Discuss the role of John Proctor Essay Example for Free

Discuss the role of John Proctor Essay Discuss the role of John Proctor in The Crucible. Why does he choose to die at the end of the play? John Proctor is the protagonist of the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. This is because Miller uses Proctor as a character to help the audience understand the characters experience. He does this by either making sympathetic expressions or the actions that Proctor makes, whether they are violent or confusing. Miller makes us feel sympathetic for Proctor when Proctors wife, Elizabeth gets taken away to court for being accused of doing the devils work. Proctor knows she is innocent but nobody will believe him. In Act I, John Proctors role is to introduce himself and show his character: Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house did I not? (Proctor, Act I) This comment suggests he likes to be powerful and in control, in this case, by being forceful. He feels strong about hypocricy, but is even-tempered. Miller tells us that in the presence of Proctor a fool felt his foolishness instantly. He also tells us that proctor is a sinner against his own vision of decent conduct, of which he is talking about the affair with Abigail Williams. This is dramatic irony as, only three characters (including Proctor) are aware of this. When we first meet Proctor he is with Abigail, Mary and Mercy Lewis. Abigails first words are: Gah, Id almost forgotten how strong you are John Proctor! (Abigail, Act I) John Proctor quickly realises what she is implying and replies: Whats this mischief then? (Proctor, Act I) This shows he doesnt want anything to happen between him and Abigail. No, no Abby. Thats done with. (Proctor, Act I) Later on he replies with this to Abigail, and this shows he is strong-willed, recognises what is happening and the mistake. However Abigail thinks that John is just playing around with her and speaks of how he clutched her back behind his house and sweated like a stallion. I may have looked up. (Proctor, Act I) This quotation suggests that Proctor is still interested and this brings across a message that people dont change, in this case Proctor a sinner, but then the strong, powerful part of his character comes across and he threatens to whip her, to which the stage directions say shaking her. This suggests he regrets the affair and wants no more to do with Abigail. As an affair is more likely to have happened in the 20th century, the audience sympathise with him as the play is set in the late 17th century, so Proctor is a man ahead of his time. When Proctor meets Hale, he wants him to make Salem more realistic. He shows his sensible character, but could also be seen that Proctor is trying to be in charge and think he knows too much: He dont believe in witches. (Giles, Act I) I never speak of witches one-way or the other. Will you come Giles? (Proctor, Act I) Ive heard you to be a sensible man Mr Hales. I hope youll leave some of it in Salem. (Proctor, Act I) Act II shows Proctors house, and Proctor is tense, which brings tension upon the audience. He carries a gun, which suggests insecurity among Salem, and himself. He places it leaning on the wall, which is an accessible point, again showing insecurity. It makes the audience feel inferior. AS Elizabeth walks down the stairs he goes to a basin washing his hands and face. This is symbolic as he is trying to forget the affair, because he feels so guilty. This builds more tension: What keeps you so late? Its almost dark. (Elizabeth, Act II) This comment of Elizabeths shows she is anxious and suspicious of his whereabouts. He replies that he was planting far out the forest edge. Then goes on to say: Pray now for a fair summer. (Proctor, Act II) He is trying to please his wife, still feeling guilt. He says with a grin: I mean to please you, Elizabeth. (Proctor, Act II) Elizabeth replies, although hard to say, which suggests denial or disbelief: I know it, John. (Elizabeth, Act II) Proctor and Elizabeth fear each other, and this illustrates the feature of the play-fear. Their short sentences and being silent suggests this, and also brings tension upon their marriage, and the audience. Act II is mostly to do with John Proctor, the visiting of Hale to which he is questioned about his religious efforts, his arguments with his wife, his suspicions of the witchcraft in Salem and Abigail, and the arrest of his wife. He grabs the search warrant off Cheever: Proctor, you dare not touch the warrant. (Cheever, Act II) Ripping the warrant. (Stage directions, Act II) This is Proctors angry side. He knows what Abigail is up to, yet no one will believe him. They go on what Abigail says. As he rips up the warrant, he puts a reputation to his name at the courts of the Witch trials. Act III shows Danforth, a deputy governor, talking to Proctor about witchcraft. He is questioning about the pretence that Mary Warren has confessed. He wants a second view from John Proctor: We burn a hot fire her; it melts down all concealment. (Danforth, Act III) This relates to the title of the play The Crucible. It is a metaphor of a crucible, which points out the message of the play. As a crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure elements. In the play, witches are to be purified and to come back to God. When Mary is in court, Proctor is determined to get the judges to see what is really happening. He goes into the courts and confesses his sin of adultery with Abigail to try and make the judges see how much of a whore she really is. He risks his well-preserved name to save his wife from being hanged. The judges have no proof: In her life, sir, she have never lied. (Proctor, Act III) Here he talks of Elizabeth, and he thinks she will tell the courts the truth of the affair, but instead she thinks the courts dont know. She worries that she is risking her husbands well-dignified name, and lies: Answer the question! Is your husband a lecher! (Danforth, Act III) No, sir. (Elizabeth, Act III) Proctor gets taken into jail for perverting the course of justice: Marshal! Take him and Corey with him to the jail! (Danforth, Act III) Hale realises what is happening and quits the courts. Act IV is tragic, bringing the death of the hero of the play. Danforth is doing almost anything he can to get a confession from Proctor. For example he gets Elizabeth, his wife that he tries so hard to please, to go and talk to him. They understand what Proctor meant by all the lies. Abigail ran off the Barbados. When Proctor sees Elizabeth again, it creates a tragic atmosphere. To them it seems almost unreal, like they didnt think they would see each other again. The short, quick sentences that they exchange give us a sense of tension: You are a marvel, Elizabeth. (Proctor, Act IV) You have been tortured? (Elizabeth, Act IV) As she asks Proctor this it proves that she wants to forgive him, and that she wants to love him again. He decides to confess about witchery, for Elizabeths sake. Once the confession has been written down he grabs it, saying: You have all witnessed it it is enough. (Proctor, Act IV) He refuses to sign his confession. He doesnt want to blacken his name anymore: God knows how black my sins are! It is enough! (Proctor, Act IV) If he doesnt give it back, or sign the confession, he will be hanged, he will be killed. Instead he rips it like, just like he did the warrant/ He decides to die. The atmosphere turns tragic and goes still. The audiences reaction is also tragic, but also understandable after all, that was the role of John Proctor. He chooses to die because he would blacken his name, and his childrens name Proctor. He realises he has ruined his reputation from the affair, and that the courts in Salem were finished. He couldnt lie anymore. He chose his own death rather than betrayal of his conscience. This shows us that he too has come through the fire to be purified, just like the pure elements extracted from the metals in a crucible.

Dulce et Decorum Es :: essays research papers

An Analysis of â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† Dolce et Decorum Est is the product of Wilfred Owen’s frustration, not only against those who repeat the old lie â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est†, in other words, it is sweet and right to die for your country, but also against a certain kind of poetry. Through his poem, Owen who himself took part in World War 1, has no difficulty to convince us that the horrors that took place at this moment far outweighs the idea of those who encourage war. In this essay, I will approach the symbolic significance of the poem by analysing each stanza. In the first stanza, Owen sets the scene. This stanza contains a lot of simile and metaphors that shows us how crushed these men are, physically and mentally. Soldiers are turning their back to the lights of the battle field â€Å"Till on the haunting flares we turned ours backs†. Exhausted, their knees are touching â€Å"knock-kneed†, tired of supporting their heavy backpack â€Å"like old beggars under sacks†. The condition of the poor soldiers is so miserable that the author compare them to â€Å"old beggars† and â€Å"hags† (ugly old woman). Some men had lost their boots and the only shoes they have is the blood on their feet â€Å"blood-shod†. They are walking painfully, not even hearing the noise made by the shells rushing through the air â€Å"deaf even to the hoots†. Then, little bye little, soldiers struggle away from the battle field, shells now falling behind â€Å"Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind† . In the second stanza, the author is focusing on one man who, because of stress and fatigue was not able to put his gas mask in time. The author describe the pain of this poor man throughout a big underwater metaphor: â€Å"flound’ring†, â€Å"green sea†, â€Å"drowning† and â€Å"plunges†, in the third stanza. Plugged by the glass in the eyepieces of the gas masks and the green light (chlorine gas) â€Å"Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light†, Owen can see his comrade succumbing to the poison gas. In the third stanza, our speaker compare the scene to a nightmare. Owen will never forget the images of his friend, dying: â€Å"plunges at me†, â€Å"my helpless sight†. Dismayed, Owen can’t do anything to help his friend. In line 16, by guttering, the speaker was probably referring to the sound in the throat of the man, that was gurgling like water draining down a gutter.

Confucianism’s similarities to virtue ethics Essay

Confucianism, the ancient social philosophy of China, would have had no ethical parallel in the West as little as 30 years ago. There are some small similarities that it holds with utilitarian ethics and deontology. There is very little in ethical egoism or relativism that lines up with Confucianism. I believe that virtue ethics, however, as laid out in Alasdair MacIntyre’s book After Virtue bears a striking resemblance to Confucianism. One important feature of Confucianism, according to John Koller, is that it is an essentially humanist philosophy; in other words, human beings are the ultimate source of values. This is in apposition to Supernaturalism—which claims that values ultimately come from God, and naturalism—which believes that values come from nature. Thus, Confucianism, answers the question of â€Å"How can goodness and harmony be achieved? † by looking for exemplars and principles in humanity itself. This is strikingly similar to the picture that Alasdair MacIntyre paints of the world. According to MacIntyre, most of the ethical language and arguments that are thrown around between ethicists and even everyday people is fundamentally incomprehensible or incoherent. Ethical prescriptions used to be based on a common belief in God and the ways in which He has ordered the universe. In today’s world, however, we no longer share that common belief, but we have kept the structures and language of our old ethical systems without the foundation stones on which they were originally built. To remedy this ailment, MacIntyre proposes going back to a kind of virtue ethics, an essentially humanist philosophy that defines virtuous behavior as what a good man would do. Like Confucianism, virtue ethics looks to neither God nor nature, but rather humanity to find the principles by which to live. Furthermore, both Confucianism and virtue ethics focus less on the rightness of actions themselves, but rather on the development of virtuous people. Koller, notes â€Å"The Confucian idea that virtue, rather than law, should be the basis of government†¦ †. Similarly, virtue ethics sees ethical behavior as ultimately driven by character, not by rules (deontology) or consequences (utilitarianism). Both Confucianism and virtue ethics are interested in cultivating people â€Å"skillful† in doing good as the basis of a stable society.

Television, a Waste of Time And Money Essay

Television has become progressively more popular through the old ages since it was foremost invented. In fact it is so popular that about every place in America has one or more telecasting sets. Television started when Edwin Belin. an English adult male. held the patent for the transmittal of exposure by wire every bit good as fibre optics and radio detection and ranging. which demonstrated a mechanical scanning device that was an early ascendant to modern telecasting. With Television sets about everyplace in sight. a job with non merely the young person of America but besides affecting teens and grownups has erupted. As the popularity of Television increased so did the hours watched and hence. the rate of force sky rocketed. If the hours of telecasting exceed three hours a twenty-four hours the rate of force both seen and committed additions dramatically. In 1993. the mean kid was watching 8. 000 slayings and 10. 000 Acts of the Apostless of force before go forthing simple school ( Hepburn 244-249 ) . With all the picks of premium overseas telegram. HBO and many others. it’s non surprising that Television is lifting in monetary value excessively. Television has caused legion Acts of the Apostless of force and the statistics are still lifting. If the hours of telecasting are slimmed to less than an hr a twenty-four hours the violent Acts of the Apostless. will diminish. Many people watch telecasting as a everyday and mundane at about the same clip they will watch their favourite show or shows. Blending telecasting into your day-to-day modus operandi is non merely bad for you but sets aside precedences that are more of import like school work. Television draws in Families every dark About every household in the USA tickers premier clip telecasting ( 5-9 o’clock ) on hebdomad darks and with 99 % of families that own at least one telecasting. there are non many households that don’t watch Television on hebdomad yearss ( â€Å"Television† ) . In fact. surveies show that 66 % of U. S. places have three or more Television sets ( â€Å"Mediascope† ) . It is really dearly-won non to advert if you are in hunt to purchase the newest or biggest telecastings out at that place. Televisions non merely can set a strain on a household financially but with some households that watch up to or more than three hours of Television it can side track a household from its aims. During the 90’s each household averaged approximately 50 hours of telecasting weekly ( â€Å"Teen-agers† ) . Now come ining the new decennary the statistics have grown with the new types of telecasting since the 90’s. Once households start watching Television. it becomes a everyday that is non easy to interrupt. Many households are drawn to competition shows. where the whole household can take part and play along. The Steady Increase of Violence on Television Shows Television shows have become more violent in clip and it targets the young person and manipulates the kids to believe it is acceptable to perpetrate Acts of the Apostless of force. 59 % of force is shown on basic overseas telegram which is what most kids watch ( â€Å"Mediascope† ) . Children are really easy swayed to happening person to look up to. Many childs are into the â€Å"bad guys† and the strongest or most evil Television characters out at that place. When kids idolize characters on telecasting they are more likely to move the manner they do. 67 % of plans depict force in a humourous manner ( â€Å"Mediascope† ) . Showing the Acts of the Apostless of force in a humourous manner makes it look harmless to the kids. Childs who have premium channels on their telecastings are even more prone to perpetrating a violent act. Shows like HBO’s Oz. averaged 76 violent Acts of the Apostless per episode ( Hepburn 244-249 ) . Cartoons frequently depict at that place secret plans in a violent manner. Cartoons are a perfect illustration that shows how the young person of America is targeted at an early age. The major Television webs like Fox. CBS. and ABC play a large function in the rise of force across the state. Television webs like these. feel that force brings in the viewing audiences and the more viewing audiences the more money that the web makes. When Television was merely turning in popularity. the shows so were a batch different. Of class. there was still some force but really limited and no swear words or realistic particular effects. For illustration â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† and â€Å"Dike Van Dyke† which started in the 50’s. was non-violent and still popular plenty to draw in the viewing audiences get downing whole new tendencies. Today on the other manus. realistic effects to do horror scenes seem about existent have corrupted the populace. Shows like â€Å"CSI† and â€Å"Space Troopers† have legion violent Acts of the Apostless that are really in writing particularly to childs. The alteration through the decennaries has been great and more become more violent than of all time. What is to come in the hereafter? Will the force become even more vi olent? Or will at that place be a halt to the up rise in violent Acts of the Apostless all together? Television Effectss In the long tally. telecasting will impact non merely kids but teens and grownups excessively. With all the violent Acts of the Apostless seen on about every Television show the kids become frightened of the universe around them. â€Å"Eventually after watching all these offenses and violent Acts of the Apostless. the kids will be less sensitive to trouble and agony of others† ( Zuckerman ) . As most parents know. kids will make what they see. Many kids. non cognizant of what’s incorrect and right yet. will â€Å"mimic what they hear and see on TV† ( Zuckerman ) . It’s a parents occupation to watch over his or hers child and make certain they are non witnessing an inordinate sum of refuse or telecasting. presuming the parents are stable and non already addicted to Television. Statisticss show that teens ticker more telecasting than anything else that includes listening to music and reading ( â€Å"Mediascope† ) . Teenss are now in the old ages of re bellion against their parents and want to watch more mature shows that they can associate to. â€Å"Most adolescent prefer grownup scheduling that trades with turning up. drugs. sex and alcohol† ( Zuckerman ) . Teens that are stressed out by mundane things like school. classs and parents are more likely to watch Television every free minute they get. Television gives them a opportunity to loosen up and bury about day-to-day jobs and problems. Adults are besides portion of the rebellion in violent Acts of the Apostless committed due to the effects of telecasting. 76 % of typical violent culprits are grownups ( â€Å"Mediascope† ) . As we look around the violent universe we live in. it’s non flooring that all kids turn out as a deranged felon or liquidator particularly when kids look up to grownups for counsel. With the offense rates steadily increasing and telecasting in the hot place for the incrimination possibly a forbiddance of telecastings is in order. TV’s influence on the population Television affects everybody including childs. teens and grownups when they watch inordinate sum of Television each twenty-four hours. Parents should restrict there childs while they are immature so it’s non difficult to draw them away when they’re in their adolescent old ages. Today shots and slayings are more common than 20 old ages ago and no happenstance that the mean hours of telecasting a twenty-four hours have been lifting of all time since. Television makes existent slayings seem like nil to childs because they don’t yet understand the world from their Television universe. If the childs watch inordinate sums of Television when they are truly immature. they will respond to what they saw on Television when they are in a crisis or job in there life. when they grow up. Television is one of the negative effects of engineering and detecting new things. â€Å"Our findings suggest that responsible parents should avoid allowing their kids to watch more than an hr of Television a twenty-four hours. † ( Hepburn 244-249 ) . Hepburn besides stated â€Å"I was surprised to see a five fold addition in aggressive behaviour from less than one hr to three or more hours† ( Hepburn 244-249 ) . The universe with telecasting does non travel manus in manus any more. With force quickly increasing. the offense rates rocketing. it’s lone clip before there’s no more Television or people left. Television. in the terminal These big doses of telecasting are shown by the offense rate of today. Children who watch more than three hours of Television a twenty-four hours are really likely to perpetrate a violent act with in their life. Television will likely be about for a really long clip and it is the parents that are responsible for how much clip their childs ticker. Parents are non to be blamed wholly but there is a good portion that does rely on them to steer their childs the right manner and restrict the hours of Television they watch mundane. Jennifer Zuckerman claims â€Å"parents are responsible on how much Television is allowed and what stairss should be taken† . If you watch your kids and bound there hours of Television a twenty-four hours there is a good opportunity that the child will be less likely to be involved in a violent act. Television is normally a consequence of ennui. a clip to loosen up and non make any physical work. 73. 5 % of people watch Television when they are non making any thing ( â€Å"Television† ) . Television is a major cause of the bulk of violent Acts of the Apostless committed in the last few old ages. The lone manner for a lessening in the nation’s force is to restrict the sum of telecasting we watch and to restrict the kids from big sums of telecasting. If the rise of force still increases at a steady velocity. the lone manner to halt it is to either travel to the manufacturers or convert the people to turn on telecastings and take them from their places. Plants Cited Hepburn. Mary A. â€Å"TV Violence! A Medium’s Effectss Under Scrutiny. † Social Education. Sept. 1997: 244-249. SIRS Researcher CD-ROM. CD-ROM. SIRS Mandarin. Fall 2002. â€Å"Mediascope. National Television Violence Study. † Executive Summary. 1994-1995: N. P. SIRS Researcher CD-ROM. CD-ROM. SIRS Mandarin. Fall 2002. â€Å"Teen-agers Who Watch More Television are Prone to Violence† . The Seattle Times. March 28. 2002: N. P. SIRS Researcher CD-ROM. CD-ROM. SIRS Mandarin. Fall 2002. â€Å"Television Violence: A Review of the Effectss on Children of Different Ages† . Science 1995 ; N. P. Zuckerman. D. â€Å"What is to Blame for Youth Violence? † 21. March. 2003. World Wide Web. surgeongeneral. gov/library/youthviolence

Outline and Evaluate the Use of One Qualitative Method in the Academic Study of Sport Essay Example

Outline and Evaluate the Use of One Qualitative Method in the Academic Study of Sport Essay Example Outline and Evaluate the Use of One Qualitative Method in the Academic Study of Sport Essay Outline and Evaluate the Use of One Qualitative Method in the Academic Study of Sport Essay Outline and evaluate the use of one qualitative method in the academic study of sport Denzin and Lincoln (2000a) believe that qualitative research is guided by 3 principles: assumptions, values and beliefs. These work against, alongside or within positivist and post-positivist models. Quantitative research is the use of numerical measurements and analysis that involves measurable ‘quantities’ by Gratton and Jones (2004). Quantitative data is collected through closed questions as it is in place to provide facts. While qualitative data, on the other hand, predominantly uses open styled questions to gain more information through follow up questions, extensive answers and debates. There are many differences between the two paradigms with the researcher being objective, and ‘detached’ from the subject under investigation within quantitative data said by Gratton and Jones (2004). Moreover, qualitative research is rather the opposite, with the researcher being in place to gather more information from the participants in question. In addition to the previous, Morse, Swanson and Kuezel (2001) believe a quantitative research requires the researcher to carefully define variables that may be quantified with numbers. On the other hand, qualitative research is a more holistic perspective rather than a hypothesis confirmation. Berg and Latin (2008) believe qualitative research allows an open-ended and flexible approach to assessment. Within the qualitative paradigm there are several different data collection methods such as open questionnaires, interviews, observation, visual and textual analysis. I will be outlining and evaluating the use of interviews within the academic study of sport; this will be focused mainly on focus groups. Culver (2003) states that interviews are undoubtedly the most common method for collecting qualitative data within the study of sport. Pettigrew (1990) and Pettus (2001) also state ‘interviews offer a depth of information that permits the detailed exploration of particular issues in a way not possible with other forms of data collection’. Within this type of research method there are 4 different types of interviews; structured, semi-structured, unstructured and focus group. Structured interviews are face-to-face (researcher participant), consist of closed and pre-determined questions in addition to the structure being formal. Semi-structured interviews can be altered so that the participant(s) in question can ether clarify or elaborate on a particular topic/statement. The approach to data collection is flexible, with probes being used to gather additional information. Unstructured interviews have a set theme with the respondent leading the interview. The questions are developed throughout, as they are not pre-determined. These questions are open and flexible. A negative point to this interview structure is that there’s a chance the interview will lack focus. Focus groups lean towards being semi-structured with a discussion thesis being used within an open environment; focus groups consist of more than one person. John Amis (2005) believes ‘focus groups allow members to challenge each other, develop positions of consensus, and build on each other’s ideas’. In addition to this previous statement, Gratton and Jones (2004) believe that this can become a negative point if the researcher doesn’t keep the participants on topic, stating that ‘participants may be tempted to provide false data to make an impression upon others in the group’. This can be potentially avoided if you use either a random, or stratified random sample which has a divided population. Furthermore these participants won’t know one another. Within focus groups there is a large quantity of strengths; participants are able to elaborate on the particular subject(s) especially when the researcher uses probes. In conjunction to this Yin (1994) notes that the interviewer ‘provides perceived casual inferences’ from the actor’s, rather than the researcher’s point of view. As a focus group is generally unstructured or semi-structured it enables participants to reveal certain insight into their attitudes and behaviours in addition to important themes and unexpected data to emerge, Gratton and Jones (2010). Focus groups are more flexible as you can also gain visual and vocal information; for example body language, laughter, silence or careful consideration, their tone of voice, or even simply what particular participants are saying. This can lead to the researcher probing as certain participants will be more passionate about certain themes/topics. Moreover you are able to gain a relationship with your participants, which can lead to them being more open and true to the information they give within the group. In conjunction with this, participants are informed that everything discussed is kept confidential, therefore this will relax and ease participants so they’re able to engage fully within the discussions. Interviews require more resources in comparison to questionnaires. This could be in terms of time consumption or travelling, as a consequence resulting samples can be small, Gratton and Jones (2010). Particular participants could take control of the interview therefore becoming dominant; researchers must then put particular probes into practice ensuring other group members get involved to gain a more diverse collection of data. On the other hand, participants could find focus group environments intimidating and/or off-putting; which can lead to the participant(s) in question feeling under pressure to agree with the dominant participant. Evalued[online]) Analysing data can also be difficult in addition to recording the interview. John Amis (2005) states that it is irrespective of the type of interview, that the way data is recorded should be established prior and it is standard procedure to record the interview on audio tape. The researcher must also ensure that the data gathered is reliable. Gratton and Jones (2004) believe that this can be represen ted with the equation; ‘reliability = number of agreements/(number of agreements + disagreements)’. Psychological Qualities of Elite Adolescent Rugby Players is a research study extension on Holland and colleagues’ (2010) study into required psychological qualities of young talented rugby players, Woodcock et al (2011). Focus groups were completed following Kruger and Casey’s (2000) recommended size of 6 to 8 participants, ensuring that you don’t exceed 10. One group broke this guideline with 2 participants participating within SAS (Sports Administration Staff), which could hinder studied data with the chance of agreement being likely and information being limited. Stewart, Shamdasani, and Rook (2007) warn that fewer than eight participants can lead to a narrow discussion biased toward the views of a few individuals. Focus groups were held in familiar and comforting environments in addition to neutral locations for parents, which was in place to make participants feel more at ease. The focus group was semi-structured with the moderator using probes to gain a more in-depth insight into their views and beliefs. Furthermore the moderator gained a relationship with the participants on entry so that they’d feel comfortable along with this method aiding them to participate within group discussions. Through using focus groups Woodcock et al (2011) founded 5 new subgroups within the 11 higher order themes identified by young players in Holland et al, (2010). These 5 subthemes were: off pitch communication, reflection on their abilities in an objective manner, taking information and reproducing it as a physical action, dealing with injuries as well as attitude towards injuries and that players need to be problem solvers, able to adapt and overcome challenges. Parents and coaches supported development of individuals, not just in their rugby involvement but within other areas of life. Furthermore they discussed interactions that reinforced development within professional and performance environments. SAS highlighted within the study that the under-16 rugby programme was designed specifically to gradually challenge players and foster development of certain psychological qualities Woodcock et al (2011). This focus group helped gain further knowledge and insight within the psychological side of elite adolescent rugby players. Furthermore the ways in which parents, coaches and the SAS develop these players’ psychological in general day to day environments. A large majority of the research gathered corresponds Holland and colleagues (2010) study. Gender perception of Wrestling is a case study in place to gain research on whether or not wrestling is a sport primarily for male athletes. This focus group consist of eight participants from both genders (stratified random sample), which was also semi-structured. Sports managers and administrators for wrestling are presented with the opportunity to encourage women to take part. For this to take place sports managers and/or administrators need to understand how women perceive the sport. Pfister, (2010) and Ward, (2010) state that there is a growing number of women participating in sports with some women competing successfully in traditionally masculine sports. Data collected from the focus group was substantial, with views from each gender being different; this therefore made the study stand out more due to its hypothesis. The focus group underlined that they perceived wrestling to be more violent than other sports such as judo and taekwondo as self-defence wasn’t an explicit objective, Leng (2012). Participants also reviewed the physical attributes of a wrestler, as of this they clearly stated wrestling was a sport for athletes who possess more physical attributes. Moreover, participants didn’t regard wrestling as a sport favouring the participation of a particular gender. To conclude this case study qualitative data collected via participants within the focus group were views which outlined gender beliefs. It is clear to see that focus groups are irreplaceable when accumulating qualitative research data within the academic study of sport. Gibbs (1997) states that the purpose of focus group research is to draw upon respondents’ attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions. Focus groups gather a whole source of information that cannot be obtained without debates and different views. When structured correctly the researcher is able to gain rich data that he can then press forward to ether make changes or put different methods in practice. Focus groups are best used when gaining data on something meaningful to the participants and/or collecting data for something that affects a large majority of people. Something else gathered from this is that when the moderator/research gains a relationship with the participant it is easier to gain more in-depth information. Bibliography Andrews, D. L. , Mason, D. S. and Silk, M. L. (2005) Qualitative Data in Sports Studies. New York: Berg. Berg, K. E and Latin, R. W. (2008) Research Methods in Health, Physical Education, Exercise Science, and Research (3rd Edition). Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Gratton, C. and Jones, I. (2004) Research Methods of Sports Studies (1st Edition). London: Routledge. Gratton, C. and Jones, I (2006) Research Methods of Sports Studies (2nd Edition). Oxon: Routledge. Woodcock, C. , Holland, M. J. G. , Duda, J. L, and Cumming, J. 2011) Psychological Qualities of Elite Adolescent Rugby Players: Parents, Coaches, and Sport Administration Staff Perceptions and Supporting Roles. The Sport Psychologist, 25, 411-433. Leng, H. K. ; Kang, S. Y. ; Lim, C. ; Lit, J. J. ; Suhaimi, N. I. ; Umar, Y. (2012) Only For Males: Gendered Perception of Wrestling. Choregia, Vol. 8 Issue 1, p43. Gibbs, A. (1997) Social Research Update, Issue 19 [online]. Available: http://sru. soc. surrey. ac. uk/SRU19. html [8th Novemb er 2012] Evalued (2006) Focus Groups [online]. Available: evalued. bcu. ac. uk/tutorial/4b. htm [ 8th November 2012]

Benefits of Monopoly for the Stakeholders Essay

Benefits of Monopoly for the Stakeholders - Essay Example Monopoly is a market structure where a firm controls the industry in regards to output and prices and there are no close substitutes to the products. Monopolistic competition is a market structure where there are many buyers and sellers who trade in a range of prices. This is because the sellers can differentiate their offers to different customers (Orbanes, 2007). Monopoly is not the best market structure to be considered in the current world of business.A monopoly has different benefits to the stakeholders such as the government, consumers, producers and businesses as a whole. Monopoly benefits to the producers and businesses are that it increases normal profits to abnormal profits. A monopoly produces at a lower output and sells at high prices. This reduces the marginal cost of the producer which increases the profits to supernormal profits. The businesses also benefit from a monopoly in that they produce at large scale which leads to economies of scale. The economies of scale wil l lead to a reduction in average cost, which will lead to, increase in profits. The economies of scale have potential gain in welfare to the producer. The large scale production will reduce the firm’s costs, which will result, to benefits in the long run. The shareholders also benefit from monopoly through receiving dividends, which result from, supernormal profits. The firm benefit in terms of control meaning the firm controls the entire market which means it is the sole decision maker in the industry. The firm benefit for being the dominant one in the industry in that it decides on the prices of the products. The firms in the industry are price takers (Robinson, 1943).

Managing and Leading Strategic Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing and Leading Strategic Change - Essay Example to the company (and later taking on the post of COO and President whereas Bethune would remain the CEO and Chairman), introduced a â€Å"Go Forward Plan† which had four parts, aimed at putting the company back on track in 1995. The four pats were the market plan: â€Å"Fly to Win, The Financial Plan: Fund the Future, The Product Plan: Make Reliability a Reality, The People Plan: Working Together.† The plan was to implement all these changes simultaneously, since they would create a multiplier effect (Hartley, pp. 78-84, 2010). Implementation and Leading this Strategic Change (Go Forward Plan) Bethune knew that despite this plan was approved by board of directors with all the trust, confidence and enthusiasm, employees would view this plan with all possible suspicion and mistrust. Therefore, the first thing, which Bethune did, was to open the doors of the executive lounge of Continental, which had been protected from any visitors since many years like some castle. Employ ees now need only to show their IDs and gain entrance into Bethune’s office. After opening the doors for employees, Bethune initiated a new ritual of arranging open houses at the end of each month at the Houston headquarters. Just to ensure that employees feel comfortable around executive, the concept of causal Fridays came into being, except for the employees who had direct dealings with customers (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, pp. 284-285, 2008). One of the previous managements of Continental had tried to repaint all the planes but failed to complete the same due to limited financing and immense pressure for cost cutting. As of late 1994, the planes were in the same condition, not painted uniformly. Bethune felt that repainting the planes would send a message of revival, newness, and better operations to the... Managing and Leading Strategic Change Since 1983, nine different CEOs who came in with the slogan of change, tried their luck and as the figures show, they were not very successful. Not only the company was in trouble from the financial side but as it has been mentioned above, that the company was surrounded by trouble from all directions. High turnover, infighting between employees and departments, employee absences, use of sick time, customer complaints, and highest number of mishandled baggage reports, ranking last in terms of on time arrival and others would just be a glance at the terrible conditions in which â€Å"Continental Airlines† was still somehow surviving. It was in February 1994, when Gordon Bethune took the charge of the company as the Chief Operating Officer and President and later in that year as the CEO as well, he knew that the company needed a hardcore strategic change and strong implementation of that change as well. Quite understandably, it was his responsibility to do the same. Important here to note is that the whole change process that Bethune implemented at Continental was in line with eight steps of change presented by John Kotter, professor of leadership at Harvard Business Review in Boston. This is one those strategic change implementation models, which has been praised and acclaimed by many different authors in their writings and analysis. Let us a have a brief analysis of the same. Kotter’s first step is about creating urgency for change.