Monday, September 30, 2019

How Does William Shakespeare introduce the themes of love and hate in Romeo and Juliet?

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare shows beautifully constructed language in the Prologue and Act 1:1 to illustrate the love of the `star crossed lovers` and the hatred shared from the Capulet's and the Montague's, the ongoing rivalry over something feeble enough that it doesn't even need to be explained of how it came about. Throughout the play, we see how the love collides with the hate in a way that teaches the two households how imbecilic the situation is. Not only has Shakespeare used elegant language, but he has also used a number of techniques to present the key themes. The prologue, something that is already usually written as a love poem, has been interpreted in many different ways and as I read the script, I even think of other ways it could be displayed. The Prologue is traditionally 14 lines long, each line holding roughly 10 syllables each. â€Å"Two households, both alike in dignity.† The Rhyming scheme is A, B, A, B, C, D, C, D, E, F, E, F, G, G (the last lines ending on a rhyming couplet). There are four sections in the Prologue (traditionally in a sonnet), but Shakespeare has written it in a particular way so that it can be broken down into three sections. The different sections establish different things. The first one introduces the setting of the play â€Å"In fair Verona (where we lay our scene)† This shows the Prologue as being some sort of a trailer for the play. The next section familiarizes the plot and also involves some conflict into the story: the hate of the two households mixed with the love of the two teenagers. â€Å"Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.† This automatically throws caution to the audience and turns Romeo and Juliet from a regular play, into a love tragedy. Shakespeare allegedly wrote 37 plays and they have been broken down into three categories: Comedy, Historical and Tragedy. Tragedy is very affective because of the dramatic effects that can be produced from it. Shakespeare was masterful at involving different dramatic effects through techniques. A key contrast of tragedy and comedy is that the tragedy's main characters are often portrayed as very heroic and selfless ones, as to add the sense of seriousness to the script, whereas with his comedy plays, this of course did not matter. One of Shakespeare's techniques can be easily found in the Prologue and is reoccurring in Act 1:1 is the use of Oxymorons. An oxymoron is a phrase, usually two words placed next to each other in a sentence where the two words are usually contradictory. Oxymoron is an oxymoron in itself, for the oxy is Greek for sharp and moron is Greek for dull. An example of an oxymoron in the Prologue is: â€Å"The fearful passage of their death-marked love† The final section of the Prologue states that the decease of the â€Å"star-crossed lovers† that are Romeo and Juliet is the only way to end the rivalry. â€Å"Which but their children's end nought could remove.† The final three lines of this tantalising opening to the play are talking directly to the audience: â€Å"The which if you with patient ears attend.† This enforces the idea of the Prologue being a trailer even more. The originally chorus spoken Prologue has been interpreted in many different ways. In Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version, the film opens with the Prologue being narrated. This is delivered calmly, as to give the fight as more of an jolt to the audience afterwards. Baz Luhrmann first presents the Prologue as a news report. This gives off a modern day equivalent of the Prologue, showing instantly how Luhrmann has decided to direct the film. After the news report, the prologue is repeated as an over voice. The voice gives off the same omniscient feel as in Franco Zeffirelli's version as it has been placed in the hands of Friar Lawrence. This is a cleverly picked character, as it is one who has an alliance with God, and therefore appears even more Godly. The Prologue is such a crucial element to the script, as it outlines the entire play and foreshadows future events; therefore the way different productions have presented is very important. Act 1:1 starts with Samson and Gregory in `a public place`, acting jokily and being troublesome. This is apparent from when `two serving men` from the house of Montague enter. Different interpretations of the characters entrances symbolize what the directors see the characters as. In Luhrmann's version, the Montague's and Capulet's are described as the â€Å"boys† giving the sense that the rivalry and arguments of the two households are pretty petty and childish. The `Montague Boys` act in a childish way themselves, which creates a great contrast to the other, deadly serious half of the scene. It also makes a huge contrast to the Capulets when they enter. Their characters are shown as unsympathetic, merciless and ruthless men. Luhrmann again represents the modern day version by setting the fight in a petrol station. Zeffirelli's version is much more minimalist. The entire scene is set in a market, where Sampson and Gregory and striding through arrogantly. As the two households meet eyes, each character's obnoxiousness increases. â€Å"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?† â€Å"I do bite my thumb, sir.† This quarrel between Abram and Sampson opens the argument, unraveling the entire scene. Benvolio (a Montague), enters an argument and as Tybalt confronts, the fight commences. It is soon called to a halt, as the Prince arrives and attempts to make himself heard. Again, in this speech, Shakespeare uses something similar to an oxymoron – an antithesis. This is where the opposite words aren't necessarily placed together. He uses this is in the first line of his speech: â€Å"Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace.† â€Å"Profaners of this neighbor-stained steel† This is referring to their swords. This measly attempt to end a fight that has developed so greatly has failed, and so he tries again. Here we find another technique of Shakespeare. â€Å"Purple fountains issuing from your veins† Here he has used `fountains` as a metaphor for blood. A fountain, where water is provided, water is a traditional symbol of the source of life, so a fountain of blood is now transformed into an image of horror. Shakespeare also describes the quarreling households as `beasts` to denote his anger and how confused he is of such beastliness of them (this emotion is greatly shared with Romeo later in the play). â€Å"Throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground.† The weapons are â€Å"mistempered† in the sense that they are angry, that is, used by angry men. In the Prince's speech, we encounter the first talk of past encounters of Montague and Capulet: â€Å"Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets.† The â€Å"disturbance† has prevented any peace for the two households, but throughout the entire play there is not any word of how the disturbance came about to begin with. However, there are clues as to what it could be. For example, there is a running theme of religion throughout the play, with the powerful character of Father Laurence and the religious attitudes of the households, with the church being a reoccurring set; could religion be the reason for the rivalry? When the fight had been calmed by the Prince and when the air was cleared, Lady Montague asked: â€Å"O where is Romeo? Saw you him today?† Romeo, one who has not been involved in this `quarrel` in anyway, is still pining over his current love: Rosaline. As Romeo enters the scene, he is filled with love. As he talks with Benvolio, thoroughly disappointed with the fight that had just occurred, through Shakespeare, oxymorons are reintroduced. Romeo does not comprehend the ongoing rivalry, the torment and hatred and so he says: â€Å"Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health† This is poetically used to contrast the household's violence to his love for Rosaline. As the plot moves on, the love for Rosaline is replaced by Juliet, where the love is much greater, and as the love grows, uncannily, the rivalry grows at the same scale. The theme of Romeo's hastiness is clear as he jumps from love to love, and again clear as he rushes into marriage with Juliet. Romeo and Juliet has such a big mixture of emotions because it has three excessive themes that all join in together ruining the paths of each character. These themes are: tragedy, romance and rivalry and they keep Shakespeare's most familiar tragedy one of the most interesting and enchanting script of all time.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Supporting Life: Earth’s Surface and Landforms

The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals: Science Inquiry—You will conduct online research related to a series of photographs, develop hypotheses, and communicate your findings in written form. STEM—You will analyze real-world data to gain insight into careers in Earth Science and Geology. 21st Century Skills—You will employ online tools for research and analysis, use critical thinking and problem-solving skills, communicate effectively, and assess and validate information.DirectionsWrite a response for each of the following activities. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher. Check the rubric at the end of this document to make sure your work is meeting the expected criteria.Constructive and Destructive Processes The earth is constantly changing. Constructive and destructive processes are at work all over the planet all the time. Sometimes these changes happen slowly over thousands of years and are barely noticed. At othe r times, changes are apparent immediately. The photographs below, taken at various locations, are evidence of these changes. Your task is to identify and describe the constructive and destructive processes that have occurred or are occurring in each photograph.a. Taku Glacier, AlaskaType your response here: Destructive glacial erosion and ice wedgingb. Checkerboard Mesa, Zion National Park, UtahType your response here: I don’t see where it would be eitherc. lava dome, Mount St. Helens, WashingtonType your response here:Both because the lava builds up land but it also erodes away graveld. stream at the Karnala Bird Sanctuary, IndiaType your response here:Destructive because it causes stream erosion e. Atlantic Ocean, EnglandType your response here: Destructive because it washes away rocks and mineralsf. Arches National Park, UtahType your response here: I don’t see where it would be eitherg. Telescope Peak, Death Valley National Park, CaliforniaType your response here: Constructive because tectonic plates came together and moved upwardh. basaltic lava columns, Zion National Park, UtahType your response here: Constructive because they were caused by cooled magmai. Nogahabara Sand Dunes, Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge, AlaskaType your response here:Constructive because sand built up to make the sand dunesj. flooding, IowaType your response here: Destructive because it washes away soil,house foundations, also contaminates drinking waterRubric This rubric will be used by your teacher to grade your assignment.Points possible: 20 maximumConstructive and Destructives ProcessesIdentified the constructive process in each photograph (Â ½ point) described or gave examples of the constructive process in each photograph (Â ½ point) identified the destructive process in each photograph (Â ½ point) described or gave examples of the destructive process in each photograph (Â ½ point)

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Developmental Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developmental Issues - Assignment Example From birth, children learn a lot from their surrounding. Their environmental factors also influence their lives. They do not adopt or construct any behavior biologically, but rather do so culturally. The culture makes a child label things as right or wrong, normal or abnormal. One of the most important lessons that young children learn is the gender roles and their qualities. These are taught through different mediums, intentionally or unintentionally. The mediums can be their parents, community, and culture or through the media to which they are exposed. The researchers have debated a lot on this matter and they have proven that a vital source for gender role stereotyping is television and it is the most powerful medium. Children learn very quickly from television and set great standards for children behavior, beliefs and policies (Witt, 2000).   Gender role stereotyping is the â€Å"socially and culturally define prescriptions and beliefs about the behavior and emotions of men a nd women (Signorielli, 1991)†. Actions are thought of as masculine or feminine and the actions that are associated with males are resistant to any change. â€Å"Researchers agree that children establish sex-roles very early in life and that television contribute a lot in creating gender-role expectations (Witt, 2000)†. ... The physical appearance and jobs assigned to the character are often based on the traditional stereotyping. Females are never seen as the heroes or the min character of the cartoon. They are mostly in the supporting roles. The females are shown as well dressed, pretty, and delicate and problem creators, while the males are shown as powerful, successful and problem solvers. There are many examples of gender stereotyping and violence in the cartoons for example, superman, Spiderman, Scooby doo, Flintstones, teenage mutant ninja turtles etc (Schmuckler,1998). I watched different cartoons and television shows that portray gender roles. It was evident in almost every television show, but the one that I feel had very clear examples for this was Rugrats. It has three boys and two girls. â€Å"Angelica† is portrayed as reluctant, creates clashes and acts as the boss to all. The boys are shown as the helpers, well wishers, fighting for everyone and handling the reluctant Angelica. And in the end of every episode, angelica is proved wrong and left out by all the other babies. In this cartoon, girls are shown as bossy, rude and over confident which is naturally not true. And the boys are shown as polite, friendly and loyal. This is not the only example; even Disney cartoons have gender role stereotyping be it Mickey Mouse, Donald duck, Cinderella or any other cartoon. Most of them have very few female characters. For example; there are very less episodes in which Donald duck’s wife made an appearance. In Cinderella, women are shown as delicate, beautiful, hard working and caring. The prince is portrayed as strong, confident and loving. The relation of opposite genders is more a fantasy than reality. This makes children start

Friday, September 27, 2019

Paul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paul - Essay Example He did not rely on any of the disciples or earlier converts to guide him in his ministry but he relied exclusively on the Jesus to guide him in his ministry. Apostle Paul is born in the city of Tarsus of Cilicia to an Israelite family belonging to the tribe of Judah. On the eighth day, he is circumcised in compliance with the Jewish laws of Moses (Philippians 3:5, Genesis 17:12, Leviticus 12). He became a Roman citizen owing to his birth location. Paul goes to Jerusalem in order to learn the way of the Pharisees in a Pharisaic Rabbinical school the school was under the leadership of Rabbi Gamaliel and he personally took the initiative to teach Paul. This is evident in Acts 5:34, 22:3. The Pharisees were well known for their rigid following of the laws of Moses which explains why Paul was very radical in his actions of persecuting those who had converted to Christianity. The martyrdom of Stephen takes place in which he is stoned to death due to his staunch faith in Jesus Christ. Stephen was among the seven deacons who were appointed by the disciples to assist in the distribution of food. Saul who later changed his name to Paul consented to have witnessed the death of Stephen. The conversion of Saul takes place which occurs when Saul was on his way to Damascus after receiving permission from the High Priest to go there and search for Christian believers in order to punish them. He then heard a voice of Jesus Christ asking him why he was persecuting his people. He became blinded after which he was led to Damascus to Ananias whom the Lord had directed to pray for him to be healed. He was later baptized and converted to Christianity. Acts 9. Paul makes his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. He began to preach there which angers some of the Jews to an extent that they plot to take away his life. He was later sent by the church to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Brand Jordan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brand Jordan - Essay Example Evidently, the five key attributes to Jordan could be listed as great athlete, ultra-competitive champion, well-known African-American, Handsome guy, and fascinating spokesman (‘Case Study’). The leading attribute will be the one that creates a perceptual label within a person’s mind and drags his attentions on encountering the particular personal brand. The leading attribute behind the Brand Jordan was ‘the greatest basketball player of all time’. 2. Team Jordan candidates and the brand attributes One of the candidates suggested for the Brand Jordan with so much popularity was the eminent soccer player David Beckham. He started his career from becoming a winning soccer player at the age of 14 and later was known for his youth empowerment and training programs. Brand Jordan considered Beckham to sustain the reputation of the brand as his career portrayed numerous achievements, like having a free-kick technique named after him, which could drag the att ention of customers. Besides he has been at his best with the Manchester United. Signing with Beckham would be a good start for entering the world of soccer. However, he was in his mid thirties and would be approaching the end of his career soon. Jamie Foxx was at his all time high popularity in 2006. He was an American Academy Award winning actor and a Grammy Award nominated singer and comedian. His noticeable personal attributes were attractive, athletic African-American, and good fit for the lifestyle products. However, Larry Miller, president of Brand Jordan had a second thought whether signing Foxx in a low-profile endorsement would be profitable or would detract from the brand. Another candidate for the team was a professional golfer from Hawaii, Michelle Wie, a 6-feet woman successfully driving back majority of professional women golfers. Wie had a seemingly limitless potential while commonly comparing with the Tiger Woods and Sorenstam. Wie has been eminent in her career and was an incredible athlete, but that was not all enough to decide that whether golf was the right starting point for the Brand Jordan to reach out to women. Chinese market was an important factor for the expansion of the Brand Jordan, and a best way to promote the brand over the China market was signing Liu Xiang, a 22 years old Chinese athlete who was best known for winning the 110 meters hurdles at his first IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne. His popularity was further increased when he tied the world record of 12.91 seconds of Colin Jackson, a first time achievement of a non-African descent. Another advantage was that this endorsement would diminish the value of rival Reebok’s market. Though the Xiang has been considered the superstar in his home country in whose market the brand had a bright future, which was not all enough to get into a contract with the athlete. A big concern on selecting Xiang was about the Chinese government’s endorsement with him on a cigarette bran d. 3. Importance of celebrity endorsement Obviously, celebrity endorsements have been identified and accepted by the firms as it has direct results that influences the brand the company is trying to send through a person in a way that the customers experience a sense of similarity with the brand. Brand Jordan felt that the celebrity endorsement would be an important factor as the consumers tend more to conceive information from a celebrity whom they know than a person they do not. Besides, the celebrity has the ability to transfer their eminent and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

US aiding other countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

US aiding other countries - Essay Example Before we begin to discuss the negative consequences of aid, it is important to examine some of the good aspects, in order to dismiss them in the larger scheme of things. First, there are many current instances where the US has gone far in providing relief to the suffering countries. The US military worked harder than that of any other nation in aiding Pakistan to combat the flood disaster which the country has faced recently (Ignatius). An amount of almost $362 million has been spent by the helping nation which has saved over 20,000 flood victims in Pakistan (Ignatius). Indeed, our current president is a big supporter of this style of friendly aid. These are all positive aspects of American foreign policy and are heartwarming. It often goes to help people who are truly in need. This is the good side of aid which everyone supports. But this is far from representing the true aspect of aid which we must face if we are fully understand how negative aid can be on a developing country. In deed, this positive aspect is a kind of mask which aid wears in order to hide its negative side. The truth is that much foreign aid is wasted. The best examples of this can be found in Africa. Africa is certainly one of the world’s wealthiest continents. It has large amounts of oil, timber, and precious metals. Its people are very intelligent and hardworking. Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Nigeria have so many resources that it is logical for them to have powerful, vibrant economies. Really, these countries should be the richest in the world. However, this is not the case. All three of these countries have problems with corruption. And their situation is not unique: many African countries rate very high on Transparency International’s list of the world’s most corrupt countries. This is a sad but true fact. Many experts agree that corruption is holding Africa back. But where does corruption come from and

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Dr Pepper (one of the sodas) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dr Pepper (one of the sodas) - Research Paper Example These strategies are as follows;- The company has focused on advertising the product to the Hispanic community mostly since they are the primary consumers of carbonated soft drinks. They do so by sponsoring events for instance they sponsored 15TH annual Latin Grammy’s hence creating a good public image. It led to the increase of 23% sales in the following year. Dr. Pepper grew in different categories by leveraging its distribution agreement for third party brands such as Vita coconut water. In the first parts or quarter of the year after using this strategy, the volume of sales increased by 8% due to the new distribution strategy. The project is important in the sense that, it shows the creativity the producer of this project had in mind. In this Charles Alderton while working in an old corner store in Texas came up with the brilliant idea to start up this project. Therefore, the project is important in the sense that it explains the merits that one will get from being innovative. Marketing strategies is another important section of this project. The innovator of Dr. Pepper soft drink ensured that he has adequate marketing strategies to win customers loyalty in the industry. From the marketing strategies that Charles Alderton employed in marketing this product, one can be able to learn how to attract efficiently and retain clients in the business. Therefore, with the innovation techniques drawn from the project, I can be able to come up come up with other new more business ideas that will be a success in the marketing industry. Besides, through proper channel selection as well as good marketing strategies I have learned how one can win customer’s loyalty and at the same time retaining them to your

Monday, September 23, 2019

Answer the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Answer the question - Essay Example This might lead to a loss for the firm (Ederington, 1979). In the following table, the expected values are calculated if the dollar values weaken. As per the calculations shown above, it can be seen that when the value of dollars weaken, the expected returns are lower. As a result the firm ends up obtaining lower return in Sterling. Hence it can be seen that the returns available in each of month of March, June and September would be low considering the futures market prices in each of these months. In order to prevent such a situation it is essential that the company undertakes hedging strategy (Stulz, 1984). Under the hedging technique, it becomes possible to conduct the sales at the current spot price, even at the future date. As a result loss due to weakening of dollar values can be prevented. In the above table it can be seen that if the firm sells at the spot price, set as per hedging, the expected realisable values are higher than the expected realisable values as per future rates. Hence hedging can be stated to be a suitable strategy when the dollar values actually weaken (Nance, Smith and Smithson, 1993). Hedging is essentially not required. If the dollar values become stronger, that is when lower proportion of dollars are required to be paid against each dollars. In the above table it can be seen that when the firm future market prices are lower than the spot prices, the expected values are higher (Allayannis and Ofek, 2001). As a result the firm earns a profit without undertaking the hedging technique. Therefore the hedging technique must not be undertaken when the future values of contracts are expected to be lower than the spot exchange rates. Hence it is important to understand what the future contract prices would be in comparison with the sport prices and accordingly determine whether to undertaken hedging techniques or not. When the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

A Brief History of Hieroglyphics Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of Hieroglyphics Essay The word hieroglyph has been applied to the scripts of the Indus civilization and of the Hittites, who also possessed other scripts, in addition to the Mayan, the Incan, and Easter Island writing forms, and also the signs on the Phaistos Disk on Crete, but the strict meaning of the word is used only to describe the carvings on Egyptian monuments. The most ancient hieroglyphs can be dated back to the end of the 4th millennium BC. They describe scenes and are cut in relief, or into the stone, mostly in chapels or tombs. Although it is impossible to know, but these early signs are probably based on the same system that the later set of hieroglyphics, known as classical hieroglyphics is based. Hieroglyphic signs were representations of living beings or inanimate objects by simplistic drawings. Over the years, some of the representations fell out of meaning, such as clubs, which at one time were used as weapons, and other weapons took their place. But they glyph stayed. Sometimes the object described by the glyph completely fell out of daily use and the meaning eventually became lost or it was distorted beyond recognition. Always only a few people in a limited circle understood the script. Only those who needed the knowledge in their professions were able to acquire the task of writing and reading the glyphs. These people were, for example, officials, doctors, and priests. Since the glyphs were too complex for everyday use, hieratic script was developed. Easier abbreviated script was developed for writing by brush stroke on a medium such as papyrus. Classical hieroglyphics evolved through the need to identify a pictorial representation of an event, such as a hunt or a particular battle. Hieroglyphs were added to scenes to signify that the work of art was not just an unknown war or such, but a specific one. This also one of the first times that we see people interested in preserving their history for others to learn about in later times. It was this new attitude toward time and toward history as unique events in time led to the invention of hieroglyphic writing. Hieroglyphics dominated monumental and sacred writings and was accepted in the Greece until the situation was altered with the conversion of the area to Christianity in the nd and 3rd centuries AD. The new religion fought against the Egyptian polytheism and traditions, and with its victory, the Greek script triumphed. The ability to understand the script was lost for many hundreds of years until the failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt turned up the Rosetta Stone on which was written the same statement in three languages, Classical hieroglyphics, Hieratic script, and Greek. With the discovery of thi s asphalt tablet, archeologists were finally able to begin to unlock the key to understanding the long dead written language of hieroglyphics.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The business activities of Wal-Mart and Tfl Essay Example for Free

The business activities of Wal-Mart and Tfl Essay For this assignment, I will be describing how political, legal and social factors are impacting upon the business activities of Wal-Mart and Tfl. For businesses, this is important because they need to know how these change such as political decisions made by the government or changes to the law or changes that take place in society over time is going to affect their business. Political Factors Political factors is an external environment in which a business functions. This is a type of external constraint for a business and are related to actions of governments. This factors can affect how the business operates. Political factors include politicians, who make important decisions. These can be done at national level at the UK parliament. This is because the UK is a representative democracy, who has a member of parliament that are elected. There are political parties who with the most Members of Parliament run the country. This party is led by the Prime Minister who appoints the Cabinet of Ministers in charge of key areas of the government. Political stability is the durability and integrity of a current government regime. This is determined based on the amount of violence and terrorism expressed in the nation and by citizens associated with the state. A stable society is one that is satisfied with the ruling party and system of operations and is not interested in revolutionary or despotic ideas. For businesses, they hate instability. Businesses operates according to forecasts and scenarios about the future so instability is not what they want. Political stability is important for Wal-Mart because the society is satisfied so that this provides a platform for Wal-Mart to sell their goods. However if the is political instability in the UK, it affects the decision making process and their profits. This is because the confidence in the economy will go down and customers will be less likely to spend. For Tfl, political stability is important because as the organisation budget is paid by the government, if there is instability the money flow will get disrupted. Also when political instability happens there is usually conflict and as Tfl provides a transport service, there could be damage. However in the UK there is a stable political system, so this is the environment for the business to grow  and expand. Another political factors which affect a business is the fiscal policy of t he business. Fiscal policy is the means by which a government adjusts its spending levels and tax rates to monitor and influence a nations economy. It is the sister strategy to monetary policy through which a central bank influences a nations money supply. These two policies are used in various combinations to direct a countrys economic goals. Fiscal policy works by increasing or decreasing tax levels and public spending to maintain the health of the economy. Fiscal policy affects Wal-Mart because by changing the amount of disposable income people have to spend. This can affect the consumer demand. This happens by higher taxes. If taxes are higher than customers will have less money to spend and this will affect the profits of Wal-Mart as less people have money to spend. For Tfl, the fiscal policy will affect the business because as Tfl is a publicly funded, if there is a cut in taxes this will lead to less money for the government. To balance the books, the government will have to cut spending. This directly affects Tfl because their budget will be cut. Another political factor which affects a business is the membership of inte rnational trading organisations. For the UK, they are part of the EU or European Union. The European Union, or EU, is known formally as the European Economic and Monetary Union. It establishes a common market among its 28 member countries. This means that all border controls between members have been eliminated, allowing the free flow of goods and people. The EU common market also means that any product legally manufactured in one member state can be sold in any other member, without tariffs or duties. Taxes have been standardized. Practitioners of most services can operate in all member countries. The cost of airfares, the internet and phone calls have fallen dramatically. By being the EU it affects Wal-Mart because as Wal-Mart is an international company it is easier to operate in the EU because the regulations are same and taxes are similar. Also the EU sets regional policies, so if a country in the EU is struggling and need help the EU will help. This affects Wal-Mart because their investment will be safer because the EU will not let the country collapse. For Tfl, being in the EU helps because as Tfl provides a transport service it needs to import the go ods to improve the infrastructure of the London and being in the EU it is easier and with less paperwork to get the goods. Another political factor which  affects a business is the enhancing of the skills of the working population. This means the education of the youngster of the UK, the training of the working population and research. The government can affect this by the spending it does on the education system and apprenticeships. This affects Wal-Mart because as the UK economy recovery there is an increase in the demand of skilled workers. Wal-Mart needs skill workers for the finance, Management and etc. so with the skilled workers the business can expand. For Tfl, it needs skilled worker because as Tfl provides a transport service it needs engineers how there is a shortage as 88% of employers report not being able to find qualified engineers. Also as Tfl is a publicly funded organisation is has a set budget for employees so the business is at a disadvantage because it cannot pay the same as private businesses. So this is why the enhancing of skilled workers is important for businesses. Finally, another political factor which affects businesses is the government support for different types of organisations. For private businesses, the government gives tax credit to businesses for employing more people or expanding their business. This affects Wal-Mart because this provides a goal because if the grow they will get awarded. Also if Wal-Mart expand they will get bigger profits and with the tax credit, it is easier to grow. For publicly owned companies, the government supports them by paying for part of their budget and the public businesses don’t pay taxes. This affects Tfl because the company doesn’t have to worry about taxes cutting into their profits and as the government pay for their budget, there is less worry about paying for everything. So these are five political factors which affect Wal-Mart and Tfl. Legal Factors Legal factors are things and laws that the government or higher authorities pass that would have an effect on how business are run. Businesses must operate within the framework of the law. However if the business fails to follow the law then it can lead to fines and even imprisonment of directors. Therefore, businesses give high priority to make sure they comply with the law. There are three main types of laws business follow: Company law – Tow businesses are set up and run Contract law – The contract that businesses make with employees, consumers,  suppliers and so on Competition law How businesses deal with employees, consumers, suppliers, and so on, and how businesses are allowed to compete with each other. Company law Company law is providing a framework for businesses. Company law is the field of law concerning companies and other business organizations. This includes corporations, partnerships and other associations which usually carry on some form of economic or charitable activity. One example of a company law is the Companies Act 2006. This is an Act which was passed by the Parliament of the UK. The act provides a rule book for the companies in the UK. This act is an improvement on the Companies Act 1985 because it now it is: To enhance shareholder engagement and a long term investment culture; To ensure better regulation and a Think Small First approach; To make it easier to set up and run a company; and To provide flexibility for the future The key parts of the act is: The Act codifies certain existing†¯common law†¯principles, such as those relating to†¯directors duties. It implements the†¯European Unions†¯Takeover†¯and Transparency Obligations†¯Directives. It introduces various new provisions for†¯private†¯and†¯public companies. It applies a single company law regime across the United Kingdom, replacing the two separate (if identical) systems for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It otherwise amends or restates almost all of the Companies Act 1985 to varying degrees.[2] This affects Wal-Mart because as Wal-Mart has a board of directors, this act states that there must be one person as a director and there cannot be one sole director and the minimum age of the director must be 16 years old. This affects Wal-Mart because it needs to employ more individuals to help run the business and this will affect the profits of the business. For Tfl, this act affects the business because as a part states that accounts must be submitted within 9 months of the year end and this is a change from within 10 months. This affects Tfl because now it needs to spend money reorganising the structure of the business so that it can submit  the account on time. Furthermore, a failure to do some will lead to a fine. Contract law Contract law is the protection of consumers and employees. This is a body of law that governs verbal or written agreements relating to exchanges of goods and services, money, and properties. Businesses form contract with many different individual, groups and bodies outside the business. This include: Lenders Employees Consumers Suppliers of stock Suppliers of equipment Sellers of land and building For contract law there is two main types. These are contracts with consumers, and contract with employees. However I will be doing contracts with employees. The legislation I will discuss is employment law. Employment law is the legal relationship between the worker and employer. A key component of employment law is the creation of a contract. A contract of employment should include details such as names of employer and employee, job title and job description, date employment starts, the place of work, the address of the employer, amount of pay and how it will be paid, hours of work, holiday pay entitlement and notice period required. The contract is legally binding and if the employer or employee breaks the law they can get sued. This affects Wal-Mart because a part of employment law is the minimum wage, which is currently at  £6.50 per hour for workers aged 21+. This is the lowest Wal-Mart can go in payment, this affect the choice of Wal-Mart because they cannot decide how much they want to pay but it is forced upon them. For Tfl, the employment law affect them because of parts such as the EU directive call the Working Time Directive. This set out that there should be a minimum rest period of 11 consecutive hours in every 24-hours period. So Tfl have to give their employees this, even if they are falling behind in work, they have to employ a new set of worker to catch up. Competition law Competition law is a set of rules that promotes or seeks to maintain market  competition by restricting anti-competitive practices by businesses. Also these are laws governing how businesses can compete with each other. For example law against restricting business practices to reduce competition such as two or one businesses agreeing to a set price. Also laws against monopolies and mergers to stop businesses from dominating a particular market. This affects Wal-Mart because this company is one of the largest in the world, so they can investigated by the UK’s Competition Commission because they don’t want Wal-Mart to be dominate. This affects Wal-Mart because it restrict them to the amount they could grow. For Tfl, the competition law affects them because as Tfl is in the tertiary sector of the economy, it offers contracts to supply them. This law states that Tfl must review all the bids to make it fair. This adds to the time and costs because it will take a longer period of time to process the bids and accept one. Social factors Social factors relate to changes in the behaviour, taste and lifestyle of communities on the local, national and international scale. Over time many changes take place in society which are relevant for business organisations, such as in: Demographic issues Households and families Education Attitudes to work Changes in structure of the society One social factor is the demographic issues. For the UK, they are experiencing population growth. Currently, the UK population is 64.1 million and it grow by 400,000 last year. This is 0.63% increase from the previous year. For businesses this can be a good thing because there will be an increase in demand. Also population growth also means economic growth. For Tfl, population grow has pros and cons. this is because with population grow will mean there is an increase on the amount of people who use the services. So Tfl will have to spend more money to reduce the strain on the service. This affects the profits of the business. However because of the increase in the population there is going to be an increase in revenue because it costs money to use the service. For Wal-Mart, population growth  is a good thing because more individuals will use their products. This will increase their profits. Another social factor is the changes in structure in the society. Social structure is the di stinctive, stable arrangement of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact and live together. Social structure is often treated together with the concept of social change, which deals with the forces that change the social structure and the organization of society. For businesses, one way the social structure changes is the ageing of the society. Currently, the UK population is ageing. For Tfl, this affects them because as the population ages, there will be less engineers and such to run the services or build it. For Wal-Mart this affects them because there will be less workers to run the business so Wal-Mart will have to spend more on employees to get the best. Another social factor is education. The average level of education in a society affects the interests and sophistication of consumers. For example, in a community in which a high percentage of potential customers have some form of post-secondary education, small-business owners might use more details and explanations while advertising and promoting products. For Tfl, this affect them because most of Tfls jobs are high skilled, so an educated society is important and required to expand. However they can get around it by getting employees around the world. For Wal-Mart it is not as important because they need less educated employees because most of their employees are cashiers and shop assistants. However they need mangers. The UK does have an educated society so the business need not worried. Another social factor for businesses is attitudes to work. This is the way society thinks, feels or behaves to work. For businesses, this is important because businesses need employees who are motivated so that they care about. For the UK, the attitude of work is good because this society is a individualistic. This means individuals care about themselves and how they are going to a success. For Tfl, this is important because they want employees to work hard but also care about the people who is going to use the service. This is going to improve the customer experience because if they don’t care than the service will not be the best it could be. For Wal-Mart, the attitudes of work is important because the more they care the better the busin ess is. This will affect the profits of the business because customers will like the business because employee will show passion.   Another social factor of the business is the attitudes to male and female roles in business. Gender roles are societys concepts of how men and women are expected to act, and are shaped by cultural norms. For the UK, male role and females are one of the most equal in the world. However in some jobs males get more money than females for doing the same job. This affects Tfl because if there is inequality than female will not become engineers and such, which leads to less engineers and Tfl will need to pay more for engineers. So this affects their profits. For Wal-Mart, the gender role affects them because there will be less workers because females will be discouraged to work. Also if females work this will boost the economy and more people will spend on their business.