A Study on Religion and the Role of It on People and Media….

Media Research Research Topic- RELIGION AND MEDIA A STUDY ON RELIGION AND THE ROLE OF IT ON PEOPLE AND MEDIA†¦. NIKESH GHOSH 100601181 Batch B ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all I thank almighty God for helping me do this research paper and for being with me all throughout the research. Secondly, I would like to thank Mr. Padma Kumar sir for supporting me and for being the head of my research. Last but not the least I would like to thank all my friends who have helped me do this paper. Special thanks to my friend’s Gerson Pearson and Aparna Nair for their utmost help and support.In What Ways Did Religion and Economics Influence the Development of Medieval Europe and Japan?OVERVIEW This research paper mainly deals with religion and its impact on people through media. Here I have firstly focused on what is religion and media and then have linked religion with the society. Later I have showed the relationship of both of these with the media and all consequences regarding it. I hav e also added to it my own view point’s regarding the same topic. During the course of the research some questions regarding the same issue has also been dealt over here. INTRODUCTION What is religion?Religion is a mixture of belief, faith and culture which brings together humanity and spirituality. It is more often considered as an emotional expletive during the time of crisis. It has a very deep impact on certain people whereas a very mild impact on others. Religion was thought to be originated around 2500 BC. From then started the rise of religion. Even though there are a group of people who does not believe in the supernatural powers and god but they believe in science to control the world, there is another side of it too who believes that the supernatural power is god.Depending on this the religion aspect was also cut into several pieces and these were named as Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as Indian and Far Eastern religions like  Buddhism   and  Sikhism; Iranic religions like  Zoroastrianism and  Bahai , and African indigenous-based religions like  Santeria. Others belief systems were also developed with the rise of time such as atheism and Mormon Church. This is how religion was divided and this division also led to the conflicts in the name of god. Basically religion is something brought about by the humanity and it just serves as a hope and life for the believers.Religion is something which has the capability of controlling man. It helps a person gets rid of suffering, show them the value of life, enhances the urge to live in a peaceful way ,to help others which all ultimately leads to a peaceful life. Through this one finds the meaning of his or her life. But on the other hand there is also another category of people who uses religion for their personnel fights and creates fights and wars in the name of religion which no god tells to do. People and society have the privilege of manipulating things to the way they want and this is exactly what these categories of people are doing.Even though there are a lot of religions people forget to realise that the belief and controlling power is just one. One more category of people is the ones who don’t believe in any of these and just science has the controller of the world. In spite of all these religion has a very good impact in the peoples mind in the modern era. What is media? Media is a very broad and vivid area which is a communication link to wide variety and category of audience. It is a source through which the world links with the mankind. The sources to communicate with the audience may be different like television, radio, newspapers.Internet etc. but the aim is just one and that is to make people aware of the day to day events occurring across the globe. The people tend to believe these technologies blindly which has increased the rate and extend of rise of the media drastically. The source of information and value training to the society i s more and more often the media. The information brought about by the media is what the people believe and try to inculpate and this is due to the rise in the busy schedule of one’s life. Media itself is classified into: 1.Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising 2. Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass electronic communication networks 3. Digital media, electronic media used to store, transmit, and receive digitized information 4. Electronic media, communications delivered via electronic or electromechanical energy 5. Hypermedia, media with hyperlinks 6. Mass media, all means of mass communications 7. Multimedia, communications that incorporate multiple forms of information content and processing 8.New media, a broad term encompassing the amalgamation of traditional media with the interactive power of computer and communications technology 9. News media, mass media focused on communicating news 10. News media (United State s), the news media of the United States of America 11. Print media, communications delivered via paper or canvas 12. Published media, any media made available to the public 13. Recording medium, devices used to store information 14. Social media, media disseminated through social interaction 15. MEDIA Programme, a European Union initiative to support the European audio-visual sector (http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Media) Relationship of religion and society through media As discussed above, society is very much influenced by the media and the attitudes of people of religion towards the media are extremely varied from uncritical acceptance to total rejection of media's presence in the life of society. As we all know everything has its dos and don’ts, this issue are also have both dos and don’ts. Nowadays the society is so much into the media that they believe anything and everything brought by them blindly . for instance the religious worships and aspects shown in movies vary from film o film and they may show a lot of aspects against and maybe for it. Some people has the ability to take it wisely whereas there is another category of people who believe the television and other media so blindly that they tend to believe all the religious aspects shown through this medium is true which ultimately has led to a lot of conflicts . we even know some religious themed movies even though has an outstanding performances in it has been banned a lot of commodities due to different ethical and religious issues. At times people tend to forget that films are not reality.But this is not just in the case films but any media related aspects can very well influence the people’s mind which has ultimately led to lot of religious dissimilarities and conflicts among people even now. One of such issue is the very famous ayodhya dispute which is even going on now . media has caused a very huge impact of this issue on the society. During the issue there were several articles against the media too stating that media should be kept away from the court and many more. All these are just some examples in order to show the relationship between religion and society through media.Today, the biggest criticism levelled by people of religion is that media are usurping religion's place in society. That is to give shape to a value system and to express the essence of a culture. Religion and media has gained visibility as a new area in the academic Study and knowledge of religions and their impact through a growing number of publications, research centres, and thematically focused conferences and workshops are also carried out. The media and television are believed to challenge the religious world views presently and also in the coming decades.Religion itself is categorised as a particular type of news among the media presently. Given below are two images in which one represents the top religious stories occurred in 2009 and other is the selected topics in t he us media in the year 2011 in which religion represents 2. 0 per cent of the total. Review of literature 1. Stewart Hoover’s recently published monograph (2006), Religion in the Media Age, begins with the following observation: ‘Religion and the media seem to be ever more connected as we move further into the twenty-? rst century. It is through the media that much of contemporary religion and spirituality is known. 2. The mission statement for the NYU Center for Religion and Media opens on a similar note, suggesting that ‘In the 21st century, religion is dif? cult to imagine detached from the dizzying array of media that amplify and circulate its ideas and practices. ’ 3. Gregor Geothals (1981, 1993) and William Fore  (1987, 1990, and 1993)  . â€Å"television has become the great cultivator of our culture, the great mythmaker of our time' †¦ providing myths which ‘tell us what has  meaning  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ for example, the meaning of social roles in society: who has the power, who is the aggressor, who is the victim.They tell us who can do what, to whom, with what consequences. By telling us ‘the way things are' they convince us this is the way it ought to be'. 4. George Gerbner (1979) . â€Å" television, in providing a ritualised dramatisation of symbols and values, plays a cultural role similar to popular religion. Gregory Baum (1993, p. 65) notes that the mass media do much more than mediate information: like religion they create the categories mi which we perceive the world. 5. Lee Marsden and Heather Savigny, both at the University of East Anglia, UK. Media Religion and Conflcit is one of the first constructive, unbiased analyses of its kind which looks at the role of media, religion and conflict in current domestic and global politics. It forces the reader to re-evaluate media constructs, cultural perceptions and issues surrounding identity whilst examining how and why conflict occurs as a result of these self-same media stereotypes. 6. The spirit of networks: new media and the changing role of religion in American public life; Author:Healey, Kevin : The Spirit of Networks examines the implications of new media for the future of American religious politics.I argue that we are at a critical juncture in both media and religion, similar to the early days of radio broadcasting. The outcome of that earlier juncture involved an increase in media commercialization and the proliferation of conservative evangelical broadcasters—developments which paved the way for the emergence of the Religious Right. Today, technological and generational shifts have the potential to alter the course of American religious politics. Younger people are more wary of political partisanship and religious hypocrisy, and are more likely to use new technologies as tools of political engagement.These shifts have led some journalists and researchers to pronounce the death of the Religious Right and the emergenc e of a new Religious Left. 7. A case study with Du, AlSayegh Media and Shaikh Al Oraifi. There are relatively few religious media channels through which to communicate effectively and which may be receptive to conveying a message on behalf of a company when compared to more mainstream media. Even if a company has a message that they’d like to promote and which would appeal to this target audience. 8.Communication and research trends (center for study of communication and skills: volume 21,2002. no. 2:media and religion case study ): The relationship between religion and media sheds light on this paradox [the privatization of religion but with public consequences, like the Islamic revolution in Iran or the political role of liberation theology], which illustrates an increasingly complicated negotiation between the private and public spheres. 9. Belief in the Media: (Cultural Perspectives on Media and Christianity Horsfield, Peter, Mary E. Hess, and Adan M.Medrano, eds. London: Ashgate, 2004. ): â€Å"Media Culture and Christian Institutions,† explores the impact of media on Christian institutions. This part, of course, drives home the message that institutions can no longer view media as simply tools for institutional messages; rather, the fluidity of media must be taken into account. Mary Hess examines the importance of popular culture and how Christian institutions might adapt to it. Both Adan Medrano and Siriwan Santisakultarm reflect on the use of media in their religious backgrounds, Latino and Thai Catholicism, respectively.Medrano’s â€Å"Making Religious Media† demonstrates the difficulty of creating religious television programming, which resonates both with the institutional message and the lives of adherents. In â€Å"Changes in the Thai Catholic Way of Life,† Santisakultarm traces the changing media that dominated Thai Catholic life from oral culture to the purported loss of religious communication with modernizati on. The final essay in this part explores the U. S. Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, and Frances Forde Plude suggests that, with this scandal, it becomes clear that the Church and the news media have differ nt and often contrasting views of media. Method of study In this qualitative research, firstly I have identified different types of media and evaluated their influence on society. Secondly I have explained and evaluated different religious attitudes towards the media and also religion and politics. Thirdly I have focused on the relation between religion media and society. Lastly I have focused on my own views regarding the topics listed above. 1. Types of media and evaluation of their influence in society? The different groups of media include: newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, radio, television, press, web and internet.Among these the most prominent one in the present days is web and internet. â€Å"In the last five decades or so, the media and its influence on the soci eties, has grown exponentially with the advance of technology. First there was the telegraph and the post offices, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet and the new media including palmtops, cell phones etc. There are positive and negative influences of mass media, which we must understand as a responsible person of a society. We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and education.However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that we should know how it really works. The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to, every single moment. We buy what we are told to buy by the media. After seeing thousands of advertisings we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines. These are the effects of mass media especially in teenagers; they buy what they see on TV, what their favourite celebrity advertise s and what is acceptable by society based on the fashion that the media has imposed on them. ( http://www. opinion-maker. org/2011/01/mass-media-and-its-influence-on-society/) . The above statements were from an article by M. A. Mugdhal which clearly tells us about the influence media has on the society. People tend to believe what the media tells so blindly that they forget what the actual reality is. Henceforth, media has a huge rate of responsibility in order to bring up the accurate matters to the society and to educate the society in a proper way.The mass media can create awareness, knowledge of preventive innovations and convey useful information about the skills needed for behaviour change, but they should not be expected to change strongly held attitudes and behaviour. 2. Religion and media Malcom Muggeridge, a veteran English communicator with a long career in the world of radio and television, thought that one should do without television because it is a medium that traffi cs in fantasy that creates images and ideas that are not true and does not have and cannot have any relationship with truth.For him, the medium is an autonomous element capable of creating its own dynamic and, therefore, its own communication structure. Yet faith can be lived, received and shared outside society's structure and, so, the media are not only unnecessary but harmful. Muggeridge saw using mass media as a â€Å"fourth temptation† which Jesus would have rejected because in reality â€Å"this medium, because of its very nature, does not lend itself to constructive purposes. † On the contrary, media â€Å"are giving to Christian society something which is dangerously destructive. â€Å"This position is based on a conception of faiths considered as timeless in order to maintain its purity and integrity. Without overlooking the manipulative and deceptive purposes of the mass media, it should not be forgotten that this same a temporal concept is used by those wh o make use of the fantasy of the media to communicate very effectively the fantasy of their own â€Å"gospel†. Second, according to Neil Postman (6), any religious celebration in the media requires an environment invested with certain sacrality. To do this certain rules of behaviour are needed which are denied by the circumstances in which a religious programme is watched.People eat or talk or distract themselves with other activities and the way of behaving required by the religious celebration is lacking. But there is more – for Postman, the screen is saturated with profane happenings, associated with the world of commercialism and entertainment. In a way it supposes that religion can be successful on television only if it offers what people want, which presumes the trivialisation and emptying out of content. In this respect, we should accept a certain kind of warning against mass media because their manipulative intentions are more obvious.But this complex reality m ust not lead us to believe that a retreat to more traditional forms will simply provide us with the possibility of avoiding all contamination in communication. Has the Christian community always been unpolluted? Since when have only angels preached from pulpits? Third, Giorgio Giradet(7), an Italian Waldensian pastor, believes that one can find an alternative to extreme positions like the total rejection of Muggeridge, or the marked optimism he finds in the â€Å"electronic church† and in Pope John Paul 11.For him, that alternative has to take five things into account: (a) the importance of the media in a context that includes technical, financial, political and cultural aspects; (b) that using an electronic medium, like it or not, is a political act; (c) doing everything possible not to isolate the medium from reality; (d) preventing technical questions from alienating the medium from reality (problems of quality, montage, etc. ); (e) encouraging public participation, forest alling passivity.He concludes: â€Å"The struggle for and insistence on possible and sensible use of the media of mass communication centres in the end on reflection about the church. † We have to accept that in our world today mass media are more and more becoming the most important source of information and entertainment for us. We also need to recognise that they can play a significant role in encouraging participation in the search for a more just and peaceful world. ( http://www. religion-online. org/showarticle. asp? title=273) . The above article was put forward by Carlos A. Valle.What he tried to convey was just that media can bring about a huge rate of impact on people’s minds regarding religion. For instance, if we take the case of youth, these are the group which are more addicted to media nowadays especially internet and these category are the same group which has less knowledge of religion so they depend more on media in order to get different aspects and details regarding religion and the religious issues. As we all saw during the ayodhya issues, most of the society were kept updated with all the matters on media which clearly shows that media is the only medium which keeps the whole globe one.But as every matter has its negative and positive side . religion and media has also has its positive and negative side too positive| negative| Religions can reach many people who may not otherwise be reached via the media. This can be very important in helping people understand a faith and its traditions and beliefs. | The media can sometimes be used to encourage stereotyping and discrimination n against certain religious groups. E. g. the Islamic faith is now believed to be terrorists, due to the 11th September 2001 event. In the modern world, it is important to have a better understanding of those around you — it helps generate harmony and peace. | Usually the media broadcast the most controversial stories as they know they will most likely get a response the most outrageous the headline is. Therefore this can cause a disagreement between religions. | Prejudice often comes from ignorance, so the media can be used to combat this. Go onto the Internet, and type in a search for a named religious tradition. You'll find official websites, which can give you actual view of that tradition. The media can also be a source for blasphemy, for example The Last Temptation Of Christ, was boycotted and picketed by Christian groups when it first appeared in British cinemas. | Christianity and Islam are both missionary religions. There is a religious duty to spread their understanding of God and his laws, and to bring more people into the religion. The media is a good way to spread their message further, faster. | It can be seen as a source of corruption, as there are many anti-religious sites. This could be a source for persuasion and may affect the most easily peer pressure — young teenagers/ young adults. For many peo ple who aren't able to attend their own place of worship as often as they would like to, the religious broadcasts bring it to them. | It can raise issues of hypocrisy within religious texts and cause arguments and sometimes in extreme cases violence. | The media can be used to bring communities together and families together especially during special religious days. The media can be used to inform religious believers the special ceremonies taking place in areas close to them, allowing the religious community to come together and support the cause or celebrate the event. | | (http://wiki. nswers. com/Q/How_is_Religion_portrayed_in_the_Media) the above table focuses on the positive and negative side of the role of religion on media. It is usually unrealistic to expect the mass media to persuade individuals to adopt an innovation. At best, the media can bring about behaviour change indirectly but not directly influencing them to much extend. Nowadays religion and politics is also getti ng mixed up. Their relation is like blood and body. Different people interpret the correlation of religion and politics in different ways and this at times has resulted in lot of conflicts too.Media too has its own way of interpreting religion and politics. Nowadays major effort are put up in bringing religion close to media rather than bringing media close to religion and there are also efforts being made in order to eliminate the differences between the two. An article in http://religionmeetsnewmedia. blogspot. in/ on Tuesday February 07, 2012 has reported the launch of the New Media, Religion ; Digital Culture Studies Website. This clearly shows the advancing methods and ideas inorder to bring religion and media together and avoid conflicts between them.This way a peaceful world can be developed. Media as such as a very much role in the diffusion of innovation. 3. Religion, media and society. Religion, media and society is always linked together. Nowadays the society is mostly in formed with the religious aspects and issues through the media . so their linking is inevitable. As stated in an article: The replication of a study first carried out in the 1980s that examines coverage of religion by major TV channels and newspapers (UK).Analyses cover all forms of religion (popular religion, spirituality and new religions as well as conventional ones) and the „secular sacred? (e. g. freedom of expression, the value of equality, and human rights as sacred concerns). A key finding is that coverage of Islam has almost doubled, but Islam is generally framed as a problem in relation to terrorism, extremism, attitudes to women, or failure to integrate. Christian identity is presented as ‘under threat', particularly in right wing and tabloid media, because of political correctness and the equality agenda.Strong atheist and secularist voices have emerged since the 1980s, though their media portrayal is contentious. Identity issues are commonly presented in the media, but there is frequently a difference between media Portrayals and the self-identities of religious and secular groups. Equality, multiculturalism and discrimination continue to be discussed. Their treatment needs to be understood within the editorial context and rhetorical style of the newspaper or TV channel in which they appear. ( http://www. religionandsociety. org. k/uploads/docs/2011_05/1306247842_LINDA_WOODHEAD_FINAL_REPORT_MAY_2011. pdf ; research conducted by Kim knott. ) This article is all about the link between religion media and society. Religion has both positive and negative side within the society as well as within the media. In some cases through media we come to know about the different ways in which religious places helps the poor and the needy and in other way we come to know about the different war and fights in the society regarding different religion or among different religion through media.An article by the national institute of health states that â⠂¬Å"One side effect that has noticed by the National Institute of Health (PA-04-115), and is currently being studied further, is a reduction in cases of HIV and AIDS in areas that have received help by faith-based religions. The school of thought is that the focus on family and values around sexuality of these religions are causing people to be more cautious and use protection. † (http://www. studymode. com/essays/Effects-Religion-Society-160822. tml) But as we all know that we have come across lot of instances when religion has led to wars and ultimately death of millions. For example, the thirty years war in holy roman empire between the protestants and Catholics ; crusades in holy land, Europe between Islam and Christian ; Lebanese civil war in Lebanon between Sunni, Shiite, Christian. These are the few instances in which religion has led to war. But nowadays if there was no existence of media the youth may not be aware of all these. In this busy world no one is bothered to know all this.But still due to the existence of media the youth and the people of the present generation are very well informed about all these issues Nextly we can talk about the religion terrorism which is very well talked in media nowadays. A major trend seen nowadays is that all the religious conflicts are justified by the person who starts it. They have justification for all the violence they start. When religion goes bad that is dangerous and media in a way causes awareness to the people regarding this matter too. But it has its own negative point of view also. One such example is the al Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001. he Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks highlighted just how dangerous a mix terrorism and religion is. This perception has been solidified by the series of terrorist strikes that have been launched since – whether by al Qaeda or its affiliates – as far a field as Bali, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. All these attacks highlight the threat posed by Isla mic terrorists in particular. However, while, they reflect a wider phenomenon of Muslim extremists resorting to terrorism in pursuit of their aims, they are but the (as yet) bloodiest expression of a phenomenon which extends far beyond Islam. (http://studies. agentura. ru/centres/cdi/explaining1/) The place of media in the modern society is rising tremendously that people prefer to get information more preferably from some source of media mainly internet. What is religion, its issues and related all matters are now more dependent and available from media. 4. My views and opinions regarding media and religion: As from all the above listed studies it is very well clear about the impact of media on the society and impact of religion on the society and thereby media and religion also gets linked up.As we all know that almost all newspapers has a columns which report religious aspects ( exceptional case like left front parties), Times of India carries a particular column ( like speaking tree) which is themed for Hindu linings. Even we can take the case about a particular newspaper which is named â€Å"The Hindu† even though it has nothing to do with the Hindu religion and this particular paper has a side for religion which reports and keeps updated with the various religious aspects occurring around the world.Even nowadays the new age guru s is promoted by the media itself . from all these it is very well understood the role of media in promoting religion and related superstitions and matters. It is the only medium which can reach millions of people at the same time and in a modern era people are more dependent on media. The adoption of internet and other media by the youth as led to much better diffusion of innovations and with better understanding. Religion has now become a thoroughly mediatised experience and the interconnection of media and religion depends on the society.As we all know that religious institutions and individuals are now very well influe nced by the media. We can tell that in a way lot many of them exist only because of the media impact. This is why some times the wrong religious practices are often questioned by the media and they always have to face the danger from media and this is one of the reason too that some of the religious institutions or individuals are opposing media at times. Among all the media, internet is the newest and most popular medium affecting the religious aspects in the present era. If

BA Applied Psychology

All of us have different journeys in life. We have different hopes and dreams that we cling on to motivate us strive hard to mark the goal. As a woman, I am fond of children and different kinds of personalities. I am just amazed how God create these people with different persona. They inspire me a lot. The children’s different personalities, simplicity and innocence are truly admirable. I look at them as special gifts from God that needs to be taken care of since they are also the hopes of our tomorrow.We should train them to where they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. Training these children with good values and morals in an early age really help them to be better citizens of our country. Moreover, the time has come to me when it is my turn to have mine. Life would not be as happy as today when I am able to have my own child. It is a great fulfillment in my part as a woman and as a person who loves children very dearly. God gives me a son on June 1, 2006 and he is 14 months old now.His ways really brought joy to me and I can say that as small as he is, his personality is totally one of a kind. Seeing him growing everyday makes my heart grow fonder. I just love being a mother and showing care to this tiny gift totally brought joy to my life. I have many plans for him and one of these plans is to use my education in psychology to raise him well as an individual. Beforehand, I am teaching piano lessons to different age groups. I am privilege to teach many children as well as adults and I love seeing all of their different personalities.Some of them are inclined to music and some are not. Some are fast learners; some are not. In every individual I meet, while teaching piano lessons, it just proves that people have different personalities and it interest me to know more about it. This interest in knowing different personalities more motivates me to study BA in Applied Psychology. In addition to this, I strongly believe that BA i n Applied Psychology will help me more efficient and equip in my field since I am currently working on a Bachelor’s in Social Work degree.

Abstractionism in The Bloody Chamber and The Erl-King

Abstractionism in The Bloody Chamber and The Erl-King Angela Carter’s work in the short story collection â€Å"The Bloody Chamber,† makes frequent use of concrete objects as expressions of abstract concepts, among them freedom, bondage, and death in multiple forms, not only physical. In the short story â€Å"The Bloody Chamber,† the world the protagonist lives in is archaic. Although timeless in technicality, the reader gets the idea that it is set in the Victorian era or a little after. This idea is reinforced by the dress of the characters, the behavior of the majority of the women, and the use of wagons and horses as transportation, with the â€Å"motorcar† as a luxury item. The reader is shocked by the presence of the telephone, first revealed while the protagonist and her new husband are having sex for the first time, â€Å"A dozen husbands impaled a dozen brides while the mewing gulls swung on invisible trapezes in the empty air outside. I was brought to my senses by the insistent shrilling of the telephone† (TBC 17). Carter’s use of anachronism highlights the significance of the telephone in the story. In this instance, the telephone seems to symbolize safety or freedom. It is with the telephone that she is able to call her moth er. That maternal bond between mother and daughter, via the telephone wire, ends up being stronger than her bond to her husband in marriage. Carter’s use of concrete objects in place of abstract concepts is not limited to anachronisms. â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† and â€Å"O Belo Adormecido† use intertextuality as an effective strategy to subvert conventions. Ana Raquel Fernandes argues that Carter hinges â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† on multiple objects, relevant to the setting, which escalate in meaning throughout the story. Among them are the lilies in the bedchamber and the ruby choker. The liles, she says, are an illusion to death. She also makes note of the association the protagonist makes between the lilies and her husband: â€Å"In this first part of the story, the first person narrator, the young girl who tells her story retrospectively, describes the Marquis focusing on the stillness of his face and comparing him with a lily† (Fernandes 3). The section of text Fernandes refers to is the protagonist’s initial description of her lover. â€Å"He was older than I†¦ And sometimes that face, in stillness when he listened to me playing, with the heavy eyelids folded over eyes that always disturbed me by their absolute absence of light, seemed to me like a mask†¦ Even when he asked me to marry him, and I said: ‘Yes,’ still he did not lose that heavy, fleshy composure of his. I know it must seem a curious analogy, a man with a flower, but sometimes he seemed to me like a lily† (TBC 8-9). The Marquis himself, then, by this comparison to a lily, becomes an object in the story representing death. Fernandes goes on to explain the recurrence of the lilies throughout the story as foreshadowing impending death on multiple levels: â€Å"The lilies appear again in the description of the matrimonial chamber †¦although the lilies are white, they stain the narrator, their perfume confuses her senses and later in the short story, the stems become: ‘dismembered arms, drifting drowned in greenish water’ (TBC 22), an explicit reference to death. Indeed, from its first description, the bedroom is a death chamber† (Fernandes 4). The choker carries potent symbolism of both death and the bondage of marriage. As a symbol of death, it references both the impending physical beheading of the protagonist and the death of self when the protagonist enters into marriage. Bondage, then, is death. This symbolism is alluded to when the choker is described: â€Å"A choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat† ( TBC 11). The symbolism of death is further exemplified in the detailing of the tradition the choker comes from: â€Å"After the Terror, in the early days of the Directory, the aristos who’d escaped the guillotine had an ironic fad of tying a red ribbon round their necks at just the point where the blade would have sliced it through†¦That night at the opera comes back to me even now†¦ the white dress; the frail child within it; and the flashing crimson jewels round her throat, bright as arterial blood† ( TBC 11). In â€Å"The Erl-King,† Carter uses the bird’s cages to overtly symbolize bondage and the broken fiddle to symbolize the absence of freedom. While the Erl-King has possession of the maidens, transformed by magic into birds, his music is their cries of sorrow. When the protagonist kills the Erl-King at the end and frees the birds, she strings the fiddle with the Erl-King’s hair, thereby restoring freedom as a concept and the fiddle’s song replaces the song of the birds. The fiddle’s less than joyous music brings our awareness to an uncustomary message. â€Å"Then it (the fiddle) will play discordant music without a hand touching it. The bow will dance over the new strings of its own accord and they will cry out ‘Mother, mother, you have murdered me!’† This notes the responsibility and sacrifice that comes with freedom of any kind. The symbols of freedom in â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† are less overt and exist more in terms of negative argument than on its own. In other words, freedom is exhibited through the death of death (the Marquis) instead of being given its own object to live through. This is fitting since â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† seems to speak more about marriage as death and submission as bondage. The Erl-King, on the other hand, seems to speak more about feminism, and the dilemmas of sexuality and equality. Carter’s use of concrete objects as abstractions is central to postmodernism. In the past, many works have used items to symbolize abstractions but in Carter’s work, the items are not props but actual characters in the work. The telephone, for example, is central in the plot of â€Å"The Bloody Chamber.† The choker becomes more of a character than some of the real people, for example, the piano teacher. The fiddle in â€Å"The Erl-King† even has lines of dialogue at the end of the piece, which puts it on full level with living characters. In this way, Carter makes abstractions like bondage, death, and freedom more than simple morals or behind-the-scenes concepts in her work. They take on lives of their own through the objects they inhabit and become central characters, speaking louder than the human characters with which they coexist. Works Cited Carter, Angela (1995), The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. London: Vintage [1979]. Fernandes, Ana Raquel (2010), â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† and â€Å"O Belo Adormecido†: intertextuality as an effective strategy to subvert conventions. Lisbon. The Sixth Congress of the National Portuguese Association of Comparative Literature.

Mrs. Fields Cookies Growth Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mrs. Fields Cookies Growth - Case Study Example The information system configured for Mrs. Fields’ Cookies was actually based on the ‘fit’ between the organizational structure, culture and the organizational goals. It was built distinctively for the operations of Mrs. Field’s Cookies within a given business market (fresh baked cookies) and it addressed the needs and requirements of the firm in forecasting demand, anticipating sales, allocating resources, tracking sales records and measuring the performance of each of the different outlets. Apart from these, the information management system was also equipped with ‘strategic intelligence’ in assisting managers (regional or store managers) making decisions fast without wasting time dealing with paperwork or any bureaucratic procedures. In general, the information system management approach undertaken by Mrs. Field’s Cookies was very enhancing and facilitated the growth and expansion of the firm as it enabled Debbi and Randy to maintain control on the one hand through centralization of operations and management. At the same time, however, employees were left to do work that was essential for business growth and which involved primarily the promotion of sales. The Acquisition of La Petite Boulangerie Within the expansion strategy of Mrs. Cookies Fields’, diversification was attempted through the acquisition of La Petite Boulangerie (LPB). Randy and Debbi show that acquisition as an excellent way of leveraging marketing opportunities by capitalizing on their brand name (according to the case study â€Å"the Mrs. Fields' name was demographically well established, and Randy believed whatever they put it on would sell†) and by extending the concept of a simple cookie store to diversifying into a ‘combination’ store (sit-down cafe). In undertaking LPB, Randy and Debbi sought to further stimulate the growth of the firm by diversifying its initial business and offerings. Their aspirations were ba sically driven by two factors: the first factor relates to the fact that Mrs. Field’s Cookies was a growth-oriented company and therefore opportunities offered were quickly grasped (despite the fact that in the early years Debbi was rather reluctant in growth because of her perceived control loss). In addition to that, Mrs. Fields’ Cookies had already acquired other firms in the past (within the expansion strategy program) and had managed to successfully incorporate them into the business structure, philosophy, and culture of the company (as in the case of the Famous Chocolate Chip Company).  

Quantum in physics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quantum in physics - Coursework Example (Belloni et al, 2005) Local density Approximation (LDA) Exchange correlation (XC) is the relationship between different electrons and the exchange of energy in the electronic setup of a particular quantum system. Further density functional theory (DFT) is study of an electronic structure when it is at its least excited state called the ground state or the zero-point energy of the system. Electron density is defined as the probability of an electron filling up a miniscule space around any particular point. It is denoted by n(r). (Computational Materials Science Group,1998) Local Density approximation can now be defined as an approximation of the exchange correlation in the Density functional theory or in other words the energy relationship between different electrons in an electronic structure at ground state. This can be found out using a function of the electron density at each spatial point. Further Homogeneous electron gas (HEG) is the interaction of positive atomic nuclei that ar e uniformly distributed in space with the negatively charged electrons that have a uniform density in the same space. Local Density approximations are thus most accurately derived when functional integrals are made on the HEG approximation. (Computational Materials Science Group,1998) For a unpolarized system the LDA can be written as ELDAXC=xc(n(r)n(r)dr Where n(r) is the electron density and ?xc is the exchange –correlation energy density. Exc can further be split up as Exc=Ex + Ec where Ex are the exchange functions and Ec is the correlation function.( Computational Materials Science Group,1998) The Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) The interpretation and evaluation of Density functional Theory (DFT) has made the calculation of systems at ground state very effective albeit with several drawbacks. The exchange correlation energy obtained was an approximate value using the LDA method. Further improvement resulted in the introduction of GGA’s or generalized gradient approxi mation to fine tune the LDA. Creating a functional without any empirical parameters the GGA were made to follow certain basic constraints. Since true electron density was actually non-homogenous, it was proposed in 1980 to enhance the density n(r) at a particular point r with inputs regarding the gradient of electron density. To derive an accurate value of the DFT a higher functional satisfying several parameters is ideally chosen. The PBE functional is an ideal functional proposed by Perdew, Burke, Ernzerhof in 1996. Experiments conducted thereafter have proved that the values obtained using these GGA’s were in accordance with those obtained using numerical tests.( Evarestiv R.A, 2007) This PBC functional can be defined as a summation of two derivatives, the XC hole and the energy derivative. This functional is constructed on the premise that the constraints of a particular hole are known and the exchange correlation hole is defined per these constraints. ELSDXC[na, nb]=? d3 rn(r)[?x(n(r))f(?, r) + ?c(rs(r), ?(r))] Where ?=(na-nb)/ (na+nb) is the relative spin polarization and f(?)=1/2[(1+?)4/3 +(1-?)4/3] The exchange energy ?x per electron depends on rs=[3n/4Ð »]1/3 and correlation energy ?c depends on rs and ?.( Evarestiv R.A, 2007) The exchange PBE functional is written as a combination of Ex and Ec. Here the exchange PBE functional EPBEX(n)=?d3rn?x(n)Fx(s) With Fx(s) =1+k-k/(1+ µs2/k) , here k=0.804 and  µ=021951 EPBEC[na, nb]=? d3rn[?C(rs,?)+ H(rs,?,t] where H=? ?3 ln

Comparison between the Indiana Constitution and the United States Essay

Comparison between the Indiana Constitution and the United States Constitution - Essay Example The United States Constitution has 7 articles whereas the Indiana Constitution has 16 articles. There are similarities in the articles; each article has sections that elaborate it further. Some articles discuss the same content such the legislative, the judicial and the executive. Differences in the articles: the order in which the article appear is not similar; in the Indiana Constitution the first article is the Bill of Rights whereas in the United States Constitution, the first article is The Legislative Branch. In Indiana Constitution, the Bill of Rights is located in Article 1 and in the United States Constitution the Bill of Rights is located in the Amendments. There are some similarities in the rights explicated; for example, there is right to freedom of press, expression and religion, the right to trial by a jury in a civil case and the quartering of soldiers. Rights not held in common: the right to no slavery or involuntary servitude is not held in common by the two constitutions; Indiana Constitution considers it as a Bill of Rights. In the Indiana Constitution, the distribution of powers is found in Article 3 whereas in the United States Constitution the distribution of powers is found in Articles 1, 2 and 3. Article 3 of the United States Constitution describes the Supreme Court and Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution describes the Supreme Court. Similarities in the article; all the judicial powers are vested in the Supreme Court. Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution gives a thorough description of the roles of the people in the judiciary; the United States Constitution does not. Amendment to the Indiana Constitution is proposed by any branches of the General Assembly. In the United States Constitution, proposal to the amendment of the Constitution can be done when two thirds of each of the houses finds it necessary. The United States Constitution has been amended

Intro to Criminal Justice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intro to Criminal Justice - Coursework Example Finally, the Uniformed Police System came into existence. Sir Robert Peel II drafted the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829 in which the first large-scale, uniformed, organized, paid, civil police force was created in London. This model operated within the principles of crime prevention as the mission of policing, collaborative effort from the police and people, improving police efficiency, and strengthening the responsibility of the police as enforcers of law. 2. Due to the fact that fines did not suffice to persuade people in America during the 1700s into fulfilling their police duties, America realized the need for a salaried and full-time police force. Philadelphia started implementing laws that would establish the salaried and full-time police force. First, it implemented a law that allowed constables to hire as many guards as they required, and the second law was about paying taxes to support the salaries of the police force. Unfortunately, due to the growing population and crime rate in America, this system of policing seemed to not work anymore. In 1800s, the country adopted England's paid, full-time, and uniformed police force. However, due to the low salary of the police officers, issue on bribery and other forms of corruption surfaced and became major concerns in the country. 3. In response to the growing problems that the policing system in America faced, August Vollmer established a new model of policing that greatly improved law enforcement during this time. Vollmer believed that police work must be considered a profession and as professionals they were supposed to serve the people without any biases. He also believed that law enforcement must be free from any political influence. Vollmer also perceived that to improve the police force officers must act and behave like true leaders, and the standards for becoming officers must be reviewed and raised. The new policing system created by Vollmer had the first basic records system in America. There were also special schools designated for the study of law, evidence procedures, and criminology. Vollmer also established the use of scientific investigation of a crime, and the use of motorcycle and automobile patrols. It was also during his time the the first lie detector instrument was used and the first fingerprint system was established. 4. Community policing is based on the premise that police officers are not capable of controlling the crime all by themselves. They need the assistance and cooperation of the people to prevent and control crime within a certain community. In order to successfully do community policing, there must be a good and strong police community relations. Community policing also requires police officers to participate in programs like neighborhood watch, mini-and storefront police stations, police-sponsored athletic leagues, and citizen auxiliary police. Meanwhile, the broken windows theory pertains to neighborhood signs of deterioration. This further means th at a single sign of disorder in a community signifies a downward spiral of deterioration, neighborhood decline, and increasing crime. 5. The first system of law enforcement is local police, and this system is responsible for controlling traffic, patrolling streets, and investigating crimes within a community

War, Politics, and Culture in Modern Mass Society Assignment

War, Politics, and Culture in Modern Mass Society - Assignment Example Culture in modern mass society is the distinct ways which people who live in the post-medieval Europe or at a global level differently classify and represent their acts and experiences creatively. Therefore, primary sources about Europe from 1871-1939 on war, politics, and culture are the original materials, artifacts, or documents. In this case, the primary sources that lead or related to the first-word war and how this has influenced the culture of the mass society to date (Teich and Porter, pp, 307-315). Europe from 1871-1939 experienced numerous revolutionary events, conflicts, and wars and at the peak of it was the First World War between 1914 and 1918. They are several primary sources that relate or lead to this particular war and they are into four categories. The four sources include printed sources, micro format; Personal reminiscences that are letters and diaries and eyewitness statements (Luebke, pp, 92-97). Printed sources are printed documents, newspapers articles, magazines, and journals. In the year 1914, the war was declared on Serbia by the government of Austro- Hungarian. In their statements, they stated that the whole Europe should prepare for war. The Ogden Standard in the same year also reported that Austria had chosen war. The Washington times seconded the report in the same year. It did not take long after the reports when war between these countries started. Microformat sources were also used to report the war in Europe. Microformat sources are types of open source data format that is upon existing and widely adopted frameworks. These micro format records consist of documents from the archives of the German Foreign Ministry that concerned with German involvement in Irish affairs during World War Impersonal reminiscences, on the other hand, give first-hand information on the happenings of the event.  

Strategic Management Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management Accounting - Assignment Example Strategic management helps the management to align the financial strategies of the company with other strategies namely the marketing strategies, operational strategies and human resource strategies (Bonaccorsi and Daraio, 2009). Financial management cannot connect with the external and internal requirements of the business, thus it is used only as a fact finding method. Whereas, strategic management helps to integrate the external impact on the business together with the internal strength and weakness of the organization and create new set of strategies. The paper presents a critical analysis between the use of return on investment and economic value added as means of measuring the performance. Both the techniques are used only for short term periods and not for achieving long term goals (Chrol, 2011). The discussion pertains to how the two different kinds of technique can be used for achieving long goals. Apart from that, the advantages and disadvantages of four different pricing t echniques are discussed namely, market based transfer pricing, full cost transfer pricing, cost plus mark-up transfer prices and negotiated transfer prices. Part A Critical evaluation of the statement â€Å"Both Return on Investment (ROI) and Economic Value Added (EVA), when used as performance measures in an organisation, encourage managers to be short-term in their focus and decision making† Both ROI and EVA are used for performance evaluation but only for the short term purpose. The managers face problems if these two kinds of techniques are applied for evaluating the performance of the company for the long term purpose. In order to discuss how the two different types of techniques can be used for the long term purpose, both the techniques need to be discussed separately and in depth (Clark and Mathur, 2011). In order to understand how ROI can be modified to use for taking long term decision it is imperative to note that ROI actually consist of two different parts. One is the return on sales and the other one is the asset turnover. Returns on sales indicate the profit per sales dollar which measures the ability of the manager to control expenses and at same time increase the profitability by increasing the revenue. The other one is the asset turnover, which indicates the amount of dollar received for each dollar invested. It measures the capability of the manager to increase the rate of revenue generation with the increase in the rate of investment. If ROI is going to be used for taking long term decisions then the focus should be on the asset turnover value. If control is gained over the value of the asset turnover then the ROI can be used for long term decision purposes (Das, Quelch and Swartz, 2000). In order to gain better control over the asset turnover the depreciation policy and the capitalization policy need to be modified. The determination of the useful life of asset and depreciation method used has an effect on both the income and investme nt aspects. This in turn affects the ROI. It is seen that if the depreciation charges are kept unusually high then the ROI is reduced to larger extent. In computation of the return on investment, sales factor is the only constant value, whereas both income and investment are variables. By making the right adjustment in the depreciation policy the depreciation

International Business. Multinational Enterprises Case Study

IBM as a Multinational Enterprises - Case Study Example IBM is one of the only nine companies in the Fortune 500 companies to be considered global. A company's recognition as being global is only measured by the percentage of their revenue from different markets. The three triad major world markets: North America, Europe, and Asia, are considered when companies are measured. According to the rules for a company to be called global, the revenue from each of the three major markets must be greater than 20% of the total revenue of the company (2006). In the case of IBM, it passed the test since IBM's revenue from all the three major world markets exceeds 20% of the total revenue. The company gets 42.7% of its revenue from North and South America, 32.7% from Europe, and 21.6% from Asia. Other big companies can be considered multinational enterprises, but not global companies. The number of countries IBM operates in, along with the vast availability of its products throughout the world is sufficient to conclude that IBM has a global reach. IBM interests the masses of other countries, and that is why it is the largest firm in its industry. IBM started to expand beyond national borders through the merger of its Canadian predecessors and establishing and maintaining a special relationship with its customers. According to the case presented, IBM expanded with speed and commitment into many different markets of the world. Contract manufacturing is outsourcing manufacturing tasks to other firms. In IBM's case, the company uses contract manufacturing to manufacture a lot of its products in different parts of the world. IBM's strategy is to remain a global company, and contract manufacturing fits in perfectly in IBM. Contract manufacturing allows the company to expand faster than if the company would manufacture everything directly from the host country. Furthermore, it saves a lot of money and time for the company because production facilities are not to be purchased, as it would be the case if IBM decides to manufacture them. It also involves getting the most out of the workforce. Local firms would know more about how to utilize their resources in the best possible way, and hence, local firms would a better job at managing local resources. Moreover, consumer tastes and demands differ in each country, so it is beneficial to use the knowledge of contractors about the home market. The contractors know mor e about the market for technological products in the home market. Furthermore, with specific assistance from IBM, the local firms can provide an IBM product with specific customization tailoring to the local population. Part of the reason for IBM's success in other countries is contract manufacturing. IBM would have to deal with a lot of issues such as location, availability of human resources and technology, training, market research, and government rules and regulations etc. To better minimize the risk of getting others to do the company's work, IBM has created six research centers across six countries to ensure that these centers conduct research in their region.

Our Societys Indifference to Violence Essay Example for Free

Our Societys Indifference to Violence Essay Last year, while sitting in my car with a friend at the beach, I witnessed a terrible situation in which almost no one helped the woman in trouble. Although I was scared, it never occurred to me to not offer my assistance. Looking back at the situation now, I cant help but wonder if I wasnt there how differently the night may have turned out for an innocent girl. This one night, changed my life and probably saved hers. On this night, we sat in the car talking about the days events and enjoyed the calmness of the ocean and the peacefulness of the night. Although it was already dark, many other cars lined the boardwalk and several people were sitting out watching the waves crash on the nearby beach. For a late evening, the beach was unusually busy. We sat and talked for few minutes before noticing a commotion off in the distance. At first, it appeared to be a prank, or a fight. Initially I didnt think it was serious and went back to enjoying the sound of the waves and the company of my friend. Soon, the distraction appeared to take on a more desperate tone, so I focused ahead on what was happening. In the distance I could see a young woman frantically running from vehicle to vehicle. I had no idea what was going on, and although I wanted to ignore it, something told me not to. I strained my eyes to see what she was doing, and to my surprise no one else seemed to notice how frantic she was. As she ran around, shouting and what looked like crying, people walked away, rolled up their windows and ignored her. She was making her way down the line of parked cars in a hurried fashion, but I still had no idea how severe the situation was. In no time, she was standing at the drivers side window screaming. Her words were difficult to make out and my first thought was that she was drunk or on drugs. I quickly dismissed this idea when I noticed her shirt. It was covered, in what appeared to be blood. She was crying, and talking so fast I couldnt make out what she was saying. What was clear was that she was asking, in fact, begging for help. We quickly told her to get into the backseat, away from the danger that had caused her this horrible reaction. She was trembling, and bleeding and crying. We did our best to comfort her and quickly called 911 from our cell phone. Luckily the police were nearby and responded very quickly. As we sat, and waited for the police to question us, we couldnt help but wonder why no one had helped her. She had asked at least ten people for help, and all of them had ignored her. The situation was obviously dire and had we not called the police immediately whos to say what would have happened to her. We waited for what seemed like an eternity until finally the police explained the situation. It seemed the girl was making her way back to the road from the beach when a man jumped out from behind the bushes and attacked her. She had been stabbed, but managed to get away before he was able to do more harm to her. Unfortunately, the unidentified man was also able to get away. After being attacked, and stabbed, she ran for help. She was obviously hurt and bleeding but no one, except us, helped her. She was quickly whisked away in an ambulance and the police assured us that her wound was minor and she would be okay. We sat for at least another hour as the helicopters, police and search dogs looked for the assailant. We learned later, on the news that the man was never found. It was so disturbing to see someone in obvious need asking for help and everyone turning their back to her. It was as if they couldnt be bothered, or they thought she was joking. So many people were so quick to dismiss it as not serious just to justify their time of peace that it nearly cost someone their life. I would like to think that if the people who did not help, knew that the girl was injured they would have offered to help, but I am not sure. They were all so quick to make a judgment about the situation and assume that it was serious that this girl, who had just been stabbed, couldnt convince them that she was hurt. Our culture is becoming one of not only increasing violence, but one of desensitization to that violence. Had we not been there to help, I cant help but wonder if anyone would have thought to call the police, or an ambulance, or offer even basic comfort to someone in obvious need. The people that did not help that night were completely indifferent to her and were more considered with their own enjoyment that they failed to help a young girl in need. In so doing, their lack of assistance may have provided the attacker the time needed to get away. In this case, indifference led to injustice for not only this one girl, but to everyone else this man may have attacked in months and years to come. Well never know just how many people this lack of compassion affected. Our society has become numb to violence and that numbness has not only caused an increase of violent acts it has caused a greater degree of indifference for the victims of horrible crimes like the one I witnessed. The people on the beach that night justified their lack of action by saying they thought she was acting, or drunk. Sadly, it should never have mattered why she was screaming, bleeding and asking for help. Help should have been offered without question and without prejudice. If we dont change this behavior, as a society, violence and indifference will only continue to grow as it has for the past several decades.

Palestinian ‘invasion Essay Example for Free

Palestinian ‘invasion Essay Since December 1, 2004, out of the 1085 Times’ columns, 37 percent of them talked about Palestinian ‘invasion(s)’, 36 percent mentioned ‘terrorism’, 28 percent talked about ‘terrorist(s)’, 21 percent brought up Palestinian ‘violence’ , 18 percent cited ‘suicide bombing(s)’, 16 percent stated Palestinian ‘weapon(s)’ and 14 percent of them cited Palestinian ‘radicals’. On the contrary to this strong Israeli account, only two words mirroring a Palestinian plot come into view in an equivalent proportion of Times’ columns. Israeli â€Å"settlement(s)† were cited in 32 percent of articles and Israeli â€Å"occupation† was cited in only 16 percent of columns. This one-sidedness is even more arresting because the stress on Palestinian violence heard from last two and a half years time during which Israelis murdered 965 Palestinians, above half of the city dwellers, while Palestinians killed only 85 Israelis . However, Israeli ‘attacks(s)’ are cited in 13 percent of Times columns and Israeli ‘violence’ in only 4 percent. Ethan Bronner recently expressed his viewpoint at the back of The Times’ staged tilt towards a right-wing Israeli-US account. In mocking Jimmy Carter’s latest best-selling volume, Bronner said: â€Å"the never-ending disgrace of everyday life for the Palestinians under Israeli occupation† as â€Å"particularly since Israels exits from Southern Lebanon and Gaza have not closed anti-Israel hostility from those regions†, and since â€Å"for the most radical heads of the Muslim world†¦ resolving the Israel issue†¦ means getting rid of Israel. † However, Bronner’s assertion that a stress on Palestinian and Muslim violent behavior and extremism is required by recent actions is contradicted by the truth that the Times approach isn’t a newly-fangled one, but stands for a business as normal, mirroring the similar orientalist portrayal of Arabs and Muslims drawn by Edward Sa’id in 1978. An example of other Times’ columns from the last weeks offers solid cases of the biased coverage behind the stories. A columnist Isabel Kershner noted in the beginning sentences of her article â€Å"Israel and Palestinians Trade Fire in Gaza and West Bank† (April 22, 2007) that: â€Å"A sharp rise of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and Gaza left up to six Palestinians deceased and ended in Israeli air strikes into Gaza. † Although 6 Palestinians were murdered inside the West Bank and Gaza, with five deaths definitively credited to the Israeli armed forces, with no Israeli damages reported, the column captioned a swap over of blaze. Kershner’s beginning precis sentence didn’t point out the â€Å"violence† or even intensification to Israel, nor did she make use of the word â€Å"attack† to explain Israeli events. Even more odd, of the column’s 851 words in total, 524 words were dedicated to reciting a Palestinian â€Å"attack† on a confidential ‘American School for Palestinians in Gaza’ during which the invaders, â€Å"Islamic extremists† ruined school property, but no one got injuries. So Israeli soldiers, who slaughtered 6 Palestinians, didn’t assault and got less reporting than Palestinian extremists who assailed, though they injure not a soul. Well-known Israeli reporter Amira Hass has said: â€Å"What newspaper writing is truly about – its to keep a close eye on power and the centers of power. † The New York Times has been unsuccessful in attaining that idyllic model, not simply in coverage of Iraq, but also in reporting on Israelis and Palestinians conflict. Sooner than any perception of impartiality, balance or truth, the Times replicates as a substitute the inequity of authority between Israel and Palestine, highlighting the outlooks of the influential players – the Israelis and US administrations. Palestinians’ lived episodes – that they are beleaguered, being murdered, on the breadline, having their property seized, deprived of their human rights and the sufferers of a biased system – are masked by the drumming of ‘Palestinian terrorism’, even when hardly ever Israeli soldiers are being murdered. Similarly with Iraq, this chauvinistic story of inborn Arab bloodshed is being browbeaten to give good reasons for dominance of one people by another. Lacking this investigation, Bill Moyers’ â€Å"Buying the War† stands for only a primary step towards revealing US media bias in coverage of the Middle East. References: Edward Said. â€Å"Orientalism†. New York: Vintage Books. 1978. Kershner, Isabel. â€Å"Israel Says Hamas Was Plotting Terrorist Attacks†. The New York Times, April 11, 2007. 12 May 2007

Apple Inc Market Analysis

Apple Inc Market Analysis According to Kotler Marketing is not like Euclidean geometry, a fixed system of concepts and axioms. Rather, marketing is one of the most dynamic fields within the management arena. The marketplace continuously throws out fresh challenges, and companies must respond. Therefore, it is not surprising that new marketing ideas keep surfacing to meet the new marketplace challenges. (Varadarajan, 2009) Product, price, promotion and place are factors that, within limits, are capable of being influenced or controlled. Marketing strategy can be viewed as reflecting a marketing mix of these four elements. (OShaughnessey, 1984). Market planning involves the logical sequence and a series of activities leading to the setting of marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them. Marketing tools are used in the realisation of market plans. This paper aims to critically evaluate how Apple Inc could use some of the main strategic marketing tools (Product Life Cycle, Ansoff Matrix, Boston Matrix etc) to develop and manage its products and product portfolios. Some of the advantages and limitations observed will also be discussed. 1.1: BACKGROUND OF APPLE INC Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs with the aim of providing user-friendly computers to a set of computer hobbyists (David, 2007; pg 2-3). The first computer they made had no keyboard or power supply and they were able to sell about 200 of such computers which they called Apple 1 (International directory of company history, 2001). Later that year, they began working on Apple II with the intention of reaching a greater market segment. Apple II was a success and made more than $1 million in annual sales. Apple II stored information on cassette tapes and that made them very slow. Apple improved on this memory problem in 1979 with Apple II+ and made 400% more sales than that of the previous year. (International directory of company history, 2001) Apple III was launched in 1980 to break into the office market dominated by IBM. However, the computer was released without adequate testing and many of its unit were defective. Production was stopped and the problem was fixed but Apple III was not as successful as Apple II in the market and it was discontinued in 1984. (International directory of company history, 2001) The company forged ahead despite the failure of Apple III and released more than 40 software programs. It became the first personal computer to reach $1 billion in annual sales in 1982. (International directory of company history, 2001) Steve Wozniak left Apple in 1983 and John Sculley was hired to be the Company president. Steve Jobs was eventually forced out of the company too. Apple turned down Microsofts appeal for the license of their Macintosh operating system. Microsoft went on to develop DOS operating system which soon became the international operating standard for more than 90% of all personal computers in the world. (David, 2007; pg 2-3) Apple experienced a lot of problems with poor management and failed products over the next couple of years and its financial losses reached a staggering $1 billion in 1997. Its share price fell from $70 in 1991 to $14 and its lost majority of its market share. (International directory of company history, 2001) Steve Jobs returned as the CEO of Apple in 1998 and began making efforts to right all the wrongs that had been made over the years. He instantly forged a relationship with Microsoft which included the release of Macintoshs version of Microsofts popular office software (David, 2007; pg 2-3). He went on to eliminate 15 of the companys 19 products (International directory of company history, 2001) as they were not making profits. He introduced the iMac, a sleek and colourful computer in 1998 (David, 2007; pg 2-3). The iMac was a great success and Apples annual sale for that year was $5.9 billion. They experienced continuous growth and their stock made a 140% increase to $99 by the end of 1999 (International directory of company history, 2001). The iPod was introduced in 2001 and over 100million units has been sold. The iTunes online store was launched in 2003. It is a platform where people can download music and pay for it and it has gone on to become the biggest online music store recording more than 4 billion downloads. In January 2006, the Mac book Pro was launched (Anonymous, 2008). In January, 2007, the iPhone and Apple TV were launched and Apple Computer Inc became Apple Inc to accommodate its wide range of products (Anonymous, 2008). 1.2: THE MARKETING MIX According to Professor Peter Doyle, the selection of the target market and design of the marketing mix are the two key decisions that determine the success of a firm in a new market (Baker, 2007). Marketing comprises of a number of elements and the relationship/interdependencies between these elements is referred to as the marketing mix (Cartwright, 2002). The marketing mix is made up of four basic components that can be combined in a number of ways to achieve different end results (Baker, 2007) and these are Product, Place, People and Promotion. Only the product will be discussed in details for the purpose of this paper. 1.2.1: PRODUCT A product has been defined as tangible in the past but we are at the age where that definition is no longer adequate as it does not completely capture the whole essence of a product. A product is defined as a combination of both tangible and intangible properties for the sole purpose of customer satisfaction (Baker, Marketing Strategy and Management, 2007). A product is more than just the food a customer eats at a restaurant; it includes all the services rendered such as convenience, speed, mobility etc (Cheverton, 2004). 1.3: THE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE A typical product goes through different stages in its life time and this is referred to as the product life cycle. This is illustrated with the diagram below: INTRODUCTION: The introductory stage is crucial to the life of a product. It is advisable for companies to invest a lot of money into advertisement at this stage to ensure they are able to make sufficient impact upon entry into the market (Cartwright, 2002). The rate of growth and investment at this stage is inversely proportional (Cheverton, 2004). GROWTH: There is a change in marketing strategy at this stage and the cost on advertising reduces as the customers are aware of the brand (Assael, 1985; Pg 308) resulting in a lot of market growth. A lot of sales are usually generated at this stage due to customer awareness. It is usually very good to be the first company to pass through successful unchartered water. However, as soon the success become obvious, other companies will wish to enter the market (Cartwright, 2002). MATURITY: This is the most profitable stage. However, the product is capable of little or no further developments. An effective marketing mix is essential for survival at this stage as competition becomes stiff and competitors will do anything to survive in the market (Baker Hart, Product Strategy and Management, 1999; Pg 97 100). There are too many players in the market at this stage and it is imperative for organizations to come up with new products or improvement on existing products (Cartwright, 2002). DECLINE: With decline in sales, impending death is inevitable and the company can either re-design the product or totally withdraw it (Assael, 1985; Pg 308). 1.3.1: ANALYSIS OF THE IPHONE FAMILY USING THE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything these were the words of Steve Jobs at the launch of the iPhone in January, 2007. Jobs had noticed an opportunity in the mobile handset market two years prior and set Apples Engineers in motion to develop the iPhone (Grossman, 2007) which was to save people the stress of carrying both an MP3 player and a phone and the cost of purchasing the two items. The iPhone marked Apples entrance into the mobile handset market. It combines the features of the iPod, smart phones and mobile computing into one device. The user interface is built around a new input technology called multi touch and the only physical button on the iPhone is the home key; every other feature is virtual (Honan, 2007). INTRODUCTION: The build-up to the introduction of the iPhone was second to none. It generated over 69 million hits on Google prior to its launch (Koeppel, 2007). The popularity translated to huge sales and Apple reported selling more than one million iPhones within the first quarter (Financial Statements, 2007). There were some mistakes with the marketing strategy for the iPhone and the obvious one was in the price slash just three months after its introduction (Vertygo Team, 2008). The early adopters were outraged but Steve Jobs made efforts to pacify them by offering $100 store credit that customers could use in purchasing at retail Apple stores or online (Mickalowski, Mickelson, Keltgen, 2008). GROWTH: Apple Inc introduced iPhone3G a little over a year after the first iPhone was launched. The iPhone 3G was compatible with 3G networks which translated into higher connection speed at half the price of the original iPhone, it promised better battery life and also included a built-in GPS (MacWorld, 2008). Iphone 3G was highly successful and Apple sold more than 11.6 million units of the handset (UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, 2008). The sale of the Iphone expanded beyond the US and the company had a target of reaching 70 countries before the end of 2008. However, the contract with ATT increased by more than 10% from the monthly charge of the previous model therefore, even though the iPhone3G was cheaper, customers will end up spending more over the two-year contract with ATT (MacWorld, 2008). June, 2009 marked the launch of yet another iPhone this time the iPhone3Gs. The features include: Hands free control, longer battery life. It also included the soft ware iPhone OS 3.0, a new software capable of a lot of functionalities such as copy and paste, MMS etc (Vertygo Team, 2008). It had larger memory capacities and was again cheaper than the previous model. The product was well accepted by the market and Apple sold more than 20 million units of the iPhone and witnessed a growth of 78% from the previous year sale (UNITED STATES SECURITY AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, 2010). In June 2010, the company again introduced a new iPhone; the iPhone 4. This included such features as face time (ability for callers to see each other while making phone calls provided they are both using the iPhone4), 5 mega Pixel camera etc. Building on the success of the previous iPhones, the fourth generation of the iPhone recorded an instant success upon its launch. The company declared more than 93% growth in its iPhone net and unit sales for the year ended September, 2010. This success was attributed in part to the huge demand on the iPhone 4 (UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, 2009). ADVANTAGES OF THE PLC The PLC helps organizations plan and make allowance for the eventualities of products. The realisation that every product will die if not improved or modified in some ways, help organizations work hard at constantly improving their products. This fact is not lost on Apple Inc and the company strives to constantly improve on its products or add new features to its existing products. Apple Inc is probably the company that understands the importance of the product lifecycle the most and they usually replace their own product with a new product while its still in the growth stage (Average of a year after its launch). The strategy is commendable as it ensures that no competitor takes their position and their market share. DISADVANTAGES OF THE PLC A number of limitations were observed with the PLC and these are: It has no time limits associated with the stages. Thereby making it difficult to estimate exactly what stage a product is in its lifecycle. For instance, in the case of the Apple Inc, the iPhone 3Gs was still enjoying a lot of sales and the introduction of the iPhone4 could have been delayed for a couple of months more to milk the sales of the iPhone 3Gs to the maximum. It can cause a company to kill its own product prematurely because of the need to retain their position in the market. This could be seen in the case of the iPhone 3Gs; with the new iPhone 4, the decline of the iPhone 3Gs is imminent sooner rather than later. Even though every product will decline eventually, the PLC does not take the effect of technology into consideration. The lifecycle of the iPhone could be extended by constant introduction of new applications. Lastly, not every product goes through the stages in the life cycle as it is possible for products to go from introduction to decline etc. 1.4: RISK ANALYSIS USING THE ANSOFF MATRIX The Ansoff Matrix is a strategic marketing tool that proposes ways in which organisations seeking growth can come up with a strategy that encompasses risk analysis, directional policy, portfolio management etc (Lancaster Massingham, 1999); (CIM, 2003). The framework of this tool is shown below: The cells (Strategies) in the matrix are: MARKET PENETRATION: The market penetration strategy has the lowest risk involved and as such the easiest route to take. It involves expansion of sales in existing market and this can be achieved by expanding distribution channels, improving service performance, price slashes, increasing the frequency of usage etc (CIM, 2003); (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). The most important aim is for a company to increase their market share. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: This is a strategy of growth based on entering new markets (countries) and targeting new segments (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). PRODUCT DVELOPMENT: This strategy is based on developing new products for existing markets (Lancaster Massingham, 1999). DIVERSIFICATION: This is the most risky of all the strategies as it involves delving into a totally new market with a totally new product (WMG, 2010) 1.4.1: MANAGING APPLE INC PRODUCT PORTFOLIO USING THE ANSOFF MATRIX MARKET PENETRATION: Although Apple Inc is doing a fantastic job with this strategy; there is still ample room for growth and this can be achieved using the increase in product usage approach (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). Apple could increase the iPhone usage by targeting the older people (50 years and above). They currently do not find the iPhone appealing because it lacks a keypad and as such, it will be difficult to use. A solution is to come up with an iPhone that combines all the current features of an iPhone with a keypad; an iPhone that displays a keypad when slid up might be a good place to start. MARKET DEVELOPMENT: One of the strategies Apple Inc can adopt in increasing its growth is geographic expansion (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). There are still so many countries where the iPhone and iPad are not yet been sold. Acquiring more markets will translate to more sale and ultimately more market share. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: This involves line extensions, developing new products for existing markets, expanding product scope etc. (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). There is a huge problem usually encountered when using the Macintosh Computers to browse or download software as most vendors are not familiar with the operating system and this could be frustrating for users. It is important for Apple to bridge this technological gap by introducing a more compatible operating system and applications. DIVERSIFICATION: From Computers to MP3 players to iPhones to iPad; Apple Inc knows all about diversification and it has worked for them. Even though it is the most risky of all the growth strategies, if successful, the ROI (return on investment) could be huge. Apple recently entered the tablet market and they own 95% of the market share within just 6months of launching the iPad. ADVANTAGES OF THE ANSOFF MATRIX The Ansoff Matrix is very useful in coming up with a growth strategy for an Organization. Apple Inc explores all the possible growth opportunities and it has helped in their growth and expansion. It has also pointed out areas where there is still room for growth and expansion. LIMITATIONS OF THE ANSOFF MATRIX The limitation observed with the Ansoff Matrix is similar to those observed with the other tools. The tool is not exhaustive enough to be used alone in coming to a marketing decision and as such for effective use, it should be used with other tools such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis etc. 1.5: PRODUCT PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS USING THE BCG MATRIX The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix is a portfolio management tool that helps companies group their products based on the market growth and market share matrix (Kotler et al, 2008)as shown below: The matrix is divided into four segments namely: STARS: These are products with high market share in a high growth market. Their growth rate is rapid and hence, often requires a lot of investment. If market share is retained, they often grow into cash cows (Kotler et al, 2008). QUESTION MARKS: These are products with low market share in a high growth market. They are also referred to as problem children. They usually require a lot of money to maintain or increase their market share. A company usually has two options with such products; invest a lot of money to grow them into stars or just phase out the product (Doyle Stern, 2006). CASH COWS: These are products with high market share in a low growth market. They usually require low investments to maintain their market shares and as such, they usually generate the resources required to maintain other products that require a lot of investment (Kotler et al, 2008) (Doyle Stern, 2006). DOGS: These are products with low market share in a slow growth market and they are usually unprofitable (Doyle Stern, 2006). It is advisable to avoid or totally minimize the number of Dogs in a companys portfolio. 1.5.1: HOW APPLE INC COULD USE THE BCG TO MANAGE THEIR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Apple has a range of products. The iPhone family and the iPad will be analysed using the BCG matrix. STARS iPhone 4 iPad QUESTION MARKS iPhone 3Gs IPOD Cash Cow FIGURE 1.5.1: Apple Inc BCG Matrix STARS: The iPhone 4 is currently the star product of the company as it experiences high market share in a high growth market (Mobile hand set market). The high market share it enjoys is largely due to the success of the previous models. It is very likely that the iPhone 4 will retain its market share for a while to come as there is currently no product in the market that combines all the features it has for the price it is available for. Another product of the Apple Inc that falls under this category is the iPad. Even though it was just introduced in April 2010, it has enjoyed a passive sale of 7.5 million units already (UNITED STATES SECURITY AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, 2010) and the iPad accounted for 8% of the companys total net sales for 2010. According to Mintel reports, it owns more than 95% of the tablet market which shows that it enjoys high market share in a high growth market. QUESTION MARKS: The iPhone3Gs has lost a huge part of its market share to the iPhone4 and as therefore become a question mark (albeit in the early stages!). It will generate some cash for the company for a while to come mainly because of the reduction in its price. However, with the new iPhone 4 it is unlikely to grow into a star again and it is advisable for the company to phase it out eventually. CASH COWS: The iPod is the companys major cash cow. It has been around for a long time and enjoys huge market share. The growth in the market has reduced with a lot of gadgets that combine MP3 players with their other features. However, it requires little or no further advertisement as people are aware of it and will continue to buy it for a while to come. The resources generated from it can be used to fund other products in the portfolio. ADVANTAGES OF THE BCG MATRIX The major advantage of the BCG Matrix is that it helps companies determine their position in a market relative to their competitors. They can use the result from the analysis to determine what products to invest resources in and what products to phase out. For instance, knowing that the iPhone 3Gs has become a question mark will help the company focus more on the new iPhone4 and reduce the production and advertisement costs that would have been incurred on the iPhone3Gs. Also, the revenue realised from their cash cow (iPod) can be channelled to other products in their portfolio. LIMITATIONS OF THE BCG MATRIX However, there were some limitations observed with the tool. The matrix views each product in a portfolio as independent from each other. It is possible to have low market share in a high growth market (Question Mark) and still be profitable. This is seen in the case of the iPhone3. Even though it has lost its market leader position, it will serve more as a cash cow for the company for a while to come because it will continue to enjoy sales rather than instantly becoming a question mark. The matrix judges the performance of products using only growth rate and market share. This is not sufficient as there are a number of other factors that determine the success of a product in a market such as the marketing mix etc. A major determinant in the case of Apples iPhone is the ATT. Customers are not happy with the quality of their network and even though Apple is making profits on the phone; they could be making more if they were with a more preferred network. Therefore, the choice of network provider also impacts on the performance of their products. CONCLUSION The business environment has become highly competitive and it is imperative for any company entering the market to develop a strategic plan based on analysis of the market, customer needs etc. It is often a wise choice for an organization to have multiple growth strategies for their various products and product portfolios. Apple Inc Products and Product Portfolios have been analysed using the Product Lifecycle, Ansoff Matrix and BCG Matrix. Some advantages and limitations observed with the tools have been discussed and recommendations have been made in areas where there is still ample room for growth. There is no stand-alone or all sufficient marketing tool and the full potential of a tool can only be realised when used with one or two other tools. 2.0: THE MARKETING GAME The marketing game was about four companies vying for the number one position in a market that showed excellent room for growth and profit (word processing software). The aim of the game was to be the company that made the most profit after 5 financial years. As four companies were competing for the market shares and profits, it was important for each company to understand the market, the competitors and the market trends and use this understanding to come up with a strategy that will set them apart from the remaining three if they were to make profit and ultimately win the game. WORDSOFT3 Before any decision or strategy could be made, it was important to understand the different market segments and their unique needs and these are summarized below: THE MODERN STUDENTS: This segment consists majorly of college students who are not keen on the technicalities of the software but on the price. For this category, economy is the most crucial factor. THE HOME SCRIBBLERS: This segment consists of a mix of households who use the software for various purposes. This category of users prefers easy to use software and one which is not easily prone to errors. They are also a price-sensitive segment. THE HARRIED TYPISTS: As frequent (not necessarily expert) users of the software, members of this category want software that is easy to learn and use. Price is not a major factor for this category as they are usually not in the position to make purchasing decisions. THE PROFESSIONAL WRITERS: As professionals in their field, this segments primary concern is for software that can save them time and affords them special commands for advanced auditing and formatting capabilities. THE HIGH-TECH MANAGERS: Members of this segment are interested in the latest software and the number of capabilities they offer. They are motivated by social needs for status and esteem. Price is not of concern to this category of users. THE CONCERNED PARENTS: This category of users wants easy to use software that children can learn themselves. 2.1: YEAR 1 In the first year, WordSoft3 targeted the students and home scribblers and the product 10, 4, 3 was manufactured. The 4Ps of marketing (Price, Place, Promotion and Product) were employed in formulating the strategy for the first year. Emphasis was placed on Channel two since it was the channel students frequented more and as such fifteen salesmen were deployed to this channel against the five deployed to channel one. However, the retail price was erroneously set at  £136, which was higher than that for channel one.  £200,000 was spent on promotion and pioneering advertisement was used to raise general awareness about the software market. The Company did not fully utilize its budget and had money in excess at the end of the year. 30,000 units were requested however; only 20,716 units were sold out of the 24,000 units that were produced. Money was therefore lost on inventory transferred. Some of the decisions made paid off and Wordsoft3 made a profit in excess of  £500,000. However, this performance was dismal when compared to the performance of the other three companies and even though profit was made, the year ended on a sour note. 2.2: YEAR 2 The performance from the first year was analysed alongside the market research report and some errors made in the first year were highlighted as follows: Promotion is key in marketing and the amount spent on advertisement was insufficient. This affected the overall performance relative to the other companies. Sales performance was less than actual production hence, the company lost money for inventory transferred. The product was not achieving the desired result in the targeted segments and it was therefore important to re-assess the various segments and manufacture a more needed product. The price set for the channel two market was erroneously higher than that of channel one After careful analysis, it was necessary to re-strategise if Wordsoft3 was to become a Company to be reckoned with. The first step was to reassess the marketing mix (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) and determine what market segment to target and generally try and improve on the performance of the previous year. PRODUCT: It was obvious from the previous year performance that there was a need to manufacture a new product that will target a different segment of the market. It was decided that the typists and managers should be targeted since they made up 47% of the market and the new product 12, 6, 5 was manufactured to suit their needs. PRICE: The retail price was set at  £280 for Channel one since the majority of the target market shopped there and  £240 for channel two to attract students, home and parents. Even though the product was not produced to meet the specifications of the later group, it was decided that they will compromise on product if the price was right. PLACE: Fifteen more salesmen were employed and they were deployed on a ratio 20:15 to channels one and two respectively. PROMOTION: Advertisement will help inform potential customers and there was a chance they will become customers therefore, a loan of  £500,000 was taken from the bank and it was spent solely on advertisement. Indirect advertisement was employed. The decisions made paid off and Wordsoft3 made the most sales and performed well in more segments than anticipated. It sold all the units produced and it became the market leader in four out of the six segments owning more than 25% of the market share and it doubled the profit made in the first year. 2.3: YEAR 3 By the third year, the rudiments of the market had been understood and the decisions for the third year were easier to make. Slight modification was made to the product to be more suited to managers but not enough to deter the typists and writers from purchasing. In addition, the prices were increased slightly from that of the previous year. Thirteen more salesmen were employed and they were distributed evenly between the two channels to increase awareness for the product in both channels and their commission was increased to 8% which was more than the average been paid in the market. The percentage non-selling time was set at 20:25 for channels one and two respectively, thereby raising more awareness for the brand with personal marketing.  £43,000 was spent on sales promotion and  £550,000 was spent on advertisement and direct advertisement was employed to reinforce Wordsoft3 as a market leader. The retail price was set at  £289.77 for channel one and  £259.46 for channel tw o. At the end of the third year, Wordsoft3 made the most sales. It also went on to become the market leader in all the six segments, a feat that had not been achieved previously by any of the other companies. It owned more that 30% of the overall market share and made profit in excess of  £2,000,000. 2.4: YEAR 4 By the fourth year, Wordsoft3 had been able to carve a niche for itself as a reputable and trusted brand. The ease of learning was slightly increased and the product 13, 6, 6 was manufactured. As a result of the volume of sales of the previous year, it was imperative to employ more salesmen. Eight more salesmen were employed and they were shared at the ratio 30:26 to channels one and two respectively.  £500,000 was spent on indirect advertisement and  £14,000 was spent on sales promotion. Wordsoft3 maintained its lead at the end of the third year, selling more than 70,000 units. It made profits of over  £3million and owned more than 35% of the market share. 2.5: YEAR 5 For the fifth year, the price for the products was reduced to attract more consumers since the product has been in the market for a number of years and market research showed that it might be getting to its saturation stage in the product lifecycle. The price was therefore set at  £279.85 and  £250.36 for channels one and two respectively.  £500,000 was spent on advertisement and  £43,000 was spent on sales promotion. The game ended on a very happy note for Wordsoft3 and they totalled a cumulative profit of over  £10million and maintained the market leader position and market share of over 30%. LESSONS LEARNT In retrospect, the failure at the end of the first year was the launching pad for the success of Wordsoft3. It was evident that they needed to re-assess their strategy and determine whether it was strong enough to help them achieve their vision of being the market leader and the company with the most profit after the fifth financial year. They realised the need to better understand the market. The market research gave them the insight they needed to identify possible market opportunities and to focus their resources on it. More money could have been spent on advertisement in the first year. Marketing is all about taking risks