Ganga river Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ganga river - Essay Example Here it must be noted that the whole population which lives on the river basin depends on Ganga for agricultural, domestic and industrial water consumption. Taking into account all these facts, it can be confirmed that Ganga as a geographical and cultural element, plays a very important role. To have a critical view on this role, it won’t be enough to limit the analysis to the physical, biological and environmental systems associated with the river. For any analysis to happen, it must be understood that sociologically, the river Ganga is more than a river for the people and the culture associated with it. There are a set of systems ranging from environmental to mythological which combines to constitute the landscape of the river. The objective of this essay is to analyze the role of Ganga as a socio cultural entity and to understand its changing ritualistic relationship with the community. The Geographic spread of Ganga In order to understand the cultural relevance of Ganges, it is primarily important to understand the geographic spread and details of the river. The river covers more than a quarter of the country’s landscape. It comes up to 26.3% of the total area of India (Trivedi , 2010). It is considered to be largest river basin. Ganagotri Glaciers are the primary source of origin of Ganga river. It flows through the Himalayas and flows down the country starting from Haridwar (Trivedi , 2010). Numerous tributaries join Ganga at different parts of its flow through the country. The Ganga-Brahmatutra-Meghna basin of which Ganga basin is a part stretches across to four countries including China, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. However, a major chunk of this lies in India extending up to 80% of the total basin. The river flows through the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh (Trivedi , 2010). Ganga as a sacred river The cultural landscape of the river has evolved in connection with the divine approach that the community associated with the river has linked with. To understand the socio ecological aspects in connection with the river it is important to understand the perception of the population connected with Ganga. The predominant socio religious concepts of India have considered water bodies as sacred. Rivers are perceived as â€Å"extensions and partial manifestations of gods† (Shiva, 2002). The Hindu mythology states that the existence of life on earth has been made possible due to the flow of heavenly water (Shiva, 2002). Connecting, this to the fact that, Himalayas, where The Ganga originates from is considered to be heaven, the mythological relevance of Ganga as a scared river can be assumed. The sacredness of Ganga has been nourished by the socio cultural ambience of the places through which it flows. Ganga flows through a number of scared cities including Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Varanasi and Alla habad. This stretch of landscape stretching across the Himalayan zone and the Indo-Gangetic plain creates an ecological system which connects to the Hindu mythology. This ecological system spreads beyond a physical space. It is a combination of natural resources, mythical concepts, religious structures, biological systems and rituals (Shiva, 2002). The Socio-cultural landscape of Ganga As mentioned earlier, the landscape of Ganga

Poet’s emphasis Essay Example for Free

Poet’s emphasis Essay Although poem A contain a thematic unity but it is manifested that poet’s emphasis remained on creating a homogeneous lyrical whole instead of developing the theme in an elaborative way and in an elevated poetical manner. There is weak sentimentality that pervades the whole poem. The most important defect of the poem is that it takes into account a wide range of human roles in life and tried to culminate this human experience into the ultimate reality of death. In this attempt, poet fails to create a unifocal and forceful impact about death in the mind of the reader. Although the main though is not traditional or orthodox but poet does not present any philosophical facets, psychological impact or any other unique reflection about death. Furthermore, he is unable to manifest a great skill in making use of the arts and artifices of verse. So poem is an abject failure. Poet is unable to enjoy the visual delight of death or suffer from it pain and terror. He only changes from one role to another role with the sad demise of the first. Personal Preferences Ranking Poem F Poem C Poem D Poem E Poem B Poem A Poem F The theme is same as other poem ranked above but thematic expressions is the most important thing that elevates this poem above all other poems. Thematic expression manifested in a subtle and delicate way. So delicacy of thought mingles with height of literary expression. Subtle metaphorical attributions to seasons are another important feature of the poem. He does not rely on a single set of metaphors or symbol but he uses the financial symbols in the next quatrain to covey his message and skillfully relates it to the main theme of death and destruction. The most beautiful line of the poem is line 7 where he terminates the effect of death. He is of the view that by reproduction and regeneration, one can produce a replica of his own self, so death can not destroy him. He can conquer the death and destruction. Hence these off-spring(s) will make â€Å"thee living†. So poet has pitched the though at a higher level as compared with other poet and have utilized his language skills to create an effective expression to convey that style. Poet does not show any mystery or fascination about death. If death results in despair and terror, it also brings rest and peace. Poet negates both these conventional concept and gives a new idea that death does not terminate life if one wishes to. He can reproduce siblings like him and this is a continuation of his life. There is not magical abstraction in the poem and everything is presented and represented in clear manner with the help of concrete imagery.

Bipolar Disorder Essay examples -- Causes of Bipolar Disorder

In life we all go through experiences that cause our moods to change for better or for worse. There are times that we experience degrees of great joy and happiness just as other times we experience great sadness and despair. These polar emotional opposites can be brought about by a cornucopia of circumstances such as the joy and excitement of getting married or the birth of a child to the deep sadness and grief over the loss of a loved one or one’s employment. Feelings of joy and feelings of sadness are normal parts of human life. Some however are unfortunate enough to be force to cope with these emotions to the extreme and on a regular basis. Some individuals must further cope with an ever present emotion rollercoaster, switching from one emotional extreme to the next with regularity. This personality disorder is known as bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is the condition in which one’s mood switches from periods of extreme highs known as manias to periods of extreme lows known as depression. The name bipolar comes from the root words bi (meaning two) and polar (meaning opposite) (Peacock, 2000). Though often bipolar disorder is developed in a person’s late teens to early adulthood; bipolar disorder’s early symptoms can sometimes be found in young children or may develop later on in life (National Institutes of, 2008). Bipolar disorder has been found to affect both men and women equally. Currently the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not yet known, however it has been found to occur most often in the relatives of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder (National Center for, 2010). Individuals with bipolar disorder typically experience unusual extremes of happy and sad emotions compared to those without bipolar disor... ...otechnology Information. (2015). Bipolar disorder, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Web. 21 July 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001924 †¢ NIH, National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2015). Cyclothymic Disorder, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Web. 22 July 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002517 †¢ Russ Federman Ph.D., (Feb 13, 2014). "Misdiagnosis of Bipolar Disorder". psychologytoday.com Web. 15 July 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bipolar-you/201402/misdiagnosis-bipolar-disorder †¢ Abraham, R.A. (2015, February 25). â€Å"Causes of bipolar disorder†. webmd.com Web. 28 June 2015. http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/guide/bipolar-disorder-causes †¢ Frans, E.M. (2008). Advancing Paternal Age and Bipolar Disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 65(9), Web. 19 July 2015. http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=210144

Animal Testing Should Be Outlawed Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive 20

According to Biology Online, animal experimentation is defined as the use of animals in experiments and development projects usually to determine toxicity, dosing and efficacy of test drugs before proceeding to human clinical trials. Animal experimentation has been going on since ancient Greece when Aristotle and Hippocrates first made their model of the human body based on what they had observed through animal dissection. Then, Romans used animals to do more psychological tests on animals like pigs, monkeys and dogs. After that, the Renaissance period took up physiological studies. Since then, the 20th century had a huge increase in animal testing until 1980 when activists started standing up against the labs. Activists have not been very successful at protecting the animals’ rights in some cases and the past decades have seen a noticeable increase in animal testing for many reasons (Baumans). Today, despite activist’s efforts, animal testing is still commonly used. Ne vertheless, animal testing is unethical and should be outlawed. People in favor of animal testing believe that animals are needed for any sort of medical advancement. They believe that without testing on live animals, our medical field would not be able to make improvements. Scientists assume that humans would be hindered enormously if they did not test drugs on animals before they were released to the human world. They also think that animals are tested to do various behavioral and genetic testing. People in favor of animal testing are under the impression that the animals are a great help towards psychologists in finding out more about the brain and how the human brain works. They think that without the animals, nobody would be able to fully understand how the ... ...ety. aavs.org, 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. . Bantwal, Natasha. "Arguments Against Animal Testing." Buzzle.com: Intelligent Life on the Web. Buzzle.com, 2010. Web. 16 Nov 2010. against-animal-testing.html>. Baumans, V. "Use of animals in experimental research: an ethical dilemma?." Gene Therapy (2004): S64–S66. Web. 9 Nov 2010. . Goldman, Laura. "New System May Replace Lab Rats with Robots." Change.org. Change.org, 08 Aug 2010. Web. 16 Nov 2010. . "Research Alternatives." CHAI Online. CHAI Online: Concern for Helping Animals In Israel , 2010. Web. 16 Nov 2010. .

Operating System Essay

1. What is the application Zenmap GUI typically used for? Describe a scenario in which you would use this type of application. Zenmap is an application that is used to scan ports for networks. A scenario where it can be used is to scan the ports of a network to know exactly which ports are opened or closed thus allowing a network administrator to reduce the vulnerability of its network. 2. Which application is used for Step 2 in the hacking process to perform a vulnerability assessment scan? Nessus. 3. What must you obtain before you begin the ethical hacking process or penetration test on a live production network, even before performing the reconnaissance step? One must obtain a signed authorization form showing exactly what kind of test you are authorized to perform. 4. What is a CVE listing? Who hosts and who sponsors the CVE database listing website? CVE listing is a dictionary of publicly known information security vulnerabilities and exposures. IT is hosted by the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 5. Can Zenmap GUI detect which operating systems are present on IP servers and workstations? Which option includes that scan? Yes, the OS detection using TCP/IP stack fingerprinting option includes that scan. 6. If you have scanned a live host and detected that it is running Windows XP workstation OS, how would you use this information for performing a Nessus vulnerability assessment scan? One can use this information to create a policy of vulnerabilities that you want Nessus to scan for on that specific host. 7. Once a vulnerability is identified by Nessus, where can you check for more information regarding the identified vulnerability, exploits, and the risk mitigation solution? You can check the report generated by Nessus, specifically in the hostname plugin ID which will give you a detailed description of the vulnerability found along with possible mitigation solutions. 8. What is the major difference between Zenmap GUI and Nessus? The major difference between Zenmap GUI and Nessus is that Zenmap only a scanner that maps a network and gives you information about open ports but Nessus is a vulnerability scanner than scans a network and gives a report on how vulnerable that specific port is. The main difference is one gives a report on how to fix a vulnerability in a port while the other doesn’t. 9. Why do you need to run both Zenmap GUI and Nessus to perform the first three steps of the hacking process? You need both Zenmap GUI and Nessus to perform the first 3 steps of the hacking process because Zenmap GUI and Nessus are used to perform different tasks and steps in the hacking process therefore you would not be able to perform the first 3 steps effectively using only one software. Both are needed.

Disconfirmation of expectation model Essay Example

Disconfirmation of expectation model Essay Example Disconfirmation of expectation model Paper Disconfirmation of expectation model Paper A customer went Into a restaurant what require her driven a long distance and waited 15 minutes for a table. She expected it to be good. However, the restaurant was dirty, the table service was poor and the high-price meal was overcooked. Dissatisfaction felt by this customer because the restaurants service performance was not as good as what the customer expected, then there was a negative discrimination between expectations and perceptions which causes dissatisfaction. Nowadays, food industry is rapidly growing. In such competitive industry, those with more important in attracting customers satisfaction from different aspects. In discrimination model, People use standards of assessment in Judging products or service such as predictive, desires, need and norms (Spring, 2003). And company use this to measure customer satisfaction. Lovelace describes that Expectancy- Discrimination Paradigm has two famous variables that are expectation and perceived performance. They are defended for two distinct time periods. Expectation is related to the pre purchase time period that customer has initial expectation about pacific performance. For example, customer expected the restaurant has good table service. Perceived performance is related to the after purchase time period that once the product or service has been used, outcomes the customer had. For instance, the meal was overcook in that restaurant. The different between expectation and perceived experience Is termed as discrimination of expectation. As the result of difference between expectation and perceived experience, discrimination of expectation can be positive or negative. Oliver (1980) proposed hat a customer is satisfied or dissatisfied depend on the positive or negative difference between expectations and perceptions. In other words, when perceived performance Is better than what the customer desire, the positive discrimination occurs. For example, customer are happy when the restaurants meals are delicious and the seats are comfortable. When perceived performance is as expected, confirmation occurs. In contrast, when perceived performance is not as good as what the customer desire or expected, negative discrimination occurs. Customer are experimented when the table service is rude and the foods are terrible. Moreover, according to the research, Spring (2003) showed that there are two methods- Delete Difference Model (ADAM) and Direct Effects Model (DEEM), that worked well In measuring discrimination of customers expectation and desire. For example, the restaurant delivery of right meals in the right time with the right quality is a good way to attracting the customers satisfaction. At this time, restaurant can use ADAM method to measure customers expectation accurately. Recommendations ROR expectations and actual product performance.

Airborne Express 6 Essays

Airborne Express 6 Essays Airborne Express 6 Essay Airborne Express 6 Essay To: Robert Brazier Senior Management Team of Airborne Express From: Strategic Analyst Re: Recommendations and Implementations for recent issues in Airborne Express Executive Summary: Airborne Express has many options available for sustainable growth and success in the coming years. After the recent 29% increase in revenue over the past year, there are opportunities to take into consideration that will boost this growth for the fourth quarter. This company should join the â€Å"industry trend† of distance-based pricing. This will result in higher revenues, and will give Airborne Express a more substantial budget to merge with Roadway Package System in order to create a more technologically advanced tracking system. This will not only increase revenues, but will also gain customer support by offering a new service. Although the express-delivery industry is extremely difficult to differentiate, it is necessary for Airborne express to keep up with Federal Express and United Parcel Service to ensure they maintain a competitive advantage in the industry. While UPS is experiencing a strike, Airborne Express should take advantage of the distance-based pricing and possibly gain customers of UPS who saw RPS as a luxury service. Mission of Airborne Express: After the recent UPS strike, Airborne Express has experienced substantial financial results of a revenue increase of 29% over the previous year. The main concern for Airborne Express now is to recognize how secure their position currently is held in the industry. There are several ways to measure the success of this company, and I have found it most useful to use Porter’s Five Forces Model to analyze the options. I have focused mainly on whether or not Airborne Express should follow the path of their major competitors, UPS and Federal Express, and move toward distance-based pricing. Also, the approach that Airborne Express takes with the international market needs to be taken into consideration with a â€Å"variable-cost approach†. The Roadway Package System (RPS) partnership should be further analyzed and possibly made into a more concrete operation. Marketing, technology, and employee satisfaction should also be considered for the future success of this company. By focusing on distance-based pricing, maintaining international operations at a variable-cost approach, and forming more of an existent relationship with RPS, it will lead to a definitive strategy to sustain the competitive advantage of Airborne Express. Environmental Scanning of Airborne Express: Rivalry: This industry consists of 3 major companies, including Airborne Express, Federal Express, and UPS. The prices between UPS and Federal Express cause severe competition between these companies. Revenue growth has been unstable within each company due to decreasing prices in order to reach the top of the competition. Innovations in this industry remain minimal, and they are easily copied by other players in the industry. This makes differentiating a difficult task, especially for Airborne Express. By using the competitors as guinea pigs, it will make it almost impossible to ever overcome it’s key competitors. Because the products are priced extremely low in this industry, producing return is based merely on a high volume of sales. It seems as if since 1990, when UPS and Federal Express began â€Å"price wars†, the attractiveness to this industry has declined. Supplier Power: Lower industry attraction has also been a result of the main suppliers of this industry, the employees. The recent strike at UPS was caused by the employees demanding higher wages and benefits. The next most important supplier in this industry is airports, followed by fuel. These both are factors that this industry has little to no control over. Clearly, technology and other equipment supply a great deal to the express mail industry, and these factors are capable of being negotiated. Threat of Substitutes: When dealing with this industry, there are minimal substitutes at stake. Fortunately, people will continue to demand express deliveries. E-mailing could possibly have a small effect on this industry, but this is not an option for most deliverable items, as well as legal documents. Depending on the urgency of a package being delivered, regular mailing systems propose a small threat on this industry. It obviously costs less, but it doesn’t compare at all to the convenience of express delivery services. Buyer Power: The major consumers in this industry are basically anyone who intends on sending a package or letter to someone urgently or with the most convenience. It seems as if businesses use this industry the most, considering the importance of delivering and receiving products and other necessities to keep a company stable and on top of their game. Because there is barely any differentiation in this industry, it allows customers to easily shop around for the best prices. This raises price sensitivity and gives the consumer more customer power. Barriers to Entry: The threat of new entries in this industry is equally low as the threat of substitutes. There are few major players involved here, and it shows that for a new one to even exist they would need to have the capability of covering a large amount of cities in the United States. In order to have a main convenient center of business, as well as aircraft and an extensive amount of vehicles calls for a high capital investment. This would be extremely difficult for any new entries to be accountable for and would take years of hard work and sustainability to achieve economies of scale in this industry. Strategy Formulation: Given the information from the environmental scan, I find that it is most beneficial to begin following UPS and Federal Express with a distance-based pricing method. This will unfortunately increase prices, but it can be made up for with decreasing costs to the company by increasing the relationship with Roadway Package System. Airborne Express can set prices so that their margins will increase. To decrease costs for the company, a long-term relationship can be formed with RPS. By merging with this company, Airborne Express can create a much more convenient tracking system for the customers. RPS can give Airborne Express a competitive advantage by allowing them to establish more efficient pricing methods. I feel as if Airborne Express should continue the variable-cost approach with international shipments, and I agree with the senior officers that â€Å"there are no significant service advantages which would justify the operation of [our] own aircraft on international routes. A possibility for growth in Airborne Express would be to boost their technologies, such as updating the Internet site. Currently it does not offer as many functions as those of UPS and Federal Express, and I feel as if the use of the internet to schedule pickups and/or create shipping paperwork will be in demand in the coming years with advancing technologies. Considering Airborne employees described t he company as â€Å"strait-laced†, â€Å"frugal†, and â€Å"very conservative†, it would be beneficial to ensure that the middle-management is offered proper compensation to increase employee turnover in the future. Strategy Implementation: In order to maintain a competitive advantage in Airborne Express, following the distance-based pricing method will include increasing prices for longer distance deliveries and decreasing them for shorter distances. This will not only give Airborne Express a great opportunity to increase their margins, but they will not lose many customers in the process. This new form of pricing is considered an industry trend to consumers. Federal Express and UPS both have been successful with this method, and as mentioned earlier there is not much differentiation between these competitors. Even by implementing this method, Airborne Express can still maintain the lowest costs in their industry. By increasing prices at one end more than decreasing prices at another end, some amount of margin growth will occur. The fact that Airborne Express is a â€Å"low-cost strategy† company does show that they simply charge lower prices, but they have not developed a lower cost structure because it has extremely low margins. Although they hold a specific reputation with lower prices than their competitors, the distance-based pricing method also could lead to higher revenues that they seem to be missing out on. The company would be able to produce a higher profit from longer-distance deliveries. By forming a more concrete relationship with RPS, I feel that Airborne Express will be capable of offering their customers superior information and tracking systems. If they plan on increasing prices, it is necessary to offer customers some form of incentive or â€Å"willingness to pay†. Higher revenues will be expected if a relationship is built with RPS, considering a higher quality service will be provided. This could possibly take away market share from UPS. Because of the large amount of ground shipments made with Airborne Express, RPS can attract more customers and boost the margins for the company over the coming years. Airborne Express will not be able to differentiate itself in this industry, but I feel that if it is unable to do so, the only other option would be to keep up with it’s competitors as much as possible. In doing so, they should begin by re-formatting the company website and upgrading it to allow customers to perform the same tasks as those on the sites of UPS and Federal Express. Technology will only continue to enhance in the future, and people will begin demanding these kinds of advancements. It is also necessary that advertising in the mass media should be taken into consideration in the near future. Although Airborne Express was the first company in the industry to accommodate early deliveries, now each of its competitors is capable of an 8 A. M. delivery. Customer needs are important to maintaining a competitive advantage in this industry, so I feel as if Airborne Express should expand their marketing. Before anything I find it most necessary to move on to distance-based pricing and forming a more concrete relationship with RPS. With the new tracking system, middle-management will need to be trained properly to work with the computers and new technology. Offering middle-management, those who are not part of a union, enhanced pay rates will hopefully give Airborne a better reputation with their employees and they will feel properly compensated for their new tasks. Evaluation and Control: For the upcoming fourth quarter, Airborne Express should join the industry with distance-based pricing; they will produce even higher revenues than those of the third quarter. The attached graph I have compiled is based on the latest revenue per shipment given at $8. 25 in 2006. At first, without this current flat-rate price system, it looks as if revenues will be under $8. 25 if the distance is less than 150 miles. I have shown that with distance less than 150 miles, revenue will be about $2. 00 less. This doesn’t ean the company is losing revenue, because when the distance exceeds 150 miles the revenue begins to increase heavily. The slight loss with shipments of less distance will easily be made up for and revenues will almost double with shipments with a longer distance. I also found that it would be beneficial to add an extra rate for â€Å"Remote Locations†. These locations can be Airborne’s decision, and could consist of particular locations that propose d ifficulty shipping to. For example, a small city which does not have a major shipping hub could be considered a Remote Location. The rate can range anywhere from $20 to $30. This rate would clearly increase revenue, and would offer customers the advantage of shipping their package to any location in the country. This would be appealing to consumers, because they would still use Airborne Express for their local shipments, and it would save them money in the end. Building a more concrete relationship with RPS will enable Airborne Express to have a more convenient tracking system for the customers. The RPS partnership is crucial to the future of this company. The cost to build on a tracking system will be minimal, and will only consist of a small portion of the extra revenue created by the new distance-based pricing system and â€Å"Remote Location† rate. This new system will allow Airborne Express to take advantage of the current main concern for their company, which I consider the tracking system. Having extra funds to merge with RPS will place Airborne Express in a concrete position with the technological future. In order to run the new tracking system properly it will be necessary to employ people who are capable of using these technologies. This could possibly require higher pay rates to middle management. These pay rates will also be reflected on the implementation of the distance-based pricing system revenues. In the end, the loss with giving higher compensations will be beneficial for the future success of the company. With these recommendations and implementations, Airborne Express will have no problem keeping up with the two â€Å"900-pound gorillas† in the industry and will maintain sustainable growth in the future. Bibliography â€Å"Airborne Express. † Rivkin, Jan W. Case No. 9-798-070. Published 02/05/1998, Revised 5/23/2007. Harvard Business School Publishing, (23 pages). [pic]

Analysis of Pricing and Distribution Strategy at British Airways The WritePass Journal

Analysis of Pricing and Distribution Strategy at British Airways Introduction Analysis of Pricing and Distribution Strategy at British Airways Introduction Company’s outlookPricing Strategy Distribution Strategy Evaluation Conclusion and Recommendations  ReferencesRelated Introduction British Airways is the flagship airline carrier for United Kingdom, formed in 1974. With significant presence at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City with over 20 million people living within commuting distance. BA has a fleet of more than 238 aircrafts in service as of March 2010 and flies to 41 different destinations in America, 9 in the UK, 67 in Europe, 16 in the Middle-East and South-Asia and 7 in the Asia Pacific region, carrying around 32 million passengers between 2009 and 2010 as well as operating a large air cargo business alongside. BA, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas form the Oneworld airline alliance which is now the third largest airline alliance group. In 2011 BA merged with Iberia forming IAG with 408 aircrafts flying to 200 destinations and carrying 55 million passengers and allowing the two companies to enhance their presence in the market whilst retaining their own brands and allowing their customers to benefit from a larger network of travel (iairgroup.com/ 2011). Company’s outlook British Airways sees itself as a vital link for trade and investment, specialising in short to medium length international journeys which has seen revenue of  £8 billion in 2009/10. This figure is down 11% on the previous year due mainly to price of fuel and the recession. BA’s main activity revolves around passenger travel which accounts for 87% of 2009/10 revenue, supposed to 7% from cargo and 6% from other means. The acquisition of Iberia in 2011 has allowed BA to increase its capabilities in the cargo market and diversify their operations. Both companies float on the Spanish and UK stock markets as one under IAG, which floated in late January 2011 at 282p a share; this has dropped to a price of 224.3p per share as of 4th April 2011. The future for British Airways and IAG will be largely affected by its ability to weather the downturn, but with its promise of drastic expansion and a strong market share within the European market (3rd biggest by revenue) (www.bbc.co.uk/new s 2011) Pricing Strategy British Airways prices its products in a way that allows consumers to decide the level of services they want. For example return flight to New York, purchased online is  £376 in economy yet consumers pay a huge increase to  £2728 for the same flight, (www.britishairways.com 2011) but in first class. BA’s premium and medium strategies offers superior quality for greater price allowing the airline to compete with other quality airlines such as Virgin and American Airlines, and base price on customer valuations The price â€Å"is set higher than others to reflect better product quality and exclusivity.† (Brassington and Petitt, 2003: 1106). However in recent years the arrival of low cost carriers and economic turmoil forced BA into providing a low cost formula to remain competitive. The first step towards this was in generating ancillary revenues by introducing a fee per one way flight for passengers booking a seat in advance for all seats except first class. (GMID 2011) Even in the low cost formula, BA are still upholding their image of quality and good customer service as unlike the low cost carriers, where ancillary revenues are the money makers with food, drink and priority boarding all costing extra, BA still provide some level of on board service in the cost of their product. Despite the introduction of a low cost formula, British Airways generally bases prices on perceived value of its brand, and aims to deliver product quality leadership strategy. (www.britishairways.com 2011) The executive club encourages loyalty to the airline and rewards consumers with double airmiles, priority boarding, additional baggage allowance and access to the BA lounge as well as giving the appearance of high quality and good value. However BA recently lowered the price of their business class ticket due to the recession. It has been recognised the company has had to reduce the price of its business class tickets, to remain competitive alongside such competition as Virgin, who have helped battle down the price, along with it’s cliental that have become less willing to pay higher prices during economic hardship. This has help attract more customers, smaller businesses in particular, who are able to do deals and meet contacts around the world. (Times Online 2011). An excellent strategy that has allowed BA to get away from just large organisations and into the smaller/medium sized business market (GMID 2011) is their Face to Face campaign which, on submittance of a business plan, small/medium sized businesses can apply for free business travel. The marginal cost of one more passenger is relatively small, as the majority of costs are largely in fixed costs of running the flight (cost of aircraft, fuel, airport duties etc.). According to Chris Tarry, transport analyst for Commerzbank Securities, BA’s selling cost per passenger in March 2002 was just 10.9% of its average ticket price (insights.org.uk 2011). This allows BA to sell tickets at lower rates when demand is less and higher rates during peak season. For example an economy class ticket to New York would normally be  £376 return but almost doubles over the peak bank holiday period of the Royal Wedding at  £616 (www.britishairways.com 2011). The airline aims to get as many people on the plane as possible, even at a lower price, and make some profit, than the plane taking of near empty and making a loss. Distribution Strategy British Airways tickets are available to purchase from travel agents physical locations and online via their websites, and through BA’s dedicated website, travel shops and reservations staff. With e-commerce radically changing distribution strategies (Solomon et al, 2009), BA and various other airlines are trying to reduce costs to ensure they continue to effectively compete against other players within the airline industry and still provide each customer with their superior service by eliminating their use of various ‘traditional intermediaries’ (Solomon et al, 2009) within their distribution channels. Globally 20% of British Airways tickets are now sold via ba.com, with 54% of these online bookings accounting for their total short haul sales stated by docstoc (2010). It’s recognised from these statistics that the convenience of purchasing airline tickets online is attractive, due to the ability to securely acquire a flight ticket without leaving the comforts of your own home, as well as that purchasing tickets direct from BA.com is significantly cheaper than leading travel agents, for example an economy class ticket flying from London to New York can be purchased for  £368 straight from BA where as Expedia offer the same flight for a staggering  £432.10. However, there is still an area of the market who enjoy purchasing their airline tickets from travel agents physical locations, this is due to travel agencies providing the customer with the same options as to the airline website itself, in such areas as seat preferences, along with the additional personalised service w hich the customer is able to discuss the range of options available to them when booking all areas of their holiday, be their hotel or hire car. An attempt to create a more direct distribution channel process, BA also provides the recognised ‘travel agent’ service options to its customers, through offering a range of hotels, car rental and various other holiday package choices. The various options available to consumers when purchasing BA airline tickets are either through travel agents, or alternatively buy their ticket straight from the BA website, travel shops and reservations staff. It’s seen that prices do vary depending on where tickets are purchased, for instance if a consumer were to purchase their ticket directly from BA’s website, they would commonly pay a lower price, due to the direct business to customer distribution channel, eliminating the need for BA to pay commission to travel agents which is ‘traditionally between 8% and 10% of the ticket price’ (tourism insights, 2002) and for the use of Global Distribution Systems (GDS). GDS is used by airlines to sell flights, through connecting both the airline and the travel agents to sell the tickets. Airlines pay GDS to connect them to travel websites and travel agents to enable their flights to be sold via these organisations, GDS segment fees average at around ‘$10 to $12 per booking’ (tourism insights, 2002). With BA’s distribution costs accounting for 16%-17% of the cost of selling each ticket, no wonder they want to reduce distribution channels to help become more competitive in the growing low fare airline industry, especially due to the ‘travel and tourism industry fast becoming the biggest growth industry in e-commerce payments,’ (docstoc, 2010). Evaluation Overall it is clear that British Airways are aiming for a much more direct distribution channel. They are investing huge amounts of money in improving their online services to try to encourage people to buy online rather than at the extra cost of the middle man travel agent. This also allows the airline to gain vital information about their consumers and their wants and needs, allowing the company to differentiate and target their services appropriately. This will ensure they enhance their competitive market position, through enabling them to provide special offers to different customers, for example in the form of special discounts, special seats with more leg room and passes for their lounges, allowing them to build better relationships with their customers.   The high growth in e-commerce selling in the travel and tourism market is further proof of how important it is for BA to perfect this particular method of distribution. The lower costs from eliminating a middle man, includi ng both online and shop based agents will also allow the firm to appear more competitive in comparison to low cost carriers (LCCs). The introduction of ancillary products and reduction in price of business class tickets has been key in promoting the price competitiveness of the airline alongside the strong brand image of quality and reliability. The low marginal cost of an extra passenger also gives the airline the ability to lower costs depending on the demand for their product at the time of year; this means that BA can offer their business clients lower prices when it is not peak season such as school holidays. Conclusion and Recommendations By providing more ancillary goods and a reduced cost of the seat, BA will give consumers the options of what they want and become more competitive with the LCC’s, who are extremely popular for short haul flights. For example providing the option to charge extra for food and drink or extra baggage on short haul flights as well as an all inclusive option. Many of the LCC’s only distribute tickets online. To uphold BA’s strong brand image it’s important for them to stay accessible through other distribution systems as many of their more wealthier cliental who spend the most via business and first class tickets, may desire a travel agent. By marketing their online travel agent services they may be able to increase their current 20% online distribution. This will provide a more direct channel to their customers allowing them to market events such as the BA January sale, flights to cheaper destinations and cheaper times to fly that consumers may otherwise be unaware of. Marketing the executive club more effectively to new customers and ensuring that by being a member, consumers actually receive some benefits, they’re likely to remain loyal and recommend the airline. BA could also improve their services by providing questionnaires to passengers. For example, on long haul flights when consumers are more likely to fill them in, and providing a reward – such as a draw for a bottle of champagne. By doing this the company will be able to find out if consumers choose them for their prices, customer service, quality or the routes that they operate under and use this to market the company accordingly. It is clearly important for BA to remain competitive with the LCCs by providing an alternative to the high quality and high price product they currently provide but still keeping their high quality image and providing a service that current, loyal customers expect. Effective online distribution and optional ancillary products are key in achieving this alongside accurate customer research from current and potential consumers. The airline should continue to use their low marginal costs to their advantage when promoting the airline to businesses and off peak travellers.   References Balmer, J.M.T, Stuart, H Greyser, A.S (2009) Aligning Identity and Strategy: Corporate Branding at British Airways in the Late 20th Century, CALIFORNIA MANAGEMENT REVIEW VOL. 51, NO. 3 BBC News: bbc.co.uk/news/business-12265332 [Accessed 4th April 2011] Brassington, F, Pettitt, S (2000), (2nd Edition) Principles of Marketing Harlow, Prentice Hall British Airways (2011) www.britishairways.com [accessed 19th March 2011] British Airways (2011) Buy Travel [Online] britishairways.com/travel/fx/public/en_gb?eId=111011timestamp=0315023921 [Accessed 15th March 2011] Docstoc (2010) Visa Case study: British Airways come buy with me –worldwide airline offers worldwide online protection [Online] docstoc.com/docs/26949398/britishairways [Accessed: 6th March 2011] Expedia (2011) Flights [Online] expedia.co.uk/pub/agent.dll [Accessed 15th March 2011] GMID portal.euromonitor.com.chain.kent.ac.uk/Portal/ResultsList.aspx [Accessed 7th March 2011] Insights (2011) insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=The+Changing+Face+of+Airline+Distribution [Accessed 20th March 2011] International Airlines Group (2010) iairgroup.com/   [Accessed 4th April 2011] Solomon, Marshall, Stuart, Barnes Mitchell (2009) Marketing: Real People, Real Decisions. Essex, Pearson Education Limited. Times Online (2011) http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article5477962.ece [Accessed 17th March 2011] Tourism insights (2002) The Changing Face of Airline Distribution [Online] insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=The+Changing+Face+of+Airline+Distribution [Accessed: 6th March 2011]

Positivism-the key to success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Positivism-the key to success - Essay Example ot on an individual’s ability to ascribe positive outcomes to one’s aspirations, for it is eventually up to a person as to how one chooses to shape one’s life. The paper brings together the arguments for and against how positive thinking brings success, and then comes to a conclusion that positive thinking it actually a key to success. To confirm this, the paper highlights the way I shaped my life and how I achieved success in personal endeavors by using positivism as the key to success. Since my childhood, I always positively looked forward to any task, problem or challenge that came my way. I was somehow always confident about being successful, irrespective of the fact that at that time I did not know what it meant to be positive. I simply believed that being happy while facing life would bring me success and fulfillment. For instance, I represented my state in national swimming competitions. I knew that in case of an athlete, one has to be very strict with one’s training hours and diet. However, my personal passion for success went beyond training and proper diet. Before participating in a competition, I strongly believed that I was going to win, and I simply imagined myself on the podium with coveted medals and trophies. I think it was primarily owing to this positive attitude on my part that I managed to win many competitions. In high school I was always hopeful and positive about achieving what I aspired to achieve. The remarkable fact is that when you seek good, you are very likely to find it (Peale 1). I just immersed my consciousness in the goals I wanted to attain, and never stopped until I realized them as Peale explain also. For instance, I am a triplet and I have a brother and a sister. Many a time people happen to believe that all the three of us will think and act the same. However, realistically speaking, this is not true. The three of us spent our childhood together. In fact, in high school, we three were in the same class, taught by the

Starting and Naming a Business (Administrative Law and Government Research Paper

Starting and Naming a Business (Administrative Law and Government Regulation) - Research Paper Example Through franchising, the business will be associated with well developed brands and reputation. Disadvantages; franchisees usually have to operate according to the operations rules of the franchisor. Franchisees are required to pay ongoing fees to the franchisor. There is less control especially while selling the business, since there are procedures to follow (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2011). The following are the disadvantages and advantages of a sole proprietorship. Advantages; it is easy and uncomplicated to start this form of business. There are few formal commerce requirements. There is direct motivation since the entrepreneur assumes all risks and earns all the profit. There is better control since the entrepreneur is the sole decision maker. There are minimal legal expenses for starting sole proprietorship. There are no company tax payments. Disadvantages; the entrepreneur make all business decisions and assumes all responsibilities of the business, including business liabilities in case of insolvency. Entrepreneurs may experience difficulties while raising cash needed to start and sustain a business (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2011). According to Pride, Hughes & Kapoor (2011), the following are the disadvantages and advantages of partnerships. Advantages; there are no prescribed requirements for the formation of a partnership. There are no prescribed requirements for the business operations. Therefore, it is inexpensive to operate partnerships. Partners are taxed individually, and this may result to lower taxation. Disadvantages; partnership is not a separate lawful entity implying that partners are, in their individual capacity, accountable for the business debts. The death of a partner may result to termination of the partnership. There may be difficulties in the decision making process. The following are the disadvantages and advantages of a corporation.

Harriet tubman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harriet tubman - Essay Example Most were sold but she stayed on the plantation. When she was a teenager, she was told by the Overseer of the plantation to help him stop a slave that was running away; Harriet helped the slave instead. The Overseer was so angry about this that he picked up a two pound wait and threw it at the slave. He hit Harriet instead and almost killed her. She had headaches for the rest of her life (Bennett 50). At age 25, she married a free African American named John Tubman. Five years later, she was afraid that she would be sold somehow and quickly made her way to freedom, aided by a neighbor. The neighbor gave her a piece of paper with two names on it that were the first two safe houses on the Underground Railroad Route. Through a series of events after that, she escaped to Canada. She traveled to Pennsylvania where she met William Still, the "Stationmaster" of the Underground Railroad (History Net par 4). Many people say that everyone is destined to do something in the world and they must find what it is and do it. For Harriet, working as the "conductor" for the Underground Railroad was her destiny. Most people know that this wasnt an actual train, but a system of safe houses where slaves could stay on their journey to freedom. Slaves would listen to hear the code song: Once they heard this, they knew to get ready because the "train" was running and Moses had arrived. She was nicknamed Moses because her work was similar to what Moses did as he led the people of Egypt out of slavery. History reports that she made about 19 trips and helped 300 slaves escape to the North. This also included her family members. What she did was very dangerous because she had a price on her head that promised $40,000 for her -- dead or alive. During that time, she never lost a slave (Bennett, 52). After the war, Harriet moved back to her home in Auburn New York and opened the "John Brown Home," a home for indigent black people. She raised the money to buy the land and

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Essay

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Body-Mind Problem - Essay Example In this letter, she appears to suggest that the reason for her departure is the murder of Francois d’Espinay (who had courted not only mother but also her younger sister) by Phillipe (her brother) in broad daylight (Atherton 25). Ironically this act seems to have been carried out with Elizabeth’s knowledge. She tells Descartes that she will carry a draft of The Passions of the Soul treatise that he had given to her, but remarks that previously his presence had had provided the remedy to her passions, since both his reasoning and maxims had failed to do so. Letter II: Descartes to Elizabeth, September 1646. The response to Elizabeth commences with a reference to a correspondence they exchanged recently about Machiavelli’s The Prince; Elizabeth had asked him to read it. Descartes remarks that he has discovered in the Prince a lot of precepts which have been very good to him, but his major criticism is that Machiavelli has failed to provide a clear contrast between princes who have acquired power through illegitimate methods and those who have done so through just means. He says that the former are bereft of solid foundations, and the states they create will inevitably slip into tyranny (Descartes & Griffith 22). Descartes also criticizes Machiavelli’s arguments concerning the prince’s relations to enemies, the common people, allies and prominent personalities. He rebukes Machiavelli’s suggestions that people should feign friendship if that is what they have to do in order to satisfy the desires, stating that â€Å"friendship is something too sacred to abuse in this way†. Descartes also take issue with Machiavelli’s recommendation that the prince should sometimes feel free to dishonor promises (Descartes says this would ruin the prince’s reputation), and insists that the prince should steer clear of the people’s contempt and hatred. In an important passage for the interpretation by Regnault, Des cartes examines Machiavelli’s suggestion, in chapter 15, that because the world is corrupt, it is inevitable that one will self-destruct if he always wants to be a good man, and that when the occasion calls for it a prince must always prepare to be wicked so as to maintain and sustain oneself (Atherton 32). Descartes does not agree with this maxim, unless by a good man Machiavelli means a simple and superstitious man who does not wage war on the Sabbath, and whose conscience can remain clear only when if he changes his people’s religion. However, if by a good man we mean he who relies on his true reasoning for everything he does, then it is obvious that the best thing is to always try to be good. In response to Princess Elizabeth’s own dilemmas, Descartes simply recommends that she adopt and put into action those maxims which show that everybody’s felicity depends only on him/herself, and that it is very important to conduct oneself outside the rules and boundaries of fortune so that, while one fails to miss the opportunities to grab the advantages it offers, one does not make him/herself unhappy when it refuses to grant them. Considering that in all earthly affairs there are always reasons for and against, one should mainly focus on those that convince one to approve and sanction what happens (Peursen 28). Letter III: Elizabeth to Descartes, 10 October 1646. Now settled in Berlin, Elizabeth starts her letter by stating that the

Korea and australia hofstede cultural differences Essay

Korea and australia hofstede cultural differences - Essay Example The Hofstede Report refers to the groundbreaking work of Geert Hofstede, whose studies into different nations has revealed a common consensus of five cultural dimensions according to which different countries can be compared. The truth is that over time, these dimensions have evolved according to the historical traditions, geographic boundaries, national perspectives and anything else that forms the cultural character of a people or country[1]. Differences in the Two Cultures, Recommendations and Analysis 1. Power Distance: Australians are used to a lower power distance between individuals than Koreans. Dassan Ltd. would therefore do well to cultivate an attitude of self respect and equality among people in its managers prior to sending them to Australia. This is a big mind shift from Korea, where the traditions demand respect from someone at a higher social or work position [2]. 2. Uncertainty Avoidance: Both Australians and South Koreans are used to a low level of uncertainty avoid ance. But whereas listening to a statement made by management would be enough for its validity among most Australians, the Koreans would prefer that this be committed to writing in the form of policy before it is accepted in their hearts and minds [3]. 3.

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Essay

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Body-Mind Problem - Essay Example In this letter, she appears to suggest that the reason for her departure is the murder of Francois d’Espinay (who had courted not only mother but also her younger sister) by Phillipe (her brother) in broad daylight (Atherton 25). Ironically this act seems to have been carried out with Elizabeth’s knowledge. She tells Descartes that she will carry a draft of The Passions of the Soul treatise that he had given to her, but remarks that previously his presence had had provided the remedy to her passions, since both his reasoning and maxims had failed to do so. Letter II: Descartes to Elizabeth, September 1646. The response to Elizabeth commences with a reference to a correspondence they exchanged recently about Machiavelli’s The Prince; Elizabeth had asked him to read it. Descartes remarks that he has discovered in the Prince a lot of precepts which have been very good to him, but his major criticism is that Machiavelli has failed to provide a clear contrast between princes who have acquired power through illegitimate methods and those who have done so through just means. He says that the former are bereft of solid foundations, and the states they create will inevitably slip into tyranny (Descartes & Griffith 22). Descartes also criticizes Machiavelli’s arguments concerning the prince’s relations to enemies, the common people, allies and prominent personalities. He rebukes Machiavelli’s suggestions that people should feign friendship if that is what they have to do in order to satisfy the desires, stating that â€Å"friendship is something too sacred to abuse in this way†. Descartes also take issue with Machiavelli’s recommendation that the prince should sometimes feel free to dishonor promises (Descartes says this would ruin the prince’s reputation), and insists that the prince should steer clear of the people’s contempt and hatred. In an important passage for the interpretation by Regnault, Des cartes examines Machiavelli’s suggestion, in chapter 15, that because the world is corrupt, it is inevitable that one will self-destruct if he always wants to be a good man, and that when the occasion calls for it a prince must always prepare to be wicked so as to maintain and sustain oneself (Atherton 32). Descartes does not agree with this maxim, unless by a good man Machiavelli means a simple and superstitious man who does not wage war on the Sabbath, and whose conscience can remain clear only when if he changes his people’s religion. However, if by a good man we mean he who relies on his true reasoning for everything he does, then it is obvious that the best thing is to always try to be good. In response to Princess Elizabeth’s own dilemmas, Descartes simply recommends that she adopt and put into action those maxims which show that everybody’s felicity depends only on him/herself, and that it is very important to conduct oneself outside the rules and boundaries of fortune so that, while one fails to miss the opportunities to grab the advantages it offers, one does not make him/herself unhappy when it refuses to grant them. Considering that in all earthly affairs there are always reasons for and against, one should mainly focus on those that convince one to approve and sanction what happens (Peursen 28). Letter III: Elizabeth to Descartes, 10 October 1646. Now settled in Berlin, Elizabeth starts her letter by stating that the

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Essay

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Dependent on the Initial Conditions of the Transition Economies - Essay Example The changing economic landscape in the last century has brought with it considerable political and social change. In terms of theoretical and scholarly research some of the most prominent considerations have been in terms of the shift between developing, emerging, and first worlds. Within this context of understanding one recognizes that a central area of concern has been transition economies. Transition economies are those where a nation is shifting from a centrally planned economy to a free market. Within the modern world environment this has become a highly complex notion as nations such as China have seemingly transcended traditional bounds of the centrally planned economy and combined state-sponsored industries with aspects of the free market. Still, to a large degree the traditional structural boundaries of the transition economy still hold. This essay considers the extent that the effectiveness of transition strategies is dependent on the initial conditions of the transition e conomies. Russia While the subject of transition economy strategies is complex and multi-varied, one of the central understandings is that there has been considerable difference regarding success among these transition countries. One recognizes that while there may be no objective or prescriptive approach to successful transition, one of the most thematic elements has been that the most successful transition economies have been linked to the success of the initial conditions of the transition economy. This is a complex notion that demands deconstruction. One of the major considerations in these regards has been the Russian transition approach. While theorists disagree as to the original state of the Russian centrally controlled government, to a great degree the original conditions were stark. Following the Cold War with the United States and Western powers, Russian experienced a state of considerable economic decline. To a great degree it seems that many of the earlier challenges carried over to the post transition period. As one might expect countless literature has been written on Russia’s transition, still there are a number of notable considerations. Roland (2004) links one of the primary challenges to the lack of structure in Russia’s original socialist system. While one would consider that a centrally controlled system would have stringent controls, it appears that to a degree this didn’t occur in Russia’s socialist practice. It is noted that the government had only centrally planned for approximately 100 goods, when in reality there was over 12 million that needed to be accounted for (Roland 2004). The cumulative effect particularly in Russia, but also in many other socialist economies, was that there emerged a market where quality products were not a concern, because the market consistently had shortages. This structure extended to workers as the seller’s market ensured they were always well employed. When the transition period arose t hese issues came to the forefront, as entrenched enterprises and workers viewed the changes as a threat. Crime and Corruption One of the major problems that arose in transition economies, particularly in Russia, was organized crime. While the emergence of these crime institutions surely had a complex array of reasons, it seems fairly plausible that the dissonance created in the transition between the earlier seller’s market period and the later free market may have contributed to a higher propensity of individuals willing to participate in such activity. These occurrences attest to a level of carry over from dysfunctions in the pre-free market economy that would indicate that the original state of the economy has a direct impact on transition strategies. Boerner & Hainz (2009) support the notion that inefficient pre-liberalization economic states directly contribute to later era corruption practices. Specifically, â€Å"

Rolls Royce Essay Example for Free

Rolls Royce Essay a) Company Information. Rolls Royce PLC is the second largest multinational organisation that produces power integrated systems after GE Aviation. Rolls Royce operates in four different types of economic markets which are the civil and defence aerospace market as well as the marine and energy markets. The company makes engines for jets, helicopters, and turboprop aircraft not only do they produce engines but they also install these systems. Rolls Royce PLC has 50,000 engines in service with 500 major airlines. Rolls Royce PLC is a global company that is known in over 50 countries, the name Rolls Royce comes from the last names of its founders, Henry Royce and Charles rolls. The company was initially formed in 1904 to produce cars and car engines. In 1914 it also produced its first aircraft engine, as the company expanded in 1971 it became a PLC, the company was then split into two and sold to a BMW company that is now known as Rolls Royce motor cars LTD. Rolls Royce PLC retained the right of its trademarks so it can use it to operate in the markets it does. Rolls Royce has invested a sufficient amount of money into research n development of its products and technology it uses to produce them. It also invests somewhat  £300 million a year on capital projects. In recent events Rolls Royce was awarded a contract by the ministry of defence to supply those engines for their aircrafts for the next five years, they also secured more than $1 billion worth of orders from an recent air show. b) Information required to aid managers. Managers need to plan ahead they require important information to enable them to run the day to day and future operations of the company. Depending on where your company stands in the economic market and its needs at that particular time it wants to be able to sift through information selecting what is relevant and applying it to the company. Rolls Royce understands how important it is for management data as this coupled with their knowledge and expertise helps them to maximise their operational expertise. Rolls Royce needs information such as income, expenditure and capital employed to be able to plan and prepare budgets for the future this information is very important to Rolls Royce as for example it can help them to work out any repair costs to engines being produced and how many extra components that maybe needed. Forecast is very important for Rolls Royce, as it can help them predict how many contracts they may receive and what companies to target in certain circumstances for example wars are predicted, this means the demand for military aircrafts will increase this will aid Rolls Royce to keep up with changing economic environments. Information such as pricing is also very important to Rolls Royce as they are the second largest company supplying engines to the aviation market they need to be able to set prices ahead of their competitors so they can win large contracts to stay in the game. Feedback from customers is very important not just from the customers Rolls Royce provides to but even to the extent of feedback from the public for example; emirates airlines customers expected more leg room in their planes, not only this the airline through research predicted more first class passengers if there planes where designed with more room and better bathroom facilities for the high class passengers. All this information could help Rolls Royce design and produce larger planes which require larger more complicated engines not only this it could set a new trend of better travel. 2. Management accounting techniques are necessary to run a business effectively. These techniques primarily affect costs and prices within the corporation. I. Budgeting A budget is developed to plan for the future. A company as big as Rolls Royce needs a master budget to predict costs and revenues for the year. Budgets can also be used to control stock levels, predict the amount of staff required on particular projects and how many hours they are required to work. These budgets can be compared with financial statements at the year end to see how consistent they have been in maintaining the budget and targets. Finally, budgets should include funds for investment opportunities, so when these opportunities arise Rolls Royce can take swift action for example Rolls Royce receives an order of 100 engines from an airline to be able to carry out such an order budgeting can help predict how much it may cost to produce these engines not only this but the number of new staff required. II. Benefits As I mentioned budgets can provide objectives and goals. These can motivate people to perform effectively, especially if the workforce was asked to contribute when the budget was set. Budgets can also force managers to make accurate use of Rolls Royces capital. Ultimately, Rolls Royce can organise the organisation because the budget affects all departments not just one due to business activities existing throughout the company. III. Limitation Budgets can reduce motivation in the workforce at Rolls Royce because staff will be under pressure to maintain targets of the budgets. Effects such as these result in stressful staff which may lead to them taking sick leave. Therefore, Rolls Royce will be short staffed in certain situations. A major issue that may arise due to budgets is that of conflict. Conflict can be good and bad in a workforce. In the case of Rolls Royce there might be departments arguing about unfair resources allocation, which is bad conflict. Therefore, if targets are not met, departments will blame each other and this will result in more conflict and a poor organisational culture. Budgets can encourage managers to overestimate costs so that they are not blamed if there is any overspending. Rolls Royce could lose out on lucrative deals if they do not budget for investment opportunities. b: I. Standard Costing Standard costing sets levels of costs and revenues which ought to be achievable when reasonable levels of performance are used, together with efficient working practices, to manufacture a product†. (Harrison, 1998:228) This management technique is very useful for Rolls Royce because they produce their own Engines. This costing method compares predetermined costs of products with actual costs incurred. Rolls Royce can calculate many variances, such as material, labour and overheads. The materials variance will show Rolls Royce how well they use their materials and how cheap they are purchasing materials. E.g. Rolls Royce budget to purchase 10,000kg of materials at  £2.00 per kg totalling to  £20,000, but really purchase 10,000kg at  £1.50 per kg totalling to  £15,000, there is a  £5000 favourable variance. This means that the purchase price of the materials was cheaper than expected. The labour variance will show the rate being paid to workers, and how efficiently the employees have been working. Finally, the overhead variances will show Rolls Royce the difference between overhead rates charged and budgeted on production. II. Benefits By setting standards Rolls Royce can identify weaknesses in the manufacturing system. This will allow them to rectify problems and produce effectively. Setting standards will also motivate people to maintain targets. If targets are not being met managers will be encouraged to review methods to reduce costs. This method represents the correct cost of a product and can inspire managers and employees to improve from year to year on saving costs. III. Limitations To have a well maintained system it will be costly for Rolls Royce but will be worthwhile. Due to prices changing frequently because of inflation, the system will need to be updated frequently which can be time consuming and therefore distracts managers/employees from production. If targets are not achieved, employees can lose motivation and this could affect the performance of the workforce. c) I. Pricing One of the most crucial decisions a company must make is the price of a product. Two main features that must be considered when setting a price on a product is the cost and revenue maximisation. There are three pricing methods; cost based pricing, going rate, and pricing policies. There are various methods of applying cost based pricing, but the most relevant for Rolls Royce is considering total costs. This method covers a profit margin and the cost of the product. This is very important to Rolls Royce as they are not the first largest company providing power systems to the aviation market by setting a price which is lower than GE Aviation its competitor they may be able to attract more contracts for example if GE Aviation Sold 20 engines at $20million Rolls Royce could sell the same amount of engines for $19.5 Million helping them achieve more sales and attract more customers. II. Benefits. Rolls Royce can benefit from cost plus pricing by many ways. Firstly, managers can set a mark up to their desire, there is no fixed limit on mark up but it must be reasonable and competitive. Baxter and Oxenfeldt (1961) state, cost plus pricing â€Å"offer a means by which plausible prices can be found with ease and speed, no matter how many products the firm handles†. (Drury, 2004:432) Finally, if all firms in the market have similar mark up and cost structures to Rolls Royce, there will be price stability, which is good for customers. Rolls Royce can benefit from the going rate because customers will buy from them due to their reputation as they operate in four different markets providing power system even though competitors will have the same price. Loss leader pricing is useful for Rolls Royce because when customers are attracted by a low price of aircraft or engine, it is almost certain that consumers will purchase a higher quantity of these systems. This compensates for the low mark up as more items are sold. III. Limitations. The main limitation of cost plus pricing is that the demand for the product is not taken into account. The going rate on products can be difficult to compare with competitors because; some companies might have lower production costs than others. Using a loss leader strategy to sell items can cause problems if you dont sell all the stock. If this occurs, prices can only be reduced further to clear out remaining stock, which subsequently leads to further losses. d) I. Long Term Decisions (Investment Appraisal) Rolls Royce will need to use investment appraisal techniques to decide whether certain investments will be worthwhile, e.g. supplying 20 Airbus A330 jets to air china. The most convenient method for these examples would be ‘payback. Payback is, â€Å"The time required for the cash inflows from a capital investment project to equal the cash outflows†. (Lucey, 2002:352) E.g. supplying air china 20 airbus A330 jets will cost  £500 million, and the turnover is  £100 million per year, therefore the payback period is 5 years. This method can also be used to decide between two investments, e.g. supplying Air China 20 Airbus A330 or supplying Singapore airlines 30 airbus A330. Depending on the payback period resulting from projected inflows and outflows, the company can decide which airline to supply too. The best choice will be the one that has the quickest payback period. II. Benefits. Payback is the most simple investment appraisal technique to calculate. This will be good for Rolls Royce when swift decisions are required. This method will be easy to understand at all levels of the company. Another benefit of this method is that it will prevent cash flow problems because money is recovered as soon as possible. III. Limitations. The major limitation of payback is that once the initial investment has been recovered, all future cash flows are ignored. This method also assumes that if the payback period is long the investment will not be successful. Hence, if Rolls Royce decides to supply engines to air china instead of Singapore airlines there will be a gradual payback period, does that mean the investment will not be successful? Finally, this method does not account for time value of money. Therefore, an investment now could be worth more in ten years. Read more: http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/accounting/rolls-royce-plc.php#ixzz2LvPZSk6S

Comparison of Myths and Heroes

Comparison of Myths and Heroes Heroes of Medieval Times Throughout civilization there have been many changes in the views and ethics of society. Different civilizations believed that different distinct characteristics gave a person character which changes how the rest of society will view them. As civilization has progressed there have been many heroes thatare very different. Some of these heroes have been fierce warriors who fought with passion for their empire or kingdom, while others have been loyal and sacrificed their own well being for the greater good of a civilization. All of these heroes have been a role model for their society in one way or another. People always took pride in being connected with the heroes of their time. Having a hero gives people hope and determination, which is a very important characteristic. Wars have been won because a hero has given his people the inner strength to continue even though they are extremelyoutnumbered or losing horribly. They also give people honor in being part of their city or territory. Romans would believe in this aspect very strongly. Heroes have been the back bone that has helped different civilizations continue with the support of its people. If the people in each civilization had no honoror loyalty then we would have had many more different civilizations because ofconstant overthrows and takeovers. Even in todays world heroes and role models are changing. 10 years ago sports figures used to be the highlight of every bodies life; now people are looking towards our soldiers who are fighting overseas. The same change has happened throughout known civilization. Starting with Gilgamesh, the first known piece of literature, and going through the Aneid then on to The Sermon on the Mount the concept of the hero has changed drastically. The evolution of thehero in the medieval world has changed many times; a hero in one era would not be a hero in another and this will continue into the future. The first known hero was a man named Gilgamesh who was the king of Uruk. The story of Gilgamesh is the first known piece of literature and it is avery important epic of history. Uruk was a city located in ancient Mesopotamia, which was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This is the location where civilization is believed to have begun. His city was seen as asymbol of strength, it had very high walls that were very strong. This was seen as a symbol of greatness by many. Gilgamesh was supposedly two thirds god and one third human. He was seen as the greatest king on earth and possessed manypowers; however, Gilgamesh was a young man that did not treat his people withrespect which would get him into some trouble. The people of Uruk were troubled with Gilgameshs treatment and prayed to the Gods. Aruru sent a wild man named Enkidu who had the same strength as Gilgamesh. He was sent to calm Gilgamesh down so the people of Uruk could have a little more peace. Gilgamesh and Enkidu end up fighting, but afterwards become great friends and have many great adventures together. Enkidu and Gilgamesh were involved in a battle where they killed the Bull of Heaven. The gods met and realized that somebody had to pay for this crime; they decided Enkidu should pay the price and he suffered for 12 days before dying. This caused Gilgamesh a lot of pain and he finally learns the feeling of loss. Gilgamesh has a rough time dealing with the loss of his best friend and decides that he can not live any longer unless he is granted immortality. Gilgamesh then turns to a sage named Utanapishtim who describes a story of an epic flood. This flood is closely related to the flood in the Christian bible. Utanapishtim builds a great boat and carries two of every animal in it. The god Enlil was very angry because someone let Utanapishtim know about the flood. Enlil decided to grant Utanapishtim and his wife complete immortality. Utanapishtim then tells Gilgamesh about a thorny plant that only grows beneath the great sea. Gilgamesh then goes on a search for this plant and eventually finds it and takes it back to the surface. The plant was later stolen from Gilgamesh by a serpent that ate the plant and then shed its skin. This is where Gilgamesh realizes that there is not an escape from death (Lawall18-34). He discovers that fame is a sense of immortality, his story and essence will live on forever (Taylor). Gilgamesh during his own time was not seen as a hero; we now can see that he was a very important hero by the story that was left behind. At firs the treated his people with disrespect by making them feel inferior, but with the gods help he was given a more personal character. In the Course of the epic, Gilgamesh changes from an arrogant, oppressive ruler whose people complain to the gods to a person who has experienced friendship, love, andloss, and who has been humbled by grief and the fear of death (Lawall 16). He learned the feeling of loss from his best friends death and also about humanity from the story of the flood. We now see Gilgamesh as a man who went through many changes which were for the better. Gilgamesh becomes a responsible ruler who rules his community with wisdom and creates human cultural achievements that outlast his own reign and are passed down to future generations. (Abusch 1) A second literary work that incorporates the importance of heroes in the ancient world is the Iliad. This story was written by the 8th century poet Homer. He utilized the people surrounding him for his writings. His poems celebrate the values of ancient Greek civilization, incorporating many ancient myths and folk motifs and examining such themes as heroism, fate, honor,loyalty, and justice (Homer 1). All of the different themes that Homer used inhis writings describe the type of person that the Greeks believed deserved thetitle of hero. The beginning of the Iliad starts after Troy had already been at warwith Greek army. The war was started because Paris was the judge of a beauty contest that involved three goddesses. The winner of the contest was going to be Paris wife. Paris chose Helen to be the most beautiful women in the world, but she was already the wife of Menelaus. Menelaus blamed Paris and turned to Agamemnon, who was his brother and he led the Greek forces to wage war on Troy. Achilles, the great Greek warrior, is mad at Agamemnon for stealing a woman that he had won as a war prize. Achilles mother, Thesis, dipped him in a liquid when he was young, which gave him immortality, but she held him by his ankle giving him one weakness. Agamemnon had taken Achilles woman because he was stripped of a woman that he had won. This causes Achilles to stop fighting the war against Troy. Achilles prays to his mother Thesis and learns that if the Trojan warrior Hector dies that it is Achilles fate to also die. As long as Hector did not die Achilles fate would not come true. The war then becomes involved with the Gods; different gods were oneach side of the war and the war constantly went back and forth between theTrojans and Greeks. The Trojans start to turn the war to their side andPatroclus decides to help out the Greeks. Patroclus was Achilles best friendand knew that if he wore Achilles armor it would give moral to the Greektroops. Patroclus drives the Trojans almost all the way back into the city, butHector engages him in battle and kills him. He then stole the armor off thecorpse of Patroclus and wears it in the continuing battles. Achilles is enragedwhen he learns of his best friends death and calls on his mother to acquire anew set of armor. Achilles finally joins the Greek army and leads them inbattle. He has absolutely no fear because he knows that his fate is death; manyTrojans are slaughtered by his revenge. Achilles finally meets with Hector andkills him. Hector, surely you thought as you killed Patroclus you would besafe, and since I was f ar away you thought nothing of me, o fool, for anavenger was left, far greater than he was, behind him and away by the hollowships (Mueller 100). After he killed hector he defiles his body by dragging Hector behind his horse because he believes Hector deserves this cruel treatment. The Trojan War is later won by the Greeks when they used a horsemade of wood to gain access to the city (Lawall 107-205). The Greek morals were very different than the morals we have today or even the morals during the time of Gilgamesh. When Achilles took the womenas a war prize it was a normal occurrence. That was what the society expected to be done. The Greeks believed in honor and loyalty for ones country as well as a man being a good strong warrior. The chief aim of a heros life is to win fame and immortality, do his duty, fulfill his fate, and guard his honor and that of his companions (Homer 3). Achilles resembles all of these characteristics; although he did go overboard with revenge at times. The Trojan War was started because Paris took Menelaus wife; he did not earn her in battle like a true warrior would. This caused the great war which was the demise of Troy. Achilles is seen as a hero because even though he knew his fate was death, if Hector was killed, he still fought for his kingdom, friend, andeven foe, Agamemnon. His mother warned him of what would happen, but the death of his friend needed to be revenged as well as the theft of Menelaus wife. Hewas strong and a great warrior, these qualities are the epitome of a Greekhero. These qualities are very different from the story of Gilgamesh where we say Gilgamesh become more of a humanitarian. Gilgamesh became more caring and forgiving to his people and his people desired this. If Achilles did that hewould be seen as a weak warrior; he would probably be challenged by anotherwarrior because of this weakness. Hector is also seen as a hero in this story because he fought with great honor for Troy. He knew that Achilles was a great warrior that would bevery difficult to defeat, yet he still engaged him in battle with honor andonly requested to die with dignity. These qualities are still very different from other civilizations that follow. A story from the Roman era that is closely related to Iliad is the Aeneid. This story was written by Romes favorite poet Virgil. This story was a rip off of Homers story and described how Rome was suppose to be founded (Taylor). Virgil wrote the story to describe how important Roman family values and sacrifice for ones country was very important. Virgil also wrote this text by taking payments from the Roman government which leads people to believe it was created to show Roman people the attributes that were desired in their society. This storys main character is Aeneas who was the prince of Troy. Aeneas had managed to make an escape while the city was being overthrown and he wasgiven a mission from the Gods. His mission was to find the city of Rome. This was seen as a very important duty because during that time if the Gods told aperson to do something it was especially important. This is the reason Romans believed they were special; the Gods wanted them to be founded. While Aeneas was sailing to the Italian peninsula the gods decided to test him. They created a large storm that blew Aeneas very far off course, and this landed his ship in Carthage. When he arrived he was welcomed by Queen Dido, who was a widow. In Carthage, Aeneas is viewed as a hero simply because he fits the physical description. Didoand Aeneas end up going on a hunting trip, but before they could make it backto the city a storm came and forced them to take shelter. They found a cave and decided to stay the night and wait for the storm to subs ide. While they were in this cave they engaged in a mutual attraction and had an intimate encounterwith each other. Aeneas does like Dido, but he does not take their relationshipas seriously as Dido does. She believes that their encounter in the cave was amarriage vow. Dido being extremely attached and attracted to Aeneas offers him theopportunity to stay in Carthage and become king. This is a very goodopportunity for Aeneas because he doesnt have to set up anything; the entirekingdom is already there and he could become rich and have a wife (Taylor). Aeneas is put in a very tough situation because he was summoned by the Gods tofound Rome, but he does love Dido and would love to stay and rule Carthage. While Aeneas was contemplating his decision the Gods sent Mercury as a messengerto remind him of his duty to find Rome. Aeneas makes the decision to leave thecomfort and ease of staying in Carthage to go back on his mission and find Rome. He is on fire to fly, and leave the too-well-loved city, astoundedat so unlooked-for a warning and at the command of the gods (Shairp 405). This passage describes how Aeneas felt about leaving Carthage. This wasnt a veryhard decision in the end because he knew that he was true to the Gods and whatwould be the city o f Rome. Aeneas and his men set sail to search for Rome and Dido completely loses her sanity. She is completely heartbroken and commits suicide, but before doing so she threatens Rome to be an enemy for alleternity. Aeneas ends up going to the land of the dead to gain some information and he meets Dido there. He tried to explain his sorrow and guilt he felt forher death, but she was reluctant to accept his apology. Aeneas ends up going onmany more expeditions and journeys, but he never finds the city of Rome. His descendant Romulus finds the city in 753 BCE. Aeneas gave up many different things that he knew he had for sure togo and try to find the city of Rome. He could have stayed in Carthage with Didoand had love, wealth, fame, and a great life; however, he decided that Rome was more important and gave up everything to go on his search. He was seen as a heroto all Romans because he resembled all of the family values that Romans had. They believed in loyalty, honesty, sacrifice, and respect. It could be said thatAeneas laid down the ground rules for the Roman values and qualities. He showed great respect for the Gods by following their orders and continuing to find Rome, and sacrifice by giving up certain wealth. This led Romans to believe that theircity was important and it was worth losing everything for. If it were possibleto have a conversation with Aeneas in the land of the dead he would say that even though he had failed to find Rome, it was worth the effort. Even if heknew he would never find Rome, his loyalty to the Gods would have kept him fromstaying in Carthage. This quality gives Aeneas a lot of character and gives himthe title of hero. The Romans also believed in many of the same characteristics the Greeks believed in, such as being a fierce warrior. When Christianity started to come into the Roman world it changed the views of what a hero was. TheRomans believed that if they were disrespected they returned the favor to whoever disrespected them. However, the Christian bible started to make its wayinto the Roman world and this was a very drastic change. In the New Testament Matthew 5-7 it states: Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they who sorrow, because they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle,they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who are hungry and thirsty forrighteousness, because they shall be fed. Blessed are they who have pity, because they shall be pitied. Blessed are the pure in heart, because they shallsee God. Blessed are the Peace makers, because they shall be called the sons ofGod. Blessed are they who are persecuted for their righteousn ess, becausetheirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Lawall 1085-1086) These were the opposite views of what the traditional Romans believed. People in Rome started to turn to Christianity because it gave themindividual hope in something. It gave people the chance for individual salvation. The New Testament describes that the true believers will reach heaven, and fierce warriors who have no pity will not reach salvation. Thisshows another example of how civilization has changed its views of heroes. Heros will consistently change throughout the rest of civilization as different lifestyles and ethics come into play. All of the heroes discussed were very important role models to the people in that time. Heroes give hope and meaning in peoples lives; even though some are fierce warriors while otherstry to benefit society. Gilgamesh, Achilles, and Aeneas stories have lived on for thousands of years; this makes them true heroes that will continue to be an important role in civilizations to come. ReferencesAbusch, Tzvi. The Development and Meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: AnInterpretive Essay. Journal of the American Oriental Society 121. No. 4 Pg. 614-22.Homer, Iliad, Plot Summary and Discussion Issues. Goucher.11/12/2007. Pg.1-5. http://faculty.goucher.edu/eng222/homeriliad.htm. Homer. Literature Resource Center. 11/01/2007. Pg. 1-4. http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.fit.edu/servlet/LitRC. Hooker, Richard. Gilgamesh. WSU. 11/01/2007. Pg 1-10. http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM. Lawall, Sarah. Gilgamesh, The Iliad, The Aeneid, The New Testament. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton Company 2006. Pg. 15-34, 100-205, 926-1023,1082-89. Mueller, Martin. Fighting in the Iliad The Literature Resource Center. 1984. Pg. 1-12.http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.fit.edu/servlet. Publius Virgilius Maro: The Aenid,. Authors Digest. Volume 17. Author Press1908. Pg. 1-4. Shairp, J. C. Virgil as a Precursor of Christianity. The Princeton Review. Vol. 4. July-December: 1879.Pg. 401-20. Taylor, Robert. Lecture, Civilization 1. Florida Institute of Technology. Fallsemester 2006. Why is Achilles the greatest of the Greek heroes?. About.com. 11/19/2007. Pg. 1. http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa092899a.htm

Wall Street Essay -- essays research papers

In 1938, and in the teeth of the longest and fiercest depression that the United States had ever known, capital spending hit an all time high. That’s right! In 1938 the men who owned America began to pour millions of Dollars into new plant and equipment as if there was no tomorrow. We don’t think much about it today, because it has been a long time since the United States has experienced a real bone jolting economic slowdown. The fact is, however, that the very best time for the industrialist to invest in new technologies is in the middle of a depression. This is because it is at such times that labor, raw materials, and new equipment can be purchased at rock bottom prices. Henry Ford may have jumped the gun a bit. He shut down his River Rouge plant for two years starting in 1932 so that it could be completely rebuilt. Being a bit of a genius, Ford used his time and money to redesign the plant to create one of the most powerful little engines ever built: the Ford V8. Th is engine was so good that it was modified only slightly to equip certain aircraft for use in World War II. It also powered a series of red hot Ford cars all the way through the 1950s. At the same time that Ford was rebuilding his River Rouge plant, Joseph Alois Schumpeter, an Austrian economist who had migrated to Harvard University, was hard at work on a book that would explain the paradox suggested above, namely the timing of business cycles and technological change. In this all but forgotten work one of our most famous economists spelled out the secrets of the business cycle, that is the same old pattern of boom and bust that may be coming back to haunt us now. Many, if not most, American college students know Schumpeter's name because of his work in defense of free enterprise called Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. This was not, however, the book that Schumpeter was working on as America slogged through the mean and hungry 1930s. The book published by Schumpeter in 1939 is called " Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical, and Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process. " Not only is Schumpeter's definitive two volume study of the business cycle not on college reading lists today, but, indeed, it continues to languish in its first edition. The embarrassing truth is that Schumpeter's real masterpiece remains almost unread. The present writer checked out this forgo... ...sions , as Schumpeter explains in Business Cycles, is the long term movement of prices generated by long waves of technological change. What goes up has to come back down. There are those who believe that Greenspan would bring down this bull market gently if he could. Certainly he has tried. It is unlikely that Greenspan’s gentle jawboning will do this, however, since, as Kindleberger points out, when investors are going hog wild in an inflationary stock market they are simply not willing to listen to reason from the lips of central bankers and their like. From Schumpeter's point of view, the underlying cause of the next market crash, would simply be that the long wave of prosperity that began in 1938 is now over. According to Kindleberger's careful history mentioned above the speculative bubble in many past economic crises has often burst as the result of some purely exogenous event. If an army somewhere loses a battle, for example, markets crash as investors run for the exits. The IBD closes its' provocative article mentioned above by suggesting that the infamous Y2K bug might just play the role of the required exogenous force here. Letâ€℠¢s hope that they are wrong for once!

Maurice Sendak :: essays research papers fc

	Maurice Sendak may be the best-known children's author / illustrator in the world today. His artwork has become somewhat of an American icon; some even became the basis of an advertising campaign for Bell Atlantic. This extremely gifted genius was actually cultivating within Sendak since his childhood, and many different memories from his youth influenced the masterpieces he has created. 	Born in Brooklyn on June 10th (coincidently, my birthday) 1928, Sendak has illustrated over 70 books and written at least 15 himself. He has also derived animated films for many of his stories, as well as stage productions of Where The Wild Things Are and Really Rosie. Currently, he illustrates the animated series Little Bear on Nickelodeon. Sendak grew up a sickly child who was not allowed to go outside often. Therefore, being the youngest child in a family of three, he was left alone with his imagination. He enjoyed drawing and reading from an early age, but was often dissatisfied with the children books that were available to him. He attempted to read what he called "real books" even when he was a young child; he felt it was an embarrassment even to enter the childrens' section of the library. Sendak writes the type of books he wished he had as a child; entertaining stories which are not limited by any effort to make things so simple for children that they become mundane. 	Sendak's greatest influence as a writer was his father. Phillip Sendak was a wonderfully creative storyteller who amazed Maurice and his brother and sister. "He didn't edit," remarks Maurice in an interview with Marion Long. "It's funny, because that's what I'm accused of now: being a storyteller who tells children inappropriate things." Sendak strongly believes that children are curious by nature, and so he must write stories which beckon the child to keep turning the pages. The best stories for children tell children exactly what they want to hear, with all the details. This is Sendak's goal in his stories. 	An absolutely amazing artist without any formal training, Sendak feels that his adoration for Mickey Mouse has influenced many of his illustrations. Sendak was calls Mickey Mouse one of the most dominant figures of his childhood. This "early best friend" influenced characters in his work, and many of the protagonists in the books he has written have first names beginning with the letter "M." He used Max for Where the Wild Things Are, Martin in Very Far Away, and Mickey's own name for In the Night Kitchen.