Monday, September 30, 2019

In Westminster Abbey Analysis

Essay: â€Å"In Westminster Abbey†Ã¢â‚¬Å"In Westminster Abbey† by John Betjeman is a poem that tells the story of a woman in a famous church in London and her prayer to the Lord. Each stanza in the poem contains something that the speaker wants from the Lord. And as one reads through the poem, a more keen understanding of the woman praying is formed, and it is likely drastically different from the original perception gained in the first two stanzas. In â€Å"In Westminster Abbey,† John Betjeman uses the speaker’s prayer and flaws in Christianity to illustrate to the reader that an individual is not always how they appear. Considering the length of the poem, there is quite a bit of information told about the speaker’s identity and personality. Firstly, the speaker is likely a female. She states that she will â€Å"Join the Women’s Army Corps,† which footnote number six on pg. 122 of The Norton Introduction To Poetry says was the old World War One name for the Auxiliary Territorial Service, a primarily female organization specializing in domestic defense. The usage of the WWI name for the organization would suggest that the speaker would be at least in her mid to upper thirties. The footnotes note as well that the address she tells the Lord to â€Å"put beneath Thy special care† (24) belongs to a â€Å"fashionable† part of London, which indeed implies wealth. Another bit of personality that shows up quite frequently within the poem is the speaker’s demanding tone. She doesn’t ever ask the lord for the favors listed, she simply demands them. Lines like â€Å"[l]isten to a lady’s cry† (6), â€Å"[d]on’t let anyone bomb me† (12), and of course the last two lines where she demands the Lord answer her right then because she has other plans, â€Å"And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait/Because I have a luncheon date†(41 – 42). One of the more prominent details about the speaker that really shapes the latter half of the poem is that the speaker is not a true Christian. She provides incentives to the Lord by telling him â€Å"Now I’ll come to Evening Service/Whensoever I have the time† (27 – 28). All of this, of course, in hopes to prompt an immediate response. Claiming to â€Å"feel a little better† (37); she tells the Lord just how great it was to have had him talk with her (38). Betjeman, however, does not include any dialogue from the Lord back to the speaker. Although we would not expect the Lord to speak out loud directly to her, there are no other examples within the poem that suggest the Lord answers her prayers or even acknowledges her dismal attempt at prayer. I inferred that this is completely intentional on the author’s part. It creates a sense of ambiguity about the speaker’s standing with God. Now, through the descriptors of the speaker within the poem, we see her as a roughly middle aged, wealthy, and demanding woman who fails to comply with an ideal Christian life because of her egocentric personality. Set in a famous London gothic church, where monarchs have been crowned and many famous individuals were buried, the poem depicts a middle aged woman praying. This is an image that readers can relate to. Everyone can conjure up a memory from a time when they’ve seen a Christian woman praying, whether it is in person or through media. It is also the first image that the reader acquires of the speaker. The second and third stanzas don’t seem to contain anything unbecoming of a true Christian, given the situation of London in 1940 with the bombardment of their city from Germany. It is reasonable to assume that a woman who is living in London at the time and who might know or know of people that have died would be slightly emotional during her prayer and say â€Å"oh bomb the Germans. /Spare their women for Thy Sake,/And if that is not too easy/We will pardon Thy Mistake†(7 – 10). The egocentricity and naivety of the speaker really reveals itself starting in the fourth stanza. She tells the lord to â€Å"[t]hink of what our nation stands for† (19), and yet proceeds to name off completely irrational things. Most residents in London would probably disagree with their Nation standing for books bought from a local pharmacy, class distinction and proper drains. Although these things could be considered nice, they aren’t representative of the population. In a matter of one stanza, the image of the speaker the reader receives completely changes from the innocent wholesome churchgoer, to a self-interested pseudo-Christian who in times of trouble goes to the Lord in prayer expecting and demanding her safety, harm for the Germans, and a slew of other tasks. A person’s initial appearance is not always representative of their true nature. This is precisely the message intended to be received by the reader. John Betjeman is clearly separated from the speaker in the story. A main determining factor is that he is a male, and the speaker of the poem is female. The author seems to be expressing his personal beliefs and Christian ideals by creating the character in the poem who embodies almost the complete opposite ideology of the author. Even still, the poem appears a dramatic monologue. Writing in this style of lyric poetry allows John Betjeman to be completely removed from the poem and thus he gets his point across much more effectively. Had he done something like make the speaker a male, readers could falsely associate some of the elements of the poem with the author as opposed to considering them as an independent entity. The tone that is established by the time the conclusion of the poem reaches the forefront makes the reader want to analyze and judge the speaker, rather than identify with and feel sympathetic towards her. Words that help establish this tone come at the end of many of the lines. Words like â€Å"[m]istake†(10) and â€Å"fights†(17) create a negative connotation which the reader associates with the speaker. These words also help with the transformation from the â€Å"good image† of the speaker to the â€Å"egotistical image† that comes later. In the first stanza there is â€Å"lie†(5) and â€Å"cry†(6) at the end of lines. By the fifth stanza, when the perception of the speaker has changed there are the words â€Å"sinner†(25) and â€Å"crime†(26). These words in correlation with the setting of the poem and the time period that it takes place encompass the negative, condescending tone quite adequately. It is a time in London where people would want to be true to their faith and really take consolation in the Lord for protection, especially considering the role religion played in lives around 1940. Yet it appears that the only reason the speaker had to go to church in the first place was minute one. She could have simply been passing by the church on her way to a lunch date, and found it convenient to make her plea to the Lord. The organization of the stanzas by Betjeman into their specific order contributes to the reader’s perception of the speaker. As stated above, the view of the speaker from the reader’s perspective delineates from an average churchgoer in a time of crisis, to something much less respected at the time: an untrue Christian. If the stanzas of the poem were arranged in another order the perception of the female speaker would likely change with it. For example starting the poem with the second stanza could show the speaker in a cynical light, or if Betjeman decided to start with one of the latter stanzas such as stanza five, then the reader is informed of the shallow nature of the speaker much earlier causing for a lesser effect on the reader at poems end. It is because of the order in which the stanzas exist that allows the reader to really take away the message: people are not always as they first seem. This particular poem possesses a meter of trochaic tetrameter and a rhyme scheme of ABCBDD. Both of these particular elements contribute to the overall feel and tone of the poem. Unlike iambic meter, which generally provides an uplifting flowing feel, the use of trochaic meter does quite the opposite. As the poem is read the use of the troche makes the poem seem to drag along and makes the tone more dismal, which is appropriate when considering Betjeman’s view of the speaker. The rhyme scheme of ABCBDD contributes in a similar sense. The B rhyming words and the pair of D’s at the end of their respective lines tend to be the more important words from the stanza. In stanza 2 those rhyming words are sake, mistake, be, and me. When each of these words is taken individually in relation to the poem itself, it becomes clear as to why they were chosen. â€Å"Be† and â€Å"me† could help display the speakers demanding nature, and egocentricity. â€Å"Sake† and â€Å"mistake† could be words that hint at how the author is viewing the speaker’s prayer. They invoke feelings of apathy when read in the context of the poem. Individuals are not always as they first appear, much as the speaker of â€Å"In Westminster Abbey† appears to be an average Christian praying at the Gothic church while her Nation is in a time of peril. But in fact she is quite concerned with the opposite. It is not for the wellbeing of her associates and neighbors that she is worried, but herself instead. Egocentric ideals and naivety cloud the speaker’s judgment, and it is through this that John Betjeman is able to so clearly express his ideas. It is safe to say that he does this quite clearly throughout the entirety of the poem, but there are still some things readers can ponder. What event did John Betjeman experience or witness that made him feel so strongly as to compose this poem? Or is it simply a tribute to those true Christians and a criticism of those not on the righteous path? Nonetheless, Betjeman effectively expresses a message that is easily portrayed to readers of â€Å"In Westminster Abbey† regardless of which side of the fence of Christianity they reside on.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Culture and cultural differences Essay

â€Å"Motivation is an incentive, inducement, or motive, especially for an act† (Morris 1970) There are many ways which influence the motivation levels of an adult person to do a particular task. One of the most important factors is Culture, which is an intrinsic part of a human being. The term culture is best understood when cross-cultural people join to due to some reason, to form a group. While interacting with such a group for motivation, the main idea is to create a sense of belonging. People, who find their niche place in a group, are much more eager to perform tasks to the best of their abilities. The second most important idea for motivation is to create an environment to do work. The reasons for working vary for people from country to country – In China the work motivation is moral obligation, while in Japan it is trust and in Western societies it is incentives. All these factors should be taken care while motivating a cross-cultural group for working. One should always remember that, in the end all these people are doing the same for albeit for different reasons. What do you believe should be your primary concern when trying to motivate across cultural boundaries? Remember to justify your response. People from various cultures take incentives in a different way. People belonging to Asian countries like Japan, lay more stress on the acknowledgement of the work done, than on any material perks they might be able to earn. In contrast, people from many of the service based western countries like US think of incentives, as something which is to be won. And finally there are some people who might be from poor countries like Vietnam, where the perks mean additional money, the more they work the more they earn. Making all these people motivated with an inspirational talk, no matter how good the perks might be, is the most important factor of all. This is because, dissatisfied people might easily think on the lines of regional bias and try to de-motivate other people. A balanced talk which is aimed to effectively motivate the set of people, by seemingly addressing to the individual cultural sects of the group, hence requires the maximum talent and guile on the part of the motivating person. References LaMonica L, â€Å"The Relationship Between Culture and Learner Motivation and Implications for Trainingâ€Å", 17th July 2001, http://www. geocities. com/llamonica/culture. html

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Extraordinary Circumstance Review

Introduction and Aim of the Review This review of WorldCom is based on the Extraordinary Circumstances by Cynthia Cooper. The purpose of review report is to conclude whether WorldCom satisfied the Code of Ethics and the Attribute and Performance Standards set forth by the IIA. Background WorldCom was one of the largest telecom companies in the world during 1996 to 2002. The company helped to grow a small regional company that bought and re-sold long distance in the South into an international behemoth that operated in over 65 countries.However, in 2002, the senior management and employees perpetrated a massive fraud, and in June, WorldCom announced that it had â€Å"misstated† its financial statements over the last five quarters by $3. 8 billion. After coming out this scandal, WorldCom went bankrupt, and it has been the largest bankruptcy ever. Analysis Based on the book Cynthia Cooper wrote, WorldCom didn’t comply with the Code of Ethics and the Attribute and Performan ce Standards. Fraud The internet bubble that burst in March, 2000 is followed with much larger and more devastating collapse: Telecom.WorldCom’s financial statements were far worse than expectation that would result in stock price fall, downgrading company and most importantly—losing capital to acquire companies. Then CEO and CFO were planning to change the financial statements with mid-level accountants. They thought if the financial statements were better in next quarter, they could cover the change. But things didn’t go according to plan. They had to change the number until the whistle blew. Lack of risks assessment During the WorldCom expansion, CEO, Bernie led the company through 70 acquisitions in less than 20 years.Bernie was too audacious to expand the company without consideration. For example, when board didn’t want to invest any more capital or incur more debt on telecom, Bernie mortgaged everything he had to buy TMC outright. The strategy help s LDDS expand, but also planted bomb in the company which exploded in the future. Gambling rather than risk control When World Com was acquiring other companies, some were not willing to receive a combination of cash and stock. They would sell the stock as soon as they get.In order not to let the stock price fall, the executives in WorldCom bought the stock instead at a discount price. Luckily, as the result, the stock price went up dramatically. Low internal Audit department position Internal audit department was a dispensable unit in the company and didn’t get high attention during that time. Unlike external counterparts, internal auditors are usually employees of the companies they audit. Some companies choose to have only a small, token group, others none at all, and others outsource the function altogether, sometimes to the same public accounting firm performing the external audit.Cynthia Cooper was announced to be the director of internal auditing by CEO, Bernie. They p robably had some deals under table during CEO fraud. Individual manipulation and lacking of proficiency LDDS was too big to have so many employees reporting to CEO, Bernie directly. Meanwhile, Bernie doesn’t have technical telecom or financial training and he was only interested in what he liked and understood. His goal was to make WorldCom to be the NO. 1 stock on Wall Street rather than capture market share or be global which implied the tragedy of WorldCom.He continuously acquired the other companies to make WorldCom bigger and bigger without deep consideration, even paid the price to lose his confidants. Lack of programs improvement WorldCom was praised as a â€Å"fast-growth† company—a rate of growth usually achievable only by external acquisition, not organic internal evolution. If WorldCom ever stops acquiring, growth will most likely slow, which will negatively impact analysts’ ratings and WorldCom’s stock price. The main business in WorldC om is not real telecom business; instead, it’s a acquiring and resell business.Thus, there were no improvement or clear organic structures in the company. What’s more, WorldCom didn’t have its own wireless network and it only sells wireless service, which would result in loss revenue later. Lack of after acquiring testing WorldCom acquired 65 companies successfully until the failure of acquiring Sprint. Internal auditing department only employed 10 people to monitor the huge company. Not mention to monitor and test the acquired companies. Lack of auditing CEO During the golden period of WorldCom, Bernie obtained loan from plenty banks which related to the stock price of the company.As long as WorldCom stock stayed higher above a level, banks wouldn’t issue a margin call, requiring Bernie to come up with the cash to pay down enough of the loan to bring the collateral to remain at a certain percent of the loan. As a result, when the stock market fluctuated in 2002, WorldCom stock price went down below the certain level, and the board had to help Bernie to pay the loan, or the stock price will keep falling as the banks lose confidence in WorldCom and sell stocks one after another.But at the beginning, there was no one to control Bernie not to borrow money and take that risk to pay marginal call. Conclusion WorldCom was proved to be a big success and a tragedy in the history. Its strategy of expansion through acquiring constantly helped it grow-up to be a top 100 company in the stock market. However, it’s precisely because this â€Å"crazy† acquiring method let the WorldCom ignore the foundation of operating activities. Investors neglect the cash flow statements rather than totally relied on the equity return.As the internal department, it didn’t play a good role in assurance and consulting activities for the acquiring process. Since the department wasn’t gain enough attention from the board and was usually i nfluenced by the executives, like CEO—Bernie, it was hardly to let them perform well under the Bernie’s control. In this case, Bernie was seen as â€Å"Gods† in WorldCom and there was no one came up with objections, even some will oppose the acquiring, but at last Bernie still could do what he wants.Even Cynthia found there was a fraud from the new CEO and CFO after Bernie left WorldCom. It still couldn’t prevent the tragedy Bernie planted before. At the same time, this case also gives a lesson that power should be divided rather than central control, and the person who holds the power should have the enough capability and professional knowledge. ——————————————– [ 2 ]. On page 52 [ 3 ]. On page 57 [ 4 ]. On page 77 [ 5 ]. On page 84 [ 6 ]. On page 129 [ 7 ]. On page 175 [ 8 ]. On page 127 [ 9 ]. On page 152 [ 10 ]. On page 172 [ 11 ]. On page 183

Friday, September 27, 2019

Historical Case Study PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Historical Case Study - PowerPoint Presentation Example This was the first he was placed into an institution for this disorder. Common belief was that the drugs and numerous â€Å"cures† that were available during that period, and that he was administered harmed him and made his condition worse, especially the treatment with electric shock. After the death of his mother, who had cared for him, Eduard Einstein spent his remaining days at a Zurich psychiatric hospital where he passed away aged fifty-five from a stroke. He had already broken ties with his father after his illness after telling him that he felt hatred for him (Tom Blaise Shepherd Existential Society, 2006). Einstein exhibited distorted perceptions of reality. He had perceived reality that was different from what was shared and seen by those that surrounded him, making him feel confused, anxious, and frightened. This caused him to feel and behave in different manners at different times, sometimes seeming preoccupied, detached, and distant while sometimes he was alert, vigilant, wide-awake and always occupied. Einstein also experienced illusions and hallucinations (Szasz, 2008). These are perceptive disturbances. These hallucinations manifested themselves as occurrences of perceptions that lacked a connection to any appropriate source. This was in the form of sounds and voices that other people around him could not hear, as well as seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching things that those caring for him could not. In these hallucinations, he would carry conversations with invisible people, describe his own activities, issue orders to various individuals, and even warn them of impending d isaster. His illusions manifested themselves when he would interpret sensory stimuli incorrectly, even though the stimulus was present. Einstein also exhibited signs of delusional behavior. These are personal beliefs that are false and not subject to any contradictory evidence or reason. His delusions could not be explained by his normal cultural

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Cultural Incomprehension between Europeans and Native Americans in the Essay

Cultural Incomprehension between Europeans and Native Americans in the Colonial Context - Essay Example It is usual for European explorers to use casually terms like "wilderness" and "unknown" to describe homelands of native people. In fact, these regions were the real milieu of Native American homes with their adjoining gardens and hunting lands. The journey of the Europeans and their entourage, bearing the massive inventory of the expedition could not have completed the mission without the co-operation and support of the natives. It is highly doubtful whether they would have survived in the rugged and hostile terrain without heavily relaying on the expertise of the natives for whom it was their home. The wealth of vital topographic knowledge about rivers, streams, hills, and passages might have been invaluable logistic support on their itinerary. Though they co-operated both Europeans and the natives may not have understood the full implications of the unfolding drama. There are plethoras of motives that goad explorers to brave the tumultuous waves of perilous oceans, to confront the dusty heat waves of the desert and to scale the precipitous cliffs. Nevertheless, social historians have narrowed down the motives of the men to the inordinate craving for gold, God and glory. Those who went for the mundane lure of wealth may not have much reflected on the experience of their contact with the alien people. However, the missionaries who went out to save souls might have been shocked at the sight of natives whose ways were totally unacceptable. They dumped the natives as heathens: The attitudes of BFM missionaries toward American Indian manifestations of heathenism were thus unremittingly ethnocentric. These Presbyterians could see nothing worth preserving in the rich and varied Indian cultures they entered (Coleman 80). Many Europeans failed to grasp the close link between health, environmental concerns and cosmology. As Kupperman observed such concept was also prevalent in England and France. (Kupperman 2000). It is somewhat surprising as medical theories in many European societies then, also took into consideration the relation between morality and well being and sometimes attributed illness to witchcraft While the attitude of the early missionaries were one of disgust at the sight of the savage practices of the natives, early diplomat-explorer could experience a sense of kinship with the savage chiefs. George Percy speaks of his first sight of a Powhatan werowance in 1607 as follows:His body was painted all with Crimson, with a chaine of Beads about his necke, his face painted blew, besprinkled with silver Ore as wee thought, his eares all behung with fine Copper or Gold, he entertained us in so modest a proud fashion, as though he had beene a Prince of Civil government, holding his countenance without laughter or any such ill behavior. (Bragdon 38) Kupperman (Kupperman 2000,63) has pointed out, Percy, himself a nobleman understood the nobility of the native but was unwilling to give much importance to his political stature. The range of the Indians was mainly in their land and their interaction with other cultures was minimal. The Europeans on the other hand with their spirit of expansion and lure for gold and

The car that saved JLR Company Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The car that saved JLR Company - Coursework Example According to Hardy and Leiba-o’ Sullivan, power in the current business environment is more related to that embedded within systems and relationships. This embodiment of politics and power has been applied in the management of JLR. The acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata took almost a year after it was approved by unions and management of Ford, who was JLR’s previous owner. Tata put its stake in the ailing company, while every other automobile manufacturer retreated, thereby increasing faith among JLR’s unions and management as well as shifting power from unions to the owner. Similarly, this power was used by Tata while compromising on salary and working hours at the manufacturing facilities, in return for huge production investment and continuity of manufacturing plants. Often, maneuvering and political behavior within a firm are caused due to uncertainty such as inadequately defined decisions, change, internal competition and unclear objectives. JLR fa ced similar uncertainties while it was being acquired by Tata. However, in order to establish harmony among leaders and union members, upper management decided to give power to the unions, instead of managers. Employees and unions working with JLR were left to decide the brand, which will be finalized as the acquiring company. Hence, by establishing a smooth political climate and transforming negative politics into a positive one, Tata has successfully acquired JLR. The Emic model of power and diversity explains the importance of intersectionality.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example These end users regard companies who refuse to abide by the regulations as irresponsible and try to avoid them. This means that should all factors in the supply chain process be put in place but common actions on abiding by regulations that borders on the wellbeing of people and the environment be ignored, there is no way customers would accept or patronise products from such irresponsible companies (Bowman, 1997). This way, the core motifs of companies in going into production would totally be defeated. It is in light of this that corporate organisations and companies have always taken steps to be accepted in the face of customers and the general public as corporately responsible. To achieve such tags of corporate responsibility, companies take a number of corporate responses to address specific issues. In the following sections, three companies and how they have taken specific corporate responses to address certain issues that borders on the environment and the growing challenges o f global supply chain have been addressed. GlaxoSmithKline As a company, GlaxoSmithKline has taken a number of initiatives that are based on the principles and core values of supply chain management: particularly, supply chain business process integration to address a number of social and environmental issues (Lambert, 2008, p.15). Three of these and how the company facilitated change in the given directions have been discussed below. Environmental degradation As a pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline has been faced with several issues that concerns environmental degradation. Environmental degradation has been explained as an act that deliberately or unintentionally causes damage to the environment (Burgess, 1998). Such practices have bordered the company because it depends on some raw materials that are acquired directly from undertaking environmentally threatening acts like the cutting down of trees. In the course of manufacturing also, there is the release of large volumes of waste fumes into the environment. Through the supply chain management practice of manufacturing flow management, the company has been able to ensure that what could otherwise had been serious damage to the environment has been controlled. According to Goldsby (2003), manufacturing flow management â€Å"includes all activities necessary to move products through the plants and to obtain, implement, and manage manufacturing flexibility in the supply chain (p. 23)†. Specifically, the company has been engaged in the purchase of production plants that have been designed to internally recycle waste fumes for the generation of power. This way, waste fumes are not thrown into the open atmosphere. Rising energy and materials prices Recently global events including outbreak of wars and political uprising in major oil producing countries have led to rising price of crude on the world market. This has apparently led to increase in the cost of energy. Most commonly, increase in prices of e nergy leads to increase in prices of raw materials (Copacino, 1998, p.31). This is because of the high cost of transportation that increase in the prices of energy brings about. For GlaxoSmithKline as a company, steps have been taken with reference to the order demand

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Three short essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Three short essays - Essay Example This will indeed reflect on the performance of the firm as growing, startling or diminishing. Managerial capitalism as Chandler suggests, is a structure where an enterprise is controlled with managerial skills (Chandler and Alfred, 1984:476). This is a system that has been used by a number of organisations and firms since the nineteenth century, especially in the United States and Great Britain. As a fact, the stakeholders and owners are not in control of their enterprise. Therefore, the performance of an enterprise will solely depend on the managers. The administration of all activities in an enterprise is the work of the managers, which is reflected on the end results. Managers that have apt managerial skills are on the forefront of recording success in an enterprise. As such, they will give adorable results in each financial year. However, managers that do not have the required skills are likely to reflect negative results. On the other hand, Taylorism is a form of management wher e main objectives of an enterprise or firm are stipulated for economic efficiency (Dunning and Boyd, 2003:129). In this type of management, labour productivity is instilled by using scientific forms which have analysed ways of flowing activities. In such a manner, most of the activities of a firm are done according to the laid out criterion. Similarly, some organisations chose to use Fordism and bureaucracy in management. Fordism involves industrialised forms of production, which are geared towards making a massive production. These forms are mostly industrialised to make work easier. However, bureaucracy in management involves an administration that executes legal rules and enforces them to make an achievement in the organisation. These administration rules are socially organised by the administration. All these managerial administrations are core concepts in controlling and managing an enterprise, which reflects on the performance. These are historical concepts that have been used by many organisations. Some organisations encompass several managerial concepts depending on how they work and the success of each one of them. Therefore, it is in the best interests of a firm to choose on the best concept to use, especially when they need to amass resources for their development (Ryrvik, 2011:62). For instance, in managerial capitalism, all the managers have the right to make decisions in a firm. The stakeholders do not have to change such decisions as they do not have a right. On the other hand, in bureaucracy management, all the stakeholders and mangers have to settle down for a unanimous decision. As such, all the people that are in the firm have to make decisions for the firm. On the other hand, Taylorism and Fordism involves scientific ways of management. These are structured ways that ensure a firm is developing accordingly. Changes are only made with reference to these scientific ways. As Hall and Soskice state, each of these methods is fundamental in makin g a firm or enterprise progress. As much as firms continue to conduct their business, some problems may occur. In such instances, there should be generations of solutions. For instance, when there is a problem in a firm that embraces Fordism and Taylorism, they have to look for structured ways that will help avert the situation. However, in a firm that embraces bureaucracy and managerial capitalism, the management is the core subject to structure the solution. Topic

Monday, September 23, 2019

Ethics in Engineering (Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor) Essay

Ethics in Engineering (Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor) - Essay Example Though there was no abnormality of this setup, engineers should reposition the fuel tank for the police vehicles to minimize these accidents. The design for fuel-tank in the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (CVPI) was all right according to federal safety standards (Fleddermann, 2011). However, CVPI had failed to take precautions necessary for minimizing the risk of explosion of the fuel tank in case the vehicle was smashed from behind. Ford should have positioned the tank far from the axle bolt because it is responsible for causing damage to the tank when the car experiences a rear smash (Lieu & Sorby, 2009). Ford should also have distanced the fuel tank away from the crash region. These precautions are essential in police vehicles because of they're prone to such incidences since they are usually parked a short distance from the road. The design for the fuel tank in CVPI failed to meet acceptable engineering standards (Fleddermann, 2011). This is because engineers have a duty to ensure safety for their clients and the general public. Engineers should exercise their professional skills and ethics when discharging their duties. Therefore, since the engineers knew the use of the police vehicles and the risk they were exposed to in case of rear smash, they should have taken preventative measures to minimize such risks. Engineers have an obligation to conform to the existing states laws, professional principles and exercise their skills to the best of their ability to discharge their duties safely and successfully (Pahl, Wallace & Blessing, 2007). Therefore, it was vital that the designers obeyed federal regulations during discharge of their roles. The CVPI vehicles for use by police were supposed to be redesigned by placing the gas-tank some distance from the axle to minimize the risk of damage to the tank.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

United States Economy since November 2004 to November 2007 Essay Example for Free

United States Economy since November 2004 to November 2007 Essay The distinction of the United States as the only remaining super power in the world may not only apply in their military force but in their economic might as well. But historically, according Bernard Baumohl, it was only during the early 1970s that the U. S economy was open to international market following the collapse of the Bretton Woods Agreement, which was intended to establish a stable foreign exchange system. As a result, Baumohl said â€Å"currency values in the world financial market began to float freely, sometimes moving wildly up and down† (p. 240). The immediate impact of this is that the world trade grew faster than ever. Baumohl point out that this development resulted to the influx of cheaper foreign goods which were often of better quality and â€Å"increasingly found their way into the U. S market and started to pose serious competition for US producers† (p. 240). As this was the case, American companies responded by operating more efficiently, and lower their prices while also seeking new market overseas. Baumohl noted that since then, trade has evolved to become one of the most important forces shaping the US economy† (p. 240), the United States economy soared so high that in the short span of time they became one of the most if not the wealthiest economy in the world. Price stability in the United States As the US economy soar high in the international arena and the purchasing power of the US dollar remains strong against the euro, the US has maintained a stable price. The OECD economic outlook noted that inflation in the US has remained with in a desirable range through the help of the long-term household survey measures. Inflation, the OECD noted â€Å"have remained well anchored, even if indexed-bond have drifted somewhat† (p. 24). The article point out that this stability has helped â€Å"limit the second-round effects from the oil price and exchange rate shocks, but it is all the more important that further policy action validate the still serene expectation† (p. 24) In the OECD Economic Surveys United States 2004 article, it noted that in price stability, firmly anchored long term inflation expectations are especially important , not only to maintain public confidence in the durability of low inflation achieved over the past two decades, but also to limit the risk of a potentially self- reinforcing deflationary spiral in the face of hypothetical negative shock (p. 46). Unemployment . Nazimudeen Saleem stated that unemployment in the US soared to a record high in 2004 at 5. 6% reaching over the threshold of 5%. An internet article from entitled Unemployment noted that in April 2007 unemployed adult men stands at 4. 0 percent while adult women, at 3. 8 percent, Caucasians, 3. 9; Hispanic (all races, at 5. 4 percent; African American, 8. 2 percent, and teenagers with the highest number of unemployed at 15. 3 percent. Amadeo noted that the weakest year-by-year employment was 1. 2% in 2004 indicating a trend of decline since 2006. She point out that unemployment is not worsening at all, but it indicate declining trend as unemployment was up at 4. 7% from 4. 4% in October and only slightly up by one percent in May 2007 at 4. 5 percent. Indeed there is a trend of slight decline in the unemployment rate from 2004 to 2007. Healthy Economic Growth In the report to congress on International Economic and Exchange rate policies in December 2006, it cited that the United States has made substantial progress in reducing the federal fiscal deficit from 3. 6 percent of gross Domestic Product in 2004 to 1. 9 percent in fiscal year 2006 Gross Domestic Product, posting an improvement of 1. 7 percent. The report also cited that the United States economy has experienced continuous healthy economic growth in 2005 up to the third quarter of 2006, but during the last quarter economic growth slowed down up to the most recent quarter. From the first quarter of 2004, Gross domestic product or GDP stands at 3. 9% and slightly up by one percent during the second quarter of the same year at four percent. But it slowed down during the third and fourth quarter registering only 3. 1% and 2. 6 percent respectively. However during the first quarter of 2005 GDP was up again jumping to 3. 4% but down by 1% at 3. 3% on the next quarter. The third quarter of 2005 posted a highest growth rate since the first quarter of 2004, at 4. 2 but drastically fell to 1. 8 percent during the last quarter. According to the report of the U. S. Economic Recovery and resurgence as of march 2007, economic analysis of the GDP for the last quarter of 2006 indicates that growth rate has accelerated from 2. 0 percent on an annual basis to 2. 5 percent. The report further cited that although there were difficulties in GDP during the first, second, and third quarter of 2006 but the economy still registered a growth rate of 3. 4 percent, which is still in line with the real growth rates in past few years. According to an article entitled United States Economy 2007, GDP growth rate was under girded by the significant gains in labor productivity that despite of the damage caused by hurricane Katrina it had caused only a minor impact on overall GDP, which stand in 2005. Even the soaring oil price in 2005 to 2006 had only limited impact though it threatened inflation and unemployment. The Purchasing Power Parity GDP in2006 stands at $12. 98 trillion while official exchange rate GDP is $13. 22 trillion, Per Capita GDP $43,500. The graph at the bottom page of this paper shows the economic performance of the United States economy pertaining to the discussion above (see Figure 1). Healthy Balance of Payment (Export/ Import) Francisco Carrada-Bravo pointed out that the best way to learn about the country’s balance of payments statistics is to â€Å"take a careful look at them for a particular period† (p. 110). Bravo noted that the balance of payments of the United States, and other balance of payments from any country in the world, encompasses several main accounts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 110). Bravo explained that the value of current account is determined, at large extent by the result of trade, service, and transfer of sub accounts. Bravo further explained that â€Å"the United States shows a current account surplus, when the sale of US goods and services to the rest of the world exceeds the US acquisition of these items from other countries. How ever, the United States has a deficit in the capital account when US corporations invest abroad in excess of what foreign multinationals invest in the United States. Translating the above explanation to the US balanced payment, Export promotion, which is managed by the Ministry of Finance, provides subsidies in forms of interest rate support, direct financial support, and export rewards and bonuses. In a report made by OECD staff, the total number of firms of exporting goods was 238,284. Out of the total number of firms, 97% percent of that is SME or small-medium enterprise (p. 365). The success of this export sector is through the assistance of government since it has assistance programs and overseas trade offices to help them their small business with â€Å"market research and local assistance (p. 365). Another factor for steady rising of the economy is a policy issued on November 19, 2004, which â€Å"blocked state and local governments from taxing connections that link consumers to the internet for the next three years (OECD, p. 367). This is because the Federal government believed that e-commerce is â€Å"a growth engine for exports and international expansion. Figure 2 of this paper (see bottom page) explains the balance of payment, which includes details on American economy that includes the year 2004, 2005, and 2006. Main Macro economic Policies by the United States John Atlee in his executive summary of the Macro Economic Agenda Recovery Now and Democratic Comeback 2004 outlined macro economic policies that the US government used during the last three years. First is the Analytical Policy Focus, which features an Adopt a growth trend standard of reference for economic policy and analysis. This policy also denies economic recession instead suggest that the country is just experiencing a mild recession. Significant recovery is yet to begin and maintaining structurally balanced growth with unemployment below 4% should be the aim of this policy with reference fro the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978. Another macro economic policy, which the United States government employed during the last three years, is the Budget and Management. John Atlee noted that Bush economic policy is quite weak in its budget, and that this budget vulnerability must be understandable to the voters as well as to the investors who are demanding transparency in government. This policy also instructs that deficit projections and budget should not be based on ever changing and unreliable economic forecast. Furthermore it also to keep deficit close to zero, and eliminate economic forecasts, which is unreliable and ever changing. The government also used Social Security policy making it financially sound to effectively discredit the privatization campaign as this privatization mover promulgates falsehoods perhaps, against the capacity of the government. Taking Social Security (SS) can help finance non-SS deficits. Monetary Policy is one of the key macro economic policies of the government as this is where everything can be fluid. This policy is to recognize the creation of checkable-deposit money by bank, which finances GDP growth through eighteen to one monetary multiplier effect. The policy also aims to eradicate the pretense of interest rate control by increasing reserve requirements and direct control to the Fed. The government also used the Systematic Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policy over the last three years. Atlee reports that Fiscal policy is separate from budget management as it is mainly concerned with the over all effect on the economy of the budget. In Atlee’s executive summary of these macro economic policies, he pointed out that the main engine of recovery is the reformed monetary policy, which is facilitated by flexible fiscal policy. Tax Policy is another very important measure that the Bush government had utilized to encourage new businesses in the form of entrepreneurial incentives to new high tech industries and small businesses. This incentive is an exemption from the undistributed profit tax and some measures to avoid unsustainable and excessive stock price increases. These policies aim to sustain the momentum of economic growth experienced by the country since 2004 to 2007. Demand Policy and Supply Side Policy Demand policy is a government policy based on the extremity of the need of a certain sector of the government or society such as the labor sector or the energy sector. Demand policies in the labor sector is increasing the number of quality jobs Mark Rank noted that this policy approach â€Å"has assumed that the labor market by itself will generate enough jobs to meet the needs of those seeking work—that, as the supply of labor increases, the labor market will in turn respond by generating more jobs to meet the demand† (p 204). Thus, Rank suggested various labor demand policies are needed in order to generate a more â€Å"robust rate of job growth† (p. 204) Egbert Tellegen and Maarten Wolsink pointed out that supply-side policy and demand side management â€Å"require widely different abilities from the organization† (p. 184) They contend that the main challenge of supply-side management is â€Å"to develop and manage facilities of the highest technical quality at the lowest possible costs in order to fulfill customers’ needs under all circumstances† (p. 184). Conclusion/Summary American economy since November 2004 to November 2007 despite of ups and downs in the economic performance, yet it remained a steadily growing economy. The 2004 saw its drastic economic decline but it was able to rebound during the first quarter of 2005 to the third quarter of 2006; registering at steady GDP growth rate of three to four percent. Unemployment was also declining as more jobs opportunity is created each year. In general, the United States economy are performing strong up to the recent quarter of 2007 despite of their current internal debt of about 1. 3 trillion and about ten billion dollars in external debt. They remained economically powerful despite the current depreciation of the dollar against Euro and other foreign currencies. Moreover, US economy has purchasing power of about 12. 98 trillion while official exchange rate GDP is $13. 22 trillion, Per Capita GDP $43,500, which continuously grows in the preceding year.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan for China

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan for China This paper aims at outlining the strategic marketing approach of Costa Coffee for entering a new market . Costa Coffee is the British part or retail sales of Whitbread Family. Whitbread is a British Multinational Company and it has franchises worldwide. Whitbread includes Hotels, Restaurants [Household names like TGI Friday], Health and Fitness plus Other Businesses. The contents of this paper include the marketing strategy of Costa Coffee and its expansion plans in China. Introduction The Story The history of Costa Coffee began in a mountain town outside the region of Parma, where there was the house of Costa family. In the late 60s, the Italian brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa, hungry for success, traveled to England, seeking an opportunity for professional advancement. By arriving there, they found how simple the English coffee market was. Motivated by their Italian background and Sergios skills in the roasting of coffee beans, they decided to return to Milan to enrich their knowledge and technique in Italian coffee shops. In 1971, upon their return to London, they bought a three-story building in Lambeth, where they set up their own coffee shop. In the beginning, the Costa brothers worked as producers and wholesalers and were supplying high-class restaurants and specialty stores. Soon, they built their reputation for their dedication to excellent quality of their product. However, in 1978 they had to find some employment for their wives in order not to interfere in their business. Therefore, they decided to create their first coffee boutique in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, and assigned its management to their wives. This idea experienced tremendous success, and led the brothers to the expansion of Costa coffee boutiques and award their management to relatives and friends. Since the opening day of the first store to date, the same traditional method of slow roasting (18-22 minutes) of coffee beans is used, offering the delicious and fragrant blend Mocha Italia, from 6 Arabica beans and 1 Robusta. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Today, Costa Coffee owns 500 shops worldwide. Costa Coffee believes in its employees skills therefore, it provides intensive employee training at the Cost Coffee Academy. VISION: Costa Coffee vision is to provide the best hospitality to its customers since its range of hospitality products range includes restaurants, hotels and leisure clubs. MISSION: To serve the best coffee in the true Italian style. BUSINESS PORTFOLIO: Costa Coffee has built an unrivaled reputation for coffee excellence, and this is achieved by fully controlling the process, from harvest and selection of coffee beans, from the roasting of the Italian maestros, the choice of engines and compliance with the procedures of manufacture of beverages, ensuring this way that customers can enjoy the same excellent quality coffee at any of Costa Coffee in the world. The drinks are served in 3 different sizes Primo, Medio and Massimo, and the customer can choose between the unique blend of Mocha Italia, or decaf, whole or skim milk and add an extra dose of espresso, flavored syrup, cream, candy or chocolate. There are 15 factors that are combined and help to create the perfect Costa coffee. In addition, in every store worldwide regular controls take place, which ensure consistency and maintenance of quality. Every Costa Coffee has a Barista Maestro (coffee expert) responsible for maintaining the excellence of the drinks served. COSTA COFFEE AND STARBUCKS: Starbucks is the largest competitor of Costa Coffee. Starbucks is the leader in the coffee shop market. Its international presence is in 50 countries. On the other hand, Costa Coffee, is the third biggest coffee specialist in the market with shops in 25 countries. Both companies have an excellent financial performance up to 2005 but in 2008 there was a decrease in revenue and operating profit as a result of the global economic recession. However, in 2009. Starbucks has an improving in cost structure and therefore its liquidity is better than Costa Coffee since it has managed to pay its short term debts. A key factor for both companies is globalization since most leading players in the foodservice market expand their operations in other countries. So the future success of Costa Coffee will be based on its operations outside the UK. The same applies for Starbucks. . THE CHOICE OF CHINA: China is one of the biggest economic forces in the world. Its domestic market is larger so there is a lot of potential for multinational businesses. Its average GDP growth rate is more than 10% despite the global economic crisis (10.9% last quarter 2009) (BBC China economy 2009). International financial analysts believe that the growth of the Chinese economy will continue. Regarding the coffee industry in China, it should be noticed that competition is quite intense but sales in cafes has grown by 8% to RMB36billion (over  £3,487million). It should also be noticed that in 2009 coffee shops chains had a growth of 22% (Euromonitor International August 2009,Cafà ©s/bars China). However, the Chinese market for many international companies is considered a tough market since it is difficult to understand local culture and customeCNY. Therefore, many companies pursue joint ventures and strategic alliances in order to do business in China. In 1998, Starbucks entered China and it has 180 coffee shops. In 2006, Costa Coffee entered China in a different way i.e. through a joint venture with Yueda Group which is based in Jiangsu Province. This was done because a local partner knows the market better so market penetration for the new entrant is easier. However, this also means that Costa Coffee is heavily dependent on Yueda. Costa Coffee has a strong Italian aura that aims at attracting the Chinese market. Affluent Chinese customers want to taste a coffee that is represented by a global brand name. So far, Starbucks has been quite successful in this area. The risk is that by being a partner with Yueda, the brand will be customized too much therefore, Costa will lose its competitive advantage which is the Italian aura. Starbucks has very aggressive expansion plan in China. The crucial point is if Costa Coffee will maintain its brand essence and will not be customized. In this case, Costa Coffee will be a strong competitor to Starbucks. Future trends Strategy The main issue for chained coffee shops is to create a unique experience that cannot be easily copied. The consumers want to enjoy their coffee in a nice environment. The coffee shop space should be comfortable with an ambiente that will be inviting so the consumers will return to the shop again. People will want to live the espresso experience at home so the sales of equipment and coffee will increase as well as the demand for better and higher quality of coffee and beverages in coffee shops. Corporate social responsibility is another issue that chained coffee shops should take care on. They have to prove that they implement ethical practices. Regarding marketing, researchers predict that chained coffee shops will use mobile apps and have social networking tools in the very near future. COSTA COFFEE Financial Data Turnover:  £263.8m (2008:  £216.3m) Operating profit before exceptional items:  £22.7m (2008:  £20.8m) Number of outlets: 881 in the UK, 407 overseas Total Revenue  £ (m) Strategy Our target for Premier Inn during 2009/10 is to deliver around 2,000 new rooms in the UK and overseas. We have a strong pipeline of secured sites and will continue to develop a land bank. Internationally, our first hotel opened in Dubai during 2008 and we will build on this position, intending to open a further two hotels in the Emirates plus one in India. We plan to open around 100 new Costa outlets in the UK in 2009/10. We will capitalise on our strong Costa brand by focusing on new locations, as well as areas where we can replace existing operators, such as in supermarkets, hospitals and leisure facilities. Costa will also continue to strengthen its position across international markets, adding 100 net new stores in the year ahead. MARKETING OBJECTIVES: Enter Greek market and develop a significant market share; Increase product portfolio by new high caliber products; Bring more value to shareholders; Be a leader in its field for customer service; Develop alliances with commercial partners and the communities in which Costa Coffee shops operate. TARGET MARKET Costa Coffee offers a wide range of products suitable for all consumeCNY. So far, coffee in China is consumed in big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou). Coffee producers have targeted young professionals since they are the most westernized, affluent and open-minded. However, they see it as something that is in fashion rather than a regular habit. Another target group for coffee consumption are returnees i.e. Chinese that studied in Western countries and come back to China. They are also affluent and they are accustomed to visiting coffee shops. Ex- pats are another target group. Chinas economic growth has attracted a lot of investments from foreign companies. Ex-pats are used to drink coffee and their number increases every year. It has been estimated that businessmen from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Westerners amount to 30% of customers at multinational chained coffee shops as Starbucks. The above customer base has been quite saturated so there is a need to increase customer base. However, coffee is considered a luxury good and the average Chinese cannot pay for a cup of coffee. The average Chinese annual income is RMB 8000 yuan whereas a small cup of Starbucks coffee costs RMS 12 yuan ($1.5 which is the same price as in USA). In the big cities the average annual income is higher however it is still difficult for someone to consume a cup of coffee. If coffee still goes on being considered as a luxury good, it will happen the same thing as in Japan i.e. it will take China more than 90 years to make coffee popular. Market Segmentation: Based on the above the following market segments were defined: Young / Mature professionals Returnees Ex-pats Students Middle Class Upper Middle Class Single Married Bus section and train/airplane passengers Marketing Strategy: Costa Coffee will follow Market Development strategy and the reason for choosing this strategy will be explained below: CURRENT NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCTS 1. Market Penetration Strategy 3. Product Development Strategy 2. Market Development Strategy 4. Diversification Strategy CURRENT MARKETS NEW MARKETS   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Coffee is considered a luxury good. This misperception hinders businesses in identifying customer groups and implement marketing strategies. This misperception also hinders the majority of the population to get acquainted with coffee. The same happened in Japan, where coffee was also considered as a luxury beverage with unreasonably high prices. It has taken almost 90 years for Japan to get acquainted with coffee and still per capita coffee consumption is quite low. This makes things worse since Japan sets the trend for Taiwan and South Korea.   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬In China coffee shops open every day in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. However, the average Chinese cannot afford a cup of coffee everyday. Multinational coffee companies have faced difficulties in developing the Chinese coffee market. Although they know how to penetrate mature markets but they see that they have difficulty in immature coffee markets. These companies need to understand better China and its people. Without understanding them all marketing campaigns will be in vain. A characteristic example is the marketing campaign of Nestle which was targeting at the young middle class Chinese although in reality this class does not exist or even if it existed they would not be heavy coffee drinkeCNY. Starbucks has increased awareness but it needs a different strategy for the Chinese market. Only KFC has been quiet successful. Starbucks success cannot be considered as sustainable since it was based on management, financial power and brand name whereas the Chinese market needs entrepreneurship to advance it and this is what Costa Coffee is planning to do. Coffee has been promoted by the Chinese government through festivals and fashion awards however these strengthened the misperception of coffee being a luxury good. Local coffee shops add too many side things such as food, spirits etc. Therefore, they dilute the idea of coffee. Coffee is a product that does not hurt health, stimulates the brain and it is addictive. Based on researches someone who has drunk coffee three times a week for two months in the row is addicted to coffee. Brain stimulation is important for personal wealth and intelligence. Coffee became popular because coffee shops were focused at making the customer accustomed with coffee. When people get accustomed then the market develops at an extremely fact pace. The coffee shop is important for this development and a coffee shop can be a seated place or coffee stands and carts. It is important to make people drink coffee and then offer them ground coffee. Many companies have found as an excuse the fact that tea is dominant in China and there is no place for coffee in a tea dominant country. However, there are no major tea companies that can compete international coffee giants nor is there a specific promotion to protect tea. On the contrary local society support the development of coffee houses and it is not negative to coffee. Costa Coffee will focus on making people drink more coffee. Its new coffee shops will be around areas where people gather such as Universities, stations and office buildings etc. This can be the best promotion since if one group of people becomes loyal to coffee then it will influence other consumer groups. Costa Coffee will focus specifically on these people and its promotions will be measurable and specific. Coffee has an unbeatable image in China and it is known to everyone. Costa Coffee will be based on the quick service restaurant (QSR) concept. QSR is based on the idea of offering cheap, clean and good food and its purpose is to sell to a wider range of population. Costa Coffee plans to adopt this concept. Coffee has a high profit margin but food is what attracts people to the coffee shop. Costa Coffee already offers more products than coffee; however it should plan to add more snacks that are better suited to local customers and a cheaper but good quality filter coffee for taking away. Many local Chinese coffee shops offer food however, they have not formulated a strategy so they cannot be considered as potential competitoCNY. So far in these shops the restaurant is separated form the coffee house something that it is not the case of Costa Coffee. In the next two years the aim is to introduce new product lines that will be offered at affordable prices for the average Chinese consume r. It should be noticed that this does not mean price cutting since this will hurt Costa Coffees brand name. The location of the new coffee shops is also an important part of Costa Coffee strategy. Up today, the coffee shops were opened at locations where population is dense and the income is high. As a result, the rental prices are quite high. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning to open new shops at bus stations and other busy intersections where rents are lower and the traffic is big. The marketing strategy that will be followed to China is important since it influences neighboring states such as South Korea which is also a new coffee consuming country. If the model of highly expensive coffee will be followed then the consequences will be similar to Taiwan and Hong Kong where there is a negative trend in coffee growth. à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths Weaknesses Established brand name worldwide Expensive prices for the average Chinese consumer Wide range of products Starbucks dominant position in the market Third ranked coffee shop chain in the world Coffee is considered a luxury good Know how of Yuda (local partner) Tea is the daily beverage of the average Chinese Opportunities Threats Big market potential a lot of Chinese Consumers that do not drink coffee Stagnant coffee growth due to high prices Unbeatable image of coffee Possible marketing enforcement of tea companies No competitors are located at bus intersections PESTEL ANALYSIS: Political China has a stable political environment that welcomes foreign direct investments. Economic The Chinese economic growth is impressive (10% per annum). Social Although the income of the average Chinese consumer is low, there is a growing middle class -190 million urban households, or 29%. According to McKinsey, middle class is expected to expand to 75% (372 million), by 2025 (DAltorio 2011). Technological New coffee machines are produced so making coffee at home is easier. Environmental There is a trend in producing organic coffee. Legal There are no legal issues involved. MARKET POSITIONING: The positioning strategy of Costa Coffee will be in line with its international strategy i.e. THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS. The competitive advantage of Costa Coffee is the quality of their coffee. The image of the company is that is has a UNIQUE coffee. Another positioning of Costa Coffee is that this excellent coffee quality can be offered with affordable prices (launch of the new take away filter coffee). THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS This is the tag line that will communicate the Italian aura of Costa Coffee to the mass audience. Since Chinese consumers perceive well the Italian atmosphere it is expected that it will attract more people to Costa Coffee. MARKETING MIX: Product: Brand Name: Costa Coffee is a well established brand that signifies luxury, perfection and excellence. Chinese consumers prefer established brand names. Image/Theme: Luxury Costa Coffee is related to luxury. The coffee shops ambiance is trendy and comfortable. Customers will have a nice time in a flashy environment. However, this luxury image should be cleverly related with the new, affordable, take away filter coffee. The message that will be transmitted is luxury can be affordable and can be taken with you. Color Scheme Costa Coffees shops are in warm tones having brown as the main color. Other colors that are used are green, black and white. The purpose of this color selection is the creation of a comfortable and trendy atmosphere. Service: Apart from coffee, Costa has a reputation of excellent service. Hiring and retaining talented employees and train them accordingly is a strategic goal of the company. Product variety: ESPRESSO A short, strong and black coffee, with no milk. ESPRESSO DOPPIO A double espresso shot. For those who like it strong. RISTRETTO An extra short coffee, even shorter than an espresso, with an even stronger flavour. MACCHIATO Espresso topped with just a dash of milk. Yum. AMERICANO Coffee, mixing shots of espresso with hot water. Add milk if you like. FLAT WHITE A rich, full-flavoured coffee with a velvety, smooth texture. Each Flat White is hand-finished with a distinctive pattern. CAPPUCCINO Coffee combining espresso with steamed, frothy milk. Chocolate on top if you have a sweet tooth. CAFFE LATTE Coffee made with steamed milk. Not as strong as a cappuccino, but just as good. MOCHA Espresso with hot chocolate, topped with steamed, frothed milk. (Source: Costa Coffee 2010) Costa Coffee products variety includes iced tea and coffees as well as cakes, pastries, Panini and sandwiches. Prices: Costa Coffee prices are generally higher than other coffee shops. High prices are related to the outstanding quality and taste of Costa Coffee. Therefore, the traditional customer groups of Costa Coffee are high and middle classes. Costa Coffee believes that a reduction in its prices will harm its brand name. However, it wants to increase its Chinese customer base so it will offer a filter coffee for takeaway at affordable prices. Chinese middle class growth rate is significant, it will reach 372 million by 2025, it is a social class that cannot be neglected. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning in the next three years to offer its products at affordable prices for the Chinese middle class without harming its brand name. Locale / Setting: The next Costa Coffee shops will be at busy intersections e.g. bus, train stations and at areas where office buildings and Universities are located. It will focus again on the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The aim for the next three year is to have 30 new coffee shops at both cities. Promotion: Costa Coffee will not do a lot of advertising since its brand name is recognized. However, there will be special sales promotions at its new shops for the new filter coffee that can be taken away. Costa Coffee is based on word of mouth advertising since reputation is very important. MARKET DEMAND It is important to measure the market before launching new products and shops. It is also important to measure the market after the launch of the new products / shops so as to see their effects and gain a larger market share. Growth Share Matrix There are two factors that are important for the expansion to new markets and these are : market attractiveness and the Business Strength. Market Attractiveness Business Strength Factors Rate Factors Rate Overall Market Size 70% increase (2004-2012) Market Share 5.0 Annual Market Growth Rate 7.8 Product Quality 5 Competitive Intensity 4 Brand Reputation 4.5 Technological Requirements 2.5 Distribution Channel 3.5 Inflationary Vulnerability 4.9 Promotional Effectiveness 4.5 Productive Efficiency 4 Managerial Personnel 3.5 Market Attractiveness As it is seen above, the attractiveness of the Chinese market is very high. The annual growth rate of the coffee market is high. There are no significant technological requirements since Costa Coffee already possesses advanced technology. Inflation is quite high and it seems that it will increase in the near future, however the targeted market groups remain unaffected (growing Chinese middle class). Partnership with Yuda will protect Costa Coffee from any possible dangers. Therefore, the Chinese market is very attractive and suitable for coffee shops expansion. Business Strength Costa Coffee is part of the well-known Whitbread Family. The quality of Costa Coffee is unquestionable. Costa Coffee owns more than 500 stores worldwide. Its outlets are in Europe, UK, Middle East, India, Pakistan and China. In order to maintain its excellent reputation, Costa Coffee will continue its policy of recruiting, training and retaining the best available employees in China. Business Strength High Medium Low High Medium Low Costa Coffees Business Strength is high and the overall position is ideal for further expansion into the Chinese market. Projected Sales in CHINA Costa Coffee projected sales are expected to rise to almost 97% in 2012 and this is due to the launch of the new takeaway filter coffee and the new shops at the busy intersections. This rate is expected to slow down (87%) in 2013 and this is because the one time visitors are expected to cease to visit the coffee shops and the existing customer base is expected to remain. An extensive marketing promotion through emails, customer clubs, social media etc. is expected to increase market share. The above numbers are very impressive and expansion seems ideals. Sales forecasts per customer groups are also very promising.: Market 2012 2013 2014 Total Students Youngsters CNY. 20,000,000 CNY. 23,00,000 CNY.6,300,000 CNY 49,300,000 Ex pats and returnees CNY 7,555,000 CNY 7,000,000 CNY. 12,800,000 CNY. 27,355,000 Families CNY. 9,700,000 CNY. 9,850,000 CNY. 17,200,000 CNY. 36,750,000 Professionals CNY. 17,750,000 CNY. 32,750,000 CNY. 92,000,000 CNY. 142,500,000 Totals CNY. 55,005,000 CNY. 72,600,000 CNY. 128,300,000 CNY. 255,905,000 According to the above table it can be seen that professionals is a group that has a lot of potential. This is because the Chinese middle class is rising and the coffee culture is mounting too. Another reason for the increase in sales in professionals is due to the location of the new coffee shops. There will be located in busy intersections where there are many office buildings. Newspapers and other electronic media have approached Costa Coffee and various interviews and programs have been made which boost Costa Coffees reputation even more. BUDGET FORECASTS: The forecasted budget for the upcoming three years is as follows; TYPE 2012 2013 2014 Total Accommodation CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 5,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 Training CNY. 1,500,000 CNY. 500,000 CNY. 4,000,000 CNY. 6,000,000 Transportation CNY. 250,000 CNY. 350,000 CNY. 1,000,000 CNY. 1,600,000 Fixtures CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 CNY. 9,000,000 Total CNY. 5,750,000 CNY. 850,000 CNY. 17,000,000 CNY. 23,600,000 Future promotion and expansion plans: Costa Coffee will be launching more coffee shops in the major cities of China (Beijing and Shangkai) but the plans are to expand all over China after having created a considerable market share in the above cities. The expansion has been planned for the next year that is 2012. In the next two years the next cities where new coffee shops will be located will include Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Costa Coffee is not in favor of extravagant launching campaigns. It supports the use of electronic and social media as well as corporate social responsibility programmes and actions. It also believes in the right location of its shops. So, the marketing activity will be low except the posters that will be in the shops, as sales promotion, advertising the new takeaway filter coffee. ANALYSIS: Costa Coffee has a lot of potential for further intensifying its expansion efforts in China. It already possesses a significant market share in the Chinese market. The reason behind it is the unbeatable image of Costa Coffee and the advertisement (word of mouth) done by people who have visited its outlets. Sales are expected to rise in the following years and they are expected to rise even more in the forthcoming years since Costa Coffee is focusing on the rising Chinese middle class. Students and youngsters in general set the new trends so their influence in increasing coffee consumption and visiting coffee shops is of outmost importance. By further using social media, Costa Coffee is expected to increase its market share in this group. Professionals always seek quiet place to do their official or unofficial meetings. Costa Coffee is an ideal place to do these meetings. Apart from that, Costa Coffees activation in social media will certainly increase its future revenue. In conclusion, it can be said that Costa Coffee has so far implemented an excellent marketing strategy and the new campaign that it will launch for the takeaway filter coffee as well as the location of its new shops will help it increase its sales and gain sustainable competitive advantage. RECOMMENDATIONS: Sales numbers are very promising however the local partner should follow all the below the line activities mentioned. Costa Coffee should continue with low promotional strategies. Apart from posters inside the outlets, Costa Coffee should consider the use of bill boards at the busy intersections.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Ephedra Should Not be Banned :: Sports Athletics Steroids Health Essays

Ephedra Should Not be Banned Almost everyone loves professional sports. People love to watch awesome athletes competing fiercely against each other. But now, more than ever, to make it in this world you have to be the best of the best. And people will go to many extreme lengths to be this way. The use of steroids in professional sports is becoming more and more popular. The latest way to lose weight, boost energy, and gain a more competitive edge is by using nutritional supplements like the newest one; ephedra. Ephedra causes decreased appetite and burns calories, which results in weight loss. Ephedra exploded onto the scene in February of 2003 after a Baltimore Oriole’s pitcher died of heat stroke from using ephedra. It is not only used by athletes but now usage is particularly high because younger athletes want to be bigger, stronger, and faster and older athletes need to remain in shape and competitive. Anything that occurs naturally is considered a food, as is ephedra. This means that ephedra doe s not have to be proven safe of efficient before being put on the market. The NFL, the NCAA and the Olympics have all decided to ban ephedra. But supporters of ephedra say that when used properly is safe and effective in weight loss and energy gain. They think it should be kept on the market for people who want to use it safely. On the other hand people against ephedra feel that since ephedra increases heart rate, speeds up the metabolism and reduces the body's ability to cool itself that it is very dangerous and should be classified under the category of amphetamines, which are illegal drugs, and therefore should be banned. I think that ephedra should not be banned. Since they are illegal in sports I feel that before you are able to try out for a team you should have to have a drug test and each week they should require everyone in high school, college, and professional sports to have to take a test too.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Saving Private Ryan Critique :: essays research papers

June 6th 1944 is known as the day that turned the tides of World War II. Allied troops both Para dropped and landed on French occupied territory via the English Channel. For Captain John Miller, the beach was enough, but after only three short days of recovery, Miller and his squad of men are sent in search of what has become a very important soldier. Receiving his orders from the â€Å"very top†, Miller and his men set out in search of a James Francis Ryan from Iowa. Along the way, Germans kill two of Miller’s men, provoking the question, â€Å"How many men are worth one man’s life?† As the movie progresses, Captain Miller’s team finally finds Private Ryan, the man they were sent to save. John explains to him that all three of his brothers were killed in action, and as a result of this, James Ryan, the last surviving brother of the Ryan family, is ordered to be returned home so that he may carry on the family name.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However the conflict arises when James is reluctant to leave and is determined to stay with â€Å"the only brothers he has left†, in order to defend a strategic bridge who’s defense is vital in determining the immediate tide of the war. Again, Captain Miller, after already loosing two of his men, decides that Ryan and his fellow soldiers cannot hold the point on their own, and that he and his men will aid the already weakened defenders in hopes of not only defending the bridge from the Germans, but also to save Private Ryan from what would other-wise be his inevitable death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After hasty preparations and decisive planning, the French ghost town previously torn apart by war, erupts to life once again with the sounds of conflict. The town of Rommel is slowly but surely being overtaken by the Germans, their numbers too great for Miller’s men to fend off. On top of that, Captain Miller’s squad is diminishing by the minute and all hope seems lost. John gives the order to fall back to the predetermined point of retreat called â€Å"the Alamo†. This is the point of no return, and their last resort is to blow the bridge in order to prevent the Germans from gaining a strategic stronghold in the region. With bullets whizzing by and ricocheting in every direction, Captain Miller stands up, thus revealing himself to enemy fire, and moves to get the device needed to trigger the bridge to explode.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Personality Traits Of Hamlet :: essays research papers

In the play Hamlet, Hamlet has many different personality traits. Three of these characteristics are that Hamlet is depressed, clever, and hesitant. Throughout the play you can see these characteristics in Hamlet many times. It is obvious that Hamlet is depressed in this play. His depression can be seen in Act I scene II lines 129-132, when Hamlet says: "O! that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew; Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His cannon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!" In these lines Hamlet says that he would like to commit suicide, but cannot because of the way suicide is looked upon in god's eyes. More of Hamlet's depression can be seen in Act III scene I lines 56-61 when Hamlet says: "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more;" In this soliloquy Hamlet once again talks about suicide. He says he would like to get rid of his endless troubles by killing himself, because in death he can sleep and have no worries. Hamlet also shows that he is clever in this play. One way that Hamlet's cleverness is shown in this play is the way that he reacts after he sees his father's ghost for the first time. He makes Horatio and Marcellus swear that they did not see the ghost and to also swear that they will not reveal that Hamlet is only pretending to be insane. You can also see how Hamlet is clever in his plan to reveal Claudius as his father's murderer. In his plan the players that are visiting the castle will reenact the murder of Hamlet's father in the lines that Hamlet has written for them. This plan works because when Claudius sees the reenactment he runs out of the room in fright, revealing to Hamlet and everyone else that Claudius did indeed murder Hamlet I. Hamlet is also hesitant in this play. This is seen when Hamlet is about to kill Claudius. Hamlet wants to kill Claudius, but decides not to when he sees Claudius repenting his sins. This can be seen in Act III scene III lines 74-79 when Hamlet says: "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Fun, Family and Flashbacks Essay

The beauty of photographs is that they can frame one single split-second moment of your life to help you remember good times. The rest of the story on how you got to the picture or what happened after becomes history and remains a flitting memory that may or may not be triggered to resurface once the photograph is again seen. One such precious instant happened when I was eight years old†¦ an age where I used to find so much delight in simple things such as a photography session with my brothers. My eyes in the picture are sparkling with laughter at all the trouble my mom had to go through for this snapshot. It was nearly father’s day and my mom thought a great secret gift would be a professionally shot picture of all three of us children. As soon as lunch was over, she quickly packed all of us up and we went to this posh photo studio. While waiting for our turn, she excitedly dressed us all up in such fine and neatly pressed clothes (as if the wrinkles would be noticeable on film). My hair was combed probably more than one hundred times over just to make sure no single strand would go astray out of her plan. As we were passing the time till our photo opportunity, mom would keep our energy up by making us practice different kinds of poses and smiles. A few more minutes passed and my mom was already getting impatient with all the excitement. Alas! The photographer came up to my mom just to tell her that there seemed to be something wrong with the camera and that he could not take our pictures at that moment. Horrified and panicky due to the unexpected long time of having to wait for a useless chance to get some shots professionally done, my mom swiftly packed all of us up at once and went home. We wanted to laugh at mom’s dismay over the problems of this great idea of hers but we knew better than to irk her even more. As soon as we got home, she quickly brushed us up and with quick thinking, got our own camera to make her own snapshots instead. It was not hard for us to smile as we knew the pains she was going through just to keep her hand still on the camera button. We all knew that our father was about to arrive in just a few minutes and her panic was with cause. After some quick clicks, she quickly made us dress up into our play clothes again and had us do some wrestling matches just to erase the more than 100 times brushed up look she gave our hair. This was one of the most enjoyable memories of my life yet the camera was only able to show three children with smiles on their faces†¦everything else precious was left for us to relive in our own imaginations.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Action research bully

â€Å"Bullying involves an initial desire to hurt, this desire is expressed in action, someone is hurt, the action is directed by a more powerful person or group, it is without justification, it is typically repeated, and it is done so with evident enjoyment. † Ken Rugby (1998). The future of the youth is formed and developed within the confines of their own respective homes. It is in the home that the youth acquires basic skills, habits, and attitudes for this home molded personality. Home is the starting point of one's development into a full grown adult.Home environment is the very first place where teenagers nowadays learned how to socialize and integrate themselves with others. When a child is born he/she becomes a member of an already established social institution. He/she becomes a member of his/her own family with its already existing sets of cultural patterns and sets of social, moral, and religious values. The child also carries with it the raw materials for the deve lopment of its peculiarly unique individual personality. Once attitudes have been learned, they determine to a large extent to what an individual perceives and how he/she behaves.So, it is clear that an individual can perceive things based on the way he/she was trained in congruent with his/her primary group. It is assumed that the personality develops and changes differently in each type of the family. So whatever kind of family a child belongs, it will certainly reflect on his/her attitudes towards his/her own self and others. Bullying and being bullied have been recognized as health problems for children and teenagers because of their association with adjustment problems, including poor mental health and more extreme violent behavior.It is therefore important to understand how bullying and being bullied affect the well-being and adaptive functioning of youth. We sought to use multiple data sources to better understand the psychological and social problems exhibited by bullies, vi ctims, and bully-victims. Of today's living, family conflicts or stormy relationships consisting within the family could be one of the factors that cause the misbehaver of students in and out of the home. Their place of learning or school environment serves as the outlet of their emotions and feelings.In connection with this, the researchers, found it interesting and worthy to study he veracity behind this issue. To find out what are the factors in the home environment that can possibly contribute to the change of the bully behavior and how this would affect his/her relationships and attitudes towards other people. Background of the Study Home is the place where the child initially learns or can learn his most basic values, aspirations and attitudes. Because of its major role as transmission belt, there is concern not only for what the family does but also for what it fails to do.Consciously and unconsciously, a parent sets patterns in their children on the basis of which their soci al growth is guided. Children absorb from their parents certain attitudes toward interpersonal or social relationships, getting an education, religion and others. The social personality of the child depends greatly upon the nature of these behaviors. The growing youngsters need to become accustomed increasingly to enable them to apply, to persons and groups outside the family, the sympathetic interest and the creative-partnership process which have been cultivated within the family circle.Statement of the Problem The study attempted to determine the influence of home environment on the behavior of the bullies to the students. More specifically, it attempts to answer the following questions: 1 . What is the level of behavior of the respondent? 2. How do the level of influences of the following compared when group according to the given characteristics: 2. 1 Home environment 2. 2 Behavior 3. How does the level of influences of the home environment compared to the level of behavior of the respondents?Purpose of the study This research primarily aims to know the influences of the home environment on the behaviors of the bullies. This study influences according to their characteristics and home environment, and behavior. Significance of the study Since the development of the child is to a great extent dependent on the influence of the home, if the home is not self-sufficient to provide personality development of the child, the school therefore, enters as necessary complement and supplement of the home.In connection with this, the findings of the study will be useful and of great help to parent and teachers in understanding the attitudes of the students in and out of the school premises. It will help determine the needs of the students physically, emotionally and socially. It is also helpful in strengthening parents and hill's relationship as a whole. Furthermore, this study is important not only to the parents but also to teachers because it will help them understa nd their work better so that they can cooperate in helping the child's active participation in social living.The findings of this study are also relevant to the students themselves, for they may be guided in realizing the extent of their deviation from the group average in their personal and social relationships. Such realization may lead them to deeper insights and ultimately to self-direction and self-realization. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This research focused on the influences of the home environment on the behaviors of the bullies. The researchers limit their study only to the identified bullies in the students.Methods of Research and Procedure This chapter includes the method and procedure that will be used in gathering the data, the subjects of the study, the sampling techniques, and the statistical treatment employed in the interpreting data. Research Methodology The researchers will use the Descriptive Method, which is the type of study design to gain more informa tion in order to come up with a systematic method of data gathering and analysis. It aims to identify the relationship of self-esteem and reputation of the bullies. Subjects of the Study The researchers used a total of 203 students from different courses.Not all of them are bullies. The researchers disregarded 98 students because they are not identified as not bully so, they only 105 students were used as their subject. Sampling Technique The Purposive Sampling will serve as a sampling technique for all the 2nd year students. The subjects of the study in this particular sampling process has a unique characteristic, hence, not Just anybody can be included as sample for the study. Consider this research, only the â€Å"bullies† are considered as the sample for this study. Procedure and Data Gathering Another set of questionnaires were given to the subjects.Primary data are the data collected by the researchers come from the respondents who answered the questionnaires. A review of related literature and studies from books, internet, and reference materials are used to gather information. 1 . The researchers conducted instruments that were validated through the professors. 2. The researchers inquired the total population of enrolled second year students in Science and Technology. . Permission and willingness to participate from the respondents were secured before conducting the actual study.Methodology This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered from bullies in college students as to the influences of the home environment to their behavior in school. The various data gathered are analyzed and interpreted in the following tables to answer the specific questions posed in this study. The Demographic Profile of the Respondents This answers the question that would present the respondent's profile such as age, sex, course, family status, birth order, no. F siblings, and the family monthly income. Table 1. 1 Frequency Distribution of the Respo ndent's Age Age Frequency Percentage 19 15 14. 18 43. 8 17 36. 2 16 6 5. 7 Total 105 As seen in the table of the frequency and percentage distribution of the respondent's age, out of the 105 respondents, 46 or 43. 8% of them are 18 years old, 38 or 36. 2% of the respondents are 17 years old, 15 or 14. 3% of the respondents are 19 years old, and 6 or 5. 7% of the respondents are 16 years old. This only shows that majority of the respondent's age is 18 years old while minorities of them is 16 years old. Table 1. 2 Frequency Distribution on the Sex of the Respondents Gender Male 56 53. 33 Female 49 46. 7 respondent's sex, out of the 105 respondents, 56 or 53. 33% are males and 49 or 46. 67% are females. This only shows that majority of the respondents are males and minorities of them are females. Frequency Distribution on the Level of Socio-Economic of the Respondents Socio- Economic High 25 23. 8 Average 39 37. 1 Low 41 39. 0 As seen in the table of the frequency and percentage distri bution of the respondent's socio-economic status, out of the 105 respondents, 41 or 39% of them are not disturbed about their socio-economic status, 39 or 37. Of the respondents are slightly disturbed about their socio-economic status, and 25 or 23. 8% of the respondents are slightly disturbed about their socio-economic status. This only shows that majority of the respondents are not disturbed with their socio-economic status. Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation This chapter includes the discussion of the summary of the study and generalizations in the form of conclusions and recommendations for the solution of the problem in the study addressed to those concerned.The research employed the use of the descriptive method which involved the analysis of the relationship between the level of social estrangement to the level of anxiety and level of depression of the respondents. Summary of findings There is no significant effect in the level of behavior of the respondents when grouped according to their sibling relationship, parents' relationship, parent relationship, and socio-economic status, while there is a significant difference in the level of behavior of the respondents in terms of their parenting styles.There is no significant effect in the level of parents' relationship of the respondents when grouped according to their age, sex, course, family status, birth order, no. F siblings, and the family monthly income. There is no significant effect in the level of parent relationship of the respondents when grouped according to their age, sex, course, family status, birth order, no. Of siblings, and the family monthly income. Conclusion There is no significant effect in the level of behavior and the home influences of the respondents as regards to their characteristics.There is no significant effect in the level of behavior of the respondents when grouped according to their sibling relationship, parents' relationship, parent relationship, and socio-economic sta tus, hill there is a significant difference in the level of behavior of the respondents in terms of their parenting styles. Recommendation Based on the summary of findings and conclusion the researchers recommend the following to the readers of this study. For the students to be more sensitive enough.Many students who bully do not consider their behavior as bullying because they are not conscious about the little things that they do to offend others. For the teachers, mentors and guidance counselors to determine the possible cause of the bully behaviors. For the parents to have knowledge of the influences that a home environment can bring to their sons and daughters and to be aware of the proper parenting style they must provide their children. For future researchers to give a broader picture of what home environment can do to our behavior.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Analysis of ‘The Truman’s Show’ in search of reality Essay

The film, The Truman Show, is a fiction movie that has been created to help the human search for reality in what apparently seems real. It shows that many times, people are absorbed in an unreal environment thinking that they are indeed in the reality. Media is to blame for making false impressions of the environment. The film depicts Truman as a person who has been entangled in a false environment and is trying hard to discover the truth. In other words, this film is intended to bring to the attention the many times that we get absorbed in situations that we cannot derive any real meaning. It challenges people to wake up and search for the true meaning and not become captives of falsehood. The film depicts Truman Burbank as a person who is born in a fake world. The environment that surrounds him is that of actors. It is in a big dome decked enclosure that is fitted with high-tech simulations of the sky and the sun. The wind and rain are also simulated. They are under the control of the director of the show. Apparently, Truman does not realize that he is in a simulated world initially. Moreover, he has no idea that he is in a television studio from which people all over the world can watch him in his normal behavior as he carries on with his normal activities. However, all the situations that he finds himself in have been staged and, therefore, lack a true meaning in the real world. However, with time Truman realizes that he is in a simulated environment. He is made to discover the false surrounds he is in by the help of Sylvia, who was intended to be his wife in the artificial world. He comes to know that staged events and scenes fill his life. He then begins to plan a way of escaping to the real world. He tries all means to escape but does not succeed immediately. That is because of two major barriers. One barrier is that he has been made a victim of fear by the director of the show has he controls his world. He has been made to fear travelling by water because his father had supposedly died while fishing. Truman is informed that travelling by water was dangerous at the time, and it was safer to stay at home. Secondly, obstacles have been placed in his way such that he cannot escape easily. He is unable to arrange for flights. Traffic jams that are also staged hinder him from travelling. Therefore, he does not manage to escape easily at first. Later on, Truman devices a way to escape and finally manages to escape to the real world. The first step in his escape is that he manages to overcome his fear. He sails in the water despite the many attempts by the director to enclose him from attempting such a move. Truman discovers a door marked â€Å"Exit† and he manages to escape completely to the real world. The escape is praised by the audience as an act of courage and triumphant. He meets with Sylvia, and they reunite. That marks the end of the artificial world created on falsehood and a new beginning in the world of reality. The Truman Show has significance in ordinary lives. It depicts how people live under the false beliefs painted by the media. Truman’s discovery that he had been living in the fallacy can be compared to how people realize that media creates only illusions that do not depict the reality. However, just as Truman was unable to get out of the fake world easily, people are reluctant to break away from the false impressions created by the media. Moreover, Truman had been absorbed into the fake world just as many people find themselves hooked by the illusions created in the media. Truman is a character used to show how people get absorbed into the fake world that is created by the media. Usually, people do not notice the impact of the illusions that they absorb have on their lives. Many live in a fantasy. However, later on, they realize how impractical the life created by the media is as compared to the real world. As such, some try to find a way out of the bondage with the media. While some of them succeed in getting out, others remain as slaves of the media. Media critics act to sensitize people on the negative side of the media just like Sylvia helped Truman to discover that he was leaving in a fake world. The film, The Truman Show, is a fiction movie that has been created to help the human search for reality in what apparently seems real. It shows that many times, people are absorbed in an unreal environment thinking that they are indeed in the reality. Media is to blame for making false impressions of the environment. The film depicts Truman as a person who has been entangled in a false environment and is trying hard to discover the truth. In other words, this film is intended to bring to the attention the many times that we get absorbed in situations that we cannot derive any real meaning. It challenges people to wake up and search for the true meaning and not become captives of falsehood. The film depicts Truman Burbank as a person who is born in a fake world. The environment that surrounds him is that of actors. It is in a big dome decked enclosure that is fitted with high-tech simulations of the sky and the sun. The wind and rain are also simulated. They are under the control of the director of the show. Apparently, Truman does not realize that he is in a simulated world initially. Moreover, he has no idea that he is in a television studio from which people all over the world can watch him in his normal behavior as he carries on with his normal activities. However, all the situations that he finds himself in have been staged and, therefore, lack a true meaning in the real world. However, with time Truman realizes that he is in a simulated environment. He is made to discover the false surrounds he is in by the help of Sylvia, who was intended to be his wife in the artificial world. He comes to know that staged events and scenes fill his life. He then begins to plan a way of escaping to the real world. He tries all means to escape but does not succeed immediately. That is because of two major barriers. One barrier is that he has been made a victim of fear by the director of the show has he controls his world. He has been made to fear travelling by water because his father had supposedly died while fishing. Truman is informed that travelling by water was dangerous at the time, and it was safer to stay at home. Secondly, obstacles have been placed in his way such that he cannot escape easily. He is unable to arrange for flights. Traffic jams that are also staged hinder him from travelling. Therefore, he does not manage to escape easily at first. Later on, Truman devices a way to escape and finally manages to escape to the real world. The first step in his escape is that he manages to overcome his fear. He sails in the water despite the many attempts by the director to enclose him from attempting such a move. Truman discovers a door marked â€Å"Exit† and he manages to escape completely to the real world. The escape is praised by the audience as an act of courage and triumphant. He meets with Sylvia, and they reunite. That marks the end of the artificial world created on falsehood and a new beginning in the world of reality. The Truman Show has significance in ordinary lives. It depicts how people live under the false beliefs painted by the media. Truman’s discovery that he had been living in the fallacy can be compared to how people realize that media creates only illusions that do not depict the reality. However, just as Truman was unable to get out of the fake world easily, people are reluctant to break away from the false impressions created by the media. Moreover, Truman had been absorbed into the fake world just as many people find themselves hooked by the illusions created in the media. Truman is a character used to show how people get absorbed into the fake world that is created by the media. Usually, people do not notice the impact of the illusions that they absorb have on their lives. Many live in a fantasy. However, later on, they realize how impractical the life created by the media is as compared to the real world. As such, some try to find a way out of the bondage with the media. While some of them succeed in getting out, others remain as slaves of the media. Media critics act to sensitize people on the negative side of the media just like Sylvia helped Truman to discover that he was leaving in a fake world. Reference The Truman Show (1998). Directed by Peter Weir. 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