City Hunter :: essays research papers

The City Hunter is an action comedy movie starring international superstar Jackie Chan. This movie was made in Hong Kong in the early 90s. In this movie Jackie Chan played Hunter, a private detective with a good sense of humor and deadly kung fu skills. The story started out with a badly acted sketch of Hunter's partner being gunned down by four men with automatic weapons. With his last moment on earth, Hunter's partner made Hunter promise to take care of his little sister Carrie, and also not to seduce her. Seeing how the young girl was only about fourteen, Hunter gave his partner his word of honor to take care of the girl and also never seduce her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story took a quick turn with the young girl growing up to a beautiful woman. Hunter tried very hard to avoid a romantic relationship with Carrie, but the problem was that Carrie had romantic feelings for Hunter. This love story was interrupted with a group of women trying to kill Hunter for putting their men in prison. This was just a comic relief, so Hunter got out of the situation easily by fighting with all the women at once.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the next scene, Hunter excepted a case to find a runaway name Yoko. This runaway was the daughter of a rich Japanese businessman. The reason Yoko ran away was because her mother died a few years back, and her father was going to remarry a woman that she didn't like. So Hunter and Carrie set out to find Yoko. Hunter got lucky and he found Yoko at a skate park. Yoko did not want to go home to her father, so she told her friends that Hunter was trying to molest her, and tried to get away. She managed to get away after going into a department store to hide from Hunter. In this department store she managed to trick a man to follow her into the dressing room where she knocked him out and took his clothes, wallet, and ticket for a cruise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By some coincidence, Carrie got on the same cruise to get away from Hunter because he had not given her enough attention. Of course Hunter tried to come along with Carrie on the cruise, but he did not have a ticket for the cruise. The Captain of the cruise did not let Hunter on board, so Hunter stole away as a luggage.

Beauty: Wish and Jane Martin Essay

The play â€Å"Beauty† by Jane Martin was a great play as in it tells you of how there are some people out there that are not satisfied with whom or what they have. And wish to be someone else or have what someone else has. And the magic a Genie can bring to give them their wishes and let them see how it feels to change places with the person you admire most. Like the saying â€Å"the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.† The conflict that was going on in the play was between two women, Carla and Bethany. Bethany was the first to come forward with her feelings of inadequacies and wishing she was more like Carla. She then brings these feelings forward to Carla, who states her wish to be more like Bethany. Carla was beautiful and not too brainy, but care free with her life. Bethany was a not so beautiful woman but had a great head on her shoulders, and took life more seriously than Carla. Once Bethany and Carla brought forward their feelings about wishing they were the other, they had decided to make a wish with the Genie in the bottle that Bethany had found on the beach earlier that day. I believe at this time is where the rising action reaches its climax. The women make their wish to the genie, who then changes each one into the other. The women are now the other. They are stunned and happy at the same time. It was now time to live each other’s lives. Life went on for a few very long years with the women living each other’s lives. They then met up again. They had not been happy being the other. They missed who they had been. When Bethany had been Carla she found her new looks and less than intellectual ways had made people look at her differently, and not in a good way. Carla had seen that being as intelligent as Bethany was a double edged sword as well, not being very attractive and smart usually left you rather lonely and never considered the center of the males attention. I believe that before they met up and while they had lived one another’s lives is when the falling action began. I believe the falling action was them discovering that they should have appreciated who they were more before they had made this wish. The techniques that were used in the play was in how it was written and played out in a way that showed you important information and meaning in a very short amount of time by having the genie found and the wishes being known and acted on immediately, then showing them living each other’s lives and then them coming together to undo what they had done. This play accomplishes the meaning and the thought behind it by making you think from the very beginning what the actors were trying to portray to us and pushed right through to the actions that were going to take place and what would come of these actions. And lastly, the final thought on how their original feelings had changed and how they then were changed back into themselves, and tell of how they appreciated more now of who they had always been and didn’t want to be anyone else. Although the play is only ten minutes long, the events that happen in those ten minutes makes you see and maybe appreciate a little bit more of what you have and how changing places with someone else that you think you envy for whatever reason, may not be the way to go. Although it was only a ten minute play, during that ten minutes you were able to see what the women were feeling and what it was they had desired. It showed what their own insecurities about themselves were and the envy toward the others life and who they were. It’s amazing that Jane Martin could right all this and have it come across so clearly in a ten minute play. Jane Martin put the women that were total opposites together as friends and then she was able to show each ones strengths and weaknesses. As a whole person, they probably would have been Wonder Woman, each of them had a strength the other didn’t have and a weakness that the other didn’t have. But, when they were together as friends they completed each other. 1. The conflicts that were present were the two women who had wished to be the other and not satisfied with who they were as themselves. 2. The rising action was when the girls make their wish to change places with the genie. 3. The falling action begins toward the end of the years they spent being one another and seeing what the other’s life was like. 4. The techniques that were used to move the actions along were having the play begin with finding the genie and the fast way the women got into stating how they had wished to be the other and then showing how much they disliked being the other and meeting up and letting the other know their dislikes in having being the other and how they wished to be themselves again, and then making the wish to change back. The quickness of each spoken and acted out emotion and the clarity of what was being said and felt made this play able to be done in a ten minute time without taking anything away from what was coming across to the audience.

The Death Of The Cattle Cars - 1610 Words

â€Å"These optimistic speeches, which no one believed, helped to pass the time. The few days we lived here went by pleasantly enough, in peace. There were no longer questions of wealth, of social distinction, and importance only people condemned to the same fate-still unknown† (Night 20). Elie and the others Jews from his community lose some of their innocence when placed on the train to go to the camps. Overall, nobody seemed to think they would actually be doing this and at first still had hope. After being forced on the train they lost some of that hope they had, and because they didn t think of what would happen and had no idea what to expect as a result. â€Å"Life in the cattle cars was the death of my adolescence. How quickly I aged. As a†¦show more content†¦Having never seen this kind of cruelty Elie was especially surprised upon seeing this. He continues to lose even more of that innocence, sadly in such a horrifying way. Since before this he would have ne ver though possible that people were capable of doing such things. It is evident from his tone that he is shocked, and sickened by what he sees and gives the reader an overall impression of being disheartened by all of this. Not just in humans did Elie questions about, he despite his loyalty began to question his faith. Something that he had also been so devoted, and passionate about, †How was it possible in that cursed place, to praise the Eternal One for His supposed love of His people? How was it possible, without telling lies, to say in Auschwitz, Ashreinu, ma tovBalkann --how happy we are to bear our heritage? How and by what right can we peak of happiness in Auschwitz? As I have said elsewhere, Auschwitz is conceivable neither with God nor without Him†¦ II may someday come to understand man s role in the mystery Auschwitz represents but never God s † (All Rivers Run 84). Wiesel’s tone is very clearly accusatory, and disbelief because he just doesn†™t understand how this is all just happening and for it doesn’t seem like anyone is trying to stop. He believes that it was God’s place to do something about it, rather than letting all these Jewish people just suffer. That one night where he saw the children being burned in theShow MoreRelatedNight By Elie Wiesel Analysis1560 Words   |  7 Pagesrational human beings will become engulfed in the minds of irrationality when hunger is no longer bearable. Demanded to travel into the unknown, Wiesel embarks on a miserable trip in a train of several cattle cars in the beginning of his memoir. Confused and unaware, the Jews in Wiesel’s cattle car attempt to come up with the best plan to survive in case anything alarming occurs. Riding the uncomfortable vehicle for miles, the narrator explains, â€Å"There was some food left. But we never ate enough toRead MoreHorseman, Pass By vy Larry McMurtry1355 Words   |  5 Pagesfact that one of Homer’s cattle drops dead for no apparent reason. In order to ascertain what specifically killed the cow, the veterinarian, Newt Garrett is called. Garrett cuts open the dead cow in order to perform a biopsy which inadvertently contaminates the land and exposes the herd to an unknown disease. Unfortunately for the Bannons, the state veterinarian determines that the dead cow had developed hoof-and-mouth disease. In order to determine which strain the cattle developed, the herd is placedRea d MoreElie Wiesel s The Holocaust993 Words   |  4 Pagesshould never have to see such as frantic families lined up for a death in fire, bodies crushed all over as people ran them over, and babies being thrown into pits of fire. One day, police move the Jews, eighty per car, into tiny, dark cattle cars. The Jews did not know what was about to happen to them; however they let themselves be pushed into the cattle cars and sent to their death bed. Since there wasn t that a lot of area within the cars, they took turns sitting. They were told that they were nowRead MoreSarahs Key by Tatiana De Rosnay763 Words   |  3 Pagesstandards in a negative way. In the novel Sarah’s Key, Sarah frequently proves to struggle with both guilt and innocence. These specific themes are put on display when Sarah realizes she is not going back home, the scenario in which Sarah boards the cattle car to the camps, and the tragic event in which Sarah takes her own life. Innocence first proclaims itself when Sarah discovers that she is not returning home. Sarah’s behaviour and lack of understanding towards pressing information is a portrayal ofRead MoreHow Hitler Became Chancellor Of Germany1164 Words   |  5 Pagesget rid of un-German writings proclaiming the death of Jewish intellectualism all the way to the extremity of the mass murder of Jews. This process progressed rapidly, and it had lasting effects for the entire world. The holocaust was the systematic, state-organized persecution and murder of at least six million jews. 100 days after Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Nazis began having book burnings to get rid of un-German writings proclaiming the death of Jewish intellectualism. This was one ofRead MoreInhumane Treatment in Night971 Words   |  4 Pagesin trouble (Langer 5). â€Å"Are you crazy? We were told to stand. Do you want us all in trouble?†(Wiesel 38). S.S guards struck fear in their hostages, which means they will obey without questioning what the Nazis told them to do due to their fear of death. Sometimes, S.S. would punish the Jews for their own sin, but would not explain their sin to the other Jews. For example, Idek punished Wiesel for his own deed, which led to fear among the Jews (Langer 7). For witnessing Idek’s affairs, he gets punishedRead MoreImagery Of Joseph Wiesel s Night1453 Words   |  6 Pages Elie uses imagery of the cattle cars into which the Jews are forced in order to further this theme of dehumanization. On the day of Elie’s deportation, the Jews of Sighet are led into the cattle cars waiting for them at the station with, â€Å"eighty people in each car. We were left a few loaves of bread and some buckets of water [†¦] In each car one person was placed in charge. If anyone escaped, he would be shot† (Wiesel 31). Clearly, the way they are crammed into the cars is cruel and blatantly inhumaneRead MoreNight and Hotel Rwanda Similarities Essay1009 Words   |  5 Pageswagons or cattle cars. There was a horrific experience in Night when the Jews had to fit 80-100 people in the cattle cars with temperatures ranging from below zero degrees in the winter, and up to 108 degrees in the summer. Not only did they have to deal with the weather, they also had little to no room to use the restroom and had to go in the corner of the wagon to relieve themselves. When Elie stated, â€Å"The doors were nailed up; the way back was finally cut off. The world was a cattle wagon hermeticallyRead MoreHolocaust Upstanders: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Per Anger, and Oskar Schindler555 Words   |  3 Pagesvillage to help students. He helped the students get illegal parish posts. German synagogues and Jewish businesses were burned during Kristallnacht. Dietrich’s students thought Kristallnacht was because of the curse that haunted Jews since Jesus’ death on the cross but he said it was sheer violence of Nazism’s godless face (Braun par 11). He also helped form and anti-Nazi resistance with Hans von Dohnanyi. In April of 1943 Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans von Dohnanyi were arrested when the Gestapo foundRead MoreNight, By Elie Wiesel1372 Words   |  6 Pagesto return to Sighet to describe to [the Jews his] death so that [they] might ready [themselves] while there is still time† (Wiesel 7). Rather than listening to Moishe’s story, the Jews of Sighet wanted to remain optimist ic about their future and continued living their lives blissfully, completely unaware of what was happening and what was going to happen. In a matter of days, the Jews of Sighet were ghettoized and deported. All jammed into train cars enroute to Auschwitz-Birkenau. However, their optimism

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Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare Essay - 2088 Words

Petruchio’s Change In the play Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, many characters are reshaped and given new personality traits. Petruchio is known as being a cocky man who intends to help tame a shrewish young lady named Kate. There are many critics that believe Petruchio is solely obnoxious and a bully but through out his interactions with Kate it is shown that he truly cares about the well being of others. Of course at the beginning of Petruchio’s plan to tame a young lady he is acting off of his confidence and trying to impress those around him but this soon changes once he begins to interact with Kate. Petruchio proves that his ways have changed and he is only taming Kate to make her feel better about herself, â€Å"Petruchio uses psychological methods, not aggressive or barbaric ones, to tame Kate, which alls her to still be witty and intellectual, but also happily married, at the end of the play†(Natale,98). Petruchio truly believes that by taming Kate he is preforming a good deed and helping her accept herself in this process. In the beginning, Petruchio is very honest with the audience and shares his thoughts out loud without caring what others may think. He admits that he loves money more than anything else in his life â€Å"Hortensio, peace. Thou know’st not gold’s effect./ Tell me her father’s name, and ’tis enough;/ For I will board her, though she chide as loud†(1.2.71-76.) This is why Petruchio is motivated to marry Kate which shows his selfishShow MoreRelatedThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1316 Words   |  6 Pagespatriarchy, and have conquered in achieving a worthy opinion of their genders. In the taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare expresses the Elizabethan views of oppressive gender roles and the expectations of the submissive behavior of women. This play is about a man named Petruchio who is trying to tame a â€Å"shrew† Katharina .The play is misogynistic, which is apparent through the constant need for Petruchio to tame the shrew, Katherina, women’s dependence on men, and the ownership of women in the play.Read MoreThe Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare1321 Words   |  5 PagesFrom youth we have been showered with tales of true love’s kiss and of Prince Charming breaking the Evil Queen’s curse. Time and again, we are made to see the power of love. In the play, â€Å"The Taming of the Shrew† by William Shakespeare, the renowned playwright takes love deeper than just passion. Shakespeare goes under the surface of love, all the way to its core. The story truly begins as Baptista Minola’s two daughters are readied for marriage: Bianca the sweet and innocent; Katherina the shrewdRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare Essay1990 Words   |  8 PagesThe Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare was written in the latter years of the Elizabethan Era. In this pl ay, Shakespeare looks at the themes of womanhood, patriarchy, courtship, and marriage, which are topics prevalent in Elizabethan Era. Amongst citizens, the topics hold strict beliefs in the public space. This play that illustrates a woman with such self-control and individualism, get forced into the life of a weak woman beholden to her husband. A once strong and domination female characterRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1097 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen prevalent throughout literature. The play The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare, examines this theme by detailing the female-pursuits of 3 men, Lucentio, Hortensio, and Petruchio, and their respective methods of â€Å"seduction†. While Lucentio lies in order to attract Bianca and Hortensio elects to marry a woman simply for her wealth, Petruchio, to the surprise of the other male characters, marries a foul-tempered and sharp-tongued â€Å"shrew†, Katherine. After their wedding, Petruchio , a selfishRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1181 Words   |  5 PagesThe Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare will appeal to Kalidasa because most of his plays are based on Puranas and this play can be used to show the values of Hindu Puranas and respect toward the deities. Hindu Puranas, ancient Indian literature about myths and legends, like Mahabharata teach the society about deed, religion, respect, knowledge, and royalty. Kalidasa can use Shakespeare’s play to reteach Mahabharata’s values, since the play presents themes of wealth, gender role, religiousRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1612 Words   |  7 Pagespast, women were oppressed because they were not allowed to work and control aspects of their lifestyle, such as working themselves, rather they were forced to marry and depend on their spouses. William Shakespeare chose to present this concept through Katherina’s character in the play The Taming of The Shrew. Throughout the play, Katherina is seems to be untamable due to the manner in which she is first introduced, her attitude changes too abruptly for it to be convincing, and that she is either puttingRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare1255 Words   |  6 PagesIn the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, it focuses on two sisters who must get married however, the oldest must get married first. Here, Shakespeare presents to the audience, Katharina Minola. Katharina is portrayed as an outspoken and stubborn woman. In the play, Kate cannot find a husband because of her aggressive personality, the men speak negatively about her and believe she is not a fit woman to marry. Although, in the play it may seem like Kate will never find a husbandRead MoreThe Taming Of The Shrew By William Shakespeare Essay1596 Words   |  7 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, it is an epic battle of the sexes. In the era that this play was written (Elizabethan), women were told what to do, how to act, and who to be. That is why Katherine is such a fascinating yet confusing character in this play. In this piece, the protagonist Kate is very complex and has many different, unique sides to her personality, which is frowned upon in this time. Before Katherine even spoke in this play she was this horrible, shrewish girl. WhenRead MoreEssay on The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare1088 Words   |  5 Pages The Taming of the Shrew, written by William Shakespeare, is historical proof that flirting and temptation, relating to the opposite sex, has been around since the earliest of times. Because males and females continue to interact, the complications in this play remain as relevant and humorous today as they did to Elizabethan audiences. This is a very fun play, full of comedy and sexual remarks. Its lasting impression imprints itself into the minds of its readers, for it is an unforgettableRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Taming Of The Shrew889 Words   |  4 PagesIn many accounts, William Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew, is often criticized for its seemingly misogynistic themes; such as the thought of â€Å"taming† a woman, thus making her completely submissive to her husband. While in the opening of the play, Katharine, ill-tempered but seemingly impenetrable, gets pulverized by Petruchio’s contradicting her words, and also saying disgusting jokes in an int ense verbal arguement. In another example, one of the other main characters, Bianca, was bet on by several

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two Free Essays

I DIDN’T TAKE THE GUY’S advice and tear off out of there, though I didn’t exactly sit on the front step either. I lingered nearby in a cluster of cherry trees, figuring it would only be a matter of time before the assembly ended and people spilled out the doors. After several minutes passed and nothing happened, I flipped into Lissa’s mind and discovered things were still in full force. We will write a custom essay sample on Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite Tatiana declaring twice now that the session was over, people were still standing around and arguing in groups. Tasha was standing in one such group with Lissa and Adrian, making one of the impassioned speeches she was so good at. Tasha might not be as coldly calculating as Tatiana was when it came to political moves, but Tasha did have a keen sense of ripples in the system and recognized opportunities when they came. She was against the age-lowering decree. She was for teaching Moroi to fight. Neither of those was getting her very far, so she jumped on the next best thing: Lissa. â€Å"Why are we arguing among ourselves about how best to kill Strigoi when we can save them?† Tasha put one arm around Lissa and one around Adrian, drawing them both forward. Lissa still wore her serenely confident look, but Adrian looked ready to bolt if given half a chance. â€Å"Vasilisa–who, by the way, is indeed being denied her fair voice here, thanks to an archaic law–has shown that Strigoi can be brought back.† â€Å"That hasn’t been proven,† exclaimed one man in the crowd. â€Å"Are you kidding?† asked a woman beside him. â€Å"My sister was with the group that brought him back. She says he’s definitely a dhampir. He was even out in the sun!† Tasha nodded in approval at the woman. â€Å"I was there as well. And now we have two spirit users capable of doing this for other Strigoi.† As much as I respected Tasha, I wasn’t entirely with her on this. The amount of power–not to mention effort involved in the staking–that Lissa had required with Dimitri had been staggering. It had even temporarily hurt the bond. That didn’t mean she couldn’t do it again. Nor did it mean she wouldn’t want to again. She was just naively compassionate enough to throw herself into the line of fire to help others. But I knew the more power a spirit user wielded, the quicker they’d travel down the road to insanity. And Adrian†¦ well, he was almost a nonissue here. Even if he wanted to go staking Strigoi, he didn’t have the kind of healing power it would take to restore one–at least not now. It’s wasn’t uncommon for Moroi to use their elements in different ways. Some fire users, like Christian, had skilled control of flame itself. Others could only use their magic to, say, warm the air in a room. Likewise, Lissa and Adrian had their strengths with spirit. His greatest healing triumph was mending a fracture, and she still couldn’t walk dreams, no matter how much she practiced. So, really, Tasha had one spirit user capable of saving Strigoi, and that one could hardly transform legions of those monsters. Tasha did seem to recognize this a little. â€Å"The Council shouldn’t be wasting time with age laws,† she continued. â€Å"We need to sink our resources into finding more spirit users and recruiting them to help save Strigoi.† She fixed her gaze on someone in the crowd. â€Å"Martin, didn’t your brother get turned against his will? With enough work, we could bring him back to you. Alive. Just like you knew him. Otherwise, he’s just going to get staked when guardians find him–and of course he’ll be slaughtering innocents along the way.† Yeah, Tasha was good. She could paint a good image and nearly brought that Martin guy to tears. She didn’t really mention people who’d turned Strigoi willingly. Lissa, still standing with her, wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of a Strigoi-saving spirit army, but she did recognize how this was all part of several other plans Tasha had–including one to get Lissa voting rights. Tasha played up Lissa’s abilities and character, scoffing at what was clearly an outdated law from an era that never could have foreseen this situation. Tasha further pointed out that a full Council of twelve families would send a message to Strigoi everywhere about Moroi unity. I didn’t want to hear any more. I’d let Tasha wield her political magic and talk more to Lissa later. I was still so agitated about what had happened when I’d yelled at the Council that I couldn’t stand to see that room anymore. I left her mind and returned to my own, yelping when I saw a face right in front of mine. â€Å"Ambrose!† One of the best-looking dhampirs on the planet–after Dimitri, of course–flashed me a gleaming, movie-star smile. â€Å"You were so still, I thought maybe you were trying to be a dryad.† I blinked. â€Å"A what?† He gestured to the cherry trees. â€Å"Nature spirits. Beautiful women who become one with trees.† â€Å"I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not,† I said. â€Å"But it’s good to see you again.† Ambrose was a true oddity in our culture: a male dhampir who had neither taken guardian vows nor run off to hide among humans. Female dhampirs often chose not to join the guardians in order to focus on raising families. That’s why we were so rare. But men? They had no excuse, as far as most people were concerned. Rather than skulk off in disgrace, however, Ambrose had chosen to stay and simply work for the Moroi another way. He was essentially a servant–a high-class one who served drinks at elite parties and gave massages to royal women. He also, if rumors were true, served Tatiana in physical ways. That was so creepy, though, I promptly put it out of my mind. â€Å"You too,† he told me. â€Å"But if you aren’t communing with nature, what are you doing?† â€Å"It’s a long story. I kind of got thrown out of a Council meeting.† He looked impressed. â€Å"Literally thrown out?† â€Å"Dragged, I guess. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around,† I mused. â€Å"Of course, I’ve kind of been, um, distracted this last week.† â€Å"So I’ve heard,† he said, giving me a sympathetic look. â€Å"Although, I actually have been away. Just got back last night.† â€Å"Just in time for the fun,† I muttered. The guileless look on his face told me hadn’t heard about the decree yet. â€Å"What are you doing now?† he asked. â€Å"This doesn’t look like punishment. Did you finish your sentence?† â€Å"Something like that. I’m kind of waiting for someone now. Was just going to hang out in my room.† â€Å"Well, if you’re killing time, why don’t you come see Aunt Rhonda?† â€Å"Rhonda?† I scowled. â€Å"No offense, but your aunt didn’t really impress me with her abilities last time.† â€Å"None taken,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"But she’s been wondering about you. And Vasilisa. So, if you’re just hanging around†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. He was right that I had nothing better to do right now. I was stuck on options with both Dimitri and the Council’s idiotic resolutions. Yet Rhonda–his fortune-telling Moroi aunt–wasn’t someone I really wanted to see again. Despite my glib words, the truth was that in retrospect, some of Rhonda’s predictions had come true. I just didn’t like what they’d been. â€Å"Fine,† I said, trying to look bored. â€Å"Make it fast.† He smiled again, like he could see through my ruse, and led me off to a building I’d been to once before. It housed a luxurious salon and spa frequented by royal Moroi. Lissa and I had had our nails done there, and as Ambrose and I wound our way through it to Rhonda’s lair, I felt a strange pang within me. Manicures and pedicures†¦ they seemed like the most trivial things in the world. But on that day, they’d been wonderful. Lissa and I had laughed and grown closer†¦ just before the school was attacked and everything fell apart†¦. Rhonda told fortunes in a back room that was far from the busy spa. Despite the seedy feel of it, she did a pretty brisk business and even had her own receptionist. Or, well, she used to. This time, the desk was empty, and Ambrose led me straight through to Rhonda’s room. It looked exactly the same as before, like being inside a heart. Everything was red: the wallpaper, the decorations, and the cushions covering the floor. Rhonda herself sat on the floor, eating a cup of yogurt, which seemed terribly ordinary for someone who allegedly wielded mystical powers. Curly black hair cascaded around her shoulders, making the large gold hoops in her ears gleam. â€Å"Rose Hathaway,† she said happily, setting the yogurt aside. â€Å"What a nice surprise.† â€Å"Shouldn’t you have seen me coming?† I asked dryly. Her lips twitched with amusement. â€Å"That’s not my power.† â€Å"Sorry to interrupt your dinner,† Ambrose said, gracefully folding his muscled body as he sat down. â€Å"But Rose isn’t easy to catch hold of.† â€Å"I imagine not,† she said. â€Å"I’m impressed you got her to come at all. What can I do for you today, Rose?† I shrugged and sank down beside Ambrose. â€Å"I don’t know. I’m only here because Ambrose talked me into it.† â€Å"She didn’t think your last reading was very good,† he said. â€Å"Hey!† I shot him a chastising look. â€Å"That’s not exactly what I said.† Last time, Lissa and Dimitri had been with me. Rhonda’s tarot cards had shown Lissa crowned with power and light–no surprise. Rhonda had said Dimitri would lose what he valued most, and he had: his soul. And me? Rhonda had bluntly told me that I’d kill the undead. I’d scoffed at that, knowing I had a lifetime of Strigoi-killing ahead of me. Now I wondered if â€Å"undead† meant the Strigoi part of Dimitri. Even if I hadn’t driven the stake, I’d certainly played a major role. â€Å"Maybe another reading would help the other one make more sense?† she offered. My mind was putting together another fraud psychic joke, which was why it was so astonishing when my mouth said, â€Å"That’s the problem. The other one did make sense. I’m afraid†¦ I’m afraid of what else the cards will show.† â€Å"The cards don’t make the future,† she said gently. â€Å"If something’s meant to be, it’ll be, regardless of whether you see it here. And even then†¦ well, the future is always changing. If we had no choices, there’d be no point in living.† â€Å"See now,† I said flippantly, â€Å"that’s the kind of vague gypsy response I was hoping for.† â€Å"Roma,† she corrected. â€Å"Not gypsy.† Despite my snark, she still seemed to be in a good mood. Easygoing attitudes must have run in their family. â€Å"Do you want the cards or not?† Did I? She was right about one thing–the future would unfold with or without me seeing it in the cards. And even if the cards showed it, I probably wouldn’t understand it until afterward. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Just for fun. I mean, last time was probably a lucky guess.† Rhonda rolled her eyes but said nothing as she began shuffling her tarot deck. She did it with such precision that the cards seemed to move themselves. When she finally stopped, she handed the deck to me to cut. I did, and she put it back together. â€Å"We did three cards before,† she said. â€Å"We’ve got time to do more if you’d like. Five, perhaps?† â€Å"The more there are, the more likely it is that anything can get explained.† â€Å"If you don’t believe in them, then it shouldn’t be an issue.† â€Å"Okay, then. Five.† She grew serious as she flipped out the cards, her eyes carefully studying them. Two of the cards had come out upside down. I didn’t take that as a good sign. Last time, I’d learned that it made seemingly happy cards†¦ well, not so happy. The first one was one the Two of Cups, showing a man and a woman together in a grassy, flower-filled field while the sun shone above them. Naturally, it was upside down. â€Å"Cups are tied to emotions,† Rhonda explained. â€Å"The Two of Cups shows a union, a perfect love and blossoming of joyous emotions. But since it’s inverted–â€Å" â€Å"You know what?† I interrupted. â€Å"I think I’m getting the hang of this. You can skip that one. I have a good idea what it means.† It might as well have been Dimitri and me on that card, the cup empty and full of heartache†¦. I really didn’t want to hear Rhonda analyze what was already tearing my heart up. So she went on to the next one: the Queen of Swords, also upside down. â€Å"Cards like this refer to specific people,† Rhonda told me. The Queen of Swords looked very imperious, with auburn hair and silver robes. â€Å"The Queen of Swords is clever. She thrives on knowledge, can outwit her enemies, and is ambitious.† I sighed. â€Å"But upside down†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Upside down,† said Rhonda, â€Å"all of those traits get twisted. She’s still smart, still trying to get her way†¦ but she’s doing it through insincere ways. There’s a lot of hostility and deception here. I’d say you have an enemy.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, eyeing the crown. â€Å"I think I can guess who. I just called her a sanctimonious bitch.† Rhonda didn’t comment and moved on to the next one. It was facing the right way, but I kind of wished it wasn’t. It had a whole bunch of swords stuck in the ground and a woman tied and blindfolded to one. Eight of Swords. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I exclaimed. â€Å"What is it with me and swords? You gave me one this depressing last time.† It had shown a woman weeping in front of a wall of swords. â€Å"That was the Nine of Swords,† she agreed. â€Å"It could always be worse.† â€Å"I have a hard time believing that.† She picked up the rest of the deck and scanned through it, finally pulling out one card. The Ten of Swords. â€Å"You could have drawn this.† It showed a dead guy lying on the ground with a bunch of swords driven through him. â€Å"Point taken,† I said. Ambrose chuckled beside me. â€Å"What’s the nine mean?† â€Å"The nine is being trapped. Unable to get out of a situation. It can also mean slander or accusation. Summoning courage to escape something.† I glanced back at the queen, thinking of the things I’d said in the Council room. Those would definitely count as accusations. And being trapped? Well, there was always the possibility of a lifetime of paperwork†¦ I sighed. â€Å"Okay, what’s the next one?† It was the best-looking one in the bunch, the Six of Swords. It had a bunch of people in a boat, rowing off over moonlit water. â€Å"A journey,† she said. â€Å"I was just on a journey. A few of them.† I eyed her suspiciously. â€Å"Man, this isn’t, like, some kind of a spiritual journey is it?† Ambrose laughed again. â€Å"Rose, I wish you’d get tarot readings every day.† Rhonda ignored him. â€Å"If it were in cups, maybe. But swords are tangible. Action. A true, out-and-about journey.† Where on earth would I go? Did it mean I was traveling to the Academy like Tatiana had suggested? Or was it possible that, in spite of all my rule breaking and calling her royal highness names, I might actually get an assignment after all? One away from Court? â€Å"You could be looking for something. It may be a physical journey combined with a spiritual journey,† she said, which sounded like a total way to cover her ass. â€Å"This last one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her eyebrows knitted into a frown at the fifth card. â€Å"This is hidden from me.† I peered at it. â€Å"The Page of Cups. Seems pretty obvious. It’s a page with, um, cups.† â€Å"Usually I have a clear vision†¦. The cards speak to me in how they connect. This one’s not clear.† â€Å"The only thing that’s not clear is whether it’s a girl or a boy.† The person on the card looked young but had hair and an androgynous face that made the gender impossible to determine. The blue tights and tunic didn’t help, though the sunny field in the background seemed promising. â€Å"It can be either,† Rhonda said. â€Å"It’s the lowest in rank of the cards that represent people in each suit: King, Queen, Knight, and then Page. Whoever the page is, it’s someone trustworthy and creative. Optimistic. It could mean someone who goes on the journey with you–or maybe the reason for your journey.† Whatever optimism or truth I’d had in the cards pretty much disappeared with that. Given that she’d just said about a hundred things it could be, I didn’t really consider it authoritative. Usually, she noticed my skepticism, but her attention was still on the card as she frowned. â€Å"But I just can’t tell†¦. There’s a cloud around it. Why? It doesn’t make sense.† Something about her confusion sent a chill down my spine. I always told myself this was fake, but if she’d been making it all up†¦ well, wouldn’t she have made something up about the Page of Cups? She wasn’t putting on a very convincing act if this last card was making her question herself. The thought that maybe there was some mystical force out there blocking her sobered up my cynical attitude. With a sigh, she looked up at last. â€Å"Sorry that’s all I can tell you. Did the rest help?† I scanned the cards. Heartache. An enemy. Accusations. Entrapment. Travel. â€Å"Some of it tells me things I already know. The rest leaves me with more questions.† She smiled knowingly. â€Å"That’s how it usually is.† I thanked her for the reading, secretly glad I didn’t have to pay for it. Ambrose walked me out, and I tried to shake off the mood Rhonda’s fortune had left me in. I had enough problems in my life without letting a bunch of stupid cards bother me. â€Å"You going to be okay?† he asked when we finally emerged. The sun was climbing higher. The Royal Court would be going to bed soon, ending what had been a turbulent day. â€Å"I†¦ I wouldn’t have brought you if I’d known how much it would upset you.† â€Å"No, no,† I said. â€Å"It’s not the cards. Not exactly. There’s a bunch of other things going on†¦ one you should probably know about.† I hadn’t wanted to bring up the decree when we’d first run into each other, but as a dhampir, he had a right to hear about what had happened. His face was perfectly still as I spoke, save for his dark brown eyes, which grew wider while the story progressed. â€Å"There’s some mistake,† he said at last. â€Å"They wouldn’t do that. They wouldn’t do that to sixteen-year-olds.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I didn’t think so either, but they were apparently serious enough about it to throw me out when I, um, questioned it.† â€Å"I can just imagine your ‘questioning.’ All this’ll do is make more dhampirs drop out of the guardians†¦ unless, of course, being that young makes them more open for brainwashing.† â€Å"Kind of a sensitive area for you, huh?† I asked. After all, he too was a guardian drop-out. He shook his head. â€Å"Staying in this society was nearly impossible for me. If any of those kids do decide to drop out, they won’t have the powerful friends I did. They’ll be outcasts. That’s all this’ll do. Either kill off teens or cut them off from their own people.† I wondered what powerful friends he’d had, but this was hardly the time to learn his life history. â€Å"Well, that royal bitch doesn’t seem to care.† The thoughtful, distracted look in his eyes suddenly sharpened. â€Å"Don’t call her that,† he warned with a glare. â€Å"This isn’t her fault.† Whoa. Cue surprise. I’d almost never seen sexy, charismatic Ambrose be anything but friendly. â€Å"Of course it’s her fault! She’s the supreme ruler of the Moroi, remember?† His scowl deepened. â€Å"The Council voted too. Not her alone.† â€Å"Yeah, but she voted in support of this decree. She swayed the vote.† â€Å"There must have been a reason. You don’t know her like I do. She wouldn’t want this kind of thing.† I started to ask if he was out of his mind but paused when I remembered his relationship with the queen. Those romantic rumors made me queasy, but if they were true, I supposed he might have legitimate concern for her. I also decided it was probably best that I didn’t know her the way he did. The bite marks on his neck certainly indicated some sort of intimate activity. â€Å"Whatever’s going on between you is your business,† I told him calmly, â€Å"but she’s used it to trick you into thinking she’s someone she isn’t. She did it to me too, and I fell for it. It’s all a scam.† â€Å"I don’t believe it,† he said, still stone-faced. â€Å"As queen, she’s put into all sorts of tough situations. There must be more to it–she’ll change the decree, I’m certain of it.† â€Å"As queen,† I said, imitating his tone, â€Å"she should have the ability to–â€Å" My words fell off as a voice spoke in my head. Lissa’s. Rose, you’re going to want to see this. But you have to promise not to cause any trouble. Lissa flashed a location to me, along with a sense of urgency. Ambrose’s hard look shifted to one of concern. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I–yeah. Lissa needs me.† I sighed. â€Å"Look, I don’t want us to fight, okay? Obviously we’ve each got different views of the situation†¦ but I think we both agree on the same key point.† â€Å"That kids shouldn’t be sent off to die? Yeah, we can agree on that.† We smiled tentatively at each other, and the anger between us diffused. â€Å"I’ll talk to her, Rose. I’ll find out the real story and let you know, okay?† â€Å"Okay.† I had a hard time believing anyone could really have a heart-to-heart with Tatiana, but again, there might be more to their relationship than I realized. â€Å"Thanks. It was good seeing you.† â€Å"You too. Now go–go to Lissa.† I needed no further urging. Along with the sense of urgency, Lissa had passed one other message through the bond that sent my feet flying: It’s about Dimitri. How to cite Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two, Essay examples

Woolworths Strategic Management Multinational Companies

Question: Discuss about the Woolworths Strategic Management for Multinational Companies. Answer: Introduction Investing in foreign countries is one of the most successful strategies utilized by multinational companies in the expansion of their market and growth. It helps a company to enjoy a large pool of skilled and talented workforce from the host country. Also, the company may benefit from low-cost operations and availability of raw materials at a cheaper cost. Many factors influence the entity to invest or move some of its business operations offshore. These factors may be internal or external (Sirmon et al. 2011, p. 1392). Internal environment includes factors such as business structure, organizational culture, the level of technology used in production, employees as well as products and services of the business organization. On the flipside, the external environment involves political, legal, demographic factors that affect business operations. As such, this paper will provide a detailed strategic management analysis of Woolworths Limited and how it has influenced its decision to move its business operations offshore. Woolworth Business strategies Woolworths Limited Company is a major Australian business organization with a great retail interest in Australia. It is rated as the second-largest business enterprise in Australia based on revenue generation. The company specializes in the provision of groceries, home supplies, liquor, petroleum products, insurance services, real estate investments, electronics as well as seasonal goods. The company runs a chain of supermarkets and food stores in Australia. To manage the retail stores effectively, the company pushes its goods and services to the consumers. However, the business enterprise is trying to get a competitive advantage in the market by cutting the operational costs and selling a variety of products in different volumes. The key source of its products is fresh produce from suppliers. As such, the Woolworths management has put in place mechanisms of empowering suppliers and established inventory management (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012, p. 1). To ensure that the business ha s a constant supply to all its supermarkets and chain stores, which are spread throughout the country, Woolworths have developed strategically positioned distribution centers that facilitate easier and efficient delivery of products to the stores. The company has contracted logistic companies that transport its products to various stores. The current business strategy of Woolworth is based on product differentiation. This strategy helps the company to focus on diversification of its products and also venturing into different markets. It has made the company to concentrate on developing highly differentiated marking program and product line so as to become the leading company in this competitive industry. By using the Fresh Food People as its vision statement, the firm has been successful with its outstanding product differentiation technique. Through orienting the business operations around the fundamental value of food products being fresh, Woolworths has attracted a significantly large percentage of consumers in the market and thus, getting the lions share of the market (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010, p. 479, p. 18). Woolworths operations in New Zealand Apart from Australia, which is the parent country, the company has also moved its business operation in New Zealand. Most of the Woolworths stores in New Zealand are rebranded and operate under the business name referred to as Countdown. However, the operations of these stores in Australia fall under Woolworths management. The company made this major decision of investing abroad as a mechanism of enjoying the benefits of foreign direct investment, which allows it to explore offshore markets by utilizing the resources and infrastructure of the host country. Foreign direct investment has various benefits to both the investors as well as the host country (Sornarajah 2010). The host country benefits from direct investment through taxation and job creation. Being the second largest chain company in New Zeeland, Woolworth has created employment opportunities for citizens and residents of New Zealand. There are more than 100 full-service supermarkets of Woolworths Company in Australia opera ting under the brand name Countdown (Sornarajah 2010). Also, 20 supermarkets operating in Hamilton, Auckland as well as Tuiaranga under the Foodtown brand name were rebranded to Countdown in 2012, and they form part of Woolworths stores established in New Zealand. The stores provide employment opportunities such as shop attendants, suppliers, distributors and managerial positions to the citizens of the host country. Also, the taxation policies of New Zealand require these countries to file their tax returns each year and as such, the government of the host country gets revenue from these stores through taxation. On the other hand, Woolworth companies have gained many benefits from its direct investment in New Zealand. The large population of this country serves as a market for the companys fresh products, and other non-food products. The business enterprise has increased its market share by investing in this country. Besides, Woolworth has benefitted from the vast agricultural resources of New Zealand (Kumar, Jones, Venkatesan Leone 2011, p. 21). The fresh vegetable products and meat from farmers serve as sources of products for Woolworths Company. The enterprise depends on the agricultural supply from farmers for its chain stores in New Zealand and Australia. The favorable climate of New Zeeland has helped the company to have a continuous supply of fresh products for its store in both New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, the company enjoys a large pool of workforce from the host country. New Zealand has highly qualified, skilled and talented young professionals who serve in managerial positions for various Woolworths supermarkets in both Australia and New Zealand (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010). The company can also get non-skilled or semi-skilled labor force at a low cost and hence, reducing its operational costs. Internal issues Internal factors played a crucial role in influencing the Woolworths Company to opt for foreign direct investment in New Zealand. One of such internal factors is the business structure of the Woolworth. The companys structure is based on chain stores that operate as franchise. As such, venturing into offshore tends to be cost effective. The entire supply chain of Woolworth is aligned to its business structure. Also, the companys business structure is based on the efficient consumer response as the key driving force of its operations. Therefore, the companys structure has helped Woolworth to get a competitive advantage by opening more chain stores and supermarkets in New Zealand. Another internal factor that has influenced the company to invest in offshore is the market. The firm offers diversified products to its consumers. Fresh products such as groceries have high demand in New Zealand. Also, the electronic industry of this country is characterized with low competition. Since the company provides high-quality electronics, it offers stiff offers competition to other companies offering the similar products in the host country and thus, expanding its market share (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012). The company has heavily invested in market research such helps it to understand the trends in tastes and preferences of customers in the Australian market and thereby, developing products that suits the demands of its customers in the offshore markets. Moreover, the management strategy of the Woolworths has played a significant role in its foreign direct investment strategy. The company has a management team of qualified, talent and ambitious staffs. The management offers the company with most efficient strategies and business plans that have helped it to expand its operations abroad. The management utilizes transformative leadership style which provides the opportunity for the management to develop a class of future leaders. Also, the presence of effective management has helped the company to reduce its cost of production by ensuring that the Workers are very productive and make optimum utilization of available resources with the objective of maximizing profits as pointed out by Kum ar (2014, p. 244). Labor is another factor that has motivated the company to take part in foreign investment in New Zeeland. In the modern business environment, which is characterized by technological changes and stiff competition in the market, the company requires having employee with diverse skills and exceptional talents (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 46). Employees play a crucial role in the success of any business organization. The presence of creative and innovative workers helps the company to discover various new ways of business operations and new products that give it a competitive advantage in the market (McWilliams Siegel 2010). Also, hardworking and skilled workers are more productive and deliver quality and great output which contributes to the success of the business. The access of skilled and competitive workers at a low cost in New Zealand has helped Woolworth company to reduce its operation costs in the host country. A comparison of the economy of Australia and that of New Zealand shows th at Australian economy majorly depends on minerals while that of New Zealand is based on agriculture. Therefore, the company can access to cheaper fresh agricultural products from host country than in the parent country due to the favorable climatic conditions in New Zealand. The availability of low-cost products and labor in New Zealand helps the company to maximum profit as a result of low operation costs (Kumar 2014, p. 249). External issues External factors have also contributed foreign investment move in New Zealand by this company. Such factors involve social, political, economic and demographic factors which make up the external environment in which Woolworths Company operates. Under political viewpoint, New Zealand is peaceful and politically stable country and thus, it has attracted the many multinational companies including Woolworths. The stability of this nation provides a favorable working environment for this company. Keller (2010) notes that the company is likely to encounter low level of risks that arises of unstable governments Also, the New Zealand government provides favorable business regulatory policies that are favorable for investors. The bureaucracies involved in the registration of foreign business enterprise are very few. Besides, the taxation policies for foreign investors are very flexible and favorable thus attracting more multinational companies in New Zealand (Hill, Jones Schilling 2014). The economic environment includes factors such as inflation, market structure and level of completion. New Zeeland has a stable current which is not adversely affected by the global economic crisis. As such, Woolworths is not likely to incur heavy losses which arise from high levels of inflation. Since Woolworths has diversified products, it is less likely to face stiff competition in the foreign market. Provision of a variety of high-quality products in the market has given the Woolworths Company a competitive advantage and thus becoming one of the leading companies in New Zealand. The demographic structure of New Zeeland plays a crucial role to the expansion of Woolworths Company in New Zealand market Sirmon et al. 2011). The country is characterized by a high population that consists of high, middle and low-class income earners. The large New Zealand population offers a ready market for the variety of products offered by this company. Besides, Woolworths Company offers that are de signed to suit both high-end and low-end segments of the market and thus, all citizens in this country can afford to purchase and consumer Woolworths products irrespective of their economic status (Freeman 2010). Effects of Offshore Activities on Stakeholders The key stakeholders of Woolworths Company include employees, shareholders, and suppliers. The employees of Woolworths Company enjoy benefits that result from the companys offshore activities. The company is experiencing a significant expansion which will guarantee job security for its employees. The likelihood of the company sacking some workers is very low since it requires a large workforce as it expands its operations. Also, the workers are likely to get salary increment as the company expands. Any company pays its employees depending on its revenue returns. Therefore, Woolworths Company will continue to offer a good pay to its employees as long as it continues to make good profits. Similarly, shareholders of this company will be one of the beneficiaries of offshore activities. High-profit returns from the companys activities will result in high dividend rates among the shareholders (Swayne Duncan, Ginter 2012). Also, their shares will gain value due to the companys high revenue (Frank Freeman 2014). On the other hand, customers both in the parent country and the offshore country will benefit from by purchasing products at relatively low cost. Foreign invest will help the company to expand and thus benefiting from the economies of scale. Therefore, it will sell its products at a lower price than its competitors in the market. Similarly, the suppliers in both the parent and host countries are likely to benefit from the companys business strategic as a result of increased demand for products. The suppliers will sell more units of their products to the company and thereby increase their income. In a nutshell, offshore activities will economic benefits to all stakeholders of Woolworths Limited Company (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 51). The future of job opportunities in Australia Since Australia is the parent country of Woolworths, the company will still continue to create more job opportunities in this country despite expanding its operations in abroad countries. The headquarters of the company which is based in Vista, New South Wales, will still attract more employment opportunities at various job levels (Cederberg, Henriksson, Ledgard 2011, p. 421). The expansion of the company means that the company will expand its management team by recruiting more managers. Also, the home brands of Woolworths Company such as Big W, Maters Home Improvement, and ALH Groups are popularly in the Australian market and therefore, the company will have to recruit more workers who will continue to provide quality its customers in all states of Australia. Conclusion Woolworths Limited Company is an Australian business firm whose operations are based on diversified products. It offers products ranging from fresh foods, electronics, liquor, insurance services, and real estate investment to petroleum products. The companys strategy of product diversification has given it a competitive advantage to become the largest company in both Australia and New Zealand. The companys decision of moving some of its operations in Australian has played a crucial role to its success and thus, benefiting all its stakeholders. References Cederberg, C, Henriksson, M, Ledgard, S, 2011, How does co-product handling affect the carbon footprint of milk? 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