Case Study of a Person Experimenting with the Use of Alcohol

New Zealand is well-known as one of the best growers of grapes for world class wines. The topographic feature of the country, having a rich forest, hilly mountains and breath-taking coastlines, best suits the cultivation and growing of a variety of grape vines. The temperature of the land with good sunlight at day and cool sea breeze during the night nurtures the taste of grapes. This temperament makes the grapes ripe at slower pace enhancing the taste of wines to be made. This made New Zealand’s wine as one of the major agricultural products of the country.With this accessibility of wineries, alcoholic beverages in the country are of low cost and sold anywhere in the country. Even food cooked and served at home commonly uses wine for classic taste improvement. Many households experiments food dishes with the use of their grown wines to compliment their food. Like European dishes, New Zealand people use wines as spices for their foods.Use of wines in food or drinking alcohol b everages is common for New Zealand people. It is just a simple custom that they drink wines or any alcoholic beverages on their everyday meals. And the cold environmental climate especially the north part of the country would need such alcoholic drinks to warm up body preferably at night time.Because of those, being addicted or experimenting with the use of alcohol is not an issue for their society. Activity of people with alcohol is unnoticeable unless crimes are committed with its excessive usage.The Story of a Teenage BoyI had known a boy within the country about a year ago whose story of his life had been a misery because of the use of alcohol. His family problems rooted from alcohol addiction. He described alcoholism as a distinct vice that runs in their family.I could recall the day when he approached me and asked for help, I was then hanging out in one of the local bars where I spent a summer vacation. The boy was so sober and could not stand still. It just so happened that h is house was just a few blocks away from where I am staying. I offered him a cup of coffee to clear up his mind before we parted ways. He did not accept my offer but rather he asked favor to give him a ride home.On the next day, while I was doing a morning stroll around the neighborhood, it happens that I met him around the park. He was dressed with same screwed dirty clothes the night before. I came close to him and asked him to have breakfast with me. He agreed by then because he confessed that he had not yet eaten anything since that night.We had exchange of thoughts and became good friends for a while. I once asked him why he looked so disturbed and so much drunk the day I found him. He said he was distressed because of his family problems. I found out from him that his family descendants came from Maori race. His parents had been wed at early age. His father was already dead and his mother is suffering from an ailment. He had two brothers who are younger than him. They are supp osedly at secondary school but they are still in an intermediate level. They lack money to support a continuous education, even though they are studying in a state school. His father was a farm worker but all of his father’s earnings were spent for alcohol. Hisfather died from liver cirrhosis. Even though his father was diagnosed of the disease, he still drinks all the time until the last day of his life.During the burial of his father, James (not his true name) learned that his grandfather, on his father’s side, died of same ailment.James told me that his drinking problem started at a very early age, he was in his early teens when some of his school buddies were experimenting on wines and liquor. They are mixing drinks, measure how good it tasted and evaluate how strong the alcohol affects.   James told his friends activity to her mother. And he promised her that even though his peers were teasing him to try drinking alcohol; he will never taste a drop of it. That i s because of his father’s habit. Then one day, he went to school bruised and teary eyed. His friend made an inquiry of his appearance.He had said that his father had come home late a night before. And he was so drunk. James was awakened of the shouting and crushing noise from their kitchen. He went right to where he heard the noise and saw his father was beating his mother. He then intervened to stop his father and protect his battered mother. His father beat him instead. His two brothers saw what happened but were afraid to help him. By the end of his story, his friends sympathized with him and gave him shots of liquors to forget and relieve the pains.Every time things went wrong in their house, his friends made him drunk. James said that it is good that he can not be reminded of what was happening in his family. He began to like drinking and even tried smoking. He had been hooked with alcohol for years.   His characters changed. He became hot-tempered and irritable.He wor ked to earn money to provide food to his family when his father died. But half of it was spent his vice of alcohol. Once in his younger life, he  tried to quit drinking but when problems arises in his family, he started to engaged in drinking habits again.James also got in trouble oftentimes because of drinking, either in school premise or in his community. He had also been dismissed to his work because of being late due to hang-over caused by alcohol.In his school, he even got a suspension of attending classes being drunk. He never went back to school after experiencing a week-long suspension.His two brothers hated him with his habit. He was confronted by his brothers as often as he went home late at night, so much drunk. Their friends and classmates made excuses to avoid their company because of James’ character. And their mother tried to talk with him before she was sick. He knew the responsibilities that his father had left to him. But he can not contain how he will lea rn to stop drinking and be strong enough to resist the taste of liquors. He planned to start a new life after his father’s death to cure himself. But he can not afford to leave his family because of his concern for his sick mother.Analysis of James CaseDevelopmental Context:a) Bronfenbrenner’s Model describes how the environment settings, where a child spends time, with the influence of family, community and the society, affect child development. The child is the center of this model. Person, objects and symbols around him have pertinent influence in his growth and development.Above ecological model shows that positive experiences, so called proximal processes, understand the value of protective and preventive processes to avoid physical and psychological damages.Microsystem mainly consists of a family. It is the immediate environment where the child begins to learn. Parents have the major role in the child’s development because a child, at his early age, is lim ited to the home environment and interact with the members of his family especially to his mother who attended to his needs.Classroom, religious setting and peer groups are also considered microsystem. It is a small group where a child started to learn how to socialize and develop his abilities.In James’ case, his father had been an alcoholic. His grandfather was also a drinker. His father, being a constant drinker, introduced him the liquors.Another is his classroom environment, he had met his friends to chat and hang around in school.Mesosystem is the interactive relationship or connection of settings within his family, peers, religion or school. The model introduced in this level of influence that the number and quality of the connection between settings affects child development.Since early environment is limited at home, family relationships play a dominant role in determining the future pattern of a child’s attitude toward and behavior in relationship with others .At this level, transitions, made by child between settings, are also distinctly recognized. The child, after recognizing his environment, started to show maturity brought out by his experiences.Due to James’ family problems, he was forced to try and experiment with liquors with encouragement from his peer group. He had tasted alcoholic drinks and started to appreciate it until he was hooked.Not all experiences may give positive impact on individual. It either leads to better path or placed in a harder situation.Exosystem consists of community, school system, mass media and medical institution. This system pertains to an entire group of people and organizations having interest with every individual.In this level, there is no direct participation of an individual but his experiences are greatly influenced by this sytem.James was discouraged to pursue his education because of the school institution’s rules to suspend students who often gets in trouble and violates school ’s regulations. Although the rule serves to discipline students, James decided not to return after his suspension.Macro system shows the effect of cultural values, social conditions, national customs and economic patterns to child’s development. These settings dictates how people will live and act based on accepted norms of the society.James wanted to live alone to find himself and cure his alcoholism but he can not do so because of his concern for his mother. It is a Maori’s cultural value of being close with their family especially at the lowest point of their family member’s life.a.) Baltes’ Life Span Concept. As defined by Baltes, this concept deals with the study of individual development (ontogenesis) from conception into old age. The development of child is not yet complete as he reaches adulthood. It actually extends across the entire life course.Age-graded are influences based on chronology of age with correlation to life course. Biologica l or environmental factors or its interaction caused this influence. Environmental factors is categorized as family life cycle, education,  and occupational. Events occurring in this influence are commonly undergone by population majority at same life duration. Each culture or sub-culture has their own set of this influence.James’ addiction to alcohol happens in his puberty stage. This is the time when most young individuals have anti-attitude towards life or seems to loss some of good qualities previously developed.While influences related with historical time and cultural experiences is known as normative history-graded. Examples are wars and epidemics that may affect the whole community.James grew in present decade where liberation and individualism is a norm. He does engage with liquor that do not needs behavioral acceptance by his society.Non-normative influences pertain to significant events experienced by particular individual.   These are not part of an overall pa ttern in connection to the normal life cycle of an individual. Examples are like road accidents and conversion of religion.James’ father died of liver cancer. His death caused by his overindulgence to liquor.Social and Emotional Theory:Erickson’s psychosocial theory covers development from birth to old age. This theory describes how social interactions affect child’s sense of self. It has eight stages that completing of each stage successfully will result to a healthy personality therefore an individual can have better interaction with others.Below are the eight stages1. TRUST VS. MISTRUST This is a stage where an infant begins to know who to trust and mistrust strangers.   Commonly, trust is established by infant with their parents.– James trusted her mother so much that he even told her the things her friends are experimenting.2. AUTONOMY VS SHAME & DOUBT is the stage when a child projects his separation, he points out that he is an individual with di fferent ideas from his parents. He started to assert his own desires.– When James, help his mother against his father by the time he was so drunk, he showed that he believe that his mother do not deserve such treatment from his father.3. INITIATIVE VS GUILT is a continuation of the previous stage in which a child plans to obtain his objectives. Shame is felt when embarrassing experience is exposed publicly. While guilt is felt either somebody or nobody knows that you did something wrong. On this stage a child learns to internalize the values he learned. Child based his manner of action on how his society accepted it.– James felt guilty on how he was been addicted to alcohol. Because of this, he wishes to cure himself.4. INDUSTRY VS. INFEROIRITY .This is the stage when a child, upon entering elementary school is being praised for their efforts for the first time or looking for comparison to some external standard.– James felt inferior because of his familyâ€℠¢s ability to support them for their studies; he never wanted to return to school.5. IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION. This stage starts at adolescence period. An individual begins to explore with various possibilities for his career, peer groups and vested interests. Often, individual would try on different vices to gain experiences. Individuals find his own self and develop his own identity.– James, because of his family problems, tried drinking liquor to relieve his problems for some time. He has been confused of the things that are happening in their home.6. INTIMACY VS ISOLATION  This stage happens during young adulthood. A young adult compares his interests, goals and desires with other individual. Emotional aspects of individual, with respect to other not-related to his family, are developed.– James still have not found any intimate relationship with other individual, he focused on how he will be able to solve his problems. He then isolates himself with the company of liquors.7. GENERATIVITY VS STAGNATION. Middle adulthood usually faces this stage. This time an individual wish to impart his values and learning from his hard works and experiences to his child or next family generation.– James felt stagnant of being hooked on alcohol. He had not learned much on how his father been drinking for his whole life years.  8. INTEGRITY VS DESPAIR. This is the time when a person recalls his life and evaluates how he did things on his younger days. An individual becoming satisfied and happy with what had become of him now   tries to accept the fate of his death.James felt desperate because he did not successfully hold on his principle of not becoming like his father.Attachment theory is describes the pattern of human enduring relationships from birth to death. There are three stages of emotional reactions in this theory. Initially, protest, which child shows his dependency to parents. Despair is the second stage when a child outflows his emot ions becoming sad and passive. Last stage is detachment, which a child expresses his independence.James shows his protest when his father beat him. He went to school teary-eyed for the painful experience he had in the hands of his father. He detached himself from his family by attaching himself with liquors.Cognitive Theory:Cognitive theory focuses on the individual's thoughts as the determinate of his or her emotions and behaviors and therefore personality.   In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action.SOAR is a computational theory of human cognition. It takes the form of a general cognitive architecture. (Rosen bloom, Laird & Newell, 1992). Soar is characterized by a set of specific theoretical commitments shaped by satisfying the functional requirements for the support of human-level intelligence.Three functional constraints of the SOAR structures are:a)Flexible and goal-driven behavior. This shows how a child will behave upon the laid situati on.James goal is to treat his alcohol addiction to prevent him becoming like his father.b) Continuous learning from experience. Experiences give a major impact of learning ideas. Sometimes experiences helps a child learn in a hard or easy ways.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – James learned that a taste of liquor drove him to addition.c) Real-time cognition. This shows a behavior within about a second of being in a situation.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  -James was attracted to experiment with liquors because of his curiosity and immediate need of relieving his tension and present problems.Evaluation:Developmental theory shows the important role of a family. The family, where a child is nurtured and its older members who become the role models to develop a child’s emotions and potentials, it is the most crucial environment in which a child’s experiences and actions are justified and rooted with how he is taken cared and be loved.The first significant fac t about development is that early foundations are critical. Attitudes, habits and pattern of behavior established during the early years determine to a large extent how successfully individuals will adjust to life as they grow older.Because early foundations are likely to be more persistent, it is important that they be of the kind that will lead to good personal and social adjustments as the individual grows older.Personality of an individual is described in the development theory. It indicates at what stage does a child needs careful attention and support. Personality is a dynamic concept of describing the growth and development of aperson’s whole psychological system. It is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others.An adult’s personality can be further understood through his developmental stages. It is made up of both hereditary and environmental factors, moderated by situational conditions.References:Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977) Toward an Experimental Ecology of Human Development. New York: Basic Books.Erikson, E. H. (1967) Identity and Life Cycle. New York: International University Press.Hurlock, Elizabeth. (1982). Developmental Psychology: A Life-Span Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.Leaky, R.E. (1991). The Making of Mankind. The Bumbridge Publishing Group.

Race and the Sociological Imagination Essay

For generations African Americans have been disadvantaged in America and effects of these injustices have made a lasting impression. Education is one of the leading problems in the black community. Though there have many reforms in education over the years, racial injustices still exist because no attention in placed on how legislature affects people of color. I was raised in a middle-class family of educators. My entire life I’ve been told to â€Å"stay in school, get an education, and work hard so that you can beat the system. † Recognizing the structural forces in my life has helped me understand my place in society. Being able to â€Å"understand everyday life, not through personal circumstances but through the broader historical forces that structure and direct it† (Desmond and Emirbayer 43) has really had an impact on me. My father was born in 1968, the year we consider then end of the civil rights movement. He went to Luscher Elementary during the 70s and at that time the school was integrated. He had mostly White teachers and schoolmates. He received a quality education because of the resources given to whites were now available to blacks. He chose to attend St. Augustine High school. The Archdiocese of New Orleans constructed St. Augustine High School with funds solicited from Catholics of the Archdiocese through the Youth Progress Program. The Archdiocese of New Orleans placed the school under the patronage of St. Augustine of Hippo, a preeminent Christian and scholar of Africa, and a Father of the Church. This was appropriate since from its inception the school was designated for the education of young men from Black Catholic families of New Orleans. St. Augustine High School led the way in battling segregation in New Orleans. The successful legal challenges mounted by the school resulted in the de-segregation of the high school athletics in the state of Louisiana. The famed Marching 100 was the first African-American high school band to march in the Rex parade on Mardi Gras Day. My grandfather and father attended St. Augustine High School and through the education they received along with athletic scholarships and financial aide they both went on to attend Loyola University. My position in society was shaped by my economic position, which was an effect of my grandfather and father’s educations. My grandfather was able to attend college but this was not true for his parents. Depending upon a persons situation social welfare programs can either enforce progression or plateau disadvantages. I was able to attend Isidore Newman School and I lived in an integrated neighborhood where resources such as schools, hospitals, parks and grocery stores were better than those in other parts of New Orleans. My integrated neighborhood provided me with a good education. Blacks in poor neighborhoods are inhibited from achieving the same education as whites because of zoning legislation, transportation and lack of funds. My family was able to establish themselves financially because of social welfare programs such as war bonds, Pell grants, and the integration of schools. My grandfather was able to own their own home and provide for our family. He had a career as a school administrator they paid well. He provided opportunities for his children to attend college and for his wife. Desmond and Emirbayer argue that , â€Å"If we hope to drive racial domination from the gates of our schools we must continue the work of confronting whiteness in the curriculum† (346). I understand that as finding ways to end institutional racism and raising awareness of ideologies that will end prejudices. Until I attended Loyola I had a naive impression of racial awareness. Personally, I believe education is the key to combating racism. We must education our peers on our cultures. We must explain that â€Å"colorblindness† in society is not what’s best. Only by embracing and recognizing each other differences we will be able to break the social bubbles we live in. I’ve gained a stronger sense of racial awareness through this course. I have the ability to challenge and change other people’s ideologies and understand my own. I know because of my social position have scholarships, financial aide and the values of hard work and education instilled in me by my parents and grandparents. I’m also aware that many people are not able to gain that same access. Because of my racial awareness there is so much more I want to find out about the contributing factors that led to my family’s social position in New Orleans. It is through my racial awareness I plan to beat the system.

Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Supply Chain - Essay Example Supply Chain The role of international supply chain management is significant amongst organizations in the present scenario. Increased globalization is the major reason behind such form of supply chain management. It can be stated that this form of trend has given birth to increasing sourcing through cross-border activities (Farmer and Jessop, 2008). On the other hand global supply chain even enables firm to acquire certain parts of the value chain offered by low cost providers. This increasing rate of global operations has even enabled global coordination amongst firms. In present decade it is observed that many larger organizations work in collaboration with SMEs due to the support provided by such international supply chain activities (Lysons and Farrington, 2005). The framework of international supply chain management has been beneficial for larger and mid-sized organizations and even for manufacturers as they are able to develop larger lot sizes, better environments and much lower tax rates for their product line. Amongst organizations this framework plays an active role by not only storing large base of resources but even through effective customer service management, management of manufacturing flow, product commercialization and development, maintaining supplier relationship, handling returns and successfully fulfilling placed orders

The effect of visual obstructions on the sexual behaviour of guppies Essay

The effect of visual obstructions on the sexual behaviour of guppies - Essay Example Therefore, in order to gain a better understanding of the evolution of specific, elaborate secondary sexual characteristics, it is important to study the ecological factors and behavioral mechanisms that may influence the outcome of sexual selection. These changes may therefore affect the evolutionary outcome of sexual selection. This paper summarizes the published article by Hibler and Houde entitled â€Å"The effect of visual obstructions on the sexual behavior of guppies: the importance of privacy†. The research team examined the effect of habitat structure on the sexual behavior of male and female guppies, Poecilia reticulata. The team tested whether the ability of males to observe the courtship activities of other males affects the frequency of courtship interference by male guppies, and whether this in turn affects the sexual behavior of virgin females interacting with these males. They tested these predictions by manipulating the structure of guppy habitats in the laboratory using opaque barriers and observing the effect of such visual obstructions on male courtship and interference behavior, as well as on female sexual responsiveness to male displays in experimental groups of guppies. The results of the experiments were scored and the interference behaviors as either ‘fend-offs’ or ‘chases’. Data for male groups that were tested with both virgin and non-virgin females were analyzed using ANOVA to determine the effect of both treatment and reproductive status (virgin versus non-virgin) on male display and interference behaviors with male group as a blocking factor. For trials involving non-virgin females, ANOVAs containing an order effect were also carried out for chases, fend-offs and displays. The results of this study support the original predictions made by the study group that visual obstructions reduce male interference behavior and increase female responsiveness

Industry - Strategic Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Business Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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In the British and American systems of government, power is ultimately Essay

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Macroeconomic forecast paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macroeconomic forecast paper - Essay Example The NCES distinguishes three possible scenarios and, moreover, provides different figures for men and women and different age groups. For 2005-2006 the NCES's forecast of unemployment rate for the middle alternative variant is as follows: for women 25 years or older - between 4,4% and 4,7%; for men from corresponding age group - between 4,4% and 5,2% (n.d., n.p.). The forecasts of the inflation rate calculated at national level vary even to a greater extent. The experts of the Economist Intelligence Unit estimate this indicator at 2,8% level in 2005 and at 2,7 % in 2006, predicting that it will "remain relatively contained" (2005, n.p.). At the same time their colleagues from the Federal Reserve also think that the inflation rate would go down in 2006 in comparison with 2005, but expect different figures - 2,6% and 2,5% correspondingly (2005, n.p.). Another figure provided by the Federal Reserve (n.d.,n.p.) is annual estimate of inflation rate for the next ten years, which equals to 2,5 %.

Victorian Period Literature Essay Example for Free

Victorian Period Literature Essay The Victorian spirit, and 4 representative poems (50 pts.) The Victorian spirit is the change from the idleness of the admiration of natural things to the movement and excitement of innovation and change itself. It has turned from the love makes the world go round ideal of the Romantics to a tell it like it is attitude. While the Victorian spirit moves to new explorations and energies from what was traditional submission by women, dominance of men, and the focus on reaching an Ideal World through the beauty of nature it maintains many aspects of the Romantic period that it is trying to escape. C. Rossettis No, Thank You, John In Rossettis No, Thank You, John, the speaker is a woman who is refusing the advances of a man John. The woman has a mind of her own, and she does not need a man in her life. She does not conform to the traditional role of a woman, which includes servitude and subordination. The woman is not afraid to express her true feelings to John here, where in a previous time, a woman would have jumped at the chance to be some guys trophy. The woman in this poem portrays the Victorian characteristic of exploration in a sense. She is exploring life as a single woman instead of sacrificing herself and giving in to a man that she cares very little about. A. C. Swinburnes A Forsaken Garden In Swinburnes A Forsaken Garden, we see a reference of the Romantic past linked with the Victorian present. The garden was once filled with beautiful flowers, bushes, trees, and lovers who sat in the garden to admire all of the beauty. Just as the garden was filled with these things, so was the poetry of the Romantics. Since the Victorian spirit is about laboring and being on the go, one has had neither the time nor the desire to care for the garden. As a result, the garden has become a ground filled with weeds, thorns, and withered, dying, and dead flora. Just as the Romantic period and all of its ideals were at this time, Love was dead (line 48). O. Wildes Impression du Matin Wildes Impression du Matin somewhat describes the transition from the Romantic period to the Victorian period and the grand contrast between the two periods. The first eight lines describe a landscape, as do many of the Romantic poems. Just like the Victorians were anxious to change the pattern that the Romantics had set, this poem shifts its focus from the beauty of the land to the hustle and bustle that is the Victorian spirit, fueled by the Industrial Revolution. O. Wildes The Harlots House Wildes The Harlots House can be related to John Ruskins The Stones of Venice. Ruskin talks about people becoming tools in the Industrial Revolution, performing the same monotonous tasks over and over again so that the process is almost mechanical. In The Harlots House, the people have become tools not of industrialism, but of artistry. They dance because the music is playing, and their movements seem to be controlled by some stronghold instead of being free and from the heart. The energy characteristic of the Victorian period and the Victorian spirit are lost inside the house. The lover of the speaker even loses her own energy while listening to the music and watching the people inside the house. At the same time, she goes inside the house to fulfill the Victorian characteristic of exploration she is going to explore and participate in something new and different. Brownings dramatic monologues and their ironic discrepancy (30 pts.) In Andrea del Sarto, Andrea attempts to paint the picture that he is one of the worlds greatest artists with a wonderful, beautiful, loving wife. Dose of reality: his work is only mediocre, his marriage fell apart a while ago, and his wife is cheating on him, which he is aware of and seems to be okay with. Andrea believes that his work would be even greater if he was a single man (lines 135-136). He comes to realize that he will never be the great artist that he claims to be, but that will not stop him from striving to beall that he can be (lines 97-98). Andrea is somewhat indecisive. He asks himself what good is having a woman around if his work suffers because of it, but he is glad to have his wife (line 176) and would do almost anything to keep her around (lines 222-223). Either he wants to get rid of her in order to become, in his mind, a better artist, or he wants to keep her around and work out their marital differences. The latter probably would not happen since Lucrezia already has another lover. She is bored with Andrea because he cant seem to stop talking about art and because their relationship is both emotionally and physically sterile. For some reason, Andrea just doesnt get it, and he continues to wonder why Lucrezia goes to her lover instead of staying with him (lines 242-243). Finally he lets her be free to go with her lover and at the same time he lets go of his obsession with her (capitalization of Love, line 267). In Fra Lippo Lippi, the illusion is that Lippo is spiritual in the tradition of the monastery he believes in and acts according to everything that he was taught by the monks. Lippos reality is that he wants to fully enjoy life, and one cannot truly be spiritual without embracing physical beauty and pleasure. Lippo does what he does not believe is complete so that the monks will be happy (lines 242-244). This upsets him and leads him to do things out of spite that go against the teachings that he has received from the monks (lines 252-254). Lippo sees himself more as an artist than a monk, and since God gave us bodies to house our souls (lines 265-269), the body has to be portrayed in art so that the soul can be seen in its fullness. We were given bodies for physical satisfaction; if no one finds the physical attractive, then no one will want to know what the soul is like. Encasing the spiritual soul in the physical body is how life and God are fully experienced (lines 300-306). In The Bishop Orders His Tomb, the Bishop does not believe that he has lived as he should. He has not done his work as a clergyman to be active in making meaningful differences in peoples lives although his devotion seems to be to the church. While the Bishops illusion is one of humility, humbleness, and faithfulness, his reality is very secular materialism, vanity, and sexuality. He has an unhealthy obsessive desire to beat or  out-do his old rival Gandolf, even in death. His concern is with his material possessions in both life and death being better than Gandolfs in life and death, as if this will make him a better person somehow. The Bishop is also either incredibly indecisive or very confused. He doesnt even know what he wants his tomb to be made out of. He changes his mind from rosy peach marble (lines 29-30), to lapis lazuli (lines 42-44), to black basalt (lines 53-54), to jasper (lines 68-72), and back to lapis (line 102). He also asks himself the question Do I live, am I dead? a few times, which could be a reference to a spiritual death. The Bishops sexual nature comes through when instead of wishing for his sons to be monogamous with God-fearing women who have inner and outer beauty, his concern is on the physical (line 75). Even the holy image of the Madonna is not safe from the Bishops corrupted mind. In describing how blue the lapis lazuli should be for his tomb, he does not compare it to eye color or the color of an article of clothing. Instead he says that the lapis should be Blue as a vein oer the Madonnas breast (line 75). Review: Rudyard Kiplings Without Benefit of Clergy (10 pts.) Kiplings Without Benefit of Clergy is the story of two lovers, an Englishman and an Indian woman. Interracial relationships of this type were practically unheard of during this time period, which is why John Holden and Ameera were never married. This story is a wonderful one of love, shown by the relationship between Holden and Ameera and the relationship that the two of them have with their son Tota tragedy, exhibited by the sudden deaths of Tota and Ameera and greed, displayed by Ameeras mother, who seemed to care more about the benefits of her daughters relationship with a white man than she cared about her daughter. Throughout the story, Holden shows his emotions reluctantly unless he is speaking lovingly to Ameera. It is interestingly beautiful how he calls her his queen and she calls him her king, and they call each other life of my life. The words themselves are beautiful in any relationship, but it is interesting because at one point Holden wished for the death of Ameera, their type of relationship was practically seen as a disgrace anyway, andHolden seemed to be somewhat ashamed of his relationship with Ameera when he was away from her. He never spoke of her while in the presence of other Englishmen, he never mentions or defends his relationship when those Englishmen say that he is lucky to be a bachelor and not have the burden of a wife, and he never mentions his son. It took Holden a while to get used to the idea of having and loving a son. It was with that same type of reluctance that he grieved for Tota when the boy died. It seemed as if he did not want to allow Ameera to grieve in her own way for her son. He was correct in his attempts to keep her from blaming herself for Totas death, but how on earth could anyone, especially the love of her life, tell a grieving mother to let it go? Only when Ameera dies does Holden express his emotions openly and immediately. He even chastises Ameeras mother in his grief. He now realizes how difficult it is to just let it go when you have lost someone that you love so much. Ameera was full of emotion throughout the story. At the same time she was very submissive, as probably was the culture in India at the time. Even in grieving for her son, she did not try to feel better until she knew that Holden had become more content. Because she was an Indian woman in love with an Englishman, she felt the need to seek reassurance about his love for her almost constantly at least, until their son was born. Then, Ameera knew that she and Holden shared a bond that could never be broken because she had given him something that her English counterparts could never give him his firstborn son. I think that Ameera was very dependent on Holden. While it may appear that she called Holden my life in a loving and endearing way, under the surface it is almost as if she seems to say that she cannot exist without his love and his physical presence. When Holden tries to send Ameera away, out of the path of the black cholera, that is when she grows a little bit of a backbone. She reminds him that he is not her husband, and he cannot tell her what to do. Almost as suddenly as she exhibited her temporary independence did her insecurity about Holden and the English women return. Only on her deathbed does she accept the possibility of Holden marrying a white woman, and she declares that he is the only God in her life. Nonsense Poetry (10 pts.) A Limerick There was a Young Lady of class Who created a stair made of glass, Then formed a connection With her own reflection In that little stair made of glass. Another Limerick There once was a village idiot Who liked to touch womens ends a bit. He pinched the wrong booty, Then came Big Rudy, And no more is the village idiot! The Stag and the Doe The stag and his doe went all through the forest Frolicking happily with glee, When the stag got a whirl to say to his girl, Id love it if youd marry me. The doe, with bright eyes, said, Id be much obliged to become your faithful and loving wife. With that they didnt tarry and soon went to marry and begin a family life. Its honeymoon time for the newlyweds now, and they are both filled with great joy. But now the stag cries, for to his surprise, His doe is not a girl, but a boy. Extra Credit (up to 5 pts.) I enjoyed the Victorian period texts. The vast majority of them were very long, but it helped me to be more devoted to the reading. The Victorian period seemed to be a very artistic time for both literary art and paintings/drawings. It seemed to me that there was a central theme that drove most of the conflicts in the Victorian literature remnants of the Romantic period. The Romantic period, for the most part, discussed spirituality as a result of a love for and an understanding of nature. The period attempted to instruct people on how to obtain and fully experience spirituality without very much physicality so that the Ideal World could be reached. In the Victorian period, the body and the spirit are one. In order to truly experience one, you have to fulfill the other. The Victorians mostly concentrated on their work and creations, not ideal escapes.

Reflection paper Essay Example for Free

Reflection paper Essay Visiting the Daybreak Family Centre gave me the opportunity to learn more about social services in reality. Albeit not having the chance to interact with their clients because we were untrained, I had a fruitful discussion session with the social workers there. â€Å"Learning in social work isn’t a linear process,† shared one of the social worker. Theories though being taught in school seems like there is an accurate answer social work is not a mere transfer of learning. With real clients, it takes time to generate solutions. Some lessons can only be self-discovered through experiences. Since social workers usually deal with case-works, this provided me another insightful take-away of the importance of self-reflection which allows most practitioners to explore reasons they response in certain ways, helping to create self-awareness of own strength and weaknesses. Social workers too have attitudes, past and prejudices that will affect their responses to certain things. Without learning from oneself and acknowledge all these, it will be exceptionally difficult for social workers to assist clients effectively. These social workers shared that critical reflection allows them to form new perspective of the situation, understand themselves better and hence, advance. In social services, the importance of maintaining confidentiality and establishing professional boundaries could not be emphasizes enough. Also, bearing in mind, social workers cannot overpower clients, make assumptions or put own expectations on them. I have learnt that only when appropriate, can then a social worker take more control of clients’ lives. Social services focus on client’s self-determination. Clients ultimately have to be responsible of the decisions they make. Social workers cannot allow a particular incident to affect them so as to continue their profession. It is apparent that females mainly dominate the social work profession. It struck me on how this negatively impacted the manpower issue. In particular, the root cause of delinquency is the distant-father-figure at home. The  general consensus that men are more likely to be receptive towards other men in this issue causes a greater demand for male social workers. Unless the society takes a step forward and change this delusion that social work is a â€Å"voluntary-work†, not a profession, it will be rather difficult to ameliorate this situation. This general misconception has to be addressed meritoriously. On a side note, all the social workers I have meet were like angels, kind-hearted, understanding and never failed to wear on a big-smile!

Market Analysis And Market Entry Strategies For Brazil

Market Analysis And Market Entry Strategies For Brazil Accompanied by the globalisation the necessity and need for every company to rival on a global level in order to prevail arises. Hence, more and more companies pursue an expansion strategy out of reasons such as product diversification, lower costs, economies of scales and country incentives (Shook, 2008). Therefore this report will concentrate on the expansion of the sandwich chain Pret a Manger with a special focus on their market entry into the Brazilian market. Beneath Russia, India and China, Brazil is one of the BRIC countries and has on the one hand a highly developing economic growth and on the other hand a huge customer potential for the sandwich chain as Brazil has a population of approximately 185 million (Embassy of Brazil, 2010). The English sandwich chain was founded in 1986 by the college friends Sinclair and Julian and is headquartered in London, England. With its 225 shops, which are amongst some shops in the U.S. and in Hong Kong mostly located within the UK, Pret has a turnover of approximately 200 million pounds per year and employs around 4000 people. Their USP is the offering of fresh made food, avoiding preservatives and additives, which sets the company apart from the normal fast food chains (Pret, 2010a). According to their USP the company collects and distributes the food that hasnt been sold on that day to charity organisations every evening. Moreover the company directs its attention to sustainability concerning food purchasing, packaging, carbon emission, energy, waste and recycling (Pret, 2010c). When planning to expand globally a company needs to develop a global marketing strategy. Therefore this report will deal with the analysis of the Brazilian market on the one hand, including tools such as BERI Index, PESTLE analysis, Porters 5 Forces and MIS to be able to constitute the attractiveness of the market and to spot opportunities and threats that may arise when entering this market (Aaker/McLoughlin, 2010). On the other hand this report will concentrate on a possible market entry strategy for the companies products and services which will enable the company to achieve their objectives and to be successful within the Brazilian market. Market Analysis 2.1. BERI Index The Business Environment Risk Intelligent Index is an index to assess and forecast the political, financial and economic situation of a country for international lenders. The single factors are scaled from zero to four, with zero constituting unacceptable conditions to four constituting superior conditions, and are weighted to their valued importance. Looking at the BERI Index of Brazil it can be said that the country, with 61, 5 points, can be classified as an immature economy with investment potential (Hollensen, 2007, p.251). With an overall score of 10, economic growth is the highest ranked factor within the BERI Index, as Brazil is a newly industrialized country and has a therefore a huge growth potential. The lowest ranked factor is local management and partner because of among others the doubtfulness of corruption (Economist, 2010).  [1]   2.2. PESTLE Analysis The factors of the external macro environment can be analysed with a PESTLE analysis. This framework includes the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors, which are country specific and are mostly factors a company cannot control. Changes in the external environment can either depict threats or opportunities for a company. Therefore a company that wants to enter a new market must conduct a PESTLE Analysis to be aware of the external circumstances (Nejati et al., 2008). For Pret a Manger, planning to expand their sandwich chain to the Brazilian market this report will examine the most important success-factors, which are in the context of this company the social, political and economical factors. The three major changes that can be exposed in this context are: Strong economic growth (BRIC) (Euromonitor, 2009a) Emergence of wealthier income classes (Datamonitor, 2009) Orientation towards healthier lifestyles (Euromonitor, 2009a) The detailed PESTLE analysis can be inspected in Appendix D. 2.3. Porters 5 Forces Porters 5 Forces is a framework that helps every company to better understand the circumstances in which a firm operates, by analysing the five forces that are influencing each industry, ranking them from 1 to 5. The benefit of this framework is that when having analysed the environment of the aimed industry and being aware of the industry structure a company can gain competitive advantage when positioning itself according to that structure (Grimm et al., 2006). Looking at the Brazilian foodservice industry the first point to consider is the competitive rivalry within this industry. According to the competitive rivalry Brazil can be rated as strong (4). This is due to the fact that Brazil has a highly competitive market as there is a strong culture of eating out. Moreover the fast food sector is continuously growing and well-known fast food chains such as Mc Donalds are spreading all over the country and challenge local providers (Euromonitor, 2009a). The threat of new entrants can also be ranked as strong (4), as many companies are attracted to the Brazilian market due to the rapidly growing economy. Beyond that entry and exit costs are low, which makes the market attractive for potential foodservice companies. These days many foreign foodservice chains are entering the Brazilian market which makes the threat of new entrants strong because the middle class continuously rises and therefore increases the customer base for these companies as w ell. Overall customers dont tend to stick to a single chain. Home cooking, leisure activities and food retail are substitutes for the foodservice industry. But the threat of substitutes can be ranked as moderate (3) as Brazilians like to eat out (Euromonitor, 2009a). Regarding the buyer power it can be said that switching costs for buyers are low (2) but an individual consumer has only little bargaining power concerning price-negotiation. The supplier power can be seen as moderate (3) as suppliers have more bargaining power than consumers. Besides farmers and food manufacturers staff can also be seen as a supplier. As long as labour costs are high in the foodservice industry, which is known as a low-margin industry, staff has bargaining power too. 2.4. Hofstede According to Geert Hofstede (2010a) culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster. Therefore every company must specifically look at the cultural differences that may occur, when entering a new market. Hence, looking at the cultural differences between the UK and Brazil is essential for Pret a Manger to be able to react accordingly. Those differences are depicted in Table 2. There are significant differences between the Brazilian and the UK culture. Collectivism beats individualism in Brazil and the power distance and the uncertainty avoidance index show that Brazilians prefer rules. These are significant cultural differences and Pret a Manger has to monitor all its steps in Brazil to be able to adjust problems that might occur due to these differences immediately. 2.5. Segmentation To be able to offer custom-tailored products and services each company, which doesnt want to pursue a mass market strategy, has to define market segments to be able to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing endeavours. When a company is able to specifically align their products and services to the customers needs it is more likely to record cost savings as there is only minimal marketing wastage and the involvement of the customer is likely to increase which will in the end be a boon to the company (Conrady et al., 2008). Demographics, psychographics and behaviour are the three areas of the segmentation process. Looking at the demographics Prets average customers are between 25 and 45 years, are business women/men with middle to high income level. On the psychographic side Prets consumer segment has a lifestyle that could be mentioned as yuppie as consumers are active, busy and fashionable. Furthermore, looking at the behaviour of the consumers, it can be said t hat there is a tendency to fast and convenience food due to a lack of time. In Prets targeted segment brand loyalty is not high as there are various opportunities for consumers to buy food. As the segments of UK and Brazil are identical, this would match Levitts standardisation approach. But as there are slightly different preferences in Brazil Pret has to make local adjustments to fulfil the customers needs. Therefore Pret has to follow a polycentric approach. 2.6. Marketing Information System A marketing information system (MIS) is a helpful tool to collect and analyse customer information to support the marketing planning, by assessing market research data (Armstrong, 2003). Therefore Pret establishes a branch of its marketing research office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. To gather all the required information the 12 C-Framework can be used and its most important points to develop a profile of the Brazilian market (Doole/Lowe, 2008). For example Pret needs to know more about the consumer behaviour and when and how they prefer to eat sandwiches. Concerning the consumption the company has to consider how many sandwiches they can sell per day per store. Moreover the commitment needs to be assessed respective how the consumers feel about the product and whether they appreciate the freshness and sustainability of the offered products. Another interesting point are the choices to evaluate in how far the local taste has to be integrated within the menu. The capacity to pay is another e vident point as every nationality is different regarding the capacity and willingness to pay. Therefore the Big-Mac-Index could be a good figure to measure this and to establish prices in foreign currencies, but Pret needs to think about whether this index would be useful for them or whether it wouldnt be better to research a sandwich index. All those questions have to be answered by Prets research office. Market Entry 3.1. Objectives The targets given by Prets management concerning the market entry to Brazil are To develop a strong position in Brazil To establish a consistent brand globally in the long term To gain 10% market share in the first year To increase sales by 3% year on year for the next five years To secure long term profitability To stay in a budget of  £250 million Business objectives are essential for every company and a key for business success. Their aim is to set up targets on which every single person can orientate itself, to conduce as a measure of success and failure of the company and an overall guideline (Stockton, 1998). 3.2. Entry Strategy Pret a Mangers entry strategy for Brazil is going to consist of starting 200 wholly-owned subsidiaries. With this concept Pret is able to navigate and control the whole process and is able to adapt their strategy if things dont work out the way they should. Looking at the store concept Pret will on the one hand establish their common store concept Local Pret, where there is an outside area, a lounge, a dining area and a refrigerated self-service counter to provide a second home for their customers (Pret, 2010d). On the other hand Pret invented a new store concept called Kiosk Pret especially for the Brazilian market, where the food is sold through a window directly to the customer and will be set up in busy areas, where the people have time constraints. This idea arose out of market research, where they found that this concept is quite popular and successful in the Brazilian market (Maria Brazil, 2010). Concerning the location Prets Shops will be set up mainly in the city centres, shopping centres, in tourist areas near attractions, in business areas and in airports and stations. As you can see in figure 2 for their first market entry to Brazil Pret has targeted to open up stores in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Victoria as those cities have a huge population-density (altogether around 55 million) and are the main attraction for tourists. 3.3. Food and Internal Structure According to the food supply Pret decided to do local sourcing in Brazil to guarantee the freshness of the offered products for their customers. Therefore the company has to make contracts with local bread, milk and other suppliers. To guarantee the freshness of the offered products Pret establishes two distribution centres, one in Sao Paulo and one in Rio to be able to deliver the food just in time. Furthermore Pret will establish a quality control management which is responsible for the operational such as the presentation of food, service and food quality. As Brazilians like to eat sandwiches Prets bread range will comprise baguettes, sandwiches and hamburger rolls. Because Brazilians prefer to eat sandwiches in the morning and in the evening, Pret includes one speciality Feijoada Completa in their product range which is to be offered at noon. This speciality is a stew of beans with beef and pork meats which is a typical Brazilian dish. Concerning cultural differences it can be said that Brazilians dont like to touch their food by hand (Maria Brazil, 2010). Therefore Pret invented a napkin wrap, so that the food is covered and ready to eat for them without having the risk that they wouldnt buy it. The UK packaging, which is cardboard packaging, will be maintained in Brazil as there arent any cultural differences concerning this. Despite the fact that Brazilians are aware of the overall obesity rate and are searching for healthier options (Euromonitor, 2009a) one of the most famous burgers in Brazil is the X-Everything, which has 1300 calories and contains several ingredients such as chicken, sausage, ham, bacon, cheese and so on (Ribeiro, 2010). As this is not a healthy option Pret is likely to succeed with its niche positioning, offering a product range that represents a better and healthier alternative to other fast food chains. With regard to the internal structure for Brazil Pret will acquire and train the stuff continuously as they have chosen to only enter the market with wholly-owned subsidiaries. Moreover Pret will hire one UK estate manager, who will be responsible for 10 shops in general. To comply with the law and to have good working conditions, which also contribute to a good company image, Pret will establish a two-shift system. The opening times for the city centre will be from 8 am to 6 pm and shops within shopping centres will be opened from 10 am until 11 pm. 3.4. Branding There are four steps of building a strong brand that are contained within the customer-based brand equity model. This branding ladder has an ordering, which means all the steps are interdependent. It helps to define/describe the brand and helps to assist the overall brand building process. To achieve those 4 steps the company has to establish brand building blocks. The most valuable block is the resonance as this implies that the customer has a great loyalty to that brand (Keller et al., 2008). Those for steps are depicted in figure 3.  [2]   If the company wants to be successful and to be able to reach as many customers as possible they should meld the left hand side of the pyramid, which contains product related associations, and the right hand side of the pyramid, which contains non product related emotional associations (Keller, 2001). The CBBE Pyramid of Pret is depicted in Figure 5. The Brand identity is about the creation of perceptual salience, which should ensure that the consumer is aware of the companies offered products. It is important that the customer, when wanting to buy a sandwich, associates Pret with the selling of sandwiches. Prets brand identity is that they can be identified as a sandwich provider. To create a brand meaning the company must develop an image that stresses how the brand should be perceived from their target group. This derives either from the performance or the image. The customer associations arise either from self experience or advertising. Whereas the brand performance is geared towards communicating and providing a product that meets and satisfies customer needs, the brand image is more about how people should experience the brand in an abstract way. The brand meaning of Pret is that they are all about freshness, health and sustainability. Moreover they deliver good quality, mee t convenience needs and have a dependable service (Pret, 2010b). If the brand is perceived as unique it supports in the next step a great brand response. As the word implies brand response is all about how consumers feel about and respond to the brand which can either happen due to rational judgements or feelings. Consumers judgements originate after assessing all perceived performance and imagery points like the quality, credibility and superiority of the brand. The brand feeling is about what the customer feels, when he thinks of the brand which can amongst others be warmth, fun, excitement or security. Therefore the brand response, when the brand meaning is perceived correctly, should be positive in that kind of way that the customer realizes that Pret is a healthier alternative to other fast-food providers because it is seen as unique and credible. If Pret gets this brand response they are able to build a loyal brand relationship with their customers, because they have only a few direct competitors with a similar branding and are able to const antly increase their brand resonance (Keller, 2001). 3.5. Marketing To create a favoured brand image Pret has to plan actions within their marketing strategy that are necessary to achieve their marketing goals. The marketing plan for Brazil is adjusted to local preferences. Therefore Pret signed a contract with Robinho, a famous football player, who will be the endorsement for their city-light campaign underlining the healthy concept. This campaign starts half a year before Prets opening to raise peoples interest in the brand and the banners will be placed at top locations. One week before opening Pret will print a full-page ad in the local newspapers to make people aware of the companys upcoming opening. To maximize event exposure advertisements take place on the peak hour commute to and from work two weeks prior to store opening. Prets event sponsoring will comprise beach soccer, as Robinho is a football player and beach soccer is the most famous sport in Brazil. Concerning the prize and taste promotion Pret will provide free nibbles on the opening day as well as special prices to attract potential customers. Moreover Pret is establishing a one-to-one marketing concept to be able to inform the people about new variations of products directly regarding to their preferences. Branding and Positioning 4.1. Branding Despite the product, which is a tangible asset of a company, a brand is much more than that as it compasses the companys values and when established successfully would even exist in the customers minds when a disaster would destroy all tangible assets. In todays competitive landscape in which the products are homogenous, brands are an important factor to differentiate the company from its competitors and to gain competitive advantage by achieving customer loyalty (Armstrong et al., 2009). For consumers brands are quiet helpful as they help them to: identify the source of product, devolve the responsibility to the company when the product doesnt work, reduce the perceived risk as the brand guarantees a special quality reduce time efforts as consumer is able to immediately find its brand in the store function as a symbolic device (Parameswaran, 2008) The key to success for every company is therefore not only to communicate their brand values to affect the perceptions of the customers but to over-satisfy their expectations to be able to compete in todays highly competitive market (Nilson, 2000). How important the establishment of a powerful brand is can be clarified with the example of a blind-test, where people where asked to make a comparison between Coke and Pepsi. Whereas in the blind test the majority of people preferred Pepsi (51%) rather than Coke (44%)  [3]  the open test revealed that with 65% Coke was more popular than Pepsi with only 23%  [4]  (Chernatony et al., 2002). This once more underpins the importance of building a strong brand. The advantages for companies that have a strong brand are that they have a risk reduction because they have a huge loyal customer base and therefore their future sales and revenues are ensured (Kapferer, 2008). As delineated in chapter 3.4. branding is about how the company communicates their brand to their customers whereas brand equity is the value that is being ascribed to a brand from a customers point of view. For Pret a Manger wanting to open up stores in Brazil it is important to decide whether they want to build a global brand with or without adaptation. According to Levitt (1983), who is a proponent of the standardization approach, a straight extension strategy by which the same promotion and products are offered globally is the best way to generate economies of scale. Contrary Aaker (2000) stresses that those global brands that incorporate different cultural needs are perceived as successful, whilst managing to retain a similar brand identity and advertising strategy across all countries. For Pret a Manger the establishment of a unique global brand is essential to be successful in the long run as the company wants to further internationalise its business. Nevertheless the company needs to be aware of the differences in consumer behaviour according tastes, perceptions, aesthetic preferences to be able to adjust to different cultural needs in every country to gain market share. As mentioned in chapter 3.3. Brazilians are aware of their high obesity rate and are searching for healthier options. Therefore entering the market with a concept of healthy food options is a good choice as Brazilians are already aware of this issue. Brazilians are proud of there culture simultaneously they are open for foreign companies entering their country as those are connected with better quality for most people living in BRIC countries. Nevertheless the influence of culture in the food sector is quite high as they are reflected in local needs and tastes. Therefore Pret adapts their food to the local needs as mentioned in chapter 3.3. and uses Robinho in their advertising campaign to elicit national pride. To successfully extend their brand equity on a global scope Pret builds on a human concern that is omnipresent nowadays: sustainability and healthiness, which helps them to reach consumers regardless of their cultural background and gives them the additional value of being perceived as a global brand. Due to this Pret is able to be approved at local level, while beyond that having the advantages of economies of scale (Hollis, 2008). Positioning Rise and Trouts (2001, p.2) definition of product positioning emphasizes Positioning is not what you do to the product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. The quintessence of this definition is that the ultimate battleground of marketing is the prospects mind. When customers want to purchase a special product or service they tend to assess the differences between the objects of comparison. Hence, they create a mental picture of the relevant objects of comparison through the allocation of features. This signifies that the single objects are positioned by the prospects mentally (Kotler and Bliemel, 2001). Therefore it is important for every company to understand the costumers mind to position its brand in the right mode to come first into mind when consumer are thinking about a special product. This is especially important in a time, where information overload is omnipresent and consumers are selective to either take or ignore presented information (Trout, 1996). According to Trout (1996) the principles of brand positioning are: Establish a position in the targeted costumers minds Provide a simple and consistent message, which conveys the companies benefits Differentiate a company from other companies Focus the companies efforts; do not provide all things to all people. (Lovelock et al., 2002) Prets USP is the offering of fresh made food, avoiding preservatives and additives, which sets the company apart from the normal fast food chains and therefore differentiates it with the help of their products (Pret, 2010a). Moreover Prets customers dont have to queue for their products as they are freshly prepared on that day, which isnt common for brands like Subway and Co.; this strengthens their rapid customer service respective service quality and makes them unique (Sanai, 2001). Gaining competitive advantage can either be achieved by selling products at a lower price or by increasing the benefit to customers in order to charge higher prices. The important factor of differentiating a company through the offering of higher value is that a company has to provide higher value to be perceived as trustworthy (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Pret pursues latter strategy as their benefit is the offering of healthy and fresh made food; in communicating and putting across the benefit of their new concept, which none of their competitors are offering to that extent, Pret will be able to gain the first mover advantage and charge a premium price (Johnson et al., 2008). The positioning map is a tool to visualise the average perception of the target audiences of your company against competitive brands while comparing USPs and position is what the management wants the company to be in the future. If the perceived positioning doesnt match the companies desired position it has to communicate this message with the help of the marketing mix (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). For Pret a Manger the positioning map is useful as it helps them to reveal their current positioning and its potential in contrast to rivals. Figure 6 exemplifies the perceptual map for the Brazilian fast food market. When there are many products on the map perceived as equal some companies have to face the problem of being a me-to product, which can lead to the fact that they will never be in the top of customers minds in that category. Therefore it is important to define the category, where you are positioning yourself according to customer needs (for Pret: fresh and healthy food). For Pret a Manger in Brazil it is important to pursue a distinct positioning, to become more competitive in the overall fast food sector. The positioning as a healthy option addresses a special target group and will exclude others that arent interested in that topic. Moreover a clear healthy positioning can lead to a repositioning of competitors, as they could be perceived as unhealthy (Nilson, 2000). Looking at the competitors in Brazilian food sector it can be revealed, that there is no single chain with an overall focus on healthy and fresh made sandwiches, except minor local stores. The overall trend in Brazil is the investment in healthier food options and the provision of fast food as the increase in disposable income and the rising amount of working women leads to time constraints and the need for healthy food because of the obesity issue. Therefore brands such as McDonalds are adapting their product range and offer salads and wraps. The main competitors of Pret are: McDonalds, Habibs, Bob, Giraffa and Subway (Euromonitor, 2009b). Looking at the perceptual map it can be said that every fast food chain in Brazil has the attempt to offer fresher products therefore they are perceived as mostly equal in the mind of the customers and for some it will be difficult to come into customers mind in the first place. Pret has a unique selling proposition as they provide fast and fresh products and can therefore charge a premium price as they are offering a perceived added value. To be able to maintain that position Pret has to adjust all their marketing activities to retain it. Standardization or Adaptation The discussion over standardization vs. adaptation of a companies marketing strategy in international markets originated in the 1980s through an article of Levitt (Kapferer, 2008). According to Levitt (1983) successful companies pursue a global standardization approach throughout their entire marketing mix rather than customizing it in different countries to be able to offer low prices due to economies of scale whilst being advanced, functional and reliable. Global companies have, according to Levitt, a better economical performance than those trying to serve several markets by adjusting their marketing mix. He stresses that consumers culture steadily converges across markets nowadays and names technology for one of the main reasons, which leads from his point of view to the fact that the whole marketplace is pitilessly homogenized and has common features. In his article he predicts the downfall of multinational firms as global companies, pursuing a standardization approach, that enter the same market will have several advantages against latter. However, contrary perceptions are represented by other authors. Aaker (2000) and Kapferer et al. (2004) consider that there shouldnt be a clear cut between those two views suggesting that there should rather be a mixture of both; creating an international brand that incorporates different cultural needs whilst standardizing those parts of the marketing mix that doesnt necessarily need to be adjusted. This underpins the ubiquitous saying think global, act local, which means that a company can be perceived as a global brand with all its advantages, although acting global and local at the same time to react to similarities and differences of their targeted markets which can additionally generate competitive advantage (Kapferer, 2008).Pret a Manger wants to further internationalize its business, but nonetheless they are adjusting their marketing mix where perceived as necessary. Therefore the company follows a polycentric approach and must particularly decide about how to tackle each of the seven marketing mix components (Kotler, 2001). For Pret adjustments have to be made especially concerning product, promotion and physical evidence whereas the other components are standardized to achieve economies of scale. As mentioned in chapter 3.3. Brazilians only prefer to eat sandwiches in the morning and in the evening; therefore Pret serves a local speciality at noon. Moreover Pret adapts their packaging because of the cultural fact that Brazilians dont want to touch their food by hand as they would otherwise have to face the problem that they cant sell their products. Concerning the promotion Pret pursues a global promotion strategy, but adjusts to different preferences. As mentioned in chapter 3.5. Robinho is used as an endorser and

Cyber Bullying Essay -- Technology, Real Perpetrators, Cyberbullying

Going to a new school in Massachusetts, all the way from Ireland, Phoebe Prince is ready to start a new life and make new friends. Not everything always workes out in her favor, though. As soon as Prince starts dating the star football player, the threats start flowing in. The constant torments at school leave her lonely and depressed, and when she got home, it never stopped. She was getting never ending text messages and the torments didn’t stop there. Phoebe was constantly getting harassed through social networking sites, such as Facebook. High school is supposed to be the time of her life, but she is only able to live one year of it because she takes her own life relentlessly. Cyber bullying is a problem that affects almost half of American teens (NCPC 1). Adult authorities should enact strict rules to protect vulnerable children from suffering the effects of the modern threat of cyber bullying. Although technology makes it difficult to identify the real perpetrator, the expansion of technology throughout the years has recently made cyber bullying a more prominent factor. From Myspace to Facebook to Formspring to Twitter, cyber bullying makes its way over the entire internet, and will not stop for anything. The rise of networking sites, personal Web pages and blogs brimming with the minutiae of teens antics and angst has helped to create a rich climate for cyber mayhem: Locker-room photos snapped with cell phones and broadcast on the Internet, fake profiles created on social-networking sites, salacious rumors spread in chat rooms, threats zapped across town in instant messages (Billitteri 4). They warn that young people on these sites are more likely to be the victims of cyber bullying and that they are also vulnerable to pr... ...y, has a very strict Internet usage policy with certain sites, like Myspace, blocked so students cannot access them (Cyber Bullying 3). Cyber bullying causes destruction to not only the victim’s life, but the loved ones of the victim as well. With the modern day technology that increases every day, cyber bullying will keep growing without the strict anti-bullying laws that need to be enforced not only in select states, but in all. Schools need to be more open-eyed to what children are doing during school hours and being strict that their acts don’t follow them home. Parents need to teach their children better habits and respectful manners so that when they are confronted with others, it is less likely they will be a bully to them. With all these minor improvements that can be made, cyber bullying can be diminished very easily if everyone helps out every day.

Film Essay -- Research Papers Movies Religion Papers

Film Since its introduction to America and the world, film has become one of the most important and popular cultural mediums ever (Marsh 33). Ever since the motion picture industry began, the role of Jesus Christ has been used numerous times in different ways. These portrayals of Jesus in film have varied in showing either a traditional image, pertaining to the gospels, or one more unconventional, usually based on someone else's interpretation. Both of these different ways of showing Jesus and his life have greatly influenced people’s image of him (Brunstad 145). Because of the movies' portrayals of Jesus, his differing image has also been shown as more human, usually when Jesus is unconventional, or more divine. The portrayal of Jesus Christ, from Ben-Hur to The Passion of the Christ, focuses too much on either his human aspect or his divine aspect, but has never met the correct depiction of a believable God-man. Jesus Christ shown as a God-man is central to Christian beliefs. In Christian culture Jesus is understood to be both fully divine and fully human at the same time. Because of this idea, the attempt has been made by several films to show Jesus in this way, but has never been achieved. The movies that will be discussed in this paper came out between 1959, after Ben-Hur, and 2004, before The Passion of the Christ. They are as follows, in chronological order of when released: Ben-Hur, King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Jesus Christ Superstar, Jesus of Nazareth, The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Passion of the Christ. Ben-Hur came out in 1959. It was directed by William Wyler. The role of Jesus was played by Claude Heater. This movie de... ... of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 15 March 2004. 25 Apr 2004 . Grimshaw, Michael. â€Å"Sexless Piety or a Man’s Man? Notes on the cinematic representation of Jesus.† Journal of Beliefs and Values 20 (1999): 149-161. Hittinger, Russell and Elizabeth Lev. â€Å"Gibson’s Passion.† First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life 141 (2004): 7-9. Kinnard, Roy and Tim Davis. Divine Images: A History of Jesus on the Screen. New York: Carol, 1992. Marsh, Clive and Gaye Ortiz, eds. Explorations in Theology and Film. Oxford: Blackwell, 1997. Medved, Michael. Hollywood Vs. America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Stern, Richard C, Clayton N Jefford, and Guerric DeBona,. Savior on the Silver Screen. New York: Paulist, 1999. Turner, Matthew Paul. â€Å"Jesus in Living Color.† Christian Single 26 (2004): 40.

Taliban/Osama Movie

J. Galloway, T. Lockett, M. Franklin Dr. Newson-Horst Humanities 301 March 7, 2013 Taliban/Osama The Taliban are a large Sunni Islamist group of men who rule in Afghanistan. The Taliban presence in Afghanistan was densest in 1996 on through 2001. The Taliban presence/force declined in 2001 with the invasion of the U. S. military in The Middle East after the September 11 attacks. The Taliban began as a distinct group who fought alongside other mujahedeen groups during the Cold War against the Soviet Union.In the early to late 1980's the Cold War allowed the Taliban to rise to power. The Taliban group was set apart from other mujahedeen groups because of their focus on the learning and teaching of the Islamic faith alongside actual fighting. The film Osama written by Siddiq Barmak, provides an accurate depiction of the Taliban in Afghanistan by its in depth portrayal of the Taliban’s religious values, control, and acts of violence. The religious values of the Taliban are what fo rm them as a group.Anyone who wished to fight on the Taliban front would have to comply with their strict routine of prayer and study which filled their lives when they were not fighting. In the film viewers may perhaps gain this interpretation as they watched the young boys hauled off to a Taliban ran school where they prayed and studied the Qur’an in several scenes. The Taliban follow the Islamic faith very strictly sticking to traditional views and values especially towards women. The women under Taliban control cannot work, wear what they please, or come and go as they please.The religious values learned and taught by the Taliban takes a huge toll on the everyday lives of the people who are succumbed to that way of life. The Taliban has a substantial amount of control in Afghanistan with fifty-four percent of the control being permanent. Taliban ruled areas are doomed with laws and constant terror. The women are harassed and forced to wear burkas at all times. In the film a member of the Taliban warns a husband to make his wife cover her feet in fear of other men being aroused by her feet.The Taliban in Afghanistan gain finances through drug trafficking, kidnapping, and foreign donations. Private citizens from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, and some Persian Gulf nations are the largest contributors to the donations of the Taliban group in Afghanistan. The group was trademarked by controlling women to wear burkas, banning television, and jailing men whose beards were deemed too short. These controlling antics are depicted throughout the film. The violent nature of the Taliban is heavily present in the film Osama.In one scene women were protesting for the right to work to provide for their families. The Taliban blasted these women and their children with water and sprayed bullets into the crowd. Several protesting women were jailed for their participation. The Taliban also participates in kidnapping as a means of financial gain. They commit high profil e kidnappings for ransom to fund their terror. Finally, the Taliban has its own judicial system where many people have their lives taking away for random acts of resistance against Taliban law.In the film one can see an American reporter sentenced to death for recording the Taliban. The Taliban conduct live stoning to death with its members and crowd. In conclusion, the Taliban's large presence in Afghanistan has been in place for a very long time. The lifestyle of Middle Eastern women, men, and children are shaped around the ruling of the Taliban. The Taliban parade the streets and cause terror in the lives of its people. The film Osama aided with the understanding of the Taliban rule.Viewers gain a first-hand interpretation of the hardships faced under Taliban rule and how tough it is to uphold as a family. Citations Ansari, Fahad. â€Å"Understanding the Taliban Movement. † Harakah Daily/en H 1434 (2013): n. pag. 06 Mar. 2013. Web. Bajoria, Jayshree. â€Å"Council on Fore ign Relations. † Backgrounder (n. d. ): n. pag. Council on Foreign Relations. 06 Oct. 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. Fremson, Ruth. Taliban (n. d. ): n. pag. Nytimes. com. The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. .

Discuss the Marketing Environment Essay

The Marketing Environment consists of a complex set of interacting forces and influences outside the marketing department of an organization. The Marketing Environment affects the organization’s ability to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with its target customers. Through continuous monitoring its Marketing Environment a company must be able to anticipate change and act in a pro active way rather than leaving it to a reactive reaction. It must also keep up to date by realizing any effective changing forces. It does this by monitoring SWOT i.e. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Obviously wanting to maximize on Strengths and Opportunities and eliminate Weaknesses and Threats. Marketers must use marketing intelligence and market research when monitoring the Marketing Environment. The Marketing Environment can be divided into two main categories; the Micro and the Macro Environment. The Micro Environment This can also be divided. Internal Environment and Forces close to the organization. The Internal Environment. This consists of Top Management and Other departments. The Top management is responsible for setting the organizations overall mission, objectives, strategies and policies to guide all the organizations departments and employees. The success of the company is dependant on the competence of the Top managers. Other departments must co-ordinate their efforts as to maximize potential and avoid conflicts. The smoother the departments work together the better the overall outcome is going to be. All employees should realize the importance of being market-orientated and of delivering customer satisfaction. Forces close to the organization. This consists of Competitors, Marketing  Intermediaries, Suppliers of resources, Customers and Publics. Competitors: must offer superior value & satisfaction than their competitors and make it widely known throughout the target market. Companies must make an effort to attract their target customers and retain them by delivering customer satisfaction. These companies must watch their competitors closely as to retain their market share and maybe win some of the competitor’s market share. Marketing Intermediaries: These are firms that assist the company hiring them to promote, sell and distribute its products to target customers. Resellers will help find target customers or sell to them. Transportation firms help companies stock and transport goods. Agencies providing marketing services are marketing research agencies, advertising agencies, and marketing consulting firms. Financial intermediaries are organizations that will sell financial services to companies. Suppliers of resources: A company must be very careful as to watch for any changes (shortages, delays, labour strikes etc) as they are damaging to the companies sales and reputation. The organization is as efficient as its suppliers. Customers: Firstly a company must identify its target market. Then develop the right 4P’s to build long term customer relationships. An organizations target customers may be part of different markets. Consumer markets which are people who buy for personal use, these are called final consumers. Business Markets are companies that buy goods or services in order to use them for production in order to resell at a profit, these are called business customers. Government markets rent goods or services to carry out the main functions of the government. Institutional markets are schools & hospitals that provide goods or services to those in the organization. International markets are any of the customer markets but are situated overseas. Each market has its own particular features. Organizations must study the market/s to which they are selling to so as to understand its/their characteristics; including the way buying decisions are made. Publics: are groups that have an actual or potential interest in or on the companies ability to achieve its objectives. These publics include Media, Financial, Local, Internal, General, Citizen Action, or Government. The Macro Environment The Macro Environment can be considered as forces. These forces can be split into four categories: Demographic forces, Natural forces, Political forces and Social forces. Demographic Forces This is the study of the population. Demographic trends include Growing world population, Ageing population, Increasing Diversity, Changes in family structure, and a more Educated population. Growing world population: The number of needs increases as the population increases. These increased needs backed by purchasing power create market opportunities. These opportunities must be exploited. Ageing population: If the older segment of the population increases opportunities for companies that target this segment of the market. Likewise it creates threats companies that target a young market. These companies can react by offering a product suitable for an older market on top of their original product. Increasing diversity: The nationality and racial make up of the country/ies where they are selling their products should be considered. People’s wants are generally due to their nationality or race. Due to advancements in technology and transportation this has and is likely to continue increasing. Changes in family structure: Nowadays families have gotten smaller. This means that the usual budget for food etc is obviously going to get smaller i.e. with a higher standard of living an increase in purchases of various  products is probable. Women working have also increased so with money in their pocket a new segment of potential customers has been created. There is also a shift in husband and wife roles so now household products should also be aimed at husbands as well as wives. A more educated population: As a result of this the demand for quality products, book, formal clothing etc has increased. Natural Forces These are forces to do with natural resources. These forces can be split into four categories: Raw material shortage, Increased pollution, Increased government intervention and Environmentalism. Raw Material Shortage: Non renewable resources pose a serious threat. Companies face problems such as increasing costs and protests. Some day they’ll have to find substitute materials to use in production. Renewable resources also pose a problem if depletion rate supersedes its renewal rate. Companies using these resources face the same problems. Seemingly infinite resources are being destroyed due to pollution. Companies causing such harm face bad word of mouth and a bad reputation. Increased pollution: This poses a health as well as other threats to the general society. These industries must face bad word of mouth. Increased government intervention: This intervention in resource management varies across countries. Government laws and regulations must be monitored by companies as to not break laws and face consequences. Environmentalism: These cause pressure; sometimes so much that they actually damage a company’s reputation and influence government intervention. Now companies go beyond and develop a plan that is known as an environmentally sustainable strategy and develop ecologically safer products. Political Forces These are forces such as laws, government agencies and pressure groups. These forces vary with country and possibly time. There job is to protect organizations from each other, consumers from organizations and their deceptive practices etc, and society as a whole. Businesses are not only limited by laws and regulations but ethical and social codes are also considered. Most Businesses adopt the Societal Marketing Concept. Economic Forces These are forces that affect consumers’ spending ability and spending patterns. These are split into Changes in Average Income, Changes in Income Distribution, and Changing Consumer Spending Patterns. Changes in Average Income: means that a high average income level by means of a raise can lead to an increase in demand for quality products and a fall for cheaper, more inferior products. Obviously a fall in average income can lead to the opposite. Companies must therefore be very aware of the changing in incomes and adjust to the accordingly. Changes in Income Distribution: The segments are rich, middle income, and low income and people living on welfare. These segments sizes are likely to change over time. Once again the company must be monitoring this to spot changes to identify the trends in its target market/s. Companies can choose to offer two or more variations of their product in order to satisfy all parts of the Income Distribution chain ex. Books. Changing Consumer Spending Patterns: Patterns are changing every day. As income increases products such as food etc are spent on less than housing, transportation etc. This is what help businesses decide on whether to expand in the same line of products or find an alternative line. Cultural Forces Beliefs and values are divided into: core beliefs and values and beliefs  which are difficult to change, and secondary beliefs and values which are easier to change. A company must either find a way of adjusting its product to fit the core beliefs and values or try and change the secondary beliefs through marketing activities etc. These beliefs are mainly attributes of ones society. A person holds views on: 1. her/himself – people buy products that match their personalities. 2. other people – people want to interact with society, therefore there is a demand for  products that improve their relationships with others ex. Clubs etc. 3. various institutions – a positive attitude towards an institution means that people will trust this institution. Companies do this buy adopting the Societal Marketing Concept. 4. his/her society – people prefer buying products made in their own company. 5. the natural environment – if people feel close to nature a demand in products such as health food will increase. i.e. if the company harms the environment this will reflect badly. 6. the universe and spirituality – if religious convictions and practice falls, materialism  takes over. If it doesn’t fall companies promote their products with a spiritual theme. Any organization needs to research such views and adjust each of the 4P’s accordingly. Technological Forces A new technology implies new market opportunities for some organizations and threats for others. Companies once realizing this must keep up to date in order for technology to help them become more efficient, thus making them more successful.