Marketing and Branding Coco Chanel

1.0 Introduction The survival of firms in the global market is related to their potential to identify brands that can respond to consumers’ needs. In this context, a successful brand is able to secure organisational growth even in periods of strong market turbulences (Doyle, 2009). However, the popularity of a brand in markets worldwide is not guaranteed; for example, it is possible for a brand to face low popularity in a market even if in most markets the response of consumers to the particular brand is impressive (Doyle, 2009). In other words, certain factors such as culture and social ethics can affect the performance of brands in the international market (Davis, 2010). This study focuses on the performance of a well-known brand: Coco Chanel. The specific brand appeared in early 1900s and was initially related to clothing accessories, such as hats (Siddiqui, 2014). Through the years the brand incorporated clothes and jewellery, becoming a symbol of high quality and unique style (Siddiqui, 2 014). The characteristics of the particular brand and its performance, as part of the fashion industry, are analysed below. Emphasis is given to the brand’s environment but also to the strategies through which the brand has secured its market position. It is revealed that the brand’s success resulted from the combination of a series of strategic approaches. The economic and social conditions in markets worldwide during the 20th century had also a key role in the brand’s rapid expansion internationally. Under these terms, the brand has contributed in the increase of attractiveness of the fashion industry and the transformation of luxury products to elements of daily life style. 2.0 Coco Chanel as a brand 2.1 Overview of Coco Chanel In order to identify the performance of the brand as part of the fashion industry it is necessary to refer primarily to the brand’s history, i.e. to the events that have led to the establishment of the brand and the strategies on which the management of the brand has been based through the decades. Coco Chanel is a brand closely related to the life of its creator: Gabrielle Chanel has been the child of a poor family; in her early years Gabrielle had to face the death of her mother, an event that led Gabrielle to work as ‘a singer in a cabaret in Paris’ (Siddiqui, 2014). There, Gabrielle, having become known with the name Coco, met her first husband who assisted her in opening in 1909 ‘a shop that specialised in hats’ (Siddiqui, 2014). In a few years, after the end of the World War 1, Coco Channel entered the fashion industry by developing clothes of high quality. These clothes were characterised by simple lines and persistence in colour: black and whi te were extensively used creating a unique identity for the particular brand (Siddiqui, 2014). Through the years, the brand was expanded incorporated jewellery and perfumes, such as the Chanel No5, the brand’s most successful product ever (Siddiqui, 2014). The success of the brand has been related to the ability of Coco Channel to pay attention to the needs of people and to understand the changes in social and cultural trends, as developed globally (Graj, 2013). In any case, the brand has been characterised by its strong dependency on the personal views and beliefs of Coco Chanel, a fact which is made clear through the brand’s logo: the initials of Coco Chanel have been combined for creating a logo that gives the sense of a signature of its creator (Figure 1, Appendices). 2.2 Key competitors of Coco Chanel As already noted, Coco Chanel is one of the most powerful competitors in the global fashion industry. The brand is part of the luxury fashion sector, a sector which is characterized by the dominance of 10 brands. Different views have been developed in regard to the position of these brands in the relevant hierarchy. In the table included in Figure 2 (Appendices) two of these views are presented: the first view refers to 12 dominant brands of the specific sector while the second view focuses on 10 of these brands as the most powerful ones. Particular emphasis should be made to the following fact: the first list, the one included 12 brands refers only to the luxury clothing sector while the second list presents the top 10 fashion brands worldwide. From this view, the brand under examination would be considered as more relevant to the first list. However, the second list is important for understanding the competitive environment in the fashion industry in general. In addition, the two l ists reveal an important fact: Chanel has managed to secure an important position not only as a fashion brand but also as a luxury clothing brand, being categorized at the fourth and the fifth position accordingly (Figure 2, Appendices). The lists presented in Figure 2 also reveal the significant power of certain brands that are included in both lists: brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Dior and Gucci seem to be the most critical competitors for Coco Chanel since they have managed to be popular both as fashion brands and as luxury clothing brands (Figure 2, Appendices). According to a report published by the Luxury Institute Chanel is one of the top luxury brands worldwide. In fact, in the survey developed by the above Institute most participants seemed to prefer Chanel; in the particular survey Louis Vuitton ranked second while Prada ranked third (Carr, 2012). 2.3 Brand performance2.3.1 Applied marketing mix (4p’s)The performance of the brand in its industry could be made clear after reviewing the key elements of the marketing strategy employed for the promotion of the particular brand. In practice, emphasis is given to four of these elements, which as also known as 4Ps (Burrow, 2008). The particular elements constitute a quite known framework, the marketing mix (Burrow, 2008). The 4Ps included in the marketing mix refer to specific aspects of a marketing strategy. At the first level, reference is made to Product. The term Product, as part of the marketing mix, reflects not only an object, as a materialised element, but also the various characteristics of the object/ product, such as ‘value, packaging methods and materials and brand name’ (Lamb and McDaniel, 2011: 47). Place is the second element of marketing mix; the specific term denotes the geographical area in which the product is available or in which the product i s planned to entry (Lamb and McDaniel, 2011). The term Place also reflects the means used by a firm for distributing its products internationally or locally (Fifield, 2008). The success of a product in a particular market is depended on the Promotion strategy used, i.e. on the means and the approaches employed for making the target consumers aware of the specific product (Satit et al., 2012). Finally, the Price of a product has to be decided taking into consideration various factors, such as the GDP in the target market, the market’s demographic characteristics/ average income and the status of the local economy (Lee, Cheng and Chen, 2008). If the marketing mix used in regard to a product is not appropriately planned, then target consumers would not be expected to buy the product. The relationship between the marketing mix and the consumer preferences is presented in Figure 3 (Appendices). On the other hand, marketing mix should be structured in such way so that it can respon d to actual consumer needs, as these needs are reflected in the 4Cs framework; the relationship between the two frameworks is presented in Figure 4 (Appendices). The issues highlighted above should be used when describing the marketing mix of Coco Channel. At the first level, in terms of its Product, the particular brand is characterised by exceptional quality (Ma, 2014). In fact, quality involves in all aspects of the brand’s product, meaning not only the materials of the products but also the materials used in the products’ packaging (Ma, 2014). For example, in the case of Chanel No.5 the uniqueness of the product was secured by employing an innovative name and by using a unique synthesis of aromas (Sicard, 2013). Also, the specific brand is related to a country well known for the quality of its cosmetics and clothing: France (Ma, 2014). The potentials of the brand to be expanded worldwide have been limited because of the following need: many of the brand’s products had to be supported by appropriate customer services schemes. Therefore, the selling points of the brand’s products are selected on the basis whether they can have a direct and close reference to France, as the source of these products (Ma, 2014). In regard to its Promotion strategy the specific brand can be characterised as unique: common marketing options are combined with less popular marketing approaches for attracting the consumers’ interest. For example, in its initial phase the marketing of Chanel No.5 has been based mostly on ‘word of mouth marketing’ (Sicard, 2013: 159). In addition, the advertisements related to the specific brand are likely to be included in media and press that are quite popular in the fashion industry, as for example ‘Elite and Vogue’ (Ma, 2014: 48). However, the high quality of the brand’s product has been secured by adopting high Prices, an approach which is considered as expected by which has set limits to the increase of the brand’s popularity (Ma, 2014). 2.3.2 Segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) For ensuring the effectiveness of a marketing strategy used for promoting a brand marketers need to develop three, key, activities: segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP). As part of marketing, Segmentation reflects the effort of marketers to divide a market into parts/ segments; each of these segments would refer to consumers with common characteristics, such as age, marital status and so on (Cant et al., 2009). By segmenting a market marketers are able to develop marketing strategies that would be welcomed by the target consumers (Cant et al., 2009). However, in order to respond to the expectations of marketers, segmentation needs to be following by targeting. In the context of marketing the term targeting is used for showing the identification of the market segments that will be addressed by a marketing strategy (Boone and Kurtz, 2013). For example, the decision to address only teenagers among the people living in the target market is an example of targeting. As for positio ning, the specific term is used for showing the effort of marketers ‘to place a product in the mind of consumers’ (Boone and Kurtz, 2013: 98). Different approaches are likely to be used by marketers to achieve positioning, as this activity can secure consumer loyalty (Boone and Kurtz, 2013). In the case of Chanel, STP could be achieved by using various approaches. For example, in regard to the particular brand market segmentation could be based on the views of consumers in regard to luxury products. This means that global market would be divided into parts based on the expected perceptions of consumers on luxury products; the evaluation of these perceptions could be based on luxury value as of its various dimensions (Figure 5, Appendices). The market segmentation for Coco Chanel could be also based, alternatively, on the frequency of use of luxury products (Ciornea, Pop and Bacila, 2012, Figure 6, Appendices). Targeting and positioning for the particular brand could be developed using similar criteria. More specifically, in regard to targeting the marketers of Coco Chanel should take into consideration the following fact: due to the high prices of its products the particular brand could not target all social groups, as could be developed using targeting. For example, tee nagers would not be an appropriate target group for the brand’s products. As of positioning also there are certain issues that should be addressed: so far the brand has become synonym of quality; also, since its appearance in the market the brand has been among the top brands in its industry. Therefore, the best approach for positioning this brand would emphasise on ‘product’s class and on price/ quality’ (Boone and Kurtz, 2013: 298). 2.3.3 Brand illustration When referring to brand illustration reference is made to the graphical elements used for presenting the brand to the public. For example, intensive colours could be used in a brand’s logo for attracting the attention of consumers (Shimp and Andrews, 2013). In addition, symbols that denote a particular characteristic of a brand could be employed for making the brand more attractive to the public (Kumar, 2009). In order for a brand’s illustration to be successful it should not follow common patterns, especially those related to the industry involved (Kumar, 2009). In any case, the logo of the brand has not necessarily to reflect the role of the brand in the industry but it needs to offer a view on the brand’s culture, as this culture would show to the public the values and ethics on which the creation of the brand has been based. The logo of Coco Channel is based entirely on the name of its creator. The design and the elements of the specific logo aim to show the close relationship between the brand and its creator’s values; simplicity is also another issue highlighted through the logo of the above brand (Figure 1, Appendices). From this point of view, it could be supported that the brand illustration used in the case of Coco Channel can be characterized as quite successful, promoting simplicity and showing the critical role of the brand’s creator in brand’s success. 2.3.4 Detail evaluation, critical perspective – SWOT analysis As with most business strategies the effectiveness of a firm’s branding decisions is usually decided after checking the characteristics of the brand involved; the performance of the brand in its market has also to be taken into consideration for deciding whether a brand has been successful or not (Davis, 2010). In the case of Coco Chanel the SWOT framework could be used for evaluating the brand’s performance. The Strengths of the particular brand are mostly related to its brand name and its relationship to quality (Carr, 2012). In fact, the specific brand has managed to establish a unique culture, a culture based on ‘the spirit of its creator’ (Kapferer, 2008: 252). In the context of this culture, high quality in clothing would be considered not as an exceptional condition but rather as part of daily life (Kapferer, 2008). The high expansion of the brand in the global market, as compared to other luxury brands, is another important strength of the brand (Ca rr, 2012). However, the brand has an important Weakness: the price of its product is quite high, not allowing a high percentage of consumers to buy the brand’s products (Carr, 2012). On the other hand, the particular brand meets all the requirements of a luxury brand (Figure 7, Figure 8, Appendices). This means that the specific brand has important Opportunities for future growth. Still, there is the problem of continuous recession. Economic turbulences in the global market could result to the limitation of profitability of luxury brands, a fact that would be a severe Threat for the particular brand (JWT, 2009). 2.4 Brand value The achievement of profit, at a pre-specified level, is the key target of a brand, at least for brands used in businesses (Larson, 2012). In this context, a business can significantly enhance its value using one or more brands (Larson, 2012). When having to estimate the value of the brand several issues can appear: the exact profit achieved by using a brand cannot be measured since the gain from employing a brand can result either in the short term or the long term. Also, this gain may not be always monetary; the improvement of a firm’s image in the market is an example (Davis, 2010). Therefore, for measuring the value of Coco Chanel, as a brand, a mixed model would be employed: the valuation framework used by ‘BrandFinance, an organisation based in UK’ (Davis, 2010: 44). The particular framework is based on the following method: a firm estimates the level of the sales it should achieve in the future, for securing profit; then ‘a royalty rate is set for achi eving the above target’ (Davis, 2010: 44). This royalty rate can be used for estimating the current value of the brand, which is the actual brand value (Davis, 2010). The measurement of the brand value using the BrandFinance framework is made clear through the diagram in Figure 9 (Appendices). 2.5 Importance of Coco Channel for the industry Since its introduction, the specific brand has achieved the following target: it has made luxury products more attractive to consumers. More specifically, in the 1920s, when the brand first appeared, women had to face the severe consequences of the World War I; widows were increased and the interest for high quality clothing was quite low (Siddiqui, 2014). The appearance in the market of the products of the particular brand, such as the ‘short black dress and the perfume Channel No.5’ (Siddiqui, 2014), introduced a new era for the relationship between consumers and the fashion industry. Since then, fashion products and luxury products have become quite attractive as this fact has been reflected to the radical expansion of luxury brands worldwide (Figure 2, Appendices). In addition, the particular brand managed to cover the gap between fashion and the other industries. Indeed, up to the appearance of the brand’s products in the market the hierarchy of importance as of the industrial activities worldwide had a standard format: manufacturing and transport industries were mostly valued, as of their potential to cover people’s needs (Kapferer, 2008). Since the introduction of the brand’s products in the market the perspectives for growth in regard to fashion and luxury products were made clear. Entrepreneurs worldwide were initiated to invest in the particular sectors, a fact that enhanced competition and kept quality standards high (Kapferer, 2008). 3.0 Conclusion The performance of Coco Chanel as a brand can be characterised as high. In fact, as proved through the analysis made above the particular brand is one of the most powerful in the global fashion industry. The position of the brand in the luxury sector is also significant, an achievement that denotes the brand’s potentials to achieve further growth. The establishment of a unique culture has been proved to be the approach through which the particular brand secured its success. Indeed, the creator of the brand, Coco Chanel, managed to convince the women in her era that style and quality should be parts of their life style. At the same time, through the particular brand the independency of style from complex forms was achieved: instead of emphasising on heavy and multi-coloured clothing Coco Chanel preferred to use simple lines and just two colours: white and black. This approach made the brand Coco Chanel to distinguish in consumers’ minds. A similar approach was followed i n regard to the other products of the brand: simplicity and innovation have been the key elements of the brand’s products up today. In this context, the success of the brand as revealed through the examination of all its aspects could be considered as expected. In the future, further growth could be achieved on the basis that brand’s culture would remain at the centre of the brand’s strategies. 4.0 References Boone, L. and Kurtz, D. (2013) Contemporary Marketing. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Burrow, J. (2008) Marketing. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Cant, M., Strydom, J., Jooste, C. and du Plessis, P. (2009) Marketing Management. Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd. Carr, T. (2012) Chanel, Zegna top competitors for perceived brand experience: study. Luxury Daily. Available from http://www.luxurydaily.com/chanel-achieves-best-perceived-customer-experience-study/ [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. Chanel (2014) Organisational website. Available from http://www.chanel.com/en_US/ [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. Ciornea, R., Pop, M. and Bacila, M. (2012) Segmenting Luxury Market Based on the Type of the Luxury Consumed. Empirical Study on Young Female Luxury Consumers. International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories. 2 (3). P.143-153. Davis, J. (2010) Competitive Success, How Branding Adds Value. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Doyle, P. (2009) Value-based Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Corporate Growth and Shareholder Value. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Fifield, P. (2008) Marketing Strategy Masterclass. London: Routledge. Graj, S. (2013) Coco Chanel: Personal Branding Legend. Forbes. Available from http://www.forbes.com/sites/simongraj/2013/02/20/coco-chanel-personal-branding-legend/ [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. Hanzaee, K., Teimourpour, B. and Teimoupour, B. (2012) Segmenting Consumers Based on Luxury Value Perceptions. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research. 12 (11). P.1445-1453. Kapferer, J. (2008) The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Khan, E. (2014) Fashion Brands of the World – Top 10. Wonderlist. Available from http://www.wonderslist.com/top-10-fashion-brands-of-the-world/ [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. Kumar, A. (2009) Marketing Management. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt Ltd. Lamb, C. and McDaniel, C. (2011) Essentials of Marketing. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Larson, C. (2012) Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Lee, Y., Cheng, S. and Chen, C. (2008) Use of the 4Ps Model to Examine Differences between Generic and Brand Marketing Strategies. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning. 4 (2). P.221-244. Listovative (2014) Top 12 Best Luxury Clothing Brands in the World. Listovative. Available from http://listovative.com/top-12-best-luxury-clothing-brands-in-the-world/ [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. Ma, T. (2014) Professional Marketing and Advertising Essays and Assignments. Tony Ma. Pour, B., Nazari, K. and Emami, M. (2013) The effect of marketing mix in attracting customers: Case study of Saderat Bank in Kermanshah Province. African Journal of Business Management. 7 (34). P.3272-3280. Sambamoorthi, N. (2012) Big Data, Data Mining, Predicting Modeling and Visualizations. Available from http://blog.crmportals.com/my-blog/page/24/ [Accessed: 22 December 2014]. Shimp, T. and Andrews, C. (2013) Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. Belmont: Cengage Learning. Sicard, M. (2013) Luxury, Lies and Marketing: Shattering the Illusions of the Luxury Brand. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Siddiqui, H. (2014) What makes the House of Chanel a successful fashion brand. Dawn. Available from http://www.dawn.com/news/1127969 [Accessed: 20 December 2014]. So, S., Lui, E., Yau, V., Kan, R. and Li, T. (2013) Luxury Goods Industry Analysis. Available from http://www.slideshare.net/vy1230/luxury-goods-industry-analysis-2013 [Accessed: 20 December 2014].

Self Directed

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Target audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Target audience - Essay Example Only the students from high schools, colleges and university of this age group will be chosen in the first marketing phase within the Los Angeles Area . The private high schools are Loyola High School, Immaculate Heart High School, Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, Windward School, Sheenway School, Daniel Murphy High School, Marymount High School, Shalhevet High School and Green Pastures Academy. The public high schools will be John Marshall High School, Los Angeles High School, Dorsey High School, Eagle Rock High School, and Belmont High School. The Colleges included in our school visits are Academy Pacific Travel College, Agape Christian The Lipton Green Tea (LGT) will be portrayed as having the beneficial health ingredients such as the much needed vitamins and minerals and its natural production with no preservatives, additives, and food coloring thereby eliminating the possibility of having harmful side effects will be the main theme of the marketing plan. This marketing strategy to attract a particular target audience will be implemented from January 2006 to June 2006. Free one bottle samples will given to the prospective youngster. They will then fill up a survey questionnaire to determine their taste comments and other comments and suggestions. Colorful expensive brochures and flyers will be given to each free sampling student advertising the many health benefits taking the Lipton Green Tea to make them familiar with the products. The LGT will have the same selling price as a Coke product. This means the LGT will have a very optimistic projection of its marketing strategy to corner a big portion of the beverage consuming market. Coke is one of the favorite thirst quenchers gulped during snacks, breakfast, lunch, dinner and special occasions such as parties, love dates.The next batch of target marketing will be implemented from December to April 2006. The target group is composed of prospective customers relating to the ages ranging from twenty two to forty five years old that happen to pass by when the marketing function is conducted in shopping malls, bus stands, train and public transport stations within th e Los Angeles District. The plan will be to attract beverage fanatics to replace their diabetes promoting beverage needs with the health giving minerals and vitamins found in LGT drinks. The prospective customers will be given expensive colorful brochures and flyers advertising the many health benefits of replacing their present beverages wants like Coke and Pepsi products with the vitamin and mineral filled LGT extract drink for the same selling price. 2.The communications choiceThis particular marketing strategy will concentrate on personalized or face to face giving of free LGT Extract drinks to customer ranging from twelve twenty one in schools, colleges and

Rip Van Winkle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rip Van Winkle - Essay Example Rip Van Winkle: the Passive Protagonist. On the surface, Washington Irving’s A Posthumous Writing of Diedrich Knickerbocker  appears to be a fairy tale which requires the reader to willingly suspend his disbelief. However, further reading gives it a deeper meaning. Rip Van Winkle, the protagonist of the story, has an out-of-the-ordinary experience in the Catskill Mountain and falls sleeps for twenty years. He returns to his village to find the old order of things changed by the American Revolution. When we consider that the story has been plotted so that the protagonist is absent during such a momentous period of American history, it is evident that the author is attempting to convey a particular message to the reader. I believe that Washington Irving’s purpose in writing Rip Van Winkle is to assert that the old, even when it is not a catalyst of change, can serve as a cherished and valuable agent of continuity with the new. Rip Van Winkle is a passive protagonist, bu t retains his relevance until the end of the narrative. Rip Van Winkle is â€Å"a simple, good-natured fellow† who is â€Å"pliant and malleable† (Washington, 2011, p.32), in his dealings with his fellow-men.

The War On Drugs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The War On Drugs - Research Paper Example Despite of intense crack the border remained closed for only twenty days. US also worked with the government of Bolivia and Peru to reduce drug supply by spraying plant killing chemicals on million of acre of drugs and compensating farmers to grow other crops instead. With this move coca production was reduced to half. But the production of drug moved from those countries to Colombia, looking at the situation US government came up with the plan Colombia. Plan Colombia was an effort on behalf of US government to combat against war on drugs. Millions of dollars of military aid was given to Colombia in order to combat against guerilla groups who are involved in drug trafficking. Colombian military personnel also took training from US military and other law and enforcement agencies. But this effort of US government was criticized by many analyst and congress men as according to them US is keeping focus only on south side whereas ignoring drug trafficking from the North part of the countr y. One of the most evident signs of the failure of this war appears in 2006, when Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in which 40,000 people were killed and media named this event â€Å"drug Violence† 40,000 people include not only cartel members ,police officers and many US citizens. However billion dollar support package was sent to Mexican government to fight against cartel but as the aid delivered the death rate have risen with 15,273. According to the Department of Justice, the illegal drug market in US is dominated by 900,000 criminally active gang members affiliated with 20,000 street gangs who have their setup in more than 2500 cities of US as explained in Law Enforcement against Prohibition (2011) This illegal drug market affected countless US communities, as it was fought in US streets with law and enforcement agencies who imprisoned many US citizens. Number of citizens who were imprisoned increased in the last three decades. This was due to anti drug abuse act of 1986 which created serious minimum sentencing laws for drug abuse. Due to which drug arrests tripled between 1980-1997 and according to Whitehead(2012) in every 19 seconds at least one person was arrested in US for violating the laws against this war and in every 30 seconds a person arrested for violating marijuana law, thus making it fourth most common cause of arrest in US. Drug abuse has severe emotional and financial strain on families in addition to other reported domestic abuses. It was also observed that the offense of drug abuse has also affected subsequent percentage of women and children. Women in prison are more likely than men who have convicted of a drug offense. In 2005 there were 29% of women and 19% of men and two third of children under age of 18 who had convicted drug offense. Federal welfare legislation of 1996 imposed lifetime ban on welfare benefits for anyone convicted drug abuse. This created another challenge for the people when they return back to the society especially for women. Also only one in seven among the prisoners was given treatment for drug. Graph below shows the comparison between the percentages

The god-like Achilles Essay Example for Free

The god-like Achilles Essay In the Iliad, there were many characters that exhibit god-like or superhuman qualities. But one character stood out. He has this god-like strength and superhuman courage to fight and risk his life for his people and allies. He has also been a descendant of the god themselves. And it was no other than Achilles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Achilles was the hero of the famous Trojan War where Helen of Troy is said to be the main reason for that bloody war. Achilles parents were Peleus and Thetis. Peleus, the king of Myrmidons, was a mortal. Thetis was an immortal sea nymph. From Achilles’ parents, it can be seen that Achilles belongs to the line of gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the epic poem, Achilles portrayed anger which resembles the gods. In the first part of the epic poem, Achilles’ anger was described. This shows how much revenge he wants to those who have done wrong to him. â€Å"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.†(Book 1 Verse 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also in Book 1, during the intense argument exchange of Agamemnon and Achilles, Achilles got angry and tried to attack Agamemnon. Achilles’ rage was uncontrolled and this drives him to attack and tried to kill Agamemnon. This show how prone to anger Achilles was. It is a good thing that Minerva was sent to stop the raging Achilles.It is shown through the following lines in Book 1: â€Å"The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the others no man could see her.†(Book 1 verse 19) Achilles’ overwhelming strength is also described by Agamemnon when he said that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"That man (Achilles) is worth an entire army,/ the fighter Zeus holds   dear with all his heart..(Book 9)† Achilles was compared to an entire army which is commonly described when mortals would battle a god. Gods are like an entire army and is very hard to defeat.   His great strength is truly feared by many and so like the gods who are also feared by many mortals. Achilles also showed no mercy when Book 21, Lycaon asked for mercy to spare his life. But the outraged Achilles answered: Idiot, said he, talk not to me of ransom. Until Patroclus fell I preferred to give the Trojans quarter, and sold beyond the sea many of those whom I had taken alive; but now not a man shall live of those whom heaven delivers into my hands before the city of Iliusand of all Trojans it shall fare hardest with the sons of Priam. Therefore, my friend, you too shall die.† (Book 21 verse 6)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Achilles’ rage led him to give no mercy to the devastated Lycaon. This instance shows how fiery Achilles just like the other gods.   During Hector’s death, he asked Achilles that his body shall be returned to the Trojans. But Achilles refused and said to Hector:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dog, talk not to me neither of knees nor parents;    would   that I could be as sure of being able to cut your flesh into pieces and eat it raw, for the ill you have done me, as I am that nothing shall save you from the dogsit shall not be. (Book 22 Verse 22) Achilles, just like the other gods, showed great pride. Achilles stated that even the wealth of Egypt shall be offered to him, he would no change his decision. This can be seen through the following statements he said:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"he may offer me gifts as the sands of the sea or the dust of the plain in multitude, but even so he shall not move me till I have been revenged in full for the bitter wrong he has done me.† (Book 9 verse 20)    Achilles was also described to be godlike through symbolisms. One is when he wore his armor in Book 1 and was described to be blazing like the sun. His comparison to the sun was just like that of the god Helios. The brightness of the fire would signify great divinity and power. Another is the manner of the creation of Achilles’ armor and shield. They were both created by the smith Hepaesthus, the god of fire. The shield was filled and forged with intricate designs suitable for a god and the armor were made indestructible and were also suitable for a god. These items were made special and deserve only the rightful owner and that was the mortal Achilles. This shows that Achilles has god-like qualities that made Hepaesthus create an armor and a shield for him. From the above examples and citations, we can say that among the characters in The Iliad, one mortal stood-out to possess superhuman and god-like qualities such as selfishness, great rage due to anger, and overwhelming pride, and that was Achilles.    References Homer. The Iliad Trans. Robert Fagles: Penguin Group, 1990.

Improving Team work and leadership in Infosys

Improving Team work and leadership in Infosys The emergence of the private sector in the economy has created more entrepreneurs especially in the services sector. The ability to manage a complex and diverse workforce is a decisive factor that adds to the competency of the organisation in contemporary work environment .complexity of human behaviour has increased the significance of the organisational behaviour .organisational behaviour is concerned with the study of behaviour of people within the organisational setting which involves the understanding .prediction and control of human behaviour and the factors which involves the performance of people as members of an organisation (Luthans ,F. 1992) . The importance of the human capital in the current working environment has increased the importance of managing people within the organisation. The organisation made up of a large number of individual members and they mostly act in a group or in isolation. They are individually and in a group expected to achieve the organisations obje ctive .any sort of indifference between both can lead to conflict and tension between the individual and the organisation. Importance of defining the organisation Organisation are complex social systems which can be defined and studied in a number of different ways .Morgan identifies different ways of viewing organisations as machines ,brains ,organisms, cultures, political systems ,psychic prisons ,flux and transformation and instruments of domination (Morgan.1986). As a consultant seeking to improve the management of people in a organisation you need to define the nature of the organisation and understand the longer-term goals of the company. Goal setting is important were the organisation evaluates the long term and short term goals of the company. Every employee has to understand and work according to this goal. Infosys is planning to become a $10 billion company in the next 5 years and according to the Founder of Infosys is to be a globally respected corporation that provides best of breed business solutions, leveraging technology, delivered by best in the class people (A.C Fernando 2009). The company driven by the passion to innovate in technology and management practices has grown to become a company spread in 16 countries and 32 sales offices catering to the technological needs of a global community. Value systems in Infosys At stretch its competency beyond the stream of technology Infosys has designed core value systems that define the behaviour within the organisation. (George .W. England 1967) after studying the value system of managers in several American firms commented that the personal belief system of individual managers can make difference to an organisation at large as to how he evaluates information and arrives at a decision. Understanding customer value systems is also important to the success as to understand their consumption patterns and the cultural patterns which shape their consumer behaviour as a individual and as a group. (Craig .j. Thompson Maura .Troester 2002) . The value system of Infosys is designed to achieve long term competencies in the industry. Customer delight: To lead by example and excess customer expectation Leadership example: A constant effort to set standards within the industry in the way they do business and to build motivation within the employees to work towards a goal. Integrity and transparency: To be transparent in dealing with customer and discarding unethical practices within the organisation. The example being one of the few companies following high disclosure norms like making no forward looking statements in the stock market (Business Standard 2010). Fairness: Trying to be objective and delivering on expectations and in the process earning the respect of the clients and the shareholders. Infosys has exceeded the guidance in the current quarter with revenues of more than 5741 crore Indian rupees. When management expectation was 5423 crore (Nirmal Bang 2010). The company constantly tries to innovate in an extremely competitive industry .Infosys has grown to become a company with a market cap of more than 32 billion as of date (rediff .com 2010) emerged from being a small time company in the 90s mainly due to its unique management policies and quality of leadership that helped employees to work as a team and contribute effectively to the organisation. As a publically listed company it sets realistic targets of growth which the employees feel achievable. The competitive nature of the industry and the opening of multiple options for the employees is seen as reasons for the high attrition rates within the industry. For example software sector witnessed high attrition rates in the range of 25 -35% especially in the business process outsourcing industry (shvoong .com 2009) when compared to the manufacturing industry. Improving team work at Infosys The current work environment is less about working individually and more about working in groups .large organisations are characterised by multiple groups and work is more of a group based activity and efficiency of group work is crucial in determining the success of the entire organisation .team work is co-operative effort by a group of people to achieve a common goal. (teamtechnology.co.uk 2009). Team work has shaped our work culture and through the history has lived, loved and worked together in groups.(Baumeister 1995) the organisation culture performance is normally managed and assessed by customer satisfaction and sales growth .as the needs of the business grows and when the organisation becomes bigger it is important to build people management and appraisal systems to assess the success of group work .the most guaranteed way of improving performance is by identifying all aspects of the group behaviour and trying to promote those aspects that significantly create more value for the organisation. The management should encourage innovative ideas that create opportunities for value addition. In instep programme at Infosys is targeted at creating valuable ideas that can drive the organisation forward. (Infosys 2009).it brings the best talents from diverse streams to partner with the organisation develop their employees in enhancing their intellectual faculty. The company can adopt similar polices implemented in Vodafone though Vodafone Malta which facilitates the process of research in the company by promoting employees with a passion to innovate. This has helped to design effective tariff structures within the company and make advanced networking equipment and improve supply chain management.(Vodafone Malta 2009) Research and development is one of the core area where the company tries to achieve competency ,according to estimates around 2.5 % of GDP was spend on RD in the year 2005 (lysander.sourceoecd.org).Especially in areas like pharmaceuticals the abilit y to launch new products is important in defining the success of companies. Considering the benefit of team working and its existence at all levels of the organisation ,every team has to be dealt with in nature of its strategic importance ,the management have more to do with the routine functioning of the company ,strategic planning teams are more involved with shaping the overall longer term strategy of the company. Writing an quote in( management today 2004 ) comparing the organisational behaviour in leading Indian IT companies Peter Drucker commented that Management is a function ,a discipline , a task to be done ,and managers practice this discipline ,carry out functions and discharge these tasks. The study outlining the job of managers stated the prime functions as planning ,organizing ,directing and controlling .the main functions of managers after studying Managers of three organisations were outlined as co-ordination and integration between different layers of employees that functions in the IT industry. Facilitating Group cohesiveness in Infosys Group cohesiveness increases the productivity and motivation to work within a group .according to (Zaccaro etal 1995 ) cohesiveness is described as the degree to which group members and attracted to work together and stay together as a group. The role of first time managers has gone through significant change over the last few years in the company has adopted the Managers in charge (MiCP).where there is an effort to decentralise the .management system and delegating more authority to first time managers. This method initially employed by Japanese producers was found to be cost-effective, more focussed and flexible in contemporary work environment. Research in this stream has proved that this increases more facilitative and empowering type of leadership and is more strategic rather than being functional (Ghobadian etal1998).The success of the team work is depended on how effectively the goals are communicated and defined and the appropriate training that develops the overall capabilit ies of the employees and brings them closer to the organisational goal. Performance management and appraisal Right from the beginning the work of the employees are managed effectively and constantly evolved in the organisation .the peer satisfaction report is the key input were the feedback from the peers are used to generate critical inputs about the employees .the evaluation of the task assigned to the employee forms the key part of the performance appraisal in Infosys .team work are monitored through various developmental stages of team work. The forming stages should be more focussed on giving vision to the group a employees should have good listening skills and build interdependency and form the initial ground rules of team building .storming stage involves initial group debates and expressions of conflict within the group .the group has to be reminded of team mission and goals .in the Norming stage the group need present regular feedback of the team work and has to search for solutions to improve the current performance. The adjourning is common in Projects were they dissolve after ac hieving the mission. In this stage the success of the project need to be studied and how it has contributed to the bottom line of the company. Leadership development in Infosys Pre dominantly there is an effort to acquire a global mindset in the current work environment .global mindset .what exactly is Global Mindset cannot be properly defined and tgere can only be vague be definitions and closest that it can be is the ability of organisations to influence ,groups ,organisations and systems that have less similar intellectual ,social and psychological intelligence .company like Infosys having a global presence and should have a decentralised approach were more authority should be delegated rather than being limited to a core group. Creating future leaders in Infosys Infosys leadership institute in Mysore started in 2002 is a unique venture by the company to train Info scions to face the complex tasks in the constantly changing work environment and bringing a strategic change by instilling leadership qualities. Meeting the financial targets is crucial for a company like Infosys which seeks to achieve financial targets by facilitating the process of corporate learning and coupling the strategic organisation goals with the learning infrastructure targeted to improve financial goals (Thomas Anderson 2009). The company received the corporate excellence Award recently and can be seen as a testimonial to its efforts to bring innovative management practices. Following the several theories in Leadership the company has tried to implement these in the work environment. Generic Group Focus Group Premise Major concerns Great man Trait THEORY Identifying the traits and potential leaders for the future Primary source of leadership effectiveness lay in the personal traits of leaders Does not address on the howdimension of leadership Behavioural Theories What do Leaders do Identify determinants of behaviour of leaders . Does not address the situation, the followers Contingency Theory Interactions between the quality of leaders leaders and the situational factors The appropriate leadership style is dependent on the situation and other factors The categorisation of situations at a meta level Transformational /Theory /Charismatical Leadership INDIVIDUAL AS THE LEADER Leadership is rooted in leaders and is a capability partly inherited and partly acquired/ acquirable Current status Implementing various theories of leadership Using the theories of leadership like Trait theory the management spots future leader by understanding their potential based on their current performance and analysing their traits that can make them future leaders. They company also spots charismatic leaders and promote them to critical positions .this helps them to retain talented leaders who can contribute further to the growth in the future. The leadership development programme has outlined three core areas to develop its competencies they are: Work People Technology (Business line 2002) Using the abilities in technology and the competencies of the human capital and leveraging both effectively and strategically can best define the leadership programme in Infosys. Mentoring new recruits and helping them aligning with the organisational goals helps the company to achieve their project targets much easier. There is an effort to increase the morale is increased by sharing the success with members of the core team and rewarding them with bonuses. Infosys was one of the first companies give away huge benefits With Their ESOP systems. The IC workshops The Infosys cultural workshops is the employee engagement programme in Infosys were there are frequent interactions with employees from different cultural backgrounds working within Infosys .this is intended to foster the spirit of camaraderie and to reinforce a common work culture within the organization. Performance appraisal systems Performance appraisal systems are considers one of the most emotionally charged activities in business to asses ones contribution in business and signals he receive has strong impact on his confidence and future performance (Thompson and Dalton 1970). The Infosys feedback systems are tries to make crucial behavioural interventions in the work place based on the feedback which is formal and informal .these feedbacks are analysed to bring out an effective and workable plan which is suitable for the organisation .one of the things lacking in such an interface is that those who receive negative feedback can be spotted as bad performers and will find it difficult to improve their performance. Conclusions Infosys being a leader in the Indian software industry has always followed a policy of leading by example by setting benchmark in the industry. The succession policy followed by company where the founding members step-down after completing their term and retire after they turn 60 (Associated Press 2006). This helps to develop a spirit of equity within the organisation . the action learning system followed in the company should be address real problems in the company and workable plan has to formulated by setting goals for the future. The 360 -degree feedback should be used effectively by interconnecting between various verticals of the company. the company operates various verticals in like banking ,healthcare and research and product development capabilities in one vertical especially the marketing of one product can be used in other verticals as well , for eg : The success of banking software Finacle (Economic Times 2010)can be of use to other verticals in healthcare and retail and proper feedback can help in leveraging on its success to other verticals. The practices the company currently follows has significantly contribute to the value addition in the company over the years. The ability to maintain the value system and bring suitable improvements can define the team work and leadership in the company. Proactive approach can help the company maintain its current niche in the industry.

Capitalism And Consumerism Of Society

Capitalism And Consumerism Of Society Present society in the west is characterized by a capitalist economic system that is founded on private ownership of property and a profit driven economy. This economy has consequently produced few super rich individuals and further stratified the western society, (Banish the bloated overclass, p. 71). Capitalism is different to a socialist economic system where ownership of property is by the state or communally (Shachtman, p.96). The profit driven economy encourages businesses and enterprises to exploit the market for the sole purpose of making a profit. The marketing strategies of capitalism have therefore created a society of consumers whose benefit is through consumption on the individual level while the monetary profits go to the capitalists. Capitalism has created a society that consumer based and the new phenomenon has been labeled as consumerism. Consumerism has extended even into those areas, which were previously under state control as opposed to being under the control of private corporations. These include the health sector and education among others. The presence of numerous corporations which provide all kinds of services and merchandise have expanded the choices available to consumers. This has created societies, which are based on consumerism as opposed to the earlier societies, which were work based. A consumer society can be identified by the consumption habits of individuals while a work based societys identity lies in the citizenship and occupations of individuals, (Shachtman, p.101). In addition, the consumer society has evolved into a new culture, which has diverse and often contradicting principles to those of work and citizenship. Consequently, capitalists, out to maximum their revenue realization venture into global markets to exploit new markets. This will eventually lead to a single global culture based on consumerism, and individual consumer patterns based on cultural uniqueness and other such factors will be eliminated. As capitalists devise new ways of maximizing their profits, the consumers in a society based on consumerism look for goods of high quality and with the lowest cost. Consequently, both the consumers and the capitalists are not driven by social responsibility and do not try to deal with issues that are created by capitalism and consumerism. Social respon sibility is in the hands of the government and the society but the culture of consumerism and capitalism encourages individualism as each entity is in pursuit of its own goals without considering how some of these goals might be affecting others and the society in genera, (Shachtman, p.106). The nature of the western society made it possible to be targeted for consumer society. A society full of egocentricity, deceptive advertising, nihilism, and values subjectivism to academic goals is easier to sway to the path of consumerism. In such a society where economic growth is the only important thing to any individual and has the capabilities and the power to displace or degrade moral values as we traditionally knew them, the gauge of self worth is always buying power. Those in a position to buy and own property have a more reinforced worth in a society upholding consumerism. The contribution of the media can not be ignored as it continues to create an image which everyone in the western society tries to fit in thus distorting the self worth and self awareness of each person. It is the goal of every capitalist to seduce a large television audience into identification of his personality with specifically designed consumer ideas and advertising fantasies. We no longer possess t he ability to do our things independent of consumerism justification. Advertising duplicity and consumerism are now potential threats to the individuation process and consciousness regardless of continued linking of capitalism to the beginning of consciousness. Social cultural meaning diminishes as it is exploited further by media which siphons inexpressible content in order to attract more consumers. The ability to control consumption gives most capitalists the power to influence the evolvement of different consumption patterns over time. They employ different but simple mechanisms like the promise of a simpler life. The end result is a consumer revolution which in turn forced a relevant reaction in terms of information, communication and technology leading to even more production of goods and services. The goods which result from this high production forces the capitalist society to convince more people to consume goods and alters the basic institution through generation of new ideologies for pleasure. A completely new description of pleasure can also result. One of the major set back of capitalism and consumerism is witnessed at times of economic crisis. The capitalist system has been able to solve the entire crisis but considerably harming the environment especially when we consider the waste created and the resources utilized. A consumer culture is exploitative, both indirectly and indirectly. Consumption of goods and services involves spending money, which is not equally available across a society that is founded on capitalism. Considering that most resources are not infinite, there must be mechanisms that ensure that they rationed. In this context, consumption does not allow full choice for all individuals but only to those who have the purchasing power, (could you afford to be poor, p. 75). This means that vital services under the control of capitalist structures are not accessible to those who cannot afford them. Scott, (2005) states that good medical care and education is not accessible to the poor meaning that people in loose their lives if they do not have the money to have their illnesses fixed. This brings in the question of whether these divisions should only be for the wealthy or should be available for all. In this regard, consumerism culture may work more towards protecting the possessions of the wealthy through a consumerism culture, which is divisive in nature. The illusion that consumerism puts forward is that of choice for all, which is an effective way of ensuring that the deprived do not harbor sentiments that the capitalist system is short charging them. Consumerism therefore divides the haves from the have-nots and further stratifies the society. In the essay Going to extremes: CEOs vs. Slaves, the author notes the wide margins in terms that exist between the capitalist and consumers, noting that CEOs earn as much as 260% more that the third highest executive, (p. 70). The essay further notes that billionaires, created by capitalism exploit the labor market by subjecting employees to slave-like working conditions with a peanut salary. As much as consumer goods are available across the society, only those who have the money to purchase will benefit. This, according to Karl Marx, is the root of most societal problems, which arise from controlled consumption because of poverty. In a consumerism culture, individuals are motivated by the ability to acquire what they desire. This is not an obstacle for those who can afford it, but for the poor, it is continuous challenge to keep up with consumerism. Although this culture may make products, especially technology readily available in the market, those whose purchasing power is limited will not have access. Technology like PCs, hi-tech communication devices such as phones, LCD TVs and so forth remain unobtainable to the poor. The resulting economic disparity serves only to paint a dreary future for the affected economies. As the rich gain more control and the poor are left with fewer alternatives, the political hierarchy in turn adheres to these policies which violate the commonly held ideas regarding peaceful coexistence and human rights resulting to a self propagating system of exploitation. The corporate capitalist view the consumer only as a target and only embark on factors which control interests thus alter ing culture; putting this up for sale is always made easier by the media advertising. Although there exists some constitutional guarantees, the corporate capitalist anyway subjects the public to economic and political systems which only exploit the rights of the many to the benefits of the few. The major contributors are always the movers of government policies which results to political agenda based on their cravings. This inability to access what they desire will lead individuals, especially those from poor backgrounds to engage in all manner of crimes in order to afford what they want. Juvenile burglary, drug peddling and prostitution are some crimes that are associated with people from poor backgrounds. Individuals driven by what they want will engage in activities, which violate the rights of others just to have enough power to purchase commodities. Just like the elite and the wealthy who own the manufacturing and distributing franchises and are solely driven by maximizing their profits, the consumers are driven by the ability to purchase as much as they can. This individuality, by the capitalists and the consumers alike, often infringe on the rights of others and over exploit available resources to achieve individual ends. Capitalist engage in unethical practices in order to maximum their revenue. In a society that is increasingly being taken up by the consumerism culture, the capitalists are faced with stiff competition as many more industries and companies come up to get their share of the profits. This creates an atmosphere of intense competitiveness among the capitalists who want to attract and retain a bigger market share. In order to this, they need to advertise their goods so that they are widely recognized by the consumers. Consequently, most of these advertisements are misleading to the consumer who in the end is unable to make an informed decision about the quality of the goods or services. A good example is the Macdonalds fast food chain, which previously advertised meals as healthy for children. This statement had to be revised when it was established that the meals so called healthy were responsible for childhood obesity, not to mention other lifestyle diseases that are rooted in the consu mption of greasy food. Therefore, the capitalists not only exploits the consumer by providing sub-standard goods, but may also provide false information, which may ultimately pose a serious risk to the health, life and overall well-being of the consumer. Every individual in the society has the capability of selling his or her labor products. Capitalist mode of production does not support this system. All what they need is a disjointed tie between producers and the means they use for production. This simply means that, the peasant farmers to loose their farms, artisans and constructors to loose their tools among other means to deny these people access. With deprived access, these people have no choice but to seek those who have the means of production to use their land and tools and in return gain some wages. The means of production is therefore the ultimate control as it gives you the opportunity to control the goods produced which are in turn bought by back by the same people who labor to produce them. The gap between the two groups is widened as the laborers are turned once again into consumers and the money taken back by those who own the means of production. They just lend you the money for sometime; but they own it. Consumerism has also led to environmental degradation in so many ways. In order to meet the demands of consumers in such a society, and in a world where resources are increasingly becoming depleted, manufactures will look for alternative sources of raw materials in other countries or localities. After they have exhausted the resources, they will move on to the next stop, without concern of how their activities are affecting the environment. In Hardings, (2001), before you finish eating breakfast this morning, he cites the production of rubber, which has led to extensive deforestation in Thailand, which has consequently resulted to increased urbanization. It is no wonder, that the issue of global warming has become a worrying reality to many governments around the world. Global warming has led to climatic changes, whose effects are felt more by people in the developing countries. This is because most of them rely on agriculture and the major source of GDP and unpredictable weather cyc les, droughts as well as floods means that agriculture can no longer be relied on for national revenue. Developing countries are constantly faced with food shortages and global warming has worsened the situation. Global warming is also caused by industry emissions, which destroy the Ozone layer in the atmosphere. Global warming is deeply rooted in industrialization, which in itself was fueled by capitalism and later consumerism. The means used to obtain these resources further destroys the environment. Harding, (2001) notes, tuna from Somalia is fished using explosives, which destroys the coastal eco system. Bananas obtained from the Dominican Republic are grown using chemical fertilizer, which destroys the soil balance. Consumerism and capitalism are enemies of the people. Behind the fancy advertisements, symbolic values, and the promise of merchandise lays their true value characterized and driven by profit making. It is a mechanism by which big businesses ensure continued buying by the consumers not only aimed at profit making. Obsession with consumerism coarsens the moral fiber to a state where the society no longer up holds tradition, but allows itself to be oppressed by structures of consumerism and credit obligations. Consumerism is nothing but a myth meant top make those who believe in it that they can gratify all their needs only through consuming. Cultural fulfillment and social obligations are sacrificed in the altar of gratification associated with owning property and buying goods. The truth is, this gratification is short lived and adds joy for a short moment to those who cal afford to gratify this need and leads to sadness to those who can not afford to fund this need. However, this gra tification deprives us the overall fulfillment of other important cultural mythologies. When culture is commercialized, there is always a lot to loose in terms of perceived reality. Our perception looses its depth, richness and periphery. For these, and other negative reasons that are associated with capitalism and the consumerism culture, it is imperative for the society to take action sooner than later in order to avoid inflicting permanent damage to the society fabric and the environment, which sustains it. Capitalism has created a materialistic society based on individual gratification without much thought of the impact on other people, cultures and environment. Such individual gratification has facilitated societal evils such as human trafficking; drug trafficking, prostitution and forms of crimes. To begin with, changing the consumerism culture in western society is not going to be an easy task, and will definitely not happen overtime. This culture is so ingrained in western societies to the extent that it is now second nature. A more difficult task will be changing the mentality of capitalism from profit realization to moral and social responsibility. Presently, there are groups and movements that are emerging which set an example in the way to change the consumerism culture in American people. The social groups and movements engage in activities such as garbage bin hunting. These people scour dustbins in supermarkets and hotels to get food that has been thrown away but is not spoilt. The foods included canned foods and packaged vegetables, which are thrown out simply because they have minor blemishes. This may seem like an extreme method but it is sending the message to society. That wastage leads to depletion of resources, in addition to denying them to other people who need them. Achieving change is not a task that can be accomplished by one element in this chain of capitalism and consumerism. To begin with, the government should establish policies and guidelines that will ensure that resources are not exploited or depleted. Secondly, the government should also tighten regulations that will protect the environment from abuse by unscrupulous capitalists. Current measures are not effective, evidenced in the current BP oils spill in the Mexican Gulf, which is threatening marine life over a large area. With these guidelines by and punitive measures incase they are violated; the society will be ready to begin the journey towards self-transformation without the use of extreme means that characterize revolutions. However, this kind of change can only begin when the society becomes conscientious about the damage of their current habits and their long-term effects. People may perceive consumerism as a convenient lifestyle where they are able to buy anything to make life easier. However, people should realize that this convenience has adverse effects on the freedoms of others and the environment. Industries should also become more conscientious, and ensure that they do not destroy the very environment that makes their businesses possible in a bid to make quick profits. The industry should acknowledge their moral and social responsibility and ensure that their practices are environmental friendly, do not exploit resources or the market. This can be achieved through civic education of the industry management on safe practices as well as the consumers on how to minimize waste and consider how the products they choose to buy are affecting others. This aspect is demonstrated by the current campaign b eing made for the use green products. In the background of global warming that is threatening the very existence of planet earth, numerous campaigns have been launched that admonish individuals to become environmentally conscious. This movement is referred to as the green revolution where society is going green and demanding only those products that are manufactured in ways that do not harm the environment. The green movement is making progress, as manufactures and merchandisers are compelled to use products and processes that do not destroy the already fragile environment. Even for those who are reluctant to make changes, they have no alternative, as the environmental conscious consumer will simply shun purchasing such products. The effectiveness of the green revolution has been great, and consumers should subsequently step up the movement by demanding more products to go green or else loose their market. Products that have gone green include foodstuff, clothing, technology, which includes phones and computers, furnitur e, toys and even cars. Everyone in the society can contribute to the green revolution by encouraging recycling, avoiding wasteful buying especially packaged food and the use of recyclable goods.

Resistance of wire :: essays research papers

IF YOU INCREASE THE VOLTAGE - MORE CURRENT WILL FLOW. IF YOU INCREASE THE RESISTANCE - LESS CURRENT WILL FLOW (UNLESS YOU INCREASE THE VOLTAGE).' Ã ³`In Metals The Current Is Carried By Electrons 1. Electric current will only flow if there are charges, which can freely move. 2. Metals contain a sea of "Free Electrons" (which are negatively charged). And flow throughout the metal if they are given energy. 3. This is what allows electric current to flow so well in materials.' Ã ³`Resistance Resistance is anything that causes an opposition to the flow of electricity in a circuit. It is used to control the amount of voltage and /or amperage in a circuit. Everything in a circuit causes a resistance (even wire). It is measured in OHMS (Ω). Resistance occurs when the electrons travelling along the wire collide with the atoms of the wire. These collisions slow down the flow of electrons causing resistance. Resistance is a measure of how hard it is to move the electrons through the wire. The resistance of a wire depends on the number of collisions the electrons have with the atoms there will a larger number of collisions which will increase the resistance of the wire. If a length of a wire contains a certain number of atoms, when that length is increased the number of atoms will also increase. E.g. If there is a wire that is half the length of another wire it would also have half the number of atoms, this means that the electrons will collide with the atoms half the amount of times. Also if the length of the wire is trebled or quadrupled then the resistance would also treble or quadrupled.' My prediction was derived from this information. All of this information I collected originated from the Website, "www.studentcentral.co.uk" from encyclopaedias such as "The Oxford Children's Encyclopaedia" and computer encyclopaedias such as "Encarta". Ã ³This scientific information relates to my experiment by stating that the longer the lengths of wire the higher the resistance. Ã ³Preliminary Results Length Of Wire (mm): Voltage (V): Current (A): Resistance (Ω): Ã ³Therefore this information supports my prediction that the longer the length of wire the higher the resistance. Obtaining Evidence: Ã ³The variables I kept the same are: Ã ´The same material used for the wire, Ã ´The same cross-sectional area of wire, Ã ´And the same temperature of the wire. Ã ³The potential difference from the power pack: 2V.

Essay Discussing Societal Conflicts in Lispeth and Story of an Hour :: Story Hour Lispeth Essays

Societal Conflicts in  Lispeth and Story of an Hour  Ã‚      "Lispeth" and "Story of an Hour" are both stories that deal with societal conflicts through their impact on the protagonist. In both stories the protagonists seem largely unaware of the conflict and resulting oppression, until events occur that force them to see it. In both stories the protagonists are ultimately "defeated" by the social conflicts; but the really important point of these stories is not winning or losing the struggle but the change that comes about as a result of the struggle. In "The Story of an Hour" Mrs. Mallard , as one would expect, is very grieved at her husband's death. But as she attempts to adjust to her new status she begins to change. The author conveys this in a couple of ways. She uses references to what is happening outside the window, "new spring life," "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" to show nature paralleling Mrs. Mallard's opening up. The author also describes the realization of freedom as if it were a tangible thing, "something coming after he," that she was fighting off. Her epiphany comes when she realizes that she was oppressed. In this realization she finds new strength, courage, and joy. She has not resolved the conflict; she has only become aware of it. She now knows that, although her husband was not a mean man, he imposed his will on her, and well meaning or not this was an oppressive act. It appears that she was not aware of being a prisoner until she was freed and in being free life has taken on new meaning, and she is a new person. But in the end Mr. Mallard is not dead. And, as I said, Mrs. Mallard has only discovered the conflict between men's and women's roles; she has not resolved or overcome it. But she has changed and this new person is unable to cope with the prospect of living in her old world-the shock of it kills her. One suspects that has she not died physically, she would have "died" spiritually anyway. In "Lispeth" the conflict is between two cultures: one indigenous and the other colonial. As in "The Story of an Hour" the protagonist, Lispeth, does not seem to be aware of a conflict and embraces her oppressor. In fact, she "used to lock herself into her own room for fear they might take her away.

Essay example --

The book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an inspiring story about an Essex from Nantucket, getting attacked by a eighty-five ton sperm whale miles deep out in the ocean. In these times, going on any ocean expedition had its precautions. While much focus on food, drinking water, medication and a method to cure illness, the most overlooked impairment was the creatures of the ocean. While the men of this vessel left the docks as predators, the survivors of the ninety- three-day journey on three small harpoon boats came back as prey. This story gives a great depiction of the potential of the sperm whale as well as the devastation that they can bring. While whaling isn’t nearly as popular today, in this time many men made, or attempted to make, a living in this industry. Despite the hard work, dangerous standards and general intimidation, shipmates were lured into the industry for the high pay. When feeling protected by a large ship, weapons and a fearless captain, it was easy to forget the power of what they were hunting. The sperm whale is the largest of all the toothed whales, with males maturing at an average size of fifty- two feet and sometimes can reach up to sixty-seven feet in length. â€Å"It’s twenty-foot-wide tail pumped up and down.† (Philbrick, 2000, 82) The domain of life that the sperm whale belongs to is the Eukaryote. This is because the sperm whale is an organism that is made up of cells that contain a nucleus as well as other structures that are enclosed by the cell membrane. The kingdom that it belongs to is the Animalia. This is because they are multi-cellular organisms. These a nimals contain other distinct features including; â€Å"interior digestion of f... ...ats of the whale are still used in some of today’s industries. These parts of the whale have numerous applications in biotechnology. Some of which include, but are not limited to; candles, oil lamps, soaps, and lubricants. Even though their oils have significance in certain applications, the sperm whale is considered an endangered species. This is primarily because of being over hunted. They also have been known to get caught in fishing nets, subject to pollution, also can be severely affected by ocean debris. There are many creatures that live in the sea. The sperm whale being one of many creatures that has a huge impact on the ocean. They are very unique creators, who most people tend to forget about. The sperm whale created a huge conflict for the Essex, leaving the reading wondering what is going to end up happening. This book inspired the book Moby Dick.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Essay

After reading the play, I think that there are many feelings evoked towards Linda. There is pity and sympathy and some resentment at her denying Willy the chance to work in Alaska. She is a hard-working wife and loving mother. One could blame her for Willy’s suicide but this would be harsh, as she feels that she must go along with what Willy believes and not interfere. To begin with, there is her relationship with her sons. She loves them very much, and wants the best for them. When they come home she is obviously extremely pleased. She says: â€Å"It was so nice to see them shaving together, one behind the other, in the bathroom.† We can see that she is a caring and devoted mother when she defends Biff whilst Willy criticises him: Willy: â€Å"†¦But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!† Linda: â€Å"He’s finding himself, Willy.† Willy: â€Å"Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!† Linda: â€Å"Shh!† Willy: â€Å"The trouble is he’s lazy, goddammit!† Linda: â€Å"Willy, please!† Her sons disappoint her, especially when they desert Willy at Frank’s Chop House where they were meant to be having dinner with him. She is angry with them, and shouts at them: â€Å"You invite him to dinner. He looks forward to it all day – and then you desert him there. There’s no stranger you’d do that to!† â€Å"Get out of here, both of you, and don’t come back!† â€Å"You’re a pair of animals! Not one, not another living soul would have the cruelty to walk out on that man in a restaurant.† Despite this, Biff and Happy love her very much and respect her. Biff refers to her as his â€Å"pal† and is upset to see her hair turning grey: Biff: â€Å"†¦Your hair got so grey.† Linda: â€Å"Oh, it’s been grey since you were in high school. I just stopped dyeing it, that’s all.† Biff: â€Å"Dye it again, will ya? I don’t want my pal looking old.† Happy also respects her and when he describes the kind of girl he would like to meet, he says: â€Å"†¦Somebody with character, with resistance! Like Mom, y’know?† He also says this of her: â€Å"What a woman! They broke the mould when they made her. You know that Biff?† Biff is also sensitive to the way Willy treats her, and stands up for her when Willy keeps silencing her: â€Å"Stop making excuses for him! He always, always wiped the floor with you. Never had an ounce of respect for you.† Linda: â€Å"Oliver always thought the highest of him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Willy: â€Å"Will you let me talk?† Biff: â€Å"Don’t yell at her, Pop, will ya?† Willy: â€Å"I was talking, wasn’t I?† Biff: â€Å"I don’t like you yelling at her all the time, and I’m tellin’ you, that’s all.† Willy: â€Å"What’re you, takin’ over this house?† Linda: â€Å"Willy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Willy: â€Å"Don’t take his side all the time, goddammit!† Biff: â€Å"Stop yelling at her!† Linda is also suffering from the financial state of the family, and is upset at her sons’ lack of support. â€Å"†¦Christmas-time, fifty dollars! To fix the hot water it cost ninety-seven fifty! For five weeks he’s been on straight commission, like a beginner an unknown!† She has succeeded in making her sons feel ashamed of themselves, which shows that she is a good mother who can still make her sons feel that they have let her down. I believe that this is a good quality. Biff says this about himself: â€Å"The scum of the earth, and you’re looking at him!† I also admire her confidence when she admits to the boys some of her fears: â€Å"†¦a terrible thing is happening to him. He’s not to be aloud to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person.† Linda, as we can see from the play loves Willy very much. She shares in his dreams, and is even too ashamed to remove a piece of rubber piping that he is using to commit suicide with. Despite this, she is thrilled when she sees it gone, though she later discovers that it was Biff who removed it. She is also too ashamed to admit to knowing that Willy is borrowing money from Charley, pretending that it’s his pay. â€Å"Willy, darling, you’re the handsomest man in the world†¦To me you are. The handsomest. â€Å"†¦because I love him. He’s the dearest man in the world to me, and I won’t have anyone making him feel unwanted and low and blue. You’ve got to make up your mind now, darling, there’s no leeway any more. Either he’s your father and you pay him that respect, or else you’re not to come here. I know he’s not easy to get along with – nobody knows that better than me – but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shows here her love for Willy, and her faithfulness, even though we know that Willy has been disloyal to her. She tells her children her fears, and that she believes that only they can help him. â€Å"Biff, I swear to God! Biff, his life is in your hands!† â€Å"†¦When he has to go to Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend that’s his pay? How long can that go on? How long?† She loves her husband so much, that she is too afraid to even talk about his contemplation of committing suicide. â€Å"I’m – I’m ashamed to. How can I mention it to him? Every day I go down and take away that little rubber pipe. But when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him in that way?† Therefore we feel remorse for Linda, and much sympathy, as she doesn’t know what to do. We also feel sympathy for her, as we, as an audience, know that Willy is having an affair while he is away at Boston. It is the ultimate punishment for such a loyal and hard-working wife. Even as she mends her stockings, Willy feels guilt for what he has done, and says: â€Å"I won’t have you mending stockings in this house! Now throwx them out!† â€Å"Will you stop mending stockings? At least while I’m in the house. It gets me nervous. I can’t tell you. Please.† Biff almost lets on twice to Linda about The Woman in Boston. He says: â€Å"Because he’s a fake, and he doesn’t like anybody around who knows!† Linda: â€Å"It seems there’s a woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Biff: [sharply] â€Å"What woman?† Linda: [simultaneously] â€Å"†¦and this woman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Linda: â€Å"What?† Biff: â€Å"Nothing. Go ahead.† Linda: â€Å"What did you say?† Linda does once deny Willy the chance to make a success of his career, when she refuses to let Willy go to Alaska to manage some timberland that Ben owns: Willy: â€Å"No wait! Linda, he’s got a proposition for me in Alaska.† Linda: â€Å"But you’ve got [to Ben] He’s got a beautiful job here.† Willy: â€Å"But in Alaska, kid, I could -â€Å" Linda: â€Å"You’re doing well, enough, Willy!† Ben: â€Å"Enough for what, my dear?† Linda: â€Å"Don’t say those things to him! Enough to be happy right here, right now. Why must everybody conquer the world? You’re well liked, and the boys love you, and someday – [to Ben] – why, old man Wagner told him just the other day that if he keeps it up he’ll be a member of the firm, didn’t he, Willy?† It would be unfair to judge Linda’s actions here, as it was early in their marriage, and she probably believed everything Willy told her about his achievements. We also feel pity for Linda when Willy keeps silencing her. He does this very often, but we can’t tell why. Willy: â€Å"†¦- don’t you pick it up. They have office boys for that.† Linda: â€Å"I’ll make a big breakfast†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Willy: â€Å"Will you let me finish? [to Biff] Tell him you were in the business in the West. Not farm work.† Biff: â€Å"All right, Dad.† Linda: â€Å"I think everything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Willy [going right through her speech]: â€Å"And don’t undersell yourself. No less than fifteen thousand dollars.† Willy also gets annoyed with Linda when she buys him a new American type of cheese, one that he hasn’t tried: â€Å"I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I always being contradicted?† Linda is also correct in her vision of the upbringing of their children, though Willy’s bad influences shadow it, and so the children never take any notice of her. We see her in Act one attempting to persuade Willy that it would be right for Biff to take the stolen football back: â€Å"And he’d better give back that football, Willy, it’s not nice.† According to Linda, Biff is â€Å"too rough with the girls† though Willy puts this down to the fact that â€Å"he’s got spirit, personality†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite the many hardships Linda has to face, we can see that she has a strong personality herself, and therefore we feel a lot of pity and sympathy for her at her husband’s funeral: â€Å"I can’t understand it. At this time especially. First time in thirty-five years we were just about free and clear. He only needed a little salary. He was even finished with the dentist.† Ultimately, the feelings evoked towards Linda in this play are sympathy, pity, and concern. There is also admiration felt for the woman who shared her husband’s dreams, and took in all the criticism that was hurled her way in a calm and somewhat melancholy manner.