Friday, December 27, 2019

Elements of marketing - 3044 Words

1.1 Elements of the marketing process. The process of marketing entails the following four elements i. The parties The consumer is typically prepared to make certain sacrifices in terms of money and effort in order to obtain an offering that satisfies his needs. The aim or aspiration of the customer is to satisfy his needs within the limits of his means(Booms Bitner 1981). Therefore the marketing officer analyses the needs and desires of the consumer and determines whether they can be met profitably .Within the marketing process this activity identifies homogeneous groups of whose individual likes are similar .These groups are referred to as market segments, and from them the organization selects one that it can serve†¦show more content†¦Market oriented businesses have a higher client retention compared to those that are product oriented (Booms Bitner 1981). Customers dealing with the business feel that the business listens to them more hence stay with the business longer. Market orientation makes it easier for an organization to enter into strategic partnerships with its clients as opposed to those clients simply remaining consumers of its goods. The strong focus a market oriented business has on its customers eventually leads the customer into becoming more and more involved in the affairs of the organization (Booms Bitner 1981). 2.1 Environmental Factors Analysis The preparation of an environmental analysis is a critical step in the comprehension as well as the appreciation of local, and international forces that affect a business(Booms Bitner 1981). By definition, an environmental analysis is the evaluation of the probable effects of external factors as well as conditions in a company’s growth and survival strategies (Brassington 2000).One of the instruments of analyzing an organization’s external environment is the PESTEL analysis. PESTEL is an abbreviation for political, environmental, economical, social, legal and technological factors. The SWOT analysis analyses the internal business environment.: PESTEL ANALYIS Social factors address social issues that concern the values, opinions, ideals and the culture ofShow MoreRelatedThe Major Elements Of Marketing856 Words   |  4 PagesThe four Ps approach to marketing has been widely regarded as the traditional approach to marketing. While the value approach concentrates on delivering value to the consumers or customers, the 4Ps approach is evidently concentrated not on customers, but on the product itself. The major elements of the four Ps approach of marketing are product, price, place, and promotion; by that, the four Ps elevate product in the marketing plan while the value approach components are creating, communicating, deliveringRead MoreElements If a Marketing Pln1064 Words   |  5 Pages Elements of a Marketing Plan, Clarity Will Terrill MKT/421 February 22, 2016 Michael Ricco Elements of a Marketing Plan, Clarity Whether a company is just starting out or is trying to generate better results from current marketing techniques and strategies, it all begins with a marketing plan. A marketing plan is a guide for the marketing department of a company for a set time in the future, this could be 2 year or 7 years (Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, 2015). While each plan differsRead MoreMarketing and Strategic Elements1031 Words   |  5 Pagesengage in marketing efforts? While non-profit organizations differ from profit seeking firms in several ways, non-profit organizations need to engage in marketing efforts to generate financial revenue to support their causes. All businesses need marketing plans to generate revenue and measure results. In non-profit businesses, community service target levels and education service target levels can be used to measure results. Unlike profit seeking organizations that focus on marketing solely toRead MoreMarketing Mix Elements1717 Words   |  7 PagesStarbucks Marketing Mix Paper Aiza Ashley Starbucks Marketing Mix Paper A good marketing plan must possess a strong marketing mix strategy. Organization uses marketing mix strategy modeling to estimate causal relationships and measure how marketing activity affects outcomes. The Marketing-mix models analyze data from a variety of sources, such as retailer scanner data, company shipment data, pricing, media, and promotion spending data, to understand more precisely the effects ofRead MoreThe Various Elements of Marketing3192 Words   |  13 PagesDefinition of Marketing is, â€Å"Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.† – CIM Definition. Definition of Marketing Process is, â€Å"Business function and management skills. It requires planning, analysing, resource allocation, control and investment, skilled workers and other physical resources† – Edexcel Business study guide. Therefore, the various elements of marketing is the Boots Marketing Mix. The various elements of marketingRead MoreThe Elements Of Internet Marketing4060 Words   |  17 PagesInternet Marketing June 12 2015 â€Æ' Unit No: 30 Unit Title: Internet Marketing Assignment Cover Sheet Assignement N: 1 and 2 I hereby confirm that this assignment is my own work. I have identified and acknowledged all sources used in this assignment and have referenced according to the Harvard referencing system. I have read and understood the Plagiarism and Collusion section provided with the assignment brief and understood the consequences of plagiarising. Name: Read MoreMarketing Is An Essential Element2936 Words   |  12 Pages Marketing Answer 1 Marketing is termed as an essential element with the help of which any product or service can generate potential outcomes in a best possible manner. The main task of marketing is to stimulate consumer demand for the product, but not limited to this. It also helps the company achieve its goals in the process, the impact of the level of demand, the demand of time and the composition of demand. Marketing is considered a management discipline to define the state of the market.Read MoreMarketing Plan Elements1007 Words   |  5 Pagesof your marketing efforts. * Knowing what you want to achieve with marketing (marketing goals) – Write down your marketing goals and make them specific. Pick one or two that are critical and make them the focus of your marketing efforts. According to statistics, if you write them down, you are 95% more likely to achieve them. * Defining how you will reach your target (marketing strategy) – Pricing, packaging and promoting your products and services is the heart of your marketing plan. LookRead MoreThe Elements of Marketing Mix: An Overview1658 Words   |  7 Pagesshould see to it that they offer for sale the right products at the right price. Further, the marketing of such products should in addition to being conducted in the right place also utilize the most appropriate promotion. In this text, I amongst other things apply the various elements of the marketing mix to the Coca-Cola Company. The Elements of the Marketing Mix: An Overview The term marketing mix in the words of Lamb, Hair and McDaniel (2008) can be defined as a unique blend of productRead MorePepsi Elements Of Marketing Strategy814 Words   |  4 PagesPepsi Elements of Marketing Introduction PepsiCo is the second largest nationwide food and beverage industry in the world. This company has twenty-two brand names that collectively bring in billions of annual funding from the retails. Their main focus is to produce pleasingly food and beverage within the company that are valued to household names throughout the world. The marketing strategy and mix both are connected to target marketing, focusing on the company needs and wants in a large group setting

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Illegal Immigration Essay - 2615 Words

Illegal immigration is a grave issue that affects everyone in the world. Illegal immigration is the process of an alien, or non-citizen, who has entered a country without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa (Free Online Law Dictionary). The flow of illegal immigrants is almost entirely from countries of lower socioeconomic levels to countries of higher socioeconomic levels. Basically, foreigners tend to migrate from undeveloped countries to developed countries. Many from Africa, an undeveloped continent, illegally migrate to Europe, a developed continent, in search of opportunities. Similarly, many Mexicans illegally cross the American border every month in search of the American dream (The Telegraph,†¦show more content†¦These kind of jobs are usually labor intensive and don’t attract many employees. For instance, many illegal immigrants decide to work in jobs that don’t require work permits. The landscape and construction are popular with immigrants as there are generally no requirements but hard labor. Other employment areas include restaurants (dish washing), hospitality, prostitution, agriculture, and domestic services. Besides in search of better economic opportunities, people illegally migrate to foreign nations due to family problems, war, overpopulation, or illness. There are some countries in the world that are becoming overpopulated and face a risk of limited resources and production. This eventually causes people to illegally immigrate to less populated countries where there is no risk of living. For example, China is a nation that is powerful, resourceful, and wealthy; yet it faces a problem of overpopulation. As a result, Chinese tend to illegally immigrate to other foreign countries to escape from the overpopulation they face in their home country (Mooney, et al., 1997). This issue rose as of undeveloped countries that were unable to provide a good standard of life for their citizens to a g rowing worldwide issue. This can’t go on forever; today’s society is trying it’s best to bring a halt to this growing issue. Precautions, security, and corruption are all being fought against to try to stopShow MoreRelatedIllegal Immigration 1280 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has been a source of mounting concern in the United States since the 1970’s. Statistics indicate that the past ten years have witnessed an increase in the number of illegal immigrants with the number estimated to increase in the future. â€Å"The percentage of illegal immigrant population from Mexico was 59% (or 6.8 million) as of January 2013. Other countries with large amounts are El Salvador (660,000) Guatemala (52000), Hondorous (380,000) and China (280,000)† (Infoplease 1). TheRead MoreIllegal immigration2120 Words   |  9 PagesAlien Invasion Illegal immigration is widespread throughout the United States. There are 12 million or more illegal aliens in the United States, this number continues to rise (Swartz). This influx of illegal immigrants causes jobless Americans to lose out on opportunities. Employers choose to pay illegal immigrants lower wages than American workers. Is it right to pay illegal immigrants less than Americans to do the same job? Should the illegal immigrants be deported? Should border control be increasedRead MoreIllegal Immigration598 Words   |  3 Pagesl ARTICLE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Migration has always represented an important factor in society’s development. Ever since ancient times, people have been travelling around the world, some staying only for a while, some choosing to set (A SE STABILI) in certain areas, getting married and starting a family with a local partner. Consequently, cultures and languages mixed and this is how powerful nations like England, The USA, Germany were born. This phenomenon of migration also takes place nowadaysRead MoreIllegal Immigration1753 Words   |  8 PagesIllegal Immigration The Economy of Illegal Immigration The Economy of Illegal Immigration Americans on a daily basis are bombarded with broadcasts from newspapers, television, and special interest groups on the economic burdens created by illegal immigrants. Reports and statistics of growing state and local deficits; is it fact or fiction? In reality, undocumented Mexicans are necessary to the health of our economy. They provide a workforce in agriculture they keep the costs down; theyRead MoreIllegal Immigration1709 Words   |  7 PagesIllegal Immigration: The Undocumented Issue In this paper I will discuss one of the biggest issues in the United States: Illegal immigrants. Some may say that illegal immigration has a positive impact on the United States’ economy, and some think that these undocumented immigrants affect jobs and wages of people that are living in this country. I think that illegal immigrants harm the United States’ economy through their use of our country’s social services such as health care, education andRead MoreIllegal Immigration : Illegal Immigrants949 Words   |  4 PagesIllegal immigrants have been a hot topic lately due to the popularity of this topic amongst the Republican Presidential Nominees, especially Donald Trump. These illegal immigrants bring various things to this country when they come. Some things are positive, such as a family simply seeking to find a better life, while some things are harmful to the United States, such as the amount of crime among illegal immigrants. In July 2015, the most recen t estimate of illegal immigrants was 11.2 million. ThisRead MoreIllegal Immigrants And Illegal Immigration1286 Words   |  6 Pages Undocumented Immigration An analysis of illegal immigration in the United States reveals one challenge facing the banks and other institutions: whether to provide banking and other services to the illegal immigrants or to treat them as criminals because they are illegal and therefore, not to provide them with banking and other services. The articles, â€Å"Crossing the Line† by Stein and â€Å"Illegal Immigrants – They’re Money,† by Rodriguez discuss the impact of illegal immigration in the United StatesRead MoreIllegal Immigration And Illegal Immigrants1335 Words   |  6 PagesIllegal immigration has been one of the main topics during the last three presidential election. Many bills and laws have been passed in order to keep them out but is it really necessary to neglect illegal immigrant? Most Americans believe that illegal immigrants are only people of Mexicans or Latin American descent but illegal immigrants can be from any race or country. Illegal immigration is defined by United States Department of Homeland Security as â€Å"†¦ all foreign-born non-citizens who are notRead MoreIllegal Immigrants : Illegal Immigration1155 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Illegal Immigration is a huge topic especially in 2017, bringing in different aspects about illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants are told to be killers, drug dealers, job stealers and whom also hurt the U.S. economy. Is this true? Could it possibly be that they do all of this to hurt the United States? Or could it be that they truly come here for the American Dream? On one side of people’s perspectives illegal immigrants come here to help provide for their family and don’t takeRead MoreIllegal Immigrants And Illegal Immigration1100 Words   |  5 PagesIllegal immigration Over the past few years illegal immigration has become a bigger problem. Statistics reveal that more and more immigrants are entering the country illegally by crossing the borders. If something is not done soon, this may get out of hand and be to gone far not to handle. The number of illegal immigrants have gone up over the past years drastically In 2011, there were 40 million immigrants in the U.S. Of that 11.1 million were illegal. Although the number of illegal

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Marriage vs Living Together free essay sample

Marriage vs Living Together Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is also defined as the union between two people that are recognized by cultural or religious tradition. Older generations would feel that living together was disgraceful. The only way that living together was seen as acceptable was to be married. There are several differences between being married and living together such as the status in the government, status in the religious community, and status in each others eyes and each others families eyes. Television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that does not mean every non-white character on television represents a step forward. Some programs seem not to do anything but pump racial stereotypes into the public eye. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who is literally an object in a white lady’s house. We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage vs Living Together or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another example would be from the show called , â€Å"Rob Schneider†, This new comedy is about Rob Schneider’s character attempting to connect with his wife’s large Mexican family, most of whom do not like him. It seems as though he’s supposed to be a sort of Archie Bunker character who makes awful stereotypical jokes and then is promptly dismissed by, you know, reality, but in this world the stereotypes seem to be true – the members of Maggie’s family are almost entirely defined by their Mexican-ness, right down to the mute, diminutive grandmother with a shrine to Jesus in her bedroom. We’re all for more Latino characters in primetime, but this is a pretty horrifying way to do It. (Victoria Mcnally, mar. , 2012) Children movies, television shows, and commercials are not immune to the typical racial stereotyping. In our increasingly ever-changing society, children are deeply drawn into television viewing and their consumption of television programming varies by ethnicity. Ethnic portrayal in children’s advertising is an important public policy and self-regulatory topic that may influence children’s self-perception and brand perception. Another show that promotes stereotypical behavior in television programing would be the Glee Club, that s essentially a show about the performing arts and the arts have always had an association (earned or perceived) as being gay friendly. If a guy tells someone that they are a dancer, they will assume he is gay. Glee stereotypically has gay characters. In conclusion, even commercials such as tide have shown racial stereotypical antidotes in them for example have you seen the latest Tide commercial where a â€Å"sassy black woman† is sitting on a bench getting very annoyed with being told she cannot wear white jeans after Labor Day. She actually gets up, starts with the neck swivel and the hand, and says she will do whatever she wants because Tide will keep her jeans white, â€Å"Not white-ish, not eggshell, and not ecru, whatever that is. † But pure white. Just another way of showing that no matter what genre of television programming, stereotyping is a part of it. Mostly due to television trying to appeal to different types of audiences to include ethnicity, sex and age.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

K-Mart Stores Essays - Walmart, Sears Holdings, Retailing

K-Mart Stores K-mart Stores K-mart's upper management is attempting to bring K-mart upmarket without losing the chain's discount image. The goal is to change the store's image from a no-frills discount store to a retailer of quality, brand-name merchandise offered in modern, attractive displays. K-mart is attempting to change with its typical customers, who are now more educated and sophisticated than earlier in the store's history. K-mart assembled a senior management team to evaluate the impacts that emerging social, economic and political changes in the United States would have on the future of the business. This team was called the F-Team. Once the F-Team completed it's report, K-mart management asked for specific marketing strategies to address each scenario from the F-Team's report. Of all items in the report, America's changing social class and income structure is of particular importance. The primary customer base for K-mart has been the middle class group. This group comprises about 32 percent of the population. Members of this group often buy products that are popular and trendy. They tend to be very concerned with fashion. Middle class size is in decline due to the influences of international competition. There is increased competition between countries for the labor pool. Third world workers are willing to accept wages that are up to a third less than United States workers will accept for the same tasks. American labor premium is disappearing, causing a significant downward mobility and an associated diminution of living standards and purchasing power. The group affected is K-mart's predominate customer base. This is cause of great concern to the upper management. According to the case study, this scenario will place the top group in the new social structure of the United States at about 25 percent of households, while the bottom will represent close to 65 percent. The bottom (K-mart's customers) will suffer decrease purchasing power as a result of this shift. Upper management must create a public image makeover in order to attract customers from the smaller, but more affluent upper middle class. Proper decisions by upper management will have the desired impact on imaging and positioning. This will cause K-mart to occupy a distinctive place in the target market's mind. The goals must be carefully set in order to attract customers with higher incomes, and at the same time, not alienate those already shopping at discount stores. New programs designed to help change the store's image include: 1. A new advertising campaign in which designer Martha Stewart uses K-mart products to decorate her farmhouse 2. Use of pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller in ads to promote golf equipment 3. Co-sponsorship of a race car driven by Mario Andretti 4. In-store greeters and a toll-free customer response number. K-mart has also been working to be identified with fashion. Everything the stores carry will be considered fashionable, chic and popular. According to the case study, the efforts towards this goal have been successful. K-mart increased sales by 7.8 percent during 1992. The nature and extent of change will be decided by upper management and formulated in the offices of K-mart's headquarters, where the retailer's management team will evaluate every aspect of the company's operations. A revival is not implausible. After all, K-mart follows in the footsteps of such chains as Sears, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward, all of which have accomplished turnaround feats of impressive magnitude. But despite the evidence of past turnarounds by similarly beleaguered chains, the thought of K-mart making such a radical change successfully seems remote. After all, generations of customers have the image of K-mart as a cheap discount store burned into their brains. The blue light specials invoke images of desperate shoppers madly running into or over each other to get their special buy. That image will most easily be changed in the children of K-marts present shoppers. K-mart's chief attribute in the highly competitive discount store arena is convenient locations. Unfortunately, location alone may not be enough for the Troy, Michigan-based retailer that invented discount store retailing 33 years ago. K-mart needs more; it needs a new focus and a new image, and it needs them quickly. At a similarly difficult juncture in Sears' history, the Chicago-based retailer had more going for it than does K-mart. Sears chairman Ed Brennan hired

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Witchcraft Religion Essay Example For Students

Witchcraft Religion Essay Since in this view, societal needs are mediated by individual agents responding, holding attitudes, and acting such a need fulfillment theory reduces to a psychological one. Every important custom has its pragmatic or emotional value for some members of the society, or else it falls into disuse and is forgotten. To reduce all actions to satisfying needs seems slightly simplistic. Many customs are observed today despite their original function now being long obsolete: no doubt many convinced atheists still throw spilt salt over their left shoulder, but in no way believe that this is because Beelzebub himself is standing behind them. We will write a custom essay on Witchcraft Religion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Furthermore, conclusions based upon the psychological makeup of people in the distant past are problematical because it is very hard to make the jump from what the sources tell us to what assumptions about the world actually lay behind them. As much as the anthropologist, studying cultures which are distant in space, the historian studying cultures distant in time must overcome a considerable difference in language, where the subtler meanings of words may be lost on the outside observer. Thomas does attempt to recreate the mental world of witch belief, and probably gets close to how it actually was, but there is no way of absolutely verifying his ideas. As such, with his anthropologically-informed conclusions resting at least in part upon his reconstruction of past mentalities, Thomas conclusions seem to have a potentially weak foundation. Religion and the Decline of Magic undoubtedly profits in some way at least from its borrowings from anthropology. Some of its main conclusions owe much to anthropological conclusions, and these are not simply forced upon history without the cross-examination of historical evidence. In the last resort this is a work of history drawing upon anthropology, not of anthropological conclusions imposed upon the past as part of some general positivist scheme. It is, however, far from perfect. The examples used, while numerous, are given in a sentence or two, which cannot hope to relate the full implications of the source being employed, and might simply be distortions of the facts to back up the scheme Thomas attempts to describe. The whole survey seems slightly lopsided as a result of the consideration of mainly anthropologically-informed conclusions, and some of the conclusions which he does draw seem to have their share of weaknesses. All of this is harsh criticism, though, especially as very few books (and this would be one of them) claim to tell the whole story. Thomas does show that anthropology can open up a number of routes of enquiry which may well have been obscure to conventional historians, and indeed to shed light on historical events. He may have gone a little too far in his borrowings, but he does not write bad history by any means. In the opinion of E. P. Thompson, Religion and the Decline of Magic is, an immensely important and stimulating book BIBLIOGRAPHY G. R. Elton, The Practice of History (London 1987) C. Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (London 1993) H. Geertz, An Anthropology of religion and Magic, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 6 (1975) K. Thomas, History and Anthropology, Past and Present, 24 (1963) K. Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic (London 1971) E. P. Thompson, Anthropology and the Discipline of Historical Context, Midland History, 1 (1971).

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Marketing Objectives How to Set Them in Six Steps - CoSchedule

Marketing Objectives How to Set Them in Six Steps Marketing objectives are the foundation of any good marketing strategy. Imagine youre leading a marketing team (even a sub-team within your department) and have no means of communicating the specific numbers all of their work is meant to influence. Your team would likely do things they think are for the best interest of the company (but everyone would feel siloed because everyone would be doing their own thing) wonder how their efforts are actually paying off in the long run (because they have no reason to measure how what they do is influencing actual results) look to you for guidance (because the success of your team lies on your ability to communicate why theyre working on something, and not how to do it) Marketing objectives help your team by giving measurable KPIs they can directly influence through their work, which, if influenced well, results in meeting goals. In this sense, marketing objectives guide your team to develop and execute the best ideas that will make your goals a reality. However, setting those marketing objectives is not an easy task. What constitutes a goal vs. an objective? How do you know if you’ve selected the right ones? Table of Contents Free Marketing Objectives + Google Analytics Guide What Are Marketing Objectives? Why Do Marketing Objectives Matter? 17 Goals And Marketing Objective Examples How To Set Up Your Marketing Objectives In 6 Steps Step One: Remember Your Mission Statement. Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives. Step Three: Tie Your Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives. Step Four: Develop A Marketing Strategy. Step Five: Align Your Marketing Goals With Your Marketing Funnel. Step Six: Measure And Report Your Progress. Get Your Free Guide: Tracking Marketing Objectives in Google Analytics This article walks you through what marketing objectives are, explains how to set (and measure) them, and offers some examples of objectives a business like yours might select. As you begin communicating your objectives to your team, youll need methods for measuring them. Google Analytics is one of the best (and easiest) tools to measure your objectives (at least at first). The free guide that complements this article helps you: Implement the tactics youll learn throughout this article step by step so you can put your knowledge into practice immediately. Consider it a worksheet to follow along as you read this article so by the time youre done, youll have a solid start on setting your objectives. Create Goals in Google Analytics so you can put real numbers to the work you do. Doing without measuring doesnt actually accomplish anything (from a business perspective). So use these step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions to understand the value everything you publish provides. So download your free marketing objectives guide now! 😉 How to Set Clear Marketing Objectives In Six Simple StepsAlright, now that you have your guide to follow along, let's get started! What Are Marketing Objectives? There are many different definitions of marketing objectives.   For our purposes, here’s the definition we’ll use: â€Å"A marketing objective assigns aspirational measurable values to your goals so that your team may better understand how what they do directly impacts business outcomes." Really quick... if you're wondering what the difference between a marketing goal and a marketing objective are, here's an example: Goal: "{Company} must be perceived as a leader in the {industry} market so that we may increase market share, which ultimately drives revenue growth." This is what you want. vs. Objective: "{Company} will increase share of voice by 20% by the end of Q3." This is how you'll know if you've been successful at influencing that goal. With objectives, your team may better come up with ideas to influence a specific metric that results in making the goal a reality. Why Do Marketing Objectives Matter? Marketing objectives are the endpoints of your marketing strategy. They give your team a direction and a goal to work towards. They also help show what’s working by giving you something concrete to measure your progress  against. Finally, establishing clear objectives is important for determining which specific marketing tactics and tasks  you’ll execute to achieve them. 17 Goals And Marketing Objective Examples If you’re in the process of setting your new objectives, here are some goal and objective examples to help get you started:Goal Example Marketing Objective Example 1 Improve brand reputation Gain and retain a 90% positive share of voice by the end of the calendar year so that prospective customers know, like, and trust us. 2 Increase brand presence Publish 4 articles every month on external sources our target audience follows to increase brand presence. 3 Optimize brand positioning Define brand positioning statement and communication frameworks by the end of the month so that our team understands our strategic differentiators from the competition. 4 Increase traffic Test three new traffic generation methods every month to increase traffic month over month by 3%. 5 Increase suspect pipeline Increase website conversion rates by 2% by the end of Q2 so that we increase the number of suspects in our marketing to sales pipeline from 500 to 510. 6 Diversify lead sources Test two new lead generation sources every month in fiscal year 2020 to find at least two successful methods of generating new demand that we will implement by the end of 2021. 7 Acquire more prospects from existing market Implement content upgrades into every blog post by the end of the calendar year to turn 30% of our website visitors into prospective sales leads. 8 Launch product Define the go-to-market strategy for Product A by the end of the week so that the team can create all content before the launch date. 9 Improve product quality Launch Product A by the end of the month with zero bugs. 10 Acquire more customers from existing market Implement off-site tactics to acquire 5% more customers month over month by the end of the fiscal year. 11 Break into new markets Research the competition in Market A by the end of Q1 so that we understand how to differentiate Product A positioning to win new marketshare. 12 Retain existing customers Reduce bugs to zero for every feature launch so that user churn decreases to 3% by the end of Q4. 13 Increase efficiency Publish four blog posts every week by the end of the calendar year. 14 Increase revenue Launch four new products by the end of the fiscal year to increase revenue. 15 Increase profit margin Improve brand positioning on ten existing products by the end of the calendar year to increase product value so that we may increase prices for those product lines. 16 Improve customer experience Reduce user experience challenges in Product A to improve net promoter scores (NPS) to 70%+. 17 Improve customer advocacy Implement a customer ambassador program by the end of the calendar year so that our best customers introduce our product to new prospective customers. How To Set Up Your Marketing Objectives In 6 Steps Now that you know what marketing objectives are and have seen a few examples for yourself, you can begin the process of setting up your own. Here’s how to do it in six steps: Step One: Remember Your Mission Statement. Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives. Step Three: Tie Your Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives. Step Four: Develop A Marketing Strategy. Step Five: Align Your Marketing Goals With Your Marketing Funnel. Step Six: Measure And Report Your Progress. Before we begin, let’s set the stage. This example will focus on a fictitious bookstore called â€Å"Reading Nook Bookstore.† Two different marketers are part of this story, Peter and Natalie. Peter is a new marketing strategist at Reading Nook Bookstore. Natalie is the marketing director and has been at Reading Nook Bookstore for five years. Let’s begin. So, how exactly do you set marketing objectives? Learn everything you need to know here. Step One: Remind Your Team Of Your Mission Statement Peter is about to begin work with Natalie on setting next year’s marketing objectives. Peter is new to this process, so Natalie decided to walk him through how setting up marketing objectives works. The first step in this process is reviewing the mission statement of your organization. Natalie pulled up the Reading Nook Bookstore website and showed Peter the following mission statement: â€Å"The goal of Reading Nook Bookstore is to inspire and nurture the love of reading across generations of families.† As you begin to work on your marketing objectives, remember your mission statement. If you get stuck, refer back to your statement and ask yourself: â€Å"If we complete this objective, how does it help fulfill our mission?† Step Two: Set Your Marketing Objectives When you’re setting up your objectives, the first thing you need to focus on is answering this question: What is your overarching marketing objective? Your overarching objective should be the end goal that your marketing team wants to achieve by a certain time. This is the driving force behind every other objective and goal that you set. This also means that your objective should be broad enough to give you plenty of room to work out your entire marketing strategy. Now that Peter and Natalie have their overarching marketing objective, their next step is to set the rest of their marketing goals. Here are some goals they might set to achieve their objective: Increase the conversion rate of their audience by 25% in one year. Double the number of purchases by 18- to 35-year-olds by June 2021. Increase average in-store purchase value from $10 to $35 in one year. Each one of these goals has something important in common. They have a specific numerical data point that must be met by an end date. Step Three: Tie Your SMART Marketing Goals Into Your Marketing Objectives The next step in Peter and Natalie’s marketing objective process is to create their SMART marketing goals. Marketing goals differ a bit from marketing objectives. Marketing objectives are the overarching outcomes you want to achieve, which you set for your team. Marketing goals are the stepping stones you need to complete to reach your objective. Your goals should be the specific building blocks that help you reach your initial objectives. Each one should build off the other like this: So let’s take the marketing objectives that Natalie and Peter created earlier and set a series of marketing goals that revolve around each one. Their first objective was: Increase online conversion rate by 25% in one year. Some marketing goals that Natalie and Peter could set are: Increase the ranking of 10 landing pages to the top three spots on Google by optimizing them for specific keywords. Decrease abandoned shopping carts by 50%. The second objective Peter and Natalie need to set marketing goals for is: Double the size of our 18- to 35-year-old audience by June 2021. Examples of goals that Peter and Natalie could set might include: Creating an active presence on Instagram and Snapchat with each account having over 1,000 followers by the end of June 2018. Host a book club with topics aimed to entice target audience with 2,000 active members by March 2021. Their third objective that Natalie and Peter need to set goals for is: Increase average in-store purchase value from$10 to $35 in one year. Example goals for this post could be: Host book club Meetups in the store to increase in-store traffic by 30%. Market in the most trafficked areas of the store to increase new in-store membership signups by 25%. Each of the goals and its parent objective relates back to the overarching goal of increasing the revenue of Reading Nook Bookstore by three million dollars. Connect your #marketing objectives to your overall business objectives. Step Four: Set Up A Marketing Strategy The next step in your marketing objective process is to set up your marketing strategy. The strategy that you set up will help you reach your objective. The marketing strategy that Reading Nook Bookstore will execute involves: Creating a blog to help generate leads from helpful and relevant content. Promote that content with social media and email newsletters. Use social media ads, Google PPC, and retargeting ads to reach new customers. DID YOU KNOW: can help you plan and execute your entire strategy on one marketing calendar? See how with this live demo recap video. Step Five: Match Your Marketing Goals To Your Marketing Funnel The next step in your process is setting up a series of marketing goals that help guide potential customers to purchasing your product. A marketing funnel will usually look something like this: Awareness:  The awareness stage is letting your target audience know that you exist. This could be from reading your blog, seeing your social media ads, or stumbling across a PPC ad. Interest:  The interest stage involves getting your target audience to connect with your content. Here your potential customers would become more invested in your content by subscribing to your email list. Consideration:  This is the nurturing part of your funnel. It helps connect the solution your company offers to the problems your audience is experiencing. Your marketers would be sending a series of emails to help start nurturing them to learn more about your product. Intent:  This is the first part of the sales stage of your marketing funnel. Here is where all of your solutions will be laid out in front of your new potential customers. This is where your sales team will step in to talk to potential customers. Evaluation:  Your target audience will evaluate what options have been presented to them by your sales team. At this point, your customers may return to their teams to discuss the information they found. Purchase:  Your audience buys your product. Each one on the funnel stages will have marketing goals that need to be met to move customers through the funnel. Here are some potential example goals for your marketing funnel. Depending on your funnel, your goals may change. Awareness Goal Examples: Gain 2,500 organic views for every blog post. Reach 500 people for every Facebook post. Interest Goal Examples: Get 3,000 new email subscribers a week. Gain 750 new social fans per month. Consideration Goal Examples: Get 50% of new customers in nurturing email follow. Qualify 50 new leads from the email list per week. Intent Goal Examples: Have 25 new sales calls a week. Evaluation Goal Examples: Write five bottom of the funnel marketing posts a month. Set up ten demo calls a month with potential customers. Purchase Goal Examples: Convert 75% of sales calls to purchases. Achieve an average order value of $50 or higher. Recommended Reading: How to Set Social Media Goals To Crush Your Business Objectives Step Six: Measure Progress Toward Your Objectives The last step is to figure out how you are going to measure and report on the progress. Before you even begin to build your reports, you and your boss need to determine how often you need to report your results. These could come weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. Once you’ve determined how often you’re going to create your report, you need to choose what metrics you’re going to track. These metrics will usually revolve around the goals you set for your team. If we were to choose a series of metrics based on our marketing funnel goals, they would look something like this. Awareness Metrics Example: Gain 2,500 organic views for every blog post  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many organic views do you get for each post? What is the average? Reach 500 people for every Facebook post sent → How many people does your Facebook post reach on average? What was the highest number of people reached? Interest Metrics Examples: Get 3,000 new email subscribers a week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new subscribers did we gain in this reporting period? What was the average? Gain 750 new social fans per month  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many fans did we gain in this reporting period? How many fans did we gain per social channel? Consideration Metrics Examples: Get 50% of new customers in nurturing email follow  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new email subscribers entered the nurture email flow in the reporting period? Intent Metrics Examples: Have 25 new sales calls a week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many new sales calls did we get in the reporting period? What is our average? Qualify 50 new leads from the email list per week  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many leads did you get in the reporting period? How many of them could be considered marketing qualified leads? Evaluation Metrics Examples: Write five bottom of the funnel marketing posts a month  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many leads came from your bottom of the funnel marketing posts? How often did they help convert customers? Set up ten demo calls a month with potential customers  Ã¢â€ â€™ How many demo calls were completed? How many of them converted into paying customers? Purchase Metrics Examples: Convert 75% of sales calls to purchases  Ã¢â€ â€™ What is the average purchase price from a sales call? How many calls converted? Achieve an average order value of $50 or higher  Ã¢â€ â€™ What is the order value for each call? What was the average in the reporting period? One free and widely-used option for objectives reporting is  Google Analytics. Google Analytics can help you find an enormous amount of data about your audience and overall online marketing performance. Other popular options include: Kissmetrics In-app social analytics Raven Tools Hubspot DataBox Adobe Analytics Learn how to build a better marketing report  to look like a genius to your boss. DID YOU KNOW: offers robust analytics to measure content and social media performance? Learn all about it here. Get Your 2018 Marketing Objectives Back On Track Now that Peter and Natalie (and you) have all the information you need, you can set your marketing goals and objectives to make this year your most successful year yet. Once you’re ready to move on to the execution phase of your marketing strategy, see how can help. Sign up for a demo  or start your free trial  now!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Cuban missile crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cuban missile crisis - Essay Example It is estimated that about 9 million combatants were killed during the war (Garthoff 89). The end of World War one paved way for World War two which began in the year 1939. This is termed as the most deadly war in the world. It was during this war that the atomic bombing was used in Nagasaki and Hiroshima towns by the United States against the Japan Empire. It was the first historic time when the atomic bombs were used. The war ended after the Japan surrendered to its allies (Munton and David 56). Despite the end of the war, many countries developed hostilities with their enemies and designed new ways of attacking them. This study analyses the Cuban Missile crisis, which is termed as the crisis that almost sparked a nuclear war in the world. The Cuban missile crisis was thirteen days military and political standoff between US and the Soviet Union. The crisis occurred in the year 1962 when John F. Kennedy was the president of the United States. Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles in Cuba. The move by the Soviet Union was intended to counter the emerging leadership of the United States as a leader in missile development and deployment. The Soviet Union used Cuba, which was its closest ally, to install missiles, before the United States intelligence officer detected it (Munton and David 56). After realizing the threat that was posed by the Soviet Union to its security, the United States developed a scheme to attack the region with the missiles. They also developed a splendid plan in which they would counteract the transportation of the missiles from Soviet Union to Cuba. This led to a military and political standoff, between the two states. Finally, they reached an agreement where Soviet Union agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba while the US agreed to withdraw of its threat to Cuba. This paper shall analyses the background of the crisis, how the crisis transpired and how the crisis ended. The Cuba missile led to an international

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

How Impairment Testing and Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities Affect the Essay

How Impairment Testing and Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities Affect the Reliability of Financial Statements - Essay Example When an instrument is not traded in an active market there is great uncertainty about the ultimate amount that can be realized from the instrument in a transaction between knowledgeable willing parties in an arms length transaction (Eipstein and Jermacowicz 2007). In July 2002, the European Union issued a regulation requiring all EU-listed companies to prepare their year-end accounting standards in compliance with IFRS as from December 31st 2005. Following the recent wave of accounting scandals at Enron, Tyco International and WorldCom, as well as the greater concern for off-balance sheet liabilities, the IFRS has issued a number of standards (IAS 32 Financial Instruments Disclosure and Presentation, IAS 39 , IFRS 7 Financial Instruments Disclosures, and IAS 17 Leases) to help reduce bright lines that enable companies to use off-balance sheet financing. In this paper the developments in respect of convergence between national and international accounting standards since 1st January 2005 to present day will be discussed. The impact that off-balance sheet financing and impairment testing may have upon the reliability of financial statements will also be discussed. In the light of all these, the next section argues in respect to the theme of thi s paper. 1.1.1 How impairment testing and off balance sheet Liabilities affect the Reliability of Financial Statements IAS 36 requires companies to test assets for impairment. Basically, the standard requires that tangible assets should be tested for impairment when there is an indication that an asset might be impaired. (Epstein and Jermacowicz, 2007). However, intangible assets having an indefinite useful life must be tested annually for impairment. The impairment test is required to be applied to a cash generating unit, that is, the smallest group of assets for which the entity has identifiable cash flows. During an impairment test, the carrying amount of an asset or group of assets in the cash generating unit is compared with the fair value or value in use (value in use is calculated as the present value of the cash flows expected to be generated from using the asset). The higher of value in use and fair value is taken and compared with the carrying amount and an impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount is higher than the higher of fair value and value in use. (Epstein and Jermacowiz, 2007). IAS 36 also requires a company to determine at each reporting date whether there are conditions that would indicate that impairment may have occurred and further provides a set of indicators of potential impairment some of which include (Epstein and Jermacowiz, 2007: p. 247): Market value declines for specific assets or cash generating u

Sunday, November 17, 2019

UNIFICATION IN GERMANY&IN ITALY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UNIFICATION IN GERMANY&IN ITALY - Essay Example This code is called The Napoleonic Code. It is still a basis for many European laws. Napoleon was determined to change the confusing and contradictory royal laws so that he could reform the French legal system. Before the establishment of the Napoleonic Code, France did not have a single set of laws. So, the Napoleonic Code proved a milestone for the French legal system.1 The Napoleonic Code gave more power to men before the law, while women lost some of their significant rights that were granted to them during the time of revolution. The code states that the wife should be obedient to the husband and it is the duty of the husband to fulfill the needs of the wife within whatever means he has, and the husband is also responsible for providing protection to his wife. The code describes this relationship in the following words: â€Å"The wife is obliged to live with her husband, and to follow him to every place where he may judge it convenient to reside: the husband is obliged to receive her and to furnish her with every necessity for the wants of life, according to his means and station.†2 The code also states that a wife cannot begin legal proceedings without her husband’s authority, even if she is a public figure or a trader or has any other significant status in society, unless the judge gives her the right. But the authority of the husband does not matter when the wife is involved in any criminal case or police matter. The code states that in the case of divorce, the management of children will lie with the husband or petitioner unless the authority is given to the mother or family for greater advantage of the children. As the code states in Clause 267 of the Divorce section: â€Å"The provisional management of the children  shall rest with the husband, petitioner, or defendant, in the suit for divorce, unless it be otherwise ordered for the greater advantage of the children, on petition of

Friday, November 15, 2019

Terri Schiavo A Case Study Of Euthanasia Philosophy Essay

Terri Schiavo A Case Study Of Euthanasia Philosophy Essay Euthanasia is a life-terminating process with means to end pain and suffering. However, sometimes the way euthanasia is performed can be painful in itself. Terri Schiavos case was a very high-profile one for many reasons, one of them being because of this particular issue. She was 26 years old when she collapsed in her home in Florida in 1990 from what seemed to be lack of oxygen. She was in a coma for two and half months before entering a vegetative state. What came after would prolong into a 15-year dispute between Schiavos husband and her family in trying to figure out what would be the most ethical thing to do. After Terri Schiavo entered the vegetative state, there were two different paths she could have continued onto. The first being death through euthanasia, while the second being living life and surviving with constant assistance and through artificial means. According to Diana Lynne in her article at http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=29516, however, the path to euthanasia was absolutely unnecessary. Schiavo was not drooling, which meant she was able to control her saliva and therefore would not need feeding tubes. She was not in a PVS, or a persistent vegetative state, because she very well recognized her environment and was able to interact with it. Nurses reportedly could distinguish her words through her difficulty to speak as she would say help me and Mommy. Herein laid the biggest argument- would Terri want to live a life like this? Her husband, Michael Schiavo, reported that Terri had stated herself that she would never want to live her life as a vegetable and would rather have someone put a stop to her suffering. There was, however, no written proof, or any at all for that matter, of this claim. Terris parents insisted that she would not want to be euthanized due to her religion-they said she was a devout Roman Catholic and was very religious. There was no evidence to support this claim either. Michael Schiavos intentions for Terri had been questioned since he lost all hope in her survival in 1992. His intentions were also suspicious because he had claimed that her reason for collapsing that night was due to her bulimic eating disorder-an issue that no one as aware she was dealing with. Another suspicious piece of evidence from the case was the fact that Terri had neck injuries when she was brought to the hospital that night she collapsed; her parents, the Schindlers, believe that Michael tried to strangle her that night. The first time he petitioned for Terris food tube to be removed in 1998, Michael Schiavo was already engaged to another woman whom he had had two children with. He was still married to Terri and was legally her guardian. The court ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo and decided to remove Terris feeding tube in April of 2001. Three days later the feeding tube was put back in due to appeals made by the Schindlers which led to a hold in his case. There was videotaped evidence that Terri Schiavo was indeed responding to her familys interactions and was not brain-dead or vegetative. Unfortunately, Michael Schiavos consistent efforts finally came through. On March 13th of 2005, the feeding tube was removed from Terri Schiavo. This would lead to her death on March 31st, 2005 from dehydration and starvation. For 18 days Terri was parched and starving, and this is how she was killed. I believe that Terri Schiavo was killed in a harmful, thoughtless act and there a quite a few moral theories present in ethics that can support this. In Immanuel Kants ethical theory, the categorical imperative states that we should not use people as a means to an end. Killing a person to put a stop to their suffering through euthanasia would be using them to another end. Also, Kant believed that what seems to be an act out of kindness could lead to a bad thing; Kant was not interested in acting through compassion but rather what were the right thing and the best thing to do for the best possible outcome. Kant also believed that the value of a human being was above all price. He was extremely against suicide because of this belief of the human life and its worth. Especially in this case, in which Terri Schiavo was not brain-dead and could rationalize and think, I believe Kant would agree with allowing her to continue her live and not euthanize her. John Stuart Mill would state that euthanasia was just because he believed that as long as no other being is hurt, a person can do anything he or she pleases. However, I would interpret this utilitarianistic view as one that could go against euthanasia. I believe that the death of any being can and will hurt another. The death of Terri Schiavo devastated her family and friends. Through her starvation and dehydration, her closest loved ones were also in pain because of what she had to go through. Another moral theory that would go against euthanasia is the natural law. This ethical theory states that the end never justifies the means. This theory is evidently against euthanasia because it clearly insinuates that doing evil is not justified simply because the outcome will be good, even if the intentions mean well. This theory would suggest that killing an innocent person is never morally right to do because the main intention of this natural law is to protect and preserve the innocent. Natural law also insists that God gave life and it is up to him whether or not it is a persons time for that life to end or not and he will take that life away when he pleases; natural law very much believes in the sanctity of life. The natural law theory is very much closely related to Christian ethics which would also be against euthanasia for many of the same reasons. This portion of ethics believes that humans do not have any right to take away life because it is up to God because he gave us life. It believes that euthanasia is murder and we are not to kill. Life is sacred and is meant to be lived until the persons natural death and is therefore taken away naturally by God. In terms of what is just, I do not believe Polemarchus would agree with the removal of Terri Schiavos feeding tube or any other incident involving euthanasia for that matter because of his belief of tit for tat. This belief of justice will overlook an act of evil if this kind of act was already done to that person committing it. This belief is also known as an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. People in vegetative states in situations where they may be euthanized should not be if they are innocent people. Terri Schiavos case involved an involuntary euthanasia which means the person is not in a position to ask whether or not they want to die; the method of euthanasia in her case was passive, although the clear intention was for Terri to die. There are two other types of euthanasia: voluntary and nonvoluntary. In a voluntary case, the person asks to die and in a nonvoluntary case, the person does not want to die. The two types of methods in which euthanasia is performed are either passive or active. A passive method of euthanasia involves the cutting off of a treatment that the patient is on for a natural type of death while an active method of euthanasia is the opposite in which something is added in order to specifically end the patients life. This was the wrong thing to do especially because it was involuntary and it was therefore not certain that Terri Schiavo wished to die. It is reported that Terri Schiavo did not feel any pain during her 18 years in the hospital and because of th is, any argument supporting euthanasia using Terri Schiavo as an example is not reasonable. In any case, however, I believe that there is no such thing as a life not worth living. Its evident that every person would like to die with dignity and likely does not want to spend the last years of their life in a hospital but even though it is rare, it is possible to come out of a vegetative state. Also, according to all the philosophers and moral theories mentioned above, life is too sacred to not live, no matter what the circumstances

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Death Of A Salesman: The Reality Evasion Drug :: essays research papers

Never does one go through their life without having to deal with some sort of personal conflict. The manner in which people deal with these conflicts vary as much as the prints on a person's finger. Some try and solve the problem and get rid of it, while others will try and put it aside for as long as possible. Willy Loman's method in Arthur Miller's play, The Death of a Salesman, is very dangerous and builds to harsh results. Willy never tries to help the circumstances, he only flees to his great memories of the better days, when his life's predicaments were very limited. He uses this evasion tool as though it were an addictive narcotic, and as the story unfolds, the audience soon discovers the lethality of the drug. Willy's first flash to the past was when his son, Biff, returns home from the west. Willy discusses his disappointment in Biff with his dear wife Linda. When Willy fails to cope with this misfortune successfully, he returns in his head to a time when everything was going well and life was more fortunate to him. It is perfectly normal for one to remember more fortunate days at the more dispirited times of life, as long as they can return to the present and deal with the reality of the situation. However, Willy never does return to the original problem, he just continues on with life, fleeing from the troubles that cross his path. His refusal to acknowledge reality becomes so significant, that he honestly believes the past, and he lives his entire life through a false identity never looking at the truth of his life. Willy becomes more and more dependent on his drug as the story progresses. His next allusion to the past was during a conversation with his wife. Willy is downhearted about his failure to provide for his family, his looks, and basically his whole life in general. He begins to see some of the truth in his life: "I know it when they walk in. They seem to laugh at me."(Miller; The Death of a Salesman; pg. 23) By trying to see the reality in life, for once, he depresses himself so awfully, that he has a rendezvous in his head with his women that he sees on the side. He only uses this women to lift his spirits and to evade the truths that nearly scare him into his own grave.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Principles of Management Essay

The fundamental aim of any given business is to make profits and maximize those profits. Organizations therefore in its day to day business activities will always aim at making the maximum profits at a very low cost of production. This basically means that a company wants to make very high profits without incurring a lot of expenses. In minimizing their cost of production while still ensuring that maximum profits are realized, sometimes companies violate regulations and laws governing them. It is therefore of utmost importance that there are other external bodies charged with the function of carrying out checks and balances to ensure that companies, businesses and organizations in general do not violate laid down regulations as they attempt to maximize their profits at very low costs of production and also that the consumers gets the products at very affordable prices and that the environment is not polluted by the by-products of the manufacturing companies. Therefore the first purpose of regulating companies is to ensure that the consumer on the ground is not shortchanged in terms of prices. This basically means that without regulations a company may charge unreasonably high prices for its products to the disadvantage of the customer. The regulatory bodies therefore ensure that a standard price for every particular product is set and companies are given a limit and extent up to which they are not expected to exceed. Should there be a violation by any company the regulatory body always steps in and takes an immediate action and if the company had no justifications whatsoever to go against the laid down regulations, disciplinary measures against the company are the next step. Business regulation is viewed by many as a way of enhancing better business environment. Regulation is also done to ensure that companies give consumers quality products for their money. It has been observed over the past years that failure to keenly monitor a company’s activities leads to recklessness and negligence by manufacturers so that consumers get very lo0w quality products. The laws governing the regulation of a company therefore provide for a regulatory body whose function is basically to check the kind of products a company produces in terms of quality. The issue of quality is almost synonymous to suitability of a product for use by customers in terms of safety. A product could be of low quality in that it is not up to the standards expected of such a product. For instance, if it is a vehicle it would be said to be of low quality if it fails to cover the mileage a car of a similar make would be expected to make. Quality is also looked at in terms of suitability so that it is important for the regulatory board to establish whether a company is making are suitable for use. For instance, if it is a company that manufactures food stuffs, then the regulatory body must ensure that the foods manufactured are actually edible and safe for human consumption. In case of medical products they must ensure chemicals used in the manufacture of medicines have no side effects on the body of a patient. In case of electronic products it is vital to ensure that the are safe so that they don’t blow up on the user of that product. It is for this reason that every country has regulatory bodies known as bureaus of standards of goods and products in general are maintained by the manufacturers. Regulation by external regulatory bodies is also done to ensure do not carelessly dispose off waste products thereby polluting the environment. Most companies if left to go unregulated would cause a l0ot of harm to the environment. This is because of the kind of waste products they produce. Most of the waste products are not only toxic but also poisonous. The regulatory bodies are therefore very instrumental in ensuring that companies treat their waste products prior to releasing them to the outside world. Better still, they ensure that even with the w3aste products being treated, they are disposed in the right place and manner. A case scenario of a company that used to produce to waste products that were toxic and then carelessly release the waste products into the open air. This in turn caused the surrounding residents great suffering as there was an outbreak of diseases. The regulatory body immediately intervened and the company was closed down indefinitely until they found a lasting solution. It has also been observed that most industries would rather drain their waste products in the water . odies notwithstanding their toxic levels so that they cut down expenses of having to dispose the waste products in the right way. This kills the aquatic animals thus destroying the environment. The regulatory bodies in such cases are very quick to ensure that no life both human and that of animals is put in danger. Regulation is also done to ensure prompt payment of taxes by companies. Every company in business in every country is required to pay taxes to the government of that particular country. This forms a source of income for the government. Most companies as discussed earlier are very evasive because their main goal is to make maximum profits. Thus they sometimes attempt to evasion of payment of taxes in order to make as high profits. It is no secret that even the consumers on the ground who are the back bone of the business field are more often than not treated very unfairly by the businessmen as they attempt to achieve their principal of maximum profit at the lowest possible cost. Manufacturers and owners of companies always want to be beneficiaries of their work at no extra cost thus tax evasion and avoidance is very common in the business field. However, they ignore the fact that by engaging in such malpractices of tax evasion and avoidance the government stands s to lose a lot in terms of revenue and as a result the country’s population suffers as the government is no longer able to sustain their needs due to insufficient revenues. Note that the manufacturers have had nothing to lose as their businesses still go on as desired. It is also important to note that failure of companies to pay taxes automatically means that a lot more will be demanded from the individuals thus suppressing the common citizen. Most people don’t find the importance of paying taxes. Tax is an obvious source from which countries can generate cash to fund human development. It is also one of the means by which they can begin to free themselves from dependence on handouts and the punitive conditions often attached to aid. Tax can also help countries determine their own route out of poverty. How Tax Policies Fleece the Poor, Christian Aid, September 2005, page6) Regulatory bodies therefore ensure that companies pay taxes as they should to avoid suppressing the poor people. Research indicates that evasion and avoidance of taxes by companies has led to a considerable increase in Value Added Tax which is the tax imposed on common goods used by ordinary people therefore placing an unfairly heavy burden on poor people. Regulation of companies is also done to ensure that employers respect labor laws put in place to protect rights of employees at the work place. More often than not employers ignore the rights of their employees thus employees are made to work under very poor conditions. Therefore the regulatory bodies in conjunction with non-governmental bodies come together in defending the rights if the workers and ensuring that companies follow the laws governing the rights of the employees to the letter. The regulatory bodies also ensure that workers are not treated unfairly in terms of wages by ensuring that they are paid above the minimum wage. It also ensures that employees are not overworked in term s of work load and the number of hours that they work. The regulatory bodies are also very keen in terms of the age limit so that companies do not employ underage employees in order to have cheap labor. Another major function of the regulatory bodies is to ensure that companies submit annual returns as they should and within the required time. The annual returns and reports contain the activities of the company for a given period usually one year and include income generated, profits made, expenses incurred and losses made. Most companies default in the submission of these annual reports and returns in order to conceal the profits made and consequently evade being taxed. They also default in submission of the reports as a way of covering up for any activity or activities carried out in the year that contravened any laid down rules. The regulatory bodies therefore step in to ensure that all companies submit their annual returns and reports and that they do so within the required time. Regulatory bodies also play a major role in ensuring that companies comply with the general requirements of operating and running of a company. This is in relation to the formation of a company, who makes the board of governors, who constitutes members of a company, shareholders and all other requirements a company is expected to comply with in its operations. The regulatory bodies are always in the frontline in the protection of investors so that companies do not manipulate them as far as investment is concerned. From the roles discussed earlier, it is very clear that a regulatory body is of great importance in the business field as it ensures that companies operate without the slightest form of flaws. From the discussion, it is very clear. From the discussion, it is clearly spelt out that companies cannot by any means regulate themselves. This is for the obvious reasons that regulations of their operations are obviously incompatible with the fundamental principle with their fundamental purpose, goal and objective of making maximum profits at the lowest possible cost. It is unrealistic and almost impossible to expect that companies will regulate themselves while it is very clear that their main objective in business and the task of regulation totally are not synonymous. It is therefore in order to conclude that if companies are left to be in charge of themselves and asked to regulate themselves while it is very clear that their many objectives in business and the task of regulation totally do no rhyme. It is therefore in order to conclude that if companies are left to be in charge of themselves, they would take advantage, exploit people and the consumer on the ground would be on the losing end. It is therefore correct to state that regulation of companies and other business organizations can only be successfully done by external regulatory bodies separate from the company itself who have no interest whatsoever in either the company or activities. Therefore it is only with the right regulatory measures that a fair playground in the business industry can be achieved. This can be achieved by ensuring that regulatory bodies are established for checks and balances of companies and business organizations at large. Regulation by eternal regulatory bodies has also played a major role in establishing fair and healthy competition among businessmen therefore has a level playground to do their business.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Propaganda Posters of WWI essays

Propaganda Posters of WWI essays The United States produced a lot of propaganda posters during WWI. Most explained that we should eat certain foods so we can send the rest Over There to help our troops. Also many of the posters pushed us to work harder. Explaining that the work we do is for our men in Europe. There was a high demand for building ships at this time because Germany had many ships of their own. Many businesses in my eyes didnt have a high turn-over rate because of this situation. They stated that jumping from one job to another is hurting the production and they need us to help them win this battle. The posters about saving sugar, fat, wheat and meat because we can use it as our ammunition to the soldiers were to convince Americans that even though that they are not there that they have an important part in this. The ships that were built by working day and night were used to send food to the soldiers. From industrial to agricultural goods, everything was needed. Agriculture was very important because that was where that sugar, meat and wheat was coming from. During the winter months cotton was important for coats to keep warm and also socks for our troops and allies. Food and Drug Administration asked families to save their garbage because that could be important to us and the war because they could contain ingredients for soaps, fertilizers, and other war necessities. Ever created regulations on disposal of food and waste products. They wanted us to be more efficient in everything we do because the littlest thing to our daily lifestyle could be the biggest part of the war. That was pounded in to the Americans heads with these posters. This period of time had to be the best time ever for the United States as far as producing goods, productivity (factories and farming), and morale as a nation. The government also produced war stamps and bond to help fund the war as well. Posters were put out to...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Marriage In Victorian Times

Love and marriage- in today’s modern sense when we think of a wedding we often associate these two terms together. We think of dating and boyfriends and girlfriends and experimenting with different partners until we are sure we have found our true love. This was not a luxury that the Victorians had. The two texts that we read, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations, both represent different courtship and marriage rituals taken from their perspective time periods. In this paper I shall explore these different rituals within the different social classes represented. Views of marriage and social class in the society of nineteenth century England were very different from views in modern American society. There were two concerns when dealing with marriage in England during this time period. These issues were social class and wealth. Love was often not a luxury that they could afford when mates were chosen. In Pride and Prejudice Austin shows that marriage was not an act of love, but rather an act of survival. Women were often married off to gain wealth and stability in society, while men, on the other hand, married for comfort and companionship and to fulfill the norm of society. The marriages in this story consisted of people from the upper classes. The marriages in Great Expectations, on the other hand were primarily from the middle class. They dealt with emotions to an extent, but were primarily about financial or societal gain. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet wife and mother of five daughters had a simple view of marriage. Her goal was to marry each, if not all at least one, of her daughters off to the man who had the most money and was most prominent in society. Most mothers of the time engaged in this activity to an extent, however, due to the entailment of their estate, this task consumed her entire life. The story focuses primarily on two courtships- those between Darcy ... Free Essays on Marriage In Victorian Times Free Essays on Marriage In Victorian Times Love and marriage- in today’s modern sense when we think of a wedding we often associate these two terms together. We think of dating and boyfriends and girlfriends and experimenting with different partners until we are sure we have found our true love. This was not a luxury that the Victorians had. The two texts that we read, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations, both represent different courtship and marriage rituals taken from their perspective time periods. In this paper I shall explore these different rituals within the different social classes represented. Views of marriage and social class in the society of nineteenth century England were very different from views in modern American society. There were two concerns when dealing with marriage in England during this time period. These issues were social class and wealth. Love was often not a luxury that they could afford when mates were chosen. In Pride and Prejudice Austin shows that marriage was not an act of love, but rather an act of survival. Women were often married off to gain wealth and stability in society, while men, on the other hand, married for comfort and companionship and to fulfill the norm of society. The marriages in this story consisted of people from the upper classes. The marriages in Great Expectations, on the other hand were primarily from the middle class. They dealt with emotions to an extent, but were primarily about financial or societal gain. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet wife and mother of five daughters had a simple view of marriage. Her goal was to marry each, if not all at least one, of her daughters off to the man who had the most money and was most prominent in society. Most mothers of the time engaged in this activity to an extent, however, due to the entailment of their estate, this task consumed her entire life. The story focuses primarily on two courtships- those between Darcy ...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Dark Side of Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Dark Side of Literature - Essay Example "London" is a short poem of four stanzas in which Blake laments the fact that "marks of weakness, marks of woe" can be seen in every face he meets in the city. In "every cry of every Man", in the "Infant's cry of fear", and in every other voice, the freedom-loving poet hears the "mind-forg'd manacles." The poet makes a specific attack on the twin arms of power-the Church and the Crown: Plainly, the poet is of the view that the blight has entered into the very heart of the London, for harlots are used and abused not by the high and mighty alone, but by every man who thinks he can get his money's worth from them-be the sum a few pence or more than a few guineas. It is the curse of the harlot that engenders the "Infant's cry of fear" and makes marriage a farce that begins and ends as a hearse that transports men and women from the plagues of Earth to the plagues of Hell. If "London" appears dark, "The Human Abstract" is quite unrelentingly, black in its round and full condemnation of the 'Human Brain'-not just the brain of politician or monarch or demagogue, but the human brain. The poet reveals the selfish foundation of even seemingly benevolent emotions such as 'Pity' and 'Mercy': Pity would be no more If we did not make somebody Poor; And Mercy no more could be If all were as happy as we. In such a context, it is only "mutual fear" that brings peace till selfishness waxes too great. Then, "Cruelty knits a snare/And spreads his baits with care." "Holy fears" soon "water...the ground with tears." This is all that it takes for "Humility" to take root beneath the cruel foot. The "dismal shade/ of Mystery" then drops over his head and "the Catterpiller and Fly/ Feed on the Mystery." The fruit of this tree appears "Ruddy and sweet to eat" but it has a canker at its core and it is the "fruit of Deceit." The Gods of earth and sea may search for this tree and its fruit through all Nature, but the search would be "in vain" for the tree grows not in Nature, but in Man-"in the Human Brain." If in "London" Blake had seemed to sympathize with "Chimney sweeper", with "hapless soldier" or "youthful Harlot", in "The Human Abstract" the poison tree is revealed as one that can flourish in any human brain. While the oppression of Church and the State will be condemned and rightly so, the poet's task is not to be populist or to strive to be popular-he has to shine the light of his poetry into the cracks and crevices of every human heart and soul and brain. This should lead to a transformation-but such a change can occur only if the need for change is manifest, and that, surely, is what a poet like Blake is trying to achieve. In

Friday, November 1, 2019

The Automobile in American History and Culture Essay

The Automobile in American History and Culture - Essay Example Cars operate on the four-stroke combustion cycle to convert the gasoline into motion (Gottlieb, 1997). The four-stroke combustion cycle is also known as the Otto cycle a name that honors Nikolaus Otto who invented the technology in 1867. Successive improvements on both the technology and other features of a car have resulted in the near perfect modern car that boasts of increased efficiency. Â  Development of the car engine readily manifests in the features of the contemporary car engine most of which portray dedicated technological improvements that succeeded in the modern day engine from the traditional engine invented hundreds of years ago. Among the features that prove the difference are engine sizes, efficiency, power and supporting components among many others. Efficiency in the modern car engines arises from the completeness of combustion. Engines emit smoke through the exhaust pipes depicting the incompleteness of the combustion (Brain, 2014). Old engines, for example, emitted more smoke and thus consumed more gasoline per mile. This arose from particular features of the engine that inventors improved progressively thereby resulting in the modern day engine. Direct injection, for example, is a major invention that has increased the efficiency of combustion thereby reducing the fuel consumption of cars while increasing the power that engines produce. Additionally , the reduced amount of smoke that modern engines emit has reduced the amount of pollution, which was a major concern with the traditional engines (Norman, 1902). Â  Other features of the modern engine that improves its efficiency include mechanisms of compressing air and cylinder deactivation. Air compression ensures that the gasoline receives adequate air to sustain efficient combustion of the fuel.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Human resource management challenges in knowledge-intensive sectors Essay

Human resource management challenges in knowledge-intensive sectors and solutions - Essay Example Based on this research human resource management (HRM) is of crucial importance for the optimum functioning of the organisation, irrespective of whatever sector they operate in. As the organisations in all the sectors including knowledge-intensive sectors will have humans or employees, human resource management is inevitable. With the organisations in the knowledge intensive sectors maximally dependent on the employees and their intellectual assets than other sectors like manufacturing, service, etc., (which could have use of infrastructures and machineries), HRM has to play a major role to solve all the HRM centric challenges. In any organisation, Human Resource Department (HRD) in association with other departments will play a variety of roles. HRD as part of HRM will select of the right people for the right jobs or designations through aptly conducted recruitment drives. Then, they have to provide a healthy and effective work environment for them to exhibit high productivity. Effe ctive work environment in the sense, the employees can be made to work as part of teamwork, can be involved more in the decision making processes and importantly could be given timely incentives so that their efficacy levels are always at the peak. All these key aspects have to be taken by the organisation or the management with good inputs from the HRD in line with optimum HRM. Workers are the integral part of any successful organisation and that includes Knowledge-Intensive Firms (KIP). This paper will discuss the HRM centric challenges and problems that will normally arise among the employees in KIPs, and importantly discuss how it can be solved, thus making the employees provide optimum productivity and thereby keep the operations of those firms, running in a smooth, well lubricated manner. Knowledge-intensive sector or Knowledge-Intensive Firms (KIPs) The concept of KIFs is apparently distinct from other organisational categories or organisations in other sectors. This is becau se in other traditional organisational categories, the emphasis will be more on the raw materials, capital, machineries, etc., with employees and their intellectual assets playing a complementary role. However, in the case of firms in the Knowledge intensive sectors, their entire operations will depend on humans and their knowledge. â€Å"KIFs are generally considered to be diametrically opposite to traditional manufacturing firms in that the knowledge rather than physical or financial capital is central to the companies’ existence† (Jorgensen, Becker and Matthews 2009, pg. 451). Thus, the firms operating in the Knowledge Intensive sector carry out their operations based on the professional knowledge exhibited by their employees. That is, using the knowledge of the employees, they mainly provide knowledge based support, service and even products for other business processes. As stated by Rylander and Peppard (2005, pg.4), â€Å"KIFs are characterized as organisations where well-educated and qualified employees form a major part of the work force and engage in mainly â€Å"intellectual work†. Certain organisations, which do and provide these types of works or services comes under this knowledge intensive sector. For example, consulting organisations, financial companies, law firms, private banks, architecture companies, etc., comes under this sector because these companies will use their employees’ knowledge and data analysis skills to provide service to the other businesses or clients. Because of this main focus on the employees and their knowledge, more than their physical skills, their mental abilities will be focused. Thus, these firms will have a different employment structure than the traditional firms. For example, â€Å"their employment structures are heavily weighted towards scientists, engineers, auditors and other experts in specific fields.† (Metcalfe and Miles 1997, pg. 8). Thus, it is clear that the organisation al and employment struct

Monday, October 28, 2019

Monitor a Safe Workplace Essay Example for Free

Monitor a Safe Workplace Essay |Unit BSBOHS407A |Qualification | |Monitor a Safe Workplace |Certificate IV in Frontline Management | | | |Learner | |Start Date | | |Assessor | |Due Date | | | | |Task |Description |Who |What |Duration | |( 1 |Complete your workbook |Student |Workbook |10 hours | | | | |Text book | | |( 2 |Journal entry (one per week) |Student |Diary |20 mins | |( 3 |Scenario and Questions |Student |Questionnaire |1.5 hours | |( 4 |Underpinning Knowledge Questions |Student |Questionnaire |1.5 hours | |( 5 |Workplace Project |Student |Computer |6 hours (report) | | | | |Work Team |+ time on the job | |( 6 |Supervisor’s Checklist |Supervisor |Checklist |15 mins | | | | |Workplace Project: | | | | | |Create an OHS file for the information you collect while working through this unit. Consider your own organisation, or one that you have researched. | |Include the following: | |description of your organisation; | |organisational chart of your workplace with list of names, positions and responsibilities; | |floor plan of your workplace with emergency exits labeled; | |your organisation’s OHS policy and procedures; | |organisational chart and job descriptions; | |information from relevant state or territory’s OHS authorities; | |information from national OHS authorities; | |Risk Assessment forms and instructions/procedure | |copies of your organisation’s records and reports relating to OHS; and | |information from employees and health and safety representatives. | | | |Categorise the information and write a contents page for the folder/file. | | | |Conduct two (2) Risk Assessments on potential workplace hazards using the organisation’s procedures; attach the documentation. | | | | | |Contact your assessor if you require further information. | | | | | | | |_______________________________________ | |Student Signature | |DECLARATION: The attached information is all my own work | | | Certificate IV in Frontline Management BSBOHS407A: Monitor a Safe Workplace Candidate’s Name: ___________________________________________________ | |C |NYC | |FEEDBACK FROM MANAGER/SUPERVISOR | | | | | | | |Please consider how the candidate GENERALLY performs. | | | |Does your feedback confirm that the candidate can: | | | |Provide information to the workgroup about OHS policies and procedures |( |( | |Implement and monitor participative arrangements for the management of OHS |( |( | |Implement and monitor an organisation’s procedures for providing OHS training |( |( | |Implement and monitor procedures for identifying hazards and assessing risks |( |( | |Implement and monitor the organisation’s procedures for controlling risks |( |( | |Implement and monitor the organisation’s procedures for maintaining OHS for the team |( |( | | | |How does the candidate monitor safety in the workplace? | | | | | | | | | | | |COMMENTS FROM SUPERVISOR REGARDING CANDIDATE’S PERFORMANCE AGAINST THESE COMPETENCIES | | | | | | | |Supervisor’s Name and Signature: | | | |Email: | | | |Qualifications: | | | |Date: | Important: The candidate cannot be deemed competent until this checklist is returned. Please contact the assessor to discuss issues relating to this assessment, Corelink 02 9779 9800. Certificate IV in Frontline Management BSBOHS407A: Monitor a Safe Workplace Candidate’s Name: __________________________________ | | | |ASSESSOR’S OBSERVATIONS |Satisfactory | | | | | |Yes No | |Participates in group activities and group discussion in the learning development environment, OR, responded to |( |( | |assessor’s questions in the required time frame and to the required standard. | | | |Completed workbook activities to appropriate standard |( |( | |Recorded legitimate details of workplace issues in his/her journal and offered these issues and other discussion |( |( | |generating evidence to the workshop group | | | |Discussed and demonstrated an ability to work through issues raised on a one-to-one basis with the assessor (where |( |( | |the assessor coached the candidate through the issue) | | | |Demonstrated underpinning knowledge of the performance criteria for this unit |( |( | |Performance in the learning development environment was at a standard that reflected the candidate’s knowledge and |( |( | |understanding of this unit | | | |Ability to recognise opportunities to transfer learnings from group activities and discussions into the workplace |( |( | |Knowledge of how the elements and performance criteria of this unit integrate with and relate to the candidate’s |( |( | |organisation’s actual strategy | | | |ALL evidence submitted for assessment was appropriate for the level at which the candidate is being assessed |( |( | |Used effective people skills to relate to and communicate with others whilst in the learning development |( |( | |environment | | | | | |COMMENTS FROM ASSESSOR REGARDING CANDIDATE’S PERFORMANCE | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Assessor Name and Signature: Date: | Important: The candidate cannot be deemed competent until this checklist is returned. 1. Notes to Learner: †¢ ALL evidence should be checked off and attached to this document prior to submission for assessment. It is important you supply enough evidence so you can demonstrate that you are capable of performing at the appropriate standard in the workplace. Without the required evidence, you cannot be assessed as COMPETENT IN THE WORKPLACE by your assessor. †¢ The supervisor/third party checklist is to be completed by your supervisor. If you do not have a supervisor (for example, if you are a business owner), contact your assessor to arrange for a suitable third party to complete the checklist. †¢ Whether you are participating in FLM facilitated-learning workshops or learning self-paced, the assessor will complete a checklist to record evidence of your participation in group discussion, group activities or one-on-one interviews and emails. This will record an assessment of your underpinning knowledge and ability to transfer the learnings from the discussion and activities back to the workplace. †¢ Please contact your assessor if you require any assistance whilst preparing or collecting this evidence. †¢ If you do not have the instructions about how to keep a Journal, please contact your assessor. †¢ If you do not understand anything fully, contact your assessor. †¢ Go to Corelink’s website if you need tips on studying via distance learning. QUESTIONNAIRE Certificate IV in Frontline Management BSBOHS407A: Monitor a Safe Workplace SCENARIO Complete your answers using a word processor. The answers do not need to be lengthy (bullet points will do). The company you work for was recently purchased by another, much larger company. Although the employees have been assured that no retrenchments would occur they are still skeptical about what the future holds for them. The new managers appear to be quite open with staff about their vision for the company and have introduced major changes to its work practices to help them achieve their objectives. Workers are required to move to a new safety system. There has never been a formal system in place before. You have been put in charge of the project. Describe how you would go about the following: a. Information Sessions on OHS Legislation b. Method of explaining industry regulations to staff c. Draft of a suitable OHS Policy d. Explanation of how accessible this policy should be to employees e. Procedure for electing OHS representatives and committee f. Explanation of how meetings will be conducted g. Consultation methods you will use, and as assessment of that consultation with employees regarding the identification of workplace hazards h. Training requirements i. A checklist relating to hazards in your work area j. Draft of an Incident Reporting Procedure UNDERPINNING KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONNAIRE Certificate IV in Frontline Management BSBOHS407A: Monitor a Safe Workplace Complete your answers using a word processor. The answers do not need to be lengthy (bullet points will do). 1. Discuss the responsibilities that OHS legislation places on employees and managers 2. Describe the legal responsibilities of safety representatives and committees 3. What is meant by an employer’s OHS ‘Duty of Care’? 4. What should OHS audits evaluate? 5. What OHS records should be maintained? 6. Why do we have OHS policies and procedures? 7. Corelink PTY LTDAssessment Tool  ©Corelink Pty LtdAssessment Tool

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Fifth Business - Character Foils Of Dunstan Ramsay And Percy Essay

Robertson Davies’ novel, Fifth Business, revolves around guilt, competition, and two men who are foils of each other. Although Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton are parallels to each other, they contrast in a great number of ways. Their awkward relationship plays a significant role in the number of elements which make Fifth Business such an interesting story. While Dunstan Ramsay had never been too interested in competing with Percy Boyd Staunton, Percy from a young age saw Dunny as a rival. When Percy’s brand new expensive sled isn’t as fast as Dunny’s, Percy gets angry and throws a snowball at Dunny, which in turn begins the setting for the novel. The two continue to compete throughout the novel, for things such as Leola’s love, military recognition, and more. Percy’s and Dunstan’s characters contrast in many ways. The most prominent way in which they contrast is their values. Dunstan values spiritual things, while Percy values only material things. Percy is impressed by and yearns for money, while Dunstan could care less about it. Dunstan explains his lack of desire for materialistic things: Where Boy lived high, I lived - well, not low, but in the way congenial to myself. I thought twenty-four dollars was plenty for a ready-made suit, and four dollars a criminal price for a pair of shoes. I changed my shirt twice a week and my underwear once. I had not yet developed any expensive tastes and saw nothing wrong with a good boarding-house. (Page 1...