Discussion Question on country competitiveness

Country competitiveness Is determined by a multitude of factors that ‘measures and compares the effectiveness of countries In providing firms with an environment that sustains the domestic and International competitiveness of those firms' (Sheehan & Lou: Chi. 5, p. 130). How a countries excel In bringing firms to contribute to the country competitiveness is the result of many factor that are evaluated yearly by the Forum in order to rank almost every country. The report is called Global Competitiveness Index, although it offers over 500 pages; the content is laid out in an orderly fashion and easy to follow.Let's have a look at how these factors/ determinants influence over FAD strategy. Country-Level, Industry-Level, Firm-Level, Individual-Level Factor-driven economies (Institutions, Infrastructure, Macroeconomic environment, Health and primary education) The level of competitiveness contributing to the country success can be well due to Its Institutional competitiveness; the competitive advantages that firms create In result of their operation wealth a specific circle of institutions is the driving capability to succeed in a socioeconomic context.Foreign firms will likely invest more where they know there is a good management of legal, lattice and economic institutions to protect their rights and property. Mature infrastructures facilitate connectivity, thus lessening the distance between territories. Strong network infrastructures interconnected with national market encourage economic development. Transport, communication and telecommunication infrastructure system is what allow entrepreneurs to do their business, quick stream of information increases global economic productivity by allowing businesses to interact and make decisions.Macroeconomic factor alone, even though stable does not Increase the country's competitiveness but a macroeconomic disorder can actively affect the economy. Workers need to be able to rely on good health services to avoid u nnecessary absenteeism. Good health has proven to enable workers to better function. Also, workers who are educated increase their efficiencies at work but are limited to more manual jobs than one where a more elaborate process is involved.Thus, a lack of basic education can also limit the growth off firm's capacity to develop. (Sheehan & Lou, up. 139) Mentioned that countries cannot be competitive on every level. Some of the week area can be mitigated through trade agreement. Paraguay is a known to experience frequent power shortages at peek hour. That may cause a MEN to choose to locate in another country if their productions demand usage of electricity.Efficiency-driven economies (Higher education and training, Goods market efficiency, Labor market efficiency, Financial market development, Technological readiness, Market size) Well-educated and continuous training is fundamental to firm who want attractive for a firm that evolves in the market technology and is always on a learni ng path to react and adapt to the fast pace IT progresses. To be better positioned in the racket, government with a well balanced set of market rules that does not restrict business productivity, but instead encourages foreign MEN to locate in the country.Per instance, restringing rules and heavy administrative paperwork causes delay that can result in missing out opportunities. In finance, there are always uncertainties, but putting all these factors together can provide a fair level of competitiveness. Not mentioned here though is the impediment of the financial economy when dealing with tax rate, interest rate, deficit and public debt in general also depend on how government manages its public accounts. An example would be a decrease in the FAD inflow in the U.S last year compared to the previous ones. Many factors that caused this decreased percentage of foreign investment are explained by Jackson,J. K. (2013) in a report prepared for committee member of Congress. Innovation-dri ven (Business sophistication, Innovation) In order to succeed in that factor, support from private and public sector is essential. For example, program subvention in R& D is often what create a breakthrough in many sectors. Developing countries don't often have the knowledge and the people like scientist to run that program.

The possible ways of reducing global differences in wealth

The biggest drop in percent of population living on $1 or less occurs in East Asia and Pacific, this followed suit with the globalisation of the world, with TNCs spreading across continents. East Asia, china and India have seen the biggest influx of foreign direct aid and seen a massive expansion in their secondary sector. This has brought a surge of higher paying jobs and improved the livelihood of many. The global implications of this have created a different economic climate with increasing power shifting from America to Asia. The standard rich and poor divide is becoming increasingly blurry with many eastern Asian countries moulding the global future. The implications could be dangerous, though economically China is inspiring, socially and environmentally the country is still in the dark ages and with power shifting are say on human rights and environmental damage is becoming slowly quieter. Sub-Saharan Africa has shown little change in the percentage of population living on $1 or less. This contradicts the fact that aid has increased dramatically since 1981, showing that aid has little effect on long term success of a country. The poor inhabitants of Africa has allowed many multinational companies to take advantage of the low paying subsistence farming and have managed to shift control from them to the to TNCs. Cash cropping has become a common place in Africa, with a high dependency on the technology and capabilities of the MEDC companies. Eastern Europe and Central Asia have seen an increase in the percent ever since the 1990s, the breakdown of communism and caused a vacuum of development as Europe must spread into the global era. Being slow to take up globalisation the countries of Eastern Europe have seen an increase in poverty as the countries in East Asia and South Asia attract the sights of TNCs. b) With reference to specific examples evaluate the possible ways of reducing global differences in wealth. With connections between the rich and the poor becoming increasingly stronger in the global era, it is becoming increasingly harder to ignore our personal effects on the less fortunate. Ties created in a different social era have suppressed the development of the less economically developed countries. We have a responsibility to assess our impacts and create a suitable response if we are ever to progress to a world were boundaries no longer exist. The globalisation of the North and South divide has not allowed countries to exploit their potential but instead allowed the power countries to strengthen their hold over the poorer countries. Can we continue to chuck aid aimlessly at countries, increasing their dependence or must our strategies incorporate the social and environmental differences for their true independence? During the 1900s, many less economically developed countries took advantage of the economic stable environment that allowed small interest rates on loans. Seeing an easy solution to quick development, LEDCs blindly took many loans to fund their own economic and social environments, but the year of 1982 brought a sudden increase of world interest rates. The oil crises placed many poor countries into a spiral of unimaginable debt with the only solution being to take out more loans, only creating a short period of stability. So is the solution simply to cancel all debt the â€Å"forgive and forget† idea or will it create more problems than it is worth? Most poor countries own billions of pounds of debt, governments of these countries are forced to increase tax, sell of assets (land and resources cheaply) and are easily influenced by the powerful countries. Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world, and with a set of wealthy countries with wealthy inhabitants wanting to see the warm and different sections of the world; it poses a great asset that many LEDCs can exploit. The individual and unique locations that many LEDCs own means that tourism could offer a possible solution to the wealthy divide. But a hidden danger lies in this so called silver bullet. Many LEDCs see the opportunity of tourism, but the exploitation of this has placed most of the inhabitants of the hot country feeling subjugated. Vietnam is a classical example of a naturally beautiful country with high amounts of debt, its unique social lifestyle and unspoiled countryside has attracted many people. Unfortunately the government has placed too much emphasis on tourism and society has felt the re-precautions. With wealthy westerners and their bulging wallets, the Vietnamese government has done what it can to part the people with their money. This includes selling land in rural areas used as farming for subsistence farmers to build hotels and tourist attractions. Forcing people out of their villages to create a fake village aimed solely at selling souvenirs and creating money thus creating social hostility as age old traditions are placed on hold for the welcoming of the westerners. In one case in a small village called Hanoi, a small battle took place as builders fought with the locals for a section of land destined for a supermarket. Even though tourism is a possible source of money and if tapped properly can benefit Vietnam, the reality is often less fair. Most money made by tourism is often injected back into tourism, many used for infrastructure and amenities is designed for westerners. Supermarkets and hotels are unlikely to benefit the locals with most jobs not going to local population, even if tourism has a positive effect on the locals, they are often highly dependent on the tourists seasons and good weather. Many resorts in Vietnam are owned and controlled by TNCs, removing the major economic benefits to their base countries often in the MEDCs. Tourism is a powerful industry but as seen in Vietnam can often just be an extension of the western world, the original purpose of advancing the country through careful exploitation of their country can often create hostility or great dependence on the wealth of the MEDCs. If the countries are ever going to develop they can't solely base their economic status on the money of the powerful ones. Aid is seen by many people and governments as simply helping the poor, but the fact is giving aid is more complex than is expected. Aid is identified as the transfer of resources encouraging economic growth in developing countries, but simply saying we are giving money to LEDCs doesn't make it aid. Foreign aid is aid given by more economically developed countries and must fit the criteria of not giving commercial benefits for the donor country, but most aid has strings attached. For example the British government has funded many projects in LEDCs including Malaysia's Pergau hydro-electric dam scheme. i234 million pounds was given as conditional aid to Malaysia but soon came out that in conjunction Malaysia was signed to numerous million pounds defence contracts. Short term aid and charitable organisations should also ways be welcome. Emergency aid is essential for any country both MEDC and LEDC and charitable organisations is specialised aid that is appropriate for many countries while pumping aid into infrastructure that is widely inappropriate for the peoples social and economic development will again only create another dependency. Fair trade is an old idea, but only in recent years has become more prominent as consumer demands change to recent awareness of poverty. It is a simple idea that doesn't require huge funds into countries and aims to level the playing field of the trading game. In Ethiopia, banana prices were at a 50 year low and with a continuous increase in banana production it was set to further decrease. Essentially producers were competing with other local producers unaware the rare deal they have. Ethiopia has a wealth of resources and the fractured banana industry has only allowed TNCs and countries to exploit the fragile industry, placing the producers with little power to negotiate. This is where fair trade bananas took hold. By joining numerous producers together offering increased profit and not reducing quality, they are given more power over the export business. Fair trade offers consumers a moral choice, though more expensive than supermarket brands it hasn't dampened the fair trade business. Fair trade works simply because it doesn't rely on funding; it relies on creating a sustainable and suitable environment for primary industry to flourish. MEDCs do rely heavily on LEDCs and their primary production, but simply bulling and controlling the world market has lead to an uninspiring industry. The key word is sustainable development of industry, unlike foreign aid which can fluctuate and sometimes doesn't directly go to the people who need it, fair trade is aimed at the most poverty stricken societies. The future of the world depends on the united front of all the countries, if we are ever going to be able to progress as a society we have a responsibility to breakdown the invisible walls that separate us. This can't be done by taking pity or forcing our help on to them we must create a global climate for them to grow and develop without being constricted by the politics and greediness of the power countries. The simple fact is most LEDCs have the capabilities and resources to remove themselves from poverty, and given the chance will be able to. Though our responsibility in their future should be little, we must object to political terrorism and dictators and even our dictatorial control. Most LEDCs should develop without the influences of the western world; they are individual countries that should exploit the needs of the western world. The less economically developed countries must stand on their own two feet, without the pillars of the MEDC telling them were to stand.

Effective Technology Support Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effective Technology Support Team - Essay Example The success enjoyed by Davies' team is proof of the fact that he enjoyed a rather effective technology support team. However, as we can see, his team was composed not only of his colleagues, but professors and graduates as well. This fact seems to point out, that for team success, it is not necessary to have a group of geniuses with a plethora of experience. So, what is it that actually determines how successful a team is Apart from having a well-defined objective, it is important for a team to have a clear process through which they will achieve that objective, i.e. the group defines and achieves a continuous series of 'small wins' along the way to a larger goal. In the example above, there were numerous problems the Stanley group faced along the way of the actual execution of the plan (such as the problem of controlling the car in dust and fog). However, the team was prepared for all the challenges they faced. Sure, they didn't have all the possible technologies they might need to get them through, but they had meticulously planned a specific line of action for each problem they might face. (Geoff Koch, former Intel editor, www.intel.com) A team can only flourish when it exists in an easy yet involving environment, in the sense that there is a lot of healthy discussion in which virtually everyone participates, but it limited to the teams' objective. If discussion gets off track, someone (whose role is pre-assigned) brings it back to the task in hand. After listening to each other, members just voice any and all ideas that come to mind. They do net hesitate considering the fact that their creativity may be labeled stupidity. They disagree and criticize each other frequently, but they always scrutinize each others' reason for doing so, so that they might work constructively towards the objective of the team. The purpose is simply not to dominate the dissenter, but to resolve the issue. Conversely, the dissenters don't try to dominate the group; they simple voice a genuine difference of opinion. If there are basic disagreements that can't be immediately resolved, the group figures out a way to live with them without let ting them halt its efforts. A decision is only taken when there is either unanimous or at the very least a general agreement, but never when there was confusion regarding both sides of a choice. (MacGregor D., n.d., The Human Side of Enterprise), (Kaztenbach & Smith, n.d. The Wisdom of Teams) However, this is the scenario where a team has actually been assembled and it sets out to perform the task at hand. But how is that team chosen in the first place, i.e. how does team building actually occur The first question asked about any team member is the level of intelligence. Are their brains capable of computing the amount of data necessary for the task When designing a particular system, there are a million different problems he might face.Will that person be able to address those issues Very simple put, does he have what it takes (patience, experience, judgment, analytical/problem solving capabilities, etc)to handle his job Additionally, it helps if the team members are curious about the things they actually research into. For e.g.

Preperation of an evidence based clincal guideline informed by critque Thesis

Preperation of an evidence based clincal guideline informed by critque of relevent evidence - Thesis Example This review considered three types of studies, namely the randomized control trial, a systematic review and a qualitative study. It emerged that, water immersion presented a reduced need for the use of analgesia during labor. Moreover, women felt more confident and in control of the birth process when water immersion was used. However, one of the studies highlighted that there was a higher risk of infection when water immersion was used. The three studies considered in the review presented evidence that water immersion had the potential to reduce the use of analgesia during the first two stages of labor. However, it also highlighted that failure to take precautions regarding the safety of the water may lead to infections in the unborn baby. Evidently, further research concerning this issue is needed. This review considers three different types of studies in a bid to gain the evidence of the potential benefits of using water immersion during the first two stages of labor. A close analysis of the results from each study reveals that water immersion may serve to reduce the pain experienced during labor and hence eliminate the need for spinal analgesia that is normally given to women in labor. Even when there is a need for analgesia, the studies reveal that it is usually limited when using water immersion. There is a need for advanced research in this sector because the available evidence does not give conclusive findings on the rate of infection during water immersion. In the 21st century, water birth has become one of the choices that women make regarding their preferred methods of delivery. There has been an increasing controversy regarding the potential benefits of water birth as well as the new challenges it may pose. This necessitates the presence of a clinical guideline that highlights the critical issues related to water birth (da Silva, de Oliveira, & Nobre, 2009). Notably, it has

Fires of Jubilee(History) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fires of Jubilee(History) - Essay Example By the time he was five years old, his parents discovered that he had exceptional abilities to read and write, an extremely commendable feat as education was quite rare among the slaves. This quality earned him immense respect amongst the other slaves. â€Å"He was living in the innocent season of his life, in those carefree years before the working age of twelve when a slave boy could romp and run about the plantation with uninhibited glee† (OATES, P.7). But the dramatic events that occurred in the year 1809 had a significant impact on young Nat that changed his life immensely. When Nat was barely nine years old, his father ran away to escape the slavery regime and never returned. Subsequently, his master, Benjamin Turner died leaving Nat under the aegis of his son Samuel Turner, who was a religious fanatic in his mid twenties and worked his slaves hard; often using Christianity as a tool to scare them into obedience. This was a predominantly widespread belief among the whites who tried to teach the blacks that God was supreme and he allowed slavery as the whites were superior to the blacks. Moreover, the whites insisted obedience from the slaves on the grounds that it was God’s will and those who questioned his authority were destined to burn in hell and even the thought of escaping slavery could invite his wrath. In 1821, when Samuel Turner hired an overseer Nat was highly displeased. Eventually, he requested his master to set him free but got whipped instead which added to his growing discontent and led him to flee into the wilderness only to return after thirty days. In 1822, after the death of Samuel Turner, Nat was sold to Thomas Moore. By the summer of 1825, Nat increasingly grew to be more withdrawn, often spending his Sundays in the cabin praying and reading the Bible. As Nat grew older he started having â€Å"visions† and dreams of the black spirits defeating the white spirits, which he perceived as God’s messages to him and was,

My Legends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

My Legends - Essay Example What happened to me in sixth grade was just a spot of my bad history the real beginning was in junior high school. After graduating from primary school, I went to the fourth junior high school in the city. This was the best school in my hometown, but it was also famous for bad boys and girls. Most bad students from my city came to this school. There were three grades and I made several new friends who always wanted to play. I usually go with them and we played together every day. In China, we can’t smoke and go to the entertainment places. However, I started to smoke and was able to go to internet clubs with them. Sometimes we fight with other students for any reason, so some students were scared of us and treated us as bad guys, but we were not the worst students. Even though I always did bad things, my grade was a little good. I was good at English and Math, and I always got in the first three ranks. At the same time my parents began to work on their own company, so they har dly had time for me, and I started to behave worse. Actually, I thought I would have a party time without my parents’ control over me, but it didn’t take long. One day, I went to the internet club, as usual, not knowing that my mother followed me;. she criticized me and pulled me home. As a punishment, my parents made me kneel for three hours to reflect on what I did. Another occasion, my father learned from his friend that I also involved myself in fighting in the streets, so I was again punished for it.

Renewable Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Renewable Energy - Essay Example 0.4502 0.0162 7 0.3919 0.0156 8 0.4226 0.0156 9 0.4172 0.0171 10 0.4081 0.0177 11 0.4000 0.0194 12 0.3946 0.0206 13 0.3634 0.0236 14 0.3347 0.0275 15 0.3547 0.0251 16 0.3493 0.0247 17 0.2814 0.0354 18 0.3028 0.0277 19 0.3727 0.0329 20 0.3095 0.0487 21 0.3237 0.0400 22 0.3279 0.0550 The corresponding graph was drawn. 0.70.60.50.40.3 0.20.1 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 (Ti-Ta)/GT From the chart, FR ()=intercept=0.4912. (49.12%) FR UL=Slope=(4.912/(-8.236))=0.596 2. Assess the suitability of the most appropriately oriented part of your roof for installing a solar water heater. How will this affect the performance of the proposed solar water heaters (If you live in an apartment with a flat roof I guess you'll have to pretend that you live on the top floor!) Would there be any practical limitations to the installation of a SWH system. On the roof, the best part would be dependent on two factors: first, it has to be near or at the center part of the roof so that more amount of sunlight falls on the SWH for a longer period of time (from dawn to dusk). Second, it has to be at a requisite to keep it out of reach from children. The limitations in any case would be the amount of open space that can be found on the roof and whether that open space is well lit by sunlight for most part of the day. Also the cost of maintaining and... ) Would there be any practical limitations to the installation of a SWH system. On the roof, the best part would be dependent on two factors: first, it has to be near or at the center part of the roof so that more amount of sunlight falls on the SWH for a longer period of time (from dawn to dusk). Second, it has to be at a requisite to keep it out of reach from children. The limitations in any case would be the amount of open space that can be found on the roof and whether that open space is well lit by sunlight for most part of the day. Also the cost of maintaining and the safety measures adopted play a critical role in the successful and efficient role of the SWH system. 3. Using your own house as an example estimate how much hot water your family consumes each year. (As a rough estimate determine how many showers, baths, and basins of hot water are used per week and make a pro-rata calculation for the annual hot water consumption. Remember that most hot water used would be mixed with the cold water. It's not important to be 100% accurate but this will give you an idea of the magnitude of the hot water usage. Average European hot water usage is currently in the range of 15-35 liters of hot water per person per day depending on if you shower or bath!) 4.

Edward Jones As One Of The Famous Organization In The Brokerage Case Study

Edward Jones As One Of The Famous Organization In The Brokerage Industry - Case Study Example The firm deals in individual bonds and stocks and mainly targeted the rural and sub urban areas. But wit time as the firms succeed, it decided to enter the fast growing economies but to its shock it faced difficulty in entering the urban areas with its concept. Thus the paper deals with the strategy that the firm adopted in order to stay competitive and competitive advantage over its competitors. The brokerage industry suffered a huge threat from the financial analysis such as the banks which also started to provide similar kind of offerings as the brokerage firms. To overcome this threat and make a place in the minds of the customers the firm decided to adopt the differentiation and expansion strategy offering the customers services which they look forward for and ensure high savings. The report deals with internal and external assessment of the industry and the firm by implementing the tools such as PEST analysis, Porters five force and VIRO Analysis. The current strategies have be en discussed along with the current issues and each of the alternatives is evaluated and finally recommendation has been provided to Edward Jones to adapt to the expansion strategy. Contents Executive Summary 2 External Assessment 4 Internal Assessment 5 Current Strategies 6 Key Issues 7 Implementable Strategic Alternatives 8 Criteria and Evaluation of Alternatives by Criteria 9 Recommendation and its Implementation 10 Limitations and Critique of Recommendation 10 Reference 12 Exhibits 13 Exhibit 1: External Assessment 13 Exhibit 2: Internal Analysis 15 Exhibit 3: Structure of strategic Alternatives 17 Exhibit 4: Assumption and Justification 19 Exhibit 5: NPV of Expansion Strategy 20 Exhibit 6: Action plan 21 External Assessment The retail brokerage industry enabled the individual consumers to invest in financial assets such as bonds and stocks. The industry has grown in the second half of the 20 century which has increased the individual ownership of financial assets and also incre ased the demand for brokerage services. A fundamental shift in the income level has also increased the responsibility of individuals for retirement’s assets. The brokerage business also grew with the rise in value of stock market. This increase made the stock much more attractive. With the baby boomer generation reaching the phase of retirement their financial concern has shifted from the accumulation of savings for retirement to the distribution of the assets. The retail brokerage industry showed growth opportunity in the field on technology and social factors. With an increased in the pension plans, people started to invest more giving rise to retail brokerage. Also with low substitute, the retail brokerage industry has the opportunity to grow and regain its place which it had made few years back. Opportunity lies with the adoption of new and latest technology along with moderate price, the retail brokerage industry has a wide opportunity to flourish in the world of online investment. This factor can also lead to threat because the number of online users has increased, missing out the attention by individual broker (Exhibit 1) However threat lies with the risk of entry of potential competitors which tends to increase the number of competitors and diversity of the products. Another weakness lies with the firm’s brand value which still stands behind in terms of brand awareness in the urban areas and with more of the clients using off the online services poses a huge threat for Edward Jones. Internal Assessment Edward Jones is a brokerage firm and serves only individual consumers and has segmented customers based on three criteria, retires preretirees and the small business owners. Edward Jones became the fourth largest broker

How precious metals relate to the economy Research Paper

How precious metals relate to the economy - Research Paper Example While gold remains the most popular investment vehicle for investors, silver, platinum, and palladium continue to hold strong interest. This research paper focuses on how these precious metals relate to the American economy and examines the price of the dollar in relation to these metals. This essay describes the history of the Western economy and banking structure, that was originally linked to gold through the gold standard. At a time in history all currency produced was held to a standard reserve of gold in the country’s central bank. However, recent decades have gradually witnessed a shift from this economic structure. Today precious metals operate in large degree like a currency, as they are subject to market inflations and deflations. There are many motivations for the purchase or investment in precious metals. In this context of understanding, this research paper reveales that precious metals largely function as a hedge for investors against fiat currency and volatile markets. In addition the nature of the historic relation between gold and currency is examined in terms of the gold standard. It’s noted that supporters argue going off the gold standards creates greater government volatility, while detractors argue that going off the gold standard creates the potential for a welfare state. Ultimately, it’s clear that both historically and in the contemporary environment precious metals and the economy are greatly intertwined.

East Coast vs. West Coast Essay Example for Free

East Coast vs. West Coast Essay Throughout the nineties there was an movement in hip hop, the infamous East coast rap vs West coast between rap musicians. It was a separational movement that caused both sides to end the lives of two most influential rappers in the music industry, Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur. Both rappers with similar backgrounds have changed the music scene completely with one sudden movement. Known mainly for their rivalry against one another and compared because of the backgrounds, these two artist had quite a distinctiveness to one another. Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur are great influential artist in the music industry and had similar backgrounds but distinctive enough to cause a separation that influenced the music industry then and now. I had watched a documentary, based off of the infamous rappers and their start up in the music industry, titled Tupac and Biggie where I got information on both sides. To begin with both rappers had similar upbringing for instance, were born in the state of New York, Tupac in Harlem and Biggie in Brooklyn. However, Tupac did move around growing up to Baltimore, Maryland in 1984 and finally to Oakland, California in 1988 by the age of 17. Biggie had more of an interesting beginning, unlike his soon to be rival, he had been raised by a single mother who was a teacher and had lived in a 3 bedroom apartment, not how he claimed on his song ‘Juice’ as a â€Å"one-room shack†. Meanwhile, Tupac was also raised by a single mother, however had been a part of the anti-government group the Black Panther Party, which would later be a foundation to his rap verses on political stans. Like most rappers they both would have a rough upbringing, and Biggie would start drug dealing at the age of 14 to help support his family, till discovered musically. Interestingly enough, Tupac had an interest in acting and attended performing art schools and create his passion for poetry, turned later to rap rhymes. Tupac was the fortunate one, and was able to join a music group to help his career while Biggie had to perform out in the streets, as the footage shows. Also, in the film, they discuss how both rappers dropped out of h igh school around the same age, 17,and both to pursue their music passions and help support the family they had. The upcoming of both rappers would influence each on their music that would have an impact on the top charts. Musically, both rappers had distinctive sounds, Biggie was known to have a better flow and well produced beat that  was more Top 40, while Tupac had a greater influence on lyricism because of his deep passion for poetry and political stans. Tupac was well known to speak his mind explicitly and rhymed about topics such as, women rights, african american discrimination, and police injustice. Something most seem to forget is that Biggie used to have open shows for Tupac before the notorious rapper would have his own high fame, this also showed that both rappers had a great friendship before a great dispute The documentary shows rare footage of the two hugging after Biggie’s first album release and great success. The two were loved by audiences and fans but had showed within the top charts throughout the nineties. On ratings Biggie was in the lead with fewer singles that reached higher spots on the charts. Meanwhile, Tupac delivered over 15 singles, and not as many reaching high spots as Biggie had with only 10 singles. Although, both lyrically did have similar writing, rapping about poor upbringings, whether it was an alter ego for Biggie or reality for Tupac, fans wanted more of this profound explicit music. Undoub tedly the two are compared to see which was better, personally cannot judge which was better because of the differences they had on their music, biggie flowed, but tupac spoke. Another great influence these both rappers had for their music and personal lives, was the cliques they surrounded themselves with throughout their high points in fame and fortune. The film talks about how Tupac joined a musical rap group when he had moved to California, Digital Underground, but later had gone solo and joined the record company, Death Row Records. Meanwhile Biggie was signed onto Bad Boy Records, and he had been signed onto the record company by another famous rapper Diddy. Tupac was around many people however, one of his many allegiances was Suge Knight. Suge Knight is an founder of the record company Tupac had been signed onto and was often seen with Tupac by the media in photographs and video footage. Throughout the film the audience is drawn towards the conclusion that Suge Knight was involved in both deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Aswell as Suge Knight, Diddy was also involved in the murders of both musicians, as the film goes on. The death of both rappers were similar but different from one another. The dispute between the rappers had started because of Suge Knight and Diddy, creating the West Coast vs East Coast dispute in the Hip Hop commu nity. This great dispute would have each Coast of rappers defensive over the side they were representing, and cause a huge  rivalry between everyone. From rap group NWA to rappers such as, Snoop Dogg and Nas, everyone in the Hip Hop world took a side. After releasing a record titled â€Å"Who Shot Ya?† Tupac was under the impression Biggie had been set out to kill him after a robbery at his home that nearly ended his life with the theifs holding him at gunpoint one night. This would add fuel to the burning flame that they were trying to burn out caused by the record company executives, Suge and Diddy. After one diss record after another the two rappers, Biggie and Tupac seemed to enjoy the drama but were on high alert for one another. However in the end, Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 13, 1996, he had been kicked out and forced to leave a casino one night after a brawl. Less than a year later, Biggie was shot and killed on March 9, 1997 in Los Angeles, California. Biggie had left a recording studio in Los Angeles, and when outside was shot in his vehicle. Both rappers had a big influence on the music industry, however the fans were left with legends gone too soon. More importantly the deaths of the rappers were a huge impact on the community they each had represented. In Brooklyn, during the funeral of the Notorious B.I.G. many fans of the community were outside in the streets showing their respect that the rapper had deserved. In the film you see footage of the funeral with hundreds of fans onlooking the hearse carrying his body throughout the streets of Brooklyn that he had onced hussled to make a living. At one point of the funeral footage, you can see fans playing one of his hit singles and dancing to the rap song, showing that no matter if dead or alive, the rapper would live on and have respect in the community and be played. However on the other Coast, only close friends of Tupac attended his funeral even though there were many candle lighting ceremonies for the rapper from fans. Tupac was cremated and his ashes were spreaded into the ocean in the West Coast, as well as a few of his favorite things such as, Hennessy liquor, cigarettes, cd’s and gold chains. The legacy of each rapper was different from one another, Tupac spoke for Afr ican American men that had been mistreated by the corrupted justice system, and also towards women, and the respect they should deserve from men. The Notorious B.I.G. left his community with aspiration on being able to succeed no matter where you came from and gave hope to many. Both of the rappers left an impact on the music industry and had different legacies for their community and fans.  Without a doubt, both rappers have had influenced many modern day rappers that are or arent in the industry today. The documentary shows different musicians, some that are not even in the rap genre, talking about how each rapper left an impact on their lives, A famous rapper by the name of 50 cent says in the film, that there was not going to be another rapper like Tupac and that there was not going to be another rapper like Biggie. Many artist now pay homage to both rappers to show respect on the struggle Hip Hop has had in being accepted. Now a days rappers have showed respect in many ways such as giving shout outs on songs to the rappers or sample beats from past hits of the late rappers, to even having holograms of the artist at live shows. Another sign of respect to the artist is that their music goes on, even after being gone, unreleased music of both rappers ris es to the public every now and then to remember the days the rappers held the crown. Biggie has released three albums since his death and Tupac five, music that was intended to be released at a point but after the misfortunate deaths was never completely finished. With posthumous albums being released it gives inspiration for musicians to get more of a better understanding of the rappers and pass techniques used by the rappers. The distinctiveness in each rappers work of music, left an influential aspiration for other musicians in the industry, Biggie had a better rhythm with his rhymes and Tupac was open to talk about social issues going on. In the end, both rappers were raised differently and had different backgrounds that influenced their work. Yet throughout their careers the similarities of the rappers was visible and the distinctiveness caused a barrier in their friendship. Leading to a grand movement in music history, but also the the deaths of both rappers. Tupac and Biggie are some of the greatest influentials of rap music and have caused similar aspirations for other artist. Works Cited Biggie and Tupac. Dir. Nick Broomfeild. Perf. The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Nick Broomfeild. FilmFour, 2002. DVD.

The cost of the Vietnam War

The cost of the Vietnam War The United States Military took part in the Vietnam War, which started in 1957 and ended in 1975. At that time of war Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam (Communist system) and South Vietnam (non communist). North Vietnam didnt want the U.S. to support South Vietnam. South Vietnam took U.S. help to make Vietnam single nation. When Harry Truman was president, the United States had established a doctrine called containment. Originated by George Kennan and other diplomats and policy advisers, the policy of containment aimed not to fight a determined war with the communist Soviet Union, but instead to narrow communism and the Soviet Union to their existing boundaries. This containment led directly to the Vietnam War. The Soviet Union was determined to expand communism on the rest of the world. Communist governments would without doubt be part of Soviet kingdom but according to the doctrine of containment there could be no such thing as a neutral, one nation. It must be either part of the Soviet Union or Unites States. So, the belief was that all nations must be associated with either the United States or the Soviet Union. The United States was afraid of spreading of the communism, but the doctrine of containment made it difficult to see nations as separate, as places with different cultures, different problems, and different histories. The Vietnam was part of French Indochina in 1946. The Vietnamese fought with French to get their independence. Military equipment was provided by the United States still French were defeated in 1954. Then Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam. The war was mainly between the South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese known as the Viet Cong from 1957 to 1965. The military was provided by United States. The U.S. troops went to Vietnam in March 1965. They did most of the fighting with North Vietnam until 1969. By the end of 1969, the War seemed never-ending. Gradually United States began to pull out U.S. military. In January 1973, a negotiating meeting was arranged. Two months later last U.S. troops left Vietnam. Even though the fighting between North and South Vietnam resumed soon afterwards, U.S. troops did not return. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam and ended the war. The American military was not defeated in Vietnam. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. (General William Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a renowned expert on the Vietnam war) [Westmoreland] Professor Pike does not categorically state that the United States did not lose the war in Vietnam; however, I believe that his comment is generally understood to mean that the United States did not lose the war. President Nixons secretary of defence James Schlesinger regretted that the military had too many restraints placed upon it during the war. Generals Maxwell Taylor and William Westmoreland lamented that they could have won the war if only the American people had not succumbed to a failure of will. Historian Henry S. Commanger like other humanists was sickened by the immorality by events taking place in Vietnam during the war stated, in part, †¦that some wars are so deeply immoral that they must be lost, that the war in Vietnam was one of these wars†¦ Here we have two viewpoints as to whether or not the war was won or lost. The first point is by Professor Pike, who seems to believe that the United States did not lose the war in Vietnam. The second viewpoint is expressed by James Schlesinger, Generals Taylor and Westmoreland and Henry Commanger. The comments by Secretary Schlesinger, Generals Taylor and Moreland seem to indicate that the United State did lose the war. One of Saigons wartime prime ministers, Nguyen Kao Ky, took an exceptional position among Vietnamese veterans living in the United States. He saw the roll of hearts and minds in Saigons defeat. In his book How We Lost the War in Vietnam he described the U.S. role in Vietnam as misguided and naive concerning the opinions of the common Vietnamese [Macros History the world report] The most famous nationalist leader in the twentieth century was Ho Chi Minh, born in 1890 to a low-level government employee. At the time of World War I, Ho travelled to Europe and joined other Vietnamese to plead for independence. The Communists seemed to be the only political force to strongly disapprove colonialism, so Ho and other nationalist joined the Communist party. In 1930 and 1931 the French brutally suppressed a Vietnamese uprising, killing 10,000 and deporting 50,000. In 1940 and 1941 the Japanese took over Vietnam but left collaborating French officials in charge. The Vietnamese, including Hos Communists went underground, used China as a base and in 1941 organized the Viet Minh. In the final days of World War II Viet Minh guerillas fought Japanese troops and worked with the United States. Ho sent formal messages to Washington describing himself as the George Washington of Vietnam and often mentioned the American Declaration of Independence and the Atlantic Charter. In August 29th, 1945 the Viet Minh organized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and established headquarters in Hanoi. Vietnam seemed closer to independence than ever before. In the fall of 1944 State Department officials told President Roosevelt that Indochina and South east Asia were potentially important markets for American exports. Roosevelt never formulated exact plans for Indochina, so the French, with British and American military help, returned to Vietnam. They were not welcomed. Abandoned by the United States, receiving no support from Russia and now facing French forces the Viet Minh accepted a compromise with France in March 1946. Viet Minh and French soldiers clashed in December. One French bombardment of Haiphong killed several thousand civilians. The Viet Minh responded with guerilla terror. For the next eight years, Vietnam was wrecked by bloody combat, with the French holding the cities and the Viet Minh in the countryside. When Richard Nixon became President in 1969 he stated a plan Vietnamization that would end the war. He bombed North Vietnam, and in 1972 U.S. air power encouraged Vietnam to establish an agreement with the United States. The U.S. part of the agreement was that it would pull its troops out of Vietnam and take apart its bases. According to the agreement, the U.S. could replace arms, on a one-to-one basis, that had been supplied to the Saigon regime. President Nixon planned to use air power again to discourage Vietnam if they violated the agreement. U.S. citizens were turning against United States involvement in Vietnam War. They were influenced by what they saw on television including children running from bombings. The U.S. Congress responded to the change in public opinion on the war, and it voted for restrictions on material support to the regime in Saigon. During the ten year period that followed the military triumph of the communist forces in Vietnam, the much feared spread of communism to other nations in the Far East did not happen. Thailand, Burma, Indonesia or the Philippines did not follow communism. A communist force had taken power in Cambodia but did not remain in power long. Neither did the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia in opposition to that communist force. Few lessoned were learned by the United States in this war. One was the removal of terror bombing. The second lesson was to restrict access for journalists and with military-led television. And the third lesson was that no U.S. troops should be committed to battle without a clear goal, a feasible plan and public support. Facts about the end of the war: The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. There were almost twice as many casualties in South east Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. [1996 Information Please Almanac] More helicopter facts: Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam (all services). Army UH-1s totalled 7,531,955 flight hours in Vietnam between October 1966 and the end of 1975. Army AH-1Gs totalled 1,038,969 flight hours in Vietnam. [VHPA databases] Around Fifty thousand Americans lost their lives. The losses to the Vietnamese people were awful. The financial cost to the United States comes to something over $150 billion dollars. Americans who lost their lives in war have their names engraved on a black granite wall. This is called the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located in Washington, D.C. There are the around 58,000 Americans who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country in Vietnam. References 1996 Information Please Almanac 1995 Information Please Almanac Atlas Yearbook 49th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston New York 1996, pages 117, 161 and 292. Westmoreland Speech by General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986 (reproduced in a Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Historical Reference Directory Volume 2A) Macros History the world report-http://www.vietnamwar.com/ Macros History the world report-http://www.fsmithya.com/h2/ch26.htm VHPA Databases Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Databases.

Euro Disney Essay -- essays research papers

Only one year after the grand opening of EuroDisneyland, Robert Fitzpatrick left his position as EuroDisney’s chairperson, citing a desire to start his own consulting firm. In April 1993, Philippe Bourguignon took over the helm of EuroDisney, thought by some to be a sinking ship. EuroDisney publicly reported a net loss of FFr188 million for the fiscal year ending September 1992, though cumulative losses through April 1993 approached half a billion dollars.1 The European park also fell one million visitors short of its goal for the first year of operations, with the French comprising only 29% of the park’s total visitors between April and September 1992—a far cry from the predicted 50%.2 In addition to the financial woes weighing on Bourguignon, he was also expected to stem the flow of bad publicity which EuroDisney had experienced from its inception. Phase Two development at EuroDisneyland was slated to start in September 1993, but in light of their drained cash reserves (FFr1.1bn in May 1993)3 and monstrous debts (estimated at FF421bn),4 it was unclear as to how the estimated FFr8-10bn Phase Two project would be financed. Despite this bleak picture, Michael Eisner, CEO of Walt Disney Co., remained optimistic about the venture: â€Å"Instant hits are things that go away quickly, and things that grow slowly and are part of the culture are what we look for. What we created in France is the biggest private investment in a foreign country by an American company ever. And it’s gonna pay off.†5 The Dawning Of Disney After first attempting to start a commercial arts firm in 1917, Walt Disney, along with his partner Ub Iwerks, joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company, and began to learn the craft which would carry him to fame—cartooning. By 1919, Walt was making independent short cartoon ads for theatres. In 1920, Walt’s brother Roy became a partner, and soon thereafter the group moved to Hollywood. There, they developed a standardized cast of cartoon characters, which were mass-produced using a large staff and artists working on a single easy-to-draw cartoon. The year 1928 saw the creation of â€Å"Mortimer Mouse,† later renamed Mickey. 1 David Jefferson. â€Å"American Quits Chairman Post at Euro Disney,† The Wall Street Journal (January 18, 1993), p. B1. 2 Ibid. 3 â€Å"Euro Disney: Waiting for Dumbo,† The Economist (May 1, 1993), p. 74. 4 Peter Gumbel and Richard Turner. â€Å"Blundering... ...,† commented one.27 Different cultures have varying definitions of personal space. EuroDisney guests’ problems ranged from people who either got too close or who left too much space between themselves and the person in front of them. It was thought that the competition from French theme parks, which had significantly lower admission costs, might be a concern. However, Fitzpatrick did not appear to be daunted. â€Å"We are spending 22 billion French francs before we open the door, while the other places spent 700 million,† he said. â€Å"This means we can pay infinitely more attention to details—to costumes, hotels, shops, trash baskets—to create a fantastic place. There’s just too great a response to Disney for us to fail.†28 Bourguignon’s Predicament With these bold predictions of his predecessor echoing in his ears, Bourguignon stared at his desk. Surrounding him were piles of financial statements drowning in red ink (to the tune of $500 million), stock market reports chronicling EuroDisney’s falling price from FFr166 to approximately FFr65, and newspapers full of stories of EuroDisneyland’s cultural blunders. Bourguignon wondered where he would find the magic to turn this kingdom around. Euro Disney Essay -- essays research papers Only one year after the grand opening of EuroDisneyland, Robert Fitzpatrick left his position as EuroDisney’s chairperson, citing a desire to start his own consulting firm. In April 1993, Philippe Bourguignon took over the helm of EuroDisney, thought by some to be a sinking ship. EuroDisney publicly reported a net loss of FFr188 million for the fiscal year ending September 1992, though cumulative losses through April 1993 approached half a billion dollars.1 The European park also fell one million visitors short of its goal for the first year of operations, with the French comprising only 29% of the park’s total visitors between April and September 1992—a far cry from the predicted 50%.2 In addition to the financial woes weighing on Bourguignon, he was also expected to stem the flow of bad publicity which EuroDisney had experienced from its inception. Phase Two development at EuroDisneyland was slated to start in September 1993, but in light of their drained cash reserves (FFr1.1bn in May 1993)3 and monstrous debts (estimated at FF421bn),4 it was unclear as to how the estimated FFr8-10bn Phase Two project would be financed. Despite this bleak picture, Michael Eisner, CEO of Walt Disney Co., remained optimistic about the venture: â€Å"Instant hits are things that go away quickly, and things that grow slowly and are part of the culture are what we look for. What we created in France is the biggest private investment in a foreign country by an American company ever. And it’s gonna pay off.†5 The Dawning Of Disney After first attempting to start a commercial arts firm in 1917, Walt Disney, along with his partner Ub Iwerks, joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company, and began to learn the craft which would carry him to fame—cartooning. By 1919, Walt was making independent short cartoon ads for theatres. In 1920, Walt’s brother Roy became a partner, and soon thereafter the group moved to Hollywood. There, they developed a standardized cast of cartoon characters, which were mass-produced using a large staff and artists working on a single easy-to-draw cartoon. The year 1928 saw the creation of â€Å"Mortimer Mouse,† later renamed Mickey. 1 David Jefferson. â€Å"American Quits Chairman Post at Euro Disney,† The Wall Street Journal (January 18, 1993), p. B1. 2 Ibid. 3 â€Å"Euro Disney: Waiting for Dumbo,† The Economist (May 1, 1993), p. 74. 4 Peter Gumbel and Richard Turner. â€Å"Blundering... ...,† commented one.27 Different cultures have varying definitions of personal space. EuroDisney guests’ problems ranged from people who either got too close or who left too much space between themselves and the person in front of them. It was thought that the competition from French theme parks, which had significantly lower admission costs, might be a concern. However, Fitzpatrick did not appear to be daunted. â€Å"We are spending 22 billion French francs before we open the door, while the other places spent 700 million,† he said. â€Å"This means we can pay infinitely more attention to details—to costumes, hotels, shops, trash baskets—to create a fantastic place. There’s just too great a response to Disney for us to fail.†28 Bourguignon’s Predicament With these bold predictions of his predecessor echoing in his ears, Bourguignon stared at his desk. Surrounding him were piles of financial statements drowning in red ink (to the tune of $500 million), stock market reports chronicling EuroDisney’s falling price from FFr166 to approximately FFr65, and newspapers full of stories of EuroDisneyland’s cultural blunders. Bourguignon wondered where he would find the magic to turn this kingdom around.

Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? :: essays research papers

Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the major thematic concerns are those involving perception versus reality. In the beginning of the play, both couples seem to be average, loving couples of the nineteen-fifties. Even George and Martha seem to be playful in their insults toward each other. Things do not start to turn until George warns Martha not to â€Å"start in about the bit with the kid†, after which both of them begin to get more hostile toward each other. Even then, their antagonism of each other did not reach the feverish pitch that it had by the end of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nick and Honey are presented as even more of an ideal couple. They are seemingly devoted to each other and are made uncomfortable by George and Martha’s constant attacks of each other. However, in the following acts, we find that this one is aptly titled â€Å"Fun and Games† when the truth is revealed about the two couples.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second act, we learn that the idyllic perception of Nick and Honey’s marriage is exactly that: a fairy tale. George and Martha begin to attack Nick and Honey (as well as each other) and force them to admit the false pretenses on which their marriage is based; namely, that Nick only married Honey because he believed her to be pregnant. Also, the fact that Nick is so easily seduced by Martha makes one doubt the love in his marriage to Honey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another perception destroyed in this act is that the men hold the power in the relationships, which was the standard when the play was written. Their sexuality is what gives Martha and Honey their power. Honey used a false pregnancy to force Nick to marry her while Martha, as the daughter of the president of the university, uses sex as a tool to advance the careers of certain professors (although never her own husband).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third act, we learn that Nick is perhaps not the athletic sexually voracious man we may have thought he was; his failure to consummate the affair with Martha resulted from his failure to maintain an erection. Also revealed in this last act is the fact that George and Martha do not, in fact, have a son; they simply made him up. With this last fantasy purged, George and Martha finally have a clean break with all the lies that have deteriorated their marriage. Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? :: essays research papers Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the major thematic concerns are those involving perception versus reality. In the beginning of the play, both couples seem to be average, loving couples of the nineteen-fifties. Even George and Martha seem to be playful in their insults toward each other. Things do not start to turn until George warns Martha not to â€Å"start in about the bit with the kid†, after which both of them begin to get more hostile toward each other. Even then, their antagonism of each other did not reach the feverish pitch that it had by the end of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nick and Honey are presented as even more of an ideal couple. They are seemingly devoted to each other and are made uncomfortable by George and Martha’s constant attacks of each other. However, in the following acts, we find that this one is aptly titled â€Å"Fun and Games† when the truth is revealed about the two couples.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second act, we learn that the idyllic perception of Nick and Honey’s marriage is exactly that: a fairy tale. George and Martha begin to attack Nick and Honey (as well as each other) and force them to admit the false pretenses on which their marriage is based; namely, that Nick only married Honey because he believed her to be pregnant. Also, the fact that Nick is so easily seduced by Martha makes one doubt the love in his marriage to Honey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another perception destroyed in this act is that the men hold the power in the relationships, which was the standard when the play was written. Their sexuality is what gives Martha and Honey their power. Honey used a false pregnancy to force Nick to marry her while Martha, as the daughter of the president of the university, uses sex as a tool to advance the careers of certain professors (although never her own husband).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third act, we learn that Nick is perhaps not the athletic sexually voracious man we may have thought he was; his failure to consummate the affair with Martha resulted from his failure to maintain an erection. Also revealed in this last act is the fact that George and Martha do not, in fact, have a son; they simply made him up. With this last fantasy purged, George and Martha finally have a clean break with all the lies that have deteriorated their marriage.

Essay --

In Antigone, death is a central theme that is consistently present throughout the entire play. In this particular passage, the chorus proclaims that man’s access to resources will allow him to continue to exist; however, as long as man exists, so will death – a fate that no amount of resources can help anyone escape. In this essay, I will explore the correlation and significance of this passage, and more specifically, the correlation and relation to death, with particular characters of the play. These particular characters each have a different relation and perspective of death, however, as the story progresses, I will discuss why their relation, perspective and the way that which they acknowledge death itself evolves and changes so drastically. In the first part of the passage, ‘speech and thought’ and ‘mind for law’ refer to the attributes of man; what it means to be human. The passage is directly praising man for all the wonders of the human race; man who has taught himself, built a shelter, a city and created a law, man’s capability and skills to become accustomed to the land, to the very earth and nature itself, the world that they have been put in, man’s capacity to learn to adjust and survive and live in the way that we see fit. Antigone making the choice to go against the king, because of what she believes to be right, attempting to give her brother Polynices what she believes he deserves – this thought, ‘quick as the wind’, including every action she carried out after, was effortless and came naturally to her. The set of principals and values that each individual has and what they choose to believe in become like instinct; to fight for what you believe in b ecomes as natural as to look for ‘shelter from the arrows of the f... ...tten that he is not divine like the gods are. He is a man with plenty resources, and although by the end of the play, Creon is still living - he hasn’t escaped death. In the passage, note that while the chorus is listing the wonders of man, the accomplishments of human beings; each accomplishment is paired with an element of nature, wind, frost, sky and rain – and each accomplishment is referring to man applying control over nature, mirroring the confliction in the entire story. Creon represents the city, a man made empire, while Antigone stands for the gods, nature and herself. When Creon loses all the people that he cares for, nature seems to be punishing Creon for his disrespect. It appears that each step onward as we progress, we further distance ourselves from where we started, making each of our achievements and the wonders of man just as bad as they are good.

British Imperialism Essay

Jordan Shiber Pd. 5 European Imperialism in parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia had a more positive impact on the world. The three main reasons I say this is one, Europeans truly thought they were doing good by imposing on other countries. They thought buy bringing in new cultures and traditions the country would be better off and it would benefit them and the country there are imposing on because both countries would be together and the country taking them over would have new and useful resources and the country being taken over would be a part of the European success and gain new ideas and a way of life.Jules Ferry said, â€Å"something else is needed for France:†¦that she must also be a great country exercising all of her rightful influence over the destiny of Europe, that she ought to propagate this influence throughout the world and carry everywhere that she can her language, her customs, her flag, her arms, and her genius†. (Beck 351) This translates to basic ally the definition of assimilation, or influencing a country using your customs, traditions, and way of life.Second, European countries were more modernized than African countries so by invading they are helping to modernize Africa. Just look at Africa today compared to back then especially South Africa, they are extremely modernized other than the desert parts. Lastly, the invasion of European countries gave the Africans more job opportunities which helped their economy. Before I get into the individual countries positive affects, think about Social Darwinism or basically survival of the fittest.If a country is too weak to defend itself and another country can take it over and successfully run the country, they should be able to without any complaints. To start off, the Europeans thought that they were actually good by invading Africa and imposing their ideas on them. They thought by bringing in new ideas and traditions it would actually benefit the Africans. Also, really good inf rastructure was built throughout Africa. Next, Africa and other places werent as modernized as Europe. Africans decided they had to adjust to the modern world or be consumed by it.The invasion of Europeans basically influenced them to change and become more like the rest of the world. In 1831, Muhammad Ali gained control of Syria and Arabia. He began a series of reforms in the military and in the economy. The Suez Canal’s construction was supported by his grandson, Ismail. The European influenced is what caused this canal to be built along with any other reform in Egypt. Egypt wanted to basically show their dominance by gaining power. This is a positive effect because other countries are starting to make themselves stronger.The final reason that European imperialism had a more positive impact on the world was that it gave out more job opportunities to those being invaded and helped the countries econmy and its way of life. Some examples of job created due to the invasion are servants,labourers on infrastructure projects, and soldiers in colonial armies. Also, local warfare was reduced and new hospitals and schools were provided. Another thing is richer families could send their children or even themselves to Europe so they could get a way better education.To conclude European Imperialism in parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, I would say it had a more positive effect. Europeans thought they were doing something good by imposing on other countries. They thought it was a good idea to bring in their way of life and influence the other people. Second, imperialism in Africa influenced some countries so not just sit back and let it be but to show their power and dominance. Lastly, imperialism created more job opportunities and helped out the country itself.Dadabhi Naoroji said â€Å"The genius and spirit of the British people is fair play and justice†. (Beck 351) This means is was okay for the British to do what they are doing. This is how Euro pean Imperialism in parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia had a more positive impact on the world. MLA Citations: Beck, Roger B. Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2005. Print. Fieldhouse, David K. â€Å"Western Imperialism in the Middle East, 1914A? A? A? 1958. † Western Imperialism in the Middle East, 1914A? A? A? 1958. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.

Safe Journey

SAFEJOURNEY 1. Introduction Since the innovation of diesel engine mankind has got new dimensions in their piece of living conditions i. e. the civilization. Most important achievement thereby was that men got the motion. These diesel engines gave shape in manifold. In transport sector the horse car/coach were started replacing by motorcars of different sizes and shapes to fit the needs of mankind. The addition of petrol engine has accelerated the rate. In the present era nobody can even think of avoiding the elements of transportation because the society has become too much dependent on this.But still there is a problem. The problem lies with the technology. Nobody can claim that these technologies will never fail. Due to mechanical fault, poor maintenance, overuse, overage, misuse etc these failures occur. Though we are aware of these and may take preventive and reactive measures to avoid those situations but these failures are still day-to-day phenomena. Think about a situation â⠂¬â€œ where your personal vehicle becomes out of order on the highway in a remote place. If so, what is the remedy? There are some arrangements by the Government.However, that could not earn the faith of the public. Thus, in our case, this aspect is still remaining uncared. The astute investors could have identified the need of assistance in such situation in many countries. The effort of our new service oriented firm Safejourney is to care these aspects. The purpose of this plan is to analyze the strategic and situational aspect of the firm and focus market product, marketing mix and thereby project a detailed marketing plan of the firm. The scope of this plan will be limited to the following: Concept Development Process †¢ Company Description †¢ Strategic Analysis †¢ Situation Analysis †¢ Market Product Focus †¢ Marketing Mix †¢ Financial Analysis †¢ Organization †¢ Implementation †¢ Evaluation and Control While formulating the plan fir stly our effort is to highlight the concept development process, followed by the orientation with the company. Then Mission, goals and core competency of the organization will be covered under strategic analysis. Thereafter, analytical part of the plan will include – SWOT, industry, competitor, company and customer analysis.The market, product and financing objectives of the organization and also target market identification will be the contents of the product market focus. This part will also mention the Unique Selling Proposition [USP] and positioning plan of the organization. Then under the marketing program 4 P’s i. e. marketing mix will be illustrated. The financial analysis and organization’s planned set up will be discussed followed by the implementation plan. Finally, the evaluation and control measures will be pen-pictured. We have carried out a detailed study, which was a combination of primary and secondary data analysis and empirical study.Our contac t method was mainly in the form of personal interviews with the competent official of the concerned authority, and collecting public views associated to this sector. We have also conducted the market survey deliberately, carried out various statistical analyses by testing related hypotheses. Collection of associated data from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and Bangladesh Police [traffic control] were also a part of the survey. Thereby, we have found it is feasible to serve the victims of the roads. 2. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 2. 1 The Idea GenerationBangladesh is a third world developing country. The country’s GDP is not again encouraging. Therefore, the people cannot always effort to have all first hand / brand new vehicles of any sorts. The used vehicles are not always reliable and often found to be out of order. Moreover, poor infrastructure of the country has also strong influence to cause such failure – a fatal accident is not also an exception to it. The arrangements offered by the Government to support such cases are often seem to be inadequate, time consuming, costly and failed to earn confidence.Thus, there is always a need to support those victims in terms of mechanical, medical, psychological and emergency assistance. This led us to create the idea of a service organization to support in this regard. 2. 2 Concept Development The concept of providing necessary service by Safejourney is to have number of Highway Mobile Patrols [HMP] and Static service points at regular intervals. Maintaining a reliable communication network, our teams will be called by our valued customers and in response, will be capable to reach the spot within 30 minutes. Service charge will be collected depending upon the degree of assistance rendered.Membership will be offered on the basis of annual subscription. 2. 3 Nature of Service Safejourney will have the capability to offer the following services: Small scale repair work on the spot. Medium scale repa ir work at the static service points (Towing facilities will be included) Large scale repair work at the zonal workshops (Towing facilities will be included) Available at the static service points. On call. First aid will be provided on requirement. Evacuation support:Will be provided on emergency basis. 2. 4 Investment/Benefits/ Commissions/ Business 2. 4. Investment Concept 1Invest to purchase vehicles, repair machineries, establishment of Head offices, zonal workshops & static service points. Concept 2Invest to establish versatile communication network. Concept 3Invest in acquiring required manpower. Concept 4Invest in promotional and social activities. 2. 4. 2 Benefits Concept 1Earnings from membership charges. Concept 2Earnings from service charges. Concept 3Earnings from charges of emergency support. 5. Time Frame Concept 1To provide services round the clock. Concept 2To reach the spot within 30 minutes after calling.Concept 3To provide medical and emergency support as and wh en required. 6. Number of Outlets /Service Points Concept 1To arrange service facilities in the major highways. Concept 2At least two mobile patrols under each static service points. Concept 3Static service points are to be established every after 70/80 km. Concept 4Zonal offices are to be established near the major cities. Concept 5Head office is to be established at Dhaka. 3. Company Description 3. 1History Although it is new for the country like Bangladesh, service organization as Safejourney is not a new venture in the world.In Germany, there is such an organization known as â€Å"Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobile- Club† in short ADAC operating for more than 40 years. Earning the confidence and faith of the public is the first and foremost criteria for most of the businesses success. If one can achieve it, other part of the business becomes much easier. The newly established firm Safejourney is the pioneer in Bangladesh in this field. 2. Name The legal name of the firm is SAFEJOURNEY BANGLADESH PRIVATE LIMITED and the motto of Safejourney is Destination Guaranteed†¦ 3. PurposeThe purposes of Safejourney are described as follows: ? To provide quality repair and recovery services to the vehicles on the prescribed highways. To support the under mentioned services in emergency: a. Providing First aid to the accident Injuries. b. Evacuating the serious cases to the nearest hospital/ clinic. c. In case of criminal act, providing support by informing highway Patrol Police. d. To provide transportation service to anyone on payment only in emergency cases. ? In future we plan to render our communication network facilities to the transport companies. 4. Functional ActivitiesSafejourney has started her journey to serve the victims of the roads and persons in emergencies. On receiving the call from the customers our control station will intimate the matter and appropriate location to the responsible zonal office and / or static point keeping divisional offi ce informed. The zonal office or static points will than direct the nearest Highway Mobile Patrol (HMP) to the spot. HMP, upon initial investigation will render effort to repair the necessary defects. If the case appears to be relatively difficult, the vehicle will be towed to the respective static point.Likewise, major cases will be handled by the zonal workshop. In simple cases, on completion of the necessary repair jobs the customer will pay the bill prepared by HMP as per prescribed price chart. The members will get the discount if he/she possesses the Safejourney ID Card. In case of major / difficult cases the customer may pay in the head office or any of the zonal offices. A diagrammatical presentation of functional activities is as in Appendix A 3. 5 Organization It is essential to have a very well structured organisation to achieve the success in any kind of business. Thus, Safejourney has taken all out effort o organize both the administrative and functional aspects in orde r to ensure a quality service, secured and unbroken flow of information, good administration, better co-operation and co-ordination. Therefore, overall planning, organizing, leading and controlling aspects of Safejourney are vested on the head office. Under head office there are various departments for looking after the administrative perspectives of the firm. Moreover, our service areas are divided in three divisions. The divisions are again subdivided into area/zones to have a better control of the functional perspective of our organisation.However, a detail of Administrative Organisation of Safejourney is illustrated in Appendix B and Functional Organization of Safejourney is illustrated in Appendix C of this plan. 6. Establishment and Number of Outlets/Service Points We have offered initially three major route of the country. The routes are as follows: †¢ Dhaka – Chittagong Road †¢ Dhaka – Bogra – Rajshahi Road †¢ Dhaka – Jessore â€⠀œ Khulna Road Our head office is located in Dhaka, whereas the Divisional offices are in Chittagong, Bogra and Jessore. Detail of the Zonal Workshops, Static service points and outlets are presented in Appendix D of this plan. . 0 STRATEGIC ANALYSIS 4. 1 Mission Reaching our customers with in 30 minutes after calling at anytime on the highways when someone gets stuck with his/her vehicle and repair it to make him/her feel safe. 4. 2 Objectives 4. 2. 1 Financial Objective †¢ To earn an annual rate of return on investment at 20%. †¢ To Make Profit 20% above sales. †¢ To reduce the amount of investment capital where possible. †¢ To acquire 3500 members by year 5 †¢ To reach at the breakeven point by year 5 †¢ To achieve 80% of the market share by year 2008. 4. 2. 2 Marketing Objective †¢ To repair 30 vehicles per route each day. To provide better quality service than the potential competitors. †¢ To provide superior and timely repair †¢ To achieve strong brand name. †¢ To establish capable and systematic service outlets at each 60-80 km intervals. †¢ To ensure wide geographic coverage than rivals’ and potential competitors. †¢ To ensure higher level of customer satisfaction. †¢ To provide limited first aid and transportation to accident injuries to increase social value. 4. 3 Core Competency and sustainable competitive advantage Core competency means the achievement of significant competitive advantage by a firm over its rivals.Our core competency will be reaching in time to the customers and providing services of better quality than our competitors. 4. 3. 1 Reaching in time to the customers: We will have number of service centers each after 60-80 km. So, any one calling us over mobile/ T & T phone, we will ensure our presence with in 30 minutes. This will make the customers feel safe and confident about our organization. 4. 3. 2 Providing better quality service: At present our main competit ors are the old aged roadside or sub-urban based repair workshops. Our services will be provided in time with the modern equipment and of course we will maintain our quality. . 3. 3 Pioneer advantage: Though there are number of repair workshops but we are the first to provide on call services on the highways with fast speed and responsibilities. At present we don’t have much strong competitors, but even new competitors enter, we will have customer’s preferences as we are the first in this business. We will already have lot of members and hold the lion share of the market. 5. 0 SITUATION ANALYSIS 5. 1 SWOT Analysis 5. 1. 1 Strength: Main strengths of â€Å"safe journey† are identified as follows: 5. 1. 2. Weakness: The weaknesses are as follows: business is based on happenings of some eventualities . 1. 3. Opportunity: Opportunity means where the company can operate profitably. The Opportunities of safeJourney are as follows: 5. 1. 4 Threat: The happenings which may create obstruction in achieving our business objectives are as follows: 5. 2 Industry Analysis â€Å"SateJourney â€Å"is a service oriented organization. There are many others who provide the same services to the customers. There are many workshops located in the rural, suburban or urban areas. The rural or suburban based workshops are old aged, that doesn’t have any efficient system of identifying the problems and repairing those.There are few big sized workshops in the city areas but they hardly provide on call service. They also don’t have an efficient way of dealing with the customers. As a whole in the industry nobody is holding absolute supremacy. ‘Safe Journey’ will enter the business considering the aspects of winning customers’ mind. The competitors will not affect its operation and business objectives. The local workshops are weak but close competitors. City based service centers are strong but distant competitors, so ‘SafeJou rney ‘will enjoy almost monopoly in the rural highways and likely to face pure competition in the urban areas. . 3 Competitor Analysis 5. 3. 1 Brand Competitor: SafeJourney is the first company to provide mobile repair service and serve the customers even in the remote place on the high ways. Thereby at present we don’t find any brand competitor of ours. 5. 3. 2 Industry Competitor: Our service is based on repair services of the automobiles. There are many other small or big workshops providing the same kind of services. So they are our industry competitors. 5. 3. 3 Form Competitor: This service provides the need for safety on the high ways by repair and maintaining vehicles.There are few other workshops other than automobile workshops that also carryout some sort of repair works like motor cycle or bicycle repair. They are our form competitors. 5. 3. 4 Generic Competitor: Ours generic competitors would be anyone taking away our customers. The roadside restaurants, towe r vehicles, public transports are few of our generic competitors. 5. 4 Company Analysis Our company will have numbers of static points (service centers) each after 60-80 km distance on the highways. Those static points will remain under direct control of Head office located at Dhaka.We will also have offices in other major cities. They will deal with membership, complains, suggestions for operation and future expansion of the business. 5. 5 Customer Analysis 5. 5. 1 On the basis of buying Roles 5. 5. 2 On the basis of customer Buying Behavior Our service falls in the complex buying behavior group as it is a high involvement service. Customers normally don’t come to the workshops unless they need it. Again for yearly membership one has to pay Tk5000. Thereby, it is a service that involves a good amount of money. Customers will think twice to be a member of Safejourney.Thus, our customers buying will follow complex buying behavior. 6. 0 MERKET PRODUCT FOCUS 6. 1. Financial, Mar keting and Service Objective 6. 1. 1 Financial Objective 6. 1. 2. Marketing Objective. 6. 1. 3. Product / Service objective 6. 2 Target Market 6. 2. 1. The Selection of Target Market The Underlying logic and hypothesis dictated us to select the specific target markets: 6. 2. 2. Market Segmentation To attain the objective of our business plan, bases for our market segmentation is Demographic and psychographic factors. Under the demographic, the segment variables are social class and occupation.In social class the upper class and upper middle class is our focal point. And under occupation we have mainly focused to the business class. Under the psychographic bases we have considered the social values to be our main segment variables. People who are highly security concerned and highly time concerned are the point of concentration here. 6. 2. 3 Specific Target Group Basing on our logic/ hypothesis, our market segmentation has led us to select the following specific target groups as our customers: Private car owners. Business class traveling in personal/ official car.Taxi cab companies Transport owners/ Agencies. The target groups as per the segmentation can be categorized as under: |Market segment |Customer group | |Market segment 1 |Private car owners | |Market segment 2 |Business class | |Market segment 3 |Transport owners/Agencies, Taxicab companies. 6. 2. 4 Effectiveness of the Targeted Market Segment. Effectiveness of the segmentation can be measured using five useful criteria. These are Measurability, Substitutability, Accessibility, Differentiability and Actionable criteria. Testing of our segmentation based on these criteria is shown as under: Market Segment |Measurable |Substantial |Accessible |Differentiable |Action-able | |MS 1 |Very Good |Large and highly |Easily Accessible |Good |Effective and | | | |profitable | | |feasible plan can | | | | | | |be formulated | |MS 2 |very Good |Large and Profitable |Accessible |Good |Effective and | | | | | |feasibl e plan can | | | | | | |be formulated | |MS3 |very Good |Very Large and profit |Accessible |Good |Effective and | | | |able | | |Feasible plan can | | | | | | |be formulated | 6. 3 Point of Difference One of the most important factors for launching any new product/ service is the points of differentiation. We will differentiate our service from the competitor in respect of service, personnel and image differentiation. 6. 3. 1 Service Differentiation The key to success of our business will lie in adding value to the services and continuous improvement of quality. SafeJourney will differentiate its service from others in respect of following attributes: Ordering Ease |Any one facing the problem in highway can easily call us | | |simply making a phone call. Need not to take the trouble of | | |searching around miles together for someone leaving the | | |vehicle in uncertainty. | |Delivery |The mobile workshop of SafeJourney will be committed to solve | | |the problem in a speedy manner with adequate care and | | |accuracy. |Special service and Maintenance |Any one calling SafeJourney for a mechanical problem of | | |vehicles will be provided with free wind shield wash to that | | |vehicle and the assurance will be provided that any further | | |problem for same reason will be given free service in that | | |particular journey. | 6. 3. 2 Personnel Differentiation ‘SafeJourney’ will gain a strong competitive advantage by developing a better-trained people. For attaining this we will emphasize on the following aspect: Competence: The engineer/ mechanics of ‘safeJourney’ will possess the required skill and knowledge to deal with any mechanical/ technical problem of any type of vehicle. The mechanics will be grouped in such manner so that they can deal with any problem of the affected vehicle for which they are called for. ? Courtesy: The employees of our service will be trained to behave in a friendly, respectful and considerate manner in re sponse to any problem given by the customer. ? Credibility: The trustworthiness of the service will be developed by providing price rate card from the company along with the specific identity card for the employees. ? Responsiveness: The Company will have a quick response in any call by sending the mobile workshop within half an hour on the spot. Communication: ‘Safejourney’ will keep the system of communicating about any problem/ comments by giving a comment card while solving the vehicle problem. This will be used by the management for further improvement of service. 6. 3. 3 Image Differentiation Our service will give adequate emphasis on building an image of quick and quality service. To do this, we will express our messages in symbols, written and audiovisual media, different events and also by employee behavior. 6. 3. 4 Unique Selling Proposition (USP) This is the factor which will attract the customer to accept our service rather than the competitors. We will conc entrate on the following USP of our service. Caring about customer's time. Greater attention on safety measures. First to provide reliable mobile repair/ recovery service in the country. 6. 4 Positioning To attain a distinctive position in the customer’s mind we will give adequate emphasis on our unique selling proposition. We will create an image of the company by promoting the idea â€Å"SafeJourney–for people who cares about time and safety†. 6. 4. 1 Positioning strategy For attaining the desired positioning in customer's mind we will adopt the double benefit strategy. We will claim two benefit in this regard: The fastest. The safest 7. 0 MARKETING PROGRAM 7. 1 Service Strategy 7. 1. 1 Type of Service This is a utility service for providing mobile mechanical/ technical support to the vehicles facing problems in highways.This will ensure a quick and easy service which will allow the travelers to reach to their destination safely without wasting the time. 7. 1. 2. Features of service The service will be provided both in membership and non membership basis and have the following features to provide: Repair and Recovery a. The first effort will be given to reach to the spot with mobile workshop by half an hour of receiving any call. b. The main effort will be in repairing the vehicle on spot as quickly as possible. c. Relatively difficult cases will be handled by the static service point d. In case of major difficulties the option will be given to deliver the vehicle to the desired destination after necessary repair works. Emergency Service a.Providing first aid to the accident injuries. b. Evacuating the serious cases to the nearest hospital/ clinic. c. In case of criminal act, providing support by informing highway Patrol Police. d. To provide transportation service to anyone on payment only in emergency cases. Communication service a. The company will establish an internal communication system for its operation. b. The company will rende r this facility to be used by the transport companies on the basis of payment. 7. 1. 3 Brand Name The brand name of the service is given ‘SafeJourney. ’ This is done to create a favorable brand image and brand familiarity by adding the safety as a sensitive issue.All necessary exposure and promotion activities will be done to uphold the different attributes, benefits and values related to the brand. 7. 1. 4 Special / After Service offer To create favorable positive response to the mind of customers the following special offerings will be kept: ? The provision will be kept to provide free windshield wash for the vehicle where applicable. ? Once given service by any mobile workshop the free service guarantee will be given if any problem faced for same reason in that journey. ? For dealing with the emergency situation, the service will be rendered 24 hours. 7. 1. 5 Sources of Spare parts Contacts will be made with the authorized dealer of various motor parts to keep the su pply of spare parts available.The amount of the various spares parts inventory will be decided basing on the requirement. 7. 2 Price Strategy 7. 2. 1 List Price Transparency in transaction is considered as one of the most important issues of our business policy. To maintain the trustworthiness and transparency, list price of all types of service will be kept/ hanged with the mobile service team and other service centre. The list price will be also published in the advertisement in print media. A minimum fixed charge of Tk. 250 will be charged for every vehicle calling for service. Other charges will vary basing on the intensity of the job. A model of list price is shown as under: PRICE LIST SERIAL NO |SERVICE DESCRIPTION |PRICE | | | |(In Taka) | |01 |Call charge |250 | |02 |Membership Subscription |5000 | |03 |Servicing |250 | |04 |Oil change |100 | |05 |Air Lock Clearance |250 | |06 |Fuel line Clearance |250 | |07 |Tappet Clearance |800 |08 |Cylinder Head Leakage Repair |100 0 | |09 |Timing |2000 | |10 |Spark Plug Change |600 | |11 |Self Starter |500 | |12 |Fuse Box |100 | |13 |Carburetor Cleaning |200 | |14 |Gear Box Repair |500 | |15 |AC pump Repair |300 | |16 |Break Repair |500 | |17 |Steering Gear Repair |500 | |18 |Electric Circuit |250 | |19 |Lighting |250 | |20 |Spare parts |As per mkt price | 7. 2. 2 Discount To Increase the membership number and attract the customers a 65% discount will be given to the members of safeJourney. 7. 2. 3 System of payment The Payment system will be on the basis of cash payment before delivery. However, the payment may be made at any zonal / area offices also. 7. 2. 4 Different Price strategy. We plan to adopt different price strategies in different situation. ? At Launching Stage.As this is a new service in this country, our company being first to enter in this business will have a pioneer advantage. And as we will not have any brand competitor at this stage so we will adopt cost plus policy at this stage. Th e assumption led us to follow this policy is the substitute awareness effect which tells that customers are less price sensitive when they are less aware of substitutes. ? At Brand competitive Stage. In Brand competitive stage it is likely that new entrants will also come in this business. If we face challenges by the new entrants in terms of price strategy, we will face this by adding new values and better quality through more promotional activities.As the new entrants are likely to face huge amount of initial investment expenditure, it is likely to be difficult for the competitors to snatch our significant market share. Again a substantial amount of revenue in the business will come through the membership subscription which is given yearly. So due to involvement of high switch over cost customers are less likely to switch over to new competitors. ‘The difficult comparison effect’ of price sensitivity also supports our strategy as it speaks — customers are less price sensitive when they cannot easily compare the quality of substitutes. However in this stage we may have to go for the price cut strategy basing on the market condition. 7. 2. 5.Pricing Method Basing on the market survey and the result of our hypothesis we have used a combination of both perceived value pricing and going rate pricing method to select our price. 7. 3 Promotion Strategies Promotion is considered as one of the greatest market winning factor to increase the sales of own product/ service. It consists of different promotion mix i. e. advertisement, Sales Promotion, Personal Selling, Direct Selling and Public Relation (PR) . The promotion activities also varies basing on the product/Service life cycle through which a product/ service comes from introductory stage to growth, maturity and at last at declining stage.So our promotional activity will also vary in response to different life cycle of our service in following ways: 7. 3. 1 Introductory Stage In this stage our main strategy will be to create the customer awareness about the brand name of our service. Since the service involves the complex buying behavior, the main emphasis will be given to the print media. The promotional activities include: Regular advertisement in daily newspaper and magazines. Using Billboard in the entrance and exit of the petrol pump. Using Billboard in highways with repeated intervals. In TV and radio highlighting our USP during the commercial slot. ? Providing attractive and colorful posters, calendars etc to the car sales centre. 7. 3. 2 Growth StageAt this stage the strategy will be to create brand familiarity to keep the present customers satisfied and to attract the new customers. This will be done as follows: ? Differentiation advertisements in both print media and loud media frequently. ? Create value chain for the existing members by sending small gifts like calendars, cards etc containing the brand symbol Arranging different types of PR programs. 7. 3. 3Ma turity Stage At this stage the strategy will be to keep the people conscious about our product by various remainder advertisement and other programs It includes: Remainder advertisement in both print media and loud media. ? To increase brand preferences providing advertisement with celebrities. Arranging various PR Programs.Sponsoring different games/ sports cultural programs etc. 7. 3. 4 Decline stage Starting from the maturity stage onward, the amount of our market share is likely to decrease. At decline stage it will tend to reduce more. But the human psychology about time and safety will always exist. The market is also likely to expand. Even though, the company may face difficulties due to more number of competitors. To overcome the problem, the following strategy will be adopted: Providing new features to the customers by making differentiation. Giving reminder advertisement both in print and loud media Arranging PR programs using satisfied customers etc. 7. Placement (Distrib ution strategy) The Placement strategy is very important to ensure that the company’s product/ service are passed through the right channel to achieve the objective of the company. 7. 4. 1 Places to Serve Initially the service will be started only in three important routes. These routes are: Dhaka – Chittagong highways. Dhaka – Jessore – Khulna highways Dhaka – Bogra- Rajshahi highways Subsequently basing on the feedback and market condition the number of routes will be increased. 7. 4. 2 Channel Strategies The channel of our service will be direct. ? Head office -Zonal service centre – Static Point- Mobile service workshop We will also increase the number of zonal offices/ service centre to most of the district towns. ? We will also acquire the local agency to act as the local representatives in zonal offices. ? The detail distribution channel is illustrated in Appendix E. 8. 0 FINANCIAL DATA AND PROJECTIONS | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |8. Initial Investment | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Fixed Expenditure | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Item | | | Tk in Lacs | | | | | |Construction/Office | | |7 | | | | | |Office Furniture | |7 | | | | | |Vehicle Procurement | |223. 4 | | | | | |Tel/Mobile | | |9. 4 | | | | | |Tools and Equip | |25 | | | | | |Promotion | | |10 | | | | | |Training | | |3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Total | | |284. 54 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8. 2 Yearly Expenditure | | | |Tk in Lacs | | |Salary | | |85. 3 |Details Shown in Appendix F | |Tel Bills | | |9. 48 | | |Fuel | | |35 | | |Rent-Office/Outlets | | |81. 4 | | |Promotion | | |12 | | |Electricity/Gas/Water |5. 64 | | |Miscellaneous | | |6. 4 | | | | | | | | |Total | | |235. 69 | | | | | | | | 8. 3 Projected Yearly Return in 5 Years From providing highway Service | | | | |Yearly |In 5 Years | |Per Day 30 Cases X 3 Routes X 500 X 365 |164. 25 |821. 25 | | | | | Tk in Lacs From Membership Charges Year | | |Tk in Lacs | |Year 1 |1000 |5000 |50 | |Year2 |2000 |5000 |100 | |Year 3 |3000 |5000 |150 | |Year 4 |3500 |5000 |175 | |Year 5 |3500 |5000 |175 | | | | | | |Total income in 5 Years 650 | 8. 4 Calculation of Payback Period | | |Taka In Lacs | | | | | | | | | |Year |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 | | | | | | | | | |Opening Bal |-284. 54 |-305. 98 |-277. 42 |-198. 86 |-95. 3 | | |Cash out flow |-235. 69 |-235. 69 |-235. 69 |-235. 69 |-235. 69 |-235. 69 | |Cash in flow |214. 25 |264. 25 |314. 25 |339. 25 |339. 25 |339. 25 | |End Bal |-305. 98 |-277. 42 |-198. 86 |-95. 3 |8. 5 |103. 56 | | | | | | | | | | |Fraction of years=330. 99/339. 25=. 975 Years. | | | | | | | |Total Pay back Period =4+. 975=4. 975 Years. | | 8. 5 Projected Profit |Expected profit in year 5 = Tk 8. 25 Lac | |Expected profit from year 6 onwards = Tk. 103. 56 Lac | 9. 0 IMPLEMENTATION PLANImplementation is the key success factor for any business. The business planning may be the best but if implementation plan is wrong the business will fail to achieve its objectives. To achieve our business objectives we plan our business in the following way: 9. 1 Services Strategy Safejourney will provide services to the customers as and when they call. Someone may get services if they come directly to the static points. Our efforts will be to establish strong communication network to reach our customers using existing T & T facilities and mobile networks. We will also have our own communication network to ease our customers to reach us at anytime.Practice of mobile patrol on the highways to find out and meet any eventualities will also be there. Besides repair, we also plan to provide some additional services in following ways: (1) For ensuring smooth first aid service, our employees will be specially trained on first aid. (2) Delivering the vehicle at desired place after repair will be accomplished with the necessary co-ordination with zonal offices. (3) Evacuation to accident injuries will be provided by mainta ining a good will and liaison with the local hospital and clinics. (4) On establishing our own communication facilities it may be rented to the transport agencies. 9. 2 Price StrategyAs it was stated earlier, services will be provided on the basis of payment and we will have separate price strategy for our members and non-member customers. On accomplishment of any service, the senior mechanics will calculate the price basing on the minimum call charge, price of spare parts, membership discount rate and services as per price table and make the bill to the customer. Customer may pay the bill in cash on the spot or any of our offices/outlets. In the later case, the vehicle will be delivered only after the confirmation of the payment of the due bill. To deal with the competitors in the competitive stage, SafeJourney may also change the service charge or membership subscription as the situation demands but the quality will not be compromised in any case. 9. 3 Promotion Strategy:To implem ent our business strategy we will go for rapid skimming. For this we will spend an amount of Tk 1,000,000 as we launch the service. In addition to it an amount of Tk 12, 00,000 will be spent on promotional activities per year. In this regard maximum emphasis will be given to print media and using the billboard. We plan to provide advertisement on web sites also. 9. 4 Distribution Safejourney is taking all out efforts to establish a smooth, secure and effective distribution channels. Members will be enrolled either by the zonal offices directly or through local agents and few selected petrol pumps. The selected petrol pumps will be considered as exclusive distribution means. 10. 0 ORGANISATIONThe Head office of Safejourney will be established in Dhaka. The whole organisation is headed by Managing Director (MD). The MD will look after the overall planning, organizing, leading and controlling aspects of Safejourney. There are total six departments in head office, which are as follows: †¢ Operations and Planning †¢ Technical Support †¢ Administration and Medical †¢ Management Information System †¢ Accounts and †¢ Human Resource Management Under the department of operation and planning there will be one control station on for 24 hours. The three Divisional managers are responsible to control the three routes under the supervision of Operation department.Dhaka – Chittagong route looked after by Divisional Manager –1 (Chittagong) Dhaka – Bogra-Rajshahi route looked after by Divisional Manager –2 (Bogra) Dhaka – Jessore-Khulna route looked after by Divisional Manager –3 (Jessore) Under each Division there are three zonal offices and under the zonal offices there are three static points each. Each static point is equipped with at least two Highway Mobile Patrols. 11. 0 EVALUATION AND CONTROL To learn how well the company is running, we must evaluate the present strategy. Accordingly management will be taking decision on what should be done. For that we will evaluate our performance by finding the information of following aspects: 1] Is the competitive approach of the company is correct? [2] Could we differentiate our services from our rivals? [3] Could we provide our services at a broad spectrum or to a niche? [4] Is the geographic coverage of our services correct? [5] Are the functional activities of the company correct? [6] Could we make expected return/ cash flow? [7] What is the company’s image and reputation with the customers and competitors? [8] Could we make continuous improvement of our performance? We will also carry out evaluation of information continuously. This will help us to take timely decisions. We plan to carry out analysis of information on the following manner: 1] Daily earnings and expenses report. [2] Total number of customers per day. 12. 0 CONCLUSION Continuous improvement and development of new offerings is an essential part for any business s uccess in the present world. Everyday people in the business world seek for new opportunity and spending millions in this purpose. The overall paper is developed highlighting all the detail that is required to do a successful marketing of a new offerings. The alternatives are highlighted and the provisions are kept open to carry out the necessary adjustments as the market dictates. Proper implementation of the plan can make the service-SafeJourney a successful one.