Human Resource Strategy of Tesco-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Analyse of human resource strategy of Tesco. Answer: Introduction Human resource management is considered as one of the primary aspects of strategic business planning by the most business organization in order to make a successful business. Human resource practices in a business provide various services to the employees (Alfes et al., 2013). Additionally, these practices ensure the quality of employees in view of the growth of the company. Therefore, human resource practices include monitoring of talent, management of talent performance and so on. Hence, analysis of human resource management is of great importance to examine whether these practices are fulfilling their purposes. The report aims to understand human resource practices in business. In order to carry out the study, the report has chosen Tesco as the organization of which human resource strategy will be evaluated. The report will figure out the issues related to human resource management that the company is currently facing. In addition to that, the report provides possible measures whi ch will be able to help the company to address the issues. Overview of the company Tesco began its journey in 1919 as a market stall. However, since 1929 its first retail store was opened. The company has now transformed in to the leading brand in the grocery market by offering quality products at low price ("About us", 2018). Tesco has become one of the trusted brands not only in its home country but also across the world by maintaining a constant engagement with its customers. The company is presently spread across twelve countries with 530000 in its 2291 retail stores (Fernie Moore, 2013). It delivers quality products to over 10 million customers. Thus, it secured the highest position in the grocery retail market. Tesco is no more limited to grocery items. The products offered by Tesco range from garments to fuel energy and electronic goods. In addition to that, it offers financial services which made it one of the leading groups in the entire business industry. The company in a recent press conference stated that the 65% (Fernie Sparks, 2014) of the sales pro fit from its business in the home country. The company in 199 shopping services to its customers, which was home based. It has adopted different business strategies that made its profit margin over 2 million per month. In order to maintain its market position and further growth, it introduced certain offerings to its customers. The company gives special benefits to its customers as part of its business strategy (Krafft Mantrala, 2014). It serves home delivery facility to the customers who purchase products by availing its home-based shopping service. Another benefit given the company is the facility of club cards. The brand loyal customers get the offer of club cards which undoubtedly strengthened its customer relationship. However, rising of other brands in the same industry created competition in the market. Therefore, the company is focusing on the further improvement and extension of the product range. Human Resource strategy of Tesco The company has applied different human resource strategy over its large number of stores and other workplaces in order to make its work more efficiently. The strategies adopted by Tesco are discussed below: Employee training The company per year inducts a large number of employees. Tesco hires talents from the top-notch universities around the globe (Brannen, Moore Mughan, 2013). It provides training to its employees according to their academic background. The primary purpose of this training is to enable the employees to understand the company structure and its vision. Employee communication The continuous communication with the employees is another human resource strategy that deserves mention (Metzger, 2014). The company communicates with all of its employees to understand their views, experience and the issues that they face so that it can evaluate and solve those issues. Employee rewards and recognition Various rewards are given to the employees by the company so that they can feel valued at work. As employee motivation is the key factor towards employee retention, the company recognizes the efforts given its employee by giving different rewards to them (Scuffham, 2014). It has been observed these rewards have played a major role in the growth of the company. Evaluation of the companys human resource strategy The current market position of the company suggests that it has successfully managed its employees. It has introduced different activities in terms of human resource strategies, which keep its employee engagement with their workplaces (Tesco plc, 2014). The training and development approach is one the remarkable strategy of the human resource department of the company. The employees as per their qualification get trained after they hired in order to work with the company. As per the employee feedback, training process adopted by the company has been proved as the useful assistance for the employees. Through these training, the employees understand the mission, vision and the structure of the company. Another aspect of its human resource management is the communication among the employees, which has been able to satisfy the employees as the company understand their requirements, problems and solve them. As part of their communication strategy, the company arranges different activities through which the employees not only remained connected with its governing body, but they remain connected with each other. Another purpose that the communication strategies serve is that it helps the employee relieving the stress of work life. Employee engagement strategy of Tesco The term employee engagement refers to the approach through which the employees feel motivated to work in their workplace. Therefore, employee engagement has become the one of the major need of every organization. In order to break down the meaning of the approach, it can be said that this approach serves for the employees as well as for the organization (Truss et al., 2013). The more the company keeps engaged its employees by different applying different strategies, the more its growth increases. Primarily it serves for the employees so that they can themselves valued at the workplace and remain motivated while understanding the ultimate goal of the company. Over the years Tesco has been doing continuous research in the area of employee engagement. Thus, the company has adopted various strategies in order to make its employee engagement with the company. As part of the strategies, a large number of initiatives have been taken in terms of special events, communication through social networking sites and so on. The company also provides platforms through which the employees can connect with the higher authorities (Truss et al., 2013). Tesco aims to support its employees by all means and therefore, it has initiated different measures including showcasing of talents, celebrations of special events, online media platforms for internal communication and so on. Future scope of employee engagement in Tesco Few areas have been found where the company can work in order to maintain complete employee engagement in their business. Therefore, certain measures have been mentioned below: More rewards At the time of annual increase of profit, the company can provide additional rewards to its employee in terms of salary (Tyrell, 2014). As money matters more than anything in motivating employees, such initiative impacts largely on the performance of employees. In addition to that, Tesco can focus on those who expect benefits apart from salary hike or other rewards in terms of money and take initiative accordingly so that can feel engaged. Self-assessment program The company can introduce employee assessment training programs which will help the employees in assessing themselves in view of performance improvement (Tyrell, 2014). With the help of self-assessment, the employees can learn about their own drawbacks as well strengths. Such initiatives have an impact o the employees that are being valued by the company. On the other hand, self-assessment reduces the risk of feeling inferiority complex, which is one of the major negative aspects of assessment by organization. Skill development program Different skill development programs can be introduced by the company so that the employees can learn additional skills to improve their work performances (Tyrell, 2014). After the employees go through the self-assessment procedure, they come to know their own weakness. Most of the employees wish to learn the required skills in order to remain in the workplace. Skill development training programs can help the employees in learning the adequate skills and applying those skills in live situations at the same time. These training programs also reduce the fear of getting fired by the authority as most of the employees believe that they can be fired if they do not exceed the expectations of their authority. Thus, it can be said this measure will help in the betterment of employee engagement in Tesco. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that human resource strategy is one of the essential strategies to make a business successful. The company has been able to secure its position in the retail market, still it can do more in the area of human resource management so that can boost its further growth. Tesco being one of the leading brands in the entire business sector has been able to secure that its employees perform best. At the same time, Tesco has increased rate of employee retention in its business by applying different motivational strategies. Meanwhile, it has taken various initiatives in terms of employee engagement. The report evaluates its human resource strategies and then suggests possible measures in order to improve its employee engagement policies References About us. (2018).Tesco plc. Retrieved 13 April 2018, from https://www.tescoplc.com/about-us/ Alfes, K., Shantz, A. D., Truss, C., Soane, E. C. (2013). The link between perceived human resource management practices, engagement and employee behaviour: a moderated mediation model.The international journal of human resource management,24(2), 330-351. Brand Finance (2014).Global 500 2014: The worlds most valuable brands.Available at:https://brandirectory.com/league_tables/table/global-500-2014 Brannen, M.Y., Moore, F. Mughan, T. (2013). Strategic ethnography and reinvigorating Tesco plc: Leveraging inside/out bicultural bridging in multicultural teams.Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings,London, September 16-18, pp. 282-299. Fernie, J. Sparks, S. (2014).Logistics and retail management(4thedn). London: Kogan Page. Fernie, S. Moore, C. (2013).Principles of retailing. Abingdon: Routledge. Krafft, M. Mantrala, M.K. (eds) (2014).Retailing in the 21st century(2ndedn).Springer: Berlin, pp. 257-270. Metzger, K. (2014). Business analysis of UK supermarket industry. Masters dissertation, Loughborough University. Scuffham, M. (2014).Tesco takes on UK banks with current account launch. Reuters [online]. Available at:https://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/09/uk-tesco-bank-account-idUKKBN0EK24H20140609. Tesco plc (2014).Annual report 2014.Cheshunt: Tesco plc. Truss, C., Shantz, A., Soane, E., Alfes, K., Delbridge, R. (2013). Employee engagement, organisational performance and individual well-being: exploring the evidence, developing the theory. Tyrell, J. (2014). Introduction to socio-cultural influences. In Mutum, D.S., Roy, S.K. and Kipnis, E. (eds) (2014).Marketing cases from emerging markets. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 9-11. Wood, S. McCarthy, D. (2014). The UK food retail race for space and market saturation: A contemporary review.The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 24(2), 121-144.

Martin Luther king jr letter from Birmingham jail free essay sample

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,are the words of Martin Luther King Jr. penned in a 1963 letter he wrote while incarcerated in a Birmingham Jail during the height of grave racial tensions and segregation. King believed in a nonviolent approach to combatting racial inequalities and injustice and I too, support the approach he took. MLK cites in his letter that his non-violent approach was more instinctive than anything else. He was from a line of preachers, people who embodied the church and believed in treating each other equally and taking the christian approach. I could see myself using such an approach because as a young man growing up I was taught in church and by my parents to treat people equally, respectfully and to resolve issues in a non-violent manner-thats without fighting. King also cited in his letter that during this racially charged period he served as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating In every southern state, with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. We will write a custom essay sample on Martin Luther king jr letter from Birmingham jail or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One of the affiliates in Birmingham had asked King and his group to participate in a direct action program if it became necessary. That moment came and they engaged in demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and other civil disobedience. I can definitely relate to these efforts. I recall police brutality in a community in which I lived. People were crying out for justice so we (community leaders and residents) blocked the streets with all sorts of objects, lit tires on fire, wrote placards and staged demonstrations. We also sat In the streets obstructing the flow of traffic. Like in Kings case that direct action brought about negotiations on both sides. It came at a cost as some of us got arrested and were given citations. King also responded to criticism of him advocating to follow and obey the laws yet he was also breaking them. King said that not only should one have a legal but also a moral responsibility to obey just laws. On the other hand one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. These sit-downs, boycotts of stores, marches and demonstrations were done at strategic times to create maximum impact. These were great ideas but I would have taken it a step further. I would have worked on a strategy to gain occupancy of the stores and restaurants that continued to display emotionally charged signage. Upon full agreement to dismantle such signage, full control would then be returned to their rightful owners. Kings main reference to disobeying the law was a Supreme Courts 1954 decision to outlaw segregation in public schools. King said although the segregationist did not comply with the courts decision he was in no way advocating, evading or defying the law but when such law is unjust one must approach it lovingly, openly and with the willingness to accept the consequences. Obviously King and his followers accepted the consequences and that in part is how he ended up in the Birmingham Jail. King said that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. Martin Luther King referenced that had it not been for the influence of the Negro Church the path of nonviolence would not have been an integral part of the struggle. Even in todays society when things seem bleak we all turn to the churchfor prayer and guidance. The alternative as King saw it, and so do I would have been bloodshed and chaos. In conclusion on this brief take on Martin Luther Kings letter from Birmingham Jail I could understand fully why he took the nonviolent approach in trying to combat racial inequalities and justice for humanity. One has to exhibit a sense of calmness and tolerance , though difficult so as to distinguish ones self from the perpetrators of evil and injustice on others.

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald

How to Get a Book Published in 2019 The Master Guide for Success

How to Get a Book Published in 2019 The Master Guide for Success How to Get a Book Published: Your Guide to Getting Published in 2019 If you’re a first-time author, we'd completely understand you not knowing how to get a book published. After all, there are more publishing options now in 2019 than ever! Traditional publishing, for example, requires an agent and actual publisher - which may take a long time to acquire, but can be a big advantage in terms of industry connections. On the other hand, you can self-publish and have your book up on Amazon tomorrow (with higher royalties!), but you might struggle to market it yourself.Every author has to decide for themselves how to publish, taking into account the relative benefits and what they really want from of the experience - fame and fortune, literary repute, or simply being able to say they've done it. But how can authors make this decision without trying both firsthand?Answer: by reading this post - for which we’ve consulted knowledgeable veterans of the publishing world, with the aim of explaining your publishing options in an easy-to-digest way . We’ll also offer frank advice to set you on the best possible path to publishing your book, whatever that may be. Ready to get started? Guide: how to get a book published in 2019 ðŸ“â€" Three ways to get publishedThere are countless ways to skin a literary cat, but all of them fit into one of these categories:Traditional Publishing, in which a company "buys," edits, and produces your book, before selling it to bookstores, online retailers, supermarkets, and anywhere else you can expect to buy a book.Self-Publishing, in which the author takes on the responsibilities of the publisher, including financing and marketing the book.Vanity Publishing, which is where the author pays a company to handle all of the above. We won't discuss vanity presses in this article, for reasons explained here.The bulk of our post here will focus on the traditional route (self-publishing is another matter entirely), which is what most writers will think of when they talk about "getting published." Your approach to getting a book deal will largely depend on whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, so let’s tackle traditional publishing in that order. (Skip ahead if youâ⠂¬â„¢re a non-fiction author). How do you get your book published? Check out this new guide for 2019! How to Get a Book Published (Novel)Warning: not all agents have nice white offices like this.At this point, your manuscript is looking sharp, and you have a keen understanding of whom it’s aimed at. With that in your back pocket, it’s time to get yourself an agent.Do you need an agent?While some small and medium-sized presses accept â€Å"unagented submissions,† you’ll find that your best bet to scoring a traditional publishing deal will be to first secure an agent. Not only do they have the right connections at publishing companies, but they will also know how best to sell it to acquiring editors.What are you looking for in an agent?First of all, you are not just looking for any agent who’s willing take you on. You want one that’s right for you and your manuscript. They should be passionate about your book, as they’ll be the one responsible for selling it! For that reason, you need to do your research and draw up a shortlist of suitab le candidates who represent books and authors within your specific genre.Additional resource: How to Find and Research Literary Agents (guide)What do agents look for in an author?If we return to our first principles, we’ll remember that everyone’s goal in this business is to make money. Agents work purely on commission, so they’re looking for books that they have a high chance of selling to a Big 5 publisher (Big 6, if you're including the Amazon Publishing imprint) - and that will go on to sell enough copies to justify their investment of time.Agents are also looking for long-term working relationships. This means they'll put more stock in writers who not only have the potential to write lots of great books, but who also seem like nice people to work with. No matter how awesome your manuscript, if you come across like a delusional nightmare, people will think twice about signing you. Do you need an agent to get published in 2019? 🠤” Step 4: Prepare your submission and send out queriesWith your proposal (and pitch) in hand, you're ready to sell your book. As a rule, if you’re writing general non-fiction (think history books and biographies) or if you want to pitch to a major publisher, then you will probably need an agent. For educational books, and with small- and medium-sized presses, you might be able to get away without one.If you do choose to submit your proposal directly, take a lead from our tips about querying agents when you research your publishers. Ask:Does this publisher have a history and interest in my topic?Does my book complement what’s already on their backlist?Do they accept unsolicited manuscripts?Additional resource: How to Submit a Book Proposal (guide)Hopefully you’ll get a response from an interested party and - before you know it - you’ll write your book and await its release date!Self-Publishing  Your BookFor a long time, self-publishing was seen as an alte rnative for authors who struggled to publish traditionally. To some extent, that’s still the case - but it’s not always down to quality. Some authors might find that their book is too niche for HarperCollins, but that they can easily find a devoted audience as an independent author.If you’re willing to put in the hours and teach yourself how to do a bit of basic online marketing, you might find that self-publishing is the perfect fit for you. The royalties are much higher, you get complete creative control, and you don’t have to wait years to see your book on shelves.To learn what it takes to self-publish, start with this in-depth guide.While self-publishing has plenty of benefits, the biggest downside is that you’ll be responsible for financing production (editing services and cover design) and marketing. The good news, though, is that it might not be as expensive as you’d think.Additional resource: How Much Does it Cost to Self-Publish a Book?  (guide)Frequently Asked Questions: Getting PublishedDo you need publishing experience or personal connections to land an agent?Another common misconception is that unsolicited queries are almost never successful. This, however, is largely untrue. Former agent Rachel Stout polled over twenty New York-based agents from a range of backgrounds and found that almost all of them are open to unsolicited queries (or â€Å"slush,† as they call it).â€Å"I know that authors don't think that most agents read their queries. Almost everybody reads them,† Stout suggests. â€Å"35% of the agents I asked - some with two decades of experience and others with two years - said that more than half of their current list comes directly from the slush pile.If I can submit directly to publishers, why do I need an agent?Pitching your book is just one of the many tasks that falls to an agent. They are also advisors and editors, who will give you objective advice on your manuscript a nd act as a buffer between you and the publisher. They’ll handle a lot of the business side of things, leaving you free to write. Most importantly, they are deeply familiar with the industry and should know how to negotiate the best price for your book (and avoid potential scams). For that reason alone, they are probably worth their commission.Can you query/submit a book that you’ve already self-published?There are some cases, like with Andy Weir’s The Martian and 50 Shades of Grey, where a publisher has reissued a self-published book. But these cases are pretty rare. Most of the time, if your book has already been on the market, industry folks will wonder if it's already exhausted its market. After all, the 10,000 people who bought your self-pub book usually won’t buy it again just because Simon Schuster has it now.However, if you’ve self-published a book that has sold very well, you can bet that agents will be lining up to request your next manu script.Should you go to writers conferences?Not all authors are lucky enough to live near cities with writers conferences. But if you can afford to attend one, then you definitely should. It’s a great way to watch panels by published authors and industry insiders (editor and agents). In most cases, there will even be a chance to network directly with those people at the conference’s social events.It’s also pretty common for there to be sessions where you can practice your pitch and get one-on-one feedback from attending agents or editors and (if you really, really hit it off) you might find that they’ll refer you to suitable agents.An inexpensive alternative to writing conferences are online writing communities, where you can get great advice, feedback, and case studies from people who have written and published books. Though you're unlikely to find any former Big 5 acquisition editors casually trolling the forums, these communities are a great place to s tart for first-time authors, and may even lead to you becoming a lifelong member.If you’ve made it this far, you hopefully have a better idea of how to get published! With both traditional and self-publishing routes now clearly before you, you should know what you have to do. Remember: if you have a great idea for a book, and you're willing to work harder and smarter than most, you can almost guarantee that you’ll be able to get it in front of your adoring fans  - wherever they are.If you have any thoughts or questions about getting published, leave us a message in the comments below.

Conducting Scientific Reserach in Criminal Justice Research Proposal

Conducting Scientific Reserach in Criminal Justice - Research Proposal Example If a research is done to study the topography of the place, the demography of the population and their socio-economic circumstances we can definitely derive some clues of high crime rate in this area. We can extend this study to cover the Hot points, that is the specific locations like a particular building or complex where the crime rate is high. It can cover the Hot Places, that are wider areas than specific buildings. These could be street corners or car parks where the incidents of car theft are frequently reported. There are also Hot Routes which are streets or roads along which more number of robbery or snatching is reported. 2. The profile of the criminals:- This helps us study the age, sex, education, economic status and ethnicity of the criminals. We can find out if there is any common thread running through it. If there is any, what could be the possible reasons of such people's behavior. Again, we can find out whether these can be altered or not. We will need to collect crime data from the police and study it on the above parameters. to understand the psychology of the criminals we can conduct personal interviews with a cross-section of them. This information can be tabulated to give us the findings. I believe that conducting this scientific research in criminal justice and security management will help the society in general.

Head On and Tylenol Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Head On and Tylenol - Annotated Bibliography Example 2011. The book provides a one-kind-consumer guide that provides solutions to over 500 over-the-counter medications. It provides symptoms for common problems followed by over-the-counter prescriptions to alleviate the conditions. 3. Maryanne, H., & AARP (2006). The AARP guide to pills: Essential information on more than 1200 prescription and nonprescription medicines, available through Medical Databases Online, General Databases, accessed 20th Oct. 2011. The book addresses the problems of adults over the age of 50 years. The book also simplifies the effort to find information about certain drugs by presenting generic drugs in a logical A-to Z organization. It also provides a close reference to related brand new drugs. This information has been vetted by a board of con tent specialists from the finest institutions in United States. 4. King, L., & Mary, C. (2009). Pharmacology for Women’s Health, available through Medical Databases Online, Nursing Databases, accessed 19th Oct. 2011. The article includes an insight into the basic pharmacodynamics principles that allows health professionals to understand and know hoe to prescribe drugs. It includes chapters that describe pharmacology of various drugs that are used in wide variety of illnesses. The arctle provides fundamentals of nursing, Introduction to Nursing and Critical Thinking. It contains concrete examples which allow studentds to understand and apply the five steps of nursing process in the expanding world of healthcare. The book provides a user friendly step by step work-book like approach to the five steps of nursing process. It also offers good solutions to the most difficult part of nursing, diagnosis. It also contains exercises that allow the reader to practice what he has learnt. The book focuses on the choices which have to be made while designing a drug for newly

History and Comparison of American Musicals

History and Comparison of American Musicals Utopia is an ideal world state where everything which happens is perfect and there are no negative emotions like sadness, anger or jealousy to exist in it. The world is perfect and has every situation resolved in the most enjoyable manner possible. Consciously, or unconsciously, the human mind strives towards perfection to create an ideal world- a utopia for itself. But, in real life, this is not possible and this leads to a multitude of emotions like sadness, disappointment, anger, etc. which is the opposite of what a person in utopia should feel like. To bring back this sense of utopia even temporarily, humans started projecting the carefully constructed ideal world through entertainment such as theatre, films, musicals etc. In this essay, I will compare the films Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and Meet Me in St. Louis by Vincette Minnelli as examples of classic American musicals against Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet by Baz Luhrmann as examples of contemporary American musicals on the basis of whether they satisfy the idea of musicals being a form of escape into utopianism. First, I will use Rick Altmans The American Film Musical, which has laid out quite a few criteria for a standard American musical to analyse these films and ensure they satisfy those criteria. Also, I will focus on Utopianism by using Richard Dyer, in Only Entertainment. Two of the taken-for-granted descriptions of entertainment, as escape and as wish-fulfilment, point to its central thrust, namely utopianism. (Dyer, Chapter 3, Pg. 18) By using entertainment, humans are able to escape to the realm of utopia but this realm is not produced by using models of utopian worlds, rather it is brought forth with feelings and emotions. Dyer claims that, It thus works at the level of sensibility, by which I mean an affective code that is characteristic of, and largely specific to, a given mode of cultural production. This code uses both representational and non-representational signs. (Dyer, Chapter 3, Pg. 18) Using Dyers words, I will also try to analyse the representational and non-representational signs of the films mentioned before. Meet me in St. Louis is an American musical which was released in 1944 with a fairly simple storyline which focusses on an upper middle class family with their four daughters and a son. It is based in St. Louis, Missouri in the year leading up to the 1904 Worlds Fair and goes through the struggles this family faces and how they overcome them together. The American film musical is known to have a dual focus narrative. As Altman says, in The American Film Musical, Instead of focussing all its interest on a single central character, following the trajectory of her progress, the American film musical has a dual focus, built around parallel stars of opposite sex and radically divergent values. This dual-focus structure requires the viewer to be sensitive not so much to chronology and progression- for the outcome of the male/female match is entirely conventional and thus quite predictable- but to simultaneity and comparison. (Altman, Chapter II, Pg. 19) Altman also says, Whereas the traditional approach to narrative assumes that structure grows out of plot, the dual-focus structure of the American film musical derives from character (Altman, Chapter II, Pg. 21) In Meet Me in St. Louis, there is a dual focus narrative. The plot revolves around the entire family, focussing mostly on Esther and her relationship and the news of the familys sudden move to New York. By subjecting these narratives to simultaneity and comparison, we can see that they are interdependent as the narrative of the family moving away threatens the newly found relationships of Esther and her other family members- Esther and John, Rose and Warren, the parents with their kids. Also, this is putting Esthers love for her family and her boyfriend against each other. As for structure deriving from character, the film is structured in a way that the character Esther and her conquest for her love occupies the first part of the film and this is followed up by the sudden announcement of her familys move to New York by her father. This is done to ensure the entertainment factor is still present by creating mild tension, as the primary goal is achieved and the viewers shouldnt lose i nterest. Singing in the Rain also adheres to the principle of dual narrative as there are different narratives or paths for both the male and female protagonists. The film portrays the struggle of American film studios and their transition from the silent films to the talkies. The male protagonist, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), is a silent film actor with humble origins, who tries to survive and retain his place in the film industry during the transition. The female protagonist, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), is an aspiring stage actress who is used by Lina Lamont to be her voice backstage but she finally is given credit and her career flourishes. There are other side narratives which tie into the main narratives, the most noticeable one being the narrative of Lina Lamont, which serves the same purpose as the narrative of the family moving away to New York in Meet Me in St. Louis- to present a problem which when solved, strengthens the existing narratives, or give a neat conclusion to the narra tives. These two main narratives are intertwined simultaneously and highlights the contradictions between the already famous artist and the newly flourishing artist (Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden), fame and infamy (Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont), hate turned to love (in the case of Kathy Selden), etc. These contradictions are resolved by the main characters falling in love and this resolves or gives these characters the strength to resolve their conflicts. The structure is definitely derived from character, especially from Don Lockwood, whose narrative overshadows Kathy Seldens narrative. All the musical numbers focus on Lockwood and his emotions, or makes him the reason for the initiation of the song- as in the case of Cosmo Browns Make Em Laugh or the final musical number dubbed by Kathy Selden for Lina Lamont. Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet are both musicals directed by Baz Luhrmann and released in 2001 and 1996 respectively. they are both contemporary musicals and they follow the dual narrative path, focussing on the male and female protagonists and their narratives highlight the differences in their character such as freedom and confinement, love and money as in the case of Moulin Rouge! and love and hate, life and death as in the case of Romeo + Juliet. As for the structure of these two musicals- Moulin Rouge! focusses on Christians character as the musical starts and ends with him and he is the narrator of the events which unfold. Satines narrative is interwoven with Christians and her narrative is actually the cause for the beginning of Christians narrative, thereby forming a never-ending loop. In the case of Romeo + Juliet, it is a loose adaptation on the play by Shakespeare, using dialogues from the play itself. The narrative is driven by Romeos character but it is balanced out by Juliets narrative as well. All these four films can be classified as American film musicals albeit there are differences in the way utopia is portrayed by these films. The films Singing in the Rain and Meet Me in St. Louis bring about a utopia in terms of setting (representational) and feelings (non-representational) using various factors- one of them being the musical numbers. In Singing in the Rain, the world it has created is realistic as the film is based around the world of film and situated in the age of transition from silent films to talkies. The utopian element is brought forth by the numbers which provide another realm where the characters can be themselves and express their feelings without any complications. Dyer says, utopia is implicit in the world of the narrative and as well as in the world of numbers (Dyer, 1992). When a character breaks into song, as in the scene where Don Lockwood confesses his love to Kathy Selden (You were meant for me). Dyer says, We are moved by music, yet it has the least obvious reference to reality- the intensity of our response to it can only be accounted for by the way music, abstract, formal though it is, still embodies feeling. (Dyer, 1992). The confession scene is carefully constructed by Lockwood and narrated by him, which does make it seem realistic, unlike the other musical numbers, and this adds on to the intensity of feelings the song gives the audience. Intensity, according to Dyer, is the capacity of entertainment to present either complex or unpleasant feelings (e.g. involvement in personal or political events; jealousy, loss of love, defeat) in a way that makes them seem uncomplicated, direct and vivid, not qualified or ambiguous as day-to-day life makes them, and without imitations of self-deception and pretence. (Dyer, 1992) The orchestral non-diegetic music also adds on to the intensity as the two characters dance, with Lockwood encouraging Selden to dance with him and finally through the music, dance and lyrics, their mutual feelings for each other gets conveyed to each other. As the camera pans out at the end of the number, the utopian backdrop and the airy lights are accentuated, adding the final touches to the realistic utopia created by this number. Another scene charged with such feelings is Don Lockwoods Singing in the Rain, the title song. The realistic setting is done through the diegetic rain accompanying the entire song. The orchestral parts sometimes drown out the rains pitter-patter but it is still ever present in the background. The lively music and the dance of Lockwood transcends through to the audience and they are able to feel his emotions through this number. This utopian number comes to an end with the interruption of the police officer where Lockwood is brought back to the reality of his world. Meet Me in St. Louis also treats its musical numbers in a similar manner as escapes to utopia. But the setting is different, it is much less realistic than Singing in the Rain. It showcases a community where singing is common practice where everyone loves to sing or break into a musical number, which already makes it feel much more utopian than the other musical film. Altman says, The sequence of scenes is determined not out of plot necessity, but in response to a more fundamental need: the spectator must sense the eventual lovers as a couple even when they are not together, even before they have met. (Altman, 1987) This is true for Meet Me in St. Louis, as the musical number The Boy Next Door immediately puts both the protagonists together. As the film progresses, this utopian world created in the film is strengthened with feelings of love in the air, fun and mischief, and so on. Not much goes on with the main narrative of the film till Esthers father comes with the news which breaks their created utopia. Dyer says, In these films, the introduction of any real narrative concerns is usually considerably delayed and comes chiefly as a temporary threat to utopia- thus reversing the other two patterns, where the narrative predominates and the numbers function as temporary escapes from it. (Dyer, 1992) The musical numbers are light-hearted and chipper till the father announces his plans for the family. After the announcement, we have numbers such as You and I by the parents as a form of reconciliation- a place where mistakes are forgiven is created by the musical number (thereby reverting back to the original pattern of musical numbers providing escape), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Esther as a consolation to Tootie- a place where hope is provided for the future, ensuring that everything will be alright. In these two films, the element of utopia is strong, one way or the other. It provides the so-called escape from reality, either through musical numbers as in the case of Singing in the Rain, or through narrative and numbers as in the case of Meet Me in St. Louis. But, like Dyer says, the idea of utopia through musicals and their numbers is applicable to these early American film musicals. The contemporary film musicals are a bit more complicated in that regard as the escape to utopia is not clearly defined. Moulin Rouge! is the film directed by Baz Luhrman, which is loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus. Its style and setting is highly fantastical, reinforcing the utopianism of the world. Pam Cook says, The heightened artificial world was projected as an illusion in which every detail was driven by the need to appear complete and plausible, but which audiences would perceive and enjoy as fiction (Cook, 2010) Just like how Christian saw the green fairy under the influence of absinthe, which later transmuted into a nightmarish hallucination that sucked Christian into the world of Moulin Rouge, though the setting and style is fantastical, the narrative of the film is not a utopian story. The main narrative focusses on Christian, a writer of the post 19th century suffering from depression.ÂÂ   Unlike other musicals which gives the audience a happy beginning and a happy ever after, the film starts with an ominous and melancholic tone, which confirms the female protagonists death early on in the film. This tragic revelation at the start hinders the utopian world the style and setting is trying to create.