A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Example for Free

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354) The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print† (O’Connor 354). She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354). Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man† (O’Connor 355). Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store (O’Connor 356). Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way† (O’Connor 354). Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother  that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady† (O’Connor 357). Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Appearance, such as the way she compares herself to the mother, how she talks about how Mr. Teagarden was â€Å"very-good looking†, and talking about the Misfit’s crew and their attire. Outline I. Introduction: The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† II. Appearance: The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print.† She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† III. Money: Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man.† Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store. IV. Background: Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way.† Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady.† V. Conclusion: Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Works Cited: O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy and Gioias eds. Pearson: New York, 2012. 352-365. Print.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) SWOT Analysis

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) SWOT Analysis Brief Company History Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), was founded on March 31, 2011 when Northrop Grummans Shipbuilding Sector was spun off as an independent company. HII is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia. HII is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than 130 years, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls Shipbuilding have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. The Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups. HII is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, and employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally (Who We Are, 2017). Integrity, safety, honesty, engagement, responsibility and performance are the values that guide Huntington Ingalls Industries. Putting these values into practice creates long-term benefits for employees, customers, shareholders, communities and suppliers (Company Values, 2017). The HII Corporate Governance addresses the relationship of the board of directors, management and stockholders with the objective of promoting the companys long-term success, improving company performance and representing the interests of the stockholders. The board will provide advice on the corporate strategy developed by management, access risk, select a chief executive officer, oversee development and succession plans for senior executives, monitor financial performance and oversee processes that maintain the integrity of the company (Proxy Statement, 2015). Strengths Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S., HII and also provides support services to nuclear energy and oil and gas industries. With divisions in Virginia and Mississippi, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. shipbuilder. HII is the sole source supplier of U.S Navy aircraft carriers and is the exclusive supplier of refueling services for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (Who We Are, 2017). Industry experience is one of HIIs major strengths. For over a century, HII has provided the U.S. military with quality ships (Who We Are, 2017). HII prides itself on a diverse labor force of over 35,000 people working in domestic and foreign locations. HII is the largest industrial employer in the states of Virginia and Mississippi. HII has the ability to build multiple products at the same time (Who We Are, 2017). HII has the skills, the knowledge and the facilities to build multiple products at the same time. There are currently four different classes of military ships being built at the Mississippi location at this time (Who We Are, 2017). HII has the physical capacity for increased production. HII continues to invest heavily in the physical infrastructure of its shipbuilding divisions as well as other divisions. Continued improvements and facility upgrades places HII in a position to increase workload (Annual Report, 2015). HII maintains a strong and independent board of directors. The board follows Corporate Governance Guidelines which promote responsible business practices and good corporate citizenship. The board promotes practices that support the interests of the stockholders, employees, customers and suppliers (Proxy Statement, 2015). In recent years HII has invested heavily in new technology. HII owns a large portfolio of proprietary intellectual property and license intellectual property rights to and from other companies (Annual Report, 2015). Weaknesses   Ã‚   Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) suffers from a limited customer base. U.S. defense shipbuilders have only two consistent customers the U.S. government and international partner nations. HII faces a lack of technology knowledgeable workers (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Many of the employees are unskilled with new technology and workforce training is needed to compete with domestic and foreign competitors. U.S. shipbuilders are considered, on average, to be twenty years behind international shipyards regarding advanced technology (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Physical infrastructure of shipyards like HII are difficult and expensive to maintain. Facilities include docks, work areas, machine shops, storage areas and shelters, heavy equipment and assembly areas. The facilities must include dock areas and piers with service facilities for fire mains, electrical power, compressed air and fresh water (Shipbuilding and Repair, 2017). HII faces a high rate of labor turnover. Obtaining and retaining a skilled workforce is a problem faced by most shipyards. Employment can be cyclical resulting in hiring during upcycles and layoffs during downturns. Skilled workers leave for higher pay in other industry such as construction (Shipbuilding and Repair, 2017). HII faces a highly competitive market both domestic and foreign. Intense competition relating to programs, resources and funding are characteristics of the defense shipbuilding industry. Work is sometimes shared between multiple companies for major programs (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). Opportunities New markets are opening for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). The new LX(R) amphibious ship program was secured by the Ingalls Shipbuilding division. The Stoller Newport News division was developed for nuclear operations and environmental services capabilities. HII provides a wide variety of products and services to the commercial energy industry and other government customers. The HII Universal Solutions Group is positioned to take a role in the unmanned underwater vehicle market. UniversalPegasus International division has 22 offices worldwide providing engineering, project management and field services (Annual Report, 2015). World unrest always creates demand for repairs and maintenance for existing ships and design and build of new ships for the U.S. military. This also provides the opportunity for sales to U.S. allies and partners to promote the strengthening of the global partner network to keep international order in balance (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). HII has the benefit of government assistance to pay for training for new workforce. The U.S. government has several different programs for grants for training the local workforce (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). More than 1,400 apprentices are trained by the shipbuilding units in more than 26 crafts (Annual Report, 2015). New contracts opportunities have recently been secured by HII. The Newport News division has recently received the contract to kick off the advance fabrication of aircraft carrier CVN 80. The Ingalls Shipbuilding division will begin fabrication of the destroyer DDG 123 and will begin the ninth National Security Cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard (News Releases, 2017). Due to the fact that HIIs largest single customer is the U.S. Government, political climate plays a large role in the stability of the company. Most of the companys revenues for 2015 were a direct result of sales to the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. The current political climate is encouraging for increased military spending and growth (Annual Report, 2015). HIIs recent strategic acquisitions are expected to continue fuel growth. The Stoller Newport News Nuclear (SN3) group is a full-service nuclear operations and environmental services company focused on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) clients. The Undersea Solutions Group (USG) develops and builds specialized manned and unmanned undersea vehicles for military customers around the world. UniversalPegasus International (UPI) provides world class expertise, efficiency and value in project management, engineering and construction management for the energy industry (Our Capabilities, 2017). The Jones Act (a portion of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) is a federal statue regulating maritime commerce in U.S. territorial waters and between U.S. ports. Ships must be owned by U.S. citizens, crewed by U.S. citizens or permanent residents, built by U.S. shipyards and operate under U.S. laws. The Jones Act protects domestic shipyards by requiring domestic carriers to utilize U.S. shipyards for new builds maintenance and repair (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships are required to be built in U.S. shipyards. This provides HII and other domestic military shipbuilders with the assurance of obtaining the available contracts (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). The major HII physical locations in Virginia and Mississippi offer the company a benefit of lower cost of living and lower wage scale. The South has few higher-paying jobs and is characterized by low cost-of-living adjusted wages. Issues pushing wages up or down include regional industry concentration, education levels and housing costs (Maciag, 2015) Having multiple business segments provides HII with increased areas of business opportunity. The HII shipbuilding divisions have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. The Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support services, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups (Who We Are, 2017). Threats Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) operates in a heavily regulated environment with many government imposed regulations. HII is routinely audited for compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. Improper or illegal activities can result in fines, penalties, repayments or other damages. Certain findings can lead to suspension or debarment from future contracts or the loss of export privileges (Annual Report, 2015). Defense contractors such as HII are always a possible target for acts of terrorism. Operation of facilities may be disrupted and cause the incurrence of higher costs for security or it can shut down operations for a period of time (Annual Report, 2015). HII and other U.S. shipbuilders face foreign competition due to the fact that other countries such as Japan and South Korea provide subsidies or direct cash payments to their shipbuilders. This enables foreign shipyards to sell their vessels at or below the cost of construction (Spring 2016 Industry Study, 2016). HII faces domestic competition from key rival General Dynamics. There is intense competition related to programs, resources and funding. Defense programs, conducted under binding contracts, allows companies that perform well to benefit from program continuity not found in civilian industries (Annual Report, 2015). As a defense contractor, HII is a high-value target for cyber security threats due to the classified nature of information controlled by the HII information technology infrastructure. HII has faced attempts to gain access to classified and other sensitive information. A breach of the information technology infrastructure of physical facilities could cause significant recovery and restoration expenses (Annual Report, 2015). HII has operations located in regions of the U.S. that have been impacted by severe weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods. The damage and disruption can be significant and long-lasting. Natural disasters can disrupt workforce, electrical and computer infrastructure that are critical for normal operations (Annual Report, 2015). Approximately 50% of HIIs employees are covered by eight collective bargaining agreements. Several of these agreements will expire in 2017 and 2018. While HII strives to maintain good working relations with labor unions, it is possible that there may be difficulties in negotiating expiring collective bargaining agreements. In the past there have been work stoppages, strikes and other labor disruptions (Annual Report, 2015).   HII relies on other companies to provide raw materials, major components and sub-systems. Manufacturing costs can increase over the life of the contract. Some U.S. Government contracts require certain materials and components be purchased from approved sources. The inability of the sole-source supplier to provide the product in a timely manner can result in adverse effects on the financial position and cash flows for HII (Annual Report, 2015). HIIs manufacturing operations are subject to federal, state and local laws regarding environmental protection. Estimated costs are accrued to account for future incurred expenses. However, it is difficult to estimate these costs which can cause estimated remediation costs to change. Costs relating to environmental regulations can effect financial position, results of operations and cash flow (Annual Report, 2015). Political climate effects defense spending and therefore effects defense contractors such as HII. Changes in the governments priorities and spending could have an adverse effect on the availability of future contracts (Annual Report, 2015). References Spring 2016 Industry Study Final Report Shipbuilding [Scholarly project]. (2016). In The Eisenhower School. Retrieved from http://es.ndu.edu/Portals/75/Documents/industry-study/reports/2015/es-is-report-shipbuilding-2015.pdf Ship Building and Repairing. (2017). Retrieved January 30, 2017, from https://business.highbeam.com/industry-reports/equipment/ship-building-repairing Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/who-we-are/ Company Values. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/who-we-are/company-values/ Maciag, M. (2015, March 13). Where Wages Are Lowest and Highest in America. Retrieved February 01, 2017, from http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-metros-where-wages-are-lowest.html Annual Report 2015. (2015, December). Retrieved February 03, 2017, from http://ir.huntingtoningalls.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=243052p=irol-reportsannual News Releases. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/releases Our Capabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://www.huntingtoningalls.com/our-businesses/ Proxy Statement 2015. (2015, December). Retrieved February 03, 2017, from http://ir.huntingtoningalls.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=243052p=irol-reportsannual      

Analyzing Marketing Opportunities

Analyzing Marketing Opportunities Marketing has often been defined in terms of satisfying customers needs and wants critics however maintain that marketing goes beyond that and creates needs and wants that did not exist before. According to these critics, marketers encourage consumers to spend more money than they should on goods and services they really do not need. Marketing was defined by the American Marketing association Board of Directors as Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (Approved October 2007) http://www.marketingpower.com/aboutama/pages/definitionofmarketing.aspx Marketing is the process whereby society, to supply its consumption needs, evolves distributive systems composed of participants, who, interacting under constraints technical (economic) and ethical (social) create the transactions or flows which resolve market separations and result in exchange and consumption. Bartles2 What Is Marketing? How 10 Experts Define It Marketing Process The marketing process consists of analyzing marketing opportunities, developing marketing strategies, planning marketing programs, and managing the marketing effort. (Kotler)3 http://nraomtr.blogspot.ie/2011/12/marketing-strategy-marketing-process.html Analyzing Marketing Opportunities Market analysis involves market research about a product or service being offered it involves using primary and secondary data, looking at the economic situation of the country and the legal aspects political aspects, the legislation the competitors new entrants into the market and their market position. This data will be analysed using different statistical tools this will be used in identifying short, medium and long term on various marketing activities. This data provide useful information which enables the organisation to plans its marketing strategy. For example Tesco a grocery store will look at what Asda, Lidl Aldi and also what the likes of Sainsbury, marks and spencer are doing and their market share. Its in view as this that Tesco will determine what its marketing strategy will be. Developing Marketing Strategies Based on the Marketing research conducted Tesco will be able to determine what marketing strategy it will adopt for the next quarter on each of its product range and determine what market segment it will concentrate on. it might decide to contrate on fruit and vegetables or it might decide to concentrate of clothing differentiation decision is made to arrive at a product that will lead to the optimal profit. For example Tesco might decide to be a loss leader on a particular product while maximising profit in other areas Usually at Tesco price of some items are reduced but customers will come in because of this package but will end up buying other not discounted. Marketing Programs Marketing strategy leads to marketing mix, examples are budget allocation for a particular department, products etc Marketing Mix is the combination of four elements, called the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion and Place), that every company has the option of adding, subtracting, or modifying in order to create a desired marketing strategy. (Philip Kotler)4 Larry Steven Londre Marketing, IMC, Advertising, Promotion, Media and More. 2012 Edition There are large number of marketing tools. McCarthy5 provided a categorization for them in terms of four Ps of marketing: Product, price, place and promotion. Under each P, there are number of tools. Depending on the organisational choice it is possible to have some on a short term medium term or long term new products are usually on a long term basis In other to carry out budgeting for different marketing tools, sales functions this functions will relate to how sales will be affected be any incremental amount, This is known as sensitivity analysis. Product related marketing tools are in the form of quality,branding design,packaging, etc. While price related to commissions, discounts and middlemen commission to discount pricing like buy one and pay for I/2 price for the second. Place related are like on line sales Tesco in retail park, Tesco in large shopping centres and the Tesco express which can be in filling stations or in a neighborhood Promotion relates to Tesco club card owners who get personal sales promotions or instore promotions and TV and radio jingles or adverts, online and social media campaigns. Market Orientation was defined by McNamara (1972 p.51) as a philosophy of business management based upon a Company wide acceptance of the need for a customer orientation. Profit orientation and recognition of the important role of communicating the needs of the market to all corporate departments .5 Journal of marketing april 1990 Ajay Kohl and Barnard J Jaworski Market Orientation: the construct, research proposition and managerial implications The main points highlighted here are customer focus and profitability. The chances of new products failing is very much reduced and it provide the opportunity to cut its loss if indications are it may not be profitable the a stop can be put to it before the product is launched Where market Orientation approach is used there chance that consumer needs are being met with appropriate products or services are higher and inevitably the life product of such products or service will be prolonged and hence more profit. . Constant feedback from consumers This is an unending process through this constant market research this will enable the firm to make changes to the product as its see fits hence making higher profits and matching those of their competitors.. The disadvantages of marketing Orientation are It may be difficult to target campaigns at a large Market Constant market research it is very expensive thereby reducing profit* Where there is a specialised markets it will be difficult to fulfill the needs of the sub market(consumers) A good example of this is the graphic plotters used for architects similar plotters may not be ideal for factories with specialised technical construction or tool making. Product differentiation may at time be difficult especially for the likes of retail supermarket where they do not produce the products but for the company branding it is often difficult to differentiate a product and stand out from competition consumer wants often change due to income and consumption patterns for example someone who lost his/her job will change quickly from buying from Tesco to the likes of Lidl and Aldi. it may be hard to keep up with need of such people. Marketing environment is mainly made of two variables the micro and the macro factors these factors are mainly internal environment- micro and external environment macro The micro environment are variables that can be controlled or by management. E Jerome McCarthy 6 said the variables that the company can control in order to reach its target market are the four Ps. Price, products, promotion and place. A Communication-Based Marketing Model for Managing Relationships Tom Duncan and Sandra E. Moriarty Journal of Marketing Vol. 62, No. 2 (Apr., 1998), pp. 1-13 Macro are those outside the control of the organisation.they are proximate macro-environment The supplier environment The distributive environment The wider macro-environment Demography proximate macro-environment This involves the external forces for example, in the legal, cultural, economic and technological sub-environments. This are the people or firms with organisation immediate external environment. Of they are marketing firms, are suppliers, competitors and distributors (intermediaries). The supplier environment These are businesses that provide the firm with material and distribute to their retails in includes logistic companies and retailers the like of Tesco The distributive environment Emphasis is placed on intermediaries such as wholesalers, factors, agents and distributors so that final consumer get products The competitive environment The threat of competition cannot be over emphasised the orgainsation must be alert to the potential threat of other companies selling the same product. Ie Pepsi and Coke companies marketing similar and substitute product whether they are of domestic or foreign origin. The wider macro-environment Changes in the wider macro-environment may not be as close to the companys day-to-day operations, but they are equally important this falls into four The main factors making up these wider macro-environmental forces fall into four groups. Political and legal factors Economic factors Social and cultural factors Technological factors Demography In places like Iran, Tunisia, Syria and the middle east in general which were predominantly dominated by Pepsi, the advent of war has change the demography of the area. This is out of the control of Pepsi and It will have to readjust its marketing strategy and marketing Mix for this region. Market segmentation is defined as The process of defining and subdividing a large homogeneous market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs, wants, or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted segment. 7 Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Fig 1 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Fig2 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf (source) Gig 3 http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_tesco_study_in_excellence.pdf Tesco provided six market segments to target the different consumers Need from the up class to the lower class income . The segments are self narrative with this concept Tesco was able to continuously increase its market share. Buyers behaviour often change depending on products , the consumers spending power, consumers needs and how urgent he need the product. The customer identifies a need :This often occurs from advertisement from TV, Radio, Bill board social media or words of mouth Looking for information At this stage the customer wants more information about the products and needs to see the product and discuss more with the sale representative Checking out alternative products and suppliers The consumer at this stage will look for a better buy either in terms of quality, pricing and will compare the product or service with those of other providers, Purchase decision . time at this stage the buyer is ready to buy and the sales personnel need to close the sale by giving the buyer an incentive to buy. It could be after sales service it could be a voucher. Using the product Cognitive dissonance a fear that the buyer may have made a wrong decision comes to play here especially when it is an expensive here simple how to use and after sales suffice or a form of warranty. There are four main factors that affect a buyer behaviour namely:-Social, Culture, psychological and personal.. Social: Groups membership, reference, aspirational opinion leaders or buzz marketing and family members. Culture: A persons wants or behaviour group with share values and ones social class. Personal; Age and life cycle, occupation personality and self concept Psychological: Motivation perception and beliefs and attitudes . Market positioning is the manipulation of a brand or family of brands to create a positive perception in the eyes of the public. If a product is well positioned, it will have strong sales, and it may become the go-to brand for people who need that particular product. Poor positioning, on the other hand, can lead to bad sales and a dubious reputation. A number of things are involved in market positioning, with entire firms specializing in this activity and working with clients to position their products effectively. 9 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_examples_of_market_positioning With the current economic situation Tesco has gone to the cheap end of the market competing the likes of Lldl and Aldi. So the focus will be on main stream with competitive price

History Of Video Games Essay -- Video Game

Some problems are solved over a cup of coffee and some go on for decades without any sign of resolution. The reason may be that a solution can not be found or possibly that too many solutions are established. The ongoing argument of whether video games are good or bad for society is a clear example. Opponents believe they are a bad contribution to society while proponents believe they are a necessary and supportive addition to society. "William Higinbotham, who in 1958 created a game called Tennis for TwoÂ…" (The Beginning), is the one credited for the invention of the video game. At this stage in time, this new innovation did not spark much interest with the public. "Computer and video games themselves did not become part of the popular culture until the late 1970's" (The Beginning). Death Race, which came out in 1976, "Â…became one of the first controversial video games" (Controversy) to come out to the public. The purpose of the game was to run down gremlins while driving a vehicle. This type of entertainment was new and "uncomfortable"; it displayed awkward situations and was too violent for a lot of the critics. At this point it was obvious that there were two very differing outlooks on the latest technology to strike the market. But since most of the critics were against it and very few for it, including the creators and gamers, more complaints were made and the "violent" game of Death Race was eventually removed from the market. This was definitely not the end of gaming but it also was not the end criticism. The gaming industry obeyed the critic's requests and opened into 80's with "less representational, more kid-friendly games, such as Pac-Man and Donkey-Kong" (Controversy). As video games bec... ... video games showed better visual skills than those who didn't" (USA Today). Researchers have also found that the subjects who played video games "were better able to keep track of objects appearing simultaneously and processed fast-changing visual information more efficiently" (USA Today). Video games have made it a long way from when they first started. Some games actually teach children how to read, write, and even count. Teenagers also state that a little gaming after school actually helps take some stress off from classes and the overload of homework. Video games are a fast growing form of technology. This issue has to be discussed because of the two confronting sides that embark it. Because of the issue video games have to either continue growing as they are or they have to be stopped completely or a settlement between the two parties has to be reached.

The Evolution of Federalism Essay -- History Historical Democracy Essa

The Evolution of Federalism American federalism has changed drastically since its genesis. In 1776 the thirteen colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation in order to coordinate their efforts in the war for independence. The Articles of Confederation bound the states together in two main aspects; foreign and military affairs. The Articles of Confederation worked well while all the states had a common cause. However, as soon as the war ended and interests began to change, it became obvious that the Articles were not enough. This brings on the creation of Federalism (Reinventing American Federalism).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In May of 1787, in the city of Philadelphia, delegates from all thirteen states met in order to â€Å"create a more perfect union†. The result was the Constitution of the United States. Delegates debated over which form of government would best suit both the security, and the freedom that many sought in this new government. The delegates rejected both confederal and unitary models of government for a new form of government called federalism. Federalism differs from the former two in that, unlike the unitary form of government, which is ruled by a central government, federalism is not based on a hierarchy in which the state levels of government perform the duties and tasks handed down by the central governmental system. Also, unlike the confederal system which gave all power to the states, only some of the power would be granted to the states. The federal government would handle foreign affairs, trade, military, and the economy (Reinventing American Federali sm).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the first half century of federalism, many argued over the roles that the federal and the state systems should play. By the time of the civil war, slavery was at the top of the debate. Should slavery be a national or a state issue? The end of the civil war brought an answer to this debate with the addition of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments (Hyde). These amendments ended slavery, and reduced the power of the states over civil rights matters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The federal government started taking on a bigger role in the turn of the twentieth century. President Roosevelt expanded federal authority with his New Deal program. The New Deal program was funded by the federal government, but administered by the states. This brought on the grant-in-aid system, a system in which the federa... ...through the minds of every one of those delegates in Philadelphia. These questions are still being debated today. The role of the government is constantly changing. It has the great ability to adapt to the needs of the people. During the great depression, the federal government stepped in and gave aid to the needy. During the struggle for equality, the federal government gave rights to minorities when states would not. Federalism is perhaps the greatest form of government by the people and for the people because of its evolution. Because people and society change, so must the form of government that presides over them. Federalism allows the flexibility to do so. Works Cited Hyde, Henry. The Constitution of the United States of America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 2000. Reinventing American Federalism. Issues of Democracy: Electronic Journals of the U.S. Information Agency. April, 1997 Volume 2, Issue 2. Sidlow, Edward, and Beth Henshcen eds. America at Odds 4th ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  California: Wadsworth, Thomas Learning, 2004. Simon, Dennis. The Civil Rights Movement,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 26, 2005. http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Civ%20Rts.html

Penney

A 19% decline in same store sales took place in the first quarter of 2012 for J. C. Penny; followed by 350 employee layoffs and the departure of President Michael Francis (Turner, 2012). This led to a prototype of their new store concept in order to save the company. CEO Ron Johnson, responsible for the redesign of Apple stores, was bought on as part of the team to make this turnaround successful. Unfortunately, Johnson struggled to implement his new company vision to make this transformation which was originally dependent on discounts and coupons to drive sales.Johnson launched a three-tiered pricing scheme meant to make the shopping experience simpler and attract more customers. Advertising and direct mall received new eye catching attention. Also the company changed the concept of constantly have sales to consistently having lower prices. Incomplete execution of the change is why the intended results failed to produce (Basin,2013). A complete transformation was attempted by J. C. Penny, but failed to instill every customer touch-point. Merchandising, Marketing, Customer Service, Store Environment, and its new character were the areas that needed 100% focus and planning.The most important agents of change, the employees, had not been completely brought on board. This being the case, the strategy failed to generate the urgency and excitement required to make the change successful with employees and customers. â€Å"One of the big mistakes was perhaps too much change too quickly without adequate testing on what the Impact would be,† said Bill Cancan, the principal shareholder of J. C. Penny(Edwards, 2013). As good as Johnny's Intentions really were, he was not experienced with bringing a retail store above ground.The director image is the image that best suits this organizational situation of changing how J. C. Operates on a day-to-day basis. This image is based on an image of management as control and of outcomes being achievable (Palmer, 2009). It is u p to the change manager Monsoons) to direct the organization (J. C. Penny) in specific ways to reach the desired outcome. It is assumed that the change is a well-planned choice that managers make and the well-being and survival of J. C. Penny depends on them. The objective is to be a better-performing, better-aligning organization.You cannot change the organizational culture without knowing where your organization wants to be or what elements of the current organizational culture need to change. When an organizational culture Is already established, people must unlearn the old values, assumptions, and behaviors before they can learn the new ones. Executives must lead the change by changing their own behaviors. It is extremely important for change. Members of the organization must clearly understand what is expected of them, and must know how to actually do the new behaviors, once they have been defined.The culture of the change is that the sales have plummeted significantly, employe e layoffs, and the departure of the president (Townsend, 2013). The role culture played in the change is that the economy changes and so do people and what hey desire. What might have worked in the retail business one year might not work the next. The changes that took place in the J. C. Penny Company were most definitely Second order, discontinuous change. This change â€Å"is transformational, radical, and fundamentally alters the organization at its core† (Palmer, 2009).What Johnson is trying to do is seen as large-scale and disruptive, and so is second-order change. J. C. Penny is transforming the nature of their organization, not developing. This is already an established and well known company; it Just needs to turn itself around to be saved. For example, if we were to go skydiving it wouldn't be successful to Jump out while we were not flying. Therefore in order to arrive at a successful place to make the Jump, we have to stay in the same plane and fly around to move t o the right spot. Johnson is a new face to the company and customers and should not come in and totally throw out all things â€Å"old†.Instead of this drastic change to wipe out all that is old, the old and new should be integrated. Not everything that is old is broken and it once worked perfectly fine. However since the beginning of the business opening there have been changes, and now they Just aren't working. Empowerment and teamwork should be seen as assisting in the development of functional and divisional structures rather than replacing them† (Palmer, 2009). Since this major change is restructuring and reengineering, this is altering the basic functioning of the company and therefore is transformational.In order to deal with highly competitive changes in the business environment, producing a fundamental reorientation of J. C. Penny is needed. Some of the key challenges with J. C. Penny are increasing quality and customer value, enhancing innovation, motivating s taff, and enhancing competitive advantage. These challenges can easily be met if the right rationales are put in place. To increase quality and customer value Johnson needs to increase customers' expectations (Palmer, 2009). Without customers, retail store would be non-existent. Enhancing innovation needs to meet customers' expectations.Customers' Expectations are hard to only assume without doing proper planning. Motivating staff needs to gain effective contributions. This is one of J. C. Penny's horrible faults. The employees were not properly trained and knowledgeable about the new changes. Being excited about the opportunities of a many and being able to convey that message to current and future customers is everything when a new system is rolled out. The method for implementing the change was simple, or so Johnson thought. Johnson thought it made sense to cut to the chase by listing realistic prices from the get-go and foregoing nonstop sales.It does make logical sense. However , customers are often drawn to stores not by the promise of fair pricing, but by the lure of hunting for deals using coupons and price markdowns. The â€Å"How Much You Saved† line at the bottom of the receipt serving as a score is nice to look at until one day it disappears. Even Johnson acknowledged the mistake the stores had made when sales started falling even more in summer 2012 be known as having consistently low prices. The vision of the company is the most important thing to know so you know where to start with plans, objectives, and budgets (Palmer, 2009).Vision usually paints a picture of the future and is inspirational. If J. C. Penny had a well-specified market vision, this would have helped to identify how the company would have grown and competed. Meaning is created throughout the organization about what it is the organization does when the vision is aligned with the internal dimension of organizational beliefs and values (Palmer, 2009). The change that J. C. Pe nny went through was communicated poorly. J. C. Penny failed to insure every customer touch-point. Customer service, Marketing, Merchandising, store environment, and employees were not fully developed (Edwards ,2013).The biggest downfall was the employees not being fully onboard. If employees are confused or unsure about a new change than it would be impossible to share this with someone else. This caused a lack of urgency and excitement that the company needed to make the change successful. On a scale of 1-10 of the change agent's work in the execution of the new vision for J. C. Penny, I would give him a 2. While his intentions were good and he thought he had the experience needed, he failed to research what customers really wanted. He guessed.He assumed he knew exactly what had to be done based on how he feels as a customer, but everyone is different and likes different things. Nut and Babcock identified three different approaches for crafting a vision and the leader-dominated ap proach fits the description of the J. C. Penny situation (Palmer ,2009). In this approach the CEO revived the strategic vision for the organization. This is similar to the â€Å"telling† and â€Å"selling† strategies. Telling is when the CEO creates the vision and gives it to staff. It is used when involvement is not seen as important. This is where Johnson went wrong.He took on all of this by himself and didn't want involvement from the rest of the company so much that the employees themselves were confused about the new vision and what to do with it. â€Å"Selling† on the other hand is when the CEO has a vision that he or she wishes to sell to staff (Palmer, 2009). He didn't include the staff and that was a major problem. This is used when the CEO is attracted to the vision and wants others in the organization to adopt it. If Johnson would've done both the â€Å"telling† and the â€Å"selling,† then maybe this would have had a different outcome.M aking J. C. Penny a leader in style with good products and honest business practices would've helped increase success of the project. Leaders must make sure that the entire organization understands the business case for change. Everyone must understand why the change needs to be made. Johnson should over- communicate the business case for the change so that people will believe that it's OTOH real and urgent. Also J. C. Penny must be certain that all levels of leadership are on board with the change and are communicating the same message.Deadlines will probably be missed and excuses will be made for not implementing the new changes if employees do not feel confident in what they are supposed to be supporting. Have we sufficiently rallied the troops? Do they all clearly understand the opportunity ahead? Are they excited by the opportunity and know how they can help the company succeed? These are some good questions that need to be addressed when taking steps to increase the success of the project. Coping with hyperactive business internal and external strategic collaboration is a way to be able to plan everything out thoroughly (Palmer ,2009).Outsourcing of activities in which the organization has no distinctive competence is very important to get rid of things that are not needed in the J. C. Penny vision. Empowerment is the introductions of mechanisms to provide employees with the authority, resources, and encouragement to take action. This recommendation keeps popping up but it is the most important thing with following through with a big change. Another recommendation is to reduce internal and external boundaries. This reduction helps to encourage communication and resource sharing (Palmer, 2009) as there wasn't much communication going on at all.Use techniques to focus people's attention on the importance of change to meet the challenges of J. C. Penny. Also Johnson could use multiple channels to constantly communicate the vision that Johnson created for th e big system change (Moratoriums, 2013). Becoming informed and helping the CEO and leadership team to articulate personal vision for the future of the organization by examining external impacts, trends, and core beliefs. Also visit the future and think ahead five years about the reputation, what competitors and customers think of you, contribution to the community, and what people will say about your company (Palmer, 2009).To ensure the success of any company, the proper steps need to be followed even if it takes longer than you originally planned. Skipping steps might get you there faster but it will hurt your business in the long run. J. C. Penny is still currently trying to get back on track. J. C. Penny's largest challenge going forward is whether it can capture market share from Macy's and other mid-tier retailers and eve from losses to profitability.

Freudian Reading on “Othello” Essay

Freudian Reading on â€Å"Othello† Is it possible for other people to act as our superegos? What are the effects of never resolving your oedipal complex? And when a situation becomes to over whelming, do we project our thought and feelings on to our peers? I am using â€Å"Through the Literary Looking Glass: Critical Theory in Practice† by Sian Evans and â€Å"Othello† by William Shakespeare to analyse the characters Othello and Iago as well as the major theme jealousy through a Freudian lens. The aim of this psychoanalysis is to try and give a better understanding of the character’s motivations and unconscious, narcissistic desires. The theme jealousy is revealed by both these characters throughout the play shows us how we need to be well rounded people, and the effects this has if we are not. The opening act of â€Å"Othello† begins with the marriage of Desdemona and Othello in Venice, Italy. Here we see a black, middle aged man, marry a fair, young, Venetian woman in front of an upper cl ass white society. (This was highly frowned upon at that point in history). As the play proceeds Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio, and tries to corrupt their marriage. This behaviour seems somewhat childish coming from a grown man and shows us how Iago doesn’t use his superego to control his id, as well as displaying his immense jealousy of Othello. However Othello believes what Iago is saying, as he has a reputation of being an â€Å"honest man†. Iago continues to insinuate Desdemona’s dishonesty to Othello and provides fake evidence. Othello gets increasingly â€Å"green-eyed† by the â€Å"poison† that Iago is telling him and becomes so overwhelmed by this jealousy that he goes back to his natural instincts, resolving issues through murder. This is a result of him joining the army at 7 and since then all he has known is war. The play ends with Othello acting on impulse and under the influence of his violent superego, murdering Desdemona, and then Iago after he realises Desdemona was innocent. He then proceeds to commit suicide as he believed this act would be considered noble, restore his reputation, and relieve his conscious mind of his violent actions. Othello is a mentally and emotionally frail character in the play. He joined the army at a young age and gradually became recognised in society as something other than a then a â€Å"middle aged†, â€Å"black moor†, due to his high rank in the army and then marrying Desdemona. However  when a supposedly â€Å"honest Iago† starts suggesting Othello’s wife is unfaithful, he is easily able to mentally control Othello through him never having resolved his oedipal complex. Othello had never resolved his oedipal complex because we see him give his mother’s handkerchief to Desdemona. Freud describes this as a method of transference and Othello is transferring his repressed love for his mother on to Desdemona. Iago then acting as Othello’s id then reveals Othello’s murderous superego which was caused by decades of warfare. We visually see this in the play when he says â€Å"How shall I murder him Iago† when Iago implies Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona. Here, Othello is also showing that his oedipal complex is still not resolved by transferring his repressed emotions on to new objects through his desire to murder Cassio (being the father) in order to be closer to Desdemona (being the mother). Later in the play we see hi s superego again when Desdemona (the woman he loves) becomes his enemy and he kills her. This act of murder was purely out of jealousy and the fear of him losing his reputation he has worked so hard for. â€Å"Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men,† Shows us how Othello is subconsciously protecting his soldiers. Though a Freudian perspective it appears that Shakespeare has used Othello as a character to show us that if you are brought up with murder or warfare when you are young, you might never be able to overcome your violent superego as you get older and the detrimental effects this has. Shakespeare has also shown us how sublimation is applied through Othello, as he is someone that has the urge to hurt and kill and thus joined the army, so that the act of killing is morally justified by â€Å"protecting their country or soldiers†. He may not kill the person he wants to kill necessarily, but they will release their feelings by killing the enemy, if unless these feelings are manipulated by an external factor (Iago). Although many years have passed since â€Å"Othello† was written, people can still relate to it because human nature does not change. We all question those who are close to us, and whether or not they are honest and loyal. Shakespeare is using Othello to warn us of disastrous consequences that may arise when you are manipulated by a person (Iago) that capitalises on the jealous nature of another human. Iago is an extremely jealous character in the play. He is envious of Othello’s reputation, higher rank in the army, wife, and that he is more respected in a white society than him; even though he is middle aged and  black. This shown through the quote; â€Å"But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"He has done my office†. Reputation means to a lot to Iago, and overall that’s all he cares about most, which shows narcissism and racism in his character. He believed that Othello robbed him of his reputation. We see this through the quote; â€Å"But he that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed†. Iago doesn’t use his superego to control his id so his urges and desires are unrestrained. This is shown throughout the play in his successful attempt to corrupt Othello’s marriage. Nearly one hundred per cent of the time when Iago is with Othello he is using reverse psychology to act as Othello’s superego and make him more jealous of Cassio; â€Å"O beware, my lord, of Jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster†. This is displaying two perspectives on Iago’s physiological state. Either Iago has zero control over his id, and just lets his jealous mind run wild. Or, he chooses not to control his psychopathic mind with his superego. This results in him tricking Othello into consciously thinking he’s jealous when he unconsciously isn’t. For example, when Othello asks for â€Å"living reason† (proof) that Desdemona’s been â€Å"disloyal,† Iago tells him about an erotic dream that Cassio supposedly had one night while he wa s lying in bed next to Iago. In sleep I heard him say â€Å"Sweet Desdemona, let us be wary, let us hide our loves†. After Iago tells these rumours he then covers his tracks by deceiving Othello. An example of this is when he says; â€Å"Men should be what they seem† which is ironic coming from him, as he is not what he seems. He is deceptive and believable, and for Othello that is bad news for someone who is so easily jealous and mentally frail. â€Å"He hath a person and a smooth dispose, to be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest but that seem to be so† This quote is reinforcing how Iago believes Othello will be easy to manipulate and deceive. Through this psychoanalysis we have a greater understanding of Iago’s motivations and unconscious desires. We see how he projected an overwhelming amount of jealousy he had for Othello on to him, and even though he thought he was in control of the situation and that he would come out on top, it led to both of their demise. For Iago jealousy played on the trust he developed in his relationship with Othello and whether Othello would believe him. However even though Othello did believe and trust Iago, Shakespeare still shows us  that jealousy destroys relationships and consumes the mind. My psychoanalysis of â€Å"Othello† has given me a new understanding of the play for a different perspective from what I would normally view it from. Iago and Othello both had major flaws in their characters which ultimately lead to their demise. Iago couldn’t control his id, which meant he was always acting on impulse without control of the superego and there was only a matter of time before he slipped up. Then Othello never resolving his oedipal complex meant someone like Iago could easily manipulate and mentally corrupt him. Both these characters have shown us as readers how we need to be well rounded people so we are not as easily susceptible to jealousy, and the effects this has if we are not.