Psychological Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

It has been stated that â€Å"marketing management rests upon some conception or other of how consumers behave (Foxall 2001).† I will proceed to demonstrate, beginning with an overview of consumer behavior as it relates to the psychological factors that cause one to comply with a given request, through to an examination of the various trends in marketing which are reflective of consumers changing demands as they respond to world events and societal evolution, why it is vital that marketers understand and evaluate consumer behavior. I will also demonstrate, through the use of examples, how various organizations are employing specific strategies based upon their understanding of consumer behavior to produce record growth and profitability in the marketplace. Psychological Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior As one social psychologist has termed the â€Å"weapons of influence,† there appear to be certain driving forces in human nature, or automatic psychological triggers, that propel individuals to respond in predictable ways to given requests (Cialdini 1993, p.3). One such force is the principle of Reciprocation, whereby one feels obligated to return a favor that has been provided him (Cialdini 1993, p.17). This principle is most clearly evidenced by the consumer's natural tendency to buy a product from someone after he has been extended a kindness or favor from him. It has been demonstrated that this psychological principle of the pressure to return a favor with a favor is so strong, that it even surpasses the need to like the individual extending the favor (Cialdini 1993, p.21). One example of the rule of reciprocation at work has been evidenced by the wildly successful marketing strategy of the Hare Krishna Society, an eastern religious sect known for its solicitation of funds from passersby in public places (Cialdini 1993, p.22). Having been mostly unsuccessful at raising funds through traditional methods of chanting on the streets while begging for donations, the group devised a brilliant strategy that essentially invoked the principles of reciprocation (Cialdini 1993, p.22). As an individual would pass by, a Society member, rather than ask for a donation initially, would hand the unsuspecting person a flower, offering it as a free gift from the Society and not accepting its return under any circumstances. Only then would the Society member ask for a donation (Cialdini 1993, p.22). The response was overwhelming, and a testament to the extraordinary power of reciprocation. The individual, aware that he had been given a gift and feeling the pressure to reciprocate, was often compelled to respond with a donation (Cialdini 1993, p.24). Another powerful psychological principle in a marketer's arsenal of tools is the commitment and consistency factor (Cialdini 1993, p. 37). It has been discovered that people feel a very powerful drive to be consistent once they have committed themselves to something (Cialdini 1993, p. 37). An example of this principle at play is witnessed through the offering of testimonial contests by such big-name companies as Proctor & Gamble and General Foods (Cialdini 1993, p.39). In these contests, the companies ask participants to write short essays, often for large prizes, which include praise for the companies' products. Usually no purchase is required; what is more important is that by forcing potential customers to record, in writing, praise for the company's product, the company relies on the psychological drive of the individual to believe what he has written (Cialdini 1993, p 40). Apart from the psychological triggers that persuade individuals to comply with given requests, marketers must seek to understand the equally intriguing psychological processes at work in the unconscious mind that cause consumers to choose one particular course of action, or product, over another (Zaltman 2003, p.53). One example of such an unconscious process can be seen in the overwhelming tendency of customers to choose a product offered for $9.99 over an identical one offered for $10.00 (Zaltman 2003, p64). Consumer Need: Practicality Or Emotionality? It has been stated that, contrary to popular belief, people do not so much buy things they don't need, but that the need is often based more upon emotions and feelings than it is upon concrete physical necessity (Danziger 2004, p.1). Though the gross domestic product in the United States has largely been generated by consumer spending since 1929-a full 60 to 70 percent of it- â€Å"the way consumers [generally] spend their money has changed significantly over the past 70 years (Danziger 2004, p.3).† It is claimed that, â€Å"today, over 40 percent of consumer spending is discretionary†¦ based on wants, not needs (Danziger 2004, p.4).† Changing Trends And Their Affect On The Marketplace Another important factor in predicting consumer behavior involves changing trends in the marketplace. Marketers must be ever vigilant to customers' changing needs as society evolves and new events cause consumers' wants and needs to adjust accordingly. A clear example of this is witnessed by the fairly recent change in menu selections offered by fast-food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King. Responding to a concern over the rising tide of obesity in the U.S. and around the world and consumers' increasing desire to maintain healthier lifestyles, such fast-food conglomerates have been adding healthier choices to their menu selections which includes salads, apple slices instead of French fries, and so on (Plunkett Research 2005). Another example of a change in consumer behavior was reflected in consumers' response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The airline industry, facing huge setbacks as a result of consumers' new reluctance to travel by air for fear of another terrorist attack, was forced to undergo massive restructurings to accommodate the new environment imposed upon them (Plunkett Research 2005). Consumers, wishing to reconcile their fears and need to reduce expenditures with the desire to continue enjoying and experiencing life as usual, were searching for ways-and bargains- to enable them to do this. Hence, there began a shift in the airline industry away from luxury to economy, as discount airlines began setting the new standard for air travel by luring passengers with price, not perks (Plunkett Research 2005). With Southwest Airlines and JetBlue leading the pack, these airlines have achieved success and profitability responding to consumers' changed needs, mainly by cutting maintenance, operating and labor costs, such as by offering a single-plane platform and an open-seating policy (Plunkett Research 2005). In the meantime, of course, as full-service airlines have struggled to compete with the burgeoning success of the discount model, some, like Delta, have begun developing their own low-cost models, which manage to keep costs down by hiring younger flight crews. Another shining example of marketers' need to understand and predict consumer behavior comes in the form of the relatively recent phenomenon of online delivery and piracy-or theft-of copyrighted music and video files ((Plunkett Research 2005). Forced to adapt to this trend following a 2002-2003 decline in music revenues, music companies have been seeking ways to safeguard their files â€Å"from illegal download and distribution,† as well as to capitalize on the internet craze by finding methods by which to distribute their files through legal means via the internet (Plunkett Research 2005).† Responding to this need, iTunes Music Store, a digital service provided by Apple Computer, Inc.,was launched in 2003, and it offers music files for download over the internet (Plunkett Research 2005). On a different front, automobile manufacturers have been responding to consumers' rising concern over escalating gas prices, which reached a record-high in September 2005 of $3.01 per gallon (Plunkett Research 2005). After suffering huge losses on their lines of minivans, pickups and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the â€Å"big three† U.S. manufacturers, Ford, GM and Chrysler, are focusing on raising fuel efficiency for these bigger models (Plunkett Research 2005). In addition, as foreign car companies like Toyota, Honda, and BMW have continued to steal sales away from U.S. automobile manufacturers, partially due to a reputation for producing higher quality cars, these American manufacturers have been responding by designing new product lines, such as the hugely successful Chysler 300C, with its â€Å"eye-catching grill and boxy, elegant design (Plunkett Research 2005).† In sum, whether responding to a consumer's instinctual drives, which dictate that he or she will likely react in a certain way to a given stimulus, or evaluating the marketplace and consumer behavior based on world events and changing needs, marketing management does indeed rest on a conception of how consumers will behave, now and in the future.

Many Of The Characters In Of Mice And Men Have Dreams Essay

John Steinbeck wrote the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† in 1937. The settings were personally related to the author himself. The Novel is set were he originally came from, around Salinas, California. It was written during the great depression which not only effected America, but Europe as well; however the novel only focuses on America. Steinbeck had his reasons for writing about it. He wanted to show the reality of the great depression as it struck everyone in different ways. He used realistic characters that represented the main groups of people living in America and what effects took place according to their status. One of the biggest problems was that twenty-five percent of the whole population was unemployed, leaving a mass of civilians to roam the streets, desperate to survive by any means. Others were forced to become itinerant workers. George and Lennie, the main characters, are two ranch workers. They are prime examples or itinerant workers due to the economic disaster they faced. They had slight difficulties maintaining a job as Lennie has a mental and almost physical disability. His child-like mind didn’t allow him to correspond well with his beastly physicality. This means he is unaware of how brutal and uncivilized his actions may be. It’s what always got him in trouble and George was the one always defending him. All they had was each other. As Itinerant workers they travelled far in search of work as did many others who were desperate to earn enough money to survive or perhaps support their family. They pretty much had no choice if they wanted to live. Work on a ranch did’t always pay well ; however, the workers were provided with the necessities which had already cover a lot of costs such as a roof over their head, cooked meals, bathing facilities, so they were grateful. All those small things are the things that are taken for granted, but to those times they were valued and appreciated. Whatever salaries they received at the end of each month they would send home to their families or spend it all on a cat house (prostitute house) and start all over again. George and Lennie had other plans which differentiated them from the rest. George and Lennie both shared a dream. Besides the fact that their relationship status was quite rare, the dream made it that little bit more special. Most people travelled alone and just had their minds set on surviving. George and Lennie had their hearts set on bigger things. â€Å"We could live off the fatta the lan’,† a quote used constantly by both George and Lennie. They are implying that they want to buy land in which they can live off everything they grow so they won’t have to rely on any one to survive. It’s a big change from working for someone to working for yourself; it’s more satisfying knowing they can do what they want for themselves. â€Å"We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit-hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with going to work!† Their dream gets deeper with endless wants; to them it’s almost like an obsessive fantasy. However, their dreams are still realistic compared to a modern day dream which tends to be more selfish and greedy. A sense of freedom is what they are after which is highly understandable and admirable. Lennie also has an obsession with â€Å"tending rabbits†. Again his child-likeliness is getting the better of him; then again all children look forward to particular things they enjoy. Their dream is like a private sanctuary in their minds, an escape from reality, the one thing that no one can take from them. It’s their goal, the one thing that keeps them motivated to carry on. â€Å"Come on, George. Tell Me. Please, George. Like you done before.† George tells their dream like a story out of a fairytale to satisfy Lennie’s childish behavior. Lennie also repeats his sentences as a sign of enthusiasm. The dialect used gives quite a clear impression of what they sound like and helps to visualize their words and actions. What is said is written quite different from how we would write and speak today, so it emphasizes on how long ago this took place. The Ranch consists of more than just workers and one dream. George and Lennie weren’t’t alone; there were others with different occupations and completely different dreams. George and Lennie’s dream later developed into a larger dream including one other member. Candy, a former worker, who had lost his hand on the ranch so he wasn’t much use. He was aware that it wouldn’t’t be long until he would have no were to go, he was only getting benefits for his loss on the ranch, and no one wants a useless worker hanging about. When Candy over hears George going into story mode, he was overwhelmed knowing that there was some hope. â€Å"You know where’s a place like that?† and â€Å"How much they want for a place like that?† showed Candy was deeply interested by asking questions. Candy was interested by all of this because his life was slowly passing by and he was still not doing anything about it. So this dream of having a ranch and not working for somebody was a big eye-one for candy and seemed very interested in the dream. He stated obviously that he’s interested by saying, â€Å"S’pose I went in with you guys† and shows us how desperate he is by offering â€Å"three hundred an’ fifty bucks† which was more than half of the overall payment required. Just to sweeten up the deal even more he adds, â€Å"†¦I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some.† And â€Å"I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off,† Candy chose his words carefully letting George know it will benefit everyone rather than it being a selfish gesture. Just to make sure they kept him in he used a very short but never the less a very effective emotional line, â€Å"When they can me here I wisht somebody’s shoot me.† Automatically they feel sympathetic towards him because he lost his hand and his best friend, the dog. It was after that conversation that Candy gained hope after all. However, a serious incident occurred which lead George to kill Lennie for the good and safety of others. He gave up on the dream and decided to become a part of what everyone else already was. â€Å"then – it’s all off?† Candy asked sulkily. Without George, Candy couldn’t’t stand a chance making the dream come true alone and there was no persuading George to reconsider. Candy was vexed at Curley’s wife as she laid dead, â€Å"Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up†. He knew that if she didn’t disturb Lennie they would all be able to leave the ranch and have a good life together. Now that she had caused all these problems he had no respect for her at all and insulted her by using harsh names such as â€Å"lousy tart† and â€Å"bitch†. Women to those times weren’t seen as equals, they done what they were told and weren’t much use. Curley’s wife is a good example of a typical woman to those times. She is referred to as Curley’s wife and nothing else to show her lack of importance. She craves attention as no one pays her no mind, so she resorts to Lennie who listens too her dream. Her dream was to make something of her self by becoming an actress. â€Å"Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes – all of them nice clothes they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me.† she reminisces on the past were she had a chance of fulfilling her dream and all the materialistic things she would have had. She sounded ungrateful when she said, â€Å"I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet† as if to say what Curley had to offer wasn’t good enough when that’s what nearly all women wish they could have. Her marriage to Curley was an escape from loneliness which seemed to have failed. As she was an attention seeker she used her sexuality to her advantage to lure in other men, even if they were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Although the other men were aware of the sly schemes, Lennie was mesmerized by her beauty and was generally vulnerable. She even admitted that she was lonely to make Lennie feel sorry for her by saying, â€Å"Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.† She did this to make him feel sorry for her and give in to her cunning ways. She had finally found someone dumb enough to listen to her pitiful life story without passing a judgment on her and it all started from, â€Å"Maybe I will yet.† Then with such passion she let lose what she had bottled up inside for a while. She couldn’t care about what Lennie had to say when he included his own dream in the conversation, â€Å"she went on with her story quickly, before she could be interrupted.† For someone desperate to talk to someone she seemed awfully ungrateful and selfish. She was fully aware of what he was capable of yet she still took the risk of getting to close. â€Å"She took Lennie’s hand and put it on her head† she told him to â€Å"Feel right aroun’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this was the biggest mistake she could have ever possibly made. â€Å"From the slightest jerk he began to panic. His child and animalistic side began to collide again. Like a child he held on and panicked, however, he didn’t realize he was hurting her and she wasn’t strong enough to struggle free. She died young and still could have made something of herself but she could never get another chance after that.† This quote is taken after Curley’s wife died, her dreams like the others but hers different of wanting to be famous were shattered. Crooks is just the isolated â€Å"nigger† at the bottom of the social hierarchy on the ranch who constantly got degraded by everyone. His status is even lower than any woman’s. Any black person to those times would have the most selfless dream, to be treated as an equal and to have freedom. George and Lennie were the only ones that communicated with Crooks so it probably made him feel somewhat wanted. Crooks also developed a desire to join the dream. Crooks constantly had to take everything thrown at him verbally by Curley’s wife as he had no status as a â€Å"busted-back nigger†. She constantly abused him and when he finally decided to stand up for him self he got knocked back down again. â€Å"Keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† This shows that if Crooks did anything out of the ordinary it will be reported and he will be dealt with in harsh ways. It made him realise that he couldn’t take part in the dream, all hope had been lost thanks too the threat Curley’s wife made. Every character mentioned above presented their dreams in the form of a story to another character. Each of the dreams were different yet similar in many ways. All of the dreams resorted to freedom from somewhere or someone, and not to suffer from financial problems. They all wanted to be able to support themselves and survive from what they owned. The only difference being that some were unrealistic and they had different views of the dreams they wished too accomplish. In the past Curley’s wife was close to being an actress twice. Only thing that stopped her was her mother, who didn’t let this dream continue knowing what the consequences would be later on in life. George, Lennie and Candy were less than a month away from completing their task of obtaining the land. In the end Lennie accidentally ruined everything and didn’t even know what he had caused. Crooks wasn’t as close, he only had hopes of becoming apart of the dream, but nothing had been established officially. I think the situation on the whole affected George the most as it was originally his aim to work towards it and without it he felt like there was nothing left for him. He lost faith in his dream and his fellow companion. I believe Steinbeck looked at how the Great Depression affected the different people in America and sympathized on their behalf. All the characters represent all types of people in America; the elderly, disabled, women and the ethnic minorities. They all played important parts as they helped to show how major the issue was.

Quality Management: Cathay Pacific Airways Essay

Introduction Cathay Pacific Airways is an international airline registered and based in Hong Kong, offering scheduled cargo and passenger services to over 80 destinations around the world. They are deeply committed to Hong Kong, where the Company was founded in 1946. They continue to make substantial investments to develop Hong Kong’s aviation industry and enhance Hong Kong’s position as a regional transportation hub. In addition to their fleet of aircrafts, these investments include catering, aircraft maintenance and ground handling companies, as well as their corporate headquarters at Hong Kong International Airport; Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries and associate employ 25,000 staff in Hong Kong. The airline’s two major shareholders are both Hong Kong companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as is Cathay Pacific itself. Cathay Pacific is the major shareholder in AHK Air Hong Kong Limited, an all cargo carrier that offers scheduled services in the Asia region, and is a shareholder in Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited. They are also a founding member of the one world global alliance whose combined network serves over 570 destinations worldwide. Other members of one world are Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LanChile and Qantas. Quality Management Defined In a total quality setting, Quality is as determined by the customer and employees produce it. Thus quality of a service is the customer’s perception of the degree to which the service meets their expectations Six-sigma quality is a standard and a philosophy of customer satisfaction. The six-sigma philosophy requires an ongoing audit mechanism that identifies opportunities for improvement and changes in customer expectations. Emphasize the importance of customer satisfaction. Define a quality goals and objectives and translate these into actual service and service delivery activities. There are some types of goals and objectives need to consider. -To satisfy customers. -To encourage continuous improvement. -To respect social and environmental needs. -To foster a collective commitment to quality. -To improve the efficiency of service delivery. -To clearly define customer needs and expectations. -To look for opportunities to improve service quality. Define service quality responsibilities and give your personnel the authority to carry out these responsibilities. Make sure that senior management retains the responsibility for developing, measuring, auditing, and improving your service quality system. Various interviews and customer surveys conducted throughout the year, customers are invited to participate in the Cathay Pacific Voice of the Customer survey, conducted multiple times per year to determine where customers are satisfied and where they can improve. These survey results are then used to develop plans to act on your suggestions, improving the solutions and experiences customer get from Cathay Pacific. They greatly increased customer satisfaction with Cathay Pacific service. Customer Expectation In a total quality setting, customers define quality and employees produce  it. Customers were considered outsiders who used a company’s products and suppliers were outsiders who provided the materials needed to provide the good service. Every organization has both internal and external customers. An external customer is the one spoken to in the traditional definition. An internal customer is any employee whose work depends on that of employees whose work precedes theirs. Cathay Pacific Airways have much different kind of customers and with any age. Cathay Pacific have sponsor young people from Asia to attend a special ecological course in South Africa. Over 190 students from around the world have traveled here to study Chinese language and culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In addition, they sponsor the student exchange programmers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong respectively. Also they can be a businessperson or people who is going just for tourist. Each year Cathay Pacific sponsor wheelchair athletes from Hong Kong to compete in the 10km wheelchair race in Vietnam. The organization’s survival depends on the customer. Customers who are satisfied with the quality of their purchases from an organization become reliable customers. So customer satisfaction is essential. Providing high quality service ensures customer satisfaction. Companies have to look to customers when they set standards for measuring quality. Products and services need to be improved with time to meet the varying need of the customers. To clarify how customers perceive quality, there are summarizes the four foundations of perceived quality: Product Quality, Service Quality, Brand Image and Personal Cost. Customers perceive quality on the following basic tangible principles: 1. Performance 2. Features 3. Reliability 4. Serviceability 5. Durability 6. Appearance 7. Customer service Customers expect to have a best service with lower price. Therefore Cathay Pacific always believes in Service Straight from the Heart. From their front-line staff to those behind the scenes, the dedication of every person at Cathay Pacific remains the driving force behind our service. It’s about treating people as individuals and treating them like your best friend. They call it Service Straight from the Heart because it stems from within. Thus their staff led their personal lives in the same way they embrace their professional one with fervor, integrity and optimism This positive lifestyle may stem from an exercise regimen in the quest to stay fit and alert and always ready for the next big challenge and to deliver expectations. It could revolve around a continuous thirst for knowledge that leads to self-improvement and improving the lives of others. Or else it may be a personal passion for traveling that offers incredible insight on what makes an unforgettable travel experience. Reputation is something that can be good or bad for a Cathay Pacific by customers. It is built upon the competitive elements such as quality, reliability, delivery and price. Once a Cathay Pacific acquires a bad reputation for quality, it takes a very long time to change it. Reputations good or bad can quickly become national reputations. Customers tend to remember only the bad quality they receive. For example: If 99 % of flights arrives is on time, the customer will only remember the 1%  of flight arrives late. Quality and customer satisfaction may not be enough to hold on to customers. Cathay Pacific must also build relationships with customers. Customer retention is a more accurate reflection of an organization’s success than quality or customer satisfaction. Customer retention is affected by factors that the company can control, like service improvements, and factors that are controlled by the marketplace, like pricing flexibility. Strong relationships with customers can increase retention by asking customers the right questions, really listening to what they have to say, and providing feedback to them on the results of action plans. Quality and customer satisfaction are still very important, but customer retention should be the organization’s ultimate test of success. Customer satisfaction is achieved by producing high-quality services that meet or exceed expectations. The key to establishing a customer focus is to put employees in touch with customers so that customer needs are known and understood. Scholtes’s six-step strategy for identifying customer needs is as follows: speculate about results, develop an information gathering plan, gather information, analyze the results, check the validity of conclusions and take action. Customer needs are not static. Therefore, constant contact with customers is essential in a total quality setting. Whenever possible, this contact should be in person or by telephone. Written surveys can use, but they will not produce the level of feedback that personal contact can generate. Measuring customer satisfaction alone is not enough. Many customers who defect are satisfied. Cathay Pacific should measure customer retention. They should go beyond satisfying customers to creating value for them in every supplier customer interaction. Cost of Quality Cost of quality as defined by Crosby â€Å"Quality Is Free†, Cost of quality is the amount of money a business loses because its product or service was not done right in the first place. In early April, Cathay Pacific reduced their passenger capacity in response to the fall in passenger traffic arising from the SARS outbreak. They cancelled 45% of their passenger flights and parked 22 aircraft. The integrity of their network was maintained, although services to Fukuoka and Sapporo were temporarily suspended. This is the business loses by the suddenly SARS occur or a badly performed service, businesses lose money every day due to poor quality. Quality is the confluence of customer expectation and realization. It is essential that every organization is aware of the cost of quality, which awareness must. In Cathay Pacific, the lowest possible level of defects, which can be achieved only by an aggressive search for and elimination of the sources of error, is a prerequisite for an internationally competitive performance. There have four major areas of the cost of quality: Prevention, Appraisal, Internal Failure, and External Failure. Prevention involves costs of any effort to eliminate defects in service. When providing service, an excellent service with strong planning can certainly prevent the occurrence of errors and other problems down the line. Appraisal includes the cost of measuring, evaluating and auditing services to assure conformance with requirements. If a defect occurred on the assembly line, the defect was thrown out irrespective of the cost of materials and labor. Internal failure refers to costs required to evaluate or correct service not conforming to requirements prior to furnishing services. This could include rework, operations corrective actions, re-inspections, and labor losses. In Cathay Pacific, this can include the need for rescheduling different flights when they are interdependent and errors occur, e.g., in the computer system. Reports have to be rewritten. Other internal failure occurs when errors in  wrong data affect other departments within the Cathay Pacific. External failure refers to the cost of failure after furnishing services to customers. This includes complaints, liability, goodwill, and both lost sales and customers. If customers are lost, this type of failure is most expensive, especially considering that new customers are estimated to be five times as expensive to acquire as the cost to maintain existing customers. Quality Program The reason of SARS arising in early April, Cathay Pacific reduced their passenger capacity in response to the fall in passenger traffic. Cathay Pacific Airways have to implement preventive measures to guard against the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at airports served, in provision of in-flight service, and related to its ground and in-flight personnel. In any business, also need to continuous improvement to keep survival in the world. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is an approach to continual improvement that brings customers into the design of services. It translates what the customer wants into what Cathay Pacific provides. A QFD matrix takes shape of a house. An example will show in the next page. QFD yields the following benefits to Cathay Pacific that is interested in continual improvement: customer focus, time efficiency, teamwork orientation and documentation orientation. QFD also makes use of several specialized tools including Affinity diagrams, which are used to promote creative thinking. The interrelationship diagraph is used to bring logic to the process of identifying relationships among ideas. The tree diagram identifies all tasks that must be accomplished to solve a problem. Matrix diagrams are used to identify connections among responsibilities, tasks and functions. Cathay Pacific can use QFD to closely monitoring the SARS situation in adjustments to its flight schedule, according to passenger demand. That’s why they can identify the problems of SARS and find out the solution to eliminating the problem happen occur again. Cathay Pacific can implement measures to guard against the spread of the SARS virus as follows: Protective measures for all staff in all functions: ?Wear surgical mask and latex gloves every time that work is conducted on the aircraft upon flight arrival from an affected country as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO). ?Check-in staff providing passenger service at airports in affected countries must wear surgical masks at all times when providing service provision. -After work has been completed, staff must cleanse their hands thoroughly with clean water and disinfecting soap. -Used surgical mask and latex gloves must be disposed of in a specifically designated container, labeled accordingly. -Disinfecting spray must be used on all flights returning from countries considered affected areas. Measures related to in-flight service provision: -Disinfecting spray must be used on flights departing from countries considered affected areas. -Cabin crew must observe passengers for SARS symptoms related to the respiratory system, such as high fever, coughing, sneezing, and provide surgical masks for passengers to wear. -Cabin crew must separate the passenger suspected to have SARS symptoms from other passengers, or separate the passenger in a designated area, and inform  the International Communicable Disease Control Office under Cathay Pacific, before the flight lands. Measures related to customer service: Check-in and boarding gate staff working at airports in Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, China ?in Hong Kong, must observe passengers for SARS symptoms. If passengers are observed to have high fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, they must provide a doctor’s letter stating they are fit to travel. If the passenger does not have a doctor’s letter, the physician on duty at the respective airport must be contacted to examine the passenger with related symptoms. If there is any doubt to the nature of the passenger’s illness, the passenger may be denied boarding. Difficulties or Limitation Customer information is the most important for continuous improvement. We have to collect reliable information to identify the cause of problem. This is difficult to ensure all the information is reliable. Sometimes the information is according by the service-testing editor for magazine or newspaper gives the service a try and writes an article pointing out weaknesses. Customer information falls into two broad categories: feedback and input. Feedback is given after the fact. In Cathay pacific, this means after a problem has been occur. Feedback is valuable and should be collected. However, it comes too late in the process to help ensure that customer requirements are met. Input is obtained before the fact. In Cathay pacific, this means during the problem happening. Collecting customer input during service provides allows changes to be made before the worst problem occurs. Collecting input is more valuable than collecting feedback. Conclusion The outbreak in mid March of atypical pneumonia or SARS had a devastating impact on Cathay Pacific passenger business. The interim performance of Cathay Pacific Catering Services (H.K.) Limited was badly affected by the outbreak of SARS. The company implemented stringent cost controls. All overseas flight kitchens were impacted by SARS and also implemented cost control measures. SARS had little effect on the airfreight business and the company reported a satisfactory interim profit. Hong Kong Airport Services Limited reported an interim loss due to the large number of flight cancellations. After an air quality monitoring programmed, undertaken in aircraft cabins, showed that the air is of a good quality. A comprehensive programmed to sort and recycle paper materials such as newspapers and in-flight menu cards has been implemented on all inbound flights. The impact of SARS resulted in a concerted effort to reduce energy consumption in Cathay City. Measures taken include temperature adjustments, reduced lighting and restricted availability of lifts and escalators. We can see the SARS had a little effect to the Cathay Pacific. Hence they need to use QFD to continual improvement that brings customers into the design of services. It translates what the customer wants into what Cathay Pacific provides.

Best Practices for Protecting Healthcare Sector Networks and Data Research Proposal

Best Practices for Protecting Healthcare Sector Networks and Data - Research Proposal Example She successfully excelled in sales and was promoted to be a trainer of the sales vendors at the age of twenty-five. Sara Blakely has some key secrets behind her success. One of her positive influence to the excellence was her way of thinking recreationally in all aspects. She always gave herself an uninterrupted time to think. That amble time of thinking gave her opportunity to give attention to everything surrounding her and extract all the probable chances that are offered by the circumstances. Besides, these prospects gave her to focus on how to improve the opportunities and the product that she had. Sara Blakely cultivated the limitless vision. She had a belief that what an individual can thick one can do create it. While in high school, she informed her colleagues that she would at one-time feature at Oprah Winfrey Show. After that, she tirelessly worked towards it (Kidder, 2012). Sara Blakely sought the feedback from the right people not from anybody. She never hides her idea to the people whom she thought could impact to her idea positively. She never taught her idea to her friends or family, as she was aware that she could spend more time tr ying to explain to them the validation and telling it and fail to get to her heights. Sara Blakely failed to make to pursue her career in law that she longed to joined, but she changed her career. Again, at the time when she was selling the fax machines she was frustrated by the panty lines that were observed from her attire (Kidder, 2012). Sara Blakely has excellent leadership skills that made her who she is today. Sara Blakely delegated the responsibility of every department to all members who worked in the division. She used to remind every work that they were supposed to treat the area of work as theirs. She trusted herself alone, and always implemented her vision (Kidder, 2012). Sara Blakely was talented in sales as at the age of just twenty-five was promoted to the capacity of the

Primate communication and language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Primate communication and language - Essay Example One research shows one primate seeking the help of another primate to increase the communicating primate’s groom activities. The young primate gives a happy inviting sound to other young primates to play among the trees. One research shows the playing young primate raise their arms to indicate they want to play with the other nearby young primates (Pika 41). The research shows one playful chimpanzee poked the other young primate. The poking was a clear signal that the poking chimpanzee was inviting another chimpanzee to play. The communication language helps the nonhuman primates adapt to different environments. In the caring for the young environment, the researchers observed that the mother apes communicated by nodding their heads, similar to human nodding of heads to say no. The primate mother nods to stop their babies from playing with their food. The water seems to persuade the baby to eat the food. When the mother ape was climbing a tree with her baby hanging to her back for safety, the mother used this environment to shake her head as she looks at her baby. She communicates to the baby to stop her from climbing the tree. The mother fears that the baby may fall from the tree and crash down to her death. In another Arnhem Zoo research, the ape researcher observed during a close family get together environment that the mother shook her head. The mother is communicating to her baby not to approach a mad or bad mood male chimpanzee. The mother fears that the male chimpanzee may physically hurt the baby during times of anger, stress, or in a bad mood (Boos 278). The male chimpanzee may bring out his anger on the innocent and knowledge-wanting baby chimpanzee. During the environment of mating, the male gorillas hoot to make love overtures to their female gorilla members. The apes howl their message across to their group members. In another 2007 nonhuman primate survival research, the researchers observed that the young chimpanzee asked for food

Influence of Organic Evolution (Evolutionary Biology) in What You Do Essay

Influence of Organic Evolution (Evolutionary Biology) in What You Do in Your Professional and Family Life - Essay Example Since the inception of this theory, the origin of man has been directly implicated in the tangle. Evolution theory also expounds the cumulative characteristics change in organism in successive generations related by descent. Besides, it accounts for the origin of all types of organisms now living, The Theory of Special Creation, on the other hand, opposes this concept asserting that every type of organism was created in such a special way and not descent-related. By this, the resulting successful progeny and variants, which had different survival value, are chosen through a natural process. How will then the learned knowledge on Evolutionary Biology or Organic Evolution influence my undertakings The amount of knowledge on Organic Evolution seems to have an incomplete pattern. Looking back at the past century, scientists had put much emphasis on studying struggle for existence as part of the evolutionary theory. It is a fact that man still regards struggle and conflict as necessities of life. Even phasing out some members of social groups was seen as a "legitimate" way of improving a special human race. The Law of Survival of the Fittest gives way to all difficulties, which is a defect of the lower world of nature. In an on-line publication, Dr. Donald G.

History Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History Book Review - Essay Example Rosie the Riveter, often depicted as someone in overalls and a bandana, is portrayed as a woman of confidence and strength. The book effectively represents Rosie as a very womanly character who maintained her femininity despite being almost exactly the opposite of how women were stereotyped during that period. One can say that this concept of the â€Å"Rosie† image served as a model to mobilize women to take on factory jobs that the men left behind. She was portrayed almost as a superwoman of that age. She produces things that are superior to what any regular woman can do. She is beautiful and glamorous, muscular and strong. She has to be different from the typical American housewife yet maintain something in her that most American housewives would admire and want. She symbolizes the principle that production and work have nothing to do with gender. Rosie the Riveter’s whole essence is about change, and for this, she has several unions adopting her image as their symbol and was wholeheartedly embraced by the American working class women. In the book, author Penny Coleman expounds on the details of the efforts done by women for the work force during the World War II. They took over industrial works that were usually reserved for men while these men were away for the war. It was very efficiently written and focused, which is one good factor since it aims to educate mostly the young readers. The contents of a written work can usually be disregarded if the writing style is too much for the young minds. That is not the case in this book. It is also clear that the author skillfully delved into the changes that greatly impacted these women’s lives even beyond their own homes. Coleman included several first-hand details that depicted the different forms of struggles these women went through before, during, and after the shift from being housewives or working women’s jobs to the more male-dominated roles. â€Å"Rosie the riveter: Women

Evolution of Death Penalty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evolution of Death Penalty in America - Essay Example This paper illustrates that in American death penalty history, the first execution was recorded in 1608, and the victim was Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3,859 persons were executed under civil jurisdiction in the United States from 1930 to 1967. During this period, nearly 54% black and 45% white were executed whereas the remaining one percent was members of other racial groups including American Indians, Chinese, and Japanese. In this period, the number of executions in the state of Georgia represented more than nine percent of the national total. As Melissa points out, the number of executions in other US cities including Texas, California, and New York were 297, 292, and 329 respectively between 1930 and 1967. In addition, the US Army executed 160 persons during the same period. In the 1960s, the fundamental legality of the death penalty was widely questioned throughout the United States. Much legal perso nnel suggested that the capital punishment was â€Å"cruel and unusual† and hence it was unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment.   In the late 1960s, the Supreme Court restructured the way the capital punishment was administered. In 1971, the Court held that dealing with capital sentencing discretion was â€Å"beyond present human ability†; and later on the legality of the death penalty was again discussed before the Supreme Court in 1972 in landmark case Furman v. Georgia. (408 U.S. 238) (DPIC). The Court stated that since the jury had the power of complete sentencing discretion, it might result in arbitrary sentencing. On 29th June 1972, the Court held that existing death penalty statues were no longer valid and therefore, the Court voided 40 death penalty statutes, and suspended the death penalty practice in the US. The overall holding in Furman reflected that particular capital sentencing statues were only unconstitutional and it influenced the Court to rethink about the legal validity of death penalty. As a result, the Court allowed states to rewrite their death penalty statutes to abolish the issues cited in Furman. Although some stats eliminated all unguided jury discretion by mandating death penalty for those convicted capital crimes, the Supreme Court held that this practice was unconstitutional. Some other states provided sentencing guidelines for the judge, and this practice allowed the â€Å"introduction of aggravating and migrating factors in determining sentencing† (DPIC). The Supreme Court approved these guided discretion statues in 1976. The ten-year moratorium on death penalty was ended on 17th January 1977 with the execution of Gary Gilmore. Finally, the state of New York also enacted death penalty law in 1995.In response to the increasing objections against capital punish ment, the US Supreme Court has framed some strict regulations on death penalty. As Johnson (2001) points out, one of the recent developments in the state of Texas is that it passed a bill of banning the execution of mentally retarded persons. The recent death penalty cases add to the earliest Supreme Court cases addressing capital punishment. While analyzing US death penalty data, it is evident that the highest number of executions was occurred between the period 1999 and 2005. However, the recent data show that the number of executions have significantly declined during the last five years. In 2009, only 37 persons were executed and this figure represents the least number for the last decade (DPIC 2). The current Court practices show that it rarely sentences death penalty. The recent cases including Penry v. Johnson, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division, Atkins v. Virginia, and Roper, Superintendent, Potosi Correctional Center v. Simmons are some o f the

Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Capital Punishment - Essay Example After 2004, lethal injection (perceived by many as the least gruesome way of executing someone), hanging and beheading were the main methods used. Electrocution and the gas chamber are used in the United States only if the inmates wish to be executed by these methods. Stoning to death for sexual offences still occurs in some Islamic countries, notably Pakistan.2 From 1990 to 2003 Amnesty International reported a global average of 2,242 executions per year. In 2003 Amnesty reported 1,146 executions in 28 countries, 88% of them in just 5 countries: The People’s Republic of China 726, Iran 108, the U.S. 65, Vietnam 64 and Saudi Arabia 52.3 The figures reported by Amnesty in 2004 showed an increase over the previous year, totaling 3,797 executions in 25 countries, about 90% of them (3,400) in The People’s Republic of China, 230 in Iran, 64 in Vietnam, and 59 in Opposition to Capital Punishment began in Europe in the 1750s. Persons like Cesare Beccaria (Italian jurist), Voltaire (French philosopher), Jeremy Betham and Samuel Romilly (English law reformers) declared that Capital Punishment was inhumane and should be replaced by life imprisonment.5 Today, Capital Punishment has been abolished in the vast majority of democracies in Europe and Latin America, while it is still retained in most democracies in Asia, the U.S. and almost all totalitarian governments. In the U.S., the Supreme Court abolished it in 1972 on the grounds that it was being applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner which constituted cruel and unjust punishment (Furman v Georgia 1972).6 On July 2, 1976 in deciding the case Gregg v Georgia, the Supreme Court legalised capital punishment.7 Today following a four-year moratorium, Capital Punishment was reinstated in 1976. Today, it is followed in 36 States as well as by the Federal Government.8 Capital Punishment is a far better tool than life imprisonment primarily considering the saving of State and

Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

Julius Caesar Essay Julius Caesar is a film version (1953) of Shakespeare’s play and is called to be the most successful Hollywood adaptation. The director of the film Joseph L. Mankiewicz made a successful attempt to authentically preserve the characters, themes and actions. Mankiewicz used the technique of the screen to the utmost advantage in the use of close-ups, of detail to illustrate key moments in film terms. Julius Caesar is a tragedy of an assassin â€Å"who is too honorable to succeed†. Caesar is a ghost story, seduction, study of marriage and fortune-telling. The film production is also a course in public speaking, social studies lesson, history of civil war and revenge and forgiveness, dramatic story about regretted decisions, tribute to the power of mental images. The historical context is Caesar’s victory over Italians and Pompey’s sons whereas the historical events presented in the film production are the conspiracy between Cassius and Brutus to assassinate Julies Caesar and the power of Roman Empire that is so desired by certain characters. Brutus, Caesar’s best friend, is easily convinced that assassinating the best friend can be justified as it will assist in establishing liberty in Roman Empire. It resulted in Brutus agreement to join the conspiracy. Caesar ignored the warning about attending the Senate meeting and thus he was assassinated by conspirators. Although at the funeral Brutus made an attempt to justify his crime appealing to the crowd, he made a fatal mistake allowing Mark Antony to speak, because Mark was the most faithful follower of Caesar. the crowd was incited and turned away from conspirators Morality won in a certain way, because Antony’s military forces defeated the conspirators and Brutus committed a suicide. After reviewing the historical context and events it is seen that a row of historical issues arose from the film. The first issue is tyranny that was so common in those times. In a certain way Julius Caesar is a story about the death of a benevolent tyrant. Although Caser had some good virtues in his character, he was a tyrant at heart and many people suffered from his cruelty. He was responsible for killing of innocent people as accepted no compromises thinking firstly about his own welfare. The next common historical issue is the question of betrayal. Although Brutus is portrayed as a respectable and noble person, he is betrayer at heart. It is necessary to note that being a weak person in a certain way he was all the more easily manipulated into killing his best friend. Brutus betrayed Caser when stabbing him when Caesar looked him in the eyes and betrayed Caesar for the second time when believing he did it for the good of the Roman Empire. He explained even his motives to the citizens, but remained misunderstood. Another issue arising from betrayal is the desire of absolute power, because for the characters it meant more than position and name it was everything. Although every power has limitations and there is no absolute power, every character in the film had in a certain way his power. It appeared from the movie that characters used their power only for their convenience. Finally the last important issue is the question of loyalty which was rather unique and uncommon for those times. If the loyalty had not been involved in the film, the Roman Empire â€Å"would not have been torn apart†. Otherwise if loyalty had been involved in all aspects, tyrant Caesar would have the emperor of for many years. War would not have broken out if people would have been more loyal to Caesar. The example of loyalty in the film is Mark Antony, a character misunderstood by all people. In conclusion it is necessary to admit that film is really successful in making people think about historical issues and problems, because many of the problems are still present in contemporary society. It is possible to state that the movie complements the historical discussion of the written texts, because it presents all historical events in more vivid and realistic way and it is easier for more people to understand the problem. All these conceptions of the play are valid, because people for four hundred years have been periodically returning to admire Julius Caesar. References Jorgens, Jack J. (1985) Shakespeare on Film and Television. New York: Scribners.

Speech Act Theory

Speech Act Theory Introduction Speech act theory is a technical term in linguistics and the philosophy of language. The contemporary use of the term goes back to J. L. Austins doctrine of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts. It is developed by the great philosopher J.L Austin in the 1930s and set forth in a series of lectures, which he gave at Harvard in1955. These were subsequently developed in 1962 as How to Do Things With Words. He founded the modern study of speech acts. The approach has been greatly developed since by the philosopher J.R.Searle (Austins pupil). The central insight of the speech act theory which is attributed to Austin, Searle and other philosophers is that speech is action and language is used to perform things not only to describe a state of affairs. Moreover, Austin pointed out that many utterances do not communicate information, but are equivalent to actions. When someone says, I apologize. , I promise , or I name this ship. the utterance immediately conveys a new psychological or social reality. Many scholars identify speech acts with illocutionary acts, rather than locutionary or perlocutionary acts. As with the notion of illocutionary acts, there are different opinions on the nature of speech acts. The extension of speech acts is commonly taken to include such acts as promising, ordering, greeting, warning, inviting someone and congratulating. Definition of speech act with elaboration A speech act is an act that a speaker performs when making an utterance. To Jennifer Spenader, speech act theory is: A theory where the effect of an utterance is analyzed in relationship  to the speaker and listeners behaviour. Speech act theory can also help us examine utterances from  the perspective of their function, rather than their form. Austin pointed out that when people use language, they are performing a kind of action. He called these actions speech acts. Traditionally, philosophers have distinguished between actions and speaking on the basis that speaking about something is quite dissimilar from doing it. Austin challenged this by demonstrating that utterances can be regarded as events in a similar way to other actions. The below lists are samples of speech acts which Austin reckoned that this sort of list could be extended further. Statement I live in Edinburg for five years Order Pay this bill immediately Question Where are you from? Prohibition No right turn Greeting Hello Invitation Help yourself Felicitation Happy new year (grudging) apology I hereby apologize as required by the magistrate (Griffiths, 2006:148) We can say that each utterance on the right is based on single sentence and the sentence is the level of language. Here, the language is used to accomplish actions as Austin stated. The above sentences are not used just to say things, that is to say describe states of affairs, but rather actively to do things. Further, one cannot assess such utterances as true or false. Moreover, most speech acts are not so official but they rely on the speaker using an utterance to signal his/her intension to achieve some action and the hearer inferring that action from the utterance. One can say that speech act cannot only be done in speaking but also in writing. The clue is the example number (7) in which it would be equally appropriate printed in a card or spoken. As a matter of fact, there are purposes behind any utterance. Consider these examples A-Somebody has broken my leg. In the above sentence, the following purpose appears The first one is to describe things which are not the basic purpose and the second purpose is to complain which is the basic purpose as it doesnt describe things. B-I love you. The purpose here is to please or to assure somebody. C-Watch out, the gun is loaded. The purpose is to warn someone. D-She is a fool. The purpose is to insult or to ease. Thus, the gist idea of speech act theory is to do acts (things) and not simply to describe because description is not the important function of language. Dichotomies (constative and performative) Many writers, in their books, define the dichotomy constative (descriptive) and performative clearly. Riemer in his books Introducing Semantics that an utterance is constative if it describes or states facts about a situation. Whereas performative is one which does not describe or state any facts, but which itself constitutes the performing of an action. The following pair of examples serve the above point A-I promise to visit tomorrow. B-She promised to visit tomorrow. In the first example, you promise to visit but if you dont visit it, the person you said it can complain that you broke your promise. Sentences which perform actions are known as performatives while other sentences are called constatives. Although constatives perform actions. The example (b) serves this point which performs the action of reporting her promise. Thus, the difference between the two (constatives and performatives) may not be as significant as the idea that all sentences can be used to perform actions of various sorts. Broadly speaking, all utterances are performative in the sense of constituting a form of action rather than a matter of saying something about the world. Ultimately, a single utterance can have both aspects constatives and performative elements; they are all sayings and doings simultaneously. Typical examples of performative verbs are ask, beg, beseech, command, congratulate, deny, deplore, declare, implore and warn. Only certain forms of the verb count as performing the speech act, mainly first person simple present active and third person present passive. Furthermore, a performative verb in a performative use can typically be accompanied by hereby. See the following A-I hereby declare the bridge open. B-I hereby command you to surrender. While in the below instances using hereby is not possible with non-performative verbs speaking. A-I hereby persuade you to accompany me. B-I hereby tell the truth. As we said earlier, the performative use of performative verbs is extremely restricted grammatically. They must be first person simple present active and third person present passive. Consider, first, active uses I hereby promise to pay you next week. Not: I herby promised you pay him the following week. Similar contrasts are possible with passive uses Passengers are hereby requested not to smoke. Not: Passengers were hereby requested not to smoke. You are hereby warned to leave immediately. Not: They will be hereby warned to leave immediately. Characteristics of Performative verbs The sense of the verb is always present. The subject is always first person (singular,plural) Since performative verbs are not descriptions but actions they are not subject to truth-value. In performative sentences the illocutionary act is explicit. Performative verbs like (affirm, allege, assert, forecast, predict, announce, insist, order, state, name, declare, bet, agree). For testing whether a verb is performative we can insert the word (hereby). The book entitled semantics and pragmatics by Dr. Misbah Mahmood gives extra examples about the distinguishing between performatives and constatives. Performatives Constatives I promise I will be there. I will be there. I warn you, the gun is loaded. The gun is loaded. I thank you. I am very grateful. I order you to read. You must read. I request you to send me the book. Send me the book. I apologize. I am sorry. Are Performatives truth-evaluable? Verschueren, in his book, entitled Understanding Pragmatics states that Austin drew a distinction between constative and performative utterances. In this dichotomy, constatives are utterances in which something is said which can be evaluated along a dimension of truth. Performatives, on the other hand, are utterances in which something is done which cannot be said to be true or false but which can be evaluated along a dimension of felicity. According to Austins account, it is an essential characteristic of performative utterances that they are neither true nor false, that is, not truth-evaluable, instead when something is wrong with them then they are felicitous (happy) or infelicitous (unhappy). The uttering of a performative is the doing of a certain kind of action , the performance would not normally be described as just saying or describing something. For example, when Tom says I promise to do the dishes in an appropriate context he does not just describe what he is doing; rather, in making the utterance he performs the promise; since promising is an illocutionary act, the utterance is thus a performative utterance. If Tom utters the sentence without the intention to keep the promise, the sentence is not false: it is rather unhappy, or infelicitous. In the absence of any such flaw, on the other hand, the utterance is to be assessed as happy or felicitous, rather than as true. What Leech states is that Constative utterances could be evaluated in traditional terms of truth and falsehood, performatives were neither true nor false: instead they were to be regarded as felicitous or non felicitous. (Leech,1983:176) By felicity and infelicity, as Yule points out, they can only be as appropriate that is the performance of a speech act to be recognized as intended or inappropriate that is if the speaker is not a specific person in a special context. Briefly, felicity and infelicity are not subject to truth-value. A sentence like I pronounce you man and wife, the performance, here, will be infelicitous on condition that the speaker is not properly qualified. Regarding felicity condition (happiness condition), it can be grouped under three headings: preparatory conditions, sincerity conditions, and essential conditions. Types of Felicity Conditions There are normally conditions which must be fulfilled before a speech act can be said to have been properly performed. These are usually called felicity conditions or happiness conditions. 1-Preparatory Conditions The preparatory conditions for a promise and warning are unlike. When I promise to do something, two conditions appear: first, the event will not occur by itself, and second, the event will have a beneficial effect. But when I utter a warning, it is not clear that the hearer knows the event will happen whilst the speaker does think the event will occur, and the event will not have a beneficial effect. 2-Sincerity Conditions They require the speaker to be sincere. When one promises to do something must genuinely intend to do it; someone congratulating somebody else must feel pleasure at that persons good luck. 3-Essential Conditions By the act of uttering a promise, an obligation created to carry out the action as promised. In other words, the utterance changes my state from non-obligation to obligation. When speaker A warns speaker B, speaker A changes his state from non-informing of a bad future event to informing. Aspects of Speech Acts Austin found great difficulty in drawing a completely clear distinction between performatives and constatives; he came to the conclusion that to state something is to perform an illocutionary act, which renders all constatives as performatives; Austin proposed that in uttering a sentence speaker is involved in three different acts. In other words, he isolates three basic senses in which in saying something one is doing something, and thus, three kinds of acts that are simultaneously performed. 1-Locutionary act. Lots of writers define locutionary act. One of them is Levinson in the book Pragmatics. Locutionary act is the utterance of a sentence with determinate sense and reference. (Levinson,1983:236) Another definition is by Finch. It refers simply to the act of saying something that makes sense in the language; in other words, that follows the grammatical rules of language. (Finch,2000:180) The last definition said by Cruse, in his book, Meaning in Language in which Austin explained as follows: the utterance of certain noises.. certain words in a certain construction, and the utterance of them with a certain sense and a certain reference. (Cruse,2000:331) From the above definition, we conclude that locutionary act is related to the inherent meaning of the lexical item and it is the province of semantics. It is the act of expressing the basic, literal meanings of the words chosen. Besides, performing the act of saying something that makes sense in the language; in other words, that follows the grammatical rules of language. For more elaboration, see the below instances For example, Tom is outside the room. In this sentence both words (Tom and the room) have meaning and we should know what the words (Tom and the room) refer to. In uttering the words, You will get your hands blown off, a speaker performs the locutionary act of stating that the hearer will get his hands blown off. Suppose speaker A says to hearer B There is a bear sneaking up behind you! (Fasold,2006:162) Speaker A utters the word there and refers to the addressee with the word you. 2-Illocutionary act Cruse, in his book, entitled A Glossry of Semantics and Pragmatics defined that illocutionary act is an act performed by a speaker in saying something (with an appropriate intention and in an appropriate context), rather than by virtue of having produced a particular effect by saying something (Cruse,2006:167) According to Finch illocutionary act is one which is performed through the medium of language: stating, warning, wishing, promising and so on. Context can be seen in the definition and this leads to remind us the province of pragmatics. If we come to talk about intention, which is also found in defining illocution, we can regard that the intention is to inform, complain, thank, apologize, threaten, etc. Consider the below instances Father: I will turn out your light. Here, the intention of father is to threaten her son. It is duty of pragmatics since the idea of threatening doesnt relate to meaning but the context. In the sentence like, There is a lion behind you, suppose that A is a speaker and B is a hearer. At the illocutionary level, A asserts a fact (that there is a lion behind B) and warns B that he/she is in danger. The speaker has the illocutionary force of warning. In short, context in which the sentence is uttered is crucial in interpreting the illocutionary force of a speech act. If someone says: I order you to leave now, the intention is ordering by virtue of having uttered the words, whether or not the addressee acts in the desired way. 3-Prelocutionary act Concerning prelocutionary Levinson states the bringing about of effects on the audience by means of uttering the sentence, such effects being special to the circumstances of utterance. While Fasold points that prelocutionary is an action which goes beyond communication such as annoying, frightening, or tricking. The contrasts between illocutionary and prelocutionary lies by lists of verbs Illocutionary: report, request, suggest, announce, predict, order, propose, reprimand, promise, thank, express, congratulate, admit, ask Prelocutionary: persuade, deceive, encourage, irritate, frighten, amuse, inspire, distract, impress, encourage embarrass. Briefly, prelocutionary is the act of producing an effect in the hearer by means of the utterance. It is outside the province of semantics and pragmatics, because it involves many other aspects of the situations. It is not always intended by speaker, is not under his control, and is not evident until after the utterance is made. The speaker tries to carry out a prelocutionary act for example to shock, to amuse, and to annoy somebody. The following examples serve the above point A-You will get your hands blown off. The above sentence might be to prevent the hearer from playing with a lighter and a stick of dynamite, to frighten the hearer. B-John is inside the hall. The prelocutionary act for the above sentence is perhaps to disappoint, shock or annoy. To explicate more about the three types of speech acts, we take instances to apply the three acts. A-There is a wasp in your left ear. The first act: we know speaker and listener. (reference) The second act: the intention is the act of warning. The third act: The hearer is panic (afraid). The hearer may scream and scratch his ears. Panic is not intended but the speaker tries to make the hearer panic. B-Someone says Good night late at night in forest. The first act: speaker and listener. (reference) The second act: leave-taking, there is greeting purpose behind saying good bye. The third act: to horrify or to frighten. C-Father: I will turn out your light. The first act: I refers to father, your refers to sons light, having meaning and reference. The second act: to intend the act of threatening The third act: to frighten the son to sleep. The father tries to frighten his son. It is not under the control of the speaker and it may not be intended of the speaker that he wants to frighten his son. Types of Illocutionary Acts Implicit and explicit illocutionary force Implicit performatives are those which dont have performative verbs. For example when one says I will turn off your light, it is implicit since there is no performative verb and besides, the force doesnt relate to the meaning of the words. Another example Be aware of the dog means that I warn you to beware of the dog. Whereas explicit performatives are those which have performative verbs, that is, a verb which names the action being performed. For example when I say I warn you that.., it is explicit as I am not describing or stating the existence of any independent fact; I am, instead performing an act (act of warning). Speech Act Classifications Searle (1976) has set up the following classification of illocutionary speech acts that one can perform in speaking. David Crystal in his book, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, sheds light on five basic types. 1-Representatives: the speaker is committed, in varying degrees, to the truth of proposition. For instance, affirm, believe, conclude, deny, and report. The following examples illustrate the point. A-The earth is flat. B-Chomsky didnt write about peanuts. C-It was a warm sunny day. In all the above instances, the speaker represents the world as he/she believes it is. 2-Directives: the speaker tries to get the hearer to do something. For example request, challenge, insist, command, advise, and suggest. A-Could you open the door, please? B-I suggest you take a taxi. C-Dont go too far. The above-mentioned examples illustrate that the speaker tries to make the world fit the words through the hearer. 3-Commissives: the speaker is committed, in varying degrees, to a certain course of action. For example, promise, oath, refuse, pledge, threat, guarantee, vow, and swear. The instances, which shown below, point out that the speaker undertakes to make the world adapt the words through the speaker. A-I will be back. B-We will not do that. 4-Expressives: the speaker expresses an attitude about a state of affairs. For instance, congratulate, excuse, thanking, deplore, apologize, welcome, and thank. A-Congratulations! B-I am really sorry. The sentences indicate the speaker makes words fit the world of feeling. 5-Declaratives: the speaker alters the external status or condition of an object or situation solely by making the utterance. For example, resign, sack, appoint, name, christen, sentence (in court), bid (at auction), declaring war, pronouncing someone husband and wife. The below instances clarifies more about what we said. A-Priest: I now pronounce you husband and wife. B-Referee: You are out. One can say that the speaker changes the world via words. Direct and Indirect Speech Acts It is obvious that we have three structural forms (declarative, interrogative, imperative) and the three general communicative functions (statement, question, command/order) respectively. The table below clarifies more about what we pointed out. Whenever there is a direct relationship between a structure and a function, we have a direct speech act. Furthermore, there is a match between sentence meaning and speaker meaning, that is to say, the form of the utterance coincides with what a speaker is intending to convey. But in case of having indirect relationship between the two which mentioned before we have indirect speech act. Therefore, when a declarative used to make a statement it is functioning as a direct speech act, but when it used to make a request it is functioning as an indirect speech act. Consider the following instances A-It is hot. B-I hereby tell you about weather. C-I hereby request of you that you open the door. It is clear that the sentence A is a declarative, the sentence B used as statement so, it is direct speech act but the last sentence C used as command therefore; it is indirect speech act. A speech act can be indirect where one illocutionary act is performed by another. Well-known examples are requests which are superficially question. We expect actions rather than answer. A-Can you pass the sault? B-Would you mind if I opened the door? So, the above mentioned sentences superficially are interrogative and they are direct speech act but if we look at them deeply they become request and in this case they are indirect speech act. It is quite true to say that different structures used to attain the same function. The examples below show that the speaker wants the addressee not to stand in front of the TV. A-Move out of the way! B-Do you have to stand in front of the TV? C-You are standing in front of the TV. D-Youd make a better door than a window. The basic function of all the utterances is a command. The first instance is direct speech act because its structure is imperative. Whilst the rest of the sentences are indirect speech acts because the interrogative structure is not used only as question and also the declarative structures are not used only as statement. Conclusion Needless to say, that conclusion shows the product of any turn paper, research and etc. In this turn paper, a formal account of speech acts provided. Throughout reading it, I infer that we can extend what a speaker means by his/her words. Thus, utterances are not uniquely used to describe states of affairs but rather they convey speakers intention to the addressee. Speech act comprises the notion of speaker meaning since through it the intentions of the speaker can be felt or found it. Also, I conclude that speech act is one of the helpful factors for decoding those words that uttered by a speaker. It is obvious that there is communication in speech act between speaker and hearer and this communication conveys not only linguistic meanings but also expressing attitudes, and understanding is a matter of recognizing the attitudes being expressed. Another conclusion which is not to be forgotten is that if a sentence is interrogative, the same sentence could be regarded as request if we look at it deeply. The sentence Could you sign the papers, please? is our evidence. So, this case only occurred in speech act, one is direct and the other is indirect and the sentence has two functions question and request.

A Report On Romeo Juliet English Language Essay

A Report On Romeo Juliet English Language Essay What methods does Shakespeare use to show the characters feelings and thoughts in Act 3, Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet? Explain the scenes importance and consider how different audiences might respond. Shakespeare wrote the play, ‘Romeo Juliet more than 500 years ago and he used many techniques to make it interesting. Using techniques in a play is really important because it makes the play effective and also makes the reader understand the play better. Shakespeare uses a variety of techniques to show the characters feelings in Act 3, Scene 5 of ‘Romeo Juliet. For example, Shakespeare uses insults, antitheses, list, ambiguous statements and many more. In Act 3, Scene 5, Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris as he is lovely and honourable person. Previously, he was extremely happy as his only daughter is going to get married. But when she says, ‘No then the mood of Lord Capulets changes drastically, therefore his mood goes from happy to angry, soft to harsh and weak to strong. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses many techniques to express Lord Capulets anger with Juliet. One of the techniques that Lord Capulet says to Juliet is insults. This is when in Act 3, Scene 5 he says, â€Å"Out, you green-sickness carrion! Out, you baggage! You tallow-face! † By saying this he implies that Juliet is a burden and a disease to him. Here Lord Capulet is being extremely rude by humiliating his only own daughter like this. Lord Capulets daughter, Juliet, is the most important character in this scene as it is primarily based on her. Shakespeare shows Juliets emotions by using statements with double meaning (ambiguous statements). For example, when Juliet says, â€Å"Delay this marriage for a month, a week,† Lady Capulet thinks that she is too young and needs some time. But what she actually means is that she needs some time to think about what she is going to do, to be able to be with Romeo. Juliets mum, Lady Capulet is antagonised by Juliets reply because she said â€Å"No† which was reply that nobody has imagined. This is clear when Juliet asks Lady Capulet for help but she replies, â€Å"Talk to me not for Ill not speak a word†. This is just like saying, â€Å"Talk to my hand, not to my face†. This clearly shows how rude, arrogant and abusive Lady Capulet is. The Nurse, on the other hand, is really worried about Juliet because she is already married and her parents are forcing her to marry Paris. When the Nurse says, â€Å"I think it best you married the county. O, Hes a lovely gentleman!†, she uses vocative because she is really apprehensive about Juliet getting married to Paris, as she is already married to Romeo. In this text an exclamation mark is used and punctuation is really important when writing a play as the reader can know how characters can say their dialogues. For example, â€Å"Hang thee, young baggage! disobedient wretch!† Here Shakespeare uses a comma, to show there is a pause in the dialogue. Also, he uses exclamation marks, which tells the reader that Lord Capulet says the dialogue in a harsh way. Moreover, it also depends on the audience how they will interpret and react to the dialogue. For example, when Lord Capulet say â€Å"hang, thee, beg, starve, die in the streets.† There is a techniques used her which is list. Also, if there were modern audiences then they would interpret this as Lord Capulet being very harsh on his daughter but on the other hand the Shakespeare audiences will interpret as Lord Capulet doing the right thing and considering that Juliet is the one who is wrong because in those times there were more arrange marriages than love marriages. Lord Capulet also tries to gather sympathy from the modern and Shakespeare audiences. For example, when Capulet says, â€Å"Day, night, hour, tide, time, work, play, alone, in company.† He is saying that he has looked after and cared for Juliet for every bit of his life. Also, this text from the play is a technique, which is called list. Capulet says this so he can gather sympathy from the audiences. He will get sympathy from the Shakespeare audience because in Shakespearean time the father chooses the groom for the bride. On the other hand, the modern audience will sympathise with Juliet because they think that a women have the right to choose her groom. After all she is the one who is going to be married and spend her life with her husband. In conclusion, using techniques in a play is really important for a play, as it gives the play a new layout. Also, Shakespeare puts the characters thoughts and feelings in their speech. He builds up dramatic tension between characters which conveys their emotions and therefore portrays their relationship.

Irony in Lord of the Flies :: essays research papers

The Lord of the Flies initiates an ironic structure from its first chapters that becomes evident by the end of the book. Both Ralph and Jack’s attitude are different in the beginning of the novel to the way they turned out in the end. It is ironic how the most optimistic or hopeful situations in the book turn out catastrophic and society only falls apart more. On the surface the story implies that it is the boys’ age and inexperience that causes them to create such a corrupt society, however, on the contrary, there is an exaggerated respect for the ‘adult world’ as you consider the reason why the boys are on the island in the first place. Sardonic events lead to an even more ironic ending where their ultimate rescue is a result of two ironic incidences, the fire and the acceptance of the boys onto the ship by the naval officer. The author uses irony throughout to show how such innocent boys despite their best efforts can turn savage, through the events that unfold that lead them into anarchy. Ralph and Jack’s image of what life on the island would be like and how they would go about it was very different in the beginning of the story to the end. Ralph begins saying ‘This is our island. It’s a good island. Until the grown ups come to fetch us we’ll have fun.’(p:45). It is ironic how this optimism is shattered by the end of the novel and events turned out so badly as though it were almost foolish to think they’d have fun from the start. Jack also makes a surprisingly ironic turn in the novel where his ideas appear civilized and orderly in the beginning, ‘We’ll have rules! Lots of rules!’(p:44) however he is the one who becomes the leader of the savages and provokes fear of the beast. It is ironic how the most optimistic situations turn out terribly, in an almost mocking way. Piggy is doomed from the start, they savagely hunt and kill pigs, torturing them and enjoying it. It is the beast within each boy that kills Piggy, as it is the beast within that eats away at any civilized instincts. Ralph wishes, ‘If only they could send a message to us. If only they could send us something grown-up †¦ a sign or something’(p:117).

Half Brothers - How far can you sympathise with Helen, Gregory, William :: English Literature

Half Brothers - How far can you sympathise with Helen, Gregory, William Preston and the narrator of the tale? How does Elizabeth Gaskell guide your response? HALF BROTHERS How far can you sympathise with Helen, Gregory, William Preston and the narrator of the tale? How does Elizabeth Gaskell guide your response? Out of all of the characters in the story, I think that Helen and Gregory are the two that are easiest to sympathise with. William Preston is a harder character to sympathise with. The way that Elizabeth Gaskell portrays these characters in the tale, is a great influence on these thoughts. From beginning to end, Helen seems to have led a very tragic life. The start of the story consists of a very depressing amount of death and poverty and this could trigger a sympathetic reaction from the reader. After three years with her first husband, he dies of tuberculosis and leaves her with a young child, barely able to walk and many burdens such as a lease on their farm that she is stuck with for another four years. As if that wasn't enough, half of the stock on the farm was dead and the rest had to be sold to deal with 'more pressing debts'. All this made her life very difficult as there was no immediate source of income. The way all of this information is provided to the reader is also a reason for the quantity of sympathy generated for Helen. All of these tragic events in Helen's life are included in one single sentence. This gives the reader the impression that all these events happened within a very short time of each other. This would generate even more sympathy for Helen. Immediately after this one, massive sentence full of tragedy, and financial problems, Elizabeth Gaskell reveals that Helen is expecting another child. Here, a lot of emotive language is used, like 'sad and sorry' that trigger sympathy. Terms like 'lonesome dwelling' are also included. This suggests that Helen leads a very lonely, sad life. With winter approaching, Helen's future looks very bleak. At this point, Helen's sister 'Fanny' goes to stay at the farm to keep her company and help out. They planned ways to make money and for a short time, Helen's life began to look up. However, soon, Helen's daughter took ill of scarlet fever and within a week, she died. At this point, Helen was described as stunned by this blow. The fact that Helen did not cry almost gave the impression that Helen was so used to death that she had been 'hardened' by past experiences.

Unequal Distribution of Power

Marxist speaks about the unequal distribution of power and wealth and resources in a society. They believe the ones with the resources in a society. They believe that the ones with the resources are the ones oppressing those without those resources. Marxist links their theory to deviance by saying because some have access to fewer resources in the Capitalist society they are seen as more likely to commit crime. Marxist speaks about the upper classes using their power influence and their wealth to hide their crimes and deviant behaviours.They buy their way out of trouble by hiring attorneys and using bribes. Marxist thought to argue that deviance is deliberately chosen and often political in nature. They rejected the idea that deviance is ‘determined’ by factors such as biology, personality, anomie, social disorganization or labels. Rather they argued, individuals actively choose to engage in deviant behaviour respond to the inequalities of the capitalist system. Because this is so, they set up a system where there is something such as social control agents these are they who administer the response to deviance such as police and the army.Although the oppressed groups in society (proletariat) may behave or act deviant, whether or not they do they are more likely to be labelled deviant. For instance in Trinidad there is some communities that are seen as or labelled as deviant places because of its crime rate. Although, not everyone living there are criminals are categorized or group together with that so called deviant community. For instance someone who lives in Lavantille may go to an interview has all the qualifications but because he/ she resides there they may not be ‘‘qualified’’ for the job.The other social classes are not crime-free, the ruling groups in society develop means and mechanisms to protect their interest according to conflict theorist who argue that laws are created protect and sustain the capitalist. Alt hough the public seems to think that the lower classes are more likely commit crime, white-collar workers also commit many crimes. White collar criminal activity in Trinidad and Tobago, though hardly ever reported is not un-noticed. It exists at various levels of society both in the public and private sector.However, the merits or demerits of any allegation of wrongdoings made are hardly ever thoroughly investigated, and almost never comes before a criminal court. It is instead ascribed to poor corporate governance rather than deliberate criminal acts. The police or some rather of this small Caribbean island of Trinidad are very corrupt they will commit wrongful doings of all kind and yet still walk freely like it is normal. It is indeed true that they are protected by their own kind.

Deception Point Page 12

Rachel closed her eyes as the plane rocketed skyward. She wondered where she had gone wrong this morning. She was supposed to be at a desk writing gists. Now she was straddling a testosterone-fueled torpedo and breathing through an oxygen mask. By the time the Tomcat leveled out at forty-five thousand feet, Rachel was feeling queasy. She willed herself to focus her thoughts elsewhere. Gazing down at the ocean nine miles below, Rachel felt suddenly far from home. Up front, the pilot was talking to someone on the radio. When the conversation ended, the pilot hung up the radio, and immediately banked the Tomcat sharply left. The plane tipped almost to the vertical, and Rachel felt her stomach do a somersault. Finally, the plane leveled out again. Rachel groaned. â€Å"Thanks for the warning, hotshot.† â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I've just been given the classified coordinates of your meeting with the administrator.† â€Å"Let me guess,† Rachel said. â€Å"Due north?† The pilot seemed confused. â€Å"How did you know that!† Rachel sighed. You gotta love these computer-trained pilots. â€Å"It's nine A.M., sport, and the sun is on our right. We're flying north.† There was a moment of silence from the cockpit. â€Å"Yes, ma'am, we'll be traveling north this morning.† â€Å"And how far north are we going?† The pilot checked the coordinates. â€Å"Approximately three thousand miles.† Rachel sat bolt upright. â€Å"What!† She tried to picture a map, unable even to imagine what was that far north. â€Å"That's a four-hour flight!† â€Å"At our current speed, yes,† the pilot said. â€Å"Hold on, please.† Before Rachel could respond, the man retracted the F-14's wings into low-drag position. An instant later, Rachel felt herself slammed into her seat yet again as the plane shot forward as though it had been standing still. Within a minute they were cruising at almost 1,500 miles per hour. Rachel was feeling dizzy now. As the sky tore by with blinding speed, she felt an uncontrollable wave of nausea hit her. The President's voice echoed faintly. I assure you, Rachel, you will not regret assisting me in this matter. Groaning, Rachel reached for her hack sack. Never trust a politician. 13 Although he disliked the menial filth of public taxis, Senator Sedgewick Sexton had learned to endure the occasional demeaning moment along his road to glory. The grungy Mayflower cab that had just deposited him in the lower parking garage of the Purdue Hotel afforded Sexton something his stretch limousine could not-anonymity. He was pleased to find this lower level deserted, only a few dusty cars dotting a forest of cement pillars. As he made his way diagonally across the garage on foot, Sexton glanced at his watch. 11:15 A.M. Perfect. The man with whom Sexton was meeting was always touchy about punctuality. Then again, Sexton reminded himself, considering who the man represented, he could be touchy about any damned thing he wanted. Sexton saw the white Ford Windstar minivan parked in exactly the same spot as it had been for every one of their meetings – in the eastern corner of the garage, behind a row of trash bins. Sexton would have preferred to meet this man in a suite upstairs, but he certainly understood the precautions. This man's friends had not gotten to where they were by being careless. As Sexton moved toward the van, he felt the familiar edginess that he always experienced before these encounters. Forcing himself to relax his shoulders, he climbed into the passenger's seat with a cheery wave. The dark-haired gentleman in the driver's seat did not smile. The man was almost seventy years old, but his leathery complexion exuded a toughness appropriate to his post as figurehead of an army of brazen visionaries and ruthless entrepreneurs. â€Å"Close the door,† the man said, his voice callous. Sexton obeyed, tolerating the man's gruffness graciously. After all, this man represented men who controlled enormous sums of money, much of which had been pooled recently to poise Sedgewick Sexton on the threshold of the most powerful office in the world. These meetings, Sexton had come to understand, were less strategy sessions than they were monthly reminders of just how beholden the senator had become to his benefactors. These men were expecting a serious return on their investment. The â€Å"return,† Sexton had to admit, was a shockingly bold demand; and yet, almost more incredibly, it was something that would be within Sexton's sphere of influence once he took the Oval Office. â€Å"I assume,† Sexton said, having learned how this man liked to get down to business, â€Å"that another installment has been made?† â€Å"It has. And as usual, you are to use these funds solely for your campaign. We have been pleased to see the polls shifting consistently in your favor, and it appears your campaign managers have been spending our money effectively.† â€Å"We're gaining fast.† â€Å"As I mentioned to you on the phone,† the old man said, â€Å"I have persuaded six more to meet with you tonight.† â€Å"Excellent.† Sexton had blocked off the time already. The old man handed Sexton a folder. â€Å"Here is their information. Study it. They want to know you understand their concerns specifically. They want to know you are sympathetic. I suggest you meet them at your residence.† â€Å"My home? But I usually meet-â€Å" â€Å"Senator, these six men run companies that possess resources well in excess of the others you have met. These men are the big fish, and they are wary. They have more to gain and therefore more to lose. I've worked hard to persuade them to meet with you. They will require special handling. A personal touch.† Sexton gave a quick nod. â€Å"Absolutely. I can arrange a meeting at my home.† â€Å"Of course, they will want total privacy.† â€Å"As will I.† â€Å"Good luck,† the old man said. â€Å"If tonight goes well, it could be your last meeting. These men alone can provide what is needed to push the Sexton campaign over the top.† Sexton liked the sound of that. He gave the old man a confident smile. â€Å"With luck, my friend, come election time, we will all claim victory.† â€Å"Victory?† The old man scowled, leaning toward Sexton with ominous eyes. â€Å"Putting you in the White House is only the first step toward victory, senator. I assume you have not forgotten that.† 14 The White House is one of the smallest presidential mansions in the world, measuring only 170 feet in length, 85 feet in depth, and sitting on a mere 18 acres of landscaped grounds. Architect James Hoban's plan for a box-like stone structure with a hipped roof, balustrade, and columnar entrance, though clearly unoriginal, was selected from the open design contest by judges who praised it as â€Å"attractive, dignified, and flexible.† President Zach Herney, even after three and a half years in the White House, seldom felt at home here among the maze of chandeliers, antiques, and armed Marines. At the moment, however, as he strode toward the West Wing, he felt invigorated and oddly at ease, his feet almost weightless on the plush carpeting. Several members of the White House staff looked up as the President approached. Herney waved and greeted each by name. Their responses, though polite, were subdued and accompanied by forced smiles. â€Å"Good morning, Mr. President.† â€Å"Nice to see you, Mr. President.† â€Å"Good day, sir.† As the President made his way toward his office, he sensed whisperings in his wake. There was an insurrection afoot inside the White House. For the past couple of weeks, the disillusionment at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had been growing to a point where Herney was starting to feel like Captain Bligh-commanding a struggling ship whose crew was preparing for mutiny.