Egyptian god Osiris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egyptian god Osiris - Essay Example Also remarkable about Osiris, he once took on a human form and existed on earth (Hill). In addition, as a mythological deity, he was characterized as a bearded man with white mummy wrappings bearing the Atef crown and the Flial and Crook at hand; these two symbolized supreme power. His supreme power was recognition as the representation of resurrection and eternal life. In addition, in his representations, he had green or red skin to signify vegetation or earth respectively. Another attribute he was associated with is the source of wealth and fertility (Deurer). In some legends, Horus is recognized as his son who took vengeance for his death by casting Set away to the desert. Part of this legend states that after Set had chopped Osiris’ body to pieces, Isis found the pieces and pleaded with the god, Re to bring him back to life. Since he was already dead, Osiris’ body was put back together in a mummy, and he was made god of the dead; therefore, his responsibility was as judge of the souls of the dead. The living pharaoh is materialized by Horus while the dead pharaoh is materialized by Osiris. This divine kinship arises from his two separate roles as king of the dead and provider of fertility (Wigington). Horus came about from the coming together of Osiris and Isis who were twins. He was looked to for advice on agricultural matters as the flooding of the Nile, which added nutrients to the soil making it fertile, was ascribed to him. The annual cycle of flooding, planting and harvesting was attributed to him, as it was believed he had life-giving powers. There exists a folklore, which points the changing of ancient Egyptians from cannibalism to Osiris, as his wisdom and advice brought about agricultural practices. This made him be accredited for the evolution of Egyptians to a civilized way of life (â€Å"Osiris- God of Fertility and Renewal†). Further civilizations ascribed to him include ways of worshipping the gods and instituting of laws. During

The Uk Budget Hotel Sector Literature Review Tourism Essay

The Uk Budget Hotel Sector Literature Review Tourism Essay The negative connotation, which camped in the thoughts of regulars of small-sized commercial hotels, also known as budget hotels, is being substituted by a perceptual experience of affordability, proficiency and decency (Parsons, G., 2008). The swift shifting market changing aspects has positively affected the budget hotels fragment. This can be observed from the elation amongst local and international hospitality operators of budget hotels. There is a well-defined shape of evolving European vacationer over the direction the hospitality industry is taking (Solomon, M. R., 1992). Budget hotels are in the progression of being redefined with novel models, innovations as well as strategies. With converting mentality of customers and operators, modern-day budget hotels have fully taken a U-turn with unhesitating contrast. Being at a time when mini-full service hotels are acknowledged as business class, budget hotels have a healthy future. Budget hotels are compacted with simple facilities for apprehensive business travelers, hence targeting a precise market division of middle-rank business executives and price-sensitive corporate. Competitive hospitality entities are sensibly priced while having good service, style, and ambiance, and they manifest professionalism (Deloitte, 2004). A very high growth for budget hotels is envisioned, however the situation would be shrank due to deficit in supply of professional human capital. Nevertheless the encounters lay ahead need to be assumed as the spirit to test and the zeal to outshine continue. The UK Budget Hotel Sector In the UK, the budget hotel sector is at a point of exponential growth (McCaskey D., 2000).The branded budget hotel market remains to be controlled by hardly two heavy players. This is in reference to a new study by TRI Hospitality Consulting. Table 1 below from Budget Hotels 2010 UK show that the leading brand, Premier Inn, owned 41,511 rooms by the end of 2009, earning it a market share of about 38%; The closest contender to Premier Inn was Travelodge, having 27,010 rooms by the close of 2009, earning Travelodge a market share of almost 25%. Premier Inn and Travelodge therefore control over two thirds of the budget hotel brands market in the United Kingdom. Table 1 UK Leading Budget Hotels Operators Source: Budget Hotels 2010 UK Brand Number of Hotels Number of rooms Premier Inn 582 41 511 Travelodge 377 27 010 Holiday Inn Express 109 12 464 Ibis 53 7 173 Jurys Inn 23 5 828 Innkeepers Lodge 91 2 652 Etap 17 2 212 Ramada Encore 16 1 947 Days In 30 1 834 Day Hotel 12 1 562 The branded budget sector in the United Kingdom is centered in just a couple of companies. However, the competition keeps on to fly high in the general hotel industry as the budget hotels take over the mid-market hotels and boardinghouses. Jonathan Langston, the managing director of TRI Hospitality Consulting agrees with this observation (Parsons, G. 2008). After 1993, the count of rooms in budget hotel in the United Kingdom has risen by more than 10 times from 10,555 rooms in 1993 to 109,528 rooms at the close of 2009. Although Premier Inn and Travelodge control the branded budget market, many new brands have been coming up into the sector (Tri Hospitality Consulting, 2010).The most fortunate competitor to Premier Inn and Travelodge has been Holiday Inn Express which currently runs 109 hotels having 12,464 rooms (Tri Hospitality Consulting, 2010). However, this is less than 50% of the Travelodges number of rooms, and less than 30% of Premier Inn. Recession Impacts on the Budget Hotel Sector The new study, done by HotStats and issued by industry newsletter Hotel Analyst, as well makes it clear that while robust, the budget hotel sector has not remained unhurt by the economic downturn. Throughout 2009, returns per available room went down by 9.1%, with tenancy falling by 5.9% points to 67.8% and rate holding up better with a decline of 1.1% to  £50.97. The effect of recession on the budget hotel sector was confirmed by Jonathan Langston when he said, The budget hotel market has truly been the hotel industrys success story of the last decade. While trading has suffered in the recession, new hotels are continuing to open, reflecting the long term viability of the segment, (TRI Hospitality Consulting, 2010, Pp. 1). The Budget Hotel Market Environment The UK Budget hotel sphere began in 1985 with the inaugural of the Ibis at Heathrow, as well as Little Chef Travel Lodge. Ten years later, there were about 400 budget hotels having 28,500 rooms in total. As already mentioned in this paper, the budget hotel sector is exponentially growing, becoming increasingly swift; Merrill Lynch forecast the budget hotel rooms to increase from 40,000 in 1999 to 80,000 in 2003 taking a 20% share of the UK hotel market (Deloitte, 2004). An exploration study by the Henley Centre (2000) Leisure in the New Millennium staged to the Joint Hospitality Industry Congress (JHIC) demonstrated that development in real disposable income was increasing demand. This unrestricted spend had been arising at 2.6% since 1995 and was visualized to speed up its rate of growth to 3.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate by 2005. Leisure consumption was shifting from being looked upon as a luxury to becoming a necessity, in fact, almost an elementary human right. The effect of individuals seeing leisure as part of their run-of-the-mill running expenses should be to cut down the industrys cyclicality. Afore the budget hotel industrys historical perspective as suffering from a hyperbolized cycle, the realism is that this industry has developed at a similar rate as the GDP since 1993 (McCaskey D., 2000). There is a lot of evidence to demonstrate that every night budget hotels in the UK growingly affranchise the population into budget hotel use. This must be a wanted shift from the 1960s the time at which fewer than 5% of the population in the UK stayed in UK hotels, to the rates experienced today 21st Century, when more that 50% of the UKs population are active hotel users. Arguably, McDonalds was a chief accelerator in stimulating the development of the UK eating-out market. McDonalds got rid of many of the roadblocks or inhibitions to hotel usage. Several strategic success reasons behind McDonaldss QSCV (Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value) are very relevant to budget hotels. To protect its name that could be taken advantage of, McDonaldss attorneys had to deter one business from brand-marking its hotel product McSleep (McCaskey D., 2000). With 80,000 rooms and 80% tenancy rate, approximations point that, budget hotels will accommodate more than 23,000,000 room-nights per year; in other words over 55% of an entire UK PLC demand. Kleinwort, B. (1996) figures demonstrate that back in 1995, UK PLC hotels gave 31.35 million room nights on sale. Accordingly, these newly lodge formats having low cost base have become a major challenge to two-thirds of the star conventional hotels which incline to having comparatively high costs reinforced into their operations and per se, lack the plasticity to elevate their operation to four-star levels, or to reduce costs to empower them to tie lodge prices. McCaskey, D. (2000) depicted budget hotels as a more and more hungry Pac Man as they cut a strip through the current industry. Similar volatile increase in lodge facility in the United States from the mid 60s to the late 70s left many of the USs distracted mid-market hotels in confusion. In the air, Governmental deregulation engendered the development of low cost airlines, a move that served to give rise to the speedy end of Pan Am and TWA. Deregulation is at present in full spate in the United Kingdom and Europe with a radical diminishing effect on costs and subsequent revenues in both airline and hotel industries. In the United States, the waysides and conurbation are now full of supererogatory and peripheral lodge properties constructed all through their boom years while some companies such as Red Roof Inns and La Quinta still record continuing success every year (McCaskey, D., 2000). The Battle for Market Share The budget hotel market has all the features of the growth phase in the product/service life cycle, making it an apotheosis. The marketing processes commonly associated with the growth phase are: The approaches which promote resilient brand loyalty; The approaches which reinforce market share: The approaches which improve a competitive status and underline the differentiated benefits. The marketing activities of Travel Inn brand, owned by Whitbread Hotel Company, stand out to clearly exemplify the above three. Travel Inn brand has been so orchestrated to cut down the risk of a negative client experience and has built a lasting value. Travel Inn conforms to all the standards for classification as a Leadership Brand, ranked beside other brands including Coca-Cola, Volvo, Disney, as well as Tesco. In other words, Travel Inn and the other four live a sort of Total Brand Management lacking in other organizations. Other budget hotels also need to pursue similar status. The exemplified companies and Travel Inn have a tenacity that communicates all that they do for everybody to know what they can best do for the brand. To affirm this take, Travel Inn competitive advantages have been examined using the Seven Characteristics of Leadership Brands model (Tilley, C., 1999). The Seven are the common elements to be found in all leading brands; they are the ways by which brands r egularly and consistently bear their promise. Travel Inn is the prominent market leader in the mushrooming budget hotel industry; attaining 86% room tenancy, across its 250 outlets, noting that every newly opened Travel Inn operates for about three years before it gains about maximum penetration in its home-grown area. This dilutes Travel Inns general mean group occupancy. This budget hotel takes another three years to build its regular clientele base. Accordingly, Alan Parkers, Hotel Companys M.D. (Parker, A., 2000) argument that a great number of Travel Inns invariably performed at mid-90% tenancy, can be said of being bold as well as true. It is evident that Travel Inn is doing what others are not doing in order to successfully remain competent. For instance in 1999, Travel Inn recorded a staggering 78% repeat occupation. Further analysis of Travel Inns figures staged that 77% of its customers stayed doubly or more throughout a year. In the meantime, 33% of the budget hotels customers stayed over 21 nights per annum year while more than 15,000 stayed every single night (Tri Hospitality Consulting, 2010). In contrast to other UK budget hotels, Travel Inn finds another competitive advantage on booking; Travel Inn has a system by which its regular customers are able to book further and further beforehand to secure their spaces. Competitive Advantage Success factors held by one budget hotel can be adopted by another. Travel Inn does a number of things that place it at a better place to successfully compete in the market. In reference to Travel Inn, the following strategies have been found to help budget hotels in competing successfully for market share: 1. Competitive budget hotels influence the conducts of their clients instead of following conventions and markets; they create customers. It is a practice and tradition in the hotel sector to come up a sophisticated rate of discounts. These discounts may be related to the volume of business and booking period among others. This strategy is meant to maintain and generate demand to make the most of tenancy and price. However, some budget hotels run without these incentives abs they still make it in competitive business. This could imply that there are factors other than this that place such brands on a competitive edge. For instance, Travel Inn does not offer such discounts; it neither pays travel agent commissions. As much as these are revolutionary departures from the budget hotel industry norm, Travel Inn still out-performs the occupation averages for the budget hotel sector. Travel Inns AARR (average achieved room rate) without discounts is the chains rack rate. 2. Competitive budget hotels efficaciously make a meaning that is more than just a function of the product or service. The best meanings are grounded on profoundly felt human needs. A research report on June 29, 2009 by Guy Parson, the Director of Marketing at Travel Inn, indicated that Travel Inn was more welcoming compared to Holiday Inn Express or Travel Lodge. The report also confirmed the speculations that Travel Inn was the first option in cheap accommodation. Very encouraging client gratification surveys as well as mystery shopping rates were being attained throughout Travel Inn and were invariably supervised. From this quantitative and qualitative research it was learnt that clients truly enjoyed their Travel Inn rooms that were new and lively (Parsons, G., 1999). Travel Inn has a compulsory total renovation after every three years, up to and including the bed. Evidently, there are other budget hotels which are riding on a similar competitive edge. For instance, on September 10, 2009, David Michels (2000) gave a brief biography in which he stated that among his first undertakings immediately after taking over as Chief Executive of the tumultuous Stakis Hotel Group was to make a request to a bank to enable him to buy 4,000 new beds for the hotel. Michels, D., (2000) acknowledged that the move helped Stakis recuperate. Michels said, We are after all in the sleep business, it would seem that one of the major components in making this a pleasurable experience is frequently ignored (Michels, D., Pp. 3). From this proceeding, Paul Slatterys (1995) analysis established that the gap between UK hotels PLC and unquoted firms is daily broadening while the tormenting multitudes of independent budget hotels deteriorate into slums. How Budget Hotels Achieve Competitive Advantage Still using Travel Inn as an example, this paper now focuses on how the most successful budget hotels in the UK have achieve a competitive edge. 1. Leadership budget hotel brands stand for meaning everything that they do According to McCaskey, D. (1999), the Travel Inn line of attack in relation to pricing is totally ethical. Leadership budget hotel brands take a pluralist line, such as an impression that a companys performance ought to be looked at in a much more pluralistic manner than just by the bottom line. Such budget hotels frequently go beyond the minimal demands of Corporate Governance. These budget hotels policy is an example of good practice. Given tenancy figures and the significant amount or deflected demand, Whitbread could maximize its price easily. Notwithstanding, Whitbread stands for the prices which are conventional, competitive, widespread, logical and fair, which makes it to easily communicate the prices throughout its affiliates. There are only three classes of prices in the UK budget hotel industry; Roadside, Metro (in City Centre) and Capital (in London). However, leadership budget hotel brands carry out price research to insure that the prices are in line with customer value. It is believed that many of Whitbreads contenders simply follow Whitbreads lead. Though the pricing warfare has for a long time successfully invaded the unjust pricing in retail banking, super-marketing and automobile distribution, there are however too many doubtful practices in the UKs budget hotel industry (McCaskey, D., 1999). These questionable traditions comprise of: Hyperbolic rack rates; Bait and Switch publicizing promotions; Single-room supplements, and; Over-Riding Commissions (kick-backs given to agents/ middlemen and their staff. Given the present-day consumer rights desired order of business, the four questionable practices will unavoidably be disclosed. 2. Leadership budget hotel brands are steady and expressive in every facet of their communication This strategy ensures understanding. Whitbreads recent innovational TV promotion fully conforms to this approach. A reexamination study staged in April 2000 affirmed that the purposes set for this TV commercial were outmatched. The researchs outcomes demonstrated that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Spontaneous awareness had risen from 12% in April 1999 to 26% in May 2000. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Prompted awareness had risen from 67% in April 1999 to 82% in May 2000. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New logo recognition rose from 17% in April 1999 to 51% in May 2000. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Over the campaign period, there was a 16.5% increase in Central Reservation calls à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Over the year there had been a 99% increase in e-mail requests and a 900% increase in Web Site visitors. The site should take interactive bookings shortly. (Whitbread Marketing Department August, 2000, Pp. 12) The Whitbreads staff handbook on the other hand captures the effect of the brand which is apportioned among team players. These foreshortened extracts from Whitbreads staff handbook are a model of what ought to be carried out by other UK budget hotels. The book states: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dare to care; Budget hotel staffs need to show considerateness, regard client as special so as to ensure that the brand transcends what is expected. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Keep it simple; Budget hotel staffs should not over-complicate matters; Whitbreads staff are informed that being informal helps them to communicate crush barriers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Right first time; Budget hotel staffs ought to be passionate about the industry standards. The then Whitbreads CEO David Thomas (2000) got this Right First Time attribute right with an instance serving as a lesson for the budget hotel sector. Mr. Thomas said that Most of the budget hotel sector needs continuous investment in people. He said, This is an area where I believe we most frequently shoot ourselves in the foot. Putting a raw recruit with little or no training and, no experience, in front of a customer is unforgivable. In the end this is the most expensive option to take because we then have to find more raw recruits and more customers, because the experience demeans them both, (Thomas, D., 2000, Pp. 7). Thomas (2000) continued to say that by the budget hotels industry standards, Whitbread had comparatively a low staff turnover. According to Mr. Thomas, the investment of budget hotels in training and improvement, and competitive pay and considerations, are critical factors in the future of the budget hotel industry. These tools of the trade, Mr. Thomas said, shape the future of this industry. 3. Leadership budget hotel brands are dynamic, invariably adopting to meet new demands and remain pertinent In a 1998 brand re-launch, Project Catapult, Guy Parsons (1999) clearly redefined the brand proposition. In his speech, Parsons suggested a number of things that ought to be done by UK budget hotels that wish to have a sharp competitive edge. Parsons proposed that UK budget hotels need to have a constant duologue between the hotel and its customers. A succeeding UK budget hotel in terms of competitive edge should have the following characteristics: It should fit its general mission statement; It is should be grounded in fact, and there should prove to support it; It should have a good tonal fit in line with the most recent research findings; It should suggest the audaciousness and confidence of being a market leader It should state its attention for internal motivation It should state its clear focus concerning communication It should bear in mind that price is not the center though value should still be The UK budget hotel according to Parsons, G. (1999) should use the above measures to draw their competitive strategies. Budget Hotels Societal Roles to Achieve Competitive Advantage Leadership Budget Hotel brands have social responsibilities According to Whitbreads Chief Executive, David Thomas (2000), during The Joint Hospitality Industry Congress at the Gloucester Millennium Hotel, leadership brands hold beliefs, positions and, conduct which earn the respect of the people outside the brand. A few years before 2000, Travel Inn had been criticized by some players in the budget hotel industry, and by a good number of city market analysts, for missing the chance of making short-term profits in Travel Inn. The analysts attributed the cause to having one national price that Travel Inn applied each throughout the week. After Travel Inn sharpened its strategies, Travel Inn it has since developed to become among the UKs biggest branded hotel chains having 250 hotels and 12,500 rooms. As tabled earlier on this paper, Travel Inns tenancy is increasing across the brand relative to its returns. Thomas bases Travel Inns success on a win-win approach between the brand and its clients. 2. Budget Hotel brands leadership is earned not given Leadership budget hotel brands percolate the whole establishment; they are not merely the organizations label. Leadership budget hotel brands serve as a living model of how well to carry on, what activity to do to achieve the best, and how to perform into the future. Other UK budget hotel brands need to realize the groundbreaking and innovative strategies developed by Whitbread. In its inauguration, Travel Inn yipped that it was set to start up a totally innovational and path-breaking scheme which would play a role in further differentiating it, give its brand the first mover status as well as maintain its intention as The UKs Favorite place to Stay. Successfully, Travel Inn has lived to live its initiation dream. This thus serves as an example to other UK budget hotel brands; they should set their own societal goals, live by them so as to place them in a better competitive position (Parsons, G., 1999). The Future for the UK Budget Hotel Sector Mr. Robert C. Hazard, President Choice Hotels, in the year 1994 was quoted saying, the period 2000-2010 will be the most competitive in the history of the UK Budget Hotel industry..every lodge must become more market driven, improving its product to create a unique, sustainable competitive advantage and a perception of greater value amongst its guests (Porter, M., 1996, Pp. 61). Porter argued that strategic advantage may be earned via uniqueness. He said, A company can only outperform rivals if it can establish a difference that it can preserve. It must deliver greater value to customers or create comparable value at lower cost or do both (Porter, M., 1996, Pp. 67). Porter also acknowledges that through differentiation, arithmetical productivity leads to superior measure and lets a company to charge even higher normal prices per units. It also makes a company get more efficient results even in lower than normal costs per unit and all this enable a company to achieve a virtuous circle . Today, the quick development stage in lodging services decelerates as the market attains full development and becomes concentrated. Predictions place this development at an infiltration that is approximately between 20% and 25% in the hotel market in United Kingdom. The predictions have mentioned important presence in the developments at the waysides, in the outskirts, in inner-cities and also in London. The hotel market in UK will be noticeably defined by price and quality groupings, from the super- budget to upper-market economic systems. Most hotels that will be the mid-market contributors in the current cluster include, Holiday Inn Express, Premier Lodge, Travel Inn and Travel Lodge. These hotels are expected to have realized their strategic and network aspirations and to have also settled most present matters such as the telephone facilities in the hotel bedrooms, the extra conference and meeting rooms. These improvements should be carefully examined so as to meet the actual cus tomer prerequisites. Increment in competition is expected over the years and growth in supply is also expected to surpass the growth in demand. The stronger players are gradually expected to battle one another instead of just taking business from the lesser participants as presently (Pricewaterhouse, 2010). In 1998, the Vice President of Holiday Inn Express, Mr. Shane Harris remarked that, The budget sector is over supplied with non-branded, poor quality, inconsistent hotels. These will be overtaken by the branded budgets which are currently undersupplied, (Harris, S., 1998, Pp. 21). The renowned betting and control organization, Pricewaterhouse Coopers recognize Brands as the large components of an organizations incorporeal worth (July 2000). Pricewaterhouse Coopers also influence brands capability to improve stakeholder worth with trademark tactics in formulating competitive benefit. The trademarking idea has changed from product advertising to service advertising. Corporate brands should steadily mirr or the capabilities of the particular organization. Table 2 Literature Review Matrix Author/Focus Industry Recession Environ Share Advantage Strategy Social Future Deloitte Kleinwort, B McCaskey Michels Parker, A. Parsons, G. Porter, M. Pricewaterhouse Slattery, P. Solomon, M Tilley, C. THC Whitbread

Pesticide Essay -- Environment, Contamination

It is known that amphibian populations are declining at alarming rates worldwide. Their population decline has been linked to various factors such as UV radiation, emerging diseases and pesticide exposure. Pesticide exposure however, is of particular importance due to their high potential for toxicity and widespread environmental contamination. They are commonly introduced into local water systems through runoff from agricultural fields. According to the National Water Quality Inventory, agricultural runoff is the leading cause of water pollution in rivers and lakes in the United States. Because many species of amphibians have habitats that coincide with agricultural areas, there is a heightened probability for contamination of their habitat through runoff. While pesticides increase agricultural profits, they also lead to high amphibian mortality and should have improved regulations. All amphibians have high skin permeability, which is a key factor in connecting pesticides to their decline. This physiological feature can be linked to the ways in which gas exchanges occur within their circulatory system. Oxygen molecules first diffuse onto the moist surface of the integument. The oxygen molecules are then picked up by red blood cells within capillaries, which run close to the skins surface. The oxygen-saturated blood is then circulated throughout the body before being expelled similarly to how it was absorbed. Because of this high skin permeability, it is also much easier for toxins, such as pesticides, to enter and accumulate within the amphibian’s body (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). Once pesticides have been integrated into the amphibian, they may lead to malformation, decreased fitness even death depending on the kind... ...sticides, it is not, to require better regulations and enforcement. It however does not go without saying that pesticides do generate better agricultural products for our consumption and power the economy. But, populations of amphibians continue to dwindle and nothing has changed in the EPAs regulation of pesticides, including those mentioned. The world is quickly loosing vast amounts of biodiversity in the name of secular bureaucratic processes. The perspective of ecologists and biologists continue to be ignored even in the wake of possible extinctions. If new rules are not put into effect and done so soon, there will undoubtedly be great consequences not seen since the days of the passenger pigeon. Once the world looses a species, no form of legislation can bring them back, which is why passing new regulations now is imperative for the present and future.

Understanding Poetry

Understanding and Appreciating Poetry 1 Note to Teachers Set Poems 2012-2014 Teachers have been speaking about the lack of critical material on some of the literature set pieces (particularly the poems) selected for study at the Caribbean O’Level. Diverse interpretations make an exploration of literary material interesting and expansive. This guide to the study of ‘set’ poems is a response to those who wish to be expansive in their analysis and appreciation. It is not intended to be a model commentary but an analysis or interpretation that will stimulate further discussion and analysis. Some poems are treated with questions.This approach helps to elucidate the central themes or ideas in the poems. This is a cost free publication offered to teachers. Prepared by Clifford Narinesingh co – author of A Comprehensive English Course , Books 1-3 and CXC English A. and author of Developing Language Skills Books 1,2,3, and CSEC Exam Book 4 A Royards Publishing Compa ny Project This is a free publication and not intended for resale 2 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATING POETRY DULCE et DECORUM EST Theme: The theme of the poem is the subject with which the poet deals. It is the central idea around which the event or experiences revolve.In this poem, the central idea is the â€Å"horrors of war†. The ghastly image of war, the torture to which soldiers are subjected, reflect the theme – â€Å"the haunting flares†, â€Å"gas shells dropping† â€Å"froth corrupted lungs† are evidence of the atrocities of war. INTENTION OF THE POET What does the poet hope to achieve? The poet here, wishes to convey a universal message to the reader, that one should not believe that it is noble to die for one’s country, because of the untold miseries which soldiers experience. To the poet, neither fame nor glory can compensate for the immense suffering that war inflicts on humanity.MOOD The mood conveyed in the poem is one of anger, revulsion and disgust. The impact of the incident in which the soldier is caught in an explosion and the agony he suffers is one of loathing and revulsion. â€Å"I saw him drowning† â€Å"guttering, choking, drowning† shows the immense suffering of a dying soldier. This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry THE MAIN INCIDENT The traumatic experience of a soldier who is caught in a sudden explosion while returning to his camp. 3 IMAGERY The poet achieves his purpose or intention through his use of intense language and vivid imagery.These are the similes used by the poet to make the images interesting and meaningful. 1. â€Å"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks. † Here the soldiers returning from the battle field look like old beggars, bent with age and exhaustion, carrying their sacks on their backs. The comparison is appropriate as it appeals to the visual sense and bri ngs the readers face to face with the exhausted soldiers. 2. â€Å"knock-kneed, coughing like hags† The image of the knock-kneed soldiers coughing like hags, shows the terrible effect of the smell of gun powder, and gun shots.It appeals to the auditory sense and reminds the reader of the sounds of old people coughing. 3. â€Å"And floundering like a man in fire or lime† The image presents the soldier in a state of panic, unable to move in any fixed direction as he is trapped in the fire. The reader can see the movements of the soldier, like a blind man floundering and fumbling to find his way. 4. His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin† The comparison vividly describes the look of the soldier in agony and pain during the final moments of his death.LANGUAGE OF THE POEM These are some examples of the poet’s use of emotive and intense language â€Å"We cursed through sludge† â€Å"limped on blood-shod This is a free publication and not int ended for resale 4 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry â€Å"Drunk with fatigue† â€Å"He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning† â€Å"White eyes writhing in his face† â€Å"Froth-corrupted lungs† The language used is both appropriate and effective and evokes the sympathy of the reader. THIS IS THE DARK TIME, MY LOVE The theme of this poem is about a people whose dreams of a better life have been threatened by the destructive power of the ‘strange invader’.The atmosphere of the poem is one of tension, fear, anxiety. â€Å"Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious. † This is because of the presence of soldiers: â€Å"all around the land brown beetles crawl about. † Even nature is sympathetic to the cause of the people as expressed in the line â€Å"red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow. † The poet’s mood is one of lamentation for the misery of his people, the instability and sorrow brought about by the strange invader. Imagery: The images appeal to the sense of sight and sound.They present visual pictures that are striking. The picture of the soldiers, â€Å"all around the land brown beetles crawl about†, in their thick armoury, the hard covering on their backs is like beetles. Here you hear the tramping of soldiers â€Å"whose boots of steel tramp down the slender grass†. You can also see the slender grass trampled upon and looking withered. This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry Figurative Language Metaphor: All around the land brown beetles crawl about. † 5 The soldiers are compared to brown beetles.Personification: â€Å"Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow. † The poet gives the flower qualities of a human being – the emotion of sorrow. Irony: â€Å"It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery. † The words â€Å"festival† and â€Å"carnival† a re indicative of joyous celebrations but what the country is really experiencing is sorrow, not joy. The Woman Speaks to the Man who has employed Her Son In this poem, a mother expresses her deep affection for her son. She reflects on the unfortunate circumstances of her life as a single parent. She is now concerned about the welfare of her son.This woman is seen as one, whose deep devotion and dedication to her son make her transcend her difficulties. Her responsibility to her son takes priority. But what shatters her now, is the fact that her son is employed by someone who appears to be engaged in shady activities. To her, the gun he carries is a symbol of destructiveness and criminal activities. The conversational style of the poem makes the reader empathize with the thoughts and feelings of the mother. The reader discerns in the mother, fortitude, resilience and spiritual strength which inform her actions. 1. What is the theme of the poem? . The mood of the poem is one of (a) di sgust and anger (b) optimism and hope (c) sadness and despair This is a free publication and not intended for resale 6 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry 3. Which of these words describe the tone of the poem? formal, conversational, angry, serious? 4. What do the lines â€Å"a metallic tide, rising in her mouth each morning† suggest about the mother? 5. â€Å"He treated all his children With equal and unbiased indifference. † What do the above lines suggest about the father? 6. Why do you think that the mother is upset about the job her son has taken? 7.What do the â€Å"black cloth† and â€Å"veiled hat† symbolize? 8. Select the line which expresses the mother’s helplessness. 9. Why does she allude to the â€Å"thief on the left side of the cross†? 10. How do you feel as you read the poem? GOD’S GRANDEUR The poem is expressive of God’s presence in the natural world even though man’s exploits have served to destroy na ture and its freshness and purity. To the poet, God’s grandeur is ever pervasive, revealing itself like ‘flame from shook foil’. The word ‘flame’ is significant as it conveys the brilliance of God as the shining light the foil gives off.The poet employs the image of an electric charge, which develops into a flame or a light suggesting the power of His greatness. God’s light assumes a richness like the ‘ooze of oil crushed’ or pressed to it finest quality. As the oil gathers strength to richness so too does God’s greatness. The images are all interwoven and expanded to express the grandeur of God. In stanza 2, though man is aware of God’s greatness, he still exploits it through commerce and industrialization, blemishing the earth and destroying the freshness of nature.The repetition, ‘generations have trod, have trod, have trod’ conveys man’s persistence in his ruthless exploitation. The persistent repetition of the words ‘have trod’ leading to ‘smeared and bleared’, tells of the poet’s resentment and This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry disgust at man’s actions. ‘Man’s smudge’ and ‘smell’ are expressive of a polluted and squalid environment, all due to man’s uncaring attitude. Unthinking man cares not about the destruction he leaves; he seems not aware of what he has done to nature as expressed in the words ‘nor can foot feel being shod. The natural sensation of walking barefooted is lost. The language of stanza one (1) lines 5-8, reveals a protest against man’s ruthlessness. The poet reacts to man’s inhumanity and indignity with reasoned calmness, a protest without rage or anger for he is consoled by nature’s presence as described in stanza two (2). In stanza two(2), the poet tells that God’s presence or po wer through nature is renewable and invigorating in spite of man’s destructive nature. Nature is described as indestructible or inexhaustible. â€Å"For all this, nature is never spent There lives a dearest freshness deep down things. The poem ends on a positive note, an assurance that springs from the poet’s faith as he is convinced of the Holy Ghost’s presence with vitality and life and all that is luminous, â€Å"warm breath and bright wings† 7 GOD’S GRANDEUR 1. Using your own words, express in about two to three lines the theme of the poem. 2. State the central contrast which this poem presents between God and man. Explain it fully with reference to specific details. 3. Select one metaphor used in the poem and show how it is expanded. 4. Explain in your own words the meaning of the following lines. (a) Why do men now not reck his rod? b) And for all this, nature is never spent. 5. The poet uses the following devices. Select one example of each and comment on its effectiveness: (a) simile (b) alliteration (c) compression (d) repetition This is a free publication and not intended for resale 8 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry ORCHIDS In this poem, the writer is about to relocate and is sending her material belongings â€Å"to fill the empty spaces of her future life†. One thing that cannot be boxed is the sentiment she feels for the orchids. The orchids belong to her emotional and spiritual world. The purple colour is a symbol of the blood of Christ on the Cross.What is evident in the poem is that some experiences in life can never be forgotten. Even though you may wish to suppress them, like a stubborn orchid, they bloom and blossom. For the poet, the orchid is an inspiration to the creative instinct. It sends a message, tells a story that reaches poetic dimensions. Even though the pressed orchids become â€Å"thin and dried transparency†, she believes that they still are a stimulus for poetic thought. I n the poem, the material world is pitted against the world of nature. The world of nature is constant and eternal. 1. What is the theme of the poem? a) relocating to a new home (b) nurturing a spray of orchids (c) the poet’s impression of the orchids 2. What is the mood of the poem? 3. From where did the poet get the orchids? 4. What effect have the purple petals on the poet? 6. What was peculiar about the orchids? 7. (a) Explain the meaning of â€Å"their thin dried transparency†. (b) Of what value is the â€Å"thin dried transparency† to the poet? This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry 9 SOUTH Motivated by a deep sense of longing to return to the islands, the poet recaptures in his memory delightful scenes of his native land.He recalls the bright beaches, the fishermen’s houses and the sound of the sea which heralded his birth. The poet has journeyed from the islands to distant lands where his experi ences have been different from those in the islands. He has visited stormy cities, felt the sharp slanting sleet and hail and the oppressive shadows of the forest. These are opposed to the warmth of the islands, and the salty brine of the sea. To the poet, the ocean that surrounds the islands is a symbol of adventure, the freedom of the spirit and the limitless possibilities which reside in its vastness.In his view, the rivers that form part of his present environs remind him of a life that lacks purpose – he feels resentment for the rivers. He recalls the refreshing memories of the sea which reflect the harmony between man and nature. He sees the shells, the fishermen’s houses, the pebbled path, the fish and the gulls and the white sails. These are the treasures of the islands which he recaptures in the poem. These are the treasures which make him forget the pains, the sorrows and the hatred. 1. 2. 3. State briefly what the poem is about. Where is the experience takin g place?Select two images in the poem. To which sense does each appeal? 4. 5. Select those expressions which show the poet’s experiences of hardship. Which literary device does the poet use in each of the following? ‘bright beaches blue’ ‘sharp slanting sleet’ ‘their flowing runs on like our longing’ ‘splash’ ‘white sails slanted seaward’ 6. What is the mood or feeling of the poet? This is a free publication and not intended for resale 10 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry EPITAPH, DREAMING BLACK BOY, THEME for ENGLISH B. The poems ‘Epitaph’, ‘Dreaming Black Boy’ and ‘Theme for English B’ have similar themes.They express discrimination and intolerance in human relationships and reflect the denial of the basic human rights of recognition, justice, equality and freedom. The three poems are treated differently. You will observe that in the poem â€Å"Epitaph† the ima ge is vivid, stark and gruesome. Amidst the beauty of the â€Å"falling sunlight† and the swaying cane†, the dead body of the slave hung. The image evokes in the reader anger against human brutality and compassion for the fate of the slave. Through the sad tale, the poet achieves his intention of giving the reader insights into the brutality meted out to slaves in their days of enslavement.The poem is a tribute to the dead slave, and is melancholic in mood and tone. Epitaph 1. Describe the image presented in stanza one of the poem. 2. Which of the following best defines the feelings evoked by the image? (a) elation and despair (b) compassion and anger (c) hatred and defeat (d) disappointment and disbelief 3. Identify words and expressions which describe the morning’s atmosphere. 4. The poet compares the swinging body to â€Å"a black apostrophe to pain†, most likely because â€Å"the swung body† (a) resembled an apostrophe mark. (b) was prominently positioned as a mark symbolizing pain. c) was at the heart of two elements. (d) was the cause of much agony and pain. This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry 5. Explain the meaning of each of the following expressions: (a) punctuate our island tale (b) brutal sentences (c) anger pauses till they pass away 6. Do you think that the title of the poem is appropriate? Give a reason to support your answer. 7. Which of the following best expresses the theme of the poem? (a) a sorrowful tale (b) man’s inhumanity to man (c) victory and defeat (d) a blot on our history 8.What is the mood experienced throughout the poem? 11 Dreaming Black Boy In the poem ‘Dreaming Black Boy’, the boy expresses his thoughts and emotions in abstract images. He dreams and wishes for the rights that should be accorded to all human beings – recognition and love, and the freedom of movement and speech. These images appeal to the emotions and the reader empathizes with the boy who is being denied these rights. The poem is written in blank verse. This makes the tone of the poem conversational. 1. What is the theme of the poem? (a) disappointment (b) relationships (c) alienation (d) injustice . Why do you think the â€Å"black boy† has dreams and wishes? 3. What does the boy wish according to stanza one (1) of the poem? (a) opportunity to compete (b) recognition and warmth This is a free publication and not intended for resale 12 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry (c) freedom to play (d) to forget his ancestors 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Why does the boy wish for an opportunity to be educated? Identify two pieces of evidence which show the boy’s feeling of rejection. Identify the lines in which the boy feels that his freedom of movement and speech have been suppressed.Who are the â€Å"torch throwers† and the â€Å"plotters in pyjamas† alluded to in stanza four (4)? What do you think is the tone of the poem? (a) What terrible burden does the boy suffer? (b) What is his attitude to suffering? Theme for English B In the poem â€Å"Theme for English B† the poet deals with a student’s feeling of frustration and disappointment in the society. The thoughts which he expresses on the â€Å"page† echo the issues that confront him in an environment of whites. The mind of the student is confused. Though he was born and bred in a society of white people, and educated in a school among whites, yet he feels a sense of alienation.In the page that he writes, he is justifying his right to acceptance and equality, on the basis that all people share a common natural heritage of instincts, emotions and tastes. He firmly believes that each race impacts on the other and learns from each other. Perhaps he is questioning whether discrimination should give way to harmony among the races. 1. What does the word â€Å"true† in line four (4) -â€Å"Then, it will be trueâ₠¬ , imply? (a) authenticity 2. (b) reality (c) credibility (d) integrity Identify the aspects of the student’s life which seem to make the assignment difficult. This is a free publication and not intended for resaleUnderstanding and Appreciating Poetry 3. The student’s page would be based on (a) life at the college (b) his instincts and emotions (c) a resolution of the conflicts in his mind (d) the Harlem experience 4. What does the student wish to say by listing the things he likes? 5. What makes the student and the instructor part of each other? 6. According to the student’s page, which of the following statements are True? (a) The page on which the student writes is coloured. (b) Feelings, natural instincts and tastes are manifested by all people. (c) Sometimes whites and coloured cannot tolerate each other. d) All people are not born equal. (e) Each race impacts on the other and learns from each other. 7. Which words best describe the character of the stude nt? impulsive, rational, obstinate, compromising, intelligent, outspoken, unbalanced. The poem is written in Blank Verse form. What does this lend to the style and tone of the poem? 13 8. Test Match Sabina Park 1. What is the theme of the poem? (a) Fall from glory (b) An exciting cricket match (c) Reflections of a spectator (d) Failed batsmen 2. Which line in the poem tells that the crowd lacked the spirited response to the match? 3. The speaker is critical of the English batting.This is a free publication and not intended for resale 14 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry Quote the lines in support of the criticism. 4. Why is the poet’s rationale for a dull game not convincing even to himself? 5. What is the â€Å"tarnished rosette† which the writer mentions in the last stanza? Why is it tarnished? 6. The tone of the poem is (a) sarcastic (b) formal (c) conversational (d) harsh 7. What does the native language of the folk lend to the poem? 8. In this poem you hear tw o voices. Whose voices are they? 9. What is meant by the line â€Å"Proudly wearing the rosette of my skin†? 0. What insights do you get of the relationship between the English and the native folk from the expression, â€Å"Eh white bwoy†? Ol’ Higue and Le Loupgarou Many stories of strange supernatural characters derive from the cultural tradition of the folk. These characters form an important part of the folklore brought by the Africans to the West Indies. Some of these have been preserved in narratives and poems. The character to which this poem ‘Ol’ Higue’ alludes is the ‘Soucouyant’ whose mission is to draw blood from human beings. Read the poem. Discuss the following questions. 1.What image of Ol’ Higue does the poet present in stanza one (1)? 2. What complaint does Ol’ Higue make in stanza one (1)? Quote the expressions which support your answer. This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understa nding and Appreciating Poetry 3. (a) Why would Ol’ Higue be â€Å"Burning like cane fire†? (b) Why does she have to count a thousand grains? 4. Why is the blood of babies attractive to Ol’ Higue? 5. How and when does she perform her â€Å"blood-sucking† task? 6. Give one reason why Ol’ Higue would love women giving birth. 7. Do you consider Ol’ Higue a mysterious character? . What feeling does Ol’ Higue evoke in you as you read the poem? 15 Le loupgarou Read the poem and discuss the following questions based on it. 1. (a) (b) What is the â€Å"curious talk† alluded to in line one (1) of the poem? What does the word â€Å"curious† suggest? 2. Who are the â€Å"greying women†? 3. Why, do you think, Le Brun was â€Å"greeted by slowly shutting jalousies†? 4. Which word describes Le Brun’s dress? 5. What, do you think, is the bargain Le Brun made with the fiends? 6. What was responsible for Le Brunâ€⠄¢s ruin? 7. How did people know that le Brun had changed himself into a dog? 8.What literary device is used in line one(1)? â€Å"A curious tale that threaded through the town†. 9. .How do you feel as you read the last two lines of the poem? You will observe that both poems deal with the supernatural. The Soucouyant is the counterpart of the Le Loupgarou. They both make a pact with the devil to engage in mysterious and fiendish dealings. This is a free publication and not intended for resale 16 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry They both are greedy and are ruined through their greed. They both evoke fear in the people around them. Once upon a Time Read the poem and discuss the questions based on it. . What do you think is the theme of the poem? (a) Behavioural patterns in human relationships. (b) Attitudes of people in a modern age. (c) Loss of culture founded on love, sincerity and goodwill. (d) How people lived long ago. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What difference is there in how p eople laughed long ago and how they laugh now? Give one piece of evidence that shows how people deceive others. Why, do you think, that the poet wears different faces in different contexts? Provide evidence to show that the poet is influenced by the behaviour and attitudes of the new age. Does the poet like the changes in behaviour?Give reasons to support your answer. 7. Which of the following best expresses the mood of the poet? (a) melancholy (b) disappointment (c) anger (d) reflection 8. 9. What can you infer about the character of the poet? Which of the following lessons can one learn from this poem? (a) Pattern your lives to please others (b) Appearances are often deceptive This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry (c) Values should change to suit modern living. (d) Be yourself at all times. (e) Honesty, love and consideration should guide your actions. 7 Forgive my Guilt 1. What is the theme of the poem? a) An accident b) A pl ea for forgiveness c) Two injured birds d) A confused mind 2. 3. 4. 5. What incident is the poet recalling? Where and when did the incident take place? Identify two contrasting images of the birds, before and after the incident occurred. Select images that appeal to the sense of (a) sight (b) sound Explain each and say whether it is appropriate or not. 6. Identify two similes in the poem. Explain each and say whether it is appropriate or not. 7. 8. 9. What mood does the poem evoke in the reader?What are your feelings towards the poet? State the qualities of the poet which you discern in the poem. To An Athlete Dying Young 1. 2. What is the theme of the poem? What is the intention of the poet? This is a free publication and not intended for resale 18 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Find two expressions in stanza one (1) which indicate the spectator’s response to the athlete’s victory. What does the line â€Å"Townsman of a stiller town† sugge st about the athlete? Quote two expressions in stanza three (3) which show the poet’s view on â€Å"glory and laurels†.Why would â€Å"silence† and â€Å"cheers sound the same to the dying athlete? Write T next to the statements that are true. By dying young the athlete’s glory a. died with him. b. is unchallenged on the field. c. does not gain wide acclaim. d. is not worn down by time. e. is suppressed by other runners. 8. The poem best exemplifies a. reflections on the transience of fame and glory. b. a tribute on the demise of a young successful athlete. c. ovation on the victory of a young adult. d. thoughts on life after death. It is the Constant Image of Your Face In this poem, the poet experiences a deep feeling of guilt and remorse.The poet has framed an image of his beloved whose face is constantly before him, while he is engrossed in a world of his own; a world in which thoughts are like knives, hurling accusations at him. These accusations cut deeply into the poet’s consciousness and remind him of his treachery to his native country. Apparently, the poet has left his native home, having been captivated by the beauty and assurances of his beloved. However, deep in his heart he knows that no other love can lay claim to his loyalty but his homeland which is above This is a free publication and not intended for resaleUnderstanding and Appreciating Poetry all other loves. Feelings of remorse and guilt plague the thoughts of the poet. To him, leaving his country is like an act of treason and treachery. Although he prizes his beloved, he pleads for forgiveness from his country whose tenderness matches or surpasses that of the beloved. 1. What do you think is the theme of the poem? (a) The guilt and remorse of a poet (b) Alienation from one’s own country (c) The poet’s love and loyalty for his native country 2. Describe the mood which the poet experiences throughout the poem. Give suitable quotations in supp ort of your answer. a) Select one image in the poem. (b) To which sense does it appeal? (c) Explain its importance in the poem. 4. (a) What is the meaning of â€Å"my world of knives†? (b) What effect does this world have on the poet? 5. 6. Quote two expressions which show that the poet’s love for his country surpasses all other loves. What qualities of the poet’s character are revealed in the poem? 19 3. West Indies, U. S. A. In this poem, the poet records his impressions of the Islands from a view, thirty thousand feet above. He sees some of the islands as more prominent than others.Some are more culturally and economically developed as can be seen in his impression of Puerto Rico, with â€Å"silver linings in the clouds† and the glitter of San Juan. But to him, each country has its own distinctive features and characteristics, which are highlighted at its terminal. Against these islands, the poet sees the influence of the United States on Puerto Rico: he sees Puerto Rico as a representation of the United States – â€Å"America’s backyard†. Stringent laws are enforced at its terminal to prevent passengers This is a free publication and not intended for resale 20Understanding and Appreciating Poetry from entering without legal documentation. The fear of foreigners who sneak into the island and tarnish the image of the land is well noted by the poet. He notes the influence of American culture and lifestyle in Puerto Rico. The glitter of the cities pulsating with life is well captured in the â€Å"polished Cadillacs† and â€Å"Micro chips†. 1. What is the theme of the poem? 2. (a) Select the simile in the first two lines of the poem. (b) Explain why the poet makes the comparison, (c) Do you find it interesting and original? Why? 3. What is the distinctive feature of each of the following terminals? a) Port au Prince (b) Piarco (c) Vere Bird 4. Why are all passengers other than those embarking at San Juan, required to stay on the plane? 5. What do you think is â€Å"that vaunted sanctuary†? Why is it considered a vaunted sanctuary? 6. Select three pieces of evidence which show America’s influence on the lifestyle of Puerto Rico. 7. What do you think is the mood of the poem? 8. What is the tone of the poet? Composed Upon Westminster Bridge The poet records his impressions of the scene at early dawn when no mechanized activity is going on and the air is clean and devoid of smoke.He is touched by the beauty and splendour of the city. Only those whose souls are dull would not be touched by the awe-inspiring scene; the greatness is majestic. All objects natural or otherwise are now visible because of the glitter of the morning sun which spreads over the landscape. Never before has the poet witnessed such beauty which the splendour of the sun radiates over valley, rock or hills. Not only is the beauty enchanting, but also the peace and calm which the scene has on the mi nd of the poet: In such an atmosphere even the houses seem asleep and all is still.In the scene there is no activity. The air is smokeless because the truckers have This is a free publication and not intended for resale Understanding and Appreciating Poetry not started to pour their emissions into the atmosphere. The poet is deeply impressed and stunned at the calm and beauty of the morning. His exclamation, â€Å"Dear God! † tells us that his response has reached spiritual and divine dimension. 21 1. What is the theme of the poem? 2. Where and when is the experience taking place? 3. What is the mood of the poet? 4. Select the figure of speech in the first five lines of the poem.With what does the poet compare the city? 5. Why is the air smokeless? 6. Select lines which show that there is an absence of noise in the scene. 7. What does the poet mean by â€Å"the very houses seem asleep†? 8. From the poet’s impressions of the scene, what can you tell of his charac ter? 9. Do you like the poem? Give reasons to support your answer. A Contemplation Upon Flowers The poet sees in the flowers a calm and willing acceptance of death – brave and harmless, humble and modest, the flowers are born of the earth and to the earth they return with no resistance.Unlike the poet, the flowers subject themselves to the natural order and pattern of the universe. They bloom in a particular season and then fall to earth. The poet wishes his life to be perpetually in spring for he fears the winter, the harbinger of death. His pride, vanity and fear make him unwilling to succumb to death. However, the poet longs to be like the flowers, to smile and look cheerfully at death. He needs to accept death without fear and to make peace with the inevitable. The wreaths of flowers brighten and sweeten the atmosphere in times of death.The poet wishes to be like the flowers, that his breath will sweeten and perfume his death. Enslaved by pride, vanity and fear, the poet struggles to come to terms with the experience of death. This is a free publication and not intended for resale 22 Understanding and Appreciating Poetry The poet represents humanity in his fear of death. The flowers represent Nature and its willing acceptance of death. 1. What do you think is the theme of the poem? 1. Select the qualities in the flowers that the poet admires. 3. What does the expression â€Å"that I could gallant it like you† mean? . â€Å"Embroidered garments† suggest (a) the flowers are very beautiful (b) even the most beautiful are subject to death (c) Nature produces colorful things (d) the petals of the flowers are adorned with a pattern 5. Why does the poet wish his life would be always spring? 6. What two lessons can the flowers teach the poet? 7. What makes it difficult for the poet to accept death? 8. The word which best describes the mood of the poet is (a) joyful (b) sorrowful (c) pensive (d) angry This is a free publication and not intended for resale

The Importance of Tourism for the Malaysian Economy in a Recession

Given the relatively small size of our economy, Malaysia is a country heavily reliant on exports as a source of income. Manufacturing, our biggest foreign exchange earner, currently accounts for the bulk (70%) of total exports led by electronic parts and components, followed by commodities such as oil and gas as well as palm oil. As long as this over-dependency remains, Malaysia will always be exposed to the risks of the cyclical nature of global ICT product demand and the speculative prices of raw materials. Based on the growth experience of industrialized economies, manufacturing has also already reached its optimum share of 30% contribution to the Malaysian GDP. In other words, traditional means of exports will continue to decline and diversification of our export earnings is imperative for us to compensate for the resulting gaps. Dato Seri Najib Razak’s recent announcement of further liberalization to the services sector couldn’t have been more well-timed. Through this, we can expect to speed up our reduction of on imported services while boosting our exports (in various other categories) to register a healthier overall bank balance. We’ve only just started seeing trade surplus for services since 2007. This would not have been possible without tourism, which contributes to almost 50% of the services sector and Malaysia’s 2nd largest foreign exchange earner. Besides having an incredible multiplier effect in terms of income and employment distribution due to far-reaching linkages to other sectors (construction, finance, insurance, manufacturing etc. – tourism, unlike other goods or services, has no exact substitutes; meaning demand for holidays is more likely to grow rather than be traded with something else. Neither is it subjected to price fluctuations affected by speculative factors like commodities for example. If the index of average international tourist expenditure equals the price of the international product , prices received enjoy greater stability versus raw materials. In fact, prices have tended to increase in a stable manner due to among other things, demand for holidays and the rigidity of destination supply in the short and medium term. Tourism also has the capacity to recover foreign-currency investment in a shorter time – a strong motivation for FDI inflows to the country. The UNWTO estimates that a medium-class beach hotel in a developing country will earn back in 1 year the entire foreign exchange required to build and equip it. In this bleak climate however, decline in international arrivals is naturally expected. Unless enough measures are put in place to safeguard the industry – the impact would overwhelming on not just travel per se, but on a massive chunk of businesses that rely on tourism as a demand stimulus. There are several key things we need to do. Firstly, we need to be extremely targeted in terms of our source markets. This recession is quickly speeding up the shift of economic power to emerging economies – the result of the contrast between the excess of savings in Asia and the debt burden of Europe and North America. While it is a global downturn, China, India, and MENA region are still expected to post positive growth – which is a far cry from the -3% growth forecasted for developed countries. Besides ASEAN, contribution of international arrivals from these countries will make up a substantial share of our prospects. What this also means, is that our ASEAN counterparts would be vying for the same piece of the pie. Even more difficult is the fact ASEAN destinations share their own equivalent of what Malaysia offers as a travel destination – common key interests like cultural experiences, beaches and spas, historical monuments, shopping, local cuisine, sports etc. As witnessed from most communication efforts both regionally and globally, countries have more often than not packaged these attractions together in a beautifully crafted montage of pictures either on television or print advertising that spells out what a destination has to offer. During a time when such demonstrations become expected proof of value, how do we then break through the clutter and arrest the traveler’s attention? To do this, we need to create ideas that mean something to them, ideas they would want to spend their time with. Value need not necessarily mean tangible or functional attractions to a traveler alone. Rather than starting with the multitude of things a destination has to offer, we need to look at our arrival prospects as people first – and identify a fundamental need, that could be emotional or rational, before tailoring our destination to resolve them. An example of how this approach has worked lies within Tourism Malaysia’s own communications targeting the South and West Asian markets by JWT-Sen Media Malaysia in 2008. In India, 2 large and rapidly growing segments of travelers were identified – honeymooners and young, affluent working couples with kids. Surveys revealed an interesting discovery amongst newlyweds, the fact that a majority of marriages in India were still largely arranged, by choice. A honeymoon for them is akin to a couple on a first date, where an awkward tension exists between both parties. By tapping on this, we demonstrated the emotional value of a Malaysian holiday by telling a story of how a relatively unknown man called a husband becomes a close friend of a woman with each passing day, having gone through different experiences in Malaysia together. As for young families – the main motivation behind a holiday is to indulge in quality time with their family, as 55% feel they don’t spend enough time with their children back home. To capture this segment, a story of a busy, successful boss who rediscovers the dad in him was spun around a holiday experience in Malaysia. Similarly for West Asia, we tapped on a finding that the target looked forward to the refreshing feeling of â€Å"water† when they go on a holiday, as it’s a transient form of escapism from their natural surroundings. We sought to bring this feeling to life by weaving a tale about a little girl who comes to Malaysia with her parents, equipped with a tiny parasol, looking for cool hills and the excitement of rain†¦and finds it. Through selling value based on fundamental â€Å"people† motivations instead of purely selling the destination, Malaysia posted a growth of arrivals from India by 28% within the months of October to December 2008 (when the campaigns ran) versus the same period during a recession-free 2007. In the largest West Asian markets – Saudi Arabia and Iran posted an astonishing 47% and 64% growth in arrivals respectively. The question we need to ask ourselves now is – what are travelers looking for in these times, and how do they want to feel? Once this has been identified – it’s a matter of ensuring the most efficient way to reach them. While this sounds seemingly simple, the proliferation of channels to reach ever-changing consumers is continuing to evolve rapidly. It’s no longer enough to assume threshold weight on traditional mediums like print or TV advertising alone to talk to different segments of travelers with incredibly different needs. The availability of broadband connections has expanded speedily in our target markets – the number of Internet users in China has grown by over 40% YOY to 298 million in 2008, whereas in India, a growth of 33% was seen among urban users. Increasingly, travelers in the Asia Pacific region prefer to plan their travels online – 75% of them in fact, as evidenced by the latest PATA/Visa Travel Intentions Survey; strongly catalyzed by the growth in low-cost airlines over the years, where most transactions happen online. Planning usually kicks off broad based, before honing into destinations that arrest their attention for more focused planning. The Internet allows travelers to find what interests them more easily and connect with like-minded people in ways they never could before. Top sources for information are travel, hotel, airline websites, as well as word-of-mouth and recommendations. Where the latter stemmed mostly from family and friends in the past; it has found its way to be readily available in the form of travel blogs, networking sites and various other forums. The Internet as an alternative media channel is unrivalled in its targeting and accountability, providing the capability to track what people search for and where they surf – and allow communications and information to be tailored specifically to travelers’ presumed special interests. The on-going advancements of the infrastructure also give much fluidity to the medium; allowing the creation of the destination experience digitally to make travelers feel a certain way; which is far more powerful than asking people to think about the value. In the TV era, getting trial happened at the end of the marketing process – now it can be the start.

Conversion Factor Definition and Examples

Conversion Factor Definition and Examples A conversion factor is the number or formula you need to convert a measurement in one set of units to the same measurement in another set of units. The number is usually given as a numerical ratio or fraction that can be used as a multiplication factor. For example, say you have a length that is measured in feet and you wish to report on it in meters. If you know that there are 3.048 feet in a meter, then you can use that as a conversion factor to determine what the same distance is in meters.   One foot is 12 inches long, and the conversion factor of 1 foot to inches is 12. In yards, 1 foot is equal to 1/3 yard (conversion factor of 1 foot to yards is 1/3) so forth. The same length is 0.3048 meters, and it is also 30.48 centimeters. To convert 10 feet to inches, multiply 10 times 12 (the conversion factor) 120 inchesTo convert 10 feet to yards, multiply 10 x 1/3 3.3333 yards (or 3 1/3 yards)To convert 10 feet to meters, multiply 10 x .3048 3.048 metersTo convert 10 feet to centimeters, multiply 10 x 30.48 304.8 centimeters Examples of Conversion Factors There many different types of measurements that sometimes require conversions: length (linear), area (two dimensional) and volume (three dimensional) are the most common, but you can also use conversion factors to convert mass, speed, density, and force. Conversion factors are used for conversions within the imperial system (feet, pounds, gallons), within the International System of Units (SI, and the modern form of the metric system: meters, kilograms, liters) or across the two.   Remember, the two values must represent the same quantity as each other. For example, its possible to convert between two units of mass (e.g., grams to pounds), but you generally cant convert between units of mass and volume (e.g., grams to gallons). Examples of conversion factors include: 1 gallon 3.78541 liters (volume)  1 pound 16 ounces (mass)  1 kilogram 1,000 grams (mass)  1 pound 453.592 grams (mass)1 minute 60000 milliseconds (time)  1 square mile 2.58999 square kilometers (area)   Using a Conversion Factor For example, to change a time measurement from hours to days, use a conversion factor of 1 day 24 hours. time in days time in hours x (1 day/24 hours) The (1 day/24 hours) is the conversion factor. Note that following the equal sign, the units for hours cancel out, leaving only the unit for days.

Diana essays

Diana essays The life of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, continues to inspire the world today. Ever since she was a child, Diana put smiles on peoples faces. As she grew older, began dating Prince Charles, celebrated her highly publicized wedding and participated in royal duties as part of the British monarchy, Diana always seemed to make everyone have a better outlook on themselves. Even in death, she continues to be a positive influence on people everywhere. Princess Diana was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, to Edward John and Frances Spencer, her proud parents. Dianas parents had the royal titles of Viscount and Viscountess Althrop. Her own title was the Honorable Diana Frances Spencer. They were an extremely noble family. Diana had two sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a brother named Charles (Diana as a Child Internet). She always did things her own way, yet she was a delightful child. She was taught to have extremely good manners and to be on her best behavior at all times (Darling 10-11). Dianas father worked for Queen Elizabeth and the two families (the Spencers and the Windsors) would spend time at the Sandringham house. The children would play together and swim all day long (Darling 12-13 ) Diana was an intelligent child. She attended the prep school, Riddlesworth Hall in Diss, Norfolk. In 1974, Diana was sent to a boarding school called West Heath, near Sevenoaks, Kent. While studying there, Diana became an accomplished pianist and received many awards. In 1977, she was sent to finishing school at the Institute of Alpine Videmantte in Rougemont, Switzerland (Diana as a Child Internet). Despite of all the finishing schools Diana was sent to, she still enjoyed sports. Diana really liked swimming, tennis, and netball. Diana also had a love for dancing, and often said that she was obsessed with the ballet (Darling 18). At the age of sixteen, Diana had never been on an airplane, so that December...

Focus vs. Locus

Focus vs. Locus Focus vs. Locus Focus vs. Locus By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between a focus and a locus is it all just hocus-pocus? and where does nexus fit in? The technical meaning of focus is â€Å"a point of convergence or divergence, or seeming divergence,† in terms of particles of matter. It also refers to adjustment for clear vision as well as the field of clear vision, and it has a geometrical definition of a fixed point. From the scientific sense have developed literal and figurative connotations of a point, center, or area of activity or occurrence, as well as direction, emphasis, perception, and understanding. The original plural spelling of the word, borrowed directly from Latin and meaning â€Å"hearth† (the area of premodern households that was the center of activity), is foci, but focuses is an alternative; the adjectival form is focal. Focus can be employed, depending on context, with or without a preceding article: â€Å"This plan lacks focus†; â€Å"His story doesn’t have a focus†; â€Å"That is the focus of the argument.† A locus, meanwhile (in Latin, the word means â€Å"place†), is a site or location. As is the case with focus, the sense can be figurative or literal. (Unlike focus, locus has only a Latin plural: loci.) The difference between focus and locus, then, is subtle. Both words can refer to a place where something happens, but the fine distinction is that the former denotes a center of attention and the latter refers to the location itself. A locus may become the focus, but the reverse is not true, because the site preceded the attention focused on it. Nexus, from the Latin word nectere, meaning â€Å"to bind† (the root term is also the basis of connect), can also mean â€Å"focus,† but it is better reserved for the senses of â€Å"connection† or â€Å"link,† or of a connected group or series. And what of other related – or seemingly related – terms? An axis is a geometrical or physical or figurative line, or a vertebra or a stem. It can also be somewhat synonymous with the terms defined above, relating to a point or a spectrum, or, as in the manner in which it was used in World War II to refer to the alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan, a partnership. (The Latin word refers to a line or an axle; the plural in both Latin and English is axes.) A cynosure is a guide or a center of attention. (The word is from Greek by way of Latin and means, literally, â€Å"dog’s tail†; it refers to the constellation Ursa Minor, or the Little Bear.) An omphalos (the word is Greek for â€Å"navel†) is a focal point or a hub, and a hub (perhaps a variant of hob, a word for a shelf on a hearth) is a center of activity, either on a large scale or at the center of a wheel. An epicenter is, in figurative usage, a center of activity; the original meaning is the point on Earth’s surface above an earthquake’s point of focus. Now, how about that hocus-pocus? It evidently originated with itinerant performers who incorporated mock-Latin incantations into their magic or juggling acts to impress gullible onlookers, who associated the classical language with learned scholars and ancient mysteries. It is likely a corruption of the blessing â€Å"Hoc est corpus meum,† meaning â€Å"This is my body.† Hokey-pokey is probably a further variant, but neither it nor hocus-pocus has any focus, locus, or nexus. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesWhat is Dative Case?Sentence Adverbs

Discussion Questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Discussion Questions - Coursework Example Queries could be used to locate information from a database. Also, they could be used to delete information from the database especially if there is redundancy or similarity of codes and information. Lastly, queries could be used to update databases and existing body of information in a database. This is to say that all the three functions would be used and done effectively within a short time using the codes or inquiry or the query (Gupta & Sarawagi, 2006). For instance, one would locate an employee through unique identification code from the many employees. Similarly, where and when the specific information has been located within the database, the related information would be highlighted and managed or deleted according to the requirement or specific need of the user. In the same line of thought and argument, once the relevant information has been picked or selected, there is the option of update, which could be done once a user enters a change in the database. In order to effectively and properly create a database form, it is imperative to note and mention that the user need to define and articulate a bound. A bound refers to the connection that expressly links the data source to the whole database such as through queries or tables. It is important to maintain the buttons of command and controls which are required to operate the whole application process. It is a good practice and standard to create a form using the form tool. Once a user locates it, it is critical that he or she finds the navigation pane which would encompass information and details that the user wishes to view and see at the final stage of output. It is common to create a split form which means that a user would wish to see from the navigation pane. This could easily be done and accomplished by clicking on the create tab then move to the forms therefore move to the next step of more forms and finally clicking on the split forms. A split form looks more appealing

Slavery by Another Name Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Slavery by Another Name - Essay Example He uses real letters, and photos to pass the message to viewers of the film. It is evident that the film bases its topics on scholarly heritage, long-term experiences, and contributions of African. The documentary highlights that slavery was effectively considered only after the World War 2. The documentary also depicts themes such as forced labor that can be used by tutors’ in teaching students in the class. Slavery by Another Name is better since forced labor is a common topic practiced in the contemporary society; hence, still significant as subject to teach students (DeFore, 2012). The film is better than others to be added in the course since it has a unique and exceptional topic that analyses the historical events in America. It talks about new findings in American history since an individual has to involve in a thorough research to generate the topic. It is a summary and critique of the events that occurred amid the emancipation period and the end of the World War 2; therefore, making the documentary an outstanding one. Students learn that constitutions are not perfect, and some have mistakes since they are written by a human being. For example, the 13th Amendment of the constitution did not fully eliminate slavery; it had a clause that read ‘except as a punishment for a crime’ that gave room for the whites to arrest the blacks for petty mistakes made. Africans who escaped being arrested faced the wrath of paying debts (DeFore, 2012). Learners learn that racism is a negative factor in society and should not be practiced. Students learn that racism was the core reason for slavery. This knowledge will make them avoid practicing bigotry and advocate against it in the community.

ENG 315 Presentation Critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

ENG 315 Presentation Critique - Assignment Example While it can be concluded from the title that the program is a meal-delivery system for the seniors, the presentation could have started with a visual description of how it will be like to have food easily and readily available to people who need it. However, this did not ruin the overall understanding of the audience on the topic. The opening statement is very catchy and able to get the audience interest. The speaker said: â€Å"Meals on wheels is taking action to end senior hunger.† Not only is the opening line catchy, it immediately gives a hint of the problem that the presentation is trying to resolve. The main points, such as what the program is, what the problem is, statistical data proving there is indeed a continuing problem, why the problem needs to be alleviated, and what the program can do were properly emphasized. However, the important detail of how a senior can enroll in the program was left out. The speaker utilized the â€Å"problem solution pattern† of speech, where the presentation informs the audience of the risks of the problem, the importance, the causes, and the solution. This pattern is alerts the audience to the fact that the issue is something to be concerned of. No, there were no transitions carried out, which makes some area of the presentation abruptly stopped. Good transitional phrases would be: â€Å"Why do we need to know this?† Such would also recapture the attention of the audience. The presentation was summarized, but somewhat too briefly. The summary was only about what the program does. It did not reiterate the reality of the problem, and did not restate how the program is a big relief for this problem. Taken on the emotional level, the closing statement is strong. However, it lacked information. The closing statement seems to call for people to take action: â€Å"Every one of us can play a very important role in the life of a senior. I encourage you to make a difference!† How? Can ordinary people call and enroll a

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment law - Essay Example The employee breached the covenant and worked with one of the competitors in the course of the 3 years, hence forcing the plaintiff to seek court injunction restraining him from continuing with the competitor’s business (Lewis and Sargeant, 2004). The injunction was granted by the court on the grounds that it was reasonable to both parties. Therefore, the reasonableness of the terms of the covenant is the important factor a court considers when making a ruling. In our study case, the two clauses are reasonable, for instance, because 12 months is not a very long time and 20 miles radius is a fair distance. However, possible breach must be directly related to these terms. Clause 13 (a) intends to restraint Ian from working as a Director for any UK-based Film Corporation, which means that this cannot be enforceable because Ian left to become a Senior lecturer rather than a Director. However, Clause 13 (b) will be enforceable because the defendant is leaving to work for a firm, wh ich is connected with film industry located within the 12 restricted miles. Advise Julia of any rights that she may have under the Equality Act 2010 in the way that she has been treated. Equality Act 2010 protects Julia from discrimination based on her gender. Her employer owes her a right to establish policies, which should protect her from being discriminated by the male colleagues. Under sex discrimination, the Act protects her from being treated less favorably by her colleagues merely because she is a female and has been promoted. Julia’s colleagues have created an unfair, hostile, intimidating, humiliating, degrading and offensive environment for her considering the actions they have unleashed on her. All these acts have been spelt out clearly under this Act and she can successfully file a suit against her perpetrators. Altogether, the Equity Act 2010 protects Julia from demotion from her status on discrimination grounds, her employer does not have a right to demote her unless there is some legitimate reason such as poor performance or incapacitation (Wadham et al., 2012). Advise Kai on whether she can be classed as an employee for purposes of claiming benefits. Under the UK employment law, Kai could be eligible for payment of benefits after employment if she was contributing to a pension scheme while in job. There are a variety of social security schemes, some of which are compulsory and must be implemented by the employers. An example of such compulsory schemes is the state social scheme, which entitles the employer to share the monthly payments with the employees. Nonetheless, only those employees who are employed full-time takes part in the compulsory and the state pension scheme contribution. Although Kai has worked for English Hearts Film Corporation for eight years now, the employment contract still recognizes her as a casual employee and hence not eligible for the compulsory social scheme contribution (Lewis and Sargeant, 2004). Notably, ho wever, Kai could be eligible to receive the benefits even without having contributed if his job is terminated unfairly. From the terms of his job, it seems he has worked for the University for the past eight years with 12 months full payment every year plus other benefits. This means that his job cannot be terminated by of lack of enrollment without being unfair to him. The

(economics) assignment has two parts and both two parts have to be Essay

(economics) assignment has two parts and both two parts have to be explained in assignment - Essay Example Mars is challenged by biggies like Nestle, Ferrero, Cadbury etc. in the bars market. Sugar happens to be the one of the key ingredient as far as production of Mars Bars is concerned. In these competitive times profit margins have shown a shrinking trend. Now if the sugar supply falls short as a result of unfavorable weather conditions, the obvious fallout will be severe constraint in the procurement chain to maintain the levels of production. Sugar prices are bound to increase, resulting in an increase in production costs. Had there been no competition, Mars Inc would have resorted to a hike in prices of its bars. But the moment the company increases prices, competitors will grab the opportunity to further widen their market base, even if that meant subsidizing the product. Rival companies would resort to such a step, hoping that once the weather conditions improve, the supply will normalize and then they can fill the revenue gap by using the increased market base. As the adverse con dition is a temporary occurrence, therefore, even under these conditions, Mars bars will continue to be made available with the same price tag. There could be somewhat less number of products in the market. Some amount of cost could be recovered by way of cutting advertisement and market communication costs, as the company would be content with effectively serving its existing market only. The shortage is worldwide therefore almost all companies in the business will be equally affected. If the shortage stays for longer then only the company will start thinking about a step like price increase. The direct fallout of increased wages will of course be on the cost of production, which is bound to go up. As a result the profit margins will be under pressure and the company will have to try really hard to maintain the previous levels. But at the same time, increased wages will act as a motivational force for the workers who will now work with more zeal

Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law - Case Study Example Had that been the case, the local animal charity should have either received the funds, or there should have been an agreement drawn up with that charity as to how the funds in the Fido Trust would be administered for their benefit. Instead, it appears clear that John and Sue intended to secure personal gain from their investment in the stock market. This was a clear conflict of interest, not only on Sue’s part because a relative was involved, but also on the part of John, who consented to such an unprofitable loan. The weight of the evidence is that placing the other half of the Fido Trust into the stock market was also intended to benefit John and Sue, rather than to benefit Mike’s dog and cat, as otherwise some arrangement would have been made with either the local animal charity or some other animal care service via using the interest earned on the Fido Trust solely for the proper care of the animals, as Mike intended. Using the funds otherwise would be a serious fr aud, perhaps more serious for John as a solicitor who would know the requirements of serving as a Trustee more than for Sue, a policewoman; but it still appears that Sue should have known that the purpose of the Fido Trust was violated. Compounding John’s abuse of the trust placed in him by Mike, we are told that John exercised his power of appointment over the residue of Mike’s estate in favor of himself, and then persuaded Mike’s son Ron, at 18 years of age, to surrender his life interest in the residual estate to John, a proposal which Ron should have strongly rejected. 3 Now, as to advising Ron, I would tell him the following: Ron, your interests have been grossly violated by John's handling of your father's estate

(economics) assignment has two parts and both two parts have to be Essay

(economics) assignment has two parts and both two parts have to be explained in assignment - Essay Example Mars is challenged by biggies like Nestle, Ferrero, Cadbury etc. in the bars market. Sugar happens to be the one of the key ingredient as far as production of Mars Bars is concerned. In these competitive times profit margins have shown a shrinking trend. Now if the sugar supply falls short as a result of unfavorable weather conditions, the obvious fallout will be severe constraint in the procurement chain to maintain the levels of production. Sugar prices are bound to increase, resulting in an increase in production costs. Had there been no competition, Mars Inc would have resorted to a hike in prices of its bars. But the moment the company increases prices, competitors will grab the opportunity to further widen their market base, even if that meant subsidizing the product. Rival companies would resort to such a step, hoping that once the weather conditions improve, the supply will normalize and then they can fill the revenue gap by using the increased market base. As the adverse con dition is a temporary occurrence, therefore, even under these conditions, Mars bars will continue to be made available with the same price tag. There could be somewhat less number of products in the market. Some amount of cost could be recovered by way of cutting advertisement and market communication costs, as the company would be content with effectively serving its existing market only. The shortage is worldwide therefore almost all companies in the business will be equally affected. If the shortage stays for longer then only the company will start thinking about a step like price increase. The direct fallout of increased wages will of course be on the cost of production, which is bound to go up. As a result the profit margins will be under pressure and the company will have to try really hard to maintain the previous levels. But at the same time, increased wages will act as a motivational force for the workers who will now work with more zeal

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Research Paper Example Many firms have been able to meet these long-standing regulations by relying on the domain knowledge while the periodic regulations were met through the knowledge from corporate legal staff. However, this system has since changed and adapted a new regulatory environment that includes the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley). All the publicly traded companies are required to comply with this new act; changing the regulator culture from the initial legislative act. Sarbanes-Oxley and a host of other related regulations has fostered for the governance, risk and compliance aspects of regulations for both American-based and international companies. The congress enacted this act with the aim of mitigating unprecedented financial fraud. Its core objective is to ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of corporate financial disclosures for purposes of safeguarding the interests of investors and other shareholders. Before the introduction of this act, most of the public corporations were reluctant to abide by some of the regulations such as complying with the environmental reporting requirements. With the introduction of the Sarbanes-Oxley act, more accountability has been realized and tougher penalties have been set for defaulters, compelling most of the organizations to abide by the set regulations. This is a clear indication of the efficiency of the act in minimizing fraud (Orin, 2008). Sarbanes-Oxley also requires that the SEC undertakes regular reviews on financial reports in a systematic and professional manner for the reporting companies. The scope of this review encompasses environmental liabilities to ascertain whether the system is in compliance with regulations. The top executive officials of the firm are obligated to ensure accurate and authentic disclosure of potential liabilities to the public domain. With increased scrutiny and accountability, the regulatory act works to avoid fraud now and in the future (Orin, 2008). As documented in the

Importance of Brands and Branding

Importance of Brands and Branding Abstract Repetitive failures cost companies millions of dollars in redesign costs, liabilities, and transaction costs. However, by far the most serious cost of these failures is the lost business that results from customer defection. For service companies, the task of providing error-free services is even more challenging because their intangible nature renders subjective perceptions of quality. Equally troublesome is the uncontrollable element of customer participation in the service process because production and consumption occur as a simultaneous process. Despite these challenges however, service quality and customer satisfaction are closely related constructs. When service providers continuously strive to develop error-free processes, customer satisfaction is sure to follow. Chapter 1: Introduction Many marketers are rethinking their branding because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than aspirational positioning, and that three steps can help ensure success: 1. Ensure relevance to a customers frame of reference. Be fully aware of the brands â€Å"frame of reference† so that a repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. Look at a combination of customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used to obtain the most powerful customer insights. 2. Secure the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning. Recognize that permission amounts to a reasonable and logical extension of the brand in the customers eyes. Leverage a brands unique emotional benefits to carry customers from their current brand perception to the intended one. 3. Deliver on the brands new promise. Identify the pathway of performance â€Å"signals† that will convince customers of the new brand positioning. Develop product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals. Track and assess performance against customer signals prior to launching the new positioning. Adopt an â€Å"interim positioning† to establish brand credibility and performance. An array of factors is requiring marketers today to rethink their brand positioning. Changing customer needs are often eroding the brands established position. At the same time, increasing competitive pressures created by new entrants and product innovations, and the proliferation of new channels and promotional campaigns, are driving marketers back to the drawing board. Many CEOs and CMOs, however, find themselves displeased with the results of their repositioning efforts. Increased marketing expenditures devoted to repositioning brands in the minds of consumers often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Why do these well-intentioned efforts turn into marketing failures? While there are many causes, companies often fail to focus on achievable brand positioning rather than branding in service sector. Too often, their efforts target an ambitious goal that outstrips the actual ability of the brand to deliver on what it has promised to customers. Or the goal is too far from customers current brand perception to be a realistic brand objective. For example: In the late 1 980s Oldsmobile wanted to revitalize its brand and gear it to a younger audience. Thus marketers at General Motors launched a creative campaign around the tagline, â€Å"Not your fathers Oldsmobile,† highlighting the cars improved styling and new features. But for many younger consumers, this was too much of a stretch for the brand. The product modifications did not go far enough to meet the needs and expectations of the new customer set they were targeting. As a result, Oldsmobile recognized the need to shift its campaign. Eventually, GM closed its Oldsmobile division. More recently, United Airlines Rising campaign attempted to position the brand as the most passenger-centric airline, with a clear understanding of customer problems and the solutions needed to fix them. The campaign had the effect of raising expectations, which were quickly deflated, however, by the brands inability to deliver against the promises made as part of its bold new positioning platform. Consequently, United was forced to change its central brand message — no longer emphasizing Rising. Many high-tech businesses have recently repositioned themselves as e-business brands. However little effort was made by these brands to clearly differentiate themselves from one another despite the millions of dollars spent on elaborate marketing programs. The net effect, according to their research, has been to sow confusion in the minds of customers, rather than to forge strong brand identities. These examples — and most marketers can cite many others — underscore the imperative to pursue a brand positioning that is eminently achievable, not just attractive. Based on our experience, three steps can help ensure that they make this distinction: 1) ensuring relevance to a customers frame of reference; 2) securing the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning; and 3) making sure that the brand delivers on its promise. Be Relevant to the Customers Frame of Reference: When repositioning a brand, its essential for marketers to capture not just the emotional and physical needs of the customer but the dynamics of the situation in which those needs occur. We refer to this as the customers â€Å"frame of reference.† For example, while isotonic beverages like Gatorade and Powerade are thirst-quenching drinks, consumers tend to think of them in the broader context of sports, exercise, and physical activity. Importantly, the frame of reference sets the parameters for customers consideration set — the brands they will choose from. Indeed, most customers have a very specific definition of what the brand is and what it can be relative to their frame of reference. Repositioning a brand too far from this frame of reference creates customer confusion that makes a positioning unsuccessful. Attempting to brand Gatorade, for example, within a social, lighthearted context would probably be stretching the brand too far from the current sports/physical activity frame of reference. Similarly, a communications company known for data services for business customers would likely be positioning the brand too far outside of the customers frame of reference if it suddenly tried to launch a â€Å"friends-and-family† calling plan. Being fully aware of the frame of reference for a brand can help ensure that its repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. But the frame of reference is usually a combination of both customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used. As a result, we typically find the most powerful customer insights and segmentation come from looking at a combination of these factors In some categories, customers broader attitudes are the dominant factor. How customers think about pet-related brands, for example, can be seen in the context of how they treat their own pets — whether they view them as family members, best friends/companions, or in a less personal way. If customers view pets as family members, the optimal message for the brand will appeal to such human qualities as nurturing and pampering. This â€Å"family member† orientation or frame of reference may help support a brand extension to a full range of pet services, such as grooming and accessories. Other customer needs are not as consistent, but better understood within the context of specific situations or sub-categories. In the field of airline travel, for example, the customers frame of reference may be a function of the type of trip they are taking. The customer who is used to traveling within the U.S. in cramped coach-class conditions, for example, will have a much different set of needs and expectations than the traveler who is used to flying to international destinations with all the comforts of first-class service. As a result, in most instances the frame of reference is built upon a combination of both of the above attitudinal and situational forces. For example, while consumers may generally have a health-conscious attitude about the foods they eat, on certain â€Å"special† occasions they may allow themselves to become more indulgent, creating what we call a â€Å"need state.† A strong brand identity can also help marketers secure the desired permission from consumers. Because Victorias Secret owns or is associated with the notion of intimate moments, for example, it would be easier for that brand to get permission to introduce a new line of lingerie or perfume with a sensual connotation than it would be to launch a line of jeans or handbags. In repositioning, marketers must embrace the idea that they are brand â€Å"stewards,† while customers define their relationship with the brand and determine the basis for the relationship. A steward must spend more time deeply understanding what customers really think about the brand and where potential â€Å"bridges† to growth and new branding exist. For example, Smuckers could leverage the â€Å"wholesome goodness† their loyal customers attribute to them instead of solely focusing on themselves as fruit processors. Marketers should not attempt to cover the waterfront here, but instead focus on the relevant interrelated â€Å"hot buttons† that will clearly convey the message. For example, in the case of a technology brand positioning itself as â€Å"humanizing technology for everyday people,† the strongest set of pathways to the positioning came from product signals such as customized hardware and specific application platforms (e.g., games, household management) rather than from equipment with the latest features and innovative design. The pathway modeling also indicated the strong signal value of the brands customer service representatives having an understanding of an individual customers needs. This important service signal led to the broader customer perception of the brand as caring — an important personality signal for the brand to deliver on its positioning. Additionally, the marketer learned that having technicians follow through with customers to issue resolution w as a critical service signal that led to the broader personality signal of the brand being professional — another key for the brand to live up to its positioning. With these insights, the marketer could allocate resources accordingly, ensuring that the more important signals were being appropriately supported. Develop necessary product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals to the customer. For example, if the brand positioning is built around superior customer satisfaction, but frontline sales people are measured on revenue rather than satisfaction, it is unlikely that consistent performance will be achieved. So, if airline gate agents are the first and most important contact point for customers, they should be empowered to solve customers issues instead of redirecting them to customer service personnel. In the technology brand example, given the importance of the customer service representatives and service technicians, there should be a greater emphasis on the quality of the service delivered rather than on the number of customers that can be serviced over a given time period. Make sure approaches are in place to track and assess your performance against these customer signals prior to the formal launching of the new positioning. Applying rigorous quality assurance procedures to key elements of the new brand experience will often ensure that customers are not disappointed, or fail to have their expectations met. Current data-collection methods allow for rapid response and can be leveraged to determine whether the launch programs are having their desired effect on brand perceptions. Due to the complexities of brand positioning, many marketers are correctly choosing to move to an â€Å"interim positioning.† This interim positioning is designed to establish brand credibility and performance on the road to fully achieving the longer-term aspirational positioning. Such a positioning focuses on those aspects of the brand on which the organization is currently able to deliver. Interim positioning is often essential when a brand stakes out new territory considered â€Å"up market,† addresses an important or longstanding deficiency, or is attempting to redefine its competitive set. As the brand evolves (based on customers changing perceptions), additional components of the new platform can be put into place and confidently communicated to consumers. Target Stores successfully employed an interim positioning as it evolved the brand up market from a position as a discount retailer of national brands to a contemporary â€Å"urban chic† retail brand pro viding good value. The interim positioning emphasized value without sacrificing style and involved specific merchandising efforts such as stylized color blocking and associations with name designers (e.g., Frank Gehry). As the brand evolved to its current positioning, it further emphasized the â€Å"designer† theme in its advertising, often having models wearing various house wares as high fashion. By focusing on achievable instead of aspirational brand positioning, companies can help ensure meaningful market share results while enhancing their brand image. This requires, however that the new brand position fits comfortably within the customers frame of reference, and that it not attempt to overreach. Marketers must also secure the customers permission to extend the brand by building a bridge of relevant benefits to carry customers from the current to the intended brand position. Implementing the performance delivery systems to ensure the brand is able to live up to its new promise is the final critical step in building and executing a successful brand positioning program. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Branding: Definition and benefits Literature gives several definitions of the term brand. The common themes are that a brand is more than just a combination of a name, a design, a symbol or other features that differentiate a good or a service from others. It is a unique set of tangible and intangible added values that are perceived and valued by the customer. In addition a brand is said to have personality, an emotional bond to the customer that grows out of the perceived characteristics. These certain features of a brand grow out of a complex set of added values that can comprise of history and tradition, additional services, marketing messages, quality, popularity of the product amongst a certain group of users (status) and others. These basiss of a brand perception prove that a strong brand can not be established over night The development of a brand takes time, strong financial marketing muscle and good marketing skills such as Insight into customer needs, Ability to offer products or services that meet those needs, Creativity to produce exiting and compelling advertising, Ability to communicate differentiation in a way that customers understand and that motivates them. Without this process they do not have a brand but only a name and a sign for a product. Brands have benefits for both, the brand owners as sellers and the customers: Benefits of a brand for Sellers Customers Identifies the companies products, makes repeat purchases easier Facilitates promotion efforts Fosters brand loyalty stabilises market share Allows to charge premium prices and thus to get better margins Allows to extend the brand to new products, new markets and to new geographic areas Can communicate directly with the customer, reach over the shoulder of the retailer More leverage with middlemen Is more resistant to price competition Can have a long life Is more forgiving of mistakes Helps identify products Helps evaluate the quality of a product Helps to reduce perceived risk in buying, provides assurance of quality, reliability etc. Is dependable (consistent in quality) May offer psychological reward (status symbol) â€Å"rout map† through a range of alternatives Saves customer time Is easier to process mentally With this potential a brand can offer an important competitive advantage for a seller who has decided for a differentiation strategy. Even in markets with many similar products or services a brand can provide some sort of uniqueness to a certain product. Depending from the strength of a brand the branded product thus can be positioned towards a more monopolistic situation. With all these characteristics a brand is important in an organisations marketing mix. Although it is basically a certain feature of the category â€Å"product†, it influences every component of the marketing mix: The product gets a higher value in the perception of the customers. This influences the pricing policy in the way that often a premium can be charged. The promotional strategy and mix will be different because it is more focused on the brand than on the individual product. For instance the introduction of a new product under a well established umbrella brand requires a very different promotion campaign than the introduction of a new brand or an unbranded product. The decision for the place and the marketing channel is influenced because a branded product with a higher perceived value might be placed in an environment that is well related to the brands personality, e.g. gourmet shop vs. food department in a supermarket. 2.2 Branding strategies: Besides the more general decision for the use of brands the decision for the branding strategies is important. There are several aspects to be considered: Ownership of brands Structure of brand systems Regarding the ownership, Dibb (1997) and Kotler (1999) differentiate between five categories: These decisions need to be taken carefully. They offer not only large opportunities but also various risks: A company which has strong manufacturer brands may decide to sell the same or similar products to retailers for use as their own label brands. If consumers become aware of this they might change their perception of the manufacturer brand: â€Å"They get the same product for a lower price under my retailers brand.† or â€Å"They sell the same thing under another name very cheap. This product is not exclusive anymore. I go for another brand then.† Extensive permissions for the licensed use of a strong brand for other products can destroy the value of the brand. Pierre Cardin has lost lots of its luxury appeal since various goods with this name can be found in every department store. The structure of brand systems describes how an organisations products and brands are related. Dibb (1997) distinguishes between: 2.3 Branding for service industries: 2.3.1 Reason for branding services: Although the principles for branding of goods and services are generally the same there occur some differences. These arise from the different natures of both categories. The main differences that influence branding policies are that services Have a changing level of quality, The consumer has to become involved in the consumption of a service actively, They are intangible and not storable. When a brand in general gives the consumer more confidence in his choice this is even more important for services. Their quality and other features are more difficult to asses. Because of their intangibility and complexity it is harder for the customer to distinguish between the offers from the wide range of service companies are working in the market place. This especially applies to the market of accounting, auditing and consulting where consolidation and globalisation increase competition. In an FT-article about branding accounting services (Kelly 1998) a branding expert states that â€Å"more than 70 % of the Fortune 500 companies said branding is increasingly important in helping them to choose where to get a service. They want to be able to tell who is good at what.† 2.3.2 Drivers for the use of branding in the accounting/consulting industry with a focus on the Big Five (former Big Six) firms: The Big Five accounting firms have a long history up to 75 to 100 years. These firms have developed from smaller entities through co-operations and mergers. Often new products and new markets have been developed by â€Å"buying in†, by buying the expertise and the access in the form of other firms. For many small and medium accounting and auditing firms it is attractive to join the association (in most cases) of one of the large players for the following reasons: The form of an association with independent member firms allows to retain a level of individuality although in some cases this is not long-lasting. The membership in an large powerful firm gives a competitive advantage (reputation, access to knowledge, access to new markets, higher market share, cost savings through sharing resources, e.g. for training and recruitment etc.). Partners of these smaller firms are often offered to become partners in the large firm. For a long time the industry did not put much effort in the development of brands. The tradition and long lasting reputation of the Big Five itself gave their names a considerable brand value. For quite a long time this was fairly enough for their purposes. In Kellys (1998) article a professional firms branding expert states that for many years the accountancy firms hid behind the â€Å"convenient parapet† of the Big Six brand label. In the audit market most shareholders were happy to have any audit firm as long as it was from the Big Six.Other factors were legal limitations for advertising. Accounting firms were first allowed to advertise in 1984. That means that marketing and communications focused mainly on activities like excellent work and the power of word of mouth, job advertisements (as the only allowed advertisements they were used as a means to present the company), speaking at conferences, publishing articles in professional journals, co-operating with universities and business schools and so on. Accounting firms saw themselves as a conservative i ndustry with discretion as one of their services. In their minds this didnt go together with an aggressive marketing campaign.In the last years the industry has seen some developments that required new strategies: Globalisation: A global client needs a global auditor because companies are legally required to prepare consolidated financial statements including all subsidies around the world. This is much easier if you have all subsidies audited by the same firm. In addition global clients have a high need for specialised consulting. They often prefer a consultant that is as global as they are to get more expertise and consistency. Stagnation in the core business: The traditional auditing business does not show high growth rates. An individual firms growth can mainly be achieved at the expense of competitors. Growth in consulting services: On the contrary to the auditing business there is an enormous growth for consulting services. The accounting firms have traditionally done some consulting and now they developed these activities aggressively. This had two results: A growing variety of services offered these new products had to be communicated to existing and potential clients Accounting firms came into direct competition with the traditional consulting firms which had their own brands and reputation Need for qualified people: With the development of new products/services all firms needed much more highly qualified people. Recruitment became an important issue. (For example: The German member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers took on about 1000 new employees in 1998, the first year after the merger.) This led to a competition to attract the best university students. All these factors together increased competition amongst the Big Five. For this industry excellent quality is not a means to get a competitive advantage, it is an important requirement for any success at all. A large variety of services is important; but the customer will perceive it only in the moment he needs a certain service. In this situation the Big Five did not manage to differentiate themselves successfully from competition. A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers during the merger process revealed that â€Å"the business community and the general public did not and do not perceive any compelling differences between and among either the Big Six or the Big Five. Not only did all firms appear to have similar defining qualities, they were also not sending any consistent messages about their organisations to external audiences.†Here a strong brand with a personality and a clear message can be a valuable means for differentiation and thus for gaining a competitive advantage. By now we can say that the Big Five have become aware of this. Now they invest heavily to reposition themselves and to develop their good names to real power brands. 2.4 Benefits of branding: Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Heres why the effort to brand their company or their self pays off.  · Memorability: A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will. Its hard for customers to go back to that whats its name store or to refer business to the plumber from the Yellow Pages. In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies they will want to do repeat business with: refrigerator magnets, tote bags, date books, coasters, key rings, first aid kits, etc. Memorability can come from using and sticking with an unusual color combination (FedExs purple and orange), distinctive behavior (the gas station whose attendants literally run to clean your windshield), or with an individual, even a style of clothing (Author Tom Wolfes white suits). Develop their own identifiers and nail them to their company name in the minds of their public.  · Loyalty: When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, theyre more likely to buy that product or service again than competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitors price cut. The brand identity helps to create and to anchor such loyalty. Consider the legions of car owners who travel up to 2,000 miles at their own expense to attend a Saturn celebration at the companys plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Thats loyalty. And supposedly, more people have the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson tattooed on their body than any other brand name. Thats out-of-this-world loyalty.  · Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered their company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend them even when they have no personal knowledge of their products or services. Seeing their ads on local buses, having their pen on their desk, reading about them in the Hometown News, they spread the word for them when a friend or colleague asks if they know a ____ and thats what they do.  · Premium image, premium price: Branding can lift what they sell out of the realm of a commodity, so that instead of dealing with price-shoppers they have buyers eager to pay more for their goods than for those of competitors. Think of some peoples willingness to buy the currently in brand of bottled water, versus toting along an unlabeled bottle of the same stuff filled from the office water cooler.The distinctive value inherent in a brand can even lead people to dismiss evidence they would normally use to make buying decisions. I once saw one middle-aged Cambridge, Massachusetts, intellectual argue to several colleagues that Dunkin Donuts coffee tastes better than Starbucks. So contradictory was this claim to the two companies reputations for this demographic group that the colleagues refused to put the matter to a taste test.  · Extensions: With a well-established brand, they can spread the respect they will earn to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer. For instance, when a winery with a good reputation starts up regional winery tours, and then adds foreign ones, each business introduction benefits from the positive perceptions already in place.  · Greater company equity: Making their company into a brand usually means that they can get more money for the company when they decide to sell it. A Coca-Cola executive once said that if all the companys facilities and inventory vanished all around the world, he could walk into any bank and take out a loan based only on the right to the Coca-Cola name and formula.  · Lower marketing expenses: Although they must invest money to create a brand, once its created they can maintain it without having to tell the whole story about the brand every time they market it. For instance, a jingle people in their area have heard a zillion times continues to promote the company when its played without any words.  · For consumers, less risk: When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, Theyll never be fired for buying IBM. By building a brand, they fatten their bottom line. 2.5 Brand structures for services industries: As for services, literature suggests to use the companies name a so called corporate brand as the overall family brand for all the services offered. Murphy (1990) calls this the â€Å"monolithic approach†. He argues that especially for companies which offer an enormous array of services (e.g. consultants, banks) corporate names must be used to deliver more generalised benefits of quality, value and integrity. de Chernatony (1996) comes to the conclusion that corporate brands are a crucial means to help make the service offering more tangible in consumers minds and can enhance consumers perceptions and trust in the range of services provided by the company. One disadvantage of corporate brands little opportunity for developing second or sub-brands for differentiated product lines- applies more to branded products. However Murphy (1990) states that many companies have chosen an approach of â€Å"local autonomy but group-wide coherence† as a system whereby individual divisions and products are largely free-standing but mention is made in all literature and on all stationery and products that â€Å"company A is member of the XYZ group†. This approach is very common amongst the Big Five accounting and auditing firms. It allows their national member firms, to exploit the groups brand name and their own (brand) name at the same time. Many member firms that had joined the global firms have lon Importance of Brands and Branding Importance of Brands and Branding Abstract Repetitive failures cost companies millions of dollars in redesign costs, liabilities, and transaction costs. However, by far the most serious cost of these failures is the lost business that results from customer defection. For service companies, the task of providing error-free services is even more challenging because their intangible nature renders subjective perceptions of quality. Equally troublesome is the uncontrollable element of customer participation in the service process because production and consumption occur as a simultaneous process. Despite these challenges however, service quality and customer satisfaction are closely related constructs. When service providers continuously strive to develop error-free processes, customer satisfaction is sure to follow. Chapter 1: Introduction Many marketers are rethinking their branding because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than aspirational positioning, and that three steps can help ensure success: 1. Ensure relevance to a customers frame of reference. Be fully aware of the brands â€Å"frame of reference† so that a repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. Look at a combination of customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used to obtain the most powerful customer insights. 2. Secure the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning. Recognize that permission amounts to a reasonable and logical extension of the brand in the customers eyes. Leverage a brands unique emotional benefits to carry customers from their current brand perception to the intended one. 3. Deliver on the brands new promise. Identify the pathway of performance â€Å"signals† that will convince customers of the new brand positioning. Develop product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals. Track and assess performance against customer signals prior to launching the new positioning. Adopt an â€Å"interim positioning† to establish brand credibility and performance. An array of factors is requiring marketers today to rethink their brand positioning. Changing customer needs are often eroding the brands established position. At the same time, increasing competitive pressures created by new entrants and product innovations, and the proliferation of new channels and promotional campaigns, are driving marketers back to the drawing board. Many CEOs and CMOs, however, find themselves displeased with the results of their repositioning efforts. Increased marketing expenditures devoted to repositioning brands in the minds of consumers often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Why do these well-intentioned efforts turn into marketing failures? While there are many causes, companies often fail to focus on achievable brand positioning rather than branding in service sector. Too often, their efforts target an ambitious goal that outstrips the actual ability of the brand to deliver on what it has promised to customers. Or the goal is too far from customers current brand perception to be a realistic brand objective. For example: In the late 1 980s Oldsmobile wanted to revitalize its brand and gear it to a younger audience. Thus marketers at General Motors launched a creative campaign around the tagline, â€Å"Not your fathers Oldsmobile,† highlighting the cars improved styling and new features. But for many younger consumers, this was too much of a stretch for the brand. The product modifications did not go far enough to meet the needs and expectations of the new customer set they were targeting. As a result, Oldsmobile recognized the need to shift its campaign. Eventually, GM closed its Oldsmobile division. More recently, United Airlines Rising campaign attempted to position the brand as the most passenger-centric airline, with a clear understanding of customer problems and the solutions needed to fix them. The campaign had the effect of raising expectations, which were quickly deflated, however, by the brands inability to deliver against the promises made as part of its bold new positioning platform. Consequently, United was forced to change its central brand message — no longer emphasizing Rising. Many high-tech businesses have recently repositioned themselves as e-business brands. However little effort was made by these brands to clearly differentiate themselves from one another despite the millions of dollars spent on elaborate marketing programs. The net effect, according to their research, has been to sow confusion in the minds of customers, rather than to forge strong brand identities. These examples — and most marketers can cite many others — underscore the imperative to pursue a brand positioning that is eminently achievable, not just attractive. Based on our experience, three steps can help ensure that they make this distinction: 1) ensuring relevance to a customers frame of reference; 2) securing the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning; and 3) making sure that the brand delivers on its promise. Be Relevant to the Customers Frame of Reference: When repositioning a brand, its essential for marketers to capture not just the emotional and physical needs of the customer but the dynamics of the situation in which those needs occur. We refer to this as the customers â€Å"frame of reference.† For example, while isotonic beverages like Gatorade and Powerade are thirst-quenching drinks, consumers tend to think of them in the broader context of sports, exercise, and physical activity. Importantly, the frame of reference sets the parameters for customers consideration set — the brands they will choose from. Indeed, most customers have a very specific definition of what the brand is and what it can be relative to their frame of reference. Repositioning a brand too far from this frame of reference creates customer confusion that makes a positioning unsuccessful. Attempting to brand Gatorade, for example, within a social, lighthearted context would probably be stretching the brand too far from the current sports/physical activity frame of reference. Similarly, a communications company known for data services for business customers would likely be positioning the brand too far outside of the customers frame of reference if it suddenly tried to launch a â€Å"friends-and-family† calling plan. Being fully aware of the frame of reference for a brand can help ensure that its repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. But the frame of reference is usually a combination of both customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used. As a result, we typically find the most powerful customer insights and segmentation come from looking at a combination of these factors In some categories, customers broader attitudes are the dominant factor. How customers think about pet-related brands, for example, can be seen in the context of how they treat their own pets — whether they view them as family members, best friends/companions, or in a less personal way. If customers view pets as family members, the optimal message for the brand will appeal to such human qualities as nurturing and pampering. This â€Å"family member† orientation or frame of reference may help support a brand extension to a full range of pet services, such as grooming and accessories. Other customer needs are not as consistent, but better understood within the context of specific situations or sub-categories. In the field of airline travel, for example, the customers frame of reference may be a function of the type of trip they are taking. The customer who is used to traveling within the U.S. in cramped coach-class conditions, for example, will have a much different set of needs and expectations than the traveler who is used to flying to international destinations with all the comforts of first-class service. As a result, in most instances the frame of reference is built upon a combination of both of the above attitudinal and situational forces. For example, while consumers may generally have a health-conscious attitude about the foods they eat, on certain â€Å"special† occasions they may allow themselves to become more indulgent, creating what we call a â€Å"need state.† A strong brand identity can also help marketers secure the desired permission from consumers. Because Victorias Secret owns or is associated with the notion of intimate moments, for example, it would be easier for that brand to get permission to introduce a new line of lingerie or perfume with a sensual connotation than it would be to launch a line of jeans or handbags. In repositioning, marketers must embrace the idea that they are brand â€Å"stewards,† while customers define their relationship with the brand and determine the basis for the relationship. A steward must spend more time deeply understanding what customers really think about the brand and where potential â€Å"bridges† to growth and new branding exist. For example, Smuckers could leverage the â€Å"wholesome goodness† their loyal customers attribute to them instead of solely focusing on themselves as fruit processors. Marketers should not attempt to cover the waterfront here, but instead focus on the relevant interrelated â€Å"hot buttons† that will clearly convey the message. For example, in the case of a technology brand positioning itself as â€Å"humanizing technology for everyday people,† the strongest set of pathways to the positioning came from product signals such as customized hardware and specific application platforms (e.g., games, household management) rather than from equipment with the latest features and innovative design. The pathway modeling also indicated the strong signal value of the brands customer service representatives having an understanding of an individual customers needs. This important service signal led to the broader customer perception of the brand as caring — an important personality signal for the brand to deliver on its positioning. Additionally, the marketer learned that having technicians follow through with customers to issue resolution w as a critical service signal that led to the broader personality signal of the brand being professional — another key for the brand to live up to its positioning. With these insights, the marketer could allocate resources accordingly, ensuring that the more important signals were being appropriately supported. Develop necessary product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals to the customer. For example, if the brand positioning is built around superior customer satisfaction, but frontline sales people are measured on revenue rather than satisfaction, it is unlikely that consistent performance will be achieved. So, if airline gate agents are the first and most important contact point for customers, they should be empowered to solve customers issues instead of redirecting them to customer service personnel. In the technology brand example, given the importance of the customer service representatives and service technicians, there should be a greater emphasis on the quality of the service delivered rather than on the number of customers that can be serviced over a given time period. Make sure approaches are in place to track and assess your performance against these customer signals prior to the formal launching of the new positioning. Applying rigorous quality assurance procedures to key elements of the new brand experience will often ensure that customers are not disappointed, or fail to have their expectations met. Current data-collection methods allow for rapid response and can be leveraged to determine whether the launch programs are having their desired effect on brand perceptions. Due to the complexities of brand positioning, many marketers are correctly choosing to move to an â€Å"interim positioning.† This interim positioning is designed to establish brand credibility and performance on the road to fully achieving the longer-term aspirational positioning. Such a positioning focuses on those aspects of the brand on which the organization is currently able to deliver. Interim positioning is often essential when a brand stakes out new territory considered â€Å"up market,† addresses an important or longstanding deficiency, or is attempting to redefine its competitive set. As the brand evolves (based on customers changing perceptions), additional components of the new platform can be put into place and confidently communicated to consumers. Target Stores successfully employed an interim positioning as it evolved the brand up market from a position as a discount retailer of national brands to a contemporary â€Å"urban chic† retail brand pro viding good value. The interim positioning emphasized value without sacrificing style and involved specific merchandising efforts such as stylized color blocking and associations with name designers (e.g., Frank Gehry). As the brand evolved to its current positioning, it further emphasized the â€Å"designer† theme in its advertising, often having models wearing various house wares as high fashion. By focusing on achievable instead of aspirational brand positioning, companies can help ensure meaningful market share results while enhancing their brand image. This requires, however that the new brand position fits comfortably within the customers frame of reference, and that it not attempt to overreach. Marketers must also secure the customers permission to extend the brand by building a bridge of relevant benefits to carry customers from the current to the intended brand position. Implementing the performance delivery systems to ensure the brand is able to live up to its new promise is the final critical step in building and executing a successful brand positioning program. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Branding: Definition and benefits Literature gives several definitions of the term brand. The common themes are that a brand is more than just a combination of a name, a design, a symbol or other features that differentiate a good or a service from others. It is a unique set of tangible and intangible added values that are perceived and valued by the customer. In addition a brand is said to have personality, an emotional bond to the customer that grows out of the perceived characteristics. These certain features of a brand grow out of a complex set of added values that can comprise of history and tradition, additional services, marketing messages, quality, popularity of the product amongst a certain group of users (status) and others. These basiss of a brand perception prove that a strong brand can not be established over night The development of a brand takes time, strong financial marketing muscle and good marketing skills such as Insight into customer needs, Ability to offer products or services that meet those needs, Creativity to produce exiting and compelling advertising, Ability to communicate differentiation in a way that customers understand and that motivates them. Without this process they do not have a brand but only a name and a sign for a product. Brands have benefits for both, the brand owners as sellers and the customers: Benefits of a brand for Sellers Customers Identifies the companies products, makes repeat purchases easier Facilitates promotion efforts Fosters brand loyalty stabilises market share Allows to charge premium prices and thus to get better margins Allows to extend the brand to new products, new markets and to new geographic areas Can communicate directly with the customer, reach over the shoulder of the retailer More leverage with middlemen Is more resistant to price competition Can have a long life Is more forgiving of mistakes Helps identify products Helps evaluate the quality of a product Helps to reduce perceived risk in buying, provides assurance of quality, reliability etc. Is dependable (consistent in quality) May offer psychological reward (status symbol) â€Å"rout map† through a range of alternatives Saves customer time Is easier to process mentally With this potential a brand can offer an important competitive advantage for a seller who has decided for a differentiation strategy. Even in markets with many similar products or services a brand can provide some sort of uniqueness to a certain product. Depending from the strength of a brand the branded product thus can be positioned towards a more monopolistic situation. With all these characteristics a brand is important in an organisations marketing mix. Although it is basically a certain feature of the category â€Å"product†, it influences every component of the marketing mix: The product gets a higher value in the perception of the customers. This influences the pricing policy in the way that often a premium can be charged. The promotional strategy and mix will be different because it is more focused on the brand than on the individual product. For instance the introduction of a new product under a well established umbrella brand requires a very different promotion campaign than the introduction of a new brand or an unbranded product. The decision for the place and the marketing channel is influenced because a branded product with a higher perceived value might be placed in an environment that is well related to the brands personality, e.g. gourmet shop vs. food department in a supermarket. 2.2 Branding strategies: Besides the more general decision for the use of brands the decision for the branding strategies is important. There are several aspects to be considered: Ownership of brands Structure of brand systems Regarding the ownership, Dibb (1997) and Kotler (1999) differentiate between five categories: These decisions need to be taken carefully. They offer not only large opportunities but also various risks: A company which has strong manufacturer brands may decide to sell the same or similar products to retailers for use as their own label brands. If consumers become aware of this they might change their perception of the manufacturer brand: â€Å"They get the same product for a lower price under my retailers brand.† or â€Å"They sell the same thing under another name very cheap. This product is not exclusive anymore. I go for another brand then.† Extensive permissions for the licensed use of a strong brand for other products can destroy the value of the brand. Pierre Cardin has lost lots of its luxury appeal since various goods with this name can be found in every department store. The structure of brand systems describes how an organisations products and brands are related. Dibb (1997) distinguishes between: 2.3 Branding for service industries: 2.3.1 Reason for branding services: Although the principles for branding of goods and services are generally the same there occur some differences. These arise from the different natures of both categories. The main differences that influence branding policies are that services Have a changing level of quality, The consumer has to become involved in the consumption of a service actively, They are intangible and not storable. When a brand in general gives the consumer more confidence in his choice this is even more important for services. Their quality and other features are more difficult to asses. Because of their intangibility and complexity it is harder for the customer to distinguish between the offers from the wide range of service companies are working in the market place. This especially applies to the market of accounting, auditing and consulting where consolidation and globalisation increase competition. In an FT-article about branding accounting services (Kelly 1998) a branding expert states that â€Å"more than 70 % of the Fortune 500 companies said branding is increasingly important in helping them to choose where to get a service. They want to be able to tell who is good at what.† 2.3.2 Drivers for the use of branding in the accounting/consulting industry with a focus on the Big Five (former Big Six) firms: The Big Five accounting firms have a long history up to 75 to 100 years. These firms have developed from smaller entities through co-operations and mergers. Often new products and new markets have been developed by â€Å"buying in†, by buying the expertise and the access in the form of other firms. For many small and medium accounting and auditing firms it is attractive to join the association (in most cases) of one of the large players for the following reasons: The form of an association with independent member firms allows to retain a level of individuality although in some cases this is not long-lasting. The membership in an large powerful firm gives a competitive advantage (reputation, access to knowledge, access to new markets, higher market share, cost savings through sharing resources, e.g. for training and recruitment etc.). Partners of these smaller firms are often offered to become partners in the large firm. For a long time the industry did not put much effort in the development of brands. The tradition and long lasting reputation of the Big Five itself gave their names a considerable brand value. For quite a long time this was fairly enough for their purposes. In Kellys (1998) article a professional firms branding expert states that for many years the accountancy firms hid behind the â€Å"convenient parapet† of the Big Six brand label. In the audit market most shareholders were happy to have any audit firm as long as it was from the Big Six.Other factors were legal limitations for advertising. Accounting firms were first allowed to advertise in 1984. That means that marketing and communications focused mainly on activities like excellent work and the power of word of mouth, job advertisements (as the only allowed advertisements they were used as a means to present the company), speaking at conferences, publishing articles in professional journals, co-operating with universities and business schools and so on. Accounting firms saw themselves as a conservative i ndustry with discretion as one of their services. In their minds this didnt go together with an aggressive marketing campaign.In the last years the industry has seen some developments that required new strategies: Globalisation: A global client needs a global auditor because companies are legally required to prepare consolidated financial statements including all subsidies around the world. This is much easier if you have all subsidies audited by the same firm. In addition global clients have a high need for specialised consulting. They often prefer a consultant that is as global as they are to get more expertise and consistency. Stagnation in the core business: The traditional auditing business does not show high growth rates. An individual firms growth can mainly be achieved at the expense of competitors. Growth in consulting services: On the contrary to the auditing business there is an enormous growth for consulting services. The accounting firms have traditionally done some consulting and now they developed these activities aggressively. This had two results: A growing variety of services offered these new products had to be communicated to existing and potential clients Accounting firms came into direct competition with the traditional consulting firms which had their own brands and reputation Need for qualified people: With the development of new products/services all firms needed much more highly qualified people. Recruitment became an important issue. (For example: The German member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers took on about 1000 new employees in 1998, the first year after the merger.) This led to a competition to attract the best university students. All these factors together increased competition amongst the Big Five. For this industry excellent quality is not a means to get a competitive advantage, it is an important requirement for any success at all. A large variety of services is important; but the customer will perceive it only in the moment he needs a certain service. In this situation the Big Five did not manage to differentiate themselves successfully from competition. A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers during the merger process revealed that â€Å"the business community and the general public did not and do not perceive any compelling differences between and among either the Big Six or the Big Five. Not only did all firms appear to have similar defining qualities, they were also not sending any consistent messages about their organisations to external audiences.†Here a strong brand with a personality and a clear message can be a valuable means for differentiation and thus for gaining a competitive advantage. By now we can say that the Big Five have become aware of this. Now they invest heavily to reposition themselves and to develop their good names to real power brands. 2.4 Benefits of branding: Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Heres why the effort to brand their company or their self pays off.  · Memorability: A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will. Its hard for customers to go back to that whats its name store or to refer business to the plumber from the Yellow Pages. In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies they will want to do repeat business with: refrigerator magnets, tote bags, date books, coasters, key rings, first aid kits, etc. Memorability can come from using and sticking with an unusual color combination (FedExs purple and orange), distinctive behavior (the gas station whose attendants literally run to clean your windshield), or with an individual, even a style of clothing (Author Tom Wolfes white suits). Develop their own identifiers and nail them to their company name in the minds of their public.  · Loyalty: When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, theyre more likely to buy that product or service again than competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitors price cut. The brand identity helps to create and to anchor such loyalty. Consider the legions of car owners who travel up to 2,000 miles at their own expense to attend a Saturn celebration at the companys plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Thats loyalty. And supposedly, more people have the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson tattooed on their body than any other brand name. Thats out-of-this-world loyalty.  · Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered their company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend them even when they have no personal knowledge of their products or services. Seeing their ads on local buses, having their pen on their desk, reading about them in the Hometown News, they spread the word for them when a friend or colleague asks if they know a ____ and thats what they do.  · Premium image, premium price: Branding can lift what they sell out of the realm of a commodity, so that instead of dealing with price-shoppers they have buyers eager to pay more for their goods than for those of competitors. Think of some peoples willingness to buy the currently in brand of bottled water, versus toting along an unlabeled bottle of the same stuff filled from the office water cooler.The distinctive value inherent in a brand can even lead people to dismiss evidence they would normally use to make buying decisions. I once saw one middle-aged Cambridge, Massachusetts, intellectual argue to several colleagues that Dunkin Donuts coffee tastes better than Starbucks. So contradictory was this claim to the two companies reputations for this demographic group that the colleagues refused to put the matter to a taste test.  · Extensions: With a well-established brand, they can spread the respect they will earn to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer. For instance, when a winery with a good reputation starts up regional winery tours, and then adds foreign ones, each business introduction benefits from the positive perceptions already in place.  · Greater company equity: Making their company into a brand usually means that they can get more money for the company when they decide to sell it. A Coca-Cola executive once said that if all the companys facilities and inventory vanished all around the world, he could walk into any bank and take out a loan based only on the right to the Coca-Cola name and formula.  · Lower marketing expenses: Although they must invest money to create a brand, once its created they can maintain it without having to tell the whole story about the brand every time they market it. For instance, a jingle people in their area have heard a zillion times continues to promote the company when its played without any words.  · For consumers, less risk: When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, Theyll never be fired for buying IBM. By building a brand, they fatten their bottom line. 2.5 Brand structures for services industries: As for services, literature suggests to use the companies name a so called corporate brand as the overall family brand for all the services offered. Murphy (1990) calls this the â€Å"monolithic approach†. He argues that especially for companies which offer an enormous array of services (e.g. consultants, banks) corporate names must be used to deliver more generalised benefits of quality, value and integrity. de Chernatony (1996) comes to the conclusion that corporate brands are a crucial means to help make the service offering more tangible in consumers minds and can enhance consumers perceptions and trust in the range of services provided by the company. One disadvantage of corporate brands little opportunity for developing second or sub-brands for differentiated product lines- applies more to branded products. However Murphy (1990) states that many companies have chosen an approach of â€Å"local autonomy but group-wide coherence† as a system whereby individual divisions and products are largely free-standing but mention is made in all literature and on all stationery and products that â€Å"company A is member of the XYZ group†. This approach is very common amongst the Big Five accounting and auditing firms. It allows their national member firms, to exploit the groups brand name and their own (brand) name at the same time. Many member firms that had joined the global firms have lon