Four steps of a formal control system Research Paper

Four steps of a formal control system - Research Paper Example Measurement of performance entails activities such as the counting of the number of products or units created, distributed or the amount of cash inflows, outflows and income earned. To measure performance, the requisite data must be collected. The sources of this data could be observation of production activities, written reports from supervisors or managers, and oral reports from employees. Thus, organizations should have skilled staffs to collect and analyze the relevant data. Luckily, the current technological advances and computerization have made it easier for organizations to collect and analyze data and give reports in formats that are easily understood. In addition to making analysis easier, technology has decreased the cost of data handling processes for organizations. Once performance is measured, the findings should be handed over to the right persons to take the recommended courses of action. This handover must be done in time for the timely rectification of discrepancies or variations. The measured performance should then be compared with the standards set at the first step. This exercise is referred to as performance evaluation, to establish the extent to which the standards are met or the objectives are achieved. The impacts of variations or deviations in performance from standards vary across industries and across departments in an organization. For sensitive manufacturing processes, a slight deviation could be detrimental to product quality, thus, to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay Example for Free

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay The mobile phone has many advantages and disadvantages. It is easy to contact friends and family. Since the first mobile was created we have been able to make calls to anywhere in the world by the click of a button. You are able to get in touch with people nearly 24/7. You have access to constant internet. Having the internet at your finger tips any time you need it has many advantages. Need to find out want time a movie is on in the cinema? No problem. Need to look up the number of a restaurant you fancy having dinner at? Just use your phone. A mobile phone is an all in one device. Having music, a camera, GPS, phone and mini laptop all in one device is handy. Nowadays we use our phones as our calculator, flashlight and fax machine. Many people do not even own a camera anymore as who needs one when you can high quality shots with you camera phone. Mobile phones also allow us to facetime or Skype family and friends. Skype and facetime allow us to view our friends and family members no matter where they are in the world. These apps also allow you to choose between making a video and a voice call. You can connect with anyone else who has internet connection. People survived for years without carrying a phone with them. Its becoming a necessity for people to carry portable phones with them. Having a phone which is portable is handy for those situations where you break down on a country road; a portable phone can help make sure you are never stuck. Phones nowadays work almost everywhere, there are very few locations where phones dont work. Read more:  Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology Essay A phone helps ensure business people are always in touch with their clients and those who they need to talk to right away, from work or even at home. A portable phone works if charged during power outs, after accidents or whenever an emergency arises, a phone can be a lifesaver. Portable phones are becoming entertainment on the go. From television and movie downloads to games. Portable phones are great for helping people organize their lives. Some phones can handle e-mail addresses, appointments and more. Its like carrying a personal computer with you on the go. Mobile phones do so much that we find ourselves glued to them almost every day instead of people interacting with each other they sit with their eyes stuck to their phones having virtual conversations instead of real ones.  When trying to do work it is hard to concentrate when there is a mobile sitting staring at you as the temptation to have a look on facebook or other websites is huge. Mobile phones can actually cost lives when drivers, focused on their mobile phones lose control of their vehicles and cause major accidents. Not as serious but you could fall down stairs, trip or run into something or someone when you’re stuck on facebook. Most phones nowadays have passwords on them but if you leave your phone unlocked and someone gets a hold of it them all your details are exposed – your contacts, messages, social media accounts and maybe even your bank details. Even if your phone is protected with a password a hacker can still access your information if they really want to. There is a lot of evidence that mobile phones cause damage to the brain. Phones produce radiation and should not be left near you when sleeping. They also affect a lot of people’s sleeping patterns which result in sleeplessness and insomnia. Many people like to be constantly upgraded with the newest phone. Some people want a different phone every month, as well as all the accessories that are now on the market for each mobile phone. Also what is the point of a phone without credit? Mobile phones are bottomless money pits. The landline also has many advantages and disadvantages. A landline always has coverage making it totally reliable and easy to access in the case of an emergency. In case of an unfortunate event of an earthquake or landslide, the mobile phone receives no network while the landline stays active. The reliability of a land line makes them advantageous when it comes to emergencies. For example, if someone is hurt and needs immediate medical care, you do not have to worry about poor reception. Landlines also provide a fixed location that emergency responders can rush to. If there is no power and a mobile phone dies, the user is without a phone completely if there is no landline connected to a wired phone. A landline home phones will rescue a user when their mobile phone dies. The larger size of a landline phone allows you to more easily cradle the phone between your head and shoulder. In general, landlines are much less expensive than mobile phones. The setup costs, hardware costs and calling costs of mobile phones are all typically higher. Most landline service providers offer free local calls. Keeping a landline at home can help reduce your phone bill and allow you to talk as  long as you want without worrying about racking up charges. Landlines do not meet the needs of people today. Most people spend more time outside the home. Using their mobile phone allows freedom from checking the home recorder for messages. Nowadays if someone is waiting on an important call they do not have to sit at home and wait for the call. They can send and receive calls from anywhere there is phone service. A landline is not portable and it cannot travel with you. Landline service only works inside the home and it also limits the callers ability to move around while on a call. Landline services offer fewer options than mobile phone services. Many mobile phone companies include internet access, text messaging, voice mail and a whole range of applications. Landlines however do not include these options. If you have a landline phone, your number and home address is in the phone book. While there are benefits to having your number listed, theres also one huge disadvantage which is telemarketers. Landline phones are more likely to get calls from telemarketers trying to sell you something at all hours. Thats because many calling centres will scroll through the phone book, calling listed number after number. These can be annoying to phone owners. Landlines consume more energy than cell phones, as they remain plugged in at all times. This is true of cordless landline phones as well, because of the charger required. While mobile phones do not last as long as landlines they are easier to recycle. The Internet has been the greatest means of communication yet. It is now faster and more reliable than ever. Nowadays it is possible to use video, chat and messenger services. There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to meet new people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends. Social networking has become so popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great way to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding long-lost friends, you can also look for a job, business opportunities. The Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc., and right from your home. Entertainment is another popular reason why many  people prefer to surf the Internet. The internet has even become some peoples TV as you can watch endless programmes at the click of a button. Also downloading games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. The Internet has any kind of information on any topic under the sun. The search engines help you to find data on any subject that you need. You can also shop online, there are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home. E-mail is another advantage, with e-mail you can send and receive instant electronic messages. Your messages are delivered instantly to people anywhere in the world. If you use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, you may risk a theft to your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. People can access this information through unsecured connections then use your personal details for their benefit. Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus programs may get activated if you click a seemingly harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very prone to targeted virus attacks and may end up crashing. People are drifting apart from their friends and family because of the internet. Even children prefer to play online games rather than going out and mingling with other kids. The Internet can be harmful to little children. Children nowadays use the Internet on a daily basis. The Internet has provided a way for children to gain access to all sorts of websites. Cyber bullying is also another huge disadvantage when it comes to the internet. There are now many more ways that people can be harassed and bullied when they have access to the internet. Cyber bullying is one of the worst as it invades the victims’ life in a place they are comfortable in and think they are safe, because they are being harassed in their personal area, cyber bullying leads to more depression decreased self esteem, loneliness and suicide which are all big disadvantages. Another disadvantage of the internet is that it has allowed a great deal of anonymity to a large number of people who have access to different websites and chat rooms available. This has allowed perverted individuals to take advantage of innocent people and abuse their trust. We can always hear from news that paedophiles used  the internet to make crimes. With all its falls the internet has the potential to ma ke your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak havoc in your life. Having a fax machine certainly has its benefits, there are also disadvantages associated with relying on this sending tool. With a fax machine, you can quickly send documents from one building to another without any cost. Not only does a fax machine make this rapid transfer easier and more cost-effective, it also allows for the transfer to take place more quickly. Fax machines provide senders with a receipt after the document has finished the fax process; the user has some evidence that they did, in fact, send the document. Faxes are delivered immediately to around the globe. This method of data transmission is effective when access to email or file share are unattainable or unfeasible. Fax machines are very inexpensive and several are part of multifunction systems. Just like all technology, fax machines can fail. If a company depends too heavily upon the fax machine and the machine fails to operate, the people using the machine may experience some difficulty. Also you cannot send a fax to someone who does not also have a fax machine; the receiver must have a fax machine to get the document. Documents you sent may not be as safe and secure. Information thieves have ways of pulling information from old fax machines or discarded printing cartridges. Any time you send a document, via fax or otherwise, you open up the possibility of someone accessing your data, putting you at risk. Fax machines take up space and also create an opportunity for mechanical failures that may require costly repairs. Emailing documents takes no additional hardware besides an existing computer, and files can be stored digitally rather than taking up space in paper form. Fax machines need regular maintenance. You have to stock the machines with paper and also supply toner, which are the powdered ink fax machines use to print. There is also the possibility that once a document has been faxed and the information is read or entered into a computer, the paper will be thrown away or recycled. Finally, like every machine, fax machines require occasional cleaning.

Strategic Marketing Management Sainsburys

Strategic Marketing Management Sainsburys Introduction J Sainsbury plc is a huge UK based food retailer with interest in financial services. Its chain of supermarkets has survived the challenges of competitive retail business since 1869, which makes it the longest standing major food retailing chain in UK. With the heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food it has indeed come a long way from a small store from Drury lane to the current headquarter in Holborn, London. Currently it is serving over 18 million customers just in a week and have a market share of a staggering 16%. Along with its 502 supermarkets it has over the course of time diversified its business to 290 Sainsburys convenience stores, an internet-based home delivery shopping service and Sainsburys Bank. The internet-based home delivery shopping is available noticeably to about 88 percent of the UK households. They clearly identified five areas to focus on in order to maintain their superiority in the retail business which were a) Great food at fair prices b) Accelerating the growth of complementary non-food ranges c) Reaching more customers through additional channels d) Growing supermarket space e) Active property management. Situation Review In order to perform the situation review as a Marketing Consultant I have decided to conduct a SWOT analysis of J Sainsbury Plc. The reason behind my selection of SWOT analysis is that it has been used for a long time and is a trusted tool of strategic and marketing analysis. Its importance in reviewing the situation of a company is massive as it suggests ways in which the organisation can profit from strengths and opportunities and shield itself from weaknesses and threats (Adams, 2005). After the explanation of every SWOT elements of J Sainsbury Plc Ive also mentioned the likely effect of such elements to their competitive advantages and brand. However it is a method that has to be used very carefully because if not thought or investigated properly the results will not provide the actual picture. Strength There are several strengths of Sainsbury that needs be highlighted when performing a situation review which are analysed below: Sainsburys as a brand: Brand of Sainsburys stands it out amongst the crowd of other supermarkets. The goodwill that has been built over 140 years of service in its business is represented by its brand and that has several benefits like customer loyalty, brand familiarisation, increase and maintenance of customer belief etc. If Sainsburys want to increase its outlets the cost involved for advertisement for the local areas will be far less than that for a smaller organisation with a lesser known brand. Having such a strong brand is definitely continue to enhance its competitive advantage as other new competitors will have a hard time building up such a good brand as it needs a lot of time and effort. Use of effective Marketing Strategy: Sainsburys like any other large company has to use effective marketing strategy. It has been doing so very well and which is why it stood up the test of time. Sainsburys use of Jamie Oliver one of Britains most high profile chefs who famously launched campaigns regarding healthy eating in different sections of the community in its advertisements can be considered as a very good marketing move. It was like using a renowned dentist to promote toothpaste as it adds to the customers the trust for healthy food for good price. The positive effects of the campaign were apparent as shown in the growth of the sales in Sainsburys. With its effective marketing strategy Sainsbury is far likely to attract more customers and increase their competitiveness and enhancement of their already powerful and attractive brand. Human Resource Policy: There is equal opportunities policy in Sainsbury on different functions like recruitment, promotional, training and development etc. Their policy basically focuses on keeping their staff motivated and providing them with proper training. These kinds of policies have enhanced the reputation of Sainsbury as a very good employer. Having a good HR policy will only have positive results in terms of their competitiveness and brand as people will be more inclined towards joining with their team and most importantly staying with them. Conveniently located: Due to its huge network of outlets there is always a Sainsbury nearby. This is a very good advantage to have which backs up the effects of the brand. Even if Sainsbury had built up a good brand most people will be only be interested in going to buy groceries and daily necessities if there is a Sainsbury close by. Groceries and daily necessities are prime products of Sainsbury and in order to boost their sales location is of prime importance. Like I mentioned convenience is a key to a retailers success and its wide spread outlet helps them to provide customers with opportunity to stay loyal to them. Reliability and trust: Sainsbury have built up over the years, a sense of the trust and reliability among customers. Customers believe on Sainsbury that it would not compromise on health and safety issues. They also trust Sainsbury on providing very competitive prices for the products if not the cheapest. When there is trust among customers about your product and services they will continue to remain your customers. Extra care is taken by Sainsbury and this will in future continue to boost their image. Environment Friendly: Sainsbury has always been environmentally aware while performing its business. Some of Sainsburys efforts are mentioned below: It uses environment friendly till printers. It gave away eco-friendly loo rolls as promotional offers. It opened environment-friendly store in Dartmouth, Devon which was built with recycled materials and will help in reducing its energy bills. It signed a landmark deal that has enabled the creation of a new  £8 million wind project at Lochhead in Scotland, due to be completed in Summer 2009. The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) means that Sainsburys will purchase energy direct from A7 Lochhead Ltd. for the next ten years. These efforts mean that customers will have in the back of their mind that Sainsbury is doing its part in the great cause of saving the environment. The reputation has been slowly building in this regard and will continue to grow further. Try something new today: Even by the slogan we can understand that there are a range of products available in similar categories. Sainsbury take every possible care to match the changing needs of the different cultures and communities with its products and on doing so provides multi choices to customers. For example, Frozen Chicken Tikka Masala (Indian dish), Chicken Dumplings (Chinese dish) etc found in Sainsbury. This strength of Sainsbury means that it will increase its customer base, retain its customer by spoiling them with choice and attract new suppliers as well, boosting its competitive advantage and brand name in the process. Weaknesses Lack of international expansion: Sainsbury has always been a brand that is famous only in Britain. It hasnt ventured into the international market that much as yet. In other words it has not been adventurous enough. Its main rival Tesco has been more successful in this regard than them which will hamper their growth and market domination. This weakness will definitely haunt them as with more international coverage its rival will be more powerful and have more flexibility which means theyll gain more competitive advantage and a better brand name. No self-service: In todays world time is money. The service should be up to the standard at the same time it should be time efficient. Due to which self-service system has proven to be very effective over the years. However, there are no self-service systems like self-checkout counters in most of the Sainsburys stores. Providing time efficient service in every way is a key to any companys success and Sainsbury has not fully integrated this theory in their practice which will have negative effects in their competitive advantage and brand. Implementation problem: There have been many such cases in Sainsbury where they have been found short on the implementation of the pre-determined plans. It can be considered as one of their major weakness. There is no point of planning if it were not be implemented. It will affect adversely to their morale and brand doing a world of good to that of their competitors. Opportunities Every organisation in order to survive and compete in a market has to keep a close eye on any opportunity of growth, expansion, diversification, merger etc. Opportunities are something if not grabbed at the right moment the value of it later will be significantly diminished or elapsed. On the current situation I have tried to categorise some of the opportunities that lay in front of J Sainsbury, which are as follows: Growth: Sainsbury has been involved in other projects as well like its investments in property, banking, environmental issues etc. These kinds of alternative business present great opportunities for future growth. Growth is vital for any companys competitiveness and for Sainsbury its no different. Suppliers and Partners: Food for Britain (FFB) is Sainsburys partner and supplier. FFB helps its clients access new opportunities abroad through a network of nine international offices, associates in developing markets and a range of London-based services. Maintaining a good supply chain will help Sainsbury to be cost effective and hence competitive. Technology: This is a modern age of technology where every company has to find ways to upgrade their services using technology. Sainsbury has had bad experiences for not planning technology better when they had to buy back  £1.8b worth of technology outsourcing deal with Accenture. However there are huge opportunities in front of Sainsbury in the future for further development in technology. Technology is one of the key aspects in todays IT age to stay competitive. Previously overlooked Market Segments: Ive mentioned earlier that Sainsbury has not ventured into many international markets. This thus provides it with great opportunities for future to go forward towards those markets which were not considered fruitful. Markets changes with the economy and previously overlooked markets need to be analysed now and then which might prove very helpful to edge ahead of your competitor. Social Patterns: Understanding of the changing social patterns is a challenge as well as opportunity for Sainsbury. Understanding the need of the current society is vital. Threats Threats are other external factor that needs to be give considerable attention in order better prepare the company to face them in a proper way. It is one of the major component on determining the companys performance and situation. There will definitely be some underlying threats for every kind of industry and the company must take appropriate measures to deal with them. Threats however cannot always be identified beforehand so awareness of the environment is the key. Some of both the underlying/imminent and possible threats of J Sainsburys are explained below: Entrance of new competitors: Sainsbury needs like any other company watch out for entrance of any new competitors. This is a serious threat and emerging competitions should be monitored. Too much environment friendly: Huge investments have made in environmental and green issues without immediate benefits. There is a threat of doing it a bit too much. Actually a balance has to be maintained and cost should be controlled to remain competitive. Technological Changes: Technology is changing all the time and it is a massive threat to Sainsbury as well. Expansion of Competitors: Expansion of its competitors like Tesco have to be monitored carefully as their expansion is a clear threat to Sainsburys market coverage. This threat if not addressed properly can harm gravely to the competitiveness of Sainsbury and its brand name as well. Foreign company takeover: We can say that Sainsbury represents the British people. It lacks of international expansion also means that most of their customers are British. However there was a takeover bid by the Qataris Private equity firm which can have serious implications as its customers who are predominantly British will gravitate towards other British companies at the prospect of Sainsburys being governed by a foreign firm. This is also a significant threat as it will diminish the competitive advantage and brand name built by Sainsbury on British people. Task-B Explanation of various marketing strategies and how they can be used by J Sainsbury Plc to achieve competitive advantages and long term growth. In order to fulfill the visions of a company by fulfilling the its goals a proper marketing strategy needs to be formulated. Marketing strategies are the corner stones upon which marketing plans can be based. Market strategies include a series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective in order to achieve marketing goals. Marketing strategies amalgamates the organizations marketing goals, policies, and tactics into an effective unit. Markets change their nature and behaviour constantly so for marketing strategies to become successful it needs not only to be properly planned but should be dynamic and interactive. Types of strategies Marketing strategies need to be formulated as per the need of the market situation for any given company. However there are of ways of generalizing some of the common strategies. There are several general marketing strategies that have emerged of which some are presented below: 1. The strategies that are based on market dominance Here there are basically three types of market dominance strategies: Leader Challenger Follower 2. Innovation strategies This strategy basically goes for promoting new product development, cutting edge technology and business innovation. In this type of strategy there are three types: Pioneers Close followers Late followers 3. Growth strategies This scheme focuses more on growth of the company. Some ways of differentiating the strategies are as follows: Horizontal integration Vertical integration Diversification Intensification 4. Porter generic strategies Porters these strategies are the most commonly used strategies so needs to be discussed in detail. Michael Porter described the generic strategies as not firm or industry dependant but general. These strategies were initiated in the early 1980s, and till date it has been widely used. According to Porter for any company go generate profit the attractiveness of the industry itself may be the main factor however even if the industry is doing not very well the company can still make good returns if it holds a good position in the industry. In order to position itself properly in the industry the firm has to leverage its strengths. When these strengths are applied in either broad or narrow scope the following generic strategies are evolved: Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Further explatnation: Cost leadership: The motto of this type of strategy is to remain cost effective and gain competitive advantage though being able to produce at the lowest cost at a given quality level. With its low cost the company can benefit in two ways. One, it can obtain higher returns against its rival while selling at industrial average and two it can benefit from increased market share while selling below industrial average which it can do without making loss. There are many ways to achieve this kind of leadership some of which are mentioned below: Improving the efficiency of processing Research in obtaining cheaper raw materials Utilising the benefits of outsourcing Avoiding various leakages in cost controls. Differential Leadership: As its name suggest, this strategy tries to dominate the market by developing products and services which are different and at the same time also appreciated by customers more than other products and services available generally in the market. The customers are hence ready to pay some extra due to the uniqueness of the product. However it needs the following kinds of strengths to achieve success in this strategy: Able to invest in research and developments. Highly skilled manpower. Creativity and insight. Proper marketing tools and media. Goodwill in regards to quality and innovation. No close substitute of product/service available in the market. Focus Strategy: This strategy basically focuses on attempting to achieve either cost or differentiation advantage upon a narrow segment of market. The assumption behind this strategy is that when strategies are focussed on a narrow segment of market the actual needs of such a market can be addressed. It tries to achieve as much customer loyalty as it can in order to be competitive. The main drawback of this strategy is that it will lose its bargaining power with the suppliers while focussing on a narrow market and producing less. Other risks might be that a broad-market leader may influence its target market and as its market is limited there will be no flexibility or room for tackling such competitiveness. Having said that, if the focus strategy is based on differentiation advantage due to its uniqueness it will be able to maintain its competitiveness. In light of the marketing strategies propounded by Michael Porter, J Sainsbury Plc can use these strategies to gain competitive advantage and long term goals in the following ways: As the brand of Sainsbury is of such worth it can use differential strategy to invest in research and production of its own organic food, special diet food, environment friendly recycle bags and other products. Due to its huge coverage of market and large human resources it might be beneficial for them to use differential strategy like opening its own training institute for retailing, health and safety clinics etc. As close proximity of its stores is a major strength of Sainsbury it can use focus strategy to increase its sales. For example: opening special vegetarian oriented store in a community which is thickly populated with Gujrati people ( a tribe of Indian people who are mostly vegetarian). Due to its strong and long partnership with Food For Britain (FFB) and its operation in a broad scope with good purchasing power it can use cost leadership strategy and reduce its cost of purchase. Differential strategy can be used to promote its products as it already has goodwill as environmentally friendly retailer. With its possession of good HR system and career security it can use differential strategy and can acquire capable human resource at affordable price. Task-C Analysis of Current marketing environment for J Sainsbury Plc and Recommendations on how the marketing mix elements may be developed to contribute to enhance their goals and values. In order to comment on the marketing mix that can be developed by Sainsbury to contribute to enhance their goals and values Ive first analysed the current marketing environment of J Sainsbury Plc and then explained further about the marketing mix. Environment and its factors: Globalisation: With rapid increase in globalization Sainsbury like any other company has to face a lot of challenges. The basic challenge is to fight to off the competition to achieve best value for quality supply of its products. Opportunities like entering new markets via joint venture and partnerships etc also arise due to globalisation. The price fixing scandal: Sainsbury is one of the four retailers within the UK who are most likely to be affected by this scandal or allegation. Sainsbury has a strong presence in the market and possession of a good public image there is a serious threat of this being hampered by the recent allegations. Tax rate: Corporation Tax rate is fixed by the government in UK like any other country. It keeps on fluctuating generally upon the need of the industry. Currently UK government has changed the tax rate to 28% from 30%. A huge amount of tax is paid by a company like Sainsbury every year and this change of 2% is a massive cut in the tax rate which means there is more margin in profit. Cost of products prices: Food prices have risen dramatically since the increment in global food crisis resulting in the rise in Sainsburys costs. This will mean that the increased cost will be passed on to the customers and theyll have to pay more. Unpredictable fluctuations in the fuel costs also has made it even harder to plan and control the cost of production and delivery. The credit crunch: The mentioning of credit crunch while discussing about the current market situation has been an obligation recently. There are basically two ways in which itll affect Sainsburys. One getting finance has become so much difficult as the market has become almost dead and two credit crunch have decreased the purchasing power of consumers. This has created a sense of distrust and suspicion in the market. Sales of luxury items have gone down and even basic products are being bought less. Another section of Sainsbury that has been hit by this is its bank. The Sainsbury bank is not a very established bank and when even the big players in the banking systems are in trouble it has been really difficult time for Sainsburys bank. †¢ Nowadays there seems to be more emphasis on fresh, easy style cooking. This serves an opportunity for Sainsburys to encourage new recipes and unfussy The Internet sales: In order to stay competitive in todays market, internet sales is a phenomenon that has to function well. The Internet accounts for 8% of global advertising spend and is growing rapidly (The Economist, 2007). Sainsburys can further develop in this area. It can either develop itself or outsource the internet system to increase its sales. Marketing mix It is a commonly used marketing term probably the most famous one. It is also known as the Four Ps which are product, price, place and promotion. It is the combination of the elements of marketing and what roles each element plays in promoting your products and services and delivering those products and services to your customers. In short the marketing mix is a set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that work together to achieve companys objectives and goals. The elements of Marketing Mix and how they can be used by Sainsbury: Product: The product is the first element of marketing mix elements that needs to be explained. The products or services offered to your customer have physical attributes what they do, how they differ from your competitors and what benefits they provide to the customers. The product/service has to maintain quality, features, packaging, guarantees, and after-sales service. The basic objective of Sainsburys Supermarkets is stand as the leader of the pack when it comes to consumers choosing their food. They want to deliver products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working faster, simpler and together. For that their product has to be given top priority and only quality products will do for that reason. Environmental friendliness should also be considered while deciding on the product. Services like banking should be made efficient and easy to use. Price: Price is the second most important thing of marketing mix elements. How you price your product or service so that your price remains competitive but allows help to make a good profit. How price plays a role in your marketing strategy with respect to differentiating your products or services from your competitors. The pricing policy including discounts, allowances and credit policies. Your pricing should be based on a realistic assessment of all your costs and take into account what the market will bear and the image you are trying to create. To stay competitive, price should be competitive as well as it is a prime element in the marketing mix. If the price is either very high or very low in regards to its competitors the long term goals will be hindered. Place: Place may also be used in your marketing strategy to differentiate you from your competition in the market. Where your business sells its products or services and how it gets those products or services to your customers. By considering good locations, retailers, inventory implications, transport and warehousing you can reach close to your customers. It will obviously give you a competitive advantage. Place is another important factor that has to be considered by Sainsbury to achieve its long term goal. It has a huge number of outlets around UK and is in close proximity with its customers. It should however always look to build upon it more. Promotion: Promotion is used to communicate with the customers and express the features and benefits of your products/services to your target customers. Promotions may include advertising, personal selling, public relations, networking, web-based marketing etc. By doing this you will express your product and its features to the customers to attract them to by the products and it will be helpful to earn profit. Sainsbury has built up its image as a very good retailer in terms of its product quality, environmental friendliness, services etc. Partly its such success in creating such an image goes to its promotion and advertisements, like using Jamie Oliver in its advertisements. There are much rooms for improvements in that area as well. References: Lecture notes provided by our lecturer Dr. Roman Puchkov Mica R. Endsley, Daniel J. Garland, 2000, Theoretical Underpinnings of Situation Awareness, 2nd Edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 383pp. O Connor J and Galvin E, 1999, Marketing in the Digital Age, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall. Doyle P, 2001, Marketing Management and Strategy, Prentice Hall. Official website of Sainsbury, www. Sainsburys.co.uk

Gay Rights Essay -- Equality Homosexuality Papers

Gay Rights Throughout history, homosexuality has been looked down upon and legislated against. The law has prohibited any type of behavior outside of the heterosexual relationship. This deviant behavior has included not only homosexuality butalso fornication, adultery, oral, and anal sex. Originally, religious laws prohibited these types of behavior; then civil laws followed suit. The reasoning for these prohibitions is that marriagebetween a man and a woman is the cornerstone of society. "The idea of a man,a woman, and children is what civilization is based on." Therefore, any acts outside of a heterosexual marriage are viewed by fundamentalists as an erosion of society as stated by the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In our group there is a consensusthat homosexuals should have complete equality with everyone else in this country to not only marryand engage in sexual activities, but also to raise children. This is the result of the factthat in the recent past homosexuals, as well as women, have challenged these restrictions in the courts as well as in the media. Their actions have had a tremendous effect not only on our group butalso on a vast amount of people in this country. Just twenty yearsago there would have been a much greater opposition to equality for homosexuals. Butas a result of their involvement, public awareness has been raised. This paper aims to deal with specific constitutional arguments, a number of court cases, the opinions of a few Hunter College students we talkedto, and the role that homosexuals play in the media. Challenges have beenmade on restrictions of same sex marriages as well as restrictions on adoption by a homosexual couple.Constitutional arguments such as ... ...ore acceptable topic to discuss in society due to the influence of the media and court decisions. As a result, homosexuals are no longer apprehensive to demand their rightful place insociety, along with their civil rights and right to equal protection. Withthe help of public figures and the open- mindedness of the courts and the general public, thequestion of whether homosexuals are entitled to equalrights will be relegated to history. Bibliography BOOKS The Challenge of Democracy, Janda, Berry,Goldman. Fifth edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997 The Law of Sex and Discrimination, J. RalphLindgren and Nadine Taub. Second edition. West Publishing,1998. Sexual Orientation and Human Rights, RobertWintemute. Oxford Press, 1995. WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.aclu.org/news/n061997a.html http://www.nonline.com/procon/html/gayadoptpro.htm

Capital Budgeting Process Essay

Capital budgeting is one of the most important financing tools used to examine expenditures and future projects in the capital spending and to budget for projects and all other analysis of spending for the future. This gives a heads up for healthcare managers to control their spending not only for capital expenditures but other spending such as payments and utilities for the organization. Capital budgeting is a large process that takes many different aspects to run. While capital budgeting is one of the most important aspects in healthcare finance, it is also a broad topic. A bond is a financing tool that is used when an issuer gives a statement to the payee for money and an interest payment is made to the payee at certain times. When an organization goes through the process of issuing a bond, they go through six major steps to accomplish bond issuing and determine whether this is the best decision at the time. Before issuing a bond, the issuer examines their capital plan and determines whether a bond is needed financially. Next, the issuer looks at the options for payees within bond issuance and is then examined by a credit rating agency to see if their credit score is high enough to issue a bond. After being examined by the credit rating agency, the bond itself is examined by the agency and after it is approved, the borrower is given terms and conditions to accept from the borrower. The last step that an organization must go through to issue is to sell the bond. These are sold to the payer where they give the money needed for the specific amount. While bonds are a great way to manage debt and become financially secure, leasing is another way that healthcare facilities manage their debt. Leasing refers to a contract where the lessee pays the owner rent or money for assets for a contracted time where the contract can be renewed and reinstated for longer term usage of those assets. Leasing is undertaken primarily because they don’t have to take care of the maintenance that comes with leasing assets. The owner of the machinery, facility, equipment or anything else that can be leased must continue routine maintenance saving the facility money on expenditure amounts within the spending area. If a facility is struggling for money, there are options such as bonds and leasing to decrease costs and increase the needed funds. There are two major types of leases that healthcare facilities must understand which are capital leases and operating leases. A capital lease, or financial lease, is used to lease assets for as long as the asset will remain available and running. The lessee is required by the contract of the lease to pay for the assets being used as long as the lease is in motion. Operating lease is almost the opposite of a capital lease. Operating leases are used for terms that are usually breakable and shorter than the assets given period of operation. Short term borrowing is a term used to describe when a company is in debt for a term of one year or less. These debts are usually paid back in that year and are usually short term bank loans that are used to finance a company. Long term financing is the exact opposite of a short term loan. It is used when a company needs to be financed for longer than one year or will not be paid back within that year. It can be from a single loan or multiple loans and is used when there are no plans or availability to have these loans paid back within the year. Equity financing sources for nonprofit organizations include internally generated funds, philanthropy, and government grants. These are used to finance and support organizations that are non profit and that help those in need. Today, more and more organizations are becoming nonprofit and are used by their own money, grants and loans and stocks and bonds. These are all primary sources for nonprofit organizations to keep serving communities in the healthcare world. Capital Budgeting process does occur in several extensive stages that include many different objectives for projects and programs for healthcare organizations. These generally include expenditures and the budget that comes along with those steps. These are used so that there are different views of the budget and what needs to be completed and examined in order to see the direction headed. Three discounted cash flow methods that are used include net present value, profitability index and equivalent annual cost. Net present value is the amount of the investment compared to incomes after the discount has been applied. (Cleverley, 529). The profitability is the ratio of the NPV and investment costs. (Cleverley, 533). This is used to compare rates of return on capital budgeting. Finally, the equivalent annual cost is the spending of the project compared to the capital spending and the operation costs when not leased but fully owned.

Music Concert Report essays

Music Concert Report essays On Sunday November 10, 2002 at 4:00 PM I went to Queensborough Community College/CUNY located at 56th Avenue and Springfield Blvd., Bayside, NY and I saw Masterworks Series Coffee Cantata presented by the Queens Symphony Orchestra featuring Maria Ferrante, Soprano; Eric Fennell, Tenor; Nmon Ford, Baritone. This was a free performance courtesy of Queensborough Community College and the Queens Symphony Orchestra. The physical surroundings of the theater were full of acoustics to prevent echoing, and it also had dome lighting which gives it a modern effect. The behavior and attire of the audience was atrocious, people were putting there feet up and over the chairs in front of them like they would do at home and people were leaving early in the middle of movements. This is what happens when tickets are free and they let anyone in. The performers were wearing black tie attire. Of course they were behaving since it was there own performance. The composition I like best was the Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I especially like movement 1, Allegro moderato. The style is classical; it is classical because it was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1774, and historians classified him that group. I like this composition best because it has the most sensation to it, unlike no other composition during this performance. The composition I liked lease was Quiet City composed by Aaron Copland. The style is modern; it is modern because it was published in 1941. I didnt like it mainly because it was dull and unexciting; it almost made me want to fall asleep. This was not a new experience to me since I have been to other musicals with my previous classes in other schools. It was not difference than what I expected. This was like any other concert Id been to in the past. I did un-expectantly enjoy the experience. I would not recommend others to go to thi ...

Free Essays on A Fathers Impact

A father’s absence in a child’s life can have a significant impact on a child, but wether it is an important factor in criminal behavior is something that I seriously doubt. A father’s absence can cause several key problems. The first of which is that it creates a single parent household. This means less supervision with the one parent being forced to work and often time work long hours to support the family. The less supervision means that there is more of a possibility for peer influence in a child’s life, especially during those key after school hours when most juvenile crimes are committed. However, I believe while those things do factor in, the most important factor in a child’s life is the example and morals guidance provided by the mother in the father’s absence. I will use myself as an example. My father was abusive, and an alcoholic and my mother left him when I was 5. While I’m sure this was somewhat traumatic for me at the time, its impact was minimal. Despite the fact that we lived below the poverty line and in government housing my mother continued to practice and teach good moral character. Even after she joined the military, we still struggled financially as she was a single mother with two children. The key to I guess my so called criminal prevention was that she laid down strict rules and guidelines. Although she was not around nearly as much as she would have liked, when she was, she made sure that we were loved and guided. It sounds simple, and perhaps it is. Criminal behavior is learned. It is not a result of the absence of something missing in your life. You can’t miss what you never had. The problem develops when a mother fails to provide guidance in the absence of the other parent. Often single mothers are young and aren’t prepared for motherhood. In turn they themselves aren’t sure how to guide a child, or don’t realize the impact that a lack of supervision will have on th... Free Essays on A Fathers Impact Free Essays on A Fathers Impact A father’s absence in a child’s life can have a significant impact on a child, but wether it is an important factor in criminal behavior is something that I seriously doubt. A father’s absence can cause several key problems. The first of which is that it creates a single parent household. This means less supervision with the one parent being forced to work and often time work long hours to support the family. The less supervision means that there is more of a possibility for peer influence in a child’s life, especially during those key after school hours when most juvenile crimes are committed. However, I believe while those things do factor in, the most important factor in a child’s life is the example and morals guidance provided by the mother in the father’s absence. I will use myself as an example. My father was abusive, and an alcoholic and my mother left him when I was 5. While I’m sure this was somewhat traumatic for me at the time, its impact was minimal. Despite the fact that we lived below the poverty line and in government housing my mother continued to practice and teach good moral character. Even after she joined the military, we still struggled financially as she was a single mother with two children. The key to I guess my so called criminal prevention was that she laid down strict rules and guidelines. Although she was not around nearly as much as she would have liked, when she was, she made sure that we were loved and guided. It sounds simple, and perhaps it is. Criminal behavior is learned. It is not a result of the absence of something missing in your life. You can’t miss what you never had. The problem develops when a mother fails to provide guidance in the absence of the other parent. Often single mothers are young and aren’t prepared for motherhood. In turn they themselves aren’t sure how to guide a child, or don’t realize the impact that a lack of supervision will have on th...

Flanking in a Price War essays

Flanking in a Price War essays The article Flanking in a Price War discusses a pricing experiment that was conducted in the Quebec grocery industry. The experiment was initiated by a grocery chain in Quebec that was concerned about a possible price war between the major players in the market. Given in the article is a background of the Quebec grocery industry and its typical pricing strategies and marketing theory. It also discusses the different ways to look at pricing tactics other than the traditional price slashing that had happened before. The experiment looks at other ways to categorize products that may react differently to pricing changes. The Bayesian theory of using the knowledge of prior events to predict future events in implemented in executing the results of the experiment The article first focuses on the Steinberg grocery chain. In the late 80s Steinberg needed to increase their market share. It was expected that they would lower their prices and start a price war like they have in the past. IGA- Boni, one of the four major players in the Quebec grocery industry, was concerned over this possibility as they would need to react to any price changes to keep their market share, but doing so would cause large profit losses. The president of IGA-Boni called upon university staff in both Canada and the United States to come up with an alternative game plan. They came up with the following experiment. Previous to this experiment, it was generally thought that price inversely affects quantity sold. A very important proposal in this experiment suggests that there are different price strategies for different types of products. Specifically in this case, stock up and non-stock up goods. Stock up goods are usually non-perishables items; i.e. canned goods, soap or goods that come in large convenient sizes. The non-stock up goods would be the perishable goods like fresh vegetables or milk and space limited items li...

Organizational Culture in the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Culture in the Economy - Essay Example Thus, organizational culture involves three core dimensions that help define the organizational environment and how the organization interacts with the different environments. The customer dimension helps in identifying the driving forces for the company with reference to the type of products and services provided to the customers. However, customer demand as influenced by preferences and tastes tunes the organization towards developing the above-mentioned defining characteristics. The people dimension of culture involves the interaction among organizational stakeholders and how this affects the performance of the organization as well as its ability to retain employees, investors, and attracts new investors as well. Finally, the performance dimension of culture is a defining tool of what the organization is involved with and what competitive advantages put it ahead of the completion. With reference to the various dimensions of organizational culture, it is observed that organizational culture, as it borrows from business culture, is an important aspect that aims at defining purpose and relevance of the organization to the economy, target customers, and the organizational culture (Dalkir, 2011). The impacts of not addressing organizational culture include the inability of the organization to not only lack focus on target customers, but also to develop a negative reputation within its marketplace. Many are the times when the term organizational culture is inappropriately used to refer to positive strategies of an organization. However, while organizational culture is not a set of policies targeting various aspects of the organizational operations, it is considered a set of variables that add up to inform of the organization’s mission and relevance within a defined marketplace. In this case, three major considerations when addressing organizational culture are of crucial importance to organizational management and other stakeholders.  

Social Work - Welfare Agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Work - Welfare Agenda - Essay Example Wales also introduced Childrens Commissioner into the social welfare network. This was later to be implemented by Scotland as well. However, Wales did not limit itself to Children’s Commissioner but rather went a step ahead and introduced the Older Peoples Commissioner. The chairperson of this new post would be bestowed with the primary job to consider and promote interests of the senior citizen in Wales by removing discrimination and modifying legislations among other things. The Welsh Assembly actively participated in these programs. Only in England and Wales has the Mental Capacity Act 2005 been implemented. An adult mental health plan is also in the pipeline as the Welsh Assembly is working on it. The Councils in Wales also take part in the development of the social sector and also helps in the development of the social services workers and volunteers. A Social Services Improvement Agency has also been introduced in Wales in order to develop the services rendered by the local authority. This is done by informing the workforce about the prevalent policies, research and various legislations in practice. Since 2007 the Welsh Assembly government facilitated the amalgamation of two bodies into a new Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). The purpose of the CSSIW was to develop the existing facilities for social services. In the future, one may foresee two possible scenarios1. Qualified social workers are most important to attend to the welfare of the society. Over the years, the demand for social workers has increased leading to an imbalance and which is likely to remain for the next few years to come till there are more qualified social workers pitching for the job. This leads to the consequence wherein there is lack of local authorities to deliver social work services. The challenges thus presently existing the local authorities are

Business report about Mountain West Health Plans Inc Essay

Business report about Mountain West Health Plans Inc - Essay Example This had become a problem to the management because it was labor intensive and consumed two thirds of the annual budget. Therefore, the company’s management had been yearning for Evelyn Gustafson’s replacement so that they could curb the increasing labor costs. Evelyn Gustafson had a long history with the company because she had worked there for a long time. She started her career as a customer service staff until she was promoted to being the director of customer service. Her leadership style was centered on putting oneself in the position of the subordinates. She used this style due to her experience in working in that department, and she understood what the employees went through. In her leadership style, she focused on involving the employees in the tasks by making them understand the company products and policies. She also focused on the quality of service that the subordinates offered to customers. In addition, Evelyn emphasized on employee training on the product s, problem solving and customer service techniques, which helped to ensure customer satisfaction. Her relationship oriented leadership style also involved ensuring the comfort of employees when performing their tasks by allowing them flexible schedules and breaks. However, her leadership style was not was not appealing to the top management, and they endeavored to change it after her retirement by appointing Erick Rasmussen to the post of director of customer service. Erik Rasmussen is a fresh college graduate in business administration, and therefore, he has no experience in the post. He sought to embrace a leadership style that ensured that the top management objectives of lowering costs of operation were achieved. He used a no-nonsense bureaucratic approach in directing and controlling the employees. He introduced the use of performance measurement standards to measure efficiency and performance of employees. This method measures employee performance based on the number of calls or customers that they handle per hour. This approach emphasizes on working speeds of subordinates, and requires them to handle as many customers as possible during their working time. This method would help to reduce the number of employees being employed in the department. His method also introduced a regulation requiring employees to work in monitored schedules. He ensured that employees spent minimal time on each customer they attend to with an objective of reducing call hold time. This method was completely different from the previously used method, which the employees were used to. Through Rasmussen’s method, the company achieved its objective of efficiency and non-flexible scheduling and cutting back on costs associated with employees. A leader should focus on being in charge of command, organizing and directing, setting processes in motion, and being the reason for others to act or change (Scouler and Chapman, 2012). Leadership styles are classifications of the leader ’s behavior in performance of their duties, during our study of the Mountain West Health Plans Inc’s customer service department; we identified several leadership issues, which are highlighted below. Firstly, there is no connection between the leader and the employees (Hendricks, n.d). We found that the leader does not understand the needs

Analysis of Five Forces Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Five Forces Model - Essay Example The first stage refers to the small incremental changes in the market which may cause the demand pattern to change in the market. The impact on the business can be in the form of fall in revenues. The second stage refers to a situation where the change becomes more pronounced which may lead to severe financial distress for the business owners as the changes in the external environment continue to take place. The third stage refers to a situation where the firm realizes that the change in the market conditions is so severe that minor changes made by the management both at the senior and the junior level will not be adequate to solve the crisis. This is a situation which calls for the dramatic strategic shift to increase the market share and revenue of the firm. An inference that can be drawn from this model is that the strategies of a firm require constant changes because strategic drift mainly occurs when the strategies of the firm lose focus about the external conditions in the mark et. Porter’s five forces model is also referred to as the positioning school (Stonehouse and Snowdon, 2007). However, Porter’s models of competitive forces have been subject to major criticism. From an economic point of view, it has been observed by Hax and Wilde (2002) that the model of Porter assumes a perfectly competitive market which is a utopian concept. It has also been observed that Porter’s model can at best be used to analyze simple market structure because as the industry structure becomes complex with multiple interrelations then the model is not very suitable (Hax and Wilde, 2002).

Failure of the Strategic Systems Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Failure of the Strategic Systems - Article Example The financial world responded with uncertainty but they were reassured by the Federal Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank as both of them poured billions of dollars into the financial market. However, the crisis continued to grow as defaults occurred and interest rates were not raised to stem the growing credit market (Essen, 2008). Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan, and several other financial institutes were players that were heavily invested in these subprime loans and as their share prices went down, they looked for opportunities for someone to buy them out or for the government to bail them. In September of this year, the government announced that it would have to take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in what is essentially a bailout of these companies (Kaletsky, 2008). The extent of the crisis was thus made clear to anyone who had any doubts about the situation. Even companies such as AIG made mistakes as they traded in derivates while the economic system was going through difficulties. In fact, the impact of the financial crisis has been felt across the world as nations such as India and Australia have started raising alarms concerning the banks operating in their territories which had financial links to the banks and financial institutes which have gone south (Kaletsky, 2008). The White House has responded with another $500 billion bailout package for the financial markets but analysts are still doubtful if it will save a worldwide economic meltdown (Essen, 2008). When examined in its entirety, it is easy to see that the problems were first created as banks decided to enter the subprime mortgage market which is strategically a very weak division. Had the banks been more strategically aware, they could have judged the economic boom to be short-lived and could have also considered the long-term impact.

To what extent are organisations socially constructed phenomena Essay - 1

To what extent are organisations socially constructed phenomena - Essay Example To understand cultural diversity in organisations, it would be helpful to understand its roots at a sociological level. Cultural diversity at the workplace is a direct result of ‘multiculturalism’ in the society. A multicultural society simply denotes a society in which there exist several cultures (Watson, 2000). Culture is defined as, â€Å"A pattern of shared assumptions a group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you think, perceive, and feel in relation to those problems† (Schein, 2003). So, a multicultural society has in it different groups, which have learned different ways of thinking, perceiving, and tackling problems that exist in the society. Each group taken individually is a society on its own, with its own individual culture. When all these individual societies are brought under one single cor e society, the culture of such a society becomes the core culture, with the individual cultures as its subcultures (Watson, 2002). ... A general view of cultural differences is that they affect intercultural encounters, usually by leading to misunderstanding or conflict, at both the individual and group levels (Larkey, 1996). Larkey explains that at the individual level, as different values, beliefs or worldviews are manifested in communication behaviours and as culture creates differing expectations and differing styles or patterns of speech, interpersonal misunderstanding and conflict can arise. At the group level, inter-group processes can be triggered by, for instance, an individual’s non-verbal behaviour or ways of speaking which stereotypically represent a group (1996). It then becomes the responsibility of the leadership of the core society to introduce a culture and/or change its existing core culture to accommodate the various differences brought in by the subcultures in an integrated manner, where these differences are acknowledged and valued (Lachman et al, 1994). When the above sociological aspect s of culture are compared to a business organisation, the organisation is the core society, and its culture, the core culture. We all refer to this as organisational culture. Analogically speaking, the organisational (core) culture should be designed in such a way that the employees of the company share a basic set of values and assumptions, which tie them to that particular organisation. But, on the individual or group levels, each employee has his/her own cultural norms and practices beyond those they share with other members of the company, which can be safely termed as the subcultures within the organisation (Bate, 1995). While different cultural traits offer different identities to different employees, there are usually certain traits shared by all the employees, which give them a

Analysis of Five Forces Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Five Forces Model - Essay Example The first stage refers to the small incremental changes in the market which may cause the demand pattern to change in the market. The impact on the business can be in the form of fall in revenues. The second stage refers to a situation where the change becomes more pronounced which may lead to severe financial distress for the business owners as the changes in the external environment continue to take place. The third stage refers to a situation where the firm realizes that the change in the market conditions is so severe that minor changes made by the management both at the senior and the junior level will not be adequate to solve the crisis. This is a situation which calls for the dramatic strategic shift to increase the market share and revenue of the firm. An inference that can be drawn from this model is that the strategies of a firm require constant changes because strategic drift mainly occurs when the strategies of the firm lose focus about the external conditions in the mark et. Porter’s five forces model is also referred to as the positioning school (Stonehouse and Snowdon, 2007). However, Porter’s models of competitive forces have been subject to major criticism. From an economic point of view, it has been observed by Hax and Wilde (2002) that the model of Porter assumes a perfectly competitive market which is a utopian concept. It has also been observed that Porter’s model can at best be used to analyze simple market structure because as the industry structure becomes complex with multiple interrelations then the model is not very suitable (Hax and Wilde, 2002).

To what extent are organisations socially constructed phenomena Essay - 1

To what extent are organisations socially constructed phenomena - Essay Example To understand cultural diversity in organisations, it would be helpful to understand its roots at a sociological level. Cultural diversity at the workplace is a direct result of ‘multiculturalism’ in the society. A multicultural society simply denotes a society in which there exist several cultures (Watson, 2000). Culture is defined as, â€Å"A pattern of shared assumptions a group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you think, perceive, and feel in relation to those problems† (Schein, 2003). So, a multicultural society has in it different groups, which have learned different ways of thinking, perceiving, and tackling problems that exist in the society. Each group taken individually is a society on its own, with its own individual culture. When all these individual societies are brought under one single cor e society, the culture of such a society becomes the core culture, with the individual cultures as its subcultures (Watson, 2002). ... A general view of cultural differences is that they affect intercultural encounters, usually by leading to misunderstanding or conflict, at both the individual and group levels (Larkey, 1996). Larkey explains that at the individual level, as different values, beliefs or worldviews are manifested in communication behaviours and as culture creates differing expectations and differing styles or patterns of speech, interpersonal misunderstanding and conflict can arise. At the group level, inter-group processes can be triggered by, for instance, an individual’s non-verbal behaviour or ways of speaking which stereotypically represent a group (1996). It then becomes the responsibility of the leadership of the core society to introduce a culture and/or change its existing core culture to accommodate the various differences brought in by the subcultures in an integrated manner, where these differences are acknowledged and valued (Lachman et al, 1994). When the above sociological aspect s of culture are compared to a business organisation, the organisation is the core society, and its culture, the core culture. We all refer to this as organisational culture. Analogically speaking, the organisational (core) culture should be designed in such a way that the employees of the company share a basic set of values and assumptions, which tie them to that particular organisation. But, on the individual or group levels, each employee has his/her own cultural norms and practices beyond those they share with other members of the company, which can be safely termed as the subcultures within the organisation (Bate, 1995). While different cultural traits offer different identities to different employees, there are usually certain traits shared by all the employees, which give them a

The other sister reflection Essay Example for Free

The other sister reflection Essay This movie portrays how a family, who has a member with a disability, encountered and overcame adversities from within triggered by several environmental factors. The protagonist, Carla Tate, who has an intellectual disability, seeks freedom from her mother, acceptance from others, and attention/love from opposite sex. Eventually she got those as the story developed. This only means that a disability should never serve as a hindrance in achieving your dreams. On the other hand, it lso gives us an idea that persons who have siblings with a disability are also crying out for their parents attention because they too have needs. I never had the chance to experience having a sibling but I wish I had one. Actually, I cant even relate when my cousins/friends speak of sibling rivalry. The bottom line of this is parents should be fair with their children; there should be no room for favoritism because it can serve as the root of quarrels and divisions. One thing that really intrigues me a lot is its title. It made me think about why it is called The Other Sister. When I heard it (the title), I supposed that the protagonist is an illegitimate child. Then as I watch, I realized that I was wrong with my presumption and I ponder that its more far from but deeper than that. I remembered her lines, mies, I can if you will give me a chance, mother, which drew me to a fact that more often than not, our parents worry too much to the point of impeding our capacity to grow. For me, she struggles a lot of being alienated inside her family when she felt at first uncomfortable with hem, when they sent her away to a far special school, and when they still cant fully accept (in denial of) her disability. Alienation because they seem cant hear the voiceawhich cries aloud within her, cant feel the hunger in her heart and cant see the real her. They want to view her the person they want her to be. It might be because they still have in their minds the little Carla whom they can easily dictate or manipulate. She is hardly begging for a chance a chance not only to be independent but also to search for self-identity and to contemplate whom she wants o be despite of her disability. I can hardly bear how much it would be difficult for persons with disability to fght for their right to be heard. Given the fact that they have a disability, still we should not forget that they also have life and right to live it to the fullest. The best part for me is when finally her mother granted her that chance to explore and celebrate life. Though its hard in her part to give that but indeed it was the best decision she made for Carla. Admit it or not, we also undergo/ undergone that same process. To tell you the truth, even l, also experience unending expectations and it sometimes irritates me. Although its not bad for others to expect from you but when youre being bound with too much expectations, it can actually exhaust you, overrule you, and even destroy you. This might serves as a boundary in achieving your goals. Yes, others opinions, including your familys, matter but sometimes it hinders what and who you really want to be. Lesson: never allow others to dictate who you will be; at the end choice is yours. -Remigio, Czarine EFR1-3 the day, its still your lite, which means

Aristotle In Virtue Ethics

Aristotle In Virtue Ethics Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, scientist as well as logician who lived between 384 and 322 BC. Aristotle is highly regarded as one of the famous thinkers in various fields such as political theory. He is an ancient thinker who was an effective contributor together with his teacher Plato. His desire and contribution started at an early age, at the time he was in school in Platos academy in Athens. He has moved places in search of philosophical and biological knowledge. He moved to places such as Asia and Lesbos. His life was known to have the greatest influence to his political thought. Through his travelling, he had various experiences in different kinds of political systems and hence gained a lot in the field of politics. Not only in history he also made an effective contribution to other areas such geography whereby he concluded that the earth was round instead of the earlier believe that it was flat. Aristotle contribution has been of great positive effect to mans life and eve n in todays community there are still his findings which are applicable. One of the many areas that Aristotle contributed and his contribution was noted is the topic on virtue ethics? Briefly virtue ethics is concerned with traits of characters that are found to be essential for human flourishing. Virtue ethics emphasizes the role played an individuals character and also the virtues that determine his behavior. It forms the basis to normative ethics which the opposite of deontology. According to Aristotle, happiness is referred is an activity, hence referring it a way of life and it is depicted on how we act and not how or whom we are. The general concept behind virtue ethics is that it looks into what the individual should choose to be rather than depending on the external factors to change a person. People have the power to choose what they ought to be rather than depend solely such as culture. Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It looks more into the moral character rather than duties and rules (deontology) or rather one that deals with consequences of actions simplified as consequentialism. According to Aristotle, virtue means excellence happiness whereby people can only be happy when they have fulfilled their basic function or purpose. People need to act well and practice reasoning. Aristotle divided virtue into intellectual and the moral virtues. According to Aristotle the highest target of all people is directed by happiness which he defined as continuous contemplation of the internal and external truth. This happiness is attained trough virtuous life as well as development of wisdom and reason. An individual needs sufficient external goods to ensure opportunity for virtuous action. Virtuous acts need mindful choice and moral reason or inspiration. However, moral virtue cannot be achieved abstractly but rather requires moral action in any social environment. Both ethics and politic are close to each other as Aristotle refers to politics like a science of making the society in which people can have the good life as they develop their full potential. Despite the work of Aristotle, he tries hard to convince us what is virtuous. This has differed from the teaching from the modern moral philosophers. This is because he put very little effort on the moral development of individuals. For one to be a good person he needs to practice so as to gain the good habit and the virtue is a good state of soul that is acquired through habit of an individual. In the ancient world, virtue ethics were a particularly dominant form of ethics. However, the trend has changed in the recent times the issue on virtue ethics has been largely forgotten as people has favored other approach to morality such as the utilitarianism and Kantian ethics. Despite the new found an approach, the basis of these has been the Aristotle virtue ethics. Over the past fifty years, there has been the return of the Aristotelian moral psychology. This was marked by a published document made in 1958 by Elizabeth Anscombe known as modern Moral Philosophy. The document excoriated Kantianism and the utilitarian versions and recommended the return to Aristotelian moral psychology. The change has seen virtue ethics be considered one of the key forms of ethical theory. Virtue ethics has been found to encourage people to be more virtuous such that we do not need an ethical theory for us to make decisions. The ethics puts more effort on the character. It also emphasizes on pleasure and the emotion. Hence it becomes good for people to enjoy acting in a virtuous manner. In additional, Aristotle talked of moral educational as a development process which is essential in each and every persons life. With the application of the virtue ethics, people avoid the use other complicated formulas trying to find out what they ought to do and hence they focus on the kind of person they need to be. In addition, it helps to distinguish between good people from the legalists. Following the law does not make one a good person. Virtue ethics is no longer the dominating theory as it now faces challenges. Despite being a highly prominent theory in peoples lives, virtue ethics has encountered some short comings. One of them is that virtue ethics offers no solution to certain specific moral dilemmas. Another shortcoming of Aristotles view is that it does not recognize that people are different. Not all people have equal opportunity in terms of developing morally hence people should not be judged the same. Despite the explanation of the virtuous people, there are people virtuous but live miserably unlike others who are not virtuous and live happily. On the other hand, virtue ethics appears to praise some virtues which on normal cases might be regarded as immoral. For example, soldiers in war may courageous, but that does not mean they are morally good. Finally, it is hard to tell when someone virtuous has bad motives. Virtuous ethics seems not to accommodate basic concepts such as an obligation and rights. Hence the theory of ethics seems inadequate to deal with complicated issues such as what makes an action right or wrong. It is easier to understand the virtue ethics by trying to differentiate the Aristotle approach and the Kantian, consequentially or the utilitarian approaches to the moral philosophy. From the case of Kantian, ethics are responsible in ruling as well as the fundamental principals playing a crucial role. Foundational role and consequentialism treats the moral assessment of actions as a function of what can be said about the consequences of those actions. Most of the modern virtue ethics takes inspiration from the Aristotle work in the same topic. The modern ones have also emphasized on cultivation of virtues for they define them as natural and rational way of being as well as flourishing in the society. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that work of Aristotle has greatly contributed to the modern philosophy and their way of thinking and also evaluating things. One of the reasons that have made the virtue ethics become popular as well as making very important contribution to our lives is that they really emphasize the key role played by motives in moral questions. The contribution also helps people understand the issue of morality. People were also aware that for one to act from virtue is also to act from some particular motivation. This means that the correct moral decisions need the correct motives behind them. Encouragement of the correct motivations is a vital component of the moral education to the young people. People is taught that they should have targets and desire for good outcomes as well as an accomplishment of given goals by our actions. Another reason why virtue theories are attractive is that the other theories on moral have a common problem in dealing with complicated moral issues such as what action should be taken or rather what moral duties should be emphasized. One of the key point that is emphasized by the virtue theory is that once people are successful in creating the people wanted, then arriving to the correct moral decision comes naturally.

Essay --

Abortion is a controversial issue in the today’s society. There are many opinions on the view of abortion, whether it’s positive or negative depending on the individuals’ perspective. First of all what is Abortion? Abortion is a medical process where the foetus is removed or terminated from the womb of the mother before it is born. The reason why I chose the topic abortion is because I was fascinated to hear that an estimated 80,000 - 90,000 surgical abortions are performed in Australia each year (Garratt, 2009). I find this issue important to address because Abortion is probably the world's most common surgical procedure (Arthur, 1999) and that it is increasing over the years, to the extent that people would find it commonly natural to abort the unborn child. By examining sources in relation to the issue, its creditability is its upmost importance so that we are able to understand the issue of abortion with clear understanding and judge for ourselves whether i t’s right or wrong. Journal First Criteria: Peer Review I believe the journal article I have chosen is credible because, peer reviewed journals are considered as the basis of academic research and professional knowledge. They present information that is in a clear and concise fashion, as a result leading to a high level of credibility. Also, the care and effort it takes to develop a publishable manuscript means it can be months between the time research is conducted and the results are even submitted for publication (Solomon, 2007). This indicates that time and effort has been put in the journal article to make the information that is being conveying to the audience authentic and that only the highest quality of research is published. The journal article that I have chose... ...atistics that was established plays on the emotion of the audience as they feel sympathy for the large amount of women that had died because of their first pregnancy. Furthermore statistics also increases the credibility of the article in two ways. Firstly, using statistics establishes that extensive research has been done making the audience believe that the stats provided are factual and reliable. Secondly, using statistics from reliable sources such as World Health Organization rises the credibility of the article. The article that I have chosen is credible because the author John Flynn used statistic from different sources as well as quotes from experts to back up his statement, and also most importantly statistics sticks with the audience even after reading the article. Hence statistics are one important factor that makes an article credible and reliable.

Music Censorship Essays -- essays research papers fc

Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. In Paul Blanshard’s book The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship, he speaks of censorship as a negative boundary on society. Blanshard argues that people have been given the right to express themselves fully and censorship is incorrect on the basis of the first constitutional right. Martha Bayles, in her article â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular,† discusses a characteristic of society that she calls ‘perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society. ‘Perverse modernism’ will cause censorship of controversial music to be unsuccessful. There are several concerns and issues with artistic expression through music, however censorship of the controversial music will not resolve any problems and it will only create more problems. The current state of society would not allow music censorship to be successful. ‘Perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society, is a characteristic that has become a standard of today’s society. This characteristic is not something that emerged recently but it has grown slowly through time. For hundreds of years, society has been exposed to negative material through literature, television, or music. People have developed an interest in material that is forbidden. There is a need for people to fulfill their curiosity with knowledge of all material, good or bad. Jeffery Goldstein explains, Violent entertainment did not suddenly arrive on the scene, and it is not likely to depart it any time soon. People become acclimated to the arousal generated by violent images, but they have a continuing need for excitement. Does this mean that we shall have to accept ever-increasing violence and terror for entertainment purposes? It would appear to be... ... Works Cited Anderson, Craig A. et al. â€Å" The Influence of Media on the Youth † Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 4.3 (1999): 81-110 Bayles, Martha. â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular.† Wilson Quarterly 25 (Summer 2001): 40-47.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanshard, Paul. The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Boston: The Beacon Press, 1955   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goldstein, Jeffrey. â€Å" The Attractions of Violent Entertainment.† Media Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3 (1999): 271. Huff, Darrell. Homepage. 2004. http://www.effectivemeetings.com/productivity/communication/statmanipulation.asp Levendosky, Charles. â€Å" President Bush: Make Those Protestors Disappear. † Humanist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64.1 (Jan/Feb2004): 4 Shemitz, Jon. Homepage. June 30, 1994 - June 1, 1997 http://www.midnightbeach.com/jon/US-Constitution.htm Smith, Valerie. Home page. April 19, 2004. http://www.fradical.com/Canadian_copycat_incidents.htm Music Censorship 201:U5 Research in the Disciplines Final Draft Word count: 3,253 F. Nika Hedges Spring 2004

Lack of Education Due to Poverty

Poverty, as it is identified, in the grossly underdeveloped areas of Africa and other developing world countries cannot be compared in likeness to poverty situations faced by those in Canada and the United States. In these â€Å"rich countries† the poor are characterized as those who have a comparably low level of income, usually measured in the relative approach, one-half the median income whereas poverty as it is faced by those in developing countries is a matter of survival with little or no hope for escape. With this in mind, the only evidence of poverty being prevalent in rich countries can be found only in the minds of the establishment. In other words, those who may be materialistically rich still prove to be compassionately impoverished. The economic make-up of a countries† infrastructure like Canada†s or the United States† exemplifies not poverty in the sense real threats to survival, as in Africa, but can be better explained in terms of equality or better yet inequality. The terms equality and inequality for the basis of this essay can be applied to most aspects of what economists in â€Å"rich countries† term to be poverty. What is poverty to Canada and the United States are in fact blatant examples of inequality in education. When measuring inequality there are people in Canada and the United States, who are less monetarily fortunate than others. Over 30% of the entire United States† wealth is held by only 1% of its population (The Distribution of Wealth, in class lecture). There is no need for great concern with the extent of poverty in rich countries; nevertheless inequality is due to lack of education. Instead of offering what politicians term â€Å"band-aid† solutions to poverty problems they should look more at the source of the problem which is lack of education. Canada and the United States do not posses the realities of poverty as do other countries, inequality exists and the only way to eliminate inequality is to give everybody the same opportunity in education. Education is the key to a better standard of living, wiser decisions, and convalescent equality among all. On the Statistics Canada†s website, www. statcan. ca provides insight into the relative success of people possessing some level of education be it a degree, certificate, or diploma. It is suggested by Statistics Canada that those who could establish that they possess a certain level of education were percentage wise higher employed than those who were not as well educated. Statistics Canada further elucidates the benefits of education by stating that in Canada 15% of the total uneducated population is unemployed and over 50% of all the uneducated were not in the labour force. To compare with educated only 5. 5% of them were unemployed and only 17% of all educated were not in the labour force. If countries such as Canada and the United States centered more attention on education, people would become more equal and poverty would be eradicated. In rich countries like the United States and Canada poverty should not be an absolute measure, not a relative measure, but rather a measure of inequality. In these countries there is opportunity for everyone to better their way of life. There exist established social programs which aid people searching to progress. Again Statistics Canada states that three out of five people leave poverty within a year compared to only one in ten stay in poverty for longer than five years (Income Mobility, in class lecture). This statistic led to the belief that there are shifts in inequality and that most people do not continually suffer from it. There are places for the very poor to get food and shelter and support and help to those who want it. In conclusion it has been established, with the support of Statistics Canada, that poverty as it exists in Canada and the United States is nothing more than an example of inequality in education. Equal opportunity in education shall eliminate many of the countries' problems.

A view from the bridge †Arthur Miller Essay

When Marco and Rodolfo appear in Catherine’s life, she matures very quickly, perhaps making up for the time lost when Eddie kept her at home as a baby as Beatrice says: â€Å"Well, you kept her a baby, you wouldn’t let her go out†. Beatrice is urging Catherine to grow up and, as if she suspects some of Eddie’s feelings for her niece, points out to her the ways in which she should act around the house: â€Å"you still walk around in front of him in your slip †¦ or like you sit on the edge of the bathtub talkin’ to him when he’s shavin’ in his underwear †¦ if you act like a baby he be treatin’ you like a baby†. When Catherine falls in love with Rodolfo, her love for Eddie is split and she is confused. Eddie does not help his situation by being so stubborn about not allowing Catherine to grow up. She detaches herself from him and although she still loves him as a father figure, she does not seem to trust him anymore: she does not tell him about the wedding between her and Rodolfo – Beatrice does: â€Å"they’re going to get married next week, Eddie†. Beatrice is affected by the arrival of her cousins in her state of mind. The audience find out that she and Eddie are having marital problems: â€Å"It’s almost three months you don’t feel good; they’re only here a couple of weeks† and although they guess that it is to do with Catherine, they do not know whether of not Beatrice does. It is not until the end that the audience find out that Beatrice knows about Eddie’s feelings for Catherine although in hindsight, Beatrice could have been urging Catherine to grow up because she guessed Eddie’s flaw. It is at the end when it is finally said out loud â€Å"You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can’t have her! † when the audience finds out about Beatrice knowing and through this, she gains the audience’s sympathy because she has had to carry around this awful secret showing how loyal to her husband she has been by hardly mentioning it. Beatrice is also worn down by having to keep peace between her niece and husband. She desperately wants them to be friends and as happy as they were before with no secrets or lies â€Å"she wants to ask you. Come on, Katie, ask him. We’ll have a party! What’re we gonna do, hate each other? â€Å". Beatrice’s cousins end up wearing her out as she tries to hold her family together despite all of the hatred and love going on around her. When Marco and Rodolfo first arrive at the Carbone household, they are grateful to Eddie for letting them stay and they are willing to do as he tells them: â€Å"I want to tell you now Eddie – when you say go, we will go†. They greatly respect Eddie and are willing to do all he says like when Rodolfo’s singing is making Eddie uneasy, Marco tells Rodolfo firmly â€Å"You’ll be quiet Rodolfo† obeying Eddie’s commands. They are grateful towards Eddie because he is keeping them and hiding them as they are illegal immigrants into America. Eddie is very overprotective of Catherine and when she and Rodolfo start going out with each other, he is annoyed that firstly Rodolfo did not ask his permission to do so, as would have been the custom in Sicily, and secondly that they stayed out late which infuriated him † I don’t want you hangin’ around Times Square, see? â€Å". As her guardian, Eddie expects to oversee all of her movements. Marco is eager to please Eddie and tries to ensure that his brother does not overstep the mark in this new culture. When Eddie decides to teach Rodolfo to fight and hits him, Marco is keen to show that although his brother might not be very good at defending himself, the strength which Marco possesses is more than enough to beat Eddie. The audience learns this through actions which are dictated in the stage directions at the end of Act One: â€Å"He kneels, grasps, and with strain slowly raises the chair higher and higher †¦ a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaw, his neck stiff, the chair raised like a weapon over Eddie’s head†. Marco does not strike Eddie at this time because he still has respect for him. Despite this show of aggression, it does not stop Rodolfo continuing to go out with Catherine and pursuing the ‘American Dream’. Eddie does not believe that Rodolfo has genuine, sincere feelings for Catherine and just wants to marry her to obtain an American Passport. He counteracts this theory by saying to Catherine â€Å"You think I would carry on my back the rest of my life a woman I didn’t love just to be an American? â€Å". Eddie ends up betraying Rodolfo and Marco to the immigration office because of his jealousy and obsessiveness about Catherine. He does not realise these are the reasons though: he just wants to â€Å"protect† Catherine. His betrayal of Beatrice’s cousins is Eddie’s tragic downfall which links back to the classical tragedies. Eddie wants justice as he does not believe that Rodolfo is marrying Catherine for love but cannot prove it. It is because of this that he betrays Marco and Rodolfo in another way, he betrays their trust. The irony of the matter is that Eddie is not satisfied with the American way of justice: â€Å"you mean to tell me that there’s no law that a guy which he ain’t right can go to work and marry a girl and -â€Å". Marco does not believe in the American law either, he would rather get revenge himself than let the law do it or others for him as can be seen at the end of the play when Marco fights Eddie. In Marco’s eyes, by betraying him, Eddie has killed his family as their only source of income to buy food was through him. Eddie did not uphold the family loyalty and in that has broken the laws of family honour, a law stronger than the laws of the country in Marco’s eyes so therefore the punishment should be as heavy as the crime committed. Marco does not believe that American justice is forceful enough for the crimes committed, Miller has ironically made both Marco’s and Eddie’s view about American justice the same. Miller makes the audience have to think about which is the worse crime, being an illegal immigrant or cutting the lifeline of a whole family as Eddie did. The protagonist, Eddie, suffers a downfall at the end of the play: he is killed. This downfall is directly related to his flaw, his jealousy and love of Catherine, and, before he is killed, looses his reputation. As Marco and Rodolfo are taken away by the immigration officers, Marco spits in Eddie’s face and announces to the whole street what has been done and that he â€Å"stole the food from my children†. Eddie, although he does not deny it, he defies the claims saying â€Å"I gave them the blankets off my bed, six months I kept them as my brothers†: he is trying to prove to the crowd that he has no cause to betray the brothers and he is counting on his honest reputation to see him through and to have others believe him. When they don’t, he feels ruined and all he wants is his reputation back: the only way to do that is to â€Å"give it back to me in front of this neighbourhood, or we have it out†. Eddie has lost everything from this and just wants his dignity back but Marco does not give that to him either, he kills him and justice is done, the Sicilian way. Tragic climax in the play supported the themes raised throughout the play. There is a sense of climax at the point in the play where Eddie comes home drunk to find Catherine and Rodolfo in the bedroom together and he ends up kissing Rodolfo. This part of the play is following the theme of love, for Catherine, and jealousy on Eddie’s part of Rodolfo. The pace at this point of the play is fast and, although there is the sense of inevitability, the audience is taken by surprise by the twists and turns the play takes. The audience are shocked when Beatrice points out to Eddie and the audience his tragic flaw but because of the fast pace, there is no time for the audience or characters to dwell on the matter because then Marco arrives. With his arrival, anger flows freely between him and Eddie and neither tries to hide it. Eddie makes out how he has been victimised and asks the people in a sarcastic way â€Å"maybe he come to apologize to me†. The audience does not find out why Marco came back but at that time it is not really relevant. The focus is on Eddie and the audience realises that this is the climax the entire play has been building up to: the tragic end that has been inevitable since Alfieri’s first speech. The audience is tense and need the fast pace to feed their interest about what is going to happen next. The ironic death at the end: Eddie killed by his own hand and weapon makes the audience see that Eddie’s flaw has brought all this on himself. At the end of the play, there is a feeling of justice and revenge in the air, linking back to the tragic themes again, also, obviously, death. At the very end of the play, Alfieri makes a closing speech summarising and creating an affect of catharsis leaving the audience calm instead of tense, the effect of the ending if Alfieri had not concluded. The context of the play works as a tragedy because of the cultural backgrounds of the characters and their way of life. Alfieri has cleverly picked a culture that still runs as the Greeks did with high standards to live up to and strong family values. By using Alfieri as a modern day chorus, Miller mirrors a classical tragedy set-up keeping the audience informed and creating the element of predestination. By using a modern context, Miller has shown the audience that theories on honour and respect have not changed much since the Greeks. Alfieri’s message at the end of the play to the audience is that the truth should always be told. It shows that although Eddie did not know his feelings for Catherine, someone could have told him and the problem could have been sorted. If people had talked more to each other and instead of fighting about everything, just talked, maybe the whole thing could have been resolved.