Louisa and Sissy Fact Against Fancy in Hard Times

Louisa and Sissy: Fact against fancy in Hard Times. Two female characters in Hard Times, Louisa Gradgrind and Sissy Jupe could be considered contrastive by fate and there is moral fable in this contrast. It is significant that in last two paragraphs of the novel Dickens applies to motherhood as a sense of woman happiness. Daughter of main educator of Coketown, have got only the bitter questionnaire: â€Å"Herself again a wife - a mother - lovingly watchful of her children, ever careful that they should have a childhood of the mind no less than a childhood of the body, as knowing it to be even a more beautiful thing, and a possession, any hoarded scrap of which, is a blessing and happiness to the wisest? Did Louisa see this? Such a†¦show more content†¦In direct contrast to the selfish individualism promoted by Gradgrindism, its members show a generous solidarity and human directness of response.†(p.116) Gradgrid was trying to influence this foil with his utilitarian approach, but he failed. She depictured as emotional girl from the very beginning: â€Å"Sissy Jupe, Sir†, explained number twenty, blushing†¦(Ch 2, p 8) Sissy began living with the Gradgrind family, and indirectly helped them to understand, that something in their life was missed. Love and care were unknown virtues in this family. â€Å"Only Sissy Jupe, the finest flower of the circus way of life, has influence where it matters and becomes a beacon of effective light and goodness - a model for all of us to aspire to†, says Pittock. Louisa and Sissy have significant dialog in the Book The Third, Chapter 1. Louisa begging for her friendship: â€Å"Forgive me, pity me, help me! Have compassion on my great need, and let me lay this head of mine upon a loving heart!†(p.210) So the â€Å"poor girl† becomes the only â€Å"loving heart† for Gradgrind’s family. She took care of Mrs. Gradgrind and after he death becomes a mother to youngerShow MoreRelatedIndustrialization in Hard Times by Charles Dickens1626 Words   |  7 Pagesera, in 1854, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) wrote Hard Times to comment upon the change within society and its effect on its people. Dickens points out the flaws and limitations of this new society in his eloquent and passionate plea on behalf of the working poor (Charles Dickens Hard Times, 2000). The novel shows presents to readers the authors perspective of life during the nineteenth century and makes comments on the central theme of fact versus fancy. Due to this theme, the novel ends with many charactersRead MoreUse of Exaggeration in Hard Times1545 Words   |  7 PagesDickens has cleverly used exaggeration in Hard Times, in the form of caricature and farce to criticize the theory of utilitarianism; the popular way of living in the Victorian age. Utilitarianism comes under the theory of consequentialism which dictates that on e should always judge an action from its consequences, and follow the course which benefits the majority. By exaggerating his characters he essentially uses them to represent varying views on utilitarianism; ie; what it implies not only asRead MoreGirl Number 20, Essay from Hard Times, Dickens, C.2318 Words   |  10 Pagesinfluential writers of the time, his novel â€Å"Hard Times†, as the rest of his works, is vivid examples of what realistic novels would be like. He portrays his judgement towards society in a very comprehensible and even entertaining way, providing the reader an idea of the time and era he was living in. Furthermore, he lets readers identify with the situation and characters of the story, reflecting through the narrator his social perspectives of the time. Regarding the novel Hard Times, there are severalRead MoreUtilitarianism in Dickens Hard Times Essay1233 Words   |  5 Pages‘Hard Times’ is a wonderful story, but when one thinks about the reality that lies behind the work, the novel becomes a masterpiece. This novel becomes very important because utilitarianism was the main thought in Victorian era. Utilitarianism, â€Å"the forms of liberty and equality that will produce the greatest happiness depend on the state of the educational, political, economic, and social structure† (Harris). Everything is explained by logic and facts. It is easy for the reader to find out thatRead MoreThe Role of the Circus Folk in Hard Times by Charles Dickens1617 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of the Circus Folk in Hard Times by Charles Dickens The role of the circus is both complex and simple it is in itself a contradiction; it has been placed within the novel to add another dimension to the story of Coketown but also to show how fragile human nature can be. The circus folks role are complicated in their simplicity, they are of course there to carry out the role that they are paid to perform as actors or performers as well as being there for theRead MoreSignificance of Emotional Education in Dickens Novel, Hard Times 1911 Words   |  8 PagesSet in the ever shifting world of the Industrial Revolution, Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times begins with a description of a utilitarian paradise created by the illustrious and eminently practical Mr. Gradgrind, a world that follows a prescribed set of logically laid-out facts. However, readers soon realize that Gradgrinds modern utopia is only a simulacrum, belied by the damnation of lives devoid of elements that feed the heart and soul, as well as the mind. As the years progress, the weaknessesRead MoreSummary Of Hard Times By Charles Dickens2062 Words   |  9 PagesAngelina Almanzar ENGL 35701: 19th Century British Novel Professor Elizabeth Weybright 27 June 2016 Utilitarianism in Hard Times During the Victorian Era, many philosophers focused on utilitarian philosophy and ways of thinking, choosing the best decisions and actions for their own self-interest. In his novel, Hard Times, Charles Dickens satirizes the English educational system, society, and economics, but most importantly, through them, he criticizes the many abuses of utilitarianism. Many writersRead MoreThe Effects Of Industrialization On English Towns Essay1730 Words   |  7 PagesHard Times symbolizes the negative effects of industrialization on English towns (Coketown in the story) including education. Charles Dickens was born in 1812, and was a contemporary of the Industrial Revolution. Industries were growing by leaps and bounds; bringing with it pollution, social imbalance and individual confusion. Dickens was rather poor and had no proper education. At the age of 12 he worked in Warren’s Blacking Factory attaching labels to bottles. He labored hard to educate himselfRead MoreDickens Hard T imes1535 Words   |  7 PagesDickens’ Hard Times â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.† (Dickens, 1854, p.1) With these beginning sentences of the novel â€Å"Hard Times†, Charles Dickens has made readers doubt whether it is true that facts alone are wanted in life. This question leads to the main theme of the story, fact against fancy, that author has never been written this kind of plot in his other stories before. In fact, Hard Times is considered as theRead MoreEssay on Themes, Symbolism, and Atmosphere in Dickens Hard Times1376 Words   |  6 Pages When Charles Dickens was writing his commentary on a fast industrializing world, the thought that Hard Times would still be relevant over 150 years later is assumed to be far from the forefront of his mind. And yet at present, 158 years after its first publication, Charles Dickens’ tale of industrialization and its implications still holds a prominent place in today’s society. The following is one interpretation of Dickens’ story of an industrialized dystopia, and discussed are its ever-relevant

Salem Witch Trials Legal Proceedings - 1338 Words

The Salem Witch Trials, also know as the Salem Witchcraft Trials were legal proceedings which took place of course in the Salem Village of Massachusetts. These trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in the village, claimed to be possessed by the devil accusing several local women of practicing the craft. Victims were prosecuted and executed for reputedly practicing witchcraft, when little to no evidence of the act itself existed. This historical period resulted in twenty people, mostly women, being hung for black magic conspiracies. Neighbors accused neighbors; even church members accused other church members of witchcraft. Others were accused, but fled the area before they could be arrested. During this time†¦show more content†¦In addition, the bible was there sole authority, for they believed it applied to every aspect of daily life. As for their other beliefs, Puritans thought Satan was responsible for everything bad happening in day-to-day living. The Puritans believed that the members of society, weakest at upholding Puritan values and morals, specifically women and children, would be selected to carry out his work. This means women accused as witches were those who strayed from the Puritan lifestyle and were considered to be social outcasts. For the Puritans, religious and political life were completely intertwined. Each Puritan town had town meetings to determine how the town would be run, and only male church members were allowed to vote on these issues. This is probably the reason why the women were seen as the weakest society member’s maintaining Puritan values. The Devils have sometimes represented the Shapes of persons not only innocent, but also very virtuous (Salem Witch Trials). â€Å"†¦And I cannot but tell you that my faith is strong concerning them, that they are deluded, imposed upon, and under the influence of some evil spirit, and therefore unfit to be evidences, either against themselves or anyone else† (Salem Witchcraft Trials). Although the Puritans beliefs were very important to them, it did seem as though they were accusing specific people. This mainly included young women, usually belonging to wealthy families.Show MoreRelatedThe Crucible : Fictional Account Of The Salem Witch Trials1303 Words   |  6 PagesThe 1996 film The Crucible is a fictional account of the Salem witch trials. While there are many historical inaccuracies in the movie, it does capture some of the themes in scholarship on the period. The film presents the town of Salem in a similar way to how it is depicted in the textbook. The film gets the basic outline of the Salem witch trials right. A group of girls started a panic by accusing an enslaved woman and two other women of bewitching them. During the event more than 200 people wereRead MoreThe Mystery Of The Salem Witchcraft Trials1048 Words   |  5 PagesMystery of the Salem Witchcraft Trials Jennifer Hollenbeck AP United States History Mrs. Price November 12, 2014 The Salem witchcraft trials were a particularly dark and mysterious time in the history of America. These trials that were arranged upon the belief of witchcraft could have multiple explanations. In my opinion these trials began as a combination between religious factors, boredom, social issues and all coming together in a mess of suspicion and deceit. Although these trials did startRead MoreThe Invisible World By The Salem Witch Trials1559 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the Salem Witch Trials, Bridget Bishop was not granted a fair trial due to legal issues with the court proceedings. If this trial were to happen again in modern time the trail and out come would have been drastically different. The Invisible World by Cotton Mather is an excellent example of how Bridget Bishop was granted a fair trail during the Salem Witch Trials. Cotton Mather was a very well educated man and respected member of the community. He graduated from Harvard at 16 with his undergraduateRead MoreSalem Wit ch Trials Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pages1692 marked a major event in history in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witchcraft Trials still leaves this country with so many questions as to what happened in that small town. With all the documentation and accounts of the story, people are still wondering why 19 people died as a result of these trials. This paper will discuss the events leading up to the Salem Witch Trials and the events that took place during and after the trials, and the men and women who were killed or spent theRead MoreEssay on Primary Sources for the Salem Witch Trials1731 Words   |  7 Pagescases of witch-hunting/trails and ultimate executions. The last recorded execution in England of an alleged witch is in 1682, though trials and accusations would still be brought alleged witches right up until the 1800’s both in England and on the continent in most cases /crown rule where witch-hunting/trials and executions took place, probably the most famous and certainly one of the most written about witching episodes is that of Witch Trials of Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Trials took placeRead MoreThe Salem Witch Trials, The Holocaust, And The Serbian Croatia1109 Words   |  5 Pagesto Salem Witch Trials, The Holocaust, and the Serbian Croatia Killings? Everyone has a motive for what they are doing even if they are not aware of it. There are two types of motives, those that are truly good and some that are evil. It is hard to tell the difference between the two types because in the eyes of a man it is what they believe and what they judge to be right or wrong. That is why it is hard to dictate between the two to find the true motive behind a person’s actions. The Salem WitchRead MoreThe Social Psychology of the Salem Witch Trials1647 Words   |  7 PagesAmanda Whitsett Robison History 1301 November 17, 2010 The Social Psychology of the Salem Witch Trials The events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 have had historians scrutinizing over the causes for years. There have been several theories about how the situation became so out of control. The haunting story is well known in America, taught to our youth and has been the focus of numerous forms of media. We are familiar with the story but unfamiliar with the origin of itsRead MoreEssay on Cotton Mather and the Salem Witch Trials of 16922284 Words   |  10 Pagesthe Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 took place in the Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. Cotton Mather, a clergyman in Salem, emerged throughout the course of the trials as a pillar of support and, ultimately, as a witch-hunter. However, his motives at the beginning of the trials were driven by his Puritanical reasoning which holds a strong belief in Biblical Law. Cotton Mather used his Puritanical faith to find reasoning in God that allowed the Salem Witch Trials toRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller2373 Words   |  10 Pages In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible how do the actions of the characters show the motives of the Puritan people during the time of the Salem Witch trials? Laurie Jacques Essex County Newark Tech Abstract This paper discusses the human traits that Puritans portray in the Salem witch trials which are manipulation, desires, and motives. It analyzes six resources on research conducted on motives, manipulation and on The Crucible. The articles all have the same views on motivationsRead MoreSalem Witch Trial vs Mccarthyism1208 Words   |  5 PagesA review of A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials, by Laurie Winn Carlson, Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, 2000; 224 pp. $14.95 Paperback. ISBN: 1-566633095 A FEVER IN SALEM POSITS A biological cause for the early modem witchcraft epidemic, which resulted in the hanging of 19 people in Salem, MA, in 1692. Witchcraft persecution, Laurie Carlson writes, arose because of the strange behavior of the supposedly bewitched accusers. She concludes that the cause was a disease unrecognizable

Bees Keystone Species Essay Example For Students

Bees: Keystone Species Essay KEYSTONE SPECIES-BEESElliott Chang Keystone Species are species that would affect our lifestyle and how we live if they were to die out. There called Keystone Species because in an arch, there is one stone that keeps the 2 halves of the arch in place and if you were to take it out, everything would collapse. Bees are like that. Bees contribute to our society economically, ecologically and biologically. They are the species that really make everything the way it is for us. Bees contribute economically because the crops and plants we have are only here because of the pollination of the bees. Bees pollinate about 90 crops and a third of our food supply. Bees are central to the systems that support food production for human beings. An international study of 115 food crops grown in over 200 countries showed that 75% of the crops were pollinated by animals, especially by bees. Farmers are now focusing on using domestic bees to pollinate their crops since they can’t depend on only wild bees. But without a sufficient amount of bees for farmers, there won’t be any crops. Bees are ecologically important to society because they also pollinate a lot of the fruits, plants and berries that a lot of organisms depend on to live. The reason cows and other animals are alive is because of bees. Bees must pollinate the crops that the cows eat. Without the bees there would be no crops for the cows to eat, then causing the extinction of cows. Bees contribute biologically to society because they are such unique and incredible species. They are unique because they are social insects and there very interesting to study. They are fascinating creatures and great for models of natural pheromone. Bees have many features that set them apart from other pollinators. And how they act and how they respond to things are such fascination things to see. Albert Einstein once said that â€Å"If the honeybee goes extinct, we have four more years on Earth. † Bees play a major role in our society. But they are becoming endangered through 2 major problems. One is these parasites that are killing the bees internally and two because of humans and how we spray our pesticides that poison the bees. Bees affect us and many other numerous organisms that need bees to pollinate our crops and plants. Think like this, Bees die, Plants die, Animals die, we die, and Earth dies.

Provide Reception Services free essay sample

I introduced myself to the learner and made sure the learner was fully aware of the assignment and that I would be observing her during her task. The task is working in a cafe and carrying out all of the necessary duties that entails. I noted from Georgina`s records that her literacy score was currently level 2, numeracy level 1, indicated Kinaesthetic learner within normal Dyslexia range. The first thing I noticed about Georgina was that she was a very pleasant and well-presented lady wearing clean and smart attire and had her hair tied up with a comb. On arriving at the cafe Georgina was introduced to the owner of the cafe by Sue a lady from ACT. Georgina wasted no time in taking her place behind the counter, introduced herself properly to her new colleagues then promptly went to the sink and washed her hands. Now settled and ready she began to fulfil her task, she set about washing up the dirty dishes rinsing the cups and plates with clean warm water as she went along, clearing down work surfaces using the colour coded cloths provided for each specific tasks and maintaining the strict level of hygiene expected. We will write a custom essay sample on Provide Reception Services or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On being prompted Georgina would serve customers giving them any information that they required for example what was the specials of the day, how much particular items were, taking payment and dispensing change correctly as required. On taking orders Georgina would advise customers how long their food would take to be processed, she would show them to a table of their choice and then she would bring the food out to the customer when the food was ready. Georgina would watch for customers finishing their meals. Once the customers had got up and left Georgina would clean away the dirty pots and wipe down the table with the correct cleaning fluid and cloth for that purpose. Bearing in mind health and safety Georgina would straighten up any chairs and tuck them back under the tables to alleviate any possible trip hazards.

Viral Marketing Essay Example

Viral Marketing Essay Example Viral Marketing Essay Viral Marketing Essay History Unbalanced scales. svg The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (September 2008) There is debate on the origination and the popularization of the term Viral Marketing, though some of the earliest uses of the current term are attributed to Harvard Business School graduate Tim Draper and Harvard Business School faculty member Jeffrey Rayport. The term was later popularized by Jeffrey Rayport in his 1996 Fast Company article The Virus of Marketing , and Tim Draper and Steve Jurvetson of the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson in 1997 to describe Hotmails e-mail practice of appending advertising for itself in outgoing mail from their users. [3] Among the first to write about viral marketing on the Internet was media critic Douglas Rushkoff in his 1994 book Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture. The assumption is that if such an advertisement reaches a susceptible user, that user will become infected (i. e. , accept the idea) and will then go on to share the idea with others infecting them, in the viral analogys terms. As long as each infected user shares the idea with more than one susceptible user on average (i. e. , the basic reproductive rate is greater than one the standard in epidemiology for qualifying something as an epidemic), the number of infected users will grow according to a logarithmic curve, whose initial segment appears exponential. Of course, the marketing campaign may be wildly successful even if the rate at which things are spread isnt of epidemic proportions, if this user-to-user sharing is sustained by other forms of marketing communications, such as public relations or advertising. Among the first to write about algorithms designed to identify people with high Social Networking Potential is Bob Gerstley in Advertising Research is Changing. Gerstley uses SNP algorithms in quantitative marketing research to help marketers maximize the effectiveness of viral marketing campaigns. In 2004 the concept of Alpha User was released to indicate that it had become ow possible to technically isolate the focal point members of any viral campaign, the hubs who are most influential. Alpha Users can today be isolated and identified, and even targeted for viral advertising purposes most accurately in mobile phone networks, as mobile phones are so personal. In response to its use, many sites have started up trying to describ e what viral marketing is and to offer viral marketing services as an outsourced extension of a business. [citation needed] [edit] Notable examples * The Ponzi scheme and related investment Pyramid schemes, are early examples of viral marketing. In each round, investors are paid interest from the principal deposits of later investors. Early investors are so enthusiastic that they recruit their friends resulting in exponential growth until the pool of available investors is tapped out and the scheme collapses. * Multi-level marketing popularized in the 1960s and 70s (not to be confused with Ponzi schemes) is essentially a form of viral marketing in which representatives gain income through marketing products through their circle of influence and give their friends a chance to market products similarly. Multis include Amway and Mary Kay Cosmetics among many others. * Early in its existence (perhaps between 1988 and 1992), the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 had limited distribution. The producers encouraged viewers to make copies of the show on video tapes and give them to friends in order to expand viewership and increase demand for the fledgling Comedy Central network. During this period the closing credits included the words Keep circulating the tapes! [5] * In 2000, Slate described TiVos unpublicized gambit of giving free TiVos to web-savvy enthusiasts to create viral word of mouth, pointing out that a viral campaign differs from a publicity stunt. [6] * In 2001, BusinessWeek described web-based campaigns for Hotmail (1996) and The Blair Witch Project (1999) as striking examples of viral marketing, but warned of some dangers for imitation marketers. [7] * Launched in 2002, BMW Films was among the earliest viral marketing ampaigns. It attracted nearly 55 million viewers and helped to elevate the career of Clive Owen. * Some accuse Publius Enigma, a series of unusual postings in 1994 that relate to The Division Bell, to be viral marketing to gain attention for the album. * Burger Kings The Subservient Chicken campaign, running from 2004 until 2007, was cited in Wired magazine as a striking example of viral or word-of-mouth marketing. [8] * Cadburys Dairy Milk 2007 Gorilla advertising campaign was heavily popularised on YouTube and Facebook. The release of the 2007 concept album Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails involved a viral marketing campaign, including the band leaving USB drives at concerts during NINs 2007 European Tour. This was followed up with a series of interlinked websites revealing clues and information about the dystopian future in which the album is set. * In 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment promoted the return of Chris Jericho with a viral marketing campaign using 15-second cryptic binary code videos. The videos contained hidden messages and biblical links related to Jericho, although speculation existed throughout WWE fans over whom the campaign targeted. 9][10] The text Save Us and 2nd Coming were most prominent in the videos. The campaign spread throughout the internet with numerous websites, though no longer operational, featuring hidden messages and biblical links to further hint at Jerichos r eturn. [11][12] * In 2007 the New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott wrote about a business-to-business viral campaign for a software company, showing that viral advertising has application in areas outside of consumer marketing. [13] * In 2007, Portuguese football club Sporting Portugal integrated a viral feature in their campaign for season seats. In their website, a video required the user to input his name and phone number before playback started, which then featured the coach Paulo Bento and the players waiting at the locker room while he makes a phone call to the user telling him that they just cant start the season until the user buys his season ticket. [14] Flawless video and phone call synchronization and the fact that it was a totally new experience for the user led to nearly 200,000 pageviews phone calls in less than 24 hours. [citation needed] * Avirginsplea. om claimed that a 25-year old virgin living in Toronto named Geoff needed five million hits on his website in 30 days in order for Jenn, one of his very hot platonic female friends, to help him lose his virginity. * The 2008 film Cloverfield was first publicized with a teaser trailer that did not advertise the films title, only its release date: 01Â ·18Â ·08. Elements of the viral marketing campaign included MySpace pages created for fictional characters and websites created for fictional companies alluded to in the film. The Big Word Project, launched in 2008, aims to redefine the Oxford English Dictionary by allowing people to submit their website as the definition of their chosen word. The viral marketing project, created to fund two Masters students educations, attracted the attention of bloggers worldwide, being featured on Daring Fireball and Wired Magazine. [15] * The marketing campaign for the 2008 film The Dark Knight combined both online and real-life elements to make it resemble an alternate reality game. Techniques included mass gatherings of Joker fans, scavenger hunts around the world, detailed and intricate websites that let fans actually participate in voting for political offices in Gotham City, hidden phone numbers and websites in the queue lines of The Dark Knight roller coasters at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure, and even a Gotham News Network that has links to other Gotham pages such as Gotham Rail, a Gotham travel agency, and political candidates pages. The movie also markets heavily off of word of mouth from the thousands of Batman fans. Both the second and third games in the Halo series were preceded with viral marketing in the form of an alternate reality game called I Love Bees for the second game, and Iris for the third game. * In December 2009, podcasters of The Mike OMeara Show launched a viral marketing campaign on Facebook to encourage others to download the show. * Between December 2009 and March 2010 a series of seven videos were posted to YouTube under the name iamamiwhoami leading to speculation that they were a marketing campaign for a musician. In March 2010, an anonymous package was sent to an MTV journalist claiming to contain a code which if cracked would give the identity of the artist. [16] The seventh video, entitled b, appears to feature the Swedish singer Jonna Lee. [17][18][19][20] * On July 14 2010, Old Spice launched the fastest growing online viral video campaign ever, garnering 6. 7 million views after 24 hours, ballooning over 23 million views after 36 hours[21]. Old Spices agency created a bathroom set in Portland, OR and had their TV commercial star, Isaiah Mustafa, reply to 186 online comments and questions rom websites like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, Youtube and others. The campaign ran for 3 days[22]. [edit] Viral Marketing Services Viral marketing services (VMS) include full service marketing, advertising, and media brokerage. There are outsourced companies hired for these services. Like other professional niches, (i. e. lawyer, accountant, IT), companies are now being sought for their professional insight and expertise in Guerilla marketing strategies and advanced Internet and mobility technology in the hopes of providing more leads, sales, and profits than traditional marketing service providers. A VMS company will typically create impressions for a very specific market or audience as defined by a client. The more impressions created for a client, the greater the chance of increasing prospective customer awareness of the client’s products or services. A VMS company’s basis of success is based on the ability to successfully leverage many forms of media to create a large market presence for the client. A VMS company is not responsible for searching out leads. Rather, they are responsible for creating leads through brand recognition by means of market branding and innovative advertising services. edit] Methods * Internet Search Engines Blogs * Target Marketing Web Services * Social Media Interconnectivity * Industry specific organization contributions * Television Radio * Multiple forms of Print and Direct Marketing * SEO Web Development * Customer Participation Polling services * Outbound/Inbound Call Center Services * Mobile SmartPhone Integration VMS target m arketing is based on three important principals: 1. Social Profile Gathering 2. Proximity Market Analysis 3. Real-Time Key word Density Analysis By applying these three important disciplines to an advertising model, a VMS company is able to match a client with their targeted customers at a cost effective advantage. [edit] Motivations Products and services change as consumers demand change. Because of this, businesses have recognized that the method of marketing must change. Marketing is about putting your business in front of the largest interested audience for the lowest cost per viewer. In the early 20’s, radio was the means of reaching a mass audience followed by television in the late 40’s. Television would maintain the number one spot in terms of mass audience advertising until the Internet took hold in the mid-90’s. Now people are sharing information, collaborating on topics of interest, and networking on the internet in ways not previously imaginable. [edit] Statistics * Two thirds of the world’s Internet population now visit a social network or blog site weekly[23] * 220+ million people visit the top 25 social networks each month[24] * Facebook alone has 500+ million active users[25] Social media Internet traffic has exceeded adult entertainment sites * Time spent visiting Social media sites now exceeds time spent emailing[26] * Consistent polls reflect that 89% of people forward news, events, and vendor specific information to people in their network. [27] * 59% of adults polled state that they use their cell phone to remain connected with their social network[28] Because of statistics such as these, companies – big or small – have seen to it that viral marketing services are integrated into their company. Because the cost per impression is typically much lower in comparison to other forms of media, businesses have been able to reach a very large buying audience at a lower cost when compared to other forms of available media. [edit] Techniques Many companies simply embed key words on their web site to support Search Engine Optimization best practices in order to receive a high ranking on Google in the hopes of building a strong internet business. However, this is only one component to capitalizing on the power of viral marketing. Viral marketing is about connections. The more quality connections a company can make, the more business impressions they will create. The more business impressions they create the higher likelihood that a consumer (or other business requiring a service) will make contact to purchase a good or service. By use of a social profile gathering system, a VMS company is able to create interconnections with web sites and social media groups specific to the client’s market audience. In addition to the more common social media web sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. , the internet is home to over 300,000 social community web service providers. Each of these social community web service providers have from 5 million to 50 million active users thus creating a large community of active consumers. By actively maintaining an extensive analytical database of these connections, a VMS goal is to be able to successfully match a business with the targeted buyers. Technology is the tool that allows b usinesses to moderate, manage, and automate communication with the global scale of Internet users. VMS technology incorporates artificial intelligence which allows a system to communicate with a prospective buyer via their phone (voice), SMS (Text Message), blog site, or email. Without having this level of sophisticated technology in place, a VMS company would be unable to manage the large amount of users and leads available on the Internet; but because of the advancements of technology, targeted campaigns can meet the goals and requirements of businesses from all over the world.

An Introduction to French Register

An Introduction to French Register Register refers to the level of formality of a given word, expression, grammatical structure, gesture, or means of pronunciation. In French, there are six registers, listed here from most to least formal. 1. Literary/Refined - Littà ©raire/Soutenu Literary French is an extremely formal and elegant language which is nearly always written. When spoken, it tends to be for effect and sounds snobbish or old-fashioned. Poetic French is a subcategory. 2. Formal - Formel Formal French is polite language, both written and spoken. It is used when the speaker doesnt know, wishes to show respect for, or wants to demonstrate distance/coldness toward another person. 3. Normal - Normal The normal register is the largest and most common category of language, what you might call everyday language. Normal French has no particular distinction (neither formal nor informal) and is the language used by and between just about everyone. It includes various subcategories of specialized and technical language, such as administrative, judicial, and scientific jargons. 4. Informal - Familier Informal French expresses closeness and is typically used between friends and family. Baby talk and most apocopes are informal. Although informal French is grammatically correct, it is at the bottom end of what the French call bon usage (correct usage). 5. Familiar - Populaire Familiar French is used between friends and expresses closeness verging on disrespect. Verlan and largonji are subcategories, though their individual words can range from a normal register to slang. 6. Slang (Vulgar)  - Argot (Vulgaire) Slang is vulgar, offensive, and usually insulting language, often related to sex, drugs, or violence. It may be used between friends or enemies. The familiar and vulgar registers are considered non-standard French.

Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP Term Paper

Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP - Term Paper Example There are different types of competition and different types of markets available in economic sense. Why is GDP important? The GDP Gross domestic product is one of the primary indicators to predict a country’s stability and economic health. â€Å"Gross domestic product (GDP) tells you about the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living.† Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP (Facts and Statistics): the housing market of US includes the construction, sale, and resale; of all residential properties all over the country, people might underestimate the US housing market but usually the conditions of the housing market indicates the stability of the entire economy. Homes are fixed Assets. Constructing and selling of the houses are highly related with the economic society. People usually buy houses for the purpose of long term investment. Hous es are their tangible assets. People only buy houses when they are confident enough that they will be able to pay entirely for the house. But often people take loans and borrow money from people to purchase a house and when they fail to pay back, this has a very diverse impact on the economy. Besides the basic buying and selling of the houses, whenever a new house is built or purchased many new appliances, furniture, utility services, and many other goods and services are brought. Many people earn their livelihood by constructing, buying and selling of the houses in US. Hence the Housing market has a vast impact on the US economy. â€Å"The best way to judge the stability of any country is to look at its GDP, the U.S. economy, as measured by GDP, is everything produced by all the people and all the companies in the U.S. In 2010, it was $14.7 trillion. (The American Bureau facts and statistics 2010)† Housing is a â€Å"mid-stream† sector of the economy, meaning that man y other industries, both upstream and downstream, is affected by the health of the housing market. For example, the demand for building materials increases in a booming housing market, as does the demand for appliances and furnishings. Even more important in terms of dollars pumped into the economy, is appreciated home values, which have been an important source of stimulus over the past few years. Housing sector contributes to GDP in two main ways: through private residential investment and consumption spending on housing services. In times gone by, residential investment has averaged roughly 5 percent of GDP while housing services have averaged between 12 and 13 percent, for a combined 17 to 18 percent of GDP. These shares tend to vary over the business cycle. The construction of the houses has a small portion of the Gross domestic product i.e. $573 bill-lion. Other investments like furniture and household equipments, comprises another 5 percent of GDP. Altogether, currently the h ousing sector comprises 15 percent of the economy. (The American Bureau facts and statistics 2011) Constructing a new home building generates income and jobs for the citizens, as well as becomes a source of revenue for the government. Whereas home building also generates liability for the government and increase their costs by

Psychiatry, self harm risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychiatry, self harm risk - Essay Example ose to slit their wrists or do something similar to ease their pain or even to feel alive by sensing the pain, or they choose to ultimate and fatal option- to commit suicide. One of so many examples of self harm people cause to themselves is of a 26 year old person, Mr. A, who has Downs syndrome and whose functioning indicated intelligence in the range of mild retardation. He lived with a supportive family and attended a vocational program. He had not history of smoking, nor did he receive any unusual medications. Similarly, he hasnt been through any unusual medical procedures or any surgeries, and his medical history was very ordinary. In the early stages of his adolescence, he approached non-disabled young women for dates and was continually rejected. In response, he made suicidal statements and gestures, one of which was to burn himself with a cigarette lighter he took from his mother without her knowledge. At the age of 26, after being rejected once again, he jumped from a second story window, but wasnt injured badly. His family reported that he had been agitated and having troubles to sleep in the months previous to the incident, and staff at the vo cational program reported agitation and unproductiveness at work. He was sent to a psychological evaluation. In his apperception test, he described feelings of sadness, tiredness, frustration and hopelessness, with thoughts of suicide. He was referred to psychiatric evaluation, and started psychotherapy sessions, in which he articulated his belief that he wouldnt be able to have a relationship with a woman of his choice due to his having Downs syndrome. He enrolled in social programs for people with mental retardation and hasnt made anymore suicide attempts since. 1 Ive seen him about four months ago, in December 24th at a vocational program to which he still goes. Hes been going to it for nearly a decade now, and reports that hes very happy with it since it gives him tools on how to handle his life and function

Noah and Utnapishtims Wild Ride Essay Example for Free

Noah and Utnapishtims Wild Ride Essay Almost every religion in the world has a story about the â€Å"Great Flood† which destroys the earth, and each teaches its followers a different story about this disaster. While the Babylonians have the story of Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Judeo Christians have Noah from the Bible. Both men save a few people and many animals. In these stories, Noah and Utnapishtim seem to have similar situations, but a further analysis shows how truly different the two stories are. The boats in each story are exceptionally different. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim’s boat was six stories high, had nine apartments in each story, had a flat bottom, and was one hundred and twenty cubits high as well as wide (par 5-6). Utnapishtim covered the inside of his boat with bitumen, and covered the outside of it with pitch (par 6). Noah’s ark was made of cypress wood, and was coated in pitch on the inside and out (6:14). It was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high (6:15). It had three decks, a door, and a roof (6:16). The Lord shut Noah in the ark with his family and the animals, and Utnapishtim shut himself in when the flood waters came (7:16; par 9). Each story tells of a storm, but there are conflicting differences in each one. The storm in Utnapishtim’s story lasted for six days and six nights (par 14). On the seventh day, the rain stopped and the waters receded (par 14). They stayed in the boat for at least another week before they decided the land had dried enough (par 16). The storm in Noah’s story lasted for forty days and forty nights (7:17). The floods were on the earth for a hundred and fifty days (7:24). Noah, his family, and the animals stayed on the ark for three hundred and ninety two days (7:6, 8:14). Utnapishtim stayed on the boat until the raven did not come back, and Noah stayed on the ark until God told him to come out (par 16; 8:15-16). Noah and Utnapishtim each sent out birds to let them know when they could leave the boat, but sent out different ones in different parts of their stories. When the waters started to recede, Utnapishtim sent out a dove first, and she came back finding no place to rest (par 16). He then sent out a swallow, which also returned (par 16). The third bird he sent out was a raven, and she did not return, for she had found a place to rest (par 16). The first bird Noah sent out was a raven (8:7). He sent out the dove next, but she returned with no place to rest (8:8-9). He waited for a week and sent the dove out again, and she brought back an olive branch (8:10-11). He waited yet another week and sent her out again, but this time, she did not return (8:12). In each story, the birds that let them know the water is gone are different. Noah and Utnapishtim seem to survive similar situations in each story, but they are a far cry from each other. Each of their boats is built in different dimensions, are made from varied kinds of materials, and structured differently. The storms in each story lasted for assorted periods of time, and they were inside the boats for different lengths of time as well. They both sent out different birds for various reasons in their stories. Each story clashes with the other in numerous distinctive ways.

Dr. Faustus Essay: Free Will and Personal Responsibility

Free Will and Personal Responsibility in Faustus  Ã‚   It can be argued that Doctor Faustus is damned from the moment of conception. His innate desire for knowledge inevitably leads to his downfall. He represents the common human dissatisfaction with being human and the struggle of accepting our lack of omnipotence and omniscience. Marlowe manipulates this struggle between the aspirations of one character of his time and the implications to Christianity in relation to its doctrine of heaven and hell. Indeed, Doctor Faustus asks for more than what was intentionally made available to him through God's plan, yet it was God's gift to him of his intellect, that tempted him to search beyond his appointed realm of knowledge. Faustus, through his own free will, decides to trade his soul with Lucifer in order to gain the answers to the questions of the universe. According to the divine plan ideology of Catholic doctrine, his decision worked into the cosmic outline. The divine application of his decision implies that there are benefits or rather s ome other importance, outside of the connection to Faustus, of his selling his soul. This lessens the impetus behind his decision because of the emphasis on universal application as opposed to the immediate ramifications to Faustus, the human being. Therefore, one can argue as to where the responsibility or fault lies concerning Faustus' fate because of the presence of other forces who may have influenced his decision. However the responsibility for his choice remains his and his alone. Faustus sells his soul for what he believes to be limitless power, with the full logical, as opposed to emotional, knowledge as to consequences of such a transaction. He knows the stakes of his gamble with the ... ...oth lead to eventual and eternal damnation. On the contrary, one could argue that Marlowe was illustrating the cruelty of the notion that faith alone was not enough to secure one's salvation, merely by Faustus' tragic end in itself. However, by taking into consideration Marlowe's possible sympathizing with Catholic dogma, it can be inferred that much of the ideology of the character of Doctor Faustus, indeed was the direct product of Marlowe's own religious beliefs. Works Cited and Consulted Marlowe, Christopher Dr Faustus in ed. WB Worthen (1996) The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn., Texas: Harcourt Brace Steane, J.B (1965) Marlowe Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Wilson, F.P (1953) Marlowe and the Early Shakespeare Oxford: Clarendon Press The Oxford English Dictionary (1989), Second edition, Volume xviii. Oxford: Clarendon Press  

“Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence Essay

-â€Å"I detested the fact that I was so young† -Chris creates his own fantasy world (ranch, racing horses etc.) He tries to sell magazines, vacuum cleaners even when he knows he won’t make it to university. He can’t face reality. Also, when there is conflict he ignores it and it seems like he doesn’t even notice it. He holds a fantasy in his mind that seems real to him -In Shallow Creek, when Vanessa sees the horses is when we are aware that Chris is living in a world of delusions. -Chris’ fantasy world is his only refuge from potential insanity because without it, he would have no hope for life -Vanessa worries that she is incapable of saying the right thing when they go camping and Chris talks about God and the Stars. â€Å"pretending to be asleep† (pg.22) -Chris doesn’t respond when his grandfather talks about him, he sets a barrier between his own world and reality. -His world consists of his horses, saddle, criss-cross, own ranch. He has control of everything in his world so it only applies to him -The line slowly, slowly horses of the night means Chris disappears into insanity and that he can’t see day and night. Means the night must move slow for Chris and â€Å"Whether he had discovered at last a way for himself to make the necessary dream perpetual† (pg.24) -Chris views God as ridiculous and brutal. He doesn’t believe in God. Vanessa doesn’t respond, so maybe she does believe in God and doesn’t want to tell Chris her views. The circumstances for their views might be the fact that Chris’ family lives in poverty while Vanessa is better off a little bit. Vanessa is scared of talking/saying the wrong things -It reveals that he had a mental breakdown and that he is lost in his fantasy world. He no longer lives in his own world (Chris’ letter) -Vanessa learns that the letter from Chris is the final thing that tells her he is lost and the letter confirmed why he did unrealistic things. She understands why he had a fantasy world. -excess of imagination harmful -he has control of his own fantasy world horses Duchess and Firefly. But in reality they are plough horses. -barrier between person and the real world when a person dreams too much -he communicates and plays with younger children because he has control and they make no judgements about him. -sells vacuum cleaners, magazines and knitting machines to university but he doesn’t have the marks to get in. -without his fantasy world he would have no hope for life. -Chris takes his life to escape the â€Å"absolute unbearability of battle†

Without Pity

September 4th 2012 RH 200 / Merar REACTION PAPER (JOURNAL) by Raymond Alvarez, Jr. I though the people profiled in  Without Pity: A Film About Abilities represented a fair cross-section of disabled individuals struggling against the world's obstacles, to gain control of how they will eventually live. One story that really hit home with me was Charlie. Being born with no legs and arms, Charlie showed great adaptation and intelligence and had such a go-getter attitude.He attends school with the help of a special wheelchair, and aside from his obvious disability, was very well accepted by everyone who got to know him. Charlie inspired me tremendously. His Mom and Dad are also very admirable in how they chose to let Charlie live a great life, and with so much determination to be a normal kid. I got teary eyed, not because of his disability, but because of his triumph in life. God has big plans for such a little guy. Charlie has a great message to deliver to this world.The other story, which I could most relate too was Josh. In his mid 20's, a motorcycle accident paralyzed him. (I grew up riding motorcycles, and at any moment could have had a life changing accident. ) With obvious and understandable frustration, Josh shares the pains of being a quadriplegic. It took so much courage to share (on camera) the anger he suffers. He lost the love of his life amidst it all. The Victory was seeing him overcome to become, and eventually finishing his dream of college.I only pray to have that much courage to persevere if ever to face a life changing disability. I could only imagine it being much harder experiencing a major disability later in life as Josh did. Charlie never experience life with arms and legs, so in a graceful way, that may have made adjusting to his disability easier. Either way, they were a great testimony to (in my opinion) God's loving grace, and the tremendous power of the holy (and human) spirit! What a great movie!

Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus

â€Å"Free Speech on Campus†, by Nat Hentoff provides an overview of the first amendment from one school to another. Throughout the story Hentoff uses examples such as fliers, professors, guest speakers, and many other devices to convey his point. Hentoff states, â€Å"how are they going to learn to identify and cope with them†, this dealing with the protection of students from bad ideas. Hentoff feels that the problems with free speech expand beyond this one issue and also has to do with freedom of inquiry, action, and religion on campus as well. Even thought there are many attempts to protect students from free speech on campus, organizations are wrong for doing so. These attempts to protect are taking away our first, and most important right freedom of speech. The first amendment of the constitution states, â€Å"Congress must not interfere with freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition† (Bailey and Kennedy VX). This amendment is not limited to just whites or blacks; as long as a person holds residency in the United States, they have the rights stated in the first amendment. To take away this right is to take away our self expression, this expression is on of the many reasons people fled to the United States. However this expression is not limited to just free speech. This expression allows Jews to be Jews, openly, Muslims to be Muslims, openly, and so on. Yet, there are people in this country who abuse this right. Although freedom of speech and other rights we have due to the first amendment should not be harmed, there are people and groups in out country who abuse these rights. For example the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), this group began to gain popularity in the 1860’s. If it was not for the first amendment groups like the KKK would not exist. Yet because they have the right to free speech, assembly and practice there is nothing that can be done. In response to the KKK many other groups similar in nature began to gain... Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus â€Å"Free Speech on Campus†, by Nat Hentoff provides an overview of the first amendment from one school to another. Throughout the story Hentoff uses examples such as fliers, professors, guest speakers, and many other devices to convey his point. Hentoff states, â€Å"how are they going to learn to identify and cope with them†, this dealing with the protection of students from bad ideas. Hentoff feels that the problems with free speech expand beyond this one issue and also has to do with freedom of inquiry, action, and religion on campus as well. Even thought there are many attempts to protect students from free speech on campus, organizations are wrong for doing so. These attempts to protect are taking away our first, and most important right freedom of speech. The first amendment of the constitution states, â€Å"Congress must not interfere with freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition† (Bailey and Kennedy VX). This amendment is not limited to just whites or blacks; as long as a person holds residency in the United States, they have the rights stated in the first amendment. To take away this right is to take away our self expression, this expression is on of the many reasons people fled to the United States. However this expression is not limited to just free speech. This expression allows Jews to be Jews, openly, Muslims to be Muslims, openly, and so on. Yet, there are people in this country who abuse this right. Although freedom of speech and other rights we have due to the first amendment should not be harmed, there are people and groups in out country who abuse these rights. For example the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), this group began to gain popularity in the 1860’s. If it was not for the first amendment groups like the KKK would not exist. Yet because they have the right to free speech, assembly and practice there is nothing that can be done. In response to the KKK many other groups similar in nature began to gain...

Facts About the Whale Shark

Facts About the Whale Shark Whale sharks are gentle giants that live in warm waters and have beautiful markings. Although these are the largest fish in the world, they feed on tiny organisms.   These unique, filter-feeding sharks appeared to evolve about the same time as filter-feeding whales, around 35 to 65 million years ago.   Identification While its name may be deceiving, the whale shark is actually a shark (which is a cartilaginous fish). Whale sharks can grow to 65 feet in length and up to about 75,000 pounds in weight. Females are generally larger than males. Whale sharks have a beautiful coloration pattern on their back and sides. This is formed of light spots and stripes over a dark gray, blue or brown background. Scientists use  these spots to identify individual sharks, which helps them learn more about the species as a whole. The underside of a whale shark is light. Scientists are not sure why whale sharks have this distinctive, complex coloration pattern. The whale shark evolved from bottom-dwelling carpet sharks that have noticeable body markings, so perhaps the sharks markings are simply evolutionary leftovers. Other theories are that the marks help camouflage the shark, help sharks recognize each other or, perhaps most interesting, are used as an adaptation to protect the shark from ultraviolet radiation.   Other identification features include a streamlined body and broad, flat head. These sharks also have small eyes. Although their eyes are each about the size of a golf ball, this is small in comparison to the sharks 60-foot size. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: OrectolobiformesFamily: RhincodontidaeGenus: RhincodonSpecies: Typus Rhincodon is translated from the Green as rasp-tooth and Typus means type. Distribution The whale shark is a widespread animal that occurs in warmer temperate and tropical waters. It is found in the pelagic zone in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Feeding Whale sharks are migratory animals who appear to move to feeding areas in conjunction with fish and coral spawning activity.   Like  basking sharks, whale sharks filter small organisms out of the water.   Their prey includes plankton, crustaceans, tiny fish, and sometimes larger fish and squid. Basking sharks  move water through their mouths by slowly swimming forward. The whale shark feeds by opening its mouth and sucking in water, which then passes through the gills. Organisms get trapped in small, tooth-like structures called dermal denticles,  and in the pharynx. A whale shark can filter over 1,500 gallons of water an hour. Several whale sharks may be found feeding a productive area. Whale sharks have about 300 rows of tiny teeth, totaling about 27,000 teeth, but they are not thought to play a role in feeding. Reproduction Whale sharks are ovoviviparous and females give birth to live young that are about 2 feet long. Their age at sexual maturity and length of gestation are unknown. Not much is known about breeding or birthing grounds either.  In March 2009, rescuers found a 15-inch long baby whale shark in a coastal area in the Philippines, where it had been caught in a rope. This may mean that the Philippines is a birthing ground for the species. Whale sharks appear to be a long-lived animal. Estimates for the longevity of whale sharks are in the range of 60-150 years. Conservation The whale shark is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.  Threats include hunting, impacts of diving tourism and overall low abundance. References and Further Information: Associated Press. 2009. Tiny Whale Shark Rescued (Online. MSNBC.com. Accessed April 11, 2009.Martins, Carol and Craig Knickle. 2009. Whale Shark (Online). Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Accessed April 7, 2009.Norman, B. 2000. Rhincodon typus. (Online) 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed April 9, 2009.Skomal, G. 2008. The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World. Cider Mill Press Book Publishers. 278pp.  Wilson, S.G. and R.A. Martin. 2001. Body markings of the whale shark: vestigial or functional? Western Australian Naturalist. Accessed January 16, 2016.

Understanding Property Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding Property Markets - Essay Example Understanding Property Markets On the other hand, real GDP is computed by dividing the nominal GDP by the price index or inflation for that year. That makes it real because it is being adjusted for the price level at the time of measurement. The pattern of nominal and real GDP showed that there was an increasing GDP from 1948 to 2008 but a little decrease in the next years. The gap between the nominal and real GDP shows the difference in the price level over the years. As the graph shows, the large gap between the red and blue curves means that there was a high rate of inflation during those years. So, when even if nominal GDP is reported at high volumes, once it is adjusted to the high price index it will result to lower real GDP. The estimates of the long-run annual growth rates of nominal and real GDP will help us determine the future growth rate of UK economy. We can also see how the UK economy is expected to perform in the coming years through these estimates. This will also help other sectors of the economy in deciding about their participation in the economic activities. As the estimates show rising growth rates, we can speculate that UK economy is also in rising position as to economic growth is concerned. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United Kingdom expanded 0.70 percent in the last quarter of 2010 over the previous quarter. From 1955 until 2010 The United Kingdom's average quarterly GDP Growth was 0.59 percent reaching an historical high of 5.30 percent in March of 1973 and a record low of -2.50 percent in March of 1974.... Economic fluctuations and economic growth are related (McConnell,Brue, p. 114, 2005). During recessions, consumer spending is reduced or lower but in economy’s recovering period income can be increased as production also increases. The manufacturing sector is being driven by exports, not least to the growth areas on the far side of the globe, but the service sector is suffering from a lack of confidence with consumer spending being reined in (www.bbc.co.uk, 2011). From the figures given, we can say that the real GDP can fall because of the small standard deviation. Standard deviation is used to measure the volatility of the business cycle or economic fluctuations. As business cycles become less volatile, economic growth is also in slower rate. But if the volatility will be higher, the economy will be in good position. The graph shows the UK quarterly growth rate in percentage. The quarterly percentage change marked at positive rate shows the increasing rate of outputs of goods and services. This may be the times of peak for an economy. For during these times the economy is at full employment, real output is at economy’s capacity and prices may be at high level. But quarterly percentage change marked at negative may present the economy’s recession. This means that at these times there is no economic growth attained because of decreasing output or real GDP. Contrary to the peak phase, recession may bring output at its lowest level. But if the economy can recover, the output may rise again through the increase in production and price levels. Annual economic growth rate can be examined through the annual changes in real and nominal GDP. These changes can tell us about the economy’s level of performance

Revenue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Revenue - Essay Example Income encompasses both revenue and gains.† (ec.europa.eu, p. 2) Revenue: â€Å"IAS 18 defines revenue as ‘the gross inflow of economic benefits during the period arising in the course of the ordinary activities of an entity when those inflows result in increases in equity, other than increases relating to contributions from equity participants† (ACCA, 2013.) Gain: â€Å"An increase in the value of an asset or property. A gain arises if the selling or disposition price of the asset is higher than the original purchase or acquisition price† (Investopedia, n.d.) Normally the word ‘profit’ is used in business context in the place of gain. It is also very important that that revenue and the related expenses should be matched with the accounting period, and this is called matching principle. â€Å"When the selling price of a product includes an identifiable amount for subsequent servicing that amount is deferred and recognised as revenue over the pe riod during which the service is performed. The amount deferred is that which will cover the expected costs of the services, together with a reasonable profit on those services† (ACCA 2013). ... sale and repurchase should be dealt with together. Section 14 of IAS 18 stipulates the conditions for revenue recognition in respect of sale of goods. These following two conditions are relevant for discussion in respect of accounting of transaction related to Witney. (a) the entity has transferred to the buyer the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods; (b) the entity retains neither continuing managerial involvement to the degree usually associated with ownership nor effective control over the goods sold; Section 20 states â€Å"When the outcome of a transaction involving the rendering of services can be estimated reliably, revenue associated with the transaction shall be recognised by reference to the stage of completion of the transaction at the end of the reporting period.† This principle is relevant for discussion in respect of support services to PC4U. Case Study Sale of electrical goods When sale has been accounted properly, the goods covered should no t be treated as stock; and the sale is not treated as stock by the company. Snowfall and delay in delivery cannot alter the position. Once the goods are despatched to the buyer, the seller has no control over the same. The following conditions u/s 18 are important in this respect (a) the entity has transferred to the buyer the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods and (b) the entity retains neither continuing managerial involvement to the degree usually associated with ownership nor effective control over the goods sold. Therefore, no adjustment is required on account of this transaction. Contract with Witney The total amount owing to Ibi Ryan from Witney is ?600,000 at 31st March. It is assumed that includes the sum

Evaluating the Company Situation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluating the Company Situation - Assignment Example The competitors of the company are Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar. The competitors today fly in more than a hundred destinations while Oman Air only flies to 43 destinations. As a result, Oman Air should focus on advertising and promotion to get more clients from different destinations. Emirates use the cost leadership strategy to outdo Oman Air; Etihad and Qatar use the differentiation strategy that is the strength to them. The weakness with the three competitors is that their services are very expensive compared to Oman Air (Porter, 2004). The entire Oman Air Company has established a very god international reputation based on the goods and services it offers its clients. Organization growth may be to the individual accomplishments of the company. The political environment of Oman Air home country is very conducive to enable it carries out business as usual. The government also favors the company since through the legal regulations it has reduced the taxes that the business is obligated to pay. The economic conditions are also good since the home country is stable economically which will enable the company to move forward and get more profits. They are also aware of how best they can help to ensure that the company achieves its set goals and objectives. Oman Air is an industry leader (Yudelson, 2009). Several sessions of communication have already been put in to help the company be in line with the laws of the country. In addition, strategies have been put forth to make sure that each employee is on companys progress, as well as new regimes. Further employees are informed about the expectations of the enterprise on the improvements of Technology so that it can remain relevant to the industry (Yudelson, 2009). The Oman Air company has a very high growth rate. It also has significant revenue and profitability 0f about $ 34,657, 876. It is also the domestic market leader. It has also been provided with a lot

Exploring the aims of the Mercantile System

Exploring the aims of the Mercantile System Mercantilism is the main economic system, which is used within the 16th to 18th centuries. Its main goal is to increase the wealth of the country through imposing governmental regulation concerning all of the commercial interests in the nation. It was argued that national strength can be maximized through limiting the amount of imports via tariffs and raising the amount of exports. It discusses that the economic strength of every country is related mainly to the repair of positive trade balance. It aims at the idea of making every country use export techniques more than import techniques as a way to remain in an economic and political viable position. So, positive trade balance upon the mercantilist thought concludes in a way of using gold in the practice of countrys treasury (Mark Blaug). The Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) was the man who was responsible for the term mercantile system. So, mercantilism was in a contrary side of Smiths ideas of free enterprise, free trade, and the free move of people and goods. One of the main assertions of mercantilism is the national wealth that will appear through the accumulation and import of gold or any other precious metals, like silver (Paul Johnson). Being an economic system, mercantilism leads to make foreign competition and discouragement of direct foreign investment. This term supposes  that the wealth of any nation will primarily depend on the ownership of precious metals as silver and gold, but this system cannot be achieved forever, because the universal economy would be stagnant when all countries wanted to make exports without imports. After a  very short time,  a lot of people started to act against the mercantilism idea and stressed the very bad need of free trade. The continuous pressure result was found in the implementation of laissez faire economics in the 19th century (Lars Magnusson). Mercantilism, being a historical period, had been associated with the increase of a particular structure of capitalism in Europe which referred to it to be merchant capitalism. It was a doctrine developed by different economic writers in this period that call for the powerful alliance among the monarchial system and merchants. Nowadays, the mercantilism term is used to view the protectionist trade policies when combined with other governmental policies, directly or indirectly in particular industries to acquire the regional or national trade advantage. Mercantilism has associated with the nationalistic economic policies shunned by free trade and advocates that argue for minimum state interference in the international and domestic marketplace (Henry William Spiegel). The mercantile system stated different policies of nationalistic trade thought to acquire the wealth of the nation. It can be achieved via five basic elements of mercantilism, as indicated by David L. Sills: The first one is nationalism and policy start together with all possible policy directed towards the nationalism. The second element is foreign trade that should always be thought of in light of its effects on the states stock of owning precious metals. The third one is lacking domestic mines of gold or silver; the precious metals should be collected by excess the exports over the imports. The forth element is governmental trade authorities that should strive to limit imports and give encouragement to exports. The last element is the economic and political foreign policy that should be coordinated in order for the achievement of these goals (Mark Blaug). While most of them closely associated with 18th century in Europe, the mercantilism term has been used in order to refer to the aggrandizements general principle of state authority for the economic benefit of the capitalist class through controlling and manipulating trade. For example, during the colonial times it took the shape of military control on trade routes and large tariffs imposed on imported goods in general and manufactured products in particular (Lars Magnusson). The mercantilist practices rationale, upon the imperatives of colonial conquest and empire, had been reflected in the eighteenth century concepts of the profits origin and the exchange nature. While being the goal of for-profit entity, the mercantilists managed to apply this opinion to the whole nation. This is in contrary to the belief of the ideology of marketplace done by classical economists. This exchange should be done on the aspect of equivalents. Moreover, mercantilists believed that the seller can gain via the loss of the buyer. Therefore, the nation will become richer when it sells or exports more than it buys or imports. Gold or any other money sources will be amassed to benefit the state. The opinion related to the surplus or profit happened in the unequal exchange in commodities was perfectly cope with the mercantilist policy in controlling the trade terms (Paul Johnson). Mercantilism had played an important role but not a dominant role in the transition period from feudalism to the industrial capitalism. However, mercantilism did benefit greatly large merchant companies to ship home goods through trade routes maintained and protected by the country. Foreign trade was the necessary thought to be done for gold accumulation because the domestic trade cannot generate a net profit or surplus. Struggling by this view of the profits origin, merchants used exports as a necessary means of acquiring surplus profits. The merchants, such as all better policy makers, argued that using this policy would benefit in turn the whole state Henry William Spiegel). These policies in order to achieve these goals involving state subsidies of the export industries, high tariff was used to encourage home production in the prohibition on the gold sale to foreigners, the subsidization of basic industries when necessary, the control over certain kinds of capital, and the relentless gold import and the raw materials from different colonies. The most of these policies contained strict control in trade routes and the prices stabilization in state currency (Steele G. R.). Throughout the mercantilist period, the merchants had controlled the trading system, but not the production of services and goods. Before the start of industrial capitalism, the production was on the line of crafts system that embodied remnants of the very old feudal arrangement. In addition, the industrial capitalism emerged the merchants power. They would come to see them taking over or being involved in the production means that would enhance their profits through giving them the control over the labor productivity. However, the merchants cannot control the production means, as the primary concern lies on selling and buying. The policies of mercantilists encouraged the imports of raw materials that in turn can be manufactured to make different products. The finished goods can be sold and exported subsequently in high price in comparison with the original cost. So, it found its way to the treasury of the nation (Mark Blaug). The foundation of the mercantile system started with the beginnings of the capitalism in sixteenth and seventeenth century in Europe. At this time France, Spain, and some of the Low Countries as Holland and Belgium were transformed into economies in merchant-dominated. So, the modern states were emerging of being as a political complement in the merchant economy. This system indicated that it was regulated by the competitive labor market. It led to the formation of a new class of people that found them being free from feudal system to the land to be only forced to sell the labor to ensure subsistence. The emerging was also a class of manufacturing and industrial entrepreneurs recruited from the declining merchant class (Lars Magnusson). The merchant class paved the way of losing control over the new economic system to the forces of the capitalist competition when profits and price were regulated through the accumulation and production of capital. When trading was essential for the emerging of industrial capitalist system, the transactions were viewed as a sharing out in the total of selling price among the purchasers and buyers, including the merchant. The concept of mercantile idea, which trade led to the profits in the whole system, paved the way to the opinion of the classical economist that the production and reinvestment of profit was the actual source of the wealth of countries (Paul Johnson). When the general perception of the term of mercantilism being one of a very long era in the history of economic thought, the mercantilist authors were business and professional people that wrote and made known of their thoughts in a long time before economics came to be a separate academic discipline. Many representative of the mercantilist writings were English and French writers of the 17th century. These practical thinkers sought the protection, order, and stability essential for the expansion of their activities. This in turn will benefit the state. In exchange for the military protection of the trading routes, they succeeded in acquiring the monopolistic subsidization from crown when the country extends its material means for the colonization. Wealth found to both the merchant elite and the state in form of gold and different raw materials to add its value, and then exported in form of the finished goods. Mercantilists saw production to be very important because it only led to t he surplus of exports (Mark Blaug). When the merchant class had been far from cohesive, the disagreements about policy in the merchant class were different to the aims of a common goal of expanding the extent of trade surplus. The mercantilists encouraged exports, except the machinery, plant and equipment, which might help foreign competitors. They discouraged imports, except in raw materials and precious metals. The colonies, including the Americas, had served as a primary export market and the tax revenue source, military bases, and a source of silver, gold, and raw materials. The strong navy and the military war machine were vital to the maintenance and implementation of these policies (Lars Magnusson). As production became more important, the capitalists realized that in controlling production, this would be possible to decrease costs, increase productivity, and undercut the competitors by lowering prices. The line of thinking led economists like Adam Smith to oppose the idea that gold constituted wealth. In the powerful critique of mercantilists, Adam Smith had pointed out that money reflected the wealth produced while expressing the value of goods and services that offered in the marketplace. Moreover, struggles among merchants in trade monopolies and prices made conflict to all the detriment concerned. Many criticisms of mercantilism had culminated in a devastating critique that is known as the specie flow mechanism. The Scottish philosopher and political economist called David Hume (1711-1776) had pointed out that the very success of a nations mercantilist policies will set in motion forces, which would tend to reverse trade surplus, through the normal operation in markets. All owing in the money free flow, at this time especially gold, it was discussed that would tend to result in balance of trade equilibrium (Lars Magnusson). While the specie-flow mechanism of Hume is the most known critique of the mercantilist thought, his opposition to mercantilist thinking started as early as the late 17th century. The main idea was that the success of mercantilist policies will trigger unintended consequences. So, the positive trade balance refers to money positive net flow, because a lot of money is coming in rather than going out. This situation would evolve where too much amounts of money is chasing few goods, where the system is operating in full capacity, money is not hoarded but kept in circulation. The only logical effect is to raise prices. As opposed to the countries mercantilist surplus, money is flowing out that result in the fall of prices. The deficit countries will become more competitive in time. Trade will shift their thinking resulting in trade equilibrium. That doctrine will later become known as the quantity theory of money (Mark Blaug). In light of historical influence, mercantilist policy expanded the decrease of the feudal economy and the system of guild crafts of production. The state policy and merchant system complemented each other. The main objective was to indicate growth of foreign trade while encouraging the inflow of the precious metals and the raw materials to which the value could be added for exports. So, mercantilism served to rapid the transition of Europe from the land-based economy to the monetary economy. Though pure mercantilism is considered a dead economic issue, but vestiges of it remain (Henry William Spiegel). Mercantilism, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many European countries believed that the world wealth was finite and limited. Whatever one of the countries gained, the another one lost. In order to ensure their own share, those countries issued an economic policy calling it mercantilism. Because England had followed mercantilism, this policy affected profoundly the American colonies in the years that precede independence. The cornerstone of mercantilism is that the country supply of silver and gold reflected its wealth and its economic strength. In addition, the gold enabled countries to acquire military arms. The Countries worked in many ways to raise their silver and gold stores, but the foreign trade became the basic avenue. When exporting more goods than imported, the mercantile countries could demand the difference in gold which is the principal international currency of those times (Lars Magnusson). The trading countries such as England saw their colonies to be useful players in the mercantile game. It looked to its colonies for getting raw materials that could be obtained at low cost. So, colonies became markets for the English exports. By mercantilism, England had forged the early weaknesses and strengths of the young American economy. Starting from the first of the Navigation Acts in 1660, the laws passed during the 17th and 18th centuries tightened England control of the American trade and economy. For example, when requiring the colonies to trade through the British Empire, England had limited any trade competition might be presented by its colonies. The laws against manufacturing also forced the colonies to import manufactured goods from the mother country. The products manufactured were routed within England, and shipping was only limited to English or colonial carriers (Steele, G. R.). Mercantilism is economic nationalism for the purpose of building a wealthy and powerful state. Being an economic system, mercantilism leads to make foreign competition and discouragement of direct foreign investment. This term supposes  that the wealth of any nation will primarily depend on the ownership of precious metals as silver and gold, but this system cannot be achieved forever, because the universal economy would be stagnant when all countries wanted to make exports without imports. After a  very short time,  a lot of people started to act against the mercantilism idea and stressed the very bad need of free trade. The continuous pressure result was found in the implementation of laissez faire economics in the  19th century (Lars Magnusson). The most important economic rationale for mercantilism in the 16th century was the consolidation of the centers of regional power of the feudal era through large competitive nation-states. Other contributing factors were in the establishment of colonies out of Europe, the growth of commerce and industry in Europe relative to agriculture, and the increase in the breadth and volume of trade, and the increase in using metallic monetary systems, particularly silver and gold, relative to barter transactions. Within the mercantilist period, the military conflict among states was both more extensive and more frequent than at any time in history. The navies and armies of the main protagonists were not temporary forces raised to specify a specific threat or objective, but they were professional forces. The primary economic objective of the government was to command sufficient quantity of the hard currency to support the military that would deter attacks by other countries and help its own ter ritorial expansion. The policies took so many forms. Governments may provide capital to new industries, exempt new industries from guild rules and taxes, establish monopolies over local and colonial markets, and grant titles and pensions to successful producers. In trade policy the government assisted local industry by imposing tariffs, quotas, and prohibitions on imports of goods that competed with local manufacturers. Governments also prohibited the export of tools and capital equipment and the emigration of skilled labor that would allow foreign countries, and even the colonies of the home country, to compete in the production of manufactured goods. At the same time, diplomats encouraged foreign manufacturers to move to the diplomats own countries (Lars Magnusson). Shipping was particularly important during the mercantile period. With the growth of colonies and the shipment of gold from the New World into Spain and Portugal, control of the oceans was considered vitally important to national power. Because ships could be used for merchant or military purposes, the governments of the era developed strong merchant marines. In France Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the minister of finance under Louis XIV from 1661 to 1683, increased port duties on foreign vessels entering French ports and provided bounties to French shipbuilders (Steele, G. R.). In England the Navigation Laws of 1650 and 1651 prohibited foreign vessels from engaging in coastal trade in England and required that all goods imported from the continent of Europe be carried on either an English vessel or a vessel registered in the country of origin of the goods. Finally, all trade between England and her colonies had to be carried in either English or colonial vessels. The Staple Act of 1663 extended the Navigation Act by requiring that all colonial exports to Europe be landed through an English port before being reexported to Europe. Navigation policies by France, England, and other powers were directed primarily against the Dutch, who dominated commercial marine activity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Steele, G. R.). During the mercantilist era it was often suggested, if not actually believed, that the principal benefit of foreign trade was the importation of gold and silver. According to this view the benefits to one nation were matched by costs to the other countries that exported gold and silver, and there were no net gains from trade. For countries almost constantly on the verge of war, draining one another of valuable silver and gold was thought to be almost as desirable as the direct benefits of trade (Geoffrey Parker). Adam Smith refuted the idea that the wealth of a nation is measured by the size of the treasury in his famous treatise, The Wealth of Countries, a book rightly considered to be the foundation of modern economic theory. Smith made a number of important criticisms of mercantilist made a number of important criticisms of mercantilist doctrine. First, he demonstrated that trade, when freely initiated, benefits both parties. In modern jargon it is a positive-sum game. Second, he argued that specialization in production allows for economies of scale, which improves efficiency and growth. Finally, Smith argued that the collusive relationship between government and industry was harmful to the general population. While the mercantilist policies were designed to benefit the government and the commercial class, the doctrines of laissez-faire, or free markets, which originated with Smith, interpreted economic welfare in a far wider sense of encompassing the entire population (Lars Magnusson). While The Wealth of Nations is generally considered to mark the end of the mercantilist era, the laissez-faire doctrines of free-market economics also reflect a general disenchantment with the imperialist policies of nation states. The Napoleonic Wars in Europe and the Revolutionary War in the United States heralded the end of the period of military confrontation in Europe and the mercantilist policies that supported it. Despite these policies and the wars that they are associated with, the mercantilist period was one of generally rapid growth, particularly in England. This is partly because the governments were not very effective in enforcing the policies that they espoused. While the government could prohibit imports, for example, it lacked the resources to stop the smuggling that the prohibition would create. In addition, the variety of new products that were created during the industrial revolution made it difficult to enforce the industrial policies that were associated with mercantilist doctrine. By 1860 England had removed the last vestiges of the mercantile era. Industrial regulations, monopolies, and tariffs were abolished, and emigration and machinery exports were freed. In large part because of her free trade policies, England became the dominant economic power in Europe. Englands success as a manufacturing and financial power, coupled with the United States as an emerging agricultural pow erhouse, led to the resumption of protectionist pressures in Europe and the arms race between Germany, France, and England, which ultimately resulted in World War I (Geoffrey Parker). Protectionism remained important in the interwar period. World War I had destroyed the international monetary system based upon the gold standard. After the war manipulation of the exchange rate was added to the governments list of trade weapons. A country could simultaneously lower the international prices of its exports and increase the local currency price of its imports by devaluing its currency against the currencies of its trading partners. This competitive devaluation was practiced by many countries during the Great Depression of the thirties and led to a sharp reduction in world trade (Steele, G. R.). A number of factors led to the reemergence of mercantilist policies after World War II. The Great Depression created doubts about the efficacy and stability of free-market economies, and an emerging body of economic thought ranging from Keynesian countercyclical policies to Marxist centrally planned systems created a new role for governments in the control of economic affairs. In addition, the wartime partnership between government and industry in the United States created a relationship-the military-industrial complex, in Eisenhowers words-that also encouraged activist government policies. In Europe the shortage of dollars after the war induced governments to restrict imports and negotiate bilateral trading agreements to economize on scarce foreign exchange resources. These policies severely restricted the volume of intra-Europe trade and impeded the recovery process in Europe in the immediate postwar period (Geoffrey Parker). The economic strength of the United States, however, provided the stability that permitted the world to emerge out of the postwar chaos into a new era of prosperity and growth. The Marshall Plan provided American resources that overcame the most acute dollar shortages. The Bretton Woods agreement established a new system of relatively stable exchange rates that encouraged the free flow of goods and capital. Finally, the signing of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) in 1947 marked the official recognition of the need to establish an international order of multilateral free trade (Lars Magnusson). The mercantilist era has passed. Modern economists accept Adam Smiths insight that free trade leads to international specialization of labor and, usually, to greater economic well-being for all countries. But some mercantilist policies continue to exist. Indeed, the surge of protectionist sentiment that began with the oil crisis in the midseventies and expanded with the global recession of the early eighties has led some economists to label the modern pro-export, anti-import attitude as neomercantilism. (Steele, G. R.) Although several rounds of multilateral trade negotiations have succeeded in reducing tariffs on most industrial goods to less than 5 percent, trade in agricultural goods remains heavily protected though tariffs or subsidies in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Countries have also responded to GATT by erecting different nontariff barriers to trade. The Long Term Arrangement on Cotton Textiles (1962) was the first major departure from the key GATT rule of nondiscrimination. Discriminatory nontariff barriers are typically used by industrialized countries to protect mature industries from competition from Japan and newly industrialized countries like Brazil, Korea, and Taiwan. These nontariff barriers include voluntary export restraints, orderly marketing arrangements, health and safety codes, and licensing requirements. And the U.S. Jones Act, which prohibits shipment of goods between U.S. ports on foreign ships, is the modern counterpart of Englands Navigation Laws (Lars Magnusson ). Modern mercantilist practices arise from the same source as the mercantilist policies in the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. Groups with political power use that power to secure government intervention to protect their interests, while claiming to seek benefits for the nation as a whole. Of the false tenants of mercantilism that remain today, the most pernicious is the idea that imports reduce domestic employment. This argument is most often made by American automobile manufacturers in their claim for protection against Japanese imports. But the revenue that the exporter receives must be ultimately spent on American exports, either immediately or subsequently when American investments are liquidated. Another mercantilist view that persists today is that a current account deficit is bad. When a country runs a current account deficit, it is borrowing capital from the rest of the world in order to purchase more goods and services than it sells. But this policy promotes economic wea lth if the return on the capital borrowed exceeds the cost of borrowing. Many developing countries with high internal returns on capital have run current account deficits for extremely long periods, while enjoying rapid growth and solvency (Geoffrey Parker).

The Stone Angel - Theme of Pride :: Stone Angel

The Stone Angle - Theme of Pride Short Summation of Pride-Related Occurrences: The first reference to pride is in the second sentence of the novel: Hagar describes the Stone Angel as "my mother's angel that my father bought in pride to mark her bones and proclaim his dynasty†¦" (3). Hagar's father was a very proud man, a trait that was passed on to his daughter, and he takes great pride in this "terribly expensive" statue, which "had been brought from Italy" †¦ "and was pure white marble" (3). Hagar recollects exhibiting her pride as early as age 6 when she says "There was I, strutting the board sidewalk like a pint-sized peacock, resplendent, haughty, hoity-toity, Jason Currie's black-haired daughter" (6). Jason Currie was a "self-made man" who "had pulled himself up by his bootstraps" (7). Hagar was very proud of her father's success, seeing as how "he had be gun without money" (14). Hagar's father, because he worked so hard, took great pleasure in his store. She says, "Father took such pride in the store - you'd have thought it was the only one on earth. It was the first in Manawaka, so I guess he had due cause. He would lean across the counter, spreading his hands, and smile so wonderfully you'd feel he welcomed the world" (9). Mr. Currie had excessive self-esteem, as seen when the Reverend Dougall MacCulloch was calling out the names of the people who had contributed to help build the new church. Jason Curried leaned over and arrogantly said to his daughter "I and Luke McVitie must've given the most, as he called our names the first" (16).

Aqualisa Quartz: Simply a Better Shower Essay

INTRODUCTION Our report aims at developing a marketing plan for Aqualisa Quartz shower. The product was launched and in spite of being much better than the existing showers in the U.K market in terms of water pressure, ease of installation, use and design, it didn’t have very impressive sales figures in the first four months. This report delves into the details as to why the launch was not successful and what can be done now to improve the situation of the product and the company. It is very important to reflect on the ways through which a company can increase sales together with its brand quality because usually, there is a strong competition in the industry and the companies have to choose among the ways through which they might win the market and this requires a lot of research. Companies should be aware of one key concept which is â€Å"you can’t be everything to everybody.† Our report elaborates on the industry, the company, the customers and the product itself to give a n overview of the whole situation and finally, it suggests the recommendations and the implementation plan. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Quartz entered the market when only about 60% of U.K homes had showers and archaic plumbing some of which dated back to the Victorian period was still common in many houses. There were two major problems regarding the shower system in the U.K: low pressure and high fluctuations in temperature, which were addressed through the use of either electric showers or special U.K shower valves. The three main types of shower that existed in the market were Electric showers, mixer showers and power showers each having their own positive and negative features. Electric showers had one advantage over the other two types and that was â€Å"not requiring hot water supply.† The disadvantage of such a shower was that the electrical components were usually mounted in a cumbersome white box which could be seen in the shower stall. Another weak point in these showers was that they had not solved the problem of low flow rate. Aqualisa sold electric showers under the separate brand name of â€Å" Gainsborough.†Electric showers covered 61% of the units sold in the market. (See EXHIBIT 1) The mixer shower which covered 30% of the  units sold in the market (see EXHIBIT 1) came in two types; manual and thermostatic. The thermostatic type created comfortable temperature but manual ones were very inconvenient. The mixer shower required both hot and cold water, additional pump to address pressure problems, and the installation typically required excavation of the bathroom. No wonder it was selling half the volume electric showers were selling. Aqualisa had Aquavalve and Aquavalve 609, the latter being the core product of the company. The third type was integral power showers which covered only 9% of the units sold in the market. These showers required both hot and cold water as well. The bulky box on the wall was another problem with these ones and more importantly, they were regarded as less reliable compared to mixer showers. Aqualisa’s primary product in this category was Aquastream thermostatic. What was noteworthy in the shower industry was the fact that there was hardly any innovative movement in the industry in terms of functionality ,that is to say, possible innovations mostly happened in the cosmetic part of the product and major manufactures recycled their product line every four or five years. Aqualisa could take advantage of this weak point in the industry and be the winner. The question that remained to be answered was how? CUSTOMER ANALYSIS Most customers disliked two major problems of the existing showers- poor pressure and varying temperature. Consumers complained about other problems as well. They were not happy with hard-to-turn valves, leaky seals and worn-out showers. On the other hand, brand awareness was very low among the customers and only one brand (Triton) had been able to build brand awareness at the customer level (see EXHIBIT 1). Shower buyers in the U.K fell into one of these three pricing segments: premium, standard and value. Customers in the premium segment cared about the style of the shower and the performance or service of the product was not of importance to them. They normally shopped in showrooms. On the contrary, customers in the standard segment preferred performance and the  service provided with the product and they usually relied on an independent plumber to recommend a shower to them. Thirdly, customers in the value segment were primarily concerned with convenience and price. They did not like the idea of excavation in their showers and they mainly relied on a plumber to select the product for them. In addition to these segments, there were two more segments: do-it-yourselfers and developers. Do-it-yourselfers shopped at retail outlets and were interested in cheap models that were easy to install and they did not care about the unattractive bulky shape of the showers. Landlords and apartment dwellers were the main customers and electric showers were the overwhelming choice in this segment. Finally, developers were the customers who preferred reliable, nice-looking products that could work in multiple settings. Besides, developers did not have to worry about the pressure problems because new houses were almost exclusively built with high-pressure systems. The important characteristic of this segment was their price sensitivity. Aqualisa, knowing this behavior, had sold them its redesigned Aquavalve showers under the brand name of ShowerMax at a lower price and the developers loved it because it gave them the Aquavalve technology at a remarkable lower cost. Are plumbers regarded as channels or customers? Channels are customers too. Either way, they are important buyers and, at the same time, influential ones. Plumbers tried to install a special shower wherever they normally went for a job because unfamiliar showers could bring about unknown problems regarding and a revisit to fix the problem led to an extra cost for the plumbers. Furthermore, plumbers could receive some sort of service form the manufacturer if they stuck to that special brand. Generally, plumbers did not trust innovation especially if it involved electronics because of their bad experiences with the poorly designed products in the past. They wanted a shower that was easy to install with a guarantee to not break down or require servicing. Plumbers had a remarkably strong involvement in mixer shower selection (48%) whether directly or indirectly (see EXHIBIT 2).Apart from that, 54% of the mixer shower installation was carried out by them (see EXHIBIT 3).Aqualisa had the second biggest market share in mixer showers having Aquavalve 609 as their core product in that category (see EXHIBIT 1). Aquavalve 609, selling 60000 units per year, was considered Aqualisa’s  top-selling shower and it was regarded by the plumbers as being a high-quality reliable mixer shower with state-of-the-art technology. Therefore, Plumbers perception of the brand was quite positive. THE COMPANY AND THE CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION Showers were sold through three channels of distribution, which were trade shops, showrooms and DIY outlets. Trade shops carried products of all the brands in the market and all they cared about was to make sure they had the right stock of products that were in demand. The main customer of trade shops were plumbers who worked for developers, showrooms, contractors and customers. Aqualisa brand was available in 40% of trade shops. The second channel was showrooms which tended to be more high-end. Showrooms often offered more than just showers and they offered installation services by subcontracting with contractors and plumbers. Aqualisa brand was sold in about 25% of them.DIY sheds offered discount, mass-market do-it-yourself products. Electric showers, being cheaper, were selling really well in this channel (see EXHIBIT 4).Aqualisa had no product in this channel but its Gainsborough was available in 70% of these outlets. Aqualisa’s brand had always been considered as a strong one in the U.K and the company had been recognized as having top-quality showers, a premium brand and a good service. The company’s market share in mixing showers was ranked second and ranked third in the overall U.K shower market. The company had to take these facts into consideration and not make a decision regarding positioning and target marketing that would lead to a decrease in these values. However, the company had encountered some problems too. There was a strong competition in terms of product quality in the first place and the company had to be on its toes to deal with this case. Moreover, Aqualisa products were seen to be overpriced and this was something the competitors could take advantage of. Also, in terms of services, Aqualisa had become a little sloppy and it had not improved its 10% rate of break down for many years. Although it had a 25% net return on sales, its future was not secured. PRODUCT ANALYSIS Aqualisa’s new product would eliminate almost all the problems that the customers had including the cumbersome box in the shower, the low pressure and the varying temperature. Aqualisa had come up with the idea of locating the mechanism remotely outside the shower which would eliminate the need for excavation. Aqualisa launched Quartz into the market after three years of development. The product came into two versions: standard shower designed for installations that already had a pump and pumped shower which included a pump. One of the key advantages of quartz was its ease of installation. While other showers took two whole days to install, Quartz would take only four hours and this was a great source of pleasure both for the customer and the plumber. In addition to all other advantages like high pressure, stable temperature, ease of installation and remote mechanism, the one touch control mounted on the shower wall was appealing to the customers as well. Quartz was loved by everyone; parents liked it because its automatic temperature control was safe for their children who could shower on their own now; the elderly loved it because they did not have to struggle with stiff valves and so on. Quartz had some other potential features as well, which had not yet been put into effect. The Body Jet product and the Slave Remote were two additional products that could boost the sales of the product in the future. The Body Jet product was so popular among women because they could wash their bodies without getting their hair wet and the slave remote enabled the consumer to control the temperature from a distance. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS It is time to recommend the best target market to Mr. Rawlinson now. We would recommend that he choose the first option which is targeting the customers directly. Before we talk about the pros and cons of this approach, let’s consider the other two options which are targeting do-it-yourselfers and targeting developers. The do-it-yourself sheds, as said before, simply offer cheap and easy to assemble showers. Therefore, this place is not a proper place for a premium brand like Quartz. Besides, Quartz is an expensive product and it cannot be a fit in the DIY sheds; the customers who go there are basically looking for cheap showers rather than expensive ones no matter  what the function is. As long as the customer is unaware of the fantastic features of the new product he/she will not consider buying it when there are much cheaper alternatives which have proved to be good enough for their price. The advantage of targeting the DIV sheds is that because these outlets introduce easy to install showers, the customers who have that advantage in mind, will go there and they will get interested in the unique features of Quartz especially its ease of installation. As a result, some of them may buy the product and after experiencing the convenience in using it they will recommend it to others. The third option which is targeting the developers may seem interesting at first because they can have a huge volume of sales at the start and increase their profits but in practice, it is not going to be so. The developers want a very low price for their mass purchases and this is not what the company might want to encounter for two reasons; firstly, the image of the product as an innovative premium brand is lost and secondly, the company’s profits plummet due to the almost 50% discount that the developers might expect. If the company focuses on developers, it will only cover 15% of overall shower sales in the U.K (see EXHIBIT 6) while there is a much more potential for shower installation because of other reasons like replacement or new penetration. One might say that targeting developers is beneficial because developers subcontract plumbers to install the showers for them and the plumbers having experienced the ease of installation may use Quartz for their independent jobs as well. However, this does not sound practical because plumbers are not satisfied with electric showers whatsoever and they try to avoid new products because those types of showers might cause unprecedented problems which lead to extra costs for them. Apart from that, plumbers receive less installation fees working for 4 hours while with other products they will spend a lot more hours and receive higher installation fees. The first option which is targeting the customers directly seems less disadvantageous although it is more risky. As rule of thumb, higher risk is associated with higher return. Targeting the customers directly using the media might be costly but the probable high returns from that cover the  costs very quickly. A large scale campaign would cost about â‚ ¬3 million to â‚ ¬4 million over two years. The company is presently in a good financial status with 25% net returns on sales. Therefore, it would be rational if it used some of that profit on advertising its new product and thought of this expenditure as investment rather than cost. The breakeven point for Quartz is 18710 units (see EXHIBIT 5).Since Aqualisa has a good market share; it could definitely sell more than the breakeven point units. Total number of units sold in a year only for Aqualisa products (excluding Gainsborough) is 122000(see EXHIBIT 1).This big number looks promising. Here is what Aqualisa should do: It should have a large-scale advertisement on the product, flood the trade shops with the product and enjoy results! You might say this is insane and there is going to be a deadly cannibalization by applying this plan. Well, there might be some cannibalization but it does not do much. Let’s consider a pessimistic result in terms of units sold if cannibalization occurs. Currently, Aqualisa is yearly selling 6000 units of electric showers, 94000 units of Mixer showers and 22000 units of Power showers (see EXHIBIT 1). Assume that in case of cannibalization, the number of units sold per year change into: 0 units of electric showers, 70000 units of mixer showers, 15000 units of power showers and 30000 units of their new product, Quartz. By looking at the manufacturer’s price in EXHIBIT 8 and multiplying them by the number of units sold accordingly we can calculate the sales for each case. The normal case has sales of â‚ ¬37.3 million and the second case that happens after the launch of Quartz and the consequent cannibalization has sales of â‚ ¬44.71 million. It brings about a â‚ ¬7.41 million increase in sales (see EXHIBIT 9). Quite remarkable! The two channels that are proper for Quarts are trade shops and showrooms. Quartz has already attracted a lot of customers in the showrooms and the company just has to keep that excellence in place using their great service. Currently, only 40% of trade shops offer Aqualisa’s products. Aqualisa should improve this number to 70% or more through the launch of Quartz. In addition, this approach may encourage the plumbers to switch to Quartz as their default shower for installation although they might not like to switch to a new product with unprecedented f eatures. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN For the implementation plan, we will elaborate on the strategies the company should apply in terms of the 4Ps which are _product_, _price_, _placement_ and _promotion_. The product was analyzed in the product analysis sector and there is much more to say about it. Regarding price we should say that Quarts seems to be overpriced but in reality it is not. Here is the reason we claim so. Consider the top-selling product Aqualisa has in the market, that is to say, Aquavalve 609.the price of this product is â‚ ¬715.but once the customer buys the product the real costs begin to show themselves. This type of shower needs two days for complete installation which means 16 hours for the plumber; the plumber charges â‚ ¬60 per hour. Then, the installation fee is â‚ ¬960(16*60).there are also other costs like additional booster pump(â‚ ¬450) and excavation charge(â‚ ¬200).the sum of all these is â‚ ¬2325 which is the total cost for Aquavalve showers. Now let’s see how mu ch a Quartz Standard costs: â‚ ¬850 for product purchase and â‚ ¬240 for four hours of installation (4*60) and 450 for additional booster pump. No excavation is needed. The sum of these ones is â‚ ¬1560.it is remarkably lower than the one incurred by Aquavalve. The role of Promotion begins from this stage. The company should clearly inform the customers of the hidden charges of other showers (not mentioning Aquavalve) through the advertisements in different media like the TV, newspapers and magazines. On the whole, the company should implement a problem solving approach in their advertisements.This simple information will create a good image in the minds of the customers and they will know that the price is placed somewhere between their valuation of the product and the cost of it. The company could also apply transformational appeals in their approach regarding creative strategies to persuade the customer. One example would be displaying a happy businessman who has had a great day and at the end of the day when he wants to take a shower, he faces the low pressure or the varying temperature of the shower. The ad could quickly turn that situation to a pleasant one by focusing on Quartz and the difference it makes. The actions to be taken regarding product placement were mentioned in the recommendation part, which was targeting trade shops and showrooms as their channels of distribution. This creates a mainstream positioning ,which will be more profitable because the product is not highly priced if you look at it economically, taking all its advantages over the other showers into  consideration.