Sunday, January 26, 2020

Mystery And Suspense In Conan Doyles Work English Language Essay

Mystery And Suspense In Conan Doyles Work English Language Essay Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh and was educated at Stonyhurst College and the University of Edinburgh. He was a very religious man who was brought up in a Catholic family. He divided his time between medicine and writing the famous stories he is known for today. Arthur Conan Doyle was an eminent author and wrote many successful science fiction stories, historical novels, plays, romances, poetry and his detective Stories which he is most celebrated by today. Conan Doyle made his first appearance in A Study of Scarlet. This was his first Sherlock Holmes story, which was published by Ward Lock. Later he continued to write many successful Titles including; the lost world, the memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The land of mist and one of his most renowned novels The Hound of The Baskervilles. The Hound of the Baskervilles is set in London and Devonshire, The mystery and suspense is enhanced by having 2 main settings, the contrast of them shows a city and a mysterious empty countryside, this creates atmosphere. The story begins in London when Sir Henry comes up to visit and receives the message warning him not to go to Baskerville hall, which was written in the manuscript. Then many mysterious happenings occurred like Sir Henrys stolen boot and the news paper cuttings; warning him to avoid the moor which read, As you value your life of reason, keep away from the moor. When Holmess attempts at solving the case in London turn out to be dead-ends, they go out to the moor. Later, in Devonshire Baskerville hall is set in the grim melancholy moor, nearby the Grimpen Mire, and it is believed that a spectral hound haunted the Baskerville Family; as each heir to Baskerville hall has experienced a shocking and terrifying death, one by one. After the death of his uncle, Sir Henry mov es into Baskerville hall to claim his family fortune, however his life may be at stake as the hound was said to be loose. The Baskervilles believe that the immortal hound was because of a curse within the family, due to ancestors behaviour. Events in the moor include meeting the neighbours; hearing the sound of the hound; interviews with Mrs. Lyons and Seldens death. The action happens mostly at night, this adds to the mystery and suspense in the story as it emphasises the eerie setting. Arthur Conan Doyle was very successful at creating an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in The Hound of the Baskervilles. He used many different and well crafted techniques to do this. Such as; the use of supernatural and superstition, red herrings, personification, the use of cliff hangers, his creation of settings and his use of metaphors and similes. He kept each chapter more mysterious and exciting as the book went along, and Im positive that others who have read the book would agree with me. In the opening of the story, Watson discovers a walking stick which had been forgotten by Dr. Mortimer from the previous night. Watson tries his best to work out the evidence from the appearance of the walking stick. He notices the engraving on the silver band at the top which read, To James Mortimer, MRCS, from his friends of the CCH. Little does he know, Holmes is using all of his resources at his disposal, he is using a well polished silver plated coffee pot. to see Watsons reflection, and to find out the mystery of the walking stick. As the scene develops Watson couldnt quite work out what the initials meant Whereas Holmes knew there exact meaning. Holmes uses deductive reasoning to find out every detail which builds up the atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The way how Conan Doyle uses his characters really creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Arthur Conan Doyle completely misleads you into believing that Stapleton is an innocent naturalist, who catches butterflies, A small fly or moth fluttered across our path, and in an instant, Stapleton was rushing with extraordinary and speed in pursuit of it. This makes the readers automatically think that he is blameless. However, Stapleton turns out to be the villain in the story. This creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense as it throws the reader off their initial prediction. Conan Doyle involves the mind of the reader, with the mind of the character; this technique is very effective in The Hound of the Baskervilles as it creates even more mystery and suspense. Throughout the book, Conan Doyle used many examples of red herrings, which created an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. One of the largest red herrings in the novella is Selden, the escape convict. As the reader, I connect ideas together, believing that he must be involved in the murders. However, Selden didnt happen to be involved in any of the mischief; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another example of the use of red herrings is the false link between Barrymore and the London stalker. This increases the drama and tension within the story. Later in the book Barrymore has been seen signalling the convict late at night; yet this also turns out to be innocent. This made the story very intense and I found myself wanting to sit on the edge of my seat. The contrast of the two settings enhances an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Conan Doyle cleverly incorporates the two settings in one story; the buzzing city and the forbidding moor. The mystery in London is formed by the spy following Sherlock Holmes every move, the newspaper cuttings and the disappearance of Sir Henrys boot. By thunder if that chap cant find my missing boot there will be trouble. This quotation in particular creates anticipation because it makes the reader question the purpose of taking only one boot, because one boot is of no use to anyone, whereas in Devonshire, the drama builds up to a crescendo more. The eerie settings along with the mysterious events make the atmosphere of mystery and suspense at its climax. Trees moaned and swung in a rising wind. This quotation uses personification which emphasises the ghostly surroundings. Stapletons description of the Grimpen Mire gives the reader a picture of the hostile environment around Baskerville hall. That is t he Grimpen Mire; a false step yonder means death to man or beast. This quotation gives both the reader and Watson a warning concerning the ghastly surroundings. Holmes used deductive methods to solve the mystery in The Hound of the Baskervilles; it was very practical in the story line as it added further mystery and suspense. He revealed one clue at a time; this kept the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting to read on to the next page in the book. Holmes took particular attention to minute details in order to fit all of the information together and for it to make sense, like a jigsaw puzzle. Watsons narrative technique was very important. In the novella as Holmes was absent for most of the story, Watsons opinions and views were shown in a diary, extracts, letters and written accounts that explained how his investigations were developing. This was a key part of the story as it made the reader understand the progress in his investigations. The use of myth and legend in the hound of the Baskervilles adds more mystery within the story. According to the manuscript, the Baskerville curse was brought upon the Baskerville family due to the behaviour of Sir Hugo. From that time, the family had experienced strange deaths and it is believed that these deaths have been caused by a spectral hound. The sound of the Hound created even more drama in the story, The creature gave a hideous howl. This creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, particularly so for a Victorian readership because; as you can imagine the Victorians would never of heard of anything so terrifying. Conan Doyles use of cliff hangers also creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. Like his other magazine stories; Arthur Conan Doyle finished every chapter with a cliff hanger in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This made the book more exciting and interesting to read and carry on with. Although his book wasnt serialised; he uses the same technique to further the creation of suspense. By ending each chapter in a Cliff Hanger, the reader has to wait to hear what happens; this carries on an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation onto the next chapter. The use of dangerous situations heightens mystery and suspense in the story. Particularly when Holmes and Watson were waiting for Sir Henry in the treacherous moor, this adds more suspicion to the plot of the story; especially when a mist is covering the path and Holmes and Watson can barely see in front of them if he isnt out in a quarter of an hour the path will be covered. In half an hour we wont be able to see our hands in front of us. The Mystery and suspense is created as the reader, we know what can go wrong. Suspense is increased more by the amount of light used to set the scene. Another dangerous situation that creates tension and drama in the story is when Watson discovers a hut amongst the moor, Watson uses his five senses to discover what is happening, and this creates additional mystery and suspense. When Watson was in the hut, he heard a noise and more tension and suspense was created by getting his pistol out of his pocket, I shrank back into the darkest corner, and co cked the pistol in my pocket. This created a sense of danger to the reader because the fact that he has his pistol at the ready makes the reader nervous because Watson may be in danger. The ending would have pleased a Victorian Readership, as it ends happily. However tension is not resolved as we are unsure whether Stapleton truly died on the moor; even Watson and Holmes do not know for sure if he died: But more than that, we were never destined to know, but there was much more which we might surmise. The ending remains satisfying (particularly to a Victorian audience) because the villain is out of the picture, even if not dead. In conclusion, Arthur Conan Doyle creates mystery and suspense in the Hound of the Baskervilles in many ways, which certainly lures the reader onto the next chapter. The superstition created an excellent opening to the story which created many possible routes for the book to follow, this added more suspense. The Hound of The Baskervilles was a Victorian stylised first person narrative novel, this was suitable for a Victorian Readership as it comprised of a happy ending. Conan Doyle used many effective techniques, using cliffhangers at the end of each chapter carried on the suspense further. The use of personification and similes created a magical atmosphere.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Relevancy of Institutional Theory for Managers Essay

Institutional theory is one the most renowned theoretical approaches to internationalization process of firms. From the 70s, there have been publications supporting and developing this theory by researchers such as Di Maggio, Powell, Scott, Meyer or Rowan. Nonetheless, some other alternative theories, such as OLI paradigm or TCE model, have also proven themselves quite significant. Shortell and Kalunzy (2000, p. 4) state that organizations must face certain external factors such â€Å"external or societal norms, rules, and requirements that an organization must conform to, in order to receive legitimacy and support†; which are two basic factors for a successful internationalization process. Nowadays, it is essential to determine the accuracy of internationalization theories because corporations need to respond to the challenges of a globalized world. This essay aims to examine the applicability of the main assumptions of this theory in order to explain the internationalization decisions made by firms? anagers. For that purpose, key aspects such as its scope, current importance or empirical support will be evaluated. Meyer and Rowan (1977), Di Maggio and Powell (1983), and Scott (1987) state that, in order to obtain legitimacy, firms must face â€Å"isomorphic pressures† from the external context. Di Maggio and Powell (1983) define isomorphism as â€Å"constraining process that forces one unit in a population to resemble other units that face the same set of environmental conditions† and they remark that firms are forced to compete for legitimacy and political influence apart from customers and resources. Scott (1995) specified that there are three types of isomorphic pressures: regulatory, cognitive and normative. Regulatory pressures can be defined as the rules, legislation and sanctions established by government that companies must follow. Cognitive pressures refer to the shared vision of how the world works by the members of an institution or societal entity able to affect a corporation. Normative pressures can be described as the values, norms or other cultural aspects within a country that can influence a firm. In other words, for this theory, any internationalization or foreign direct investment (FDI) operation respond to a legitimacy seeking procedure in order to have access to key resources such as public funding or customer support. Nevertheless, this theory does not cover all the possible dimensions of an internalization process. Dunning (1993) states that there are 4 main motivations for an internationalization process: market seeking, resource seeking, efficiency seeking and strategic asset seeking. Market seeking can be explained as penetrate into other market and avoid dangerous factors such as tariffs or exchange rate risk. Resource seeking refers to many factors such as location in a cluster, information, or less costly or more efficient resources. Efficiency seeking can be defined as cost reduction (transport and transactions) and the economies of scope and scale that can be reached in a internationalisation process. Strategic asset seeking is all the rest of different motivations such as imitating competitors, prevent competition or follow consumers. Therefore, Institutional Theory does not seem to cover fully those aspects because no economic considerations are made under this theory. On the other hand, there are theories that cover more accurately economic considerations in internationalisation issues. Buckley and Casson (1976), and Rugman (1981); under Internalisation Theory, state that existing markets may not offer the most efficient conditions to companies and making those markets â€Å"internal† will reduce the transaction costs of operating with those markets. Dunning (1980) argues, in this OLI paradigm, that firms operate in international market in order to seek for different kind of advantages: Ownership advantages (i. e. rademark or know-how), Locating advantages (i. e. low salaries or taxation) and Internalisation advantages (same advantages mentioned in Internalisation Theory). Hence, it is obvious that Institutional theory has a limited scope as long as it covers political and social aspects of internationalisation, but it does not give any hint about economic concerns. Since the year 2000, according to a report written by the United Nations (2 013), FDI going to BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has tripled reaching an amount of $263 billions in 2012. This amount represents 20% of FDI in the world. Moreover, Hall (1976) states that there are certain countries that can be described as High-context cultures that are based in interpersonal relationships. Those are countries where factors like trust or legitimacy are crucial for business and BRICS are considered as high-context countries. Therefore, firms need to gain legitimacy in order to operate in those markets and Institutional provides an excellent theoretical framework for defining success in those markets. Nonetheless, it cannot be assumed that firms just comply with external pressures in order to gain legitimacy. Di Maggio (1988) argues that agents and organizations have their own interests and have the ability to implement strategic actions in order to fulfil their ambitions. Scott (1995) also states that companies and organisations do not react in a passive way to institutional environment and they behave actively. Araujo (2000) determines that, although organisations are under external pressures, companies will decide their own response to the environment. Hence, companies are influenced by external factors, but they can decide what to do regarding those factors. On the other hand, there is some evidence that companies tend to mimic their strategic moves. Leroux, Pupion and Sahut (2011) state that companies are influenced by the choices made by the leaders of their sectors. Lieberman and Asaba (2006) argue that firms tend to imitate each other in order to deal with the uncertainty of the environment and reduce risks. For those authors, there two explanations for business imitation: information-based explanation and rivalry-based explanation. Information-based ones assume that companies imitate the ones who seem to have †superior† information. Rivalry-based ones that companies copy their strategic moves in order to limit rivalry or keep stable competitive parity. There are some researchers who have tried to deduct whether Institutional theory is reliable or not for explaining an internationalization process. Bianchi and Arnold (2004) state that Institutional theory is the best theoretical framework in order to explain the failure of the Internationalization process of the American retail company Hot Depot into the Chilean market in 1998. Their research determined that the main cause of the failure of this process was the scarcity of legitimacy of Hot Depot in Chile because they were not able to offer a confortable shop atmosphere for their customers and the range of products was not satisfactory for Chilean clients. Also, Hot Depot failed because its competitors were capable of anticipating and responding to its competitive advantage. Moreover, Cao and Perderzoli (2012) determine that institutional environment is very significant in the decision making process of retailing companies while operating in an emerging economy. They also state that the creation of shared added value in those economies and the engagement between the company and the host market will increase the adaptability of those companies to institutional environment in emerging economies. Nonetheless, there are some other papers that determine that the effect of external environment in a company depends of its profile. Walsh and Yu (2010) state that institutional factors do not have relevance in primary sector companies while they are relevant in manufacturing and services corporations as it is shown in their research using econometric methods. Additionally; Wrightley, Coe and Currah (2005) and, Bianchi and Ostele (2006) determine that retail companies are more vulnerable to institutional issues than other kinds of companies. Therefore, there is empirical evidence that shows the relevancy of this theory for corporate internationalization operations during the last 20 years. Otherwise, this relevance depends of the sector of the company and it seems to be a relation between the level of impact of institutional factors and their level of interaction with final customers. Furthermore, it is important to discuss whether Institutional Theory is relevant or not for managers. Porter (1990) and Welford (1995) affirm that the external environment makes a strong influence on corporate strategy. Aguilar (1967) states that the environment is crucial in corporate strategy and he created the ETPS (Economic, Technical, Political and Social) model, which would become PEST model in the future, in order to analyse the external environment. Learned, Christiansen, Andrews and Guth (1969) determine that external environment is crucial for business strategy as long as it is a key element of their SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) model, where Opportunities and Threats are external elements. Thus, it cannot be denied that Institutional Theory is relevant for managers because environment is crucial for any strategic planning and if managers ignore those factors, they will be destined to fail in internationalisation process. Furthermore, external pressures have relevance in other essential aspects of corporate management. Zaheer (1995) states that companies operating abroad may suffer â€Å"liability of foreignness† which are economic and social problems that can affect their performance, so they would tend to modify their organizational structure in order to make it similar to local firms? tructure. Also, Barkemeyer (2007) state that institutional pressures encourage companies to develop CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programmes in order to gain legitimacy in the host country. Therefore, external environment can exert a strong influence in all sorts of aspects of corporate management such as Organisation or CSR in order to be legitimate to operate in a forei gn market and managers be aware of this situation. As a conclusion, it can be said that environmental pressures are a crucial element for business performance in international markets. During the last decade, legitimacy has proven itself as a key resource in FDI processes as long as emerging economies are becoming one of the main receptors of foreign investment and, for those countries, it is necessary â€Å"being legitimate† in order to be supported by customers, local authorities and other social actors. As a contrast, this theory has some drawbacks as long as it assumes, in its early version, which companies just comply with external pressures and it does not consider in depth economic aspects. Nevertheless, in spite of those weaknesses, Institutional Theory provide an excellent theoretical framework to managers that encourage them to be sensitive to the cultural elements (aesthetics, beliefs, norms or attitudes) and macro environment of their host markets, so they can improve their performance. Therefore, being able to provide such an important capacity to international managers is the best strength of this theory and it is what makes it relevant today.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Inflation Can Be Measured By Consumer Price Index Or Cpi

We’ve all heard the â€Å"Back in my day†, stories for our parents and grandparents enlightening us on the prices they used to pay for certain items. It’s hard to imagine a time when a bottle of Coke-a-Cola cost only fifty-cents. One may think, â€Å"That’s not true, you couldn’t possibly purchase anything for that cheap†. Although this seems impossible, prices fluctuate on a daily basis. This price fluctuation is known as inflation. Inflation is a continual escalation in the aggregate or general price level in an economy. In simpler terms, it means there is an increase in the cost of living and that your money might not buy as much today as it could in earlier times. To fully understand inflation one must know how it is calculated. Inflation can be measured by evaluating the Consumer Price Index or CPI. Doing so shows what the increase in general prices of a consumer’s â€Å"basket† are over a given amount of time. It can also be measured by looking at the real Gross Domestic Product or real GDP of an economy over time, that being the deflated nominal GDP. Our group will concentrate on the 1940’s, analyzing the changes of inflation before, during, and post-World War II. Our case study is titled The American Economy During The 1940’s. Our case study focuses on wage and price controls, rationing, WWII recovery, industrial production, household income, consumer costs, and monetary policy. The purpose of this case study is to take what we have learned in class and apply it to the UnitedShow MoreRelatedUsing A Supply And Demand Framework1439 Words   |  6 Pagesthe equilibrium price and quantity of a product (or service) of an increase in the number of consumers in the market. Using a supply and demand framework, I will examine the impact on the equilibrium price and quantity of a product (or service) of an increase in the number of consumers in the market. 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When inflation goes up, thereRead MoreEconomic Indicators Paper1521 Words   |  7 PagesFurthermore, how can one classify an economy? Americans love to quantify data. Because of this inherent need to compare data, economists have developed a way to collect nearly every type of statistics that may reveal the general health of the economy. These statistics actually tell if the economy is productive and efficient or if it is slow and inefficient. Included in these statistics are Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Unemployment Rate, Retail Sales, Producer Price Index (PPI),

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Quotes From The Awakening, Kate Chopins Banned Novel

Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening is the famous tale of Edna Pontellier, who leaves her family, commits adultery, and begins to rediscover her true self--as an artist. It is considered to be one of the most important early feminist texts. Here are a few famous quotations from the novel.   Mr. Pontellier wore eyeglasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather a slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningYou are burnt beyond recognition, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningHe reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mothers place to look after children, whose on earth was it?- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThe mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husb ands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThe voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clearing, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in the abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningHer marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him. He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with an earnestness and ardor which left nothing to be desired.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningA feeling of exultation overtook her as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body an d her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThat she was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself that colored and changed her environment, she did not yet suspect.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThe past was nothing to her; offered no lesson which she was willing to heed. The future was a mystery which she never attempted to penetrate. The present alone was significant...- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningI would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children, but I wouldnt give myself. I cant make it more clear; its only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningShe was seeking herself and finding herself in just such sweet, half-darkness which met her moods. But the voices were not soothing that came to her from the darkness and the sky above and the stars. They jeered and sounded mournful notes without promise, devoid even of hope.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningIt sometimes entered Mr. Pontelliers mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we would assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningWoman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism--a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or cause which you and I neednt try to fathom.- Kate Chopin, The Aw akeningHer husband seemed to her now like a person whom she had married without love as an excuse.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThere was something in her attitude, in her whole appearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chair and spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningThe water of the Gulf stretched out before her, gleaming with the million lights of the sun. The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude. All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.- Kate Chopin, The AwakeningShe looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again.- Kate Chopin, The Awakening Study Guide Review: The AwakeningComplete Text - The AwakeningQuotesQuestions for Study DiscussionKate Chopin - ProfileAwakening Books and Editions