Catering and Marketing Essay

To perform successfully, a catering service must be market-oriented and should apply the marketing concept, which is derived from the assumption that a product should be capable of meeting the needs of consumers, foremost, through its quality. To fully meet the needs and wants of costumers on the one hand, and to accomplish its business goals on the other hand, a catering business needs to combine the elements of the marketing mix in order to be as successful as possible in selling its product on the market. Guest satisfaction must be ensured. I. INTRODUCTION â€Å"Marketing is not only much broader than selling; it is not a specialized activity at all. It encompasses the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of the final result, that is, from the customer’s point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must therefore permeate all areas of the enterprise.† – Peter Drucker Food is an indispensable part of the human needs and wants that is always present in every circumstance. It is a usual unison that people have in an event which covers a large number of people dining and feasting meaning a reason for the essence of catering services. Catering services is one of the most dynamic business groups in the food and beverage industry. By industry definition, catering is the planned service of food and beverages – in contrast to restaurants, where food and beverages are generally served on demand. The opportunity for catering services to provide planned food and beverages is far greater than it is for restaurants. While restaurants are business units that serve the general public within their operating facilities, catering services, for the most part, can be provided in any venue, public or private. Unlimited types of settings, both indoors and out, are used for catering functions. The number of people who can be served at a catering function range from one to many, many more – often totalling in the thousands. For a service organization such as catering to acquire customers, it is important that marketing strategies be deployed to improve its own ability to compete with other catering services gain a competitive advantage and thus retain a greater number of customers. Marketing is an important aspect of every catering operation. As customer demands increase for catering-related services, corresponding marketing efforts must be developed. Catering business can live and die by the strength of their marketing efforts, particularly in areas with high levels of competition. An effective marketing plan can lead to the growth of your customer base, larger catering jobs, and increased profits. As consumers grow increasingly, the role of advertising and publicity become the primary vehicles for information about food and service. Definition of Terms Marketing. It is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging oï ¬â‚¬erings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Strategy. It is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Catering. The activity of providing food and beverage for events. Marketing Mix. A planned mix of the controllable elements of a product’s marketing plan commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. Product. Represents a set of tangible and intangible elements used to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. Promotion. The publicization of a product to increase sales or public awareness Price. A value that will purchase a finite quantity of a product or service. Product Distribution. It is the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study is conducted specifically on eleven (11) Catering Services in the locality of Bataan. Specifically the eleven (11) catering services are as follows: 1. Tony and Ann Catering Services – located in Balanga City 2. Mommy-Tah’s Catering – located in Orion 3. Petrius Resto and Bar Catering – located in Balanga City 4. Goldiluz Catering – located in Balanga City 5. Ysiad’s Catering – located in Balanga City 6. Cora’s Catering – located in Orion 7. Junifred Catering Service and Accessories- located in Orani 8. Cj’s Catering Services – located in Dinalupihan 9. Mattro Catering Services- located in Hermosa 10. Gourmet Catering and Flower Shop- located in Orani 11. Know- Well Catering Services- located in Abucay The eleven (11) Catering Services were subjected to survey questionnaire. One catering services at a time. Furthermore, this study was limited to finding only the effectiveness of the marketing strategies used by the different catering services. Statement of the Problem The main purpose of this study was to find out the effectiveness of marketing strategies used by different catering services in the locality of Bataan. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions. 1. Is there a significant relationship between the location of the business and its marketing strategies? 2. Is there a significant relationship between the number of years of the business and its marketing strategies? Significance of the Study A study such as this enabled the different catering services in the locale to see if their marketing strategies were effective to increase their income. Furthermore, this is also important to all the catering services for this will help them in the promotion of their services using different marketing strategies. With the use of various marketing strategies, catering services may lead to higher income. Moreover, the useful and relevant information acquired from this study may help future researchers in the same field of study. This study will further help the catering services to develop more effective marketing strategies. Related Literature According to Scanlon (2007), the marketing mix includes the marketing strategy elements and may be conducted either as an alternative to the marketing cycle or as a continuing activity in the market process. The marketing mix incorporates the four basic elements into the overall strategy of marketing a product or service. The four basic elements consist of: †¢ a product (product) †¢ the price of the product (price) †¢ the promotion of the product, and (promotion) †¢ the distribution of the product. (place) The product. This is the primary element of the marketing mix, with the other elements adjusting to it depending on the given situation. The product represents a set of tangible and intangible elements used to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. The product has all the attributes of a service, and it is designated for the market. What is a service, and which are the attributes of a product as a service? A service represents the result of the interaction of three basic elements: the user (guest), equipment (facility), and the service staff (staff). This result should meet the needs of guests (for example, wedding reception). The process of building a service brand is vital to the product as a service. Becoming distinctive in the marketplace and building a brand helps to gain the trust of guests. Product price. The pricing should be based on three key elements: †¢ service demand, †¢ costs incurred in creating services, and †¢ comparing and adjusting prices to those of rivals on the market. Some potential customers are more sensitive to prices than others. For some, price is the single variable on which they base their decision to buy (or not to buy) a product, while others care nothing for the price, as long as it guarantees the quality of services provided. Hence, businesses need to be elastic in pricing. They must carefully monitor the reactions of customers to prices and, accordingly, adjust or change prices depending upon demand. Costs clearly influence the price of a product, and they determine the bottom price below which a business will begin to loss money. Prices should not, however, be overly cost-oriented, and they should not be increased to cover costs. Instead, they should be based on demand and adjusted to changes on the market. Rivals also play an important role in pricing. A business will often be compelled to change its pricing policy as a result of changes in the prices of rivals. Considering how fierce competition is today, it must be analyzed and mon itored. This means that prices, once fixed, cannot be allowed to remain unchanged, but rather, their adjustment to change should be taken as a sign of their flexibility. Product promotion. To promote a product, the business communicates with the market of demand. The market of demand comprises potential customers, various business organisations and organisations belonging to non-economic branches, and media. In promoting a product, a variety of promotional methods are used to present the product to potential customers and attract their attention. Considering the growing number of promotional methods available today in promoting a product, businesses choose to use a combination of promotional elements.

Strategies to Fight Low-Cost Rivals by Nirmalya Kumar

HP’s restructuring has shrunk Dell’s cost adv from 20% to 10%. Customers have appreciated added benefits like instant deliver, ability to seeYour traditional operation will become more competitive.Your low cost venture will make more money that it would have made as an independent unit. You can allocate adequate resources to the low cost unit. Dow Corning’s Xiameter unit – low cost provider of silicone products sells only 350 of Dow’s 7000 offerings, doesn’t cannibalize the its parents sales. From 28 M loss in 2001 to 500 M profit in 2005 Switch to selling solutionsNo synergies possible between existing enterprise and low cost unit. Integration of your products and services offer unique vale to customers. Australian mining company Orica – sold explosives to stone quarries. New service laser profiling rock faces to identify best places to drill holes. Become exclusively low customer cost providerNo synergies possible between existing en terprise and low cost unit. A major portion of customer segment is price sensitive. You are willing to acquire new business capabilities.RyanairFirms can either attack, co-exist uneasily or become low cost plays themselves. It is easy to fight traditional rivals due to similarities in their game plans and prowess but most companies overlook the threats from disruptive, low cost competitors. Coke fights Pepsi, sony with Phillips, avis with Hertz, P$G with Unilever. Amazon with Ebay etc.Businesses that sell at very low prices as compared to the incumbents might go to bankruptcy (US Airlines) but the point worth considering is that, they quickly reemerge. They slash fares and cut thrills and eventually grab a chunk of market. E.g. Southwest airlines, JetBlue, Aldi supermarket in Germany and other parts. The financial calculations of low cost players are different from the established ones. They earn smaller gross margins but their business models turn those into higher operating margin s.Higher than avng asset turnover ratio, impressive return on assets, because of returns and high growth rates, market capitalization is higher than industry leaders despite larger equity base. Framework for responding to low cost rivals.ASK – will this company take away my present or future customers? NO – watch but don’t take on the new rival. YES – don’t launch price war, instead try and increase product differentiation.ASK – are sufficient number of customers willing to pay more for the benefits my product offer? YES – Intensify differentiation by offering more benefits and over time restructure your company to reduce the price of benefits you offer. NO – Learn to live with the smaller company. If possible merge or take over rivals.ASK – if I set up a low cost business, will it generate synergies with my existing business? NO – Switch to selling solutions or transform into a low cost player. YES – Attac k your low cost rival by setting up a low cost business.Low cost players stay ahead in the market because consumer behavior work in their favor, new low cost entrant pose stiffer challenge compared to the traditional ones. e.g. – JetBlue’s entry is a concern for Southwest.The Futility of Price Wars. Even when market leaders copy the critical elements of the low cost rivals’ business models, they are unable to match their prices. e.g. – Internet booking for airlines doesn’t deliver the kind of cost reductions to traditional airlines that they do to low cost carriers. Slashing prices lowers the profit for leaders without driving the low cost rivals out of market.When Differentiation works: When leaders realize, they cannot win the price war, they opt for differentiation.Differentiation approaches: Design cool products. e.g. – Apple Continually innovate. e.g. – Gillette, 3M Offer a unique product mix. e.g. – Sharper Image, whole f oods. Brand a community. e.g. – Harley Davidson Sell experiences. e.g. – Starbucks, Nordstrom.Differentiation works when: Smart business don’t use this tactics in isolation. Companies must be able to persuade customers to pay for benefits. Companies must bring cost and benefits in line before implementing it.Dealing with dual strategies. Companies should set up low cost operations only when the traditional ones will become competitive as a result and new business will derive some benefits that that it would not have enjoyed as an independent unit. E.g. – First Direct, ING Direct. Low cost business unit should use a unique brand name like HSBC’s First Direct. Subsidiary should be housed separately.A two-pronged strategy delivers results only when the low cost operation is launched offensively to make money and not as a purely defensive ploy to hurt low cost rivals. Eh – Dow Corning’s creation of Xiameter.Switching to Conquer If there i s no synergy between traditional and low cost businesses, there are two other options to deal with the low cost rivals. Start selling solutions. E.g. – Orica’s blasting solutions Convert into low cost player. E.g. – Ryanair.Original Article by NIrmalya Kumar

Dante’s Inferno: Contrapasso

Expect No Mercy What goes around comes around. When sinners reach hell they are forced to experience the counter-suffering of contrapasso. For each sin, Dante gives a specific punishment relating to that sin. Some of these sins include violence towards self, violence towards God, sorcery, and hypocrisy. For the despicable lives they lived on earth, they are doomed to suffer relating consequences for all of eternity. â€Å"No green leaves, but rather black in color, no smooth branches, but twisted and entangled, no fruit, but thorns of poison bloomed instead. (XIII, 4) No longer humans, but trees, they stand in a fruitless wood, being eaten by half-woman, half-bird creatures called Harpies. These sinners have committed Violence against themselves. They destroyed their bodies on earth so they have been denied any resemblance to a body in hell. Harpies are perched on them, eating their leaves as they scream in pain. When leaves or branches are ripped from them, they bleed and feel as t hough limbs are being torn from their bodies.Their wounds heal so as to reoccur, making it so the harpies may eat them eternally. This is not a reasonable form of justice, as once thought in Dante’s time. The Christian church has changed its opinions on suicide since the publishing of Dante’s work. Once not even awarded a Christian burial, people who commit suicide are now considered not in the right state of mind. Since they have suffered in life, they should not be forced to suffer for eternity in death. Despite the undeserving sufferers previously noted, many of the people found in hell deserve to be there.The blasphemers have committed the sin of violence against God. They have either cursed God or offended God directly during their lifetimes. These sinners lay on their backs in burning sand staring up at the skies as fiery flakes rain down on them. They committed sins against God, therefore they shall spend eternity staring up at him and accepting his wrath. Viole nce is horrid and the punishments in hell show how it can come back to you in death. But even deeper into hell the sins get worse, as do the punishments. There are things that people are not supposed to see during their lives on earth.The future is one of these things. The first sinners found in the eighth circle of hell attempted to see the future using forbidden means such as black magic. The punishment that these fortune tellers are forced to endure is they walk around forever with their heads twisted facing backwards, only able to look behind them. Their eyes are filled with tears so anything that they could see is completely blurred. â€Å"You see how he has made his back his chest: because he wished to see too far ahead, he sees behind and walks a backward track. (XX, 37) These punishments are perfectly fitting to the sins they have committed. These so-called sorcerers spent their lives in the twisted world of magic, so it is only fitting that they are twisted themselves in h ell. This is the torture that awaits them in hell, and they’ve earned every bit of it. Deeper into hell there are sinners who twisted the truth, this is where the hypocrites are found. They deceived people during their lives by pretending to have beliefs or virtues that appealed to others.Now they slowly trod around wearing cloaks that look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside they are lined with heavy lead, that weighs the sinners down. â€Å"’The orange-gilded cloaks are thick with lead so heavy that it makes us, who are the scales it hangs on, creak as we walk. ’† (XXIII, 100) Since they hid their true selves in life they must walk forever, hiding the weight of their deceit which they must carry for all of eternity. If they stop walking, the lead gets hotter and hotter until they start moving again.Being eaten for all of eternity, staring into the skies as fiery flakes rain down, heads twisted on backwards and hidden weight that must be carried forever are some of the punishments in hell that await sinners. These specific punishments relate or contrast to the sins of those who suffer them. Contrapasso is the passing of just punishment for sins, and punishments that relate to the sins are the most fitting. For the damage they have done on earth, these offenders are fated to suffer the abuse they have earned themselves in hell.

Exporting and Importing for a Developing Country Essay

Exporting and Importing for a Developing Country - Essay Example It is also the 24th most populous nation with at least 51 million people. The country is a multiethnic society. South Africa is a developing country, according to the standards of the CIA and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (CIA, 2013). The country’s economic position is rapidly advancing, particularly as a result of its robust trade initiatives. South Africa’s trade initiatives include major imports from and exports products to numerous countries across the globe. Some of the country’s most notable imports include motor vehicles and vehicle parts, computers and electronics and refined petroleum products. The import product selected for this paper is refined petroleum products. This selection is based on the fact that South Africa’s importation of refined petroleum products encompasses 7.4% of its entire imports. Petroleum products are vital materials that come from crude oil and are processed in oil refineries. Petroleum is converted into petroleum products that consist of an array of fuels (UN, 2010). Question 2 The Republic of South Africa is based on a constitutional democracy. The government structure encompasses three structures namely; local, provincial and national governments. South Africa is a sovereign and democratic state, which is segmented into nine provinces. Each state has its individual provincial legislature. All segments of government in South Africa derive their powers, as well as functions, from the Constitution of South Africa. The National Assembly is the supreme law-making institution of the Republic of South Africa (CIA, 2013). The National Assembly makes law applicable throughout the country and the same is also true for all legislative policies developed by the Cabinet of the National Government. Although there are sections of executive legislative competence for the National Assembly, it shares its legislative power with the country’s provincial legislatures. The Sout h African parliament consists primarily of two houses, namely, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the National Assembly. The South African National Assembly is elected into office for five years and is made up of no fewer than 350 members and no more than 400 members. Members of these houses are elected in keeping with the country’s electoral system, which centers on a roll of voters who are above the age of 18 years (USTR, 2012). This results in a system characterized by proportional representation. On the other hand, the local government encompasses municipalities whose objectives include the provision of democratic and accountable government for the country’s local communities, promoting socioeconomic development and ensuring equitable provision of services to all communities. The link between the national and local government is the provincial government. South African provincial governments are subject to policies and laws established at the national lev el (CIA, 2013). However, provincial governments have the power to pass their individual policies and laws in the framework so as to suit the specific needs of the provinces. Provincial legislatures are allowed to establish their own constitutions in accordance with the provisions of the South African Constitution. A number of challenges plague the marketing of products in South Africa. Firstly, South Africa is a low yield environment, which means that the traditional income of most South Africans is quite low. This makes investors uneasy

Water Management in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Water Management in India - Research Paper Example The challenges of water management in India stem from resource problems whereby the protection of water sources is yet to be effective. Deforestation along with other hazardous activities threatens the water sources of the Asian giant. Moreover, infrastructural parameters hinder the achievement of full access to water by many residents of India. Though, the water problem in India is more visible in cities particularly slums. As a result, numerous organizations both local and international along with government agencies have focused on water supply in slum areas. The management of water in India is closely related to hygiene because the access to water is the only way to guarantee good hygiene in the society. Therefore, improving water supply is considered central towards enhancing the standards of hygiene. This paper evaluates water management in India through a number of perspectives to bring out the current state of water administration in the Indian subcontinent along with its rel evant effects on life. Primary issues will be listed and discussed regarding how they influence water management. Major organizations in the process of water administration will be discussed. One of the primary issues in India regarding water management is the utilization of water for agricultural purposes. Owing to the unreliable weather of India, certain areas are dependant of water for irrigation purposes. The insufficiency of rain makes farmers become dependant on water supply for agricultural use.

Vendoline Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Vendoline Company - Case Study Example The management of the organization has invested in excellent service delivery and innovation in meeting the consumer demands. The company is located in Turkey and has a national and international presence in sections of Middle East and Europe. The company is valued at $393, 338. It has a traffic rank of over 500,000 in Europe. As a service provider, Vendoline Company has determined what the consumers expect. The top level management has been investing in real-time access of customers to information like prices and terms of delivery. My role was to ensure that web hosting management systems were functional and effective. I was coordinating a team of IT experts who were had direct contacts with customers. This enabled me to assess the effectiveness of the organizational management practices and systems in the company. Problem statement How can organizational performance in technology-based organizations be enhanced? Technological companies are faced by the challenge of rapidly changing external environments. The management has focused on external competition and environment and failed to invest in the internal competencies of the organization. This has compromised excellence in service delivery. There is a need to research on the factors that affect quality and organizational performance in technology based organizations.... Modern organizations are directly connected to technological systems that affect their performance and appeal to the clients (Andres, 2001). The company has strategic plans to increase reliance on technological innovations in future. Organizations face resistance to change from employees. Technological organizations must be flexible while implementing models. Globalization is forcing many technological organizations to keep reviewing their strategies (Gouge, 2003). This aims at enhancing the capacity of innovations in a bid to remain relevant and competitive in a technologically driven market (Cameron & Green, 2004). The field of technology is advancing as more efficient and powerful discoveries enter the market. Organizations dealing with technological matters are faced with bigger pressure than the rest (Rapp, 2002). The reason is occasioned by the need to upgrade the technological capabilities and remain competitive. On the converse, the technological companies are faced by the th reat to become obsolete (Lennick & Kiel, 2005). The technological innovations are known to have a profound effect on the market. Organizational leadership must be professional, pro-active and visionary in order to keep the technological momentum and remain market leaders (Gouge, 2003). Technological organizations need strategic leadership and management. The management of technological organizations like Vendoline Company needs to either innovate internal technology that can alter the trends in the market. They can also procure external knowledge or expertise. This can happen through outsources or partnerships of strategic nature (Lennick & Kiel, 2005). Internal innovation for technological companies is preferable

SUPERMARKETS-GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIROMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SUPERMARKETS-GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIROMENT - Essay Example Changes in the Business Environment With the competitive market environment today, there is a great influence of the changing business environment to the process and strategies with which a company or business is run. Business environment can be considered as the social or cultural environment in which the business is operated. It also comprises the internal factors which are penetrating within the business. The basic elements making the entire business environment can be the company’s customers, competitors, employees, suppliers and other individual bodies which are directly influencing the business. Since supermarkets hold an essential place for almost everybody, therefore it is getting more popularity and expansion within people. With the passage of time, the number and range of people using services of supermarkets has also expanded to an enormous level, including both the high class and the middle or low class people (Richards, 2013). This has opened opportunities for sev eral small supermarkets to enter the business and acquire the market share of the big and leading enterprises. With the growing number of market entrants over the period of 2006- 2012 in the UK supermarkets, the business environment has become further intense and competitive. ... As the technology has prospered tremendously over the years, demands and expectations of consumers have also reached to a new level. Businesses can no more expect customer’s satisfaction by providing conventional services, which does not offer ease and benefit together to customers. For this reason, many of the supermarkets have expanded their range of products, to provide more stuff to customers under one roof (-Poitier, 2001). This idea has been incorporated by the Asda supermarket, which has enabled it to increase its overall sales, by opening more options for consumers. In this way, many customers coming to buy grocery are attracted towards furniture or household items, and this allows the business to make more sales (Ayushveda Business, 2009). The effect of globalization cannot be negated in this respect, as it has been one prime reason of the changes occurring in the business environment. A big difference in the supermarket of today, from what it is used to be some 15-20 years back, is the types and range of products they offers to their customers (Business Education, 2013). This depicts that there are emerging brands in various parts of the world, which are entering the global world. Therefore, the number of product suppliers for these supermarkets have increased to a large number, which has introduced the challenge of supplier satisfaction and proper channelling. All suppliers prefer the supermarkets that can give their product maximum hype and sales. Therefore, if a supermarket is just focusing of customer’s satisfaction, then it will soon lose the interest of new product suppliers, and they will certainly go for other retailing stores in the market (Experian, 2011). The change in the

Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique Research Paper

Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique - Research Paper Example The socio-political environment prevailing in the United States of America was systematically making the women feel contented with their household duties, thereby giving way to an unnoticed and unrecognized sense of discontent, apathy and unhappiness. Thereby, Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique is indeed credited with bringing to fore this unrecognized marginalization of women (Horowitz 36). Hence, The Feminine Mystique indeed happened to be a work that revitalized the Women’s Liberation Movement. The book, The Feminine Mystique was the outcome of the conclusions drawn by Betty Friedan, when she attended her college’s fifteen year reunion. In a survey conducted by Betty Friedan in this reunion, she realized that a majority of her classmates were abjectly dismayed and unsatisfied with the role of an idealized American housewife, heaped on them by the dominant social, cultural and gender expectations. Actually it was this survey that made Betty Friedan recognizes the fact that a post War social environment was positively nudging women to adapt to the roles of mothers and housewives. Motivated by this conclusion, the subsequent research conducted by Betty Friedan confirmed her worst fears regarding the state of women in the post War America. Immediately after its publication, The Feminine Mystique turned out to be a number one bestseller, as it happened to be an ideological work that tried to recognize, unravel and define an array of issues faced by the women in the post War world, which hitherto remained ignored, sidelined and neglected (Scanlon 94). This book brought to fore the fact that confining women to the roles of mothers and housewives not only made them lead an unsatisfied and frustrated life, but this trend also had larger implications for the American society. In that context, The Feminine Mystique was a groundbreaking work in the sense

Environmental Factors Affecting the Organization and Its Function Essay

Environmental Factors Affecting the Organization and Its Function Activities - Essay Example Of necessity then, all organizations must be adjusted to the environment in which they exist. The external environment of an organization are those factors that are outside the control of the manager but which nevertheless affect managerial decision - making. They generally affect all organizations within that society and thus they are not specific to any one firm. These environmental forces include: - Political -legal forces, economic forces, social and cultural forces. The two most important environmental are the technological forces and the internal environment. 2 Political stability is another factor i.e. organizations will change their mode of trade depending on how stable the political climate is. Presidential decrees also affects business decision - making. Business managers face a multitude of loss that limits their powers with regard to legal- political constrains. In the final analysis an organization usually cannot control what a government does. Sometimes these laws also create new opportunities for the firm. An example is compulsory recycling laws which have led to the mushrooming of the recycling industry. However, it is important for the organization to understand that the main purpose of business legislation is to give companies protection against unfair competition, protect the society's interests from being infringed by unscrupulous firms and also give consumers protection against business malpractices. (Dale, 2001) b) Economic forces Important aspects of the economy that affect the organization and human resource activities include inflation, economic growth, interest rates and employment. During periods of inflation, firms must pay more for raw materials Economic growth rate influences the demand for products while interest rate determines how much it will cost the organization to borrow money. Unemployment will influence the supply labour. Other economic factors affecting the organization are prices, savings and the availability of credit c) Social/cultural forces This environment consists of the value systems, social demographic characteristics and other basic characteristics of persons comprising the society. Such characteristics include desires, attitude, expectations, aspirations, believes, traditions, levels of educations, religions and customs of people in a given society. Religion might for instance influence people's tastes and preferences to products. Education may also influence tastes and preferences. People may have a negative attitude towards the products / services that the organization offers. The level of education would also affect the human resource function of selection and training because the low the level of education of its work forces, the more the training. The converse is true. People's lifestyles will influence the

Characteristics of Expressionism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Characteristics of Expressionism - Term Paper Example The paper "Characteristics of Expressionism" investigates the main features of expressionism. The four paintings that evoke strong emotions and are representative of Expressionism have been chosen from Van Gogh, El Greco, Edvard Munch, and Picasso. Starry Night is one of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous paintings. Although much ado has been made about the stars and moon in this painting, the ominous black tree figure can also hold meaning. El Greco’s View of Toledo has been compared to Starry Night. While there are similarities, the ominous storm approaching the city in El Greco’s painting evokes a fear not found in Van Gogh’s painting. Pablo Picasso’s Guernica is a painting about the German bombing of the Basque town of Guernica. This collision of objects shows the chaos of war. Finally Edvard Munch’s The Scream shows a man with his hands on his cheeks and mouth wide open. This painting stirs up feelings of a primal loss of control ending in a wren ching scream. All of these paintings use different techniques to elicit emotions from the audience. Expressionism is a broad term. The Expressionism movement that produced Expressionism Art was founded in Germany and Austria in the early 20th century. Expressionism Art is any type of art that uses distorted means to express a feeling. While the movement started in the early 20th century, many other artists from the late 19th century were included due to their painting style. Vincent Van Gogh was one of these artists, despite having died before the 20th century.

Social Sontract Theory of John Locke Essay Example for Free

Social Sontract Theory of John Locke Essay This paper analyzes the social contract theory of John Locke and how his values are consistent with the criminal justice system and private security settings of today. It will further discuss whether or not Locke’s’ values and principles apply to both criminal justice and private security venues. I will also summarize the major differences of the social contract theories; identify the key principles associated with Locke’s social contract theory; identify how these principles are inculcated in the U. S. Bill of Rights; identify how these principles play out in the criminal justice system and security settings of today and finally describe freedom in relationship to personal rights and ethical standards and obligations. â€Å"A social contract is a voluntary agreement in which mutual benefit occurs between and for individuals, groups, government or a community as a whole. According to Locke, the State of Nature, the natural condition of mankind, is a state of perfect and complete liberty to conduct ones life as one best sees fit, free from the interference of others (Kelly, Martin.(2012)). † This does not mean, however, that it is a state of license: one is not free to do anything at all one please, or even anything that one judges to be in one’s interest. The State of Nature, although a state wherein there is no civil authority or government to punish people for transgressions against laws, is not a state without morality. The State of Nature is pre-political, but it is not pre-moral. â€Å"Persons are assumed to be equal to one another in such a state, and therefore equally capable of discovering and being bound by the Law of Nature. Given the implications of the Law of Nature, there are limits as to how much property one can own: one is not allowed to take so more from nature than oneself can use, thereby leaving others without enough for themselves (Powell, Jim. (1996)). † Because nature is given to all of mankind by God for its common subsistence, one cannot take more than his own fair share. Property is the linchpin of Locke’s argument for the social contract and civil government because it is the protection of their property, including their property in their own bodies, which men seek when they decide to abandon the State of Nature.  · Summarize the major differences of the social contract theories. The major differences between classical republicanism and John Lockes natural rights are philosophy are that classical republicanism stresses the common good or community over the natural rights stress of the individual. You look at the natural rights philosophy from what Locke would describe as a state of nature, that is, an imaginary situation where there is no government. Lock believed that there was a law of nurture to govern a state of nature; he stated, The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it which obliges everyone No one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions. â€Å"The main ideologies of the natural rights philosophy are found in the Declaration of Independence with such ideals as consent of the governed, right of revolution, unalienable rights (or rights that cannot be taken away or given up, such as life liberty and property), and overall establishes a social contract. Classical republicanism is modeled after the Roman Republic, where the government provides its citizens with liberty under government and stressed the common good, or what was best for the society as a whole (Powell, Jim.(1996)). † Citizens within a republic must share the same characteristics: civic virtue, moral education, and live in small, uniform communities. Civic virtue is demonstrated when a person sets aside their own personal interests to promote the common good, and thus classical republics often drastically limited individual rights. â€Å"Moral education is the idea that citizens must be taught to be virtuous based on civic religion; these virtues included generosity, courage, self-control, and fairness. Small, uniform communities were necessary to prevent factions (self-interested groups of individuals), and to prevent this, limited the degree of diversity within these communities (Kelly, Martin. (2012)). † People residing within these communities often had similar wealth, religious or moral beliefs, and ways of life. To further prevent diversity, each community has an established religion (which is prohibited in our Constitution per Amendment 1). What are the key principles associated with Locke’s social contract theory? Locke believed there also exists a Law of Nature, the basis of all morality and given by God, that compels us to not harm others life, health, liberty or possessions. For Locke, the social contract exists when mankind in the State of Nature recognizes and heeds the Law of Nature thus forming a civil society. Protection of property, both geographic and one’s own body, were key to Locke’s argument. He said that political society and government are established by mutual consent forming â€Å"one body politic under one government† united into common-wealth to protect property from those who would violate the Law of Nature. Lockes argument for the right of the majority is the theoretical ground for the distinction between duty to society and duty to government, the distinction that permits an argument for resistance without anarchy. â€Å"When the designated government dissolves, men remain obligated to society acting through majority rule. It is entirely possible for the majority to confer the rule of the community on a king and his heirs, or a group of oligarchs or on a democratic assembly (Powell, Jim. (1996)). † Thus, the social contract is not inextricably linked to democracy. Still, a government of any kind must perform the legitimate function of a civil government How are these principle inculcated in the U. S. Bill of Rights? â€Å"John Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson and our Founding Fathers while writing â€Å"the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution, Locke’s Social Contract Theory on America’s political and governmental system is undeniable (Constitution Society). † â€Å"While writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, drew heavily from the writings of John Locke, and placed them in the Constitution. The social contract theory infuses both these documents (Constitution Society). † Thomas Jefferson adopted Lockes ideas people had rights to life, liberty, equality, and pursuit of happiness, the responsibility of government must protect those rights, and put them in the Constitution.  · How do the principles play out in the criminal justice system and security settings? The theory does not have basis in today’s criminal justice system in that there are segments of society that believe that the law doesn’t apply to them nor does it protect them. For example, the perception is that the amount of crime in the inner city is rampant. It is widely reported on the news every night. There are always stories on these neighborhoods if and only if it is sensational and /or involves a Caucasian citizen. This argument bears out when newspapers print banner headlines about Caucasian children being missing or kidnapped. Many of the ideas formed in Locke’s social contract theory mimic the modern criminal justice system. As citizens of a society, we give up many of our rights to protect ourselves in favor or a centralized system or rule governed by elected officials.  · Describe freedom in relationship to personal rights and ethical standards and obligations. â€Å"It’s believed that values are what we learn from childhood from parents and surrounding influences of adults involved in the child’s life. Morals are the beliefs developed from that value system and how one should behave in any given situation (Banks, C. (2009)). † â€Å"Ethics on the other hand is how someone actually behaves in the situation that may test ones morals and values. Values are established by childhood upbringing and help mold them into citizens contributing to society. Those environments include home, school, church, neighbors, cultural backgrounds and social get together or parties (Banks, C. (2009)). † Most of these beliefs and patterns of behavior are established through the unconscious observations and experiences of childhood in those environments. John Locke is the creator of the concept of individual rights as the basic reason for government. The U. S. founders turned this into government for the people of the people and by the people. References: Banks, C. (2009). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice (2nd Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. Constitution Society. (2007). Retrieved on February 18th 2012 from http://constitution. org/soclcont. htm Kelly, Martin. (2012). Social Contract. Retrieved on February 19th 2012. From http://americanhistory. about. com/od/usconstitution/g/social_contract. htm Powell, Jim. (1996). John Locke: Natural Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property. Retrieved on February 19th 2012. from http://www. thefreemanonline. org/featured/john-locke-natural-rights-to-life-liberty-and-property/ 1.

Cricks view of politics Essay Example for Free

Cricks view of politics Essay This essay will explain Cricks views on politics, as outlined in his book ‘In defence of Politics’ (1962). That politics is a way to bring together differing opinions to resolves problems and disputes in a peaceful manner for the benefit of the majority and for the good of the populace. Cricks belief of what politics entails involves a democratic ideology and as we are considered to have a democratic society in which we live validating with quotes from cricks book. Also Crick highlights the importance of the difference of opinion people have, and such opinions being recognised, and being able to have freedom of speech, being unrestricted in the way that other countries are bound by dictatorship. Crick acknowledges that politics is never a straightforward business, in Cricks words, he describes politics as a â€Å"messy business†, being unpredictable, for example international and domestic events. This essay will use contemporary examples to show how this so. In the 2010 election, there wasn’t any party that had an overall majority (no party had more than half of members of parliament in the House of Commons), which meant that the Conservatives would be unable to have the majority of votes, to pass laws etc, without the support of other parties. In this case, the support came in the form of a formal coalition, with the Liberal Democrats. This being the first time Britain has had a coalition government in seventy years. This situation could said to be in accordance with what Crick asserted, that politics, ‘ideally draws all these groups into each other, so that each individually, and together, can make a positive contribution towards the business of government, the maintaining of order’ (Crick 1962: 18). Crick (1962: 16) stated that for some politics is muddled, contradictory, self-defeatingly recurant, unprogressive, unpatriotic, inneficiant mere compromise, or even a sham or conspiracy . In contemporary society, many would argue that this is the case, and the reason why we are seeing parties such as UKIP becoming more populer. Politics can also be on a micro level,involving issues on a smaller scale, such as in the family home, for example, refering to Crick Jones states that People or groups of people who want different things-be it power, money, liberty, ect-face the potential or reality of conflict when such things are in short supply. For instance, a situation may arise where a husband being given an employment opportunity,involving relocation to  another city,compromise would have had to play a big part,for financial gain for the greater good of the family,as the earning potential of the husband is greater than that of the wife. In this situation issues of power also being present, the husband having the advantage,having the dominant position,simple due to earning more money. In conclusion, although Crick wrote his book in 1962, his ideas regarding politics , and the positive role, he believes it plays,is still applicable in contemporay society today. In the case of the present day coalition ,political parties of differing ideologies,have had to join together for the smooth running of the country, for greater good of the people. However, Crick also recognised that politics is still very much a messy, complicated process,and not everyone would feel that politicians were working in their best interests. Also that compromise plays a vital part on both a micro and macro level to reduce conflict.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Marketing Report

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Marketing Report 1. Jaguar Land Rover company profile Jaguar Land Rover Cars (JLR), founded in 1922, is one of the worlds premier manufacturers of luxury saloons and sports cars. It is a business built around two great British car brands with exceptional design and engineering capabilities. Their manufacturing facilities are in the UK and currently employ over 16,000 people, predominantly in the UK (Tata Company Profile, 2009). In June 2008 Indias Tata Motors bought JLR from Ford Motors for  £1.15bn (BBC, 2008). The JLR business acts as a major wealth generator for the UK, with 78 per cent of Land Rovers exported to 169 countries and 70 per cent of Jaguars exported to 63 countries. Sales to customers are conducted principally through franchised dealers and importers (Tata company profile, 2009). However, since the acquisition Land Rover sales have fallen nearly 23 per cent in 2009, down to 144,133. Jaguar was also down by nearly 20 per cent to around 52,500 (Birmingham Post, 2010). 2. Recent developments: Jaguar Land Rover has reported a net profit of 55 million the financial year 2009. This has been possible because of the new models launched by the company in the year 2009. This includes the All New Jaguar XJ, which has reported impressive sales figures for the company. JLR has also secured various financial loans to continue its search for new models and new technologies. This includes the GBP 340 million loan from the European investment bank and also the GBP 175 million loan from the state bank of India (FT.com). They plan to employ the money in the production of Land Rover LRX concept, which is the smallest Land Rover to be launched. JLR is increasing its dependence on the emerging markets as it plans to increase its sourcing from the Indian market and also plans to moves it production to China (Coventry Telegraph.net). 3. Analysis: Competitor analysis Land Rover: Dimensions Land Rover Hummer Daimler Benz Toyota PRODUCT LINE ADVANTAGE Land Rover Presence can be seen in SUV as well as in sport cars. Hummer Has presence only in the SUV segment. Damiler benz A traditional player in all segments of car, suv and sports car manufacturing. Toyota Presence in almost all the segments of cars and trucks. SERVICE ADVANTAGE Land Rover Has presence of service networks all over the globe according to its product line. Hummer Limited presence in the world. Daimler  Benz A dealer network all over the globe Toyota An extensive dealer service available with the large product line offering. Low Cost Luxury cars (volume determinant) Land Rover No presence in this segment and low presence in the emerging markets. Hummer Reasonable price, no presence in the emerging markets. Daimler benz A strong presence in the low cost luxury market in all the emerging countries. Toyota A strong presence in the luxury market in all emerging markets. Retail Advantage Land Rover Has a dealer in all parts of the world. Hummer Low presence in emerging markets and in Africa. Daimler Benz Has the biggest network of dealers in comparison to the competitors. Toyota Has a dealer authorisation in all parts of the world. Technological Advantage Land Rover Has an growth in RD spending of about 11.6%in 2009. Hummer Development of new cars H4 and H3T. Daimler benz Plans to increase its RD spend to 12.6 billion euros over the next three years. Toyota Ranked number one company in RD spending for all the industries. Supply Chain Land Rover Has 1 primary manufacturing plant at Solihull, near Birmingham. Hummer Has 6 plants worldwide including assembly plants. With no presence in the emerging markets. Daimler benz Has plants spread out in all parts of the world including factories in emerging countries. Toyota Toyota conducts its business worldwide with 64 overseas manufacturing companies in 28 countries and regions. Recent Performance Land Rover They turned into profit in December quarter with net profit of 4.17 billion rupees Hummer Sales in the first three months of 2010 fell down by 72% to 855 vehicles. Daimler benz Mercedes has a 25.3% increase. Toyota A drop of 1.12 million units compared to the previous year. Local Collaborations Land Rover Has an advantage in the Indian market with the parent company TATA Motors in the country. Hummer None. Daimler Benz None. Toyota Has presence in all developed and emerging markets. Has factories in almost all parts of the world. Competitor analysis Jaguar: Dimensions Jaguar Porsche Daimler Benz BMW Product line advantage Jaguar Has a range of luxury and sport cars. Jaguar cars have lack of volume as there is a lower geographical spread for its models. Porsche Has presence in the sports car segment as well as the high end SUV segment. Daimler Benz A traditional player in all segments of car, suv and sports car manufacturing. BMW A presence in every segment from low cost luxury market to high class luxury cars and suvs. Service advantage Jaguar Lacks service advantage due to limited presence all over the globe. Porsche In accordance with the limited product line it has a small service network. Daimler Benz   A dealer network all over the globe. BMW A widespread dealer service network. Low cost luxury cars (volume determinant) Jaguar No presence in this segment as well as low presence in the emerging markets. Porsche No presence in this segment. But is building its presence in the high-end market of emerging countries. Daimler Benz   A strong presence in the low cost luxury market in all the emerging countries. BMW Maximum market share in this segment in emerging market behind Mercedes Benz. Retail advantage Jaguar Has a limited dealer network with even a few being company owned. Porsche Has just 2 dealers in India as an example. Daimler Benz Has the biggest network of dealers in comparison to the competitors. BMW Has authorized dealers all round the globe. Technological advantage Jaguar Has the highest RD spending for its segment of automobile companies. Porsche None Daimler Benz   Plans to double its RD spending this year to 1.4 billion dollars. BMW Has technology development and RD centre in emerging markets of China and India. Supply chain Jaguar Has only 3 factories in the UK. So a limited advantage of local production in the developed and emerging markets. Porsche Has only one production centre in Germany. Daimler Benz   None. BMW Has 24 factories in 13 countries including assembly factories in emerging countries. Recent performance Jaguar has witnessed a !3.6% drop in sales in 2010. Porsche has a 6 % increase in 2010. Daimler Benz  has a 25.3% increase. BMW also has 8.4% increase. Local collaborations Jaguar Has advantage in the market of India with the major presence of its parent company TATA motors in the country. Porsche None Daimler Benz None BMW Has significant presence in all emerging and developed markets. Has factories in emerging markets. JLR PESTEL analysis (2010): A more recent PESTEL and SWOT Analysis of JLR (2018) is available here > Political factors: After securing a loan from the European investment bank TATA has now taken a U-turn over its demand for loan from the UK government (Guardian.co.uk). Social factors: Employing large number of workforce: Jaguar Land Rover employs 15,000 people, surrounded within the UK including approximately 3,500 engineers at 2 product development centers in Coventry and Gaydon. To improve the production facilities: Manufacturing competence has improved at Jaguar Land Rovers Halewood plant with a pilot training programme that concentrated on developing employee skills and problem solving. A programme was developed in partnership with the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (the Skills Academy) and training provider BUCAM, to combine traditional problem-solving with basic skills.( Clair Churchard) Technological factors: Jaguar Land Rover is known for its technologically superior cars. They also invented and commercialized the concept of aluminium body in their cars. Economic factors: Environmental Factors: JLR is recently searching on Wallenius Wilhelmsens Orcelle project for a lightweight environmentally sound ship that can carry 10,000 cars by using solar, wave and wind power which does not discharge any emissions into the environment or the ocean. Numbers of environmental initiatives are taken to improve the efficiency and reduce the CO2 emissions of Jaguar products. They use lightweight and recyclable material extensively and also highly efficient diesel engines. Jaguar Land rover has achieved full environment product certification for its model XJ in 2009.(Jaguar Website) Legal factors: Jaguar Land Rover is spending  £800m over five years to develop technologies designed particularly at dropping tailpipe CO2 emissions designed to meet the 25% improvement target set by the European Union which is well ahead of the industry average.(   Sam Abuelsamid  ) Land Rovers LRX Concept is a thinly veiled preview of the new small crossover the company is planning for launch around 2010. The unibody plan was created to prepare buyers for Land Rovers plans to introduce a bevy of smaller vehicles off a common platform in order to improve the brands fuel economy and CO^ output ahead of new EU legislation. Bowmans strategic clock: Jaguar: Jaguar is a strong innovation based organization, which is evident from the innovations it had come up with recently. This includes the usage of only 2 product lines instead of 6 it used previously. The analysis of its product lines shows that it desperately needs differentiation, which can be achieved through technological innovation and also through product line innovation. JLR has huge spending on RD but still has low RD spending in compared to other competitors like BMW, so innovation and differentiation in its product line is limited along with lack of cost savings is its production activities. Jaguar has low presence in the emerging markets compared to its competitors, which is an opportunity to launch attractively priced product. Land Rover: The brand Land Rover has a wider presence in the developing markets compared to Jaguar. Land Rover already has products the Freelander and Discovery targeted towards the medium end consumers. Land Rover to meet the EU legislation norms as well as the need of emerging markets has plans to come up with a range of smaller SUVs in 2011. PORTERS FIVE FORCES: Barriers to entry: Economies of scale: As our new launch of Jaguar XH requires high capital investment for the manufacturing of our new car which is environmental friendly and targeting a specific segment of the market .So the risk of new entrant is high as other big players might try to imitate the same concept. Knowledge and Technology: The ideas and knowledge that provides competitive advantage over others is its unique hydrogen-based technology which creates barrier to entry. Product Differentiation: As the new product has to be different and accepted by the customers. So, we are providing our customers with the expected attributes of premium luxury cars. Access to distribution channels: A well developed distribution is must for its success when a new product is launched in the market. So we will take advantage of well established TATA Motors channels across the world. Buyers: Swithching cost: As it is first of its kind, so they have no options to switch over. Number of customers: The bargaining power of buyer is low as there we have mentioned in our switching cost that there are barriers to new entrants.There is no forward integration of buyers. Brand Image: the Jaguar Land Rover already has an established Brand Image as a manufacturer of premium luxury cars. Suppliers: Bargaining power of suppliers: Bargaining Powers of suppliers is less Threat of Substitutes PRICE BRAND:the threat that constumer will switch to a substitute product is ver low. BUYERS WILLINGNESS: The willingness of the customers to buy this product will be because of the higher efficiencyand good quality of an eco-friendly premium luxury car. Competitive rivalry: Number and diversity of competitors: This means the amount of competition in the car industry which appears to be in the luxury cars such as BMW AND Mercedes in Europe, Lincoln and Cadillac in U.S. Exit Barriers: If the new product fails in the market then it is not easy for the company to exit because of the involvement of huge capital investments. Product quality:To maintain its new generation premium luxury car the company has to make manufacturing improvements continuously to furher keep uplift its quality. Jaguar land Rover Financial Performance: JLR has shown a substantial increase in the last couple of quarters. Due to the seasonality change in the JLRs business cycle, management has gained confidence in continuing its positive financial performance going ahead. JLR turned a Net Profit of about  £55mn in the last quarter of 2009. Jaguar Land Rovers combined sales volume have increased to about 28% QoQ to 56700 units which was about 44300 units for the 2nd quarter of 2010. The revenue of TATA motors grew by 47 percent to 26,774 crore. The stock market has given a thumbs up to TATA Motors as the stock moved up by 6.33 percent in Feb,2010. The retained earnings for JLR for the third quarter for 2010 has been  £55mm. TATA Motors Limiteds Net Debt stands at about Rs22,745 cr. Of this the aggregate long term debt is around Rs 16,302cr of which 50% has to be repaid over the next few years. The Net Debt to Equity ratio is 4.1, which is believed to be very high.(Angel Broking) Business Strategy: From the competitor analysis it is very much evident that the Land Rover brand for JLR is doing much better than the brand Jaguar. The sales After the takeover the head office decisions for JLR is now made in India. India also is a country, which provides cheap labor, lower cost of production and cheap logistics in comparison to markets like UK and USA. The Indian government also has is making constant efforts to encourage FDI in production. May other automobile giants like BMW and Volkswagen and Renault have also made major investments in the manufacturing sector in the previous couple of years. Chennai is now becoming the hub for automobile manufacturing in India. Jaguar has 3 factories in the UK, which have been reporting heavy looses in the past couple of years. So considering the above mentioned conditions, our business strategy is as follows: To establish an assembly plant in India taking advantage of TATA established manufacturing plant across India. To fund this assembly plant through the Loan secured from the State Bank of India. To supply cars to the Indian market, Sub continent market and the South-east Asian market through this plant. There will be drastic fall in the prices of all models with this The materials needed for our innovative product The Jaguar XH will be available cheaper in an emerging market like India. This includes the waste of wheat crop needed for the plastic and interiors of the car. We also propose Jaguar Land Rover to establish their next RD centre in Mumbai, India along with the RD centre of TATA motors. This RD centre will be the main hub for innovating the proposed Jaguar XH. The upward trend in the financial analysis stets that the financial condition of JLR is improving. And there are increasing cash reserves for investment. The loans received by JLR amount to GBP 515 million which will provide us the resources required for implementing our innovation strategy. According to our analysis above we recommend a business strategy that states that Jaguar Land Rover needs to catch up with its competitors and take advantage of its parent company presence in India. We have also laid a base for launching our innovation strategy by establishing RD and marketing hub in India. The budget allotment for these investments will be made in latter sections. Innovation Strategy: New product development: Product innovation: According to the analysis conducted above Jaguar has the back up of financial and technology resources to innovate and make its way back into the premium selling business. Our idea of innovation is to come up with a commercially applicable technology in the highly competitive world automobile industry. Hydrogen cars are making headway in the RD centre of many automobile giants. Our innovation is to come up with a high-end environmental friendly car, which can be commercially viable technology for high-end buyers to spend. The idea generated by our group is to come up with a product, which not only has a hydrogen engine but all the other components used in the car are environment friendly. This includes the seats, tyres, aluminum body, reduction in pollutants etc. Unlike other manufacturers we recommend to launch a high end product. The reason for this is to target our new technology to customers that are willing to pay the price for a better, faster and an environmental friendly car. Product description: We have named our product as the Jaguar XH (H for hyrogen). The hydrogen technology is chosen for 3 reasons first being the fact the new innovative technology of hydrogen cars, which is gaining momentum in the automobile industry. Secondly, This technology can give Jaguar and TATA the competitive advantage they need to gain back their lost brand awareness. And lastly, the awareness of the overall environmental impact in the automobile industry has been growing as European and U.S. regulations, e.g. for vehicle emission, have become more stringent. Aluminum body: A cars body makes up around 25% of its total weight, so Jaguar uses aluminum wherever possible to make weight savings. And because the body is lighter, the braking and suspension components do not need to be as big, equaling more weight saving. The aluminum body developed by Jaguar helps in its cars to become lighter and faster. Aluminum technology also makes the cars safer meeting increasingly safety requirements. All the body parts including the nuts and bolts are made of aluminum reducing the car weight considerably. (Power aluminium) Environment Friendly Paint: Painting vehicles has in the past been one of the auto industrys biggest environmental challenges stated by Mary Ellen Rosenberger. We are planning to develop paint; which is environment friendly. The technology will combine an advanced chemical formulation, which will be made of high-solids, solvent- borne paint. The high solids, solvent borne paint helps to produce fewer volatile organic compounds (VOC) and CO2 emissions than the water borne and current solvent-borne paints. The innovative three wet coating which, are to be applied on the vehicle, are on top of the other, without any drying time during the coats. Doing this will reduce the process in painting, which will lead to a smaller and more efficient paint shop. There are high hopes for this technology and it is estimated that doing this will help save about $7 per vehicle by cutting the time it takes to paint and will even cut back the CO2 and VOC emissions by 10 percent. Even environmentally it will cut down the greenhouse gasses by 15 percent (Auto week). Bio Fabric seats: Bio fabric helps in reducing co2 emissions because it is made from plants. It concerns about durability, it is not only smooth and soft to touch but also has long life. It is ideal for seats covers, door trims, floor mats and some more. It is produced in the same way as polyester materials, which is petroleum, based, so basically there is no need for the special technology. Main difference is that they take 10 to 15% less energy to make and save up to 30% in co2 emissions and co2 is emitted when the car is disposed. (Honda) The futuristic plastic interiors: We plan to implement environmental-friendly wheat straw-reinforced plastic in our vehicle. Its just the third-row interior storage bins made from the natural fiber-based plastic that contains 20 percent wheat straw bio-filler, this application alone reduces petroleum usage by some 20,000lbs per year, cuts CO2 emissions by 30,000lbs per year, and represents a smart, sustainable usage for wheat straw, the waste byproduct of wheat. Wheat straw-reinforced resin has many advantages over non-reinforced plastic, which is currently used by most of the auto companies. It has better dimensional integrity than a non-reinforced plastic and weighs up to 10 percent less than a plastic reinforced with talc or glass. We will consider center console bins and trays; interior air register and door trim panel components, and armrest liners to be made from the wheat straw-based plastic. We recommend the usage of such materials for the Jaguar XH. (Gizmag.com) Eco friendly tyres: Bridgestone ECOPIA EP150 eco-friendly tyres will be used in the car Jaguar XH These low rolling resistance tyre combines high-level wet safety with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. These tyres meet the challenging objective of combining top-class wet safety with reduced rolling resistance, leading to higher fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. These Bridgestone tyres are made of materials technology called NanoPro-TechTM combined with a new tread design. NanoPro-TechTM produces a lower rolling resistance by reducing energy loss in the top compound during rotation. The new tread design features thin rib and a connected block by which contact pressure and wet braking performance is enhanced. ECOPIA is Bridgestones flagship brand that helps to increase vehicle energy efficiency and thus contributes to the prevention of global warming. This is achieved by tumbling rolling resistance and/or saving resources whilst maintaining various performances needed of tyres, especially advanced safety performance. (News Market) Coolants: Hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are compounds made up of hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, and carbon atoms. HCFCs are a substitute to CFCs that are used as a coolant in refrigerators, aerosols, cars, etc. Earlier CFCs were used as a coolant and because it had classes of compounds that used to deplete the ozone layer, HCFCs are now used as a substitute and are not as harmful as compared to CFCs.(Science J rank) Hydrogen technology: The Jaguar XH is a car which is good for the environment. For the very first time, this car will be sold to the direct customer on a full scale basis and will be the most environment friendly car in the world. Based on the same design that is currently being used by Honda FCX Clarity, the Jaguar XH will use a hydrogen tank that will pass hydrogen through a battery and produce energy which will in turn run the motor of the car. This car uses no gas of any kind and hence does not leave any harmful pollutants. Hydrogen is stored in a tank and is then passed through a fuel cell which combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. The vehicle is then propelled by an electric motor which leaves behind only clean water vapour behind hence making it a zero omission vehicle. Source: Honda Clarity However, as compared to petrol, hydrogen does not affect the environment in any way possible and the only emission that is released is water vapour. So even though hydrogen may be very environment friendly, it simply fails to produce as much as energy as petrol can give. In other words, the car will not run as fast as it does when petrol is being used. There are a couple of innovative strategies that can be used in order overcome this barrier of speed and efficiency. We propose to design and make the car more aerodynamic and sleek and made of aluminium. Aluminium is used as it is lighter than steel and is strong as well. Although the estimate cost to setup one large hydrogen fuel station would cost about $1.16 million approximately (Energy independence), we do not plan to set these up during the initial years till we see a marginal increase in our sales for jaguar XH or other companies may want to join partnership and build the hydrogen fuel stations in different parts of every city. Our proposed business strategy would be to set up a huge hydrogen fuel stations in different parts of the country based on a location strategy. For example: there would be 8-10 hydrogen fuel plants in different parts of UK. For example: London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, etc. The diagram shown below, demonstrates as to how hydrogen will be produced at each of our plants. Source: Argonne National Laboratory Our strategy is to deliver fuel to our customers rather than them coming to us and refueling. By strategically placing these 10 stations all over UK, we would be able to deliver fuel to our customers much more efficiently and effectively. Although this may sound a little strange, there is a logical reasoning behind this strategy. To set up each fuel pump (small) across the country would cost approximately $253,000 which is exorbitant. (Energy Independence) . So in order to save up a lot on cost, we plan to just set up 8 to 10 factories in strategic locations. Now our customers do not need to come to the factory to refuel but we would go to them instead. It may then seem as to how fuel can be delivered so often. But a litre of hydrogen can run the car for approximately 390 kilometers. Hence it will be more cost effective for us to deliver the fuel directly as per their convenience. We would have mini fuel trucks like the size of the regular ambulances that will be particularly be impo rted from India (as the cost is low) and will run on LPG and the emission from these vehicles will be controlled as well by using the 3-way catalyst technology. (Nett). Each location will have an average of 5 to 10 fuelling trucks depending in the demand of the vehicle in those particular cities. Now, if the owner of the car sees that his car is running low on fuel, all he needs to do is to make a phone call. But then what if he already runs out? Every car is fitted with an emergency hydrogen tank which is attached to the main tank. This emergency tank will contain a litre of hydrogen enough to run the car for approximately 390 kilometers. Marketing and Commercialization plan: Product Planning :- Marketing of our new innovation Jaguar XH (hydrogen) Target market: This product will be targeted towards the upper class segment in the US and UK markets, the product will offer new hydrogen technology to its consumers. The major attraction for this segment of consumers will be the new hydrogen technology and the higher speed and efficiency offered by this technology. New Product development Policy: We recommend company will continue investing in Research and Development for updating and improving our new product according to latest developments and trends in consumers tastes. The special RD budget for this product will be calculated in the section ahead. First environmentally friendly car to be sold on retail basis in the UK and US market in the year 2013. Pricing- policies and procedures relating to: Price Level: Our product will be expensive and target the premium segment and its price will range between GBP 1.5 million to GBP 1.8 million. Margins to adopt: Considering the heavy investment in the project. We would start with a heavy margin and slowly tighten the margin on the basis of market competition. Price Policy: Our Company will follow One-Price policy in a country but price may vary between U.S and U.K depending upon Government taxes and Import Export tariffs Branding- policies and procedures relating to Brand Policy: The car will be available in the market under the brand name of Jaguar. Channels Of Distribution- policies and procedures relating to: The car will be available to end users through already established showrooms of Jaguar in U.S and U.K. also the existing channels of distribution will be proposed. Advertising- policies and procedures relating to: Product Image: Our product will be the first of its kind. It will be the worlds most environmental friendly car and this will be its unique selling point. It will be marketed as the worlds first fastest sedan because of the advantages of hydrogen technology. A heavy budgeted marketing plan will be needed, as this product will be the next biggest innovation to hit the industry after the TATA Nano. Corporate image: Jaguar is famous for years for manufacturing quality luxury and sports cars for upper and upper middle segment of the market. With the takeover by TATA, it will be benefited by the reputation that TATA enjoys of an innovative company. Mix of Advertising: Our car will be advertised through Ads on T.V, Internet. Big boards and banners will be displayed in the main and commercial areas in cities of U.S and U.K. Promotions- policies and procedures relating to: Tag line The Greenest Leaping Cat Will be marketed with an expensive marketing budget of GBP 100 million through all possible promotional sources. As the worlds most environmental friendly car ever. Display and launch- Our car will be first displayed and launched in Auto Expo in U.S and U.K in 2015 and all other major automobile expos held in all parts of the world. It will be available for test-drives at Jaguar showrooms in U.S and U.K. It will also be put on display for public at major airports in U.K and U.S. Servicing- As this is an all new product and technology, servicing could be a biggest challenge that JLR will face. All arrangements will be made for after-sale servicing of our new car at all the service centre for Jaguar in U.S and U.K. Also auto parts will be made available with the dealers for replacements in case of damage by accidents.( Harvard Business School) Budget estimation and RD: Spending heads Estimated Spending (Amt. In million pounds) 2010 (Projected) 2011 ((Projected) 2012 (Projected) Research Development 800 600 600 800 Car Development Outsourcing 160 Fuel

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Exploratory Essays

Plagiarism and the Internet Plagiarism has always been a problem in schools. However, with the invention of the internet, it has made plagiarism even more of a challenge. Plagiarism.org, â€Å"estimates that nearly 30 percent of all students may be plagiarizing on all their written assignments and that the use of the Internet has made plagiarism much worse.† [1] The act of plagiarism can be defined as, â€Å"To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own, to use (another’s production) without crediting the source, to commit literary theft, to present as new and original as idea or product derived from an existing source†2. Plagiarism has become such a concern for colleges that almost all the sites on this topic are sponsored by schools. The three main topics with plagiarism are the copy and paste function, â€Å"paper mills† and the ways that can be used to prevent students from doing this. The first major concern with the internet would be the copy and paste function. Wittenberg lists that â€Å"Widespread availability of the internet and increased access to full text databases has made cut and paste plagiarism very easy†.3 While the function is actually very nice to have, people are using it the wrong way. Instead of just using it to copy quotes from websites, than pasting it to their word document and giving it the proper credit, people are passing it off as their own. This is where the problem occurs. The function is actually very beneficial. In fact it has helped with the writing of this paper. I just made sure to give the proper credit necessary. One aspect of this function that leads to plagiarism that many people are not aware of is as follows: â€Å"When students capture images or text from other websites or scan hard copy to include in a website without attribution or permission, the result can be a violation of copyright law†.4 Most people are used to just copy and pasting images when necessary but are not always aware pictures may be copyrighted. We must take extra care when copy and pasting in order to avoid plagiarism. The next problem with the internet and plagiarism that leads to a lack of independent thought would be the availability of paper mills. Plagiarism.org, â€Å"points to the proliferation of â€Å"paper mills†, Internet sites which allow students, sometimes at a nominal fee, to buy ready-made research papers†.

Stonehenge :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stonehenge, located in England has been a wonder of the world for years and years to come. Its mystery is baffling and can be seen as inconceivable. For over 5,000 years it has stood silently in its current position. It has been excavated, x-rayed, measured, and surveyed. Even though so much has been discovered about this wonder, such as its age and the way it was constructed, its real purpose still remains a mystery. No other place has generated so many theories as to its purpose than the great standing stones of Stonehenge. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The semi nomadic peoples that populated the Salisbury Plain began to build what is now known as Stonehenge around 3500 BC. Originally this stone structure was a circular ditch with 56 holes forming a ring around the perimeter. The first stone place in it was the Heel stone. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) About 200 years later, 80 blocks of blue stone were taken from a quarry nearly 200 miles away in the Prescelly Mountains. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) These stones were stood up forming two circles joined together. At some point in time this original structure of the site was dismantled and the blue stones were moved with in the circle. The gigantic stones were installed at this time also. Some of these stones weigh as much as 26 tons and it is still a mystery as to how a supposed primitive people moved them to a location 200 miles away. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The construction of the site is also a complete mystery. There are carefully carved lintels that are placed on top of upright stone blocks, which are held in place by ball and socket use. The constructions of these have become known as, â€Å"trilithons†. (www.mysteriousplaces.com) The final block added to the site was the alter block, which is a large block of green sandstone from South Wales. It was placed in front of one of the trilithons. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years, each new generation has tended to these monuments. Seeing as nothing last more than a few decades in this day in age, it is completing awing to imagine the fact that a people maintained this structure for almost 2 millennia. (www.mysteriousplaces.com)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most pondered question of this great Stonehenge is the question of its use. What was it built? Nothing can be certain, but there are definitely well educated theories. For instance, Gerald Hawkins’ theory. He was an astronomer of the 1960’s and he used a computer to provide concrete evidence that Stonehenge was used to observe the heavens.

Abortion: The Fetus Has A Right To Live Essays -- Abortion, Pro Life E

Globally, the practice of abortion terminates millions of pregnancies every year. In the United States alone, abortion â€Å"peaked in 1990 (1.6 million), and public support for abortion peaked soon thereafter†. This statistic was averaged to 1.3 million every year. Historically, two opposing groups have emerged in debates over abortion-the â€Å"Pro-life† and the â€Å"Pro-choice.† The main question is in the determination of whether a fetus is â€Å"human† or â€Å"nonhuman.† The pro-life camp believes that the fetus is a human from the moment of conception, and any attempt to remove an early pregnancy is simply an act of â€Å"murder†, and a denial of life to the helpless unborn. This assumption receives vigorous opposition from the pro-choice activists, who focus their arguments on compassion and freedom of choice of the women as a solution to unwanted pregnancies, such as those caused by rape, incest, family planning, and other unexp ected pregnancies. I do not regard myself against any freedom of choice, but I do strongly believe that life begins at conception; therefore, the guilt of circumstances should not be extended to the fetus. Since reproduction is a natural process, the fruit of that process also has some inherent rights that should not be terminated by the reprehensible practice of abortion. Because the fetus is unable to defend its own rights, society needs to guarantee that the rights of the fetus are not trumped by the rights of the parents (Ponnuru, 2006). The balancing of different rights is not always easy to attain. Abortion rights are at the heart of the US Constitution. Whitman discusses the declining support of â€Å"a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion free from state coercion without any sustained effort on the part of ... ...s over those who are still nonverbal. By definition, the two words human and person both refer to one body. As established scientifically, a fetus and a person are the same, in the sense that both are simply a huge number of cells existing as one unit. The only difference is in the number of cells. Therefore, since a cell is defined as a unit of life, the fetus has the same life and natural right to live as any adult (Ponnuru, 2006). References Carlin Jr., D. R. (1991, September 13). The new old abortion battle. Commonwealth, 118(5), pp. 504-505. Condon, G. M. (1991, June 24).You say choice, I say murder. Christianity Today, pp. 20-24. O’Neill, T. (2002, December 2). The heart of healing Report Newsmagazine (Nation Edition), 29(23). pp. 34. Ponnuru, R. (2006, May 8). Winning and losing, on abortion. Nation Review, 58(8), pp. 34-37.

American Gothic as it Relates to the Industrial Revolution

A Response to Davenport's Review of American Gothic After reading an except from The Geography of the Imagination, it is clear that Wood, the creator of the world-recognized American Gothic, his included many subtle references to the way our country was changed by the Industrial Revolution in his painting. Davenport begins his enlightenment by informing us that almost everything in this painting is a symbol, whether or not it was even intended to be one.He starts off with the house pictured in the background of the painting, telling us how it was a â€Å"ready-made† house that would be dropped off in pieces and simply put together by ossibly only two men. The geometry and simplicity of the house are the characteristics that have guided him to this conclusion. He later mentions both Sears ; Roebuck as well as JC Penney, which are both commonly known as companies who took advantage of and popularized mass produced items.Another aspect of this house that Davenport introduces to h is audience is the glass windowpanes. Previously a luxury item, the fact that this common farmhouse now has a glass plane is an example of how the Industrial Revolution made certain less attainable items from the previous century, such as glass, as common as the spectacles on the armer's face. Moving on to the characters portrayed, Wood has included many more references to mass production of new ideas such as buttonholes, clothing that came â€Å"ready-to- sew' including: fabric, patterns, and thread.The farmer's overalls are also a depiction of a new fabric, denim, that was popularized for its economy at this time. Even their positions are reminiscent of the Brownie Box Camera and the farmer's stance with his pitchfork which references that of Egyptian warfare. The implication of a cotton mill, dye works, and a roller press is a complicated ass of production and assembly lines that Davenport shows us is hidden behind something that appears so common to us: a curtain.A quick look i nto the buttons seen throughout the painting gives us a tour of the world, pulling into the railroad and ocean-crossing boats that made these simple circles important. Overall, Davenport tells his readers that he is not certain of Wood's intent, but regardless of the nature of the piece, he has left us many decipherable clues as to how our culture evolved during the Industrial Revolution. American Gothic as it Relates to the Industrial Revolution By rebeccachristensen92

Goodbye Uncle Tom and Abortion

Tom's treatment of black people back then was cruel and just sad to see. The whites mistreated millions of slaves and in the process, they're mentality was changed. That broken mentality from then affects the young black generation today because they believe that they are not worth anything. The African American generation of today is in extreme distress, they kill each other more and more everyday with very little remorse.They kill each other because they don't value life and some Of them are too young to realize that to only did they take someone's life, but they also destroyed their own. The murder rates of blacks in the United States are higher now than they were 25 years ago. More young black Americans die from homicide today in America than those of whites. More young black males are being imprisoned due to the rising violence in the black community leaving their women to raise the kids on their own. Black females have been affected more in a psychoanalytic and coloratura persp ective because of how black women were treated in the past.In the movie, it showed women being raped and then tossed as if hey were just animals. The men in that film abused the women to the point where they believed that they were nothing more than just tools for men to get their pleasure and nothing more. The ones that weren't killed ended up having kids that only reminded them of the pain they had to endure which made them feel worse. The mentality that they are just tools for men to get pleasure ended up being passed down to black females today as well. Some of them only feel valued when they dress a certain type of way to obtain a guys attention and affection.The abortion rate for African Americans has one up drastically as well. More and more young black women are getting abortions because they don't want to raise a child on their own. With the rise in black on black violence more black males are in jail and the ones that aren't in jail just walk out because they're not ready to be fathers. The abortion rate in America is at an all time high and most of the people getting abortions are young minorities because they feel they have no other option. Nothing is being done about these issues because the mentality of African Americans hasn't changed.They still suffer from the same broken mentality that their ancestors who were slaves suffered from. Black people won't be able to fix this problem until they admit that there is a problem, change their mentality, and learn to come together as a whole again. Black violence has gone up because more black people are against each other instead Of being for each other. In the movie, black people betrayed each other because they were not united and we're killing each other today for the very same reason. The mind set of black people has to change in order for black on black violence to stop.

Conflict on a Trading Floor

Conflict on a Trading Floor The case describes the ethical dilemma occurred in FirstAmerica Bank. The sales department of the bank was preparing a 700 mln. USD loan contract for one of the bank’s former client: Poseidon Cruise Lines. Poseidon intended to order a large cruise ship for their fleet to a French shipyard, which required a contract to be signed for five years and in French francs. This in turn raised concerns in Poseidon management, related to the possible economic costs/losses related to dollar-franc exchange transaction risks, since the cash flow of Poseidon was in dollars. The contract elaboration was assigned to Linda, one of the top salespersons of the FirstAmerica bank and the author of article, as an assistant to her. Linda had a reputation of being volatile and hot tempered person, with aggrieve business style. She was particularly known for her prudence in receiving full credit for the good results of closed deals by her. Since Linda had personal relationships with the CFO and treasurer of Poseidon, she proposed to elaborate a structure, which will minimize the Poseidon costs and risks for those transactions. The elaborated scheme suggested that FirstAmerica provides francs to Poseidon in several tranches and receives the interest rates and loan principal in dollars, thus eliminating Poseidon’s franc obligations. In reality the scheme developed by Linda was offering much more profit for the bank and cost for Poseidon, than it was observed in terms of other usual transactions. This resulted in dilemma for the author, since a definite mismatch between his personal values, ethics and his expected behavior occurred. He knew that this transaction is not the best option for the client and the agreement was obtained in the result of deception from Linda’s side. The dilemma has different dimensions, such as prudential, economic and ethical. The prudential dimension exists, since (1) the author feels him owing to Linda, as she has played a great role in hiring the author by the bank, (2) he has a fear of losing a promising job and (3) he wants to show up as a good employee. The economic dimension of the dilemma was that he feels responsible for his job duties and wants to ensure good economic indicators for the bank, as well as they both will receive significant bonuses based on the volume of contract. The ethical aspect of the dilemma was that the author didn’t like lying and values honesty and has a fear of negative consequences. The alternatives that the author has are as follows: a) follow Linda and keep silence, b) speak with Linda, but state the problem in terms of consequences, c) refuse to collaborate with Linda, d) inform Poseidon on the problems, and e) inform higher level of management. By following Linda and keeping silence the author can satisfy his prudential and economic concerns but feel remorse and personal discrepancies in terms of personal ethics. Talking to Linda and stating the problem in terms of consequences can produce positive impact for all dimensions of the problem if she agrees and negative impact for all dimensions if she disagrees. By refusing to collaborate with Linda, the author will satisfy his ethical concerns, but is risking losing his job and sacrificing prudential and economic concerns. By informing Poseidon on deception the outcomes could be the same as with previous alternative, as well as can face legal concerns in terms of information secrecy. Informing higher level of management will produce a positive impact if the management agrees with the arguments, or will produce negative impact, if the management disagrees. The most important issue to consider, is that if the client learns about deception, then there will be no any positive outcomes from the alternatives, which consider continuation of deception. The probability of that to happen is very high, since the client was not yet fully convinced and probably will try its investigation further. Taking into consideration all above mentioned, the best solution appears to be speaking to Linda and if necessary to higher level management, but clearly state the possible consequences of the action and not just higher than usual profit of the bank. If the possible consequences are stated properly, there is higher probability of stakeholders to agree with arguments and arrive at the most desired outcome in this situation. If this doesn’t happen, than this bank is not the place to work.

Male Identity and Greek Mythology’s Hercules in Films Essay

Famed for his mighty muscles, Hercules was the son of the mortal woman Alcmene and the god Zeus. Hercules performed many legendary feats of strength, the first of which came as an infant: when Zeus’s wife Hera placed two serpents in his crib, Hercules quickly strangled them. After he had grown to manhood Hera got revenge by driving Hercules briefly mad, causing him to slay his own wife and children. As penance Hercules performed his famous 12 labors (or tasks), which included killing the Hydra, capturing Cerberus the dog, and cleaning the stables of Augeas. Hercules appears in many ancient Greek stories and is one of mythology’s best-known heroes. Mythologies are fantasies that have the power to endure in people’s minds and culture through time. For this, mythological stories and characters have been part of substantial themes of films in the history of filmmaking. They have a significant place in the world of filmmaking because mythological stories and characters have the ample amount of mystery and magic that has the ability to capture the audience’s attention and imagination. Storylines may differ or be similar to the myths itself but the essence of the mythological character exudes. One such masculine and mythological character is the half-man half-god Greek hero, Hercules. This mythological character with extraordinary physical strength has been featured and appeared in numerous films in the big screen and television. With the different depictions of Hercules, this paper then is an assessment on how he was portrayed and presented in films. The materials considered for this study were Disney’s animated film â€Å"Hercules† released on 1997 and Roger Young’s miniseries entitled â€Å"Hercules. Half Man. Half God. All Power. † released on 2004 by the Hallmark Channel. Hercules on Disney’s Animated Film According to the Big Cartoon Database (n. d. ) â€Å"Hercules† was a â€Å"Disney update on classic mythology†, an animated film about his journey towards finding a place where he belonged. Here, Hercules, the son of Greek gods Zeus and Hera was born god-like strength in Olympus, the home of the gods. When Hades, the God of the Underworld, learns that his plan of domination in the future will be affected because of Hercules’ existence, he summons his two followers, Pain and Panic, de-immortalize the child Hercules and kill him in the mortal world. Pain and Panic, failed in their mission and only succeeds in making Hercules mortal. No mortal beings are allowed to dwell in Olympus, which leaves Hercules in the care of Alcmene and Amphitryon, the childless mortal couple who found him on the bushes. Hercules later grows into a misfit adolescent because of his extraordinary strength that always gets him in the center of chaos. His adoptive parents later tells him of his past and a medal found with him that is a link to Zeus, his father. Hercules then journeys to the temple of the gods. Zeus appears and confirms Hercules thoughts. Zeus tells him that the only way that Hercules can enter Olympus again is that if he becomes an earthly hero to gain his godliness. The adolescent Hercules then goes on a pursuit of a hero status with the help and instructions from the satyr, Philoctetes. He achieves the hero status later in adulthood but is perplexed because he still is not a god. When Hades learns that Hercules still lives, he orders his soul-bound follower Megara to deceive Hercules. Hades tries to block his path to being a God with calamities and creatures like the multi-headed, Hydra. Hercules becomes a God when he sacrifices himself for Megara. The animated film ends with Hercules choosing to stay in the mortal world to be with Megara. The most obvious difference of the animated film from the original Greek myth of Hercules is that the dreadful factors of his origins were revised and some components of modern day popular culture were utilized. According to Royalty. nu (n. d. ), Hercules was born to Alcmene, wife of Amphityron, but fathered by the Greek God Zeus. Zeus deceived Alcmene into thinking that he was Amphitryon on a night when the real Amphitryon was away. Hera, Zeus’ wife loathed Hercules and tried several times to try and kill Hercules, much unlike in the animated film, where Hera as Hercules’ mother doted on him. The animated film focused on Hercules’ early life; the famous ten labors of Hercules and the other half of his life was not included. The circumstances of the Greek myth characters like Megara, Zeus, Hera, Aphitryon, Alcmene and the rest included in the film were greatly modified to fit the storyline of the animated film. Apart from that Hercules’ twin brother, Iphicles was excluded in the storyline. Greek mythology portrays Hercules as a character with â€Å"low intelligence and terrible temper†(Royalty. nu, n. d. ). Although there was much difference from the original Greek myth, Hercules’ character as half-man half-god hero with weaknesses was still portrayed. Hercules’ character in the animated film was a bit naive but he was not quick to loose his temper. Audiences were also given a taste of Hercules’ famous battles with calamities and creatures. Hercules on Roger Young’s Miniseries According to FilmAffinity (n. d. ), this Hercules miniseries is about â€Å"the gifted child born of a blood greater than mortal who would become the most powerful of all gods†. Roger Young’s miniseries starts with how Hercules was conceived. Similar to the Greek myth, the dissolute God Zeus deludes the Princess of Thebes, Alcmene, into thinking that he is the princess’ husband, Amphitryon, and then forces himself on Alcmene on a night where the princess was awaiting her husband’s return. When Alcmene gives birth to twin boys, Hercules and Iphicles, Alcmene and Amphitryon are perplexed on which baby is fathered by Zeus and whose is Amphitryon. They later realize that Hercules is Zeus’ son when he kills the snakes with his bare hands an infant. Hercules develops into a lumbering young man, â€Å"rejected by his mother, envied by his brother Iphicles and loathed by Zeus’ wife Hera† (FilmAffinity). Similar to the Greek myth while Alcmene reserves no love for Hercules, he grows up with Amphitryon doting on him and teaching him. Hercules then falls for Megara but was rejected. Their brief connection results to a child. When he lost his temper and accidentally hurt his teacher Linus during a class, Amphitryon sends far away to be taught under the care and instruction of a centaur, Kiron. Hercules becomes an agile adult and more capable to handle his great strength. He then was married to Megara after he helps the king from the creature Hydra. Megara and her sons, turn out to be â€Å"tools of the vengeful Hera, plotting against him and initiating events that lead to his banishment from his people† (FilmAffinity). To atone the punishment that he deserved in killing his own children, Hercules agrees when he was given difficult challenges which were set out to destroy him. With his ally Linus, he travels the Stymphalian Swams to the River styx of the underworld, faced with challenges and monstrous creatures that was arranged to kill him. Hercules willingly continues on this journey that afterward made him a â€Å"legend on Earth and achieve immortality in the heavens† (FilmAffinity). With the storyline of the miniseries, it was clear that the filmmakers focused on the raging politics between the noble mortals and their want of power and control. It is important to note that this miniseries was one of the few productions that embarked on Hercules true conception with regards to the original Greek myth. Hercules’ character of recklessness and short temper was portrayed true to the original Greek myth during his younger adult days. There were slight alterations unto how certain events happened to the characters but the miniseries was in a way loyal to the Hercules’ myth. For example, Hercules develops a more profound thinking later on the miniseries but there was no hint of that according to the Greek Myth. The Gods Hera and Zeus were not given much attention during the miniseries and only appeared briefly. The supposed raging battle between Hera and Zeus was implied but not shown comprehensively. Conclusion In conclusion, both films were individual depictions of Hercules’ character as the legendary Greek hero. He is a paragon of action and masculinity, and thus embodies characteristics such as great strength, great courage, and great appetites, including erotic adventures with both women and boys or young men. These qualities did not prevent him from being regarded as a playful figure that used games to relax from his labors and played a great deal with children. Aelian, while he was a champion and a great warrior, he was not above cheating and using any unfair trick to his advantage. However, he was renowned as having â€Å"made the world safe for mankind† by destroying many dangerous monsters, and he was also held up as an example for never having attacked first, but for having conquered all merely by defending himself when attacked, and protecting the helpless and distraught. His self-sacrifice obtained him the ascent to the Olympian realms and he was welcomed by the gods. He represents a balanced, complete energetic principle of the masculine, partaking of both light and dark influences. Historically, the strong American presence in post-war Italy is evident in the very physical presence of Steve Reeves as Hercules. Moreover, the film’s masculinization of revenge also seems to reflect the ideals of post-war society. Instead, as the character of Hercules suggests, it is more important for the wandering male, and also the foreign influence, to be incorporated into the domestic sphere. Hercules preserves the morality at the centre of the family. Paradoxically, however the interference of Hercules also ensures continued dependence on foreign influence and protection. Each film represented the filmmakers approach on representing a storyline associated with Hercules’ myth. Disney may have chosen to emphasize more on Hercules’ journey to his fate in a more conducive way that was appealing since their audiences are young people. Roger Young’s miniseries took more of a similar likeness to the original myth although alterations were made on how events were played because the storyline demanded that it be so. Works Cited FilmAffinity. Hercules (TV). FilmAffinity – MovieAffinity. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. filmaffinity. com/en/film260353. html The Big Cartoon Database. Hercules Story Details. The Big Cartoon Database. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. bcdb. com/cartoon_synopsis/6-Hercules. html Royalty. nu. Hercules, Young Hercules. The Gordon Knot Webring. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://www. royalty. nu/legends/Hercules. html