Nordstrom Case Study Essay Example for Free

Nordstrom Case Study Essay Answer 1: In the 1990s, Nordstrom had six co-presidents who were six cousins belonging to the family’s fourth generation. All six cousins took decisions jointly on major issues concerning the business. Thus, it was necessary that all six co-presidents agree on a decision or a plan for it to be acted upon. This was quite a difficult task as all of them often had differing opinions. Due to this many decisions were delayed or met with resistance by one or the other member. These six co-presidents were compared to a multi-headed hydra. Dismantling the hydra would prevent conflicts on future decisions and would also enable decisions to be taken quickly. It will also vest the ownership for the decisions onto one person. It will also enable a family member to be groomed for possibly leading the company one day. The possible disadvantages of dismantling the hydra is that the six co-presidents could have all contributed their knowledge and experience and have arrived at a better more informed decision. If equal power is vested in six people at the top, it enables them to share the workload. Answer 2: Creating departments around products will create independent profit and loss units for each product. The members of each department will have expertise on their products. They will know how to procure those products and effective sales and marketing techniques to sell those products better. This will narrow down their focus and they will concentrate only on the product that they are selling and will gain expertise on how to sell it best. The possible disadvantages of creating departments around products are that the employees will not have a complete picture of the entire business and where they stand. If in future, they are moved to another department, they will have to gain information about that product from scratch. Answer 3: The following changes prompted the move from mechanistic to organic organization. In the 1990s, the company met with stiff competition from its competitors. Its sales began to plateau. Its net income fell 2% and sales edged up only 1.9%. In the stores that had been open for a year, its sales dipped 1.1% after a 2.6% drop the prior year. Nordstroms shares fell from a 1999 high of 44 3/16 to under 20 in February. The customers and outsiders complained that top executives spent more time in seeking consensus of all co-presidents on issues and this was a reason for Nordstrom being slow in presenting new fashions for sales. Answer 4: In designing an organization to manage change, an additional structural change that Mr. Whitacre should consider is to start a competition among the departments. In this quarterly competition, the department that has the best sales and profits should be the winner and its members should be given some incentives. They should be asked to share the best practices with the other departments in order to help them manage change better. Employees should be rotated regularly from one department to another.

Defining Collaborative Planning Forecasting And Replenishment Commerce Essay

Defining Collaborative Planning Forecasting And Replenishment Commerce Essay In manufacturing and retail, poor inventory control can lead to overstocking as a result of bad forecasting, this over stocking is called buffer inventory or safety stock which can lead to waste and inefficiency. In 1996 about $700 of the $2.3 trillion retail supply chain inventory was in safety stock. That is, almost 30% was tied up due to waste and inefficiency.(Lambert, Stock, 2001) Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR), is a business process using an internet based business model, as shown in figure 1. This model takes a holistic approach to information exchange and supply chain management between trading partners, by using a standard set of business processes in order to improve supply chain efficiencies, and is seen as a replacement to the old approach of electronic data interchange (EDI) (Fliedner, 2003). The objective of CPFR is to share data on a central web server that all of the trading partners can access to enable a more reliable forecast for long term future demand in the supply chain, this eliminates the problems associated with EDI such as: supply partners manually entering identical data in their records (Joachim, 1998), and the EDI process typically being done in batch transfers which can further add to delays in information (Cooke, 1998) etc. History of CPFR CPFR began in 1995 with the company Wal-Mart and was originally called C-FAR for collaborative forecasting and replenishment. The acronym has evolved into CPFR standing for collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment. Wal-Mart found that the pharmaceutical company Warner-Lamberts in-stock averages were not up to par with Wal-Marts vendor performance standards. Wal-Mart, along with Warner-Lambert, Surgency (formerly Benchmarking Partners), and two software companies, SAP and Manugistics, launched an effort to define a process that would link customer demand with replenishment needs through the entire supply chain. The pilot focused on stock of Listerine mouthwash kept in stores. The group first tested the collaborative concept on paper, and then demonstrated in a computer lab that the Internet could be used for the information exchange. The results of the test were: Warner-Lamberts in-stock averages rose from 87% to 98%. Lead times dropped from 21 to 11 days, and sales increased by $8.5 million over the test period-even though the pilot was limited to one Warner-Lambert manufacturing plant and three Wal-Mart distribution centres. (free-logistics.com, 2010) Case study: West Marine Today West Marine is the largest boating-supply retail chain in the United States, with a product range of more than 50,000 products selling throughout more than 400 company owned retail stores, as well as their retail catalogue, generating annual average sales of $690 million. The company was founded in 1968 by Randy Repass as a mail-order firm selling to boating enthusiasts, and opened its first retail store in Palo Alto, California in 1975, three years later, the company created a separate sales channel to commercial customers such as boat yards and boat dealers. In 1997 West Marine a 73 store operation at the time acquired one of their East Coast competitors, EB Marine a 63 store operation. The consequences of the acquisition became quickly apparent: Sales fell by almost 8 percent, and peak-season out-of-stock levels raised more than 12 percent compared to the prior year, and after six years of steady growth, net income dropped from $15 million in 1997 to just over $1 million in 1998. (Highbeam Research, 2006) The main contributing factor of this was that following the transaction, West Marine discovered that internal EB operations were in worse condition than expected. The investment group that had been running EB had let the companys infrastructure deteriorate and inventories dwindle. This further compounded the acquisition by adding to the problem that it took six months to implement the most basic of systems integration due to the poor infrastructure, leading to stock outs within the stores. West Marines first impulsive reaction was to rebrand all the EB stores convert them to West Marines products and pricing, West Marines CEO John Edmondson (who was brought in after the acquisition to execute a company turn around) said regarding the acquisition, West Marine bought EB because it was different and unique. Then, they turned all the stores into West Marine stores and locked out the customer base. Adding to this Bruce Edwards (West Marines senior VP of store operations) said, We created a lot of damage to both chains, as well as losing ground on comparable sales as a combined organization. (Standford, Graduate School of Business, 2005) How West Marine Turned the Company Around In order to turn the company around after the acquisition Edmondson identified four supply chain problem areas: the distribution centres (DCs), transportation, replenishment, and the systems supporting these operations; his solution to these problems was to implement a CPFR programme. The first thing as part of West Marines CPFR programme was implement an aggregate ordering or multi-echelon replenishment process. A multi-echelon system is defined as A series of two or more production or supply facilities where any change in policy parameters of one facility affects the other facilities, either directly or indirectly.(Gopalakrishnan, 2004). According to (Standford, Graduate School of Business, 2005) prior to the implementing of the multi echelon system West Marine were using JDAs Merchandise Management System (MMS). The MMS was interfaced with the companys point-of-sale system in the stores (also provided by JDA) to keep track of basic inventory levels and product sales at the store level. West Marine also used JDAs Warehouse Management System (WMS) as the software engine for its distribution centre (DC) operations. As well as these systems West Marine also made use of JDAs advanced forecasting tools, both Advanced Store Replenishment (ASR) and Advanced Warehouse Replenishment (AWR). The problem with these systems was that while they were good on their own, none of the systems had the ability to directly interact with each other leading to extensive duplicate work and maintenance. At the time no software provider offered a fully integrated solution, it was left to West Marine as well as Matt Henderson a systems engineer and integrator from the San-Francisco based software company Amigo Inc. to design a system that integrated linkages between the point of sale systems to the DC systems. The system they designed was the first true multi echelon system in the retail sector. (bisg.org, 2005)The way in which West Marine implemented their multi echelon replenishment solution was to integrate data from the retail stores and warehouses with relation to seasonal forecasts, promotions and stock levels, enabling suppliers to deliver more accurate, on time orders to satisfied customer demands. West Marines multi-echelon replenishment solution resolves the store-warehouse disconnect. Warehouse replenishment immediately responds to all store-level overstocks and understocks. Similarly, all promotions and store level assortment changes are planned in the store system, and warehouse replenishment immediately responds to them. The solution eliminates duplicate forecasting tasks and creates more accurate supplier-order forecasts. (Reed Business Information, 2006) The West Marine multi echelon system is shown in figure 2. C:UsersAmyElizabethDesktopSCM0654WESTERN2.gif SUPPLIER INTERGRATION The next problem that West Marine encountered was to get its suppliers to buy into the idea of CPFR. In order to address this problem West Marine introduced a pilot program with 12 handpicked companies that were major suppliers to West Marine, that all had previous issues with their supply chains in some form. To these companies West Marine laid out specific performance levels and expected goals, although no formal written agreements were created each company was expected to comply to the performance standards. For the suppliers that joined West Marines supply pilot there was no capital investment outlay in technology, they were only required to designate recourses to act as counterparts to West Marines supply chain merchandise planners. With this set in place West Marine began sharing its forecasts on a weekly basis with its vendors, as a weekly update report on vendor performance. There was also the introduction of weekly meetings with cross functional teams made up of members from all the organisations involved, in order to discuss potential improvements as well as to maintain a holistic integrated perspective on each vendor relationship. The results of the CPFR programme were; in stock rates at the stores came close to the goal of 96 percent in every store, even during peak season. Forecast accuracy climbed to approximately 85 percent. On-time shipments, on the other hand, were improving but only reached 30 percent against a stated goal of 90 percent in 2002. However, West Marine expected them to climb to at least 50 percent by the end of 2003. (Standford, Graduate School of Business, 2005). Even after the pilot programme with the evidence to back up that CPFR works, West Marine still had problems getting supplies to buy into the CPFR programme, West Marines solution to this was to offer its suppliers an incentive in the form of a guarantee. This guarantee was that based on the forecasts, West Marine promised to purchase one hundred percent of the forecasted stock. This meant that if there were any errors in the system, then West Marine would bear the brunt as a result. It was this action that was responsible for convincing and instilling vendor trust in West Marines CPFR forecasts. The knock on effects of having the suppliers buy into West Marines CPFR programme were that the company were able to use their demand forecasts to stream line their shipping and receiving activities. The forecasts enabled West Marine to maximise efficiency in its inbound and out bound shipments and to use its dock space more effectively, in turn allowing West Marine to smooth demand spikes. Conclusion In conclusion as the evidence shows in both the Wal-Mart pilot programme and the West Marine case study CPFR is a powerful logistics stock forecasting tool http://www.free-logistics.com/index2.php?option=com_docmantask=doc_viewgid=268Itemid=26 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-145836210.html http://www.lomag-man.org/cpfr_industrie_achat_distribution/documentation_cpfr/WestMarineA_CPFRSuccStorySupChManReManNet_an.pdf http://www.stanford.edu/group/scforum/Welcome/White%20Papers/Multi-Echelon%20Inventory%20Optimization%20-%20Evant%20white%20paper.pdf Gopalakrishnan, P., 2004. Handbook of Materials Management, Prentice-Hall of India Pvt.Ltd http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1UbbYNftcc8J:www.bisg.org/docs/West_Marine_Case_GS-34_FINAL_092704.doc+matt+henderson+amigo+inc+cpfrcd=2hl=enct=clnkgl=uksource=www.google.co.uk

War in yemen Essay -- essays research papers

Yemen a great desert in the Arabic peninsula , located south to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and left to Oman , has also a shore : mainly on the Red Sea and on the Gulf of Aden. Yemen has some natural resources (oil) but unfortunately it is considered as the poorest Arabic country. Yemen is now The Republic of Yemen because of the reunification made on 22nd May 1990. Before that day Yemen was divided into two separate countries , the first known as the North Yemen Republic which was controlled by tribes so far the worst tribal system in the world , on the other side , the Yemen of the South known as the world’s worst communist regime. But in 1994 , a civil war turned the south and the north against each other. We are going to study this civil war in a chronological order , from where it started to where it ended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government of the North was chaired by Colonel Ali Abdullah Saleh , member of EL-AHMAR ,a part of the big tribe : Hached. He was especially interested for the well being of the petroleum and oil present in the north’s soil. Whereas for the South controlled by the communist Ali Salem El-Bide was trying to give the worst soviet image out of it’s self by introducing whatever is soviet-like to the life of everyday : weapons , aircrafts , boats , tanks †¦ When the reunification occurred , the republic of Yemen had to be ruled by one man, but because the citizens of the Ex-north Yemen where twice as much as those of the south , the president was chosen to be Ali Abdullah Saleh. And so the vice president became the leader of the Ex-south : A.S. El-Bide. And the president of the minister’s council was Abu Bakr Haydar El-Attas , who was well known for the liabilities he had in the past (of which : presid ent of the southern Yemen).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nevertheless reuniting two opposite things is difficult , it was even harder to reunite a communist and a tribal types of governments. And so in the years after the reunification , things were not going very well as the south wanted to keep it’s communist identity and ideology and the north wanted to keep it’s long going tribal system. From there started some fundamentalist movements each wanting what in the past was theirs. Two years were more than enough to distinguish betwe... ...ale , many north Yemeni pupils are open to the outside , for example Chicago counts a great number of Yemenis . The son of the north can adapt him self , and maybe loose his tribal attitude And maybe in some fifty years , all tribes would disappear leaving great and respectful family names. But those of the south , those who’s minds were brain washed by communism , are hardly seen to adapt their selves a liberalist/capitalist type of living, as south Yemen was the harshest communist regime ever known to man , everything was for the state , even truly-merchants were collectivized. The ex regime there applied communism even more than in the USSR under Staline. So far so good , The Republic of Yemen is still in one peace , but will it really stay this way ? would it still be united in 20 years ? I personally don’t think so , because It’s in communism nature to always try to mess things up and the south will never forget it’s communist entity and for sure will have many attempts to win back it’s Ex-south Yemen communist state. It’s been only 10 years since they united , and so it may not be enough. But the true answer to this question is yet to come, we’ll have to wait to find out .

Jewish Population of Victorian England Essay examples -- Victorian Era

The Jewish Population of Victorian England HISTORY The Jews had their roots in Eastern Europe but were also scattered in western European countries such as England. The Jewish population has been historically scapegoated since the time of the medieval Church. Stereotypes have been formed of the people practicing this religion for hundreds of years in England and elsewhere on the Continent. The timeline shows the progression of the population in England and the strides they have made over a century. YEAR # OF JEWS IN ENGLAND 1815 25000 1851 35000 1880 60000 (Naman 47) "In 1800, the overwhelming majority of London's Jews, rich and poor, were still living in the East End of London, in and around the city" (Black 63). Not until decades later would Jews move out of the East End and move outwards from London and form their own communities. East End was the complete opposite of West End London. Black describes " a great part of the East End in gloomily picturesque panorama. The angular meanness of the buildings is veiled [with] the dusk" (Black 63). Similar to a ghetto and being the poorer side of town, it perpetuated the stereotype that the Jewish population consisted of shady people. map THE STEREOTYPES "The images that originated with the attitude of the medieval Church towards Jews may be termed the archetypal images: The moneylender, the murderer, the devil converged to form the image of the pariah--an outcast from society, a being separate from other beings" (Naman 31). With the Church backing the discrimination of the Jewish population, the stereotypes continued and increased the unfavorable views Anglicans held for this separate religion. As a result of this, Jews have been the social p... ...ese physical attributes may not have been very accurate but are the "stamp of a Jewish man" so that the reader may always remember and acknowledge such a character as being Jewish. The physical characteristics Dickens utilizes also includes "a rusty large-brimmed low crowned hat", "staff" and someone who employs a "graceful Eastern action of homage" (Dickens 273). Such stereotypical attributes are prevalent of Jewish characters in Victorian novels. SOME PROMINENT JEWISH MEN OF THE VICTORIAN ERA Benjamin Disraeli Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild Sir David Salomons Works Cited Black, Gerry. Jewish London: An Illustrated History. Derby: The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited, 2003. Dickens, Charles. Our Mutual Friend. New York: Penguin Group, 1997. Naman, Anne Aresty. The Jew in the Victorian Novel . AMS Press, Inc.: New York, 1980.

Wasteful :: essays research papers

Wasteful Repetition 12 years of our lives are spent learning the basics, 12 years. Yet, after those twelve years of near continuos education, colleges require us to relearn what we already know, knowledge that may be irrelevant to our chosen major. Core Curriulumn is a waste of time and money. Each year for twelve years we wake up on a day around August in order to attend required schooling. We learn english, mathematics, sciences, health, and history. School becomes our lives, almost a career that lasts approximately 120 months. For those 120 months we are taught the same subjects, not a year goes by that we were not required to take an English, Math, Science, and History courses. After successfully completing our â€Å"lower learning† studies and recieving our much awaited diplomas almost two thirds of us go on to college.1 Upon arrival at these institutions of higher learning we come to realize that our â€Å"Basic† learning is not over and we must extend our knowledge of said material before we can move on to things that more directly concern our majors. Colleges are asking us, rather, telling us to relearn the knowledge we, for the most part, already pocess. There are several things we lose when we agree to, or rather are required to retake the basics in college. Most likely foremost of what we lose,in students minds ,espeacially in todays society, is money. We spend outrageous sums of money to attend college for 4 years, individually the cost of tuition possibly ranges between 50,000 to 100,000.As a whole the nation spends in excess of $175 billion each year.2 Money wasted on learning the same material we were educated in for 12 years of our lives. Money that many of us do not have and if we are not fortunate enough to recieve a scholarship or any type, we must look towards students loans. By definition a loan is something that is lent on condition of being returned.3 Zachary Karabell,author of the book What’s College For?, wrote that: In the 1990’s alone, the average debt burden for a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  college student grew from 8,200 to 18,800. Given that   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  these students, once they graduate, tend to earn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  between $20,000 and $30,000 a year, those debts are   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  heavy, and some schools have begun efforts to limit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  borrowing by students. In addition to loans,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  three-quarters of all students work part time during   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the school yea, and more than 15 percent work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  full-time.* For their money, for their investment, for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the hours they work in order to pay for their classes,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  these students expect to be taught something they don’t   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  already know. They expect to learn. And at the end,

Domestic Violence Speech

Domestic Violence Against Women Introduction On May 2, 1982, Michael Connell visited his estranged wife Karen and their son Ward. Karen and Michael had been separated for more than a year but were seeing each other. A friend of Ward’s also visiting and the four of them were going on a picnic. They never made it. At around noon, Karen staggered from the house, bleeding profusely from the neck. She collapsed into a neighbor’s arms, gasping that her husband had stabbed her and was still in the house with their 5 year-old son and his friend. The South Pasadena Police arrived on the scene to investigate. After several attempts to make contact with Michael or the children failed, they contacted the L. A. Sherriff’s SWAT team. The SWAT team, using a bullhorn, requested anyone inside the house come out. Two boys walked out of the house with their hands up, pleading, â€Å"Don’t shoot; we’re the good guys. † The SWAT team forced entry into the house at about 3:00. They found a man lying on the bathroom floor. He had massive slash wounds to his neck area and a stab wound to his chest. The wounds were self-inflicted. Michael Ward Connell was dead. At the same time, Karen was undergoing an operation at Huntington Memorial Hospital. She had lost seven pints of blood, and her vocal cords had been severed. Her young son Ward had saved her life by jumping on his father’s back and hitting them, screaming, â€Å"Don’t hurt my Mom! † The coroner’s report stated, â€Å"Decedent apparently had marital problems with his wife for quite some time. † Karen and Ward had been residents of Haven House, a refuge for battered women and their children. The Story that Shocked the Country At 12:05 a. m. n June 13, 1994, Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman were found with their throats slit and heads partially decapitated outside Brown's Bundy Drive condominium in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, California. Her two children, Sydney (age 8) and Justin (age 5), were asleep inside in an upstairs bedroom. O. J. Simpson and Nicole Brown Simpson had divorced two years earlier. Evidence found and collected at the scene led police to suspect that O. J. Simpson was the murderer. Nicole had been stabbed multiple times through the throat to the point of near decapitation; her vertebrae were almost severed. Simpson was arrested and charged with the double murders. Three days later Simpson was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to both murders. During the trial prosecutors argued that Simpson killed his ex-wife in a jealous rage. The prosecutors opened it case by playing a 9-1-1 tape of Nicole Brown Simpson expressing fear that Simpson would physically harm her. The prosecuting spent the opening weeks of trial presenting evidence that Simpson had a history of physically abusing Nicole. However, after nine months of lengthy testifying and cross examinations O. J. Simpson was acquitted. The drama and tragedy of woman abuse will touch most of us, at some time in our lives, in a very personal way. This could happen directly as a result of our own intimate relationships with lovers or through the experience of some family members and or friends. Whether or not we have been raised in an abusive family environment, we are almost certainly going to have close contact with, and be affected by, someone who has. Domestic violence is on the rise in most countries around the world. Domestic violence is perpetrated against women in most cases. Every 15 seconds a woman is battered. Two to four million are abused each year and 4,000 of them die. Every 45 seconds someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. Domestic violence can be easily distinguished as being a disease which spreads rapidly and occurs in all religious groups, all races, relationships and to people of all ages. The roots to domestic violence lie in the soil of the patriarchal family. The belief that wives are the possessions of a male â€Å"head of household† who should control the behavior of all other family members is deeply embedded in social traditions. You may say to yourself this type of crime could never happen to me. To help determine if you have been a victim unaware let’s define domestic violence or sometimes called intimate partner violence (IPV) to determine if you or someone you know or love has ever been a victim of domestic violence. Domestic violence as defined by The U. S. Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a â€Å"pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. The definition adds that domestic violence â€Å"can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender†, and that it takes many forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, and verbal abuse. Type of abuse To gain a better understanding of these different types of forms that abuse may have let’s characterize the most common ones in detail: Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, pain, injury or other physical suffering or bodily harm. It often includes hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, punching, choking, and other types of contact that will result in physical injury to the victim. Physical abuse can also include behaviors such as denying the victim of medical care when needed, depriving the victim of sleep or other functions necessary to live, or forcing the victim to engage in drug/alcohol against her will. Sexual abuse is any situation in which force is used to obtain participation in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity constitutes sexual abuse. Forced sex, even by a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that between one-third and one-half of all battered women are raped by their partners at least once during the relationship. Furthermore, women whose partners abuse them physically and sexually are at a higher risk of being seriously injured or killed. Emotional abuse is defined as any behavior that threatens, intimidates, undermines the victim’s self-worth or self-esteem, or controls the victim’s freedom. This can include threatening the victim with injury or harm, telling the victim that they will be killed if they ever leave the relationship, and public humiliation. Constant criticism, name-calling, and making statements that damage the victim’s self-esteem are also common forms of emotional abuse. Often perpetrators will use children to engage in emotional abuse by teaching them to harshly criticize the victim as well. Emotional abuse includes conflicting actions or statements which are designed to confuse and create insecurity in the victim. These behaviors also lead the victim to questions themselves, causing them to believe that they are making up the abuse or that the abuse is their fault. Emotional abuse can include humiliating the victim privately or publicly, controlling what the victim can and cannot do, withholding information from the victim, deliberately doing something to make the victim feel diminished or embarrassed, isolating the victim from friends and family, implicitly blackmailing the victim by harming others when the victim expresses independence or happiness, or denying the victim access to money or other basic resources and necessities. Verbal abuse is a form of abusive behavior involving the use of language; it is a form of profanity that can occur with or without the use of expletives. Abuses can ignore, ridicule, disrespect, and criticize others consistently, manipulate words, falsely accuse, make others feel unwanted and unloved, threaten economically, isolate victims from support systems, demonstrate Jekyll and Hyde behaviors, either in terms of sudden rages or behavioral changes, or where there is a very different â€Å"face† shown to the outside world verses with victim. Why does she stay? People who have never been in an abusive relationship may wonder,† Why doesn’t she just leave? † There are many reasons why a woman may not leave an abusive relationship. She may have little or no money and have way to support herself or her children. She may reach out for help and find that all the local domestic violence shelters are full. She may not be able to contact friends and family who could help her. Or she may worry about the safety of herself and her children if she leaves. But if she does leave, victims often lack specialized skills, education, and training that are necessary to find gainful employment. In 2003, thirty-six US cities cited domestic violence as one of the primary causes of homelessness in their areas. It is also reported the one out of every three homeless women are homeless due to having a domestic violence relationship. Laws and Regulations Education concerning domestic violence has come a long way, but it still has a ways to go. The response to domestic violence is typically a combined effort between law enforcement, social services, and health care. The role of each has evolved as domestic violence has been brought more into public view. Domestic violence historically has been viewed as a private family matter that need not involve the government or criminal justice. First passed in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) made domestic violence and sexual assault crimes. The VAWA created new punishments for these crimes and gave agencies helping victims more funding to improve their services. In 2000, the VAWA was re-authorized, meaning that Congress and the president agreed to renew the law. In addition to re-authorizing the law, stalking and dating violence were added to the list of crimes covered by the law. Also, more funding was added for legal aid programs for victims. If you’re a victim of abuse or violence at the hands of someone you know or love. Get immediate help and support. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-799-SAFE. Conclusion everyday world could it be you, your roommate, your best friend or neighbor. if you’re a victim of abuse of violence at the hands of someone you know or love get immediate help and support. You’re not alone. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-799-SAFE. Sometimes its hard and confusing to admit that you are in an abusive relationship or to find a way out. There are clear signs to help you know if you are being abused. If you person you love or live with does any of these things, it’s time to get help: * Monitors what you’re doing all the time * Criticizes you for little things * Constantly accuses you of being unfaithful Prevents or discourages you from seeing friends or family, or going to work or school * Gets angry when drinking alchol or uses drugs * Controls how you spend your money * Controls your use of needed medicines * Humiliates you in front of others * Destroys your property or things you care about * Threathens to hurt you, the children, or pets, or does hurt you (by hitting, beating, pushing , shoving, punching, slapping, kicking or biting) * Uses or threatens to use a weapon again st you * Forces you to have sex against your will * Blames you for his violent outbursts

16th Century Story-Romeo and Juliet

16th century was the golden period for English literature culminating from the age of Renaissance born from the deathbed of medieval scholasticism to whole new thoughts, ideas and culture. The human thoughts were free from the bondage of fixed principles of Aristotelian philosophy to the doctrines of Christianity. The period of Renaissance implied a perception of greater beauty and polish in the Greek and Latin Scholars. In other words, it was a birth of a kind of new inventiveness in classicism. The renaissance revived ancient classical learning into an arena of Dramatics. Play writers from liturgical play shifted to the miracle to morality and from the morality to the interlude and from their journey began to with the regular drama of Elizabethan age.Play writers began to avoid classicist approach in favor of originality and secular ideas defying the old conventional ways. In this air of new thoughts and ideologies and certain social obstructions plaguing the theater world, there w as born William Shakespeare, a new soul to whom Ben Johnson a worthy rival and harsh critic gave his glowing tribute with these words:â€Å"Soul of the age!Applause! Delight! the wonder of our stage !Triumph, my Britain! Thou hast one to show,To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.He was not of an age, but for all the time. (Payne & Hunter 2003)Shakespeare genius operated in his capacity to capture the length and breath of human life’s and character in all its complexity and variety and has touched every element of human experience and every segment of human sensibility. Within his plays are interlaced the stories in all his variegated form whether it was passion of Othello or agonized sense and spirited Hamlet or the tortured souls of romantic couple Romeo and Juliet. Story of Romeo and Juliet breathes within the heart and soul of lovers for many generations ahead and is admired and loved by very one.It was Romeo & Juliet that has made Shakespeare realized his full potenti al as play writer, and he could have been 26 years old then and made him stand apart than the rest of his contemporaries.   It was written around 1595 when the major tremor struck London in 1540, and he mentioned this episode through the voice of Nurse in Act 11, scene 3, line 23. (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation 1996)Romeo and Juliet should not be visualized as only a tragic love story but deep within lies prejudices of tradition and practices that was the hallmark of the society 16th century. Society demanded women and men, both to adhere to family honor by following the tradition of families even if it was at the cost of bloodshed and the end of love. It is a story of love that flourished even though there was a strong rivalry between two families reaching to the extent of killings.Montagues and the Capulets are enemies, always ready to take revenge on each other, entangling themselves in bloody feud on the streets of Verona. Each time one member of a family is killed, h is relatives will be eager to sort revenge by taking blood of the other and if any one found Romeo meeting Juliet, he is sure to get killed. In this environment of deep hatred and bloodshed, Shakespeare gave a very fervent place to love. Lovers enjoy each others company and bestow their affection for each other, and say all what lovers would love to say to each other. Till today, lovers take the example of love of Romeo and Juliet.It is better to die rather than live without their love, is an essence that spreads through Romeo Juliet and within all of us. They both meet strangely and it is misunderstanding that kills them both. It was the love at first sight and it is to the Shakespeare genius that he told to all the lovers the fact that love at first sight could culminate in true love.The story start with these lines:â€Å"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands uncl ean† (Act I, Prologue)And amidst all the confusions and in an effort to meet, both Romeo and Juliet die. Their death was the beginning of new rays of hope for the peace. Both died but it was the love finally that won. The play culminates with the words:â€Å"For never was a story of more woe (sorrow) Than this of Juliet and her Romeo†. (Act V, Scene III)Romeo and Juliet have all the elements that could make it a good story. It has a plot, climax, accurate settings, characters, symbolism and theme that have made it one of the masterpieces. Amidst this, Shakespeare has knitted very beautifully elements of both distressing scenes but along with that humor, bloody battles and civil enmity, and naive love and unapprised hate formed the part of this play. The setting of Romeo and Juliet took place in the cities of Verona and Mantua, Italy, within a span of four days. Majority of the action took place at Verona except the scene Act V, scene 1 which occurred in Mantua.The setti ngs reveal the social life with certain political nuances. Verona became a battlefield due to bloody revenges between Capulet and Montague families and it was a place where Romeo and Juliet were told that they should hate each other owing to their genre. Romeo and Juliet shower their love for each other at the fruitful Capulet orchard at Verona, whereas at Mantua, Romeo is exiled after he kills Tybalt.  The lovers took their lives too at the Capulet tomb.Weather also plays a most crucial aspect to settings. It is a month of July when major incidents happen. The July is a hot season good enough to escalate the tempers of every one. Temper of characters rises high quite often even at the slightest pretext and ends only after bloody revenge. Romeo in whose heart there is an ardent love for Juliet; he too takes revenge on Tybalt and is banished. In the end, without any second thought thinking Juliet is dead, he kills himself. The hot weather is also a sign of igniting the sexual and l ove passion between Romeo and Juliet.The play starts with a prologue, as was the general tendency among play writers of that era, which is followed by the sequence of events covered in five acts. Unlike other Shakespearean plays, there is a single plot, which is enacted onstage and is in chronological order. There are no flashbacks and the focus is shown on Romeo throughout the play. The structure of plot is very well developed with exposition, climax, rising and falling action, denouement and symbolism. The climax arises at several points in the story. In one of them, it reaches the point when Juliet takes a drink pretending to be dead and Romeo did not receive the correct letter.Shakespeare uses less of symbolism yet it is a very important part of the play. Light and Dark images reflects the intensity of love that is sparking between Romeo and Juliet and their glory of happiness when they are together and sadness when separated. The light and dark images are the symbolic of devili sh yet powerful forces bringing them together and also separating them. Darkness brings Romeo and Juliet together whereas light separates them, but darkness again prevails when Romeo dies. In other words, world is not stable but is a constantly changing.There is always a light after day and day after light. The other symbols are swords representing violent attitude and poison which is not basically evil as it was given to Juliet by Friar Lawrence to make her appear dead. But the irony of the fact is that this potion became a cause of the death. Thus it adopts dual purpose. It became a cause of death but rejoined the two bitter enemies. Another symbol thumb biting by the buffoonish Samson is not a very important symbol but shows the incoherent pride and vulgur display of power.Romeo and Juliet’s characters breath life but not much effort is given to character development. Unlike Macbeth, it is a plot that has generated much interest. The more emphasis is give to the character of Romeo who looses temper very soon. He is just a teen whose love at first sight changes the whole scenario and life of both the families.Shakespeare is world’s greatest play writer and all this elements are so well structured together that they make us realize emotions and appeals of lovebirds within our souls. Society crushed their love by their intriguing patterns and traditional approach, yet from the play, also emerges that eventually in the end it is the love only that always blossom.Romeo and Juliet is a true reflection of society of 15-16th century. Royal families pride and their sense of revenge take their and their relatives and even their children on the bed of blood. But this is not an end though Romeo and Juliet died yet they are there within all of us inspiring in us the true love.With poetic diction and eloquent words, Shakespeare challenges the old traditional ways to give fresh lease of life. It is an end of Romeo and Juliet but a beginning for many more Rom eo and Juliet’s in this world.REFERENCE LISTBates Alfred. 1906. ROMEO AND JULIET: An analysis of the play by Shakespeare The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization Vol. 14. pp. 6-13. London: Historical Publishing Company. Retrieved on January 13, 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/romeoandjuliet001.htmlHazlitt William. 1817. ROMEO AND JULIET: An analysis of the play by William Shakespeare. (Originally published in Characters of Shakespeare's Plays. London: C.H. Reynell) Retrieved on January 13, 2008 from W.W.W:http://www.theatredatabase.com/16th_century/william_shakespeare_010.htmlJohnson Bill. The Power and Passion of Love and Hate: A Review of Romeo and Juliet. Retrieved on January 13, 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.storyispromise.com/rjoutlin.htmMabillard   Amanda. 2000. (Updated: 2006) An Analysis of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.   Shakespeare Online. Retrieved on January 13, 2008 from http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanal ysis/romeocommentary.htmlMowat Barbara A.   and Werstine Paul. 1992. Romeo and Juliet. New Folger Library Shakespeare edition.Payne Michael & Hunter John. 2003. Renaissance Literature: An Anthology. Blackwell Publishing.Shakespeare William.2001. Romeo and Juliet (Contributor Roma Gill) Published by Oxford University Press.Siegal Paul N. 1961. Christianity and the Religion of Love in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Quarterly 12(4) pp. 371-392Smirnov Aleksandr. 1936. Shakespeare: A Marxist Interpretation. (Translated by SONIA VOLOCHOVA, Transcribed by Sally Ryan for marxists.org, 2000.) New York: The Critics Group.Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 1996. The Tragedy. Retrieved on January 13, 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.romeoandjuliet.com/setting/tragedy.html