Movies in american culture

â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama† is a movie about Melanie Smooter played by Reese Witherspoon who is engaged to Andrew Hennings played by Patrick Dempsey and was out to go back to her hometown to divorce with her husband Jake Perry played by Josh Lucas. Melanie is a fashion designer who is with Patrick, a son of the mayor in New York. When Patrick asked Melanie to marry her, Melanie decided to go back to her hometown in Alabama to divorce with her husband Jake. Jake didn’t give her what she wants and so she was trap for a wile in the town so as to insist Jake to finally sign the paper of divorce. The story started on a beach with two kids, a boy and a girl. That was Melanie and Jake running on the beach while it’s raining. Jake tells Melanie that he wanted to marry her and Melanie asked why. From that flashback scene comes the present time with Melanie being engaged with her boyfriend and about to face her past with Jake.   It wasn’t easy for Melanie to convince Jake to sign the divorce paper. During her stay in Alabama, she had the chance to visit her family. Melanie soon realizes that a part of her was still on that place. And even if she tries to go on with her new life, there is unfinished business that she needs to settle. Going back to her hometown seems to be an awkward situation for Melanie, especially when she joins her high school friends and reminisced about their old days. Those scenes will provide the viewers a wide understanding of the movie and how the sequence relates to another one. There were less flashbacks but the film provides scenes that will give better understanding to the past where it is important to show how things  happened after Melanie left Jake in Alabama and went to New York. As the film progresses, it clearly showed how a scene is related to another and its viewers will get to understand and appreciate the film more so. The film relates to us a story of a girl who found her new life outside her old hometown and forgets that she is still in that hometown whether she likes it or not. Melanie thinks she got everything she wished for but she didn’t realized that what he left in that hometown will give her more than what she needs in life. Jake on the other hand still loves Melanie and is man enough to accept that Melanie wanted to call everything quits. Jake strived hard to make a good living and Melanie didn’t realize that. A true love story that is romantic on its own, comedy and light.   â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama† is a film that will teach us to appreciate what we had and to learn that it wont hurt us to look back on out past once in a while. Personally, I liked the movie because of its simple and natural attack to its viewers. It will make you relate yourself to the characters of the film and will make you think of a possible situation in your own life. The film thought me that no matter how decided we are on one thing that we thought could make us happy, there is a thing that lies around us that will make us realized how important it is to our life. Regardless of the fact that Melanie has already found her new life and love, she didn’t realize that she left something more valuable and important than any other things in her life and that is Jake. The film also showed us that there are mistakes that could be done right and that no matter how painful your past is, you will never erase the fact that it will always be a part  of whom you are and what you have become. Nonetheless, the film provides us the understanding of how life gives us challenges that we can surpass. That sometimes even if we get out of the life we have and create a new one with others, we will still feel the need to go back to our old life and make it right. The film is beautifully made that is why I recommend this movie to be watched by other people. It showed the very meaning of love and it addresses to its viewer how love is sweeter the second time around. The film should be watched by young adults and as well as by the not so young and old people who is fond of romantic and comedy film. The characters of the film will surely make an impact to the life of its viewer and it will teach a good lesson in life. Indeed, the film gives us the chance to see a good story comes with a good cast of actors with remarkable acting skills. â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama† is a movie that I will not get tired of watching over and over again. It is a movie that will make you smile in the beginning from end. It is a movie with a taste of love, life and second chances put into one masterpiece that will satisfy its viewer to the end. Definitely, â€Å"Sweet Home Alabama† is a great movie to watch with your friends and/or special someone. Keep in mind to just enjoy watching the movie and try to create a story in your mind same as the movie for you to be able to relate your self more to the movie. But the movie is very easy to understand, you just need to take a good look of it and listen to the lines very well. Nevertheless, it is a movie that will share a wonderful life of success, share of pain and a happy ending that will make it even better for you to watch it again. References Sweet Home Alabama (2002). The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www.imdb.com. Sweet Home Alabama Facts.   Movies.Com. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://movies.go.com         

Definition and Examples of Allusion

Definition and Examples of Allusion The definition of allusion is a brief, usually indirect reference to another person, place, or event- real or fictional. Its use is a shortcut way of bringing extra meaning, clarity, or further explanation of an idea by referencing something that the audience already understands. Allusions may be historical, mythological, literary, pop cultural, or even personal. They can show up in literature, movies, television, comic books, video games, and ordinary conversations. Key Takeaways: Allusions An allusion is a reference to something else.A well-chosen allusion can pack a lot of meaning into very few words.The context of the reference needs to be understood by the audience, or not all of your meaning will be conveyed. The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion explains the techniques use this way: It is often possible to pack more meaning into a well-chosen allusion than into a roughly equivalent descriptive term from the general language either because an allusion can carry some of the  connotations  of the whole story from which it is drawn, or because an individuals name can be associated with more than one characteristic. (Introduction Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion, 3rd ed., edited by Andrew Delahunty and Sheila Dignen. Oxford University Press, 2010). An allusion is more subtle than a metaphor or simile, as a comparison. As a verb, the word is allude  and as an adjective, allusive. It is also known as an echo or a reference. Allusion in Literature Poetry often contains allusion, as every word in a poem carries lots of weight, so a simple allusive phrase in a poem can bring forth many additional layers of meaning. Prose and drama can carry allusions too. Rich sources of allusions include the literary works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, and George Orwell (among many others). Literary works can refer to other works to make a point (like Shakespearean characters referring to Greek myths or common superstitions of the time), or pop culture can make allusions to famous literature. Call someone a Shylock or a Romeo, and youre referring to Shakespeare. Use the phrase catch-22 to describe a paradoxical situation, and youre actually referring to a novel by Joseph Heller, whether you realize it or not.  If someone refers to an Adonis or an odyssey, those are Greek allusions. If you talk about taking the road less traveled, youre alluding to a Robert Frost poem. Biblical Allusions Biblical allusions are everywhere because theyre so widely understood. Anytime anyone speaks of Noah, a flood, an ark, Moses, a prodigal son returning, money-changers, Adam and Eve, a snake (or serpent), Eden, or David conquering Goliath- those are all biblical allusions.   Warren Buffet was once quoted as saying, I violated the Noah rule: predicting rain doesnt count; building arks does. Allusion in Political Speech Politicians make allusions all the time. Anytime you hear versions of anyone speaking softly or carrying a big stick, or having a big stick policy that person is alluding to Theodore Roosevelts views on foreign policy or his breaking up monopolies. Another phrase often alluded to is one from John F. Kennedys inaugural address, ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country. Senator Obamas call to ask not just what our government can do for us, but what we can do for ourselves had an even more direct connection to the inaugural address of the first G.I. Generation president of the United States. (Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, Millennial Makeover. Rutgers University Press, 2008) Or Abraham Lincoln- anytime people are counting in scores, theyre likely alluding to the Gettysburg Address, which starts four score and seven years ago. The location of Martin Luther King Jr.s I have a dream speech being by the Lincoln Memorial was no accident but an allusion. Also, widely used allusions to famous quotes  include the U.S. Constitutions We the people or the Declaration of Independences unalienable rights. Allusion in Pop Culture and Memes Pop culture allusions have a shorter shelf life, to be sure, but things that start out on social media do on occasion become part of the mass consciousness. For example, if you hear something referred to as a challenge, it could likely be referring to doing something seen in a video online- either to raise money for charity, as in the ice-bucket challenge that raised money for ALS, or something thats dangerous, like kids attempting to eat laundry detergent pods.   Memes that follow big news stories are also allusions. Following the news of the latter challenge, social media saw lots of memes making fun of the idiocy of anyone whod even think of eating laundry soap, like Back in my day, we had our mouths washed out with soap as punishment. It doesnt mention the pod challenge directly but alludes to it.   Comic books have become reference points in the most popular and the most esoteric fiction and art. Everyone understands a Superman allusion or a Batman joke.  (Gerard Jones,  Men of Tomorrow, Basic Books, 2005)

Social Anxiety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Anxiety - Essay Example SAD is a psychiatric anxiety disorder with an extreme and excessive anxiety over everyday situation. It is a chronic feeling of devastation and fear of being watched and judged by others. Society anxiety causes physical symptoms which include stuttering, sweating, shaking and trembling, choking, chills, blushing, sweating, muscle tension, a fear of dying, losing control, or insanity. Some people may face such severe social anxiety that they experience panic attacks. A panic attack comes on suddenly and the fear is very intense. The physical symptoms of a panic attack include shallow breathing, difficulty in breathing, rapid heart beat, lightheadedness, and feeling as if one will faint. A person may feel that he/she will die during a panic attack but it will usually subside within 20-30 minutes. There are many contributing factors that lead to social anxiety. There are lifestyle and psychological factors that increase the risk of social anxiety. (Repich, 2002; Deas and Thomas, 2002; and Wardy, 2002.) These include the following: The diagnosis of social anxiety involves a medical practitioner reviewing one's background, medical history, symptoms, lifestyle, and dietary intake. The health care provider may conduct a psychological assessment.

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Research Paper - Essay Example As the world continue to apply information technology in various sectors such as banking, education, trade and entertainment, intellectual property issues have become even more complicated. This has led to the formulation of a new set of laws known as cyber laws. Consequently, cyber crimes are defined as any form of malpractice that involves tampering with computer based resources, cyber fraud, cyber based intimidation, and computer hackings are some of the major cyber crimes. These laws are incorporated in the information technology act, 2000. It is difficult to implement intellectual property rights without proper cyber laws and legislation. Intellectual property Patents A patent is a legal document that is issued by the federal government to an inventor. The document gives the owner exclusive rights of reproducing or participating in his innovation without threats from other developers. The right is meant to promote creativity and innovation in various industries2. Moreover, paten t rights allow members of the public to disclose innovations and other forms of technological advances in their respective industries3. Laws meant to protect intellectual property under patents have been criticized for certain ambiguities. This has necessitated constant reviews to make the required adjustments. Thus, suitable legislations should have clear definitions on patents and the extent to which patents can be applied. Furthermore, suitable legislation should set limits beyond which the legislations are considered to be violated. This is to safeguard innovators and other property developers from accusations of intellectual property theft. Trademarks Trademarks are quality assurance symbols and information used to identify the quality of a product. Ideally, trademarks are business items that are meant to protect manufacturers and traders. Tirade marks have often been accused of promoting monopoly trade, which may be harmful to the economy. This is because they promote the sale and continuity of popular products while they inconvenience inexperienced entrepreneurs. Trademarks are also used as sources of standards for a particular products and services. Copyrights Copyrights are constitutional property rights, which grant rightful owner, creators, or authors of certain material exclusive rights over their production and distribution. Copyrights provisions are meant to promote innovation and useful arts by offering incentives and protection to their owners. Ideally, copyrights protect intangible and original works including music, research, books, photographs, films, and computer software. Copyright is a collection of rights that include; the right to reproduce copyrighted material, rights to derive additional work, rights to distribution and public display. Each of these rights is protected under the information Technology Act of 2000. Cyber crime A cyber crime is regarded as any crime or offense that violates The Information Technology Act 2000. This rede finition leaves out major issues and provisions that threaten activities in the real world. Moreover, cyber laws conflicts with freedom of information and cyber space. Certainly, cyber laws cannot work in isolation and they require adequate collaboration with other supportive or related laws. For example, a person who is accused of sending intimidating massages over the internet will be charged with criminal intimidation provisions that are contained in the common laws4. Further, a person

Feminism, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Feminism, - Essay Example While it is important to appreciate that these practices happen within a cultural context we then mirror the same aspects through the western culture and knowledge, global health, feminist and humanitarian perspective to come up with themes of similarity and contrast. â€Å"The Pain of Thinking too Much, dolor de cerebro and the Embodiment of Social Hardship among Nicaraguan Women† is the main article in this report. Yarris mentions about families whose sons and daughters migrate to Costa Rica, Panama, Spain and the U.S in search for work and better lives for their families. The migration of sons and daughters is equated to combating poverty and those left behind have to assume caregiver roles and responsibilities, which is often an added burden. The women worry over the security and safety of their children as they transcend borders using illegal means to gain entry. In Nicaragua, the economics of migration sees households making a decision of send one or more members to neig hboring countries to work as a strategy to increase the income and economic security. The capitalistic economies create inferior jobs under pathetic working conditions in order to remain profitable with nationals unwilling to accept working in these conditions. This line of thought perceives the economics of the well to do countries exploiting and destroying poor countries through social fragmentation (Yarris 230). While some contemplate genital female mutilation with horror, others exalt and translate the process as purification and to constitute an important part of shaping and defining feminine sexuality, aesthetic and religion. Amidst the pain and discomfort, there is pride, joy, satisfaction and emotional attachment with girls who undergo the practice as initiates. Both authors converge in similarity on how history and human society use pain as a social mechanism to manipulate women and transform their identity. Human beings spend most of their lives in pain or suffering. Pain and suffering can be viewed punishment, sacrifice, reward or destiny. Aristotle spoke of pain as passions of the soul and to this day, we associate these emotions with matters of the soul and spirituality. Social forces through social institutions, global systems and culture cause social suffering. This is as witnesses in horrifying inhuman global acts and the role of institutional policies in producing greater suffering to human beings. In the era of organized religion pain and suffering was attributed to superior powers. The gods would determine when, how, who, where and the kind of suffering to give to human beings as an indication of their displeasure. In Christianity, suffering is not considered a bad thing or experience, but an essential aspect to get closer to God. In eastern cultures, self-inflicted pain is a religious tradition and believed to be manageable (Walley 406). According to â€Å"Searching for Voices, Feminism Anthropology and the Global Debate on Female Genital Operations†, the worrier syndrome among Nicaragua women and genital mutilation as embedded in traditions may have serious effects on the health of populations. The older women suffer both mentally and emotionally as the worry and feel anxious for family members who are away especially if the person is a son, daughter or both. They are

Hillary Clinton Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hillary Clinton Campaign - Essay Example An excellent writing skill must be employed for an intelligent idea could be senseless without it being well-expressed. Though base on his/her opinion, the writer must be very careful with such strong emotions or personal bias as that could be a hinder in presenting a rational explanation. Prior to writing, the author must first check his own view specially if it was from an incoherent source or was formed many years ago. Faludi, on the first part of her article had made a concise yet substantial view of the current politics in America as she creatively relates it to the gender issue using the masculine myth as she expound on Boone's "Rescue" tableau. Her struggle to convince her reader to adhere to her strong preference towards McCain has been made very obvious as she presents the facts in a very explicit manner that displays McCain's masculinity in contrast to Obama's femininity. She needs not to make a last statement her conclusion because it has been clear in every part of her text. This discrimination, however, could possibly elicit the danger of appearing so biased that the reader would not want to continue reading knowing that they would be presented with the same presentation of the same argument. She has a great tendency to persuade her audience of her perspective that were based upon agreed-upon facts and shared values between McCain supporters and Obama's detractors. Her argument would be effective in aggravating McCain's supporters' admiration towards the politician, but for those on the opposite view as well as those in the middle, the article should have been inconspicuously partial. Collins' has concisely yet completely defined his own position early in his text as he dealt with a distinct, contentious issue. He skillfully states his stance without distorting any information. This he had done by having a profound knowledge on the issue beforehand thus he managed to create a logical explanation that have the power to convince even Clinton's supporter. He quoted reliable authorities like the person of Muriel Fox who was one of National Organization for Women's founder to back-up his idea. As using the first person weakens argument (Jordan-Henley, 2008), he need not to pronounce his text using such. He had refrained from presenting any bias by pointing out the bad side, "Her campaign was messy, and it made some fatal tactical errors" (Collins, 2008) as well as the good side, "But nobody who sent her a donation could accuse her of not giving them their money's worth" (Collins, 2008) of his opposing points. Allowing this type of compromise and portrayal of justice ha d been one of his effective tactics that had surely won neural readers' approval. Speaking adeptly, his discreet words and reasonable details have the power to move skeptics. Among the three authors, Herbert was apparently the only one who had backed up his idea using a considerably acceptable source, quoting from national poll by Lifetime television as well as nonpartisan campaign. He had been very clear with his topic as he creates an actual picture of the current gender issue that U.S. was experiencing at the very moment. He's introduction had been nonetheless factual and the rest of the text was

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance Management System Corporate Governance The management system and governance of each and every organisation is accountable for the maintenance of the organisation’s strength and survival in the stiff competition in the business world. The role of the governance imposed by the organisation as a whole should always be open minded for the occurrences of changes in order to adjust and cope with the tremendous development that are happening in the internal and external environment of the organisation. With the constantly changing environment, many people especially those in the working organisation find themselves normally adapting. This is because change can bring many improvement and development in different aspects of competency. In many ways, change can make work easier, pave the way for future innovations or generally improve people’s lives. Similarly, change has been adapted by various work organisations for varied reasons. Important changes in the understanding and management of corporate governance and its impacts on businesses have been developed in the past 10 to 15 years. Various researchers, practitioners and policymakers now acknowledge that corporate governance and its impacts on businesses can be conceptualised from a functional perspective and that appropriate interventions involve the development of alternative measures to cope up. It was also noted that the establishment of a conducive environment for learning and training as an integral component of corporate governance have served effectively in implementing organisational change strategies for transformation. At present, this philosophical shift has extended to various settings, including multinational companies and organisations. Directors here have recognised that some employees do not have the skills and behavioural repertoires necessary to cope with the many expectations and challenges of corporate governance. Hence, these employees m ay have the tendency to remain contented with their mediocre performances as their alternative way of mitigating these expectations. Corporate governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated. The execution of corporate governance leads to the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to satisfy a firms customers, employees, and management. It also focuses on the careful management of the processes involved in the relationships among all the stakeholders involved (Bhattacharya, 2000). More often than not, small companies dont really have the capabilities to implement corporate governance. Instead, these companies engage in activities that various schools of management typically associate with the implementation of corporate governance. These activities include the establishment of rules, policies for decision-making, monitoring and evaluation. However, corporate governance deals with all operations done within companies and organisations. Activities such as the management of responsibilities, the control of operations, logistics and evaluations are often related with corporate governance. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, corporate governance includes the analysis and management of internal processes. The Body Shop will be the model business entity that will be used in this research based on their history in corporate governance. Company Background A known British chain of cosmetic stores called â€Å"Body Shop† which is found almost all over the world shows tremendous success in previous years is also the company The Body Shop International plc. Actually, The Body Shop agreed to a  £652 million takeover offer by a French cosmetics group LOrà ©al on 17 March 2006. The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick, distinguished for selling its own line of products not tested on animals, and produced in an ecologically sustainable approach (wikipedia, 2006). The Body Shop aims for sustainable growth as a broad market leader in cosmetics as well as for segment leadership. In both cases, the brands of The Body Shop will play a crucial part. The Body Shop is able to establish its broad leadership usually by merging with other strong cosmetics companies and their products, which are then combined into a new, larger company. Offering training to its employees, improving the company operations, and the introduction of new beauty products and technologies then reinforces the positions of the various products of The Body Shop. This practically results in economies of scale that is able to create a distribution network for both its local and international products. If a market is already in the control of other companies, The Body Shop devotes its attention towards the development of a premium segment with its various beauty products. Discussions Any business organisation fundamentally exists because it has certain responsibilities to fulfil for the people in the community as well as the various entities comprising it. The organisation has its human entity ranging from the staff, to the managers, board of directors, stakeholders, suppliers and so forth. All these groups have their own set of functions that contribute to the determination of the business goals, the delivery mechanisms of goods and services, and the operational patterns within the organisation. Furthermore, business organisations are part of the larger society where the markets and consumers are targeted and derived. The complexity of the internal and external surroundings of the business necessitates crucial deliberations and decisions in order to ensure the effective and continuous affairs of the organisation. The overall management of the internal and external affairs of the organisation is what basically forms corporate governance. Basic Definitions 1) Corporate Governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated (Bhattacharya, 2000). 2) Company Performance can be measured in terms of the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to acquire the essential goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, leading to the overall satisfaction of a firms customers, employees, and management (Booms, 1981). Role of Executive Directors Executive directors have the primary role to make specific identifications of all the possible sources of evaluation information which includes company performance. This is because aside from the observations of the immediate supervisors, company performance evaluation information can still come from a variety of other sources, including the employees, subordinates, and work products (Einsestat, 2001). For example, whenever The Body Shop utilises company performance information from individuals other than the immediate supervisor, the management informs the employees of the possible sources at the start of the company performance cycle, where they receive their company performance plans. In addition, these executive directors are the people who develop their company’s performance plans. The plans are signed by the employees and then passed on to the management for approval. They make sure that company performance plans are complete and adequate before signing the forms (Gonzalez, 2003). Executive directors also discuss the company performance plans with the employees in a clear and organised manner. Generally, discussions are conducted within 30 days of the start of the company performance cycle. Role of Non-executive Directors Non-executive directors document their company’s performance and provide feedback to the executive directors from time to time throughout the company performance cycle. Documentation normally occurs in the form of memos, and these are retained in the non-executive directors’ confidential files. Actually, these directors also have the authority to determine substandard or unacceptable company performance (Galpin et al. 2002). They normally address minor or marginal company performance issues through company performance counselling and coaching. The Body Shop’s Corporate Governance It can be said that the company has a very good framework that has been established in order to deal with different corporate matters. In fact, there is usually a properly structured program that is further reinforced by company policies and other procedures for the proper guidance of the directors in their daily duties. Consequently, the company has a clear reference guide to its business operations and corporate governance. The Board of Directors which oversee the businesses and the decision-making routines as well as the financial aspect of things, keeps watch. In addition, this includes the maintenance of the standards with regards to corporate governance in the corporation’s different sectors. The Board is made up of ten directors; two are executive while six are non-executive. Because of this, there is a fair division of responsibilities and other tasks among them. And while the non-executive directors are independent from the others, they are still able to contribute their experience and knowledge during Board discussions. Without a doubt, The Board is in-charge of caring for the company’s operations, assets, and its shareholders. All-in-all, the board aims to work with these factors in the hopes of maximising performance. Because of this, it is The Board that is responsible for the finalisation of budgets and strategic plans. And in order to ensure the firm’s competent operations, The Board conducts a monthly review of the company’s businesses in relation to its financial movements. Furthermore, there is a company law that obliges The Board of Directors to carefully prepare each year, a financial report that would have to be accurate and reliable reflecting the true state of the company. All things considered, The Board of Directors is the one that is responsible for the proper safekeeping of accounting statements and to ensure that these records are precise and truthful. In addition, the board is in-charge of guarding the company’s other assets as well as making the necessary steps in order to prevent complications such as fraud and other types of risks. Aside from the board of directors, the company also has other committees as part of their corporate governance. Just like the board, other committees have a well-established reference guide which also discusses their duties and their scope of authority within the corporation. Composed typically of independent directors who are non-executive, the remuneration committee handles the outline for the company’s remuneration policy which would eventually be reviewed by the board. Moreover, this group is also responsible for the various remuneration packages that are given to executive directors. On the other hand, there is also a nomination committee which is also made up of mostly non-executive directors. The responsibility of this group is to recommend to The Board on which people should be appointed as directors. There is also a group known as the audit committee. Compared to the other two, the members of this committee is purely composed of non-executive directors. This group’s duty is to make proper recommendations with regards to the company’s accounting policies as well as overseeing financial control within the corporation (Sternberg, 1998). For this reason, the committee usually receives and reviews financial reports and other statements delivered to them. Then, they make a comprehensive report before they submit it to The Board. Of course, there is also the group’s evaluation of the risks involved which has always been done to assist with the company’s next business move, and have further control of the corporation’s different operations. Apparently, The Body Shop has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials. The company also actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets. A major factor involved in the improvement of The Body Shop involves the establishment and utilisation of company performance measures or indicators that in turn measure their customer’s satisfaction. These measures or indicators are measurable characteristics of products and services that the company typically utilises in order to study and improve company performance. The indicators that will be chosen should be able to represent the essential factors that are crucial to the improvement of operational and financial performance. Through the analysis of accurate information brought about by the tracking processes, the measures or indicators themselves can possibly be analysed and improved to support such goals. Effects of Governance to The Body Shop’s Business Ethics and Purpose The Board has been able to attain complete control of all matters regarding the company. Their self-perseverance and obligation to their duties and finally, their obedience to the company laws all contribute to the development of the corporation. As such, The Board constantly believes that all the data pertaining to financial information and other facts regarding to their operations that are currently being used is reliable. The Board’s authority is clearly recognised within the company. And because of this, it is able to have a solid grip on the corporation’s actual operations, stakeholders and its financial concerns. Needless to say, because of the corporation’s proper structure and its commitment to the stakeholders and to the community as well, the board of directors has proven that it can efficiently handle both its ethical and legal responsibilities. Furthermore, the company is currently maintaining good relations and open communications with its investors. As a matter of fact, shareholders are regularly invited by the corporation whenever there are gatherings to discuss trade updates. Moreover, whenever there is an annual general meeting, investors get the chance to meet The Board members themselves. And of course, for private investors, they can also access the company’s website for various shareholder services. Undoubtedly, the company has good consideration for all of its stakeholders; past, present and future. There definitely seems to be a very well planned framework in the firm’s corporate division. It has good policies and procedures with regards to financial matters and operational concerns. Its procedure of assessing the different kinds of situations that come up is certainly a good move on their part. Not to mention, they have maintained good relations with their stakeholders. And finally, The Boardâ€⠄¢s authority is unsurpassed. Clearly, these facts prove the strength of the company’s corporate governance structure. The weakness on this case however, is the fact that it cannot always be assured that there are no losses or other errors which may result from mistakes and inconsistencies by one of the committees or employees involved. In addition, having diverse populations, there can be a possibility of having internal problems between members who have different culture and beliefs. In addition, some problems occur in terms of giving value to the companies’ shareholders. There are times that the shareholder is not given the enough information about the status of the company, specifically that shareholder which have a small part in the business. This happens when the board of directors does not give value to their shareholders. Other negative aspects include the imperfection of financial reporting procedures which may definitely result in ineffective corporate governance. Why it is of interest to diverse stakeholder groups? The occurrence of corporate governance systems within diverse stakeholder groups reflects the growing difficulty in the management of organisations that require the effective use of valuable resources such as money, materials, equipments, and people. And there is no exception to these. This is the reason why corporate governance systems are being implemented within diverse stakeholder groups in order for them to determine the most effective ways to coordinate these resources through the application of analytical methods derived from fields of studies (Jobber, 1998). Through this process, group management problems are solved in different ways and alternative solutions are then relayed to the group’s management. The management then selects the appropriate course of action in line with their goals. More often than not, corporate governance systems are concerned with complicated issues such as top-level strategy, resource allocation, designing of production facilities and systems, pricing and the analysis of large databases. For example, the company governance strategies of Heineken are focused mainly on driving the growth of its brands and improving the company’s financial performance. These company governance strategies have also helped them secure significant acquisitions and partnerships. And more importantly, these campaigns have led to the release of the potentials of the company’s employees, thus building a quality performance- based culture. On the other hand, Alliance Boots, Europe’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty group came into being with the merger of Alliance UniChem and Boots Group.  The merger recognises and strengthens the existing strategies of both entities by combining complementary businesses and strengths to create an international force in pharmacy-led  health and beauty while maintaining the Company’s commitment to the independent pharmacists through enhanced wholesale distribution and retail services. The company’s ultimate aim is to deliver products that make people look and feel their best. In order to do so, the company values performance and continuously strives to fulfil promises to shareholders through setting high standards of practice that are recognised by all internal and external stakeholders. It intends to lead the pharmacy and beauty industries with its products while demonstrating expertise in conceptualising, marketing, selling and distributing its brands (c ited in the Alliance Boots website 2006). From these examples, we may say that corporate governance should set a proper example of good intent, and provide for those lower in corporate hierarchies the clear message that it is â€Å"do as I do† as well as â€Å"do as I say† (Francis, 2000). Middle and lower management find it hard to be ethical when it seems that the top of the corporate hierarchy have no commitment. The message of sincerity will always filter down, and no amount of deception will foster the view that a board is ethical when it plainly is not. Additionally, the commitment to ethical corporate governance by a board will enhance the prospects of an ethical infrastructure within the organisation. That ethical infrastructure is a manifestation of the commitment, a means of preventing and resolving ethical problems, and an impressive demonstration of sincerity. Conclusion As a person with knowledge of corporate governance systems, the author has always brought up to his superiors the viability of strategy formation regarding the analysis of this topic and at times fails to understand the reasons or logic behind certain strategic implementations imposed on it. By delving into this project paper, the author intended to have better insights into how corporate governance systems are thought up, formulated and then imparted down into the subsidiaries of the company or organisation. The author hoped to have an in-depth understanding as to how the corporate governance systems of companies and organisations are able to compete effectively and profitably in this era of internationalisation where competition is extremely intense. In order to reinforce the learning objectives, two key focal issues were focused upon i.e. innovation and diversity. Innovation was discussed with regard to corporate governance systems of companies and organisations where they were renowned for their developmental capabilities to constantly innovate. Diversity came under strategic thinking and formation as the author considered the diverse culture, political climate, economic surroundings, social environment, technological settings, government policies and legal systems in order to better understand the issues being discussed. The results of the analysis carried out on the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop indicated very significant effects, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop could still be expected to improve faster than average. The review of the capabilities and resources of the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop revealed very little inconsistencies regarding its strategies. This is coherent with their traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for The Body Shop. The analysis among the cosmetics industry environment as well as the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop and their capabilities revealed certain gaps, most of which are biased towards the industry environment. However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of The Body Shop. Also, The Body Shop has to find a balance between adherence to internal forces within the management and to the changing forces of the environment in order to implement such strategic options. References: Allianceboots 2006, Alliance Boots Website and location of Annual Report 2005, Available at: http://www.allianceboots.com, Accessed: November 2006. Bhattacharya, C. B. 2000, Relationship Marketing in Mass Markets, Handbook of Relationship Marketing, Thousand Oaks: Sage. Booms, B. H. 1981, Marketing Strategies and Organisation Structures for Service Firms, in Marketing of Services, J. H. Donnelly and W. R. George, Eds. Chicago: American Marketing Association. Eisenstat, R. A. 2001, Organisational Dynamics, pp. 6-14. Francis, R. 2000, Ethics and Corporate Governance: An Australian Handbook. Sydney, N.S.W.: University of New South Wales Press. Galpin, T, and Murray, P. 2002 HR Magazine, issue # 5, pp. 16-20. Gonzalez, M. 2003, Journal of Business Strategy, issue # 5, pp. 9-11. Grà ¶nroos, C. 1994, From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, 32 (2), Jobber, D. 1998, Principles and Practice of Marketing (2nd ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Publishing. Sternberg, E. 1998, Corporate governance: accountability in the marketplace. London: The Institute of Economic Affairs. The Body Shop 2006, Available at: http://www.thebodyshopinternational.com/. Retrieved: December 7, 2006. Wikipedia 2006, The Body Shop, Available at:www.wikipedia.com, Accessed: November 2006. APPENDIX The Body Shop’s Corporate Government The Board of Directors and management of The Body Shop believe that sound principles of corporate governance are critical to obtaining and retaining the trust and respect of stockholders, employees, other stakeholders and the public. The board serves at the discretion of stockholders and works to represent their interests by enhancing business strategies and practices for the creation of long term stockholder value. Governance Summary The board consists of three standing committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee; A majority of board members are independent of the company and its management; The Audit Committee of the board has established policies consistent with the newly enacted corporate reform laws for auditor independence; The independent members of the board meet regularly without the presence of management; The charters of our board committees clearly establish their respective roles and responsibilities; The company has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials; The company actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets.