Boat: Symbolism in Never Let Me Go Essay

Most people have dreams of becoming astronauts, doctors or painters but Hailsham students grow up knowing that they won’t get to live a normal life. They will donate organs until they die. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is about a dystopian society in Great Britain. It breeds cloned children for organ donations. Ishiguro uses a unique style of storytelling in which the protagonist Kathy narrates her memories of childhood at Hailsham to Adulthood and becoming a â€Å"carer†. While describing the unique incidents, Kathy simultaneously narrates details about donations, donors and relationship, but manages to keep a sense of mystery throughout the story. In the 19th Chapter, the reader understands that the characters are organ donors and will inevitably die soon. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth take a road trip to see an abandoned boat after which the three have an emotional talk and face their fears. The boat is a powerful symbol that represents Hailsham, the lives of the donors, their past and future. To understand the symbolism in the novel, this essay will focus on the themes of death, ignorance, belief system and free will. Hailsham’s students are ignorant, and taught to ignore their fears. The boat represents a broken life, a life in which you are only permitted to dream, whereas your future is decided. The boat symbolizes the mystery of origin of the donors. Students at Hailsham are trained not to be inquisitive. Their lessons are planned and the main issue of organ donation was never emphasized enough. They are distant to feelings and brainwashed â€Å"told but not told† (74). Ishiguro’s style of writing was casual when discussing donations and life after Hailsham. Hailsham an institution run by private funding is very similar to the boat. Tommy compares the boat to Hailsham which is now closed. â€Å"Maybe this is what Hailsham looks like now† (205). It is segregated, stands alone in the marshlands just like Hailsham; Hailsham protects the students from outside world which believes that the clones are not human beings, â€Å"All around the country, at this very moment, there are students being reared in deplorable condition, conditions Hailsham students could hardly imagine† (238) just like the boat protects the sailor from the oceanic forces. A human belief system is a product to complement their respective comfort zone. Even though the girls knew that the â€Å"secret guard† is not real, they believed in Ruth  and played along, just for the sake of excitement. Ruth’s lying or Tommy’s belief in deferrals and the emotions he went through when he understood that deferral was just a myth â€Å"If the rumor was never true, then why did you take all our stuff away? Didn’t the Gallery exist either?† (237). This is symbolized by the boat; The abandoned broken boat represents a broken life, hopelessness; broken by the forces it is subjected to. All the donors are very obsessed to find their â€Å"possible†. â€Å"†¦you could tell people were fascinated –obsessed, in some cases- and so it (subject of ‘possible’) kept coming up usually in solemn arguments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (127). Kathy’s character in the story is emotionally reserved. She finds it difficult to make decisions, and she does not speak openly about what she actually feels. Th is characteristic helps her not to think about the short life and the bleak future. She lives life with some short lived happiness. Kathy has a very original personality unlike Ruth’s, who tries to impress and act like the veterans do. Ishiguro does not discuss Ruth’s death immediately after the 19th chapter but rather lets the reader focus on Kathy’s and Tommy’s sufferings. Ruth’s death is emotional and it would overshadow Kathy’s and Tommy’s struggle. Like the donors the boat went through a lot of struggle perhaps even saved lives, yet the origin of the boat is a mystery, just like the donors who probably saved lives but no one cares about them, their origin is a mystery. The boat was once a life saver and guardian but now it is wrecked and is of no use. The donors too will face the same fate of the boat; they will save lives and die alone. Perhaps that’s why it is very popular object among the donors. The boat is a powerful symbol in the novel because even though it represents protection, and survival, if broken and abandoned it becomes a symbol of loneliness, no one cares about it, its origins becomes a mystery- even unnecessary and the forces it has faced in the ocean become meaningless. The boat represents the lives of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. It is also Hailsham their protector in the sea; it is Tommy’s hope for survival- his absolute belief in the deferral system; it represents Kathy’s search for a possible, the boat’s origin is also a mystery. The boat projects their future that no matter how hard they try and dream- their fate is sealed. They are helpless once exposed to the ocean. They are going to die, left abandone d like the boat. No one is going to care about them.

Why Spiderman is better than Batman

In my opinion, Spiderman is the best comic book hero ever, and significantly superior to Batman. He is the most popular and most commercially successful superhero, according to a poll by Empire magazine in May 2011. I grew up loving Spiderman! He was the superhero that I most related to. I would watch avidly of his exploits and victories, his life as a reluctant super hero and his emotional turmoil in his non-Spidery times.When I was a kid, I couldn’t quite understand why they made a TV show of Batman but not one of Spiderman. You remember the show with Adam West as Batman in a somewhat camp romp through Gotham City as â€Å"POW† and â€Å"SLAM† was emblazoned across the screen. And yet, no Spiderman TV show. It was the same with the movie genre – the first Batman movie starring Michael Keaton as the caped crusader was released in 1989, but the first Spiderman was not released until 2002. Batman always seemed to get the bigger billing and all the glory .We ll I think that Spiderman is the better super hero by far, and here are some reasons why†¦ Spiderman has the longest lasting comic; his comic ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ was created in 1962, and continues to capture the imagination of every generation, which shows how relatable his character is. Spiderman is more agile and flexible than Batman, he has the famous spider reflexes, and he has in the past proved that he is an equal match for Batman’s brawn, when he defeated evils such as Dr Octopus, The Green Goblin, Venom and many more.In the 2001 adaptation of the movie, I’ll be the first person to raise my hand and admit that Tobey Maguire is creepy. There is no doubt in my mind that, he is a little bit weird, and maybe not the best person in the world to represent the world’s greatest comic book hero, but never the less, for its time the movie is still impressive, more so than the Michael Keaton version of Batman. Compare it to the new ‘Amazi ng Spiderman’ with Andrew Garfield in, and there is no competition. The new movie itself boldly knocks spots off the dreary Batman competition, and its special effects are truly phenomenal.And Andrew Garfield is pretty darn cute! If Captain America can beat Batman, anyone can. Simply, if Batman can allow himself to be beaten by Marvels campest creation, he is clearly no match for Spiderman. Spiderman, unlike Batman, actually has a girlfriend. For all his money and ‘playboy’ reputation, Bruce Wayne never has a relationship worthy of the one that say Spiderman and Gwen Stacey have. Peter managed to pull Gwen without Bruce Wayne’s money or fame, which goes to show Peter Parker, is the nicer guy.Spiderman broke the mould as the first teenager with his own comic book series, since previously teenage protagonists usually took the understudy role as the mere side kick. Unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man did not benefit from being the protà ©gà © of any adult superhero mentors like Captain America and Batman, and thus had to learn for himself that â€Å"with great power there must also come great responsibility†Ã¢â‚¬â€a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man.Unlike Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker doesn’t use being an orphan as an excuse to parade around as a vigilante; instead he accepts his gift and uses it for the greater good. Spiderman actually has super powers; Batman has to rely on gadgets such as ‘shark repellent’ to get him out of tricky situations. And what self-respecting ‘hero’ carries around shark repellent in his purse? Spiderman doesn’t have to train in the mountains with weird ninja monks and he doesn’t have the big financial advantage of Batman. He doesn’t need to showy gadgets etc, he just crawls around, doing his thing, without the aid of a sidekick like Robin.Ben had Jerry, Morecombe had Wise, and SpongeBo b had Patrick, whereas Spidey flies solo. He is so good at what he does; he doesn’t need someone to hold his hand as he crosses the road. No matter what, Spiderman gets the job done, unlike Batman who needs his birdie to save him from the bad guys, to lay out the guy behind him who was about to clock him over the head with a chair (another KAPOW! ), and to be the blundering rookie to make Batman look better than he really was. Spiderman needed nobody, because he doesn’t have ego issues.Spidey is a good role model because he over came adversity etc, he was a nerdy teenager, who was bullied a lot by a guy named Flash. This makes him a good role model for kids, since he doesn’t go around scaring people in the night, like Batman. Batman puts on a stupid voice and tries to scare his foes. It has no effect or purpose, he just looks stupid. Batman deliberately asks for trouble, he’s a creepy guy in a costume. If a guy started parading around in a costume and run ning around at night in your town, I’m sure you would have something to say about it, and he would be thrown in the loony bin.Batman gets too much attention, just like his alter-ego, whereas Peter Parker manages to maintain a normal life as well as masquerade as Spiderman. Peter Parker has, over the years, developed from shy, nerdy high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role. Whereas, Bruce Wayne has pretty much not developed as a character over his span of comics. Batman could never catch Spiderman; Spidey is just to fast for him. Batman would be nothing without his car/money/gadgets.At the end of the day he’s just a normal guy with a fetish for bats. Think about it. Batman has great abilities and gadgets, but they are nothing that any normal human can't get. Spiderman has physical abilities way beyond the grasp of non-mutated humans; pr ecognition, the strength to bench 10 tons, incredible agility†¦ but batman is a normal human. Spiderman is a mutated human, mutated to be stronger, faster and more agile than a regular human. I know this is fiction, but let's be a bit more realistic here, in a fight, the chances are heavily in Spiderman's favour.I'm a firm believer in the idea that superheroes teach you things, and it's usually a pretty simple lesson. Superman teaches you to be nice and to be a good person; because that's the way you make things better for everyone. Batman teaches you that if you're determined enough, and if you try your hardest, one man can change the world. And also, that is okay for a man to wear black tights, as long as he is a millionaire playboy. Those are great guidelines, not just for comic books or films, but for life. But Spiderman's lesson is a little less sugar-coated, and a little more human.Spiderman teaches you that you're going to screw up. It's going to happen, and it's going t o be bad. You're going to make bad decisions and it's going to feel like they're going to crush you. It's going to hurt. But Spiderman also teaches you that the only way to get through it is that you never, ever quit. It's not easy, but even if it seems impossible, you can beat anything that stands in your way. You can become the person you want to be, therefore being the better hero of the two, because the most important thing is to learn something from the selfless behaviour of your childhood ideal.

Symbolism in English Literature

Archetypal figures present in Chaucer’s â€Å"The Miller’s Tale† By Jose Luis Guerrero Cervantes According to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, an archetype is a symbolic formula that begins to work wherever there are no conscious ideas present. They are innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic themes of human life emerge[1]. The archetype is experienced in projections, powerful affect images, symbols, moods, and behavior patterns such as rituals, ceremonials and love. Jung[2] compared the archetype, the pre-formed tendency to create images, to a dry river bed. Rain gives form and direction to the flow, we name the river, but it is never a thing located in any place, it is a form but never the same, it is always changing but it is still a river. Following this analogy, the archetype would be the dry river bed that motivates and modifies our conscious understanding of ourselves and the world (the water of the river) from which emotions, attitudes and ideas arise. It is possible to track the use of archetypes in universal literature, according to Joseph Campbell[3], from the origins of human civilization. Archetypes help Chaucer to his main purpose when writing The Canterbury Tales: to reflect on the personal concerns and solutions of the evolving medieval society of his time. Characters with strong archetypal features has an automatically and unconsciously effect in the reader’s mind, allowing his mind to recognize experiences, emotions, and typical patterns of behavior, establishing a â€Å"dialog† or â€Å"unconscious link† between the reader and the text. The purpose of the present essay will be to identify such archetypal characters and situations and their impact in the reader’s psyche. [4] It is possible to recognize in Nicholas’ behavior elements that match with the archetype of the â€Å"Trickster†. In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal that plays tricks or, otherwise, disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior[5]. In modern literature, the classical figure of the trickster survives as a character not necessarily supernatural or divine, but as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as defense. For example, many typical fairy tales present kings who want to find the best man for his daughter by setting a trial to obtain the hand of his daughter. Brave knights are not able to overcome the trial until a poor and simple peasant comes. Armed only with his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools the obstacles between him and the desired object. This way, the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the reward. One example of this character in English Literature is Shakespeare’s Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice who, in order to marry Portia, must pass a trial set by Portia’s father. In this case, Nicholas is described similarly to this archetype: This lad was known as Nicholas the Gallant, And making love in secret was his talent, For he was very close and sly, and took Advantage of his meek and girlish look[6]. Nicholas is characterized as somebody whose main attributes are not physical strength or economic power, but cleverness in managing the weak points of people for his own benefit (expressed in the words â€Å"talent†, â€Å"sly†, â€Å"took advantage†) hidden under a humble figure (expressed in the word â€Å"meek†). Here it is possible to identify the breaking of conventional behavior that it is proper of the classical tradition when it is said that Nicholas makes love â€Å"in secret†. In addition, in order to gain Alison, he must figure out a trick, otherwise, both might die if caught together. Alison’s behavior, on the other hand, shows characteristics that matches with the â€Å"Anima† archetype developed at the level of â€Å"Eve†. The Anima and Animus, in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology, are the unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the outer aspect of personality. In the unconscious part of men’s mind, it finds expression in a feminine inner personality. Anima, in contrast, is in the unconscious of women and it is expressed as a masculine inner personality. It can be identified as the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a male possesses; or the masculine ones possessed by the female. The positive anima qualities of a man are tenderness, patience, consideration, kindness and compassion; then the negative anima qualities of a man are vanity, moodiness, bitchiness, and easily hurt feelings[7]. Jung believed anima development has four distinct levels, which he named Eve, Helen, Mary, and Sophia. Eve level is named for the Genesis account of Adam and Eve. It deals with the emergence of a male's object of desire, yet simultaneously generalizes all females as evil and powerless. This means that when an object of desires arises, the archetype shows an opposite behavior from that she had shown previously[8]. In the preliminary description of Alison, Chaucer describes Alison (with ecstasy and accuracy) this way: She was a fair young wife, her body as slender As any weasel’s, and as soft and tender; She used to wear a girdle of striped silk; Her apron was as white as morning milk Over her loins, all gusseted and pleated. White was her smock; embroidery repeated Its pattern on the collar, front and back, Inside and out; it was of silk, and black. The tapes and ribbons of her milky mutch Were made to march her collar to a touch; She wore a broad silk fillet, rather high, And certainly she had a lecherous eye. And she had plucked her eyebrows into bows, Slenderly arched they were, and black as sloes; And a more truly blissful sight to see She as than blossom on a cherry-tree, [†¦] Her mouth was sweet as mead or honey –say A hoard of apples lying in the hay. Skittish she was, and jolly as a colt, Tall as a mast and upright as a bolt Out of bow. [†¦] She was a daisy, O a lollypop For any nobleman to take to bed Or some good man of yeoman stock to wed. [9] Everything in her is lovely. Chaucer centers his attention on the physical description and little is said about her character. However, the adjectives â€Å"skittish†, â€Å"jolly†, â€Å"tall† and â€Å"upright† describe her as someone irreproachable in any sense. After she falls in love with Alison, all the marvelous image of Alison disappears when she decides to play a cruel joke to Absalon: Absalon started wiping his mounth dry. Dark was the night as pitch, as black as coal, And at the window out she put her hole, And Absalon, so fortune framed the farce, Put up his mouth and kissed her naked arse Most savorously before he knew of this. [10] As it can be observed, Alison’s attitude changes dramatically after meeting Nicholas (the object of desire). This desire unleashes those feelings that are the negative counterpart of the male â€Å"Animus†. â€Å"Eve† development of â€Å"Anima† helps to generalize all women as evil, and Alison attitude towards Absalon reinforces this belief. John represents the archetypal of â€Å"The Child† in the developed degree of â€Å"The abandoned†. In Jungian psychology, it refers to an instinctual pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective experience (Jung referred to this as â€Å"the collective unconscious†), and present in the individual unconscious. We were all children at one time and we can remember the freedom of being a child, the unconditional love we received from our parents, the spontaneous laughter, how we innocently accepted things as they were and let our imaginations run wild. All those experiences left a mark in the unconscious and arise under certain conditions. In this case, the condition is the fear of losing Alison what makes this feeling to arise[11]. The Abandoned (Orphaned) Child archetype can easily be seen in characters like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz or Oliver in Oliver Twist. The fear of losing a caretaker and the feeling of vulnerability makes the character to proceed in a blind, precipitously way. Jealous he was and kept her in the cage, For he was old and she was wild and young; He thought himself quite likely to be stung. It is possible to notice here that John’s fear for losing Alison makes him to keep her out of the sight of the rest, â€Å"in the cage†. Nicholas takes advantage of this fear and uses it to deceive him in a childish way. ‘This world’ he said, ‘in just about and hour, Shall all be drowned, it’s such a hideous shower, And all mankind, with total loss of life’. The carpenter exclaimed, ‘Alas, my wife! My little Alison! Is she to drown? ’ And in his grief he very near fell down. As it was explained before, innocence is a mark of our childhood, and here innocence is incarnated by John. Absalon represents the archetype of the â€Å"Shadow†. In Jungian psychology, the shadow or â€Å"shadow aspect† is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. It is a link to the most primitive animal instincts, which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind. According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to project: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral deficiency in someone else. It is the link to the most primitive animal instincts that are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind, like the survival instinct. Absalon plans his vengeance for the cruel joke played on him and reacts in a even more violent way than his aggressors: Said Absalon, all set to make a launch, ‘Speak, pretty bird, I know not where thou art! ’ This Nicholas at once let fly a fart As loud as if it were a thunder-clap. He was near blinded by the blast, poor chap, But his iron was ready; with a thump He mote him in the middle of the rump. This way, Absalon fulfills his vengeance by recalling his most instinctive, irrational feelings. In the situations present in the tale it is also possible to identify two archetypal situations: â€Å"The Task† and â€Å"The love Triangle†. â€Å"The Task† is that situation in which a character is required to perform a task that will restore balance. It is commonly found n literature in the situations like to save a kingdom, to win the fair lady, the identification of the hero so he may reassume his rightful position, etc[12]. Examples of this archetypal situation in English literature are when Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone or when Beowulf slays Grendel. In this case, the task set for Nicholas is to consume his union with Alison using his cleverness to deceive his husband who has her â€Å"in a cage†. The reader is not told about the plan, so the reader and the fooled characters go hand-in-hand in the discovery and the development of the plan, holding the attention of the reader. The â€Å"love triangle† works in a similar way than â€Å"The task†, however the task appeals to the â€Å"logos† of the reader, while the â€Å"love triangle† appeals to the â€Å"ethos†. In addition, â€Å"the love triangle† works as the counterpart of the â€Å"Requited Love†, which is used to enhance the nobler feelings of human nature: sacrifice, loyalty, friendship, fidelity, etc. The â€Å"love triangle† enhances rivalry, fight, deceit, infidelity, etc[13]. It is possible to observe how the love triangle made Nicholas to figure out an ingenious trick to have sex with the John’s wife (infidelity), the showing of the darkest side of pure Alison, the wrath of easygoing Absalon, and the showing of the dumbest side of John. It is possible to conclude, after all this analysis that â€Å"The Miller’s Tale†, as the whole Canterbury Tales, explores the nature of human being life and behavior of the people of his time, making the reader to do an introspective view of his own life. The characters of â€Å"The Miller’s tale† are very likely to common people, functioning as a mirror in which society can see itself. The empathy that Chaucer is able to establish between the characters, their situations and the readers is possible because he appeals to those universal characteristics that human beings seem to share beyond race, distance, culture and time. These pre-figured behavior, or archetype, causes an unconscious reaction on the reader, putting them in the same, Jung would say, â€Å"psychogenetic frequency†. Therefore, it possible to explain why the Canterbury Tales is a universal piece of work: because it will never lose validity. It appeals to values and characteristics that do not seem to change in time, since it is possible to identify them in the universal literature of all times. BIBLIOGRAPHY Brunel, Pierre. Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes. New York. Routledge. 1992. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Translated by Nevill Coghill. Penguin. London. Penguin. 2003. Franz, Marie-Louise von. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto. Inner City. 1997. Herz, Sarah K. , and Donald R. Gallo. From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics. 2nd ed. Westport. Greenwood. 2005. Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 6th ed. New York. Macmillan. 1992. Johnson, Terry D. , and Daphne R. Louis. Bringing It All Together. Portsmouth. Heinemann. 1997. Joseph Campbell. The hero with a thousand faces. California. New World Library. 2003. Jung, C. G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton. Bollingen. 1981. Jung, C. G. â€Å"Phenomenology of the Self† in The Portable Jung. New York. Penguin. 1976. Stevens, Anthony. â€Å"The archetypes† in The Handbook of Jungian Psychology. Renos. Papadopoulos. 2006. ———————– [1] Anthony Stevens. â€Å"The archetypes† in The Handbook of Jungian Psychology. Renos. Papadopoulos. 2006. p. 20. [2] C. G. Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. , Princeton. Bollingen. 1981. p. 9. [3] Joseph Campbell. The hero with a thousand faces. California. New World Library. 2003. p. 23. [4] C. G. Jung. â€Å"Phenomenology of the Self† in The Portable Jung. New York. Penguin. 1976. p. 147 [5] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. p. 18 [6]Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales. Translated by Nevill Coghill. Penguin. London: Penguin. 2003. p. 89. [7] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. 19. [8]. Idem. p. 20. [9] Geoffrey Chaucer. Op. cit. 90. [10] Ibid. p. 103. [11] C. G. Jung. Op. cit. p. 29. [12] Marie-Louise von Franz. Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales. Toronto: Inner City, 1997. p. 107. [13] Ibid. p. 89.

Culture Within Organizations: Southwest Airlines

A culture is a set of values that are adopted by people who co-habit any place. It consists of shared traits and lifestyles. Within an organization, culture refers to values and norms that are prevalent throughout the workplace and amongst the employees. This includes their mannerisms, attitudes, and work ethic. Culture within an organization exerts control over the behavior of people. Growth and success of a company depends largely on the type of culture which is prevalent within an organization. Many different types of culture exist in businesses today.Certain cultures encourage employees to work and grow together as a family—thereby creating unity. Others may place emphasis on higher ranking employees, which leaves those at the bottom of the hierarchy bitter or resentful, creating a workplace which may not be friendly or comfortable. Some companies may opt to stick to what they know, thereby stifling creativity and growth by eliminating experimentation. On the other hand, a company may be overly innovative and always looking for new ideas and taking new risks.Although this sounds good in theory, it may lead to an unstable work environment. Culture can either make or break an organization. Culture is not a tangible object. It is the result of management’s beliefs and values and employees’ implementation of those beliefs and values. It exists within all organizations and can be determined, for example, by looking at the dress code within the workplace. It can also be seen by observing employee interaction and behavior. One can also get an idea of an organization’s culture by taking note of its dealings with those outside of the company (i. . customer service). Culture makes up the personality of an organization. It is crucial that a positive organizational culture is created, taught and adhered to. It can be used to improve the efficiency and work ethic of employees in an organization. It also has a powerful influence over the behav ior of individuals and drives performance of the workforce. A strong personality adds character to an individual. Likewise, organizational culture gives a business its own special identity. It creates unity among employees and embeds in them the spirit of teamwork.An example of an organization which has a strong culture that has helped it thrive in the aviation industry is Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines (SWA) was founded by Rollin King, M. Lamar Muse and Herb Kelleher in 1966. They began servicing Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in 1971, after winning a legal battle fought in the U. S. Supreme Court. The airline started off by offering six daily roundtrip flights between Dallas and San Antonio, and 12 daily roundtrip flights between Dallas and Houston.They began with one simple notion: â€Å"If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly y our airline† (www. southwest. com). This notion has led to a very unique culture at SWA—one that puts customer service at its center. This can be seen through their mission statement, as per their website: â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit†.Their exemplary form of customer service comes as a direct result of how employees at SWA are treated. â€Å"We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer† (Freiberg and Freiberg).SWA management has created a culture where employees are treated as the companyâ €™s number one asset. There is limited emphasis on formal organizational structure and the work environment combines humor with responsibility. Their happy workforce creates maximum productivity—willingly. Trust and respect between the workers and management is an integral part of the company’s success. SWA has exemplified that culture starts from within. Passion shown on the inside will reflect outwards and customers will see it. SWA has been able to do this consistently.Customers see the passion exerted by SWA employees and it makes them want to travel with them. The uplifting, spirited personalities of employees keep customers coming back for more. This can be seen in the fact that SWA has consecutively recorded profits for the last 40 years (www. southwest. com). The positive attitudes exerted by SWA employees are contagious and trickle down to its customers. As reported on the company website, â€Å"Southwest Airlines has consistently received the lowest rati o of complaints per passengers boarded of all Major U. S. arriers that have been reporting statistics to the Department of Transportation since September 1987. † The spirit that exists throughout SWA empowers its employees to believe in themselves, the service they are providing, the business as a whole, and the customers that they serve. The unique culture keeps employee morale high. All employees, including flight attendants, customer service reps, and baggage handlers, are encouraged to take whatever action they deem necessary to meet customer needs or help fellow workers (Milliman). This has led to both employee and customer loyalty.Employees feel needed which results in a devotion to the company. In turn, customers experience exceptional service where they truly are put first, creating a sense of belonging. Much of SWA’s success is due to the willingness of its leadership to be innovative. Founder Herb Kelleher studied California-based Pacific Southwest Airlines ex tensively and used many of the airline’s ideas to form the corporate culture at Southwest. Early on, they adopted the â€Å"Long Legs and Short Nights† theme for stewardesses on board typical Southwest Airlines flights.They selected beautiful flight attendants with unique personalities and dressed them in hot pants and go-go boots to ensure a fun and one-of-a-kind traveler’s experience (http://avstop. com). Operating out of Love Field, â€Å"love† became their promotional theme. Flight attendants would serve â€Å"love potions† and â€Å"love bites† (otherwise known as drinks and peanuts) to the company's clientele of mostly male business fliers (Pederson). Many decisions made by Kelleher have produced positive outcomes for SWA. For example, since its inception, SWA chose to buy its commercial airplanes from one manufacturer.This decision has allowed them to decrease operational expenses, as well as reduce maintenance and repair costs for th eir large fleet. By choosing a single supplier, the need for customer support, maintenance, monitoring, training, etc. has been reduced, thereby reducing costs for the company. They have also trimmed the time it takes to perform ground duties, once their airplanes land. This has led to a quicker turnaround time for the next flight to take off, thereby leading to profits for the company.Another move by SWA which keeps competitors at bay is their reservation system. Reservations are taken only through the internet, thereby reducing costs of using ticket counter employees. This method saves both the customer and the airline time and money. Kelleher’s paradigm for success starts with the core of the company—its employees. Hiring motivated people and allowing them to incorporate their creativity in day-to-day activities is key. By giving employees decision making abilities, they are made to feel important.A sense of pride takes root within each employee, which positively im pacts the customers that they deal with. This is reflected in their work output and creates greater efficiency, which leads to profitability for the company. Additionally, happier employees are able to provide better customer service, in turn making the experience an all around positive one. As Amy Marhoffer, Culture Communications and Planning specialist at SWA puts it, â€Å"Happy Employees=Happy Customers=Increased Business/Profits=Happy Shareholders. Although compensation is often viewed as the number one motivator, Kelleher understands the importance that employee morale plays. A little bit of fun can translate into a lot of productivity. Bailey explains how positive morale can produce more efficiency: â€Å"SWA, after pay cuts at other airlines, has the industry’s highest wages. But because of efficient work habits, measured in how much it spends to fly a passenger a given distance, its costs are the lowest among big airlines† (Bailey).It is important to note th at the success of SWA is due not only to the culture but also its ability to adapt to the industry’s needs. The airline industry in particular, is one that is heavily dependent on customer service; the happier customers are, the more positive their experience will be. Unfortunately, there is plenty of untapped productivity among corporations stuck in the old ways of oppression and tyranny. Kelleher’s approach shows that he understands people; he allows them to be themselves, which creates a positive work environment and a desire to be the best.He has successfully created a culture that has the properties of fun, entertainment and genuine care at its core. When Southwest started in 1971 they were just a small regional carrier flying from Houston to Dallas. Over the course of the last 40+ years, they have successfully expanded into a major airline carrier. SWA is now America's largest low-fare carrier, serving more customers domestically than any other airline. They are comprised of nearly 46,000 employees and serve more than 100 million customers each year.SWA operates more than 3,000 flights a day, with its subsidiary AirTran operating an additional 520 flights a day (www. southwest. com). They would not be where they are today without the innovative thinking of its leaders and the strong culture they created. Although corporate culture is not a tangible object, the results of a successful culture will produce tangible success. SWA has positioned itself for competitive advantage by creating a work environment which permits people to be their best selves and consistently outperform their competitors.It has been able to create and sustain a strong, positive culture which attracts not only the best talent, but a loyal customer base as well. The tremendous growth and profit of SWA brings to light how corporate culture, employee morale and customer service can play an integral part in the overall success of a corporation. These intangible elements are what make SWA an excellent example of a successful corporate culture. Works Cited AvStop Aviation News and Resource Online Magazine. â€Å"History of Southwest Airlines† http://avstop. om/history/historyofairlines/southwest. html) Bailey, Jeff (2008) â€Å"Southwest. Way Southwest† The New York Times Freiberg, K. & Freiberg, J. (1996) Nuts! Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success. New York: Broadway Marhoffer, Amy. (2011) â€Å"Southwest Airlines â€Å"Gets It† With Our Culture† http://www. blogsouthwest. com/blog/southwest-airlines-â€Å"gets-it†-our-culture Pederson, Jay P. (2005) International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 71. St. James Press Southwest Airlines Co. (2013) †Southwest Airlines† http://www. southwest. com/

AS Level Sociology - Culture and Identity Families and Households Essay

AS Level Sociology - Culture and Identity Families and Households Wealth, Poverty and Welfare - Essay Example However the connection of income to consumption is not wholly simple. The lower class will use up greater fractions of their income on needs and the elite on wants, but the lower class also give excessively to charitable and religious groups (Haworth 2004). The equivalent of the overwhelming selection of products and services introduced in the late twentieth century is the condition that for a significant percentage of consumers some part of their spending is ‘discretionary’ (Haworth 2004). This discretion entails not only brand preferences, or one clothing style or form of diet or residential architecture rather than another. It reaches the entire notion of ‘lifestyle’ (Haworth 2004). Several families will be penny-wise and prudent, saving for their future; others will adopt a lifestyle that exceeds their means. Several families will continue buying things such as summer homes, home workshops, automobiles, and swimming pools—and other will buy experi ences such as participation in sports, concerts, plays, or operas. Veblen’s notion of ‘conspicuous consumption’ is very accurate at the turn of the 21st century (Haworth 2004), but not limited anymore to the ‘leisure classes’. ... Among the most significant concepts for categorising social life are those that assign social statutes or positions, or socially acknowledged classifications of individuals that denote position in structured social activity or social character (Ellemers, Spears & Doosje 2002). Aside from characterising and positioning individuals in social conditions, social divisions communicate identity or behavioural expectations. The latter are named roles by sociological classical role theory, a tradition applied by identity theory in social psychology (Ellemers et al. 2002). Hence, when individuals use social divisions to identify and acknowledge one another in social circumstances, they bring in role expectations for the behaviour of each other; if they use positions submissively to identify and categorise themselves, they create role expectations or purposes for their personal behaviour (Cote & Levine 2002). Perceived as self-conceptualisations, these reflexively employed positional labels ar e the emphasis of identity theorists, in which they are called ‘identities’ or ‘role-identities’ (Cote & Levine 2002). The theory of social identity in social psychology raises a comparable identity construct, but underlines identities on the basis of wide-ranging social classifications such as social class, ethnic status, and sex, instead of those related to job-related and other roles in the society’s social structure (Ellemers et al. 2002). In Mead’s and symbolic interactionism’s cognitive tradition, identity theorists define identities as â€Å"cognitive responses to oneself [or other] as an object [of consciousness]† (ibid, p. 49). From

Local channel San antonio TX, channel 5 Research Paper

Local channel San antonio TX, channel 5 - Research Paper Example The news started with the marriages that were happening during the day, and it was a foregone conclusion that the day was unique in engaging in marriages. As it was a memorable day. Most of those who commented said that it would be easy to remember the day as it had the same numbers for months days and years. The possibility that it could take another century to take another millennium to have such a date. Then, the story of birthing followed. Mothers wanted to give birth on this phenomenal day in history. The first events of the newscast were targeting the family since they talked much about the family. This is evident in the themes of marriage and giving of birth in the first two segments of the news. This news could be watched by all audiences since it dwelt on the family and had no violence in it. Thus, this news segment targeted all people regardless of their ages, especially those who are about to wed or planning to wed sometime later. Crime and murder then followed. This was e vident n the news about a certain man called Jacob Mathews who went on a rampage, shooting and killing three two people and seriously injuring one. He was camouflaged and wore a bullet proof vest. It was done in Portland, Oregon. The person used a rifle in the shooting. The events in this story were not appropriate for children. The story required a mature audience. Another story involved the robbery of arms by masked men who were caught on surveillance cameras. They were not successful since the alarms went off and became a scare to them. they had stolen the a barbeque vehicle. Only the vehicle was found after the thugs escaped. Karen an employee of trust bank spoke on the issue. The story was appropriate in that there was a crime that was about to be committed, and the authorities put the public on notice to report anybody they suspected in the involvement of the crime. The audience to this was largely the banks and security firms, and to a small extent, the public since they were to report any suspect to the police. The security firms and banks were appropriate audiences because the act focuses on their securing of the banks using security systems. The robbers were not able to break through the ATMs because the alarms went off. This was to send a message to the banks to involve security firms in beefing up security to prevent cases of break-ins in their ATMs. Another story was about pilgrim’s pride being involved in 4 serious violations, and if they don’t deal with the violations in 15 business days they will face the consequences of breaking the laws. The audience to this was other organizations that are related to pilgrim’s pride. They are also put on notice though indirectly. This sent a message that any organization contravening the laws set will face legal process and could be prosecuted in a court of law. There was no happy talk in this story since it involved serous sentences and the newscaster just wore her customary smile as sh e presented the news. The next story was of two brothers who engaged in burglary. They vandalized five dorms and stole various goods. The came us a surprise to many since the two were former members of the corps. Jovan and Allison Martinez were the individuals who engaged in this act of thievery. Their intention was unknown as it caused may unanswered questions. Only one brother was caught. The audiences for this story were members of the corps and the general public. the news anchor was not smiling as much as she presented t

In the light of the global financial crisis, discuss how the Essay - 1

In the light of the global financial crisis, discuss how the remuneration of chief executives of banks should be determined - Essay Example There are also macroeconomic factors for the occurrence of the crisis that include practices in accounting and lack of transparency among others. It has also been observed that major risks or weaknesses related to financial crisis lay in the fact that financial crisis occurred due to certain pre-crisis situations which arrived in relation the supervision and regulation of various activities. A few of the micro prudential regulations were poorly structured that contributed in systematic risks. Most of the banks became solvent due to the Basel capital rules (World Bank, 2012). Moreover, the global financial crisis has enabled to underline a critical agency problem which occurred due to excessive rise in the chief executives remunerations especially during the period of 2004 to 2007 in countries such as Australia and the United States (Ariff & et. al., 2012). With this consideration, the paper intends to discuss how the remuneration of chief executives of banks should be determined in o rder to ensue that the ill-effects of the crisis can be mitigated. Discussion The global financial crisis had brought about a greater concern regarding the usage and structure of remuneration which was based on the incentive systems. The executives of the banks were observed to be yielding their benefits on the short-term visions which became apparent upon the value and stability of the organization in the long term basis. It has been observed that banks with large and small amount of compensations had undertaken risks which resulted in significant losses during the crisis situation. It has further been observed that there were various variations relating to the structure of remunerations paid to the chief executives in banks in different countries. According to a study, in around six investment banks in the US the remuneration subscribed to the executives was nearly 2% of the total compensation on an annual basis, which was much lower from the remuneration provided to executives in the European countries which was ranging from 20 to 35%. Consequently, most of the European countries were in support and adapted the framework of corporate governance relating to the concern of remuneration aspect. The concept of surpassing payment of executives has also been paid greater attention to. . In this regard, it can be observed that the issues relating to financial crisis are specified to the corporate governance relating to the separation of position of Chairman along with the CEO, as the requirements of both the personnel are quite similar in issues relating to remuneration (The World Bank Group, 2011). With regard to the remuneration of the chief executives of banks, the remuneration committee should ensure by taking the responsibility that the organizations are selecting comprehensible policies of remuneration with respect to every employee in the organization. In response to the financial crisis which occurred in 2008, it can be observed that the payment of bonuses to the executives during and after the period of global financial crisis played a pivotal role in the remuneration aspect. The executives were paid their remunerations according to their performances in most of the banks. The rescheduling or rearrangement of incentives can be paid to the employees for showing greater sustainable performances.