Educating Rita by Willy Russell :: Papers

Educating Rita by Willy Russell Educating Rita is a play written by Willy Russell. It is about a woman called Rita who feels her life is not fulfilled so she goes to Frank who works at an Open University to tutor her. Rita has a husband called Denny. He is working class and has never been to university, like Rita before she goes to she Frank. Frank on the other hand is a lecturer of literature but does not have everything. He is unhappy at home and is often drunk at his tutorials. The audience's first impression of Frank is that he likes a drink (or two) because in the first scene he is looking for his hidden bottle of whisky. We know straight away that he is a heavy drunk. We only hear Frank talking on the telephone with his partner, Julie. Frank doesn't treat Julie with any respect. He has no intension of going home for tea, he would much prefer to get drunk at the pub. After putting down the phone Frank says " yes that's it you go and put your head in the oven". This shows frank has no feelings for her. Frank works in a university but also tutors for the Open University. Franks wife has quite a few friends but frank doesn't because he is always out at the pub. Frank uses clever words and talks in an intellectual manner. When Rita looks at the picture and says" that's a nice picture" frank thinks it is a strange thing to notice because he has never really noticed it. "Actually I don't think I've noticed it in about 10 years". Frank feels it is a very strange thing to talk about. He takes his surroundings for granted, For example the window " I don't often consider it actually" and jokes about throwing a student out of it. I think Frank likes and respects Rita because he said, "Would you like to borrow it" meaning the book. He also must have had respect for her to let her come to his dinner party.

Chapter 4 questions Essay

1. How do relative ethics compare to universal ethical standards? Should ethics ever be relative? Provide a rationale for your response. Ethics are a set of beliefs about right and wrong, good and bad. Universal ethical standards are norms that apply to all people across a broad spectrum. These six core values being trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Ethics should never be relative because their ethical standards shift depending on the situation and how it relates to them. This kind of two-face thinking is dangerous because it can help people rationalize bigger and bigger ethical deviations. 2. What is an ethical dilemma? Give 3 examples of ethical dilemmas that workers or managers might face in a business setting. An ethical dilemma is a decision that involves a conflict of values; every potential course of action has some significant negative consequences. Some examples of ethical dilemmas could be: Noticing an employee stealing from the company, Employees bending the rules of the company, or a supervisor demanding that you do something illegal. 3. Compare the role of the individual and the role of the organization in ethical decision making. How can business promote an ethical climate? As an individual you will have factors that come into play as you face ethical dilemmas. Your personal needs, your family, your culture, your religion, and your personality traits like self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, and sense of humor all play a significant role. As an organization the CEOs, and managers must communicate their personal commitment to high ethical standards and consistently drive the message down to employees through their actions. Business can promote an ethical climate by setting the best example for the employees. Communication will help promote an ethical climate, as well as enforcing consequences for violations of the ethics policy. 4. When might the need for social responsibility conflict with the need to maximize profits? When the needs conflict, how should a firm decide which  path to pursue? Social responsibility is the obligation of a business to contribute to society. A company’s goal is to make profits and without company profits other contributions are impossible. A company can choose to make no contribution, a responsive contribution, or a proactive contribution depending on the businesses values, mission, resources, management philosophy, and ultimately its position on social responsibility. 5. Do you believe that employers should respond to employee needs for work-life balance? Why or why not? What are the trade-offs? Yes, employers should respond to employee needs for work life balance. It creates a workplace environment that respects the dignity and value of each employee. It ensures that hard work, commitment, and talent pay off. It moves beyond minimal safety requirements to establish proactive protections. The best employees respond to the ongoing employee search for balance between work and personal life. The employees will work harder for the company and keep longer term jobs. People will appreciate the extra mile the company goes for its employees, giving you more highly qualified applicants to choose from. 6. What are the 4 consumer rights originally outlined by President Kennedy in the early 1960s? How would you rank those rights in terms of importance? Why? The four consumer rights are: The right to be safe, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. I rank these in importance as follows: 1- The right to be safe (I don’t want to be hurt or lose my life due to faulty products.) 2- The right to choose (I want to be able to choose where and when I purchase products to best suit the needs of my family.) 3- The right to be informed (It is important to me that I know the companies I deal with are legit and ethical, as well as what goes into the products I buy.) 4- The right to be heard (I think it is important to be able to express your complaints to a company and that they learn from customer experiences.) 7. Define the concept of planned obsolescence. Is this strategy ethically unsound? Why or Why not? Planned obsolescence is the strategy of deliberately designing products to fail in order to shorten the time between purchases. This strategy is ethically unsound because it thins the consumer wallets and abuses consumers trust. Consumers are willing to pay more to buy products from a socially responsible company. 8. What is the difference between corporate philanthropy and corporate responsibility to The community? Which do you think is better? Why? Corporate philanthropy is all the donations a business has made to nonprofit groups including money, products, and employee time. As where corporate responsibility is business contributions to the community through the actions of the business itself rather than donations of money and time. I think corporate responsibility is better because the company is taking action itself to contribute to the community, rather than just throwing money at the problem. It shows more heart, and more effort, and more dedication to the community. 9. Define sustainable development. What are 3 examples of successful companies that have pursued sustainable development programs? Sustainable development is doing business to meet the needs of the current generation, without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs. McDonalds (recycling cooking oil and cardboard), Dell (going fully carbon neutral), and Pepsi (cutting emissions from fertilizer) are three examples of successful companies that have pursued sustainable development programs. 10. How can domestic companies that outsource manufacturing to foreign factories ensure that their vendors adhere to ethical standards? Companies can bring together their own values with the laws of both the United States, and their host countries. Most socially responsible companies establish codes of conduct for their vendors setting clear policies for human rights, wages, safety, and environmental impact. Codes of conduct work best with monitoring, enforcement, and the commitment to finding solutions that work for all parties involved.

The Supernatural Element Of William Shakespeare s Macbeth

What is interesting is what each supernatural element represents in Shakespeare’s society and in our current society. The supernatural elements in Macbeth include fate, the witches, mythological beings, ghosts, and apparitions. I believe that the witches in Shakespeare’s time, in the play and in real life, represent the power of choice. The power to be able to decide to commit murder or any other heinous act or decide to let things naturally happen shows the classic choice between good and evil, but the witches themselves are not evil. While they are viewed as treasonous in this time, that is simply because they were believed to be associated with the devil and a threat to the king. In reality, Macbeth is the evil one because of his actions. I would even argue that Macbeth was the one who sealed his unfortunate fate once the king was murdered. Because of the downward spiral Macbeth, and even Lady Macbeth, faces after the murders, his eventual insanity proves that the ac t he committed was in fact evil because of the repercussions he faced. The repercussions themselves could be viewed as evil because the â€Å"supernatural evil could prove to be a better sanctioning mechanism than a punishing god† (Martinez, 334). I think this is comparable to our society today because of how the belief in fate itself constitutes the belief of karma, either good or bad, in that a person gets what he or she deserves. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, I think, got what they deserved in the end. Moreover,Show MoreRelatedMacbeth Themes899 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"What are the major themes in Macbeth† By Connor Maguire William Shakespeare’s Macbeth a play complete with many themes and viewpoints. The themes are exhibited by the main characters of the play, notably antagonist Macbeth. 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