Cost of Ambition in Macbeth Essay

Human society burdens itself with generating organizational systems of rank to distinguish groups of people. Ambition — the quest for power — is a foremost drive embedded in the human spirit that motives men to better themselves. This quest is seen in Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth with the titular character who strives to achieve and maintain ultimate power. The central aspect of Macbeth lies with the title character’s desire to both follow and diverge from his destiny. After hearing of his future greatness from the seemingly omnipotent Weird Sisters, Macbeth comes to realize the latent ambition trapped within him (Act 1, Scene III). This initial realization of potential unbars him from his prior self (a life of both honor and prestige) to transcend his well-established morals. Macbeth yearns for power over his country and over his fellow man, ambitions that lead him down a dark and bloody path. Shakespeare uses this fall from good graces to demonstrate to readers the cost of being overambitious. Prophecy foretold of Macbeth’s future rule as king and alluded to his eventual fate with a message of warning. However, in contrast of the warning to be wary, it was also said that no man born of a woman — as every man is — held decisive power over Macbeth (Act 4, Scene I). This bold statement lends greatly to the expansion of Macbeth’s irrationality during his later tirades. His overly ambitious quest for power motivates him to prematurely end the life of the current king, an act he has no need to execute, for had the prophecy of his kingship really been true, he’d have been crowned sooner or later, but his lust for power blinds him to this fact (Act 1, Scene V). Given his reputation as a war hero, none surmount the treachery of suspecting Macbeth of committing such a crime, especially when the cover-up was so well planned. For this reason, Macbeth could work behind the scenes, plotting his takeover of the country and none would dare suspect malicious intentions from him. In this way, his ambition was unchecked. As mentioned, Macbeth entirely disregards the prophecy warning that certain dangers threaten his prosperity as king. He does this not due to a lack of superstition; he clearly believes in the Weird Sisters’ words of praise and success. He does so because he holds the premonition of fortune on higher grounds that that of misfortune. Thus, that men are blinded by ambition is another message Shakespeare hoped to convey. The very same ambition — rather, the fear of losing the product of that ambition — led Macbeth to challenge the same prophecy that granted him the throne. He sought victory over all, took up arms against fate, and marched towards an undefeatable destiny by slaughtering any kinsmen with a possibility of stealing the throne away from him (Act 3, Scene I). These repeated ventures into meaningless manslaughter lead him further down a destructive path laid out for him by his desire for power. The desire corrupts him, and greater forces rise in opposition. Shakespeare’s powerful storytelling shines here as Macbeth’s obsession with power is met by the force of balance. Macbeth oversteps his bounds to prematurely attain a rank already in his possession; as a reaction, the righteous force of Macduff, a man seeking only the best for the country, rose to oppose him. Herein we discover the most important of messages: ambition void of righteousness leads nowhere. Macduff also sought power, power over those who would bring forth the destruction of his beloved country. Ina conflict between two opposing power-seekers, as Shakespeare makes evident by the death of Macbeth by the hands of Macduff, the more righteous force is destined to prevail (Act V, Scene VII). Macbeth suffered from a devastating internal conflict: coming to terms with the idea that one lived with strength to usurp his power. Swollen with pride, he denied that any such being existed and thus became further susceptible to Macduff’s greater strength. Shakespeare conveys how the quest for power is a truly crippling experience when taken outside the bounds of rational thought. His character Macbeth actively seeks what is owed to by by the passage of time and ultimately pays the price for his misjudgment. Had Macbeth rationalized the situations presented to him by the Weird Sisters, he’d have taken their words as the prophecy of a reward for his national pride, not as instruments of corruption.

Case Study: Our Perfect Wedding Essay

Claire has done a reasonably good job about target markets for her new web based business, and understands the relevant needs quite well. But for the marketing mix, she as fallen short because it’s not clear whether this business involves one strategy or several strategies. For example, a marketing mix that appeals to engaged couples would not be the same as a marketing mix that appeals to the companies that pay for web pages. Claire’s target markets are engaged couples /newlyweds (for gift registry); companies that target newlyweds with both goods and services (with the advertising of web pages); and friends and family of the couple to be married (whom the advertisers want to reach). Claire has done a reasonably good job about target markets for her new web based business, and understands the relevant needs quite well. But for the marketing mix, she has fallen short because it’s not clear whether this business involves one strategy or several strategies. For example, a marketing mix that appeals to engaged couples would not be the same as a marketing mix that appeals to the companies that pay for web pages. Claire’s target markets are engaged couples /newlyweds (for gift registry); companies that target newlyweds with both goods and services (with the advertising of web pages); and friends and family of the couple to be married (whom the advertisers want to reach). What may or may not be obvious at first is that there is little about this business that requires that it be focused only on customers or advertisers in the same city or metro area. To the contrary, gift-givers who are inclined to get on the internet to check a wedding registry might be equally willing to order gifts from distant companies (advertisers), especially if the company provides special services such as gift wrap, personalized gift cards, and delivery direct to the recipient. Even for local customers, there may be a number of mail order, catalog, and specialty retailers in distant locations who are interested in reaching this target market. Simply focusing on retailers or service providers in the local area to generate website listings and advertising revenue may not make sense. Similarly, there is little reason that the registry service should be limited to local couples-a user of the Internet usually doesn’t know or care whether the base operation for a website is nearby or far away. To the extent that there are advantages of localizing aspects of the service, Claire could potentially set up a segmented approach in which different parts of the website were designed to appeal to people from different areas. As a start, for example, she might think about retailers or advertisers who have facilities or base operations in her own area but who also are targeting customers in other places. Let’s think about the marketing mix that Claire offers for each of these target markets. For each group: What is the specific product (and what are its benefits)? What is the price of obtaining those benefits? How are the benefits promoted? And (to a lesser extent) what is Claire’s role in the place arrangements between the advertisers and their customers? How does her current geographic focus come into play? The benefits for engaged couples seem pretty clear. The $20 price to register is not a big investment if it saves time and leads to the desired gifts rather than things that are not of interest. So, it is unlikely that price sensitivity should be big concerns unless other services appear that will provide the service (and/or other superior benefits) for free. This is certainly a possibility because revenue from advertisers could pay for the services provided if enough advertisers and customers can be attracted. If the couple doesn’t know about the service and doesn’t know to look for it, they won’t sign up. There is also some evidence for this diagnosis because the main flurry of activity came after Claire finally got some attention with publicity. That attention and interest simply wasn’t forthcoming from her limited advertising. Claire should work harder to get more publicity. There also seems to be a very important role for word-of-mouth referrals here. For example, there is no explicit discussion in the case about how friends and family of the couples are supposed to learn about the website, but it would certainly make sense to develop ideas that could be shared with the registered couples about how to inform gift givers about the website, what it is supposed to do, and how it is supposed to work. Furthermore, the relationship with couples who do sign up needs to be a close one, even if for only a short time period. Most couples are not going to be repeat customers but on the other hand, couples who are about to get married often know others who are at the same life stage; especially the among the younger first time married. Claire needs to think about how to stimulate word-of-mouth referrals so that people who do sign up help to bring in additional customers. Since she doesn’t have a lot of money, one way to do this is to think in terms of marginal revenue from new customers and what it might cost her to acquire a customer. It might be better and cheaper to offer couples who recommend the service to a friend a $5 or $10 â€Å"rebate† on the $20 fee, or perhaps she could enter them in a bi-monthly drawing for some more substantial prize like a honeymoon trip. So far, Claire has not done a particularly good job of giving advertisers a reason to buy into her service. She is basically selling a professional service to them, but most of them can’t evaluate it in advance and they are unclear about its benefits. The comparison with the cost of a Yellow Pages ad is interesting because it provides a sort of reference price for the advertiser. Yet, the advertiser probably sees some sort of Yellow Pages listing as a must buy. Perhaps this sort of website advertising will become a must buy, but probably not until more of these companies target customers who think of the web as â€Å"the place† to look for this sort of information. Claire is also being a bit production-oriented in the way she is thinking about her product. She designs web pages in her other job, and so she is thinking about potential advertisers who need a web page. But companies that already have a good web page might be more interested in something else, like a banner ad or button ad at her website that would allow a net surfer to click over to get their existing message. Companies that have already invested in a website know that they face the same problem that Claire does–they want to attract people to the site. So, for them the value of banner ads (perhaps at a lower cost, or even with the fee based on the number of click-through from Claire’s website) might be easier to see. Claire also might think about the pricing arrangement for advertisers. She currently bundles the price of the on-time service of preparing the web page and the ongoing online web page. She might want to charge separately for the preparation of the web page and/or allow customers to have something more elaborate than a single page. Claire’s service in many ways operates with the same approach as a magazine attracting an audience and advertisers who want to reach that audience. Yet, most companies that sell advertising media time and space rely on personal selling and/or offer incentives to advertising agencies or others that refer business. Claire hasn’t done much personal selling to advertisers, even after her direct response mailing didn’t work. The case offers several hints why she didn’t like the job she had doing personal selling, and she is busy doing other things. It is likely that if she is going to need to get help if the personal selling parts of her promotion blend is going to be handled well. Since she doesn’t have a big budget, she might think about trying to find someone who would sell advertising space on her website on a straight commission basis. That way, she would not have much expense until she had revenues. Of course, the salesperson would still need to have a good story to tell, and that might depend on having a way to better establish the link between the advertiser’s sales and visits to the websites. For example, if Claire could convince advertisers to offer a small discount to customers who purchased because of the website she might be more successful in getting customers to tell the advertisers that â€Å"I am an OurPerfectWedding. com† customer. The case also portrays her as a doer not as a planner, which is in part true. She had an idea but doesn’t have a detailed plan for what needs to be done. Rather, she hasn’t yet really made the investment of time and money to give her idea a chance to work. She’s a doer when it comes to some things but has not really been a dedicated doer when it comes to getting this business started. She probably wouldn’t have the time to do that unless she gave up her full-time job or really cut back on her social life. While it is not hard to think about different things that Claire could do, what is perhaps more relevant is what is she willing to do.

Detergents Case Essay

A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with â€Å"cleaning properties in dilute solutions.†[1] These substances are usually alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less likely than the polar carboxyl (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water. In most household contexts, the term detergent by itself refers specifically to laundry detergent or dish detergent, as opposed to hand soap or other types of cleaning agents. Detergents are commonly available as powders or concentrated solutions. Detergents, like soaps, work because they are amphiphilic: partly hydrophilic (polar) and partly hydrophobic (non-polar). Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds (like oil and grease) with water. Because air is not hydrophilic, detergents are also foaming agents to varying degrees. Contents [hide] 1 Chemical classification of detergents 1.1 Anionic detergents 1.2 Cationic detergents 1.3 Non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents 2 Major applications of detergents 2.1 Laundry detergents 2.2 Fuel additives 2.3 Biological Reagent 2.4 Soapless soap 3 See also 4 References 5 External links [edit]Chemical classification of detergents Detergents are classified into three broad groupings, depending on the electrical charge of the surfactants. [edit]Anionic detergents Typical anionic detergents are alkylbenzenesulfonates. The alkylbenzene portion of these anions is lipophilic and the sulfonate is hydrophilic. Two different varieties have been popularized, those with branched alkyl groups and those with linear alkyl groups. The former were largely phased out in economically advanced societies because they are poorly biodegradable.[2] An estimated 6 billion kilograms of anionic detergents are produced annually for domestic markets. Bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DOC), are anionic detergents produced by the liver to aid in digestion and absorption of fats and oils. Three kinds of anionic detergents: a branched sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, linear sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and a soap. [edit]Cationic detergents Cationic detergents are similar to the anionic ones, with a hydrophobic component, but, instead of the anionic sulfonate group, the cationic surfactants have quaternary ammonium as the polar end. The ammonium center is positively charged.[2] [edit]Non-ionic and zwitterionic detergents Non-ionic detergents are characterized by their uncharged, hydrophilic headgroups. Typical non-ionic detergents are based on polyoxyethylene or a glycoside. Common examples of the former include Tween, Triton, and the Brij series. These materials are also known as ethoxylates or PEGylates. Glycosides have a sugar as their uncharged hydrophilic headgroup. Examples include octyl-thioglucoside and maltosides. HEGA and MEGA series detergents are similar, possessing a sugar alcohol as headgroup. Zwitterionic detergents possess a net zero charge arising from the presence of equal numbers of +1 and −1 charged chemical groups. Examples include CHAPS. See surfactants for more applications. [edit]Major applications of detergents [edit]Laundry detergents Main article: laundry detergent One of the largest applications of detergents is for cleaning clothing. The formulations are complex, reflecting the diverse demands of the application and the highly competitive consumer market. In general, laundry detergents contain water softeners, surfactants, bleach, enzymes, brighteners, fragrances, and many other agents. The formulation is strongly affected by the temperature of the cleaning water and varies from country to country. [edit]Fuel additives Both carburetors and fuel injector components of Otto engines benefit from detergents in the fuels to prevent fouling. Concentrations are about 300 ppm. Typical detergents are long-chain amines and amides such as polyisobuteneamine and polyisobuteneamide/succinimide.[3] [edit]Biological Reagent Reagent grade detergents are employed for the isolation and purification of integral membrane proteins found in biological cells. Advancements in the purity and sophistication of detergents have facilitated structural and biophysical characterization of important membrane proteins such as ion channels,[4] transporters, signaling receptors, and photosystem II.[5] [edit]Soapless soap Soapless soap refers to a soapfree liquid cleanser with a slightly acidic pH.[6] Soapless soaps are used in an array of products.

Online Restaurant Promotions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Online Restaurant Promotions - Case Study Example Restaurant.com offered discounts on gift certificates. Consumers could use these gift certificates at more than 9,500 participating restaurants. These certificates were available in variety of denominations and were distributed individually. Restaurant.com had a simple, fast and free sign-up program for restaurants willing to participate in the system. Rewards Network offered incentives to customers if they dined at any of the company’s 9,542 affiliated restaurants. These incentives were given by way of reward points which were credited to customer’s credit cards. Rewards Network also allowed cash refunds and offered bonuses on the first dine. Regular users got VIP bonuses from the company. Open table offered round-the-clock reservation services for participating restaurants. The service was thus a substitute for telephonic reservations made by the consumers. Open Table created a database of the consumers which could be effectively used by the restaurants in their advertising campaigns. The internet provides numerous opportunities with respect to restaurant promotions. The restaurants can have their own websites as well as place their advertisements on other websites. The restaurants can have their own page that details the location, menu and reviews of customers on websites like CitySearch. The internet can be used to send e-mails to current and prospective customers. Restaurants can also attract more customers with the help of online affiliate

Business Event Managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business Event Managment - Assignment Example Different sponsors have come on board to showcase what they offer to the business environment making economic and financial sense. This career expo brings together potential employees who are basically the students and professionals from different industry sectors so that the right candidates can access employment opportunities by matching up the right talent with potential employers. Not forgetting investors who are willing to create job opportunities with people who have great ideas which have not been tapped yet thereby enhancing entrepreneurial culture. It’s important to note that in coming up with this event, there are four key departments that have been set up, each with different functions. In a way the event planning itself prepares the people involved who are basically the students in what happens in a normal business set up. Each department though independent, having different roles and responsibilities depends on the other departments to make sure that the event is successful, bringing in the aspect of interdependence within any organization. Without which, the event cannot be successful. The four departments and their functions are outlined below; Legal department- this ensures that the event to be held does not contravene the state laws and that all the procedures required in holding a career fair are met. This means that all the documentation necessary to hold an event must be acquired following the legislation of the state. Adherence must be followed to the latter. Specifically, this department will be required to acquire permits, licenses and approvals for the career fair. It’s also their responsibility to understand legal obligations, to identify and reduce any risk to occupational health and safety, not to just deal with the consequences. In addition, all suppliers for the event in form of sponsors, investors, exhibitors and any corporates coming on board on that particular day will be required have their own public

The American 2010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The American 2010 - Essay Example In his attempts to disengage from death and to connect to the rest of the world, the filmmakers must find ways to emotionally express these changes through the way in which the production is designed. Plot Summary and Critic’s Reviews There is a unique twist in the plot of The American, the story not following the normal hit man thriller formulation that one might expect. Clooney plays a man who is good at his craft, making unique weapons that are used for creative assassinations. This is not done with some type of fantastical or over the top, â€Å"Q† from James Bond sort of way, but with a sense of realism. The brooding nature of the film helps to frame this profession, the seriousness of the ‘business’ of death relevant to the structure of the story. Clooney’s character, Jack, wants to be at the end of his career, the most recent event of an ambush bringing his attention to the fact that he was lucky to have survived the many close calls in his li fe. When he goes to Italy and to the town in which he is to make his last weapon, he begins to reach out, but almost imperceptibly, to the others. The priest and the prostitute provide a contrast of moral natures, each providing a part of the human contact that he has been without for most of his life. Film critic Rebecca Murray sees Jack’s relationships with the priest and the prostitute as cold and unresponsive. While both characters seem to be fascinated by Jack, he gives them very little in return, their investment in his attention far greater than his in theirs. Murray describes the film as being vacant, without much action or dialogue, thus leaving the film viewer as empty as Jack in the way in which they are limited in engaging with the film. She says â€Å"Even the charm and talent of Clooney can’t make Jack accessible to the audience as he’s trying to stay alive†. The American was not a critical success with average film viewers. According to Mur ray, â€Å"The American doesn’t capitalize on its uniqueness, taking leaps in storytelling and using far too many coincidental events to move things forward†. The problem with the film is created through the conflict of having an unsympathetic, emotionally crippled character and trying to evoke sympathy and emotional connectivity from the audience. It can be accomplished, but it is a tough project for a director to do it with success. According to Clabough, Clooney’s character establishes earlier on in the film that he is not a good guy, thus disconnecting the audience from their sympathy with him. Clabough states â€Å"Jack has loyalties to no one but himself, a malevolent character trait exemplified early in the film when Jack must kill the woman with whom he just made love to protect his own identity, though he is ridden with guilt that often materializes in nightmares†. Unfortunately, he never really turns that corner to reconnect or create a sympathe tic reaction from the way in which the story unfolds after his unsympathetic nature is revealed. Clabough sees no point to the character of the priest, his appearances only seeming to provide an opportunity for dialogue. The critic feels that this is one more opportunity for Hollywood to attack Christianity through revealing that the priest has a child out of wedlock, thus should not have put himself up as one to judge Jack about

Water and sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Water and sustainability - Essay Example conomy and population over the past decades has brought tremendous cost to the nation’s environmental sustainability (Liu, Jianguo, and Wu Yang 650). Although both China and the USA are economically developed, the simultaneous effects of the industrialization, agricultural growth, and urbanization coupled with the declining ground and surface water quantity are some of the crucial problems facing water sustainability in China. This paper therefore, explores the comparison of water sustainability between China and USA while taking keen interest on the problems of the water sustainability in China and the solutions. The USA’S EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is committed to the promotion of the sustainable practices that helps ensuring that the citizens continue enjoying the benefits of the safe and clean water. As a result the tap water in the USA relatively cleaner as compared to that of China. The tap water in U.S is generally good. In the 2006, 89.3% of the nation’s community water system were in total compliance with EPA. Unlike China, most of the water systems in the USA that are out of compliance are the small systems in the small towns and rural areas partly because most of the public water systems are generally small ones. Another reason for the cleaner tap water in the USA is that the drinking water in the U.S is regulated by the federal and state laws and codes that sets Maximum Contaminant Levels for some of the pollutants and the naturally occurring constituents. The federal and state laws and codes are tasked with the determination of the various operational req uirements, public notifications of the standards, provision of guidance to the state primacy agencies and publish the consumer confidence reports (Liu, Jianguo, and Wu Yang 650). Unlike China, the laws in the US such as Safe Drinking Water Act ensure quality of the drinking water is high. The public water systems in the US must comply with the laws to ensure that the water is safe.