Marketing Presentation Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Presentation Report - Coursework Example Tele Cinch’s and Blackberry’s core and actual elements and finally compare their distribution and marketing communication strategies from a critical point of view. Furthermore, the report will evaluate whether their strategies are similar or dissimilar to that of each others. Identifying the Products’ Core, Actual and Augmented Elements Tele Cinch 1.0 The innovative designing of the phone has deliberately contributed towards the modernised definition of smart phone devices by providing unique features such as large buttons and long lasting battery power. Furthermore, core elements, such as heating function and speech dialling are especially integrated in the handset to provide convenient facilities to the aged groups that the brand targets the most. Moreover, the brand assures its customers that it is user friendly and easy to use among all other available smart phones. Furthermore, in relation to its distribution operations, it assures to deliver the product wit hin 48 hours at any place desired by the customer. In addition, the brand provides augmented elements like 3 years guarantee to all its products along with a replacement warranty to enhance its customer relationship providing assistance through its technical support team. Blackberry Bold 9900 The brand claims that this actual product is the thinnest smart phone in their product line up. The uniquely integrated ‘Liquid Graphics’ touch screen ensures life time durability to the customers while using its features such as swiping, zooming and pinching photos and videos. A few core elements incorporated in this product are ‘Vlingo’ which enables ‘speech to operate’ facilities that enable the user to use their voice for writing messages, opening applications, setting statuses on Twitter along with numerous other activities. Moreover, the brand claims that its operating system makes it the fastest Blackberry till date (Research In Motion Limited, 2012 ). The Blackberry Bold’s augmented elements are its innovative applications that are available to the user free of cost, its built-in Near Field Communications (NFC) that enables connecting with other NFC enabled devices and the useful accessories that the brand provides for the convenience of the users, such as travel charger, Bluetooth headsets and external battery charger bundle (Research In Motion Limited, 2012). Comparing the Distribution and Marketing Communication Strategy Tele Cinch 1.0: Distribution Strategy The brand uses traditional style of distribution process that include finished products transferring from manufacturers to the wholesaler to the retailer and finally to the end customers (Bucklin, 1965). Furthermore, the brand, at times follows different approaches of skipping the wholesaler and transferring directly to the retailer or skipping both the wholesaler and retailer and selling it directly to the customers. Blackberry Bold 9900: Distribution Strategy T he brand uses various modern approaches while distributing its products. It focuses on partnering with resellers to sell the various products. The products are also sold directly to the c

Bipolar World Essay Example for Free

Bipolar World Essay Polarization means the union of like- minded countries into a single homogeneous unit in order to safeguard their national interests. Polarization thus, naturally means that various countries with similar ideas on various problems confronting the world unite around a super power with a view to giving united front. Polarization has been facilitated by the scientific and technological advances under which the world has shrunk in area and distance. In this way, when two centers of power, i.e. two poles appear round which the other countries of the world revolve, the system is known as Bipolar. I would prefer living in a bipolar world order because it tends to reduce international violence. The advantages of bipolar system are: †¢Reduction in Tension With only two world powers, their areas of influence are clearly demarcated. This leads to reduction in tension. In Cold War era, both the Soviet Union and America were concerned with happen ¬ings in different areas of the world. The USA was mostly concerned with America continent and West Europe, whereas the USSR’s sphere of interest was Asia and East Europe. This has led to a solid and determinate balance. Expansion was not so easy, aggrandizement was not a simple work. †¢Leads to balance resulting in peace  In a bipolar system, there are only two rival blocs; competition in every field is relative which keeps the balance, usually resulting in peace. Both the power blocs are equally -or at least similarly- engaged in space race, economic growth, military preparedness, propaganda struggle and domestic issues. â€Å"Policy proceeds by limitation of the other power, with occasional attempts to outflank.† A super power never escapes calculation in terms of international balance and always evaluates the other power’s reaction. By asserting the interests of the two great powers in even minor matters, the balance is sought to be achieved in everything. Neither of the parts can act in a careless manner and this is in favor of stability. †¢Equality of Power  Thirdly, the most important stabilizing factor is the nearly constant presence of pressure and the recurrence of crises. I mean crises are natural and even desirable in a condition of conflict. If crises do not occur, it means that one side or the other is neglecting its own interests. Maintenance of balance will then mean large or small wars. As long as there are only two major powers, the power of both will be almost equal. There will be equal and opposite reaction in crisis instants. (i.e. Cuba Crisis) This will check any one of the two powers to embark on a policy of aggression. †¢Any change anywhere in the world The changes in some parts of the world do not affect the basic position of two powers. Finally, the preponderant power of the two super states means that minor shifts in the balance are not of any great importance. For example, the U.S. lost China due to the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949 and the Soviet Union lost China after Sino-Soviet border conflict in 1962, but neither change dras ¬tically altered the Russian-American balance. The two states were so strong that they could accommodate change easily. The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. confronted each other on almost every issue but none of the issues was of decisive importance and none led to war. To sum up, in addition to advantages, there are also disadvantages of bipolar system, like continuous pressure in international system. Yet, the balance of power always hinders the crises getting more serious. The world witnessed two world wars in thirty years in a multipolar order, but a third world war never happened in almost fifty tense years between 1945 and 1991, the bipolar Cold War era.

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell :: Essays Papers

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell Character Analysis Sir Gawain is one of the more famous Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legends. Various authors have written about Gawain including the anonymous author of "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell." The reader gets to know Gawain’s character through its development throughout the story. Gawain shows his virtue and courteous manner through his words and also through his actions. His physical appearance and dress are never mentioned so there are no clues to his personality in this regard. Gawain’s steadfast manner in the face of adversity is further testament to his worthiness as a knight. The first glimpse we have of Gawain in the story is shortly after King Arthur returns from his hunt. Gawain is the only person to whom Arthur confides his misadventure with Sir Gromer Somer Jour. Arthur’s apparent trust of Gawain to carry his burden proves that he trusts Gawain’s counsel and that Gawain will be discreet about the king’s troubles. Gawain enforces this belief when he says, "I am not that man that wold you dishonor / Nother by evin ne by moron"(329). In contrast to Arthur who breaks his oath to Sir Gromer that "I shold nevere telle it to no wighte"(331) by hoisting his problems on another, Gawain’s character exhibits a more honorable disposition by immediately offering his assistance. The juxtaposition of these two contrasting characters, namely Arthur and Gawain, serves to display each of their attributes in a clearer, more defined light. Even though Arthur does not necessarily act in a cowardly manner, neither does he measure up to Gawainâ €™s virtuous nature. After Arthur’s encounter with Dame Ragnell later in the story, he returns to his home even more discouraged than when he set out. Gawain, upon meeting with the dejected king, swears that "I had lever myself be dead, so not I thee"(335) when he hears Arthur’s foreboding prophesy that he will surely die. Gawain backs up his loyalty not only with mere words but with his actions as well. When faced with the prospect of taking a hideous wife to save his lord’s life, Gawain does not hesitate but says that he will "†¦wed her and wed her again, / Thoughe she were a fend, / Though she were as foulle as Belsabub, / Her shall I wed, by the rood, / Or ellses were not I your frende"(335).

Essay examples --

The Not So Great Macbeth In â€Å"Macbeth† written by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth is a general in the Scottish army. After Macbeth and Banquo another general return from battle they encounter three witches the witches give Macbeth and Banquo three Prophesies. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesy that Banquo will produce a line of Scottish kings although Banquo will never become king himself. King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians and Duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth’s wife Lady Macbeth hears about king Duncan coming to their castle and try’s to persuade Macbeth to murder king Duncan. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; th e next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his doubts and a number of supernatural visions, including a vision of a bloody dagger. Macbeth now becomes king and Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes but kills Banquo. Lady Macbeth later kills herself while sleepwalking and Macbeth becomes depressed. Later Macduff comes with his army and beheads Macbeth. And Malcolm becomes king. In Shakespeare’s ... ...control his fate is when he goes to the witches and they show him a line of kings who all resemble Banquo, suggesting that Banquo’s sons will indeed be kings. â€Å" Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs† (pg. 386) So Macbeths sends murders to go kill Bonquo and his son Fleance But they only kill Bonquo and his son Fleance escapes which means that he could still possibly become king and that angered Macbeth so that showed that Macbeth wouldnt let anything mess up his fate and that he is trying to control every aspect of it and that he would go to great lengths to control it. So all of those examples were of how Macbeth tried to seal his fate and just how far he would go to Control it but in the end like all things it came to an end and Macbeth really couldn’t do much at that point to control his fate and was beheaded by Macduff.

Building shelf management system

Introduction to the undertakingManagement system means the methods by which an administration programs, operates, and controls its activities to run into its ends and aims by using the resources of money, people, equipment stuffs and information. Management information systems are used by companies to assist maintain them more organized in certain parts of concerns. For illustration, companies use databases as a manner or hive awaying information as it helps them to entree informations more rapidly and remain more organized. It is better than holding a paper-based system where relevant information can be lost or read falsely. Besides with paper-based systems, they take up a batch of room as you need a topographic point to hive away it all, for illustration, a filing cabinet. The undertaking I have decided to make will affect me analyzing, planing, and implementing a stock database system for warehouse operations in a little concern. In future this database could be used by other little concern companies as good. The company that I have decided to utilize is Biring ‘s News, which I have been working for over 4 old ages. The database will enable the company to pull off their stock that comes in and out of the warehouse. The ground I have chosen to make this company is due to the fact that I have been working at that place for such a long clip. I ‘ve learnt about how the concern itself runs and have seen jobs occur and become resolved or need to be resolved throughout the clip I have been at that place. Biring ‘s News has a concatenation of newsdealers which are based over Kent and London. The proprietors of the concern are ever either opening more stores in new locations or shuting them down in others. It would be utile for the company to hold a system that shows them how the stock is being managed, what is selling good and what is non.Background of the CompanyBiring ‘s News is owned by Jasbir Biring. They own a concatenation of newsdealers which are located in Kent and London. The stores are all situated within shopping Centres like Bluewater Shopping Centre and Westfield Shopping Centre. They sell a scope of stock such as, Sweets, drinks, magazines, coffin nails and newspapers. Biring ‘s News opened there first store in Lakeside shopping Centre, 1989, which was a great success and led them to open more and subdivision out towards London. In entire, the company has opened up to 8 newsdealers since 1989, some are still running and others have been sold on. At the minute, the company has one chief warehouse where all the stock is kept for all of Mr Biring ‘s stores ; so workers are ever in and out taking what they need when they want. The job with this is that there is no record of good coming in and good coming out, so there is no record of what points are low in stock and what points there are excessively much of. The result of this is that the director has jobs with stock that is non selling really good which leads to him holding excessively much in the warehouse which can besides so go out of day of the month, so he is losing out on money. Another job that would happen is that he may run low on stock that is high in demand ; therefore he will be losing out on gross revenues. The company besides have a concatenation of providers that they use. They use the same provider for magazines and newspapers as they receive that stock automatically on a day-to-day footing. When it comes to buying confectionary, they do non lodge to one provider. They go by which of all time supplier has the best monetary value for whatever they need or if any of them have particular offers. This is besides a job that leads to holding excessively much stock, as they are merely looking at what is on offer and merely buying it, even without detecting that they have plenty of the point in the warehouse. At the minute, the company has no record of what is kept in the warehouse, the lone manner of cognizing what is in the warehouse is by roll uping bills of what has been purchased or by staff advising the director about what is losing in the warehouse.Aim of ProjectThe purpose of the undertaking is to:Write in item what the job isState how the job could be solvedState how the system will work and what it is intended to makeIdentify all the demands for the systemAnalyse and plan the system that I intend to bring forthImplement the systemMake a user usher for the company so that they are able to utilize the systemAim of the UndertakingThe aim of the undertaking will enable the company to:Become more organized – they will be able to maintain path of what stock they have, so they wo n't hold the job off holding excessively small stock or extra stock.Save money – the system will enable the company to salvage money as they will cognize what they have, so they will non purchase stock that is non required.Think of some more aims! ! !ResearchManagement information systemsManagement Information Systems can be used to treat informations into utile information. For illustration, it could be a system used to do orders. There are three types of direction information systems which are:Decision Support SystemsInformation coverage systemsExecutive information systemsDecision Support systemsThis type of system allows strategic and tactical determinations to be made. Decision support systems are chiefly used to back up the tactical, semi structured determinations that need to be made as portion of the rating and planning of a concern. Executive information systems are targeted at strategic determination devising, which frequently involves unstructured determinations. This type of system is normally created by the terminal user as they are the 1s who normally use it. That manner they know how is works directly off. Examples of where determination support systems are used are to analyze informations and see if there are any tendencies, for case, looking at gross revenues figures over a period of clip.Information coverage systemsThis type of system helps companies as it produces studies which can assist them to do determinations within the company. For illustration, this type of system would assist Biring ‘s News as you could bring forth studies of what was in stock, so the director would hold an thought on what he needs to buy. There are two types of describing systems which are periodic studies and exclusion studies. Periodic studies are produced merely when required by determination shapers at regular intervals. Examples include a monthly fiscal statement and a hebdomadal gross revenues analysis. Exception studies are produced merely when asked for. This would be utile for Biring ‘s News as the director could easy publish a study out for himself whenever he needed it, for illustration, he would necessitate a transcript of the stock study when he planned to do an order from a provider.Executive information systemsProvides senior directors with a system to help them in taking strategic and tactical determinations. Their intent is to analyze, comparison and highlight tendencies to assist regulate the strategic way of the company. They are normally integrated with operational systems, giving directors the installation to ‘drill down ‘ to happen farther information on the job.Off the Shelf packageA criterion bing system is purchased from a package seller and installed on computing machines located within an administration. This type of package can be purchased by anyone and can be used to run by 1000s of people. You can buy many types of off the shelf package depending on what field you ‘re working in, for illustration, if you do photo use you could buy package such as Photoshop, which is really popular. With this type of package, it is moderately priced as it is popular. It is utile for smaller companies as they are chiefly capable of being able to make what the company wants. This package is non every bit utile to bigger companies as they prefer to hold package to make precisely what they want. For illustration, off the shelf package may hold characteristics that are non required by the company or they may be losing applications that the company needs. Bespoke package is a better option for much larger companies, as they can hold it produced to their demands. I will be bring forthing a stock database which will fit the demands for a warehouse storage system, so it will be able to be used by other smaller companies.The Waterfall theoretical accountThe waterfall theoretical account divides a undertaking up into phases. The theoretical accounts show that you should follow each phase in a specific order, as the diagram below indicates. Feasibility Study – This is the phase where the user has to research whether their planned undertaking is executable. The feasibleness is broken down into four stairss:Prepare for feasibleness survey by measuring the range of the undertaking.Define the job ( what should the new system do that the present 1 does non ) .Choose the best feasibleness option from those available ( typically up to five concern options and a similar figure of proficient options ) .Assemble the feasibleness study, including the principle for the selected option.Analysis – this can be broken down into two phases which are the probe of the current environment and concern systems options. Probe of the current environment – this is the most of import out of the two phases. For this, the user will hold made a list of all the demands in the feasibleness survey, so now they will hold to spread out on the demands and do them more elaborate by speaking about how they will be solved. They will besides hold to province what attributes and entities they will necessitate and how they will all be linked in the entity relationship diagram. They will besides hold to take a information theoretical account so they know how they are traveling to finish the undertaking and in what phases. The user will besides hold to set up the purposes and aims of the undertaking. Business system options – this phase comprises two stairss, the aims of which are to hold what the functionality should be. A figure of possible systems solutions for the perceived concern demands are formulated and the impacts and benefits of each will be evaluated. The solution selected will be the one that most closely catches the demands of the concern. The two stairss are:Define concern optionsSelect concern optionDesignSystem design means that the developers describe in item how the system will work, what the end products will be and what inputs are needed. Similarly, processs are described and hardware demands defined.ExecutionThis is the phase where you create the system. It should be made right under all the given demands.Care and TestingAt this phase the system should be completed and tested to see if it works. A user usher should besides be created so it can state the user how to run and keep the package.MethodologyI am traveling to utilize the Waterfall theoretical account to construction my undertaking. I have chosen this because it allows me to research all facets decently before traveling in front and making the system decently. This manner I will non hold the job of burying to add in parts or adding in applications that are non needed. I am traveling to bring forth a stock database system for the company warehouse, which could subsequently be used as an off the shelf bundle by other little warehouse companies. This system will enable the director keep his stock by ever holding a sufficient sum of all his stock. The system will work by holding all the provider information stored on the database. From there the director will be able to entree their web sites and look into what publicities they have and besides compare monetary values to see where he could acquire a better trade. He will besides be able to see all the stock he has in the warehouse. The stock will be shown under their appropriate headers, for illustration, Coke would be stored under drinks. Following to each point of stock, it will province how many of each is stored at the minute. Employee inside informations will besides be stored on the system so that they can entree the system to enter what they had took from the warehouse, so that all the stock de grees are shown right. To bring forth the system I will necessitate the undermentioned information to bring forth the system:Name callings and references of the newsdealersWarehouse inside informations – where it is locatedWhat stock is sold in the storeWhat stock is stored in the warehouse ( magazines and newspapers are non stored at that place, is at that place anything else? )How many providers they useDetailss of providers – what they specialise in sellingDetailss of employees ( this is because they all have entree to the warehouse, so the director will necessitate to maintain path of what they are taking )To happen out all the information I will carry on an interview with the director.Requirements for the system:Employee-Employees must hold their ain user name and watchword to log into the system ; this is to halt any unauthorized entree to the system.They must be able to hold entree to their inside informations so that they can change it if any alterations are needed to be made.They mus t be able to change the measure degrees of all the stock to maintain it updated.The inside informations that will be required of the employee are their first name, last name, which shop they work in, reference, contact figure.There should besides be a map that enables you to add and edit/delete employees.Supplier –The inside informations that will be required are the name of the provider, the reference, website reference, email reference, phone figure.There should besides be a map that enables the user to add and edit/delete providers.Shop-The inside informations that will be required are the names of the stores, what shopping Centres they are located within, and the reference, which employee works at that place.There should be a map available that allows the user to add and edit/delete stores.Warehouse-The inside informations that will be required for the warehouse is the warehouse figure, the reference, what is stored at that place.Stock-The inside informations that will be required is the name of everything that is sold in the store, for illustration, Sweets, magazines, coffin nails, etc. Besides you will necessitate to cognize the measure of it that is stored in the warehouse.There should be a map available that allows the user to add and edit/delete stock, either when they proprietor decides to halt selling it or when a new point is released in the market.Hazard AnalysisResourcesThe package that I am traveling to utilize to make the information system is Microsoft Access. Microsoft Access is a Relational Database Management system. It is a really popular database system and it is easy to utilize. Microsoft Access database contains a figure of different applications ; some of them are table ‘s questions, signifiers, studies, macros and so on. Tables – these are used for informations storage. The tabular arraies are presented in rows and columns to the user so that they can input at that place informations. The tabular array is shown in a similar manner to a spreadsheet format as all the gridlines are seeable. Questions – they gather certain information from different tabular arraies and expose them all on one screen. Using a question you can alter the order of records ( screening ) , retrieve single records or groups of records ( seeking and filtrating ) , count, amount, norm, and otherwise summarize informations values ( collection ) and compute new values from values held in the tabular array ( computation ) . Forms – this allows information from tabular arraies to be displayed in a more professional manner. With signifiers you are able to add in images as you ca n't infix them into tabular arraies. Reports- studies are used for showing information in different formats. They can besides incorporate images and graphs.MentionsBocij, P, Chaffey, D, Greasley, A, Hickie S. ( 2006 ) Business Information Systems Prentice Hall, Pearson instruction. Chapters 6 & A ; 7Boddy, D, Boonstra, A, Kennedy, G ( 2002 ) Pull offing Information Systems Prentice Hall, Pearson instruction. Chapter 1Dowling, N ( 1998 ) Database Design and Management utilizing Access Letts. Great Britain. Chapter 1Glanss, T, Grad, B, Holstein, D, Meyers, W, Schmidt, R ( 1968 ) Management Systems United States of America. Chapter 1BibliographyThe hired Institute for IT. Retrieved on: 12/10/09, from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bcs.org/server.php? show=ConWebDoc.2767Hero Solutions. Retrieved on: 12/10/09, from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hero-solutions.co.uk/articles/bespokevsofftheshelf.aspMicrosoft Office Online. Retrieved on: 13/10/09, from the World Wide Web: hypert ext transfer protocol: //office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA101656301033.aspxMicrosoft Office Online. Retrieved on: 13/10/09, from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA101650211033.aspx

Interpretation Of Blakes The Lamb And The Tyger Essays - The Tyger

Interpretation Of Blake's The Lamb And The Tyger Essays - The Tyger Interpretation Of Blake's The Lamb And The Tyger The Tyger and The Lamb reveals Blake's interest in the opposites.Each symbolize things that are the opposites The Lamb represents good and peace, while The Tyger represents evil. Many people will find The Tyger the more interesting poem. The Tyger is repeatedly asking one question, What would dare to make such a creature? Blake is expressing what type of being would make such an evil creature. God made the creature, not because he wanted evil, but everything has a touch of evil. Blake's poems are tied to the Romanitic age. They examplify mystery and beauty of life. Bibliography I'm a 17 year old senior from Indiana. I did this interpretation for my advanced senior english class

buy custom Realizations of Cyberculture essay

buy custom Realizations of Cyberculture essay In modern times, cyberculture is manifested or realized in instances where human beings interactions are mediated by the established computer networks; thus encompassing games, activities, initiatives, pursuits, places, exchanges, places and applications in which cyberspace users engage in (Levy, 2001). The actualization of activities is in such platforms as websites with specialized domains, web portals with specialist software and user-based web protocols (Abbate, 1999). Today we have blogs, social networks (Face book, Twitter), online and downloadable games that need online or offline participation, chat platforms (instant messaging), Bulletin Board Systems, eCommerce sites, peer-to-peer networks, virtual worlds, UseNet, cybersex platforms and a host of other cyberculture realizations (Abbate, 1999). To qualify as cyberculture, cyberculture must derive aspects of the traditional culture notions of culture (as the root words suggests). That culture must also be composed of numerous subcultures identified by an ethnographical study (Howard Jones, 2003). The identified subcultures based on the technologies they use, their capabilities, the diversityof users, the diverse real-world locations alluded to etc (Howard Jones, 2003). On the overall however, cyberculture is characterized by a community whose interactions are mediated by information communication technology (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). It is the product featured by individuals linked from one computer screen to another by a variety of complex networks. Secondly, cyberculture relies heavily on a concept of knowledge and of information exchange (whichever type of knowledge or information individuals wish to exchange). Thirdly, cyberculture depends on its ability to manipulate technological features to a new level or degree that traditional culture forms lacked as its core attraction. Cyberculture does not insist on the individual but on the interaction of individuals, and thus no requirement of personal identity in most interactions (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). Cyberculture has no place for face-to-face interaction, and persons are represented by usernames, codes and passwords (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). Cyberculture transcends traditional limits to relationships such as physical inabilities, geeographical borders, social stratification and temporal (time elements) constraints. A distinct characteristic of cyberspace that is perhaps one of the most defining of them all is the fact that cyberculture is a cognitive social culture whose only visible traits is on its impact to the physical culture (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). It is an abstract concept realized physically not as a culture itself but as an influence on more physical cultures. When individuals visible spend most of their time online, that is not the cyberculture but a physical ramification of the abstract culture in which the individuals are participating. This actually helps explain the next characteristic of cyberculture as a product borne by like-minded peo ple who find or search for a common ground to interact in, online (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). Finally, cyberculture is the most dynamic, fragile and perishable form of culture known to man. It changes in minutes, trends take different directions by the minute, technology progresses and new capabilities conceived by the day and so too the culture of the people who use these technology (Aronowitz, Martinsons Menser, 1995). Buy custom Realizations of Cyberculture essay

The Mind Of A Serial Killer Essays - Murder, Crime, Psychopathy

The Mind Of A Serial Killer Essays - Murder, Crime, Psychopathy The Mind Of A Serial Killer SERIAL MURDER: In the last three decades the USA has been troubled by an approaching problem, the serial killer. A serial killer is a person who kills a number of people, usually considered over five, with a cooling off period between each murder, usually one murder at one given time). Two murders at one time occasionally happen and these murders may go on for a period of months or years until the killer is caught. Throughout the last three decades the US serial killer rate has risen 94% and it is estimated that by the next millennium it will claim an average of 11 lives a day. Serial Murder is an epidemic; there are at least 35 serial killers active in the USA today who claim one third of the annual murder rate. The USA has 6% of the world's population yet it has three quarters of all serial killers. Not only are serial killers appearing in more numbers in the US but also all over the world countries are terrorized by serial killers, which are appearing in more numbers year and year after. KILLER TRAIT: A serial killer is a typical white male, 20-30, and most of them are usually in the USA. Their main motives are sex (even though the act of sex may or may not take place), power, manipulation, domination and control. The sex motive is usually rape for an organized killer and sadism for a disorganized killer. They act in a series of 5 or more murders with a cooling off period between each murder. Serial killers can go on for months and years before they are usually caught. The victim is usually the same for every killer - prostitute, hitchhiker etc. Their victims may also have the same or similar attributes in gender, age, race, general look, residence etc. Serial killers also stick by their modus operandi very closely and may change it with experience. Most murders occur by strangulation, suffocation, stabbing etc. Serial killers act by a sex-murder fantasy based with their control, they usually live in this dream world in their teens until they act it out for real when they get into the adult stage. As each murder occurs a serial killer may be disappointed by his murder fantasy and may act it out again to achieve it to there own satisfaction. CHARACTERISTICS OF A SERIAL KILLER: 1. Killings are separate ('serial'), occurring with greater or less frequency, often escalating over a period of time, sometimes years, and will continue until the killer is taken into custody, dies, or is himself/herself killed. 2. In common with normal homicides, killing tends to be one on one. There are instances however where a serial killer has struck down more than one victim in a single incident. 3. There is no (or very little) previous connection between the perpetrator and the victim; the persons involved rarely being related. 4. Although there may be a 'pattern' or 'victim trait', individual murders within a series rarely display a clearly defined or rational motive. 5. An increasingly greater spatial mobility (since the advent of the automobile) has enabled killers (if they wish) to move rapidly from one place to another, often before a murder has even been discovered. 6. There is usually a high degree of redundant violence, or an 'overkill', where the victim is subjected to a disproportionate level of brutality. MOTIVES: These are the motives a serial killer might display (some killers display various motives): Visionaries - Acts in response to voices and is instructed by these voices to perform the act of murder. These killers are usually schizophrenic and psychotic. Missionaries - They think it is their responsibility to rid society of unwanted elements. Hedonists - Kill because murder causes them pleasure. Lust Killers - Kill for sexual gratification with acts that are usually sadistic. Thrill Killers - Kill because of a desire for a thrill or experience. Gain Killers - Kill for personal gain. The killer premeditates the act to require financial gain or materialistic goods. While gain is not the main motive in a murder some serial killers have took the opportunity to steal from their victims for their own personal

Skill Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Skill Development - Essay Example The essay "Skill Development" talks about the managerial skills development through the analysis of a number of articles and books on a related subject. The process of employee motivation is very significant to any firm. Therefore, in order to get the desired outcomes, it is important to motivate employees for the work they do. This will make them more committed to their work and eventually will lead to high production and good performance. Employee motivation is essential because it ensures that human resource is active in order to accomplish organization goals and objectives. It also leads to the establishment of the friendly relationship among workers. Cooperation in any organization leads to stability and reduces organizational unrest and disputes. Employee development is also an important part that needs to be improved because I discovered that employees display job performance behaviors in part to improve their self-image, especially when their role is not clearly defined in the organization. The effect of these behaviors on managerial reward recommendation decisions should be powerful when managers believe the employees to be more committed to their work. I found out that poor performance could not be attributed to human nature but to an imperfect work system. Managers should realize that employees want self-control, self-direction, seeks and accepts responsibility, thus there was the need to have a strong employee development skill as this would establish a culture of accountability in the organization.

Strategic plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic plan - Essay Example In this case, I will come up with strategies that minimize costs, reduce waste, meet the market demand and enhance customer satisfaction. The other key concept in strategic management is analyzing the formulated strategies. This concept involves strategy formulation, monitoring and implementation (Jeffs, 2008). In this case, the analysis will involve in-depth external and internal analysis of the weaknesses and strengths of a business. Strategy formulation requires taking a specific course of action that helps meet targeted goals. Strategy implementation requires management to put the formulated strategy into practice (Jeffs, 2008). Finally, strategy monitoring involves the evaluation of the implementation process to achieve the desired results (Jeffs, 2008). In future, I will formulate strategies that facilitate growth, sustainability and expansion of my business. These strategies include keeping books of accounts and having a focused management. I will implement my strategies by acquiring assets, operational machinery, and an efficient workforce. Finally, I will monitor the strategies by having a strong internal con trol framework. The internal control framework will include having internal audits and effective risk assessment. I will also ensure that I adapt to the dynamic technological changes for quality services and

Christopher Billop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Christopher Billop - Essay Example Although Christopher was unwavering in his dedication to staying within the British Empire, it was a difficult choice to make and to abide by it during the Revolution. Before the start of the war, some Quakers were seized and jailed in Virginia because they were deemed to support the colonialists (Sabine 26). The Patriots, a group fighting the British, were not a lenient people since they regularly harassed the loyalists, took their property, and even harmed them. Christopher’s vehemence against patriots in the revolution made him a target of patriots’ anger; he was abducted and held for ransom two times. On June 1779, some patriots rowed from Perth Amboy and arrested Christopher; he was detained for two months. The next kidnap happened in November 1779 and held in a jail in New Jersey. Christopher was chained to the floor and given light food to survive with (Sabine 27). He was informed that his arrest was revenge for people arrested by the British. In the second arrest, he was again detained for two months and set free after Christmas. The arrests were supposed to send a message to the loyalists that their efforts to support the British Empire were unpopular amongst the patriots. Every American was supposed to support the revolution and kick out the British.

Computer Information Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer Information Technology - Research Paper Example Then, computers became common in the society and I became one of its frequent users. When the time came for the choice of a career, I researched and analyzed the skills that are needed for different fields of work. The field of information technology seemed to possess many areas of my interest namely logical thinking, computing machines etc. Another aspect that attracted me towards this field was the degree of its incorporation in every field. It provides one with the choice of being associated to any field for example e-learning enables one to be associated with the field of education, information systems enable one to be associated with the field of business. Some of the most appealing jobs in the market nowadays are related to the field of computers, for example; Facebook: Facebook is the most famous social networking site in the history of the internet. It has over 500 million users. They hire computer professionals of all levels from Diploma holders to PHDs. Their workplace is designed to provide their employees with a comfortable place to inspire them and make it seem like their second home. Computer has become an integral part of any field therefore any operations that are related to it do not face much cutbacks or layoffs. Recently, Google gave its employees 10% increment even in the times of recovery from the financial crisis. This field enables individuals to have the power to create programs. The joy of being able to create software is no less than the satisfaction that a painter gains from the creation of a painting. An individual without the knowledge of computers tends to be dependent on others to get his work done or stays behind in the modern competitive market. The salaries of computer professionals tend to vary according to their skills. According to an online job hunter; the annual average salary of computer professionals is $56,000 (Simply Hired.com, â€Å"Google Salaries†). The

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to Research Paper

Google is always trying to push the envelope when it comes to gathering information about you and me - Research Paper Example Advertisers are willing to pay lots of money for the guarantee that their advertisements will magically appear on the screens of the people that are most likely to buy their products, or at the very least, people that meet a certain profile of consumer that the sellers want to attract to their products. All of this sounds fine until questions about how Google collects and uses data are raised. How did the employees of Google know that I was shopping for shoes? The trade-off for the handiness of Google search lies in the fact that every time you search, you reveal a little bit about yourself. Likes, dislikes and hobbies are all recorded. The amount of e-mail you receive, generate and key words within all of those e-mails is also gathered and stored. The concern many are beginning to have about the way Google gathers, stores and shares information centers on the opportunities and threats this activity hold for our society as a whole, not to mention the damage it can cause to individual s. One positive aspect of Google’s information gathering activities is their apparent commitment to be transparent about their activities. Google has recently published a manual that educates and guides users understanding how information is gathered about them and how it is used. This guide is written in simple language and is intended for non-technical users (Blue, 2011). The guide titled, â€Å"Good to Know† is written for a global audience but is specifically targeted to address changes in legislation in the United Kingdom concerning how user information can be gathered, shared and used. The guide is broken into four sections, Stay Safe Online, Your Data on the Web, Your Data on Google and Manage Your Data. Step by step instructions are offered for interested persons on how to find out what type of a person Google thinks you are and how to opt out of the automated generation of Google Ads. It has been noted that this move puts Google far ahead of other tech compani es when it comes to revealing how they gather and use consumer data. Apple and Facebook, most conspicuously, do not have any obvious safeguards in place for consumers (Thinesen, 2011). Neither company has a Chief Privacy Officer and Google does. Everyone gathering and using data has been stung with security concerns, but Apple and Facebook have had some of the most visible blunders. Compounding the mistrust of these companies has been the initial denials followed by admissions that data was gathered and applied in some seemingly covert manner. For Apple, the most revealing was the denial then admission that GPS software could track the movements of all iPhone users and for Facebook the denial then admission of tracking user movements through the used of the â€Å"Like† button even if not logged on to Facebook. Google’s willingness to have transparent methods of gathering and using information from users is good for society. It can help consumers feel that they are stil l in control of their own person and habits. It is good that they give users the ability to opt out of some forms of data transmission and gathering. Transparency makes all the difference because consumers are making informed choices about how they search using Google. It builds trust between society as a whole and this very important company that provides a vast quantity of the information available to people every day. While trust can eventually lead to dangerous complacency, Google best serves individuals and society

Computer Information Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer Information Technology - Research Paper Example Then, computers became common in the society and I became one of its frequent users. When the time came for the choice of a career, I researched and analyzed the skills that are needed for different fields of work. The field of information technology seemed to possess many areas of my interest namely logical thinking, computing machines etc. Another aspect that attracted me towards this field was the degree of its incorporation in every field. It provides one with the choice of being associated to any field for example e-learning enables one to be associated with the field of education, information systems enable one to be associated with the field of business. Some of the most appealing jobs in the market nowadays are related to the field of computers, for example; Facebook: Facebook is the most famous social networking site in the history of the internet. It has over 500 million users. They hire computer professionals of all levels from Diploma holders to PHDs. Their workplace is designed to provide their employees with a comfortable place to inspire them and make it seem like their second home. Computer has become an integral part of any field therefore any operations that are related to it do not face much cutbacks or layoffs. Recently, Google gave its employees 10% increment even in the times of recovery from the financial crisis. This field enables individuals to have the power to create programs. The joy of being able to create software is no less than the satisfaction that a painter gains from the creation of a painting. An individual without the knowledge of computers tends to be dependent on others to get his work done or stays behind in the modern competitive market. The salaries of computer professionals tend to vary according to their skills. According to an online job hunter; the annual average salary of computer professionals is $56,000 (Simply Hired.com, â€Å"Google Salaries†). The

Learning about disability culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning about disability culture - Essay Example This I found to be consisted with mainstream culture in society, which holds that people change and develop as they go through their lifespan. I have also learnt that disabilities take various forms and that how one disabled person may behave is not the same as how others may behave. In addition, it was interesting to note that some people with disabilities find the term to be discriminatory, and a hindrance, especially as some feel that they go through the same issues as able-bodied people and achieve similar results (Stone, 2009). Probably the most important information gathered during the learning activities was that individuals cannot outgrow their disabilities. While this ultimately makes sense, my time volunteering to work with disabled children has made me not question what they will become when they grow up. I agree with the contention that those with disabilities, especially learning disabilities, normally have ability or abilities that can outshine their disabilities (Stone, 2009). Whether because of natural gifts or as devices for compensation and adaptation, these other abilities are dependent on the disabled persons. I enjoyed a video that we watched during one of the classes, in which a man working with a group of community leaders told them about what life and school is like for children who are disabled was an informative activity. One of his illustrations actually struck me when he contended that expecting something from those with disabilities who are not capable of accomplishing the set task is commonplace in society and in school, which I agreed with. In addition, this problem has been found to lie with societal ignorance, rather than with individuals suffering from a disability (Stone, 2009). There is a need for society to be concerned and educated about working with disabled people. People with disabilities also have to overcome issues

Environmental Pollution Essay Example for Free

Environmental Pollution Essay 1. Effects on Climate Land pollution can affect the general environment of the Earth. Land pollutions leads to loss in the forest cover of Earth. This is in turn going to affect the amount of rain. Less rains mean lesser vegetation. The effect of all different kinds of pollution will eventually lead to problems like acid rains, greenhouse effect, global warming. All of these problems have already initiated and need to be curbed before the situation runs out of control. 2. Extinction of Species One of the major causes of concern is the extinction of species. Species are pushed towards endangerment and extinction primarily by two processes. Habitat fragmentation is the fragmentation of the natural habitat of an organism; cause primarily by urban sprawl. Habitat destruction, on the other hand, is when land clearing adversely affects animals special such that their natural habitat is lost. Both the actions can cause some species to go extinct and others to become invasive. 3. Biomagnification Biomagnification is the process in which certain non-biodegradable substances go on accumulating in the food-chain (in one or more species). The most common example is of methylmercury in fish and mercury in eagles. Not only does biomagnification put the particular species at risk, it puts all the species above and below it at risk, and ultimately affects the food pyramid. 4. Effects on Biodiversity Species extinction and biomagnification is going to overthrow the balance of nature very significantly. The main reason for this is disturbance created in the food chain. To give you a very simple example on account of biomagnification of mercury in eagles, they might go extinct in the subsequent years. However, we know eagles prey on snakes. Less (or no) eagles will then result in more number of snakes! As you may have realized, land pollution is indeed going to affect a lot more things than we though it will. Hence, I leave you with some corrective measure you can take on a personal level to reduce land pollution. Encourage organic farming buy organic food. Proper garbage disposal separate your garbage before you give it to the garbage collector; and strictly say NO to plastic. Encourage recycling buy recycled products, notebooks, paper, etc. Restrict use of herbicides and pesticides they are not only used in farm, but in your own backyard as well. If we reduce our contribution to garbage and litter, therein itself we will be able to significantly reduce land pollution and probably curb it entirely in the near future. Also do realize this isnt only about land pollution; it is about all kinds of pollution. We need to take steps to prevent damaging our Earth. We have no other place to go. Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-land-pollution.html

Unregistered Trade Marks Of Hong Leong Bank Bhd Marketing Essay

Unregistered Trade Marks Of Hong Leong Bank Bhd Marketing Essay Disclaimer: The trade marks, service marks, and logos (the Trade Marks) of Hong Leong Bank Bhd used and displayed in this paper are registered and/or unregistered Trade Marks of Hong Leong Bank Bhd and respective groups. Nothing on this paper should be construed as granting, by implication, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trade Mark displayed on this paper, without the written permission of the respective authority. Views expressed in this report are those of the author. Table of Contents About Hong Leong 4 Industry Analysis 4 Why Porters 5 Model 4 Limitations of Porters Model 6 Strategic Capability Analysis 6 3.1 Stakeholders 7 3.2 SWOT Analysis 7 3.2.1 Why SWOT Analysis 7 3.2.2 Hong Leong Bank SWOT Analysis 7 3.3.3 Limitations of SWOT Analysis 9 Strategic Choices 9 4.1 Strategic Choices 9 4.1.1 Why Porters Generic Strategy 9 4.2 Strategic Direction 10 4.2.1 Why Ansoff Matrix 10 4.3 Method for Pursuing Strategic Direction 12 4.4 Implication and Evaluation of Analysis 12 Justification of a Strategy 13 5.1 McKinsey Growth Pyramid 13 Conclusion 15 References 16 Abbreviations HLB Hong Leong Bank PIN Personal Identification Number SMS Short Messaging Service SME Small and Medium Enterprise RM Ringgit Malaysia SMI Small and Medium Industry ISO International Standard Organization BNM Bank Negara Malaysia ATM Automated Teller Machine About Hong Leong Bank Hong Leong Bank Berhad was found by Ji Chiew. The bank starts operations in 1905 in Kuching, Sarawak. In 1 January 1982, the Head Office relocated from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur. The consolidation of banking institution to meet the requirement of Bank Negara Malaysia marks another milestone for Hong Leong Bank Berhad. Hong Leong Bank Berhad was listed on Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on 17 October 1994. The market capitalization as of recent days is RM 470 million, according to bank website. Hong Leong Bank has diversified the businesses into financial services, manufacturing, and property and infrastructure development. The services available are personal financial services such as credit cards, investment, loan, deposits, insurance, priority banking, personal banking and Hong Leong Club Rewards for customer loyalty (Hong Leong Bank, 2009). Industry Analysis 2.1 Why Porters 5 models Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors There are 37 banks, which are recognized and licensed to operate in Malaysia and more financial institution are opening soon. The trend of increment of the number of banks within the industry is fast and there are great challenges for HLB to create and maintain a good market share. Other banks are seems to be more aggressive to get and retain customers. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. (BNM, 2009) Threat of Substitute Products and Services Even though there are many financial institutions available, some unique facilities can only be obtained from the bank only. American Express facilities, co-branded products (e.g. MTV), higher interest rate, club rewards, junior/senior savings, overdraft are the few products which only available to this bank. Thus this force is in favor to the bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Buyers Having the whole range of financial players apart from the retail banks, it is evident that customers can move within the 40 operators and can also decide to switch to the other non-banking institutions. Their choice can even extend to the insurance companies, depending on the nature of the product. For instance if a customer is looking for a small amount of loan, he/she can even get the said product from organizations like AEON, etc. The close location of various banks is also giving customer a very high bargaining power too. For instance in a location of Puchong Jaya, along the street of Jalan Kenari it is easy to find at least 9 banks within 100 meters Maybank, Public Bank, Eon Bank, CIMB Bank, HSBC, Alliance Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, UOB. With this concentration the bargaining of customers always goes high before customers start looking on a differentiated service. For the said bank, this is absolutely a negative favor since the potential customers can shift easily to differ ent point. (BNM, 2009) Bargaining Power of Suppliers The core business of the Hong Leong Bank is product and services which mainly focuses on safety of monetary management. The suppliers provide some tangibles like checkbooks, lockers, private banking, priority banking. The impact of these in HLB is not much significant since they are not really like the raw material. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threat of New Entrants The Bank Negara Malaysia has set a minimum capital requirement of RM5 billion for a bank to be registered. The conditions set for registering a bank are not difficult to obtain, hence entry barriers become low. Thus more foreign owned financial firms are keen to open their business in Malaysia. Certainly these institutions will pose threat on existing banking business as theyll have unique products and services. This force is not in favor of Hong Leong Bank. . (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) From the above analysis of HLB 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the banks overall industry analysis. Threat of New Entrants (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (+) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Rivalry among existing competitors (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (+) 2.2 Limitations of the Porters Model Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis. Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Proters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Porter, 1985) (Gronroos, 1997) Strategic Capability Analysis 3.1 Stakeholders Stakeholder Analysis identifies important groups of people or individuals that can have an influence on the Project. These Stakeholders can have their own objectives and views, which may differ and conflict with other Stakeholders. A Stakeholder Analysis is required to identify all the parties who are directly or indirectly affected by the enterprises operations. This includes not only the traditional shareholders, but also some new groups that the insights of sustainable development tell us must be consulted in decisions that affect them. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990) In an organization, internal stakeholder is the employees or people who work inside the organization. External stakeholders exist outside the organization but have a direct interest in what it does (e.g. shareholders, governments, customers) etc. (Roberts, Varki, and Brodie, 2003) 3.2 SWOT Analysis 3.2.1 Why SWOT Analysis? SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors and opportunities and threats are external factors. 3.2.2 Hong Leong Bank SWOT Analysis Strength Hong Leong Bank Berhad (HLB) principal activity is providing consumer-banking services including credit cards, investment, mortgage, deposits, insurance and priority banking. Other activities include business banking, trade financing, working capital facilities, treasury, foreign exchange, money market operations, capital market securities trading, investment, and takaful business. It has been recognized as one of the most profitable bank in Malaysia. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) It has 186 branches, 17 business centers with talented and motivated employees throughout Malaysia making it one of the most widened banking sectors in Malaysia. Their first award year 2004, an acknowledgement for their active participation in spurring the growth of the SMEs in the country. This award certainly spur Hong Leongs strength to bring more value added financial services to customers and the SMI community and to help them face the extremely challenging and competitive business environment both locally and globally. Launched in October 2005; the Hong Leong Mobile Credit Card is the first of its kind, allowing customers who are provided with a six-digit personal identification number (PIN) to pay for goods and services using mobile phones via short messaging service (SMS). This offering is the result of Hong Leong Bank tie-up with technology provider Mobile Money International Sdn. Bhd. This unique method of payment, known as Mobile Money is speedy, convenient and cost effective. Using only the mobile phone for approval of transactions and payments, there is no longer a need for the physical plastic card, merchant terminals or Internet terminals. Payment requests are delivered via SMS. There is no need for card members to be present at the point of sales or at the merchant outlets. Payments can therefore be made from wherever card members are, at whichever place where there are mobile phone signals. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) In 2007, Hong Leong Bank bagged the Asian Bankers Best e-Banking Project 2007 with its Internet banking offering, Hong Leong Online. The award recognizes the best emerging technology practices and benchmarks in Asia Pacific banks. Apart from the Asian Banker award, Hong Leong has also been ranked as the third most popular Malaysian online banking site. Online banking transactions helped the bank save about RM24mil from March to October 2007 as each online transaction cost about 20% compared with about RM3.50 for every over-the-counter transaction. Weakness In line with its strong customer service culture, the HLB continues to maintain its superior delivery standards which have been behind against international ISO standards. HLB is yet attained bank-wide ISO 9001:2000 certifications for customer service at the front office of its branches and bank-wide loan delivery service. This is a major drawback for the HLB to have a better customer base. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As to compete in the industry of banking, interest rate is a major challenge as customer will choose for a higher interest rate for savings account and for the lowest interest rate for the loans that the customers are seeking for their financial assistances and better service for the customer. Hong Leong Bank needs to change according to the environment as to compete and remain as the market leader. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As Hong Leong Bank has moved ahead to the Electronic banking or transaction there is greater risk or security threats circulated to the users of online banking or transaction. There are non technical threats such as phising whereby it is the act of tricking someone into giving them confidential information or tricking them into doing something that they normally wouldnt do. The common applications of this approach is to send fake emails (email spoofing) to a victim purporting to come from a legitimate source and requesting information (such as the bank account number and the password) or directing the victim to a fake internet website where this information can be captured. Opportunities The bank may recruit young and talented staffs and provide them proper training to create a talent base as well as provide job to those who are in need. This may also reduces the unemployment rates in Malaysia. This talent base is able to adopt with internal formation and usually stay with the bank until the end. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) As the banking industry grows and provides opportunities for the local customers indirectly it also given an opportunity to the foreigners who stays in Malaysia. They tend to use banking services more frequently to have different types of account. This additional customer base will bring more money inside the bank and of course banks will gain profit from various types of transactions. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Bringing the bank closer to the consumer could be the vital opportunity. Providing a payment gateway where ATM card could be used as like a credit card for everyday usages. Since these customers will use won money, bank may encourage them to save more to get more benefits. Establishing more ATM and branches and electronic features (e.g Western Union money transfer) will definitely bring more customers in. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Threats Ease of distributing credit card could be a disturbing role the bank is playing. While credit card repayments are depends fully on customer payment, if it is not paid, bank has to go long way. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The bank is not really in forefront position to introduce new products and service as market demand changes. It if often seen that the bank introduces the products in different name when the service is already available in the market by other bank. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) 3.2.3 Limitations of SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis usually very subjective. It simply looks at the negative factors first in order to turn them into positive factors. So it is advisable to use SWOT as guide and not as prescription. (Spreng and Chiou, 2002) Strategic Choices 4.1 Generic Strategy 4.1.1 Why Porters Generic Strategy Generic strategies are widely used today even though it was invented in 1980s. Three options are available for organizations to adopt to achieve sustainability which are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Each of the three options are considered in two aspects of the competitive environment: (i) Competitive advantage talks about the prices (high or low) of the products, (ii) Competitive scope talks about the market size (narrow or broad). (Porter, 1985) (Chen, 1999) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Overall Cost Leadership The low cost products are the product leader in the market. It may also included the time required to built and delivery the products to customers. As it is mentioned earlier, using online banking, it would help the bank as well as customers to save more. Developing and maintaining online business is not low-priced itself. Yet it could provide vital thumbs-up to banks generic strategy. If more customers opt for online transactions, bank wouldnt have to spent time on serving customer physically thus itll requires less resources (e.g. less branch, less employees). These less resources will push ahead the bank with extra finance to improve other services. (Harris and Goode, 2004) (Sanzo et al, 2003) Differentiation Differentiated goods and services are designed to satisfy the customers with the lowest price/cost available for similar kind of products. HLB Flexi FD is a fixed deposit product which gives higher interest rate to the customer. Thus the bank will be in risk of loosing money. So it has to bring and retain much customer to cover the loss. The loss must be cover to be competitive. Since banking industry changes rapidly, HLB will have to customize the products and services over times to hold ensure customer satisfaction. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Jones, Mothersbaugh, and Beatty, 2000) Focus In focus an organization can afford neither a wide scope cost leadership nor does a wide scope differentiation strategy, Here an organization focus effort and resources on a narrow segment of a market. Competitive advantage is generated specifically for the niche. A company has two options to choose: use either a cost focus or a differentiation focus. Taken example of HLB structured investments. Invested amounts are 3rd-party transactions and bank itself doesnt provide any guarantee of returns of money to the customer. In this segment, HLB is a low profile character. Even though bank is charging some commission on the investments, customers who are willing to invest are to do so at own risk. (Jarvelin and Lehtinen, 1996) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.2 Strategic Directions 4.2.1 Why Ansoff Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets. Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. (Auh et al, 2007) (Sanzo et al, 2003) These are described below: Market penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. The bank continuously introduces loan and credit products to customers to leap ahead. Since the banks most incomes come from loan and credit facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of usages by existing customers. Market penetration for HLB will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential. (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) (Agrawal, 2001) http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing banking facilities, the bank introduces private banking for the customers who loves personal banking. For everyday needs of banking, investment, loan, protection a dedicated personal banker is always there to serve the individual customer to fill their needs. These personal banking is nothing different than existing policies; focus goes to its loyal customers which puts big amount inside the bank. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) (Filotto, Tanzi, and Saita, 1997) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets. Saving multiplier plans is recently introduced by the bank. Hong Leong Savings Multiplier Plan is a unique investment tool that utilizes the powerful concept of Dollar-Cost-Averaging and offers a customized solution to tackle the distinct financial challenges throughout different life stages be it to secure a comfortable retirement or to ensure a steady flow of pension-like funds or for putting aside adequate funds even for childrens education. Islamic banking is another example of product development. (Metawa and Almossawi, 1998) (Haron, Ahmad and Planisek, 1994). Diversification Diversification is the growth strategy where new products are to be delivered in new market. This strategy is more risky for business growth as often business takes longer time to survive in a new market. HLB recently spread their business in Vietnam. Since Vietnamese culture differs from Malaysia, the bank has to adopt the culture as well as compete with well established Vietnamese banks. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Evans and Beltramini, 1987) 4.3 Method for Pursuing Strategic Direction Forward Looking Policy Monetary policy management needs a forward-looking policy due to the time gap between policy actions and their intended effects on output and inflation. HLB built a macro model which would determine the impact of policy actions. Understanding the microeconomic factors are important too determine the inter-linkage of monetary policy mechanism. (Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987) Deepening of Financial Markets New financial products are traded in the Money/Bonds market by the introduction of Hong Leong Banks Debt Capital Markets Structured Finance (DCM/Structured Finance) unit within Wholesale Banking provides innovative tailor-made solutions to financial institutions, corporate, agencies and high net-worth individuals through comprehensive offerings in the debt capital markets. (Dannenberg and Kellner, 1998) Strong Foreign Currency Reserve Foreign exchange reserves form part of the national assets and these needs to be deployed rationally keeping in mind the principles of safety, liquidity, and return. The reserves, which are currently deployed by the HLBs in-house reserve management treasury dealers, are in short-term high quality bank deposits. (Naser, Jamal, and Al-Khatib, 1999) Reliable and Secured Payment Systems To reduce the settlement time significantly and increase cost effectiveness the bank plans to establish an electronic clearinghouse to do almost every transactions online with tighten security and handy usability. Opening an account, apply for credit cards are already in place. The bank further steps in mobile banking for dedicated user. Recently the bank introduces e-broker services (HLeBroking). HLeBroking allows the flexibility of placing orders either through a phone call to our trading hub or via the internet. Professional dealers centralized in the hub are always on hand to execute transactions and monitor shares investment portfolio. (Shankar, Smith, and Rangaswamy, 2003) (Harris and Goode, 2004) 4.4 Implication and Evaluation of Analysis During this analysis it was assumed that strategies are reasonably orderly and knowable and, in turn, that evidence can help to evaluate theories that claim to explain these strategic positions. Data and information often founded confusing and imperfect. It seems almost certain that no single study can validate or invalidate a theory. Besides, there is a good chance that a large number of studies will not generate consistent results. (Agrawal, 2001) The methodology were used in analysis is not about developing a foolproof system; it is at least partly an art. There is no mechanical system that will escape judgment, sense, and intelligence. But this does not eliminate the need for techniques and standards. Product delivery approaches, geography, demography does plays role in strategic position which were missing in the analysis done. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) The strategic planning process adopted by HLB was participative, consultative and result oriented. But the takes time to achieve results. While some important factors the bank missed out during strategic choices, individual departments must do their respective environmental scans through a SWOT analysis whereby they identified their internal strengths and weaknesses as well as the external opportunities and threats. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) Business trends changes randomly. Todays product may not be available tomorrow. Thus no strategic plan could be exactly fit into business strategy. However, HLB could consider a more diversified strategy which would be more beneficial to determine strategic stand. Justification of a Strategy As the strategic position and strategic choices are different from the matrix analysis, a better strategic growth model is optimal solution. 5.1 McKinsey Growth Pyramid McKinsey growth pyramid is an upgraded version of Ansoff Matrix with broader discussing of important strategic factors. With every possible action there are certain alternatives (e.g. acquisition, joint ventures, alliances etc) with risk measurement from low to high. Existing products to existing customers This is considered lowest risk options go on businesses with current asset and current customer. But itll not be much beneficial for bank in long terms. Existing products to new customers Introduce existing products to new customer which may help them meet their daily financial needs so that they dont look for other financial choices. Consumers always look for much return while bank always looks for low give-away. New customers can be a turning point for any bank. Demographical (e.g. adult, children, senior) products would be vital products to attract new customers. (Harris and Goode, 2004) New products and services Over time, new products must be channeled into banking business. Broader distribution if Islamic banking could be a important factor. It is seen that many nom-Muslims adopted for Islamic banking. Since there is trend of Islamic banking growth, the bank should not take the risk to risk the potential customers due to lack of proper preparation. Some of the products may be delivered to existing customers. Risk may incur if the products doesnt appeal the customers. (El-Bdour and Erol, 1989) (Gerrad and Cunningham, 1997) New delivery approaches Todays consumer seek more convenient service provider. Banks are not exempted indeed. Many banks had adopted special facilities for different customers. Priority banking could be one solution. In priority banking everyone is unique and therefore has very specific financial needs. Thats why bank will offer a comprehensive range of privileges for convenience. Setting up special services only for young generation can be another important product delivery approaches. Dedicated services will invite more young generation to adopt the services. However, it could cost the bank some extra amount and if the products are not selling well, bank will face loss of resources. (Yoon, Guffey, and Kijewski, 1993) (Mols, 2001) http://www.filecluster.com/screenshots/61893.gif New geographies Geographical expansion is one of the most powerful options for growth but also one of the most difficult. The bank already went global opening branches in Singapore and Vietnam. This strategy is proven fine for well reputed bank (e.g. Citibank) but it has to be cautious in business. Geographical movement may bring new customers with solid financial needs but the bank has narrow down the scope of services due to high risk. (Sanzo et al, 2003) New industry structure The bank may re-assert the liquidity franchise and continue to address the yield challenge. While economics of the business have changed, unlike other countries, pricing and credit spreads did not adjust in tandem in the Malaysia. The quality of strategic asset-liability management, liquidity and capital management differentiates. Re-asserting core businesses with efficiency, unit cost management, operating leverage, dynamic pricing as well as customer value or returns on each customer relationship. Cross-selling and customer service are key success factors. (Agrawal, 2001) New competitive arenas Using competitive arena, business may transfer their resources and knowledge to new industry using vertical integration. This may pose immense risk to bank itself. Bank may loose it all investment. Despite the risk, this will help the bank grows rapidly and spread their products throw many distribution channels. (Gronroos, 1997) Conclusion The pre- and post-crisis strategic postures are a tale of worldwide economic fall down. The postures are characterized by the scaling up of the business, refining value propositions in each business, responding to competition and price war, building new capabilities and strengthening the risk and IT infrastructure as the bank sought to incrementally improve our market share and positioning. (Hong Leong Bank, 2009) (Gustafsson, Johnson, and Roos, 2005) The era ahead is more opportunistic in nature, with a rapidly changing eco-system and higher regulatory and prudential requirements. The shadow of the state on the sector globally is more pronounced. (Auh et al, 2007) Overall, the banks competitive strategy has to pivot on a competitive delivery, consisting of quality people, knowledge base and result oriented capability, market intelligence and local community embedment, entrepreneurialism and how it organize itself to scale and build new names. As it emerges from the crisis, it needs to re-segment the customers to market changes and re-build a compelling proposition on how to scale sustainability while staying opportunistic tactically. (Auh et al, 2007) References Auh, S., Bell, S.J., McLeod, C.S., Shih, E. (2007), Co-production and customer loyalty in financial services, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 88 No.3, pp.359-70. Fombrun, C., Shanley, M. (1990), Whats in a name? Reputation building and corporate strategy, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 33 No.2, pp.233-48. Gustafsson, A., Johnson, M., Roos, I. (2005), The effects of consumer satisfaction, relationship commitment dimensions, and triggers on consumer retention, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69 No.4, pp.210-18. Harris, L.C., Goode, M.M.H. (2004), The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online services dynamics, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 80 pp.139-58 Roberts, K., Varki, S., Brodie, R. (2003), Measuring the quality of relationships in consumer services: an empirical study, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37 No.1-2, pp.169-96. Sanzo, M.J., Santos, M.L., Và ¡zquez, R., à lvarez, L.I. (2003), The effect of market orientation on buyer-seller relationship satisfaction, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 32 No.4, pp.327-45. Shankar, V., Smith, A., Rangaswamy, A. (2003), Customer satisfaction and loyalty in online and offline environments, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 20 pp.153-75. Spreng, R.A., Chiou, J. (2002), A cross-cultural assessment of the satisfaction formation process, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36 No.7-8, pp.829-39. Yoon, E., Guffey, H.G., Kijewski, V. (1993), The effects of information and company reputation on intentions to buy a business service, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 27 pp.215-28. Porter, M E. (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York: The Free Press. Gronroos, C., (1997) Value-driven Relations Marketing: From Products to Resources and Competencies. Journal of Marketing Management, Volume 13, Number 5, p. 407-419. Agrawal, P. (2001), The relation between savings and growth: co-integration and causality evidence from Asia, Applied Economics, Vol. 33, pp. 499-513. Chen, T.Y. (1999), Critical success factors for various strategies in the banking industry, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 83-91. Dannenberg, M. and Kellner, D. (1998), The bank of tomorrow with todays technology, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 90-7. Filotto, U., Tanzi, P.M. and Saita, F. (1997), Consumer needs and front-office technology adoption, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 13-21. Mols, N.P. (2001), Organising for the effective introduction of new distribution channels in retail banking, Europ

Commercials and Advertising Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Analyze This   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did you ever sit and analyze the kinds of commercials that are played on the television? At designated times, different people are targeted. Or how about the ways the grocery stores are set up with the candy, soda, and magazines near the check out area. Items in a store are put in certain places for a reason. These are all clever selling techniques that manufacturers come up with to get people to buy their products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around 2:30 until about 5:00, the kids come home from school, and the cartoons and other kids shows are on. So why not show commercials for the latest Barbie doll or hot wheels playset. Children see this, remember it and figure out how to co...

Enhancement Drugs influence the career of professional athletes Essay

Will we be able to barricade ‘Doping’ from intoxicating the world of sports? The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) states that the term doping comes from the Africans word ‘dop,’ a concoction made from grape leaves that Zulu warriors drank before going into battle (as sited in Maxwell, & Melham, 2005, p.1). Today, many athletes worldwide have been found guilty of breaching the Anti Doping Act. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of drug offenders in sports, as the need to win becomes priority and dope is relayed from athlete to athlete, directly and indirectly. Though not used by all, it is imperative for sports personnel to be educated and be made aware of the health issues such as cardiovascular disease and legal ramifications associated with the use of Performance Enhancement Drugs. The use of performance enhancing drugs improves the athletes’ performance; however, it may endanger the body’s natural mechanism. The body is an organism that is able to carry out its optimal function by how it is treated through the lifestyle, whether sedentary or active, nutritional habits, exercise and hygienic habits of the individual. These are altered by the use of drugs. Many athletes are oblivious to the reality of the grave effects of doping on the body and put themselves at risk for acquiring many potential illnesses, for example, â€Å"cardiovascular and liver disease, infertility in males and females and emotional instability – depression† (Maxwell et al., 2005). These reactions may be evident after prolonged use of drugs as athletes may become dependent. In contrast, enhancement drugs may â€Å"increase the athletes strength, speed, appetite and reduce fatigue† (Arnheim, & Prentice, 2002). These advantages add to the overwhelm... ..., this would lead to chaos, indiscipline, a breakdown in social order and a failure in the ethics of sports. The World Anti doping Agency has joined with the medical team in order to maintain and monitor the standards deemed appropriate by the Anti doping Agencies, to promote healthy sportsmanship for all competitors. Works Cited Arnheim D, & Prentice W, Essentials of Athletic Training (2002) 5th Ed. Chapter 23, pp518-519. New York. Levy L. (2011). Steve Mullings Tested Positive, The Gleaner, pp1. Sec B. Maxwell J, & Mehlman J.D, (2005) Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports: http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com Retrieved: March 2, 2012 Sommerville S, lewis M. (2005) Accidental breaches of the doping regulations in sports: Is there a need to improve the education of sports people: Sports Med, British Journal of Sports Medicine; 39:512-516, doi: 10.1136

Plot Summary (The Kugelmass Episode) Essay

â€Å"The Kugelmass Episode† opens with Kugelmass, a middle-aged, unhappily married humanities professor seeking the advice of his analyst, Dr. Mandel. He is bored with his life, and he needs to have an affair. His analyst disagrees, however, telling him â€Å"there is no overnight cure† for his troubles, adding that he is â€Å"an analyst, not a magician.† Kugelmass then seeks out a magician to help him solve his problem. A few weeks later, he gets a call from The Great Persky, a two-bit magician/entertainer who shows him a â€Å"cheap-looking Chinese cabinet, badly lacquered† that can transport the professor into any book, short story, play, or poem to meet the woman character of his choice. When he has had enough, Kugelmass just has to give a yell and he is back in New York. At first Kugelmass thinks it is a scam, then that Persky is crazy, but for $20, he gives it a try. He wants a French lover, so he chooses Emma Bovary. Persky tosses a paperback copy of Flaubert’s novel into the cabinet with Kugelmass, taps it three times, and Kugelmass finds himself at the Bovary estate in Yonville in the French countryside. Emma Bovary welcomes Kugelmass, flirting with him as she admires his modern dress. â€Å"It’s called a leisure suit,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ he replies romantically, then adds, â€Å"It was marked down.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ They drink wine, take a stroll through the countryside, and whisper to each other as they recline under a tree. As they kiss and embrace, Kugelmass remembers that he has a date to meet his wife, Daphne. He tells Emma he will return as soon as possible, calls for Persky, and is transported back to New York. His heart is light, and he thinks he is in love. What he doesn’t know is that students across the country are asking their teachers about the strange appearance of a â€Å"bald Jew† kissing Madame Bovary on page 100. The next day, Kugelmass returns to Persky, who transports him to Flaubert’s novel to be with Emma. Their affair continues for some months. Kugelmass tells Persky to always get him into the book before page 120, when the character Rodolphe appears. During their time together, Emma complains about her husband, Charles, and her dull rural existence. Kugelmass tells her about life back in New York, with its nightlife, fast cars, and movie and TV stars. Emma wants to go to New York and become an actress. Kugelmass arranges it with Persky that the next liaison with Emma is in New York. He tells Daphne that he will be attending a symposium in Boston, and the next afternoon, Emma comes to New York. They spend a wonderfully romantic weekend together, and Emma has never been as happy. Meanwhile, a Stanford professor, reading Flaubert’s book, cannot â€Å"get his mind around† the changes that have taken place to the novel: First a strange character named Kugelmass appears, and then the title character disappears. When Persky tries to return Emma to the novel, his cabinet malfunctions, and she is forced to stay in New York. Kugelmass finds himself running between Daphne and Emma, paying Emma’s enormous hotel bills, and having to put up with his lover’s pouting and despondence, and the stress begins to wear him out. He learns too that a colleague who is jealous of him, Fivish Kopkind, has spotted Kugelmass in the book and has threatened to reveal his secret to Daphne. He wants to commit suicide or run away. But the machine is fixed at last, and Kugelmass rushes Emma to Persky’s and eventually back to the novel. Kugelmass says he has learned his lesson and will never cheat again. But Kugelmass is at Persky’s door again three weeks later. He is bored and wants another affair. Persky warns him that the machine has not been in use since the earlier â€Å"unpleasantness,† but Kugelmass says he wants to do it, and asks to enter Portnoy’s Complaint. But the cabinet explodes, Persky is thrown back and has a fatal heart attack, and his house goes up in flames. †¦ Conflict Conflicts Mr.Kugelmass internal conflict He is conflict with himself. He is not happy with his second wife. He always wants to other woman. But he does not content with them because he does not know what he wants. Firstly he wants to romantics’ but he lives an affair with these woman. In briefly, he does not lead a life which he dreams. Mr.Kugelmass external conflict He is in conflict with environment. Because he is a famous professor, he does not want to be learnt his private life. If his private life is learnt his life will became worse. The people around his condemn him because of adultery and this ruins his reputation. Literacy Element Irony 1. Although Mr.Kugelmass does not love his second wife, he does not want to divorce her. This is ironic 2. Mr.Kugelmass goes near Persky to have an affair with Emma Bovary. But he has troubled with Emma in their relationship. He swears that he does not have an affair with another woman in his rest life. But he can’t keep his promise and goes near Persky ago for a new affair. This is ironic. The similes â€Å"Who suspected she’d let herself go and swell up like a beach ball.† Mr.Kugelmass thinks that his wife resembles a beach ball because she is very fat. This is simile. â€Å"Kugelmass was bald and as hairy as a bear† Because Mr.Kugelmass is furry, he resembles a bear. Humor is used in this story with a sense of total absurdness of events that occur in the story. These events range from Persky saying â€Å"If I throw any novel into this cabinet with you, shut the doors, and tap three times, you will find yourself projected into the book†. To the absurdness of Emma Bovary, from a famous piece of literature made in 1856, saying†Tell me about O.J. Simpson† and asking Kugelmass about other people, places, and events from the 20th century.

Blood Brothers Essay

â€Å"Blood Brothers† is a play about two twins who are separated at birth, they do not only have different parents but have a whole different lifestyle. Eddie lives in a world of luxury and has opportunities to go to university and eventually owning his own business which is more than Mickey could have ever dreamed of. On the other hand Mickey is brought up in a working class family with no qualifications whatsoever, as soon as Mickey thinks he has finally settled down with a job he then finds himself fired and starts turning to crime. Towards the end of the play the differences between Eddie and Mickey begin to show as friction is caused between them. They begin to turn against each other and Linda is stuck in the middle as she has feelings for both Eddie and Mickey, this is when the question is raised asking whether Linda and Eddie have been having an affair. This is then what sends Mickey off the rails and ends up being the cause of the Johnstone twin’s death as Mickey shot Eddie in a rage of anger over Linda. Tension is caused at the end of the play when Mrs Johnstone tells Mickey and Eddie that they are brothers as the audience already knew this they just wanted to know when and how this would be revealed to the twins. Willy Russell wrote Blood Brothers to show how life was in Liverpool in 1980s and how being in a different class separated people. He also refers to the recession and how so many people lost their jobs and the only way for them to earn a living was to turn to crime like Mickey did as he needed money to support Linda and his child, Sammy did not help the situation as he was the one who had persuaded Mickey to earn money in that way. The end of the story is revealed to the audience by the narrator at the very beginning of the play. This builds up tension because people know what is going to happen so they are waiting to find out how it happened and what led up to that scene. Another thing that adds tension to the play is how the narrator keeps on referring back to the devil â€Å"the devils got your number, y’know he’s gonna find y’. Y’know he’s right behind y.† Towards the end of the play the narrator says how close the devil is getting, the devil being the devil inside Mickey when he shoots Eddie down. Mrs Johnstone sings a song about the price that she has to pay â€Å"Living on the never, never, constant as the changing weather never sure who’s at the door or the price I’ll have to pay† This song says that Mrs Johnstone has a price to pay, this could mean that she has to give up her baby in return for the money that Mrs Lyons gave her but the audience know that the price that she will have to pay is the guilt that she will suffer and that both her twins die. The constant weather indicates her life has been up and down like it’s raining when she is sad and sunny when she is happy and that everything changes as fast as the weather. Secondly when she says that she is â€Å"living on the never, never, Constant as the changing weather never sure who’s at the door† this could refer to the people who came to knock on her door to take away her possessions and that living on the never, never could mean that she knows that nothing that she has will stay with her forever. Another thing that indicates this is that when she says â€Å"It’s alright lad †¦ we’re used to it we were in the middle id our tea one night when they came for that table.† This means that she has had her belonging possessed before and because of this she doesn’t really mind when it happens again because it has happened so many times before. Willy Russell has made the audience sympathize with Mrs Johnstone because she has been through a lot in her life. At the beginning of the play she tells us how she got to be in that position in that moment in time. Mrs Johnstone describes her marriage and says â€Å"that I was six weeks overdue† which makes the audience feel sorry for her. It also describes the place of marriage which was at the registry office. â€Å"We got married at the registry and had a do†. This suggests to us the audience that the wedding was nothing too fancy, not too expensive and that the marriage was sudden and unexpected. She got married because she was expecting a baby, in difficult, circumstances to get married in. Soon after the wedding Mrs Johnstone wanted to go out and enjoy herself like she had done before but her husband wouldn’t take her anywhere because he became very conscious of her appearance and felt embarrassed to be seen with her. This is evident due to the fact that sh e gained weight and now perceived herself to be â€Å"twice the size of Marilyn Monroe†. The audience feels sympathetic towards her because she has seven children and low self esteem. This is shown by the fact that she describes herself to look like she is forty two instead of twenty five. This shows the physical strain that Mrs. Johnston has gone through. I understand why she gave her baby away to Mrs Lyons because Mrs Lyons emotionally manipulated Mrs Johnston in this terrible time she is going through. Mrs Lyons attempts to make Mrs Johnstone think positively by saying that â€Å"if he’s with me you’ll still be able to see him each day as you come to work† Mrs Lyons presents Mrs Johnstone with the idea that her son would have a much better life with herself â€Å"if he grew up here as our son†¦ he could have everything†. However this is why she may have done this for the benefit of the baby because she felt that Mrs Lyons could provide for him much better than she ever could and she just wanted him to have a better life. The purpose of the narrator is to explain some of the key action on stage. The narrator also involves the audience by asking them directly, to judge what they see. He reveals that the brothers die at the very start of the play and from then on he constantly reminds the audience of the twin’s fate. He presents the themes of fate, destiny and superstition throughout the play, but at the end he asks the audience to consider if it was social class rather than fate that caused the tragedy. In the play the narrator constantly reminds Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons about the devil â€Å"Y’know the devils got your number, y’know he’s gonna find y’, y’know he’s right behind y’, he’s starin through your windows and he’s creeping down the hall.† This makes the audience realise that when the narrator refers to the devil he means the devil that is going to cause the death of the twins at the end of the play this makes the audience anxious as to when this is all going to happen. In this play Mickey, Eddie, Linda, and Sammy play all sorts of games, I think that the games that they play influence them when they are older for example they play with pretend guns and Sammy says â€Å"It only fires caps. I’m gonna get a real gun soon, I’m gonna get an air gun† This later becomes true as Sammy does get a real gun which is then used to kill someone; both Mickey and Sammy were arrested for this. The arrest is also relevant as the children used to play cops and robbers. â€Å"Come on Eddie, you can have a shot at our target in the park.†This is relevant because Mickey and Eddie practised shooting and in the end Mickey shoots Eddie so the shooting practise came in handy. I think the strongest child was Linda because she stuck up for Mickey no matter what; she stuck up for him when he was getting told of by the teachers and she was able to have the courage to lie to a police officer. Superstition is a big theme in the play and Mrs Johnstone is shown to be superstitious right at the beginning of the play. â€Å"New shoes on the table. Take them off†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .The new shoes on the table could result in the birth of the twins. â€Å"Plural, Mrs Johnstone, mouths to feed, you’re expecting twins.† The narrator uses superstition during the play to imply the loss of money or precious things. â€Å"An’ a spider’s been killed.† A main part in the play is when Mrs Lyons uses Mrs Johnston’s superstitions to stop her from telling Eddie and Mickey that they actually brothers â€Å"They say that if either twin learns that he once was a pair, they shall both immediately die.† As Mrs Johnstone is very superstitious she believed every word Mrs Lyons says to her. This superstition later becomes true, as at the end of the play the only reason why the gun got fired was because Mrs Johnstone told the boys that they were actually br others as she thought that it would stop Mickey from shooing Eddie but in the end although it may have been an accident Mickey still fired the gun either over anger or rage over Linda or pure shock to find out that he was a twin. The narrator finishes his speech with the idea of superstitions and whether they are the cause of the traumatic story line and ending. â€Å"And do we blame superstition for what came to pass.† The first sign of tension is when he kids grow up and Sammy causes trouble on the bus as he gets a knife out and starts threatening the conductor to give the bag with all of the fair money in just because he wouldn’t give Sammy a ticket â€Å"Fuck off, now move, you move! Give me the bag† This creates tension because nobody has ever seen that side of Sammy before and even Mickey gets scared and tries to stop him from getting into to deeper trouble â€Å"Sammy, Sammy!† The repetition means that Mickey is really worried and wants to get Sammy’s attention. When both Sammy and Mickey are both fired tension is created when Sammy asks Mickey to help him out with a job, Sammy then produces a gun and says they will go and hold someone up for some money. Mickey is reluctant at first, but wants to be able to buy Linda something nice, and agrees to stand guard. The audience want Mickey to be able to say no to Sammy because they know that it probably won’t end well, because they know that Mickey wants to be able to provide for Linda and his child but he won’t be able to do that behind bars. Meanwhile all this is happening at exactly the same time Edward meets up with Linda, proclaiming his love for her. She explains she has always loved him in a way, but she is now married to Mickey, and very much in love. Willy Russell shows them talking at the same time so the audience can compare what both Linda and Mickey are saying, Mickey gave into temptation and was willing to help Sammy with a job for money whilst Linda had Eddie declaring his love for her but Linda was strong enough to say no because she couldn’t do that to Mickey. At the beginning of the play Mickey and Eddie had a very strong friendship and cared and looked out for each other, when one was sad the other asked why and wanted to help â€Å"Mickey what’s wrong?† Eddie saw that Mickey was upset so he wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. â€Å"I Thought we were blood brothers† this shows that they were once very close and being blood brothers meant that they always stuck together. As the play went on and the kids grew up into adults the relationship between Mickey and Eddie had changed. Before they were best friends, which had then changed into a university kid and an unemployed man who had nothing to say to each other. When Eddie announced that he had everything he had ever wanted and offered to give Mickey money, Mickey’s jealousy got the better of him â€Å"You, you’re a dickhead†. This indicates that Mickey is angry at Eddie because he has everything including all the money in the world whilst Mickey had no job, no money and hated the thought that his old best friend had everything he didn’t have. Right at the start of the play everyone saw how close Mickey and Linda were but when Mickey was in jail it not only changed him, but it changed his mental health as he became attached to drugs and became insane and mad. â€Å"He said about, about me nerves, an how I get depresses an, I need to take these cos they make me better.† But when Mickey did use these drugs it might have made him feel better but it put a strain on his and Linda’s relationship as they argued all the time which then resulted to Linda turning to Eddie for comfort and supposedly romance. Willy Russell uses ellipses to show pauses or that t he character is being hesitant in sentences to create tension and also to make the reader hang on to the speakers words and waiting for the next instalment. In the final moments of the feel tense as Mickey is running round the town with a gun searching for Eddie and everyone is wondering if he actually will shoot his brother or if he will just threaten him. The confrontation between Eddie and Mickey is very dramatic as Mickey is shouting out the odds and Eddie is denying everything. Then the police come in demanding that Mickey puts down the gun down then when he starts to realise what he is doing he begins to lower the gun, then when Mrs Johnstone comes and announces that they are twin brothers â€Å"Mickey don’t shoot Eddie, he’s your brother, I couldn’t afford to keep both of you. His mother couldn’t have kids so I agreed to give one of you away.† Mickey despairs that he was not the one given away, because then he could have had the life given to Eddie. Mickey, distraught, gestures carelessly with the gun towards Eddie. This sad story ends when the police misinterpret this action and gun Mickey down as he accidentally shoots Eddie, killing him. I think Blood Brothers the musical is a fantastic play, I especially love the way that each song has a meaning and the emotions of the characters in the lyrics. But I thought the end was good as you would have never thought that Mickey would kill Eddie. How the play was set for the narrator to have told the end of the story and the beginning of the play created more and more tension as the play went. I liked the fact that Willy Russell was influenced by Liverpool in 1983, only some of the characters had a Liverpool accent these were Mickey, Sammy, Linda, and Mrs Johnstone these were all the people in lower class and the ones who didn’t have an accent were Eddie, Mrs Lyons and Mr Lyons as they were very well spoken and in upper class. I learnt how social class can get in the way of you want to be friends with because their parents might not approve of you. I think the play might still have a relevance for a modern day audience as some people still rely on their class to get things, for example if Mrs Lyons wasn’t in upper class then Mrs Johnstone would have been able to stand up to her because she wouldn’t have thought that she was so high up. This can make modern day audiences change their mind and know that the times have changed so they can be friends with whoever they want to be. Another thing that the audience would see is how Mrs Lyons gave Mrs Johnstone money for her baby and that still happens today, so they can see that if someone does give their baby away to someone for money then it might not always end in happiness.