Emotional And Emotional Intelligence Assessment - 1213 Words

Overall Results IQ score = 65 Percentile score = 1 Emotional Identification, Perception, and Expression=65 Rumination= 100 Problem-Solving= 18 Positive Mindset= 46 Emotional Reflection = 18 Values Integrity= 68 Emotional Understanding= 47 Emotional Integration = 41 Conflict Management Knowledge= 42 Empathy= 53 Social Insight = 50 Emotional Management= 53 Impulse Control= 72 Self-Control= 26 Resilience/Hardiness= 44 Coping Skills= 88 Self-Motivation= 26 Striving=55 Emotional Selectivity = 50 Adaptable Social Skills= 80 Conflict Resolution Behavior = 37 Based on my Emotional Intelligence assessment, my emotional intelligence is not strong, which was a score of 65. According to the overall results of the test, I am out of touch with my emotions, and frequently fail to identify my true feelings. I seem to be extremely uncomfortable dealing with emotions in general. I was relatively successful on the recognition of emotions aspect of the test. Also, I have a lot of limitation that I need to work on to improve my Intelligence test. I do not seem to be entirely aware of my strengths and weakness. My approach to problem solving is not always conducive to resolutions. I need a lot of improvement in the area of Emotional Understanding. My ability to emphasize needs improvement as well. I am not assertive, I do not seem to be very content, I seem to struggle to act independently and my flexibility is limited. Having a balance between all seven elements would be the most idealShow MoreRelatedEmotional Intelligence Self-Assessment Essay1665 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional intelligence, or EI, has begun to make head way in the nursing world in its tie to leadership. Nurses are people, so they experience emotion just like every other person. Their work is stressful and trying, it provokes emotion due to the environment and situations at hand. 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Peopod Free Essays

CASE: III Peapod Online Grocery—2003 The online grocery turned out to be a lot tougher than analysts thought a few years ago. Many of the early online grocers, including Webvan, ShopLink, StreamLine, Kosmom, Homeruns, and PDQuick, went bankrupt and out of business. At one time, Webvan had 46 percent of the online grocery business, but it still wasn’t profitable enough to survive. We will write a custom essay sample on Peopod or any similar topic only for you Order Now The new business model for online grocers is to be part of an existing brick-and-mortar chain. Large grocery chains, like Safeway and Albertson’s, are experiencing sales growth in their online business but have yet to turn a profit. Jupiter Research estimates that online grocery sales will be over $5 billion by 2007, about 1 percent of all grocery sales, while it expects more than 5 percent of all retail sales to be online by then. A few years ago, optimistic analysts estimated online grocery sales would be 10 to 20 times that by 2005, but it didn’t work out that way. One of the few online grocers to survive in 2003 is Peapod, the first online grocer, started by brothers Andrew and Thomas Parkinson in 1990. However, even Peapod was failing until 2001 when Dutch grocery giant Royal Ahold purchased controlling interest in the company for $73 million. Peapod operates in five markets, mainly by closely affiliating itself with Ahold-owned grocery chains. Peapod by Giant is in the Washington, DC, area, while Peapod by Stop and Shop runs in Boston, New York, and Connecticut. The exception is Chicago, where Peapod operates without an affiliation with a local grocery chain. Peapod executives claim the company is growing by 25 percent annually and has 130,000 customers, and all of its markets except Connecticut are profitable. Average order size is up to $143 from $106 three years earlier. The online grocery business seemed like a sure winner in the 1990s. Dual-income families strapped for time could simply go online to do their grocery shopping. They has about the same choices of products that they would have had if they went to a brick-and-mortar grocery, about 20,000 SKUs (stockkeeping units). They could browse the â€Å"aisles† on their home computers and place orders via computer, fax or telephone. The orders were filled at ffiliated stores and delivered to their homes in a 90-minute window, saving them time and effort and simplifying their daily lives. For all this convenience, consumers were willing to pay a monthly fee and a fee per order for packaging, shipping, and delivery. Since most of the products purchased were well-known branded items, consumer faced little risk in buying their traditional foodstuffs. Even perishables like produce and meat could be counted on to be high quality, and if consumers were concerned, they could make a quick trip to a brick-and-mortar grocery for these selections. However, while all of this sounded good, most consumers didn’t change their grocery shopping habits to take advantage of the online alternative. Currently analysts do not expect the online grocery industry to take off in the near future, if ever. Miles Cook of Bain Company estimates that only 8 to 10 percent of U. S. consumers will find ordering groceries online appealing, but only about 1 percent will ever do so. He concludes: â€Å"This is going to remain a niche offering in a few markets. It’s not going to be a national mainstream offering. Jupiter Media Metrix analyst Ken Cassar concludes that â€Å"The moral of the story is that the ability to build a better mousetrap must be measured against consumers’ willingness to buy it. † Question: 1. What behaviors are involved in online grocery shopping? How does online shopping compare with traditional shopping in terms of behavioral effort? 2. What types of consumers are likely to value online grocery shop ping from Peapod? 3. Overall, what do you think about the idea of online grocery shopping? How does it compare with simply eating in restaurants and avoiding grocery shopping and cooking altogether? How to cite Peopod, Papers

Case Study on Business Ethics

Question: Case Study onBusiness Ethics. Answer: Introduction Business ethics is crucial for the betterment of the organization and for analyzing whether their business decision is proceeding in a correct way or not. In addition to that, Hilson, (2012) mention that Corporate Social Responsibility is crucial for a better corporate benefits and public image that not only boosts the employee engagement, but it will also help attract and retain investors. It is also evident that Lee, (2013) 55% of the consumer willing to associate and pay more for socially responsible organizations. 65% of the Fortune 500 companies fulfill all the requirement of the CSR activities ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). Moreover, the number of product ranges, their promotion strategy and the proceeding for managing those products efficiently and support for innovation for the future betterment of the business is also crucial for an adequate survival in the market. For this assignment, Starbucks Corporation is considered for analyzing their business ethics and CSR activities. The study also comprises of the brief summary of companys history and its background along with their products and promotional strategy. Furthermore, their mission and the approach by which the concerned organization manages their products will also be discussed in the assignment. Ultimately, the business ethics and the corporate social responsibility of Starbucks will be illustrated in the study, which follows with the overall conclusion of the report. Discussion Brief review of Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is one of the leading foundations for coffee manufacturers and is an American coffee company founded by three people Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker in the year 1971 of March 30 (Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). They have a huge range of products for their customers so that they can select food and beverages according to their choice. They have a sandwich, Panini, bistro box and salad bowl in lunch items in affordable price range. Chua and Banerjee, (2013) depict that snack items are also available in $1.75 or lesser price. They also sell bottled water both hot and cold drinks that are supplied to them by Ethos Water. Starbucks have Espresso Beverages ranges including Cappucino, Iced Caffe Latte, Caffe Americano and Vanilla Latte and in Frappuccino beverages they have Espresso Frappuccino Blended Beverage, Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverages and Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverages. Mission of Starbucks The major mission of Starbucks is to inspire the human spirit along with nurturing most of the human aspects that are related to the life ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). On the other hand, Starbucks are promised to keep the quality of the products in the high range for satisfying the customers. Starbucks are passionate about their ethical sources that can get the better quality of coffee beans as well as in these days, Starbucks mentioned that always keeping the information of the essential sources that are related to supply us higher quality of coffee beans is their one of the most highly significant mission as commented by Lee, (2013). It is necessary to mention that, another mission of Starbucks is to provide excellent care of the coffee beans at the roasting time because if the roasting process is not done in a proper way that can be able to hinder the quality of the products of Starbucks as opined by Mahobia Jain, (2015). Additionally, expanding the business into various regions along with satisfying their customers is also another major mission of Starbucks. As stated by Brizek, (2014), As per the view of the mission of Starbucks, Starbucks is committed to understanding the environmental issues that are hindering the lifestyle of the human being for creating awareness among their business partners as well as within the society. On the other hand, Starbucks is also measured as well as monitor the progress of their various projects and continuing this aspect as per their organizational mission as revealed by Bowen Sisson, (2013). Employees of Starbucks As published by Morais et al. (2014), Starbucks is the one of the largest as well as best coffeehouse organization in this globe. On the other hand, near about 21600 stores are there in near about 65 nations in the context of this earth ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). Near about 12300 stores are providing enhanced services to the consumers in the United States, near around 1800 stores in China, near around 900 stores in the United Kingdom as well as near around 1400 stores in Canada. It is necessary to mention that, near around 192000 employees are presently working with Starbucks within the various stores as opened by Harold, (2015). However, during the period of generating less revenue along with lower costs, Starbucks closed near about 900 stores in various nations as well as near around 34000 employees were terminated in the year of 2007-2008 as it was found by Jianfei, (2014). Coordinators of Starbucks Subsidiaries Various branches are there who are helping Starbucks for manufacturing their products as well as to maintain the higher quality of the products to attract new consumers as well as to satisfy the existing customers as opined by Herbert, Olligs Overesch, (2015). Few of the subsidiaries are listed below with their significant responsibilities. Ethos Water: Ethos Water is the primary resource which is supplying the water to Starbucks. Subsidiaries Responsibility Ethos Water Ethos Water is the primary resource which is providing the water to Starbucks as commented by Nguyen Rugman, (2014). Evolution Fresh Evolution Fresh is the primary resources which are supplying fresh fruit juice, smoothies, salads as well as gourmet soups of for manufacturing various mesmerizing products. Pascal Rigo Pascal Rigo is one of the most highly important subsidiaries who are supplying all of the bakery products that are highly necessity for producing the baking related food as well as beverage products of Starbucks as opined by Cavaliere Lombardi, (2015). Seattles Best Coffee Seattles Best Coffee is the most important subsidiaries of Starbucks because this retail organization is supplying best quality of coffee for maintaining the quality of the coffee related products of Starbucks as fetched from ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). Existing Market Condition of Starbucks As commented by Reinhard, (2015), massive numbers of rivals are there who are spontaneously competing with Starbucks along with their products. In addition, currently, Starbucks is taking various highly significant aspects related to demand, supply as well as equilibrium pricing strategies for creating impact on the consumers as well as to maintain the official competition with the rivals. Therefore, the present economic aspects are also increasing as per the sales of their better quality of products as well as the sales id dictating that decreasing the demand can be able to raise the reason for dropping the prices as it is commented by Butuner, (2016). However, as per the mission statement of Starbucks, they frequently observe their market standings based on their organizational sales figures as well as the feedback from the consumers end. On the other hand, various issues as well as opportunities are there that can come to the front of Starbucks while they are going to sell the alcohol in Starbucks foundations as commented by Latif et al. (2014). Most of the stores of Starbucks needs to access as well as determine the highly significant abilities as well as strategies for overcome the serious barriers that are hindering the organizational activities of Starbucks. It is necessary to mention that, as per the annual report of World Trade Organization (WTO), Starbucks in one of the top coffee product selling organization among the top five worldwide coffee product selling organizations as stated by Qian Xing, (2016). Products of Starbucks Starbucks offers various mesmerizing products. As commented by McVicar, Clark Manning, (2016), Starbucks are always producing their products by maintaining the hygienic aspect as well as to keep the human body healthy as well as fit. Few modern products are mentioned below along with their proper description. Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino: Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino is prepared with nonfat milk as well as ice for making a sip from the light side. In this particular product, the total amount of carbohydrates is 8 percent along with 10 percent of Calcium ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). It is necessary to mention that, in this particular product, Starbucks excludes the Fat, Cholesterol as well as Iron for making the human health fit. Cookie Crumble Creme Frappuccino: Cookie Crumble Creme Frappuccino is prepared with vanilla syrup, milk as well as ice along with whipped crme and chocolate cookie crumbles for blending the mocha. In this particular product, the total amount of carbohydrates is 22 percent along with 20 percent of Calcium, 12 percent dietary fat as well as 25 percent Iron ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). It is necessary to mention that, in this particular product, Starbucks excludes the Vitamin C for providing the customers a sweet chocolaty ice drink. Iced Espresso Classics - Vanilla Latte: Iced Espresso Classics - Vanilla Latte is prepared with vanilla syrup, coffee as well milk along with ice cubes. In this particular product, the total amount of carbohydrates is 7 percent along with 15 percent of Calcium, 3 percent Cholesterol as well as 3 percent Sodium ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). It is necessary to mention that, in this particular product, Starbucks excludes the Vitamin C, Trans Fat, Dietary fat for making the human health fit. Starbucks Double Shot Energy White Chocolate Drink: Starbucks Double Shot Energy White Chocolate Drink is prepared with espresso blend along with white chocolate as well as natural milk proteins for energized the human body. In this particular product, the total amount of carbohydrates is 10 percent along with 40 percent of Calcium, 5 percent Cholesterol as well as 7 percent Sodium ("Starbucks The Best Coffee and Espresso Drinks", 2016). It is necessary to mention that, in this particular product is producing by Starbucks for making the human health fit as well as energized. Promotion Starbucks adopts sales promotion strategy and personal selling for making other people aware about the products they already have and the products they have newly introduced to attract more customers. Tu et al., (2012) illustrate that the concerned organization provides attractive offer to the communal as they sell breakfast sandwich in $2 if that person already purchases a regular cup of coffee. Moreover, in other states like Miami and Chicago, Starbuck implemented an offer that anyone who buys breakfast from their organization they will able to purchase any cold drink at $2. Evert, (2014) mention that another promotional strategy that Starbuck has implemented is the Sampling technique. In this method, Starbuck sells a free sample of their new launched products for promoting their products. Some of the other techniques for promotion is Happy Hour" where the goods like coffee and other beverages are available in the half of the printed price. Buy 1 get one free and offering gift coupons on the next purchase are other promotional methodology theta Starbucks has implemented for attracted a huge number of communal (Sam Cai, 2015). Brooks, (2012) portray that Duetto Cards are also one of a gift card for loyal customers initiated by the concerned organization in which the purchaser can obtain points with every purchase and become more loyal. They also target the consumer nature for the promotion of their products like Starbucks offer free coffee at 4 pm and 8 am to their customer in London. Starbucks procedure for product management According to Kayak et al., (2013), Product Management is a business process for planning, forecasting, marketing the products. Planning Omran et al., (2015) depict that Starbucks first emphasizes on the planning of their products according to the requirement of the communal of their product items like beverages, food items and other packages products. Exampling a scenario, Starbucks has targeted to open their shop in countries like the US, UK and France as these are worlds largest coffee consumers. They have also selected the price of their products reasonable so that all people can purchase their products irrespective of their income range. Forecasting Curtis et al., (2014) mentioned that Starbuck proceeds with a strategy where they can serve their best to the customer for attaining maximum profitability by selling their products. Starbucks introduces beverages like cold coffee; Starbucks Refreshers Beverages, chocolate beverages and bottled drinks have incurred more profit than any other food products like sandwiches, chocolate chip cookie and packaged single serve coffee and tea. In the year 2015, Starbucks have attained annual revenue of $11.12 billion U.S. where only $3.09 billion, $2.62 billion and $2.34 billion dollars is obtained by the sale of food products, packaged coffee and tea products and others respectively (Starbucks: revenue worldwide 2015 | Statistic", 2016). Product marketing They managed the result of their organization according to the culture of the country where they are high demand of their products. The lifestyle and the social class of the people also affect their planning strategy of the products. The degree of loyalty and occurrence of occasions also support their product marketing. Wen, (2016) illustrate that person of 18-45years of age consumes more beverages than other age groups. Moreover, people who love to attend the gathering in society and official meetings, drinking coffee together has become a habit, and Starbuck can target these people based on their demographic requirements. Ethics at Starbucks Coffee- The concerned organization ethically sources its finest quality of coffee by trading them ethically with proper documentation. In addition to that, the procedure of the manufacturing of the coffee powder from the coffee bean is also preceded with ethical consideration. Stakeholder Partners- Starbuck emphasizes on embracing the diversity together collaboratively and values them like the asset of the organizations. The concerned organization behaves with proper respect and dignity so that everyone can serve their best for a better business. Subsidiaries - Ethos Water, Evolution Fresh, Seattles Best Coffee, Tazo, Bakery and Hear Music are some of their subsidiaries. Starbucks consider everyone ethically and take imitative to rewards their shareholders according to their effort. Employees Starbucks take effective steps in an ethical business proceeding like sharing new technologies so that they want to introduce with the organization so that the working personnel can think them as a valuable asset. The human resource also makes them understand the organization's regulations and procedures right from their initial days of working. Morais, (2014) illustrate that this company values the cultural diversity of their employees. Customers - Starbucks maintains a good ethical relationship with their customers to attain maximum customer loyalty. Starbucks follows an honest behavior towards their customers by providing them exact billing amount and does not overpromise their customer regarding any products and its quality (Lemus et al., 2015). Furthermore, consistent performance in their servicing and maintain transparency in the business procedure will convince the customer to be associated with the organization. CSR in Starbucks Starbucks take numerous initiatives for promoting corporate social responsibility in their business. These are making investing in high-quality raw products from their supplier; create opportunities for communal through effective training, education and proving employment, taking an appropriate step for minimizing the forest resource and ultimately encouraging the voluntary services in the society. Investing in high quality raw products- Drake and Rhodes, (2015) portray that in addition to the high quality products, Starbucks take effective measures for long-term sustainability of the high quality products for selecting their raw materials like coffee beans, tea and cocoa from Africa and other countries. Ethical tea sourcing on a global scale improves their CSR activities as they are giving a chance to the tea and coffee farmers a chance for progressing themselves. Creating opportunities- Morais et al., (2014.) depict that with the development of an organization, there is a chance of growth within the organization. Providing opportunities to others will help the concerned organization to prosper in the market. Starbucks creates the opportunity of employment for youth like Starbucks Work Placement Program in Canada. Starbuck also introduces apprenticeship program for youth likes transferable skills in their near future in a retail business like the one they initiated in the United Kingdom Barista Mastery and Customer Service (Sebhatu Enquist, 2014). To promote effective CSR, Starbucks values NGO and entrepreneurs to get associated with their organization so that they can also provide them an opportunity by which they can develop their life. Starbucks College Achievement Plan is initiated by Starbucks to help the student employee, who possess a dream to obtain a degree in college for their higher studies. Promoting Green Retail - Starbucks take appropriate steps for promoting business approaches for a greener world by less utilizing the natural resources. They have 23,736 stores across the world, and they are building LEED certified stores to build energy and electricity efficient buildings (Corbaci et al., 2014). They also take initiatives for recycling and reusing the paper cups and beverages packets so that no forest resources can be affected. Moreover, () depicted that to mitigate the challenge of the climate change Pelsor, (2013) mentions that Starbucks take initiatives for growing more coffee and tea plantations along with the other plants in the society. Adopting water and energy conservation is another effective measure towards reducing the environmental footprint. Encouraging voluntary approach Unlike other industries, Starbucks have 14,932 voluntary projects for helping the needy person and at present they have 87,569 volunteers for doing CSR activities like plantation trees in the society, helps people affected by the natural calamity like earthquake and flood, providing funds in the old age homes and orphanage and provide them regularly required products (Du Basch, 2015). Proceeding in this way, Starbucks attain a good reputation in the society. Conclusion Business ethics is crucial for the betterment of the organization and for analyzing the correct procedure of the firm decision. Companies are also becoming more concerned about the business preceding that will less affect the nature and encourage their stakeholders for better business activity. Starbucks Corporation is one of the leading foundations for coffee manufacturers and is established in the year 1971. The annual revenue of Starbuck across the world is $19.16 billion dollars in the year 2015 and $16.45 billion dollars in 2014 by selling a wide range of products in 23,768 stores. The major mission of Starbucks is to inspire the human spirit along with nurturing most of the human aspects that are related to the life. Starbucks have adopted the strategy for promoting their products by providing an attractive offer, presenting gift coupons, implementation of Happy Hour, Buy 1 get one free offer, Duetto Cardsto their consumer and introducing selling free sample of their new launched products. The assignment also ethics in Starbucks that comprise of their raw material like coffee and water, Stakeholders that comprises of partners, subsidiaries, employees and customers. Furthermore, the assignment also discusses about CSR that is about investing in high quality raw products, creating opportunities, encouraging voluntary approach and promoting Green Retailing so that the business can sustain in the market. References Bowen, S. A., Sisson, D. C. (2013, March). Starbucks, Reputation Management, and Authenticity: A Case Study of Starbucks United Kingdom Tax Crisis # SpreadTheCheer Campaign. In16TH INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS RESEARCH CONFERENCE(p. 110). Brizek, M. G. (2014). Coffee wars: The Big Three: Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin'Donuts.Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics,5, 1. Brooks, B. W. (2012). Starbucks: maintaining a clear position. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies, 18(3), 39. Butuner, H. (2016).Case studies in strategic planning. CRC Press. Cavaliere, V., Lombardi, S. (2015). Exploring different cultural configurations: how do they affect subsidiaries knowledge sharing behaviors?.Journal of Knowledge Management,19(2), 141-163. Chua, A. Y., Banerjee, S. (2013). Customer knowledge management via social media: the case of Starbucks. Journal of Knowledge Management, 17(2), 237-249. Corbaci, L., Hungaro, F., Wang, S. F., Lee, J. W. (2014). Corporate Social Responsibility in International Business. Curtis, A. B., Lundholm, R. J., McVay, S. E. (2014). Forecasting sales: A model and some evidence from the retail industry. Contemporary Accounting Research, 31(2), 581-608. Drake, M. J., Rhodes, D. (2015). Socially Responsible Supply Chain Management for a Competitive Advantage. In New Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 321-340). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Du, Y., Basch, M. (2015). The Next Frontier of Corporate Social Responsibility: Discovering Consumer Expectations. Dutton, K., Kleiner, B. (2015). Strategies For Improving Individual Performance In The Workplace.Franklin Business Law Journal,2015(2). Evert, J. R. (2014). U.S. Patent No. 8,881,895. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Harold, E. (2015). Lessons from Starbucks' Race Together Initiative.Risk Management,62(5), 8. Herbert, T., Olligs, P., Overesch, M. (2015). Public Disclosure of Foreign Subsidiaries and Aggressive International Tax Avoidance.Available at SSRN 2640552. Hilson, G. (2012). Corporate Social Responsibility in the extractive industries: Experiences from developing countries. Resources Policy, 37(2), 131-137. Jianfei, X. (2014). Analysis of Starbucks Employees Operating Philosophy.International Journal of Business and Social Science,5(6). Kayak, M., Kozak, M., Moslehpour, M. (2013). Chapter Three How Perceived Global Brands Influence Consumer Purchasing Behavior Of Starbucks. Aspects of Tourist Behavior, 35. Kim, P. (2013).U.S. Patent No. 8,584,931. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Latif, M., Gulzar, H., Bukhari, S. R., Sameen, S. N. (2014). Starbucks sustained during economic crisis.International Journal of Accounting and Financial Reporting,4(1), 307. Lee, Y. C. (2013, July). The strategy of mission statement to build staff working value-A case study of Starbucks. InService Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM), 2013 10th International Conference on(pp. 487-489). IEEE. Lemus, E., Von Feigenblatt, O. F., Orta, M., Rivero, O. (2015). Starbucks Corporation: Leading Innovation in the 21st Century. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, 7(1), 23-38. Mahobia, H., Jain, T. K. (2015). Starbucks: Adapting in the Indian Market.Indian Journal of Marketing,45(8), 37-47. McVicar, K., Clark, D., Manning, C. (2016). Starbucks" Race Together" Campaign. Morais, U. P., Pena, J., Shacket, K., Sintilus, L., Ruiz, R., Rivera, Y., Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Managing Diverse Employees at Starbucks: Focusing on Ethics and Inclusion. International Journal of Learning and Development, 4(3), 35-50. Morais, U. P., Pena, J., Shacket, K., Sintilus, L., Ruiz, R., Rivera, Y., Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Managing Diverse Employees at Starbucks: Focusing on Ethics and Inclusion. International Journal of Learning and Development, 4(3), 35-50. Morais, U. P., Pena, J., Shacket, K., Sintilus, L., Ruiz, R., Rivera, Y., Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Managing Diverse Employees at Starbucks: Focusing on Ethics and Inclusion.International Journal of Learning and Development,4(3), 35-50. Nguyen, Q. T., Rugman, A. M. (2014). Internal equity financing and the performance of multinational subsidiaries in emerging economies.Journal of International Business Studies,46(4), 468-490. Omran, J., Trinh, L., Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K. P., Mitchell, M., Faulkner, G. E. (2015). Do incentives increase action planning in a web-based walking intervention?. Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 47(1). Pelsor, D. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study into the Motivations of Five Socially Responsible Companies. Qian, Y. A. N. G., Xing, T. U. (2016). Starbucks VS Chinese TeaStarbucks Brand Management Strategy Analysis in China.International Business and Management,12(1), 29-32. Reinhard, K. (2015). Differentiation as the key to success. A marketing plan for Starbucks. Sam, Y., Cai, Y. (2015). A Study on the Use of Social Media to Understand Consumer Preference: The Case of Starbucks. International Journal of Management and Business Research, 5(3), 207-214.

The Origin Of Life Essays - Origin Of Life, Astrobiology

The Origin Of Life The origin of Life There are many theories where life came from, but none of them is proven to be the right one. The obvious theory that life originated on earth is not accepted by everyone. One reason of disbelief in this theory that life originated on earth is a lack of time. It was an early belief that life originated through a slow and long process (many scientists do not share this belief though), probably too short and too long for the time life had on our planet. Life must have been formed within a period of approximately 200 million years. If we represent the whole Christian era - two thousand years - by one inch, the time available for the emergence of life could measure as much as 1.5 miles. Another theory called panspermia claims that life was created somewhere else, not on earth, and traveled to our planet via meteorites or comets. Another version of panspermia claimed by Francis Crick and Leslie Orgel is that life was brought to earth by a spaceship sent by a more intellectual species. Thi s theory is called directed panspermia. The last theory might be the least likely one, since there is no actual evidence for spaceships or species from other planets. The panspermia theory can not be disproved and it might be possible that life came to earth via a comet. Bodies like comets contain organic molecules which are similar to the molecules of living organisms, but most scientists say that reactions creating these molecules take place out there. We can not find an answer for this question since neither theory can totally be proven. Supporters of the panspermia theory say that there was not enough time for life to originate. Supporters of the theory that life originated on earth can not prove that life did not come from outer space. The Christian theory that life was created by God is abstract and will not be discussed further in this paper. Personally I believe in the theory that life was born on earth. Six elements are needed to create life. Almost every organic matter can be summarized symbolically in these six different elements: carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). One also says that life can be explained by the formula CHNOPS. These are the main characters in the creation of life chemically. Knowing that these six elements are needed to create life we have to find out in what condition these elements were. It is still not known what the composition of the primitive atmosphere was. It was believed that the atmosphere consisted of hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and water vapor (H2O). But this is doubted today. Scientists say that carbon probably was not present in the combination with hydrogen (methane). It probably was present in the combination with oxygen, mostly with carbon dioxide, or CO2. In the early years of the earth, about 4 billion years ago, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere of the world. There needs to be life in order to have free oxygen. What was the temperature on earth in these days? It is practically impossible to find the answer to this question, but it is an important issue to know since temperature limits the life span of biomolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and the blocks they were contained in. Thinking of this fact chemists assume that the temperature of the environment might have been very cold, possibly under the freezing point. Geochemists, though, do not think this way. They believe that temperature might have been close to the boiling point of water, but they also believe that there must have been a high atmospheric pressure, which kept the oceans from boiling. What was the sun like? Four billion years ago the sun was cooler than today. It sent out probably 25% less energy to the Earth than today. But this was probably offset by the greenhouse effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide. There definitely was a lot of water in the beginning of life. Water is the vital element of any living organism. The atmosphere above the water was heavy with carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen

The Art of Villainy in Shakespeares play Essay Example

The Art of Villainy in Shakespeares play Essay Example The Art of Villainy in Shakespeares play Essay The Art of Villainy in Shakespeares play Essay YourLastName 1 YourFirstName YourLastName Instructors Name Course Title 3 May 2013 Edmund Vs. Iago: A Comparitive Analysis Of Shakespeares Villains VILLAINY OF EDMUND AND LAGO IN SHAKESPEAREAN PLAYS INTRODUCTION The plots of all Shakespearean tragedies follow a similar sequence of events. Typically Conflicts arise due to twist of events that set the two characters that had initially enjoyed a good relationship with each other on opposing ends. First it begins with the Exposition stage; this is where the reader is introduced to the setting under which the conflict arises, the characters involved and the state of issues at the time. The next stage is the build-up of events that will later culminate into the conflict. Here the conflict develops and grows. The final stage entails the climax of all events that emerge to turn the already matured conflict into a catastrophe (Bradley 41-43). For instance it is in the climax of the King Lears play that the spiteful son of Gloucester, Edgar kills his illegitimate brother in cold blood. Everything is left in chaos as the king dies and the remnants of the lost war, Albany, Edgar and Kent are left to deal with the pain and loss of their loved one. COMPARISION BETWEEN EDMUND IN KING LEAR V. LAGO IN OTHELLO Taking on their differences, Shakespeare paints the two characters as utterly villain not only in their actions but in their words too. Imagery and metaphors used in the plays are clear evidence of the depth of feeling and emotions involved. YourLastName 2 Edmund is the bustard son of Gloucester. The latter goes ahead to openly to declare the same in his statements when introducing his son to a friend Though this knave came something saucily into the world before he was called for, yet was his mother fair; there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged (1 . . 21-24). Shakespeare hints that the mother of Edmund must have been a whore and her beautiful features might have been transferred to her bustard son. Clearly Gloucester did not like the young man at all. The playwright asserts that Edmund wasnt such a likeable character because even his own father insulted him! His hatred for the his bigger brother was based on the fact that the elder brother would inherited everything their father and he would get nothing second born son in the family. That made him Justify his villainy actions as he quotes The curiosity of nations to deprive me, For that I am some twelve or fourteen moon-shines . Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base? (1 . ii. 03-05). On the other hand, Iago is a trusted soldier under Othello. The two have a mutual to Michael Cassio by Othello. He utters out his hatred to Roderigo against the two although not much to Cassio as Othello in his sentiments one Michael Cassio, a Florentine (A fellow almost damnd in a fair wife), That never set a squadron in the field But he, sir, had th election (1. . 20-22). Themes relating Edmund and Lago 1 . Motives Lagos quest for revenge and treachery is instigated by the fact that although he was ost preferred as the new lieutenant, Cassio is given the position instead. This at first is the main reason why he plans to see Othello suffer. He is so spiteful as he refers to Othello as a Barbary horse, and old black ram, Initially as his plans fail to materialise and some ar e thwarted, his grip momentarily loosens only to revert and tighten even more. His motives YourLastName 3 vary as the plot unveils. At an instance his vengeful desire against Othello is fuelled by the award of a promotion to another yet at another instant he claims to suspect an affair between the latter and his wife Emilia. This is evident in his statement I hate the Moor; and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets (1 . iii. 387). It is clearly indicated that Iago hates Othello because the latter is more honourable and has acquired a young and beautiful young lady, Desdemona to wife. We do not know the reason behind his utterance as he declares It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor. She must change for youth. When she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice. Shakespeare leaves our minds to wonder and speculate about the same. The motive behind the shameful acts of Edmund is created by the constant abuse by his father and the fact that he is an illegitimate son. His only Joy is to see all that hurt him, his abusive father and step brother experience pain and suffering. He sets their father against Edgar his elder son by deceiving him that the latter is planning to kill the older man. In retaliation, Gloucester sets to kill his son thus Edgar has to flee form home and disguises himself as a beggar in Act 2 Scene 1 . Shakespeare leaves room for imagination as pertaining to the reasoning behind Edmund claim miet Edmund was beloved as he overlooks the deceased bodies of Goneril and Regan (5. iii. 15). 2. ART OF VILLAINY The play Othello begins with a mutual relationship between Othello and Lago. As the plot unveils, the character of Iago is unveiled as a deceitful person with hidden motives. He has indeed perfected the art of devilish such that even when his plans are derailed, he is careful enough to twist his schemes to fit the planned end. He plans to ruin the marriage between Othello and his wife Desdemona. In a bid to stop the consummation ceremony from taking place, Lago goes ahead to instigate Cassio o pick a fght with Roderigo and when Governor Montano intervene, he gets stabbed in the process. It is Lago who sends Roderigo to raise alarm concerning the chaos thus disrupting the already started ceremony. He gets so close to Othello without him suspecting of his motive and actually enjoys seeing him suffer. He taunts him and derives Joy seeing him get tormented by Jealousy by inciting Othello to think that his wife is cheating on him. He actually make the latter believe that his Wife Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Lago is so excited to receive Othellos handkerchief that his wife Emilia had collected from the formers ouse. Although Emilia doesnt the point of ecstasy, Lago is overjoyed by the new twist of events, he immediately hatches a plan meant to drain Othellos happiness and inflict suffering. He goes ahead to plant evidence in Cassios room in order to implicate him in his claim of Desdemonas infidelity (Amanda). Shakespeare paints Edmund as a vile person and on many occasions in the play refers to him as bastardy and a bustard. Furthermore Shakespeare creates a Jerk out of him to fit the description of his character as depicted by his own father. He is a scamp and amazes he audience that such a person would still have the heart to feel remorseful upon the death of his enemies. After the demise of Goneril and Regan, he sorrowfully says Some good I mean to do, despite of my own nature, (3. v. 12). As Shakespeare paints it, we wonder if there is a little bit of humanity left in him to utter such a statement. His attempts to save Cordelia are unclear in reflection of his vile self. It is by deceitfulness of Edmund that sets Gloucester against his son Edgar after reading a letter written by the former that compromises the character of the elder brother. The hysical blindness i nflicted upon Gloucester by Cornwall is metaphorically related to the blinding of the former by Edmund against his elder brother. Discussing the similarities between the two villains Edmund and Lago, they both were skilled soldiers during their time. When scene changes from the urban Venice to the island of Cyprus, the people are protected by the military in which Iago is a soldier under Othello (Canning). Edmund with the English army defeats Cordelia commander of the French army and captures him and his wife, Lear. He deeply filled with remorse after the killing of YourLastName 5 Cordelia and Lear by his soldiers as he declares that he tried every attempt to save them but couldnt. Amanda Mabillard, 05/09/2010 acessed from shakespeareonline. com/ plays/othello/iagochar. html. Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. October 30, 2005 [EBo 0k #16966]. Accessed from pgdp. net. Pdf Canning, Albert Stratford George. Shakespeare Studied in Six Plays . London: T. F. Unwin, 1907. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. Accessed on 2nd may 2013

Ancient Greek and Roman Similarities.

The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of Europe began to progress toward a more civilized order of society. As there were no previous establishment to base their ideals on, it was understandable that there were some difficulties in their progression as a society. Although the ancient Greek and Roman governments fell, both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction. Greek society began by the formation of the city-state. The city-state, based on tribal allegiances, was generally the first political association during the early stages of civilization. ( Perry, 45) This was the first step in the progression toward early self-government.   Greek city-states generally moved through four stages: rule by a king (monarchy), rule by landowning aristocrats (oligarchy), rule by one man who seized power (tyranny), and rule by the people (democracy).   (Perry, 46) Plagiarism Detection >Roman society began by the influences of surrounding cultures and quickly grew beyond the confines of a city-state status economy.   The more advanced civilizations of both Etruscans and Greeks were gradually absorbed by the Romans.   From them, Romans acquired architectural styles and skills in road construction, sanitation, hydraulic engineering (including underground conduits), metallurgy, ceramics, and portrait sculpture. (Perry, 84)   Their need for growth led them to form a republic.   As in the Greek cities, the transition from theocratic monarchy to republic offered possibilities for political and legal growth.   (Perry 85)Both Greeks and Romans tried to realize some form of democracy.   It is to Greece that we ultimately trace the idea of democracy and all that accompanies it: citizenship, constitutions, equality before the law, government by law, reasoned debate, respect for the individual, and confidence in human intelligence.   (Perry, 52)Because Rome tried to maintain a republic it had different needs compared to the Greeks.   The Romans, unl ike the Greeks, were distinguished by practicality and common sense, not by a love of abstract thought.   In their pragmatic and empirical fashion, they gradually developed the procedures of public politics and the legal state.   (Perry 88)The fall of the Greeks was a direct result of a breakdown of social theories.   When people no longer regarded the law as an expression of sacred traditions ordained by the gods but saw it as a merely human contrivance, respect for the law diminished, weakening the foundations of the society.   The results were party conflicts, politicians who scrambled for personal power, and moral uncertainty. (Perry 55) Plagiarism Detection >The Romans suffered a similar fate as a result of an unfocused administration.   Instead of developing a professional civil service to administer the conquered lands, Roman leaders attempted to govern an empire with city-state institutions, which had evolved for a different purpose.   (Perry 95)The Greek and Rom an cultures truly revolutionized the art of civilization.   They initiated new ideals for the interaction of people in a society. They both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction.   They shared similar beliefs and as a result shared similar fates. Future societies can look at the mistakes made in the past and build from them, but if we are not careful, future mistakes may be built from past societies.

Development of Japanese Bond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Development of Japanese Bond - Essay Example The world is growing so fast and every body needs to achieve high goals, money and fame in limited time. For being on top, every person does their best - hard work, efforts and sincerity can only lead a person towards the top. Every field requires day to day changes and updating. The investment industry is not as high profile as it used to be following the global economic crisis but some industries are still up on their feet. There are number of features of bonds, some of them are briefly discussed below: nominal amount, issue price, maturity date, coupon, coupon dates, indentures and covenants sinking fund, options. There are different types of bonds available in market, each of which has its own features and requirements. Bond by foreign entities brings new and wide ways of earning money. Japanese bonds are sold by the Japanese government which offers a number of bonds including revenue bond and subsidy bonds. Japanese bonds are much similar to treasury bonds which are widely sold in United States under the provision of government. Japan has faced lots of problem in the market including a numbers of risks. Bonds sold by foreign markets always have a great scope and region for earnings. There are always low credit spreads on Japanese bonds especially BBB related bonds. CAPM is an additional risk factor in market faced by Japanese bond. Under Y-CAPM -risk and -risk can be determined (Bank of Japan, 2000). The estimated Wright of -risk was 2.6 % in Japan and on the other hand, it is compared with 12.5 % in United States. The big difference between lower degrees of relative risk reflects the risk aversion in Japan. The key problem of Japanese bond is always the policies of Japanese government. Rate of bonds in international markets reflects a lot in economy of country. I n case of Japanese bond deficiency it highly affects the economy of Japan and it shows the competitiveness and performance of Japanese firms (Paul, 2001). This change highly reflects the generally priced risk in Japan. Basically in Japanese market two models are applied i.e. conditional model and unconditional model. The major issue is asset pricing in an international context is exchange

Unilevers Attempts to Improve the Sustainability Essay

Unilevers Attempts to Improve the Sustainability - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Unilever is a company leader in the fast moving consumer goods (FMGG) industry. The company sells food, personal care, refreshment, and home products throughout the whole world, including Europe, the Northern and Southern Americas, Asia and Africa. The total number of Unilever’s brands has grown up to 400 by 2012. The four major business categories and key brands are listed in the paper. Unilever being a globally operating company has felt the pressure of growing sustainability and environmental concerns and responded to the modern trend by adopting a special plan to become environmentally responsible and sustainably sourced business. In 2010, Unilever presented its Sustainable Living Plan which covered a number of initiatives that the company was planning to undertake with a purpose to improve its operations in a sustainable and environmental framework. This plan was comprised of three major goals that should be achieved by 2020: improving health and well-being of more than 1 billion of people; halving of the environmental footprint of producing and use of Unilever’s products; enhancing of the livelihoods of millions of people. Sustainability monitoring bodies and industry associations have recognized the Unilever’s efforts in relation to sustainable and environmental responsibility, and have given some awards to the company. Thus, for example, Unilever has been ranked in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for being a super sector leading company in food& beverage industry. In addition to this recognition, Unilever has received some other awards from external organizations since 2009.

Advertising Is Harmful Essay Example for Free

Advertising Is Harmful Essay Today I went to the bathroom in Tyson’s mall, and I saw a Lenovo camera advertisement stuck in front of the stool. It made me feels like a camera recorded everything in the bathroom. No matter where you go, walking on the street, taking the bus or subway, looking for websites or watching TV shows you always see advertisements. So I believe advertisements are harmful. Some people say that advertisements won’t brainwash them, because they know what they really want. I don’t agree with this, because advertisements affect our subconscious mind. For instance, I have read a newspaper article about a mother who came home and asked her child what he wanted to eat and her child said McDonalds. The mother asked him why McDonalds and the kid said because he always saw it on the TV so he wants to try it. Although a child didn’t really know how McDonald food tastes, McDonalds had been advertised so many times on the TV that the children make the decision to have it for dinner. Not only are kids influenced by advertisements, but adults also are. For example, I bought a Dell laptop last year, but returned it a week later. See more: Homeless satire essay I saw the Dell advertisements everywhere, at the college, the website, and even walking on the street, so when I wanted to buy a laptop, Dell became my first choice. I returned it a week later, because my friend told me Lenovo laptop has the same configuration as the Dell laptop but the price was much cheaper. This example demonstrates how the advertisement induces people to buy products. When people have seen advertisements many times, they have good impressions of the product in their minds. So not was only I had been influenced by advertisements, but most people are also. For example, most people bought IPhones rather than other phones because IPhones advertisements around everywhere. Often an advertisement not only disturbs our daily lives, but also provides untrue information. Companies always show perfect products in their advertisements, but the real products are much worse. For example, last month I went to Burger King, and I saw a big poster outside the store that showed a man held a hamburger with two hands and open his mouth as big as he can to eat a hamburger. However, he only bites little of the hamburger, because it was too big. And it only cost 99 cents! When I bought it, I felt I had been cheated. It was delicious, but it was smaller than my hand and can be finish within a bite. Also most of the reducing weight advertisements are untrue too. Some companies exaggerated their products in the advertisement to misleading people to buy the products. Some of the advertisements said the medicines could help people reduce around 5 to 20 pounds per month. As we all know, obesity is one of the most serious problems in America, so many people tried to reduce their weight in many ways. However, the result is not as the advertisements showed. Those drugs helped people reduce the weight but also had side effects. For instance, drugs harm people’ health by increasing the risk of diseases, and people would also rebound a weight heavily after they stopped the drug. While not all advertisements are untrue, some advertisements provide exaggerated information that let us waste money and also harm our health. We waste our money to buy advertised products we don’t need. An advertisement may make us feel lower class than other because not having the newest product. For example, The Apple Company has most successful advertisement campaign, because most of people would like to buy their new products. For example, the IPhone5 commercial shows IPhone5 is tallest, thinnest and lightest iPhone. Many people changed Iphone4S to the IPhone5 because the commercial shows IPhone5 is better. However, it has similar systems and the same function as Iphone4S. Another reason people buy the IPhone5 is they had low self- esteem. Like my friend who bought IPhone4S last winter and bought IPhone5 now. And he told me, when there has a better product then he wouldn’t use worse one, because that makes him feel he was lower class than others. In this case, people wasted money to buy the newest advertised products to satisfy their vanity. There are too many advertisements in our world now, because companies try to increasing the sales. However advertisements always mislead people to waste money. Government must provide a law to stop untrue and exaggerated advertisements. And parents also need to take time to explain to their child that some products they saw in commercial are harmful. For example, when child asked to buy a quick food or candies, parents must explain to them those foods are unhealthy.

Pollution Essay: Strategies for Dealing With Global Warming :: Environmental Global Climate Change

Global warming effects the world on three different levels, the most obvious is the international level, then national and local level. Global affects everybody and should the levels continue we could see significant sea level rises. Many countries are very bad offenders when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions especially the U.S.A and the Russians. Due to this and many other climatic and diplomatic reasons, world summits are held every five years, Rio in 1992, Kyoto in 1997 and most recently Johannesburg in 2002. In the kyoto summit of 1997 an agreement was decided upon, in this pact all the countries that attended agreed to reduce carbon emissions down to the levels of 1990. All the countries that attended the talks signed up to the pact and agreed to reduce carbon emissions. Although they had signed up to it, the americans, could not ratify what they had agreed upon in kyoto because the senate did not pass it. By the time of the johannesburg summit in 2002, the Americans were being villified by the world press as they were now trying to go back on the agreement they signed and trying to find loopholes. The U.S.A and other nations are trying to put forward the idea of convergence. This idea suggests that the developing world is allowed to increase their carbon emmissions and the developed world reduces theirs: [IMAGE] Fig 1. Idea of convergence The idea suggests that the developing world is allowed to industrialise, while the developed world, with its technology and know-how reduce theirs to an acceptable level. On a national level, i will look into two nations that are dealing with the kyoto agreement in different ways. The U.K is firmly sticking to what it signed up to in Kyoto, it is the leading country in carbon emission reduction and it is leading the way in many initiatives it has set up. It is leading the way in the use of low sulphur fuels, which do much less damage to the environment.

An Introduction to Genre Theory Essay

An Introduction to Genre Theory Daniel Chandler 1. The problem of definition A number of perennial doubts plague genre theory. Are genres really ‘out there’ in the world, or are they merely the constructions of analysts? Is there a finite taxonomy of genres or are they in principle infinite? Are genres timeless Platonic essences or ephemeral, time-bound entities? Are genres culturebound or transcultural?†¦ Should genre analysis be descriptive or proscriptive? (Stam 2000, 14) The word genre comes from the French (and originally Latin) word for ‘kind’ or ‘class’. The term is  widely used in rhetoric, literary theory, media theory, and more recently linguistics, to refer to a distinctive type of ‘text’*. Robert Allen notes that ‘for most of its 2,000 years, genre study has been primarily nominological and typological in function. That is to say, it has taken as its principal task the division of the world of literature into types and the naming of those types – much as the botanist divides the realm of flora into varieties of plants’ (Allen 1989, 44). As will be seen, however, the analogy with biological classification into genus and species misleadingly suggests a ‘scientific’ process. Since classical times literary works have been classified as belonging to general types which were variously defined. In literature the broadest division is between poetry, prose and drama, within which there are further divisions, such as tragedy and comedy within the category of drama. Shakespeare referred satirically to classifications such as ‘tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comicalhistorical-pastoral†¦ ‘ (Hamlet II ii). In The Anatomy of Criticism the formalist literary theorist Northrop Frye (1957) presented certain universal genres and modes  as the key to organizing the entire literary corpus. Contemporary media genres tend to relate more to specific forms than to the universals of tragedy and comedy. Nowadays, films are routinely classified (e. g. in television listings magazines) as ‘thrillers’, ‘westerns’ and so on – genres with which every adult in modern society is familiar. So too with television genres such as ‘game shows’ and ‘sitcoms’. Whilst we have names for countless genres in many media, some theorists have argued that there are also many genres (and sub-genres) for which we have no names (Fowler 1989, 216; Wales 1989, 206). Carolyn Miller  suggests that ‘the number of genres in any society†¦ depends on the complexity and diversity of society’ (Miller 1984, in Freedman & Medway 1994a, 36). The classification and hierarchical taxonomy of genres is not a neutral and ‘objective’ procedure. There are no undisputed ‘maps’ of the system of genres within any medium (though literature may perhaps lay some claim to a loose consensus). Furthermore, there is often considerable theoretical disagreement about the definition of specific genres. ‘A genre is ultimately an abstract conception rather than something that exists empirically in the world,’  notes Jane Feuer (1992, 144). One theorist’s genre may be another’s sub-genre or even super-genre (and indeed what is technique, style, mode, formula or thematic grouping to one may be treated as a genre by another). Themes, at least, seem inadequate as a basis for defining genres since, as David Bordwell notes, ‘any theme may appear in any genre’ (Bordwell 1989, 147). He asks: ‘Are animation and documentary films genres or modes? Is the filmed play or comedy performance a genre? If tragedy and comedy are genres, perhaps then domestic tragedy or slapstick is a formula’. In  passing, he offers a useful inventory of categories used in film criticism, many of which have been accorded the status of genres by various commentators: Grouping by period or country (American films of the 1930s), by director or star or producer or writer or studio, by technical process (Cinemascope films), by cycle (the ‘fallen women’ films), by series (the 007 movies), by style (German Expressionism), by structure (narrative), by ideology (Reaganite cinema), by venue (‘drive-in movies’), by purpose (home movies), by audience (‘teenpix’), by subject or theme (family film, paranoid-politics movies). (Bordwell 1989, 148) Another film theorist, Robert Stam, also refers to common ways of categorizing films: While some genres are based on story content (the war film), other are borrowed from literature (comedy, melodrama) or from other media (the musical). Some are performer-based (the Astaire-Rogers films) or budget-based (blockbusters), while others are based on artistic status (the art film), racial identity (Black cinema), locat[ion] (the Western) or sexual orientation (Queer cinema). (Stam 2000, 14). Bordwell concludes that ‘one could†¦ argue that no set of necessary and sufficient conditions can  mark off genres from other sorts of groupings in ways that all experts or ordinary film-goers would find An Introduction to Genre Theory acceptable’ (Bordwell 1989, 147). Practitioners and the general public make use of their own genre labels (de facto genres) quite apart from those of academic theorists. We might therefore ask ourselves ‘Whose genre is it anyway? ‘ Still further problems with definitional approaches will become apparent in due course. Defining genres may not initially seem particularly problematic but it should already be apparent that it is a theoretical minefield. Robert Stam identifies four key problems with generic labels (in relation to film): extension (the breadth or narrowness of labels); normativism (having preconceived ideas of criteria for genre membership); monolithic definitions (as if an item belonged to only one genre); biologism (a kind of essentialism in which genres are seen as evolving through a standardized life cycle) (Stam 2000, 128129). Conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (including structure and style) which  are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. Alternative characterizations will be discussed in due course. The attempt to define particular genres in terms of necessary and sufficient textual properties is sometimes seen as theoretically attractive but it poses many difficulties. For instance, in the case of films, some seem to be aligned with one genre in content and another genre in form. The film theorist Robert Stam argues that ‘subject matter is the weakest criterion for generic grouping because it fails to take into account how the subject is treated’ (Stam 2000, 14). Outlining a fundamental problem of  genre identification in relation to films, Andrew Tudor notes the ’empiricist dilemma’: To take a genre such as the ‘western’, analyze it, and list its principal characteristics, is to beg the question that we must first isolate the body of films which are ‘westerns’. But they can only be isolated on the basis of the ‘principal characteristics’ which can only be discovered from the films themselves after they have been isolated. (Cited in Gledhill 1985, 59) It is seldom hard to find texts which are exceptions to any given definition of a particular genre. There are no ‘rigid rules of inclusion and exclusion’ (Gledhill 1985, 60). ‘Genres†¦ are not discrete systems, consisting of a fixed number of listable items’ (ibid. , 64). It is difficult to make clear-cut distinctions between one genre and another: genres overlap, and there are ‘mixed genres’ (such as comedy-thrillers). 2 Specific genres tend to be easy to recognize intuitively but difficult (if not impossible) to define. Particular features which are characteristic of a genre are not normally unique to it; it is their relative prominence, combination and functions which are distinctive (Neale 1980, 22-3). It is easy to underplay the differences within a genre. Steve Neale declares  that ‘genres are instances of repetition and difference’ (Neale 1980, 48). He adds that ‘difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre’ (ibid. , 50): mere repetition would not attract an audience. Tzvetan Todorov argued that ‘any instance of a genre will be necessarily different’ (cited in Gledhill 1985, 60). John Hartley notes that ‘the addition of just one film to the Western genre†¦ changes that genre as a whole – even though the Western in question may display few of the recognized conventions, styles or subject matters traditionally associated with its genre’ (O’Sullivan et al. 1994). The issue of difference also  highlights the fact that some genres are ‘looser’ more open-ended in their conventions or more permeable in their boundaries – than others. Texts often exhibit the conventions of more than one genre. John Hartley notes that ‘the same text can belong to different genres in different countries or times’ (O’Sullivan et al. 1994, 129). Hybrid genres abound (at least outside theoretical frameworks). Van Leeuwen suggests that the multiple purposes of journalism often lead to generically heterogeneous texts (cited in Fairclough 1995, 88). Norman Fairclough suggests that mixed-genre texts are far from uncommon in the mass media (Fairclough 1995, 89). Some media may encourage more generic diversity: Nicholas Abercrombie notes that since ‘television comes at the audience as a flow of programmes, all with different generic conventions, means that it is more difficult to sustain the purity of the genre in the viewing experience’ (Abercrombie 1996, 45; his emphasis). Furthermore, in any medium the generic classification of certain texts may be uncertain or subject to dispute. Contemporary theorists tend to describe genres in terms of ‘family resemblances’ among texts (a notion derived from the philosopher Wittgenstein) rather than definitionally (Swales 1990, 49). An individual text within a genre rarely if ever has all of the characteristic features of the genre (Fowler 1989, 215). The family resemblance approaches involves the theorist illustrating similarities between some of the texts within a genre. However, the family resemblance approach has been criticized on the basis that ‘no choice of a text for illustrative purposes is innocent’ (David Lodge, cited in Swales 1990, 50), and that such theories can make any text seem to resemble any other one (Swales 1990, 51). In addition to the definitional and family resemblance approach, there is  An Introduction to Genre Theory another approach to describing genres which is based on the psycholinguistic concept of prototypicality. According to this approach, some texts would be widely regarded as being more typical members of a genre than others. According to this approach certain features would ‘identify the extent to which an exemplar is prototypical of a particular genre’ (Swales 1990, 52). Genres can therefore be seen as ‘fuzzy’ categories which cannot be defined by necessary and sufficient conditions. How we define a genre depends on our purposes;  the adequacy of our definition in terms of social science at least must surely be related to the light that the exploration sheds on the phenomenon. For instance (and this is a key concern of mine), if we are studying the way in which genre frames the reader’s interpretation of a text then we would do well to focus on how readers identify genres rather than on theoretical distinctions. Defining genres may be problematic, but even if theorists were to abandon the concept, in everyday life people would continue to categorize texts. John Swales does note that ‘a discourse community’s nomenclature for genres is an  important source of insight’ (Swales 1990, 54), though like many academic theorists he later adds that such genre names ‘typically need further validation’ (ibid. , 58). Some genre names would be likely to be more widely-used than others: it would be interesting to investigate the areas of popular consensus and dissensus in relation to the everyday labeling of mass media genres. For Robert Hodge and Gunther Kress, ‘genres only exist in so far as a social group declares and enforces the rules that constitute them’ (Hodge & Kress 1988, 7), though it is debatable to  what extent most of us would be able to formulate explicit ‘rules’ for the textual genres we use routinely: much of our genre knowledge is likely to be tacit. In relation to film, Andrew Tudor argued that genre is ‘what we collectively believe it to be’ (though this begs the question about who ‘we’ are). Robert Allen comments wryly that ‘Tudor even hints that in order to establish what audiences expect a western to be like we might have to ask them’ (Allen 1989, 47). Swales also alludes to people having ‘repertoires of genres’ (Swales 1990, 58), which I would argue would also be likely to repay  investigation. However, as David Buckingham notes, ‘there has hardly been any empirical research on the ways in which real audiences might understand genre, or use this understanding in making sense of specific texts’ (Buckingham 1993, 137). Steve Neale stresses that ‘genres are not systems: they are processes of systematization’ (Neale 1980, 51; my emphasis; cf. Neale 1995, 463). Traditionally, genres (particularly literary genres) tended to be regarded 3 as fixed forms, but contemporary theory emphasizes that both their forms and functions are dynamic. David Buckingham argues that ‘genre is not†¦ simply â€Å"given† by the culture: rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change’ (Buckingham 1993, 137). Nicholas Abercrombie suggests that ‘the boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable’ (Abercrombie 1996, 45); Abercrombie is concerned with modern television, which he suggests seems to be engaged in ‘a steady dismantling of genre’ (ibid. ) which can be attributed in part to economic pressures to pursue new audiences. One may acknowledge the dynamic fluidity of genres without positing the final demise of genre as an interpretive framework. As the generic corpus ceaselessly expands, genres (and the relationships between them) change over time; the conventions of each genre shift, new genres and sub-genres emerge and others are ‘discontinued’ (though note that certain genres seem particularly long-lasting). Tzvetan Todorov argued that ‘a new genre is always the transformation of one or several old genres’ (cited in Swales 1990, 36). Each new work within a genre has the potential to influence changes within the genre or perhaps the emergence of new sub-genres (which may later blossom into fully-fledged genres). However, such a perspective tends to highlight the role of authorial experimentation in changing genres and their conventions, whereas it is important to recognize not only the social nature of text production but especially the role of economic and technological factors as well as changing audience preferences. The interaction between genres and media can be seen as one of the forces which contributes to changing genres. Some genres are more powerful than others: they differ in the status which is attributed to them by those who produce texts within them and by their audiences. As Tony Thwaites et al. put it, ‘in the interaction and conflicts among genres we can see the connections between textuality and power’ (Thwaites et al. 1994, 104). The key genres in institutions which are ‘primary definers’ (such as news reports in the mass media) help to establish the frameworks within which issues are defined. But genre hierarchies also shift over time, with individual genres constantly gaining and losing different groups of users and relative status. Idealist theoretical approaches to genre which seek to categorize ‘ideal types’ in terms of essential textual characteristics are ahistorical. As a result of  their dynamic nature as processes, Neale argues that definitions of genre ‘are always historically relative, and therefore historically specific’ (Neale 1995, 464). Similarly, Boris Tomashevsky insists that ‘no firm logical classification of genres is possible. Their de- An Introduction to Genre Theory marcation is always historical, that is to say, it is correct only for a specific moment of history’ (cited in Bordwell 1989, 147). Some genres are defined only retrospectively, being unrecognized as such by the original producers and audiences. Genres need to be studied as historical phenomena; a popular focus in  film studies, for instance, has been the evolution of conventions within a genre. Current genres go through phases or cycles of popularity (such as the cycle of disaster films in the 1970s), sometimes becoming ‘dormant’ for a period rather than disappearing. On-going genres and their conventions themselves change over time. Reviewing ‘evolutionary change’ in some popular film genres, Andrew Tudor concludes that it has three main characteristics: First, in that innovations are added to an existent corpus rather than replacing redundant elements, it is cumulative. Second, in that  these innovations must be basically consistent with what is already present, it is ‘conservative’. Third, in that these processes lead to the crystallization of specialist sub-genres, it involves differentiation. (Tudor 1974, 225-6) Tudor himself is cautious about adopting the biological analogy of evolution, with its implication that only those genres which are well-adapted to their functions survive. Christine Gledhill also notes the danger of essentialism in selecting definitive ‘classic’ examples towards which earlier examples ‘evolve’ and after which others ‘decline’ (Gledhill 1985, 59). The cycles and transformations of genres can nevertheless be seen as a response to political, social and economic conditions. Referring to film, Andrew Tudor notes that ‘a genre†¦ defines a moral and social world’ (Tudor 1974, 180). Indeed, a genre in any medium can be seen as embodying certain values and ideological assumptions. Again in the context of the cinema Susan Hayward argues that genre conventions change ‘according to the ideological climate of the time’, contrasting John Wayne westerns with Clint Eastwood as the problematic hero or anti-hero (Hayward 1996, 50). Leo Baudry (cited in Hayward 1996, 162) sees film genres as a barometer of the social and cultural concerns of cinema audiences; Robert Lichter et al. (1991) illustrate how televisual genres reflect the values of the programme-makers. Some commentators see mass media genres from a particular era as reflecting values which were dominant at the time. Ira Konigsberg, for instance, suggests that texts within genres embody the moral values of a culture (Konigsberg 1987, 144-5). And John Fiske asserts that generic conventions ’embody the crucial ideological concerns of the time in which they are popular’ 4 (Fiske 1987, 110). However, Steve Neale stresses that genres may also help to shape such values (Neale 1980, 16). Thwaites et al. see the relationship as reciprocal: ‘a genre develops according to social conditions; transformations in genre and texts can influence and reinforce social conditions’ (Thwaites et al. 1994, 100). Some Marxist commentators see genre as an instrument of social control which reproduces the dominant ideology. Within this perspective, the genre ‘positions’ the audience in order to naturalize the ideologies which are embedded in the text (Feuer 1992, 145). Bernadette Casey comments that ‘recently, structuralists and feminist theorists, among others, have focused on the way in which generically defined structures may operate to construct particular ideologies and values, and to encourage reassuring and conservative interpretations of a given text’ (Casey 193, 312). However, reader-oriented commentators have stressed that people are capable of ‘reading against the grain’. Thomas and Vivian Sobchack note that in the past popular film-makers, ‘intent on telling a story’, were not always aware of ‘the covert psychological and social†¦Ã‚  subtext’ of their own films, but add that modern film-makers and their audiences are now ‘more keenly aware of the myth-making accomplished by film genres’ (Sobchack & Sobchack 1980, 245). Genre can reflect a function which in relation to television Horace Newcombe and Paul Hirsch referred to as a ‘cultural forum’, in which industry and audience negotiate shared beliefs and values, helping to maintain the social order and assisting it in adapting to change (Feuer 1992, 145). Certainly, genres are far from being ideologically neutral. Sonia Livingstone argues, indeed, that ‘different genres are concerned to establish different world views’ (Livingstone 1990, 155). Related to the ideological dimension of genres is one modern redefinition in terms of purposes. In relation to writing, Carolyn Miller argues that ‘a rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centered not on the substance or form of discourse but on the action it is used to accomplish’ (Carolyn Miller 1984, in Freedman & Medway 1994a, 24). Following this lead, John Swales declares that ‘the principal criterial feature that turns a collection of communicative  events into a genre is some shared set of communicative purposes’ (Swales 1990, 46). In relation to the mass media it can be fruitful to consider in relation to genre the purposes not only of the producers of texts but also of those who interpret them (which need not be assumed always to match). A consensus about the primary purposes of some genres (such as news bulletins) – and of their readers – is probably easier to establish than in relation to others (such as westerns), where the very term ‘purpose’ sounds too in- An Introduction to Genre Theory strumental. However, ‘uses and gratifications’ researchers have already conducted investigations into the various functions that the mass media seem to serve for people, and ethnographic studies have offered fruitful insights into this dimension. Miller argues that both in writing and reading within genres we learn purposes appropriate to the genre; in relation to the mass media it could be argued that particular genres develop, frame and legitimate particular concerns, questions and pleasures. Related redefinitions of genre focus more broadly on the relationship between the makers and audiences  of texts (a rhetorical dimension). To varying extents, the formal features of genres establish the relationship between producers and interpreters. Indeed, in relation to mass media texts Andrew Tolson redefines genre as ‘a category which mediates between industry and audience’ (Tolson 1996, 92). Note that such approaches undermine the definition of genres as purely textual types, which excludes any reference even to intended audiences. A basic model underlying contemporary media theory is a triangular relationship between the text, its producers and its interpreters. From the perspective of many recent commentators, genres first and foremost provide frameworks within which texts are produced and interpreted. Semiotically, a genre can be seen as a shared code between the producers and interpreters of texts included within it. Alastair Fowler goes so far as to suggest that ‘communication is impossible without the agreed codes of genre’ (Fowler 1989, 216). Within genres, texts embody authorial attempts to ‘position’ readers using particular ‘modes of address’. Gunther Kress observes that: Every genre positions those who participate in  a text of that kind: as interviewer or interviewee, as listener or storyteller, as a reader or a writer, as a person interested in political matters, as someone to be instructed or as someone who instructs; each of these positionings implies different possibilities for response and for action. Each written text provides a ‘reading position’ for readers, a position constructed by the writer for the ‘ideal reader’ of the text. (Kress 1988, 107) Thus, embedded within texts are assumptions about the ‘ideal reader’, including their attitudes towards the subject matter and often their class, age, gender and ethnicity. Gunther Kress defines a genre as ‘a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purposes’ (Kress 1988, 183). An interpretative emphasis on genre as opposed 5 to individual texts can help to remind us of the social nature of the production and interpretation of texts. In relation to film, many modern commentators refer to the commercial and industrial significance of genres. Denis McQuail argues that: The genre may be considered as a practical  device for helping any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently and to relate its production to the expectations of its customers. Since it is also a practical device for enabling individual media users to plan their choices, it can be considered as a mechanism for ordering the relations between the two main parties to mass communication. (McQuail 1987, 200) Steve Neale observes that ‘genres†¦ exist within the context of a set of economic relations and practices’, though he adds that ‘genres are not the product of economic factors as such. The conditions provided by the capitalist economy account neither for the existence of the particular genres that have hitherto been produced, nor for the existence of the conventions that constitute them’ (Neale 1980, 51-2). Economic factors may account for the perpetuation of a profitable genre. Nicholas Abercrombie notes that ‘television producers set out to exploit genre conventions†¦ It†¦ makes sound economic sense. Sets, properties and costumes can be used over and over again. Teams of stars, writers, directors and technicians can be built up, giving economies of scale’ (Abercrombie 1996, 43). He adds that ‘genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience which becomes used to seeing programmes within a genre’ (ibid. ). Genres can be seen as ‘a means of controlling demand’ (Neale 1980, 55). The relative stability of genres enables producers to predict audience expectations. Christine Gledhill notes that ‘differences between genres meant different audiences could be identified and catered to†¦ This made it easier to standardize and stabilise production’ (Gledhill 1985, 58). In relation to the mass media, genre is part of the process of targeting different market sectors. Traditionally, literary and film critics in particular have regarded ‘generic’ texts (by which they mean ‘formulaic’ texts) as inferior to those which they contend are produced outside a generic framework. Indeed, film theorists frequently refer to popular films as ‘genre films’ in contrast to ‘non-formula films’. Elitist critics reject the ‘generic fiction’ of the mass media because they are commercial products of popular culture rather than ‘high art’. Many harbor the Romantic ideology of the primacy of authorial ‘originality’ and ‘vision’, emphasizing individual style  and artistic ‘self-expression’. In this tradition the An Introduction to Genre Theory artist (in any medium) is seen as breaking the mould of convention. For the Italian aesthetician Benedetto Croce (1866-1952), an artistic work was always unique and there could be no artistic genres. More recently, some literary and film theorists have accorded more importance to genre, counteracting the ideology of authorial primacy (or ‘auteurism’, as it is known in relation to the emphasis on the director in film). Contemporary theorists tend to emphasize the importance of the semiotic notion of intertextuality: of seeing individual texts in relation to others. Katie Wales notes that ‘genre is†¦ an intertextual concept’ (Wales 1989, 259). John Hartley suggests that ‘we need to understand genre as a property of the relations between texts’ (O’Sullivan et al. 1994, 128). And as Tony Thwaites et al. put it, ‘each text is influenced by the generic rules in the way it is put together; the generic rules are reinforced by each text’ (Thwaites et al. 1994, 100). Roland Barthes (1975) argued that it is in relation to other texts within a genre rather than in relation to lived experience that we make sense of certain  events within a text. There are analogies here with schema theory in psychology, which proposes that we have mental ‘scripts’ which help us to interpret 6 familiar events in everyday life. John Fiske offers this striking example: A representation of a car chase only makes sense in relation to all the others we have seen – after all, we are unlikely to have experienced one in reality, and if we did, we would, according to this model, make sense of it by turning it into another text, which we would also understand intertextually, in terms of what we have seen so often on our screens. There is then a cultural knowledge of the concept ‘car chase’ that any one text is a prospectus for, and that it used by the viewer to decode it, and by the producer to encode it. (Fiske 1987, 115) In contrast to those of a traditionalist literary bent who tend to present ‘artistic’ texts as nongeneric, it could be argued that it is impossible to produce texts which bear no relationship whatsoever to established genres. Indeed, Jacques Derrida proposed that ‘a text cannot belong to no genre, it cannot be without†¦ a genre. Every text participates in one or several genres, there is no genre-less text’  (Derrida 1981, 61). Note *In these notes, words such as text, reader and writer are sometimes used as general terms relating to ‘texts’ (and so on) in whatever medium is being discussed: no privileging of the written word (graphocentrism) is intended. Whilst it is hard to find an alternative for the word texts, terms such as makers and interpreters are sometimes used here as terms non-specific to particular media instead of the terms writers and readers. 2. Working within genres John Hartley argues that ‘genres are agents of ideological closure – they limit the meaning-potential  of a given text’ (O’Sullivan et al. 1994, 128). Robert Hodge and Gunther Kress define genres as ‘typical forms of texts which link kinds of producer, consumer, topic, medium, manner and occasion’, adding that they ‘control the behavior of producers of such texts, and the expectations of potential consumers’ (Hodge & Kress 1988, 7). Genres can be seen as constituting a kind of tacit contract between authors and readers. From the traditional Romantic perspective, genres are seen as constraining and inhibiting authorial creativity. However, contemporary theorists, even  within literary studies, typically reject this view (e. g. Fowler 1982: 31). Gledhill notes that one perspective on this issue is that some of those who write within a genre work in creative ‘tension’ with the conventions, attempting a personal inflection of them (Gledhill 1985: 63). From the point of view of the producers of texts within a genre, an advantage of genres is that they can rely on readers already having knowledge and expectations about works within a genre. Fowler comments that ‘the system of generic expectations amounts to a code, by the use of which  (or by departure from which) composition becomes more economical’ (Fowler 1989: 215). Genres can thus be seen as a kind of shorthand serving to increase the ‘efficiency’ of communication. They may even function as a means of preventing a text from dissolving into ‘individualism and incomprehensibility’ (Gledhill 1985: 63). And whilst writing within a genre involves making use of certain ‘given’ conventions, every work within a genre also involves the invention of some new elements. An Introduction to Genre Theory As for reading within genres, some argue that knowledge of genre conventions leads to passive  consumption of generic texts; others argue that making sense of texts within genres is an active process of constructing meaning (Knight 1994). Genre provides an important frame of reference which helps readers to identify, select and interpret texts. Indeed, in relation to advertisements, Varda Langholz Leymore argues that the sense which viewers make of any single text depends on how it relates to the genre as a whole (Langholz Leymore 1975, ix). Key psychological functions of genre are likely to include those shared by categorization generally – such as reducing complexity.

My Life in Pink Essay

The story of this sensitively-handled film concerns a young MtF transsexual. It is by turns comic and heartbreaking. Seven-year old Ludovic lives in an upper-middle class Belgian suburban neighborhood. He behaves in a way that is quite natural to him, dresses in a dress or skirt whenever possible, and is quite convinced he will be marrying a neighborhood boy, the son of his father’s boss. His favorite television program is a kitchy girls program about a Barbie-like doll called Pam who lives in a flowery girly pink cartoon fantasy world and has magic powers. Young Ludovic dances Pam’s dance to the haunting song â€Å"Rose†, and like some other girls of his age fantasizes about marriage to a handsome romantic man who will sweep his female love off her feet. The film depicts the difficulties facing a child with gender identity issues and the way the Ludovic himself, the confused parents and family, society, school, other children, and the neighborhood (hostile, hypocritical, and ignorant) handle the situation. Ludovic is seven years old. At first thinks he is a girl, then becomes confused as everyone attempts to disabuse him of this, then tries to find an acceptable common ground (I am a girlboy, or I am a boy but I will grow up to be a girl, or something went wrong and and I should have been born a girl). When he was born, the extra X chromosome accidentally landed in the trash and he got a Y instead! Even an identity as a girlboy is not allowed him by those around him. The only ones who have any understanding of what he is going through are his psychologist and his grandmother who thinks it might be a phase he is going through, but also confronts the situation with some understanding. His sister also sees Ludovich more as he is than as others believe or want him to be. Under increasing pressure from an ignorant community which gives the family the cold shoulder, the parents naturally have difficulty in dealing with Ludovic’s transsexuality, and eventually send him to a psychologist with the intention of â€Å"curing† him, but of course there is no cure – only understanding. Eventually they come to accept the inevitable. The movie, perhaps a larger than life fictionalisation, is a microcosm of the early life experience of a transsexual. The movie deals with homophobia, bigotry, misunderstanding, the retreat of the transsexual into a fantasy life to escape from unthinkable real life, the attempt of the transsexual to hide the condition because of his/her punishment for showing it, and the reaction of the transsexual’s parents, family, and society. Common to the experience, particlarly when the movie was made, is confusion of homosexuality and transsexualism, denial of its existence, the attempt to cure it, the successful discrimination and hostility against the transsexual and his/her family, the realization of the existence of both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuality, and finally resigned acceptance. The father is fired from his job, and the family moves to a poorer neighborhood, where they find some acceptance and Ludovic meets a young butch girl, perhaps a young FtM transsexual of about the same age. The final relief from troubles is belied by the music which turns somber as the camera pans away from the petit Ludovic, on his own away from the other children. As his pubescent sister says, prophetically, â€Å"it only gets more difficult as you get older†. The final scene dissolves into the haunting theme.