Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

Entrepreneurship - Essay Example The current project will also explain the sales strategies as well as give an outline of the initial financial projections. With growing impact of globalisation, the role of entrepreneurship has gained higher importance in a country’s economy. Entrepreneurship is no more limited to a particular segment or section of business; in reality, it has spread across all the business areas in an economy. Entrepreneurs are increasingly entering in B2B, B2G (business to government) and B2C (business to consumer) sectors. With growing involvement of entrepreneurs, the competitive level of these sectors has improved substantially, resulting in better services for consumers (Audretsch, Keilbach and Lehmann, 2006). From a buyers’ perspective, a buyer can be of two types: final consumer and those who buy for future sale. In B2B activities, the buyer is not the final consumer. In this sector, commercial transaction takes place between two or more businesses such as, transaction between manufacturer and distributor, distributor and whole seller and distributor and retailers. B2B transactions are comparatively higher in volume than that of B2G and B2C, which is why scope of earning profit in this sector is also greater for entrepreneurs (Bussler, 2003). In present day scenario, hospitality industry is growing at the fastest pace as demand for service sector is outperforming that of manufacturing industry. Service sector not only delivers profitable growth, but also help to develop better-quality strategic positioning of the company (Getz and Petersen, 2005). The paper is about setting up recruitment consultancy for catering to needs of the hospitality industry in London. The term entrepreneur is derived from a French term ‘enteprendere’, which means to undertake. In a broader sense, an entrepreneur is any person who initiates a business or activity, gathers resources related to it, arranges funds for the venture, takes in

The Business of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

The Business of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Business of ethics and corporate social responsibility focus on issues concerned with morality. They focus on the issues that cover business activities fully such as reducing pollution, exploiting raw materials responsibly, frauds in the corporation and even fair payment. The relationship between business and ethics is complex and it incorporate approaches such as individual choices on what is right and wrong. This is where the individual’s decision is put on consideration. It also incorporate the values of what is bad and right involved in the business premises. In every business, they have their own way of doing things and offering services to their customers. This is where there are customs, beliefs and culture created which the employees follow as they handle their customers. The codes of conduct within organizations vary by many ways. Some societies may accept use of bribes while in others it condemned thus due to this the codes of conduct vary. We also find that some countries are prone to corruption thus when a business is situated in that country they tend to follow the norms. Due to these variations in social norms, individual values and cultures of the society in which the business is situated, it is the function of business ethics to standardize all. It ensures that the good moral conducts are followed thus contributing to the success of the business. As seen earlier the corporate social responsibility outlines the ethical concerns in a business by showing the groups to which it is responsible. It involves putting the business ethics into action. The groups it deals with are the stakeholders and the environment of the firm. These include the employees, suppliers, customers, the community, shareholders the government and the society. The relationship between the business and these groups should be conducted morally and

Canadian Politics Essay Example for Free

Canadian Politics Essay Some historical theorists say that the dissimilarities between America and Canada are established in the Revolution of America, a subject that dominated most studies in the history of Canadian. With the creation of the US, the core founders of the US supported republicanism, refusing the Westminster structure of parliamentary democracy. Republicanism that inspired Americans pressured independence, an aversion to corruption, and innovation, counterbalanced by an apparent need for loyalty to public duty. Many Americans in planning a unique American path, freighted, and therefore refusing, a sturdy nation, which is central government. This paper looks into the different ways to which the Canadian political structures differs with those of the US. America and Canada are both governed under constitutions; Canadas constitution is partly conventional and partly written, and that of the US fully codified. The ultimate interpreter of the constitutions of both countries is their own supreme courts. Nevertheless, the High Court of the US has a more stretched history of constitutional implementation than the High Court of Canada. Canada’s Constitution contains of Acts of both the legislature of the UK and the National Assembly of Canada, but because of the Canadas federalism, several Acts of regional parliaments like the lawmaking Assembly of Ontario. The Constitution was altered in 1982, at which the Canadian Charter of Rights, Freedoms and amending formulas were included. The other one basic concept on these differences is the dissimilarity between the US congressional system and the Canadian parliamentary system. More differences occur from the legal/political perception of division of powers and the authority of the head of state. The President of the US is the head of government and head of state, while Canada’s Prime Minister is not head state but only head of government (Charlton, 1998). Another distinction is the Governor General and his or her cabinet ministers- also playing roles as legislators, represent the combination of power in Canada’s system, with the part of the monarch. Ministers of the crown are normally directly elected by their respective electorates known as ridings who advise the monarch or the Vice Governor General on how to practice his Crown authority and as Members of the legislature in the Canadian House of Commons. Even though neither the Governor general nor monarchs are lawfully required to select his or her cabinet Members from the House. This indicates those in charge of executive duties also contribute as legislators in the policy discussions and lawmaking process features of their duties as Members of National Assembly. By contrast, the US president has no official duty as a legislator, but only implementing and enforcing laws passed by Congress. The President of the US contributes in only informal, occasional, gatherings with Senators and Representatives. Only formally, addresses once in a year in the two term of his Presidency the gathered houses of the Congress, the Cabinet, and the Justices of the High Court of the US (James, 2004). The checks and balances in Canada are very opposite from those in the US, it can be debated that within Canada that the Prime Minister has additional authority than the US President. Canadas executive and legislative branch draw from each other, the viceroy hardly uses their powers without the consent of the Prime Minister. This only occurs from situations brought on by constitutional crisis. To ensure the firmness of government, the Governor must always select for his Prime Minister a member who has the biggest group of followers in the Canadian Common House. The Prime Minister must resign or order the General to call for an emergency election or be forced out by the governor general if a big number of the house vote against the government on serious matters of the country. The Prime Minister of a marginalized government is in a much dangerous situation than any United States president, which his presidency term is secured by the law. Often times of cohabitation are also there in the US known as divided government. Happens when different group than the White house directs congress. The President has incomplete control over the members of the House and must regularly make deals for there support. This leads to a stalemate that greatly slows down the law-making process (Charlton, 1998). It is known that the lack of individual identity which characterizes the resulting efficacy of the combined policy activity of the individuals participating in, and influencing the progression of, the US separation-of-powers system in contrast to the personal identity that characterizes the resulting efficacy of the aggregate policy activity of individuals participating in, and influencing the progression of, the Canadian fusion-of-powers system that truly makes this distinction meaningful. An example (putting federalism aside, arguendo) would be the one political actor in Canada responsible for motivating national defense policy decisions for Canada, the Minister of National Defense, contrasted with three(the Secretary of Defense, and the two chairs of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and House Committee on Armed Services) sometimes adverse political actors responsible for the direction of national defense policy Centralization of power in Canada has some benefits and legal responsibility when matched with the United State system. A good line of authority/power showing to whom the government is accountable for any particular duty Unlike the U. S. (James, 2004). There is also the issue of political parties whereby the Canadian House of Commons has seats for four political parties while US has only two political parties in Congress. Both Canada and the US use first post system to elect their representatives. This type of a system can sometimes exaggerate regional interests and disparities, e. g. Dixiecrats and Quebec of the southern. The meltdown of progressive Conservation party and the rise Quebecois party changed the political field in Canada. At the past only two parties dominated federal politics like the US, these parties were the Progressive Conservatives and the liberals, the Liberal held power for most of the 20th century until they were known as Canada’s natural governing party. Different from the US, Canadian third parties have always been able to get Members of parliament elected into the National Assembly since 1921, at times succeeding one of the two main parties as Her Majestys Loyal Opposition or forming casual coalition governments (Paul, 1992), In my opinion there are great differences regarding the way political cultures in Canada and the US. This is clearly shown on how the different political institutions in both countries are being managed and the structure through which these institutions are developed. Therefore, it would be appropriate for one to say that the Canadian political culture is not and has never been Americanized even though there are some aspects of similarity in other government structures References Charlton, Barker (1998). Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues Edition 5. ITP Nelson, Michigan Collins, Richard. (1991). Culture, communication and national identity: The case of Canadian television. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. James Bickerton, Alain Gagnon (2004). Canadian politics. Broadview Press, New York John C. Pierce, Nicholas P,(2000). Political culture and public policy in Canada and the United States: only a border apart? Edwin Mellen Press, Michigan Paul Attallah (1992), Richard Collins and the Debate on Culture and Polity, Canadian Journal of Communication, Vol 17, No 2 Nelson Wiseman (2001) Pathways to Canadian Political Culture consensus, Retrieved on 14th March 2009 from www. ubcpress. ca/books/pdf/chapters/2007/insearchofcanadianpoliticalculture. pdf

Visual Codes and Conventions in the Painting: George Robinson Welcomes

Visual texts can be seen to be an attempt by their creators to represent particular ideologies to their viewers. It is the viewer's attitudes and values however, that determine the contemporary meaning of the image. The painting George Robinson welcomes Natives to Wybalenna, is a Colonial document portraying the Christianizing of indigenous people on Flinders Island. Visual codes and conventions employed in the image, such as positioning and framing depict the entwined values of white, patriarchal and Christian ideologies of the 19th Century. However, change in how society identifies itself, also changes the dominant ideology in its culture. Subsequently, the historical context of Post-Colonial attitudes and values in contemporary society, evoke a contemporary meaning in Robinson's painting, one of racial and religious prejudice. The convention of positioning is vital in constructing the Colonial ideology of Robinson?s image. It has the potential to provide the viewer with visual associations, which translate to language in the form of binary oppositions. For instance, the most c...

Analysis of the Play Equus Essay

With its minimalistic set design, small cast, and a stage with nearly no lighting, Peter Shaffer’s play Equus relies heavily on a masterfully written script to spread its message with the audience. The play is â€Å"neither great theatre nor bad psychology, but it has elements of both† (Witham). With the assistance of the character Martin Dysart, a child psychologist, the play analyzes the parental, religious, and sexual reasoning behind the heinous act of a sick boy (Alan Strang) and calls for Dysart (along with the audience) to question and reevaluate their ideas of passion and freedom. While the discoveries occur slowly throughout the entirety of the play the largest impact comes from interaction with Alan’s parents, Dysart’s monologues, and the climactic scene of Act II. There is no denying that the interactions with and between a child’s parents have a large impact on shaping the child’s mind and morals and who that child will ultimately become (Shumaker & Heckel, 39). Sex and religion were crucial factors in Alan’s childhood development due in no small part to the incompatibility between his parents. His mother, a Christian from an upper class â€Å"horsey† family who married beneath her, shared religion and fanciful horse stories with her son. His openly atheistic father refuses to allow his son’s religious worship explaining his own views of Christianity as â€Å"just bad sex (Equus, Location 530)†. He further implies connections between religion and sexual desire when he reports to Dysart his observations of Alan: â€Å"A boy spends night after night having this stuff read into him: an innocent man tortured to death- thorns driven into his head-nails into his hands-a spear jammed through his ribs. It can mark anyone for life, that kind of thing. I’m not joking. The boy was absolutely fascinated by all that. He was always mooning over religious pictures. I mean real kinky ones, if you receive my meaning. (Equus, Location 530)†. When his religious â€Å"fixation† was blocked, it forced Alan to transfer his â€Å"’normal’ social views of sex and worship onto his pagan, equine religion (Busiel)† . His having been denied the freedom of religion by his father and having his image of the crucifixion of Christ replaced with that of a horse’s head, is the most probably catalyst that began Alan’s strange pagan-like worship of the Horse-God Equus. As strange and twisted as Alan’s worship of horses may have seemed, Dysart could not deny the raw passion behind it-a passion he both greatly lacked and envied. In the process of understanding Alan, Dysart is forced to make a painful discovery of his self. He is stuck in a lifeless, childless marriage of â€Å"antiseptic proficiency†, â€Å"sustained only by his fascination with Ancient Greek mythology (Rooney)†. He is made aware of his hunger to be someone instinctive, passionate, and capable of being transported by worship the way Alan is (Rooney). Dysart tells the audience of a dream he had where he was a chief priest in Homeric Greece sacrificing hundreds of children as a ritual to bring good fortune to the land, with every child he begins to feel more nauseous and worried that he may be discovered. He saw Alan’s face on every victim (Equus, Location 290). One could simply deem this a nightmare and be done with it but in truth it brings to light Dysart’s fear that by curing Alan he will also be hurting him. One of the final, and arguably most powerful, scenes of the play unfolds as Dysart is finally able to draw from Alan what happened the night he blinded the horses. After a failed attempt to see a pornographic movie together Alan and Jill (one of the stable hands) returned to the stable for a â€Å"roll in the hay† at Jill’s request. Feeling the eyes of Equus upon him, Alan is unable to perform. He can see and feel nothing but Equus: â€Å"When I touched her, I felt Him†¦ When I shut my eyes, I saw Him at once†¦I couldn’t feel her flesh at all! (Equus, Location 2300)†. The ultimately unsuccessful attempt at a normal relationship with a girl causes Alan to feel not only the shame of having failed as a man but also shame from having desecrated his temple of horses. The horses’ staring eyes become unbearable. Alan and Dysart both become the voice of Equus, mocking and berating Alan both for his failure and for even attempting to escape from Equus’ eyes: â€Å"I see you. Always! Everywhere! Forever! Kiss anyone and I will see. Lie with anyone and I will see. And you will fail! (Equus, Location 2346)†. Unable to stand it anymore, Alan takes the hoof pick and stabs out the horses’ eyes with a final cry of â€Å"Thou-God-Seest-nothing  ! (Equus, Location 2364†). In his final speech, Dysart tells that he will â€Å"cure† the boy and erase all traces of Equus from his mind. He will remove Alan’s pain and give him a â€Å"normal† life. In his farewell to Alan he shows at just how high a cost normalcy comes: â€Å"You won’t gallop any more, Alan. Horses will be quite safe. You’ll save your pennies every week, till you can change that scooter for a car, and put the odd 50p on the gee-gees, quite forgetting that they were ever anything more to you than bearers of little profits and little losses. You will, however, be without pain. More or less completely without pain. (Equus, Location 2433)†. Despite the consequences, Dysart finally accepts his assigned role as a healer because all of the alternatives are unacceptable (Witham). In the end Equus leaves the audience with the question of whether satisfying the demands of those around us is worth losing important pieces of ourselves such as our passion and freedom in all its forms (religious, sexual, etc. ). True, Alan will be better once he is cured and Dysart may come to terms with his life and learn to appreciate what he has but the entire situation could have been avoided had Alan’s parents allowed him to decide rather than forcing their contrasting views on him. We can make do one way or we can thrive another.

Sympathy for Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens...

Sympathy for Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens problems with format Great Expectations is a novel in which each character is a subject of either sympathy or scorn. Charles Dickens implies through his use of guilt and suffering that Pip is a subject of sympathy. Frazier Russell wrote that in Great Expectations the protagonist (through his suffering and disappointment), learns to accept his station in life.( Also through Pips suffering comes the sympathy the reader feels for him. The majority of the suffering Pip is subject to in the novel is a result of the guilt he feels. As a child he suffers under an unfair burden of guilt placed on him by his sister. He also feels guilty because of his association with†¦show more content†¦People are put in the Hulks because they murder, and because they rob, and forge, and do all sorts of bad; and they always begin by asking questions. Now you get along to bed!( The guilt Pip is forced to feel by Mrs. Joe is illegitimate; that is, his own conscience makes him pay for crimes he didnt commit and for innocent actions (such as asking a question) which were twisted around to appear criminal. Mrs. Joe is not the only character who enjoys the harassment of young Pip; Pumblechook, Wopsle and the Hubbles torment him endlessly during Christmas Dinner. Pip the Narrator recalls that They seemed to think the opportunity lost if they failed to point the conversation at me, every now and then, and stick the point into me. I might have been an unfortunate little bull in a Spanish arena, I got so smartingly touched up by these moral goads.( In this scene, Wopsle and Pumblechook procede to compare Pip to the swine on the table, saying that he should be grateful he is who he is, because were he a swine he could await no better fate than to arrive on the dinner table of an ungrateful boy such as himself. When Pip looks back as an adult, he recognizes his innocence as a child and can even be amused by the absurd accusations of his tormenters. In this sense, he is separated from his past, by beingShow MoreRelatedEssay Sympathy for Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens997 Words   |  4 PagesSympathy for Pip in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens For the past half term, in English, we have been spending our lessons on a novel by Charles Dickens called Great Expectations We have been concentrating on the opening Chapters as well as to understand the novel. Great Expectations is based on a boy called Pip. Pip is an orphan who lives with his cruel sister and husband Joe Smith whos a blacksmith. He is poor and lonely as his siblings unfortunately died. Read MoreGreat Expectations: Prose Study Coursework How Did Charles Dickens Create Sympathy for Pip in the Opening Chapter of Great Expectation?1161 Words   |  5 PagesGreat expectations: Prose study coursework How did Charles Dickens create sympathy for Pip in the opening chapter of great expectation? In this essay I’m going to be writing about a Charles Dickens book called ‘Great Expectations’ and how he successfully makes the reader feel sorry for the main character in the book named Pip; a young orphan, alone in a graveyard and how bad his life is or how bad its going to get. Dickens makes the reader feel sorry for Pip because we find out that, apart fromRead MoreGreat Expectations Essay822 Words   |  4 PagesGreat expectations coursework My essay is going to be about the 1876 edition novel ‘Great Expectations.’ The author of this novel is Charles Dickens. When the novel opens we meet Pip as a rather young child. Pip is the narrator as well as the main character. This is known as the first person. Pip as an adult talks about Pip as a child. He talks about his life as a child and how it was a struggle without his parents being around to help him. This makes it interesting to read. DickensRead More How the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel734 Words   |  3 PagesHow the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel Great Expectations is about a boy called Pip, who has Great Expectations and doesnt want to be poor all his life. Along his way, a lot of strange things happen to him, such as meeting strange people and getting money off unknown people. Great Expectations was wrote in 1860 and was Dickens thirteenth novel. This essay will be about how our views on Magwitch change through the story, such as at the beginning us thinkingRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Great Expectations1443 Words   |  6 Pages Charles Dickens is a well-known author famous for his skillful and distinctive writing style. One of the novels in which Dickens best demonstrates his masterful style is Great Expectations. In this book, many literary elements are employed to develop a cleverly blended story. To create a unique effect, comedy, tragedy, and garish features are mixed together throughout. The wide array of writing patterns used by Dickens can be found over the course of the entire book and exemplified in many differentRead MoreHow Does Dickens Create Sympathy for Pip at the Beginning of the Novel?956 Words   |  4 Pages‘Great Expectations’ is a highly acclaimed novel written by Charles Dickens first published in 1861, which follows the journey of a young boy commonly known as Pip (his Christian name being Phillip Pirrip) who is born into a middle-class family but goes on to receive riches from a mysterious benefactor in order to pursue his childhood dream in becoming a gentleman. The story is written in first person with Charles Dickens writing back about the experiences of Pip. Although it isn’t his autobiographyRead MoreGreat Expectations Analysis1614 Words   |  7 PagesGreat Expectations was written by Charles Dickens during the Victorian period and follows the life of Pip, our protagonist, as he works his way up the social hierarchy of the Victorian society. It was first published as series from 1860 to 1861. It is written as a bildungsroman: a genre of writing which pursues the life of a character from their childhood to their adult life. This novel has been hugely influenced by the author’s own life; who also worked his way up the social ladder. The story isRead MoreMagwitch Character Analysis1683 Words   |  7 Pagestowards the gravestone Magwitch was crouching behind. Without thinking, the man made a grab for the small bo y, and his cold, muddy hands clasped upon the youth’s warm flesh. Seeing the terror in his eyes, Magwitch recalled feeling a miniature twang of sympathy but it was quickly suppressed by the desperate nature he had boiling inside of him. Magwitch clasped tighter and hostilely whispered something that was only shared between the two boys. Then, Magwitch recalled asking the child’s name. With as muchRead MoreDickens Great Expectations Essay1589 Words   |  7 PagesDickens Great Expectations In the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens writes in first person narrative text, he does this so that the reader only gets the story for the eyes of at the beginning young Pip. This is a very clever way of writing and it lets the reader read the story through the eyes of a young boy and later on in the novel a man. This allows Dickens to exaggerate a lot at the beginning because the story is told by a young boy who will see everyRead MoreHow Effective is the Opening Chapter in Charles Dickens Great Expectations?1554 Words   |  7 Pageschildhood Charles Dickens travelled Great Britain due to his father’s job. 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Dont call me a cougar

Although the term cougar has become synonymous with older women who date younger men, its predatory image is neither accurate nor acceptable in the opinion of many women tagged with the label. Since theres no similar word to describe an older man who dates younger women, many feel its far from complimentary. In fact, they say it is ageist, sexist, and certainly not empowering to women. Celebrities from Demi Moore (whose husband Ashton Kutcher is 16 years her junior) to Kim Cattrall have emphatically stated, Dont call me a cougar! Cattrall in particular rejects the the idea that Samantha, the iconic character she played for six seasons on Sex and the City, is a cougar, saying that some who are uncomfortable with strong women use the term to label women. As Cattrall told the celebrity news show Extra, I dont see anything negative about Samantha and her sexuality, sensuality and choice. Long before Moore or Cattrall took a public anti-cougar stand, UK artist and entrepreneur Julia Macmillan defied the label by making the domain name dontcallmeacougar.com her own. There, she started a blog supportive of women in relationships with younger men because, as she sees it, it should be as normal for a woman to date a younger man as it always has been for a man to date or marry a younger women. Like many attractive and intelligent women who look younger than their years, Macmillan typically dated younger men not because she sought them out but because they had approached her and were more compatible than men her age. When she tried online dating in 2006, she found she wasnt connecting with the same type of men she had met in person; and those that were contacting her didnt suit her at all. Thinking that there had to be a better way, in 2007 she founded a UK dating website with a deliberately sassy, tongue-in-cheek name -- ToyboyWarehouse.com -- where members abide by one simple rule: that women date men at least a year younger, and men date women at least a year older. Nowhere on the website is the word cougar ever used. As Macmillan says, Its not empowering to women. She seems to have hit a nerve. Three years later, the site is so successful shes planning to launch a US version of ToyboyWarehouse in late 2010 in the New York City area. I spoke with Julia Macmillan about the cougar stereotype, the reasons why it persists even as women reject the term in growing numbers, and whether theres greater cultural acceptance in the UK or the US toward older female/younger male relationships. You avoid the term cougar and have said, In my view there should be no label. After all, there isnt one for a man who dates a younger woman. What is that stereotype that people have regarding cougars thats offensive to you? Its a stereotype of a woman whos looking for younger men for casual sex which is how the term started originally. I think theres so much more to it than that. The attraction is an enormous part a relationship but sometimes two people can be attracted to each other because they have so much in common. Cougar is too oversexualized and too predatory an image to apply to a broad section of women. Its just one particular type of woman, not all the types of women that necessarily date younger men. Quite a lot of women find it offensive because theyre not the predators. In fact, I know on our site its the young men who are chasing the women. These women are just fabulous. Theyre independent, attractive, but theyre not pouncing on young men. So I think its inaccurate and limiting. Women who routinely date younger men have told me its not as if either side is asking about their partners age. In fact, they say that age doesnt come up in the discussion. The men take the women at face value. Do you find this to be true? That is so true -- that comment is so spot on. Age doesnt really come up in the conversation. Women are looking fantastic; theyre looking better than before and taking care of their bodies. Its not like 10-15 years ago when a woman over 45 found herself abandoned by a husband who had left her for some young secretary. Today women have the same choices as men. I think cougar is a bit demeaning. Many women say it doesnt apply to them at all. They wouldnt want to be called a cougar and never refer to themselves as cougars. When you look at all the dating sites with cougar in the title there are pictures of attractive middle-aged women in a state of undress. Theres something slightly tacky about that. Theres a lot of really classy women out there who wouldnt want that label attached to them. When an older man dates a younger woman, nobody blinks. Yet not too long ago, if a woman dated a man just 3-5 years younger than herself, she faced disgust and outrage. Back then, shed have been called a cradle robber. Why does this double standard exist? Why is there such animosity towards women? I really think it has to do with whos losing ground in this whole thing. When you look at news articles in the online media referring to some new celebrity whos going out with a younger man, you get a lot of really unpleasant aggressive comments from men because theyre the ones who are going to be left out. Theyve had it their own way for so long; theyve always been able to play the field with women their own age or younger. For women, its been very restricting and socially unacceptable until fairly recently -- although I do think its been going on longer in a more secretive way for women to date younger men. And I dont mean to be racist about this, but it tends to be older white men that are upset. More and more women are acknowledging their sexuality which before they had to keep in a closed closet. And older white men dont like the kind of freedom that women have been gaining because they dont have so much power anymore. Unfortunately theyre the ones who tend to run the whole establishment and their views have been the predominant views. Women are becoming more powerful in more and more areas, including business and in their choice of partners. Men are going to have to accept the fact that theyre going to lose ground but that its going to be better for all of us in the end. What do you think younger men appreciate about older women? Older women, younger women -- thats all relative too. Ive got younger women signing up on ToyboyWarehouse who are 30 years old. Its the type of women they are. Theyre independent; theyve got great jobs; they arent looking for a man as a meal ticket because they can take care of themselves. Instead, theyre looking for a man to have a connection with. It could be a purely physical connection; it could be a mental and physical connection (which is obviously the best); but theyre not looking to be dependent on a man. I think that is what the men absolutely love. Older women tend not to have the ticking clock young women have who are looking for husband material. Older women tend to take the relationship as it comes and see how it develops. Most cougar dating websites treat women as if were simply sexual toys; they dont take the whole woman into account. Thats not the case with your website. What did you want to create in ToyboyWarehouse that you had not found on other existing sites? Ive had feedback from other women that confirmed my own bad experiences with online dating. I was 46 when tried it for the first time in the summer of 2006. On the mainstream sites I found that a woman over 40 would tend to get messages from rather boring older men. Id always dated younger men and I just wasnt interested in the type of men I was meeting. Although Id never done anything in the dating industry, I thought, well it cant be too difficult to create the kind of site that I would actually like to be on. The very name ToyboyWarehouse is humorous and witty, and thats an essential part of attraction. The idea was to be fun and playful -- its from a womans point of view. It evokes the image of a woman going around with a shopping cart and saying, That one looks nice on the shelf. Ill have that one. When the site went live in 2007 there was literally nothing out there for women in their late 30s or older who wanted something a little more exciting than a pipe-and-slippers man whose highlight of the week was probably watching his car in his drive. That was what was missing for me. Do you see any cultural differences in the way older woman/younger man relationships are perceived in the UK vs. the US? It seems that in the UK these women are seen as cheeky and playful, whereas in the US were much more judgmental and make moral assumptions about women who date younger men. I think there are two slightly different issues here. Theres the issue of the actual word cougar. My feeling is that its more acceptable in the US than the UK. We did a survey to see what women thought of the word -- whether theyd like to be labeled as that. And 95% said, No, it doesnt apply to us. We dont like that word. Possibly in the UK its more acceptable that a older woman should go out with a younger man. Every time a film star or pop star dates a younger man it puts the idea out there. In the US some might see the word cougar as positive because its a beautiful animal; they like the idea of it and they dont see it as a stereotyped label whereas in the UK we fight labels more and its not a badge of honor to be called a cougar -- its seen as really derogatory. Were going through a transition period. In the next generation it will be as normal for a woman to date a younger man as it always has been the other way around. Were fighting for equality in how were being referred to as well as acceptance that a women can express her own sexuality. Women are so critical of themselves when theyre younger. But as we get older, particularly once were into our 40s and 50s, we tend to become free of those former constraints. Wed like to see that freedom reflected in the partner were with. Yet it seems that at the same time women become more free and liberated within themselves, men seem to shut down. Youve absolutely hit the nail on the head. Young men dont close down but older men do. Ive heard from women who say that if they go out with a man their age, generally hes been through a marriage and hes got a lot of baggage and the kids and the awful ex-wife that he goes on about. Its not much fun for a woman to deal with all of that. Younger men dont tend to have that. Theyre much freer to appreciate a woman. We get a lot of divorcees on the site that have just come out of a 15-year marriage. Maybe their husband hasnt paid them much attention and they havent had sex for years and their self-esteem is at rock bottom; they think theyre not attractive. But then they get adoring emails from young men who say, Youre so beautiful, and suddenly they realize how attractive they really are. Its the most enormous ego boost. They begin dressing up again and then relationships start and suddenly its a whole new world for them. Your website understands what a woman past a certain age wants, and you emphasize intelligence, elegance, and wit. How is it that you get this when so many mainstream sites completely miss this? I think its because Im one of the very few site owners thats a woman. Most sites are run by corporations with all-male boards. There are only a couple of sites that I know of that are founded by women, and women know what other women want. All the marketing I do tends to be social media marketing aimed at women because weve never had problems getting men. There are three times as many men on the site as women. The more you move towards classy, intelligent, elegant, the more women will come. The more you move towards its just about sex the more you cut out a whole swath of women who wouldnt join that kind of site. You can be sexy and intelligent -- thats going to come through in a site -- but you cant just push it as a sex site, because that will put a lot of women off. Ive tried to make sure that ToyboyWarehouse is responsive to our UK members. Ive been good at listening to what they ask for. Id like to hear what women want in the US version of ToyboyWarehouse. The tagline in the States will be Where smart meets sexy and I think that encapsulates what its really all about.