Report on NatWest Bank’s Creativity and Innovation Essay

NatWest Bank is a member of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS Group). In 1968 National Provincial Bank (est.1833) and Westminster Bank (est.1836), fused as National Westminster Bank. Jointly, these banks could outline their history back down the centuries through a ancestry of influential constituents, since the 1650’s. The declaration totally astonished the public, but to both banks the benefits were obvious – the merger enhanced balance sheet strength, created opportunities to streamline the branch networks and enabled greater investment in new technology. The statutory process of integration was completed in 1969 and National Westminster Bank commenced trading on 1 January 1970, with the three-arrowheads symbol as its Logo of the company with 3,600 branches, established a wide range of new services, including the bank’s first credit card, Access, in 1972, and computer-linked cash dispensers, Servicetills, in 1976. Deregulation in the 1980s, culminating in ‘Big Bang’ in 1986, also encouraged National Westminster Bank to enter the securities business. County Bank, the Group’s merchant bank, acquired stockbroking and jobbing firms to create NatWest Investment Bank. In the mean time, the International Banking Division appeared to offer international banking services to large companies and to focus on expansion in the USA, the Far East and Europe. In the 1980s new services were developed such as telephone banking and touch- screen share dealing to assist the government’s privatisation programme. The 1980’s also saw the National Westminster Home Loans established in 1980 and the Small Business Unit in 1982. The Switch debit card extended the electronic transfer of money to point of sale in 1988. In the 1990s financial services markets world-wide underwent huge variations and in response the bank refocused its activities, exiting from a number of markets and adopting the title of NatWest. In March 2000, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group completed the acquisition of NatWest in a  £21 billion deal that was the large st take-over in British banking history. NatWest ranks fifth in the world and is now part of a financial services group which is the second largest bank by market capitalisation in the UK and in Europe. (NatWest 2006) Read more: Essay About National Westminster Bank Creativity and Innovation of the Bank: With granting a muscular competitive encourage to innovation, creativity and efficiency, it always attains lead on rival firms. Innovation is a driver of productivity growth. Novel products, processes and methods of working can relent efficiency gains and quality improvements not only within the innovating firm, but also within other firms that recap or institute on the innovation within their own firms. There are a number of reasons why the rate of innovation is likely to fall below socially optimal levels, and smaller innovating firms may face particularly severe barriers to innovation. The key constraints are: †¢ Limited access to risk capital: The informational impediments to free- functioning markets for SME finance were discussed earlier in this chapter, but it is particularly difficult for potential lenders or investors to assess likely risk and returns accruing to future research or to the implementation of unproven innovations. Newly-established innovating firms often m ake a loss and face severe cash-flow constraints in their early years. †¢Difficulties appropriating the full benefits of innovation: Whilst a competitive environment will provide the best general incentive for firms to innovate, firms need to be confident that they can reap the rewards of their innovation. This is why the intellectual property regime allows firms to prevent, for a limited period, their competitors from copying their innovations. This is a necessary reward for the costs of R&D, and helps to encourage innovation. Nevertheless, the internal return to innovation may still be modest relative to the industry-wide benefits that arise once the innovation can be replicated by other firms. †¢ Inability to diversify risk: While larger companies may have a large portfolio of innovative activity, innovation in smaller firms may be concentrated on a single product or process, and the cost of undertaking the necessary R&D may be very large relative to the overall financial assets of the company. Accordingly, where SMEs are risk-averse, they will be discouraged from investing in innovative activities with uncertain returns. Assembling the enterprise confront will rely on the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurs themselves, but the Government must also provide the right cond itions and the necessary support for successful enterprise. (Cosh and Hughes 2000) The NatWest Group has a total of 6 UK banking licences and licences from several other authorities. There are two principal costs linked with getting to the position where a bank is in a position to obtain and maintain its banking licence: 1) Implementing a reporting system that satisfies the requirements of the regulators. In addition to standard financial reports these would include implementing the systems to monitor and report capital adequacy, liquidity, credit risk, and interest rate risk etc. 2) Ensuring that there is the necessary infrastructure in place to satisfy individual regulatory requirements on operational areas such as money laundering, advertising and sales of financial products. There are also noteworthy sunk costs in coping with the provision of creativity infrastructure. To replace the existing branch and service centre network and administrative buildings is a major project in its own right and in addition to the costs of such physical assets, which are on the balance sheet it would be necessary to handle the stipulation of such facilities. Costs would also be involved in the provision of such items as HR policies, for example the sunk costs associated with setting up employee benefit programmes, such as pension plans, stock options, bonus schemes, car schemes, health care etc. The same tactic has been adopted and this turns up at an total expenditure of  £ [255] m. This is probably a conservative estimate. Over the period 1996 to 2000 NatWest incurred expenses of around  £ [13] bn in respect of its Retail Transformation programme, which was only a modification of part of its existing infrastructure rather than creation of a totally innovative one. (RBSG, 2002) NatWest depends entirely upon the qualities of innovation, and suffer more acutely from the rapidity of transform. Whether in presentation, writing, the visual arts or advertising, the progress of new ‘product’ is at the heart of all doings. Without this self- generated action, there is not anything to put up for sale. The sector therefore has a specific and challenging manufacturing process or value chain which, at each stage, demands different talents. At the raw development end of production (ideas generation, creating, training) there is a need for concepts, leading edge ideas and formulations, creativity, innovation and initiative customer orientation. Problem solving is paramount. At the moment of production (turning ideas into products, locations for production) – this first set of aptitudes is still important but must be supplemented by: _ï€  Intelligence, understanding of the market, industry foresight and strategic view; _ï€  Effective management o f resources; _ï€  Ability to develop and manage relationships with partners, explore new connections and collaborations with suppliers. The merger of the Royal Bank of Scotland (BoS) and Halifax to form HBOS resulted from increasing competitive pressures in the financial sector. Since about 1980, with the decline of heavy industries and growth of a service economy, like other clearing banks, BoS was obliged to expand further into small business lending and new retail products (e.g. residential mortgages, financial services, credit cards, etc.). Competition was exaggerated by banking deregulation, which led to the growth of a secondary banking sector, the transformation of many building societies (including Halifax) into banks, and new amalgamations into ever-larger banks (as cited in Leyshon and Thrift 1993). During this period there was increasing concern in the Scottish banking community about the potential for takeovers to erode a distinctive Scottish banking sector (as cited in Saville 1996: 717-40), which had been partly maintained by an historical ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the English and Scottish banks to limit their presences in each other’s markets. In September 1999, BoS surprised The City of London by making a  £20.85 billion bid to take over NatWest Bank, in effect striking first in an environment where further bank mergers seemed inevitable. Many in the financial press were quick to point out that under these new terms, BoS and other Scottish banks could not expect to have the ir future ‘independence’ protected. In late November the Royal Bank of Scotland, BoS’s main competitor in Scotland, made a successful counter bid of  £25.1 billion. The City now anticipated a takeover of BoS, compelling BoS to keep pace with the Royal Bank. BoS and Halifax began merger negotiations in April 2001, and the new banking group, HBOS, began trading on the stock market on 10 September, 2001. The Halifax was the dominant partner in the merger, being about twice the size of BoS in terms of number of employees and market value at the time of merger, and supplying key organizational leadership, including the CEO. The core rationale of the merger was that it brought together Halifax’s substantial mortgage lending income and BoS’s expertise and placement in the corporate banking world to create new business opportunities for the merged organisation. It also saw the dislocation of BoS’s rather conventional, cautious and habitual banking ethos by the more modern, competitive and market driven ethos of the Halifax organisation. Thus the merger was experienced by staff as an encounter between two different corporate cultures, and two different national cultures, at the same time. By ‘the ideology of change’ it specifies an ideological condition that corresponds closely with Therborn’s conception of modernity. With this phrase I want to dire ct attention not so much to a set of ideas and beliefs about change, but more to a disposition, or attitude toward change. I mean to suggest a normatively charged attitude in which established ways of doing things are devalued and innovation and change is positively valued in principle, regardless of the particulars of any given situation. It is, in a sense, a ‘presumption of guilt’ in regard to the old, and ‘presumption of innocence’ in regard to the new. This attitude is deeply naturalised, so that the imperative and positive value of change is widely regarded as self-evident, and not easily questioned. Thus rather than the great social critiques and political programmes associated with the formation of modernity, I mean to invoke a routinized and normalized aspect of established modernity—seen in the way political parties and governments promote themselves through promises of reform, in the way corporations and public institutions are constantly restructuring in order to ‘modernize’ and keep pace with their competitors, and in the way consumer-citizens in capitalist society come to expect scientific and technological advances that will increase knowledge and improve commodities and services, while fashions in popular culture rapidly replaces one another. The ideology of change is mundane, relentless common sense. Some problems of ‘innovation and creativity’ lay with the organization and its leadershi p, rather than personnel, the exhortation to embrace change was ultimately being translated into a message of personal moral reform. In this way the ideology of change, while meeting resistance, percolated down to beleaguered selves seeking some greater purchase on their state of affiars. (Hearn 2006) HRM Strategic Milestones in NatWest: During 1990–91 County NatWest, an investment bank, asked all its business units, including its personnel department, to set up strategic milestones for a five-year period. Their performance was to be measured against those milestones at specified target dates. The requirement to produce strategic milestones as an input to the bank’s five-year marked an important watershed in defining the contribution of personnel to the business at a strategic level. It forced the department to reflect on the nature of that contribution. Senior management of the bank duly authorised 18 separate strategic milestones. The milestones were consistent one with the other, and overall addressed issues that consultation within business units and across the three personnel teams had shown to be critical to business success. Each milestone was assigned to a designated individual and was incorporated into his or her own targets of performance. Quarterly reviews on progress, involving the whole department, were subsequently held to ensure that the milestones were on target. The operational tasks that a centralised T&D planning process involves seek to ensure that: T&D considerations are taken fully into account when business strategy is formulated. They form part of a human resource plan within the wider business plan. At business unit/divisional level there are policies to ensure people are trained and developed in line with the needs of the business. At the individual level T&D is an integrated part of daily routine and procedures, helping people to achieve performance standards and behavioral objectives and building up the kind of workforce needed in terms of productivity, quality and flexibility. T&D staff operates a collaborative approach to planning at every stage in order to ensure a high level of buy-in from line management and other stakeholders. (Harrison 2001) Conclusion: NatWest Bank had recently a remarkable triumph over the competitors on November 15 2006 in the 12th Annual Convention- CCA Excellence Awards categorized for â€Å"Best Customer Focus: Financial Services† (details available on http://www.ccai.org.uk/events). The Bank is the second giant bank in the entire Europe (after Deutsche Bank) and incredibly progressed in a very short span of time (as discussed in the historical background). NatWest’s creativity and innovation â€Å"line of attack† led the bank to the stature of success. Chinua Achebe (1930 – ), Nigerian novelist, poet, and essayist rightly says: â€Å"Contradictions if well understood and managed can spark off the fires of invention. Orthodoxy whether of the right or of the left is the graveyard of creativity†. (Anthills of the Savannah) References NatWest; A History, (2006), NatWest Bank, available on accessed April 29 2007. Cosh and Hughes, (2000), Tackling Market Failures, British Bankers Association. Jonathan Hearn, (2006), National Identity, Organisational Culture, and the Ideology of Change in Scotland, BSA Annual Conference, Scottish Study Group. Rosemary Harrison, (2005), Producing and Implementing L&D Strategy, CIPD Publications. Appendix A: NatWest Glossary AER – Annual Equivalent Rate. This shows what the interest rate would be if interest were paid and added to your account each year. APR – Annual Percentage Rate. The interest payable on what you’ve borrowed is added up along with other charges (e.g. arrangement fees) and then expressed as an annual rate of charge. The APR helps you compare the true cost of borrowing, for example for a mortgage. The APR takes into account all fees and charges applied to the mortgage as well as the monthly payments over the life of the loan. arrangement fee â₠¬â€œ a fee to cover administration. arrears – money that was due to be paid but has not been paid. When you are behind in payments, you are in arrears. assets – your money, property, goods and so on that have a financial value. assurance – a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to your next of kin when you die. banker’s draft – a cheque drawn on the bank (or building society) itself against either a cash deposit or money taken directly from your own bank account. A banker’s draft is a secure way of receiving money from someone you don’t know and where a cash is inconvenient. Banker’s drafts are commonly used for large purchases such as homes and cars. base rate – the interest rate from which lenders set their rates for lending and savings products. It’s usually based on the base rate set by the Bank of England. capital – money that you’ve invested or borrowed (e.g. to buy a home). It doesn’t include the income or profit you get from an investment, or the interest you have to pay on a loan o r mortgage. CHAPS – Clearing House Automated Payment System. This is a system that enables money to be transferred from one bank account to another on the same day. chip and PIN – a system to reduce card fraud. A chip and PIN card has a ‘smart’ chip that holds your four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). When you pay in a shop with a chip and PIN card, you’ll be asked to enter your PIN into a keypad instead of signing a receipt. This PIN is the same number that you use to withdraw money at a cash machine. cleared balance/cleared funds – includes credits (cheques and cash) that have completed the clearing cycle. You can only withdraw or transfer money to another account with money from your cleared balance. The cleared balance is updated during the day as you make payments into and out of your account. clearing cycle – the process that your cheque goes through when you pay it into your account. A cheque won’t be cleared if, for example, the person who gave it to you doesn’t have en ough money in their account. credit card – allows you to borrow money to pay for goods and services without using cash or cheques. credit balance – the amount of money in your account. credit limit – the maximum amount of money that you may borrow. debit card – allows you to pay for goods and services without writing cheques or using cash. The money is taken directly from your current account (you don’t borrow the money as with a credit card). Some debit cards can also be used to guarantee cheques. debt – an amount of money that you owe to a person or company. Direct Debit – an instruction from you to your bank or building society allowing someone to take money from your account. The amount of money taken can vary, but you must be told the amounts and dates beforehand. Direct Debits allow you to pay bills automatically from your account on a regular basis. discounted rate – a variable rate that is set at a fixed percentage amount below the lender’s standard variable rate for a period of time. At the end of the period, the mortgage goes back to the lender’s variable rate. EAR – Effective Annual Rate. This is the amount of interest charged on an overdraft and is stated as an annual rate. Unlike the APR, the figure does not include any fees or charges. Equity (in property) – the difference between how much your property is worth the balance of your outstanding mortgage and any other debts secured on the property. Equity release – a way of releasing extra money by borrowing against the equity in your home. ERTF – Exchange Rate Transaction Fee. This is a fee that you pay when withdrawing foreign currency from a cash machine or when paying for something in another currency (e.g. when you’re on holiday abroad). The foreign currency is converted into pounds sterling (using the bank’s exchange rate) and a fee for doing this is added. fixed-rate interest – an interest rate that stays the same throughout an agreed period. flexible mortgage – a mortgage that allows you to make overpayments and underpayments on the mortgage without penalty, and, in some cases, to take payment holidays. gross – the whole amount before any deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. gross interest rate – interest before income tax is deducted. Insurance policy – a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to you to cover possibilities such as theft, damage to property, loss and so on. interest – the amount that you pay when you borrow money. It’s expressed as a percentage rate over a period of time. interest-free – no interest is charged on money that you borrow. interest-only mortgages – a loan on which you only pay the interest element. The amount of capital you owe remains the same throughout the term of the mortgage and is due to be repaid at the end of the term. interest rate – the rate at which you pay back interest, expressed as a percentage of the amount you borrow. investment – something you put money into that will provide income in the future (such as savings) or gain in value so that you can sell it at a higher price later (such as a house). loan – money that you borrow (e.g. to buy a new car) on condition that you pay it back. lifetime mortgage – a type of equity release product for the over 60s, which allows you to release money by borrowing against the value of your home. There are no monthly repayments, instead the interest is added to the loan and the whole amount is repaid when you die or move into long-term care, usually from the sale of the house. This means more interest will build up than with a conventional mortgage. mortgage – a loan to help you buy property on condition that the company giving you the loan has certain rights, including the right to sell the property if you don’t pay back the loan. net – the amount after deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. net interest rate – the rate payable after the lower rate of income tax is deducted. (NB the rate of tax may vary, so a net rate is usually only given as an example.) nominal annual rate – the rate of interest that would apply if the interest were not added each year and if there were no inflation. overdraft – borrowings from your current account. overpayment – higher or extra mortgage payments that you make (usually to pay off your loan or mortgage early). p.a. – ‘per annum’, which means ‘each year’. payment holiday – a period of one or more months when you don’t make repayments on your loan or mortgage, although interest continues to accrue during that time. PIN – Personal Identification Number. This is the four-digit number that you enter into a cash machine when you want to take out cash, and that you use when you pay with your chip and PIN card. Never give this number to anyone, or write it down. rate – the percentage interest rate charged by a lender. remortgage – replacing a mortgage with a new one (from your existing or a different lender), without moving home. You use the money you borrow for the new mortgage to repay the old one. repayment method – the means by which a mortgage is repaid. The two main repayment methods are ‘interest only’ and ‘repayment’. repayment mortgage – a loan where you pay back some of the capital as well as interest each month. The amount you owe is gradually reduced. return – the profit you get, for example, when you invest money. share – a unit of ownership in a company. share certificate – shows the amount of ownership. share dealing – the process of buying and selling shares. standing order – a method of making regular payments directly from your bank account. It’s a fixed sum and you tell your bank when to start and stop paying it. stock – another term for share. transaction – each time you pay money into or take money out of your account, it’s called a transaction. unarranged borrowing – an overdraft that is higher than your bank or building society has agreed to. uncleared balance – the amount of money in your account including all the uncleared items in your account and any items paid in during the day. underpayment – a loan or mortgage payment that is less than the amount that you should normally pay for that month. variable-rate interest – the interest rate that you pay on your loan or mortgage and that rises and falls roughly in line with a stated index, such as the base rate set by the Bank of England. (NatWest , 2006, available on http://www.natwest.co.uk/glossary.htm/>)

Nestle: Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility

01What are the responsibilities of companies in this or similar situation? Nestle. The world's leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company. Its mission of â€Å"GoodFood, Good Life† is to provide  consumers with the best tasting, most nutritious choices ina wide range of food and beverage categories and eating occasions, from morning tonight. The Company was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland, where itsheadquarters are still located today. Nestle employ around 280 000 people and havefactories or operations in almost every country in the world. Nestle sales for 2010 werealmost CHF 110 bn. Current controversyIn this particular case, the issue was that Nestle Alimentana, one of the world’s largestfood-processing companies had been the subject of an international boycott as a result of  the accusations that the company was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of  Third World infants. The charges were based on the sale of infant feedin g formula, whichsupposedly caused the mass deaths of  babies in the Third World. Corporate social responsibility of the company Corporate Social Responsibility refers to operating a business in a manner thataccounts for the social and environmental impact created by the business.It signifiees acommitment to developing policies that  integrate responsible practices into daily businessoperations, and to reporting on  progress made toward implementing these practices. Responsibilities are as follows 01)  Every multinational company like Nestle has a prudent Business policy whichcomes after deep scrutiny about the environmental, cultural impact of their activities. For  example  nestles  principles  are  no  advertisement  to  general  public,  no  sampling  tomothers , no use of commission or bonus for sales ,no point of sale advertisement , nofinancial and material inducement to promote products etc.So, every company shouldstick on their policy. 02)Arou nd the world every country countries has own law to protect its people fromillegal or illogical operation of companies. In this case every company should respectcountry’s law and they also should play their production and marketing activities withconsidering these laws. 1. What are the responsibilities of companies in this or similar situations? Any industry or company, in its attempt to expand operations and explore opportunities, employ marketing strategies that ultimately lead to one thing- sales objective/ target achievement.And many times over, this mindset resorted to different marketing/ promotional schemes, regardless of culture, lifestyle, beliefs, etc. across the globe. Marketing jargons like â€Å"scare tactics†, (eg Whitehall's Incremin: lack or iron among children can lead to death†, source: Health Today Philippine edition) â€Å"premium offers† (Bisolvon's â€Å"win a car, join†¦.. , source: Mercury Drug branch), â€Å"free if you buyà ¢â‚¬  (bundling of Colgate-Palmolive , shampoo + toothpaste) â€Å"save† ( Unilever's shampoos 33% savings in a bigger sachet pack) , are examples of this â€Å"mind-conditioning† among consumers.Nestle's case proved one point- we cannot undermine the marginalized sector of the society and use them to gain profits and increase market share. One case-in-point was how milk was promoted in the mid- 70's: Lactogen (Nestle) : â€Å"When breastmilk fails choose Lactogen† (ad in Sierra Leone) Klim (Nestle): † The child is going to die, because the mother's breast has given out, Mama o Mama the child cries, if you want your child to get well, give it KLIM milk (a radio ad in Africa) Another industry that remains controversial up to this time is the cigarette/ tobacco industry.For many years, issue on responsible marketing is challenged by several sectors. Despite the inclusion â€Å"smoking is dangerous to your health† in cigarette packs and the ongoing de bate † freedom of choice† – that consumers' will do what pleases them, incidence of lung cancer continue to rise in developing countries. Responsibilities of companies facing the same issue include the following: (1) Adhere to the policies set by regulating companies. For milk companies, follow the guideline stipulated in the â€Å"International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes† For cigarette ompanies, adhere to the Master Settlement Agreement† which stipulates the do's and don'ts in cigarette advertising. This can save the company in any potential threat or problem(2) Changing the culture or local practice doesn't happen overnight, add to that is the huge investment needed to teach how people should behave in a manner large companies want them to be. It is important to respect age-old practices and understand local dynamics (3) To say that third-world countries are a dumping ground of large multinationals maybe subjective because there are companies who conduct business ethically.In any respect, companies, big or small, should be responsible in educating its target market, be able to answer consumers' inquiries (Hotline is one good example), and begin to think the long-term benefits of each action to avoid damaging the equity of their company. 2. What could have Nestle done to have avoided the accusations â€Å"Killing Third World Babies† and still market its product? Nestle understandably wanted to come out strong in supporting its milk product line, especially that they have the muscle and money to hold different marketing programs.But rather than contradict age- old practice of breastfeeding and resort to scary campaigns â€Å"breastfeeding is not good at all†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , they should have concentrated on the additional nutrients breastfeeding moms can give to their children. The advertising hyped so much on the inefficiency of breastmilk. And its advertising campaign came out to be a desperate act of win ning new sets of customers. Misinformation also put Nestle in a bad light. With advertising comes responsibility to educate the consumers, no matter which country you are in.Another thing mentioned in the case is the inability of Nestle to comply with the implementing guidelines which provoked the consumers to continue rallying against Nestle. Reality is, even in the local setting, practices mentioned in the case (such as sampling todoctors, sponsorship in medical societies, direct advertising to consumers) is still evident. Legal pursuits can be avoided if Nestle abided with the guidelines. All in all, this problem could have been avoided if: †¢ Nestle concentrated on the nutritional benefits of infant formula, with proper clinical substantiation to back up its claim †¢ Uphold best ethical practices.Being one of the leading companies worldwide, they should set ethical standards and do not resort to cheap gimmickry to entice consumers †¢ Employ a wholistic approach. E ducate all perceived target group- doctors, mothers, schools, hospitals, pharmacies, nurses and midwives. By doing an integrated approach, it will uphold its commitment to deliver quality products to its market and be a reliable healthcare partner as well 3. After Nestle's experience, how do you suggest it, or any other company, can protect itself in the future? The recurring issue â€Å"to create the need or address the need† remains a challenge to most companies.Nestle is no exception. It wants to be a pioneer in changing the lifestyle and mindset of consumers during the early-mid `70s, coupled with their desire to expand operations to third world and developing countries to sustain its business growth. In this case, they are changing the practice (traditional breastfeeding) drastically and tried to create the need (infant formula) which is not highly present yet when they launched the campaign. Below are some ideas that can help protect other companies: †¢ Understandi ng the ever-changing consumer trends and practice is one way to

Sacred Hoops

Phillip Douglas Jackson was born on September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana. Jackson was known as the best NBA head coach of all time, leading the Chicago Bulls to six titles and the Los Angeles Lakers to three. Before Phil became known as a victorious head coach, he was an ordinary athlete. Phil Jackson played basketball, football, and baseball in high school and was recruited to North Dakota University to play basketball after graduation. While attending the college, Phil helped his team win third-and fourth-place finishes in the NCAA Division II championships. Jackson was known as the â€Å"Zen Master† to the game of basketball. In 1967, Phil Jackson was drafted in the second round by the New York Knicks, where he played as a favorite substitute for years. Phil grew older and realized he wanted to stay into the game by wasn’t going to play. Jackson began his coaching career in the lower leagues, receiving his big break in 1987 when he was hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Phil Jackson was promoted to head coach in 1989 and helmed the team until 1998. Despite the success, tension grew between Phil Jackson and the Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. After winning the title in 1999 he took a year off. Previously after 1999, Phil decided to take his coaching skills and intelligence to Los Angeles California, coaching the Lakers. Phil Jackson had endless success winning three championships straight with the Lakers, beating the New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, and also the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers. Tension grew between two star players on the team; consequently, Jackson decided to leave. After the Lakers had a disappointing season 2004-2005, Phil was rehired as a head coach. 2007 Phil Jackson was known to be the highest paid coach in the NBA. Through all of his magnificent achievements, Phil Jackson managed to write a book called â€Å"Sacred Hoops. † In the book Sacred Hoops, Phil talks a lot about motivation, teamwork; moreover, learning how to keep calm in tough situations. Phil Jackson states, â€Å"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball. Jackson offers in the book an unusual mixture of new age advice and basketball knowledge, a sort of Zen and art of pro hoops. Jackson talks a lot about Zen metaphors, his message can be boiled down to two simple precepts: â€Å"The team is more important than one player or coach; furthermore, you have to live in the moment, on and off the court. † Phil explains succinctly how the Zen Buddhist concern with cleaning the mind of impurities to focus on immediate sensation can be put to use in a range of situations. Phil decided to write this book mainly for people who cannot work through difficult situations, â€Å"it’s almost a guideline to help you throughout your days† Jackson states. Phil Jackson was known to be one of the greatest coaches of all times, creating a dynasty with the Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson was able to succeed by his meditated thoughts and ways to conquer the game. Jackson won eleven rings throughout his years of playing basketball and coaching the game of basketball. Phil will also be known as the â€Å"Zen Master† of basketball. Sacred Hoops Phillip Douglas Jackson was born on September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana. Jackson was known as the best NBA head coach of all time, leading the Chicago Bulls to six titles and the Los Angeles Lakers to three. Before Phil became known as a victorious head coach, he was an ordinary athlete. Phil Jackson played basketball, football, and baseball in high school and was recruited to North Dakota University to play basketball after graduation. While attending the college, Phil helped his team win third-and fourth-place finishes in the NCAA Division II championships. Jackson was known as the â€Å"Zen Master† to the game of basketball. In 1967, Phil Jackson was drafted in the second round by the New York Knicks, where he played as a favorite substitute for years. Phil grew older and realized he wanted to stay into the game by wasn’t going to play. Jackson began his coaching career in the lower leagues, receiving his big break in 1987 when he was hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls. Phil Jackson was promoted to head coach in 1989 and helmed the team until 1998. Despite the success, tension grew between Phil Jackson and the Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. After winning the title in 1999 he took a year off. Previously after 1999, Phil decided to take his coaching skills and intelligence to Los Angeles California, coaching the Lakers. Phil Jackson had endless success winning three championships straight with the Lakers, beating the New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, and also the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers. Tension grew between two star players on the team; consequently, Jackson decided to leave. After the Lakers had a disappointing season 2004-2005, Phil was rehired as a head coach. 2007 Phil Jackson was known to be the highest paid coach in the NBA. Through all of his magnificent achievements, Phil Jackson managed to write a book called â€Å"Sacred Hoops. † In the book Sacred Hoops, Phil talks a lot about motivation, teamwork; moreover, learning how to keep calm in tough situations. Phil Jackson states, â€Å"Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball. Jackson offers in the book an unusual mixture of new age advice and basketball knowledge, a sort of Zen and art of pro hoops. Jackson talks a lot about Zen metaphors, his message can be boiled down to two simple precepts: â€Å"The team is more important than one player or coach; furthermore, you have to live in the moment, on and off the court. † Phil explains succinctly how the Zen Buddhist concern with cleaning the mind of impurities to focus on immediate sensation can be put to use in a range of situations. Phil decided to write this book mainly for people who cannot work through difficult situations, â€Å"it’s almost a guideline to help you throughout your days† Jackson states. Phil Jackson was known to be one of the greatest coaches of all times, creating a dynasty with the Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson was able to succeed by his meditated thoughts and ways to conquer the game. Jackson won eleven rings throughout his years of playing basketball and coaching the game of basketball. Phil will also be known as the â€Å"Zen Master† of basketball.

Sweetness In the Bible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sweetness In the Bible - Essay Example ver, a person may not avoid bitterness until he experiences it and this is probably the principle of the God of the Hebrews who allowed his beloved people to undergo so many hardships in their lives. On a general note, the Israelites were exposed to many difficulties but the plans of God were for their good and not their destruction, for their faith in him to be strengthened and not to be misled by false gods. David’s stand against an undefeated giant is a story of God’s help. Introduced as the youngest in his family, perceived as unable because of his age and portrayed as good only for bringing food for his warrior brothers but not in engaging in manly responsibilities like being in a war, David was an unlikely hero. With such a description, he could be just another kid on the block, unable to do extraordinary things. However, he proved to be a man of faith who was strongly jealous for his God so that in his anger towards the giant who belittled his God and his people, David killed Goliath with only a stone and a sling. Such circumstance placed the young man on a pedestal where he was revered, yet for him maintained his humility and faith in God. This example has been caused by God to be written in the most popular book in the world, and the man to be remembered hundreds of generations after him. Dependence on the God who gives and is able to take away is Job’s testimony. Considered a righteous man by God himself, Job seemed to have been unjustly inflicted with all the pains he had been through in just a day. As a prayerful man, one can say that he did not deserve to lose all his possessions, sons, daughters and servants in just a single day. Yet that was what happened to him and as though that would not be enough, he was suffered from skin disease that made him scratch himself with broken pottery. His friends were not of help to him either because they added to his hardships with their accusing words that he might have sinned against God to deserve all

Information Systems Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information Systems Paper - Essay Example The latter is typically referred to as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. A typical ERP platform would encompass all major functions in an organization such as Operations, Inventory & Stores, Accounting, HR, Payroll, etc. Most clients tend to purchase an off the shelf product, and contract a software deployment specialist to make the required customizations to the platform and adapt the system for use at a particular company. I was involved with the specific deployment of an ERP system at a ceramics manufacturing company with roughly 1300 employees. The company was migrating from a legacy FoxPro based system to an MS .net based client-server ERP system, which would encompass all departments and be written in the newer Microsoft .net framework with a user friendly Graphic User Interface (GUI) as opposed to the text based interface for the legacy system. The specific departments that the ERP presently covers is Accounts, HR, Payroll, Inventory & Stores, Commercial Department, Sales, and Fixed Asset Control. The Manufacturing module is being developed and will be integrated into the ERP system over the next 10 - 12 months. The ERP platform, in its present state controls virtually every business process in the company. A closed loop workflow ensures tight knit integration between departments with electronic authorizations and checks at every stage of the process. Global connectivity of the system with users in 2 factories and 4 sales offices meant that user groups had to be able to interact with the system in a secure environment to manage workflows in these remote locations. For the factory locations, the company decided on connectivity through leased lines with direct point-to-point connectivity. However, with the geographically diverse locations of the 4 sales offices, leased line connectivity was not feasible. The company decided to utilize Internet based connectivity using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to be establish connectivity from these remote locations to the main server housed in the corporate office. Connectivity to the system was a critical requirement for all remote locations. In the factory environment, the only way for the factory warehouses to check-in and enter fresh production into inventory is by utilizing the Stores & Inventory module to generate an inward bound Material Note. The Warehouse in turn is required to generate the Material Receipt Note to complete transactions. Similarly, when the Warehouse receives an electronic request to dispatch new products to one of the four remote sales locations, it uses the system to create a Material Dispatch Note that is closed once material is received by the remote location and the ticket workflow is closed in the system electronically. In case of an unplanned system downtime or a network outage, the company's operations come to a standstill since workflows cannot be completed. One of most critical workflows that get affected is the inventory process. No inventory can move in and out of any warehouse of the company until the sys tem electronically updates its records. The company had to put in exception handling for these circumstances, which involve emailing data packets to update inventory and complete workflows when there is scheduled maintenance of the system, or where longer system shutdowns may be required. System security was another important aspect of the system.

Recording Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recording Interest - Essay Example Also, when the $60,000 loan was made, it had to be a personal loan because there was still no business to record the amount. But when the business begun, the $60,000 was recognized as a start-up capital and therefore, it should be recorded as part of the start-up capital. The proper accounting of the $60,000 loan is to record it as part of Current Assets (cash) in the asset portion and liability (loans) in the balance sheet of Ontime Delivery Service. It follows then that interest payment should be recognized by the business along with the repayment when the $60,000 is recorded as loan. The way the interest payment should be recognized in the book is through interest expense â€Å"and and the remainder of the payment reduces the principal amount of the liability. As the amount owed is reduced by each payment, the portion of each successive payment representing interest expense will  decrease,  and the portion going toward repayment of principal will  increase (Williams et al, 2005). Failing to record the $3,200 as interest payment would render the accounting of Ontime Delivery Service inaccurate because the $60,000 in effect will appear to be personal money the balance sheet when in fact it came from a

Final project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Final project - Essay Example A harmonious combination into the use of these instruments fell into categories such as metal, stone, clay, bamboo, wood, bone, string, and gourd. The instruments gave symbols to Chinese people. These instruments were rudimentary and played about five notes out of the seven musical notes. The most recognized instruments in this episode include the Guzheng, the Zhong Ruan, the Liuqin, the YangQin, the Erhu, the Dizi, the Pipa, the Zheng, the Rattle drum, and the Xun, which was a wind musical instrument, and one among the ancient and oldest instrument used in China, approximately 7,000 years ago. In the past, the Xun was played in the open and provided the main part of the entertainment. It dates back to the Neolithic age. It has six holes at most and a very simple structure. Its sound creates a unique artistic feeling that inspires (Jin, Li & Rong 65-73). The changes in time and rapid development of musical instruments led to more instruments that were played in china to about over 70 instruments. Among them as recognized in the episode were the Qin, which is the oldest instrument of its time in the world, and can take on many shapes and accommodate many sounds. It was produced in the imagery of a cloud, and playing it required good manners by the players; hence, it was reserved for scholars. This instrument was mainly used to cultivate the mind and character of the player. The other instrument is the chime whistle used by ancient hunters, the pottery drum, the pottery whistle, and the chime stone, which originated from a simple farm tool, and resembled an ancient plough. Other instruments identified include the Shao Jingqun, the Piano, and the Chime bells, which were large and had complex shapes. The bells comprised 65 in total and weighed about 5 tons. There was also the chime stone that is recognized for being predominant in the musical industry of the Chinese, the giant drum found in the excavated tomb, and perceived as

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - Coursework Example The RN also needs to inform the patient that he or she will take some time to adjust to the new lifestyle and that it will not be easy. However, words of encouragement will motivate the patient to live positively. Some of the factors that the RN needs to consider include the patient’s knowledge, attitude and skills. The main steps of the teaching-learning process include assessing learning needs, diagnosing the learning needs, developing a teaching plan and finally executing the plan (Hood, 2013). The RN was likely to have missed the second step. The RN did not identify the patient’s lack of knowledge regarding diabetes and poor attitude towards the disease, which were likely to obstruct the patients self-promotion of health (Hood, 2013). Some of the things that might be done differently include enlisting the patient to a support group of other patients with type 1 diabetes. In the group, the patients can share their day-to-day experiences of living with diabetes, the challenges they face and ways of overcoming these obstacles. Through the self-help group, the patient will be able to meet other people who are living healthy, productive lives with type 1 diabetes. Consequently, the patient will accept that diabetes is not the end of life and that insulin injections and blood glucose monitoring are the major ways of dealing with the

Most valuable lessons learned from this Business Ethics course Essay

Most valuable lessons learned from this Business Ethics course - Essay Example A very interesting finding that I learned after completing the course is that the ethical conduct of workers varies depending on the culture. In many Asian countries such as India and China bribers are visualized as part of doing business. In contrast U.S. businesspeople perceive bribes as an unethical act that must be avoided at all cost. The concept of social corporate responsibility has raised the ethical standards of business communities across the world. Acting in an ethical manner can help improve the corporate image of a company. In contrast unethical behavior can destroy the reputation of a firm. During the late 1990’s Nike Corporation was involved in a sweatshop scandal that hurt the company so much that in its aftermath the company lost half its annual sales. One of the greatest lessons that I learned from the course is that my professional future and potential opportunities in business can be enhanced by becoming an ethically responsible

Light jet plane Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Light jet plane - Research Paper Example The most primitive needs should be satisfied completely first and then gradually other needs should be fulfilled but then again sometimes the most primitive needs only prove to be a hurdle in the overall growth and routine task execution. The higher importance tasks can only be efficiently performed if the lower basic necessities are met. (Rakowski, 2008) The light jet plane is basically a corporate jet with only one operational pilot seat and capable of accommodating around five people. Some of the have a proper lavatory system while some do not; however, it is very comfortable and highly in demand for many companies. Businessmen and VIP personnel can easily cover their required distances with all the space at their disposal and without having to bear the discomfort of public air transport planes. As the name signifies these planes are small, less heavy and fly at slow speeds but comfortably. (Pike, 2009) The major factor utilizing probably the majority of the organization’s concerns is the fiscal policies. External crisis such as inflation, stock market ups and downs etcetera have huge bearings on the overall economic infrastructure. The economic conditions of the population is checked and double checked before pricing goods or investing in the manufacture process. Moreover the financial condition of a particular locality plays a driving role admits (Kreitner, 2007). Not every geographical demarcation is well suited for buying expensive luxuries. So the company should chalk out its fiscal policies considering the minutest details regarding the ongoing currency value, stock’s market and the economic solidarity of the country. In order to avoid any major setbacks to the organization’s revenue generation or the entire outlet flop. In the modern era of technology it is extremely important for every company in the endeavor to

The Development of the Marketing Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Development of the Marketing Thought - Essay Example These forces, while closely interrelated, produced fickle consumer markets which are more sensitive to price, services, and such other features which create customer value that a slight difference would equate to huge economic losses. From transactional marketing to relational marketing follows a tool for building customer relationships: customer relationship management. If developed and implemented effectively, Strategic CRM has been a guiding tool for most businesses today in competition-filled markets for without a loyal customer base, the business will eventually remain stagnant and cease to exist. After more than a decade of confining the marketing concept as â€Å"a process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives,† the American Marketing Association developed another definition of marketing, describing it as â€Å"...an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.† ... s, marketing evolved from a cold means to maneuver a product into the market in both ways strategical and tactical to a humanitarian obligation that likewise yields two-way benefits; only that in the second definition, marketing purports to be the only tool to stay profitable in the industry taking into consideration the radical changes in the business environment. In brief from a product-oriented approach, organizations now divert their attention to their customers and in creating a profitable rapport with them. Marketing Paradigm Shift? The so-called shift in marketing paradigm is seemingly misguiding as what a few authors contest. What is considered a paradigm shift is not applicable to how the marketing concept evolved from transactional into being relational. Some studies have indicated that transactional and relational marketing may still co-exist today although the former is slowly dominated by the latter with the rise of the web technology where direct marketing became virtua lly possible not to mention, efficient for both buyer and seller. Business firms used to concentrate only on the mass production of goods with less or without particular consideration to consumer relations knowing that the consumers will patronize such products anyway through an unsegmented promotional technique. There was technically no form of personality and individuality -- absence of a human touch. In the business equation, there were only enthusiastic retailers and submissive buyers; therefore in theory, businesses did not consider the profitability of confining the emotional link in between human transactions. In the early 1980s, Len Berry coined the term relationship marketing, describing it as the strategical approach that invites, improves, and maintains customer relationships.

Export Trade of Bangladesh with Saarc Countries Essay Example for Free

Export Trade of Bangladesh with Saarc Countries Essay Introduction The policy of trade liberalization and free-market economy in the 1980s has created both challenges and opportunities for Bangladesh economy. The creation of the World Trade Organization has created new ways of enjoying the comparative advantage for Bangladesh. At the same time, the globalize trade scenario has opened up the structural limitations of Bangladesh economy, which needs immediate attention through the formulation of appropriate policy and actions. Bangladesh continues to suffer from a low-growth, high-poverty syndrome. However, Bangladesh has a large labor force willing to work for low wages resulting in a very competitive position for labor-intensive manufacturing exports. It has a large number of entrepreneurial businessmen who are able to develop and run small and medium scale enterprises. It has a sufficient amount of natural gas reserves which can potentially provide low-cost energy for a downstream industrial structure. With amicable and mutually beneficial regional cooperation, Bangladesh can be an ideal location for huge foreign direct investments, which can serve as a huge market for goods and services in the South Asia. The growth potential of Bangladesh is, however, limited by a high population density and limited availability of land, which results in a continuing pressure on food supply. The low-income level makes it difficult for households to save, thus constraining the domestic development efforts. The education and health levels are low, resulting in a labor force lacking the skills needed for a modern economy. In addition, the traditions of central control of the economy and the awkwardness of government policy continue to work as a deterrent against private sector investment. Within this global and regional trade scenario, this paper attempts to provide a synopsis of Bangladesh trade with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries and of its policies regarding bilateral and global trade. The common structure of the economies and the same intensive price competitiveness could lead to a great deal of formal trade between Bangladesh and the SAARC countries, but this potential is yet to be realized. Bangladesh suffers from a huge trade deficit with India. This paper will lay special emphasis on the trade relations with India and the proposed South Asian Growth Quadrangle consisting of seven north-eastern states of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. This paper will also examine the impact of GDP and of the exchange rate and its variability on the export and import growth of Bangladesh. This study will also examine the trade policies of Bangladesh with special reference to both nominal and effective tariff levels, and non-tariff barriers that hinder the growth of Bangladesh global trade with its neighboring countries. Intra-SAARC trade is very negligible. This study will estimate a gravity model of international trade to examine whether intra-SAARC trade is lower or higher than what is predicated by the economic model. The results of this model will help us understand the possibilities of trade creation and diversion effects resulting from the South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangements (SAPTA) among SAARC member countries. Gravity models of international trade estimate the trade flow as a function of variables that directly or indirectly affect the determinants of normal trade flow. The typical gravity model specification relates bilateral trade to income, population (or per capita income) and distance between the trading partners. If one finds a positive coefficient on the dummy variable indicating that two countries, both of which participate in the same preferential arrangement, trade more with one another than predicted by their incomes and distance, then the conclusion drawn is that the arrangement is trade-creating for its members. This paper will review the tariff concessions agreed upon by the SAARC member countries. Literature Review As it would appear, a significant part of the literature on the state of bilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation in South Asia deals with factors contributing to weak state of integration in the region. According to Sawhney and Kumar (2008), the underlying reasons originate from a combination of political, economic and institutional factors. A large segment of relevant literature deals with identifying opportunities that could emerge from closer cooperation among countries in the region. Three strands of discourse are commonly discernible in this context: firstly, identification of challenges and opportunities of cooperation through regional and bilateral trade and other agreements with participation of SAARC member countries; secondly, quantitative assessments of economic gains, welfare losses which could potentially originate from such cooperation; and thirdly, evidence†based assessments of trade potentialities at sect oral levels. Along with analysis at the regional level, some part of the literature has explored the relevant issues at the bilateral level. A number of studies have attempted to assess whether a bilateral route is more preferable to a regional one in advancing the level of trade and economic cooperation in the context of South Asia. In recent times, increasing attention is being given to the state of bilateral economic cooperation between Bangladesh and India. One nagging limitation in this connection has been the lack of adequate data on informal trade which has tended to constrain the scope of analysis pertaining to bilateral and regional trade in South Asia.9 Only a few studies have attempted to capture this important aspect of trade in the region (Bakht 1996; World Bank 2006). In a feasibility study on the prospects of bilateral FTA between Bangladesh and India, Bhuyan and Ray (2006) conclude that such agreement between the two countries would bring about substantial benefits to both partners. I n contrast to the multilateral arrangements, bilateral FTAs could be fast†tracked and would offer additional preferential treatment to the partner countries. Based on a review of bilateral FTAs, they conclude that this mode of trading arrangement has shown a better record of success in expanding trade between countries, and stimulates investment compared to regional or sub†regional integration schemes. De and Bhattacharyay (2007) argue that a bilateral FTA with India would enable Bangladesh to strengthen her foothold in the Indian market. In view of the NTBs that severely limit the opportunities of bilateral trade between these countries, the study suggests that an FTA with India would be the best way to address the issue of NTBs. Some of the other studies have put more emphasis on the regional route. Among those, Sawhney and Kumar (2008) hold that implementation of the regional free trade agreement (e.g. SAFTA) would result in positive outcomes for all member countries. The authors also conclude that regional cooperation through FTAs such as SAFTA could lead to higher volume of trade in goods and services through allocative efficiency and enhanced production capacity. Rahman (2001) identifies a number of issues which would need urgent attention if Bangladesh-India bilateral economic relation is to gain momentum including multilateralism versus bilateralism, sectoral versus comprehensive approach, duty†free market access, rules of origin (RoO), removal of NTBs and the need for policy coordination to stimulate investment. A number of studies have argued in favour of taking a holistic approach embracing cooperation in areas of trade, investment, transport and infrastructure in order to realise the potential opportunities of bilateral economic cooperation involving SAARC member countries (CPD 2004). However, in articulating a contrasting view, Baysan et al. (2006) argue that the SAFTA makes sense only in the context of a much broader strategy of creating a larger preferential trade area in the region that would need to encompass China and also members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Assuming that the SAFTA agreement was there to stay, the authors recommend a number of steps towards promotion of intra†regional trade in a manner that minimizes likely trade diversion costs and maximizes potential benefits. In this context, some studies have highlighted the positive impact in terms of growth and poverty reduction through regional cooperation by citing other RTAs such as South East Asian and European regional entries (Sawhney and Kumar 2008). In recent times, a number of studies have tried to quantify the potential benefits arising from cooperation among SAARC countries, both at regional and bilateral levels. A number of studies have tried to estimate the degree of market access under the preferential treatment. Mukherji (2000) estimates that the annual value of all imports that entered the SAARC member countries under SAPTA preferences amounted to approximately USD 480 million at the end of the 1990s. According to his estimates, the share of intra-regional imports covered by the SAPTA preferences was the highest for Pakistan (39.6 per cent), followed by Nepal (35.2 per cent), India (30 per cent), Bhutan (17 per cent) and Sri Lanka (12 per cent). In contrast the import value coverage of Bangladesh and Maldives was relatively low. Based on import data for FY1997-98, highest revenue loss was sustained by India (USD 2.45 million), whereas that of Bangladesh was relatively modest (USD 0.02 million) In a more recent study undertaken to evaluate the performance of SAPTA that also explored the prospects of the then proposed SAFTA, Hirantha (2004) applied the well- known gravity model to estimate potential benefits of an FTA in South Asia.11 The study finds that there will be substantial trade creation in the region under SAPTA with no significant trade diversion impact. The estimated results for 2002 showed that bilateral trade between any two pairs of SAARC member countries would be about 10.5 times higher under the SAPTA compared to two otherwise similar countries in absence of an RTA. Moreover, according to estimated coefficients, not only would intra†regional trade be enhanced, but this would also lead to increased bilateral trade with non†members. This result contradicted earlier study of (Hassan 2001) which indicated that lowering of trade among SAARC countries would not result in substantial benefits and would lead result in reduced trade with non†members.12 Rahman et al. (2006) supported the earlier findings of Hirantha (2004) and argued that there would be significant intra-bloc export creation as a result of SAPTA; though there would be net export diversion.13 However, results of this study showed that Bangladesh, India and Pakistan were expected to gain by joining the RTA, while Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka would be negatively affected. Given the fact of Bangladesh’s export opportunities in India, a number of studies have tried to identify potential market opportunities for Bangladeshi sectors/products particularly in the Indian market. Based on analysis of secondary data and stakeholders’ perception, Bhuyan and Ray (2006) identify a set of potential exportable products from Bangladesh that could enjoy export potential in the Indian market. These were fish products (including shrimp), leather goods, cement, light engineering items, jute products, pharmaceutical products, ceramic products and processed agro†products. The authors recommended that an FTA with India would enable Bangladeshi producers and exporters to have access to the much needed raw materials and semi-finished products at competitive price. In yet another study, applying a computable general equilibrium (CGE) framework, Siriwardana and Yang (2007) estimate that a number of Bangladeshi items, including beverages and tobacco, fabricated metal products, textile and leather, petroleum and other minerals, food manufactures, and vegetables and fruits sector, will gain substantially in the Indian market both in the short†run as well as long†run, if import duties are abolished by India. In a recent study, the World Bank (2006), however, finds that the prospect for trade between Bangladesh and India, through a bilateral FTA, to be rather limited. Analysis undertaken for a number of items including cement, light bulbs, bicycle rickshaw tyres and sugar indicate that if a bilateral FTA is signed with India it will be India which would be able to expand her exports to Bangladesh; Bangladesh’s export potential in the Indian market is rather limited. The study points out the reasons being (a) faster productivity growth in India bolstering India’s comparative advantage in competing goods, and/or (b) tariff and NTBs constraining Bangladesh’s major exports (RMG) as well as minor exports which have experienced rapid growth in other markets. The study argues that in a situation where an Indian supplier gets advantage of captive protected market under the bilateral FTA with Bangladesh, there was likelihood of collusion amongst Indian producers or between them and Bangladeshi importers which would reduce some of the welfare gains. According to this study, Bangladesh’s interests would be better served through multilateral liberalization. In similar vein, Bandara and Yu (2003) also conclude that SAFTA would lead to a marginal 0.21 per cent gain in real income for India, 0.03 per cent gain for Sri Lanka, 0.10 per cent loss for Bangladesh, while the rest of South Asia would gain 0.08 per cent in terms of real income. More recently, Raihan (2008) used the WITS/SMART model and carried out simulation exercise in view of various scenarios under the SAFTA accord (removal of intra†regional tariff for all countries). The study makes an attempt to quantify export potentials of Bangladesh in the Indian market. The modeling exercise identifies export items of Bangladesh at disaggregated HS 6 digit level which were likely to expand in the Indian market under the SAFTA. The study finds that under the SAFTA Bangladesh’s exports to Indian market would rise by only about USD 78 million. Top 30 products (at the 6 digit HS code), together, account for 83 per cent of the increase in Bangladesh’s export earnings (USD 64.9 million). A review of literature indicates that the majority of studies have tended to focus on tariff barriers and the impact of removal of duties on regional and bilateral trade. However, the presence of large number of NTBs was also recognised as a major constraint in these and other studies. Rahman (2010) identifies salient features of the NTBs prevailing in South Asian trade, and examined cross†country experiences in addressing the NTBs. The study also documented how the NTBs are being addressed within the SAFTA architecture. Particularly, an in†depth look at NTB†related issues has become even more necessary in view of the recent debates, and the modalities that are being put in place to address those. An important recent study by Razzaque (2010), which combines qualitative analysis with three different types of quantitative analyses (gravity model, CGE model and GTAP) argues that the weaker economies in the SAARC region are expected to lose significantly from the SAFTA agreement, at least in its current form. The study shows that the losses for the weaker economies, particularly for Bangladesh and Nepal, arise from increased imports from regional partners, nominal increase in exports within the region and loss of tariff revenue. Results of estimation carried out in this study based on WITS/SMART simulation, are similar to that of Bandra and Yu (2003), and shows that SAFTA will lead to an increase in Bangladesh imports from the region of about USD 400 million compared to rise in regional exports of only about USD 33 million. Results of the study also show that only India stands to experience regional export gains that would be higher than imports from regional sources. The gravity simulation results suggest that SAFTA would influence regional trade flows mainly by increasing India’s exports, and Bangladesh and Nepal’s imports. For every USD 100 worth of new export trade almost USD 78 would accrue to India, whereas share of Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan would be insignificant. The authors recommend that LDC members of the SAFTA should continue with their respective policy reforms, and will need to address supply-side bottlenecks in order to benefit from the increasingly larger regional market. In another study, Raihan and Razzaque (2007) ran two different simulations using the GTAP model and database. In the first scenario, the authors depict a case in which all member countries eliminate their intra-regional tariffs but retain their respective tariffs with the rest of the world intact. In the second scenario, in addition to SAFTA tariff cuts, the authors let Bangladesh slash its tariffs against the rest of the world by 50 per cent. Comparisons of the various scenarios give an opportunity to examine trade diversion effects when determining the overall welfare effects for Bangladesh. The results show that full tariff liberalisation under SAFTA alone would lead to a net welfare loss of USD 184 million for Bangladesh India, Sri Lanka, and the rest of South Asia in this scenario register welfare gains, as trade creation effects dominate trade diversion effects. However, when Bangladesh undertakes MFN (most favoured nation) tariff cuts by 50 per cent along with the full tariff liberalisation for SAFTA members, it stands to gain by USD 84.1 million. In the latter exercise, the positive welfare gains of other countries were maintained. ADB and UNCTAD (2008) finds that the welfare gains, based on CGE analysis, for Bangladesh are likely to be one of the highest. According to the study, export gains for Bangladesh in SAFTA market under the phase†I of liberalisation (2008-09) would be significant (38.08 per cent to South Asia), but not as high as the peak export growth to SAFTA seen by other countries. The study further contends that Bangladesh will be able to increase her global exports by about 4.3 per cent by 2016 on account of SAFTA. A number of authors have highlighted the importance of better regional connectivity to foster and promote intra-regional trade and deepen economic cooperation among the regional countries. Rahmatullah (2010) points out in this connection that due to lack of integration of the transport system in South Asia, logistics costs are very high and ranges between 13†14 per cent of GDP, compared to 8 per cent in the US. Whilst many studies have focused on aggregate level gains and losses originating from regional cooperation among SAARC countries, those focusing on identifying potential opportunities of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India, at a disaggregated level, as was pointed out above are few. Additionally, in view of the rapid changes in the structure of bilateral trade in recent times, a closer look at the relevant issues has become even more urgent. Since the sensitive lists have emerged as a major area of concern, an in†depth look at the Indian sensitive list, from the Bangladesh perspective, is also called for in order to identify the fall opportunities of market access by Bangladesh in the Indian market. The issue of signing bilateral FTA as a more comprehensive and speedier tool of enhancing trade among SAARC countries has been highlighted by a number of authors. de Mel (2010) points out in this connection that negative lists of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are substantially larger than those in the respective bilateral trade agreements. Echoing this, Weerakoon (2010) observes that SAFTA has already been overtaken by bilateral process in many instances, and would appear to be in danger of being further upstaged by bilateral and other regional initiatives. A review of literature thus, in general indicates that under the existing scenarios the potential benefits originating from regional trade cooperation among the SAARC countries would not be substantial. Bangladesh’s gains also appear to be inconsequential. The idea of bilateral FTA has been examined by some, but here also the positive impact in terms of additional trade flows is rather limit. However, one common limitation of most of these studies had been that these are based on static analysis. One way of addressing this is to examine and analyse the data with regard to the dynamics of trade, its composition and putting under scrutiny factors contributing to and factors constraining the trade flows.

Drama Essays Women in Comedy

Drama Essays Women in Comedy The Changing Role of Women in Comedy. How has comedy between 1950 to 2000 been used by female performers to highlight the oppression and objectification of women in society? What impact has this had on the contemporary female comedian of today? Introduction Overview Chapter One: A Sense of the Times 1950s 1960s 1970s-1980s Chapter Two: Women’s ‘Sense’ of Humour Chapter Three: Issues in Stand-up Comedy Being a Woman Traditional Gender Expectations Aggressiveness Sexuality and Femininity Issues of Power and Control Modes of Stand-up Comedy Self-Deprecation in Women’s Humour Self-deprecation in the work of Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers The domestic goddess Conclusion: The 1990s and Beyond: The Future of Women in Stand-up Comedy Reference List Introduction Comedy is a form of expression which stretches and sometimes breaks boundaries. It crosses all kinds of boundaries, including those of gender. It can be risky because it often ridicules social and moral conventions in a way that challenges and threatens accepted norms, threatening the status quo. This is particularly true of women’s comedy. This paper will examine the way that comedy has been used by female performers during the period from 1950 to 2000, focusing on the themes of oppression and objectification of women in society. It will also analyze the ways in which the experiences of these five decades have affected contemporary female comics. Chapter One gives a general overview of each decade, to explain the political and social climates of that time as a framework for examining the changes in women’s roles. Included will be examples of different women comics whose experiences best represent selected aspects of that time frame. This will be followed by an analysis of what people mean when they talk of a ‘sense of humour’ what, exactly, is a sense of humour? Do women have a different sense of humour than men? Most of the literature about women comics touches on this question on some level; some of the literature goes into a great deal of depth. This is frequently done to respond to the assertion that has been made, repeatedly over the years, that women ‘don’t have a sense of humour’. This statement has been made most frequently by men. However, this same assertion has at times been leveled (often in an accusatory manner) by women toward other women. Chapter One:  Ã‚   A Sense of the Times A. The Decade of the 1950s   The decade of the 1950s was a time of great change. Britain was entering a period of increased affluence and freedom, and many of the old social and cultural structures began to be challenged, particularly by the young. In Hollywood, as well as throughout the United States and North America, post-war sentiment lingered on and mingled with the confusion that accompanies times of great change. In some places, such as Britain, this turmoil was exemplified by a tendency to pull away from formal religion. In the United States, this period was an era of economic growth mixed with a sense of conservation. At the same time, there seemed to be a professed belief in the old values; however, this belief was tinged with doubt. According to one scholar, the professed belief was ‘mixed with a sense of unease that maybe the old values no longer held all the answers’ (Sova, 1998, 106). According to critics Linda Martin and Kerry Segrave, the portrayal of women during the 1950s was generally considered to be negative. Women actors and performers were mostly typecast as ‘dumb, ugly man-chasers or some image thereof’ (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 203). Some notable performers of comedy of this period include Judy Holliday, Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, and Joan Rivers. Blond comedian Judy Holliday, who had been appearing in films as early as the 1940s, continued to so do in the 1950s. She even managed to become a film comedy star in the 1950s, a feat that even Lucille Ball did not manage. Sova asserts that Holliday ‘went for the laughs in an innocent manner’, something which worked well for her in the 1950s, but which did not work for Ball either then or later (Sova, 1998, 120–121). Holliday and Ball were similar in that they both played both straight drama, and then switched over later on to a comedic format. Ball, however, was not a larger-than-life presence on the silver screen, and she failed to attract the kind of interest that Holliday did. Hence, she never reached stardom on a cinematic level. Still, Ball is perhaps a more familiar name, even to this day. She went on to revolutionize television with her comedy partner and husband Desi Arnaz. In so doing, it may be said that Lucille Ball set the standard for what was then a fairly new genre, the situational comedy. Phyllis Diller is another comedian who became known during this period, and has remained known to this day. ‘Diller transcended â€Å"comediennes† of the day, if not femaleness itself, by announcing her arrival in the mid-1950s in the most outlandish manner imaginable,’ asserts a contemporary of hers. He goes on to describe her entrance onto the stage:   ‘She landed onstage like a flightless goony bird wielding her cigarette holder, piercing the nightclub air with her manic squawk, all beak and beady chicken eyes, and dressed in a deliberately garish getup’ (Nachman, 2003, 216). Susan Horowitz points out that Diller came out of the 1950s, ‘a period which stressed and exaggerated sex–role differences’ (Horowitz, 1997, 50). In addition, it is significant to note that at the time Diller entered the profession of comedy in the mid 1950s female comics were practically non-existent. Commenting on her career as a whole, Horowitz asserts that ‘both Diller’s subject matter sex appeal and domestic competence and the manner in which she handles it self-deprecation are Diller’s comedic take on the stereotypical 1950’s woman’ (Horowitz, 1987, 62). This decade also ushered in Joan Rivers, who is described by a colleague as arriving upon the scene ‘with forked tongue and sharpened talons. . . [she] bit and clawed her way to comic success and has clung to it for dear life’ (Nachman, 2003, 592). Rivers’ comedic approach has been described as ‘a jolt of contrasts’: her rapid-fire manner of talking, combined with her wide variation of topics, kept her audience members on their toes. Her comedic style is often attributed to background: she drifted between social classes, never feeling truly comfortable in any one category. Horowitz has described her as ‘both an insider and an outsider, classy and dà ©classà © the private school student whose family cannot pay the bills; the wealthy celebrity whose act mocks the elite; the elegant lady who talks about farts and pooping’ (Horowitz, 1997, 93). Yet not even the most outrageous comedy act could compete with television. The growth of this television’s popularity had a strong impact on every aspect of society. Television had very quickly become more popular than radio, replacing it as the preferred form of entertainment in the home. In addition, more and more people began to have television sets in their homes. The proliferation of television brought with it a change in style. Martin and Segrave explain that ‘where radio relied on women mangling the language, television, in keeping with its visual nature, relied more on physical sight gags to convey â€Å"dumbness†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Thus, this period hallmarked the combination of the dumb, blonde, buxom stereotype. At least on television, as opposed to radio, women were able to articulate clearly (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 204). B.   The 1960s The movement away from the conservative fifties began and continued throughout the turbulent 60s in America. Revolutionary ways of thinking spread rapidly, and real change transformed the cultural fabric of American life.  During this decade, consumption continued in Britain, but had become less connected with utilitarian needs, and more to do with status and comfort. For women comics, however, the first half of the 1960s was one of the least productive in their history. Although in Hollywood the film industry was opening up more for women, the field of comic stand-up seemed to be at a standstill. Martin and Segrave do point out that there was at least one positive image in American humor to welcome the new decade. This one exception was Elaine May. Elaine May was an example, and she represented what women could accomplish when given a fair and equal opportunity. May, according to Martin and Segrave, ‘provided a sample of what was to follow as more and more female comics cast off the old images and stereotypes and broadened and extended their place in the field of humor’ (1986, 206). What was noteworthy about May’s performance is that she did not try to look ugly, the way so many women comics of this period seemed to do. In addition, she did not rely on self-deprecation the way other female comics did. She and Nichols shared an equal partnership another rare thing at this time. Ordinarily the woman would play a foil to showcase the other, male, part of the duo. Among the comics who started to become know during this time, one was Carol Burnett. According to Martin and Segrave, Burnett ‘represented a performer who straddled the line between independence and submissiveness’ (1986, 308). This was no easy task, given the hostile climate the world of comedy offered women. Horowitz points out that Burnett’s style at this time was marked by self-deprecation: ‘Burnett’s self-deprecating humor was typical of comediennes of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and it served to soften audience resistance to the notion of an assertively funny woman’ (Horowitz, 1997, 69). Dave Tebert, the man who ran the talent department at NBC in the early 1960s, asserted that women were given the same opportunities as men, but that ‘they were not aggressive enough or forceful enough to deal with the drunks and hecklers often found in the audience’ (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 18).In addition, Bob Shanks, the talent coordinator for the Paar show, made an attempt to find female comics. Over a three-year period, however, he interviewed 500 women; only twenty of them were considered good enough to pass. He commented that ‘the wit was missing’ or that the women lacked ‘quickness of response’ (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 19). Comedy was performance arising from skill and wit, and performance was a male role. Funny girls would not be asked out on dates’ assert Martin and Segrave (1986, 19). Being popular in school, having a date to the prom, being seen as attractive and compliant these qualities were valued in young women and girls. Being clever and witty key qualities for a comic, were not valued. There, most women of the time felt that given a choice, comedy should be submerged. When men make clever jokes at women’s expense, they may be considered great, insightful comics, assert Martin and Segrave. On the other hand, women who do the same at the expense of men may be labeled such derogatory terms as ‘ball-busters or man-haters’. In fact, ‘women are not even safe poking fun at other women. They are considered anti-female or catty’ citing Joan Rivers as an example of this (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 20). C.  Ã‚   1970s–1980s   The 1970s was a time of gradual change. According to some, ‘the decade of the 1970s was one of slow but steady growth in the number of women entering or reentering facets of the film industry that had been closed to them for decades’ (Sova, 1998, 153). Laugh-In hadhit the airwaves at the end of the 1960s, and once it was firmly entrenched, it showcased a variety of women comics. In fact, it was the first time that so many comedians had so much exposure since the days of vaudeville. Laugh-in helped a number of comics to get exposure and start careers. Among these were Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, JoAnne Worley, Lily Tomlin. Lily Tomlin brought some unique skills to the industry through her intelligence and creativity. She did this through the creation of new comic characters. In addition, she was able to perform several well-received stage concerts. Her film career has been less successful; this may be partly due to the poor selection of roles she has been given. The beginning of the Women’s Movement in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s of course had an effect on women in comedy throughout the United States and Britain. Comedians who began to appear during this time include Bette Midler, Sandra Bernhard, Madeleine Kahn, and Marilyn Sokol. Laugh-In continued to display women comics. In addition, shows like Shows like Saturday Night Live and SCTV helped start the careers of such comedians as Gilda Radner and Andrea Martin. The 1980s did not see much improvement. ‘Comediennes with anything to say were being labeled â€Å"hostile† or â€Å"too masculine† (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 312). The most phenomenal rise, however, was the unprecedented number of women who had begun to appear in comedy clubs as stand-up comics. These new women comics dealt with women’s issues, such as fashion, menstruation, weight, hygiene, being single, sex and relationships. These topics were often part of the self-deprecating humor that continued to mark women’s humor through the remainder of the century. During this time, it should be noted that very few minority women appeared in this profession. The great exception was Moms Mabley, who managed to overcome exceptional obstacles in gaining acceptance in the world of primarily white male entertainers. Chapter 2 Women’s ‘Sense’ of Humour In their 1986 volume Women in Comedy, Linda Martin and Kerry Segrave assert that female comics are a rare commodity. The explanation for this, they assert, lies in the commonly held belief that ‘women are just not funny they don’t laugh at jokes, nor do they create them’. To support their assertion, Martin and Segrave describe a magazine article written in 1951. A writer named Robert Allen wrote an article about women and humor for Maclean’s. Allen bemoaned the fact that women never seemed to know when to laugh at a joke, or they often failed to laugh at all. He claimed he had experimented at home, and that he used different kinds and different styles of humor, but that his ‘subjects’ never seemed to get the jokes. To be fair, he said he tested people outside his own home, including a ‘variety’ of other females. Still, he got the same results with that group. After all this, he stated that the only conclusion he could draw was that women have no sense of humor (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 16-17). It is interesting to note that it never occurred to Allen that he might be the one who was not ‘getting it’. It also interesting to note that Allen’s article was considered important enough to eventually make it into Reader’s Digest as a condensed piece but this did not happen until thirteen years later. Considering the fact that most Reader’s Digest condensed articles appear within months of the original publication, a lag time of thirteen years is rather remarkable. As Martin and Segrave suggest, ‘this illustrated perhaps the timelessness of the idea and the need to present it again in a different decade, to a new audience just at a period when the image of the female comic was beginning to be liberated’ (1986, 17). The humorist James Thurber, writing contemporaneously with Allen, wrote a piece in which he addressed an anonymous Miss G.H., who had sent him some unsolicited comedy material. He responded to her material by suggesting that she ‘become a bacteriologist, or a Red-Cross nurse, or a Wave, like all the other girls’. The most scathing criticism at the time, however, came from a woman. Sarel Eimerl wrote in a November 1962 issue of Mademoiselle that ‘a woman who really makes one laugh is about as easy to find as a pauper taking his Sunday brunch in the Edwardian Room’ (Martin and Segrave, 1986, 17). It appears that in the 1950s and beyond, women were thought mostly by men, but also some women to be lacking a sense of humor. That belief has not been completely eradicated to this day. In her essay ‘Gender and Humour’, Lizbeth Goodman analyzes the following joke from Banks and Swift’s 1987 book on comedy:Question: How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?Answer: That’s not funny. Goodman goes on to explain that although the idea of the joke is simple, that there is a great deal more going on. This joke is, in fact, ‘an example of an accessible and non-valorized form of social critique, which functions as a mirror of the values of the dominant culture’ (Goodman, 1992a, 287). It is also interesting to note that this joke is familiar to us. It has been repeated any number of times in recent years, each time with some detail changed. Often the change is in the choice of target. Different minority groups may be featured as the target, depending on the context of the telling. Therefore, the teller of the joke is implicitly stating that women, too, are a ‘minority’. According to Goodman, ‘that women are singled out as a â€Å"minority† group, despite the majority of women in society, is indicative of the male bias of society and its values’ (Goodman, 1992a, 288). Horowitz points out that, like other groups that have suffered discrimination, women are classified as a minority group by affirmative action programs; however, ‘unlike ethnic minorities, women are a numerical majority’ (Horowitz, 1997, 8). Goodman also points out that the fact that women are so frequently targeted in jokes in western culture is significant in itself:   ‘that women are so often the butt of jokes in western culture says a great deal about that culture’. It reveals, for example, that the jokers are usually men. It also reveals that the listeners are deeply immersed in the patriarchal culture. In fact, Goodman takes this a step further. She points out that the listeners are steeped in the patriarchal culture ‘to the extent that certain types of responses are â€Å"gendered†: for instance, loud laughter as opposed to quiet hand-over-the-mouth giggles’ (Goodman, 1992a, 288). Another way to analyze this joke, Goodman suggests, is to take into consideration the fact that the value of the joke does not lie solely within the joke itself. Rather, its value depends on other factors. One of these factors is the context of the telling; the other is the interpretation of the hearer. She cites Adrienne Rich’s 1979 reinterpretation of the joke, explaining that doing so ‘requires an awareness of the context of the joke’s production and an ability to decontextualize the joke mentally’ (Goodman, 1992a, 288). By doing this, the joke can be interpreted in such a way that it is not an insult to women, or an insult to feminism. Instead, it becomes a critique of the simplistic notions that are commonly held about women in society and especially about women who are feminists. This ultimately brings us to the rhetorical question about women and humour: do women have a sense of humour? Linda Naranjo-Huebl answers this in the affirmative. She also includes an explanation of how this humor is different. ‘One of the common findings of all the gender and humor studies is that there does in fact exist something that can be identified as womens humor’, she asserts. She then explains that it is a ‘distinct’ form of humor, ‘characteristic of and arising from womens experience that serves distinct communicative functions associated with that experience’ (Naranjo-Huebl, 2005, web). Linda Naranjo-Huebl asserts that ‘the stereotype of the humorless female has stubbornly persisted, reinforced by studies concluding that women use humor less often than men’. She puts forth three theories to explain why this stereotype has persisted for so long. The first explanation has to do with women’s use of language. Women are generally brought up to be polite, and the language of humour is often impolite. In addition, humour tends to be aggressive, and women have traditionally been discouraged from expressing any sort of open aggression. The second explanation for the continuation of this stereotype is that ‘much of womens humor has been either censored or misinterpreted’ (Naranjo-Hueblo, web). That is to say, women do have a sense of humour, but it has largely gone unrecognized a situation which is still being rectified today. Not only have examples of women’s humour been censored and misinterpreted, but also the methodology of the studies has frequently been flawed. The methods used, primarily those created by men, tend to favor male forms of humor. The results then falsely ‘prove’ that women lack a sense of humour. Naranjo-Hueblo explains one such study, in which 250 undergraduate business students from a major university were asked to answer questions regarding a hypothetical situation. The situation consisted of the students pretending that they were with a colleague; the colleague is carrying a briefcase which suddenly becomes open, resulting in papers flying all over the place. The students are then asked how they would respond: would they ignore the episode and keep on walking? Would they assist the colleague by stopping to help pick up the papers? Or would they tease the colleague or in some other way express humour? Each student was allowed to choose only one response. As one might expect, the majority of men chose to respond with humour, while the majority of women chose to help. This creators of the study assumed that one couldn’t be helpful and humorous at the same time. Furthermore, it led them to conclude that women did not have as great a sense of humour as men. Naranjo-Hueblo points out the choices do not include the possibility that women may be humorous about the situation as they are assisting their colleague. Furthermore, ‘another problem with the study is that it posits humor as a one-line quip in a slapstick situation, which is not womens preferred form of humor (Naranjo-Huebl, web). The third reason women have been found to lack a sense of humour is that humour has largely been defined by men. Women find humour in different sources, often preferring word jokes and puns as well as stories, whereas men prefer much more derisive forms of humour. ‘It has always been more acceptable for masculine styles to influence feminine ones, rather than vice versa. . . The powerless take on the trappings of the powerful’ (Horowitz, 1997, 9). Chapter Three: Issues in Stand-up Comedy Being a woman Traditional gender expectations Aggressiveness Sexuality and Femininity Power and Control Issues Modes of Stand-up Comedy Self-Deprecation in Women’s Humour Self-deprecation in the work of Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers The domestic goddess A.   Being a Woman As stated earlier, comedy is a form of expression which stretches and sometimes breaks boundaries. This is very true in the case of stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy ridicules the norms of society. It challenges convention, and it questions moral views. in particular has a tradition of ridiculing moral, social, and political conventions. The stand-up comedian is frequently considered as existing on the fringes of mainstream society. For any stand-up comedian, male or female, a number of factors come into play when they are in front of an audience. What race are they? What is their ethnic background? What is their sexual orientation, or what does it appear to be? Are they disabled, and is that uncomfortable for the audience member? When you add gender into the mix, it becomes that much more unpredictable. The reaction the audience gives to a female stand-up is much different to the one they would give to her male counterpart. The audience seems to expect a man to be funny. When confronted with a female stand-up, they suspend judgment until she can prove that she is funny. B.   Traditional Gender Expectations Traditional gender expectations are also a very important issue for women comics. Conventional definitions of ‘lady-like’ behavior are an obstacle. Conventional definitions of what it means to be ‘feminine’ or to act ‘lady-like’ are incongruent with the often-inappropriate behavior of women in comedy. This is particularly true of such forms of comedy as stand-up routines. In stand-up comedy, women comics cannot be passive and demure on stage, for this behavior will not elicit laughter. Instead, they must be aggressive, sometimes loud, and frequently un-ladylike. They must completely break with accepted social conventions. Bucking these conventions is difficult for a number of reasons, not the least of which is economic profit. Gender expectations are reinforced, especially by mainstream corporate media, because they are tied into money. The objectification of women ‘is a central factor in the sale of commodities, another pillar of the competitive system’ (Sakeris, 2001, 227). Women comics by definition break barriers and defy convention. By so doing, they present a number of different challenges to mainstream society, and especially to that portion of mainstream society which will ultimately suffer financially. In addition, notes Sakeris, ‘the ghettoization of women’s work and the provision of necessary, but unpaid, labor in the home all supported by our processes of gender socialization are central to a capitalist economy as well’ (Sakeris, 2001, 227). C.   Aggressiveness Another aspect that must be considered is the aggressiveness involved in stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy can be viewed as an aggressive act. In the attempt to elicit laughter, it can be said that the comic is trying to exert control over her audience. Thus, it can be seen as a power struggle. Because of the power associated with the successful use of humor, humor initiation has become associated with other traditionally masculine characteristics, such as aggression, dominance, and assertiveness. For a female to develop into a clown or joker, then, she must violate the behavioral pattern normally reserved for women (Naranjo-Huebl, 2005, web). This is in direct opposition to the passiveness that society traditionally expects of women. To get up on stage and act aggressively is something that goes against traditional norms and is therefore suspect. Being female means acting demurely, being subservient while remaining unobtrusive. When a female gets up on stage and performs as a comic, she is aggressive, actively engaging the participants, and demanding for attention.  Ã‚   Womens humour is frequently interpreted as a challenge. This is naturally due to the aggressive nature of stand-up comedy, especially in an audience, which will most probably be comprised primarily of men. Too much aggression can be alienating in the best of situations. When too much aggression is exhibited by a female, the threat is compounded. It can appear to males that this female interloper is trying to seize what they think of as their territory ‘male’ territory. This can be disastrous for an act, eventually for a career. As several researchers have pointed out, comedy is an aggressive activity, and it requires performers to be hard and women are not supposed to be hard. ‘Being pervasively nice is not conducive to comedy which requires satire and ridicule. Women who do break through into comedy are branded with all sorts of unpleasant labels, such as strident, dyke, or frustrated’ (Martin and Segrave, 20). D.   Sexuality and Femininity   Another issue, and one which is vitally important, is that of sexuality. Even if she is not talking about sex in her act, this is an issue. The question of a woman’s sexuality and her sense of femininity are undeniably central issues to the professional woman comic. What is the connection between comic appeal, sex appeal, and our notions of what is feminine? Mother, virgin, prostitute: these are the social roles imposed on women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The characteristics of (so-called) feminine sexuality derive from them: the valorization of reproduction and nursing; faithfulness; modesty,   ignorance of and even lack of interest in sexual pleasure; a passive acceptance of men’s ‘activity’; seductiveness, in order to arouse the consumers’ desire while offering herself as its material support without getting pleasure herself’ (Irigary, 1985, 63-4).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some would go as far as to see parallels between the act of standup comedy and the act of sex. For example, Horowitz asserts that ‘sexuality can be loving, mutual vulnerability as can comedy (Horowitz, 1997, 12). Horowitz and others have suggested that there is an intimacy in the relationship between the comic and her audience that is not unlike the intimacy between lovers. There are varying levels of frankness in different stand-up routines. This may be seen as mirroring the sexual frankness of the male stand-up comedian. However, it is accepted less easily. As Horowitz points out, ‘female comics are expected to go far but not too far’ (Horowitz, 1997, 17).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   E.   Power and Control Issues Humour is often used as a means of controlling social situations. In a highly volatile set of circumstances, humour can often defuse the threat by helping to ease the tension. By using humour this way, dangerous explosions of temper can be averted without forcing confrontations. Yet since the end result is the same the situation is brought to a halt by peaceful means this also means that humour exerts a kind of power. The dynamics of power are complex and can be difficult to negotiate. These dynamics are further complicated when it comes to the case of self-deprecatory humour. The comic may seem to be relinquishing control by taking her own inadequacies and flaws and putting them out there on public display.