Saint Claus Myth

Fight Club †Analysis

Fight Club – Analysis Free Online Research Papers Reading in-between the lines: An analysis of Fight Club A novel by Chuck Palahniuk A film directed by David Fincher You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you cant sleep. What happens then is theres a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says the things you own, end up owning you. Its only after youve lost everything that youre free to do anything. Fight Club represents that kind of freedom. First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says self-destruction might be the answer. The novel Fight Club, by Jack Palahniuk was published in 1996 and released as a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in October of 1999. Both the novel and motion picture proved to be very successful in their release to the public for one simple reason: Fight Club is a reflection of the suffering experienced by the Generation X male who feels trapped in a world of the grey-collar (or service) working-class, a world filled with materialism and distractions, a group of men raised in single-parent families often devoid of a male role-model, and a world where there is no great cause for the average North American male to fight for. Whether consciously, or subconsciously, the average Generation X male of modern society can relate to and understand Fight Club, which makes both the novel and motion picture such an important proclamation regarding the state of our modern culture. In Fight Club, we meet our main character who comes to us without a name. He can be referred to as Jack but his name is not important. He comes to us without a name because he represents any man, any one of those Generation X males living in our society at present. Jack is a thirty-year old man employed as a recall coordinator for a major automobile company. He lives in a condo that is furnished with all the comforts of modern society, namely mass-produced furnishings that can be found in the homes of millions across North America. Jack owns a car and has obtained a respectable wardrobe for himself over the course of time. Despite all of these things, Jack is not satisfied with his life. He feels unhappy, unfulfilled, and trapped in the depths of chronic insomnia. Jack asks his doctor for help with his insomnia and receives the response that if he wants to see real pain, he should attend some of the support groups at a local church. So Jack attends these support groups, in fact he st arts to attend them religiously using pseudonyms and pretending he belongs. Jack frequents groups for men with testicular cancer, groups for sufferers of brain parasites, and blood parasites among other groups for disease sufferers, and suddenly Jack finds he can sleep again. The support groups give Jack a sense of belonging, a sense of being important to others as he expresses on page 107 of the novel: This is why I loved the support groups so much. If people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention. If this might be the last time they saw you, they really saw youPeople listened instead of just waiting for their turn to speak. And when they spoke, they werent telling you a story. When the two of you talked, you were building something, and afterward you were both different than before. It is implied that Jack feels frustrated with others in his life, feeling as if they are too caught up with their own preoccupations to truly care about how Jack feels, what is happening to him, and what he needs and wants in life. It is implied that the average Generation X male also feels this way and has difficulty coping in a society where people are too busy to listen. Jacks attendance at the support group meetings continues to fill one of the voids in his life until he meets the character of Marla Singer, who has begun to frequent all of the support group meetings, just as Jack does. Jack becomes enraged with the presence of Marla, as he sees her as a symbol of the lie he has been living and fears that through Marla, he will be exposed as a faker. Jack confronts Marla and they agree to share the meetings, by dividing them up between them. As long as Jack is not confronted with the sight of Marla he feels comfortable in continuing his attendance at the meetings, and carrying out the role of a person living at deaths door. During Jacks attendance at his weekly parasitic brain dysfunction group, he also discovers another way of dealing with some of his problems, through the use of guided meditation. During the meeting a member steps forward to lead the group on a journey of the mind, during which those participating are mentally lead through various coloured doors, which lead to a cave, which contains their power animal. This animal is a symbol of their personal power to overcome all obstacles they encounter in life. Jack discovers that his power animal is a penguin that offers Jack the verbal suggestion to slide. The fact that Jacks power animal is a penguin is actually extremely significant. Through analysis of the penguin, it is noted that penguins, though part of the bird species, cannot fly. Jack is part of the human species, yet he does not grasp what he can do. He feels restricted by his walls and has essentially made himself a cave to dwell in where the simple decisions of everyday life have bee n robbed from him. The penguin is also symbolic in that penguins are also very drone-like. There has always been the old joke that penguins appear as if they are wearing little black and white suits, which would symbolize the suit and tie environment that Jack works in each day, an environment that Jack feels to be stifling. The last important detail about the penguin is that penguins are content in their atmosphere and travel in flocks. They do not stray far from their homes and baby penguins stick close to their mothers. This is especially reflective of the life that Jack leads. Jack feels as if he is just one of the masses travelling in a flock and not thinking for himself. He also has issues with his upbringing, as it is later revealed that Jack was raised by his mother in a single-parent family, having been abandoned by his father at a young age. The next major event that occurs in Jacks life, although he is unaware of it at the time, is meeting Tyler Durden. It is interesting to note that the author seems to have carefully chosen the name of this character, as an analysis of the name Tyler Durden reveals that in antiquated English, Tyler means gatekeeper or house builder, and Durden has the root dour meaning hard, as in durable, both which are descriptive of his personality. Although the novel and motion picture do not project the same circumstances under which Jack and Tyler meet, it is most interestingly projected in the novel. Jack awakes on a beach in the summertime to find Tyler pulling driftwood out of the surf and dragging it to the beach, then implanting the logs in the sand, forming a semi-circle. Tyler asks Jack what time it is and draws a line in the sand with a stick. Tylers creation is explained in the novel (page 33) as follows: What Tyler had created was the shadow of a giant hand. Only now the fingers were Nosferatu-long and the thumb was too short, but he said how at exactly four-thirty the hand was perfect. The giant shadow hand was perfect for one minute, and for one perfect minute Tyler had sat in the palm of perfection hed created himselfOne minute was enough, Tyler said, a person had to work hard for it, but a minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection. This scene is especially important and foreshadows the future for Jack and Tyler. It is indicative of Tylers personality, and goal (that later surfaces) of achieving just a moment of what he considers to be perfection in society. The giant hand symbolizes the world, and Tyler sitting within the giant hand symbolizes his wish to control the future of the world for just one tiny perfect moment. Shortly following Jacks discovery of Tyler, he partakes on an extended business trip. Upon his return he discovers that his precious condominium containing all the comforts of home that he has grown to love dearly has been destroyed in an explosion. It is explained to Jack that the cause of the explosion is unknown, however it is suspected that the cause was a gas leak, and that there is nothing left of his personal possessions. Jack is forbidden to enter the condo unit, and is advised to find a place to stay. On his way out of the lobby of the building, Jack is approached by the doorman, whose words profoundly echo the current problems facing modern society with respect to our obsession with materialism (page 45/46): A lot of young people try to impress the world and buy too many things, the doorman said A lot of young people dont know what they really want. If you dont know what you really wantyou end up with a lot you dont. Tyler Durden later reveals to Jack that this is a problem of which he is especially concerned, a problem which he believes each person in society should become enlightened to, and work on correcting through the abandonment of material possessions. When Jack discovers he has lost his home and all his possessions he suddenly feels a sense that he is truly alone. He does not consider calling family, or staying in a hotel, but instead debates calling Marla Singer whom he barely knows, and then decides impulsively to call Tyler Durden. It is implied through this decision, that Jack is not close with any family that he may have and that he does not have any (or few) friends. Jack and Tyler agree to meet at a local bar to have a few drinks and discuss what has happened. Jack expresses his grief over the loss of his condo and all his belongings to which Tyler replies that it is a good thing that all of that baggage is gone, and that Jack is better off without all of his stuff. He explains (page 44): You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple of years youre satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least youve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you are trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. Tyler is stating here that people in modern society have become so consumed with what they own and what they dont own (but wish they did), that they have lost track of what is really important in life. People have become obsessed with consumerism, forgetting that objects do not bring ultimate happiness, and you cannot take them with you when you die. Tyler is offering Jack the wisdom that it is actually a blessing that he is now free of all the distractions he has accumulated, so that he can now turn the focus onto himself, and what is really important in his life. At the end of the evening Jack and Tyler find themselves outside the bar and they discuss that Jack should stay with Tyler. Tyler suggests to Jack that asking to stay with him must have been his real motive for calling him. Once it is agreed upon that Jack will stay or live with Tyler, Tyler asks Jack for one favour. He asks Jack to hit him as hard as he can. Jack is shocked by Tylers request and asks why he would ever ask such a thing. Tyler explains to Jack that he has never been in a fight before, and listed his reasons (page 52) as: not wanting to die without any scarsbeing tired of watching only professionals fight, and wanting to know more about himself. Jack finally agrees to his request and they proceed to get into a physical brawl with each other, no holds barred. Eventually the bar closes; patrons come out and gather around to watch the fight. This is how Fight Club was born. Somehow Tyler and Jack had managed to leave an impression upon their fellow grey-collar brothers wh o had been watching them carry on, and came up with the idea that the sort of fighting that they had engaged in as an act of self-discovery, could be beneficial to others for the same reason. It was decided that Fight Club would be formed and meet periodically in the parking lot of the same bar where they had engaged in their first fight. Following this first fight Tyler and Jack fall exhausted and discuss what just occurred. Jack asks Tyler what it was that he had really been fighting during the brawl, to which Tyler replies my father. This is a very important underlying theme within Fight Club, the theme of Generation X males in modern society being raised more commonly in a single-parent family, often with their mother as their only role model. There is a sense of anger towards the father figure for abandoning the family, and even greater implications that men raised predominately by women have been forced to stifle their natural aggressive tendencies and take on a more unnatural, passive nature. This is supported by the need for characters in the novel/motion picture to engage in physical aggression through Fight Club as a release for these pent up feelings. Jack explains his own relationship with his father as follows (page 50/51): Me, I knew my dad for about six years, but I dont remember anything. My dad, he starts a new family in a new town about every six years. This isnt so much like a new family as its like he sets up a franchiseWhat you see at Fight Club is a generation of men raised by womenMy father never went to college so it was really important I go to college. After college, I called him long distance and said, now what? My dad didnt know. When I got a job and turned twenty- five, long distance, I said, now what? My dad didnt know so he said, get married. Im a thirty-year-old boy, and Im wondering if another woman is really the answer I need. It is especially important to note that Jack is analyzing himself in the above excerpt, acknowledging his lack of maturity, and that he would be most likely to look for a woman who would act as a mother-figure instead of a partner or mate. Jack is implying here that many men in his situation (raised in a single-parent family by their mother) instinctively look for someone to take care of them in a relationship, as they know only what their mother or female role-model has taught them, and are lacking the knowledge of what it means to be a man in a relationship, due to a lack of a male parental figure or role model. There is also an underlying idea in Fight Club that a male role model symbolizes God in a young mans formative years, and when abandoned by the male role model, the young man will develop a sense of being abandoned by God as well. This is described in Chapter 18 of the novel (page 140/141): If youre male and youre Christian and living in America, your father is your model for God. And if you never know your father, if your father bails out or dies or is never at home, what do you believe about God?What you end up doing is you spend your life searching for a father and God. What you have to consideris the possibility that God doesnt like you. Could be, God hates us. This is not the worst thing that can happen.We are Gods middle children, according to Tyler Durden, with no special place in history and no special attention. Unless we get Gods attention, we have no hope of damnation or redemption. It is an interesting theory that possibly the Generation X males lack of connection with God and religion could be due to a lack of the male parental figure in their lives. It is observable that these individuals may be feeling that they are the unwanted children, cast aside and neglected by all father figures in their lives, and this had lead them to a sense of hostility which manifests through the aggressive fighting they partake in at Fight Club meetings. Tyler Durden, self-proclaimed inventor of Fight Club soon decides to set a rule structure for their meetings so that they do not get out of hand. He sets the rules as follows (page 48/49): The first rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThe second rule about Fight Club is you dont talk about Fight ClubThats the third rule in fight club, when someone says stop, or goes limp, even if hes just faking it, the fight is overOnly two guys to a fight. One fight at a time. They fight without shirts or shoes. The fights go on as long as they have to. Those are the other rules of Fight Club. It is interesting to note that the character of Tyler Durden is completely opposed to societal rules and regulations. Regardless of this, he sees a need for rules in his club, in order to prevent chaos from occurring, and people from getting injured beyond repair or killed. The Fight Club has been officially established now as a therapy session for grey-collar workers, which Tyler Durden believes cleanses it of negative, meaningless violent intentions. This Fight Club, now established as a group therapy session, soon replaces Jacks need to attend the other group sessions at the church. Fight Club has provided its members with a place to fight their fears, fears that they have been cheated and abandoned by their father and God, fears that they are not good enough, strong enough or smart enough, fears that they will never be able to understand why they feel so trapped in their lives and unsatisfied, and also the fear of being alone, of pain, of brutality, of defeat, of losing control, and of inevitable death. It has become an outlet for anger and fear, a rite of masculinity, and frees them temporarily from their enslavement by modern society. The more members realize all these things, the more they break the first and second rule of Fight Club, sharing the experience with more and more fellow brothers who feel just as they do. Fight Club soon moves to the basement of the bar, and eventually new, independent chapters surface across the city as more and more men become aware of what Fight Club can offer them. While Fight Club is developing and growing, Jack discovers that Tyler has entered into a sexual relationship with Marla whom he met at the support group meetings in the church. Jack discovers that Tyler has rescued Marla from an attempted suicide through the overdose of prescription medication (Marla had phoned the house that Jack and Tyler were currently sharing and Tyler had gone to her place to save her from herself). Jack becomes enraged when he discovers that Tyler and Marla are involved in a relationship. It is during this time that Jack has found some old magazines in the house, which use clever words to personify body parts such as I am Jills colon. Jack takes to describing his anger at Marla and Tylers relationship through the use of these clever analogies (page 59): I am Joes raging bile duct. I am Joes grinding teeth. I am Joes inflamed, flaring nostrils. I am Joes white knuckles. I am Joes Enraged, Inflamed Sense of Rejection. Jack takes to speaking about his feelings as if he is observing someone else, making them less personalized, and taking less responsibility for them. Marla also expresses feelings that she is having by stating them as if she is observing another person. This becomes clear when Tyler explains his rescue of Marla to Jack. When Marla tries to overdose, she calls the paramedics, and Tyler takes her out of her suite just before they arrive. As he is dragging her away, she is calling back to the paramedics, expressing her true feelings about herself (page 61): The girl is infectious human waste, and shes confused and afraid to commit to the wrong thing so she wont commit to anythingThe girl in 8G has no faith in herselfand shes worried that as she grows older shell have fewer and fewer options. In this description of Marlas feelings, it can be observed that the problems facing Generation X males are affecting females as well, who also feel a sense of insecurity, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction towards life. It is important to note that Marla is just as lonely and friendless as Jack, however the novel/motion picture does not address how females can deal with these emotions and problems, somehow minimizing their struggle. Jack continues to come to work each day as Fight Club progresses. He shows up at work, proudly displaying his wounds and scars that he has obtained through fighting, like a badge of honour. He sarcastically describes his personal progress that he is shoving in the faces of his co-workers as follows (page 64): Im saying HELLO to everybody at work. HELLO! Look at me. HELLO! I am so ZEN. This is BLOOD. This is NOTHING. Hello. Everything is nothing, and its so cool to be ENLIGHTENED. Like me. Here Jack is swelling with a sense of pride in his personal progress, at the same time showing a sense of bitterness towards his co-workers who do not understand the wonderful personal journey he is on, and are doing nothing to enlighten themselves. Jack also begins to send messages to his co-workers in the form of haikus (page 63/64/67): Worker bees can leave Without just one nest Flowers bloom and die Even drones fly away A bird can call the world home Wind brings butterflies or snow The queen is their slave Life is your career A stone wont notice These haikus symbolize different stages in Jacks progress. The first haiku is a message to his co-workers that they are not really trapped by their boring, unfulfilling careers (even though it may seem that way), and that they can choose to leave and change their lives if they want to. It is implied that if they choose this path, then their boss will become their slave instead of them being enslaved by their boss. The second haiku is a message that material possessions are unimportant, as the whole world is literally a home. It is also saying that living and being free is more important than the materialistic ideals and stifling careers they currently consider to be important. The third haiku is a statement that all beautiful and living things do eventually die, but those who are strong or stone-like will not be affected by the fear of inevitable death, and instead will embrace and understand it. As time passes, Jacks boss becomes more and more aware of what Jack has become involved in. His boss discovers the Rules of Fight Club that Jack has accidentally left in the photocopier at work, and confronts Jack about the matter. Jacks reaction to his boss discovery shows how he is becoming more and more influenced by the strong personality of Tyler Durden, as he reacts in a manner which is completely unlike the Jack he was before Fight Club (page 97): I say, it sounds like some dangerous psychotic killer wrote this, and this buttoned-down schizophrenic could probably go over the edge at any moment in the working day and stalk from office to office with an Armalite AR-180 carbine gas- operated semiautomaticThe guy, I say, is probably at home every night with a little rattail file, filing a cross into the tip of every one of his rounds. This way when he shows up to work one morning and pumps a round into his nagging, ineffectual, petty, whining, butt-sucking, candy-ass boss, that one round will split along the filed grooves and spread open the way a dumdum bullet flowers inside you to blow a bushel load of your stinking guts out In the above excerpt, Jack is again describing his feelings as if he were speaking about someone else; he creates a clever message to his boss that says leave me alone, or else. It is especially interesting that Jack refers to himself as a schizophrenic, which will be analyzed further later on. Here Jack is saying things to his boss that many men have dreamed of, but never dared. He is finding that he is becoming more and more empowered and caring less and less about societys rules and taboos. During this time Tyler has also begun to teach Jack the art of soap making. Jack and Tyler begin making soap from human fat that they have obtained from the discard bins of liposuction clinics and selling this primo soap to the upper class department stores in their city. Both Tyler and Jack find delight in selling rich women their fat asses back to them. Soap is a very important symbol in Fight Club, as Tyler explains that soap ultimately symbolizes heroism, and human sacrifice. This becomes known in the following excerpt (page 76/77/78): In ancient historyhuman sacrifices were made on a hill above a riverThe sacrifices were made and the bodies were burned on a pyreAfter hundreds of people were sacrificed and burneda thick white discharge crept from the alter, downhill to the riverRain fell on the burnt pyre year after year, and year after year people were burned, and the rain seeped through the wood ashes to become a solution of lye, and the lye combined with the fat of the sacrifices, and a thick white discharge of soap crept out from the base of the altar and crept downhill toward the riverWhere the soap fell into the riverafter a thousand years of killing people and rain, the ancient people found their clothes got cleaner if they washed them at that spotIt was right to kill those peopleYou have to seehow the first soap was made of heroesthink about animals in product testing. Think about the monkeys shot into space. Without their pain and sacrificewe would have nothing. Tyler shows how soap was obtained through the suffering and sacrifice of humanity and that this is ultimately how all human progress is obtained. He wants Jack to realize that even though this may be disturbing, it is a fact of life. As chapters of Fight Club have continued to spread across the city, Jack soon discovers that Tyler has an even bigger plan that will take members to a new level of therapy and personal enlightenment. Tyler has begun a new area of the club called Project Mayhem in which members of the club are assigned tasks and challenges through which they will obtain new knowledge of themselves. Members are assigned tasks such as starting a fight with a stranger and letting the stranger win. The goal of a task such as this is to spread the feeling of empowerment obtained through fighting to other individuals beyond Fight Club. Soon Project Mayhem has progressed even further, and Jack discovers that there are suddenly members on his front porch who have brought personal items as directed by Tyler and are willing to endure a three day waiting period without food, water or sleep in order to gain access to the house. Often Tyler shouts words of discouragement to the waiting member, telling them that th ey are too old, or too fat, or not what he is looking for. Tyler explains to Jack that he is testing these members and is considering them as applicants for the next phase of Project Mayhem. He explains the rationale for making them endure the three-day test as follows (page 129): This is how the Buddhist temples have tested applicants going back for bah-zillion yearsYou tell the applicant to go away, and if his resolve is so strong that he waits at the entrance without food or shelter or encouragement for three days, then and only then can he enter and begin training. Jack soon discovers that Tyler has installed army-style bunk beds in the basement of their house and is attempting to build his own personal army. As more and more applicants endure the test, they are given access to the house and begin training in Tylers army. These new space monkeys, (this is a reference to Tylers explanation of human sacrifice in the previously quoted excerpt) are given specific tasks such as cooking, soap making and cleaning, and begin to recite mantras which Tyler has taught them, almost as if they have been brainwashed (page 134): When I come home one space monkey is reading to the assembled space monkeys who sit covering the whole first floor. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile. Our culture has made us all the same. No one is truly white or black or rich anymore. We all want the same. Individually, we are nothing. Here Tyler has created a group mentality or cult way of thinking to bring all of the space monkeys residing in the house to the same degree of enlightenment. He is training them to think and feel the same, as well as work towards one common, collective goal. Like Fight Club, Project Mayhem also has similar, established rules which must be followed and also include complete and total trust in Tyler Durden, without question. This is similar to a religion in that there are established rules to be followed, however one should never question Gods intentions or actions, but trust completely and have faith. Project Mayhem soon begins to carry out acts of vandalism and disturbance throughout the city such as drawing a huge happy face on the side of a large building and lighting fire to the eyes to make them glow. Through these acts of vandalism the grey-collar space monkeys of Project Mayhem are delivering a message of defiance to society, stating that they no longer care about the establish ed rules and distractions, and now live by their own set of rules which are considered by most to be counter-culture. Tylers ultimate goal that he is trying to accomplish through Project Mayhem soon becomes apparent to Jack. He realizes that Tylers wish is to destroy all that society currently is and revert back to ancient times when the world had not yet discovered technology, money didnt exist, and material possessions were unimportant. Only the necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter were valued. Tyler reveals his goal to Jack as follows (page 125): Its Project Mayhem thats going to save the world. A cultural ice age. A prematurely induced dark age. Project Mayhem will free humanity to go dormant or into remission long enough for the Earth to recover. Imaginestalking elk past department store windows and stinking racks of beautiful rotting dresses and tuxedosyoull wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your lifeyoull climb up through the dripping forest canopy and the air will be so clean youll see tiny figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison in the empty car pool lane of an abandoned superhighway It is interesting that reverting back to a primitive hunter-gatherer sort of society is so attractive to Tyler and that he truly feels this to be the solution to all of lifes problems. It is implied that in modern society men do not have the means to act out their instinctive nature which is to hunt, gather, and reside without rules, completely free, and that this is what men subconsciously long for. As Project Mayhem progresses, Jack discovers that Tyler is suddenly present less and less and that Jack has begun to sleep more and more. He feels a sense of being out of the loop as far as Project Mayhem is concerned as he is involved less and less in what is occurring. Jack views Tylers absence as an act of abandonment on Tylers part and becomes bitter and angry towards Tyler. He realizes that Tylers absence has begun to affect him much in the same manner that his fathers abandonment has affected him in his life. Jack discovers a bunch of plane ticket stubs in a drawer in Tylers room and sets out on a quest to find Tyler, flying to each destination listed. In each city that Jack lands, he frequents all the local pubs and bars, only to discover to his horror that Fight Clubs have popped up all over these major cities. He speaks to the heads of each division that he comes across and is confused that they seem to know him, and often wink at him or refer to him as Tyler Durden. Jack be comes maddened in his obsession to find Tyler and to discover how he is linked to the new Fight Clubs that have surfaced across North America. In exhaustion one night, he lies down to sleep and awakens to find Tyler is there in his hotel room beside his bed. This is the scene in the novel/motion picture where Jack has a profound and important moment of clarity the moment when Jack realizes that he and Tyler are one and the same, and that Tyler is only a manifestation of Jacks frustrations in his life. Jack has invented Tyler because Tyler is everything that Jack wants to be, but isnt, and only Tyler has the means to accomplish what Jack really wants to change about society. This moment of clarity is explained as follows (page 167/168): Tyler said, Were not two separate men. Long story short, when youre awake, you have the control, and you can call yourself anything you want, but the second you fall asleep, I take over and you become Tyler Durden.This is a dream, Tyler is a projection. Hes a disassociative personality disorder. A psychogenic fugue state. Tyler Durden is my hallucination. It was previously noted that when Jack had the disturbing conversation with his boss upon the discovery of the Fight Club rules, Jack had referred to himself in the second-party as schizophrenic. It is as if Jack knew subconsciously all along that he was experiencing a mental crisis of sorts, but he did not clearly understand what was occurring or why. During this important conversation between Tyler and Jack it is also made clear that Tyler has discovered a way to accomplish his goal for the correction of societys flaws. Tyler has created through Project Mayhem an operation in which important financial buildings in strategic cities across North America have been wired with explosives, set to go off when the buildings are completely unoccupied. This has been strategically planned and is now operating solely in the hands of space monkeys. Tyler explains that the idea is to blow up all financial institutions so that the debt record will be erased and everyone can start from zero, compl etely freed. Jack becomes completely enraged with this plan, and sets out to stop it only to discover that things have progressed too far and it is too late. Jack decides that the only way to fix the problem now is to rid himself of Tyler Durden. In one of the last scenes, Jack attempts to explain to Marla what has been happening, and expresses his feelings regarding Tyler (page 174): I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage, his smarts. His nerve. Tyler is funny and charming and forceful and Independent, and men look up to him and expect him to change their world. Tyler is capable and free and I am not. It becomes apparent at this point that Jack does understand why he has created Tyler, but at the same time realizes that he cannot go on functioning under a split personality. In the final scene Jack has a gun in his hand and is standing at the top of a building, waiting for the great explosion that has been set to take place. He puts the gun in his mouth, and before pulling the trigger states (page 205) Im not killing myselfIm killing Tyler. In his final moment Jack does not seem to acknowledge the fact that by killing Tyler, he truly is killing himself as they are one and the same. Jack proceeds to pull the trigger in a symbol of final sacrifice for the good of all humanity, as in his final moment he seems to consider what he (or Tyler) has accomplished to be unjust and immoral. The ending is different in the novel than in the motion picture. In the novel, Jack dies and sits in heaven discussing with God what he has done, and how God and him disagree about humanity. In the motion picture Jack lives and succeeds in killing Tyler by blowing off the side of his face. Despite which ending is chosen, the final summary of Fight Club is that the Generation X males and females (as shown through the character of Marla) are dissatisfied, unhappy, confused and lost. Many people find that it is impossible to obtain a job or career where they are not part of the service industry (or grey-collar working class) in some way, shape or form. As societys priorities have become more and more materialistic and consumer-driven, people are finding themselves more and more distracted and alone with their possessions, rather than with others. Relationships fail because of an increase in the number of single-parent families, in which there is predominately only a mother to act as a role model men no longer know what it means to be a man, and how to act in a relationship. Women no longer understand how to treat men in a relationship and cannot relate to or understand the male species. There is no great war or depression for the current generation to fight for instead there is a great war of the spirit and the great depression has become peoples lives. What Fight Club shows is a break down of our modern culture and suggests that things can only be improved through drastic measures. It suggests that the answer might be to abandon all of the materialism and greed that has consumed our culture and resort back to the old days when everything was simple and things were only accomplished to meet the basic necessities for human survival. Perhaps now that so many members of Generation X have been witness to the wisdom offered between the lines of Fight Club, this will stick in the backs of their minds. Perhaps these people will not accomplish a better society through such drastic measures, but instead will invoke a slow, proactive change in society by realizing what the problems are, and embarking on their own journeys of self-discovery with the intention of living their lives only for that which truly mattershappiness. Research Papers on "Fight Club" - AnalysisThe Fifth HorsemanQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresWhere Wild and West MeetHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayPETSTEL analysis of India19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

Billabong International Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Billabong International - Case Study Example The past few years have seen an increase in the E retailing business. With E Bay and Amazon recording remarkable success, this decades business portals like Ali Baba and EC21 of Korea or 163.com of China have come up from different regions of the world. The trend of this era is to have e-commerce enabled business for success. Due to this any businesses have started including their own business portals ad web pages on their website include e commerce pages to capitalize on the traffic visiting their website. Considering the marketing strategies of billabong International, I would suggest that there is only one customer requirement that has been overlooked and that is the e availability. Billabong international has a web presence but I would suggest that it requires exclusive web pages that showcase their product lines along with prices and discount schemes if any. Such a web portal would not only serve the needs of the Australian and New Zealand based web surfers surfing online for surf boards and other sports products but would also serve the purpose of drawing attention from other parts of the world like developing countries with high growth rates including Pakistan and India, two up coming markets where our competitors Nike and Adidas are very strong in the apparel sector. Presence in the surf board sector is limited and surf boards are available only at limited outlets. This is mainly due to the fact that surfing is not a very popular sport in these two countries. However, these are untapped markets where by promoting this sport, Billabong will be expanding its geographical markets as well. Considering the above, we propose that Billabong International should launch: 1. Their E Business Portal, a website or WebPages on its existing websites that are geared towards generating internet sales i.e. E Retailing. 2. Our second proposition is that Billabong should launch an International Exhibition, in Australia, to display its surfing and other products and invite industry professionals and the consumers purchasing its products from data collected from outlets. These are likely to purchase goods from the exhibition. Purpose: The objective of this research is to determine how successful an E Portal would be and what value would it add to Billabong International. What factors may lead to website failure What impacts might that have on the brand name How and what information needs to be collected to ensure that the E Commerce enabled website would be successful. This report seeks to answer all of these questions through primary and secondary research. SECONDARY RESEARCH Secondary research was carried out to find out the size of the market, the target market requirements and the change in shopping trends over a period of years. a.Size of the Market Forrester research states that the amount of ecommerce activities worldwide reached US $ 6.8 trillion in the year 2004 as compared to just US $ 43 Billion in 1998.New Zealand and Australia are part of this same cycle. According to a report by META Group , New Zealand is one of the top ten countries where E-commerce can be developed. According to International Data Corporation " IT solutions in New Zealand will account for 29.6% of the total spending in the IT market

Business Proposal - Gym Cafeteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Proposal - Gym Cafeteria - Essay Example Although this business proposal has higher potential for growth, the marketer needs to face a sequence of challenges whiling going on with this project. Firstly, the marketer has to identify target groups. For this purpose; referring to Cant et al (2006), one must conduct an extensive market research to get a detailed view of the people’s health perception (pp.158-159). Traditionally, young males are the only group who visit GYM centres. However, this situation has been changing for the past two decades and it is observed that all categories of people including women and children are visiting GYMs to keep themselves stronger (Healthkicker, 2010). According to Hanc (2010), the practice of aged people visiting GYM centres is on the rise. Hence, the marketer must focus on all types of people without gender and/or age based disparities. Zikumund & Babin (2007) indicate that the market research process is helpful in accurately identifying main target market and its special characte ristics (p.20). Under this business, it is necessary to consider tastes and preferences of individual customers since health concerns may be different from person to person. In the opinion of Stephenson & Thurman (2007), the market research strategy would benefit the venture developer to create customer profiles and thereby customise service offerings (p.13). Mohr et al (2009) suggest that traditional questionnaires, online surveys and automated call surveys can be deployed to conduct the market research programme (pp.190-191). ... According to Hanc (2010), the practice of aged people visiting GYM centres is on the rise. Hence, the marketer must focus on all types of people without gender and/or age based disparities. Zikumund & Babin (2007) indicate that the market research process is helpful in accurately identifying main target market and its special characteristics (p.20). Under this business, it is necessary to consider tastes and preferences of individual customers since health concerns may be different from person to person. In the opinion of Stephenson & Thurman (2007), the market research strategy would benefit the venture developer to create customer profiles and thereby customise service offerings (p.13). Mohr et al (2009) suggest that traditional questionnaires, online surveys and automated call surveys can be deployed to conduct the market research programme (pp.190-191). The marketer must also consider historical statistical data to assess changing trends in GYM business. Referring to Chaturvedi & Chaturvedi (2009), after identifying the main target market, it is strongly recommendable for the marketer to develop proper and effective communication channels to interact with his clients (p.37). According to Guffey and Almonte (2010); in the modern business environment, online communication channels including company websites and emails and telephone communications are strongly suggestible (p.34). As per the idea put forward by Miletsky (2009); to promote the business venture, the marketer may use infinite scope of internet, especially social networking sites such as facebook and twitter (p.54). It is advisable to create GYM demonstration videos and

Cecilia Penifader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cecilia Penifader - Essay Example Instead, Cecilias life shows that women had agency, and that the peasant class—those who work—actually were not completely powerless and in thrall to the other two estates. Traditional medieval wisdom held that there were three different estates, or social classes of people. These were those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. These three parts of society were all needed to keep the whole thing running smoothly. In this model, those who prayed and those who fought were the social classes which had all the power. Those who fought were the ones who kept everybody safe from invaders, and those who prayed kept people spiritually safe and away from Hell, which was a big concern in the medieval period. Because of this, both of these important estates were the ones which took all the money and power for themselves. The third estate was those who worked, which consisted of peasants and farmers and other people who did not pray or fight. This estate was traditionally understood to not have any power at all, and be completely at the mercy of the praying and fighting estates. They usually were the ones who held up the whole society, though, because without their work the richer estate classes could not survive. An example of this is the Manorial system, which was â€Å"devised as a profit-making mechanism for its owners,† the noble or royal people (Bennett 30). In this system, the manor owners would earn the money that the workers created through harvesting and processing the grains. The other way in which medieval societies separated people into different types was through gender. It was â€Å"a world that clearly and firmly distinguished between female and male† (Bennett 115). Women and men both had distinct roles that they were supposed to carry out, without any overlap. In this model women were meant to deal with

Elderly Care Comparative Study | Research Methodology

Elderly Care Comparative Study | Research Methodology A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ELDERLY CARE AMONG HINDUS AND MUSLIMS IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF ALIGARH DISTRICT A comparative study of elderly care among major religious community of Aligarh district Introduction: Since time immemorial, across the world history, care affairs of the elderly were totally family concerns, carried out mostly at home by women and elder themselves (Bookman Kimbrel, 2011). In the twenty first century the needs, rights, concerns and problems of elderly persons are getting more attention of people from different walks of life i.e. social scientists, statesmen, administrators and social workers etc. Aging is neither a new phenomena nor a kind of ailment rather it’s a latter part of life cycle, considered one among the most challenging phenomena around the world- irrespective of developed and developing country as well. In, India, family based care of elderly is fastest growing concern for the big chunk of elderly population, about hundred million. This study seeks to highlight the existing pattern of care affairs of elderly in the informal setting, and interaction between elders and cares in the family. Here, more emphasis has given to peep into the nuts bolts of care relations among elderly and their family members. Research problems In the last couple of decades, innovation of wide range life saving drug, its availability and accessibility to common man have improved health of elderly, consequently the raised the life span of people worldwide and in India too, in contrast to previous normal age. That demanding lot of care and support for them includes medical, financial, psycho-social, spiritual and religious care. Now India is the home of about100 million people, taking care of elderly is of course a serious affair, can’t be left as it is going on. In due course of time, by the introduction of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in India, living style has drastically changed, where institution of joint family transformed into nuclear family. The industrial revolution not just change the people living standers, rather it’s too altered the age stratification resulting, lessen the power, prestige and importance of elderly people in society, finally, the elderly turn into social elite to social problems (macionics,2013). Because, the paradox, whether the responsibility of elderly care is a family matter or of government, becoming a matter of concern in India. Literature review Significance of study From the prehistoric time, India has been a country of care, love, affection, companionship and intimacy, where elder’s status remained matter of high consideration and elders considered as nucleus of power. Till the pre-independence era, most of the families were living jointly and agriculture was the major source of income and elders were the headed the family. But, after the industrialization, urbanization and modernization, joint family turned into nuclear family. Now, their position is no more, some time their status worst to social problems. Elderly people above the age of 60, have less resources, income and high life expectancies, require more, need, concerns and cares. Objectives of the study To undertake a socio-economic, and situational analysis of the condition of the elderly people in the family. To comprehend the pattern of family based elderly care practices in terms of various parameters such as religion, area (Rural-Urban), class and gender etc. To develop an extensive list of needs and difficulties as faced by elders in the family. To decipher psycho-social and emotional conditions of elderly people and associates factors. To identify the influence of religion and religiosity on care of elderly. To critically assess the changing value systems and social institutions that impinges upon the care and social support system with reference to the elderly. To study the level of awareness among the elderly as regards policies, programmes and legislatives provisions safeguards in India. Key Words: elderly, elderly care, family based care practice, religion and religiosity Conceptual framework Research questions This study will focus on the comparison care concerns and status of elderly care in the family among Hindus and Muslims in different settings i.e. rural and urban area. Further will seek to answer the following important questions concerning family based Elderly Care. What are the existing system and patterns of elderly care in the family? What are the dimensions and the level of care provided by the family members? Who is the responsible person for the care of elderly in the family? What is the quality of the elderly care in the family settings? What are the major day to day challenges of elderly care in the family? What is the impact of structural changes in the family on elderly care? What are the sources of livelihood of elderly people? What is the attitude of elders toward the care provided by family members? What is the level of satisfaction among elderly about their care? What are the role of religion and religiosity on care relation and care of elderly in the family? What are the differences and similarities in the family based elderly care among Hindus and Muslims in rural areas. Research Methodology Scope of the study This study will focus to study the day to day pattern of care relation and care of elderly and most possible issues and challenges, encountering elderly people within the family. This study will explore the level of differences and similarities of elderly care, among Hindus and Muslims family on the one hand and rural and urban on the other hand. Universe and Sample The study will be conducted in the selected rural and urban areas of Utter Pradesh, particularly in Aligarh District. The basic respondent of the study will be elderly people (60 or more age) and their potential caregiver in the family. Sampling Frame First of all, willing elderly people for being respondent for the purpose of study will be enlisted, respective to their economic classes, religion and sex, would be helpful to have proper result of the study. Sampling Method Sample Design As elderly care is personal and sensitive issue the sample would be selected on the basis of purposive sampling stratification of the universe will be on the basis of religion (Hindu Muslim), areas (rural urban) economic class (upper, middle and lower), and sex. SAMPLE DESIGN Tools and techniques for the data collection This study would be based on qualitative as well as quantitative data. Therefore mixed approach will be adopted, includes survey research for quantitative data to have empirical analysis and qualitative methods i.e. interview schedule and case study method will be used to comprehend a comprehensive and wider description to fill the gap of quantitative data. Through, direct observation and in-depth interview of elders, issues and concerns of their care in the family would be more elaborated and will cover all aspect of their care life, includes, their living arrangement, relationship with family members, in the family References Bookman, A. Kimbrel, D. (2011) Families and elder care in the twenty-first century. Princeton University, 21 (2), 117-140. Macionics, J.J. (2013) Social problems. New Jersey: Pearson publication.

Diabetes Mellitus Essay -- Health, Disease, Medicine

This paper deals about the study of diabetes mellitus, the pathology, types of diabetes, further complications if not controlled and management for the prevention of this disease. Diabetes refers to a set of several different diseases. All types of diabetes result in too much sugar, or glucose, in the blood. To understand why this happens it helps to understand how the body usually works. When you eat, your body breaks down your food into simpler forms such as glucose. The glucose goes into your bloodstream, where it travels to all the cells in your body. Your cells use glucose for energy. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps move the glucose from bloodstream to the cells. Pathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus further explain the concept how this disease works. Pancreas plays an important role of the metabolism of glucose by means of secreting the hormones insulin and glucagon. These hormones where then secreted by Islets of Langerhans directly to the blood. Inadequate secretion of insulin results on im- paired metabolism of glucose, carbohydrates, proteins and fats which then result to hyperglycemia and glycosuria. Hyperglycemia is the most frequently observed sign of diabetes and is considered the etiologic source of diabetic complications both in the body and in the eye. On the other hand, glucagon is the hormone that opposes the act of insulin. It is secreted when blood glucose levels fall. This is also further explained in the handbook of the Disease Management of Pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus which states the following: â€Å"Glucagon increases blood glucose concentration partly by breaking down glycogen in the liver. Following a meal, glucose is absorbed into the blood. In response to increased blood glucos... ...ss the importance of taking nutritious foods and multivitamins, try to drinking coffee for two or three days. Eating regular well balanced meals. Avoid fast-food lifestyle that can cause great fluctuation in blood sugar. Lastly, the patient will be able to describe the benefits of regular exercise and how regular exercise can improve blood glucose control. They should know the importance of relaxation and exercises, deep breathing which are popular ways to relieve stress and to avoid strenuous physical activity. Meditations, yoga are good ways of relieving stress. Therefore, learning about the concept of diabetes in general is very important to prevent further complications of other critical diseases. It is best to understand and to stress out the importance of good nutrition, exercise, diet, healthy active lifestyle to the improvement for someone’s well being.

Informative Speech on Art Communication

A. Gain Attention The most famous quote that people associate with art is â€Å"A picture paints a thousand words†. Although this is a quote widely known, I would say that the quote â€Å"Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen† accurately describes the essence of art. B. Arouse Interest Art is an outlet for self-expression and creativity. Through the use of paintings many artists have created works that have become known throughout the entire world. And why are these paintings so famous? visual aid: Andy Warhol, American Gothic, Guernica, The Persistence of Memory, The Last Supper, The Scream) * Complexity * Controversy C. Thesis Statement. Without a doubt, art is a form of communication that allows one to express what they cannot accomplish through the use of words. D. Establish Qualifications Through the art history course that I took here at Seneca Valley and the extensive rese arch that I have done I have discovered many ways through which art can communicate a message that the artist wants to make public.E. Forecast Organization and Development There is a form of communication called aesthetic communication and this is what the messages given through the form of art are. They are creative representations of an artist’s ideas, perspective, views, and values through the use of various symbols, colors, and methods. Through these uses of art, the artist creates meaningful works, whose purpose is to invoke a response from the audience. There are hundreds of examples of paintings that have had huge effects on society.There are paintings which have captured history and the values during a certain time and there are paintings that have made a social commentary on the time of creation. BODY A. Through the use of symbols, many paintings convey messages that might mean different things for different people. Visual aid: the persistence of time and Andy Warhol ’s Campbell’s soup. What are these artists trying to say? Symbolism of melting clocks, ants, and the fading painting: Andy Warhol’s symbolism of the soup cans: humor, poking fun at the traditional painting of the fruit bowl, repetition.One might not immediately derive this from looking at the painting. Some might even criticize it because they don’t understand the message. All these things might mean something different to someone from a different culture. What you are exposed to ultimately influences your thoughts and perceptions on a subject and artists do count for this. They know that there are differences in the way that people see their paintings. They embrace this. Everything is not always black and white in the world of art.Although many art historians analyze paintings for years and years, sometimes in some cases, we may never know the entirety of the message that the artist wanted to convey through the painting. These two paintings attempt to te ll a story through the use of these symbols B. Paintings have also become a way to capture history in the making. They were used before photographs and now, some paintings are the only things we have to rely on for knowledge about certain ancient cultures. â€Å"It is said that art is a way of communicating that which is within to those who are on the outside. The artists who capture these moments in history, obviously found it necessary that they paint it. They want to show the world an event, a person, or a place that has extreme significance to them. Take for example, Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. This painting was a response to the devastating events which took place in Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting shows severed head, mutilated animals and bodies, and overall suffering. Through this painting Picasso made a comment on how war and fighting ultimately leads to suffering of innocent beings.This painting clearly shows his anti-war views and his promotion of peace. Francisco De Goya’s painting: Tres De Mayo Shows French soldiers being executed for defending Madrid. The way that it is portrayed in the painting, you can obviously tell what Goya thought about this event. He felt the need for these martyrs to be remembered. He valued their lives and wanted justice for what the French had done. This is also a way to communicate what took place on that day and through these horrible images, the painting can be interpreted as a call to arms, to defend Spain.Going back to symbolism, the stance of the man in white says a lot about Goya’s view. He has a Christ like stance in the painting, which shows that Goya believes that he is a martyr. He is someone sacrificing himself for his people. C. Paintings are also used to make social commentary on beliefs or issues that we face in the world. One of the most famous paintings that reflects a time in history is American Gothic. This painting has been taken to be a satire of the MidWestern life and way of thinking during the time that Grant Wood painted it.This painting is widely used to show current social issues and the people in the painting are usually replaced with what the current culture believes is the standard. In those times this painting reflected the simpler life, but the meaning is unknown. Many believe that he was being satirical, poking fun at the innocence of the Western life and the simplicity. The title also seems to be satirical as well, â€Å"American Gothic†. The Gothic movement was most certainly not American and he might be making fun by comparing adding this gothic architecture to the surrounding all American scene in the painting.Andy Warhol’s The Last Supper Series: One painting in particular features an outline of the last supper painting and brand names plastered all over the painting. This is a comment on our society today and our obsession with materialistic things, comparing it to the times of the last supper makes our obs ession seem even more dramatic. The painting is also a comment on the excessive advertisements in our society today. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/keywords/painting. html

Business English - Taking a Message

Business English - Taking a Message Read  the following dialogue between a caller and a receptionist  as they discuss a delayed shipment. Practice the dialogue with a friend so you can feel more confident the next time you leave a message. Theres a comprehension and vocabulary review quiz following the dialogue.   Taking a Message Receptionist: Janson Wine Importers. Good Morning. How can I help you?Caller: Could I speak to Mr Adams, please? Receptionist: Whos calling please?Caller: This is Anna Beare. Receptionist: Sorry, I didnt catch your name.Caller: Anna Beare. Thats B E A R E Receptionist: Thank you. And where are you calling from?Caller: Sun Soaked Vineyards Receptionist: OK Ms Beare. Ill try and put you through. †¦ Im sorry but the lines busy. Would you like to hold?Caller: Oh, thats a shame. This concerns an upcoming shipment and its rather urgent. Receptionist:  He should be free in half an hour. Would you like to call back?Caller: Im afraid Ill be in a meeting.  Could I leave a message? Receptionist: Certainly.Caller: Could you tell Mr Adams that our shipment will be postponed and that the 200 cases ordered should arrive next Monday. Receptionist: Shipment delayed †¦ arriving next Monday.Caller: Yes, and could you ask him to call me back when the shipment arrives? Receptionist: Certainly. Could you give me your number please?Caller: Yes, its 503-589-9087 Receptionist: Thats 503-589-9087Caller: Yes, thats right. Thanks for your help. Goodbye Receptionist: Goodbye. Key Vocabulary to catch a persons name (verb phrase) be able to understand a persons nameto be busy / to be engaged (verb phrase) have other work to do and not able to respond to a telephone callto hold the line (verb phrase) wait on the telephone  to leave a message (verb phrase) have someone take note of a message for someone elseto be free (verb phrase) have time available to do somethingurgent (adjective) very important needing attention immediatelyshipment (noun) delivery of merchandiseto postpone (verb) put off something to a later date or timeto be delayed (verb phrase) not be able to happen on time, be postponedto call someone back (verb phase) return someones telephone call Taking a Message Comprehension Quiz Check your understanding with this multiple choice comprehension quiz. Check your answers below, as well as practice key expressions from this dialogue.   1. Who would the caller like to speak to?   The receptionist  Anna Beare  Mr Adams 2. Which company does the caller represent?   Jason Wine Importers  Sun Soaked Vineyards  Beare consulting 3. Is the caller able to complete her task?   Yes, she speaks with Mr Adams.  No, she hangs up.  No, but she leaves a message. 4. Which information does the caller wish to leave?   That they havent received their shipment yet.  That there is a short delay in the shipment.  That the wine was of poor quality. 5. What other information does the receptionist ask for?   The time of day  The callers telephone number  They type of wine shipped Answers Mr AdamsSun Soaked VineyardsNo, but she leaves a message.That there is a short delay in the shipmentThe callers telephone number Vocabulary Check Quiz Good morning. How can I ______ you?Could I ________ to Ms Devon, please?Whos ____________, please?________ is Kevin Trundel.Im sorry, I didnt ____________ your name.Im sorry. Shes ___________. Can I take a ____________?Could you ask her to call me _________?Could I have your ___________, please? Answers helpspeakcallingThiscatchbacknumber

Diversity as a Black NFL Player Professor Ramos Blog

Diversity as a Black NFL Player In Mychal Smith’s article â€Å"Colin Kaepernick’s protest might be unpatriotic. And that’s just fine† Mychal speaks on the real reasons Colin Kaepernick took a knee that day during the national anthem. For Liberty and Justice for ‘all’. In Colin Kaepernick’s own words, â€Å"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.† With President Donald Trump downplaying it as only utter disrespect to our troops and our Nation as well, we as citizens separated the real reasons as to why Colin Kaepernick did it in the first place. Colin Kaepernick wanted to shine a light on all the police brutalities that have been going on every day in our country as well as the many other injustices that happen to people of color in this nation. While many others stood in support, or rather I should say kneed in support with Colin, it is Colin Kaepernick who is still left without a job. H e is currently awaiting trial for challenging in collusion of grievance against the NFL. Many call Kaepernick’s kneeling to be unpatriotic and refer to this as ‘Anthem Protests’. Though the time and place were chosen deliberately, Mychal believes the flag and the anthem are not the reasons for the protest, but the symbolism the flag and anthem represent. Colin believes his actions by kneeling that day was the start to bringing a light upon injustices everywhere in our country. Even if it meant knowing he would be seen as an outcast or someone who disrespects America. In Mychal Smith’s words, â€Å"The protest does not need to be recast as patriotic. Patriotism is not higher virtue than justice.† Yet what Colin Kaepernick did could be known as patriotic as he fights for citizens of this nation who battle diversity on a daily basis. Questions: Should NFL players take the kneel? What would be a better way for Colin Kaepernick to protest to get his point across world-wide? Do you believe Colin Kaepernick is being blacklisted by the NFL? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/12/colin-kaepernicks-protest-unpatriotic-justice By: Carmella Lindo Tyrone Ross Eric Kazos

Savoy hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Savoy hotel - Essay Example This is one of the lowest global corporate tax rates giving the business additional capital to recapture the costs of renovation and expand service offerings. The UK Value Added Tax (VAT) increased from 17.5 percent to 20 percent since the Savoy closed and completed its reconstruction, this increased taxation rate is reflected in the pricing structure at the Savoy (Fairmont Hotel & Resorts 2013). Savoy must now retain 20% to comply with this legislation. Economic Forces The UK Consumer Price Index indicates rising prices for consumers at an inflating rate of 2.7 percent. Impacted products experiencing the highest inflation include fruits, bread, cereals and utilities (Peston 2012). This has implications for rising costs in the Savoy supply chain. The government is actively establishing a variety of austerity packages and making cuts in order to prevent a return to recession. Driving down the national interest rate impacts the wealth management portfolios of important target consumers . The Euro continues to gain against the British Pound, creating a favourable exchange opportunity for Savoy’s European clients. Social Forces Schiffman and Kanuk (2010) identifies that consumers often rely on first impressions and stereotypes when determining future repurchase intentions. This has implications for Savoy in terms of providing a positive servicescape and ensuring helpful and constructive initial impressions when working with guests. Growth in utilisation of the Internet continues in the UK, with many consumers using mobile technologies to access the Internet and social media (Arthur 2012). Mobile internet technologies becoming a significant part of lifestyle and social behaviour. Technological New consolidated technologies that facilitate more effective guest messaging and booking systems are now available for Savoy. Known as Adaptive Messaging, this technology has the ability to properly queue guest messages and retrieve all guest messages effectively in an e nvironment that fields approximately 1,000 telephone calls daily (NMS Adaptive 2005). Technologies are also available that support the ability to sustain self-owned internal power systems that reduce reliance on the national grid and save financial resources. This provides opportunities for gaining a better reputation in areas of corporate social responsibility. Legal Booking systems online that require electronic signatures from customers serve as binding, legal contracts. New 2012 legislation now forces companies that use cookies when consumers are utilising a business’ website to gain permission before placing cookies (BBC News 2012). This has significant implications for data mining and tracking consumer behaviour. Environmental Hybrid vehicles are gaining prominence with many consumer markets that care about environmental sustainability. Savoy offers transport for many guests to airports or local commercial centres. Technologies are now available for businesses to recycl e paper products and even food waste for transformation into biofuels. This, too, has implications for Savoy in maintaining a positive CSR reputation. 1.2 SWOT Analysis Strengths A very strong brand identity/reputation stemming from respected operations in the UK since 1889 Diversity of food and beverage services providing unique themes and performances to enhance guest stay The Savoy Cocktail Book illustrates the brand

Groupon Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Groupon Inc - Research Paper Example It has resulted into numerous restatements of financial statements. Any material weakness means internal controls were ineffective and not able to detect misstatements or irregularities. This weakness was cited by the accounting firm as the cause of its revised earnings and revenues. An audit exception like that cited by Ernst & Young regarding the refund policy of the Groupon company is the cause of the inaccuracies in its financial statements. It is considered as a â€Å"material weakness† because the weakness is big enough or serious enough to impact the overall accuracy of the audited financial statements prepared by Ernst & Young. This particular ruling is contained under Auditing Standard No. 5 which states the requirements to be met by a firm to assess its managements effectiveness in instituting internal controls with regards to the financial reporting integrated with an audit of its financial statements.2 The crucial issue therefore causing the material weakness is the inability of Groupon to accurately predict the approximate amount of refunds it will give to customers who did not avail of promos based on varying coupon prices. It is a serious issue that impacts earning per share resulting in the stock price sliding 7% in a day. A monetary unit sampling (MUS) is a very useful method used by auditors to determine if a particular financial account is fairly stated.3 In the case of Groupon, the auditors must have a feeling its refund account is not stated accurately enough. The executives at Groupon admitted its difficulty with regards to estimating accurately the amount of refunds it will have to pay out due to the refund behavior of customers which started to shift or change around the year 2011 as a result of the company introducing higher-priced deals. This change in its mix of product deals means a requirement for increases in its reserve fund to deal with the higher-priced deals being unavailed and returned by some