Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 28

Homework - Essay Example Therefore, being the recipient of the word of God, Prophet Muhammad remains the religious role model of Muslims. The Quran also stated categorically that the messenger of God is an excellent model for all (Quran 33:21), thus imploring on the Muslims to take Prophet Muhammad as a Religious and Political Role Model (Tarif, 257).Prophet Muhammad is known to have spent all of his time fighting injustice and greed, while identifying with the poor and the less advantage throughout his life. This gives a vital tenet of leadership on his part, which all Muslims ought to follow. Therefore, he demonstrated political leadership through fighting for injustice and for the poor and oppressed, and thus becomes a Religious and Political Role Model for Muslims. Prophet Muhammad lived his life demonstrating both religion and political leadership, and he was successful in both (Tarif, 118).Therefore, he remains a Religious and Political Role Model for Muslims, considering that he received authority; which was the word, from

Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Macroeconomics - Essay Example Checkable deposits in banks reduced in the period, but checkable deposits in thrift institutions increased. Hence, there was an increase in overall M1 level between the periods of one year from Nov 2010 to Nov 2011. In terms of M2, only M1 and saving deposits showed an increased. There was a fall in retail funds and small denomination of time deposits. But the increase in M1 and saving deposits was higher than the decrease in other components and hence M2 showed an increase over a period of one year from November 2010 to November 2011. a) There won’t be any change to M1 since both the currency in circulation and checking account are part of M1. Hence shifting money from one head to another won’t have any impact on the total size of M1 and it will remain unchanged. b) There won’t be any change to M1 since the money is simply being transferred from one head of the M1 to another. Since M1 is part of M2 and there isn’t any change to M1, therefore M1 and M2 both will remain unchanged. c) There won’t be any change to M2. Since the money has been transferred to M1 base, but since M1 is part of M2, there won’t be any change to M2. However, M1 will rise by the amount of purchases since the money has been converted from saving account to money and notes in circulation. d) When Fed buys Treasury bills from the banks its liabilities and assets accounts both are being reduced. Since Treasury Bills represents the money that the Fed owes to commercial banks, therefore the reduction in Treasury Bills or purchase of Treasury Bills by the Fed is going to reduce the bank’s liability. At the same time, the Fed will have to pay cash to commercials banks as a settlement for purchase of Treasury Bills and therefore there will be a reduction in Fed’s assets as well. Therefore both the assets and liabilities sides of the balance sheet will get affected

Laura Ashley: Deliberate and Emergent Strategies

Laura Ashley: Deliberate and Emergent Strategies Laura Ashley home furnishing and fashion is a popular store all over the world. This company has come a long way since Laura herself and Bernard Ashley had started their company by producing headscarves, tablemats and napkins for their kitchen tables in the 1950s. Twenty years later in the 1970s Laura and her husband made an investment, they started the company they first produced a dress for social occasion, this was their breakthrough and the sales increased and by then there were many stores open on different parts of the world. The company continued to expand worldwide and flourished throughout the 1980s. However it was one fatal day that Laura Ashley had fallen downstairs on her 60th birthday and died, this upset to the company only got worse after the incident and problems started to occur. Due to the fashion industry changing so rapidly and the fashion provided by Laura was soon replaced by casualness in comparison to the formality fashion the company offered. The company was left behind as it didnt adapt to the changes and didnt size up to the upcoming competition. Laura Ashley deteriorating performances lead to reaching out for help by getting a different CEO in place to help set the company on the right track. The company had up to 5 different CEOs from the dates of 1991-1999 and each one had their own strategies and views on how to run the company. Laura Ashley overall is an unlikely business success story and has gone through a lot and is now currently back to its roots of Kitchen tables covers but also taps in the current fashion industry and not as formal as before. 1. Map Laura Ashleys stakeholders using a power/interest matrix Stakeholders are those individuals or groups that have a part in the company (Hill Jones, 1995, pg 45). Mapping stakeholders is a strategic business tool that identifies and assesses the different effects of individual or group of stakeholders on a company. The power and interest matrix identifies which stakeholders play a vital part in the company and examines the power they have and their likelihood to use that power. ( G. Johnson K. Scholes, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2002.) By examining the key stakeholder of Laura Ashley we will be able to identify who we should mainly concentrate on. The stakeholders matrix consists of four sections and is divided up accordingly to group A, group B, group C and group D. Group A is (Minimal Efforts) this group needs to be monitored but you do not need to actually provide these people with a lot of information. Group B on the other hand needs to be kept informed. Here you will need to keep the people sufficiently informed and you must ensure that you communicate with them in order to ensure that no problems or other issues may arise. These people are often very helpful to the company with regards to having some details about what you are doing. Group C you must ensure you keep them satisfied. In this situation the company needs to ensure that the people are kept satisfied, the actual difference here in comparison to the first group is that these people are not as interested in using their power. Group D are your key players and these are the people that you must fully engage with and you must ensure that you make the greatest efforts in satisfying them. Your position on the grid below shows you the actions that you must make when it comes to them (Rachel Thompson) Firstly the managers in Laura Ashleys are Laura Ashley herself and her husband Barnard Ashley. Together they are responsible for the overall running operations on the business and they compile different strategies in order for the company to be successful and then ensure that the strategies are implemented. Therefore Laura and her husband have very high levels of interest in the business as they have invested their own money in the company. Laura and her husband Barnard also have a high level of power as they decided on the effort levels of employees therefore they will both be classified as Key Players. The four board directors appointed by MUI also fall under Group A as they have a high level of power on the operations of the business and a high level of interest on the success of the business. The Shareholders of Laura Ashleys have both got high levels of interest and a high level of power therefore also putting them in Group D which is the Key players. According to the case Laura Ashleys shareholders, Malayan United Industries, showed their power by appointing four board members. Dr Khoo Kay Pen is the chair person of MUI and the reason why they have this power is because they had 40% of the chain. The fact they were so involved shows that they had a high level of interest in the success of the business. They showed this by opening new product lines and creating a sense of direction for the firm to further expand. Therefore this particular shareholder need to be kept informed and involved. Although Laura Ashley has other shareholders they dont necessarily have the high level of power that MUI does but they do still have a high level of interested in the business therefore putting them under group B, keeping informed. The reason why they might not have the same level of power to the other shareholder is because they do not have as much shares in the company therefore limiting them to have power to make or implement changes in the company. The Employees of Laura Ashleys are not really in title to high level of power but they do have a high level of interest in the company success. This is because they are concerned with the security of their job and they want to be kept informed on the future of the business and whether or not they will have an income and a job the next day. Therefore the employees of Laura Ashley fit under Group B, Keep Informed. The Distributors and suppliers of Laura Ashley are considered to have a high level of power but low interest levels making them fall under Group C, Keep Satisfied. The distributors and suppliers have high level of power because Laura Ashley is dependent on them making them more in control as they are the once supplying the company with the goods and without them Laura Ashley wouldnt have her quality products. The Distributors and suppliers do not have interest in the business itself just as long as they get paid on time. Customers of Laura Ashley are more concerned with the services they receive and the quality of the products that they purchase. Therefore the customers have a low level of interest in the business running. On the other hand the customers do have a high level of power in terms of deciding if they will be buying your product or not and without your customers Laura Ashley would not have business therefore the customers must be kept satisfied. The customers fall under group C and need to be provided with good services to keep them coming back. The Government plays a vital role in the business operations of Laura Ashley. They implement and increase or decrease tax. Therefore they have power over all businesses when it comes to influencing prices and how the company obeys certain policies that they draw up. The Government has a low level of interest the business itself as long as they pay tax and run their business according to the policies. Therefore the government fits in Group C, keep satisfied. Peel Hunt, the investment bank, would fall under Group A as they would be interest in the companys financial position and they have the power to close the business if the business is making a loss or is not operating according to how they planned. David Cook would be part of Group B as he is the financial director for Laura Ashley and has a high level of interest as an employee and he ensures that the company is financially sound. David Cook does not have a high level of power that influences the business. The Competitors that are competing against Laura Ashley have a high level of power in the sense of offering better services or prices that might impact how Laura Ashley might operate. The competitors might have power over the suppliers and distributors and therefore can be seen as a threat. Therefore it is important for Laura Ashley to be better than the competitors. The competitors also have a high level of interest on the business as they want to be better than Laura Ashley. The Media also plays a part in the power/interest matrix. Tamasin Doe, the director of a fashion magazine would fall under Group B, keep informed. The magazine would be helping the company in promoting their collection. Therefore they need to be kept informed on what is happening within the company and the collection. The magazine has a high level of interest in the business but low level of power or the operations of the business. 2. How would you characterize Laura Ashleys Core Values? Core Values is essential for an organization as it sets guiding principles for the company. Your companys core values should not be confused with cultural practices or operating practices and it should not be comprised of the companys financial gains or short term expediency (Johnson, Schole Whittington, pg 163). Values are seen as a life directing guideline that helps underline the behavior expected. (Trice Beyer 1984) Laura Ashleys core values revolve around their brand, diversification, employees and their customers satisfaction. Laura Ashley value for diversity allowed a much broader employee commitment and it will attract more employees. By getting the employees committed will help guide their decisions and behaviours. This will be shown and discussed accordingly in the paragraphs below. The Core Value of Laura Ashley was founded in the 1950s when Laura and her husband started making basic material accessories in their apartment. Hard work and dedication was the reason why they are so successful today. With dedication and a vision Laura and her husband had the right attitude and passion to become successful business owners. Their value of staying true to who they were and offering the same quality products over the years is also another indication of how dedicated and passionate they were about what they were offering a quality brand to their customers. The attitude that Laura had helped direct her behavior in the sense of how she put everything she could to ensure that the products were of good quality and with this good work ethics Laura was able to guide her organization strategy to be successful. When Laura Ashley died her company carried on but with the same values that she had created and this helped the organization stay close to the roots of Laura Ashley and the vision on where she wanted the business to be. Laura Ashleys kept up to date with the latest trends and made their line inspirational an unique. Therefore they created the value around their brand and ensured that it kept up with the latest trends and fashion apple to the customers. The idea of attaching Laura Ashleys name to the brand was to help customers identify the real quality provided as she uses her own name. This shows that they were positive in their products quality. Laura Ashley was able to personalize and self express with her products which is what added value to the customers. After all the company has gone through such as expansion and numerous of different managers, Laura Ashleys core values remained. The brand heritage was based meaning that it was accessible and it had good designs that were realistically priced. The fact that the brand was so well established it left the customers to have a sense of trust in the quality products that is provided. Laura Ashley lives up to their promises which shows integrity. Laura Ashley identified and develop a clearer, concise and a shared meaning of values and direction because of all the changes they have gone through the employees had to adapt to each new chief executives ways and this could have caused some confusion if the value was not understood. Values help guide the employees in their decision making and this can help with the services to the customers and result in customers satisfaction. (Trice Beyer 1984) These core values identifies exactly what Laura Ashley is all about. They concentrate on the quality brands and ensure that they achieve customer satisfaction. Core Values have helped the company survive and it has helped them stay true to the roots that Laura Ashley herself created. Therefore the core values are very important within a business and it helped identify the business. 3. Recommend a new Mission statement/or Vision Statement for Laura Ashley. A mission Statement defines the purpose of an organization and their primary objectives. A mission statement is developed to define the key measures to a business success. (Angela Schnaubelt Aug 1, 2007) Your mission statement will help an organization have a precise direction about what you plan on doing and where you are going in the future. (Angela Schnaubelt Aug 1, 2007) A Vision Statement is your ticket to success and is like an image in words of your companys future, like a mission statement it also defines the purpose of the organisation but in terms of the organisations values. (Susan Ward, About.com Guide) The statement provides inspiration for both the companys daily operations and strategic decision making. In other words without a clear vision statement it would be impossible to have effective business planning. (Susan Ward, About.com Guide) A Vision Statement provides the company and the employees a sense of direction and a plan on how to get there in order to accomplish the business goals. (Susan Ward, About.com Guide) Laura Ashleys new mission statement will ensure that everyone will feel drawn to and feel more a part of the business and respect the values. I would recommend that the mission statement should be edited as follows: Laura Ashleys wants to establish relationships with those who share a love of the lifestyle that Laura Ashley herself did. Laura Ashleys act to protect those relationships formed and wants to ensure that the relationships are prosperous and long-term. With highly respectable and knowledgeable employees, Laura Ashley can provide the customers with good sales services and help customers find their individuality. The vision of Laura Ashley had changed numerous of times due to the fact that when a new chief executive came they saw different ways to make Laura Ashley a success and each one had their own mind set on how they were going to achieve that. Therefore I would recommend that Laura Ashleys vision statement should be fixed no matter who the chief executive is as this will ensure that the employees dont get confused with what they must accomplish. Today Laura Ashley is in a strong position with 450 stores around the world and is well situated for further expansion. (Lillian Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Laura Ashley in 2005). I would recommend that Laura Ashleys vision statement should be as follows: We want Laura Ashleys to be a place We want Laura Ashleys to be a place where the customers can come and feel welcome and have a good time shopping and finding their individuality. From the moment our customers walk in our store they will be greeted by a warm atmosphere, subtle music and friendly staff. I envisions that Laura Ashley been a leading individual store that provides customers with variety of products and fashion that ensures individuality for each customer. By changing both the mission statement and vision statement for Laura Ashley will be a new adventure for them. The fact that Laura Ashley went back to its roots it would only be wise to change them both and ensure that the employees understand where the company is going and what they should to help it get there. 4. To what extent was Laura Ashleys strategy development emergent or deliberate? A deliberate strategy is more of a desired strategy that is deliberately formulated or planned by the managers. Its associated with the use of tools, techniques and frameworks for strategic analysis and evaluation. (G. Johnson, K. Scholes, R. Whittington) Deliberate strategy involves a 6 step process namely: 1 Environmental Analysis, 2 Goal Setting, 3 Strategy Formulation, 4 Strategy Implementation, 5 Evaluation/Control, 6 Feedback. (G. Johnson, K. Scholes, R. Whittington) An Emergent strategy on the other hand comes about through everyday routines, activities and processes in organisations leading to decisions that become a long-term direction of an organisation. (G. Johnson, K. Scholes, R. Whittington) An emergent strategy is a pattern of action that develops over time in an organization in the absence of a specific mission and goals, or despite a mission and goals. (D. J. Power,ÂÂ  Alexander P. and Daniel J.,ÂÂ  Planning ) Within 14 years Laura Ashleys had up to 11 different CEOs and each one had a different strategy that they implemented. Due to the companys plans and brand investment strategy that was implemented across the fashion and home furnishing department. Laura Ashleys brand became well known and standards were set for good quality product and this deliberate strategy evolved in customer loyalty. On the other hand Laura Ashleys strategy was also an emergent strategy. It was stated that they went into the market by been a home furnishing but the break though came about when Laura Ashley produced a dress for social occasion. At the time Laura Ashley made and emergent strategy to start tapping into the fashion industry. This emergent strategy made the success of the company. Laura Ashleys strategy was deliberate. Laura Ashley ensured that her strategy was to get her brand well known and recognized by the customers and potential customers. By using this strategy Laura Ashley knew she could concentrate on differentiating her products from her competitors as she wanted to put value to her brand. Laura Ashley did this to gain customer loyalty therefore she made the brand the central part of Lauras strategy. Laura Ashley herself planned a strategy that would ensure her brand would be a success. Laura and her husband did environment analysis to see if there was indeed a market. Though the years of operation things drastically changed. After the death of Laura the strategy was still in place but was forced to be emergent at times due to the changes in the environment. When Ann Iverson was selected to be chief executive she made a emergent strategy to expand Laura Ashleys overseas and she tried to appeal to the younger customers in the UK. This strategy that Iverson implemented at the end of the day becomes trouble because there were not enough products to fill each of these huge stores. This could have been a result of not carefully planning. Therefore another emergent strategy had to be put in place. The emergent strategy was to let Ann Iverson go and to put a rescue team in place. This emergent strategy left Laura Ashley having a lifeline, their major shareholder Malayan United Industries (MUI). MUI purchased 40 per cent of Laura Ashley. MUI then came up with a deliberate strategy to appoint four new boards of directors and this resulted in giving Laura Ashley some stability that they needed. MUI implemented many emergent strategies to get Laura Ashleys pack on track, they even closed down some stores that were unprofitable and closed those stores thats rented was too high. This strategy was to ensure that the expenses of Laura Ashley didnt exceed the money coming in. The overall strategy was to modernize the brand but at the same time to remain true to Laura Ashleys brand values, this strategy is emergent as well for the simple fact that it wasnt necessary to go through a long process that is time consuming. Laura Ashleys did not have the time to waste and needed to act fast due to the changes in the environment and due to the changes within the company itself. The one part of Laura Ashley that was deliberate was when they relocated the poorer performing stores from the prime areas to the larger off-pitch stores. This was deliberate as they intended to save money and costs. They had to do environmental analysis to identify the stores that were not doing so well and when they identified these stores they had to set goals in order to ensure that they dont lose any more money. By setting a goal that want to move the unprofitable stores they were deliberately planning to ensure the Laura Ashley succeeds. The next step they took was setting the strategy to actually take the unprofitable stores and move them to larger stores that were off the prime areas, this strategy was implemented for the simple fact of not having a store that is not doing well in you important areas as it could have damaged the brand image. In total this case study of Laura Ashley had deliberate and emergent strategies implemented. Due to the fact that Laura Ashley was a fragile company it was important that they did implement more of the emergent strategies as they had so many CEOs and people running the company that did change business runnings, some good and some bad. With emergent strategies it allowed them to take the opportunities they saw quickly and turn them into a success. CONCLUSION: Laura Ashleys is a business that included product development in order to satisfy the needs or the target customers though focusing on the signature brand offered. Laura Ashleys main strategy evolved around the product brand. The brand strategy provided the company with a solid base as to know that the products must always be high quality as it is the face of the business. Laura Ashleys is a rare success story and is surely an inspiration to many other companies that have grown to international status. The company has succeed for the reason that it was always looking for ways to improve their services and to improve their operations in order to increase customer services and to expand the business globally. The home furnishing offered by Laura Ashley played a major part in building the brand to be recognised, this was because they put extra value to their customers and provided them with quality goods. The company has come a long way since Laura and her husband Bernard started printing fabric on their kitchen table in London. Due to their investment in what they considered would be successfully turned out to be true, as sales increased and the company kept on growing as well. Laura Ashley had a clear brand strategy and when Laura herself was managing things she had a clear vision of wanting to be able to provide quality products to her customers and build long term relationships with them in order to ensure that they will come back. Lauras vision was to be able to also share a common interest with her customers and ensure customer satisfaction by providing excellent services. Harvard Referencing: G. Johnson K. Scholes, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2002 page 30, 134, 156, 401-402, 407-408 D. J. Power, Alexander P. and Daniel J., Planning Skills .COMsm Susan Ward, About.com Guide Lillian Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Laura Ashley in 2005 Angela Schnaubelt 1 AUGUST 2007 Trice, H Beyer, J 1984, Studding Organizational Cultures through Rites and Ceremonies, Academy of Management review 9, no 4:655 C. Hill G. Jones, 1995, Strategic Management: an integrated approach, third edition, pg 45

Teenage Smoking in Canada Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a society where it is not unusual to see a ten year old child smoking a cigarette in public, where large tobacco companies sponsor all big sporting events and where smoking advertisements are everywhere you look, how can it be understood that what is going on is a form of suicide. Smoking is comparable to a serial killer; a cigarette acts as the weapon used by tobacco companies and its victims subjecting themselves by their own free will to participate in the crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The governments of the United States and many other countries have chosen to regulate addictive substances, like cigarettes, via taxation; minimum-age purchase laws; restrictions on consumption in schools, the workplace, and public places; and stiff fines for driving under the influence of alcohol. The prices of these substances will rise because of taxation; other forms of regulation, and bans. Thus, measuring their responsiveness to price is important in determining the optimal level of taxation and the impacts of legalization. Contrary to conventional wisdom, studies find that the consumption of addictive substances is quite sensitive to price.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teen smoking has been increasing since 1991. There are economic, psychological and sociological factors that play an important role in this increase.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economically, cigarettes are highly advertised, extremely affordable and accessible to practically anyone. As for the advertisement aspect in the sale of cigarettes, tobacco companies spend billions of dollars per year to advertise their brands. This money is spent on the actual advertisement, and also on manipulating the subconscious minds of teenagers. (Reynolds, 1999) Billboards and magazines lure teenagers to smoke, by using teen idols and appealing photos in their ads. The Canadian Government has been attempting to put a stop to tobacco industries using teen idols in selling their products, by passing Bill C-71, a legislation that forbids tobacco companies from putting up signs for events in which they sponsor. The car racer and teen idol, Jacques Villeneuve can no longer be advertised in his car racing suit as Rothman's cigarettes advertisements are highly visible on it, as this would give off a negative message to teens who look up to him. The only exceptio n to this law however, is that the signs may be put up at the site of the event, in bars or in newspaper... ...by the behavior of their parents is central to many considerations of health and social behavior. Many teenagers begin smoking to feel grow-up. However, if they are still smoking when they reach 30, the reason is no longer to feel like an adult; at this point, they are smoking from habit. Goodwin, D. W., Guze, S. B. (1984).Young children who see older children or family members smoking cigarettes are going to equate smoking with being grown up. Patterns of both drinking and smoking, which are closely associated, are strongly influenced by the lifestyles of family members peers and by the environments in which they live. Minimal, moderate, and heavy levels of drinking, smoking, and drug use, among family members are strongly associated with very similar patterns of use among adolescents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To conclude, one can look economically at the cost of cigarettes, the accessibility of cigarettes, and the amount of money put into advertisements for tobacco. Also psychologically at the effects and real meaning of ads and at females ideas and misconceptions about smoking. And, finally sociologically, peer and family influence play a huge role in the increase of teen smokers.

Dr. Strangelove

653 Throughout Dr. Strangelove, there are examples of a variety of leaders and leadership styles or lack thereof. A majority of the characters in this movie obviously have a difficult time being effective leaders. It is apparent from the beginning of the movie, particularly the scene where Mandrake enters Rippers office. There are obvious issues with his Rippers mental capabilities. Ripper, because of his position, at some point must have been an excellent leader, appears to have lost his sense of reality and become paranoid. This became clear when he convinced himself that the Russians had infiltrated the water system, which are the causing him ill effects. Because of his delusions and paranoia, Ripper put his country at risk of a disaster confirming that he is incapable of still leading. On the other hand, Mandrake appears to be a sufficient leader and makes every attempt to reassure Ripper and try to obtain the code to stop an unnecessary attack on the Soviet Union. Throughout the movie, Mandrake appears to be the most competent leader and in the end confirms this by deciphering a code that prevented all but one of the bombings. Buck Turgidson sees himself throughout Dr. Strangelove as a superior officer and leader. Proven repeatedly through the movie Turgidson exhibits an enormous ego and has a questionable sense of leadership. He seems more occupied with his personal life and his paranoid beliefs of the Soviet Union than leading his saving his own country. The president in this film, Merkin Muffley, is an interesting portrayal of a United States President. Muffley shows no exceptional leadership skills but does seem to have the ability to make his own decisions. However, there are points while in the war room that make his leadership skills questionable. The conversations between the president and Dmitri Kissof, for instance, definitely show a submissive side of Muffley. However, he does seem to redeem himself in several scenes when making appropriate decisions in effort to halt the bombings. Col. ‘Bat' Guano appears to be a strong leader and commander. During the scene of Mandrakes capture the colonel is forceful however shows the skill to accommodate Mandrake. This is apparent when the Colonel fires upon the soda machine to assist Mandrake in acquiring enough change to contact the president. A leader like this is an asset in any situation, especially this one. Soviet premier Dmitri Kissof is a humorous portrayal of any type of leader. Kissof, portrayed to be a drunken leader, is more interested in his personal amusement rather than leading his country. During the scene where the president is speaking to Kissof, it becomes apparent that instead of ruling his country, he is enjoying a party and listening to loud music. While pilot Maj. T. J. Kong is not one of the main leaders in Dr. Strangelove however, he is an imperative leader. His leadership skills are far superior compared to a greater part of other leaders in this movie. Examples of his superior skills, exhibited in the last few scenes, Major Kong risks his life to repair the bomb doors in his plane, resulting in his riding the bomb to the ground for detonation. Finally, Dr. Strange-love is not particularly a leader but more of an information source. Although it is apparent through the few scenes he appears, that at one time, he was an important asset to the Nazi’s and some sort of scientist but now was an important source of information regarding the doomsday device. In the end, the few good quality leaders were essential in the successful return of all but one bomber. Unfortunately, this last bomber also had a great leader who was determined to complete his mission, and succeeded in his bomb detonating. Dr. Strangelove certainly reveals different leaders and the detrimental effects poor leadership can result in. Works Cited Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1963. Columbia Pictures, 2004. DVD

Feminist Perspective of the Role of Lady Madeline Essay

â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher (1939)†, arguably Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short story, is a tale centered around the mysterious House of Usher and its equally indiscernible inhabitants. These subjects are plagued with physical and mental degradation – the Usher siblings suffer from various abnormal ailments and unexplained fears, while the house itself seems to be tethering on the edge of collapse. The gothic elements in the story are distributed generously, and the plot is increasingly ridden with the supernatural as it progresses. Lady Madeline, Roderick Usher’s twin sister, is a key element in the story. She suffers from a disease much like catalepsy, a disease that subjects her to seizures and insensitivity to various stimuli. Roderick himself, on the other hand, suffers from an â€Å"acuteness of the senses† and a strong belief that the house is somehow alive and conscious of its surroundings. Roderick has not parted from the house in years, and has instead elected to keep himself inside to pore over literature and art, rather than threaten his sanity by overwhelming his senses. The siblings are very similar, not only in their appearance, as they are twins, but in their problems as well. They are both suffering from similarly mysterious diseases, and are both aware of the underlying sexual tension in their relationship. Early in the story, the readers are made aware of the age-old Usher tradition that has kept the Usher family ‘pure’. In other words, incestuous relationships were the norm for them. However, by no means was Madeline and Roderick’s relationship condoned by the rest of society. This essay will examine the story from a feminist perspective, focusing on understanding the narrating styles of the male author, and the actions of the characters in the book. It will also look specifically at the ways that women have suffered from social conventions throughout the years, and compare it to Madeline’s struggles in the story. Women & Poe Males are the dominant gender in the text, both in terms of dialogue and in description. The complete absence of a female voice in the text, save for several moans and groans from Madeline scattered throughout the story, is  pointedly apparent. Throughout the story, Madeline never utters a single word – what the readers know of her is severely limited by the vague descriptions given of her and the way she is treated. Not only do males dominate the text in terms of their presence, but there is also a greater sense of regard among the male characters themselves than there is between Madeline the the male characters. They seem to regard her ailments less seriously than they do of Roderick’s, giving Roderick’s much more detail and explanation than that of Madeline. Roderick’s description, on the other hand, seems to go on an on, reaching into Poe’s treatment of Madeline after her apparent death is a representation of the author’s strangely violent attitude towards women. Like in a number of his other works, women are subject to strange and horrific treatment after their deaths. Berenice was buried alive, and had all her teeth pulled. Ligeia sees the death of two women, and a perverse return of one of them. One could conclude that Poe had misogynistic tendencies, though the fact that Madeline did rise up in power could be seen as support for an opposing perspective. Women in Victorian Society Understanding the circumstances behind the treatment and portrayal of Madeline also demands an understanding of how women were expected to act, especially as reflected in nineteenth century literature. At that time, women were expected to adhere to certain well-defined virtues, centered around the virtures of submissiveness and domesticity. To some extent, a woman’s value depended quite largely on her physical attributes. This refers not only her physique, but also to her abilities in carrying out household tasks. Women were traditionally seen as homemakers – people in charge of matters in the household, not outside. Men, of course, were seen as the mind and intellect of the household, and the one qualified to receive an education and work in the outside world. A woman’s mental ability was regarded as essentially limited to superficial sensing, while a man would have been seen as the one responsible for complex thought and reflection in a household. In a way, Madeline’s suppression by her twin brother and the way she generally presents herself reflects this. Madeline does not speak, and simply obeys the orders of everyone else in the house. Roderick, on the other hand, always has the final word. This is exemplified once again the  Roderick’s live burial of Madeline, in which Madeline could not do anything to change her fate. In the nineteenth century, the female daughter is seen as a critical supporting element of the family. She was expected to keep her aspirations and motivations rooted in maintaining and upholding the family and its name, from within the household. The way Madeline was buried, â€Å"half smothered in its oppressive atmosphere†, reflects the way she was smothered in Victorian society. The nature of their illnesses also reflect the gender roles of the era. While Roderick’s illness amplifies his senses, Madeline’s disease, described as â€Å"a settle apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person†, dampens hers, reducing her into an ‘barely-there’, almost ghostly, individual. Roderick is able to isolate himself from the outside world to spare him from the torture of his oversensitivty, however, Madeline is helpless towards hers. Madeline’s illness subjects her to physical degradation. On a mental level, she is suppressed by the gender roles and expectations of the time. Relationship between Madeline and the Other Characters Madeline’s burial represents the suppression she is subject to under Usher tradition, and under the ideals of her brother. She cannot truly be herself or express herself fully, because of the expectations she has to fulfill. Even from the start, she is trapped in the house, trapped under the shadow of her ancestor’s expectations, and trapped under the realization of what she and her twin brother would have to do to continue their family line in the traditional Usher fashion. Madeline has no freedom, both in life and in â€Å"death†. It is a feminist victory, then, to see Madeline emerge from the depths of her suppression to exact her revenge and exert her power over those who have suppressed her all her life. He then says that his sickness can be â€Å"traced to a more natural and far more palpable origin†Ã¢â‚¬â€namely, to his â€Å"tenderly beloved sister—his sole companion for long years—his last relative on earth.† Madeline’s display of power and ability to induce fear is an abrupt change in the dynamic among the characters. Instead of the silent, unregarded character she has always been portrayed as thus far, Madeline is finally clearly seen as a powerful figure, capable of breaking out of her constraints, both physical and mental, and exacting justice on her own. It is interesting to see that Madeline only manages to struggle out  of these constraints after her apparent death. Perhaps in only allowing Madeline to break free after her death signifies that for women, stepping out of the very well-defined social conventions of the day is as difficult as death itself. Furthermore, Madeline’s new appearance as a strong character over her brother’s meekness represents how women actually have the capability to rise up and over society’s expectations for them, when given the chance. In that final scene, while Roderick is â€Å"a victim to the terrors he had anticipated†, Madeline is fearful and intimidating, with her â€Å"lofty† appearance and the blood on her clothes displaying the kind of struggles she has experienced and conquered. Perhaps this point offers insight into why this invoked fear in the readers of the era – to see a woman assume such a powerful role would have seemed abnormally threatening. Another notable fact is that Roderick’s condition visibly deteriorates after the departure of Madeline from his daily life. It signifies that despite Madeline’s apparent weakness and low value, she does play a fundamental role in the Usher family. It suggests that she may have been a strong character from the start – but the readers just cannot immediately see it as it is shrouded by the lack of attention on her and descriptions of her. In essense, a feminist criticism of â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† reveals much about the nature of the characters and their relationships, as well as the reasons behind the circumstances and the characters’ subsequent actions. A prominent theme stems from the context of the story, the Victorian era. By knowing how women were expected to act, we see the reasons why she was treated a certain way, and why her response was far from active. Madeline’s final actions, however, reflect a different side of the female role, adding a very interesting twist to the story. Bibliography: â€Å"Early Nineteenth Century Attitudes Toward Women and Their Roles as Represented By Literature Popular in Worcester, Massachusetts.† Teach US History |. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"‘Sympathies of a Scarcely Intelligible Nature’: The Brother-Sister Bond in