How Personal Can Ethics Get Essay

Discuss how personal differences and preferences can impact organizational ethics. Organizational ethics are ethics of an organization. According to (Butts & Rich, 2008) The ethics of an organization refers to an organization attempt to define its missions and values, recognize values that could cause tension, seek best solutions to these tensions, and manage the operations to maintain its values. In dealing with people from all walks of life and different morals it can easily put up a bridge, between ones values and beliefs. After all we are who we are according to the â€Å"Stages of Moral Development† developed by Lawrence Kohlberg who is best known in the field of psychology of ethical decision making and behavior. One’s own personal beliefs and principles can impact their work environment if they are trustworthy, exemplifies a positive attitude, work well with people (internal and external in the work environment), dependable, and etc. This type of person is someone who would be considered to have a great impact in an organization, because of the values and beliefs they display in the work place. Meanwhile a person, who is seen as rude, has a negative attitude (towards people in and outside of the work environment), lacks integrity, and lazy (always doing something upper-handed to get by), the chances of that person being the downfall of an organization is 80/20, due to the fact this person is someone who doesn’t value others well-being, because of the negative morals they learned. A person’s professional ethics are just an expansion of their learned individual ethics. Personal differences and preferences impact organizations all the time, which is why it is so important ethics, play a key role so that unethical behavior doesn’t go unnoticed. Discuss how organizational policies and procedures can impact ethics. Organizational policies and procedures can have both a positive and negative impact with regards to ethics. An organization may have a positive impact if policies and procedures are based on good business ethics.

Memory and Morals in Mement Essay

Memento is the film I decided to do my final analysis essay because it is one of very few films that is told in reverse order. The main character Leonard Shelby kills the murderer of his wife in the film’s first scene and the film moves backward from that point. Memento is a film that allows us (the viewers) to see the film as neo-noir because of Leonard’s amnesia-like disability. The story is revealed backward so the viewers only know what Leonard knows, which means that it is extremely difficult for the viewers to know what is going to happen next/what happened before. The genre, non-diegetic, the goal-orientated plot, and many other things make the film Memento seem neo-noir in the scene where Leonard hits Natalie and Natalie goes back outside to wait for Leonard to forget so that she could walk back in as he forgot. This film falls into more than one genre, which is mystery and thriller. Mystery â€Å"centers on a person of authority, usually a detective that is tr ying to solve a mysterious crime. A mystery is one of Mementos genres because Leonard is trying to find who raped and murdered his wife. Leonard, with the inability to remember what happened after he got knocked out in the incident, developed a mysterious amnesia-disability that does not allow him to create new memories and heavily relies on notes to himself and important facts tattooed to his body. Due to Leonard’s rare disease, there are only a limited number of clues that are given in each scene. The scene that I chose was mysterious because Natalie grabs every pen and writing utensil for whatever mysterious reason and puts them in her purse/backpack. Soon after, they both get into an argument and Leonard punches Natalie in her face. Natalie leaves outside to wait for a few minutes as Leonard tries to find a writing utensil to write down what just happened. As he is doing so Natalie walks in and he completely forgot he punched her and asked her what happened to her face. Little do we know that these little mysterious actions can make a difference. This film also falls under the genre thriller. There is so much tension and clues to look forward to in this film that make it a thriller! With the story being told in reverse order, viewers are kept at the edge of their seat, constantly wanting to know what is going to happen next/what happened before event. This format helps build suspense and surprises viewers. It shocked me that Natalie took advantage of Leonard when she said that Dodd was the one that beat her up, when in reality it was Leonard that punched her for talking trash about his memory disorder and wife. There were so many non-diegetic elements in Memento that made it a neo-noir film. The main non-diegetic element that made the film seem neo-noir is him talking to himself during the movie, like in many detective movies. In the scene that I chose to analyze, Leonard is seen mentally talking to himself, telling himself to hurry and find a pen or he will forget the situation he was in with Natalie wanting him to â€Å"get rid of Dodd†. Hearing Leonard talking to himself in his mind does not exist in the real world which is why it is non-diegetic. Memento is a goal-oriented plot where Leonard wants to solve the mystery of who raped and killed his wife. Leonard’s goal can only be achieved with time and patience. As days go by, Leonard learns to stay updated with any new information by writing down information onto paper notes and tattooing facts about the mystery guy that killed his wife. He starts his days by picking up onto notes that he left for himself to solve. Day by day, moment by moment, Leonard makes progress towards his goal by solving new clues every day.

Strategic cost management case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic cost management - Case Study Example It is not surprising that the plant manager describe their process as â€Å"better than anyone else† because it is guaranteed with speed and high quality, as well as reduced cost. To compete with such companies, it is important to have enough capital reserves to also engage in strategies like promotion. The paper will therefore look at how with the cost reduction strategy, the company is offered sufficient funds that were cut down from actual production cost to gain competitiveness and profitability. Firm’s competitive strategy Much of the emphasis of competitive strategy for California-Illini (CI) is placed on the ability of the company to produce high quality products at a speed that meet consumer demand and cost that meet consumer pocket. In effect, a consumer determinant strategy on demand and cost reduction is used as competitive strategy. Generally, this is a strategy that identifies the scarcity of consumers on the target market due to the number of competitors a mong which existing consumers may choose from (Bernanke, 2006). Knowing that the consumers are not many in number, a consumer determinant strategy generally aims at presenting the consumer with exactly what the consumer requires from the manufacturers in terms of production and cost. The question of whether the strategy used by CI seems appropriate will be answered from several perspectives. The first is to take a quick competitive analysis, based on which a question of the viability of the strategy against other competitors will be asked. Generally, CI is in the same market as other multinational horticulture companies like Simpson and Simpson Inc, and Garages Ltd. These are companies who base their competitive advantage on brand equity and high inflow of cash from other sectors of their business, making it possible for them to run expensive promotions and publicities. What is more, the strategy to add quality and speed to production is highly appropriate even that when supply from customers does not meet their demand, they would switch to other competitors. It is always important to note that the industry in which CI finds its self is one that is based primarily on seasonal production. In effect, one must not wait for seasons to pass before orders made can be honored (Fairlie, 2009). Cost reduction strategy at CI From the above, the cost reduction strategy can be said to have been generated by the need to be competitive and also increase the revenue of the company through reduced internal speeding. When calculating revenue or profit that companies like CI make, emphasis is not only placed on income but on expenditure as well. The fact that CI has been found to make an average annual sale of $13 million alone cannot be accounted in judging the company as a very profitable one. Rather, it would be important to balance this income with expenditure. Commonly, manufacturing companies like CI spend most of their expenses on the production aspect of the supply chai n (Gartner, 1985). In effect, a cost reduction strategy that will ensure that production takes place at a more reduced cost always becomes beneficial. The need to be customer focused was also another motivation for opting for the cost reduction strategy. This is because when cost of production is lower, manufacturers always have the luxury of pegging the prices of their products lower because of a reduced

Financial Accounting Week 12 Course Project Assignment

Financial Accounting Week 12 Course Project - Assignment Example Only the operating sections deals with direct and indirect cash flows. To compare the income statement and the operations section, one needs to point out the difference in timing existing between the cash and income collections (Pratt, 2000). The comparison also highlights the timing difference between the cash payment and expenses. Large gap might show that the company is aggressive to recognize income, or the organization is spending a lot of money to maintain or buy assets, a fact that is not common in income statement. In direct method, the cash flows are listed in the operation part of cash flow statement. Cash flows arise due to transaction from client collection and cash payments made to employees, suppliers, and other. The section also records the cash payments for interest and income tax. The problem of using the direct method is that the organization fails to keep the information in the appropriate manner. For instance, organizations that use the accrual accounting lump the credit and cash sales together (Kimmel, Weygandt & Kieso, 2011). They make special provision in tracking their cash sales separately. Direct method is not commonly used in companies compared to indirect method. The direct method adds the cash flows inside and outside the business in every operations areas; financing, operations, and investment. The method is easy to understand but it does not help much, it only tells the customer what he already knows. The direct method is normally used in commonwealth countries. Conversely, in indirect methods, one needs to adjust the net income to change it to cash basis from accrual basis. The method is common and begins with the net profit and then changes accordingly the non-cash items balance, balance sheet items, and accounts receivables. The method is helpful to the customer when used together with the balance sheet and the income statement. They also need one to add again the non-cash expenses like amortization, depreciation, loss

The Paradox of Wealth and Poverty Research Paper

The Paradox of Wealth and Poverty - Research Paper Example tion is said to have become wealthier according to the generally accepted measures, a significant portion of the population actually become poorer day by day. This gives rise to a paradoxical situation in which wealth and poverty simultaneously increase in an economy. An attempt in recent years to find a solution to this globally prevalent problem has been the made by nations by implementing the concept of â€Å"Microfinance†, which ensures provision of a wide range of financial services to the very poor. One of such most important financial services is the issue of â€Å"microcredit† to the poor, who are usually unable to get financial support from the conventional credit system due to a number of reasons. This revolutionary financial innovation originated with the establishment of the Grameen Bank by Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, who had started working on this issue back in the year 1976. This concept is today being applied in the developed co untries like the U.S. as well, where around 37 million people (12.6%) live below the poverty line (Wikipedia). However, it has been observed that replication of the original Grameen Banking model internationally is a very challenging task and large scale implementation of the concept may not be entirely possible. But given the promising results that this microcredit concept has shown, nations all over the world are trying to come up with policies in order to apply the concept to their respective economical and socio-cultural set up. In this essay, I’m going to describe the problem of economic and social inequality that microfinance seeks to address, and then explain in detail the concept of microfinance and microcredit, how did the concept

Key microeconomic and macroeconomic factors that are likely to Essay

Key microeconomic and macroeconomic factors that are likely to influence the price and output of that product over the next five years - Essay Example are several key microeconomic and macroeconomic factors that have a heavy influence on the price and output of ‘Phenomen’Eyes.’ In the course of this paper these factors will be further explored and explained. The factors that affect the individual will be looked upon under microeconomics and can range a time span of less than a year. Where as the factors that affect the entire economy and will last five years or more will be looked over under macroeconomics (Mankiw, 1998). In short macroeconomic factors are centered on things which affect the nation i.e. inflation, interest rate, unemployment, exports and imports, where as microeconomic factors consist of those that affect people on an individual level e.g., personal income, preferences, price of competitor products. To start with, microeconomic analysis aims to take a better look at how individuals and organizations work in any given economy, in our case this would be the economy of Australia. Here we look at the small scale issues and problems related to the decisions of prices and output for the Phenomen’Eyes. Prices here arte based on individuals and how they would act and react to the market and the product. The output is directly linked to the demand that is being targeted. In this case, Givenchy is going after consumers who are interested in high end beauty products. The prices are based on their preferences; these individuals will most likely not be looking to invest in mascara that has a lower price tag on it because they associate money with quality. Similarly, because a relatively small amount of consumers are being targeted their demand will come in small numbers as well, which means that the production will not consist of a large scale massive operation. Demand the production is directly related here, the lower the demand the lower the number of units that will be produced and vice versa. The microeconomic analysis assumes that the consumers are acting with a proper rationale for all their

Personal Budget, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement Essay

Personal Budget, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement - Essay Example The assets should be equivalent to the liabilities of the individual. Some examples of assets that are included in the balance sheet include the real estate, the checking accounts, savings accounts, cash value of life insurance, vehicles, money market investments and jewelry. Liabilities represent the obligations of the individual such as consumer debts, student loan debts, car loans and outstanding mortgage repayments. Personal cash flow statement will measure the individual cash inflows and outflows in order to determine the net cash flow for a specific period of time. Personal cash inflow will mainly include the salaries and wages, the interests from savings, the dividends received from invested funds and the capital gains that may be realized from the sale of bonds or common stocks. The expense or cash outflows will include the rent paid like house rent, car rental fees, mortgage repayments, utility bills, the entertainment expenditure, and groceries utilized by the individual fo r the specific period of time. Introduction Below are the personal budget, cash flow statement and balance sheet of Sophia. In order to prepare the above financial statements, it is important that we understand the client age, the spouses, and dependants of the client. It is also important to factor the educational background, the income status of the client and spouse, and the major goals of the client. The objectives of Sophia are to save money for unexpected expenses, provide for long-term expenditure such as retirement, and educate her dependants (Stovall & Maurer, 2011). Another objective is to earn adequate income from her savings in order to be able to subsidize the low income from employment (Stovall & Maurer, 2011). Sophia is married to Peter and both have a two-year-old daughter who is not currently enrolled in any school. Sophia is currently pursuing her bachelor of accounting degree on part-time basis, and she is employed in a local charity organization. Her monthly inco me is $ 1,500 while Ken is a graduate of Finance and is currently working in the hospitality industry with a monthly income of $ 2,000. The two major concerns are to save for retirement and education of their daughter. Below is the monthly personal budget of Sophia The financial goals are to avoid debt and increase the emergency funds so that they can accrue money for their daughter’s education and save for retirement. Amount in dollars (US $) Amount in dollars (US $) Expected income Salary (Sophia and Peter) 3,500 Interest on savings deposits 50 Interest on investments 40 Total monthly expected income 3,590 Projected Fixed monthly expenditure Student loan repayments 150 Car insurance 40 Investment savings 450 Mortgage loan repayments 500 Car loan repayment 90 Student loan 80 Life insurance 50 Total fixed expenditure (1,360) Projected variable monthly expenditure Food 1,000 Telephone, water and electricity 100 Clothing 200 Fuel and car maintenance 250 Entertainment 200 Donati ons and gifts 50 Total projected variable expenditure (1,800) Expected monthly savings 430 From the above personal budget, Sophia will have a net savings of $ 380 that she can utilize in meeting her financial goals and objectives. Below is the balance sheet of Sophia as at the end of the 30th September 2012. Sophia’s personal balance sheet as at 30th September 2012 Amount in US dollars Amount in US doll

Effect of Greek Financial Crisis on the British Economy Essay

Effect of Greek Financial Crisis on the British Economy - Essay Example During the early days of 2010 sovereign debt was a subject of attention for the whole world. Sovereign debt is the total debt owed by a sovereign country like Greece to its creditors. As a result of this crisis, there was a panic in the financial market worldwide and euro suffered a huge decline in its value. Greece was helped by the EU and IMF to provide them with loans that could rescue the situation. This can be a short term solution to the problem but the obligations of long term debt will still persist or may even get worse (Abboushi, â€Å"Abstract†). David Cameron in one of his statements warned that British economy will suffer more due to this euro zone crisis. It remains a threat to the future of euro. There had been a decline in the growth rate of employment, especially in public sector of UK. The investors are losing confidence in the market and the financial market in UK suffered a setback. A deep recession is on the cards if the situation is not handled carefully. More support for the banking sector is needed and the Government should be forced to take some emergency steps to help improve the financial system, before the crisis worsens further. Even though Britain is not a part of euro zone, still budgetary deficit concerns of the country should be addressed immediately. British banks already hold a considerable amount of debt in Greece, which can be an area of major concern. Moreover, with Greece defaulting to pay their debts, the problem can spread over nations like Spain and Italy where UK has a much larger investment. In addition to this, euro zone is one of the biggest trading partners of UK, so obviously this crisis can have an impounding effect on UK’s economy if other big European economies falter (PRLog, â€Å"How the Greek economy can affect us all†). 2. Changes in the NHS led by the UK Government UK government took a bold step towards reforming National Health Services (NHS) in the country. There had been many major changes in NHS structure due to this decision of UK government and it is for the first time in the history of NHS that such radical changes are taking place. Hospitals are no longer under NHS. General Practitioners (GPs) and not the management bodies now have a huge role and responsibility and are in charge of major part of the budget. This move resulted in abolition of all the 10 strategic health authorities as well as 152 primary care trusts which are the management bodies of NHS. Most of the budget of NHS is now in the hands of GPs only and they have the authority to plan out things accordingly. The GPs are now to decide on the spending of NHS. This new re-structuring of NHS gives way to the development of a new board which is independent of any kind of political influence. It is completely an independent body now and has control over its own accountability. Health of public is now the responsibility of local authorities. NHS industry is now more of a top-down design with GPs sit ting at the top level. The patients are now being provided with more information through ‘HealthWatch’, a new type of body specially designed for the purpose. The patients now have the option to choose the GP according to their own wish and get registered with them. Since its inception in the year 1948, NHS has never experienced such drastic changes. Now the question remains as to what benefits these changes will bring to the people and the

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Abstract This paper will examine the ethics of a pharmaceutical company by the name of PharmaCARE. Stakeholders will be discussed, and the treatment of rank and file workers versus executives will be analyzed. Also the proposed firing of three of PharmaCare’s workers will be debated. Additionally obligations, protection, and whistleblowing opportunities will be examined on behalf of Allen a manager for the company. PharmaCARE’s environmental initiatives will be assessed and compared to their efforts to stop environmental laws and regulations. The Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ( CERCLA) will be reviewed, and all provisions which apply to the PharmaCARE scenario will be discussed. PharmaCARE is one of the world’s most successful pharmaceutical companies. It has a reputation for producing high quality products that saved millions of lives, and enhance the quality of millions of others. The company sponsors a program that offers free and discounted medication to low income customers. PharmaCARE has many stakeholders. Stakeholders being any one or group owning a significant percentage of a company shares, or a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having interest in its operation.(W.Dictionary) Having established the definition of a stakeholder, one can concur that PharmaCARE has plenty. When identifying the company’s stakeholders the first that come to mind are the investors, shareholders and employees, without these people the company would cease to exist. The secondary stakeholders are the customers, suppliers, communities, clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices, all of these groups have an interest or wil l be affected by the operations of PharmaCARE. Established in New Jersey, PharmaCARE owns a substantial manufacturing facility in the African nation of Colberia. The natives of the land are extremely poor and maintain the lowest standard of living. PharmaCARE employs the natives, paying them a measly one dollar a day salary to gather plants and carry up to fifty pounds five miles. The company executives that run the facility on the other hand live in a luxury compound provided by the company. PharmaCARE’s practice of paying people to work for a dollar a day is totally utilitarian. They are getting cheap labor and destroying the land of the natives without even trying to provide a structure to help the people out of poverty, or provide equipment or facilities to help them replenish their land. PharmaCARE is morally corrupt, they have no sense of community when it comes to their bottom line. The executive of PharmaCARE are paid sizable salaries and are treated well. They are provided with facilities that contain all the amen ities. The lower ranking employees are treated as expendables. They are expected to work in unsafe conditions without complaint, or risk the chance of being fired. They are in some cases paid a salary so miniscule that it can be interpreted as modern day slavery. On the surface PharmaCARE looks to be an ethically sound company but when closely evaluated it is utilitarianism at its worst. Allen Jones a manager for the company was appointed to lead a new division created by PharmaCARE called CompCARE. The subsidiary was a way for PharmaCARE to avoid FDA scrutiny concerning the reformulation and selling of their top selling diabetes drug. The company quickly established CompCARE and did a low cost renovation to an office located close to headquarter. The new formulation of the drug was successful for treating Alzheimer and the success of CompCARE grew. As production and working hours increased employees began to fall ill. An employee brought to Allen’s attention that there was mold on the air vents, after contacting his supervisor Allen was told to ignore the fact. An EE by the name of Donna who previously had perfect attendance became so ill that she could no longer report to work because of the mold. So she eventually filed for workers compensation. Tom one of Allen’s best supervisor threaten to file a complaint with OSHA about the air quality at the fac ility because it was so bad. Lastly an EE named Ayesha filed an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint  inferring that she had been looked over for a promotion because she was Muslim. Allen discussed the EE issues with his boss and was told to fire them all. Firing the EEs would not be the best decision for Allen, he has to consider the legal ramifications of his actions. Legally, Allen cannot fire Donna for filing for workers compensation, an EE is protected by law from retaliation for filing a claim. Donna had excellent work evaluations prior to her illness, Allen would have to provide sufficient evidence that firing her was not due to the filing of a workers comp claim. Firing Donna would surely bring an employment discrimination lawsuit against PharmaCARE, it would be wise for Allen to convince his boss to take care of the mold problem in the facility it would save the company money in the long run. Terminating Tom would also bring litigations against PharmaCARE, Tom could allege that he was wrongfully discharged, because he complained about his unsafe working conditions and threaten to inform OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Commission). Under the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act one cannot be terminated for reporting a violation of public policy or not for good cause once a probationary period is completed. Tom was Allen’s best supervisor, terminating him would be illegal. Allen needs to persuade his boss to remedy the mold problem at the facility, he needs to explain to him that it is in the best interest of the company. Lastly Allen could legally fire Ayesha, not because of her filing a complaint with EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) but for not being able to substantiate the claim. Under the Employment-at- Will Act he can terminate her unless some type of contractual terms are stated or implied in the employer’s handbook. Allen’s managerial status puts him in a unique position, he has direct contact with the executives and daily interactions with the lower level EE. Allen is faced with legal and ethical issues, Allen has been told to allow workers to remain in a hazardous work environment. The air quality of the workplace is dangerous to the health of any one working in the environment. As a manager he has an ethical and legal duty to report the conditions of his jobsite to first his superiors, then to OSHA if no measures are taken to correct the problem. Allen’s boss has made it clear that nothing will be done about the air pollution, so reporting this problem to OSHA would  benefit Allen legally. As a manager Allen was made aware of the problem by an employee, if the employee decides to contact OSHA and inform them that they reported this problem to him he may be fired later for not taking steps to remedy the problem. Once you submit a complaint to OSHA your company cannot retaliate against you, this will protect Allen from getting fired and having legal action taken against him. Allen reporting to OSHA is his best option, his job will be protected and he would have done the right thing for the employees. PharmaCARE had recently announced its â€Å"We Care about Your World† initiative. They started recycling, and made packaging changes, these steps made them seem community friendly. Even as they took on these green initiatives, they lobbied to block environmental efforts that would benefit the greater good of the people. Also they entered poor villages and exploited the people and the land to their benefit with no moral gauge. It seems that PharmaCARE is promoting an image of environmental stewardship when they are actually ethically corrupt. They are misleading the community with their behind the scenes practices. If PharmaCARE is going to portray themselves as an environmentally friendly company than they should assume the responsibility of initiating a green program in all aspects of their productions within reason. Communities will support a company that they believe to care about the interest of the greater good and not just profit. PharmaCARE is jeopardizing their image w ith these unethical practices and if made public the company could possibly suffer an economic loss. Comprehensive Environment Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) also known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress in 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. The law authorized the EPA to identify companies or individuals responsible for hazardous waste contamination and require them to clean it up. If no party could be found responsible for the contamination then money from the superfund would be used for the cleanup. On October 17, 1986 CERCLA was amended to include more detailed provisions to better the process of  enforcing maintaining and cleaning contamination sites. They include increasing State involvement in every phase of the Superfund program, requiring Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other State and Federal environmental laws and regulations, and stressing the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites. There are eleven provisions in all, they were added to give the states more authority in the matters of environmental protection, and bring awareness to the actual dangers to human health from hazardous waste. Provisions relating to PharmaCARE are the right to have safe and toxic free working conditions and the power of the state to enforce clean up, also the random site inspections. References Stakeholders. (n.d.) Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from Dictionary.com website OSHA: complying with workplace health and safety laws. (2013). Retrieved from www.nolo.com SARA Overview. (2013). Retrieved from www.epa.gov/superfund/policy Halbert, T., Ingulli, E. (2012). The duty of loyalty. In M. Staudt M. Stranz (Eds.), Laws and ethics in the business environment (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning

Blood Brothers Essay Example for Free

Blood Brothers Essay Within a Blood Brothers. Compare the role of the narrator in the Play Blood Brothers and consider how you Would present the narrator to an audience if you were the director. The dictionary definition of narrate VT (a story) to tell, relate; to give an account of; (film, TV) to provide a spoken commentary for narration n narrator n The tradition of narration came from the Greek chorus. Their were thirteen people in the chorus; all singing and dancing. The chorus which served as the narrator, asked probing questions, and also gave great advice to the heroes. If there was any violence it was merely narrated, and not presented for fear of offending the audience. The purpose of the narrator is to let the audience know what is going on. Narration is one of the most important components of a story. The characters, plot, setting, and theme are also significant; however the narrator sets the mood and also the pace of the story, as well as predicting what might happen when the narrator is omniscient. In Blood Brothers the narrator plays a variety of roles for example sometimes he is at a higher status than them and also is sometimes very negative. The original Greek narrator was in a chorus which consisted of thirteen people, in the play Blood Brothers the narrator sang with the characters but he was much more involved and not separated, as the Greek chorus were. The Greek chorus usually stayed as part of the chorus or on the side of the stage. They knew everything about the characters and sometimes they could see into the future like in Blood Brothers when the narrator was preparing the audience for what was going to come next in throughout the play. They usually spoke the beginning and end of the play. He narrated the beginning of the play to set the scene and at the end he was the last one to speak before they in Blood Brothers case this was just after the twins died. In act 1 scene 1 the narrator is a storyteller. He also sounds, very negative in what he is saying as he says Brother parted from brother Wrenched apart A stone in the place of a heart which is negative. His mother gave him away because she didnt think she would be able to cope and also because of money as well as her other seven children. I feel that the narrator is being very harsh because the way he says A stone in the place of a heart but she knew that she might be able to cope with one more children but not with two as its only her to look after them. I dont think its good that the narrator manipulates the characters minds as it is coming away from the tradition so I dont think thats a good idea because as soon as one thing changes they change everything. In this scene Act 1 scene 3 the shoes the shoes Whats wrong with them on. On the table take them off take them off oh god you never put new shoes on a table Miss Lyons. You never know what might happen. The narrator is forcing the idea of superstitions and it makes the audience wonder if it will have any effects, as it appears to. Eventually he is also trying to enforce that as she was not very well educated and believe in superstition like that but as the educated ones know more and are better off so they dont believe in as much superstition as them. The narrator appears to be working in Mrs Lyons favour and against the mother. In act 1 scene 6 the narrator informs the audience he has also set up his plan on controlling the families, that the mother reminding the audience of the decision and is regretting giving her baby away, The debt makes it sound like its a business deal and is also a metaphor, Paid those words are both cold. The narrator is also blaming the mother for giving her child away. I think that it is her fault for giving her child but at the end of the day she knew she wouldnt be able to cope with any more children so she had to do something. The narrators main role throughout the show is to act as a constant reminder to us of the brothers tragic fate for example Shoes upon the table which is repeated throughout both acts of the show. In Act 2 scene 1 the narrator makes this scene particularly eerie. The idea of the devil being there all the time indicates something terrible might happen. Here he is playing the part of the devil theres no use clutching at your rosary, the Devils in the back yard, he can see thought the gaps in the curtains he sees it all, theres no use in hiding in the hall. When he raps at the knocker then he knows youre in; No you wont no youll never get away from him. This raises an evil issue as hes everywhere. The last two lines No you wont, No youll never get away from him. Is an eerie writing that is repeated for even more effect. From Act 2 scene 11 we notice from the first two lines that there is repetition. The only difference is of the back yard working class garden middle class. Devil in your bones getting into your ghostly running away from someone you can run hide but hell always find you when he rings at the chimes it builds up tension as he is saying that you will never get away from the devil even if you run hide hell always find you and is also showing the ghostly side of him, and again the idea of the negative within the play. From Act 4 Scene 1 we notice the narrator in a positive light as he comments The summers never ever going to end The devil is hardly visible. There is not much evidence of negative. The narrator also makes the audience happy which also makes the m unprepared for what is coming. In Act 4 scene 2 there is as difference as the social class has divided them because Mickey wanted to work but Eddie has a lot of money and doesnt have to work which causes frustration for Mickey. Again the narrator hints at the idea that the social class division may lead to a negative outcome. In this scene (Act 4 scene 3) Mickey is offered a job from Eddie but refuses it and is sad because he cannot find one himself, the feels that he has lost the sense of pride. Again this gives the audience even more clue that because of this Mickey and Eddie will be torn apart even more. In Act 5 scene 1 Linda got Mickey and Eddie takes over his fathers business. Gradually throughout the play the narrator is not warning + predicting but gradually taking over the whole character by being within that character. If I was the director I would dress the narrator in black as that is a dark colour and also can represent the negativity in the play. But I would also dress him in a lighter colour like yellow to show the happier side of the narrator. I would make him dress in red to show the devil side of him or give him a red fork so show that there is also a devil with in him when he is manipulating the characters to do bad things or talking in a cold tone. Id also consider putting him at a higher status I would make him stand on the balcony or on staging blocks as he seems to be controlling the families but I would also ask him to walk around so he would be in with the cast to show the equality in status at times. He would have a deep voice as many people see god as having a deep voice and as he is controlling the families and is a higher status and people see god to be in the sky. My narrator would appear at the beginning and at the end of the play. He would also appear to sing with the characters so he will be interacting with the characters. He would also be standing on the balcony at the side when he would be controlling the families I would also want him to interact with the characters as I want him walking around in between the characters when they are frozen and he is explaining to the audience what is happening. For the body language if I was showing the bad side of him I would make him stand in one place at a higher status staring down at the characters but if hes in a good mood I want him walking around interacting with the characters. I would also give him a strong accent as many people perceive god to have a strong accent and a deep voice. He will also talk loud as thats how many people see god. Conclusion The understanding of the narrator has helped me to analyse this dramatic technique by setting the scene, also explaining to the audience what is going on. I found it particularly useful to be able to compare the Blood Brothers narrator with the original Greek narrator and this produced me with even more understanding.