Analysis on state and local taxes on the poor Essay

Analysis on state and local taxes on the poor - Essay Example This is due to tax credits that reduce their tax liability. Stimulus measures that were enacted to offset effects of the 2998-2009 recession went further to reduce their tax burden. As of 2011, the lowest quintile would pay taxes equal to about 0.8 percent of their income. This is according to Creedy (2011). From the above explanation, the answer to whether the poor are taxed more than other groups can be draw. Creedy (2011) explains that they are not. This is simply because taxes are levied on a percentage. Low-income households will be taxed a smaller percentage of their income as compared to middle and high income households. Raising the minimum wage will have the effect of reducing poverty only in some geographical areas and not at the national level. This is because increased minimum wage will affect poverty based on the population density of an area. The higher the population density, the more the effect of the higher minimum wage. This is due to the fact that poverty is also a function of population density ad not individual households. This is explained by Cunningham

The wider events of he Crucible Essay Example for Free

The wider events of he Crucible Essay Furthermore, Johns power within the town (and his rebellious attitude) could be likened to that of extra salt in a pot, spicing up the broth; moreover, this line foreshadows Johns impact on the trials later on in the play: his confession to lechery, admittance that he saw the boots of Lucifer and accusation that the court is pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore These actions undermined the authority of the court and so greatly influence Salem; the theme of trial is also prevalent in The Crucible and the actions John Proctor takes in standing up to the court loosely reflect Arthur Millers denouncement of the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities . In reference to the title of the play, John Proctor putting more salt into the stew is analogous to his actions stirring up the situation in Salem, which can be likened to that of a crucible- a melting pot used to remove impurities from precious metals. Additionally, Johns relationship with Elizabeth is symbolic of the towns puritan culture; it is very mundane and based upon stringent Christian morals. The act of John adding salt to a brand broth indicates his need for a more exciting and zestful relationship- which John finds in Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Proctor is the victim of the sins perpetrated by John and Abigail, and though she is a pious and devout Christian wife she is not wholly innocent and is partially to blame for the deterioration of her marriage. One of the themes throughout John and Elizabeths marriage is that Elizabeth is very cold towards John and that it is this sternness which drives John to Abigail; Miller uses the pragmatics of words to convey this feeling, with phrases such as You ought to bring some flowers into the house and It is winter in here yet Miller demonstrates that John feels that Elizabeth has been cold to him and wants to tell her this- yet cannot, because he doesnt want to anger her (I mean to please you, Elizabeth); he also uses this dialogue to indicate the general atmosphere of Salem as a whole, full of deceit and small talk to mask over the insecurities and sins beneath. John desperately craves forgiveness from Elizabeth and she must absolve him, (because divorce was unthinkable in a deeply religious town such as Salem) but she finds it hard to forgive him because he has committed Adultery, one of the ten commandments and therefore highly important to a devout Christian, and because he has further de nted her self-esteem I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! by sleeping with another woman. John, however, is not the cause of Elizabeths low self-worth- the repressive nature of Salem is. In Salem, women arent allowed to express themselves, which leads to two extremes: one extreme is the kind of wild exhibitionism expressed by Abigail, Tituba (and various others) at the beginning of the play; or the other extreme of self-repression and not letting your true feelings be known, like Elizabeth. Without the ability to experience the things teenagers go through during pubity, Elizabeth is led to believe that no man finds her attractive and doesnt know how to trust them. Ergo, when John has an affair Elizabeth doesnt know how to forgive him and so Miller uses language to make their relationship seem like a trial, with phrases such as Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer! (Use of imagery) The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you (Use of metaphor) and You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. In Act 2, when the accusations are just beginning, and have not affected the Proctors, John and Elizabeth feel no passion in their marriage and are struggling to make it work- but as the hysteria escalates, the adversity draws them closer together and rekindles their love. This rejuvenation is foreshadowed by talk of spring in Act 2, and also hints at Elizabeths pregnancy, well see green fields soon. Massachusetts is a beauty in the spring; the reason Miller includes these phrases in the dialogue between John and Elizabeth is to show that John wants a fresh start and is also literally looking forward to the spring time, as well as to provide clues for the audience as to what will happen later in the play. In Act 3, both John and Elizabeth show great courage and both do it to try and do what is best for each other- John confesses to lechery in a bid to discredit Abigails accusations and save his wifes life, even though doing do will ruin his good name and lead to a bad reputation in Salem; Elizabeth lies about Johns infidelity in an act of loyalty to her husband because she wants to protect his good name, even though she is a pious woman and by lying she is committing a grave sin, God damns all liars this shows Elizabeth values her husband more than her God. This scene is ironic because though both John and Elizabeth show great courage and loyalty, they damn themselves because John says that Elizabeth never lied and cannot lie, but she goes on to lie in an act of loyalty- even though telling the truth would have saved him from hanging. Reverend Hale sees that it is a natural lie to tell and that Elizabeth was just showing loyalty to her husband, but Danforth is too bigoted to see this, and is only interested in finding people guilty of witchcraft so he can exert his power. Miller clearly based Danforths character on Senator Joseph McCarthy to show that he sees McCarthy as a bigoted, power-hungry tyrant who is only interested in looking powerful and eliminating people who threaten his position. By Act 4, John and Elizabeth have become united through their ordeal and this is signified in their language, which is far more emotive, John says You are a marvel- Elizabeth, which shows that John is again madly in love with Elizabeth and wants to express how much he cares for her. The progression of their relationship is echoed by the development in the wider events of the story: Reverend Hale has denounced the court and is trying to save [Johns] life because damnations doubled n a minister who counsels men to lie; the people of Salem have started to rebel against the court you wander yet if rebellions spoke? Better you should marvel how they do not burn your province! and they have put a dagger in Parris door. It seems like Salem is being purified, much like gold in a crucible, and all the deceit and pretence is being washed away. Additionally, as the witch trials come to their conclusion, the trial within the Proctors marriage also comes to its resolution and this is the salvation John Proctor is searching for. Miller demonstrates this purification in Johns mind using stage directions, Elizabeth says I cannot judge you, John, there is a pause, and John says What would you have me do with the stage direction simply, a pure question; the word pure here indicates that John feels like he is close to redemption and this is confirmed when he says I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth. Miller chose to make he dialogue which follows strikingly emotionally charged, because it is when John is finally given forgiveness, there are emotive stage directions such as he stands, as though with physical pain she is on the verge of tears and now pouring out her heart. There are many references back to the earlier themes in the play, of coldness and of trials; Elizabeth admits her faults suspicion kissed you when I did it were a cold house I kept!, gives John the forgiveness he craves, whilst referencing the idea of their relationship as a trial But let none be your judge I cannot judge you John, I cannot! I am not your judge, I cannot be (as though giving him release. ) and even asks for Johns forgiveness herself, forgive me, forgive me, John- I never knew such goodness in the world. The contrast in speech between act 2 and act 4 is staggering, whereas in act 2 John and Elizabeth exchanged pleasantries which cloaked their real feelings of uneasiness between each other, in act 4 they pour their hearts out and shower one another with compliments- it is a very beautiful passage made all the more precious by John Proctors impending death. Galvanised by his redemption and love for Elizabeth, John realises that the only way for him to truly forgive himself and appease the magistrate that resides within his own heart is to accept his hanging and make sure his name is not blighted by the cowardice of a false confession, How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. The bravery John shows here is only possible because of the purification of his marriage and that his death would help cleanse the deceit and repression of Salem. The Proctors final act as man and wife is to share a kiss with great passion, exactly what was missing in their marriage after Johns affair with Abigail. Elizabeth speaks the final line of The Crucible and gives the audience closure on the literal witch trials of Salem, and her own personal trial within her marriage, and gives both herself and John the resolution they both desperately sought, He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him. In conclusion, The Crucible is an exceptionally nuanced play with myriad deep-rooted themes which can only be truly appreciated by absorbing every subtle word which Miller provides us with, and engaging with the pragmatics conveyed by either the actors reciting the play, or conjured by your own brain whilst reading. The Crucible works very well as an allegory for McCarthyism in America, beautifully juxtaposes the Seven Deadly Sins against the Ten Commandments and develops the story in parallel with the relationship of John and Elizabeth Proctor, whilst evoking a real sense of the social, historical and cultural climate of 17th Century Massachusetts. Above all, The Crucible is a fascinating and emotional play which was a pleasure to read and analyse. Kyle Sawhney Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Non financial factors before decision to discontinue course

Non financial factors before decision to discontinue course As the course used to be popular, there must be certain amount of students have joined for this course. Thus, if Mawar College wants to discontinue this course, they must place their first priority to these students. As what they expected, students will have tons of questions and of course they will feel frustrated and angry. They could even come out with the petition with the hopes that the college could continue running this course before they graduate. Even if the college has decided to discontinue this course, they also have to consider on where they should place these students as they only halfway studying for this course. They have to understand that all these students will absolutely feel unhappy and discontent if the college place them in another course that is not as famous as the course they are studying now. This issue could possibly bother the students and could affect their emotions making them hardly to concentrate well on their studies. (Olejnik and Holschuh 2007) These grievance students will also raise this issue to their parents and again, their parents will call or even pay a visit to Mawar College to identify the reasons and details that halt the course from continuing. However, the college has to remember that not every of these parents are understanding and willing to listen the explanation by management. As being customers, most of them only concern on how much they have already paid and where their children will be placed to. Even some of these parents might argue and quarrel with the college management. When these parents concerns are not being addressed, they might carry out some conducts which could possibly spoil the reputation of the college. For example, these disgruntled parents will start spreading their dissatisfaction about the college because of its failure to meet and satisfy their suspense. (The Associated Press 2010) Recapping above, the image and reputation of Mawar College will be affected and people will start losing confident to the college. Other students might reluctantly register to any courses that run by this college as they worry the same incident might be happening again. Even their parents may discourage them from studying under this college and request them to further their studies in another more reliable college. This has clearly showed that their good impression to the established Mawar College has dashed out and people will hardly believe this college anymore. The Mawar College rankings among other colleges can come to a deep fall and they might face difficulties to gain back their credibility and again be competitive advantage among its competitors. (The Indian Express Limited 2010) Besides of affecting the reputation of the college, the reputation of the well-known University will also be affected. People around the world will start doubting whether the University is having any problems that lead to the discontinuing of the course. University will definitely feel displeasure and will not allow any accusation that will influence its goodwill. This would certainly be a hard job for the college to run any courses under this University in the future since they have break their promises. The University could possibly sue the college if the college breaches the contracts. Hence, the college has to bear the risk of facing legal suits from the University if they have decided to end the course. The college might lose huge amount of money for the purpose to compensate the University because of their doings and this would be a loss to Mawar College. (The Times of India 2010) As the college has already employed a large group of full-time lecturer for this course, thus every of this lecturer will be affected too if the college discontinue the course. They could be appointed in teaching another course and subjects or even discharged by the colleges that will definitely reduce their level of income. Their motivation and enthusiasm in teaching will also decrease due to their dissatisfaction to the college. This could also affect the rest of the college employees and their level of production will start decreasing once they have lost faith to Mawar College. (Race 1999) Other than above, there are still many factors that the college has to realize and take into account before making their decision. As the course used to be famous, I can assume that certain scholarships and loans have been given to some students to further up their studies on this course. Therefore, it would be a tough and complicated task that these students have to gone through for the cancellation of loans or transferring their scholarships if this course has to be stopped. Certain welfare organizations such as Genting Malaysia and Hong Leong Group that provide free scholarships to Mawar College on this course will also feel discontent because it will burden up their works when the students have more enquiries regards on their transferring or cancellation of scholarships. (Sunway University College nd) People that do not understand the reason of why they discontinue the course might also claim that the only intention for the college is to make profits and ignore the future of the students. Thus, all these will trouble the college and they hardly to survive in the market as people and other Universities have lost their reliability to this college. The college might face problems when they have to search and look for other Universities and running their courses because these Universities also dread the same case will be happening again and affects their reputations. Mawar College will also face difficulties in employing high qualification lecturers due to their spoilt image and have no choice but to employ new lecturers without much teaching experiences. As they are new, most of them still could not master the lectures and issues such as the failing of students in exam could possibly occur because they do not know the correct ways of teaching the students. When the students are unable to show their achievements, again the reputation of the college will be affected. (BNET nd) All these clearly show that there are different non financial factors that the college has to consider and it is pertinent to make a correct decision in order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances from happening that could lead them into a deep fall and hardly for them to bounce back in the education industry. Part C Investment appraisal methods are act as a tool for planning an investment and decide whether or not to accept the projects. (Gotze et al 2008) There are a few different investment appraisal methods can be used, including discounted cash flow (DCF), payback, (Smith 2007) and Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) whereby DCF includes the methods of Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The NPV under DCF has been recognized as the sound of all the investment appraisal methods due to its consideration on the time value of money. This time value of money refers to the amount of money that the business need to be compensated for forgoing the use of the money for a period of time if it has to be invested in a project. (Evans et al 2003) NPV is a method of including all the cash inflows and outflows that will be earned and used in a project at a chosen acceptable rate of return and taking the net total. (Evans et al 2003) Even though there are many advantages in using NPV, but payback method and ARR are still widely used and adopted by many businesses due to the limitations brought by NPV and benefits of payback and ARR methods. (Fabozzi and Peterson 2003) The weaknesses that business normally face when using this NPV approach is they hardly to make accurate long-term forecast of cash flows they can receive in the future. No company can predict the future cash flows as factors such as future sales, costs of labor, interest rate, and government policies can affect the estimated cash flows. Overestimation or underestimation can sometimes bring uncountable loss to the business. (Siddiqui and Siddiqui 2005) Further, in reality it is difficult for business to determine the discount rate, which is cost of finance or cost of capital. It is not an easy job to calculate various costs of finance such as share capital and loans. (Coombs et al 2005) They also have to take the bank interest rate, risk and future inflation into account when deciding the cost of capital because the money value of RM1 in the future will be lesser than its today value. (Bowhill 2008) Moreover, NPV method will assume that the discount rate will remain the same throughout the project running periods. But in fact, these discount rates are easily swayed from year to year. Business has to prognosis the future discount rate which sometimes might be a big differences compared to their forecast with the real situation. (Groppelli and Nikbakht 2006) Besides that, NPV also not suitable to be used in the situation when comparing projects with different lives times. (Siddiqui and Siddiqui 2005) They also have a weakness whereby they never take the size or capital invested into account but only look at the higher yield of NPV. (Moyer et al 2009) This can be shown by the example where a project with size RM1 million that yield NPV RM1500 will be recommended compare to other project with capital RM 1000 with a NPV of RM800. (Coombs 2005) Calculation of NPV which is expressed in money form is not favorable by most of the companies compared to percentage form. (Fabozzi and Peterson 2003) Payback method also has been called as payout method (Belkaoui 2001) and it refers to the number of years a project or investment will take to pay back the initial cash outlay. This is only done when the cumulative cash inflows equally same with the cash outflows. (Bowhill 2008) Payback method is still widely used because it offers information regard to the risk of the investment. Risk analysis can be made depends on the payback period of the investment. (Moyer et al 2009) Risks will be dwindled by using this payback method because it focuses on earlier cash flows and not the later cash flows which are hardly to predict especially in this fast pace world. (Walker 2009) The business will face less risk with the shorter payback period and vice versa. (Moyer et al 2009) Furthermore, payback method will clearly show the liquidity of the investment because it measure the net cash earned by the investment in shorter term. (Bowhill 2008) For company that always concern the liquidity of their businesses will definitely adopt this helpful method so they could know whether their businesses are in strong or weak liquidity to perform or carry out any plans or activities. (Moyer et al 2009) This simple to use and easy to understand method (Walker 2009) can be applied especially to small projects where only a simple decision is needed without consider other cash flow implications. (Bowhill 2008) There is no complicated calculation needed and thus many companies find it is the best way to check whether the money invested can be generated back in reasonable period of time. (Groppelli and Nikbakht 2006) Last but not least, ARR is the average annual profits divided by the initial investment and it also known as Return on Investment (ROI) that used for performance appraisal. (Walker 2009) The investment will only be accepted and applied if the ARR was the same or higher than the target rate set by the company. (Bowhill 2008) This percentage form of ARR is easy to compute and understand especially to business people because it sounds familiar as return on capital employed that mostly applied by companies. (Coombs 2005) ARR is always been used due to its consideration on all the returns and whole life of the investment into account. ARR is the only one that is based on the accounting profits and focus on accounting income rather than cash flows. (Belkaoui 2001) The amount and value calculated by ARR also relevant and used for financial statement presentation such as balance sheet. (Shim and Siegel 2004)

A Review of The Old Man and The Sea: Hemingway’s Tragic Vision of Man

The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most famous novel written by Ernest Hemingway. In this novel, Hemingway shows the world the story about the great Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who fights for his honor and pride. In the critical essay, â€Å"Hemingway’s Tragic Vision of Man,† Clinton S. Burhans, Jr writes that he and other authors have interpreted this novel, and he takes into account the following points: heroic individualism, interdependence, and Christian themes. I agree with Burhans’ essay. In the novel, Hemingway addresses the character of Santiago so properly that he inspires these points without doubt. â€Å"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish† (Hemingway 1): This is how the story begins. The old man had spent almost three months without catching anything, so the next day he made up his mind and proposed to himself that he would take a big fish. That day he went far in the ocean. In the beginning, he feels that he has to redeem his bad luck by catching a big fish. He wants to demostra...

The Namesake Quotes

â€Å"On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the of a Central Square apartment, combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in a bowl. She adds salt, lemon juice, thin slices of green chili pepper, whishing there were mustard oil to add to the mix. † p. 1 ? â€Å"Like a kiss or a caress in a Hindi movie, a husband’s name is something intimate and therefore unspoken, cleverly patched over. † p. 2 ? â€Å"Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it.One day it will be too late. † p. 16 ? â€Å"He was still clutching a page of â€Å"The Overcoat,† crumpled tightly in his fist, and when he raised his hand the wad of papers dropped from his fingers. † p. 18 ? â€Å"Ashima means â€Å"she who is limitless, without borders. † Ashoke, the n ame of   an emperor, means â€Å"he who transcends grief. † p. 26 ? â€Å"On more than one occasion he has come home from the university to find her morose, in bed, rereading her parents’ letters. Early mornings, when he senses that she is quietly crying, he puts an arm around her, but can think of   nothing to say, feeling that it is his fault, for marrying her, for bringing her here. p. 33 ? â€Å"For thirty-three years, she missed her life in India. Now she will miss her job at the library, the women with whom she’s worked. She will miss throwing parties†¦ She will miss the country in which she had grown to know and love her husband. Though his ashes have been scattered in the Ganges, it is here, in this house and in this town, that he will continue to dwell in her mind. † p. 279 ? â€Å"When Ashima and Ashoke see their son’s pet named typed on the label of a prescription for antibiotics, when they see it at the top of his immunizatio n record, it doesn’t look right; pet names aren’t meant to be made public in this way. p. 36 ? â€Å"The wives, homesick and bewildered, turn to Ashima for recipes and advice, and she tells them about the carp that's sold in Chinatown, that it's possible to make halwa from Cream of Wheat†¦ They drink tea with sugar and evaporated milk and eat shrimp cutlets fried in saucepans. † p. 38 ? â€Å"Only then, forced at six months to confront his destiny, does he begin to cry. † p. 40 ? â€Å"Mrs. Jones leads a life that Ashoke’s mother would consider humiliating: eating alone, driving herself to work in snow and sleet, seeing her children and grandchildren, at most, three or four times a year. † p. 48 ? For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of a lifelong pregnancy—a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of   sorts. † p. 49 ? â€Å"Each day Ashoke is pained by the half-eaten sand wiches people toss in the garbage cans on campus, apples abandoned after one or two bites. â€Å"Finish it, Gogol. At your age, I ate tin. † p. 55 ? â€Å"The name, Nikhil, is artfully connected to the old one. Not only is it a perfectly respectable Bengali good name, meaning â€Å"he who is entire, encompassing all,† but it also bears a satisfying resemblance to Nikolai, the first name of the Russian Gogol. p. 56 ? â€Å"He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he does not know. Who doesn’t know him. † p. 57 ? â€Å"For their daughter, good name and pet name are one and the same: Sonali, meaning â€Å"she who is golden. † p. 62 ? â€Å"It doesn’t bother him that his name is never an option on key chains or metal pins or refrigerator magnets†¦ Though substitute teachers at school always pause, looking apologetic when they arrive at his name on the roster, forcing Gogol to call out, before even being summoned, â€Å"That’s me,† teachers in the school system know not to give it a second thought. p. 66-67 ? â€Å"Gogol is old enough to know that there is no Ganguli here. He is old enough to know that he himself will be burned, not buried, that his body will occupy no plot of earth, that no stone in this country will bear his name beyond life. † p. 69 ? â€Å"For by now, he’s come to hate questions pertaining to his name, hates having constantly to explain. He hates having to tell people that it doesn’t mean anything in â€Å"in Indian. † p. 76 ? â€Å"His parents expect him to be, if not an engineer, then a doctor, a lawyer, an economist at the very least. p. 105 ? â€Å"Her appreciation for these details flatters him; it occurs to him that he has never spoken of his experiences in India to any American friend. † p. 112 ? â€Å"†¦That they had an arranged marriage, that his mother cooks Indian food everyday, that she wears saris and a bindi. † p. 138 ? †Å"He cannot imagine his parent’s sitting at Lydia and Gerald’s table, enjoying Lydia’s cooking, appreciating Gerald’s wine selection. He cannot imagine them contributing to one of their dinner party conversations.And yet here he is, night after night, a welcome addition to the Ratliff’s universe, doing just that. † p. 141 ? â€Å"—That they will not be able to touch or kiss each other in front of his parents, that there will be no wine with lunch. † p. 145 ? â€Å".. the lunch is set out, too rich for the weather. Along with the samosas, there are breaded chicken cutlets, chickpeas with tamarind sauce, lamb biryani, chutney made with tomatoes from the garden. It is a meal he knows it has taken his mother over a day to prepare, and yet the amount of effort embarrasses him. p. 148 ? â€Å"He is overly aware that they are not used to passing things around the table, or to chewing food with their mouths completely closed. They ave rt their eyes when Maxine accidentally leans over to run her hand through her hair. † p. 149 ? â€Å"One hand, five homes. A lifetime in a fist. † p. 167 ? â€Å"Remember that you and I made this journey, that we went together to a place where there was nowhere left to go. † p. 187 ? â€Å"When she was only five years old, she was asked by her relatives if she planned to get married in a red sari or a white gown. p. 213 ? â€Å"Aren’t you going to arrange a wedding for her? † p. 213 ? â€Å"He thinks of his parents, strangers until this moment, two people who had not spoken until after they were actually wed. Suddenly sitting next to Moushumi, he realizes what it means, and he is astonished by his parents’ courage, the obedience that must have been involved in doing such a thing. † p. 222 ? â€Å"†¦Waking up every morning with a pillow pressed over her head. † p. 229 ? â€Å"He admires her, even resents her a little, for having moved to another country and made a separate life.He realizes that this is what their parents had done in America. What he, in all likelihood, will never do. † p. 233 ? â€Å"It’s the one thing about her parents’ lives she truly admires—their ability, for better or for worse, to turn their backs on their homes. † p. 254 ? â€Å"Gogol has nothing to say to these people. He doesn’t care about their dissertation topics, or their dietary restrictions, or the color of their walls. † p. 237 ? â€Å"There’s no such thing as a perfect name. I think human beings should be allowed to name themselves when they turn eighteen,† he adds. â€Å"Until then, pronouns. † p. 245 ? This assurance is important to her; along with the Sanskrit vows she’d repeated at her wedding, she’d privately vowed that she’d never grow fully dependent on her husband, as her mother has. For even after thirty-two years abroad , in England and now in America, her mother does not know how to drive, does not have a job, does not know the difference between a checking and a savings account. † p. 247 ? â€Å"The mindlessness soothers her nerves. As a child, she always had a knack for organization; she would take it upon herself to neaten closets and drawers, not only her own, but her parents’ as well. p. 256 ? â€Å"You’re going to break hearts, you know. † p. 259 ? â€Å"She wonders if she is the only woman in her family ever to have betrayed her husband, to have been unfaithful. This is what upsets her most to admit: that the affair causes her to feel strangely at peace, the complication of it calming her, structuring her day. † p. 266 ? â€Å"Suddenly terrified, he ducks his head, feeling foolish afterword. None of the other pedestrians had reacted. † p. 272 ? â€Å"True to the meaning of her name, she will be without borders, without a home of her own, a resident everywhere and nowhere. † p. 276

Customers and Customer Value Essay

†¢Marketing involves: 1.Managing profitable customer relationships 2.Awareness – attracting/retaining customers 3.Increasing a customer’s willingness to pay †¢Breadth and Depth of Marketing Market: people with desire and ability to buy a specific product All organizations market and people market themselves †¢Dating, PEY oIdeas and values are marketed Buyers may be different than end customer (B2B, B2C) Social Marketing: influence behavior of individuals, benefit to individuals or society not marketer †¢Anti-smoking †¢Consumer Behaviour (B2C/B2B) Heart of marketing satisfying needs and wants of consumers better than competition oValue is only what is perceived by consumer Customer’s see solutions for delivering customer value, not in terms of attributes †¢Fundamental Principles of Marketing oWhat are drivers of customer value? Their benefits/costs †¢Consumers Who are the competitors that satisfy the similar needs †¢The competitors Offer a product/service whose attributes deliver the value as good as or better than the competitors †¢The Company †¢Methods of Discovering customer behavior Needs: Psychological deprivation (food, shelter) Wants: Needs shaped by culture and the individual (burger vs. Tofu) oQualitative research Quantitative Research Feedback Competitive intelligence Socio-economic trends Consumer purchase decision process †¢Buyers may skip a stage depending on how involved they are in the purchase: oHigh involvement if product is: †¢Expensive †¢Serious personal consequences †¢Reflects social image High involvement results in consideration of †¢More brands †¢More product attributes †¢More information sources †¢More time spent searching High involvement †¢Provide education about category and info on product Low involvement †¢Buyers react to price, convenience and familiarity †¢The Marketing Process Identify Consumer Needs & Wants †¢Needs: Psychological deprivation (food, shelter, etc.) †¢Wants: Needs shaped by culture and the individual (burgers vs. tofu) oSegment, Target and Position (STP) †¢Segmentation and Targeting – Who to Serve †¢Choose which customers to serve †¢Positioning – How to Serve †¢Identify key benefits of offering, points of difference with rivals oDevelop and Execute a Marketing program based on the Marketing Mix (4 Ps) †¢Product †¢Features, brand name, packaging, service, warranty †¢Place †¢Outlets, channels, coverage, transportation †¢Price †¢List price, rebates, discounts, payment period †¢Promotion †¢Advertising, sales promotion, merchandising, personal selling, publicity †¢How to Position yourself with customers †¢Market leader Encourage habitual purchase, keep quality high, reinforcing ads, avoid stock outs †¢Challengers Encourage variety seeking Encourage trial (coupons), try something new ads Build Profitable Customer Relationships †¢Basic Relationships (low-margin customers) vs. Full Relationships (key / dominant customers) †¢Frequency marketing programs †¢Rewards, encourage customers to spend more †¢Club marketing programs †¢Offer members discounts for being member †¢Customer Satisfaction †¢Satisfied customers are loyal (migrate rate of 5%) †¢Refer company to others (tell average of 3 others) †¢Less price sensitive †¢Customer Dissatisfaction †¢Migrate at 40% †¢Don’t complain (96% never report back) †¢Tell average of 11 people about problems oManage Product Portfolio †¢Should you keep all your products? †¢Should market them all the same way? †¢Can you increase the products in your portfolio? †¢BCG Growth Share Matrix †¢Market Growth Rate (y-axis) vs. Relative Market Share (x-axis) †¢High – High: Stars †¢Low – High: Cash Cows †¢High – Low: Question Marks †¢Low – Low: Dogs MarketsProducts CurrentNew CurrentMarket Penetration -Selling more products in existing marketsProduct Development -Selling new products in existing markets NewMarket Development -Selling existing products in new markets (geographic or new segments)Diversification -Selling a new product in new markets How your product portfolio could be expanded Tim Horton’s: MarketsProducts CurrentNew CurrentMarket Penetration -High density in geographic area -Heavy advertising -High demand to be franchisors -Regularly upgrades facilitiesProduct Development -Bagels and cappuccino -Sandwiches, wraps, soups NewMarket Development -Expansion to campuses -TimShop (online) -Expansion into U.S.Diversification -Partnered with U.S.-based Cold Stone Creamery Lecture 7 †¢5 steps of STP oGroup potential buyers into segments †¢Geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral †¢How do organizational buyers differ †¢Demand for your product is derived from demand of buyers product †¢Fate tied to buyers fate †¢Common to have Few dominant customers and long term relationships Provide competitive bids Have multiple people involved in the purchase †¢To increase likelihood of B2B success †¢Understand the purchasing organization’s needs †¢Understand the organization buying process oRight bidding list, who is influential and who to pay attention to oGroup products to be sold into categories †¢Multiple products with some common trait (often consumer type) †¢Useful where multi consumer type, each with own needs, but not one product to meet all needs †¢Business vs commercial aircraft Develop Market/product grid and estimate size of market Select Target Markets †¢Expected Financial Performance †¢Size and growth, purchasing power, profits †¢Competitive Position †¢Competitive in segment now and over time †¢Accessibility †¢Segment can be reached and served at reasonable price †¢Fit with the Organization †¢You can deliver an effective marketing program oTake marketing actions to reach target market †¢4 P’s †¢Product positioning Head-to-head or Differentiation †¢Challenges in repositioning To change how consumers view an offering relative to competition oHuge advertising costs to change beliefs of people Consumers may be confused about what your brand stands for oConsumers may not buy your claim Why reposition †¢Reacting to competition †¢New Balance vs. Nike †¢Reaching new market †¢Chocolate milk for adults †¢Catching a rising trend †¢Health trends †¢Changing the value added †¢Trade down or up Lecture 8 †¢First P in 4 Ps (â€Å"Product†) †¢Hard to do well o90% of new products fail in first year oCommon among successes †¢Uniquely, superior point of difference †¢Has to work well, has to be valued in the market Lecture 9 Pricing and Channels †¢2 Ps: Price and Place †¢Price The money exchanged for ownership of goods/services Prices involves perception of value and will vary †¢Cheaper price for equivalent quality has higher value †¢Higher price can signal quality (watches, cars) †¢There is a tradition of getting stuff for free or very cheap over internet that is hard to change (vs. by phone or TV) †¢Pricing matters a lot Affects customers’ view Discussion starts with pricing, †¢Goes more generally to marketing than strategy †¢Why change your price? Demand, cost, competition †¢How will people react People place premium on option, if feel getting less, will be dissatisfied and feel violated †¢Market mix over product life cycle for price (in order of 4 stages) oSkimming penetration, gain market share, defend market, stay profitable †¢Factors affecting pricing decisions oInternal Factors †¢Marketing objectives †¢Marketing mix strategies †¢Costs †¢Organizational considerations External Factors †¢Demand †¢Competition, resellers †¢Economy †¢Government †¢Steps in setting prices Identify pricing constraints and objectives †¢Constraints †¢Demand, stage in product life cycle, single vs product line, cost of producing, marketing, changing prices, Competitive market and competitors †¢Objectives †¢Profit or just survival †¢Sales and or market share (revenue, unit volume) †¢Social responsibility Estimate demand and revenue †¢All else being equal, as price falls, demand increase †¢Except for †¢Luxury goods †¢Demands also affected by oPrice and availability Income levels Changing buyer tastes and preferences †¢Marketing Managers want to know â€Å"price elasticity† of demand †¢% change in quantity demanded relative to % change in price oSlope of demand curve Elastic demand †¢Slight decrease in price, steep increase in demand †¢Substitutes usually (no alternatives usually non elastic) oEstimate Cost, volume, profit relationships †¢Total cost = total fixed cost + total variable costs †¢Break-even analysis (sales equal costs): †¢Determines profitability at different levels of sales †¢BEP = Total fixed cost / (unit price – unit variable cost) oSelect an approximate price level †¢Pricing based on demand †¢skimming pricing – high price when hungry initial buyers are not price sensitive †¢penetration pricing – low price to attract buyers (wii) †¢prestige pricing – signal quality with the price †¢price lining – set of prices through a product line (ex. bauer 70, 80, 90, apx) †¢odd-even pricing – prices ending in .99 seem lower †¢target pricing – when a specific price to buyer is a goal †¢bundle pricing – price for a package of multiple products †¢yield management pricing – match demand and supply dynamically to customize prices †¢Pricing based on cost †¢standard mark-up – add a fixed percentage to the cost of all similar items †¢cost-plus pricing – add a mark-up to the cost (consulting) †¢experience curve pricing – lower the price as your own costs come down the learning curve †¢Pricing based on profit (little role for demand and competition) †¢target profit pricing †¢target return-on-sales pricing †¢target return-on-investment pricing †¢Pricing based on the competition †¢Customary pricing (ie. Swatch, chocolate bars) (all the same) †¢price above, at or below similar products †¢Loss leader pricing – sell something at a discount to get people into your store oSet up the list (quoted) price †¢One price for all flexible pricing †¢Must be consistent with all products in product line †¢Must be legal †¢Must be consistent with client perceptions of product †¢Needs to avoid price-cutting by competitors †¢Price cut only when you can win (rare) †¢Have cost or tech advantage over rivals oMake adjustments to the price †¢Discounts †¢Quantity, BOGO †¢Seasonal †¢Functional/Trade †¢Cash †¢Allowances †¢Trade in allowance for buyers †¢Promotional allowance †¢EDLP (no need to wait for sales) †¢Geographical Adjustments †¢Transportation/shipping costs and whether buy or seller pays †¢Market mix over product life cycle (Place/channels) Limited, build, selective, more intensive distribution, fewer selective †¢Channel Individuals or firms that help get the product/service to the end user †¢B2C directly, or use intermediary, such as future shop (less contacts) oRetailers are channels (but so are distributors and resellers) †¢Benefits of direct channels (producer to seller) Greater control Lower variable cost Direct contact Quicker response to changes No need to look for middleman Internet makes direct distribution easy †¢Benefits of indirect channels Fewer contacts to manage Can match product assortment with customers Less need for producer to have a sales presence Allows multiple channels for same product †¢Apple through site, apple store, BestBuy Leverage a channel partner with existing customer relations oLower fixed cost (no sales team) †¢Conflicts between channel partners Vertical conflict †¢Issues in chain (producer to retailer) Horizontal Conflict †¢Issues at same level (retailer to retailer) †¢Challenges of moving from indirect to direct May lose distribution (disintermediation) Buyer loyalty to retailer not product Extra costs involved (e-tail, shipping, sales, customer services) †¢Factors in choosing a channel Business environment Characteristics of your customers †¢Who, what, where Characteristics of your product (complex or evangelize) †¢Ice-cream vs. jets Characteristics of your company (B2B, global, languages) What channels and intermediaries are most profitable Lecture 10 †¢4th P, Promotions †¢The communication process oSee chart in lecture notes by Chris †¢The promotional mix What communication tools are available †¢Advertising †¢Vary Expensive (variable_, provides reasons to buy products †¢Control over channel of message †¢Large numbers see message †¢Hard to determine response †¢Personal selling †¢Face-to-face †¢Very expensive (fixed cost) †¢Control over message (sales people can differ( †¢Targeted receivers †¢Immediate responses †¢Public relations †¢Unpaid, non-personal communication, from third party †¢Little control over message †¢Highly credible, not seen as self-serving †¢Hard to know responses †¢Sales promotion †¢Samples, coupons, rebates †¢76% of marketing expenditures for packaged goods †¢Short run (decline in advertising efficiency) †¢Control over message (not building loyalty) †¢Immediate Response †¢Direct marketing †¢Over phone, or internet †¢Mass or micro, becomes annoying (telemarketers) †¢Control over message †¢Targeted received †¢Immediate responses †¢Developing the promotional mix In product life cycle: to inform, to persuade, to remind Product characteristics †¢Level of complexity †¢More complex, more personal selling †¢Potential Risk (financial, social, physical) †¢Greater risk, more personal selling †¢Ancillary services (service/ support required post sale) †¢Advertising establishes reputation †¢Direct marketing can describe customization †¢Personal selling builds buyer confidence and provides evidence of customer service oKnow your target market †¢Who is buyer and what is buying behaviour †¢Place of purchase, reason, how big is market (mass or custom, first time or repeat oDecision stage of buyer †¢See chart in Chris’ lecture notes oChannel strategy †¢Push (want channel to sell it, target channel not end consumer) †¢Push product through channel with goal of getting channel members to push it to customers †¢Direct promotional mix to channel members to gain cooperation †¢Personal selling and sales promotions play major roles †¢Pull (channel users want to get it from you, targeted at end consumer more) †¢Product is pulled through channels †¢Direct promotional mix at ultimate consumers to encourage them to demand product †¢Mainly advertising and direct marketing to reach end consumers †¢Developing, executing and evaluating the integrated marketing communications program oCoordinates all promotional activities to provide a consistent message across all touch points oKnow target audience and how to market to them oIMC Program 3 stages †¢Planning Stage †¢Awareness, interest, evaluation, trial †¢Set budget based off o% of sales Competitive parity All you can afford †¢Design promotion, schedule it †¢Implementation †¢Execute the promotion plan †¢Carry out promotion †¢Control †¢Post-test the promotion †¢Make needed changes Evaluating IMC †¢Important to measure ROI †¢How many views, traffic to site, coupon redemption rate †¢Can occur during both implementation and control Lecture 11 †¢Three options/Modes for exploiting your new product or technology oLicensing †¢When to consider †¢When you don’t have the resources to bring it to market and don’t want to develop them †¢When you want to get the technology to market fast (win standards race) †¢When you want to stop other firms from R&D and patenting †¢Risks †¢Beneficial only while you have technological advantage Create a standard Stay at leading edge †¢Requires strong IP protection †¢Dependent on others for market success †¢May lock you into something when market is still emerging oPartnering (selling a component) †¢When to consider †¢When you don’t have the resources to bring it to market †¢When you want to get the technology to market fast †¢When credible partners can be identified and their endorsement sends a signal †¢When you are strategically important to partner †¢Risks †¢Larger, more established firms can take advantage (price/terms) †¢Partner can deskill you †¢Dependent on partner Market success and access to info and management †¢Partner can become disinterested oDIY (Do it yourself) †¢When to consider †¢Can bring it to market yourself or want to develop capabilities †¢When you have resources to do it †¢Understand requirements and behaviour of end consumer †¢Want to brand it with your name †¢You have clout with your ecosystem of players †¢Risks †¢Bleeding edge- rivals learn from your mistakes †¢Effort spent on marketing and distribution makes you lag in R&D †¢Lose nimbleness and speed †¢Understand market (buyers, competition and overall market (size and growth) †¢Want to devise an entry strategy to leverage advantages oEmphasize speed for lead time †¢Product, technology, people, partners, locations †¢Set up intangible entry barriers rather than relying only on proprietary advantage like patents oEmphasize selective focus †¢Clearly defined target market †¢Clearly defined partners, channels, suppliers Plus allow for experimentation †¢Adaptable and liquid resources & capabilities (rent, borrow or share) Decision depends on †¢Where you see future of company †¢Stability of industry †¢Value to other players †¢Potential for IP protection †¢Becoming a platform leader Industry platform is foundation technology or service that is essential for a broader, interdependent ecosystem of business †¢Requires innovations to be useful †¢No longer under full control of originator, may contain propriety elements oNeed to decide if you are going to purse a product or platform strategy oAchieving platform status requires specific decisions that govern †¢Technology evolution †¢Product and systems design †¢Business relationships within ecosystem oMany companies don’t succeed as they fail to tackle both: †¢Technology †¢Designing right interfaces, architecture, disclosing IP †¢Business †¢Making key complements, introducing incentives, defeat competing platforms oPlatform potential †¢Must satisfy two prerequisite conditions †¢Perform at least one essential function within system of use or solve an essential tech problem in an industry †¢Should be easy to connect to or build upon to expand system of use as well as allow new or even unintended end users Google is coring in internet search. Linus in web server operating systems for tipping. †¢Intellectual Property Protection Legal right granted by a government that allows inventor to preclude others from using the same invention for a maximum of 20 years oNeed to demonstrate that invention is †¢Novel †¢Not Obvious †¢Useful †¢Secret when the patent application is filed Benefits †¢Blocks others from using invention †¢Raises the cost of imitation by rivals †¢Helps to raise capital by signaling a competitive advantage †¢Helps in negotiating rights oLimitations †¢Requires disclosure of the invention in all countries †¢Monopoly is temporary †¢Rivals can often work around †¢Long, complex, costly to defend †¢Can be irrelevant if technology moves quickly Lecture 12: Business Start Up †¢Entrepreneurship Approaches †¢Causal Logic (start with goals expect return) †¢Evaluate opportunities on measurable market demand & competition †¢Select option with highest expected return †¢Specify resources needed to get the outcome you want †¢Most often used in developed, familiar products/markets †¢Means-Based (start with means avoid loss) †¢Evaluate alternatives based on given set of means + low cost experiments †¢Select option based on affordable loss rather than expected return †¢Obtain pre-commitments with customers, suppliers †¢Most often used in uncertain products / markets †¢Dealing with Uncertainty †¢Entrepreneurs pick a comfortable level of risk and push to increase return oBankers pick a desired level of return and push to reduce risk

Homeostasis and how the body responds to exercise Essay

This report will interpret the results of the practical activities that was done in order to monitor the changes in heart rate, temperature and blood pressure before and after exercise. Blood pressure is the measure of how much pressure is put on the walls of the blood vessels when the blood is pumped through them. This is measured in two parts, the larger number on top is known as the systolic pressure, this measures the pressure as the blood is pumped away from the heart whereas the lower number (The diastolic pressure) measures the pressure as the blood returns to the heart. The normal range for a healthy blood pressure is around 120/80 at rest. When I was at rest I recorded my blood pressure which was 118/57. This blood pressure can be considered normal for my age range and fitness level. However it is possible that the reading may not have been completely accurate due to having eaten recently before, the machine may not have worked properly or because of emotional state at the t ime. The pulse is the measure of how many times the heart beats in one minute. This can be measured in either the artery in the neck (Called the carotid artery) or in the wrist. Though the beat is stronger in the neck it is sometimes more difficult to locate and so most people tend to measure it from the wrist. For a healthy person of my age a pulse rate between 60 and 100 is considered to be normal. When I was at rest my heart rate was 82 bpm (Beats per minute). This could be inaccurate due to being nervous though I took my pulse reading both manually and on a machine and it came back the same both times, which may increase the reliability of the results. I recorded my temperature by placing a thermometer in my mouth, this is because under the tongue is one of the more accurate places to get a reading on the body temperature. The normal body temperature of a person is around 37  °C. At rest my temperature was 36.3  °C. This is a normal temperature. When I did the activities I recorded my heart rate, blood pressure and temperature after 1 minute, 3 minutes and then after 5 minutes of exercise. After one minute my heart rate had increased to 94 Bpm, my temperature was 36.8  °C and my blood pressure was 120/68. This is an increase in when I was at rest due to the body’s need for a higher amount of oxygen to go through the blood to the muscles that needed it; this caused an increase in heart and breathing rate so that there was an increase in the amount of oxygen supply to the  body. There was an increase in temperature because there is an increase in physical activity, which creates an increase in the heat that is given off by the muscles, increasing the overall temperature of the body. I then did the activity again for three minutes before I recorded my heart rate, blood pressure and temperature again. After three minutes there was a further increase in all three results. My heart rate was 112 Bpm, my temperature increased to 37.5 °C and my blood pressure was 120/78. I then repeated the exercise for a further 5 minutes, however there was an interval of where I had to wait to be able to record what the results were. Due to this my heart rate was 102 Bpm, my temperature was 37.3 °C and my blood pressure was 120/75. When an individual exercises there are internal changes that the body must respond to in order to keep the body functioning as it should. As you exercise your pulse and respiration rate increases to compensate for the higher demand of oxygen in the muscles. While your heart and respiration rate increases the muscles also produce heat as a waste product which heats up the body, in order to control the body temperature, the body produces sweat, when an individual sweats the body is trying to cool itself down. This is known as a negative feedback loop, in a negative feedback, the body responds to change by trying to bring it back to the normal range. In a negative feedback there is a stimulus, a sensor, a regulator (Or control) and a effector. In the case of an increase in temperature the stimuli, which would be the skin, sends a signal to the sensor, this is the nerves. Once this happens a signal is then sent to the regulator (Or control), this is the hypothalamus, When this happens another signal is then sent to the effector, which is the sweat glands which respond to the rise in temperature by producing sweat. In conclusion I found that the longer that I exercised the more my readings increased, however these may not be acute due to the equipment was not readily available and so I had to wait to record the readings allowing the results to decrease. Another way this may not be true is because my reading that was taken after 5 minutes was lower than both of the other results, this could be because I had to wait a longer period of time to take the results.