Bizrate Case study- SWOT analysis Essay

1. Bizrate.com (1996) is the US Internet service involving a portfolio of shopping web sites as a price comparison service. It also collects consumers’ feedbacks and reviews of stores and products. Later on, the Red October company also created price comparison toolbar where people can search and compare the products’ prices no matter which website they are browsing at. Bizrate or Shopzilla uses the common model called Pay per click (PPC) and Cost Per Click (CPC) and the main revenue comes from sellers to merchants. Value delivers to online buyers is Trust and Being online judicatory thirdparty providing non-bias product and service information and reviews for purchasing the item. Value for the merchant and e-commerce website is a â€Å"creditability† and â€Å"image† and being a middle person to communicate between customers and merchants. Bizrate also acts as online â€Å"advertising tools† as well. Suggestion: Separate into 2 different market oriented firms – E-commerce: Sales Ads or top search position, develop e-mail marketing on existed customers’ database. Create variety of customized choices for its own search engines and research products. – Keep the research firm as it is 50% of total revenue and was renowned for reliability for buyers and merchants for years. SWOT Strength: 1. Bizrate was renowned for online reliable sources on its original market research business. It also establish before any others in the same kind of business/industry. 2. The company has a huge customer analysis and database, which cover all categories. 3. It includes real-time customer feedback at the point-of-purchase Weakness: 1. The company has to push forward its business in order to be competitive among other companies doing the same business. 2. Being the comparison search engine has nothing much to develop in terms of income besides selling PPC, click-through and customer analysis information for merchants. 3. They have not decided whether they will keep being the reliable research firm or go for e-commerce campaign (e-mail marketing, etc.) Opportunity: 1. In a globalized and technology based century, there are many opportunities for online investments in marketing. And people start to shop more online rather than going to local department store because it is convenient to buy online in terms of saving travellingc y costs and cheaper products (Some websites also provide Free Shipping Deals). 2. Nowadays, the customer insight and information is considered vital for any business to develop a marketing plan and improve their product innovation and services. Many business give more attention to CRM (Customer Relationship Management), which requires these useful information in order to develop long-term relationship with the customers. Threats: 1. Big e-commerce business like E-bay and Amazon started to have their own rating and comparison system. With bigger budget and newer technology, they might come up with their own strategy so customers don’t need to rely on a price comparison tools website anymore. Indirect threat* [ 2. Local shops might promote themselves with sale and promotion on being the place to give more proper information (Advice from professional sales or product’s technician) and seeing as a place to socialise among sellers and buyers, which might attract online buyers. The need of comparing the price will be less if they were distracted by local shops’ real deals or big sales where they can try and test the affordable and quality products themselves. ]

Lars Von Trier Essay

Lars Trier was born in Kongens Lyngby, north of Copenhagen, the son of Inger Trier (nà ©e Hà ¸st, 1915—1989). He had believed that his biological father was Ulf Trier (1907—1978), until his mother revealed to him on her deathbed that he had been conceived as a result of an affair she had with her employer, Fritz Michael Hartmann. His mother considered herself a Communist, while his father was a Social Democrat, and both were committed nudists,[5] and the young Lars went on several childhood holidays to nudist camps. They regarded the disciplining of children as reactionary. Trier has noted that he was brought up in an atheist family, and that although Ulf Trier was Jewish, he was not religious. His parents did not allow much room in their household for â€Å"feelings, religion, or enjoyment†, and also refused to make any rules for their children,[6] with complex results for von Trier’s personality and development.[7] He began making his own films at the age of 11 after receiving a Super-8 camera as a gift and continued to be involved in independent moviemaking throughout his high school years.[3] In 1979, he was enrolled in the National Film School of Denmark.[8] His peers at the film school nicknamed him â€Å"von Trier†. The name is sort of an inside-joke with the von (German â€Å"of† or â€Å"from† used as a nobiliary particle), suggesting nobility and a certain arrogance, while Lars is a very common and Trier not an unusual name in Denmark.[9] He reportedly kept the â€Å"von† name in homage to Erich von Stroheim and Josef von Sternberg, both of whom also added it later in life.[10] During his time as a student at the school he made the films Nocturne and The Last Detail, both of which won Best Film awards at the Munich International Festival of Film Schools.[11][12] In 1983 he graduated with the 57-minute Images of Liberation, which became the first Danish school film to receive a regular theatrical release.[13] Europe trilogy After graduation he began work on the very stylized crime drama, The Element of Crime (Forbrydelsens element 1984), which won a technical award at the Cannes Film Festival. His next film was Epidemic (1987), which was also shown at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. The film is partly a dark science fiction-tale of a future plague epidemic, and partly chronicles two filmmakers (played by Lars von Trier and screenwriter Niels Và ¸rsel) preparing that film, with the two storylines ultimately colliding. For television von Trier directed Medea (1988), which won the Jean d’Arcy prize in France. It was based on a screenplay by Carl Th. Dreyer and starred Udo Kier. He completed the Europe-trilogy in 1991 with Europa (released as Zentropa in the U.S.), which won the Prix du Jury at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival[14] and picked up awards at other major festivals. In 1990 he also directed the music video for the worldwide hit â€Å"Bakerman† by Laid Back.[15] This video was reused in 2006 by the English DJ and artist Shaun Baker who did a remake of Bakerman. Zentropa and The Kingdom In 1992 he and producer Peter Aalbà ¦k Jensen founded the movie production company Zentropa Entertainment, named after a train company in Europa, their most recent film at the time.[8] The reason for doing this was to achieve financial independence and to have total creative control. The production company has produced many movies other than von Trier’s own as well as television series. It also has produced hardcore sex films: Constance (1998), Pink Prison (1999), HotMen CoolBoyz (2000) and All About Anna (2005). In order to make money for his newly founded company,[16] he made The Kingdom (Riget, 1994) and The Kingdom II (Riget II, 1997), a pair of miniseries recorded in the Danish national hospital, the name â€Å"Riget† being a colloquial name for the hospital known as Rigshospitalet (lit. The Kingdom’s Hospital) in Danish. A projected third installment in the series was derailed by the 1998 death of Ernst-Hugo Jà ¤regà ¥rd, who played Helmer, one of the ma jor characters. Dogme 95 In 1995, Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg presented their manifesto for a new cinematic movement which they called Dogme 95. It would however take a while before the first of these films appeared, and at this point many thought of the concept mainly as a radical idea with no future.[citation needed] In 1996, von Trier conducted an unusual theatrical experiment in Copenhagen involving 53 actors, which he titled Psychomobile 1: The World Clock. A documentary chronicling the project was directed by Jesper Jargil, and was released in 2000 with the title De Udstillede (The Exhibited). Von Trier’s next film, Breaking the Waves (1996), the first film in von Trier’s ‘Golden Heart Trilogy’, won the Grand Prix at Cannes and featured Emily Watson, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Its grainy images and hand-held photography pointed towards Dogme 95. The second was The Idiots (1998), nominated for a Palme d’Or, which he presented in person at the Cannes Film Festival notwithstanding his dislike of travelling. Dancer in the Dark (2000) was the final component of the trilogy. As originator of the Dogme 95 concept, which has led to international interest in Danish film as a whole, he has inspired filmmakers all over the world.[17] Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the Dogme 95 Manifesto and the â€Å"Vow of Chastity† together with their fellow Dogme directors Kristian Levring and Sà ¸ren Kragh-Jacobsen shared in 2008 the European Film Award European Achievement in World Cinema. Explicit images Von Trier’s use of sexually explicit images in The Idiots (1998) started a wave[citation needed] of arthouse mainstream films with unsimulated sex, such as Catherine Breillat’s Romance (1999), Baise-Moi (2000), Intimacy (2001), Vincent Gallo’s The Brown Bunny (2003) and Michael Winterbottom’s 9 Songs (2004). In 1998, Lars von Trier also made history by having his company Zentropa be the world’s first mainstream film company to produce hardcore pornographic films. Three of these films, Constance (1998), Pink Prison (1999) and the adult/mainstream crossover-feature All About Anna (2005), were made primarily for a female audience, and were extremely successful in Europe, with the first two being directly responsible for the March 2006 legalizing of pornography in Norway.[18] Women too like to see other people having sex. What they don’t like is the endless close-ups of hammering bodyparts without a story. Lars von Trier is the first to have realised this and produced valuable quality porn films for women. — Stern No. 40, 27 September 2007[19] Lars von Trier’s initiative spearheaded a European wave of female-friendly porn films from directors such as Anna Span, Erika Lust and Petra Joy, while von Trier’s company Zentropa was forced to abandon the experiment due to pressure from English business partners.[20] In July 2009, women’s magazine Cosmopolitan ranked Pink Prison as No. 1 in its Top Five of the best women’s porn, calling it the â€Å"role model for the new porn-generation†.[21] Lars von Trier would return to explicit images in his self-directed Antichrist (2009), exploring darker themes. 2000s In 2000, von Trier premiered a musical featuring Icelandic musician Bjà ¶rk, Dancer in the Dark. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.[22] The song â€Å"I’ve Seen It All† (which Trier co-wrote) received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. The Five Obstructions (2003), made by Lars von Trier and Jà ¸rgen Leth, is a documentary, but also incorporates lengthy sections of experimental films. The premise is that Lars von Trier challenges director Jà ¸rgen Leth, his friend and mentor, to remake his old experimental film The Perfect Human (1967) five times, each time with a different ‘obstruction’ (or obstacle) specified by von Trier.[23] He then directed two films in his announced ‘U.S. trilogy’: Dogville (2003), starring Nicole Kidman and Manderlay (2005), starring Bryce Dallas Howard in the same role – as Grace. Both films are extremely stylized, with the actors playing their parts on a nearly empty soundstage with little but chalk marks on the floor to indicate the sets. Both films had huge casts of major international actors (Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, James Caan, Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, etc.), and questioned various issues relating to American society, such as intolerance in Dogville and slavery in Manderlay. Controversy erupted on the 2004 set for Manderlay when actor John C. Reilly walked off the Trollhà ¤ttan, Sweden, set in late March. Reilly walked off the film when he learned that an upcoming scene involved the slaughter of a donkey for food. The film’s producer says the animal—who was old and not expected to live much longer—was killed off-camera by a certified veterinarian, in accordance with Swedish law. Reilly was replaced by Zeljko Ivanek.[24] The U.S. was also the scene for Dear Wendy (2005), a feature film directed by von Trier’s â€Å"Dogme-brother† Thomas Vinterberg from a script by von Trier. It starred Jamie Bell and Bill Pullman and dealt with gun worship and violence in American soci ety. In 2006, von Trier released a Danish-language comedy film, The Boss of it All. It was shot using a process that von Trier has called Automavision, which involves the director choosing the best possible fixed camera position and then allowing a computer to randomly choose when to tilt, pan or zoom. It was followed by an autobiographical film, De unge à ¥r: Erik Nietzsche sagaen del 1 (2007), scripted by von Trier but directed by Jacob Thuesen, which tells the story of von Trier’s years as a student at the National Film School of Denmark. It stars Jonatan Spang as von Trier’s alter ego, called â€Å"Erik Nietzsche†, and is narrated by von Trier himself. All main characters in the film are based on real people from the Danish film industry,[citation needed] with the thinly veiled portrayals including Jens Albinus as director Nils Malmros, Dejan ÄÅ'ukić as screenwriter Mogens Rukov and Sà ¸ren Pilmark in an especially unflattering portrayal as sex-obsessed sch ool principal Henning Camre. Von Trier’s next feature film was Antichrist, an art film about â€Å"a grieving couple who retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping a return to Eden will repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage; but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse†. The film, which includes sexually explicit content, stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It premiered in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where the festival’s jury honoured the movie by giving the Best Actress award to Gainsbourg.[25] The Cannes Film Festival Ecumenical Jury, which gives prizes for movies that promote spiritual, humanist and universal values, also â€Å"honoured† the film with a special â€Å"anti-award†; a spokesman for the jury described it as â€Å"the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world.†[26] In 2010 the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported on their website that the film production company Zentropa is reportedly making more revenue from suing movie pirates in Germany that have downloaded Antichrist illegally than from box office and DVD sales, demanding a payment of around 1,300 euros per download to avoid legal action.[27] 2010s Von Trier’s latest work is Melancholia, a psychological disaster drama;[28] shot between 22 July and 8 September 2010 at Film i Và ¤st’s studios in Trollhà ¤ttan, Sweden,[29] and with exteriors in the area surrounding the Tjolà ¶holm Castle.[30] Magnolia Pictures has acquired the distribution rights for North America.[31] The film was in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[32] Von Trier announced that after finishing Melancholia he hopes to begin production of The Nymphomaniac, a two-part film about the sexual awakening of a woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg).[33] The director explained how he got the idea for the upcoming project: â€Å"my DP on [Melancholia], Manuel Claro, at one point voiced a surprising prejudice. He urged me not to fall into the trap that so many aging directors fall into – that the women get younger and younger and nuder and nuder. That’s all I needed to hear. I most definitely intend for the women in my films to get younger and younger and nuder and nuder†.[34] The announced cast includes Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgà ¥rd, Shia LaBeouf, Willem Dafoe, Connie Nielsen, Jamie Bell, Jens Albinus, Jesper Christensen and Nicole Kidman. Phobias Von Trier suffers from multiple phobias, including an intense fear of flying.[35] His fear of air travel frequently places severely limiting constraints on him and his crew, necessitating that virtually all of his films be shot in either Denmark or Sweden, even those set in the United States or other foreign countries. Von Trier has had a number of his films featured at the Cannes Film Festival over the course of his career, and each time has insisted on driving from Denmark to France for the festival and back. On numerous occasions von Trier has also stated that he suffers from occasional depression which renders him incapable of performing his work and unable to fulfill social obligations.[36] Filming techniques Lars von Trier has said that â€Å"a film should be like a stone in your shoe†. In order to create original art he feels that filmmakers must distinguish themselves stylistically from other films, often by placing restrictions on the filmmaking process. The most famous restriction is the cinematic â€Å"vow of chastity† of the Dogme95 movement with which he is associated, though only one of his films, The Idiots, is an actual Dogme 95 film. In Dancer in the Dark, jump shots[37] and dramatically-different color palettes and camera techniques were used for the â€Å"real world† and musical portions of the film, and in Dogville everything was filmed on a sound stage with no set where the walls of the buildings in the fictional town were marked as lines on the floor. Von Trier often shoots digitally and operates the camera himself, preferring to continuously shoot the actors in-character without stopping between takes. In Dogville he let actors stay in character for hours, in the style of method acting. These techniques often put great strain on actors, most famously with Bjà ¶rk during the filming of Dancer in the Dark. Often he uses the same regular group of actors in many of his films: some of his frequently used actors are Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier and Stellan Skarsgà ¥rd. He is heavily influenced by the work of Carl Theodor Dreyer[38] and the film The Night Porter.[39] He was so inspired by the short film The Perfect Human directed by Jà ¸rgen Leth that he challenged Leth to redo the short five times in feature film The Five Obstructions.[40] Trilogies Von Trier has on occasion referred to his films as falling into thematic and stylistic trilogies. This pattern began with his first feature film, marking the beginning of The Europa Trilogy, though he claims a trilogy was not initially planned, instead being applied to the films in retrospect. The Europe trilogy illuminated the traumas of Europe in the past and future. This trilogy includes The Element of Crime (1984), Epidemic (1987) and Europa (1991). The Golden Heart trilogy was about naive heroines who maintain their ‘golden hearts’ despite the tragedies they experience. This trilogy consists of Breaking the Waves (1996), The Idiots (1998) and Dancer in the Dark (2000). While all three films are sometimes associated with the Dogme 95 movement, only The Idiots is a certified Dogme 95 film. The USA: Land of Opportunities trilogy follows the character of Grace, and is set in a stylized American past. Von Trier has stated he was inspired to make a trilogy about the United States as a reaction to Americans at the Cannes film festival who said he had no right to make the Dancer in the Dark,[8] which was often viewed as being critical of a country he has never been to (and has no intention of ever visiting, due to his phobia of travel); however, von Trier himself has stated in interviews he did not intend it to be a criticism of America, saying the film takes place in a â€Å"fictional America†. Von Trier proposed the films as ‘a series of sermons on America’s sins and hypocrisy’[citation needed], inspired by the fact that American movie makers have made many movies about places across the world to which they have not travelled. All three movies will be shot in the same distinctive style, on a bare sound stage with no set and buildings marked by lines on the floor. This style is inspired by 1970s televised theatre. The trilogy will consist of Dogville (2003), Manderlay (2005) and the so far not produced Washington. The Depression Trilogy consists of Antichrist, Melancholia and the yet to be completed, Nymphomaniac. All three star Charlotte Gainsbourg and deal with characters that deal with depression or grief in different ways. This trilogy is said to represent the current depression that von Trier himself is currently going through. The Kingdom (Riget) was planned as a trilogy of three seasons with 13 episodes in total, but the third season was not filmed due to death of star Ernst-Hugo Jà ¤regà ¥rd shortly after completion of the second season. Biological father In 1989, von Trier’s mother revealed on her deathbed that the man who he thought was his father was not, and that she had had a tryst with her former employer, Fritz Michael Hartmann (1909–2000),[41] who descended from a long line of Roman Catholic classical musicians (his grandfather was Emil Hartmann, his great grandfather J.P.E. Hartmann, his uncles included Niels Gade and Johan Ernst Hartmann and thus Niels Viggo Bentzon was his cousin). She stated that she did this in order to give her son â€Å"artistic genes†.[42] Until that point I thought I had a Jewish background. But I’m really more of a Nazi. I believe that my biological father’s German family went back two further generations. Before she died, my mother told me to be happy that I was the son of this other man. She said my foster father had had no goals and no strength. But he was a loving man. And I was very sad about this revelation. And you then feel manipulated when you really do tur n out to be creative. If I’d known that my mother had this plan, I would have become something else. I would have shown her. The slut![43] During the German occupation of Denmark, Fritz Michael Hartmann worked as a civil servant and joined a resistance group (Frit Danmark), actively counteracting any pro-German and pro-Nazi colleagues in his department.[44] Another member of this infiltrative resistance group was Hartmann’s colleague Viggo Kampmann, who would later become prime minister of Denmark.[45] After four awkward meetings with his biological father, the man refused further contact.[46] The revelations led von Trier to attempt to â€Å"erase† the connections with his stepfather by converting to Catholicism, and to rework his filmmaking into a style emphasizing â€Å"honesty†.[3] I don’t know if I’m all that Catholic really. I’m probably not. Denmark is a very Protestant country. Perhaps I only turned Catholic to piss off a few of my countrymen.[43] In 2009, he declared, â€Å"I’m a very bad Catholic. In fact I’m becoming more and more of an atheist.†[47] Controversy at 2011 Cannes Film Festival On 19 May 2011, Cannes Film Festival’s board of directors declared von Trier persona non grata for comments he made during a press conference for his film Melancholia the day before, an unprecedented move for the film festival.[48][49] Responding to a question by The Times film critic Kate Muir about his German roots and his comments in a Danish film magazine about the Nazi aesthetic, von Trier claimed to have some sympathy for and understanding of Adolf Hitler,[50] and then jokingly claimed to be a Nazi himself:[51][52] Von Trier at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. What can I say? I understand Hitler, but I think he did some wrong things, yes, absolutely. †¦ He’s not what you would call a good guy, but I understand much about him, and I sympathize with him a little bit. But come on, I’m not for the Second World War, and I’m not against Jews. †¦ I am of course very much for Jews, no not too much, because Israel is pain in the ass, but still how can I get out of this sentence. †¦ — Press Conference for Melancholia, Cannes, 2011[53][54] Referring to the art of Nazi architect Albert Speer, von Trier added: †¦ he had some talent that was kind of possible for him to use during†¦ Ok, I’m a Nazi. Then, to Toronto Star film critic Peter Howell, who questioned whether Melancholia could be an answer to Hollywood blockbusters and asked von Trier if he could â€Å"envision doing a film on a grander scale than this†, von Trier replied: On a grander scale? Yeah. Yeah that’s what we Nazis, we have a tendency to do things on a greater scale. Yeah, maybe you could persuade me into the final solution with journalists. †¦ Hours later, von Trier released a brief statement of apology about his comments at the press conference: â€Å"If I have hurt someone this morning by the words I said at the press conference, I sincerely apologise. I am not anti-semitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi.†[55] The next day, the festival directors held an extraordinary meeting, deciding his remarks were â€Å"unacceptable, intolerable and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity that preside over the very existence of the festival. [†¦] The board of directors condemns these comments and declares Lars von Trier persona non grata at the Festival de Cannes, with effect immediately.†[55] Afterwards, von Trier held a news conference of his own in Danish. His first remark to the Danish journalists was: â€Å"If any of you journalists will beat me, so just do it. I will enjoy it.† He went on to say that â€Å"The Holocaust is the worst crime that ever happened. I have nothing against Jews. I have a Jewish name, and all my children have Jewish names.† He admitted that his remarks about the Nazis had been misguided, saying â€Å"It was really stupidly done and it was in the wrong forum. At the press conference with Danish journalists, there were no problems, but I do not think the international journalists understand my Danish humor.† But he also said he was proud to have been kicked out of the Cannes festival: â€Å"I am proud to have been declared ‘persona non grata’. It is perhaps the first time in cinematic history, it has happened. †¦ I think one reason is that French people treated the Jews badly during World War II. Therefore, it is a sensitive topic for them. I respect the Cannes festival very highly, but I also understand that they are very angry at me right now.†[56][55] Speaking to other news outlets he said that his comments were â€Å"very sarcastic and very rude, but that’s very Danish.† He also added, â€Å"I don’t sympathize with Hitler for one second.†[57] In the October 2011 issue of GQ, von Trier is quoted in an interview saying he was not really sorry for the comments he made, only sorry he didn’t make it clear that he was joking. He added, â€Å"I can’t be sorry for what I said—it’s against my nature.†[58] On 5 October 2011, von Trier was interviewed by police in Denmark about his remarks at Cannes. Afterwards, he announced that he had ‘decided from this day forth to refrain from all public statements and interviews’.[59] Honours Von Trier was made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog on 14 January 1997.[60] Ten years later von Trier decided to hand back the prize, saying that the Danish royal family are just â€Å"simple people of bad quality†.[61]

The Handmaids Tale

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a post Cold War society plagued by infertility. Atwood presents the reader with â€Å"The Republic of Gilead†, the Christian theocracy that overthrew the United States government. Narrated by a woman renamed Offred, the reader gets an idea of a future in which women are no longer women, but are solely needed for reproduction. Atwood uses a system of vocabulary established under the Republic of Gilead in order to manipulate and dehumanize women and men throughout the text. Under this new society women are efined under their gender roles.No longer are women allowed to hold Jobs, make an income, or have control over their body. Men on the other hand are referred to by their military rank. Women are then placed into the group in which the Republic of Gilead finds fitting. Some sent off to reproduce children, others to work and wait for a slow cruel death. Offred is what the Republic of Gilead labels a handmaid. A handmaid's sole purpose is to produce a child for elite families of the Republic. Handmaids are stripped from their own clothes and are forced to wear all red.A floor length dress that gives the handmaid no shape, red shoes, and red gloves. The color red is extremely symbolic towards their position in society. The red clothing could be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Red is the color of a women's menstrual blood. Therefore the wearing of red deems the handmaids one of the few fertile women among society. However, in history red has been a marker of sexual sin. The handmaids are essentially having sex with married men. All handmaids are immediately stripped of their birth name and put under possession of the commander.Offred receives this name because her commander's name is Fred, and she is â€Å"of† Fred. This is the Republic of Gilead's way of literally dehumanizing and stripping the handmaid's from any personalization. I looked up the definition of the word â€Å"handmaiden†, and it is defined as such, â€Å"A handmaiden is a personal maid, female servant, or a subordinate thing†. Under this new society, these women who are able to produce life, are literally referred to as â€Å"things† and â€Å"possessions†. In the beginning of this new society handmaidens arrive at a place called â€Å"the red center†.It is here they learn to be trained by what the Republic of Gilead labels â€Å"Aunts†. Aunts attempt to promote the handmaid's as an honorable Job and position in society. The term â€Å"aunt† is appropriately used and applied by Atwood throughout the novel. Their Job is to train, reform and advise handmaids in order to prepare them for their new life. One activity the aunt's used in attempt to brainwash and manipulate the handmaid's was â€Å"testifying†. It was during this time handmaid's told their apparent â€Å"faults† from their previous lives and was then taunted for it.Offred tells one han dmaid's story from â€Å"testifying as such, â€Å"It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion†. The other handmaids chant in unison claiming it is â€Å"her fault, her fault, her fault†. Offred explains how during the last time Janine told the story she burst into tears. However, during this weeks testifying she immediately takes responsibility tor being raped claiming, â€Å"It was my tault It was my own fault, I led them on†. The aunt's have completed their Job by manipulating the handmaids into believing that a rape was wanted.Upon entering a commander's home there are no longer aunts, but â€Å"Marthas†. The Handmaid's Tale is laced with biblical references throughout the entire novel. Atwood's use of the name â€Å"Martha† comes directly from a story in Luke 10:38-42 in which Jesus goes to visit his mother Mary and Martha. While Mary sits and listens to Jesus speak, Martha is too busy with all of the dut ies she had to accomplish. This is exactly what the Martha's are seen doing while working in the commander's home. The Marthas, Cora and Rita, are to fulfill all domestic roles in the house, exactly likeMartha had done in the bible. While Marthas take care of the house, the commander's wives are not expected to do the same. Wives are superior to all women, and it is made clear to Offred right away. However, while living in the commander's home it is apparent that even though the handmaidens are forced into a situation unwanted, so have the wives. Wives are to lay with the handmaiden while the commander has sex with the handmaiden. Labeled as, â€Å"the ceremony', this event is emotionally scarring towards both females in the situation.After one of the ceremonies Offred even wonders, Which of us is it worse for, her or me†. The act of the â€Å"ceremony' directly shows how the Republic of Gilead has dehumanized both low ranking and high-ranking women. Sex is no longer perform ed for love and passion, but only to produce a child. On one hand, Offred has no say over her body and what is happening to her. Offred even states, â€Å"It's only the inside of our bodies that is important. The outside can become hard and wrinkled for all they care†. On the other hand, the commander's wife, Serena Joy, has to lie there while her husband has sex with another woman.While dealing with those struggles seem unfair and unjust, other women are worse off. Deformed babies, sterile women and former feminists are not even given a chance in this society. Denoted with the labels of â€Å"unwomen† and â€Å"unbabies†, they are sent to â€Å"the colonies†. The colonies are places in which agriculture is produced and also a place of deadly radiation and pollution. The Republic of Gilead immediately sends them there because they have no use for them in their supreme society. The Republic of Gilead does not only oppress women, but men too.Offred's ormer friend Moira explained to her in detail the colonies, â€Å"All of them wear long dresses like the ones at the Center, only gray. Women and the men too, Judging from the group shots. I guess it's supposed to demoralize the men having to wear a dress†. Under this society, if you do not fit their standards, you are deemed unnecessary. Atwood also uses certain vocabulary to define certain religious rituals that take place throughout the novel. â€Å"Praywaganzas,† â€Å"Salvagings,† and â€Å"Particicutions† are a few of the rituals used to manipulate handmaidens into practicing the societies beliefs. The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale takes place in a post Cold War society plagued by infertility. Atwood presents the reader with â€Å"The Republic of Gilead†, the Christian theocracy that overthrew the United States government. Narrated by a woman renamed Offred, the reader gets an idea of a future in which women are no longer women, but are solely needed for reproduction. Atwood uses a system of vocabulary established under the Republic of Gilead in order to manipulate and dehumanize women and men throughout the text. Under this new society women are efined under their gender roles.No longer are women allowed to hold Jobs, make an income, or have control over their body. Men on the other hand are referred to by their military rank. Women are then placed into the group in which the Republic of Gilead finds fitting. Some sent off to reproduce children, others to work and wait for a slow cruel death. Offred is what the Republic of Gilead labels a handmaid. A handmaid's sole purpose is to produce a child for elite families of the Republic. Handmaids are stripped from their own clothes and are forced to wear all red.A floor length dress that gives the handmaid no shape, red shoes, and red gloves. The color red is extremely symbolic towards their position in society. The red clothing could be interpreted in a multitude of ways. Red is the color of a women's menstrual blood. Therefore the wearing of red deems the handmaids one of the few fertile women among society. However, in history red has been a marker of sexual sin. The handmaids are essentially having sex with married men. All handmaids are immediately stripped of their birth name and put under possession of the commander.Offred receives this name because her commander's name is Fred, and she is â€Å"of† Fred. This is the Republic of Gilead's way of literally dehumanizing and stripping the handmaid's from any personalization. I looked up the definition of the word â€Å"handmaiden†, and it is defined as such, â€Å"A handmaiden is a personal maid, female servant, or a subordinate thing†. Under this new society, these women who are able to produce life, are literally referred to as â€Å"things† and â€Å"possessions†. In the beginning of this new society handmaidens arrive at a place called â€Å"the red center†.It is here they learn to be trained by what the Republic of Gilead labels â€Å"Aunts†. Aunts attempt to promote the handmaid's as an honorable Job and position in society. The term â€Å"aunt† is appropriately used and applied by Atwood throughout the novel. Their Job is to train, reform and advise handmaids in order to prepare them for their new life. One activity the aunt's used in attempt to brainwash and manipulate the handmaid's was â€Å"testifying†. It was during this time handmaid's told their apparent â€Å"faults† from their previous lives and was then taunted for it.Offred tells one han dmaid's story from â€Å"testifying as such, â€Å"It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion†. The other handmaids chant in unison claiming it is â€Å"her fault, her fault, her fault†. Offred explains how during the last time Janine told the story she burst into tears. However, during this weeks testifying she immediately takes responsibility tor being raped claiming, â€Å"It was my tault It was my own fault, I led them on†. The aunt's have completed their Job by manipulating the handmaids into believing that a rape was wanted.Upon entering a commander's home there are no longer aunts, but â€Å"Marthas†. The Handmaid's Tale is laced with biblical references throughout the entire novel. Atwood's use of the name â€Å"Martha† comes directly from a story in Luke 10:38-42 in which Jesus goes to visit his mother Mary and Martha. While Mary sits and listens to Jesus speak, Martha is too busy with all of the dut ies she had to accomplish. This is exactly what the Martha's are seen doing while working in the commander's home. The Marthas, Cora and Rita, are to fulfill all domestic roles in the house, exactly likeMartha had done in the bible. While Marthas take care of the house, the commander's wives are not expected to do the same. Wives are superior to all women, and it is made clear to Offred right away. However, while living in the commander's home it is apparent that even though the handmaidens are forced into a situation unwanted, so have the wives. Wives are to lay with the handmaiden while the commander has sex with the handmaiden. Labeled as, â€Å"the ceremony', this event is emotionally scarring towards both females in the situation.After one of the ceremonies Offred even wonders, Which of us is it worse for, her or me†. The act of the â€Å"ceremony' directly shows how the Republic of Gilead has dehumanized both low ranking and high-ranking women. Sex is no longer perform ed for love and passion, but only to produce a child. On one hand, Offred has no say over her body and what is happening to her. Offred even states, â€Å"It's only the inside of our bodies that is important. The outside can become hard and wrinkled for all they care†. On the other hand, the commander's wife, Serena Joy, has to lie there while her husband has sex with another woman.While dealing with those struggles seem unfair and unjust, other women are worse off. Deformed babies, sterile women and former feminists are not even given a chance in this society. Denoted with the labels of â€Å"unwomen† and â€Å"unbabies†, they are sent to â€Å"the colonies†. The colonies are places in which agriculture is produced and also a place of deadly radiation and pollution. The Republic of Gilead immediately sends them there because they have no use for them in their supreme society. The Republic of Gilead does not only oppress women, but men too.Offred's ormer friend Moira explained to her in detail the colonies, â€Å"All of them wear long dresses like the ones at the Center, only gray. Women and the men too, Judging from the group shots. I guess it's supposed to demoralize the men having to wear a dress†. Under this society, if you do not fit their standards, you are deemed unnecessary. Atwood also uses certain vocabulary to define certain religious rituals that take place throughout the novel. â€Å"Praywaganzas,† â€Å"Salvagings,† and â€Å"Particicutions† are a few of the rituals used to manipulate handmaidens into practicing the societies beliefs.

Causes for World War 1 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes for World War 1 - Term Paper Example Accordingly, the increased tensions led to the formation of alliances such as the Triple alliance (1882) that was formed among Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany for the sole purposes of defending each other in case of attacks. In response, Britain, Russia and France formed the Triple Entente alliance (1907) thus encircling Germany and Austria-Hungary. In addition, Germany started competing with Britain in building modern battleships and with Russia and France in terms of expansion of the armies (Duiker and Spielvogel 666). One of the long range immediate causes of WWI was imperialism since European countries had divided Asia and African countries in to territories with the aim of strengthening their economic and political influence in European continent. Such countries believe that they could be superior by conquering the others. Britain conquered Africa from north in Cairo while France tried to conquer Africa from the Western Atlantic Sea. The two countries almost went in to War af ter meeting at Fashoda in Sudan thus prompting Germany to demand a share of colonies too. Austria desired to dominate Balkans in order to control Serbia propaganda and German supported Austria in exploiting rich resources of Asia Minor through Balkans policy (Duiker and Spielvogel 667). ... Nationalism led races ruled by Turkey such as Bulgarians and races ruled by Austria-Hungary such as Serbs to demand their won freedom. Nationalism led to disintegration of Austria-Hungary but subsequently resulted to unification of Germany and Italy. Nationalism weakened the existing empires such as Ottoman Empire and Slavic people in Balkan region started demanding for freedom from the authoritarian Ottoman control. Serbia finally declared its independence and allied itself with Russia thus increasing the tensions with Austria-Hungary (Duiker and Spielvogel 661). Another long range immediate cause of the War was increased militarism by the main powers. The countries perceived war as a means of entrenching foreign policy and started building large armies and battleships. For instance, Germany had 2,200,000 soldiers and about 100 warships in 1914 while Great Britain had about 711,000 soldiers and about 200 warships. Other countries like Austria-Hungary, France, Italy and Russia starte d strengthening their military in preparedness of any eventuality (Duiker and Spielvogel 668). Another factor that can be attributed to the War was alliances that were formed between nations in order to protect the territories and ensure economic stability of the alliance members. Germany kept close ties with Russia in 1894 while Britain entered in to a friendly relationship with France in 1904. In 1907, Britain entered in to Triple Entente alliance that comprised Russia, Great Britain and France. In addition, Britain had a naval alliance with Japan that had been formed in 1902. The Triple Entente threatened the superiority of Germany thus leading to aggressive military posturing against the neighboring countries (Duiker and Spielvogel 665). The assassination of

HRD assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HRD assignment - Research Paper Example Introduction There are a range of evaluation theories that can confuse new practitioners and learners who intend to grasp on ways of evaluating programs. Examples of these evaluation theories include; goal free, empowerment, utilization- focused, and developmental (Lisa, 2006). The different forms of evaluation sprout from the same base of social accountability, social inquiry, and fiscal control (Valerie, 2004). From this base, evaluation orientations further branches out into three main areas; use, methods, and valuing. It is from these branches, various evaluation perspectives from various thought leaders get obtained. These perspectives get to offer learners and researchers on the various evaluation methods, their application, and how to align themselves with the evaluation orientation that best matches their program context or values (Darlene, 2008). It is vital that evaluators get to understand the cross cutting evaluation theories and terminology that is available for the stak eholders. It is vital that new and skilled evaluators get to determine and understand what the various evaluation theories or methods are for. Purpose of evaluation theories and methods Evaluation theory serves various purposes. However, its vital function is to act as a guide to practice. It is incomprehensible to learn on the latest methodological advancement without understanding the relevant evaluation theory concerned (Eleanor, 2013). This situation creates a scenario where evaluators get to learn what to do without understanding why or when to do what they do. It is vital that a good evaluator gets to understand the evaluation theories so that they can choose and employ the appropriate methods. Evaluation theories assist the evaluators past simply making good judgments on what kind of methods to employ but rather under what situations, and towards what kinds of evaluation influence. First off, evaluation theories help to bring back prior experience and thus consolidate lessons learned. Evaluation theories can help evaluators to posses a sophisticated and deep understanding of how organizations carry out their decisions and get influenced by evaluation findings (Lisa, 2006). Knowledge of the theories assists evaluators to learn from other people or organizations experiences. Evaluators who fail to grasp the knowledge of evaluation theories risk repeating past mistakes, which also leave them vulnerable to failure to sustaining and building on past successes. Secondly, the comparison of evaluation theories assists those in the field in determining and understanding the vital areas that illicit debate within the field. Through comparison of the evaluation theories, one gets to determine the gaps present within the field and how they affect their field. This comparative look at the evaluation theories assists evaluators to garner on what issues remains unsettled and elusive in their field of practice (Sung, 2002). Undertaking a look at the different theories present in the field assists the practitioners to obtain different perspectives on what the purpose of evaluation is or how it should get employed. Thirdly, it is vital that evaluators get to embody the knowledge of evaluation theories such that it becomes a part of their identity. Evaluation theory in its embodiment is the basis and core of becoming an evaluator (Valerie, 2004). The knowledge of ev

Creation of Jewish State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creation of Jewish State - Essay Example The contact of British Empire with Africa became extensive from 1740 onwards. British traders used to make huge income and profits by exchanging manufactured goods for slaves in Africa and then selling slaves further in North America. These traders further amplified their profits by bringing cotton, sugar and tobacco back to Britain. British control bit by bit increased in South Africa and it took control of the Cape of Good Hope in 1795. In 1807, Britain outlawed slavery and hence its relations with Africa enhanced. Britain continued to follow its trial and error method of allying with local rulers and then amalgamating in conflicts between its cronies and their enemies. In the mean while, British gained ever-increasing influence in West Africa and in North Africa. In the 1830s and 1840s Britain increased its involvement in controlling a larger area of southern Africa. And in 1844 Britain was successful in taking the control of the Gold Coast of West Africa. Nevertheless during that period, missionaries and traders like David Livingstone were coming into contact with new African people. They were opening up trade routes and were establishing political alliances. This course of action speeded up when gold and diamonds were found in South Africa in the 1870s and 1880s. Then British came into a clash with the Boers and in due course it resulted in the Boer War of 1899-1902. And it helped the British to enjoy the overall control of the country which today is South Africa. There after from 1870 to 1900 Britain took control of increasingly large areas of West and North Africa. As West Africa was an important, helpful and valuable supply of gold and other trading goods. By 1890s, much of the coastal area of West Africa and parts of the lands which now are the parts of Nigeria, were under British control. In 1880s Britain successfully took control of Egypt. North Africa was an important area for Britain because it was on the trade route between Britain and it's most important and precious territory, India. In the time of 1929 British wanted to keep Jewish immigration limited, inadequate and restricted. Zionists, at that time were worried about the problem that immigration imposed on available resources in Palestine. They acknowledged their Migration to Palestine as an economic suffering. In the nineteen-twenties, Zionists bought some piece of land for agriculture in Palestine but poor and landless Muslims resented it. The Grand Mufti, al-Huseini along with other Muslim aristocrats tried to make money by selling this land to Zionist organizations at prices higher as compared to those prices at which they could sell to their fellow Muslims. At the same time they complained about Jews. Zionists increased aggression against the Jews where as Muslim leaders promoted calm, harmony and peace rather than aggression and hostility. At that time a conflict blows up between Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem. Huseini hold Jews accountable of having seized Muslim holy places in Jerusalem that were Al Aqsa and Al-Hara. In reaction to it they exasperated Arab mobs and they attacked Jews in Jerusalem and looted their homes. The attacks and looting was so extensive that it then broadened to

Sadhu and sisyphus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sadhu and sisyphus - Essay Example For example, the reader is only told that the Sadhu had only a few clothes on and no shoes (McCoy 148). I know that a Sadhu is a person who has who has given up all his possessions in the world and he devotes himself to a spiritual life. However, for any other American readers who does not know this, might assume that this man is mentally challenged. In this real life story, it seems clear that everybody who came across the pilgrim contributed to reviving him. The Japanese gave him food, Stephen and four Swiss men clothed the man and the narrator, McCoy checked his pulse and made him comfortable after noting he has hypothermia (149). However, here was no one who was completely responsible for the well-being of the pilgrim. As a business student, this story challenges me to ask myself where individual ethical responsibility ends and if organizations practice institutional responsibility. The myth of Sisyphus is another story that has a moral lesson; that all earthly passions have a price attached to them. Sisyphus only got permission from Pluto to go back to earth because he wanted to chastise his wife who had thrown his body to a public square (Camus 154). However, after staying on earth for many years, he forgot that he was only there for one mission and not to stay. He did not want to go back to the underworld after enjoying the earthly pleasures. He scorned the gods and hated death. This angered the gods who punished him by condemning him to an eternity of rolling a rock on top of a mountain. In reality no one can claim to come back from a death experience. The myth of Sisyphus is a lesson to the professionals in the corporate world, showing no one in the corporate world knows how their businesses will perform in future. The myth shows that the moral choices made by people can help those with the power to exercise their free will to

Science Fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Science Fiction - Essay Example The man-machine characters and events must blend so that even if either the character or event or both are grotesque they appear credible to the audience. The levels of consciousness and intelligence of the man-machines must also blend with those of the audience. The highlights of this consciousness and intelligence, or the lack of these, must be intelligible to the audience. The action of the man-machines and their characteristics often lead to their ultimate survival or extermination. The man-machine is guided by his extra-ordinary senses, or sometimes lack of sense in certain areas such as inability to hear. In this scheme, the man-machine makes up for the weakness in one area with extra strength in another. This additional strength comes from the machine part of the man comprising chips and boards elevating the man's physical resources manifold and even to timelessness. The man-machine thing has awareness about his environment and when this awareness is interrupted it creates an element of surprise. This leads to examination and analysis. The man-machine does all this. He has tremendous physical strength. He has the capacity to bounce back from destructive encounters. He has the capacity for self-cure and self-rectification. With the advancement of technology, his powers have increased (Neme: Prosthetic Head). The perfection of the human spirit is not in the man-machine. Technology will have to advance much more for this status. The loose ends of the man-machine will be covered up as technology advances. As of now, the process is very long. It consists of perfecting the behavior of man-machine to those of man himself. Knowledge and self-realization will have to be perfected. Frankenstein's monster The... This essay discusses the science fiction, that has led to many inventions and discoveries. Before the advent of rockets, fiction abounded with stories of man firing projectiles. Subsequently, there were stories of man himself flying, either with the help of machines or by his own efforts with prosthetic wings or wings growing out of his body. The mingling of man and machine or the creation of a being, most of the time a malevolent being that was only partly man began with Frankenstein’s monster. The creation of the monster is by far the most intriguing and fascinating expression of the man-machine theme that has seen the character of Frankenstein’s monster adapt and evolve with the advancement of technology. The character of the monster is successfully used before large audiences to project the tendencies and capabilities of science. Firstly, will science accept the theory of the soul and the spirit? There is plenty of debate on this issue. The man-machine has to deal w ith this question to capably solve the riddle of creating a being that is equivalent to a machine with living emotions. Or will it be possible to create a man-machine with intelligence and information that can be equivalent to the dogma of emotions? Once man has created a machine with enough intelligent and information inputs to correspond to human emotions, he will have crossed the bridge to accept and discuss machines as living beings. Then he will have created a machine that is as alive and tangible as human beings.

Exploring a Business Practice of a nurse managed health care facility Essay

Exploring a Business Practice of a nurse managed health care facility - Essay Example Quality service delivery and the becoming communities’ choice in medical provision, Valley Medical Group must have quality personnel, resources, and equipment that meet the current medical service delivery. Notably, from its records, it apparent that Valley Medical Group aims at providing quality medical services to its targeted communities especially from the fact that most of its medical staffs have the right certification that qualifies them from charging their duties. Additionally, the institution has numerous associates with experience that help in meeting the institutions mission towards attaining its vision. Moreover, the institution fulfills the regulations that require it to operate. This means that it will at all times be operational. The institution’s equipment also makes it the preferred institution for medical checkup especially the radiology (Perry, Serven, and Suescun, 2008). Meeting the laid down regulation including environmental regulation especially in the application of x-rays and disposal of wastes as well as having qualified radiology technicians, makes Valley Medical Group an institution of choice from by its targeted customers. Customers, in this case pat ients, will only go to medical centers where they are assured of their safety and not developing other medical conditionals fuelled by poor quality management of the medical institutions that they seek medical services. Therefore, Valley Medical Group’s environmental control mechanisms particularly its reduction of environmental radiation from X-ray makes attract many patients. Nonetheless, it should be noted this practices are never expensive if well followed and executed (Penner, 2004). For instance, the Valley Medical Group’s medical wastes are only paid for once a year as required by the state medical waste regulations. The financial management of every sound organization usually needs a sound financial management that is mainly pegged on the institution’s

Introduction of the new Nokia Lumia Product Essay

Introduction of the new Nokia Lumia Product - Essay Example product development is crucial to survive in the global competitive environment especially when it comes to technology such as gadgets, mobile phones, tabs and other electronic devices. In the era of globalisation it becomes crucial for organisation to innovate new product to keep up with the competition in the global environment and secure a better market place. Timely and responsive new products have become more critical in the global environment and there arise the need to response quickly to the changing dynamics of global forces (Yelkur & Herbig, 1996, p. 38). Methodology Research methodology includes two forms of research, primary research and secondary research. Primary researches are conducted based on questionnaires, interviews and can be both qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Secondary research is based on data which were already found and an analysis is made on the existing data. The methodology used to analyse the product introduced by Nokia, Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 in collaboration with Microsoft operating system are done mainly through secondary research. Data are collected from sources such as web, books, news and other relevant sources and are further analysed. Analysis and findings of Nokia and Microsoft are also based on SWOT analysis. Findings and Analysis According to IDC press release the global mobile phone market grew by 1% in the second quarter of 2012 where Apple and Samsung shipped half of the global Smartphone. With respect to the Operating System, Android has expanded its dominance in the global Smartphone market and accounted for 68% of the total Smartphone shipped in second quarter in 2012. According to findings, success of Android can be traced to Samsung accounting for 44%, iOS posted growth with double digit and remains at... This essay stresses that Nokia currently has been suffering from a major decline in market share leading to major loss for the company. Symbia which was the OS for Nokia did not help the company to generate enough revenue and as a result the company has partnered with Microsoft regarded as an opportunity for the company to increase its market share and profits. Nokia was facing a tough challenge from OS like Android, iOS due to the lack of innovation made by Nokia and also its slow response to match up the international market demands. Thus the advantage of pairing Nokia with Microsoft will be beneficial for both as within six months of the launch of Lumia Nokia from zero percentage went up to a third of the overall windows phone devices in the US. Nokia which was once the market leader in the mobile category had recently suffered a setback in the smart phone category and is trying to catch up with Apple and Samsung. This paper makes a conclusion that the management decision to partner with Microsoft has resulted to be beneficial for Nokia as the growth rate has increased within the six months of its launch of Nokia Lumia 820 and 920. In the competitive mobile Smartphone market, Nokia was lagging behind the market leaders Samsung and Apple and had suffered huge loss. Now entering into partnership with Microsoft it hope to regain back its lost market share and introduce new range of products with exciting features.

Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Coursework

Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy - Coursework Example The paper "Identify two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy" concerns the two texts dealing with contemporary art practices related to Italy. This group ÃŽ ¿f powerful families wanted to show the world that their learning, piety and taste made them worthy ÃŽ ¿f their high standing in society. Among the greatest patrons were members ÃŽ ¿f the powerful Medici family, who spent money on constructing churches and encouraging art. The works date from the time ÃŽ ¿f Lorenzo de Medici whom Machiavelli called "the greatest patron ÃŽ ¿f art and literature that any prince has ever been. The Florentine government also transferred the responsibility for artistic projects to individual guilds. The guilds formed the basis ÃŽ ¿f the city's political system. For example, during the fourteenth century, the Duomo and Baptistery were allocated to the Wool and Cloth Merchants respectively. The government also established "...guild rivalry as a powerful competitive spur to publ ic patronage in Florence. Females were also energetic artistic patrons and commissioned art in their roles as religious, royalty and noble women. Time and again, agreements with artists were arranged for females by a male family member, a monk, or a priest. Religious women and their communities (holy orders, individual nuns and abbesses) ordered decorations for their convent cells, refectories, and church altarpieces. The Christian church dominated the lives ÃŽ ¿f Europeans and thus embodied both the government and the patron

Bring Mobile Phones to School Essay Example for Free

Bring Mobile Phones to School Essay It has been debated nationwide and even worldwide for and against students being allowed to bring mobile phones to school. Usually, a school consists of three parts namely, the Primary, Middle and Upper section. We live in the 21st century which is very much a digital age and nowadays, almost every student other than in primary section, has a mobile phone. In my opinion, mobile phones are good for children as long as they are educated in its appropriate usage and the privilege given without being abused. Here are some reasons and benefits as to why students should bring phones to school. In the past, children had less activities in and after school and parents often never knew where their children were until they came home. In today’s world, children are so involved in after school activities such as clubs and societies, sports, music and tuition as directed by parents. Parents need to coordinate with the children, coaches, teachers in charge and other parties within their busy day to day schedules. Mobile phones allow parents to communicate with children at any time. Parents can check up on children and arrange transportation or relay important information if necessary. This supports organizing the daily schedule as we go along the day’s activities and increases the safety aspect. Mobile phones can also be an invaluable tool in emergency situations. For instance, if a student is severely injured or there is a crisis situation, cell phones can allow students to contact authorities for help. This can be especially important for students who do not travel to and from school with a parent, but in public transportation or school vans. It also helps children to have communication and build up networks amongst groups of common interests. Facilities like SMS allow to reach and communicate with large groups instantly with a record for future references, which also will save time and money. This option is also an advantage for teachers to reach their students at large in an effective manner for common messages. Further, with the added options such as Dictionary, Thesaurus, Reminders, e-mails and camera, the mobile phone expands the knowledge base and the capacity of a child and his scope. These features are commonly available in all mobile phones. Moreover, the student who carries a mobile phone has to protect it, be disciplined in it’s usage and also has to be knowledgeable in using it to his or her benefit. This improves the capacity of responsibility, self-discipline and knowledge sharing of the child which are very important attributes in a person’s life.  In conclusion, I think students should be allowed to bring mobile phones to school under the parents’ guidance and the schools should be clear in communicating its rules and regulations in terms of usage of the phones within school hours.

Comparing Mozambique and South Africas Demographics

Comparing Mozambique and South Africas Demographics Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural Increase per year Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000 per year) Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 per year) Natural Increase (per 1,000 per year) Total Fertility Rate (over avge womans life) Infant Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births) 1950–1955 629 000 295 000 + 334 000 43.3 20.3 + 23.0 6.50 96 1955–1960 697 000 297 000 + 400 000 42.5 18.1 + 24.4 6.50 91 1960–1965 774 000 310 000 + 464 000 41.6 16.7 + 25.0 6.30 87 1965–1970 808 000 312 000 + 496 000 38.2 14.7 + 23.5 5.70 84 1970–1975 909 000 317 000 + 592 000 37.7 13.1 + 24.6 5.47 77 1975–1980 980 000 319 000 + 661 000 35.8 11.7 + 24.1 5.00 71 1980–1985 1 052 000 307 000 + 745 000 33.9 9.9 + 24.0 4.56 61 1985–1990 1 086 000 299 000 + 787 000 31.1 8.6 + 22.5 4.00 53 1990–1995 1 073 000 332 000 + 742 000 27.5 8.5 + 19.0 3.34 51 1995–2000 1 082 000 450 000 + 632 000 25.1 10.4 + 14.7 2.95 56 2000–2005 1 111 000 645 000 + 466 000 24.0 13.9 + 10.1 2.80 59 2005–2010 1 074 000 746 000 + 328 000 21.9 15.2 + 6.7 2.55 55 In the table we can see the increase in population per year on average for 5 year spans Mozambique Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR* 1950-1955 331 000 220 000 111 000 49.4 32.8 16.5 6.60 220 1955-1960 359 000 219 000 140 000 49.1 30.0 19.1 6.60 201 1960-1965 392 000 222 000 170 000 48.6 27.5 21.1 6.60 185 1965-1970 430 000 230 000 201 000 48.0 25.6 22.4 6.60 172 1970-1975 474 000 236 000 238 000 47.2 23.5 23.7 6.58 158 1975-1980 534 000 247 000 288 000 46.9 21.7 25.3 6.53 146 1980-1985 584 000 272 000 313 000 45.9 21.3 24.5 6.44 143 1985-1990 586 000 283 000 302 000 43.6 21.1 22.5 6.33 143 1990-1995 640 000 293 000 347 000 43.4 19.9 23.6 6.12 134 1995-2000 739 000 301 000 438 000 43.3 17.6 25.7 5.85 115 2000-2005 844 000 326 000 518 000 43.3 16.7 26.6 5.52 99 2005-2010 869 000 341 000 528 000 39.4 15.4 23.9 5.11 88 *CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) Mozambique Loss of natural habitat About 80% of Mozambique’s population live in rural areas and depend on wood for cooking and for heating of water for domestic use, space heating and drying of foodstuffs.1This reliance on trees could spell disaster should population levels rise. Mangroves are being removed and converted into rice farms and salt pans, aquaculture and housing. Further offshore, corals are subjected to destructive fishing practices (e.g. use of fine mesh nets and dynamite). Â © WWF Illegal and unsustainable wildlife use, and human wildlife conflict In Mozambique like elsewhere in Africa and Asia, habitat loss is causing humans and wildlife to share increasingly smaller living spaces. Both sides are losing in the conflicts that ensue, such as in and around the Delta of the Zambezi River. There, crocodiles and hippos are coming face to face with humans increasingly often, while poaching and other illegal activities put species in jeopardy. In some places, such as Quirimbas National Park, there are concerns that current levels of resource use – e.g. sand oysters may not be sustainable, and are already leading to diminishing harvests of fish and other resources. For local people, this means reduced incomes and increased poverty in the long run. Pollution Off Mozambique’s coast, tankers carrying crude oil from the Arabian Gulf have resulted in contamination of the sea from spills and discharge of polluted ballast waters. In urban settings, rural sewage treatment is inadequate, exposing people to potential outbreaks of disease. Agriculture Poor farming practices and deforestation contribute to sedimentation of rivers that run to the sea, degrading seagrasses and coral reefs South Africa Water is perhaps South Africas most critical resource one of low abundance and growing needs. Tie that with problems of increased land use and population growth and you have several big reasons for concern. Lack of water South Africas freshwater supply is almost stretched to its limit. Less than 10% of South Africa’s rainfall is available as surface water, one of the lowest conversion ratios in the world. The country’s groundwater resources are equally limited. Despite regulations of river waters, in many catchments the need for water exceeds the supply and quality is often below standards. Given the projected growth in population and economic development, South Africa faces tough times in meeting water demands in the decades ahead. The shortfall in freshwater is tied to growing demands, but also to other issues such as loss of natural habitat and potentially climate change. Â © WWF-Canon / John E. NEWBY Destruction of natural habitats The land of the fine-leaved plants, the South African Fynbos, is one of the world’s most impressive botanical kingdoms a mind-boggling variety of plants that is richer than any other comparable sized area in Africa. An estimated 8,500 species of vascular plants, of which 70% are endemic (they are found nowhere else in the world), are reported here. But because the area has been heavily settled for several centuries, large swathes of natural vegetation, particularly in the lowlands, have been cleared for agriculture and urban development. Similar problems face the Namib-Karoo-Kaokeveld desert, a very distinctive and floristically rich ecoregion with highly diverse endemic plant communities. Here, poor land management, conversion of marginal lands for cultivation, dam construction, mining, and illegal extraction of selected succulents for black market trade, pose a suite of threats. Â © WWF Overfishing Along the West Coast of South Africa, there is persistent overharvesting of many commercially valuable species and products such as pilchard, anchovy and rock lobster. Further at sea, some fish stocks have been over-harvested, and several species face local extinction. These dangerous trends follow improvements of fishing methods, increase in fishing effort and the establishment of fishing industries. Introduction of exotic species South Africas natural habitats are being colonized by alien species at great rates. Introduced species, particularly North American gamefishes such as largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, are pushing out indigenous species and threaten to lead some of them to extinction. Pollution A high level of traffic associated with crude oil transport from the Arabian Gulf has resulted in contamination from tankers spills and discharge of polluted ballast waters. Reference List http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_South_Africa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Mozambique http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/mozambique/environmental_problems_in_mozambique/ http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/south_africa/environmental_problems__in_south_africa/

The Marketing Director Of Nestle Company Marketing Essay

The Marketing Director Of Nestle Company Marketing Essay Introduction The assignment investigates about a marketing strategy, tactics for a new product innovation and product improvements of Nestlà ©, one of the fastest growing FMCG Company with its product innovations. In this assignment, the STP analysis and tactics of marketing is applied for the new product design of the existing product from Nestlà ©. Firstly, Wheelwright and Clark, 1992 state that New product development (NPD) is due to three reasons such as increasing international competition, the challenging markets and the diverse or various technologies. Montoya- Weiss and Calantone (1994) add that the success or failure of NPD depend on the performance and factors done by organisation according to the strategic factors, development process and market innovation skills. The total word count of the assignment is () excluding references and appendices. The overview of the company (market and existing portfolio of its products and brands) Nestlà © is a Swiss multinational packaged food company formed by the merger of the Anglo- Swiss Milk company in 1905 (Nestlà ©, 2012). It is not only the largest food company in the world possessing 8,000 brands and a range of products but also one of the shareholders of LOreal, the worlds largest cosmetics company (Tom Mulier, 2011). The logo of Nestlà © symbolizes not only the activities of the company but also illustrates the average modern family of two children where the tree symbolizes an oak and the birds thrushes. The blue colour logo characterizes purity, care and goodness (famouslogos.us, 2012). Figure 1: The logo of Nestlà © (Nestlà ©, 2012) Nestlà © has sustained great performance in UK and Ireland which is due to its well- known brands, Kit Kat and Nescafà © and gained good sales growth through the year, 2012. Moreover, its successful innovations such as Nescafà © Azera and Maggi brand had made the company, Nestlà © outstanding from its competitors- both major competitors (Unilever and Mass Incorporated and Kraft foods) and competitors from local markets. The company has invested more than  £500 million to launch next generation of world class manufacturing facilities in the UK. Additionally, the company will hire more than 300 employees for their Nescafà © Dolce Gusto plant, which has increased the market share to supply not only to the UK market but also to export markets around the world (Nestlà ©, 2012). The type of the NPD for Nestlà © Company Trott (1998) defines new products as the developments or variations on existing formats. Although the products have appeared before in the market, it is still new to the market due to the changing innovation of including application advice for the product. Among the brands from Nestlà ©, the new product development would be the combination of dairy products (condensed milk and sugar) and coffee in one packet. That is also known as the additions to existing product lines (Trott, 1998). What makes it different from the previous packaging is not because having more than one product but because of launching new product innovation which is different from its competitors products. Figure 2: New Product Design for Nestlà © Our new product will meet the functional needs such as Biogenic needs or Biogenic drives often known as physiological drives and satisfy the physical needs such as food, water, air and shelter (Solomon and Bamossy et al, 2010). According to the Maslows hierarchy of needs, it satisfies the physiological needs which in turn dominate an individuals attention (Chisnall, 1995). Importantly, the needs of people differ according to the individuals unique history, learning experiences and the cultural environment and background (Solomon and Bamossy et al, 2010). Moreover, Motivation is the psychological process that allows consumers to recognize the needs (Wells and Prensky, 1996). Therefore, the new product of Nestlà © will definitely give positive motivation to customers where they will find out the positive mood, pleasure and comfort where it will lead to operant conditioning where the attractiveness of the product will provide the consumers through their benefits (Evans, Jamal and Foxal l, 2009). Segmentation through Demographic, Psychographics, Values, Culture and Influencing factors Clearly, the purpose of segmentation, a creative process is to fulfil customers needs and requirements creating competitive advantage for the company. However, Weinstein (1987) argue that companies treat everyone is their customers not targeting as segments groups in most companies. Macdonald and Dunbar (1998) explain that according to the Ansoff matrix, our new product includes in extending existing products to new segments. They suggest that a clear and realistic goal is necessary for a company as it plays a crucial role in the marketing planning process. Therefore, select segmented customers play an important role as targets for marketing activity and then develop a unique marketing program to carry out the prospects. Segmentation creates opportunities for the company where they can meet customers needs not only for today but also for the future (Macdonald and Dunber, 1998). Firstly, to know who to focus on and why, then we need to identify attractive segments from United Kingdom to know the consumer criteria. The Ethnicity results of 2001 Census show that 85.67% of proportions of total UK population are White British. 1.8% is of Indian, 1% is of Black Caribbean and 0.4% is of Other Asian excluding Chinese. See more in Appendix (). According to Evans, Jamal and Foxall (2010), consumer psychographics consist of lifestyle, personality and self- image. However Ries and Trout (1972) suggest that learning Psychographics, we become to recognize and understand about the values, perceptions, lifestyle, attitudes and motivations of the people. The lifestyle groups of people from UK are self- actualizers, innovators, esteem-seeker, strivers, contented conformers, traditionalists and disconnected The Consumer Insights Social Value Groups (2005), 18% of UK population like to self- actualises. Antonides and Raaij (1998), claim that values play an important part in Christianity and West European Culture. The values of UK can be learnt according to the indexes of Greet Hofstede (1991). Ronen and Shenkar (1985) stated UK as one of the Anglo countries. According to Hofstedes maps, UK ranks small on Power Distance and weak Uncertainty. Besides, amongst the types of self- congruence and self concept motives, Jamal and Goode (2001) investigate that individuals with higher levels of self-image congruence prefer higher levels of satisfaction. Thus, the attitudes towards buying new product behaviour can change with Heider (1958) theory. Targeting for the new Nestlà © product The target market of Nestlà © would be demographic targeting (N generation and Generation X or Baby Busters). Adam Smith Institute (1998) mentions that Generation Y or the millennial generation sometimes known as N generation are between ages 16 to 33 year old in 2010. Coupland (1991) indicates that age ranges from 34 to 44 year olds in 2010 are Generation X or Baby Busters. Ahmad, 2002 remark that over 20 million people in UK are of baby boomers (45-65 year olds in 2010) which can be estimated as 25 million by 2021. Moreover, Benefits sought can differ according to the social classes. See the social classes of UK (2008) in Appendix. Middle class people consume healthier food than the low ones. According to Freuds psychoanalytic theory, middle class people show superego structure from their conscious mind and control their behaviour according to morals and values. Oppositely, people who grew up in poverty are observing for physiological and safety needs from Maslows hierarchy of needs. Therefore, we should motivate these people to have healthy nutrients. In order to attract new product of Nestlà ©, the influencers are important as people are usually addicted to what the influencer speaks. Therefore, M Evans and C Fill being cited in Evans et al (2010) explain that opinion formers are targeted first and after that opinion leaders may receive the information from the opinion formers. But Antonides and Raaij (2010) claimed that opinion formers are informed via social contents by opinion leaders as they know new products via mass media. So, opinion leaders can give positive or negative advice and further information to opinion formers as they are influenced by opinion leaders. Park and Lessig (1997) suggest that information influence helps a lot in motivating people buying behaviour as they ask first from relatives upon which products to buy when they consider buying a product. Consequently, the motivation can acquire from external environment (Evans, Jamal and Foxall, 2010). McGuire (1974, 1976) show that cognitive motives can make individuals need for being adaptively concerned with headed for the environment and for attaining a sense of meaning. He and Greenberg, (2009) explain that cognitive dissonance motivates customers of the inconsistency between their attitude and behaviour, and encouraging a change headed for sustainable behaviour. Evans, Jamal and Foxall (2010), suggest that Maslow hierarchy of needs shows the motivational hierarchy of people. Positioning Fifield (2007) states positioning possesses an idea or perception in the customers attention. While Shimp (2011) defines that positioning has two actions namely, brand in (the consumers mind) and against (competitive positioning strategies). However, Clancy and Krieg (2000) show that positioning is all about stating a short statement or message to imprint in customers minds. Nowadays, most companies are expanding their positioning strategies to appeal more segments (Kotler et.al, 2005). For new Nestlà © product, the communication message Time Saving is crucial to receive the customers attention (Evans, Jamal and Foxall, 2009). This would be positioning based on functional needs to deliver solutions to consumers current consumption-related difficulties or potential problems by telling that the brand has specific benefits capable of solving those problems (Shimp, 2011). It becomes product related attributes as it offers product advantages such as saves time, affordable and convenient to carry which in turns motivates customers and creates values for their wants. Nevertheless, Kotler et.al (2005) outline that the competitive advantage being low and high quality influence on products position. For Nestlà ©, firstly, Nestlà ©s current position in the mind of consumers will be supported where introducing unoccupied position which values consumers and allowing reposition the competition. Finally, a company should deliver and communicate the desired position to target consumers because the companys marketing mix- product, price, place and promotion support its positioning strategy. Importantly, Nestlà © should support its position through performance and communication avoiding changes that might confuse consumers (Kotler et.al, 2005). Marketing Mix Strategies Product Kotler et. al, 2005 explain product offers market for attention, acquisition which satisfies customers needs and wants. A product can be physical objects, services, persons, places, organisations and ideas. Actual product of new Nestlà © includes its features, design, band name and packaging. It is vital to gain strong brand equity to capture customers loyalty and preference (Kotler et.al, 2005). Aaker (1991) recommend that a brand is a distinguishing name or symbol (such as a logo, trademark, or pack design) intended to identify the goods and services of either one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitiors. In order to launch the brand extension or brand stretching, new product can easily get recognition whereby saves high advertising cost. Essentially, a failure of brand extensions sometimes occur Brand dilution which may damage consumer attitudes towards other products as well (Kotler et al, 2005). For the new product, the original logo and name of Nestlà © would use. This could bring several advantages not only gaining customers attention because of creating a good product quality but also enabling the supplier to attract a loyal and profitable set of customers. As the package colour is of green and gold which is likeability legally protectable and made with higher- quality products. Packaging, an activity of designing the container or wrapper of a product for new Nestlà © can fulfil customers coffee breaks as it saves time and budget for them. For the new product, the logo and slogan will be the same as the original Nestlà © product. The design of the new product comes with 20 small packets inside a huge pack. Also the product is available with a small one whereas including 3 ingredients. This new packaging style would bring several benefits for the customers since it includes three products at the same time which offers the basic problem solving for them. They can easily carry and consume it whenever they go or can keep it since it comes along with zip-lock pattern. Moreover, it saves time for the customers when they are having a cup of coffee which in turn offers augmented benefits. Furthermore, it provides core benefits to middle class people. Since it is a consumer product therefore, consumers frequently purchase it for their own consumption. Furthermore, product quality has a direct impact on product performance; therefore, Nestlà © should link its new product quality to customers value and satisfaction (Kotler et.al, 2005). Nestlà © firstly should create quality level to support the new products position in the target market. Customer- driven strategy should introduce here to create a better quality for customers. The Product life cycle identifies a products sales and profits over its lifetime (Kotler et.al, 2005). During Introduction stage, since the product is new, the profits are negative or low because of the low sales and high distribution and promotion expenses. A rapid penetration strategy should apply to get fastest market penetration and largest market share (Kotler et al, 2005). If the new product meets market needs in the growth stage, sales will start increasing. Thus, the early adopters will begin buying and later buyers will start following their lead, because of the word-of- mouth. Later, new competitors will enter the market. It is essential to aware the product not to reach to maturity and to decline stage. The PLC of existing Nestlà © brands and new product is shown in Appendix (). Price Obviously, among the 4 elements of marketing mix, Price only can bring revenues. It is essential to avoid pricing which is cost-oriented rather than customer-value oriented. Since the segment and target market is carefully done, it is easy to set up the price for the new product. Being a new product, Nestlà © should apply market- penetration pricing while setting a low rice in order to attract large numbers of buyers and penetrate the market. Nestlà © should maintain its low price position to get penetration in the market. Among five products mix strategies, Nestlà © comes with product line pricing as there are cost difference between the products from the product line that have difference features and competitors prices. The selling price for the new product would be  £3 pounds for the whole packet which has 20 small packs inside. Being oligopolistic competition pricing, Nestlà © Company is always alert to its competitors strategies. Moreover, the customers perceptions of price effect on their buying decisions. Thus, if the new products demand falls by 10 %, when Nestlà © raises its price by 2 % the demand would be elastic occurring -5. However, if demand falls by 1% when the price is increased by 2%, inelastic demand occurs with -1/2 (Kotler et.al, 2005). Place Place is where transporting the right product to the right place at the right time to the customers (The times 100, 2012). It is known as Nestlà ©s distribution channel within marketing mix is to reach to its target market. New product of Nestlà © should be transported using indirect-marketing channels as below: The product is firstly targeted to consumers from UK in the introduction stage, it will distribute to all over the countries later. Marketing channel is part of customer value delivery network therefore; each channel adds value for the customers. The intermediaries of Nestlà © (wholesalers and retailers) take part a number of activities when delivering the products. For example: wholesalers can provide quicker delivery to the customers and retailers offer final link between the consumers and Nestlà © company (Kotler et. al, 2005). For the logistics functions, Nestlà © should store the goods in the warehouses while making stock available before the products are ready to be sold. Promotion The communication message Time Saving is crucial to receive the customers attention (Evans, Jamal and Foxall, 2009). In order to communicate with the target customers (external stakeholders), a variety of promotion methods will use with the purpose of Effectively attainting new customers by increasing customer base and Retention of existing customers by keeping up customer relations New product is going to be promoted through television, internet among the major media types. Nestlà ©s new product should Reach 70% of its target market during the first three months. I. Broadcast advertising (Television and Internet) The benefits would be good mass-market coverage and low cost per exposure. Frangi (2011) states that the proportion of media activities during the day time in UK as follow: For Nestlà © new product, an advertisement should create using Beyoncà ©s family (Appendix). Celebrity Endorsement promotes a sense of belief among the target audience and approves brand equity (Till, 1998). Moreover, since a celebrity can make advertisement believable (Kamins et.al;.1989), there will be certain awareness of the target group by breaking the disorder of ad and creating the ad and brand more obvious. As celebrity can help in brand name recognition (Petty, Cacioppo, Schermann, 1983), people will have a high recalling member for their favourite celebrity. Celebrities are appreciated and adored and respected by their audiences or fans and advertisers so, using stars as PR can influence the fans or customers towards the brand. Additionally, using Social networks Facebook, MySpace and Twitter could lead the customers to memorize the new product in a short period of time. It could especially attract to teenagers by looking at the proportion of their internet usage (Appendix). Proportion of adults who browse over social networking sites on the internet Conclusion Using the marketing mix creates a lot of advantages which brings customers satisfactions. Importantly, brand loyalty is necessary to make customers willingness to repeat purchase. It is essential to make a brand to be available in every shop including benefits such as good brand image, affordable price and packaging style. Marketing Strategies of Nestlà © would bring benefits along with the AIDA model. Attention (Awareness) attracts customers attention and awareness. Interest- creates advantages and benefits of Nestlà ©. Nestlà © should let its stakeholders know that fair ingredients include in it which is suitable to everybody. Mind will be fresh and everybody can concentrate on their work, after consuming the new product. Desire- The five performance objectives quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and fair price should consider getting customers desire. First error free goods should introduce which brings quality advantage to customers. Speed is important in providing goo ds and services to customers. Besides, doing or making things on time is important too. This is dependability. Next, flexibility requires fulfilling all customer requirements and dealing with all customer possibilities. Action- Customers action will meet as soon as they buy the new product. It is important to offer a value more than customers expectations. Thus, they have satisfaction which in turn creates them hard-core loyal and will unlikely to switch brands in the predictable future. As a recommendation, Nestlà © should consider internally and externally for its new product development. Internally, all departments have to work together, discuss and consider how they should make to build the brand image of new products and get the customers trust. Externally, it should consider about relationship, integrated and social responsibilities marketing. Nestlà © brand has long-term relationship with its customers, employees, suppliers, distributors, members of the financial community; shareholders and investors and other marketing partners (channels, distributors and advertising agencies). According to Kotler Keller (2006) Holistic Marketing is important in developing, designing and implementing of marketing programs, processes and activities. The relationship should not end in order to earn and retain the business. A strong relationship is essential to give a value which is more than customers expectations that would bring satisfactions and loyalty. Figure 1.1 Demography of UK in the year 2010 Classification of classes Explanations Lower middle class White collar workers Middle class Got tertiary education Upper middle class Earn higher incomes. They all are traditionally accomplished from private schools. Nouveau riche Working class, lower middle class Under class Long- term unemployed, elderly pensioners, economic immigrants, dependent on state benefits Upper class Statistically very few nowadays Skilled working class Blue- collar workers Work mostly in the construction and manufacturing factory. Unskilled and semi- skilled working class Blue- collar workers Work mostly in car factories, steel mills and textile mills Figure 1.3 Social classes of UK New product of Nestlà © Existing Nestlà © products

Loyalty Conflicts between Family and State in Homer’s Odyssey, and Soph

Loyalty Conflicts between Family and State in Homer’s Odyssey, and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Antigone Everyday we are faced with hundreds of decisions. Some of the decisions take very little time and are made without a second thought. Other decisions hold more at stake and can tear a person in two while trying to make the final decision. The basis of many of the hardest decisions is the conflict between family and state. The decision between pursuing a career and starting a family first is an example. Once a family is started, there are endless decisions about daycare, office meetings, and school activities to decide which will take priority. These decisions can become harder during a time of war. People are forced to choose between their personal lives including education, family and careers, and their duties as a citizen. Some of the earliest recorded literature presents this conflict between family and state. Homer’s novel, The Odyssey, deals with the issue at a time of war. Sophocles also addresses the conflict in two of his famous plays, Oedipus the King and Antigone. In the Greek language, this is a conflict between oikos1 and polis. 2 This essay will present the separation of loyalty between oikos and polis as is evident in early literature and in decisions of today. A modern example of the conflict between oikos and polis at a time of war can be seen in one National Guard soldier, Ryan. In February, 2003, Ryan was twenty-one years old and had just received a degree from a two-year college. He had met the woman he wanted to marry and had recently proposed to her. The couple had not set a date, but was looking at the spring of 2004. Everything was headed towards a bright f... ... New York: Penguin, 1979. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996. Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1984. Notes 1 Oikos is the Greek word meaning the family. 2 Polis is the Greek word meaning the government. 3 The Greek word for assembly is agora, which is the place of the meeting and the meeting itself. 4 Greek word for tradition, custom. 5 Greek word for multitudes. 6 Finley. 7 Greek word for king. 8 Greek word showing the might that the king has. 9 Finley, 91. 10 Homer, 228. 11 Finley, 120. 12 Auge. 13 Auge. 14 Sophocles, pg 63, lines 85 – 92. 15 Sophocles, pg 97, line 824. 16 Sophocles. pg 97, line 825. 17 Sophocles, pg 82, lines 503- 508. 18 Sophocles, pg 94, lines 756-761.

Life Of William Shakespeare :: essays research papers

Life of William Shakespeare Around 1568, a group of actors visited Stratford and put on a play before the entire town, with permission from John Shakespeare, the mayor of the town. The people loved the play, especially the small children. All of them looked up to the actors, as they returned each year to perform different plays. They had dreams of one day becoming actors, but only one of these children fulfilled this dream. This child was the mayor's son, William Shakespeare. At this time, actors in England usually spent their careers traveling to new towns, performing plays at city buildings or local inns. However, with the help of James Burbage, this all changed. James Burbage designed and built the first theatre in England. The actors could then settle down in one place and perform in a place built for plays. The theatre was a huge success, and many more began popping up over England, but this theatre built by James Burbage was forever known as The Theatre. The layout of the stage consisted of five levels. The lowest level was for trap doors built into the stage. The next level was the main stage, where the actors did most of their performing. Above this was the balcony level, which could be used to represent anything from a city wall to a mountain. The next level contained pulleys which could raise or lower anything from above. The top level was used for creating sounds of rain or thunder, or dropping important objects from the sky. William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at age 18. In two years, they had three children, a daughter named Susanna, and twins, Hamnet and Judith. He didn't stay in Stratford long after this though. He left his family to pursue a career as an actor in London. Shakespeare wrote his first play in 1592. It was a historical play called Henry VI, which was one of the biggest successes of the year. Some scholars criticized him because he did not have a university education like most playwrites, but probably the only reason he was criticized for this was because his play was so popular. After the success of his historical play, he wrote a tragedy called Titus Andronicus, and then The Comedy of Errors, a humorous comedy. Not many playwrites wrote so many different types of plays in so short a time, but Shakespeare was certainly not like any other English playwrite. Very early in Shakespeare's career, however, many theatres closed due to the plague in England, and playwrites were not in high demand. Shakespeare then turned to another type of writing and wrote a narrative poem entitled Venus and