Seven Steps In The Benchmarking Process Business Essay

Seven Steps In The Benchmarking Process Business Essay Benchmarking  is the process of comparing ones business processes and  performance metrics  to industry bests or  best practices from other industries. Dimensions typically measured are quality, time and cost. In the process of benchmarking, management identifies the best firms in their industry, or in another industry where similar processes exist, and compare the results and processes of those studied (the targets) to ones own results and processes. In this way, they learn how well the targets perform and, more importantly, the business processes that explain why these firms are successful. Benchmarking is used to measure performance using a specific  indicator  (cost per unit of measure, productivity per unit of measure, cycle time of x per unit of measure or defects per unit of measure) resulting in a metric of performance that is then compared to others. Also referred to as best practice benchmarking or process benchmarking, this process is used in management and particularly strategic management, in which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to best practice companies processes, usually within a peer group defined for the purposes of comparison. This then allows organizations to develop plans on how to make improvements or adapt specific best practices, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to improve their practices. BASICS OF BENCHMARKING Indian organizations are becoming world class both in terms of size and performance. Therefore, there is a greater need to become superior in performance consistently. Quality is becoming the hallmark for both products and services. Indian and multinational organizations are increasingly becoming quality conscious and try to deliver high quality products and services to customers. Quality delivery which was the property of General Electric, Ford, General motors, Xerox and ATT had become the buzzword in many corporate circles in India as well. From Software major Infosys to Automobile giant Mahindra are adopting best in class technologies, borrows and adopt best ideas, incubate and implement them as part of their corporate strategy. As individuals do swot analysis, companies have to do swot analysis for their competitive advantage and for long term survival. The external competitive pressure on the system had made its absolutely necessary to benchmark with similar organizations or organizations of different breed. However, benchmarking cannot cure all diseases of the company. Why the companies benchmark? Instead of being inward looking companies, large corporations are more outward looking nowadays. Liberalization and globalization had made the industries very competitive. Equally the transfer and adoption of technologies are more easier nowadays. The other advantage of benchmarking is the lowest cost associated with the process. The companies do not invest sizeable investments in research and development and there is no threat of any sunk cost. The process or practice or technology are readily available and easily be plagiarized. A company that decides to undertake a bench-marking initiative should consider the following questions: When? Why? Who? What? and How? WHEN Benchmarking can be used at any time, but is usually performed in response to needs that arise within a company. According to C.J. McNair and Kathleen H.J. Leibfried in their book  Benchmarking: A Tool for Continuous Improvement,  some potential triggers for the benchmarking process include: quality programs cost reduction/budget process operations improvement efforts management change new operations/new ventures rethinking existing strategies competitive assaults/crises WHY This is the most important question in managements decision to begin the benchmarking process. McNair and Leibfried suggest several reasons why companies may embark upon benchmarking: to signal managements willingness to pursue a philosophy that embraces change in a proactive rather than reactive manner; to establish meaningful goals and performance measures that reflect an external/customer focus, foster quantum leap thinking, and focus on high-payoff opportunities; to create early awareness of competitive disadvantage; and to promote teamwork that is based on competitive need and is driven by concrete data analysis, not intuition or gut feeling. WHO Companies may decide to benchmark internally, against competitors, against industry performance, or against the best of the best. Internal benchmarking is the analysis of existing practice within various departments or divisions of the organization, looking for best performance as well as identifying baseline activities and drivers. Competitive benchmarking looks at a companys direct competitors and evaluates how the company is doing in comparison. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the competition is not only important in plotting a successful strategy, but it can also help prioritize areas of improvement as specific customer expectations are identified. Industry benchmarking is more trend-based and has a much broader scope. It can help establish performance baselines. The best-in-class form of benchmarking examines multiple industries in search of new, innovative practices. It not only provides a broad scope, but also it provides the best opportunities over that range. WHAT Benchmarking can focus on roles, processes, or strategic issues. It can be used to establish the function or mission of an organization. It can also be used to examine existing practices while looking at the organization as a whole to identify practices that support major processes or critical objectives. When focusing on specific processes or activities, the depth of the analysis is a key issue. The analysis can take the form of vertical or horizontal benchmarking. Vertical benchmarking is where the focus is placed on specific departments or functions, while horizontal bench-marking is where the focus is placed on a specific process or activity. Concerning strategic issues, the objective is to identify factors that are of greatest importance to competitive advantage, to define measures of excellence that capture these issues, and to isolate companies that appear to be top performers in these areas. HOW Benchmarking uses different sources of information, including published material, trade meetings, and conversations with industry experts, consultants, customers, and marketing representatives. The emergence of Internet technology has facilitated the bench-marking process. The Internet offers access to a number of databases-like Power-MARQ from the nonprofit American Productivity and Quality Center-containing performance indicators for thousands of different companies. The Internet also enables companies to conduct electronic surveys to collect bench-marking data. How a company benchmarks may depend on available resources, deadlines, and the number of alternative sources of information. ADVANTAGES OF BENCHMARKING Lowering Labor Costs One advantage of benchmarking may be lower labor costs. For example, a small manufacturing company may study how a top competitor uses robots for several basic plant functions. These robots may help the competitor save a significant amount of money on labor costs. Company managers may obtain information on these robotics systems through the competitors website or online articles. They may also identify the company that sold the competitor the robots. Subsequently, the company using benchmarking may call the robot manufacturer to help set up its own system. Improving Product Quality Companies may also use benchmarking to improve product quality. Engineers sometimes purchase leading competitors products. They may then take them apart, study them and determine how the competitors products outlast or outperform others in the industry. Chemical engineers may study food or cleaning products in a similar manner. They can then compare various elements contained in competitive products to their own product line. Subsequently, improvements can be made to product quality. Increasing Sales and Profits A company that uses benchmarking to improve its functions, operations, products and services may enjoy increases in sales and profits. Customers are likely to notice these improvements. The benchmarking company may also promote is improvements through company brochures, its sales reps, magazine and television ads. These efforts are likely to increase sales, especially among core customers. Companies that operate more efficiently due to benchmarking can drastically lower their expenses. These savings can be lead to greater profits. Considerations Some organizations use internal benchmarking to improve performance in different departments. Department managers may study and emulate the best practices of one particular department. These changes may spark improvements among all departments. Internal benchmarking has its limitations, however. The companys top department may not be functioning as efficiently as others in the industry. This means the other departments were not truly benchmarking against the best departments out there. PROCESS OF BENCHMARKING When it comes to Competitive Intelligence, there are a few simple tools that can provide for sophisticated comparisons of business functions between organizations that can help firms benchmark the constituent processes of the company with direct or indirect competitors, allowing a company to gain the upper hand in a marketplace. But, what is the process for setting the metrics, methodologies, milestones and comparisons which might be used to measure the success of a CI/benchmarking function, or the success of a Strategic Planning department as a whole? Benchmarking is best used and described as a framework for strategic planning in that, once elements of study are identified, metrics can be applied to the key success factors (KSFs) of the industry or marketplace and these measures or benchmarks are then used to develop future quality and market initiatives for the firm to enhance its overall competitive position. It is generally considered that there are seven steps to this process, as explained below. However, this analysis of intra- and sometimes inter-industry competitors can form the foundation for future competitor analysis when the emphasis is placed upon the goals and financial capabilities of the competitor. Seven Steps in the Benchmarking Process: 1. Determine which functional areas within your operation are to be benchmarked those that will benefit most from the benchmarking process, based upon the cost, importance and potential of changes following the study. 2. Identify the key factors and variables with which to measure those functions usually in the general form of financial resources and product strategy. 3. Select the best-in-class companies for each area to be benchmarked those companies that perform each function at the lowest cost, with the highest degree of customer satisfaction, etc. Best-in-class companies can be your direct competitors (foreign or domestic), or even companies from a different industry (parallel competitors with replacement or substitute products or services; latent competitors which might backwards- or forwards-integrate into your market; or, out-of-industry firms with whom you do not compete, but which have best-in-class areas to be studied such as FedEx or Wal-Mart in logistics). 4. Measure the performance of the best-in-class companies for each benchmark being considered from sources such as the SEC, companies themselves, articles in the press or trade journals, analysts in the market, credit reports, clients and vendors, trade associations, the government or from interviews with other organizations willing to share their prior research or swap it with you. 5. Measure your own performance for each variable and begin comparing the results in an apples-to-apples format to determine the gap between your firm and the best-in-class examples. Always feel free to estimate results, as exact measures are usually disproportionately difficult to obtain and often do not significantly add value to the study. 6. Specify those programs and actions to meet and surpass the competition based on a plan developed to enhance those areas that show potential for compliment. The firm can choose from a few different approaches from simply trying harder, to emulating the best-in-class, changing the rules of the industry or leapfrogging the competition with innovation or technology from outside the industry. 7. Implement these programs by setting specific improvement targets and deadlines, and by developing a monitoring process to review and update the analysis over time. This will also form the basis for monitoring, revision and recalibration of measurements in future benchmarking studies. DIFFERENT MEASURES OF BENCHMARKING One of benchmarkings cardinal questions is that of what to measure. That depends on the nature of the business. The point is that you cannot chase 50 benchmarks at the same time. One macro benchmark is required which then might be broken down into a series of supporting micro measures. Although it is fine to circulate such a measure, the most worthwhile aspect of the benchmarking process can be the opportunity for people in an organisation to see at first hand how other organisations go about their business. It is the process itself which is valuable; the voyage that is more educational than the reaching of the destination. Nevertheless, measurable performance falls into the three broad areas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ time; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ cost; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ quality. Time measures should incorporate the process from start to finish. For example, from when a customer places an order to the time of receipt of goods and payment, thereby accounting for total lead time, product development time and productive time. Cost measures are the traditional basis of comparison between firms and, because of this, we are often most comfortable with these measures. Two which can be useful in benchmarking are total process cost per unit of output and return on assets. Quality measures should capture the errors, defects and waste attributable to processes. Some measures which should be used in achieving this include process variability, defects, process yields, customer perceived quality, cost of quality and quality improvement efforts. TYPES OF BENCHMARKING There are a number of different types of benchmarking, as summarised below: Type Description Most Appropriate for the Following Purposes Strategic Benchmarking Where businesses need to improve overall performance by examining the long-term strategies and general approaches that have enabled high-performers to succeed. It involves considering high level aspects such as core competencies, developing new products and services and improving capabilities for dealing with changes in the external environment. Changes resulting from this type of benchmarking may be difficult to implement and take a long time to materialise Re-aligning business strategies that have become inappropriate Performance or Competitive Benchmarking Businesses consider their position in relation to performance characteristics of  key products and services. Benchmarking partners are drawn from the same sector. This type of analysis is often undertaken through trade associations or third parties to protect confidentiality. Assessing relative level of performance in key areas or activities in comparison with others in the same sector and finding ways of closing gaps in performance Process Benchmarking Focuses on improving specific  critical processes and operations. Benchmarking partners are sought from best practice organisations that perform similar work or deliver similar services. Process benchmarking invariably involves producing process maps to facilitate comparison and analysis. This type of benchmarking often results in short term benefits. Achieving improvements in key processes to obtain quick benefits Functional Benchmarking Businesses look to benchmark with partners drawn from different business sectors or areas of activity to find ways of improving similar functions or work processes. This sort of benchmarking can lead to innovation and dramatic improvements. Improving activities or services for which counterparts do not exist. Internal Benchmarking Involves benchmarking businesses or operations from within the same organisation (e.g. business units in different countries). The main advantages of internal benchmarking are that access to sensitive data and information is easier; standardised data is often readily available; and, usually less time and resources are needed. There may be fewer barriers to implementation as practices may be relatively easy to transfer across the same organisation. However, real innovation may be lacking and best in class performance is more likely to be found through external benchmarking. Several business units within the same organisation exemplify good practice and management want to spread this expertise quickly, throughout the organisation External Benchmarking Involves analysing outside organisations that are known to be best in class. External benchmarking provides opportunities of learning from those who are at the leading edge. This type of benchmarking can take up significant time and resource to ensure the comparability of data and information, the credibility of the findings and the development of sound recommendations. Where examples of good practices can be found in other organisations and there is a lack of good practices within internal business units International Benchmarking Best practitioners are identified and analysed elsewhere in the world, perhaps because there are too few benchmarking partners within the same country to produce valid results. Globalisation and advances in information technology are increasing opportunities for international projects. However, these can take more time and resources to set up and implement and the results may need careful analysis due to national differences Where the aim is to achieve world class status or simply because there are insufficientnational businesses against which to benchmark. SUCCESSFUL BENCHMARKING There are several keys to successful benchmarking. Management commitment is one that companies frequently name. Since management from top to bottom is responsible for the continued operation and evaluation of the company, it is imperative that management be committed as a team to using and implementing benchmarking strategies. A strong network of personal contacts as well as having an open mind to ideas is other keys. In order to implement benchmarking at all stages, there must be a well-trained team of people in order for the process to work accurately and efficiently. Based on the information gathered by a well-trained team, there must also be an effort toward continuous improvement. Other keys include a benchmarking process that has historical success, sufficient time and staff, and complete understanding of the processes to be benchmarked. In almost any type of program that a company researches or intends to implement, there must be goals and objectives set for that specific program. Benchmarking is no different. Successful companies determine goals and objectives, focus on them, keep them simple, and follow through on them. As in any program, it is always imperative to gather accurate and consistent information. The data should be understood and able to be defined as well as measured. The data must be able to be interpreted in order to make comparisons with other organizations. Lastly, keys to successful benchmarking include a thorough follow-through process and assistance from consultants with experience in designing and establishing such programs.

“Examine the View That the Family Is Universal”

George Murdock examined the institution of the family in a wide range of society. Murdock took a sample of 250 societies of different cultures and discovered that there was some form of the nuclear family which existed in every society. Murdock then concluded that the family is universal and provides four function. Sexual(stable relationship for adults), reproduction(continuing to create more society members), economic (pools resources to provide for each other), socialisation (teaches norms and values of society).Kathleen Gough disagreed with Murdock statement that the family is universal since she investigated a society in India called the Nayar who were an exception to the family. For example sandbanham relationships were not lifelong unions, either party could terminate the relationship at any time, sunbanham husbands had no duty towards the offspring’s of their wives, husband and wives did not form an economic unit. Husbands were not expected to maintain their wives. This society was a matrilineal society. in terms of Murdock definition of the family, no family existed in the nayar society since those who maintained a sexually approved relationship did not live together and cooperate economically.Another type of family known as the martifocal familles are considered an expection to murdocks defintion of the family as some children are raised in a household that do not contain men and are headed by females. For example a significant proprtion of black familles in the island of the west indies(Guyana).female headed familles are oftern known as the matriarchal family.Another type of family which may go against murdock definition of the family is gay and lesbian families.murodck claimed the household will contain â€Å"two of both sexes† however lesbian and gay household contain a union from the same gender.In conclusion although the nuclear family, the ideal type of family from the new rights perspective is found in every society. Not all househ old consist of this particular family. Therefore the nuclear family in my opinion is not unversal since it is not found in every household.

Customer Service and Order Processors

The Human Side of Management Assignment Repairing Jobs That Fail to Satisfy Learning Goals Companies often divide up work as a way to improve efficiency, but specialisation can lead to negative consequences. DrainFlow is a company that has effectively used specialisation to reduce costs relative to its competitors’ costs for years, but rising customer complaints suggest the firm’s strong position may be slipping. After reading the case, you will suggest some ways it can create more interesting work for employees.You will also tackle the problem of finding people who are qualified and ready to perform the multiple responsibilities required in these jobs. Major Topic Areas Job design Job satisfaction Personality Emotional labour The Scenario DrainFlow is a large residential and commercial plumbing  maintenance firm that operates around the United Kingdom. It has been a major player in residential plumbing  for decades, and its familiar rhyming motto, â€Å"When  Yo ur Drain Won’t Go, Call DrainFlow,† has been plastered  on billboards since the 1940s. Leigh Reynaldo has been a regional manager at DrainFlow for about 2 years.She used to work for a newer  competing chain, Lightning Plumber, that has been  drawing more and more customers from DrainFlow. Although  her job at DrainFlow pays more, Leigh is not happy  with the way things are going. She has noticed the work environment  is not as vital or energetic as the environment  she saw at Lightning. Leigh thinks the problem is that employees are not motivated  to provide the type of customer service Lightning  Plumber employees offer. She recently sent surveys  to customers to collect information about performance,  and the data confirmed her fears.Although 60 percent  of respondents said they were satisfied with their experience  and would use DrainFlow again, 40 percent felt  their experience was not good, and 30 percent said they  would use a competi tor the next time they had a plumbing problem. Leigh is wondering whether DrainFlow’s job design  might be contributing to its problems in retaining customers. DrainFlow has about 2,000 employees in four  basic job categories: plumbers, plumber’s assistants, order  processors, and billing representatives. This structure  is designed to keep costs as low as possible.Plumbers make very high wages, whereas plumber’s assistants  make about one-quarter of what a licensed  plumber makes. Using plumber’s assistants is therefore  a very cost-effective strategy that has enabled DrainFlow  to easily undercut the competition when it comes to  price. Order processors make even less than assistants  but about the same as billing processors. All work is very  specialised, but employees are often dependent on another  job category to perform at their most efficient  level. Like most plumbing companies, DrainFlow gets  business mostly from the Yellow Pages and the Internet.Customers either call in to describe a plumbing problem  or submit an online request for plumbing services,  receiving a return call with information within 24 hours. In either case, DrainFlow’s order processors listen to the  customer’s description of the problem to determine  whether a plumber or a plumber’s assistant should  make the service call. The job is then assigned accordingly,  and a service provider goes to the location. When  the job has been completed, via mobile phone, a billing representative  relays the fee to SHR034-6, 12-13 he service rep, who presents  a bill to the customer for payment. Billing representatives  can take customers’ credit card payments by phone  or e-mail an invoice for online payment. The Problem Although specialisation does cut costs significantly, Leigh  is worried about customer dissatisfaction. According to  her survey, about 25 percent of customer contactsà ‚  ended in no service call because customers were confused  by the diagnostic questions the order processors  asked and because the order processors did not have  sufficient knowledge or skill to explain the situation.That means fully one in four people who call DrainFlow  to hire a plumber are worse than dissatisfied: they  are not customers at all! The remaining 75 percent of calls that did end in a customer service encounter resulted  in other problems. The most frequent complaints Leigh found in the customer  surveys were about response time and cost, especially  when the wrong person was sent to a job. A  plumber’s assistant cannot complete a more technically  complicated job. The appointment has to be rescheduled,  and the customer’s time and the staff’s time have  been wasted.The resulting delay often caused customers  in these situations to decline further contact  with DrainFlow—many of them decided to go with  Ligh tning Plumber. â€Å"When I arrive at a job I can’t take care of,† says  plumber’s assistant Jim Larson, â€Å"the customer gets  annoyed. They thought they were getting a licensed  plumber, since they were calling for a plumber. Telling  them they have to have someone else come out doesn’t  go over well. †Ã‚   On the other hand, when a plumber responds to a  job easily handled by a plumber’s assistant, the customer  is still charged at the plumber’s higher pay rate.Licensed plumber Luis Berger also does not like being in  the position of giving customers bad news. â€Å"If I get  called out to do something like snake a drain, the customer  isn’t expecting a hefty bill. I’m caught in a difficult situation—I don’t set the rates or make the  appointments, but I’m the one who gets it from the customer. †Ã‚  Plumbers also resent being sent to do such simple  work. Obi Ani i s one of DrainFlow’s order processors. She is frustrated too when the wrong person is sent  to a job but feels she and the other order processors are  doing the best they can. We have a survey we’re supposed  to follow with the calls to find out what the problem  is and who needs to take the job,† she explains. â€Å"The  customers don’t know that we have a standard form, so  they think we can answer all their questions. Most of us  don’t know any more about plumbing than the caller. If  they don’t use the terms on the survey, we don’t understand  what they’re talking about. A plumber would, but  we’re not plumbers; we just take the calls. † Customer service issues also involve the billing representatives. They are the ones who have to keep contacting  customers about payment. It’s not my fault the  wrong guy was sent,† says Elisabeth King. â€Å"If two guys  went out, thatâ €™s two trips. If a plumber did the work, you  pay plumber rates. Some of these customers don’t get  that I didn’t take their first call, and so I get yelled at. †Ã‚  The billing representatives also complain that they see  only the tail end of the process, so they don’t know what  the original call entailed. The job is fairly impersonal,  and much of the work is recording customer complaints. Remember—40 percent of customers are not satisfied,  and it is the billing representatives who take the  brunt of their negative reactions on the phone.As you can probably tell, all employees have to engage  in emotional labour, as described in your textbook,  and many lack the skills or personality traits to complete  the customer interaction component of their jobs. They  are not trained to provide customer service, and they see  their work mostly in technical, or mechanical, terms. Quite a few are actually anxious about speaking directly  with customers. The office staff (order processors and  billing representatives) realise customer service is part  of their job, but they also find dealing with negative  feedback from customers and co-workers stressful.Two years ago, a management consulting  company was hired to survey DrainFlow worker attitudes. The results showed they were less satisfied than  workers in other comparable jobs. The following table  provides a breakdown of respondent satisfaction levels  across a number of categories:  Ã‚  Ã‚   SHR034-6, 12-13 DrainFlow Plumbers DrainFlow Plumber Assistants DrainFlow Office Workers Average Plumber Average Office Worker I am satisfied with the work I am asked to do. 3. 7 2. 5 2. 5 4. 3 3. 5 I am satisfied with my working conditions. 3. 8 2. 4 3. 7 4. 1 4. 2 I am satisfied with my interactions with o-workers. 3. 5 3. 2 2. 7 3. 8 3. 9 I am satisfied with my interactions with my supervisor 2. 5 2. 3 2. 2 3. 5 3. 4 The information about avera ge plumbers and average  office workers is taken from the management consulting  company’s records of other companies. They  are not exactly surprising, given some of the complaints DrainFlow employees have made. Top management is  worried about these results, but they have not been able  to formulate a solution. The traditional DrainFlow culture  has been focused on cost containment, and the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"soft areas† like employee satisfaction has not been a major  issue.The Proposed Solution The company is in trouble, and as revenues shrink and  the cost savings that were supposed to be achieved by  dividing up work fail to materialise, a change seems to  be in order. Leigh is proposing using cash rewards to improve performance  among employees. She thinks if employees  were paid based on work outcomes, they would work harder  to satisfy customers. Because it is not easy to measure  how satisfied people are with the initial call-in, Leigh  wo uld like to give the order processors a small reward  for every 20 calls successfully completed.For the hands-on  work, she would like to have each billing representative  collect information about customer satisfaction for each  completed call. If no complaints are made and the job  is handled promptly, a moderate cash reward would be  given to the plumber or plumber’s assistant. If the customer  indicates real satisfaction with the service, a  larger cash reward would be provided. Leigh also wants to find people who are a better fit with  the company’s new goals. Current hiring procedure relies  on unstructured interviews with each location’s general manager, and little consistency is found in the way  these managers choose employees.Most lack training in  customer service and organisational behaviour. Leigh thinks  it would be better if hiring methods were standardised  across all branches in her region to help managers identify  recruits who can actually succeed in the job. Your Assignment Your task is to prepare a persuasive report for Leigh on the potential  effectiveness of her cash reward and structured interview  programmes. Make certain it is in the form of a  professional business document that you would give  to an experienced manager at this level of a fairly large  corporation.Leigh is very smart when it comes to managing  finances and running a plumbing business, but she  will not necessarily know about the organisational behaviour  principles you are describing. As any new  proposals must be passed through top management,  you should also address their concerns about cost containment. You will need to make a strong evidence-based  financial case that changing the management style will  benefit the company. When you write, make sure you touch on the following  points:  Ã‚   SHR034-6, 12-13 1.Although it is clear employees are not especially satisfied  with their wor k, do you think this is a reason  for concern? Does research suggest satisfied workers  are actually better at their jobs? Are any other behavioural  outcomes associated with job satisfaction? 2. Using job characteristics theory, explain why the  present system of job design may be contributing to  employee dissatisfaction. Describe some ways you  could help employees feel more satisfied with their  work by redesigning their jobs. 3. Leigh has a somewhat vague idea about how to implement  the cash rewards system.Describe some of the  specific ways you would make the reward system  work better, based on the case. 4. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using  financial incentives in a program of this nature. What, if any, potential problems might arise if people  are given money for achieving customer satisfaction  goals? What other types of incentives might  be considered? 5. Create a specific plan to assess whether the reward  system is working. What are the dependent variables  that should change if the system works? How will  you go about measuring success?

The Theme Of Madness In Shakespeare, By William Shakespeare

Madness can be defined as the state of mental delusion/ mentally ill or showing extremely foolish/eccentric behavior which begins with anger. The incorporation of madness in literature has been a long-standing tradition and can be encountered in these three works: King Lear by William Shakespeare where he tells the story about King Lear whose madness has been promoted by his two daughters, Regan and Goneril, â€Å"Daddy† by Sylvia Plath, where she reveals her anguish at her father’s death, she also discloses an eccentric behavior of attempting a suicide, and Medea by Euripides, where we can encounter madness through the actions of Medea after being spurned by her husband Jason. Insanity occupies a central place in these pieces of literature and†¦show more content†¦King Lear slowly starts to descend in the complexity of insanity and his first sign of madness can be seen through this quote ...Look look, a mouse! Peace, peace; this piece of toasted cheese will do it†¦OH, well flown, bird! (Act IV.6. 88-91). Over time, he starts to realize that he made himself fall into this trap and Regan and Goneril are the reason for his madness and lastly, he learns to conquer his madness; however, it leads to a misfortune. On the other hand, Edgar, the son of Gloucester pretends to be a madman and decides to live the life of a beggar due to Edmund’ evil intentions (Act 3, Scene 4). In this scenario, Edgar is able to save and live his life better even if the world considers him insane. Edgar as a character symbolizes madness the most in King Lear. His loss of identity as a noble can be seen as a form of madness. Obsession is a form of insanity that can be discovered in Daddy by Sylvia Plath where the author shows hatred towards her own obsession with her dead father. With the use of literary devices, she expresses her emotion towards the male figures in her life-causes of her insanity. Plath faces rejection from the society and from her famil y which leads to her insanity. An example of her cutting off from the society can be seen in lines 69-70, â€Å"The black telephone’s off at the root, The voices just cant work through.† Due to her obsession towards her father, she tried to commitShow MoreRelatedThe Theme Of Madness In Frankenstein, Hamlet, By William Shakespeare1193 Words   |  5 Pagesthe state of a madman, and these just so happen to perfectly describe some characters in the works we have read and discussed. The theme of madness is heavily displayed in the literature pieces of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Victor Frankenstein, The Creature, Hamlet, and are the characters that most express the course theme of madness in the works. These characters display similarities on their way to that unstable state of mind. In the novel Frankenstein by MaryRead MoreThe Importance of Madness as a Theme in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare629 Words   |  3 PagesThe Importance of Madness as a Theme in Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Madness is a very important theme that is present in the whole course of the play Twelfth Night. Firstly, we have Malvolio almost turning mad because of the cruel joke the other servants play on him. They make him think he is mad and they also make Olivia think he is mad because of the funny way in which he is acting. There is also the theme of mad love. Some examples of this are Orsino being madlyRead MoreCompare and Contrast Essay on King Lear and Macbeth909 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare had written many plays in his life time, some of them included various tragedies which included King Lear and Macbeth. All of Shakespeare’s plays had a theme which was used to help the story’s plot to advance further, making events much more interesting. King Lear and Macbeth both have a common theme of madness that is apparent throughout the play which has been depicted differently. They are both written in different ways but still share a same purpose. The essay will be broken downRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare880 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare is praised as the pioneering English poet and playwright whose collection of theatrical works is regarded as the greatest artistic value throughout the history of English literature. Shakespeare delved into the spiritual and mental component of hu manity and the consequences that arise from this human spirit when it is disputed. The most famous revenge tragedy play, Hamlet, is an excellent illustration of Shakespeare’s philosophical study of human nature. In Hamlet, the arguableRead MoreThemes Of Romeo And Juliet 882 Words   |  4 PagesBe Careful With Love: Themes Through Figurative Language in Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare was a 16th century poet and playwright who wrote many famous plays, poems and sonnets. One of the most famous of these is Romeo and Juliet. In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare uses foreshadowing, metaphors, hyperbole, personification, and other literary devices to prove that love is unstable and can be hazardous. In the play Romeo and Juliet, two young people fall in love, however theyRead MoreAnalyzing Themes in William Shakespeares Twelfth Night Essay1478 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, an English writer in the seventeenth century. He is considered to be the most influential writer in English literature. He wrote various genres, but the common types he wrote were: Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories. Among the many plays he wrote he wrote one his most famous play, â€Å"Twelfth Night†, which he wrote during the middle of his career. â€Å"Twelfth Night† is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies that he has written. In addition to it is also the only playRead MoreIs Hamlet s Madness Genuine Or Feigned?1671 Words   |  7 PagesJordan Avery Mrs. Joyner Honors English IV 17 December 2015 Is Hamlet’s Madness Genuine or Feigned? One of the most controversially discussed themes in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is the theme of Hamlet’s madness. Shakespeare left it up to the audience to decide whether he was truly crazy or not. Although, there are many deliberate acts of fabricated insanity repeated throughout the play. Hamlet’s life events such as the death of his father, loving someone he cannot have,Read MorePerfect Idealism In Shakespeares Hamlet1631 Words   |  7 Pagessucceeds in killing the king but also dies immediately after accomplishing the vengeance. Hamlet fable is debatably Shakespeare s greatest work. It is mentally gripping and morally ambivalent play. He succeeds to bring out various themes as indicated below: 1. Javed, Tabassum. Perfect Idealism in Shakespeare s Prince Hamlet. The Dialogue 8.3 (2013). This article discusses the theme of the impossibility of certainty. This is well depicted as in the case when we expect to see action particularlyRead MoreMotif of Madness in Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay771 Words   |  4 PagesMotif of Madness in Hamlet by William Shakespeare It is the driving force of mankind that has delivered man from the age of stone to that of industry. This force is also the essential ingredient that produces the inescapable prison of the mind, a frightful disease that may be viewed as the greatest irony of life. Pain is a dreadful disease in which every individual has felt the everlasting effects. The grief of pain can become a crashing wave that leaves behind only a semblance of sanityRead MoreThe Twelfth Night - Development of Themes889 Words   |  4 Pagesidea or theme in an extended txt you have studied.’ Many say William Shakespeare is the most influential writer in all of English literature with works hailed by Elizabeth I, James I and literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson. Shakespeare wrote the critically acclaimed Twelfth Night in 1601 during the middle of his career. This play incorporates illusion, deception, disguises, madness and shows the extraordinary things that love with cause us to do. Shakespeare cleverly develops the theme of ‘love