity and this is what the whole book is about, how unjustly the Jewish race were treated. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a very meaningful book and not only can we learn of the holocaust history but still be interested and relate to the story because it is from a child’s perspective and this can be recognised by us. From all the techniques and ideas expressed in the story, the book has an emotional impact on us and makes it almost effortless to read as its puts us directly into Bruno’s world view. The way John Boyne has written the story allows us to sympathise for the Jews. The fact that it is based on a historical event really makes it reliable in showing us how the Jews were treated during the holocaust.

Effects of Globalization Towards Our Culture Essay

This article focuses on the globalization of culture and the role of media in the ensuing identity crisis (both individual and social) resulting from this process. The article tries to display the basic concept of the process of globalization with all of its effects, threats, challengesï ¼Å'and opportunities and will illustrate its interaction with the media in developing countries. The essay will show that the main components of power structure in today’s world can be linked to these two complimentary processes –globalization and the information era. The interaction between these two phenomena has changed the quality of communications which, in turn, is creating new personal and social identities (personification and personifying). According to survey results, it is clear that in societies which are not efficient in reinforcing and strengthening their communication infrastructures and which are unable to compete with the new methods of communication and information exchange, identity formation gains political, economic and culturally adverse and asserts an unrepairable damage. In conclusion, the article tries to present some proposals for developing countries’ media –as the active player of this era – and offers ways to deal with the unavoidable process of globalization and identity crisis. Globalization, the New Phenomenon Globalization, which also has been called global construction, global orientation and global expansion by various schools of thought, is the latest phase process in an old process rooted in the expansion of modern capitalism and encompassing the political, economic and cultural realms worldwide. Modern capitalism that first emerged in the sixteenth century is a far more complex phenomenon embracing a broader economic spectrum and a more detailed definition than the concept of common market. Thus, some experts view it as â€Å"contraction and condensation at the global scale coupled with ever-increasing expansion of awareness† (Robertson, 1992, p. 8). Many have expressed different and even contradictory definitions of globalization in their discussions over the past few years. According to British sociologist Anthony Giddens, some social sectors are utterly pessimistic about globalization and reject it in its entirety. On the other hand, there are those who perceive globalization as an undeniable reality with profound and inevitable consequences. Yet there are others, who are generally referred to as Global Expansionists. They view globalization as an inescapable development developing ever-increasing momentum due to the intensification of global interactions and the waning importance of national boundaries. They believe that national economies, cultures and policies will integrate into a global network and that local and national authority and hence dominance will diminish in favor of a homogenous global economy and culture (Held, 2000). On the other side of the spectrum, there are opposing arguments against the virtues of globalization. Giddens (1999b) refers to them as the pessimists, and they include a gamut of those from the traditionalists to those challenging the dominance of capitalism. They perceive globalization as synonymous to westernization and Americanization. They even include the environmentalists. This school of thought argues that globalization will create a world of winners and losers along with the global conquest and economic domination of specific political groups, especially in the wealthy nations like the U.S. These groups are strong enough to resist any pressures to alter the new world-order and could impose their desires and goals as global agendas and work plans. The promoters of this school of thought point out to the waning of national sovereignty and local identity and the eventual prevalence of inequality and injustice in the world (Rupert, 2000). Meanwhile, some dispute the idea of the â€Å"global village† introduced by Marshall McLuhan and envision more of a â€Å"global pillaging† for the underdeveloped countries (Held, 2000, p. 25). There are other theoreticians who dispute this widely held view. For example, Giddens challenges this prospect and believes that the wealthy should not be blamed for all the negative aspects of this phenomenon, which actually is to some extent very similar to the westernization process. However, globalization is becoming ever-increasingly decentralized and thus it is not dominated by a certain group of countries or multinational companies. Even the western countries are being affected by this new trend. There is increasing evidence of Inverted Colonialism. Inverted Colonialism could be defined as the impact of non-western countries on the development of western culture and economy (Giddens, 1999a). According to Giddens not only is globalization a novel experience, it is a revolut ionary phenomenon. In addition to its economic consequences, its political, technological and cultural impact can not be underestimated. More than anything, globalization is influenced by the advancement of communication systems. In the middle of these two extreme positions, there is a third opinion, which is called â€Å"transformationalism.† This perspective gives limited importance to globalization and emphasizes the significance of national and local institutions (Mirabedini, 2001, p. 147). This third view does not condemn the whole of globalization and praises its positive aspects. These scholars note that although globalization imposes a great deal of pressure on local economies and cultures, it is possible to transform this threat into an opportunity, thereby resisting being conquered by it. Based on this viewpoint, the leaders of the world would support the notion of democratization of global institutions; and nations could play a decisive role in the policymaking process under the framework of the new world order and solidify their territorial rights and legitimacy (Held, 2000). The acceptance of this notion is reflected in the response of former French Premier Leonel Jospin on the issue of France’s national identity in the globalization process. He said, â€Å"We will do our best to make globalization an internal and endemic process in compliance and harmony with our way of life.† He argued that â€Å"The course this globalization process takes will depend on the action we take in relation to it, because although globalization is a fact, it is not an end in itself. We must bring it under control if we are to enjoy its benefits and prevent its negative aspects† (Jospin, 2001). It can thus be concluded that the present range of opinions on globalization, differs from the definition of capital expansion of the 16th century. In this sense it is a new concept based on the ever-increasing time-space compression and the enhancement of public knowledge and awareness due to the profound alteration in communication systems and its immense impact on economic, political and cultural trends. It can be stated fairly that â€Å"Globalization is a complex phenomenon, marked by two opposing forces. On the one hand, it is characterized by massive economic expansion and technological innovation. On the other hand, there is increased inequality, cultural and social tumult, and individual alienation† (Mowlana, 1998, p. 22). Globalization of Culture and Identity in the Information Era On the subject of globalization, the most controversial debate is raised on the issue of cultural globalization and its main topic, the â€Å"identity crisis† and the role of mass media as a facilitating tool for its expansion or limitation. The notion of cultural globalization has prompted various reactions, reflecting contradictory implications. Some perceive this phenomenon as an instrument for establishment of universal unity and democracy based on a global culture signified as the â€Å"global village.† According to the principles of McLuhan (1968, 1964), this is due to the expansion of new communication systems. However, others disagree and contend that globalization has not resulted in a unified political and economic identity (Rajaei, 2001). In contrast, cultural globalization has destroyed national identities. Fukuyama challenges the idea of cultural globalization. He argues that despite external economic pressures, societies tend to preserve their individual identities and cultural values eventually determine the economic direction of the countries. This doesn’t mean that societies will not be impacted by the globalization trend. However, there are more profound elements in national cultures, whic h resist the uniformity derived from economic and political ideologies. Critics argue that cultural globalization will result in cultural dominance and supremacy. The deterioration of endemic cultures will be replaced with a universal culture promoting excessive consumption and dominance of the economic and information technology powers of the world. These scholars believe that the western world is unfit to provide a suitable response to cultural globalization. This is because it is being challenged by numerous social and cultural predicaments, itself. Tomlinson, one of the world-class theorists says: â€Å"The cultural globalization that we are witnessing today is not the net result of human endeavors and experiences and even it has not equitably benefited from cultural diversities. Rather it is the manifestation of dominance of a certain overpowering culture† (Skelton & Allen, 1999, p. 23). These researchers emphasize that the efforts made to conform to the aggressive culture or interpret western culture in various parts of the world have had disastrous results and have revealed insurmountable cultural gaps. Thus, it is impossible to create a global culture with this procedure, and it only widens the existing gap between cultures. Doubtless, globalization has affected certain values rooted in major religions and cultures of the world. Concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, individualism and pluralism, individual interaction with the society and the very meaning of life are all warped and corrupted by global capitalism, international markets, mass media and the promotion of excessive consumption. Even some local languages and valuable traditions are on the verge of disappearance as the result of globalization. Global consumerism is now forming a homogeneous global culture where indigenous cultures of the South are being replaced by Western cultures (Muzaffar, 2002).

Dealing with Offending Behaviour Essay

Acknowledgement of offending behaviour and its impact Despite a 50% increase in the budget for prisons and managing offenders in the last ten years almost half of all adult offenders released from custody reoffend within a year so effective rehabilitation is needed to enable us to break the cycle of crime and prison. This rehabilitation includes offending behaviour programmes, which make offenders, confront and acknowledge the damage their behaviour does, and then learn how to change the patterns which have often grown up over many years and have become a way of life. Assessment of individual behaviour A plan is drawn up for an individual depending on their offences and the analysis completed when they first arrived in custody to decide which offending behaviour programmes, education and training they will receive while in prison to prepare them for release. Assessment of associated risks The offender can be a risk to themselves and the public. They put themselves at risk of being back in prison if they leave and carry on the same lifestyle with the same people, surroundings and pressures. Breaking out of a cycle of crime is hard for an individual but it is possible with support from rehabilitation programmes inside and out of prison. If the cycle isn’t broken and an offender leaves prison the public are at risk of crimes by that person; damage to life, people and property can happen which could have been prevented if the correct programmes were available to them while inside. Behaviour factors Prisoner’s behaviour issues can lead them to reoffend because of different factors such as physical, social, psychological and emotional. People with offending behaviour are more likely to be aggressive and impulsive which can link to medical conditions such as ADHD and autism meaning they misunderstand social norms and behave in an anti-social manner. If they live in a disadvantaged society there are more negative peer groups surrounding  offenders, encouraging them to be anti-social. The families in these areas won’t have appropriate role models to teach the norms of society making young people think it’s acceptable to be truant from school, meaning lack of qualification and becoming more likely to commit crime when they’re older. Offending behaviour Young people and adults who display serious and persistent offending behaviour usually have patterns of negative behaviour dating back to their early years. The key to prevention lies in the early years and parents having a good understanding of their role in shaping their children’s behaviour; if this isn’t done correctly the child grows up not understanding social norms and values of society so when they grow up they commit crimes thinking it’s a normal way to behave. They get punished for it, released from prison and carry on their corrupted criminal life if nothing is done to change them inside prison. Changing behaviour positively To help prisoners deal with their offending behaviour they are able to talk about what they think and feel about their crimes, they can then reflect and understand the harm they caused to others through their actions. Also a lot of time and resources are used teaching prisoners new techniques such as problem solving, coping mechanisms and decision making to help them think through past incidents and show how they can be changed in the future. Impact of crime on victims After experiencing a crime, people can be affected in different ways. Sometimes people feel quite normal for a while and then things may suddenly start to fall apart, while others can have physical symptoms such as lack of sleep or feeling sick with worry. People around you such as friends, partners and children are also likely to be affected. They may feel similar emotions to yours alongside being concerned about you but at the same time; many people find that others around them expect them to just ‘get over it.’ Current offending behaviour programmes ââ€"  Sex Offenders Treatment Programmes (SOTP) SOPT is a range of programmes specifically for sex offenders designed according to individual needs and their risk levels in society. It helps offenders understand how and why they have committed sexual offences and also increases awareness of victim harm. The main focus is to help the offender develop meaningful life goals and practice new thinking and behavioural skills that will lead them away from reoffending. ââ€"  Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM) CALM is an emotional management programme designed for offending behaviour stemmed from intense emotions. The goals are to help offenders understand the factors that trigger their anger and aggression and learn skills to manage their emotions. Reoffending Different things trigger people to reoffend including poor thinking, problem solving skills and little self-control when under peer pressure. People who reoffend usually can’t see the potential problems they are putting themselves in; this is usually because they are unable to disassociate with other offending peers. These groups have a tendency to be more impulsive and aggressive with hostile behaviour which results in trouble with the police.

Massive open online course (MOOC) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Massive open online course (MOOC) - Case Study Example Despite such obstacles if the stated solutions are adapted, the program can be developed as one of the best ways of updating an individual’s learning skills. Overview Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is determined to be one of the most common topics amid many institutional critics over the years. It is considered to be an online course generally developed for large scale, cooperative involvement and open admission via the web with the prime motive of providing mas education facilities. The process of MOOC is measured to be much advanced than traditional course materials. As it not only provides videos, readings and problem sets but it also offers an opportunity to interact with users which facilitates the students, professors and teaching assistance to build a cooperative community. With the rapid development in the technological periphery and an increasing number of people aiming to continue studies along with their jobs, it has provided a major opportunity for academic cent ers to adopt the new technique of providing education via the web. However, there have been significant developments which cite MOOC to be a threat in the educational sector (Educause, 2013; Weiss, 2013). The main objective of this paper is to provide a descriptive study that would explain the importance of MOOC in today’s educational context. ... However, it has been viewed that there exists very limit sources that can be considered as an effective mode for learning modern procedures and gathering knowledge. In addition, it has been measured that there exist numerous people who do not get adequate time from their working schedule to gain updated knowledge simultaneously with their work, as they need to earn their livelihood for managing their family (Pope, 2013). MOOC was developed with the prime motive of delivering learning contents online to any person located anywhere in the globe with no limit on attendance. It is generally an online program which provides an opportunity to connect with different people in terms of sharing thoughts, ideas through webinars, articles and online discussion on the individual’s specific topics of interest. Additionally, another prime advantage of MOOC is that it provides a list of resources gathered from different academic initiatives along with updated learning syllabus. It has also b een viewed that MOOC form of education involves project based learning that guides individuals to create plans to increase their intellectual and technical knowledge. In an era of financial reductions by federal bodies, it has been viewed that schools and colleges have cut budgets related to developing professional developments within individuals. It has been viewed that MOOC is a relatively new innovation in the education sector that provides a major prospect for individuals to help bridge their achievements in their academic aspects along with offering a scope to earn income to support their livelihood. However, it has been viewed that many critics suggest that the

Banking System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Banking System - Essay Example Due to this banks started experiencing liquidity issues and were unable to have the amount of money required to remain in business and were on the verge of its default. As a result of this, the government came out with a bailout plan to help the banks from experiencing bankruptcy. The bailout can be both beneficial and disadvantageous at the same time. Mostly governments tend to bailout those banking institutions that are too huge too fail and their failure can further increase the economic crises (Scott, 2012). But such policies are anti competitive in nature. This is because when the government bails out an organization, it tends to hold certain shares of the entity and have the right to make decisions. Due to this the government may choose to be very secure in their policies and competition may decline as credit flow to different individuals and organizations may decline and this can slow the process of economic improvement and

Is the 'Kolb cycle' helpful or a hindrance in planning a church's Essay

Is the 'Kolb cycle' helpful or a hindrance in planning a church's strategy for Christian education of adults - Essay Example The experimentation stage involves planning out and implementing what they have learnt. The cycle attempts to explain learning behaviours in group environments, and how the group members support one another to learn. At the core of the cycle’s understanding is the belief that learning is solely based on internal cognitive processes (Kolb 1984, pp. 43-44). The cycle considers an individual to be effectively learning when they; experience a scenario; observe and reflect on their experience; reviewed their knowledge based on the observations and reflections; and test their new knowledge to have new experiences. In essence, effective learning involves an individual going through all the four sequential stages in a never ending cycle. While describing the four stages in the learning cycle, Kolb also identified four types of students based on the students’ response to the cycle. The first type includes those who prefer observation and theoretical solution of problems at the expense of taking action. The second type includes those who organise ideas into logical formats. The third type includes those who apply theories and ideas in practical problem solving. The fourth type includes those who rely on intuition at the expense of logic in solving problems (Kolb 1999, p. 47; McLeod 2010). Each learner will show a strong inclination and preference for a specific learning type approach, and differences in the ability to switch between different types. Learners with a clearly preferred learning style will tend to learn more effectively if the learning experience is oriented towards their preference. Tensions can develop when teachers and students use different learning types in the same setting. If possible, it is imperative that teachers identify their students learning style and facilitate learning environments that build on their strengths, though the students must develop abilities

Compare with crime control theory vs due process Essay

Compare with crime control theory vs due process - Essay Example In contrast to this the crime control model has been designed to make sure that the criminal cases are dealt fast and disposed off as early as possible. Both these models are important to the system of criminal justice and they play a key role in identifying offences and also in the interpretation of the criminal justice system. During 1964, Herbert Packer who is a Law professor wrote an article which provided a good philosophy on criminal justice. â€Å"In particular, the work of Packer provoked civil libertarian concerns over the police deviation from due process protections in pursuit of the objectives embodied in the crime control model† (William, 2002, p.11). In the said article, the author has further proposed the criminal justice model and the due process model. His article is said to have influenced every person who works on the criminal justice system. While crime control deals with the suppression of crime, the due process is concerned with the safeguarding the rights of the innocent. However, both have the same goal of punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent. The major difference lies in the fact that models use different means and approaches. â€Å"The question therefore arises for every society as to where on the continuum between crime control and due process it wishes to anchor its criminal justice values, subject to the observation that the two models in reality represent different means to a broadly common goal –the detection and effective punishment of crime† (Bryett & Osbome, 2000, p. 14). When comparing the crime control and the due process, it can be seen that the proponents of both approaches uphold constitutional values. However, some people view the crime control model in a negative light because of the fact that it assumes the criminal who has been alleged of an offence, guilty even before he is brought

(whatever you feel good) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(whatever you feel good) - Essay Example However, since there is always a close relationship between the public and the celebrity therefore there arise a question always as to whether the personal lives of those celebrities revealed to the general public or not. Personal characteristics of celebrities also include their sexual orientation therefore question arise as to whether the celebrity’s sexual orientation should be revealed to the public and who should reveal it. As discussed above that celebrities being the most famous among the masses tend to have two different life styles where mostly their real and private life style is not revealed to the public in most of the cases. â€Å"Celebrities are asked all the time about their personal lives, including their romances, so it’s perfectly fair for the media to ask â€Å"the question† of public figures and then let the person have their say. If they choose a non-answer, like Foster, Cooper and the other glass closet occupants, then so be it. Report the answer and let people think (and say) what they may.† (Crain). This quote clearly defines how the media should be projecting the personal lives of the celebrities including their sexual orientation. However, the ethical practices of the profession are not very often practiced therefore there remains always a strong probability that media may not behave the way it should have. The issue of disclosing the sexual orientation of the celebrities needs to be viewed on two different counts. First whether the public at large is willing to know about this fact and secondly if yes how Media should report this fact? What should be the ethical parameters under which this fact can be revealed to the public? This question also need to be viewed within the social connotation of celebrities also as revealing sexual orientation of a celebrity in India might bring entirely different reaction as compared to

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Journal - Essay Example The market In the recent times, the growth in the smartphone market drives the industry for microprocessors. By 2014, it is expected that the total market size for cell phone users alone shall be 1.7 billion primarily driven by the surge in smartphone demand in emerging nations (Fan, Liu, Zhang and Zhao, 2008). As for the market captured by laptops, they completely acquired sales for desktops and face stiff competition from netbooks and tablets who have reported tremendous rise in sales. There are two basic components that hinder entry into the microprocessor industry is prices and innovative technology. Competitors are spending huge sums in new product development, technological upgradation and innovations that can allow patents and hence target market advantage. Companies also need huge economies of scale in order to compete in prices. Off late the substitution in the phone markets has evolved greatly but the substitution of CPU’s is virtually unavailable. The microprocessor industry is extremely competitive in prices. Product differences between major producers like Intel and (Advanced Micro Devices) AMD are virtually absent. Microprocessor industry is a one that entails huge fixed costs but very low marginal costs. This gives each company, the power to undercut the other. Exit costs of the microprocessor industry are also very high owing to huge sunk costs involved. Technology products are characterised by very short product life cycles. Technology changes and industry standards evolve as rapidly as they expire. Innovation here becomes the key to survive. The case of Apple Inc can be cited as a perfect example of innovation that led to market leadership where innovation of the iPhone took away margins and sliced away profits of other cellphone manufacturers who could not keep up. Competitive Business Strategies The desktop market is characterised by slow growth in the recent times. It is presently the largest and one of the most important microproces sor markets with a total of 150 million unit sales globally. The growth figures don’t seem as impressive. Intel, a leading firm in the microprocessor industry, has significant technological and resource advantage in the segment. The low end segment is price sensitive and so companies like Dell and Intel should keep its strategy aligned to prices to maintain itself as a market leader (Fan, Liu, Zhang and Zhao, 2008). In strike contrast to the desktop market, the laptop market needs an entire different strategy. Here front end technologies and processor performance drive sales for a company. In the fig 1 below, it is observed that concentration of exterior design is not as important as data protection. Figure 1: Consumer Need Preference Hierarchy in the Laptop Market (Source: Fan, Liu, Zhang and Zhao, 2008) With a view to capture the laptop market, key industry competitors are targeting the new generation. The trend requires thin and light laptops that do not need batteries and coolers like in CPU’s. Secondly, firms like AMD are increasingly trying to differentiate their laptops by bundling as done in the Centrino platform. The company also seeks to specialise in technologies, like the vPro to enhance security of data, a huge demand fulfilment of the business class. Thirdly, companies like Intel are trying to take on market leadership in the emerging nations via the price advantage. The use of Atom processor has strengthened Intel’

Operations Management - Toyota Corporation In China Coursework

Operations Management - Toyota Corporation In China - Coursework Example China is such market. In the past, the Chinese market was quite attractive for organizations in different industries; the specific market has been very popular especially for firms operating in the manufacturing sector. This market has attracted the interest of Japanese firms, which have been aware of the market’s prospects, mostly because of its size. However, through the years, the terms of operations in the Chinese market have been differentiated. The increase of wages and taxes has reduced the level of profit. Still, the Chinese market is quite important for firms operating in the manufacturing industry. Toyota has entered the Chinese market about 30 years before. Initially, the growth of the firm in the specific market has been impressive. However, gradually, the firm’s performance in China has been declined, a fact which has been mostly related to the failures in the firm’s operational strategy. The recent efforts of the firm to upgrade its operational stra tegy and develop a research and development unit in China are expect to highly benefit the organizational performance offering to the organization a competitive advantage towards its rivals.Introduction Because of the continuous expansion of globalisation, the decisions of firms to expand their activities internationally are highly depended on the perspectives available in regard to business activities in each country. China can be characterized as one of the strongest countries worldwide in terms of its financial perspectives. The last decade, the rapid development of entrepreneurial activities across China has led to the increase of the country’s competitiveness in the global market. At the same time, the fixed exchange rate, which the country’s policy makers have initiated, has further supported the development of the country as a popular destination for businesses of all types (Horch 2009). However, the fixed exchange rate in China has not helped towards the control of inflation, which in 2008 has reached the level of 8.5%, the highest level since 1996 (Rongala 2008). The relationship between the fixed exchange rate and inflation in China explains the following phe nomenon: firms and capital from many countries worldwide have entered the Chinese market in order to enjoy the benefits of the country’s fixed exchange rate policy (Horch 2009). However, through the years, the increase of inflation, which resulted because of the above policy, led to the increase of manufacturing costs across the country (Rongala 2008). As a result, manufacturing cos

GBST300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

GBST300 - Essay Example s relevant nuclear technology in manufacturing atomic energy and fundamental information to states that are not known as Nuclear Weapon countries by the conformity on the Reduction of Nuclear Weapons, is one of the major ways in which non-nuclear powers and terrorists build nuclear weapons. The upkeep of global stability and security is an essential part of the United Nations’ mission. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological weapons that can bring harm to large figures of people and infrastructure have been at the forefront of worldwide security concerns since the advent of the UN. The production of viable nuclear weapons means of delivery, threatens incalculable consequences for global stability and prosperity especially from countries, which part of the NPT possess important unsafeguarded nuclear activities. Countries such as India, Israel and Pakistan are normally categorize as states that are not part of the NPT. The growth of international terrorism has added a new dimension to an old problem, as global and regional tensions rise, technology improves, and security falters in critical areas, giving rise to an international black market for WMD.Dr. Khan, a metallurgist and the architect of Pakistan bomb is considered the mastermind of the largest illicit nuclear proliferation network in history who had begun selling nuclear technology to Iran in the late 1980’s. This signaled the opening of business for an enterprise that eventually spread to North Korea, Libya and beyond to

Cosmetic surgery cons and pros Essay Example for Free

Cosmetic surgery cons and pros Essay With the development of technology and medical systems, changing one’s appearance is something which is very normal. People chose to go under some kind of cosmetic surgeries have different reasons, but cosmetic surgery do really change some people to a better life. We are surrounded by advertisements, movies, magazines which usually have pictures of stunning models. The media and those kind of ads establish standard of beauty in their audiences’ mind. It is a nightmare for people who are not lucky enough to possess perfect features. It somehow lowers people self-esteem when they look up to those models as a references of beauty standard. However, thanks to the development of technology and plastic surgery, those kind of nightmare can be fixed. With plastic surgery, almost everything on one’s body can be adjusted. When people get closer to their personal standard, they will feel more confident. Plastic surgery helps raising their self-esteem. Some reach out to cosmetic surgery to improve their appearances. People have more choices than ever from a quick fix to major procedures to improve their body images. Aging is usually major problem. Every one of us has to face that when we get to some points. Laser skin treatments, Botox injections, Filler injections†¦are life savers for people who want to reverse the aging process. It is not hard to find people at their 40’s 50’s who look much younger than their ages. Cosmetic surgery can improve almost everything. If you want small face, high nose, big eyes, big boobs, small waist, perfect flawless skin†¦plastic surgeons can give them all to you. Plastic surgery is magic in transforming appearance, however it also has some disadvantages. I was terrified when I watched a Korean beauty contest which was not long ago. The audiences might have a really hard time distinguish between the contestants, because they look almost the same. All of them have perfect features such as big eyes, high and small noses, small face†¦ It should be called â€Å"plastic surgeons contest†, but they are all pretty though. People lose their personal identities when they get dramatic changes on their faces. On a larger scale, people lose their ethnical identities. For example, there is a trend in Asian countries that people want to westernize their look. Double eye-lid surgeries or nose surgeries are most common procedures. Michael Jackson is also a great example for this issue. He tried to transform from a black to a white person, and the result was which we already knew. People may get addicted to plastic surgery too. Hang Mioku from South Korea is a case which people should look at before they consider about plastic surgery. She was a pretty women with natural beauty. Unluckily, she got addicted to cosmetic surgery, even surgeons refused to get jobs done on her. She injected silicon on her face herself, and worse than that, she injected oil in to her body. The result might terrified any person who ever think about get some jobs done on their bodies.

Concepts of Corporate Strategy | SWOT Analysis of Apple

Concepts of Corporate Strategy | SWOT Analysis of Apple Corporate Strategy Introduction â€Å"Marketing strategists term this a harvest strategy and consider it a no-brainer† (Hamel Prahalad, 1994:125). â€Å"Few current business concepts are more prone to oversimplification than the growth/share model, with its labelling of products or divisions or whole companies as ‘dogs’, ‘question marks’, ‘stars’ or ‘cash cows’† (Seeger, 1984:94). â€Å"An apparent disadvantage of the matrix was that it assumed that market share was reliable indicator of future profitability† (Calandro Lane, 2007:30). The above three quotations all criticise the BCG growth/share matrix and its practicality as a competitive tool. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of the matrix and its application for Apple Inc. as a competitive tool. It concludes that the BCG matrix does have some advantages but is not appropriate for all businesses industries and should not be used as a sole analysis model. In the fast pace d competitive modern business world using just the BCG matrix for evaluating a company’s portfolio can have disastrous consequences. The paper is divided into five parts. Starting with an introduction, it moves on to the concepts of corporate strategy, portfolio analysis and the portfolio models. The third part discusses some of the advantages and limitations of the BCG matrix. The fourth deals with the implications of the BCG matrix when applied to Apple Inc. ending with the conclusion. Corporate Strategy, Portfolio Analysis and Portfolio Matrix Models â€Å"Always to be best, and to be distinguished above the rest†. This quote from Homer the 8th Century Greek Poet epitomizes the aim of all organizations. This is where strategy comes in. â€Å"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations† (Johnson, Scholes Whittington, 2005:9). One of the ways of achieving this is through competitive strategy. According to Porter â€Å"competitive strategy involves positioning a business to maximize the value of the capabilities that distinguish it from its competitors† (1980: 47). To achieve this, careful analysis of the external and internal environment is required. PESTLE and Porter’s Five Forces Model can be used for external analysis. For internal analysis the most commonly used is the seven S framework as well as SWOT analysis, v alue chain, value chain (supply) analysis and portfolio analysis. The result is greater understanding of the environment in which the business operates. Organizations operate under three levels of strategy. Corporate-level strategy, business-level strategy and operational or functional strategy. Corporate strategies deal with the organization as a whole while business strategy â€Å"focuses on how to compete in a particular industry or product-market segment† (Hofer Schendel, 1978 cited in: Beard Dess, 1981:667). Operational strategy is how the organization accomplishes the strategies set out in the first two using its various resources. For an organization to be profitable it is important to have effective strategies on all levels but a successful corporate strategy is crucial to the success of business and operational strategy. The late 1960’s and early 1970’s saw many conglomerates diversifying into different fields. New divisions or (Strategic Business Units) were evolving. The problem management faced was of effectively managing all these diversified units. One strategy could not work for all SBUs as they all experience different competitor threats, market growth rates and market shares. This problem was solved by the creation of the portfolio analysis. â€Å"Portfolio strategy pertains to the mix of business units and product lines that fit together in a logical way to provide synergy and competitive advantage for the corporation† (Daft, 2008:249). The aim of the corporation is to have a balanced corporate portfolio, so that they can decide which activities or products to expand,introduce and which businesses to acquire or dispose off. Thus, â€Å"diversified company portfolios are the normal and natural business form for efficiently channelling investment into the most productive use† (Henderson, 1977:203). The most common form of evaluating the corporate portfolios is the portfolio matrix models. Igor Ansoff, developed his Product-Market Growth Matrix in the 1950’s. He believed that â€Å"just to retain its relative position, a business firm must go through continuous growth and change† (Ansoff, 1957:113). He used four possible combinations of market penetration, product development, market development and diversification and plotted them on a 22 model. McKinsey Co developed a matrix where the variables were market strength and competitive position. Bruce Henderson in the mid 70’s using the same matrix principle developed his BCG growth/share matrix model. It had the same 22 matrix but was based on relative market share and market growth and used cash flow and the experience curve as a criterion. Arthur D. Little developed another model which used the product life cycle. â€Å"These [latter] three matrices form the basis of the various portfolio models that have been widely used to structure the strategic planning process of the firm in the 1970’s† (Coate, 1983:47). Since then there have been many matrices developed e.g. the GE model which uses ROI for assessing an investment opportunity and Shell which used a similar refined matrix evaluating business prospects along with the competitive position of the company. However, the most commonly used matrix by organizations is still Henderson’s BCG Growth/Share Matrix. It has to be taken into consideration however that â€Å"it is important to see these models as aids to decision making, not a replacement for management choice† (Hooley, Saunders Piercy, 2004:64). BCG Matrix – Advantages and Limitations The BCG matrix plots SBUs by looking at the relationship between market growth and market share. Henderson divided the matrix into cash cows, stars, question marks and dogs and asserted that â€Å"only a diversified company with a well balanced portfolio can use its strengths to truly capitalize on its growth opportunities† (Henderson, 1970:37). To show the relative significance of the SBU, size is shown in circles which can be calculated either from assets employed or sale turnover. The growth/share matrix gained immense popularity among large organizations with many SBUs. They could now use the matrix and decide which units to nurture, invest or divest. Its main advantage was its attractive presentation and easy to remember terms. Using only two variables it was easy and quick to make as well as being versatile enough to be applied to different brands, products, customers and distribution channels. The matrix became popular with managers who preferred the idea of cash flow implications rather than profits which are more in the accounts domain. The PIMS database which was developed at the General Electric in the 60’s and further developed by the Management Science Institute at Harvard in the early 70’s also supported this view. Another reason for the BCGs popularity was fashion. â€Å"It is an idea that is well understood and liked by many mangers and therefore one that allows communication between headquarters and strategic business units (SBUs). It has become part of the common business vocabulary† (Hooley et al, 2004:71). Undoubtedly, the simplicity of the matrix was its major advantage but it had its limitations as well. One of the major problems of the BCG matrix were the claims made by the developers that â€Å"such a single chart with a projected position five years out is sufficient alone to tell a company’s profitability, debt capacity, growth potential, dividend potential and competitive strength† (BCG, 2008:3). According to them the matrix would provide the complete solution but this is an erroneous belief. It does not provide the perfect solution for evaluating a company’s portfolio. This is also affirmed by Hooley et al who say that â€Å"if it is used it should be audited carefully to ensure its validity rather than followed blindly† (2004:2). Furthermore, there is no set definition of what an SBU is or what the definition of a market is e.g. a product might be a leader in a local market niche but at the same time a small player in the global market. The matrix is also difficult to plot accurately using market share and market growth. Organizational strength cannot be measured by market share alone, it has to take into consideration other strengths e.g. financial strength, brand equity, exclusive distribution channels or unique product features etc. In the same way market growth is only one aspect of market attractiveness. Using the cash flow resources for evaluation can also be perceived as a flaw. â€Å"In times of high inflation, cash flow may indeed be the major constraint on a company’s action range, but other capabilities such as appropriate managerial talent, expertise, know how, skilled labor and organizational flexibility are also important† (Derkinderen Crum, 1984:132). Also, according to Henderson â€Å"we should kick the dogs, cloister the cows and throw our money at stars. Only the question mark category demands management thought† (Seeger, 1984:94). This assumption can be criticised as being over simplistic. Dogs, should not be divested off without thought. They can retain that important portion of market share keeping competitors at bay, and also an organization who has a dominant product may deliberately introduce a dog into its portfolio for the same purpose. Sometimes, â€Å"occasionally it is possible to restore a dog to viability by a creative business segmentation strategy, rationalizing and specializing the business into a small niche which it can dominate† (Hedley cited in Wit Meyer, 2004:322). The human aspects and behavioural implications of the matrix are also overlooked e.g. how managers of SBUs categorized as cash cows react when their hard earned cash is given to other SBUs, or of members within the organization whose brainchild is divested? This can affect the morale of management and may result in quick turnover of disgruntled staff which is not beneficial to the organization. The simplicity of the matrix where an advantage can also be harmful since competitors can easy identify the strategy being used and use it to their advantage. An example of this is the successful infiltration of the Japanese in the UK motorcycle industry. Another limitation as Coate says is that â€Å"independent strategies can’t be defined for all possible business units† (1983:52) i.e. a business unit producing multiple products cannot invest in one profitable product and ignore the others. Either they all get investment of all of them have to be divested. Despite the fact that the matrix’s limitations far outweigh its benefits, it is still frequently used by organizations and in certain situations can be used as an effective competitive tool as well. The important thing is that it should not be used as the sole analysis method for decision making. Even the Boston Consulting Group has in recent years admitted that market share by itself does not necessarily mean competitive strength. â€Å"In a series of articles in the Financial Times in November 1981, Michael Gould of the BCG maintained that it is valuable to be the market leader for branded goods with the advantage of price leadership and the ability to spread marketing and distribution costs over a high volume; but economies of scale may be achieved even by a firm that is not the largest producer in the industry (Johnson et al, 2005:90). It is though, fair to say that â€Å"the simplicity of the Box makes it operationally useful and its ease of understanding makes it a use ful operational tool provided its limitations are kept clearly in mind† (Hooley et al, 2004:87). Apple Inc. The BCG Matrix 1: Profile Strategy: Apple is a global company operating in the technology industry which designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, portable music players and mobile communication devices. It was established in 1977 as Apple Computer Inc. specialising in personal computers. Operating in the ever changing high growth market and extreme competition, Apple began losing its market share to its major competitors including IBM and Hewlett Packard as well as the entry of numerous other PC manufacturing companies determined to enter the highly profitable market. SWOT Analysis (fig 2) Strengths Weaknesses Strong brand image Robust financial performance Media content Declining research and development (RD) investment Opportunities Threats Smart Phones Booming MP3 player markets Growing personal computers and peripherals markets Intense competition Dependence on specific suppliers Patent infringement Apple was faced with a weakening Mac line, stiff competition and demand for better value by the shareholders. There was need for a drastic change in strategy and product diversification was chosen as a mean of entering other consumer electronic market segments. In the Swot Analysis (fig 2) carried out by DataMonitor, we can clearly see their opportunities in the smart phones and MP3 player markets. In January 2007, the company changed its name to Apple Inc. as they diversified into other products. Currently, Apple Inc. in its portfolio owns three SBUs. The first is the Mac range which comprises of desktop and notebook computers along with their accessories. Secondly, it offers music products and services which include ipod, itunes etc. The third SBU consist of the mobile communication devices i.e. iphone. 2. BCG Matrix and Apple’s Product Portfolio: In the current competitive industry using the BCG matrix offers some benefits for Apple but there are disadvantages too. The flexibility that the matrix offers i.e. it can be used for plotting product portfolio of a firm can be beneficial to Apple. To introduce new products and revamp current ones a company needs vast amounts for investment. Apple needed money for RD which is a major expenditure for companies operating in the technology industry. â€Å"The Company believes continual investment in research and development is critical to the development and enhancement of innovative products and technologies† (Apple Investor Relations, 2007:1). Between 2005 and 2007, Apple spent $535 million dollars on RD. Part of this money was obtained by withholding dividend payments for two years between 2006 and 2007. The rest was from divesting within the Mac range. Using the BCG matrix, the decision of which products to invest in and which to divest would have been pretty straigtforward. Market growth for technological products very rarely slows long enough for a product to be classified as a cash cow. Therefore, most of these products would be classified either as a star, question mark or dog. At the time when Apple changed its strategy it had a large number of computers in its product range which it needed to reduce. The whole of the Mac Range would have been plotted with a few top selling products as stars which would have been carrying the whole load of the company with its profits. A few question marks which had low market share but were still making a profit which was being again utilized internally, but had low chances of becoming a star and quite a large number of products and their associated accessories and software would have been plotted in the dogs quadrant. By divesting in the dogs, Apple would have undoubtedly lost some market share but in introducing new products their aim was to attain market share in other markets. Spending huge amounts on RD, Apple updated and introduced fewer but better computers like ibook and imac into its product line in direct competition with their competitors. At the same time as updating its product line for the Mac range the ipod range can also be plotted on the matrix. The ipod currently holds 77% of the global market share , but to keep up with the current high demand Apple almost every year introduces a new version with more features and divest the oldest version which by that time has moved to the dog quadrant. It also uses the same strategy for the iphone range. Even though iphone is a relative new offering from Apple, it is already facing competition and to maintain and increase its market share Apple keeps introducing newer versions. Therfore, even though the BCG matrix does offer Apple benefits for managing its product portfolio, it negates one of the main declarations of Hendrix that â€Å"only a diversified company with a well balanced portfolio can use its strengths to truly capitalize on its growth opportunities† (1970:37). For a well balanced portfolio, a company must have cash cows, however, with Apple and its products, the market growth rate never slows enough for a product to become a cash cow. Most of its products are in the star or question mark quadrants, and some are dogs which are then divested. Apple however sometimes does tend to retain some dogs, even though Henderson believed that â€Å"pets are not necessary† (1970:37), and should be divested off, Apple keeps some of its older versions of products because they retain a small share of the market which might be vital to the companies overall market share. 3. BCG Matrix and Apple’s SBU Portfolio: However using the BCG matrix with Apple’s corporate portfolio poses quite a few problems. First of all the developers claims that â€Å"such a single chart with a projected position five years out is sufficient alone to tell a company’s profitability, debt capacity, growth potential, dividend potential and competitive strength† (BCG, 2008:3), cannot be applied to Apple Inc. Apple operates in a fast changing environment where the introduction of one product can radically change the competitive strength and market share of a company. An example is Dell Computers who in 2007 lost its market leader title to HP. Within one year HPs market share increased dramatically to 17.6% while Dells managed only 13.9%. Apple comes third with a global market share of 2.6%, but that can change rapidly. Also for Apples iphone the current market share is only 6.5% compared to Blackberry which holds 41% and Palm at 9%, but the iphone is relatively new. It was introduced in July 2007 a nd immediately took over 28% market share of the US smart phone industry showing competitive strength of the product. Apple with iphone is challenging the market leaders and its market share is increasing every quarter. Therefore, a five year forecast cannot be accurate for analysing its future position. Also, however, if we plot the Mac computer range using market share and market growth rates, it would be positioned in the question mark quadrant. But that would make analysis difficult since two products of the mac range i.e. the ibook and imac are stars but as a SBU plotted in question marks. To manage all the products together would be difficult since some products require investment and some do not, according to the matrix you plan a unit strategy not an individual one. Once again Henderson’s criteria of having a balanced portfolio for success would not be applicable in the SBU matrix either. Currently, Apple’s ipod business unit is a market leader with majority market share and high market growth and would be plotted as a star, and the iphone and mac ranges would be placed in the question mark quadrant. It does not have any cash cows or dogs. A successful organization has to have cash cows from where cash flow is diverted into stars and question marks. The ipod sales at present is generating enough cashflow, not only to sustain itself but the other SBUs as well. If we blindly believe Henderson’s assumption then logically Apple should be in dire trouble whereas it is actually increasing its market share and cash flow with all three units. Another drawback of using the BCG matrix would be giving its competitors easier understanding of its strategy. With the company’s annual reports and market shares available publically, if competitors like HP and Blackberry know that Apple is using the BCG matrix as the sole analysis method they can easily construct a matrix for Apple and figure out its future strategies. Therefore, even though the BCG matrix could be useful to Apple Inc. for analysing its products strength and could be used as a decision tool, it would not be useful for future decision concerning its SBUs. It has to be admitted though that the BCG in its simplicity maybe can be more effective in another industry. It can be used as an internal analysis method but using it as the sole decisions making analysis method could be hazardous for the company. This is further confirmed by Seeger who says that â€Å"no management model can safely substitute for analysis and common sense† (1984:97). Apple would benefit using the SID techniques, risk analysis e.g. the monte carlo risk analysis model as well as personal experience and judgement before making any future decisions for its strategic business units. Conclusion We have thus seen how as a competitive tool the BCG matrix has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage being its simplicity and ease of plotting, â€Å"but elegance and simplicity in a theory’s presentation cannot guarantee sanity in its use† (Seeger, 1984:93). At the same time the matrix has its disadvantages in not having clear boundaries of what a market is and the criterion for market share and growth and the effect of external factors on it. To gain a competitive advantage a company aims towards â€Å"making an outlay of cash now in the expectation of extra cash coming in the future† (Dixon, 1994:21). For that they need to be in a competitive position and know which units to invest in and which to divest. BCG matrix makes this decision easier for managers but it has to be utilized in a carefully evaluated way. The matrix does give an indication of SBUs performance in the current market but it is not a model that should be followed without use of other methods of analysis and use of judgment by managers. This can be summarized in the words of Porter who affirms this by saying that â€Å"the growth/share matrix can be one component of a competitor analysis when combined with other kinds of analysis† (Porter, 1980:364) or Hooley et al who say that â€Å"it is clearly inadequate as a complete solution, but is of undisputed value as a starting point in many analyse† (2004:72). Therefore, not begrudging BCG matrix the benefits it offers mangers; it is defective as a sole analysis model for competitive strategy and still needs careful evaluation before any decision can be finalized. Bibliography Ansoff, H. I. (1957) Strategies for Diversification. Harvard Business Review, 35(5):113-124, Online available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4hid=106sid=2bad248a-b6cb-4c13-81c2-74db4080bfda%40sessionmgr102 (Accessed 15th June 2008) BCG: The Boston Consulting Group, (2008). The Experience Curve Reviewed. IV. The Growth Share Matrix or The Product Portfolio. Online available at: http://www.bcg.com/publications/files/Experience_Curve_IV_Growth_Share_Matrix_1973.pdf (Accessed 12th July 2008) Beard, D. W. Dess, G.G. (1981) Corporate-Level Strategy, Business-Level Strategy, and Firm Performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 24(4):663-688, Online available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/256169?Search=yesterm=corporate-levelterm=performanceterm=firmterm=strategyterm=business-levellist=hidesearchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DCorporate-Level%2BStrategy%252C%2BBusiness-Level%2BStrategy%252C%2Band%2BFirm%2BPerformance%26dc%3DAll%2BDisciplinesitem=1ttl=194returnArticleService=showArticle (Accessed 22nd May 2008) Calandro Jr, J Lane, S. (2007) Special Section: Winning in your industry: new tools and strategies. A new competitive analysis tool: the relative profitability and growth matrix. Strategy and Leadership, 35(2):30-38, Online Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=ArticlecontentId=1596528 (Accessed 2nd May 2008) Coate, M.B. (1983) Pitfalls in Portfolio Planning. Long Range Planning, 16(3): 47-56, Online available at : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6V6K-45PMPYS-14_user=10_coverDate=06%2F30%2F1983_alid=760368145_rdoc=3_fmt=high_orig=search_cdi=5817_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_ct=3_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=f8879374940c70491a7e8906d1bc6068 (Accessed 24th June, 2008) Daft, R. L. (2008) New Era of Management, 2nd ed. Mason: Thomson Higher Education. Derkinderen, F. G. J. Crum, R. L. (1984) Pitfalls in Using Portfolio Techniques – Assessing Risk and Potential. Long Range Planning, 17(2): 129-136. Online available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6V6K-45K4GRJ-9P_user=6649953_coverDate=04%2F30%2F1984_alid=760368145_rdoc=2_fmt=high_orig=search_cdi=5817_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_ct=3_acct=C000010181_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=6649953md5=4eb70387aca6a81b0bed14dab76607ae (Accessed 24th June, 2008) Dixon, R. (1994) Investment Appraisal. CIMA, rev.ed. London: Kogan Page Hamel, G. Prahalad, C. K. (1994) Competing for the Future. Harvard Business Review. 72(4): 122-128, Online Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5hid=107sid=728905ba-dc97-471c-a829-b8c61346578f%40sessionmgr108 (Accessed 23rd April 2008) Henderson, B.D. (1970). The Product Portfolio. Reprinted in Stern, C.W. (ed.) and Stalk, G. (ed.) (1998). Perspectives on Strategy From The Boston Consulting Group, pp. 35-37, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Henderson, B.D. (1977) The Corporate Portfolio. Reprinted in Stern, C.W.  and Stalk, G. (eds.) (1998). Perspectives on Strategy From The Boston Consulting Group, pp. 203-205, New York: John Wiley and Sons Hooley, G. Saunders, J. Piercy, N. (2004) Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning. 3rd Ed. Essex: Prentice Hall. Apple Investor Relations, (2007) Apple Inc. 10-K Annual Report. Available from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357p=irol-reports (Accessed 17th May 2008) Johnson, G. Scholes, K Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy. 7th Ed. London : Prentice Hall. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. New York : The Free Press. Thompson Jr, A.A, Strickland III, A.J. Gamble, J. E. (2007) Crafting and Executing Strategy. 15th Ed. New York : McGraw-Hill Irwin. Wit, B.D. Meyer, R. (2004) STRATEGY-Process, Content, Context. 3rd Ed. London : Thompson Learning. XML Database: An Introduction and Analysis XML Database: An Introduction and Analysis XML, mnemonic of eXtensible Markup Language is one of the most extensively used data format and is used as a standard for exchange of data over the internet. As large amount of data is represented as XML documents, techniques like RDMS have to be used to store and query these XML documents. There are two well known approaches for parsing an XML document to convert into relational DBMS: SAX and DOM parsing. In this research, both these methods are studied and then the performance is compared. Some alternative ways of data structuring and tagging from tables of RDBMS as a hierarchical XML document has been studied. As a final result, the best alternative which will provide with the best and effective performance for capturing and querying XML data using RDBMS can be found out. When a large amount of data is to be loaded into an XML document, it becomes important to execute the request query and save the process at XML document. One way is to use XML native data base system. This has two weaknesses 1. eXtended Markup Language resident database system is not ample to save data and it cannot contain the complicated query at relational DBMS. 2. It is impossible for the users to access XML documents and data that are stored in a relational DBMS. To overcome the above mentioned weaknesses, querying and storing XML data techniques using RDBMS are used. The steps for this approach are- 1. Data or an XML document is saved by making relational table design. 2. XML data is divided by separating them into columns in the presented table. 3. SQL Queries are used to get access to the XML document format obtained in RDBMS dta format. To transfer data from XML to data base, the strategy is to use C# as middleware. This research can be done by parsing technique with the help of SAX parser or by using XML Tree Class. To do the vice versa, the present format of XML document from relational SQL SERVER 2008 database supported by C# script, used as middleware; is converted with the help of tagging and structure. All alternatives (outside engine) done by tagging and structuring process implies that a part of the task was done outside the relational database engine. For comparing the XML document and RDBMS from the point of speed in loading the process in the browser following tasks were performed:- Searching of the data in the XML document is done with the help of DATA binding technique. Presentation of the XML data from RDBMS is done by searching data from XML document which was saved into SQL database, than with the help of DOM Tree method the result of the query is saved as a XML Document Database problems in XML They are hard to update. We cannot implement the constraints. Its difficult to optimize the xml database. Hard to maintain the consistency Data Storage and Data Transmission: These two are different concepts. In data storage we store data and while storing it we need to check the validity of the data. In Data Transmission we simple transfer the data from one system to the other. XML are generally used for the Data Transmission purpose. COMPARISON Relational Database XML Database META DATA Definition CREATE TABLE DEFINE XML SCHEMA Persistence of DATA INSERT,UPDATE CREATE XML DOCUMENT QUERY SELECT XPath ,XQuery 1.2 BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF DIFFERENT DATABASE TECHNOLOGIES: Speed is the major advantage of creating database with objects. In OODBMS (Object oriented Database Management System) data is stored as objects but not in the form relational rows and columns such as in relational DBMS that is why OODBMS is faster than relational DBMS. OODBMS is more applicable than relational DBMS (RDBMS) for some tasks. This is because OODBMS performs many operations using navigational interfaces where as RDBMS uses declarative interfaces. OODBMS follows pointers to implement navigational access to data in an efficient manner. One disadvantage of RDBMS s is we need relational mapping layer to map the entire model for application objects to the database object model, whereas in OODBMS there is no need to match those layers. In RDBMS due to this mapping there may be an impedance mismatch and there is no such problem in OODBMS and it also increases the performance. OODBMS has some drawbacks like:- As it is said above OODBMS uses pointers to implement navigational access to data this is one of the drawback as in general purpose queries this will lead to delay the output and also becomes complicated than relational One more drawback is that there is no mathematical foundation for OODBMS, unlike RDBMS. This makes OODBMS weaker than RDBMS in supporting queries. The difference between data-base centric thinking and oop is in the way it views the world. The first one views the world through a viewpoint which is declarative and attribute-driven. The latter one views through a viewpoint which is behavioural. This is one of the major differences between databases and OOP. Many consider database technology as a failure. Hence attempt are being made in research and industrially to closely integrate database functionality into object programming languages. 1.3 DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR THE DATABASE DESGIGN Different approaches for the database design includes data model approach design approach and so on. Starting with the data model approach: For effective project implementation database design is most important aspect thats why should be completed within given time line to give economical approach in project developing phase. Data model construction and updating on change of data deign in necessary as every application will need data storage. It is one of the most crucial parts of an application for developer and user as well. The different normal forms are:- 1st Normal Form Similar group should be stored in different table and tables should be provided by primary key to identify columns. 2nd Normal Form To protect data redundancy foreign key must be introduced. 3rd Normal Form Primary key plays a prominent role making every column in the table related. This makes every column a dependent of the primary key of the table. Those fields not satisfying above property should be stored in a new table with a new key. 4th Normal Form: Independent relationship should be removed from the relation database. 5th Normal Form Many to many relationships can be related logically thats why its also known as Exists in never-never land. Followed by the data model approach is the design approach which is explained as below: 2nd and 3rd form designs should be used for large application having enhancement scope. Scalability should be kept in mind during designing phase of application. Third form can ask you to make host of tables with less number of entity which reduces data replication across tables. While talking to a fellow developer i came to know that they used 3rd form as they were quite sure that it would not create dependency problem for their application as they used comma to differentiate primary values in a defined field of a table. Classes that can be used as data object which contain properties, actually a description and quality of entity element and these properties are introduced by getter and setter, should be designed at the time of creating class diagram for an application. Both object and property shows real life entity. For creating the database tables we need following constraints and relationships to be there in that table so that final database developed will be more effective and understandable. These are explained in the Constrains section under the database design part with the help of query tools. LO2 DEsign and implementation: 2.1 Requirement: This assignment is to understand the database design concepts, implement the database designed and execute the queries to obtain the required result with the help of SQL Server database. It also helps in developing Client side application to modify, update and view the results through C#. Net. Deeveedeezee, the online DVD shop records the customer details, DVD details which includes title, genres, Studio, classification, actors, directors and other information. It provides the users to rate a DVD using star scaling ranging from 1 to 5 and also allows them to create their own wish list. Our objective is to understand how the database of this DEEVEEDEEZEE is maintained, practically implementing it with the help of SQL Server and develop an client end application that interacts with SQL Server and provides the user the authority to view and add details. The WindowsFormApplication1 is the project tile and the client application can be run by opening the solution in MS Visual studio and Debugging the Code. It can be done by clicking on Build->Start Debugging. Function: Deeveedeezee.com as mentioned above provides the online customers various details about the DVDs, their reviews, ratings, synopsis and also allows them to create their own wish list. To maintain such a database, it has to be well designed and effectively handled by the administrator or the team of database continuously monitoring and assessing the required information. Every user is provided with unique user-id and password with which they can login and access the required information about the DVDs. They can even provide their comments, reviews and ratings as well which are again recorded under their user-id and are provided when ever required or asked for. Also deeveedeezee handling such large information from the website requires an Administrator or a team working on databases so that it is well managed and maintained. Thus every administrator and the team member again have got their own user-ids and passwords so that they can login into the databases and do their assigned tasks. These discussed details are presumed to be handled and the rest of the discussion focuses on the database designing, implementation and development of a client application which interacts with SQL server to provide them the easier access to add and view data from the database. Thus the backend database has got various data rules, definitions and constraints to be handled. Recording distinct information and accessed by different types of users, database has got different tables and views with appropriate fields and attributes. The database design diagram shown below shows the clear picture of how the database is designed, the various tables it maintains, attributes it holds and their properties. DATABASE DESIGN DIAGRAM ERD The diagram shown below depicts the various tables and its attributes. This design is modified and improved further with the help of Entity Relationship Diagram. The Entity Relationship diagram of the report is as below. The rectangle boxes are considered as entities The ovals are treated as attributes. Rhombus represents relationship between the entities. The diagram represents all entities, attributes and also the relations between the entities. It is a graphical representation of the relations. The ER diagram is a good means of understanding the relationships between the entities and attributes. In the below diagram, different users can be uniquely determined by its attributes like userId, email, firstName etc. User entity is related to DVD by Reviews. The ratings given to the movie by viewers are recorded through Ratings. Comments are the reviews of viewers. DVD on the other hand can be uniquely determined by its attributes like dvdId, title, studio etc. Role connects DVD and People. Role can be various tasks of people like actors, producer, and director. People have attributes of peopleId and peopleName. dvdDetails dvdId title retailPrice releaseDate runningTime synopsis genres studio users userId initials firstName surname dateOfBirth address email mobileNo telephoneNo password timestamp studio Fig: Database Design Add view Users Add roles id peopleId dvdId role wishlist id email userId wishlist Customers view dvdClassification id dvdId classification description people peopleId peopleFirstName review reviewId userId email dvdId review rating timestamp Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) peopleName peopleId people Role dvdId title retailPrice releaseDate runningTime synopsis genres studio DVD RatingComment Review userId dateOfBirth surName firstName initials User telephoneNo mobileNo email address password 2.2 4.3 DOCUMENTATION AND Implementation OF THE DATABASE: Database Implementation and Datatype Usage The designed database discussed with the help of database design diagram and entity relationship diagram are implemented in SQL with the help of MS visual studio. All the attribute and tablenames are in used as per the conventions like using camel case, singular table name and so on. The output tables, conents nd query results are recorded with the help of screenshots and are shown as below: Table1: user table Comments: The details of the users like firstName,email, DOB, address, contact details are recoderd. In this table Primary key contraint,Not Null constraints are present. Datatypes of each attribute as per the given data rules are being implemented as shown above. Table2: dvdDetail table Comments: It stores the all details of DVD like running time ,release date,title and creates an unique dvd id. In this table Primary key contraint,Not Null constraints are present Datatypes of each attribute as per the given data rules are being implemented as shown above. Table3: review table Comments: It stores the reviews and the rating i.e No. Of stars given to the DVD by the user. It has not null contraints ,check constraints which checks that the rating field have value greater than 0 and less than 5,foreign key contrains.email is the foreign key which is refrencing to the primary key of the users table. userId and dvdId the combination of these two is used as a primary key. Table4: people table Comment : It stores the name of the people involved in the movie or DVD and gives a unique id to each of them that is peopleId. Table5: role table Comment: It stores the role of the each people involved in the movie like director,producer,actor etc. It has a foreign key dvdId which refrences to the dvdDetails dvdId.id is the primary key which is a identity with a seed 1. Table6: wishlist table Comment: It stores the wishlist of each user in comma seprated form. In this table id is the identity with seed 1 and userId is the primary key and email is the foreign key. Table7: dvdClassification table Comment: It stores the classification of the dvd with a little description about the dvd. dvdId is the foreign key and id primary key and also a identity with seed 1. Constraints NOT NULL Constraint: This is a constraint which restricts the user from entering the null value or leaving it blank. The user needs to provide the details for that field. It becomes necessary for the user to enter. Fig: NOT NULL CONSTRAINT In the given example id,email,userId fields can not be left empty. User need to provide these details otherwise it will through error.wishlist can be left empty. Query for this constraint CREATE TABLE wishList ( id int NOT NULL, email varchar(100) NOT NULL , userId int , wishList varchar(MAX) NOT NULL) Primary key constraints: This constraint is used to uniquely identify the row in the table. This field is not repeated in any of the other row. Primary key of one table can be used as the reference or foreign key of the other table. Fig: PRIMARY KEY Constraint In the above example userId is the primary key. All the rows in this table will have different userId. Fig: Showing the implication of Primary Key constraint In the above figure it is clealy shown that the userId is different for different rows. Unique constraint: This is the constraint used for uniquely identifying a particular column. All the values in a particular column are different. Fig: UNIQUE CONSTAINT In the above figure userId field has a unique constraint.It is a identity with a seed of 1.Every time a new row is inserted is automatically increments the value of the userId which ensures that in userId column no value is repeated. Fig: Showing the implication of Unique constraint In the above figure in userId column no value is repeated . userId has a unique constraint. Foreign key constraint: This constraint ensures that the database has a refrential integrity. Foreign key is works on the refrence of the primary key of some other table. Query: CREATE TABLE wishList (id int , userId int PRIMARY KEY, email varchar (100) references users(email) wishList varchar(MAX) ); Fig: Foreign Key Constraints In the above figure email is the foreign key which refrences the email i.e the primary key of the users table. Check constraint: This constraint makes sure that all values in a column satisfy certain specific criteria. Query: CREATE TABLE review ( reviewId int NOT NULL, userId int NOT NULL, dvdId int NOT NULL, review varchar(200) NOT NULL, rating float CHECK (rating0) timestamp timestamp) This check constraint helps in validation of ensuring the star rating to be between 0 and 5. Or CREATE TABLE dvdDetail ( dvdId int NOT NULL primary key identity(1,1), retailPrice int NOT NULL, title varchar NOT NULL, synopsis varchar NOT NULL, runningTime int CHECK (runningTime>10 AND rating genres varchar NOT NULL studio varchar NOT NULL) This check constraint ensures that the running time to be between 10 and 5000. LO3 Use of Manipulation and Query tools 3.1 Benefits of Manipulation and Query Tools in Database Manipulation and Query tools in database include those commands and statements that on execution would help in data manipulation. SQL maintains certain standards which includes DML or Data Manipulation Language. The major SQL commands that include in this DML are INSERT, UPDATE, ALTER and so on. These tools or query commands help in modification of tha data and constant updates that have to be made. SQL Server 2008 offers a very good platform that provides access to database and also it provides the query window for executing various commands that include in the Data Manipulation Language. They are very much useful in making it easier for the user to modify the data and update some information. A fine picture of these tools and their functioning can be understood in the sections below: 3.2 Implementation Query tools: Query for viewing all DVDs belonging to the Romantic Comedy genre in order of price. Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails WHERE (genres = Romantic Comedy) ORDER BY retailPrice The query when executed would result into the table as shown below: Table: Result of the query Query for viewing all DVDs belonging to the Universal Pictures UK studio. Table:Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails WHERE (studio = Universal Pictures UK Studio) Table: Result of the query Query for viewing all DVDs in which Johnny Depp or De Caprio have acted. Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdDetails.dvdId, dvdDetails.title, dvdDetails.retailPrice, dvdDetails.releaseDate, dvdDetails.runningTime, dvdDetails.synopsis, dvdDetails.genres, dvdDetails.studio, choose.dvdId AS Expr1 FROM dvdDetails INNER JOIN (SELECT DISTINCT [NATURAL].dvdId FROM roles AS [NATURAL] INNER JOIN people ON people.peopleId = [NATURAL].peopleId WHERE (people.peopleFirstName = Shahrukh) OR (people.peopleFirstName = Amir khan)) AS choose ON choose.dvdId = dvdDetails.dvdId Table: Result of the query View all the DVDs which Steven Spielberg has directed. Table:Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdDetails.dvdId, dvdDetails.title, dvdDetails.retailPrice, dvdDetails.releaseDate, dvdDetails.runningTime, dvdDetails.synopsis, dvdDetails.genres, dvdDetails.studio, choose.dvdId AS Expr1 FROM dvdDetails INNER JOIN (SELECT DISTINCT [NATURAL].dvdId FROM roles AS [NATURAL] INNER JOIN people ON people.peopleId = [NATURAL].peopleId WHERE ([NATURAL].role = Director) OR (people.peopleFirstName = Farah Khan)) AS choose ON choose.dvdId = dvdDetails.dvdId Table: Result of the query View of all the DVDs suitable for a Valentines Gift. Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails WHERE (genres = Romantic) Table: Result of the query View of all the DVDs suitable for children (under 10s) to watch. Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails WHERE (genres = under 10) Table: Result of the query DVDs on the wishlist for a specified customer Table:Initial data in wishlist table Query:- SELECT wishList FROM wishlist WHERE (userId = 1) Table: Result of the query DVDs in order of release date Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails ORDER BY releaseDate Table: Result of the query DVDs belonging to a specified studio in order. Table:Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- SELECT dvdId, title, retailPrice, releaseDate, runningTime, synopsis, genres, studio FROM dvdDetails ORDER BY studio Table:Result of the query To add a sample DVD. Table: Initial data in dvdDetails table Query:- INSERT INTO dvdDetails (retailPrice, releaseDate, genres, studio, runningTime, title) VALUES (99, CONVERT(DATETIME, 1990-05-02 00:00:00, 102), under10, Coke Studio, 1100, Tom) Table: Result of the query Table:Data in dvdDetails table after executing query An update query to change the review star rating assigned by a customer to a DVD. Table: Initial data in review table Query:- UPDATE review SET rating = 3.5 WHERE (userId = 1) Table:Result of the query Table:Data in review table after executing query 3.3 EVALUATION OF QUERY TOOLS: Queries can be simple and complex. For the complex queries we make the stored procedures, views and trigger which we can use later in our code and for the simple query we can directly embed in the code. Stored procedures contain more than one query and the stored procedure is pre compiled method for accessing the data from the database. Queries including select, insert, update etc are written in the procedures. After committing the query if any error occurs then we roll back and ignore the result of that query. If the correct relationship is present between the tables than only we can get the correct result from the data LO4 Use, documenting and implementing of Relational Database Management System 4.1 4.2 TESTING OF THE RELATIONAL DATABASE AND ITs IMPLEMENTATION Queries in the section 3.2 produce the result correctly i.e. the output of different queries are correct and as we know that queries will give the correct output only when the relation between the tables are correct i.e. the relational database is correctly made. Queries in the view section and the also in the client application desired view produce a correct result which shows that the implementation of the relational database is correct. Client Application: Microsoft Visual Studio has been used for developing the client application in C#.NET. Our main objective was to provide the user with the facility to add and view the data from the database so that proper updating can be done and relevant information can be provided to the user through the online website of deeveedeezee.com. The prerequisites for this application are: MS Visual Studio installed in the computer system with C#.NET and SQL server. The MDF file or the database has to be loaded into the application through MS Studio by Data-> Add new datasources-> Database. Once the database is loaded, the SqlConnection string path has to be modified to the path where the database is located. Every user of this client application is provided with unique username and password through which he can log in into the application. The application only highlights the required and mentioned features in the assignment of VIEW and ADD. The figure below represents the Client Application as it looks after logging in successfully. afterlogin client app.JPG Fig: Client Application The user allowed viewing and adding the data, on clicking the respective buttons would be directed to the forms as shown below: view and add.jpg Fig: View and Add forms One can view the details of DVDs, Reviews posted by the customers through online website, Ratings provided by them, their wish lists and the user data. One can add up details to be displayed about DVD to the customer, roles played by various actors, actress and other working staff for that particular product, rating as per the reviews and rating awarded by the customers and also new users data. The following sets of figures describe how the data and various details are added to through the client application into the database: add dvddetails.JPG Fig: Add dvdDetails On clicking the submit button, in the coding section the query to insert the details of DVD which includes dvd Name or title, Price, Genres, Date of Release of the DVD, Studio and synopsis is executed and the table of dvdDetails is updated as shown above in the query section. add ratings.JPG Fig: Add DVD Ratings Viewing the details of review and rating provided by the customers through online, the user of this client application can rate the dvd accordingly. He has to identify the dvd ID and based on the information he has got he can provide the rating on a scale of 1 to 5. As explained above similarly on clicking the submit button, the query gets exected in the back and the table of concerned gets updated as shown above in the query section. add roles1.JPG Fig: Add Role Details This helps in providing the customer regarding the cast details of the product. add users.JPG Fig: Add Users Details This helps in validating the user by adding them into the database. Similarly viewing would allow the user with the following output: Fig: View of dvdDetails dvdDetails includes title, price, date of relase and such other features that described the dvd. dvdID is uniquely and automatically generated and is considered as the primary key. From the data available in this table dvds can be classified based on their genre and studio as per requirement. Fig: View of Roles This table helps in updating the online site with the roles played by various persons involved in making this product. The persons can be identified by their unique ids. Fig: View of Wishlist As provided online by the customers their wishlist gets updated in the database ad can be viewed for knowing required information about the user and his preferences for future use. Fig: View of Users data Users or customers using deeveedeezee.com online and th staff using this application, all the details are provided in this table from which one can know about their personal details and contact information to be used for various purposes. Fig: View of Reviews Based on the data provided in the reviews by online viewers, the users of this application can add the modified rating based on data collected from many sources. 2.3 Application of a range of database tools to enhance user interface In all the above view forms, GRIDVIEW t

Lady Chatterleys Lover by D. H. Lawrence | Book Report

Lady Chatterleys Lover by D. H. Lawrence | Book Report The novel Lady Chatterleys Lover begins by introducing the female protagonist, Constance Chatterley. She was brought up as a bohemian of the upper-middle class, and at 23, she marries Clifford Chatterley, an aristocrat. After their honeymoon, he is sent to war, and returns paralysed from the waist down, impotent. Clifford grows to be an accomplished writer, and many academic men frequently gather at the Chatterleys mansion. The intellectuals turn out to be vacant and seem scared of true feelings, and Connie feels increasingly secluded. She resorts to a short and disappointing affair a writer who comes to visit Clifford. The distance between Connie and Clifford increases as Clifford withdraws into his hollow pursuit of writing and coal-mining. Connie hires a nurse, Mrs. Bolton, to take care of the disabled Clifford so that she can gain freedom, and Clifford begins to depend on the nurse; his maturity waning into an infantile dependence. Connie meets Oliver Mellors, the aloof and contemptuous gamekeeper on Cliffords estate and is attracted to his natural sensuality. She soon discovers that the source of her misery is from not being fulfilled in physical love and passion, and subsequently turns to Mellors. They meet and have sex on several occasions and she has a sexual awakening that changes her thoughts forever. Mellors old wife, Bertha returns and causes a scandal, whilst Connie believes that she is pregnant with Mellors child. Clifford refuses to give Connie a divorce. The novel ends with Mellors waiting for his divorce, and Connie living with her sister, hoping that they will be together. Lady Chatterleys Lover lies in a paradox: it is progressive and intransigent, contemporary and Victorian. It displays Victorian principles, yet it gives the impression that it is expecting the social ethics of the late 20th century in its blunt use of overt profanity. The structure is conservative, following the characters over a set period of time. The characters have a tendency to symbolize a type and be something of a concept, rather than developing authentic traits. This seems to say that Lawrence uses them as allegories to demonstrate his values of sensuality and his irritation with society. The themes of sexual identities and sexual progression are quite common in this novel and each character embodies these ideas. Connie is a woman who grew up to appreciate the sensual and passionate side of a relationship. Her father, Sir Malcolm, told her that it is no good living in an intellectual relationship without sensuality, just as Connie has with Clifford. Her father is in touch with both his imaginative and corporeal sides; Lawrence connects conservative with nonconforming sexual customs. This mix could well be argued as Lawrences ideal, as well as Connies. She is a woman who idealises the thought of cohesion between the body and mind, and cannot live a life with ‘all mind. At first she wants intellectual love, then she wants sexual fulfilment, then she wants a child to love and nurture. Constance (ironically named) is always changing her mind on what it is that will complete and satisfy her in life. I think this is a good example of sexual progression as she only cha nges her mind after learning what more she could gain from a relationship to make her feel like a woman. We learn about the vicious relationship between Mellors and his wife Bertha, who angered him by being sexually aggressive and not tender enough. Through Berthas ‘fault (according to Mellors negative opinion of this), Lawrence seems to be praising submissiveness in women; he appreciates women who allow themselves to be receptors to masculine authority. In essence, satisfaction for a woman is achieved through succumbing to the male. Berthas sexually controlling characteristic hints at feminism she wants to take control of her own pleasure and be sexual when and how she wants. She might have been portrayed differently if the book had been written today. In spite of all of this, his approach to the conventions of sex and the roles of men and women hardly seem progressive. Tommy Dukes, a visiting writer, says that the physical and intellectual cant work together and that men and women have lost their glamour to each other. He seems to be a character that Lawrence believes has the right ideals, recognising the significance of physical love as a fundamental way for men and women to connect intellectually. ‘Real knowledge comes out of the whole corpus of the consciousness; out of your belly and your penis as much as out of your brain and mind. The mind can only analyse and rationalise.'[1] Despite this, he is indifferent about everything he preaches. His theories are pointless without substance and action, and it is as though he does not really believe what he says without practise. He has an inability to go beyond words and seems sexually frigid. It is at the beginning of chapter 6 that it is almost impossible to take Dukes thoughts and emotions as his own. His words overlap heavily with the message of the story: passion is unable to coexist with an intellectual connection. ‘A woman wants you to like her and talk to her, and at the same time love her and desire her; and it seems to me the two things are mutually exclusive.'[2] There is an obvious distinction between Tommy Dukes, with his well-intended but worthless talk on love, and the gamekeeper Mellors, behind whose cold disguise there is an overflow of tenderness and passion. They are polar opposites that reveal different sexual identities Connie faces. Clifford Chatterley is a man who is disconnected from his environment and from other people. He cannot empathise with the workers in his coal mines, seeing them more as cogs in his industry than as men. The paradox is that Clifford also grows to be a servant of his industry, debauching himself in return for success. Clifford also values technology (his sudden interest in the coal mining/working-class community) and the success of his writing over the relationship he has with his wife. He is unable to procreate and he seems to disregard this fact with his intellect by justifying every bodily sensation intellectually. Had he been virile, Connie may not have indulged herself in the newfound excitement of Mellors, but the fact that he is not supplies the most obvious symbol of changing sexual identities in the 20th century the dilemma of the ‘redundant man. It is though his injury in the war has also spoilt his heart. His writings (according to Connie) seem utterly deprived of meaning. I feel that he acts as a figurative character as much as he does as a real character because his physical disability and his lack of sensuality reflect a deeper limitation and emptiness much like post-war England. This is especially highlighted when he and Connie take a walk outside of Wragby. They go from an intellectual chasm to the remnants of an unspoiled, blooming English countryside where Mellors first comes into view. He stands for the earthy, pastoral England, and seems completely mismatched with Clifford and the impassive men who gather together at Wragby. Clifford only begins to think seriously about the local villages and about the coal mines in which the local men work when Mrs. Bolton gossips to him about local affairs. This seems to point out that he needs an authoritative hand to push him in the ‘right direction, even if its just to think seriously about something classed as a masculine occupation. It is ironic that the person to spur him into revitalising the dying local coal industry is a woman. The fact that Clifford grants Connie permission to have sex with another man for an heir surely shows that he is not sexually attached to his wife, and his using this authority over her actually shows what little masculinity there is of him left. It is an ironic and seemingly unconscious struggle for him to demonstrate typically masculine traits whilst impotent. He reasons that sex would not be important or comparable to his and Connies marriage. This, I believe, is one of his biggest faults of transgression as it shows just how differently he regards physical contact, compared to his wife. There is also the complex relationship that grows between Clifford and Mrs. Bolton after Connie has left. Her husband used to work in one of Clifford Chatterleys mines before he was killed and Mrs. Bolton begrudges Clifford for this, though she sustains a respectful manner towards him as she is delighted by her contact with the upper-class. Clifford depends upon her, but scorns her; she is a servant to him, but is also in charge of him, for he is, by himself, helpless. Even though their association is always a master-servant relationship; it begins to take the shape of a perverse mother-child relationship as a result of Cliffords total reliance upon Mrs. Bolton. I think that this is one of the most intricate and mesmerising relationships of the book. The novel constantly shows the contrast between the body and mind by using Connie and Mellors disappointing relationships as examples. Constance is stuck in a relationship with her husband who is ‘all mind and Mellors old wife was too domineering for Mellors to feel masculine. Connie and Mellors are forced to learn more about the coalition of both the mind and body; Connie learns that sex is more than just an ‘accident'[3] and a disappointing act, and Mellors discovers the emotional changes that come from physical love. To summarise, Lady Chatterleys Lover dips into an array of themes which shows how culturally sound it is in the world we live in. It exposes people of all dispositions and fancies and illustrates how relationships between such people form and break. It is a complex book with a concurrent message: the body without the mind is wild, and the mind without the body is empty. [1] D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterleys Lover (Ware: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 2005), p.30. [2] Lawrence, Lady Chatterleys Lover, p. 46. [3] Lawrence, Lady Chatterleys Lover, p. 8.