Morality Play Pattern in Pride and Prejudice

Austen is particularly unusual among virtue ethicists past and present in according amiability so much importance, even though it is so obviously central to most people's lives working, if not living, in close confinement with others with whom one must and should get along. Austen presents these virtues as not merely a necessary accommodation to difficult circumstances, but as superior to the invidious vanity and pride of the rich and titled, which she often mocks.So, in  Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet rejects Darcy's haughty condescension out of hand; the happy ending must wait until Darcy comes to see beyond her lowly connections and unaristocratic manners and fully recognise her true (bourgeois) virtue. That is a moral happy ending even more than it is a romantic one. Like any good virtue ethicist, Austen proceeds by giving illustrative examples. This is why her characters are moral rather than psychological constructs.Austen's purpose is not to explore their inner lives, but to expose particular moral pathologies to the attention of the reader. Don't act like this: Don't cut off your relatives without a penny after promising your father you would look after them and justify it with self-serving casuistic rationalisations (as John Dashwood does in  Sense and Sensibility). Don't be like this: Morally incontinent like Mrs Bennet; or struck through with a single huge flaw, like Mr Bennet's selfish wish to live a private life while being the head of a family (Pride and Prejudice).But as well as excoriating such obvious though conventional moral failings of human nature, Austen attends carefully, and with a fine brush, to illustrating the fine detail, and fine-tuning, that true virtue requires. To show us what true amiability should be, she shows us what it isn't quite. Fanny Price, the heroine of  Mansfield Park, is so excessively amiable as to put her own dignity and interests at risk, so self-effacing that her true love almost doesn't notice her ( until events intervene).Mr Bingley's amiability inPride and Prejudice  is pitch perfect, but fails to discriminate between the deserving and undeserving. Emma, meanwhile, is very discriminating, but she is a snob about it: she is rather too conscious of her social status and does not actually respect others as she should (which, of course, gets her into trouble). Then there are the illustrations of what virtuous conduct looks like. Here one sees why the plot is so firmly in the author's hands, not the characters'.Austen is primarily concerned with setting up particular scenes – moral trials – in which we can see how virtuous characters behave in testing circumstances. These moral lessons to the reader are the parts she gave the most exacting attention to; where her words are perfectly chosen and sparkling with intelligence and deep moral insight. These are the parts that she actually cared about; the rest – the rituals of the romantic comedy genre and â€Å"s ocial realism† – is just background.We see Austen's characters navigating the unpleasant attentions and comments of boors, fools and cads with decorum and dignity: â€Å"Indeed, brother, your anxiety for our welfare and prosperity carries you too far,† Elinor chastises John Dashwood, ever so politely in  Sense and Sensibility. In every novel we see Austen's central characters working through moral problems of all kinds, weighing up and considering what propriety requires by talking it through to themselves or trusted friends.We see them learning from their mistakes, as Elizabeth and Darcy both learn from their early mistakes about his character (Pride and Prejudice). We even see them engaging in explicit, almost technical, moral philosophy analysis, such as debating to what extent Frank Churchill should be considered morally responsible for his failure to visit Highbury (Emma), to the evident boredom of the less morally developed characters stuck in the same ro om as them.Austen carries out her mission of moral education with flair and brilliance, while charitably respecting the interests and capacities of her readers (which is why she is so much more readable than most moral theorists who, like Kant, seem often to write as if understanding is the reader's problem). Yet there is one further striking feature that sets Austen's novels apart: her  moral gaze. The omniscient author of her books sees right through people to their moral character and exposes and dissects their follies, flaws and self-deceptions.I cannot read one of her novels without thinking – with a shiver – about what that penetrating moral gaze would reveal if directed at myself. This is virtue ethics at a different level – about moral vision, not just moral content. Austen shows us how to look at ourselves and analyse and identify our own moral character, to meet Socrates's challenge to â€Å"Know thyself. † We have all the information we need to look at ourselves this way, to see ourselves as we really are – we have an author's omniscient access to the details of our own lives – but we generally prefer not to open that box.Indeed, academic moral philosophers since the enlightenment have collaborated with this natural aversion by collectively turning their attention away from uncomfortable self-examination and towards elaborating coherent systems of rules that any agent should follow. Yet reading Austen shows the ultimate ineffectiveness of this strategy. I do not believe that all the sophisticated Kantian and utilitarian theory in the world could shield you for long from Austen's moral gaze.We should read Austen today because she is wise as well as clever, and because she teaches us how to live well not just how to love well. We should read beyond the  delicious rituals  of her romantic comedy plots to her deeper interests and purposes in creating her morally complex characters and setting them on displ ay for us. We should read beyond her undisputed literary genius, and her place in the history of literary innovations and influences, to her unrecognised philosophical genius in elaborating and advancing a moral philosophy for our bourgeois times.

An Over View Of The DHL Company

An Over View Of The DHL Company DHL has been able to create a strong image with the public through an extensive presence on the roads and a bold and bright brand. This has meant that this image has been maintained with minimal advertising, as DHL are advertising themselves and new services when the public see their fleet of vehicles on the road. Together with clever sponsorship of events such as Formula 1, this has resulted in the general public perception of DHL being a brand that is strong and reliable – two vital attributes in the logistics industry. However, there are still some areas for DHL to improve its communication strategy. By perhaps communicating employees an idea of the success of the service centre they work in, they could have a greater sense of belonging to DHL. Also, there could perhaps be more scope for DHL staff to communicate to higher levels of management if there is a need to, rather than going through various levels of the hierarchy. The revamping of the company magazine has been one way that DHL has combated this, by bringing the ideas of those at the very top of the hierarchy with those at the bottom. However, by doing this in a more work-related manner, communication may be improved. DHL Express DHL is a courier service that is currently active in more than 220 countries around the world and employs some 300,000 employees. Therefore good and clear communication throughout the organisation is vital. DHL’s success can only be achieved if a consistent message is delivered throughout the whole company. By aligning the message given internally to the message it conveys to its different external stakeholders, DHL has built a brand that is solid, respectable, and consistent. This is all the more impressive given that DHL has been taken over by another organisation-Deutsche Post – in the past 10 ten years. DHL’s mission statement has four main themes which contribute towards reaching the ‘DHL Vision’. This vision is that the company is trusted by customers as â€Å"the preferred global express and logistics partner, leading the industry in terms of quality, profitability and market share†. The four main parts of the mission statement cover issues such as product quality, quality of staff, returns of the business (again the three relate to different stakeholders), and finally DHL’s role as a responsible corporate citizen. Argenti (2003) argues that â€Å"firms need to consider their corporate communication effort as manifested in the company’s vision and mission statement†. Therefore, it is likely that these goals are at the centre of how DHL organises its communications effort. For example, DHL points towards its multi-cultural heritage and the ability of the company to find solutions at all levels of the business process. These are undeniably important assets to the company but are only useful if they can be incorporated into an effective communication model. Internal Communication Given the nature of the logistics industry, there is a need for a precise route for messages to be delivered on time. It comes as no surprise to see DHL’s UK hierarchy is one that is well-balanced and clear. Ken McCall, the MD of DHL Express UK sits atop the hierarchy. Next there is the board of nine Directors, who are reported to directly by the operations field director. He gains his information from the head of each of the 39 service centres in the UK. Within the service centre, the hierarchy has five levels, but cross-communication is much easier, especially amongst the bottom three levels. There is a head of the service centre, who manages a supervisor. Then there are the office staff and the sales team. There are then senior couriers before the lowest level made up of couriers and warehouse staff.

Human Resource Management (COSTCO) Research Paper

Human Resource Management (COSTCO) - Research Paper Example Outside US it operates in the UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Canada and Mexico. The company is undeniably the leader in its field. It is very strict to maintain its quality in every dimension of its business and always give value to its business policies and ethics. Though it is a big company with a great international business expansion, it still has maintained a healthy, cultural and homely work environment, which is very essential for the flourish and success of its employees. The company gains through its employees through â€Å"a loyal, productive and efficient cadre of employees† (American Rights at Work) The compensation package including the benefits have been negotiated such that they are positioned to the best in the business. All these factors have worked to make the company to be identified as one of the top three company of Washington as declared by the Washington CEO Magazine. (Did you Know?). The paper analyses the role of the compensation structure provided to the employees towards its betterment and current state of flourish. It is well known that COSTCO provides great benefit and very liberal compensation to its employees. A cashier of the company having work experience of four years earn above $40,000 along with all the other benefits in the company. Beside the benefits such as medical allowance, disability, dental check up facility etc., the person can also take a part in the 401K program of the company and can buy the stock options. If we minute analyze these benefits we can notice that these benefits are almost the top in the industry. If we compare the company with its counterpart in the industry Wal-Mart, we see that both these two companies follow the price oriented sales policy as their strategy. But when the Wal-Mart is highly criticized for its low pay and benefit strategy to its employees, the COSTCO is appreciated

Financial n accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial n accounting - Essay Example In past, these systems include manual processes but now due to technology advancement the accounting information system changed into Computerized Accounting Information System. Improvement in technology have replaced manual accounting system with computerizes ones. As computers become faster, less expensive, and easier to use; all organizations are using computers in their day to day business. With the help of computers, companies can now capture, process, store, and transmit data. It controls the topics which are related to organization’s economic- financial area. It helps in decision-making process, performance evaluation, facilitating company’s transaction and in internal controls through computerized accounting information system. It combines concepts and accounting principles to record, process, analyse the financial information and then produce it to its end users for the purpose of making economic decisions. Firm’s performance can be improved, through oper ational efficiency and increased profitability (Fowzia and Nasrin, 2011, p.1). Software tools in the Computerized Accounting Information System (CAIS) Accounting software This software consists of basic accounting functions like input, processing and output. There are two types of accounting software i.e. low-end software and high-end software. Personal computer based accounting system enable companies to provide better and timely information. Income tax Currently tax preparation software is available for companies. So, even in a short period of time complex calculations can be done. Audit Trial balance software helps auditors to handle different types of adjusting entries, to input the working trial balance and mechanically compute the adjusted trial balance. Word processing Word processing software is used by the accountants to prepare reports, memos, billings and financial statement. Graphics software It is used by the managerial accountants and auditors to graph the data in repo rts and financial statements. Image processing It captures electronic image of data so that it can be stored and shared. Accountants can process all the electronically by just scanning the paper documents in computer. Electronic data interchange A company can exchange documents electronically with other company with the help of electronic data interchange. Electronic funds transfer It enables companies to make collections and payment electronically. So, if companies are in a view to pay for accounts payable to a supplier, it can do it with the help of electronic fund transfer. Purpose of Computerized Accounting Information System Computerized accounting information system (CAIS) can be single programs or even part of a larger system like enterprise resource planning. The purpose of the system is to reduce manual steps in accounting process and offer automated activities in order to improve reporting. Every function plays a minor part in accounting information system. Individual func tions include accounts receivable, accounts payable, fixed assets, payroll, general accounting and cash management. CAIS often have modules that enable accountants to handle financial information related to their accounting tasks. Use of CAIS in the functioning of Organization CAIS saves time, reduce errors and eliminate waste by adopting

Theology and Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theology and Philosophy - Essay Example This approach emphasizes that belief in existence of god relates to the self-interest of people, rather than their faith in the god’s existence. This approach is supported by the argument that believing in god’s existence will mean being rewarded in heaven. However, if god does not exist, then only loss that people can have is the absence of this reward. Similarly, god’s existence would mean, for non-believers, going to hell and receiving infinite punishment. However, if god does not exist, it means no change in their condition. Pascal’s Wager is a better argument as it clearly defines the reason as self-interest of people to believe in god’s existence, while ontological argument is based on abstract reasoning only. (Arguments, nd) Natural theology and philosophy cannot be different, when discussing about the personal beliefs. For example, natural disasters such as the recent Nepal earthquake and Asian Tsunami reaffirm the belief that god exists. However, rational thinkers and philosophers provide scientific evidence for such happenings. The timing of these disasters cannot find any support from philosophical reasoning. Hindus and Buddhist have strong faith that the god is creator, destroyer and responsible for recreation as well.(Burke, 2015) When discussing about natural theology and philosophy, rational thinkers cannot deny about the existence of god, as the plain proofs such as above are sufficient to convince them. As human beings begin to ponder on the issues involving life and death, they realize that people are obliged to remain obedient to the god’s commands. However, these aspects of natural theology find scientific support from philosophy in establishing that the events or situations created by god can be scientifically explained and justified, as is evident in the Nepal’s earthquake. This affirms the existence of god, which is supported by the

Legalization of marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legalization of marijuana - Essay Example Therefore, this paper will seek ideas to develop an argument for and against legalization of marijuana, through elaboration of the ideas from different sources. Prohibition of marijuana is considered a misguided and ineffective policy, which has not contributed to reduction of marijuana consumption, since the government use funds to implement the policy, instead of collecting tax revenue from sales of legal marijuana. The government spends over ten billion dollars every year on enforcement of drug laws, thus resulting to cost of drug prohibition being wasted on the law enforcement resources. Therefore, government should impose a tax on sales of marijuana, hence eliminate the violence related to the organized drug trafficking (Edelson, 2012). Legalization of marijuana is also associated with a positive impact of lowering the crimes, since the regulation of drugs distribution can result to a reduction of the drug disputes, hence decreasing drug related crimes, besides, the use of marijuana can no longer be considered a crime resulting to a decreased number of criminals. Moreover, the prices of marijuana would decrease, thus cause a subsequent reduction in the crimes such as theft cases. On the other hand, prohibition of marijuana results to thousands arrests annually involving non-violent offences. The legalization would also make the police officers focus on serious crimes such as robberies, sexual assaults, violence, child abuse, burglaries and drunk driving. A relationship has been established between abuses of food intakes and the top ten leading causes of deaths in the world, but marijuana has never been mentioned; thus, there are no death tolls related to use or abuse of cannabis. In fact, the use of marijuana has not shown evidence related to causing health problems like cancer or heart disease; hence, it is considered harmless. Nevertheless, there

The Buying Patterns of the Consumers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Buying Patterns of the Consumers - Essay Example When flaws in this approach became apparent, during the mid-1990s, the focus shifted towards product orientation, which urged the marketers to spend all their resources in perfecting the quality of their products. The next ideology shift during the late 1970s brought the selling orientation, which preached the idea that in order to ensure sales and profits, companies should follow highly aggressive sales strategies (Lancaster & Massingham, 2010, p. 20).   Nevertheless, all these ideologies were stepping stones in allowing marketers to come up with the marketing innovation, which puts customers at the top of everything which the motto, â€Å"a customer is always right†. Marketing approach urges marketers and companies not to engage in â€Å"hunting† but â€Å"gardening†. Marketers agree that â€Å"make and sell† strategy is extremely short-sighted and today, in order to succeed, companies need to follow a â€Å"sense and respond† strategy. Organisations should not put in all their efforts to find the right customers for their products, but the focus should be on finding the right products for your customers (Solomon, 2006, p. 370).   More importantly, in order to find right products for your customers, you first need to have a thorough understanding of the needs and wants of your customers. Only when businesses have the proper knowledge about the buying patterns of their consumers, they can sustain their revenues and ensure that they rank high in terms of customer satisfaction.