Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Law business organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Law business organisation - Essay Example They eventually registered their business as private limited company on May 1 with Charlie, Edwin and Adam becoming the sole shareholders and directors. The initial assets of the company are: (i) the building Charlie sold to the company at 200,000 pound; (ii) the computer and printer Edwin bought from Computer Galore Ltd. On May 15, a payment request was received from Plumbers Mate Ltd for payment of the debt incurred by Adam for himself on March 15 (before their business was registered). Plumbers Express Ltd went into insolvent liquidation in August due to bad management. The current liabilities of the company include the payment to: (i) the solicitors; (ii) Computer Galore Ltd and Plumbers Mate Ltd; (iii) Charlie’s building that was sold. ... These issues include but are not restricted to: (i) settling all past financial obligations (contracts and debts) the company has incurred before the liquidation; (ii) holding regular meetings with the creditors with the hope of providing them the latest information about the company’s progress; (iii) and, continuing the company’s business activities (s. 134 (5)).                              The Liquidator and Plumbers Mate Ltd           The liquidator is not expected to be concerned with any financial obligation or contract any of the three plumbers, namely Charlie, Edwin, and Adam may have had before the company was formed on May 1. In other words, Plumbers Mate Ltd should not bother the liquidator to pay for the services offered to Adam before the company was established. This realization absolves the liquidator of any financial payment to Plumbers Mate Ltd, and Adam should be duly informed to pay up his debt with the Plumbers Mate Ltd.  Although, it is not indicated in the scenario that the service bought by Adam was later reverted to Plumbers Express Ltdâ€â€the new                                                                                                                                      3 company, Adam should hold a meeting with liquidator to explain his part in the process.                                     The Liquidator and the Creditors        There is no record in the scenario that Plumber Express Ltd borrowed money directly from any bank or financial institution, but the donation of
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Fast Food Industry study of Pizza Hut
Fast Food Industry study of Pizza Hut Introduction A major transformation in business management is that organizations are trying to optimize every aspect of business. There has been a keen focus into every aspect of business which can give the organization a price or quality edge over its competitors. Effective Supply chain management (SCM) is capable of both the above mentioned advantages. If we look into the various components of SCM and analyze their significance in the context of the above we find that they are quite significant and capable of achieving price and quality edge over competitors. In this research the focus will be to study various factors influencing the supply chain management in fast food industry by referring to Pizza hut. The aspects associated to price quality and customer satisfaction will be covered through this research. The fast food industry has seen huge transformations in the recent past; the affect of these transformations on the supply chain management is also discussed in this research. Background As we know that supply chain manages the entire materials from suppliers (Suppliers of raw materials to the organization) to retailers and distributors to the customers. There are various disciplines involved in this system. for example the supplier relations management, inventory management, distribution system, retail management, reverse supply chain management. It has been observed that action in one discipline can influence the performance of the whole chain and similarly the performance of the organization. (T.J. Peters 1982Ã Â ¾ Riddalls 2002). More and more organizations / industries are identifying the significance of supply chain management. In terms of research there are three most researched issues in the whole supply chain management, they are; Information flow through supply chain Inventory / warehouse Management Operations Management (queuing system) The fast food industry is one of the most competitive industries. The competition majorly depends upon price, quality and service (which are core aspects of Supply Chain Management). Hence there is immense pressure on all the organizations in the fast food industry to keep the three aspects studied above to their supreme best. As fast food industry is one of the most emerged industries in the recent past, the supply chain has seen huge transformations in this industry. The industry is still emerging so as the transformations in the supply chain management of this industry. Hence this study helps the learner identify and understand the factors driving change and the factors influencing the supply chain performance. Few of the research questions and research objectives are underpinned; Research Questions This research will not only try to present the study associated with the title of the research but will also try to answer the questions mentioned below; What is the core meaning of supply chain? What is the significance of Supply Chain Management in fast food industry? What are the major components of Supply Chain Management? How significant is information sharing to keep the supply chain effective? What factors influence / drive supply chain management in fast food industry? How is demand forecast supply managed accurately? What is the impact of supply chain management on overall performance of Pizza Hut and in creating brand name for Pizza Hut? How does Pizza Hut manage their SC effectively? Similarly the research has set few objectives for itself to achieve in the course of this study. The research objectives are mentioned underneath; Research Objectives Aligned with research questions we have set few objectives for this research. They are listed underneath; To understand the supply chain practices in fast food industry To understand the difference between SCM practices in fast food industry and in other industries (manufacturing Service sector) To prove that effective core competencies can lead to competitive advantage Identify significance of various parties in the supply chain on the performance of the supply chain To understand the service level impact on the supply chain The organization / company chosen for this research Pizza hut was started in the year 1958 by two brothers Dan Frank Carney. This was an idea suggested by a common friend which they agreed to. In 1972 they introduced corporate strategy. In the mid 90s the profits of Pizza Hut were declining. Hence Dan Frank Carney thought of selling out the company. In the year 1997 Yum! Brands acquired pizza hut and is currently (Pizza hut) under Yum! Brands Highlight of Pizza hut is its variety in Pizza, garlic bread, pasta and breadsticks. In order to meet the production of the mentioned (menu) products pizza needs to co-ordinate all the suppliers of vegetables, chicken and bread and work in coordination with them. Keeping this aspect efficient is the key success factor of Pizza Hut. As we know that if an organization can manage its core competencies effectively they can surely act as competitive advantage for the company. As the ingredients for various products of pizza hut are acquired through various suppliers from different parts of the globe. There has to be proper communication to keep the supplies and demand under check. In order to keep this aspect effective the company has employed Total Quality Management (TQM) process. The strategic policy of Yum! Brands involve the suppliers to understand their role and impact in the overall performance of the organization. This keeps the supplier relations management aspect in place for the organization. Pizza Hut has restaurants and they also deliver their products to customers place. The supply chain in these cases differs. If it is served at the restaurant then it usually shortens the supply chain and if the product (pizza, pasta etc), then the supply chain has transportation included in the supply chain. Both these aspects will be discussed in detail in this study Limitations of the study As the research focuses on the supply chain management of fast food industry, there may be few differences in the supply chain then the supply chain of other industries. This research does not specifically answer questions which are out of the industry / focus of this research. The supply chain of fast food industry keeps changing in short intervals. We have focused this study on supply chain of Pizza hut. This may answer the general questions with the supply chain of fast food industry but may not answer the specific questions of other organizations. Literature review Supply chain plays a critical role in maintain the organizations brand image and service levels in the market. In this section we will speak about Supply Chain Management (SCM) in general first and then will confine it to the fast food industry. Supply chain is the term used to define the parties involved in the process of meeting customer demand. The parties involved in the supply chain are Suppliers Manufacturers / producers Distributors Retailers customers (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) (Stanley E. Fawcett and Gregory N. 2004) A brief of their role in the supply chain in underpinned; As we know that supply chain management is a discipline that manages and controls the flow of information throughout the various departments to meet the customer demands. The supply chain starts from the extreme beginning of the manufacturing process i.e. acquiring the raw materials from the suppliers or in other words choosing the suppliers and ends at the extreme end of the production process i.e. the customers. (Raghavan, N.R.S., Viswanadham, N., 2001) The members or parties of the supply chain are briefed below; Suppliers: suppliers are a significant party in the supply chain. The raw materials are supplied / acquired through this resource. In terms of quality of materials / products the suppliers are held responsible. The price of the product depends upon the price of the raw material as well and the supply of raw material will influence the companys ability to meet the customer demand at the right time. Hence we can say that suppliers have a great impact on the price of the product and companys ability to meet the customers demand on time. (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) Manufacturers / Producers: These are the members who convert raw materials / semi finished goods to finished goods. The production process is significant as the company judges the quality and attributes of the process in this phase; hence manufacturers also influence the quality of the product. (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) Distributors: These are people who are responsible to make the product reach to the market (retailers). The distributors can be also termed as marketing intermediaries. There are various aspects associated with marketing of a product and choosing the right distributors. The reach of the distributor will always be directly proportional to the availability of the product in the market. (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) Retailers: These are people who are at the end of the supply chain. In other words these are the people who sell the product to the customers (supermarkets, stores etc). They are one of the significant members in the supply chain as they are in direct contact with the customers. They represent the product on behalf of manufacturer to the customers. The demand and customer feedback can be analyzed at this level. (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) Customers: These are the end users of the products. Customers were not considered as a part of supply chain, but the contemporary methods and study has added customers into the supply chain. (Riddalls, C.E., Bennett, S., 2002) The significance of these parties in the supply chain varies in context to industries. Few of the terms involved in SCM are underpinned; Inventory size This helps the organization decide the amount (size) of inventory to be ordered. This is one of the significant aspects in the fast food industry as this helps the organization not only order the right quantity but also meet the customers needs with minimum resources possible. (Raghavan, N.R.S., Viswanadham, N., 2001) Replenishment Lead Time This refers to the time between placing an order and acquiring the raw material. Usually lead time is always considered as an entity that makes the supply chain ineffective (loss in supply chain). (Raghavan, N.R.S., Viswanadham, N., 2001) Stock outs Stock outs are very common in every trade. This is a situation that arises due to miscommunications in supply chain parties, lack of analysis, bad demand and sales forecasting. Safety stock This is the excess stock that a firm maintains to manage demand fluctuations. The safety stock is maintained at the lowest levels as most of the firms are efficient in sales forecasting. Reorder Point This is a point in inventory levels wherein the firm feels the need to order more inventories. SPECIFIC TO FAST FOOD INDUSTRY Fast food is referred to food which can be cooked easily and can be eaten quickly. There are various food chains across the world, which are famous for fast food. If we look into the history of the fast food industry, the roots of fast food are from 1920s and from 1950s this industry saw a rapid growth. There are many reasons for this transformation in food habits of people. People were busy and did not find time to cook food or even to wait for long hours after ordering food. There arose the term fast food. The Asians (Specifically Chinese) are responsible for this term and industry. There lies the secret behind the customer expectations. Customers expect food to be served quickly, should be delicious and should be healthy. In this scenario all the parties of the supply chain play a major role in meeting this expectation. (Tony Hines, 2004) Few of the objectives of supply chain management in fast food industry are mentioned underneath; Supply chain planning This sets the chain direction and the strategies associated with all the aspects of supply chain. This is the overall sketch of the supply chain. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Procurement This is the process of selecting a supplier and managing healthy and profitable relation with them. This also helps the organization maintain quality of their products. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Inventory management This process helps the organization maintain right level of stock in the organization and eliminate stock outs with variation in demand for the product. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Packaging This is a discipline that helps in ensuring right package design and reducing the cost by encouraging the recycling process of packaging. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Warehousing This is the process of storing the raw material, semi finished and finished goods. Effective storage and correct warehouse design can reduce the overall cost of the product (eliminates transportation cost to a certain extent) and improve the availability of the product. The other factors in this discipline are safety of the product, storage methods and locations of the warehouses. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Transportation This process refers to transportation management of goods. This includes all the possible modes of transferring goods from one location to another. The records maintenance are also included in this aspect. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Logistics This is referred to the use of technology in maintaining all the disciplines of supply chain effectively. The use of softwares is a trend in logistics management (CRM softwares). (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) Customer Service and marketing This refers to meeting the customer expectations effectively and creating new opportunities through customer service. This is one of the major aspects that organizations are focusing in contemporary business world. (David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, 2004) The entire above mentioned are effective ways to remain competent, exist and grow in the market. Therefore managing supply chain effectively can help the business prosper. There are few other associated concepts which have an influence on the supply chain, one of them is Bull Whip Effect. Bull Whip Effect This is referred to sudden increase in customer demand that forces the supply chain to reconsider its strategy and rearrange the stocks in the supply chain. This forces the management to include more stocks into the system to meet the increased product demand. The Bull whip effect always flows in reverse direction to the flow of products. I.e. starting with realtor and ending it with the supplier of raw materials to the manufacturers. (Raghavan, N.R.S., Viswanadham, N., 2001), (Peter D Ball, 2006) There are various reasons of Bull Whip Effect; few of them are mentioned underneath; Under estimation of demand Wrong sales report Inefficiencies Lead time management Miscommunication in the supply chain (Peter D Ball 2006) Hence we can say that effective communication (information flow) in the supply chain is significant. The fast food industry cannot store the stock (Raw materials) in advance. Most of the products are vegetables and souses, which need to be fresh. Hence effective supply chain management is required. It has been observed that the major focus of most of the fast food chains is to improve the service levels (quality of the product and delivery time to the customers). Recently it has also been observed that in developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Srilanka and others, the fast food industry is focusing on the quantity and price factors. Once again this can be achieved through effective supply chain management. Research methodology Research methodology plays a vital role in the outcome of every research. There are various aspects, which a researcher needs to consider, before during and after gathering data for a research. Few of the aspects are presented underneath and are discussed in the context of the research. (Cooper, D. Schindler, P. 1998) Research approach There are various research approaches possible. Few of them are underpinned; Inductive approach Deductive approach Qualitative approach Quantitative approach (Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. 2003) A brief of the above four is given below; Inductive approach: The term itself indicates that this process starts with a point and ends up adding information and few more points on the way through to making general interpretations about the research topic. (Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. 2003) Deductive approach: This refers to an approach that starts with few concepts and theories and tries to confine the subject in the context of the research focus. This is one of the widely used approaches to reach to a conclusion in general researches to add more specific information to existing concepts. (Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. 2003) Qualitative approach: This approach relies on the existing theories and practices. In other words this approach is based on the tested and proven methods. The available literature is the major source in this approach. This is called qualitative as the research results can be more reliable then compared to other methods / approaches of research. (Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. 2003) Quantitative approach: This is one of the widely used research approaches. This approach relies on a wider study and does not majorly rely on the literature, instead will take a concept or theory from the existing literature and will research about it in the environment (surroundings). This is one of the approach used to make general interpretations about a concept or theory. The major methods of this research approach are surveys, questionnaire, interviews etc. (Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. 2003) The research approach for this research will not be restricted to any of the research approaches. We will use all the approaches possible to keep this study effective. As there are various factors influencing the supply chain and the fast food industry is specific, hence we will try to emanate the drawbacks of various approaches and will use all possible methods to gather pertinent and result oriented data. Research Strategy Research strategy for every research is significant. As we know that this influences the outcome of the research, hence we have decided to formulate two questionnaires for gathering data. One will focus on the management and the other will focus on the experiences of the customers. This will also help in covering all the aspects in this research. For this research we will also contact few industry experts to analyse the interpretations and results of the research to keep it effective. Data sources There are various sources through which data can be gathered. The data for any research can be divided into two categories. They are; Research specific data (Primary data) Supporting data (secondary data) The above two are explained in brief below; Research Specific data This is also known as primary data. The term itself indicates that this data is specific to the research. The data that is gathered to answer the set research questions is known as primary data. The major sources for gathering data in this category are interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations, questionnaires, telephonic interviews, etc (Bryman, A. Bell, E. 2003) Supporting data This refers to the data that fills the gaps left by the primary data. As the major function of this data is to support the research, hence this is known as supporting data. This data is not research specific, instead is gathered from the available literature or some other pertinent research. The major sources through which this data can be gathered are academic books, magazines, newspapers, internet, etc (Bryman, A. Bell, E. 2003) The data for this research will be gathered through formulating two questionnaires and using two methods. First we will try to contact the management of Pizza hut through email and take their responses on the questionnaire; the second will be to carry-out a general survey in public to know about the customer service (and associate it with the effectiveness of the supply chain). We will also utilize the secondary sources such as Internet to gather pertinent data to make the research effective. Data Analysis There are various aspects that a research needs to focus before, during and after gathering data for a research. These aspects help the researcher keep the data effective in the context of the study. Few of the aspects are listed below; Validity: This refers to the relevance of variables in the study. As we know that there are various variables in a research. This aspects ensures that the data gathered should be relative to the research. In other words these aspects state that there has to be inter-connectivity between the focus of the research and the data gathered. (Ghauri, R. Gronhaug, K. 2005) We will try to gather relevant data and will avoid vagueness in data. The data gathered will be confined to the research focus but will also try to remain neutral to answer various other research associated questions. Reliability: This aspect refers to neutral (correct or accurate) and bias free results. In other words this aspect states that if the same data is used again for a similar research the results of the research should be similar. This also states that there should be any biased interpretation or should be a favor for any person or organization through this research. (Ghauri, R. Gronhaug, K. 2005) We will not only stay neutral while interpreting the findings and framing the results of this research, but will also send the results to few industry experts to seek their view. This will eliminate the bias aspect from the research and will keep the research effective. Generalizability: This refers to the spectrum covered by the research answers in resolving the general issues. In other words the results of the research should be able to answer a wide range of real time issues. (Ghauri, R. Gronhaug, K. 2005) We will try to keep the results as general as possible and will also try to cover as many issues as possible. Authenticity of data sources: This is one of the significant aspects of any research. The data gathered should be from reliable sources. The authenticity of data sources defines the effectiveness of the research. (Collis, J. Hussey, R. 2009) We will try to gather data from authentic sources. As we have formulated questionnaires and are gathering data through sources which are reliable, I believe we can surely guarantee the authenticity of data sources. Ethical Issues This refers to the methods used for gathering data. The ethical issues are quite significant for every researchs credibility towards the society. This includes a code of conduct that states that the methods used for data gathering and research should not include any method that is illegal or unacceptable. The methods or results of the research should not harm any person / firm / industry. (Crowther, D. Lancaster, G. 2009) The methods used for this research will be decided by keeping the above code of conduct in mind and will not include any such methods which fall out of the code of conduct. We will try to keep the work ethical and free from any bias. PROJECT PLAN Weeks 0-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15 Background Reading Research Proposal Theoretical framework Primary Secondary Data gathering Report Making Submission Conclusion Supply chain management plays a significant role in managing resources and effective customer service irrespective of industry. The fast food industry is customer driven and the service level plays a significant role in creating expectations with the customers. The fast food industry (Specifically Pizza hut) will be studied in the context of the supply chain extensively and the research results will be framed. We will study all the associated aspects and will try to cover all the potential issues under the focus of the research. We will keep the research bias free and ethical to the extreme possibility.
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Tragedy Of Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays
The Tragedy Of Hamlet Hardship, unfortunately, is a part of everyone's life. It is unavoidable, and in Hamlets case he found out that bad luck comes in colossal amounts at a time. Most people see bad luck as getting splashed by a car in the rain, or finding out that the idiots at McDonald's forgot the fries in your order. But Hamlet got a quadruple dose of bad luck. First his father was unjustly murdered. Then the ghost of his father comes back and tells him that he is to avenge his death. To top it all off Hamlet finds out that his mother has just married his late fathers assassin. When Hamlet tries to expose the new king of killing his father, he is exiled to England because the other people thought that he was mentally ill. When Hamlet returns to Denmark he finds his secret love Ophelia being buried. Hamlet feels that he is living in a world of horror, and by the end of this miserably disheartening play, his fathers death is avenged, but at quite a cost. Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius are all dead. I would have to say that all of the adversity in hamlets life had to have a great affect on his spirit. One can not go through life, and Hamlet had a short one, lose all of the people that you love and expect it to not dishearten you a little. And in Hamlets case it pretty much drove him insane.  The human spirit is a very fragile thing, and something as tragic as the death of a loved one can damage it greatly. As in Hamlets case, when his father was murdered, this started a sort of devastating chain reaction of the psyche. He started to "go nuts", and it showed. The people around him started noticing this drastic change in his personality. But his insanity was most evident during the play which he set up and called "The Mousetrap". Hamlet sat fidgeting in his chair, staring at Caudius with accusing eyes. When his little trap had run it's course, Claudius had just about been broken. Hamlet watched as Claudius sweat and chewed his nails. When Claudius could take no more he stumbled out of the room and into the streets where hamlet proceeded to follow, dancing and screaming like a mad man. Hamlet could take no more of this torturous life, watching his mother hang off of the man who murdered his father. His spirit had been irreversibly damaged, and insanity was the price.  This play is a classic example of one of the greatest, if not the greatest The Tragedy Of Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays The Tragedy Of Hamlet Hardship, unfortunately, is a part of everyone's life. It is unavoidable, and in Hamlets case he found out that bad luck comes in colossal amounts at a time. Most people see bad luck as getting splashed by a car in the rain, or finding out that the idiots at McDonald's forgot the fries in your order. But Hamlet got a quadruple dose of bad luck. First his father was unjustly murdered. Then the ghost of his father comes back and tells him that he is to avenge his death. To top it all off Hamlet finds out that his mother has just married his late fathers assassin. When Hamlet tries to expose the new king of killing his father, he is exiled to England because the other people thought that he was mentally ill. When Hamlet returns to Denmark he finds his secret love Ophelia being buried. Hamlet feels that he is living in a world of horror, and by the end of this miserably disheartening play, his fathers death is avenged, but at quite a cost. Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius are all dead. I would have to say that all of the adversity in hamlets life had to have a great affect on his spirit. One can not go through life, and Hamlet had a short one, lose all of the people that you love and expect it to not dishearten you a little. And in Hamlets case it pretty much drove him insane.  The human spirit is a very fragile thing, and something as tragic as the death of a loved one can damage it greatly. As in Hamlets case, when his father was murdered, this started a sort of devastating chain reaction of the psyche. He started to "go nuts", and it showed. The people around him started noticing this drastic change in his personality. But his insanity was most evident during the play which he set up and called "The Mousetrap". Hamlet sat fidgeting in his chair, staring at Caudius with accusing eyes. When his little trap had run it's course, Claudius had just about been broken. Hamlet watched as Claudius sweat and chewed his nails. When Claudius could take no more he stumbled out of the room and into the streets where hamlet proceeded to follow, dancing and screaming like a mad man. Hamlet could take no more of this torturous life, watching his mother hang off of the man who murdered his father. His spirit had been irreversibly damaged, and insanity was the price.  This play is a classic example of one of the greatest, if not the greatest
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Rationale †Antigone Essay
For our scripted piece we used a scene from Antigone. Originally written by Greek author, Sophocles about 2500 years ago, it was re-written by a French author called Jean Anouilh around the time of WWII. Anouilh’s intensions differed from that of Sophocles due to the difference in time periods; in the later version, Antigone represents the French resistance against the Nazi occupation. As it was written during WWII it took a long time for the Nazis to allow it to go onstage because of what Antigone represented. The reason they let it be performed was down to the character Creon, the king of Thebes. In the scene between him and Antigone, the Nazis thought the dialogue represented a point of view that was for a dictatorial society. Antigone tells the story of a girl, whose brothers fought over the throne, both brothers met their end, introducing a theme of death due to rivalry and jealousy. Eteocles, the brother who had the throne at the time, was given a proper burial, whereas Polynices, who was seen as the enemy, was left outside and refused a burial. Everyone in the city of Thebes was told by the new king, Creon, that anyone who attempted to bury Polynices would be put to death, creating the theme of loyalty. Antigone is adamant that Polynices should be given a burial and takes matters into her own hands, she sneaks out of the palace in the middle of the night and covers Polynices’ body over with dirt. Polynices is then uncovered by the Guard. Antigone finds out and again, attempts to cover over Polynices. This time she is discovered by the Guard and is taken to Creon. As Antigone is the former king’s daughter, Creon is hesitant when punishing her, and offers a way out. But Antigone is not ashamed of what she has done and is determined to be punished for her crime. At the end of the play Antigone is put in cave by the Guard and left there to die. We chose this play as it contains many themes, such as love, pride, anger, and loyalty. Also I liked the history behind the play, the story that wasn’t included within the script. The life of Oedipus, Antigone’s father, the prophecy that he heard and how he married his mother and as a result had four children. I liked it because it was unusual, complex and difficult to fully understand. One moral I think Antigone portrays quite well is that you should always stand up for what you believe in and what you think is right. It shows this through Antigone’s character and the fact that she is so headstrong and certain of what she wants. Also an issue that is portrayed throughout the play is that love is a very strong emotion and can overcome many situations, this is shown by the relationships between Antigone and her sister Ismeme, Antigone and her nurse and Antigone and her fiance Haemon. My chosen scene included Antigone and Nurse, who was trying to find out where Antigone had been in the night. It was the opening scene of the play and was very powerful as it introduced the character of Antigone and the relationship she has with Nurse. I played Nurse and my partner, Frances, played Antigone. I chose to play Nurse because she tries many different ways to get Antigone to tell her where she has been. She tries to make Antigone feel guilty, by saying â€Å"You half kill yourself to bring them up, and they’re all the same. †She also gets angry with Antigone, this is evident when she says â€Å"do you know what I ought to do? I ought to give you a good spanking, just like when you were a little girl. †Another tactic she employs is that of trying to make Antigone feel sympathetic towards her by saying â€Å"What would your mother say if she were here now? You silly old fool, she’d say. So you couldn’t keep my little girl virtuous for me? †I knew that these tactics would enable me to change the tone of my voice throughout the performance and use a variety of space. By playing Nurse I intended to portray the relationship that Antigone and Nurse possessed. I also wanted to improve on my interaction as an actor and by playing this part it enabled me to build on what I was already capable of. When I first read the scene I imagined the two characters in a grand bedroom that had a very old fashioned interior, such as what one would expect to see in a stately home. A room that was quite cluttered with elaborate ornaments and decorative pieces. Obviously this would be hard to create on a small stage and also it would restrict the amount of space that was available for moving in. Devised-Behind the Face Our devised piece was based on many themes taken from Antigone, such as loyalty, cruelty and pride but the main theme was anger. I chose to base it upon anger because there are many different ways to portray it and there are lots of different ways of dealing with it. This gave me a wide range of options to choose from when devising the piece. I researched anger and it’s causes and came up with many different results, for instance: There are three different types of anger: Rage – Rage is the expression of violent, uncontrolled anger. Rage is an outward expression of anger and can result in a visible, often destructive, explosion. Resentment – Resentment is the feeling of anger directed towards a person or object which is suppressed and kept inside. It is a feeling which smoulders and feels uncomfortable, and can possibly create more physiological and psychological damage. Indignation – Indignation is regarded as an appropriate, controlled, positive type of anger. When writing my devised piece I wanted to put across that you should let out your anger and stand up for what you think is right so I decided on a story line that contained a young girl (Harriett) who knew what she wanted but was too scared to stand up for herself. This resulted in her becoming angry internally, but she was unable to let go of her anger and express herself. So I created another character that only she could hear. This character was the internal anger that Harriett was feeling, and tried to make her see that she had to let go of her anger and stand up for herself rather than being pushed around by everyone else because she was an easy target. I chose to play an emotion instead of a person because I wanted to portray the differences between each aspect of the emotion. I wanted to create three sections on the stage so we weren’t just using a small part of it, however still allowing for use of most of the space available. I also wanted to create a strange atmosphere, one that makes the audience feel uncomfortable, so they could relate to Harriett’s feelings. I wanted the tempo to vary too, as I wanted Harriett’s character to be quiet and subdued, and the character that played her anger to be loud, intimidating and patronising. I also wanted the rhythms to alternate to make the piece more interesting for the audience.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Gender Archaeology Essay
Gender archaeology is a field of study that encompasses different approaches in the study of gender. It developed in the 1980s at the time feminist movement emerged in many societies including America and Britain questioning the male bias of the mainstream archaeology. Gender plays a significant role in constructing society and its values, categorizing which are female or male roles, and creating meanings and identity. However, studying the concept of gender is difficult as its meaning is influenced by many factors and relationships in the society. Arguments are raised that gender, unlike the biological sex, does not exist and complicated to test through archaeology. One of the traditional approaches in studying gender is through material culture where tangible evidences are correlated with the presence of men and women such as artefacts and tools excavated, suggesting a representation of the two genders and their activities (Shaw and Jameson 2000: 251). The productive use of material culture is one of the most significant contributions of archaeologists unlike other disciplines which ignore the potentials of material and its symbolic representations and meaning construction of gender (Bintliff 2004:85). Scholars should recognize the relevance of material culture as it is able to correlate the objects and its physical realities and consequences to gender, allowing varied ways of exploring an object or material. It provides resources for reference and medium for practice of gender. It aids the study of gender archaeology in all geographical regions, categories of material culture, and periods (Gilchrist 1999: 15). One of the research methods used in studying material culture is a case study, which is also commonly used in feminist archaeology, where archaeologist become ethnographers. They visit the site or region of analysis aiming to reconstruct the past societies with as much details as possible about the past people’s lifestyle, customs, traditions, beliefs, and other events (Nelson 2006: 45). In this way, history of people and its meanings are identified through material evidences which represent relationship to gender. Numerous studies have revealed astounding facts and evidence leading to an understanding on how the meanings of gender and its facets are identified. Many pre-historical studies have been conducted around the world in knowing how men and women are represented, particularly in artefacts, and how these representations construct or deconstruct the roles of each gender. In a study, Ungendering Archaeology: Concepts of Sex and Gender in Figurine Studies in Prehistory, Naomi Hamilton analysed and interpreted the prehistoric anthromorphic figurines from Eastern Europe and the Near East (Donald and Hurcombe 2000: 18). Hamilton devised as methodology to identify sex on the figures and analyse the stereotypes attached to it regarding Western gender roles. There were numerous figurines unearthed from Europe but the interpretations are different and sometimes contradicting. Some scholars argue that these figures, particularly those with women, represents ‘goddess worship’ but others did not agree. According to Hamilton, there is a need for a theory on gender and gender relations that would at least provide better explanations than the traditional studies. For any unfamiliar figure, it would be easier to assume that a certain object represents a male or a female goddess or creature but others might interpret it differently. In Seklo group from Greece, for example, an excavator thought of the distorted figure with womanly shape as representation of female centaur while other objects resembling male figure are assumed as enthroned men. Later, the female-like figure was interpreted in different views: seated figure, goddess, or female on a birth stool. These varied translations happen most of the times because, as Hamilton argued, archaeologists readily accept that aspects of human life have universal characteristics such that what is commonly associated with women in another region or era is assumed to be similar in another region of different period (Donald and Hurcombe 2000: 28). Hamilton argued that the ambiguity the two mutually exclusive genders (male and female) and its resemblance to historical Western societies have not been questioned. Traditional assumptions on these figurines readily announced as representation of sex and gender roles and not other things. Besides, interpretations are based conservative view on gender. Archaeologists assumed that there is a standard gender division in culture but anthropologists say otherwise. In many historical figurines, most represent female as it was how assumed by archaeologists. It must be that male is not so superior in the old times than now. Obviously, there are difficulties and contrasting views on identifying which gender figurines stand for. Hence it is important to consider not to identify each figure as sex symbol only but also gather other information on culture to avoid pre-conceive notions that men or women are represented in such matter for a period of time and also to avoid stereotypes on the roles of women. Research on gender might suffer if there is a strong bias on either gender or gender differences. The assumption that every culture has standard or similar male-female divisions of characteristics might lead to building a gender based on stereotypes (Hamilton 2004). These might influence on how men and women are viewed today and how their roles are determined in every aspects of life such as family, politics, or academe. Hamilton’s study on figurines has a plausible argument that the traditional assumptions of archaeologists have made conclusions that are inaccurate and lacks credibility. This is an important consideration since these kind of assumptions lead to opposing views damaging or overrating either gender especially women who has been, for a long time, regarded as subordinate to men. List of References Blintiff, J. L. (2004) A Companion to Archaeology. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Gilchrist, R. (1999) Gender and Archaeology: Contesting the Past. Taylor & Francis. Hamiton, S. M. (2004) Gender in Archaeology. Rowman Altamira. Nelson, S. M. (2006) Handbook of Gender in Archaeology. Rowman Altamira Shaw, I. and Jameson, R. (2000) A Dictionary of Archaeology. United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell
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