How Has Globalization Affected Corporate Strategy in the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

How Has Globalization Affected Corporate Strategy in the 21st Century Essay In the last 21 years the notion of a multinational company has changed significantly. This is best demonstrated by the 1973 United Nations definition, which clearly stated an enterprise is multinational if it controls assets, factories, mines, sales offices, and the like in two or more countries (Bartlett, Ghoshal 2000 p.3). As we know a multinational corporation is much more then just that it controls foreign assets, it must also have a substantial direct investment in foreign countries, as well as engaging in some form of management of these foreign assets. The evolution of corporations over this time has been somewhat difficult and by no means is the process of change finalized. As with most things this evolution and learning process could be seen as being life long. The environment in which we operate clearly evolves each year and to stay ahead businesses are now required to stay ahead of developments to compete. Some of the slower players, such as Phillips (Bartlett 1999) merely lost market share through this evolution, others in the past and perhaps in the future will lose their businesses. To understand the importance of multinational corporations in relation to the world economy we see that they account for over 40 percent of the worlds manufacturing output, and almost a quarter of world trade (Bartlett, Ghoshal 2000 p.3). Although the focus is often on the larger players such as Ford, Procter and Gamble, or Coca Cola as time progresses it is more the smaller companies which we will need to keep an eye on, as they become important players, especially in international niche markets(Bartlett, Ghoshal 2000 p.3). Traditionally there were three motivations for most organisations to enter international markets, or to undertake investment overseas. These were: 1. Suppliers the ongoing need to source supplies for operations (adapted from Bartlett, Ghoshal 1989, 2000). 2. Markets seeking additional markets to sell products. Traditionally companies went international to sell excess production lines, or to meet one off needs. The market then moved to increased competition where players were keen to be the first mover to a market, so as to gain a competitive advantage. Corporations were often driven by the home country size, with the need for further consumers for ongoing viability and growth (adapted from Bartlett, Ghoshal 1989, 2000) 3. Lower Cost by seeking production facilities which would attract lower labor costs and hence higher profits. Clothing and electronics were the first movers in this strategy, usually looking to developing countries such as China or Taiwan. This is still used somewhat today as a strategy, such as large call centers providing services in India for most Australian banks (adapted from Bartlett, Ghoshal 1989, 2000) It is not my intention to go into the advantages and disadvantages of a corporation entering an international market, or to continue to operate in an international market, beyond the above three initial drivers. What is imperative that in the 21st Century an organisation must seek a strategy that meets the organisations ongoing needs which is clear and precise so as to provide direction for future growth. Due to the ongoing worldwide demand after WWII, most organisations prospered when entering international markets. Often however the strategies to entry were ad hoc and did not provide clear objectives or guidance for ongoing management. Operations were based on an ethnocentric approach. Even though at the time they were referred to as Multinational Corporations, literature now refers to them as International Corporations. As international operations expanded and took on a more important role in the organisation, such as being a key profit centre, or perhaps a product innovation being conceived in an offshore operation, they tended to come under increased management scrutiny, such as the case with Fuji Xerox (Gomes-Casseres, McQuade 1991). This then progressed the corporation to a multinational approach, international markets being as important or even more important then the home market, which is more a polycentric approach to management. The potential from these operations were reviewed by management; the possibilities for cost reductions due to standardization moved most corporations onto the next phase being the global corporation mentality. This is that the entire world is a potential market. Retaining a image from their initial home country, such as McDonalds, they seek to enter all markets to service all customers, hence a regiocentric or geocentric philosophy of management. Bartlett and Ghoshal have gone beyond this to advocate the development of the transnational corporation. This takes the concept of global corporations one step further. Corporations to prosper in a globally competitive environment, should concentrate wherever possible on responding to cost pressures, leveraging of knowledge and information, whilst ensuring local responsiveness to consumer needs (1989 p.13). Cost reduction are imperative to ensure the ongoing viability of corporations. The sharing of costs globally for items such as R D and mass production both provide examples of significant cost reductions, while enhancing learning and knowledge. By increasing the availability of information across the group you are more likely to also encounter a higher quality product as the innovation and knowledge is shared for the corporations greater good. Often companies forget that knowledge does not just reside in just the home country. Important information such as the local consumer market are often best to be determined by local managers so as to respond to local needs. In relation to local responsiveness Theodore Levitt (1983) provides a somewhat extreme view of the global market. His philosophy is that technological, social and economic developments over the last two decades have combined to create a unified world marketplace in which companies must capture global-scale economies to remain competitive. As we have discussed, the need to become competitive through reduction in costs is imperative for every business. However Levitts concept of a unified marketplace with homogenous needs has still some way to go. As researched by Procter and Gamble even how we wash our clothes differs throughout the world, sometimes even within each country. The provision of a standardized product to suit all in this industry would be a failure due to not meeting the needs of local consumers (Bartlett 1983). When we review these three elements of cost reduction, leverage of knowledge and local responsiveness we are aware that these terms are somewhat contradictory. History tells us that to provide local responsiveness you need to increase costs to increase the number of products which meet a specific consumer groups needs. The alternative is to standardize products to achieve economies of scale during production and marketing. Caterpillar has somewhat successfully implemented such a strategy. They redesigned their products around the use of standardized components. These are produced on mass through large production facilities to reduce the component costs and provide economies of scale. Machines are then transported to foreign markets where localized knowledge and components adapt the machines to the needs of local consumers (Srinivasa 1985). The overall approach is that they are able to combine all three elements of the transnational approach. Corporations also need to be aware of the increasingly complex nature of undertaking business in an international market. Social, cultural, and political environments, as well as currency fluctuations, and geographic diversity need to be considered carefully in any decision to undertake a foreign operation. It is best to research thoroughly and constantly review any strategy for overseas ventures as situations can change as in any business venture quite quickly. An example of this would be the increased use of Indonesia as a low cost production base for Australian corporations. With the increased political instability and also terrorism most corporations would be considering the ongoing viability of continuing in this market. Finally corporations need to be aware that to make any significant changes to an corporation strategy or structure it is both extremely complex, time consuming and challenging. As Ford has discovered, by constantly changing strategies to seek higher profitability, all they have been able to achieve has been another announcement of huge losses in 2001 from failed global ventures (Hill, Jones 2004 p276). The move to a transnational approach for most corporations would need to be a slow progression, while for some it is even perhaps out of reach. By focusing on the main elements of cost reduction, knowledge leveraging and local differentiation perhaps this will provide an avenue in the future for continued competitive advantage in an environment which is slowly moving towards Levitts concept of the global village (1983). Perhaps the key lies with Bartlett and Ghoshal when they tell us that companies must now respond simultaneously to diverse and often conflicting strategic needs. Today, no firm can succeed with a relatively unidimensional strategic capability that emphasizes only efficiency, or responsiveness, or leveraging of parent company knowledge and competencies. To win, a company must now achieve all three goals at the same time (1989 p 25). REFERENCE LISTING Bartlett, Christopher A. 1983 Case 6-1 Proctor and Gamble Europe: Vizir Launch, taken from Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 2000 Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill International Editions, Singapore, pp 632 647. Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 1989 Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution, Harvard Business School Press, Boston Massachusetts. Barlett, Christopher A. 1999 Case 2 -4 Phillips and Matsushita 1998: Growth of 2 Companies, taken from Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 2000 Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill International Editions, Singapore, pp 164 -180 Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 2000 Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill International Editions, Singapore. Gomes-Casseres, Benjamin McQuade, Krista 1991 Case 4-1 Xerox and Fuji Xerox, taken from Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 2000 Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill International Editions, Singapore, pp 418 443 Hill, Charles W. L Jones, Gareth R. 2004 Strategic Management Theory: An Integrated Approach, 6th Edn, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Levitt, T. 1983 The Globalization of Markets Harvard Business Review, May June, pp. 92 102. Srinivasa, Rangan V. 1985 Case 3-1 Caterpillar Tractor Co., taken from Bartlett, Christopher A. Ghoshal, Sumantra 2000 Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill International Editions, Singapore, pp 259 279.

Venice and Belmont Essay Example for Free

Venice and Belmont Essay Compare and contrast the different worlds and different values of Venice and Belmont as presented in Act 1 of The Merchant of Venice Venice and Belmont are cities of contrast. Using examples of language, style of expression and characters I shall compare and contrast Venice as the centre of trade and wealth to the fictional Belmont, a fairytale place where love and happiness are the main concerns. I shall also consider the society that is depicted in each location and look at how this links to views of the audience both in Shakespeares time and in present day. The audience is introduced to the world of Venice in the first scene. Venice is concerned almost solely with wealth and trade, which mirrors the view the Shakespearean audience would have had of it at the time. The language used by Antonio, Salarino and Solanio is dominated with the subject of trade. Your mind is tossing on the ocean There where your argosies with portly sail The style of language Shakespeare uses varies between Venice and Belmont. The characters in Venice talk in verse using elaborate conceits to show their intelligence as was fashionable at the time. Even when attempting to cheer Antonio up, Salarino uses this as a chance to show off his wit and intelligence. This compares to the simpler but still humorous language used by the women in Belmont and suggest that perhaps it is not possible to be as open in Venice as in Belmont. I will do anything, Nerissa, ere I will be married to a sponge The merchants are more concerned with appearing successful then discussing their real feelings. A different interpretation of this is that as the first scene contains only men they are attempting to show off, as opposed to the women in Belmont who are happier to talk openly together. With speech full of references to business, Salarino and Solanio convey worry and anxiety towards Antonios ventures. This emphasises the fact that the main concerns of Venice are financial. My wind cooling my broth Would blow me to an ague when I thought What harm a wind too great might do at sea This preoccupation with wealth and trade is further established when the issue of Antonios sadness is discussed. The first reason for his melancholy that is immediately given, is the idea that he is concerned about his merchandise being lost at sea. Believe me sir, had I such ventures forth The better part of my affection would Be with my hopes abroad It is only after Antonio dismisses this as the reason for his sadness that the idea of love is put forward. This contrasts greatly with Belmont where Portias sadness is immediately explained as being down to the fact she cannot choose her husband. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one, nor refuse none? The main concern of Belmont is quickly established as not the qualms of merchants but of a fathers love for his daughter. Love is the governing factor in Belmont and dominates the conversation between Portia and Nerissa. But what warmth is there in your affection towards any of these princely suitors This emphasis on love rather than riches contrasts with the leading concern of Venice. Even when Bassanio and Antonio are discussing Portia as a potential wife they do so in terms of wealth. The first words that Bassanio uses to describe Portia are a lady richly left. He describes her worth in terms of merchandise, referring to her as the golden fleece, a risky venture but one that if he succeeds, will make him very wealthy. This attitude of love being reliant on wealth is mirrored in the loan that Antonio gives to Bassanio. In Venice it is only through lending him money that Antonio can express his depth of friendship with Bassanio while in Belmont love is discussed openly. A rather unpleasant comparison between Venice and Belmont is the racism apparent in both societies. The scene between Antonio and Shylock demonstrates the prejudice against Jews in the 16th Century. You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine This prejudice towards others of a different culture is continued in Belmont. Portia dismisses the Prince of Morocco before even meeting him saying she would never marry him if his skin were black. If he have the condition of a saint, and the complexion of a devil, I had rather he should shrive me than wive me. The idea of risk plays an important role in both Venice and Belmont but there are differences between them which mirrors the attitudes of the two societies. In Venice the ventures that are made in Act 1 both concern money. The first deals with the risk Antonio has taken by tying up so mush of his wealth on merchandise at sea. The second risk that is taken in Venice is born of hatred and greed, when Shylocks dislike of Antonio leads him to make the bond of flesh Let the forfeit Be nominated for an equal pound Of your fair flesh, This differs from the casket test that suitors must take in order to marry Portia. Although it deals with a great risk, on choosing the wrong casket the man may never marry, being set in Belmont the venture deals with love rather than money. Despite this, money is still a factor as the test deals with the worth of Portia over the value of the casket. The distinctions between Venice and Belmont may have been viewed differently in Shakespearean times from present day. The casket test was a common myth in Shakespeares time and his linking this folk tale to Belmont emphasise it as a fictional, fairytale location detached from the rest of the world. A Shakespearean audience would have made this link but in the 20th Century this idea may not be understood. The idea of marrying for money rather than love as Bassanio intends to do in scene 1 would have been familiar concept in the 16th Century. Today this would probably looked upon with disapproval. This is also true of the treatment of Shylock in the play. Present day audiences would probably view this very much as an anti-Semitic play because they have been influenced by changing attitudes to religion and by the plays use as a propaganda tool in the Second World War. Mark you this, Bassanio. The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose A Shakespearean audience would have found this treatment of Jews as customary and would have been much more aware of the central theme of the play being love versus greed rather than just a display of anti-Semitism. The differences between the world of the Venice and Belmont are subtle but numerous. Through Shakespeares use of language and characters Venice is quickly established as the seat of the wealthy trading world. Belmont is seen much more as a fictional location more concerned with love and happiness then ships and trade. The varying styles in which Shakespeare writes emphasises these differences. The context in which the play is performed has greatly changed since the 16th Century. A present day audience would view this s a much more anti-Semitic play then a Shakespearean audience would have done. Likewise 16th Century spectators would have been much more aware of the differences between the two locations. Attitudes continue to change and Shakespeares plays continue to be performed. Undoubtedly interpretations and attitudes towards this play will continue to evolve.

Reviews And Summary Of The Kite Runner English Literature Essay

Reviews And Summary Of The Kite Runner English Literature Essay THIS powerful first novel, by an Afghan physician now living in California, tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseinis privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his countrys revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. A more personal plot, arising from Amirs close friendship with Hassan, the son of his fathers servant, turns out to be the thread that ties the book together. The fragility of this relationship, symbolized by the kites the boys fly together, is tested as they watch their old way of life disappear. Amir is served breakfast every morning by Hassan; then he is driven to school in the gleaming family Mustang while his friend stays home to clean the house. Yet Hassan bears Amir no resentment and is, in fact, a loyal companion to the lonely boy, whose mother is dead and whose father, a rich businessman, is often preoccupied. Hassan protects the sensitive Amir from sadistic neighborhood bullies; in turn, Amir fascinates Hassan by reading him heroic Afghan folk tales. Then, during a kite-flying tournament that should be the triumph of Amirs young life, Hassan is brutalized by some upper-class teenagers. Amirs failure to defend his friend will haunt him for the rest of his life. Hosseinis depiction of pre-revolutionary Afghanistan is rich in warmth and humor but also tense with the friction between the nations different ethnic groups. Amirs father, or Baba, personifies all that is reckless, courageous and arrogant in his dominant Pashtun tribe. He loves nothing better than watching the Afghan national pastime, buzkashi, in which galloping horsemen bloody one another as they compete to spear the carcass of a goat. Yet he is generous and tolerant enough to respect his sons artistic yearnings and to treat the lowly Hassan with great kindness, even arranging for an operation to mend the childs harelip. As civil war begins to ravage the country, the teenage Amir and his father must flee for their lives. In California, Baba works at a gas station to put his son through school; on weekends he sells secondhand goods at swap meets. Here too Hosseini provides lively descriptions, showing former professors and doctors socializing as they haggle with their customers over black velvet portraits of Elvis. Despite their poverty, these exiled Afghans manage to keep alive their ancient standards of honor and pride. And even as Amir grows to manhood, settling comfortably into America and a happy marriage, his past shame continues to haunt him. He worries about Hassan and wonders what has happened to him back in Afghanistan. The novels canvas turns dark when Hosseini describes the suffering of his country under the tyranny of the Taliban, whom Amir encounters when he finally returns home, hoping to help Hassan and his family. The final third of the book is full of haunting images: a man, desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in the market; an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; a rouged young boy forced into prostitution, dancing the sort of steps once performed by an organ grinders monkey. When Amir meets his old nemesis, now a powerful Taliban official, the book descends into some plot twists better suited to a folk tale than a modern novel. But in the end were won over by Amirs compassion and his determination to atone for his youthful cowardice. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence forces that continue to threaten them even today. Edward Howers latest novel is A Garden of Demons. A former Fulbright lecturer in India, he teaches in the writing department of Ithaca College. Opinion 1: We agree with this review, its sort of a short summary. The reviewer thinks its a beautiful story and so do we. There arent any negative things about the book in this review. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E0DF123FF930A3575BC0A9659C8B63 Review 2: An Afghan hounded by his past. Khaled Hosseinis shattering debut work, The Kite Runner, is the first novel to fictionalise the Afghan culture for a Western readership The Kite Runner In this, apparently the first Afghan novel to be written in English, two motherless boys who learn to crawl and walk side by side, are destined to destroy each other across the gulf of their tribal difference in a country of dried mulberries, sour oranges, rich pomegranates and honey. Its a Shakespearean beginning to an epic tale that spans lives lived across two continents amid political upheavals, where dreams wilt before they bud and where a search for a child finally makes a coward into a man. The Kite Runner is the shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan doctor who received political asylum in 1980 as civil conflict devastated his homeland. Whatever the truth of the claim to be the first English-language Afghan novel, Hosseini is certainly the first Afghan novelist to fictionalise his culture for a Western readership, melding the personal struggle of ordinary people into the terrible historical sweep of a devastated country in a rich and soul-searching narrative. Over the last three decades, Afghanistan has been ceaselessly battered by Communist rule, Soviet occupation, the Mujahideen and a democracy that became a rule of terror. It is a history that can intimidate and exhaust an outsiders attempts to understand, but Hosseini extrudes it simply and quietly into an intimate account of love, honour, guilt, fear and redemption that needs no dry history book or atlas to grip and absorb. Amir is a privileged member of the dominant Pashtun tribe growing up in affluent Kabul in the Seventies. Hassan is his devoted servant and a member of the oppressed Hazara tribe whose first word was the name of his boy-master. The book focuses on the friendship between the two children and the cruel and shameful sacrifice the rich boy makes of his humble, adoring alter ego to buy the love of his own distant father. I ran because I was a coward, Amir realises, as he bolts from the scene that severs his friendship with Hassan, shatters his childhood and haunts him for the rest of his life. I actually aspired to cowardice. The book charts Amirs attempts to flee culpability for this act of betrayal, seeking asylum from his hellish homeland in California and a new life buried deep in black velvet portraits of Elvis. Amirs story is simultaneously devastating and inspiring. His world is a patchwork of the beautiful and horrific, and the book a sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled. The Kite Runner is about the price of peace, both personal and political, and what we knowingly destroy in our hope of achieving that, be it friends, democracy or ourselves. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/sep/07/fiction.features1 Opinion 2: In this review the opinion of the reviewer was more clear than in the first one. The reviewer describes the themes of the book and he picked out he important things of the book. We agree with this reviewer,  we also got a lot of respect for Khaled Hosseini and his story about his youth. Review 3: Pulled by the past An immigrant returns to Kabul in Bay Area authors first novel San Francisco ChronicleJune 8, 2003 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Behind the title of first novelist Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner lurks a metaphor so apt and evocative that even the author never fully exploits its power. For the benefit of readers who didnt grow up in Afghanistan as Hosseini and his alter ego Amir did a kite runner is a sort of spotter in the ancient sport of kite fighting. In a kite fight, competitors coat their kite strings in glue and ground glass, the better to cut their rivals moorings. While the fighters kite is swooping and feinting in an effort to rule the skies, his kite-running partner is racing to own the streets, chasing down all their opponents unmoored, sinking trophies. Its a fresh, arresting, immediately visual image, and Hosseini uses it well enough as a symbol for Amirs privileged Afghan childhood in the 1970s, when he and his faithful servant, Hassan, had the run of Kabuls streets. Near the novels end, when the adult Amir returns in secret to Taliban-controlled, sniper-infested Kabul in search of Hassans lost son, the contrast with his cosseted, kite-flying youth could scarcely be more pronounced, or more effective. But Hosseini could have deepened the symbolism even further if he hadnt ignored what, in essence, a kite fight really is: a proxy war. Heres Afghanistan, jerked around like a kite for most of its 20th century history by the British, the Soviets, the Taliban and us, played off against its neighbors by distant forces pulling all the strings, and Hosseini never once makes the connection. Its just too tempting a trick to leave on the table. Of course, its Hosseinis metaphor and he can do with it or not do with it as he pleases. Considering how traditionally and transparently he tells the rest of Amirs story, though, Hosseini wouldnt seem the type to go burying half-concealed ideas for readers to tease out. More likely, he instinctively hooked a great image but, alas, doesnt yet have the technique to bring it in for a landing. Its a small failing, symptomatic of this middlebrow but proficient, timely novel from an undeniably talented new San Francisco writer. Hosseinis antihero Amir narrates the book from the Bernal Heights home he shares with his wife, Soraya. Like Hosseini, Amirs a writer, modestly celebrated for literary novels with such pretentious-sounding titles as A Season of Ashes. But Amirs childhood in Kabul still haunts him, specifically his mysterious inability to earn the love of his philanthropically generous but emotionally withholding father, and his guilt about failing to protect his angelic half- caste old kite runner, Hassan, from a savage assault. When Amir receives a deathbed summons from his fathers business partner in Pakistan, he sees a chance to redeem himself from the secrets that have left him psychically stranded between Afghanistan and the United States. Unfortunately, we know all this because Amir tells us, and not just once. Listen to him here, on the verge of his rescue mission over the Khyber Pass: I was afraid the appeal of my life in America would draw me back, that I would wade back into that great, big river and let myself forget, let the things I had learned these last few days sink to the bottom. I was afraid that Id let the waters carry me away from what I had to do. From Hassan. From the past that had come calling. And from this one last chance at redemption. One might excuse all this melodramatic breathlessness as the reflexive self- examination of a character who, after all, writes novels with titles like A Season of Ashes. But Amirs not the only one given to overly explicit musings. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/08/RV24780.DTL Opinion 3: We dont agree with the  opinion of this reviewer, he is way more negative then the first two. He thinks Hosseini could have deepened the symbolism of the book even further. But we think the book is okay like it is now. Setting Place: The story takes place for most part in Afghanistan, in and around Kabul. Later on the setting moves to the United States/ America, in San Francisco, California. Then Amir goes back to Pakistan and Taliban ruled Afghanistan. The story ends in the United States. The place is important for the story because you can imagine how it was in Afghanistan before the occupation. Many people fled to America to build a new life. Time: The time is not that important. Only the cold war. Amir en Baba need to run to Pakistan and then to America. Character Amir: Amir is in his childhood 12 years old and lives in Kabul,Afghanistan. He is a Pashtun, that are the better and richer people in Afghanistan. Later he is 38 years old and lives in America. Amir is the half-brother of Hassan, but he doesnt know that yet. He finds out much later in the book. Amir is a writer he loves to tell stories and when he is a grown up he writes a book. He wants his father to love him for who he is. Because his father rather wanted to see other qualities like Hassan has in Amir. Hassan: Hassan is the best friend of Amir in his childhood. Amir never told him that but Hassan knew they were. Hassan is a Hazzara which means he is almost worth nothing in the believe in Kabul. He has a china doll face and green eyes. Hassan has a father called Ali, who later turned out to be not his father but Baba was his father, he never knew that. Hassan always fights for Amir. Hassan would do anything that Amir asks him to do. He is the slave of Amir. Later he gets married and have a son called Sohrab. He and his wife get murdered by the Taliban and Sohrab goes to a orphanage. Assef: Assef is the bully of the neighbourhood. He has blond hair and blue eyes so he is very beautiful. He is the one that rapes Hassan. Later in the orphanage he also rapes Sohrab, the son of Hassan. But Amir and Sohrab fight to him and they could escape. Assef becomes part of the Taliban. And is very extreme he believes in the ideas of Hitler. Baba: Baba is the father of Amir and Hassan. Baba has a good running business which no one thought he could do that. His best friend is Rahim Khan. He stands for the rights of human and does not discriminate. He says that the only sin you can make is theft. When you kill someone you steel his life, you steel someones son, father or husband. Baba wants Amir to be more like Hassan. Because Amir reads poetry just like his mother but Hassan can fight and do boys stuff. At the end of the book Baba dies because of lung cancer. Ali: Ali is a childhood friend of Baba, he is also the servant of Baba. He has a son Hassan, who later turned out to be not his son. He had Polio so he is cripple. The children in town laugh at him and call him names. He was killed by a landmine. Rahim Khan: Rahim Khan is the best friend of Baba and also his business partner. Rahim Kahn supports Amir in Writing because Baba doesns, he buys a book where he can writes his stories in for Amir. Rahim Khan is the one who calls Amir and also the one who tells Amir that Hassan was his half-brother. He tells him to come and get the son of Hassan. At the end of the story he disappears and leaves a letter for Amir. Soraya: Soraya is an Afghan woman who lives in America with Amir. She is the wife of Amir. She has a father who is a general. But in there culture she is not clean. When they lived in Afghanistan she ran away with here boyfriend and had sex before marriage. Her father brought here back, but after that nobody wanted her anymore, except for Amir offcourse. She cannot have children but later they adopt Sohrab. Sohrab: Sohrab is the son of Hassan he is just like hes father in many ways. They look quite the same and Sohrab can also shoot very good with a sling-shot. He is also raped By Assef and was traumatized. He tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists. He is adopted by Amir and Soraya. Plot Introduction: The story begins in America when Amir is called bij Rahim Khan. That is the moment that there is action in the story. Amir tells about his history, his childhood with Hassan. Initial incident: Hassan gets raped by Assef. Amir sees it but wont do a thing. Amir wants Hassan to go away. And hides the watch he had on his birthday. Hassan and Ali move away. The war starts and Baba and Amir run to Pakistan, later to America Rising action: Rahim Khan calls Amir and tells him to go to Pakistan to get his redemption from the past. The son of Hassan needs to be safed. Climax: Amir is in Kabul and saves Sohrab the son of Ali. He fights with Assef. Sohrab shot in the eye of Assef. Falling action: Amir and Sohrab are back in Pakistan and they need to get back to America, but Sohrab has no visa. Soraya the wife of Amir she has here connections and she can adopt Sohrab. Summary On a sunny day in 2001 Amir calls from Rahim Khan, the best friend of his father. The book is about a boy named Amir. He lives with his father, Baba and their servants Ali and Hassan. Saunaubar, Amirs mother was deceased when he was born. Amir is a Pashtun, a Soenni muslim. Hassans mother, Sanaubar, has run off with another man. Hassan is a Hazara, a Shia muslim. Mahmood is also a good friend of Baba. Mahmood is a pilot and has a German woman and a son named Assef. One day Hassan and Amir are on their way to the pomegranate tree. Under this tree Amir reads stories to Hassan. Later closed Assef, and his friends Kamal and Wali their in. Assef says that Hitler was a good man and that he also had to do with the Hazaras what he did to the Jews also. Hassan tied Assef and his friends with a slingshot. One day in 1974, just after Ramadan, Hassans birthday. He does not get gifts like toys, but an operation on his cleft lip. Dr Baba. Kumar surgeon invited to come and make an appointment for the surgery. Amir loves the winter in Kabul. Every year, Kite and Amir did run tournaments held each year. He wanted to be the first to fall more into the eyes of his father. Amir and Hassan went to the bazaar to buy material to make a kite. Baba saw that they were making a kite and said it might not be good enough for the competition. He took along to Saifo, the best kite maker in Kabul, Baba bought a kite for Amir and Hassan. The next day its snowing outside and Amir doubt for kiting. As Hassan says there is no monster, its a beautiful day Amir decides to go kiting. During kiting . his hands bleeding completely. After a while he is still in the final with a boy. Amir manages to keep the kite to cut and he wants the match. Amir still wanted the blue kite in the air. Hassan ran after the kite because he knows where the kites fall. Everyone congratulated Amir. Amir went searching for Hassan. He asked the people on the street if they had seen him. Omar, a son of one of the friends of his father, Ha ssan said that in the direction of the market went. At the bazaar Amir asked a man if he had seen Hassan. The man had seen him and told that he said: For you a thousand time over. Amir suddenly heard voices and noises. He recognized the voice of Hassan. He saw the three boys, Assef, Wali and Kamal with Hassan. The boys like the kite but Hassan would not given it. He said that Amir won the game fair. Assef said that nothing in the world is fair. Wali and Kamal pushing Hassan to the ground and Assef raped him. Amir continues to see and do or say nothing at all. Eventually he runs away to the bazaar. He let Hassan down. Later Hassan runs in a hard way to Amir with the kite in his hand. His father is very proud of him. Hassan feeling pretty good and not so he would only sleep. Ali thinks that something is and asks Hassan to Amir. Amir would have been possible with his father and do things. They go to Jalalabad, the cousin live there, his wife and two daughters (twins) and Karima Fazila. Amir is carsick and throws up on Fazila back in the car. When they come home, Hassan and Amir didnt talk to each other. A few days later Hassan asks Amir if hes coming to the bakery. Amir says he doesnt want it so Hassan asks what he has done wrong. Amir asks his father if they start taking new servants, Baba is angry, saying: Hassans not going anywhere. He is staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and were his family. Amir get for his birthday a stingray and wrist watch from his father. Rahim Khan gives him a notebook to write his stories. Amir write a story about the life of Hassan. Hassan loved it and later said that Amir would be a great writer. Amir could not live with his guilt that he had done nothing when Hassan was raped, but also because he felt that Hassan get sometimes more attention than him. When Ali and Hassan went to the bazaar Amir put his new watch and some money under the mattress of Hassan. He told Baba that his watch was missing. eventually they find it under the mattress of Hassan. Amir hopes that Baba accused Hassan of theft from their home and move. But that is not the case. Baba forgives Hassan. From self-esteem Ali and Hassan go away. Baba does everything to let them stay, but nothing can stop them. They go to Hazarajat to Alis cousin. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, early 1980, flights Amir and his father to Peshwar, Pakistan. On the way into the tank theyre all acquaintances, including Kamal and his father. The mother was shot dead by Kamal and Kamal has a trauma left over so he can not talk. Kamal is dead the next morning. His father can not take it anymore and shoots himself with a bullet in his mouth. Amir and Baba flight from Pakistan to the United States in 1980. Amir builds a new life, but he fails to mention Hassan. Amir goes to school to become a writer and Baba find work at a gas station. Amir gets a Ford from his father. Baba is very ill. The doctors discovered that he has lung cancer. Baba does not want chemotherapy, only painkillers. Amir and Baba go in their spare time to the market for selling used products. Amir get to learn Soraya and fall in love with her. Her father is General Mr. Sahib. Iqbal. He worked for ministery of Defense. Baba buy a VW from an old acquaintance. Amir and Soraya talk. Soraya want them to read stories written by Amir. Sorayas mother, Jamila finds Amir is a nice guy. When it is New year Amir and Baba are walking a bit outside. Baba falls on the ground and theres blood from his mouth. Hes just unconscious. Baba is taken to hospital. Baba told Amir that he likes Soraya and Baba agree with it, so Amir and Soraya are goint to marry. Soraya wants to talk to him on the phone. She said that she is impure. And she has had some problems with her ex boyfriend. Soraya thought Amir would not want her after she said that. The day after the wedding the aunt and uncle from Soraya came to visite. They played a game with Amir. That night Baba Soraya wanted to give his medication but he did not. He said he had no pain. From that evening Baba never woke up. Amir writes books about father and son. His book is crowned. Amir and Soraya learn that they cant have children. Soraya doesnt want a child addoption she wants to feel how its like to be pregnant. . When Sorayas father learned that she had gone to bed before her marriage, she was imprisoned and had all her hair cut off. She wished that her father died. 2001, Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan. He said that he is very ill and that he wants to see Amir before his deat. He lives in Pakistan. They talk about Baba and the occupation of Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Taliban has expelled the Russians from Afghanistan. People thought they were saved. But that was wrong. Rahim said could care no longer for the house of Amir and Baba. He decided to go to Hassan and Ali and with difficulty he could persuade Hassan. Rahim did not sell the house because of the great memories. Hassan was married and had one son, Sohrab. His wife was pregnant with a daughter. Amir reads the letter that Hassan had written for him. Hassan and his wife were shot by the Taliban. Sohrab was arrested and placed in an orphanage. Amir Rahim wish now that he is going to save Sohrab because all the children in that orphanage are in the hands of the Taliban. Rahim also said that Ali is not the real father of Hassan, because he could get no children. Baba is the father of Ha ssan only he has a different mother. If Amir hears this hes very angry, because they had concealed for them the fact that they are step brothers. Amir thinks about the past and now know why Baba never forget Hassans birthday. When Amir Baba asked if she would take new servants said Baba yet,Hassans not going anywhere, hed barked. He is staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and were his family.Amir feels guilty. He decides to go to Kabul to rescue Sohrab. Farid, the taxi driver and friend of Rahim, takes him to Kabul. Along the way, they stayed with the brother of Farid. Amir sees for the first time in his life a Taliban soldier. He also meets an old classmate of his mother. The man told a few things, but a lot has forgotten. Eventually they go to a orphange. The location of the orphanage where Sohrab would sit, is lent to a ruler of the Taliban, monthly boys or girls from the orphanage will get to satisfy his sexual needs. Zaman is the boss. Farid will fight with Zaman. Amir should go with Farid to the stadium, to look at the man who has a black sunglasses. Amir goes to the home of the Taliban fighter. Amir recognized the man, it is Assef. Assef says Amir can take the child if he wins. Amir gets a slap in the face with brass knuckles. He gets a tear in his lip. Sohrad shoot a stone in the eye from Assef with his slingshot. Assef concern Sohrab and Amir and this will give the opportunity to flee. Amir has to go to the hospital. In the taxi they fled to Pakistan. Rahim Khan is gone and left money for Amir he can use to return to America. It was a trick of Rahim Khan to get Amir that far he would take care of Sohrab. He knew of the betrayal of Amir and he realizes that this is the only way to give back to Hassan. Amir ask Soraya if she want to adopt Sohrab, she scared a bit. Amir hears how difficult it will be to get away Sohrab. He is advised to let Sohrab stay in Pakistan in an orphanage for a while, but Sohrab will no longer be in an orphanage and that Amir had pledged him. During a telephone call from Soraya she informs that she thinks she can adopt him in America, Sohrab cut his wrists. Fortunately, he saved time and then he recovers. Sohrab needs a visa to be allowed into the United States what takes a long time. Soraya finally able to arrange dates could take Sohrab to the United States. Amir adopted Sohrab and he buys a kite for Sohrab. The two of them kite fight together and win. For the first time Sohrab smiles for Amir. Then Amir use the phrase that Hassan always said to him: For you a thousend time over and run to fetch the kite. Theme There are a lot of themes in this book and mostly apply to all the characters. Father and son relationship: Baba has two sons but you think only Amir is the son of him. For Amir is Baba the smartest and strongest men in the whole entire world. Amir wants his father to be proud of him but Baba doesnt like the qualities of Amir. He wants Amir to be more like Hassan. Also the relation of Hassan and Sohrab they are a lot a like. They can both use the sling shot very well. Betrayal: Amir betrays Hassan by framing him for theft. Loyalty: The loyalty of Hassan to Amir because they are best friends but Hassan is also the servent of Amir. Also Ali to Baba when the watch is stolen from Amir. Ali wants to go away because of honor and loyalty. At the end of the book its the other way around now is Amir loyal to the son of Hassan, you can read that when Sohrab en Amir go kiting in the park Amir is running after the kite of Sohrab. Redemption: Amir tries to make it up to Hassan by adopting Sohrab, many other characters try to find redemption like Baba. Title The title is: The kite runner. Kite fighting is a traditional sport in Afghanistan. Hassan is a kite runner for Amir. He runs to fetch kites Amir has deafeated by cutting their strings. He knows where such a kite will land without even seeing it. One day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Babas praise. Hassan goes to run the last kite for Amir, saying for you, a thousand times over.

Essay on Global Warming: The Effects of Climate Change -- environment,

Climate change is a long-term alteration in the statistical distribution of weather pattern over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. The world is currently experiencing drastic change in temperature. This change can be felt in the tropical climate areas where the weather is getting hotter and hotter every day. The change in global temperatures and precipitation over time is due to natural variability or to human activity. It is also caused by accumulation of greenhouse effects (Arrhenius, 1896). Should we as humans let this problem worsen? Climate change will affect everything including humans, flora and fauna, and the environment. One of the effects of climate change is how it will affect the people. Climate change will have a huge impact on the people’s health. The health of the people will be affected mostly by air pollution and respiratory problems will have the greatest risk of health effects. Increases in moulds and pollens due to warmer temperatures could also cause respiratory problems such as asthma for some people. Should the effects of climate change get any worse than what it is now, people around the world will have to face some serious problems. Food security will be affected and thus diseases can easily get transmitted. Food or waterborne diseases are acquired through eating or drinking. For example, Hepatitis A is a viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver. It can be spread through consumption of food or water contaminated by fecal matter (CIA World Factbook, 2011). Apart from being infected with Hepatitis A, people around the world can potentially get infected with Hepatitis E, bacterial diarrhoea, and Typhoid fever. Climate change will also have an impact on the financial s... ...of the flora and fauna species are unlikely to have time either to adapt to this warming, or to adjust their ranges to keep pace with the shift in climatic zones. To put things on a conclusive note, global warming already disrupts millions of lives daily in the forms of destructive weather patterns and loss of habitat (Houghton, 2007). What is already happening is only the tip of the melting iceberg, for it is our children and grandchildren who may suffer most from the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are likely to be severe and irreparable. If we do not reduce the rate of climate change, hundreds of millions of people may be exposed to famine, water shortages, extreme weather conditions and a 20-30% loss of animal and plant species. While humankind has the ability to destroy the planet, we can also help to protect and sustain it.

Essay --

Popular culture can be defined as the general accepted culture in society. Anyone can learn about what is the generally accepted culture in America because it’s usually advertised in music, books, fashion, literature, schools and the mass media to name a few. In the book images of color, images of crime, chapter 1 shows how Indians have been negatively affected by popular culture throughout the years. However, I would say that many races have been affected by popular culture to the point in which the identity and the heritage of different culture is rapidly disappearing. Throughout my life, I have seen how African American have been portrayed by popular culture as a race of people in which it is acceptable for one to be ignorant, loud, conceded, and flamboyant. As a matter of fact, if one does not act in this manner, that person would be considered to be acting white. To uphold a certain image and to not be categorized as a White person, I have seen people purposely behave in a manner to portray trends advertised by the commonly accepted culture in our society. I have also seen how...

The yellow wallpaper -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† comes from a moderation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal experience. In 1887, just two years after the birth of her first child, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell diagnosed Gilman with neurasthenia, an emotional disorder characterized by fatigue and depression. Mitchell decided that the best prescription would be a â€Å"rest cure†. Mitchell encouraged Gilman to â€Å"Live a domestic life as far as possible,† to â€Å"have two hours’ intellectual life each day,† and to â€Å"never touch a pen, brush or pencil again,†(Gilman 20) as long as she lived. After three months of isolation, abiding by Dr. Mitchell’s orders, Gilman realized she was becoming insane. She abandoned Dr. Mitchell’s advice and, after recovering, she wrote an exaggerated version of her experience. Written in 1892, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† reflects the social mindset of United States’ citizens just after the Civil War. This was a time of cultural and economical growth, expansion, and development. Women received little political and social freedom; their actions were greatly influenced by their husbands’ wills. The wallpaper’s chaotic pattern represents the metaphorical bars that Jane feels trapped in as a woman. The woman in the paper represents Jane trying to escape and become free from the reigns of her husband. Women were not expected to have a career or a â€Å"public life;† instead, they were expected to focus on the upkeep of home and family. People in this time lived ... The yellow wallpaper -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† comes from a moderation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s personal experience. In 1887, just two years after the birth of her first child, Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell diagnosed Gilman with neurasthenia, an emotional disorder characterized by fatigue and depression. Mitchell decided that the best prescription would be a â€Å"rest cure†. Mitchell encouraged Gilman to â€Å"Live a domestic life as far as possible,† to â€Å"have two hours’ intellectual life each day,† and to â€Å"never touch a pen, brush or pencil again,†(Gilman 20) as long as she lived. After three months of isolation, abiding by Dr. Mitchell’s orders, Gilman realized she was becoming insane. She abandoned Dr. Mitchell’s advice and, after recovering, she wrote an exaggerated version of her experience. Written in 1892, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† reflects the social mindset of United States’ citizens just after the Civil War. This was a time of cultural and economical growth, expansion, and development. Women received little political and social freedom; their actions were greatly influenced by their husbands’ wills. The wallpaper’s chaotic pattern represents the metaphorical bars that Jane feels trapped in as a woman. The woman in the paper represents Jane trying to escape and become free from the reigns of her husband. Women were not expected to have a career or a â€Å"public life;† instead, they were expected to focus on the upkeep of home and family. People in this time lived ...

English Language Teaching in Gulf Essay

Zafar Syed’s assertions about the TESOL challenges in Gulf are subjective reflection over the issue and he is unable to provide any verified or verifiable data and findings. He places all responsibility on the structural constraints i. e. contextual framework, human resource development, system and standards, and research and knowledge and paid less heed to other relevant and important dimension f the TESOL i. e. the constraints on the art of the students. He relies too much on the secondary sources but those secondary sources are also related to education and teaching general and has taken into consideration English language teaching particularly. To some extent citation of these secondary resources is relevant e. g. citation of Mograby to provides facts and figures about the unprecedented quantitative growth in education in UAE . (338) He then generalizes that this unprecedented growth has adverse effect on the teaching of Language. He describes that this unchecked growth impacted the planning and implementation of English teaching patterns and policies. (338) In the following paragraph, he is unable to support he preposition by any solid line of arguments, research study or verifiable facts and figures. He is unable to demonstrate that how this rapid growth in education industry has affected the teaching of language. It is more important to provide a socio-cultural context as well that deter or propel the teaching and learning of a language. He describes that â€Å"local students see no concrete link between English ability and communicative requirements†. Mr. Syed is correct in saying this as communicative important of any language in general and English language in particular is related to exposure of the students to other medium of communications. If the socio-cultural context is conservative and does not allow a student to participate in activities involving other communities and people, he will be unable to use his acquired language capacity and thus will consider it meaning less and futile. This will restrict English language teaching to academic activity only. But Mr. Syed does not provide why such perception is created and this issue can be tackled. The next constraint that Mr. Syed takes into account is human resource development. This part of the study is most powerful and relevant as Mr. syed evaluates the role of English language faculty development and describes an array of issues related to it. He rightly point out the important of the local Arab English language teachers. The pool of English language teachers in the whole region are comprised of various expatriates groups that do not possess enough knowledge â€Å"about the local socio-cultural communities and languages† (339). Syed accurately concludes hat this lack of knowledge about local socio-cultural context breed problems like teacher-students gap and this gap endangers effect English Language teaching. Foreign teachers are not well-capacitated to anticipate and delve deep into the socio-problems of the learners and hence can suggest remedies to these. Grammar Translation Method also requires an understanding of the local language and context in order to effectively implement this methodology. (Chastain, 1971. p. 131) Mr. Syed concludes that this ad-hocism in the hiring of contractual foreign faculty hinders the way to implement a more effective and locally suitable system as these temporary teachers are less motivated to make an in-depth evaluation of the system. Here r. Syed has recognized the sole cause of the problem that triggers a cause and effect phenomenon leading to the deterioration of the English Language teaching system in Gulf. Only a motivated and well-informed teachers can recognize the contextual important and shortcomings of language teaching and hence can formulate policies to reduce or eradicate these contextual barriers. Mr Syed has further taken in to consideration the systems and standards but he is unable to realize that only senior and seasoned English language teachers and professors can help designing and executing a viable system and standard for English language teaching. It is not something independent in itself. He emphasizes on the importance of research but it must be noted that research only come through established systems and qualified academia. So first there is dire need to develop faculty and establish a contextually modified system of instructions. This will ultimately lead the faculty to conduct research on appropriate issues pertaining to every facets of English language teaching. Despite various defects in his theoretical framework, he provides some excellent insights into Gulf English language teaching. In addition to his content, he had certain serious flaws in the style of his expression. He only comments on a specific issue briefly and then goes on to comment on another challenges faced by the English Language Teaching without elaborating the first one. The very first sentence of the study indicates that it has nothing to do with primary research as conducting interview of the ESL teachers to locate the challenges faced by them. Further, Syed has limited his study to UAE with a little reference to Saudi Arabia here and there. So this not only limits the scope of the study but indicates that relying on a particular country in the region, generalizations have been made about the whole region. Chastain, Kenneth. The Development of Modern Language Skills: Theory to Practice. Philadelphia: Center for Curriculum Development, 1971.