The Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde - 1318 Words

Social Status in Persuasion and The Importance of Being Earnest Social status refers to a person s position or importance within a society. I have done some research and have acquired information over the way social status is addressed in both the writings of Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde. In the novel Persuasion we can see how the characters go beyond their means to uphold their title and social value. In the play The Importance of Being Earnest we can see how the social rank and wealth of a person gets them what they most desire. Persuasion by Jane Austen and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde are similar to each other in two important ways, they both emphasise the value of a person s rank and they both show how money and the stance of a person in society played a major role in the way the person lived their life. Firstly, in both Persuasion and The Importance of Being Earnest the rank of a person in their society is seen as a superiority. In the beginning of her novel, Persuasion, Jane Austen writes about the way Sir Walter Elliot,†. . . never took up any book but the Baronetage.† (Austen 3). He was man who was wildly obsessed with his family s history, because he felt that in many ways his earliest patents defined him as the person he was. It is made clear that your relations and acquaintances were important in establishing your rank as an individual and as a family. In Persuasion, Sir Walter Elliot is described as â€Å"Few women could think more of theirShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde707 Words   |  3 PagesWebsters dictionary defines earnest as â€Å"characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind. Which can be considered a pun since thought this play we see the characters being more apathetic. The Importance of Being Earnest is the story of Jack Worthing is the main character and the protagonist of this play. He is a well of business man who lives in the country and is ve ry well respected there. But Jack has a secret he lives another in the city of London where he claims to goRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1750 Words   |  7 PagesHidden Symbols in The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde takes place in 1895 and exposes the hypocritical social expectations of the end of the Victorian era. During the Victorian period, marriage was about protecting your resources and keeping socially unacceptable impulses under control. The play undeniable reveals and focuses satire around differences between the behaviors of the upper class and that of the lower class. Oscar Wilde uses comedic symbolismRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde913 Words   |  4 Pagesmake them known. This concept has come to be the brick and mortar of the wry play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The significance of the notion of being earnest is contradicted in the play, through Wilde’s clever use of words, characters digression of societal normalcy, and triviality of Victorian concepts. Cynical character Algernon asserts that women of Victorian society reinforce the importance of orderly money as a type of social contract. On page 3, it is quickly established theRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde975 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest is a play written by Oscar Wilde about a man named Jack who lies about his identity and ends up creating huge confusion about who he really is. The biggest notion that appears throughout the play is about character. There are many instances where the characters of the play lie about their identities and pretend to be people they are not. Oscar Wilde does this throughout the play in order to explain how one’s identity can be made up. One is not born with an identity;Read MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde773 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play by Oscar Wilde â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Wilde takes a comedic stance on a melodrama, portraying the duplicity of Victorian traditions and social values as the modernism of the twentieth century begins to emerge. The idea of the play revolves around its title of the characters discovering the importance of being earnest to their individual preferences. The author uses the traditional efforts of finding a marriage partner to illustrate the conflicting pressure of Victorian valuesRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1293 Words   |  6 Pagescarrying yourself, many of which was not the must enjoyable of ways and lacked some fun that many need in their life. This forced many to split their Public life from the Private one. Written in the Victorian Era, the works of The importance of being earnest by Oscar Wilde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson ,and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley displays how the characters need to keep be kept their Private lives separate from their Public lives in order to fit into their strict VictorianRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1364 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to fully understand the meaning of â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† and its importance in its time, one must look at Oscar Wilde’s background in relation to the Victorian time period. Biography.com states that Wilde had a very social life, growing up among influential Victorians and intellectuals of the time. As he grew older and became a successful writer, he began engaging in homosexual affairs which was a crime during the 19th century. He eventually started a relationship with AlfredRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1382 Words   |  6 Pagesappeared to be strict. The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, a nineteenth century author who was one of the most acclaimed playwrights of h is day, is a play set in the Victorian time period that demonstrates how trivial telling the truth was. Different characters throughout Wilde’s play establish their dishonestly through hiding who they really are and pretending to be someone whom they are not. In an essay titled â€Å"From ‘Oscar Wilde’s Game of Being Earnest,’† Tirthankar Bose describesRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1243 Words   |  5 Pagesexuberant nonconformist and controversial playwright, eminent author Oscar Wilde produced critically acclaimed literary works that defined the essence of late Victorian England. Posthumously recognized for his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and satiric comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde initially acquired criticism for his immoral and unconventional style of writing. Additionally, to his dismay, strife followed Wilde in his personal life as he was notoriously tried and incarceratedRead MoreThe Importa nce of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde1300 Words   |  5 PagesThe play, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde was written in the Victorian Age of England. During this time morality was connected with sexual restraint and strict codes of conduct in public. This play hilariously critiques Victorian moral and social values while the characters in the play try to figure out the meaning of â€Å"earnestness†. Wilde uses humor and irony to publicly ridicule the self-aggrandizing attitude of the Victorian upper classes, as well as to expose their duplicity and

Personal Reward and Stimulation Free Essays

Assessment task 4 : project 1 Ground rules for how a team will operate: Current level: We treat each other with respect. We intend to develop personal relationships to enhance trust and open communication. We value constructive feedback. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Reward and Stimulation or any similar topic only for you Order Now We will avoid being defensive and give feedback in a constructive manner. We strive to recognize and celebrate individual and team accomplishments. As team members, we will pitch in to help where necessary to help solve problems and catch-up on behind schedule work Team member opinion: Team members can speak freely and in turn and all participants will have a say No one person will be allowed to dominate the discussion Team members will not speak on behalf of anyone else Team members will say what they think and not what they think someone else wants to hear Strengths and weaknesses Strengths: More friendliness, confiding in each other, and sharing personal problems; discussion of the team’s dynamics A sense of team cohesion, a common spirit and goals Establishing and maintain team methods and boundaries Weaknesses: Arguing among members even when they agree on the real issues Defensiveness and competition; factions and â€Å"choosing sides† Establishing unrealistic goals Expressing concern about excessive work My Recommendations: Discuss team expectations Communicate; make sure everybody stay in the loop. Use organizational tools. 2 COMUNICATING RESPONSABILITIES. Current level By communicating responsabilities, you will be able to obtain desired results/outcomes, improve an employee’s performance, and develop new skills. When you do meet to discuss these expectations, standards, and goals, meet in a quiet place without interruptions and have the job description and objectives in hand. Be sure to discuss the expectations with the employee and confirm that the employee understands the tasks and responsibilities of the position. Meet in a quiet place without interruptions 1. Have the employee’s position description as well as unit’s business plan and/or objectives at the meeting 2. Talk with employee about expectations, 3. Confirm that employee understands the tasks, responsibilities of the position 4. Ask the employee for comments, suggestions on performance standards 5. Finalize performance standards with employee, confirm the employee’s understanding 6. Define performance standards at each level of performance, e. g. , meets expectations, exceeds expectations. Team member opinion Communication is one of the keys to running a successful business. And no one in a business should be exempt from workplace communication responsibilities. All employees and management of all companies no matter what size must learn proper business communications to insure excellence and productivity in the workplace Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Skilled communicators recognize that effective communication takes forethought. For example, smart managers first evaluate their intended audience to gauge such factors as the current mood, audience education level and the context of the situation, and they frame their message accordingly. Effective communicators also evaluate all the possible channels available for communicating, such as face-to- face, over the phone and via email, and they choose the channel best suited for that particular message and audience. Also key to communicating effectively is learning to engage in actively listening: It takes two people — a sender and a receiver — to communicate. Effective communicators avoid distractions and focus on more than just the spoken word. They evaluate body language and tone of voice for clues to gauge whether their intended audience comprehends the message. Skilled communicators in the workplace also encourage open feedback, recognizing that communication is a constant process. Weaknesses: Typical weaknesses in communication include failure to adequately consider the needs of the audience. For example, rushed employees trying to meet deadlines often overload their audience with information, losing important details in the process. Additionally, many communicators inadequately evaluate their audience and ignore the impact of such crucial details as cultural background or education level on the communication process. For instance, industry experts who speak only in jargon will lose members of a general audience lacking experience with those terms. Ineffective communicators also underestimate the affect of physical distractions and emotional interference on their audience. Audiences often discount a speaker’s message if she uses bad grammar, appears sloppy or lacks enthusiasm for the topic. My Recommendation Smart business managers encourage communication strengths in the workplace by modeling superior communication skills with their own messages. Effective communicators educate themselves on the their employees’ individual frames of reference and adapt their messages accordingly. They recognize that meaning exists not in words, but in the people who use those words, and they use language that their audience will understand, avoiding slang, jargon or colloquial expressions. Most important, however, smart business managers actively listen to their audience, ask questions and encourage feedback to ensure that both the intended information and meaning of a message are understood. 3 Share tasks and activities Current level A Task is an activity that needs to be accomplished within a defined period of time or by a deadline. A task can be broken down into assignments which should also have a defined start and end date or a deadline for completion. One or more assignments on a task puts the task under execution. Completion of all assignments on a specific task normally renders the task completed. Tasks can be linked together to create dependencies. Strengths and weaknesses Strength Leaders communicate where they want to take their companies. They also organize groups for particular tasks and ensure that group members have a clear understanding of their individual roles. The task- oriented is well suited to structured work environments, such as law enforcement and manufacturing assembly lines, in which repeating well-defined processes usually results in consistently high levels of productivity and quality. Weaknesses In most projects, tasks may suffer one of two major drawbacks: Task dependency: Which is normal as most tasks rely on others to get done. However, this can lead to the stagnation of a project when many tasks cannot get started unless others are finished. Unclear understanding of the term complete: For example, if a task is 90% complete, does this mean that it will take only 1/9 of the time already spent on this task to finish it? Although this is mathematically sound, it is rarely the case when it comes to practice 4 Planing and schedule activities Current level How to cite Personal Reward and Stimulation, Essay examples

Accommodation Management for Hotel Industry - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theAccommodation Managementfor Australian Hotel Industry. Answer: Introduction At the present time, hotel industry is the fast growing industry in the world. It plays a major role in the economic growth of the nation. Along with this, the hotel industry is an important sector of the Australian economy. The industry generates employment opportunities for the people of nation. Currently, approximately 300,000 people are employed in the industry. The Australian hotel industry is recognized for its superior services. Moreover, in todays more complex and challenging business era, hotel industry has been adopted and implemented lots of strategies, innovative business models, and advanced technologies for the growth and success of business. But, it is also facing numerous issues that are influencing the growth, success, and profitability of the business in a negative manner (TAA. 2013). On the other hand, this research essay would be useful to describe the different issues that hotels are facing currently. This essay will demonstrate that how these issues affect the o perations as well as profitability of the property. Furthermore, this essay would be beneficial to provide alternative solutions that may overcome the issues faced by the hotels or hotel industry. Different Issues in the Hotel Industry In current, the Australian hotel industry and hotels of other nations are facing numerous issues that are influencing the growth of the industry. Along with this, the major issues that are commonly faced by the hotel industry of nations are described as below: Changing Labor Conditions: Changing labor conditions is the first major issue that is widely faced by the hotels. The hotels are facing labor and human resources issues in their day to day operational activities. For case, compression of the labor force, unionization issues, immigration health care costs benefits are the major examples of such issues (Jin-zhao and Jing, 2009). The hotel industry is facing challenges in their recruitment process. The main reason behind it is that the traditional labor force is diminishing because of the changes in the working patterns of the hotels. The adoption of advanced technologies has reduced the interests of people in the hotel industry. Along with this, a mutual relationship between the unions and employees is also creating issues to hotel industry. They work to fulfill their interests and personal objectives. They do not want to bind in agreements to do work (Jauhari, 2012). Consequently, this relationship is influencing the day to day opera tions of hotels in a negative manner. On the other hand, the demands or expectations of the employees of hotels are increasing continuously. They demand for the health care costs as well as benefits as reimbursement. These demands are increasing the costs and expenses of the hotels. The increased costs reduce the profitability of hotels in a direct manner (Yang and Cherry, 2008). Moreover, immigration is the other major issue that is faced by the hotel industry of nations. The unemployed people are moving to other nations to get better career growth opportunities. There can be seen an increase in the demand of foreign workforce to perform all the business activities properly. Thus, it is clear that, the rapidly changing labor condition is one of the major issues that the hotel industries or hotels are facing at this time. Due to the changing labor conditions, the operational activities of hotels are affecting. It is because of employees are not ready to perform the business activities; and this thing reduce the productiv ity as well as profitability of hotels (Boella and Goss-Turner, 2013). Increasing Operating Costs: This is the second major issue that the hotel industry is facing. There can be seen an increase in the operating costs of hotels. In other words, it can be said that, operating expenses of hotels are greater than incomes. Hotels spend too much money on their recruitment process due to their continuously shrinking workforce. A shrinking labor force influences the operations and profitability of the hotel industry. It is because of in this situation they are obliged to pay high wages to their employees to retain them for long-time period. These high wages and recruitment expenses increase the operation costs of the hotel industry (Zainal, Radzi, Hashim, Chik and Abu, 2012). On the other hand, hotels are obliged to maintain high quality standards to meet the expectations of their customers properly. In this situation, they have to spend huge money to adopt and implement quality standards within organizations. The high quality standards increase the operating costs of hotels in a direct manner. In addition to this, high competition exists in the hotel industry. Hotels have to spend too much money to achieve competitive advantages over the competitors. The hotel industry makes an effective competitive analysis to know the offerings of their competitors. They make their possible efforts to provide superior services at lower prices. In this case, the operating costs of hotels increase in an automatic manner. Moreover, hotels pay a huge amount of money to maintain their brand images and standards in the marketplace (Beesley and Davidson, 2013). So, the increased operations costs is the other major issue that hotels are facing currently. This issue is affecting the operations and profitability. It is because of increased operating costs influencing the organizational efficiency. There can be seen delay in the operations of hotels. Increase costs directly affect the profitability and revenues of hotels or hotel industry. Marketing Issues: In todays challenging business era, marketing is not an easy task for the hotel industry. It is the biggest difficult tasks in front of organizations. In view of that, marketing issue is another major issue that the hotel industry is facing now (Kashyap, 2014). In todays more competitive business environment, each and every organization makes its possible efforts to promote its products and services in the marketplace. The hotel industry spends too much money on its marketing and promotional activities. Moreover, the industry spends high amount in the segmenting targeting and positioning of hotels. It is well-known that, in current, lots of hotels exist in the market. People are unaware about lots of hotels that situated beside them. So, marketing and advertising is essential to promote a hotel. In this situation, they need to hire marketing experts and also to conduct marketing analysis, competitor analysis, SWOT analysis, etc. to promote a hotel or hotels in a pro per way. These things not only raise the costs of business; but also increase the problems or troubles of the employers (Cummings, Kwansa and Sussman, 2013). Hence, marketing is another serious issue for the hotel industry. Technological Issues: The current era is the era of advanced technologies. Business organizations focus on the advanced technologies to improve the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of businesses. Hotel industry is emphasizing its attention on advanced technologies for the future growth of the business. They want to make use of technologies; so they can make direct interaction with their customers. Moreover, the hotel industry believes that the adoption of technologies will reduce the operations and marketing costs of the hotels. But, the adoption and implementation of technologies is not an easy job. Hotels are facing lots of technological issues in their day to day operations. The main reason behind it is that all the employees of hotels are not aware about these technologies. They do not have the proper knowledge of technologies. They do not know how they may use technologies to operate business activities (Wagen and Goonetilleke, 2015). Hence, hotels are obliged to hire technological experts to provide trainings to their employees. Moreover, they need to hire high educated people to solve issues related to technologies. So, it is the other issue that the industry is facing badly. Alternative Solutions to Overcome these Issues The above discussed are the major issues that are faced by hotels in their operational and business activities. These issues are influencing the operations and revenues of hotels in a negative manner. There are numerous alternation solutions that the hotel industry can use to overcome these issues in an effectual manner. For case, to solve the changing labor conditions issue, hotels should hire only educated people to perform the business activities (TAA. 2012). Moreover, they should clear all the terms and conditions at the time of joining. They should make an agreement with their employees. They should know that if they break an agreement then they are legally bound to pay penalty and costs that they will spend in the recruitment of other person. Along with this, to overcome the other three issues: operating costs issue, marketing issues, and technological issues, hotels should develop specific criteria for all the employees of the organizations. These issues are interrelated. To o vercome these issues, the industry must hire highly skilled experts those may operate their systems in an accurate manner. Moreover, hotels should focus on technologies to promote as well as market their services in the marketplace. The use of advanced technologies will be helpful to reduce the operation costs as well as marketing costs; and to solve technological issues in an effectual and a more comprehensive manner (Maha, 2015). Conclusion On the premise of the above analysis, it can be said that, hotel industry is the fast developing industry all around the world. The industry requires innovative business models and advanced technologies to survive in the marketplace. Along with this, it is also observed that, the hotel industry is facing lots of serious issues including changing labor conditions, operating costs, marketing issues, and technologies issues it its daily operation activities. These issues are dangerous for the current and future growth of the business. Furthermore, there are some important steps that should be taken by the hotel industry to resolve all these issues in an appropriate manner. References Beesley, L.G. and Davidson, M. (2013). A critical Analysis of Skilled Labor Supply and Demand in the Australian Hospitality Industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality Tourism, 14(3), pp.264-280. Boella, M.J. and Goss-Turner, S. (2013). Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry: A Guide to Best Practice. NY: Routledge. Cummings, P.R., Kwansa, F.A. and Sussman, M. B. (2013). The Role of the Hospitality Industry in the Lives of Individuals and Families. NY: Routledge. Jauhari, V. (2012). Summing up key challenges faced by the hospitality industry in India. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 4(2), pp.203-211. Jin-zhao, W. and Jing, W.A.N.G. (2009). Issues, challenges, and trends, that facing hospitality industry. Management Science and Engineering, 3(4), p.53. Kashyap, G. (2014).Challenges faced by the Hotel Industry: a review of Indian Scenario. OSR Journal of Business and Management 16 (9), pp. 69-73. Maha, A. (2015). The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media in the Hospitality Industry. A Study of the North East Region of Romania. EIRP Proceedings, 10. TAA. (2012). Creating a long term Future for the Sydney hotel industry. Available At: https://www.tourismaccommodation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/TAA-SYDNEY-HOTEL-INDUSTRY_POSTION-PAPER-APRIL-12-FINAL-v6.pdf [Accessed On: 9th May 2017] TAA. (2013). Australian Hotels: Contributing to economic growth and national prosperity. Available At: https://aha.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/AHA-National-Policy-Platform-2013.pdf [Accessed On: 9th May 2017] Wagen, L.V.D. and Goonetilleke, A. (2015). Hospitality Management, Strategy and Operations. Australia: Pearson Higher Education AU. Yang, H.O. and Cherry, N. (2008). Human resource management challenges in the hotel industry in Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 13(4), pp.399-410. Zainal, A., Radzi, S.M., Hashim, R., Chik, C.T. and Abu, R. (2012). Current Issues in Hospitality and Tourism: Research and Innovations. USA: CRC Press.

Is Hockey Being Lost As A Canadian Game Essays -

Is Hockey Being Lost as a Canadian Game? Hockey, to many Canadians it is their favourite sport or pastime. This game is a part of Canadian's heritage. Although with the ongoing ?Americanizing? of Canada, it is only a matter of time before Canada's game is changed as well. The NHL, National Hockey League, is the professional league for hockey. In the past, and still today, Canadians have made up the greater part of the leagues players. The article NHL Melting Pot gives statistics and a graph of which nationalities were and are playing in the league. In 1967, Canadian born players made up nearly 97% of the NHL. ?With the influx of players from other countries, the NHL is beginning to look like the United Nations on ice.? (Card#3) Now Canadians are only 66.2% of the population in the league. The American born players are slowly sneaking up at 16.6%, the second largest nationality. The gap does not look that tight, however when you consider the time in which this jump has taken place, it will get closer sooner instead of later. In the article, ?The New Ice Age? it gives statistics on the recent jump in American and other players into the NHL. In 1983, out of 21 teams there were 409 Canadian born players to 68 American born players and 47 European players (Only showing the top 25 players on each teams roster). In 1992, out of 24 teams there were 396 Canadian born players to 101 American players and a surprising 103 Europeans (Only showing the top 25 players on each of the teams). ? The increase of American and European players in recent years is changing the look of the NHL.? (Card#2) The American, and European invasion is making hockey everyone's game and not just Canada's. Why would this bother Canadians? Why not share their national pride in hockey? Many Canadians feel that hockey is the last thing that they can truly call their own. ? Hockey Night In Canada has been one of the five most- watched television shows here (Canada) every year since the dawn of television, and, in Parliament, a National Hockey Caucus monitors the Canadian-ness of the game.? (Card#5) This was said by Ken Dryden, a former NHL player in an interview with reporter Mary Williams Walsh is Saskatchewan. Dryden says that one by one the things that Canada stands for and its time honoured institutions are being dismantled. The fear is that in the end, Canada's culture and society will be indistinguishable from the U.S. , ? Hockey is more than the Canadian national pastime: it is a passion, a cultural icon, as tied up in the it-ness of Canada as soccer is to Brazil or the bullfight to Spain.? Card#5) All across the country nationalist's see hockey as another precious piece of the country slipping away into the American market. The NHL itself which used to be dominated by Canadians is even becoming more and more like the other U.S. leagues as far as the way it is run and the players involved. The Winnipeg Jets were yet another Canadian team that had to move to the U.S. This is becoming a normal event for Northern teams. The ?Cities to the South? are saying they have bigger markets and the money to do better. The NHL, according to Dryden, is not concerned with the game anymore, only the money. This is where the difference between Canadian thought and American thinking comes into play. Canadians are concerned with the game because it's theirs, American's see the game as a money making opportunity and a business. Gary Bettman , the commissioner of the NHL, has not made matters any better, or easier. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets left Winnipeg for Phoenix Arizona, with absolutely no sympathy from Gary Bettman. Thousands of upset fans went out onto the ice after the game, and stayed for a long, long time. ? We thought Gary Bettman was going to be the saviour of the NHL. All he did was Americanize the product.? said long time season ticket holder Ron Wersch. The Jets were just another team in the loss to the American market. The Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado a couple of years ago as well. And threats of losing more teams such as the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Oilers or the Ottawa Senators are always lingering in the air. For many Canadian hockey lovers this does not sit very well. One of those die hards is Don Cherry. Cherry is a retired coach Is Hockey Being Lost As A Canadian Game Essays - Is Hockey Being Lost as a Canadian Game? Hockey, to many Canadians it is their favourite sport or pastime. This game is a part of Canadian's heritage. Although with the ongoing ?Americanizing? of Canada, it is only a matter of time before Canada's game is changed as well. The NHL, National Hockey League, is the professional league for hockey. In the past, and still today, Canadians have made up the greater part of the leagues players. The article NHL Melting Pot gives statistics and a graph of which nationalities were and are playing in the league. In 1967, Canadian born players made up nearly 97% of the NHL. ?With the influx of players from other countries, the NHL is beginning to look like the United Nations on ice.? (Card#3) Now Canadians are only 66.2% of the population in the league. The American born players are slowly sneaking up at 16.6%, the second largest nationality. The gap does not look that tight, however when you consider the time in which this jump has taken place, it will get closer sooner instead of later. In the article, ?The New Ice Age? it gives statistics on the recent jump in American and other players into the NHL. In 1983, out of 21 teams there were 409 Canadian born players to 68 American born players and 47 European players (Only showing the top 25 players on each teams roster). In 1992, out of 24 teams there were 396 Canadian born players to 101 American players and a surprising 103 Europeans (Only showing the top 25 players on each of the teams). ? The increase of American and European players in recent years is changing the look of the NHL.? (Card#2) The American, and European invasion is making hockey everyone's game and not just Canada's. Why would this bother Canadians? Why not share their national pride in hockey? Many Canadians feel that hockey is the last thing that they can truly call their own. ? Hockey Night In Canada has been one of the five most- watched television shows here (Canada) every year since the dawn of television, and, in Parliament, a National Hockey Caucus monitors the Canadian-ness of the game.? (Card#5) This was said by Ken Dryden, a former NHL player in an interview with reporter Mary Williams Walsh is Saskatchewan. Dryden says that one by one the things that Canada stands for and its time honoured institutions are being dismantled. The fear is that in the end, Canada's culture and society will be indistinguishable from the U.S. , ? Hockey is more than the Canadian national pastime: it is a passion, a cultural icon, as tied up in the it-ness of Canada as soccer is to Brazil or the bullfight to Spain.? Card#5) All across the country nationalist's see hockey as another precious piece of the country slipping away into the American market. The NHL itself which used to be dominated by Canadians is even becoming more and more like the other U.S. leagues as far as the way it is run and the players involved. The Winnipeg Jets were yet another Canadian team that had to move to the U.S. This is becoming a normal event for Northern teams. The ?Cities to the South? are saying they have bigger markets and the money to do better. The NHL, according to Dryden, is not concerned with the game anymore, only the money. This is where the difference between Canadian thought and American thinking comes into play. Canadians are concerned with the game because it's theirs, American's see the game as a money making opportunity and a business. Gary Bettman , the commissioner of the NHL, has not made matters any better, or easier. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets left Winnipeg for Phoenix Arizona, with absolutely no sympathy from Gary Bettman. Thousands of upset fans went out onto the ice after the game, and stayed for a long, long time. ? We thought Gary Bettman was going to be the saviour of the NHL. All he did was Americanize the product.? said long time season ticket holder Ron Wersch. The Jets were just another team in the loss to the American market. The Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado a couple of years ago as well. And threats of losing more teams such as the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Oilers or the Ottawa Senators are always lingering in the air. For many Canadian hockey lovers this does not sit very well. One of those die hards is Don Cherry. Cherry is a retired coach

Interpretations of Heart of Darkness Essays - Joseph Conrad

Interpretations of Heart of Darkness Essays - Joseph Conrad Interpretations of Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, there is a great interpretation of the feelings of the characters and uncertainties of the Congo. Although Africa, nor the Congo are ever really referred to, the Thames river is mentioned as support. This intricate story reveals much symbolism due to Conrad's theme based on the lies and good and evil, which interact together in every man. Today, of course, the situation has changed. Most literate people know that by probing into the heart of the jungle Conrad was trying to convey an impression about the heart of man, and his tale is universally read as one of the first symbolic masterpieces of English prose (Graver,28). In any event, this story recognizes primarily on Marlow, its narrator, not about Kurtz or the brutality of Belgian officials. Conrad wrote a brief statement of how he felt the reader should interpret this work: "My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel-it is above all, to make you see.(Conrad 1897) Knowing that Conrad was a novelist who lived in his work, writing about the experiences were as if he were writing about himself. "Every novel contains an element of autobiography-and this can hardly be denied, since the creator can only explain himself in his creations."(Kimbrough,158) The story is written as seen through Marlow's eyes. Marlow is a follower of the sea. His voyage up the Congo is his first experience in freshwater navigation. He is used as a tool, so to speak, in order for Conrad to enter the story and tell it out of his own philosophical mind. He longs to see Kurtz, in the hope's of appreciating all that Kurtz finds endearing in the African jungle. Marlow does not get the opportunity to see Kurtz until he is so disease-stricken he looks more like death than a person. There are no good looks or health. In the story Marlow remarks that Kurtz resembles "an animated image of death carved out of old ivory." Like Marlow, Kurtz is seen as an honorable man to many admirers; but he is also a thief, murderer, raider, persecutor, and above all he allows himself to be worshipped as a god. Both men had good intentions to seek, yet Kurtz seemed a "universally genius" lacking basic integrity or a sense of responsibility (Roberts,43). In the end they form one symbolic unity. Marlow and Kurtz are the light and dark selves of a single person. Meaning each one is what the other might have been. Every person Marlow meets on his venture contributes something to the plot as well as the overall symbolism of the story. Kurtz is the violent devil Marlow describes at the story's beginning. It was his ability to control men through fear and adoration that led Marlow to signify this. Throughout the story Conrad builds an unhealthy darkness that never allows the reader to forget the focus of the story. At every turn he sees evil lurking within the land. Every image reflects a dreary, blank one. The deadly Congo snakes to link itself with the sea and all other rivers of darkness and light, with the tributaries and source of man's being on earth (Dean,189). The setting of these adventurous and moral quests is the great jungle, in which most of the story takes place. As a symbol the forest encloses all, and in the heart of the African journey Marlow enters the dark cavern of his won heart. It even becomes an image of a vast catacomb of evil, in which Kurtz dies, but from which Marlow emerges spiritually reborn. The manager, in charge of three stations in the jungle, feels Kurtz poses a threat to his own position. Marlow sees how the manager is deliberately trying to delay any help or supplies to Kurtz. He hopes he will die of neglect. This is where the inciting moment of the story lies. Should the company in Belgium find out the truth a bout Kurtz's success in an ivory procurer, they would undoubtedly elevate him to the position of manager. The manager's insidious and pretending nature opposes all truth (Roberts,42). This story

Classroom Desk Arrangement Ideas

Classroom Desk Arrangement Ideas Your desk arrangement choices reflect your teaching goals and philosophy. The furniture in your classroom isnt just a bunch of meaningless wood, metal, and plastic. In fact, how you arrange the desks in your room says a lot to students, parents, and visitors about what you want to accomplish and even what you believe about student interactions and learning. So before you start sliding desks and chairs around, consider how various student desk arrangements can make it easier for you to accomplish learning goals and manage student discipline issues. Here are 6 suggestions for arranging student desks in your classroom. 1. Classic Rows Most of us sat in traditional rows during our school years, from elementary school all the way through college. Picture a room with students facing forward to the teacher and whiteboard in either horizontal or vertical rows. The classic row set-up places students in an audience collectively focused on traditional teacher-centric lessons as the day goes along. Its relatively easy for teachers to spot chatty or misbehaving students because every child should be facing forward at all times. One drawback is that rows make it difficult for students to work in small groups. 2. Cooperative Clusters Many elementary school teachers utilize cooperative clusters, generally disappearing as students move into junior high school and beyond. If, for example, you have twenty students, you could organize their desks into four groups of five, or five groups of four. By strategically forming the groups based on student personality and work style, you can have students work together cooperatively throughout the day without having to take time to rearrange desks or form new groups every day. One drawback is that some students will get easily distracted by facing other students and not the front of the class. 3. Horseshoe or U-shape Arranging desks in a wide horseshoe shape or angular u-shape (facing the teacher and whiteboard) facilitates whole group discussions while still forcing students to face forward for teacher-directed instruction. It might be a tight squeeze to fit all of your students desks into a horseshoe shape, but try forming more than one row or tightening the horseshoe, if necessary. 4. Full Circle Its unlikely that you will want elementary-aged students to sit in a full circle all day every day. However, you may want to have your students move their desks into a closed circle on a temporary basis in order to hold a class meeting or hold a writers workshop where students will be sharing their work and offering each other feedback. 5. Remember to Include Aisles No matter how you choose to arrange your students desks, remember to build in aisles for easy movement around the classroom. Not only do you need to allow students space to move, its important to note that effective teachers are always walking around the classroom using proximity to manage behavior and help students as they need assistance. 6. Keep It Fluid It may be tempting to set up your students desks once at the beginning of the school year and keep it that way all year long. But the art of desk arrangement should actually be fluid, functional, and creative. If a certain set-up isnt working for you, make a change. If you notice a recurring behavior problem that could be alleviated by moving desks, give it a try. Remember to move your students around, too - not just their desks. This keeps students on their toes. As you get to know them better, you can judge where each student should sit for maximal learning and minimal distraction. Edited by: Janelle Cox

State-building In Developing Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

State-building In Developing Countries - Essay Example This report stresses that during the emergence of Europe, the most dominant powers were Germany and the United Kingdom and later America and the USSR. These nations through the exercise of their military and economic power had significant implications on state building in Europe. For instance, Germany was responsible for political and human turmoil witnessed in Poland during the start of the twentieth century. Germany onslaught on Polish territory resulted in the death of thousand of Polish citizens. This result in slow development of Poland, which in the past has been a recipient of massive amounts of aid from America. This paper makes a conclusion that Europe’s past provides an insightful point of reference upon which one can undertake comparisons. There are several similarities in state building in Europe but also huge disparities between modern day third world nations. A common characteristic in the third world nations is democratic institutions, which lack legitimacy, which is in stack contracts to Europe’s well-entrenched democratic institutions of governance such as the legislature, and judiciary that the citizenry believe in. Clearly, there are obvious disparities between state building in Europe and the third world nations. Violence is common phenomena employed as tool to cause a revolution or enable the state to consolidate power and create order forcefully. Tilly and Cohen’s radical views with regard to the existence of the state and Gerschenkron’s insight into economic history provide insightful perspectives on state building.

Research essay Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Essay - Research Paper Example Engineering is a special stream of implementing scientific concepts for the ease of mankind. From manufacturing a pen to the building of mega structures, like skyscrapers and mammoth naval vessels, engineering has been a technique to stride over decades by one simple innovation and invention. As sciences are attributed for being a self correcting knowledge, engineering has been a practical example. It involves risks and stakes that can cost even thousands of lives, and at the same time it can help millions of lives to live well. As it is seen, even today, that people are prone to the results of their tests and trials in the field of engineering, disasters sometimes become complementary. It is therefore necessary to analyze one such epitome that can provide an example of what was deemed and what was harvested. In modern times uncalled for events do occur. They somehow manage to escape in depth analysis and scrutiny for contingencies. A system that is aimed for the sake of ease of mank ind goes out of control and costs people dearly, should be thoroughly studies from different angles in order to be avoided in future. One such event of our times is discussed here. The event, which will be discussed, is a major engineering failure that reminds every engineer of the outcomes of an under-engineered system design. Case of â€Å"Chernobyl disaster, that gobbled heavy life toll and exposed many to nuclear radiation, is one of the biggest examples of modern times†. (NEA) The Soviets were in charge of the site and its operations and they were in the know about the potential nuclear hazards that could kick off anytime during its operation. As known for their use of crude technology and low level of quality assurance in engineering sector, Soviets took the issue trivially. â€Å"On 26th April, 1986, the nuclear plant that was inducted with low quality and under-engineered steam turbines and fissile material, started malfunctioning†. (safetycouncil.org.nz) This malfunctioning was of very serious nature as the steam turbines showed a stark increase in revolution due to spike in uranium fission reaction. Soon the steam turbines started reaching its maximum revolution capacity and blew up with a thud. The explosion engrossed fissures in the main core which started melting. Eventually the whole core melted and the proximity areas caught fire. The bursting of core emanated tremendous radioactive waves and particles that in the form of a radioactive fallout engulfed large swathes of USSR (Ionizing Radiation, 23). Region in a circle of more than a hundred miles was immersed in this catastrophic fall out. A cost of â€Å"Ruble 18 billion was spent and around 500,000 rescue workers and volunteers started emergency operations in the radiation stricken area†. The failure to comprehend the sensitivity of advance engineering practices to ensure nuclear core development is what is being said as the main reason for such a big loss (Yamada, 4). An answer to the question of what actually went wrong with the nuclear reactor is now clear. International organizations like IAEA have been able to formulize basic requisite for the development and deployment of such facilities. The engineering field has been given a specialized faculty of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Management to ensure fidelity with the international practices of engineering. An analysis shows that there was â€Å"no energy-spike-control mechanism†. (secondsfromdisaster.net) Further the boilers and steam turbines were not segregated from

Eragon Essay Example for Free

Eragon Essay Often, heroic characters have to make tough choices in life; occasionally, the result of said choices is not to the individual’s benefit, but the outcome may bring joy to other people’s lives. In Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, coincidences, decisions, and desires combine to change Eragon’s life forever. Eragon is a hard working farm boy who shows a great deal of patience, honesty, and curiosity. He showcases these skills when hunting for food, and by coincidence he discovers a mysterious blue stone which he decides, out of curiosity, to take home with him. This â€Å"egg†, which happens to hatch into a dragon; this discovery becomes a turning point in Eragon’s life and he knows it could enable his way out of a long and tedious life. In fact, Eragon’s decision to keep and ultimately raise the dragon triggers his transformation from a boy to a dragon rider; forever altering his destiny, he will have to travel and meet new people. He will have to make sacrifices and must accept the consequences to bring peace to Alagaesia; and he will make the inevitable choice of raising this dragon (Saphira) and training himself and his dragon to kill the Ra’zac and overthrow the Empire. In this commitment, Eragon shows that a point in a person’s life where an event dramatically changes who or what he/she will become. Eragon’s decisions bring consequences and responsibilities’ compel him to fight for something in life and stand up for what one believes in. People can lead their lives one way and know what their destiny might be, only to have coincidences alter their lives for the better, or the worst. As Eragon’s quest begins he shows how any person with desire, passion, and hard work can prove himself to be a man of honour, and bravery. Coincidences can lead someone to meet different people, and see new places. A person’s life can ultimately be altered because of one coincidence and can change the course of his/her life in a good or bad way. Eragon’s life takes a dramatic turn after coincidently finding the egg while hunting for food, for his family. After finding the egg and realizing it is a dragon Eragon knows he has to do what he was destined to do: train Saphira and overthrow the Empire. â€Å"He raced home, trying to escape the dragon my dragon† (pg. 6) This mindset of Eragon shows that as much as he wants to escape the dragon, he can’t because he has made a special bond with the dragon and will inevitably raise her as his own, and because Eragon’s eye that catches the stone in the forest leads him to become the next dragon rider and to overthrow the evil reign of King Galbatorix. Also by coincidence, there is a story teller (Brom) who lives in Eragon’s village who has a great deal of knowledge about dragons and magic, and decides to aid Eragon in his journey. After Eragon is aware that Brom is willing to help him, this pushes Eragon to make the decision and to take the responsibility as the next dragon rider. Eragon learns a great deal from Brom, who becomes one of his closest friends who also ends up being a dragon rider many years ago. Being the good friends they become Brom aids him and Eragon has the knowledge and strength to defeat Durza (Galbatorix’s Shade). When captured by the Ra’zac and almost being killed, another coincidence occurs when a mysterious figure scares away the Ra’zac saving Eragon’s, Brom’s and Saphira’s lives. This mysterious person, whose name is Murtagh, also joins Eragon in his journey and assists him in killing the Ra’zac. This coincidence results in Murtagh saving Eragon’s life and continuing their journey, as well finding a helper in Murtagh to support him in his journey. †Who are you? † â€Å"Murtagh† (pg. 268) Not only does Murtagh save their lives but he plays a big role in helping Eragon, but shows how without Murtagh he would not make it as far as he did. Knowing Brom dies shortly after) Making a decision can alter someone’s life forever, and there is no going back especially when the decisions affects other people’s lives as well, making the decisions irreversible. Eragon makes the decision to keep the egg and when it hatches and to raise Saphira as his own, this leads to the Ra’zac coming to his doorstep and killing his uncle. This is a significant event because Eragon’s uncle was practically his father and making the decision to keep the egg results in his uncle’s death, and without him he feels lost; however, the bond he creates with Saphira is so immense, that only death can break it. The Empire is alerted that Eragon has the egg, and the send the Ra’zac to retrieve the egg back for the King. Making the decision to keep the egg is what instigates his entire journey and creates that special bond with his dragon. Eragon makes the decision to pursue the killers to avenge his uncle’s death and to bring peace to Alagaesia. He changes his life by pursuing the Ra’zac wanting the satisfaction of doing to the Ra’zac what they did to his uncle and feeling obligated to his uncle for all that he has done in his life to apprehend the murderers â€Å"What do you want me to do ursue the strangers? † (pg. 92) He asks this of Saphira, who agrees with Eragon to pursue the strangers. With this one decision of following the killers, he changes his life dramatically and if he succeeds, he can change everybody’s life for the better. Eragon decides that he cannot continue his journey without more help, so he travels to the Beor Mountains to seek help from the Varden, a rebellious group also against the Empire. After Brom dies, Murtagh helps him; however, this is not enough after he knows he has too many enemies: Urgals, the Ra’zac and Durza the shade. It is a desperate path to take We are desperate† (pg. 320). This decision is a great benefit to Eragon because he gets all the help he needs, meets the person who has been in his dreams in Arya (an elf from the Varden who is trapped) and eventually kills Durza. When a person desires something in life, he/she will do whatever it takes to achieve it, sometimes the desire is so strong that is can change someone’s life. Eragon has a desire to avenge his Uncle Garrow’s death after the Ra’zac brutally murders him. This eventually changes his life, because of chasing the killers. And what would give him more satisfaction than hunting down the strangers? †(pg. 93) He asks Saphira how he can satisfy himself, then realizes hunting them down and killing them would be the only way to achieve total satisfaction for his burning desire to avenge his uncle as well as finally feeling the sense of accomplishment of the commitment he made. Eragon has a desire to become the very best he can at magic, and swordsmanship, this pushes him to become the best so he can fend off for himself and not rely on others to help him. It is time for you to use the blade We’ll cut each other to ribbons Not so. Again you forget magic† (pg. 159) This is when Eragon and Brom have their daily sparring, where Brom teaches Eragon how to fight with a sword and magic, his desire to become the best shows when he wants to learn something new every time they spar. After seeing Arya imprisoned in his dreams, he is determined and has a desire to rescue her. Arya, who ends up being the elf that sent the egg to Eragon in the first place. â€Å"I expect the queen’s hostility will abate. The fact you rescued Arya will greatly help our case with her† (pg. 410) The queen is somewhat against having a dragon rider joining the Varden, but because he had a desire to rescue her and risked his life saving Arya, the queen allows Eragon to join. Sometimes in life people have to make tough choices that will positively or negatively affect others around them. The choices we make can change our and other people’s lives forever, there are many things that may change how our life is played out, coincidences, decisions, and desires just being a few.

Essay on All Quiet on the Western Front -- All Quiet on the Western Fr

All Quiet on the Western Front  Ã‚  Ã‚   Erich Maria Remarque’s literary breakthrough, All Quiet on the Western Front, describes two stories. It meticulously chronicles the thoughts of a soldier in World War I while simultaneously detailing the horrors of all wars; each tale is not only a separate experience for the soldier, but is also a new representation of the fighting. The war is seen through the eyes of Paul Baumer whose mindset is far better developed in comparison to his comrades’. His true purpose in the novel is not to serve as a representation of the common soldier, but to take on a godly and omniscient role so that he may serve as the connection between WWI and all past and future melees of the kind. Baumer becomes the representation of all men, and, through him, the reader comes to see the true essence of such a human struggle. Though the novel introduces the reader to a seasoned soldier in the German army, its tale of war begins even before enlistment. The soldier’s â€Å"bellies are full with beef and haricot beans;† their hearts are full of happiness. â€Å"The cook,† or one’s parents, â€Å"spoons†¦out a great dollop,† or provides for their needs (1). Before enlistment, the men’s futures were good and certain; â€Å"each man had a mess tin full for the evening† (1). Though sheltered, the men were â€Å"satisfied and at peace†(1). Shortly after these introductory passages, Baumer expresses his disdain for this prior life, suggesting that the soldiers’ present paradigms are the only views that are reliable; â€Å"our generation is more to be trusted than [the older generation]† (12). However, though these men have been alerted to the ways of the world, these revelations visibly corrupt them for within their soul (â€Å"under their nails†) lies the... ...ar-mongering patriots, it sympathizes with mankind. The tale never deviates from this antiwar thesis, ingeniously allowing the everyday person to comprehend the stupidity of the bloodshed pervading world history. There is no real group designated as an enemy since the true culprit of wartime horror is war itself. Though this pacifist statement is made quite epigrammatically, it takes the reader until the end of the novel to understand the true power of such an idea. In the last few lines, the inner battle one fights in a war is linked to the inner battle we fight with life itself. No matter how hard we try, â€Å"so long as it is there, [life] will seek its own way out, heedless of the will that is within† (295). It is the human plight to unconsciously fight for survival. All Quiet on the Western Front suggests that there are cases where surviving is another form of death.

Research on Behaviour of Children with Stay at Home Mothers and Working Mothers

Aim: To study the emotional behaviour of children with stay at home mothers for the first five years and working mothers. Hypothesis: To show that children with stay at home mothers for the first five years of their lives are more emotionally balanced than children with working mums.Literature review: What is a Mother? The dictionary describes a mother who has born a child of the origin orsource of something like a mother plant. Mother means selfess devotion, limitless sacrifices, and love that passes understanding. She is someone who loves unconditionally and places the needs of her children above her own, on a personal level, not only in words but also in actions. â€Å"A woman who has compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience is a mother. She can fogive as the Lord forgave us and above all these virtues is the love that binds them together† (Romans:13:14)STAY AT HOME MUM: YOU CAN'T PUT A PRIECE ON MOTHERHOOD. There is a dilemma that comes with having children, and it plagues many new mother â€Å"Should I be a stay at home mum?† Even the most ambitious women sucumb to the nesting instinct of the maternal nature. It is a personal and specific decision that has its perks as well as its pitfalls. Advancements in women's rights in the workplace have encouraged women to acquire higher paying jobs. However, recent research suggests that more women are choosing to stay at home. It is not because of a lack of education or opportunity; they simply don't want to have someone else raise their children.A study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in 1999 found that the more hours a child spent at a non-maternal care before age 5, the less positive the childs interactions with his/her mother will be. Two studies published in 2003 conducted by the NICHD found that children in day care had higher levels of stress and were more aggressive than those cared for at home by the mother. There are millions of children , however, who have working mothers and who grow up to be responsible, sucessful adults.Benefits for children raised by stay-at-home mothers. STABILITY: This is the main benefir for your children. Knowing that you are there gives your child stability. You are able to answer your child  questions, dry tears, and offer support. In addition, you will never get those year back. They experience fewer emotional and behavioural problems in childhood: want to help ensure your children turn out to be happy and socially well adjusted? Bond with them when they are infants.Thats the message from the university of Lowa, USA, which found that infants who have a close intimate relationship with their mothers are less likely to be troubled, aggressive or experience other emotional and behavioural problems when they reach school age. Bonding with your child has proven to help in a childs mental and emotional development.Consistency: Your children can rely on you. They can trust the consistency on the way you run your household. Being consistent with mealitimes, Chores, baths, and bedtimes teaches children organization and discipline. They need this consistency to give them structure and routine in their lives. Quality time: All kids need quality time with their mothers. Quality time gives them the assurance of being loved all the time. Quality time also keeps your child out of trouble, which often stems from boredom. the memories they will have of you depend on this quality time

Psychology – Reflection on Self

Our universe has the general tendency to move from order to disorder. And yet look at how complex we are. The puzzle becomes: How does our universe creates complexity? David Christian said, â€Å"The universe can create complexity but with great difficulty. † According to him, we live in the â€Å"goldilocks region† of our universe – not too hot, not too cold, but just right for the creation of complexity. Then, things slightly more complex started to appear stage by stage. Each stage is magical because it creates something utterly new appearing almost out of nowhere.We have known that DNA accumulates information through random errors some of which just happened to work. But DNA actually generated a faster way of accumulation information. It produced organisms with brain. And those organisms can learn and accumulate information first-hand. The sad thing about it is when the organism dies; the information dies with them. We, humans, appeared about 200 thousand yea rs ago. What makes humans different is our way of communication, the human language. A system of communication so powerful and precise that we can share our knowledge and form a collective memory that accumulates from generation to generation.The main reason why as a species humans are so creative and intelligence. But then things started to get more complex, emotions, intuition and consciousness started to materialize. We became much more sensitive and perceptive to our environment. We began to reflect upon our different behaviours. That is when â€Å"the self† emerges out of the mere reflection upon our behaviour and social interaction. Our self-concept determines our level of performance in our everyday lives. All the changes we act on the outside begin in the inside of our self-concept.The way we think, act, interact and everything that happens in our life is the manifestations of our self-concept and the way we understand it. Our outer life is always a reflection of our inner life. It is extremely important to know ourselves in order to be very clear of our values, principles, beliefs and ideals. These elements contribute as a whole on how we behave and interact with other people. Our self-concept influences our emotions, behaviour and even the way other people respond and interact with us. The problem with that though is when we think about ourselves negatively.Everything starts to be affected from just the way we think about ourselves. We start to become helpless and depressed. â€Å"We are born with pain. We are born through difficulties,† Nik Vujicic once said. Nik Vujicic was born without limbs. He tried to drown himself when he was 10 years old because he felt like he was hopeless and abandoned. He felt like it was only him against the world. But the one thought that saved him was what will his family feel and suffer when he would kill himself saying, â€Å"You know what’s worse about being born without limbs? It’s being born without limbs who gives up on living.†Personally, I don’t know why we are born this way. But we have a choice, either be angry for what we don’t have or be thankful for what we have. If Nik Vujicic, limbless but can still smile despite difficulties and trials, then so can we. When we feel like we don’t have love and hope, we start to become helpless and lose the strength to love. We start to doubt and question our very own existence when we lose those qualities. We all have those people who are going to bring us down no matter how good our day is, or bring us even lower when we are having a bad day.But when we think and accuse those people as the greatest discouragement of our lives, we’re wrong because they’re not- we are. We have a choice to give up on living or get up. Those things are like the wounds or scars in a tree bark. Judging from how a tree grows, it will never go away. But we can grow as much as we want and let those kinds of things be a small part of our lives, or we succumb to it and die. We need to remind ourselves that we are important and special, and our values are not determined by our social status, background and the way we look.During fifth grade, I was oppressed by many people even my own teacher because I was a bad kid. There was one time I was accused of doing something and I tried to defend myself saying that what happened was an accident, but it was futile. I could only do so much. People were already saying that I was the â€Å"black sheep† of my family and that I was very different from my other siblings. What happened will forever be a scar in my memory but I have to grow. I have to stand up for myself and continue on living.Everyday we make choices, and most often the simple choices are the ones that can have the huge effect for the rest of our lives. The world needs love and hope. Let us start our day by giving just that. We are here for a reason. William Barkley said, †Å"The greatest two days in anyone’s life is the day you were born and the day you know why. † We may not be able to get a miracle but we can be a miracle for others. We need to remind other people that they are important. In order to help ourselves, we first need to become selfless, not egocentric but sociocentric.Just like one famous song would state, â€Å"Love is something if you give it away. It will come right back to you. † When I was a kid even until now, I was always inquisitive and curious. I was really thinking if an optimistic belief in ourselves and self-confidence would really make a difference. I wanted to find out how do you really become successful. Eduardo Briceno asked, â€Å"What do you think is the the key to achieving goals and success? † Most people believed that it’s hard work, persistence and focus but Briceno showed that these are all products of something more potent that anyone could develop.Josh Waitzkin, a chess internat ional master and the subject for the movie â€Å"The Search for the Next Bobby Fisher,† is an example of a person who achieved great success. No one won more international competitions than him. But even more impressive, Waitzkin took on the challenge of mastering a complete new field, martial arts. It was very different from chess. After intense devotion, hard work and some broken joints, he became a great martial artist having won two international competitions. Believe it or not, Waitzkin said that the greatest thing that ever happened to him was losing his first international chess championship.He avoided the greatest psychological trap. The key trap Waitzkin avoided was believing that he was smarter than other people and that he didn’t have to work hard. He could’ve thought of himself as a protà ©gà © but he didn’t. He said, â€Å"The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability, we will brittle in the face of adve rsity. † Stanford University Professor Carol Dweck discovered that some people think that intelligence is fixed while other people see intelligence as Waitzkin does as something that we can develop and grow.In a study she did, several hundred seventh graders were surveyed for which kind of mindset they had and were tracked for two years. Result showed that students with growth mindset increased their performance over time. The only difference between the two groups was a different perspective of what intelligence is. â€Å"The key to success is not only effort, focus and persistent but it is the belief that we can develop ourselves and the growth mindset that creates them. † If we are to fulfill our potentials, we have to start thinking differently.Our thoughts influence our actions because if we don’t believe it then no one else will. We have to realize that we are not constant and locked to our contemporary abilities. We can change our ability to think and perf orm. Because when we lose sight in the belief that we can do something, we are done. In fact, most of the greatest thinkers of our era were once thought of as having no potential and future. Einstein once thought of committing suicide regretting why was he even born. But along with him and other great achievers from Mozart to Robert Boyle built their intelligence and abilities.â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do,† Aristotle famously proclaimed. â€Å"Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. † Once we start to believe in ourselves, that’s when confidence and excellence comes in. Excellence is not something we are born with. We have to work our way to it. We have to make it a habit. William James once said, â€Å"Any sequence of mental action which has been frequently repeated tends to perpetuate itself; so that we find ourselves automatically prompted to think, feel, or do what we have been before accustomed to think, feel, or do.†But before excellence and success, we have to believe in ourselves. The real way of achieving self-esteem and self-confidence is not by being born with it but by working and being certain of it. The key insight of the context is the belief that we can somehow do it, being confident about it and that we have to work hard at something in order to attain it. We must be confident about what we do because we’ve done it a million times. By that, we bring our game to a whole new level. Einstein worked for 10 years in completing his equations for the General Theory of Relativity.Behind it is the understanding that setbacks and failures are part of growth. Every time we became discouraged at something we are doing at, we start to tell ourselves that, â€Å"I can’t do it. † When we hear that, let us talkback with affirmation, â€Å"I can’t do it but not yet. † Just a little faith in ourselves can create great leaps. Having an optimistic belief in ourselves does create competence and effectiveness on what we do. As I would paraphrase a key text in the Bible, â€Å"Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. †

The Weighty Relationship Between Ponder and Pound

The Weighty Relationship Between Ponder and Pound The Weighty Relationship Between Ponder and Pound The Weighty Relationship Between Ponder and Pound By Mark Nichol Ponder and pound respectively pertain figuratively and literally to weighing things, and this commonality isn’t a coincidence: The Latin word pondus, meaning â€Å"weight,† is the source of both words. Ponder, meaning â€Å"consider† or â€Å"reflect† (though the original senses were â€Å"appraise† and â€Å"estimate†), stems from the Latin term ponderare (with the same meaning), the verb form of pondus. The noun form ponderance, meaning â€Å"importance† or weight,† is rare- much less common than preponderance, which refers to a superiority or majority of amount or number. The adjective imponderable, originally with the sense of â€Å"weightless,† later came to mean â€Å"unthinkable,† in the sense of something that one cannot manage to comprehend. Meanwhile, ponderous, which first meant â€Å"thick† but later came to pertain to heaviness or clumsiness, comes from the Latin term ponderosus, meaning â€Å"of great weight† or â€Å"heavy with meaning.† Pinus ponderosa (â€Å"heavy pine†), the Latin scientific name of a type of pine tree found in the western United States, is the source of that conifer’s common name, ponderosa. The Latin word pondus was borrowed into various Germanic languages early on; in Old English, as pund, it came to refer to a measure of weight equivalent first to twelve ounces and later to sixteen ounces. The use of the term pound for a unit of currency came about from reference to the value of a pound of silver. The other two senses of pound are unrelated to this meaning (and to each other). Pound in reference to a place of confinement or a supply center (now most commonly pertaining to an enclosure for animals) is related to pond; both stem from an Old English verb, pyndan, which means â€Å"dam† or â€Å"enclose.† Meanwhile, the verb pound, which refers to repeated blows, is from another Old English word, punian, meaning â€Å"beat† or â€Å"crush.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeAt Your DisposalAdvance vs. Advanced

An Autobiography Of Josh Hamilton

Ashley kennedy Autobiography of Ashley kennedy I was born on August 24th, 2000 into a family of 4. I came home to a two story house where I sill live in even to this day. When I was 5 my parents decided to get a divorce. Up until 2008 there had always been someone else taking care of me and my brother while we were living with my dad in picnic point. My father met my current stepmom in 2006 through work and she happened†¦ is about a college student named Josh Wheaton, who enrolls in a philosophy class taught by Professor Jeffrey Radisson. In this class, Josh’s professor make his student write on a piece of paper â€Å"God is dead† and to sign their names. Josh refuses to do this, which result in him giving three twenty-minute lectures about God’s existence. In the first two lectures, Professor Radisson has counterclaims against Josh’s. However, in the last lecture that Josh gives, Josh asks Professor Radisson â€Å"Why do you†¦ In the article, "The Real Troy," the author, Josh Fischman, states that while not all Trojan myths maintain historical accuracy, most contain some elements of truth. The author cites instances in the Iliad and The Odyssey that archeologists are now finding might be historically relevant. In the article, Fischman quotes Manfred Korfmann saying, "The town makes Troy about 15 times larger than previously thought." (Fischman 56) In this statement, Korfmann is describing the discoveries that had been†¦ Joshua Joel Cosby, my uncle, also known as Josh Cosby, was born June 30, 1982. He grew up as the youngest child out of eleven siblings in St.louis, Missouri. After graduating high school in 1997, he skipped college to start a professional basketball career that included stops in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. On June 13, 2000, he helped the Yakima Sun Kings win the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) Championship and earned first team honors while leading the Colombia Copa†¦ JOSH MCDOWELL Slide 2: * Josh McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer. He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity. * Born August 17, 1939 in Union City, Michigan with the given name Joslin, now he obviously goes by Josh and lives in California. * He was 1 of 5 kids born to Wilmot McDowell. * Struggled with low self-esteem as a result of an alcoholic and abusive father. * After being sexually abused by a hired farm hand from the ages†¦ lifelong friend I would like to tell you about, his name was Josh Childs. We met in my freshman year of high school and became closer over the years. We remained friends outside of school and continued to be friends even after I graduated. The bond Josh and I had developed been simple, he was very motivational! For example, Josh was an amazing two year wrestler when I joined the wrestling team my freshman year. It was a co-ed team, so Josh and I were allowed to partner up. He constantly tackled me†¦ "Sound and Fury," a documentary by Josh Aronson, is a compelling story of a struggle between two cultures; the hearing community and the deaf community, grounded in a conflict between members of one family, split over the perceptions and beliefs of what it means to be"normal." It is a film about identity and culture, belonging and being an outsider, misconceptions and a desire to be understood. It is a film about the struggles of a cultural minority to find its place and acceptance in the larger†¦ The play Hamilton is about Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant who came to New York to improve his life. Despite what was thought of his past he improved his image, â€Å"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore, and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor, Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?†(Aaron Burr, â€Å"Alexander Hamilton.†) It doesn’t matter if you grew up†¦ Marketing Challenge Josh Howard, a founder of the charitable, Intercamp Classic (IC) held in Brampton, Ontario faced a marketing decision in October, 2012. Developed from an idea in 2010, the graduated Ivey student from Western University created a multisport tournament to which had been highly successful in its 3 completed years. As the primary decision maker for the tournament, Howard wanted to continue to improve the charitable donations of the 2013 event by 25% of the previous year’s donation†¦ From an Electrician to a Teacher: An Autobiography â€Å"The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of joy, meaning and passion.† – Angel Chernoof* I firmly believe that to be successful and flourish in education and childhood learning, your heart must lead you to this passion – as my heart did a year ago. Coming out of high school, my dreams were far beyond teaching and spending a lifetime discovering†¦

How to lie in Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to lie in Statistics - Essay Example I feel statistical information presents the facts as they are. The characteristics of the samples are made to show the characteristics of the entire population under study. The sample’s statistical results are generally assumed not to represent the characteristics of those who are not part of the population. For example, the $25,111 salary represents the average salary of people chosen for the statistical tests (such as people in Yale alone). However the $24,111 salary does not represent the people not chosen for the survey, such as the people working in Alaska (14). Likewise, the $25,111 average salary is true only for the time period when the statistical tests were undertaken. However, the $25,111 average salary may not be true when the same statistical tests were taken 30 years prior to the current Yale statistical tests. Likewise, a similar test conducted 20 years after the current statistical tests will generally show a different statistical finding (18). Interpreting the difference in the findings, the statistical findings should not be taken as occurring in ALL situations; to do so would be a lie. It is a lie because interpreting the statistical results is all-encompassing would be too twisted, exaggerating, oversimplified, or distorted. Sales people would use the average results of statistical test to convince the prospective buyers to purchase their wares; the sales persons are willing to lie to generate sales. Consequently, many buyers are persuaded by the statistical test results to buy the sales person’s products and services. The buyer wants to join the â€Å"band wagon† by buying what the average person wants to buy (103). I feel the author (9) correctly emphasized the statistical data can show the validity of the first sentence â€Å"There’s a mighty lot of crime around here†. However, such interpretations are subject to correction. For example, statistical data showing the number of crimes committed in one neig hborhood can be more persuasive to the leaders when compared to absence of statistical information on the same topic. In fact, the average person can easily draw up several theories based on common sense or statistical trends. However, the trends are high probabilities (not100 percent assurance) of future outcomes. Further, I correctly understand that statistical information correctly presents quantitative as well as qualitative figures as basis for decision making. The manager can base one’s expansion policy on the statistical figure stating there is a huge profit. However, the manager must beware of false statistical figures. The statistical computation of the gross profit figure may be based on erroneous data. Likewise, the manager must ensure that the mathematical computation of the statistical results is accurate (112). To ensure that statistical outcomes are reliable, the manager must determine if the there is no distortion or manipulation of the raw statistical data ga thered. Someone may have intentionally changed or manipulated the real statistical data to suit selfish or biased needs. The spoiled statistical data will generate unrealistic statistical findings. The unrealistic statistical findings will trigger unprofitable management decisions (133). I think statistics generally shows facts that are based on real outcomes. The records of the Connecticut Tumor Registry show that cancer survival has increased due to the

The 'American Splendor' Film By Pucini and Berman as Being Essay

The 'American Splendor' Film By Pucini and Berman as Being Successfully Adapted from Harvey Pekar's Comic Book - Essay Example Harvey points out for instance, relating to photography versus hand-drawn images, that the difference is fundamental between the two. The latter are manual creations, while the latter are machine creations, being photographs. Now Harvey says that in essence machines have limitations in terms of not being able to render what hands can image wise. Machines are constrained to render nature, and not the creations of hands (Harvey, 1996, p. 175). Lefevre on the other hand says the same thing, and adds that the photography in film implies movement, whereas in drawn images the default is that of static frames. This presents fundamental problems in rendering drawn images as photographed moving images (Lefevre, 2007). Hight essentially deflects those objections via a discussion on genres and treatment. classifies 'American Splendor' as a drama-documentary, and the work itself has its focus both the art of Harvey Pekar, as reflected in the comic which has an eponymous title, or has the same name as the author, as well as the comic itself. Drama-documentary implies realism and the use of the personal subjective perspective of the key character and of Pekar himself to render the comic series on film. In essence, with the use of the genre, the film is able to effectively render the static hand-drawn image unto film overcoming the objections of Lefevre and Harvey.... Drama-documentary implies realism and the use of the personal subjective perspective of the key character and of Pekar himself to render the comic series on film. In essence, with the use of the genre, the film is able to effectively render the static hand-drawn image unto film overcoming the objections of Lefevre and Harvey. The answer to the objections raised by Lefevre and Harvey, in other words, is the choice of the drama documentary and all that the genre implies in terms of filming technique and overall approach to film making, and Pekar's own vision of his art work as the rendering of images the same way that photographers take pictures realistically (Hight, 2007; Lefevre, 2007; Harvey, 1996). With regard to page layout for the comic and the image on one screen, Lefevre says that this is a problem because in comic books the reader dictates the pace and the images are at closer proximity to them. In film, the watcher has to move along in the pace dictated by the movie. The watc her is unable to leaf through pages like in comic books, linger on a page. The experience is not the same (Lefevre, 2007). Harvey says the same thing, that one page on a comic does not equate to several sequences in a film, or that there are difficulties in rendering unto the movie image, moving, a single comic page that can capture a series of movements or a meaningful snapshot of events (Harvey, 1996, p. 176). To this objection Hight basically says that the unique rendering of the film essentially means that the film is able to bridge the gap between the page layout of the film and the single image of the screen. To this he presents the case for the way the film makes use of a hybrid

Business Contract Agreement and Possible Negligence Assignment

Business Contract Agreement and Possible Negligence - Assignment Example An offer is a declaration of the expressions on which the offeror wishes to adhere to (Deakin et al, 2003). Expression of offers comes in distinct forms and can be in the form of an advertisement, email, conduct and a letter, only if it communicates the grounds on which the offeror intends to contract. However, an offer should be differentiated from an invitation to treat. Invitation to treat is an â€Å"expression of willingness to negotiate†. This is an invitation for customers to present their offer. However, an offeror making an invitation to treat is not obligated as soon as it is accepted by the offered individual. In this case, the advertisement by Techno products was an invitation to treat and not an offer. This implies that the company invited customers to contract. This implies that the company is not bound to sell the computers to anyone willing to pay for them. This is seen in Partridge v Crittenden (1968), where the court determined that the appellant only intende d to offer to sell the birds and was not an offer (Young, 2010). However, an advertisement can be an offer in certain circumstances. In this case, the advertisement by Techno products to sell the computers at ?1 to the first ten customers on 12th September 2013 was an offer. In this case, the actions of Peter portrayed acceptance of the offer. This case is similar to Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company (1893). In this case, the company offered a reward to anyone who contracted influenza as a result of using the smoke ball for three times. The court determined that any individual who makes an offer for the sale of items through an advertisement impliedly brandishes notification of acceptance if the primary objective is to sell as many items as possible (Young, 2010). In this case, Techno products chief aim for carrying out the advertisement was to increase its sales after it had seen that its profits were on the decline.  

Marketing theories and concepts applied to Waitrose

Marketing theories and concepts applied to Waitrose In this report firstly I aim to examine different theories within marketing, secondly I would be critically analysing the common characteristics of a marketing oriented organisations. Moving on from there I would be explaining various elements of marketing concepts using my research I carried out on Waitrose and would be evaluating and comparing the costs and benefits of marketing approach for todays business. Furthering in this report I would be explaining how tools of macro and micro concepts would help in decision making within marketing using Waitrose as my example. Then I would be looking into the significance of segmentation and factors influencing during the choice of targeting strategy. To summarise this section, I would be looking into how buyers behaviour affects any marketing activities in an organisation in two different situations. Finally, I would be examining how product development helps Waitrose in sustaining a competitive advantage over their competitors and how are their distribution channels they have in place for their customers proving convenient for their customers and how it helps the business in return. Defining marketing There are many definitions of marketing which generally revolve around the primacy of customers as part of an exchange process.   Customers needs are the starting point for all marketing activity.   Marketing managers try to identify these needs and develop products which will satisfy customers needs through an exchange process.   As a business philosophy, marketing puts customers at the centre of all the organisations considerations.   This is reflected in basic values such as the requirement to understand and respond to customer needs and the necessity to search constantly for new market opportunities.   Marketing means more than one thing. Many Marketing experts have many definitions of marketing, but most of them are based around different ideas of marketing. If you look at these two expert definitions of marketing, they are based on the idea of marketing being a range of activities. Kotler defines marketing as a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they want and need through creating, offering, and exchanging products of value with others. his view on marketing looks at marketing being more of an exchange process. [Kotler, 1991] Chartered Institute of Marketing defines it as the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers requirements profitably. However, there exist numerous definitions of marketing; it is always about meeting existing needs and anticipating future needs [Bagozzi, 1975]. In Elements of marketing, Prentice Hall, 1975;Marketing is all those activities involved in getting goods from producers to users, including buying, selling, storing, transporting, advertising, and promoting the goods [Bagozzi, 1975]. Another view explains marketing as being more of a process of goods or services getting it from the supplier to the customer. This definition is based on that idea. Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to customers. [C E Merril. 1982] Now after the definition of marketing, it is important to understand the marketing concept. This concept holds to achieve organizational goals depends on the needs and wants of the target market and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors. To illustrate the marketing concept Peter Drucker said: if we want to know what business is we must first start with its purposeThere is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. What business thinks it produces is not of first importance. What the customer thinks he/she is buying, what he/she considers value is decisive-it determines what a business is, what it produces, and whether it will prosper? [Peter Drucker, 1954] Common characteristics of marketing oriented organisations The major feature of the marketing oriented organization is that they are aimed to stay closer to the customers and ahead of their competitors. The reason is that the basic aim of these organizations is to attract the customers. There are four major characteristics which define the marketing oriented organizations including, Shared Values, Organization, Strategy, Customers. Firstly, all decisions of these companies consider the customers first and they share the common value of superior quality of products. Secondly, their organizational structure has very few layers and their policies are not very difficult. Thirdly, the strategy of a market oriented organization is long term, flexible and participative. Finally, they consider the expectations of the stakeholders before making any important decision. The Marketing Concept and the Mix The marketing concept is a kind of recipe how a company can achieve its goals by understanding the exchange partners and associated costs, being a response to external opportunities and threats and to internal strengths and weaknesses as a means of competitive advantage (Houston, 1986). Bagozzi (1975) underpins this viewpoint, arguing that marketing is much about the exchange paradigm which focuses on the question why parties take part in exchanges and how these work.   The marketing mix is the organizations overall offer or value to the customer.   The Marketing Mix is a term used to describe the combination of tactics used by a business to achieve its objectives by marketing its products or services effectively to a particular target customer group.   Businesses need to make sure they are marketing: The right product, to the right person, at the right price, at the right place and at the right time. The aim of doing this is to gain a competitive advantage and thus to outperform competitors. (De Wit and Meyer, 1998) The concept of marketing mix and 4Ps was introduced in 1965.It has become the basic model of marketing and has been unchallenged since then. It is defined as the set of controllable tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.   The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. It is considered that a common model for achieving this is the 4-P framework as put forward by Kotler and Levy (1969). Lauterborn (1990) proposed that there were twelve dimensions of marketing, however, McCarthy reduced the model so that it became known as the 4Ps: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Waitroses Marketing Mix There are many factors that encourage Waitrose to vary its product mix, promotional offers pricing from store to store as place (location) is also very important to Waitrose. . Price   Although Waitrose tries to operate a uniform national price list (all products sold at identical prices) it does admit to some price flexing to keep in line with its competitors. A variation of prices between stores can be in response to the size of the store, position of a store, regional incomes, and customer preferences, which can all have major affects. To illustrate the picture, a Waitrose store situated in the centre of London may have higher prices compared to a Waitrose store out of town in Surrey. This can be due to the high operating costs of trading within the city centre. Transport costs can also have an affect on prices especially to stores situated in London, as they will now experience the cost of the congestion charge, resulting in an increase in the cost of delivering stock. Also stores may face higher costs because they are remotely located. Yet stores that have a local monopoly, because no alternative shop is located within reasonable travelling distance, Waitrose may decide to exploit this by setting high prices. On the other hand, fierce competition will see low prices to attract the consumer who would have a choice in this case. Regional incomes and customer preferences can also have an effect on prices as certain areas may have lower incomes so prices of certain products may have to be decreased to meet the wealth of certain areas. All these factors have to be considered when Waitrose prices it products. Overall prices within Waitrose tend not to vary as most stores are situated in the south of England so incomes and operating costs are fairly similar. Product Product mix may differ from area to area because of varying consumer tastes. For example, the Canary Wharf store is tailored to meet the needs of its affluent customer base as they offer designer breads, a sushi bar, a wine bar, a steak and oyster bar, and an exclusive wine cellar offering vintage wines. Product mix may also vary in relation to what Waitroses competitors are doing, as Waitrose may feel they have to supply certain products just to keep up to date and in competition with its competitors. Additionally, Waitroses product mix may vary due to the size of the store and the space allocation of products. Waitrose may choose to supply certain products in certain areas as they are good sellers and so the bigger store the more they may sell. Sales data is a good way of identifying where certain products should be situated between branches and a process of achieving sales data is by the use of electronic data interchange (EDI). Varying the product mix is part of an efficient consumer response system (ECR). By focusing on the efficiency of the supply system and thereby reducing cost enables Waitrose to offer products tailored to a region. A major advantage of own brands is their extremely short maturity process. Since own brands are commonly exact imitates of branded manufacturers products. They benefit from this, by being immediately familiar with the customer. Most popular own brand products are those that show little difference to branded products, so-called inferior goods, where there is little room for differentiation. Retailers have the advantage of tracking market needs fast and react to the change in social life style (take away, healthy eating, alternatives food, exotic, ethnic foods) that encourage expanding in new own brand categories. The retailers have often been quicker than the major branded producers to respond to consumers tastes, as it tends to be easier and quicker to alter lower volume, private label products specifications than higher volume manufacturer branded products. Promotion Promotional offers may be carried out within certain stores to help grow specific lines which do not sell well, in hope of increasing sales, and matching sales targets of other stores, while encouraging shoppers to increase their spend within the store. Another reason for promotional offers to contrast between stores is so that they can compete against their local competitors offers in aim of keeping and gaining (counter competitor activity). A new store may also have promotional offers running at different times to other stores a means of winning customers, and increasing awareness of the new store. Different levels of store traffic can also have an effect on promotional offers, as stores with low traffic may carry out promotional offers in an attempt to increase the number of people visiting the store. An alternative motive for the variation in promotional offers between stores can be to stimulate customers switching to own brand products, as certain stores may have low own brand s ales. Place Waitrose is located mainly in the south east of the UK with stores only as far north as Newark. The typical Waitrose Store is located in town centres next to other major shopping facilities. The average Selling Space of a Waitrose Store is under 1500 sq meter, which is fairly small. However newly opened stores tend to be of at least 2000 sq meters and preferably 2500 sq metres. With the introduction of its food home store format, Waitrose has also started to build in out of town locations, however, this account for only a very small share. Costs and benefits of marketing approach The principal benefit of marketing is that it enables companies to maximise their potential and reach the right customers at the right time. But any organisation should weigh up the costs approaching marketing. Every project is different and could end up with the costs mentioned below, Setting marketing focus structure Initial product development Building excellent services Attracting attentions of customers Building long-time relationships with: +customers +suppliers +distributors customer retention A proper approach to marketing involves understanding the customer and his or her needs: identifying the real needs of the market.  And the below benefits are more likely to happen; Profits Customer loyalty and trust Long term goal Reputation PEST Analysis PEST Analysis is used to finding out if the market is in growth or decline, or has potential and the direction of the business. PEST analysis is manly used for measurement implement. External factors usually are beyond the firms control and many of different times can cause problem and treats for a business, but external environment also creates new opportunities, this is different for each country because they have different rules and guidelines. Pest analysis can be used for market and business development and decision making.  Ã‚   Waitrose PEST Analysis Political: The Government remains firmly committed to the objectives of PPG6, which seeks to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of our existing city, town, district and local centres and to make them the focus for retail investment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦means that it is very difficult to get planning permission for out-of-town stores. The Competition Commissions report The Supply of Groceries from Multiple Stores in the United Kingdom, published in 2000, stated that the leading supermarkets do not operate as a cartel to keep food prices unduly high. (Key Note, 2001, Supermarket Services) Although some questionable practices were found (selling product at a loss, lower prices in areas of high competition), the Commission did not recommend any corrective actions. EU Competition might not be as generous as the Competition Commission and therefore might order changes. If the introduction of the congestion charge is successful in London, it is likely that this kind of scheme will be extended to other big cities. Economic The takeover of Safeway by Morrison is an indicator that competition is getting more intense with fewer but bigger players. Social Demand for organic and healthy foods has increased and most retailers have responded to that trend. Today customers are less prepared to pay a premium price for organic foods, which is why retail chains have started to offer own brand organic products. Waitrose has long been offering these kinds of products. Busier lifestyles increased the demand for convenient foods/ ready meals. Also notable is an increasing demand for exotic and ethnic foods from consumers. The public has become more environmentally aware and Waitroses strategy fits well into this Almost 70% of women are working and working times are longer than in any other European Country. However, women are still doing the majority of the shopping. More than 75% of shopping trips are made by car. Public transport links are even declining as a percentage. Technological Online shopping is a major new opportunity for retailers and the UK offers a good market for this with the highest percentage of people online across the EU. And already more British food shoppers have converted to online grocery shopping than in any other country (Keynote, 2001, The Internet Grocery Market) Tesco is now the worlds biggest Internet grocer. Information technology and Communication has enabled more sophisticated store management, with detailed statistics of products sold being made available, thus facilitating the ordering of new stocks. More attributes of the store can be steered centrally such that costs are reduced, margins increased and sales enhanced. Stakeholders of Waitrose and their influence in marketing. A stakeholder is a person who interests a business. The stakeholders in Waitrose are: Customers: without customers Waitrose would not survive. Sales provide revenue. Employees: Waitrose has many employees in all aspects of their business.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Owners and shareholders: Waitrose have people that own parts of the company and get a part of profit. If they invested money successfully then they will make money for Waitrose. But if it is not, they will lose money. The local community: their interest in business activities and operations that could result in damage to the local environment such as the building of housing on green-field sites. Pressure groups: their main concern is the products that Waitrose are selling.   Suppliers: Suppliers selling their goods to Waitrose. Financial: Waitrose would not survive without money. Waitrose loan money from e.g. bank. Stakeholders within Waitrose have different interests in the business like, Customers have an interest in the production and services that Waitrose provide. The range of goods or services offered in the Waitrose. Also the price of these and the quality, and the range of additional facilities and services such as free home delivery. The customers also have interest on the attitude of staff and the overall performance of the organisation in this case Waitrose. The Employees have an interest in success of Waitrose as this can affect their wages and long-term employees with the company. Also employees have an interest on the way which they are treated e.g. they want be treated fairly and to do interesting work. They want to be paid a fair rate in relation to other people worked in Waitrose with the same qualifications and experience. They have interest in receiving sick pay and holiday pay. Owners and shareholders have interest in the amount of profit that is made. How much money Waitrose has invested? All shareholders have one vote for each share. Large institutional shareholders like Waitrose may hold several hundred thousand shares and they can use their votes to influence the way company is run. Also they have interest on the health and safety of customers and employees. The local community has an interest in many of the business activities taking place in an area. E.g. residents of a large housing state might welcome a supermarket opening the edge of their estate but be concentrated but the number of Lorries making late deliveries to the store. Also local community may be concentrated about business activities and operations that could result in damage to the local environment.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government have interest on employment of people, more taxes off Waitrose. They want employ the people that could be the best for customers. Government is also interested in business for political reasons. The government want to retain power aim to be re-elected. If the economy is healthy, then the government receives more money. Pressure groups have interest in what kind of products Waitrose are selling and if they harm the environment or have been animal tested. There are thousands of pressure groups in Britain including: trade unions and the TUC, most charities e.g. Amnesty International, many famous environmental groups such as Greenpeace. The interests of a specific pressure group will depend upon who it represents. For example The TUC and trade unions represent the views of employees and campaign on issues such as health and safety.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suppliers have interest on in selling their goods to Waitrose for a fair price. To be successful themselves, they need to keep receiving orders from buyers. Some suppliers dislike being dependent on business buyers so they extend their operations to sell direct to the final consumer for example, many breweries own their own pubs and restaurants and petrol companies have their own petrol stations. Equally some business do not like being dependent on suppliers. Financiers have interest in putting money into a business like Waitrose. If a grant has been provided, there will be checks ensure the money is used as agreed. If the financier has provided a loan, the business must honour its repayment commitments. Porters Five Force Analysis for Waitrose This is a means of identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in the retail industry. Threat of New Entrants Economies of scale in terms of square footage of shopping area and breadth of distribution channels are all critical factors in the U.K market. Larger stores can stock and sell many more products faster which is consistent with both their customers and suppliers preferences. Brand loyalty of customers in the sector is relatively high in that existing players have built a certain amount of goodwill with customers through loyalty and own branded credit cards. Scarcity of suitable real estate for shopping centres consequent to the absorption by the existing players as well as government legislation placing strictures on further out of town development. New entrants have limited access to U.K distribution channels as these channels are controlled by existing players. Access is typically being gained through mergers and acquisitions. There are very low switching costs to customers in the market and so market share can typically be gained by leveraging price and product range variables.  Ã‚   Existing players have accrued cost advantages due to experience curve effects of operation with  fully depreciated assets.   Power of the Supplier Supplier power tends to be relatively low for the most part in the U.K market as there are a small number of significant operators in the market. However in certain segments of the market for example washing powder where Procter and Gamble and Unilever enjoy a virtual duopoly. As own brands are emerging as a growing segment of the goods portfolio of large grocery multiples due to the higher margins available, even large suppliers manufacturers such as Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo have been increasingly producing   for own labels despite potential competition to their own brands. Some however such as Kelloggs, Coca Cola and Gillette do not agree to such arrangements as they consider it prejudicial to their quality reputation. Power of the Buyer Buyer power is particularly strong in the U.K grocery retailing industry where there is an extremely high concentration of buyers. Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda dominate the market. For smaller retailers joining a buying group is an important element of survival and give members enhanced economies of scale in purchasing. These groups however play only a small and declining role in the market since they do not buy on the scale of the large supermarkets and also cannot guarantee sizeable shelf space to major suppliers. Consequently they obtain lower discounts than the major chains. Wholesaling and distribution have been internalised and the retailer controls them directly. The cost of switching suppliers in the U.K market is very low and involves negligible risk.   Threat of substitutes Though Tesco has successfully improved its margins by increasing the ratio of non-food to food in its superstores it has moved into other competitive arenas e.g. its foray into furniture and household appliances has put it on a collision course with household appliance retailers like Currys and Argos. Changes in public consumption; e.g. the loss of confidence in British beef during the B.S.E beef crises of 2001 or fear of the long term implications of consuming genetically modified foods. Competitive rivalry Four major firms dominate the U.K market at present but concentration has increased markedly in the 1993-1996 period with major multiples pursuing active policies of new store development. Over this period Tesco has overtaken Sainsbury to become the market leader while Asda has since being newly acquired by Wal-Mart been threatening to take Sainsburys slot. There is no genuine differentiation between products therefore the principal rivalry tends to revolve around pricing and perceived value for money. Own-Label is increasingly becoming an important differentiator. Information Technology offers modern retailers the potential to speed up stock replenishment while reducing the cost of distributing products as well as strengthening links between the retail chains and their customers. Players which are most innovative in adapting technologies for these purposes tend to have a decisive advantage in the market. Strategies of the larger players are fairly similar in that larger players typically employ growth by international acquisition in emerging markets and by increasing their exposure to the non food segment of the market. Players in the lower echelon such as Sainsburys have since embarked upon a strategy of consolidation around a core business of food while maintaining a presence in the international arena. Other Global competitors such as Carrefour/Promodes just across the channel may gain entry positions to the U.K market by way of acquisition of weaker companies. Segmentation Undifferentiated marketing assumes everyone is the same and aims a particular product at everyone. Advantages: easy to plan, doesnt miss anyone. Disadvantages: can be wasteful, ignores segmentation, can lead to disappointing sales. This applies to market coverage strategy whereby a company ignores differences within a market and attempts to appeal to the whole market with a single basic product line and marketing strategy. Undifferentiated marketing relies on mass distribution and mass advertising, aiming to give the product a superior image in the minds of consumers. It is cost effective because there is only one product line to be produced, inventoried, distributed, and advertised. Also the absence of segmented market research lowers the costs of consumer research and product management. Concentrated Marketing:   This is where an organisation concentrates its marketing effort on one particular segment. The firm will develop a product that caters for the needs of that particular group. For example Rolls Royce cars aim its vehicles at the premium segment, same as Harrods within the UK. Concentrated marketing is when the message is aimed at just one small market. Advantages: Small firms can concentrate their marketing, allows a specific mix to be developed. Disadvantages: Ignores other areas of the market, can cause problems in future as may make it more difficult for company to expand. Some companies, particularly smaller companies, identify a comparatively small segment of the market on which to concentrate their marketing effort. By selecting a niche in the market for themselves, they hope to avoid head on competition with larger and more powerful rivals. A classic example of a successful product in a small market is the hand-made Morgan sports car (UK), the demand for which keeps the companys order books filled. Rolls Royce, though a much larger company, has been equally successful in catering to a small but affluent segment of the international market. Niche marketing, as concentrated segmentation is sometimes called, is currently very popular. It is no guarantee of a safe haven, however, since mass marketers will only ignore niches as long as they see no way to compete in them profitably and as long as they are not threatened by them. Should an opportunity or a threat be detected, however, the market power of the mass marketer would prove very uncomfortable fo r the richer. Proposed Waitroses segmentation Waitroses differentiation strategy and its competitive industry were analysed. The selection of the location can be identified as one of the most influential decisions in the life of a store. Various methods are described in order to help identify the most suitable location. The merits and problems of online shopping are explained and it is regarded as too early to evaluate Waitroses performance in this segment. Market segmentation allows Waitrose to identify different groups of buyers who share similar definable needs and behaviours. (Debbie Anderson) Whilst Behaviouristic responses are fundamental to segmenting Waitroses market as factors such as usage rates, impulse purchases, loyalty, and sensitivity to marketing mix factors allow for conclusions and positioning within consumer markets. Waitrose seems to segment its market based on simple variables such as incomes and Geographics (geodemographics). This has been identified by associating the number of Waitrose stores in the south of England with the average incomes, showing that Waitrose is aiming at the higher income earners at the upper end of the market, and segmenting itself toward the social groups of A, B and C1. There are no Waitrose stores in areas such as Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Bradford, Britains poorest regions indicating that Waitrose would not benefit financially from these areas. The use of Geo demographics is a fast and efficient way of identifying trends within certain geographical areas, allowing Waitrose to divide a market into different groups based on social class and lifestyle characteristics. Segmentation helps the marketers to distinguish one customer group from another within a given market and thereby enables him to decide which segment should form his target market. Targeting strategy Once a firm has successfully identified the segments within a market, the next step is to target these segments with products that closely match the needs of the customers within that segment.   There are a number of targeting strategies, including: Niche/concentration marketing this is concerned with targeting one particular, well-defined group of customers (a niche) within the overall market.   An example is, Jordans, the cereal company, adopted this approach by targeting groups of customers interested in organic products at a time when this group of consumers represented a relatively small proportion of the overall market.   Niche markets can be targeted profitably by small firms who have relatively small overheads and, therefore, do not need to achieve the volume of sales required by larger competitors.   The main disadvantages of niche markets are that the potential for sales growth and economies of scale may be limited, and the survival of the firm may be seriously affected if sales begin to decline. Mass/undifferentiated marketing this is concerned with selling a single product to the whole market.   This strategy is based on the assumption that, in respect to the product in question, customers needs are very similar if not identical.   The main benefit for the firm is that it can produce on a large scale, benefiting from low unit production costs via economies of scale.   These lower costs can be passed on to the consumer in the form of lower prices because, although profit margins on each item sold may be lower, high sales volume should generate large profits over