Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood Analysis Essay

Margaret Atwood’s ‘‘Happy Endings’’ first appeared in the 1983 Canadian collection, Murder in the Dark, and it was published in 1994 for American audiences in Good Bones and Simple Murders. Subtitled ‘‘Short Fiction and Prose Poems,’’ Murder in the Dark featured four types of works: autobiographical sketches, travel notes, experimental pieces addressing the nature of writing, and short pieces dealing with typical Atwood themes, notably the relationship between the sexes. ‘‘Happy Endings,’’ which is essentially a self-referential story framework, falls into the third category. In ‘‘Happy Endings,’’ Atwood fulfills this role with a challenge that she throws out to those writers who rely on the stereotypical characterization of men and women and to the reader who accepts such gender typing. At the same time, she challenges other writers to more closely examine typical literary convention (1). Margaret Atwood was born on November 18, 1939, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her childhood was divided between the city and the country. Her family spent the school year in Ottawa and Toronto, where her father taught entomology or worked for government agencies, and summers in northern Quebec and Ontario where her father conducted research. These early experiences away from urban society encouraged Atwood to read and develop her imagination. As a child, Atwood composed and illustrated poems, which she collected into small books. She wrote prose and poetry for her high school drama class. In her short story â€Å"Happy Endings†, Margaret Atwood simultaneously displays her feelings about not only the art of creative writing, but also the equally artistic act of living one’s life to the fullest. The story, if it can really be called a â€Å"story† in the traditional sense of the word, immediately breaks the thin wall of author/audience by presenting a completely uniqu e structure: that of an outline or a jumbled notebook. By asking the reader, â€Å"If you want a happy ending, try A,† Atwood is seemingly giving the reader a choice. Since â€Å"A† must be the happy ending, it implies that there are other, more sinister endings yet to be discovered. Appropriately, after the happy ending has completed, there follows five more endings, all of which seem to be quite depressing, but nevertheless end in â€Å"everything continues in A† Margaret Atwood uses her short story Happy Endings to show that it is not the end of a story that is important it is the middle. She seems to say that the endings are all clichà © that the middle is the part that is unique. This holds true with literature versus a beach novel although a beach novel and piece of literature may end the same way it is the rest of the book that makes one different from the other. As she says the true ending is â€Å"John and Mary die† the only guarantee in life is death. So since the ending is already known why does it have the tendency to â€Å"steal† the spotlight from the rest of the story? Sure in some cases people can guess the middle of a story from the ending, if they find someone died in an electric chair they can assume he committed a crime. However if someone dies from heart failure no one can know anything about his life, they may guess the person ate too much junk food, or drank too much but if they don’t know anything else they can’t guess the middle. However if someone knows the middle they can guess the ending, if they are told that person â€Å"A† had to have triple bypass surgery and that person â€Å"B† murdered a few people they can make an educated guess how each story ends. †¨But even the middle of the story is only part of a greater whole, without the beginning of the story no one can tell why certain events happened and what lead to person â€Å"A† to doing â€Å"action z†. Atwood also says that what happens is not all-important but how it happens and why it happens. According to Atwood, all the what’s are just the plot, one thing that happens after another, however the how and the whys are what really make a story more than a story. This is the important part, the how’s and the whys are what makes a story literature with out them it makes no difference if the prose is expertly laid out or not it is all still a story nothing more. The step from story to literature is a gray line and is based on personal taste, as Justice Stewart said â€Å"I know it when I see it† although he was referring to obscenity it is just as applicable here. The use of story like this to portray the differences in opinion on what makes a story is pure genius on the part of Atwood, what is even more interesting is the fact that it is also considered literature. The main theme in most literature that divides it from the rest of the stories is that literature tries to make a specific point, and in doing so forces the reader to think about the point that the author is trying to make. In this way it is easy to decide what is literature and what is not, if at the end of a story if the reader’s only thought is â€Å"Gee, what a nice story† then it is most definitely not literature, but if instead if the thought is more along the lines of â€Å"The author said A, B and C but were they really trying to make a point about D?† it is literature. Although even this test has it’s holes because literature for one person is just a nice story for someone else. As Flannery O’Connor said, â€Å"[if you don’t get the enlightenment] just sit back and enjoy the story. Why would Atwood do this? In each of her scenarios, she creates two main characters, John and Mary appropriately boring names for characters that are so underdeveloped and stereotyped as to be almost comedic. It would be possible to call them each protagonist, but they are the very definition of flat characters: dull and undeveloped. In fact, the reader is informed of their personality traits not because Atwood shows them through a conflict or a plot rather, she simply tells them. Lines such as, â€Å"She sleeps with him even though she’s not in love with him,† present the type of stock character that Mary or John will assume for said scenario without any mystery involved. By creating such flat characters that differ between scenarios, but still coming back with â€Å"everything continues as in A,† Atwood brings up an interesting point: it’s not the destination that matters it’s all the same for everyone it’s the journey. In fact, after presenting all of her mock scenarios for the characters, Atwood abruptly changes tone to tell the reader an important fact: â€Å"The only authentic ending is the one presented here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.† After all, at the end of every person’s life, regardless of how he or she lived it or what he or she experienced, they will encounter death. Atwood notices that people tend to not think quite like this, if only because it is not the most comforting of thoughts, and she uses â€Å"Happy Endings† to allow people a chance to be a bit introspective. â€Å"So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it’s the hardest to do anything with.† Such is true for writing; such is true for life. With her unconventional structure, caricatures for characters, and sometimes-sarcastic tone, Atwood manages to convey one of the most important concepts about life of all. Do not let life become â€Å"a what and a what and a what.† Learn to favor the stretch between beginning and end, and then, perhaps, you can make your own happy ending.

Comic elements in the first act of “much ado about nothing”

In the era in which â€Å"much ado about nothing† was set the wealth and power of someone was far more credible than their personality and this is portrayed in the first few lines of the play when Leonato asks â€Å"how many gentleman have you lost in this action† and the messenger replies â€Å"but few of any sort, and none of name† he segregates the wealthy from the poor as though they are two different beings and doesn’t tell us how many lower class people died as if it is irrelevant. Vanity and hypocrisy are prominent themes that occur throughout the play, in the times of â€Å"much ado about nothing† the people were so focused on how they looked towards other people that their extravagant clothes, over the top mannerisms and the contrast in language in comparison to modern day were all somewhat outrageous and in turn humorous. Don John, the typical villain, only says one thing in act 1 scene 1 â€Å"I thank you, I am not of many words, But I thank you† this is quite a disappointing first line, the audience expects him to stamp his authority on the play but instead he stays relatively quiet, it Is an anti-climax with no climax accept the anticipation of how he will be portrayed in the play. The main comical relationship in this play is between Beatrice and Benedick and they also feature hugely in act 1scene 1. Beatrice first speaks of Benedick when she refers to him as â€Å"Signor Mountanto† which basically means ladies’ man; this is the first bit of intentional comedy in the whole play, you could argue its sarcasm or the mocking of his inability to bed down a relationship, which is ironic because Beatrice is in pretty much the same situation as Benedick. As a result of Beatrices complex humour the messenger gets somewhat confused â€Å"I know none of that name, lady, there was none such in the army of any sort† this is humorous at the messenger’s expense because of his confusion, an audience tends to like it when they are in the know and the people on stage are somewhat lost. Beatrice’s constant insulting almost seems uncontrollable, with everything she says comes some sort of insult towards Benedick. Benedick is extremely against marriage, because of the possibility of an unfaithful wife, and in lines 145 to 147 this becomes very evident, saying married men whose wives whom are unfaithful should wear caps â€Å"Is’t come to this? In faith, hath not the world one man, but he will wear his cap with suspicion?† Although Beatrice and Benedick argue every time they see each other, it can’t go unnoticed that Benedick is all Beatrice talks about, which makes it so painstakingly obvious that they will get married, it’s funny, it is also Dramatic irony because the audience know what is going to happen and Beatrice and Benedick don’t.

Language Learning and Elementary School Curriculum Annotated Bibliography

Language Learning and Elementary School Curriculum - Annotated Bibliography Example It is appropriate, hence, that the chapter included several empirical pieces of evidence that supported the theories. For example, they explained why assessment is necessary or why particular components of such assessment are critical. This allowed a better understanding of the imperative for a "connection" between language learning and language learning the elementary curriculum. Following an inductive approach to content, it began with the general theories of communication and then proceeded on specifying models and strategies. This is great for instructors who are interested using the multidimensional "interactive approach" in developing listening, reading and viewing in learners. The chapter is particularly useful in developing unique instruction strategies that are tailored for a diverse set of learners. There are several sub-strategies and components that are further contextualized according to reading, listening and viewing, for instance, that could be combined in order to come up with the effective program or instruction plan. A critical dimension of this chapter is how it covered and addressed challenges such as anxiety and other factors that impact learners interaction with texts. Â  Tackling the issues concerning teaching grammar, this chapter offers an interesting approach to achieving better learning outcomes. The key concept was the "dialogic approach" wherein the subject is taught using cultural stories. This is quite interesting for those who are exposed to the traditional teaching model for grammar with the focus teaching grammatical rules as opposed to a focus on form.

Team-building and its relation to the individual Essay

Team-building and its relation to the individual - Essay Example that of leadership. While a view holds that executive and policy determining managers should assume and nurture leadership roles; it is the view here that management and leadership are two distinct functions and should be developed as such. This paper looks at definition of leadership function in the any organization's management milieu and in the direct context of team building, at the same time keeping intact applicability of drawn constructs to broader organized units such as nation and government. In order to do this the paper draws from the examples of biographies and writings of Franklin, Emerson and Melville and discusses how the responsibilities as a leader can be met in order to develop an effective team for the accomplishment of the organizational goals that in the presence of dissent and disagreement. The paper rests its theoretical arguments on the three important conceptual frameworks i.e. of the leadership authority, empowerment of people, and the quality imperative ass umed by the leadership. In course of discussions the leadership function is distinguished from the management function and theoretical types of leaderships are summarized. A view holds that leaders are people oriented and their main task is to inspire people. Here the leaders are somebody who is responding to a call to serve and motivations limiting altruistic expanse of usual executive managers are bounded only by the limitations of such leaders in respect of their personal abilities. The primary functional output for leaders is a change and their capabilities are assessed in terms of controlling the process of this change. This is the approach theme to leadership assumed in this paper. That is to mould and control change to suit organization's objectives. Whereas managers are task and process oriented and their main task is to organize such tasks and processes. Management's main output is task done in target time at target cost. In plain language Management is assigned the task of producing and maintaining a degree of predictability & order. Leadership on the other hand assumes the function of producing change under a constantly updated schemata of direction and vision. According to Bennis "They(leaders) offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization," (Bennis, 1997). Leadership is the process of motivating others to work to meet specific goals and objectives. This direction and motivation are the practical steps that a leader can take to empower others and develop a high-performance workplace. Leadership is deliberately causing people-driven actions in a planned fashion for the purpose of accomplishing the leader's agenda which is often a superset of the organizational agenda. In the fast paced information technology based changed commercial scenario the leadership role is best summarized by (Vaill, 1997) as," One is looking at a human being (Leader) facing in real time a condition that is problematic for the organizational objectives the person is pursuing. The objectives themselves ma y be changing, and the problematic condition may be changing as

Write an interesting scientific article on delayed suprachoroidal

Write an interesting scientific on delayed suprachoroidal haemorrhage following cyclodiode laser therapy - Article Example It is highly successful in providing pain relief in painful blind hypertensive glaucomatous eyes (Martin 2001). It is also useful to bring down intra ocular pressures in pregnancy where use of topical ocular hypotensive agents are contraindicated (Wertheim 2002). A longer follow up by Walland and Mark (2000) has suggested that cyclophotocoagulation is a convenient and useful therapy in the control of IOP in end-stage glaucoma. Like any other laser surgery, cyclodiode therapy also has side effects, but the complications are minimal when compared to other forms of treatment (Bloom 1997). Mild complications include iritis and other inflammations of the eye which can last several weeks. This can be of concern because multiple applications may be needed for a patient (Bloom 1997). Rarely, severe complications like phthisis bulbi (Sabri 1999), panophthalmitis (Sii 2007), sympathetic ophthalmia, malignant glaucoma (Fankhauser, 2004), necrotizing scleritis (Sudha 2006), choroidal detachment and retinal detachment (Autrata 2003) can also occur. Sabri and Vernon have reported a case of scleral perforation following diode surgery (Sabri 1999) while Tay and others (2006) have described about supra choroidal haemorrhage (late complication). In neovascular glaucoma, response of intra ocular pressure to the laser therapy is highly variable and hence circumferential treatments in neovascular eyes should be avoided (Walla nd, 2000). Suprachoroidal haemorrhage (SCH) is a catastrophic complication of intraocular surgery. The bleeding is usually due to the rupture of the long posterior ciliary artery (Wolter 1982). It can cause immediate loss of vision or loss of the eye (Sharma, YR, 2003). It has been associated with cataract surgery, penetrating keratoplasty, glaucoma procedures, vitreoretinal surgery (Tay 2006) and secondary lens implantation (Reynolds 1993). The haemorrhage can occur during surgery (intra-operative) or post-operative (delayed).

Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organisation - Essay Example Thus, with the dynamics that the human beings portray, consistency is not only incompatible, but impossible. Still, there is a need for statutes to be there. Only in regular amendments, adjustments and constant evolution is the key to the supremacy and existence of human beings, which will allow a person to better understand what the environment is all about. Accounting and governing require a certain amount of skill, just like any other profession in the world. This skill needs to be learnt, acquired and sought, through a gradual process of grooming and training. Anybody who lacks this skill is henceforth deemed unsuitable for the task. Thus, he deduces that since people make the decision in management, they at large are not skilled in the profession of accounting within a statutory environment. The lack of skill in the people who ascertain the course of governance hence renders management as an irrational choice for accounting. It might be argued that experience, might and organizational skills are essential for the accounting class. For if one lacks these traits, then controlling the population of an organization would be a sore-some task, let alone managing the budget and rations. Skill is not as important as is getting the trust of the employees. It is ironic, that if one goes for a part-time job in a grocery store, they ask for experience and expertise, but nobody asks for the same when a ruler is to be elected! The concept of majority is a more generalized concept, and cannot be left at the whims of individuals. Universal good, though is not clearly defined, yet it exists as unison. It is only for a person to explore the same in appropriate conditions and circumstances, whereby the true inner persona of the individual will come out. In the context of helping others, this is a very important stance, the fact remains,

Restate Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Restate Goals - Essay Example Strategic goals and objectives involve a twin accomplishment: accomplish strategy formulation and strategy implementation in order to accomplish a connection between the firm and its environment. This is why strategy content, environmental scanning and corporate social responsibility. The manager must decide who are his good competitors and who are his bad competitors in the specific industry circumstances in which he competes. A key part of this policy-making process is the skill at predicting what his competitors are doing. Prediction is a vital practice because competitors, both good and bad, are not standing still. Management has a continuing and virtually inexhaustible obligation to its shareholders to increase the residual value of the corporation, rather than to increase the wealth of any other group of stakeholders, and that is the fundamental difference between the claims of other stakeholders and the claims of the shareholders to the board's decisions. Management's duty to the other stakeholders is finite, defined by contract, the law of torts, or governmental rules, and needs simply to be satisfied (Campbell 1997). Corporate goals and objectives are closely connected with organizational development embracing a wide range of intervention strategies into the social processes of an organization and involve the application of organizational behavior. Questions for discussion and training exercise: 1. Examine goals and objectives of each company. Name advantages and disadvantages of these strategies. 2. Image you are a CEO of the company. How can you restate corporate goals and objectives identified by three companies Why do you make these changes 3. Your task is to plan organizational performance according to goals and objectives. (a) Is it easy to plan organizational development strategies using these goals and objectives Explain. (b) Identify the main areas of growth and development using companies' corporate goals and objectives. Discussion Section Three organizations selected for analysis are the Alaska Railroad, HP and Nestle. These companies were selected for analysis because the yare global leaders in their industries operating of the global scale. Question: What do you know about these companies Can you identify the main similarities and differences between these giants Nestle, a leader in food industry, has the following corporate goals and objectives: " Nestl's corporate objective is to be the world's largest and best branded food manufacturer, whilst ensuring that the Nestl name is synonymous with products of the highest quality" (Nestle Corporate Objectives 2007)

How Educators Can Meet the Challenge Annotated Bibliography

How Educators Can Meet the Challenge - Annotated Bibliography Example These findings would help the researchers provide useful data for the research related to second language in South Korea because the implications look into the content teachers teach and the way they teach as well as the ways in which students learn. The author of this research is the student of Masters of Education of Second Language Learning in the University of Southern Queensland. This research was done as a requirement of receiving the Masters degree. The intended audience of this research is the instructors and students of English language in general and the faculty at the University of Southern Queensland in particular. Students and teachers particularly in South Korea can gain beneficial information from this research. The research may enable the instructors to modify their content and ways of teaching for good so that it may be conducive for better learning on the part of the students. Department of Defense Education Activity. (2007, March). English as a Second Language Program Guide: Planning for English Language Learner Success. Retrieved from http://www.dodea.edu/curriculum/docs/esl/eslprogramGuide0307.pdf. This is an excellent program guide for teaching English as a second language (ESL). The article available online is based on 9 chapters. The article makes a step-by-step approach to design a comprehensive program for teaching ESL. The first chapter offers an overview of the program. The second chapter is based on the process of ESL student identification, the third chapter focuses on instructional progra.

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example Based on this research in the international perspective, human resource managers are required to understand the desires of the diverse cultures in the workplace. It is important to understand that different people have different talents which can form a strong workforce when utilized to the maximum. The managers have a difficult and essential task of managing diverse characteristics such as gender and racial differences. Political and economic aspects of the host nation are significant in the success of human resource management. Religious beliefs are also diverse and human resource practices may be affected by social aspects in the operating environment. Managers therefore have to be highly capable and informed individuals to cope with the demands of the workforce thereby maintaining effective employment relations. Hofstede defines culture as the values and beliefs that add up to the unique socio-psychological setting of a community. It represents how members of a particular society behave and relate to each other in their day to day activities as well as how the community as a unit relates to the external environment. Cultural issues are of major concern in successful human resource practices. The attitudes of employees in regard to the organizational operations are significant in promoting good relations between the employees and the managers. They largely depend on the cultural background of the population from which the employees are drawn. Australians have an individualistic culture rather than collective action and teamwork. This implies that teamwork may not increase labor productivity for an organization operating in the country (Brewster et al. 2004). Adler (2002) argues that cultural differences affect the manner in which people relate with each other and it is not different in the workplace. On the other hand, cultural diversity is a critical issue that may affect the success of human resource practices as the different cultures make efforts to esta blish self identity. When one culture is esteemed than others in the workplace, workplace relations deteriorate. For example, Indigenous Australians contribute 92% of the workforce, Asians 7% while Aboriginals are merely 1% of the country’s workforce (Walker & Hamilton, 2011). There is therefore a tendency to uphold the original culture in the workplace while compelling the minority cultures to adapt to the mainstream culture. This predisposition may lower the morale of employees belonging to the minority cultures. However, strategic human resource practices call for organizations to appreciate both the mainstream and minority cultures in their operations (Scullion & Lineham, 2005). Political Aspects The Australian government plays a significant influence on human resource practices and is recognized by many employers in their employment relations. The labour law has a strong influence on employment contracts and the behaviour of employers in regards to their relationship wit h employees. The government, being the sole institution mandated to develop employment laws, has the capacity to determine how the

The benifits of online shopping and why it shouldn't be banned Essay

The benifits of online shopping and why it shouldn't be banned - Essay Example Major benefits offered by online shopping for buyers include convenience and economy; â€Å"Why pay money for gasoline and deal with the hassle of parking and crowds if purchases can be made in the comfort of home through the Internet? Pay an annual fee and shipping is free† (Heimowitz, 2014). Shopping in the traditional way can be very tiring at times. Not only does one have to purchase the fuel, one also has to find parking spaces. The experience becomes even costlier when, in the flow, one ends up buying more things than one really needs. Contrary to this, many companies offer deals to online customers availing which, they can have the costs of items substantially reduced. Online shopping has boosted the sales of companies. â€Å"Well-developed internet infrastructure and the availability of secure online payment options means companies can expand their online presence to grow their business and diversify their customer base† (Oliver cited in Aggour, 2014). In traditional shopping, many customers tend to shop less because they have limited cash with them. Not all shops accept cheque payments or credit card payments. Unlike that, in online shopping, companies benefit by providing the customers with a range of safe and secure payment options, availing which, customers can even buy things for which they do not have instant cash. Considering the benefits brought about by online shopping, more and more companies are starting to take their business online for increased recognition, growth, popularity, and profitability. While the benefits of online shopping for the sellers are obvious, critics might suggest otherwise for the buyers. One argument against online shopping that can be raised is, â€Å"if you tick the "no substitutes" box, a significant proportion of your shopping might not turn up. But if you do, you can end up paying the price in other ways† (Brignall, 2011). This means that sometimes, companies fall short of certain products, and tend to substitute

On Education and Human Nature Essay Example for Free

On Education and Human Nature Essay This paper is a brief discussion of the relationship between education and human nature as seen in two varying viewpoints – that of Callicles (in Plato’s Gorgias) and Protagoras. The author is of the belief that education, albeit necessary in the survival of man in the long run, is a construct that contradicts the nature of man insofar as it restricts certain aspects of an individual. Such an assertion is partly leaning towards Callicles’ view of man as a creature whose appetites, so to speak, have to be met by virtue of a natural law. This position, along with Protagoras’ view of the nature of education that it is essential in the cultivation of civic virtue – is key to the author’s argument that education is restricting. Callicles and Protagoras are similar in the sense that both are Sophists, with the slight distinction that the former is a student of Gorgias. Protagoras (outside of Plato’s dialogs) is known for his assertion that man is the measure of all things, and with that in mind it can be said that Callicles likewise adheres to that position, but with reservations – i. e. , the â€Å"better† man (discussions on definition aside) seems to be the measure of all things, not all men as they are. Aside from that, however, there is nothing more that links the two characters in Plato’s dialogs together. In fact, the views of the two thinkers with regard to the issue central to the discussion in this paper differ greatly. To begin, Callicles admonishes Socrates in their dialog for remaining to be a â€Å"student† of philosophy even as an adult. For Callicles, philosophy is not meant to be studied extensively nor lengthily; it is supposed to be indulged in by the youth, and only in moderation. He maintains that studying philosophy insofar as it is required by one’s education is acceptable; however, to still be engaged in philosophizing when one is already past the age of schooling is short of appalling since it causes one to deviate from leading a practical life. But what is this practical life that Callicles is in favor of? The answer to this question is implicit in the discourse that followed his expression of dislike towards Socrates’ way of life. Callicles purports that there is a natural justice in existence in the world that is being resisted, or even disregarded, by conventional justice. His notion of what is â€Å"just by nature† revolves around the idea that the â€Å"superior† amongst men is supposed to be a kind of usurper of property (if seen in a negative way) who – by virtue of his superiority – has the right to rule over the inferior of his kinsmen, and is entitled to a greater share in everything compared to lesser men. Such a concept, as seen in his exchange with Socrates, is completely in opposition to what is being forwarded in their society at the time – the idea that all men are essentially equal, and that what is just is for everyone to receive an equal share. This is the conventional justice Callicles is referring to. Socrates, in turn, and with his method of â€Å"acquiring knowledge† (Socratic method), manages to use his opponent’s argument against him. He began his argument with questions that asked for a clarification of definition – what is superior? Better? – and ended with the statement that with Callicles’ own words he managed to show that since many is superior to one, then rules of the many are superior; hence, these rules are rules of the better; hence, the rules of these â€Å"better† people are admirable by nature since they are superior; thus, natural justice is not at all in contradiction with conventional justice. As mentioned earlier, within the aforementioned exchange regarding natural and conventional justice lies Callicles’ perception of the practical life, or the kind of life an individual ought to lead. As with countless other thinkers, his argument is deeply rooted with the idea of happiness as the end to which man should direct his actions. What distinguishes him from Protagoras, though, is his assertion that happiness – and his concept of natural justice can be attained only by the man who will succumb to his appetites, or in his own words: â€Å"the man who’ll live correctly ought to allow his own appetites to get as large as possible and not restrain them†. As for what he termed as â€Å"contracts of men† – which are to be assumed as the laws that maintain order in the society – Callicles is of the opinion that since these go against the grain with which man is made, they are to be considered â€Å"worthless nonsense†. For his part, Socrates of course attempted to dissuade Callicles by means of his conventional method of discourse and by introducing the analogy of the two men with jars, to no avail. Protagoras’ main point in the discourse relevant to this paper is that virtue is teachable. In support of his assertion, he recalled the account of the creation of man in Greek mythology to Socrates. He recounted that all creatures of the earth are made by the gods out of fire and earth, and that prior to giving them life Epimetheus and Prometheus were tasked to facilitate the distribution of abilities to them. Epimetheus volunteered to do it himself, with Prometheus inspecting the result. Epimetheus balanced the distribution with regard to â€Å"nonreasoning animals†. As for the human race, they were left bare, in the broadest definition of the word. Prometheus saw the problem and solved it by stealing from Hephaestus and Athena wisdom in the practical arts and fire and gave them to man, which proved fatal for him in the end. It is important to note that wisdom in the practical arts is wisdom intended for survival. It did not include political wisdom – needed to be able to establish and maintain the order of a city as this is kept by Zeus. The result was catastrophic, as evidenced by the fact that later on Zeus sent Hermes to distribute justice and shame to all men for fear that the human race will be wiped out because of man’s inability to coexist in cities they founded to protect themselves from wild beasts that placed them in danger of annihilation. Political or civic virtue then – products of justice and temperance – became a divine law of which every man is knowledgeable, unlike other virtues that stem from other arts (such as architectural excellence). This myth was used by Protagoras to show that inherent in all men are the seeds of civic virtue that only need to be coaxed out with the aid of education and constant admonition from one’s elders (particularly parents). And since this is the case, all men are capable to be taught virtue, because all men are in possession of it. Protagoras made a second, this time stronger point to support his statement that virtue is teachable. He began his argument by saying that the difference between evils caused by natural processes and those resulting from the lack or absence of civic virtue is that the former elicits pity for the person in possession of such an evil. Contrary to that, when society is confronted with a person exhibiting the opposite of virtue – injustice, impiety, etc. – it is not pity that’s felt but anger. Protagoras maintains that this reaction is due to the fact that civic virtue is regarded as something that can be acquired through training, practice, and teaching. He pushes his position further by saying that reasonable punishment – administered to a person who has committed an act that goes against civic virtue – is undertaken as a deterrence, the implication of which is that virtue is and can be learned. To further support his claim, Protagoras went into a brief discussion of how virtue is taught to all men all their lives. As little children, he said, men are taught not only by their parents about civic virtue but also through the education they receive. From the literature they study to the songs they play, teachers are keen on inserting messages meant to teach them what is good and just. For Protagoras, it seems, education is not merely comprised of letters and literature. Music is likewise necessary, as well as sports. Music, as he said, makes people â€Å"gentler† – they become more â€Å"rhythmical and harmonious† with regard to their actions. And this is important because for him, â€Å"all of human life requires a high degree of rhythm and harmony†. As for sports, Protagoras mentions that parents â€Å"send their children to an athletic trainer so that they may have sound bodies in the service of their now fit minds†. Even after one’s formal schooling is over, education on the virtues does not stop. As Protagoras said: â€Å"When [the students] quit school, the city in turn compels them to learn the laws and to model their lives on them. They are not to act as they please. † He ended his side of the discussion with a rhetorical question of how anyone can wonder about virtue being teachable when it is given so much care and attention in man’s public and private life. It is crucial to analyze the discourse both thinkers had with Socrates, albeit briefly, to be able to shed light on the position of this paper that education is necessary but constricting. With regard to the nature of man, it is clear that there is a clear dividing line between the idea of Callicles and that of Protagoras. For the latter, what is good for man is that which is good for the society. In other words, there is no contradiction between natural and conventional justice relative to the nature of man and how he ought to live. For the former, man is essentially a being meant to be governed by his appetites, or desires. The conflict lies in the fact that conventional justice dictates that there be a certain level of order maintained in a society, order which will only come about through the citizens’ willingness to subject themselves to laws that promote equality and peaceful co-existence. For Callicles, such laws are human constructs, designed to restrain his idea of a superior man, and as such should not be observed. The author will go one step further and say that although there is no direct discussion on education in Callicles’ discourse with Socrates, it is clear that since education is a human construct, he sees it as but another shackle his superior man has to bear. Despite the fact that Protagoras is amenable to education – as it teaches civic virtue – there is a single line in the discourse that implies a completely different attitude. Protagoras told Socrates that when a man’s formal education is over, he is still forced to learn the laws and live by them, and that he is not to act as he pleases. This goes to show that despite the eagerness of his version of man to live a life of civic virtue, part of him still needs to be shackled by laws. It is these deductions – from both thinkers – that led the author to believe that inherent in every person is a part that yearns for unbridled freedom and power. Education is an institution that strives to inculcate in man the characteristics needed for him to be able to lead a peaceful life in a society – characteristics that lean towards suppressing one’s desires and call for a sort of balance between fulfilling one’s wants and respecting those of others. Despite the restrictive nature of education, the author believes that it is still a necessary burden people have to bear. Gone are the days when man kept to himself, when he foraged for food and did not maintain a life of permanence in any one place. With the evolution of man came the need for permanence, and with that co-existence with other men. It may be true that at the core of every man is a selfish desire for power – to have everything and more. But if all men were to be allowed to act according to their whims, the stories of old – where Zeus feared that the human race might be annihilated because of man’s inability to restrain his need for power – may come true after all. Survival today does not only entail meeting one’s basic needs. It is also about respecting other men, if one were to be anthropocentric about it. And this – along with other things that will aid the human race to persist for the next millennia can only be reinforced by education.

Management In Action Starbucks Marketing Essay

Management In Action Starbucks Marketing Essay 1. Introduction: At global level there are many developed and successful organisation which have powerful strategy, modern technology, good managerial system and sound financial conditions. StarBucks is one of the famous and successful organisations. StarBucks is a global organisation. This case study is going to describe about the StarBucks value at global level and relation with theories of trade. Main thing is strategy of StarBucks that which type of strategy StarBucks have adopted and what the impact on the organisations was. StarBucks has used well structure strategy to develop the organisation at the global level. So that is why StarBucks have achieved its aim, objectives at domestic and global level. StarBucks has faced many challenges during its success. There are some supporting theories which have explained about the national advantage of the StarBucks like Porters diamond model. There is also analysis of SWOT Matrix which explains about the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of the StarBucks. SWOT Matrix is the alternative of the strategy of the company. Market development of StarBucks was diversification in culture, marketing mix and development of product. There are some unrelated developments like WIFI internet connection is available on the stores, entertainments, music etc. StarBucks have also partnership with different organisation. 2. History of StarBucks: Starbucks has launched in 1971 in Seattle. Three friends have opened a small coffee shop. There name were Jerry Baldwin, Zev Sigel and Gordon Browker. They were found of fresh coffee. They started to sell fresh roasted, gourmet coffee beans coffee beans. Then things started change in 80s. In 1981 sales man of plastic has noticed about the usage of drip prepped thermoses which StarBucks was buying from Hammerplast. Starbucks sold out from Zev Sigel. In 1982, Howard Schultz haired by Baldwin as a new marketing head and he is sent to Italy for attending the international show. Schultz noticed an important point rather than the coffee that customers came to coffee shop and enjoy every sip of coffee it was inspiration moment for him. Schultz explained that impressive moment and said change old world with new world and make a place where people can do gathering by using the marketing techniques. Baldwin did not allow Schultz to do. After that Schultz has opened its own coffee shop with nam e of Il Giornale and start selling 700 coffees per day it was great success for him. In 1987, Schultz pushes up the business and forces the investors to open 125 outlets in next five year. Starbucks started outlet from 17 stores in 1987 then business expanded in Vancouver, Chicago, and Portland as well. StarBucks also started mail order business and licensed on airport. Business also expanded in California, United States, Japan and Singapore. Star bucks also started WIFI free internet connection, selling CDs, producing ice cream and also make relation with Apple Company as well. StarBucks have 1334 stores all over the world and got success. 3. Globalisation: We can define globalisation that it is a process, in which we can reduce the distance, time, easy access, connection by using the global networking. It will call global village as well. Regional, economical and cultural activities become incorporated with each other by globalisation. Globalisation helps to reduced and minimized the barriers between national borders and flow of goods, capital, services, and labour. Globalisation has made easy access to the products, services etc. We can see the example of KFC, McDonalds, Dominos pizza many other organisation which are worldwide spreader. Globalisation is not a minor term, it is board term. There is one more example of StarBucks which is worlds famous organisation. It has a lot of branches on different countries globally. StarBucks and Globalisation: StarBucks is a multinational organisation in America. It has more than 16000 StarBucks branches in the world. Starbuck sale out coffee and espresso and many other products as well. Almost 70 percent branches are in United States and rest of percentage in the world. Starbuck speciality is whole bean coffee. It also offers frapaccino, baked goods and beverages as well. A star buck is the one of the successful organisation of the America which is globally spreader business. 4. Theories of international trade: International trade mean import and export of goods and services across the boundaries of the countries. It helps to increase in the gross domestic profits in the countries. International trade is affected by industrialisation, modern technology, and advance infrastructure system and by many other factors as well. Theory of international trade includes four types of theories.1) comparative advantage2) absolute advantage3) trade theory4) mercantilist theories. Two theories are most important one is comparative advantage theory and other is absolute theory. Comparative advantage means two counties are committed they want to increase production by their motivational power and want to reduced consumption because they prior to trade lower relative marginal cost than other goods. Absolute advantage theory means take advantage by using the cheapest source by doing trade of products which was totally unattainable at domestic level. StarBucks and theory of international trade: StarBucks is the well known multinational organisation. StarBucks import and export their products in the different countries. StarBucks outlets are scattered on the whole world. So it has connected with the theory of trade. Star buck expended its business. It opened first coffee warehouse in Tokyo then it open its branches in different countries and adopted the theory of international trade. Absolute theory is related to StarBucks because America has StarBucks which is specialist in coffee and food and extended its business across the boundaries of the country. 5. Globalisation strategies of StarBucks: StarBucks faces many up and down to expand its business. To become a multinational company StarBucks have to mage globalisation strategy which have give the benefits and also accepted many challenges. On the 40th anniversary of StarBucks chair man, CEO told about the global strategy of StarBucks which explain about the achievement of discipline, profitable growth by approval the global market place, forcing our brand strength through new and existing ways. He also describe about the good customer services, new innovation in the market. In the global strategy of StarBucks also include about the employees which are providing good customer service and trying to maximize the satisfaction of the customer. StarBucks basic object is providing good and valuable quality coffee and food to the customer and make them happy. Global strategy is helpful to achieve their objective, vision, and mission. It also explains about the financial the conditions, strengths, weakness, environmental condition of StarBucks and also explains about the cultural and organisational behaviour of the StarBucks. Challenges for StarBucks: A star buck has faced different challenges during the journey of success. StarBucks have challenge the economical and consumer environmental condition in US and across the boundaries in many countries. StarBucks adopted those trick which has developed in the financial condition, operating performance and also its fiscal health. StarBucks also handling the disciplines and strategy growth in US and in retail business and also in global market. Most of these challenges were related to the organisation global strategies. 6. Supporting theories: There is one of the famous theories which are porters diamond theory that explain about the comparatives advantage of the country. This theory includes some factors which are labour, natural resources and size of population. Michael E. Porter has explained in this theory that nation can create new advance factors as well. Porters diamond national advantage: There are four factors which can affect the comparative advantage. Availability of natural resources. Important information which help in decision making. Goal of individual of company Pressure on company to invest and innovate. Factor condition means a country create its own skilled factors like StarBucks has created its own value and specialised in coffee. StarBucks have labour force and also a lot of strengths it can achieve its goals. Market of specific product demands more important rather than the international level whenever local market will not be strong then bunnies will not extent so StarBucks did the same thing so thats why it is globally famous organisation. Related and supporting industries show about the market competition. StarBucks have competition with Costa coffee. StarBucks strategy, structure and rivalry also effect on the organisation. 7. Effectiveness and efficiency of operations: There are some operations which are StarBucks doing and focusing on them. These operations are effective and helping in progress of business. Recycling system was started in 2005 but plastic cup could not be recycled then they have changed the material of cup for recycling. Many stores did not have bins to store the recycle but now many stores have arranged it and it is effective because they can easily collect the rubbish and recycle it. In 2004 StarBucks, StarBucks have reduced to use the napkins and the store garbage bags because the usage of these thing s very high. The usage of water was also so much high23.4 million per day. It was continues usage of water during washing utensils. Then StarBucks have started to use machine push button for washing the utensils. Efficiency of this operation was it has reduced the usage of water 150 gallons per day. StarBucks also started staff training. This training was give for the properly coffee making. Except it StarBucks have stared some charitable operations like Ethos water which was way of charity to the children, product red was launched foe the AIDS medicines and New Orleans is different employees working different projects like gardening, planting trees in urban areas. 8. Strategy of StarBucks and its alternatives: Strategy of StarBucks is very simple and unique. Their mission statement is always providing good quality coffee to the customers they grew coffee and roast them with great care. They also care about those people who grew the coffee. StarBucks are worldwide famous organisation so there is diversity fall but they respect each other. StarBucks also serve the customers with the nice smile and with good beverages. StarBucks think that their store is place where customers can come and enjoy their precious time together. They can do get together. StarBucks also explain about the relation as a neighbour which positive. Basic objective of StarBucks expanding their business whole the world and good customer service and make employees proud on it. If we do SWOT analysis of StarBucks then we can find out the alternatives of the strategy of StarBucks. Best way is SWOT matrix which is more help full. SWOT MATRIX: LEAVE BLANK Strength(S) List strength Weakness(W) List weakness Opportunities (O) List opportunities SO strategies Use strength take advantage of opportunities WO strategies Overcoming weakness by taking advantage of opportunities Threats (T) List threats ST strategies Use strength avoiding threats WT strategies Minimize weakness and avoid threats. SO strategies: StarBucks is good market leader and have good ability to attract the customers. StarBucks have well train employees and good working environment. StarBucks are strong financial organisation and it is spreader all over the world. StarBucks have also good relation with customers as well. Through using its strength StarBucks can take advantage from the opportunities. StarBucks can use new technology and can expand also retail business. StarBucks can also launched new and branded product by emerging with the other organisation at global level. WO Strategies: StarBucks can overcome the weakness by using the opportunities. StarBucks are focusing the size of the business. It trying to expand the business but its not focusing on internal factors. Numbers of competitors are increasing in the growing market so StarBucks should have to think about it. StarBucks have also weakness of cross functional management. Product pricing of the StarBucks is also high. StarBucks have to take advantage of the opportunities which includes new distribution of channels, distribution of products and segmentation at domestic level and adopting new managerial systems. ST Strategies: By using the strengths StarBucks can avoid threats. StarBucks have threat of competition which includes other coffee shops and super markets. There is also fluctuation of prices in other developing countries. Some cultural and political issues also threats for StarBucks. By suing the power and strength can achieve its goals. StarBucks are knowledge based and board organisation. It has strong financial resources as well. StarBucks have trademarks and patents rights as well. WT Strategies: Last strategy alternative is minimizing weakness and avoid threats. StarBucks is focusing on the expansion of the business but its not expanding the business but have to do analysis its internal factors. It should reduce to adopt the cross functional managerial system. It should have to reduce the prices. Through this automatically threats will minimized as well. 9. Market development alternatives: Market strategy of StarBucks is to expand the business at high market level and also in global market. StarBucks have leadership quality as well. StarBucks have good relation with its suppliers and have ability to be an industry market leader. Customers accept its products and like to eat it. Its have its competitors like Costa coffee and cafe Nero. Diversification: Starbucks prefer diversification to their customer, Communities, partners and supplier. There is diversification in employees because in different areas have different employees according the countries. There is also diversification between the customers according to the cultural of the people. Starbucks do contributions to their neighbours have partnership with different companies and organisation. Starbucks always try to develop its business by doing relationship with other new suppliers. Product and market growth: StarBucks have to launch new products with good and developed taste. StarBucks can do brand extension as well. It will be help full to increase demand of products and market development at domestic level and also at global market. Market growth can be increased by doing good advertisements. It will maximise market development. Marketing mix: Marketing mix also an alternative of development of a market. StarBucks have competitive advantage and also good leadership quality. By adopting the marketing mix StarBucks can develop the market at domestic and global level. 10. Unrelated developments: StarBucks is well known organisation at global level. Its coffee quality and taste is also liked by the customers. Their strategy is to give good taste and good quality coffee to customers. They want to make happy to the customers. StarBucks try to do some direct development but it also affect directly. There are some indirect developments which are as follow. Wireless internet: StarBucks is offering free internet connection at their stores. Every customer can get easy access to the internet while taking coffee. There is no charge, no need to use password and user name and no restriction. Its unlimited usage of internet connection. StarBucks try to do direct development but it was indirect development because StarBucks is an organisation where providing coffee not WIFI system. I Phone Apple: StarBucks did agreement with Apple Company. They offer the customer to get free music. In 2007, in ITunes stores StarBucks entertainments option added. These were similar songs which were played in StarBucks store. StarBucks want to entertain their customers as well. StarBucks want to do directly development but it indirect development of entertainments. MSNBC: StarBucks have relation with Moring news by name of brewed by StarBucks. It shows logo changed in company as well StarBucks as well. StarBucks wants to give up to date news to customers. It was indirect development in media in StarBucks 11.Strategic alliances, joint ventures and routes to survive: StarBucks have different joint ventures and used different strategic alliances. One of them was HEAR MUSIC which is purchased by StarBucks in 1999. StarBucks realised it first album with name of opera. This album includes famous singer. StarBucks use this strategy and get development and extension in business. StarBucks have partnership with the Apple Company which is very well known and famous at global level. StarBucks did joint venture with it and add option of music of StarBucks in ITunes store. People love to listen music and like the barded products so that is why StarBucks had taken advantage. StarBucks also having partnership with the BT for free WIFI connection. It was successful strategy to develop the business and get attraction of customers. 12. Conclusion and recommendation: At the end, StarBucks is the good competitors and successful organisation in the world. Starbucks has achieve its aim , goal and objective in very short time period by adopting well structured strategy by using at global level and domestic level as well. StarBucks have good and valuable roast beans coffee and also well trained staff and employees with good managerial system. Starbucks has good strengths and opportunities through it can competitor its rival and also can over the weakness and can avoid threats as well. In my opinion is that StarBucks is expanding its business day by day but it not giving attention to its internal factors like financial condition and cross function managerial system. It should have to make strategy to minimize its weakness and threats that can be a cause of its loss. Starbucks is famous all over the world and people like the taste of coffee.

Morrisons ASDA

Morrisons ASDA Comparative strategies employed by giant supermarkets in the UK- A critical comparative study Introduction: Morrisons ASDA are the 2 giant leading supermarkets in London. They obtained wide popularity with their products services in UK market. This perspective study will be focusing on the analytical review of the strategies adopted by them in the business process. It will intend to make comparison of their strategic norms in the business with in depth examination comparative analysis to arrive at the suitable conclusions recommendations for their regular business policies. Morrisons is the 4th largest supermarket chain in UK It is having 11.5% share of the grocery sector in UK It is established in 382 superstores serving around 10 million shoppers in a week. Its business strategy is customer oriented focusing on selling groceries at the lower prices. Its establishments dealing only in the large superstores. It does not offer its customers an online shopping service it has not yet arrived in the financial services market. ASDA is too one of the leading supermarket in London, it is a part of the Wal-Mart family. They committed to provide services to their customer in the bright welcome environment. They strategically aimed to offer excellent standard of the customer service based on the customer service programme giving the right staff training to fulfil the needs of the customers. Varieties of products of the different brands are offered by ASDA in their superstores to achieve the customer satisfaction. Research Questions: This academic study will be purely focusing on the market strategies adopted by the leading supermarkets in their business processes. On going for the analytical review following are some of the research questions raised in my mind 1] What is the area of the business development of Morrison ASDA in UK? 2] What are the strategies adopted by Morrison ASDA for the growth expansion of their business activity in UK? 3] What are the suitable, feasible acceptable tools for their strategic analysis comparison in the business? 4] What are the comparative advantages of their strategies, policies in the business in UK? Research has been undertaken with the directions of all the subjective analysis in depth. Literature Review: Central issue behind this study analysis will be to make analysis of the recent strategies adopted by both of these supermarkets for their business development in UK to suggest them further improvements for their expansion in the area of activity in UK based on the detailed study. Martin Headen his associates has done analytical study on this topic in Jan 2009 which is purely focused on the Market Development of the ASDA Morrison in comparative analysis. They clearly stated that â€Å"Morrison is the supreme dealer of groceries in an international market seeking their promotion of sales services throughout the world, It has derived its rank with their optimum capability face to face contracts in door presentation for achieving the customer satisfaction, they are having the boom technology in the business planning premises† In the technical analysis of ASDA business strategy it has been stated in their perspective study as â€Å" 15.6 % of the grocery market is controlle d by ASDA in UK ,it is only a supermarket based petrol retailer to react a Safeways promotion, it swiftly cut its prices 0.8p per litre† [Martin et.al,2009] In his opinions given by a retail analyst he stated that â€Å"Price can make customer switch temporarily to a competitor, but it is not enough to make them stay. If the price is the only factor grocery shoppers considered, then Aldi would win every time, yet the budget chain has a UK market share of just 1.7%† [Fredric,2008] It is showing that price comparison is an important factor pointed out in this research journal for making the comparison of the strategies adopted by the supermarkets. However, it is aiming to find out that only the price is not to be treated as the sole successor for the market analysis, even for the increasing level of quality of the product in the stores price is considered to be subsidiary with in the limit of the budgets of the customers. In many cases for purchasing of the qualitative products customer prefers to spend excess above the budget, it is therefore strategic aim of the supermarkets is not always price based rather it is quality based in the product development. In the studies done by Antony Marric in his research analysis in sept.2009 he had given focus on the sustainable marketing strategies of the business developments adopted by supermarkets in Uk.He had analysed the related factors coming in the background of the research towards the porters 5 forces as a business strategy tool. He focused on the buyers power, suppliers power, market rivalry, threat of new entrants entry barriers with their inter relative impacts on each othe r in the process of the strategic business development. In his literature he has written that the â€Å" Sustainable Marketing strategy is based on the four P,s which are Price,Product,Place,Promotion the four Es which are Economy,Ecology,Ethnology,Ethics.† [Antony,2009] Antonys study purely focused on the scientific marketing strategies of the supermarkets in their business developments. It has been studied from the perspective of the customer orientation as well as the seller orientation in the market analysis. Economy is related to the cost control in the business ,Ecology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the business interactions between the business organisms their impact on their environment analysis, Ethnology is an analytical comparisons of the origins ,distribution,technology,language,religion with that the social structure of the ethnic ,racial national divisions of the humanity where as Ethics are the benchmarks of the standard, rational code of cond ucts of the business which can be helpful for the survival stability of the business in the Market. Especially in ASDA Morrison there are extensive researches developments in the products to absorb the new customers in the market† [Henry,2009] In his scientific analysis Henry precisely focused on the socio cultural influences of the people leaving in the society on the food retailing .Now there are changes in the quality of the food products in Uk,Desire of the exotic fruits, fish in the past trends has gone now changed in the healthier food in the attractive packages suitable in the environmental scanning. He focused on the developments in the 21st century about the customer appearances towards the acceptability of the food products so far it has been closely impacted on the strategy of the appearance of the saleable product of the supermarkets. He also focuses on the changing habits of the customers changing habits of the customers towards eating food in this trend of the new culture how the supermarkets responded to the consumer preferences to stabilise their activity in the market. â€Å" Every supermarket has its own implemented strategy ,ASDA is the lowest price offers the cheapest one among all the supermarkets in UK which is closely followed by the Morrison , However it is having different impacts on the consumer behaviour might be due to the brand identity of the products sold in the both supermarkets.† [Peter,2008] The norm of study of Peter clearly pre-screened towards the view of the strategic development of the supermarkets in UK,it is based on the price fixation of the products in the supermarkets its relative impact on the consumer preferences their psychology towards accepting the products. He also stresses on the brand identity of the products which are sold by the supermarkets. Methodology: Methods will be used for the proposed study, will be based on the pure analytical trend of the supermarkets strategy in their area of activity of the business. The process will be divided into 3 aspects of the research. The proposed study is giving importance to the systematic exploratory research based on the survey ,observations analytical review. The research will be prepared in the aiming at the perspective direction of the users towards the suitable, feasible acceptable planning decision-making. It is appropriate to choose the exploratory research to focus in depth on the competitive strategies of the supermarkets for their business development in the emergent market.Survey is important to guess the impact of the strategies developed applied by the supermarkets on the consumer behaviour,Analytical review is to pre-screening the implications of the strategic management of the supermarkets based on the responses given by the consumers. Data Gathering Primary data will be gathered with the regular visits in the supermarkets at the periodical intervals. Data will be collected with conducting the regular interviews of the working persons in the supermarkets about their policies strategies in the expansion of the business. Why do interviews with workers offer policy insights? Observations on the consumer preferences information about impacts of the business strategies adopted by the supermarkets will be gathered. Observations can be helpful to make analysis of the changes in the consumer behavioural patterns their buying behaviour towards the policies implemented by the supermarkets. Survey of the potential customers with getting replies from them through customers will be gathered to gather data about the consumer responses. Secondary data will be collected from the journals,brouchers,product magazines of the supermarkets. Secondary data will be collected to know about the average consumer opinion about the products services liv ing in a particular area.It can give the consumer preferences as per the living area,age group along with the trends in the market. Data Analysis Qualitative quantitative data will be analysed to arrive at the validate conclusions. Grounded theory will be used in the analytical comparisons of the supermarkets. For the statistical analysis of the quantitative measurements Statistical Package of Social Sciences [SPSS] will be used to make the perspective analysis of the gathered data. Data will be analysed in the Strenths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities Threats to study the potential norms of the strategies adopted by the supermarkets with their impact on the business policy developments. Strategic norms in the business can be assessed with clubbing of the advantageous disadvantageous factors along with the internal external factors in the business. Study will be analysed in the cause effect relationships of the facts circumstances of the business developmental strategy in the supermarkets. How the circumstances leading to or caused to the potential effects in the business will be perspective analysed in the cut throat com petition the comparative academics. Statistical Techniques of Mean,Mode,Median,Standard Deviation,Range,Chi-square test, Co-relation, integration will be used wherever necessary in the statistical strategic comparisons. Data Presentation: The structured data will be presented in charts, diagrams ,histograms, graphs to make precise focus of the study towards the analytical review desired topic to obtain readers attention towards the research study analysis. Statistical measurements will be presented in the bar charts to have an in depth focus on the result orientation of the study with the suitability for attention understandibility of the user. Conclusion: The determined research study is an analytical view of the comparison of the business strategies of the 2 leading giant supermarkets in London.ie ASDA Morrison etc. The study will give precise focus on the implementation of the strategic tools in their business processes for the comparative study. It will be pre-screening their norms of the business development in terms of the area of operations along with their ideas prospective for the growth expansion of their business activity in the competitive UK market. Along with the tools of the strategic analysis it will be focusing on the merits demerits of the recent strategies of supermarkets with their complementary impact on the consumer behaviour in the Market. Even quantitative analysis will be done through the help of the statistical measures to arrive at the efficient, effective realistic findings of the academic research work. References: 1] Martin et.al,(2009),Research in Supermarkets,7 th edition, Boycott 2]Misher,F.(2008),Price Discrimination in Supermarkets, Toronto books 3]Ganguly,A.(2009),Strategic Marketing in Supermarkets, Tools Analysis of Business Strategies, 3rd edition, Sudan county publishers. 4]Adorten,H.(2009),Business Development in Supermarkets,1st edition,Antop Hill (ISBN14567512) 5]Disuza,P.(2008), Rationals of the Business strategy,2nd edition,Waffer

Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop

Analysis of I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson wrote many poems in her lifetime. She writes two of my favorite poems. They are: ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died? and ?Because I could not stop for Death?. They both have similarities and differences from each other. There are similarities in these two poems such as the theme and the observentness of the narrator. Both of the poems themes involve death. In ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died?, the poet writes, ? And then the Windows failed ? and then I could not see to see- ", which means that the narrator?s eyes would not open no more; they had died. In ?Because I could not stop for Death? it shows the theme even in the title. In this poem, the poet writes in a clearer way that her theme was of a deathly tone. ?Because I could not stop for Death- He kindly stopped for me?. The narrator in these two poems is quiet observant. In ?I heard a Fly buzz when I died?, the narrator can hear the buzzing of a fly just before he/she dies. The poet writes, ?-a...

Comparing Christianity and Stoicism Essay -- Comparison Compare Contra

Introduction Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder how Christianity ultimately replaced stoicism as the prominent and official religion in Rome. There are a few particular political and historical events that tell us exactly when and how it happened, but the curious man is more concerned with the psychology behi nd the transition. In other words, why would men tend to prefer one over the other? Before one can explain this, it is necessary to understand fully the particulars of each system. In general, most faith systems can be understood in three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. There is a famous garden metaphor for understanding the relationship among the three. One should imagine a walled garden where inside there grows a single plant. This plant produces a fruit. Metaphorically, the wall symbolizes logic, the plant represents physics and the fruit symbolizes ethics. Accordingly, the wall of logic protects physics and ethics. Ethics is the fruit that results from studying physics, which is the cosmic order of things. Ethic... ...erer from sin while stoicism offered man an internal battle against himself. It should come as no surprise that Christianity prevailed. Works Cited    Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Translation and Introduction by Mark Musa. New York: Penguin, 1995. Barker, Kenneth. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Clarke, M.L. The Roman Mind. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960. Metzger, Bruce M. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. 1993. Murray, Gilbert. Stoic, Christian and Humanist. London: C.A. Watts, 1940. Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Letters From a Stoic. Translation and Introduction by Robin Campbell. New York: Penguin, 1969. Stavrianos, L.S. A Global History: From Prehistory to the Present. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1988. Wenley, T.M. Stoicism and its Influences. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1963.

Bankruptcy Essay -- essays research papers

Bankruptcy, today, is a very common thing among companies and individuals alike. Sadly enough there were as many bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts, as there were all other cases. The American bankruptcy law allows people to avoid paying their debts, by offering the debtors a discharge, which eliminates all their legal responsibilities. However, bankruptcy is a controversial issue amongst religious members of the Jewish population, for one must question whether it is morally correct to avoid paying a dept by filing for bankruptcy. According to the torah, a debt is an obligation that must be fulfilled. Consequently, if a bankruptcy discharge is invoked, under the strictness of Jewish law, one is still required to pay back the money no matter how long it may take him. According to Bais Din the debtor must hand over his property, with a few exclusions, to the creditor, and if this does not cover what he owes the creditor, then every time the debtor acquires new assets, he pays the creditor until he no longer owes him anything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Halacha there is a way for the debtor to be discharged. This is through â€Å"Yeush†. This term denotes that this is the point where a person no longer believes he will recover the object he has lost. In this case, the creditor loses hope of being paid back the money the debtor owes him. Therefore the debtor is free from his obligation to pay the creditor. According to some poskim, yeush does not discharge the debtor, unless the circumstances, such as where the debtors fields are ruined by a flood, the debtor is in, makes the creditor lose hope of ever being paid back According to others, yeush can discharge the debt if the debtor becomes impoverished only and not because he didn’t want to pay back his debt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the debtor does not become discharged through the creditors yeush, there is one of two ways to obtain a bankruptcy discharge through halacha. The first way is through liquidation. This is where the debtor hands over all his property, with keeping some exempt property, and this covers his debt to the creditors and he is now free of his obligation to pay them. The second way is through reorganization. The debtor makes a plan to repay his creditors over a number of years, with a minimum payment required for each year. When he has finished with these payments,... ...t that the halacha is in accordance with one aspect of the debate, this being called â€Å"kim li†. Now the plaintiff, the creditor, can only win if he proves his case according to the view chosen by the defendant. In this case of a â€Å"kim li†, bais din has to determine whether dina d’malchusa dina applies to a bankruptcy discharge. As mentioned above, the Rema states that it does, and therefore the defendant may win this case and be free of debt. However, there is a question now as to whether the defendant should pay the creditor because of religious obligation. In a regular bankruptcy discharge, the debtor is free of all his debt and thus it may assumed in this case that the defendant is free from debt because of the use of â€Å"kim li†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Working through secular law, unfortunately, may be the only way to clear debts owed between many. Although it is not the preferred way to do business, especially between religious Jews, it is the way the world works and it makes it easier to get rid of the debt between Jews and non-Jews. This paper is a very revised version of bankruptcy and the Halacha perspective, but I hope it provides all the information that is necessary. Bankruptcy Essay -- essays research papers Bankruptcy, today, is a very common thing among companies and individuals alike. Sadly enough there were as many bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts, as there were all other cases. The American bankruptcy law allows people to avoid paying their debts, by offering the debtors a discharge, which eliminates all their legal responsibilities. However, bankruptcy is a controversial issue amongst religious members of the Jewish population, for one must question whether it is morally correct to avoid paying a dept by filing for bankruptcy. According to the torah, a debt is an obligation that must be fulfilled. Consequently, if a bankruptcy discharge is invoked, under the strictness of Jewish law, one is still required to pay back the money no matter how long it may take him. According to Bais Din the debtor must hand over his property, with a few exclusions, to the creditor, and if this does not cover what he owes the creditor, then every time the debtor acquires new assets, he pays the creditor until he no longer owes him anything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Halacha there is a way for the debtor to be discharged. This is through â€Å"Yeush†. This term denotes that this is the point where a person no longer believes he will recover the object he has lost. In this case, the creditor loses hope of being paid back the money the debtor owes him. Therefore the debtor is free from his obligation to pay the creditor. According to some poskim, yeush does not discharge the debtor, unless the circumstances, such as where the debtors fields are ruined by a flood, the debtor is in, makes the creditor lose hope of ever being paid back According to others, yeush can discharge the debt if the debtor becomes impoverished only and not because he didn’t want to pay back his debt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the debtor does not become discharged through the creditors yeush, there is one of two ways to obtain a bankruptcy discharge through halacha. The first way is through liquidation. This is where the debtor hands over all his property, with keeping some exempt property, and this covers his debt to the creditors and he is now free of his obligation to pay them. The second way is through reorganization. The debtor makes a plan to repay his creditors over a number of years, with a minimum payment required for each year. When he has finished with these payments,... ...t that the halacha is in accordance with one aspect of the debate, this being called â€Å"kim li†. Now the plaintiff, the creditor, can only win if he proves his case according to the view chosen by the defendant. In this case of a â€Å"kim li†, bais din has to determine whether dina d’malchusa dina applies to a bankruptcy discharge. As mentioned above, the Rema states that it does, and therefore the defendant may win this case and be free of debt. However, there is a question now as to whether the defendant should pay the creditor because of religious obligation. In a regular bankruptcy discharge, the debtor is free of all his debt and thus it may assumed in this case that the defendant is free from debt because of the use of â€Å"kim li†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Working through secular law, unfortunately, may be the only way to clear debts owed between many. Although it is not the preferred way to do business, especially between religious Jews, it is the way the world works and it makes it easier to get rid of the debt between Jews and non-Jews. This paper is a very revised version of bankruptcy and the Halacha perspective, but I hope it provides all the information that is necessary.

Group Dynamics Essay

Work is being restructured around groups of all kinds and in all sizes of organizations. Managers need an understanding of group behavior and the concept of teams in order to appreciate what groups can and cannot do within organizations and how groups function. Any one member in group can influence the behavior of the individuals in the group and teamwork. We will examine some basic characteristics of groups including the types of work groups, the development of informal groups, and the manner in which groups operate. UNDERSTANDING GROUP BEHAVIOR Groups exhibit different behavior—more than just the sum total of each group member’s individual behavior. In this section, we’re going to look at various aspects of group behavior. What is a Group? A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve particular objectives. 1. Groups differ from mere aggregates of individual because the latter have no interdependence, interaction, or common goal. 2. Groups differ from organizations because the latter involve systematic efforts and are engaged in the production of goods and services. 3. Teamwork occurs when groups are able to work efficiently and effectively together to achieve organizational goals. There are a number of types of work groups 1. A formal group is a group officially planned and created by an organization for a specific purpose. a. A command or functional group is a formal group consisting of a manager and all the subordinates who report to that manager. ) Each identifiable work group consisting of manager and subordinates is a command group. 2) A linking is an individual who provides a means of coordination between command groups at two different levels by fulfilling a supervisory role in the lower-level group and a subordinate role in the higher-level group. 2. Informal groups are natural social formations that appear in the work environment. An informal group is a group that is established by employees, rather than by the organization, in order to serve group members’ interests or social needs. Informal groups are unplanned groups. a. An interest group is an informal group created to facilitate employee pursuits of common concern. b. A friendship group is an informal group that evolves primarily to meet employee social needs. Overview of Group Dynamics Formal and informal work groups are becoming increasingly important competitive factors in organizations. Teamwork is the result of groups working together to effectively and efficiently achieving organizational goals. Formal groups include command and task groups. Informal groups include interest and friendship groups. A useful way to analyze groups is to view them as systems that use inputs, engage in various processes or transformations, and produce outcomes. Managers can help bring about higher performance from formal work groups by weighing the characteristics of members they assign to particular groups. Group members should have task-relevant expertise and appropriate interpersonal skills. Also, it has been found, that a degree of diversity among group members usually adds to performance. Group training, particularly for diverse groups, has been found to be useful. Members may be attracted to a group for a number of reasons including being attracted to or liking other members of the group, liking the activities of the group, the goals or purposes of the group, because the group satisfies an individual’s need for affiliation, and/or because the group can help an individual achieve a goal outside the group. The absence of attraction can prevent the group from achieving high performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self performance. Member roles in groups include group task roles, group maintenance roles, and self oriented roles. The size of the group has also been found to have significant bearing on the group’s performance. Mid-sized groups, from five to seven members, seem to be an optimum size according to recent research. Smaller groups can often exacerbate individual differences. Large groups tend to be when working in groups than when working alone. Free riding is particularly likely when members exhibit individualism rather than collectivism. Managers can combat social loafing by several methods. Assign just enough people to do the work is one key method. Other methods include making each individual’s work visible, providing for individual feedback, have people work with those the respect, have standards to actually measure group performance, and making rewards contingent on a combination of individual and group performance. The work group processes usually result in greater or lesser performance than would occur if the individuals worked alone rather than as members of the group. This process is called synergy. Managers strive to have a positive synergy from the group rather than negative. Three key characteristics of the group help determine the synergy levels. These are group norms, group cohesiveness, and group development. Norms are the behaviors of group members that are acceptable to the group. Norms stem from explicit statements by supervisors and coworkers, critical events in a group’s history, primacy, and carryover behaviors. Group cohesiveness has important consequences for group communication, satisfaction, performance, hostility and aggression toward other groups, and a group’s willingness to innovate and change. Factors influencing the amount of cohesiveness in a group include whether or not members of the group share attitudes and values, the amount and severity of external threats to the group, whether or not the group experiences recognizable successes, the degree of difficulty encountered in joining the group, and the size of the group. One view of group development shows groups passing through five distinct stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. A group’s performance varies depending on the stage it is in. A special kind of group behavior is found in group meetings. Because of the considerable amount of time spent in meetings, it is important for managers to know how to maximize group meeting effectiveness. This chapter includes an excellent short guide for how managers can lead more effective group meetings. Groups can also help facilitate creativity and innovation in the organization. Some of the major mechanisms that organizations use to encourage the creative and innovative capacity of groups include the use of task forces, or ad hoc committees, and teams, particularly entrepreneurial and self-managing teams.

Hottie Hawgs Bbq Case Study

Hottie Hawg’s Smokin’ BBQ Case Study Team 16 Strengths: * NASCAR Partnership * Excellent food * Differentiated brand * Creativity of owners * Excellent marketing * Low infrastructure costs * Mobile restaurant * Little brand competition * Service flexibility * Proprietary recipes * Community support/interests * Professional marketing image Weaknesses: * Lack of cash flow * Leadership working for two companies * Loss of founder means all lies on Vaughn * High travel costs for events outside of Atlanta * Licensing decision reduces the opportunity of franchise income * Limited distribution capabilities Expansion is expensive * Non-centralized staff * Lack of business credit * Limited menu * Use of ACT funds to finance HHBBQ operations pierces the corporate veil. * Limited catering experience Opportunities: * Aramark/Pepsi Center opportunity * NASCAR as growth partner * Growth within Atlanta * Brand awareness through additional licensing and potential franchising * Merchandi se sales * Brick-and-mortar Flagship locations * Popularity of Food Trucks Threats: * Hooters Restaurants * Other barbecue restaurants * Customer reluctance to patronize a polarizing brand * Loss of trade-secret information Legal costs * Economic downturn/slow economic growth * Rising fuel and transportation costs * Pitmasters BBQ uses similar logo and brand image: 1. If you were in Kyle Vaughn’s position, which strategic option would you take? Explain your reasoning. Hottie Hawg’s Smokin BBQ was presented with an opportunity for tremendous growth early on in the life of the company that would test the limits of HHBBQ’s ability to raise capital, produce the quantity of food required and maintain the quality of the product while protecting the brand name and mark they had worked to cultivate.The Aramark/Pepsi Center contract would guarantee HHBBQ at least 100 events, projected at 16,000 people per event, and make HHBBQ the exclusive BBQ vendor for the arena. We b elieve of the two strategy alternatives HHBBQ had, the correct choice would be to pursue the Aramark contract. As a company that is looking to expand, passing up an opportunity of this magnitude might not occur again. Either of these two strategies are viable and possess pros and cons, but pursuing the Aramark contract would grant HHBBQ more potential rewards than passing.HHBBQ has already worked with one professional sport in NASCAR and the opportunity to serve customers of the NBA and NHL are markets that are too valuable to pass on. Once the decision to accept the Pepsi Center deal is made, HHBBQ will face more decisions on how best to handle supplying the needed food for the events. HHBBQ would have to re-locate the â€Å"18 Squeeler†, an open-air smoker on wheels, to Denver to prepare the BBQ or rent a local kitchen until a permanent commissary was set up.HHBBQ faced legitimate concerns regarding the ability of the Squeeler to meet the high food demand of the Pepsi Cente r and whether the legal costs, potential loss of food quality and possibility of compromising the brand image when dealing with a rented kitchen would make the deal not profitable. From the case study, the first 18 Squeeler was available one week after the initial conversation between Vaughn and Rybka. To meet the demand of the Pepsi Arena, HHBBQ should purchase an additional Squeeler so the food quantity and quality are not compromised.Once cash flow has begun and enough capital is raised to open a Denver commissary, the two Squeelers would be freed up to once again to perform at local events within the community and allow one Squeeler to return to Atlanta to service the home market. These are challenges that service firms face when attempting to match their products to the needs of their target markets (Ferrell & Hartline, 197). HHBBQ will experience on the job training while learning how to best forecast the correct amount of food needed to serve the arena and the number of new e mployees to hire and train to accommodate the number of visitors to the arena.Because most services are dependent upon people (employees, customers), HHBBQ must avoid past mistakes in variations in quality and inconsistency such as overstaffing, food waste, and less than ideal image promotion (Ferrell & Hartline, 198) to maintain high service quality and profitability. Although service quality is a subjective phenomenon (Ferrell & Hartline, 198),   this particular marketplace would not allow for service customization but allow HHBBQ to focus on food quality and speed of service to meet their customers’ needs. . Comment on the decision to license the Hottie Hawg’s brand rather than enter into a franchise agreement with Seymour. In the company’s situation, is it better to promote easier expansion through franchising or maintain tight control over brand image through licensing? Explain. At this early stage in Hottie Hawg’s Smokin’ BBQ’s histo ry, it is important to cultivate the brand image carefully and with almost obsessive attention to detail.The offering of tasty barbecue served by attractive women in a fun and laid-back environment is in its introductory stage (Ferrell & Hartline, 217), and will soon move into the growth stage if all goes well. Hottie’s must work to grow and build brand equity and establish a differential advantage in the market. This is done through careful management of the product and brand over this time. Public relations, advertising and incentives are critical at this stage in the brands life, as it sets the tone for the growth and maturity stage.Will this be just another barbecue joint or will Hottie’s stand out among a sea of ribs and wings? Rybka initially envisioned a brand so â€Å"extreme and offensive (as) to purposely alienate a large portion of the population† (Ferrell & Hartline, 519)   Allowing a franchisee to potentially dilute this brand is a risk they shoul d not be willing to take. The branding strategy employed by HHBBQ depends on the extreme offensiveness they are building, and a franchisee that doesn’t have the same â€Å"tough guts† that Vaughn and Rybka have may not be capable of sticking to their vision.Vaughn has done an excellent job thus far in developing a different style of BBQ restaurant in the southeast, and should protect the emerging brand image fiercely in order to maintain and develop according to the company’s vision. A license agreement, where complete control can be exercised over the quality of the food, the brand image, logos and marketing materials allows Vaughn to control the direction of the company, while realizing income from licensed sales.The brand is the most valuable asset to this emerging company; in fact, the brands image was â€Å"the cornerstone of the company’s success thus far† according to Lee, and therefore, should remain the top priority at this stage in the ga me (Ferrell & Hartlien, 526). It should also be noted that by licensing the product rather than franchising, HHBBQ has been able to avoid many unnecessary expenditures that go along with franchising. Had they sold Seymour a franchise, they may have had to invest more in him in terms of training, product knowledge, and other resources that HHBBQ cannot spare at the current time.Licensing provided Seymour an avenue to invest without much overhead expense, and still provided HHBBQ with licensing revenue and fees. 3. Assume that Hottie Hawg’s is successful with the Aramark/Pepsi Center opportunity. What should Vaughn’s next move be to continue that growth and success? Vaughn’s efforts, with the success of the Aramark/Pepsi venture will have resulted in the beginning of the growth stage of HHBBQ BBQ. This continuing growth stage has happened because sales increases will have been occurring rapidly due to the appeal of the product (Ferrell & Hartline, 219).Additionall y, Hottie Hawg’s BBQ will want to 1. â€Å"Establish a strong and defensible market position† and 2. Earn profit to repay debts as well as enough profit to justify moving forward with the business (Ferrell & Hartline, 219). In order to do this, Vaughn’s next moves should be to pursue one flagship brick & mortar location, more   18 squeelers to expand the reach of the product line, look for more venue arrangements that could be profitable, potentially pursue venture capital, and pursue more licensing agreements. Pursuing a flagship brick & mortar restaurant should be an important next step for Vaughn.Up to this point, Vaughn has not built a brick & mortar location because traditional storefronts require heavy upfront investment costs (Ferrell & Hartline, 521). However, with the cash flow that a successful Aramark/Pepsi Center opportunity will bring, it will be the right time to invest in a flagship location. A major benefit to creating a flagship store front in Atlanta, GA will be that HHBBQ will be able to finally focus some resources on the opportunities in Atlanta for local catering parties and events in this major metropolitan area (Ferrell & Hartline522).This will create more cash flow for the company, and the increased presence in the Atlanta metropolitan area should help to strengthen the position of the company by fulfilling the event catering need that has not been met there as of yet (Ferrell & Hartline, 213). Purchasing more 18 squeelers to increase the reach of the product line should be a next step for Vaughn. The 18 squeeler was one of the first pieces of equipment bought by Rybka and has proven to be invaluable (Ferrell & Hartline, 519).This smoker allows HHBBQ to reach out to people over a wide geographic area, resulting in increased brand awareness which helps build more brand equity (Ferrell & Hartline, 205). Investing in more 18 squeelers will allow HHBBQ to continue expanding the awareness of its high quality product, which will help set up future associations and increased cash flow. In fact, the food truck industry, of which HHBBQ’s squeeler would be considered part, is growing at a rate of 18. % in North Florida which shows that there are still incredible growth opportunities in this arena, although competition is increasing as well (Haughney, 2). Vaughn should also look for more venue arrangements. These arrangements are great opportunities because they offer tremendous upside potential through solid revenues, profits, and exposure (Ferrell & Hartline, 525). Partnering with major arenas such as the Pepsi Center is ideal because massive amounts of people will see and try the product and take that favorable opinion about the brand home with them.HHBBQ is poised to increase cash flow considerably if they can establish similar arrangements with some of the NASCAR events that they are already affiliated with, other popular arenas such as the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, Turner Field in Atla nta, GA, or busy venues such as major zoos, amusement parks, or even in airports. Venture Capital is another way for HHBBQ may be able to help fund growth after the successful Pepsi Center opportunity. Selling a minority stake of the company for cash may be a very smart move in order to fund future growth.HHBBQ will have enough viability now that there will certainly be interested parties. Venture Capital firms, such as Seed Capital, which provides investment in new start-ups, exist to make a return on their investment (Haughney, 3). HHBBQ could fund major expansion with a large influx of cash, as well as hire more support staff to handle the increased demand for product. Increasing the amount of licensing agreements for HHBBQ is also a smart move. Licensing agreements allow HHBBQ to receive substantial cash flow while allowing the company to maintain quality control over both brand and product (Ferrell & Hartline, 524).These controls are still very important, because HHBBQ’s brand image and great tasting food help set the company apart from competitors. Additionally, HHBBQ currently only has a licensing agreement in the Denver, CO area which means that an incredible growth opportunity exists here. Adding a few other major markets would be a wise move to ensure viable cash flows for HHBBQ. 4. If the Aramark/Pepsi Center opportunity turns out to be unsuccessful, what should Vaughn do to ensure the ongoing viability of Hottie Hawgs?If the Aramark/Pepsi decision proves unsuccessful, then Hottie Hawgs would have the opportunity to focus on other investment opportunities. As they do not have an excess of cash flow, it is our belief that Hottie Hawgs would initially benefit from raising capital. This time would also allow the fledgling company to build experience, maturity, and further develop within the growth stage, while having the additional financial flexibility that would come with more capital. Once Hottie Hawgs has raised ample capital, they would the n be able to focus on licensing/franchising, and more â€Å"Squeelers†.This capital would also allow Hottie Hawgs to consider the possibility of a brick and mortar restaurant. Hottie Hawgs has already established that they can attain profitability with the â€Å"Squeelers† once they verify the proper amount of food necessary. So the investment or licensing in additional â€Å"Squeelers† units would allow them to effectively manage the company’s growth. If the decision were to prove unsuccessful, Hottie Hawgs could also take that opportunity to move their operations back to closer to their home base. Atlanta, which has a population of over four million, would be a prime location for Hottie Hawgs to grow.Atlanta, which is a major metropolitan market, hosts NASCAR, MLB, NFL, and NBA, all of which could be potential events or venues where Hottie Hawgs could find success. This would also allow Hottie Hawgs to continue to attend successfully proven events, in t heir proximity, like the Billfish Tournament in Panama City. As noted in the case, Eric Rybka’s initial approach for Hottie Hawg’s branding was to, â€Å"create enough negative publicity to make the brand infamous, and then slowly morph the brand enough to be mainstream†. To ensure viability, Hottie Hawgs can take this unsuccessful decision and turn it an opportunity.They would now have the ability to change their brand to a more mainstream and socially acceptable brand. As we know from our text, a brand is a combination of the company’s name, symbol, and design. Taking an opportunity to refine these would fit well into Eric Rybka’s initial intent and direction of the company. This unsuccessful decision can also be turned into an opportunity for Hottie Hawgs to consider improvements or revisions of existing products. As noted in our text, these improvements or revisions can create a â€Å"greater perceived value† for the customer.In these ch allenging economic times, Hottie Hawgs could also consider cost reduction strategies. As noted in our text, cost reduction strategies would allow Hottie Hawgs to maintain a level of performance, but do so, â€Å"at a lower price†. This would allow Hottie Hawgs to appeal to the most cost conscious customers, but maintain the level of performance that has brought them initial success. This strategy could be achieved by considering lower cost meat providers, lower priced ingredients, or reducing costs in other facets of the restaurant, such as plates, utensils, cups, or napkins.Hottie Hawgs could also consider a co-branding strategy. Hottie Hawgs could contract and have Coke and Hottie Hawgs brand marks on their cups. They could also co-brand with locally prevalent companies to put their advertising on Hottie Hawgs to-go bags or boxes, along with Hottie Hawgs brand marks. Overall, it is our determination that if the Aramark/Pepsi decision proves to be unsuccessful, Hottie Hawgs still has a multitude of opportunities to maintain viability. Hottie Hawgs can consider licensing/franchising opportunities.They can make a decision to raise capital to obtain more Squeelers. They can consider other venues, like Atlanta, with the reasons that we noted above. Lastly, they can consider reconfiguring some of their strategies, utilizing concepts from the text, that would allow them to refine some of their strategies in an effort to maximize the fulfillment of the customer’s needs, while attracting a greater customer base. Even if the Aramark/Pepsi decision is unsuccessful, that does not mean that Hottie Hawgs is void of alternatives that can allow them to maintain viability and rofitability. O. C. Ferrell & Michael D. Hartline: â€Å"Marketing Strategy, Fifth Edition†    2011 Haughney, Kathleen. â€Å"Keep On (Food) Trucking. †   850businessmagazine. com. 850 Business Magazine. Web. 02 March   2013. http://www. 850businessmagazine. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=601%3Akeep-on-food-trucking&catid=64%3Aq-and-a&Itemid=1 Couret, Jacques. ‘ARC: Metro Atlanta Population Hits 4. 17 Million† bizjournals. com. Web. August 09, 2012 http://www. bizjournals. com/atlanta/news/2012/08/09/arc-metro-atlanta-population-hits. html? page=all