No Good Friday by Athol Fugard Essay

In the play No Good Friday, the main character is Willie Seopolo, the scholar in the township. He has realized that although he is educated, he will be unable to advance socially and economically because of the colour of his skin. His dreams and hopes fade away as he realizes that they now mean nothing, it was a waste of time to dream in the first place. There is no social mobility and the blacks have no rights. He refuses to adopt this mentality and to accept fate. I prefer to view Willie as a tragic hero rather than a tragic figure. A tragic hero may be defined as an honourable character with a fatal flaw that eventually leads to his ruin. Willie’s fatal flaw was his desire to live a fair life without restrictions. He resented the fact that the whites were in control and wanted to be treated equally. He was admired by the people of Sophiatown for being educated. They looked up to him and held him in high esteem. Because he was educated he was able to view certain issues from a different perspective. Unlike the typical residents of Sophiatown who simply accepted their social reality, he stood for change and equality. From the beginning of the play it is noticed that Willie does not accept the status that the dominant whites have given to him. When Guy explains to Tobias how he must behave ‘yes baas, no bass, thank you bass even if he kicks you in the backside’ Willie gets upset and shouts ‘Stop it, damn you!’. It is evident that Willie is angry and discontented with his current position. Although he does not accept it, he has no choice but to live with it. As a result he feels an overwhelming unhappiness ‘loneliness melancholy, despair’. He made a mistake believing that education was an escape. He realizes that even if he is educated, he is no one because of his skin colour. This rude awakening brings across a feeling of anger and hopelessness â€Å"Bloody Ass! That’s what I think of B.A†. All that he ever hoped and dreamed for was impossible. He is sick of being intelligent because he knows it means nothing. After Tobais dies, Willie feels an overwhelming amount of guilt, shame and grief â€Å"I’m sick of my whole life. Everything!† The dreams that Tobias had for himself and his family reminded him of the dreams that he had when he was a child. He hated Tobias because he was full of dreams that would never be fulfilled. After Tobias’s funeral  it is almost as if Willie says farewell to his own hopes and dreams. He is unable to write to Tobias’s family, incapable of fulfilling his only purpose as being educated in a township. He is made more aware that the apartheid system is inevitable and even more unwilling to accept it. Willie then has a strong urge to do something about the situation. He is tired of seeing men with hopes and dreams carried out in coffins, he is tired of the oppression. He is aware that idea of going to the police would just bring about laughter but he does it anyway. He lets go of his pride with the false hope of achieving a goal. When the police simply laugh at Willie he is even more angered and frustrated by the situation. The police are Shark’s protectors and are only concerned with apartheid laws, not criminal laws. This is ironic in the sense that apartheid laws are criminal and inhumane. Willie’s stance does not fit into the social reality. His friends refuse to stand next to him against Shark. They see what he is doing but they do not accept it. They let Shark kill him and do not try to stand against him. Willie dies with the sense that he has nothing to live for and the hope that he will bring about a change. Willie does not view himself as a hero. Infact, rather than being a selfish hero, I view Willie as being a selfless tragic hero. He could not have been sacrificing his life for selfish motives because he would not benefit from them. He believed that it would serve as an awakening to those around him and maybe change their mentality. He may not have fulfilled his purpose as the mindset of the people in the township might not change, but he died with the idea that he would cause a change. For this reason Willie is a tragic hero. Fugard Athol, Township Plays, Introduction by Dennis Walder, Oxford University Press, United Kingdom, 1999

Nike Corporation Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nike Corporation Case Study - Essay Example When Nike sets a standard, the industry follows it like a tradition. In the consumer products industry there are two distinct marketing strategies. One is make to sell and the other is make to order. Everyone starts with the make to sell strategy by offering products they think should be bought by consumers. The focus is more on sales than on production. The risk is enormous and the fear of rejection is immense. With passage of time and a better knowledge of preferences manufacturing evolves towards the made to order strategy where the focus shifts to production capability and costs as the demand is now better known and the fear of rejection is almost eliminated. This now opens the avenues of larger markets including globalisation. To become a Global Player critical mass is a must for any multi-national company. This is the evaluation tool to find a company’s capability to survive both financially as well as exponentially. Global Distribution Network and economies of scale are the two key factors for ensuring success. Continuous availability of the product is a very important factor and this is possible by having a competent retail outlet set-up. Equally important is the supply chain and it must be geared up for local supplies at short notices. Lack of these facilities will result in loss of market and inhibit market penetration and dominance. In addition, achieving economies of scale through minimizing manufacturing costs is necessary for manufacturers to meet their financial goals and to erect a barrier for competition to encroach their markets via prices. The success of a business depends on how effectively a company uses its resources and maximizes production as per the market needs to meet its targ ets. In order to maximize one’s own production and profitability in business, it is essential that comprehensive planning on location of its production facilities is done to

Disappearing Tropical Rainforests Research Paper

Disappearing Tropical Rainforests - Research Paper Example Tropical rainforest, the oldest living ecosystem on Earth developed over 130 million years. Hence, this ecosystem is a habitat for millions of species of plants, animals and microorganisms. In addition, â€Å"tropical rainforests play a significant role in carbon sequestration and climate stabilization†; and this ecosystem protects the Earth from contingencies like flood, drought, and erosion. It also provides an abundant supply of timber, medicines, and food. Another advantage of rainforests is that it assists humans to fight issues like land degradation and desertification. It is interesting to note that these tropical rainforests support people for their livelihood and increase the scope of ecotourism. Causes Mainly, man-made intervention is the major reason leading to the disappearance of tropical rainforests. Huge deposits of precious metals like gold, silver and fossil fuels like natural gas are widely found underneath tropical rainforests worldwide. Industrially developed nations and other emerging countries are increasingly in need of those natural resources so as to enhance their economic growth and to meet growing human needs. In order to extract these natural resources, techniques like mining and drilling are used which in turn require a huge area of lands. Evidently, this situation ultimately results in deforestation. Conversion of tropical rainforests to agricultural land is another cause leading to the destruction of this ecosystem (Global Forest Resources Assessment, 2010). In the context of growing demand for agricultural productions, people increasingly clear areas of rainforests in order to produce crops. This issue is growing to be uncontrollable because national governmen ts or environmental protection agencies cannot suggest a potential alternative to meet the increasing land requirements for agriculture. Studies point to the fact that climate change is another major factor contributing to the destruction of rainforests. It is clear that human-made emissions of greenhouse gases lead to global warming which in turn increase the rate of climate change.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Business - Essay Example It has taken a second modern wave migration. All factors that surround change are shifting from their extreme form of obsolesce to the new design accompanied by innovation. This new wave will tend to make the stronger companies get more strength and remain at the top whereas the weak companies will have to maintain their weakness. The trend will also create zones that are non-profitable for specific companies and even entire industry (Slywotzky, 2006:4). The high growth zones that are evident in most of the countries have a high representation for risk as well as opportunity. The greatest risk associated with this is that, entrepreneurs want to create ultra low zones that would cater only for the market basement. The globalized society is more of a jungle than an allowing environment. It is forcing the persons to apply more brainpower than they used to, simply in order to keep abreast with the new market demands. The managers and the promoters of the specific companies will be compel led to face more competition than before and increased combination of risks. This will make the future market more vulnerable to effects of price movements, accelerated by unpredictable demands in the market (Arnold, 2008:187). However, the answers of the globalization and their effects will depend on economic revolution predicted in the world. The whole phenomenon of globalization has taken roots in the world and has been received with criticism by different players. More often that not, people emphasize on single of the trend and overlook the other. There are many controversies surrounding the emerging and persistence of globalization, which I wish to handle. For instance, does the rise in international relation pose a threat to the quality of life? What is the long-term effect of the globalization trend on the environment? These and many more have moved me, and that is why I have chosen to do this paper on globalization to clarify it . Globalization has resulted to stunning growt h in the revenues of specific businesses, increased their net income and the operating margin of investors. Let us first consider the Infosys international company based in Bangalore in India. This company has substantially grown because of the global design, facilitated by the IT differences in the US and India. The company has continually been moving higher in the success ladder by tactically adding a higher value business in the outsourcing process (Lamb, 2011:345). Globalization trend is strengthening many businesses through global outsourcing and market science. It has invented the customer’s connection in the chain of information. It has also introduced superior information chains that that add value to the combined application system and culture. Globalization has forced producers to improve the quality of their services to attain the global market standards. The companies have also expanded their scale of production to cater for the rapidly growing market demands. How ever, the art of globalization has not favored the largely populated countries like china, India, and Brazil. Despite the growing markets of these countries, the will remain relatively low. Majority of the persons in these countries earn less than two US dollars per day. The new wave of globalization has the flow of value from the obsolete business to the most economically effective forms. For example, in the automobile industry

My Uncle's Addicted To Illegal Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Uncle's Addicted To Illegal Drugs - Essay Example That is the delinquent is not punished for abusing the drug, but for the actions committed whilst under its influence. Since the most controversial drug at the moment is marijuana this paper will limit itself to the examination of this narcotic. The Legalise Cannabis Alliance is a UK based political organization committed to the legalization of marijuana. It seeks to have marijuana and marijuana products removed from the UK Misuse of Drugs Act and that possession, cultivation and use of marijuana or its products should be free from prosecution. It argues that marijuana can be used to produce cost-free fuel through the process of pyrolysis on marijuana biomass. Further, it believes that the prohibition of marijuana infringes Human Rights. â€Å"Prohibition†¦goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control man’s appetite through legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not even crimes†¦. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our Government was founded.† (cited in Legalise Cannabis Alliance manifesto.) However, this is a very high end argument. It is philosophical and many times removed from the misery endured by those who abuse drugs and those who have to take care of drug abusers. It takes no account of the human or financial costs of drug abuse. The case for marijuana however is special. There are many myths about marijuana. According to the Legalise Cannabis Alliance website in 1999 the US Institute of Medicine concluded that marijuana is not addictive, it is not a gateway drug, it is not a dangerous drug and it does have medical uses. Why then is it outlawed? There are people who believe that the ‘war on drugs’ itself is adding to the human and financial costs, and that it would be wiser to stop fighting the war altogether. For example, Legalise Drugs – a pro-legalization, anti-drug organization

International Differences in Motivation & Leadership Practices Essay

International Differences in Motivation & Leadership Practices - Essay Example The difference in the motivation and leadership practices arises from the difference of the culture, the upbringing and the pedagogy. The managers find that the motivational strategy that works for one group does not work for another group (Alderfer 24). The dilemma of the motivation is that all cannot be motivated in the same way. The present motivational theories that are adopted and applied across various companies and organizations and countries have one shortcoming. Most of the motivational theories have their origination in the west. If a company or organization based in Qatar (Middle East) or Japan (East) decides to adopt the motivational theories of the west and applies them, then it runs into the risk of what is dose misappropriation (Dessler 53). This is the same kind of problem that is observed in case where the patient is administered the wrong dosage. The effect is either rejection of the approach taken to motivate the employees or the end result of the motivation approa ch become different from what is expected. This discussion endeavors to prepare a critical review of the leadership and motivational theories followed in USA, China and Saudi Arabia. ... This is the reason individuals cannot perform well when they are put in teams. The same individual can perform really well in an individual basis (Funder 42). There are three very particular factors in the work motivation and leadership styles; they are stress on market processes, stress on individuals, and giving more focus on managers rather than the employees or the workers. Moreover the American motivational and leadership traits are more focused on the individualistic performance rather than the focus on the collectivism. The other types of traits are giving more focus on the responsibilities of the follower than the rights. Rather than focusing on increasing the commitment to duty, the focus is directed to hedonism. Other assumptions made give more importance to centrality of work and democratic value. It is less inclined or not inclined at all in linking business with asceticism, religion, or superstition. The birthplaces of the motivational and leaderships skills are in the w est. The Eastern and the Middle Eastern countries have adopted the western originated leadership skills and practices and tried to mould it in their own way. This is the main reason that the western originated leadership and motivational skills sometimes does not fit well with the Chinese culture. The Chinese culture or the Eastern cultures, does not preach individualism as in western cultures. The Chinese culture revolves around collectivism, rather than individualism. The identity of the group is more important, than the identity of the individual (Hackman 260). An example will help to articulate the point more clearly. In Western culture the idea is all about individualism, individual performance and individual

Education and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Education and Society - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  functionalism states that every society’s aspect is interdependent and contributes to the functioning of the whole society. The government provides education for the state’s children whereas the same citizens of the state pay tax to keep the government running. According to Emile Dhurkenim, the society is held together by cohesion or social consensus whereby the citizens concur together and work to accomplish the best for the society at- large. This essay will discuss the functionalist perspective of the central government control of curriculum content is schools.According to the report findings  the central government should provide education for the children of the family, which then the citizens pay taxes to sustain the government’s operations. This ensures the family is dependent on the school in assisting the growing up of the children, ensuring good jobs for the children to grow and sustain their own families. Centr al government control of curriculum content in schools means that the government is fully in-charge of developing, facilitating and ensuring that the curriculum it comes up with is taught in the schools. The government comes up with various education policies regarding the curriculum to be taught and enforces the same. Through this direct involvement, the government ensures that it consults all the major stakeholders in the education industry in order to develop the curriculum.   The policy is enforced using various strategies, ensuring the full implementation and evaluation of the curriculum, to check its functionality. All state machinery is put to task ensuring that the curriculum works in accordance to set processes and procedures by the government. This paper discusses the central government functionalist perspective on curriculum content in schools (Bundy and Mathews, 1998, p. 29). According to Durkheim research, he came up with three irrefutable facts to social sciences. Am ong them were the social facts that were underlying the institutions such as the family, state and education. Since all stakeholders were part of the development in the central government controlled curriculum, implementing the curriculum does not become a major challenge. The government values education and it is for the paramount reason that the central government comes up with various funding mechanisms for the curriculum since it understands that a learned population for the country is a key pillar for economical significance and empowerment. The country’s constitution entrenches education as a fundamental right for the people, making it obligatory for the government to, fully control the curriculum to be taught (Turner, 2012, p. 17). Central governments are adequately aware that education is a paramount fundamental right for its citizens and therefore it has the authority and mandate to provide education. The central government thus develops the curriculum. Here the cent ral government controls the educational institutions indirectly. Standardization is the key element of education since the people of that particular country will be taught the same things regardless of personal status. The central government comes with a standard-based curriculum that ensures changes regarding how teachers teach and the way schools are managed. The central gove