William Shakespeares Hamlet Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Fiction

William Shakespeare's Hamlet Julian Goldblatt AP English Extra Credit In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the hero displays an astounding, misleading nature. Hamlet repudiates himself all through the play, suffering both the ethics of acting a job and that of being consistent with one's self. He further backings both of these clashing endorements with his activities. This vagueness is shown by his supposed franticness, just to turn out to be completely quiet and judicious a moment later. These irregularities are connected with the interior issues he faces. He battles with the issue of vindicating his dad's demise, vowing to kill Claudius and afterward retreating, a few times. The purpose behind this wavering is legitimately identified with his powerlessness to frame a strong sentiment about pretending. This trouble is absent, in any case, toward the beginning of the play. In the principal demonstration, Hamlet has all the earmarks of being exceptionally direct in his activities and internal state. When interrogated by Gertrude concerning his despairing appearance, Hamlet says, Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not 'appears.' (1.2.76). This is to state, I am what I seem, by all accounts, to be. Later in act I, Hamlet makes an understood explanation about his state when he subscribes to vindicate. In this announcement the play makes a simple to follow move. This move comprises of Hamlet surrendering the job of an understudy and grieving child. Hamlet says, I'll wipe away all minor affectionate records, All saws of books, all structures, all weights past, That young and perception duplicated there, And thy rule in solitude will live Within the book and volume of my cerebrum (1.5.99-103). Hamlet is pronouncing that he will be focused on nothing else except for the vengeance of his dad's demise. In the following demonstration, be that as it may, Hamlet's sta tus and aims abruptly, and with out showed reason, become buried in disarray. At the point when Hamlet shows up again in act two, it appears he has lost the conviction that was available before. He presently can't seem to take up the job allocated to him by the phantom. It isn't until the finish of the demonstration that he even notices retribution. In the event that he had any of the conviction demonstrated before he would have been mulling over his vengeance. Along these lines, rather than filling the role of the vindictive child, he remains in the center, claiming to be distraught. This is indicated when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, I know not-lost all my gaiety, done without all custom of activity (2.2.298-299). Later he discloses to them that he is simply pretending franticness when he says, I am nevertheless distraught north-north-west, when the breeze is southerly, I know a bird of prey from a handsaw (2.2.380-381). Conceding so explicitly that he is just pretending franticness would infer that he is OK with it. It is baffling that, now, Hamlet is alright with acting, however not with the job that he said he would play before. In the event that he is to assume a job, why not the one that his dad allocated him? At the point when the characters arrive in a brief time later, his demeanor changes. Hamlet is incited to retaliation, once more, by the moving discourse that is given by one of the characters. He makes a major development of what he ought to have done and how he will be vindicated. After the entirety of his swearing and backing of the benefit of acting and words, he retreats from it once more. He can't choose whether or not to assume the job. Words are a further denounced when he says, Must, similar to a prostitute, unload my hart with Words (2.2.587). In this way, he is presently denouncing pretending. Being trapped in the center, he concludes that he needs increasingly verification of the Kings blame when he says, The play is the thing? Wherein I'll get the inner voice of the King ( 2.2.606-607). Before the mousetrap is to be played, Hamlet runs into Ophelia and makes the telling proclamations. Upon the issue of Ophelia's excellence, Hamlet says, That on the off chance that you be straightforward and reasonable, your trustworthiness ought to concede no talk to your magnificence (3.1.109-110). He is stating that Ophelia can be straightforward and reasonable, however that, genuineness being an internal characteristic, and reasonableness being an outward quality, yet the two can't be connected. He goes on further to state that Ay, genuinely, for the

criminal factors Essays -- essays research papers

What makes crooks? Have you at any point asked why some social gatherings are more inclined to wrongdoing than others are? Would it be advisable for us to infer that a few gatherings are progressively inclined to wrongdoing or that they are simply placed in a circumstance that makes them bound to carry out violations? Despite the examination in the previous years there is still no definitive proof regarding why a few people in similar circumstances decide to carry out violations while the others don’t. There are various reasons that guilty parties resort to wrongdoing; Families, sexual orientation, monetary status, age, and race are altogether substantial clarifications said by numerous scholars with respect to why certain social gatherings carry out violations, and why certain gatherings remain away. Hitched life is the standard of our general public yet it can likewise cause strain and anguish. Alongside the blessing of another life, there likewise comes new issues. In many cases the decision of getting hitched is the main significant choice in a youngster or woman’s life, and soon there are more family members, more bills, clashing plans, irritating propensities that one’s life partner may create, kids, being that 50% of all relationships end in separate, these are things that most couples can't survive, society is to where for each marriage there is a corresponding separation. At the point when these new obstacles are not beaten then a messed up home is the most well-known outcome. At the point when this occurs, at that point the probability of an individual being headed to wrongdoing skyrockets. One begins to feel that they are useless and that they are bound to be forlorn always, when this happens, wrongdoing is their next alternative. A messed up family can cr eate in various manners, separation, passing, or partition. Marriage is a typical however not the most probable explanation that some retreat to wrongdoing. Somebody who generally perpetrates a wrongdoing at a youthful age is regularly distinguished as a brought into the world lawbreaker, these crazy activities for a powerless and guiltless youngster are passed down because of inherited characteristics that go starting with one age then onto the next. It is said that these culpable youngsters don't have the foggiest idea about any better in view of their attributes, and the enviroment that they are raised in (Erikson 1964). These kids have some expertise in wrongdoing and misconduct similarly as others may spend significant time in the study hall or sports. They aren’t ready to differentiate between a degenerate demonstration or something gainful, for example, An in the study hall. â€Å"When we characterize somebody or some gathering as freak - we fortify ... ... By and large, prisoners are more youthful than everyone. It is evident that some social gatherings are in circumstances increasingly helpful for wrongdoing, in light of nature they live in. Young men and men overwhelm in wrongdoing. Capture, self report and exploitation information all mirrors that young men and men execute more traditional and genuine violations than young ladies and ladies. Apparently young men and men never again are "normal subjects" of brutality and that as equivalent rights and women's activist gatherings become more grounded and increasingly significant so to do ladies in wrongdoing. Regarding race and wrongdoing, wrongdoing will proceed among minorities until a harmony in social class and occupation positioning is met. The subject of financial matters as a reason for wrongdoing finds that individuals are not constrained into wrongdoing since they are poor, but since they are not equipped for getting the extravagances that they have considered necessities. They have gone from being in an agreeable, utilized state to a jobless and troublesome state and no longer can maintain an unsustainable lifestyle. All in all, law guilty parties feel that by turning out to be criminally dynamic they can expound themselves of any social or mental issue they may have. criminal components Essays - papers examine papers What makes crooks? Have you at any point asked why some social gatherings are more inclined to wrongdoing than others are? Would it be a good idea for us to reason that a few gatherings are progressively inclined to wrongdoing or that they are simply placed in a circumstance that makes them bound to perpetrate violations? Regardless of the exploration in the previous years there is still no definitive proof with regards to why a few people in similar circumstances decide to carry out wrongdoings while the others don’t. There are various reasons that guilty parties resort to wrongdoing; Families, sexual orientation, monetary status, age, and race are for the most part substantial clarifications said by numerous scholars regarding why certain social gatherings carry out violations, and why certain gatherings remain away. Hitched life is the standard of our general public yet it can likewise cause strain and anguish. Alongside the blessing of another life, there additionally comes new issues. Regularly the decision of getting hitched is the main significant choice in a youngster or woman’s life, and soon there are more family members, more bills, clashing plans, irritating propensities that one’s mate may create, kids, being that 50% of all relationships end in separate, these are things that most couples can't survive, society is to where for each marriage there is a matching separation. At the point when these new obstacles are not conquered then a wrecked home is the most well-known outcome. At the point when this occurs, at that point the probability of an individual being headed to wrongdoing skyrockets. One begins to believe that they are useless and that they are bound to be desolate everlastingly, when this happens, wrongdoing is their next alternative. A wrecked family can produ ce in various manners, separation, passing, or partition. Marriage is a typical however not the most probable explanation that some retreat to wrongdoing. Somebody who for the most part carries out a wrongdoing at a youthful age is regularly recognized as a brought into the world lawbreaker, these careless activities for a powerless and guiltless kid are passed down because of innate attributes that go starting with one age then onto the next. It is said that these culpable youngsters don't have the foggiest idea about any better in light of their attributes, and the enviroment that they are raised in (Erikson 1964). These kids represent considerable authority in wrongdoing and misconduct similarly as others may have practical experience in the study hall or sports. They aren’t ready to differentiate between a freak demonstration or something beneficial, for example, An in the study hall. â€Å"When we characterize somebody or some gathering as freak - we fortify ... ... By and large, prisoners are more youthful than everybody. It is obvious that some social gatherings are in circumstances increasingly helpful for wrongdoing, in light of nature they live in. Young men and men rule in wrongdoing. Capture, self report and exploitation information all mirrors that young men and men execute more customary and genuine violations than young ladies and ladies. Apparently young men and men never again are "normal subjects" of viciousness and that as equivalent rights and women's activist gatherings become more grounded and progressively significant so to do ladies in wrongdoing. As far as race and wrongdoing, wrongdoing will proceed among minorities until a harmony in social class and employment positioning is met. The subject of financial matters as a reason for wrongdoing finds that individuals are not constrained into wrongdoing since they are poor, but since they are not fit for getting the extravagances that they have considered necessities. They have gone from being in an agreeable, utilized state to a jobless and extremely troublesome state and no longer can maintain an unsustainable lifestyle. Taking everything into account, law wrongdoers feel that by turning out to be criminally dynamic they can expand themselves of any social or mental issue they may have.

Word of the Week Palimpsest Richmond Writing

Word of the Week Palimpsest Richmond Writing This one is so much easier to understand than to say! It refers to a text that has been erased and its writing surface reused. I first learned about palimpsests in Mr. Nobles course in Medieval History, at UVA, in the early 80s. He was a great lecturer, and he had us spellbound as he recounted the recovery of ancient texts, presumably lost, when modern researchers examined Medieval manuscripts under UV light. The OED Online provides a comprehensive entry, with the history of the word dating to the 17th Century. I will focus less on that than on how Literary Theorists tend to use the word, rather loosely and sometimes far too often. The palimpsest as recycled material makes great sense, given the enormous cost of vellum in the Middle Ages. The concurrent impetus to erase the pagan past, ironically, may have preserved fragments of it for us. Had monks more vellum, many more works from Antiquity would have presumably vanished. One entire text by Archimedes comes to us this way, but mostly we have bit and pieces of others. Modern usage includes the looser idea of anything partly erased by later action, with traces of the earlier meaning remaining. I have heard this in academic talks and read it in articles for years.   Heres a well crafted example from Leila Walkers 2012 article, The Child of the City and the Palimpsest at Sea: De Quincey’s Chronological Constraints: A palimpsest arranges its history simultaneously, although the text was recorded sequentially. Each successive layer was added at a particular moment in time, and yet, once added, each layer occupies the same material space as all other layers. This writer uses the word well in a symbolic sense. Its a powerful if often confusing metaphor in contemporary literary theory. I have never been comfortable with the word, since it has too many consonants in odd places. I am also uncomfortable with the idea, one hard to deny, of our entire civilization being a palimpsest. Traces of what came before remain, like the old Richmond trolley tracks, surrounded by granite cobbles and peeking through asphalt poured over an entire street. Ancient bigotries also darkly glimmer under the placid surface, while old sacrifices, some noble, some not so, linger just at the edge of vision. When future ages inscribe their texts upon the scraped-bare vellum of our civilization, I wonder what they will put there? 7/2/18 Update from Cynthia Price, our Director of Media Public Relations: Curious about today’s word. Specifically, in many villages in Africa the students turn newspapers and books sideways to write in the white spaces because they don’t have access to new books. Obviously, the words have not been erased. Would one still call the document a palimpsest since the writing surface is being reused? Im not sure, but its close. The children would probably erase the original text if they could, in order to have more writing space. I also am impressed by the perseverance of those who do not have the luxury to simply toss paper into bins, as we also do. Image courtesy of Wikipedia. This blog will continue all summer, so nominate a word by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below. See all of our Words of the Week  here.

Motor Vehicle Safety Essays - 903 Words

Motor Vehicle Safety Motor accidents are one of the leading causes of unintentional injuries in the United States. In the year 2000 the National Highway Trafï ¬ c Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that around 41,000 people were killed in traffic accidents within the United States. This mortality rate has since dropped 25% from 2000 to 2009 (Rockett et al., 2012). There are many reasons for motor vehicle injuries, ranging from lack of seat belt use, elderly drivers, alcohol and young children being improperly secured. All of these things factor into motor injuries differently and must be addressed as a separate problem. Highway safety is an important issue in public health and many things have already been implemented to help reduce†¦show more content†¦ASAP has led the way for many alcohol programs to follow including many citizen organized programs. Programs such as Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) in 1978 and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in 1980. These programs were created by people personally affected by a accident caused by drunk driving. Their focus is to prevent the loss of loved ones for other families. These programs educate the public on the risks of DUI and promote safer driving and smarter choices. MADD has even received support from alcohol companies because of their focus on the offender, and not blaming the alcohol companies. Alcohol related highway fatalities in 1982 were at 57% of all fatalities. This number dropped to only 38% by 1999. In 2005 vehicle crashes were a leading cause of injury and death for children over the age of one. 510 children 3 years or younger were killed in a highway accidents in 2005.Proper restraint for children must be used until they have reached the recommend height. Child restraint systems for children help to reduce serious injury by up to 70% in an accident. (Anderson Rice, 2009) Simply restraining the child with a seatbelt though is not enough. For children under the age of 5, child safety seats are far more effective then seat belts at preventing injuries in a crash. Until the child is old enough or tall enough to use a seat belt child safety seats are far superior then seat belts. It is up to the parent or guardian to ensureShow MoreRelatedOverview of Motor Vehicle Safety2505 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿Motor/Vehicle Safety Introduction In order to deal with global and national road casualty reduction objectives and to achieve a more protected road traffic system, improvement of vehicle safety is a key policy. Vehicle safety, in actual, is a means to address the safety of all who use roads. At present, it consists of measures that are helpful in avoiding a crash or reducing injury in the occurrence of a crash. In the last two decades, considerable and evidence-based improvements have been madeRead MoreSafety At Home And Motor Vehicle Crash1605 Words   |  7 Pageslife-changing injuries. (Safety at Home; Motor Vehicle Crash) This just means people are dying everyday just because they won’t put on their seatbelts. Arguably one of the most important pronouncements of his political career, Governor Corzine issued these words in a public service announcement once he recovered from injuries suffered in a car accident on April 12, 2007, an accident in which he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. Corzine’s body was slammed around the inside of his SUV after the vehicle collided withRead MoreFederal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Essay927 Words   |  4 PagesStandards Association), GB (Guo Biao or National Standard for the People’s Republic of China), US DOT FMVSS ( Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations), and BATSO (Battery Safety Organization). These organizations set the standards to help minimize safety risks which include but are not limited to fire, explosion, and shock. These standards are in place to try and assess the safety risk associated with these new technologies and to help engineer them to be safer. This research paper willRead MoreVehicle Safety : Features / Effectiveness, Role Of Traffic Psychologists, And Motor Vehicle Injury Control2126 Words   |  9 Pages Vehicle Safety: Features/Effectiveness, Role of Traffic Psychologists, and Motor Vehicle Injury Control Vehicle safety is a growing concern of many U.S. citizens each year. As a society, it is expected to have a safe environment that people can be in without the stress and anxiety that they might have regarding safety in or around motor vehicles. Fortunately, vehicles have increased the amount of safety features over the years, allowing people to be more comfortable with their surroundings. VehicleRead MoreEssay about NR505 Critique of Systematic Research Review1493 Words   |  6 PagesChild Passenger Safety Chamberlain College of Nursing NR505 Advanced Research Methods May 2012 Analysis and Application of a Clinical Practice Guideline: Child Passenger Safety Motor vehicle crashes are identified as the leading cause of death in children under 19 years of age across the United States (Sauber-Schatz, West, Bergen, 2014). Due to the large number of child deaths that occur each year, education regarding the proper use of child passenger safety seats must beRead MoreThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration800 Words   |  4 PagesThe market for vehicles is dominated by well-known companies like Ford Motors, German carmakers BMW, GM Motors but the estimated $20 billion market for autonomous vehicles like ours is still under development. During this time our main competitors are still working on prototypes and are in development and testing phases. Our current size can be an issue when it comes to competing with established auto companies like Ford Motors and tech companies like Google, Inc. Currently, Google, Inc. has theirRead MoreLaws And Laws Of Driving License1540 Words   |  7 PagesDriving License As per the Section 3 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 nobody can drive at any public place until he holds an effective driving license issued to him authorizing him to drive the vehicle. Exception to drive a transport vehicle such a motor cab or motor vehicle hired by him for his own use or rented under a scheme. Section 5 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 talks about the responsibility of the owner to not to allow one’s vehicle to be driven by others. Different types of drivingRead MoreWhat Is The Policy Of Nationwide Structural Concrete?733 Words   |  3 PagesSummary It is the policy of Nationwide Structural Concrete that our passenger vehicles (including vans and light-duty trucks) will be used only for company business and will be operated only by authorized persons who meet the driver criteria in our vehicle safety program. This policy applies to our company-owned vehicles and private or rental vehicles authorized for use on company business. All employees must comply with federal, state and local laws and policies and be â€Å"job-ready† when they areRead MoreDecision Making And Control Of The American Auto Industry992 Words   |  4 Pagestechnology for powering the product that this industry produces: The world’s motor industry have all adapted and utilized technology to enhance production and increase product competition. General motors, America’s number one motor company have developed a lot of interesting features in cars which have made their products highly sort after. They developed crash-test dummies which are used in testing of new cars for safety during an accident before the cars are released into the market. They haveRead MoreA Brief Note On The American Auto Industry980 Words   |  4 Pagestechnology for powering the product that this industry produces: The world’s motor industry have all adapted and utilized technology to enhance production and increase product competiti on. General motors, America’s number one motor company have developed a lot of interesting features in cars which have made their products highly sort after. They developed crash-test dummies which are used in testing of new cars for safety during an accident before the cars are released into the market. They have

The Effects Of Greed In Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness

Greed can push both ruthless and innocent people to hurt others. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Europeans wanted to imperialize many countries in Africa for land and resources such as gold and cash crops. They also desired economic, social, and political control along with the success of converting Africans to European politics and religion. Europeans sought to have an economic and political dominance over African Americans. The cruelty that the Africans faced is displayed in Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness. Raising questions about both racism and imperialism, the novel includes Kurtz, a character with greed for the valuable resource, ivory. Conrad comments on the horrific corruptibility of humanity through the narrator, Charles†¦show more content†¦The Company tries to cover up their malicious deeds by making them sound noble, even when the outcomes result in sickness and death. Their business is supposed to help the natives, but rather, they are using it for the ir own benefits. The accountant also swings over the fact that the whites dislike the natives, and the Europeans would do anything to keep their professions. Thus, Marlow’s aunt and the accountant symbolize the chicanery of imperialism and how the employees of the Company do not out any attention to the fact that they are actually hurting the innocent natives. Kurtz, who has an obsession to power is included in the novella by Conrad to symbolize the greediness for ivory and the immoral values of the Europeans. Initially, Kurtz was out to explore and actually benefit the natives, but that changes when he becomes powerful. Eventually, Kurtz makes it obvious that he is out for one thing, and that is ivory. Unlike the Company, he actually displays his greediness for ivory by threatening his own employees. Kurtz â€Å"[declares] he would shoot [the harlequin] unless [he] gave him the ivory† and then commands him to leave the country (126). This presents how he utilizes force to achieve his goals. Kurtz represents the unconcealed avarice of the Company. Kurtz is also another one of the characters that knows that he is harming others, but still desires to get as much ivory as he can. Ivory â€Å"was whispered, was sighed. You would think they wereShow MoreRelatedHeart of Darkness/Blood Diamond Essay1194 Words   |  5 PagesGreed is the Root of All Evil Greed exists at the centre of evil on not only an individual level, but also that of a communal and global level. Contextually there is a superficial alteration in the stimulus (Ivory vs. diamond) for greed and of global awareness towards the issue, although in the century that separates Joseph Conrad’s exploration of colonial regime in his novella Heart of Darkness and Edward Zwick’s post-colonial film Blood Diamond, the values driving the major characters and factionsRead MoreHeart of Darkness: Cruelty Essay1118 Words   |  5 PagesHeart of Darkness: Cruelty David Yu In Joseph Conrads book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale - mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. The book is a record of things seen and done by Conrad while in the BelgianRead MoreCorruption Of Imperialism In Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness1473 Words   |  6 Pagessome individuals may maintain their integrity in corrupt situations, and therefore not become corrupt themselves. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad relates to both the idea that an individual can become corrupt in a corrupt environment, and that some individuals can uphold their integrity in a corrupt situation. Both of these reactions can be seen in the main characters of Heart of Darkness, Kurtz and Marlow, in Kurtz’ becoming corrupt due to imperialism in the Congo, while still upholding some integrityRead MoreAnalysis Of Joseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness963 Words   |  4 Pagesmillion people. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, can be criticised through many different lenses. Though Natives are a large part of Conrad’s narrative of European atrocities in the Congo, his treatment of Congolese Natives throughout the book show them to be nothing more than props. Conrad skews Natives language, culture and intelligence to fit Europeans schema for Africa and Africans. Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is placed in a colonized Congo. ...despite Heart of Darkness s (Joseph Conrad) obviousRead More Light and Dark of Colonialism and Imperialism in Heart of Darkness1542 Words   |  7 PagesThe Light and Dark of Colonialism Exposed in Heart of Darkness       In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, challenges a dominant view by exposing the evil nature and the darkness associated with the colonialist ventures. It is expressed by Marlow as robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale, and men going at it blind - as it is very proper for those who tackle a darkness. The European colonialists are portrayed as blind lightbearers, people having a faà §ade of progress and cultureRead More Colonialism and Imperialism in Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay1016 Words   |  5 PagesImperialism Exposed in Conrads Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness is a novel about European imperialism and its far-reaching effects. Conrad relates his personal opinions through the protagonist, Marlow, who learns a great deal about imperialism while on a journey to the African Congo. Although Heart of Darkness seems to be an anti-imperialistic work, this is not entirely true. Conrad condemns the overly idealistic nature of imperialism, but does not attack BritainsRead MoreToday, modern society is experience more and more of a disconnect from the real world as we connect800 Words   |  4 Pagesmodernize, we experience the same sort of falling out with the natural order of things that authors near the turn of the century felt as their culture changed. T.S. Eliot, Joseph Conrad, and D.H. Lawrence are only three such authors to put pen to paper to explore this deracination. Eliot’s The Waste Land, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and Lawrence’s â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† explore the idea that modern life and society negatively affects those who succumb to its rhythms. In the first section of TheRead MoreThe Importance Of Imperialism In Joseph Conrads Heart Of Darkness1174 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, Conrad’s work seems to simply stress, â€Å"Humanity is important; fidelity is the highest virtue† (Moser, 1966, pg 11) but is both more subtle and complex. Even in the title of the book, Heart of Darkness, has significance. Africa’s Victorian era nickname was the ‘dark continent’, which â€Å"referred to the fact that little was known in the West about the interior of the continent† (yourdictionary.com, 2017). Therefore, Congo is the interior or ‘heart’ of Africa. This title also alludes toRead MoreHeart Of Darkness By Joseph Conrad1378 Words   |  6 PagesBecca Woytassek AP English 12 Heart of Darkness Reading Log Author: Joseph Conrad Title: Heart of Darkness Original Publication Date: 1899 Kind of Writing: Heart of Darkness is a colonial novella of an expository narrative. Writer’s Purpose and Intended Audience Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness because he wanted to expose human temptation to experiment with darkness when one’s own desires overcome one’s morals. By writing from his own experience of exploring the Congo, Conrad draws conclusionsRead More The Changing Personality of Kurtz in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness887 Words   |  4 PagesHeart of Darkness   - The Changing   Personality of Kurtz      Ã‚   Kurtzs character is fully facet (in Conrads Heart of Darkness), not because of his conventional roll of antagonist, but for his roll in a historical fiction as a character with important roll in society, influenced by those close to him. Kurtz makes some key developments in the way he interacts with others, in large part due to the words and actions of society and Kurtzs acquaintances.    Heart of Darkness is a novel

Starbucks Review Free Essays

Review of Starbucks: A Step Above DeVry University Review of Starbucks: A Step Above The product I chose to review is the Starbucks Corporation; the Starbucks Corporation is an American global coffee company and Italian-style coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington (â€Å"Starbucks,† 2012). Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 19,972 stores in 60 countries, including 12,937 in the United States, 1,273 in Canada, 971 in Japan, 790 in the United Kingdom, 657 in China, 453 in South Korea, 356 in Mexico, 276 in Taiwan, 200 in the Philippines, 158 in Thailand and 1 in India (â€Å"How many Starbucks,† 2012) . The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker. We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now The three were inspired by coffee roasting entrepreneur Alfred Peet, whom they knew personally, to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment (â€Å"Starbucks,† 2012). Let’s take a look at how and why Starbucks is a step above the competition and on a straight path of success. Starbucks not only sells amazing coffee blends and delectable pastries but as a corporation always looking for ways to stay ahead. I want this review to be more than just a review of coffee, this is a review of Starbucks as a corporation and how they use their position to make the communities they serve better places. Starbuck defines corporate responsibility and fairness. The most amazing observation about Starbucks is all the charities and forms of help they offer. For starters Starbucks and the Opportunity Finance Network have bracelets available for a $5 donation to support and create local jobs, these are available at all Starbucks. Starbucks also takes place in fair trade and ethical sourcing, which brings stability to other regions in which supply their corporation. Other forms of support are the millions of dollars in grant money Starbucks supplies to youth leadership programs within the communities they serve and Review of Starbucks: A Step Above thousands of hours of community service to improve those communities. Other strengths that propel Starbucks ahead of the competition are their community stores, leadership and education programs, housing initiatives and their Starbucks foundation which above all else is about helping their communities and the countries in which supply them (â€Å"Being a responsible,† 2012). Another form of strengths that really set Starbucks ahead of their competition is their beverage selection. Starbucks offers many different coffee verities from flavors to different strengths which allow them to appeal to many different consumers. You can also purchase most coffee drinks hot, cold or frozen which sets them ahead of other coffee houses. Besides coffee Starbucks also offers tea and other non-coffee beverages as well pastries and on the go sandwiches for the breakfast and lunch crowd. Most recent expansion of the Starbucks line was their addition to the K-Cup line and the release of their very own single cup brewer, this giving the consumer the ability to enjoy a hot fresh cup of Starbucks in the comfort of their own home. Also Starbucks offers a unique and comforting experience at each one of their stores, no two are the same and each store is modeled after the community it is located. Overall Starbucks is a true competitor and leader in the coffee market as well exemplifying corporate responsibility. This company not only serves refreshing beverages and delicious treats but uses their influence and power to improve the communities they serve and benefit the countries that supply them. Starbucks started as a small company in Seattle in 1971 and became a worldwide leader in the coffee industry as well a global corporation for good. This is what truly sets Starbucks a step above the competition. References Being a responsible company. (2012, November 13). Retrieved from http://www. starbucks. com/ How many starbucks are there?. (2012, Sep 8). Retrieved from http://loxcel. com/sbux-faq. html Starbucks. (2012, Nov 13). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Starbucks How to cite Starbucks Review, Essay examples

Streams Of Silver By Ra Salvatore Essay Example For Students

Streams Of Silver By Ra Salvatore Essay The novel Streams of Silver by R. A. Salvatore is an epic fantasy adventure set in the realm of Faerun, Salvatores fictional world filled with goblins, elves, dwarves and other mysterious and terrible creatures. It tells the story of a group of friends and adventurers who are traveling to aid a friend in realizing his lifes dream and unknowingly to protect one of their friends from a great evil. The story is packed full of battle, adventure, deceit, and friendship. The storys main characters include the returned Drizzt DoUrden, the noble dark elf, Bruenor Battlehammer, dwarven king with a temper as short as his height, Wulfgar, the young barbarian who wishes to expand his narrow view of the world, Cattie Brie, adopted human daughter of Bruenor, and Regis, a halfling who loves comfort more than any other being to have lived. There are also other characters, such as Artemis Entreri, a feared and heartless assassin who lives only by his blade, and Dendybar the Mottled, an opportunistic and ambitious old wizard who isnt afraid to toss aside loyalties for his own gain. The story begins by taking off from where the previous novel, The Crystal Shard, left off, where Bruenor Battlehammer leads his friends Regis, Drizzt, and Wulfgar on a quest to find his long lost underground kingdom and reclaim the throne and treasures within. The group finds themselves in mostly high spirits in the beginning of the journey; however, foreshadowing shows that the group is not alone, and is most certainly not protected from evil and watchful eyes. The group is being followed by the notorious Artemis Entreri, who seeks to capture Regis and return him to his guild master in a land far south. They are also being monitored by a powerful wizard named Dendybar the Mottled, who seeks an ancient and evil artifact that was last possessed by Drizzt DoUrden. The adventurers meet trouble not long after they enter their first city, the port town of Luskan; Wulfgar completely demolishes a bar and its denizens in a fierce bar room brawl, while Bruenor and Drizzt nearly end up on the bad end of a dirty dealing. The group is able to escape after a while, and find themselves leaving the city of Luskan and out on the road to a more helpful location. They travel through the dense and deadly wilderness and battle fierce orcs and barbarians, hoping to reach their destination, the town of Longsaddle. In the meantime, Artemis Entreri, with Bruenors adopted daughter Cattie Brie as his hostage, has tracked the groups movements to Luskan, where he encounters the evil wizard Dendybar and his two cohorts Sydney, the wizards apprentice, and Jierdan, the proud soldier. Realizing that their goals could both be completed if they worked together, the assassin and the wizard strike an alliance, much to Artemis Entreris distaste. Soon after, Dendybar sends Sydney and Jierdan, along with his flesh golem Bok, to aid Entreri in the search for Bruenors party. The dark group easily find themselves in the city of Silverymoon, and prepare to lie in wait for the adventurers to fall into their grasp. Meanwhile, the heroes of our story had reached Longsaddle and met up with the eccentric wizard family known better as the Harpells. They soon discovered that the sky was the limit for these strange wizards, who constantly flirted with danger and with physical boundaries with their magic. The group receives helpful advice from an elder Harpell, and are sent off on their way to the village of Nesme, where they are cruelly rebuked due to Drizzts skin color and his heritage. The disheartened party are then forced to go through the dreaded Trollmoors, home to evil trolls and other denizens of darkness, in order to reach Silverymoon, one of the greatest and well known cities in the realm and known as a city of great tolerance. It takes them days to get through the Trollmoors, and each of them was filled with battle and danger. .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .postImageUrl , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:hover , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:visited , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:active { border:0!important; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:active , .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1a806f98921d076e0d78a1e99f3024be:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: "My Antonia" EssayThe friends are barely able to escape alive. Upon reaching Silverymoon, the friends, to their surprise and dismay, once again find themselves seemingly rejected due to Drizzts appearance, which hurts the dark elf deeply. This misunderstanding is soon cleared after the ruler of the city, Lady Alustriel, meets with Drizzt privately and explains her reasons for denying him entrance, and in turn helping Drizzt and his friends find the path to Bruenors lost home, Mithral Hall. Around the same time, Entreris group had caught wind of Drizzts arrival and set off after the group in hot pursuit. After several mishaps, which includes Entreri killing Jierdan in a duel and Cattie Brie escaping the groups clutches to reunite with her friends, the group finally clashes with Bruenors party in the kingdom of Mithral Hall. Artemis Entreri and Drizzt do battle for a short period of time, but in that instance discover a deep link to each other. Each realizes the other person as almost his mirror image, and skill wise the two are equals. It is their morals that seperate them, however. Drizzt and Entreri become seperated from the others after a cave in, and the other groups presume them dead. In an effort to leave the halls which took his best friend, Bruenor unwittingly stumbles into the midst of the Halls current owner, the shadow dragon Shimmergloom. Although Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Cattie Brie, who had acquired a legendary bow from one of the treasuries, battled courageously, the dwarven king had to end up sacrificing himself in order to save his children and slay the dragon once and for all. It is during this time that the story ends with Drizzt reuniting with his friends and Artemis Entreri capturing Regis and goading Drizzt into following him south so that they may do battle once again. Having to save his friend, Drizzt has no choice but to comply. This story has many themes, but one stands out amongst them all: prejudice. Due to Drizzts dark skin and heritage, many people would not see him as the noble ranger he was, but as what his people are in general; cruel, murderous, and evil. This has disheartened Drizzt on many occasions, and has almost led him to reconsider his decision to forsake his homeland many times. But his friends, who look beyond his skin and see his true self, always remind him that his choice was a wise one. I recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, and deep storylines, although I recommend they read The Crystal Shard first to get a better grip on this story.

Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather free essay sample

In Roland Barthes’ essay, â€Å"The Third Meaning,† he posits two levels of meaning in a film or photographic image: the first is the simple or informational level which simply tells you everything you can learn from the setting, the costumes, the characters, their relations and so forth; and the second is the symbolic level, which shows you the connotations inside an image. The example he gives is a still from a film by Eisenstein Ivan the Terrible. In the picture, two courtiers are raining down gold over the young Czar’s head. Barthes finds in the image not only the two obvious levels of meaning but also a third level of meaning, which he calls obtuse. It goes beyond the information of the scene and the communication of the scene into something complex and difficult to determine. Barthes calls this the obtuse meaning as opposed to the obvious meanings, which are simple or symbolic. We will write a custom essay sample on Obtuse Meaning in the Godfather or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"OBTUSUS means that which is blunted rounded in form. Are not the traits which I indicated (the make-up, the whiteness, the wig) just like the blunting of a meaning too clear, too violent? Do they not give the obvious signified a kind of difficultly prehensible roundness? † The Third Meaning, Research Notes on some Eisenstein Stills, R. Barthes In his second attempt to make clear his analysis, Barthes returns to the idea of the obvious meaning and uses example from another Eisenstein film, The Battleship Potemkin. In those images we see an old woman with a closed, upturned fist, which signifies her determination to participate in the revolution. Then he shows another image from the same film of two women with their hands over their mouths stifling a sob. What Barthes says is that this doesn’t distract from but accentuates the symbolic meaning, but then he shows another image of the old woman seeming to express something else, an obtuse meaning, something difficult to define, something that eludes obvious analysis. He says that this obtuse meaning has something to do with disguise and lack of intentionality. Things seem to be expressed even beyond what the person intends by their gestures. He even compares the two stills of the same old woman, the one where the image obviously signifies grief, the other here something more complex is communicated: â€Å"I quickly convinced myself that, although perfect, it was neither the facial expression nor the gestural figuration of grief (the closed eyelids, the taut mouth, the hand clasped on the breast): all that belongs to the full signification, to the obvious meaning of the image, to Eisensteinian realism and decorativism. I felt that the penetrating trait- disturbing like a guest who obstinately sits on saying nothing when one has no use for him- must be situated somewhere in the region of the forehead: the coif, the headscarf holding in the air, had something to do with it. (R. Barthes) In the next image, the obtuse meaning vanishes leaving only the communication of grief. I would like to look at some examples of The Third Meaning in the work of Marlon Brando as Don Corleone and Al Pacino as his successor in â€Å"The Godfather†. From the beginning Brando is shrouded in darkness, we see him from behind and before him is a supplicant who comes to ask for a favor. The obvious meaning is the information in the scene the father’s outrage at his daughter’s violation, his hesitancy in approaching the Godfather and so forth. The symbolic meaning is in the fact that the supplicant is the lower or lesser party and the Godfather is the king, they are symbolically separated. There is a third meaning almost immediately in the film indicated by the way Brando is seen gesturing in response to the supplicant’s request. Which makes us immediately wonder why he is so reluctant. We learn later in the movie, that Brando’s entire role as the Godfather fills him with deeply ambivalent, deeply ambiguous and complicated feelings. He would like to be a true American, to do legitimate business, instead he is the head of a Sicilian crime family, forced to wait for respect from people who secretly don’t give it to him, who think him no more than a glorified thug. His gestures in the scene, his slight wave of the hand, his proud demeanor, his pain that after a long life he is still regarded as no more than a common criminal -all of these ambiguities are communicated elusively. They are present in Brando’s response to the situations in which he finds himself. The supplicant has come on the day of Don Corleone’s daughter’s wedding asking him to act like a dog. Instead of throwing him out, he puts the man through a deliberate charade of making him say the right words to respect him. In all the time we cannot but feel that there is something going on in Brando’s consciousness as the Don, which is deeply troubling to him. So we watch the movie from then on, with these three levels of meaning already defined, the simple or informational level in the story, the symbolic level with the supplicant kissing the Don’s hand, and the third meaning or obtuse meaning being what is elusive in Brando’s performance that we can’t yet put a finger on. The film then cuts to the wedding, which all takes place at levels one and two, but we as an audience now know that there are depths to this film and to Brando’s performance that we are going to look out for. Another example of the third meaning happens after Brando has been shot by the rival gang, and he’s informed for the first time about who killed the men who did it. When he’s told that it’s Michael, a look of great pain surfaces on his face, and we understand that he wants to protect his youngest son from the life of crime which has consumed all the other members of his family. The scene is enormously powerful, because Brando has been shot and because we know that Michael has made the fateful decision to be the one who carries out his revenge on behalf of his father. While we think this is a perfectly normal reaction of a son to want to avenge his father’s attempted murder, we are plunged into the same complexities as at the beginning of the film, which is: can Michael stay out of the criminal world and live a normal American life and marry Kay? The third meaning doesn’t inform or symbolize it discloses; it reveals what is going on inside the character, almost in spite of the character’s intentionality. The emotional power of the Godfather, lies in the fact that underlying currents are at play that are deeper than the informational or symbolic levels at which so much of the reality seems to occur. This ambiguity is very clearly brought out in the scenes in Sicily when Michael (Al Pacino) begins to experience what his future life holds for him as a gangster on the run. He’s in Sicily in the Corleone village protected by local peasants, far from the reality he’s known in New York. He meets a beautiful girl and experiences a â€Å"coup de foudre†, they fall in love just by looking at each other, almost immediately Michael has to explain himself to the girl’s father which he does convincingly and instinctively by telling the father in no uncertain terms, that he wants to marry the daughter even before he had spoken to her/ marriages were arranged by men in this patriarchal structure. Michael’s declaration of intent satisfies the father, surprises Michael’s companions and perhaps Michael himself and he endears himself to the family. All of this emotional drama takes place at the informational and symbolic level, the meanings are obvious, Michael is going to marry somebody who symbolizes innocence and purity. We see that in their pre-nuptial encounters and at the wedding, but something very interesting happens during their first sexual intimacies. Michael, in spite of himself is in awe of the girl’s beauty, sensuality and voluptuousness, we feel that Michael treasures his new bride and is straining in himself for the same purity of behavior as she is showing. We also know that Michael has a girlfriend back in New York, we’ve seen him with Kay Christmas shopping, we’ve seen Kay being invited in the family portrait at his sister’s wedding. So the questions that crosses our minds are, is Michael being unfaithful, or is he following some innocent, idyllic romance that is doomed? All of Al Pacino’s gestures at this point of the film are close to the third meaning, is he disguising something about himself, some bad corrupt side to himself, can he really ever be as pure as the girl? In Pacino’s expressions, all of this ambiguity comes out. Finally in the film the third meaning is expressed most convincingly in Brando’s death, we see him playing with a little boy in the garden, trying to be like any other grand-father, a kindly benign old man, and then he clutches his heart and has a heart attack. In the moments leading up to his death, his gestures are all of disguise, in fact he’s a corrupt criminal but in the scene he’s playing a gentle loving grand fatherly figure, straining for redemption by acting normally. Brando’s performance like Pacino’s goes way beyond the symbolic and informational levels into a level of disguise that presents the character in all its complexity. To conclude in the words of Barthes, the third meaning structures a film differently, without subverting the story. The level of the third meaning, that the filmic finally emerges: â€Å" The filmic is that in the film which cannot be described, the representation which cannot be represented. The filmic begins only where language and metalanguage end. – The third meaning theoretically locatable but not describable – can now be seen as the passage from language to signifiance and the founding act of the filmic itself.

Markstrat Final Management Report Essay Example

Markstrat Final Management Report Essay Example Markstrat Final Management Report Paper Markstrat Final Management Report Paper In Sonnet market was to create sustainable profit to scuffs sustainable growth with high margins, market share and enough budgets for Votive Entry. In order to achieve our objective, inspired by focusing on competition and Consumer focus, our strategy was to differentiate our brand upgrade our products based on our target segments? needs. To achieve our objective, although we had a new market Votive where there was a huge opportunity of being a market leader by spending considerable amount of budget, we allocated some of our reserves to Sonnet market as It was a such bigger market compared to Votive. Mainly, we focused on customer expectations. From conjoint analysis and semantic scales marketing research data, we analyzed the customer perceptions, ideal levels for product attributes, product features and modified our existing products or developed new products. We tried to be the product leader by offering the best product to each segment targeted. We targeted SAM for Others, ASANA for Singles, SAIL Tort Pros Ana HI Earners Ana or outs. Meanwhile we 010 cost reaction projects for all brands to use cost advantage and sell with higher margins. We set the price mostly again based on customer perceptions and tried to lower the price or keep price increase at feasible levels. Based on the distribution panel surveys, we allocated the sales force to sales channels according to the shopping habits of segments and total sales figures. First we decided on the total number of the sales force to be allocated to brands and then by weighted average, we divided them in between the distribution channels as shown on Appendix 2. We also continued to invest our budget on advertisement in Sonnies, by not ignoring our penetration tragedy with heavily advertisement and sales force for the new market Votive. In our initial management report as our Votive market strategy, we stated that our main objective was to be the market leader by being Pioneer comparing our RD budgets with our competitors. But firm with the highest budget and targeting lowest product features entered market in the 13th period. Because of our budget constraint and better product improvement target we were late but we did not give up. With other two firms we decided to use the advantages of being ? such as rather than being replacement or substitute or the pioneer, we choose to position ourselves as variety enhancers with different product features. Based on market researches, we defined the needs of the targeted customer segment and we tried to improve our product according to defined segment requirements. In our initial management report, we stated our strategies according to be the Pioneer in Votive market. Our stated objective was to become the market leader in the Votive market and benefit from higher margins. Committing our above stated objective, we adapted some of our strategies being an ? Follower?C,-1?0 as firm became Pioneer in the Votive market. Making a leapfrog action with our positioning strategy, we mostly targeted optimal cost and relatively high product features instead of imitating pioneer? VODKA. We determined positioning of our brands with and earning from our competitor mistakes. As market researches shown ? and had the highest relative importance for most of the customer segments, we tried to focus on those attributes with the right consumer segments; AVIVA for Adaptors?C,-1?0 and ? and VAST for and By the end of period 6, the leader of the Votive market which is Firm E is overcome by drowsiness therefore we went up to second place with our increasing net contribution, we had seen that our implementation of our strategies succeeded. Continuing to analyze the steps of our competitors what they can do, incorrectly analyzing our company opportunities how we can increase our sales, to increase our net contribution we tried to increase our market penetration. Based on our past experiences we were aware that to increase sales our competitors would decrease the retail prices. We were ready for these scenarios; we invested on cost reduction in period 7 in order to be able to decrease our retail prices and not to decrease our profit margin. Competing in overcrowded market, prospects for profits and growth reduced. As a result of this decrease at period 4, increased competition of price turn the water bloody (? Ocean?C,-1?0 as Chain Kim and Renee Unbroken); with all of our competitors we had the same budget (at that period we were in 4th range). It was an excellent opportunity for us. With the same budget capabilities we got the chance to use same amount of RD, Sales and Advertisement opportunities in total. We focused on RD for Votive while it was our chance to get into a ocean?C,-1?0 of uncontested market to untainted competition. The most unexpected situation was to lose the chance of being Pioneer in Votive market. But this unexpected situation which seems negative at the beginning, turned out a positive taxation with the mistakes of firm They did not allocate enough budget for RD to enter first in the Votive market; they missed the importance of advertisement to create brand awareness and the product features in long term. With their low product features they did not believe in their product so they gave a rower II price exclusive AT null ease cost. Other unexpected case is related with the entering strategy of other early followers. Firm E entered the Votive market with a low cost low price strategy with a better product than O. Although we were expecting this move we did not think that such low price. Firm I is also entered Votive at the same with us but with a huge price that a market cannot ignore. This was the positive competitor move for us. With the higher profit margins comparing to Sonnies market, there were ample opportunity for growth in Votive market. With our strategy of simultaneous pursuit of differentiate our products and reduce our base costs with RD projects we decided to change our product features. But we failed to predict the production volumes precisely for some brands, SALE, AVIVA etc. Especially in the last periods; we missed the opportunity to sell more and the increase in our market share and margins.

Stratigic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stratigic Management - Essay Example This is designed to achieve the objectives laid down by allocating resources for plan and policy implementation, including the programs and projects an organization undertakes nationally or internationally (Kim and Stimpert 2004, p.39). Strategic management generally offers a way through which a sensible scorecard can be drafted. The scorecard is a means through which an organization will have a clear evaluation of its overall performance and be able to evaluate itself in terms of general business evaluation in view of its progress towards the drawn objectives. Others studies indicate that, there is consistency in terms of strategies only when the actions and behaviors of the organizations get consistent with the set goals and objectives, including the expectations of the management as a team of leadership in the organization. Consistency will be realized when also the actions of the organization are consistent with the market and its context at various stages; because the market sit uations keep fluctuating every now and then (Wheelen and Hunger 2003, p.46).The consistency of the organization is supposed to match up the market changes for its competitive advantage (Deephouse 2006, p.48). Findings show that strategic management involves the board of directors or the management team and key stakeholders who form part of the team that sets objectives and goals of the organization including the allocation of key resources necessary for achieving the goals set. In general, strategic management is essential in helping an organization to formulate and implement policies that assists in aligning it with its environment so that the set goals can be achieved in the end. A global organization needs a good and structured management model depending on its choice of operation, size, and the need to comprehend investor requirements and views. Various strategic management approaches key to the evaluation process of an organization, especially an organization that has global pr esence in foreign markets, exist. Universal (systemic), conventional, ‘evolutionary’, and ‘processaul’ methods. Studies related to these approaches indicate that, descriptive schools give a description on how strategies need to be implemented to achieve the best results for an organization (Pine and Gilmore 2005, p.43) . On the other hand, prescriptive schools of thought are used in designating- the perceived best practices for achieving set goals in line with the objectives. To start with, concerning the strategic management approaches, the strategy formation, which is classical school; emphasizes that the preliminary undertaking in view of strategic management. This involves the formation and dissemination of the vision, and the mission statements of the organization (Kroll 2005, p.60). This gives the organization specifications concerning the scope of activities and the target markets that the organizations intends to serve. This is followed by the perfo rming of situation analysis, contender analysis (internal and external), self-examination, and examination of both micro and macro environments of a business. The organization and its historical background The basis of this discussion will largely explore global strategies revolving around Dell Inc. as an international business. According to studies, Michael Dell in Texas founded Dell as a multinational information business organization in mid 1980s; it had its

Extra Credit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Extra Credit - Essay Example With the carbon emission levels this was a brilliant idea by Schofield Honda. The cars’ intended audience was the youth but surprisingly the first buyers turned out to be just â€Å"young† at heart. Lee Lindquist, an alternative fuels specialist at Schofield Honda in Wichita, Kansas. His love for technology, Research and Environment pushed him to make great differences at his work. He discovered that Honda Civic GX was the greenest model available for sale in the United States then. He couldn’t believe the car had been in market for over ten years and the market response was not that impressing. The main challenge being lack of natural gas fueling stations. The cost of purchasing and installing individual fueling stations for home use, the company however grounded a perfect chance to launch the green car to the public. Following the rising fuel costs in Europe, the car initially purposed to curb carbon emissions found another mission. This time it was in Europe, fuel costs here were on a drastic rise therefore Lee saw it wise to sell the vehicles to Europe to combat the rising fuel costs and this was a success. Lee advised, Schofield, the managing director at Schofield Honda to donate a Civic GX and a fueling station in the Tornado Hit Greensburg Greentown, the organization set up to educate the town’s residents about green building methods and products. The media attention surrounding Greensburg pushed Schofield to open up for Lee’s idea. Greensburg residents together with the whole country were able to know of Honda’s efforts in Environmental conservation. Just as Schofield said, â€Å"Business involves investment in change† he did invest in change and has no regrets about it, though he admits to having doubts at first. Ever since the Donation, Schofield Honda’s customers have expressed more interest in hybrid cars and the Donation to Greensburg presented good Public relation to

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA)

Business Analysis of British Airways (BA) British Airways plc provides air services operations both at international and domestic level. Its major business is commercial flight. It also caters to various services like cargo freight, mail services and other auxiliary services all over the world. Mainly it runs its business in United States and Europe. It is situated in Harmondsworth, Middlesex, employing 42,755 people all over. It is emerging to be competitive and sustain its integrity as the best airlines which stress superior customer service. It has 300 destinations throughout the world; this extent of operations offers customers with world-class services at various destinations. Its customers range from explorers to executive. The aim of this report is to enable readers to comprehend strategic review and analysis of British Airways by explaining: History of British Airways Current strategic situation Potential Strategic options Recommended strategic direction with rationale Identification of critical success factors Performance measurement criteria The procedure used to compile this report is mainly extensive reading of various text books on corporate strategy, online journal articles and company’s website. All the information, surveys and experimentations included are taken through proper referencing from standard sources. II. Main Body 1. History of British Airways British Airways which originated as Aircraft Transport and Travel started its maiden daily international scheduled air services between London and Paris after World War 1. In 1939, UK government merged British Airways and Imperial Airways to form British Overseas Airways, which became a state owned company. BOAC’s main operation was long haul services and British European Airways was established to serve continental European and domestic market. Both BOAC and BEA expanded their business geographically over a period of time and BOAC started its flights to New York (1946), Japan (1948), Chicago (1954) and west coast of the US (1957). At the same time BEA expanded its network to Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. In 1970, BEA started its charter airline services, BEA air tours. BAOC and BEA were merged together in 1972 under British Airways Board and in 1974 British Airways was formed. In 1976, British Airways started its first supersonic passenger service jointly with Air France. British Airways was privatised in 1987 and was merged with British Caledonian. In 2002, British Airways CitiExpress was formed by merging British Regional Airlines and Brymon Airways which were wholly owned subsidiaries. Other two wholly owned subsidiaries of British Airways, British Airways Regional and Manx Airlines were also merged with British Airways CitiExpress making it a single entirely owned regional subsidiary airline. In 2003, British Airways sold Dba, its German subsidiary to a German based low cost airline Verwaltungsgesellschaft. Same year British Airways Holidays introduced its first program after re-integrating with British Airways. In 2004, to clear their debt, British Airways sold their 18.6% of stake in Australian airline Qantas for  £1.1billion and also sold their London Eye to Tussauds  £95 million. In 2006, British Airways CitiExpress was renamed as BA Connect and the same year, they sold 14.6% stake in an Indian based business services Provider VVNS Holdings. British Airways also sold its Travel Clinic business to MASTA (Medical Advisory Services for Travellers Abroad). Meanwhile British Airways came to an agreement with Maley Hungarian Airlines for code sharing on each other’s flights. They also started a flight from London to Calgary, Canada. At the same time they acquired American Airline’s Stake in Iberia Airlines. In 2007, British Airways started flights from London to New quay in UK and also they announced their intention of their investment in 777-200 ERs which were scheduled for delivery in 2009.In 2006 they also sold their regional operations of BA connect to an European regional airlines Flybe. At the same time, British Airways launched its new subsidiary, BA CityFlyer in Lodon city Airport. BA CityFlyer was expected to operate 250 flights a week from the Docklands airport to six UK and European destinations. In May 2007, British Airways placed an order for eight airbus A320 family aircraft which were scheduled to be delivered between 2008 and 2010. Same month they announced their decision to replace 14 oldest Boeing 737’s with Airbus A319 aircraft, but they were also de-listed from New York Stock Exchange in the same month. British Airways launched their services from Paris and Brussels to New York in January 2008 and in April, 2008 from London to New York. Each week British Airways operated 62 flights from Gatwick and 55 flights from Heathrow. To make best of EU-US Aviation agreement, that allowed carriers to fly between any destinations in the EU and US, British Airways started their first commercial flight inJune 2008 from Paris to New York under a new subsidiary airline â€Å"OpenSkies† In July 2008, British Airways bought L’Avion, a French airline, which expected to be integrated with OpenSkies by early 2009. In the same month British Airways and Iberia, a Spain based airline group held talks for the merger of two companies. 2. Current strategic situation 2.1 Internal analysis British Airways deals with the operations of domestic and international scheduled air services for freight and mail, carrying passengers and various supplementary services. The company mainly function in the America and Europe. Company’s operations are also spread across Australia, Middle East, East Asia, India and Africa. Its head office is located in Harmondsworth, Middlesex. As on March 31, 2008 it employed 42,377 people. British airways had 245 aircraft in service at the end of March 2008 in comparison to 242 in March 2007. During the financial year ended March 2008,  £8,753 million (approximately $17,572.3 million) revenue was recorded which was 3.1% increase over 2007,  £8,75 million (approximately $1,756.6 million) was the operating profit which was 57.4% increase over 2007,  £680 million (approximately $1,365.2 million) was the net profit in comparison to  £290 million (approximately $582 million) net profit in 2007. Airlines business and Non-Airlines business are the two segments in which the company has divided its business. Cargo operations, main scheduled passengers and revenue from ancillary services comprises airlines business. In addition to scheduled services, chartered services are also provided by company’s passenger transportation services at both domestic and international level. It’s among the largest scheduled international passenger airlines in the world with airline route network of 300 destinations. More than 33 million passengers travelled through British Airways in FY2008. BA Connect is a wholly owned subsidiary of British airways which operates on regional (UK) routes. Heathrow International Airport is the company’s principal base, where it carries 41% (approx) of airport passengers. Gatwick, London is its second base of operations. It maintains hangers, operates offices and other support services at Gatwick, Heathrow and other UK airports. Space and desks under lease or license is also occupied by the company throughout the UK including Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. During the financial year ended March 31, 2008, 805,000 tons of cargo was carried by its cargo transportation services to destinations in the America, Europe and other parts of the world. Passenger aircrafts carries the majority of cargo, while the remaining is carried on part-chartered freighter aircraft or leased. A range of services to other air lines is also provided by British Airways like airframe maintenance, consultancy services, cargo handling and computer and communication services. Non-airline businesses comprise mainly Airmiles Travel Promotions (the UKs famous travel loyalty scheme provider) and BA Holidays (company’s subsidiary which offers sightseeing, transfer options, hotels and cars across 250 destinations over the world). 2.2 External Analysis We will briefly analyse the external analysis of British Airways based on â€Å"Porters five forces analysis† and PESTEL analysis. 2.2.0 Porter’s five forces analysis :http://www.themanager.org/Models/p5f.htm Competitor’s rivalry within the industry High. Rivalry is high due to power of buyers and threats of substitutes. It’s the only force which determines industry attractiveness. They compete with other airlines on the same city-pair routes, from charter services, from other modes of transport and from charter services. Virgin Atlantic, easy jet and other European airlines are in tough competition with British Airways as there is a free market for domestic flights operating in the whole of Europe. These airlines are free to decide the fares and operate on any route. There is competition not only in the air but also on ground as well, for instance a 17% decrease in rail journey times between London and Manchester in 2004 and 2007 led to 20% growth in the train’s share in total market. British airways introduced a corporate responsibility centre stage that helps the company to stand out from the other competitors. Threats of new entrants Low. Competitor’s mergers and acquisitions also have the potential to effect their revenue and market position. Very high cost is required by new entrants to start. British Airways have invested a huge amount on infrastructure, computers and online services. Therefore initial investment required to start up this business is very high. Further, its brand name and strong market position reduces the threat of new entrants. Bargaining power of suppliers High. Main suppliers of airline industry are for fuel, in-flight services and aircraft. The cost of changing suppliers proves very high in airlines business. The suppliers generally have a powerful brand in Airlines industry. For instance, like British Airways have Boeing and Airbus aircrafts, therefore they need to avail the services and maintenance of aircrafts from them. Bargaining power of buyers High. British Airways customers do don’t have any control over the prices or they lack bargaining power. However, they are very powerful as very high competition prevails in the airlines market. Their top competitors include Ryanair Holdings plc, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Lufthansa etc and many times these airlines provide competitive offers to the customers with very low prices. Threat of substitutes Medium. The airlines industry has suffered a high loss of customer confidence after September 11, 2001 disaster in New York. There is no direct replacement available for airlines for long/overseas journeys. Coaches, Trains or ship/ferries can be used for short journeys. Rapid development of technology can be an indirect substitute of air transportation. According to International AirTransport Authority, Corporate Air Travel Survey 2002, for last 12 months â€Å"no frills/low cost† airlines were used by 1/3 of all business travellers basically for cost benefit. Further, video conferencing was used by 37% to save money and travel time. PESTEL The beginning of the new millennium has made the airlines industry witness the most difficult time it has ever faced. Political instability and unprecedented crisis have resulted from terrorist attacks in September 11, 2001 in New York and July 7, 2005 in London together with wars in Iraq. These incidents resulted in new security regulations from the US and EU and customer travelling confidence have also reduced. Economic factors are of vital importance. Fourth quarter of 2008 showed a 2.0% lower GDP than fourth quarter of 2007. This is mainly due to the recent credit crises and thereby economic slowdown. Company showed an operating profit of  £89 million as on 31st December’2008, which is 88% down compared to 2007. Further,  £70 million was the loss before tax for the same period and fuel cost went up by 48.4% to  £2,244 million. It is mainly due to economic weakness and fall in the value of sterling. Impacts of social factors vary from country to country. Size of potential market and customer’s needs are affected by them. Demographic changes have led to the growth of â€Å"grey† market which is incurring more expenses on travelling and leisure. Tastes, fashions and lifestyle are also changing. So as to maximize its capability to operate and plan in a most effective scheduling and routes possible, British airways is using route planning software. Use of standard technology will minimize cost and provide quality service to freight customers and passengers. (Gomm, 2005). Technology also enables to reduce the personal costs like automated check-in processes and e-ticketing and thereby enables the airlines to offer standard services with less human resource. BA is the first airline to introduce a unique technological system called â€Å"Microwave Landing Technology†, which increases the rate of safe landing during low visibility by 20%. Power of Trade Union is an important legal factor affecting British Airways. British Airways is aware of the consequences caused by Trade Unions (August 2004 and August 2005 strike actions). Factors which British Airways must consider are legal regulations on customer rights, employee rights and rise in ecological and environmental issues. 2.3 SWOT British Airways which has strong international operations network with 300 destinations across the world has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here is the SWOT analysis which helps to understand their business scenario better. Positive Negative INTERNAl Strengths Weakness Strong geographical presence at international level High employee productivity High Service Quality Large Airport Presence Strong operating performance first-rate new fleet of aircrafts Use of High end technology Competitive and quality customer service Bad performance at key markets in terms of revenue growth High Debt of the company Highly Dependent on Fuel Lack of effective marketing strategyEXTERNAlOpportunityThreats Growing global tourism industry and an increase in international travellers Growing air cargo industry EU-US aviation agreement Buracratic systems and management poor decision making Drastic change in technology and customer behaviour Intense competition from low cost airlines Increase in fuel cost Economic slowdown due to credit crunch 2.4. Current strategy â€Å"One Destination seeks to ensure our customers fly confident that, together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in.† is the vision of British Airways. Their corporate responsibility vision is to become the world’s most responsible airline and they have developed guiding principles describing what they are doing to achieve this goal. Leading the industry towards finding innovative solution is their determination. They plan to continually review how they fly, what they fly and what they buy to become the most responsible and efficient airlines in the world. The British Airways has developed a strategy where their main concern is to establish themselves in Terminal 5 and also acquire new aircrafts depending upon their financial performance by March 2010. They have adopted an approach to truly deliver this vision, uniting all areas of the organisation, divided into 4 major pillars:EnvironmentThey aim to minimise their impact on the environment, including their contribution to air quality, waste, climate change and noise. British Airways was the first airline to report its environmental performance in 1992 since they recognise the impact they have on our planet while delivering socially and economically vital service of air transport. So as to become the world’s most responsible airline, their environment strategy aims to minimise and manage the environmental impacts. Main focus: How they fly Efficient operation to minimise their impact on environment. What they fly Adopting recent technology including alternative fuels, airframes andengines to minimise their impact. What they buy Using economic tools like emissions trading for fully reflecting the cost oftheir environmental impact. Goals across these areas are: By 2010 landfill by zero waste in the UK. By 2025 they aim to improve the carbon efficiency by 25% reducing the carbon dioxidefrom 111 to 83 grammes per passenger per kilometre. By 2015* average noise per flight to reduce by 15%†¢By 2050 their net CO2 emissions to reduce by 50%*measured as the network average quota count (QC) for combined landing and take-off cycle. Comprehensive plan developed to achieve the Goals†¢Climate change British Airways overall strategy is to ensure maximum contributionto their share of global carbon dioxide emission reductions by 2050†¢Waste Focus on recycling, reducing, reusing and responsible waste disposal. Noise Their impact on the local communities nearby airport to be reduced. Air quality Air quality for communities nearby airport to be improved. Community Providing support to local communities in the country where British Airways operate is the main belief of the company. Conservation projects, small individual programmes, 120 international communities and various charities were helped by BA’s support. London Benchmarking Group reported British Airways direct and in-kind donations of  £5.7m last year. British Airways offer variety of support like cargo space, funding, fund raising events, merchandise, free flights and excess baggage. Their main concerns for support are Sustainable Tourism and Heritage, Education and Youth Development, Environment and Supporting employees. Marketplace British Airways suppliers and customers are involved in one destination in their marketplace pillar, to facilitate building up more sustainable business and to persuade dedication to corporate responsibility. Issue covered by their marketplace pillar comprises: How they fly Reliable customer What they buy Responsible procurement What they fly Sustainable products and services Goals across these areas are: 10% of customers to be encouraged to counterbalance their carbon on ba.com by 2012. By 2012 100% of their strategic suppliers to be audited for ethical practices. Corporate responsibility to be used as a decision criteria by 75% of corporate customersby 2010. Workplace British Airways aim to provide a work environment that engages, develops, motivates and support their colleagues. Encouraging employees to be committed to Corporate Responsibility is the main aim of British Airways workplace As employees plays a vital role in making up the airline and they need them onboard One destination. This commitment is not only going to help them deliver a great place to work, rather it will also ensure quality customer service in the industry. Issues covered by their workplace pillar comprise: How they fly Responsible colleague What they buy Tools to do the job What they fly Invest in people Our goals across these areas are: Every year British Airways 50% employees donate money to charity through ‘Pay Roll Giving’. Every year British Airways 50% employees donate time to communities and charities. 75% of employees committed to delivering our corporate responsibility goals by 2010 British Airways have recognized performance objectives to evaluate their development in each of these four sections. British Airways aim to deliver its corporate responsibility strategy by a programme plan developed including over 80 programme level activities and hundreds individual projects. Business Plan BP10Bring Terminal 5 aliveIn order to improve the operational performance and enhance customer experience British Airways main concern is successful delivery of terminal 5 at Heathrow base. Terminal 5 denote their sole biggest challenge and change. British Airways â€Å"Fit for 5† programme was set to be accomplished in the 1st year, which involved essential agreement modification and implementation on highly superior work performance all over the Heathrow terminals. BA Basics and Brilliance The British Airways board aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† in its activities and deliver the â€Å"BA Basics† constantly. Business Plan 10 (BP10) primarily focuses on baggage performance and punctuality with additional plans to recover â€Å"BA Basics† in various areas for the long term. British Airways aims to offer â€Å"Brilliance† to their customers in numerous vital areas such as their customer services, Terminal 5, ba.com, their premium customer experience and their network and schedule from London. Competitive cost base Main priority of BP 10 is cost control; they expect savings from various areas of business too. The need to decrease considerable deficit position and resolution of pension’s problem is predominantly acknowledged in BP10. It’s quite difficult for them to achieve a competitive cost base if they are to accomplish their growth and investment plans. Invest in growth In the first year of the plan they campaign to commence a competition for the new long haul aircraft, if the pension’s deficit satisfactorily resolves. In order to meet their explicit growth plans they intended to secure first of these aircrafts in 2009, whilst the replacement of fleet will be started by 2011 with the second batch. The strategic significance of the operations in London and Gatwick airport is recognized in BP10. The key to British Airways network development programme from London airport is the operations maintenance of BA Connect’s London city, as part of British Airways regional business sale to Flybe. BP10 enablers The vital aspect behind implementation of BP10 is constant engagement and participation of British Airways’ people. A major segment of British Airways broader communication strategy was local face-to-face communication as it was accepted to be the most effectual engagement. The second major possibility for change in the business remained IT. British Airways investment plans in this sector comprised constant advancements in the functionality and usability of ba.com, Terminal 5, encouraging a variety of departmental change programmes and automating corporate processes plus simplifying services by use of employee self service. 3. Potential Strategic options After going through BA’s vision, goal and their current strategy, we are of the opinion that BA’s current strategy is very competitive and will definitely help British Airways to achieve their goals. In addition to the above strategy, we also have identified few more potential strategic options which could be helpful for BA’s further growth. The accessibility to enormous products and services creates an opportunity to exploit them appropriately. Making the most of global variations and technological trends serves as a potential opportunity to work with. The potential strategic options which British Airways could utilize for further development of business could be Virtual reality, which may serve as an innovative simulation, share expertise and attaining network software. Some of the potential strategic options for British Airways are discussed below:Global tourismThere are many factors which have a very strong influence on the airline industry and one of them is trends in global tourism industry. As per the World Tourism Organization survey, approximately 898 million international tourists travelled globally in 2007 which is 6% higher than the previous year (846 million- 2006). As per the Tourism Satellite Account research which is done by World Travel and Tourism council, it is been predicted that world travel and tourism will grow at an average rate of 4.3% per annum for the period of 2008-2017 and will generate $13 trillion for that period. Rising Air Cargo Industry There is a tremendous growth in the Air Cargo market and the volume of the business is doubling in every 10 years time. As per the International Civil Aviation Organization, the cargo business is expected to grow at an average rate of 6.5% per annum in next 20 years. Approximately 22.17 million tons of freight was carried throughout the world and it is expected to grow up to 60million in 2017. In 2008, BA transported 805000 tons of goods and these numbers will increase tremendously in coming years due to its operations presence in most part of the world and will be benefited by the growing trend in cargo market. Open Skies Agreement Open Skies aviation agreement between EU and US is an air transport agreement, which allows airlines of both EU and US to fly between any points among EU, US and non EU countries like Switzerland. This is the replacement for the previous agreement made between US and each European country. To take advantage of this agreement, British Airways started new subsidiary airlines â€Å"OpenSkies† and for the first time it started to fly direct flights from continental Europe to the US. The first flight of open skies was on June 2008, from Paris to New York. The new agreement has enabled British Airways to increase its operations in the key regions. Several Strategic options can also be identified with the help of the Ansoff Matrix analysis discussed below. Ansoff Matrix Market Penetration Market penetration strategy involves consolidating and protecting/building the existing product/services in the existing market. It occurs when a company with its existing product penetrates a market. This strategy starts with the existing customers of the organization. This strategy can be used to increase sales without losing focus on their existing product/services. British Airways can penetrate in the market through their joint business agreement with Iberia and American airways thereby gaining competitors customers, by upgrading the quality of their services and also increasing the frequency of the flights in the existing market. It is comparatively cheaper to retain existing customers than finding new ones. Product Development Product development strategy emphasises on building a new product with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations in the existing market. In the present scenario of economic downturn, it is quite difficult to introduce new product considering the cost involved in developing new product and it is risky to predict customer reaction too. British airways have already invested a huge amount in setting up its infrastructure especially in Terminal 5. They should rather emphasise on maintaining and upgrading the quality of present services. Market Development Market development strategy focuses on finding new segments, territories, new uses of existing market with existing product/services. British Airways may go for new market development considering the current strategic situation of the market. However, as the company already operates in more than 300 destinations therefore we would recommend them to concentrate on maintaining the quality of services at the existing markets thereby further build up its position. Diversification Diversification concentrates on developing a new product in new market with existing and new capabilities beyond current expectations. Since British Airways have numerous services operating almost all over the world, it would involve high degree of uncertainty and financial risk to go for diversification. Mergers and acquisitions could be an important alternative for further growth. However the current financial situation of British Airways does not allow the same as they have already invested a huge amount on its current projects and it might prove to be difficult and risky too. Although British Airways may consider this decision once the company’s position is strengthened and there is potential for growth and acquisition in the market. It may be a useful strategy in order to attain fast market growth. Thus the strategy which we would advise British Airways is to concentrate on existing market and existing services and accomplishing its ongoing investment project. So as to achieve further growth in the market British Airways should make the best possible use of its investment projects and strengthen its brand name by providing new offers to the current customers and appealing to new niche market. 4. Recommended strategic direction with rationale After discussing the current strategy and potential strategic options for British Airways, we would like to further recommend the following strategic directions:Develop opportunitiesBritish Airways should try to continue their business tie-ups in the new market once they regain their financial stability. Though BA’s talks on merger with Quantas Airways Limited failed, they need to strengthen their existing joint business with Quantas to have a good hold on the Australian market. They need to concentrate on Asian and Middle East market which has a high potential for growth. Distributing the risk British Airways should concentrate on their Cargo industry which has got a great potential. They should also try to reach more markets through code sharing with other airlines which is a cost effective option. Manipulating strengths British Airways have got a very strong base in Heathrow Airport, UK. BA’s Terminal 5 presence will help them to maintain high standard of service as it will enable them to handle increased volumes of customers and baggage. Upgrading Customer experience They should focus on providing better facilities like T5 lounge, which provides premium customers better comfort and luxury like a private members club. They should strengthen their customer base by constantly upgrading their flight schedules, offering better competitive packages for customers and being competitive with the facilities provided on board so as to attract more customers and thereby creating an opportunity for increasing revenue. Controlling cost of expansion plan British Airways has been moderately successful by following its effective strategies. Currently, we would advise BA to control its expenditure on buying new fleets and expanding to new destinations. They also need to reduce the cost of high aircraft utilization so as to minimize environmental risks. Services British Airways needs to concentrate on providing value for money to the customers. There is an intense competition in the market from Virgin Airlines, Singapore Air, KLM, Quantas and Emirates who also fly in the same route. They might lose their customers if they do not provide something unique from their competitors. These days the number of low cost airlines is increasing through out the world in both domestic and international market. Hence, cost effective and better services should be provided. Passenger friendly airports It is of extreme importance for passengers to feel that their purchasing needs are met. British Airways should aim to establish an image of a major international hub with standard facilities.

“The Things They Carried” By Tim O`Brien

The beauty of this story is in its subtlety and depth. The most interesting inquiry of all as regards this piece is how Martha’s letters and pictures come to play in the story. The letters and pictures may symbolize hope or even false hope, despair, distraction, confusion, love or others. The answer depends on whether one views the story as about war, love, some days in the life of Jimmy Cross or other possible themes around which the story may revolve. Based on the way the story was told, these theories and interpretations are all possible.What caught my attention in particular, in relation to Martha’s letters and pictures, are the enumeration of the reasons and purposes people in the story carry the things they do. All of these purposes revolve around the fact that â€Å"they carry things by necessity† (p. 714). Even those which they carry by superstition (p. 717) may be deemed to have been carried as a necessity because these things help them acquire courage a nd belief, if not in their victory, in their survival. However, among all the things he carried, Jimmy Cross carries Martha’s love letters.Is this really necessary? This may not even qualify as superstition because there does not appear any belief on his part that the letters will provide him some protection from the war. At this point, the author effectively created an inconsistency that is too subtle to be noticed, but is too important that the story revolves around it. The story is also filled with enumerations of the things they carried. However, it is interesting that, while it constitutes the bulk of the story, this enumeration is actually not the story itself.It is included merely to demonstrate the inconsistency mentioned and thus give further emphasis to the value of Martha’s letters for Jimmy and for the story. I also admire the author for being able to tell the story and convey the emotions of the characters through descriptions of what are happening rather than through direct statements of the emotions felt, thus allowing the readers freedom to interpret and visualize. An example of this is the author’s description of Martha during her volleyball accident (p. 715) and the description of the things carried by different people in the story.1. What do you think is the author’s purpose in stating more than once in the story that Martha signed her letters and pictures with Love, but that he knew better that this is just a customary way of signing a letter and does not really mean anything? Is this to show that Martha does not love Jimmy? Is it to create doubt as to whether Martha does not really love Jimmy? What other purposes can there be? 2. This story enumerates many material things men carry at war. However, in one part of the story (p. 724), the author wrote the sentence â€Å"[t]he things men carried inside.What does the author mean by this? What are the things men carried inside? Relate this to the statement ate the e nd of the story that â€Å"their days would seem longer and their loads heavier† (p. 725). 3. React on this statement. â€Å"[H]is obligation was not to be loved but to lead† (p. 725). Is it possible to dispense with love completely? Can a person in a war lead and be loved at the same time? Is there room for love when there is war? Work Cited O’Brien, Tim. â€Å"The Things They Carried (1986). † Worlds of Fiction. Ed. Rubinstein and Larson. Macmillan Coll Div, 1993. 713-725.