When The Legends Die Essays - English-language Films,

When The Legends Die When The Legends Die Novel/Movie Contrast Joe McNew June 8, 2000 The book, When the Legends Die, was pretty good. Then some idiot had to go and make a movie out of it. In contrasting the two, I found alot more differences than similarities. The first similarity came when Blue Elk came and took Thomas Black Bull to the reservation. Tom had trouble with the kids as in the book. Brother Bear was chained up and eventually Tom took him back to the woods and left him just as Tom did in part I of the book. Of course, Red Dillion was a jerk in both the movie and the book, although the book illustrated a better image in the readers mind. There were quite a few things the two had in common but the differences outnumber the similarities. I am not going to attempt to represent every difference but I wil give a few examples. For instance, we first see Tom, or any characters for that matter, after George and his mom dies. The movie represents Tom as older, during his rodeo days. In the book, during Red and Toms 2 fight, he only knocks him down but in the movie he beats him up really bad. He goes home with the nurse but in the book he does nothing of that sort. So far he hasnt gone for the bear yet but were not finished yet. The book had alot going for it and I thought that it was much better than the movie. The movie was a horrible experience and is probably the only time I wished my teacher wouldnt have shown it. Usually, I like the movie better than the book but this was the exception. Whoever made this movie should be charged with murder (of the book). The movie missed alot of the key points. The movie was interesting and did illustrate some things better than the book. It did an excellent job of show Toms transitiion from rags to riches. In addition, the movie moved alittle faster which made it more exciting. I believe that it did a better job when Tom actually ditched Red and got into the big tournament. Both had their strong points. The book was better...way better. This is a good example of why a movie shouldnt be made from a book or at least a person may want to consider skipping the movie if they really liked the book. Although, the movie was better in some areas overall I would definitely recommend the book over the movie. In conclusion, movie = F book = A.

Free Essays on Michealangelo Vinci

Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo’s poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo’s sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it’s many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo’s main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sen se of what the tomb was to look like, since over the years it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope’s tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists of four large triangles at the corner; a series of eight triangular spaces on the outer border; an intermediate series of figures; ... Free Essays on Michealangelo Vinci Free Essays on Michealangelo Vinci Michelangelo was pessimistic in his poetry and an optimist in his artwork. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo’s poetry was pessimistic in his response to Strazzi even though he was complementing him. Michelangelo’s sculpture brought out his optimism. Michelangelo was optimistic in completing The Tomb of Pope Julius II and persevered through it’s many revisions trying to complete his vision. Sculpture was Michelangelo’s main goal and the love of his life. Since his art portrayed both optimism and pessimism, Michelangelo was in touch with his positive and negative sides, showing that he had a great and stable personality. Michelangelo’s artwork consisted of paintings and sculptures that showed humanity in it’s natural state. Michelangelo Buonarroti was called to Rome in 1505 by Pope Julius II to create for him a monumental tomb. We have no clear sen se of what the tomb was to look like, since over the years it went through at least five conceptual revisions. The tomb was to have three levels; the bottom level was to have sculpted figures representing Victory and bond slaves. The second level was to have statues of Moses and Saint Paul as well as symbolic figures of the active and contemplative life- representative of the human striving for, and reception of, knowledge. The third level, it is assumed, was to have an effigy of the deceased pope. The tomb of Pope Julius II was never finished. What was finished of the tomb represents a twenty-year span of frustrating delays and revised schemes. Michelangelo had hardly begun work on the pope’s tomb when Julius commanded him to fresco the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to complete the work done in the previous century under Sixtus IV. The overall organization consists of four large triangles at the corner; a series of eight triangular spaces on the outer border; an intermediate series of figures; ...

Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (2002) Should be repeale Research Paper

Born-Alive Infants Protection Act (2002) Should be repeale - Research Paper Example However, because of its definitive character, the BIAPA also has a sweeping effect on U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade, which legalizes abortion. For the proponents of abortion rights, the BIAPA has reduced the legal bounds of abortion. For them and some medical practitioners, there are certain â€Å"situations involving human life (that) sometimes involve complex ethical challenges.† (Religious Tolerance) It is in this respect that the pro-choice camp as well as the advocates of reproductive health rights has raised anew calls for the repeal of the BIAPA. For many years, after the U.S. Supreme Court made a final and executory decision on Roe v. Wade, abortion has been considered legal in the country. The decision is not to be taken as a mere rule that declares abortion as legal. It must be understood in the context that it grants recognition for the rights of women to determine what is best for their reproductive health. It has enshrined such rights alongside the basic freedoms stated in the Constitution. The decision also strengthened the growing international movement for the women’s right to determine their own lives, free from the gender-biased secular and religious regulations. In this regard, Roe vs. Wade is one progressive legal step that makes the U.S. more advanced in terms of providing liberty and respecting the rights of its citizens, especially women, an example that the rest of the modern world can learn from and emulate. However, the BIAPA is not only an obstacle to the advancement of the rights on reproductive h ealth and self-determination. It is actually step backwards to the era prior to Roe v. Wade. While the BIAPA was still a house bill called H.R. 4292, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) vehemently opposed it. According to them the bill attacks the very essence of Roe v. Wade. The definition of legal personhood as pointed out in the H.R. 4292, extends to premature infants who

Inside Obama's Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Inside Obama's Presidency - Essay Example The second challenge was the huge bonuses awarded as compensation to the banks; .the public was angry. When Obama met with the top banks C.E.O’s, most people expected that he would take on a hard approach against them, but this was not the case to the dismay of many. The banks seemed to have gotten it all on silver Plata. Another challenge was the reforms on the health care. Again he tried to take a bipartisan approach, but there came the problem; dealing with the congress that often slows down processes. The republicans were on his case: they did not vote for the motion. When faced with the issue of terrorism and handling Osama Bin Laden, he had to make the verdict to send U.S troops to Iraq. Leon Panetta, the CIA director, had information that Osama lived in a compound in Pakistan. The American troops went for the raid, and that reported that Osama had been killed. Another obstacle came which Obama had not foreseen. During the mid-term elections, his party lost to the republicans. Most of his supporters had been ousted, and he now had to take another approach to get things done. To take care of the debt crisis, he met John Boehner, who let him down when he needed him the most. To Obama it seemed that he had total confidence in his governance. He was so sure that his bipartisan approach would work. But if we would gauge his performance on this, I’d say that he was not successful. In all instances, he had to look for a second option. For example, looking at the stimulus bill, it passed without the votes from the republicans. Clearly, his promise to offer bipartisan solutions did not see the light of day. This was not because he was not willing to do so, but because the republicans were not ready to cooperate. From the first term’s performance, Obama tried too much to change how things worked: he had too many expectations that there wouldn’t be politics. He ought to have taken it as it is. In politics, everybody tries to be better

Intro to MacroEcon - College level - 13 questions total - some Essay

Intro to MacroEcon - College level - 13 questions total - some one-paragraph answers and some graphs - Essay Example Also the employment rate does not appear to have crossed the NAIRU level as the November CPI indicated an increase of only 0.1%. B) As employment increases there are more wage earners. An increase in the amount of people with money to buy goods and services increases aggregate demand and pushes up prices. The US is currently in recovery as the GDP is and has been positive while the economy is beginning to create jobs in sufficient quantity to begin decreasing the unemployment rate. C) 2) A) [(108,000-100,000)/100,000]*(160/168)=7.62% per year B) The CPI is more appropriate in this case because it is calculated using changes in the prices of products used by consumers. The GDP Deflator is calculated using the inflation rate for the entire economy. The CPI will therefore give a more accurate comparison of Jean’s purchasing power as a consumer. 3)A) The starting nominal return on the bonds can be calculated by adding the nominal market inflation expectation and the real yield req uired. The starting nominal rate is therefore 3%. If inflation expectations increase to 3.5% it causes bond demand to decrease and bond supply to increase. This lowers the price of bonds and therefore pushes interest rates up. The nominal rate would then be 4.5%. An increase in the expected real rate of return to 1.5% would lower demand for bonds and shift the demand curve. This shift increases interest rates to a nominal return of 5%. B) 4) A) Year Real GDP Growth rate of RGDP in % Unemployment Rate % Change in U rate in % CPI Indices Inflation rate in % 2004 12,263.8 - 5.5 - 188.9 - 2005 12,638.4 3.05% 5.1 -7.27% 195.3 3.39% 2006 12,976.2 2.67% 4.6 -9.80% 201.6 3.23% 2007 13,228.9 1.95% 4.6 0.00% 207.342 2.85% 2008 13,228.8 0.00% 5.8 26.09% 215.303 3.84% 2009 12,880.6 -2.63% 9.3 60.34% 214.537 -0.36% b) Historically as RGDP has been above 2% there has been growth in employment. When RGDP growth fell below 2% unemployment began to rise. As unemployment rose inflation decreased even reaching a short period of deflation. The leading indicator is RGDP followed by unemployment finally followed by the CPI. There has been growth in RGDP. This growth has lead to moderate decreases in the unemployment rate. The lagging nature of the CPI is confirmed by current data growing as RGDP and employment both increase. If RGDP continues to grow then the unemployment rate will continue to decrease and the CPI will continue to increase. If for some reason RGDP growth should slow or turn negative then unemployment will increase and CPI will decrease. 5) P1=$145 P2=$40 P3=$90 The higher the price of oil the more expensive inputs that require any type of energy become. Thus the higher the price of oil the less firms can supply at any given price level. This effect aggregates into the overall economy decreasing output while increasing price level. The decrease in the price of oil caused output to increase and the price level to fall. As oil prices increase again they will act as a headwind to the economic recovery, pushing output lower and price up for oil dependant resources. A decline in the price of oil may not have a positive effect upon equity markets because it will not have an effect upon the amount of products that consumers are demanding. Although inputs may fall, the demand curve is not shifted. 6) Infrastructure projects would have more simulative effect than tax rebates because of a larger

Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay

Requirements Of Managers In Contemporary Business Practices Management Essay Topic: Imagine there is a proposed merger between a Chinese company and a South-African company. You are appointed to lead a team consisting of managers from both countries to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger. Applying the work of Hofstede and Trompenaars, how close would the cultural fit be; and how might you seek to improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers? Introduction In todays business environment, possessing management skills alone is no longer sufficient to be successful. Contemporary business practices require that managers have knowledge and experience regarding the differences between management and leading as well, and how both activities must be integrated for business success. With the importance of International Business environment is raising, understanding the host countrys culture can give managers a competitive advantage. The objective of this assignment is to examine any cultural problems linked to the proposed merger between Chinese Company and a South-African Company, by using Hofstedes dimensions of National culture, and then explore solutions which can improve cultural understanding between the two groups of managers. This assignment mainly has two parts; the first part will give out the cultural problems from two companys side; and the second part is going to find the solutions for the issues. Part One-Cultural Problems China -South Africa team-work As we may realize that the globalization of the world economy, on one hand, has created tremendous opportunities for global collaboration among different countries; on the other hand, however, it has also created a unique set of problems and issues relating to the effective management of partnerships with different cultures. With the increasing importance of the China market in the world economy, many businessmen rushed to enter China to explore business opportunities. Predominantly motivated by the quest for material inputs (oil and other primary commodities) required for its infrastructural investments and booming manufacturing sector, Chinese presence in Africa is rapidly growing (Song Li, 2004). The rapid growth and significance of enhanced Chinese participation in Africa has important implications while talking about cultural aspects. Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions on China and South Africa By applying Geert Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions, the culture difference between China and South-Africa has been displayed in the below charts. Five factors have been discussed on Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions (Hofstede, 1997) Power Distance Index (PDI) that is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Individualism (IDV), on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. Masculinity (MAS), versus its opposite, femininity, refers to the distribution of roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) which deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to mans search for Truth. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) which versus short-term orientation. According to Hofstedes Value Dimensions on China (See below chart), it can be concluded that China has a comparatively high long-term orientation. This has a historical relationship with its economy. Commonly, most of Asian countries are belonging to the less developed / developing countries. Suffering bad times taught many Chinese people to think and act on a long-term basis. Prior to Chinas economic reform, the government ruled all strategies, supplies, and financial allocations. Leaders, under the contemporary definition, did not exist, because all organizations had to do was to make sure that the allocated quotas were fulfilled, and that the people assigned to them were cared for. The notion of leaders was fulfilled entirely by Confucian values, aligning allegiance to CEOs with allegiance to the government. However, in 1978, managers of state-owned companies were now responsible for corporate operations and profit-making. Example 1- China Source: Cultural Dimensions on China, 2009 Now looking at the figures of South Africa cultural dimensions, it is easy to find that the South Africa has a comparable high IDV and MAS, and its PDI and UAI are a little bit low. It means that people are tending to work individually and certain of social hierarchy exist which has much relation with its history. Example 2- South Africa Source: Cultural Dimensions on South Africa, 2009 Analysis on different cultural dimensions To clarify the differences between China and Africa, the student will focus on Hofstedes five cultural dimensions: power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance and long-term/short-term orientation also called Confucian Dynamism(Hofstede, 1997). China and Africa differ greatly with regard to their economic systems, political systems, social values, and laws, despite the substantial changes that have occurred in China during recent years(McCoy, 2005). Some differences can be found according to Hofstede studies on culture differences. Power Distance China is centralized (though it has shown some tendency toward decentralized power) while Africa is relatively decentralized. In high power distance cultures, authority is inherent in ones position within a hierarchy. There are strong dependency relationships between parents and children, bosses and subordinates and a significant social distance between superior and subordinate. In low power distance or power tolerance cultures, individuals assess authority in view of its perceived rightness. Individualism The student notices in both cases that contrary to western countries which have a strong individualism, China and Africa have a strong collectivism. Individualism-collectivism refers to the relative importance of the interests of the individual versus the interests of the group. In collectivistic societies, the interests of the group take precedence over individual interests. People see themselves as part of in-groups and the in-groups look after them in exchange for their loyalty. In individualistic cultures, the interest of the individual takes precedence over the groups interest. Masculinity Africa has higher value than China in masculinity, which indicates that Africa is medium masculinity while China is medium femininity. Masculinity-femininity or goal orientation pertains to the extent to which traditional male orientations of ambition and achievement are emphasized over traditional female orientations of nurturance and interpersonal harmony (Song Li, 2004). Cultures differ on what motivates people to achieve different goals. Cultures of the aggressive goal behaviour type (masculinity) value material possessions, money, and assertiveness whereas cultures of the passive goal behaviour type (femininity) value social relevance, quality of life and welfare of others. Uncertainty Avoidance China and Africa have higher values for uncertainty avoidance the West. This shows that in both sides, people are relatively risk-avoiding while western people are relatively risk-taking. Uncertainty avoidance captures the degree to which individuals in a culture feel threatened by ambiguous, uncertain, or new situations. Cultures are characterized as either high or low on uncertainty avoidance. Whereas low uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer positive response to change and new opportunities, high uncertainty avoidance cultures prefer structure and consistent routine. Long/Short-term Orientation Africa has a short-term orientation while China has a long-term orientation. Also called Confucian dynamism, this last dimension assesses a societys capacity for patience and delayed gratification. Long-term oriented cultures (China and Hong Kong) tend to save more money and exhibit more patience in reaping the results of their actions. Short-term oriented cultures (African countries) want to maximize the present rewards and are relatively less prone to saving or anticipating long term rewards. It has been widely accepted that cultural differences greatly affect human thinking and behaviour and thus business organizations in which people interact on the basis of shared values. Management is embedded in a wider societal setting, and is heavily influenced by local historical and cultural norms (DiMaggio and Powell, 2003). The significant differences between Africa and China seem to affect some aspects of their business management practice. Part two-Solutions Cultural Differences in business Strategies Because entrepreneurs mature within a societal context, their attitudes toward cooperation are likely to be influenced by the underlying values of their society (Weaver, 2000). As discussed above, Africa and China have a strong collectivism. People depend more on groups or institutions to determine what they should do and emphasize loyalty to the group. They are more likely to cooperate with others to avoid risks and reduce responsibilities. However due to the medium masculinity, Africans sometimes are reluctant to cooperate because their masculine culture view cooperation in general as a sign of weakness and place a high value on independence and control. In the process of cooperation, Chinese tend to pay more attention to relationships. The student has to mention the term Guanxi which in English means relation or connection is at the centre of businesses in China. In Weavers studies (2000), the student found that entrepreneurs from societies that are masculine and individualistic h ave a lower appreciation for cooperative strategies as compared to entrepreneurs from societies that are feminine and collectivist in nature. Cultural Differences in Conflict Management In order to solve conflicts, Chinese and Africans have different ways. For Chinese where harmony and personal relationship are very important, they dont like open conflict; therefore they use indirect ways to work out problems. Anytime there is conflict, they use the authority to end up with it or settle things in private. Negotiation and compromise are determinant for them in this case. Contrary to them, Africans managers like Europeans or Americans, will directly confront problems and bring them out in the open (Richmond and Gestrin, 2008). To resolve problems, everybody is involved in order to bring rational arguments and ideas to suggest solutions. We can notice that Chinese avoid this method because for them that will create disagreement which is very undesirable. African managers are reluctant to devote their time and efforts together in solving business conflicts. Other peoples help is needed. In contrast, according to Bond (2001), the strong collective orientation and uncerta inty avoidance values in China encourage Chinese managers to use indirect forms of influence that involve the assistance of a third party. Indirect forms are used by Chinese managers to deal with a difficult or controversial request. In this way, they avoid losing face or damaging guanxi. Cultural Differences in Decision-making Risk-taking/Risk-avoiding Chinese and African managers differ from in the attitudes toward risks when they make decisions for their different values in uncertainty avoidance. Chinese managers with a high uncertainty-avoidance have a lack adventurous spirit and the sense of risks. Immediate decisions which make them lose the opportunity to compete in a market are avoided in the case they feel the circumstance is uncertain. Most of the time, they want to be safe by taking less risky decisions. For African managers, it is almost the same. Middle and lower level supervisors are less willing to make decisions without deference to superiors. The result is that decision-making takes much longer than anticipated and requires more input from players at various social and professional levels. Uncertainty Avoidance measures for Africa indicate low risk taking and a resistance to change which can further delay projects which encounter problems mid-cycle. Levels of Participation in Decision-making The decision-making process involves making sense of ambiguity and taking risks (Jackson, 2003).The decision maker is working on the information available about what has already happened, what is assumed to have happened or is happening. The second aspect is future oriented (Brady, 2000). A risk is being taken because one is applying a perspective based on knowledge of the past, and projecting this to what might happen in the future if a certain course of action is followed. Chinese managers or African managers have different level of participation in decision- making. In China, decisions are participatory. Employees accept decisions handed down by their supervisors. Because of their unquestioning attitudes towards their supervisors, they resist participation in decision-making. In Africa, managers make individual decisions. They dont consult with others but can defer to their supervisors. They value personal equality. To summarize, the student can say that Chinese managers adopt the no participatory approach to decision-making. The decisions come from the higher superiors to the subordinates. However, since the reforms in China, things are changing. More and more, participatory decision-making is starting to be used in a certain number of companies. Cultural Differences in Work-group Characteristics The first difference about the work-group characteristics is the concept of brotherhood, network, family feeling which is at the heart of all Chinese interactions. In African business style which is quasi the western business style, managers focus on the deal, the possibilities, the risks and so on. There is less focus on the people they are doing business with. They may encourage their group members to learn from each other, to focus on task rather than on social and interpersonal relations, and to build the confidence required for superior performance. They make difference between personal relationship and work. In China, it is the opposite. Chinese managers may initially focus more effort on building social and interpersonal relations (Guanxi) before entering into business or contractual relationship. They would like to spend time developing and maintaining guanxi during the process of interaction and consider it as a prerequisite to do business. A good deal of time is spent exploring peoples characters. People want to know your background, your family situation, your likes and dislikes. A good deal of business is conducted in banqueting halls. Chinese believe a persons true character comes out during these moments. The only purpose during these meetings is to see a persons other side, the human side. If they are comfortable with you, and if they think they can trust you, that you can be invited to join the family, you and your business are made. Chinese managers are not interested in short term; they want long, life-long business relations. However, as the economy has become increasingly marketized, privatized and competitive, the value and effectiveness of the Guanxi system has greatly deteriorated. In industries that have been substantially deregulated or privatized, or where there is vigorous competition, business is business, and Guanxi has been neutralized or marginalized. Relationships or connections now resemble that which we find elsewhere. Cultural Differences in Motivation Systems In business contexts, the motivations of employees, partners, superiors, social associates, and members of a society spring from cultural values, or what people think is important. In order to understand how to do business with members of another culture, it is necessary to understand what motivates them, to know where to begin and what you need to cover all necessary bases. According to Aguinis (2002), employees can be rewarded according to their performance, equally, or based on their needs. In general, the equity principle is common in individualistic cultures while the equality principle is widely used in collectivistic cultures. Pay for performance and pay equity are the two main differences in motivation systems. From the 1950s until the 1980s, every aspect of Chinas economic activity was planned, controlled and operated by the government (Helen, D. 2008). There was no private ownership of any property or asset, and, consequently, no profit motive for individuals or enterprises. The government would allocate everyone a pre-defined slice of the big pie. If anyone wanted more than what was allocated to him/her, it meant circumventing that system and getting someone in that allocation chain to provide a special favour. People were obliged to sacrifice their individual interests for those of the society. Cooperation, interdependence, group goals that create group harmony are applied in China. The sense of belonging and devoting to the group are important for Chinese people. Focusing on the view that ones success is mainly based on group work; they believe that one cannot claim the reward just for oneself. Contrary to what some Chinese researchers argued on this part, the student can say while setting salaries Chinese managers will not pay more attention to the working experience and academic qualifications of employees. In that case, the equality principle is reflected in the motivation system. For African managers, individual achievement is important. They are expected to achieve success only by their individual efforts. Value competition, achievement and personal goals are their main motivations in order to have plans to recognize their individual contributions. Their success relies on their own efforts. Talents and work performance of the employees will be considered by their superiors for salary increases and promotion. Conclusion As a result, understanding other cultures is more important than ever. If we consider that people from the same economic, political, and cultural background have problems communicating effectively; we can appreciate the difficulties and challenges that people from diverse cultures face when trying to communicate. Misunderstandings will always be a part of cultural aspects. Companies need to think outside the proverbial box when formulating their business strategies and when collaborating and forming business partnerships. As sometimes companies move to do business in other countries, a greater sensitivity to culture will be required and an understanding of cultural realities should facilitate business transactions. Knowing another culture is a legitimate concern of businesses. More than that, it is essential. Those who make effort the effort to understand another culture gain knowledge about how to behave in that culture. Otherwise, if you know what people value and understand their attitudes, you wont unintentionally do something that offends and diminishes your chances for business success. In todays global businesses context, the winners are not those who study the markets they deal with even if its important but those who study people they deal with.

Pain, Depression and Loneliness in Holden Caufield from the novel Catcher in the Rye :: essays research papers fc

The overwhelming pain that Holden had suffered during the past was nonetheless an impact, which stained his future life. Some evidence that implies Holden’s characteristic is how he grudgingly criticizes and scorns at almost everyone he knows. After he leaves Pencey Prep School, he falls into a dilemma where he faces loneliness and depression. More so, he desperately seeks company from clubs, bars, and hotels to have someone to accompany him. The factors that affect this isolation of him are mostly because of the tragic death of his younger brother Allie and the life he has in school. He was an important person to Holden. He mentions how great and smart Allie was out of the entire family. When Stradlater told Holden to write an essay for him Holden decided that he wanted to write a paper about Allies baseball mitt, which had poems written on it and Holden still carries with him the mitt at school (38). The life he has in school is very miserable to him because he has already failed two other schools and it is happening to him again. He says that he did not mean to disappoint and hurt his parents’ feelings so he takes a few days out to Edmont Hotel (59).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tension between Holden’s growing sexuality and his innocence grows much stronger throughout this section. He wants to live in a beautiful world such as the adult society, but the pressure of his emerging sexuality and the demands of his loneliness oblige him to enter into unfortunate encounters with people like Maurice and Sunny. Maurice is what makes Holden see differently of what the true adult society is, a difficult and irrational world. He is deeply affected by this, which makes him isolated from the outside world.

The Mystery behind the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker

Perhaps the most impossible situation that a person could be into is be imprisoned in a haunted castle housed by weird people and be caught in a situation wherein there is no way out but maybe in the end, believing that you can will be a great help to strengthen your will to survive. Jonathan Harker’s experience in Count Dracula’s castle did not simply end it in escaping from the Count and from his wicked castle. Instead, it was the start of a much more serious talk about the society and about life.Despite being a horror novel, Dracula gave a clear view of a life that a person should have involving transformation, religious beliefs and even sexuality and its boundaries thus, the novel holds a clear issue of several aspects in life pointing in four major topics. The novel Dracula did not simply talked about the horror of being with the vampires but it showed a society in its near transformation, erasing every mark of innocence and purity.The novel Dracula did not support just any myth or legend but, it made a new way to discover and pin point critical issue happening in the society and the every normal day of a human being thus it leads us into analyzing the whole novel and figuring out what is the hidden message behind the horrific story. Thesis Statement: Bram Stoker’s Dracula did not just retell a story of people affected by Count Dracula, instead, he told a story of a changing society and the effects that it will give to the rest of the humanity.With Count Dracula in the story, Stoker told a story of transformation and a battle between the good and the evil. Literature Review: Bram Stoker: The Author of a legendary vampire story On the eight day of November 1847, Bram Stoker was born in Clontarf, Ireland (Miller, n. pag). Son of a civil servant and a charity worker, his mother, also a writer, he enjoyed every story she told her. He was a sickly boy although his childhood but an intelligent one (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ).In 1867, he graduated in Trinity College majoring in Mathematics and later on joined the Irish civil service. He also worked as a freelance journalist and wrote drama critics (Miller, n. pag. ). He became a good friend of Henry Irving and he managed the Lyceum Theatre owned by the English Actor until his death in 1906 (Encarta, n. pag. ). Aside from Dracula, Stoker’s first stories were children stories. His stories were not given much appreciation at that time but when he released the novel â€Å"Dracula† in 1897, It became the great hit as time goes by.Bram Stoker, Abraham Stoker (Encarta, n. pag) by birth died in 1912 (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). Dracula: Backgrounder Bram Stoker’s Dracula was not his first novel but it is his greatest literary achievement even if it was not a big hit on its first release (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). The continuous printing of the novel up to the present reveals its success to readers all around the world. Thus, the success of thi s novel showed that the people are really interested with horror stories. It marked the coming of the â€Å"horror† genre in the novels.Although it was focused in telling a horror story, Bram Stoker emphasized some points necessary in our lives thus giving the readers a hint of what it could be if something like in the story happens in real life. The novel was about Count Dracula, the king of the vampires and the group of young noble men who chases him and kills him in the end. It was a horror novel included in the gothic genre written in 1891 to 1897 in London England and was published by Constable in 1897 in an English language (Douthat and Hopson , n.pag. ).. The whole paper is mostly made up of journals written by the characters in the novel. From the first person perspective, the conversation shifts into several people with the tone of melodramatic, righteous and dark. Set in the nineteenth century Eastern Europe and England, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mina, Lucy, Jon athan, Quincey, Arthur, Val and John tried to stop the Evil Count Dracula from transforming people into vampires and killing more and more (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). Dracula: SummaryThe story of the novel â€Å"Dracula† started in a journal entry of Jonathan Harker in one of his business travels in Transylvania for a real state transaction with a person named Count Dracula. On his way to the Eastern European country, he decided to write down his travel in a journal and later share it to his girlfriend and fiancee named Mina. Although he as warned by the people and was even given protection such as crucifixes, he was determined to continue the transaction and did not pay too much attention with the warnings of the local peasants (Stoker, 1-26).When he reached Count Dracula’s castle, his suspicions disappeared when he was welcomed by a man but during his stay in the castle, he was frightened by some circumstances which drew him investigating. When he determined tha t he was already a prisoner in the castle by no other than Count Dracula, he attempted to escape but all he found were locked doors all over the castle (Stoker, 29-51). In his sleep, he removed the crucifix given to him and was somehow â€Å"Attacked† by three voluptuous and seductive women who were also vampires like Count Dracula.Before they were able to have him, Count Dracula came and saved him (Stoker, 68-73). On the other hand, his fiancee was having a continuous exchange of letters with her friend named Lucy who was talking about her marriage proposals from three men named John Seward, a doctor, Arthur Holmwood, a noble man and the one she choose to marry and lastly was from Quincey Morris (Stoker, 98-109). The whole adventure started when Mina visited Lucy in Whitby and was saddened by the fact that her fiancee haven’t arrived yet. In her stay with Lucy, she found out that she was sleep walking mostly at night.To help her, she talked to Dr. Seward and they trie d to help Lucy but in hopelessness, Dr. Seward asked for the help of his mentor Van Helsing who also tried his best to revive Lucy (Stoker, 113-170). Jonathan who already reunited with his fiancee after having brain fever asked Mina to hide his journal and open only if it is needed. Upon knowing the situation of her friend through Steward, she gave him the journal and Jonathan started a new one after knowing that something like his experienced happened to Lucy. In hopelessness, the older doctor tried to save Lucy through Garlic powers.The latter mixed tradition, belief and modern science to save Lucy but in the end, she died and belong to the â€Å"Un-dead† (Stoker, n. pag). Now chasing Count Dracula, Van Helsing created a group to chase the Count in exemption of Mina who will later on become the Count’s next target. Although it was hard for Holmwood to kill his beloved Lucy, they killed her to save her soul now that she is also a vampire killing children. Mina on the other hand was attacked by the Count in her sleep, unaware that she was already a victim of Count Dracula’s goal to turn a person into a vampire (Stoker, n.pag). The band travelled miles over seas and land to capture the Count and when they did, they killed him and Mina became human again while Quincey Morris died of a fatal wound (Stoker, 653-684). Women in the Victorian Society When it comes to the status of women in the society, there is a big debate on their existence. Although they were mostly treated with respect, it is also visible that men do not look at them as equal. There are several stories about the women of the past centuries and how they live up their life being just a second class citizen in the world made only for man.There are also a lot of historical contexts about the women suffrage and the movements which fought hard enough to have a fair and equal treatment between the men and the woman. Now, there is a difference between the women of the past and the Vi ctorian women. Hearing the word Victorian would made one think that it is such a glamorous and social word created for the members of the higher society, the rich and the famous but what is in there with the Victorian women that made them famous? Victorian era lasted for 64 years and there were numerous changes both in the society and the women’s attitudes right before the century ended.Victorian era was a very long year or moment of prosperity thus there were several strict laws or perhaps moral codes (Thomas, n. pag). Victorian women were women of good qualities. At a young age, the Victorian women are being groomed and taught of certain things to prepare them before they enter courtship and get married. They are expected to be weak and incapable of making decisions. She is the man of the house, only in the house. Her major role is to bear children, prepare the food and maintain a smooth atmosphere in the family (Thomas, n. pag).Although the above paragraph states the gener al status of Victorian women in the society, among their race, there are still some differences between the classes. Victorian women or wife of a wealthy man is her husband’s social representative and spends most of her time either writing or reading or sewing and many more while the poor women are not as lucky as the Victorian women (Thomas, n. pag). The greatest detector of differences was the clothes worn by the women. While wealthy wives wear the traditional Victorian clothes made up of high quality materials, the poor women do not share the same luxury (Thomas, n.pag). Social Issues visible in the Novel Although the novel focused more in the story of Count Dracula and his plans to take over humanity and turn each one into vampires, there are slight attachments in the social situation that is visible during those times in the Victorian society. Stoker touched a important aspect of the Victorian society, the Victorian women who were commonly house people thus in his novel, he characterized them as a typical women of the Victorian era, heroines of the novel, Mina and Lucy possessed the attitudes of a typical women of their time but with a twist.The transformation of women of their time is one of the great issues in the novel. With the fast changing prosperity and development of the era, there are also several changes both in the society, the women and the men alike. With just this issue of transformation, it opens the issue of sexual boundaries and sexuality. While men were considered as strong individuals, women are considered as weak people with no power to make decisions except when it comes to daily meals for the family.They are not expected to work outside of the house, especially the rich ones and at the same time, they practice etiquette in the right and proper way. Treated as second class citizens with respect, the women were precious gems of the era (Thomas, n. pag). Thus it matters the most if these women who practiced innocence and purity t urned into someone different perhaps turn into a seductive and sexually starve women, there is a big debate of the idea that these precious gems will turn into a destroyer of innocence. At the same time, the seal boundaries talked more on the gender bias issue that there is in the society.Perhaps, there is no need to explain further why this one is mentioned because while reading the book, one will understand that the women of that time do not have the same rights as the men. Even Van Helsing does not want Mina to join them in their chase with the Count. This one is enough evidence that the women are treated with a different way than the men. While men are heroes, women are damsels in distress. Drawn Conclusion Bram Stoker’s Dracula talked more on vampires and Count Dracula’s evil plans, each part of the novel symbolized the people of the society particularly the Victorian women.The transformation of a Victorian woman to a seductive and sexually active woman is one of the transformations that are very threatening to the humanity. Not that women should remain tame but because it erases innocence that one holds. At the same time, the sexual attraction that a woman can exercise could make a man down for her thus making him just a follower. The novel simply talked transformation in a way that it will not be seen directly except of keen observance in the characters and the flow of the story.Although there is a little bit unclear instances, the mere fact that Count Dracula chooses to victimize women means that there is an on-going transformation with the Victorian women and in order to somehow state the transformation or the changes, Stoker probably thought that using them as characters in the novel, preferably as heroines, Mina and Lucy stood for the Victorian women, an image of class, wit and elegance while the three vampire women who attacked Harker in the first chapter showed the drastic change of the women of the Victorian era being seductive and sexually attractive to the eyes of the men.The battle between the good and the evil is shown by the characters of Count Dracula and the group of Van Helsing. While Count Dracula wanted to changed humanity into vampires and makes the human beings as the primary source of food instead of humans searching for foods, in the Count’s dream, men will be the food and the vampires will be the killers. Although this is such an impossible thing, we must take it into account that the vampires are part of legends and myths which can somehow be considered either true or not.While we are stressing the reality that the novel wants us to see, there are certain issues that must be given more attention. The horror that the book brings to the readers and the chills it gives and the shivers it lets to run down in our body, there is a much more important idea and issue that should be given a tougher concentration. The massacre and the killings that the vampires give us are already present in the s ociety. Although it does not actually look like the vampire killings, the murder that there is in the society is part of the horror.The evil deeds of the evil people who can do crimes are characterized by Dracula’s evil plans for the humanity. We must take it into account that the crimes are evil things and evil deeds to thus we experience horror almost everyday, When it comes to sexual boundaries, this is focused in gender bias because in the Victorian era, there were no justified rights for the women and no one treats them as their equal. As women of the society, they have less rights and equality is out of reach. Although some would consider these women as precious gems, not all will give them the same attention thus this leads to inequality and gender bias.The third issue is the sexuality. In Victorian era and most of the time, men are the only ones who can make indecent proposals or ask for sex, women on the other hand practices innocence when it comes to sex thus they w ere trained to be glamorous and innocent starting from and as they grow up. The actuations of the vampire women do not belong to the women of the Victorian era. Aside from being timid and shy, these women do not need to be sexually attractive because in the first place, they are already beautiful and well trained individuals.The Count Dracula stands for evil while the women vampires stand for the near transformation of the Victorian women because of the development of the society. From being a timid and shy girl, the Victorian women could turn into someone who can lure men and deceive them. The novel did exactly a great job in painting a futuristic image of women and the society thus; Stoker provided an initial statement of the future women. Works Cited â€Å"Bram Stoker,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2008 ahttp://encarta. msn. comâ€Å"Count Dracula,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2008. http://encarta. msn. com Douthat, Ross and Hopson , David. SparkNote on Dracula. 11 Jul. 2008 . Miller, Elizabeth. â€Å"Dracula’s Homepage†. 2006. http://www. ucs. mun. ca/~emiller/index. html SFReader. â€Å"SFReader Book Review†. 2000-2008. http://sfreader. com/Home/BookReview/tabid/55/Default. aspx? book=463 Stoker, Bram. â€Å"Dracula†. 1897. Constable, England Thomas, P. W. â€Å"A Woman's Place in C19th Victorian History†. 2001-2008. http://www. fashion-era. com/a_womans_place. htmaga

Taco Bell Case Study

Workshop Case Study – Taco Bell Design, Layout & Process Choice â€Å"Design for Transformation† In 1999, three out of every four Mexican fast-food meals purchased in the United States were made from one company – Taco Bell. However, this market dominance may never have come about unless the company had not transformed its operations throughout the 1980’s. In the early 1980’s, Taco Bell was typical of this kind. It was essentially a job shop operation. Nearly all food production was carried out on site: – –foodstuffs were prepared from their raw state; food items such as ground beef for tacos were cooked for a period of several hours in vats; –guacamole and other sauces were made-up; –beans were washed, cleaned and cooked; Once these items were ready for sale, they were then assembled in response to a customer order. This meant that wait time at the cash register was 105 seconds on average, an even slower during peak peri ods. This type of operations led to a number of management challenges. Staff had to be scheduled and organised in shifts so that they mainly prepared food items and cleaned the unit during slack periods, whilst they assembled orders and served customers during busy times.It was estimated that the restaurant manager spent an hour each day working on his crew schedule in order to match labour supply as closely as possible to potential demand, and thereby meet the company’s cost targets. Food cost control was also a priority, which meant that a great deal of time and effort went into ensuring no menu item was prepared in too small or too large a quantity. But the complexity of this operation, lead to quite wide variations in food quality, both within single units and between units in the chain. This was not helped by inconsistency in the quality of raw materials, which were ainly sourced locally. The emphasis on in-house food production meant that that the ratio of kitchen to di ning space was 70:30. Moreover, the main assembly line where food items were made to order ran parallel to the service counter, so that employees on the line were facing away from the customers. At that time, Taco Bell did not have a drive-through window, even though 50 per cent of competitors’ sales were from this source. Beginning in 1983, the CEO of Taco Bell, John Martin, made a number of major changes to the physical layout.The food assembly line was reconfigured to have two shorter lines at right angles to the service counter. This improved product flow and improved customers’ perception of the operation. The introduction of electronic point-of-sale not only improved order taking and cash handling, but also provided improved data on which food forecasting could be made. Other changes included: – –adding new menu items; –increasing the average size of new units from 1600 up to 2000 square feet; –adding drive-through windows; the upgradi ng the decor and uniforms of staff. However, external pressures meant that Martin also had to adopt a new operations process. By the mid-1980’s, the US fast-food market had matured and competition was fierce. Previously performance was judged on growth, which could be achieved by opening new units. In the mature market-place, market share became much more significant. Labour shortages also meant an increase in labour costs, up by 18 per cent for the industry, but by 50 per cent for Taco Bell due to its relatively larger, skilled workforce.Whereas chains with burger or chicken concepts could offset this increase by taking advantage of falling food costs, Taco Bell’s food cost remained at around 30 per cent of sales. So by 1989, Taco Bell was a relatively small player in the market being squeezed by rising costs. In a series of initiatives, the operation was transformed. K-minus was a project that turned the kitchen into just a heating and assembly unit. Nearly all food preparation (chopping, slicing and mixing of vegetables and meat) and cooking was eliminated.Beef, chicken and beans arrived in pre-cooked bags, lettuce was pre-shredded, hard tortillas pre-fried and guacamole delivered in cartridges. This changed the ratio of ‘back-of-house’ to ‘front-of-house’ to 30:70, reduced staffing levels in each unit and increased the operational capacity of each unit. The SOS (speed of service) initiative was designed to respond to market research that showed customers wanted their food fast. Recipes were adapted and a heated staging area developed so that 60 per cent of the menu items, representing over 80 per cent of sales volume, were pre-wrapped ready for sale.This reduced (Total Automation of Company Operations – TACO) was an IT project designed to computerise in-store operations and network each unit to headquarters. TACO provided each manager with daily reports on 46 key performance measures, assisted with production and labour scheduling and aided inventory control. This reduced the time restaurant managers spent on paperwork by up to 16 hours a week. These process changes and the investment in technology were also accompanied by changes in human resource management. The restaurant manager’s job was now very different from what it had been due to K-minus, SOS and TACO.Taco Bell recognised that managers should now focus much more on ‘front-of-house’ and on the customer. The management structure within each unit was therefore changed along with job descriptions and remuneration packages. Much more pay was performance related, so that top managers could earn $80, 000 a year, a huge increase on previous salary scales. Selection criteria for the new restaurant managers were also adapted to reflect the new style of operation. Between 1984 and 1994, Taco Bell doubled its sales and tripled its profits. Despite this, competition remained tough.With the right processes in place, Marti n could now look to other ways in which to improve operational performance. So, in the mid-1990’s the focus switched from technology to human resources, with the growth of team-managed units and the development of the learning organisation within Taco. (Source: Brown, Lamming, Bessant & Jones, Strategic Operations Management, 2nd edn. Elsevier, 2005) Tasks Clearly from the Taco Bell case, managing the process transformation is an enormously important challenge for operations managers in both service and manufacturing settings.Success does not come about purely by having the correctly designed layout, process and technology. Other skills and tacit knowledge also come into play. Task 1 Critically evaluate how strategic operational initiatives such as K-minus, SOS and TACO struck the right balance of addressing the â€Å"hard† & â€Å"soft† operational problems Taco faced and delivering customer satisfaction. Task 2 Changing the transformational process (i. e. to t he layout, product and process control) has a direct correlation to improving customer service and satisfaction? Discuss.

Revive †The Long Mynd Tea Company TLMTC

Revive – The Long Mynd Tea Company TLMTC Background The Long Mynd Tea Company â€Å"TLMTC† is a leading player in the specialty and green tea market in United Kingdom. UK, with a market share of 63%, is the largest tea consuming market in Western Europe (Tropical Commodity Coalition). Tea consumption in UK was pegged at 31,000 tonnes in the year 2008.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Revive – The Long Mynd Tea Company â€Å"TLMTC† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Our internal Long Mynd Business Intelligence Unit â€Å"LMBIU† has indicated that global supply deficits in 2010 mostly attributed to severe droughts in Kenya and India in 2009 resulted in global tea prices hitting a historical high in 2009. This resulted in Unilever’s PG Tips being priced 28% higher than a year ago, while Tetley was pegged at 7% more expensive (Euromonitor). Business Issues The demand for tea in UK has been healthy but rising prices in the ma rket can lead to fall in demand especially for specialty tea which is priced slightly higher than regular tea. TLMTC recognizes the issue and to counter and differentiate its offering we plan to introduce a unique range of product, herbal and fruit tea-bags under the brand name Revive. Revive offers a unique feature to consumers in the new range of teabags which is the shape of the bags. The company is planning to use an innovative manufacturing process to craft the tea-bags in irregular shapes which involves only minimum wastage. The new bag is designed in a unique flower shape. The product will be distributed through the existing delivery channels of hypermarkets and supermarkets. We will also tie-up with large cafà © chains to distribute the product. We plan to promote the launch by an aggressive campaign involving magazine and posters in the Autumn of 2011. The key message in the ads will be around the unique shape and attempt to tie it to herbal and health connotations. The ad s will also carry the message of good taste of the tea. Research Objectives TLMTC wants to know whether the unique shape of the tea-bag and the taste of the tea are appealing to consumers.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More We want to test the hypothesis that the consumers perceive the package as a differentiating factor. We are also interested in validating the hypothesis that the taste of the new product will be accepted by consumers. The exploration of these aspects will help us make any possible changes to the product and communication. We also assume that consumers will associate the floral shape to herbs and healthiness. The study should provide us with a clear understanding of how the consumers perceive the packaging as a differentiator. It should also give us clear guidelines on what are the positive and negative perceptions about the new pack. We expec t to get recommendations in form of a programme of research to guide us through the launch of Revive. Deliverables We expect to receive a complete report of the research in 4 hard copies and an electronic version of the report to be submitted at the LMBIU office at our corporate headquarters. We also require the research agency to submit a PowerPoint presentation and present it to the marketing team at our offices 1 week after the final report is submitted. Limitations Timing: TLMTC wants to have the final report ready by no later than 3rd week of July’ 2011. The marketing team would first review and approve the report. Thereafter, the agency would need to present the key research findings to the marketing team latest by the last week of July’2011. Budget: The budget that we are willing to allocate to the project is no more than  £60,000. This includes any sum spent on travel and other activities to finish the project. Location: Revive will be launched nationally in UK and hence we want the research to be carried throughout the country in all major cities. Proposal Submission Information TLMTC expects a research proposal from the research agency in 2 weeks from the date of receiving research brief. The proposal should be submitted electronically to us, in attention to our marketing manager.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Revive – The Long Mynd Tea Company â€Å"TLMTC† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research Proposal for ‘Revive’ By Insights Consulting Limited Background Long Mynd Tea Company â€Å"TLMTC†, a leading specialty tea company in United Kingdom, is looking to innovate and introduce a unique range of herbal and fruit tea bags under the brand name ‘Revive’. To help them with the exercise, TLMTC has approached the Insights Consulting team to submit a Research Proposal for the study. We understand that you want to pri marily assess consumer perception of the flower shaped tea bags, which is essentially the prime differentiating factor of the new range, as well as evaluate whether the taste of the new range appeal to consumers. ‘ Tea is a very versatile and competitive category in United Kingdom and hence a deep understanding of the category in general and consumer attitude towards the product in particular needs to be presented in the study (Wilson, 2008). The following outlines our approach to the study in terms of research objectives, scope of the analysis, timelines and budget for the same. Objectives To understand the consumer preference and attitude towards the new brand of tea-bags being launched by TLMTC on two parameters namely; consumer appeal for the innovative shape of bags and taste of the product. By means of the study we will provide you with a complete programme of research (data acquisition and analytics) to guide them through the launch of the product. The report will also provide guidelines on any changes that we deem necessary to make the product more appealing to the target consumer group. The report will also provide leads on consumer perception that will help your marketing team to develop the correct strategy/message to be communicated to consumers though advertisement campaigns. Methodology – Research Design Insights Consulting proposes to conduct the study to gauge the appeal for the taste and packaging among the target consumers. As the product is meant for the health conscious group, research would be carried out among those aged between 18-55 years representing Young adults (18-29 years), Older adults (30-40 years) and Middle-aged (41-55 years) consumers. We understand from secondary sources that for the TLMTC’s product segment, which is herbal teas, to become main segment there is a need for continued innovation around flavour in order to improve the taste of the product. As of now, regular tea is consumed by around 22 millio n of the UK population and more than half (56%) have experimented with herbal tea but its taste did not appeal to them (Mintel, 2011).Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To have a better understanding of the complex consumer preferences, we suggest an optimum combination of both qualitative and quantitative tests to meet the objectives of the study. Following are the recommended methods: Focus Group Discussions We propose to conduct in total 9 Focus group discussions in the 3 major cities of United Kingdom which will provide us with a good representation of the target market – London, Manchester and Glasgow, 3 in each city such that it covers all age bands. The Focus group discussion would be led by a moderator while a panel of experts would be present to measure the emotional/ subconscious reactions of the participants. The participants would be first shown the new tea bags and the moderator would direct questions around the first reaction of the participants, would they like to buy and use it, do they perceive the product to be healthy to understand if the health platform will work for the product, would they be ready to pay a premium for t he unique offering, would they include the offering in their daily diet, what would be the likelihood of repeat purchase and most important of all; their suggestions on the product and its unique packaging. Tea is seen as a healthy drink with high antioxidant content which claims to have slimming effects (University of Maryland, 2010). We understand from other studies that women prefer herbal tea as compared to their male counterparts (DailyMail, 2011). The FGDs will try to understand this angle as well and try to find if there is a special need of this consumer segment which can be addressed by the product in its current form or with any variants. Taste Test The participants would then be requested to taste the product and the next round of discussions would be directed to that aspect. It would again assess the first reaction, how they would like to consume it, would they be ready to pay a premium for this experience, etc. It is also very important to assess that the health connota tion does not intervene with the taste experience of consumers. The taste test will also provide us insights into how different consumers perceive â€Å"Revive† as compared to the other brands available in the market. The moderator can also test the possibility of certain flavours and variety (Hot/ Iced) which the participants might seek. Projective Techniques We also propose to use Projective Techniques in the focus groups. We will introduce photos and use techniques such as word association and third person technique. Participants will be asked to look at photos and associate different types of people with the new concept/packaging and taste. This technique would be especially useful since it is a premium product and hence would help in measuring whether it succeeds in appealing to the higher sensibilities of the consumers. This will help us understand the motivations of consumers in consuming the category. It may also help in forming a platform for promotion message buildi ng directed at the target market. We appreciate the general feeling that Projective techniques in themselves may not provide any robust insights and are not considered as method of choice to study consumer motivation, nor do these techniques provide all the tools for such studies. Though they do help a researcher uncover feelings, beliefs, attitudes and motivation which many consumers find difficult to articulate and explain (Donoghue, 2000). In an experience based category like herbal tea, these techniques will be worthwhile to use. Questionnaire Based Survey Administered surveys are important to cover a larger sample base and also gain information on aspects which cannot be covered through qualitative measures. It would aim at profiling tea drinkers and non drinkers demographically (Revive being a health based premium offering – income, age and gender profiling gains major importance), assess their eating habits (and mainly tea drinking habits in case of tea drinkers and pr obability of drinking tea in case of non drinkers) and shopping habits, price they would be willing to pay for the product and the optimum pack size for first trials (which would help you in the launch promotions). It would be also important to analyze whether consumers shift from other beverages to herbal tea given its benefits and increasing health consciousness (The Observer). The survey questionnaire would be designed based on the above aspects and the inputs we receive in the FGDs. It would include a screener to ensure data collection from a representative sample. Alternate Techniques An alternative to Focus Group discussions is Online Focus Group discussion. We can also replace the normal taste test with blind taste test. We can also take help of depth interviews to get in-depth understanding of consumers on a one-to-one basis. Online focus Group discussions are hard to monitor and they are quite impersonal to gauge customer reaction, which in a way hinders the qualitative ass essment associated with focus group discussions. They are also not a good way to reach non-computer literate consumer base and need additional infrastructure (Wright, 2005). We will also miss out on experiential elements which are essential to a product category like tea. Blind taste tests can be a good medium but here we want to establish the taste perceptions of just our brand and get qualitative feedback on taste comparison. Blind taste test also requires additional product samples to be used which will have additional time and cost implications. Hence we recommend doing normal taste test. Depth interviews are a good option but are costly and time consuming exercise. Given the budget constraint and quick turnaround time of the project we recommend conducting focus group discussion which will allow us to combine the discussion with taste test and use our projective techniques as well. Internet and in-venue surveys would help in accumulating additional information through a larger sample thus optimizing results and providing an all round analysis. This combination will provide us with a robust solution on the research front and also help us overcome the various limitations like time and budget restrictions. Sampling Focus Group Discussions Target population: Health conscious people (18-55 years) and tea drinkers. Sampling frame: Our database for each city. Sampling method: The sampling would be a combination of. Stratified sampling: since the respondents of Focus Group have to meet the criteria of being tea drinkers. Quota sampling: to cover the entire target age group and both the genders. Sample size: 90. Quotas Since females are the primary shoppers in UK (Lake) as well as prominent consumers of herbal tea, their quota is kept higher than males. The quotas would be as follows: Gender Age Group Quota Female Young Adults, 12-29 years 24% Older Adults, 30- 40 years 20% Middle Aged, 41- 55 years 23% Male Young Adults, 12-29 years 10% Older Ad ults, 30- 40 years 13% Middle Aged, 41- 55 years 10% The sample will be sourced equally from North, South and Midlands (33% each) to ensure uniformity and non-biased result due to skewed sample. The group discussions will be carried out in the following scheme- Group 1: South young adults 18 – 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 2: South older adults 30 – 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 3: South middle aged 41 – 55, (3 males, 7 females) Group 4: North young adults 18 – 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 5: North older adults 30 – 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 6: North middle-aged 41 – 55, (3 males, 7 females) Group 7: Midlands young adults 18 – 29, (3 males, 7 females) Group 8: Midlands older adults 30 – 40, (4 males, 6 females) Group 9: Midlands middle aged 41 – 55, (3 males, 7 females) Survey Target population: Health conscious people (18-55 years). Sampling frame: Our database for each city (for in-venue surveys) and Internet Panel for Online surveys. Sampling method: Quota sampling, to cover the entire target age group and both the genders. Sample size: A sample of 1200 would be distributed equally between In-venue Surveys (600) and Online surveys (600). Quotas The survey questionnaire would be administered among both tea drinkers (75%) and non drinkers (25%). It would span 1200 respondents (400 from each city – 100 males, 300 females). This will ensure a proper coverage of the target consumer groups and thus provide us with robust results. Data Collection and Analysis Our team will record, transcribe and analyze each of the group discussions and use their results for the final recommendations. The results will be categorized and presented to reflect the views of each demographic group separately and on a combined level to give a holistic view of consumer perception and preference. The taste tests and projective techniques will also be analyzed and combined with the results of the overa ll FGDs to come up with a complete solution as required by you. Imbibing the learning from the opinions and ideas that come out in the study, the final report will be a complete guide that will help TLMTC launch Revive successfully in the market. It will provide adequate consumer insights and marketing cues to help your team in strategizing a successful launch. The questionnaires would be administered both in person and through internet (50% 50%).Personal interviews would be conducted at strategic venues; essentially data would be collected from outside retail outlets (hypermarkets/ supermarkets – distributions channels for ‘Revive’) and cafà ©s as they would help in reaching out to our main target market, i.e. shoppers and tea/brewed beverage consumers respectively. Internet interviews would save time and cost, at the same time in-venue surveys would optimize sample representation. Deliverables We will submit 4 (four) hard copies and an electronic copy of the report as requested by TLMTC at end of the study. The report will provide in-depth analysis and report the facts and insights that we gather from the exercise. It will also discuss the recommendations we will make and explain the rationale of the same. We will also clearly spell out the limitations (if any) of the study. As requested we will also do a PowerPoint presentation of the key results at your head offices one week after the final report is approved. We understand that the audience at the presentation will be members from the marketing team who would be more interested in the key takeaways and action points. As such, we will only present the top-line findings and recommendations at the presentation. Timing We assume that the proposal will be accepted by second week of May 2011 and we will be able to start work from third week of May around 16 May, 2011. The project will take approximately 8 weeks to finish after the proposal is accepted. We plan to finish-off the final prese ntation by 11 July, 2011 so that your marketing team gets ample time to execute the recommendations for an Autumn launch. Tasks Start date Duration (in number of working days) End date Set up focus groups 16.05.2011 5 20.05.2011 Focus Group Discussions 23.05.2011 5 27.06.2011 FGD Data Analysis 30.05.2011 7 07.06.2011 Compiling Report 08.06.2011 5 14.06.2011 Set up Questionnaire 15.06.2011 3 17.06.2011 Field work 20.06.2011 5 24.06.2011 Survey data Analysis and Report 27.06.2011 7 05.07.2011 Submission of Final Report 06.07.2011 1 06.07.2011 Review of the report and feedback 07.07.2011 2 08.07.2011 PowerPoint Presentation 11.07.2011 1 11.07.2011 Budget The total cost of the project is estimated at  £58,500 as follows: Task Cost/unit No.’s Total Cost Focus Group Discussions ( 2 hours each)  £3,000 9  £27,000 In-venue Interviews  £24 600  £14,400 Internet Interviews  £13.5 600  £8,100 Project management/ Data processing  £9, 000 Total  £58,500 We have tried to adjust the cost of the project under the budget limit indicated by TLMTC in the research brief. DailyMail. â€Å"Women prefer herbal tea to a cuppa.† Mail Online. n.d. 22 March 2011 dailymail.co.uk/health/article-76450/Women-prefer-herbal-tea-cuppa.html Donoghu, Sunà ©. â€Å"Projective techniques in consumer research.† Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences. (2000). 23 March 2011 ajol.info/index.php/jfecs/article/viewFile/52784/41386 Euromonitor. January 2011. â€Å"Tea in the United Kingdom.† Country Report. 20 March 2011 euromonitor.com/tea-in-the-united-kingdom/report Lake, Dr. Amelia. Aamedya. British Food Journal. n.d. 23 March 2011 aamedya.com/HealtH-58774-three-Quarters-of-Women-are-households-chief-cook-and-food-shopper-uk-study-finds/three-Quarters-of-Women-are-households-chief-cook-and-food-shopper-uk-study-finds Mintel. â€Å"Tea and Other Hot Drinks UK February 2011.† Oxygen Mintel. (F ebruary 2011). 21 March. 2011 http://oxygen.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen/display/id=545331 Tropical Commodity Coalition. â€Å"Tea Barometer 2010.† n.d. 20 March. 2011 University of Maryland. â€Å"Green Tea.† 2010. 23 March 2011 umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm Wilson, Elliot. â€Å"Drink of the day once again.† The Guardian 17 August. 2008. 22 March 2011 guardian.co.uk/business/2008/aug/17/fooddrinks Wright, K. B. â€Å"Researching Internet-based populations: Advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services.† Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(3), article 11. (2005). 22 March 2011 http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue3/wright.html?ref=BenimShopum.com

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