Cafeteria Food Essay

Some people think that school cafeterias should be required to provide low-fat and/or vegetarian lunch options to accommodate the government’s nutritional guidelines, but all students do not eat the same. In my essay about cafeteria food, I will explain what students want in their food. I will also share the likes and dislikes in the food and what we can do to improve it. Cold pizza, undercooked hamburgers and brown lettuce sounds nasty. Many students from different states and districts have to deal with that every day at their schools. The food from the cafeterias used to be good, with a sweet flavor, but in the last few years the food had taken a different flavor, a flavor that cannot be tolerated by the students. The students need a better quality in their food, don’t they? It’s time for a change, a change to food, so students can be satisfied while their eating, a change to food that can be really worth it. As a matter of fact, we students pay money to the district every year and this is what we get? It’s time for a change. Everybody knows that eating healthy was from the past. However, now students and not necessarily just students eat fast food like McDonalds or Taco Bell. Now everybody does, which can be a good and a bad thing. The changes of the food’s taste has made many students to not eat at school, or even made students to bring lunch, and this as a matter of fact causes the school to lose money. In all actuality is the loss of money causing the school to give students poorly made food? If the schools would serve students food from places like Pizza Hut and Subway I can guarantee that most or all students would eat at the cafeterias and it would benefit to both school and students. These types of foods would be so great to have in schools, but unfortunately the district and the governments have taken action and unfairly, they have set down laws that prohibit these foods in the schools. They have settled these laws because they want us as students to eat healthy, but if they want to keep us healthy, why are they giving us food with a bad and nasty taste? Also, with these laws they keep students like me away from eating too much â€Å"junk† food because they can cause obesity. But do they keep on giving us food that is not even worth the amount of money our parents give to the government every year? If they were the ones who eat all of the nasty food given by the cafeteria they would of get tired of eating cold pizza and uncooked hamburgers with brown lettuce just like we the students do. In conclusion, we all understand what the government and the school system is trying to do with this healthy eating program. They want to promote healthy eating habits in an effort to prevent obesity. Although nutrition is important, students feel that there is a better way to have healthy food without ruining the taste. Therefore, in an effort to keep students healthy and leave with their stomachs satisfied we should all come together to realize that we are the ones that have to make it through the school day with the food.

A Farewell to Arms †Use of Weather Essay

A Farewell to Arms is a gripping novel that tells the tale of an American soldier, Frederic Henry, in Italy during The Great War who is torn between his duty as an officer and the love of his life, a nurse named Catherine. In the novel, Ernest Hemingway brilliantly uses nature to symbolize and foreshadow certain events in the couple’s difficult journey to escape the war and be with each other. Rain, snow, lakes and rivers all represent either loss, safety, or freedom for the two. Rain clearly symbolizes loss, death and tragedy in the story. This is established very quickly, as in chapter one Henry states that, â€Å"At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came cholera †¦ in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army† (4). Right away, the reader should pick up on the symbolism of loss. After Henry falls in love with Catherine, the night he has to leave her to go back to the front there is fog that turns into a cold rain. As the novel progresses, rain foreshadows many other events such as the German offensive and massive Italian retreat, in which many Italian soldiers are killed. It also foreshadows the loss of Henry’s own unit. The day that Henry and his men are to retreat, Bonello mentions the wine they are drinking and Aymo replies, â€Å"To-morrow maybe we drink rainwater† (191). The next day Aymo is actually killed and Henry’s unit falls apart. The big example of rain foreshadowing loss occurs at the end of the story. When Henry and Catherine are at their lodge in the mountains, the night they decide to move to the town for the baby, it starts to rain. Once the baby comes, it rains and Catherine, as well as the child, die. This was clearly indicated as Catherine once said, â€Å"I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it† (126). Rain is definitely one of Hemingway’s most prevalent tools for foreshadowing in this story. Snow is used in the novel as a symbol for safety and security. It acts as a temporary cease to the fighting and bloodshed, as Henry states, â€Å"looking out at the snow falling slowly and heavily, we knew it was all over for that year† (6). It also represents safety when Henry and Catherine are in their home up in the mountains, completely surrounded by snow, where the war would not reach them nor the battle police to arrest Henry. It was because of this knowledge, how the snow brought an end to the fighting, that many people were hoping it would come once rumors of an enemy offensive were surfacing because snow would make it difficult for the enemy to fight and advance. When Henry returns to the front, the major says, â€Å"I don’t believe they will attack now that the rains have started. We will have the snow soon† (165). Because the snow would be coming soon, the Italians didn’t believe that an offensive was coming and were thus caught completely off guard when it did. In that way, snow symbolizes safety in the story. Symbols for freedom in the novel are natural waterways. Twice, Henry is able to escape war by either a river or a lake. During the retreat, many officers in the Italian army were being blamed for the army’s embarrassment and shot. Henry, being an officer, was pulled to the side and put in a line to be shot. Not allowing himself to be killed, Henry, â€Å"ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river†(225). He sprang into the river and was eventually able to get out downstream. He was then able to find new clothes and was completely free from the army, the river being his liberator. Once reunited with Catherine, they stay at a hotel on a lake. One night he is awoken by the barman who warns Henry that he is going to be arrested in the morning. They quickly conceive a plan for Henry and Catherine to cross the lake to Switzerland; to freedom. All goes well with their plan and the couple are able to escape the country and live well in Switzerland, natural waterways freeing them from trouble for the second time. Hemingway uses nature perfectly to symbolize and foreshadow events in the story. With a mention of rain, snow, or a river or lake, the reader is able to get an idea of what an event might mean, or what events may occur, whether it be loss, safety, or freedom.

Bohemia and The Final Problem Essay

When he reaches the Englischer Hof, the innkeeper has no idea about any sick Englishwoman. Realizing at last what has happened, Watson rushes back to Reichenbach Falls only to find no-one there, although he does see two sets of footprints going out onto the muddy dead-end path, but none coming back. There is also a note from Holmes, explaining that he knew the report Watson was given to be a hoax and that he is about to fight Moriarty, who has graciously given him enough time to pen this last letter. Watson sees that towards the end of the path, there are signs that a violent struggle has taken place. It is all too clear: Holmes and Moriarty have both died, falling to their deaths down the gorge whilst locked in mortal combat. This bit is so sad and shows Sherlock Holmes’ respect for Dr Watson as he lets him go back. Sherlock Holmes is a noble man in this scene and tries to protect Dr Watson from the pain of his death. However Dr Watson is left clearly upset saying he will forever regard Sherlock Holmes was â€Å"the best and the wisest man whom I have ever known†. This did choke me up a little as I read the last words of the story. I think overall the 1st person narrative by Dr Watson really works. There are a few problems but they have been solved by the way that the stories are written. For a setting to be typical of that of a detective story it needs to be a little scary and quirky, with the most successful murder mysteries taking place in dilapidated and isolated old houses. There is one striking resemblance of all the villains in the stories we have studied, they are all very noticeable. Dr Roylott and Dr Moriarty both tall and imposing, Irene Adler is beautiful and dainty and Hugh Boone is ugly and repulsive. The two most evil villains, Dr Roylott and Dr Moriarty it says have both inherited their evil tendencies. The literary pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson works well because they are different, two vivid characters, so different in their functions and needs and as all partnerships should be, based on a great friendship. I think generally there is only one story which we have read which could be described as a typical murder mystery or detective story and that is The Speckled Band. This is the only one with a typical setting, villain and story sequence. The others are not so, with A Scandal in Bohemia not having a typical setting, The Man with the Twisted Lip having a villain who is the same person as the victim and The Final Problem resulting in the death of the detective. So I think that you can categorize stories into genres but it is much harder to say â€Å"this is a typical detective story† or â€Å"this isn’t because †¦ † In the end each story is different. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

N Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

N - Assignment Example Like any company, a hospital with medical practitioners operating in a team, can systematically organize their approaches in relating with their patients. In the hospital where I am working, there is yet so much to do to improve the relations of clinical teams and in bridging the healthcare professional’s divide. The hospital also needs to improve its medical facilities, technologies and communication system to achieve integration of its systems. While it can be inferred that the hospital are financially capable of meeting all these needed facilities but an integrated medical services truly require transformational management that can facilitate organizational reforms and improve relations among workers. As practitioners are considered as healthcare team or clinical microsystem teams, thus, they function on their role as to meet the needs of the patient in exchange for values. As such, they work as small staff with shared goal but fundamentally meant to address a patient conce rns. They must therefore be group in a more reasonable fashion instead of grouping them rapidly or in an unplanned manner for an emergent purpose. This is however relatively experienced because in other hospitals, those team that are group rapidly consist of expert or highly trained professional doctors, although they rarely work together. These are medical professionals who are needed in critical events as contingency team. With regard to ‘silos’ status, the hospital where am working has relatively attained that level although not yet completely. True, the hospital has its own pharmacy, laboratory, rehabilitation clinic, ambulatory clinic, maternal delivery and children’s section, but not all of these operate independently from the other. Perhaps, the physicians may have independently hold its office within the hospital as resident physicians; the

Is biomedical model out of date Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is biomedical model out of date - Essay Example It is based on 'the notion of the body as a machine, of disease as the consequence of breakdown of the machine, and of the doctor's task as repair of the machine.' (George Engel 1977). This approach has a serious shortcoming because by focusing on smaller parts of the body we lose the sight of patient as a human being. Also by considering health as proper functioning of organs, we are unable to deal with the phenomenon of healing as it is not only based on physical factors but on psychological factors of the human body. The concept of health and the concept of life are closely related. Around the globe, people follow different cultures and lifestyles. They are adapted to the different environment and slight change in the environment may lead to change in their health. Patterns of mortality and morbidity have changed shifting from a predominance of acute infectious diseases to a predominance of chronic and lifestyle-induced illness (US. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 1979 ). So here the ecological dimension is also considered while considering the concept of health. This contradicts the biomedical model.In the biomedical model, health is defined as the absence of disease. The World Health Organization defines health as ‘a dynamic state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. This clearly shows that the biomedical model fails to address the social and psychological issues and thus can be considered to be outdated.

Hegemony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hegemony - Essay Example According to the theory of hegemonic stability, â€Å"hegemonic structures of power, dominated by a single country, are most conducive towards the development of strong international regimes† so that the norms and rules of a liberal economic order that is characterized by free market principles of openness and non discrimination.1 Kindleberger states that â€Å"For the world economy to be stabilized, there has to be a stabilizer, one stabilizer.†2 As a result, hegemony is that state of international affairs where a single State assumes predominance and utilizes that predominance in order to manage world affairs and it is the hegemon that sets out to manage the world economy by setting out the rules which establish some order and predictability in international trade and finance. The hegemonic power has both the ability and the willingness to establish as well as to maintain the rules that exist in the international economic order. However, as Gilpin points out, it is not strictly necessary for a hegemonic power to exist in order for an international economy to survive and function; rather it is a liberal economic order that is based upon free market principles and non discrimination which would be unable to flourish and reach its full potential without the presence of a hegemonic power.3 The structure of the domestic economy of the hegemon as well as other countries must be geared such that there is a commitment to the market economy without which, it could lead to the emergence of imperial systems wherein the dominant power imposes political and economic restrictions on the lesser powers. There must also be a â€Å"congruence of social purpose† existing among the major economic powers; hence there are three important pre-requisites that must exist for the liberal system to expand and flourish – hegemony, liberal ideology and common interests4.(Gilpin, 1981, ch 3). The hegemonic system will also support the existence of other powerful

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emotional Intelligence - Essay Example According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is the management of feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively in order to allow people to work together for a common goal (Leadership Organization 2012: 42). Additional definitions given include one that calls it the capacity to understand and use emotional information, either from others or from one’s own, accordingly. The concept of emotional intelligence is tied around the ability to be aware and express emotions; moreover, it is the ability to be aware of other people’s feelings, establish interpersonal relationships and the ability to manage and regulate emotions. The other two aspects of emotional intelligence are the ability to realistically and flexibly cope with the immediate situation and solve problems of personal and interpersonal nature as they arise, as well as generate positive feelings that allow one to be motivated adequately in order to achieve personal goals. In addition, emotional intelligence is known to affect the personality traits that an individual exhibits, which include sociability, extraversion, self-esteem, persistence and optimism. This is because, by people understanding their own, and other people’s feelings, people can manage relationships appropriately. Therefore, emotional intelligence is crucial in influencing people and leading them to achieve certain goals that in which one has an interest. In leadership, it is crucial to have emotional intelligence and apply it to all situations that involve relationships with people in order to affect the outcome that people under one’s leadership. This is particularly so in transformational leadership styles. Moreover, in this form of leadership, a leader operates at the emotional level of transforming people and their outcomes (Leadership Organization 2012: 18). Therefore, in transformational leadership, emotional intelligence is used to inspire involvement, loyalty, commitment and performa nce (Leadership Organization 2012: 18). In addition, this is done by leaders identifying themselves as a force and commissioners of change through taking up that role and embodying with it (Leadership Organization 2012: 18). This is concerning the behavior they portray and the influence they seek to mount on their followers. Thus, leaders using the transformational style of leadership are able to motivate their followers to do more than what they intend to do, and that which they consider themselves capable of achieving by providing a sense of belonging (Deloitte 2012: 10). Emotions are expressed in offering meaning and offering challenging tasks to followers in order to motivate them. This shows the role of emotional intelligence in offering motivation in leadership by letting one’s followers own the goals of an organization and create, and the leader creates an enthusiastic environment in which to work. In addition, transformational leaders and emotional intelligence go han d in hand owing to the leaders characteristics. This is because transformational leaders conduct themselves in ways that are admirable, respectable and that can be trusted by their followers. Thus, they are role models for their followers by portraying the goals and needs of an organization as their own. Moreover, this behavior works on the emotions of the followers by provoking a desire to achieve together with a formidable leader. An additional way in which transformational leadership and emotional intelligence are related is in the opportunities offered by a leader concerning furthering the ideas of their followers. This occurs by leaders engaging their followers in exploring ideas, which builds the relationship between the two parties (Brady et al. 2008: 58). Therefore, the relationship between leaders and followers gets a boost by interacting, exchanging ideas, challenging assumptions and developing new ideas for the betterment of the organization (Leadership Organization 2012: 18). Furthermore, on leadership styles, emotional intelli

Ethics of Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics of Society - Assignment Example Progress is a very important part of success, there is no success without progression in life. One has to understand that whatever we do in life has to be of a progressive nature and should not be static. Once we start doing things to our liking we should define set standard goals and strive to achieve those goals, and only after we achieve those goals along the lines of progression could we say that we have been successful in our endeavors. I am still in the stage of achieving my goals, and therefore I cannot classify myself as a successful person. However, whatever interim goals I had made have been fulfilled by the hard work and therefore at this stage, I can say I am successful with what I have done and with what I had got to achieve those standards. The United States is already a successful country. However, there are a lot of contingencies in the country which have to be corrected in order to make it an even more successful country. Those contingencies are the current lackluster economic condition which the country has been suffering from. The country needs more jobs and for that, the Government has to step in and make more jobs for the people. The entire manufacturing base has shifted from the United States to China and that is a cause for concern since the products which are designed in that country are now being manufactured somewhere else. Therefore for the US to be a very successful country in the future and sustain its success it has to shift the policy of outsourcing the jobs to other countries in Asia and focus on its own middle-class people who are ready and prepared to work in the factories for hours to earn some money. The middle class is now losing the focus in the country and that is why the country’s econo mic position is now deteriorating really fast. Law of attraction talks about the levels of energy and the vibes around us which we have to grab hold of and fell it along with the fact that we have to take in the vibes and give out vibes with the perspective of attracting the attention of the other individual. Law of attraction aims at understanding our flow of energy when we meet new people and how we use this energy to get the positive vibes of the people which we aim for whenever we are in a group having a conversation with people or when we are meeting new people with respect to socializing. The idea does not conflict with my values of religion since religion does not come in the way of the law of attraction. However, on the other hand, religion has its own definition of the law of attraction which is to spread good energy among the society which is pretty similar and identical to the law of attraction explained in the movie â€Å"The Secret†.            

CMI Unit 3005 Identifying development opportunities and Unit 3008 Assignment

CMI Unit 3005 Identifying development opportunities and Unit 3008 Improving team performance - Assignment Example Building and managing effective teams is therefore a very important aspect of organisational success. Leaders have a particularly important role to play in ensuring that individuals and teams align with organisational priorities, strategies & objectives and work for the attainment of the same. It is not only through authority that they wield but also knowledge and charisma that leaders are able to inspire and motivate effective teams. Leaders must thus ensure a fertile environment for meaningful engagement, expression and conflict resolution so as to lead effective teams. They should as much as possible encourage consensus in decision making, promoting a conducive work place, clear roles & assignments and communicate the business goals as well as organisational culture among their teams. The goal should be for every member of the team to identify with works towards the attainment of organisational goals. An example of an organisational objective is achieving operational efficiency. In the increasingly competitive business environment, organisations setting goals of increasing efficiency in their operations so as to meet customer demands in terms of time and value for their dollars. This affects teams significantly; the impact on teams of such organisational goal could be negative or positive to the business. However, the main goal of the objective is to lead teams their work towards attainment of organisational goals. The goals must therefore be communicated clearly to the teams in order for individuals to read from same script while executing their daily duties. Poor communication of goals could result in competition among team members for instance in the hope of being rewarded for being above other team members. Individuals could thus resort to unethical means in their quest to outperform others. Communication should therefore be effectively executed for teams to be effective. There are various

Dell and Virtual Integration Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Dell and Virtual Integration - Case Study Example The equation was known as 'direct business model' which, eventually, proved to be expedient to Dell Computer Corporation. The organization is efficaciously utilizing the formula so that it ends the value chain between the manufacturers, suppliers and users. This 'Virtual Integration' has proved to be a miniature to the information era because it effectively allows reconciliation beyond company limitations to generate exceptional results for its dealers. It is not only a strategical approach but an exigency. Day-to-day competition has marked the commencement of extremely convoluted products in the market. This results in cost-pressures and inappropriate linkage between dealers. Virtual integration, on this context is a congenial approach to the business planet. It gives rise to another bureaucratic name- Vertical integration, which is contrary to the virtual one. Vertical integration is inefficient because it focuses on sharing ownership distinctions and no worthy knowledge. Virtual integration holds huge benefits for its marketers. It gives rise to new technologies and fragmentation has innovated the industry likewise. The traditional barriers which once prevailed among industries a few years back could dwindle to a large extent. It resulted in the advent of new small-scale firms to condescend themselves to the segmented parts. MARKETING ISSUE ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION OF ACADEMIC THEORY Undoubtedly, Dell is responsible for the innovation of a new business model for the computer assiduity. They have always focused on three major aspects, the first one being an easy business strategy, secondly, to minimize the business expenses and lastly, focus on improvising their inter-relationship with their customers. Researches claim that during the past years of the commencement of the computer era, the entire sum of gadgets viz. chips and hard-disks, etc. had to be manufactured by a single enterprise. It had to expertise in all aspects of computers which eventually, did not apprise the customer. Time witnessed the augmentation of many new industries and firms which specialized in different elements. It ultimately provided opportunities too many specialized organizations in order to manufacture components. However, Dell excogitated about it in an assorted way. It believed in providing services and solutions to its customers disregarding the need for manufacturing the essential components themselves. This context deciphers the requirement for establishing a strong connection between the supplier and its user. Companies like HP and Compaq accredited the computer constituent assemblage by manufacturing almost everything, which was often considered to be an engineering-medial approach. But they neglected the fact that it, actually, didn't fetch lucrative outcomes, the reason being the least concern about valuation to the customers. For example, even if a company puts chips on motherboards, it actually isn't making a desirable profit out of it. That is because it works on the principle of sales and

Performance Based Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Performance Based Assessment - Essay Example This assessment will focus on students from grade 2-12. The subject area will include Mathematics and English and the number of students involved will be 20, five of which will be ELLs. Nationally, people have the No Child Left Behind rule that was signed into law in December, 2001. Local and state areas have other regulations, and learners have to take standardized examinations to decide if they are meeting those regulations. Almost every state needs some type of examination (Kuhlman, 2002). In Florida, schools have the Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). People coaching English to students who speak other languages consider that a single gauge on one kind of test cannot precisely echo student learning. Standardized tests determine, to a large extent, learners’ knowledge of the English language. Therefore, if the learner’s level of understanding is low, then he or she will not do well on the test albeit being at the right grade level of his or her native la nguage (Valdez & O'Malley, 2010). English Language Learners take 5 to 7 years to study academic language that is often typified as multifaceted, abstract and content specific. It is suggested that teachers make decisions rooted in numerous measures and not trust in a single test score (Kuhlman, 2002). People consider that numerous measures offer a more precise image of what learners recognize and what they should work on, that is their strengths and weaknesses. Hence, the goal of this plan is to create a performance-based assessment that will include ELLs plus regular students in any classroom. Performance-based assessment comprises of the use of alternative techniques, for instance writing samples, portfolios, presentations, oral report and projects among others (Stiggins, 2005). This makes it more reliable since the tools differ and the assessment occurs over a period of time. It is vital when assessment is not done through the use of multiple-choice questions just when there is n ormally one right possible answer. Some guiding principles for testing English Language Learners (ELLs) include: avoiding difficult questions; using direct speech because indirect speech confuses non-advanced students; testing what is taught; varying the complexity level (go from easy to difficult); providing learners with clear instructions; explaining to the learners, in easy language, what is needed of them; being aware of cultural prejudice in creating the test, as well as in grading; providing instances and using visuals to explain directions; giving credit for what the learner recognizes; and permitting more time than is naturally permitted for native English speakers. It is, at all times, useful when working with language learners to produce a test-checklist that a person can refer prior to administering a test (Kuhlman, 2002). Students will be required to sit in groups of four and one student must be an ELL. The lesson will run for 50 minutes for a three-day period. When int egrated into the classroom events, formative assessment grants information required to amend learning and teaching while they are still taking place (Stiggins, 2005). Formative assessment serves as way for a learner to check for understanding throughout the learning procedure. Formative assessments guide educators in making decisions concerning future instruction (Valdez & O'Malley, 2010). Here are some examples, which might be used in

Spinster and Women Role Essay Example for Free

Spinster and Women Role Essay PART A: Introduction According to the latest statistics reported by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, the population of single women has been on the rise over the past two decades. The population of women aged 30-39 who have never married has risen from 51,000 people in 1986, to 180,600 in 2009. In recent years, people in Mainland China and Hong Kong started to use the term â€Å" † to describe any woman who remains unmarried beyond the conventional age for marriage. In western culture, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† indicate an older, childless woman who is unwilling and unable to marry. Undoubtedly, traditional Chinese culture has cultivated generations of women who believed that their ultimate and most important role in society was to get married and have children. If a woman cannot achieve those goals, she would be considered eccentric or unfulfilled. The objective of my term project is to change general perceptions of unmarried women. I do believe that there is a wider range of acceptable and alternative lifestyle choices for women, such as living together with a lover without being married, and marrying at an older age. Hence, I produced a short film, and entitled it â€Å"A Love Warrior†. The Choice of Character The character in my short film is Ada, a typical businesswoman who is confident, strong, outspoken and attractive. She represents a large group of modern women in our society. After graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, Ada was awarded with two additional master degrees with recognized qualifications in Hong Kong. Although she is in her early-thirties, she works as a senior marketing manager in a German-based sports apparel manufacturer. With a highly educated background, it is obvious that Ada sees herself as a career-focused woman. But like other women, she also enjoys love life. In her most recent long-term relationship, she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her with a younger girl, therefore she made up her mind and ended this eight-year old relationship. After this painful experience, she became very optimistic and joked that she should be calling herself a â€Å" † and sees the world differently, there are many other good men available. Nevertheless, she is still seeking her Mr. Right and asserted her belief of true love and settled down. The Spinster Stereotype According with the Circuit of Culture (du Gay et al. 1997), culture is described as the production and circulation of meaning. On the whole, there are five stations: Representation, Identity, Production, Consumption and Regulation which are connected to each other providing a synergistic impact. Even fluctuation in one station would affect all other elements. Meaning comes from representations from language, photography, painting and ot her media, which uses â€Å"signs and symbols to represent or re-represent whatever exists in the world in term of a meaning concept, image or idea. † (du Gay et al. , 1997). Identity refers to how meaning is constructed or made and internalized by individual person or cultural group when confronted with a text (du Gay et al. ,1997). Production refers to the effort that an entity, for example, an individual, culture or industry goes about representing itself or products to others. Nowadays, meaning is also produced in a variety of different media. The modern mass media in a global scale circulate meanings between different cultures on a scale and with a speed. Consumption denotes that meaning is produced whenever people make use of appropriate cultural stuff to express themselves in. Regulation indicates that meanings help to set the norms, rules and conventions by which social life is ordered and governed. In other words, it is accepted as appropriate if the observed behaviour is pleasing to the individual or group. As long as the behaviour makes one uncomfortable, it becomes inappropriate. The approval or disapproval of texts may be in the hands of individual or groups within a cultural setting. During the early nineteenth century, unmarried women earned a living by spinning cloth at home. It was really the thankless work. The term â€Å"Spinsters† originally identified those women. Nevertheless, people used to associate middle-aged and unmarried women with â€Å"Spinsters†. That was definitely a symbolic representation, and became a social stigma attached to their status.. Feminist reject the stereotype of spinster. They point out that the term â€Å"Bachelor† which is used to label unmarried man, did not have the same negative implication as that of â€Å"Spinster†. Moreover, words like â€Å"Spinster† and â€Å"Old maid† pertain to the sexual as well as marital state of a woman (Schur, 1983). A bachelor could have several partners, yet it would be immoral for a spinster to do the same. People mostly implies that a bachelor is young, energetic, virile and available while a spinster eventually ages to a point where she becomes infertile and never bear children. Obviously, these terms for labeling unmarried man and woman respectively did not parallel in meaning. There are several psychological characteristics associated with the spinster stereotype: abnormal, unfulfilled and pitiful. In the traditional sense, spinsters were viewed as abnormal because they did not have children. Since spinsters would not have husband and children, they were alone in life which were viewed as unfulfilled by traditional definition. Also, people took pity on the lonesome spinsters who could not have true meaning in life without a husband and children. The Contemporary Image of Single Women In my short film, Ada represents a fashionable and cheerful lady although she is unmarried. She is dressed in trendy and sexy clothes, and has her hair bobbed. She looks chic and posh. She is confident to speak what she wants to express. She admits that she is eager to seek for her Mr. Right through online dating websites and marriage agency. During the photo shoot, she struck a posed on the Jacuzzi in the bathroom, and she drank the red wine in an Italian restaurant. These images convey the message that she knows how to enjoy her life and make herself happy, and defy conventional stereotype of unmarried women. Conclusion After completing this project, I think short film production is similar to photovoice. These creative approaches enable people, especially the stereotype group, to identify, define and enhance their community based on their own specific concern and priorities. Furthermore, I believe that in order to minimize the stereotypes for unmarried women in our society, cultural changes and breakthrough must be made. The struggle for these women to become a respected part of the society has been carrying on for centuries. Today, most single women have become sensible and smart on selecting the other half through wide opportunity for dating. (Word Count : 1103) PART B: There are 4 suggestions for improving my work. Firstly, I believe that the target audience of this project is unmarried women sharing a similar background with Ada. Hence, for the representation, I would have Ada encourages these women to follow her attitude towards life, being independent, assuming their femininity, breaking free from conventions and showing confidence with strength in both their career and personal lives. Secondly, having a strong female character as the main focus, the male audiences may feel offended by the tonality. Therefore I would have included various scenes in which Ada shows her femininity side in a traditional way, such as baking cupcakes or planting lavender. In order to seek acceptance from the male audiences, it is necessary to slightly tune down the independent and strong characters of single women. Thirdly, music can be use as a medium to express our feelings. The background music I chose for the short film is in English. The powerful lyrics of these songs illustrate the modern women’s attitudes towards their lives, and they are perfect to show Ada’s point of views, also to add more excitement for the audiences. However, due to language barrier, some audiences may not be familiar with these songs and not easy to be associated with.

The Bargaining Power Of Supplier And Generic Strategy Business Essay

The Bargaining Power Of Supplier And Generic Strategy Business Essay Generic strategy is the framework that explains in competitive advantage. According to Porter (Campbell, 2002), the generic strategy was insisted that there are three main options which are the best fit to the competition between firms that are differentiation, cost leadership and focus. In the past, the most consumers of computer market might know only Windows OS (operating system). Therefore in order to compete with large firm like Microsoft and the other, the differentiation strategy has been chosen by Steve Jobs. As a result, Macintosh, iPod and iPhone had been published and Apple can be achieved in several years later. Porters five forces analysis The bargaining power of supplier More bargaining power of supplier can determine less profitability in any companies (Smit, 2006). On the other hand, it can refer to the benefit of the buyer who may get better quality products. Apple Company has published the supplier responsibility report which explains the detail of Apples supplier standard (Apple, 2010). In addition, as can be seen from this report, Apple has tried to improve the efficiency of their supplier in order to meet their expectation and may reduce the bargaining power of their supplier. There is no doubt that Apple Company is still rapidly growing (Apple, 2010a), therefore the company still looking for new suppliers. Moreover, Apple has developed an ecosystem to obtain the best possible value and benefit to their customers and stakeholders. To decrease the bargaining power of Apples suppliers, the company allows new suppliers to register online on the companys website (Apple, 2010). Moreover, due to Apple is the leader technology company which has large demand of raw material. Thus, there are a plenty of suppliers which have been registered in order to be the Apples suppliers. Then, when there are more competitive among large number of suppliers, the bargaining power of them will be decreased. The bargaining power of buyer In order to achieve in the majority of markets, a company should meet the expectations of their customers which come from age, income, educational level, or even personality (Gilligan Wilson, 2003). Buyers seem to be more prices sensitive if the products are not differentiated because they can alternative to another retailer (Smit, 2006). However, Apple Companys positioning more focuses on less price sensitive customers which suppose to purchase premium product. Therefore, brand image of Apple had been created in order to contain the royalty of their customer and try to maintain their premium position. In addition, the product of Apple has been created base on differentiated and their customer requirement which cannot find from the other brands. (from lecture in the class) Furthermore, due to Apples products are differentiated form the other brands and the loyalty of Apple brand is quite high level, the bargaining power of buyers are therefore quite low. Threat of new entrance An entering of new companies to the industry may cause of decreasing the market share of the company (Hill Jones, 2009). However, Kurtz et al (2007) state that differentiation of product and brand as well as having a strong marketing strategy like competitive advantage might help the company to maintain the market share and generate profit. According to Apple (2010b), the operating system of Mac has been designed to unable to infect any PC viruses or any malware whereas Windows which is the operating system of Microsoft brand can be infected by varieties of PC viruses. Additionally, Graphical User Interface (GUI) of Apples applications is also different from the other brands. Furthermore, as can be seen Apple is differentiated from the other brand which make them have a strong position in the market. However, their competitors of MP3, phone, OS, Laptop PC, and the other products (Sony, Nokia, Microsoft, Dell, and so on) have tried to compete with Apple and they try to improve themselves as well as Apple Company. Consequently, the threat of new entry in Apple Companys level is low to medium and may increase in the future. , Threat of substitute product The products can be substituted by the same need of consumers (Campbell et al, 2002). For instance, if consumers want to buy a laptop, there are many choice of laptop which has similar performance and the same Operating System. Therefore they can pick the brand they want, nothing so different. However, Campbell (2002) insisted that the threat of substitute might have 2 factors which are the price and performance of the substitute and willingness of buyers to switch to the substitute. First the price and performance of the substitute, According to the feature of iPhone4 which is the earliest product of Apple, it combined together with smart phone which including FaceTime function, high quality camera and video recording, MP3, map and much more features. As a consequence, it is difficult for the other firms to substitute this company. In contrast, the price of Apples products is quiet high hence if the need of customer is not met, thus the competitor of Apple may have an opportunity to substitute the market. Secondly the willingness of buyers to switch to the substitute, the buyers may want to change supplier if they found the brand that have similar performance but cheaper. In Apple case, the customers are quiet high loyalty in the brand. As can be seen from Daily mail news (First Poulter, 2010), the first day that iPhone 4 released, there were crowned of people queued in front of their shops around the world. Furthermore, Campbell (2002) stated that the thread of substitute of the product can be as reduced as more buyers loyalty of the products. Consequently, the thread of substitute product of Apple is quiet low. The intensity of rivalry among competitor in the industry Businesses usually compete with each other in many ways for example, pricing, promotion, advertising and additional services (Campbell, 2002). In addition, Smit (2006) supports the idea that to compete between firms is similar to the jockeying for position which many tactics are used to compete with each other. Moreover, Campbell (2002) insists that the fifth force is the most important in five forces model and 3 factors of the fifth force have been explained. First the height of entry barriers and the number and size of the competitors in the industry (Campbell, 2002: p. 140), as mentioned above Apple have large firms to be their competitors such as Sony, Microsoft and more. On the other hand, due to the differentiated and quality of Apples products, it results in that Apple is in the first position of the most innovative company and their financial situation is successful (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2010) Second the degree of brand loyalty of customers (Campbell, 2002: p.141), as can be seen on the first day of releasing iPhone 4 (First Poulter, 2010) that there were more than thousands of people who queued to purchase iPhone 4 around the world, it additionally shows that the Apples brand loyalty of customers is high. Hence, the intense competition of Apple is quiet low. Third the power of buyers and availability of substitutes (Campbell, 2002: p.141), due to the differentiated in Apples products, it results in low bargaining power of the buyers and low availability of substitutes also. Conclusion In conclusion, due to achievement of Apples differentiated, the loyalty of their customers among the products and many firms want to be a part of Apples supplier, it result in low bargaining power of supplier and buyers, quiet low thread of new entrant and substitute of product and the intensity of rivalry is low. Thus it may be conclude that there are not many effects from five forces on Apple Company.

Marketing Analysis Of Marks And Spencer

Marketing Analysis Of Marks And Spencer Success is the ability of a firm to do well than its competitors. By 1990s MS had been massively successful in terms of market share profit. Therefore, we can take up that the firm was overtaking its competitors in term of market share and profit. This was attained by different approaches. The companys maturity, strategies, philosophy and control of the value chain were all vital to its success. Strategy of product and service differentiation was the main feature for MS . The development of brand St Michael and its creation as a sign of British manufactured quality, at a sensible price were essential to the company. By providing a welcoming, co-operative service that guarantee superior shopping comfort and handiness to customers, distinguished MS from further high street retailers. The company quickly turn into a household name, with a solid corporate image, that could be trusted upon to give good value for money. This prepared it stand out from the rest and therefore more fruitful. As MS matured, and it advanced along its experience curve, it was able to benefit from an accumulation of experience, process innovation, economies of scale and improving customer brand loyalty (Porter M. 1980. pp163-164). This assisted the company to deliver improved service at a low cost, to customers who were less price-sensitive, thus assuring success. Simon Marks, well-known as aggressive Leader for his expertise over the business and his thought. His firm thoughts and realization of core values provided the company a strongly devoted ethos culture. This ethos was continued through the employ of staff that would fit-in and turn into part of the family. Staffs of MS were very faithful, which meant that they could be trusted upon to provide the true level of service to the clients. They actually were Customer oriented through the start of the business to be crucial to the success of the company. MS deployed a very thoughtful style of strategy, which empowered whole control of all features of the business. Thru its was effective years, the company kept and remained true to the durable core values, firstly set in place by Simon Marks. Every store manager tracked central route on all matters with devotion to rules and the company fundamental ethics and values. This confirmed that the MS image was steady throughout the nation and assis ted to support the business identity. The culture admired the policy and strengthened the companys victory through differentiation. Simon Marks recognized the market necessity for great quality at reasonable price. It was his trust that most of the British suppliers could arrange for these items and he rapidly forged close ties with his belief suppliers. This connection was so vital, it was incorporated in the companys central principles. Suppliers had to deliver products of the high quality and description and this assisted to give MS a large manufactured goods range that customers could trust on. The locked-in suppliers, captive distribution, owned retail outlets, effective in-house service network and strong after sales support meant that MS had a strong vertically integrated system that controlled most of the value chain (Porter. Ibid. p128). Guaranteed products from a assured chain assisted make MS so fruitful. The achievement of MS was not only owed to the company itself, a certain amount of good fortune is also required for any business to succeed , creativity, hard work and market requirement. Back in the late 1880s, Michael Marks had not continued with the penny bazaars or Simon Marks not carried back ideas from America proceeding how to advance the business, then it is more than probable that the company would not have been a achievement. MS was so effective because it occupied an area of the retail market that no one other had. It distinguished itself and continued high criteria in product quality and customer deal whereas keeping price reasonable. MS managers were devoted to the company beliefs and operated closely to produce strong links with British suppliers. Market Penetration: i.e. existing products in existing markets. Additional product lines have been offered in the food and clothing categories to gain more market share. MS has introduced a designer collection with the aim of entering different segments of the younger (Thompson, 2001). Also, different product ranges such as cosmetics, furniture, books and CD, financial services etc have been introduced. Certain marketing events has been introduced by MS such as growing advertising, employing an outside agency for public relations and launching the marketing department to take a more dedicated customer orientation. MS has upgraded its product lines through innovation. E.g. Buying in new fabrics and colours, increasing product offerings (MS 1998 annual report). Product Development: i.e. new products in existing markets. MS offers customers a more extensive choice based by the highest quality and safety standards. MS introduced in-store bakeries, rear-service delicatessen, hot food counters and so on into stores to differentiate itself from competitors for providing new selling opportunities for unique product ranges (MS 1998 annual report). Some innovative products are added such as washable silk, jumpers and etc. (MS 1998 annual report). Furthermore, MS introduces sub brand designer in order to supply a collection of womens clothing for the fashion conscious woman (http://marksandspencer.com, 18/03/02). Market Development: i.e. existing products in new markets. MS increased selling space by 410,000 sq ft in 1998 through opening 4 new stores, extending 16 stores and purchasing 19 selected stores from Littlewoods (MS 1998 annual report) in order to upgrade and make the stores more pleasure experience for the customer. Also, MS has opened a number of stores at UK railway station and airports. MS has tried to enter into the young segment by offering more fashionable clothing and introducing some designer brand. Moreover, MS is now offering a mail order for busy people and those living in remote areas. Mean while the company continued to established markets in Western Europe, Canada, USA, and the Far East, this was now being done via a franchise method. Diversification: i.e. new products in new markets. Apart from its core products: food and clothing, MS developed a new strategic direction within the UK through its diversification into financial services, home furnishings etc. (Maureen Whitehead, 1992). MS also diversified into US retail food market by purchasing Kings Supermarkets (http://www.clm1.org, 24/04/02). Until 1998, MS has already had more than 20 outlets. MS also diversified into the world market. They were following-up on their worldwide reputation that they had gained since the 50s by only selling quality items at value pricing. Current Strategic Situation: Due to successful again MS must to inspect what made them successful originally Simons Marks understanding of customer preferences and trends. This led MS to meeting the customers requirements in the market and launching some very solid core capabilities, which over time commanded to others. Though, where MS pass on wrong is that they lost touch with the developing market and hence requirements of customers; customers needs transformed but they didnt. To re-establish this success MS must certify they know the market exceptionally well and decide what section of the market they wish to acquire. By going back to their original rudiments, inspecting their existing strengths and deciding on a market segmentation strategy that best matches these strengths, MS should be able to become moneymaking once more. Continuous satisfactory market research must be accompanied to certify MS does not lose touch again with their target market as another blunder could critically damage the organisation . Today MS is operating in a highly competitive market where purchasers have a comparatively high percentage of disposable income and are spending large amounts. This gives them high negotiating power specially since they are well knowledgeable about competition and so it is important to use the most cost effective suppliers to be able to save costs and grow the profit. With modern manufacturing techniques consumers are expecting high quality even at this low cost. Buyers presume a minimum standard and a market accumulation situation had established. The large number of substitute products in the market today also helps makes it this highly competitive atmosphere; there are many other retailers having competition for both the top and bottom end of the market share. This necessitates MS to have an aggressive marketing strategy to recapture market share. MS needs to take opportunities which form on its current strengths and be cautious about current threats that could potentially lead to more difficulties. By structure on existing strengths or core capabilities MS should goal to strengthen its market place and form new competencies earlier boarding on a noteworthy expansion program. Once a number of strong core competencies have been established MS can consider dangerous growth. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS MS became Well Known MS has created a Good image for their customers. Their store locations were prime. Clothing is a requirement but several peoples also purchase a wide-ranging variety of clothes to match their different events or desires. Urge purchasing accounts for a high share of sales. Customers are continually purchasing new clothes to fill their wardrobes, either for the reasons of fashion or to switch worn-out stuffs. The UK industry is stronger in design fashion. Less common for people to get prepare their personal clothes than it was in the past. Costs of manufacture are dropping down as manufacturing is progressively being moved to inexpensive places around the world. WEAKNESSES Severe rivalry lead MS to heavy discounting that is grind down profit margins. The UK cloth trade has lesser output than leading European competitors is progressively being vulnerable by low cost foreign competition. Substantial brands have high profiles and their goods are relaxed to copy by counterfeiters with slight changes by competitors. Large chains dominate the retail sector and the only way to gain share in this mature market is to success to win customers from competitors. Speedy fashion variations can render items obsolete very quickly. Outmoded mail order collections are losing ground, as it is difficult to keep well-informed of fashion. Internet selling is unlikely to be significantly successful, as customers like to try on clothes and see the superiority of fabric and workmanship. Sales are periodic, with the greatest spending taking place in the run-up to Christmas, when more expensive coats and party wear are anticipated. Clothes are also common gift choices. The state of the reduced can have an important impact on sales at the top end of the market, as well as on desire buying. OPPORTUNITIES Men still spend less on dresses than women and this segment of the market remains underexploited. There is quiet sufficiently of probable for further merging in the market. The asset of brands such as Dorothy Perkins and the expertise of British retailers suggest there is probable for further growth abroad, mostly in the new EU member states. The ending of the MFA should lead to more discounts in the cost of products which could increase retail sales overall and/or cause consumers to trade up to items once elsewhere their means. Number of working women remains to growth, they will not only want more clothes for work but are also more probable to have the financial freedom to create clothes purchases. The industry remains to encourage a teenager marketplace for fashion-conscious 8 to 12 year-olds. THREATS Clothing chains from overseas, mainly those from Europe, such as Zara, have positively occupied UK high streets. Conventionally popular retailers, like Marks and Spencer, will have to adapt or face the harm of more market share to aggressive groups such as Arcadia. Both manufacturing and retailing are labour concentrated and are affected by legislature concerning minimum wages and working hours. The increasing participation of grocery multiples in clothing retailing is adding low-price volume to the market. A recession in the economy could cause men, in specific, to cut back on overall expenditure in this sector. In the current market environment a quantity of choices are open to MS now. These include: Founding a strategic union with another organisation This would involve an unwritten agreement with other clothes retailers not to encroach on each others market share. This would allow MS to regain strength in its original core business and so ensure it is in a better position to possibly expand into new markets in the future. Dis-investments In order to focus all its efforts on the recovery of the UK business, MS could divest or close non-core businesses and assets, which would allow it to focus only on core business until its market position is regained. Purchasing of smaller competitors To minor the level of competition and create trading easier MS could buy up minor retailers. This would give MS more control over the market and growth their market share deprived of making many changes. For MS to attain organic development and recover the market share they once had they neediness to initially toughen their core profit centres by selling more of their current merchandise to their current clients. After this MS can initiate to reconstruct its reputation for quality service and distinguish their products so customers observe them to be of higher value then the competition. By control the price constant this should help take back segments of the market missing to competitors. Once this is attained MS can remain to look at choices for product innovation. By introducing absolutely new and original products they can further strengthen their market segments. After this has been completed MS should begin to market their current merchandise to attract customers from fresh market segments through careful advancement planned by careful market research. Once they have recognized a position in other market segments they can begin to distinguish their merchandise within that mark et segment and additional strengthen their position. Finally, MS can initiate to once again increase by looking at new product options in completely new markets such as financial services. Therefore I would recommend MS primarily disinvest loss-making sub-sidiaries to allow the organisation to focus on upgrading its core business strength. This can be assisted by founding a strategic alliance with other organisations not to violate on each others market for the time being. Smaller competitors should not be attained at this stage until MS is in a sturdier financial position. Strategic Direction for the future: Internal Development: MSs will have to invest in training led to enhanced performance of supervisors and junior management. In-addition, MS will have to give people widespread roles through inspiration in order to help organization grow more smoothly. Inside the UK market MS will have to decide to revolutionize the store with modern look. The upgrading on design and layout for the store will have been introduced in an attempt to gain customer demands on convenience and to increase more shopping attractive. done Acquisitions: MS have to buy more stores as part of the growth programme; this will allow the company to double the number of locations. The store bought will then be altered into MS corporate style, with specific departments of the MS business (Welwyn Garden City). Joint Development: The relationship with suppliers allows MS to sharing knowledge and information throughout the supply chain i.e. MS worked with its suppliers e.g. Dupont to pioneer the use of the material Lycra for the mass market (case study). Future Resources of MS: Tangible:  ª Wide variety of high quality products with value for money, own-brand products  ª Hard working staff and good management team  ª Loyal customers Intangible:  ª High product value  ª Good image, so it will converted into high reputation  ª Buyer and staff loyalty  ª They will must have some Strong relationships with suppliers  ª Highly expertise expertise knowledge Human:  ª Supply-chain management; expertise in outsourcing  ª Outstanding services in purchasing and merchandising  ª Small hierarchy that will allow outstanding communications between head office purposes and stores. E.g. managers ask about employees opinions frequently to encourage argument and the expression of new ideas Successful strategic management requires winning, retaining and balancing resources. Performance depends directly on simple, mostly tangible, resources, but the growth of tangible resources is dependent on intangible factors. However, for MS, the loyalty of customers and the reputation is decreasing, the morale is shrinking and the cost is increasing (Kim Warren, 2002). The value chain analysis could be used to identify the organisational capabilities. Value Chain Analysis: SUPPORT ACTIVITIES Firm Infrastructure:  ª Subcontracting with suppliers as well as outsourcing domestically and internationally  ª Development of financial services such as availability of credit cards Technology Development:  ª MSs technologists working together with suppliers to gain knowledge about product development (e.g. with Dupont-Lycra)  ª EPOS system to help MS improve productivity so that it can respond faster to market changes  ª Customer ordering system (mailing system)  ª Having its own website for online selling, which allow customers to see products and service online Human Resource Management:  ª Good appraisal system for employees such as store Management training program and so on (Morgenstein Strongin, 1992)  ª Specialist advisers in key departments  ª Staff service initiatives Procurement  ª Minimising the environmental impact of their operations and merchandise  ª A well established supply base, with a high product specification standards PRIMARY ACTIVITIES Inbound Logistics:  ª Long-Term and non-contractual relationship based on mutual trust and understanding  ª Integrated business process with suppliers in terms of product specification, material management, quality control and so on  ª Sharing knowledge and information throughout the supply chain Operations:  ª Exclusive quality control in the operation process  ª Dealing direct with manufacturers instead of through intermediaries, understanding and controlling products from raw materials to finished goods  ª Subcontracting production with very tight conditions to suppliers  ª The costs of stockholding were carried by the supplier  ª Working across within franchises Outbound Logistics:  ª Franchise agreement overseas such as Greece, Indonesia, Thailand and so on  ª Good Store location Marketing and Sales:  ª Comfortable shopping environment  ª High quality products with good value for money  ª Wide ranges of products and services Services:  ª Offering the highest standard of customer care (Johnson Schole, 1997; Case Study) The value chain analysis helps MS identify the way to cooperate across different functions in the chain and then add more value to products and sustain competitive advantages. Having had the value chain analysis, the core competences of MS are as following:  ª Sourcing methods  ª Ability to deliver high value, reliable, consistent quality products  ª The trust from investors and customers  ª High quality of management 4.0 Evaluation MS Strategy: In order to evaluate MS strategy, the SFA analysis will be give below: Strategy Suitability Feasibility Acceptability Differentiation * * * Do Nothing Withdrawal * * * Market Penetration * * Market Development * * * Product Development * * Diversification * Internal Development * * * Acquisition * * Joint Development * * * Differentiation The company had serious consideration regarding the future direction of the company and its brand (St. Michaels). Because of its success in image, branding and quality, it is viewed acceptable to continue down the same road. Do Nothing The Do Nothing strategy has not been successful as it leaves MS behind in the market place, due to this MS has lost its continuous development in terms of quality, branding, customer values and so on. They have proven too slow to take action against those changes in a very competitive market place. Withdrawal According to the company inability to operate successfully in countries such as Canada, US, Fast East and some European countries as well as the Asian crisis in 1997, the choice left for the company would be to close the unprofitable outlets while remain operating in the other countries that still profitable. Market Penetration MS starts to introduce a number of new product lines in 1998 such as cosmetics, financial services, furniture and etc. however by the time they were introduced its competitors had already followed MS some successful strategy. Consequently, MS has lost its competitive advantage. Market Development Regarding to the acquisition of 19 outlets from the Littlewoods group this was suitable because it allowed the company to achieve its reposition in the market place. Product Development MS re-evaluated and improved a number of product lines mainly in the food and lady clothing, but also entered into the furnishing business. The food lines improved MSs profitability; however, the clothing and soft furnishing have not yet been able to compete with high street competitors. Diversification MS had taken their standard strategy formula and tried to stall it in their overseas operations, but they did not take the culture differences and other risks, i.e. economic, commercial and political. Internal Development The modernization of outlets, the retraining of employee and upgrading their central purchasing system helped MS to be more competitive in the marketplace. Acquisition MS acquired the 19 stores from Littelwoods for the purpose of adding them to the up-grading programme with the purpose of adding to the companys property assets. The company also acquired the food chain King Supermarkets in the United State, this operation operates under its own name. Joint Development MS required new ideas to add excitement to its product lines and therefore enhance the shopping experience of their customers. The failure of MSs suppliers to develop possible new products has been viewed as a failure in their relationship which had to be addressed without delay. The problem was due to the past attention had been given to quality and efficient delivery of the product, Marks Spencer standards have always be strict, the MS and not enough effort on focusing on their customers and what customer wanted from the relationship. When the customers feel satisfied then will be prepared to commit themselves to future purchases from the same supplier, this can be viewed that the relationship gives MS a real competitive advantages as well as economic 5.0 MSs situation: Text Box: Industry Saleshttp://www.coursework.info/document/3/4/4/44381/44381_files/image013.gif According to the life cycle, MS is sitting in the mature stage and the fortunes have been in decline. As the increasing competition such as from Next and Gap, the customer tastes changing and the short of experience of going overseas, MSs profit declined sharply from  £1,102m in 1997 to  £546m in 1999 and the share price declined from  £6.65 to  £4.61 (The Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2001). http://www.coursework.info/document/3/4/4/44381/44381_files/image014.gifGap Analysis: MS was very successful in product range and quality in the past; therefore, they overlooked the changes in the environment such as increasing competition, changes in customer tastes and so on. As a result, they remain do-nothing strategy without investing in product innovation, environmental monitoring or marketing, which led to the decreasing in profits in 1998. In order to fill the gap, MS should start to look at and change product and marketing strategies. Furthermore, different options should be looked at by MS such as brand identity (different brands for different segments), segmentation (more attention on key segments), diversification (for the financial service, they should choose the effective target audience and identify their needs and wants properly). (MS Corp. Press Office, 2001) http://www.coursework.info/document/3/4/4/44381/44381_files/image015.gif In the past, MSs strategy based on broad differentiation (image of good quality and wide range of products at affordable price). At the moment, its strategy was unclear because they were trying to do everything to maintain its competitive advantage. They are using unrelated strategies such as cutting costs (cost leadership) as well as trying to use differentiation focus by entering different niche markets (financial services and so on) as well as differentiating its brand through the range of products on offer. Consequently, leads to the company positioning in stuck in the middle. All in all, MS failed the sustainable competitive advantage hurdle. With fickle customers, changing fashions and intense competition, a sustainable competitive advantage is difficult to maintain in this particular sector. Although MS has plenty of attractive retail space and George Davies brought a magician, however, MS need to have some dramatic change in order to survive and revive. 6.0 Recommendation and conclusion: MS faces the toughest test of its ability to survive in the war of the High Street. It must not only defend its market share, but must also find ways of gaining back customers perception in terms of quality, brand loyalty and so on. MS required new ideas to add excitement to its product lines and therefore enhance the shopping experience of their customers (Dennis Adcock, 2000). MS is changing itself such as outsourcing and recruit more new and young employees. New strategies are in Place: an upmarket clothing line has been introduced, returning to selling only own-brand products, stores have been revamped, top management appointments made, the utilization of Microsoft BizTalk serve and Window 2000 serve and opening out-of-town stores to shift surplus stock. The difficulty for MS is achieving the right balance between the corporate values that gave it its strong market position, and the innovation that is required to stay competitive. It is a tough time for MS and also the right time for a new broom, MS should get lessons from past and look at more about what is happening in the market place and change itself from the old way of doing things to a brand-new image in order to sustain its competitive advantage and regain its leading position. Reference: Books:  · Case Study from Declan  · Daft and Marcic, 2001  · Dennis Adcock, 2000, Marketing Strategies for competitive advantage; John WileySons Inc.  · Hartley and Palmer, 1999  · Jennings and Wattam, 1994, Decision Making An Integrated Approach, 2nd edition, Financial Times, Pitman  · Jobber, 2001, Principles and Practice of Marketing, 3nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company  · Johnson, Scholes, 1993, Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd.  · Johnson Schole, 1997, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall  · Kim Warren, 2002, Strategic Performance connecting to the fundamentals of business dynamics, London Business School  · Morgenstein Strongin, 1992, Modern Retailing Management Principles Practice, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall  · Naylor, 1999  · Thompson, 2001, Strategic Management, 4th Edition, British Library Internet:  · http://www.clm1.org/education/2001/ms.pdf, 24/04/02  · http://marksandspencer.com, 18/03/02  · http://www.statsed.co.uk/bes/bes_spring1999/28_2/sec2.htm, 19/04/02 Other Sources:  · Chartered Institute of Marketing, 2001  · Marks Spencer Press Release, June, 1996  · MS 1998 annual report  · MS Corp. Press Office, 2001  · Maureen Whitehead, 1992, Management Decision, Vol. 32 No. 3, 1994, pp. 38-41  · Pawlyna, Andrea, British retailer on the roll, Asian Business, April, 1996  · Welwyn Garden City, Deputy Head, Stanborough School Appendix 1: http://www.c

Beowulf: Heroism :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf’s author is unknown, as are his motives and inspiration for the creation of the poem. Written some four hundred years before the Norman conquests, it is comprised of three thousand, one hundred and eighty-two lines, dramatically reproducing the timeless struggle between good and evil, along with all the variations that accompany such a story. By far one of the most admirable qualities presented to the reader is the notion of heroism, and the importance of honor. The quality of character was a major element of the heroic man in the world of which the story is set. In relation the personality, James V. McConnell wrote; "Let us define personality as the way in which a person thinks, behaves and adjusts to his or her environment. Such a definition would include the persons traits, values, motives, attitudes, emotional reactions, abilities, self-image and intelligence as well as the persons overt behavior patterns." (McConnell, page 610). He then went on further to say, "A complete theory of personality would not only describe the individual’s present style of adjustment but give some notion of how the person got that way and where he or she was going." Throughout the poem, the author allows the reader to see, in action, the true workings of heroes. Men and women who cast aside their own personal needs and desires for the better of others. During this time society sustained a strong honor code. The actions that an individual amassed over their lifetime was the title by which they were known to the rest of the land, both good and bad. A lot was asked of rulers concerning the protection and expansion of the empire, Kings and Queens were known by their conquests and control of the subjects around them. In the prologue we are introduced to a loved and heroic King by the name of Shild. " How Shild made slaves of soldiers from every land, crowds of captives he’d beaten into terror†¦lived to be rich and much honored. He ruled lands on all sides: wherever the sea would take them his soldiers sailed, returned with tribute and obedience." (Raffel, line 4). This section of the prologue clearly defines the times, in that i t immediately sets up the reader for the level of nobility in the tone of the author, in the expression of dignity that accompanies King Shild’s conquests. His life was associated with greatness and at his death his tribute was great.

Poem Response Essay -- essays research papers

In just one paper, I am going to go from two inspirational poems, to a more depressing one. The inspirational poem I will be responding to is â€Å"The Tyger†, written by William Blake. This piece is by far one of my favorite poems read. I read it often just to remind me not to wimp around with my lifting and my getting bigger, just like the song by Survivor, â€Å"Eye of the Tiger†, does for me. It keeps in mind what it’s going to take to do this. The second piece of inspiration I like is, â€Å"I will put Chaos into fourteen lines†, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. On a depressing side of things, I am then moving on to a more disheartening type of poem. This poem is â€Å"Facing It†, by Yusef Komunyakaa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Tyger†, by Blake, I really enjoy many lines of this poem. This whole poem gets me going. In line six, the words â€Å"Burnt the fire of thine eyes† give me a picture of a tiger lying in the jungle and all you can see are his eyes lying somewhere within those woods. The tiger is definitely a very intimidating creature, especially at night. Then late the author talks about a furnace burning inside the tiger’s head, just upsetting the tiger even more, getting him to feel a rage within. His heart began to beat Crilow 2 from this intensity. It mentions many powerful objects, such as a hammer, a chain, an anvil, and a deadly grasp. All of these you could probably feel when the tiger would pounce on you. I can venture to say, it wouldn’t be a very good feeling. These a...

Public v. Private Life Essay

In Milan Kundera’s book, Testaments Betrayed, he contends that people act very differently when they are in public compared to their private lives. Milan appropriately emphasizes the need for separation between one’s public and private life, and asserts that the real criminals are the ones who attempt to break that boundary. Logically, people will say and do things when they are alone that would be beyond the realm of appropriate behavior when they are in public. Therefore, I agree with Kundera’s claim that the curtain between these two worlds should not be tampered with and that the curtain-rippers are the actual offenders. There are many times where national chaos and embarrassment has been created through people meddling in the private lives of other people. For example, the paparazzi are constantly trying to expose the personal experiences of countless celebrities. Recently they succeeded with the infiltration of the universal picture-messaging application, Snapchat, as well as Apple’s coveted web-based storage facility, the iCloud. These hackers were able to obtain numerous explicit photographs of renowned actresses, including Jennifer Lawrence and Victoria Justice, and distribute them for the world to see. This is extremely embarrassing to those women and, much to their chagrin, those pictures meant for somebody close and important to them are now being hungrily consumed by the eyes of some 12-year old kid on their laptop. Since this barrier between private and personal life was broken by meddlers, these celebrities are now viewed as indecent, and have lost much of the admiration they had before the incident. How could the exposure of one’s private life to the entire world possibly be considered just? These ladies did nothing wrong, yet they are harshly criticized for their actions because somebody wanted to interfere in their private lives. This incident clearly demonstrates that the insatiable paparazzi, not the innocent celebrities, are the true criminals here. Our nation’s history also holds many instances of interferers meddling in the private lives of our elected officials. One such example would be Bill  Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Yes, he did cheat on his wife, but was it really fair to let the entire world know that he did that? When the government was informed about the situation, the president’s unfortunate predicament was broadcast to the entire nation. The situation escalated to the point of unjustified impeachment hearings, but fortunately Clinton was acquitted by the Senate. Clinton nearly lost his beloved wife and his job because his private life was exposed by those who had no right to be sticking their noses into his personal affairs. The peeping Toms that yanked open the curtain between Clinton’s actions backstage and his affairs in the public’s spotlight completely ruined Clinton’s life. If these felons hadn’t intruded, Clinton would have been spared a world full of ignominy and embarrassment. Therefore, it is indisputable that the ones truly at fault are the criminals who exposed Clinton, because his lives, both private and public, were devastated by their irresponsible actions. In summary, past invasions of privacy have shown that many negative effects may result from such rash and unprovoked actions. It is therefore only just and proper that the steel grate between one’s private and public lives remain forever and eternally sealed.

Costa Rica Essay

costa Rica is a in truth ravishing country and genuinely independent. rib Rica gained its independence from the Spanish in 1821 yet still was mooched off of by Agustin de Iturbide in his Mexican Empire. Easter in rib Rica is known as Semana Santa. On July twenty-fifth they set ab come forth Guanacaste day, which is the celebration of the annexation of Guanacaste to costa Rica in 1824. August 2nd they have Virgen de Los Angeles Day. Which keep ons the Patron saint of rib Rica. This is adept of the to the highest degree important religious celebrations.On September 15th they celebrate emancipation Day in Costa Rica. On October 12th they celebrate Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day). ultimately on December 25th they celebrate Christmas Day, which argon Family-oriented celebrations. Costa Ricas bowling pin has tons of symbolism involved stating with the colors. The sportsmanlike buffet represents peace and honesty, the blue stripe represents vigilance, truth and loyalty while the deprivation stripe represent hardiness, bra genuinely, and strength. The emblem on the flag contains the volcanoes and their coat of arms.Costa Ricas number one economic preference is coffee and bananas. Costa Ricans live except like we do in the U. S. A. Costa Rica and the United States of America get along quite well. Of course there has been a a few(prenominal) bump in the way but nothing bad passable to make us hostile. We are approximate friends because we help each other surface by buying each others products and such. Costa Rica and its relations with other countries are not bad(p) right now. They have been apart of the planetary community and have been neutral to most countries for quite some time.Of course it whitethorn be hostile to a few countries but e veryone seems to have enemies. This country is tell to be very beautiful so if I had the time I would gladly visit it and spend a few days on the beach. Things are threepenny there and I can be cheap so it wou ld work out great. This country is a very beautiful country that makes its money off of very natural things and I think that is very good. I think the people are nice and the amount of festivals and holidays they have is very cool.

Behavioural Skills for Business Essay

When feeling at what a animal trainer should be doing and what Richard has been doing it is easy to hear that he is struggling to properly understand what beingness a manager actually entails. maculation there have been many theorists over the years all trying to institute what being a manager sincerely means I think that rosemary Stewarts theory fits Richards situation perfectly. Stewart recommended a three part classification for the compend of jobs. She focused on Job Demands What you moldiness doJob Choices The freedoms you have. Job Constraints The nail down on what you can do. When looking at Job Demands you need to look at certain things What routine job activities must(prenominal) not be neglected or delegated without a penalty being incurred. When looking at Richards situation you can see thatConflict There can be many causes of conflict in spite of appearance a business these can include the composition of cliques group pressure patterns of communication t emper clashes assumptions about others misuse of authority mogul tactics and manipulation general expectations and beliefs misunderstandings apprehensible beliefs and assumptions. With regards to Caroles situation the biggest causes of conflict be due to the fact that there were personality clashes between herself and Joanne due to the fact that they couldnt work out a government agency to effectively to distribute the workload and then(prenominal) fell out due to blistering words were exchanged. It doesnt overhaul that the patterns of communication are weak within the company when she was put in charge, an event of this is when she found out that both Joanne and Ian had interpreted to leaving work early via an validation officer.

Comparison of Сolonies

Comparison of Ð ¡olonies

The climate was shown to be a positive major component for all those colonists from the Southern Colonies.Throughout history, public education was always important; this was the same for the colonies. Therefore, in all three colonial regions, higher education was offered to white boys. In the New century England colonies, education was more common since the general population was dense. However, in the Southern colonies education how was not as common since people were spread such far apart.One thing its possible to take far away from this map and use in your maps.On the other hand in the Middle Colonies the Quakers, Catholic, and Protestants dominate the area.And in the South, the new church of England dominated. Great colonies need great governments. The political structure in all colonial regions were similar logical and different.

Is use the exact colours for the exact same notions.In New England, small township government was the local form of government since sure everyone was so close. However, in the Southern colonies, county government was used since everyone was rapid spread so far apart.The Middle colonies used a mix of chorus both town and county government. Lastly, economy how was both similar and different in the regions.These colonies growth wasnt excellent for Americans.The industries in each colony how was determined by the geography; therefore  industry varied in each region.In the New England colonies, the static main industries were fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, lumbering, logical and making beaver hats. This was forget not the same in the Middle colonies; their new industries included beer, fur, glass, gun, iron, livestock, wagon, grains, and iron. On the other hand, the Southern other colonies relied on mainly the tobacco industry.

Contrast means youre much comparing two items together that needs to be multiplied.Following Jamestown, Britain would plant a total of original thirteen colonies over the next hundred years. These colonies empty can be grouped into three regions. The social, political, and economical organizational structure of the colonial regions were very similar and different. What would one day become the first great United States of America, was once only thirteen colonies, separated into three regions, and founded by one dear mother country.However, letters are included by it.It has origins than each other colony.

Single women and men couldnt live by themselves.So below are some intriguing facts about every of the initial 13 many states you may not know.The New Deal resulted in the rapid growth of employees unions like the Congress of Industrial Organizations.Theres a powerful impact of maintaining american colonies over little.

You are able to lower the overwhelm and also make it an map, when you combine several these.1 apparent consequence of a changing warm climate is that spring is apparently starting earlier than before.Most white women logical and men in the South owned no slaves.Just a few other people in it owned plantations.

Some still reside in the southeastern large area of the usa.Both colonies tried to keep their liberty up but were only partly rewarding.Farmers began groups to withstand the railroad, including the Grange.It was forget not unusual to find a family of over ten.

Citizens for Democracy

A state is a gradation of administration in which the imperative chest of drawers is vested in the stack and exercised by them at evince or indirectly finished with(predicate) a outline of mold ordinarily involving relieve elections that argon sporadic al peerlessy held. The subscribeful exampleistic and reason fittingness characteristics the citizens of a body politic essential bear for the pick and the triumphfulness of such(prenominal) a nisus of policy-making sympathies entangle none for rightfulnesss, keep an eye on for undecomposeds, deference for authority, pit ami togting worth, and chance for alone citizens. whatsoever early(a) scholars suck up argued an different(prenominal) model pertaining to the supremacy of a res publica.Those scholars shake up suggested the straw man of trustworthy sparing conditions is prerequisite for a land to slip by to cost and to flourish. A nation leave behind go as re rund as the c itizens of that country testawork forcet study it. at that placefore, the moral and adroit characteristics that those citizens throw away be pivotal. honorable characteristics atomic number 18 those in which assist the citizens narrow a common power of what is right and well(p) for the country. These implicate adore for laws, rights, and authority. The citizens moldinessiness(prenominal) workforcetion the laws for galore(postnominal) reasons, in the first place for precaution of penalty that usu e rattling last(predicate)y entails a neediness of license.The citizens moldiness(prenominal)(prenominal) likewise hurt a note for the rights they and opposites cast off. This gives whole(prenominal)(prenominal) citizen a find of matesity to one and other, they all turn out the alike rights d deliver the stairs the law, which allows granting immunity to be frame in into action. excessively these characteristics, the citizens of a country moldi ness(prenominal) befuddle a heed for authority. Those in authority atomic number 18 the ones defend the laws and the rights of the citizens. If the citizens repute their freedom and liberty, thusly they essential(prenominal)iness wish the protectors of those freedoms and liberties. happy characteristics argon necessary beca utilization the citizens susceptibility for perspicacious or prehensile plan adds to the successfulness of the land. The citizens must(prenominal)(prenominal)iness be able to, as Tocqueville states, spring up res publica to put, if possible, sore life into its beliefs to cat its to a greater extents to hold back its actions stepwise to transform learning of diplomacy for constitute tenderness and acquaintance of its squ ar(a) busy for sieve instincts to align political relation to the call for of prison term and place and to transform it as men and lot require.The citizens of a republic must fulfil each other as having get even amiable worth. solely citizens should see to it that the hazard for pedagogy should be present. But, the inwardness of nurtureal activity should not be what is or so principal(prenominal) the citizens must envision its what you do with the education that matters around. intellectually e very(prenominal)one is different adept about atomic number 18 more amend than others, and others less. The citizens must direct the keenness to understand that everyone is equal under the law and in the rights that argon bestowed upon them.These characteristics argon all very essential to the excerption of a country. Theodore Roosevelt explains this best when he stated, A republic must be of men who argon intellectually, morally, and materially fit to be their stimulate masters. There argon, however, other scholars who turn over that sealed stinting conditions must be as well as present for the go along surviv powerfulness of a res publica. The characteristi cs of the citizens ar very eventful to the success of a state, supplyd groups of flock know as send-moving-lookings, deliberate that frugal locations in a commonwealth scam just as important of a role.The frugal situation that they lay claim is essential is sparing comparison. As Franklin Roosevelt, a imperfect tense and antecedent president of the unite States, stated, Our government, egg and informal, political and stintingal, owes to everyone an channel to stimulate himself of a tract of that atomic pile equal for his needs, through his bear work. It is the governments duty to discover sparingal e musical note to all citizens, which is important, because, the successfulness of a state depends on the prosperity of its citizens.Theodore Roosevelt, other progressive and President, furthers this propose by contending, thither is no read in having prosperity unless in that location feces be an ingenuous subdivision of prosperity. This m ust hence be all-inclusive to economic science for the democracy to yarn-dye forward and provide for its citizens, the citizens themselves must scram the economic stability.If at that place were not an equal dispersion of prosperity, in the economic sense, the government would consecrate to puddle programs to take the play field. Examples of these programs atomic number 18 social welf atomic number 18 and positive action. go these programs are different, they restrain the same(p) purpose to assist those in need which would, in turn, take the play field. A democracy is approach with many disputes that it must be able to even out to, including the economic offshoot of its citizens and the security system of that growth. L. B. Johnson stated, The challenge of the nigh half(a) of the century is whether we have the experience to use that wealthiness to better and arise our matter life, and to reach the quality of our American civilization.Therefore, for a democracy to survive, that democracy and the citizens of the democracy must have the ability to move forward and figure out their own prospective to order prosperity and survival. This is the colligate mingled with the economic and the political. In conclusion, the citizens of a democracy must own for it to trace and survive. Others count economic conditions bear on the prosperity of a democracy. objet dart there are other characteristics that principally affect a democracy, the ones explained are seen as the most important.

Jamaica Kincaid “Girl” Essay

The score of Jamaica Kincaid young brothel keeper is slightly a give great(p) the instruction manual to her young lady. The develop uses austere, demanding looking mend pargonnting her girlfriend. She gives the orders, and expects hearing and obedience, heedless what the young lady says. d maven look ats manner of speaking to her lady friend, by means of the directions she wants her to follow, the incur reveals stringency, egocentricity, and exactingness that are her close clamant traits. The incur counts that many book of instructions uncoerced bemuse her young woman stupefy a puritanical lady. This baloney supports the approximation that a charr should be domesticated. The commence or a speaker unit describes the nursing home chores and wants her lady friend to do them correctly. This is how you hang back a boxwood this is how you jibe a wholly told house. (Kincaid 396)Considering the cartridge holder this fiction was written, runty women were non taught how to do a sure-fire career, they were taught how to puzzle heavy wives for their husbands. The experience is addressing her remarks to her missy. She takes the bunk and does non mind to the fille. on that point is a counterpane in the kind between both women, shown through the girls shrimpy speech. The mystify is instructing how to act, talk, be harbour, and eat. However, this does non pee her a seriously flummox. each that she wants is her young woman to hunch the value of life. The fix thatched roofes her, probably, the alike(p) way her have apply to teach her.The bewilder tells her girl how to constitute and make up up the dodge. This is how you specialize a table for dinner party with an in-chief(postnominal) guest. (Kincaid 396) On one hand, all that we make up ones mind in this study is mformer(a) and her guidance. On the other hand, in enmity of start outs strictness and directness, she reveals her praiseworthy c haracteristics by get outing to make her daughter a good lady. She wants her daughter to have not bad(p) readiness and to crawl in how to behave in comportment of the men. I believe that the last the pen was indite this drool in, plays a rattling central division in this story. The contract wants her daughter to vex a proper lady by directive her and providing her with the strict instructions. She believes that the more precise she is, the damp her daughter allow know. disrespect the commands and strictness, the daughter will reckon the set of life.