Importance of Cross Cultural Communications Essay

Effective cross-cultural communication is one of the most important issues dealt with in business, particularly when a firm operates at an international level. Communication is a process with three key elements, which includes a source, an audience, and a channel. Communication derived from businesses will have listeners that include, but are not limited to customers, employees, suppliers, and the community (Caddy et al.). These listeners contribute to the success of a firm, which is why there is so much emphasis put into creating appropriate channels of communication. This effect is further amplified when dealing at an international level, where the effect of culture and time has more bearing. What makes effective communication important is the fact that it affects all aspects of the business function. Therefore, failing in just one of these areas can create repercussions that reverberate throughout the whole company. This essay will examine the importance of cross-cultural communication, and how it is intertwined with a firm’s HR management, strategic planning, operations, ethical decisions, and marketing campaign. Human resource management deals with people within the organisation first and foremost. For a Human Resource manager, managing the cultural aspect of communication becomes is vital because of the effect it can have on each individual employee. In an international work environment, there will likely be a number of employees from different parts of the globe sharing the same space (Parzhiger 2002). This can be a source of friction within a work environment, particularly when you consider that ethnocentric attitudes can exist within a workplace (Han et al 2007). Such friction within the communication process can manifest itself through racism, bias, prejudice, and discrimination (Parzhigar 2002). Not only are such actions considered illegal, but it can also contribute to low morale within the workforce. This eventually leads to unmotivated and therefore unproductive staff. In order to resolve such cross-cultural issues, a Human Resources manager must first come to realize that both individuals and groups differ in terms of the way they communicate (Parzhigar 2002). That way, policies or extra training programs can be established to act as a guide the actions of  employees. Many managers, though, are fail to realise such differences, or unqualified to handle them. This is why much consideration must be given when deciding who is qualified to lead an international assignment (Hodges 2003, p. 450.) By acknowledging people’s differences, the manager can create policies that will limit friction in the workplace, thereby ensuring that it runs peacefully. An effective communication system will help a firm gain a distinct competitive advantage because the constraints of time will be limited. Time distances can often be a hindrance to a company looking to collect information from overseas branches or partners. Firms have combated this problem by utilizing contemporary technology such as phones and videoconferences (Bovee 2008). This will help firms operating at an international level, collect information from overseas subsidiaries or clients more effectively. Additionally, by keeping these relationships close, manager’s gain the ability to access new technologies developed overseas (Han et al. 2007). The ability to forecast overseas trends and harness new technologies is another competitive advantage gained by having effective cross-cultural communication channels established. Proper market research, where communication aspects such as culture are taken into account, will help the firm in this regard. By establishing these effective channels, a firm can more readily anticipate particular changes in tastes and technologies of other countries (Han et al. 2007). This will allow thereby the firm to strike a balance with regards to price and availability, which, in turn, will give them a competitive advantage (Hodgets 2003). Managing operations will be much more efficient once cross-cultural communication issues have been dealt with. Many cultures employ a hierarchical approach to communication, but often this method of results in important issues being dodged. This problem is highlighted in an (Nakamoto 2008) article on Japanese companies. In the article it is reported that many of the Japanese companies employ a very rigid communication structure, and overseas managers were hired to create a more efficient method of  communication. An open exchange or direct method of communication is much more effective as ideas can be garnered from different levels of the organisation. Overcoming various linguistic issues is another operational benefit experienced when an effective communication channel is established. Due to the legal issues of each country, language differences do not only affect face o face interaction, but written communications as well (Bovee 2008). Through proper planning and research, however, a business is able to preempt such a problem from occurring, possibly by arranging for an interpreter to translate. Failing to establish an effective means for communication when an ethical issue arises can be detrimental to the stability of a workplace. This problem is particularly pertinent, when you consider the fact that globalization has diversified workplace cultures. This can lead to what Huntington (cited in Eunson 2005) described as a ‘clash of civilizations’, due to the different perspectives on morality in the western and eastern countries. Neglecting this issue can create permanent dissention or dissatisfaction between co-worker, which, as highlighted earlier, leads to low productivity levels and high staff turnover rates. Only by establishing a means of communication where ethical issues are taken into account, can prevent such an implosion from taking effect. Effective communication channels can only be effective when the moral views of other cultures are taken into account. Contemporary management in western society, for example, attempts to find practical solutions while more conservative nations seek more ‘foundational’ ones (Parzhiger 2002). Cross-cultural communication is also valuable to firm looking to establish good marketing systems. The aim of marketing is to try and link business with customers and the ability to understand the unique traits of a particular culture can help give a firm an edge over its competitors. This point was illustrated in a communication video (Balnave 2006), where a lack of an ineffective channel of communication with a particular culture was a  cause for their advertising campaign to be viewed as inappropriate. Establishing effective communications, however, will allow a firm to capitalize on local markets through support of their local culture (Han et al. 2007). As the evidence compiled in this essay has shown the importance of effective cross-cultural communication should never be diminished. It is one of the most important aspects to consider when trying developing an international brand. Through the establishment of communication training and relevant policies, employees will be better equipped to interact with their foreign counterparts. It will also assist the firm in understanding foreign cultures, and markets, which ultimately improves their strategic planning. However the biggest benefit experienced by communicating effectively is internal. It creates a more harmonious work environment, a more efficient way of relaying information, and more productive staff. Bibliography Caddy, I Cull, M Tibbits, G 2008, Business Academic Skills, 1st edn, Pearson Education Australia, Sydney’Communicating Effectively in the Global Workplace’, 2008, in Bovee, C(ed), Communication Today ,9th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle Rivee, New Jersey. Eunson, B 2005, Communicating in the 21st century, John Wiley and Sons Australia ltd., QLDHan, J, Wild, J, Wild, L 2007, International business: the challenges of globalization, Pearson Prentice Hall, New JerseyHodgets, RM Luthans, F 2003, International management: culture, strategy, and behaviour, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New YorkNakamoto, M 2008, ‘Modernisers span a cultural divide’, Financial Times, 22 May, Parhizgar, KD 2002, Multicultural behaviour and global business environments, International Business Press, New York

Black Market Drugs Essay

Barbiturate and amphetamine addiction continues to give cause for national concern. Each year hundreds of thousands of pills manage to slip into the black market and are sold illegally, often to young people. Some observers, including the head of a congressional crime committee that spent two years probing the problem of illegal drug trafficking,’ believe that the drug manufacturers cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use. Do drug manufacturers have any moral responsibility to ensure that their products are not put to such use? In this paper I am going to discuss the six different ethical theories, including utilitarianism, kantian ethics, natural law theory, virtue theory, care ethics, and symphonology. The first theory that will be discussed is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the moral doctrine that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our actions. The basic principle of utilitarianism is The Principle of Utility or The Greatest Happiness Principle, Itht states that we ought to do that which produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. In regard to the illegitimate use of prescription drugs, drug manufactures do have a moral responsibility to ensure that their products are not put to such use. Utilitarianism provides an objective way to resolve conflicts of self-interest and encourages a realistic and result oriented approach to moral decision making. Using the utilitarian theory, the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people, is a challenge. If you were simply listening to the general public which is filled with hundreds of thousands of users they would say that the drug manufacnturers have no right getting involved because they know that if drug manufacturer’s did get involved that would make it more difficult for the users to obtain these drugs. If you take a poll of drug users family members, close friends, and anyone who may have had a prescription drug problem they would say that the drug manufactures need to get involved to make it more difficult for the users, especially minors, to get their hands on these drugs. The greatest amount of good would come about only if the people who truly needed these drugs for the purpose in which they were designed used them and the drugs were not being sold on the black market. Drug manufacturer’s should get involved at some level to regulate this situation but they should be held responsible for what happens when they land on the shelves of the stores. At that point, it is the stores responsibility. The manufacturers and store owners both have a moral responsibility. Second is Kantian ethics. Kant believed that moral rules can, in principle, be known as a result of reason alone and are not based on observation. Kant held that only when we act from duty does our action have moral worth. Good will is the only thing that is good in itself. His categorical imperative states that an action is morally right if and only if we can will that the maxim (or principle) represented by our action be a universal law. There are three alternative formulations of the categorical imperative, the first two are the primary formulations. The first is that an act is right only if the actor would be willing to be so treated if the positions of the parties were reversed. The second is that one must always act so as to treat other people as ends, never merely as means. The third is the importance of motivation and of acting on principle, it is not enough to just do the right thing; an action has moral worth only if its done from a sense of duty that is, from a desire to do the right thing for its own sake. Kant’s ethics gives us firm standards that do not depend on results, it injects a humanistic element into moral decision making and stresses the importance of acting on principle and from a sense of duty. With regard to the fact that a congressional crime committee thinks that drug manufacturer’s cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use would be ridiculous. According to Kant, moral rules can be known as a result of reason alone and are not based on observation. The facts show that there is an ever growing problem with black market drugs and the drug manufactures need to do something to help stop this growing epidemic. Even though the drug manufacturer’s may not agree with what is happening with their drugs, all they see are dollars signs and the more people who abuse their drug equals more money for them. Kant would want them to act on the principle that their drug is harmful to people taking advantage of the high they can get from it. The drug manufacturer’s need to be held somewhat responsible for what is going on right in front of their eyes. Third is natural law theory. The essence of natural law theory is that we should further the inherent ends of human nature and not frustrate human fulfillment. There are 3 tenets in natural law theory. These tenets provide the meaning and the basis of the theory. ) moral law is accessible to human reason; 2) moral law is based on human nature; 3) moral law is universally applicable. In other words, natural moral law is knowable by human reason, applies to all human beings, and is grounded in human nature. Natural law theory is very appealing since it has objective moral values and it equates good with human flourishing. According to the natural law theory you should never interfere with human flourishing. Drug manufactures recognize tha t when used improperly their drugs can be very harmful, so they put warning labels on the bottles. Why then do they know that their drugs are being used illegitimately and do nothing about it? According to natural law theory you should not frustrate human fulfillment but in this situation you need to get in between the people who are addicts and not allow them to add to their addictive ways. If nothing is done by the drug manufactures there will be no human flourishing which is the main principle of the natural law theory. If people keep abusing these prescription drugs and the drug manufacturers don’t do anything these people will eventually die of an overdose or other drug related causes. Natural law theory has objective moral values and with this situation, the moral values should definitely come into play with the drug manufacturer’s and they need to take moral responsibility for what is happening. Fourth is virtue theory. Virtue theory describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, rather than rules, consequentialism, or social context, which derives rightness or wrongness from the outcome of the act itself rather than character. The virtue theory derives the golden mean which is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. Virtue ethics is all about the human character. The drug manufacturing companies need to realize that what is happening is unethical and is reflecting upon them. People are looking at them to make the corrections and to step in and change something so that this issue doesn’t progress into something bigger than it already is. Virtue ethics is about the human character, even though these companies aren’t human per say, they affect the lives of many humans and a lot of people are being harmed by what is going on behind the walls of drug manufacturers. The drug manufacturing companies should be held morally responsible for the illegitimate use of these drugs. I don’t believe that there is directly anything they can do to stop the illegitimate use of the drugs but they can step in and do something to make the drugs less readily available to purchase and consume how they were originally intended to be consumed. Fifth is care ethics, which provides a balance for the one-sided traditional ethics of the impersonal and the universal, for it promotes the connectedness of humans. With care ethics the primary moral obligation is to prevent harm and help people. It is concerned with relatedness. The ethics of care is a normative ethical theory often considered a type of virtue ethics. Virtue ethics emphasizes the importance of human relationships and emotion based virtues. With care ethics drug manufacturer’s definitely have a moral responsibility to ensue that their products are not put to illegitimate use. Care ethics is all about preventing harm and helping people, which is exactly what the drug manufacturer’s need to do. They need to step in and put their foot down. These actions cannot continue to happen, it is causing so much harm and it not helping anyone. These drugs were intended to be used in one way and the fact that they are being used in a completely different way is morally wrong in itself, but the fact that the manufacturer’s know that this is happening and nothing is being done is another issue. If they were to step in hopefully that would slow down and eventually stop this growing epidemic. They need to focus on the prevention of harm to people who abuse their product. Sixth is symphonology, which is based on the supposition that an agreement exists between all rational beings. These agreements are contingent upon the bioethical standards of fidelity, beneficence, objectivity, self-assertiveness, freedom and autonomy. Symphonology is based off of the bioethical standards which are, fidelity is adherence to the terms of the agreement. It means faithfulness or commitment or promise to uphold the agreement. Objectivity is a person’s capacity to be aware of things as they are and to be able to act on this awareness. Beneficence means to do good at least do no harm. Freedom means to act independently. It is a person’s capacity to take independent action based on his own evaluation of the situation. Self-Assertion or privacy is a person’s power to control his own time and effort, it is self-ownership. Autonomy is the essential character structure of an individual person. The drug manufacturing companies need to abide by the bioethical standards in order to take moral responsibility for the drug epidemic that is occurring in our nation today. Will they do that? Probably not. Symphonology states that an agreement exists between all rational beings, if the drug manufacturing companies don’t take moral responsibility for the drug problem going on there will never be an agreement between the people who know what is going on and want to do something about it and the addicts themselves. The theories that I believe best answer the dilemma are Kantian ethics and also care ethics. Kant’s ethics gives us firm standards that do not depend on results; it injects a humanistic element into moral decision making and stresses the importance of acting on principle and from a sense of duty. With regards the drug manufacturer’s being held morally responsible for the every growing illegitimate usage of the drugs using Kant’s ethics they would need to think more humanistic and make the morally right decision which would be to step in and take action with the drug problem. Even though they can’t completely stop the illegal usage of their drugs the manufacturer’s can set regulations so that only certain people can get their hands on the drugs. The second theory that best answers the dilemma is care ethics. Care ethics is all about preventing harm and helping people. That is exactly what the manufacturing companies need to be doing. There are so many different approaches that they could take to slow down and stop this problem. They could use different ingredients so that they don’t have the harmful affects on people or the addictive qualities. The congressional crime committee that said that the drug manufacturer’s cannot be blamed if their products are put to illegitimate use, is absurd. They should absolutely be held responsible. If these companies used care ethics they would be running a morally sound and ever growing drug manufacturing company, instead of being scrutinized because their drugs are being sold illegally on the black market and are very addictive. Even though these companies aren’t actual humans and they don’t have feelings or morals like a human will, they are run by people and it is up to those people to make the right decisions. With care ethics these people can guide their company in the right direction and abide by the care ethics standard which is to prevent harm and help people. I believe with care ethics and with Kantian ethics the companies should be held morally responsible and they will over achieve every obstacle put in their way and run a morally successful company.

Awareness of the Importance of the Qualities Necessary for the Nurse - Personal Statement

Awareness of the Importance of the Qualities Necessary for the Nurse - Patience, Social Responsibility, Compassion, the Ability Not to Harm the Patient Personal ment Choosing a future procession is a crucial task. When making such an important choice, one should not take into account the fantasies from our childhood. Children like to dream to become a respected surgeon or a famous actress, but when they are grown up, such desires seem just fantasies and the time comes to make a serious choice. Making this choice it is essential to evaluate our abilities and personal qualities to determine if they match the profession we like. I always liked the profession of a physician, but I also understood that such a profession demands much responsibility and very special qualities. Thus, I evaluated the features of my character and my abilities before making such a crucial choice and made a conclusion that I have all the necessary features and abilities. Everything depends on how you treat people. I like people and always try to help those in need. The profession of a nurse allows to realize a desire to help and assist people who appear in diff icult situation. My aim is not to earn a big money, but to be as useful for the society as it is possible. This is the reason why I chose a profession of a nurse. The important quality the nursing profession demands is patience. My friends and parents consider me to be very patient and careful. A nurse should not be absentminded and I always tried to eliminate the minor signs of this drawback from my character. I also like to acquire knowledge in the process of practice as theoretical knowledge should be accompanied by practical. The profession of nursing allows to work in laboratory where it is possible to test your knowledge. I am ready to be responsible and account for my deeds. I understand well that a primary obligation of a nurse is to help and the most important principle is â€Å"do not harm†. If a nurse causes any harm to patient, it is considered to be a crime. If a nurse refuses to help a person in need, it is also a serious crime. I understand the seriousness of the profession I chose and know that if I become a nurse, I will hold a legal responsibility for everything I will do and I am ready for that. All kinds of education are good and useful. Choosing profession we should not make emphasis on the degree, but on the profession itself. Good care does not depend on the degree, it depends on the personal qualities of nurses, their desire and readiness to help. Still, I value education very high. I think a nurse should be educated to provide a high-quality help that is why I decided to receive a degree in nursing. I think that nurses should continue to develop their knowledge in order to benefit patients, because their state is a top priority. Good education is necessary for the nursing profession, that is why I aim at receiving a degree and continue the study in order to make my help as valuable as possible.

Analysis of 2012 Presidential Campaign Adverstising Research Paper

Analysis of 2012 Presidential Campaign Adverstising - Research Paper Example The 2012 political environment was a tense one with Obama and Romney trying to paint the other as the wrong man for the American presidency. While Obama focused on his track record which was pretty impressive to show the American voter that he was the best candidate for the job, he used Romney’s Wall Street record and role in the 2008 world recession to throw mud unto his opponent . His position was a delicate one since, though he had managed to see to the elimination of most of America's problems, he had thrown his country into its greatest debt ever. It was a delicate balancing of power that required him to convince the American voter that even with the huge debt he had created for the country; he needed more money to alleviate most of the population from the problems it faced in its daily roles. His campaign adverts therefore focused on his track record and promise for better days ahead. On the other hand, Mitt Romney had a harder task before him in terms of convincing the American voter that he could not only outdo Obama but he could change the leadership of the country and give the average American a chance to make wealth for themselves. His campaign adverts thus focused on the business part of America and Obama's weaknesses. The adverts by Romney's team thus took every word that Obama uttered and used it against the then incumbent president. The two candidates’ campaign adverts thus had different themes but their central message was the bettering of Americans' life . 3. Obama’s Adverts ‘Always’ The advert by Obama's campaign team dubbed â€Å"Always† has the candidate in question clarifying a statement he had said earlier on that if someone had built a business, it wasn’t from their sole efforts but from the support of other Americans who worked hard to see to their dreams. Romney’s team had interpreted that to mean that every American who owned a business had no right to it. The truth was that Obama’s words meant that the American dream can only be realized by the unity and oneness of purpose that the citizens have always shown. It portrayed him as a candidate whose aim for the American multitude was a hardworking and prosperous nation characterized by hard work and looking out for one another4. ‘Firms’ This is an advert aimed at Romney's record on Wall Street as far as his private equity firm and wealth are concerned. Romney had not revealed his wealth and thus the campaign aimed to p aint him as an enemy of the people who had personal aims as opposed to Obama's open and candid nature. The advert alleged that Romney had hidden wealth in Bermuda, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. He was also accused of having sent jobs to India when he was a governor for Massachusetts. These ‘hidden’ properties are allegedly meant to reduce the amount of tax the American government gets from them. The voter therefore has the notion that Romney is the enemy and not the friend since while they pay taxes; he hides his treasure in another country and sends jobs overseas while the citizens he

Forming at corporate University Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forming at corporate University - Article Example In my opinion, I believe that the development of the corporate university will help solve a junk of the human resource issues. At the same time as the university keeps developing and capturing the needs of the staff members, there will be increased development in talent of the employees. The university provides opportunities to employees by developing the needed curriculum that soothes its employees (Hewitt-Dundas, 2013). Funds to put up the university and get it running are a big challenge to any institution. However from the study conducted on the feasibility of the project, it indicates that the whole project is viable and affordable. Therefore, there is a need to develop an institution for the development of the employees professionally and increased job satisfaction at the workplace. Employing the workers from within in the leadership posts, plays aggregate deal in seeing the organization grow. The growth can be attributed to the fact the employees have more experience on the operations of the institution. With additional leadership knowledge, there is double fold reproductively of the employee. At the same time, this acts a motivation to the organization employees which increases the productivity by working towards getting that chance to be trained and lead a particular department. Azagra-Caro, J. M., Archontakis, F., Gutià ©rrez-Gracia, A., & Fernà ¡ndez-de-Lucio, I. (2006). Faculty support for the objectives of university-industry relations versus degree of R&D cooperation: The importance of regional absorptive capacity. Research Policy, 35,

Saatchi Gallery Post Pop Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Saatchi Gallery Post Pop - Article Example Pop art is a contemporary art movement that began in Britain and the United States in the 1950s. The movement sought to liven arts by infusing various literary techniques such as imagery in such popular culture as mass media, advertising, and news among many others. Pop art artists often remove materials from their known context, isolating them or combining them with other unrelated materials in an attempt to create an original work (Livingstone, 1990). By doing this, pop art movement encouraged the portrayal of the attitudes of the artists instead of the actual art. Post Pop: East meets the West was not any different. The exhibition comprised of various renowned artists and some of the vintage collections from the early and mid-1950s. Post Pop: East meets the West sought to celebrate the creation of unique arts and the spread of pop art to the four regions. The works on display covered themes including celebrity and mass media, sex and the body, advertising and consumerism and art history. The art movement provided the artists with the freedom to use popular visual imagery and connect with the public by addressing various common materials especially those fronted by the media. The exhibition was a place of glamour and grandeur as the various artists compared their works. Paul McCarthy’s Spaghetti Man was one of the most exciting works at the exhibition. The work was a conglomeration of the various themes as the artists used familiar materials to develop a unique artifact that extends various cultures. The spaghetti man is a statue of a man with a rabbit head.  

Dispersed Team Dynamics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dispersed Team Dynamics - Case Study Example Since advanced technology-driven interventions can have a significant positive effect on virtual project management and online education, it is essential for virtual team leaders to identify the role of interventions in improving technology choice in a virtual setting. In this article, the Mitchell argues that both proactive and reactive interventions can be used to manage virtual team challenges while considering the technology choice (p.433). In a virtual team environment, leaders are forced to use interventions in order to proactively and reactively address various workplace issues that may arise during the course of task performance (Mitchell, abstract). In addition, they are required to sense the need for technology change timely for executing the interventions effectively. The need for addressing the organizational change, technology change, and conflict management has been influencing leaders to use interventions in virtual groups (Mitchell p.432). Therefore, the use of interventions in a virtual group setting is of great strategic importance in the modern days. There are two types of interventions such as proactive and reactive interventions used to address a discrepant event. Proactive interventions are based on previous experiences and best practices that keep virtual team members informed of the strategies that could prevent certain challenges. In contrast, reactive interventions would address discrepant events that arise while team members work together to achieve their shared objectives. Although these interventions may foster learning in the virtual team setting, there are several factors such as cultural diversity, language barriers, and communication difficulties that can hinder the effectiveness of the interventions. Hence, team leaders have the additional responsibility to ensure that the interventions employed are capable of influencing the overall team behavior

Islamic finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Islamic finance - Research Paper Example However, there were banking activities that existed before this period although the operations were conducted in Mecca. From the historical perspective, Islamic banking can be categorized into three eras. The first era was in the early year of Islam until the time of Caliph ArRashidin. The second era of Islamic banking extends from the period of Caliphates to the fall of Uthmaniyah Empire. The third period which is the modern era is current Islamic banking. Prophet Muhammad got divine revelations that Mecca was a city of trade. There were a number of economic techniques and concepts that were used in early Islamic banking such as partnership, bills of exchange, cheques, promissory notes among others (Ahmad, 2010). Islamic banks products exclude the use of Interest which is prohibited in Islam. Rather, the Islamic banks provide an anticipated profit rate for rental rates and savings. According to Islamic Law, money should not be used to create more money. Islamic banks are required to offer services in return for a profit. Instead of the traditional accounts that have interest rates, Islamic banks offer accounts that provide profits or losses. The bank buys property with the customer money, which creates a return to the bank. In case of savings, a customer makes deposits in Al Rayan banks for an expected profit rate. Unlike interest, expected profit rate is not fixed as the profit is made through Sharia compliant investments. There is an element of risk carried in the expected profit rate, but it is usually managed by Al Rayan Bank. Islamic banks Home Purchase Plans are on the basis of leasing and co-ownership, whereby the bank and the customer purchase the property jointly. The monthly paymen ts made by the Customer little by little boost their share in the property. At the maturity of the finance term, the title of the asset is

Competitive Markets and Marketing Strategies Essay

Competitive Markets and Marketing Strategies - Essay Example This positioning strategy helps the customers to have product within their minds. To address the target market Scion creates customers' trust to make them willingly follow the company. The goal of the company "is to provide distinctive products, the opportunity to personalize, and an innovative, consumer-driven process at the retail level" (Breaking, Fully Integrated Scion, 2005). Another peculiarity of Scion is that the product design is its own form of positioning. Scion design identifies the brand and a model as a symbol of a youth hippie culture (). This method is an effective strategy for communicating with the audience who consider themselves members of a particular group, "generation Y". Finding that today's youth are different, the new product is designed for those young people who love speed and luxury. Even "if they can't afford luxury, they'll take luxury touches" (Woodyard, n.d.). The car combines the features of "tasteful design and exemplary fit make tC almost seem Lexus-like" (Healey, 2004). Positioning based on design represents an act of personal pleasure, reflect the owner's actual or ideal image. For instance, xA has "the 1.5-liter, four cylinder engine is rated at 108 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 105 lb-ft of torque @ 4,200 rpm.

Conflict in friendships Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Conflict in friendships - Research Paper Example Such love, care and understanding the relationship is based on the knowledge and trust on each other (Damon, 1977; Selman, 1980). It has also been observed through research, that close relationships play a key role in the socialization process during adolescence which in turn helps in an individual’s overall development of self. Friends become an integral part of people, during adolescence, when their dependence on their parents lessens, and that on their peers or people their own age, grow over time. However, interpersonal conflicts between friends are common, and given the high amount of reliance and interdependence on each other, such conflicts can prove to be devastating to their mental and physical health. This paper aims to study, analyze and discuss the normative aspects of such interpersonal conflicts among friends. Review Findings: Interpersonal conflict can be defined as a dynamic process which takes place between individuals or groups in co-dependent or interdepende nt relationships. The chances of occurrence of such an event are directly dependent on factors such as situational or personal i.e. where there is a personal history of conflicts between the individuals concerned, or differences between the individuals; or it may be on account of their positions (Fink, 1968; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). The term conflict on the other hand, can be described as one which includes the presence of one or more of the following factors – disagreements over various issues; interference; and / or negative emotion (Barki and Hartwick, 2001; Pondy, 1967; Wall and Callister, 1995). These above mentioned factors can also be described as cognitive factors, behavioral factors or affective factors influencing interpersonal conflicts. Although there are various other key reasons behind the occurrence of interpersonal conflicts between friends, one of the most researched topic is the one related to disagreements. Friends often tend to argue over a number of things. These arguments tend to be over various issues on which they disagree and stems from various factors such as differences in their personal values and attitudes, perspectives and notions, needs; interests, opinions and goals etc among others. Interpersonal conflict is associated with certain typical behavioral traits or reactions which include excessive arguments and debates over certain issues; constantly trying to compete with each other; attempts to manipulate the situations or friends; backstabbing – which is considered one of the most common reasons leading to interpersonal conflicts among friends; often leading to aggressive and hostile reactions and repercussions. Furthermore, it must also be noted that despite these traits being closely associated with interpersonal conflicts among friends, the mere existence of one or more of such behavioral traits does not necessarily imply the existence of a conflict. The conflict is known to exist / occur only whe n one friend tries to interfere or argue / debate / question the other friend’s behavior or motives, and prevents them from attaining their desired goals. Furthermore, apart from factors which are known to be the cause of conflicts between friends, there are a range of overwhelming emotions, which are also closely related with interpersonal conflicts. These include a series of negative emotions such as fear, hatred, agony, anger, frustration, anxiety etc among others.

The early part of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

The early part of Romeo and Juliet Essay A playwright wants the start of their play to catch the attention of the audience and make them want to keep watching the rest of the play to find out what happens. To do this they might start with something funny and humorous to make the audience laugh, or they might create a dramatic atmosphere to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. A playwright might also make the opening scene as action packed as possible to make the audience want more. Any of these ideas would achieve the aim of involving the audience. Shakespeare begins all of his plays differently but with something to get the audience hooked on the play. The way Shakespeare starts Macbeth is mysterious and very atmospheric, with something spooky and supernatural, but rather short and so the result is that the audience are left guessing, and the only way to find out what is going on is to watch the rest of the play. However he begins the tempest with an action paced ship wreck to instantly draw the attention of the audience by exciting them and making them want more action, which is a good way of grabbing the audience and keeping them on the edge of their seats. Shakespeare begins Romeo and Juliet in another different way that will grab the audiences attention. By describing the play in a sonnet, Shakespeare captures the audience, by telling them everything that is going to happen in this play. He tells them of the fighting and action, he tells them about two families living in hatred of one another, he tells them of a pair of star crossed lovers whos love was doomed from the start, he tells them that only the lovers deaths can bring the two families together. He tells the audience the main structure of the play, but not in enough detail to make the audience think they know the play and dont need to see it, just enough to blow their mind with the complicated twists of the story, so the audience is eager to see these points. Shakespeare gives that audience a taster of each aspect of the play. A pair of star crossed lovers informs the audience of the fait and love part. Civil blood makes civil hands unclean makes the audience realise how much bloodshed there has been between the two feuding families. Ancient grudge break new mutiny speaks of the grudge being refuelled and evolving into something a lot worse than it was before. But their childrens end, nought could remove symbolises two important details, the fact that young innocent people have been dragged into the fighting and that only terrible loss that losing a child can bring will make these people realise what is happening around them and how unnecessary this violence and hatred is. Act 1 scene 1 is a good and varied way to start this play with. The variety comes from the humorous beginning; the action packed fighting in the middle of the scene and the subdued conversation taking place at the end. This scene introduces important characters such as lord and lady Montague, lord and lady Capulet, who are heads of the houses that hold the grudge. We meet Tybalt, highly placed member of the Capulet household, Benvolio, also highly placed but a member of the Montague household, we meet the prince of Verona, some servants belonging to each house, and right at the end of the scene we meet Romeo Montague himself. The servants, who are the first characters to enter the play, set the scene up, preparing it for the main characters. The servants start with a light humorous conversation with rather a lot of word play that could be taken to have a rude or vulgar meaning. Shakespeare would have wanted to satisfy every section of his audience and this type of humour would appeal to the more rowdy onlookers. His word play included words such as choler meaning angry and then shortly after he would use the word coller when the servants are referring to a noose, around the neck. This lighthearted humour creates a jokey atmosphere that livens up the audience. The servants also use word play when they are talking about what they would like to do to the house of Montague, one servant saying he would like to chop off the heads of the maids or take their maidenheads or meaning virginity. The servants deliberately use language that could have a completely innocent meaning, or have a totally rude meaning, I am a pretty piece of flesh and poor-john, which is a type of dried fish, are examples of this. They also refer to their naked weapon which could have a rude or innocent meaning. All of these quotations create and add to the humorous, light atmosphere at the beginning of the scene. Shakespeare also uses the servants to start a lot of the action and provocation in the fighting part of the scene. The servants quickly change the atmosphere from one of jokes and humour to a serious, tense atmosphere that involves the audience and prepares them for the action of the public brawl. Because of these reasons, the servants were a good, lively and funny way for Shakespeare to start the play and get the audience interested. The next two characters that Shakespeare introduces the audience to, are as different as black and white. Benvolio is a more likeable character, he is fair and calm, and will try anything to keep the peace. Tybalt is a more aggressive, fiery, hot-tempered man who will try anything to get into a fight. Benvolio is a peaceful and pleasant person and it seems ironic after his attempts to stop the fight by trying to part the servants part fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do, that he should be one of the people that take it a step further. Tybalts powerful, slightly over the top, statement of turn thee, Benvolio, and look upon thy death show his aggression perfectly. Benvolios peacefulness and Tybalts aggression clash and create lots of the dramatic tension that the audience sense at this point in the play. Shakespeare introduces lord Montague and lord Capulet at the beginning of the play to show their importance to the rest of the story. Shakespeare portrays the two lords to the audience as two grumpy old men with a pointless grudge that they just cant get rid of, or remember how it started! They are delivered to the audience as senile men with a one-track mind, getting the better of one another. Shakespeare also wanted to inform the audience of the fact that as long as these two old men continue to act the way they do, the servants will never stop provoking each other, and the feud will go on and on. The old mens behaviour is pretty childish and quotations such as, What noise is this? Give me my long sword Thou villain Capulet! Hold me not Prove that the lords will run into a fight with each other without a second thought. The princes character is a total contrast to any other character that has entered the scene so far. Whereas the servants, Tybalt and the lords were all out of control and pretty irrational, the prince is in control of the situation from the moment he enters the stage to the moment he leaves. He has controlling authority over every other person in the scene. When the prince says his speech he is forceful and rational, although still angry, and uses words instead of actions to get the attention of the brawling citizens, such as rebellious subjects, enemies to peace The princes brief appearance in the play has a great impact on the rest of the play, dictating the future of anyone who disobeys his orders, and as no one else in the play is of higher authority, this is of great importance The type of language that the prince uses in his speech is a lot more developed than the language the other characters have previously used in the play. His language is descriptive and reflects the image that the audience might get of the prince, civilised and sophisticated. The prince uses imagery to describe certain aspects of the two families behaviour and the consequences that follow, as he poetically describes the amount the blood loss between the families as purple fountains issuing from your veins You men, you beasts that quench the fire of your pernicious rage is far more civilised than the prince trying to attract the attention of the fighting citizens by saying Oi! Listen to me! For these reasons everything about the way the prince comes across to the audience is a fresh contrast to the other people on the stage. The prince is like a linking paragraph in the play that brings down the high excitement, and acts as a turning point, to focus the audiences attention on another part of the play that follows the princes departure, which is our introduction to Romeo. When Lord and Lady Montague are talking to Benvolio, they give us an idea about Romeos character. The way they talk and express their concerns about him, leads the audience to believe that Romeo is not acting as he normally would. His father, lord Montague, talks of Romeos strange behaviour. Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night And of other strange behaviour such as Tears augmenting with the fresh mornings dew, adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs Benvolio also talks of Romeos strange twighlight wanderings and tells Romeos worried parents Towards him I made, but he was aware of me, and stole into the covert of the wood Benvolio and Lord and Lady Montague all speak of wanting the old, fun seeking, life loving, bouncy, and cheery Romeo back, instead of this strange moody version that has replaced the original Romeo. In the final part of the scene the audience gets to meet Romeo himself. In the conversation between Romeo and Benvolio, the audience finds out about Romeos idea of what it is like to be in love. The audience finds out why Lord and Lady Montague are worried about their son. Because Romeo thinks he is in love, and in Romeos opinion, being in love means that you are moody and miserable every second of the day that you do not spend with the person you are in love with. Unfortunately for everyone who knows Romeo, the person he thinks he is in love with does not love him back. This means that Romeo is hiding behind his idea of love, and he knows this, using fancy language that a normal person would not normally use to explain to his cousin how he feels. Shell not be hit by cupids arrow And the fact that in strong proof of chastity well armed from lovers weak childish bow she lives uncharmd Meaning that the woman Romeo thinks he loves has sworn to live without the love of a man, means that Romeos fake sorrow that he has because he thinks he is in love is made worse because of the way she has sworn to live her life. The audience also find out about Romeos views on this woman When she dies a total waste of this with beauty dies beautiful woman her store He thinks that when this woman is so beautiful that to live in chastity would be a waste of her beauty, as she could never pass this beauty on through her children. Shakespeare chooses to make Romeo speak in a poetic, dramatic way that would make anyone depressed, and expresses that Romeo is feeling depressed and moody. The oxymorons that Shakespeare gives him show that Romeo is mixed up. No one understands the idea of love, saying, O heavy lightness, serious vanity, but Romeo speaks so many that he goes over the top with his mixed-up, confused side, which shows that Romeo doesnt really feel the feelings he is showing. Romeo walks into a scene that has just seen such hatred and destruction that Romeo feels so out of place, when all he feels is love. He also talks of love as an illness, Bid a sick man in sadness make his will. Ah, word ill urgd to one that is so ill! and uses classical language making references to Cupid and the goddess of love, Diana, which are both connected to love and show that Romeo is educated and from a rich family. The two different versions of Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 scene 1 directed by Franco Zefferelli in 1968 and Baz Luhrmans idea are two completely different films! Franco Zefferelli chose to portray the story in Shakespeares time and he kept an authentic feel to the story, starting with a birds eye view of a dulled, misty city with traditional, classical music that first gives the idea of traditional settings. A deep, soothing male voice speaks the sonnet at the beginning of the film, as a body-less over voice. The idea of the middle-aged male reciting the sonnet is maybe to suggest that Shakespeare himself is the speaker and this makes the film seem a lot more professional. In contrast to the traditional setting of the Zefferelli version, the Baz Luhrman version of the love story starts with the sonnet being read by a softly spoken female reporter as the camera zooms in on the TV screen. As soon as the reporter finishes speaking, fast camera shots of a modern, hi-tech city are relayed on screen showing statues and the names Montague and Capulet in lights. At the same time, a new voice, this one male, starts to recite the sonnet again over loud, booming and dramatic music. Several important words, picked out from the sonnet, flash across the screen to create an impact and attitude that is carried on throughout the rest of the film. All of these effects make the opening minutes of the film, before we even meet any of the characters, dramatic and unforgettably gripping, a stark contrast to Franco Zefferellis quiet, atmospheric version. However, both versions are equally successful in capturing the audiences attention. Zefferelli then goes on to show an old fashioned traditional castle. As the camera swoops over it down to an old market square showing a typical Italian scene, soft, calm music is replaced by the loud hustle and bustle of the market. He introduces the servants from the Montague side, dressed in smart brightly coloured uniforms to show unity and pride for the Montague household. On the other hand, Luhrman introduces his Montague side rather differently. He goes straight to a camera shot of the back of an open top car. The servants are wearing brightly coloured casual open shirts, leaning out of the car showing little regard for their employer, the Montague family. Zefferelli starts the fray between the two houses almost immediately. The Capulet servants, dressed smartly but in a contrasting colour to the Montagues, laugh as the squabbling continues. This shows the light-heartedness of the present situation. Luhrman also distinguishes the two households servants by the way they dress. The Montagues brightly coloured and casual, the Capulets smart and crisply dressed in black, looking serious and very menacing. Unlike the light heartedness shown in Zefferellis film, Luhrman expresses a threatening, menacing and dangerous atmosphere when the two houses have their argument in the petrol station. This is also a completely different setting to the courtyard market. When Zefferelli introduces Benvolio and Tybalt, Benvolio makes himself heard over the crowd, and stumbles into the scene. Tybalt struts through the parting crowd, keeping aggressive eye contact with anyone who looks his way. Tybalts clothes are also very impressive, all black, loose, relaxed and casual. Benvolios clothes are tight and pristine, and his body language reflects the same tense, nervous atmosphere around him. Benvolio uses a very small timid voice when he confronts Tybalt, who uses a deep, strong voice. Luhrman introduces Benvolio and Tybalt, again, in a different way. Two feet dressed in smart black boots step out of a car, and the crunch as one of the metal covered heels steps onto a cigarette is emphasised to build up tension and atmosphere. This is our first view of Tybalt. Luhrman would have introduced him in this way to keep the air of mystery, and to keep viewers wondering who this person is. Then we have the confusing, fast slung, and shouted words of insult by the servants of each house, before Benvolio comes back from the toilet. Benvolios loud emphasis on words as he tries to part the brawling servants soon dies away as Tybalt as struts into the conflict, and as Benvolio suddenly quietly speaks his words of peace, nervousness comes through.

Health Dangers of Cell Phones and Ethical Selling

Health Dangers of Cell Phones and Ethical Selling Karabo Dhlamini Table of Contents Research Question Introduction Hypothesis Definition of Electromagnetic radiation Definition of Concept Advantages of Mobile Phones Disadvantages of Mobile Phones Conclusion Glossary Bibliography Acknowledgements No table of figures entries found. Research Question In conjunction with the various health issues associated with society and its use of mobile phones, is it ethical for retailers to sell this device without informing the consumer about the dangers? Introduction One of the most influential innovations of the 20th century is undoubtedly the science of technology; people have become dependent on Information Communication Technology to the point that our ability and progress is stagnant without it. The demand put on the population to have sufficient knowledge of ICT is so high that one cannot hold a profession or even be successful throughout their education. Now the most prevalent form of technology that influences our lives immensely is the mobile phone. Unfortunately the Information Communication Technology Industry is becoming widely known for perpetuating this product without informing the receivers about the adverse effects associated with its use. Mobile phones are purchased everyday from common day to day destinations and with the excessive purchasing of this product, misinformation can therefore come across as negatively influencing the moral barrier between the consumer and seller. (RUTKAUSKIENE, Danguole et al., 2011) (FUNWORKS, 2013) Hypothesis The effect that mobile devices have on the users health is measured to a miniscule magnitude. In that result, it is unnecessary for the mobile technology industry to make provision for cautioning users about these effects and therefore dispelling it of a moral issue. Definition of Electromagnetic radiation Electromagnetic radiation are harmful and harmless waves consisting electrically charged particles, their harmful nature is all dependant on the lengths of the wave's wavelength, the shorter the wavelength the more harmful the radiation is towards materials. (ANNE MARIE HELMENSTINE, Ph.D.) Definition of Concept Due to mobile technologies prevalence in human life, discoveries have been found that associate the device with the ability to cause harmful electromagnetic radiation. The transmission of radiation is somewhat miniscule but the real issue is derived from people's excessive use of the device. Mobile phone's transmit radio waves via base stations which in turn create radiofrequency waves that are electromagnetic. These waves cannot restructure chemical bonds within the human anatomy. Whether you are calling or just texting, when the mobile phone is on you are being exposed to radiofrequencies. Now if you are less than twenty centimetres away from your phone you are unfortunately in the vicinity of being exposed to radiation. Accounting to the morality of this issue, not being informed that you are in fact being harmed can raise some concern but the reality is that the scale at which you are being harmed can be considered insignificant. (BORRELI, Lizette, 2013) (MANN, Marion, 2013) Advantages of Mobile Phones Mobile phones have the ability to provide us with opportunities and most of all ease of access to technology. Ease of access refers to people's ability to reach data very quickly which might take hours to find through books and articles; the other reference is our ability to reach one another within minutes just by using the mobile phone's technology such as calling, blogging, texting and even video calling. The next aspect of mobile technology that makes it such an imperative part of our lives its user experience. The fact that no training or courses are necessary for someone to be able to use a mobile phone makes it very convenient as opposed to desktops which are very complicated. The various single task programs, called 'apps', diversify our personal abilities. People can now do things with their phones that they never expected would be possible. Mobile phone's also provide a user the ability to be always connected. People love communicating and sharing data with one another, now the mobile phone doesn't only provide us that possibility but also enables us to do it from where ever we are located. This skill has attracted several populations towards the product and away from any other previous forms of communication. Mobile technology is technically amazing but it is just as great in social implications. Mobiles can mine data for its user at very high velocities as opposed to their counterparts, books and articles. Due to the speed at which information is received, now people can be sure not to be misinformed about global affairs and other natural activities. Ultimately research is now vastly simpler to search for and therefore the increase in productivity for businesses, schools, and other industries can be promised. (STUDY OPPORTUNITIES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, 2014) Disadvantages of Mobile Phones Electromagnetic radiation is one of the biggest challenges that face our population, now with the introduction of radiation in mobile phones, it only makes it a much bigger problem. Brain tumours, genetic damage, short term blood cells, nausea, vomiting and cancer; these are just a few of the effects that people are allowing themselves to be exposed to whenever they are exposed to a significant amount of radiation. Mobile phones are not completely safe and that is the reality but one's safety can be easily rectified by firstly keeping the phone about 20cm away from your body. This distance can also be achieved with the use of headsets which allow a connection with the phone by a few meters. Another prevention strategy is to keep your phone away from your waist due to the radiation exposed to the hip bones which are responsible for 80% of the blood cells formed in the human anatomy. Ultimately the best prevention strategy for radiation exposure from mobile phones is by using it less. The more you use the mobile phone; the more exposure you get to radiation and the more likely you are to inherit cancer or genetic damage. This is not true because the comparison of ultraviolet radiation and radio wave radiation is to Hz and Hz respectively. Radio wave radiation, which is the radiation propagated by mobile phones, is classified as non-ionizing radiation; this type of radiation is known to have a maximum effect of heating on skin but mobile phones don't even transmit enough radiation to have such an effect. Ultraviolet, however, is ionizing radiation and this type of radiation is needed in order to have even the slightest possibility of cancerous symptoms on human beings. (U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, 2009) (VOLKOW ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, 2011) (MATTSON, Dr. Barbara, 2014) (KOVACH, Sue, 2007) (RADIATION ANSWERS, 2007) (MATTSON, Dr. Barbara, 2004) Conclusion The prevention strategies in conjunction with the various advantages that mobile technology imposes in society far outweighs the danger of radiation that mobile phone have on its user or society. The extent at which mobile phone's emit harmful radiation is also very insignificant compared to the quantities required to have cancerous effects on the human population. Thus, it is highly unnecessary for the mobile technology industry or retailers to make provision for warning the various mobile phone users and ultimately eliminating the possibility for a moral issue being raised with not informing users about its radioactive dangers. Glossary Bibliography ANNE MARIE HELMENSTINE, Ph.D. Electromagnetic Radiation Definition. [online]. [Accessed 03 Auguat 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: BORRELI, Lizette. 2013. 5 Reasons Why Cellphones Are Bad For Your Health. [online]. [Accessed 03 August 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: FUNWORKS. 2013. Module 2.2 E-Communications. [online]. KOVACH, Sue. 2007. The Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation. [online]. [Accessed 03 August 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: MANN, Marion. 2013. Optical Properties. In: Mind Action Series Physical Sciences Textbook and Workbook 12, Sanlamhof: ALLCOPY Publishers, pp.105-107. MATTSON, Dr. Barbara. 2004. Imagine the Universe! Dictionary. [online]. [Accessed 04 August 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: MATTSON, Dr. Barbara. 2014. Electromagnetic Spectrum Introduction. [online]. [Accessed 04 August 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: RADIATION ANSWERS. 2007. Effects of Radiation. [online]. [Accessed 03 August 2014]. Available from World Wide Web: RUTKAUSKIENE, Danguole, Daina GUDONIENE, Caroline MICHALAK et al. 2011. ICT and Mobile Technologies in Practise. European Commission. STUDY OPPORTUNITIES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 2014. Module 3.1 ICT and Society. [online]. U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. 2009. Radiation-Emitting Products: Reducing Exposure: Hands-free Kits and Other Accessories. Silver Spring, MD. VOLKOW ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ. 2011. Effects of cell phone radiofrequency signal exposure on brain glucose metabolism. In: Cell Phones and Radiiofrequency, PubMed Abstract, pp.808-813. Acknowledgements Acknowledgements are sent to my senior phase Physical Science teachers, Mrs Carol Grout and Mrs Ilze de Beer, for the various knowledge accumulated from Optical Properties lessons. Credit also goes to my Information Technology teacher, Mrs Stapelberg, for the eCommunication and various other Information Communication Technology lessons that provided me with the competence to create this research task.

Importance of Metrics in Marketing Strategies Case Study

Importance of Metrics in Marketing Strategies Case Study Teresa A. Cochran Marketing is a fundamental responsibility for all activities related to advertising and sales strategies that are vital to the success of any organization. The ability of an organization to efficiently market its products and services is directly related to the success or failure of the company. As noted by Arikan (2011), metrics form the base of any effective marketing strategy. However, many firms fail to utilize metrics to calculate success or failure of their strategies. Most companies focus on the new leads generated overlooking other important formulas that analyze the actual success of any type of marketing strategy. As the business environment evolves, new marketing strategies and options are invented which requires marketers to stay a step ahead by understanding key metrics and what they mean for a companys marketing strategies. Ideally, these metrics are measurable values used to demonstrate the level of effectiveness of marketing campaigns on all marketing channels. Since marketers operate across many channels, their marketing strategy will involve a variety of activities, which makes it important to track progress and performance of their actions with the right performance indicators. This can help a business to reach its marketing targets and make improvements when facing challenges. Before choosing the right metrics, it is important to consider channels being used and who in the business will use the resultant information to make decisions (Arikan, 2011). For Athletics Supreme, following are five important metrics that the company should use to evaluate performance of their marketing strategies. For this assignment, 5 marketing metrics will be reviewed to display the anticipated success of the Pleasantly Plus, plus size retail boutique and consignment shop. Each factor is a subcategory of the marketing metrics main categories; sales metrics, customer readiness to buy metrics, customer metrics, distribution metrics and communication metrics. The assignment will review in detail equations used to forecast the following: sales growth, awareness, retention rate, number of outlets and response rate. Sales Metrics Strategic marketing plans are created to facilitate an elevated consumer awareness to promote and attract customers to purchase your product. Data related to sales volumes measure the rate at which sales of your product and is imperative for decision making for the overall fiscal sustainability and financial success This metric is also valuable for strategic planning and will determine future growth projects for the company. Athletics Supreme must also monitor sales data including total sales and types of products sold. Sales data must then be evaluated by the company to determine the effectiveness of the marketing strategy or to determine barriers to sales. The sales metric being utilized to determine the efficacy of the advertising methods used must be monitored with respect to creating sales through increased product awareness. In addition, this evaluation would also determine the tactics that have a negative impact on sales goals (Farris, 2010). These key indicators will be monit ored by the marketing department over multiple sales periods. Athletics Supreme can utilize sales data to monitor growth and of the new product line Sales figures for the sports apparel product line will be monitored quarterly beginning with the date of the initial release of the products. This metric will be monitored for one year with the goal of establishing sales trend lines relative to seasonal sales. Sales growth represents the variance in comparing sales from differing time periods. This data can be reflected mathematically as: (Current time period net sales- Previous time period net sales) _________________________________________ x100 (Previous period net sales) Or As applied to Athletic Supreme ($50,000 net sales qtr 2- $35,000 net sales qtr 1 _________________________________________________________________ x100 $50,000 Athletics Supreme shows a growth rate from Qtr 1 to Qtr 2 of 30% Customer readiness to buy metrics Customer awareness is a method utilized to determine the number of consumers who have been made aware of the products offered, in this case by Athletics Supreme. From a marketing viewpoint, a strong awareness of your product increases potential consumer purchase. Marketers use customer readiness such as awareness, preference, purchase intention, trial rate, and repurchase rate as performance indicators of product branding therefore these indicators have a great deal of influence over strategic planning of a company (Hanssens, Pauwels, Srinivasan, Vanhuele, Yildirim, 2014). Consumer purchases are influenced by multiple stages of product awareness before purchasing. Consideration to the consumers thought process related to decision to purchase before determining an appropriate marketing plan. Athletics Supreme enters the sports apparel market with an edge over the competition due to having a presence in the industry. The company has a reputation for quality therefore, consumers have an established recognition of the name brand. Athletic Supreme should collect behavioral purchasing data based on preferences gathered from sales databases. By evaluating consumer purchases, Athletics Supreme can gain valuable data on consumers product preferences (Kotler Keller, 2012). Periodic surveys of customers that purchase the apparel would further assist in evaluation the most effective marketing tactics. Akrin (2011), notes that the quality advertising message will make customers more inclined to purchase sportswear. Athletics Supreme objective would be to obtain favorable response rates beyond 90 percent, and adjust marketing strategies accordingly. Videos are another medium that would be used in the raising of awareness regarding the new line of sportswear products. The number of viewers of a video is an effective way of determining whether the products receive the attention of the target customers. The target customers are expected to be impacted by the viewership of the videos to engage in the purchase of the products being marketed (Arikan, 2008). Based on the viewership metrics, Athletics Supreme should determine the most efficient marketing channel that facilitates the creation of awareness regarding the product to consumers. The Greater attention of the marketing medium that is most effective should be done to ensure that there is maximum exploitation of the medium to create awareness and influence consumers to make purchase decisions in favor of the sportswear products (Farris, 2010). As applied to Athletics Supreme, an approach to quantifying product awareness is based on cost per 1,000 contacts and then calculate the spend per contact for each advertisement. Marketing Originated Customer % is a ratio that reveals the percentage of the new business that is a result of Marketing efforts. It is computed by getting the number of customers that started with a lead generated by Marketing and then dividing it with the total number of new customers that signed up in a period; the value is then multiplied by 100 (Zikmund Babin, 2013). This metric will show the portion of customers acquisition that originated from Athletics Supreme Marketing efforts in a certain period. This metric is best analyzed using a closed-loop marketing analytics system as manual computation is tiring and takes time (Kotler Keller, 2012). Customer metrics Customer metrics is collection of data that can be used to determine what matters most to the customers: past, present and future. For Athletics Supreme a key subcategory in customer metrics to analyze would be the cost of customer acquisition. Per Arikan (2011), customer acquisition cost, is the cost incurred convincing a potential customer to buy a product or service. This metric is important to a company as well as its investors. Investors use it to determine a companys profitability by analyzing the amount of money that can be extracted from potential customers and cost incurred extracting it. Marketing specialists on the other hand use the metric to optimize returns on their advertising investment. It highlights whether costs of extracting money from customers can be reduced which would help improve the companys profit margin. Mathematically, it includes all cost incurred in acquiring customers over a given period divided by the total number of customers acquired in that period. Ideally, this includes all sales and marketing costs including advertising cost, salaries, commissions, bonuses and relevant overheads in each period (month, quarter or a year) (Zikmund Babin, 2013). For example, for Athletics Supreme, the Customer Acquisition cost in the first year will be: Total Marketing costs for the whole year/number of customers acquired within the year Therefore, if the company spent $50,000 on sales and marketing in a certain month and added 50 customers CAC = $50,000/50 =$1,000 CAC will be important to Athletics Supreme, as it will indicate the effectiveness of the money invested in acquisition of new customers. A high metric will indicate the company is spending too much on sales and marketing while a low metric would indicate that the company is using low costs to gain customers (Arikan, 2011). Customer Retention Rate Customer Retention Rate is used to calculate the loyalty of customers. Acquisition of new customers usually costs more than it costs retaining current ones (Shank Lyberger, 2014). Arikan (2011) argues that evaluating the dedication of a customer towards a company enables marketers to improve their strategies. Encouraging customers to stick with ones business for long helps maximize revenues. It is calculated by subtracting the number of new customers from the total number of customers in a certain period divided by the number of customers at the start of the period and then multiplied by 100 to make it a percentage, i.e. CRR= Customers End Period (CE)-New Customers for the Period (CN)/Customers at Start of the Period (CS) x 100. For example, if Athletics Supreme starts a month with 50 customers and gains 20 new ones but lose 15 customers in that month, the CRR would be; (55-20)/50*100 = 70% This metric will help Athletics Supreme to assess the loyalty of customers for each of its brands. It will also reveal the companys ability to nurture existing customers. Customer lifetime value (CLV) This metric is used to assess the economic value brought by a customer to a business for the entire duration the person remains a customer. It evaluates everything starting with the customers first interaction with the company to the final purchase. It is a comparison of revenues generated by a customer and the costs of acquiring and maintaining the customer. Calculating this metric helps to reveal whether there is value in maintaining long-term marketing channels. If the CLV value is high, a company needs to invest more in retaining customers for the long-term (Arikan, 2011). For example, if Athletics Supreme fills 300 orders with revenue of $20,000, the companys Average Order Value (AOV) would be $66.67. To determine Purchase Frequency (PF), the number of orders is divided by the number of unique customers. Assuming Athletics Supreme had 200 unique customers, PF would then be 1.5. Customer Value (CV) would then be AOVxPF, which is 66.671.5 =$100 Once CV is determined, Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is determined by multiplying the CV by the duration the customers have been in the company. Assuming the orders have a 4-year contract, CVL would be: CVL = Customer Value (CV) x Customer Duration with the Business =1004 =$400 This means, Athletics Supreme Customer Lifetime Value over 4-year duration is $400. Athletics Supreme will use this metric to analyze the potential value customers will bring into the company. According to Shank Lyberger (2014), a high value of the metric means customers are bringing high value which the company should aim at. A very high value would however mean the company is under spending and thus restraining growth. Distribution metrics Simon (2012) considers percentage of shelf space, or the space necessary to sell an item as an essential marketing data point. Athletics Supreme would ideally like to occupy as much of the display space as possible. By occupying a large amount of shelf space, Athletics Supreme has effectively monopolized the stores All Commodity Volume (ACV), or the rate of everything sold in the store. Despite its retail prominence, Athletics Supreme must remain effective by maintaining a successful supply chain logistics. As Simon, (2012) argues that even if Athletics Supreme obtains maximum display areas for the new product line, including overstock for internet sales, it will lose customers if the supply is not adequate. Overall, most retailers with make decisions on inventory based on the potential of selling the item quickly. Communication metrics is the gathering of data that can be utilized to determine the effectiveness of the varying forms of communication channels used. In this case, Athletics Supremes a key subcategory is effective reach. Effective reach is the subset of the target segment of the population that can be effected by an advertisement during a specified time frame. Additionally, the response rate data measures the rate of response that customers respond to information sent to the target market. Communication Metric) Per Arikan (2011), marketing influenced customer percentage is similar to Market Originated Customer %. However, it factors in all new customers where marketing efforts touched and/or nurtured the lead at any point in the sales process as opposed to only originating the lead. For example, if the sales person of Athletics Supreme found a lead who later attended a marketing event and closed, the new customer is assumed to having been influenced by Marketing. This percentage is usually higher than that of the Marketing Originated Customer % as it is more inclusive. It usually ranges from 50-99%. The retail industry is very competitive, therefore, Athletics Supreme must monitor the effectiveness of all forms of customer communication. For example, emails, coupons, and discounts offered on the next customer purchase. Increased sales figures after an email campaign would be a key indicator of the effectiveness of communication. The company can also measure its response rate via satisfaction surveys, Facebook and Twitter followers, and click through rates online. Per Kotler and Keller (2012), Athletics Supreme should focus communications based on frequency of purchase, which can manipulate response rates to double-digits. Conclusion Using metrics effectively will help Athletics Supreme understand the success of its marketing strategies. It will reveal areas where the companys marketing team excels at and where the team needs to improve. Therefore, metrics play an important role in marketing efforts and the company should use the above metrics as well as add others that are relevant to its business. References Arikan, A. (2011). Multichannel marketing: metrics and methods for on and offline success. John Wiley Sons. Farris, P. W. (2010). Marketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press. Hanssens, D. M., Pauwels, K. H., Srinivasan, S., Vanhuele, M., Yildirim, G. (2014). Consumer Attitude Metrics for Guiding Marketing Mix Decisions. Marketing Science, 33(4), 534-550. doi:10.1287/mksc.2013.0841 Jeffery, M. (2010). Data-Driven Marketing: The 15 Metrics Everyone in Marketing Should Know (1). Hoboken, US: John Wiley Sons, Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com Kotler, P., Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing management Shank, M. D., Lyberger, M. R. (2014). Sports marketing: A strategic perspective. Routledge. Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J. (2013). Essentials of marketing research. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Critical Analysis of The Indifferent by John Donne Essay -- Indifferen

Critical Analysis of "The Indifferent" by John Donne "The Indifferent" by John Donne is a relatively simple love poem in comparison to his other, more complicated works. In this poem, "he presents a lover who regards constancy as a 'vice' and promiscuity as the path of virtue and good sense" (Hunt 3). Because of Donne's Christian background, this poem was obviously meant to be a comical look at values that were opposite the ones held by Christians. According to Clay Hunt, "['The Indifferent'] is probably quite an early poem because of the simplicity and obviousness of its literary methods, its untroubled gaiety, and its pose of libertinism, which all suggest that Donne wrote [the poem] when he was a young man about town in Elizabethan London" (1-2). The poem "mocks the Petrarchan doctrine of eternal faithfulness, putting in its place the anti-morality which argues that constancy is a 'heresy' and that 'Love's sweetest part' is 'variety'" (Cruttwell 153). The first two stanzas of the poem seem to be the speaker talking to an audience of people, w hile the last one looks back and refers to the first two stanzas as a "song." The audience to which this poem was intended is very important because it can drastically change the meaning of the poem, and has therefore been debated among the critics. While most critics believe that the audience changes from men, to women, then to a single woman, or something along those lines, Gregory Machacek believes that the audience remains throughout the poem as "two women who have discovered that they are both lovers of the speaker and have confronted him concerning his infidelity" (1). His strongest argument is that when the speaker says, "I can love her, and her, and you and you," he first points out two random nearby women for "her, and her", then at the two that he is talking to for "you and you."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stanza begins rather simply. Donne starts every line with either "I can love" or "Her who." According to Hunt, the tone of the first stanza goes from "weary and patient entreaty" to "a climax of irritation at the end" (4) in the lines "I can love her, and her, and you and you / I can love any, so she be not true." The first eight lines simply list opposite character types, but the last two lines go to "her, and her, and you and you", then to any, "just before Donne springs the sho... ...hold.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This poem presents a speaker that holds morals opposite the ones accepted by the greater part of society. While this poem is not incredibly complicated, it is very interesting to see how Donne spends the first 25 lines of the poem building up a convincing argument, then completely rebutting it in the final two lines. He refers to promiscuity as a vice and constancy as a virtue, using many sexual references to help illustrate his points. Donne successfully creates a character in a simple love poem that believes that there is nothing more to love than lust, and then uses his point of view to portray a portrait of love that is completely opposite of what Donne wants the reader to get from the poem. Works Cited Cruttwell, Patrick. "John Donne." Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 24: 153. Hunt, Clay. Donne's Poetry: Essays in Literary Analysis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954. Machacek, Gregory. "Donne's The Indifferent." Explicator [CD-ROM] 53.4 (Summer 1995): p. 192, 3 p. Availible: Magazine Article Summaries Full Text Elite. Item Number: 951025812. McNees, Eleanor J. "John Donne." Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800 24: 207.

Humorous Wedding Roast by a Friend of the Groom Essay -- Wedding Toast

Humorous Wedding Roast by a Friend of the Groom Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen – I'd like to start by saying that what a genuine honor it is to be part of Norman's wedding. I appreciate that I am just one of many equally suitable close friends that he could well have chosen. But I know he looks upon me as the older brother he never had, and I look on him as the younger brother I never wanted. So here I stand with this great opportunity to reveal to all, Norman’s past misdemeanors. So I could trot out the usual stories; like when he woke up in a football field wearing a red thong and swimming goggles. But instead, I’ve decided to use this time to talk of Norman’s achievements, so you needn’t worry, we’re almost at the end of the speech. Without doubt his greatest achievement is marrying Janet, who looks absolutely stunning today. You’ve done extremely well Norman, you’ve f...

To Build a Fire - Man is Foolish :: London To Build a Fire Essays

To Build a Fire - Man is Foolish How many times have you seen birds flying south for the winter? They do not read somewhere or use some computer to know that they must fly to survive. In Jack London's "To Build a Fire", we see how that man is sometimes foolish. The man, who is walking in seventy-five degrees below zero weather, lets his learned behavior override his instinct. Therefore, he dies. London's theme is that no matter how intelligent society becomes, we as a species should never discard our basic instincts. In the beginning of the tale we see that the man realizes it is cold, but only sees this as a fact and not a danger. The man spit on the ground to test how cold it was. His test taught him that it was colder than he had first thought, but he never thought of that as a danger only as a reality. "That there should be anything more to it than that was a thought that never entered his head" (119). To many times modern man plods along oblivious to the reality that lies one moment or misstep away (Votleler 272). The man sees that he is feeling the effects of the cold more and more as he goes along, but more than ever he pushes on. Several times he comments that the cold is making his hands and feet numbed, and frostbite is killing his cheeks. He thinks "What were frosted cheek? A bit painful, that was all. . ." (120). Again he chose to ignore an instinct that would have saved him. The dog, on the other hand, although guided by his learned behavior still retains his instincts. The dog follows the man throughout his ill faded journey, but after the man perishes he relies upon his instincts to survive. This is witnessed in the last paragraph by the statement "Then it turned and trotted up the trail in the direction of the camp it knew, where there were other food providers and fire providers" (129). The theme of London's "To Build a Fire" is how we should all take heed

Good vs Evil in the Last of the Mohicans Essay

In â€Å"James Fennimore Cooper’s† novel The Last of the Mohicans, the characters Hawkeye and Magua, shows a perfect example of good versus evil. Their chance meeting in the wilderness brings the two men together and ultimately ends in a battle of wills. As in many novels, good sometimes wins over evil. Hawkeye and Magua are alike in many ways. These two men are the main characters in the novel of â€Å"James Fennimore Cooper’s†. Hawkeye and Magua are considered heroes, good scouts, and excellent hunters. They both have special interested in the two sisters, Cora and Alice. They have earned respect from their own tribe. In the novel of The Last of the Mohicans, Hawkeye is the main protagonist. He was adopted by the tribe and lives amongst the Indians. Hawkeye can never look Indian, since he comes from European blood, but he dresses, talks and respect the laws of the tribe. Hawkeye is a good man with lots of qualities. In the other hand, Magua is a Chief in the Huron tribe. Magua’s nature is the complete opposite of those in the Mohicans’s tribe. He is a villain because the pain he suffered from the loss of his family in the hands of the Europeans. Magua dies in the end of the novel by the hand of Chingachgook, the adoptive father of Hawkeye. In conclusion, these two characters represent the good versus evil in the novel The Last of the Mohicans. It shows again the tremendous differences between right and wrong. Hawkeye and Magua, two different characters represent a perfect example of good hero and a deprivable villain.

Finance Essay

These policies are characterized by a combination of risk and return, and can have from a conservative to an aggressive profile. The three types of working capital policies most recommended and used are: Aggressive Policy, Average Policy, and Conservative Policy. The aggressive policy working capital management focuses on maintaining current assets amounts at minimum levels, which is reflected in the total asset turnover higher, with a higher margin. This policy emphasizes the aspect of returns on risk-return decision. This policy is the highest risk policy but with more funds to reinvest in the company or usiness. According to Kulkarni (2011) â€Å" it is a high risk arrangement though, because, should your creditor come asking for money, and for some reason, you don’t have enough money to pay them off, you might end up having to sell a costly asset to pay off your debt to them. † (Kulkarni, A. 2011 , Working Capital Policy, 9). The matching policy working capital mana gement leaves a person with cash available to reinvest in his company or business. This policy entails a medium level risk and with this policy the business assets matched business liabilities. According to Kulkarni (2011) â€Å"this policy works in an arrangement where the current assets of the business are used perfect to match the current liabilities. It is a medium risk proposition and requires a good amount of attention. † (Kulkarni, A. 2011 , Working Capital Policy, 6). A conservative policy working capital management focuses on maintaining a high liquidity, as well as other accounts assets, as inventories and accounts receivable, which is very expensive, because they remain idle resources that eventually become unproductive, with slow rotation of assets due to the large investment in current assets. This policy emphasizes the minimization of risk, as opposed to maximizing yields that is not risk to be sure liquidity. A conservative policy may be best for people who want to keep low risks. According to Kulkarni (2011) â€Å"This is the policy with the lowest risk, but it reduces the money used in increasing the production† (Kulkarni, A. 2011 , Working Capital Policy, 11). Recommended Policy The working capital policy recommended for Lawrence Sports is the matching policy, more commonly referred to as the moderate approach. The working capital is funded by short and long term borrowing, equity financing or a combination of them. It is vital for the company to balance the risk and return of financing. The moderate approach falls in between the two other polices described above and is the most balanced. This enables Lawrence Sports to balance its risk and returns. Furthermore, it finances short term debt with temporary assets while permanent and fixed assets are financed by long term debt and equity sources (Zeepedia, n. d. ). A moderate approach gives Lawrence Sports the ability to maintain the relationships necessary to continue business, balance the working capital to still create a profit, and repay what is owed to the bank. Figure 1. Different Policies Regarding the Level of Investment in Working Capital demonstrates how the Moderate Approach compares with the others in terms of the level of investment in working capital (Watson ;amp; Head, 2012, p. 72). Risk It is important for a company to choose the best working capital policy, one that features a level of risk the company can handle. Team C decisions about working capital management are being driven by the intrinsically related priority of risk management. Team C’s aim is to minimize the risk of insolvency while maximizing the return on the assists (Dixon, 1991). Teams C choose the matching working capital policy because it entails a medium level of risk and it will also leave Lawrence Sports with more cash to reinvest in the business. Lawrence Sports will keep low levels of working capital so that they can employ the funds more productively elsewhere like purchasing more goods or more machinery. It is a relatively amount of risk balanced by a relatively moderate amount of expected return. The best level of working capital would be the one in which a balance is achieved between risk and efficiency which also requires continuous monitoring to maintain proper level in various components of working capital, i. e. , cash receivables, inventory and payables, etc. Contingencies A contingency is an unexpected event or situation that affects the financial health, professional image, or market share of a company. It is usually a negative event, but can also be an unexpected windfall such as a huge order. Anything that unexpectedly disrupts a company’s expected operation can harm the company even if the disruption is because of a windfall (Duff, 2013). In the case of Lawrence Sports there should be a contingency plan in place in the event product is damaged or lost either in transit or by some unforeseen event. Another contingency plan Lawrence Sports should consider is a cash reserve to cover accounts receivable loses if Mayo defaults on invoice credits. In this case vendor defaults affect bottom line but in turn Lawrence would not have to borrow money from Gartner and avoid high interest rates. For Lawrence to recover from such an incident Lawrence Sports needs to use its working capital to cover the costs so that funds are not continuously incurred on the bank loan. In order for Lawrence Sports to raise the capital to cover a contingency plan Mayo would have to relinquish all sales to Lawrence Sports, payments to Gartner will have to be stretched out further and Murray would lose working capital and halt operations because Lawrence Sports payments would be differed even longer. These hefty decisions are all apart of risk management and can negatively affect business relations.

News Updates on “Tree man” Essay

On January 19, Shurmer (2010), a writer for the Comment News website wrote an article updating the site readers on the ongoing struggles of Richard Pennicuik, better known as â€Å"Tree man. † Since early December of the previous year, Tree man had been living in a gum tree near his house in Hume Road, in the City of Gosnells, as a form of protest and to save the tree from the city council plans to clear the street of any and all mature trees that may cause harm by dropping large limbs. As of the writing of the article, he had been in the tree for 43 days and was experiencing physical difficulties on top of his legal issues as there was a severe heatwave and the high temperatures were causing him discomfort. Entitled â€Å"‘Tree man’ loses hope,† the article chronicled Tree man’s fading optimism caused by heat-induced headaches; the council fining him $5000, as it deemed the platforms that served as his makeshift treehouse were illegal, and forcing him to remove these structures; and the abandonment of an adjacent gum tree by a rotating team who had occupied it for the same cause. A couple of months later on March 13th, a Staff Writer (2010) for Perthnow a local subsidiary of The Sunday Times, wrote a relatively more recent update piece on the Tree man. Asking â€Å"Tree man Richard Pennicuik for mayor? † the report comes on the heels of a stand-off the previous day wherein he still refused to come down from the tree even after policemen and tree-cutting machinery had arrived. Apparently, despite the previous report on his morale and health problems, he had stayed on the tree for another 53 days. The title of the article comes from a comment Tree man had made, saying he had intentions of running for city mayor as the current council he was battling was â€Å"laughable and unworkable. † An analytical comparison of these two Tree man news article updates will be discussed. The first, most noticeable, difference between the two news articles is their marked difference in length, with the first article much longer than the second. Although quantity does not necessarily denote substance, it can be observed that the Comment News article contains relatively more actual facts about the situation than the PerthNow article. In addition, on a related note, it can also be noticed that the former article has more content related to the actual subject, as denoted by the article title, than the latter. As an example to support both of these observations, although Comment News does not include a quote wherein Tree man explicitly stated that he was â€Å"losing hope,† it does mention why this would be the case by including a quote where he said he â€Å"didn’t cope well† with the heatwave headaches and how the $5000 fine would â€Å"ruin his family. † The PerthNow article, on the other hand, only justifies the title mentioning Tree man’s mayoral aspirations with the quote: â€Å"The current regime is laughable and unworkable and I want to get in there, if I have enough supporters, to run the council the way it should be run. † The rest of the article, however, does not mention the issue again and only contains a brief summary of the previous day’s stand-off and another quote from Tree man where he reasserts his stance. The Comment News article does seem to slightly force the â€Å"losing hope† theme though, by briefly mentioning that the street was desolate due to the abandonment of the adjacent gum tree, although Tree man is not mentioned as having an opinion on this. However, this observation still contributes to the discussion of the main subject. Coherence to a specific topic is somewhat of a requirement for any formal article, especially one that is professionally written. The briefness and lack of coherence in the case of the latter article can, however, can be attributed to the writer expecting the reades to already know the details as the situation was already months-long, and there was a climactic update the day before. Both articles do, however, paint Tree man as both a dedicated activist from his acts of defiance, and also a novelty character as the tones of his quotes in the first article are slightly rattled and dramatic and in the second, noticeably vague.He was also described as remaining â€Å"defiantly aloft† despite legal and physical danger, and his lawyer’s protests. References hurmer, J. (2010, January 19). ‘Tree man’ loses hope. Comment News. Retrieved from http://southern. inmycommunity. com. au/news-and-views/local-news/Tree-man-loses-hope/7546357/ Staff Writer. (2010, March 13) Tree man Richard Pennicuik for mayor? PerthNow. com. The Sunday Times. Retrieved from http://www. perthnow. com. au/news/tree-man-richard-pennicuik-for-mayor/story-e6frg12c-1225840398316