The play is set in the Birlings house; as it is a safe place where life is secure and sheltered Essay Example For Students

The play is set in the Birlings house; as it is a safe place where life is secure and sheltered Essay The play is set in the Birlings house; as it is a safe place where life is secure and sheltered. The inspector takes the illusion of their life away and shows the Birlings what they previously prefer to overlook, the horrors and troubles of the real world. The play is set in 1912 but was written in 1945 after the Second World War. In the play there is lots of dramatic irony, which to an extent it relies on. Mr Birling flippantly brushes of ideas people have about a war in sight, dismissing them as silly little war scares. He also comments on the workers strikes and feels confident that theyve passed the worst of it. We as the audience know that since 1912 there have been two Worlds Wars, the likes of which the world had never experienced and in the 1920s there were huge workers strikes, which sent the country into chaos. The Georgian period in which they lived was a time of wealth and prosperity for the middle and upper classes and relative relaxation and security. Mr Birling proudly boasts about the progress that has been made, auto-mobiles making headway and a ship, the Titanic which is about to set sail and will make New York in five days ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ and every luxury ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. Again as the audience we know Mr Birling has misplaced his confidences and the terrible end that unsinkable ship came to when she met her nemesis and lies still and silent at the bottom of the frigid North Atlantic. In 1912 there was no welfare state in Britain, and poor people like Eva Smith often depended on charity organizations. Wealthy people such as Mrs Birling usually controlled these organizations. Mrs Birling would have worked for the charity out of her desire to be seen as charitable rather than out of a sense of respon sibility and concern for those less fortunate than her self. Also during this period the upper class, represented by the Birlings and Gerald ruled the country, owning all the main business, with no thoughts accept for them selves, which lead to consequences for the working class, the Smiths, represented by Eva Smith. The inspector comes into the play, to try and find out who is the most responsible for the death of Eva Smith death and to try and make them understand their responsibility to others. All the characters in the play had some connection with Eva Smith, which contributed towards her unpleasant death. Mr Birling was the first to contribute towards Evas downfall. At one time he employed her in one of his machine shops for over a year. He admits that she was a good worker, and she was even going to receive a promotion, but after the holidays in August, she and a group of girls came back to work and decided to ask for more money so they were averaging at about twenty-five shillings a week instead of twenty-two shillings and six. Soon the strike came to an end as they had been on holiday and had little money left. Mr Birling let the strikers comeback to work for him, apart from the five ringleaders who started the trouble, including Eva Smith, they had to go. After being sacked by Mr Birling, Eva Smith after a time of unemployment managed to get a job at a good quality shop, called Millwards. There she encountered the wrath of Sheila Birling. Shelia had gone to Millwards one day to try something on, her mother and the shop assistant had been against it, but she insisted. When Shelia tried it on she knew they had been right and it didnt suit her, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Eva Smith, the girl who had brought the dress up for her to try on, smiling, as if thinking Doesnt she look awful. Shelia was upset and embarrassed and spoke rudely to her. She then went to the manager of Millwards and told him if Eva Smith wasnt sacked shed never go near the place again and would persuade her mother to close the account. Eva Smith, through no fault of her own is now unemployed again. As many girls did, she decided to change her name to Daisy Renton, and make a fresh start. As there was no other work, and was in desperate need money. She turned to prostitution, as many women of the working class had to. One day Gerald met her at the Palace music hall, where he had gone to get a drink, and is a favorite haunt of women of the town. He saw Eva, or Daisy being bothered by Alderman Meggarty, a prominent member of society. He recognizes that she is young and pretty not like the other women. Gerald decided to help the girl and managed to distract Meggarty enough, by saying the manager needed to see him, to get the girl away. He got to know her and then set her up at a friend of his house and kept her as his mistress. It was a mutual benefit, as she needed money and food, which he provided. Gerald liked the idea that he was the most important person in her life, but after a while go bored and had to go of on a business trip and told her she had to go as his friend was coming back. Eva Smith knew that what she had with Gerald would not last and she was just a convenience to him. She went away by herself for about two months. To some seaside place, so she could be alone to try and make her affair with Gerald last longer and savour the memories of their time together. As she could again get no work and in urgently need of money she again turned to prostitution and worked in the palace bar. This is where she met Eric Birling and his puerile behaviour and lack of responsibilit y. She was pretty, not like the other fat old tarts, so he decided to buy her a few drink, although he was already inebriated. Later that night he insisted on going back to her lodgings and we are lead to believe that when he was there he forced himself upon her, using his physical strength and power over her. They met again a few times and Eva told Eric that she was pregnant with his child. Eva insisted, that she did not want to marry him as she saw him for what he was, a spoilt child and treated him like he was a kid. Eric then offered her financial support, which she also refused as she had found out that the money he used was stolen and refused to take anymore. 'The Great Gatsby' by F Scott Fitzgerald EssayIn the play, there is only one theme; this keeps the audiences attention and stops them getting side tracked with other plots. The inspector builds up the tension well by only allowing one character see the photograph at a time, and lays traps, which they all fall into. In particular the inspector sets a trap for Mrs Birling, when he asks her if she is not to blame for Evas death then who is and she enthusiastically lays the blame on the young man who is the father of Evas unborn child and tells the inspector to find this young man and then make him confess in public his responsibility. She is happy to dismiss any responsibility she may have and pass it onto someone, she thinks is far away from her family and her. Almost immediately we find out the father is Eric and she has implicated her son as being entirely responsible for the death of Eva Smith. The inspector scrutinizes one line of enquiry at a time, so again the audience does not lose track of the play and its storyline. The inspector also controls the behaviour and actions of the other characters, deciding if they can leave or not. He undermines Mr Birlings authority, when Eric ask if he can have a drink before he begins to tell his story of the events which he was involved in with Eva, Mr Birling says no, but is quickly contradicted by the inspector who says that he needs a drink now just to see him through. The inspector seems to be omniscient, but actually makes all the characters confess to their crimes. Perhaps the inspector is a supernatural agent for the conscience and the name Goole makes him appear spooky and other worldly. Maybe the inspector has foreseen a suicide about to happen and if the Birlings have a change of heart it could be prevented, but the chance is missed and the suicide occurs. In the text their are many clues which hint that the inspector is not really from the police and in the end the Birlings and Gerald manage to pick up on this, but some of them try dismiss it as a joke. The name Goole sounds like a ghoul, which is an evil demon, that eats the flesh of the dead, or it can be used metaphorically meaning a person obsessed by, or profits by, anothers death. When the inspector has left, he is said by Birling to have exploited Evas death, to frighten the victims of the alleged practical joke. But there are also hints that he is good, perhaps a messenger from God, as he says, we are members of one body like we say in the Eucharist service, reminding us that everyone is the same in Gods eyes. It does not mater whether the inspector is supposed to be good or evil, or what he really is, as the importance of his role is in what he says. The inspector altered Shelia and Erics views and makes them aware of the responsibility they have for others. Mr and Mrs Birling and Gerald refuse to take any responsibility for their actions and when the inspector has left expect life to carry on as before, believing that the inspector was a hoax, they represent the past and how the world is in desperate need for change. The end of the play suggests hope of the future as Shelia and Eric who represent the younger generation have learned to accept responsibility and that all actions have consequences. At the end of the play the inspector gives his wide view on responsibly, which contrasts with Mr Birlings narrow view on responsibility that he gave at the beginning of the play. Before the inspector departs he leaves the Birlings and Gerald with a thought One Eva Smith has gone ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us, with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all intertwined with our lives, and what we think and say and do. We dont live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson in fire and blood and anguish. The inspector, in his speech is telling us that things must change and the Smiths representing the lower and working class should not be used and abused by the Birlings repressenting people of power. He is also referring to the Second World War, as the audience knows, this lesson was learnt through fire blood and anguish and can not be allowed to be forgotten. The main theme of the play is responsibility. You must be responsible for other people as well as your own actions, and think of the consequences your actions may cause for others. In the play, there isnt anyone who is fully to blame for the death of Eva Smith. All the characters were involved in some way, which lead to her death and therefore are all equally responsible. The political message in the play is everyone must realise that there are always consequences for ones actions and everyone has a shared moral responsibility. The play was written in 1945 after the war, to present Priestlys views that the world was in desperate need of a change. When the inspector was at the house it symbolizes the Second World War, when everyone started to learn a pulled together for one cause. During that period all people were thrown into the war or working back home to aid the war effort regardless or class and social status. After the war there was a danger that people would recede back into the old ways, where there were prominent social divides and Priestly is trying to remind people how things were and how well they worked. People saw the need for change when the voted for Labour and Clement Attlee in 1945 who stood for a new way of life and change, against Winston Churchill who offered society restarting where it left off. People saw how the war had changed everything, and things would never be the same again as something as horrific as the Second World War could never be forgotten and voted for Labour which resulted in their famous landslide victory of May 1945. An Inspector Calls is an idealist play and is always relevant, as the theme of responsibility is still as germane today as it was a hundred years ago.

The Carpenters Son free essay sample

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10) Devout Christians should be familiar with those words as they revolve around the noble death of Gods one and only son, who is one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith. This man and his sacrifice are frequently referred to by poets and there are several poems whose entire message is all about Jesus Christ. One such poem is a satire written by poet A. E. Housman, titled â€Å"The Carpenters Son†. Housman’s work is not your conventional religious poem as it offers a very negative view on mankind and Jesus himself, which is considered extremely offensive and crude by a large majority of readers. Yet, like many other poets, Housmans faith greatly influenced the poetry he wrote, which was also a reflection of not only his religion, but his life. We will write a custom essay sample on The Carpenters Son or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When a person goes through a pivotal event in their life, that event often changes their religious views, which can be observed in their creative writing. The message of Housmans poem â€Å"The Carpenters Son† is a reflection of signifcant incidents from his past, that altered his faith and religious beliefs such as his mothers passing and his unrequited love for another man. While initially very devoted to his religion, the death of Housmans mother caused him to lose faith, which seems to have greatly shaped the message of â€Å"The Carpenters Son†. He was born into a large and very religious family; his great-grandfather was a preacher, causing much of his life to revolve around the familys faith. Out of his parents and six other siblings, Housman was closest to and most attached to his mother. Unfortunately, at the age of twelve, he lost his mother to cancer. This loss of the most important person in Housmans life struck a heavy blow to the young boy, who, as the eldest of seven children, was forced to accept a large amount of responsibility and help care for his siblings. Following his mothers death, he soon found someone to blame for the tragedy and his misfortune: God. He resented God for ignoring his prayers and neglecting his mothers health then suddenly taking her life away from him. Because of those feelings caused by his mothers death, from that moment on Housman began to lose his faith and, after a few years, completely abandoned God and his religion, becoming an atheist. Later in his early adult years, Housman was once again struck by misfortune. Another significant and tragic occurrence that contributed to the message of â€Å"The Carpenters Son† was the breaking of Housmans heart when he fell in love with his heterosexual male friend. In 1877 Housman enrolled into St. Johns College which was where he met friend and classmate Moses Jackson. At the age of twenty-one, Housman fell deeply in love with the attractive young Jackson. However, to the dismay of Housman, Jackson, who the first and last man Housman ever fell in love with, was not only heterosexual, but also criticized homosexuality, often referring to it as â€Å"beastliness†. This crushed Housmans heart and sprouted his belief that he was cursed to live the rest of his live devoid of love. This heartbreak changed Housmans life and most likely greatly contributed to his animosity towards his life and the God he had long deserted. The tragedies suffered by Housman established a very bitter resentment towards his abandoned religion, which led to a negative portrayal of Jesus Christ in â€Å"The Carpenters Son†. As a Biblical allusion, the title of the poem does not convey much respect for the one who sacrificed his own life the sins of mankind. In fact, Housman’s choice of title causes Jesus to sound like any other mortal man as it refers to his father as being the human man who was a carpenter rather than God. This shows how low his regard for such an honoured figure was, a result of his bitterness towards his former faith. The poem itself delves further into Housmans resentment towards Jesus and Christianity when Housman takes on the persona of â€Å"the Carpenters Son† himself. The nursery-rhyme like rhythm makes the mood seem almost mocking as Housman depicts Christ as regretting his decision to sacrifice himself and has him advising others to save themselves rather than following in his footsteps. The voicing of his regret makes it seem like he wants the reader to feel guilty, ending the first and final stanza with the words â€Å"Fare you well, for ill fare I: Live, lads, and I will die. That regret is emphasized by his wish that he had chosen to stay and work with his father rather than sacrifice his life and experience so much suffering. Then, the lines â€Å"Oh, at home had I but stayed [ ] then I might have built perhaps Gallow-trees for other chaps, never dangled on my own,† even goes so far as to imply he regrets his decision so much that he would prefer that it was someone else in his place. After lamenting his poor decision, he then advises others to not make the same mistake he did for he himself wishes he had chosen to save his own life rather than die for others. This portrayal of Jesus was a blasphemous one, to say the least, completely contradicting the bible and demeaning the sacred character of Christ. Housmans poem makes Christ come across as selfish and cowardly, two words that are almost never associated with Christ in the bible. Also, the last thing people are supposed to learn from Jesus actions is that sacrificing yourself for the betterment of others is not worth it, and yet that is exactly what Housman has Christ implying the entire poem. Housman, as a formerly devout member of the Christian faith, was most likely well aware of how offensive his interpretation of Christ was and how every aspect of his poem defied the words of the Bible, but his poem was written that way for a reason. The tragedies Housman suffered, mainly the death of his mother and the loss of his only love, caused him to lose hope, abandoning, and even bearing a grudge against, God and his former religion. This resentment influenced his writing producing such a bitter commentary on the Christian religion as â€Å"The Carpenters Son†, showing just how much impact a poets life has on their writing.

buy custom How to Start a Business essay

buy custom How to Start a Business essay One of the best known entrepreneurs, investors and business coaches, Kiyosaki, in his book Rich Dad Poor Dad (2002), wrote, "Business is like a wheel barrow, nothing ever happens until you start pushing" (p. 84). The truth is that most people are afraid to take the risk of starting their own business; it is safer for them to find a job and to work for the established wage, social guarantees and insurance policy the whole life. But if you decided to take a chance and to start a business, do not hesitate and do not be afraid of failures, because they are an important part of the future success. The steps below may help in the start-up. Part-time business means any kind of activity that one can do after the main work and that brings profit. It can be anything, from Internet trade to pet sitting and walking. If it is a unique business idea of your own, you have to protect its intellectual property. Franchise and ready business are both good options for investments; they are already established and developed, so the risk is minimal. The second step in starting a business is writing a business plan. A good written business plan is a living outline that was born to help you to establish, develop and manage your company; it is growing up with your company and it is changing as the company is prospering. The third step is defining how the business will be financed. Depending on the size of the business, there are such sources f financing as: bank funding and business bank loans, overdrafts, credit cards, loans from friends and family, private equity or private investment, angel investment and small business grants. Limited Liability Company is a legal form of company that gives limited responsibilities to its owners. C-Corporation is a legal entity that is taxed apart from its owners. C-Corporation is a legal entity that exists separately from its shareholders and directors. A partnership is an agreement between parties to cooperate. Partnerships can be of two different types: limited partnership and general partnership. The main distinction between them is that in general partnership each member (partner) is responsible for any liability, debt or damage. In limited partnerships there is usually one responsible (general) partner who has full responsibilities on managing the company. Others are called limited partners and they do not incur liability of the day-to-day operation of the company. Sole Proprietorship is an individual who owns and runs a business. He or she is personally responsible for the business obligations. S-Corporation is much like C-Corporation. The main difference is that in S-Sorporation all income and losses are divided proportionally between the owners. The fifth step in building the business is obtaining licenses if they are needed. Better to do it before starting to work in order to eliminate the problems with the law later. The next very important step in starting a business is creation of a website. People must get know about your business and the best way to inform them is using Internet. Even before you open your first shop or agency, the website must already work. After creating a website, the decision about the shop must be made. And here you must take into consideration 4 Ps: price, product, place and promotion. Only using them all together the most success can be reached. There is no need to explain how important price and product are. Without a proper place your product cannot be sold, and without good promotion nobody will know about your product. By the way, good done website is really significant in promotion part. After the business is established and registered, the website set up and the shop opened the question about employees rises. Employees must be hired considering the size of the business, the products and the legal structure of the company. But for any business to be successful, two employees must be hired in the first place: the lawyer and the accountant. Most companies already have them in their staff even before establishing. The steps listed above are the main steps in starting the business. Do you remember the old adage: No pain, no gain? It is old, but still quite applicable in the business industry. In fact, the business is a commitment of money, time and effort. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Therefore, make sure you are doing the right thing to start your own business. And do not forget these four important elements: the great business plan, the proper business structure, equal attention to the 4 Ps and qualified employees. Buy custom How to Start a Business essay

4 Reasons You Need to Develop Your Social Media Presence

4 Reasons You Need to Develop Your Social Media Presence These days, you are what you show online. With a constant flow of family pictures and  Saturday night shenanigans, your Facebook profile might not be very distinguishable from your offline presence. This may not matter so much in a bubble with your friends and family, but you should think about the rest of your social media universe, as well. You can shape your social media presence to show the best, most professional you to your field.  Here are 4 reasons to curate social media presence  carefully.1.  Your Social Media is an Open BookWhether it’s potential employers, network members, or collaborators, your social media brand will likely be one of the first things that turn up. You want them to see a clear, engaging portrait of you- one who doesn’t use sloppy language, send questionable pictures, or behave inappropriately. We all have stuff we’re not especially proud of, but those things are best kept in a private account completely unlinked to your profe ssional account, or maybe a folder marked â€Å"please burn.†2. It’s an opportunity to clean house.If you do have unprofessional content floating around your social media or want to show that your goals have evolved beyond â€Å"being president someday or something,† going in with a focused eye can help you keep content that shows who you are and where you want to go and get rid of clutter that doesn’t relate to your career goals now. It can also give you a sense of who’s coming and going from your social networks and sharing your content.3. You  Can Find a Relevant AudienceOnce you’ve figured out what you want your social media brand to say about you, that can help you find your community and build your voice in that community. Finding like-minded people and sharing content and opinions are a brand-builder, if you have your base brand settled.4. You’re Able to Take Control of Your DestinyWhen you build your public social media bran d, you get to set the tone and establish a theme across your accounts. Whether that’s coordinating colors or making sure that your own personal logo appears wherever you do or making your visual content (pictures, infographics, etc.) look similar, you want people to associate your content with you.Who are you, and what do you want to do? It’s all in your (virtual) hands.

Does popular culture (e.g. comics, films, and music) help us to Essay

Does popular culture (e.g. comics, films, and music) help us to understand world politics better Discuss by using relevant examples - Essay Example It is not an issue of popular culture causing political ideologies and actions. Therefore popular culture is not something that someone can say explains the state of a person nor does it make persons think in specific ways. It neither manipulates nor mirrors what individuals do rather people live through it hence no one will be compelled to imitate actions of popular culture. Popular culture in essence refers to artistic, cultural expressions of different genres such as theater, music, dance visual art, the film industry, and literature. In the present age, these cultural activities have been found to play a significant role in shaping the political reasoning in various parts of the world. Popular culture does not have a distinct definition of what it entails and different people have their understanding of the exact meaning of popular culture. John Street refers to it as a product of mass production arising from production companies to achieve high mass sales (1997). The primary focus of popular culture is the means of production distribution and consumption. Thus, popular culture is said to be a form of entertainment that is available to large numbers of people, or that is mass produced. Music production is the most common genre of mass production in popular culture; hence the mass aspect becomes the defining characteristic of popular culture. It is about euphoria of the masses and so is politics explaining the base where both hold joint feature. It is the very reason popular culture is impacting on politics in the world today. The agents that play a role in spreading the music that is television and radio reach far more masses, and their liberalization has helped facilitate emergence of new popular cultures that did not have space in state-controlled media. For instance, the rise of hip-hop music in the 1990s in African states was down to liberalization of media. These celebrities command large following among the youths who are the

(Depend on the play) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

(Depend on the play) - Movie Review Example Its capability to transform simple objects into more valuable things tickles one’s imagination. It challenges character for one to be who he is not, where ever, whenever. The magic that happens on stage can be deemed contagious, especially when the pixie dusts of theatre arts touch the mind, heart and soul of the audience. First impression lasts, they say, but as for the play Midsummer Night’s Dream, it dominates. This first impression pushed the button of audience enthusiasm by simply creating impact from the set design and overall ambience of the theatre. The stage was set with a mini stage, circular with small wall- like structures and with three overlapping ramps. The set was white and glittery which created a magical feel for the magical play that it is. The different lighting designs created moods for scenes. It perfectly falls on the white palette of the stage. The music engaged the audience to their emotions while watching the play. The simple wonders crafted from set, music and lights design gave amazing effects to the ambience of the play, and improved overall performance. Speaking of performance, the actors were impressive. Individual characterization was effective. The actors seem to be in real connection to the fictional character that they are portraying. Line mastery is essential in acting but to transcend with it is the bigger challenge. To achieve the desired effect to the audience the actors need to commit to the character, in such a way that even their nails embody the nails of the portrayed character. The characters optics, kinesics, and movement are also some essentials that were excellently achieved by the actors. Costumes also greatly contributed in the production value and effectiveness of the production. Midsummer Night’s Dream is a fantasy play with queens, kings, fairies, and the like. The intricately designed costumes talk about the personality of the character the moment the actor stands on stage. Props are

Pestel Analysis Of Icici Prudential Economics Essay

Pestel Analysis Of Icici Prudential Economics Essay Threat of New Entrants. The average entrepreneur cant come along and start a large insurance company. The threat of new entrants lies within the insurance industry itself. Some companies have carved out niche areas in which they underwrite insurance. These insurance companies are fearful of being squeezed out by the big players. Another threat for many insurance companies is other financial services companies entering the market. Power of Suppliers. The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers luring away human capital does. If a talented insurance underwriter is working for a smaller insurance company (or one in a niche industry), there is the chance that person will be enticed away by larger companies looking to move into a particular market. Power of Buyers.  The individual doesnt pose much of a threat to the insurance industry. Large corporate clients have a lot more bargaining power with insurance companies. Large corporate clients like airlines and pharmaceutical companies pay millions of dollars a year in premiums. Insurance companies try extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients. Availability of Substitutes.  This one is pretty straight forward, for there are plenty of substitutes in the insurance industry. Most large insurance companies offer similar suites of services. Whether it is auto, home, commercial, health or life insurance, chances are there are competitors that can offer similar services. In some areas of insurance, however, the availability of substitutes is  few and far between. Companies focusing on niche areas usually have a competitive advantage, but this advantage depends entirely on the size of the niche and on whether there are any barriers preventing other firms from entering. Competitive Rivalry.  The insurance industry is becoming highly competitive. The difference between one insurance company and another is usually not that great. As a result, insurance has become more like a commodity an area in which the insurance company with the low cost structure, greater efficiency and better customer service will beat out competitors. Insurance companies also use higher investment returns and a variety of insurance investment products to try to lure in customers. In the long run, were likely to see more consolidation in the insurance industry. Larger companies prefer to take over or merge with other companies rather than spend the money to market and advertise to people. Pestel analysis Political and legal factors Within Indian political ambitions and rise of communalism, fissiparous tendencies are on the rise and may well continue for quite some time. Based on this the insurance companies might introduce political risk coverage in their policies. In India the only area where customers consider to a take insurance cover is on customs duty change but also on certain conditions. The term political risk has a wider connotation than commonly understood or assumed. It covers events rising not just from politics, but risks in the course of international transactions. Based on this the insurance companies come up with new policies with respect to the problems arising out of foreign legal jurisdiction, political changes and also currency exchange difficulties being faced by many developing countries. Reforms in the Insurance sector were initiated with the passage of the IRDA Bill in Parliament in December 1999. The IRDA since its incorporation as a statutory body in April 2000 has fastidiously stuck t o its schedule of framing regulations and registering the private sector insurance companies. In India the entry mode for a company to start up a new life insurance company is to have a paid up capital of 100 crore rupees. Other rules got in by IRDA are Mandatory Investments of LIC Life Fund in government securities to be reduced from 75% to 50% GIC and its subsidiaries are not to hold more than 5% in any company (There current holdings to be brought down to this level over a period of time) Economic Factors The interest rates at bank and also the provident fund variation affect the life insurance industry as people are always attracted by a higher return. So compared to this the lower return policy is not attractive to the customers. Another factor which affects the life insurance industry is Unemployment, as unemployed people would not have any earnings, savings would be comparatively less which would mean less sales in-turn affecting the GDP of the country and also the industry. Other factors which contribute to the insurance industry are the natural factors like earthquakes, monsoons etc, as these events lead to a lot of deaths, the insurance companies have to pay claim against the policy. A typical Indian will want a better product with a low income so he prefers to pay in annuity or installments (EMI), so that they will not have extra savings to invest in the insurance policy. One of the main reasons for the economic factor is the inflation rate in todays market. High inflation rate will tend to reduce the insurances business as the money paid to the policy holder during the time of maturity will be less and it would be less attractive for the investor. Social-cultural factors Population is one of the major factors affecting the industry as the growth in population will indirectly help the companies to capture more market with more people. Life styles is another factor which affect the industry, the current life styles of the people in India are increasingly becoming like nuclear families, as both the parents would be working there would be a possibility of an accident, which would mean more sales for the company In terms of life insurance. Similarly people are interested in having a car and more cars in the road would mean more sales for life insurance. The third factor is the level of education, as India is still a developing country more than 50% of the population is illiterate and the other 50% are not sure about the concept of life insurance, creating the awareness for the product is a big challenge and one of the more contributing factors that affect the life insurance industry. Technological Factors Internet is becoming a fast house hold name in India where every house in the urban area has a connection. The life insurance industry has taken advantage of this with having many policies which can be flexible to the customer. The customer can check the flexibility sitting at home and select the best policy, pay the monthly installments and everything would be done within minutes. One more factor is the debit and credit card facilities where the customer can pay the installments easily. The life insurance industry is taking a huge advantage of the technology advancement in the world and making it their competitive advantage. Environmental factors Insurance companies in India are more affected by the environmental factors which can affect the industry. The Tsunami in 2008 which had such an impact in the south western India, Drivers of growth in the insurance industry. Government support The existing rule according to the IRDA in India is that a foreign partner can hold a maximum of 26% of equity in an insurance company. Countering this a proposal has been submitted to the government to increase the limit to 49% which would mean more money to be pumped in the market. In 1999, a total of Rs. 8.7 billion has been supplied by the foreign partners and 21 private companies have been granted licenses. Competition The intense rivalry among the players in the life insurance market is going to affect the industry in a positive way. LIC which has the most market share is showing signs of losing their grip in the competition and other companies like ICICI prudential, Metlife India are gaining. Legal aspects The insurance sectors growth is more than 3 times the growth of its economy in India. So many businesses or the domestic firms will aim to invest in insurance sector. Moreover, the growth of insurance in India is 13 times more than the growth of insurance industry in the developed countries. So foreign companies will be fostering an immense desire to invest in the Indian insurance market. Industry life cycle model Source: (Johnson, et al.2005) The theory for the Industry Life cycle is given in the Appendix. Analysing the life insurance industry in India the key observations are, the Industry is in the shake-out stage relating to the porters 5 forces analysis we can evaluate that the entry into the market is difficult and there is immense competitive rivalry in the industry and the companies are innovating with many flexible policies to suit the potential customer. The present market players like LIC, ICICI Prudential, Metlife India insurance are having a strong Managerial and Financial position, they are capable of holding the market which in the present market scenario is a key to holding customers so the weak companies are not able to cope up with this scenario and are either being taken over by the big companies or they are just run over. Scenario 1 Joint-Venture In the future we might see a lot of companies merging in order to compete with LIC which has about 68% of the market share. The next major company holding the market is ICICI Prudential with 8% which is also a joint venture between ICICI Bank and Prudential life Insurance. The difference between the top two companies is 60%. Which can also be told as a monopoly by LIC. As the insurance industry is one of the most emerging in the world many companies want to compete for the market share.Given the scenario, the only weakness that LIC has is their customer relationship management, other companies have made that area their strongest. Taking into consideration one of the drivers for change that is mentioned above, which says that the government might increase the limit of foreign companies equity to 49%, there are many opportunities for the joint ventures to happen. Few companies have already established themselves in the market like AIG with Tata, ING with Vyasaya. Scenario 2 Life Insurance becoming more tech-savvy. Another scenario is that the life insurance companies make trading online for the customers. That is make everything available in the internet for the customers like paying of premium, choosing the right policies etc. ICICI Prudential has tried its hand at the technology by giving more information about their policies and services they offer to the customers where the customers can check and enquire anything they want to know. This is one of the stepping stones to the technology of having everything electronic where the customer wont be harnessed to the paper work of having a life insurance. Many other companies have taken upon this area and soon it will be a boon to the customers. Scenario 3 Life insurance as growth of the economy Since Indias life insurance industry liberalized in 1999, there have been companies coming to India and with it increasing the competition, the innovation, the flexibilities etc. Insurance industrys contribution towards the GDP has increased significantly from 2.3% in 2001 to 5.2% in 2011. The Life insurance covers have increased about 12times in the past decade and Many analysts predict that by 2020 India will be one of the three top countries in the insurance market. The statistics say that the insurance industry will reach upto $350-$400 billion by 2020. (Study of insurance sector, 2011) Changing scenario in the life insurance industry! http://www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/documents/insurance_climatechange_statement.pdf