Retailmax

RetailMax: â€Å"Role for Cam Archer and Regan Kessel† Sabrina Brown Professor Lahargoue Grand Canyon University: LDR-610 March 13, 2013 RetailMax: â€Å"Role for Cam Archer and Regan Kessel† What is RetailMax? RetailMax, Inc. is a young Boston- based company that provides merchandise, optimization software, and assistance with tasks such as; preseason planning inventory management, product pricing, and forecasting customer demands to major retailers. RetailMax was founded in 1984 as a consulting company and transitioned to a software company in 1998.Like many other software companies, RetailMax was forced to downsize in areas that were not directly involved with making or selling software, however since hiring Todd Elman as the new CEO, the company bounced back and were able to hire more than 100 employees to work (2006). Who is Cam Archer? Cam Archer started working at RetailMax within a business development capacity where she managed strategic alliances and partnersh ips after just graduating with her MBA from a leading business school.In the position Cam was in, she has a very good reputation from both internally and by her customers that she is very smart, diligent, and valuable individual (2006). However, after years of being in a sales position Cam decided to start exploring other options at RetailMax where he can stay with the company but change to another position with less or no traveling required. Who is Regan Kessel? Regan is the Vice President of Product Management and Marketing (PMM) for RetailMax, Inc. , Regan has 20 years of experience working in the industry.Regan founded his own retail supply chain software company, which was sold to IBM in 1996. Since then has developed product and marketing strategies for numerous supply chain companies, and recently worked with a Dallas-Based company commuting to Texas from home base to Boston. Todd approached Regan to come aboard with RetailMax and he did accept the offer. Who has the greatest potential power and why? Between Vince Mangini, the Vice President of Professional Services (PS) and Regan Kessel, the Vice President of Product Management and Marketing (PMM), Regan Kessel has the greater potential power.Why? Because if one sit back and take a hard look at what each has to offer Cam, Vince only has to offer more money verses Regan, he has much more to offer Cam. Vince not only offers a good salary, but room for growth if Cam ever decides to move up the ladder. Vince offers less or no traveling which what Cam was originally looking for and her purpose of wanting to find another position. Also, Cam is able to report to Vince directly other than having to report to an individual over her first, then to Vince.In comparing who portrays what type of power, Cam portrays Personal and Expert power which comes from her experiences, skills, and or knowledge. Cam not only gained experience in particular areas, but she became known as leader material in certain areas because o f how effective she was when making sells. Therefore, over time she began to portray having expert power in which can be utilized to get others to help meet certain goals as well. Regan portrays to have Referent Power.Regan does not come off as a person that you can trust, but being that he took the time off to research a fair salary for Cam not only based on her education but her experience as well seems as if he is an individual one can certainly trust and know you are going to be treated fairly. Vince portrays Formal and Coercive Power. Vince knew Cam wanted to obtain a position in which does not require little are no traveling. However, he insisted on making her an offer by using dollar figures. Vince also made smart comments to Cam such as; â€Å"If you try to sit on two chairs at one time, you are going to end up on the floor†.This comment does not allow Cam to make the right decision based on what she feels is best for her; this comment is saying look you know you cann ot do both jobs at one time so you need to hurry up and decide what you want to do for Vince benefit. Did stereotypical gender roles influence either party to proceed in a certain manner? Explain how they did or did not act stereotypically. No, gender roles did not influence either party to proceed in certain manners; it was about who can get Cam and how much she is willing to make to be a part of their organization.Regan wanted Cam because of her success rate in what she did, and knowing that he knew she was looking for a new position and was highly recommend by the CEO he was willing to give her a chance in a new position. Vince wanted Cam because of her success rate as well; however he was willing to offer Cam more money but less stability in which she will still be traveling, and not able to report to him directly, and with no room for growth. What social factors (such as reputation, the prior relationship between the parties, and their mutual ties to others in the organization, including the CEO) affected each person's power?The social factors that affected Regan was when he found out his other colleague Mangini knew that he was going to hire Cam, but then he decided to offer her another position with a higher salary. I know this is business, but that was a little dirty to do. Cam has been with the company for a longtime, therefore she has more of an advantage than others when applying for other positions. This is how she was able to get an offer from Regan being that he knew the CEO and he asked Regan to give him a chance even in this new position. In reading both articles, assumptions were not really made from each side.Basically, what was discussed between them all was pertaining to business choices. Cam had to decide in which direction she wanted to go while Reagan, Mangini, and Todd wait for a finalized decision. Archer should be interested in the Marketing position because it will enable her for room for success, it will give her more time having a social life, and less travel. This position will strengthen her power once she gets the title. With the title will come respect; Kessel should definitely hire Archer being that Archer has reported not only to be a success factor for the company, but her reputation all together speaks by itself.Kessel will do great things if Archer comes on board. If Kessel hires Archer the proven work that Archer has done in the past, individuals will definitely sit back and watch how will do things as a team together. What positive effect might hiring an external applicant instead have on Kessel's power? If Kessel hires someone externally this should not do anything as far as power is concern. It just shows that things happen and we all need to move on. Therefore, if Kessel really want Archer to work for him, he should offer him the highest he can offer him for that position and offer to pay commission. This will even out at the end eventually.Archer should accept the Marking Position being that th is is something that was always planned when it comes to less or no traveling. Archer need to sit down and just take a really look at things. Money is not everything especially y when you are making a good salary already. After considering all of the above, evaluate who used social power most effectively and why. Out of all the individuals mentioned, Mangini showed the most social power. How? Mangini used not only his position, but his salary as well of what he can offer Cam to bribe Cam to work for him. Mangini even said little remarks to Cam to get Cam to come his way.Cam has to realize being in Marketing is where the heart is, and just because Mangini can offer more money, is what you really want to do with no room for growth, reporting to someone else other that Mangini, and still traveling. My mom use to always say, what look good to you is not always good for you. References McGinn, Kathleen L. , and Dina R. Pradel. â€Å"RetailMax: Role for Regan Kessel. † Harvard Busi ness School Exercise 904-025, May 2006. (Revised from original September 2003 version. ) McGinn. , and Witter. â€Å"RetailMax: Role for Cam Archer†. Harvard Business School (2006).

Reflecting on Wisdom Essay

The one individual that I consider to be very wise is Bishop T.D. Jakes. Even though, I have never met him face-to-face; words spoken by him has inspired mass congregations; as well as me. Opposing to common beliefs, wisdom is not the ability to be knowledgeable about everything, but to a certain extent holding an open mind to additionally enhance comprehensions A wise person considers anything they say before they speak and discuss about area of circumstances he/she knows about and asks questions about the ones he/she are not familiar with. Individuals who have wisdom are inclined to be modest instead of displaying show-offs mentality. A wise individual have a tendency not to be competitive and do not mind if others have the notion to accuse them of being wrong. People with wisdom also know that people will gain knowledge at their own rate and in their own time, therefore not staring down on someone just because they are not equally understood. Wise people have great insight and a g ifted ability to articulate it without belittling or embarrassing others. My favorite characteristic of a wise person is their ability to look beyond what is obvious (especially in unfavorable circumstances) and focus on the subject at hand. It must be also being made aware of that wisdoms come from life encounters, mirror image and/or educational training. Bishop T.D. Jakes holds these characteristics traits as an individual of wisdom. Bishop Jakes uses illustrations from his personal experiences in life, in addition to the lives of others which is under his counseling; Bishop Jakes provides pointed guidance on how to shift from battle to triumph, from prey to conqueror. Motivating and revitalizing direct honesty, this is the ultimate source for those seeking to comprehend and care for the love ones in their lives. This lends a hand decoding individual’s often impenetrable conduct which offers one-on-one approaches for better understanding and therapeutic in a person’s affiliations. Books such as, He-Motions written by Bishop T.D.  Jakes h ave put into words precision and prospect to everyone; which help them strengthen their relationships with themselves, others, and with their Savior. It has also given females the explanations they try to find as they communicate to the men they be devoted to. It may seem unbelievable to some because of the fact; a book causing so many people to get nearer as one in relationships and closer to God. Wisdom is that attribute of spirituality by which creates the greatest potential outcome with the greatest potential measures; through ministry and spirituality. Wisdom and intellect-knowledge are not equivalent, yet are strongly associated. Knowledge is obtained by building up information, but wisdom is effects from the approaching of issues that are learned. Knowledge is the bits and pieces made known through which wisdom put together its formation. An individual not educated possibly will be wiser than the most knowledgeable intellectual in actuality time and again are! While speaking of Bishop’s wisdom, it stands for his capability to formulate flawless conclusions and to accomplish those conclusions by great measures. Bishop in his wisdom makes use of the unlimited knowledge so that he may accomplish his objective in a means which praises God the greatest. All that is done by him seems to be prepared with flawless wisdom. Bishop perceives every thing in its proper relation to everything else, and so He is able to work toward His predestined goals with flawless precision. These are the reason, Bishop T.D. Jakes is known by many as a man of wisdom. He has changed lives through his knowledge of the Bible. There is not any study of more importance or value than a study of the nature and attributes of spirituality. In the past few years, I have been drawn deeper into what is known as, â€Å"The Words of God†. This is the reason why attributes of spirituality is the area, in which I have developed most fully. At the same time, not anything in life worth having was ever gained overnight. Therefore, I feel much work is ahead for me; to fully develop in future years come. Neither knowledge nor wisdom is gained overnight; it is a continuous growth process for years to come.

Interpersonal Relationship Analysis: Characters of the Film Public Enemies

Communications 100 Interpersonal Analysis Effective interpersonal communication is crucial to development of all denominations of relationships between two or more individuals; from roll relationships shared between a doctor and patient, to platonic relationships shared between friends. Chiefly, interpersonal communication is arguably the most essential aspect contributing to the success or failure of a romantic relationship between a dyad.Communication directly influences the type of relationship participants share, how the relationship unfolds, and how satisfying that relationship is to the individuals sharing it. A lack of communication between individuals in an intimate relationship, such as one shared between a boyfriends and a girlfriend, typically results in mutual dissatisfaction which can lead to a decline in health of the individuals, both physically and emotionally, and ultimately, the disintegration of the relationship altogether. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own†Romantic relationships develop and change over time as people communicate with one another. The evolution of the relationship can be depicted through four specific models; Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor’s Social Penetration Theory, Mark Knapp and Anita Vangelisti’s Knapp’s Stage Model, Leslie Baxter and Connie Bullis’s Turning Point Model and, Leslie Baxter’s Dialectical Theory. The progression of romantic relationships can easily be analyzed in films because they are vividly depicted and often over exaggerated.Michael Mann’s 2009 film, Public Enemies, an adaptation of the non-fiction book by Bryan Burrough, Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, chronicles the progression of the romantic relationship between the notorious bank robber John Dillinger and Billie Frechette while he is pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis in the midst of the Great Depression. The relationship Frechette and Dillinger carry out in the film perfectly displays the natural progression of an intimate relationship through the first five steps of the staircase in Knapp’s Stage Model.Knapp’s Stage Model is a communication model that conceptualizes relational development as a staircase consisting of five steps, with each step representing a respective stage of the relationship, that lead up toward commitment followed by five steps that descend from commitment towards the end of a relationship. The five steps that lead upwards towards commitment in chronological order are: initiating, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding. John Dillinger and Billie Frechette met one night at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago where the initiating stage occurred.Initiating is when the individuals try to establish as positive an impression of oneself as possible to appear likeable an d pleasant. This stage is where the first impressions are made from a greetings and physical appearance. However, in order for the initiating stage to occur, the individuals need to signal interest in initiating contact at all. In our society, especially historically in time periods like the Great Depression, men typically initiate heterosexual romantic relationships, but only after the woman sends cues that they are single and interested primarily through kinesics nonverbal communication like eye contact and smiles.The excerpt from the movie script below shows the pre-initiation stage where Dillinger first sees Frechette and she sends nonverbal cues from across the crowded ballroom that she is both available and interested: ARAGON BALLROOM-NIGHT JOHN DILLINGER is watching a sexy young woman on the dance floor. He loses sight of her†¦ He's expecting someone. Then, Dillinger sees her again: jet black hair in a bob, brown eyes, high and a great smile. She lights up a room. She is BILLIE FRECHETTE. She feels the stare and looks over. She studies him, then, looks away. Dillinger adjusts his chair to watch for the girl.Dellinger can't see Billie anymore. Billie reappears, dancing with a young man. Dillinger keeps his eye on Billie. Music ends. Young man escorts her to her table. He tries to join her. She turns him down. Dillinger finishes his drink, approaches. He now sees how beautiful Billie is. She looks Dillinger straight in the eye. Clear skin, dark eyes with humor playing about the edges. He unexpectedly starts to feel nervous. He gives her his best grin. Next is the initiating stage where Dillinger initiates communication following a standard interpersonal script for meeting a new person consisting of an icebreaker and beginning an introduction.Billie forms a first impression of Dillinger based on her perceptions of him. Billie categorizes him by labeling him in her mind as â€Å"Not a hustler† and interprets that â€Å"he’s holding somet hing back† from the sensory input she selected to focus on. She then provides feedback showing her mutual interest to proceed to the experimenting stage. DILLINGER I don't know what you said to your friend, but I sure am glad you did. What's your name? Billie looks him over: a well-made man in a good suit with a great smile. And, paradoxes: he easily talks to women but he's not a hustler. He's young, but there's a world of experience in his face.Open, but he's holding something back. BILLIE Billie Frechette. DILLINGER Can I buy you a drink? Billie rises and they cross the bar. Is that French? BILLIE On my father's side. There's an â€Å"e† at the end. Do you have a name? DILLINGER Jack Harris. Music changes to â€Å"Bye Bye Blackbird. † The experimenting stage on relational development is when the participants try to learn more about each other by asking questions and start to self-disclose information to establish common interests. Typically, the proxemics obser ved between two people who are just beginning to become acquainted is at a personal distance of eighteen inches to four feet.However, because the progression of relationship between Dillinger and Frechette is depicted in a film that is just under two hours in duration, the experimenting stage is combined with the proceeding intensifying stage. Thus, Billie and Dillinger quickly move to an intimate distance while dancing to increase their connectedness. This stage is full of â€Å"tests. † First, individuals test the potential of progressing the relationship further by increasing self-disclosure to see if the other reciprocates the same level of disclosure and gain feedback on their impressions.Billie tests Dillinger to see how he reacts to her ethnicity in era in which darker physical characteristics were not valued as highly on the social comparison scale of attractiveness. Billie expresses her self-concept perceptions that that been influenced by the reflected appraisals fr om society when she shares her primary identity by stating â€Å"I’m Menominee Indian,† and secondary identity by stating â€Å"I check coats at the Steuben Club. † BILLIE Do you dance, Jack? DILLINGER I don't know how. BILLIE How come you don't know how to dance? It’s easy. Follow me.This is a two-step. She smiles a pretty smile at him. She stays an inch or two distant in his arms. It’s slow and languorous. He follows her with little difficulty. DILLINGER My, but you are pretty. They look into each other's eyes. He pulls her closer, wants to kiss her long smooth neck. He almost can't resist†¦ Their lips are an inch apart. And then she rests her cheek on his shoulder and the kiss that wasn't hangs in the air around them. He whispers†¦ Daddy’s French, what's on the other side? BILLIE Im Menominee Indian OK. But most men don't like that†¦She glares at him. DILLINGER I'm not most men. BILLIE And I check coats at the Steuben Club. What do you do, Jack? DILLINGER I'm catching up. BILLIE Catching up on what? DILLINGER On life, meeting someone like you. Dark, beautiful, like the black bird in that song He touches her hair. She laughs at the flattery. Holds his eyes a beat with an ironic look. He returns the look. They look away. Say, how'd you like some dinner? Billy nods. He nods courteously to her girlfriends, grabs her coat, puts a hand around Billie's waist and steers her out. It’s cold in the street.Dillinger pulls her close. Following, is the integration stage of relationship growth. During the fourth step, the deepest levels of self-disclosure begin signaling trust and intimacy and the individuals portray themselves as couple. Billie and Dillinger go to a restaurant together appearing to others as a couple. This scene also perfectly illustrates the three key factors necessary in the influence of one’s attraction to another: proximity, physical attractiveness, and similarity. GOLD COAST REST AURANT – NIGHT Dillinger slips him bills. He and Billie are shown to a table.The clientele is North Shore old money and businessmen. Some of the women are in dazzling dresses even though it's mid-Depression. A few stare at Billie. She's out of her class. BILLIE What is it, exactly that you do for a living? She stares at him, ignoring her menu. He looks over the top of his menu DILLINGER. I’m John Dillinger. I rob banks. That's where all these people here put their money. BILLIE Why'd you tell me that? You could have made up a story†¦ DILLINGER ‘Cause I ain’t gonna lie to you. BILLIE That's a pretty serious thing to say to a girl you just met.DILLINGER I know you. BILLIE Well, I don’t know you†¦I haven't been any place or done anything. DILLINGER Some of the places I been ain't so hot. Where I'm going is a lot better. Wanna come along? BILLIE Boy, you are in a hurry. DILLINGER If you were looking at what I am looking at, you'd be in a hurry too. Laughs at his flattery, which she is also finding persuasive, then leans in. BILLIE Well, it’s me they're looking at this time. DILLINGER That's 'cause you're beautiful. BILLIE They’re looking at me because they're not used to having a girl in their restaurant in a three-dollar dress.He takes her hand DILLINGER Listen, doll, that's 'cause they're all about where people come from. Only thing important is where somebody's going. She smiles excitedly BILLIE Where are you going? DILLINGER Anywhere I want. Let's get out of here. She nods. They get up, get their things and he leads her with his hand on the small of her back. On their way†¦ a man intercepts Dillinger. (To Billie): Go wait outside. I'll be right there. Billie turns and walks out of the restaurant. Finally, the fifth stage of the relational development incline towards commitment is bonding.The bonding stage is where the relationship is characterized by public commitment. STEUBEN CLUB- NIGHT Dillinger enters, sees Billie talking with another hostess checking coats and hats. BILLIE (Without looking up at Dillinger): May I check your coat, sir? DILLINGER You ran out on me. BILLIE You left me standing alone on the sidewalk. She places her hand on her hip DILLINGER If you're going to be my girl, you have to swear you'll never, ever do that again. A CUSTOMER comes up and puts his ticket on the counter. BILLIE (Ignoring customer) Hey! I’m not your girl!And I’m not going to say that DILLINGER I'm waiting. CUSTOMER So am I. DILLINGER (to Billie) â€Å"I am not ever going to run out on you again. † Say it. BILLIE No. DILLINGER Well, I ain’t ever gonna run out on you. And that's a promise. CUSTOMER Well, I want to run out of here. So, lady, will you get my coat†¦? Dillinger swings him to the counter, grabs the man's ticket, slams through the half door, finds the man's coat, tosses it at him†¦ DILLINGER (To Customer): Hit the road Sport. Beat the tip. (To Billie): You ain't getting other people's hats and coats no more either.You’re with me now. He takes her coat and holds it for her. She doesn't move. BILLIE I don't know anything about you. DILLINGER I was raised on a farm in Mooresville, Indiana. My ma died when I was three. My daddy beat the hell out of me because he didn't know no better way to raise me I like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, and you. What else do you need to know? She gets into her coat. Dillinger opens the door for her. Although this interaction is fictional, John Dillinger and Billie Frechette really did carry out a relationship that progressed much like the one depicted above.However, their relationship did not decline down the staircase through the five steps of termination; differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding, and terminating, because John Dillinger was shot and killed by FBI agent Winstead outside of the Biograph Theatre in Chicago. Billie was incarcerated on charges of being an accomplice to one of America’s most wanted criminals until 1936 and lived the rest of her life in Wisconsin. Works Cited Alberts, Jess K. , Judith N. Martin, and Thomas K. Nakayama. Communication Fundamentals. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, 2011.Print. Eiderman, Ann, Michael Mann, and Ronan Bennett. â€Å"Public Enemies Script. † The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb). N. p. , Nov. 2007. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. imsdb. com/scripts/Public-Enemies. html;. â€Å"Knapp's Relational Development Model. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. ;http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Knapp's_Relational_Development_Model>. â€Å"Public Enemies (2009 Film). † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. .

BHS 499 (Computer & Information Systems) Module 4 SLP Essay - 2

BHS 499 (Computer & Information Systems) Module 4 SLP - Essay Example faculty who can teach students seeking to enroll in nursing; most of the present nursing faculty members are aging (around 50- to 54 years of age); there is inadequate pool of younger faculty; the lack of emphasis or focus on teaching educational principles in line with the strict clinical, didactic and research curricula of majority of the masters and doctoral programs; faculties in nursing have ineffective and diluted role expectations which are aggravated by tremendous role-related stress; new faculty members, the desire to be successful in all facets of academe; there is lack of competitiveness in salaries related to the clinical sector; too few nursing faculty members are prepared for doctoral programs; there is high faculty workload, lack of qualified applicants and less faculty are willing teach clinical courses as well as to conduct research. Therefore, in relation to the above-mentioned nursing issues on the difficulty to recruit and retain nursing educators, the AANA Education Committee made some actions or interventions and integrated it in the strategic plans. The organization made some leadership changes which included some elements of faculty, administrative, financial, political as well as perception concerns. The team also conducted a web-based survey on CRNA faculty recruitment and retention in January 2006 in order to evaluate professional needs of nursing faculties, basis for a development workshops and other development programs. The results of the survey (Starnes-Ott & Kremer, 2007) revealed that if the needs of most faculty members will be ranked accordingly, there concern is much directed towards the need for assistance in order for them to prepare for the doctoral programs, an innovative instruction like distance learning and human patient simulation and development of the curriculum. The above findings are not very surprising, in fact, other researchers have sought the same information at different clinical and educational settings

The cask of amintiliado and good son movie Essay

The cask of amintiliado and good son movie - Essay Example The movie is about a twelve year old boy, Mark, who promises his mother suffering from cancer that she will not die. Mark is consumed by guilt and grief after his mother’s death because he is not able to keep his promise of keeping her alive. After the death, Mark is dropped off by his father at his uncle’s house while he proceeds to Tokyo for a two week business trip.Initially, Mark practices withdrawal from the rest of the family members but he gets accustomed to his aunt and cousins. He mostly becomes friends with his cousin Henry, whom they spend so much time together. Nevertheless, Mark starts to observe a number of Henry’s views of fun significantly differ from his own. Henry’s parents refuse to listen to Mark when he informs them of their child’s dangerous behavior (Ruben 1). Montresor and Henry are actually identically evil characters and through their example, evil exists. In my view, both Montresor and Henry are identical characters. I also believe evil exists in both Montresor and Henry. One characteristic that Montresor exhibits is that of vengeance. Montresor makes a decision to play therole of the whole justice system as executioner, jury, and judge. At no single point is Montresor considerate of the consequences of his actions because he is certain that his actions are defensible. It may be argued that Montresor is a threatening character. He is an individual you would not want to have an encounter with in any setting. He is portrayed as a ruthless and cold murderer. He both finds pleasure in killing and sees it as necessary. In fact, as he is building the stone tomb of Fortunato, Montresor says, â€Å"I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied† (Poe). The fact that he is satisfied actually means that he feels no guilt at all about the murder. Moreover, according to Montresor, when Fortunato finally tells him, â€Å"Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo,

Writing assingnment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assingnment - Research Paper Example Utility maximization is a process or goal of obtaining the maximum utility from the consumption of goods and services on the basis of rational behaviour of human beings. The utility maximization is associated with the theory of decision making. Utility is an economic term which is defined as satisfaction received by individuals from the consumption of goods and services. â€Å"In 1957, Simon proposed the notion of Bounded Rationality as that property of an agent that behaves in a manner that is nearly optimal with respect to its goals as its resources will allow† (Bounded Rationality: A Response to Rational Analysis, n.d). A search refers to a psychological process related to instinct of a person which helps him to find solution for a problem. The searches can be of different types like search for job, search for home, and search for other aspects of professional and personal life of human. The decision outcome of an individual is affected by his search as the decision made depends on the search process. Decision making is considered as a major activity in any organization. Decision making is important in any activity of an organization as it helps to choose the best course of action in carrying out any task, helps to find solution to any problem or to solve conflict within an organization. If a needle to sew a jean is of 4 inch and is along with other 1000 needles of different size in a haystack, then it will take more time in seeking the needle. So a satisficer would stop looking as soon as a needle is found which can sew the jeans. Every individual satisfice in their life during those situations when time is limited. â€Å"Congressional budget decision-making in the U.S., where the usual questions considered about a given (existing) agency might typically range from whether to cut 4 or 5 percent from its budget to whether to tack on a 5 or 10% increase. Congress very seldom stops to think seriously

Mgt f2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mgt f2 - Essay Example One can manage a diverse staff in the company by inculcating into the culture of the organization the concept of managing diversity. When creating individual work groups and teams in the organization, diversity of the workforce should be encouraged. Training the staff on the benefits of diversity would be of paramount importance in the company. Bringing different personalities and abilities together is an important thing. However, diversity can pose serious threats if not adequately managed. It is particularly necessary that a company acquires a diverse workforce. The diversity of the workforce if properly maintained and positively utilized has the potential to improve tremendously productivity and performance through combined abilities and personalities. For diversity management and training to bear fruits in a company, the manager must find proper means to integrate the training into the daily tasks. Giving a mere lecture on diversity to the employees may not help in its implementation (Mor-Barak 73). Diversity training and management in an organization should start by ensuring the availability of active personnel policies that promote equality. A company-wide diversity training seminar should be conducted to review the unacceptable and acceptable behavior. The importance of diversity training should be well known to both the management and the employees. A complaint resolution with standard procedures for the employees should be established. There are myriad benefits that accrue from a diverse and inclusive workforce. People with different backgrounds and lifestyles challenge each other to produce more. Diversity helps create dissent. A diverse workforce helps the company reach its heterogeneous customer base more efficiently. An inclusive workforce better understands the needs of their employees, which make them feel better, appreciated and respected. The

Ideal Sampling Frame in Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Ideal Sampling Frame in Marketing - Assignment Example The scale is mostly used by marketers when previous information about a particular product is not available. If the marketer simply base his decision of manufacturing a product on the basis of the results that state that more consumer has selected the probably will buy and definitely will buy the product, then he may end up making a mistake because usually very low number of consumers who state that definitely will buy might not actually buy the product. Â  The ideal sampling frame is a term used to denote a sample frame in which the entire population is accessible and no one is missing, this does not take place in the real world. In the absence of such frame, an alternate way called representative sampling can be utilized to determining the same sample frame may be used with aid of characteristics of the sample that need to be tested. Â  Probability sampling is referred to the selection of samples that are selected on a random basis and not in accordance with the convenience of the researcher. Non-probability sampling arises when samples are selected in a random manner in accordance with convenience. Example: Conducting a survey of the school you study and selecting school students as sample. Â  

Rights of the Accused Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rights of the Accused - Essay Example The chief controversy regarding â€Å"due process of law† rests on the Supreme Court’s application of the clause within the Fourteenth Amendment to pertain to guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights to states via the process of â€Å"incorporation† (Ramen, 2001). As such, the application of â€Å"liberty† relates to liberties and procedures outlined within the Bill of Rights, plus other rights, liberties, and conditions that may not necessarily be found within the Bill of Rights (Shea, 2011).   The â€Å"due process† clause guarantees that individuals accused of perpetrating crimes should be awarded a fair trial (Holmes & Ramen, 2012). The rights entail right to a jury trial, a presumption of innocence the prosecutors expected to prove guilt â€Å"beyond reasonable doubt (the utmost standard of attestation that exists within the legal system), the right to be indicted by a grand jury (5th), the right to counsel (6th), the right to a speedy and public trial, safeguard from brutal and extraordinary punishment (8th), the right against self-incrimination (5th) and protection from double-jeopardy (5th). Other â€Å"due process† guarantees encompass the right of the accused persons to face their accusers (6th), and the right to become aware of the charges against the defendant (6th) (Wilson, 2009).   The principle of the 4th Amendment is to refuse the Federal Government the power to conduct arbitrary searches and seizure of property. The Fifth Amendment demands that a citizen cannot be accused of a serious crime devoid of a grand jury investigation, besides outlawing double jeopardy (Ramen, 2001).

See reqiurmence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

See reqiurmence - Essay Example Before embarking upon the discussion a brief look into the background would be helpful. The famous Silk Road paved the way for the Chinese goods that mainly consisted, silk, printed paper, gun powder and compass. Not only those are goods but ground breaking inventions that held the Chinese head high at the global arena (Whitfield, 2004). The communist government was established in China in 1949 and China entered a prolonged phase of social and economic restructuring till 1977 (MacKerras & Yorke, 1991, p.81). This phase is characterized by meager economic exchange. (Bell, Khor & Khochar, 1993). The reflection of globalization is almost everywhere, however for simplicity only four variables are considered in this paper; agriculture, Industry, International trade and foreign direct investment. Again a coin has two faces so as globalization. The paper analyses the impact of globalization on the Chinese economy. It means that the all or none policy while judging the impact of globalizatio n on Chinese economy would be faulty and far from the actual reality. Statistical overview The following table summarizes the growth rates of the agriculture, industry and trade pre and post reform period. This gives a brief picture regarding the impact of globalization in terms of figures on the Chinese economy: table 1: Annual growth rates of China's economy 1970-2010 (%)    pre-reform 1970-78 Reform period    1970-78 1979-84 1985-95 1996-00 2001-05 2006-10 GDP 4.9 8.8 9.7 8.2 9.9 11.1 Agriculture 2.7 7.1 4 3.4 4.3 4.5 Industry 6.8 8.2 12.8 9.6 11.4 11.9 Service n.a. 11.6 9.7 8.3 10.1 11.9 Foreign Trade 20.5 14.3 15.2 9.8 25.3 13.8 Import    12.7 13.4 9.5 24.9 14.2 Export    15.9 17.2 10.1 25.7 13.5 Population 1.8 1.4 1.37 0.91 0.63 0.5 Per capita GDP 3.1 7.4 8.3 7.2 9 10.6 (Huang, Wang and Qiu, 2012, p.5) The financial crisis of 2008 accounts for the lower annual growth rates of foreign trade, imports and exports for the period 2006-2010, but China managed to be consisten t in terms of GDP rate and the domestic sectors. Agriculture The initial impact of globalization on Chinese agriculture might be summarized as the transformation from collectivization to individual household responsibility. Improved form of agricultural procedures was introduced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, machineries were welcomed and that brought a huge growth in agricultural output and in rural income. However this success was short lived and by mid 80’s rural economic growth had achieved its ceiling. By the end of the decade and the beginning of the next one stagnation and a step ahead degeneration became the trademark of Chinese rural area. As agriculture is the prime profession of the rural people it also serves as a dummy for the agricultural sector that was subject to the same problem. To raise agricultural production, deforestation took place at an unprecedented level and impacted the environment. Soon the rural household felt the brunt of rising price of machinery, fertilizers and pesticides and resorted to their initial way of farming that gave rise to pseudo unemployment. Apart from that, globalization exposed the farmers to market price fluctuations. Along with

Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Research Proposal - Essay Example This is a process which evolves from theoretical to conceptual in observation. The necessity of technology as a staple in our everyday lives led to the emergence of newer strategies to connect businesses and consumers. Such is the current popularity of e-commerce in conducting marketing. Upon careful consideration it is apparent that this is not merely a trend but will continue to be an indispensable marketing tool. Electronic-commerce also known as electronic marketing gives new meaning to the way business is done. Not only is marketing limited to the conventional marketing tools, it now paves the way to search for convergence with clients. The study calls for a deeper analysis of the marketing tools employed by Melbourne Zoo. First, the general attitudes of the visitors need to be identified to be able to know what are the current programs and features of the zoo that entertains them the most. This will be helpful as this could be the bannered attraction for Melbourne Zoo. This would also identify if they are doing enough in terms of satisfying the clientele. Once this is answered, the study aims to concentrate on the integration of e-commerce in the development of its marketing strategies. This is a way to modernize the brand image of the zoo as well as the utilization of current available technology to maximize the potential of the enterprise in its further success through the internet. The researcher feels this to be an important concentration of the study as it is one of the gaps easily identified through research of Melbourne Zoo. Melbourne Zoo currently has as its primary website http://www.zoo.org.au/ which is a comprehensive site that is directed towards the promotion of the zoo. At the same time it posts news and other relevant information. The main problem for this as the researcher sees it is that the website is dedicated to three zoos, collectively known as the Victoria Zoos. First,

African American In The 1920s Essay Example for Free

African American In The 1920s Essay The 1920s were a time of struggle, pride, fear, and creativity for African Americans. Following WWI, blacks fought for the conditions and rights that they were given while fighting in Europe. They fought through countless riots and murders to push for equality. They migrated across the country to escape the horrid conditions of the South. They created an entirely new cultural movement that spread like wild fire. African Americans of the 1920s created a momentous movement of political and cultural dominance that would eventually lead to their freedom. The Post World War I era was a difficult, yet prideful time for African Americans. While African Americans were fighting abroad, they were treated as equals to whites in Europe. Due to American generals refusing to command blacks, African Americans fought side by side with black and white French soldiers under French command. In addition, there were a few all black regiments, the most well known being the 369th Colored Infantry (p. 8). Upon returning home in November of 1918, African Americans faced â€Å"contradictory feelings of hope and frustration† (p. 7). They expected to be praised and rewarded for their sacrifices made during the war; however, they were met with nearly the opposite. This new mood among the African Americans became Flowers 1 known as the â€Å"New Negro. † Coined by black journalists, this term described the new attitude of post-war blacks and their will to fight against the white oppression. Unfortunately, the American public treated them the same as before the war. African American soldiers were in shock from the striking contrast of black social conditions between America and Europe. While the whites were praised for their sacrifices, the blacks were not. In one case, however, on February 7, 1919, a few thousand black soldiers marched through Manhattan, and were praised by both blacks and whites alike; however, most white Americans didn’t feel the same as those in New York. With blacks having a strong hope for equality, and whites having a strong fear of this equality, America was set up for some of the best and worst events of the 1920s. The â€Å"Red Summer†, coined by James Weldon Johnson, was a summer of hate crimes, violence, and even murder. On several occasions, both blacks and whites ended up injuring and killing one another. African Americans began to assert their new hope of equality. The first instance of this new attitude occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, when sailors killed a black civilian. A large fight broke out and several people, both blacks and whites, were killed. Riots began to appear throughout America. The worst riot broke out in Chicago and lasted five days. It all began when an African American swimmer drifted into waters between segregated beaches. A white man threw a rock at him and the black man ended up drowning. White police officers did nothing to arrest the white man. As the news spread, gang related violence quickly began to spread throughout neighborhoods. As tensions grew stronger, the violent crimes Flowers 2 became worse. Eventually, a mass riot broke out. Policemen fired upon several black men, and several thousand men became involved. In the end, 23 blacks and 15 whites were killed, and many more were injured. Unfortunately, the majority of the media downplayed these riots to try and keep everyone else under control, but The Crisis, the primary newspaper for the NAACP, published nearly every event, both good and bad. Over the summer, many other instances of violence occurred, leading to the Great Migration (p. 7-15) The lives of African Americans significantly changed during the 1920s. A large contributor to these changes was the mass migration of African Americans to the North and West known as the Great Migration. African Americans despised the Jim Crow laws, and tried everything in their power to either change or escape them. Many blacks living in the South gained much economic success after migrating to the North. Not only did the blacks want to migrate to the North for economic and civil gains, but they also wanted to escape the worsening conditions in the South caused by the Boll Weevil plague that ruined the cotton industry (p. 23-24). Upon arriving in the North, blacks began to build up their community. They built their own churches, which were significantly different from white churches. Their churches became a part of their lives, and became their community. The YMCA and the YWCA also began during this time period, promoting community as well. Western black immigrants came primarily from places like Jamaica, and were fairly new to the oppression of the whites in America. Because of this, they were not as afraid to start up new things. Flowers 3 On the political side of events, the NAACP was on the rise. By 1919, the NAACP had become the leading organization for black civil rights. Led by W. E. B. Du Bois, the NAACP constantly challenged â€Å"segregation and political equality. † (p. 57) A major success of this organization was the push for the Dyer Antilynching Bill. Even though the bill was never successfully passed, it brought lynching to the attention of the public, and eventually reduced the number of lynchings significantly (p. 60-63). While African Americans fought to make conditions better for themselves, some conditions remained poor. Some blacks began purchasing homes in â€Å"white† neighborhoods, but were faced with violence, especially from the rising Ku Klux Klan; therefore, ending the housing segregation quickly gained importance (p. 66-68). The white schools were far superior, due to the much higher wages and funding provided. In Southern states, studies showed that white teachers were paid nearly four times as much as black teachers, and the black school sizes and facilities were vastly inferior (p. 68). A third problem was the constant fight against the judicial system. On several occasions, blacks were wrongly accused of crimes, even when there was little to no evidence to prove anything at all. For example, two black men in Kentucky ended up in court for raping a white woman on â€Å"the flimsiest of evidence. † Even though no one identified the men, the all white jury spent just fifteen minutes to find them guilty, and the men were sentenced to death (p. 68). Aside from the political issues, African Americans in the North began a mass movement of cultural expansion, including literature, music, and art. This Flowers 4 movement became known as the Harlem Renaissance. The precursor to this movement was the Marcus Garvey movement. Garvey pushed for blacks to â€Å"reject the white society and build a separate life. † (p. 77) He believed that blacks should never conform to white society. He also led the somewhat unsuccessful â€Å"Back to Africa† movement, which was an attempt to have all blacks leave the country and live in Liberia instead. Following the Marcus Garvey movement was the well-known Harlem Renaissance. Even though renaissance is in the name, this movement was more of a birth than a rebirth. It all began during the Great Migration. As thousands of African Americans migrated to the North, many ended up settling in Harlem. This three square mile area became the largest concentration of black people in the world. Following the war, many writers celebrated this new life in the North, and praised the better conditions of the North in their writing. Many hoped that this mass outpouring of literature would â€Å"break down the walls of prejudice. † (p. 80) The most popular of these writers was the African American poet, Langston Hughes. Today, much of his work is considered classic literature. In addition to the mass influx of African American literature, jazz music was on the rise (p. 83-86) Jazz became a symbol of African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. This product of music pulled concepts from â€Å"African rhythms, blues chord progressions, church spirituals, European melodies, and American marching band instrumentation. † (p. 86) Probably the most well known musician from this era was the trumpeter, Louis Armstrong. Even though jazz originated in New Orleans, it quickly spread to the East coast and eventually to Harlem. The Flowers 5 literature produced in Harlem was by far more successful than jazz, but there was certainly no shortage of jazz in Harlem. Both the jazz and literary greats became idols to many African Americans. They created a wave of inspiration in the black community that quickly spread throughout certain areas of America. The African American community fought through violence, held their pride, and created an entire cultural movement. Through the idea of the â€Å"New Negro† to the eventual Harlem Renaissance, African Americans became stronger and bolder in fighting against whites. Through the NAACP, African Americans gained a stronger stance in politics than ever before. Through riots, beatings, and even deaths, African Americans fought to be treated equally to whites, and paved the way for their eventual freedom and equality.

The International Product Life Cycle Model Theory Economics Essay

The International Product Life Cycle Model Theory Economics Essay The intent of Vernon, International Product Life Cycle model (IPLC) was to advance trade theory beyond David Ricardos static framework of comparative advantages. In 1817, Ricardo came up with a simple economic experiment to explain the benefits to any country that was engaged in international trade even if it could produce all products at the lowest cost and would seem to have no need to trade with foreign partners. He showed that it was advantageous for a country with an absolute advantage in all product categories to trade and allows its work force to specialise in those categories with the highest added value. Vernon focused on the dynamics of comparative advantage and drew inspiration from the product life cycle to explain how trade patterns change over time. New products are manufactured, produced and consumed in the developed (inventing) countries. Then, other high-income countries import it. Production spreads to other advanced countries. The standardised product begins to be produced out of advanced countries into low-wage nation. Advanced countries import it from the low wage countries and Next generation product invented in the advanced countries. Globalisation- Business Environment The tremendous growth of international trade over the past several decades has been both a primary cause and effect of globalization. The volume of world trade since 1950 has increased twenty-fold from $320 billion to $6.8 trillion.1 This increase in the trade of manufactured goods exceeds the increase in the rate of the production of these goods by three times. As a result, consumers around the world now enjoy a broader selection of products than ever before. Additionally, a whole host of U.S. government agencies and international institutions has been established to help manage the ever-growing flow of goods, services, and capital. Although increased international trade has spurred tremendous economic growth across the globe raising incomes, creating jobs, reducing prices, and increasing workers earning power trade can also bring about certain kinds of economic, political, and social disruption. Because the global economy is so interconnected, when large economies suffer recessions, the effects are felt around the world. Trade decreases, and domestic jobs and businesses are lost. In the same way that globalization can be a boon for international trade; it can also have a crushing impact(www.globalization101.org) Offshoreing trend lower wages The shift of productive capacity from the advanced countries to poor countries can be viewed as a commonality of interest among advanced country business groups and Third World elites, who act in concert against workers both in the U. S. and in developing countries. It can also be viewed as a strategy to change the balance of power between Capital and Labour. By shifting production to jurisdictions which favour Capital, owners gain a larger share of revenue and power, while workers everywhere suffer Multinational enterprises (MNEs) had provided huge number of the employment in countries like Indonesian, Vietnam. It not only solves the countries unemployment rate furthermore it will increase the country GDP and lead to the industrialization process of the country by learning the technical know-hows and other industrial automation process. Countries Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow will increase; it will improve the exchange and currency rates .Good Employment opportunities directs to better living standard and high purchasing power. Nevertheless, the poor wages, Vietnam and low wage nations can welcome the offshore trend and implement the foreign policies accordingly. Over the last two decades, the advanced economies experienced a boom in off shoring and a doubling of imports of manufactured goods from low-wage countries. Over this same period, approximately 6 million jobs were lost in manufacturing and income inequality increased sharply.These parallel developments led many critics of globalisation to conclude that good manufacturing jobs were being shipped overseas at the expense of the domestic labour force, putting downward pressure on wages of American workers. Concern over these developments led the US Congress to pass the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. Yet whether these changes in the US labour market are a result of rising import competition or relocation by multinationals to other countries (known as off shoring) is not clear. Paul Krugman (2008) claims that we will never know. He asks How can we quantify the actual effect of rising trade on wages?, and then answers: The answer, given the current state of the data, is that we cant. Yet Krugman suspects that the dramatic increase in manufactured imports from developing countries since the early 1990s has contributed to increasing income inequality. Earlier studies explained rising inequality as a result of technological change which favours skilled workers, a falling minimum wage, or weaker unions (Autor, Katz and Kearney 2008). Larry Katz and David Autor agree with Krugman, arguing that international trade and offshoring will be increasingly important rivers of wages in the future. Theoretically capital mobility should result in higher wages for workers in the developing world, but often it does not. An egregious example of this phenomenon is Nike, the sports shoe manufacturer. Nike makes shoes by contracting with producers in Asian countries. Aggressively seeking the lowest cost, Nike recently moved production from Korea to Indonesia, a military dictatorship which violently represses union activity. The shoes you pay $80 for in the United States are assembled by Indonesian women, working in squalid factories, who receive approximately twelve cents per pair http://home.home.pacbell.net/jfcowan) Benefits of relocating to poor countries For certain occupations there is a greater availability of highly skilled and experienced employees overseas for example manufacturing skills in china and Information technology, Bangalore, India. Cost advantage Companies can save 30-50% compared to the cost of a U.S.-based employee for the same level of performance, and of ten times the offshore employees are more committed, grateful for the work. By using an offshore employee, you eliminate the time you would normally spend on searching job boards, recruiting, interviewing, orientation, managing vacation time and absenteeism, career coaching, and managing employee morale and motivation. Employee issues can be time-consuming and can escalate into legal liabilities. Using offshore staff eliminates certain legal exposure to employment liabilities. Flexibility Unlike traditional employee relationships, off shoring eliminates hiring and termination costs, allowing companies to quickly expand and contract their overseas staff in accordance with business needs. Challenges and considerations Before deciding the relocation plant, the firm has to address the key challenges with respect to cultural, Tax policy, cost savings. Different cultures have different life styles, different attitudes toward conflict resolution and simply different ways of getting work done. Offshore outsourcing is a politically charged issue nowadays, for example the current US government has passed the bill against outsourcing. Expected cost savings might not result from offshore outsourcing. The offshore staff might not turn out to be as productive as expected. Quality of the product also matters for the firm Brand equity. Off shoring can lead to low production cost, if the firm can address all the above mentioned challenges. But, selling the large quantities of the new goods immediately in the poor and low wages countries are always uncertain and it is a risky process also. Every firm has their unique marketing plan and strategy of their products. But, in general poor countries Gross Domestic Product(GDP), Income per captia, and purchasing power of the consumers very less when compare with advanced countries like UK,USA,Germany,France.Canada. Selling a new product in the market requires lot of marketing research and sampling. Due to the uncertain market environment, political disability and consumer behaviour firms are finding difficulties in implementing marketing plan and strategies for the poor countries. In my opinion selling the new goods in the poor countries requires deep understanding of local market and consumer tastes. As per the WTO and ILO reports, more than 3.5 billion people are living in the poor countries. So, firms should understand the culture, life style, of the people to market and sell their products. The plant location and country alone cant decide the success of their products. Findings and recommendations Todays globalization and dynamic business environment has made Production life cycle Theory out of date. Global trade has increased significantly in the last 10- 15 years, thanks to the globalisation world but in the same time inequalities are also increasing. Shifting the production facility or off shoring the manufacturing jobs can increase the profit of the firm due to talent pool, low wages in the poor countries but to achieve this, it has to addresses the challenges of off shoring and draft the business strategies and plans effectively. But quality of the product /service and productivity are the major concern to be addresses by the off shore industry. GDP, income per captia, purchasing power, consumer behaviours are the major deciding factors for buying a new product in any part of the world. All poor countries above mentioned ratios are very less when compare to advanced countries .So launching a new product in poor countries is risky and uncertain even though the product is m anufactured in the same country. Firms should analyze the marketing plans strategy for the poor countries and apply in the poor counties with respect to the market and other demographic factors. Conclusion Globalisation phenomenon gaining across the globe. Trade and culture are exchanging rapidly, thaks, to the advance technology. Shifting the production jobs or off shoring the manufactured jobs has their own advantage and disadvantages. Off shoring has lot of benefits to their own or home country (capital abundant) and new host country (labour abundant) as well. in the same time it has to address the lot of issue in both host and home country with respect to culture, tax policy , environment and other factors. In the open market world firms have the rights to maximize the profits doing offshoreing if obey the terms and condition of the both own and host countries and it should be follow the framework of WTO and ILO

The Behavioral Segmentation Examples Marketing Essay

The Behavioral Segmentation Examples Marketing Essay According to Philip Kotler Market segmentation is sub-dividing a market into distinct and homogeneous subgroups of customers, where any group can conceivably be selected as a target market to be met with distinct marketing mix. In other words, Market Segmentation is a method of dividing a market into smaller groupings of consumers or organizations in which each segment has a common characteristic such as needs or behavior. Finding the most revealing way to segment a market is more an art than a science Any useful segmentation scheme will be based around the needs of customers and should be effective in revealing new business opportunities. Peter Doyle All markets are heterogeneous. This is evident from observation and from the proliferation of popular books describing the heterogeneity of local and global markets. Consider, for example, The Nine Nations of North America (Garreau, 1982), Latitudes and Attitudes: An Atlas of American Tastes, Trends, Politics and Passions (Weiss, 1994) and Mastering Global Markets: Strategies for Todays Trade Globalist (Czinkotaet al., 2003). When reflecting on the nature of markets, consumer behavior and competitive activities, it is obvious that no product or service appeals to all consumers and even those who purchase the same product may do so for diverse reasons. Effective marketing and business strategy therefore requires a segmentation of the market into homogeneous segments, an understanding of the needs and wants of these segments, the design of products and services that meet those needs and development of marketing strategies, to effectively reach the target segments. Thus focusing on segments is at the core of organizations efforts to become customer driven; it is also the key to effective resource allocation and deployment. The level of segment aggregation is an increasingly important issue. In todays global economy, the ability to customize products and services often calls for the most micro of segments: the segment of one. Following and implementing a market segmentation strategy allows the firm to increase its profitability, as suggested by the classic price discrimination model, which provides the theoretical rationale for segmentation. The most common B2B segmentation techniques used by software companies are: SEGMENTING BY HORIZONTAL DISTINCTION A horizontal market is a market so diversified that its products and/or services are broad enough to meet the needs of multiple industries. The audience for horizontal markets shares characteristics across industries. Based on the scope of horizontal markets, the marketing efforts that support them must reach this spectrum of buyers and prospective buyers. Because horizontal markets are broad, marketers often segment them into subsets. These groups are typically based on demographic factors such as the prospects income, location or job title. Horizontal Segmentation Example To use telcos as an example they will even further segment their buyers and prospects to address specific needs. To increase sales of home Internet services, they can target a specific subgroup, such as senior citizens, low income users or parents with school-age children. SEGMENTING BY SIZE Because the demands of business-to-business customers are so polarized, a common tactic is to segment markets based on company size. Companies do this because the thinking and strategies behind a larger company is typically radically different from the approach of a smaller business. Larger businesses typically employ a more formal procurement process seeking the lowest bid possible. Small businesses tend to learn towards a more personal and inclusive type of business arrangement. Sometimes, leveraging basic information like the size of the company, its annual revenues, or the business own clientele roster will tell you how you may or may not work together. In some case you can be even more specific and count the number of installs of your software the company could potentially buy. Size Segmentation Examples   Targeting companies who see $500 million/year in revenue. Only targeting the largest companies in your region based on number of employees. I spent a long time in the contact center software space. We sold by number of agent seats. If a company had more than 500 agent seats they were enterprise and if they had less than 500 seats, they were mid-market. SEGMENTING BY VERTICAL If a product fulfills a common need thats widely seen across an industry then vertical segmenting is used. Ineffective for most consumer markets, vertical segmenting is an effective strategy when working with a niche product geared for a niche industry. Single industries like that and other industries commonly identified by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system are often identified as vertical segments. Determining the end function of business customer tells how and at what level in the supply chain a companys product will be used. And this knowledge drives how the company positions and marketsits product. Its a simple question how and by whom will my product be used? A hanger warehouse may only target companies in the retail industry, a graphic software firm may only target design departments or design houses, while a supply chain management developer may count freight companies among his prospects. Vertical Segmentation Examples   A navigation software vendor that only focus on the cruise or trucking industries. A gauge manufacturer that only services the automotive industry Selling exclusively to wholesalers in a vertical industry (combined segmenting) Identifying a department function within a larger corporation SEGMENTING BY GEOGRAPHY While geographic segmenting is often used to leverage characteristics shared by a population living in the same region, small businesses, those with capacity limitations, and consumer-driven companies often use geographic criteria to target prospects. As a Silicon Valley-based company, you may not be able to service prospects west of a designated time zone. Or even more specific, you may segment your prospects to a select number of surrounding zip codes. Very plainly, where are your customers concentrated? Once you understand this data, youll no longer want to focus on any other geographic information. These same criteria can (and should) be applied to other geographic factors including population growth rates, economic factors, and isolated spoken language. Geographical Segmentation Examples   Introducing a unique product for the same unique geographic segment. A promotional campaign targeting one region to increase sales. SEGMENTING BY BEHAVIOR Very simply, this segmenting targets prospect groups based on their buying behavior. How are your customers using your product, how often are they using it, and what is the challenge your prospects face? Those questions, coupled with the propensity of your prospect to actually pull the buy trigger, are the cornerstone of behavioral segmenting. Other behavioral segmenting rules may include brand loyalty, order sizes, and any purchase procedure requirements. Behavioral Segmentation Examples A software company that releases a product geared for early technology adopters. A travel agency targeting travelers who prefer vacationing during the Christmas holiday. Between 80 and 90% of software startups fail within the first three years, depending on how failure is defined. While they mostly run out of money, the root of the problem is often poor marketing, specifically poor segmenting and targeting. Most people think of marketing as promotion through events, advertising, social media, direct email, or viral methods. But those activities, correctly and collectively known as marketing communications, are the very last marketing activities that should be done. Marketing is better described as bringing the right product to the right market at the right price at the right place. If this function is executed poorly, nothing else matters and nothing else can be done to fix the problem. No amount of promotion or creative sales technique will save a company that practices poor segmenting and targeting. A common mistake, made by open source and proprietary software companies alike, is to create something and then look for a market that will buy it. The company that designs a product and then enters the market looking for a customer will struggle. The company that first asks potential customers about their most pressing problems and then designs a compelling product to solve one of these problems is far more likely to succeed, even more so if the problem is a priority to the customer. Unfortunately, software companies tend to have a technology bias rather than a market bias. Why do so many software companies get this wrong? And more importantly, what can they do to get it right, or at least as right as possible? There are a number of reasons why poor marketing is prevalent, including technology arrogance, lack of market information, indecision, and ignorance of segmenting and targeting. The latter is particularly common, and in open source and other software communities, it generally takes the form of creating differently priced product feature sets, licensing, and support packages for different target segments. That kind of segmenting only starts to be successful after a company becomes well established and has enough customers that meeting their differing needs becomes a priority. A new open source company trying to go to market for the first time should instead focus on developing a clear idea of who they are selling to, what their customers problems are and why the customers would use this product over any other. Pricing models should clearly serve t he needs and preferences of that single target. Ideally, a company should identify their target market and the value they bring to it before their product even enters the design stage. But that rarely happens. At a minimum, they should have a market in mind before they take the product to market. It is less important that the target market is the absolute right one than it is to have a target market that is more or less in the right direction. If there is no target to aim for, there is no way to measure progress or success. If there is no target market, it is impossible to build critical mass or penetration. And, trying to sell into multiple segments to see which one works the best usually fails as the company will run out of time and money before finding the answer. Segmentation Challenges In Business-To-Business Market Business-to-business markets are characterized in a number of ways that makes them very different to their consumer cousins. Below summarizedare the main differences between consumer and business-to-business markets, and set out the implications for segmentation: B2B markets have a more complex decision-making unit:  In most households, even the most complex and expensive of purchases are confined to the small family unit, while the purchase of items such as food, clothes and cigarettes usually involves just one person. Other than low-value, low-risk items such as paperclips, the decision-making unit in businesses is far more complicated. Segmenting a target audience that is at once multifaceted, complex, oblique and ephemeral is an extremely demanding task. Do we segment the companies in which these decision makers work, or do we segment the decision makers themselves? Do we identify one key decision maker per company, and segment the key decision makers. In short, who exactly is the target audience and whom should we be segmenting? B2B products are often more complex:  Just as the decision-making unit is often complex in business-to-business markets, so too are b2b products themselves. Even complex consumer purchases such as cars and stereos tend to be chosen on the basis of fairly simple criteria. Conversely, even the simplest of b2b products might have to be integrated into a larger system, making the involvement of a qualified expert necessary. Whereas consumer products are usually standardized, b2b purchases are frequently tailored. This raises the question as to whether segmentation is possible in such markets if every customer has complex and completely different needs, it could be argued that we have a separate segment for every single customer. In most business-to-business markets, a small number of key customers are so important that they rise above the segmentation and are regarded as segments in their own right, with a dedicated account manager. Beneath these key customers, however, lies an array of companies that have similar and modest enough requirements to be grouped into segments. B2B target audiences are smaller than consumer target audiences:  Almost all business-to-business markets exhibit a customer distribution that confirms the Pareto Principle or 80:20 rule. A small number of customers dominate the sales ledger. Nor are we talking thousands and millions of customers. It is not unusual, even in the largest business-to-business companies, to have 100 or fewer customers that really make a difference to sales. Personal relationships are more important in b2b markets:  A small customer base that buys regularly from the business-to-business supplier is relatively easy to talk to. Sales and technical representatives visit the customers. People are on first-name terms. Personal relationships and trust develop. It is not unusual for a business-to-business supplier to have customers that have been loyal and committed for many years. There are a number of segmentation implications here. First, while the degree of relationship focus may vary from one segmentation to another, most segments in most b2b markets demand a level of personal service. This raises an issue at the core of segmentation everyone may want a personal relationship, but who is willing to pay for it? This is where the supplier must make firm choices, deciding to offer a relationship only to those who will pay the appropriate premium for it. On a practical level, it also means that market research must be conducted to provide a full understanding of exactly what relationship comprises. To a premium segment, it may consist of regular face-to-face visits, whilst to a price-conscious segment a quarterly phone call may be adequate. B2B buyers are longer-term buyers:  Whilst consumers do buy items such as houses and cars, which are long-term purchases, these incidences are relatively rare. Long-term purchases or at least purchases, which are expected to be repeated over a long period of time are more common in business-to-business markets. In addition, the long-term products and services required by businesses are more likely to require service back up from the supplier than is the case in consumer markets. A computer network, a new item of machinery, a photocopier or a fleet of vehicles usually require far more extensive aftersales service than a house or the single vehicle purchased by a consumer. Businesses repeat purchases (machine parts, office consumables, for example) will also require ongoing expertise and services in terms of delivery, implementation/installation advice, etc that are less likely to be demanded by consumers. In one sense this makes life easier in terms of segmentation. Segments tend to be less subject to whim or rapid change, meaning that once an accurate segmentation has been established, it evolves relatively slowly and is therefore a durable strategic tool. The risk of this is that business-to-business marketers can be complacent and pay inadequate attention to the changing needs and characteristics of customers over time. This can have grave consequences in terms of the profitability of a segment, as customers are faced with out-of-date messages or benefits that they are not paying for. B2B markets drive innovation less than consumer markets:  B2B companies that innovate usually do so as a response to an innovation that has happened further upstream. In contrast with FMCG companies, they have the comparative luxury of responding to trends rather than having to predict or even drive them. In other words, B2B companies have the time to continually re-evaluate their segments and CVPs and respond promptly to the evolving needs of their clients. B2B markets have fewer behavioral and needs-based segments:  The small number of segments typical to b2b markets is in itself a key distinguishing factor of business-to-business markets. A review of over 2,500 business-to-business studies shows that B2B markets typically have far fewer behavioral or needs-based segments than is the case with consumer markets. Whereas it is not uncommon for an FMCG market to boast 10, 12 or more segments, the average business-to-business study typically produces 3 or 4. Part of the reason for this is the smaller target audience in business-to-business markets. In a consumer market with tens of thousands of potential customers, it is practical and economical to divide the market into 10 or 12 distinguishable segments, even if several of the segments are only separated by small nuances of behavior or need. This is patently not the case when the target audience consists of a couple of hundred business buyers. The main reason for the smaller number of segments, however, is simply that a business audiences behavior or needs vary less than that of a (less rational) consumer audience. Whims, insecurities, indulgences and so on are far less likely to come to the buyers mind when the purchase is for a place of work rather than for oneself or a close family member. And the numerous colleagues who get involved in a B2B buying decision, and the workplace norms established over time, filter out many of the extremes of behavior that may otherwise manifest themselves if the decision were left to one person with no accountability to others. It is noticeable that the behavioral and needs-based segments that emerge in business-to-business markets are frequently similar across different industries. Needs-based segments in a typical business-to business market often resemble the following: A price-focused segment, which has a transactional outlook to doing business and does not seek any extras. Companies in this segment are often small, working to low margins and regard the product/service in question as of low strategic importance to their business. A quality and brand-focused segment, which wants the best possible product and is prepared to pay for it. Companies in this segment often work to high margins, are medium-sized or large, and regard the product/service as of high strategic importance. A service-focused segment, which has high requirements in terms of product quality and range, but also in terms of aftersales, delivery, etc. These companies tend to work in time-critical industries and can be small, medium or large. They are usually purchasing relatively high volumes. A partnership-focused segment usually consists of key accounts, which seeks trust and reliability and regards the supplier as a strategic partner. Such companies tend to be large, operate on relatively high margins, and regard the product or service in question as strategically important. Some Common Traps of Segmenting Customers Segmentation is the action not the objective Segmentation has to stem from clear objectives and strategy. All too many businesses are still picking through the leftovers of static, research-based segmentation projects based on little more than executive philosophy. With no financial modeling to back them up, no wonder these projects failed. The Smart Marketers Handbook (circa 1970) may well say segment or die but that doesnt mean segmentation works or that it has to be the same for every business. Too big to handle To make segmentation easy to grasp, its all too tempting to split the marketplace into a few simple customer segments. For instance, five to ten segments makes it all straightforward enough for a business to understand, and large enoughà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨to allow economies of scale in product development. However, its no help with customer management or value engineering. After all, for any large business, some of the segments could contain millions of consumers. Thats hardly getting close to the customer! The frozen state Another key requirement of most legacy segmentation approaches is stability. If an organization is going to create a few large segments and develop propositions for them, the last thing they want is a customer jumping from one segment to another. That means segments are designed to be static, or frozen. Businessesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨can then measure performance over time and be confident about returnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨on investment. But the awkward customers keep getting in the way. They will insist on changing: age, jobs, homes, marital status, parental status, consumption to name but a few. Fixed state segmentation fails to reflect the dynamic behavior of customers and becomes increasingly irrelevant in marketing campaigns. Problems with referencing Market research can be a wonderful thing, but when an individual focus is needed it becomes less helpful. Unfortunately, many companies rush into segmentation by starting with market research. Customers and prospective customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨are asked what they want, need and do, and the research project then builds segmentation models. However, once a company starts referencing these segments back to the existing and prospective customer databases it hits some serious problems: The only way to create references, within the rules of the Marketing Research Society on respondent anonymity, is to set up algorithms using common data and recreates the segments on the database. However, if you didnt start with the database itself, there will be very few common items to draw upon. The scoring process therefore becomes very unsophisticated and insensitive, and the chance of placing more than 50% of customers into the right segments with anything above 70% probability are quite slim. That means companies can spend years (and millions) picking up the pieces. The solution is to start with your own data, and any data from a third party, to build the segmentation upwards. Once youve identified the key variables, then you can do the market research. Differentiation or just different colored envelops? The best segmentation framework in the world will still not deliver a return if a business cannot conceive and execute worthwhile strategies. After all, whats the point in having segments if the customer experience is hardly different across each one? All too often organizations think the best use of segmentation is in creating different communications for different groups of people. Frankly, if thats the only reason for segmentation, its not worth the expense. It creates minimal difference, and wont justify the cost. At the end of the day segmentation can only pay for itself by delivering lower conversion costs, higher prices and improved margins. True segmentation means different propositions for different customer groups, not just different colored envelopes in their direct mail. Poor resource allocation and ROI assessment All too often organizations allocate resources by product or business function. Yet if you are serious about segmentation, you need to follow a scientific method to allocate resources and assess returns across different segments. One challenge to this is, of course, the fact that segments are not stable. How can you allocate suitable resources if customers shift segments? The answer for many organizations is to only segment at the macro level, for example: By geography By sector By consumer / B2B Segment bleed this sector is not for you Segmentation may look good on paper, but customers are forever breaking out of their segments. If someone from the Medium Size segment takes a shine to a proposition developed for Small Size Segment, you dont want to turn their business down. Yet this can ultimately damage a brand, particularly in a mature market. Segmentation isnt monotheism Segmentation is most powerful when it addresses a specific problem. Moreover, as most businesses face many problems, segmentation must be multi-dimensional. Value, needs, behavior, product, demographics, customer state, preference, credit segmentation can take any number of approaches, making your organization as flexible as possible to meet business challenges. One hurdle to overcome is the senior executives preference for simpler, easy to understand concepts. Todays marketer has to be able to explain and demonstrate the benefits of multi-dimensionality against seductively simpler segmentation. Some examples of failed products because of faulty segmentation: BPL Contributor Jim Lawless. The product BPL Batch Programming Language Interpreter. Why it was judged a commercial failure I sold about 10 copies. What went wrong I didnt really do enough research to find out if the target market was in existence. I was hoping that network admins and support staff members would find it easier to use than batch files and less complicated than any of the free scripting language options available. So, I just rushed to get the MVP  [1]  (Minimum Viable Product) out the door. I never did provide a compiler that would build a stand-alone EXE. I think that might have met with more success. I didnt do much as far as advertising the existence of the product. Time/money invested I only spent a few weeks coding and documenting it in my spare time. Support issues sometimes took a whole evening, but nothing major. It did not have any impact on my finances, as I had invested nothing but my time. Current product status I will still address support issues with this product for registered users, but I dont actively sell it. Ive open-sourced the program and it still really isnt seeing heavy use. Comments: Here the contributor does recognize that there was a need for a proper market analysis before investing time and efforts in developing the product. The product developed did not have a clear market to cater to and had some essential features missing which the segment to which it was marketed needed. Another reason for the failure of the product could be that it was focused on a very small niche. DRAMA Contributor Andy Brice. The product DRAMA (Design RAtionaleMAnagement) was a commercialization of a University prototype for recording the decision-making process during the design of complex and long-lived artifacts, for example nuclear reactors and chemical plants. By recording it in a structured database this information would still be available long after the original engineers had forgotten it, retired or been run over by buses. This information was believed to be incredibly valuable to later maintainers of the system, engineers creating similar designs and industry regulators. The development was part funded by 4 big process-engineering companies. Why it was judged a commercial failure Everyone told us what a great idea it was, but no one bought it. Despite some early funding from some big process engineering companies, none of them put it into use properly and we never sold any licenses to anyone else. What went wrong? Lack of support from the people who would actually have to use it. There are lots of social factors that work against engineers wanting to record their design rationale, including: The person taking the time to record the rationale probably isnt the person getting the benefit from it. Extra work for people who are already under a lot of time pressure. It might make it easier for others to question decisions and hold companies and engineers accountable for mistakes. Engineers may see giving away this knowledge as undermining their job security. Problems integrating with the other software tools that engineers spend most of their time in (e.g. CAD packages). This would probably be easier with modern web-based technology. It is difficult to capture the subtleties of the design process in a structured form. A bad hire. If you hire the wrong person, you should face up to it and get rid of them. Rather than keep moving them around in a vain attempt to find something they are good at. We took a phased approach, starting with a single-user proof of concept and then creating a client-server version. In hindsight it should have been obvious that not enough people were actively using the single-user system and we should have killed it then. Time/money invested At least 3 man-years of work went into this product, with me doing most of it. Thankfully I was a salaried employee. But the lack of success of this product contributed to the demise of the part of the company I was in. Current product status The product is long dead. Comments: In addition to what the entrepreneur mentioned about what went wrong with the product, we can see that the early adopters (4 companies) are not stable customers. From what the entrepreneur has mentioned, it does seem that the four big companies were approached without having a product. How do you measure the effectiveness of the segmentation process? Net Marketing Contribution Marketing profitability is based on an investment in marketing and sales required to achieve certain levels of sales and gross margins. Net marketing contribution is a financial measure of marketing profitability and is computed as shown below: Net Marketing Contribution = Segment Size x Market Share within Segment x Product Price x Product Margin Marketing Expenditure Net Marketing Contribution for Segment NMC for segment = Segment Size x Market Share within Segment x Product Price x Product Margin Marketing Expenditure Marketing Return on Sales for segment = NMC for segment/Sales for Segment Marketing ROI for Segment = NMC for Segment/ Marketing Expenditure for Segment How exactly are companies segmenting? The trends in the product development process of companies as per our survey results is shown below If we see the result according to the size of the respondent companies the small and medium companies show the below trend The large companies showed the below trend The two most important factors when deciding a segment for all the companies were the value proposition fit and then the revenue potential of the segment, the size of the segment in terms of importance came after the aforementioned factors. The general trend across companies shows that Vertical and Horizontal segmentation are the most important basis for targeting segments, the next most important basis is the size of the clients. However, there is a clear variation in this trend according to the size of the companies. For the large companies the most important basis for targeting segments is the business vertical, Horizontal distinction and size of the clients share the position of being sec

The Concept of Metaphysical Liberalism: On the Philosophical Source o

The Concept of 'Metaphysical Liberalism': On the Philosophical Source of 'Liberal Democracy' ABSTRACT: There have been many discussions about ‘Liberalism’ in modern political philosophy. In this paper, I want to discuss the liberal principles of political philosophy on the metaphysical level. This includes the liberal mind, the liberal consciousness, and the liberal ethos, all of which are presupposed in our liberal behaviors, and in turn serve as fundamental principles in any multicultural society. I want to emphasize the liberal tendencies of self-criticism and of the critical way of thinking in European traditional metaphysics, such as Plato’s dialectics or Kant’s philosophy of criticism. The latter is also the logic of dialogue which produces an endless questioning of possible universal truths. I group these characteristics under the label ‘Metaphysical Liberalism’ and assess them from three standpoints: (1) critical agnosticism; (2) methodological falsificationism; and (3) pluralistic universalism. These three points enable us to remain self-conscious of the limitation of any kind of special theory or thought in order to prevent the emergence of any dogmatic belief-system. Such liberal attitudes that allow the realization of individual ideas and thoughts without any political coercion in turn sustain a democratic federalism that creates space for the expression of public opinion even while protecting such space. Such a situation, however, is possible only by educating ourselves in this metaphysical method. I. Liberalism, as Principle of ‘open society’ Nowadays, we are forced to live inworld where there are no barriers, in which the global exchange of information and communications between people have already becom... ... interfering, systematically speaking, it is valid to establish an impartial observance group in every organization, and to hold a deliberative organ there, in which all members can participate directly and make divided open discussions to solve inner problems caused in each section. But taking root in the tolerant and self-critical attitude of liberalism, is not solely possible by systematic improvement. I say again, this is only possible by the Kant’s words: ‘Revolution of thinking’, on the level of an individual’s consciousness, which means ‘Paideia’of philosophy, namely the education of liberal way of thinking in metaphysics. This philosophical education is not an ideal, but the indispensable task we are confronting with today. So I would like to emphasize that the completion of this task will make one of the universal frameworks to realize an impartial society.

Phaedo by Plato :: Papers

Phaedo by Plato The main theme behind the "Phaedo" is Socrates' readiness and willingness to die, because of his belief of immortality. Socrates believed that when his body ceased to exist anymore, that his soul would leave and join that of the forms, where he would be eternally. Socrates believed so strongly in this, that not only did he not fear his death, he welcomed it. He believed that only when the soul separated from the body, is a person able to be truly enlightened and gain all knowledge. This "enlightenment" has been Socrates' life long goal of discovering the truth. Even at his hour of death, Socrates showed no hesitation. However, Socrates' friends did not believe so strongly, and took some great convincing by Socrates, to allow his friends to be okay with his death. The two proofs that Socrates used to convince his friends are the "Doctrine of Opposites" and the "simple and composite theory. The first proof, the "Doctrine of Opposites," is the type of proof that uses a sequence of factual statements the lead from to another to prove that one thing is the same as another thing. The "Doctrine of Opposites" uses simple references to allow the reader to easily comprehend and follow the steps of the logical process. For example, hot comes from cold. An object could not possibly be hot if it was never heated up from the state of being cold. The same holds true for the reverse of this analogy. If cold object must have at one point been cooled down from a state of being hot. Since hot and cold are opposites, this simple statement proves that things come from there opposite. Also by using this example, Socrates is trying to imply the idea of eternal existence. He is saying that cold doesn't come from thin air. It had to have come from some previous existence in some other form, which in this case would be hot. Another example that he uses is the asleep and awake analog y. One would have to agree that a person could be only one or the other. If you are not sleeping, then you are awake and if you are not awake then you have to be asleep. This example further proves that you can only be one of something or the other, its opposite, but you must be one of them.

Explain how Steinbeck describes the differences in character between Lenny and George Essay

Explain how Steinbeck describes the differences in character between Lenny and George The author, John Steinbeck described Lenny as the opposite of George. Lenny and George are good friends but mostly have nothing in common except that they both share the same dream, the American dream. Steinbeck described what the characters are wearing at the beginning of the story. Then he started describing the difference in characters between George and Lenny. George is the smart one and Lenny is the one who’s childlike. Lenny always depends on George because George is the only friend he’s got and George is like the only family of Lenny. At the beginning of the story, Steinbeck first described what George and Lenny are wearing at the beginning of the story as â€Å"Both dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons†. Then he started describing the difference between George and Lenny. First he defined George as â€Å"small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose†. Then he described Lenny with no similarity to George as â€Å"a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders†. Steinbeck uses a simile to describe Lennie. He tells us how he walk by ‘dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws’, he described Lennie by comparing him to an animal. Steinbeck wants us to draw an image in our mind of how Lennie moves. In the next paragraph he compares Lennie to an animal again, when he ‘drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse’. The author described Lennie like an animal so that we’ll imagine it clearly by picturing Lennie like the way an animal move. The role of George in novel is like a parent to Lennie who’s a big guy but has a mind like a child. Since Lennie’s Aunt died, George is the one taking care of Lennie. ‘When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’, George said to Slim. Sometimes he tells Lennie the things to do and thing he’s not supposed to do. Lennie, for God’s sakes don’t drink so much’, George told him off like telling off a child. George acts as a parent to Lennie. Lennie imitates George sometimes. He copies George by the way he acts and the way he tells Lennie something to do, as if he’s also looking after George. ‘You drink some, George. You take a good big drink’, he told George. Steinbeck told us many things that describe how childish Lennie is. For example, when Lennie found out what Lennie had in his pocket. ‘It’s only a mouse George’, Lennie said nervously. He is afraid that George might take the mouse from him. Lennie love to pet animals like the way a child pets an animal, but Lennie doesn’t realise his strength. He accidentally kills the animals he pets because he’s stroking them to hard. George and Lennie argue sometimes. And when they did at the beginning of the story, George told Lennie about all the stuff he would do if Lennie was never with him. ‘if I was alone I could live so easy†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, George described what it would be like without Lennie because George always gets in trouble because of Lennie. George said to Lennie angrily, ‘You keep me in hot water all the time’. George would like to be alone, but he doesn’t know how it feels to be a loner, he imagines what it feels like to take care of nobody except himself and he wants to know how it feels without the trouble of Lennie. He also wants to know if he would be happy or he might be lonely without Lennie. This is the feeling of George that Steinbeck wants us to know. Although, George is not the only one who would like to have a feeling of being alone. Lennie is a very confused man that cannot think very well. However, Lennie sometimes feel that George hates him because George doesn’t want him by his side. ‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so and I’ll go off in those hills right there – right up in those hills and live by myself,’ Lennie talks like he’s defending himself. He’s acting strong and he’s trying to show George that he can live and he can take care by himself alone. But then George realises how mean he was when he talked about the things he would do if Lennie wasn’t with him. George changed his mind in the end. Then George replies, ‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself†¦.’ George replies to his thinking of living alone. George feels bad about what he said to Lennie. He is still worried about Lennie. He only imagines the bad things that might happen to Lennie if he was by himself. Steinbeck wants us to know that George don’t want Lennie to go, not only because Lennie can’t take care of himself alone, but it’s because George and Lennie are also best friends and have already known each other since childhood. Steinbeck tells us that George is the only that describes Lennie the way he is. George is the only one who knows him very well. ‘Hell of a nice fella, but he ain’t bright. I’ve knew him for a long time’ George described Lennie proudly. When he tells someone, like Slim, about Lennie, he doesn’t use the word â€Å"crazy† to describe Lennie because he already know what ways to describe Lennie. He even tells Slim that having Lennie isn’t so bad at all because they got each other to take care of. ‘I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun†¦.’ George was sincere when he was talking to Slim about them being friends. I think Steinbeck wants us to know that even though George and Lenny have nothing in common, they always had each other as friends. The author wants us to realise how strong George and Lennie’s bond. Their friendship can’t be broken by anyone, easily. The two characters played a good role to people to show how important friends are. Even though Lennie wasn’t bright, George accepted Lennie as he is because he is his friend. Both of them know that they have each other to take care of. Compare to other people who are alone, are the loneliest people. John Steinbeck described each of the character uniquely, unlike any other character in a novel. At the very beginning of the novel, Steinbeck described the surroundings of the Salinas River. He wants us to picture in our mind what the place looks like. He creates an image in our mind that relate to the senses, including sight and touch. ‘The Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He also uses a metaphor to describe things clearly. ‘the golden foothill’. He wants the reader to imagine what its like and because he knows that we’ll understand what it means because it’s just a metaphor. The writer did all this at the beginning of the novel to make the target audience want to read this novel. And once they become really interested in reading the beginning of the story, they’ll plan to read the whole book.