How and Why Is the Grotesque Used in Tennessee Williams’ a Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Throughout this semester, we were introduced to varying degrees of literary styles and themes. From the epiphanies discovered through American Realism, to the skepticism explored through Literary Modernism, to the conflicts of social conformity and individualism approached by a Post-Modernistic America and its writers. We have had the great opportunity of being exposed to individuals who questioned and pushed the boundaries of creativity and expression. Tennessee Williams was an author and playwright who balanced the enigmatic, macabre, and often cruel disintegration of his characters with a poetic grace. He became the keystone of a style that is known as Southern Gothic. A Streetcar Named Desire became the quintessential manifestation of the grotesque through the unraveling of the â€Å"Old South†. More specifically, his themes on the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, the disintegration of the southern woman, and the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality to which all of Williams’ characters contributed to in some degree. The grotesque style of literature supplies the reader with a historical as well as social perspective. This provides a metaphorical reference to the â€Å"dying† South and the struggle to exist against the progressive ideals of the North, all the while, fraught with trying to keep the Southern identity and dignity intact. It is stated that â€Å"A common description (of the grotesque) has to do with causation: Southern grotesque is often said to be the literary aftermath of historical misfortune. (Presley 37). If we take into account the surrounding setting of the play, â€Å"†¦a two-story corner building on a street in New Orleans which is named Elysian Fields and runs between the L & N tracks and the river (Elysian Fields is a New Orleans street at the northern tip of the French Quarter, between the Louisville & Nashville railroad tracks and the Mississippi River. In Greek mythology the Elysian Fields are the abode of the blessed in the afterlife. ) The section is poor but, unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm† (Klinkowitz & Wallace 2187), the reader is thrust into the ensuing chaos before any of the characters are even introduced. Williams was very particular about each detail with regards to the style in which he was writing. The drama is not only a result of the surroundings, but is a symbiotic portrayal of the daily lives that exist within the grotesque. â€Å"The disorders are threefold: narcissism, familial conflict, and dream- like confusion†: (Presley 37). The Southern Gothic, grotesque style of writing can best be characterized by the profound ability of an author to evoke feelings of disgust while contrarily evoking feelings of compassion among his/her audience as well as between the characters within the work. These emotions are presented and contained within, what seems to be, a lost individual. This character may also display traits of incontinence due to physical or mental incapability. â€Å"Literature of the grotesque, according to the authoress, is distinguished by a moral or theological vision not usually associated with realistic works. Freaks appear in her fiction, she said, to reflect quite simply what man is like without God† (Presley 38). In keeping with the grotesque, Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire stretched the boundaries of this theme through the representation of the disintegration of the southern woman. By exploring the torrid longing of his character, Blanche Dubois, and her desires and fears. â€Å"Grotesque writers are â€Å"faced with the reality that they live in an age whose distortions function as indicators of how far man has drifted from his true image as a creature of God. In this vein, Williams explores the corruption of mankind, along with its difficulties in reconciling its primal nature with the rules of society: Blanche’s charm and beauty is overridden by her alcoholism, nymphomania, and general debauchery† (Presley, 1). Blanche DuBois provided the extreme case of what it is like to lose yourself. Blanche was â€Å"Deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, permanently flawed, unable to face reality, Blanche is for all that thoroughly capable of commanding audience compassion, for her struggle and the crushing defeat she endures have the magnitude of tragedy. The inevitability of her doom, her refusal to back down in the face of it, and the essential humanity of the forces that drive her to it are the very heart of tragedy, No matter what evil she may have done, nor what villainies practiced, she is a human being trapped by the fates, making a human fight to escape and to survive with some shred of human dignity, in full recognition of her own fatal human weaknesses and increasing absence of hope† (Crandell 93). The obscure relevance to her deceptions are only a portion of why Blanche represents the grotesque. Her necessity to cling to the â€Å"old† southern ways (with a â€Å"death grip†) allows her to cling to her own sanity. She exudes narcissism to the fullest extent, but is unable to see the damage that it is causing to herself and the people around her. In the very first scene, Blanche describes the loss of Belle Reve. She goes on to embellish the loss as a personal encounter with death, to which she is the only witness to and the only effected party: â€Å"I, I, I, took the blows in my face and my body! All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn’t be put in a coffin! But I had to be burned like rubbish!†¦. And, oh, what gorgeous boxes they packed them away in! Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out, â€Å"Hold me! † you’d never suspect there was the struggle for breath and bleeding. You didn’t dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw!†¦. † (Williams 2193). This description was a faint cry for compassion or an attempt to restore the relationship with Stella, but through a premeditated state of self preservation. The grotesque narcissism with which she approaches the loss of the estate and their relatives only happened to her. It is this over dramatic perception that reinforces the author’s emphasis on the Southern Gothic or grotesque style apparent throughout his play. The culmination of the loss of Belle Reve, her husband’s suicide, and, later, her dismissal from her job, could have contributed to her current state. But it in the end, she chose not to face her demons, she opted to hide behind the ruse of entitlement associated with old Southern Society that proved to be her ultimate demise. â€Å"If there is any character in modern dramatic literature whose identity is bound up in such fantasies and sees erself as unique, special and entitled, it is Blanche DuBois, whose very name conjures up images of French, chivalric romances. Furthermore, it is clear that she identifies with the role of the â€Å"Southern Belle† and, in fact, retreats to memories of herself as â€Å"Southern Belle† when confronted with death and trauma. Ironically, from Blanche’s point of view, although the â€Å"Southern Belle† is fundamentally superior, she is also, simultaneously, a vulnerable, even fragile figure, in need of constant attention and care, dependant on others. (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The reason why the grotesque is so important to the decline of the Southern woman, and this particular character, is because there is this realization that there are no happy endings. Blanche is happy to wallow in her own self destructions and with this she is libel to take down everyone within her distinct vicinity. Blanche’s character is deprived of the one thing that she longs for which is love and by reaching for the facade of the Southern Belle, she does more damage because she is the complete antithe sis of the Southern Belle. There is also a lot of symbolism associated with Blanche’s decline. Throughout her short time at her sister’s apartment, it is evident that she was taking a lot of baths through the progression of the story. As more information gets divulged about what really happened in her past, it is almost as if she is trying to maintain that she is a Southern Belle. She is trying to convince herself that she is still clean or that she can wash away her past through her frequent bathing. There is also the issue of light. Blanche does her best to conceal herself from the light of reality by placing paper lanterns over lamps to soften the light â€Å"So, too, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is described (in the same stage direction! ) as both attracted to and repulsed by light. On the one hand, she is described as moth-like in appearance. Comparable to the moth, she is strangely attracted to that which has the power to destroy her. On the other hand, â€Å"her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light†. To avoid it, she dresses naked light bulbs in paper lanterns, and when she goes out, with Mitch for example, it is always at night. † (Crandall 95). This pertains to her willingness to escape reality and is yet another way that Williams exhibits the grotesque through his writing. In further examination of Blanche, her dependency on men is another portrayal of the grotesque. She is constantly looking for and acquiring the affections of men and seems to feed upon the generous nature of Mitch, Stanley’s friend. Here we see the grotesque outlined in the form of female dependence on the male figures in their lives. At one point, Blanche rejects the union of her sister with that of the abusive Stanley Kowalski. She fantasizes about an alternative life with the financial support from Shep Huntleigh, but this still emphasizes a need for the support to exist from a male figure. Even though this wouldn’t be a stable situation for Stella, this would free her from her dependency on Stanley. This reiterates the progression from the old to the new south, but isn’t a source of stability for Stella. She still needs to rely on Stanley and in doing so we see the indignity of the human spirit due to sacrifice. It is also a theme of Williams’ that the removal of the simply â€Å"country† life, and into the throngs of a bustling city, create the setting for the grotesque situations that these characters find themselves in. Williams thought that in moving away from the country life, we are separating ourselves further from the life that God had intended us to live. There is a quiet simplicity that is associated with working the land in the country and in moving to the trappings of a large city, there is room for trouble. This is also apparent through the loss of Belle Reve. When Blanche falls into misfortune and loses the house, she is forced into a life of less prestige and honor. She loses her job as a teacher due to moral discrepancies, she is called on at the hotel that she is staying at by many men, and she is forced to move in with her sister in New Orleans. This transition represents a removal of all that is decent and good with humanity and confines us to the â€Å"cramped† quarters of a city where we lose ourselves. Stanley Kowalski’s character impresses upon the reader an animalistic quality that can only be implied to represent the conflict of the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality. â€Å"As much as Blanche is the representative of dreams, Stanley is the emissary of quotidian reality. His Napoleonic Code and the State of Louisiana are the realistic counterparts to Blanche’s more ephemeral Belle Reve. Whereas Blanche values civilization and its refinements-art, poetry, and music-Stanley indulges in more primitive pleasures-eating (bringing home meat from the kill); drinking, to the point of intoxication; and sleeping with women. He knows what his pleasures are and indulges them, often to excess. He enjoys life to the fullest-â€Å"be comfortable is his motto†. In his drunken paroxysms, he easily forgets himself, and becomes one with his buddies. He is, for the most part, spontaneous and unselfconscious† (Crandall 97). In the climax of the play, we bear witness to Stanley’s submission to the atavistic urges and northern brutality by the rape of Blanche. As the story progresses, Mitch (Stanley’s friend) exhibits how the loss of the Southern Gentile adds to the grotesque setting with which all of the characters exist in. At the end of the play, we are made aware that Blanche is being committed to an insane asylum. As the Doctor starts to take Blanche away, Mitch had an opportunity to intervene, but he didn’t. He felt a great deal of sympathy for Blanche, but chose to not act on those feelings and instead Blanche is committed. The reason that this is such an important example of the loss of the Southern gentile was because he had the opportunity to act and didn’t step up to defend Blanche. Southern gentiles are all about honor and dignity. With the loss of these important qualities within him, he has just let Blanche succumb to the darkness that has shrouded her since she arrived at Stella’s apartment. Even though Blanche didn’t see the hero within Mitch, they had a bond between them. They were both looking for love and for someone to take care of them. With him not coming to her rescue, the true Mitch is presented-a person who is devoid of the heroism that Blanche so desperately needed. On the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, we have to re-examine Blanche Dubois. From the beginning of the play, we are well aware of Blanche’s â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† characteristics. She is someone who was unwilling to uphold he civilities that should exist within each person. In her having tarnishing relations with a pupil of hers, she sacrifices the only thing that she had left- her dignity. â€Å"However defensive Blanche becomes, from the moment she enters the stage until the moment she leaves it, she is in search of direction and empathy or â€Å"kindness† of others in order to work through the traumas of the past and present. Ultimately, this search for understanding is he main reason she comes to New Orleans and not simply for a place to stay† (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The climax of the grotesque within this play seems to come as a result of Blanche’s sensitive, non-conformist attitude towards life. Her inability to accept responsibility for her current situation is the catalyst to the way that Stanley shows no tolerance for her. Stanley’s brutalities, along with his intolerance for Blanche’s current state of mind, clash to create the ultimately grotesque act of rape later in the play. â€Å"Many critics believe Stanley’s rape of Blanche precipitates her descent into madness. According to Mary Ann Corrigan, this descent is part of the overall trajectory of the play: â€Å"in each of the [play’s] 11 scenes Blanche moves inexorably closer to the disintegration of her mind and the total rejection of reality† (Humanit 334). After the disintegration of the world that Williams created in A Streetcar Named Desire, we are left with the overwhelming themes of the struggle for human affection, dignity, and resolve. Through this in-depth dissection of the characters, plot, and settings, emerge the themes that exemplify the Southern Gothic/grotesque style of writing.

Irony in the Scarlet Letter

What if irony didn’t exist? If it didn’t, even at a minimal level, The Scarlet Letter wouldn’t be able to function in its complete and published form. Its frame and substructure of distinctly morose themes scrutinizing sin, knowledge, and the human condition would not exist without irony blistering beneath the surface. The symbolism and evocativeness of character names, for instance, the words â€Å"chill† and â€Å"worthless† can be derived from Roger Chillingworth, the â€Å"Black Man† in human disguise wouldn’t have the same clever power without the literary technique. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter suggests that to find the true expression of each character, irony is essential, and must be employed and needled into the plot for the pages to turn with a weightier significance. â€Å"She's the embodiment of deep contradictions: bad and beautiful, holy and sinful, conventional and radical,† described Andrea Seabrook of NPR (National Public Radio). In order to see the veracity of this statement, the reader must note Hawthorne’s use in three major types of irony. The first type is situational irony, which is when the opposite of what is expected to happen, happens, and this is introduced in the first few chapters. For example, in Chapter II, the townspeople have perpetrated against Hester Prynne, exclaiming that she should feel ashamed as she stands on the scaffold bearing the scarlet letter â€Å"A† on her bosom. Yet, she stands there with â€Å"a marked dignity and force of character† and clasping her newborn child Pearl â€Å"with a burning blush, and yet a haughty smile, and glance that would not be abashed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hawthorne 46) The intrinsic nature and indispensable quality of Hester’s character is perpetually fevered with strength, but it is most formidable and determined harbored by a backbone of obstinacy when she is standing on the scaffold. The townspeople have expected her to feel contrite, but if Hester stood revealing her remorse and penitence, she would be acknowledging society’s power and control over her, and that essentially, is not what Hester wants. Another example is from Chapter XI, Dimmesdale is held in reverence by the townspeople as an immaculate role model â€Å"[deeming] the young clergyman a miracle of holiness† (124) when in fact; he has committed an immoral act, being Hester’s paramour and Pearl’s secret father. Situational irony has served to be a steppingstone to the actual identity of Hester Prynne, Dimmesdale, and other major characters. It helps in showing the real thoughts and internal conflicts of a character in contrast with what is discerned by the society. The next type of irony Hawthorne used in The Scarlet Letter is dramatic irony, which is when the reader knows what the characters do not. According to Mark Flanagan of About. com, â€Å"Dramatic irony is when the words and actions of the characters of a work of literature have a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters. This is the result of the reader having a greater knowledge than the characters themselves. For instance, in Chapter VIII, Reverend John Wilson, Boston’s senior clergyman, sat on an arm-chair and surveyed Pearl’s weirdly ethereal qualities, then proceeded to ask Pearl if she knew who her parents were, as stated in this quote, â€Å"â€Å"Pearl,† said he, with great solemnity, â€Å"thou must take heed to instruction, that so, in due season, thou mayest wear in thy bosom the pearl of great price. Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee? † (96) This event developed subsequent to Hester’s visit in Governor Bellingham’s garden. There, she privately requested Reverend Dimmesdale’s aid in supporting that the governor does not take Pearl away. This is an example of dramatic irony because the reader knows that Dimmesdale and Hester are partners in sin, but the characters do not. Dramatic irony benefits the reader in that it satisfies their anticipation because of what they already know and they possess a greater idea of what is to happen next. Hawthorne’s use of this type of irony really generated a thrust of motivation to keep the reader more interested. The concluding stamp of irony Hawthorne enchanted into the novel is verbal irony. This literary device is manipulated to communicate differently, and principally the irreconcilable contrast of the literal meaning of the words, to emphasize, or make light of a circumstance or subject. A time that this occurs is from Chapter IV, when Chillingworth visited Hester at her prison cell, disguised as a doctor, and advised her to, â€Å"Think not that I shall interfere with Heaven’s own method of retribution. † (66) Here, Chillingworth insinuated that he would grant the right to God and Heaven to handle all retribution, yet he still sets out to njure and damage Dimmesdale himself. This is an example of verbal irony in that Chillingworth lied that he won’t accomplish any harm or take vengeance on the adulterer, but in due course, it is shown that Chillingworth is steadily destroying Dimmesdale as both he and especially Dimmesdale is growing weaker and more dismal. Verbal irony might be the more common of this literary technique, as it is used in todayâ €™s daily language. In the novel, is it used to give more support to the reader’s thoughts on what is already happening, and it helps to formulate finer insightful ideas. The novel is brimmed with well-constructed ideas of sin, hypocrisy, and love’s sweet disposition to sacrifice for another’s wellness, but behind the curtains of collectivism and Puritan’s unsmiling society is a personality that stands brighter than portrayed, and Hawthorne’s use of irony has carried that eager light out. His wonderful use of irony in the novel formulated a stronger, more meaningful substance to the story, clearly revealing each character’s internal and external conflicts. Nathaniel Hawthorne is the master of irony, splendidly using it to intensify the meaning of his marvelous literature. His substantial use of irony in The Scarlet Letter has become such a necessity that the pages could not turn seamlessly as it does without a real genius such as the virtuosic author. After learning the three types of irony Hawthorne utilized, the reader will be able to absorb the hearts and minds of the characters, the greater essence, and soul of the story, and will read on with increased and newer fervent thoughts and keener insight.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Conditional Fee Arrangements for Legal Aid

The conditional fee arrangement was introduced by the Access to Justice Act (AJA) 1999, as an attempt to transfer legal funding from the treasury to the private sector. This occurred as a result of an increasing and ridiculous growth in the cost of legal aid, namely from a few hundred million to well over 2. 1 billion pounds from the 1980s to 2000. Moreover, it was not because demand was growing. Rather, number of cases relying on legal aid had decreased.Due to the need to control budget, Conditional fee arrangements are used to fund many civil cases which legal aid now excludes, and the issues brought about by conditional fee arrangements have been debated over the last decade. The conditional fee arrangements are sometime known as ‘no win, no fee’ agreements, which are not used for family or criminal matters, but can be used in many types of civil action. The no win no fee concept was first introduced in the UK under the Solicitors Conditional Fee Agreements act in 199 5.The primary reason for the no win no fee system was to make sure that individuals who did not qualify for legal aid could still make personal injury claims, regardless of their personal situation. Section 58 of the Courts and legal Services Act (CLSA) 1990 permitted the Lord Chancellor to introduce conditional fee arrangements. By 2000 legal aid was actually abolished for personal injury claims, resulting in the no win no fee personal injury claim system being the normal system that most claims work under.The beauty of the policy is that if you do not win your case, you are not required to pay any sort of fees to your no win no fee solicitor. Instead, the insurance will cover any costs and expenses of all parties involved, including your no win no fee lawyer. This allows you the safety and security of knowing that even if you are someone who is financially struggling, you still have the right to make a claim, and you will not have to pay if you for some reason lose your case. If y ou happen to win your case, you will automatically be compensated for 100 per cent of the fees attached to the personal injury claim.The purpose of the system is to make sure that everyone involved is covered by the insurance companies. The only fees which are potentially applicable to a person filing a claim are exceptional circumstances or medical negligence cases, which will need to be discussed in advance with your lawyer. Admittedly, based on my research, the only groups of individuals who have really benefitted from this scheme are the lawyers, the claims management companies (CMCs), the banks and the insurance companies, which, is typically the supplier base for this system.In contrast, the consumers themselves have little but complaints, even though the Conditional Fee Arrangement were targeted to helping them in the first place. The introduction of Lord Justice Jackson’s report this year 2010 is new and the effects have not been visible in the current market, though we may look at the theoretical and legal implications that such an upheaval in the Conditional Fee Arrangement this would bring. A major benefit of Conditional Fee Agreements is that it allows many people access to justice, and in addition does not have to receive any funding from the Government leaving them free to fund more serious civil cases.Because of agreements like these many people have been able to take their cases to court, all that is required is that the client buys insurance against losing a case. If this requirement is met then it is unlikely that the case will not be taken on by a Solicitor. The Solicitor is also likely to work harder on the clients behalf because it has invested interest. This will then result in more competition between Solicitors and as a consequence of this, the client receiving a better service.A Conditional Fee Arrangement provides access to the courts for those who cannot afford to pay the attorneys fees and costs of civil litigation. Contingen cy fees also provide a powerful motivation to the attorney to work diligently on the client's case. In other types of litigation where clients pay the attorney by the hour for their time, it makes little economic difference to the attorney whether the client has a successful outcome to the litigation. Finally, because lawyers assume the financial risk of litigation, the number of speculative or unmeritorious cases may be reduced.In terms of access to justice, Conditional Fee Arrangement have provided for many who could not qualify for legal aid. From 2000-2005 alone, personal injury cases saw a jump in a million consumers seeking redress Conditional Fee Arrangement. This is likely because of a few reasons. For one, the strict means test introduced by the Access to Justice AJA 1999 has led to the middle income group not qualifying for legal aid, but they are not able to afford legal services either. Secondly, the Access to Justice AJA 1999 has taken away certain civil cases from its funding, personal injury as an example.Thirdly, claims management companies CMCs have been actively educating the masses as to seeking redress for personal injury cases especially, thus promoting a culture that citizens fight for their rights, and the Conditional Fee Arrangement is one avenue that they can do it for free. The statistics speak for themselves. Especially in road traffic accidents, sometimes it is not proportional the damage to apply for legal advice but now it is made possible without the burden of bearing those legal costs. Conditional Fee Arrangement has increased accessibility to justice in a way that legal aid with a budget can never provide.In terms of cost, in particular the success fee, it has been said to be an incentive, the only incentive for lawyers to ever enter into a Conditional Fee Arrangement. A huge risk of not being paid a cent should equally mean that there should be a larger chance to earn more. Lawyers themselves are taking this risk and in order to maintain a supplier base, a success fee is a must. Currently, the success fee stands at any bonus amounting to up to 100% of the normal legal fees. However, it does not mean that it is up to the lawyer’s whims and fancies to set the percentage.This sum is decided in an agreement between the lawyer and the insurance company, based on the chance of success in a case. Opposition to this has argued that the success fee leads to perverse profits, but statistics show otherwise. Since implementation of Conditional Fee Arrangement, two large firms of claims management companies CMCs have gone bankrupt within a short span of 4 years and this makes us wonder whether doing Conditional Fee Arrangement are way more profitable than regular legal work. The advantages can be summarized as: †¢Lawyers acting in any case will be confident and determined.They will have had to weigh carefully the chances of success before taking the case as their fee depends on winning. †¢There will be freedom from anxiety of having to pay huge fees. †¢There will be no need to pay fees in advance. †¢There will be no delays or worries with legal aid applications. A major disadvantage of the Community Legal Service Fund is that they have a budget in which they have to stick to. Of course they cannot be blamed for this, however criticisms have been made about the way they use the funding to fund civil cases.It is thought that they tend to fund cases that do not necessarily deserve of public money. Once the fund has run out someone who is deserving of the funding may then have to look elsewhere for help and may find themselves again being denied access to justice. Because Conditional Fee Arrangement works on a no win, no fee basis many Solicitors will not want to take on cases that are not likely to be successful and as a result denying the individual access to justice. Because of this certain legal problems such as clinical negligence have to be state funded because they are more likely to be unsuccessful.Another major disadvantage is that many solicitors who carry out Conditional Fee Arrangement will not take on a case unless the individual has taken out insurance against losing. However many cannot afford the insurance premiums, this again throws up the problem of many people being denied access to justice because of these kind of circumstances. Having said that it has now become harder to gain access to public money in order to fund a civil claim. Two tests have now been introduced, the merits test and the means test.These tests are used to see if a civil claim deserves to be funded and how likely it is to be successful, this makes it a lot harder for people to get legal aid for civil cases. The quality of justice has been described by the Citizens Advice Bureau CAB as appalling ever since the claims management companies CMCs have started to act as middlemen for lawyers and clients in setting up a Conditional Fee Arrangement in personal injury c ases. Claims management companies CMCs use hard-selling marketing tactics which pressures victims into entering into a contract with them.Often, they start by saying that they do not need to come out with a cent in seeking compensation but later on in some tiny footnotes they would write that the client may be subject to some payment. Essentially, not paying a cent is true, where legal costs is concerned, but damages are not always enough to pay back the interest rates of applying for a bank loan, which was meant to supply the insurance premiums. Because of the straightforwardness of some cases, some lawyers also take advantage of the situation to drag the case so that they may be paid more legal fees.Many consumers have complained that Conditional Fee Arrangement cases are so inefficient that they find it hard to resume their daily lives. Some straightforward cases were said to take up to months. The one-way cost shifting is also a disadvantage for the defendant. If the defendant h as failed to take up before the event insurance BTE, then he might find himself burdened with high legal costs from the other party when he loses. What is worse is that he also has to pay the other party’s success fee, which means he could be paying up to 2 times the price of a normal fee.This is not fair to the defendant. Another issue is that the defendant cannot control the legal costs of the other party and explained earlier this could be abused. Statistics have shown that the market for before the event insurance BTE is still very premature and hence defendants ending up bankrupt as a result of Conditional Fee Arrangements are a reality. Contingency fees do not guarantee civil justice, or even access to the courts. Lawyers sometimes â€Å"cherry pick† only the strongest claims which are most likely to succeed. Not all cases are immediately transparent.Some require extensive investigation before the chances of success can be properly assessed. Such cases might be t urned away because even the initial assessment of their strength is costly and risky. Next, we look at the former aims of Conditional Fee Arrangements. Conditional Fee Arrangements were meant to help those who were too poor for legal advice but failed the means test for legal aid. Recent cases such as Campbell v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd have seemed to imply that Conditional Fee Arrangements are available to just about anyone.This issue was brought up in the London Seminar as they said that for â€Å"Hollywood actress Sharon Stone, footballer Ashley Cole, supermodel Naomi Campbell†¦ none of these were seen denied justice on financial ground†. While this does not seem to bring about any problems since it is still applied as a Conditional Fee Arrangements, what we are introducing is a whole new culture of people who tries to take advantage of a no-risk system to earn a quick buck. In the case of Campbell, Naomi sued for breach of confidence, and earned ?3500.To note this case, it was also â€Å"mortifying to find that†¦ they (MGM) were made to pay legal costs in the sum of ?1,086,295. 47†. Lastly, on the point of abuse, it seems that lawyers doing Conditional Fee Arrangements are paid better hourly rates than a normal lawyer. Based on statistics, a Conditional Fee Arrangements lawyer easily earns 103-115% of the normal lawyer fee based in London. Because their demand is not cost-led, it is easy to see instances of over-claiming and over charging of fees.The Jackson Report this year has led to many changes to the Conditional Fee Arrangements scheme and though the effects have not been felt there has been much feedback. For one, the Conditional Fee Amendment Act 2010 aims to reduce the success fee from 100% to 10% maximum. This is something targeted to help the defendant as there has been much feedback that success fees are perverse to a point of landing people into bankruptcy. However, many such as the Law Society and the Manchester Law Society have spoken up for the lawyers saying that the 100% success fee should maintain.Many lawyers also seem to object to this move. This goes on the grounds that it is important that there are incentives for lawyers to do Conditional Fee Arrangements work. After all, if they lose the case, they are not paid, and these lawyers are really gambling out there. Based on my opinion, what this amendment does will cause severe repercussions. This will not stop the problem of cherry-picking. Rather, it will result in more cherry-picking because there is a tendency to do almost no-risk work.Also, this would mean that many people would lose the option to enter into a Conditional Fee Arrangements as supplier base would probably decrease due to less sure-win cases. Next, to look at the problem of dragging cases to increase profits, this might actually persist and get worse in order to earn more. Hence I would feel that this is an effort, despite its good intentions, that would be difficult to bear fruit. Secondly, there is a proposal to shift costs from the defendant to the claimant. Rather than bearing the full cost, it is suggested that the success fee be paid by the claimant.Courts have shown an apprehensive attitude towards this as the adversarial system has always been one that has a principle that the losers should pay the winner’s cost. This again is a move aimed to help the defendants. However, having this in play would mean that the claimants have less damage to recover. Yet, to look at it from another perspective, this would mean that lawyers can now no longer abuse success fee setting. It would shift the demand of this market to the hands of the claimants. In a way, this provides competition, keeping success fees low and efficient.It would also solve the problem of case dragging, since lawyers would be pressured by claimants not to take so much time. Although this means more lawyers would exit the market because of low profits, I would feel that it is still an advantage as it increases efficiency and cost. In conclusion, there are many disadvantages and little advantages of the old Conditional Fee Arrangements system as I have researched and analyzed but the new reforms by the Jackson Report might actually be able to solve some of those disadvantages so that Conditional Fee Arrangements become a good substitute for legal aid.

English class work two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

English class work two - Essay Example For example, low levels of Vitamin D cause rickets in children. The main issue being addressed in the United Kingdom is the deficiency of Vitamin D in a large number of its population. The best source of Vitamin D is sunlight and found in a small number of foods. Unfortunately, there are certain factors that have led to the huge deficiency of Vitamin D in a huge number of the population. During the winter months, there is very low or almost no sunlight and this inhibit the use of Vitamin D from sunlight. Hence, this causes many people to stay indoors and heavily cloth themselves, increasing the chances of Vitamin D deficiency. The consequences of this are very evident in the UK, many infants suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fractures in susceptible children. A pathologist, Dr. Irene Scheimberg based at Royal London Hospital discovered vitamin D deficiency in 8 further cases of SIDS and 30 other cases of children who died. In Scotland, there were many cases of multiple sclerosis, which is caused by this deficiency. These alarming statistics prompted the creation of 208 million pound vitamin supplement market. A multivitamin supplement is a preparation intended to be a dietary supplement with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional elements. The UK government has a role to play in the regulation of this vitamin supplement market. As much as vitamin supplements are necessary, the UK government should ensure that the firms producing them meet high standards of human consumption. Multivitamin supplements need to also be researched before being dispensed to the public to prevent health hazards to certain groups of people, for example pregnant women. However, research shows that the best and safest sources of vitamins are from certain foods and having a balanced diet. One long-term project the UK government should undertake is to set structure to educate the people on

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Research Paper

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Behavior - Research Paper Example Organizations both small and large multinational conglomerates can achieve high profits in their business by matching their needs with the structure they employ in operation. There are various forms of organizational structures and they include function, matrix and division structures. In a functional structure, an organization is set up in order to group every portion of the organization according to its purpose and this structure works well for small businesses where each department relies on the talent and knowledge of workers and support. Nevertheless, the main drawback for the structure is that coordination and communication-linking departments are restricted by organizational boundaries that have various departments working separately. Divisional structure is employed in large organizations that work in large geographic location or in organizations that have different small organizations in the same company to take care of different forms of products or even market areas. The s tructure is beneficial in that it enables needs to be met rapidly although communication is inhibited since employees are in various divisions thus not working together; besides, the structure is costly owing to its size and scope. The matrix structure is a hybrid of both functional and divisional structures and is often employed by multinational companies since it allows the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in a single organization. Nevertheless, the structures create a potential for power struggles since many areas of the organization have dual management like a functional manager as well as a product or divisional manager working in the same stage and covering same managerial territory (Singh, 2010).  

Explain what's meant by Transaction Cost Economising. Also analyse Essay

Explain what's meant by Transaction Cost Economising. Also analyse between contributions made by Coase & Williamson - Essay Example For example, the searching cost (the energy and effort taken to find out the good), the cost of traveling for availing it, waiting time to get it and even the effort of paying it self are the costs incurred above and beyond the market price of that particular commodity. This ‘above’ and ‘beyond’ market price is the transaction cost. Now days, transaction cost is significant in each and every potential transaction. Transaction Cost Economics and Economizing The Transaction Cost Economics is the approach of analyzing the economic organization which considers transaction as the basic unit of analysis and it stresses that economizing the transaction cost is the central part of the analysis in the study of economic organizations. The cost of factors of production (resource inputs) , ie, land ,labor and capital, should be called as resource cost and for the better production, the resource cost should be the minimum. For enhancing the production and productivity, t he co-operation and investments in specialization are highly desirable. Co-operation between economic actors and investments in specialization are the major components of productivity enhancement. For achieving this co-operation and investment specialization, cost arises due to the inclination of self interested owners of inputs to shirk the commitments. The costs that incurred for the minimizing the shirking include: i) Searching cost incurred to identify the owners of the inputs (when, where and what type of the required good is available in the market with minimum price) ii) Negotiating or bargaining cost is the cost incurred for implanting an acceptable agreement between these two parties. In stock or asset market, it is the distance between ‘bid and ask’. It also includes the costs of any incentive given to minimize the shirking. iii) Monitoring cost and iv) Enforcement cost In spite of all these costs, residual loss from shirking may exist because of the inability of the above mechanisms to bring the shirking to zero in a complex and uncertain economy. Hence, the costs incurred to minimize the shirking plus the residual loss from shirking together constitute ‘transaction cost’(Hill, 1995). Contributions of Coase and Williams to the theory of Transaction Cost Economizing The origin of the theory of transaction cost economizing can be traced to a contributions of John R Common, 1932, Ronald H Coase 1937 and 1960, Friedrich Hayek, 1945, Herbert Simon, 1951, Chester Barnard, 1938, Philip Selznick , 1949 and Alfred Chandler, 1962. (Williamson, 1981). Among this series, the works of Ronald H Coase and Oliver Williamson are the real milestones. Coase laid the foundations of the Transaction Cost Approach while Williamson built a strong structure for the analysis. Both of them provide suitable and strong theoretical contributions to Transaction Cost Economics under the broad framework of Institutional Economics and they focus on how tran sactions have to be organized in order to economize the transactions. While describing the applications of transactional economics, it is assumed that different dimensions of transactions have to be identified and the alternative governance structure has to be described. Economizing of transactions can be achieved by discriminatory assignment of transactions to governance structures. The application of transaction cost approach lies both in the demarcation of efficient boundaries between firms and markets and in the governance

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Study - Essay Example Keywords: moral awareness, ethical dilemma, utilitarianism, ethical decisions, ethical approach, moral judgment CASE STUDY ETHICAL DILEMMA Problem Karen Hathaway is in a dilemma trying to decide who shall be the best candidate who deserves the promotion, among the three managers who are vying for the same position. All of the potential candidates are highly qualified for the coveted position in the company. The decision she has to make is very critical in order to ensure that the company is placed in the hands of only the best manager. She is being pressured by her superior and upper-management people to promote their own bets. She has also been informed by her immediate superior that making the wrong decision would not be good, either internally or externally, and will affect her work performance and credibility. Karen is now facing an ethical dilemma on who among the three candidates is most worthy to receive the promotion. Input The three candidates are the following: The first ca ndidate is Carmen, who is 34 years of age, an African American, recently divorced and, a single parent to an only child. She graduated in the lower half of her college class in Northwest State. She has been with the company for four years and in the industry for eight years, with average performance ratings, but is notable for her high energy level. As a superior, she has experienced some difficulties in managing her staff. Aside from this disadvantage is also her child’s poor health condition. Clinching the promotion will be a big help to manage her financial condition. In the event that Carmen gets the promotion, she will be the first African-American female manager at this level. Karen has known Carmen only a short time, but she has never had problems with her and they have become friends as Karen has once baby-sat Carmen’s daughter during an emergency. The drawback in promoting Carmen will place Karen in a tight situation as she might be accused of having biases an d favouritism. The second candidate is Ralph, an American, 57 years of age, married with three children and graduated top half in his class from a private university. He has been with the company for twenty years and in the industry for thirty years. He has been classified as a steady performer in the company, receiving mostly average ratings, with average to very low energy level. He was lauded in his work performance when he was able to produce many of the company’s top sales performers in the past. He has been not been promoted from his current position because of his refusal to relocate. This promotion would be his last before retirement, and his colleagues believed that he should be next in line because he has earned the position as an employee of the company for 20 years. In fact, one senior manager stopped Karen in the hall and said â€Å"You know, Karen, Ralph has been with us a long time. He has done many good things

Sociology of the body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sociology of the body - Essay Example This study is being undertaken in order to establish a well supported notion or social construct in the sociology of the body. Discussion Different members of society often fashion or build their bodies based on accepted societal views of masculinity and femininity. In so doing, they often try to shape and use their bodies to fit their gender and cultural expectations. This practice seems to emphasize not so much on the distinctiveness of our bodies, but more on what society dictates as acceptable forms or shapes (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Our genes partially determine our biological make-up and other environmental factors complete our physiology. Outside such biological constructs, cultural and social factors and attitudes attached to gender-based practices are also a crucial part of our overall make-up. Such practices create bodies which some social groups classify as masculine or feminine. In effect, the longing for better looking bodies have manifested in trends which len d greater support to cosmetic surgery, growth hormones, anabolic steroids, bodybuilding, and other fitness regimens for both men and women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Many advertisements for plastic surgeries also target men and women in their vulnerabilities. Men with gynecomastia or enlarged breasts, and women with small breasts have been exposed to ads which declare solutions to their issues – for men wanting to be rid of their gynecomastia and for women wanting bigger and perkier breasts (Lorber, 1994, p. 3). Women have also been exposed to the societal notion or expectation that having perky, large, and firm breasts, as well as slim bodies is the accepted shape to be in. In effect, many women wanting to fit the accepted societal demands have given in to breast lifts/reductions/augmentations and to puffier lips, toned abdomens, and shapely buttocks (Grogan, 2008, p. 52). Advertisements for plastic surgeries have capitalized on the portrayal of ideal images of beaut y – young, fresh, thin, and shapely forms. Millions of Americans have heeded these demands with about 6.9 million of them giving into the cosmetic surgery in 2002 alone; 88% of these are actually women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 278). Most of these surgeries have included liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping, breast augmentation, breast reduction, as well as hair transplants and ear reshaping for men. In terms of age, most of those seeking plastic surgery fall in the 34-50 year age group and most of these surgeries have been carried out among the whites, with few having been performed on minority groups (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 8). Due to its high cost, these surgeries have mostly been carried out in the affluent population, however, considering the general population’s obsession with losing weight through exercise machines and diet pills, it is a trend which still covers many people regardless of financial capability or ethnic affinities. Bodies are socia lly constructed because they are tools used by many people in order to gain some form of progress or advancement in their life (Davids, Evans, and Lorber, 2006, p. 55). Even if the business and employment world may capitalize on one’s skills, talents, knowledge, and educational background to determine employment, still, it cannot be denied that one’s looks affect a person’s success and employment status. One classic example is the fact that there has

Solve a regression problem using SPSS Coursework

Solve a regression problem using SPSS - Coursework Example The Equation of Best Fit is a calculation or equation that attempts to minimize distance between all the data points and a fitted line. The general idea is that small and unbiased difference between a model’s predicted values and the observed values indicates the model of best fit. However, it is advisable to look at the residual plots before concluding about goodness-of-fit as a statistical measure. We interpret the slope b or regression coefficient as the amount of change in Y for each unit increase in X. that is b represents the effect of X on Y while the intercept a, is the predicted value of Y associated with X = 0. From our analysis, the slope (a = 0.124) and Y-intercept (-1.031), X-temperature, and Y ice cream sales. Figure 2 below shows the strong positive correlation between temperature and Ice Cream Sales (slope). The main idea for this task is to find out whether the number of ice cream sold varies with temperature. Based on existing literature, we would expect ice-cream sales to increase with temperature. In order to answer the questions for the exercise, the Number of Ice Cream Sales is the dependent variable (criterion variable), and Temperature is the independent variable. Overall, the task is a simple linier regression because there are only two variables. Figure 4 above shows the correlation coefficient (r) is +0.98, which tells us a strong positive correlation between sales of ice cream and temperature, at 0.001 significance level. Therefore, we establish that the relationship between sales of ice cream and temperature was positively and strongly related (r = +0.98), p

Language and News discourse of Turkish Radio and Television(TRT) Research Paper

Language and News discourse of Turkish Radio and Television(TRT) - Research Paper Example They include, TRT 1 (general), TRT 2 (culture and art) and TRT 3 (youth channel with sports and music programs and live broadcasts from the Turkish National Grand Assembly at definite hours). All together the paper focuses on the television news power discourse that is state-owned, significantly presenting an essentialist image of identity which does not echo the complexity of the members of the public it claims to describe. This research addresses the power of the media, through a number of practices in the selected 3 recent television news broadcast in TRT which clearly shows that TRT is not an objective television, it is serving for the power not public, not free from bias. This is for the purposes of expanding the boundaries for enclosure of the members of the public. Introduction In the present day, there is need to gather, formulate information on the regulation, ownership, accessibility, performance in addition to projections for creating broadcast amendments. The significant factor for undertaking this research is to contribute to the Turkish consolidation. Many nations have made significant achievements in creating democratic systems of governance based on popular control of the media and whereby members of the public are provided with information without bias. ... Such amendments arise from developing global standards on the subject of media and news media particularly. In its straightforward definition of public broadcasting service is a broadcaster that provides services to the members of the public entirely and is responsible to the members of the public in general. In spite of that, in most scenarios the term public broadcaster is in actual fact regarded as a state broadcaster. This research targets to enable the process of giving support to turning of TRT (Turkish Radyo and Television) into public broadcasters worthy of the name. The research on Language and News discourse of Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) begins from the hypothesis that growth and democracy cannot succeed devoid of open and free public space where all factors concerning lives of the members of an audience can be made public and debated. This means that the members of the public can get a chance to play a role in making decisions in the society and the country at larg e via TRT. According to Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize Laureate, democracy is â€Å"governance by dialogue†. Sen describes democracy as implemented by the media as governing by means of dialogue where broadcasters are ideally placed to make this dialogue process possible by offering the space for it. This is based on whether their services are available, self-regulating, and reliable and open to the complete range of varying views (Hampton & Roemer, 21). Subsequent to this hypothesis, the significant goal of this research is to find out whether and to what extent news broadcasting on TRT can and do create this kind of free public space with distinctive focus given to the selected 3 recent

Corporate governance Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Corporate governance - Dissertation Example It is evident from the work of various research scholars that people felt the importance of â€Å"Corporate Governance† at least 100 years ago. For example, research scholars such as Tinbergen (1962) have raised their concern over effectiveness of corporate governance. In recent times, corporate accounting scandals in companies like Cirio, Enron, Vivendi, Ansett, Parmalat, and Pan Pharmaceuticals have forced business leaders to think about the issues like corporate accountability and corporate governance. Above mentioned corporate accounting scandals were the results of managerial misconduct and corporate failures. Business leaders became aware of the fact that they need to take some serious measures in order to address the pertaining issues of corporate governance. ... Various research scholars have stated situation-specific definition of corporate governance and so it is difficult to find one universal definition of corporate governance. Majority of the research scholars have given importance on the relational aspect of corporate governance. According to them corporate governance is guided by the relationship between shareholders and managers. Tricker (1984) has revealed that corporate governance is different from management due to the fact that management deals with running the organization while corporate governance deals with running the organization in a proper manner. Keasey and Wright (1993) have stated that business leaders can use different tools of management, such as controlling; accountability, in order to monitor activities of agents and motivation to make them act in accordance with the expectation of the internal and external stakeholders. Various research scholars such as Markusen and Venables (1999) have stated that there is a dire ct relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and corporate governance. According to them FDI policies of government plays a significant role on motivating foreign players to design sustainable corporate governance policy. Markusen and Maskus (2001) have stated that companies need to align their business strategy in a foreign country in accordance with the FDI policy of government of that country, in order to address the key issues of corporate governance. In many cases it has been observed that companies manipulate their corporate governance policy in order to achieve competitive advantage in foreign countries, such as superior technology, economies of scale, managerial expertise etc over

Globalization or inter-nationalization Essay Example for Free

Globalization or inter-nationalization Essay Whether we call it globalization or inter-nationalization, very few people, organizations or states stand to benefit To what extent do you agree with this statement? Globalization is without doubt it is a buzz word of the time it is a word that seems to be constantly mentioned in the news on the television or radio. But what does living in a globalized world really mean? As a starting point this essay will attempt to interpret its meaning by applying four main theories and using these theories to discuss the impact of globalization on individuals, organisations and states. It will go on to explore three different perspectives on global change and how each perspective might view its effects including identifying possible weaknesses in their arguments. This will enable a decision to be made as to what extent the question whether we call it globalization or inter-nationalization, very few people, organisations or states stand to benefit can be agreed with. Globalization can be characterized by four distinctive features. First it involves a stretching of social, political and economic activities across nation-state boundaries. What is happening on what might be geographically the other side of the world, affects the other and specific local developments can have considerable global consequences. Examples of this would be global climate change, environmental issues such as pollution into the atmosphere and oceans, poverty etc. We are all losers in terms of global problems such as pollution acid rain, toxic waste etc and it extremely daunting to think that we are totally limitless in our control of them. For example, in April 1986 an accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the USSR. This caused a cloud carrying radioactive particles to hit Britain. Ten years on, as a result of the fall-out, 70,000 sheep in Cumbria remained contaminated (Cochrane, A. and Pain, K. (2004), p.18). Second, it is marked by the intensification of flows of trade. Technological developments have accelerated over the past 20 years the introduction of mobile phones, the internet, satellite television means that communication across the planet is virtually instantaneous. There are hundreds of satellites floating above the earth, each one carrying a huge amount of information. Physical distance is no longer an issue we are being brought much closer to news/issues/events from around the world this could be seen as good or bad although for the ones that have it, access to much more information has to be a good thing. Losers would undoubtedly be people without internet access and organisations with a less developed communication infrastructure. The way people work is changing working from home is now much more viable and this has to be a good thing for individuals and companies because it provides more flexibility all round. Third, it can be linked to increasing interpenetration or the bringing together distant cultures and societies face to face with each other at local level, good examples of this would be Microsoft, Coca Cola, McDonalds and Starbucks. This could be seen as good or bad, many people dont like the fact that these huge companies put smaller privately owned companies out of business and that everything is becoming so uniformed local places with character are being lost. Global trade on the whole is increasing which may mean more jobs, better employment prospects for some but on the down sound it may also mean many home communities are devastated when local companies are bought out by multinational ones that cut wages and benefits and/or moves production overseas. This could lead to the inequality gap widening further which will ultimately cause conflict and potentially from this point of view we are all losers here too. And forth, the development of a global infrastructure the authority of nations is territorially bound therefore international organisations such as The United Nationals, The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation all play a part in regulating and governing the global system and are new forms of agency brought about because of globalization. It could be argued that in this borderless economy, nation states have no option but to accommodate global market forces due to their power, limiting their options. Furthermore, a growth in international trade (often due to lower trade barriers) will encourage more competition. This could be seen as having winners and losers but reducing trade barriers in particular may reduce the role of governments which, in turn, could encourage corruption. There is no doubt that many developing countries have increased their share of world trade as a result of globalization although this may be at the detriment of the poorer countries. There are three positions which all have a different perspective on the term globalization; these are the globalist, inter-nationalist and transformationalist and all three have strengths and weaknesses to their arguments. Globalists on the whole see Globalisation as something that is real and is happening that changes are happening socially and economically and that it is an inevitable, irreversible development that should not be resisted. But globalists themselves fall into two categories optimistic/positive globalists and pessimistic globalists. Optimistic/positive Globalists view it as a process that is beneficial. They would probably disagree with the statement that very few people, organizations or states stand to benefit because they welcome the changes that it brings such as improvement on the quality of life, raising living standards and the bringing together of societies and cultures promoting a better understanding of each other. They acknowledge that globalisation is not all good news, that with it issues such as global environmental pollution, for example, but want citizens to take responsibility for their actions, to look for ways of minimising the damage through their own actions and through the use of new technologies. They may have overlooked however, that local Governments/authorities may be limited in their actions in relation to worldwide/global issues and that globalization is certainly not developing in an even handed way. In Tony Giddens Reith Lecture he quotes Globalisation some argue creates a world of winners and losers, a few on the fast track to prosperity, the majority condemned to a life of misery and despair and indeed the statistics are daunting. The share of the poorest 5th of the worlds population in global income has dropped from 2.3% to 1.4% over the past 10 years. The proportion taken by the richest 5th on the other hand has risen (Tony Gidden Reith Lecture Runaway World 1999). Pessimistic globalists regard it with hostility, believing that it increases inequality between nations, threatens employment and hinders social progress. Moreover they believe that globalization is making the world become more homogeneous with the demise of sovereignty and national identities as well as the demise of politicians capabilities to influence events. A pessimistic view would probably be that only the giant multi-national companies (usually American) stand to benefit since the US has a dominant economic, cultural and military position in the global scheme of things. They would probably view globalization as nothing more than corporate hegemony and would definitely agree with the statement about very few people, organizations or states benefiting. A weakness of the pessimistic globalist view is that they dont seem to have a clear solution to the problem, its like they want to reverse time and go back to how it was. They undermine the existing structure but have no idea abo ut any clear alternatives. According to the inter-nationalists all the talk about globalization is exactly that just talk. They believe that the world carries on much the same as it ever did that it isnt especially different from that which existed in previous periods and that increases in global trade across the world is just progression based on world trading links that have been established for many years a continuation of the past. They argue that a good deal of economic exchange is between regions rather than being truly worldwide, for example countries of the European Union mostly trade among themselves. This whole view seems unrealistic. World financial flows have grown exponentially since the 1970s and advances in technology have undoubtedly helped with transactions becoming instantaneous with 24 hour global financial markets. International trade has also grown to unprecedented levels and involves a much wider range of goods and services. As a result a weakness of theirs would be that underestimate the power of nation states and possibly put too much faith in the capabilities of national governments. The third transformationslists is somewhere in between the two. They believe that something is happening, that changes are taking place and that the effects of globalisation should not be underestimated. Unlike the globalists they believe that nothing is pre-determined or inevitable and that national, local and other agencies still have room for manoeuvre and that maybe new solutions may have to be found. A strength of the transformationalist is that they see sovereignty as having to be shared among other private and public agencies. They would probably sit on the fence as to whether people, organizations or states stand to benefit from globalization. Some people do benefit, some dont. Some organisations benefit, some dont, and so on. It might depend on who you are, what you are, where you live etc. A weakness of the transformationalist would be that they are somewhat blinded by the scale of global inequalities that are developing as a result of rationalisation as they tend to have more of a regional focus. The word globalization seems to have come from no where to be almost everywhere. Globalisation is political, technological, cultural and economic, it affects everyone and its effects can be seen everywhere. There are winners and losers but with reference to the original question in the introductory paragraph personally it would have to be a disagreement with this statement. Globalization is not something that should be shirked but the challenges it presents need to be controlled because it is now part of the way we live and its not going to go away. Metaphorically speaking it may mean a shrinking world but it is creating something that has never existed before and it is without doubt changing our world, for better or worse, no matter where or whom we happen to be. References Cochrane, A. and Pain, K, A globalizing society in Held, D. (ed) (2004) Gidden Reith, A. Lecture Runaway World (1999) Held, D. A globalizing world? Culture, economics, politics, London, Routledge/The Open University

Functions of Oral Communication

Functions of Oral Communication Communication is an important part of our daily lives. It mainly focusing on interact with any living organisms. We communicate with our self at different ages different time ways. Including with our family, friends, socially and professionally . Oral communication benefits business by providing them an outlet through which to explain to and instruct employees. It can be also used to provide clear direction. affirmation and the ability for leadership to upload company policy and mission. For example as what Carl Rogers (1952) one of the eminent psychologists of all time says. a real communication occurs when we listen with understanding to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other persons point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the things he is talking about. Elizabeth Tierney (1998) says, communication as a process which begin when you have a message that you want to deliver to an audience. Your audience receive the message, reacts to it and then responds to your message. That respond may lead you to react and give another message. This process may continue. The message can be an idea, a thought or feeling which we wish to share with others. It also can be shorter or lengthier with a important rules where there is a sender and a receiver. Julia T. Wood (2009) says, communication as a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. The important terms are process which is ongoing, continuous and always changing; systemic which happen within a system of interconnected parts that affect each other; symbols which represent things and meanings where any act of communication involves two essential aspects. Joseph Devito (2009) says, that communication take place when one person or more sends and receives message that are distorted by noise, occur within a context, have some effect, and provide some opportunity for feedback with some basic elements. These are context, source-receiver, messages, channels, noise and effects. Communication will successfully if the receiver received the message clearly in any form. See 3.0 1.1 Form, Function and Strategies in Oral Communication In this assignment I will be focusing on the discussion about how form, function and strategies are use in oral communication in the Malaysian context. 1.1.1 Form Form are important in oral communication on how to deliver a message. There proven to be 7 forms . Intrapersonal communication Interpersonal communication Small group communication Public communication Mass communication Corporate communication Intercultural communication 1.1.2 Function We can define function as a function or action or evaluating self act in a conversation. arguments or even self talk. Example : A : do you want to eat roti chanai ? B: i ate nasi lemak The function over here is B is rejecting . 1.1.3 Strategies Specifically focus on oral interaction and interlocutors negotiation behavior for coping with communication breakdowns. Strategies used for the purpose of the communication on how this use represented the extent of discourse in the oral proficiency tests. According to previous research dealing with transcription data analysis, strategies for communication have been listed as achievement and reduction strategies . When the speakers had difficulties expressing an thought or idea, they used strategies to give themselves a time frame to figure out . Example Strategy questionnaire as below : When I need to think of what to sayI use filler such as um.urh, welletc to gain time . When I have difficulty thinking of the right words, I let other say something first so that I use similar words to express my self. When I dont understand othersI request them to repeat those words to make sure my self I understand. 2.0 ORAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS 2.1 In oral communication, information, thoughts and ideas are conveyed via a spoken language in the following ways:- Face-to-face conversations; Meeting; Voice mail messages Teleconferencing; Oral presentations; and Public speaking. 2.2 We have 3 models of communication process where the sender and receiver communication take place . 2.2.1 Linear Model Its invole two people. Its a one-way communication process which require one person to acts on another person. its a straigh forward message transmit from a speaker to a listener . Shannon and Weavers model Laswells (1948) describe how communication works in five question Who said? What? In what channel? To whom? With what effect? 2.2.2 Interactive Model To be very shortFacebook and MSN are the examples of interactive model. This model can be focus as a succesesr for liner model which has greather chances of succesfull communication . 2.2.3 Transactional Model This is a excellant model for face to face communication which takes the effects of noisetimeand systems into consideration. Transactional Model can be define as ongoing and continously changing proess communication. In any form or forms of oral communication ( refer 3.0 )the 3 models and 6 elements are present directly and indirectly. 3.0 Form of oral communication Intrapersonal communication It is communicating your self .A internel dialoge for your self.A self talk most people say. Most of them bypass this process much of their stress in life is from a feeling of not having any control in their lives. Meditation prayer are part of this intrapersonal also. Interpersonal communication A simply any verbal or non verbal message transferred between people. Small group communication Its define as interpersonal communication within 3 or more persons. Communication is an important part of our daily lives. It mainly focusing on interact with any living organisms. We communicate with our self, at different age, different time ways. Including with our though, family, friends, socially and professionally . Oral communication benefits business by providing them an outlet through which to explain to and instruct employees. It can be also used to provide clear direction, affirmation and the ability for leadership to upload company policy and mission. For example as what Carl Rogers (1952) one of the eminent psychologists of all time says, a real communication occurs when we listen with understanding to see the expressed idea and attitude from the other persons point of view, to sense how it feels to him, to achieve his frame of reference in regard to the things he is talking about. Elizabeth Tierney (1998) says, communication as a process which begin when you have a message that you want to deliver to an audience. Your audience receive the message, reacts to it and then responds to your message. That respond may lead you to react and give another message. This process may continue. The message can be an idea, a thought or feeling which we wish to share with others. It also can be shorter or lengthier with a important rules where there is a sender and a receiver. Julia T. Wood (2009) says, communication as a systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings. The important terms are process which is ongoing, continuous and always changing; systemic which happen within a system of interconnected parts that affect each other; symbols which represent things and meanings where any act of communication involves two essential aspects. Joseph Devito (2009) says, that communication take place when one person or more sends and receives message that are distorted by noise, occur within a context, have some effect, and provide some opportunity for feedback with some basic elements. These are context, source-receiver, messages, channels, noise and effects. Communication will successfully if the receiver received the message clearly in any form. See 3.0 1.1 Form, Function and Strategies in Oral Communication In this assignment I will be focusing on the discussion about how form, function and strategies are use in oral communication in the Malaysian context. 1.1.1 Form Form are important in oral communication on how to deliver a message. There proven to be 7 forms . Intrapersonal communication Interpersonal communication Small group communication Public communication Mass communication Corporate communication Intercultural communication 1.1.2 Function We can define function as a function or action or evaluating self act in a conversation, arguments or even self talk. Example : A : do you want to eat roti chanai ? B: i ate nasi lemak The function over here is B is rejecting . 1.1.3 Strategies Specifically focus on oral interaction and interlocutors negotiation behavior for coping with communication breakdowns. Strategies used for the purpose of the communication on how this use represented the extent of discourse in the oral proficiency tests. According to previous research dealing with transcription data analysis, strategies for communication have been listed as achievement and reduction strategies . When the speakers had difficulties expressing an thought or idea, they used strategies to give themselves a time frame to figure out . Example Strategy questionnaire as below : When I need to think of what to say, I use filler such as um.urh, well, etc to gain time . When I have difficulty thinking of the right words, I let other say something first so that I use similar words to express my self. When I dont understand others, I request them to repeat those words to make sure my self I understand. 2.0 ORAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS 2.1 In oral communication, information, thoughts and ideas are conveyed via a spoken language in the following ways:- Face-to-face conversations; Meeting; Voice mail messages Teleconferencing; Oral presentations; and Public speaking. 2.2 We have 3 models of communication process where the sender and receiver communication take place . 2.2.1 Linear Model Its invole two people. Its a one-way communication process which require one person to acts on another person. its a straigh forward message transmit from a speaker to a listener . Shannon and Weavers model Laswells (1948) describe how communication works in five question Who said? What? In what channel? To whom? With what effect? 2.2.2 Interactive Model To be very short, Facebook and MSN are the examples of interactive model. This model can be focus as a succesesr for liner model which has greather chances of succesfull communication . 2.2.3 Transactional Model This is a excellant model for face to face communication which takes the effects of noise, time, and systems into consideration. Transactional Model can be define as ongoing and continously changing proess communication. In any form or forms of oral communication ( refer 3.0 ), the 3 models and 6 elements are present directly and indirectly. 3.0 Form of oral communication Intrapersonal communication It is communicating your self .A internel dialoge for your self.A self talk most people say. Most of them bypass this process much of their stress in life is from a feeling of not having any control in their lives. Meditation prayer are part of this intrapersonal also. Interpersonal communication A simply any verbal or non verbal message transferred between people. Small group communication Its define as interpersonal communication within 3 or more persons. Public communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Mass communication A communication thru radio, broadcast news paper to reach the wide population. Corporate communication; Communication that takes place among members of an organization, within that building or organization. Intercultural communication. Communication between people of diverse cultures and ethnicity. A process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries. I will mainly will be elaborating about Interpersonal communication, Small group communication Public Communication. See below 3.1 Interpersonal communication What is the ONE skill required of almost every job at online career? Basic interpersonal communication such as a good intrapersonal communication, listening, language, emotions, non-verbal communication, communication climate, and others which this skills will make you excellent at being as a good friend, good spouse, good employee and boss. By learning all them and putting them into practice as often as possible to become excellent at interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication involves a close group of participants such as the everyday conversations you carry on. Interpersonal communication involves face to face encounters which you get the immediate communication. It also includes speeches, general friendly exchanges, arguments and basically anytime you speak to someone. Many variations make interpersonal communication flexibility important for difference circumstances. We use interpersonal communication to learn new information such as when asking questions. Plus, we use it to share information such as when telling a story. Even to define yourself in a speech. We do learn about different cultures and languages through interpersonal communication as well. Interpersonal communication is very indeed important since it develop our self throughout the stages of life.You learn, teach and get an identity. You get so many things to share to others who you are. Basically learn how to pronounce words correctly and to speak properly in certain situation and how to communicate in general. In recent years, interpersonal communication has taken back seat compare to other forms since more people are in to using social networks to exchange information and contacts. Basically develop your interpersonal communication skills for success at work and at home. 3.2 Small group communication Interpersonal communication define as within 3 or more persons. People join groups for variety of reasons. Some group members are motivated by task concerns and others are motivated by interpersonal attraction to other group of members. There is a phrase, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts , which also refers to group synergy. A group synergy refers to the idea that two heads or more are better then one. A group communication will increase the ability to perform more and multiple work which provide encouragement and support to its members within a project .This may lead to promote the interpersonal relationships between the group members. Individuals often join a team or group to meet their interpersonal needs. Self Control is needed to exercise leadership and prove ones abilities. Some person do not want to be a leader. So, group communication is the necessary control over aspects of their lives.Take note that groups are an excellent way to make friends We can split group communication into various types of groups. Social Groups This group is predominantly social in their orientation such as families and social clubs. Basically its provide for our safety and solidarity needs and they help to develop self-esteem. Work Groups This group work to complete a particular task. Their expertise is counted to full fill the mission or task. There are several work groups such as workplaces, campus organizations or juries. An example of this will be assembly line which each worker performs tasks to build a complete car. A group members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. A group must have a common purpose or goal so that they must work together to achieve that goal. Basically a goal bring the team together. 3.3 Public Communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Skill in public speaking is important. No matter what your career choice, most collage graduates enter occupations that require some form of speaking before groups.Culture affects the way people use, present and regards public speaking. Public Communication usually dificult for most people and effective public speaking is a skill which must be learned. Not only do you listen in person, but receive information via technology. We hear speeches on television and radio.The basic components of public communication process are the source and the code, perceptions and attitudes, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise and environment . Audience awarness is very important when its comes to public communication .Its the ability to ensure that your communication level is interactive towards the listeners. Self-centered is very importand. Public comunication can be define as public speaking as well. It can consider as fear for most of the people. But with proper preparation, anyone can make it happen. Few tips to be a good public communicator or public speaker. Dress for success. Be with good packaging such as dress code. Better to overdressd than undredressed. It definatly will enchance your image. Prepare a great intro and closing. Practice till you even can say them forward and backward. A great start with some humor or short story will definatly works. Try to filter out the ah ,Mmmm the presentation. It will annoy or will definalty will give uncomfertable reaction to the audience. To skip this try to join the local Toastmasters international club. Try to build your presentation in to an easy format to follow. Flip chat with key point works better on this .A handouts where participants can follow the topic that you will cover will works as well. Time is the most important element in public communication. Sharp with point with proper timing will always lead to a great opening and ending. Rehearse as much as you can. Always keep eye contact with the audience. Try to find some smiling audience. Move from one to one. Its a rewarding expriences when its comes to public communication. Its boots everything up. 4.0 Conclusion Oral communication is the most important component in any area such as business, relationship, family, work and etc. Without it interaction is almost imposible. Oral communication skills are crucial in handeling with others, and this is proven in any situation. As we in malaysia, there are some example of our everyday oral communication as Manglish . Originated from English, malay, hokkian, mandarin and tamil. We intend to add Lah in all the words as below. Come one lah, see how lah and etc. Got or not Means, do you have it ? When ah? Who ah? Where ah? in rising ahs mean respectively When? Who? Where? It noted that we shoud start a good proper words to correct us for a better future with better oral language in communication. Public communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Mass communication A communication thru radio, broadcast news paper to reach the wide population. Corporate communication; Communication that takes place among members of an organization, within that building or organization. Intercultural communication. Communication between people of diverse cultures and ethnicity. A process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries. I will mainly will be elaborating about Interpersonal communication, Small group communication Public Communication. See below 3.1 Interpersonal communication What is the ONE skill required of almost every job at online career? Basic interpersonal communication such as a good intrapersonal communication, listening, language, emotions, non-verbal communication, communication climate, and others which this skills will make you excellent at being as a good friend, good spouse, good employee and boss. By learning all them and putting them into practice as often as possible to become excellent at interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication involves a close group of participants such as the everyday conversations you carry on. Interpersonal communication involves face to face encounters which you get the immediate communication. It also includes speeches, general friendly exchanges, arguments and basically anytime you speak to someone. Many variations make interpersonal communication flexibility important for difference circumstances. We use interpersonal communication to learn new information such as when asking questions. Plus, we use it to share information such as when telling a story. Even to define yourself in a speech. We do learn about different cultures and languages through interpersonal communication as well. Interpersonal communication is very indeed important since it develop our self throughout the stages of life.You learn, teach and get an identity. You get so many things to share to others who you are. Basically learn how to pronounce words correctly and to speak properly in certain situation and how to communicate in general. In recent years, interpersonal communication has taken back seat compare to other forms since more people are in to using social networks to exchange information and contacts. Basically develop your interpersonal communication skills for success at work and at home. 3.2 Small group communication Interpersonal communication define as within 3 or more persons. People join groups for variety of reasons. Some group members are motivated by task concerns and others are motivated by interpersonal attraction to other group of members. There is a phrase, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts , which also refers to group synergy. A group synergy refers to the idea that two heads or more are better then one. A group communication will increase the ability to perform more and multiple work which provide encouragement and support to its members within a project .This may lead to promote the interpersonal relationships between the group members. Individuals often join a team or group to meet their interpersonal needs. Self Control is needed to exercise leadership and prove ones abilities. Some person do not want to be a leader. So, group communication is the necessary control over aspects of their lives.Take note that groups are an excellent way to make friends We can split group communication into various types of groups. Social Groups This group is predominantly social in their orientation such as families and social clubs. Basically its provide for our safety and solidarity needs and they help to develop self-esteem. Work Groups This group work to complete a particular task. Their expertise is counted to full fill the mission or task. There are several work groups such as workplaces, campus organizations or juries. An example of this will be assembly line which each worker performs tasks to build a complete car. A group members must be able to communicate freely and openly with all of the other members of the group. A group must have a common purpose or goal so that they must work together to achieve that goal. Basically a goal bring the team together. 3.3 Public Communication According to Wikipedia, Public Communication is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence or entertain the listeners . Skill in public speaking is important. No matter what your career choice, most collage graduates enter occupations that require some form of speaking before groups.Culture affects the way people use, present and regards public speaking. Public Communication usually dificult for most people and effective public speaking is a skill which must be learned. Not only do you listen in person, but receive information via technology. We hear speeches on television and radio.The basic components of public communication process are the source and the code, perceptions and attitudes, message, channel, receiver, feedback, noise and environment . Audience awarness is very important when its comes to public communication .Its the ability to ensure that your communication level is interactive towards the listeners. Self-centered is very importand. Public comunication can be define as public speaking as well. It can consider as fear for most of the people. But with proper preparation, anyone can make it happen. Few tips to be a good public communicator or public speaker. Dress for success. Be with good packaging such as dress code. Better to overdressd than undredressed. It definatly will enchance your image. Prepare a great intro and closing. Practice till you even can say them forward and backward. A great start with some humor or short story will definatly works. Try to filter out the ah ,Mmmm the presentation. It will annoy or will definalty will give uncomfertable reaction to the audience. To skip this try to join the local Toastmasters international club. Try to build your presentation in to an easy format to follow. Flip chat with key point works better on this .A handouts where participants can follow the topic that you will cover will works as well. Time is the most important element in public communication. Sharp with point with proper timing will always lead to a great opening and ending. Rehearse as much as you can. Always keep eye contact with the audience. Try to find some smiling audience. Move from one to one. Its a rewarding expriences when its comes to public communication. Its boots everything up. 4.0 Conclusion Oral communication is the most important component in any area such as business, relationship, family, work and etc. Without it interaction is almost imposible. Oral communication skills are crucial in handeling with others, and this is proven in any situation. As we in malaysia, there are some example of our everyday oral communication as Manglish . Originated from English, malay, hokkian, mandarin and tamil. We intend to add Lah in all the words as below. Come one lah, see how lah and etc. Got or not Means, do you have it ? When ah? Who ah? Where ah? in rising ahs mean respectively When? Who? Where? It noted that we shoud start a good proper words to correct us for a better future with better oral language in communication.

History And Culture Of Klutch Cultural Studies Essay

History And Culture Of Klutch Cultural Studies Essay History of Kutch Kutch has a very rich and vibrant history. People have migrated in and out of Kutch from countries like Afghanistan, Sindh, Britain and Africa for centuries and the various stone implements found by explorations in and around the place verify that it was inhabited from prehistoric times. In fact, traces of the astonishing Indus Valley civilization (3000 to 1500B.C.) have been discovered at Dholavira- Kutch. It was referred to by Alexander the great as `Abhir`, which means the shape of tortoise. It had always remained a place of a lesser population, especially in the 9th century. Kutch has also experienced frequent earthquake since medieval times. The earliest earthquake recorded in Kutch dates back to 16th June 1819. Since then, over 90 earthquakes of varying intensity have struck the region, but none as severe as the most recent one in 2001. Kutch in Ancient Period (3000 B.C to 920 AD) Rann was not an arm of the sea during the early days when Alexander the great visited these places in 325BC. The eastern branches of the Indus River emptied the most important channel into the Rann and Kutch was a kind of extension of Sindh on the other side of the larger freshwater lake, which could be easily crossed. The Mauryan Empire broke of the Gujarat, Kutch and Sindh provinces and passed under the rules of Greeks from Bactria in 140-120 BC. Bactrian rule over Gujarat, Kathiawad and Kutch was ended by Sakas in the 1st Century and ruled upto the 3rd century. After that Samudragupta attacked the Sakas and ended their rule. Kutch in Modern Period (1500 AD to 2001) Much of Kutch history in the 13th, 14th and 15th century has witnessed a lot of violence through massacres, plunder and arson. In 1510, Rao Khengarji I a successor of Odha, (second son of Rato Raydhan) assumed power with the full approval of the Sultan of Ahmeddabad. He thus became the founder of the dynasty that was to rule Kutch till its merger with the Indian Union in 1948. Khengarji I`s capital was Rahper. This was later shifted to Bhuj in 1549. After the Partition of India in 1947, the province of Sindh, including the port of Karachi, ended up in Pakistan. The Indian Government constructed a modern port at Kandla in Kutch to serve as a port for western India in lieu of Karachi. There was a dispute over the Kutch region with Pakistan and battle broke out just months before the outbreak of the Second Kashmir War. Architecture The architecture that is followed in the construction of the houses in the Kutch region, and Gujarat as a whole, is called Bhonga and is commonly found in the rural areas. It is a tent like structure which has been in use in Gujarat and the Kutch region for over 200 years now. It consists of a single cylindrical shaped room and has a conical roof supported by cylindrical walls. The durability, sturdiness and the reason that this type of architecture is well suited to the desert condition makes it a very common sight across this region. Also, failure of the Bhongas in the last earthquake caused very few injuries to its occupants in spite of their collapse. These Bhongas are similar to the normal mud houses and is usually inhabited by the poor people. Places of Importance Bhuj is the headquarters of the Kutch district and apart from its strategic and administrative importance, it is also a beautiful place famous for its amazing landscape. Mandvi is a port situated along the coast, which is a tourist destination famous for its handicraft, tie-dye, silverwork and interesting architecture like Vijay Vilas Palace. It also showcases a few houses which have a blend of Indian and European styles of architecture and a lighthouse. The Mandvi Beach is also a place of importance with Water Sports and other forms of tourism developing along its coast. White Rann, named so due to the huge salt content in the desert making it look like ice, is a very common tourist attraction and the picturesque beauty of the place has made it an integral part of many movies as well. The Rann Utsav, a cultural event, happens here in the greater Rann of Kutch every year in December. It is organised by the Gujarat tourism department annually and is an opportunity for visitors to attend folk dance and music concepts, watch artisans at work, visit handicraft villages, see the historical monuments in the state, and go trekking as well. The Little Rann of Kutch and its environs, the Wild Ass Sanctuary is the last home of the Indian Wild Ass. Other species that could be seen during wildlife viewing drives in the sanctuary are the Nilgai or blue bull antelope, Blackbuck or Indian Antelope, Chinkara or Indian Gazelle, the endangered Indian Wolf, Desert and Indian Foxes, Jackal, and smaller species characteristic of the desert habitat. At the edge of the Little Rann of Kutch are lakes and marshes that attract waterfowl in numbers beyond comprehension. Huge flocks of flamingos, pelicans, cranes, storks, geese and ducks can be seen in winter. The Little Rann is also one of the few places in India where the Lesser Flamingo is breeding successfully. The place Banni (meaning bani hui, or ready made) gets its name from its geological past, the land was formed from the sediments deposited by several rivers that flowed through the region over several thousand years. People say that prior to the earthquake of 1816, the river Indus flowed right through Banni and the local farmers reaped rich harvests. After the earthquake, the rivers changed course and the place now is almost featureless, arid grassland fed only by the seasonal monsoons with very few farms seen. Due to the high salt content of the soil the vegetation is sparse and plants we came across most were salt tolerant shrubs like Mesvak , Lana, Ooeyen, Lai and Sedge. Places of Worship Hazipir, Karodpir, Mata Nu Madh, Narayan Sarovar, Koteshwar, Godhra, Vaishnav Devi, Gundala, Ghadsisha, etc. are places which are of interest to one and many. Each of them have a story to communicate and they each hold historic and religious importance in their own respective ways. Economy and Industries: Indias fastest growing state in the last decade has been the state of Gujarat. The Kutch region of Gujarat provides investors with both resources and the benefits of investment. The most important feature of the Kutch region comes geographically with two major ports Mundra and Kandla located in the region. These ports are closest to the Gulf and Europe and major trade occurs through both these ports. Kutch is home to a lot of small truck drivers. There are also NRI industrialists and businessmen who contribute to the economy of the region. The Kutch region is also blessed with abundance of natural resources like lignite, bauxite and gypsum. Most of these minerals are used for electricity generation by the Gujarat Electricity Board. The industry scenario in the region can be best described as making rapid strides. Companies of TATA Power, Adani and Sanghi Industries Ltd are housed in the region. Ancilliaries and support systems are also developing in the region at a fast pace. Due to all these the demand for non agricultural land has gone up at an astounding pace thereby accompanied with sky rocketing land prices. An acre of land available for Rs. 500 just 7-8 years ago is now sold at Rs.5 Crores. Although these stories are unheard of in the land of Kutch since its inception, they are becoming the reality of today. Due to such explosion, poor peasants lifestyles have gone a dramatic change and they are consuming brands like lottery winners. There are so many cases in which many people have opted for retirement from their farms and have sold it off to these corporate for a fat price tag and are now enjoying the fruits of their ancestors hardwork. Traditional industries such as salt, manufacture of shawls, handicr afts and silver items still exist in the region. The People of Kutch Kutch due to its geographic location is inhabitated with people from various regions. People have migrated from neighbouring regions of Marwar, Afghanistan, Sindh (now Pakistan).There are several nomadic, semi-Nomadic and artisan groups living in Kutch. The major communities include Jadejas, Lohana, Nishars, Darbars, Khatris, Rabaris and Ahirs. The majority of the population of Kutch follows Jainism as religion the Vanki Tirth temple situated in Mundra district considered to be one of the most elegant temples for Jains attracts over thousands of pilgrims every year but Hindus and Muslims are also in sizeable number in this region. Especially the Banni region is home to a number of nomadic Sindhi-Speaking Muslim group such as Dhanetah Jaths, Hingoras and Samma. There are also Sikhs residing in this part of the state the gurudwara for whom located at Lakhpat in Kutch was the house that Guru Nanak stayed in during his journey to Mecca. A person from the region of Kutch is known as Kutchi. Most of the Kutchis are strongly connected to their roots. They have strong social and cultural values imbibed in them. They say a Kutchi is born with entrepreneurial skills and business acumen. This goes to show, as a large number of Kutchis are businessman in small or big way (Adani, Euro Group, Nilkamal, Everest Group, Prince Plastic, Amarsons, Premsons, Benzer and Anchor etc). They also give a lot back to the region where they hail from. They build schools, hospitals, dharma shalas (dormitories), temples, bhojnalaya (free meals for all). They also provide ample job opportunities for all the youth hailing from that place. They train them and also trust them with utmost responsibilities. This is without any merit or skill based and is purely on the basis of a CSR role that they play for the communities that they are born in. They are these big names which are the stones on which a whole village is developed. Kutchis follow a patriarchal system and the male child still holds an important position in the house, they believed if its a male child he will be part of family business and if its a female she will be married off soon. There is some difference as to how a girl child is brought up and a male child. Kutchis till early 2000 did not lay special emphasis on education. Now the mindset is changing with people moving to cities. They want their children to be educated; kids today have aspirations to become doctor, engineer, and cricketer. Education now is an important consideration even for girls and there are girl schools that have been constructed. But even in the 21st century a girl child is engaged in as early as the 8th standard and is taught how to run a house at a tender age. Although now things are changing and girls are getting equal importance in a lot of families. A Kutchi believes in maintaining relationship throughout his life. Relationship is as important to him as money is. Also customs and traditions are extremely important to him. There are set practices which he follows for every occasion, the places of worship are extremely important and many in numbers. People of Kutch are very welcoming to people from other communities. Due to a large population of Hindus, Muslims and Jains etc, all the festivals are celebrated with a lot of exuberance. Most people are very warm hearted and treat everyone equally. For their own community Kutchis have also created sanatoriums for people to come and stay as hotels cannot be built everywhere. This reflects in the warm hospitality which they offer to any stranger who walks into their house and is offered a cup of tea and bidi. They feel honored and privileged if they are offered a bidi in anyones house. These are 2 conversations starters and also customs around which the whole community revolves around. Entertainment, socializing, conversations, rituals, etc. are all an offshoot of the warmth that they infect people with. Post the earthquake there has been a lot of developmental work done in the region of Kutch. There have been several industries set up, power plants have been constructed. Job opportunities have been created for the people and due to this there has been increase in the purchasing power of people. Now they have more disposable income in their hands and they have also become brand conscious. Social Status Kutch is home to people from all strata of the society, there are large business houses which come from Kutch and there are also people who live on daily wages. The social status of people varies from SEC A to SEC E2. There are people who belong to the working class and house wife as a concept is predominant in Kutch. Kutchis have been following a joint family structure since a very long time but off late due to migration and other factors slowly the families have started moving into nuclear structure. Even if the families have moved into smaller units, kutchis are still a very closely knit unit, they look after each other and ensure that every member of the family at least gets his daily bread. Most of the employment opportunity is first passed on to family members then people from kutchi community and then to the outside world. Culture Kutchis pride themselves on their rich culture and heritage and reflect the same through their dressing, language and even food habits. Costume The people of kutch have unique set of costumes as against the conventional wear. They normally wear embroidered work .Mirror work is also an important part of their outfit. In different parts of Kutch you will see different set of designs on the outfit as the workmanship of each region differs. A particular community in Kutch can be recognised on the basis of the costumes they wear for example, a rabari woman will always be seen in a black open blouse or odhnis which cover her face, the Jat women always wear red or black Chunnis. Chaniya Choli is another important costume for the women of Kutch. In Rural areas women wear abhla(mirror work) chaniya choli. They wear kanjari which is a long blouse embroidered with mirror work and choli. The men in Kutch wear a white outfit, they wear a white dhoti (lungi) and a khami and a white jacket .Another traditional costume of the men in Kutch is the Kaidiyu which is again white in color. The bottoms of these people are tight at the feet so that no insects enter them while they are working on in their fields. Bandhani print of Kutch is really famous in Indian and abroad and is in huge demand across market. The bride and her family is supposed to wear a special kind of Bandhani called as Gharchoda. This is still prevalent in the cities where a lot of expat kutchis get married. Widows can be recognised by a typical Red saree which she wears without any ornaments as accompaniments. Music Kutch has a rich heritage of traditional folk music. Musical instruments are also related to origins of people in Kutch, their taboos, their style of worship etc. It allows us to understand social and religious traditions. Some of the musical instruments of Kutch include Bhorrindo: A folk instrument which is a simple vacant dirt ball or like an egg twisted with three to four holes Dak or Dhaku: Dak is similar to Damru and is made up of hour glass frame with vellum heads. The Cords are pressed hard and released in quick succession to give the effect Dholak: One of the most important instruments in the folk music of Kutch. which is played at all major occasions be it a small event or the navratri functions Jodia pawa: A pair of double flutes is also known as Alghoza. It is mainly played by the shepherds in the desert. It is used in folk dances. One of the renowned artist of the same is Musa Gulam Jat from Kutch Morchang: A simple device made out of brass .It has an outer frame fortuning the instrument and in the shape of a harp. Color Kutch is a place which is filled with a lot of vibrancy even if its known as land of desert. Be it the costume the people they wear or the color of their house they make use of bright colors such as blue, pink yellow and red. Rannoutsav, the combination of White Desert and vibrancy of Gujarat, is also a celebration of colors amidst the land of white sand. Language Predominant language is kutchi influenced by sindhi and gujarati owing to its geographical location. The script of Kutchi language has become extinct and so Gujarati script is occasionally used. Gujarati as a script and language has also become more popular because of people moving out and the schools being gujarati medium. Rituals festivity The Kutch Festival colorfully attired dancers, music concerts, Sindhi Bhajan performances, Langa Desert Music and shops selling embroideries and jewelry are the hallmarks of the Kutch Desert Festival Makar Sankranti  and Kite Flying Festival  (14 January) Uttarayan Significance Suns direct rays reach the  Tropic of Capricorn  to mark the end of winter season. It is celebrated by flying kites the threads are glass strengthened and the purpose of the fighter kites is to cut the other kites thread and be the winner. At night, kites with  Chinese lanterns  are flown and held aloft. Food Undhiya, sugar cane juice and local sweets to celebrate the day. The Rann Utsav The Rann Utsav is the annual cultural extravaganza of the region held in the months of December and January. The Rann Utsav seeks to bring out to the world the uniqueness and rich diversity of the region. Though focus has always been on traditional art and culture, this year it has evolved with the addition of dances and pageants. Most notably, visitors are made to feel a part of the programs and are invited to perform. The Rann Utsav though is mainly for the urban population and the rural crowd tend to shy away from the festival. Tourism has grown by leaps and bounds, more so with the roping in of Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador of Gujarat. Handicrafts Artistry Bandhani traditional handiwork of tie and dye. Bandhanis are very closely associated with deep rooted social customs. It is treated as a symbol of married life and is worn by Hindus and Muslims during their marriage. It is also worn during major festivals like navratri and diwali by women across caste and age. Decorative arts of pottery, embroidery, printed and woven textiles, wall paintings, jewellery and leatherwork Lodai (the potters are here are muslim and slip decoration executed by women is highly regarded) and Khavda ( clay bunga round hut made from mud and wood with a conical roof) important regions of districts known for clay crafts which are more than normal pot making Diverse embroideries   aari  embroidery carried out for the royalty and wealthy families. Traditionally women in rural areas do the embroidery for their dowries. Important resource centers for embroidery in the region are Shrujan, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), Kalaraksha and Women Artisans Marketing Agency (WAMA). Ajarakh printing a very complex hand printing technique using wooden blocks and  natural dyes. The printing is done by a lengthy process which can take up to a couple of months for the most complicates pieces. Ajarakh is being practised today in Dhamadka and Ajarakhpur villages in Kutch. Mud work Artistic wall pieces made with mud and mirror work are used to decorate homes. Leather artisans products like leather shoes, sandals, mirrors, small pouches, etc. The very high skilled artisans decorate the articles by doing embroidery or cutting various shaped windows in the leather. These artisans can be found in the villages like Sumarasar, Nirona, Zura, Bhirandiyara, Hodko,  Khavda, etc. in and around the Banni region. Handloom weaving shawls, yardage, jackets, etc. woven out of wool, cotton and acrylic yarn. Bandhani is carried out on the shawls in some cases. The biggest center for this is Bhujodi village near Bhuj. Food and Drink Jains,  Buldhmins  and some other caste perform strict vegetarianism making Kutch a predominantly vegetarian district. As for Jains they also refrain from eating  kandmool  food grown below the ground such as  potatoes, garlic,  onion,  suran, etc.  Beef is an ultimate taboo since Hindus consider the cow holy even though they might practice various levels of vegetarianism. The usually Kutchi Cuisine consists of Roti or Rotlas, Curd, Butter milk, Dal, Curry, Vegetables, Papad, Kachumbar. Dry rotlis or Theplas and Khakras and Sev (of Gram Flour) are made and stored as food during travelling etc.. Staple food Rotlas made of Bajri (millet)  which the local relish with Butter milk or Chhas, Butter and Jaggery or Gud.Khichhdi made of rice and dal (pulses). Beverages Tea  is the most popular drink in this region and is enjoyed irrespective of sex, caste, religion or social status.  Most people drink it with milk and sugar and like it sweet but strong. . Tea without milk is offered when people are visiting host to mourn death of relatives and is hence never served to guests on normal occasions. Delicacies Khaman dokla, Gathia, Undhia, Muthia, Raita, Dahi wada, Kachori, Bhajia, Bhaji made of brinjal, bitter gourd and ladys finger,etc. Snacks Dabeli, Puri Shak, Pav Bhaji, Bhakarwadi, Papdi, Kadak, etc. Desserts Adadiya, Gulab Pak, Son Papdi, Mohan thal, Pedas, Halwa, Gulab Jamun, Jalebi, etc. Seeds of Dhaniya or Dhana dal, Betal Leaf or Pan with Supari is served after food as mouth freshner. Consumer Insights Consumption Pattern in Kutch has seen a steady change in the past two decades with increase in media proliferation. More brands are targeting Kutch as a potential market owing to their considerable disposable income. Kutchis are becoming more and more aware of the brands available across segments. Companies such as HUL , PG, Pepsi, Parle, Brittania, LG, Samsung, Maruti are expanding their distribution channel to reach out to these consumers. Brand Awareness: It was important to study and understand the brand awareness level in the villages of the Kutch region. The most pertinent sector of consumption is the FMCG category. Hardly anyone in the villages of Kutch possesses an automobile, as a result of their economic status, but SUVs were common among the urban population of Kutch. It was fascinating and somewhat surprising to learn that young girls in the villages of Kutch know about brands such as Nissan Micra, although that was attributed to Ranbir Kapoor. The power of celebrity endorsements was there for all to see. In the household, the most common brands which were spotted were Bournvita, Nycil, Ponds and Salora among others. Most of them used the local brands when it came to cooking ingredients like milk, ghee, oil etc. According to the retailers, FMCGs in small packs sell better than large packs and Clinic Plus is a fast seller. Confectionaries like Cadburys Perk, Hide and Seek are some of the brands the kids consume. Apart from this though, there are also cases of selling of counterfeit and local brands which have similar packaging as that of the original brand. A few instances were noticed in the case of packaged drinking water, analgesics and FMCG products. Impact of advertising on consumer behavior: Upon interaction with the natives of the Kutch region, it was found that celebrity advertising had the maximum impact among the younger population. Also, after the 2001 earthquake in Bhuj, there was a marked change in the buying pattern due to higher disposable income. Consumer durables are a huge market in Kutch and television and refrigerator are some of the products which have started finding their way into every household. People have also started becoming brand conscious. Electronics stores such as LG have opened outlets in recent times. Media Consumption: Television is one of the major media vehicles. People of this region are mainly hooked on to the soap opera, Gulaal , which showcases the culture of the Kutch region. There are also different perspectives to this soap where one fraction believes that the Kutch region has not been depicted properly, while the other are happy with the serials depiction of the culture and practices of the region. There is also a slow trend in moving from traditional CRT TVs to LCD screens. Newspapers are also an important medium in the region. In the villages, mainly the regional newspapers like Divya Bhaskar and Sanj Samachar are circulated, while in the urban areas English dailies such as DNA and Times of India are widely read. The radio is used as a mass medium too. People are tuned into their favorite radio channels and communication is mainly through news, music or commercials. Impact of Social structure: The society is predominantly male dominated. The villages follow a structure where the village headman or sarpanch is the one who takes the decisions aided by his council. The villages in the Kutch region provide equal opportunities to women. As in case with most of the rural population of India, women are married off at a very young age, having barely finished school. How this structure impacts the buying behavior is seen from the fact that although the chief wage earner is the male (in most cases), the woman of the house buys the products for daily use.