Oroonoko Essays - Novellas, Oroonoko, Aphra Behn, Imoinda, Novel

Oroonoko By Aphra Behn I. The story of Oroonoko was one of great passion and loyalty. The story of Oroonoko and Imoinda began with him approaching her claiming his undying love for her. That she was the one and only that he would ever need. Only she would suffice in his heart. Throughout the story Oroonoko exhibits great power , strength and control. A love that started out as beautiful and innocent and ended with that same beautiful innocence. Her passionate descriptions of their emotions intensifies the awful ending. The final scene with brutality and death. Throughout he faces many tragic thing that would break a man. He loses his wife to the king, is convinced that the king has killed her, and he is sold into slavery. However, he still stands with faith and strength to go on. He still determines hi future of what is going to happen to him. Like the tiger his heart has been struck many times but he decides he will continue to live. As a strong man he thought of future consequences such as when he led the slave revolt he knew that Imoinda would be left behind if they were to kill him. The thought of her and her child alone was his Achilles heel. In my opinion this is what killed him. His weakness Imoinda. Imoinda trusts Oroonoko to prove her love for him, "...with all the passion and languishment of a dying lover, drew his knife to kill this treasure of his soul....with joy she should die by so noble a hand..."(Behn 2190). With this gesture Imoinda proves her true and everlasting love. But true love is never left without some sort of feeling of grief. Due to this feeling of grief Oroonoko laid by her side for some amount of days by her side suffering for what he had done to her. II. Criticism towards Oroonoko is a array of descriptions. From disapproval to praise. During Aphra Behn's time women writers were not an accepted in society as professional writers. Aphra made a mark for women by becoming the first woman to make a living of writing. You could say she was the first feminist. Her stories were rather risqu?. She wrote about politics to love and lust. She has been widely praised by women as Virginia Wolf wrote "all women together ought let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn." Much of her writing came from personal things that she either saw or experienced. One critic said, "The personal experiences, autobiographical form, heightened interest, and the pictures painted from actual scenes and people added color to the narration." This is what seemed to catch the critics attention. These colorful displays of people and events were written out so well that the reader had a personal feel to what they were reading. Another thing that was criticized was the development of her writing that it was not to fast and not to slow to lose the writers interest. The number of characters was a smart touch not to many to keep up with and easy to remember. Another critic from Evangeline Blashfield said, "...the novel has an accent of truth, as well as an atmosphere of realism." The reality of the story makes it a story to easily relate to seeing that life is not often perfect. III. Behn's writing in my opinion was the foundation for women to come. Behn's writing proves the strength and the imagination that women have for anything they put there minds and hearts to. As I read the story it was laid out perfectly. It was not over drawn with detail nor was it lacking. You had enough descriptions of the characters ad their emotions. The passion is enough to pull you into what they are feeling and what lessons they are learning. Behn used allot of symbolism within the story. For example the heart of the tiger which was found with several bullets within still was able to survive. The animal was able to survive e due to that it still wanted to live. This symbolizes Oroonoko will to still live after everything has happened to him. Behn is very highly acclaimed for all that she has accomplished through her writings. She use her own pain of experiences to paint a picture of love. My final feeling towards this novel was one of hope and sadness that the only way that love in reality seems to work is through such harsh consequences. Through ones jealousy or through

How the Statue of Liberty Became a Symbol of Immigration

How the Statue of Liberty Became a Symbol of Immigration When the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, the ceremonial speeches had nothing to do with immigrants arriving in America. The sculptor who created the enormous statue, Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi, never intended the statue to evoke the idea of immigration. In a sense, he viewed his creation as something nearly opposite: as a symbol of liberty spreading outward from America. So how and why did the statue become an iconic symbol of immigration? The Statue is now always linked in the public mind with arriving immigrants thanks to the words of Emma Lazarus. Lady Liberty took on deeper meaning  because of the sonnet written in its honor, The New Colossus. Poet Emma Lazarus Was Asked to Write a Poem Before the Statue of Liberty was completed and shipped to the United States for assembly, a campaign was organized by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer to raise funds to build the pedestal on Bedloe’s Island. Donations were very slow in coming, and in the early 1880s it appeared that the statue might never be assembled in New York. There were even rumors that another city, perhaps Boston, could wind up with the statue. Fundraising events were organized, one of which was an art show. The poet Emma Lazarus, who was known and respected in the artistic community in New York City, was asked to participate. Lazarus was a 34-year-old native New Yorker, the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family with roots going back to the colonial era in New York City. She had become very concerned about the plight of Jews being persecuted in a pogrom in Russia. Newly arrived Jewish refugees from Russia were being housed on Wards Island, in New York Citys East River. Lazarus had been visiting them, and had gotten involved with charitable organizations helping the destitute new arrivals get a start in their new country. The writer Constance Cary Harrison asked Lazarus to write a poem to help raise money for the Statue of Liberty pedestal fund. Lazarus, at first, was not interested in writing something on assignment. Emma Lazarus Applied Her Social Conscience Harrison later recalled that she encouraged Lazarus to change her mind by saying, â€Å"Think of that goddess standing on her pedestal down yonder in the bay, and holding her torch out to those Russian refugees of yours that you are so fond of visiting at Ward’s Island.† Lazarus reconsidered and wrote the sonnet, â€Å"The New Colossus.† The opening of the poem refers to the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient statue of a Greek titan. But Lazarus then refers to the statue which â€Å"shall† stand as a â€Å"mighty woman with a torch† and the â€Å"Mother of Exiles.† Later in the sonnet are the lines which eventually became iconic: Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Thus in the mind of Lazarus the statue was not symbolic of liberty flowing outward from America, as Bartholdi envisioned, but rather a symbol of America being a refuge where those oppressed could come to live in liberty. Lazarus was no doubt thinking of the Jewish refugees from Russia she had been volunteering to assist at Wards Island. And she surely understood that had she been born somewhere else, she may have faced oppression and suffering herself. The Poem â€Å"The New Colossus† Was Essentially Forgotten On December 3, 1883, a reception was held at the Academy of Design in New York City to auction off a portfolio of writings and artwork to raise funds for the statue’s pedestal. The next morning the New York Times reported that a crowd which included J. P. Morgan, the famous banker, heard a reading of the poem â€Å"The New Colossus† by Emma Lazarus. The art auction did not raise as much money as the organizers had hoped. And the poem written by Emma Lazarus seems to have been forgotten. She tragically died of cancer on November 19, 1887, at the age of 38, less than four years after writing the poem. An obituary in the New York Times  the following day praised her writing, with the headline calling her An American Poet of Uncommon Talent. The obituary quoted some of her poems yet  did not mention â€Å"The New Colossus.† Thus, the sonnet was generally forgotten not long after it was written. Yet over time the sentiments expressed in words by Lazarus and the massive figure crafted of copper by  Bartholdi would become inseparable in the public mind. The Poem Was Revived by a Friend of Emma Lazarus In May 1903, a friend of Lazarus, Georgina Schuyler, succeeded in having a bronze plaque containing the text of â€Å"The New Colossus† installed on an interior wall of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. By that time the statue had been standing in the harbor for nearly 17 years, and millions of immigrants had passed by it. And for those fleeing oppression in Europe, the Statue of Liberty did seem to be holding a torch of welcome. Lady Libertys Legacy Over the following decades, especially in the 1920s, when the United States began to restrict immigration, the words of Lazarus took on deeper meaning. And whenever there is talk of closing Americas borders, relevant lines from The New Colossus are always quoted in opposition. Still, the poem and its connection to the statue unexpectedly became a contentious issue in the summer of 2017. Stephen Miller, an anti-immigrant adviser to President Donald Trump, sought to denigrate the poem and its connection to the statue. Two years later, in the summer of 2019, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Trump administration, sparked a controversy by suggesting that the classic poem be edited. In a series of interviews on August 13, 2019, Cuccinelli said the poem should be changed to refer to immigrants who can stand on their own two feet. He also noted that the Lazarus poem referred to people coming from Europe, which critics interpreted as a sign of current bias toward non-white immigrants.

Video review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Video review - Essay Example This paper is a movie review on the movie Capitalism: A Love Story. As stipulated above, the movie was directed produced by Michael Moore and Anne Moore. This was accomplished with the help of The Weinstein Company and Dog Eat Dog Films. The distribution was done by Paramount Vantage and Overture Films, which is based in the United States. Statistics affirm that the total budget of the film was approximately $20 million. The movie that runs for 127 minutes also premiered at the 66th Venice International Film Festival that took place in 2009 (Gabriel, 2011). This film was also displayed at the Toronto and the New York Film Festivals in the 2009 after its release. In fact, the critical response of the movie was also positive. According to the Rotten Tomatoes website, 75% of the critics were positive. This attracted an overall score of 6.7 out of 10. According to some of these reviews, Capitalism substantially resulted to direct blames to the political parties in the United States. For example, they blame the Democrats for helping out with the bail out of Wall Street. However, this film also spares the likes of President Barack Obama who still upholds a symbol of justice and hope in the United States (Gabriel, 2011). This film begins with several security surveillance footages of armed robberies in banks. Thereafter, Moore portrays a video comparison of the modern America and the Roman Empire. The film also reveals clips of homeless families in comparison to the Florida based real estate agency known as Condo Vultures (Moore, 2009). According to the movie, it is rather evident that Condo Vultures business flourished after the foreclosures. Some of the scenes from this movie trigger the emotions of the viewers. The film then presents the events during the victory in the United States after World War II. This is then followed by a speech from President Jimmy Carter who was warning the Americans about consumption and

Women, marriage, and shame in the nineteenth century France Term Paper

Women, marriage, and shame in the nineteenth century France - Term Paper Example Flaubert relates the marriage and the shame Emma had to endure with the other ordinary women of France and the way French trends were followed by them. Emma, in the beginning of novel, is presented as a beautiful, sharp and happy girl but, after marriage is referred to as a troubled, unhappy and unsatisfied house wife and mother, while at the end of the novel, she portraits herself as a tragic heroine and kills herself. Emma Bovary (Madame Bovary): Madame Bovary, was the young and beautiful wife of a doctor named â€Å"Charles†. She lived in the world of imaginations and fantasy. For Emma, life was nothing but a bundle of excitements. She was not only beautiful, but was also very intelligent and sharp. But, unfortunately, she could not develop her mind as a cautious adult woman. She could not utilize her intelligence and be well-aware of the world and her surroundings. The world in which Emma would live was far more different from the actual world. Emma had a very extremely ro mantic view and imagination of the world. She strongly believed in romance and excitement related to romance. This opinion of her about a beautiful and romantic world differed from the real world. As Emma was in a habit of reading romantic books and novels, this habit drove her even more towards the heights of passion for romance. She grew even more desperate to experience it. After she met Charles, she felt that she was having a great compatibility with him as both of them enjoyed each other’s company. They would spend a lot of time meeting each other which would please not only Emma but also Charles. Soon with the consent of Emma’s father, they got married. But, unexpectedly Emma started getting bored after marriage and started losing interest in her husband. Therefore, Emma’s opinion about marriage and her excitement about romance in the married life perished away. She became quite disillusioned, dull and miserable about her married life as her husband Charle s was very good but a bit dull and boring and was not able to come up with the expectations of his wife, rather the imaginations of his wife. This dissatisfaction with her married life led Emma to two marital affairs. This was because she was trying to seek for more romantic pleasure and wanted to make her life risky and excited. Emma, after marriage, soon gave birth to a daughter who was named â€Å"Berthe†. This could prove to be a change and a reason to get excited fir Emma but even motherhood seemed boring to her and was again disappointed with her life Women in the 19th century France: Women in 19th century France, were quite different and far more responsible and loyal than the way Emma was described I the novel. They not only had to look after their home but also earn for their family. They would work in different fields performing different jobs in order to act as a helping hand for their husband. They would usually work outside their homes without their children, hus band and other members of the family being neglected. Working outside the home would make them face uncountable and unimaginable sorts of challenges which they would face readily and bravely and then would take good care of their family as well. Some women would work indoors as well, such as maids, laundry women, tailors etc. This would not only keep them safe from the challenges of the outer world but also provide them with the income to help their family. But, these kinds of indoor jobs were not always helpful and enough for their family, therefore, majority of them had to go out to

Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Capstone - Essay Example Accordingly, the organization’s mission statement also addresses the establishment of prosperous and beneficial relationships with both internal and external groups that are associated with the activities of the business such as its employees, suppliers and other partners (FedEx Corporation 2013a). Not only does the mission statement of the company depict the organization’s commitment towards its primary stakeholders but it also provides a roadmap for the management and the employees as to how FedEx Corporation aims to conduct its business activities. As indicated by the formulation of the organization’s mission statement, the vision statement and mission statement of a company often represent messages or meanings that are one and the same while in other scenarios; the vision statement portrays a company’s aspirations or what it hopes to achieve in the future (Secord 2003). According to FedEx Corporation (2013a) the organization intends to serve its custom ers in the best manner possible by identifying the exclusive requirements of each market segment. The presence of this clause in the organization’s mission statement has been the driver of FedEx Corporation’s successful service to its global clientele which displays varying needs. For example, the initiation of takeovers in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India in the recent years has been prompted by the organization’s dedication to â€Å"accommodate evolving customer needs† (FedEx Corporation 2012). 2. Analyze the five (5) forces of competition to determine how they impact the company. Porter’s Five Forces model operates as an effective and comprehensive framework for identifying, analyzing and evaluating the possible opportunities and threats to a company which are posed by various competitive forces within the industry (Hill and Jones 2007). On the basis of this understanding, the framework outlines five key areas of competition that play a fundamental role in the formulation and execution of strategies to effectively address the outlined threats and successfully capitalize on opportunities. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The nature of FedEx Corporation’s activities and the scale of its operations demands regular interaction with several suppliers that are located across the globe. The company’s suppliers are identified as fuel suppliers, producers of shipping materials and airplane manufacturers (Berger 2011). Berger (2011) states that dominant fuel suppliers command strong bargaining power over the organization because of the unavailability of substitutes which greatly limits the organization’s ability to engage in successful negotiations in order to lower operating expenses. Similarly, the aircraft manufacturing industry displays an oligopolistic situation with Boeing and Airbus being the primary suppliers of aircrafts which lends significant bargaining power to the manufacturers (Berger 2011). Contrary to this observation, Berger (2011) identifies that producers of shipping materials exhibit only limited bargaining power because FedEx Corporation has the option of choosing its designated suppliers amongst several companies in a market that is highly competitive. Bargaining Power of Buyers Hill and Jones (2007) comment that bargaining power of buyers is subject to change as per the changes in the external environment. In the case of FedEx Corpora

Disney Corporation Losses EuroDisney Paris

Disney Corporation Losses EuroDisney Paris Cultural Euro Disney The word ‘management originated in America and ever since assumptions have been made about the universal acceptability and success of their business practices. There are a number of international ventures which have failed miserably due to Americans not considering the cultural aspects when entering into business in a new country. Euro Disney is a perfect example of the failure of American business processes in another country. The primary aim of this article is to explain how Euro Disney suffered the costs of cultural miscalculations. Geert Hofstedes work on culture has served as the theoretical basis of this article. His dimensions of culture have been used to explain differences in American and French cultures the problems that occurred at Euro Disney. American businesses make assumptions about the transferability of their business, management, marketing, economic and structural models of organizing which frequently fail to take into consideration cultural differences. An example of the consequences of such an approach to intercultural business practice can be found in the Disney Corporations recent European venture, now called Disneyland, Paris. Lack of cultural sensitivity and the negative infiltration strategy used by the Disney Corporation resulted in a great loss of time, money and reputation for which the corporation has only recently begun to compensate. It is the primary thesis of this article that the initial losses experienced by the Disney Corporation may have been prevented if only its representatives had known then what they know now: simply put, that organizations are not distinct, separate entities capable of functioning outside their physical, social and cultural environments. That insight, of course, calls for a different approach to international business, one which begins with the most basic aspect of human organizations, namely effective, meaningful, communicative interactions between people. As international business is becoming critically important in this world of globalization, so is the need to understand cultures, cross cultural psychology and people across nations. There is a lot of focus on cultural studies and plenty of research is done in this area. Yet, there is a lot of scope for further studies due to the gaps in the research. Today there are several models which help understand how people from different nations are expected to act; the one by Geert Hofstede has become the most influential (Hong, Zhang Stump 2007, p. 60) The cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede have served as the specific theoretical framework for this study. Although there are many criticisms to the Hofsteds model and his dimensions yet there is no other study that compares so many other national cultures in so much detail. Simply this is the best there is. (Mead chapter 2: pg 51) With the advancements in communication and technology, the physical distance between countries is diminishing (Angur et al. , 1994; Jandt, 1995; Samovar and Potter, 1995). This physical distance is not the only thing that needs to be bridged in order to when practicing international commerce. Hofstedes dimensions reflect a nations value system. From further reading into this dissertation have tried to show how American business management tends to assume that they have the best business people that lead to them having the best business practices. While they may work very successfully in their or cultural setting, they do not work across borders. Importance of the study: Scope of the study: Why did you choose this topic? There are many studies that have been conducted in the area of cross cultural psychology, but none that have tried to connect the problems faced at Euro-Disney to Hofstedes dimensions. These dimensions have served as the specific theoretical framework for this study. Purpose, what are we trying to do These dimensions reflect a nations value system. Power distance and Uncertainty Avoidance affects how an organization is structured and how it functions. The two main problems that an organization can face are How to distribute power, and How to avoid uncertainty. Through this research, have tried to show how these two factors were taken for granted at Euro Disney. Furthermore, this research aims at studying the implications of the four dimensions on the working of MNCs and How will it help others and how can they use it for further research My work is a sincere effort to contribute to cultural literature. I hope it proves to be beneficial for further research studies. Overview of the study: Chapter 3 (Case of Euro Disney): This chapter describes all the stages of the research process in carrying out the present study. In particular this chapter gives a clear definition of the research method employed including sampling and data analysis. Chapter 2 (Literature review): This chapter will begin by outlining the existing literature on the concepts of brands, brand image, private brands and consumers perceptions toward private brands. Also in an attempt to meet the main research objective, the other areas (sub-objectives of this research study) such as  consumers attitudes preferences, brand loyalty, brand awareness toward private brands and positioning strategies of private brands have been rigorously discussed, which will provide full support to this research study. Chapter 4 (Discussion): This chapter discusses the results of the research, in particular, presenting statements made by informants with regards to themes that emerged from the transcripts. The chapter ends with a summary taking into account the exploratory nature of the research, and the importance of insight. Chapter 5 (Conclusion Recommendations): This chapter deals the conclusion of the present research study. It will be presented in light of research findings from Chapter 4. By referring to existing literature the discussion will highlight major findings in conjunction to identity development. At the end of the chapter, recommendations for further research will be given. Literature Review As Americans, the word â€Å"Euro† is believed to mean glamorous or exciting. For  Europeans it turned out to be a term they associated with business, currency, and  commerce. Renaming the park â€Å"Disneyland Paris† was a way of identifying it with one of the most romantic and exciting cities in the world (Eisner). Culture 500-700 Layers of culture 200 Cultural studies Cross cultural management 500-600 Importance of hrm in a cross cultural context International Business and importance of CCM Importance of culture in a international context 500 Theoretical background : Hofstedes diemsions of culture 1300 Case 1100 Reasons 1000 Discussion :using hotsedes dimensions explaining differences cross continents and cultures 2000 Conclusion 600-700 limitations of the study, limitations of hofsteds model American business leaders often assume that physical distance is the only gulf that needs to be bridged in international commerce. (473 pg1. last line) As a matter of fact bridging this gap is just one of the steps in international business. It is much more complicated and a number of factors need to be kept in mind. According to Adler (1986:13)in 473 it is the lack of academic interrogations by cultural scholars that has lead to ‘American parochialism Culture Culture is an umbrella word that encompasses a whole set of implicit, widely shared beliefs, traditions, values and expectations that characterize a particular group of people(Consumer behaviour in travel and tourism By Abraham Pizam, Yoel Mansfeld, p393). There are as many definitions of culture as there are people who have tried to define it. While some phrase it in terms of ‘metal programs others define it as the characteristics a person possesses. Hofstede (1994) defines culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another (p. 180). While according to Kroeber and Parsons, culture is transmitted and created content and patterns of values, ideas and other symbolically meaningful systems as factor in the shaping of human behaviour and the artifacts produced through behaviour(pdf 473 page 2) According to Schein culture is ‘A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Organizational Culture Leadership by Edgar H Schein October 1996. According to Schein Culture exists at three levels, artifacts, exposed values and basic assumptions. Pizam (1993) also believes that there are levels of culture in the society. Firms and organizations are a part of the society/system and thus culture has an impact on them. Pizam argues that organizations are culture-bound, rather than being culture-free (Pizam, 1993: p. 219)-MMp2 Today there is growing importance of culture in cross border interactions. The role of human resources is very crucial as well. Effective human resource decisions and cultural sensitivity form two pillars for the success of an international business venture. The phrase ‘Cross cultural management was first coined by †¦in the year†¦. There are examples of companies who failed due to HRs ignorance and cultural miscalculations. Theoretical background:- Hofstedes Dimensions Cultural dimensions by halls,trompenars, hofstedes, globe study. Although there are many criticisms to the Hofsteds model and his dimensions yet there is no other study that compares so many other national cultures in so much detail . Simply this is the best there is. ( Mead chapter 2: pg 51) As international business is becoming critically important in this world of globalization, so is the need to understand cultures and people across nations. There is a lot of focus on cultural studies and plenty of research is done in this area still there is a lot of scope for further studies due to gaps in research. Today there are several models which help understand how people from different nations are expected to act, the one by Geert Hofstede has become the most influential (Hong, Zhang Stump 2007, p. 60) Hofstedes Dimensions of national culture- Power Distance Index (PDI): Large versus Small power distance The basis for this dimension is the fact that inequality exists at all levels and areas of the society. Inequality exists in areas such as wealth, social status, power and prestige. The word ‘power distance is taken from the work of Mulder (Reference hofstede p71). According to Mulders Power Distance Reduction theory, subordinated try to reduce the gap in power between them and their superiors. On the other hand the superiors try to maintain or increase the power distance. The PDI norm deals with the desirability or undesirability of dependence versus independence in society (Hofstede p. 93). Power distance is described as the degree to which there is unequal distribution of power in a society. This is accepted by the members of a society, organizations and nations which are less or more powerful. Behaviour of members of such institution is affected by the degree of power they posses. A high power distance index is characterized by hierarchical orders, close supervision, autocratic decision making and unequal distribution of power. Everybody has a place in the system which needs no clarification or justification. According to Hofstedes dimensions, Malaysia has the highest score on power distance (104) thus implying that the management would use a top-down information flow and there would be autocratic and paternalistic decision making. In a low PDI society, subordinates with the senior management together make decisions and have strong work ethics. It is characterised by equal distribution of power. Sweden is low on PDI (31)Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) It deals with how members of a society view themselves compared to the rest of the society and is measured from completely collective (0) to completely individualistic (100). Individualism stands for a preference for a loosely knit social framework in society wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Collectivism, on the other hand, stands for a preference for a tightly knit social framework in which individuals can expect their relatives, clan, or other in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (it will be clear that the word collectivism is not used here to describe any particular political system). Hofstedes own definition is:Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between the individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family. Collectivism as its opposite pertains to societies in which people from birth onward are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout peoples lifetimes continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. † Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 76 The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among individuals: an extremely fundamental issue, regarding all societies in the world. It relates to peoples self-concept: T or we Thus, typical traits of countries scoring high on individualism is a frequent use of the word I (in comparison to emitting it, like in Spanish), tendency to live in small households and the expectation on people to have personal opinions on most matters. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were USA (91), Australia (90) and Great Britain (89) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Guatemala (6), Ecuador (8) and Panama (11) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, pp. 78-79). Masculinity (MAS) versus Femininity Masculinity stands for a preference in society for achievement, heroism,assertiveness, and material success. Its opposite, Femininity, stands for a preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and the quality of life. Hofstedes definition goes as follows; â€Å"A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. A society is called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap; both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. †Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 120 Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS) is somewhat unluckily named, since the name tends to give people associations with highly political matters although the dimension doesnt deal with those. A better name might have been Gender role stability, since this is what the dimension actually deals with. This fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the way in which a society allocates social (as opposed to biological) roles to the sexes. Some societies strive for maximum social differentiation between the sexes. The norm is then that men are given the more outgoing, assertive roles and women the caring, nurturing roles. As in all societies most institutions are populated by men. Such maximum-social-differentiation societies will permeate their institutions with an assertive mentality. Such societies become performance societies evident even from the values of their women. these societies are referred to as masculine. (In the English language, male and female are used for the biological distinctions between the sexes; masculine and feminine for the social distinction. A man can be feminine, but he cannot be female. ) Other societies strive for minimal social differentiation between the sexes. This means that some women can take assertive roles if they want to but especially that some men can take relationship-oriented, modest, caring roles if they want to. Even in these societies, most institutions are populated by men (maybe slightly less than in masculine societies). The minimum-social-differentiation societies in comparison with their opposite, the maximum-social-differentiation societies, will permeate their institutions with a caring, quality-of-life orientated mentality. Such societies become welfare societies in which caring for all members, even the weakest, is an important goat for men as well as women. such societies are referred to as feminine. Masculine and feminine are relative qualifications: they express the relative frequency of values which in principle are present in both types of societies. The fact that even modern societies can be differentiated on the basis of the way they allocate their social sex role is not surprising in the light of anthropological research on non-literate, traditional societies in which the social sex role allocation is always one of the essential variables. Like the Individualism-Collectivism dimension, the Masculinity-Femininity dimension relates to peoples self-concept: who am l and what is my task in life? MAS is the only dimension where there are systematic differences between the biological genders in how they answer. The difference is correlated with two factors; age (older people tend to score more on the feminine side) and how masculine the country is overall (in feminine cultures both genders tend to score equally, whereas men score much higher than women in masculine cultures) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Masculinity is represented by the high end of the scale. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were Japan (95), Austria (79) and Venezuela (73) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Sweden (5), Norway (8) and the Netherlands (14). (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, pp. 120-121). Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) Uncertainty Avoidance is the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. This feeling leads them to beliefs promising certainty and to maintaining institutions protecting conformity. Strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant towards deviant persons and ideas. They try to minimize the possibility of unstructured situations (situations that are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual) by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; there can only be one Truth and we have it. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. Weak Uncertainty Avoidance societies maintain a more relaxed atmosphere in which practice counts more than principles and deviance is more easily tolerated. They are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to express emotions The UAI deals with how people within a given culture handle anxiety. It needs to be stressed that UAI is not the same as risk avoidance risk is focused on something specific whereas UAI deals with the unspecific general. The definition of UAI is â€Å"the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations† (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 167). The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is how a society reacts on the fact that time only runs one way and that the future is unknown: whether it tries to control the future or to let it happen. Like Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance has consequences for the way people build their institutions and organizations. Typical of countries with high UAI is a need for written and unwritten rules. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were Greece (112), Portugal (104) and Guatemala (101) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Singapore (8), Jamaica (13) and Denmark (23) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus Short-Term Orientation This fifth dimension was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars. It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting ones face. Both the positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 B. C. ; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage. The dimension was defined by Hofstede as:â€Å" Long-term orientation (LTO) stands for the fostering of virtues oriented toward future rewards in particular, perseverance and thrift. Its opposite pole, short-term orientation, stands for, the fostering of virtues related to the past and present in particular, respect for tradition, preservation of â€Å"face†, and fulfilling social obligations. † Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 210 Cultures that score high on LTO tend to have so called Confucian values and not surprisingly the three highest scoring countries in the Bond-Hofstede study were China (118), Hong Kong (96) and Taiwan (87). The lowest scoring countries were Pakistan (0), Nigeria (16) and the Philippines (19) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). The case of Euro Disney Its first of Walt Disneys theme park, Disneyland, opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. The Anaheim Park was an instantaneous success. The success story repeated itself with the opening of the theme park in Florida in 1970s, and with Tokyo Disneyland in Japan in 1983. Japans success made the corporates believe that they knew everything about opening a theme park in another country and making it a success. So, in 1992, they turned to Paris, the self-proclaimed capital of European high culture and style. Paris was chosen out of 200 locations around the world because of its demographics and the subsidies Walt Disney was offered by the French government. The Greater Paris area  was a high-density population zone (over 10 million) with people who had a relatively high level of disposable income. It also has the ability to attract substantial number of tourists. There was sufficient land available to meet the demand of the park and necessary supply of water and electricity was economical. The French government was very enthusiastic about getting Disney to Paris because they believed that the project would create 30,000 French jobs. They also gave the company more than $1 billion in various incentives. The Walt Disney had tasted nothing but success until 1992. From its very inception, Euro-Disney faced a number of problems. First was the allegation that Euro-Disney was an assault on the French culture. The cause: lack of cultural sensitivity. People looked at it as a symbol of American clichà ©s. The French framers even blocked the entrance with their tractors on the day of its opening. It was evident that the human resource department had done everything possible to ignore the aspects of cultural awareness and had misunderstood the French laws. They overlooked the traditions and habits of the French people when strategizing the park and how it would operate. The ethnocentric recruiting practice was one of their biggest mistakes. If a company follows ethnocentric hiring practices, the employees of a multinational company who are from the home country will be given preference. Following this, Euro-Disney filled all important positions with employees from the home America. The chairman of Euro Disney was an American who was said to have strong ties with France. What they did not realize was the fact that because he had strong ties with France did not mean he thought like the French. Because of this, they went on to implement Euro-Disney without much consideration to local culture. They filed to credit the local employees for their contribution to the initial planning process. Recognizing performance is the basis for building an affinity to the workplace and a sense of belonging. When operating in a culturally different environment, it is important that a company ‘act globally, but think locally. This was Disneys biggest mistake. They refused to acknowledge the fact that Europe and USA were both ‘Western cultures, but starkly different in their cultures. The theme parks in America did not serve any alcohol, but for the French, serving a glass of wine with lunch was a given. While the French culture is feminine in nature, the American is Masculine. Disney assumed that Europeans would not take breakfast and so they downsized the operation, but surprisingly Europeans did want breakfast. More surprising was the fact that did not want the typical French breakfast. They wanted bacon and eggs! Another big problem was the while Disney was successful in hitting the planned 9 million visitors a year mark, the visitors didnt stay for as long as expected. Most stayed for a day or two as opposed to the four to five days that Disney had hoped for. Europeans thought of theme parks as a full day excursion and not as a weekend destination. The company had spent billions of dollars building the luxurious hotels but because people opted for day excursions, the occupancy levels at the hotels were always low. Because of this, Euro-Disneyland had cumulative losses of $2 billion at the end of 1994[1]. Almost everything that Walt Disney had projected for Euro-Disney was the complete opposite of the reality in Europe. A puzzle of errors: miscalculating everything! Here are the factors that led to the downfall of Euro-Disney from the very start. I have discussed these in detail as we move further into the dissertation. Still beset by high costs and low attendances, Euro Disney will find it hard to hit its target of breakeven by the end of September 1996. Costs in the year were reduced by FF 500m by introducing more flexible labour agreements (more part-timers, increased job sharing and the use of more students in the peak season) as well as outsourcing contracts in the hotel operation. But the company admits that the lions share of cost reductions has now been realized. Now it hopes attendances are rising. . . Getting people to spend more once they are at the park might be more difficult. Euro Disney is pinning its hopes on economic recovery in Europe. Itll have to start paying interest, management fees and royalties again in five years time. Management will not say whether itll be able to cope then. 1 â€Å"Euro Disney,† Financial Times Lex column, 30 October 1996(14ED) 1. Miscalculation of drinking habits. Misunderstanding French drinking habits was a serious problem faced by Euro Disney. The management decided to continue with their policy of not serving alcohol in their theme park. Though it worked well in other places but the same did not hold true for Euro Disney. It rather proved to be disastrous because a French meal is incomplete without a wine. Wine is an essential part of the French Culture and is famous all over the world. This miscalculation became a cause of astonishment and consequently the company had to change its policy and serve alcohol. 2. Misunderstanding of breakfast and food norms. Disneys fault of ignoring the cultural differences in food made them commit another blunder. Disney believed that like Americans French would also prefer snacks and hence they downsized their restaurants. This proved to be a wrong decision because French preferred to sit down and eat complete meals rather than carrying away snacks in their hand like Americans. In fact, the data shows that they were trying to serve 2,500 breakfasts in a 350-seat restaurant at some of the hotels. Further, guests wanted bacon and eggs rather than just coffee and croissants (Burgoyne, 1995). This difference between the companys thinking and the actual French culture lead to long lines in front of the restaurants and on top of it when French were denied wine it complicated the matter even further and on the whole French did not have a pleasant â€Å"Disney experience†. 3. Misunderstanding of vacation habits. The Walt Disneys thinking of Americanize European habits put them into another trouble. The company miscalculated the vacation time because the Europeans preferred few longer holidays in comparison with the Americans who took several short breaks. So the companys theory of Americanizing brought loss to them. 4. Miscalculation of per-capita spending. Insufficient market research lead to miscalculation of the per capita spending by the visitors at the park. While the Americans and Japanese who never left the park empty handed, the Europeans did. The European visitors wanted to spend more time on the rides rather than shopping for food and souvenirs which resulted in lower expected revenue. As a matter of Fact spending was about 12% less than predicted. [ ] 5. Miscalculation of transportation preferences. There was a big miscalculation in the transport preferences which was again due to the non- understanding of the differences in the American and the European culture. While availability of boats, trams and trains proved to be beneficial  to carry visitors in America from their hotels to the park but with the Europeans this was not the case. Most of the Europeans preferred to walk . Also, as per the calculation it was assumed that most of the Europeans would travel by their own vehicles and hence a lot of parking space was allotted for the cars. Whereas most of the Europeans came by buses and bicycles and the facilities for the bus drivers to park their buses and the rest came out be inadequate and as a result the company was forced to reduce the space for parking lots and provide more space for the buses and the bicycles. 6. Misunderstanding of French labor laws. 7. Violation of French labor law. 8. Miscalculation of risk factor 9. Incorrect global staffing policies and hr orientations :Ethnocentric and polycentric 2. Misunderstanding French traditions and habits: celebrating Halloween instead of French festivals. 3. Nationalistic sentiments of  French people: Change in name from Euro Disney to Disneyland Paris 4. Staffing and training problems 5. Rigid Disney dress code 6. Operational errors 7. Labour costs 8. Labour disputes 9. communication problems 10. cultural operational issues Power distance  · Incorrect global staffing policies and hr orientations: Ethnocentric and polycentric The French were confused when Disney appointed mostly American-born managers into the front-line supervisory positions at Euro Disneyland many of whom were not fluent in the French language. Individualism  · Rigid Disney dress code  · threatening highly individualistic French cultural traditions Individualism is the cultural dimension that measures to what extent people to look after themselves and their immediate family members only Americas individualism score of 91 is the highest in the world. Frances score of 71 is also high, 65% more than t Disney Corporation Losses EuroDisney Paris Disney Corporation Losses EuroDisney Paris Cultural Euro Disney The word ‘management originated in America and ever since assumptions have been made about the universal acceptability and success of their business practices. There are a number of international ventures which have failed miserably due to Americans not considering the cultural aspects when entering into business in a new country. Euro Disney is a perfect example of the failure of American business processes in another country. The primary aim of this article is to explain how Euro Disney suffered the costs of cultural miscalculations. Geert Hofstedes work on culture has served as the theoretical basis of this article. His dimensions of culture have been used to explain differences in American and French cultures the problems that occurred at Euro Disney. American businesses make assumptions about the transferability of their business, management, marketing, economic and structural models of organizing which frequently fail to take into consideration cultural differences. An example of the consequences of such an approach to intercultural business practice can be found in the Disney Corporations recent European venture, now called Disneyland, Paris. Lack of cultural sensitivity and the negative infiltration strategy used by the Disney Corporation resulted in a great loss of time, money and reputation for which the corporation has only recently begun to compensate. It is the primary thesis of this article that the initial losses experienced by the Disney Corporation may have been prevented if only its representatives had known then what they know now: simply put, that organizations are not distinct, separate entities capable of functioning outside their physical, social and cultural environments. That insight, of course, calls for a different approach to international business, one which begins with the most basic aspect of human organizations, namely effective, meaningful, communicative interactions between people. As international business is becoming critically important in this world of globalization, so is the need to understand cultures, cross cultural psychology and people across nations. There is a lot of focus on cultural studies and plenty of research is done in this area. Yet, there is a lot of scope for further studies due to the gaps in the research. Today there are several models which help understand how people from different nations are expected to act; the one by Geert Hofstede has become the most influential (Hong, Zhang Stump 2007, p. 60) The cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede have served as the specific theoretical framework for this study. Although there are many criticisms to the Hofsteds model and his dimensions yet there is no other study that compares so many other national cultures in so much detail. Simply this is the best there is. (Mead chapter 2: pg 51) With the advancements in communication and technology, the physical distance between countries is diminishing (Angur et al. , 1994; Jandt, 1995; Samovar and Potter, 1995). This physical distance is not the only thing that needs to be bridged in order to when practicing international commerce. Hofstedes dimensions reflect a nations value system. From further reading into this dissertation have tried to show how American business management tends to assume that they have the best business people that lead to them having the best business practices. While they may work very successfully in their or cultural setting, they do not work across borders. Importance of the study: Scope of the study: Why did you choose this topic? There are many studies that have been conducted in the area of cross cultural psychology, but none that have tried to connect the problems faced at Euro-Disney to Hofstedes dimensions. These dimensions have served as the specific theoretical framework for this study. Purpose, what are we trying to do These dimensions reflect a nations value system. Power distance and Uncertainty Avoidance affects how an organization is structured and how it functions. The two main problems that an organization can face are How to distribute power, and How to avoid uncertainty. Through this research, have tried to show how these two factors were taken for granted at Euro Disney. Furthermore, this research aims at studying the implications of the four dimensions on the working of MNCs and How will it help others and how can they use it for further research My work is a sincere effort to contribute to cultural literature. I hope it proves to be beneficial for further research studies. Overview of the study: Chapter 3 (Case of Euro Disney): This chapter describes all the stages of the research process in carrying out the present study. In particular this chapter gives a clear definition of the research method employed including sampling and data analysis. Chapter 2 (Literature review): This chapter will begin by outlining the existing literature on the concepts of brands, brand image, private brands and consumers perceptions toward private brands. Also in an attempt to meet the main research objective, the other areas (sub-objectives of this research study) such as  consumers attitudes preferences, brand loyalty, brand awareness toward private brands and positioning strategies of private brands have been rigorously discussed, which will provide full support to this research study. Chapter 4 (Discussion): This chapter discusses the results of the research, in particular, presenting statements made by informants with regards to themes that emerged from the transcripts. The chapter ends with a summary taking into account the exploratory nature of the research, and the importance of insight. Chapter 5 (Conclusion Recommendations): This chapter deals the conclusion of the present research study. It will be presented in light of research findings from Chapter 4. By referring to existing literature the discussion will highlight major findings in conjunction to identity development. At the end of the chapter, recommendations for further research will be given. Literature Review As Americans, the word â€Å"Euro† is believed to mean glamorous or exciting. For  Europeans it turned out to be a term they associated with business, currency, and  commerce. Renaming the park â€Å"Disneyland Paris† was a way of identifying it with one of the most romantic and exciting cities in the world (Eisner). Culture 500-700 Layers of culture 200 Cultural studies Cross cultural management 500-600 Importance of hrm in a cross cultural context International Business and importance of CCM Importance of culture in a international context 500 Theoretical background : Hofstedes diemsions of culture 1300 Case 1100 Reasons 1000 Discussion :using hotsedes dimensions explaining differences cross continents and cultures 2000 Conclusion 600-700 limitations of the study, limitations of hofsteds model American business leaders often assume that physical distance is the only gulf that needs to be bridged in international commerce. (473 pg1. last line) As a matter of fact bridging this gap is just one of the steps in international business. It is much more complicated and a number of factors need to be kept in mind. According to Adler (1986:13)in 473 it is the lack of academic interrogations by cultural scholars that has lead to ‘American parochialism Culture Culture is an umbrella word that encompasses a whole set of implicit, widely shared beliefs, traditions, values and expectations that characterize a particular group of people(Consumer behaviour in travel and tourism By Abraham Pizam, Yoel Mansfeld, p393). There are as many definitions of culture as there are people who have tried to define it. While some phrase it in terms of ‘metal programs others define it as the characteristics a person possesses. Hofstede (1994) defines culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another (p. 180). While according to Kroeber and Parsons, culture is transmitted and created content and patterns of values, ideas and other symbolically meaningful systems as factor in the shaping of human behaviour and the artifacts produced through behaviour(pdf 473 page 2) According to Schein culture is ‘A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Organizational Culture Leadership by Edgar H Schein October 1996. According to Schein Culture exists at three levels, artifacts, exposed values and basic assumptions. Pizam (1993) also believes that there are levels of culture in the society. Firms and organizations are a part of the society/system and thus culture has an impact on them. Pizam argues that organizations are culture-bound, rather than being culture-free (Pizam, 1993: p. 219)-MMp2 Today there is growing importance of culture in cross border interactions. The role of human resources is very crucial as well. Effective human resource decisions and cultural sensitivity form two pillars for the success of an international business venture. The phrase ‘Cross cultural management was first coined by †¦in the year†¦. There are examples of companies who failed due to HRs ignorance and cultural miscalculations. Theoretical background:- Hofstedes Dimensions Cultural dimensions by halls,trompenars, hofstedes, globe study. Although there are many criticisms to the Hofsteds model and his dimensions yet there is no other study that compares so many other national cultures in so much detail . Simply this is the best there is. ( Mead chapter 2: pg 51) As international business is becoming critically important in this world of globalization, so is the need to understand cultures and people across nations. There is a lot of focus on cultural studies and plenty of research is done in this area still there is a lot of scope for further studies due to gaps in research. Today there are several models which help understand how people from different nations are expected to act, the one by Geert Hofstede has become the most influential (Hong, Zhang Stump 2007, p. 60) Hofstedes Dimensions of national culture- Power Distance Index (PDI): Large versus Small power distance The basis for this dimension is the fact that inequality exists at all levels and areas of the society. Inequality exists in areas such as wealth, social status, power and prestige. The word ‘power distance is taken from the work of Mulder (Reference hofstede p71). According to Mulders Power Distance Reduction theory, subordinated try to reduce the gap in power between them and their superiors. On the other hand the superiors try to maintain or increase the power distance. The PDI norm deals with the desirability or undesirability of dependence versus independence in society (Hofstede p. 93). Power distance is described as the degree to which there is unequal distribution of power in a society. This is accepted by the members of a society, organizations and nations which are less or more powerful. Behaviour of members of such institution is affected by the degree of power they posses. A high power distance index is characterized by hierarchical orders, close supervision, autocratic decision making and unequal distribution of power. Everybody has a place in the system which needs no clarification or justification. According to Hofstedes dimensions, Malaysia has the highest score on power distance (104) thus implying that the management would use a top-down information flow and there would be autocratic and paternalistic decision making. In a low PDI society, subordinates with the senior management together make decisions and have strong work ethics. It is characterised by equal distribution of power. Sweden is low on PDI (31)Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV) It deals with how members of a society view themselves compared to the rest of the society and is measured from completely collective (0) to completely individualistic (100). Individualism stands for a preference for a loosely knit social framework in society wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate families only. Collectivism, on the other hand, stands for a preference for a tightly knit social framework in which individuals can expect their relatives, clan, or other in-group to look after them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (it will be clear that the word collectivism is not used here to describe any particular political system). Hofstedes own definition is:Individualism pertains to societies in which the ties between the individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family. Collectivism as its opposite pertains to societies in which people from birth onward are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, which throughout peoples lifetimes continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. † Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 76 The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among individuals: an extremely fundamental issue, regarding all societies in the world. It relates to peoples self-concept: T or we Thus, typical traits of countries scoring high on individualism is a frequent use of the word I (in comparison to emitting it, like in Spanish), tendency to live in small households and the expectation on people to have personal opinions on most matters. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were USA (91), Australia (90) and Great Britain (89) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Guatemala (6), Ecuador (8) and Panama (11) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, pp. 78-79). Masculinity (MAS) versus Femininity Masculinity stands for a preference in society for achievement, heroism,assertiveness, and material success. Its opposite, Femininity, stands for a preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and the quality of life. Hofstedes definition goes as follows; â€Å"A society is called masculine when emotional gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success, whereas women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. A society is called feminine when emotional gender roles overlap; both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. †Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 120 Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS) is somewhat unluckily named, since the name tends to give people associations with highly political matters although the dimension doesnt deal with those. A better name might have been Gender role stability, since this is what the dimension actually deals with. This fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the way in which a society allocates social (as opposed to biological) roles to the sexes. Some societies strive for maximum social differentiation between the sexes. The norm is then that men are given the more outgoing, assertive roles and women the caring, nurturing roles. As in all societies most institutions are populated by men. Such maximum-social-differentiation societies will permeate their institutions with an assertive mentality. Such societies become performance societies evident even from the values of their women. these societies are referred to as masculine. (In the English language, male and female are used for the biological distinctions between the sexes; masculine and feminine for the social distinction. A man can be feminine, but he cannot be female. ) Other societies strive for minimal social differentiation between the sexes. This means that some women can take assertive roles if they want to but especially that some men can take relationship-oriented, modest, caring roles if they want to. Even in these societies, most institutions are populated by men (maybe slightly less than in masculine societies). The minimum-social-differentiation societies in comparison with their opposite, the maximum-social-differentiation societies, will permeate their institutions with a caring, quality-of-life orientated mentality. Such societies become welfare societies in which caring for all members, even the weakest, is an important goat for men as well as women. such societies are referred to as feminine. Masculine and feminine are relative qualifications: they express the relative frequency of values which in principle are present in both types of societies. The fact that even modern societies can be differentiated on the basis of the way they allocate their social sex role is not surprising in the light of anthropological research on non-literate, traditional societies in which the social sex role allocation is always one of the essential variables. Like the Individualism-Collectivism dimension, the Masculinity-Femininity dimension relates to peoples self-concept: who am l and what is my task in life? MAS is the only dimension where there are systematic differences between the biological genders in how they answer. The difference is correlated with two factors; age (older people tend to score more on the feminine side) and how masculine the country is overall (in feminine cultures both genders tend to score equally, whereas men score much higher than women in masculine cultures) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Masculinity is represented by the high end of the scale. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were Japan (95), Austria (79) and Venezuela (73) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Sweden (5), Norway (8) and the Netherlands (14). (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, pp. 120-121). Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) Uncertainty Avoidance is the degree to which the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. This feeling leads them to beliefs promising certainty and to maintaining institutions protecting conformity. Strong Uncertainty Avoidance societies maintain rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant towards deviant persons and ideas. They try to minimize the possibility of unstructured situations (situations that are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual) by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth; there can only be one Truth and we have it. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. Weak Uncertainty Avoidance societies maintain a more relaxed atmosphere in which practice counts more than principles and deviance is more easily tolerated. They are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplative, and not expected by their environment to express emotions The UAI deals with how people within a given culture handle anxiety. It needs to be stressed that UAI is not the same as risk avoidance risk is focused on something specific whereas UAI deals with the unspecific general. The definition of UAI is â€Å"the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations† (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 167). The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is how a society reacts on the fact that time only runs one way and that the future is unknown: whether it tries to control the future or to let it happen. Like Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance has consequences for the way people build their institutions and organizations. Typical of countries with high UAI is a need for written and unwritten rules. The three highest scoring countries in the original study were Greece (112), Portugal (104) and Guatemala (101) whereas the lowest scoring countries were Singapore (8), Jamaica (13) and Denmark (23) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). Long-Term Orientation (LTO) versus Short-Term Orientation This fifth dimension was found in a study among students in 23 countries around the world, using a questionnaire designed by Chinese scholars. It can be said to deal with Virtue regardless of Truth. Values associated with Long Term Orientation are thrift and perseverance; values associated with Short Term Orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting ones face. Both the positively and the negatively rated values of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius, the most influential Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 B. C. ; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage. The dimension was defined by Hofstede as:â€Å" Long-term orientation (LTO) stands for the fostering of virtues oriented toward future rewards in particular, perseverance and thrift. Its opposite pole, short-term orientation, stands for, the fostering of virtues related to the past and present in particular, respect for tradition, preservation of â€Å"face†, and fulfilling social obligations. † Hofstede Hofstede, 2005, p. 210 Cultures that score high on LTO tend to have so called Confucian values and not surprisingly the three highest scoring countries in the Bond-Hofstede study were China (118), Hong Kong (96) and Taiwan (87). The lowest scoring countries were Pakistan (0), Nigeria (16) and the Philippines (19) (Hofstede Hofstede, 2005). The case of Euro Disney Its first of Walt Disneys theme park, Disneyland, opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955. The Anaheim Park was an instantaneous success. The success story repeated itself with the opening of the theme park in Florida in 1970s, and with Tokyo Disneyland in Japan in 1983. Japans success made the corporates believe that they knew everything about opening a theme park in another country and making it a success. So, in 1992, they turned to Paris, the self-proclaimed capital of European high culture and style. Paris was chosen out of 200 locations around the world because of its demographics and the subsidies Walt Disney was offered by the French government. The Greater Paris area  was a high-density population zone (over 10 million) with people who had a relatively high level of disposable income. It also has the ability to attract substantial number of tourists. There was sufficient land available to meet the demand of the park and necessary supply of water and electricity was economical. The French government was very enthusiastic about getting Disney to Paris because they believed that the project would create 30,000 French jobs. They also gave the company more than $1 billion in various incentives. The Walt Disney had tasted nothing but success until 1992. From its very inception, Euro-Disney faced a number of problems. First was the allegation that Euro-Disney was an assault on the French culture. The cause: lack of cultural sensitivity. People looked at it as a symbol of American clichà ©s. The French framers even blocked the entrance with their tractors on the day of its opening. It was evident that the human resource department had done everything possible to ignore the aspects of cultural awareness and had misunderstood the French laws. They overlooked the traditions and habits of the French people when strategizing the park and how it would operate. The ethnocentric recruiting practice was one of their biggest mistakes. If a company follows ethnocentric hiring practices, the employees of a multinational company who are from the home country will be given preference. Following this, Euro-Disney filled all important positions with employees from the home America. The chairman of Euro Disney was an American who was said to have strong ties with France. What they did not realize was the fact that because he had strong ties with France did not mean he thought like the French. Because of this, they went on to implement Euro-Disney without much consideration to local culture. They filed to credit the local employees for their contribution to the initial planning process. Recognizing performance is the basis for building an affinity to the workplace and a sense of belonging. When operating in a culturally different environment, it is important that a company ‘act globally, but think locally. This was Disneys biggest mistake. They refused to acknowledge the fact that Europe and USA were both ‘Western cultures, but starkly different in their cultures. The theme parks in America did not serve any alcohol, but for the French, serving a glass of wine with lunch was a given. While the French culture is feminine in nature, the American is Masculine. Disney assumed that Europeans would not take breakfast and so they downsized the operation, but surprisingly Europeans did want breakfast. More surprising was the fact that did not want the typical French breakfast. They wanted bacon and eggs! Another big problem was the while Disney was successful in hitting the planned 9 million visitors a year mark, the visitors didnt stay for as long as expected. Most stayed for a day or two as opposed to the four to five days that Disney had hoped for. Europeans thought of theme parks as a full day excursion and not as a weekend destination. The company had spent billions of dollars building the luxurious hotels but because people opted for day excursions, the occupancy levels at the hotels were always low. Because of this, Euro-Disneyland had cumulative losses of $2 billion at the end of 1994[1]. Almost everything that Walt Disney had projected for Euro-Disney was the complete opposite of the reality in Europe. A puzzle of errors: miscalculating everything! Here are the factors that led to the downfall of Euro-Disney from the very start. I have discussed these in detail as we move further into the dissertation. Still beset by high costs and low attendances, Euro Disney will find it hard to hit its target of breakeven by the end of September 1996. Costs in the year were reduced by FF 500m by introducing more flexible labour agreements (more part-timers, increased job sharing and the use of more students in the peak season) as well as outsourcing contracts in the hotel operation. But the company admits that the lions share of cost reductions has now been realized. Now it hopes attendances are rising. . . Getting people to spend more once they are at the park might be more difficult. Euro Disney is pinning its hopes on economic recovery in Europe. Itll have to start paying interest, management fees and royalties again in five years time. Management will not say whether itll be able to cope then. 1 â€Å"Euro Disney,† Financial Times Lex column, 30 October 1996(14ED) 1. Miscalculation of drinking habits. Misunderstanding French drinking habits was a serious problem faced by Euro Disney. The management decided to continue with their policy of not serving alcohol in their theme park. Though it worked well in other places but the same did not hold true for Euro Disney. It rather proved to be disastrous because a French meal is incomplete without a wine. Wine is an essential part of the French Culture and is famous all over the world. This miscalculation became a cause of astonishment and consequently the company had to change its policy and serve alcohol. 2. Misunderstanding of breakfast and food norms. Disneys fault of ignoring the cultural differences in food made them commit another blunder. Disney believed that like Americans French would also prefer snacks and hence they downsized their restaurants. This proved to be a wrong decision because French preferred to sit down and eat complete meals rather than carrying away snacks in their hand like Americans. In fact, the data shows that they were trying to serve 2,500 breakfasts in a 350-seat restaurant at some of the hotels. Further, guests wanted bacon and eggs rather than just coffee and croissants (Burgoyne, 1995). This difference between the companys thinking and the actual French culture lead to long lines in front of the restaurants and on top of it when French were denied wine it complicated the matter even further and on the whole French did not have a pleasant â€Å"Disney experience†. 3. Misunderstanding of vacation habits. The Walt Disneys thinking of Americanize European habits put them into another trouble. The company miscalculated the vacation time because the Europeans preferred few longer holidays in comparison with the Americans who took several short breaks. So the companys theory of Americanizing brought loss to them. 4. Miscalculation of per-capita spending. Insufficient market research lead to miscalculation of the per capita spending by the visitors at the park. While the Americans and Japanese who never left the park empty handed, the Europeans did. The European visitors wanted to spend more time on the rides rather than shopping for food and souvenirs which resulted in lower expected revenue. As a matter of Fact spending was about 12% less than predicted. [ ] 5. Miscalculation of transportation preferences. There was a big miscalculation in the transport preferences which was again due to the non- understanding of the differences in the American and the European culture. While availability of boats, trams and trains proved to be beneficial  to carry visitors in America from their hotels to the park but with the Europeans this was not the case. Most of the Europeans preferred to walk . Also, as per the calculation it was assumed that most of the Europeans would travel by their own vehicles and hence a lot of parking space was allotted for the cars. Whereas most of the Europeans came by buses and bicycles and the facilities for the bus drivers to park their buses and the rest came out be inadequate and as a result the company was forced to reduce the space for parking lots and provide more space for the buses and the bicycles. 6. Misunderstanding of French labor laws. 7. Violation of French labor law. 8. Miscalculation of risk factor 9. Incorrect global staffing policies and hr orientations :Ethnocentric and polycentric 2. Misunderstanding French traditions and habits: celebrating Halloween instead of French festivals. 3. Nationalistic sentiments of  French people: Change in name from Euro Disney to Disneyland Paris 4. Staffing and training problems 5. Rigid Disney dress code 6. Operational errors 7. Labour costs 8. Labour disputes 9. communication problems 10. cultural operational issues Power distance  · Incorrect global staffing policies and hr orientations: Ethnocentric and polycentric The French were confused when Disney appointed mostly American-born managers into the front-line supervisory positions at Euro Disneyland many of whom were not fluent in the French language. Individualism  · Rigid Disney dress code  · threatening highly individualistic French cultural traditions Individualism is the cultural dimension that measures to what extent people to look after themselves and their immediate family members only Americas individualism score of 91 is the highest in the world. Frances score of 71 is also high, 65% more than t

Obedience and Disobedience in A Few Good Man Essay -- Psychology

â€Å"In the heart of nation’s capital, in a courthouse of the U.S government, one man will stop at nothing to keep his honor, and one will stop at nothing to find the truth.† This tagline helps to sum up the tone of the film A Few Good Men. Two soldiers caught in the middle of right and wrong will keep there hope and loyalty high as they wish for the best. Will the instigator of it all be pressured through his own anger to reveal the truth? Rob Reiner presents Col. Nathan R. Jessep as having an exaggerated self opinion while using his power for evil, based on dispositional factors. Lt. Daniel Kaffee uses his Harvard law education to represent two Marines who are being charged for murder in the movie A Few Good Men. Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway and Lt. Sam Weinberg assist Kaffee on his investigation, thought to be a Code Red, a form of abusive peer discipline. While conversing with Jessep and his two senior officers in Cuba, Kaffee becomes suspicious about certain information given. In the end, Kaffee is triumphant over the case by proving Jessep’s guilt. Stanley Milgram, a Yale psychologist, introduces his opinion on obedience in his article, â€Å"The Perils of Obedience,† while discussing the background to his experiment. An experimenter ordered the unaware teacher to give the learner agonizing shocks, not knowing that the learner was not truly hooked up to the voltage. The experimenter’s goal was to make sure that the teacher followed all orders, even if that meant supposedly harming the learner. Surprisingly, more people obeyed the experim enter rather than following the instinct to help the learner. Likewise, Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst and philosopher, claims that obedience and disobedience both can have good and bad consequences. From... ...of two marines, to perform a code red on Santiago, the learner. Although no harm was intended, the life of an ailing soldier was brutally taken due to the respect of an order. From Fromm’s outlook on the situation, obedience may sometimes be right, but unfortunately might lead to an unwanted outcome, similar to the circumstances portrayed in A Few Good Men. A person with hateful and self conceited characteristics is someone that most people don’t want to be around. This can impact society by causing less appreciation among people. Works Cited A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, and Demi Moore. Columbia Pictures, 1992. Film. Fromm, Erich. â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem† Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahy and Christine R. Farris. New York, New York: Pearson, 2009. 258-263. Print.

Advise the UK government on which primary energy resources would be best to develop over the next 20 years

Energy is a fundamental part of our lives; however, can we continue to rely on fossil fuels? By 2030 global energy demand will be 40% higher and there are also growing concerns over increased greenhouse gas emissions and the resultant warming of our planet which causes us to ask questions about whether our current energy supply is truly sustainable. The UK is running out of energy, without massive investment in new power plants there will be regular black outs in 10 years. There are several factors to consider when evaluating different primary energy resources; these include economic, environmental, political and social implications. However, the most important factors to consider would be economic viability (which is particularly significant due to the UK’s current economic situation) and environmental sustainability. In this essay I will be looking at these factors in order to try and come up with the most sensible solution to the growing energy problem in our country and therefore what primary energy resource should be developed to solve it.Government Regulation on Media in America Natural Gas Natural gas is a major source of electricity generation through the use of gas turbines and steam turbines. It burns more cleanly than other hydrocarbon fuels, such as oil and coal, and it also produces less carbon dioxide. For an equivalent amount of heat, burning natural gas produces about 30% less carbon dioxide than burning petroleum and about 45% less than burning coal. Gas from the North Sea has provided Britain with a regular supply since the mid 1960s when the first discoveries were made. However, UK supplies from the North peaked in 1999, since when production has fallen by around half (see graph to the right). The trade secretary says that the UK is now a net importer of gas – this growing dependence on imports means increasing vulnerability to rising prices and instability in gas-producing regions. Also the CO2 emissions are still significant so you can’t consider this energy resource as completely ‘clean’. Gas fracking in the UK is a very contro versial issue, especially after the recent earthquakes at test drilling sites near Blackpool. Coal 33% of our current energy sources come from coal; it is well established, cheap and reliable. However economically viable UK coal will run out in 10-15 years and is already expensive to mine. Half the coal used in the UK is now imported. The huge environmental implications involved with coal also remain to be a concern – there are high emissions of CO2 and SO2 (which causes acid rain.) Earlier this year the government invested  £1 billion in cleaner technologies, in particular carbon capture technologies which prevent CO2 from escaping into the atmosphere. â€Å"The potential rewards from carbon capture and storage are immense: a technology that can de-carbonise coal and gas-fired power stations and large industrial emitters, allowing them to play a crucial part in the UK's low carbon future† says Ed Davey, Energy and Climate Change Secretary. However this still remains to be a controversial strategy as some say that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is in i ts infancy and does not work yet. Nuclear Power Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity – it provides about 20% of the UK’s energy, utilising 16 operational nuclear reactors at nine plants. Nuclear power is the primary source of electric power in France; 76% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the world. France's nuclear power industry has been called â€Å"a success story† that has put the nation â€Å"ahead of the world† in terms of providing cheap, CO2-free energy. The main positive environmental implication is that it creates minimal CO2 emissions after construction and therefore it isn’t contributing to global warming however this shouldn’t indicate that it is environmentally friendly; there are high levels of radioactive waste involved and the Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011) incidents raise concern over nuclear disasters. After the 2011 Fukushima incident, the head of France's nuclear safety agency said that France needs to upgrade the protection of vital functions in all its nuclear reactors to avoid a disaster in the event of a natural calamity, which will inevitably increase the cost of electricity. There are further negative economic implications as there are high costs of building and decommissioning reactors. Planning and building a power station takes at least 10 years so this will not help meet Kyoto agreements. However a positive economic implication is that Nuclear energy is not as vulnerable to fuel prices fluctuations as oil and gas. There are several pros and cons to nuclear power which makes it a controversial matter; all of the above points would have to be considered if this resource would be developed over the next 20 years. Hydropower This is the most widely used form of renewable energy, accounting for 16 percent of global electricity consumption but just over 2% of the UK’s current consumption. Natural flow hydro is reliant on rainfall and vulnerable to drought which is ideal for the UK. There are no CO2 emissions involved and no vulnerability to fuel prices or political instability and is very cheap once the dam has been built. In theory this sounds like the ideal option for the UK to develop over the next 20 years however in practice there are several negative implications involved. For instance, hydropower projects on mega dams in China have caused species extinction and serious water pollution issues. The three gorges dam in China has had many negative impacts; huge areas of land has been flooded resulting in a large scale relocation of people, villages etc. This case study indicates that a large scale hydropower system within the UK would not be completely sustainable. The Three Gorges Dam Oil Oil only accounts for 1.2% of the UK’s energy consumption and although it is a reliable technology and well established it has many negative implications with it. It is a finite stock resource – many oilfields are depleting; meaning production has peaked and prices will rise (price instability). This has also led to searching for unconventional reserves of oil e.g. in the Arctic. There could be 16 billion barrels of oil in Alaska and big oil TNCs are keen to extract it from this fragile wilderness which causes many harsh environmental impacts. The oil industry has a large dependence on politically unstable regions which causes many problems; the recent Arab spring conflict in Libya meant there were no exports of oil from this major producer. As well as creating a lot of CO2 emissions which contributes to global warming a major environmental implication is oil spills; the deep water horizon oil spill disaster caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats and to the Gulfs fishing and tourism industry. Biofuels Biofuels are crops or organic matter such as agricultural wastes which can be used as fuels. They are defined as renewable because they are based upon plants which have trapped the sun’s energy during photosynthesis and converted it into chemical energy. In the UK it accounts for 0.6% of energy consumption – there are only a few facilities burning Biofuels such as waste wood products and straw that are already operating. Energy crops could be grown in the UK, but some will not be cost effective unless yields improve. These energy costs are considered to be carbon neutral because carbon released when crops are burned is balanced by carbon absorbed from the atmosphere during growth. One of the main issues concerned with Biofuels is that it uses up a lot of land which could be used for other things such as growing crops – there is a link between the spread of Biofuels across the world and rising food prices. Brazil is considered to have the world's first sustainable Biofuels economy and is the Biofuel industry leader; the UK could learn a lot from Brazil’s 37-year-old ethanol fuel program which is based on the most efficient agricultural technology for sugarcane cultivation in the world. This program has led to there no longer being any light vehicles in Brazil running on pure gasoline which has huge environmental benefits. However, again Biofuels cannot be considered completely environmentally friendly as you need to take into account the direct and indirect effect of land use changes; Brazil and other developing countries convert land in undisturbed ecosystems, such as rainforests, savannas, or grasslands to Biofuel production. Some experts call bioethanol â€Å"deforestation diesel†. Wind Wind is a key renewable resource that is not vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations. Turbines are emission free and quick to build, with the costs of building them decreasing. The UK is very suited to wind farms – some say that the UK has the best wind resources in Europe. The UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power; at the beginning of March 2012 the installed capacity of wind power in the United Kingdom was 6,580 megawatts with 333 operational wind farms and 3,506 wind turbines. However, even though it is a leading producer, wind power only accounts for 0.5% of our energy consumption therefore there is a large amount of room for development. There are several issues with this source of energy to be considered; it uses up a lot of land which inevitably leads to NIMBYISM issues – there is local opposition and concerns about the noise pollution and the impact on the landscape. This energy source is also intermittent as wind levels fluctuat e. Solar Solar is also a key free and renewable energy source. It can generate electricity from photovoltaic cells, be used to heat water directly, or be maximised by good building design. Spain is one of the most advanced countries in the development of solar energy however it is one of the European countries with the most hours of sunshine. This suggests that this source of energy would not be right for the UK as the UK sunshine is unreliable and limited. Solar power is also confined to daylight hours unless photovoltaic cells are used to store power in batteries. The solar power industry within the UK is developing however the potential may not be big enough for it to be developed further in the UK in my opinion. Wave and Tidal This has large potential in some parts of the UK and is a key renewable resource. However there are large development costs and it is still in the research stage with technology not being completely developed yet. There are also environmental issues involved with wave and tidal power; the barrier will act as a physical barrier to fish movements to spawning grounds etc. The wave and tidal barriers will also detract from the visual beauty of the coastline. Conclusion In this essay I have evaluated the pros and cons of several forms of primary energy which have the potential to be developed within the UK over the next 20 years. I have considered the environmental, political, social and economic implications of each in order to try and come up with the most sustainable option for the UK’s future. Forms of renewable energy seem to be the most obvious choice to be developed in the UK with the ever increasing concerns over global warming and climate change. The environmental impacts involved with using natural gas, coal, nuclear energy and oil all seem to be too big for them to be considered. The political impacts concerned with oil in particular is a strong indication of an energy resource that should be avoided by the UK; oil is already making a small and declining contribution to electricity generation in our country. With the focus being, in my opinion, on renewable energy it leaves the controversial decision over what particular primary energy source should be developed. At first glance, maximising the potential of hydropower seems to be the most sensible option as this is already having the largest contribution to our energy consumption out of all the renewables. However, much of the UK’s hydropower potential has already been exploited with large scale future development unlikely. I also believe that solar power isn’t the right renewable energy to go for as the UK’s climate is simply not suitable enough for it to have a large impact on our growing energy consumption. Wave and tidal energy does however have large potential in the UK however I am worried that due to its early stage in development it would need massive investment for it to reach its potential; this I believe would not be economically viable in the UK considering our current economic climate. This leaves me with wind power. I believe that this should be the energy resource that should be further developed over the next 20 years for several reasons; it is currently the fastest growing renewable in the UK and there is already heavy government backing to support it. There are little environmental impacts to be considered and with costs falling it is also economically viable. NIMBYISM objections can also be solved with the development of off-shore wind farms further out to sea, for example the world's biggest offshore wind farm off Kent with the 100 turbines being expected to generate enough electricity to power 200,000 homes. The success of this particular development will in my opinion become a catalyst for further development of more wind farms in the UK and will hopefully help solve the growing energy problem in our country.

Definitions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)

Definitions of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common means of communication  (or contact language) for speakers of different native languages.Although most contemporary  linguists  regard English as a lingua franca (ELF) as a valuable means of international communication and a worthwhile object of study, some have challenged the idea that ELF is a distinct variety of English. Prescriptivists  (generally non-linguists) tend to dismiss ELF as  a kind of foreigner talk  or what has been disparagingly called BSEbad simple English.British linguist Jennifer Jenkins points out that ELF is not a new phenomenon. English, she says, has served as a lingua franca in the past, and continues to do so nowadays, in many of the countries that were colonized by the British from the late sixteenth century on (often known collectively as the Outer Circle following Kachru 1985), such as India and Singapore. . . . What is new a bout ELF, however, is the extent of its reach (English as a Lingua Franca in the International University, 2013).    Examples and Observations As well as being usedoften in a very simple formby tourists, ELF is prominent in international politics and diplomacy, international law, business, the media, and in tertiary education and scientific researchwhich Yamuna Kachru and Larry Smith (2008: 3) call ELFs mathetic functionso it is clearly not a reduced lingua franca in the terms original (Frankish) sense. Yet it usually differs from English as a native language (ENL), the language used by NESs [native English speakers]. Spoken ELF contains a huge amount of linguistic variation and non-standard forms (although formal written ELF tends to resemble ENL to a much greater extent).(Ian Mackenzie,  English as a Lingua Franca: Theorizing and Teaching English. Routledge, 2014)ELF in Local and International SettingsEnglish operates as a lingua franca at a number of different levels, including local, national, regional and international. Apparently paradoxically, the more localised the use of English as a lingua franca, the more varia tion it is likely to display. This can be explained by reference . . . to the identitycommunication continuum. When used in a local setting, ELF will display identity markers. Thus code-switching and the explicit [use] of nativised norms can be expected. When used for international communication, on the other hand, speakers will consciously avoid the use of local and nativised norms and expressions.(Andy Kirkpatrick,  World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press, 2007) Is ELF a Variety of English?Whether ELF should be called a variety of English at all is an open question, and one which cannot be answered as long as we do not have any good descriptions of it. It is well known that divisions between languages are arbitrary, and therefore those between varieties of a language have to be as well. Once descriptions are available of how speakers from different linguacultural backgrounds use ELF, this will make it possible to consider whether it would make sense to think of English as it is spoken by its non-native speakers as falling into different varieties, just as is the English spoken by its native speakers. . . . It is likely that ELF, like any other natural language, will turn out to vary, and to change over time. It does not make much sense, therefore, to talk about a monolithic variety as such: a variety can be treated as if it were a monolith, but this is a convenient fiction, for the process of variation itself never stops.(Barbara Seidlhofer, English as a Lingua Franca in the Expanding Circle: What It Isnt.  English in the World: Global Rules, Global Roles, ed. by  Rani Rubdy and Mario Saraceni.  Continuum, 2006) Two ApproachesSeeing as the movement to bring forth the conceptualization of English as a lingua franca is gaining momentum worldwide, and more specifically for Europe, it is imperative that an analysis is made of the implications of the two differing approaches . . .. One is the (traditional) idea that English is a lingua franca for a non-native speaker constituency which should pursue knowledge of the language as if it were a foreign language. The other, upheld by those who have bought into the world Englishes paradigm, is to see English as a lingua franca for interlocutors who use it with others in multicultural settings (and thus see English in its diversity as opposed to viewing English as a prescriptive entity defined by idealized inner-circle speakers). It should be made clear, moreover, that my own position here is that a lingua franca must be inclusive as opposed to exclusive. That is to say, it is imperative that our understanding of how English is used in Europe is integra ted with a vision of a communicatively viable use of the language internationally.(Marko Modiano, EIL, Native-Speakerism and the Failure of European ELT.  English as an International Language: Perspectives and Pedagogical Issues, ed. by  Farzad Sharifian. Multilingual Matters, 2009)