Eli Pritchard Essays (220 words) - County Fermanagh, Maguire

Eli Pritchard Prof. Steve Batham HIST 17B January 20, 2017 Irish in America Maguire's book The Irish in America seeks to dispel the harsh stereotypes the American Irish face using both the interplay of culture and prejudice. One of the most pertinent factors beyond culture in Maguire's The Irish in America is the persecution the Irish face as outsiders. In fact Maguire tells us that most Irish communities either,"openly deplored, or it was reluctantly admitted" the notion of alcohol abuse. By his account Maguire considers the birth of the Drunken Irish stereotype to be the side effect of biased American testimonials. The Irish were the largest ethnic group in America at the time so it's not hard to imagine the drinking myth came from the largely unreceptive Protestant majority. The more interesting of Maguire's two arguments is the how both the Irish and American culture intermingle. Generally Maguire paints alcohol as openly reviled by the Irish and as a large part of American society. In Maguire's opinion it is not a natural propensity for alcohol that might cause the appearance of the Irish drinking more, but a combination of a less restrictive faith and geniality. The other major factor at play is how alcohol has played a large part in American culture since its early use as a substitute for water.

Contingency Theories of Leadership

Contingency Theories of Leadership The contingency theory, as applied in leadership, considers various factors that contribute to a leader’s effectiveness by interaction with his or her leadership behaviour. According to contingency theories, there is not any particular leadership style suited for all the situations (Betts 2011, p.123).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contingency Theories of Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A leadership style effective in particular situations may be unsuccessful in others. The evaluation of particular variables in a given environment such as the quality of followers, establishes the most appropriate style in a particular situation. This phenomenon explains the observation of an effective leader becoming considerably unproductive when transferred to a different working environment or the prevailing factors in the old environment changes. Fiedler’s, Hersey and Blanchard’s, and the path-g oal theories provide the three major approaches of isolating situational variables in leadership. Fiedler’s contingency theory identifies the subordinates’ personality and attitude, task structure and the leader’s position in terms of power as the variables that influence leadership effectiveness. This model asses the performance of a leader by evaluating the output of the work group under the leader’s supervision (Brock 2012, p.1). Moreover, the theory assumes that the level of favourability of a situation to a leader is dependent on the degree to which the situation permits the leader’s influence on the group members’ behaviour. This aspect of the theory defines effective leadership as the ability to influence others in the aim of achieving organizational goals. According to this model, there are two categories of leaders. These are the task-oriented and person-oriented leaders. The task-oriented leaders’ main concern is the accompl ishment of tasks with desirable outputs (Jarvis 2006, p. 106). In this regard, they fail to attain their results because they are less concern with the group members and thus cannot appropriately deal with ineffective teamwork. The person-oriented leaders considerably value their team members, and this hampers their accomplishment of tasks due to minimal contribution of some members to the task achievement. These two types of leaders are effective under different conditions. The task-oriented leader achieves better results in both the extreme cases of favourable or unfavourable circumstances. On the other hand, the person-oriented leader achieves better results under moderately favourable conditions.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Fiedler’s theory, effective leadership is factor of the personality and style of a leader and the working environme nt. These aspects considerably determine the success of leadership. While Fiedler’s theory assumes that leadership styles are consistent and difficult to change, and thus leaders must be placed in an environment that fits their leadership style, the Hersey and Blanchard model and the Path-goal theory assume that any leader is capable of adapting to new environments and display the required effectiveness in any given situation. He or she can adjust the leadership style to work efficiently in diverse situations (Williams 2011, p. 407). Furthermore, Fiedler’s model stipulates that if the situation is not optimal for a particular leader, the situation require change or the leader should undergo a replacement in order to improve leadership effectiveness. The situation can undergo change to fit the leader through such means as task restructuring or minimising the leader’s power over various control factors. The Hersey and Blanchard situational leadership model focuses on three major leadership aspects. These are the task behaviour, relationship behaviour, and maturity. According to this model, leaders have to vary their emphasis on tasks and relationship behaviours in order to deal with different levels of maturity among team members. Concerning the task behaviour, the leader engages in a one-way communication by outlining each worker’s task. In this aspect, the workers cannot give feedback to their leader. The relationship behaviour examines a two-way communication between the leader and the workers. In this aspect, there are channels for feedback and the leader can offer support and guidance to the subordinates and act as a facilitator. Maturity describes the readiness of an individual to take control of his or her behaviour considering that there are varying degrees of maturity among people about a specific task or objective in question. Under situational leadership model, an effective leader should identify the different levels of rea diness among followers concerning the performance of particular tasks and apply the most suitable style. This will enable the leader to respond with more flexibility and thus enhance followers’ maturity (Borkowski 2009, p.201). When the leader establishes a high level of a follower’s maturity, he or she can adopt the delegation style, which requires minimal interventions. On the other hand, the identification of low levels of maturity in a follower requires the adoption of a style that emphasis on the particular task. Among other things, an effective leader will give instructions in scenarios where followers lack the capability or are unwilling to effectively accomplish the allocate tasks.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contingency Theories of Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The leader should adopt styles that encourage followers to share ideas and thus gain more understanding and confiden ce regarding the task in question. This model enables leaders to acknowledge the need for continual followers’ skills improvement through training and other development measures (DeRue et al. 2010, p. 640). The path-Goal Theory discusses the effects of four types of leadership styles on the subordinates attitudes and expectations. These are the supportive, directive, achievement-oriented, and participative styles. By analysing various situational factors, an effective leader opts for the style that provides strong Path-goal indications and incentives. The leader should avoid a style that induces redundancy and aggravations within the environmental structure sources or is not congruent with the employee characteristic (Kotlyar Karakowsky 2006, p.400). The directive style ensures that followers adhere to the stipulated rules and regulations regarding tasks. Although this style facilitates better results concerning ambiguous tasks, it is ineffective in well-structured and clear ly defined tasks as it introduces redundancy. The supportive style entails a friendly and supportive leader to the employees (Gutpa 2009, p.1). It creates a supportive environment in structured tasks, but is inappropriate when there are already other sources of encouragement such as the organization. The participative styles are appropriate for ambiguous tasks as they allow employee selection of tasks and influence of decisions. The achievement-oriented behaviours are suitable for ambiguously structured tasks. The Path-goal theory postulates that the subordinates’ behaviour and environmental characteristics determine the leadership style used, and the performance pertaining to various assigned tasks. The Path-goal theory differs from the Fiedler’s model in that it considers the individual leadership styles to vary as situations within an organization change (Chance Chance, 2002, p. 114). In addition, the Path-goal theory definition of the effectiveness of a leader, wh ich entails the followers’ satisfaction and motivation, differs from Fielders’ definition in this regard. According to this theory, effective leaders increase their subordinates’’ motivation and satisfaction by supporting them in their pursuance of important goals.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They should demonstrate to them the value of various outcomes under their control and clarify the paths to these outcomes. An effective leader will embark on the eradication of barriers that may arise during the pursuance of crucial goals. All the three theories focus on the extent to which the leader emphasizes on tasks and structuring issues while considering the relationship-relevant supportive and participative behaviours. However, the leadership variable in the Fielder’s model is a motivational orientation rather than a set of behaviours despite the assumptions that the orientations relate to the behaviours (Schermerhorn 2011, p. 267). From a leadership perspective, Fiedler’s model and the Path-goal theory offer some insight into variable that affect the effectiveness of a leader. The two theories are considerably aligned concerning the conditions under which task-oriented or directive style of leadership are desirable. Both models concur on the use of the task-or iented style of leadership in cases where there are no clear guidelines regarding tasks. Although the Fiedler’s model failed to address the processes, by which the leader’s motivational orientation affects group processes and outcomes, the Path-goal theory has identifies the specific variables that need address in defining the followers’ motivation (Chemers 1997, p. 45). The Path-goal and the Heresy and Blanchard models shared a lot as they attempt to describe the appropriate leadership behaviour using similar parameters such as various leadership styles applicable in different situations. Both models consider how well the subordinate understand the relevant actions in the accomplishment of their tasks. Fiedler’s model disregards the followers’ aspect of the ability and willingness to take responsibility concerning a particular task as an important aspect of effective leadership. The Path-goal model has made numerous assumptions in this aspect. How ever, the situational leadership theory considers various behaviours of a follower that might affect the expected outcome and outlined the most appropriate leader’s response in order to facilitate the realization of organizational goals. References Betts, S. C. (2011). Contingency Theory: Science Or Technology?. Journal of Business Economic Research, 1(8), 123-130. Borkowski, N. (2009). Organizational behavior in health care (2nd ed.). Jones and Bartlett Publishers: Sudbury, Mass. Brock, D. M. (2012). Toward a contingency theory of planning. Journal of Management Organization, 1, 1. Chance, P. L., Chance, E. W. (2002). Introduction to educational leadership organizational behavior: theory into practice. Eye On Education: Larchmont, N.Y. Chemers, M. M. (1997). An Integrative Theory of Leadership. Routledge: London. DeRue, D. S., Barnes, C. M., Morgeson, F. P. (2010). Understanding the Motivational Contingencies of Team Leadership. Small Group Research, 41(5), 621-651. Gut pa, A. (2009). Path-Goal Leadership. Leadership and Development , 1, 1. Jarvis, M. (2006). Sport Psychology: A Students Handbook, Volume 10. Psychology Pres: Hove. Kotlyar, I., Karakowsky, L. (2006). Leading Conflict? Linkages Between Leader Behaviors and Group Conflict. Small Group Research, 37(4), 377-403. Schermerhorn, J. R. (2011). Exploring management (3rd ed.). John Wiley Sons: Hoboken, N.J. Williams, C. (2011). Effective Management: A Multimedia Approach. Cengage Learning: Detroit.

Whole Foods Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Whole Foods Market - Essay Example Not only did they satisfy the people in Texas they went well above and beyond. â€Å"Wow! What a ride. Back in 1980, we started out with one small store in Austin, Texas. Today, we’re the world’s leader in natural and organic foods, with more than 310 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. What a long, strange trip it’s been. We still honor our original ideals, and we think that has a lot to do with our success.† (About Whole Foods) It is very important to shed light upon the price of certain items sold in Whole Foods, the price is usually higher than the same grocery products sold in other stores, this is something which could be affecting the profits of Whole Foods. However, it is unclear as to why the price is higher than other grocery stores. There could be a number of reasons for this but at the end of the day what matters is profit and the quality of the products sold in the store. As far as the quality is concerned Whole Foods has always be en providing their customers with the very best products so quality is certainly not an issue but price is something which they need to work on only then can they increase their profits. Reducing the price does not mean it will hamper their growth, they can always find new ways or special offers which could fetch them even more profits, everything comes down to innovation. Thinking out of the box has become really important and one good pricing strategy can fetch a lot of profit to Whole Foods. Whole Foods does not promote the discount card scheme and this is really strange, it is strange because the customers who keep visiting the store do not get rewarded and they should be rewarded only then will they feel like coming over and over again. Discount cards will also bring Whole Foods new customers and finding new customers is really important for any business. This is the first change which Whole Foods must introduce; discount cards are the need of the hour. The economic conditions in the recent past have been anything but ideal considering the same Whole Foods must introduce discount cards and this change is ought to bring more clients which would imply more profit for the organization. Whole Foods can become even more popular by sponsoring events, sponsoring local events would be ideal just to make a start but in the long run the store can also sponsor sporting events so that it becomes even more popular. This is another very good way of attracting more clients. The Premier League is a classic example, Barclays in the UK started sponsoring the Premier League in England and it is now known as the Barclays Premier League and it is watched by Billions of people across the globe. Such sponsorship deals may be expensive for an organization but can prove very beneficial in the long run. Whole Foods should also look at similar opportunities so as to make their mark. Organic food is something in which Whole Foods specialize and they need to work on building a brand identity. The first thing which should come to minds of people when they think of organic food should be Whole Foods, this is not an easy job but it can be accomplished and there are several organizations who have accomplished the same and there is no reason as to why Whole Foods cannot achieve the same in the field of organic food. Aggressive promotion is another idea which could work well for Whole Foods, social networking websites have become incredibly popular, big organizations have their own Facebook pages and Whole Foods should also create a Fan page and keep it updated so that the people can know of the recent changes and the recent products being sold by Whole Foods. Twitter is another medium with the help of

Marketing Plan - Product launch strategy Term Paper

Marketing Plan - Product launch strategy - Term Paper Example Keeping this in view, ENTOUCH telecom has decided to launch electronic online store. This will help the company in the process of attracting and retaining more customers, which in turn will result in increasing the total profits and market share of the company. Background and Relevant Issues: Telecommunication industry is one of the growing industries all over the globe. It has become one of the most profitable and worth investing industry. There is always an increasing need of different products and devices which assist people in the process of communication. Communication has become one of the important needs of the today’s global world. At the same time it is worth considering that there is considerable shift in the shopping behaviour of the customers. More and more people are shifting towards online shopping. Online shopping provides the customers with more convenience and ease. New Service Strategy and Purpose of Strategy: Owing to the increasing trend of online shopping, the company is looking forward to launch a new e-store. This online store will enable the target customers to shop for their favourite telecommunication products over the internet. ... he purpose behind this strategy is to provide the customers with ease and comfort of shopping from home and at the same time increasing the market share of the company. Business Current Offerings: ENTOUCH telecom offers almost everything which is required to make a phone system in an office or at home. There are several corded and cordless digital phones offered by the company for home and business usage. In addition to this, the company offers several telecommunication products and accessories like headphones, headsets, conferencing equipments etc. Products and accessories from the world’s renowned manufacturers are available which includes Plantronics, Sennheiser, Jabra etc. OBJECTIVES: There are several aims and targets of ENTOUCH which it is looking forward to accomplish with the launch of this new service. Five main objectives in this regard are: 1. To increase the sales of the company by 10 percent within the time period of one year. 2. To increase the market share of th e company by 5 percent within the time period of one year. 3. To increase the penetration in the New Zealand market to the level of 60 percent. 4. To enter into international telecommunication market by capturing around 5 percent share in the first year. 5. To improve the market image and reputation. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: Before entering into any new market segment and introducing any new product or service, it is important to thoroughly analyse the overall situation of the industry and market. It is essential for the organisation to investigate, explore, and analyse both, internal and external, environment. This is the first step in the process of designing effective marketing strategy and plan (Anderson, 1982). Industry Analysis and Key Trends: The overall telecommunication industry is

Supply chain manager Essay Example for Free

Supply chain manager Essay Week 1 (Chapter 1) Logistics and the Supply Chain Course Outline Economic Impacts of Logistics Logistics: What is it The Increased Importance of Logistics Activities in the Logistics Channel As your first step in getting started with this course, please introduce yourself in the Student Profiles. Please share who you are, where you work, what your comfort level with the on-line technology is, and what is your reason for taking this program? Attach a photo if you are able. Week 2 (Chapter 2) Logistics and Information Technology General Types of Information Management Systems Electronic Commerce and Logistics Electronic Data Interchange Enterprise Resource Planning Week 3 (Chapter 3) Logistics Systems Controls Financial and Accounting Controls Worker Productivity Product Recalls Controlling Returned and Salvaged Goods Pilferage and Theft Maintaining Channel and Supply-Chain Integrity Week 4 (Chapter 4) Managerial Issues in Logistics Theft and Pilferage Logistics Social Responsibility Managing Reverse Logistics Lessening the Impact of Terrorism on Logistics Systems Week 5 (Chapter 5) The Supply-Chain Concept Key Attributes of Supply-Chain Management Barriers to Supply-Chain Management Supply Chain Management and Integration Summary Case Study One: Read Case 5-1 â€Å"Johnson Toy Company†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 6 (Chapter 6) Procurement Purchasing for Resale Procuring Services E-Procurement Quality Programs Purchasing Ethics Week 7 (Chapter 7) Demand Management, Order Management and Customer Service Order Management The Role of Logistics in Establishing Customer Service Levels Measuring and Controlling Customer Service Meeting Customer Service Demands Case Study Two: Read Case 7-1 â€Å"Handy Andy, Inc.†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 8 (Chapter 8) Inventory Management Inventory Classifications Inventory Related Costs When to Order How Much to Reorder Inventory Flows Special Concerns to Inventory Management EOQ Mathematical Questions (See handout for assigned question). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 9 (Chapter 9) Your copy of the take home test is located in the Lecture Tab for lecture 9. Distribution Centre, Warehouse and Plant Location Logistics Acronyms (See Acronyms Attachment) General Factors Influencing Facility Locations Finding the Lowest Cost Location Facility Relocation and Facility Closing Take Home Test Due: Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 10 (Chapter 10) Warehousing Management Public, Private and Contract Warehousing Design Considerations in Warehousing Warehousing Operations Week 11 (Chapter 11) Protective Packaging and Materials Handling Product Characteristics Packaging Unit Loads in Materials Handling Materials Handling Week 12 (Chapter 12) Transportation Small-Volume Shippers Large Bulk Shippers Project Cargo Oversized Moves Hazardous Materials Transportation Regulation and Deregulation Week 13 (Chapter 13 and 14) Transportation Management Rate Determination and Negotiation Rate Regulatory Bodies Documentation Loss and Damage Dumurrage and Detention Transportation of Hazardous Materials Consolidating Small Quality Case Study Three: Read Case 14-1 â€Å"Nurnberg Augsburg Maschinenwerke†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week.

Being Careful about Putting Animals in Captivity Essay -- essays resea

Animals in captivity. It has been an issue since the first zoo was opened. Many people are for and against it. I think that there are many pros and cons to having them in captivity. The main issue in the world is how do you possibly make it as close to the animal’s natural environment in captivity. It is almost impossible. You can’t start building sea world all over the ocean and hope the animals show up. I live in Agoura hills, big for horse property. At my grandma’s we have three Arabian horses. The thing is that they are wild animals, and need to do what they do best, RUN. We have three acres of pasture they can run around and play and be horses. Now let me tell you, they love their treats. Animals love to learn. I see it in our horses every day. They are happy. They get kept clean, fed, ridden, and get treats. Wild horses live on hundred of thousands of acres. If you take one of those and train it they love it. They like being fed, cleaned, and get treats. Now a lot of people would say that is different than keeping a killer whale at sea world. In some ways it is and in some ways it isn’t. The whales at sea world are always happy and love attention that they receive. I watched a program on the discovery channel a while a go. It was about the marine animals that were in captivity. Those whales loved being trained and getting a reward of fish when they do something correct. Now look at the con of this situation. Is this anything close to what they would get in nature. No. They do not get the mass oceans to swim. They do not get the freedom to live. But in some ways it is better. The have some of the most amazing trainers, vets, and marine experts in the world on call 24/7. Now I am not saying that we should take ... ...est care and get sick or die (Keiko in Mexico) So you see their a lot of pros and cons. Another point people bring up is the mental stability of the animal. There have been cases that have occurred where the animal snaps and attack the human is usually in captivity. If some idiot goes walking in the Brazilian forests and get attacked by a jaguar that’s his fault. The elephant that attacks humans is usually the humans fault. Either the elephant is cooped up to long and snaps or the trainer did something that made them snap. They are wild and this is the risk. Usually the animals don’t want to hurt the trainers or keepers. This is the risk of having wild animals in shows and captivity. If you can take the risk that is fine but you must make sure all the pros are met and cons kept in mind. They are wonderful creatures and they want to please, but there is a limit. Being Careful about Putting Animals in Captivity Essay -- essays resea Animals in captivity. It has been an issue since the first zoo was opened. Many people are for and against it. I think that there are many pros and cons to having them in captivity. The main issue in the world is how do you possibly make it as close to the animal’s natural environment in captivity. It is almost impossible. You can’t start building sea world all over the ocean and hope the animals show up. I live in Agoura hills, big for horse property. At my grandma’s we have three Arabian horses. The thing is that they are wild animals, and need to do what they do best, RUN. We have three acres of pasture they can run around and play and be horses. Now let me tell you, they love their treats. Animals love to learn. I see it in our horses every day. They are happy. They get kept clean, fed, ridden, and get treats. Wild horses live on hundred of thousands of acres. If you take one of those and train it they love it. They like being fed, cleaned, and get treats. Now a lot of people would say that is different than keeping a killer whale at sea world. In some ways it is and in some ways it isn’t. The whales at sea world are always happy and love attention that they receive. I watched a program on the discovery channel a while a go. It was about the marine animals that were in captivity. Those whales loved being trained and getting a reward of fish when they do something correct. Now look at the con of this situation. Is this anything close to what they would get in nature. No. They do not get the mass oceans to swim. They do not get the freedom to live. But in some ways it is better. The have some of the most amazing trainers, vets, and marine experts in the world on call 24/7. Now I am not saying that we should take ... ...est care and get sick or die (Keiko in Mexico) So you see their a lot of pros and cons. Another point people bring up is the mental stability of the animal. There have been cases that have occurred where the animal snaps and attack the human is usually in captivity. If some idiot goes walking in the Brazilian forests and get attacked by a jaguar that’s his fault. The elephant that attacks humans is usually the humans fault. Either the elephant is cooped up to long and snaps or the trainer did something that made them snap. They are wild and this is the risk. Usually the animals don’t want to hurt the trainers or keepers. This is the risk of having wild animals in shows and captivity. If you can take the risk that is fine but you must make sure all the pros are met and cons kept in mind. They are wonderful creatures and they want to please, but there is a limit.

Explore the Construction of Identiy in Hamlet and Beowulf Essay

â€Å"’Identity has been increasingly used to refer to the social and historical make-up of a person, personality as a construct. Sometimes such identities are conceived narrowly psychological, individualist terms, as the cumulative result of personal experience and family history† This is seen particularly in Beowulf where all men are referred to as their fathers’ sons’. Family history was massively important in those times and men well often well respected because of the heroic things their ancestors had done. Warriors also felt the need to reach the same level of notoriety. This is shown when we are first introduced to Beowulf. We are told about his father before even knowing his name: â€Å"In his day, my father was a famous man a noble warrior-lord named Ecgtheow† Similarly in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, purely through learning of Hamlet’s lineage we discover he is the son of the king and this plays an important part of his identity and the events throughout the play. In most novels, plays and poems, the identity of the protagonist changes the more we get to know the character; the more that happens the more we think we know what they are like. This is the same for real life, when we first meet people we are often uncertain about their identity and personality, we usually learn more about them through their actions and associations. This is true for Beowulf; because it is set in the third person we learn about him through what he does and what he says. A text being in third person can also be useful; the narrator can offer definite and universal truths about the character which can be especially useful as it is almost impossible for a writer to create a character that will be interpreted the same way by every person that reads it. Characters are read in different ways throughout the generations and from culture to culture. It could therefore be argued that identity is not created through the author but by the readers. Hamlet, being a play, has many long soliloquies where he reveals his inner thoughts to the audience in first person. In soliloquies the character usually asks a rhetorical question and then answers it; this allows the audience to understand the character’s emotions and motives, something especially important in Hamlet where some of his actions would be considered very unconventional or deranged. This helps us to empathise with Hamlet and engage ourselves in the plot. â€Å"O that this too  too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God! How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable† This is the beginning of Hamlet’s first soliloquy when he learns of his father’s death and his mother’s betrayal by marrying Claudius less than two months after his father’s death. He contemplates suicide to escape what he describes as a ‘weary stale, flat and unprofitable’ world and wishes it was not a sin against God. Not only does this soliloquy reveal his true feelings about his mother and Claudius, it shows us that he is religious which accounts for his delay in murdering the new King even under his dead father’s orders. The thoughts of other characters, not only the protagonist are important as they help to keep the play timeless. In Hamlet, murder is nothing abnormal, almost expected whereas now it is a very serious offence for anyone, including the monarchy. Not only that, but seeing a ghost is not normal behaviour for a 21st century reader, without the other characters seeing the ghost we would be unable to distinguish between reality and Hamlet’s madness. Horatio talks to the ghost like it is a real thing: â€Å"Horatio: Stay, speak, speak, I charge thee speak.† It can be concluded that identity is how the characters act within the times in which they live in. Identity is therefore impossible to create without the concept of time and the context that the text was written in. Texts are sometimes altered to appeal more to certain audiences from different times and locations such as: â€Å"Hormone Imbalance’s Ophelia (1979), in which Ophelia is a lesbian and runs off with a woman servant to join a guerrilla commune; Curtis’s obscenely funny The skinhead Hamlet (1982) and Jean Bett’s Ophelia thinks harder (1993), in which the heroine acts assertively while the hero dithers.† This goes against the thesis that states identity is created by experience and implies that identity is subject to time, location and the audience it is written for. It could also be argued that each of these different variations of Hamlet have created a completely different identity in each text. Someone’s identity is not fixed; it changes over time as the character develops and often through self discovery or even (In the case of Hamlet) an identity crisis due to conflicted values and internal and external pressures. The shift in opinions and ideas of the character constructs a more complicated identity that is more difficult to label. Throughout the whole text, Beowulf has the same ambitions and desires; to be a legendary warrior. Hamlet on the other hand discovers his morality and desires as he goes a long. This makes Hamlet’s identity much less solid and more complex. He is not a normal character in the sense that he goes against social norms; his unorthodox approach to life and the truth means he is isolated and becomes a threat to those around him, specifically the new King. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet seems to have lost his identity; he has lost his father (like Beowulf lineage was of great importance, especially being part of the monarchy), his status as heir to the throne is in jeopardy as Fortinbras plans to attack and his uncle is now his step father. Beowulf establishes his identity as a warrior and a hero by recounting his successful endeavours: â€Å"They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies  when I battled and bound five beasts,  raided a troll-nest and in the night sea  slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes  and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them).† Beowulf is a warrior more by reputation than what he actually does throughout the duration of the text. Although he defeats Grendel fairly quickly after being introduced to us, and after that Grendel’s mother, fifty years pass without much detail of Beowulf’s triumphs. The form of both texts has an impact on the identity of both Beowulf and Hamlet as individuals but also society as a whole in the two texts. Beowulf is an epic poem which are traditionally used to recount heroic acts and important events in history. This gives the text an authentic feel as well as reflecting the culture of the times in which Beowulf lived in; most stories were shared by word of mouth, often by song or poetry and not often documented. Men craved the notoriety and were willing to die in battle do  achieve it. The unusualness of an epic poem also reflects complete difference of the world we live in where we not only have no warrior culture, people generally don’t die for fame and monsters don’t exist. Hamlet being a play is much more than just the text and was written to be performed instead of just read. Hamlet’s – and every other character’s – identity is created not only through his choices and the things he says but how he says them and facial expressions/movement. For example Hamlet’s ‘madness’ can be seen much easier through exaggerated actions than it can be through stage directions or obvious comments from other actors. Personality traits such as thoughtfulness, arrogance, insecurity and Claudius’ guilt can also be seen more clearly when performed on stage. Another complication of Hamlet being on stage is that every actor will play the part differently. Not only will age and clothing affect perceptions of identity, the way in which scenes are acted out will also change the character. One way of creating a complex identity is through giving the character a fatal flaw. This is most prominent in Hamlet; his fatal flaw is his indecisiveness to act on his father’s orders. Every event in the play leading to Hamlet’s death and including every other death except that of his father’s was down to his inability to make a decision to kill Claudius and act on it. Not only does his hesitation to kill Claudius in prayer expose his fatal flaw but if he had gone ahead with the act then he could have been seen as evil and his identity would have changed dramatically, this adds to the argument that it is the plot and events in the text that construct the character’s identity. Language also has an effect on emphasising certain aspects of a characters identity. For example the clown – clown is not necessarily the same as a clown in the 21st century, in Shakespearean times a clown was not a very important member of society – in Hamlet creates a contrast and almost acts to remind us of Hamlet’s social status and power. The clown also adds an element of humour to the scene which breaks up the tension and acts to emphasise Hamlet’s melancholic nature. â€Å"HAMLET: Here’s another. Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? Why does he suffer this  mad knave now to knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel, and will not tell him of his action of battery? Hum! This fellow might be in’s time a great buyer of land, with his statutes, his recognizances, his fines, his double vouchers, his recoveries. Is this the fine of his fines, and the recovery of his recoveries, to have his fine pate full of fine dirt? Will his vouchers vouch him no more of his purchases, and double ones too, than the length and breadth of a pair of indentures? The very conveyances of his lands will scarcely lie in this box, and must th’inheritor himself have no more, ha?† Contrasting language by using words together in this soliloquy such as ‘shovel’ and ‘dirt’ with ‘recognizances’ and ‘conveyances’ demonstate his conflicting identity. The ‘Ha?’ at the end also acts as a rhetorical question which marks a change on his views of wealth, power and death. In conclusion, although identity of a character has many contributing factors, the protagonists in both texts would have no identity at all without experiences that shaped their personality and traits throughout the text. Although language and form have an effect on identity, it is the plot that has the most impact on the character.