Social Order in P.D. James’ A Mind To Murder Essay -- P.D. James A Min

P.D. James’ A Mind To Murder - Social Order    One of the basic assumptions underlying any detective novel is a sense of social order. The novelist assumes that the reader agrees that killing people is wrong; it does not matter if the victims are exemplary citizens or odious individuals, it is the mere act of snuffing out another’s life that is against the social order. In P.D. James’ A Mind To Murder, Nurse Marion Bolam’s murder of her stuffy and self-righteous cousin Enid illustrates a situation where the nurse and her invalid mother had suffered from her cousin’s stinginess; James gives us a clear look at the murderer’s fear that if Enid had been given time to change her will as she had threatened to do, the Marion and her mother would never get the money to which they considered themselves entitled. However, James urges us to understand, this does not matter. Murder, for whatever reason it is committed, is still murder, and it is always wrong.     However, the murder of Enid Bolam is not the only violation of the social order which James describes in this book. Chief amongst his other villains is Peter Nagle, the young and attractive porter at the Steen Clinic. Peter is also a gifted painter, and is only working at the clinic to pay his living expenses while he waits for a prestigious arts grant to come his way.   However, Peter is infected with the arrogance of those who feel that their talent entitles them to liberties unavailable to the rest of society. He lives in a magnificent studio apartment, and owns only the very best painting equipment. He obviously cannot afford this on a clinic-porter’s salary, so he figures out a way to, with Marion Bolam’s help, blackmail former patients into paying him fifteen pounds... ...r, who wasn’t really at fault in any of this, has gone to live in a nursing home where she will be well-cared for, since her daughter obviously won’t be there to do it.        This isn’t a perfect solution, but it isn’t a   perfect   world, and it would be false to P.D. James’ premises to assume that everything can be returned to a state of Eden. However, James seems to feel that we as social beings have an obligation to keep everything as close to an ideal social paradigm as possible. Only in this way will everyone be in a position to achieve maximum happiness. The narcissism of Peter Nagle serves as a sober warning that we are not put on earth to ride roughshod over everyone else in our selfish search for happiness, but that happiness is a social construct in which everyone should reap equal benefit and for which everyone should assume equal responsibility.

Life and Death in Frosts Stopping by Woods and Thomas Do Not Go Gentl

Life and Death in Frost's Stopping by Woods and Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle  Ã‚   Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" reflect deeply on both life and death. Frost interprets death as rest and peace from a hard and deserving life, whereas Thomas depicts death as an early end to an unfulfilled life. Contrary to Thomas's four characters who rage against death because of its premature arrival, Frost's speaker accepts death but is inclined to live for promises; therefore both Frost and Thomas choose life over death, but for conflicting reasons. Robert Frost's deeply-rooted beliefs in nature influence him to view death positively. Through enticing images of solitude and relaxation and peaceful diction, Frost explains why nature and death coincide. Frost makes "mysteries, such as death, resolve into the natural" and suddenly the "mysterious becomes simple" (Nicholl 194). His choice to use "darkest evening of the year" helps to set the mystery surrounding death, but the simplicity of the character and the scenery bring death closer to nature; "suddenly the absolute is brought near, and made almost visible" (Nicholl 194). The individual man encountering woods that are "lovely, dark, and deep" create a contradiction of feelings that intertwine the mystery and simplicity of death. The "dark" and "deep" foreshadow the fears and enigmas of dying. The "lovely" negates the anxiety and demonstrates the excitement and desire to die. Though death seems scary and unknown, it is also wonderful and peaceful to the central character. The tr aveler appears desiring a rest and death is an enchanting choice. With pleasant images as "easy wind and downy flake," the man becomes a... ...ngness" (Roberts 378). Frost?s traveler is faced with a choice of life or death and chooses life not to attain grandeur but to keep promises. Thomas?s four kinds of men maintain the right to fight against death for life, but only because life is too short and greatness is yet to be achieved. Frost induces that death should be embraced because it is synonymous with sleep, whereas Thomas concludes that death should be contested due to its hindrance of achievements, but similarly both Frost and Thomas choose the alternative of life to that of death. Works Cited: Frost, Robert. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Julia Reidhead. 5th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 1998. Thomas, Dylan. ?Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.? Sound and Sense. Eighth edition. Ed. Laurence Perrine. Orlando: Harcourt Brace, 1992.

Department of Planning Essay

Prescribed Text There is no prescribed text for this course. Course materials will be provided electronically via Cecil. Lecturers will provide additional reading lists for their particular sections of the course. Preparation Approximately 1 hour preparation is expected for every one hour of class time. You will be required to complete readings allocated in class, in preparation for the next class. However, students are encouraged to add time for background reading. This is particularly important for international students and students for whom English is not their first language. Course Assessment Course assessment is comprised of: Law Assignment (15%)Friday 23 August 2013 at 10AM Class Test (15%)Friday 30 August 2013 at 9AM (1 hour) Politics Essay (20%)Thursday 17 October at 10AM Examination (50%)3 hour examination scheduled for the end of semester 2 When submitting assignments and essays, please use the Planning cover sheets provided beside the assignment hand-in boxes on level 4. Please ensure that you read the academic policies and procedures information in the Planning Undergraduate Handbook at the outset of this course. You will be treated as having read this information. Brief Description of the Course Content This course introduces students to key aspects of New Zealand’s legal system. This is complemented by consideration of the development of local government legislation and by comprehensive discussion of the functions and relationships between essential institutions of a representative democracy. Treaty of Waitangi issues are an integrated aspect of this course. Learning Outcomes The learning outcomes of this course include: * acquisition of basic statutory interpretation skills and case law analysis; * an understanding of the core structure, processes and issues inherent in the New Zealand legal system; * an overview of local government reform since 1989; * an understanding of the relevance of the Treaty of Waitangi to institutional and legal frameworks in New Zealand; and * an understanding of key political institutions and processes in New Zealand. Structure Julia Harker will begin the course by lecturing on the New Zealand legal system. This will be followed by a series of lectures given by Ian Munro on local government. After the mid-semester break, Vernon Tava will give a series of lectures on the New Zealand political system. Lena Henry will take the remainder of the course, lecturing on Treaty of Waitangi issues. Reading list relating to the New Zealand Legal System In addition to the prepared course materials: R Miller (ed) New Zealand Government and Politics (OUP, 4th ed, 2006), in particular: Part B – chapters 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and chapter 3.7. Webb, Sanders and Scott The New Zealand Legal System: structures, processes and legal theory (Butterworths, 5th ed, 2010). R D Mulholland Introduction to the New Zealand Legal System (Butterworths, 10th ed, 2001). G Palmer Unbridled Power (OUP, 1987). G Palmer and M Palmer Bridled Power (OUP, 2004). K Palmer Local Authorities Law in New Zealand (Brookers, 2012). See The Constitution Conversation website for resources

Partner Selection in Joint Ventures Essay

Achieving constant business growth, in terms of size, sales, technology, skills, profits, and a host of other factors is the undeniable primary priority of most business corporations in today’s intensely competitive business scenario. Spurred by constantly changing technological, economic, and political conditions, most business managements continue to look towards achieving constant all round growth, not just to obtain competitive advantage and to satisfy their stakeholders, but also to fuel market prices of company shares, business valuations and the concomitant increases in performance bonuses and management remuneration (Beamish, 1988). Businesses have traditionally grown through strategies of internal growth and acquisition, acquisitions often enlarging the size of businesses manifold, much more in fact than organic internal growth could ever have done (Beamish, 1988). The recent acquisition of Arcelor by the Mittals of London is illustrative of how an acquisition can propel a company to the forefront of an industry in terms of size, sales, geographic spread, and profits. Capital acquisition, though undoubtedly the most effective vehicle for achieving strategic growth requires significant resources and is unfortunately not a very viable option for most companies, especially those which are young, dynamic, ambitious, and look towards achieving fast growth through enlargement of geographical spread, entry into new territories, accessing of new and more sophisticated technology, and enhancement of product portfolio (Gannon, 1993). Swallowing smaller businesses not being very possible for such organizations, their route for growth leads them towards forging alliances with other business firms through various arrangements, be they strategic alliances, representations, franchises or joint ventures (Gannon, 1993). Joint ventures (JVs) allow two business firms, irrespective of their legal status, (private/public stock corporations or partnerships) to come together through a legal entity in which both companies contribute equity and share in the control and profits of the venture. Very obviously joint ventures have many advantages (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). They enable and empower companies to increase and improve their operations by using their strengths, spreading costs as well as risks, enhancing financial access and strength, achieving economies of scale, and accessing technologies and markets (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). The JV process opens up companies to new thoughts, helps in increasing competitive advantages and enables them to achieve their strategic goals through the creation of synergies with other organizations, acquisition of technologies and skills and diversification of activity (Geringer and Hebert, 1989). With such a range of advantages to be gained from the activity the setting up of joint ventures has come to form an integral part of the corporate strategy of most progressive and ambitious companies. Definition of Problem Whilst joint ventures have become an accepted, popular and much used mechanism for the attainment of a number of strategic objectives of different companies, their rate of success ironically continues to be low (Harrigan, 1988). Some management experts, who have in the past attributed this low success rate to basic incompatibilities between different cultures and attitudes towards business, are at a loss to explain why the failure rate of such activity continues to be high even for ventures between companies that belong to the same country (Harrigan, 1988). To take the issue a step further there have also been occasions of JVs failing between two companies, not just of the same country but also of the same group (Harrigan, 1988). Although many such ventures do progress to doing business and making profits, their overall achievements tend to be less than what was originally envisaged, such mediocre results often leading to loss of partner interest, the relegation of the venture to that of a less important activity and subsequently to the search for buyers for the business (Beamish, 1988). International joint ventures of course fare even worse, a fact that has led many experts to wonder whether the establishment of joint ventures are strategically sound decisions or fall into the category of basically risky business decisions whose success depends on the playing out of a number of unpredictable factors (Beamish, 1988). One of the major reasons leading to failures or their less than happy performances of joint ventures, management experts believe, lies with the coming together of wrong people, or to put it in the perspective of one of the partners, the wrong selection of a JV partner (Geringer, 1988). Research Objective This research paper aims to investigate the various issues that are considered during the selection of JV partners, particularly the strategic reasons that are involved in the formation of international joint ventures, the areas of difficulty and the potential points of conflict that could occur between partners during the course of the JV, and the different issues that need to be considered at the time of selection of partner and the sealing of the JV. Methodology and Structure The methodology for researching this paper follows from the framing of the research objective and deals with the most appropriate means of accessing relevant data. Such methodology involves choosing between adoption of quantitative or qualitative research methods and deciding whether to obtain data from primary and/or secondary sources. Quantitative methods, being best suited for research papers that require data to be obtained from many respondents, are not appropriate in the present context. Considering the complexity of the issue being investigated, the subjective nature of information to be analysed, and the interpretation required, as also the need to answer â€Å"how† and â€Å"why† questions, the paper calls for the adoption of qualitative methods. The methodology entails collection of information from secondary and primary sources through the study of available literature on the subject, the bibliography at the end of the paper listing the various publications studied for the purpose. Whilst the study would have been qualitatively enhanced by direct 121 interviews with managers with experience of international joint ventures, such interviews are difficult to arrange at this moment because of the economic crisis and the tremendous disturbance in the corporate world. The paper thus depends exclusively upon a study of the relevant literature for arriving at the findings. Information available on JVs, although extensive and qualitatively rich, is fragmented, and information has had to be obtained from various sources. Whilst the paper is limited by lack of information from individuals with direct first hand experience of joint ventures, efforts have been taken to consult a variety of information sources from different authors and institutions for purposes of cross validation and verification. The review of literature is taken up in the following section, which in turn is followed by an analysis of the findings, conclusions, and suggestions.

Counselor Interviews

Ethics in the field of marital and family psychology is a very sensitive subject to both the clientele treated and the counselors. The issue of ethics as it pertains to marital and family counseling can create barriers and obstacles preventing clients from being able to fully trust the counselor.Other ethical concerns vary from whether or not to inform a parent of their child’s admitted illegal drug use to that of having a client who divulges having a life-threatening sexually transmitted disease but does not wish to have their spouse informed. Different accredited psychiatric associations have developed and implemented a defined code of ethics upon which each participating member is responsible in upholding (ACA, 2005; Leong, 2008)). Education and training for licensed counselors serve as a platform to provide answers to ethical dilemmas, however; it is up to the individual counselor as to how he or she chooses to respond.Chase and Gina provide marital and family counseling t o a variety of individuals. Chase works for a private mental health group and has been practicing for the last eight years. Gina is a licensed counselor working for a public mental health services organization. She has been employed at the same office for the last fourteen years. As professional counselors, both Chase and Gina indicate that the defined code of ethics outlined by the American Counseling Association (ACA) serves as a major tool of ethical reference (personal communication, May 18, 2010; ACA, 2005).Ethical Dilemmas I. Chase He was providing marital counseling for a very troubled couple (personal communication, May 18, 2010). The couple had entered into marital counseling because of issues of trust, mistrust, and possible infidelity. The wife was asserting that her husband had PSYCHOLOGY 3 been unfaithful. One evening after work, Chase stopped by the local grocery store. After pulling in he noticed a couple engaged in a very passionate kiss.Much to his surprise, he disc overed that the female involved in the kiss was in fact the accusing wife whom he was currently counseling. She immediately disengaged from kissing her male companion after she recognized her counselor. At the next counseling session, the married couple indicated that the wife had admitted to her infidelities. The husband asserted that he had already filed for divorce, but he wanted to inform the counselor in person and request that his counseling continue on an individual basis. The wife asserted that she, too, wished to continue with individual therapy.As a result, Chase declined to provide the requested individual therapy, but did provide them each with referrals. His decision to do so was based on the probability of being called as a potential witness in the pending divorce proceedings (Hecker & Wetchler, 2003). II. Gina A memorable case of ethics for Gina involved a mother and her three teenage children. The family had been referred for services via the local family court follo wing a very difficult divorce and custody battle in which the husband, and father to the children, had just left.The mother had been diagnosed with Bipolar I over three years ago, but she had great difficulty in getting her manic episodes under control. As a result, her children had to be placed into foster care in order to protect their safety and well-being. After much therapy and many medication changes, the mother was deemed well enough to be a fit parent and was awarded custody. At a family session, the counselor noticed that the mother was acting out of sorts. She was extremely talkative but was not making much sense.She rambled from one subject to the next and was unable to sit down, all the while walking and pacing around the room. The counselor excused PSYCHOLOGY 4 herself from the room citing that she had to check on something, and she went and retrieved one of her supervising colleagues. He re-entered the session and was properly introduced. Gina felt it best if the child ren were not present at this particular juncture, so she invited the children to wait in an adjoining office where they could watch television.The oldest child indicated that his mom was doing it again; referencing the manic episode. Gina and her supervisor asked the mother if she was still taking her medications. The mother responded that she had discontinued her medications because they made her feel too tired and too groggy which interfered with her being able to take care of her children. The mother then questioned the counselors as to why there were so many bugs crawling on the walls. Gina then asked the mother if she would be willing to go to the hospital for a day or two in order to get her medications regulated. The mother refused.Gina chose to have the mother involuntarily committed as her mania and delusions provided that she could be of harm not only to herself but to her minor children as well (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2007). While issues involving ethics often seems to center around the function and professional abilities of the counselor, they also come from the client (Pope & Vasquez, 2007). Some clients are very concerned over the issues of confidentiality. This can lead both the counselor and the client to a dead end if the client does not trust the counselor enough to support his or her privacy.Some clients will test the ethical boundaries of the counselor as a means for determining the level of trust to be bestowed on the counselor. This is especially true in the ethical dilemma faced by Chase. In Gina’s case, she was faced with the issue of protecting the physical and mental well-being of her clients, the entire family. Involuntary commitment is usually a last PSYCHOLOGY 5 resort for counselors who are trying to help their clients.In rare instances, some clients will hinder the counselor with unwelcomed sexual advances. Counselors like Gina and Chase received much training from their respected secondary educational institutions of l earning. This training and education was furthered during their graduate studies. Both counselors, however, explain that face-to-face experience is sometimes the best educator. It has been suggested that when an ethical dilemma is difficult to resolve, the best and most absolute measure to take is to consult with a supervising colleague.Other professional colleagues in the field may have already encountered a similar situation or know of someone that was involved in a similar dilemma (Kottler & Shepard, 2007). Ethical dilemmas will continue to plague and confuse psychiatric professionals. Clients will invariably continue raising ethical questions whether deliberately or unknowingly. Organizations like the American Counseling Association have attempted to define and outline a specific list of possible problems with possible solutions.Experience combined with education and training offer recourse to counselors whose dilemma may be more difficult to resolve than referring to the curren tly endorsed code of ethics. In the meantime, counselors will dutifully stand by their clientele and support their mental well-being, which is ultimately the most important ethic of all. References American Counseling Association (ACA). (2005). Ethics. Retrieved from http://www. counseling. org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2. aspx Corey, G. , Corey, M. , & Callanan, P. (2007).Issues and ethics in the helping profession (7th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Hecker, L. , & Wetchler, J. (2003). An introduction to marriage and family therapy. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Clinical Practice Press. Kottler, J. , & Shepard, D. (2007). Introduction to counseling: voices from the field (6th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Leong, F. (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Pope, K. , & Vasquez, M. (2007). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: a practical guide (3rd ed. ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Isetan Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Isetan Company - Essay Example Isetan Company I did my internship for 3 months at the buying office of Isetan in New York branch. It is located in the 40th street of Madison Avenue. I did the position of manager’s assistant and my main responsibilities were to research new American brands for Japanese buyers and to organize all schedule for fashion collections. This paper is written as the strategic analysis of Isetan, based on both internal and external business environments (SWOT and PEST analysis) The major strength of Isetan is its wide product range. Products like ladies wear, ladies accessories, bags and shoes, ladies cosmetics, and fragrances, watch, jewellery, babies/children wear, household/ interior goods, mean’s wear, men’s accessories, shoes, Men’s grooming, sports accessories etc are some of the products of Isetan. Isetan has products which can satisfy all the people irrespective of their age or gender and hence a family can depend Isetan for its complete purchasing needs. Another strength of Isetan is the research and development department. This department constantly monitoring the fashion trends all over the world and they were able to produce high quality fashion goods based on the changing needs of the customers. In other words, Isetan was able to foresee the trends in fashion and they were able to adapt themselves based on that. They never rely entirely on one kind of product for their business. Children, adults and old people, all are dealt with equal importance and hence all the customers who visit Isetan department stores will return with utmost satisfaction.

SWOT Presentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SWOT Presentation - Research Paper Example Each village has a major subtropical swimming paradise that is heart to its activities with a constant temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the area is filled with wild water rapids, spa pool, solaria and pools for children playing, wave pool, water slides in the midst of luxuriant tropical trees and other plants. The Sherwood Forest village was the first of the Center Parcs villages opened in July 1987; it can accommodate over 4,200 guests per break on a 400 acre facility (Center Parcs, 2012). It also has a range of leisure, outdoor and indoor facilities. The villages offer luxurious but relaxed atmosphere and holidays over short breaks: weekends and midweek breaks all year round as well as increased stays during normal periods of visiting. This strategy has been successful in that each village records occupancy figures of above 90% and repeated bookings in a year that rise above 60% (Center Parcs, 2012). Strategic Business Units at Center Parcs These are the organizat ional units/villages developed by Center Parcs Ltd. and function independently but under one corporation, Center Parcs. Center Parcs Ltd had four villages, namely Sherwood Forest, Elveden Forest Brandon in Suffolk, Oasis Whinfell Forest Penrith Cumbria and Longleat Forest in Warminster, Wilshire (Center Parcs, 2012). Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire This village boosts a conference centre, the Venue, which has a variety of modern and comfortable air-conditioned rooms of varying sizes. Delegates enjoy this village due to its ideal atmosphere in a peaceful environment. In addition, Center Parcs (2012) reveals that the village has a wide range of leisure activities as well as the Aqua Sana spa to ensure a relaxed mind after meetings. The Venue has rooms that can accommodate up to a maximum of 600 guests while other rooms like at the Major Oak can accommodate 300 guests (Center Parcs, 2012). Other rooms are available at various points at the Sherwood Forest village. Whinfell Forest, Cum bria This village is located on the rim of Lake District that boosts wildlife and is home to few colonies of Red Squirrels still surviving in the UK. This village is the best in providing activities involving energetic building of teams, informal meetings or relaxing retreats. The village’s Green Room can accommodate a maximum of 350 guests (Center Parcs, 2012). Elveden Forest, Suffolk Similar to Sherwood Forest village, this village too has the Venue - a purpose built conference room with a variety of modern and comfortable air-conditioned rooms of varying sizes. Delegates enjoy this village due to its environment. Anglia 1, 2, 3 accommodates a maximum of 450 guests while the least, 8, can be accommodated at Wolsey. Longleat Forest, Wiltshire Longleat Forest is home to the Venue – a conference centre purposefully built for meetings of delegates who come here due to peaceful setting and an environment that enables them to prepare constructively for their meetings and o ther activities. In addition, the village has a variety of modern rooms well equipped with air conditioners and of varying sizes. The wide variety of leisure activities, including the ward winning spa, Aqua Sana, ensures that the delegates are well refreshed and relaxed before and after their meetings. The Venue can accommodate a