Despite Atwood’s portrayal of Gilead as soulless and destructive she has nevertheless succeeded in giving the reader a sense of optimism

‘The Handmaid's Tale' is set in the futuristic republic of Gilead. Everybody has somebody controlling what they do and only a minority have control over other people. In the first chapter alone we learn of the system of control within the Handmaids' residence. There are the angels, who are responsible for the Aunts, who have responsibility for the handmaids, i. e. the narrator. This system has the sole purpose, reproduction: â€Å"we are for breeding purposes†¦ There is supposed to be nothing entertaining about us, no room is to be permitted for the flowering of secret lusts†¦ We are two-legged wombs, that's all: sacred vessels, ambulatory chalices. † The narrator of takes on a role based on the Biblical story of Jacob's wives; when they failed to conceive, he fathered children by their handmaids. In a world in which the fertility of both sexes has dropped dramatically, it is the role for which young women who have demonstrated their ability to bear children are destined, rather to the chagrin of the Wives who have to house them. For this regime to function effectively it is important that a high level of control is exerted and more essentially, that the people within the regime understand there purpose. They are not there to build relationships, they are there for reproduction and any other aspect of life is irrelevant. Ironically the regime is developed for sex yet any attributes you would normally apply to a sexual relationship have been removed. There is no conversation, no intimacy, no pleasure or appreciation of yourself or your partner; in fact there is no relationship with your partner or anyone else. Physical contact must be kept to what is necessary and the act of sex itself is simply necessary for reproduction. For the regime to work there can be no feelings. To prevent feelings developing within people towards others Gilead works to remove anything that makes the person unique, this is why the regime has been described as â€Å"soulless† as by taking away peoples' personalities you are practically taking away their soul. This is similar to the system in Aldous Huxley's â€Å"Brave New World† where the concept of love has been destroyed. The idea of falling in love with someone has been made almost impossible, as there is no opportunity for this to happen, everybody been made as soulless as possible. There must be no character, individuality or expression of self to avoid people getting into any form of relationship. The women are literally branded with numbers a code that ties them to the regime. They are made to wear uniforms (in describing the uniforms Atwood appears to me making a link to the similarity to the German and Canadian prisoners of war uniforms from World War Two) and are renamed in attempt to completely depersonalise them. They are treated as cattle, as a group with no thought of their own. This leaves the reader questioning their interpretation of the narrator, we sometimes see her as an individual taking minor rebellion against the regime, and yet at other times we see her as one of many that are all in the same helpless situation. The high level of control they hold over their people enhances Gilead's destructive manner. Even the narrator's name â€Å"Offred† has been composed by the regime. The novel explains this unusual noun as being a word â€Å"that is composed of the possessive preposition and the first name of the name of the gentlemen in question. † However most readers pick up on the play on the word â€Å"offered† she is offered around the gentlemen in society. No individual or group is strong enough to overthrow the regime and this is the focal point of the regime's strength. They can enforce and law no matter how unjust because there is no one strong enough to oppose it. However at no point is the reader led to believe that the narrator has given up hope and that there is no purpose for her anymore. This is of a conscious effort by Atwood to create a positive perspective of the situation through her narrative technique, imagery and by surrounding the character with situations where they could potentially rebel. The harsh regime of Gilead is emphasised by Atwood offering the reader a comparison of the narrator's current situation and her previous one, it has been suggested that this is Atwood supporting the theory that fear causes regression, not progression. These comparisons are possible because of the flashback technique that occurs throughout the novel. For example, Offred contrasts the way she used to think about her body to the way she thinks about it now: ‘I used to thin of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplish of my will †¦ now the flesh arranges itself differently. I'm a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping. Where as in the story, Offred uses the flashbacks as a way of escaping, a more practical level Atwood uses them to reveal to the reader the reasons behind the current situation and how the novel possibly relates to our lives. One critic commented, â€Å"1the essential element of a cautionary tale is recognition†. The reader is very aware that Offred once lived a life similar to their own, this heightens their compassion towards the handmaid's and in some ways the novel acts as a warning, for what could potentially occur in our own future. By allowing us to see Offred's past and compare it with the life she has been forced to live now it is obvious how much destruction the regime has caused. For the novel to progress it is essential Atwood creates optimism, because Offred herself has to say positive in order to cope with the situations, she cannot give up therefore Atwood cannot let the reader think she has given up. Minor acts of rebellion are ways of showing the reader that the system has flaws, there is a gap and if Offered works hard enough she can get through the gaps in the system. For example, no communication is meant to happen between the handmaids and yet Offred and Moira find a way of talking through a hole in the wall, which poses as a hole in the system. However, Atwood creates the feeling of empowerment and hope through these rebellions but she never goes as far as to say there definitely is hope. It is possible that Offred is aware than any act of rebellion is simply a coping tactic and the regime will not fall, she will leave eventually and the regime will go on unshaken. Offred's relationship with the commander acts as â€Å"something else to think about†, as the reader we do not dwell on the state of the society as we are now concerned with the relationship Offred is forming, of course this is due to the narrative style of the novel, we are guided towards thinking about Offred and the commander because that is what Offred is thinking about and we are reading her thoughts, in the form of a dialogue to her audience. However it is ambiguous as the whether the commander forms an attachment with many of his handmaids, so Offred's relationship with Nick is far more pivotal to her story as it is as close as she could have to the sort of relationship she could have formed before the regime, the sort that she had with her husband Luke. The risk she eventually takes with him we know could be the end of her but at the time it's a chance for a better standard of life, of course again this could be perceived as Offred falling under the control of Gilead's regime by going out of her way to have a child and conforming to their rules. Gilead's destructive power is emphasised by showing the extremes it will force people to go to, to succumb to their demands. An essential part to the regime is the fact that everyone is a victim; everybody has had to sacrifice something and give up part of their old life. Even those that still have a small amount of control have given up more than they have gained. Serena Joy is portrayed as a malicious character by Offred, yet she has lost her relationship with her husband, she has no contact with anyone and has to live in a regime that has her husband sleeping with many different women. Atwood uses process and reconstruction when writing and the reader is often reminded that â€Å"truth† is only a matter of the teller's perspective. If the reader is never sure of the true details then they are allowed to picture the worst possible situations, and the best. Time shifts and short scenes add to the ambiguity of the story and the reader may question how factually based the story actually is and how true to life Offred's description of other characters are. Moira is a classic example, it could be she was never as strong or rebellious as Offred claimed she was, she was maybe a role model for Offred and her character was exaggerated because Offred need her role model to be strong. However it is not only the reader that is unsure of the truth, Offred has very little facts at her disposal. The only time the handmaid's are educated is when they are listening to the Bible being read or watching the â€Å"news. † In the same way the Ministry of Truth created the news in George Orwell's â€Å"1984† there is suggestion the news the handmaids are shown is fabricated. By acknowledging this fact Offred has rebelled against the regime. However she also accepts that â€Å"any news is better than none† and she simply has to believe the news because there is nothing else to go by. It is the only source of knowledge. Gilead's controls are so tight she is forced to believe what she hears. This too is similar to â€Å"1984† and the concept created by George Orwell of doublethink which is to acknowledge two conflicting truths at once. Offred accepts the news is probably false and yet she also believes it is true because she has to. This is similar to the relationship between the reader and the narrator; we accept that what here cannot be entirely true yet we have to believe it. Offred herself does not know what has happened to her daughter or her husband therefore she is able to cling on to the hope that they are alive, as it has not been confirmed otherwise. The reader does the same with Offred's existence at the end of the novel, we hope she is alive and the ambiguity of the ending allows us to do so. Quite often in the novel Atwood creates a sense of hope later to take it away again, or create optimism with an underlying tone of doubt. When Offred discovers the note in the cupboard â€Å"nolite te bastardes carborundorum† she is filled with hope, reading it as a message left for her by the last person that lived here, she is reading which she is not allowed to do as language has been abolished and this all adds to the positive feeling of going against the regime. However Offred then builds up the message to by more significant than it is and is let down when the commander translates it as â€Å"don't let the bastards grind you down. At the end, we discover that Offred's story was not founding the form of a manuscript but as a recording on a cassette player. This is confusing for the reader as the strict structure of the regime would not have made it possible to have access to a cassette player. One suggestion is that Offred did escape and managed to record her story at a later point. However even if Offred had been writing this would have been a constant form of rebellion, as language had been abolished. It has been suggested that Offred's storytelling is an act of resistance to Gilead, just as her tale itself is an act of resistance to masculinist fiction conventions, including that archetypal patriarchal text, the Old Testament. In many ways the historical notes are more essential to the meaning of the novel than Offred's story. On a positive note, the historical notes assure the reader that the regime of Gilead was overthrown and society returned to normal, Offred's story has been found in the form of cassette recordings, this suggests she did escaped and managed to get her writing on to tape. However, Offred's story is found but it is not heard or understood. Male historians have tried to impose their perception of it on to it and created a title for it. The regime has apparently not changed their sexist attitudes, history has taught them nothing. The professors are abusing Offred as Gilead did by removing her authority from the telling of her own story, they seem more worried at the fact there is nothing more about the Commander and his true identity. Ironically he does just what Offred predicts would happen to the story of the Handmaid's â€Å"from the point of view of future history, we'll be invisible. The modern day historians have depersonailised her just as much as the regime did by taking away her voice and forcing reader is brought into a second vision of the future and is forced to judge what they have just read. Atwood's historical notes satirise American society as it stands today, where as Gilead is based on an international range of models, which include not only historical examples but contemporary political carnage in Iran, Latin America and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. Denay Nunavit† (deny none of it) seems to be Atwood's message out of the past to the future, giving the reader a sense of shared moral responsibility for our own futures. This is effective as the pre Gilead society is very similar to our own society today. The novel was first published in 1986 â€Å"the age of the R – strain syphilis and Aids epidemic† Aids had just being brought to the publics attention and there was a massive campaign to prevent it's spread. A second reason we are given for the need of a society such as Gilead was â€Å"various nuclear power plant accidents†¦ hemical and biological warfare, stock piles and toxic waste disposal sites† all readers will recognise these issues and can map them on to real life incidents such as Chernobyl. Similarly to â€Å"1984,† Atwood's novel seems to be an extension of real fears her audience would have had. This was noted by one reader who commented that: â€Å"what is especially meaningful is the fact that the book was published in the 80's, long before many of the concepts were as relevant as they are now. 2 Ironically once the regime has been abolished there is no longer the optimistic tone in Atwood's writing, suggesting that even though Gilead was destructive, the intention of the society was good and there was room for hope, however we can now see that life after Gilead reverted to pre Gilead ways and there has been no progression, development of understanding a nd this is a far more negative situation to be faced because it suggests man will never learn.

Capital Punishment and Sensitive Societal Issue

Punishment Punishment, Witness, and dehumanization are common in the world today illustrated in poems such as, â€Å"Punishment† by Seamus Heaney and â€Å"Capital Punishment† by Sherman Alexie. The poems give the world a different perspectives based on the authors viewpoint, yet both authors seem to favor punishment. Therefore everyone in their life deserves to be punished based on the authors work or even a witness for one reason or another to speak for something they have done or witness. These authors wanted to show a strong feeling towards punishment whether or not the crime was minor or major. In â€Å"Punishment† the speaker was a witness to dehumanizing punishment of the bog women. In â€Å"Capital Punishment† the cook was a witness to a cruel punishment. Even though both authors focused on different types of punishment they both expressed how witnessing and dehumanization have a vital role in different situations. Can punishment and race have factors that can change one another? Can the ethnicity of a criminal effect the severity of the punishment bestowed upon them? The ethnicity of a criminal or witness can determine how cruel and usual a punishment can be towards the criminal or witness. Witnessing is seeing an event, crime, or even an accident take place. In the poem the author talks about witnessing a horrible event. Punishment begins with a person possible the speaker or even the poet hanging with a noose around her neck and seems to be dead. The speaker seems like he could have witness the entire death. He describes the bog woman as, â€Å"she was a barked sapling that is dug out oak- bone, brain firkin: her shaved head like a stubble of black corn, her blindfold a soiled bandage, her noose a ring to store the memories of love† (Heaney, 1157). Even though he describes her as a scapegoat why does the speaker not speak up for this cruel dehumanizing punishment. The punishment was so outrages that the audience felt her pain. However, the speaker first says â€Å"my poor scapegoat† (Heaney, 1157), and we feel as if he feels the sorrow the readers do, shortly after he says, â€Å"I almost love you† (Heaney, 1157). With his participation of the punishment it leaves the audience believing that the woman deserves the punishment because of her past. â€Å"Capital Punishment† is told in first person, a cook is preparing a last meal for an Indian man. He says â€Å"I sit here in the dark kitchen when they do it, meaning when they kill him, kill and add another definition of the word to dictionary† (Alexie, 1164). The line â€Å"I am not a witness† is repeated throughout the poem, it is said after Alexie addresses a sensitive societal issue. Topics such as capital punishment are very difficult for the cook to explain. The speaker of the poem is sympathetic with the condemned man and knows that the reason he is on death row is due to the color of his skin. After the narrator describes and tells the reader what he is thinking and observing, he uses a line saying, â€Å"I am not a witness† symbolizing that the narrator can only imagine but relate to what the Native American is going through. He changes from â€Å"I am not a witness† to â€Å"I am a witness† (Alexie, 1162) when the narrator tells the reader a story about how the society can hang two people but throw both people in one grave. The line symbolizes that two wrongs do not equal one right. The cook sympathies with the criminal because he knows that his punishment is only that sever because of his ethnicity. I am a witness† is Alexie's way of saying this type of punishment is happening and is something that cannot be ignored or overlooked. The author asks the question, who are we to judge? Who decides someone's life is over? Alexie says at the end of the poem, † †¦ If any of us stood for days on top of a barren hill during an electrical stor m then lightning would eventually strike us and we'd have no idea for which of our sins were reduced to headlines and ash. † (Alexie 1165). Alexie was trying to say no matter what, a sin is a sin, the terms in which the sins were committed are meaningless, and the bottom line is that a sin was committed. However, if we were killed for our actions how would we know if the condemned would make up for that sin or turn out for the worst? Both poems prove that the author's point of view of each punishment in the poem shows significance in the writer's everyday life. Seamus Heaney's â€Å"Punishment† shows bitter love and can somewhat symbolize the relationship of the love of his life. Sherman Alexie's â€Å"Capital Punishment† symbolizes the punishment people experience especially through racial discrimination. In addition, by Alexie being Native American too, that proves he was making a statement about bitter punishment towards his culture. The ethnicity of a criminal or witness can determine how cruel and usual a punishment can be towards the criminal or witness. Work Cited Alexie, Sherman. â€Å"Capital Punishment. † Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. By John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. N. page. Print. Heaney, Seamus. â€Å"Punishment. † Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. By John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 1156-157. Print.

Business Information Systems Design and Implementation

In the provided case scenario, it is observed that the management of August Online Technology has intended to conduct a financial analysis for the next eight years based on its i e, expenses and tax among others. There are several indicators to evaluate the future potential of the pany among which the ou e of net i e after tax can clearly depict the possible profitability in the near future. Analyzing the overall financial performance is the most essential practice that enables the pany to not only recognizes its own capability but also helps to pare its financial position with other rival panies as well as the external market requirements (Waghmode & Sawant, 2014). Goal seek analysis is considered to be the most essential practice through which the pany can have knowledge regarding the possible practices as per its financial abilities (Waghmode & Sawant, 2014). The following pictorial illustration (Figure 1) clearly depicts that the sales of the pany is expected to increase within the next eight years with the support of the product X. The annual revenue of the pany in the initial year is around $50,373,252, which is expected to increase up to $77,498,088 as shown in the below mentioned diagram. The estimated sales have been calculated based on the total unit sold in the previous years and average sales growth rate prises of $235,411 and 3.25%. The provided scenario describes that the pany has increased the overall sales every year as well as the price of the products are also increased by 3%. Thus, based on these elements, the sales of the next years have been calculated accordingly, which is found to be steadily increasing thereby representin g higher profitability for the pany. Considering the goal-seek analysis, there are certain elements on which the sales growth rate largely depends such as annual price growth, annual sales growth and the previous year’s sales. Now, in case the average of the annual sales growth rate gets decreased, the revenue or annual sales will also be reduced. For instance, in the Year 6 and Year 7 the pany failed to perform due to which the sale growth rate b e -2% and -3%. Therefore, the overall sales of the pany for Year 7 and Year 8 will be reduced from the estimated figure. The stated fact can be elaborated with the help of the following diagram (Figure 2), wherein it is clearly represented that the sales of Year 7 and Year 8 has been reduced due to the changes made in the average growth rate. Thus, based on the understanding obtained from the goal seek analysis, it can be r mended that the pany must require the maintainenance of its estimated growth rate as the minimum point to attain the target sales within the particular period. However, from the diagram (Figure 2), it has also been apparent that after reducing the average growth rate and price increase rate for two years, the pany sales still continues to increase in the Year 7, which reduces in the last year. From this instance, it can be assumed that the pany has high potential in the near future, as it has the capability to face financial loss without slowing down the sales growth. Based on the financial performance of the pany, it has been apparent that the pany can develop its revenue along with higher profitability even in this petitive market (Fridson & Alvarez, 2011). The following pictorial illustration (Figure 3) represents the overall financial projection value of the pany, which has steadily been increased with time and at the end of eight years the pany is expected to earn approximately $23,171,928. Concerning the expenses, advertising the product as shown in the above diagram (Figure 3), cost of web services, maintenance of the production or operation, rent of the corporate space, salaries to the involved workers, cost related to shipping the products to the end users and supply chain expenses are the estimated elements based on which the total expenses has been calculated. All the expenses apart from maintenance are calculated through particular percentages, which have been elaborated below: The net i e of the pany has been calculated based on all these expenses and the overall expected sales or the product during this particular period. The following diagram (Figure 4) depicts the projected net i e that the pany can attain from the product X, which has steadily been increased by the end of the Year 8. Thus, it is apparent that the pany can largely concentrate on maintaining the growth rate with the support of developed strategies and well-managed workforce, which will eventually help to provide the estimated ou e at the end of the period. Apart from this, it is also worth mentioning that the pany can easily enhance the target arena as it has higher financial capability, and can support to bear the possible loss due to new entrants (Fridson & Alvarez, 2011).   The August Online Technology has aimed to enhance the revenue for the product X with the support of new market trends such as internet. Based on the projected financial analysis, it can be stated that the pany has high potential in future, as the net i e is estimated to increase steadily over the period of time. Therefore, the pany can concentrate on enhancing the sales volume of the product by investing in marketing. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that online marketing has b e a huge medium for organizations in the present context, wherein through a particular platform the marketers can target the entire global arena (Fang & Zhou, 2012). The August Online Technology can also utilize the internet source to market the product X, which will help to make the huge numbers of customers aware of the product, thereby enhancing the overall sales volume. Nowadays, every age group of people prefers to use online sources for obtaining information regarding the products in terms of reviews and customers’ feedback. Therefore, with the support of the web designer or developer, the pany can create an online platform for placing the product in front of the target population. There are several services provided by the panies through online forum in the current market to retain the potential customers (Yannopoulos, 2011). However, parallel to creating a website, the August Online Technology also needs to maintain transparent munication with the customers. The pany can develop the website in such a manner through which the customers can provide their feedback or share their experience with the product. This can on one hand help the pany to improve the product quality, while on the other hand the customers can also get attracted due to this facility as they are also valued by the management in the decision making. On the other hand, web publishing is also considered to be another suitable activity to attract customers in this world of immense petition. Internet has b e a huge part of the daily life schedule of the individuals for which the marketers has also initiated to portray all the required information on the social media website (Fang & Zhou, 2012). Taking the reference from the stated fact, August Online Technology can also utilize web publishing as their promotional tool, wherein it will publish all the promotional activities through the pany website as well as other social media websites to make the customers aware regarding their new policies or offers. Security threat has b e the most crucial aspect, which is continuously increasing across the globe and has caused a serious concern for panies to ensure product privacy to the customers (Alabady, 2009). There are numerous threats in security risks or network attacks among which hacking majorly affects the privacy maintenance. Since the pany will be maintaining an online platform, it has huge security risks in terms of hacking. Due to the process of hacking, it is possible that the hackers will extract the required information from the pany website or the pany will not be able to control the website. Apart from this, other security risks include snooping and eavesdropping, which are regarded as the threat to accessing the pany secure data by any unauthorized person without the consent of the pany management (Padmavathi & Shanmugapriya, 2009). While developing online forum or maintaining the platform, August Online Technology needs to concentrate on such aspects to avoid network attack s and ensure security of products to the customers.   Alabady, S 2009, â€Å"Design and implementation of a network security model for cooperative network†, International Arab Journal of e-Technology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 26-36. Fang, X. & Zhou, Y 2012, â€Å"Internet-future business development focus†, American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, vol. 2, pp. 85-88. Fridson, M. S. & Alvarez F 2011, Financial statement analysis: A practitioner's guide, John Wiley & Sons, United States. Padmavathi, D.G. & Shanmugapriya, M 2009, â€Å"A survey of attacks, security mechanisms and challenges in wireless sensor networks†, International Journal of puter Science and Information Security, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1-9. Waghmode, M. L. & Sawant, S. B 2014, â€Å"International journal of advance research in puter science and management studies†, International Journal, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 419-423. Yannopoulos, P 2011, â€Å"Impact of the internet on marketing strategy formulation†, International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol. 2, no. 18, pp. 1-7. Getting academic assistance from

The Reforms of Peter the Great Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Reforms of Peter the Great - Essay Example According to Thomas Riha, he was one of the few leaders in the empire who had â€Å"†¦ the imagination and ability to offer outstanding personal leadership† (498). He instituted radical reforms in the country’s education military, local government and church by reorganizing his army in line with western standards, creating a navy secularizing the education sector as well and exercising greater control of the reactionary Orthodox Church compared to any of his predecessors. In summary, his foreign policy was aggressive considering that he, â€Å"...acquired territory in Estonia, Latvia and Finland and through several wars with Turkey in the south† (â€Å"Peter the Great biography†). This paper is an examination of the reforms made by Peter the great, their effects, and the significance they had on Russia. In an attempt to weaken the powers of the provincial government which he considered a threat, Peter allowed the towns to elect their own officials who would be charged with collection of revenue and simulation of trade, the real power behind the local government was Ratusha based in Moscow. In 1702, an elective board that replaced the old system of elected sheriffs governed towns, moreover, in 1724; he changed the system so that local governments could have a quasi-aristocracy of sorts where towns could be self-governed under guilds of elected well off citizens. Nonetheless, these reforms were considerably difficult to implement, practice since local property owners and the provincial governor had immense influence, and their hold on local affairs was extremely difficult to break. Provincial government was divided into eight Guberniia, which were headed by a Gubnator who had absolute power from within the guberniia that were divided into districts known as Uzeda, which by 1718 the increased by twelve in number. Peter considering the forty Provintsiia, in order to consolidate his power he ensured the Gubnators despite their local autonomy were directly answerable to him. In this case, there were forty departments to carry out his orders, however, since not all of them had predefined functions their duties would sometimes overspill into each other creating inefficiency and an allowance for corruption. Peter’s centralized government policy was evident in that â€Å"†¦each of the provinces was ruled by an appointed governor† (Riasanovsky and Steinberg 259). This meant that the governors exercised power at his pleasure, hence were fully loyal to him. Peter’s belief in absolutism ensured that the church would no longer retain its semiautonomous status, as he was interested in its control since it was a very wealth institution among other reasons. In addition, he wanted access to these funds, and although he had tried to modernize it, but it had refused to be changed and remained steadfast in its traditional ways. Furthermore, the church had substantial amounts of land, many serfs and oth er â€Å"properties†; consequently, Peter was uncomfortable because it appeared in a way the church was rivaling him. In order to control the church, Peter refused to appoint a leader of the church after Partricah Aldrich died and gradually took over the church integrating it into the state. In the year 1701, it was placed under a government department known as Monastyrskii Prikaz, and they paid the monks

What is the nature of the controversy between Christians and Essay

What is the nature of the controversy between Christians and evolutionists - Essay Example However, the evolutionists disagree with the spiritual aspect of man and the existence of God. Most of the evolutionists are agnostics or atheist; they believe that the existence of the universe is a never-ending cycle. Evolutionists believe that man is born, has the ability to live and survive, and dies. For them, there is no life after death and that men are created in order to struggle to survive and not to abide from the Scriptures of God; in this case, ethical principles are more important than religious obedience. For the evolutionists, people must be taught with the ethics of the existence of the universe and life per se while the Christians believe that people must learn from the Scriptures in order to gain the life that is set to them after death (Gibbs, 2005). Since time immemorial, these two views have been battling the grounds of the beginning of life and the creation of the earth and the universe. Nonetheless, the nature of the controversy behind is that, up until today, the decision lies within the

Can Franchising as a strategy help organization gain market share Essay

Can Franchising as a strategy help organization gain market share globally case study as Starbucks - Essay Example 'The Word franchise is sometimes (particularly in the United States) is used in a wide sense more or less synonymous with distributorship. It is not a technical legal expression but in Europe the word generally connotes something along the lines of the setup described below. It is a distribution method described by a manufacturer or supplier who has developed a well known name and appearance for its product (usually including intellectual property rights). It may manufacture the goods itself or it may simply select goods produced by a third party. In the latter case the franchise maybe described as the business format franchise, since it is essentially a business format that is being exploited. In either case it will probably have established an 'image' for its existing sales outlets, connected with the physical appearance of the outlets and the business methods applied. These names 'trademarks' and image, will be known by the public and attract customers who recognize these familiar signs. Service franchises such as photocopy shops and hair dressing salons are also a type of business format franchise'2. 'The story of the Starbucks Corporation tells of one of the most successful business endeavors in recent memory. Unfortunately, if you dream of someday opening your very own Starbucks coffee shop, you should know that the Starbucks Corporation famously does not franchise its business operations. However, there are other ways to pursue a Starbucks franchise opportunity.The Starbucks Corporation is based in Seattle, where the first Starbucks stores were opened in Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971. Howard Schultz, the director of retail and marketing for Starbucks, was inspired by the coffee culture of Southern Europe. Clearly, the Starbucks business model has attracted much success and attention. While many potential investors would relish the idea pursuing a Starbucks franchise opportunity, the company does not franchise their stores. There does exist another Starbucks franchise opportunity. The Starbucks Corporation does participate in the sales of license agreements to qualified businesses or individuals. The Starbucks license agreement allows a smaller company to sell Starbucks products and conduct its own operations. However, this smaller operation remains solely owned by the Starbucks Corporation. Another way to pursue a Starbucks franchise opportunity is through the route of a joint venture scheme. A joint venture scheme allows a company to align itself with the Starbucks Corporation in a hopefully mutually beneficial business relationship. The joint venture scheme is akin to the relationship forged between Barnes and Noble and Starbucks'3. "Advantages & Disadvantages of Franchising" 'Just like any other business structure, a franchise is no exception to the rule of having both advantages and disadvantages associated with owning such a business. While our list will actually make the distinction

Does management have responsibility to provide job satisfaction to its Research Paper

Does management have responsibility to provide job satisfaction to its employees - Research Paper Example Maslows theory further explains that the low need level of needs need to be satisfied in order to avoid unpleasant consequences (Aziri, 2011). Some of these needs are food, sleep, warmth and other basic needs. For employers to meet these needs, they might probably provide food in the office to avoid unnecessary movement around the work area and probably install air conditioning to cater for the extremely hot or cold seasons. As these basic needs are met, they also start upgrading. At this point, they also feel that social and psychological needs need to be met. They start: believing in themselves and therefore, their self-esteem becomes distinct, wanting to be accepted socially, shown appreciation in the work place and they start feeling a strong sense of self-actualization to be able to develop as an employee (Luvisangra, 2012). This entire process brings about job satisfaction and increases production for the company. Incentives are also crucial for job satisfaction. Any employee who works tremendously hard in their workplace deserves to be appreciated. Incentives can be in the form of gifts, shopping vouchers, trips or the title of employee of the month (University of Alberta, 2012). Evaluations of whether or not the employees are satisfied should be conducted often. These evaluations are audits. There are many audits from financial; operational to follow up audits, but the best is the type that ensures that the emotions going round in the work place are unveiled, without necessarily identifying the names of the employees who feel a certain way. Confidentiality should be of the essence when conducting these evaluations. Audits are also supremely pertinent to examine whether security measures are effectual in the work place. The different forms of management can also affect job satisfaction considerably. There are two types of viewpoints that stand out; the classical and behavioral viewpoints. While classical management is divided into

Individual portfolio on global enterprise Essay - 1

Individual portfolio on global enterprise - Essay Example Due to the process of the globalization, there is a fast growth in the technology, communication, science, transport and business. The worldwide economy has been affected a lot of the fast changes happening in the field of technology, communication and transportation. This concept has helped in building the relations between the countries for their smooth running of the businesses. The integration and the cooperation of the countries to move the present resources for maximum financial growth have resulted in increasing the momentum over the past few decades. This has resulted in opening new markets and worldwide commerce to increase the financial growth across countries. Therefore, the term globalization can aptly be explained as the amalgamation of nations and companies worldwide. Globalization - a historical overview There are different opinions of the history of globalization. According to Scholte (2005) the globalization process is indicated by â€Å"the scale of contemporary te lecommunication, air travel, transworld goods, transplanetary financial transactions, transworld civil society associations, global regulations, global festivals, and global awareness among the general public in the world over† (p118). The globalization practice is mainly due to the increased rate in improvement of technology, transportation, science, communication and commerce. ... The combination of technology infrastructure with supportive economic policies is the important requisite to open new markets and economic sections for improved amalgamations. Economic growth and development cannot happen with good economic policies and support of the government. The business policy and the socio-political atmosphere of the country are the important features deciding the â€Å"orientation towards integration into the global economy.† Rapid economic growth can be achieved also by promoting skills, by exhibiting the workforces and individual competence. Nowadays, economic growth is dependent on the individual competence the knowledge or specialization of the skills an organization has in a competitive market. The entry or exit of new industries totally depends on the industry policies. The growth and promotion of an enhanced atmosphere for economic amalgamation depends on the government policy frameworks, workforce efficiencies, and industry structures (Fischer, 2003). Many industries had dreamt about globalization to make the trade volume increase. The changes, which we have seen in the field of technology, communication and transportation, were the main features in overcoming the physical barriers and achieving the goal. Countries all over the world have allowed such policies so that foreign countries enter and there were more facilities in the market to enhance the economic growth and development. Some think that globalization happened just recently but they also feel that it might have started happening quite early, seeing the developments that are of recent times but supports the history. Now, this is

Studying abroad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Studying abroad - Essay Example Problems encountered by international students should be given attention and solutions to help foreigners cope with their new environment and perform well in their studies. This paper will discuss some of these problems such as homesickness and the multi-cultural experiences of international students. Perhaps the most common complaint among foreign students is homesickness. Studies show that â€Å"students in America experience homesickness due to culture shock† (Harrison and Brower). The culture in America is definitely different from most foreign students especially those coming from eastern countries. It is not just the language that is different but the divergences in food, clothing, customs and practices are also quite astonishing to foreign students. This makes them long for familiar environments and people they have been used to. From the studies of Harrison and Brower, this separation anxiety has a strong correlation to psychological hardiness- â€Å"a personality variable that seemingly impact students’ adjustment to their often challenging and bewildering host cultures† (Harrison and Bower). The research of the shows that those who are able to adjust and actively involve themselves in whatever challenges individuals are faced with, experience less h omesickness. In addition, those who are able to act strong and able in their new environment are less stressed and therefore are able to cope with the demands of their host culture. Those who are resilient to changes are also found to be stronger in times of emotional and psychological troubles among foreign students. In contrast to the negative effect of foreign studies, there is also a great advantage especially with those who have strong psychological hardiness and are open to challenging experiences. According to Christine Lee, David Therriault and Tracy Linderholm, â€Å"multicultural experiences such as studying abroad are quantitatively and qualitatively

Taoism and the Yin Yang Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Taoism and the Yin Yang Philosophy - Essay Example Taoism Taoism serves as both a philosophy and a religion. Its roots can be traced back to ancient Shamanism. The Tao Te Ching which is the second most translated book in history codifies Taoism. Lao Tzu the sage wrote the 81 poems in 500 BC. Taoism is centered on a number of fundamental principles. Just like any other philosophical point of view, it gives a way of perceiving and comprehending reality. The word â€Å"Tao† means the way. The meaning is inclusive of both the way in which individuals view the world surrounding them and the way they interact with life. Our path of action and way of being in the world is influenced by how we view reality. The key principle of Taoism is that all manifestation and life is part of a whole which is inseparable. It is an interrelated organic unity that originates from a mysterious, deep and basically unexplainable origin that is the Tao itself. This principle comprises of everything imaginable. A number of Western translators have likene d this concept to the idea of God, absolute reality or universal mind among others (Centre of Traditional Taoist Studies, 2009). Basic principles of Taoism All aspects of existence are unified by the Tao Te Ching. It brings together both the spiritual and earthly dimensions with principles that operate at the same time in metaphysical, mental and physical realms. Classical Taoist instruction therefore included philosophy, meditation, physical exercise and religious ceremonies to strengthen how core principles exceed dimensions. There are nine key Principles of Taoism that precisely explain its cornerstone religious doctrines. The first principle is that the goal is contentment. Contentment is defined as the only measure that should be used to estimate personal success. Taoism teaches that a physical existence that is content will best make the soul ready for the time when the body will be cast off (Centre of Traditional Taoist Studies, 2009). The second principle is oneness-a holist ic view. Taoism as a religious and philosophical system is built on a view of reality that is holistic. It uses principles that cut across the seen as well as unseen dimensions to unify all existence. Universal oneness is represented with white and black colors that rotate in a circle using its renowned yin-yang symbol. The third principle is the manifestation of the Tao. Since reason alone cannot be trusted, Taoism avoids conceptions that cannot be tested and affirmed by practical application. This requires a Taoist to not only rely on speculation but learn by looking at concrete demonstrations of larger universal forces. The fourth principle is that nature is unkind. Seemingly, since all effort is committed towards survival, there is little compassion in the natural world. Taoists are therefore encouraged by Lao Tzu to adopt an outlook of harsh unconcern towards everyone except a few loved ones. The fifth principle is that of society versus the individual. Taoism is mainly a philo sophy for the individual. It perceives society to be inclusive of confused individuals that freely resign to alluring social patterns. The Taoist therefore distinguishes effective beliefs from ineffective ones. This is by understanding the presence of useful individual beliefs and possibly useless social values (Centre of Traditional Taoist Studies, 2009). The sixth principle is th

The best ideas Essay Example for Free

The best ideas Essay It is ingrained among most people that important discoveries and concepts are results of concerns about problems of huge complexity. Nevertheless, if we allow more reasoning about that, we are bound to find out that is not always the case since history has been showing us plethora of , say, cientific development triggered by investigation over facts often dismissed as trifles. In order to bolster the argument just stated, it will be useful to refer to the pioneer of Genetics, namely Mendel. Those who would doubt a reclusive monk could make any good science out of growing peas will be appalled by his outstanding achievements. Mendel, tending the pea trees as usual, realised that the collor of the pea beans, whether green or yellow, could be predicted under some controlled unaccuracy provided the parents trees were known. Moreover, after several experiments sedulously carried out, he came to the conclusion that the collor outcome in question was result of the crossing of the parents features following some determinative selection rules. Then gene concept was born and proved to be correct and useful through nowasdays. Apart from the preceding historic report, we can think of a number of other instances in which everyday facts conceal valuable information just waiting to be uncovered such as symmetry in a snowflake, shape of droplets, reflection upon a lake, waves ruffling around a bathtube, wings of a butterfly etc. Were we to look carefuly into them, we would come up with a lot of physical facts almost ubiquitious in nature whose consequences are more complexes than one can imagine. Therefore, it is seems to be clear that the best ideas quite often result of looking into passionately into simple thing surrounding us. Methaphorically speaking, nature tell us her secrets in the silence of commonplace things rather than in the hustle and bustle that builds up in our minds clustered in a noisy complexity.

Global Warming Will Lower Sea Levels Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Will Lower Sea Levels Essay Those who are highlighting the danger of global warming would not hesitate to relate it to a high sea level rise simply because according to their premise when there is global warming it affects both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, whereby the melting ice will eventually raise the sea level. The IPCC, the UN branch office that deals with scientific research had predicted a 20 inches sea level rise around the year 2100 and it is obvious that it has based it findings on the above assumption. Other suggestions and analysis indicate that what will in fact happen is the opposite where the global warming if it is true will either slow down the level of sea rise or will reduce it. The new analysis looks at two factual findings. The fact that the Earth temperature had risen 0. 6 degree Celsius in the last 100 years and the sea level had risen by 18 cm. What these analysts are focusing at is there is no relation between the two and especially the rise in sea level occurred independent of what happened to the temperature to a larger extent. What contributed to the rise of the seal level to 18 centimeters starts from the thermal expansion of the warming water body, especially the oceans and that contributed to 4 cm. What comes next is the melting of the so-called continental glaciers that accounted for 3. 5 cm rise level. The polar regions contributed to the lowering of the sea level simply because the warming of the temperature has evaporated more water and some of it rains in the Polar Regions adding to the amount of ice on these regions, hence there will be less water in the seas. But the findings highlight one shortcoming which is that the total amount of rise through the two activities adds up to only 20 percent of the total amount giving hint that there should be other sources contributing to the rise of the sea level other than the current global warming. What this led to was to depend on geological observations that revealed the sea level had been rising constantly for the last centuries at a rate similar to the last 100 years. Accordingly, there was sea level rise in the Little Ice Age from 1450 to 1850 indicating that if there were going to be a sea level rise it would be independent of what is happening in the environment. It was possible to arrive at such hypothesis using a data published on the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet tracing it back to the end of the last ice age. Hence, the conclusion arrived at was since there had been a 120 meters rise in sea level since the last ice age that took place 18,000 years ago, the melting is still in process and will continue to do so for the coming 7000 years independent of what is going to happen to the present day temperature. What could change this course might be the arrival of another Ice Age, which is not in the prediction. In reality it is possible to say that a global warming caused by human activity cannot contribute to the rise of sea level since the record shows the climate warmed much between 1900 and 1940 and cooled down from 1940 – 1975. The outcome was the sea level rise slowed when the temperature was warmer and it increased when it was colder. The relation here is the two components thermal expansion and glacier melting had a lesser effect on the sea rise level when compared to the ice accumulation on the Polar Regions from the rain caused from warmer weather. Hence, it is possible to make a firm conclusion that warmer air or the current global warming will not contribute to the rising level of the sea. Instead, as it was illustrated it will bring it down by simply changing the amount of water into ice and depositing it on the Polar Regions. In spite of this analysis, the findings based on computer simulation try to demonstrate that the warming of the global temperature due to human induced activities will result in raising the sea level revealing that there is something wrong with such assumption (9). Conclusion In spite of the findings from various sources accurate, satellite measurement taken have not found any trace of global warming. Weather balloons also had shown similar findings. There are indications that the temperature had been rising starting form 1880 but such rise in temperature cannot be caused by greenhouse gases that are coming into existences from human induced activity mainly centered on burning of fossil oil and through the introduction of a developed and new method of land use. The other indication that shows the findings could be wrong is most of the measurements could reflect the temperature and air condition found closer to highly populated cities. All the feared outcomes of a high temperature brought into existence because of the greenhouse effect such as heat wave, hurricanes, or epidemic disease did not occur. If there had been a temperature rise to talk about, it was observed in the nighttime and winter season. Overall, it is possible to discredit the greenhouse apocalypse outright simply because it was not accompanied with all the catastrophic disasters that were predicted and anticipated (10). Even economists are wary of all the concerns simply because there might not be a discernable effect that will materialize from postponing the reduction of the greenhouse gas by another 20 years and see what the outcome will be. One of the reasons for that is meeting the greenhouse gas reduction effort would require getting rid of a big chunk of capital goods before they complete their useful life and that might not make economical sense for something that lacks scientific proof. But there is no doubt that such plans could be part of a long term process of any undertaking and the burden could also be eased as new technologies pertaining to the warming of the globe become readily available. The Kyoto Protocol itself would cost between $7 and $12 billion annually if it is implemented, a sum everyone is not comfortable with, simply because implementing the Protocol alone would cost each household up to $2000 annually and could raise home heating cost by at least 70 percent. Since people, especially those living in the advanced regions are heavily dependant on energy for their day-to-day living, raising the cost permanently to any extent would have a devastating effect, even if energy price is already very high. The only relief is since it fluctuates consumers could stretch their earnings whenever possible. It is possible to take it a bit further and see that if the assumption that the global temperature is rising to a dangerous level is true, a simple cost introduction of raising the federal fuel economy standard from 27. 5 miles to more than 40 miles itself will be costly, since it is such kinds of drastic measures that will bring down the amount of the greenhouse effect as automobiles are the worst source of pollution. The domino effect of such measures will lead to raising the price of cars, while at the same time such cars would have to be compact reducing the safety of cars that is feared to raise the number of fatalities form where it is currently at 4000 annually. The fact that the findings are heavily dependant on observation and computer simulation makes the concern a bit groundless since carbon dioxide is not a deadly gas to have in the atmosphere after all. The reason for that is the more carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere it adds to thriving of plants that have various use for it. It is not only that if what is said about the meltdown is true that is another advantage for agriculture since there will be more land to put into agriculture that will lead to more foods in the world even if there is no proof that there is shortage of food in the regions where the land is covered with ice sheet. Other areas that would benefit from global warming are those who live in areas where the winter season is cold and long. Regions like that could enjoy longer summer seasons, which would mean longer growing period that will add to the amount of food produced. There are findings that the warmer weather is also good for the health of people in such a way that medical cost in most of the cold regions would come down and the quality life of in such regions would get enhancement. The fear centered on the rise of the sea level that would come into existence when the ice from the Polar Regions melts because of the warm climate for the most part is groundless. The reason for that is the warm weather heats the water from the sea changing it into vapor that will come down as rain. The rainfall that takes place in the Polar Regions would not find its way back into the seas, instead it would add on the amount of ice that is already in existence in the region. This process has dual advantages where the first one is it will add to the amount of ice in the Polar Regions defying the fear that the warming of the climate is causing the ice of the region to melt. Secondly, the amount of seawater will come down through the process since some of it will become ice. Hence, it is possible to say that the warming of the climate is good for the Polar Regions since they would get more ice through the natural process. That might have some disadvantages in other areas, because the melting of the ice from the Polar Regions is not without a merit. One of the merit is this particular harsh region could become more habitable where there will be more lands opened for farming, for housing, and industrial development leading to a huge economic activity that will boost the outcome in agriculture and other venues. At the same time, there is an observation concerning the opening of new routes that will be advantageous for trade as well for the tourist industry. However, one disadvantage cited was it might affect the wildlife of the region where, for example, the polar bear is on the list to become extinct at the end of this century. Since the presumption is it will take many centuries for the ice of the whole region to melt away, the only inconvenience wildlife might encounter is going farther to where the dense ice is located. This by itself is advantageous since some of the wildlife is becoming a threat by coming closer to where there are human inhabitants. Overall, since everything surrounding global warming is still a hypothesis that borders fear, where if some measure is not in place now the future could be disastrous and could become out of control, it is not possible to fully rely on the grim pictures that the alarmists are painting. The reality is life goes on normally in the regions even if a few incidents of melting ice sheets into the sea had occurred. The answer for such incidents is it is the outcome of the weather variation where in the summer time it is natural that the level of the ice could get thinner in the edge area and when the winter season is around it will again attain its thickness. The proof for this is there is not yet any documentation where because of global warming the inhabitants of the area had gained more access to land for farming or for any other purpose. The outcome is the same from observations made in other areas where none of the feared apocalyptic fears had taken place. Nevertheless, if the weather becomes warmer cold regions could rip numerous advantages that include less death toll, better health, and better living condition since the summer season is short in these regions. That alone contributes to a much shorter food growing and recreation season. Other than that, if there is call for action, there is none better than to exert more effort to come up with a concrete scientific proof in the place of the presumption that is prevalent now. What the existing finding avails for the world is there are concerned groups that are claiming that there is a global warming that is causing the sea level to rise and is contributing to the melting of the ice caps, which is the habitat of wildlife such as polar bears that are feared to become extinct in the beginning the year 2100. The other major concern is the reducing of the greenhouse gases, which has a very high price tag attached to it. The findings will have to lean fully on scientific findings that would require more funding and time, but the cost involved might not be equivalent to what businesses are fearing to incur in the coming few years simply to meet certain standards that are believed to contribute in controlling the emission of certain gases into the atmosphere. If the implemented measures are scientific it will be worth the effort, otherwise it will be a waste of resources. Currently, since there is no settled scientific proof there is a division in the public’s opinion where the number of people who do not believe in global warming is much higher, no matter how inundated they are by the media and environmental groups. This might have a serious effect simply because it is the same people who cannot be convinced about the pollution level that is prevalent who are responsible in various ways to add to the pollution problem. Educating them based on hypothesis will also make the job difficult because the message they would get from such effort would vary. Another problem cited was that the existing effort through the Kyoto Protocol is to bring down the emission level back to where it was in the 1990s a premise that does not make sense since there might not be an accurate measurement in place that shows what level the emission was before the 1990s. Such shortcomings highlight that the primary effort should focus on finding a settled scientific consensus and after that, the effort of popularizing a concept based on hypothesis might dwindle down. REFERENCE 1. Bailey, R. (2004, November). Two Sides of The global warming: Is It Proven Fact or Just Conventional Wisdom? Reason Magazine. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from http://www. reason. com/news/show/34939. html 2. UN Report, Global Warming Caused by Human Activity. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from www. newstarget. com/021565. html

The Concept Of Pricing

The Concept Of Pricing This module introduces the concept of pricing and discusses its importance and significance to organisations. With a view to the relative significance of pricing on organisations profits and sales, appropriate pricing policies needs to be formulated strategically. The various pricing decisions that organisations need to make are price setting, adapting price and managing price change which is dealt in this module. Pricing Strategies Introduction This lesson discusses pricing and its importance to organisations and the various factors to be considered while formulating pricing policies: Define the concept of price Explain the factors influencing pricing decisions. Discuss the process of price setting. Explain how organisations adapt prices. Discuss the price change management policies adopted by organisations. Understanding pricing Price is the amount of money at which a product or service is offered in the market. It is the exchange rate of a product or service in terms of its monetary value. Pricing is an important decision area for an organisation. The pricing and sales volume of the product put together determines the profit for an organisation. The sales volume itself depends on the type of pricing policy adopted by the organisation. Profits too are dependent on the pricing policies. Hence organisations have to formulate pricing policies strategically. Pricing also determines the acceptance of the product in the market, one can say that it determines the products future success in the market. IKEA pricing strategy is to provide quality products at low prices to its customers. Internet advertising through Google ads, Pricing is an important aspect not only for the organization producing the product, but also for the consumers as well as the society. Price represents the value of the market offering to the consumers, it also indicates the quality of the product. Increase in price could be perceived favourably by the consumers by interpreting it as a consequence of improvement of quality. (for reference only) The factors affecting pricing policies of an organisation are: Internal Factors While making pricing policies, marketers need to take into account several factors which are the result of company decisions and actions. To a great extent these factors are controllable and alterable by the company. Internal factors are as follows: Objectives of the organisation Positioning sought by organisation through pricing Nature of product Price elasticity of the product The stage of Product life cycle of the product Usage and repurchase level of the product Cost of production Product distinctiveness and positioning Other ps of the marketing mix and their influence on the pricing Composition of product line of the firm External Factors There are a number of influencing factors which are external to the firm and cannot be controlled by the firm but will impact pricing decisions. External factors are as follows: Market structure Consumer behavior Bargaining power of consumer groups Bargaining power of major suppliers Competitors policies Government controls/regulations Other legal aspects Social considerations cartels Setting the Price The organisation has to think over several factors while setting its pricing policy. The process of setting the price is as follows: Deciding the pricing objectives: The organisation has to first of all analyse its position of offering in the market. If the organisational objectives are clearly set, setting price becomes easier. The major objectives that organisations look to pursue through pricing policy are sustenance, profit maximization, market share maximization, market skimming and quality leadership. Organisations would adopt sustenance policy, if there is too much competition and changing in trends due to changes in customer taste and preferences. Here the organisation would generally be looking to cover some variable and fixed cost of production and a marginal profit. This kind of policy is useful only in the short run, in the long run firms would have to add value to its offer or face extinction. Setting the pricing policy : (for reference only) In case the organisational objective of the firm is profit maximization, the firm will then choose that price which will give it maximum profits, cash flow or maximum rate of return on investments. For such a strategy the firm has also to take demand situation into consideration. In case where the main objective of the organisation is market share maximisation, they would generally set a low price so that market can be penetrated easily. Low pricing or penetration pricing policy is applicable in the following situations: Consumers are price sensitive There is possibility of market penetration with the help of low prices Production and distribution cost fall with higher production level and experience Competition is discouraged due to the low prices in the market Skimming price is adopted by firms to gain higher profits in the short run and is applicable in the following situations: High demand exists in the market due to product being a pioneer product Not much competition exists in the market Consumer perception is that, high price indicates quality (for reference only) Determining demand: The different prices set by organisations will lead to difference in demand for the product in the market. The demand curve shows the different quantities demanded by customers at varying prices. Universally, as demand and price of the products are inversely related, according to the law of demand at a higher price lesser the quantity demanded and at lower price higher the quantity demanded. Only in exceptional cases it can be seen that with increase in price of product, demand too increased, especially seen in cases of prestige goods such as perfumes, diamonds etc. (Fig 1.1 Demand Curve) (For reference) Figure 1.1, in the first case shows elastic demand and the second case it shows inelastic demand. Price Sensitivity: The demand curve shows the markets sensitivity to the changes in prices of the product. It shows the response of customers to changes in prices. Generally customers are more price sensitive to products that cost much such as speciality goods and those goods which are frequently such as staple goods. They are less price sensitive to goods which are brought infrequently or such products, the cost of which is insignificant to the customer. Products which would have less price sensitivity are: Distinctive products Where there very few substitutes to the products or customers are not aware of substitute products Quality comparison of substitute products are not easy The price of product is insignificant to the consumers income It is a complementary good to an earlier purchase The product is assumed to be of higher quality, prestige. It is not possible to store the product. The advent of internet has led to an increased price sensitivity in the society. Internet has made it possible for people to compare prices instantly and go for the lowest prices available. Firms have to understand the price sensitivity of their target market and accordingly formulate pricing policies. Demand estimation and forecasting is an important function to be carried out by organisations for determining the demand for their products. There are various methods that can be used to arrive at demand estimation and forecast. Where different variables of the price are identified statistical analysis can be undertaken, data for these variables collected and then analysis is done by using various statistical methods to arrive at the demand forecast. Experimentation method is another way in which demand can be estimated at various price levels. Here the prices of the products are charged differently in different markets or in the same market different prices are introduced at different times and then the result is analysed to arrive at the demand. Another method is doing customer surveys and interview to gauge the customers response to varying prices. Price elasticity of demand: Elasticity of demand is to extend the responsiveness of demand to the different prices charged. The marketer needs to have an idea of how responsive the market demands are, to various prices set by the firm. If with the change in price the demand for the product changes substantially then we can say that the demand is elastic to price. If with a change in price there in very less or no change in the demand for the product the demand would be said to be inelastic. Demand would usually be less or inelastic in the following situations: There is no competition or substitute products in the market Habits Necessity goods Where the price of product is small or insignificant to the consumer Price elasticity depends on the degree of change in prices. Elasticity would be less in case of low level price change and would be more if the price change is significant. For example consumer durables like television and washing machines, with a slight increase in their prices the demand for these product would not fall significantly but with a substantial increase in their prices the demand can come down considerably. If price elasticity differs according to the time period under consideration, in the short run the elasticity would be different than in the long run. This happens because in the short run certain determinants remain static which can be varied in the long run. For example Habits of people can be changed in the long run, competitive scenario can change in the long run. Cost estimation: Pricing policies of firms significantly depends on the cost of production and other related costs incurred by the organisation for offering the product in the market. Firms generally would charge a price which covers the production cost as well as a fair profit for the firms effort and risk. There are different types of cost related to production of a product : Fixed cost which are fixed in nature and do not vary with the level of production or sales. For example rent, interest on capital invested etc. Variable cost vary directly with the level of production of the firm. For example wages, power consumption etc. Total cost can be said as the sum total of the fixed and variable costs for the total production level. Average Cost: can be said as the total cost divided by the total number of units produced. The firm would want to charge at least a price which would cover the total production cost. To develop adequate pricing policies the management needs to know how cost varies with different levels of production. Cost of production would also change according to its production scale and experience. Over the period of time, the experience gained by organisation leads in making more effective and production scheduling policies leading to lower costs. As well as with the expansion of plant and machinery, i.e large scale production helps organisations to lessen the cost of production considerably. Organisations now a days try to adapt their offering as per the requirements of different buyers. A manufacturer may set different terms and prices for different retail chains according to their requirements. Certain retailer may not want to stock too much inventory of a particular product, in that case the delivery that has to be made to this retailer would be much frequent. On the other hand a retailer who has the stocking facility may want deliveries less frequently, accordingly the pricing and profit levels of the manufacturer would differ too. Some companies adopt target pricing, here first of all through market survey the firm arrives at the product features and design. The next step would be to determine at what price the product will be sold. On the basis of the price, a percentage is deducted as profits and the rest would be the cost of production. Hence the organisation has arrived at the cost at which production should happen and that is the target cost at which production should happen. Competitors pricing policies analysis : Competitors policies have significant effect on the firms own policies and strategies. The firm has to have a good knowledge of the competitors policies and their possible response to the firms pricing policies. In case the firm is offering product features which are exclusive and not provided by its competitors then their price should be set accordingly. If competitor provides additional features then their worth to the customers should be evaluated and subtracted from firms price. Selecting a pricing method : The various pricing methods that organisations can use as follows : Mark up Pricing : The most widely used pricing technique is to add a standard mark up to the products cost. Mark up is expressed in terms of percentage. Here, either the cost price or the sale price is taken as the base for determination of the mark up. Eg. Cost price of travel bag Rupees 2000 Mark up Rupees 400 Therefore selling price Rupees 2400 Mark up based on cost price = 500/2000 = 25% Mark up based on Selling price = 500/2400= 20.8% Mark up pricing: Example : Shopkeeper buys goods for Rupees 300/- at a wholesale rate. His cost based mark-up is 25%. Hence sale mark-up price = 100-30 = 75% or 0.75%. Therefore sales price = 300/ 0.75 = 400 While determining any pricing policy current demand, value of product perceived by customers, competition existing in the market has to be considered. Mark up price would only be useful if it brings in expected sales. Mark up price is quite is popular due to the following reasons : Determining cost is quite easy than estimating demand It is a much simpler way of pricing If all firms in industry use this pricing policy then price would be similar, leading to less intense price competition. It is believed that cost pricing is fair for both customers and producers, where customers are not exploited and producers get a fair enough return. Rate on return pricing The price is determined on the basis of a planned rate of return on investment made by the organisation. The total cost of one financial years standard production is estimated and taken as the standard cost. The mark up percentage of profit is obtained by multiplying capital turnover by estimated rate of return. Perceived value pricing : Here the valuation of the product is done on the basis of how much the customers are willing to pay, instead of considering the production and related costs. (for reference) Value pricing : Here the firm charges a fairly lower price for high quality products thereby winning loyal customer. Tesco, UK is one of the largest retailers in UK. Tescos key competence is its pricing policy. It keep its product prices low so that sales can be maximised. Lot many customers were attracted to its products due to its value added low priced products. Tesco launched the unbeatable value campaign in the 1996, it made massive reductions in its prices during this campaign. Tesco adopted a low daily low price strategy alongside its promotional programs. This stragegy stressed on regularising low prices for its customers on a regular and daily basis. Going rate Prices : Going rate pricing emphasises on market conditions. The firm adjusts its own pricing policy to the price structure existing at the industry level. This kind of pricing is usually seen in oligopolistic market structure, where the prices are mutually decided by the firms. Also in cases where costs are difficult to be determined, firms tend to follow the going rate price because it reflects the entire industries price rate. Examples would be petroleum and oil. Auction pricing or price bidding: This type of pricing methods has emerged in the recent years especially due to the growth of Internet. These kind of pricing strategy is mostly seen in electronic goods market, selling a diverse range of products and services by auctioning them through the bidding process. The important function of auction is to dispose of excess products existing with the firm. There are three major auction type pricing. These types are: Ascending bids, (English auctions) : One seller and many buyers. The seller puts up the product or auction and the buyers bid prices, the highest price is accepted. Descending bids (Dutch auctions) : One seller and many buyers or one buyer and many sellers. In this kind of auction the buyer quotes a higher price and then decreases it gradually till a bidder accepts the price. In the other case the buyers lets know his intention to buy a particular product and then the sellers bids the prices by offering lower prices. Sealed bid auctions: Here the suppliers can submit only one bid and do not know about other bids. From the submitted bids the most feasible bid is selected (for reference only) While selecting the final price, additional factors has to be considered by the firm such as : Psychological pricing : Psychological pricing a marketing practice which is based on the theory that certain kind of prices have psychological influence on customers minds. The prices are expressed as odd prices: e.g. Rs. 299.00 or Rs. 499.00. Gain and Risk sharing pricing : This type of pricing is used for pricing complex, high valued products or services. Many times buyers refrain from accepting sellers proposal due to the high risk if the promised value is not delivered. In order to provide some form of risk sharing or price protection as new drugs are adopted into formularies biopharma companies and payers are entering into agreements. Onyx/Bayers Nexavar (sorafenib) and Pfizers Sutent (sunitinib malate) both anti-cancer drugs; Novartis Aclasta (zoledronic acid), and Sanofi-Aventis/Procter Gambles Actonel (risedronate sodium), both osteoporosis drugs are some of the best known drugs. In Germany,Italy and the US, manufacturers have agreed to provide drugs free of charge if no progress is seen after the first treatment, or to recompense health plans, say for instance if bone fractures occur despite the osteoporosis therapy. While setting the final price, firm has also to consider the brand quality, advertising, company pricing policies. Firms also need to consider the distributors and agents, sales persons, competitors, suppliers response to the prices of the product. Finally, firms also need to consider the legal implications while setting their prices. Adapting the price : Organisations generally set different prices according to variations in geographical demand and costs, market segment requirements, purchase time period, order levels, frequency of delivery, guarantees and various other factors. Various price adaptation strategies are as follows: Geographical pricing: It involves the pricing of products to different customers in different locations and countries. Taking into consideration the transportation costs example shipping / cargo costs for distant customers. Also the firm needs to lower the prices of its product/s from sales promotion point of view to retain or expand its business. Considering the export of products to countries abroad where the payment from buyer becomes crucial, should he lack payment he may offer other items. This practice also recognised as countertrade. Countertrade accounts approximately up to 25 percent of current world trade. Usually this trading is done as Buyback agreements, Barter, offset and Compensation deals. Countertrade deals may become complex for example an A company in Europe sells 50 yachts to Turkey and accepts in exchange 150 Turkish made cars, which it sold to Pakistan for Rice, which in turn sold to America and achieved payment in dollars . Such deals are carried by a separate department within the organisation. Other companies may depend on barter houses or countertrade specialists. Most companies give discounts and allowances in order to receive early payments on volume purchases and off-season buying. This may lead to decreased profits, hence an assumptive price of the products needs to be worked out with planning. Marketing researchers have found that up to 35 percent of buyers in most categories are price sensitive. Higher income people are more interested in buying products with added features, customer service, quality and brand. Hence its essential for a strong brand not to get into price discounting in order to react to low price attacks. A company can gain some concessions, if a customer agrees to sign a contract for a bulk years example 3-5 years or if an order is placed in a larger quantity or if an order is placed online thus saving the company money. It is necessary to maintain and monitor all records regarding discounts such as the quantity of customers receiving discount and average discount, etc. It is essential for higher levels of management to conduct a net price analysis in order to get the real price offered. However the realised price is affected not only by discounts, also but by firms average promotional spendings, advertising spendings to retailers to back the product, thus the listed price of the product and so for the net price of the product are two ends of the same thread with couple of other expenses in between. However companies in an overcapacity tend to offer their branded products at a deep discounted rate. Firms should avoid offering discounts to retailers in the long term which in turn would decrease theirs profits in an effort to meet short term volume goals. In order to stimulate early purchase of a product firms can use several pricing techniques. Examples could be found where branded products are offered at a discounted price in order to stimulate extra purchases of other store products. This pays only if the revenue is generated by selling other products in proportion to the lower margins on the loss -leader product. In certain seasons and occasions of festive periods example every June there are back -to-back school sales and during Diwali, Christmas and New Year special prices will be established on products. In order to clear inventories without affecting the listed price, auto companies and other consumer goods companies offer cash rebates to help purchase of products during a certain period. Some auto companies offer the product with an attractive finance scheme such as zero interest rate or in case of consumer durable goods buy now and start paying after six or nine months instead of cutting its price. Equated monthly instalments may be stretched over a longer period in order to lower them, here the consumer focus is on affording to pay back in instalments rather the rate of interest. This can be in cases of auto companies and consumer durable goods etc. Often auto companies offer an attractive warranty and servicing contract in order to promote their sales. Many a times products price is listed at an artificially high price and then offered with a discount .This creates a psychological discounting in minds of consumers that they have purchased the product at a considerably lower price and have gained but in fact havent. Often in order to accommodate differences in customers, products, locations, etc firms adjust their basic price. Thus price differentiation arises where a product is sold at two or more prices without any proportional difference in costs. Customers are charged depending on their intensity of demand. Buyers would be charged at a lower rate depending on the volume of buying. In case of Museums or places of historic importance there is lower admission fee to children, foreigners, etc. A firm charges 30 Rs for adding 150 gms sugar in a Rasgulla tin pack sweet, however it charges 35 Rs for adding the same quantity of sugar for a Kala Jamun pack sweet. A firm can price the same product at two different levels based on image differences. A detergent manufacturer can put detergent in one packet, name it with an image, and price it at 50 Rs. It can put the same detergent in another packet with a different name and image and price it at 75 Rs. Soft drinks prices often differ in an A grade restaurant, vending machines or when sold in canteens or general stores. Same product is priced differently at different locations even though the cost of offering at each location is the same. A concert audience is charged variably for seating as per their preferences for different locations. Prices differ by season, day or hour etc. Electricity as an important public utility source is charged differently by time of day in United Kingdom. Restaurants and Clubs in United Kingdom charge less during happy hours. Airlines have different fares on same flight for same class for instance its economy class, which also is known as Yield Management / Revenue Management system. They have child fares, adult fares, seasonal fares etc. Extra luggage price by an airline for a single kilo differs from Dubai to London as opposed to travelling the other way back from London to Dubai. Websites have coupled up different sellers product together such as Car Insurance, Consumer durable goods, home insurance, medical insurance etc, which allows buyers to discriminate between sellers by comparing their prices. Responding to price changes : Many time organisations have to go for price cuts and increase as per the situation. Price Cuts : It is a possibility that organisation may go for price cuts due to existence of price cuts, also where even with added effort the sales have not increased or due to declining market share. Price cuts can lead to price wars in the market. Lower price can be used by firms so as to dominate market. Organisations may also have to cut down the prices in case of recession. Price Increase : Price increases are undertaken by organisations when there is cost inflation. With rise in cost of production the organisations profits lessens, hence they need to go for price increase to earn normal profits. Many times organisations increase their prices more than the increase in cost due to anticipation of further cost increase. Price increase can also happen when there is too much demand for the product and the supply is less. Price increase can be done in the following ways : Final price is not set, until the product is delivered to the customer. Generally seen in construction and heavy equipment industries. Here firm wants customers to pay current price and all or part of any cost inflation that can happen before the delivery of the product. Here the price is kept same but some elements are separated from the product and priced individually. Example in case of automobiles, accessories, other additional features come with extra cost. Discount if any, could be reduced to maintain profits. Organisation also can tackle high cost and over demand without raising prices as follows : Reducing the amount offered without increasing the prices By substituting raw materials with less expensive materials wherever possible Lessening the product features to lessen its cost Lessening product services Usage of less cost packaging Creating economy brands Reacting to changes in prices : Price changes can have a reaction from customers, competitors, distributors, suppliers and governments. Customers may perceive and respond to price cuts in different ways. Price cuts may be interpreted as lower quality product or faulty products. Price rise would generally carry some positive indications to customers. The product is considered to be of high quality and having added value when prices increased. Competitors may also respond in various ways to price changes. To contemplate competitors reaction organisations have to access their financial situation, sales scenario, market share and their objectives. In case the competitors objective is to increase market share then they will change their price in response of firms price changes. If its objective is profit motivation then it will increase its promotional activities to maintain its sales. Responding to competitors price changes : It is an important decision on how firm should react to price changes by competitors, the products could go for product augmentation having homogenous characteristics. If product augmentation is not possible then they would have to go for price cuts to counter the competitors price cuts. If price is increased by the competitor in the homogenous market, then other firms may not increase their prices until it is unavoidable. If price change happens in a heterogeneous market then the various aspects needs to be considered before responding to the price change : What is the reason for competitors price cuts is it due to over capacity of production, rise in costs of production or the intention is to increase market share. Is the price change temporary or permanent What will be the scenario if the firm does not respond to competitors price change Are other competitors going to respond to the price change and if yes how? Market leaders many a times have to face price changes from new entrants in the market or smaller competitors. There are many ways in which a market leader can respond to competitors price changes: Maintain price Market leader my decide to maintain its current price and profit due to the belief that : Too much profits will be lost if prices are decreased It would not lose too much market share It is possible to regain market share when required Maintain price and add value to its offering The product could be augmented, its services and communication improved. Reduce price : Leader may go for price cuts to match the competitors price cuts due to following reasons : As the market is price sensitive it would lose market share It would be difficult to build market share once lost Its costs reduces with higher volume in production Increase price and increase quality: The leader may decide to initiate price increase and also increase quality of product and also introduce new brands or innovative products. Introduce low priced product line : It could contemplate adding a low priced product line to

Non-Violent Nationalism and Fundamental Change :: essays research papers fc

Nationalism as a concept is defined by the formation of a distinct identity for a certain population in terms of their religion, ethnicity or class differences. This term was used to describe the rise of movements along these distinct lines. Since then the connotations of the word may have changed over time but its essential meaning has remained unchanged. The term in essence refers to two varying sentiments. Broadly speaking, the first of these is a sense of identification with a certain nation based on ethnic, cultural or religious bounds. The second is a sentiment of loyalty to the nation as defined by these ethnic, cultural and religious bound. While the first only serves as a unifying factor in most cases, the second also serves as a rallying call for mass political mobilization. This has been obvious especially in the years immediately after the Second World War during the time of the disintegration of Colonial power structures and the subsequent creation of a bipolar world. The concept of the non-violent movement was introduced to these anti-colonial movements early enough. Gandhi, the tiny, old man of Indian politics came up with the idea of a non-violent independence struggle. This was a struggle which initially rooted itself in a secular context but gradually became known as essentially being a Hindu Nationalist movement. Gandhi ¡Ã‚ ¦s initial thrust had been towards unifying Indian natives under this banner of non-violence in order to garner support for an ouster of the British from India and an overhaul of the Indian government structure. What this meant was that Gandhi was looking for a  ¡Ã‚ ¥fundamental change ¡Ã‚ ¦ in the structure and hierarchies of the Indian state. This is highlighted in his writings:  ¡Ã‚ §The state after withdrawal (of the Colonizers) will depend largely upon the manner of it. If, as you assume, they (the Colonizers) retire, it seems to me we shall still keep their constitution and shall carry on the government. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Gandhi was then visibly looking for a structural uprooting of the British / Colonial system and aimed to replace it with one more contributory to the state and, hence, less extractory in nature. This for him was the fundamental change in the system that was required for a successful transformation from a colonized to an independent state. Gandhi ¡Ã‚ ¦s method of achieving this change was through the practice of nonviolent passive resistance.  ¡Ã‚ §Passive resistance is a method of securing rights by the personal suffering; it is the reverse of resistance by arms. Non-Violent Nationalism and Fundamental Change :: essays research papers fc Nationalism as a concept is defined by the formation of a distinct identity for a certain population in terms of their religion, ethnicity or class differences. This term was used to describe the rise of movements along these distinct lines. Since then the connotations of the word may have changed over time but its essential meaning has remained unchanged. The term in essence refers to two varying sentiments. Broadly speaking, the first of these is a sense of identification with a certain nation based on ethnic, cultural or religious bounds. The second is a sentiment of loyalty to the nation as defined by these ethnic, cultural and religious bound. While the first only serves as a unifying factor in most cases, the second also serves as a rallying call for mass political mobilization. This has been obvious especially in the years immediately after the Second World War during the time of the disintegration of Colonial power structures and the subsequent creation of a bipolar world. The concept of the non-violent movement was introduced to these anti-colonial movements early enough. Gandhi, the tiny, old man of Indian politics came up with the idea of a non-violent independence struggle. This was a struggle which initially rooted itself in a secular context but gradually became known as essentially being a Hindu Nationalist movement. Gandhi ¡Ã‚ ¦s initial thrust had been towards unifying Indian natives under this banner of non-violence in order to garner support for an ouster of the British from India and an overhaul of the Indian government structure. What this meant was that Gandhi was looking for a  ¡Ã‚ ¥fundamental change ¡Ã‚ ¦ in the structure and hierarchies of the Indian state. This is highlighted in his writings:  ¡Ã‚ §The state after withdrawal (of the Colonizers) will depend largely upon the manner of it. If, as you assume, they (the Colonizers) retire, it seems to me we shall still keep their constitution and shall carry on the government. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Gandhi was then visibly looking for a structural uprooting of the British / Colonial system and aimed to replace it with one more contributory to the state and, hence, less extractory in nature. This for him was the fundamental change in the system that was required for a successful transformation from a colonized to an independent state. Gandhi ¡Ã‚ ¦s method of achieving this change was through the practice of nonviolent passive resistance.  ¡Ã‚ §Passive resistance is a method of securing rights by the personal suffering; it is the reverse of resistance by arms.

The Evil Eye Essay -- essays research papers

The Evil Eye Edgar Allen Poe shows us the dark part of human kind. Conflict with in ones self, state of madness, and emotional break down all occur within this short story. The narrator of the story is a mad man that is haunted by his idea that the old man has an evil eye. Through the first person narrator, Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates how man’s imagination is capable of being so vivid that it profoundly affects people’s lives. The manifestation of the narrator’s imagination unconsciously plants seeds in his mind, and those seeds grow into an unmanageable situation for which there is no room for reason and which culminates in murder. The fixation on the old man’s vulture-like eye forces the narrator to concoct a plan to eliminate the old man. The narrator confesses the sole reason for killing the old man is his eye. The narrator begins his tale of betrayal by trying to convince the reader he is not insane, but the reader quickly surmises the narrator indeed is out of control. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is so mentally unstable that he must search for justification to kill. In his mind, he rationalizes murder with his own unreasonable fear of the eye. The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man’s "Evil Eye". Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts wit...