A critucal revuew of the cause and effect of employee turnover in the Essay - 1

A critucal revuew of the cause and effect of employee turnover in the first six months of employment at ABC - Essay Example It is visibly evidenced that there is unconstructively relationship between the dependable variables of company performance and the Independent variables worker turnover, work stress, workload, family to work conflict, salary. The ABC study showed turn over effect on the functions of the operations. Turnover or inter-company mobility is a relocate of employees among the corporations and its environments such as other institutions or organizations. It can have both attractive and unattractive effects. Over the previous two decades of alertness of managerial matters, the issue of employee turnover still prevails in most of the corporation throughout the globe. This research study was done to assess the cause and effect of turnover in ABC Corporation. Even in the highly urbanized industrial countries, the rate of employee turnover is still very elevated. The area for the research study was ABC first six months employee turnover. The research study was implemented using quantitative technique for research. This was to assist in getting primary data. The questionnaire circulated among the employees of ABC was collected to know how much employee turnover affect the operation of the organization. The research was to provide causes and effects to assist the management in making wise de cision during employment practices. The research paper purpose was to handle the questions that is; what are the causes and effects of employee turnover on the performance of the ABC organization? Various investigations show that employee turnover unconstructively affect the overall competence of the organization. If appropriate action is implemented on employee workload, salary, work stress, job satisfaction, and work to family conflict, the turnover proportion alternatively declines and organization performance improves. A research article journal of applied psychology (2007) revealed that job satisfaction and affective

Safeguarding Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Safeguarding Children - Essay Example This essay approves that according to the American Psychological Association, children with disabilities are at higher risk of child abuse, especially sexual abuse compared to their non-disabled counterparts. This happens especially if the disability directly impairs the perceived credibility of the child for example, mental retardation, blindness, deafness and physical handicaps. This report makes a conclusion that extensive studies have been carried out on the issue of child abuse and the likelihood of re-victimization later in life. Although these studies did not take a similar approach or methodology, they all converge to a common conclusion that children who experience abuse in childhood are more likely to be re-victimised by other perpetrators in adolescence and even in adulthood. One thing that comes out very clearly is that the post trauma character of the victim greatly determines the possibility of being re-victimised. Child abuse is one of the major issues that many societies including developed nations have not managed to phase out. Despite the many measures and laws enacted, reports of abandonment, mutilation, infanticide/infant killing and other forms of violence perpetrated against children are still high. A child can experience child abuse at a younger age and, in adolescence and even adulthood, a similar occurrence is also witnessed among the same individuals. This indicates that not only are children at risk of child abuse but also at risk of re-victimization by different perpetrators. This paper analyses the claims of Radford et al 2011 which state that â€Å"children who experience abuse in childhood are more likely to be re-victimised by other perpetrators, including in adulthood.† ... To begin with, the paper briefly introduces the topic, defines child abuse and outlines its categories, potential places of abuse, perpetrators, effects, and its causes and/or contributors. This is followed by an extensive study on the chances and possible reasons of re-victimization among children/people who underwent various forms of childhood abuse at a younger age. The paper does not study each form of abuse separately but makes a general discussion of re-victimization but points out the potential abuses in each state. 2.0 Introduction Child abuse is one of the major issues that many societies including developed nations have not managed to phase out. Despite the many measures and laws enacted, reports of abandonment, mutilation, infanticide/infant killing and other forms of violence perpetrated against children are still high. A child can experience child abuse at a younger age and, in adolescence and even adulthood, a similar occurrence is also witnessed among the same individu als. This indicates that not only are children at risk of child abuse but also at risk of re-victimization by different perpetrators. This paper analyses the claims of Radford et al 2011 which state that â€Å"children who experience abuse in childhood are more likely to be re-victimised by other perpetrators, including in adulthood.† 3.0 Definition and categories of child abuse Herrenkohl (2005, 413) defines child abuse as any form of physical, emotional and sexual mistreatment or neglect of a child. These constitute child maltreatment, which can be are acts of omission or commission by the parents of a child or any other caregiver which lead to threat of harm, potential harm or actual harm to a child. This definition describes the four categories of child

Red Scare in US and Canada Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Red Scare in US and Canada - Research Paper Example But upon comparing the American Red Scare to the Red Scare that occurred in its closest neighbouring country, Canada, one can see that America’s actions during the Cold War were perhaps more overt than any other country, but actually tended to be more representative of first world countries during the Cold War. The United States had a significantly more public Red Scare than did Canada. Canada did not suffer through the same sort of public trials in front of Congressional comities, like the US, nor were famous Canadian Film stars targeted and dragged in front of Cameras to answer questions.1 There was no public black list in Canada, unlike in the United States, where everyone knew what individuals were suspected of â€Å"un-American† activates (Whitaker, 18) Canada likewise faced fewer elements of propaganda asking them to fear for their surroundings and report any activities they felt suspicious of. While the United States played out the Red Scare on a grandiose stage in full public view, Canada's was held a secret affair largely ignored until one's personal life became directly affected by the witch hunt. This had both positive and negative implications for the Canadian population. The lack of publicity surrounding the Red Scare likely meant that the average Canadian was perhaps less fearful than his or her American counterpart, due to being less frequently bombarded with fearful rhetoric and not seeing as many people targeted by allegations. It also meant, however, that there was a noticeable lack of transparency in the Canadian Red Scare experience. One would often not know any avenues to appeal the negative treatment which he had been experiencing, and could not publicly defend himself. Furthermore, the lack of transparency meant that the general population could not weigh in on the proceedings; in the United States McCarthyism, due to its publicity, flared up but quickly died out, consumed by itself (Kimmel, 321). The Canadian Red Scare, how ever, was able to smoulder outside of the public eye, still affecting ordinary Canadians while not perceptible to the general public. Canada also lacked any sort of permanent safeguard to their citizens civil rights, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms still being four decades away, so it was easier for Canadian authorities to, for instance, hold people without charges in Canada than in the United States. A stealthier Red Scare certainly does not mean a less significant Red Scare, nor a 'better' one. While the way in which the Red Scare occurred in Canada was markedly different than in the United States, these differences were largely superficial. Canada's goals during the Red Scare, for instance, along with the reasons that Canadians felt threatened, were identical to those in the United States. In Canada, as in the United States, the principal concern was that Communisms and Communists in particular had already infiltrated society at great depth, and were engaging in Soviet espiona ge in an attempt to overthrow Western democracy (Spardellati, 496). Canadians perceived this both as a threat to their society, a moral degradation that could hurt both families and damage the foundation of society, and therefore an inherent risk to democracy, which was already perceived as being possibly by weak due to the outcome of German democracy before the second world war. Canadians thought communism was a direct

Criminology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Criminology - Assignment Example It is indicated that personality and genetics of a person have link with social influences like family and peer environment. The impact of parental role is also explained by psychological theories that state neglect or abuse from parents can also lead to criminal tendencies. Therefore, where biological theories stress upon genetic and brain compositions, other theories look at external factors like social and environmental impact (Theories of the Causes of Crime, 2009). 2. It was during the 19th century that physical appearance was given importance regarding studying criminal aggressiveness in individuals. Collins (1999) has explored the core subject of physiognomy which states that unaltered body structures can reflect the characteristic of a person. In the field of physiognomy it is considered that physical features like distance between two eyes or structure of the forehead can tell about a person’s strengths like intelligence and honesty (Collins, 1999, p.251). It was the 19th century Italian criminologist, Cesare Lombroso who had observed resemblance between the skulls of a notorious criminal and those belonging to lower races. He coined the term â€Å"born criminals† and attributed their criminology to physical features like â€Å"drooping eyes, large ears, protruding jaw, flat nose† (Valla et al., 2011, p.70). 3. During the 1970s and 1980s, various studies have demonstrated that children born from parents who have been imprisoned carry greater potential of becoming criminals during adult years even if they are brought up by law-abiding foster parents. From these adoptive studies, it has been concluded that genetic impact on criminal behavior is significant irrespective of gender although females are more subjected to individual genetic risk than the males. Moreover, it has been observed that parents with records of petty

The Turn of the Screw Essay Example for Free

The Turn of the Screw Essay With detailed reference to Marxist debates about the relationship between literature and ideology, examine the ways in which The Turn of the Screw can be read as reinforcing, and/or undermining dominate modes of thinking. Within this assignment, I intend on providing a detailed analysis of Henry James novel The Turn Of The Screw in relation to Marxists debates over the relationship of Literature and Ideology. Through this close analysis, I will be showing the main concepts of a Marxist perspective in relation to The Turn Of The Screw and how this contributes in the creation of the notion of Literature and Ideology. In order to achieve this, it is crucial to gain an understanding of the notion of Literature and Ideology. In order to gain an appreciation of the term of Ideology, it would be important to consider the work conducted by Terry Eagleton1, this can be achieved through the statement that Ideology provides lucid accounts of major Marxist thinkers, and examines the thought of non-Marxist theorists such as Schopenhauer, Nietzasche, Frued and the poststructulists2. From this, it is possible to interpret the notion that Ideology presents a new way of thinking for Eagleton and thus is presented with ideas surrounding Poststructulism3, Nietzasche4, and Schopenhauer5. In relation to the question, it is possible to argue that through using the Ideological perspective of Marxism, we will be examining Henry James novel of The Turn of the Screw from a new approach. Firstly, it is imperative that we gain an understanding of the term of Marxism and how this holds a relationship to Henry Jamess novel The Turn of the Screw. Marxism was developed by the German philosopher Karl Marx and also the German sociologist Frederich Engles6 (1820-95), which they themselves called their economic theories Communism (rather that Marxism), designating their belief in the state ownership of industry, etc, rather than private ownership7. From this, it is possible to debate that Marxism dose have relevance in regards to Ideology, as it is presenting a new mode of thinking upon German society. Furthermore, if we take into consideration that The simplest Marxist model of society sees it as constituted by a base (the material means of production, distribution, and exchange) and a superstructure, which is the cultural world of ideas, art, religion8 it is possible to argue that Marxist through analysis society in relation to all members of society considered as equals and thus bringing about a classless society. In addition to this, he also argued that it is only philosophical ideas, which make up the superstructure and therefore underpinning his ideological belief that there is a class structure within the society. One of the most important arguments that is raised in relation to Henry James novel The Turn of the Screw and the notions that is associated with Marxism, it is possible to argue that Henry James is underpinning the modes of Marxism. This is clearly evident within the characterisation of Miles and the quotation of: She was the most agreeable women Ive ever known in her position9. From this particular quotation, it is possible to argue that Miles encompasses the attributes, which reinforcing the notions of Marxism, as he is enforcing the hierarchy that exists within the class structure. The reason for this is although he is acknowledging that there a division of class dose exist within the context of the novel, however, through his description of her being the most agreeable women10, he is showing a likeness to the qualities that she possess within her and is automatically disregarding the social hieratical differences that exist between them both. In relation to this particular quotation, it is possible to argue that through the character of Miles, Henry James is acknowledging the work conducted by the French structuralist Marxist, Louis Althusser11 (1918-1990). His work was mainly centred on the analysis of what he termed the state and the subject and through this work; he provided clear distinctions between the terms of ideologies, which he said was mainly historical and social, and ideology, which he denoted as the main structure of the society in which we live in. From this distinction, he made the acknowledgment that within civilised society, there is a need for a number of employees, which are low and middle classes and also there is a need for employers. Within this distinction, Althusser provided the term of willing subjects for those workers who worked within manual labour that were able to be employed by the employers and provided them with the term of Interpellation. From this it is possible to see that through the use of Interpellation, we do take into consideration class structures, as it ultimately defining the differences from Working Classes and Middle Classes. Because of this factor, it is possible to say that it is showing the binary opposition of the notion of Marxism and therefore it is showing a new Ideology. In regards to Henry James novel The Turn of the Screw, it is possible to suggest that the term of Interpellation is evident through the representation of the servants at Bly in comparison to such characters as the Master and Miss Jessel, this is clearly evident within the quotation of: Mrs. Grose, since then, in a way of manners and things, had done as she could for Flora; and there were, further, a cook, a housemaid, a diarywoman, an old woman, an old groom and an old gardener, all likewise thoroughly respectable.12 From this particular quotation, it is possible to argue that it is clearly demonstrating the concept of Interpellation, as it is showing the collective representation of the working class community within the house of Bly and also a clear distinction between themselves and the Master. In relation to the question, it is therefore possible to argue that it is disregarding the notion of Marxism. However, it is a clear demonstration of Ideology and therefore it is possible to suggest that through the medium of literature, authors such as Henry James are able to express different interpretations and therefore it is possible to argue that literature on a whole is means to show ideological expression. Another important argument provided by Althusser was the meaning of words, which he suggested that words do not reflect the world, but produces a perception of it. From this, it is possible to argue that term of Interpellation is another way of viewing the world. In relation to Henry James novel, The Turn Of The Screw, it is possible to argue that through the relationship that exists between Miles and the Governess, Henry James is demonstrating the notion of Interpellation, this is evident within the quotation of: I pressed again, of course, the closer for that. You are reminded that Quint was only a base menial?13. From this particular quotation, it is possible to argue that this is clearly showing the notion of Interpellation, as it is reinforcing the class differences that exist between the characters of Miles and Quint. However, it is also possible to suggest that this particular quotation is a demonstration of the Governesses influence over Miles, as she is reinforcing the notion of Interpellation into Miles as an attempt to over-rule his own Marxist perspective on life. The reason for this might be due to the fact that she comes from a lower class then the family, and she feels that they should not mix with the lower classes. From this, it might be important to take into consideration the work conducted by the Italian writer Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937)14, in particular, the importance of Hegemony. The notion of Hegemony involves a low regime sustains power within society; this can be achieved through either consent, which is the role of persuasion or enforce, which is the role of gaining power through force. This is clearly evident within Henry James novel, The Turn of the Screw, and the quotation of: He has put them in possession of Bly, which was healthy and secure, and had placed at the head of their little establishment but below stairs only- an excellent women, Ms Grose15 As you are able to see from the quotation that I have provided, it is possible to argue that within the household at Bly, Antonio Gramscis notion of Hegemony has been put to full effect and therefore it is creating a class rank within the novel in regards to a hierarchal structure of the household. Therefore, in relation to the original question, it is possible to argue that this particular extract of Henry James novel is undermining the dominant modes of Marxist thought, and presenting a new ideology in relation to the structure of class and society. Another issue that we might take into consideration in regards to the notions of Marxism and the characterisation of Miles is his relationship with Quint. Through their friendship, Miles is disregarding the status structures within society and thus is being as Marxist himself, this is evident within the quotation of: It was neither nor less then the particular fact that for a period of several months Quint and the boy had been perpetually together.16 From this particular quotation, it is possible to see the qualities in which Miles characterisation processes, which is to disregard the attributes that is associated with the class structure, and thus making it possible for his to befriend who ever he wishes. Through this, it is possible to argue that Miles is echoing the work conducted by Louis Althusser. In conclusion, it is possible to suggest that the relationship between Literature and Ideology in regards to how they comment upon Marxist debates, is that it allows the authors to choose an Ideological perspective and use their novel as a demonstration of the particular perspective. Through the use of Marxism, it is possible to suggest that we are able to comprehend the issues that are presented within Henry James novel and this allows use, the critic, to use the novel as a clear demonstration of the issues that presents the key aspects of Marxism and thus makes it easier for use to comprehend. Bibliography Within this assignment, I have used the following books: 1. Peter Barry Beginning Theory An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory 2002 Manchester University Press 2. Henry James The Turn Of The Screw 1992 Bedford Books of St. Martins Press 3. Warren Montag Louis Althusser 2003 Palgrave Macmillen Within this assignment, I have used the following Internet search engines: 1. http://www.yahoo.com 2. http://www.yahoo.co.uk 3. http://www.google.co.uk/ 4. http://www.askjeeves.co.uk/ Within this assignment, I have used the following Internet articles: 1. Terry Eagleton Ideology An Introduction URL: http://www.versobooks.com/books/cdef/ef-titles/eagleton_ideology.shtml 21/10/03 2. Marry Klages Louis Althussers Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses URL: http://www.colorado.edu/English/ENGL2021Klages/1997althusser.html 24/10/03 3. Wikipedia Antonio Gramsci URL: http://en.mikipedia.org.wiki/Antonio_Gramsci 24/10/03 4. Richard Wolff Ideological State Apparatus URL: http://dogma.free.fr/txt/RW_IdeologicalApparatuses.htm 24/10/03 5. Louis Althussers Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses URL: http://www.colorado.edu/Egnlish/Engl2012Klages/althusse.html 24/10/03 6. Daisy Miller The Turn of the Screw URL: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/turnscr2.asp 24/10/03 7. Richard Strickland Confrontational Pedagogy and the Introductory Literature Course URL: http://www.english.ilstu.edu/strickland/confront.html 24/10/03 Word count = 1656 1 Terry Eagleton is Thomas Warton, Professor of English at the University of Oxford. 2 This quotation was taken from an Internet article, which is fully referenced in my bibliography as number 1. 3 This was an approach to literature that, proceeding from the tenets of Structuralism, maintains that, as words have no absolute meaning, any texts is open to an unlimited amount of interpretations. 4 Notion presented by Friedrich Wilhelm, mainly surrounding the concept of the Superman and the rejection of traditional Christian values. 5 Notion presented by the German philosopher, he expounded the view that will is the creative primary factor and idea the secondary receptive factor. 6 German socialist leader and political leader. He collaborated with Marx on The Communist Manifesto (1840). 7 Peter Barry (ed), Beginning Theory An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory, Second Edition, (Manchester University Press, Manchester, Clays Ltd, 1992) Page 157, Lines 9 10. 8 Peter Barry (ed), Beginning Theory An Introduction To Literary And Cultural Theory, Second Edition, (Manchester University Press, Manchester, Clays Ltd, 1992) Page 157, Lines 2 3. 9 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 23, Lines 14-17 10 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 23, Line 14 11 French Marxist philosopher, author of For Marx (1965) and Reading Capital (1965). 12 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 26, Lines 25-28 13 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 23, Lines 20-21 14 Information obtained from an Internet article, which is fully referenced in my bibliography as number 3. 15 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 26, Lines 9-12 16 Henry James, The Turn Of The Screw, (Hampshire, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1997) Page 60, Lines 10-12

Current Issues in Management Essay Example for Free

Current Issues in Management Essay Executive Summary Aim of this study This study is to analysis the selected airline business environment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program implementations of some airline and compare with the selected airline. What is CSR CSR is an approach to business that takes account of issues associated with society and the environment in addition to more traditional business concerns of shareholders and profits. The low-fare airline â€Å"Ryanair† doing about CSR We can see the result of Ryanair CSR performance from the interviewee in this section. Analysis and discuss how the airline performance Corporate Social Responsibility. 1. INTRODUCTION In the last few decades, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown in importance, which is reflected by an increasing demand from consumers, employees, legislative systems, and the society for inclusive evaluations about how corporations are meeting acceptable standards. CSR plays an important role in the formation of airlines’ strategies due to the unique characteristics of the airline industry. Nevertheless, CSR in the airline industry has received relatively little attention from academics. The purpose of this study are to understand and analysis how the selected airline communicates to the outside world by implementing CSR programs. This research is exploratory by nature and is based on CSR reports published by the selected airline and related CSR information on the company websites. This topic has been chose because of the importance of CSR in business, more specifically in airline industry. What makes the application CSR programs in airline industry a particularly interesting topic to research is the highly competitive and pollutive nature of the industry. This competitive market has been caused by the price sensitivity of customers, and their desire to get good service at a decent price, as well as by the saturated nature of supply market due to multiple operators. In order to compete in the market, companies have to be cost efficient while providing best possible service. This, however, is difficult due to high operating costs that influence the whole industry. CSR is considered to be a vital part of any contemporary business strategy. In our mind focusing on CSR can provide airlines with both operational efficiency, as well as image benefits. People are becoming more aware of the social and environmental effects of their consuming habits, hence it be projected that innovative and responsible companies will continue to do well in the future, as their actions affect the purchasing behavior of customers.  The purpose of this study is to provide overview of CSR, discuss and analysis the performance of selected airline in corporate social responsibility. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN AIRLINE INDUSTRY Corporate are inseparable from society. Nowadays, the responsibility of corporations is not solely providing products and services, it must also take care of the welfare of the various stakeholders in society (Robin, 1987). Corporate nowadays do not primarily focus on profits but being society responsible which generates more intangible value. Consumers prefer to be associated with socially responsible cooperates and as a result of this, corporate will allocate response to this area and play a private role. First, the flying of airplanes will adversely affect the global environment (Miyoshi, 2009). Favorable public image can be created if the airline â€Å"greening† the environment. Secondly, promoting CSR is an attractive differentiation strategy, it gains competitive advantages and growing competition between airlines when airlines are offering increasingly similar products and service in marketplace. For meeting the expectations of various stakeholders and customers, airlines can fulfill their responsibilities as a corporate citizen especially for international airlines operates in multiple countries. There seems to be no universally agreed definition of CSR (Frankental, 2001). He even argues that â€Å"CRS is a vague and intangible term which can mean anything to anybody, and therefore is effectively without meaning†. The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the community and society at large(Holmes and Watts, 2000). It is generally agreed that CSR refers to the obligations of the firm to society (Smith, 2003). 2.1 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORIES AND STRATEGIES CSR includes four kinds of responsibilities: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic. The economic responsibility refers to the firm’s obligations  to be productive, profitable, and to maintain wealth. Firm’s legal responsibility refers to carrying out their activities within the confines of legal requirements. For ethical responsibility refers to having ethical codes, norms going beyond mere legal frameworks, and being honest in their relationships with their customers and their own employees. Finally, the discretionary component includes voluntary or philanthropic activities aiming to raise the well-being and development of society as a whole (Carrol, 1911). CSR issues under a variety of headings: Marketplace, workplace, community and environment will be used as CSR components. Safety is the most important social responsibility for the aviation industry. From All Nippon Airways CSR report 2009, the company reports the preventive measures for two incidents occurred in 2008 that influenced stakeholder trust in the airline. In order to improve workplace relationship and employee morale, Korean Air has created an Employee Counseling Center to resolve complaints and receive suggestions from employees. For community, â€Å"I Can Fly† Program from Cathay Pacific, program is designed to encourage young people to fly high and to reach for their dreams. Being an international airline, Cathay pacific’s community investments also extend to communities outside of Hong Kong. Singapore Airline participates â€Å"the Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emission (ASPIRE)† Program in 2010, demonstrated green flight, which operated from Los Angeles to Singapore via Tokyo. As a result, it was able to use around 6% less fuel than normally required for a s imilar flight. Nowadays, customers are more aware of ethical consumption so that the airlines act in positive role in society by implementing some corporate social responsibilities’ programs. At the same times, consumers are also vulnerable to the problems and crises they are facing to, such as crisis in values and climate change, huge differences among people and also economic crisis in developed countries. Therefore, company can gain customer satisfaction and market value when they are applying the above CSR components. Corporate social responsibility means that organizations take on responsibility towards others in society, not merely on their shareholders and customers (Holloway, 2004). On the other hand, corporate social  responsibility also can improve our quality of life in the local community to solving environmental or socio-cultural problems locally or globally. CSR has found a positive relationship in both the short and long terms (Lee and Park, 2009). (Kang et al, 2010) examined the effects of positive effects of positive (proactive) and negative (reactive) CSR activities. 2.2 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CHALLENEGES AND ISSUES Despite the potential of a Value Chain approach, the following issues need to be considered if the airline is planning to adopt or develop further more comprehensive CSR activities. Financial implications The Low-Fares Airlines business model relies on cost-reduction (Grob and Schroder, 2007). There are costs associated with implementing a CSR strategy but many are already accounted for within existing budget lines such as: Charitable giving, environmental management programs, corporate sponsorship and etc. Staffing Monitoring, evaluation and management of CSR objectives and related actions do require a staffing commitment in order to facilitate accurate reporting of costs and benefits. The size of the staffing commitment depends on the size and commitment of an organization. British Airways at the time of writing employed 30 staff working on CSR related initiatives (GreenAir 2008) Time Implement on CSR is a medium to long-term commitment that can only be fully achieved with realistic timescales built in from the start. However, there are some objectives, or â€Å"quick wins†, that can be realized in the short-term. 2.3 SUMMARY OF KEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ELEMENTS Review of the corporate social responsibility theories, strategies,  challenges and issue has shown that most of the international airlines (for example, Cathay Pacific Airline, Air France-KML, British Airways and etc) are very proactive in some of CSR components, for example, climate change and environment; customer relations by proving a level of customer service and comfort that ensure customer loyalty by focusing safety and security; staff personal development of the airline’s staff by offering personalized career advice, training and encouraging job mobility within the group. However, some of budget airlines, they are not really focus on CSR as a business strategy, the reason are airlines didn’t want to spend too much money on CSR because they need to control expenses for other resources to ensure tickets are low prices. Therefore, those budget airlines only focus on environment and community only. 3.1 COMPANY BACKGROUND Ryanair was established in 1985 by the Ryan family with  £1 share capital and 25 staff. Operation started with daily flights from Waterford in the southeast of Ireland to London on 15 Bandeirante aircraft (Ryanair, 2010). In 1987, the company acquired their first jet aircraft and as a result increased their network with 15 scheduled routes from Dublin to Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and opened new routes from Luton to West of Ireland. Consequently the number of passengers increased to over 600,000, but the company soon faced intense price competition with Aer Lingus and British Airways resulting to  £20m loss. During the 1990s, Ryanair decided to restructure the company by copying Southwest Airline low fares model (Ryanair, 2010). 3.2 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AUDIT OF RYANAIR From the above audit, it showed that community projects, local skill training, advertising, disability access and ethical policies are not good from interviewee’s view. CO2 emissions, charity giving, pricing, training investment and safety are just fair. However, Ryanair are good in environmental responsibility for example: paper usage, water usage and waste. To understand why the interview gave this result, it will be discussed by using the following evidences. 4. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSS OF RYANAIR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PERFORMANCE Ryanair Corporate Social Responsibility activities report in 2011, it showed  environment, emissions trading, ethical codes and staff benefits will be implemented in coming year. For instance, Ryanair released two press releases about its 2008 Cabin Crew Charity Calendar, seven press releases for its 2009 Cabin Crew Calendar, and one press release for its 2012 Cabin Crew Calendar. Also, they even created a website for greening the environment. However, the charity calendar and other philanthropic efforts were not mentioned since 2008 annual report. In 2011 annual report, it also didn’t mention what kind of activities they did for the environment and how much fuel consumption they used. The following are the Corporate Social Responsibility performance of Ryanair between 2009 and 2012. For community, Fredrick (1986) developed the CSR analysis to include an ethical base to managerial decision taking in the form of corporate social rectitude and terms this CSR3. The theory claims that the study of business and community needs an ethical anchor to allow a systematic critique of businesss impact upon human consciousness and human continuity. When consumers book tickets at their website, charged price at the purchased stage is higher than the showed price at book tickets page. Real price has been hidden, it also counted as unethical. If the companys action can have either a positive or a negative impact on the quality of a group or individuals life, then the group or individual is a stakeholder of that company (Lepineux, 2005). On the other hand, Ryanair was not willing to provide services to those people who are disabled and older passengers has resulted in court ruling and got fines from court. After that, the airline increased the fare to all passengers and started lobbing airport and airlines, not to provide free services to disabled passengers. In 2010, The central London Country Court found it had acted unlawfully due to there was a passenger who I suffering from cerebral palsy and arthritis and be charged GBP18. Eventually, the one claimed GBP1136. Another important example of Ryanairs unethical practices is their advert in 2012. Two UK newspaper adverted for Ryanair have been banned after complaints from readers that they were sexist and treated women as objects (BCC News, 2012). The advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 17 complaints of this advertising, and said they were likely to cause offence. However, the airline said the adverts promoted its cabin crew charity calendar and used  images taken directly from it (BBC news, 2012). The company faced probe by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) after a string of complaints and the rules have been breached seven times in two years (BBC News, 2009). Corporate Social Responsibility as the purpose of business and the knowledge and abilities of those that run the business (Worthington and Britton, 1997). Of course, every company is making profit, even Ryanair. Therefore, their operation and the impact on the environment have to be administrated. Ryanair is not very good in marketplace of the CSR components. They got a lot of complaints of cancellations, missing bags and denied boarding. In 2011, the aviation watchdog revealed that Ryanair and EasyJet were subject to the most complaints from British airline passengers in 2010. From Ryanair website, it shows that baggage complaints per 1,000 passengers have increased from 1.18 to 1.88 from 2010 to 2011 respectively. EasyJet had the most complaints with 719 and Ryanair following with 673. It was also noted that Ryanair complaints have risen by 70% since 2005 and the Liberal Democrats said that the numbers proved service standards is a casualty of lower fares (Guardian, 2010). As explained earlier safety is the most important social responsibility for the aviation industry. However, the flight to East Midlands Airport was forced to make an emergency landing and oxygen masks were deployed (The Sun, 2012). There are differences between Ryanair and its competitors in terms of services and how they are delivered. Ryanair pledges simply to get passengers from point A to B safely and at lowest price. Some seats are sold as little as  £1 or â‚ ¬ 1, however, if flights are delayed, passengers should not expect free refreshments (Emerald, 2007). At the same time, the airline treats their employees are different with other airlines e.g. Southwest airline. Southwest airline believes that customers deserve respect, fun and dignity but that their employees come first. This is because employees would treat customers the way they are been treated (Emerald, 2007). Employees from Ryanair are disregard. Also the company is in major dispute with its operation being socially irresponsible. 5. STRATEGIC CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RYANAIR Corporate Social responsibility is very important for growth of the business so that the airline should be more social responsible by addressing the demands of the stakeholders. Building the sense in the organization being socially responsible will improve corporate image to create value. In my opinion, environmental issues should be considered the most important. Despite the airline can only contribute few percent to global CO2 emissions, there still are so many people will consider flying to be much more harmful. Therefore airlines are pressured into contributing to the environment and reducing their environment impact. Moreover, focusing on environmental issues airline can gain competitive edge through improved image and operational efficiency. Fuel efficiency, waste and recycling should be the most important to be addressed. CO2 emissions nowadays can be considered. To tackle the issue of emissions, most of the airlines have implemented programs that aim to reduce overall emissions within a certain time period. For example, Air France aims to reduce CO2 emissions 1-2 % annually. This is also important in order to achieve emissions target set by IATA. Most of the airlines focus on improving fuel efficiency, as it is by far the biggest source of emissions. Ryanair should reduce fuel consumption immediately, improved maintenance and engine washing, improved route planning and navigation. Waste and recycling are the second important environmental topic. Waste produced by in-flight operations comprises of aluminum, plastic, mixed paper and organic waste. Chemical waste includes deicing and antifreeze products, paint and detergents used in washing airplanes and engines. Other waste sources are normal business operations where paper is the predominant material. Most airlines reviewed are trying to reduce waste and focus on recycling. Airlines should move towards recycling and reduction of waste production in all operational areas. In my opinion this can be achieved by favoring longer lasting, recyclable or biodegradable materials i.e. in  catering operations. Airlines have a high impact on neighborhoods and communities surrounding their major hubs. The airline should support communities by recruiting and training staff, offering educational support and etc. i.e mentioned previously â€Å"I Can Fly† Program from Cathay Pacific. Creating the organizational culture of shared values where employees are willing and enjoy to work. Empower employees to do their job, support and encourage them in their decisions. When employees are empowers to do their job and be respected at work place, they will feel that they are part of the organization and their decision are appreciated, then they will work wholeheartedly at the airline. It can improve customer servicing, reduce complaints and improve airline performance. Safety measures also to be one of the most important areas of airline business, concerning customers as well as employees. Therefore various systems should be implemented to support safe business operations. In order to ensure work safety, trainings supported by risk management systems should be implemented. Key performances should be regularly measured and improved according to the legal requirements. 6. CONCLUSION In the recent years the importance of CSR has been increasing immensely in the airline industry. Although in many aspects airlines are still behind in comparison to other industries, it has been made apparent that environmentalism and social responsibility issues will only increase in importance in the coming years and decades. Having a business strategy is as essential as never before due to a high need in business life for forecasting, measuring and developing business actions further. There will always be competitors that are potentially doing better business regarding overall revenue which consequently leads to a need of efficient and structured operations to ensure long lasting business success. Businesses that are going to last and also be profitable in the future are the ones  with CSR incorporated into their business strategy. We therefore believe that implementing it is inevitable. Like many other business aspects a clear vision on how to implement CSR is crucial. Therefore a â€Å"road map† needs to be developed in order to ensure a successful outcome. It allows the firm to be successful whilst using its resources within its unique environment to meet market needs as well as meet stakeholder expectations (Industry Canada 2006, pp. 32-33). 7. References Alle, M. M and Schmitz, A. M. (2004). Ryanair plc. Sà ©minaire delaboration dun Business Plan, p. 1-45. Moir, L. (2001). What do we mean by corporate social responsibility. Corporate Governance, 1, 2, p. 16-22.Y CO Worthington, I and Britton, C. (1997). The business environment. 2nd Edition. Pitman Publishing: London Holloway, C. J. (2004). Marketing for tourism. Harlow etc.: Prentice Hall Lee, S., Park, S.Y., 2009. Do socially responsible activities help hotels and casinos achieve their financial goals? International Journal of Hospitality Management 28, 105–112 Kang, K., Lee, S., Huh, C., 2010. Impacts of positive and negative corporate social responsibility activities on company performance in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management 29, 72–82. Alle, M. M and Schmitz, A. M. (2004). Ryanair plc. Sà ©minaire delaboration dun Business Plan, p. 1-45. Appelbaum, H.S and Fewster, M. B. (2004). Safety and Customer Service: Contemporary Practices in Diversity, Organizational Development and Training and Development in the Global Civil Aviation Industry. Management Research News. 27, 10, p. 1-26. BBCNews. (2008). Ryanair faces probe over adverts. [on-line] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7337165.stm [Accessed: 13/03.2010]. Bowman, C and Faulkner, D. (1995). The essence of competitive strategy. 1st Edition. Prentice: Hall. Carr, S., Penson, R and Bendell, T. (1995). The quality gurus-their approaches described and considered. Managing Service Quality. 5, 6, p. 44-48. Chilosi, A and Damiani, M. (2007). Stakeholders vs shareholders in corporate government. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. PN, 2334, p. 1-50. Davies, W. (2000).Understanding strategy. Strategy and Leadership. 28, 5, p. 25-30. Data Monitor. (2008). Ryanair holdings plc. Data Monitor Europe: London. Data Monitor. (2009). Ryanair holdings plc. Data Monitor Europe: London. Donaldson, T., Preston, L.E. The stakeholder theory of the corporation: concepts, evidence and implications. Academy of Management Review. Vol, 20, 1, 1995, pp.65-91. Emerald. Easyjet and Ryanair flying high on the Southwest model. Strategic Direction. Vol, 22, 6, 2006, pp. 18-21.

Reviews And Summary Of The Kite Runner English Literature Essay

Reviews And Summary Of The Kite Runner English Literature Essay THIS powerful first novel, by an Afghan physician now living in California, tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love. Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseinis privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his countrys revolution and its invasion by Russian forces. But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story. A more personal plot, arising from Amirs close friendship with Hassan, the son of his fathers servant, turns out to be the thread that ties the book together. The fragility of this relationship, symbolized by the kites the boys fly together, is tested as they watch their old way of life disappear. Amir is served breakfast every morning by Hassan; then he is driven to school in the gleaming family Mustang while his friend stays home to clean the house. Yet Hassan bears Amir no resentment and is, in fact, a loyal companion to the lonely boy, whose mother is dead and whose father, a rich businessman, is often preoccupied. Hassan protects the sensitive Amir from sadistic neighborhood bullies; in turn, Amir fascinates Hassan by reading him heroic Afghan folk tales. Then, during a kite-flying tournament that should be the triumph of Amirs young life, Hassan is brutalized by some upper-class teenagers. Amirs failure to defend his friend will haunt him for the rest of his life. Hosseinis depiction of pre-revolutionary Afghanistan is rich in warmth and humor but also tense with the friction between the nations different ethnic groups. Amirs father, or Baba, personifies all that is reckless, courageous and arrogant in his dominant Pashtun tribe. He loves nothing better than watching the Afghan national pastime, buzkashi, in which galloping horsemen bloody one another as they compete to spear the carcass of a goat. Yet he is generous and tolerant enough to respect his sons artistic yearnings and to treat the lowly Hassan with great kindness, even arranging for an operation to mend the childs harelip. As civil war begins to ravage the country, the teenage Amir and his father must flee for their lives. In California, Baba works at a gas station to put his son through school; on weekends he sells secondhand goods at swap meets. Here too Hosseini provides lively descriptions, showing former professors and doctors socializing as they haggle with their customers over black velvet portraits of Elvis. Despite their poverty, these exiled Afghans manage to keep alive their ancient standards of honor and pride. And even as Amir grows to manhood, settling comfortably into America and a happy marriage, his past shame continues to haunt him. He worries about Hassan and wonders what has happened to him back in Afghanistan. The novels canvas turns dark when Hosseini describes the suffering of his country under the tyranny of the Taliban, whom Amir encounters when he finally returns home, hoping to help Hassan and his family. The final third of the book is full of haunting images: a man, desperate to feed his children, trying to sell his artificial leg in the market; an adulterous couple stoned to death in a stadium during the halftime of a football match; a rouged young boy forced into prostitution, dancing the sort of steps once performed by an organ grinders monkey. When Amir meets his old nemesis, now a powerful Taliban official, the book descends into some plot twists better suited to a folk tale than a modern novel. But in the end were won over by Amirs compassion and his determination to atone for his youthful cowardice. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence forces that continue to threaten them even today. Edward Howers latest novel is A Garden of Demons. A former Fulbright lecturer in India, he teaches in the writing department of Ithaca College. Opinion 1: We agree with this review, its sort of a short summary. The reviewer thinks its a beautiful story and so do we. There arent any negative things about the book in this review. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E0DF123FF930A3575BC0A9659C8B63 Review 2: An Afghan hounded by his past. Khaled Hosseinis shattering debut work, The Kite Runner, is the first novel to fictionalise the Afghan culture for a Western readership The Kite Runner In this, apparently the first Afghan novel to be written in English, two motherless boys who learn to crawl and walk side by side, are destined to destroy each other across the gulf of their tribal difference in a country of dried mulberries, sour oranges, rich pomegranates and honey. Its a Shakespearean beginning to an epic tale that spans lives lived across two continents amid political upheavals, where dreams wilt before they bud and where a search for a child finally makes a coward into a man. The Kite Runner is the shattering first novel by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan doctor who received political asylum in 1980 as civil conflict devastated his homeland. Whatever the truth of the claim to be the first English-language Afghan novel, Hosseini is certainly the first Afghan novelist to fictionalise his culture for a Western readership, melding the personal struggle of ordinary people into the terrible historical sweep of a devastated country in a rich and soul-searching narrative. Over the last three decades, Afghanistan has been ceaselessly battered by Communist rule, Soviet occupation, the Mujahideen and a democracy that became a rule of terror. It is a history that can intimidate and exhaust an outsiders attempts to understand, but Hosseini extrudes it simply and quietly into an intimate account of love, honour, guilt, fear and redemption that needs no dry history book or atlas to grip and absorb. Amir is a privileged member of the dominant Pashtun tribe growing up in affluent Kabul in the Seventies. Hassan is his devoted servant and a member of the oppressed Hazara tribe whose first word was the name of his boy-master. The book focuses on the friendship between the two children and the cruel and shameful sacrifice the rich boy makes of his humble, adoring alter ego to buy the love of his own distant father. I ran because I was a coward, Amir realises, as he bolts from the scene that severs his friendship with Hassan, shatters his childhood and haunts him for the rest of his life. I actually aspired to cowardice. The book charts Amirs attempts to flee culpability for this act of betrayal, seeking asylum from his hellish homeland in California and a new life buried deep in black velvet portraits of Elvis. Amirs story is simultaneously devastating and inspiring. His world is a patchwork of the beautiful and horrific, and the book a sharp, unforgettable taste of the trauma and tumult experienced by Afghanis as their country buckled. The Kite Runner is about the price of peace, both personal and political, and what we knowingly destroy in our hope of achieving that, be it friends, democracy or ourselves. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2003/sep/07/fiction.features1 Opinion 2: In this review the opinion of the reviewer was more clear than in the first one. The reviewer describes the themes of the book and he picked out he important things of the book. We agree with this reviewer,  we also got a lot of respect for Khaled Hosseini and his story about his youth. Review 3: Pulled by the past An immigrant returns to Kabul in Bay Area authors first novel San Francisco ChronicleJune 8, 2003 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Behind the title of first novelist Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner lurks a metaphor so apt and evocative that even the author never fully exploits its power. For the benefit of readers who didnt grow up in Afghanistan as Hosseini and his alter ego Amir did a kite runner is a sort of spotter in the ancient sport of kite fighting. In a kite fight, competitors coat their kite strings in glue and ground glass, the better to cut their rivals moorings. While the fighters kite is swooping and feinting in an effort to rule the skies, his kite-running partner is racing to own the streets, chasing down all their opponents unmoored, sinking trophies. Its a fresh, arresting, immediately visual image, and Hosseini uses it well enough as a symbol for Amirs privileged Afghan childhood in the 1970s, when he and his faithful servant, Hassan, had the run of Kabuls streets. Near the novels end, when the adult Amir returns in secret to Taliban-controlled, sniper-infested Kabul in search of Hassans lost son, the contrast with his cosseted, kite-flying youth could scarcely be more pronounced, or more effective. But Hosseini could have deepened the symbolism even further if he hadnt ignored what, in essence, a kite fight really is: a proxy war. Heres Afghanistan, jerked around like a kite for most of its 20th century history by the British, the Soviets, the Taliban and us, played off against its neighbors by distant forces pulling all the strings, and Hosseini never once makes the connection. Its just too tempting a trick to leave on the table. Of course, its Hosseinis metaphor and he can do with it or not do with it as he pleases. Considering how traditionally and transparently he tells the rest of Amirs story, though, Hosseini wouldnt seem the type to go burying half-concealed ideas for readers to tease out. More likely, he instinctively hooked a great image but, alas, doesnt yet have the technique to bring it in for a landing. Its a small failing, symptomatic of this middlebrow but proficient, timely novel from an undeniably talented new San Francisco writer. Hosseinis antihero Amir narrates the book from the Bernal Heights home he shares with his wife, Soraya. Like Hosseini, Amirs a writer, modestly celebrated for literary novels with such pretentious-sounding titles as A Season of Ashes. But Amirs childhood in Kabul still haunts him, specifically his mysterious inability to earn the love of his philanthropically generous but emotionally withholding father, and his guilt about failing to protect his angelic half- caste old kite runner, Hassan, from a savage assault. When Amir receives a deathbed summons from his fathers business partner in Pakistan, he sees a chance to redeem himself from the secrets that have left him psychically stranded between Afghanistan and the United States. Unfortunately, we know all this because Amir tells us, and not just once. Listen to him here, on the verge of his rescue mission over the Khyber Pass: I was afraid the appeal of my life in America would draw me back, that I would wade back into that great, big river and let myself forget, let the things I had learned these last few days sink to the bottom. I was afraid that Id let the waters carry me away from what I had to do. From Hassan. From the past that had come calling. And from this one last chance at redemption. One might excuse all this melodramatic breathlessness as the reflexive self- examination of a character who, after all, writes novels with titles like A Season of Ashes. But Amirs not the only one given to overly explicit musings. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/08/RV24780.DTL Opinion 3: We dont agree with the  opinion of this reviewer, he is way more negative then the first two. He thinks Hosseini could have deepened the symbolism of the book even further. But we think the book is okay like it is now. Setting Place: The story takes place for most part in Afghanistan, in and around Kabul. Later on the setting moves to the United States/ America, in San Francisco, California. Then Amir goes back to Pakistan and Taliban ruled Afghanistan. The story ends in the United States. The place is important for the story because you can imagine how it was in Afghanistan before the occupation. Many people fled to America to build a new life. Time: The time is not that important. Only the cold war. Amir en Baba need to run to Pakistan and then to America. Character Amir: Amir is in his childhood 12 years old and lives in Kabul,Afghanistan. He is a Pashtun, that are the better and richer people in Afghanistan. Later he is 38 years old and lives in America. Amir is the half-brother of Hassan, but he doesnt know that yet. He finds out much later in the book. Amir is a writer he loves to tell stories and when he is a grown up he writes a book. He wants his father to love him for who he is. Because his father rather wanted to see other qualities like Hassan has in Amir. Hassan: Hassan is the best friend of Amir in his childhood. Amir never told him that but Hassan knew they were. Hassan is a Hazzara which means he is almost worth nothing in the believe in Kabul. He has a china doll face and green eyes. Hassan has a father called Ali, who later turned out to be not his father but Baba was his father, he never knew that. Hassan always fights for Amir. Hassan would do anything that Amir asks him to do. He is the slave of Amir. Later he gets married and have a son called Sohrab. He and his wife get murdered by the Taliban and Sohrab goes to a orphanage. Assef: Assef is the bully of the neighbourhood. He has blond hair and blue eyes so he is very beautiful. He is the one that rapes Hassan. Later in the orphanage he also rapes Sohrab, the son of Hassan. But Amir and Sohrab fight to him and they could escape. Assef becomes part of the Taliban. And is very extreme he believes in the ideas of Hitler. Baba: Baba is the father of Amir and Hassan. Baba has a good running business which no one thought he could do that. His best friend is Rahim Khan. He stands for the rights of human and does not discriminate. He says that the only sin you can make is theft. When you kill someone you steel his life, you steel someones son, father or husband. Baba wants Amir to be more like Hassan. Because Amir reads poetry just like his mother but Hassan can fight and do boys stuff. At the end of the book Baba dies because of lung cancer. Ali: Ali is a childhood friend of Baba, he is also the servant of Baba. He has a son Hassan, who later turned out to be not his son. He had Polio so he is cripple. The children in town laugh at him and call him names. He was killed by a landmine. Rahim Khan: Rahim Khan is the best friend of Baba and also his business partner. Rahim Kahn supports Amir in Writing because Baba doesns, he buys a book where he can writes his stories in for Amir. Rahim Khan is the one who calls Amir and also the one who tells Amir that Hassan was his half-brother. He tells him to come and get the son of Hassan. At the end of the story he disappears and leaves a letter for Amir. Soraya: Soraya is an Afghan woman who lives in America with Amir. She is the wife of Amir. She has a father who is a general. But in there culture she is not clean. When they lived in Afghanistan she ran away with here boyfriend and had sex before marriage. Her father brought here back, but after that nobody wanted her anymore, except for Amir offcourse. She cannot have children but later they adopt Sohrab. Sohrab: Sohrab is the son of Hassan he is just like hes father in many ways. They look quite the same and Sohrab can also shoot very good with a sling-shot. He is also raped By Assef and was traumatized. He tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists. He is adopted by Amir and Soraya. Plot Introduction: The story begins in America when Amir is called bij Rahim Khan. That is the moment that there is action in the story. Amir tells about his history, his childhood with Hassan. Initial incident: Hassan gets raped by Assef. Amir sees it but wont do a thing. Amir wants Hassan to go away. And hides the watch he had on his birthday. Hassan and Ali move away. The war starts and Baba and Amir run to Pakistan, later to America Rising action: Rahim Khan calls Amir and tells him to go to Pakistan to get his redemption from the past. The son of Hassan needs to be safed. Climax: Amir is in Kabul and saves Sohrab the son of Ali. He fights with Assef. Sohrab shot in the eye of Assef. Falling action: Amir and Sohrab are back in Pakistan and they need to get back to America, but Sohrab has no visa. Soraya the wife of Amir she has here connections and she can adopt Sohrab. Summary On a sunny day in 2001 Amir calls from Rahim Khan, the best friend of his father. The book is about a boy named Amir. He lives with his father, Baba and their servants Ali and Hassan. Saunaubar, Amirs mother was deceased when he was born. Amir is a Pashtun, a Soenni muslim. Hassans mother, Sanaubar, has run off with another man. Hassan is a Hazara, a Shia muslim. Mahmood is also a good friend of Baba. Mahmood is a pilot and has a German woman and a son named Assef. One day Hassan and Amir are on their way to the pomegranate tree. Under this tree Amir reads stories to Hassan. Later closed Assef, and his friends Kamal and Wali their in. Assef says that Hitler was a good man and that he also had to do with the Hazaras what he did to the Jews also. Hassan tied Assef and his friends with a slingshot. One day in 1974, just after Ramadan, Hassans birthday. He does not get gifts like toys, but an operation on his cleft lip. Dr Baba. Kumar surgeon invited to come and make an appointment for the surgery. Amir loves the winter in Kabul. Every year, Kite and Amir did run tournaments held each year. He wanted to be the first to fall more into the eyes of his father. Amir and Hassan went to the bazaar to buy material to make a kite. Baba saw that they were making a kite and said it might not be good enough for the competition. He took along to Saifo, the best kite maker in Kabul, Baba bought a kite for Amir and Hassan. The next day its snowing outside and Amir doubt for kiting. As Hassan says there is no monster, its a beautiful day Amir decides to go kiting. During kiting . his hands bleeding completely. After a while he is still in the final with a boy. Amir manages to keep the kite to cut and he wants the match. Amir still wanted the blue kite in the air. Hassan ran after the kite because he knows where the kites fall. Everyone congratulated Amir. Amir went searching for Hassan. He asked the people on the street if they had seen him. Omar, a son of one of the friends of his father, Ha ssan said that in the direction of the market went. At the bazaar Amir asked a man if he had seen Hassan. The man had seen him and told that he said: For you a thousand time over. Amir suddenly heard voices and noises. He recognized the voice of Hassan. He saw the three boys, Assef, Wali and Kamal with Hassan. The boys like the kite but Hassan would not given it. He said that Amir won the game fair. Assef said that nothing in the world is fair. Wali and Kamal pushing Hassan to the ground and Assef raped him. Amir continues to see and do or say nothing at all. Eventually he runs away to the bazaar. He let Hassan down. Later Hassan runs in a hard way to Amir with the kite in his hand. His father is very proud of him. Hassan feeling pretty good and not so he would only sleep. Ali thinks that something is and asks Hassan to Amir. Amir would have been possible with his father and do things. They go to Jalalabad, the cousin live there, his wife and two daughters (twins) and Karima Fazila. Amir is carsick and throws up on Fazila back in the car. When they come home, Hassan and Amir didnt talk to each other. A few days later Hassan asks Amir if hes coming to the bakery. Amir says he doesnt want it so Hassan asks what he has done wrong. Amir asks his father if they start taking new servants, Baba is angry, saying: Hassans not going anywhere. He is staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and were his family. Amir get for his birthday a stingray and wrist watch from his father. Rahim Khan gives him a notebook to write his stories. Amir write a story about the life of Hassan. Hassan loved it and later said that Amir would be a great writer. Amir could not live with his guilt that he had done nothing when Hassan was raped, but also because he felt that Hassan get sometimes more attention than him. When Ali and Hassan went to the bazaar Amir put his new watch and some money under the mattress of Hassan. He told Baba that his watch was missing. eventually they find it under the mattress of Hassan. Amir hopes that Baba accused Hassan of theft from their home and move. But that is not the case. Baba forgives Hassan. From self-esteem Ali and Hassan go away. Baba does everything to let them stay, but nothing can stop them. They go to Hazarajat to Alis cousin. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, early 1980, flights Amir and his father to Peshwar, Pakistan. On the way into the tank theyre all acquaintances, including Kamal and his father. The mother was shot dead by Kamal and Kamal has a trauma left over so he can not talk. Kamal is dead the next morning. His father can not take it anymore and shoots himself with a bullet in his mouth. Amir and Baba flight from Pakistan to the United States in 1980. Amir builds a new life, but he fails to mention Hassan. Amir goes to school to become a writer and Baba find work at a gas station. Amir gets a Ford from his father. Baba is very ill. The doctors discovered that he has lung cancer. Baba does not want chemotherapy, only painkillers. Amir and Baba go in their spare time to the market for selling used products. Amir get to learn Soraya and fall in love with her. Her father is General Mr. Sahib. Iqbal. He worked for ministery of Defense. Baba buy a VW from an old acquaintance. Amir and Soraya talk. Soraya want them to read stories written by Amir. Sorayas mother, Jamila finds Amir is a nice guy. When it is New year Amir and Baba are walking a bit outside. Baba falls on the ground and theres blood from his mouth. Hes just unconscious. Baba is taken to hospital. Baba told Amir that he likes Soraya and Baba agree with it, so Amir and Soraya are goint to marry. Soraya wants to talk to him on the phone. She said that she is impure. And she has had some problems with her ex boyfriend. Soraya thought Amir would not want her after she said that. The day after the wedding the aunt and uncle from Soraya came to visite. They played a game with Amir. That night Baba Soraya wanted to give his medication but he did not. He said he had no pain. From that evening Baba never woke up. Amir writes books about father and son. His book is crowned. Amir and Soraya learn that they cant have children. Soraya doesnt want a child addoption she wants to feel how its like to be pregnant. . When Sorayas father learned that she had gone to bed before her marriage, she was imprisoned and had all her hair cut off. She wished that her father died. 2001, Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan. He said that he is very ill and that he wants to see Amir before his deat. He lives in Pakistan. They talk about Baba and the occupation of Afghanistan by the Taliban. The Taliban has expelled the Russians from Afghanistan. People thought they were saved. But that was wrong. Rahim said could care no longer for the house of Amir and Baba. He decided to go to Hassan and Ali and with difficulty he could persuade Hassan. Rahim did not sell the house because of the great memories. Hassan was married and had one son, Sohrab. His wife was pregnant with a daughter. Amir reads the letter that Hassan had written for him. Hassan and his wife were shot by the Taliban. Sohrab was arrested and placed in an orphanage. Amir Rahim wish now that he is going to save Sohrab because all the children in that orphanage are in the hands of the Taliban. Rahim also said that Ali is not the real father of Hassan, because he could get no children. Baba is the father of Ha ssan only he has a different mother. If Amir hears this hes very angry, because they had concealed for them the fact that they are step brothers. Amir thinks about the past and now know why Baba never forget Hassans birthday. When Amir Baba asked if she would take new servants said Baba yet,Hassans not going anywhere, hed barked. He is staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and were his family.Amir feels guilty. He decides to go to Kabul to rescue Sohrab. Farid, the taxi driver and friend of Rahim, takes him to Kabul. Along the way, they stayed with the brother of Farid. Amir sees for the first time in his life a Taliban soldier. He also meets an old classmate of his mother. The man told a few things, but a lot has forgotten. Eventually they go to a orphange. The location of the orphanage where Sohrab would sit, is lent to a ruler of the Taliban, monthly boys or girls from the orphanage will get to satisfy his sexual needs. Zaman is the boss. Farid will fight with Zaman. Amir should go with Farid to the stadium, to look at the man who has a black sunglasses. Amir goes to the home of the Taliban fighter. Amir recognized the man, it is Assef. Assef says Amir can take the child if he wins. Amir gets a slap in the face with brass knuckles. He gets a tear in his lip. Sohrad shoot a stone in the eye from Assef with his slingshot. Assef concern Sohrab and Amir and this will give the opportunity to flee. Amir has to go to the hospital. In the taxi they fled to Pakistan. Rahim Khan is gone and left money for Amir he can use to return to America. It was a trick of Rahim Khan to get Amir that far he would take care of Sohrab. He knew of the betrayal of Amir and he realizes that this is the only way to give back to Hassan. Amir ask Soraya if she want to adopt Sohrab, she scared a bit. Amir hears how difficult it will be to get away Sohrab. He is advised to let Sohrab stay in Pakistan in an orphanage for a while, but Sohrab will no longer be in an orphanage and that Amir had pledged him. During a telephone call from Soraya she informs that she thinks she can adopt him in America, Sohrab cut his wrists. Fortunately, he saved time and then he recovers. Sohrab needs a visa to be allowed into the United States what takes a long time. Soraya finally able to arrange dates could take Sohrab to the United States. Amir adopted Sohrab and he buys a kite for Sohrab. The two of them kite fight together and win. For the first time Sohrab smiles for Amir. Then Amir use the phrase that Hassan always said to him: For you a thousend time over and run to fetch the kite. Theme There are a lot of themes in this book and mostly apply to all the characters. Father and son relationship: Baba has two sons but you think only Amir is the son of him. For Amir is Baba the smartest and strongest men in the whole entire world. Amir wants his father to be proud of him but Baba doesnt like the qualities of Amir. He wants Amir to be more like Hassan. Also the relation of Hassan and Sohrab they are a lot a like. They can both use the sling shot very well. Betrayal: Amir betrays Hassan by framing him for theft. Loyalty: The loyalty of Hassan to Amir because they are best friends but Hassan is also the servent of Amir. Also Ali to Baba when the watch is stolen from Amir. Ali wants to go away because of honor and loyalty. At the end of the book its the other way around now is Amir loyal to the son of Hassan, you can read that when Sohrab en Amir go kiting in the park Amir is running after the kite of Sohrab. Redemption: Amir tries to make it up to Hassan by adopting Sohrab, many other characters try to find redemption like Baba. Title The title is: The kite runner. Kite fighting is a traditional sport in Afghanistan. Hassan is a kite runner for Amir. He runs to fetch kites Amir has deafeated by cutting their strings. He knows where such a kite will land without even seeing it. One day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Babas praise. Hassan goes to run the last kite for Amir, saying for you, a thousand times over.