Tenn-Tech Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tenn-Tech Plc - Case Study Example The situation demands a prompt and a proactive action from the top management. Hence it is vital to bring in a new management accounting approach that is more in consonance with the prevalent developments and circumstances. Resorting to throughput accounting seems to be just the right approach for Tenn-Tech Plc in the existing scenario. However, this is easier said then done. This calls for a total paradigm shift on the part of the key players and the stakeholders at Tenn-Tech Plc. It is imperative for the top echelons of power at Tenn-Tech Plc to be cognizant of the marked shift in their perception that an adherence to a new management accounting system will call for. Throughput accounting will not be merely an another management accounting system, but will be in fact an entire new way in which the organization under consideration will be required to perceive itself and its role in the global market scenario ("Throughput Accounting" 67). The basic fault with the activity-based costing system that till now was being resorted to by Tenn-Tech Plc is that it believes that the efficiencies yielded by the changes wrought in the localized factors within the company, be it the marketing department, manufacturing or any other section, will automatically lead to enhanced over all efficiencies (Corbett 38). That is why the directors and the top management are wasting their strength, time and efforts in criticizing and finding faults with the individual local sections wi thin the company. While the Financial Director seems to be at loggerheads with the Marketing Director, the Chief Executive Boris Barker has already given way to a serious labour problem with the aid of the Management Accountant Huggenkis, both of them being guided by their obsession for covering the unreasonable overheads. No doubt such moves appear to be narrowly reactionary in their approach, rather then being all inclusive and visionary. The basic fault with the management accounting system at Tenn-Tech Plc is that it is based on the fundamental premise that for an organizational chain to be really strong, it is a must that all the links in it be really sturdy and tough (Corbett 41). This definitely sounds good, but is surely not true in a real life scenario.Throughput accounting is an alternative approach to management accounting that holds that the eventual strength of an organizational chain is determined by the strength of the weakest link in that chain (Corbett 41). This app roach towards management accounting is based on the theory of constraints proposed by E.M. Goldratt in his novel The Goal. This approach will conclusively address the dilemma being faced by Tenn-Tech Plc, which is how to design a more efficient management accounting system. According to throughput accounting, the notion of allocating costs to products, which was till now being adhered to by Tenn-Tech Plc is inherently faulty and invariably leads to wrong decisions. As interpreted and suggested by the theory of constraints, Tenn-Tech needs to be viewed as a system that consists of several individual and interdependent elements. Thus the primary task before Tenn-Tech is to be conversant with the constraints existing within this system. According

Why are we so fat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why are we so fat - Essay Example adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese† (U.S. Obesity Trends). Obesity is caused by excessive fat deposits in body. Lack of physical workouts, overeating, changing food habits, excessive fat contents in foods etc are some of the reasons for the increasing trends in obesity statistics. This paper tries to answer the question; why are we so fat? According to what’s known as the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis, early humans compensated for the energy used in their heads by cutting back on the energy used in their guts; as man’s cranium grew, his digestive tract shrank. This forced him to obtain more energy-dense foods than his fellow-primates were subsisting on, which put a premium on adding further brain power. The result of this self-reinforcing process was a strong taste for foods that are high in calories and easy to digest; just as it is natural for gorillas to love leaves, it is natural for people to love funnel cakes (Kolbert). One of the major reasons cited for the overweight related problems among Americans is the changes happening in the brain systems. It is a fact that brain is getting far more developed as time goes on. In other words, current generation has brain size much higher than that of the generations in the past. Thus brains of the current generation require more energy and for that purpose they consume more energetic foods. American medical association committed a serious blunder by asking the public to take only low fat food. â€Å"They failed to take into account that when people do that, they increase their carbohydrates. Slashing carbohydrates and sticking to protein (Why are We So Fat?). It should be noted that blocking of fatty foods not only prevented the ketosis process but also it caused increased hunger. Thus people started to eat more and more foods enriched with carbohydrates which resulted in overweight. Current Americans are c onsuming foods like pasta, potatoes, flour, cereal products, and bread more and more than the Americans in the past. These food items have low glucose contents and therefore a spike in insulin production may occur. Low blood sugar can increases hunger and appetite for food and the final outcome could be overweight. It is an accepted fact that Americans are enjoying the most lavish life styles in the world. Majority of the people in America may have their own vehicles and they use it for their traveling needs. In other words, Americans may not walk even a single kilometer if they wanted to go somewhere. Moreover, busy life styles prevented them from engaging in any physical work outs or playing some games. Majority of the leisure times are spent in front of the computers by the Americans. The increasing popularity of social networks and the availability of easy to use communication tools such as palmtop, laptop, tablet PCs, iPads, mobile phones etc are forcing the Americans to spend more time in front of the computer and internet. In short, mental or verbal exercises are increasing among Americans whereas physical exercises are decreasing. Thus, extra energy consumed through excessive foods may become deposited in the body rather than burning it out through physical exercises. The line between being in and out of energy balance is slight. Suppose you consume a mere 5 percent over a 2,000-calorie-a-day average. "That's just one hundred calories; it's a glass of apple juice," says Rudolph Leibel, head of molecular genetics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "But those few extra calories can mean a huge weight gain." Since one pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, that glass of juice adds up to an

Environmental conditions: Apple iTunes in the UK

Environmental conditions: Apple iTunes in the UK 1. Introduction The following report will carry out an assessment of the macro and micro environmental conditions that are likely to impact upon Apple iTunes within the United Kingdom. The analysis which will be carried out will include an assessment of the degree of the threat or the opportunities posed by the existing and potential competition. iTunes is a digital media player application which is used for playing and organising digital and video files. iTunes also connects to the iTunes store via the internet to purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, applications, games, audio books and podcasts. The Music industry has radically changed in the last couple of years, thanks to the increasing penetration of broadband, which has made it increasingly convenient for music lovers to buy via the web, this has the effect of promoting digital downloads. Content owners have been hit by the increasing problem of illegal downloading which has had the effect of devaluating the value of music for an entire generation of youth. (Mintel 2009) After its launch in 2002 Apples iTunes has come to dominate the music delivery business in many countries around the world, including the United Kingdom. Using a number of tools which look at both the micro and macro environment, and various analysis I will draw many conclusions whether there is a likelihood of continued success for Apple iTunes in the future. 2. What is Apple iTunes? iTunes is a free application for your Mac or PC it organises your digital music and video on your computer. It syncs all your media with you iPod, iPhone and Apple TV. It is also a store on your computer; it has everything you need to be entertained anywhere, anytime. (Apple 2010) Apple iTunes was developed in early 2002 and has developed ever since in relation to Apples continued success with their portable media player the iPod. Ever since 2002 many new features have been added to iTunes such as in April 2003 when version 4.0 of Apple iTunes was released which added the feature of the iTunes Store, to make it the success of what it is today. (Apple 2004) 3. Apple iTunes Market Position The music industry has witnessed a massive change over the last few years; this is due to many reasons. One fundamental change has been the increasing user usage of broadband technology, the increased speed and more people adopting the technology has led to consumers to view downloading music via the web to be convenient and simple. This development originally led many of the traditional high street retailers such as HMV to start selling music online in CD format. In more recent times music both single tracks and albums have become more and more easily accessible for the average consumer due to the continued popularity of services such as Apple iTunes. 3.1 Market Data on The Music Industry In January 2009 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) predicted that the UK will spend over  £600 million on digital music in 2012 (Mintel 2009). As you can see from (Appendix 2) downloads are dominated by singles or the download of individual tracks. But iTunes and other digital competitors are looking at improving the way in which they are marketing to consumers hopping to persuade them to purchase more albums digitally. Also in (Appendix 2) using BPI figures it shows the demand for single downloads has increased by a massive 340% from 2004-2009, where by the sale of single music in physical format has decreased by 850%. The same trend can be seen for album sales as well. As you can see from the table in (Appendix 1) pre-recorded music sales are continually moving from the traditional music stores, supermarkets etc to the internet to services such as iTunes. Over a period from 2007-2009 there was a 6% increase of sales of pre-recorded music on the internet, where as other means of selling/distributing pre-recorded music saw a considerable decrease year on year over the same period. The music industry has seen revenue decrease by 4% in 2008 and it is predicted that this trend will likely continue. Although digital distribution of music will ensure the costs involved when selling music will be dramatically lower, this will lead to increased profit margins for legal music sales in the future. Mintel has forecasted that the music market will continue for the next few years until 2013 to continue to decline. The market will see a dramatic fall of 33% of current prices from 2008-2013, 2009 saw the biggest drop which was 16% (Appendix 3). This is all due to a number of contributing factors, the main being that economic conditions are poised to remain uncertain which hampers consumer confidence. (Mintel 2009) 3.2 Music Market Industry Key Points/Findings The music industry has changed in recent years due to the major rise in downloadable content which is seen as more appropriate due to the rise of the portable media player as well as it being much easier for consumers to get hold of music, by simply downloading. The following will outline some key findings from the Music Industry which Apple iTunes operate within. * The music market for digital download retailers market share will continue to grow with many new entrants looking to move into the market where Apple iTunes dominate by offering digital rights management (DRM) free tracks. (Mintel 2009) * The Dominance of iTunes will remain until new entrants are established. (Mintel 2009) Over recent years ever since the download revolution began there has been one major retailer, iTunes. They have been seen as a threat to major music labels, to counter this threat major labels have granter DRM free tracks to many other retailers to encourage completion in the market place. This move looks to have changed the market place in the future by allowing the consumer to have more choice where they choose to purchase/download there music. (Harvey 2009) 3.2 Competitors It is vitally important when analysing the market which Apple iTunes operate within to outline their competitors. Many different competitors can affect Apples performance within the market, the competitors can be categorised into direct, close, substitute or indirect competitors. It is vitally important to analyse all of these competitors because they will all affect Apple iTunes in some aspect. As you can see from (Appendix 5) it shows all of the possible competitors within the industry, Apple in 2008 had a market share of 80% Apple the market leader with an 80 per cent market share (Lynch 2009) which means there are at least 25 firms who are in (Appendix 5) and many other firms battling it out for the remaining 20% of the market. Apple have been able to gain such a large market share with little or no competition due the agreement they had with the major record labels such as Sony/BMG, Vivendi Universal, Warner and EMG up until 2007 Apple were the market leaders and were starting to begin to dictate prices to the record labels which began to make them worried that they had originally given away to much to Apple iTunes. The record companies realised that Apple had gained dominance of the music on-line delivery industry and could dictate prices to the record companies. As a result, the record companies decided to drop DRM completely and encourage other delivery companies to enter the industry they needed some competition for Apple. (Lynch 2009) Once DRM free music began to be readily available it enticed many new businesses into the market, in the table in (Appendix 5) you can see the many firms who have seen how successful iTunes has been and they would like to gain some of the success which Apple has created for itself with iTunes. Direct competitors are those who offer a very similar service to what iTunes offers firms such as Amazon, HMV Digital, and Tesco Digital are all looking to break the dominance of Apple by offering a similar service but by offering the tracks at much cheaper price, due to them wanting to break into the industry. While Apple raised prices, competitors cut theirs. Amazon, the online retailer, cut the price of many of its top-selling music downloads on Monday to 29p as it competes for a larger share of the digital music market. (Ahmed 2009) Close competition are businesses which offer a similar service to what iTunes offers but are not in direct completion, these are firms such as subscription based services of Napster, Sky Songs and eMusic as well as bundled download services run by both Nokia and Omnifone which are Comes With Music and Music Station respectively as well as services run by the major mobile networks within the UK such as O2 and Orange. Competition which is classed as substitutes to the service which iTunes offers are firms which offer a different service to iTunes but could be used instead by potential customers. These are businesses such as Spotify and We7 who offer free music for users but the service contains many adverts which make the service free, the revenue is all advertisement driven. Also substitute services are business which use the latest web technology which is streaming, firms such as YouTube, MySpace Music and Last.fm are all services which are free and legal allow users to listen to music online but not actually download and put onto a portable media player, such as the iPod. New services like Spotify give us hope for the future, but physical sales continue to fall and even digital services struggle to compete with free illegal music. (Mostrous 2010) Substitute services such as Spotify which are free to the consumer may the future of music as they offer a service which costs nothing and is legal. Indirect competition, is a service which is completely different to what is offered by iTunes. Sony has started to promote and sell the e-book reader, which is a similar idea to the iPod but instead of music allows users to download books and read them on a screen. It seems the traditional gift wrapped tome is being trumped by downloads, after Amazon customers bought more e-books than printed books for the first time on Christmas Day. The department store chain John Lewis highlighted the popularity of e-readers this Christmas, reporting a jump in sales of Sonys eBook readers. (Allen 2009) The music market when from physical music CDs etc to digital downloads, now the book market looks to go a similar way by offering the user to read books in a digital format. 4. Macro Environmental Factors The macro environment is the major external and uncontrollable factors that have an influence on the organisations ability to make decisions and also can affect the strategy and the performance. The macro environment looks to include many factors such as economic, legal, social, political and technological changes. (Grant 2005) Included in the following section of the report a PESTEL analysis will be carried out of Apple iTunes which is a framework which looks at the macro environmental factors any business faces in the external environment, also an industry life cycle will be carried out. 4.1 PESTEL Analysis This model is a way of looking at Apple iTunes macro environment; it looks at the six key factors of the external environment, Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal. The following section of the report will use this framework to look at the key factors effecting Apple iTunes in the macro environment. (Masterson 2004) Firstly, political this looks at if there are any pressures from the government or associated bodies, also any potential pressure from other business such as the major record labels such as Sony/BMG in Apple iTunes case. A breakthrough occurred when Apple iTunes made a deal with the record industry in 2002 which revolutionised the music industry. For the first time it was possible to download music for a payment without the problems of DRM which had become frustrating for consumers. By 2008 iTunes was the market leader with a massive market share of 80%, before this in 2007 the major record companies began to realise they had given away too much to Apple. iTunes had gained dominance in the market and were in a position to dictate prices to the record companies, this had the result in record companies dropping DRM and encouraging new entrants into the market to compete with Apple iTunes. The first two new entrants which tried to break up the dominance of iTunes were Nokia and Amazon. (Lynch 2009) Censorship can cause a great deal of problems for a service such as iTunes, in the build up to the Olympic Games in Beijing, China iTunes was selling on its iTunes Store a Tibetan album. Due to the political unrest between Tibet and China, the Chinese government blocked the use of the iTunes Store Parts of iTunes are blocked in China; access to iTunes store is completely restricted in the majority of China. (Branigan 2008) Next is Economic, which looks at how Apple iTunes will be affected by the macroeconomic environment. The UK economy still remains in a recession which has effects for all of Apple iTunes potential customers within the UK market, consumers are unlikely to be willing to purchase luxury goods such as the music iTunes offer within its online store. This is due to levels of disposable income is not at the levels of previous times, also due to low levels of disposable income Apple iTunes will see very few new customers as people who have not experienced downloading music before may not even have a computer so will not go out and purchase one in these times. Although many experts believe the UK economy will begin to show some growth in the near future, the economy will still be in a recession, officially the recession has not yet ended. Analysts believe that fourth quarter figures will show the economy returning to growth. (BBC Business News 2009) It is extremely important for Apple to be a ware of the economic factors within the macro environment. Thirdly social, this looks at the demographics and the trends within the market which Apple iTunes operate within. This part of the PESTLE analysis will outline a few key trends which detail the market place Apple iTunes operate within. * 16-24 year olds are more likely to favour downloading music.(Mintel 2009) * Over 45s are less likely to download, due to being concerned about quality and equipment and compatibility issues, this is linked to the understanding of technical development, also unsure what is legal and what is not. (Mintel 2009) * The amount of Internet usage is a massive influence on consumers views. (Mintel 2009) The above trends allow Apple iTunes to target certain sectors of the market place, they would look to continue to target their products to the 16-24 market place, but would look to develop a bigger customer group within the over 45s by possibly educating these customers on how iTunes works. Next is Technological, technology is changing constantly at an unprecedented rate and has created many opportunities which Apple iTunes have adopted. The broadband revolution has meant a facility has been created for consumers to access music at a reduced price compared to standard hard copy media. Also continued innovation by Apple for new products, such as the lasts iPhone 3GS has meant more people are using the iTunes service, fastest, most powerful iPhone yet the 3GS (Blake 2009) The Music industry has radically changed in the last couple of years due to technology, thanks to the increasing penetration of broadband, which has made it increasingly convenient for music lovers to buy via the web, this has the effect of promoting digital downloads. Environmental is the fifth factor of the PESTEL framework this looks at the how the performance of Apple iTunes effects the environment which they operate within. Apple is aware of the environmental factors within the industry and is trying to offset the damages they cause, We account for everything, including out products. Apple reports environmental impact comprehensively, we do this by focusing on our products what when we design them, what happens when we make them and what happens when you take them home and use them. (Apple Environment 2010) Apple seems to be very aware about that negative impacts of production and of consumers using their products, they are aware of the need for themselves to be socially responsible. Finally legal, this is a massive aspect for a firm such as Apple iTunes as there are many legal aspects to how they operate within the market place. Also it is important they are aware of the illegal actions potential customers carry out within the market. Illegal downloads is continuing to grow despite the many actions carried out across the industry, The issue of illegal downloading remains a problem that is set to persist. Although various efforts are being made by those in the sector to minimise the problem there is no easy solution. (Mintel 2007) Below are two key findings for the UK market which Apple iTunes need to be aware of as it shows that UK consumers are attracted to the prospect of illegal downloads. * Consumers favour illegal downloads due to their lack of cost. * Heavy downloaders are further encourages to continue by the lack of legislation against file sharing from the authorities. (Mintel 2007) 4.2 Industry Life Cycle The industry life cycle is the supply-side equivalent of the product life cycle; it is made up of four key phases, Introduction (Emergence), Growth, Maturity and Decline. There are two main factors which are fundamental which lead to industry evolution; they are demand growth and the creation and diffusion of knowledge. Demand growth is when the life cycle and the changes with in it are defined primarily by changes in an industries growth rate over time. The second major driving force of the industry life cycle is knowledge. New knowledge in the form of production innovation is responsible for an industrys creation. The dual process of both knowledge creation and knowledge diffusion is to exert a major influence on industry evolution. (Grant 2005) Apple iTunes are positioned on the industry life cycle on the maturity stage, (Appendix 4) they have just entered the maturity stage from experiencing rapid growth to be the market leaders in digital music distribution. They show many of the characteristics of the maturity stage, they are dealing with the mass market having many millions of customers although they need to be aware that potential customers now are begging to become more sensitive to price due to the current economic climate but more so due to the ever increasing competition of price within the market place. The omnipresent iTunes has triumphed over its digital-market competition, providing three-quarters of the online sales in the market. But it isnt the only show in town: there is a huge amount of competition, not just on the service offered but mainly on the price which music is sold for. (Robin 2008) Other characteristics which show that Apple iTunes are in the maturity stage are that they are introducing new produ cts that are continually being innovative by adapting the iTunes service, such as adding additions to the iTunes Store and extra features. 5. Micro Environmental Factors The Micro Environment factors are that what affects an organisations immediate area of operations. It affects the decision making and the overall performance of the business; the factors which it looks at are customers, distribution channels and competitors. (Grant 2005) In this section of the report I will look to adapt the porters five forces model which will then be applied to Apple iTunes, which will allow for analysing the five key forces that shape the industry. 5.1 Porters 5 Forces Porters five forces analysis helps firms to analyse the strength of competitive threats and is particularly useful to Apple iTunes as it allows them to analyse the competitive environment. The model focuses on the competition and the bargaining power in the supply chain suppliers through to customers. The model is made up of five forces they are threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and the industry competitors. (Masterson 2004) Firstly threat of new entrants this looks at the activities of potential competitors as well as existing competitors within the market place. In 2007 the major record labels began to realise that they had given iTunes too much power over the digital music market and were able to dictate the price they wanted to pay to the major record labels, Apple iTunes was now the biggest firm in the industry with over 80% of the market. As a result, the record companies decided to drop DRM completely and encourage other delivery companies to enter the industry they needed some competition for Apple. (Lynch 2009) DRM free tracks were introduced to create new entrants into the market, which it has succeeded in doing which has meant Apple iTunes now has many major competitors to its dominance. iTunes have the highest market share in the industry at present and due to the increased competition that has developed but they still have not taken away iTunes dominance, new firms who come into the market must be aware that the only way they are going to be successful is if they are innovative. Also to prevent new entrants into the market iTunes has the power to set a price for its downloads at whatever it sees fit due to how successful and respected the Apple brand is, this price may be lower than what new firms into the market may be able to afford which would prevent them from competing in the market. Next is the bargaining power of Apple iTunes suppliers this will look at the relationships developed between the record labels and how these relationships have changed over time. iTunes suppliers are the record labels such as such as Universal, Sony, Warner Music and EMI, in 2009 they believed that they could make more money out of the industry by making iTunes charge more for the tracks which they sell in there iTunes store. Apple were made to charge 99p for their highest price track, the music labels insisted that it would be in Apples interest for future development of the industry as it would mean more revenue to be available to promote new artists and prevent piracy. Apple iTunes caved in to pressure from the record companies and introduced variable pricing yesterday, raising the top price for a song to 99p. (Ahmed 2009) Originally before the record industry decided to offer DRM free tracks, iTunes were the only business in the market and they had complete control over the recor d labels and could charge the prices they wanted. But now due to the increased competition the record labels want to create iTunes now have to listen to their suppliers more, and sometimes take on board what they recommend even if they dont believe it will have a positive impact on their business. Thirdly is the bargaining power of the buyers these are customers who use the Apple iTunes service; this will look at what power the customers have over iTunes. iTunes is the largest service online which offers users the ability to download digital music, but customers within the UK are extremely price sensitive especially in this current economic climate where currently the UK is in recession (BBC Business News 2009) When services such as Amazon are offering users the chance to download identical digital music tracks which are DRM free for 29p compared to iTunes 99p consumers may wish to use Amazons service rather than iTunes. Amazon, the online retailer, cut the price of many of its top-selling music downloads on Monday to 29p as it competes for a larger share of the digital music market. (Ahmed 2009) The next force which the model looks at is the threat of substitutes within the market, the market is full of competitors but the majority are very similar to the service which iTunes offers its customers. The threat of substitutes though is great, due to the industry which iTunes operates within. Technology is ever developing, if a new firm was to enter the market and adapt new technology which no other firm had looked at, they would be an innovative service which may be looked upon by consumers as something different and one which they may want to try and use on a regular basis. It is vitally important that Apple iTunes continues to innovate by introducing new ideas and features to its products so that they continue to be the market leaders. As with Amazon in the Ahmed 2009 article, iTunes were persuaded to increase their prices even though Amazon who are trying to gain a foothold into the market continued to have their prices 70p cheaper per track, which could lead Amazon becoming a substitute to the service which iTunes offers. (Ahmed 2009) Finally the inter rivalry of competitors this looks at various factors such as competitive edge, price wars and the market growth rate etc. The digital music market is highly competitive; the market is growing very rapidly. The main aspect of the market is that every business within the market are selling the same digital music to which iTunes are offering all at different prices, this is due the record labels introducing DRM free tracks to create competition for iTunes within the music download market. iTunes are not the cheapest within the market place but have been able to develop a brand image which has led them to major success, they are the market leaders and continue to innovate new successful products. 6. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a general management tool, which consists of four main factors. Two of which are internal factors which look at the micro environment they are the strengths and weaknesses of Apple iTunes. Whilst the other two factors are external to the business looking at the macro environment they are the opportunities and threats of the industry Apple iTunes operates within and are unable to change. Strength is something that iTunes has or something that it carries out, that is considerably better than its competitors. iTunes is a service which is owned and run by Apple; they are a very successful company who have developed many different products such as computers and in more recent years the leading portable media player the iPod. (Apple 2010) The strength of their brand image and its loyal band of customers has meant that iTunes has been able to build on the success of previous products to ensure that Apple iTunes is a success. Relationships were created with the leading record labels early on in the development of iTunes so that they could become the industry leaders in the market; by 2008 they had 80% of the market. (Lynch 2009) The strengths of iTunes are that it is a service offered by a business which has already had major success in the market place with the leading digital music player the iPod, users who have an iPod automatically use iTunes to put music onto their pl ayer which has meant they have been massively successful. Weaknesses are parts of iTunes that are worse than the competition within the market or aspects of iTunes which they could improve upon. iTunes have been forced by record labels to make the cost of using their service higher than many of its competitors; iTunes highest price for the latest music in the charts is 99p where as the main competitor which is Amazon has their highest track at 79p. Amazon is already in second place in terms of market share for digital music, although it started its service only 18 months ago. (Ahmed 2009) In recent times it is believed that Apple are worried that they may be close to market saturation in the future due to not seeing any increase in the sales of their digital music player the iPod which is the hardware which is directly linked to iTunes. Traders were worried by news that iPod sales were no higher than in the previous year. It is vitally important that Apple continue to innovate new products to continue the dominance of Apple iTunes. (Clark 2 008) Opportunities are developments in the external environment which iTunes could look to adapt into their business to improve the service which they offer to their customers. Technology is ever developing and Apple iTunes continually need to be aware of the developments so they are early adopters and can implement the changes into the services they offer their customers. Recently iTunes has developed new features such as television episodes, video and applications which have been added to the iTunes service. But the next opportunity which they could look to adopt is the potential to read books, magazines and newspapers on say for example the latest iPod. Apple is believed to be looking into this, following the market leaders Sony into this market. There are electronic reading devices in existence already, such as Sonys e-Reader and Amazons Kindle. But, publishers hope the unquestioned design talents of Apple will ensure that its latest product is the vehicle that enables them to transfo rm their business models. After all, the iPod has converted millions to the idea of paying to download songs and, to a degree, has revived the music industry, becoming the worlds largest music retailer in the process. (Burrell 2010) Threats are something that is going on in Apple iTunes external environment which is likely to cause them potential future problems. Apple iTunes have been hit by the increasing problem of illegal downloading, which had the effect of devaluing the music for an entire generation of youth. It is estimated that over 95% of all music downloaded is done via illegal methods, which means the music industry and services such as iTunes lose out on the revenue gained by these potential extra sales. Despite strong growth in digital music sales, the industry body for world music estimated that more than 95% of downloaded music was not paid for. (Mostrous 2010) 7. Future Success for Apple iTunes There are many factors involved when discussing if there is potential for future success for Apple iTunes, the report above has look at the industry/market which Apple iTunes operate within and then used that analysis to look at both the micro and macro environment using various models to analyse the prospect of future success for Apple iTunes. There are many factors involved when discussing if there is potential for future success for Apple iTunes, in January 2009 the BPI predicted that the UK spend over  £600 million on digital music in 2012. (Mintel 2009) This should allow Apple iTunes to see that there is still some potential growth within the market even though Apple are worried that they may be close to saturation within the market, due to the sales of the iPod not increasing from 2008 to 2009. Continually there seems to be growth within the industry from 2004-2009 at a massive rate of 340%, (Appendix 2) this rate increase over that period is not going to be sustainable into the future in the current market place due the increased competition and the increased level of illegal downloading activity. iTunes should be aware of this, but if there are more and more successful artists being introduced into the industry there is still potential for more growth in the market for Apple iTunes. DRM free tracks introduced into the market in 2007 meant that Apple had gone from being the only major player in the market, to an industry which now has hundreds of competitors. This meant consumers had much more choice of where they should purchase there digital music from. The record companies realised that Apple had gained dominance of the music on-line delivery i

Essay --

In Iris Murdoch’s â€Å"Morality and Religion† the author, an English novelist, makes many arguments that writers can either agree with or disagree. She talks about morality and religion and the philosophy behind the two. Murdoch’s main argument is whether there can be morality without religion. She asserts her view of morality and religion by defining religion, explaining the differences between the two while questioning both, and analyzing virtue and duty. By comparing and contrasting morality and religion she makes her view ambivalent and complex therefore letting her readers decide whether or not religion is necessary for morality. While some writers extend Murdoch’s claims other writers like Aristotle complicate her view of religion and morality. Iris Murdoch starts her argument by stating that â€Å"there is only one way to acquire religion and that is through being taught it as a small child† (363). She sees religion as something that can only be attained when one is a child. She then claims that â€Å"people who take up religion as adults are merely playing at it† (Murdoch 363). By stating this, the question of whether there can be morality without religion comes into mind. If religion is needed to have morals and religion can only be attained as children that would mean that adults who weren’t raised religious don’t have morals since they are only â€Å"playing at it†. But if religion doesn’t define whether people have morals then that shows how religion isn’t necessary for someone to be moral. Murdoch is basically stating that people who take up religion as adults don’t truly know the meaning of faith and religion yet that doesn’t necessarily mean they donâ⠂¬â„¢t have any morals. A writer that complicates Murdoch’s claim is Basil Mitchell, autho... ...iveness is important to religion and it is the duty of people to forgive in religion therefore there is a relationship between both. Murdoch separates religion and duty but Lauritzen complicates her view by explaining how duty comes from religion and forgiveness is an example of that. In Iris Murdoch’s â€Å"Morality and Religion† the author questions whether or not religion is necessary for morality. She is very ambivalent with her answer as she explains the similarities and differences between morality and religion but never specifically choosing one side. Many writers extend and complicate Murdoch’s arguments but only for readers to get a better understanding of both concepts. This is significant because it helps readers better understand morality and religion and they can decide for themselves whether religion is necessary for morality or if morality is just natural. Essay -- In Iris Murdoch’s â€Å"Morality and Religion† the author, an English novelist, makes many arguments that writers can either agree with or disagree. She talks about morality and religion and the philosophy behind the two. Murdoch’s main argument is whether there can be morality without religion. She asserts her view of morality and religion by defining religion, explaining the differences between the two while questioning both, and analyzing virtue and duty. By comparing and contrasting morality and religion she makes her view ambivalent and complex therefore letting her readers decide whether or not religion is necessary for morality. While some writers extend Murdoch’s claims other writers like Aristotle complicate her view of religion and morality. Iris Murdoch starts her argument by stating that â€Å"there is only one way to acquire religion and that is through being taught it as a small child† (363). She sees religion as something that can only be attained when one is a child. She then claims that â€Å"people who take up religion as adults are merely playing at it† (Murdoch 363). By stating this, the question of whether there can be morality without religion comes into mind. If religion is needed to have morals and religion can only be attained as children that would mean that adults who weren’t raised religious don’t have morals since they are only â€Å"playing at it†. But if religion doesn’t define whether people have morals then that shows how religion isn’t necessary for someone to be moral. Murdoch is basically stating that people who take up religion as adults don’t truly know the meaning of faith and religion yet that doesn’t necessarily mean they donâ⠂¬â„¢t have any morals. A writer that complicates Murdoch’s claim is Basil Mitchell, autho... ...iveness is important to religion and it is the duty of people to forgive in religion therefore there is a relationship between both. Murdoch separates religion and duty but Lauritzen complicates her view by explaining how duty comes from religion and forgiveness is an example of that. In Iris Murdoch’s â€Å"Morality and Religion† the author questions whether or not religion is necessary for morality. She is very ambivalent with her answer as she explains the similarities and differences between morality and religion but never specifically choosing one side. Many writers extend and complicate Murdoch’s arguments but only for readers to get a better understanding of both concepts. This is significant because it helps readers better understand morality and religion and they can decide for themselves whether religion is necessary for morality or if morality is just natural.

A Farewell to Arms Essay

The two novels The Grapes of Wrath & A Farewell to Arms both contain a main character who shares some of the same qualities depicting how they live their lives. The Grapes of Wrath, written in 1939 involves the character known as Tom Joad; A Farewell to Arms has a very similar character in ways that might not be open to the public eye known as Frederic Henry. Written by Ernest Hemingway in 1928, A Farewell to Arms discusses the reality of war, the relationship between love and pain, and the feeling of losing someone whom which you care for greatly. Written by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath describes a man’s ability to want to survive. The book also talks about how Tom Joad transforms throughout the book into a different man. Tom Joad and Frederic Henry I believe both have a sort of unselfishness to them and how they go about life. After Tom was released from jail after 4 years he began devoting his time and energy to the present moment in every single and separate day. Tom began caring for other people first and always putting himself second. Henry exhibits the same type of characteristic I feel because after his experience in war he felt as if all he was doing was completing his duty for which he should get no type of praise or recognition for it. Tom and Frederic both share an unconditional feeling of love for someone. You can see how much Tom truly loves his family because he did anything he could to keep everyone together and to get the whole family to where they were trying to get to. Frederic on the other hand is deeply in love with Catherine. Because of how Hemingway narrates Henrys feelings for Catherine you can really see that his feelings are pure and honest. Both Tom and Frederic had to deal with the loss of a loved one. When Casy was murdered by a policeman, Tom turned around and killed the policeman. What he did was not necessarily the right thing to do nor was it the wrong thing to do. But in  his situation he didn’t know how else to deal with it, so he did what came natural to him. Frederic however lost the women of his dreams and went into a state of depression you might say. He had no friends or family and he was caught in a time of extreme loneliness. They Both lost someone who they cared the world of and still managed to stay on path even if it took them a little while to do so. The Grapes of Wrath and A Farewell to Arms contain two characters who I believe are very similar protagonist. They are both characters whom which the reader can feel for no matter who the reader is. Tom and Frederic are unselfish, caring men, who have the mentality to keep their eyes on the prize and keep doing what they set out to do. A farewell to arms Essay Ernest Hemmingway’s A Farewell to Arms is an examination of war, loyalty, desertion, love and loss. His novel tells the story of an American, Fredric Henry, serving in the Italian army during World War I. Using a first person narrative we witness the horrors of war, the beauty of love, and the pain of loss. While the novel is fiction there are many similarities to Hemmingway’s life, which he uses as inspiration in his work. These experiences add substance to his tale of love in a time of war. The story is broken into five books, each covering a different aspect of narrative structure. The first book is an excellent example building the exposition of a story, beginning with Lieutenant Henry describing the village where his unit is stationed. Through Henry’s eyes Hemmingway describes the beauty of the village and the neighboring countryside. He also alludes to the impending conflict that is soon to ravage the land, detailing the men and equipment that come through the streets. Book one also introduces love affair of the two central characters of the story; Fredric Henry, an American serving as a Lieutenant with the Italian Army and Catherine Barkley, an English working in the local hospital. Their relationship develops quickly but is just as quickly tested when Henry is severely injured in battle. Book Two continues to build on the love affair between Henry and Catherine. After Henry is moved away from the front to an American hospital, where he is soon reunited Catherine and they resume their affair. Henry is faced with the not only major surgery and a long recovery, but also having to hide his relationship with Catherine. Elements of both Henry and Catherine’s personalities are fleshed out in greater detail. Henry is a fairly aloof man. He does not care much for the war and he is not interested in the merits or the glory of war; however he is a good and dedicated soldier. Catherine is very submissive toward Henry. She often gives control of the relationship to Henry, becoming almost co-dependent. As their time together increases Henry finds himself growing more and more dedicated to his relationship to Catherine. As the fall arrives Henry is faced with two new major complications; he must return to the battle front and Catherine is now pregnant. Henry being a man of honor promises his love to Catherine and that we will not desert her. Henry moves onto the front where things will go from bad to worse. Henry is moved back to the front and he begins to see how the war has changed not only the countryside but those around him as well. Because Henry is not Italian he does not feel the same sense of loyalty those around him feel and he begins to question his duty to the war efforts. His summer with Catherine has given Henry a new outlook on life and a different cause to commit to. This adds to the rising conflict of the story as now Henry is back in harm’s way and will soon see thing that will change his perception of war and his life and force him to make a choice that will change his life. The main crisis of the story is in Book Three. Not long after returning to the fight the Italian defenses are broken and the army is ordered to retreat. Henry must take his ambulances and drivers across the Italian country side to the rally point. As they trek through the ravaged landscape Henry begins to see the war as being hopeless and his thoughts move toward being with Catherine once again. During the retreat Henry is forced to kill another soldier for not obey an order. He also sees as one of his men is killed by fellow Italian soldiers. These two events cause Henry to detach completely from his duties as an officer. The story reaches the climax as Henry is being separated from his men and about to be executed. No longer feeling any commitment to the cause and knowing that he will be shot simply for being an officer Henry decides to flee and start his new life with Catherine. After escaping execution and reuniting with Catherine, Henry realizes that he longer has any associations to the war in Italy and is dedicated only to Catherine. The couple makes their way into Switzerland to begin a life and await the birth of their child. It is in this time that the story takes a moment for pause, almost as a build up for one final crisis. It is nearly 3:00 AM and Catherine has started going into labor, and this is where the final crisis comes in to play. As Catherine goes through hours of intense labor, Henry can only stand by and watch. He prays to God for her safety. He prays for the safety of the one thing he holds dear. He asks for the protection of the center of his universe, Catherine. The baby is delivered still born and Catherine dies shortly after. Henry says his final good byes to Catherine but they bring him no peace. He sees no purpose in their deaths, simply an event he was powerless to stop. He is left with nothing but a walk back to the hotel in the rain, bringing the story to its conclusion. Hemmingway’s tale of war, love and loss carefully uses each book of his story to bring all the narrative elements into play. The first two books build the exposition and set up the rising action. He uses book three to set the final crisis and bring about the climax. Book Four brings the action down to set up for the tragic conclusion in Book Five. A Farewell to Arms Essay â€Å"A writer’s job is to tell the truth† ? Ernest Hemingway. This quote means that it is a writer’s job to convey some sort of truth or accuracy to the reader. I agree. This is shown in the novel, A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway through the setting and characterization in the novel. It is also shown in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee through the themes and setting of the novel. In the war novel, A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway demonstrates that it is a writer’s job to convey some sort of truth to the reader through the setting of the novel. This novel takes place during a time of war and shows what war is like, realistically. For a war novel, there is not a lot of fighting but instead more of getting from one place to another and the situations that occur in the interim. This portrays a truth to the reader because it shows how war is in reality and that it is not all death and destruction. Hemingway expresses the emotions of the characters accurately for time of war and conditions or situations the characters are put into. The author shows us the characters interact with each other and how they deal with the war surrounding them. For example, in Book III of the novel, the priest says that people that summer finally realized the war and that people were gentler because they had been beaten. This, truthfully, shows how war affects people and their emotions because it shows how they are disappointed. Through the setting of the play, Hemingway tells the truth by stating that people are â€Å"trapped biologically† because of their setting and the fact that it is human condition. In the novel, Frederic feels trapped because of Catherine’s pregnancy. In the novel, A Farwell to Arms, the author establishes that a writer’s job is to deliver accuracy and truth to the audience of the piece of work through characterization in the novel. Hemingway shows the reader what war can do to a person. He shows this through Frederic’s personality and his change throughout the story. Frederic went from an innocent man who joined the army because he was in Italy at the time and spoke the language and after a lot of experience becomes cynical. This work of literature also shows how war can be dehumanizing on an individual. In Book III, Frederic shoots at a sergeant and thinks nothing of killing another human being because that’s what occurs in war. Another way that the author tells truth in this novel is by showing that some characters keep their morals and human values. For example, in Book III, Frederic stops his fellow officers from harassing the two young girls who needed a ride. During the war times, most men did not have respect for their fellow people but Hemingway shows the reader that a select few fight to keep their morals straight. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee confirms that a writer’s job is to tell the reader the truth through the themes of this novel. One theme of this novel is racism; the townspeople are prejudice towards Tom Robinson because he’s black. Even though, many know and believe that he is innocent and he did not rape Mayella they still blame him and find him guilty in court. Another theme of this novel, that shows truth as well, is the coexistence of good and bad. Harper Lee shows his reader that in his story, just like it is in the real world, good and bad exists. The good in this story is Atticus and him trying to fight for Tom and stands up for him as his attorney to show he supports him even though the town turns against him and he knows he can’t win. The bad in this story is racism and inequality. The author of this novel conveys a lot of truth because these problems still occur to this day in real life situations. Another important theme that expresses truth to us from the author is innocence and the loss of that innocence. When the novel begins, Scout and Jem seem very innocent to the evil in the world, mostly because they had not ever witnessed it. After they see the racism, prejudice and unjust treatment that are put onto many characters they start to lose that childlike innocence. This is a strong truth, to this day. Young innocent people are losing and missing out on a lot because of their environment and surroundings. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author shows the audience that the writer’s job is to distribute the truth to the reader through, the literary element, of setting. This story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is home to many complacent, racist and prejudice people. The people of Maycomb try to ignore the truth that is plain to see by not acting on it. They let people in the town, who may be of different skin color like Tom Robinson, be stepped on and treated unfairly just because of his skin tone while many of the people of the town know he is innocent. During the course of the novel, the Great Depression is occurring. This sets the stage for poverty to be a strong point in this story. The characters make this a separation element. Another factor of setting that expresses truth in this novel being in the South in these days. The South had many rules and segregation laws concerning black citizens and white citizens. This caused an increase in the racism. As shown above, the two novels, A Farewell to Arms and To Kill A Mockingbird, both have many literary elements that help the author to express truth in his/her literary work. Some of these literary elements were setting, characterization and theme among many others. A farewell to arms Essay Hemingway bases most of his books on events that he has experienced. Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms is a book about war, identity, and individualism. His style of using in media res, character, and dialogue, and how he splits the book into five parts, changes the way readers interpret the book. Ernest Hemingway lived through World War I and World War II. During World War I, Hemingway wanted to join the American army, but he was not accepted into it because of his eye sight. Since he wanted to help in the war effort, he moved to Italy to become a Red Cross ambulance driver. During this time, he was severely injured in the legs by enemy mortar fragments. His time in Italy influenced much of his book, A Farewell to Arms. War is a reoccurring theme in the novel. The main character Frederic realizes more and more of how bad war really is throughout the story. One critic, Schneider, said, â€Å"War is not glamorized†¦ Instead, it is presented in a very real and horrifying fashion from the perspective of the ambulance driver† (Telgen 179). In the book Hemingway wrote, â€Å"I wiped my hand on my shirt and another floating light came very slowly down and I looked at my leg and was very afraid† (Hemingway 56). At this point in the novel, Frederic starts to realize the realities of war. Another critic, Markley, said, â€Å"It’s still a game to him† (Bloom 174). Near the middle of the book, Frederic and his fellow soldiers retreat from Caporetto. It this section, Frederic is fully awakened to the horrors of war, and sees it in a completely different way. Identity plays a big role in Frederic’s character. According to Schneider, â€Å"Frederic’s identity is displaced by the late introduction of his name to the reader, the fact of his being an American in the Italian Army, and his constant play with words† (Telgen 177). In the novel, the narrator, Frederic, is not introduced until the fourth chapter, and the jokes he tries to make in the story don’t translate well into Italian. This shows how Frederic’s identity sticks out compared to the rest of the soldiers. Another critic, Waldhorn, said, â€Å"Frederic Henry absorbs what others teach, then acts at last on his own resolve. His situation is again different, however, for he has no wholly exemplary male figure before him. † (Waldhorn 118). Throughout the novel, Rinaldi influences Frederic until the climax. Rinaldi is the one who introduced him to Catherine, and along with Catherine, he was the one that was there for him when he was injured. At the climax, Frederic doesn’t listen to Rinaldi, and deserts the army for Catherine. This shows that Frederic’s identity became clearer throughout the novel. He ends up doing what he feels is the right thing to do. Individualism is shown mostly by Rinaldi, a surgeon and a friend of Frederic. Schneider said, â€Å"For example, Rinaldi has the satisfaction of having become a better surgeon through practice. He is also better with women for the same reason. † (Telgen 178). In the novel, Frederic says that there is more to life than women and being a surgeon, Rinaldi says, â€Å"Go to hell† (Hemingway 13). This shows that those two things are very important to Rinaldi, and that he doesn’t like it when others say bad things about it. Hemingway opens the story in the middle of World War I. According to Markley, â€Å"A Farewell to Arms opens in media res – literally, in the middle of the thing† (Broom 172). In the beginning paragraph of A Farewell to Arms, it says, In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leave fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers marching and afterward the road bare and white except for the leaves. (Hemingway 3) In this paragraph, Hemingway describes the setting of the book, and starts off the book in the middle of World War I. Hemingway bases his characters from his experiences. According to Waldhorn, â€Å"What is perhaps most remarkable is the absolute trust Frederic inspires in his reliability as a narrator. Never again in a novel would Hemingway maintain the precisely appropriate distance between himself and a hero so like him. A perfect apprentice, Frederic blends admirably the familiar traits of the hurt, uprooted young man who must†¦ learn ‘how to live in it’† (Waldhorn 116). In the novel, the characterization of Frederic only reveals his thoughts and emotions. This style allows the reader to have their own thoughts on what Frederic looks like. Hemingway uses short and direct dialogue to tell the story. Another critic, Graham, said, â€Å"They are active, direct and, one might argue, uncomplicated people with an almost fatalistic acceptance of life†¦ There is nothing new to learn: even with the various cases, the characters simply observe†¦ While they seem to understand what they do and what goes on about them, they never seem to assimilate the knowledge† (Bender 19). In the novel, the length of the dialogue between the characters varies very little. This style of writing allows readers to have their own thoughts on what’s happening, not Hemingway’s, when reading, because readers interpret what the characters say in different ways. The form of the novel is broken up into five parts. Waldhorn said, â€Å"In large measure, Hemingway achieves his effect by correspondences. Each of the five paragraphs of the opening chapter, for example, is roughly proportional in length to each of the five books of the novel, and the pace anticipates the cadence of the novel as a whole† (Waldhorn 117). In the novel, the five parts are divided to represent the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. This set-up of the novel is like an English five-act play. Book one introduces the characters and situation; book two develops a romantic plot; book three is the climax, when Frederic deserts the army for Catherine; book four makes it seem as though Frederic and Catherine have successfully escaped the war; and book five is the tragic ending when Catherine dies. In conclusion, A Farewell to Arms is a book about war, identity, and individualism. His style of using in media res, character, and dialogue change the way readers interpret the book. Also, the five book structure of this novel splits the book similar to an English five act play. All of these factors plus parts of Hemingway’s life contribute to the final product, and play a big role in how the reader reads and interprets the content. Bibliography Bender, David, ed. Readings on Ernest Hemingway. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Oliver, Charles. Critical Companion to Ernest Hemingway. New York: Facts on File, Inc, 2007. Telgen, Diane, ed. Novels for Students. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Waldhorn, Arthur, ed. Ernest Hemingway. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1972. A farewell to arms Essay NAGARE ASHWINI TUKARAM 14110080SUMMARY: After a wintertime leave spent visiting the nation, the protagonist, Lieutenant Henry comes back to the captured town at the front where his unit lives. One night his flatmate, a specialist, and lieutenant in the Italian armed force named Rinaldi, acquaints Henry with two British medical caretakers: Catherine Barkley and her companion Helen Ferguson. Catherine and Henry discussion of the war and of her life partner, executed in battle the prior year; plainly she has been damaged by the experience. On his second visit to the British healing facility, they kiss. At the point when Henry again visits Catherine, she reveals to him that she adores him and asks whether he cherishes her. He reacts that he does. One night, Lieutenant Henry and his kindred emergency vehicle drivers sink into a burrow over the waterway from the foe troops. While the drivers are eating, the Austrian siege wounds Henry in the leg and murders one of the alternate drivers. Henry is transported via prepare to an American doctor’s facility in Milan. Catherine Barkley touches base at the healing center, to which she has been exchanged. By and by, she and Lieutenant Henry announce their affection for each other, after which they engage in sexual relations in the healing facility bed. Henry and Catherine spend the mid-year together while he recovers from an operation on his leg, going by eateries around Milan at night and afterward putting in evenings together. At summer’s end, be that as it may, Lieutenant Henry is requested back to the front, and Catherine discloses to him she is three months pregnant. On their last night together in Milan, Henry purchases a gun, and he and Catherine consume a space in a lodging. Not long after Lieutenant Henry’s arrival to the front, the Austrians (now joined by German troops) shell the Italian armed force and in the long run get through the lines close to the town of Caporetto. Henry and the other emergency vehicle drivers withdraw with whatever is left of the Italian powers in a long, moderate moving segment of troops and vehicles. They get two Italian architect sergeants. At last, the ambulances pull off the principal street. When one of the vehicles winds up noticeably stuck in the mud, the two sergeants decline to aid the push to unstick it and ignore Lieutenant Henry’s request to stay with the gathering. He discharges at them, injuring one; another rescue vehicle driver at that point utilizes Henry’s gun to complete the activity. Henry and the three drivers desert the ambulances and set out by walking for the Tagliamento River, crosswise over which lies security. Before long they spot German troopers out yonder. One driver is shot to death by kindred Italians discharging in mistake. Another driver escapes, to surrender to the Germans. At long last safe from the foe, Lieutenant Henry watches that Italian armed force officers like himself are being shot by the military police for forsaking their troops. He additionally fears being confused for a German covert agent. Thus he jumps into the Tagliamento River, betraying the Italian armed force, and swims shorewards downstream. Henry crosses some portion of the Venetian plain by walking, at that point sheets a moving train, covering up among weapons put away underneath a canvas. Frederic Henry touches base in Milan, in secret. Catherine Barkley and Helen Ferguson are truant from the healing center, having gone on vacation to the Italian resort town of Stresa. So, Henry makes a trip through prepare to Stresa, where he discovers Catherine and Helen. Finding late one night that Henry will be captured as a miscreant in the morning, Henry and Catherine rapidly get ready to escape into nonpartisan Switzerland. Through the stormy night, they go in a little, open watercraft crosswise over Lake Maggiore. The next day they are captured and quickly confined by Swiss authorities, after which they are discharged. Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley move into a chalet on a mountain above Montreaux and spend an ideal winter there. At winter’s end, they leave the mountains for an inn in Lausanne. At long last, Henry takes Catherine to the healing facility, where her child is stillborn. Catherine dies soon because of numerous hemorrhages. He tries to say goodbye to her, but it is like saying goodbye to a statue, and he walks back to his hotel room in the rain. INTRODUCTION World War I started in 1914 and finished on Nov. 11, 1918. Battled principally between the Triple Alliance forces of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Triple Entente nations of England, France, Russia, Italy, and the U.S. (Italy abandoned from the Triple Alliance in 1915; the U.S. joined the war in 1917), the Great War, as it was called, with its huge extension, modernized weaponry, and unclear political battle over land, destroyed to Europe’s scene and populace. Generally, 50% of the 70 million men and ladies serving in the war were slaughtered, harmed, or taken prisoner. A Farewell to Arms is significantly influenced by Hemingway’s own particular wartime encounter. Rejected from the U.S. armed force for his poor vision (which he later erroneously guaranteed was because of boxing), Hemingway’s assurance to join the war exertion landed him a post with the Red Cross as an emergency vehicle driver on the Italian front. He seized the opportunity to be a canteen supplier on the bleeding edges, giving out chocolate and cigarettes to the troops amid fight, and on July 8, 1918, he was hit in the leg by an Austrian mortar shell. Regardless of the injury, he figured out how to convey an Italian trooper to the close-by summon post. Be that as it may, automatic weapon discharge struck him in the knee and foot, and he was at the end sent to a doctor’s facility in Milan, Italy. Comparable damage comes to pass for Henry in the novel. Amid his recuperation, the 19-year-old Hemingway had an affair with an American Red Cross nurse seven years his senior, Agnes von Kurowsky. This experience aroused Henry’s sentiment with Catherine in the novel, however Hemingway in all probability decorated it; most researchers trust Agnes, a conferred nurture, never let him move past kissing and did not respond his extraordinary emotions. In spite of the fact that she didn’t kick the bucket amid the war, as Catherine does, Agnes, in the end, dismissed Hemingway through a letter. The painful emotions of a broken body and heart no doubt embittered Hemingway. CHARACTER SKETCH: Lieutenant Frederic Henry The hero and genuinely detached storyteller, Henry is a youthful American ambulance driver with the Italian armed force. Nonetheless, he doesn’t feel emphatical about the reason and unquestionably isn’t out for wonderfulness. He turns from the revulsions of war to an enthusiastic, dreamer relationship with Catherine Barkley, and the all-devouring adoration occupies him from the fierceness around him. All things considered, he is great at his activity; an even-tempered, unselfish man who practices beauty underweight when he is harmed and when he should shoot a forsaking designing officer, Henry satisfies the code of the â€Å"Hemingway legend.† He influences him â€Å"to isolate peace† when he concludes that he never again has any commitment to the armed force and that his devotion is to Catherine. Catherine Barkley A British Voluntary Aid Detachment, Catherine is in sorrow over her life partner’s current demise toward the begin of the novel. Henry offers an enticing bounce back, and she plunges into this new occupying love. She later concedes that she was marginally â€Å"insane† when she initially met Henry, and her conduct backs this up: she gives herself so promptly to a close odder, and her diversions of tease and prodding verge on the adolescent. Notwithstanding, she increases some measure of autonomy later on, as when she enables Henry to push the pontoon over the lake for their escape, however, she is ordinarily meek and anxious to please with Henry (though, surprisingly, so is he with her). Like Henry, she trusts the world is out to pulverize individuals’ satisfaction. THEMES: LOVE AS A RESPONSE TO HORRORS OF WAR AND WORLD Hemingway more than once underlines the horrendous destruction war has created for everybody included. From the opening record of cholera that executes â€Å"just† 7,000 men to the realistic depiction of the ordnance barrage to the degenerate brutality amid the Italian withdraw, A Farewell to Arms is among the most forthcoming against war books. Be that as it may, Hemingway does not only denounce war. Or maybe, he arraigns the world everywhere for its environment of devastation. Henry as often as possible reflects the world’s emphasis on breaking and slaughtering everybody; it is as though the world can’t stand to give anybody a chance to stay upbeat and safe. Surely, at whatever point Henry and Catherine are happy, something goes along to interfere with it – be it Henry’s damage, his being sent back to the front, his looming capture, or, at long last, Catherine’s passing from labor. With such hopelessness going up against them every step of the way, the two swing to each other. Catherine, particularly, dives too effortlessly into adoration when she initially meets Henry. She concedes she was â€Å"insane† at, to begin with, no doubt finished the genuinely late passing of her life partner, however Henry, as well, capitulates to the allurements of affection. Love is a pleasurable preoccupation (see Games, beneath) that occupies darlings from the outside world; the two regularly disclose to each other not to consider whatever else, as it is excessively excruciating. Covered up inside the safe house of Catherine’s delightful hair, Henry and Catherine feel shielded from the savage outside world. The significant issue with such idealist adore is, as Henry and different characters bring up a few times, one doesn’t generally know the â€Å"stakes† of affection until the point that it is finished, or that one doesn’t think about something until the point that one has lost it. Henry barely enables himself to consider existence without Catherine while he is infatuated, and once he loses her, it appears to be far-fetched that he will recuperate.

My Virtual Life Report Essay

Attachment is defined as the positive emotional bond that develops between a child and a particular individual. Of the four major patterns of attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganized-disoriented), I would consider Blair securely attached. Like other children who have a secure attachment pattern, Blair uses me, her mother, as a type of home base (Feldman, 2012). At 8 months Blair is cautious and shy in new situations. She has a typical fear of strangers but will eventually warm up somewhat to a new situation. Blair shows a strong preference for me over others. I am always talking and thinking about Blair. When my husband and I find time to go out, I find myself worrying and calling grandma to make sure she is doing all right. Set 2: 19 months-TEMPERAMENT Blair has a somewhat moderate activity level. She enjoys her quiet time activities, but she also loves climbing and exploring her environment. As far as sociability goes, I would say that Blair is more introverted. This means that she is less sociable (myvirtuallife. com, n. d. ). At 19 months she seemed to not like playing with the other kids at daycare and had a hard time warming up to anyone who she wasn’t super close to. I would consider Blair a slow-to-warm up child. She shows relatively calm reactions to her environment. She tends to be withdrawn from new situations, adapting slowly. Blair is pretty cooperative for the most part, but she sometimes resists me. She usually just whines and fusses and is not usually aggressive. Her self-control is very good, but one may say that she is somewhat emotional. When she gets upset it is sometimes hard for her to calm down. Blair has been fairly stable in terms of her temperament throughout the last 18 months. Blair’s goodness of fit is directly related to her temperament. When Blair was younger she was anxious with strangers. As parents, we are benefiting from the principle of goodness of fit by gradually introducing her to new people and situations (Feldman, 2012). Set 3: 30 months-PARENTING PHILOSOPHY â€Å"For cognitive development to occur, new information must be presented- by parents, teachers, or more skilled peers- within the zone of proximal development (Feldman 2012 p. 171). This, in other words, is when a child cannot completely perform a task independently but can do it with a bit of assistance from a more competent figure. This zone of proximal development is something I experience with Blair. At two years old she has got to pick out her tooth and hairbrush, but she still needs a bit of help with both operations. Another idea that Vygotsky believed in was the method of scaffolding. This is known as the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth (Feldman 2012). For example, sometimes Blair has a tough time communicating using her words.