Hi-Value Supermarkets- Everyday Low Pricing Essay

Case Analysis I. Factual Summary Hi-Value Supermarkets became a division of Hall Consolidated, a privately owned wholesaler and retail food distributor in 1975. Hi-Value Supermarkets is considered to be the smallest of the three supermarkets chains owned by Hall Consolidated, with a small store distribution for its category. Hi-Value was the number one or two ranked supermarket chain in each of its trade markets (as measured by market share). Hi-Value is known as â€Å"most convenient†, having three stores in Centralia compared to its top competitors only having one each. Hi- Values three are major competitors are: Harrison’s, Grand American, and Missouri Mart. The three major competitors in Centralia contain stores all subsequently larger in size than those of Hi-Value. The four major supermarkets in Centralia make up 85% of all food sales, with the remaining 15% stemming from smaller, independent grocery stores and convenience stores. All 3 major competitors contain a feature attributes and a unique position in the market. With Hi-Value having three locations in Centralia, it puts them at an advantage for convenience that the competition cannot duplicate without having the funds or other resources to do so. Although Hi-Value Supermarkets offer the highest level of convenience, there prices are overall are the highest as well. Residents of Centralia prefer lower prices because according to the U.S. Census held in 2000, the median income was 36,000. It is understood that price is the most important store determinant for the residents, which poses a problem for Hi-Value. The major  question described in the case is whether or not Hi-Value should implement a low-pricing strategy. With the examination of Hi-Value’s current situation, it is evident that their future falls in between several courses of action that executives must examine and choose whether or not to integrate them. This process must be done in order to maintain a strong position in their served market and prosperous future. II. Case Problem/Opportunity Hi Values main problems are that they lack strong customer image and are highly priced. Each of the local supermarkets in the Centralia area has an image. Harrisons has an extremely favorable image. They are well managed, clean, orderly, and attractive, and the store is conveniently located along with excellent parking. Grand American is the most modern store in Centralia and has a highly regarded dairy department. Contrarily, they have a modest variety in meats, and produce and offer double coupons. Missouri Marts primary merchandising strength is in groceries and special purchase displays, but its store lacks quality and freshness. Hi-Value has multiple locations but has highly priced merchandise. A supermarket interview was conducted to give customers an opportunity to share their overall thoughts and experience they had when shopping at local supermarkets in Centralia. The questions were asked based upon the characteristics each store had to offer. The number one concern customer s had with Hi Value was â€Å"price†. At the time Hi-Values prices ran 10 percent above Harrison’s, and 7 percent above Missouri Mart and Grand American. Although Hi-Value is recognized for its store convenience it lacks a top ranking sales item that sets it aside from other supermarkets in the area. Since Hi- Values reputation is not where management expected, Hi-Value Supermarket is reviewing whether or not it would be a good business decision to incorporate an everyday low pricing strategy to stay competitive with the other supermarkets in the area marketing tactic. The most important opportunity for Hi-Value Supermarkets is the growing price consciousness Centralia shoppers are becoming. The increase on price elastic customers should be carefully taken into consideration when developing new strategies, or taking new courses of action. One of Hi-Value’s opportunities could be identified in the customer spending habits. Company records point out fresh meat, poultry, and seafood  to be among the items people in Centralia spend the most money on. This representative 14.32% average plus the fact that meat quality is the second most important determinant of store choice can be seen as an attractive opportunity for Hi-Value executives to improve the quality of their butcher in order to attract more customers. Another opportunity for Hi-Value is to modernize their store to make it more attractive and easier for customers to maneuver around to make their shopping experience better. It may not be a bad idea as well to offer a greater variety of bakery choices along with fresher produce. III. Alternative Solutions 1). Implement â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy to all Hi-Value Supermarket products: By choosing to implement â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy to all Hi- Value Supermarket products in Centralia, Missouri, Hi- Value would begin direct competition with Harrison’s via most reasonable prices. According to the Exhibit 6 found on page 506, data shows that, Harrison’s is a market leader with 36 percent of customers agreeing that Harrison’s has the most reasonable prices , while customers rated Hi- Value with only 7percent . Also in this data we can see that Hi Value scored lowest on best overall variety with 2 percent while Missouri Mart came in at 74 percent. With 13,500 households retaining an average income of a mere $36,000/ year, consumers of Centralia are money conscious and smart shoppers. Since Harrison’s is favored 29 percent higher, than Hi-Value’s pricing, they are undoubtedly the average consumer’s penny stretching, go-to supermarket. Because price is believed to be the most important store choice determinant for customers, this may be a strategy that Hi-Value should consider. By implementing the â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy, Hi- Value Supermarkets would promise customers a low price, without the need to wait for a sale price or other comparison. A strategy like this has proved to work well with a broader store positioning strategy and if it is well supported with advertising. Since Hi-Value has 3 stores compared to the other retailers who only have 1, it is positioned as the â€Å"most convenient† and uses a value approach when advertising. With the current positioning as Hi-Value= Superior Value, in convenience, service and bakery items, Hi- Value falls short in the pricing category and also typically spends .11% less on advertising annually than the average advertising sales (which is 1% of  annual revenue). Implementing this strategy may confuse Hi-Values image and positioning. However, if it is implemented, the â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy has the potential to reduce operating costs and increase profit (.9% of annual sales), which the company could then use to bolster a new advertising campaign featuring Hi-Values new â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy. 2) Implement â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy to Grocery and Seasonal/General merchandise only By choosing to implement an â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy on Grocery and Seasonal/ General merchandise only to Hi- Value Supermarket products Hi- Value would limit the pricing strategy to all grocery (including dairy) and general merchandise (including beauty care and health care items). Since these categories represents 57 percent of Hi-Values annual sales, this limited approach on the â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy should convey the image they want to project as well as enter Hi- Value Supermarkets into a different level of competition (reasonable pricing) where they were last in the category before. As a result, this would mean more direct competition with Grand American, Harrison’s and Missouri Mart. However, this change does alter Hi- Value’s positioning as â€Å"superior value and convenience† and may begin to confuse shoppers . Hi- Value Supermarket Shopper Interview Resulted in saying that 77.9 percent of all Hi- Value customers are dedicated patrons that have stayed and shopped with Hi- Value for 3 or more years. Of these customers, 51.7 percent purchase about half of their total food needs with Hi- Value Supermarket. Of that 51.7 percent, 36.9 percent purchased grocery items only and 23.4 percent purchased grocery, meat and produce. Of these customers interviewed, 27 percent of them stated that the things they liked best about other stores were the â€Å"prices†. This information allows a conclusion to be drawn that because of the strong base of loyal customers, who mostly purchase grocery items, preferred most stores with lower pricing and shopped most regularly for other groceries at Missouri Mart (whose ad’s feature â€Å"very low prices†), that the strategy of implementing â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† limited to Grocery and Seasonal/ General merchandise only, to Hi- Valu e Supermarket products would only make sense. 3) Do not implement the â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy by choosing not to implement the â€Å"Everyday low-pricing† strategy whatsoever to Hi- Value Supermarket products in Centralia, Missouri would allow Hi- Value Supermarkets to maintain their prided image and positioning  as the â€Å"greatest convenience for shoppers†. Their 3:1 ratio of stores located throughout Centralia gives them a competitive edge against the other leading supermarkets in the area. Hi-Values W. Prospect store, being the only Supermarket in that section of town is a definite advantage for the organization. By choosing to focus directly on their existing positioning they will be sure to not confuse customers, also with their large base of 77.9 percent customers who have been loyal customers over 3 years. Hi value has to be careful about simply lowering prices because if Hi-Value was to change their positioning, it may change the way they are overall perceived. Higher prices indicat e higher value and superior service. This is a trend seen worldwide. These categories of high value and service are what Hi- Value Supermarkets was built upon. The option of lowering price may or may not contradict these written values. In a well-defined market area, for â€Å"Everyday low pricing† to work, you do not have to be the lowest priced supermarket in the trade area. This allows the option to always be considered to only slightly lower prices. With Hi-Value’s pricing to be 7-10% higher than its competitors, if Hi-Value lowers prices by a mere 2-3% they can still be positioned as the most convenient and superior value supermarket, while satisfying their customers price concerns. IV. Selected Solutions Hi-Value Supermarkets best bet is to implement an everyday low pricing strategy in certain product categories with a price reduction anywhere from 5-7% below the original quote. With growing sensitivity to pricing in the area, this strategy will work to increase customer satisfaction and will lead to a positive company image. Implementing low prices will keep Hi -Value competitive with other markets in the area. Although Hi- value cannot out price Harrison’s, it still may be an option worth while looking into. Also Hi-Value needs to greatly improve their customer image. Usually first impression is the last impression, so it is important that Hi-Value staff consider training their staff on the importance of making sure that the customer has a better experience when coming to their stores. Perhaps they can have more staff working to ensure that the isles ate wide enough and that the shelves are neatly stocked and organized so that when the customer shops it will be a smoother tr ansition from the shelves to the cash  register. Along with that it may be a good idea as well if they focused more on offering a better variety of bakery items as well for customers to enjoy. V. Conclusion With all the information that has been provided, it can be concluded that if Hi-Value decided to operate in a way that is seen as being more reasonable and economical for customers, customers will be more inclined to shop there. If management decides to implement better sanitary solutions and decides to clean up the dairy department, it would more than likely lead to better customer satisfaction. If management works more closely with ensuring that customers do not experience out of stock items and fresher produce, customers will be more inclined to shop there and continue to recommend Hi-Value to their friends and family. These are simple options that management can takes that will be work out to be both effective and efficient. If management also decides to take this approach it can compensate for their higher prices. If your prices are higher than there needs to be a justifiable reason, so in this case Hi-Values justifiable reason would be again to work on customer image. Altering their advertising slogan, start advertising on television, and targeting shoppers outside of Centralia will increase sales and market share. As of now 89 percent of their sales are devoted to advertising. Having an increase in marketing expenses from the new strategy will be offset with increased sales and market share. Once these actions have been implemented, it would be a good idea for Hi-Value to allow customers to take a survey to comment on their recent improvements to store and allow them to give feedback so that management is always in the know and so that customers can always contribute. This will put Hi-Value at an advantage with its competitors.

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Team Communication - Essay Example Team development can be achieved by effective communication which increased cohesiveness of the team. These types of work structures require a whole new notion of collaboration-collaboration with external constituencies. A potential impediment to the success of work teams comes from differences in employee preferences and values. Just as some cultures are more individualistic or more collectivistic than others, individuals within cultures also vary on this dimension-even though there is, on average, more variation across cultures than within cultures. For example, when faced with the prospect of moving to a team-based work environment, some employees in a study conducted in the United States expressed concerns that reflected their individualistic values. "The communication gauge is read by individually asking team members about the purpose of what they do, why this project exists, and what success looks like for the purpose of team understanding" (Thompson and Border 2008, p. 10). Nu merous impediments will challenge the effective implementation of teams across national contexts, including the inherent time lag between implementation and results, the often tenuous relationships between teams, cultural differences that require adaptations in practices to fit the context, and increasing domestic demographic diversity within nations. As temporary team structures, multicultural teams, and virtual teams proliferate, these team-savvy practitioners will be able to lead their organizations through successful implementation and use of teams in multinational contexts (Hermelis et al 2008). In addition to increasing the likelihood of informal communication through increased contact, proximity increases the quality of communication. By high-quality communication, we mean two-way interactions involving more than one sensory channel. The opportunity for interactions of this type is especially important during the initiation and planning stages of a project, when the need for a rich communication modality is strongest. In addition to increasing the likelihood of informal communication through increased contact, proximity increases the quality of communication. By high-quality communication, we mean two-way interactions involving more than one sensory channel. t (Thompson and Border 2008). The main challenges of team communication are diversity (cultural, age and gender and different perspectives on the research projects. Having multiple opportunities for high-quality, low-cost interactions makes it possible for potential collaborators to find each other and to manage their work efficiently. Without these opportunities for informal communication, collaborations don't get started, and if the opportunity for informal communication declines, collaborative work typically slows down, becomes more burdensome and, sometimes, comes to an end. Teams in individualistic cultures appear to be particularly susceptible to overconfidence. "That the biases inherent in self-selection could skew the exit questionnaires and thus our research findings." (Hermelis et al 2008, p. 342). Individualists view their team as an entity in and of itself rather than one that is connected to the external context and are therefore even less apt to use external sources of information to make correction s in their behavior and improve their performance. Particularly in

Lml Swot analysis Essay Example for Free

Lml Swot analysis Essay LML Ltd is an India-based Company that manufactures, sells and exports motorized two wheelers. The company operates in one segment, namely motorized two wheelers. They offer scooters, motorcycles, and mopeds, as well as spares and accessories. They are having their manufacturing facilities located at Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. LML Ltd was incorporated in the year 1972 as Lohia Machineries Ltd to manufacture machinery for the synthetic fibres industry. In the year 1983, the company commenced production of 100 cc scooters in technical collaboration with Piaggio VE, SpA, Italy. In the year 1984, the company incorporated a new company under the name and style of Vespa Car Company Ltd to manufacture 200,000 scooters and 50,000 three-wheelers annually. STRENGTH Vespa is an Italian line of scooters manufactured by Piaggio. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio Co. S. p. A.of Pontedera, Italy—to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio—now Europes largest manufacturer of two-wheeled vehicles and the worlds fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer by unit sales. Known for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines a complete cowling for the engine, a flat floorboard , and a prominent front fairing , The Vespa was the first globally successful scooter. ?Vespa first came to India in 1960 with a collaboration with Bajaj Auto.? The technical collaboration ended in 1971 and Bajaj and Vespa parted ways. ?Vespa at that time was considered an iconic scooter brand globally and the brand was owned by Piaggio. ?Piaggio then joined hands with the Kanpur based Lohia Machines Ltd ( LML) in 1983 and started to roll out the Vespa range of Scooters. ?By that time Bajaj was ruling the market with the iconic Chetak . WEAKNESS Opportunities and Threats LML stands for the highest standards of technical expertise, product innovation and has one of the ?nest R D capabilities, particularly relating to designing, rapid prototyping, CAD CAM, tooling and industrialization. It is harnessing these strengths and its vast experience in the two-wheeler business coupled with a aggressive business strategy for its revival and turnaround. The Company is perhaps the ? rst in the world to obtain Euro III certi? cation for its 2-stroke vehicles and subsequent to restart, it has also received the upgraded ISO 9001-2008 certi? cation from DNV.

Cell-Permeable Stapled Peptides from HIV1 Gene Products

Cell-Permeable Stapled Peptides from HIV1 Gene Products Cell-Permeable Stapled Peptides Based on HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors Derived from HIV-1 Gene Products Introduction HIV-1 Integrase (IN), is necessary enzyme for the replication of the virus into the host cells. It catalyzes the integration of viral DNA into the genome of host cells. The mechanisms employed by the enzyme are strand transfer and 3†²-end processing reactions. The enzyme is vital for the virus life cycle and as a result it is a target for anti-HIV-1 drugs. It is reported from previous studies that HIV-1 protein Vpr has inhibitory effect on Integrase activity. The inhibition is a result of protein-protein interactions. Specifically Vpr interacts through its C- terminal domain. Results from previous studies indicate that the active petptide inhibition motif is peptide 1 (Figure 1). Figure 1. Amino acid sequences of peptides 1 and 2, and outline of the study. Regarding the SAR studies, E-K pairs were introduced in i and i + 4 positions to increase the helicity, by forming salt bridges. In the same study to peptide 1 was added an octa-arginine tail, the purpose of which was to improve, cell permeability. The presence of the octa-arginine tail however resulted in increase of cytotoxicity of the peptide. The hypothesis on which the current study was based is that by finding a different way to improve cell permeability without the 8-R tail the cytotoxicity of the peptide would decrease. The idea was to make the peptide more lipophilic, by adding hydrophobic groups on the external of the a-helix, and at the same time improve its helicity. An available method to achieve that is the use of a-helix stabilized peptidomimetics. Specifically, hydrocarbon stapled peptides, in which a hydrocarbon link is formed between successive turns, via a ring closed metathesis (RCM) reaction, were used. By having a hydrocarbon linkage between positions i and i+4 in the a-helix, the helicity is improved because the two positions are covalently bound via the hydrocarbon chain, and simultaneously the lipophilicity and cell permeability of the peptide is increased because of the presence of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain on the external part of the a helical structure. In Figure 1 is presented an outline of the study. Design and synthesis of the peptides The lead peptide sequence used was sequence 1 (Fig.1). From previous studies it was known that residues: Phe12, Ile13, Phe15, and Ile17 are vital for IN inhibition activity. Stapling was performed between i and i+4 positions by avoiding substitution of these residues. Protected linear peptides were constructed by Fmoc-solid phase peptide synthesis. The RCM reactions of the protected linear peptides were performed on the resin by treatment with ruthenium-mediated Grubbs second catalyst in 1,2-dichloroethane. All hydrocarbon and all ether stapling was performed, however the first technique resulted in higher yields as it’s presented in Table 1. After RCM, the peptides were deprotected, acetylated, and cleaved from the resin. Purification of the stapled peptides was done by HPLC. However it is not the purpose of this paper to present experimental details. Table 1. Sequences of Designed Stapled Peptides and Their Conversion Yields of RCM Reactions CD Spectroscopy of Linear and Stapled Peptides. CD Spectroscopy was used to analyze the secondary structures of the synthetic stapled peptides, 3S−9S and 11S. Linear peptides, 4L−6L, 8L, 9L, and 11L, were used as control (Figure 3). Negative peaks at 208 and 222 nm, are characteristic for ÃŽ ±-helical structures. All stapled peptides, except 3S, formed ÃŽ ±-helices. The corresponding linear peptides on the other hand including compound 1 showed a broad negative peak around 215 nm, which indicates a ÃŽ ²-sheet structure. It is obvious that stapling of the linear peptides leads to the formation of ÃŽ ±-helices. Figure 3. CD Spectra of stapled peptides (left) and corresponding linear (right). Integrase (IN) Inhibition Assays and MT-4 Luc Assays (anti HIV). The next step was to determine the potency of the synthesized peptides using integrase inhibition assays. IC50 values were determined for stapled and linear compounds regarding both 3-end processing and strand transferring reactions (Figure 4 Left). Anti HIV activity was also screened for all peptides using MT-4 Luc Assays (Figure 4 Right). Figure 4. IC50 Values (Left). MT-4 Luc Assay (Right) All compounds had integrase inhibition activity, however lead compound 2 was way more potent. Regarding the MT-4 Luc assays compound 6S showed similar anti HIV activity as lead compound 2 at concentrations higher than 2.5 um. Compound 8S also showed significant activity at concentrations higher than 5 um. 6S and 2 have almost the same level of anti-HIV activity in cells, however 2 has much higher IN inhibitory activity in vitro than compound 6S. Imaging Experiments Stapled and linear peptides were labeled with fluorescein and imaging experiments were performed to examine their cell permeability. The stapled peptides 6S and 8S demonstrated improved cell permeability compared to the lead compound and the linear peptides. Octaarginine tail functional role investigation. The next step was to study the functional role of the (Arg) 8 tail, besides influencing cell permeability. By using 6S and 6L as lead compounds, a new set of peptides was synthesized (Figure 5). Specifically conjugates of 6S with octaarginine (17) and with the quartet repeat of arginine and glutamic acid (18). For 6L, with the quartet repeat of arginine and glutamic acid (19), and the conjugates of 6S with tetra-arginine (20), penta-arginine (21), hexa-arginine (22), and hepta-arginine (23). IC50 values were determined for the new set of peptides and also MT-4 Luc assays were performed. The presence of the octaarginine tail is necessary for the inhibitory activity however it still makes the peptides cytotoxic. Different lengths in the Arg tail were also examined. Still the octaarginine (17) conjugated peptide is the most potent but compounds 22 and 23 had good potency and lower cytotoxicity than 17, so those compounds were selected as lead compounds for further development. DNA binding experiments were also performed to examine the role of Arg8 tail, and the results indicate that 17 has high DNA binding affinity and that might influence the high inhibition activity of the peptide. Conclusions and Critical Review Stapling caused a significant increase in ÃŽ ±-helicity and cell membrane penetration, and in the expression of potent anti-HIV activity in cells. Stapling and the addition of octa-arginine caused cell membrane penetration. Stapling by itself did not involve cytotoxicity while incorporation of octa-arginine into the structures increased the cytotoxicity of the compounds. Generally it was a well-organized paper. It had good flow of information and background information was provided. The hypotheses were not stated but were easy to understand. The experiments and the data supported the conclusions and the concepts. The figures and the graphs were interpretable and accurate in supporting the conclusions related to them. However there are several interesting points to be addressed. The first point is the configuration of the new double bond formed. It would be interesting to see if the configuration of the double bond would affect the secondary structure and the helicity of the peptides. Another question that need to be addressed is why the stapled peptide 3S did fold into b sheet structure unlike the other stapled peptides which formed a helices. It would be interesting to examine the role of the substituted amino acids of 3S, in the folding of the peptide. Regarding the role of the octaarginine tail, the DNA binding experiments indicate that the octaarginine conjugated peptide has affinity for DNA binding. However it is unclear how exactly the tail affects the potency and the cytotoxicity. Further experiments are necessary to clarify that. I would suggest some NMR experiments to investigate the binding. First 1H-15N HSQC may be performed to the (Arg)8 fused peptide before and after binding with DNA. That would show which residues are involved in binding and would give data to determine the specific interaction. References: Nomura, Wataru, et al. Cell-Permeable Stapled Peptides Based on HIV-1 Integrase Inhibitors Derived from HIV-1 Gene Products. ACS chemical biology 8.10 (2013): 2235-2244.

Women In The Geisha Society Cultural Studies Essay

Women In The Geisha Society Cultural Studies Essay When we speak about Japan we imagine a high developmet country with morden tehnology, cars, telephones so on. But the biggest industry in Japan is not shipbuilding, producing cultured pearls, or manufacturing transistor radios or cameras. It is entertainment And geisha is an important aspect of Japanese culture, and their elegant performances keep attracting many people from around the world.geisha is an important aspect of Japanese culture, and their elegant performances keep attracting many people from around the world. What do we know about geisha? In early seventeenth-century Japan (long before the word geisha was ever used), the predecessor of the geisha was a combination of actress and prostitute and worked on the stages set in the dry riverbed of the River Kamo in Kyoto. The line between actress and prostitute was blurry, as the women would perform erotic dances and skits for their audiences. This new type of performance was dubbed kabuku, meaning to be wild and outrageous. The dances were called kabuki, and this was the beginning of kabuki theater. Traditional Japanese views of sex were very relaxed. It was a society that embraced sexual delights and where men were not constrained to be faithful to their wives. In fact it was socially acceptable to be in love with ones wife, but only when she was considered a professional woman. For sexual enjoyment and romantic attachment, men did not go to their wives, but to courtesans. In order to maintain this profession, the Japanese government created pleasure quarters where the courtesans could reside and work and men could go to relax and enjoy the entertainment. These pleasure quarters quickly became glamorous entertainment centers that offered far more than just sex. The highly accomplished courtesans of these districts entertained their clients by dancing, singing, and playing music. Some were even renowned poets and calligraphers. Gradually, they all became specialized and the new profession, purely of entertainment, arose. It was near the turn of the eighteenth century that the first entertainers of the pleasure quarters, called geisha, appeared. The very first geishas were men, entertaining customers waiting to see the most popular and gifted courtesans. Around 1760, women began to join men in the art of the geisha and very quickly outnumbered the men. The first woman to use the term geisha was an Edo prostitute named Kikuya and became a full-time entertainer. Soon, many women, whether they sold sex or not, began using the term geisha. The word geisha itself means  «person of the art » There are two basic types of geisha. One is called tachicata who mainly do traditional Japanese dance (mai). The other is called jikata who mainly sing or play instruments. Tachikata are usually maiko (young geisha) and jikata are older geisha women. The geisha districts are called hanamachi and some hanamachi were developed near temples and shrines where many ochay are located. Ochaya are small Japanese-style houses with wooden doors, tatami floors, Japanese-style gardens, and so on. They are different from those tea houses that merely serve tea. Its a sort of banquet house which rents rooms for dinner parties, and geisha entertain customers in ochaya rooms. Within the complex world of geisha, there is a strict ranking system. At the very top of the rank are the grand dowagers of the Gion district of Kyoto. These women consider themselves far above even the lower-ranking geisha of the same city. In Kyoto there are, in total, five geisha districts, also known as hanamachi or flower towns. The geisha of these districts are visited by powerful businessmen and politicians and are very expensive. At the opposite end of spectrum are the hot-spring geisha. These geisha work in the spa resorts and are viewed by most Japanese as no bette r than a common prostitute. Traditionally, Geisha began their training at a very young age. Some girls were bonded to geisha houses (okiya) as children. These girls were referred to as hangyoku and were as young as nine years old. This was not a common practice in reputable districts and disappeared in the 1950s with the outiawing of child labour. The students are called maiko. A maiko is essentially an apprentice and is therefore bonded under a contract to her okiya. The okiya supplies her with food, board, kimonos, obis, and other tools of her trade. Her training is very expensive and her debt must be repaid to the okiya with the earnings she makes. This repayment may continue after the maiko becomes a full-fledged geisha and only when her debts are settled is she permitted to move out to live and work independently. A maiko will start her formal training on the job as a minarai, which literally means learning by watching. Before she can do this she must find an onee-san older sister. They should sit and obse rve as the onee-san is at work. This is a way in which she will gain insights of the job, and seek out potential clients. From her, they would learn techniques such as conversation and gaming, which would not be taught to them in school. This stage lasts only about a month or so. After a short period of time the final of training begins. Maiko learn from their senior geisha mentor and follows them around to all their engagements. Since the onee-san teaches her maiko everything about working in the hanamachi, her teaching is vital. The onee-san will teach her proper ways of serving tea, playing shamisen, dancing, casual conversation and more. There are three major elements of a maikos training. The first is the formal arts training. This takes place in special geisha schools which are found in every hanamachi. The second element is the entertainment training which the maiko learns at various teahouses and parties by observing her onee-san. The third is the social skill of navigating the complex social web of the hanamachi. This is done on the streets. Formal greetings, gifts, and visits are key parts of any social structure in Japan and for a maiko, they are crucial for her to build the support network she needs to survive as a geisha.Around the age of 20-22, the maiko is promoted to a full-fledged geisha in a ceremony called erikae . This could happen after two to five years of her life as a maiko or hangyoku, depending on at what age she debuted. She now charges full price for her time. Geisha remain as such until they retire. Though geisha begin their study of music and dance when they are very young and continue it throughout their lives. They could be as old as sixty and still learning the art of their profession. The dance of the geisha has evolved from the dance performed on the kabuki stage. The wild and outrageous dances transformed into a more subtle, stylized, and controlled form of dance. It is extremely disciplined, similar to tai chi. Every dance uses gestures to tell a story and only a connoisseur can understand the subdued symbolism. For example, a tiny hand gesture represents reading love letter, holding the corner of a handkerchief in ones mouth represents coquetry and the long sleeves of the elaborate kimono are often used to symbolize dabbing tears. The dance sends a message of femininity but the small steps and the limited range of movement. The dances are accompanied by traditional Japanese music. The shamisen, originating in Okinawa, is a banjo-like three-stringed instrument that is pl ayed with a plectrum. It has very distinct, melancholy sound that is often accompanied by flute. It takes years to master and only a very experienced geisha can play with the precision and passion of a master. All geisha are required to learn to play a shamisen. Along with the shamisen and the flute, geisha also learned to play a ko-tsuzumi, a small, hourglass-shaped shoulder drum, and the taiko, a large floor drum. Some geisha would not only dance and play music, but would write beautiful, melancholy poems. Others painted pictures that gave glimpses into the mysterious lives of the geisha, and even others would compose music. The art of the geisha is her main entertainment and is most important in her training. A geishas appearence changes throughout her career, from girlish, heavily made-up maiko, to the moresombre appearence of an older established geisha. Today, the traditional makeup of the apprentice geisha is one of their most recognizable characteristics, though established geisha generally only wear full white face makeup characteristic of maiko during special performances. The traditional makeup of an apprentice geisha features a thik white base with lipstick and red and black accents around the eyes and eyebrows. Originally, the white base mask was made with lead, but after the discovery that it poisoned the skin and caused terrible skin and back problems for the older geisha towards the end of the Meiji Era, it was replaced with rice powder. The application of makeup is hard to perfect and is a time-consuming process. Makeup is applied before dressing to avoid dirtying the kimono. First, a wax or oil substance, called bintsuke-abura, is applied to the skin. Next, white powder is mixed with water into a paste and applied with a bamboo brush starting from the neck and working upwards. The white makeup covers the face, neck, and chest, with two or three unwhitened areas left on the nape, to accentuate this traditionally erotic area, and a line of bare skin around the hairline, which creates the illusion of a mask. After the foundation layer is applied, a sponge is patted all over the face, throat, chest, the nape and neck to remove excess moisture and to blend the foundation. Next the eyes and eyebrows are drawn in. Traditionally, charcoal was used, but today, modern cosmetics are used. The eyebrows and edges of the eyes are colored black with a thin charcoal; a maiko also applies red around her eyes. The lips are filled in using a small brush. The color comes in a small stick, which is melted in water. Crystallized sugar is then added to give the lips lustre. Rarely will a geisha color in both lips fully in the Western style, as white creates optical illusion s and colouring the lips fully would make them appear overly large. The lower lip is colored in partially and the upper lip left white for maiko in her first year, after which the upper lip is also colored. Newly full-fledged geisha will color in only the top lip fully. Most geisha wear the top lip colored in fully or stylized, and the bottom lip in a curved stripe that does not follow the shape of the lip.The geisha round the bottom lips to create the illusion of a flower bud. Miako who are in their last stage of training wil sometames colour their teeth black for a short period of time. This practice used to be common among married women in Japan and, earlier, at the imperial court, but survives only in some districts, or even families. While this sounds unsavoury to Western ears, it is again at least partly because of the optical illusion generated by white makeup: in contrast, teeth seem very yellow; colouring the teeth black means that they seem to disappear in the darkness of the open mouth. This illusion is of course more pronounced at a distance. For the first three years, a maiko wears this heavy makeup almost constantly. During her initiation, the maiko is helped with her makeup either by her onee-san, or older sister (an experienced geisha who is her mentor), or by the okaa-san, or mother of her geisha house. After this, she applies the makeup herself. After a maiko has been working for three years, she changes her make-up to a more subdued style. The reason for this is that she has now become mature, and the simpler style shows her own natural beauty. For formal occasions, the mature geisha will still apply white make-up. For geisha over thirty, the heavy white make-up is only worn during special dances which require her to wear make-up for her part. The hairstyles of geisha have varied through history. In the past, it has been common for women to wear their hair down in some periods, but up in others. During the 17th century, women began putting all their hair up again, and it is during this time that the traditional shimada hairstyle,f type of traditional chignon worn by most established geisha, developed. These hairstyles are decorated with elaborate hair-combs and hairpins. Geisha were trained to sleep with their necks on small supports (takamakura), instead of pillows, so they could keep their hairstyle perfect. To reinforce this habit, their mentors would pour rice around the base of the support. If the geishas head rolled off the support while she slept, rice would stick to the pomade in her hair. The geisha would thus have to repeat the tiresome process of having her hair elaborately styled. Without this happening, a geisha will have her hair styled every week or so. Many modern geisha use wigs in their professional lives, while maiko use their natural hair. However, either one must be regularly tended by highly skilled artisans. Traditional hairstyling is a slowly dying art. Over time, the hairstyle can cause balding on the top of the head. Geishas life changed during all the time. World War II brought many changes to the world of geishas. In 1944, everything in the geishas world was forced to shut down, including teahouses, bars, and houses. About a year later, they were allowed to reopen, after the women had been working laboriously in factories every day. The very few women who returned back to the geisha areas decided to reject western influence and revert back to traditional ways of entertainment and life. The image of the geisha was formed during Japans feudal past, and this is now the image they must keep in order to remain geisha World War II resulted with most of the laboring geisha not returning to their previous occupation. It was up to the few women who did return to change the thwarted view of geisha back its traditional ways. Because of the devastations of the war, people post-war wanted to bring nationalism back to the country through a reinvention of traditional values and the arts. Another major change after World War II was the absence of a young geishas mizuage, or selling her virginity to the highest bidder. This reform was also in the form of a feminist movement, because the girls wanted control over their bodies, especially sexually. There is no doubt that coerced sex and bidding on a new geishas virginity occurred in the period before WWIIà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦After Japan lost the war, geisha dispersed and the profession was in shambles. When they regrouped during the Occupation and began to flourish in the 1960s during Japans postwar economic boom, the geisha world changed. In modern Japan, girls are not sold into indentured service, nor are they coerced into sexual relations. Nowadays, a geishas sex life is her private affair In her book, Geisha, a Life, Mineko Iwasaki said, I lived in the karyukai during the 1960s and 1970s, a time when Japan was undergoing the radical transformation from a post-feudal to a modern society. But I existed in a world apart, a special realm whose mi ssion and identity depended on preserving the time-honored traditions of the past. Women in the geisha society are some of the most successful businesswomen in Japan. In the geisha society, women run everything. Without the impeccable business skills of the female teahouse owners, the world of geisha would cease to exist. The teahouse owners are entrepreneurs, whose service to the geisha is highly necessary for the society to run smoothly. Men are also needed, but in contingent positions such as hair stylists, dressers, and sometimes accountants. In an interview with the Boston Phoenix, Mineko Iwasaki, reportedly the most successful geisha of all time, stated, The geisha system was founded, actually, to promote the independence and economic self-sufficiency of women. And that was its stated purpose, and it actually accomplished that quite admirably in Japanese society, where there were very few routes for women to achieve that sort of independence The majority of women were wives who didnt work outside of their familial duties. Becoming a geisha was a way for women to support themselves without submitting to becoming a wife. The geisha women live in a strictly matriarchal society. Women dominate. Women run the geisha houses, they are teachers, they run the teahouses, they recruit aspiring geisha, and they keep track of geishas finances. The only role that men play in the society is that they are the people being entertained. Sometimes men work as hair stylists or kimono dressers, but their jobs are hardly ever long-term. Men arent meant to see the behind-the-scenes workings of geisha to ensure the mystery behind the women.

Sylvia Plath :: essays research papers fc

The Many Views of Sylvia Plath   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pulitzer Prize winner, Sylvia Plath began her misunderstood life on October 27, 1932, in Jamacia Plains Massachusetts. She was born to Otto and Aurelia Plath, who were both teachers (Sylvia Plath).Her father was a professor at Boston University. He studied bees.(Personal Influences) Plath has been seen in a variety of ways; as a tragic poet, the all-American, girl next-door, but, most of all, a heroine of the feminist movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plath’s life was haunted by visions of her past. Her father died when she was eight from neglected diabetes, after the amputation of a toe, and eventually and entire leg (Personal Influences). â€Å"Otto Plath was diabetic, yet chose to ignore doctor's warnings about certain prohibited foods. He projected an arrogant self-confidence as if nothing could defeat him. It was this same arrogance that caused his death.† (Personal Influences). Plath never fully recovered from her father’s untimely passing (Personal Influences). She felt betrayed, and was consumed by her own guilt. She felt that if he loved her more, he would have taken better care of himself. Otto Plath is a recurring theme in her works. Her poem ,Daddy, expresses her resentment and bitterness toward being deserted by him (Personal Influences).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After receiving straight A’s throughout high school, Plath attended Smith University. In the summer of 1953, she received the opportunity to go to New York and intern with Mademoiselle. While in New York, Plath suffered an emotional breakdown. She plunged into a deep depression (Sylvia Plath). When she returned home to Boston, where she was living with her mother (whom she hated), she took a handful of sleeping pills, and attempted to end her life (Sylvia Plath). After this, she was sent to McLean Hospital, to be treated for mental illness (Sylvia Plath).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Upon her release from the hospital, she returned to Smith, and then to Cambridge, England to study at Newnham College. (Sylvia Plath) Here she met, fell in love with, and, after four months, married the future Poet Laureate of England, Ted Hughes (Gray). The two were together for six years, and produced two children together, Frieda in 1960 and Nicholas in 1962, (Sylvia Plath). However, Hughes left Plath for Assia Wevil in the winter of 1962 (Sylvia Plath). Desperate and alone, Plath sealed off the doors to her children’s rooms on February 11, 1963, placed her head in a gas oven, and died (Sylvia Plath). Ironically, Assia Welvill eventually killed herself in the same exact way as Plath (Kirjasto).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hughes felt that he was powerless to help Plath. He believed that she was destined to kill herself because of her fixation with her father (Gray). â€Å"What happens in the heart simply happens,† Hughes said

Clinical Depression :: essays research papers

Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes. The biologic basis of Clinical Depression originates in the brain. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nerve cells, called neurons and of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit messages from one neuron to another. Two of these neurotransmitters are not produced in sufficient quantities in a depressed person’s brain. Because of this lack, too few messages get transmitted between neurons and the symptoms of depression occur. In Clinical depression the chemicals in the brain are out-of-balance. New technology allows researchers to take pictures of the brain that show activity levels in the brain. These imaging techniques such as f-MRI and PET scan actually create images of how active different parts of the brain are. Some studies with these kinds of techniques have suggested that the patterns of activation in the brains of depressed people are different than those who are not. These tests can help doctors and researchers learn more ab out depression and other mental illnesses. Since this research is fairly new, it is not yet used to diagnose clinical depression. Strong evidence suggests that clinical depression runs in families. Still, just because a person has family members with clinical depression does not guarantee that he or she will develop it. Similarly, you may get it even if no one else in your family has had it. People with high levels of stress are much more likely to develop depression that those who do not. Though most people go through a "down" period after a particularly stressful event like a divorce or death of a loved one, sometimes extremely difficult stresses can trigger depressive episodes in certain people who are susceptible to the illness.

Troublemaking Interpretations of Horation Ode Essay -- Horation Ode

Troublemaking Interpretations of Horation Ode   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There exists debate of how one is to read Marvell's "Horation Ode," One of the most unexamined issues in the three essays, yet one which seems to be a presupposition for most of the argumentation that goes on between both parties, is Brooks's careful caveat early in his essay that his project is not to "reveal triumphantly that what it [Marvell's poem] really says is something quite opposed to what we have supposed it to be saying" ("Ode" 323). For Bush, what the poem is supposed to have said is key, for his argument will rest around such suppositions and commonalities, or unprejudiced readings as he might call it; and among his final arguments will be that "Marvell's poem means what it says" (348), which will be arrived at by looking at the poem in "its common and natural sense"(341). But Brooks is not necessarily strict in sticking to traditional interpretation, so it is intriguing he would begin with what we might call at this point an interpretational warning label to insure that the reader does not misinterpret him and think that he is trying to merely find a new interpretation for an old poem. While he will later argue that the New Critic is indeed in debt to the historicist, and we might accept this initial warning as a part of that debt to "proper norms" (326), it is with other interests in mind that Brooks ends his "Notes on the Limits of'History' and the Limits of 'Criticism."' Invoking Matthew Arnold, Brooks concludes his essay dealing with Leslie Fielder's call to "interpret literature in relation to the rest of man's concerns" (qtd. in "Limits" 354). To this, Brooks is "in hearty agreement" ("Limits" 354), and with this ending it is clear that there are ... ...es so many of his criticisms of Brooks in terms of how he looks for "desperate solutions" that stray from a common sense reading of the poem. This idea that the type of critic that Brooks advocates makes trouble for the type of interpretation established by a historical reading of the poem raises such questions as the role of the critic in a society, and whether this critic is obliged to make trouble or not, and who is to be the focus of his troublemaking energies.    Works Cited Brooks, Cleanth. "Criticism and Literary History: Marvell's Horation Ode." Class Handout ENG 415. April 9th, 1996. "Notes on the Limits of'History' and the Limits of ‘Criticism’." Class Handout ENG 415 April 9th, 1996. Bush, Douglas. "Marvell's 'Horation Ode'." Class Handout ENG 415. April 9th, 1996. Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble. New York: Routledge, 1990.   

Effects of Social Networking on Society Essay

Networking as we know it today has gone a notch higher thanks to the internet and technology as a whole. The number and popularity of social networks has grown immensely since 2005. Sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tagged and a numerous number of dating sites have found their way into our PCs and phones. All one needs to gain access to these social networks is a pc or phone and an internet connection. There are easy steps in creating a user account and once the account is up you go ahead on making new friends. Social networks allow people to overcome barriers caused by proximity and terrain helping them reconnects with far away relations and also meet people. With social networks, one does not need to travel to faraway places just to unite with their loved ones for that would take time and resources. With social networks you can use instant messaging to pass on the love to your cousin in Australia. It’s also been proven that social networks provide for creativity allowing the users to create their own awn profile and decorate it as they see fit. Blogs come in handy when it comes to creativity, We can all agree that social networks help lower social anxiety. If you suffer from such anxiety we find it easier to talk behind the silver screen where we are more comfortable. A teenager who is socially awkward will find it very helpful to ask a girl out to the school dance over Twitter. If she turns him down, it doesn’t hurt as much as it would have had it been face to face. Social networks help bring people with common interests together. Chat rooms have been developed which are more specific to their topics of discussion. With such online communities online, it’s like one has access to this titanic database of information since the discussions expose us to new ideas hereby enhancing our skills. Social networks have also helped many people with life issues like what car to buy, where to go for a holiday, where to shop and so on. One gets guidance from someone who has already had experience in the area of dilemma and once the problem is shared, the person will make a more informed decision. Social media also helps people in the low income bracket familiarize themselves with modern technology. Skills like uploading and editing pictures and videos and using the html language to edit Social networks are a powerful tool for social change. For instance in 2009 Twitter was used by Iranians to circumvent government control. Social networks are also used by politician to popularize themselves amongst the youth which are the majority in any country. Social networks are known to kill face to face interactions.  The family setup for example is affected when the teenagers are twitting during the evenings which is the only time their parents are available and thus the parent child relationship suffers immensely. A study carried out in the states showed that teens spend more than 9 hours in online chats every week. Privacy is another issue on social networks. Only recently was it found out that pictures posted over the net were not entirely erased even after the user removed them from their profiles. Unscrupulous parties who are up to no good could retrieve them and woe to you if they showed one in a compromising situation. Employers have been known to fire employees because of embarrassing photos and comments. When one creates a profile over a social network, there is no way of verifying that what they portray on their profile is true. This makes unsuspecting users vulnerable to fraudsters the likes of the 419ers. Social networks are also linked to health hazards. A new syndrome identified as the watch glass syndrome was diagnosed in social network users were people became very impatient and edgy. It also poses a problem with kids who are growing up. Once they become accustomed to instant essaging and everything at the click of a button, it becomes difficult to adapt to the real world were protocol is mandatory. A child accustomed to social networking at a tender age would probably be lacking in social skills. Another problem that comes with social networking is cyber bullying. This is especially with teens who would feel short of something and as a result their self esteem drops and performance in school related activities drops. There is also a drop in performance in companies whose employees have access to social networks. Forms get delayed brochures are not designed in time and the presentations are not up to standard all because the person concerned decided to tweet for a few minutes to â€Å"wind up† just an hour after he arrived late for work. Social networks also bring about unnecessary network traffic. Most people log into social networks between six and eight in the evening a study carried out by Steadman in Kenya showed. During this time download speeds nose dive to zero when using your phone to surf the net thanks to social networks. Social networks do not also scan their mail for viruses and scam making your phone or PC prone to a virus attack. We consider mail through social networks safe but only recently was that proven to be a false sense of security. Social networks can also be used as a tool of rebellion. Inciters have an easy time getting to the crowd since groups have been created for almost every institution and thus what one needs to do is place a comment on the group’s wall and all hell breaks loose.  Exams are boycotted, classes are forfeited, strikes are arranged and there is actually no way of stumping this out or getting the culprits since no one has succeeded in controlling the internet. From the discussion above, it is clear beyond doubt that the cons outweigh the pros and thus I conclude that social networks are doing more harm to society than good. We do not however disregard the good it has done but it need to be put to better use if it is at all to benefit society

Macbeth Explication: “If it were done when ’tis done” Essay

The final scene of the first act opens up with a powerful soliloquy presented by Macbeth, If it were done when tis done (I.7.1-28). Shakespeare uses various literary techniques to express the ideas rushing through Macbeths mind prior to the murder of Duncan in his home. In previous scenes, Macbeth has been told prophecies of his future predicting him as king of Scotland, Duncans current position. Macbeth, with the aid of his wife, sees this task accomplishable only by the murder of the current king. This soliloquy presents itself at a crucial point of decision, only hours before the opportune minute of attack The soliloquy opens with Macbeths ideas on how he would hope the murder to be. If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well / It were done quickly (I.7.1-2). These two lines show how indecisive Macbeth is about committing the crime. He is saying that if the murder be done, it should be done fast. The if shows that Macbeth is unsure that he wants to follow through with the initial plan. Shakespeare also shows that Macbeth wishes to get it over and done with, showing haste and not thinking it out properly. If the assassination / Could trammel up the consequence, and catch / With his surcease success; that but this blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all here, / But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, / We’d jump the life to come. (I.7.2-7). Here, Shakespeare uses a metaphor to compare the murder as something that could be caught and once caught; it would not yield any consequences. He then goes on to say that in the real-world, this cannot be true. Shakespeare craft fully shows that Macbeth knows that their will be consequences to the murder and that thinking that everything will be okay is not a logical thought. Macbeth continues, But in these cases / We still have judgment here, that we but teach / Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return / To plague th’ inventor: this even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice / To our own lips. (I.7.7-12). Macbeth states that he still has the choice whether to commit the murder or not to. Shakespeare uses a metaphor to compare the murder with bloody instructions being taught. Macbeth also says that the person who commits the murder (or teaches the bloody instructions), come back to the murderer (or inventor). By saying  this, Shakespeare throws in the element of Macbeth foreshadowing his own demise. He then goes on to compare the return of the misdeeds through the imagery of a poisoned cup. He speaks of how the poisoned chalice, although used on others, will once again come around to his own lips. Macbeth begins to give and weigh reasons for and against Duncans murder. He’s here in double trust: / First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; (I.7.12-14). Macbeth states that Duncan trusts him in two ways, first of which as his loyal solider. Macbeth then explains how he is expected to be loyal to his king and protect him; not the contrary. In these lines, Shakespeare includes the irony that Macbeth plans on doing what he is supposed to prevent. Macbeth continues, then, as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself. (I.7.14-16). Here, Macbeth states that he is, secondly, Duncans host. Therefore, Macbeth should be protecting Duncan against a murderer, rather than killing Duncan himself. Shakespeare uses the same irony as in the preceding lines. Macbeth continues with reasons against the murder. Besides, this Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office (I.7.16-18). Here Macbeth states that Duncan has always been good to him and never abused his power. Macbeth now switches over to the topic of what will happen if Duncan is murdered. that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off (I.7.18-20). Shakespeare uses personification and a simile to compare what will happen to Duncans virtues after the murder. He describes Duncans virtues as angels, who with spread the news of his murder to all. He proceeds, And pity, like a naked newborn babe, / Striding the blast, or heaven’s cherubim, horsed / Upon the sightless couriers of the air, / Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, (I.7.21-24). Shakespeare again uses a simile to compare the pity of the people over Duncans death to a newborn  baby. Shakespeare then uses imagery to convey a picture of how fast and gracefully the news will spread; a baby, a common representation of innocence, whisking through the air, telling everyone about the deed that took place. In the succeeding line, Macbeth predicts, That tears shall drown the wind. (I.7.25). Here, Shakespeare uses vivid imagery to describe the mood of the people after the death. People will be distraught over this occurrence and will weep as rain falls from the sky. In the conclusive lines of the soliloquy, Macbeth poses the sole reason he has for the murder, I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’ other. (I.7.25-28). Macbeth here says that he has absolutely no reason to kill Duncan, save for his ambition. In his final sentence, Shakespeare then personifies his ambition as overleaping which falls over itself. Macbeths ambition overleaping and falling also foreshadows Macbeths death. After the soliloquy, Macbeth changes his mind and no longer wishes to kill Duncan. But with the persuasion of his wife, changes his stance again and goes through with the murder. All of the events, the spreading of the news of the murder, the consequences of the assassination, people hysteria and Macbeths own downfall, which Macbeth foreshadowed in his soliloquy, do prove accurate.

Grennell Farm

Introduction Grennell Farm is a corporation that is engaged in the production of wheat. Located in Iowa, the 2,000-acre farm was established by Jeremiah Grennell more than 20 years ago. The sudden demise of its founder has led the farm to be transferred to the leadership of, Mr. Grennell’s niece and chosen heir, Denise Grey. She was informed of her inheritance early in 2010. Ms. Grey works as an AVP in the consumer credit of a large New York bank. With the huge distance between Iowa and New York, she is carefully studying the advantages and disadvantages of retaining the farm’s ownership.This case presents the basic business financial flows of Grennell Farm for the year 2009 and the events that she had to deal with regarding the management of the business. QUESTION # 2 The price per acre for the land was used as the basis for recommending whether Denise Grey should sell the land. Based on the comparison, it is advisable to sell 100 acres of Grennell Farm because the pri ce per acre of $2250 is significantly higher than the original price ($187. 0) and the appraised price ($1050). QUESTION # 3 It would also help Denise Grey to evaluate the farm’s profitability and sustainability based on the following risks, liabilities and responsibilities, many of which are unknown based on the information given in the problem. Examples as follows: Tax liability Revenue gains may not be monetary Risk of loss due to bad debts Replacement of buildings and machinery Responsibility for the next season’s (2010) expenses

Marketing: Sustaining Competitive Advantage

The major problem which prevented Callaway Golf Company from achieving its goals is lack of application of change management principles by the management. CGC was very successful in the environment of 80s but the management of the company did not realize that the situation changed in the 90s, and failed to react to the changes appropriately. 2. Situation Analysis. When CGC started operating in the market, the environment was very favorable for the company. There were very many people willing to play golf and the management of the company was efficient in targeting its customers. The company established very high prices in comparison with prices of competitors, but customers were willing to pay extra for a better product. Competitors in the market were not able to offer products of the same high quality with CGC. Besides, the number of competitors was very low. CGC constantly came up with innovations which attracted the attention of consumers while competitors were still too weak to compete with CGC’s innovations. The industry had only a few companies which did not create great danger for CGC. CGC’s sales were constantly increasing due to the increased number of new and retained customers. Consumers preferred their brand because it was much better known than any of the competitors. CGC spent large amounts of money on advertising budget in order to attract even more consumers. All of the factors of external environment were very favorable for CGC in the 80s. Even though CGC was very successful during 10 years of its activity in the market and remained in the top of the industry during all that time, it did not guarantee that the company would always get large profits. The situation in the market changed rapidly in the following years, and CGC’s management failed to react to the changes. First, the interest in golf started fading. It became more difficult for CGC to acquire new consumers. Second, the number of competitors also changed, and CGC was one of the reasons of that. Capital always flows in the direction of profitable industries. If in the past companies did not seek to enter the industry of golf equipment, after CGC started making large profits in it, many investors decided to start the companies produce golf equipment. In the beginning, these companies did not have large sales but eventually they started getting more and more powerful. Third, the nature of consumers changed a lot and the same strategy of high pricing was not always efficient. Fourth, CGC’s relationships with retailers were not very successful. CGC did not pay enough attention to establishing warm contacts with its retailers (for example one of the retailers mentioned that CGC’s terms of payment were not as favorable as the ones of other companies). CGC did not consider it necessary to provide special training for salespeople. Fifth, internet shops became very popular among customers but CGC did not want to increase its online sales, and thus was left far behind in e-commerce. CGC’s had to keep track of the changes which occurred in the market, but it failed to. In order to be successful, the company needed to establish a change management team as soon as the environment started changing. The change management team would be responsible for establishing a new structure of the company, training of employees and constantly fine-tuning the marketing mix of the company according to the changes of the environment. 3.Alternatives. Other alternatives to the establishment of change management team include: making minor changes in the marketing policy of the company in order to meet short-term goals; coming up with radical innovations in order to attract new customers. The first alternative could be useful for the company in the short run because it would allow it to temporarily increase sales and stop having losses. However, changes only in the marketing policy of the company would not be enough to keep the sales at a high level in a long run. Eventually, sales would start dropping again. The second alternative could be perfect in case if the industry was characterized by radical innovations, like computer industry. However, it is simply impossible to come up with some golf product which competitors would never be able to make in the industry of golf equipment production. Even if CGC achieved the increase in sales due to the innovations, competitors would soon start producing a similar product. Golf equipment industry is simply unable to come up with a product similar to Microsoft Windows which dominates the market in the computer industry. 4. Recommendation. The creation of change management team in CGC is therefore the most suitable solution for the company. It will enable CGC to achieve not only short-term but also long-term goals. The company needs to be restructured so that its structure better answers the requirements of the new environment. The new vision of the company also needs to be established. The change management team in the project needs to consist of eight people, five of which belong to senior-level management and three to top management. The main factors which the change managers need to weight to implement the change strategy successfully include: the size of the target market which the company will work on after the changes come into force; addressing immediate concerns which are important for the realization of the company’s goals; choosing priorities concerning centralized and de-centralized structure; the possibility of resistance to changes of certain employees; possible complications in adjusting of employees to the new structure. The program includes a deep analysis of factors which prevent the organization from growing, both internal and external. It requires the identification of the main internal and external factors driving change in the organizations. The change management team needs to achieve the following goals: restructure the company; provide balanced training for employees; improve the marketing mix of the company; increase the percentage of online sales of the company from 1% up to at least 40%. The company will be able to acquire new customers with the help of online shopping. It is also very important for CGC to pay attention to the relationships with retailers because in the competitive environment, the retailers determine the success of the producer in many ways. By providing adequate training of salespeople, CGC will also be able to increase its sales. 5. Implementation Plan. The implementation of change management plan in CGC is recommended to be done on the following steps: Creation of change management team; Identification of the major issues and guidelines which have to be addressed during the change process and establishment of management goals; Encouragement of employees to participate in the research of issues subject to change; Applications of various tools to reduce the resistance of employees to changes; Creation of a new vision in the company; Introduction of a new organization structure; Empowerment of employees and their involvement in the decision-making process in the company. Bibliography. Kotter, J.P. â€Å"Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fall.† Harvard Business Review, 73(2): 59.67. 1995. Mercer D. Marketing. Blackwell Business. 1992.

Violence against Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Violence against Women - Essay Example Silko talks about the issue of violence against woman in a very candid manner. I partially agree with Silko that women should not label themselves as weak and dependant on others. They should learn to defend in case some stranger turns up and tries to abuse them sexually and physically. Women should equip themselves with a licensed gun or a small hidden knife which they can use if they are ever faced with such a situation. Also most of the time when women are alone or come across rapists or drunkards, they appear very much scared. By displaying fear, they give an open invitation to such people. According to Silko, women should stay adamant and courageous if faced by a suspicious stranger. They should not be wary of the bodily strength of such men rather they should be ready to retaliate with their weapon. Silko believes that government and police cannot protect every woman in the country because it simply is not possible (McQuade and Atwan). Therefore women should themselves be well prepared to handle such situations.I partially agree with Silko’s point of view however I disagree on the point that women should be given guns to protect themselves. Arms can weapons can never be a solution to any problem. If all the women are given the right to kill in the case of self-defense, a chaotic situation would be created. The problem lies in the upbringing of women. Women should be brought up by encouraging them to do things on their own and asking them to engage in activities that require courage.

Diving Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Diving Tourism - Essay Example Sustainable driven tourism is a way for nations to show their commitment to conserving the environment and local traditions while still earning an income and creating job opportunities. The reason why sustainable tourism is being encouraged all over the world is due to the fact that there is dire need to have positive development. Currently, diving as part of the tourism sector is a booming business. Many nations which have reef lined coasts are making a lot of money from dive tourism activities. However, the problem that is going to affect the economies of such booming business is the mechanical damage that is consequential of these activities. Niche tourism addresses one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry. This paper looks at the integrated picture of niche tourism. This tourism category is divided into micro and macro niche (Johnson 2002). This concept has an all-inclusive theoretical structure and it discusses policies, initiatives and strategies that are to be implemented internationally (Swarbrooke et al 2003). There is a growing concern on the international scene over issues like global warming, energy crises and climate changes. This influences personal choices such as travel destination, lengths of journeys and other issues like environmentally friendly services e.g. use of oil in transportation and waste management in tourism. To retain international competitiveness, nations are ensuring that they considerably decrease carbon emission and waste management (Jennings 2007). The coasts that are used for diving tourism are often fragile ecosystems and most of them run a limited scope of action in creating alternatives that conserve the environment (Neto 2003). Diving tourism has been developing very fast and hence tourism activities often had a very rapid and relentless impact on natural resources (Novelli 2005). The chief tourism related environmental concerns that face these coasts are several as outlined. The degradation of the environment is usually caused by developing infrastructure and services as well as the direct impact of the activities of the tourists. At the tourism coasts, there is a very high competition for land use (Jennings 2007). The prices of building are increasing causing much of the fallow land to be cleared for construction; as a result, erosion results. The developing tourism is a threat to the environment as human beings interfere with biological life both wildlife and vegetation. It is feared that this can lead to the permanent damage of the susceptible ecosystem (Swarbrooke et al 2003). With increased tourism, there is often a problem of waste management at the coast. Treating and disposing solid and liquid waste becomes very complex. Some coasts have very limited infrastructure and the capacity becomes overwhelmed during peak season. Dive tourism has been indicated to exacerbate this condition (Novelli 2005 & Uyarra et al 2008). There is so much disposition of unprocessed effluent to the areas that surround the sea. As a consequence, there is very high risk if not considerable loss of precious marine life, silting, erosion, and destruction of coral reefs on which tourism is highly dependent (Johnson 2002). Increasing tourism at the coast especially because of the increasing popularity of the dive tourism has be