Management Society and new forms of work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Society and new forms of work - Essay Example On the other hand, it can be seen that this concept raises a lot of social issues that might also destabilise peace and tranquillity in different areas. Against this backdrop, this paper has been designed to explore the reasons why the issue of precarity is of concern to the current labour and management practices. The paper starts by outlining the concept of precarity and its impact on the welfare of people as well as to suggest measures that can be implemented in order to address this particular problem. The concept of precarity is a quite a new sociological discourse in the contemporary labour and management practice. â€Å"In 2003, the concept of precarity emerged as the central organizing platform for a series of social struggles that would spread across the space of Europe,† (Neilson & Rossiter, 2009, p. 51). This concept is concerned with highlighting the issue that social security in different workplaces is disappearing as a result of the fact that the employers are pr imarily concerned with productivity in their organizations while overlooking the needs and interests of the employees such as improving their welfare through offering them rewards for their efforts. This scenario is evident in different sectors of the society where people working on part time basis, permanent employees as well as the unemployed often find themselves in a predicament where they often fail to derive security from their jobs. These people live a precarious life whereby it can be seen that they are not in a position to secure themselves against things like mounting debts as well as to enjoy good welfare. People who are entitled to low wages also face the same predicament since they are forced to eke a living from the meagre income they earn from their work. The concept of precarity has negative effects on different sectors of the economy and society at large. Generally speaking, employees living under precarious conditions are not satisfied with their work. According to a study by Patterson et al (1998) entitled, ‘Impact of People Management Practices on Business Performance,’ it can be seen that people in an organization make a difference between success and failure. The management practices have an impact on the performance of the people in the organization. People who are satisfied with their work are productive compared to those who are not. Satisfaction can be derived if the employees are rewarded for their effort in an organization. However, if there are no measures in place that are designed to address the issue of employee motivation through giving them rewards for their performance, it can be observed that the workers are likely to lose goodwill in the company in the long run. The adverse effects of precarity among the workforce during the contemporary period mainly involve aspects related to quality of work as well as productivity. According to Robbins (1993), a workforce that is dissatisfied is likely to be less productive compared to workers who are happy about their work. This impacts on the performance of the organization as a whole since it may fail to achieve its set goals. On the other hand, it can be seen that this state of affairs can also compromise on the aspect of quality of the goods and services offered by the company concerned. This in turn may impact on the profitability of the company since the targeted customers

My Strengths and Weakness of each of the Domains of The Framework for Essay

My Strengths and Weakness of each of the Domains of The Framework for Teaching - Essay Example I need to do self- assessment. I need to improve the way I do teaching. The Domains of the Framework for Teaching, I realized, is the thing needed to be done in order to address our aspiration to be good teachers. Domain 1: Planning and Preparation This is the foremost thing I do when teaching. I consider this as the springboard to teaching. My strength in this area is the â€Å"knowledge of content and pedagogy.† I studied my concentration for many years. My interest is encompassing when it comes to my adored area of study. And I enjoyed teaching the content to my students. My knowledge in pedagogy complements well the teaching and learning process. All in all, this is my cup of tea. My weakness, though, is â€Å"demonstrating knowledge of students.† I find it a hard time to individually identify my students’ strengths, weaknesses and intelligences. There are instances when I sense a divide between my expectations and students’ actual capabilities. I also find it hard to customize my instruction to suit their background knowledge and readiness. To demonstrate well the knowledge of students is my desire. I realized that if only I can do it, teaching can be more exciting and rewarding. I have to have knowledge of my students’ personality. I should do efforts to recognize them more. I can do this by analyzing and discovering their backgrounds and abilities through student-centered strategies in teaching. I should exhibit care and concern to their ideas and opinions. My students and I should open up channels of communication where the students can freely ask guidance and comfort. I can start doing efforts to know my students immediately. I will regularly include this in my day-to-day life as a

Kants Categorical Imperative Essay Example for Free

Kants Categorical Imperative Essay Kantian ethics is a deontological, absolute theory proposed by Immanuel Kant in the late 1700’s. Kant taught that an action could only count as the action of a good will if it satisfied the test of the Categorical Imperative. The categorical imperative is based around the idea to act solely for the sake of duty. For example, you should share your sweets because it is a good thing to do; not because it makes you feel good. Consequentially, Kant would justify the good feeling you do when you perform a good act as a bonus not a reward. This opposes the hypothetical imperative which is where you act simply so you receive a of reward of some sort. The categorical imperative is based upon universable rules; maxims. These maxims are absolute moral statements that Kant says should be used everywhere by everyone and should thus never be broken. For example, do not kill. Additionally, the categorical imperative does not take individual situations into account. This means it is applicable to all situations and very straight forward to follow considering that everyone allegedly has the innate knowledge to follow these rules; for example do not steal. However, since it is absolute it means you must ignore any emotional influences on your decisions. Kant’s morals truths are revolved around following reason, not feelings. For example, if you have to choose between saving your grandfather or an unknown baby; the baby should be saved considering it has longer to live and more potential. You must ignore any temptation to save your relative due to your emotional attachment because you know reason does not justify that decision. Unlike the hypothetical imperative, the categorical imperative uses ends not means so is non-consequentialist. Therefore, it is wrong to use someone or something to achieve a certain outcome. For example, to be kind to my mum simply so she gives me money to go shopping. Kant would object to this instance in that you should be kind to your mother since it is your duty to respect your parents and be a kind person. Kant believed in a kingdom of ends. This idea is if everyone followed universalisation we would all be treated with equal respect. Furthermore, the Kantian theory is based upon the concept that good will joined with duty accounts an action as good. â€Å"It is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world which can be taken as good without qualification except a good will†. Thus good will, to â€Å"act for the sake of duty†, should a priority in your actions in order to fulfil your purpose not for external motives. This duty is innate within every person as a priori so an individual’s experiences, or lack of, cannot justify an action which does not follow good will. Kant believed numerous qualities for example, courage, intelligence, ambition and honour all to make a situation morally poorer. Kant also introduces the idea of the Summun Bonum. This is derived from Kant’s postulates of practical reason; aspects that are necessary within his theory for it to work. Firstly we must have freedom in order to use the innate knowledge we attain to follow duty and good will to achieve good. The Summun Bonum is the ultimate goal for everyone to aim to achieve in order to accomplish the ultimate reward. This reward points towards the existence of a God since one can only attain Summun Bonum in the afterlife; it is not achievable on earth. This means someone must be in the afterlife to give reward you what you deserve. Furthermore, this makes sense of the inequality in life. For example, paedophiles living happier lives than charity workers. Kant would say your good will must be repaid in the afterlife. b) â€Å"Kant’s ethical theory has no serious weaknesses† (Jan 09) Kan? an moral ethics is an absolute, non-consequen? alist, deontological theory proposed by Immanuel Kant. It is divided into two categories; hypothe? cal impera? ve and categorical impera? ve. The hypothe? cal impera? ve is when an act depends upon something else whereas the categorical impera? ve is an independent ac? on. A main weakness to Kant’s ethical theory is the fact that it is revolved around ful#lling your supposed duty. But who decides your duty? And what if you have two conic? ng du? es, for example you to #ght for your country but also to support your family; which do you priori? se? There are no guidelines as to which to priori? se. Furthermore, there are no guidelines how to face not priori? sing your emo? onal a)achment. By not having any considera? on for your feelings, this theory has a massive weakness since you have to be very strong willed to convince yourself Kant is correct. Especially if you were ever actually put that posi? on it seems unrealis? c anyone would chose to apply these rules, for example to save a stranger over their family. However, people may object saying a key strength to Kant’s theory is that it is a simple, absolute theory that by being applicable to all sta? ons is allowing for all people from all backgrounds and circumstances to understand as long as they have ra? onal thinking; according to Kant all human beings have. â€Å"Everyone who is ideally rational will legislate the same universal principles† Pojman (2002:147). Another unavoidable weakness to Kan?an moral ethics is that his universable laws are not applicable to all situa? ons. For example, do not lie. Should we follow that and make someone unnecessarily distressed? Kan? an ethics is not a consequen? alist theory however humans ae naturally compassionate and sensi? ve for a reason. Furthermore, from this we can deduct that your reason might not be the best thing to do. It is not guaranteed since it does not take consequences into considera? on. There are some situa? ons which require consequences to be considered since the outcome is so severe it seems kinder just to break a rule. However in response to this some people may say a prime strength of Kant’s theory is that Kant has a great respect for human beings autonomy. Therefore, a lot of dignity is carried with his theory that we have the ability to use our own ra? onal. In conclusion, Kan? an ethics de#nitely has some serious weaknesses due to the unrealis? c priori? sing of those you don’t have emo? onal connec? ons to, the fact it is not clearly applicable to every situa? on and addi? onally that it is based upon following your ‘duty’ of which is a weak concept itself for reasons explained.

Modern American History: From the Second World War to Today. Essay

War is an obliterate machine employed by every nation from Third World countries to Global Empires throughout world’s history. This essay will attempt to review Modern American History from the World War II to present day. Key areas will be exam are 1) patriotism and propaganda used by the government during wartime, 2) the role of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) enforcing domestic laws during the Cold War era of American history, 3) the intervenes of the United States abroad in many aspects from gaining strategic advantages, control of natural resources, depose of oppressive governments, the spread of political and religious system, and commercial self-interest, to 4) how the media shapes our historical world both past and present. The final paragraph injects a personal view. When American fights against another country, one of the most critical aspects its leaders must make certain is the people’s support of the war. This mainstream public supports enable the country to raise funds and finances the war. To understand how regime can achieve such a dynamic factor and guarantees its success, we need to review Susan Brewer’s work. Through her book, title - Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq, we’ll discuss the multifaceted role of the American media in shaping of public perception during times of war. We’ll dissect the role of war propaganda, and the means by which the military, and the media, cooperated in making the war presentable to the American public, by referring to Why Viet Nam (Brewer chapter 5) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Brewer chapter 6). â€Å"If freedom is to survive in any American hometown it must be preserved in such places as South Viet Nam† President Lyndon B. Joh... ...endent from foreign corporations who are controlling the country’s resources. First, there is â€Å"the monopoly held by Electric Bond & Share† (Kinzer 132). Second, there is â€Å"the International Railways of Central America, which owned nearly all the country’s rail lines, including the sole link between the capital and the Atlantic port of Puerto Barrios – most of which is also owned† (Kinzer 132). Third, there is â€Å"the United Fruit, which owned more than 550,000 acres, about one-fifth of the country’s arable land† (Kinzer 133). He did what he set out to do and that is to pass the â€Å"Agrarian Reform Law,† specifically targeting these private corporations. At the end, his actions led to adverse results that force him to resign his presidency. Indochina, the French government has colonized Viet Nam in the nineteenth century for its natural resources of rubber (Kinzer 150).

A Mother Critical Analysis Essay -- essays research papers fc

A Mother’ ‘A Mother’ is one of the short stories that is part of James Joyce’s literary masterpiece Dubliners. The themes that run through this short story, and indeed the book itself, are: Simony, Gnomon and Paralysis. ‘A Mother’ is written in third person omniscient narration and focuses mainly on the point of view of Mrs Kearney. Who is, as I will try to justify further on, a serial simoniac and a victim of social convention. The first example of Mrs Kearney’s simony is her marriage to Mr Kearney, a bootmaker, who is far older than her. She married, not for love, but in order to keep her status in society respectable: â€Å"her friends began to loosen their tongues about her she silenced them by marrying† (pg 153) Another example of Mrs Kearney’s simony is when she manipulates Mr Holohan into signing into a contract with her daughter. She plies him with alcohol and lends a friendly hand in drawing up the terms of the contract. I believe that when Mrs Kearney is being said to have â€Å"slipped the doubtful items in between the old favourites† (pg 155) as she and Mr Holohan are placing the performers in order for the concert, that Joyce is also hinting that this is what Mrs Kearney had done with the contract. She has confused Holohan with drink so that she can secure a high price for her daughter’s part in the concert. This story is full of the theme of the gnomon also. In the beginning we learn that Mr and Mrs Kearney have two daughters, yet we never learn the younger daughter’...

A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard Essay

A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard was a very complex and controversial case! SunCal wanted to build affordable housing in the resort district however, Disney was opposed to this plan. Disney wants that resort district built up with tourism in mind. Disney would rather see hotels and restaurants to further accommodate their customers. Stakeholders play a vital role in a business! It’s important to consider the opinions and thoughts of both market and nonmarket stakeholders. When we look at this case, there are a lot of stakeholders for Disney that are involved in this. Let’s begin by looking at some of the market stakeholders. These market stakeholders include Disney’s employees, who would benefit from cheaper housing in an area close to their place of employment. Often the employees don’t make very much money and are having to commute longer distances. This affordable housing would’ve greatly helped them. Customers are also another market stakeholder for Disney. The idea is for the customers to feel â€Å"they’re in another world†. Disney is keeping them in mind and trying to make more attractions in the area that make them more appealed to the area. Of the nonmarket stakeholders the most relevant in this case was the community itself and the City Council. In order for that community to thrive in the way it does, it’s important to keep businesses thriving as well. The City Council is involved because it had to be voted on because it was in a resort district. Although I can see both sides have great points, I feel very strongly that the workers for Disney should be able to find affordable living quarters in the near vicinity. I hope that Disney realizes that they should value their employees because the tourist couldn’t be accommodated without them. I think that SunCal should be able to build the affordable housing area in a near vicinity, just not on the resort itself. I also think that Disney should go out of it’s way to help SunCal because this housing will benefit their employees. A Brawl in Mickeys Backyard Essay Q1 The issue in the case of â€Å"A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard† is that the employees at Disney feel that they are not treated well by the famous theme park owners going so far as to say that â€Å"they want to make money [referring to Disney], but they don’t care about the employees†. The uproar and the sentiment was expressed more vigorously in the opening scene of the case, when dozens of protestors gathered in August of 2007 to stage a kit to express their open displeasure at Disney’s lack of support for their employees. The protest was instigated when a local developer called SunCal arranged to buy 26 acre site in the resort district across the street from the theme park. SunCal plans were to build 1,500 condominiums with 15% of the units set aside for below the market rate rental apartments. Since housing in Anaheim, California [the home to the Disney theme park] was expensive, many of Disney’s 20,000 employees couldn’t afford to live there. The average price of a house in the vicinity was more than $600,000 and a rental of a one bedroom apartment was $1400 a month. Keeping in mind custodians at the park earned an average of $1916 a month so that would leave them with only about $500 of their salary barely enough to sustain them for the rest of the month! Also, keep in mind that restaurant attendants earn around $1166 a month, so a rental is out of the question, which brings us to the fact that only about 18% of the resort employees are able to afford living in the area. The 16400 employees are left to commute long distances by car or bus to get to work. Furthermore, when SunCal wanted to proceed with its plans it had to get permission from the City Council, because its plans for the development were in the resort area. It wasn’t clear if SunCal was going to succeed so it roused a lot of advocates from the employees at Disney as well as affordable housing advocates as well as by other individuals and groups who supported the prospect of reducing long commutes, thus reducing air pollution. However, Disney was in the way. It greatly opposed the plan for several reasons. One of which was that the resort district across the street was just that: a resort district. In the early 1900’s , the city of Anaheim designated 2 square miles across the street from the theme park as a special resort district. The resort area, which was 5% of the city’s area only, produced more than half of its tax revenue by 2007. Therefore the area and any development new or old within it were restricted to serve only tourist needs. This meant tourism related development such as hotels and restaurants, Disney argued, and not affordable housing. Disney argued that it wasn’t against the issue of providing the employees with affordable housing, but it is against it being in the area that is allocated for tourism. Having SunCal go ahead with its plan will affect the area and its theme park subsequently because it will take land away from being allocated to tourists needs [will be explained more fully in Q3]. â€Å"It’s not an either/or† Disney argued â€Å"Anaheim has to address the issue of affordable housing but it also had to protect the resort area! † The two sides quickly formed their own advocates. SunCal advocates formed the Coalition to Defend and Protect Anaheim declaring that â€Å"these new homes would enable many families to live near their places of work and thereby reduce commuter congestion on freeways†. Disney’s advocates on the other hand formed Save our Anaheim Resort District to protect the resort area from non-tourism projects. The City Council was split on the issue, to say the least. The five person council has to decide if it will give permissions for SunCal to proceed to build its development plan in a site located strictly for tourism projects, only because this will solve the affordable housing dilemma, or stick with Disney’s claim that the site was made from the start for tourism projects and disregarding the fact now will only hurt the area and the businesses in it as well the theme park of course. Q2 The relevant market stakeholders are Disney’s stockholders, creditors, suppliers, customers, employees and distributors as well as other resort based owners located within the resort district. The nonmarket stakeholders are the community, government, media, and non-governmental organizations. Q3 The stockholders of Disney will be affected adversely by SunCal plans because it might slow down the flow of tourists to the area and thus affect the theme park’s profits and the stockholders profits, dividends subsequently. They are opposed to SunCal’s proposal solely because the area should be targeted to bring about as much tourists to the area and thus enlarge the theme park’s tourist segment and bring out more potential profit and capital appreciation for the stockholders. The same can be said about the resort based business owners, because they may depend on Disney which is the main attraction for the continuation of their businesses. Fewer developments for tourists, less tourists, lesser incentives for them to come to the area and as such will affect Disney adversely which in return will affect the businesses that depend on it for tourist attractions. Moreover, this will in turn affect the creditors, suppliers, and distributers of Disney. The amount of credit needed to run the theme park will be reduced heavily since there will be fewer tourists to attend to. Fewer supplies will be needed if tourism will lessen in the area and as such there will not be as many supplies being distributed. Therefore, the creditors, suppliers, and distributors are all against SunCal’s proposal because it might affect the success of their business if Disney’s attraction is compromised. This can even affect the employees [at Disney and at the various businesses in the resort area] because they will be impacted in various ways including reduced hours or layoffs and reduced salaries, if tourism in the vicinity decreases. The community, government, media and non- governmental organizations can be all entities that are split on the issue. The community for example, is split between providing a solution for the affordable housing issue [therefore in favor of the proposal], or preserving the area that brings prosperity to a lot of businesses [against the proposal]. The same can be said about the government, to be specific, the chamber of commerce is against SunCal’s proposal because it might lesson the profits that the city reaps [the resort area produces more than half of its tax revenue] and the other side of the government wishes to appease its community and wants Disney to take responsibility for its employees. The non-governmental organizations such as the activists we’ve seen in the first scene of the case and the unions that represent Disney’s affected employees from the long communes’ are in favor of SunCal’s plan. However there might be other unions and activists against the plans, even though they are not mentioned specifically in the case text. Q4 The relevant market stakeholders are Disney’s stockholders, creditors, suppliers, customers, employees and distributors as well as other resort based owners located within the resort district. They all have legal power, in which they can bring suit against a company for damages, based on harm caused by the firm. The stockholders in Disney have Voting Power, of which they can exercise their voting rights based on share ownership. They also have the power to inspect the company’s books and records. The creditors, suppliers and distributors, customers and employees have Economic Power. The creditors may call in loans if payments are not made. Suppliers and distributors may supply or distribute to competitors, or even refuse to meet orders if conditions in the contract are breached. Customers can imitate the suppliers and distributors in which they can switch loyalties and purchase their goods from competitors, or even go to extremes such as boycotting the goods and products if deemed unsatisfactory. The employees can from unions to bargain for their wants, they can even refuse to work or take action and perform strikes. They may even go public and influence the media to adopt their issues.

Mamma Mia Paper

The film Mamma Mia! (Lloyd, 2008) is based on the extremely popular and successful Broadway musical which opened in 1999 in London. Since then, this Broadway production has become a global phenomenon which has entertained countless audiences, and still holds on strong as one of the most enjoyed and accepted musicals of this generation (Shenton, 2009). And so it is assumed that the motion picture adaptation of Mamma Mia! would be just as popular; and it was, expanding into one of the highest-grossing films of 2008 as well as receiving two Golden Globe nominations along with many other awards (Mamma Mia! 1990-2009). The film portrays a young woman named Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, on the eve of her wedding, who is convinced that in order to feel complete she must find her father. After reading her mother’s diary and revealing that she has three potential fathers, she proceeds to secretly invite all three of them to her wedding. Many of the themes and elements that encompa ss the film are typical of a classical Hollywood musical such as the presence of utopia and spontaneity, the emotional connection between the characters and their audience, and the constant premise of nostalgia.However, Director, Phyllida Lloyd, uses these themes and elements, as well as new techniques in soundtrack development, to make Mamma Mia! unique. She successfully manipulates the conventions of the classical musical and pieces together an updated version that speaks directly to its contemporary audience. Musicals were originally introduced in contemporary cinema by Hollywood in an attempt to create an escape for people during periods of economic and social instability. People who lived during eras such as the Great Depression, and other times of recession, had suppressed feelings of exhaustion, dreariness, and hopelessness.Musicals, with their utopian sensibility, served as a retreat from the real world and brought feelings of happiness, life, and energy to these people, eve n if it was only for a short time. The way in which musicals achieve this is by posing this idea that the characters in the film are ‘real’ people, and their problems and resolutions to those problems are also ‘real’. When the audience ‘suspends their belief’, they forget that what they are watching is an actual construction and get swept up in the euphoric experience that encompasses the film (McMillin, 2006, p. 55).This utopian feel is a key aspect concerning the construction of a musical, since its main focus is to distract its audience from any hardships that may be occuring in their lives. The idea of a utopia refers to the â€Å"imagined or wished for versions of the human condition which are envisaged as actually happening in the world. † (Parker, 2002, p. 11). So if the audience can actually envision and believe that the events taking place in Mamma Mia! can actually happen, it keeps that hope alive within the individual watching the film that this happiness could also come to them. Mamma Mia! llustrates this utopia through the beauty of the film’s setting, the spontaneity of its musical numbers, and its happy ending which wraps up nicely with all characters finding their place in the world and true happiness. Mamma Mia! is set on a remote Greek island called Kalchuri and is filled with vivid shots of the luxurious beaches and a vast mountain side. Total relaxation and happiness is the type of environment that this island paradise presents to its viewers. To further the island’s appeal, Sophie mentions in the film that it was â€Å"once the site of Aphrodite’s fountain, the goddess of love.If you drank the water you were supposed to find true love and perfect happiness. † This mythical fountain ads a mysterious element to the island making it even more appealing to the audience, and also serves as a metaphor foreshadowing the status of absolute utopia that is finally restored tow ards the conclusion of the film. The audience can easily envision themselves in this type of setting, removing them from their harsh reality into this blissful place where almost anything can happen.Therefore, the events which take place in the film seem more believable along with the immense focus on spontaneity, which also adds to the euphoric atmosphere which encompasses the film. The theme of spontaneity is common in most musicals and is prominent in Mamma Mia! taking form throughout the film in random events such as an arbitrary burst of laughter by a group of Greek people for no reason in particular, or a piano placed in the most awkward position on a dock with a man playing the exact cords in time with the song during the â€Å"Dancing Queen† scene.Spontaneity is also exposed in most of the musical numbers where the characters have a tendency to just break into song at any given moment, even when the audience is least expecting it. â€Å"The musical, technically the m ost complex type of film produced in Hollywood, paradoxically has always been the genre which attempts to give the greatest illusion of spontaneity and effortless. † (Cohan, 2002, pp. 34-35). The character Harry Bright, played by Colin Firth, even goes as far as to articulate the word several times throughout the film referring to his own spontaneity, or lack thereof.By the end of the film, Harry’s character breaks through his shell of insecurity and reveals to everyone that he has found true love in the heart of another man. This detail comes as a shock and surprise to everyone, including the audience, furthering the development of his character and his spontaneity. Harry is not the only character in the film that finds true love and happiness at the conclusion of the film. Donna, played by Meryl Streep, and long time love interest Sam, played by Pierce Brosnan, are finally reunited.Her daughter Sophie and fiance Sky, played by Dominic Cooper, decide not to get married , and to leave the island and see the world, which is what they both originally wanted. Another unlikely pair is Bill and Rosie, played by Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters, who also find each other and are expected to also live happily ever after. To top it all off Aphrodite’s fountain, mentioned above, is finally discovered bursting through a crack in the courtyard and raining down on everyone symbolizing that ultimate utopia has finally been restored on the island.The way in which the film is wrapped up, is representative of its utopian nature. Many issues presented at the start of the film are no longer important such as the impending question which the whole plot is based on, who is Sophie’s father? The audience does not worry about this minor detail because utopia is reinstated and this happiness allows the audience to overlook the some loose ends that may be present at the end of the film. The feeling of utopia is closely tied in with the emotional connection that the audience feels with the characters and their happiness or sorrow.The emotions of the characters in the film also become the emotions of the audience, thus the appeal of the musical. Musicals most often will use the emotional vulnerability of the audience to ‘extend the fourth wall’ and establish a high level of emotional investment from the audience. One way in which the film attracts its audience is through the development of the soundtrack. Mamma Mia’s soundtrack unique from other musicals in that it is completely comprised of songs by an enormously popular musical group from the 70s and 80s named ABBA.Since these songs are so classic, most of the audience, which mainly consists of younger to middle-aged women, already know the words to most of the songs and become involved with the film by singing along with the characters. This also allows for the audience to become particularly attached to the characters, possibly even putting themselves in the char acter’s shoes. The strongest level of this audience to character relation is most evident during the various musical numbers taking place in the film. Musical numbers are woven into the narrative structure, motivated by character psychology and/or plot development and expressive of the emotions, opinions, or state of mind of the singer. † (Langford, 2005, p. 85). This is evident in the â€Å"Mamma Mia† number, performed by Meryl Streep. The character Donna has just discovered three men from her past in the attic of her old goat house. She has convinced herself that that part of her life was over; however, seeing them again after so many years has made her realize that it still greatly affects her and she cannot resist the urge to see more.The lyrics of the song, â€Å"Mamma mia, here I go again, my my, how can I resist you. Mamma mia, does it show again, my my, just how much I miss you. † show just how torn Donna is. As she sings these lyrics she is stumbl ing around, shocked and confused as to exactly why these three men are here. One can hear the bewilderment and frustration in her voice, and also see it in her actions. There is a constant struggle between what her head is telling her and what her heart wants her to do. The entire musical number is playing off her emotions and her state of mind, causing the audience to feel those same feelings.The mise-en-scene during this scene is interesting; she is alone for most of the scene, but is joined near the end by a group of islanders. This group of people help her in deciding whether or not to confront the three men. The group become just as curious as Donna in finding out why these strangers are on the island. The sight of the men takes Donna back to her past throughout the musical number as all those deep feelings of longing which she has suppressed for so long. The sight of these men makes Donna incredibly nostalgic, which introduces another main theme from the film.Nostalgia is a pr ominent theme in the film, the feeling of longing for the past is brought up several times. The plot itself deals with the idea of bringing Donna face-to-face with her past and the characters themselves are constantly referencing ‘the good old days’. Many musical numbers in the film such as â€Å"Our Last Summer† and â€Å"Slipping Through My Fingers† deal with this issue. One number in particular that references this idea directly is the â€Å"Dancing Queen† scene. At the commencement of this scene Donna’s best friend Tanya, played by Christine Baranski, says, â€Å"Whatever happened to our Donna?Life and soul of the party, el rock chick supremo? † Donna then replies with, â€Å"I grew up† and Tanya says, â€Å"Well grow back down again! † Tanya is reminiscing about the past when Donna was a free soul and encourages her to find that inner youthfulness that they are longing to see in her their old friend. The words of the song openly reference the theme of nostalgia; â€Å"And when you get the chance, you are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen. † These words transport Donna into the past, back to that carefree girl that her friends were encouraging her to find.This scene also conveys the theme of longing to the rest of the women on the island who are also coping with this same dilemma. Young and old women come together to channel their inner nostalgia and bring back the youthfulness that is trapped inside each one of them. The responsibility and obligation associated with growing old is like a burden over the women keeping them from unleashing their suppressed feelings. This is illustrated in the scene by an older woman who is carrying a bundle of wood on her back.As Donna and the other women pass her singing and dancing, she proceeds to lift the bundle off her back and throw it aside, while singing â€Å"Oh Yeah! † in time with the song and joining the rest of the wome n. The bundle of wood is a metaphor for the burden which is inflicted on all women as they grow older. The message that this scene is attempting to portray is that just because you grow older, it doesn’t mean you should let go of your past and youthfulness. Throughout Mamma Mia! the main aspects of a musical are truly seen and even challenged.Audiences appreciate musicals because the help them escape the, at times, bleak realities of the lives and represent a utopia that they feel is attainable through the extreme emotions expressed by the characters and the storyline. Nostalgia plays a great part in this film in particular because the characters are constantly evaluating their behaviours and questioning the decisions they have made in the past. Mamma Mia! follows the classic structure of a musical but combines an intriguing plot and an extremely popular musical soundtrack creating an appealing film for all audiences to enjoy.Bibliography Cohan, S. (2002). Hollywood musicals, the film reader. New York: Routledge. Langford, B. (2005). Film genre: Hollywood and Beyond. Edinburgh University Press. Lloyd, P. (Director). (2008). Mamma Mia! [Motion Picture]. Mamma Mia! (1990-2009). Retrieved March 11, 2009, from The Internet Movie Database: http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0795421/ McMillin, S. (2006). The Musical As Drama. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Parker, M. (2002). Utopia and Organization. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Shenton, M. (2009). Mamma Mia! Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http://www. mamma-mia. com/showhistory. asp