Fashion Opinion Leadership Essay

1. Introduction Consumers influence each other in several ways: they exchange information through communication, seek or give opinions and copy each other’s behaviour. Researchers recognise the giving and seeking of opinions as one of the most important word-of-mouth influences on brand and product choice (Bristor, 1990 and Weimann, 1994). Especially in fashion, social groups and opinion leaders influence product and brand evaluations (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). Fashion consumers often refer to fashion opinion leaders who they desire to be alike. The Internet and social media speeded up the way of communication within reference groups and made it possible to share interests without physical interaction. The following essay will outline an overview of fashion opinion leaders and reference groups before giving a better understanding of how fashion retailers make use of fashion opinion leaders in order to influence customers. 2. Reference groups and reference group influences Consumers use several sources when they seek information or opinions on decisions; informal and social (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). This aspect of consumer behaviour is described as opinion-leadership-opinion-seeking, word-of-mouth, buzz or social communication (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). This means that consumers refer to something or someone when they seek information and clears the way for the term referential or reference group. Solomon and Rabolt (2009) define Humans as social animals that try to fit into certain groups, please others and take â€Å"cues about how to behave by observing the actions of those around† (p. 422) them. A group can simply be defined as two or more people sharing common goals and interests. All members of a group interact by certain patterns, frameworks and networks. A group member must therefore be perceptible to belonging to this group. Groups can be primary (family), secondary (professions), formal (churches), or informal (certain group of frie nds). Belonging to a herd or group, makes consumers want to identify themselves psychologically and physically with desirable individuals of this group. Thus, an individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual’s sociological attributes, such as evaluations, characteristics, aspirations, or behaviour is defined as reference group (Park et al, 1977). As stated by Holton (2004), Merton hypothesized that individuals compare themselves with reference groups of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. Hence, the group becomes the individual’s frame of reference and influences his ideas and decisions. Reference group influence can occur in different ways. According to Solomon and Rabolt (2009), group members of reference groups can be influenced informational, utilitarian or value-expressive. Furthermore, individuals are also mostly influenced by normative referents of the group, such as parents, teachers, or peers (Childers and Rao, 1992). There are also so called aspirational groups of which individuals aspire to be a member of. This phenomenon can be considered as comparative referents, such as public opinion leaders or celebrities. Belonging to a group, aspirational or not, can influence the buying behaviour of individuals, and decisions are often based on what the group members please in order to be accepted (Joel et al 1972). According to the above, a reference group is as an individual or group that significantly influences an individual’s behaviour (Bearden and Etzel 1982). 2.1 Online referential groups and virtual consumption communities Literature mostly concentrates on face-to-face interaction within reference groups on a regular basis or on aspirational groups without direct interaction (Pentina et al, 2008). However, Sheth and Parvatiyar (1995) stated that it is not directly necessary to have physical contact and interactions with members of a group in order to refer to it. More common forms of reference groups are online reference groups, which only exist in the World Wide Web. Within the age of the Internet, arising social media networks and communities it is possible to share interests with people who the individual never met personally (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009). A virtual community of consumption is defined as â€Å"a collection of people whose online interactions are based on shared enthusiasm for and knowledge of a specific consumption activity† (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009, p 426), such as fashion for instance. In the concept of virtual communities any group of people can share common bonds, without being dependent on physical interaction and common graphic location (McDonough, 1992). But the issue of relationships between each other still lies at the heart of virtual communities (Farquhar and Rowley, 2006). Although online sharing of interests takes place on blog websites, social media platforms, like facebook or twitter or sharing services like as Pinterest, members build up relationships when sharing. On facebook, for instance, members liking other people’s post in certain theme groups and commenting on those can explain a relationship. Solomon and Rabolt (2009) state that the impact of virtual communities on individual’s product preferences and decisions are huge. Because of that, an online referential group can be considered as consumers who write about their opinions towards certain topics, seek information, publish recommendations, and post products or services. 2.1.1 Online referential groups in fashion and fashion bloggers Fashion and apparel shopping are seen as the most popular discussion topic among social networks (Thomas et al, 2007). In fashion, online communities are seen mostly through social media emergence such as blogs or facebook groups. Fashion blogs are mostly run by one person who writes or â€Å"blogs† about different products, occasions or events within the fashion industry. The community is then formed by readers of the blog, so called â€Å"followers†, that read the stories or comment on it. With gaining popularity bloggers are also able to gain money by advertising on their blog websites. According to the Telegraph, the most popular bloggers make up to  £10,000 a month in advertising (Telegraph, 28/10/2012). Meanwhile, also fashion retailers look into the blogging business. For retailers the building up of social media groups could help them to gain direct feedback from consumers while monitoring discussions in referential groups online. Burberry for example not only has its own group on facebook, but also launched a blog, showing images of people wearing their trench coats (The Art of Trench, 28/10/2012). 3. Fashion opinion leadership Referring to an opinion leader is one of the social or informal sources of decision and opinions seeking, named by Goldsmith and Clark (2008) in reference group behaviour. A person who has knowledge about a certain product and whose advice is seriously taken by others explains opinion leadership. An opinion leader or influential is a person, who is frequently able to influence attitudes and behaviour of others (Solomon and Rabolt 2009) Further, it can be explicated by the desire of leaders to distinguish themselves from followers, while followers pursue the countervailing desire to assimilate with leaders (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). Feick and Price (1987, p. 95) state that opinion leaders are more likely in product categories in which association with the product provides a form of self-expression. Fashionable clothing embodies information about the personality and status of its wearer to other people (Dodd et al, 2000). However, Amaldoss and Jain (2008) argue that in fashion, this occurrence is mostly seen within the purchasing of luxury clothing and accessories. There are several types of opinion leaders that can be observed in fashion. Firstly, some heavy consumers of fashion clothing who become extremely interested and preoccupied with it, so that their interest, knowledge and experience qualifies them to become fashion opinion leaders for others (Goldsmith, 2000). Today, these types of fashion opinion leaders occur mostly online, such as fashion bloggers. Secondly there are people who are in the public spotlight, such as celebrities. Celebrities mostly look adorable and therefore individuals follow their look because they desire to assimilate with this leader (Amaldoss and Jain 2008). But sometimes celebrities are being dressed up by personal outfitters in order to create, perform and accomplish a certain image without actually having the interest or knowledge in the area. This shows that also the perception that individuals have about a person can make the person an opinion leader. Of course, there are also people whose profession is related to fashion that can be an opinion leader for individuals, such as designers, fashion photographers, models or fashion magazines. A recent study on Mintel shows that fashion content in celebrity, lifestyle or fashion magazines, newspaper supplements and makeover shows has a direct influence on the shopping behaviour of 2 – 3.5 million people. Especially women are most likely influenced by such coverage (Mintel, Fashion Online, 29/10/12). As the fashion magazine example illustrates, an opinion leader does not have to be only one person, it can also be a company or an organisation. 3.1 Fashion opinion seeking â€Å"Opinion seeking is the behavioural counterpart to opinion leadership† (Goldsmith and Clark, 2008, p 309) and is important to the diffusion of new fashion products because it can spread word-of-mouth about the advice gotten from opinion leaders. Unlike opinion leaders, opinion seekers do not have the same knowledge of and interest in a product category than opinion leaders in this segment do (Goldsmith, 2000). Opinion leaders do also absorb risk (Solomon and Rabolt, 2009) for opinion seekers when buying a new product. Therefore, Opinion seekers consider opinion leaders as appropriate sources for information and advice (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006). Nevertheless, opinion seekers are very important to opinion leaders because they act on the information they got from the opinion leader. The fashion industry is one of the industries that show the most frequent changes in trends and styles. When consumers determine on buying a new product they might ask or even search for information about the desired fashionable product. Because of that they often make use of informal or social sources when seeking information (Goldsmith and Clark 2008) or opinions on decisions from fashion opinion leaders in any form. Consumers can seek for an opinion through various types of social communication, word-of-moth recommendations, observing opinion leaders, researching a subject or buzz (Goldsmith and Clark 2008). In an online perspective, consumers can use social network communities as sources for apparel shopping. 3.1.1 The process within referential groups in fashion: coherence of opinion leaders and opinion seekers The basis of forming referential groups in virtual communities is the process combining interpersonal connectivity, social enhancement and sharing of information. Dholakia and Bagozzi (2004) state that interpersonal connectivity between members is important to retain social benefits of participating online. In fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking, the process is based on the social need of each other, shown in figure 3. Figure 1: The process of fashion influence between fashion opinion leaders and fashion opinion seekers in referential groups, adapted from Goldsmith and Clark, 2008 This process can especially be observed in online communities where opinion leaders post pictures of themselves wearing a new product. Several opinion seekers may like the product and give a positive feedback to the opinion leader or even share it with others, which shows symbolic validation to the opinion leader and creates a loop. 3.1.2 Victoria Beckham as fashion opinion leader for the Birkin Bag A good example for an opinion leader in fashion is Victoria Beckham. The ex-singer, designer and wife of English football star David Beckham is referred to being an A-list celebrity in the public spotlight. She is not only famous for designing fashion and wearing high-heels, but also for her collection of the Hermes Birkin Bag. The Birkin Bag is a hand-made handbag designed by the luxury fashion brand Hermà ¨s and is estimated to start at $6,000 (Branch, 2004). The bag is often seen adorning the arm of celebrities and has become a cult fashion phenomenon (Tonello, 2009) and is an example of a fashion product that gained high popularity. Its brand, Hermà ©s limited its production, to limit its accessibility. Victoria Beckham is presumed of possessing the largest collection of Birkins (Fashionthroughtravel, 26/10/12). The following figure shows an example of her and her Birkin Bag collection. It can be the fact that Victoria Beckham is popular and has a lot of people referring to her what made the bag so famous and desirable. Followers or referents to her then adopted the product, Birkin Bag. The more leaders adopt a product, the higher value is crated among its followers. â€Å"Thus, followers are buying the product for its reference group effect† (Almadoss and Jain, 2008, p 935). Therefore individuals that look up to their opinion leader may want to follow his choices (Amaldoss and Jain, 2008). As being outlined before, fashion clothing transmits a certain personality and status of its wearer to other people (Dodd et al, 2000) and is also a form of self-expression. Wearing certain trends or accessories like a Birkin Bag show commitment to a certain image of being wealthy, belonging to a higher class or having a sure feeling of trends and fashion. 4. Why and how marketers make use fashion opinion leaders The innovator theory by Rogers (1962) shows that consumer attitudes towards purchasing products can be classified into five categories. The following figure shows Rogers’s adoption of innovations curve. Depending on how quick consumers are to purchase they are either: 1. Innovators or Designers (2.5%), 2. Fashion opinion leaders or early adapters (13.5%), 3. Early majority (34%), 4. Late majority (34%), 5. Laggards or late adapters (16%) Directly after innovators or designers of the product, opinion leaders come second in purchasing or adapting this trend. According to the theory, opinion leaders are the key to product diffusion (Mituse, 05/11/12). Although innovators and opinion leaders combined account for no more than 16% of the overall market, a company can try to target opinion leaders already in early product stages and see if product diffusion will spread to the early and late majorities (Mituse, 05/11/12). Following Rogers’s theory and transferring it to the fashion industry, it can be argued that it is from extreme importance for fashion retailers to get opinion leaders on board in order to establish their designs and products within the market. Thus, the reasons why fashion opinion leaders influence others by sharing information are extremely important for companies (Bertandias and Goldsmith, 2006). Fashion retailers make use of â€Å"key opinion leaders† to influence the purchasing behaviour of consumers through their perceived position of authority. Therefore employing opinion leaders as advertising mascots or models in commercials or adverts, as seen in the figure below, is common in fashion retail. Figure 4: Fashion opinion leaders advertising for retailer Furthermore, collaborations with opinion leaders that are famous for their profession are common in fashion retail. This can be underlined by collaborations between mass retailer h&m and designers like Donatella Versace (2012) and Jimmy Choo (2009) or online premium retailer NET-A-PORTER and Karl Lagerfeld, as figure 5 illustrates below. Figure 5: Collaborations of retailers and designers as fashion opinion leaders Nevertheless, marketing products or brands effectively today requires tools that reach beyond normal advertising methods: by prior targeting fashion opinion leaders, marketers are able to engage positive word-of-mouth behaviours (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006) about their products. According to Chaney (2001), opinion leaders act as human information processors and are an attractive marketing tool as part of the overall communication strategy. Influences by fashion opinion leaders are not only verbal, but also visual (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006). In fashion, a product has to be desirable to a consumer. If no one is seen with a certain product, most consumers don’t see a reason in buying it. If someone famous is seen with the product, the probability of referential groups buying or wanting the product as well increases. When word-of-mouth networks are generated around opinion leaders, it can pave the way for spreading news or opinions about certain fashion products. Thus, it is beneficial to address fashion-marketing communications directly to opinion leaders of this segment in order to speed up advertising messages. Therefore, advertisers may address womenswear or accessories fashion campaigns directly to opinion leaders like celebrities or high-fashion magazines. Because of the important role they may have in influencing markets, advertisers may also hand out free fashion product samples to opinion leaders (Yahoo, 29/10/12). Handing out such testimonials, which often embody free designer clothes, handbags or shoes, retailers encourage opinion leaders to wear the brand in order to influence reference groups around the opinion leader visually. Outfitting celebrities that have public appearance for free, mostly sees this occurrence, exemplarily stated in the below figure. Figure 6: Celebrities on the red carpet, adapted from ELLE By doing so, the marketer uses the position of the opinion leader to carry and break down its message to influence its relevant target group. Well-established magazines such as Vogue, Elle or Glamour can also be expected to have high influences on fashion decisions of opinion seekers. A fashion magazine even has the ability to cluster a whole group of fashion opinion leaders together: celebrities, photographers, editors, industry experts and fashion journalists. This might be a reason why opinion seekers use those magazines as information source when seeking for an opinion. Thus, advertising in fashion magazines, outfitting celebrities, or using fashion opinion leaders in adverts can influence target groups in their purchasing behaviour. 5. Conclusion ‘Reference groups in fashion’ are defined as fashion consumers who are heavy fashion users and highly involved in seeking or reflecting opinions about fashion brands and products with others who share the same interests. Further, it is differentiated between fashion opinion leaders and fashion opinion seekers. As being part of a referential group, opinion leaders and opinion seekers are positively related to each other, as the one can’t exist without the other. Today, fashion opinion leaders are often classified as celebrities, people standing in the public spotlight, magazines, or bloggers, surrounded by networks of reference groups that admire to be like them. Especially in the age of social media it has become more important to marketers to understand the process of providing, sharing and seeking of information between fashion opinion leaders and opinion seekers. Therefore opinion leaders are seen to be an important marketing tool in fashion as they are able to influence reference groups in their product or brand purchasing decisions. List of references: Amaldoss, W. & Jain, S. (2008), ‘Trading Up: A Strategic Analysis of Reference Group Effects’, Marketing Science, pp. 932-942 Bearden, W. & Etzel, M. (1982), ‘Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions’, Journal of Consumer Research, pp. 183-194 Bertrandias, L. & Goldsmith, R. (2006), ‘Some psychological motivations for fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking’, Jornal of Fashion Marketing an Management, Vol 10, Issue 1, pp. 25-40 Branch, S. (2004), ‘Hermà ¨s’s jelly ache’, Wall Street Journal Bristor, J.M. (1990), ‘Enhanced explanations of word of mouth communications: the power of relationships’, in Hirschman, E.C. (Ed.), Research in Consumer Behavior, 4th ed., JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 51-83. Chaney, I. (2001), ‘Opinion leaders as a segment for marketing communications’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, p. 302 Childers, T. & Rao, A. (1992), ‘The Influence of Familial and peer-based Reference Groups on Consumer Decisions’, Journal of Consumer Research, pp. 198-211 Dholakia, U. & Bagozzi, R. (2004), ‘A socialinfluence model of consumer participation in network- and small-group-based virtual communities ‘, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 21, Issue3, pp. 241-263 Dodd, C., Clarke, I., Baron, S. & Houston, V. (2000), ‘Looking the part: identity, meaning and culture in clothing purchasing – theoretical considerations’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 41-48 Farquhar, J. & Rowley, J. (2006), ‘Relationships and online consumer communities’, Business Process Management Journal, pp. 162- 175 Feick, L. & Price, L. (1987), `The market maven: a diffuser of marketplace information’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, p. 95. Goldsmith, R. & Clark, R. (2008), ‘An analysis of factors affecting fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, pp. 308-322 Goldsmith, R. (2000), ‘Characteristics of the heavy user of fashionable clothing’, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practise, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 1-9 Holton, G. (2004), „Robert K Merton – Biographical Memoriesâ€Å", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 148 (4) p 506–517 ‘Jetsetsocialità © ‘, Jetsetjunior, Accessed: 26th October 2012, Source: from: http://www.jetsetsocialite.com/2008/10/19/the-hermes-birkin-bag-buying-guide/ McDonough M. (1997), â€Å"Frequently asked questions: virtual communities†, internal paper prepared for virtual community hosts at the Thomson Viral Community laboratory ‘Mintel Oxygen’, Fashion Online – UK – March 2012, Report Brochure, Accessed: 29th October 2012, Source: from: http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2840/display/590053/?highlight=true ‘Mituse’, Accessed: 06/11/12, Source: from: http://www.mitsue.co.jp/english/case/concept/02.html?&lang=en_us&output=json& session-id=fae8bc3e4d3cd76794dcbdbd8fbff715 Park, H. & Cho, H. (2012), ‘Social network online communities: information sources for apparel shopping’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 29, p. 400 Parvatiyar, A. & Sheth J., (1995), ‘Relationship Marketing in Consumer Markets: Antecedents and Consequences’, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, vol.23, No.4, pp. 255-271 Pentina, I., Prybutok, V., Zhang, X., (2008), ‘THE ROLE OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES AS SHOPPING REFERENCE GROUPS’, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, pp. 114-136 Pierce, S. ‘Yahoo’, Clothing, Accessed 29th October 2012, Source: from http://news.yahoo.com/why-celebs-free-designer-clothing-221500536.html Rogers, E. ‘Mituse’, Accessed 28th October 2012, Source: from http://www.mitsue.co.jp/english/case/concept/02.html Rogers, E. (1962), Communication of Innovations, 2nd ed., The Free Press, New York Solomon, M. & Rabolt, N. (2009), Consumer Behaviour in Fashion, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall Salter, J. (2012), ‘ The Telegraph’, Fashion, Accessed 28th October 2012, Source: from http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG7037668/Britains-best-fashion-bloggers.html

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Business management - Essay Example While, the list of functional areas that exist within a business is extensive and also reliant upon the nature of an organization, its scale and the industry in which it operates, the primary functional areas of a business can be classified as: human resources, administration, production, finance and marketing and sales (Carysforth and Neild 2000). Consequently, organizations that operate in the information technology industry may have a dedicated IT department while, manufacturing industries may finance the establishment of a research and development department in addition with the primary functional areas that have been identified in the paper. Accordingly, the focus of the paper is dedicated towards an examination of the functions of human resources and administration which are two distinct functional areas of business that interest me the most as a student of business management. According to Sims (2007) the business landscape of the twenty-first century is marked by the growing importance of human resources as a pivotal component of organizations. ... These aspects include the procedures of recruitment, selection, training and development, learning, motivation, complying by labor laws and ensuring that health and safety regulations are met. Therefore, my role as a human resources manager would be designed to successfully meet the stated purposes of the human resources function. This would involve the management of the entire HR system which constitutes of the recruitment process and employee dismissal, examination of employee performance to design appropriate benefits and compensation packages and the initiation of comprehensive employee engagement, training and development measures to enhance individual potential (Chuang and Liao 2010). An interesting observation with regards to the assessment of the functional areas of business is that each and every department is provided with a distinct purpose and direction which is much unique and different from that of the other. However, the administration function is the only area of an o rganization which serves a wider purpose by assisting the operations of human resources, finance, marketing and production departments amongst others. With the introduction of diversified concepts such as organizational innovation and knowledge management with respect to business operations, the significance of establishing a comprehensive administrative system under the administration function has been augmented. Liao and Wu (2010) classify the development of an administrative system as a part of an organization’s process of innovation which is pivotal to the success of today’s business. The fact that the administration department is

Defining Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Defining Culture - Essay Example Social cultures are the arrangements that exist between people who share a cultural practice or people from a common organization (Cole 56). They are used to place people into groups thus making it easier to identify their social belonging. Social cultures are defined by the activities that are carried out in a social setup. An example of a social structure is the western culture which was initially popular because it led to the oppression of women. Women in this social setup were dominated by the male gender. They were denied the chance to practice their social rights as well as cultural values. This made the female gender to grow up with low self-esteem as most of the women in this social background were left to work as secretaries and waitresses (Cole 56). However, the advancement of technology has changed this cultural practice and given women equal chances to engage in a variety of social and economic activities thus creating competition in the society. This portrays that cultur e is indeed a perpetuating phenomenon since it can be altered by the change of environment, in this case, the advancement of technology and the change in generations. The Shirazi organization is a business organization that is rich in cultural values, norms, and beliefs. It is an organization that brings together people from various denominations to a common agreement and thus instills certain beliefs in them that help them build up a social capital. The aim of the organization is to provide its members with common belief and mentality that helps them build up a prosperous society and business structure. The organization is a non-material type of an organization whose ambition is to create a social group with traditional norms, values as well as symbols and develop the members into becoming ambassadors of social and economic development.  Ã‚  

Engagement Strategies Are Desirable For Organizations And Employees Essay

Engagement Strategies Are Desirable For Organizations And Employees - Essay Example The engagement strategies imply the creation of opportunities for employees to have a connection with their colleagues, managers and the wider organization. It involves the creation of an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their work and really care about doing a good job (Macleod, 2009, p. 9). Macleod (2009, p. 9), continues to say that engagement is a concept that places flexibility, change and continuous improvement at the heart of what it means to be an employee and an employer, especially in a twenty-first-century workplace. According to Dulham, Knight & Locke (1997, p.210) and Bratton& Gold (2007), the process of engagement is an active one that involves active participation by both parties in a certain undertaking. It is a process where different parties feel compelled by their own motivation to either participate partially or fully towards the attainment of certain general objectives. Clarke (1996, p. 190) states that employee engagement describ es the actual involvement of people at all levels in positive two-way dialogue and action to deliver the highest quality services and create great places to work – where people find their work meaningful and are willing to work together for clients, their colleagues and the future success of their organization. A typical case study drawn from the MacLeod report (2003) shows that a company, Tower Perrins-ISR conducted a survey globally in 2006. Opinions of more than 664,000 employees in 50 companies were analyzed.... It involves the creation of an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their work and really care about doing a good job (Macleod, 2009, p. 9). Macleod (2009, p. 9), continues to say that engagement is a concept that places flexibility, change and continuous improvement at the heart of what it means to be an employee and an employer especially in a twenty-first century workplace. According to Dulham, Knight & Locke (1997, p.210) and Bratton& Gold (2007), the process of engagement is an active one that involves active participation by both parties in a certain undertaking. It is a process where different parties feel compelled by their own motivation to either participate partially or fully towards the attainment of certain general objectives. Clarke (1996, p. 190) states that employee engagement describes the actual involvement of people at all levels in positive two-way dialogue and action to deliver the highest quality services and create great places to w ork – where people find their work meaningful and are willing to work together for clients, their colleagues and the future success of their organization. According to CIPD, engagement occurs on two levels, that is the Emotional engagement which implies the emotional attachment that that the employees have to one or more aspects of their work a and transactional engagement which relates to happiness to exhibit the behaviour of engagement but void of commitment to the job or the organisation and willingness to leave if a better offer appears elsewhere (Torrington, et al 2011). A typical case study drawn from the MacLeod report (2003) shows that a company, Tower Perrins-ISR conducted a survey globally in 2006. Opinions of more than

Transfer information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transfer information - Essay Example The reputation of this university is exemplary. It is an epitome of success and honor. I am certain that transferring to this university is a huge step which will surely have an impact on my future. It will be playing an important role in my growth not just a student, but as an individual whose passion is to explore, discover, and conquer the surprises of life. I hope through working hand-in-hand with the staff, teachers, and my future colleagues, I would be able to be productive in and outside the premises of the school. As I pursue my desire to enter this university, I am anticipating a new platform where I can venture into different avenues. Furthermore, I would be able to acquire more knowledge and would be able to apply them in real-life situations. In return, I am very willing to offer my services and commitment to Northeastern University. I will do my best to be helpful in the propagation of the mission and vision of this institution. I may have shortcomings along the way, but I am sure that I would be able to overcome them with the learnings that this institution would be imparting me. Widening my horizon, becoming a learned individual, and rendering my skills and talents whenever it is necessary and helpful are my goals and objectives. Entering this prestigious university is a milestone and an achievement. Thus, with every step and move I make, I am aiming and striving for excellence. I hope my enthusiasm and eagerness would reach you and grant my request. I would be very delighted to be one of your students. To be able to set foot and grow in this institution is a lifetime privilege. I am proud to be a volunteer. I love to give. I live to serve. Volunteering is different from mandatory hep. It is done with commitment and intent to serve other people regardless of status and position. Rosenberg and Lampard emphasized that in joining a nonprofit organization, one must consider his or her passion (7). Doing

Macbeth- The Witches Essay Example for Free

Macbeth- The Witches Essay It could be said that the witches in Macbeth, are possibly some of the best known characters in Shakespeares work. With famous words like Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble, it is true to say that they have probably heavily influenced the depiction of witches in later works to a great extent. The play derives from a time when witchcraft was something of great public concern. Extreme persecution of anyone found to be practising something that could be interpreted as black arts was common in Stuart society. (Old women who kept cats were in extreme danger of meeting the requirements for stereotypical witch) The play, which tells the fate, of the Scottish royal family, had real-life connections with the Scottish royal family at the time. The character Banquo was supposedly a relative of King James who was the King of Scotland. (Although it has been discovered that he never existed, he was made up at the birth of the Stuart dynasty) The heavy influences of the witches on the play, also matched King Jamess interest in Demonology. So the question has been asked was Macbeth written for King James? Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries witches, were terrifying but also fascinating to the general public. During this time hundreds of witches were persecuted, and were hung or burnt at stake. Witches were so greatly feared, because of the apparent powers which they possessed, which allegedly included; the ability to fly, the ability to raise storms and control the weather, possession of people, and an ability to kill livestock. However curiously inspite of these powers of deadly destruction, people took a great interest in the lives and ways of witches. (Rather like Macbeth when he meets them for the first time) Thousands of pamphlets were printed and sold with incredible sales; on a par with those achieved by a popular magazine or broadsheet today. These pamphlets contained gory accounts of witch trials, or sad stories from the victims of witchcraft. It is quite possible that these pamphlets were a catalyst for the problem with witches, by making everyone paranoid of supernatural threats. The cruel and unjust persecution of the witches was based on stereotypes. You may well have found yourself persecuted as a witch for example if you were; physically deformed or scarred in any way, old (especially if you were a woman, as many of the women persecuted as witches were old women who kept cats which were apparently familiars), mentally ill, or even if you just didnt fit in. In 1604, when Parliament passed an act, making the practice of witchcraft punishable by death, the situation got even worse. In Macbeth the witches appear four times; Act 1 Scene 1, Act1 Scene 3, Act 3 Scene 5, and Act 4 Scene 1. Although the originality of the appearance in Act 3 is controversial. It is thought that this scene and the character Hecate (who also briefly appears in Act 4) were not written by Shakespeare and that they were written into the script at a later date. In Act 1 Scene 1, the witches open the play in what is described in the text as a desolate place. The scene is brief, in the conversation that the three witches have, they decide to meet Macbeth on the heath. In Act 1 Scene 3, the three witches have gathered on the heath, and are awaiting Macbeth who is returning from battle. When Macbeth and his companion Banquo come by they move from their place of hiding and greet Macbeth: FIRST WITCH: All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Glamis. SECOND WITCH: All hail to Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor. THIRD WITCH: All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter. (Act 1, Scene 3, lines 46-48) After the witches have given this prophecy, Banquo criticises the witches and makes jokes at them calling them not like the inhabitants of this earth. Macbeth however is intrigued but before he can find out anymore the witches vanish. Act 3 Scene 5, is the controversial Hecate scene. In the scene Hecate does most of the talking, and she warns that they should not have done what they did to Macbeth. In Act 4 Scene 1, the scene begins with the witches entering and casting a spell. Then Macbeth (who is now King) enters and confronts the witches, demanding to know more about his future. In response the witches show Macbeth three apparitions which reveal his fate. The three apparitions tell Macbeth this: Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff. (First apparition) None of woman born shall harm Macbeth (second apparition) Macbeth shall never be vanquished until great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane shall come against him (third apparition). Macbeth is pleased by what he hears. The witches then show Macbeth a show of eight kings, after Macbeth sees this he is angered, and curses the witches, but soon after they vanish. Right from the very first scene the witches make a dramatic impression on the play. To audiences the first scene has a wonderful way of captivating them, generating attention and interest in the play from the first word. The odd setting and droning language of the witches makes the dialogue interesting and unusual. On stage or in the cinema, use of smoke, lightning and thunder effects give an exciting feel to the opening moments. The short length of the scene means that the audience is listening all the time. (Research has shown that most audiences will stop listening after about a minute unless there is something to draw their attention back to the story) Another point about the first scene is that after all the smoke and thunder, the play moves to another much more friendly place, with a normal conversation, between normal people. The comparison between the witches supernatural appearance, and the normality of human life, is an excellent way of showing the contrast between ordinary and extraordinary, and good and evil. Which is a contrast that appears throughout the play. One place where these contrasts appear between ordinary and extraordinary is in the witches. Aside from adding their weird supernatural side to the plot they also contribute in a manner that brings the whole story together. If you took the witches away from the play then this is what the storyline looks like: Macbeth an ambitious thane, is returning from a hard fought battle, when he is told that he is to receive the title of thane of Cawdor. Seeing the potential of this new position, Macbeth sets his sights on higher things. Macbeth successfully assassinates the king with the help of his wife, and scares away the heirs to the throne. On the throne Macbeth is a harsh King and, as questions arise about the Duncans murder, he becomes a tyrant and many former friends are killed. Eventually his crimes are too much and Macbeth is overthrown and killed by the true heir to the throne. Much as this is a fairly good storyline, when you add in the witches it becomes a great story. (Indeed Macbeth is recognised as a theatrical masterpiece) The witches add many new dimensions and contrasts and raise many questions. Like is fate fixed? What is the balance between good and evil? What the witches do is enter the play and tell Macbeth his prophecy, by doing this they set Macbeth off exploiting an ambitious flaw in his personality. One question that surrounds the play is whether the witches possess Macbeth and make him commit the crimes, or whether they merely use an ability to predict the future, to set Macbeth off. After this Macbeths ambition drives him on to commit many murders and a regicide. Well there is certainly evidence within the play that Macbeth is possessed. When he meets the witches for the first time he is obsessed with them and maybe this is the beginning of his possession. Macbeth also shows stereotypical signs of possession in his behaviour and speech: in Act 1 Scene 3 when Macbeth first comes across the witches Banquo says look how our partners rapt because Macbeth appears to be entranced; which was a typical sign of possession. Also he shows an inability to pray, in Act 2 Scene 2 he says Amen, stuck in my throat being unable to pray was linked to the fact that according to 17th century folk-lore the possessed was being controlled by a minion of Satan. However there is also a possibility that Macbeth is in fact only inspired by the witches when he hears his fate. Then the witches coax him on with illusions, and tricks. Like the appearance of the dagger that leads Macbeth to King Duncans room in Act 2 Scene 1, Banquos ghost in Act 3 Scene 4, and perhaps the possession of Lady Macbeth. If this is the case then one has to ask would Macbeth have become King anyway if he just waited, and that his fate was fixed that he did become a legitimate King. However his knowledge of his fate led him off course. Whichever way (if either of them) it is definite that the witches were a changing part of Macbeths psychology. As has been mentioned, when Macbeths fate is prophesised by the witches in Act 3 Scene 1, he is entranced. Perhaps this due to a possession, perhaps this is due to some form of euphoria that has come over him after he finds out that he will become King. Either way he is very serious about the witches prophecies and he holds a high view of the witches as they can provide him with information about his future, which to Macbeth sounds very promising. This stands in direct contrast to Banquos opinion of the witches; he criticises the witches and ignores their predictions. Later on the scheme of events has played out and Macbeth is on the throne, again by possession or by ambition. By now Macbeth is starting to realise the potential mess he has got himself into, and so he goes to find the witches. After receiving new information, Macbeth is fooled by the witches, into thinking he has some sort of immortality. However he does not ignore their advice and he still respects what they say, so he is not feeling so powerful that he feels he can ignore the apparitions and the witches. For example in response to the apparitions warning, beware Macduff, Macbeth has Macduffs family murdered. However the sense of immortality soon fades. When he finds that Malcolm and his allies are marching to Dunsinane Castle, he realises the tricks that the witches have played on him. He sees that the apparitions were meant to fool him into thinking he was invulnerable to death, and he refers to the witches as juggling fiends. Macbeth realises the trap that he is caught in, and sees that he was part of the witches game. At this point whatever is driving Macbeth; possession or hatred dies and turns to hate for life. Although Macbeth may have been possessed he did not ask to be, however his wife Lady Macbeth did. Similarly to Macbeth though she could either be controlled by ambition, thinking that she was possessed or actually under possession. Her need for power begins when she reads Macbeths letter In Act 1 Scene 5, she (like Macbeth when he first hears the news of his destiny) is fascinated. In the same scene as she receives the letter she calls upon the power of the spirits to un-sex her and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty. (Lines 37-52) She demands that her emotional weakness is removed and that she is filled with the evil intent to murder the king. It shows from this time until Duncans murder that she has indeed been filled with this evil. It is she who really pushes Macbeth to murder Duncan, possibly with a little help from the witches. However almost immediately after the King is murdered, this evil leaves her. In Act 2 Scene 2, an owl shrieks, and Lady Macbeth is terrified. Just earlier that evening she had been driving and pushing Macbeth to murder the King, who had just given Macbeth a title for being faithful to the crown! Indeed she becomes so unhinged that she goes completely mad. Some productions of Macbeth have Lady Macbeth playing one of the witches. Some people have also suggested that maybe Lady Macbeth is one of the witches, and that there has been a disagreement among the witches, and the tragic events of Macbeth are in fact the witches punishing Lady Macbeth. The witches stand out in Macbeth in many ways, not only in character, and appearance, but also in the way that they speak. Most of the play is written in iambic pentameter, or blank verse. The witches however speak in trochaic verse, which not only has a different rhythm to iambic pentameter, but rhymes as well. The fact that the witches are the only characters to rhyme their speech makes them stand out; the droning chant in the first scene is made really eerie by use of rhyming language, with long syllables. The frequent use of antithesis, which is the use of opposites in the same sentence, is also common within the language of the witches. For example in Act 1 Scene 1 when the battle is lost and won This use of contradictive language sounds unusual, and therefore alienates the witches further. Sometimes the witches also speak as one; they often chant lines as a group, particularly Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble. This can appear eerie to watchers, as it conveys strength in the form of unit efficiency. Sometimes the witches seem to have a telepathic ability, for example when Macbeth demands to know more about his destiny, in Act 5 Scene 1 the script looks like this: FIRST WITCH: Speak! SECOND WITCH: Demand! THIRD WITCH: Well answer. Of course a telepathic ability is certainly not normal, and therefore this also adds to the eerie feel that surrounds the witches. Macbeth is a not only an excellent play, but also manages to bring into question various philosophical and moral issues. The supernatural edge to Macbeth makes you wonder about witches and the power of evil. Are there forces of evil, which can influence us? Are good and evil internal or external? The main issue surrounding Macbeth is that of fate. Is it fixed, is our path in life set or can we change or at least influence it? What is the relationship between fate and time? If ones fate is discovered, will it influence us to either strive for this future, or if we dont like what fate holds in store, will we try to change it? However you perceive Macbeth, I believe it is summed up like this. Whatever it was that drove Macbeth, ambition, possession or something else entirely, it poisoned him. People are around whose ambition will be a threat to society, and if you feel it exists, then witchcraft is also a threat to society. Yet de spite of these threats, the forces of good are on the side of the innocent. Order will be restored to its rightful owners.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Web Databases Information Technology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Web Databases Information Technology Essay In this chapter, the results of initial investigations and analysis carried out in order to determine the requirements that which is needed of the system by its future users, is outlined. Firstly, we take a look at the initial background research and its findings in relation to the topic. Secondly, this chapter then goes on to discuss the methodology and development tools chosen to develop the application. Finally, the requirements specification of the system is outlined including the users requirements both functional and non-functional that have been the guide in the development of the system. 2.1 Background Research and Analysis As part of the initial stages of the project, investigations were carried out into the background of the topic area of web based applications since the application that has been developed is in itself a web-based database application as well as into the possible expectations and needs that users would require of such a system. Besides research in various pieces of literature and the internet, informal interviews were also carried out with users of similar known system, in order to get a better understanding of what users of such a system would come to expect as part of developing a requirements specification. 2.1.1 Background Research Findings Within the last decade, the rapid evolution of the internet has opened the door for organisations to take advantage of its benefits as a means to improve their operating efficiency, lower cost and ultimately give themselves a competitive advantage over their competitors. Web based applications are increasingly being used to handle tasks done by traditional applications such as data storage and transaction applications. With regard to data storage, ****} Being web-based, web applications have significant benefits over their traditional counterparts but with being web based also come many challenges for developers due mainly to their dynamic nature. This is due to rapidly changing technologies, frequent changes of user requirements, and dynamic aspects of the software technologies (Wu Offutt). In development of these applications, developers must ensure that they are very reliable, exhibit very high usability as well as security (Wu Offutt). In comparison to their traditional software counterparts, web applications must be developed to be available at all times; they must be maintainable given the rapid evolution of technology and most importantly, as they are based on the internet, they must be highly scalable to facilitate a global market and ready to grow in terms of servers, services, and customers very quickly. (Wu Offutt) Web-based database applications, being web apps themselves, are no exception. The web as a platform for database systems according to Connelly Begg (2005) can deliver innovative solutions for both inter- and intra- company business operations but also has its disadvantages. Advantages and Disadvantages of Web Databases according to Connelly Begg(2005) Advantages Disadvantages Simplicity: They are easy to develop, as HTML upon which they are based is easy to learn and use. Cross Platform support: Being web-based, they are not confined to any particular OS platform as they are accessible via web browsers. Standardization: With HTML being a standard on all browsers, HTML documents can be read from any machine in the world. Scalable Deployment Reliability: The internet is currently an unreliable and slow communication medium. At times servers can be down and a message may be delayed to be sent. Also at peak time when its is significantly slow. Security: Security is of great concern especially when the organisation makes its databases accessible on the web. Cost Limited Functionality of HTML: Some highly interactive database applications may not be converted easily to web based applications, while still providing the same user friendliness. 2.1.2. Problem Analysis Based on observations from the daily operations of the MIS department with regard to problem tracking, the basic operations can be summarized as shown in the rich picture below*******} 2.1.3. Interview Analysis During the investigation carried out, informal interviews were carried out with individuals who interact with similar systems to the one proposed. The questions used in these interviews can be found in Appendix A. Both individuals who were interviewed use web-based help desk applications that are installed on their respective companys network as an application accessible via web browsers. See figure 1 below for a screenshot of one these applications. FIGURE 1 Unicenter ServicePlus A web based help desk application used by one of the technicians interviewed. While these users describes these ********************} 2.2 Development Methodology Selection of the most appropriate methodology for development is important for the success of the project. This is due to the fact that using an inappropriate methodology can lead to issues such as cost overruns as a result of poor project management, project incompletion or the development of the wrong functionality to incorrect specifications. The methodology selected for the development of the system would be the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This methodology was selected because it is one of the most stable methodologies with minimum risk. Also, the development approach to be used would be that of the Waterfall Life Cycle model which is ideal for inexperienced developers. (Weaver 2004) It was also selected due to its simplicity. The system was modelled with the use of ER Diagrams as well as Use Case diagrams. Use case diagrams were used as they are one of the best modelling tools that give an idea on how the system will operate in relation to how the users would interact with it. It also gives a clear idea of who the users of the system would be and the various views. 2.3 Development Tools Crucial to the development of the application, is the selection of the right programming tools. As such, since the application is a web-based database solution, it was necessary to select the software tool that could be best used as the foundation for the web-based database. The database tools considered were MySQL, MS Access and Oracle Database 10g Express. The table below shows a comparison between these three:- In the end, the database tool selected was Oracle Database 10g Express Edition which was chosen because of its ease to use and learn. Another plus to this application is its web readiness which makes it easy to host online, a crucial requirement for the application once completed. The downside******} 2.4 Requirement Specification The system was developed to support 3 levels of users, namely: Managers General Users Technicians Each Functional Requirements According to Weaver(2004), Functional requirements are those that define in some detail what the system needs to do. The functional requirements from the users point of view are as follows: The General user or Employee should be able to:- Register and Login using Username and Password Authentication Add a problem View Solved Problems Change and Update personal information The Technical Support Manager should be able to:- Login using Username and Password Authentication View and reply to Problems Assign Problems to Technicians Add, Update or Delete System Users View solve problems and add remarks Add or Update Supplier information View Technician details Review Resource History Reset User Passwords View jobs Done The Technician should be able to:- Register and Login using Username and Password Authentication Search and View Problems Assigned View Jobs done View Work Queue Add, Append, Delete Job History Record Work done Update personal information Change password Other Functional Requirements include:- Data This is the lifeline of the system and is therefore one of the most important aspects of the system. The data that the system would use are:- Resources (allocated Hardware and Software) and their unique information such as its serial number, date of purchase, supplier, license details (for software resources), current location (a room number) and the resource type (e.g. Hewlett Packard T540 Imaging Package, or Microsoft Windows XP Professional 2002 Service Pack 1). Problems reported by Employees Information recorded once a job is complete by a technician. Processing This includes the processing of problems reported by Employees, and the allocation of jobs to Technicians based on the problems by the Technical Support Manager. User Interface According to Weaver (2004), the user interface of a system should be: Simple Made for the User Consistent Non-Functional Requirements According to Weaver(2004), non-functional requirements describe the performance and constraints that the system should meet. The non-functional requirements are: Usability: The user interface must be consistent and user friendly while ensuring maximum efficiency while users navigate through the application. Availability: the system must be available at all times during working hours. Access: Users would be restricted according to their user type or level. Users will require a Username and Password to access the system. Capacity: the system must be capable of holding large volumes of data, specifically complaints as well as solutions.

Drug Prohibition in Australia: Critiques

Drug Prohibition in Australia: Critiques Introduction A prohibition notice prohibits a person from carrying on certain activities which involves a serious personal injury until corrective action is initiated. Consumption of drugs spoils lives is not a new thought but the same has not been seriously considered. One of the methodologies used globally is to implement prohibition. Several studies have suggested that the prohibition based approach have proved to be a failure and are futile. Needless to emphasize that unlawful drugs cause harm both physically and socially. Drugs are major headache for all states. Drugs corrupt people and undermine society. Drugs make people unfit for work, unfit for parenting and unworthy for citizenship. Prohibition leads to huge black market in illegal drugs (Pryce, 2012). Drug consumption has worse impact as its usage does not satisfy hunger satisfaction rather the users try to find alternatives. There may be different methods for reducing the consumption of illicit drugs but prohibition has been the most reliable method found by all countries. It is, however, observed that prohibition has not been able to provide positive outcome. The easy availability, increase in drug related crimes and ruining of number of lives having dependence on drugs evidence those innovative steps or multiple actions are required to curb the consumption of illicit drugs. The drug war has remained as a priority for all political parties but it appears that it has largely been misunderstood and no concrete steps have been taken to solve the ever rising problems. One section of the researchers suggested legalizing the use of drugs but this debatable issue especially considering all drugs cannot be legalized. Drug abuse remained as a serious issue in our culture as self medication remains in practice for long and depressed people self medicate just for tolerance purposes. Prohibition policy is becoming policy of violence as holding banned drugs will take consumers behind jails and if the drug abusers are strong there is risk of life for the regulating agencies (Vibes, 2012). Main Body All the drugs for consumption cannot be put under legally permitted because of the different characteristics. Prohibition of drugs is a fundamental issue but one segment of society suggests that concept of punishment is as old as Stone Age and prohibition is an inherently violent policy. There is suggestion for reforms in Drug Policy segregating which drug is more harmful than the other, how to prevent consumption of illicit drugs. To focus on drug problems in Australia, it is pertinent to refer that records indicate that 22% of Australian population during 1998 took drugs at least once a year which is five times more than the global average. After reviewing the seriousness, strategy made by Australian rulers was tough to reduce the drug supply and trafficking which caused reduction in demand and harm caused by drugs. Till 2008 there was significant decline in drug use levels. Review of Australian initiatives by amending drug policy indicates that drug use levels declined significant ly after 1988. One of the steps taken by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is to increase the body of knowledge available to policy makers to improve the global efforts to combat the threat posed by drugs. Alternative to prohibition is to implement better control over sellers accountability and drug safety. Needless to say those drugs are sold in black market when the prohibition is enforced and there is no accountability amongst the sellers. Second alternative is reduction in availability of drugs to children. Culture also plays an important part e.g. even if there is no legal age restrictions on alcohol, the societal and family norms will prove to be effective by preventing children from than a formal prohibition policy. Thirdly, the steps initiated by Government to encourage genuine treatment for addicts are to avoid the path of punishment to deal with the social problem of drug addiction. All these actions need to be implemented as prohibition is not able to prevent the harm rather it is causing more harm in some cases. Past research studies confirm that drug-related offences account for 6 per cent of criminal cases and about 11 per cent with punishment of behind the bars (Ergas, 2 012). Prohibition has been seen as a solution but the real causes have not been targeted and alternate solutions have not been implemented due to number of reasons influenced by political administrations. Law enforcement and criminalization are linked to prohibition though other possible options to focus primarily on the health and social effects of drug use have not been given consideration to large extent. History confirms that Governments in Australia often use harsh measures for the illicit drug use and drug users. It is not in line with the steps taken for two other psychoactive drugs in widespread use in Australia, nicotine and alcohol. They are not prohibited, though associated with health, social and economic costs to public and society than the currently illegal drugs. It has been observed that in case of nicotine there has been decline in use after the regulation, taxation and social control have been invoked. But neither drug is prohibited. Instead, they are controlled not by or ganized crime, but by governments. The impact of invoking certain regulations provide boost for policy changes. It is prompting public discussions about prohibition of drugs, searching alternatives to existing criminalization approach and acceptance of the one found to be effective and acceptable to majority. This is need of the time as large number of young Australian deaths cannot be allowed to continue. In addition to the young deaths, large number of people suffers the short and long term health consequences of drug dependence, unsafe injecting practices and infections. There is decline in social standards as families suffer due to these drug abuses. It has been, therefore, suggested to reopen the national debate about drug use, its regulation and control. As suggested by other countries, change in culture and need to link parents and young people in this cause will have a major shift away from prohibition and major decline in use of illicit drugs. There has been opposition to p rohibition in Australia and other countries. Public opinion is against prohibition which provides boost in production, distribution, and control of illicit drugs into the hands of criminals and increases their corruptive influence. There is more harm resulting from prohibition which overshadows the gains from efforts by police to curb the criminal drug industry. This is in fact accepted by many politicians, police, researchers and leaders of civil society across the world. Major drawbacks of prohibition are large number of young Australian deaths annually and loss of home and property. Internationally too, the war on drugs is lost by prohibition which has prompted them to look into rethinking of international strategies about prohibition and the treaties and conventions. Another factor is the huge profits from the black market trade in drugs, these amounts to an ounce of heroin costing many times more than an ounce of gold. It has made the criminals more resourceful than law enforce ment authorities which hamper the success that police can achieve to reduce the supply of drugs. Prohibition causes an increase in the price of drugs and an increase in criminal profits and activities. It is fact that after decades of implementing prohibition in Australia, there is an easy availability of the banned drugs in streets and prisons which confirm that young people are surviving these supplies. Huge public funds used for implementing prohibition laws have gone waste looking into the growth of drug use. Had these resources been allocated and directed for health and social issues the results could have been different. Social cause is one of the most important criteria for any country. With the use of drugs there are increased chances of harm to individual drug users and their families. Large portion of this public harm is towards the younger generation and their families, mainly due to failure of the national policy of prohibition and criminalization. It has been suggested that national drug policy should be based on what is beneficial to the country and society as a whole and what factors differ from international actions (Australia 21). Liberalization of drug policy is supposed to increase the number of drug abusers, though there are no studies to support this presumption. In fact the conclusion is otherwise as in case of Cannabis policy it is summarized that after liberalization USA, Canada and South Australia, the consumption level did not change and was at similar levels or decreased following liberalization. It is evident from the studies for all countries cited above, after having adopted liberalized cannabis policy; they have experienced a substantial reduction in law enforcement costs. Prohibition has not only faced failure in Australia but on the international scale too. The drug abuse is known to have serious impact in 80 countries and prohibition could not help in curbing the spread of drug abuse. The spread of use of illicit drugs is more prevalent in developing countries. There can be different reasons e.g. transport, distribution and financing of the illicit drugs trade is increasing and the difficultie s of trying to stop this trade are becoming more complicated with every passing year. In view of international failure of the policy of prohibition, it is not surprising that real alternatives to prohibition are being considered. In the United Kingdom, there have been relaxations in punishment of people caught with possession of certain quantities of drugs. People caught may not be charged if they are found to be first timers. Many countries including Netherlands and the Swiss are now moving slowly towards drug policy reform. In USA, there are number of reforms for the drug policies and there is less support for prohibition and there are number of steps to be materialized. Other issue is reforms in drug policies which remains debatable amongst the various segments of society and political parties. In spite of the fact that reforms are slow, these cannot be ignored as this is a major issue and needs to be given importance. Drug policy reform is thought to be major alternative to the prohibition. In one of the cases, heroin was prescribed by medical practitioners and the dispensing of this drug by pharmacists was put to the House of Representatives in Canberra. Suggestions that drug law reform led to reduction in drug abuse have been found to be more effective e.g. in The Netherland, Dutch people are found to be the lowest users of cannabis in Europe considering Netherlands policy being one of the most liberal in Europe. In UK, British crime Survey, the proportion of 16 to 24 year-olds using cannabis has declined from 28% in 2000 to 21% after the downgrading of the drugs to class C. It has been suggested that use of drugs by minors causes more difficulty in controlling prohibition. It is effective policy i.e. causing accountability to seller to ensure they only sell drugs to adults, specific drugs must be legalized and sellers are under given license. Prohibition has been providing opportunity to sellers to remain hidden and they remain underground to earn huge money (Kerlikowske, 2010). There has been large number of events in the recent years evidencing that national and international recognition of serious concern related to criminalization of drugs is producing more social and geopolitical harm than benefits. There is urgency for taking new approach with future policy based on community understanding and sound research. In the recent Sydney symposium organized by Fairfax, large number of excellent studies with regard to prohibition confirming the steps taken for social cause was debated. Based on the factors that the Australian drug policy has been shaped by a national strategy around three pillars, the requirements are to look into accountability part of the supply side by supply reduction to reduce the availability of drugs through legislation and law enforcement. Change in demand reduction can be through prevention and treatment services and social awareness about the adverse impacts of usage. Recommendations done at various forums are to develop various forums for the reopening of the debate about drug policy (Douglas, 2012). There had been various control measures in USA for curbing the practice of use of illicit drugs. In 1971 President Nixon had declared war on drugs but failed. The outcome was reviewed and made public that policy of full strength against the production, supply and consumption of illegal drugs has not worked. It is easy in the developed countries to buy these drugs as per wishes of consumer. It is multibillion dollar global industry having enriched mighty criminal cartels and also posing a threat to the countries. In view of the above, to quote statement of former president of Brazil that It is time to admit the obvious, and The war on drugs has failed need to be considered seriously. Change in society and culture is equally important. Responsibilities of the public is most important In Britain, more than half a million people aged 16-24 took cocaine last year and more than a third of all Britons aged 16-59 have taken drugs at some point in their lives; one in 10 in the last year. Thes e major portions of societies need a major cultural change as it can lead to addiction and enter in crimes to fund their habit. The solution of such problems does not lie in prohibition alone; some combined efforts are needed for all the countries impacted by this underground industry (The Observer, 2009). Conclusion Beyond doubt, all must acknowledge that prohibition is a failed policy. Even after spending billions of dollars in Australia on prohibiting drugs the country has one of the highest rates of drug usage in the world, including so-called party drugs used by young people. There are different arguments for reform, including its political bipartisanship. This has been highlighted by the experts from the Australia 21 forums confirming with the vast majority of doctors, welfare workers, lawyers and others who work at the coalface of drugs policy each day. It is hence a fact the prohibition alone is unable to stop rather it is literally killing, injuring and hurting young Australians who use illicit drugs because of our irrational obsession with prohibition. It is time to stop the prohibition process and initiate actions to produce policies that actually work. Over the past decade research studies have suggested that from chronological events, change in polices there is strong shift in public opinion in favor of drug policy reforms. This is in spite of the fact that there has been no public debate organized by countries or indulging in any independent enquiry in this serious issue. Contrary to this, there is still one section of public support for the continuation of prohibition of illicit drugs instead of legalizing and regulating the use of these substances. Such studies refer to incidents in USA also wherein 82% of those polled by the Family Research Association in 1998 were opposed to the legalization of heroin and cocaine in the same manner as alcohol is legal. Similarly, during the year 2009, a Gallup poll concluded 54% of those polled were against the legalization of cannabis. In Australia, which has had the highest levels of illicit drug use, in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (or OECD) countries do not support the legalization of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines, and 79% do not support the legalization of cannabis as per survey conducted in 2007. Experience of prohibition has not been successful in majority of countries. In fact conventional wisdom application helped more to frame and amend the policies on intoxicants prove to be effective. Prohibition in consumption of alcohol also failed and generally speaking that drug prohibition is destined to fail too seems to be in order. However, notwithstanding ones position on the success or failure of alcohol prohibition, there are key differences between that policy and modern-day drug enforcement that renders a comparison almost useless for serious policy analysis. Public opinion states that prohibition has failed and there is need for managed legislation to curb this practice. Experienced law firms opine that war on drugs is not responsibility of courts as courts only practice what is referred to in the laws. There is need for political will for not to create a harsh environment in relation to drugs. Politicians focus is wrong and the real cause of addiction needs to b e targeted. People suggest that drugs must be made legal for the use subject to terms and conditions. Domesticity and Motherhood in the UK: 1919-1939 Domesticity and Motherhood in the UK: 1919-1939 A  return to domesticity and motherhood in Britain in the years 1919-1939 This dissertation analyses the extent of women’s return to domesticity and motherhood in Britain in the years 1919-1939. Applying to the primary sources taken from women’s magazines, newspapers and novels and utilising the feminist approach and the social constructionist approach, the research identifies social, political and historical reasons to explain women’s position at the beginning of the twentieth century. The findings of the paper suggest that after the First World War the country began to revive the cult of domesticity, returning to the traditional stereotypes in regard to females. Those women who continued to work were rejected by society. However, British women managed to turn the principles of domesticity and motherhood into a new direction, combining their domestic duties with professional careers. Thus, some received results are consistent with the previous researches, while other results provide new findings, concerning the discussed issue. In this regard, the interwar revival of domesticity does not represent women’s loss of independence, but instead contributes to the creation of a new female identity. 1 Statement of the problem Although the beginning of the twentieth century in Britain demonstrated the rise of the suffrage movement and the implementation of the voting rights for females, the period of 1919-1939 revealed women’s return to domesticity and motherhood. Despite the fact that there were some tensions between the former ideologies and new principles of females’ independence, British women successfully coped with the existing domestic restrictions and renewed the ideals of motherhood. However, the conditions of domesticity slightly differed in middle-class and working-class families due to different social status of these groups. 2 Introduction During the First World War the usual females’ roles in Britain were exposed to some changes: women substituted men in munitions factories and other plants, achieving a certain degree of independence. They faced new perspectives and managed to acquire financial security. However, in the post-war period the cult of domesticity gained much strength, and British females were forced to return to domesticity and motherhood. This sudden shift in roles can be explained by various social and political events occurred within the country. British society that experienced considerable difficulties after the War began to idealise women who devoted themselves to a family and, on the contrary, expressed enmity to those females who wanted to work and acquire economic independence. Thousands of women were discharged from factories and they could not find another place of employment. According to Jude Giles, the popular British papers constantly advocated the principles of domesticity and motherhood, strongly criticising unmarried females who challenged the existing socialstereotypes1. British fiction and films depicted women within domestic sphere, while all other spheres were restricted for females. Although the voting rights for females were preserved, constant attempts were made by some politicians to introduce certain restrictions into the process of voting. Thus, British society gradually returned to the traditional division of gender roles; and, as Martin Pugh puts it, the period of 1919-1939â€Å"marked the start of a long-term trend towards marriage†2. However, women considerably changed their marriages and their relations with men, demonstrating independence and strength. The aim of the dissertation is to analyse women’s return to domesticity and motherhood in Britain in the years 1919-1939. The research is divided into several parts. Chapter 1 provides a statement of the problem that uncovers the principal thesis of the paper. Chapter 2 conducts a general overview of the discussed historical period and the position of women in Britain since 1900. Chapter 3 discusses the critical works that are written on the issue of domesticity and motherhood at the beginning of the twentieth century. Chapter 4 discusses the research methods that provide the basis for theoretical explanation of the changes in the position of both middle-class and working-class females. Chapter 5investigates in depth various aspects of the issue, such as the impact of historical events on women in the years 1919-1939, the social and political changes that resulted in women’s return to domesticity and the depiction of these changes in British literature and mass media of the twentieth century. Chapter 6 analyses the results of the research, while Chapter 7 points at the limitations of the dissertation and gives suggestions for further research of the discussed issue. 3 Review of the literature The issue of domesticity and motherhood in Britain in the years1919-1939 has been widely researched by critics. Deirdre Beddoes points out that it was the period when the â€Å"notion that women’s place is in the home† was revived3. The researcher analyses women of middle-class society, suggesting that they greatly changed the ideals of domesticity and motherhood after the First World War. Sue Burley goes further inhere analysis; she pays much attention to women of working class, trying to give â€Å"a synthesis which will give us [readers] an overview of twentieth century femininity in Britain†4 and demonstrating women’s difficulties in dealing with household duties and work. Burley regards the period of 1919-1939 as the times when a new family with a great emphasis on domesticity and motherhood was formed, but when many women were still engaged in various kinds of work outside home, such as military, banking, nursing and teaching spheres. Susan Kingsley Kent draws a parallel between the ideals of domesticity and various stages of the inter-war period. In particular, the researcher claims that at the beginning of the First World War British society adhered to the traditional division of gender roles, that is, women spent much time at home and men took part in the battle. Kent considers that, as the War progressed, women acquired males’ places, while men revealed passivity and became rather feminised5. In the post-war period the women’s suffrage was widely opposed and criticised by British society, while females’ domesticity was maintained by all possible means. However, Pat Thane challenges this viewpoint by stating that â€Å"there is reason to question the assumption that a reasserted ideology of domesticity was successfully imposed upon women in the 1930s†6.Applying to a detailed observation of social, historical, economic and political contexts of 1919-1939 Thane demonstrates that the First World War did not change the position of women, but only slightly improved it. Billie Merman demonstrates that the cult of domesticity in Britain was maintained through British media, especially through such famous newspapers as the Express and the Mail. As the researcher states, â€Å"From the beginning of 1919 the contemporary young woman was criticised on every conceivable ground. Her appearance was derided, her manners deplored and her newly gained freedom was regarded with suspicion†7.Melman considers that the British government was afraid of females ‘independence and made everything to eliminate it. The only possible way to decrease the spread of the suffrage movement and females’ employment was to force women to return to domesticity and motherhood. As a result, unmarried working females were accepted with great enmity, creating poor conditions of living for them, especially for working-class females. Sue Burley even claims that single British females â€Å"were vilified as useless members of society†8. Such a prejudiced viewpoint reveals the attempts of the British government to utilise gender differences for their own benefits. During the First World War females were treated as an important gender group that maintained industries, that is why working females were provided with certain rights. But the attitude towards working females was greatly changed in the post-war period, when it was necessary to improve an economic situation in the country and decrease the level of men’s unemployment. Deirdre Beddoes maintains the similar notion, as she states, â€Å"In the inter-war years only one desirable image was held up to women by all the mainstream media agencies – that of housewife and mother†9. However, Marcus Collins suggests that at the beginning of the twentieth century patriarchal marriages in Great Britain were replaced by marriages based on equality and freedom, despite the attempts of the British government to destroy this equality10. In view of such ambiguous critical opinions, further analysis makes an attempt to overcome these differences and evaluate the extent of females’ return to domesticity and motherhood. 4 Research methodology The research is conducted, applying to two theoretical methods – feminist approach and a social constructionist approach. These theories provide an opportunity to analyse the issue of women’s return to domesticity and motherhood in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century from different perspectives and historical context. As a valid tool of analysis, the feminist approach observes women’s position in Britain in the inter-war period, demonstrating the changes within society. It is also aimed at evaluating various literary works through political, social, economic and historical contexts, trying to reveal truthful portrayal of females in both men’s and women’s writing. The social constructionist approach demonstrates that women follow the norms of society that assigns specific roles for both males and females. Thus, females’ sexuality is defined by cultural and social factors. 5 Discussion 5.1. Historical Background Until the end of the nineteenth century British women had been prohibited any display of free will and independence; instead, they had to follow the existing social norms that defined them the roles of wife and a mother, depriving females of the opportunity to receive education or work. This especially regarded women of the upper and middle classes who had to subdue males in everything, because men controlled all aspects of social, cultural and political life in Britain. They also controlled family’s property, thus a wife received nothing, if she decided to divorce; even her children remained with husband. In view of such norms, it was a disgrace for a man, if his wife expressed a desire for work; as Jane MacDiarmid puts it, â€Å"Middle-class women were ladies for whom waged work was demeaning, indeed a slur on middle-class manhood†11. However, the position of British women began to slightly change with the rise of the suffrage movement, on the one hand, and the inability of females to find inappropriate match, on the other hand. Some females made weak attempts to receive education and achieve independence, but in the majority of cases parents did not allow them to acquire specific professions. Gradually, the number of British women who did not have any occupation and could not marry became so intensified that British society realised the necessity of providing women with some occupation and professional skills. But as Althea Cullen reveals, â€Å"the question of creating employment for needy gentlewomen posed severe social problems in a period when ‘lady’ and ‘work’ were contradictions in terms†12. The fact is that British patriarchal society continued to impose restrictions on females’ occupation, wishing to preserve their position of a wife and another and forbidding them to interfere into males’ jobs. As â€Å"the majority of girls in Britain received a crucial part of their education in the home†13, they could only work as governess, nurses or teachers. If women in Britain wanted to receive another occupation, such as drawing or banking, they had to acquire specific vocational training. Although some educational establishments, like Bedford College, the Female School of Design and Queen’s College were established to provide females with necessary knowledge in teaching skills and art, the number of women in these colleges was disastrously low. British society continued to maintain its previous stereotypes and considered it inappropriate for females to be earnestly engaged in such activity as art or writing, because â€Å"the serious pursuit of art was incompatible with the demands of marriage and domesticity – it unsexed women†14. When the First World War began, British females received an opportunity to replace men in the working places. Women of the middle-class society were mainly engaged in civil activity, while females of the working-class society worked on munitions factories and other industries. As Pugh states, in 1918 more than 110,000 females worked indifferent places15. However, by 1919 the situation in Britain had changed and women started to gradually return to domesticity and motherhood. On the other hand, this return was different for working-class females and middle-class females. The first group of women had used to work before the First World War and their position did not change much in the post-war period, except some improvements unemployment. But the second group of females â€Å"entered occupations which they would have never dreamt of pursuing in normal circumstances†16. As a result, some of them abandoned the work after the end of the First World War, while others continued to perform their professional duties, though the British government made everything to suppress such females ‘activity. 5.2. Domesticity and motherhood in Britain in the years 1919-1939 The First World War aggravated the living conditions of British people and intensified the problems that had already existed in the country in the pre-war period. For instance, the spread of venereal diseases began to threaten women’s fertility17, and various social changes inspired by the War resulted in the decrease of the country’s power, especially in the sphere of economics. The conditions of females and children in Great Britain were especially complex. In the absence of men, females began to realise that they had to take responsibility for their homes and children on themselves; however, they were also forced to substitute males on their working places. In addition, those males who were not killed in the War were psychologically destroyed by the war experience and the difficult economic conditions, with which people collided in the post-war period. As Sally Alexander puts it, â€Å"After the War, the sexual division of labour was again a source of friction†18. Thousands of British males who came back home in 1919 realised that their jobs were taken away by females. Thus, men could no longer support their families in inappropriate way and women refused to abandon their jobs. Such a shifting economic positions of women and men resulted in men’s unemployment that was proved by the official data of the twentieth century19. Some men had to send their children in search of a work to South or even sell them, this especially regarded young girls of British miners who lost their jobs in the post-war period. Men started to experience the lack of dignity that usually resulted in the destruction of a family or their own personalities. The situation was complicated by serious economic depression of 1921that was a direct consequence of the First World War, as many industries in Britain were destroyed. Besides, the country that lost great part of male population during the War was impaired and required fresh force to cope with the negative consequences of the War. As Kent claims, â€Å"marriage and marital sex bore the brunt of restoring social harmony in post-war Britain†20. The British government understood that it was crucial to restore the traditional division of gender roles. As women returned to domesticity and motherhood, they were gradually transformed into new females. In the pre-war period British women occupied lower legal, cultural and social position than males, but the changes inspired by the War and the suffrage movement resulted in the improvement of women’s conditions21. In particular, females turned from passive creatures to active figures, while men changed into indifferent personalities. In addition, â€Å"the British parliamentary franchise was extended to women aged 30 years Andover who were occupiers, or wives of occupiers, of land or premises of not less than five pounds annual value†22. It was also given to those females who had a university degree. This was an important change in females’ position, because since 1832 franchise had been given only tamales in Britain, according to the Great Reform Act23. New females made constant attempts to improve their marriages and their education, following the ideas of freedom and equality. For instance, they managed to create a great number of Women’s Clubs and gathered there to discuss various females’ issues or oppose some legal decisions. The fact is that, although British government provided females with the voting rights, it still restricted their participation in certain spheres of political, economic, cultural and social life24. Some British politicians considered that young females would support only one political party, thus they challenged the necessity to give legal rights to women, instead suppressing their freedom of actions and choice. As a result, â€Å"the impact of women as voters on politics and policy was slight, except possibly to reinforce conservative and Conservative Party values, including traditional values ofdomesticity†25. However, as women began to succeed in both domestic and working spheres, they proved their abilities to combine professional careers with the position of a wife and a mother. Females realised that family is their main responsibility, but according to Rhea Dorr, â€Å"Home is not contained within the four walls of an individual home, Home is the community. The city full of people is the Family. The public school is the real Nursery. And badly do the Home and the Family and the Nursery need their mother†26. If British females failed to prove their rights in peace negotiations with political leaders, they turned to active military actions that usually ended in their imprisonment. The years 1919-1939 in Britain are characterised by the spread of hunger-strikes among women that were usually suppressed by the government. Therefore, these women passed the way from ‘the gallant girls’ of the eighteenth century to ‘domestic women’ and feminists of the twentieth century. Some females worked as hard as men both during and after the First World War, running the risk of miscarriage, starvation or death, though British media, as Deirdre Beddoes claims, concealed these facts, instead introducing the stereotypic ideals of females that were changed from time to time due to social, cultural and political changes27. The British government continued to implicitly oppose women’s involvement into the working industrial process, maintaining the notion that if married females earned money, they deprived men and unmarried females of the opportunity to earn theirliving28. Such a viewpoint can be understood, if taken into account serious unemployment in Britain in 1920s. As a result, the greater part of married British women was unemployed in the period of 1919-1939. Even in 1928 when females managed to achieve equality in voting rights, their â€Å"political involvement declined still further, reinforced by powerful and effective social pressure upon women to give primacy to their domestic roles†29. Specific official policies were implemented in Britain to make women return to domesticity, as the First World War wasover30. Those married women who still worked were exposed to social rejection and punishment; in other cases, women were driven over the edge, as owners of industrial companies made them perform the same amount of work as men who were physically stronger than women. As one female worker claimed, â€Å"He [husband] might as well have a wooden woman. We’re that tired by the end of the evening we’re fit for nothing†31. As a result, many British companies preferred to hire men for different kinds of work, especially in factories, while women were hired only for seasonal or temporary activities, if there was shortage of man power during complex periods of manufacturing. As British women received training only in housekeeping and crafts, they were not allowed for qualified jobs in offices or banks32. Infect, they were suited only for household work, especially if women were more than thirty. Young girls were more appropriate for a job, because they required less salary than men and older women. Thus, women had no choice but to fully involve in domesticity and motherhood, finding new interests in this routine. It was only in 1939 that the attitude towards women began to change, and many industries preferred to hire women rather than girls or men. The formation of trade unions in Britain greatly contributed to these changes. However, British women were still forbidden to work at night and, in this regard, their earnings were comparatively low33. Such a situation had existed until the end of the twentieth century. British literature of the twentieth century reflects the conditions of women after the First World War, simultaneously revealing that women’s return to domesticity and motherhood did not deprive females of the opportunity to take part in certain occupations, especially, art, writing, home design, nursing, gardening, banking34. For instance, in Diary of a Provincial Lady Elizabeth Monica Delafield creates a woman who lives in English countryside in the midst of Two World Wars and who tries to combine her household duties with her attempts to become writer. This female character has to deal with a lazy and tedious husband, disobedient children, quarrelsome servants and other arrogant people who surround her in the village, such as Lady Bakeshop and Lady Boxed. She tries to please the members of her family in all possible ways, but receives nothing in return, except complaints and whims. In particular, her husband Robert constantly keeps silence and ignores her, as the Provincial Lady claims, â€Å"Speak of this to Robert, who returns no answer. Perhaps he is afraid of repeating himself?†35Robert is used to sit lazily and read a newspaper or a book, while his wife controls everything in the house: â€Å"Robert comes very late and says he must have dropped over the Times†36. Robert makes no attempt to understand his wife and does not want to help her; instead he is absorbed in his inner world, in his thoughts and affairs. However, the Provincial Lady is truly devoted to Robert and her children Robin and Vicky, although she tries to conceal her feelings from other people, especially her neighbours. Delafield shows that British society does not understand such devotion and love; instead, it forces people to adhere to strict norms and act like machines that possess no emotions and feelings. When the Provincial Lady talks with Lady B. about Robin, she states that â€Å"I refer to [him]in a detached way as ‘the boy’ so that she shan’t think I am foolish about him†37. In fact, the Provincial Lady implicitly criticises society, in which she lives, when she uncovers her inner thoughts through her diary. On the other hand, Delafield embodies her ideals of domesticity in the character of the Provincial Lady, portraying her as an ideal mother, a wife and a woman who successfully copes with all affairs, including children’s upbringing. The writer intensifies these images of domesticity and motherhood by contrasting the Provincial Lady with other characters, such as Robert, Lady Boxed and Lady Bakeshop. As the narrator claims at the beginning of the Diary, â€Å"Plant the indoor bulbs. Just as I am in the middle of them, Lady Boxed calls. I say, untruthfully, how nice to see her†38.These words reveal that the Provincial Lady tries to maintain good relations with everyone, including her family, friends, relatives and neighbours, but simultaneously they demonstrate that she is overwhelmed with household duties, while other people lead lazy existence. Although her family belongs to middle-class society, the Provincial Lady considers that it is her responsibility to take control over her household. She realises that in such a complex inter-war period she needs all her strength and wit to support her family and save it. On the contrary, her husband avoids any household work, failing to realise that his wife is the only person who tries to save her family from destruction. In this regard, the Provincial Lady proves to be stronger than her husband who is portrayed as a passive creature without any hopes and desires. However, the principal female character perceives reality with enthusiasm and understanding. It is an unusual sense of humour that helps the Provincial Lady to perfectly deal with various people and events. For instance, when she goes to her son’s school for a meeting, she ironically describes this visit: â€Å"Find that history, as usual, repeats itself†¦Discover strong tendency to exchange with fellow-parents exactly the same remarks as last year, and the year before it†39. In this regard, this female character demonstrates not only a complete devotion to her family, but also wit and politeness. The latter features also allow her to write essays and sketches for The Provincial Lady Goes Further. Although this woman is used to live in middle-class society that is obsessed with gossips and secrets, she constantly reveals her difference from other members. The Provincial Lady often challenges daily life of women throughout the narration, claiming that she is not able to understand them and their style of life. According to the feminist approach, women were usually misrepresented in literature40; however, such female writers as Elizabeth Monica Delafield, Jan Struthers and Virginia Woolf make attempts to overcome the traditional image of women, instead introducing a truthful portrayal of middle-class females. The female character of Jan Struthers’s literary work Mgrs. Minivan is also a symbol of British domesticity before the Second World War. Portraying daily life of Mgrs. Minivan, the writer uncovers the tensions between domestic ideologies of 1919-1939 and the feminist movement that emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. However, through the principal female character that belongs to the middle-class society Struthers reveals that at the beginning of the twentieth century women managed to overcome domestic restrictions by reviving domesticity and motherhood, but not by opposing these ideologies. In fact, Struthers demonstrates the attempts of females to balance new domestic ideology with traditional domesticity. Similar to the Provincial Lady, Mgrs. Minivan describes her household duties and her struggle for independence in the inter-war period. As Jan Struthers herself managed to combine her duties of a wife with a career of a writer, she was well aware of the inability of some females to accept the pressure of social norms. In Mgrs. Minivan the writer depicts domestication through the character’s privacy and self- respect. She is an ideal of a good woman and a wife who is not destroyed by household duties and children’s upbringing. Instead, Mgrs. Minivan utilises domesticity to shape her personality and improve her inner world. As Judy Giles puts it, â€Å"educated women may have enjoyed a degree of privacy, directly connected to the home and its pleasures, in which to nurture forms of selfhood unknown to either their mothers or their daughters†41. Despite the fact that Mgrs. Minivan has fewer servants than she used to have in the pre-war period, she has more freedom and more opportunities. After the War middle-class society lost their servants, as they were young girls who began to work on factories; however, some devoted servants remained in the disposition of these people. As Mgrs. Minivan does not have to work hard to earn her living, she utilises her knowledge to reveal herself through domestic activity, including cooking, upbringing, childcare and interior design. Gradually, a woman manages to create a true home, ‘a private room of one’s own’, as Virginia Woolf claims in her essays42. As a housewife has much free time, she is able to improve her skills income occupations. A woman no longer feels herself in a prison, but instead she transforms her home into a sacred place; such a change is obvious throughout Struthers’s narration. As Mgrs. Minivan states, â€Å"Not that she didn’t enjoy the holiday: but she always felt†¦ a little relieved when they were over. Her normal life pleased her so well that she was half afraid to step out of its frame in case one day she should find herself unable to get back†43. The principal female character does not make an attempt to run away from reality, but she finds many pleasurable things in her home, unlike females of the nineteenth century who suffered much under the control of their parents and husbands. Domesticity becomes an important part of her soul; the writer describes her domestic activities in much detail to reveal Mgrs. Minivan’s obsession with her work: â€Å"Tea was already laid†¦ Three new library books lay virginally on the fender-stool†¦ The clock on the mantelpiece chimed, very softly and precisely, five times†44. Mgrs. Minivan, similar to the Provincial Lady, likes her home and is truly devoted to her family. She manages to find her independence in domesticity and motherhood; besides, she receives an opportunity to think much about her life and the world around her. Mgrs. Minivan’s domestic activity satisfies her needs, although she collides with difficulties from time to time. But the character’s intelligence allows her to create an unusual approach to domestic affairs: â€Å"she managed to keep household matters in what she considered their proper place. They should be no more, she felt, than a low, unobtrusive humming in the background of consciousness: the mechanics of life should never be allowed to interfere with living†45. Mgrs. Minivan follows such an approach in everything, even in children’s upbringing. She reveals certain respect towards children – Judy, Vin and Toby and provides them with freedom of actions, simultaneously maintaining her own independence. This viewpoint positively contributes to her relations with a husband Clem, because Mgrs. Minivan considers â€Å"every relationships a pair of intersecting circles†46. Although Mgrs. Minivan is really close to her husband, she is also separated from him, as she preserves some parts of her identity to herself. Therefore, this female character is portrayed as a splendid mother and wife, but she is also a great individual, because she does not allow domesticity to destroy her identity, although many females were psychologically destroyed by household duties in the nineteenth century. Mgrs. Minivan strives for privacy; thus almost nothing is known about her, except her thoughts and humour. However, it is through her words, domestic affairs and relations with other people that Struthers uncovers Mgrs. Minivan. Applying to the character of Mgrs. Minivan, the writer wants to prove that domesticity provides an opportunity for self-development. In this regard, domesticity is not a barrier to independence and growth; on the contrary, as the feminist approach demonstrates, it can bring many positive results for both a woman and her family, if a person knows how to rightfully utilise them47. does not lose her sense of humour, her power and independence even under really complex conditions. When the Second World War begins, she makes constant attempts to preserve her home and save the members of her family. The character does everything with enthusiasm and reveals unusual spirit in all affairs. When Mgrs. Minivan goes shopping, she observes other people; when she does some work, she tries to diversify this daily routine. Similar to the Provincial Lady, Mgrs. Minivan mainta