Saturday, August 31, 2019

Plato vs. Nietzsche

Johnny Lee Plato versus Nietzsche The central ideas that two great philosophers, Plato and Friedrich Nietzsche, talked about were the reality and appearance; and what they mainly focused on is where we as humans stand between these two. Of course, regarding the fact that Plato and Nietzsche lived in different time periods, they had their differences that conflict with each other’s theories. But they do have something to agree upon; they both argue that humans live in an illusory world of our own that we think is reality when we actually are not. One important idea they disagree on is their concepts on what is reality and what is truth.Plato’s theory is mostly based on his cave allegory where he explains human’s conditions. I will explain the similarities and differences between Plato and Nietzsche through the cave allegory. Starting from a base point, Plato and Nietzsche both state that there are deceptions and illusions in the world. First, according to the cave allegory by Plato, he believes the â€Å"shadows†(Plato 64) to be what’s keeping us from utilizing our knowledge to its fullest value. The â€Å"shadows† are metaphors that represent our acts of relying on our senses to identify objects in life.They are only the appearances of the actual objects, meaning that we are not getting the genuine concept that is concealed by the appearances. He explains that the objects humans see in the visible world are far from the truth and their true forms. On the contrary, Nietzsche does not believe that the â€Å"shadows† are actually what Plato says they are. Although Nietzsche does believe that there are illusions in the world that humans are commonly deceived by, he argues that what deceives us in the world is our language and not the appearances of objects.He explains that concepts are the main cause that deceives humans because â€Å"a concept is produced by overlooking what is individual and real†(Nietzsche 878). And this is where language part comes in. The language helps creating concepts to objects, making it harder for humans to comprehend the â€Å"original entities† (Nietzsche 877) of the objects. Words are only â€Å"metaphors of things† (Nietzsche 877) to identify them but nothing more. Words do not hold any meanings or the true essence of the objects. The only purpose of words is so that humans can agree on the same things and get things done; create consistency in our lives. In terms of ruth in objects, Plato believes that once humans are out the cave we will be able to see the truth in things and know logic and reasoning. He argues that the only way to grasp the real meanings of objects is to rationalize everything and not rely on our senses (Plato 66). If all humans use logic to define everything and not guess what they would represent, then we would all be in the intelligible realm. On the other hand, Nietzsche has a very different take on the subject matter of truth. In fact, he argues that there are nothing more real than things that visibly and physically exist in the world; things that are accessible.This is why he does not believe in the intelligible realm or the real reality. He believes that we are already in reality. His main case is that those things that exist in the world â€Å"know neither forms nor concepts. †(Nietzsche 878); and therefore there is no reality, meanings, concepts or even truth within these objects. Nietzsche believes that the only truth existing in our lives is the agreement through language. We have put labels and titles on objects so that we would be able to agree upon identifying those objects without any conflicts or disagreement. Steven Wallace delivers a similar point through his poem, â€Å"Metaphors of a Magnifico†.The basic summary of this poem is that there are â€Å"Twenty men crossing a bridge/ Into a village† (Stevens) and the speaker, Stevens or the Magnifico, is trying to find the meaning behind these twenty crossing the bridge. The problem that Stevens had was the words that were used by someone else to describe the twenty men. These twenty men could be perceived as twenty men crossing twenty bridges for each man could experience crossing the bridge very differently. It can also be seen as one man crossing the bridge if they all had the same purpose of why they are crossing the bridge. Ultimately, these men will look like one single man.Stevens could not find the true meaning of his own behind these other people’s descriptions of the twenty men. He starts using words like â€Å"white wall† and â€Å"fruit-trees† to grasp the real meaning of these men crossing the bridge but no matter how hard he tries â€Å"the meaning escapes†(Stevens). This poem perfectly supports Nietzsche’s theory in the sense that, words are only metaphors to describe objects. Words cannot hold concepts for objects do not have real meanings be hind them. After all, Stevens and even Nietzsche would say that it is simply â€Å"Twenty men crossing a bridge/ Into a village† with no concepts attached.Going back to the cave allegory, Plato says that humans think the â€Å"shadows† are the truth behind the objects when they are only appearances. Now if Nietzsche would critique the allegory he would find certain things accurate and other things to be false. One thing he would agree upon is the deception that humans are getting. One big idea on the allegory that Nietzsche would definitely disagree on is the outside world or the intelligible realm for he does not believe that we are not living in reality right now.He does not believe that we are in the cave. If Nietzsche would roughly create an allegory for his view on the world and human conditions he would first scrap the whole idea of being in the cave and the outside world. In Nietzsche’s allegory, there is a group of men freely standing outside in nature. And everything in nature is labeled with a card on them: â€Å"trees†, â€Å"flowers†, â€Å"grass† and so on. As each of the men looks at these objects, they will see the same objects but different distorted shadows.These men, thinking that there are more meanings and concepts beyond theses words on the cards, will have different shapes of the shadows in their heads, due to different perceptions. However in reality, the shadows of the objects will flawlessly match the shapes of the actual objects, meaning that what you see is what you get: there are no hidden concepts. Although Plato and Nietzsche may have differences on the matter of truth, they are able to find a common ground between their theories: it is that humans could not be living deeper in an illusory world right now.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Prayer, Humility, and Fate

Victoria Smith (H) English 3 Mrs. Parsons September 24, 2012 Prayer, Humility, and Fate In the story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is developed as a Christian hero through his reliance on prayer and his humility which illuminates the theme that God controls fate. Gawain is developed as a Christian knight through his reliance on prayer. This trait is shown when Gawain is lost in a storm and does not know which way to turn. Gawain prays â€Å"Lord I beseech you†¦for some house where I may hear Mass devoutly† (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 157, 159).Gawain demonstrates his dependence on prayer through this quote because it shows him praying to God for shelter in the storm and continually saying â€Å"Cross of Christ, bless me! † (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 761). Gawain is established as a Christian hero through this quote because he relies on prayer in order to complete his task because he realizes that he cannot do it on his own. Immediately after G awain prays, God reveals to him a castle just ahead. Gawain’s establishment as a Christian hero illuminates the theme that God controls fate because it shows God granting his request and granting him victory.This is essential to the development of the theme because it clearly shows God altering Gawain’s fate which sets the course for the rest of the story. Gawain’s humility throughout the story also establishes him as a Christian hero. In contrast to Beowulf, a pagan hero, who often bragged about his strength and superior ability; Gawain, a Christian hero, is humble, often to the point of putting himself down. After Bertilak’s wife finishes telling Gawain how great he is, Gawain responds â€Å"I am all unworthy†¦to presume to the honor you ascribe me† (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1243, 1244).Gawain reveals his humility to Bertilak’s wife by not talking himself up, but humbling himself and claiming himself unworthy of such high prais e. Another example of Gawain’s humility can be found when he speaks to Arthur following the Green Knight’s challenge saying â€Å"I am the weakest†¦ and the least wise† and in response to Gawain’s humility, King Arthur gives Gawain God’s blessing and allows him to take the challenge in his place (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 354).Gawain’s humility is essential in his development as a Christian hero because the Bible commands Christians to humble numerous times including the verse found in 1 Peter 5:6 which says, â€Å"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. † As Christians, it is believed that God will exalt those who are humble. This belief is clearly shown through Gawain’s humility and success as a hero further proving the theme that God controls fate. Because of Gawain’s humility, and his reliance on prayer, God grants him success in the end and Gawain is exalted.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Writing to inform – Poverty

Poverty is the greatest problem facing the world today and through the annals of history. The fact that wealth is distributed so unevenly, many would say unfairly is a problem that has occurred for millennia. Whether it be the social stratification of ancient Egypt or that of today's world, poverty has always existed and some say, always will. Ever since there has been poverty, there have been those that have tried to help the poor. There may have been money given, or food offered, there has always been a struggle to combat poverty. However this has always seemed futile, the black hole of poverty in our world has never been closed, and it has never ended. Though, in these modern times, due to our social structure and awareness, there are fewer people suffering from absolute poverty than any other time in history. Every time we enter the town centre, we are surrounded by hordes of collectors, every penny we give leads to the reduction of poverty. Every time we flick on the TV, there are countless adverts telling us to donate. Every time we look in a magazine or newspaper, there are articles telling us of the world's ills. Never has there been such a mass awareness, leading to donations, from people all around the world, to people all around the world. You still may be wondering why I have chosen poverty as the world's greatest problem. It is because it is the Russian doll of the world's problems. The fact that poverty leads to crime, disease, famine, lack of education and pollution truly makes it the roots of the world's problems. Everything stems from poverty. The distillation of water is also a major problem. The fact that distillation is an expensive process, requiring many resources to use, leads to a poor quality of water in those countries that can't simply afford it. The water may carry diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, which leads to the death of many people. This will most likely be infants and the elderly, as they are more susceptible to illnesses. There may also be a lack of food due to the poor quality of the soil as fertilisers may be too expensive. This in turn leads to crime; mothers and fathers may steal to feed their children. People will do anything to survive, even if it is against their basic morals. The fact that this leads to crime truly proves the â€Å"Russian doll† theory. Poverty has lead to a lack of food, which in turn has led to crime. The fact that poverty is an endless spiral leads it to its longevity in our world. A lack of education leads to poorly paid jobs. As prices rise due to a population increase, the poor are made even poorer. The fact that the human population increases due to the poor having many children to sustain their agricultural work, leads only to an increase in prices. Corporations know of supply and demand. There is always a greater demand if the population increases, and all they must do is increase their prices. Poverty has led to all these things, and these things lead to poverty. It is as if it is a bacterium. Constantly splitting, growing in number. However the modern era of donation maybe the virus that purges poverty from our world. Maybe one day, we will live in a world where wealth is distributed evenly. Where the larger corporations play â€Å"fair,† and the word â€Å"poor† never has to be used ever apart from in a history lesson. Maybe we can lead to that sort of world; maybe we can be the virus that destroys poverty. We maybe the generation which made poverty history.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

What were the aims of Gregory of Tours 'History of the Franks' Essay

What were the aims of Gregory of Tours 'History of the Franks' - Essay Example As a youth, Gregory lived with his uncles Nicetius and Archdeacon Avitus who later became bishop of Lyons and bishop of Clermont respectively. His education was in church schools and primarily limited to a study of the scripture. In fact, he was educated by his own uncle Gallus, who was the Bishop of Clermont. 1Platts points out that â€Å"Gregory distinguished himself so much by his learning and virtue, that in 573, he was chosen bishop of Tours†. Gregory had already been ordained a deacon by 565. He was chosen to succeed Eufronius, his mother’s cousin as the nineteenth bishop of tours in 573. After being chosen bishop of Tours, Gregory went to Rome where he visited the tombs of various Apostles and cultivated friendship with Gregory the Great. Gregory’s life being a bishop was not easy. Despite being the site of the fourth-century bishop of Tours, it was also a territory accustomed to conflicts between the kings of Frank such as Sigibert and Chilperic. In 585, Gregory was opposed by a coalition formed by a section of the Touraine clergy, the enemies of the Austrasian family and the count of the city. During this time Touraine was being disputed by Merovingian princes. Despite being a person who respected authority, Gregory got involved in these political quarrels as he attempted to defend the rights of Saint Martin. However, he had more quite relations with successors of Chilperic. Although he could not maintain his authority in a province divided among a number of different kingdoms, he did new things in Tours and prolonged Saint Martin’s authority. Gregory died in Tours on November 17 in 593 or 594. By the time of his death, he had made many accomplishments among them being the work of rebuilding Tours cathedral as well as improving its collection of relic materials. There have been various debates in the past on Gregory’s aim for writing the history of the Franks. To begin with, the title ‘history of the Franks†™ gives an impression that his work is primarily based on history. Anyone who reads the title will believe that the principle behind the work is the history of the Merovingian and Frankish kingdoms, their kings and successors. In fact, the topics range from attempts by Clovis to eliminate Frankish kings who were his rivals. He also gives accounts of natural disasters that characterised his times like the cataclysmic floods. However, Gregory’s intention was not to write a political history but rather to intertwine both ecclesiastical and secular history in order to pass his message. The word history is contrary to what Gregory wanted to convey in his work the history of the Franks. But for Gregory and other ancient writers such as Herodotus the word Historiae is used to refer to an account of witnessed events rather than events heard of. In fact, six among the ten books Gregory wrote revolve around his own times. In book one, Gregory goes back to the creation of man, some ev ents in the Old Testament and ends with the death of bishop Martin of Tours. In book two he discusses the disputes that took place between early Frankish kings and ends with Clovis’s death. In book three, he discusses the fortunes of Clovis’s sons and from the fourth book; he discusses his early life, family and events during his times. Gregory wrote the history of the Franks; the lives of the saints among other works. He remains one of the most gifted and creative writers of the middle ages. He is also one of the most prominent early medieval sacred biographers. Through his work, the history of the Franks Gregory reveals the political turmoil’

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Operation Management - Essay Example If different aspects of business are analyzed it is expected to find that manufacturing business processes are significantly different from the business processes that are solely involved in providing services. In case of service industry, production and consumption take place at the same time, whereas in case of manufacturing industry consumption takes place after the production is complete (University of New Brunswick, n.d.). Furthermore, the concept of ‘inventory’ is irrelevant in case of service sector, but in manufacturing industry organizations’ operational efficiency depends on the effectiveness of inventory management process. Since manufacturing industry deals with tangible products, inventory must be maintained in order to cope up with the fluctuations in the demand and supply. However, service cannot be stored as it is perishable. It has to be consumed when it is produced. As a result operational challenge in case of service is associated with the readi ness for producing and delivering it at the same time. For instance an electronic goods manufacturing company can maintain a stock for meeting the additional demand, but a barber cannot preserve his haircuts for meeting future demands (Longenecker, 2008). Manufacturing operations can be distinguished from the service operations in the context of measurement of productivity. Productivity of a manufacturing unit can be easily measured, but it is difficult to measure the same of a service providing unit. For instance, productivity of an automobile manufacturing unit can be measured by counting the number of car that it produces in a particular year (Greasley, 1999). However, for a company that is involved in ‘consultancy’ business, it is very difficult to quantify the delivered service. Maintaining quality is another important task for the operation management of an organization. For the manufacturing industry, maintaining a standard quality is an easy task as compared to the service

Guarani and Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Guarani and Nationalism - Essay Example The country seemed to understand the idea of nationalism being among the first in West collectively. Apart from the nationalism, the country was long ago associated with industrialization, urbanization and modernization due to proper understanding of nationalism at an earlier stage. At the beginning of times in Paraguay, there was widespread racial mixing and contact with limited immigration trends, political isolation and geographic trends that produced a remarkable homogeneous population. These factors prevented the creation of the society that is stratified or the rise of the Spanish-speaking group. Geography and race together with the history repeatedly led to growth of the ethnic and language identity aspects to the foreground of the political life of the nation fostering and fueling the sense of distinctiveness that has not abated at backyard and intrigued and attracted the scholars from abroad. The Paraguay’s identification within its territorial integrity and linguistic patrimony is not recent. The background of the identification dates back to the countrys quest for its independence and the self-governance thereafter. This aspect was intensified by the onslaughts that suffered at the time of the War of the Chaco and the Triple Alliance that brought an abiding appreciation and espousal of its distinctive language and heritage. This allegiance culminated in the year of 1967 when Guarani was then declared the national language of Paraguay. Since then Joan Rubin the time when he did the pioneering work it has been assumed that Paraguay is the most bilingual nation in the world and by far its bilingualism is non-volatile rather than a shifting one (Ethnicity and Nationalism (second edition), 2010). The concomitant with the above phenomenon the two languages are supposed to be predominantly infused with positive effect. The Guarani language is

Monday, August 26, 2019

Summary What Leaders Really Do) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary What Leaders Really Do) - Assignment Example An organization cannot run in the expected manner if those working under the leader do not receive direction to follow. This direction is very essential in bringing about the desired changes, which is why leaders ought to be on their toes so that these goals can be attained; to help an organization be able to cope as they struggle through it. Leaders do not have to produce a detailed plan on what is to be done, setting direction is the main aspect they are supposed to deal with and leave the rest to the management. There is nothing fascinating about leadership, but the fact that they develop visions that make way for changes, and work towards achieving them. For these changes to get realized, it is necessary that leaders with outstanding competence are selected and exposed so that they can come out with strong leadership. It is however useless having strong leaders with management that is weak, as performance will still be low. An example of visionary leadership that is set to bring about changes in an organization is that American Express at the time it was receiving a lot of competition from other companies that came up with cards to compete with them. Competition is known to hinder growth of a company and being the visionary leader he was, he decided to come up with a scheme that would put the company at its feet again; which was through asking of fundamental questions on economics, market and competition so that he could develop a perfect understanding of the business. It is the above that a leader should do as his dedication made him save the company. In aligning of people, communication is very important, and it is best that leaders be good at it. These challenges are in trying to get people understand a new or alternative vision to be implemented as well as having the people one is dealing with believe the message being put across. Alignment leads to empowerment, which ends up reducing on

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 44

Marketing - Essay Example Lastly, services are intangible, meaning they cannot be touched or physically felt. This increases the hesitation in a consumer’s mind regarding the credibility, making the purchase decision harder. Thus, it is important that the services and its USP are marketed properly to increase awareness and allowing consumers to make a conscious choice according to the marketed characteristics. 2. Apple Inc. is a US based company that manufactures, markets and sell electronics, cellphones, tablets, software’s and personal computer s to the masses at a premium price. The ‘apple’ phenomenon is not a new one for this day and age where the initiative taken by Steve jobs took the world by storm. New innovative softwares, technologically advanced systems and superior user experience were some of the key differentiating factors that allowed Apple to attain the current position in the market. The targeting strategy adopted by Apple is differentiated targeted. This is because the company believes in selling high end products that offer superior customer value at a premium price. The focus of the company as per Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, is to create a halo effect that leaves people craving the product once one is hooked on to it (Pride, pg 43). The availability is relatively concentrated due to the company’s aim to keep up the ‘premium product’ image. Apple differentiates its products on the basis of the features offered, the brand association and the superior experience that it promises. Apple loyalists have this concept embedded in their minds and thus they do not consider switching. It also reflects the founder, SteveJobs’s aim to make the product so superior in quality and experience that the market comes to them and they don’t have to market themselves. This is the reason why the minimalistic advertising still allows apple to gain and

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Political Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Political Terrorism - Term Paper Example Some of the most threatening terrorist groups are taking advantage of IT, like the Internet, telecommunication equipment, and computers to enhance the organization and coordination of scattered operations. This essay discusses the impact of information technology on terrorism; how policymakers, intelligence specialists, and scholars view this current change in the nature of terrorism; and the needed security or defense policies to disrupt this new form of terrorism. While numerous private companies have adopted information technology to conduct their businesses more competitively and with better adaptability, terrorist organizations are exploiting the potentials of IT to facilitate new structures of organization and functional ideologies. And while private companies are building consortiums to offer a wide variety of products and/or services to consumers, terrorist organizations are ‘fragmenting’ from hierarchical bureaucracies and shifting to more linear, autonomous, and frequently restructuring networks of organizations unified by a shared objective (Muckian, 2006). The emergence of networked terrorist organizations is a component of a larger move toward ‘netwar’. Netwar is defined as a developing form of crime and conflict requiring procedures far removed from conventional war where in actors are likely to be made up of small, scattered units who carry out, organize, and communicate their operations without an exact central authority (Arquilla & Ronfeldt, 2001, 3). Netwar is different from forms of conflict wherein the players favor hierarchical, independent, official structures, ideologies, and approaches, such as earlier attempts, for instance, to create consolidated revolutionary campaigns along the lines of Marxism. †¦ criminal organizations and networks based in North America, Western Europe, China, Colombia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia will expand the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Organizational Culture Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organizational Culture Analysis - Essay Example The essay "Organizational Culture Analysis" presents the analysis of the organizational culture as the defined whole set of values, personalities, norms, assumptions, behaviors, beliefs, ideas and tangible and intangible signs of the organization in its internal and external environments of business conduct. Such tangible and intangible artifacts include organizational goals such as mission and vision. Culture is a tool for the manager to inculcate a set of values, beliefs, and ideas in the employee whose vision is then transformed into that of the organization’s vision. According to Edgar Schein organizational culture is â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems". Schein has provided one of the most thought-provoking definitions to organizational culture and goes on to claim that of all the attributes of the organization, culture is perhaps the most difficult to transform. He identifies three attributes in the organization culture. Next Geert Hofstede identified five dimensions as the basis for organizational culture. Hofstede actually preceded Schein the latter theory’s importance is much greater. It has been given the preference in this paper. A number of other scholars produced their theories on organizational culture too.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Discuss the ways in which Steinbeck explores the concept of the American Dream is central to the novel Essay Example for Free

Discuss the ways in which Steinbeck explores the concept of the American Dream is central to the novel Essay The American Dream was a dream that nearly everyone had throughout the twentieth century. It was hope for a better life and people believed strongly that it would come true. The main characters in Of Mice Men have a dream which was to get a plot of land and live on it and become self-sufficient. The American Dream was not an achievable goal for many people. Steinbeck shows this failure through the characters of Lennie George. The American dream was a great thing. We first heard about it when Lennie and George were sitting by the river at the beginning of the book. The dream was a hope that every rancher had an opportunity for a better life. Lennie and George, the two main characters, had such a dream, Some day were gonna get a little place and a couple of acres. The idea was to get a piece of land, grow crops and have an improved life there. They also new exactly what they were aiming for and what they wanted. They realised that their imagination should not be set too high for fear of disappointment. The two men also knew that they should not tell other people about the plot of land in case it was snatched from under their noses. This frequently happened then, as so many people were seeking the same desire., Well its ten acres said George. Got a little win mill. Got a little shack on it and a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, peaches, cots, nuts, got a few berries. This shows that Lennie and George had ambition and again, knew what they wanted. It also shows that there were places where the dream had a chance of coming true, and that affordable land was for sale. Lennie and George intended to get the land by working extremely hard for a couple of months. They would earn standard migrant labour workers wages which was of course not very much, as the great depression was around at the time the book was set. The men hoped to save money and put it towards the plot of land, Look, if me an Lennie work a month an dont spen nothing well have a hundred bucks. Sooner or later people started to realise that the American Dream was turning into a nightmare. This is shown in the book by all the travelling and unemployment. Steinbeck shows that people were determined to get a job and willing to travel around to find one, he reinforces this through Lennie and George. At the start of the novel Steinbeck told us that they were walking, so we obviously know that they have had a nomadic life. During their rest they have a conversation about their travels The first thing you know is that they are pounding away at some other ranch. This backs up the fact that people travel around for jobs. We know how Lennie and George frequently lose their jobs, this is due to Lennie constantly getting the pair of them into trouble which jeopardises their current job. Because of this they have to travel from one ranch to another in search of another job. Also you can corroborate the fact that people travelled by George quoting, The hell with what I says. You remember about us going into Murray and Readys and they give us work cards and bus tickets. Murray and Ready are a typical work agency that sprung up in America during the Great Depression. In the 1930s the Great Depression spoilt the American Dream, it damaged everything that had a promising future, from buying food to making investments in the stock market. Through out the novel we do not see this very much. It is shown only as a high unemployment rate. George is very passionate about work as he wants to achieve his dream. As you read on through the book George comments on other people in his situation, They aint got nothing to look ahead to. Implying that George is fed up of losing his job to other people. He now knows you should not think about looking ahead to long term ambitions as anything can happen. The rate of unemployment was a serious issue at the time of the book, as the economy was decreasing rapidly. It is shown through various characters such as Carlson, Slim, Lennie, George and many more. We know that they all have been travelling from ranch to ranch in search of jobs during this time, they have started to feel like they do not have a home and dont belong anywhere. Guys like us, they got no family and dont belong no place. They come to a ranch an work up a stake then they go into town and blow their stake. This was quite normal for young and old men in their quest, not just for the dream, but for survival. Because of that, it made it hard for people to keep a job as other people who were as desperate, came along and accepted less pay to work at the same job, just so they could get some money. The idea of the American Dream was to be happy but just as well as the Great depression, racism also crippled the illusion. The dream was merely for the whites, as many of the blacks were unlawfully discarded from the opportunity or status to achieve it. Steinbeck shows this in the book through a character called Crooks, who was a crippled Negro stable buck and had suffered years of abuse in his life. Although Crooks could read and write, he was very lonely and because he was black, he could not join in with the usual endeavours of other men on the ranch. Suppose you had to sit out here and read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it gets dark, but then you got to read books. This shows he only had books for company. It was still very racist in the 1930s so there was not much chance of Crooks achieving the dream by himself and certainly no one at that time would try to help. In the course of the book Crooks also tells us about his life in the past, how his father did actually achieve the dream, and how his family was the only coloured family in Soledad, which is where the book was set. There wasnt another coloured family for miles around. And now there aint no coloured man on this ranch. Crooks felt strongly about this, he was neglected by everyone and still felt as if he was being treated as an unequal by every other man. He wanted so much to be included in the games that everyone participated in. Suppose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black. Because Crooks was being denied these privileges he turned into a bitter man who was equally as malicious as the offenders. This portrays the dream in a bad way, which is unusual as the dream is usually portrayed as being happy and being the provider when it actually created tensions between different races and cultures and caused many tribulations between people. Although Crooks is abused by many people on the ranch there is one person in the book who does not discriminate him because he is black, that person is Lennie. Lennie does not understand or see the racism in the world and he sees everyone as being the same. Crooks feels he can talk to Lennie about many things, A guy can talk to you an be sure you wont go blabbin. Because of this it reassures Crooks and makes him feel better as he knows he can talk to some one instead of read books At first there was a chance of the dream coming true. One reason was because of Candy, willing to give his life savings so he would know that he had somewhere to go after he was incapable of working on the ranch, Tell you what suppose I went in with you guys thas three hundred and fifty bucks Id put in. This endorses the fact that he was willing to put every last coinage that he had, to assist him to have a happy finale to his life. Also Crooks, the negro stable buck, offers to help, If you guys would want a hand in work for nothing just his keep. He did this just so he could have a friendship with someone and feel liked. In addition no one else knew about this certain plot of land, which made it a secret of the group and easy to obtain. We know that the owners needed to get the money fast, The ol people that owns it is flat bust an the ol lady needs an operation. Because of all this Lennie, George and Candy stood a very good chance of achieving this reverie. The American dream ended due to a series of unfortunate events. Steinbeck shows this through Lennie and George not getting the land. They did not get it because of many things. The main reason for them failing was Lennie. He spoilt the dream for George, as he was constantly getting into trouble and destroying any chance that he had to achieve the dream. After a while other men on the ranch begin to question their past, for example, Slim, What happened in Weed. We know that they have been travelling around and losing jobs, but it was not just because of other men stealing their jobs only to get paid less, it was also Lennie destructively destroying their chances, because of this they, had to move on to another ranch. In the end they had no hope what so ever, of the dream coming true because of Lennie, once again, getting George into trouble, as he was responsible for Lennie, when he unintentionally killed Curlys wife. If given the chance most men on the farm would attempt the dream even if they thought it was impossible. A good example is Crooks, at one point in the story, he was putting down the fact of any one achieving their goal, Jesus I seen it too many time. Too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand. When Crooks found out that there was a chance of it happening, he decided on trying to get in on it, If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing, just his keep, why Id come an lend a hand. You can see also that people always put down the achievement of the dream, but they all had a secret burning ambition to get it if the chance came around. Through out the book Steinbeck managed to portray the conditions of the Great Depression in the 1930s. He also gave us a glimpse of The American Dream that every one pursued and showed us that it was not an easy achievement. Steinbeck has managed to show the different levels of hardship and suffering that people faced during that period of time and also managed to show more hopeless situations of people from a minority. The concept of the American Dream is at the heart of the novel Of Mice Men and therefore allows Steinbeck to make comments on American Society and the time of the Great Depression.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Text Analysis of Hamlet and Man on Fire Essay Example for Free

Text Analysis of Hamlet and Man on Fire Essay Over time Hamlet transfigures from a highly emotional state to a temperament which is extremely methodical and emotionally stale. This mentality leads to a course of self-imposed blockades that ultimately result in the deferment of his revenge. Creasy, contrastingly, begins in an emotionless and detached state, a facade consolidated through his apparent want to die. However, this icy stature is chiseled away by Peta when he is assigned as her bodyguard. Upon Peta’s kidnapping Creasy is enraged, with reason exchanged for an intense and tremendously emotional approach for revenge. Hamlet’s first soliloquy clearly exhibits the magnitude to which his emotions have informed and consumed his thoughts. Even before knowing the reasons behind his state, it is established that Hamlet has a wish to die, a point pushed by the expression of ‘too too solid’ in the opening sentence. This repetition of ‘too’ expresses Hamlet’s dismay at his own permanency, an idea consolidated in the following line with the words ‘thaw’, ‘resolve’ and ‘dew’ contrasting to make a depiction of evanescence. This remarks that he does not wish to live long . Hamlet also shares a rather resentful view of the world and this is represented through the use of decay imagery. When Hamlet depicts ‘how weary, stale, flat and unprofitable’ the world appears to be he wholeheartedly believes that there is no worth in the world and that it possesses things only ‘rank and gross in nature’. Additionally, the use of caesurae in the sentence indicates, in its very nature, the desultory state of Hamlet. Dislocated sentence structure is also an indicative part of enforcing his wildly emotional state. Constant and erratic leaps between ideas in the mind of Hamlet lets us know that he is not thinking methodically or in a way that would be considered steady. This concoction of chopping and changing ideas is easily displayed where Hamlet says ‘like Niobe, all tears: why she, even she—O, God! ’ This depicts how he redirects his thoughts as seemingly new ideas come to mind and this thus adds to the knowledge of Hamlet’s emotionally unpredictable frame of mind. In contrast, Creasy projects a completely different mental picture at the beginning of Man on Fire. He appears as a character that is very much in his right mind and objective of his emotions. This kind of emotionless facade is furthermore evident in Creasy’s unsociable stance when in the presence of Peta. An example of this comes when Peta asks Creasy whether or not he was scared of her to which he provides a very short, blunt reply of ‘I used to be. At first. But not anymore. ’ This dialogue also indicates that Creasy may have social difficulties and by extension is lost in ways of approaching people or at least those he is not familiar with. An obvious inference of this lack of communication is that Creasy is lonely and quite dejected. A view of the world as being hopeless is also taken up by the character and evident when Peta says that ‘there are some good things in the world’ and Creasy replies ‘Oh yeah, like what. ’ In this way the characters of Hamlet and Creasy are similar – sharing a correlating perspective in which the world is of no prospect. An amalgamation of all these elements lead to an inevitable emotional trough for Creasy; in which he falls into total despondency. This state is characterized through the song ‘Blue Bayou’ which Creasy plays while drinking in the night. In this scene he becomes suicidal as he is assaulted by images and thoughts from which he cannot escape; leading the song to becoming fragmented pieces of non-diagetic sound. This fragmentation and seeming discord is emphasized by Scott who employs a magnitude of frantic panning and rapid cut shots in order to display the breakdown in Creasy’s mental state. When the scene nears its end, Creasy attempts to take his life with a gun that inevitably fails to deliver the life ending bullet. At this point, a non-diagetic and mellow piano starts that indicates a kind of relief to the perplexity of the previous moments. The contemplation of suicide is comparatively explored by Hamlet in the third act. Here, he questions, quite simplistically, his existence with ‘to be, or not to be. ’ From this point, Hamlet appears to ponder reasons for living or ying by asking whether it is ‘nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles. ’ This analysis indicates that Hamlet has devolved from his highly emotional state to a temperament that is extremely methodical in nature, even when considering the ending of his own life. The use of the word ‘thus’ also indicates a fluent transition from one idea to another. Throughout the soliloquy Hamlet appears to be in search of reasons not to die rather than does that consolidate suicide. The most prominent idea being the ‘dread of something after death’. Evidence of this is most prominent when Hamlet states ‘ to die, to sleep;†¦for in that sleep of death what dreams may come’. This indicates fully his fear of life after death and perhaps a kind of retribution for his sins or that of which he will commit in ways of exacting revenge on Claudius. The analytical disposition assumed by Hamlet and his inherent rejection of passion ultimately leads to his downfall and thus, this is his tragic flaw. In contrast to this, Creasy establishes a strong bond of friendship with Peta and, in the wake of her kidnapping, transforms himself into an unstoppable and passionate force for revenge. The most evidential dialogue for this newly ignited passion comes when Creasy says ‘I’m gonna kill ‘em. Anyone that was involved. Anybody who profited from it. Anybody who opens their eyes at me. ’ These short sentences are indicative of his straight-to-the-point nature and disregard for excessive analytical thinking. Additionally, Tony Scott settles his use of cut shots and selects longer scenes to focus on Creasy’s intent for revenge and the fact that no external forces will impede his pursuit. Subtitles are also employed by Scott to emphasize certain key aspects of scenes and additional bolding of words within the subtitles makes features prominent still further. In all, Creasy’s heightened passion to rescue Peta leads to his downfall and this can be acknowledged as his tragic flaw. In conclusion, Creasy and Hamlet are two contradictory characters in terms of their mindsets over the course of their respective texts. Creasy in Man on Fire evolves for an icy, stale and emotionally objective state to a mentality of passion and purpose. A variety of cinematic techniques are employed to depict both demeanors of Creasy including cut shots, subtitles and diagetic and non-diagetic sound. Hamlet, alternatively, begins in a consumed state of passion that declines to a methodical manner involving enormous analytical evaluation. The final state of both characters are inevitably their tragic flaws and equally lead to their demise -fulfilling their roles as tragic heroes.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Robert Reich’s “Supercapitalism” Chapter 2 Analysis

Robert Reich’s â€Å"Supercapitalism† Chapter 2 Analysis Richard (Ben) Dowden Analysis of a chapter from Robert Reich’s â€Å"Supercapitalism† Outline of Reich, chapter 2 Argument outline of Reich, chapter 2 Overall argument Since the 1970’s competition between corporations grew as technology developed, American companies began to pursue profit to remain competitive resulting in supercapitalism triumphing over democratic capitalism. Reasons Globalisation, new production processes and deregulation increased competition giving consumers and investors more choices. Increase in investor culture drove companies to compete for shareholders (i.e. highest possible profits) regardless of their social responsibility. The decline in union membership as a result of pursuits in profit has led to the decline of power workers have over their employers, the corporations. Evidence for reason 1 In Section 2 (pp. 56-60), Reich describes how technology developed for use in the Cold War had influence over American business. He asserts the technology had three indirect outgrowths: globalisation, new production processes and deregulation (p.60). He argues that each of these outgrowths increased business competition giving concrete evidence for each in the following sections. Section 3 (pp. 60-63) argues that globalisation has reduced the cost of overseas trade creating opportunities for global supply chains. Reich states that the Vietnam War resulted in the growth of commercial, global logistics. Reich gives concrete evidence of how seven new containership companies entered the market in the year following the war and how industry grew at a high rate thereafter (p.61). Moreover, Reich argues this created the concept of global supply chains. Reich notes the great increase in American imports from American owned overseas factories between 1969 and 1983 (p.62). He then gives examples describing large companies’ global supply chains (p.62). Section 4 (pp.64-65) argues new production processes trumped the economies of scale used by the oligopolies resulting in a marketplace growing in complexity. Reich gives examples of how new production processes allows specialisation. He explains how standardised steel gave way to specialised galvanised steels designed for a niche market (p.64). Furthermore, a huge brand like Coca-Cola faced a variety of specialised drinks taking away Coca-Cola’s market share (p.65). In section 5 (pp.65-70) Reich argues that as businesses innovated, new profitable, yet restricted opportunities were discovered within regulated markets, companies lobbied for deregulation, driving competition. Reich states that in some cases, deregulation put companies out of business since they lost the cross-subsidies from other previously regulated, profitable companies. He gives evidence of the Bell System’s segmented telecommunication companies based in the country becoming unviable, opening business opportunities to smaller, extremely competitive companies (p. 68). Furthermore, trucking and airline deregulation led to added competition, particularly in freight (p.69). Evidence for reason 2 At the end of section 5 (pp.65-70) Reich quotes Edward E. Furash stating that due to the change in psyche in American’s management of wealth, the American financial system will shift towards competing for investors (p.70). Reich describes the financial deregulation of banking giving new opportunities to investors among others he gave evidence of stock broker, Merrill Lynch setting up mutual funds (p.67). Reich seems to contribute the increase in investment choice and effectiveness because of deregulation to savers becoming investors. Reich backs the claim with statistics at the start of section 6 (pp.70-75) citing the increase in percentage of households owning stock (pp.70-71). Reich goes on to say this also coincided with the bull market of 1980-2000 (p.71). His overall argument here is that companies had to compete for investors which meant maximising returns. Reich gives evidence of how profit margins rose from the beginning of the 1980 to 2000 at a high rate of change (pp.72-73). He also gives evidence of how the number of companies that ran at lower profit margins that were subjected to hostile takeovers increased by a factor of 11 from the 1970’s to the 80’s (pp.73-74). In Section 7 (pp.75-80), Reich begins by quoting the former CEO of Coca-Cola stating companies have the sole responsibility of generating returns for their investors (p.75). He continues to point out a CEO’s job security is increasingly attributed to the company’s stock price recommendation. 50% of CEOs’ company’s stock was downgraded in investment recommendation were fired in the following six months (p.76). Reich uses evidence of how 60% of senior executives in the Fortune 500 companies had been at their firm for fewer than six years (p.76). His argument is that CEO’s no longer have room to worry about the social consequences of their organisation. He uses the example of Malden Mills, a family-owned textiles company which ran at a loss manufacturing in New England. Their CEO did not want to close the factory since the local economy had high dependencies on it – he was eventually sacked by the company’s creditors (p.79). Evidence for reason 3 Section 8 (pp.80-86) focusses on the decline in union membership starting from the 1970’s. He cites evidence from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of how union membership rapidly declined beginning in the 1970’s (p.80). He explains this is a consequence of employers contesting unions, giving concrete evidence of this through the decrease of uncontested union elections (p.80). Reich also gives evidence of how the rate of illegal dismissals of union members rose through the 1970’s and into the 90’s (p.81). Reich’s explanation for corporations’ behaviour was related to cutting the costs of the payroll to remain competitive as consumers and investors looked for the cheapest deal. Reich gives concrete evidence of how the nonunionised sector of the American economy grew at a greater rate than the unionised sector (pp.82-83). This increase in opposition arising from nonunionised companies forced unionised corporations fight the unions to remain competitive. Reich uses evidence from a range of industries to describe this citing: the air travel industry (p.83), the ‘Big Three’ American car manufacturers (pp.83-85) and the construction industry (p.85). Reich goes on to explain how the public services sector was never unionised, consequently suffering low wages. Reich uses the evidence of how members of the public services industry went on strike responding to their wages being cut as anti-union Wal-Mart entered their industry (p.86). Reflection: How the chapter intersects with my life The chapter reaffirmed my own opinion that wealth distribution in developed nations, particularly America’s, is unequal. It shows that while deregulation may improve its GDP per capita, it doesn’t guarantee a higher quality of life. In fact, in more regulated economies like in Scandinavia, quality of life indicators are higher since wealth distribution is far more equal (Wilkinson Pickett, 2009). The chapter is interesting, considering the debate surrounding the deregulation of tertiary education in Australia. It does give universities ability to form an identity, which is a way of saying it encourages elitism. After all, a university’s ‘prestige’ is generally attributed to how well-endowed it is. But is it just the first step to university privatisation? Will universities eventually just pursue profit like companies? List of references Reich, R., 2008. Supercapitalism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K., 2010. The spirit level. London: Penguin Books.

The Mind of a Serial Killer Essay -- Murder Killing Murderer Psycholog

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As police walk into an abandoned house, a foul stench overtakes them. The room is dim and looks as though no one has been here for months. They walk further into the house and begin to see spots of blood on the floor. They follow this trail down the stairs into the basement where the smell becomes overwhelming, causing some of the officers to gasp and run back up the stairs. In the basement, they find the remains of several young boys who have been molested and badly mutilated. What could cause someone to participate in such horrendous deeds? What sort of person is able to perform such wicked acts?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Serial killers always have aroused the curiosity and concern of the public. People seem to be both fascinated and repulsed by their horrendous crimes. The stories make newspaper headlines, and their gruesome murders are the subject of popular movies and best-selling books. In this paper, I will discuss what causes a human being to become a serial killer. Although social scientists have developed many theories to explain the mind of a serial killer, the scientific evidence supports the theories of sociopathy, psychopathy, sadistic fulfillment, childhood abuse, and genetics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines a serial murder as the killing of several victims in ten or more separate incidents over an extended period of time (Dietz 483). Serial murderers are often classified into specific categories. One category is motive; motive killers are sexually sadistic killers or spree killers. The psychology of the killer is another category used to characterize these criminals. These types of killers are classified as sociopaths and psychopaths. This paper will focus mainly on killers of the psychotic and sexually sadistic kind, for these are the ones on which the public and media tend to focus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to James Fox and Jack Levin (19), serial killers are most always Caucasian males who are in their twenties or thirties. Although there are reported cases of female serial killers, the field is predominantly composed of males. There are two key characteristics of a serial killer, one being the presence of sociopathy or aggressive antisocial behavior. It has been estimated that nearly three percent of males in our society may be sociopaths. Most socio-paths are not violent: they may lie, cheat, or steal, but rape and murder are not nec... ...ts continue to study genetics, they undoubtedly will provide more information about the genetic makeup of a serial killer. The public is disgusted by the bloody deeds that serial killers have committed, but they will forever intrigue us. The fascination stems from the fact that in most cases the killers are so similar to the common person. On the outside they seem as normal as the next. Fortunately for humanity, the next person is not capable of such ghastly deeds. These serial killers are often psychopathic or sociopathic persons who were abused as children. Others may be trying to fulfill their own sadistic fantasies that were brought on by their childhood experiences. The most recent reason identified is a link to a genetic predisposition to violence. The inherent goodness of humans can sometimes go awry and lead to a person who is as evil as a serial killer. No matter how one analyzes the killers, they are not normal in any sense. Edmund Kemper when asked what he thought when he saw a pretty woman walking down the street replied, â€Å"One side of me says, 'I'd like to talk to her, date her.' The ot her side of me says, 'I wonder how her head would look on a stick?'† (Ming Ho).

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: Great Gatsby Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 24th 1896. His father was from Maryland and his mother was the daughter of an Irish immigrant. Fitzgerald, unlikely to graduate from Princeton, joined the army in 1917. Stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, he met and later married Zelda Sayre, a high-strung woman from a family more prominent than his own. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Fitzgerald followed with The Beautiful and the Damned in 1922, The Great Gatsby in 1925, and Tender is the Night in 1934. He died on December 21st, 1940 of a heart attack and Zelda died in a hospital fire eight years later. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a brilliant illustration of life among the new rich during the 1920s, people who had recently amassed a great deal of wealth but had no corresponding social connections. The novel is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. It illustrates the society and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up to what is termed the "American Dream"; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity, and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and the get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of the American upper-class society. This withering theme presents itself in the novel through many of its characters. The writing style throughout The Great Gatsby is terse and though the book is depressing at times, its overall message of hope and the American dream is inspiring. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick's cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson's wife. "Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen tableÂ… They weren't happyÂ… yet they weren't unhappy either" (Chapter 7, pg.148). Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy but soon after, they became involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald :: Great Gatsby Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota on September 24th 1896. His father was from Maryland and his mother was the daughter of an Irish immigrant. Fitzgerald, unlikely to graduate from Princeton, joined the army in 1917. Stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, he met and later married Zelda Sayre, a high-strung woman from a family more prominent than his own. His first novel, This Side of Paradise, published in 1920, was a tremendous critical and commercial success. Fitzgerald followed with The Beautiful and the Damned in 1922, The Great Gatsby in 1925, and Tender is the Night in 1934. He died on December 21st, 1940 of a heart attack and Zelda died in a hospital fire eight years later. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a brilliant illustration of life among the new rich during the 1920s, people who had recently amassed a great deal of wealth but had no corresponding social connections. The novel is an intriguing account about love, money and life during the 1920s in New York. It illustrates the society and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up to what is termed the "American Dream"; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity, and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and the get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of the American upper-class society. This withering theme presents itself in the novel through many of its characters. The writing style throughout The Great Gatsby is terse and though the book is depressing at times, its overall message of hope and the American dream is inspiring. The story begins when Nick Carraway, a young man, moves to New York from the Midwest to join the bond business. There, he soon becomes acquainted with his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby, and they become good friends. Gatsby confides in Nick and tells him that he is in love with Nick's cousin, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. However, she is already married to the young and successful Tom Buchanan, who is unfaithful and has an affair with poor George Wilson's wife. "Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen tableÂ… They weren't happyÂ… yet they weren't unhappy either" (Chapter 7, pg.148). Later, Nick arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy but soon after, they became involved in a love affair. It is revealed that many years ago, Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but Daisy would not marry him because he was rather poor.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The ID3 Algorithm :: Classification Algorithms

The ID3 Algorithm Abstract This paper details the ID3 classification algorithm. Very simply, ID3 builds a decision tree from a fixed set of examples. The resulting tree is used to classify future samples. The example has several attributes and belongs to a class (like yes or no). The leaf nodes of the decision tree contain the class name whereas a non-leaf node is a decision node. The decision node is an attribute test with each branch (to another decision tree) being a possible value of the attribute. ID3 uses information gain to help it decide which attribute goes into a decision node. The advantage of learning a decision tree is that a program, rather than a knowledge engineer, elicits knowledge from an expert. Introduction J. Ross Quinlan originally developed ID3 at the University of Sydney. He first presented ID3 in 1975 in a book, Machine Learning, vol. 1, no. 1. ID3 is based off the Concept Learning System (CLS) algorithm. The basic CLS algorithm over a set of training instances C: Step 1: If all instances in C are positive, then create YES node and halt. If all instances in C are negative, create a NO node and halt. Otherwise select a feature, F with values v1, ..., vn and create a decision node. Step 2: Partition the training instances in C into subsets C1, C2, ..., Cn according to the values of V. Step 3: apply the algorithm recursively to each of the sets Ci. Note, the trainer (the expert) decides which feature to select. ID3 improves on CLS by adding a feature selection heuristic. ID3 searches through the attributes of the training instances and extracts the attribute that best separates the given examples. If the attribute perfectly classifies the training sets then ID3 stops; otherwise it recursively operates on the n (where n = number of possible values of an attribute) partitioned subsets to get their "best" attribute. The algorithm uses a greedy search, that is, it picks the best attribute and never looks back to reconsider earlier choices. Discussion ID3 is a nonincremental algorithm, meaning it derives its classes from a fixed set of training instances. An incremental algorithm revises the current concept definition, if necessary, with a new sample. The classes created by ID3 are inductive, that is, given a small set of training instances, the specific classes created by ID3 are expected to work for all future instances. The distribution of the unknowns must be the same as the test cases.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Egypt’s Position on the Arab Israeli Conflict Essay

one. The Kingdom was from this time ruled as one by several dynasties. . This state which was formed in On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian Republic was declared. (Breasted & Piccione, 2001). The 18th Dynasty however is the one that marked the kingdom as an international in the period circa 1550 and 1070 BC. Egypt’s strategic geographic position which gave it control over the Suez Canal attracted the French and the British who sat in its cabinet and controlled the Suez and to a great extend the entire country during the late years of the 16th century (Breasted & Piccione, 2001). The British later colonized Egypt after the first world wear. It was the treatment the brutish gave the Egyptians that caused a revolution which ended up with Egypt being declared an independent state in 1922. Because of the remaining presence of the British and the monarchy form of ruling, more revolutions took place and ousted the resulting to the declaration of Egypt as a republic in June 1953. Egypt’s ideologies are mostly based on the Islamic religion as all its leaders since it became a republic have been Arab Muslims (Al-Azmeh, 1993). Egypt ideologies are based ion internationalism where it tries to have the best diplomatic relationships with all countries internationally. Egypt unlike other Arab countries deals well with the western countries and has a good relationship with Israeli, a country the rest of the Arab countries detest. The country also believes in nationalism and socialism where resources are distributed and intended to be owned by the people and not just few individuals in the country (Al-Azmeh, 1993). The country has tried to establish democracy in its politics allowing the citizens to choose their own leaders. This has not been very successful as there still are reports of leader rigging elections. In the world’s politics, Egypt takes a moderate position, tries to be fair to both the western and the Arab nations. Egypt mainly aims at building its international image. Egypt’s foreign policies have always been moderate. The country has a great influence on political matters in both Africa where it is situated and the Middle East because of its diplomatic expertise, significantly large population, military strength and its geographical position which is very strategic (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). I n the recent decades, Egypt’s foreign policies have aimed at enhancing the country’s relations both regionally and internationally by supporting structural reforms, liberalization in social economy and global economy integration which are perceived to be the best measures to employ in achieving full economic development. Egypt’s was in support of the Declaration of Principles treaty as they interpreted it to be supportive of their ideologies ion what would bring a lasting peace to the Middle East. The fact that the declaration transferred power over west bank and Gaza was in accordance with Egypt’s belief that the withdrawal of Israel from Palestinian Territories was the key to a lasting peace (Brown, 2004). Egypt thus responded by doing what was expected of it during the agreement as they believed that the declaration would bring a lasting peace if both sides kept to their side of the bargain. The Declaration of Principles required Egypt to help the two nations in cooperating so as to achieve the peace that was longed for in the Middle East. Egypt also supported the declaration as it included maintenance of security though by only Israel. Egypt has always believed that security was vital for peace hence supported by helping provide police officers and passports to the Palestinian citizens as was required by the agreement. Countries such as Iran, Israeli Settlers and Syria did not participate in the agreement as they did not believe that the peace would last. Others thought that the agreement was a threat to them and did not want it to succeed. Most of these nations also are Islamic and view Jews to be a threat to their religion hence were hesitated in supporting the peace talks. Most groups believe that DOP process stopped in 2000 which could be true as the events that are currently happening violate the agreements made. Egypt’s foreign policies are also committed to ensuring that a lasting peace which is comprehensive can come to the Middle East. It does so by being involved actively in the efforts that that can achieve the peace. Egypt for example was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel, a move which caused Israel to be expelled from the Arab League (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). The treaty required Israel to completely withdraw and retreat from Sinai in 1979 in exchange for peaceful normal diplomatic relations according to which Israeli honoured and withdrew. The two countries have since then had good diplomatic relations that are peaceful (Embassy of Egypt, 2009) Egypt believes that peace can only come to the Middle East if the efforts being made are comprehensive at making Israeli withdraw from the Palestinian territories it has been occupying that prevent the creation of an independent Palestine. Egypt also believes that Israel has to recognize and respect Palestine’s political rights in the controversial Jerusalem. Egypt has therefore been at the forefront in constantly assisting the partners negotiating in the peace process towards applying the Israeli withdrawal for peace to be achieved (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). Egypt also believes that it is possible for stable peace to be achieved between Israel and Palestine if mechanisms can be adopted that would ensure that security is maintained by both parties so that one party can not take advantage of its economic and military superiority to attack the other party. Egypt proposes the region to be freed from weapons of mass destruction in order to enhance security and reduce attacks on each other (Embassy of Egypt, 2009). Egypt further explains that a framework that would ensure regional cooperation needs to be established as it would enhance peace stability and benefit the individuals in the region. As discussed above, Egypt believes that there is possibility for potential future peace agreement which may be solely between Israel and the Palestinian because the disruption of peace in the entire Middle East is attributed to the conflict between the two nations. The conflict between Israel and other Arab nation is also a result of the conflict between it and Palestine. Solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine thus is the answer to bringing peace in the Middle East. Egypt advocates for peace between the two nations and want it be such that security is maintained in the two nations and that they are both disarmed of any weapons of mass destruction. Egypt believes that it is lack of security and presence of the weapons that encourages the two nations to attack each other. Egypt also advocates for the establishment of a framework as discussed earlier that would enhance cooperation between the two nations towards promoting peace stability that will be beneficial to the people I n the region (Brown, 2004). If a peace conference was held today, Egypt would still support a peace deal between the two nations. Egypt supports a two state solution just like the United States does (Asharq Alawshat, 2009). This is because Egypt believes in bringing a comprehensive and lasting peace to the Middle East. Following the most recent attacks on the Gaza strip by Israel which left hundreds of Palestinians dead, and the persistent occupation of Israel in areas that are rightfully Palestinians, Egypt would want a peace deal to be reached in which Israel must retreat and withdraw from occupying these areas so that Palestine can become an independent state as it was before the Israel occupation of its territories (Asharq Alawshat, 2009). Egypt will not accept either Israel or Palestine to own weapons of mass destruction as this would easily trigger another conflict in the event a peace agreement was reached. This is so as to stop the two nations from carrying on attacks and bombings on each other. Egypt would also not accept the deal if Israel did not withdraw from the Palestinian territories it currently is occupying. Egypt would offer diplomatic support as it always has in reaching a peace deal between the two nations (Brown, 2004). Egypt would be ready to act as a mediator between the two nations as they negotiate as it has good relations with both of them. Egypt believes that Israel should recognise Palestine’s rights regarding Jerusalem, during the peace conference, it would advocate for the recognition to be included in the terms of the final peace deal as Jerusalem is important to Palestine just as it is to Israel. Egypt wants a lasting peace in the Middle East and would do everything it can to help achieve it. Word count: 1500 References Al-Azmeh, A. (1993). Islams and Modernities. New York: Verso. Asharq Alawshat. (2009). Latest News. Retrieved 109th May 2009 from, < http://www. asharq-e. com/>. Breasted, J. & Piccione, A. P. (2001). Ancient Records of Egypt. Chicago, Illinois : University of Illinois Press. Brown. C. L. (2004). Diplomacy in the Middle East: The International Relations of Regional and Outside Powers. New york, NY : I. B. Tauris. Embassy of Egypt. (2009). Political System. Derived 19th May 2009 from

Friday, August 16, 2019

Newell Company Essay

1. Does Newell have a successful corporate-level strategy? Does the company add value to the businesses within its portfolio? * Newell’s corporate-level strategy focuses on the growth through acquisitions of companies that manufactured low technology, nonseasonal, noncyclical, and nonfashionable products that volume retailers would always keep on their shelf. These companies usually manufacture brand-name staple products that ranked #1 or #2 but may not be efficiently managed. * Newell’s goal is to increase its sales and profitability by offering a comprehensive range of products and reliable service to the mass retail channel. Newell has chosen to develop its product line through key acquisitions, rather than internal organic growth. The strategy succeeds based on their two pronged approach of following an established acquisition process (Newellization) and ensuring corporate continuity across the division to support its performance in the market. This strategy helps Newell successfully diversify their portfolio of products for mass retailers. 2. What are Newell’s distinctive resources? * Pricing model that that covers across all product categories: Newell used different pricing point, â€Å"good,† â€Å"better,† and â€Å"best† to meet all customers needs achieving the critical mess 3. What challenges faced the company in the late 1990s? * One of the main challenges in the late 1990s was the increase in customer buying power. By 1997, three mass retailer chains controlled 80% of the discount retailer market. This allowed retailers to obtain significant leverage over price and scheduling. * Another challenge in the 1990s was the acquisitions of Calphalon and Rubbermaid. These were both major stepping stones for Newell in that both companies will bring greater brand recognition to the Newell brand. It was a challenge because of the speed in which the companies were acquired and the short amount of time between the two acquisitions. At the time, Calphalon was in a different market, and Newell wanted to enter the department and specialty store competition. This required changes within the Newell Company because of a different view of products and competition. Rubbermaid was a difficult acquisition because of the vastness of the company in general. Some  industry observers worried that this target would be too large to be â€Å"Newellized.†

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Marketing Plan for the Body Shop Essay

Concealer is very popular and its market growth stable because of concealer is very useful to cover the imperfection on the skin. The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer, which launched in 2009, is this marketing plan’s character. Tea Tree Concealer is a handy portable stick to conceal blemishes which without over drying the skin. It also produce with organic tea tree oil. Tea tree oil’s ingredient renowned for its anti-bacterial benefits and an infusion perfect to help blemished skin. Based on the SWOT analysis of Tea Tree Concealer, it mentions that Tea Tree Concealer needs to be more popular and needs to uses the gender segmentation that to enlarge the market with the men’s market because the demand of men’s cosmetics market is increasing especially of the concealer. Therefore, the marketing objectives are to enhance the promotion of Tea Tree Concealer that can increase 5-10% sales in short term; and in long term, The Body Shop can develop a Men’s Tea Tree Concealer to satisfy men’s satisfaction of concealer that the concealer can take care about men’s face skin. For the marketing strategies, for short term, the body shop can use promotion tools, such as advertising in Facebook, beauty magazines and promote next to the MTR escalator. Also, the body shop can give general customers 5-10% off discount for buying Tea Tree Concealer. And the VIP can get one more discount after the new product has got 5-10% discount. Moreover, The Body Shop can give out the sample for people like and share the post on The Body Shop’s Facebook page, after that show it to the staff, then they can get one  sample; and The Body Shop can have corporation with Mannings and Watsons. If people consume above $150, they can get a sample of The Body Shop. For long term, The Body Shop can use marketing mix (Product, Price, Place and Promotion), to increase the sales of Tea Tree Concealer and to open up the men’s concealer market, a men’s product that calls â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. In product strategy, The Body Shop can put in money on Research & Development, to develop the â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. In pricing strategy, Market-Penetration pricing is the company choice on setting price because the tea tree collection of The Body Shop is famous in Hong Kong but the tea tree concealer is not familiar with the men. In promotion strategy, The Body Shop can set up a special counter in shops, which is the company promotional product. Some salesperson will promote the new product as men may feel shy to buy make-up product so set up a counter is every shop help the company to find some target. Also, the company will give out some sample if people click ‘like’ in Facebook fans page and to have video promotional campaign, people who have tried to use our product can join this competition. The users have to make a video about the feedback from using new tea tree concealer; the top 10 participants who obtained highest ‘like’ on their video clips can win $1500 cash. For the marketing budget, Statement of Comprehensive Income that it is for the Promotion of Tea Tree Concealer & Men’s Tea Tree Concealer, it shows that it will have a profit in the end of the promotion of Tea Tree Concealer and also have a profit in develop a Men’s Tea Tree Concealer. ————————————————- Contents | Page| 1. Introduction | 4| 2. Current Marketing Situation Analysis * Background Information * Current Market Analysis * Competitor Analysis| 5 – 9| 3. SWOT Analysis| 10 – 11| 4. Marketing Objectives * Short Term * Long Term| 12| 5. Marketing Strategies * Short Term(Advertisement, Discount, Sample, Sponsorship) * Long Term(Marketing mix : Product, Price, Place and Promotion)| 13 – 15| 6. Marketing Tactics * Short Term * Long Term| 16 – 17| 7. Marketing Budget| 18 – 19| 8. Conclusion| 20| 9. Bibliography| 21| 10. Appendices| 22 – 28| ————————————————- Introduction â€Å"Do you want to be more beautiful?† Without doubt, ladies want to show the most beautiful face to others; therefore, they use lots of cosmetics, such as concealer, face primer, eye primer, lipgloss and eyebrow pencil. A lot of people strongly believed that concealer is the most useful cosmetics than others, because concealer is very useful to cover the imperfection on the skin. It is an important character which it can give people a better appearance. Thus, we decided to have a marketing plan for the concealer. Moreover, organic issue is very popular that it started in the past few years, for example, organic food and the products must produce with organic materials. So, we decided that the concealer must produce with organic materials. Finally, The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer, which launched in 2009, has been the character in this marketing plan because Tea Tree Concealer is a concealer which it produces with organic tea tree oil. Tea tree oil’s ingredient renowned for its anti-bacterial benefits and an infusion perfect to help blemished skin The Body Shop uses the gender segmentation that the consumer market is mainly women. We can know from the lots of products collections are mainly decided for female, for instance, Vineyard Peach, Extra Virgin Minerals etc. Although cosmetics’ consumer market is mainly women, the demand of men’s cosmetics market is increasing especially of the concealer. This is because men need a better appearance that it is good for their work and interpersonal relationship. Therefore, The Body Shop needs to enlarge the market with the men’s market. Not only the women market is important, but also the men market. This marketing plan suggests some marketing strategies, which uses marketing mix (Product, Price, Place and Promotion), to increase the sales of Tea Tree Concealer and to open up the men’s concealer market, a men’s product that calls â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. For increasing sales of Tea Tree Concealer, we can mainly use promotion tools, such as advertising; and promotion mix strategies, such as push strategy and pull strategy. For open up the men’s concealer market, we can use product strategy, price strategy, place strategy and promotion strategy, to promote the new product, â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. The marketing plan for Tea Tree Concealer is presented as follow. ————————————————- Current Marketing Situation Analysis Background Information * L’Orà ©al – Company Overview The L’Orà ©al Group is the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty company. Over 500 brands and many thousands of individual products such as hair color, permanents, hair styling, body and skin care, cleansers, makeup and fragrances five worldwide research and development centers. There are two in France and one in the U.S, Japan and China. On 17 March 2006, L’Orà ©al purchased cosmetics company The Body Shop for  £652 million. Their slogan is â€Å"Because we’re worth it too† and the Head office is in the Centre Eugà ¨ne Schueller in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris. In 2003, L’Orà ©al announced its 19th consecutive year of double-digit growth. In 2007, L’Orà ©al was ranked 353 in the Fortune Global 500. The targeted markets of L’Orà ©al are mass, professional, luxury, and active cosmetics markets.They own interests in various activities such as fine chemicals, health, finance, design, advertising, insurance. * The Body Shop – Company Overview The Body Shop International plc, a part of the L’Orà ©al family, which specialized in producing beauty and cosmetics products. It is founded in the UK in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick. There are more than 2,400 stores in 61 countries including Thailand, Australia and America. â€Å"The business of business should not just be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed.’’ –said Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop. The Body Shop creates a non-animal-testing and a fair trading company image. Every product is animal cruelty free and it is the first international cosmetics brand to be recognized under the Humane Cosmetics Standard for its Against Animal Testing policy. The Body Shop believes in fair trade, had set up own fair trade programme, called Community Trade. Community Trade works over 30 suppliers in more than 20 countries, providing over 25,000 people across the globe with essential income to build their futures. The Body Shop has five core values, which are Support Community Trade, Defend Human Rights, Against Animal Testing, Activate Self-Esteem and Protect Our Planet. Current Market Analysis * L’Orà ©al / The Body Shop In this section, we will divide into three parts related to market analyses. Frist, the market share of the L’Oreal in the world as The Body Shop is under this brand. Second, the market share of The Body Shop in the world and Hong Kong. Third, explain the target group and their needs of The Body Shop. First, the L’Oreal is a worldwide brand which its shops located in 130 countries. The largest market of the L’Oreal is Asia, Pacific, followed by Western Europe and Northern America, which means Asia has a very high potential to keep increasing. From the graph next to, Asia, Pacific share nearly one-third of the worldwide cosmetic market. Also, from the expectation of Euromonitor, the market share in Asia Pacific will be changed in 2013, the share of China will increase from 22% to 28 % Breakdown of the worldwide cosmetics market Breakdown of the worldwide cosmetics market Moreover, due to the improvement of the technology and increase in quality of life, more and more cosmetic products appear in the market, causing keen competition. In 2011, the L’Oreal is act as leading role in the world, which is 20% of sales more than the other. Second, The Body Shop promotes using organic material and adopting community fair trade, that’s suit the taste of people in the world which have a higher standard of environmental friendly. As the result, The Body Shop has become one of the top 20 cosmetic brands of the world in 2011. Furthermore, compare the sales in the past two years of The Body Shop, the sale increased from 2010 to 2011 in Western Europe and the New Market. The New Market refers to Asia, Pacific Area, for example, China and Middle East. Although we cannot judge that the market share has increased, we can compare the proportion of sales by geographic. The New Market increased 1.4% form 46.9% in 2010 to 48.3% in 2011. This means The New Market has become more important to The Body Shop. The Body Shop uses the gender segmentation that the consumer market is mainly women. We can know from the product collections of Vineyard Peach, Extra Virgin Minerals etc. These products are mainly decided for female, as skin  in different between female and male. Also, the Body Shop promotes using organic materials to make their products. Citizens improve their sense of environment, so the reasons for citizens to choose their cosmetic products not only force on the quality of the product but the level of environment friendly of the product. Furthermore, The Body Shop buys the raw materials under a fair trade system which they have fulfilled their social responsibility, the farmer can earn more compare to other products which do not adapt fair trade. Customers will consider this point as their decision criterion. Lastly, ‘there is only one way to beautiful, nature’s way.’ This slogan is very impressive for nowadays customers. It’s because there is a lot o f news or report point out that chemical has been put into cosmetic products. Also, as the quality of life increased, customers are willing to spend more money to buy nature products. * Concealer Market Concealer is very popular and its market growth stable because of concealer is very useful to cover the imperfection on the skin. It is an important character that it can give people a better appearance. This product is mainly used by women, but use among men is increasing. The concealer is a type of makeup used to cover under-eye circles, pimples and other small blemishes visible on the skin.The concealer also can cover redness and even body flaws such as birthmarks, scars and vitiligo. The market of concealer has intense competition, for instance, The Body Shop(Product name: Tea Tree Concealer), Bobbi Brown(Product name: Creamy Concealer), Cle de Peau Beaute(Product Name: Concealer), Beauty Tech(Product Name: Ice-cream Concealer ), MAC(Product Name: Select Cover Up), Shu Uemura(Product Name: Point Cealer) etc. Also, some of the concealer is especially for a part of skin: for example, whole face, under-eye circles, pimples. * Product Review – Tea Tree Concealer (The Body Shop) We are focus on The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer, which launched in 2009. Tea Tree Concealer is a handy portable stick to conceal blemishes which without over drying the skin. It also produce with organic tea tree oil. Tea tree oil’s ingredient renowned for its anti-bacterial benefits and an infusion perfect to help blemished skin. Also, it traditionally used to promote healthy-looking skin and has fantastic skin moisturising properties. It costs HK$139 / 4.5g (2012’s price). Competitor Analysis * Jurlique Jurlique has spent 25 years to explore the organic and biodynamic ingredients and our unique Bio inherent â„ ¢ process to create the purest, most powerful skin care. From biodynamic farms in South Australia, the leading natural innovation, we have to unlock the potential of the combination of nature and science to create an effective product is beautiful. Just means you healthy, beautiful skin. The Jurlique farm: Their factory on the farm lived a pampered life. Jurlique’s founders searched the world’s richest, most clean on Earth, to build our farm. They found that, in Adelaide (Adelaide Hills). Today, this pristine environment is a wide variety of plants, herbs and flowers, and provides the natural forces Jurlique high performance mixed. As the only Australian beauty brand, our own certified biodynamic farm (NASAA, the National Association of Sustainable Agriculture, Australia certification), we can prove the purity of our harvest. We follow strict organic and biodynamic farming principles, in order to achieve our recognition. In order to maintain a perfect nature, we tend to pick the crop of hand-sorted. The nature of the work and do not oppose it, and we strive to create a richer soil, which means healthy plants, extract and more effective products. So this is a natural process, better farming more beautiful skin. Benefits: It is a natural skin tones covering cream, in order to help to reduce the appearance of defects. Also, it can help balance oily skin surface sebum moderate and can help protect environmental aggressors. Ingredients: The witch hazel extract objects and tea tree oil help to gently clean and moderate sebum in the skin surface. The marigolds and self-healing extract offers comfortable performance and help rebalance the sensitivity. Aloe extract and glycerin strongly hydrate, and helps to soften the skin. Grapefruit seed extract contains antioxidant properties and helps protect the skin against environmental damage. * Oriflame Oriflame was founded in Sweden in 1967 by Hanlin brothers, has become an international market in more than 60 countries around the world. Cosmetics direct selling company. Oriflame has a wide variety of innovative product lines, Sweden, natural beauty products â€Å"by 360 Million independent sales consultants are sold worldwide, and has created more than 1.5 billion euros a year in sales. It is natural beauty products from Sweden. Oriflame offers industry-leading career opportunities, and help people to earn income from the first day of added while moving. The goal of the current personal dreams and ambitions, this is our unique the career concept – â€Å"the creation of wealth today, tomorrow achievements Dream.† Respect for people and nature, become the basis of the company’s operating Philosophy, and is reflected in the company’s social and environmental policies. Oriflame co-founder of the World Children’s Fund, and contributions to numerous global philanthropy projects. Oriflame is a listed companies, the stock is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange. ————————————————- SWOT Analysis We are focus on The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer, which launched in 2009. We use the SWOT Analysis to analyse Tea Tree Concealer’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths The Body Shop International plc is a part of the L’Orà ©al Corporate group. L’Orà ©al Corporate has a lot of capital, it can support The Body Shop International plc’s finance and it can have some large scale promotional campaign without consider financial problem. Also, the L’Orà ©al Corporate is the largest cosmetics and beauty company in the world. It is famous, so, The Body Shop International plc can use the L’Orà ©al Corporate’s brand name to have some promotion and it will be more effectively. Furthermore, the Body Shop International plc has a positive reputation and image because of their non-animal-testing and fair trading company image. It can attract some customers, who support non-animal-testing and fair trading, to buy the products. For the Tea Tree Concealer part, one of its strengths is that it is a handy portable stick. This is because customers can easily bring it goes out and leave in somewhere easily. After use the Tea Tree Concealer, it will be without over drying the skin and it is good for our skin too. Moreover, the Tea Tree Concealer is made of organic tea tree oil, which is not only an infusion perfect to help blemished skin, but it can also attract customers, who support using organic raw material, to buy it. Weaknesses The Tea Tree Concealer only has one color tone, it is not suitable for every because different people have different skin color. It only has one color tone that it can satisfy a little part of customers but not lots of customers. Without doubt, everyone has different skin, such as dry skin, oily skin, combination skin, normal skin and sensitive skin. The Tea Tree Concealer only has one type and it also cannot satisfy lots of people, only a little part of customers can use it. Also, as we all know, The Body Shop International plc is founded in the UK in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick. It is a western company and their products might be more suitable for foreign people. Therefore, the Tea Tree Concealer may not be suitable for Asian. It cannot satisfy more people. Opportunities First of all, many existing cosmetics and skin-care products were tested on animals before they promote to the market in order to make sure the usage of them will not harm human bodies. However, The Body Shop against animals testing, every one of the products is animal cruelty free and vegetarian, which means we do not destroy the habitat of the animals and us. As a result, this is an opportunity of us to promote our product with this special characteristic. The second one is that the product have not taken care the men’s market. The skins of men and women are not the same, so do the needs of them. If we still only focus on the women’s market, our sales would only stay in the same level, so we should not only focus on the women’s needs but also the men’s to enlarge the market. As a result, this becomes one of the opportunities for the company to expand the men’s market and to increase sales volume. Third, the Body Shop is supporting Community Fair Trade, for example in Kenya. Most of the products contain Community Trade ingredients. This can attract customers who are also supporting Community Fair Trade. The body shop is also defending human rights, in order to treat all people in a fair and open fashion, to respect and value their integrity. Last, we are seeking and sustaining natural materials, and using planet’s resources wisely. These are the ways how we approach our environmental target, protect our planet. Threats The competition from competitors such as Jurlique’s natural skin tones covering cream who are also at the same level is keen. They are also providing same type of products and which are inexpensive to attract our same target groups. As a result, we have to consider about what are our vantages and extent them to get more awareness. Furthermore, the brand image of The Body Shop has become old, and is it not that attractive to the new young customers. So there is a need for The Body Shop to rebuild the image into fashion and vitality. ————————————————- Marketing Objectives Our marketing objective has two parts, one is short term and other one is long term. We will explain as follow. Short Term Based on the SWOT analysis of Tea Tree Concealer, it mentions that Tea Tree Concealer needs to be more popular. Therefore, the marketing objective is to enhance the promotion of Tea Tree Concealer that can increase 5-10% sales in short term. It means that we will increase 5-10% sales of Tea Tree Concealer in 5 months. Long Term As for the long term objectives of The Body Shop, it mainly has two steps want to achieve. 1. Develop a new tea tree concealer for men From different researches in the market, we know that the make-up market for men is now expanding; more men are more focus on their appearance for different perspectives. Therefore, The Body Shop should invent a new tea tree concealer for men only, which can focus on the needs of men, such as promotes healing of acne, keeps your skin elastic and improves appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. As a result, the company would like our research and development department can invent a men concealer within nine months’ time. 2. Sale 10000 concealer within six months The company aims at maximizing the profit of the company. If The Body Shop promotes the new product, â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†, its focus on the needs of men, so The Body Shop can increase its profit as it promotes a new men product. The company will have a questionnaire in the future so that we can know more about our market, for example, setting our target group, the price that people can accept, which promotion strategies is the best for our market. As a result, we would like to sell 10,000 pieces of concealer within six months’ time, which is a measurable objective. ————————————————- Marketing Strategies Short term To mention the short term objective of the Body Shop, we mainly want to attract some new customers by the new products. On the other hand, we also need to make the original customers continues to consume on our brand. And thus, we have discussed four mainly short term strategy to achieve our aim. 1. Advertisement The Body Shop can have three major ways to show our advertisement. The first one is Facebook. Nowadays, Facebook is a popular website to let people share their feelings and photos. And Facebook in Hong Kong is also necessary to people. Thus, do promotion on Facebook is an effective way to make more people know our new products. The second one is magazines. Magazines major target is office workers and the teenagers, and this target group is same as our products. Therefore, promotion on the magazines one big page can easy to let our targets know our new products. And the third one is promote next to the MTR escalator. MTR has many streams of people every day. And it is free when the people are standing on the escalator. So, display on the escalator advertisement board is also easy to let people know our promotion. 2. Discount For the general customers, The Body Shop can give them 5-10% off discount. And the VIP can get one more discount after the new product has got 5-10% discount. It will be effective that the cheaper price can make the people try it and also it can conveniently to attract more people being The Body Shop VIP. 3. Sample The Body Shop can give out the sample more effectiveness. If we just commonly give out the sample on the street will wreck the value of product. And thus, we have planned to ask people like and share the post on Facebook, after that show it to the staff, then they can get one sample. This method can let people try our new product and also indirectly help our brand having a promotion simultaneously. 4. Sponsorship We try to have corporation with Mannings and Watsons. If people consume above $150, they can get a sample of Body Shop. Sponsorship can provides a great means of broadening our competitive edge by improving our company’s image prestige and credibility by supporting events that your target market finds attractive. Long term For the long term plan for the Body Shop, the company purposes one and half year plan, which help the Body Shop to achieve the goals on developing a new tea tree concealer for men and increase the sale for product. The company will divide the plan into 4Ps. Product: As we all know, the make-up market for men is now expending so the Body Shop should grab this golden opportunity to develop a new tea tree concealer for men only. The skin is different between men and women, the company should focus on the needs of the men’s skin purpose. The company target group is based on beneficial segmentation because our product is only for men who have acnes on their faces. Although we all know that the cost for Research & Development is very high, the company think that people will also come and buy our product. Recently the company has done a survey on the Body Shop and its products. The interviewees thought the Body Shop is popularization, people are able to afford the price range. Therefore, we think put in money on R & D, later on, the Body Shop not only can earn the profit, also earn the advertisement benefit as they not only care about women but also men. Price: Market-Penetration pricing is the company choice on setting price. The tea tree collection of the Body Shop is famous in Hong Kong but the tea tree concealer is not familiar with the men. Therefore, we decide that when the product first enters to the market, the company will set a relatively low price so that it can attract more customers and get feedback from the public. People will consider buying our product because of low price, after they have used, they can re-buy the company’s product. Moreover, in market there is just a little amount of concealer that is only men, our product must keep a competition with other products because if the price set very low from the average, other competitors will also set a very low price, this cannot help the company to maximize the profit, it will greater the loss. If we set a high price, people are not willing to buy the company product as there are other concealers available in the market. The company set a price on $159 per new tree concealer for men which is a reasonable price. Place: In order to let more people to know more about the new tea tree concealer for men, the company will set up a special counter in shops, which is the company promotional product. Some salesperson will promote the new product as men may feel shy to buy make-up product so set up a counter is every shop help the company to find some target. Promotion: First, the company will give out some sample if people click ‘like’ in Facebook fans page, with the advance of technology and the common of using smart phone, people are more easy to obtain different information online, so Facebook is an efficient channel to promote the new tea tree concealer. The  company will maximum given out 10000 sample tea tree concealer. Second, the company decides to have video promotional campaign, people who have tried to use our product can join this competition. The users have to make a video about the feedback from using new tea tree concealer; the top 10 participants who obtained highest ‘like’ on their video clips can win $1500 cash. In this way, we enjoy a promotional advantage as participants will share their video clip for one another so that more people will know about our product. Also, the participants can show a positive experience for the public, the public can see the positive sides of using the new tea tree concealer. ————————————————- Marketing Tactics The short term and long term’s action plan is presented as follow. It shows the different strategies use in different time. Short term Magazine Promotion Facebook Promotion Sample Sponsorship MTR Advertisement Discount 1st month 2nd month 3rd month 4th month 5th month Magazine Promotion Facebook Promotion Sample Sponsorship MTR Advertisement Discount 1st month 2nd month 3rd month 4th month 5th month Long term Research and Development of New Product Review Video Promotional Campaign Facebook Promotion Sample 1st 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th Months Research and Development of New Product Review Video Promotional Campaign Facebook Promotion Sample 1st 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th Months ————————————————- Marketing Budget | THE BODY SHOP| | | Statement of Comprehensive Income| | | (for the Promotion of Tea Tree Concealer & Men’s Tea Tree Concealer )| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Short Term (5 months)*| | Long Term (18 months)*| | | | | | Note| | HK$| | HK$| | | Sales| | | 1| | 4,170,000| | 1,590,000| | | Less: Cost of Goods sold| 2| | 1,876,500| | 715,500| | | Gross Profit| | | | 2,293,500| | 874,500| | | | | | | | | | | | | Expenses| | | | | | | | | | Advertising Expenses| | 3| | (520,000)| | -| | | Samples Expenses| | 4| | (646,350)| | (238,500)| | | Research and Development Expenses| 5| | -| | (400,000)| | | Promotional Booth| | 6| | -| | (29,500)| | | Video Promotional Campaign| 7| | -| | (15,000)| | | | | | | | (1,166,350)| | (683,000)| | | | | | | | | | | | | Net Profit| | | | | 1,127,150| | 191,500| | | | | | | | | | | | Statement of Comprehensive Income *Before having promotion, the sales is HK$ 3,750,000 in 5 months. **Long term’s sales period is 6 months. Note: 1. Sales: * Short term: HK$ 139 x 30,000 = HK$ 4,170,000 Sold 200 pieces of concealers a day; sold 30,000 pieces of concealers in 5 months. * Long term: HK$ 159 x 10,000 = HK$ 1,590,000 Sold 10,000 pieces of concealers in a half year. 2. Cost of Goods sold: According to Prudence concept, the cost of concealer is 45% of the price. * Short term: HK$ 4,170,000 x 45% = HK$ 1,876,500 * Long term: HK$ 1,590,000 x 45% = HK$ 715,500 3. Advertising Expenses: HK$ 1 x 500,000 + HK$ 20,000 = HK$ 520,000 $1 /page in magazine; 50 magazines; MTR Advertising Expenses HK$ 20,000/month. 4. Samples Expenses: The sample size will be the 1/3 of the original size, the cost of the sample also be the 1/3 of the original cost. * Short term: HK$ 20.85 x 31,000 = HK$ 646,350 Each sample costs HK$ 20.85 (HK$ 139 x 45% x 1/3); 31,000 pieces of sample. * Long term: HK$ 23.85 x 10,000 = HK$ 238,500 Each sample costs HK$ 23.85 (HK$ 159 x 45% x 1/3); 10,000 pieces of sample. 5. Research and Development Expenses: These expenses include research information’s cost and develop the Men’s Tea Tree Concealer’s cost. Around cost HK$ 400,000. 6. Promotional Booth: HK$ 500 x 59 = HK$ 29,500 Each store has a promotional Booth; It costs around HK$ 500 for each. The Body Shop has 49 stores in Hong Kong. And it has 10 booths as spare. 7. Video Promotional Campaign: HK$ 1,500 x 10 = HK$ 15,000 Each winner has $1500 cash. There are 10 winners in total. ————————————————- ————————————————- Conclusion In conclusion, based on the SWOT analysis of Tea Tree Concealer, it mentions that Tea Tree Concealer needs to be more popular and needs to uses the gender segmentation that to enlarge the market with the men’s market because the demand of men’s cosmetics market is increasing especially of the concealer. Therefore, the marketing objectives are to enhance the promotion of Tea Tree Concealer that can increase 5-10% sales in short term; and in long term, The Body Shop can develop a Men’s Tea Tree Concealer to satisfy  men’s satisfaction of concealer that the concealer can take care about men’s face skin. For the marketing strategies, for short term, the body shop can use promotion tools, such as advertising in Facebook, beauty magazines and promote next to the MTR escalator. Also, the body shop can give general customers 5-10% off discount for buying Tea Tree Concealer. And the VIP can get one more discount after the new product has got 5-10% discount. Moreover, The Body Shop can give out the sample for people like and share the post on The Body Shop’s Facebook page, after that show it to the staff, then they can get one sample; and The Body Shop can have corporation with Mannings and Watsons. If people consume above $150, they can get a sample of The Body Shop. For long term, The Body Shop can uses marketing mix (Product, Price, Place and Promotion), to increase the sales of Tea Tree Concealer and to open up the men’s concealer market, a men’s product that calls â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. In product strategy, The Body Shop can put in money on Research & Development, to develop the â€Å"Men’s Tea Tree Concealer†. In pricing strategy, Market-Penetration pricing is the company choice on setting price because the tea tree collection of The Body Shop is famous in Hong Kong but the tea tree concealer is not familiar with the men. In promotion strategy, The Body Shop can set up a special counter in shops, which is the company promotional product. Some salesperson will promote the new product as men may feel shy to buy make-up product so set up a counter is every shop help the company to find some target. Also, the company will give out some sample if people click ‘like’ in Facebook fans page and to have video promotional campaign, people who have tried to use our product can join this competition. The users have to make a video about the feedback from using new tea tree concealer; the top 10 participants who obtained highest ‘like’ on their video clips can win $1500 cash. For the marketing budget, Statement of Comprehensive Income that it is for the Promotion of Tea Tree Concealer & Men’s Tea Tree Concealer, it shows that it will have a profit in the end of the promotion of Tea Tree Concealer and also have a profit in develop a Men’s Tea Tree Concealer. ————————————————- Bibliography * The Body Shop (seen on 20th September 2012) http://www.thebodyshop.com.hk/tc/index.aspx * The Body Shop – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (seen on 20th September 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bodyshop * L’Orà ©al (seen on 20th September 2012) http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/index.aspx * L’Orà ©al – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (seen on 20th September 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreal_Kids * Oriflame (seen on 8th November 2012) http://gb.oriflame.com/ * Oriflame – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (seen on 8th November 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriflame * Jurlique (seen on 8th November 2012) http://www.jurlique.com/ * Skin Care – Jurlique – Hong Kong (seen on 8th November 2012) http://www.jurlique.hk/catalog/main.php?cPath=1 ————————————————- ————————————————- Appendices 1. Sample of the Questionnaire Questionnaire on The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Concealer| Hello, we are students of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Morrison Hill), we are conducting a project of Marketing, and is currently conducting a survey about The Body Shop Tea Tree Concealer. All of the information you provide in this questionnaire will not be used for commercial purposes, and destroyed at the end of the project-based learning. 1. What is your personal feeling or opinion towards â€Å"The Body Shop†? (1 is very bad while 5 is very good) Ã¥  £ 1 Ã¥  £ 2 Ã¥  £ 3 Ã¥  £ 4 Ã¥  £ 5 2. Which of the following vocabularies is/are to describe â€Å"The Body Shop†? (Can choose more than 1 answers) Ã¥  £ popularization Ã¥  £ with enterprise conscience Ã¥  £ expensive products Ã¥  £ good quality of products Ã¥  £ poor quality of products Ã¥  £ othersï ¼Å¡_______________ 3. Have you ever seen the tea tree concealer of The Body Shop? Ã¥  £ Yes ( go to question 4) Ã¥  £ No (go to question 5) 4. Have you ever bought this tea tree concealer before? Ã¥  £ Yes ( go to question 6) Ã¥  £ No (go to question 7) 5. As our product helps to protect from anti-bacterial and it is an infusion perfect to help blemished skin. Moreover, it promotes healthy-looking skin and has fantastic skin moisturizing properties. The size of the tea tree concealer is 4.5g which cost $139. After knowing the benefit out product, will you consider to buy it? Ã¥  £ Yes ( go to question 6) Ã¥  £ No (go to question 7) 6. Why will you choose to buy or consider our product? (Can choose more than 1 answers) (can choose more than 1 choice) Ã¥  £ Price consideration Ã¥  £ functions Ã¥  £ coupons Ã¥  £ influence by media Ã¥  £ functions of other brand’s products Ã¥  £ Others:_______________ 7. Why won’t you choose to buy or consider our product? (Can choose more than 1 answer) (can choose more than 1 choice) Ã¥  £ Price consideration Ã¥  £ functions Ã¥  £ Personal feeling Ã¥  £ I don’t do any make-up Ã¥  £ functions of other brand’s products Ã¥  £ Others:_______________ 8. What ways can attract you to buy our product? (Can choose more than 1 answer) (can choose more than 1 choice) Ã¥  £ Advertisement Ã¥  £ Discount / coupon Ã¥  £ Sample Ã¥  £ Gift / Present Ã¥  £ Others:_______________ 9. What is you gender? Ã¥  £ Female Ã¥  £ Male 10. What is your age group? Ã¥  £ 18 or below Ã¥  £ 19-25 Ã¥  £ 26-32 Ã¥  £ 33-39 Ã¥  £ 40 or above 11. What is you occupation? Ã¥  £ Banking / Finance Ã¥  £ Engineering Ã¥  £ Building / Construction Ã¥  £ Hotel / Tourism Ã¥  £ Education Ã¥  £ Retailing Ã¥  £ Beauty Care Ã¥  £ Others:_______________ ~ Thank You!! ~| The company has made an online questionnaire which is relate to this topic, as Cantonese is a common language in Hong Kong so the company decided to upload a Cantonese version to the public. The link is as follow: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?pli=1&formkey=dGNfd3ppOXNxc3JTVUVZMUdtdFVIS3c6MQ#gid=0 2. Result of the Survey 1. What is your personal feeling or opinion towards â€Å"The Body Shop†? (1 is very bad while 5 is very good) Before the company asks questions about the concealer, some background information about the brand name is needed. This question ask the interviewees to give marks on The Body Shop, the average marks is 3.83, nearly 70% of interviewees give more than the average marks so the Body Shop have a positive image in public. 2. Which of the following vocabularies is/are to describe â€Å"The Body Shop†? (Can choose more than 1 answers) As mentioned above, the Body Shop has a positive image so the company would like to know more about the opinions from the public. More than 80% of interviewees responded that the Body Shop is popular is Hong Kong, there are lots of shops in different parts. 32% and 52% of interviewees think the Body Shop run its business with enterprise conscience and the product quality is high respectively. However, 11% and 4% of interviewees have negative image on the Body Shop, they think the products are quite expensive and the quality is not really good. Therefore, we may consider the price while setting for the new tea tree concealer for men. 3. Have you ever seen the tea tree concealer of The Body Shop? The company should have some evaluation meeting on the promotion strategy on tea tree concealer as the nearly 60% of them have never seen the tea tree concealer before which cannot help the company to increase sales. Only 40% have ever seen the concealer before, this reflects the promotion is not strong enough. 4. Have you ever bought this tea tree concealer before? There are totally 59 interviewees responded that they have seen tea tree concealer before but only 40 of them which is nearly 70% have bought before, this seems to be a huge number. However, overall speaking, for all the interviewees, there are only 29% of them bought it. This is not a good situation because only few amounts of people have bought before. 5. As our product helps to protect from anti-bacterial and it is an infusion perfect to help blemished skin. Moreover, it promotes healthy-looking skin and has fantastic skin moisturizing properties. The size of the tea tree concealer is 4.5g which cost $139. After knowing the benefit out product, will you consider to buy it? For another 79 interviewees, 50 of them will consider to buy tea tree concealer, which is 63%. This means there is higher potential for our market to expand. It’s because the public don’t know about the advantages of the tea tree product. From this question, we know that our promotion is not strong enough so we have to improve in future. Also, people may consider about the benefit of the product which is an important element for customers to choose. 6. Why will you choose to buy or consider our product? (Can choose more than 1 answers) For this question, the number of interviewees have to answer is 90, this question aim to find the reason for customer to consider buying our product. 77of the interviewees think that the functions and benefits is very important, 74 of them think the price is reasonable to afford, this means people are consider about the quality and price. Moreover, affected by the other competitors and brands, people will choose to buy the tea tree concealer from the Body Shop. So when the company decides to develop the new tea tree concealer for men, some specific function should be added on in order to attract more people to buy. 7. Why won’t you choose to buy or consider our product? (Can choose more than 1 answer) For this question, the number of interviewees have to answer this question is 48. 25 of them responded they don’t make –up so this group of people is not the company target. 27 of them think the price is relatively high which is a disadvantage, also there have to face the competition from other brands, so people will affect by other company. 8. What ways can attract you to buy our product? (Can choose more than 1 answer) (can choose more than 1 choice) In order to set the company promotional strategy, this question ask about which ways can attract people to buy the tea tree concealer. 85% of them think discounts and coupons are very attractive for them to buy. Moreover, give out samples is also a good way to promote the tea tree concealer. 92 of the interviewees think that gift is quite attractive as they can try to us our product. If the feedback is good, they will re-buy the company’s product. 9. What is you gender? For this questionnaire, there are 87 males and 51 females have answered our questionnaire. 10. What is your age group? Nearly half of the interviewees belong to age between 19 and 25 and 30% are belong to age between 26 and 32. 11. What is you occupation? 33% of the interviewees are students who don’t have enough buying power which may affect our result a little bit. Moreover, the remaining interviewees are