Saturday, October 17, 2015

Interesting research paper


Abstract
The research question of thisextended essay is - How effectively did Muriel Spark use a newborn baby as a narrator to describe the First World War in her story “The First Year of My Life”? In this story Muriel Spark portrays desperate situation in the world, especially in Britain by the end of World War One. Therefore,in this research significant importance was given to investigation of historical facts.
Thisresearchpaper answers several questions: what was the correlation between the war facts, events, consequences and the baby; why was a baby chosen as a narrator to describe such a non-baby theme for the reader; also, investigates whether the plethora of facts given in the story was reliable or only the writer’s imagination. The investigation concludes that although story is fictional rather than historical, the authenticity of the story is doubtless and chronological order is sustained.
Another focus of research is the baby. The research suggests that the baby girl is the personification of the World War One experienced world in an allegorical way and has a symbolic meaning. Furthermore, as protagonist plays central role in the development of ideas in the story, in this essay the character analysisis presentedby highlighting the peculiarities of Muriel Spark’s writing style. The use of stylistic devices - irony, skepticism, distinct sense of humor, was an effective tool of Muriel Spark to portray harsh realityin baby’s narration.   Overall message of this story concluded in this researchis the effect of World War One on society - how war changes not only life of people but whole nature of humanity.                                                                                                                                                      Word count: 271

Table of Contents









 


Introduction

Muriel Spark’s Story “The First Year of My Life” portrays cruel nature of World War One with an emphasis on the nature of humans seen through a newborn child’s eyes. When I read the story for the first time the author’s original style and historical context impressed me greatly. At that period I was studying World War One in History.  The transition from overloaded facts, statistics of violence and brutality into the same theme of prose presented in a light, easy-going language, seasoned with humor and irony fascinated me so much that I decided to make this work of fiction the topic of my research: “How effectively did Muriel Spark use a newborn baby as a narrator to describe the First World War in her story “The First Year of My Life”? The plethora of facts and information provided in the text intrigued and motivated me to analyze the story deeper and prove authenticity of those facts. Highlighting the peculiarities of Muriel Spark’s writing style – humor, irony through the analysis of protagonist’s psycho type was further more interesting for me.
When I was collecting materials for my research I discovered that the story had almost no feedback-no reviews, no analysis.  However, the paucity of sources did not discourage me and made my research more challenging and exciting.
World War One was the hardest time the world has ever experienced as in it were involved not only soldiers but also civilians at huge scale. During post-war period the world was different from what it had been before, people could not lead normal pace of life and they were devoid of tangible feelings because war made the world cruel, demoralized. This is a brief status quo of the situation during which the events in this story start to take place.  We see the whole story through the baby’s eyes who enters the world in the beginning of the story and continuous to “tune in”different conversations all around the world during her first year of life. The baby - protagonist according to “new school of psychology”(Spark, p.1058)seems to be omniscientand introduces the people and the situation in the world of that time.
I started to explore World War One period and its effecton the message which the author wants to send to the readers. Whenever the story is based on historical context, it naturally leads tomore detailed explorationof this exact period of history. Historical reality of the events, facts influences the readers and makes the narration most reliable. This feeling is reinforced by the choice of a newborn narrator through whose eyes we see the reality. By the narrator telling the storythe writer wants us to take the side she wants readers to take.The narrator claims she is pretty sure about validity of her memories. We see whole story throughout omniscient baby who “tunes in” different conversations all around the world and this is how we are able to see the situation in the world during that time.

How far does the story claim to be historical?

To analyze how effectively author uses newborn baby as a narrator, I should have, first of all to identify how effectively narrator uses historical context in her story. Firstly, I decided to find out to what extend story claims to be historical and if chronological order and validity is followed.
The story begins with these words: “I was born on the first day of the second month of the last year of the First World War” (Spark, p.1058). First World War began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918.What, means that protagonist should have been born on 1st of February in 1918.This day was Friday so this fact corresponds to historical chronology very much adequately (Appendix A).
Next historical event outlined in protagonist words: “I was ten days old when Russia stopped fights. I tuned into Czar a prisoner, with the rest of his family, since evidently the country had put him of the throne and there had been a revolution not long before I was born. Everyone was talking about it. I tuned into the Czar. “Nothing would ever induce me to sign the treaty of ‘Brest-Litovsk’.He said to his wife. Anyway nobody has asked him”(Spark, p.1059) According to protagonist, she was 10 days old when Russia stopped the fight. According to the narrator Russia should have stopped fight on the 11th of February in 1918. Negotiations on Russia’s withdrawal from First World War   began after the October’s Revolution and Russia withdrew from the war after signing “the treaty of Brest–Litovsk” signed on March 3, 1918 between Russia (the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic) and Germany (Liulevicius, 2004, p.206).  Thus in this case story again accurately follows historical context.
It is interesting to note that no matter how deep the knowledge about First World War is, it is simply impossible for anybody to know what was talking King Nicolas the Second in prison about.  The author effectively uses her strategy– newborn baby’s ability to “tune in” in any kind of conversation in order to provide the reader with details which would support her assumptions. Moreover, it is highly possible that Nicolas the Second was discussing this issue in prison even though “nobody asked him”, since he was already abdicated while he was in prison (Perry & Konstantin, 1999, p. 153) and it is natural that nobody would ask him to sign anything because he had no legitimate power whatsoever. What actually happened on that day which protagonist mentions was that Russian General Alexei Maximovitch Kaledin, a commander of Russian forces during World War I and a staunch opponent of the Bolsheviks, committed a suicide on this day in 1918.(Значение слова "Каледин Алексей Максимович" в Большой Советской Энциклопедии)Maybe that was the point of protagonist’s statementthat “Russia stopped fighting”(Spark, p.1059) exactly on that day.
Story’s historical sequence continues with words: “At this point I was sleeping twenty hours a day to get my strength up.And from what I discerned in the other two hours of the day I knew I was going to need it. The western front on my frequency was sheer blood, mud, dismembered bodies,blistered crashes,hectic flosses of the light in the night skies explosions total terror” (Spark, p.1059). Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front. Situation in west front was extremely harsh and dramatic. First of all it was the epicenter of war, so emotional stress was extremely high not to mention how much harm caused newly improved techniques specially designed for war.As described in the novel of Erich Maria Remarque “All quite in Western front” situation on the western front was very routine and emotionally devastating. (Remarque, 1929)So what the narrator says follows the chronological order of World War One of this time and is very much close to reality.
The next historical event in the story is described in very emotional way: “Red sheets of flame shot across the sky. It was 21 March; the fiftieth day of my life, and the German spring offensive had started before morning feed.”To check the validity of this statement we should probably define the term – “German Spring offensive”. The 1918 Spring Offensive is one of the famous battles which involved “one of the largest concentrations of troops and munitions of the entire world” (Jones, 2011, p. 178) and it beganexactly as narrator says on 21 March 1918. From this we can see how precisely in chronology narrator’s statements follow each other.
Narrator states: “The big people around me bared their teeth: that meant smile, it meant that they were pleased or amused. They spoke of ration cards for meat and sugar and butter.” (Spark, M., p.1059)This fact actually corresponds to reality. Rationing on food was introduced into Britain in February 1918 by the minister of food lord Rhondasetting fixed prices on essential food. (Cawood, 2004, p.71)
In the story we read: “Marshal Foch. He was commander – in-chief of Allied forces.”(Spark,p.1060 )Is this person- Marshal Foch a real commander? Ferdinand Foch was a French soldier, war hero. He became a general in 1914 and later, in 1918 was appointed as marshal of France.(Rejai,1996, p.83)Shortly after the start of the Spring Offensive, Germany's final attempt to win the war, Foch was chosen as supreme commander of the Allied armies (Haine,p.140),so we can again very clearly see how much chronological order is followed.
Author continues her chronological order “The vindictive was sunk in Ostend Harbor on which day I kicked with special vigor in my bath.” This statement refers to historical event what took place in April 1918 – it was operation Zeebrugge, aiming “closing of Belgian port of Bruges from use as a base for German submarines” (Coulthard, 2011, p.143). So, we see that story follows chronological order and gives accurate description of the fact.
In story we read: “In France soldiers leapfrogged over the dead on the advance and littered the fields with limbs and hands drowned in the mud. The strongest men on all fronts were dad before I was born. Now the sentries used bodies for barricades and the fighting men were unhealthy from the start.”(Spark,p.1060 )It is very much true that Germany which is considered as the country that is mainly responsible for the outbreak of war had more than harsh relationships, moreover, at the outbreak of the First World War, the German army carried out “Schlieffen Plan” (Thomas, 2010, p.25), designed to quickly attack France through neutral Belgium. Of course this policy and plan had severe impact on France especially when western front layonFrance. This statement also follows the chronological chain just like theprevious ones.
To make the story more reliable and authentic, while talking about the war author not only mentions military side of thewar but also talks about some public figures, whose life and creative activity is closely linked with this period of history: In the fifth month her life“Pablo Picasso was getting married and early that month of July the silver Wedding of King George V and Queen Marry was celebrated in Joyous pomp at St.Paul’s cathedral”(Spark,p.1060).In summer of 1918, Picasso married Olga Khokhlova in an orthodox church (Daix,1993, p. 163). They spent their honeymoon in Biarritz (Feliciano,1997, p.62).King George V and Queen Marry married on 6th July 1893, what makes July 1918 their 25 years of anniversary.(Arricle from Enciklopedia Brittanica).These significant for the public events ensure the author’s consistency and reliability of drawing a picture of the war period.
Historical context is continuing with words:“A certain action by Mr.Asquith following the armistice on November 11”(Spark, p.1061)Mr.Asquith was liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1908 – 1916. Later he became 1stEarl of Oxford and Asquith,and had been replaced by Lloyd George.(Encyklopedia Britannica)
Here we see the next,historically most important event, Armistice of 11th November - the agreement that brought the war to the end. Newborn tells us about casualties of the First World War: “I weighted twenty pounds. On all the world’s fighting fronts the men killed in action or dead of wounds numbered 8.538.315 and the warriors wounded and maimed were 21.219.452.”(Spark, p.1061.)Statistics outlined in the story nearly matchesthe information given in the historical annals.(8 556 315 – dead, 20985152 wounded) (1914-1918 - Casualty Figures)
Even though the story is fictional and it seems unlike that newborn baby can remember and even analyze what is told in this story, based on the investigation, we accept it as a trustworthy, valid and realistic narration. Through the realistic depiction of the events and plethora of facts Muriel Spark wanted to give the account ofWell - drawn picture ofevil consequences of human’s brutality and ruthlessness. However the cruelty and harshness of the war is balanced by the appearance of lively, tiny and innocent creature, with optimistic views on the world.  We even take for granted the baby-girl’s observant and intellectual mind and ironical comments, which of course is not characteristic for babies but is the author’s creative style and imagination.

What are peculiar aspects of Muriel Sparks writing?

Muriel Spark’s “First Year of My Life” is a fictional story as the content of it is produced by the imagination(Literary Genres),however what differentiates it from other fictional stories is factual side of thestory that as we have seen corresponds to reality. What is more, the whole idea of new born being able to switch in any kind of conversation and character of protagonist being so unrealistic and imaginary makesme think that author used fictional elements in order to convey ideas in a more emotional way. In other word author used fictional elements in order to allegorically provide readers with desirable message.
In fiction writing characters help writer to express ideas and to develop the plot. Characters in stories or in novels usually have some problems to solve: inner conflict, conflict with nature, conflict with other characters and conflict with society values (Disher, 2001, p.48).However, in this story character has conflict not with herself or with any other character or any specific society values, but with the conflict itself- with war’s cruel nature, and humanity’s consequential dehumanization.
The aim of the story is not to provide readers withartificially created problems,but to make them see reality through newborn baby’s point of view. Presumably, the very idea of creating a new-born as a protagonist might have symbolic meaning. Since the world was like a child before the First World War – a child without experience of dehumanization, unaware of all the psychological and material disastrous consequences of war. After this very period of life new era began for the world and not only in terms of technological point of view. After the World War I humanity became adult during short period of time, and this is another symbolism, that one – year-old baby is already psychologically adult. On the other side, it was the first year of life  not only for  story protagonist, but it was the first year for all human being living during that period, first year for the new world. Protagonist has adult-like character - she is cunning, sarcastic, provident etc. We see irony in the passage where protagonist describes herself: “Apart from being born bedridden and toothless, unable to raise my head on the pillow.”(Spark, M., p.1058) She calls her surrounding females “two legged mammals” cynically with humor which, in my opinion, definitely is not a baby’s attribute. Proof of her providence is her words: “future bothered me”. (Spark, p.1059)
Authors frequently choose irony as one of themain stylistic devices in order to make their work more attractive. Irony from Socrates times to Romanticism was considered as essential part for theoretical knowledge: “a knowledge that would simply be given or viewed, without the knower being implicated in the articulation of that truth. Irony draws attention to the gap between saying and said, between speaking position and posited truth”(Colebook, C.,  2004, p. 112)
Good example of effective use of irony is the following passage from the story:“Over Berlin and Vienna the people were starving freezing, striking, and riots and yelling in the streets. In London everyone was bustling to work and mottling that it was high time the whole. Business was over.” (Spark, M., p.1059)Narrator mentions the fact that in London people considered that “whole business was over”. In my opinion author mentioned this fact ironically and by stating the fact that in London people thought ‘whole business’ was over she might wanted us to see how people were not sharing adequately each other’s pain. Maybe the war had ended for London, but in Vienna and Berlin there were riots because of hunger. Author once again, effectively uses new born baby as a narrator making readers see harsh situation through naïve child’s eyes highlighting emotional side of the situation. The fact that such kind of ironical statement and such kind of a sharp issue is narrated by a new born child makes it less painful and less distressing. Here we can again see the effectiveness of author’s choice to narrate the whole story by a newborn baby.
Another vivid example of a sharp irony is the episode about weddings, on the one hand of Picasso and Olga’s and on the other hand, of George V and Mary’s. It might be a bit unclear why the narrator tells us about such occasional things when the war destroys everything around. In my opinion, the reason might be either author’s wish to smoothen depressive atmosphere caused by harsh sequences of war or just irony thatpeople were still suffering and in for others life routine still went on: Picasso got married,queen George V and Queen Mary celebrated their silver wedding even though Britain still needed torecover from the World War One’sconsequencesand did not have any affordable resources for celebration. People acted like ‘whole business was over’ however it was over only for certain people and in certain people’s lives.
Protagonist describes the end of Romanovs’ royal family in a very simple way –with less emotion, there is just an implication to the irony. In the final stage of World War One theRomanovs did not have significant role and author is interested in their opinionwhile nobody else is. Also, when she mentionsthe Romanovs second time,when they are imprisoned, she wants to highlight that during the war people are becoming emotionless, heartlessand payless attention to things, maybe that is what author wanted to say thatnobody actually was concerned about the fateof theRomanovs -that once important, magnificent royal family of Russia, has now become insignificant. Narrator talks about Czar and how he had stated: “nothing would ever induce me to sign the treaty” and later protagonist states “anyway, nobody had asked him” (Spark, p.1059). I think these words are a bit cynical outlining Czar’s hapless position.
The protagonist is growing up in front of us and developing regardless the situation around.With seriousness and sometimes mockery the child speaks about herself- mostly about her worries and concernsProtagonist claims that she was not smiling during the first year of her life. Generally Babies can smile at birth, or even sooner -ultrasounds have actually spotted upside-down frowns on babies in the last trimester of pregnancy. (Qatar Tribune, 2012) It is natural that during World War One hard times and unpleasant environment were not only for every single human being, but also fornewborns. The child probably might feel something wrong was going around and did not smile which could be the explanation and also proof for her claim.
Protagonist says: “many times I was told this later by my family and their friends, but anyway, I knew it at the time.”(Spark, p.1058) According to her words she remembers everything what happened during her first year of life and moreover she says and believes the theory about baby’s being born omniscient and that they can tune in every kind of conversation they want and that it’s only after the first year of our lives that those memories are brainwashed out of us, however she thinks she remembers everything perfectly well.This is peculiar style of MurielSpark to underline that child which is not supposed to remember anything, remembers everything - this is effective use of fictionstyle. Perhaps this is allegory too - world remembers everything about World War One since no harsh memories can be lost.
Protagonist says that during their first year of life children are capable of tuning in any kind of conversation they choose. I don’t think that this is impossible because researches show that during these periods of life children have even better skills which they need, in order to adaptto the world, than we do, because this world is new for them and they need to fit themselves in it at fast rate. However,“Unlike the adult mind, which restricts itself to a narrow slice of reality, babies can take in a much wider spectrum of sensation - they are, in an important sense, more aware of the world than we are.”(Lehrer, p.26)

Conclusion

To sum up, in my investigation I have followed two main directions and therefore I have drawn my conclusions from two angles.First I was interested in was historical contexts of the story. As I have found out, the story almost precisely describes war destructions and other events. War chronological order is so exact and identical to historical sources and annals and that we have to appreciate the author’s in-depth knowledge of war history. This makes the story effective, interesting, reliable and enjoyable. The story contains non-fictional elements portraying historical reality but at the same time the way author chooses to describe reality is fictional. This is what distinguishes this story from other pieces of literature and makes it so original and exciting.
My second object of investigation was the effective use of the baby-girl as the protagonist. The writer chooses her to arise more trust and sympathy in readers, to be aware of that even at this stage of life the child feels, understands and narrates the truth. I came to conclusion that protagonist has characteristics of an adult person, having extra - ordinary abilities-being able to switch in any kind of conversation she chooses. Also I came to conclusion thatchildren represent the symbols of innocence, unspoiled nature, watching the world with sincere eyes full of optimism.  Muriel Spark’s child is outwardly the same as other newborns, but, strangely enough very special human being - intellectually formed and quite mature to observe and analyze things. That is why I think that this new-born child is personification of the whole world in an allegorical way meaning that protagonist represents the world, non human concept, in a face of child. This one - year - old child is representative of one- war-experienced society which became as skeptical and ironical as the Child is in this story itself.
Even though the story is slightly depressive and the baby did not smile during her first year of life, eventually she didon her birthday, which also was the end of the war.Muriel Spark ended the story on an optimistic note, sending positive message about future.


Bibliography

1.      1914-1918 - Casualty Figures. [online] Available through: <http://www.worldwar1.com/tlcrates.htm>
2.      Blake, R. N., David Lloyd George: Eciclopaedia Britannica.[online] Available through: <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/345191/David-Lloyd-George>
3.      Blake, R. N., H.H Asquith,1st yearl of Oxford and Asquith: Enciklopedia Britannica. [online] Available through <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/39056/HH-Asquith-1st-earl-of-Oxford-and-Asquith>
4.      Colebook, C., 2004.Irony. London: Routledge.
5.      Coulthard, C., 2011. The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
6.      Daix, P., 1993. Picasso: Life and Art.Translated by Emmet O. New York: Icon Editions.
7.      Disher G.,2001. Writing Fiction: An Introduction to the Craf . Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.
8.      Feliciano, H., 1997. The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works . NewYork: Basic Books.
9.      Haine, S. The History of France. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
10.  Cawood, I.,2004. The First World War. London: Routledge.
11.  Jones, H. 2011. Violence Against Prisoners in The First World War. New York: Cambridge University Press.
12.  Lehrer, J., Inside the baby mind [online]Acessed on April 26, 2009. avaialbe through: <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/04/26/inside_the_baby_mind/>
13.  Literary Genres: Caifornia Department of Education [online]Available thtough :  <http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/litrlgenres.asp>
14.  Liulevicius, V. G., 2004.War Land on the Eastern Front: Culture, National Identity and German Occupation in World War I, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
15.  Perry, C. J., Pleshkov, K., 1999. The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga, New York: Basic Books.
16.  Rejai, M., 1996. World Military Leaders. In A Collective and Comparative Analysis.Westport , CT: Praeger Publishers.
17.  Remarque, E. M. 1929. All Quiet on the Western Front.  translated by Wheen A.W  Boston: Little Brown
18.  Spark, M., The first year of my lifein In British Tradishion. New Jercy: Prentice hall.
19.  Thomas, J., Rogers,K., 2010. HIstory:20th Century World: Causes ,Practices and Effects of Wars . Person Education limited .
20.  Qatar Tribune, Is your baby smiling at birth? [online] Available through : < HYPERLINK "http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/20111209/content.asp?section=Chillout2_2" http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/20111209/content.asp?section=Chillout2_2> [Accessed on February Thursday 2012.]
21.  Значение слова "Каледин Алексей Максимович" в Большой Советской Энциклопедии [online]Availablethrough: <www.bse.sci-lib.com: http://bse.sci-lib.com/article057819.html>


AppendixA

February, 1918 calendar available through:<http://www.convertunits.com/dates/from/Feb+1,+1918/to/Mar+11,+1931>
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Business keyword - Terminology everyone should know

These are some business keywords (terminoloy) that everyone should know to speak on business language.


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Added Value is the difference between a product`s price and the total cost of the inputs that went into making it. It is the extra worth created in the productions process.
Capital refers to all non-natural resources used in the production process. An example is money, but the term also includes resources such as machinery, tools, equipment and factories.
Division of labour refers to the specialization of workers in the provision of goods and/or services by breaking a job down into particular roles or tasks that are repeated by the same workers.
Enterpreneurs are people who manage, organize and plan the other three factors of production. They are risk takers who exploit business opportunities in return for profits.
Factors of production are the inputs ( or resources ) necessary for the production process : land, labour, capital and enterprise.
Functional areas is the term used to refer to the different sections of a business. These are usually named as the marketing, production, finance and human resources departments.
Labour refers to physical and mental human effort used in the production process.
Land means natural resources that can be found on the planet. This includes renewable and non-renewable natural resources such as water, fish, wood and physical land itself.
Opportunity cost refers to cost measured in terms of the best alternative that is foregone when a choice is made
Primary sector refers to businesses involved in the cultivation or extraction of natural resources, such as farming, mining, quarrying, fishing, oil exploration and forestry.
Secondary sector is the section for the economy where business activity is concerned with the construction and manufacturing of products.
Tertiary sector refers to the section of the economy where business activity is concerned with the provision of services to customers.



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Articles of Association is the document that sets out the internal organization and rules of a limited company. Details might include the powers of each director and voting rule.
Certificate of incorporation is the name of the document issued to a limited company to show it has been legally formed.
Charities are not-for-profit organizations established to support good causes, from society`s point of view.
Company refers to a business that is owned by shareholders.
Deed of partnership is the legal contract signed by the owners of a partnership which specify responsibilities and their share.
Incorporation means that there is a legal difference between the owners of a company and the business itself. This ensures that owners of a company are protected by limited liability.
Limited liability is a restriction on the amount of money that owners can lose if the business goes into bankruptcy, i.e. they cannot lose more than they invested in the business.
Memorandum of Association is the legal document that specifies the basic information of a company, such as name and adress
NGO are private sector organizations that operate for the benefit of others rather than aiming to make a profit.
Partnerships are a form of private sector business owned by 2-20 people (partners). They share the responsibilities and burdens of running ad owning the business.
Private Limited Company is a business owned by shareholders with limited liability but whose shares cannot be bought by or sold to the general public.
Private sector is the part of the economy under the control of private individuals and businesses, rather than the government
Public Limited Company is an incorporated business organization that allows the general public to buy and sell shares of company
Public corporations (or state-owned enterprises) are organizations wholly owned by the government but run as commercial establishments, e.g. the BBC ( British Broadcasting Corporation ).
Public sector is the part of the economy control by the government (education service, emergency)
Stock Exchange is the market place for trading stocks and shares of public limited companies. London Stock etc.
Silent partner (or sleeping partner) refers to an investor of a partnership who is not directly involved in the daily running of the business.
Sole trader refers to a self-employed person. He she runs the business on their own and has sole responsibility for its success (profits) or failure (unlimited liability)
Unlimited liability is a feature of sole traders an ordinary partners who are legally liable for all monies owed to their creditors, even if this mean that they have to sell their personal possessions to pay for this.






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Aims are the long term goals of a business, often expressed in the firm`s mission statement. They are a general statement of a firm`s purpose or intentions and tend to be qualitative in nature.
CSR (corporate social responsibility) is the consideration of ethical and environmental issues relating to business activity. A business that adopts CSR acts morally towards its stakeholders.
Ethics are the moral  values that determine and affect business behavior and decision making, such as taking actions that are in the best interest of the natural environment
Mission Statement refers to the declaration of an organization`s overall purpose. It forms the foundation for setting the objectives of a business.
Objectives are the relatively short-term targets of an organization. They tend to be expressed as SMART objectives.
SMART objectives are objectives that are specially measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.
Social Audit refers to an independent assessment how a firm`s actions affect society such as revi of the firm`s environmental impact, it`s contributions to society and staff welfare.

Notfull





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Conflict refers to situations where people have disagreements on certain matters due to differences in their opinions. It can lead to arguments and tension between various stakeholder groups.
Directors are the senior members of staff who have been elected by shareholders of a company to run the business on their behalf
External Stakeholders of a business are not part of been elected by shareholders of a company to run the business on their behalf.
Industry trade groups (or trade associations) are organizations that specialize in promoting the aims of a particular industry through education and public relations campaigns.
Internal stakeholders of a business are members of the organizations, i.e. the employees, shareholders, managers and directors of the business.
Managers are the people responsible for the daily running of a business or a department within the business. They are accountable to the directors and responsible for their staff teams.
Pressure groups consist of individuals with a common concern who seek to place demands on organizations to act in a particular way or to influence a change in their behavior.
Shareholder concept refers to the notion that shareholders are the key stakeholder group as any business ultimately belongs to its shareholders
Special Interest Group (SIG) refers to the organizations of people who have a common interest (such as environmental protection) and collectively act to achieve that interest.
Stakeholders are individuals or organizations that have a direct interest (known as a stake) in the activities and performance of a business, e.g. shareholders, employees, customers and suppliers.
Stockholders (or shareholders) are the owners of company. Shares in a company can be held by individuals and other organizations.

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Balance of payments is an annual record of a country`s earnings and it`s import expenditure. A surplus exists if the value of exports exceeds that of imports ( vice versa for a deficit)
Deregulation refers to the removal of government rules and regulations which constrain an industry. It should therefore enhance efficiency and encourage more competition within the industry.
Direct tax is levy on the income of individuals or businesses, such as personal income tax and corporation tax.
Economic growth measures changes in the Gross Domestic Product of a country over time. Growth is said to occur if there is an increase in GDP for two consecutive quarters.
Ethics are the moral values and judgments ( of what is right) that society believes organizations should consider in their decision making.
Exchange rate refers to the value of a country`s currency in terms of another currency
External shocks (or exogenous shocks) are unforeseeable and unexpected changes in the external business environment that tend to affect all businesses in the economy
Fiscal policy refers to government policies that deal with taxation and government expenditure in order to affect the level of economic activity
GDP is the total value of a nation`s annual output. It`s used as an indicator of the level of economic activity in a country
Indirect tax is a levy on the purchase of goods and services, e.g. sales taxes and excise duties.
Inflation occurs when the general price level in an economy continuously rises. It is measured by changes in the cost of a representative basket of products purchased by the average household.
Interest rate is a measure of the price of money in terms of the amount charged for borrowed funds or how much is offered on money that is saved.
Monetary policy refers to government policies concerned with changing interest rates to control the money supply and exchange rate
PEST analysis is a decision-making framework used to analyze the opportunities and threats of the political, economic, social and technological environments on business activity.
Protectionism refers to any measure taken by a government to safeguard its businesses from foreign competitors. This presents a threat for businesses trying to operate in overseas markets.
Tariffs are a method of protectionism whereby the domestic government taxes foreign imports.
Trade Cycle ( or business cycle) refers to the fluctuation in the level of economic activity over time. Economies tend to move through the cycle booms, recessions, slumps, recovery and growth.
Unemployment refers to the number of people in the workforce who are willing and able to work but cannot find employment.


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Ansoff`s matrix is an analytical tool to devise product and market growth strategies, depending on whether firms want to market new or existing products in either new or existing markets.
Backward vertical integration takes place when a business amalgamates with a firm operating in an earlier stage of production, e.g. a car manufacturer taking over a supplier of tires or other components.
Barriers to entry are the obstacles that make it difficult for a new firm to enter a market. Examples include high set-up costs and the market power of established firms in the industry.
Conglomerates are business that provide a diversified range of products and operate in an array of different industries
Diseconomies of scale are the cost disadvantages of growth. Unit costs are likely to eventually rise as a firm grows, e.g. lack of control, coordination and communication.

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