Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Origins of Mormonism Research Paper

Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and the Origins of Mormonism - Research Paper Example Currently, the religious group of Mormons has expanded to a greater extent and known as the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter- day Saints with its thirteen million members. Out of these thirteen million members of this group, more than half are outside the US territory. Beside the group the Latter- day Saints, another smaller group which is known as Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints (RLDS) has membership of 250,000 members in more than fifty countries. The headquarter of the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter- day Saints is situated in the Salt Lake City and directing a worldwide movement- a strong missionary force composing of fifty thousand members both male and female. The Mormons use to wear their special conservative dresses and can be identified easily. Although Mormonism supports the original traditions of Christianity and works out for the restoration of ancient Christian’s faith, it also holds a wide range of distinctive practices a nd doctrines. Beside its faith on various practices and doctrines, Mormons have also strong beliefs on holy writ and holy books. As far as the origin of Mormonism is concerned, there are several links and set of various associations and stories related to the originator of Mormonism- Joseph Smith. The most widely distributed concept about Smith is that he maintained a claim that the angels directed him towards gold plates. He translated the scripture of these gold plates as the religious Book of the Mormons. Later on in 1840s, Smith instituted the concept of polygamy among his devotees and finally, in 1844- at a very young age, Smith was murdered by a non- Mormon enemy. Brigham Young was the successor of Smith and led Mormonism after the death of Joseph Smith. Currently, the efforts of Brigham Young have proved to develop a strong hierarchical system controlling the church from top to bottom. The followers of Joseph Smith’s faith are known as Mormons and their faith is called Mormonism. In the beginning, the term Mormons was considered negative and uncomplimentary. Later on, it was not like that; however, Mormons most often prefer to be known as Later- Day Saints (LDS) (Russell Ballard, 2). The Mormons as well as the Latter Day Saints, both, share a common set of ideas. These generally include the ultimate belief in Bible and religious scripture like the Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormons. The teachings of eternal progression and marriage and polygamy were ultimate parts of their religious teachings. However, in the late 19th century, Latter Day Saints have abandoned the practices of plural marriages in Mormonism. Some other variations of Mormons include the cultural Mormonism and fundamentalism in Mormons. Cultural Mormons are more concerned about their cultural and traditional traits than theology. On the other hand, fundamentalists in Mormons still practice the concept of polygamy that was initially the concept in Mormonism and later on disco ntinued by the Latter Day Saints. Beginnings Joseph Smith born in 1814, resided with his family members in Windsor. This is the only authentic trace about Smith’s family. Smith always cradled on Green mountains and roam freely to explore the narrow gullies and deep ravines. He always love to explore the snow covered mountains and broad lands. He spent the younger years of his life with curiosity- in search of the soul of the world (Belisle & Joseph Smith, 17- 18). This is known as historical faith of Smith where he explored the facts of

The Developing Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Developing Business - Essay Example 20). Apparently, more corporations are getting aware of the necessities of integrating better corporate governance, improved risk management methods, and sufficient business social, financial, and environmental responsibilities that are a pre-requisite for enhanced sustainability. Commercial firms play a fundamental role in the concept of sustainable development, and this is due to their potential to enhance sustainable development and their deleterious effects on the community and ecosystem. Within the essential role that business firms play to achieve sustainable development, social and environmental responsibility has emerged to concretize the paradigm of sustainable development (Schneider, 2014, p. 526). As aforementioned, the three forms of sustainability remains imperative in the maintenance of both societal and organizational needs. Financial sustainability, for instance, ensures that an organization develops structures that focuses on creating significant profit from investments made. Moreover, financial sustainability must focus on embracing the continuous provision of positive outcomes from investment by developing sustainable long-term objectives. On the contrary, environmental sustainability defines an organization’s initiatives and establishment of the structures aimed at significant reduction of causing effects to the surrounding. A business that focuses on environmental sustainability ensures that its operations and daily activities remain friendly to the environment and do not cause climate change, pollution, or degradation. Such environmental sustainable corporations also contribute towards creation and development of policies and initiatives that would enhance e nvironmental safety. On the contrary, social sustainability entails community or societal initiatives aimed at establishing frameworks that ensure

Ronald Reagan and Free

Ronald Reagan and Free Market Economy Essay The real role of government in relation to the economy is much like the role of the captain of a sailboat: If he has rigged the sails correctly, the ship will steer itself.Reagan used supply-side economic policies to change the way the United States looked at the economy. His policies, regardless of standpoint, were a huge change from the prior decades. Reagan promised real change and actually delivered on it.The economic policies of Ronald Reagans administration accomplished the administrations four major policy objectives: reduce the growth of government spending; reduce the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital; reduce regulation; and reduce inflation. The United States Federal Government needs to adopt these policies again to get the country out of depression and back on track. Princetons lexical database defines supply-side economics as the school of economic theory that stresses the costs of production as a means of stimulating the economy; advocates policies that raise capital and labor output by increasing the incentive to produce (Princeton). Policies like these were implemented under Ronald Reagan. Critics often called the policies Reaganomics, however, supporters have adopted the term as a positive reference. At this point, the terms are used interchangeably (Uchitelle). Economics stems back to the dawn of centralized currency in the seventh century BC. During the past few hundred years, economics has become an important part of civilization especially since the emergence of the free market economy. The implementation and maintenance of these economies may be more difficult, but the freedom they provide is priceless. The debate of Reaganomics has been present since Reagan began his election campaign. Many criticized his policies and still do today. The debate of supply-side economics is based on whether Reagans policies worked. Statistics show his progress was concrete and undeniable, but still many people remain doubtful, and many others claim that big government should micromanage the economy, at the cost of freedom. The basis of the American economy and ways of thinking, financially, follow the principals of laissez-faire, a term which translates to let it happen. This theory states that government has three roles and only three roles: that a government should protect the peoples right to own property; maintain a stable currency; and provide for the public defense (McFall). That means that government need not be very large. Although some do not agree with these principles, they are the ones the country was founded on. Some believe that the government should interfere with the economy and provide for every individual through programs such as public health care. Those people believe that the wealthy should pay more taxes and the less wealthy should pay less; in other words, the wealthy should be giving away their money to those who do not have as much. They also believe in generally high taxes to pay for the programs they support, which benefit only lower income families. This side is considered the liberal view on the economy and government. Others believe that supply and demand, the free market economy as a whole, will manage itself. The more government interferes, the worse off everyone is. They believe in low taxes and a small government which serves only those three roles of government described under laissez-faire. This is considered the conservative view. Reagan himself held this view. Reagan’s biggest problem, which hurts how supply-side economics is perceived to this day, was his inability to produce a balanced budget within his presidency, to put it frankly, Reagan spent too much money. For any government to work, its spending must balance out with its income. This is also true for people and businesses. If a government spends more than it takes in, it falls into debt. If that problem is not corrected, the deficits begin to add up, increasing the debt. During his campaign, Reagan promised he would cut taxes, get control of government spending, and get government out of the way of American businesses (Second Revolution). Unfortunately, he was only able to deliver on part of his promise. President Reagan did not get government spending under control like the American people wanted. He spent massive amounts of money on defense and created a deficit, the likes of which had not been seen since the Second World War. USA Today published an article in 2004 stating, â€Å"Federal spending as a share of the economy was at about the same level in 1988 as in 1981† (Kirchhoff 2), which shows that although Reagan did not increase spending, he did not decrease it either. Jason Furman, director of the Hamilton Project at Brookings Institution elaborated, â€Å"If you are cutting taxes without offsetting the cuts through reductions in spending, then all you are doing is increasing debt and postponing the taxes† (Uchitelle), which makes perfect sense. If the income of the government is cut, then so must be its expenditure. If Reagan had been able to cut his spending directed towards the military, then his budget deficit would have been cut dramatically. A plan with a defense budget as ridiculous as his would not be even slightly justifiable today; however, the times were different then. It is observed that Reagan ended the Cold War. Without his spending on projects such as the Strategic Defense Initiative, the Cold War could very well be going on today, or worse, it could have gone the way of nuclear warfare. Reagan’s spending, although it was over the top, can be justified. Without it, America, and the rest of the world, might not be standing today. Faced with the Cold War and armed with a love for his country, he was compelled to increase defense spending. Unlike President Jimmy Carter, Reagan was willing to make tough decisions and start progressing towards real peace. At the time Reagan was President, the country was still locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. His military spending was very much influenced by this war and the nuclear arms race surrounding it. He took a new, outside-of-the-box approach to the race. Instead of a bigger and better missile, he opted for a missile defense system that would shoot down incoming nuclear threats (Reagan). His actions and others ended the Cold War and the threat of worldwide nuclear annihilation. President Reagans administration turned over record deficits to Presidents Bush and Clinton. Reagans Vice President, George H. W. Bush, shared Reagans views on how to treat an economy and a government; however, President Clinton disagreed and begun reverting the policies of the administration past, under the presumption that the supply-side policies were not working. The truth is they were working, but the excessively poor state of the economy slowed progress and real benefits of Reagans supply-side policies were not seen until well after their implementation. Then, during his presidency, Clinton turned up a budget surplus (Weisenthal). This surplus is thought to be his biggest accomplishment and proof that Reagans take on the economy was not working. This surplus was a curse, not a ray of hope. It ruined any chance the American economy had for returning to a stable state. Clintons administration sucked more money out of the economy than the economy could bear (Weisenthal) and it exacerbated the way of life for every American living in the United States today. Interest rates on personal savings plummeted, household debt soared, and the U.S. trade deficit worsened intensely over the eight years Clinton wreaked havoc in the White House (Weisenthal). Stephanie Kelton, an Economics professor at the University of Missouri claims, we are still suffering the harmful effects of the Clinton budget surpluses, and the data shows that she is correct. Taxes are an extremely controversial issue when it comes to supply-side economics. The premise that lowering taxes increases tax revenue is not the easiest to grasp, especially when the revenue never really comes around. Although the economy was growing vigorously, many claim, the promised boon in tax revenue never materialized (Uchitelle). The left wing media and politicians would like to believe that what followed Clintons actions was, in the words of Gene Sperling, an advisor to both Hillary and Bill, the longest recovery in history (Uchitelle). However, in the years following President Clintons tenure with stagflation at an all-time high and the worst depression since the Great Depression in full swing, it is now apparent that it was not that at all, but instead only economic turmoil in the works. The lack of tax revenue can be explained by the delay caused by the abhorrent state of the economy preceding Reagans presidency. By the time the tax boon was going to come around, the Clinton administration scared the American public back into the old mentality of defensive saving and economic stagflation, especially with the wealthy. However dreary the tax revenue may have seemed, it was still a 5.6% increase over the course of Reagans presidency, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget (Uchitelle). Aside from transfers, such as Social Security payout and dividends from investments, from which most citizens are not receiving income from,wages are the only way for consumers to earn money (Evans). This makes it a very delicate item to tamper with, especially when the government is taking more money out of the pockets of its citizens. President Reagan completely changed the way people think about taxes. Clint Stretch, the national director of tax policy for Deloitte Touche, said, That sense that taxes are tax payers money, rather than a contribution the common good is somehow entitled to, and it couldnt be better said. Tax money is money directly taken from the only income most citizens have−their wages. When people make less money, they spend less money, and the economy tumbles into depression, such as the one currently looming over the United States. Reagan cut taxes dramatically. The top rate in 1980 was 70%, and the rate for a family making $30,000 dollars in income was 37% (Kirchhoff 2). After tax cuts were implemented, the top rate plummeted to just 28% (Kirchhoff 2), leaving consumers more money and leaving businesses and employers more money to hire workers andbegin to move America forward. The logic behind these tax cuts is that workers would have more incentive to get to work, taking home more money for their time and effort, and that it would prompt people to start taking that extra shift or to go and get educated to make even more money. According to Kevin Hassett, director for economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, What really happens is that the economy grows more vigorously when you lower tax rates, (Uchitelle) and that growth triggers more cash to flow through Americas economy and increases tax revenue. The best support for supply-side economics is in the numbers it generates. During the Reagan presidency, 20 million jobs were created (Second). This meant more Americans making money the old-fashioned way:by working hard. Reagan also killed rising inflation. He allowed the central bank to make the tough calls and keep a tight money policy that stabilized the dollar (Kirchhoff 1). If a currency is strong and stable, the economies relying on it will follow the same trend because people feel safe about investing their wealth in it. When the dollar is strong, the economy is strong, but better yet, America is strong. Tight money policies kept the dollar strongby limiting currency printing and raising short-term interest rates to cut inflation from 13.5% in 1980 to 4.1% in 1988. This was key to improving the economy as a whole. Reagan saved America from government control, and turned it around towards the free markets (Kirchhoff 1). The Reagan Foundation describes the situation such that, businesses and entrepreneurs were no longer hassled by their government, or paralyzed by burdensome and unnecessary regulations every time they wanted to expand (Second). As an added benefit, by the time Reaganwas out of office, prime interest rates were back down to 10% in 1988, from 21.5% in 1981 (Second), which allowed business and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, therefore growing America. Two huge indicators for the immediate state of the economy, the Gross National Product(the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country during one year), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the total value of 30 of Americas most successful companies and the most widely cited indicator for the state of the stock market) (Princeton), both experienced incredible growth. GNP grew 26% during the 1980s (Second), and the Dow grew by 11.4% annually (Krantz). Stocks continued to go up after Reagan left office, something which cannot be said for Carter before him, or Clinton after (Krantz). The people saw huge benefits from these policies by the end of the 1980s, even though the government may not have. The net worth of families making $20,000-$50,000 grew by 27% during the implementation of supply-side economic policies (Second). Also relating directly to the people, unemployment went from 7.6% to 5.5% (Second), a number that would be ideal to see today. Of the 20 million jobs created, more than half went to women and the employment of blacks was improved by 25% overall (Second) both of these things being extremely good indicators of the economy and extremely good indicators that supply-side economics work. The economic policies of Ronald Reagans administration accomplished the administrations four major policy objectives: reduce the growth of government spending; reduce the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital; reduce regulation; and reduce inflation. The United States Federal Government should to adopt these policies again to get the country out of depression and back on track.High inflation and soaring oil prices gave Reagan the toughest period since World War II (Uchitelle), and he did his best with what he was handed. He pushed for all the right things to fix the economy. He may have spent too much money to truly balance the supply-side economics he was attempting to fulfill, but that should not subtract from the true supply-side theory, which can be proven to work through the data collected during the 1980s under Ronald Reagan. President Reagan set the tone for all Republicans to follow Fellow patriots, this is a call to arms. Do not let America fall any deeper than it already has. Vote for the candidates who support supply-side theory. Vote for those who wish to bring the country up, not sink it down further with stimulus packages and universal health care that the country cannot afford. It is not the duty of the wealthy to support the poor. It is the duty of Americans to exercise their rights to the pursuit of happiness and financial prosperity. Redistribution of wealth carried out by a government that wishes to micromanage the economy through overregulation and taxes is not the answer to the problems the United States faces. Set the sails and let the ship sail itself, because freedom and prosperity do not have to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Supply-side economics work and they will continue to work in the future. Works Cited Evans, Kim.Major money flows within the U.S. economy. The American Economy. 2011 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. Kirchhoff, Sue, and others. Reagan Had Lasting Impact on Worlds Economic Future. USA TODAY. 10 Jun 2004: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. Krantz, Matt.Reagans Stock Success Not Unparalleled, but Try Telling That to Traders. USA TODAY. 10 Jun 2004: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. McFall, Sally. Reaganomics.Economics. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. N. pag.Print. Princeton University About WordNet.WordNet.Princeton University. 2010. http://wordnet.princeton.edu The Second American Revolution: Reaganomics. Reaganfoundation. Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, 2010. Web. 18 Nov 2012. Ronald Reagan: Radio Address to the Nation on the Strategic Defense Initiative , July 13, 1985. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=38882. Uchitelle, Louis. A Political Comeback for Supply-Side Doctrine. New York Times (New York, NY). 26 Mar 2008: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. Weisenthal, Joe. The Untold Story Of How Clintons Budget Destroyed The American Economy.Business Insider. Business Insider, 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Dec. 2012.

Marketing theories and concepts applied to Waitrose

Marketing theories and concepts applied to Waitrose In this report firstly I aim to examine different theories within marketing, secondly I would be critically analysing the common characteristics of a marketing oriented organisations. Moving on from there I would be explaining various elements of marketing concepts using my research I carried out on Waitrose and would be evaluating and comparing the costs and benefits of marketing approach for todays business. Furthering in this report I would be explaining how tools of macro and micro concepts would help in decision making within marketing using Waitrose as my example. Then I would be looking into the significance of segmentation and factors influencing during the choice of targeting strategy. To summarise this section, I would be looking into how buyers behaviour affects any marketing activities in an organisation in two different situations. Finally, I would be examining how product development helps Waitrose in sustaining a competitive advantage over their competitors and how are their distribution channels they have in place for their customers proving convenient for their customers and how it helps the business in return. Defining marketing There are many definitions of marketing which generally revolve around the primacy of customers as part of an exchange process.   Customers needs are the starting point for all marketing activity.   Marketing managers try to identify these needs and develop products which will satisfy customers needs through an exchange process.   As a business philosophy, marketing puts customers at the centre of all the organisations considerations.   This is reflected in basic values such as the requirement to understand and respond to customer needs and the necessity to search constantly for new market opportunities.   Marketing means more than one thing. Many Marketing experts have many definitions of marketing, but most of them are based around different ideas of marketing. If you look at these two expert definitions of marketing, they are based on the idea of marketing being a range of activities. Kotler defines marketing as a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they want and need through creating, offering, and exchanging products of value with others. his view on marketing looks at marketing being more of an exchange process. [Kotler, 1991] Chartered Institute of Marketing defines it as the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers requirements profitably. However, there exist numerous definitions of marketing; it is always about meeting existing needs and anticipating future needs [Bagozzi, 1975]. In Elements of marketing, Prentice Hall, 1975;Marketing is all those activities involved in getting goods from producers to users, including buying, selling, storing, transporting, advertising, and promoting the goods [Bagozzi, 1975]. Another view explains marketing as being more of a process of goods or services getting it from the supplier to the customer. This definition is based on that idea. Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to customers. [C E Merril. 1982] Now after the definition of marketing, it is important to understand the marketing concept. This concept holds to achieve organizational goals depends on the needs and wants of the target market and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors. To illustrate the marketing concept Peter Drucker said: if we want to know what business is we must first start with its purposeThere is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. What business thinks it produces is not of first importance. What the customer thinks he/she is buying, what he/she considers value is decisive-it determines what a business is, what it produces, and whether it will prosper? [Peter Drucker, 1954] Common characteristics of marketing oriented organisations The major feature of the marketing oriented organization is that they are aimed to stay closer to the customers and ahead of their competitors. The reason is that the basic aim of these organizations is to attract the customers. There are four major characteristics which define the marketing oriented organizations including, Shared Values, Organization, Strategy, Customers. Firstly, all decisions of these companies consider the customers first and they share the common value of superior quality of products. Secondly, their organizational structure has very few layers and their policies are not very difficult. Thirdly, the strategy of a market oriented organization is long term, flexible and participative. Finally, they consider the expectations of the stakeholders before making any important decision. The Marketing Concept and the Mix The marketing concept is a kind of recipe how a company can achieve its goals by understanding the exchange partners and associated costs, being a response to external opportunities and threats and to internal strengths and weaknesses as a means of competitive advantage (Houston, 1986). Bagozzi (1975) underpins this viewpoint, arguing that marketing is much about the exchange paradigm which focuses on the question why parties take part in exchanges and how these work.   The marketing mix is the organizations overall offer or value to the customer.   The Marketing Mix is a term used to describe the combination of tactics used by a business to achieve its objectives by marketing its products or services effectively to a particular target customer group.   Businesses need to make sure they are marketing: The right product, to the right person, at the right price, at the right place and at the right time. The aim of doing this is to gain a competitive advantage and thus to outperform competitors. (De Wit and Meyer, 1998) The concept of marketing mix and 4Ps was introduced in 1965.It has become the basic model of marketing and has been unchallenged since then. It is defined as the set of controllable tactical marketing tools that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.   The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. It is considered that a common model for achieving this is the 4-P framework as put forward by Kotler and Levy (1969). Lauterborn (1990) proposed that there were twelve dimensions of marketing, however, McCarthy reduced the model so that it became known as the 4Ps: Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Waitroses Marketing Mix There are many factors that encourage Waitrose to vary its product mix, promotional offers pricing from store to store as place (location) is also very important to Waitrose. . Price   Although Waitrose tries to operate a uniform national price list (all products sold at identical prices) it does admit to some price flexing to keep in line with its competitors. A variation of prices between stores can be in response to the size of the store, position of a store, regional incomes, and customer preferences, which can all have major affects. To illustrate the picture, a Waitrose store situated in the centre of London may have higher prices compared to a Waitrose store out of town in Surrey. This can be due to the high operating costs of trading within the city centre. Transport costs can also have an affect on prices especially to stores situated in London, as they will now experience the cost of the congestion charge, resulting in an increase in the cost of delivering stock. Also stores may face higher costs because they are remotely located. Yet stores that have a local monopoly, because no alternative shop is located within reasonable travelling distance, Waitrose may decide to exploit this by setting high prices. On the other hand, fierce competition will see low prices to attract the consumer who would have a choice in this case. Regional incomes and customer preferences can also have an effect on prices as certain areas may have lower incomes so prices of certain products may have to be decreased to meet the wealth of certain areas. All these factors have to be considered when Waitrose prices it products. Overall prices within Waitrose tend not to vary as most stores are situated in the south of England so incomes and operating costs are fairly similar. Product Product mix may differ from area to area because of varying consumer tastes. For example, the Canary Wharf store is tailored to meet the needs of its affluent customer base as they offer designer breads, a sushi bar, a wine bar, a steak and oyster bar, and an exclusive wine cellar offering vintage wines. Product mix may also vary in relation to what Waitroses competitors are doing, as Waitrose may feel they have to supply certain products just to keep up to date and in competition with its competitors. Additionally, Waitroses product mix may vary due to the size of the store and the space allocation of products. Waitrose may choose to supply certain products in certain areas as they are good sellers and so the bigger store the more they may sell. Sales data is a good way of identifying where certain products should be situated between branches and a process of achieving sales data is by the use of electronic data interchange (EDI). Varying the product mix is part of an efficient consumer response system (ECR). By focusing on the efficiency of the supply system and thereby reducing cost enables Waitrose to offer products tailored to a region. A major advantage of own brands is their extremely short maturity process. Since own brands are commonly exact imitates of branded manufacturers products. They benefit from this, by being immediately familiar with the customer. Most popular own brand products are those that show little difference to branded products, so-called inferior goods, where there is little room for differentiation. Retailers have the advantage of tracking market needs fast and react to the change in social life style (take away, healthy eating, alternatives food, exotic, ethnic foods) that encourage expanding in new own brand categories. The retailers have often been quicker than the major branded producers to respond to consumers tastes, as it tends to be easier and quicker to alter lower volume, private label products specifications than higher volume manufacturer branded products. Promotion Promotional offers may be carried out within certain stores to help grow specific lines which do not sell well, in hope of increasing sales, and matching sales targets of other stores, while encouraging shoppers to increase their spend within the store. Another reason for promotional offers to contrast between stores is so that they can compete against their local competitors offers in aim of keeping and gaining (counter competitor activity). A new store may also have promotional offers running at different times to other stores a means of winning customers, and increasing awareness of the new store. Different levels of store traffic can also have an effect on promotional offers, as stores with low traffic may carry out promotional offers in an attempt to increase the number of people visiting the store. An alternative motive for the variation in promotional offers between stores can be to stimulate customers switching to own brand products, as certain stores may have low own brand s ales. Place Waitrose is located mainly in the south east of the UK with stores only as far north as Newark. The typical Waitrose Store is located in town centres next to other major shopping facilities. The average Selling Space of a Waitrose Store is under 1500 sq meter, which is fairly small. However newly opened stores tend to be of at least 2000 sq meters and preferably 2500 sq metres. With the introduction of its food home store format, Waitrose has also started to build in out of town locations, however, this account for only a very small share. Costs and benefits of marketing approach The principal benefit of marketing is that it enables companies to maximise their potential and reach the right customers at the right time. But any organisation should weigh up the costs approaching marketing. Every project is different and could end up with the costs mentioned below, Setting marketing focus structure Initial product development Building excellent services Attracting attentions of customers Building long-time relationships with: +customers +suppliers +distributors customer retention A proper approach to marketing involves understanding the customer and his or her needs: identifying the real needs of the market.  And the below benefits are more likely to happen; Profits Customer loyalty and trust Long term goal Reputation PEST Analysis PEST Analysis is used to finding out if the market is in growth or decline, or has potential and the direction of the business. PEST analysis is manly used for measurement implement. External factors usually are beyond the firms control and many of different times can cause problem and treats for a business, but external environment also creates new opportunities, this is different for each country because they have different rules and guidelines. Pest analysis can be used for market and business development and decision making.  Ã‚   Waitrose PEST Analysis Political: The Government remains firmly committed to the objectives of PPG6, which seeks to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of our existing city, town, district and local centres and to make them the focus for retail investment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦means that it is very difficult to get planning permission for out-of-town stores. The Competition Commissions report The Supply of Groceries from Multiple Stores in the United Kingdom, published in 2000, stated that the leading supermarkets do not operate as a cartel to keep food prices unduly high. (Key Note, 2001, Supermarket Services) Although some questionable practices were found (selling product at a loss, lower prices in areas of high competition), the Commission did not recommend any corrective actions. EU Competition might not be as generous as the Competition Commission and therefore might order changes. If the introduction of the congestion charge is successful in London, it is likely that this kind of scheme will be extended to other big cities. Economic The takeover of Safeway by Morrison is an indicator that competition is getting more intense with fewer but bigger players. Social Demand for organic and healthy foods has increased and most retailers have responded to that trend. Today customers are less prepared to pay a premium price for organic foods, which is why retail chains have started to offer own brand organic products. Waitrose has long been offering these kinds of products. Busier lifestyles increased the demand for convenient foods/ ready meals. Also notable is an increasing demand for exotic and ethnic foods from consumers. The public has become more environmentally aware and Waitroses strategy fits well into this Almost 70% of women are working and working times are longer than in any other European Country. However, women are still doing the majority of the shopping. More than 75% of shopping trips are made by car. Public transport links are even declining as a percentage. Technological Online shopping is a major new opportunity for retailers and the UK offers a good market for this with the highest percentage of people online across the EU. And already more British food shoppers have converted to online grocery shopping than in any other country (Keynote, 2001, The Internet Grocery Market) Tesco is now the worlds biggest Internet grocer. Information technology and Communication has enabled more sophisticated store management, with detailed statistics of products sold being made available, thus facilitating the ordering of new stocks. More attributes of the store can be steered centrally such that costs are reduced, margins increased and sales enhanced. Stakeholders of Waitrose and their influence in marketing. A stakeholder is a person who interests a business. The stakeholders in Waitrose are: Customers: without customers Waitrose would not survive. Sales provide revenue. Employees: Waitrose has many employees in all aspects of their business.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Owners and shareholders: Waitrose have people that own parts of the company and get a part of profit. If they invested money successfully then they will make money for Waitrose. But if it is not, they will lose money. The local community: their interest in business activities and operations that could result in damage to the local environment such as the building of housing on green-field sites. Pressure groups: their main concern is the products that Waitrose are selling.   Suppliers: Suppliers selling their goods to Waitrose. Financial: Waitrose would not survive without money. Waitrose loan money from e.g. bank. Stakeholders within Waitrose have different interests in the business like, Customers have an interest in the production and services that Waitrose provide. The range of goods or services offered in the Waitrose. Also the price of these and the quality, and the range of additional facilities and services such as free home delivery. The customers also have interest on the attitude of staff and the overall performance of the organisation in this case Waitrose. The Employees have an interest in success of Waitrose as this can affect their wages and long-term employees with the company. Also employees have an interest on the way which they are treated e.g. they want be treated fairly and to do interesting work. They want to be paid a fair rate in relation to other people worked in Waitrose with the same qualifications and experience. They have interest in receiving sick pay and holiday pay. Owners and shareholders have interest in the amount of profit that is made. How much money Waitrose has invested? All shareholders have one vote for each share. Large institutional shareholders like Waitrose may hold several hundred thousand shares and they can use their votes to influence the way company is run. Also they have interest on the health and safety of customers and employees. The local community has an interest in many of the business activities taking place in an area. E.g. residents of a large housing state might welcome a supermarket opening the edge of their estate but be concentrated but the number of Lorries making late deliveries to the store. Also local community may be concentrated about business activities and operations that could result in damage to the local environment.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government have interest on employment of people, more taxes off Waitrose. They want employ the people that could be the best for customers. Government is also interested in business for political reasons. The government want to retain power aim to be re-elected. If the economy is healthy, then the government receives more money. Pressure groups have interest in what kind of products Waitrose are selling and if they harm the environment or have been animal tested. There are thousands of pressure groups in Britain including: trade unions and the TUC, most charities e.g. Amnesty International, many famous environmental groups such as Greenpeace. The interests of a specific pressure group will depend upon who it represents. For example The TUC and trade unions represent the views of employees and campaign on issues such as health and safety.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suppliers have interest on in selling their goods to Waitrose for a fair price. To be successful themselves, they need to keep receiving orders from buyers. Some suppliers dislike being dependent on business buyers so they extend their operations to sell direct to the final consumer for example, many breweries own their own pubs and restaurants and petrol companies have their own petrol stations. Equally some business do not like being dependent on suppliers. Financiers have interest in putting money into a business like Waitrose. If a grant has been provided, there will be checks ensure the money is used as agreed. If the financier has provided a loan, the business must honour its repayment commitments. Porters Five Force Analysis for Waitrose This is a means of identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in the retail industry. Threat of New Entrants Economies of scale in terms of square footage of shopping area and breadth of distribution channels are all critical factors in the U.K market. Larger stores can stock and sell many more products faster which is consistent with both their customers and suppliers preferences. Brand loyalty of customers in the sector is relatively high in that existing players have built a certain amount of goodwill with customers through loyalty and own branded credit cards. Scarcity of suitable real estate for shopping centres consequent to the absorption by the existing players as well as government legislation placing strictures on further out of town development. New entrants have limited access to U.K distribution channels as these channels are controlled by existing players. Access is typically being gained through mergers and acquisitions. There are very low switching costs to customers in the market and so market share can typically be gained by leveraging price and product range variables.  Ã‚   Existing players have accrued cost advantages due to experience curve effects of operation with  fully depreciated assets.   Power of the Supplier Supplier power tends to be relatively low for the most part in the U.K market as there are a small number of significant operators in the market. However in certain segments of the market for example washing powder where Procter and Gamble and Unilever enjoy a virtual duopoly. As own brands are emerging as a growing segment of the goods portfolio of large grocery multiples due to the higher margins available, even large suppliers manufacturers such as Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo have been increasingly producing   for own labels despite potential competition to their own brands. Some however such as Kelloggs, Coca Cola and Gillette do not agree to such arrangements as they consider it prejudicial to their quality reputation. Power of the Buyer Buyer power is particularly strong in the U.K grocery retailing industry where there is an extremely high concentration of buyers. Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda dominate the market. For smaller retailers joining a buying group is an important element of survival and give members enhanced economies of scale in purchasing. These groups however play only a small and declining role in the market since they do not buy on the scale of the large supermarkets and also cannot guarantee sizeable shelf space to major suppliers. Consequently they obtain lower discounts than the major chains. Wholesaling and distribution have been internalised and the retailer controls them directly. The cost of switching suppliers in the U.K market is very low and involves negligible risk.   Threat of substitutes Though Tesco has successfully improved its margins by increasing the ratio of non-food to food in its superstores it has moved into other competitive arenas e.g. its foray into furniture and household appliances has put it on a collision course with household appliance retailers like Currys and Argos. Changes in public consumption; e.g. the loss of confidence in British beef during the B.S.E beef crises of 2001 or fear of the long term implications of consuming genetically modified foods. Competitive rivalry Four major firms dominate the U.K market at present but concentration has increased markedly in the 1993-1996 period with major multiples pursuing active policies of new store development. Over this period Tesco has overtaken Sainsbury to become the market leader while Asda has since being newly acquired by Wal-Mart been threatening to take Sainsburys slot. There is no genuine differentiation between products therefore the principal rivalry tends to revolve around pricing and perceived value for money. Own-Label is increasingly becoming an important differentiator. Information Technology offers modern retailers the potential to speed up stock replenishment while reducing the cost of distributing products as well as strengthening links between the retail chains and their customers. Players which are most innovative in adapting technologies for these purposes tend to have a decisive advantage in the market. Strategies of the larger players are fairly similar in that larger players typically employ growth by international acquisition in emerging markets and by increasing their exposure to the non food segment of the market. Players in the lower echelon such as Sainsburys have since embarked upon a strategy of consolidation around a core business of food while maintaining a presence in the international arena. Other Global competitors such as Carrefour/Promodes just across the channel may gain entry positions to the U.K market by way of acquisition of weaker companies. Segmentation Undifferentiated marketing assumes everyone is the same and aims a particular product at everyone. Advantages: easy to plan, doesnt miss anyone. Disadvantages: can be wasteful, ignores segmentation, can lead to disappointing sales. This applies to market coverage strategy whereby a company ignores differences within a market and attempts to appeal to the whole market with a single basic product line and marketing strategy. Undifferentiated marketing relies on mass distribution and mass advertising, aiming to give the product a superior image in the minds of consumers. It is cost effective because there is only one product line to be produced, inventoried, distributed, and advertised. Also the absence of segmented market research lowers the costs of consumer research and product management. Concentrated Marketing:   This is where an organisation concentrates its marketing effort on one particular segment. The firm will develop a product that caters for the needs of that particular group. For example Rolls Royce cars aim its vehicles at the premium segment, same as Harrods within the UK. Concentrated marketing is when the message is aimed at just one small market. Advantages: Small firms can concentrate their marketing, allows a specific mix to be developed. Disadvantages: Ignores other areas of the market, can cause problems in future as may make it more difficult for company to expand. Some companies, particularly smaller companies, identify a comparatively small segment of the market on which to concentrate their marketing effort. By selecting a niche in the market for themselves, they hope to avoid head on competition with larger and more powerful rivals. A classic example of a successful product in a small market is the hand-made Morgan sports car (UK), the demand for which keeps the companys order books filled. Rolls Royce, though a much larger company, has been equally successful in catering to a small but affluent segment of the international market. Niche marketing, as concentrated segmentation is sometimes called, is currently very popular. It is no guarantee of a safe haven, however, since mass marketers will only ignore niches as long as they see no way to compete in them profitably and as long as they are not threatened by them. Should an opportunity or a threat be detected, however, the market power of the mass marketer would prove very uncomfortable fo r the richer. Proposed Waitroses segmentation Waitroses differentiation strategy and its competitive industry were analysed. The selection of the location can be identified as one of the most influential decisions in the life of a store. Various methods are described in order to help identify the most suitable location. The merits and problems of online shopping are explained and it is regarded as too early to evaluate Waitroses performance in this segment. Market segmentation allows Waitrose to identify different groups of buyers who share similar definable needs and behaviours. (Debbie Anderson) Whilst Behaviouristic responses are fundamental to segmenting Waitroses market as factors such as usage rates, impulse purchases, loyalty, and sensitivity to marketing mix factors allow for conclusions and positioning within consumer markets. Waitrose seems to segment its market based on simple variables such as incomes and Geographics (geodemographics). This has been identified by associating the number of Waitrose stores in the south of England with the average incomes, showing that Waitrose is aiming at the higher income earners at the upper end of the market, and segmenting itself toward the social groups of A, B and C1. There are no Waitrose stores in areas such as Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Liverpool and Bradford, Britains poorest regions indicating that Waitrose would not benefit financially from these areas. The use of Geo demographics is a fast and efficient way of identifying trends within certain geographical areas, allowing Waitrose to divide a market into different groups based on social class and lifestyle characteristics. Segmentation helps the marketers to distinguish one customer group from another within a given market and thereby enables him to decide which segment should form his target market. Targeting strategy Once a firm has successfully identified the segments within a market, the next step is to target these segments with products that closely match the needs of the customers within that segment.   There are a number of targeting strategies, including: Niche/concentration marketing this is concerned with targeting one particular, well-defined group of customers (a niche) within the overall market.   An example is, Jordans, the cereal company, adopted this approach by targeting groups of customers interested in organic products at a time when this group of consumers represented a relatively small proportion of the overall market.   Niche markets can be targeted profitably by small firms who have relatively small overheads and, therefore, do not need to achieve the volume of sales required by larger competitors.   The main disadvantages of niche markets are that the potential for sales growth and economies of scale may be limited, and the survival of the firm may be seriously affected if sales begin to decline. Mass/undifferentiated marketing this is concerned with selling a single product to the whole market.   This strategy is based on the assumption that, in respect to the product in question, customers needs are very similar if not identical.   The main benefit for the firm is that it can produce on a large scale, benefiting from low unit production costs via economies of scale.   These lower costs can be passed on to the consumer in the form of lower prices because, although profit margins on each item sold may be lower, high sales volume should generate large profits over

Use of language and Word Choice in My Last Duchess Essay -- Robert Bro

‘My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue in which the Duke of Ferrara is discussing the matter of a dowry with an emissary sent by a Count. The use of dramatic monologue allows the poet to subtly reveal the personality of the persona to the reader. The language used by the speaker allows the poet to evoke strong emotions in the reader. The reader is given an early insight into the personality of the Duke in the very first line of the monologue: ‘That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall’ This early impression portrays the Duke as a very sophisticated man with a wealth of knowledge in art. This impression is continued when he mentions the very artist who painted the Duchess, ‘Fra Pandolf’. However, even at this early stage there are some hints that the Duke may not be all that he claims to be- the use of the word ‘My’ is very possessive, perhaps suggesting that the duke sees the Duchess as no more than an object. Furthermore the use of the word ‘Last’ implies that there have been many Duchesses and that the eponymous individual is just the most recent, suggesting that the Duke may be dishonest. This aspect of the persona’s character is confirmed later in the monologue, when the Duke says: ‘She liked whate’er she looked on And her looks went everywhere’ Here the Duke is challenging the morality of the Duchess, clearly suggesting that she has been unfaithful to him, showing his jealousy. This jealousy is aimed principally at Fra Pandolf, who he thinks is trying to seduce his fiancà ©e. This seems quite absurd to the reader as Fra Pandolf is a religious man and so this suggests that the Duke is a deeply insecure and extremely jealous persona. Of course this insecurity even... ... Then all smiles stopped together’ The use of the word ‘commands’ here yet again shows the possessive nature of the Duke and the alliteration in the phrase ‘smiles stopped’ emphasises it, which makes the awfulness of the Duke’s actions clear to the reader. Even the use of the personal pronoun ‘I’, something which is used repeatedly towards the end of the poem, emphasises the superficiality of the Duke and this leaves the reader feeling nothing less than hatred for him. In his dramatic monologue ‘My Last Duchess’, Robert Browning successfully uses language, particularly word choice to gradually reveal the character of the Duke of Ferrara. The reader starts off being slightly unsure about the Duke but this quickly turns to hatred as he describes the murder of the Duchess. This revelation of character make the poem exciting and very enjoyable to read.

Catharine Sedgwick’s Hope Leslie, Stephen Gould’s Dinosaur in a Haystac

Catharine Sedgwick’s Hope Leslie, Stephen Gould’s Dinosaur in a Haystack, and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm all display similar characteristics, so that though they are seemingly unrelated, they can be compared. Mainly the comparisons exist through the imagery the authors use to weave the stories together, the structure of each book, the authority of each author, and the use of nature. A character or objects are the images that the three authors use to tie the plots of the books together. Gould’s essays seem to be completely unrelated, but in reality, they are tied together under the general theme of evolution and the metaphor of dinosaur in a haystack that is linked into each essay. The persistent use of the storm in The Perfect Storm, and its development in the chapters serves to show that the storm is the object that ties the story together. Much like the dinosaur in Dinosaur in a Haystack, it becomes a sort of central character that evolves through the developing plot. It appears that Sedgwick does not utilize one metaphor to bring her novel together, but in fact, the recurrent images and pictures are used instead. There is no dominant common theme like the dinosaur or quilt, but the story of Hope and Magawisca bring the characters together. Sedgwick’s sympathy lies in Hope’s views and story, but some can be inferred from Magawisca. Magawis ca is linked to Everell, and links Hope and Faith together. Their stories help to create the plot and bring in the links to the scattered plot. Hope Leslie " . . . and her Indian counterpart, Magawisca" (x) comprise the opinions of the author and relate the plot through prejudiced perspectives. In fact, "The text is dominated by two decidedly unconventional women: Hope Leslie, fos... ...thors are the images that hold the books together, the structure of the books, the authority of each author that is already presumed and then gained, and the use of nature. Sedgwick uses Hope and Magawisca, Junger uses the storm, and Gould uses the dinosaur to tie the plot of the books together, and to hold the story as a whole together. All three of the books are structured into chapters that divide the information into easier to understand material. Hope Leslie and Dinosaur in a Haystack contain parts that further separate the plot. The authors, Sedgwick, Gould, and Junger assume a certain amount of authority before the books are read, yet they gain even more credibility as the book is read. Each book also contains a the use of a certain aspect of nature. Therefore, the authors and their works, though seemingly very different, are similar enough to be compared.

Content Analysis of a Recent Film Compared

The film, Perfume, which directed by Tom Tykwer and released in 2006, was rated R because of its restricted scenes. Back to the 1930 to 1968 the United States, such a film like Perfume may have difficult in being released based on the Production Code. Production Code was an industry censorship guideline that governed most of United States motion picture. It has 3 General Principles which stated the films could not lower the audiences’ moral standards, should contain the correct standards of life and not be ridiculed.According to the Production Code, Perfume will have 3 main problems, Crimes against the Law, Sex and Costume. Perfume has a subtitle called the Story of A Murderer. Obviously, it describes a story of crime. However, in the film, there are so many directly bloody, crucial scenes about murder, which are violation of the first rule in Production Code, Crime against the Law. For example, at the beginning of the film, when the main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille wa s a baby, he was sent to the orphanage.While other orphans wanted to suffocate him with a pillow in order to keep their own possession. In this scene, the director showed the whole process of killing, which is against the rule that indicates brutal killings are not to be presented in detail. As the same, there are also brutal scenes about the old woman being cut the throat as well as Jean’s mother and the scapegoat of the murder being hung to death. All these scenes are clearly projected without any editing. Besides the violation of the Production Code of Crime against the Law, there are also restricted scenes about Sex.For instance, one of these scenes is the birth of Jean. The director shot the whole process of the mother giving birth to Jean, even included her cutting umbilical. It must be against the rule of Sex that stated scenes of actual child birth, in fact or in silhouette, are never to be presented. What is more, in the end of the film, when Jean was about to be kil led in the square, he used his perfume to make onlookers excited and have sex with each other, even includes homosexual kiss.In order to make shaking visual effect, the director didn’t do any editing on this scene, which strongly offense the Production Code of Sex. Apart from Crime against the Law and Sex, what the film violated the Production Code most must be Costume. Perfume told a story about odor. The murderer, Jean, found the most beautiful scent came from the natural smell of virgin. So he killed 13 virgins and took off their clothes to purity their scent. After each murder, the girl’s corpus would be found naked.As a consequence, the violation of Costume can not be avoided. In the Production Code of Costume, it claimed that complete nudity is never permitted and undressing scenes should be avoided. Nevertheless, these scenes were all projected in Perfume. Moreover, the scene mentioned before about the group sex also conflict the Production Code of Costume. As a n R rated film, Perfume exactly contains various restricted scenes. Except the violations mentioned before, there are also scenes counter the Production Code.For example, Jean used a cat for experiment and put it into the distillation furnace, which can be considered as apparent cruelty to animal; as well as the violence and expletives. A movie like this apparently can not get PCA approval to be released. Nevertheless, the film can be played in theaters today without any cut and edit, even though it was rated R and could just be watched by portion of people. It witnessed that social standards of motion picture has changed a lot over time.