George and Lennie Comparison Essay Example for Free

George and Lennie Comparison Essay George and Lennie, two extraordinary characters in Of Mice and Men, Similar yet very different. Both Lennie and George rely on their friendship to survive. Lennie depends on his friendship with George to make the correct desisions. George relies on the friendship he has with Lennie in order to plan for the future. While Lennie depends on George, in some ways George depends on Lennie. For example, despite Georges impatience and annoyance with Lennie, and his remarks about how easy his life would be without him, George would lead a much harder life. George always explains to Lennie what is correct and incorrect and makes sure that Lennie behaves. Finally, in order for George to have a future in mind, George needs Lennie. George and Lenny both shared the same type of hard work, and both of them lacked friendship in their lives. Both George and Lenny want something more in life they are both dreamers. Their similarities lay below the surface where they appear different. George is a small, quick man with well-defined features. A migrant ranch worker, George dreamt of one day saving enough money to buy his own place and be his own boss, living off of the land. The hindrance to his objective is his mentally handicapped companion, Lennie, with whom he has traveled and worked since Lennies Aunt Clara, whom George knew, died. The majority of Georges energy is devoted to looking after Lennie, whose blunders prevent George from working toward his dream, or even living the life of a normal rancher. Thus, Georges conflict arises in Lennie, to whom he has the ties of long- time companionship that he so often yearns to break in order to live the life of which he dreams. This tension strains George into demonstrating various emotions, ranging from anger to patience to sadness to pride and to hope. Georges companion, the source of the novels conflict. Lennie, enormous, ungainly, and mentally slow, is Georges polar opposite both mentally and physically. Lennies ignorance and innocence and helplessness, his childish actions, such as his desire to pet soft things, contrast his physical bulk, making him likeable to readers. Although devoid of cruel intentions, Lennies stupidity and carelessness cause him to unwittingly harm animals and people, which creates trouble for both him and George. Lennie is tirelessly devoted to George and delights in hearing him tell of the dream of having a farm, but he does not desire the dream of the American worker in the same way that George does. His understanding of Georges dream is more childish and he grows excited at the possibility of tending the future rabbits, most likely because it will afford him a chance to pet their soft hides as much as he wishes. Nevertheless, a dream is a dream, different for everyone, and George and Lennie share the similar attribute of desiring what they havent got. Lennie, however, is helpless to attain his dream, and remains a static character throughout, relying on George to fuel is hope and save him from trouble

Strengths in basketball Essay Example for Free

Strengths in basketball Essay In my Analysis Peace I am going to be analysing Alex combs at basketball. I chose Alex because he is a talented basketball player and I have seen him improve in basketball in various ways since yr7 and I feel I can help him improve even more. Alex has adapted himself into becoming a centre and thats the position I have chosen to help him improve on. I believe with a little bit of direction Alex can make it a far way in basketball. To make it at a professional level in basketball and to be able to become a centre you need to have certain qualities and aspects. You need to have self belief because basketball is a game of trail and error. A great centre is always willing to try over and over again. Above all a great centre needs to be enthusiastic and determined a successful centre generally wants the ball and will do anything to get it. Also a great centre has the ability to change the flow of the game. He also has the ability to change his team mates attitude. A centre needs to be aware of the rules especially the 3 second rule. In the game basketball the centre controls the game he is the heart of the team offensively and defensively the more rebounds he makes the more points your team will score lastly You need to be tough dont worry about contact with other players dont be afraid to use your strength and speed to keep other players from getting the ball. Including those following aspects there are other attributes that affect your performance in basketball such as: Strength: Strength is needed so you are able to compete for rebounds when shots are missed. Having that extra strength gives you the advantage against other players and enables to position yourself. This is done by boxing out (sometimes referred to as blocking out). Boxing out is where you position your self between the basket and another player and push them away by backing into them therefore you have to be close to the basket at all times. Strength is needed so that you can protect the ball after a missed shot. Its important to rebound so that the other team does not get another chance of scoring and offensively you create another opportunity for your team to score. Speed: Speed is need so that you get to the ball before anyone else after a missed shot allowing you to get the rebound. This also means your reaction and movement time needs to be quick. Speed is need so that youre able to intercept dangerous passes also you need speed endurance allowing you to run back and defend. Speed is also need when attacking your opposition mainly fast breaks. Reaction Time: Needs to be fairly quick so youre able to intercept passes you need quick reactions allowing you to get between the passer and receiver. Agility: The ability to change your direction and body position is highly important in basketball. Its useful to help you to get past defenders. Agility is also important allowing you to change direction very quickly enabling you to attack the basket at speed. Its also important to be agile whilst defending it helps you stay with you defender. Basketball is a fast pace game that requires a lot of movement effort and work. Balance: Balance is need so that youre able to stay on your feet which mean you are unlikely to get injured. Its also important because it allows you to perform a successful jump shot or a lay up. Balance is important because if youre being shoved you dont wobble or fall over easily. Stamina: Stamina is important enabling you to run back to defend your basket and to run up and down the court to get hold of rebounds. Stamina gives you the ability to finish a full intense basketball game. Skill: Being ambidextrous having the ability to perform skills with both your left and right hand this a good advantage in basketball because it gives you confidence in your play and gives you various ways of attacking confusing your opponent. Left hand lay up Right hand lay up Section 2 Alexs Strengths Watching Alex Perform In school matches and watching him in practise gave me the chance to analyse him carefully. I have recognized some of his strengths in basketball.

Advantages Of Advertising On Television Marketing Essay

Advantages Of Advertising On Television Marketing Essay Floomajuice will be marketed in Scotland as Scottish people spend a lot on juices. As Floomajuice being very tasty and is also nutritious, has less calories as its not made from concentrate. Floomajuice range of drinks also helps people in controlling cholesterol and reduces the risk of cancer. Our product is aimed to reach all age group targeted audiences, primarily focusing on the health and taste conscious people of Scotland. Circulation Floomajuice will be distributed at all local stores and supermarkets throughout Scotland, this will help our company to have better sales of our product. Marketing and Strategic Alliances Floomajuice will not leave any stone unturned in the effect of reaching the targeted audience. We will promote the product using strategic combination of electronic media, print media and outdoor media. we will use television commercials over the news, health and entertainment channels. We will place ads in magazines i.e. Good house Keeping, Sky Magazine, Sky Sports, BBC Top Gear, Readers Digest and Mens Health and news papers like Sun, Metro, Guardian etc.. we will also put ads in Sunday special edition news papers which will help us to reach large number of audiences. We will use social media like Tweeter, Face book for promoting our Floomajuice product. We will use outdoor advertising like billboards, which will have the attention of the audience. We will also put promotional outlets near major supermarkets and offer free sampling of the Floomajuice products. 2A. An important step to promote marketing and sales of Floomajuice range of products is to select appropriate media.. Below are the benefits and drawbacks of using various media for advertising Floomajuice as follows: Newspapers Newspapers are the most traditional ways of promoting business and awareness among the targeted audience. The advantages of Newspapers are Newspapers allow us to reach large number of people as everyone likes to read newspaper. We will have the flexibility in deciding the size of placing the ad in the newspaper. We will have the advantage of telling the customers about our product by using large space in the newspaper. Quick turn-around helps our ad reflect the changing market conditions. We can decide to run our ad today can be in customers hands in a day or two. Exposure to our ad is not limited. Customers can go back to see our ad again and again if they want to. Disadvantages Publishing ad space can be expensive depending on the day we decide to publish. Our ad has to compete against the clutter of other competitors of advertising. Poor photo reproduction can limit the creativity of our ad in the newspaper. Newspapers are highly visible medium and our competitors can quickly react and publish a better ad in order to compete with our ad Magazines Magazines are more focused, more expensive and are alternative to newspaper advertising. This medium of advertising helps our company to reach highly targeted audiences. Advantages of using magazines as medium of advertising are It allows our company to have better targeting of audience as we have the option to choose magazine publications that cater our specific audience. High reader involvement in magazines which means that more attention is given for our advertisement. Publishing ad in magazine provides better quality of paper, better reproduction and full color ads. Which will help our company to know that there is a better product out in the market for audiences. Disadvantages We need to plan weeks in advance to publish the ad in magazines as they are more competitive and most often booked in months advance. Publishing ad in magazine has limited flexibility in terms of placement and format. Buying space in magazine to place ad is higher compared to placing ad in newspaper. Radio Advertising in radio is an universal medium enjoyed by people at one time or another during the day. It might me at work, home or even while traveling in bus or car. Advantages of using radio as medium of advertising Advertising in radio helps us to promote our product to everyone in Scotland. People tend to respond to the ad as the medium has sounds and voices. Advertising in radio is relatively cheaper. Radios have less inflation than those of other media. Disadvantages As radio listeners are spread over many stations, we have to advertise simultaneously on radio several channels to reach our targeted audiences. Listeners cannot go back and listen to the ad once they miss in that particular time when the ad is aired. Radio is a background medium and most listeners listen to radio while they are doing some or the other work, which means that our ad has to go on air more number of times in a day. Television Advertising on television gives us the opportunity to reach large number of people through out the nation in a short period of time Advantages of advertising on television Advertising on television helps to promote our Floomajuice more efficiently as it is based on image and visual medium and offers the ability to convey our message with sight, sound and motion. Television channels like Channel4, e4+1, ITV etc are watched by most of the audience. Hence advertising on these channels will promote Floomajuice. Disadvantages Advertising about our product on television is short and may require to place the ad multiple times in the desired channels. Advertising on television channels is concentrated in local broadcasts channels and station breaks which people might ignore them. Advertising in Commercial breaks are often sold out far in advance. Advertising on television is the most expensive medium in terms of airtime, creative and production of the ad Social Media Advertising Web has revolutionized the way we communicate over the last two decades and now with the proliferation of social media, it has revolutionized the way we socialize with others. Sharing videos, photos, opinions and sometimes advertising what they love. Since all this interaction takes place through the networking site and we know a lot of information about the user, there is a huge potential for us to customize and promote Floomajuice product line. Advantages Lots of people spend a lot of time on social media, and this provides for a great way to build relationships with our clients and personalize our promotional efforts. If targeted at the right audience with the right promotion, it can have cascading effect if customers share our ad/offer with others. We can generate awareness about our product indirectly through our own social media profile and encouraging users to add/like us. It is relatively cheap and highly personalizable to advertise on social media. Disadvantages Some social network users dont pay too much attention to advertising and maybe be turned off in a negative way For small businesses, it may be difficult to leverage social media to create awareness about their products as it is hard to gain the initial momentum It is important to portray a humane side of the company by creating awareness and teach the importance of juices, rather than directly trying to sell a particular product Banner Advertising Banner advertising is the oldest form of online advertisement. Some forms of banner advertisements include vertical ads and top level banners. Sometimes it can also include popups and so on. Costs for banner advertising can be click based or based on banner location on the website and also varies with number of visitors to the website. Advantages A lot of advertising agencies are offering competitive pricing for Banner advertising which resulted in a downward pressure on costs making this medium cheap and effective. Proper location and well-designed banner ads on prominent websites can result in high traffic rates to our product. Effectiveness of these ads can easily be measure and fine-tuned on a regular basis as all the information about which banner ad was clicked and which website was the ad on are easily available. We can also focus our banner ads on websites most frequented by our targeted customers resulting in better ROI. Disadvantages Ill placed or too flashy banner ads are sometimes seen as annoyance and can create negative impression on the brand. If banner ads are placed in popups or new windows, there is a likelihood that ad blockers may completely block them Due to over-saturation of ads and poor designs of banner ads, the convert rates are very low even if click through rates are high. 3A. Target Market Primary ADULTS: Between 25 to 50 years old age  ­ Professionals and parents Becoming more concern about their heath Preferred organic juices Chosen rich nutrition than better taste Concern about price and quality Secondary YOUTH: Between 14 to 25 years old age. Likes to drink cool stuff Preference depended on fashion Drink for style Purchase cheep drink Easily influence by TV, magazine and online advertisement Strategy Promotion: Start brand and product awareness program by using TV, radio commercials, news paper, magazine and web promotional ads in Scotland beginning of May 2013 to the end of November 2013 Product: Product range from 200ml,500ml, 1 liter and 3.5 liter Distribution: We will be using supermarkets and retail stores as our distribution channels. Promotional Strategy Promotion Free Floomajuice offer in major supermarkets in Glasgow, Edinburg, Sterling, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen and selected stores on June 2013. Free Floomajuice t-shirts will be distributed if customers purchase the product in selected stores. This promotion is only happens on June 2013. Public relation Publicized the heath facts of natural fruit juice. Associate these facts with Floomajuice to create its image as heath and relate to longer life. Consumer health stories related to Floomajuice might be a good idea to arouse interest in others. EX: Consumer reduces cholesterol by drinking Natural pure Juice. New interactive web site and discussion board will be designed. Advertising Goal: To highlight the health fact of Natural Floomajuice. Persuade: Drink Floomajuice continuously to derive benefits of natural goodness. Remind: Make consumers think and get used to the Floomajuice product. Floomajuice will produce Natural juice at a more reasonable price than other artificial juice products. Lower budget customer cannot purchase natural juice because of the high price strategy. There is no company in the market at the moment that competes with Floomajuice products which are natural and free from artificial chrematistics. Our aim is to make customers switch over to Floomajuice and attract new market as well. Reasonable pricing will change the market share on Floomajuice. Floomajuice will take over major part of the market share. Floomajuice will offer combination of the best quality and the best service. Price strategy is based on customer value. Advertising: Floomajuice will be the first pure natural fruit juice going to be introduced in Scotland. Most of the consumers dont know about how it tastes and what are the health effects of this juice are. Sales Promotion In store sampling program: Sampling price strategy Public Relation Stories about Floomajuice  ­ New health benefits and research findings Development of new Floomajuice website will include discussion board and interactive futures. Direct Marketing Television, Radio, newspapers and magazines will be use to advertise Floomajuice in Scotland. Heath benefit of the drinking Floomajuice will be the main focus of the advertisement. Feedback from customers Conducting focus group to analyze the Floomajuice for future product development. 4A. Market and External environmental factors People in Scotland spend more on fruits and vegetables, this tells us that people are more health conscious. so our product can derive benefit for this in Scottish market. Social and cultural factors Scotland has a multi ­cultural society so it has different types of consumer with respect to their religion and eating habits. But these days consumers are more conscious about their health. This is because of education and awareness everywhere. Consumers demands for foods, fruits and juices which are more nutritive and provide health benefits. The people belong to different category of classes i.e. upper class, middle class and low class but everyone is sensible about his or her health. So consumer may belong to any of the above ­mentioned classes, his maximum expenditure is on fruits and vegetables. Technical Factors Technology is changing day by day. Due to advancement in technology healthy and nutritive juice can be extracted from different fruits. Attractive packing and labeling also plays a vital role in product promotion, the technology for which is easily available. Legal Factors Political forces are more concerned about the peoples health. It has passed a Food and Drugs act under which it has clearly defined it terms and conditions which are more focused on health and nutrition. But now government has been changed recently. It may make some changes in the Act, but the changes will definitely be in favor of consumers health. Needs of different target segments are as follows Health Consumers have become increasingly health conscious creating a demand for healthier products. They are aware of the fact that soft drinks do not provide essential nutrients, this causes them to choose fruit juice or water as beverage alternatives. Convenience Customers demand proper packaging for separate activities. They address this situation by creating the same products in different packaging. For example, some juices are sold in larger bottles for home and also lunch size boxes. Taste Taste is essential for all consumers as it is among one of the important reasons why they purchase the product. Age Appropriate Youth is one of the major segments for beverage consumption in Scotland. Adults would also be our major target audience as they are very health conscious and with all the benefits that Floomajuice has in it and sure would be a successful product in Scotland. SWOT Analysis Strengths Floomajuice range of products are made of fresh fruit juice and not for concentrate. Floomajuice is high on minerals and energetic. Floomajuice is priced reasonable and has attractive packaging. Our product is health conscious and anti-oxidant. Weaknesses New brand product in market. Not easy for customers to switch from their regular brand of juice. Opportunities Floomajuice brand can become major competitor in the market. Threats Competitors would introduce same kind of products in to market. MARKETING STRATEGIES HEALTY CONSCIOUS: Between 14 to 60 years old ageà Ã‚ ¾ Health professionals and people who are conscious or want to improve their health. Find solution for health problem Heart, cancer, hardening of the arteries and related diseases Influence by the fact and scientific research Want to live longer Dont care about price Concern quality minerals Brand image is important 5A. Marketing Implementation Schedule Media May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 Aug 2013 Sept 2013 Oct 2013 Paper X X X X X X TV X X X X X X Radio X X X X Web X X X X X X Free Sampling X Promotion Timing Chart Media Rate Number Total Cost May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct News Paper and Magazine ads Metro News Paper X X X X X X Sun News Paper X X X X X X Guardian News Paper X X X X X X Weightwatchers Magazine X X X Womens Health X X X BBC Good Food X X X Mens Health X X X Slimming World Magazine X X X TV commercials Heath programs X X X News X X X Radio Capital FM Scotland X X X X X X Absolute Radio X X X X X X Sooth Radio UK X X X X X X Billboards Subway X X X X X X Shopping Malls X X X Bus Stations X X X Free Sampling Sainsbury Supermarkets X Morrison Supermarkets X ASDA Supermarkets X Web MSN X X X X X X Google X X X X X X Face book X X X X X X Tweeter X X X X X X

Womens Issues in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Yellow Wallpaper by

Women's Issues in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Souls Belated by Edith Wharton In comparing the three authors and the literary works of women authors Kate Chopin (1850 -1904), The Awakening, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's (1860-1935), The Yellow Wallpaper, and Edith Wharton's (1862-1937) Souls Belated, a good number common social issues related to women are brought to light and though subtly pointed out are an outcry against the conventions of the time. In these three stories, which were written between 1899 and 1913, the era was a time in which it seems, that women had finally awaken to realize their social oppression and were becoming rebellious in their pursuit of freedom from the male-dominated societal convention in which they existed. They commenced viewing their social stature as unjustly inferior and realized that these conventions placed deterrents on their intellectual and personal growth, and on their freedom to function as an independent person. All three of these women authors have by their literary works, have voiced their strong unfavorable fe elings about the patriarchal society in which they lived. These women authors have served as an eye-opener for the readers, both men and women alike, in the past, and hopefully still in the present. (There are still cultures in the world today, where women are treated as unfairly as women were treated in the prior centuries). These women authors have impacted a male dominated society into reflecting on of the unfairness imposed upon women. Through their writings, each of these women authors who existed during that masochistic Victorian era, risked criticism and retribution. Each author ignored convention a... ...ded her marriage as a full canceling of her claims upon life" (674). In all the stories, the authors commonly depict propriety in marriage, a yearning for freedom from convention, loveless marriages, wealth and unconventional women. Chopin and Gilman imply that the mental illnesses experienced by their characters are due mainly, to male oppression. Chopin and Wharton write about infidelity, passion and love; and Chopin and Gilman write about women working for pay. All authors write about women who feel trapped by tradition and convention and all display abhorrence toward the social expectations set for women. Bibliography: The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th Ed. W.W. Norton & Co. NY. 1998. Chopin, Kate. The Awakening 672-690. Charlotte Gilman Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper 657-670. Wharton, Edith. Souls Belated 467-670

The Corruption in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare Ha

The Corruption in William Shakespeare's Hamlet Central to the plot and the themes developed in Shakespeare's Hamlet, are the varying elements of corruption which occur during the play. This is echoed in Marcellus' famous comment of 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,' when Hamlet is beckoned away by the Ghost (1.4.90). As the play continues and the story enfolds, it becomes apparent that there truly is 'something rotten in the state of Denmark,' and rather that it is not just one 'something,' but many things. The most obvious example of corruption is the story of the late King Hamlet's murder by his brother Claudius. When Prince Hamlet goes to speak with the Ghost he learns that his father's death was not an accident, as was officially reported, but instead that it was a 'Murder most foul . . . strange and unnatural,' (1.5.27-28) committed by King Hamlet's brother who 'Now wears his crown' (1.5.39). While this act was committed before the play even begins, it sets the stage for all the events which follow, descending into a state just as corrupt as this first crime. A continuance of the murder of the King, is the soon following marriage of the widowed Queen to none other than Claudius, the murderer. While the Queen does not know that Claudius killed her former husband, her part in the relationship is not wholly innocent. Her mourning seems minimal and her lustfulness maximal, for 'But two months dead' (1.2.138) was the King before 'She married . . . With such dexterity to incestuous sheets' (1.2.156-157). This image of a corrupted or damned royalty is strongly played up, especially by Hamlet, who recognizes this new union of Claudius and his mother as incredibly demeaning to the state of Denmark, and a ... ...n guilty head, affecting the whole state of Denmark. By using murder and deception to gain the throne, as soon as Claudius assumes it, it is irrevocably tainted. Marrying the brother of her dead husband, the Queen's bed becomes 'A couch for luxury and damned insect' (1.5.83). The games and favors played to please the King, the spying, the secrets kept, and the lies told, all come back with a sentence of death. Even the fight between Hamlet and Laertes is not fair, with a poison tipped weapon and a poisoned drink, conspiracies of the King to ensure Hamlet's death, but which claim the life of the Queen, Laertes, and himself also. All of these events culminate in Act V to eventually destroy the royalty of Denmark with no member surviving the duration of the play, proving for any doubting member of the audience that something truly was 'rotten in the state of Denmark.'

J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings Essay -- Tolkien Lord Rings Ess

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings strikes a cord with almost everyone who reads it. Its popularity has not waned with the passing of time, nor is its appeal centered on one age group or generation. Book sales would indicate that The Lord of the Rings is at least as popular now as it ever was, if not more so. Some estimates put it at the second highest selling work of all time, following only the bible. While it is certainly an exciting and well written work of fantasy, which cannot help but grip the imagination, all this would be for naught except for the poignancy of the themes which serve as its backbone. Foremost of these is Tolkien’s determination to show the natural world as the measure of all things. His world revolves around nature, and his character’s affinity to it determines their place in Middle-Earth. The structure of the history of Middle-earth is based on the natural cycle of life. Tolkien’s chronicle, stretching back through the various ages of the world, is at its heart a simple story of good vs. evil. The balance of power does not swing chaotically however. Tolkien sets the world on a cyclical system. As Gandalf says, â€Å"Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.†(Fellowship, 76). Additionally, the world is also divided into various ages, declining in their greatness as time passes. The First age for instance, is filled with greater beings, both good and evil, who inevitably clash, often eliminating themselves in the process. In earlier days the elves were still numerous, the dwarves ruled their great holdfast of Moria, and evil beings such as Sauron and the Balrogs were but servants to the great dark lord Mo... ...uity through art, a link which would preserve some of the faded glory of the past. (Stanton, 93) Tolkien tells us â€Å"Farie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted.† ( On fairy Stories, 9). This applies well to The Lord of the Rings. Farie, representing nature, is an intrinsic part of our lives. To ignore it or destroy it can only bring us trouble. With nature man finds art, beauty, abundance, and joy. All good things from nature, and all evil comes from its lack and destruction. To Tolkien, a world without nature was no world worth living in, and in The Lord of the Rings, he doesn’t let us forget it. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Essay -- Tolkien Lord Rings Ess J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings strikes a cord with almost everyone who reads it. Its popularity has not waned with the passing of time, nor is its appeal centered on one age group or generation. Book sales would indicate that The Lord of the Rings is at least as popular now as it ever was, if not more so. Some estimates put it at the second highest selling work of all time, following only the bible. While it is certainly an exciting and well written work of fantasy, which cannot help but grip the imagination, all this would be for naught except for the poignancy of the themes which serve as its backbone. Foremost of these is Tolkien’s determination to show the natural world as the measure of all things. His world revolves around nature, and his character’s affinity to it determines their place in Middle-Earth. The structure of the history of Middle-earth is based on the natural cycle of life. Tolkien’s chronicle, stretching back through the various ages of the world, is at its heart a simple story of good vs. evil. The balance of power does not swing chaotically however. Tolkien sets the world on a cyclical system. As Gandalf says, â€Å"Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.†(Fellowship, 76). Additionally, the world is also divided into various ages, declining in their greatness as time passes. The First age for instance, is filled with greater beings, both good and evil, who inevitably clash, often eliminating themselves in the process. In earlier days the elves were still numerous, the dwarves ruled their great holdfast of Moria, and evil beings such as Sauron and the Balrogs were but servants to the great dark lord Mo... ...uity through art, a link which would preserve some of the faded glory of the past. (Stanton, 93) Tolkien tells us â€Å"Farie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted.† ( On fairy Stories, 9). This applies well to The Lord of the Rings. Farie, representing nature, is an intrinsic part of our lives. To ignore it or destroy it can only bring us trouble. With nature man finds art, beauty, abundance, and joy. All good things from nature, and all evil comes from its lack and destruction. To Tolkien, a world without nature was no world worth living in, and in The Lord of the Rings, he doesn’t let us forget it.

China Dolls Essay

Jeffrey Cheong picked up the folder marked â€Å"URGENT†, which his secretary had just placed on his table and looked at its content. The folder contained letters from two of his major clients, KiKi and Houida. Both KiKi and Houida, two European fashion houses, were Haute Couture Fashion Berhad (HCF)’s first customers and have been with HCF since its inception. They were writing to Jeffrey to inform him that they may be looking to China to â€Å"contract manufacture† for them as the prices there were very competitive. Jeffrey stared out of his window in contemplation. He was in a dilemma. Loss of its two major clients would be disastrous to HCF. As it stood, HCF had been experiencing falling margins and profits over the last few years as evidenced in the financial statements enclosed. Loss of Kiki and Houida would mean that HCF would then be incurring losses. As soon as his other clients heard of this new development, they too would be taking similar steps. Jeffrey realised he had to review his strategy quickly if he wanted to retain the present clientele. He knew the inevitable. During the late 1990’s and into the early 21st century, China had made inroads into the textile industry and was forecasted to grow further. Following the relaxation of trade barriers, many of the European and American fashion houses were looking at importing clothes from China at very low prices. This was mainly due to its low operating costs. This had a massive negative impact on many companies operating at higher costs and based elsewhere. The previous adverse perception of â€Å"Made in China† labels had slowly changed as China now manufactured clothes that are higher quality at substantially lower operating costs. If Jeffrey wanted to survive in this industry, he too must consider moving his operations to China. Haute Couture Fashions Bhd (HCF) Houte Couture Fashions Bhd was established in the 1974 by the Tan family. Tan Boon Kheong, the patriarch of the Tan family was a skilled master cutter,  trained by British cutters in 1950s in Penang. He ran a small but successful business tailoring men’s clothing in Argyll Road, Penang until his retirement in 1980. Peter Tan, the oldest son of Tan Boon Kheong, initially under his father as a young 17-year-old but after three years left for Europe as he was interested in creating for both men and women’s fashion, rather than merely tailoring men’s suits and pants. His sojourn in Europe saw him training at Yves St Laurent and Gucci. He had a keen eye on women’s silhouette and soon established himself as a talented designer. Many of the fashion houses were happy to employ him into their team. He returned to Malaysia with a wealth of experience, eager to put his newly acquired knowledge into use. His return to Malaysia coincided with the trend of European clothes’ manufacturers looking at Asia for outsourcing. Peter saw this as an opportunity to kick-start his business venture, especially with his contacts with the European fashion houses. HCF started out as a family owned business with all of its shares being held by the Tan family. Peter prepared to bid for contract manufacturing deals with the European fashion houses. With the help of his contacts and excellent track record with the fashion houses, he soon managed to convince three of them to sign outsourcing deals with him. These fashion houses were keen on doing business with the people known to them as they set-off their new venture. HCF’s Growth HCF started its first fully equipped factory in Penang in November1974. Under Peter’s helm, HCF very quickly established itself as a high quality manufacturer of both men’s and women’s clothes. It had no difficulty meeting the demand of the fashion houses as Peter had recruited several European-trained Malaysian designers to join his team. By late of 1970s, HCF’s turnover had reached RM10 million. Over the ensuing five years since its inception, HCF had managed to add two more European fashion houses into its customer base. HCF’s talented designers were  providing inputs toward the development of the ready-to-wear designs and were well received by the fashion houses. HCF was now faced with a problem. The factory located in Penang was no longer big enough to cope with the production capacity. Peter quickly sourced a large plot of land in mainland Penang – Butterworth and began building a new and much larger state-of-the-art factory to cater for the growing demand. In July 1980, HCF opened its new factory in Butterworth. Peter, then the Managing Director of HCF, decided not to shut down the Penang factory but operated both factories. HCF then employed between 80 to 100, mostly tailors in the Penang factory, while the Butterworth factory employed about 300 employees. HCF continued to experience growth in sales throughout the early 1980s to mid 1990s, charted annual sales of around RM100 million. Its customer base had also increased, drawing in customers from Europe as well as America. Profits were also riding high. HCF opened two more factories. In 1990, it opened its third factory in Jitra, Kedah. The factory had a capacity of producing 1 million garments a year with a strength of 300 employees. In 1995, due to even increasing demand for its clothes, HCF decided to open its fourth factory with a production capacity of 2 million garments a year. This time, it looked to Thailand, as labour was very cheap. HCF set up a wholly owned subsidiary Haute Couture (Thailand) Pte. Ltd to operate the Chieng Mai based factory. It recruited about 500 employees. In 1997, Malaysia was facing financial crisis, with foreign exchange market volatility being the main issue. Manufacturers with foreign customers were unable to honour their contract price as exchange rates fluctuated. HCF was cought unaware. HCF had to tender for a contract six months before the delivery of the consignment. Fluctuation in the exchange rates made it impossible to predict the cost of material that HCF had to purchase form the fashion houses. HCF found itself selling its garments at very low margins for the very first time. 1998 saw HCF suffering its first loss since its inception. Many of its competitors also suffered losses and some even had to cease manufacturing. In a bid to survive the financial tsunami that had hit  Malaysia, Peter Tan consolidated HCF’s position by deciding to cut operating costs. HCF’s major cost apart from the cost of imported material was labour cost. Peter Tan made the decision to shut down the Penang factory, much to the dissent of his father. HCF was still able to meet the demand while still operating the other three factories in Butterworth, Jitra and Chieng Mai. He also decided to shift as much of the production to Chieng Mai, as the labour cost was a quarter of the labour cost incurred in the Malaysian factories. Moreover, HCF was facing labour shortage problems in Malaysia, as many of the labour force were moving to the cities for better prospects. As a result of this consolidation exercise, about 300 of HCF’s employees were made redundant, many of whom had been with HCF since its inception. Over the next few years, its profitability increased gradually and HCF slowly pulled itself out of the loss making situation. HCF managed this difficult feat because of its customer base as well as its reputation for high quality clothes, which commanded premium prices with its customers. The financial crisis had not affected Europe much, and as such, demand for the clothes continued. HCF’s Contract Manufacturing Structure The contract manufacturing deals signed with the European fashion houses were such that the designs were provided by the fashion houses and HCF had to adhere to the designs when producing the respective labels. The fashion houses welcomed suggestions from HCF’s designers but were particular that the designs were not crossed between the various labels that HCF was producing. Cross producing design between labels would be disastrous for HCF as it would immediately loose the contract for the labels involved. Further, the European fashion houses would supply the material for the clothes as they wanted to maintain the quality of the output. HCF purchased the material, sourced for appropriate accessories locally and produced the clothes. The fashion houses would contract for â€Å"a specific quantity of a specific design at a specific quality† to be delivered at a specific time. Any variation outside the contract stipulation would have to be borne by HCF itself. Usually, the contracts were for delivery of clothes one season ahead. This meant that summer’s design clothes would have to be delivered by the beginning of spring. HCF would sell the manufactured clothes at a contracted price. The fashion houses allowed HCF to tender for the contract price based on the design, quantity and price of material supplied. The contract tendering process usually took place about six months before the due date for the delivery of a season’s batch. HCF’s Customers HCF manufactured ready-to-wear clothes for a number of European and American fashion houses. Its clothes were well-sought after for its modern designs and high quality finishing. HCF’s customers have remained loyal over the last three decades, although its major coup was the securing of 2 major American fashion houses as its customers within the last 5 years. All of HCF’s clothing was manufactured under the customer’s own label.