Cal by bernard Maclaverty

Cal by Bernard MacLaverty tells us the tragic story about a young, unemployed Catholic named Cal Maclusky. He lives in Northern Ireland in an ulster where mostly Protestants live and is the son of a stubborn widowed abattoir man who refuses to leave his home even though their house had been firebomb threatened several times. Cal’s life is tough and trouble always seems to find him, his mother died when he was eight, Protestants give him a hard time and as if that wasn’t enough his friend from school a bully named Crilly has dragged Cal into an organization called the IRA where Cal are forced to take part in dangerous IRA activity.To make matters worse Cal finds himself falling in love with a widowed women named Marcella, whose husband was killed by the IRA, a dirty murder in which Cal had participated. All though it wasn’t him who had shot her husband he still felt guilty. The main characters are Cal, Marcella, Cal’s father and Crilly. Cal lacks confidence , is rather depressed, unhappy and has a lot of self-hatred. He has all the needed qualities of being the main character in a tragedy. Cal is the kind of character one would sympathize with and feel sorry for even though he has committed a few mistakes.Every tragedy must have a sad love story and that is why I believe MacLaverty created this character, a forgiving and loving widowed wife who has experienced adversity but hasn’t lost her hope in life. With her she has her young daughter Lucky who she is very protective of. Cal’s father is a stubborn but loving man. He refuses to leave his home even after being threatened. He loves his son but isn’t very keen on showing emotions. Every story must have a â€Å"bad guy† and in this novel Crilly is the one who creates some of the trouble for Cal.Crilly is a fearless and merciless bully who works for the IRA and who puts Cal I difficulties like making him his driver while he is on a mission to murder somebody. The story is very believable and without knowing much about the background one would reasonably assume that the novel is based on a true story. It mainly addresses the complexity of being caught in cultural hubris. It also has an underlying meaning which I believe is to show us how the life of a minority among hostile and aggressive people is.Cal’s life is a struggle and will be until he has taken his last breath. I truly would recommend this story even though it is very sad, but I would also recommend that you reference the IRA as part of ongoing Irish history, which will help your understanding of the novel and what Cal is really going through. Sure the story is rather predictable and we get answers to a lot of our immediate questions, but even when things are revealed there are still surprises and things withheld in meaningful ways. MacLaverty is indeed a great author, with a huge talent.

Literary criticism

Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural writing. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn from books and literature; we enjoy the triumphs and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books. In conclusion, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author's message. However we interpret literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works.Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is both universal and individual, and in many ways it affects us, for the better. When some people think of the word â€Å"Literature† they think of books like, Walden, Old man and the Sea, Tom Sawyer, Great Expectations, or Moby Dick. These are what some call â€Å"the classics. † While these few books are indeed literatur e do we subconsciously judge other books based on the styling’s of these few? People believe that the true meaning of â€Å"Literature,† is a literary work in which the readers mind is opened to new concepts and ideals.For a writing to be called â€Å"Literature† it doesn’t have to be considered a â€Å"Classic† nor does it need to follow the same construct as these so called â€Å"Classics†. The book, 11/23/63, is much more of a form of â€Å"Literature† than A Tale of Two Cities. Based solely on the fact that in the Stephen King novel, he places the thought of, â€Å"What if? † into your mind.. Whereas, â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities†, depicts the plight of the French peasantry in the years leading up to the revolution, as opposed to opening your mind. While A Tale of Two Cities, shows you what life was like in those times.Stephen King shows you an alternate universe in which there was but one change, and how that one chan ge affects how history takes its course. When the author helps your mind, explore worlds of endless possibility, or sheds light on a new way to perceive things. That is when the author has created a â€Å"True† work of literary merit. The thing about the term, â€Å"Literature†, is that it doesn’t have just one meaning. Literature is comprised of many things, but while Webster definition of â€Å"Literature† is, â€Å"the production of literary work especially as an occupation.† The â€Å"True† meaning is open to interpretation, meaning that one person’s definition of the word may be completely different than another person’s definition. This is both the great and horrid thing about the term. When scholars classify writing as literature, they often consider it a book or writing that has stood the test of time and despite its age it has surpassed many other great works through history by receiving merit from the scholars, based on their description of the word, influential.You may agree that it should be considered a piece of â€Å"Literature†, if it has done this, and you would be right, but what if it was a great piece of literary art that didn’t become a best seller? And thus was cast into the abyss to be forgotten until stumbled across one day by a mind ready to take in what the author wanted to say. Would you consider it â€Å"Literature? † Or would you just leave it in the abyss because it never became a best seller? Take Moby Dick for example, it is considered to be one of the Great American Novels and a treasure of world literature. However, it never received enough credit to title it a â€Å"Best seller.† One literary work, also helps define my idea of the word Literature, is The Hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien. The reason I consider this a piece of â€Å"Literature† is because of the amount of imagery Tolkien uses to bring his world to life in the imagination of the r eader. In this excerpt from that book, he describes every thought of the characters and his use of imagery helps create the scene in the mind of the reader. â€Å"The dark came into the room from the little window that opened in the side of The Hill; the firelight flickered-it was April-and still they played on, while the shadow of Gandalf’s beard wagged against the wall.The dark filled all the room, and the fire died down, and the shadows were lost, and still they played on. And suddenly first one and then another began to sing as they played, deep-throated singing of the dwarves in the deep places of their ancient homes; and this is like a fragment of their song, if it can be like their song without their music. † (The Hobbit, Page 15) Tolkien’s powerful use of imagery in that passage painted a clear picture of what happens while the dwarves sing. However, Splatterpunk also uses powerful imagery to paint pictures.The key difference between the imagery used Spl atterpunk and the imagery used in The Hobbit, is how the imagery is used. In the novel, The Cipher, which combined intensely poetic language and lavish grotesqueries, the author, uses imagery to place the pictures into the mind of the reader using powerful and descriptive words. As opposed to Tolkien, who draws upon the reader’s imagination with basic descriptions to help create a sketch in his mind. Now, many would not consider this a form of â€Å"Literature† due to the lack of personal connection between the story and the reader.However, I consider this book, and even this passage alone, to be a form of â€Å"Literature† solely because it opens my mind to a new world full of adventure and intrigue, while keeping the reader glued to the book during the time he reads. Imagery is a powerful tool for both the author and the reader, for if the author isn’t clear with his use of imagery it breaks the reader’s attention and allows him to be lost within the story, and not in a good way. Tolkien also uses diction to place an image into the readers mind, and he does this in such a way the reader begins to sing the song in his own head.Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To claim our long-forgotten gold. Goblets they carved there for themselves And harps of gold; where no man delves There lay they long, and many a song Was sung unheard by men or elves. The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light (The Hobbit, Page 16) Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is both universal and individual, and in many ways it affects us, for the better.In ways we sometimes may never understand. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author's message in one way, while someone else finds the message a different way. In this way we see how the definition of â€Å"Literature,† is subjective to both the readers own interpretation, and the overall meaning of the work. Because even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Sources Cited Tolkien, John R. R. The Hobbit. N. p. : George Allen & Unwin, 1937. 15. Web.

Interpreting Financial Results Essay

Target’s mission is for their customer to except the most out of them and to pay less for their products. They plan to achieve this by delivering outstanding values, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences. As I have research and interpret Target’s Financial Results, I was able to identify some trends they have experiences within the last three years. When it comes to Targets Liquidity Ratio, the pattern shows that from 2011 to 2013 they start up went down and slowly went back up. As for their Efficiency Ratio the trend identifies that from 2011 to 2013 they were still starting high then dropping low and slowly coming back up. Now when it comes to the Leverage Ratio Targets has continuous increase for 2011 to 2013 with just a little decrease in some areas and this also goes for the Profitability Ratio, Market Value Indicator soon. I also had the opportunity to compare the financial results of Target with their benchmarking company Walmart. Once I review Walmart’s financial results, I saw some of the same trends target had. I also notice that Walmart has a lot more revenue being generated then what Target does. I have attached a financial ratio sheet which will also confirm and identify the trends of both Target and Walmart.

Comparing And Contrasting Two Selected Learning Environment Venues Essay

Comparing And Contrasting Two Selected Learning Environment Venues - Essay Example Furthermore, by comparing the campus to a joint "information space" where we are gratis to roam and "interoperate" at will, we underline the role that proprietary limits have played in making online learning a outlying, cramped, and sensitively "flat" skill (A. Kay and A. Goldberg,2002, 31-41). The famous instructive developers regard this supple platform as the base for a next-generation online learning environment, one that is really further multi-dimensional than the management system paradigm. Any approach to online education that carry on restrict itself to the discharge of content alone ignores all the penetration and surface of campus life, the length of by the social and joint nature of learning. Of the three broad aspire of higher education- 3) Growth of an intentional, or independent, approach to life-long learning present online learning environments are moderately successful in organization only the first, most transactional of goals. In this respect, they have failed to give a "port of entry" into theoretical consideration for students who learn most excellent by doing and during straight interactions with their peers (C. Dede, 2004). The mainstream of these "virtual universities" futile as commercial ventures mainly since they accessible their register of online courses as a feasible alternative rather than a addition to conservative campus instruction. Considerably, these "virtual campuses" transfer to the online empire only those real-world campus practices that necessary the least technical complexity to duplicate e.g. course management and lecture-style, one-to-many lessons techniques. By contrast, the Education environmental factors are worried with raising a next-generation technical environment that encourages educational novelty rather than easy duplication of managerial practices and release of pre-packaged satisfied. Among other reason, such environment platform would proffer educational researchers with an open-source "collaboratory" in which to build, split, apply and assess transformative instruction practices, counting research in simulation-based learning, all inside a unrelenting and immersive so cial circumstance (C. Levi-Strauss. 2005). College Study Environment What is it concerning the college campus that makes it dissimilar from further spaces One meaning of a campus is the open space among and approximately the buildings, but as the experts suggest, the word has forever alluded to the type of human interactions that take place there. These connections, taken jointly, make up what is recognized as "campus life." Housing, protect, and preserve the finest that is recognized and deliberation in the world, the campus buildings and grounds provide a sense of pushiness and permanence to a student's knowledge over time (Covey, S. R. 1989). How much of a position does campus life play in effectual

Austin Community College Enrollment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Austin Community College Enrollment - Term Paper Example With unemployment still at record high levels (Baker and Hassett), many job hunters go back to study postsecondary education in order to gain advantage over other applicants. Moreover, because greater educational attainment is related with higher salaries and lower unemployment rates, the Department of Labor believes that promoting degree attainment will be beneficial for the country’s economy (DeAngelo et al. 3). However, it is important to note that there is an ongoing debate whether college education is truly a wise investment for those who are seeking to earn more. For example, a 2011 New York Times article says that the sour economy has affected everyone, many students in postsecondary schooling have decided to postpone their education, while there are even more whose careers have gone astray (Rampell). The story is pretty common. These days one would hear of a chemistry major tending a bar, or perhaps someone with a major in History manning the cashier at Wal-Mart. Even college graduates, those who were supposedly most protected from the economic recession (thanks to the massive student aids offered by the government) have a very bleak outlook. Studies have shown that 17% of college graduates work in restaurants and bars while median salary has decreased between 2009 and 2010. As the country’s economic outlook is far from improving, and the cost of education is increasing, this is an issue worth exploring. The aim of this project is to determine what factors affect the college enrollment in the United States. This study utilizes a time-series analysis with observations from 1969 to 2009 included. Data on education was taken from the National Center for Education Statistics while employment data was taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data for income was derived from the calculations of the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The model (less constant and coefficients) for this analysis is: COLLEGE ENROLL = GRAD + AVG_ INCOME+%UNEMP The result or dependent variable, COL_ENROLL includes the total number of first-time freshmen who enrolled from the fall of 1969 to fall of 2009. It is calculated using the number of bachelor degrees conferred by higher education institutions, and expected post-graduation experiences (with unemployment and disposable income as proxy variables). GRAD, the first independent variable, represents the total number of bachelor’s degrees conferred by degree granting institutions. This data is compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics and it is vital because it shows how many students were retained by the school. Lesser number of bachelor’s degree holder can be used as an indicator of an institution’s quality of education (DeAngelo et al.). Moreover, low retention rates can mean that tuition fees are too high for students, and financial assistance is unavailable. The importance of utilizing GRAD is that low completion rates mean that there are more unskilled worker s in the labor force, which in turn can cause loss of efficiency and increased cost for training for hiring firms. AVG_INCOME is the disposable personal income received by all types of employees in the United States. It is seasonally adjusted at annual rates and indexed at 2005 dollars. This data has been utilizes because income has been a significant incentive for workers to become part or to remain part of the workforce. Moreover, the

Critique of a Qualitative Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Critique of a Qualitative Research Paper - Essay Example In addition, the researchers have particularly concentrated upon the social marketing, which looks for striving for the betterment of society at large. Social marketing, Andreasen (1995:31) submits, is the application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution, and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of their society. In other words, the main objective of the social marketing is working voluntarily for the benefit and uplift of the individuals at large. Moreover, it is also a reality that the young people are the future builders of a society, proper education and training of which is one of the most formidable responsibilities of all members of asocial set up. If the youth is not discouraged and prohibited from participating into the social evils including drinking, smoking and gambling etc, the future prospects of the society would be in grave jeopar dy for the future years of come. In addition, it has aptly been observed that gambling leads the young people towards other nefarious activities including drinking and sex etc, which may challenge their health condition. Hence the social problem, selected by the researchers, is very important in its scope and exposure, and carries wide scope and depth in its nature. The researchers are quite justified in choosing the research problem related to social marketing, which looks to strive for the wellbeing and safety of the young people on the basis of the findings of the study, as well as the suggestions made on the foundations of the findings of the present research. Whether positively or negatively the gambling prevention campaigns, being launched by the government and non-governmental organizations at various media platforms, influence the minds of the young

Prcis of journal article Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Prcis of journal article - Term Paper Example From the onset, this article is setting the tone for change as a challenging form of opposition related to achieving corporate goals so that the ready fully understands the nature of change in a dynamic organization. The authors refute the pre-existing notion that change can be classified under logical characterization perceptions and even indicate that resistance may be caused by the change agents themselves through their own actions or misguided principles in use for change practices. Change is proposed to be a reaction to the relationship between the change recipients and the agent based on the quality of the relationship dynamics between the two (or lack thereof). The authors are suggesting that when change agents automatically believe that all resistance to change objectives are negative, they miss out on opportunities to halt resistance in a more positive method. The article is challenging the notion that change is a predictable situation occurring of phenomena that is removed from the presence of the change agent, with the agent taking a role as that of a metaphorical umpire that simply dictates compliance using structured methods to combat change. Rather, the article imposes on the reader that change resistance is invariably linked to the attitudes or behavior of the change agent and cannot be separated in all instances where resistance is present. This is an interesting notion considering that most researchers define change resistance from a sort of orderly and predictable pattern of behavior, usually psychologically-based, that has defined and structured methods of combating it. Instead, this article takes a more realistic viewpoint about resistance by defining it as being ambiguous and somewhat unique to the organizational culture that resides at the business or organization. ANALYSIS RELATED TO CHANGE RESISTANCE The article describes the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy which is essentially when beliefs or attitudes about a situation or em ployee population have a direct form of bias on behavior or method in management or in reducing resistance to change. A self-fulfilling prophecy is one where an individual believes that a certain outcome is going to occur and, through their own actions, bring this consequence to reality. When someone carries these attitudes, expecting automatically to find resistance in a new change effort, resistance will likely be the outcome (Ford, et al.). There is a danger in this type of thinking as pre-set, biased, and false beliefs that resistance will absolutely be a product of change agent efforts will lead the change agent to act somewhat deceptively in the process of creating new change policies. The article indicates they might hide concepts or build irrational systems to combat change, based solely on their perceptions, thus leading to resistance through these efforts. This is an interesting point of view and it makes sense considering that such attitudes can have a direct impact on be havioral approaches. Pre-established and false notions related to resistance expectations would have a broader impact on psychology and the social dynamics associated with new change principles, and thus the notion of the self-fulfilling prophecy would seem to be supported by most psychologically-based literature on human behavior. Further, the article

Chinese media on the relations between government and media Essay

Chinese media on the relations between government and media - Essay Example To start with, the story of Chinese media commercialization started in 1978 and formally broke the previous subsidized propaganda epoch for local media (Zhao 1998, p. 52). However, the real situation with economic reform did not change media dramatically and government saved its authoritarian mechanism of ruling national news making. Thus, current tension in the relations between Chinese government and society have a long-term story (Spence 2013, p. 700). In fact, Shirk (2011) supports this idea by providing evidence that CCP occupied all the media (including periodic, television, radio and later the Internet) within the country after 1979 (p. 1). Precisely, the fact that right after the reform (in 1979) there still existed 69 totally controlled by the government newspapers signalizes of rather remained propaganda than new type of journalism in the country. Even though certain magazines experienced commercialization in 1980s, they originated from â€Å"politically safe† areas, like fashion and computers . In practice, this tendency results in cases of silence on potentially scandalous stories about Communist Party members, as it happened with Li Zhen. In other words, the early period of commercialization concerned only the sphere of advertising as â€Å"the new lifeblood†. Thus, it is relevant to state that media reform happened without radical change of relations between the government and Chinese society. In this situation, further commercialization did not change the previous control of CCP over social diversity.

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity Essay

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity - Essay Example These necessitated the need for colonization or imperialism as a source of raw materials for industries, labor, and market for finished products. This consequently led to scramble for colonies by the European nations such as Britain and France culminating into endless wars between nations and also with the colonized as they seek their freedom. Success depended on the military strength of the nation in terms of weapons and soldiers. The matter for concern in this paper is how gender, sexuality and race played a role in this imperialism. The colonists needed strong dedicated men to fight for the country thus the construction of the concept ‘masculinity’ as the key to success. The paper will thus focus on how colonialism conceptualized masculinity and how imperial masculinity was constructed. It will also look at the reality of colonial man compared to image and the dangers posed to manhood by colonialism. Lastly, it will compare and contrast the colonial manhood with the n ative manhood. In trying to achieve this, the paper will argue that the relationship between imperialism and masculinity was not only due to the opportunities of adventure and economic progress, but also due to the pattern of gender relations within the European countries especially Britain. For many men, it was a way of escaping the â€Å"feminized and demoralizing home atmosphere† (Tosh 1995, 82). ... Men are born masculine in nature and this involves being strong, aggressive, decision makers and protector. On the other hand, women are viewed as are being naturally soft, being caring, nurturing and such qualities. The society using these qualities conceptualizes masculinity as being superior that feminity; men are supposed to protect women in society. Is this the same criteria used by colonists to conceptualize masculinity? To a certain extent, this criterion defines masculine men but some other attributes are created by Europeans. The defeat of Britain in Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902 was attributed to physical incapacity leading to conception of colonialism masculinity (Tosh 1995, 72). The men involved in the war were considered degenerates since they did not have the qualities needed for a soldier such as strength and good health. According to Baden-Powell (184), men who contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire were found to have declining standards of strength in terms of weight and height and health; they were four inches less in 1895 than the men of 1845 who were 5 ft 6 inc in height and 6 pounds under average weight (184-185). What were the attributes of masculinity according to British and France? For the colonists, being strong was not the only measure of masculinity. One had to be brave, determined, exercise continence, be able to regulate bowel movements, self-discipline, and self- sacrifice or be ready to suffer for the sake of the nation and exercise endurance and be loyal to his country (Baden-Powell, 185). For Aldrich (126) the ideals of masculinity and colonialism include warfare, liberty, manliness, patriotism and success. Masculinity in colonialism though may have been attained

Emerging Market in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Emerging Market in China - Research Paper Example Cavusgil et al., (2002) stated that the term of emerging market has been used to generalize the meaning of developing country in characterizing low-income level economies. This was a term first mentioned by Antoine W.Van Agtmael, of the International Finance Corporation. It was, however, unclear how to exactly give a definition of an emerging market back then. Some observers defined it as an extremely low-income economies under the umbrella of emerging market. Some observers included countries that experience a dramatic increase in terms of economic growth, and the rest of the countries not considered developed (Pacek et al. 2007). Emerging market countries have many characteristics in common describing their developing countries. They usually have a substantial agricultural region in between the rural and urban areas. Other characteristics include low productivity, poor level of building the foundation, poor education and nutrition. However, countries with these characteristics must have positive momentum in economies and development. According to The World Bank’s definition, emerging economy has an average per capita income of less than approximately 9000 USD and is maintaining a great economic transformation.Characteristics of an emerging marketThere are several aspects that are shared by emerging economies in terms of economic, technological, sociocultural and political aspects. In economic terms, emerging markets have been favoured by some of the fastest growth rate in the world.

Macro-economic factors Essay Example for Free

Macro-economic factors Essay There are a lot of macro environmental factors that affect Telfin performance though emphasize has been given on the important factors. Economic factors like current and anticipated economic growth, interest rate, inflation, cost of labor, disposable income and distribution of income etc collectively comprise economic environment. Current and projected economic conditions: In recent years Pakistan’s economic figures were indicating very impressive and promising consequences and infact these all were proven to be wrong. A number of reasons are behind this but the most important are the economic policies which were not integrated with political environment in an apt manner. Secondly, terrorism has stooped down our economy in a very negative manner. Therefore because of these reasons Pakistan current and anticipated economic conditions aren’t in Telfin favor. Exchange Rate: Telfin is directly affected by fluctuation of exchange rates as investment is being done in USD, all suppliers have to be paid in USD and being subsidiary of Vimplecom, Shareholder calculations are in USD while revenue is generated in local currency (PKR). Due to depreciated PKR every year when revenue is calculated in USD it is minimized due to negative exchange rate effect. Fuel Prices: Telfin is the one of the biggest customer of PSO (Pakistan State Oil), due to energy crisis in Pakistan and being the largest on coverage for the services, more than 5000 cell sites have to be energized to keep the network running. Taxtation: Govt has applied additional 5% tax on the top up so subscribers get 5% less balance on recharge but as an impact it has been seen that subscribers have reduced the usage as recharge revenue has decreased and 5% reduction is from Telfin revenue. Inflation and interest rate: interest rate and inflation both are elevated in Pakistan. In most of countries it is very much natural that once economic conditions are bad central banks reduces interest rate in order to boost investment where as in Pakistan the case is otherwise. The interest rate is high because the government wants to cease central bank new notes issuing rate which is more than 15% currently. Therefore collectively interest rate and inflation are presenting a bad picture for Telfin. Unemployment rate and cost of labor: Because of higher education bang there  is a talented pool of candidates who are ready to be employed in big companies or organizations. But the fact is that the production of new jobs is not competent with supply pool therefore unemployment rate is high. In addition as supply of potential workers is high, the cost of labor is low in Pakistan which is a positive signal for Telfin. Level of disposable money and income distribution: It is really evident that if the economic conditions of a particular country are bad, the people living in, do not have high level income to be spent. Moreover the fact is that national income distribution is very unfair and unequal in Pakistan because elite class dominates on key government posts. Non-economic macro Exposure: Telfin like every other organization is also affected by the political setup to a greater extent which are needed to be addressed. Political Factor: There is a democratic government now-a-days in Pakistan but due to previous government policies present government inability to manage issue wisely, it can be concluded clearly that government is not able to stabilize the situation as it was expected which is surely not good for the companies like Telfin. Rule of Law, Corruption and bureaucracy: Due to the amendments made in the constitution of Pakistan by ex-dictators and domination of rich people on the vital government posts, there is just a minimal justice and rule of law in Pakistan. Regularity authorities: There are regularity bodies in Pakistan like PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) but it does not have enough grip on issues as it is expected from it due to the mandate given to it. Security: Due to security situations, telecom industry has suffered a lot as on events the re is complete network shutdown to prevent terrorism. These shut down is a direct loss for complete industry. Moreover due to different measures taken by regularity to address security is to have Biometric scanning before issuance of SIM so cost of sale has increased recently and all operators have to install machines to have scanning capability.

Mesopotamian and Egyptian Civilizations Essay Example for Free

Mesopotamian and Egyptian Civilizations Essay The ancient Near East captured much of the region between modern day England and Western Asia, including much of Northern Africa and Mesopotamia. From this domain, arose early civilizations that made significant contributions that paved the way to how we live our lives today. Two very distinct civilizations arose from the Neo-lithic period that initiated the basis for a great many people’s political structure, religion, society, and culture. Mesopotamian civilization occupied the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, while the Egyptian civilization formed a prosperous society along the Nile River. The Mesopotamians and Egyptians, unique in their own right, laid the foundations of a flourishing civilization in the region. Mesopotamians, particularly the Sumerians, helped lead the transition from nomadic living to urban folk after the Neolithic Period. As more people began living a settled life, numerous towns sprang up, ushering a new way of life and the earliest forms of government. The towns, diverse and populous, developed a central authority governed by laws that brought about order and peace. In addition to forming one of the earliest forms of government, Mesopotamian’s invented writing that helped unify their society and the spread of their culture and ideas to a broader world by making communications easier. New advances in mathematics helped bring about the building of cities, palaces, temples, and canals. Even before Christianity, the Mesopotamians had originated religious beliefs, believing that many gods brought order to the world and life itself. They acknowledge that though there were many deities, each had a specific task, such as overlooking music, victory, law, and sex. They, however, found that gods themselves were not equal to one another and offered sacrifices to the more powerful deities, often building their cities around shrines, which made it easier for them to worship the gods. Similar to many religious beliefs of a world built by a higher entity, the Sumerians believed that the Heaven and earth were united and gave birth to Enlil, their foremost god who powered over the entire cosmos. This myth by the Mesopotamians became one of the earliest attempts to account for the creation of the universe. In addition to creating an early form of government and religious ideas, the ancient Mesopotamians also established the basic social patterns of their ancient world. Their society consisted of nobles, clients, commoners, and slaves. Elected into power by the citizens, the king and his family was the head of the noble class. Clients were free individuals who received portions of land in the kingdom from the noble class in return for labor. Commoners were citizens who had a voice in political affairs and could own land in their own right, unlike the slaves who were often prisoners of war, forced into labor by their owners but possessed the opportunity to purchase their freedom. Much like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptian civilization was able to develop a political structure, worshipped gods, established social classes, and possessed a unique culture. Often referred to as the â€Å"gift of the Nile†, ancient Egyptians looked to the Nile as the lifeblood of their civilization, not only shaping their everyday lives, but their society and history as well. The Nile provided the people raw materials for pottery, jewelry, ornaments, architectures, sculptures, and many other applications. Because of the fertile Nile, Egyptians didn’t have much reason to look to the outside world and rather flourished within their region. The period known as the Old Kingdom ( 2660-2180 b.c.e.), gave birth to new innovations and ideas, particularly religious ideas. Similar to the Mesopotamian civilization, the Egyptians believed in many gods and often developed contradictory ideas of their gods. They also believes some gods to be mightier than others, with the most powerful gods being Amon and Ra, the sky and sun god respectively. Like Enlil, Amon reigned over the cosmos. Ra also played a significant role in that he was considered the creator of life and associated with the falcon-god Horus. Similarities in their roles eventually led to Egyptians worshiping both gods as the single deity, Amon-Ra. Other deities such as Osiris, the fertility god, Anubis, the jackal-headed god, and Isis, Osiris’s wife, were also worshipped by the people and were key figures to their belief of an afterlife. Much of Egypt’s political and social structure revolved around the pharaoh. This king, was believed by the people to be the Human form of Horus, and would be the only to integrate the people with their gods. The pharaoh controlled everything from wealth to the people themselves and of course, stood alone at the top of the political, social, and economic scale. Slaves and peasants occupied the bottom of the social class, above them the serfs, then ordinary folks, and officials. Peasants and slaves were forced to labor and were forced to work on pyramids. Able-bodied young men served the pharaoh either in his army or labor force, sometimes both. Farmers tended the land, and in some cases, faced brutal tax collection. In conclusion, the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations possessed qualities that distinguished themselves from one another but also bore similarities between the two. Both civilizations were polytheistic, established social and political structures, and brought about ground breaking new innovations and ideas. The Mesopotamian’s gave us writing, the wheel, and the foundations for settled life, while the Egyptians gave us the great pyramids, still mysterious and marvelous to this day. Reference McKay, John P., et al. A History of World Societies. 8th ed. Vol. I: To 1715. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.

The Purpose Of The Case Study Social Work Essay

The Purpose Of The Case Study Social Work Essay The purpose of the case study is to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to analyse and evaluate the use of a method of social work intervention with an individual, family, or group of service users, and where appropriate, the carers. Task In consultation with the practice teacher, tutor and where applicable the on-site facilitator, the student will select a situation where substantial social work intervention will be required. The student should carry out an assessment, choose an appropriate method of intervention and analyse and evaluate the subsequent use of the chosen method. In undertaking this task students must: Provide a summarised social history of the case, highlighting significant past and present events in the service users life. Demonstrate the ability to select an appropriate method of intervention and offer supporting rationale for this choice. Provide an analysis of their assessment, reflecting on the model used the knowledge base in relation to the service users situation, relevant government and agency policy and legislation. Drawing on relevant theory, analyse and evaluate the processes and outcomes of the intervention for both the service user and for themselves as a student social worker. This must include: An account of the use of interpersonal skills and how these informed and impacted on the effectiveness of practice An examination of the influence of social work values throughout the work, including AOP Present the assignment to an acceptable standard which conforms to academic conventions regarding grammar, spelling and the Harvard system for referencing cited works. Other guidelines for the case study The word limit should be no more than 4, 000 words (+/- 10%). Students muststate the exact word count on the front cover. The hand in date for the case study is before 10am on 14th May 2009. Late submissions require a formally agreed extension. The On-Line Discussion Forum Structure Students are divided into specialist tutor groups Specialist tutor groups are made up of students who are in the same/similar programme of care Each specialist tutor group is headed by a specialist tutor Details of which group students have been assigned to can be found in Appendix One Resources It is expected that students will participate in the on-line discussion forum once weekly. Please book the on-line slot into your diary (in the same way that you would your lecture attendance or a home visit). This way you are less likely to forget! Your weekly submissions will be based around a series of practical tasks to help you link your learning both from semester one and your placement with the requirements of the case study. The programme for your weekly input can be found in Appendix Two Expectations It is expected that: Students will contribute once weekly to the on-line discussion forum There is no word limit regarding student contributions on-line but it is expected that they will be concise contributions addressing the pre-set tasks and that these should act as an aide memoir to your case study Each submission should not take longer than 15 minutes to complete Students can visit the discussion forum whenever they wish and can make more than one weekly contribution if they wish  · In order to preserve confidentiality the on-line discussions MUST avoid references to peoples names, locations, and other specific details by which an individual might be identified (e.g. chronological histories detailing specific locations and events, specific and unusual medical conditions)  · On-line discussions are monitored by the module coordinator as well as tutors. In the event that there are concerns regarding potential breaches of confidentiality you will be asked to edit your contributions accordingly On-line Tasks See Appendix Two The Recall Days 12thFebruary 2009 10am-1pm Specialist tutor groups Specialist tutors to discuss, re-cap and provide relevant references on the following: Social issues and research, policy and legislation relevant to the identified social issues Assessment frameworks and their benefits, limitations, effectiveness Methods of intervention Materials for tutors and students will be provided nearer the time. 2pm-3pm Lecture by K Winter 8th April 2009 10am-1pm Specialist tutor groups Specialist tutors to discuss, re-cap and provide relevant references on the following: Processes regarding methods of intervention referring to any relevant research, practice guidelines Outcomes relating to methods of intervention referring to any relevant research, practice Materials for tutors and students will be provided nearer the time. 2pm-4pm Lecture by K Winter Module Review The module is the subject of an annual review. The main issues arising have concerned: Structure and content of on-line discussion forum Structure and content of recall days Date for submission of the case study More teaching on group work as a method of intervention The module has been re-structured this year to address most of the above points. Reading Materials It is recommended that you purchase Wilson et al. (2008) Social Work: An Introduction to Contemporary Practice, Harlow: Pearson Longman as it offers a broad guide that will help you consider the key elements of your case study including: social issues/social histories; assessment frameworks; and methods of intervention. The book also includes up to date references to policy and research. Other more specialist references will be added to QoL. Appendix One Specialist Tutor Group Allocation Older people and physical health and disability (13students) A HARPUR NAME PLACEMENT Christine Bowden Sensory Impairment Team Newry Alana Carr Ivybrook Newry Michael Cunningham Shankill Centre, Belfast Corey Doyle Dungannon Emma Goligher Lagan Valley Hospital Fiona Kelly Sensory Impairment Bradbury Centre Emma McClure Mount Oriel Samantha McGreevy Lagan Valley Hospital Clare Murney Newry Sheena Quinn Bangor Eliza Shields Day centre Banbridge Heather Stewart Holywood Arches Centre Karen Watson Scarva St Banbridge Adults with learning disabilities (10 students) TUTOR TO BE DECIDED NAME PLACEMENT Deborah Bonner Glenwood Unit Poleglass Amanda Caldwell Struell Lodge Downpatrick Judith Cleland Adult supported living Nards James Draper Skyways Project Ormeau Road Clare Joyce Ards TRC (day centre) Hannah Laird Balloo TRC Bangor Christopher Millar Edgcombe Day Centre Shauna Murphy Supported living project Bangor Claire Murray Mountview Downpatrick Lynsey Wilson Supported living project Lisburn Family and child care (8 students) G KELLY NAME PLACEMENT Ann Boyle Shankill Centre Sarah Brown Flaxfield CH Lisburn Lois Curran Bryson House Dunmurry Simon Darby Bryson House Bedford St Nicola Doran Gateway Team Banbridge Joanne Elder Naomi Project Womens Aid Christina Graffin Carnmoney Road FCC team Catherine Hennighan Child care team Larne Family and child care (9 students) K WINTER NAME PLACEMENT Debbie Henry Antrim Family Intervention Team Lisa Kearney Womens Aid Derry Carina Ledwith Lynsey House residential unit Elaine McLaughlin Bryson House family support Bedford St Dawn McCallion Family Placement Team Ballymena Sarah Morrow Fortwilliam CH Louise Pettigrew Warren Centre Lisburn Lee Wilson Residential Unit Portrush Tim Wilson Family support project Nards Mental health (10students) G DAVIDSON NAME PLACEMENT Susan Beggs Ormeau Centre Verner St Katrina Copeland Hostel 12 Larne Amanda Ferris Extern Bryan Leonard Addiction Treatment Unit Omagh Heather Long Addiction Team Nards Gemma Mallon Ballymacross Hostel Lisburn Lucy Molloy Crisis Team Holywood Arches Judith McCloy Supported housing project Bangor Kirsty Quigg Derriaghy day centre Anna Tohill Supported living project Antrim Appendix Two On-line Discussion Forum Weekly Tasks WEEK TASK TO BE COMPLETED BY Week One (12.01.09-16.01.09) Introduce yourself Describe your placement (programme of care, where, what types of service user) What are your initial observations regarding the working environment (physical environment and formal/informal working practices)? 18.01.09 Week Two (19.01.09-23.01.09) Find out what type of assessment frameworks are used within your workplace. List and describe them 25.01.09 Week Three (26.01.09-30.01.09) Choose an assessment framework Find out about any research, policy and guidance regarding its use and describe 01.02.09 Week Four (02.02.09-06.02.09) Look again at the selected assessment framework. Answer the following: What are the benefits and limitations of the framework? What can be done to improve it? 08.02.09 Week Five 09.02.09-13.02.09) From your discussions with team members what social issues frequently emerge from peoples social histories in your particular placement (this could include poverty, abuse, substance dependency, sectarianism for example). List the social issues and identify any policies, legislation and research which inform practice in these areas. 15.02.09 N.B Thursday 12th Feb is a recall day. You will have a 3 hour tutorial (10-1pm) followed by a one hour lecture (2-3pm) Week Six (16.02.09-20.02.09) In conjunction with your tutor identify a case which you might use as your case study. Having sought the consent of the service user draw out: the main themes that emerge from their social history; the assessment framework you are using; the skills required in applying that assessment framework; the benefits and limitations encountered; the possible outcomes of that assessment process. 22.02.09 Week Seven (23.02.09-27.02.09) In light of the issues that come to your attention through the assessment answer the following: Which method of intervention might you consider? Which issue(s) are you attempting to address? Why have you chosen those issues and that method to address them? What might a successful intervention look like? (list you goals, aims) These issues should form the basis to your presentation to be delivered at the mid way tripartite 01.03.09 Week Eight (02.03.09-06.03.09) Write up your presentation for your midway tripartite based on the work you have completed for this module so far. 08.03.09 Weeks Nine and Ten (09.03.09-20.03.09) Think about the processes relating to your chosen method of intervention and answer the following: What knowledge, skills and values are you relying on? What is helping/hindering the process? What are the benefits/limitations to the method of intervention you have selected? 22.03.09 Weeks Eleven and Twelve (23.03.09-03.04.09) Begin to think about the outcomes of your method of intervention and answer the following: Is it working? Yes/No In what ways is it working/not working? Why is this so? What might be the contributory factors? What could be done differently? How do you measure success? Is there any research regarding its effectiveness? What do your colleagues think about the approach you have chosen? Do your colleagues have favoured methods? If yes/no why? 05.04.09 Week Thirteen onwards (06.04.09 onwards) Begin to write up your evidence based case study Use the on-line discussion forum to seek guidance and help in relation to aspects of the case study Aim to have it completed in first draft before end April 2009 NB 8th April is a recall day. You will have a 3 hour tutorial (10-1pm) followed by a 2 hour lecture (2-4pm)

Art Trends In The 1920s :: Art

Art Trends In The 1920's The art of the 20th century contained many elements previous styles that had begun in the late 19th century. The Impressionists had abandoned the appearance of nature to concentrate on color and its relation to the quality of light. (Collier's Encyclopedia, 745) This was then abandoned for a kind expressionism, a personal and subjective style created. A number of outstanding 20th century artists working outside the many movements of art created works of great individuality. (Collier's Encyclopedia, 745) Some major trends of the art in the 1920's were Impressionism, Art Deco, Cubism, Abstract Art, and Realism. Impressionism is the movement in painting and music. The impressionist movement is often considered to mark the beginning of the modern period in art. The primary object is to achieve a spontaneous, undetailed rendering of the world through careful representation of the effect of natural light on objects. ("Impressionism", Encarta) Art Deco, was used primarily in furniture, jewelry, textiles, and interior decoration. Art Deco grew out of a conscious effort to simplify the elaborate of the century, Art Nouveau. Art Deco became more geometric and linear as objects increasingly massed produced. Art Deco was a style of decorative are and architecture that was popular in the 1920's. ("Art Deco", Encarta) Cubism, a movement in modern art, especially painting, that was primarily concerned with abstract forms rather than lifelike representation. ("Cubism", Encarta) Abstract Art, is art that uses forms having no direct reference to external or perceived reality. ("Abstract Art", Encarta) Realism, in art is an attempt to describe human behavior and surroundings or to represent figures and objects exactly as they appear in life. ("Realism", Encarta) There were many types of art in the 1920's, but the main ones were Impressionism, Art Deco, Cubism, Abstract Art, and Realism.

Servant Leadership in Romantic Relationships Essay -- servant-leadersh

When two people come together and form a relationship the question of who should wear the pants in the relationship may come to light. Should the man be the head of the relationship? But why cant the woman be the leader? My perspective on a relationship is two people going through this crazy journey we call life side by side. The servant-leadership theory supports my perspective that a leader can effectively lead by serving first his followers. The servant-leadership theory does not place the leader above the followers. It rather puts the attention of the leader on emphasizing the concerns of the followers, empathizing with them and nurturing them (Northouse, 2013). This theory focuses on the followers first. The leader must empower those he/she is serving so that the person can reach their full potential. The leader focuses on the greater good of the group. Northouse (2013) explains that Greenleaf identified 10 characteristics that are central to the development of servant-leadership. The ten characteristic include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Following these characteristics we can begin to explain the servant leadership role in a relationship. In order for a relationship to be successful each member will need to take on the role of servant-leader. The important aspect is that the two individuals are looking out for each other. They both are nurturing the relationship and doing what will be best for the greater good of the relationship. Listening is very important in order for this to occur. There is a difference between hearing and actively listening. When one actively listens, they can pick out the... ...thers life together. Each person now has a new family, a new group of friends, and will even create a family of their own. As a servant-leader one should encourage their partner to continue their old friendships and make new friends together in the process. This will help the relationship feel safe and connected with others. Meeting someone who you’d like to share every moment with is a wonderful experience. Being a leader does not mean taking charge of the other person or being bossy in order to get your way. Successful relationships are those where both individuals serve each other and know when it is appropriate to lead. Servant-leadership shows that leading side by side in order to grow together and nurture the relationship can be an effective way to lead. Reference Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Hamlet: A Tool of a Higher Power Essay -- Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: A Tool of a Higher Power Throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, it seems that a higher spiritual power is influencing the events taking place in the state of Denmark. A ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet appears to Young Hamlet telling him of his "most foul and most unnatural murder" (1.5.30). This begins a chain of events leading up to the martyrdom of Hamlet, and the spiritual cleansing of the throne of Denmark. Firstly, Hamlet sees the evil and contemptible state of life in Denmark. Gertrude, Hamlet's mother and the Queen of Denmark, marries his Uncle soon after the death of his father. ". . .The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables" (1.2.189-90). Depressed, and most likely confused, Hamlet speaks his first soliloquy in the play, else named 'the dram of evil' speech, ". . . Frailty, thy name is woman!— A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body Like Niobe, all tears—why she, even she married with my uncle . . . With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it can not come to good." (1.2.152-158,163-4). In addition, Hamlet sees the corruption in Denmark when the ghost of his recently deceased father appears to him. The ghost claims that... ...een dies from drinking Hamlet's poisoned drink, and when Hamlet realized he is not going to live to see another day, he kills the King, thus taking his revenge. Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway, takes over the throne, while Horatio (Hamlet's one true friend) tells the story of the awful, evil deeds done in the state of Denmark. Furthermore, the deaths of the nobility of Denmark act as a sort of 'spiritual cleansing', meaning that all the wrong-doing had been revenged and paid for by the deeds at the end of the play. All the evil, and the foul doings of Denmark had been absolved by the deaths of the main characters. Hamlet is also considered a martyr because he was a good person who died, so that he could, in essence, cause the purification that returned the natural order of things in the state of Denmark.

Three Significant Reasons Why I Love Outdoor Activity

Donghyun Lee (20110108) Prof. Lisa Lee English 2 (Sec. 60) October 4. 2012 Three Significant Reasons Why I Love Outdoor Activity There are many kinds of outdoor activities. Outdoor activity gives many mental or physical advantages to people. Therefore, many people love outdoor activity for various reasons regardless of its characteristic. For example, some like outdoor activity because of his or her own satisfaction. In addition, others do outdoor activity because it helps them to improve their health.However, the reason why I love field activity is on account of three important changes in my body : being refreshed, being short of breath, being thirsty. The first change which field activity creates is being refreshed. When I have trouble in studying or working, I have a splitting headache. It feels like being struck on the head by a hammer. At that time, I go outside and do simple outdoor activities like walking or skipping. Then, I feel the fresh air flowing through my veins ,and I am recharged.For example, when I was a high school student, I usually did a simple ball game when I was tired of studying. Therefore, being revived is the first change of my body which makes me do open-air activity. The second part of variety that field activity makes for me is being short of breath. There is no doubt that being short of breath is a very tiring feeling to anyone. I feel that exhausting feeling as well. However, though it is painful, I feel alive when I am scant of breath.For instance, when I do exercise which needs sustaining power like a marathon, I become so excited and aggressive since I think I am exceeding the limit of my physical strength. Thus, being scant of breath is another motivating power that makes me enjoy an outdoor activity. Finally, the last significant body change that motivates me to do open-air activity is being thirsty. The reason why being thirsty can be the cause of doing field activity is because drinking water after outdoor activity gives me happiness which cannot be described.For example, I become the happiest person in the world and feel as if I can fly while drinking water after doing a field activity. A cup of water after feeling raging thirst cannot be exchanged with any other delicious foods. As a result, thirst can be the body change which let me do outdoor activity. I become invigorated, short of breath, and thirsty by outdoor activity regardless of its feature. These body changes are the motivating power of making me do outdoor activity since the changes end up giving a positive feeling to me. What are the factors which make you do outdoor activity?

Christian and Jewish holy days Essay

The holy day of the Christian church is Sunday. Sunday replaces the Jewish â€Å"Sabbath† which takes place on Saturday. Jews chose Saturday as their day of rest because of the creation, God rested on the Seventh day (Saturday). God said that you must keep one day special for him and since he rested on this day, it would be logical for his people to also. Resting in its self reminded them that they were a free people. Christians chose Sunday to be their day of rest instead of Saturday because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. Easter Sunday is the Christians biggest feast of the year because Jesus is believed to have risen on this day. Christians also chose Sunday to sever the last tie with the Jewish religion. The Christian Mass takes place in two parts, these are: * The Liturgy of The Word * The Liturgy of The Eucharist The Liturgy of The Word includes readings from the bible, the priest may give a sermon, and ordinary Christians say the bidding prayers. During the Liturgy of The Eucharist the Holy Communion takes place. The mass is a sacrifice as Jesus is Sacrificed on the Altar at every mass, it is a meal because we are being fed with the Holy Spirit The Salvation Army is a group of Protestant Christians who do not have a Eucharist. William Booth, a Methodist minister, founded the army in 1878. They decided to make their mass informal to make new people feel at ease. They only do the Liturgy of The Word and they take part in singing and music. Christians believe that worshiping together as a community is very important, they feel that meeting as the family or people of God is a Key part of worship. They believe that God wants them to be with others and to celebrate their common beliefs. They also worship together because they sometimes need the support of the rest of the community. The word â€Å"communion† means to be one with others and to be one with God. They share special moments and celebrate feasts as God’s family Some Christians think that worshiping alone can take place of Sunday worship. When they are alone they can, read the bible, pray, they can sing or they can just be quiet and spend time with God. Some people think that this is not as good as worshipping with others because you don’t get the support of others, and you can’t celebrate with the rest of God’s family. A02 The next thing I am going to look at is the relationship of Christian belief and worship to the attitude, behaviour and actions of a lay Christian or a Christian community. At the end of a mass the priest tells the people to â€Å"go in peace to love and serve the lord†, they can achieve this in many ways. They can help their fellow man by donating to charity. This money will go to house the homeless and feed the hungry or to help the sick. Lay Christians challenge themselves to help others help others through their parishes and youth groups they can try to live by the gospel and attempt to love and serve the lord. Catholic parish’s communities contribute to the lives of others in many ways, for example: parent and toddler groups are set up to support young or single parents. It is not a crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½che but a group for mothers so that they can meet up and get advice from each other. There are groups set up to help the homeless, the unemployed and the disabled. Groups like St Vincent de Paul try to help those in need locally in a very private way. People can donate old items that they no longer need and the group will take them away and deliver them to those who need it. Lay Christians run all of these groups on a voluntary basis. They depend on financial support from parishes and donations from people. A03 Some people think that Non-essential activities should not take place on a Sunday. A small majority of the British population are Christians who actively worship on a regular basis and it would not be logical to let this minority dictate Sunday. For many people Saturday and Sunday are their only time off work and it would be unfair to make them work on these days. If companies were forced to stop working on a Sunday then they would lose lots of money and jobs would be lost however if everyone would be forced to work on this day then many people would not see their families. Sunday has been the day of rest of the Christian faith for 2000 years and is therefore a very important day.

Manipulation in William Shakespeare’s Othello

Manipulation in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† In William Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello†, almost every character, and even the audience, is manipulated at least once. Iago, the villain, is responsible for most of this betrayal. He is a master at the art of deception. He gains the trust of the other characters by posing as a concerned friend. When they confide in him, he uses their weakness against them. He treats each character differently, telling them what they want to hear. He is so cunning that they are unaware of the manipulation and, after each encounter, trust him even more.With each lie, he moves closer to his goal of destroying Othello. Iago weaves an intricate web of deception. First, he targets Rodrigo. He preys on Rodrigo’s love for Desdemona and convinces him he can gain her affection if he helps him. Iago convinces Rodrigo that Desdemona will end her relationship with Othello if her father disapproves. Then, the two plot to in volve Brabantio, Desdemona’s father. Iago speaks of how he will destroy Brabantio’s faith in his daughter when he says â€Å"Call up her father. Rouse him. Make after him; poison his delights† (1. 1. 70).He hereby manipulated Rodrigo, Brabantio, Desdemona and Othello in one swoop, still appearing to be the trustworthy confidant. The theme is further demonstrated through Iago’s manipulation of Othello, his main target. He is upset with his superior for promoting Cassio over him and has heard rumors that Othello slept with his wife. So, he begins planting the idea that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio in Othello’s head. Iago says â€Å"Look to your wife. Observe her well with Cassio† (3. 3. 211). He proceeds to gain Othello’s trust and cultivates his deceit.He tells Othello he will get proof from Cassio by letting him listen in on their conversation. Cassio speaks of is date with Bianca, but Iago leads Othello to believe they a re talking about Desdemona. At one point, Iago even enlists his wife to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, which he uses to further convince Othello of her infidelity. When his manipulation results in Othello murdering his wife and finally committing suicide, Iago achieves his goal of vengeance. Iago manipulates each character through their individual weakness until his plan is complete.He plays each person against each other for his agenda. Meanwhile he remains to be seen as the good guy. Blinded by their own inequities, Iago preys upon his unsuspecting victims and uses the as pawns in his elaborate plan to destroy Othello. They are easily manipulated by their trusted friend. Iago is so masterful in his deception at times even the audience is almost fooled by his misleading charm. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Othello. † Gioia, X. J. Kennedy and Dana. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing 7th Edition. Boston: Peason, 2013. 1009-1102. print.

Strategic Marketing at Burberry

Content Page Introduction2 1. Business planning and developing a strategy. 3 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan. 3 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and mission 4 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis. 5 2. 3. 2. Vision and mission7 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 8 3. 3. Values8 3. 4. Classification of Burberry values. 8 3. 5. 3. Protect8 3. 5. 4. Explore9 3. 5. 5. Inspire 10 3.Monitoring and evaluating of Burberry strategic goals and objectives. 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The report below tells about the history and development of the iconic luxury brand from Britain, Burberry. It reflects the company’s mission, vision and core purpose, which consequently form the values of the brand. The report indicates the key strategic goals and objectives, which form the competitive advantage of the company, how they are being monitored and evaluated.Having been found as a small shop in B asingstoke, Hampshire, by a young draper Thomas Burberry in 1856 and developed into a large world-know brand ever since, Burberry is one of the first names that springs in mind when it comes to fashion and luxury. [4] The company went through many-years history of change and development. However, the core Burberry product still remains the trench coat made out of the brand weatherproof but breathable Gabardine invented and introduced by Thomas Burberry himself in 1880. [4] Today, according to Business Weekly, Burberry is the 98th most valuable brand. 10] 1. Business planning and developing a strategy Creating the strategy of an organisation is a part of business planning, on one hand, but it is the essence of the strategic planning on the other, where the difference between the strategic plans and the business planning is only in timing of implementing and the process of evaluating the two. Different authors writing in the field of strategic marketing give various definitions of str ategic planning. However, all of them tend to agree in the fact that it always includes the major points below. Vision – developing a common â€Å"vision for the future† or a â€Å"conceptualization† of where an organisation wants or desires to be in the long-term;[10] * Assessment – appraising or determining where an organisation is currently (i. e. , its goals, objectives, activities, results, etc. );[10] * Strategies – identifying how an organisation will actually realise (via concrete and predetermined actions) its mission, goals, and objectives;[10] * Measurement – evaluating the progress of an organisation in the implementation of its action strategies. [10]The report below will be based on the resumptive understanding of the term as a process of formulating of the mission, vision and goals of the organization and choosing the specific paths for outlining and gaining the desired resources to be used in order to provide the successful f unctioning of an organisation in future. Strategic planning is a useful tool in making the decisions concerning the total management of an organisation. Its main purpose is to ensure the right amount of innovation and modification for the organisation to be able to respond to the changes on the market.However, creating a strategy does not lead to an immediate action, but it sets up the general direction for the company to follow in order for its fence-mending and growth. 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan One of the main features that characterizes the strategic plan is its possibility to be adapted to the ever changing circumstances initiated by both internal and external factors. Thus over the decades Burberry has been changing its strategy and approach to trading.So when the age of the globalization brought new strong competitors into the market new ways of winning the customers loyalty and preference were to be found. In the 2006 the current CEO Angela Ahrendts joins the company replacing Rose Maria Bravo, who managed to greatly expand the Burberry market share in the US. [6] Ahrendts modernizes every aspect of the company’s behaviour and positioning itself on the market having chosen an innovative five year strategic business plan. 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and missionAccording to the new plan the company concentrates its investment efforts on opening its own stores rather than on the wholesale, especially in London. The new CEO recognizes Burberry’s presence in its genuine way and major PR activity in this city precisely, as another way to emphasize the British heritage of the brand. However, Ahrendts points out there are 25 such â€Å"Londons †, where Burberry will strive for recognition and loyalty, which include such metropolises as Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, etc. 12] As due to the fact that the company produces luxury goods Ahrendts prefers to play more or less safe and concentrate on those parts of the world which are likely to be protected from the wider economic problems. As another crucial factor for the growth and development that Ahrendts chooses, predicting the future customer be younger, is the company to not maintain their traditional product line and merchandising way only, but to enhance it with the new design and presentation to be able to satisfy the demand of the new type of a customer.Thus the new strategy with the new vision and mission appeared that has brought changes into every area of the company. 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis According to Michael Porter â€Å"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value†. [13]The creation and the development of a new strategy to manage such a diverse business with the global outreach as Burberry is very complex in nature. Depending on various both internal and extern al factors it often requires to be made in the uncertain situations.It also often involves the radical change in the current culture of an organisation which is always uneasy for the employees and may adversely affect the performance of the organisation. Being an international company with the Global outreach makes it challenging for the company like Burberry to develop and maintain the competitive strategy that will encourage financial growth and gain advantage on the market. Nevertheless, Angela Ahrendts chooses the most ambitious and strategic plan Burberry has had in almost 50 years. * Leveraging the franchise[4]Where the goals are brand momentum by consistent global articulation, marketing innovation and product excellence. * Intensifying the development of non-apparel[4] By focusing on the yet under-penetrated non-apparel categories, such as men’s collections, soft accessories collections and licensing the eyewear, fragrance, make-up and watches products globally. * Acc elerating retail-led growth[4] To change the static wholesale model of the company to a dynamic retail model by driving the productivity, putting the customer needs in the centre, and investment into opening new stores. Investing in the underpenetrated markets[4] The goals are engaging China, developing India and the Middle East markets and elevating the wholesale presence. * Pursuing operational excellence[4] To be recognised not only by operational excellence, but by product and marketing excellence. However, despite the most well-considered strategy a company is always dependent on both internal and external factors able to make an impact on its development and trade. PESTEL method will help to analyse the macro external environment Burberry may find difficult to deal with in order to realise its strategic plan.Political| Economical| Social| Technological| Environmental| Legal| Being an international company may create problems with possible tensions between the governments of th e countries where Burberry trading takes place| Continuous recession| Fairtrade responsibilitiesAnti-fur/ leather campaigns| New highly technological approaches to selling , buying and advertising the product appear| The impact on the Planet while manufacturing and transporting the goods | Different taxation and trading rules and regulations in different countries|However, not only the macro external factors, but the micro external factors too might cause obstacles for the company’s strategy. Michael Porter’s Five Forces analyses gives the clearest understanding of the micro external environment, which includes the threat of the existing competitive rivalry, threat of bargaining power of the suppliers, threat of substantial products, as well as the threat of the customer bargaining power and the threat of the new entrants. It can be seen from the scheme, that Burberry’s main existing competitors include Stella McCartney in the market of clothing and shoes (appar el); Hermes in the non-apparel market, e. . bags and scarfs; and Chanel to talk about make-up. Moreover there is also a threat from the substantial products, such as those produced by Sisley, Ted Baker and Karen Miller, which are not luxury brands, however do have a reputation of a great quality and they are also British. Which means in times of recession people might switch to them. There is a threat from the suppliers in case they would increase the price, as Burberry only works with those the members of the Ethical Trading Action Group.There is a threat coming from the customers too due to the fact that most of the Burberry products are fashion oriented, which means once they are out of fashion, people will refuse buying them. However, the threat of the new entrants is not essential, as even though the new brands may offer novelty, they cannot offer the name with such a rich background and heritage that Burberry has. All of these factors must be taken into consideration for Burbe rry current strategy to be successful. 2. 3. 2. Vision and missionWith the appointing of Angela Ahrendts as a CEO in 2006 when the Internet was booming bursting the opportunities of the global trade with its no-boarders possibilities, Burberry steps on a completely new path of high-tech cooperation with its customer. [5] With the core Burberry ideology of â€Å"The faster we move forward, it becomes even more critical to look back and never forget who we are and never forget where we came from. And what made this brand such a great global luxury brand today†[2] in mind Ahrends sets the new core purpose for Burberry. We had a vision† – she admits in one of the interviews – â€Å"And the vision was to be the first company who was fully digital from end-to-end†. [2] Ever since the company has been working on integrating various digital approaches to its business. Burberry’s advertising campaigns and catwalk shows became more and more technologic ally complex whereas the on-line trading on the contrary became easier and more available by the company’s partnering with various on-line selling platforms to take that vision and built the social enterprise.The experience expected was that the customer would have the total access to Burberry across any device anywhere and would get exactly the same feeling of the brand, feeling of the culture, regardless of where, when, how they were accessing the brand. Everyone now should be able come into Burberry world and see the Burberry journey and mission. The new vision enhanced the Burberry mission to sell its â€Å"distinctive Britishness† to the world with the new flavour of community that every customer is believed to become a part of buying or at least being interested in a Burberry product.Such attitude intends to create greater customer’s loyalty to the brand as this is the community, where one’s opinion in a way of a feedback is valued and appreciated. Even the personal preferences of how the core Burberry product should look like is taken into consideration from now on as the company launched www. artofthetrench. com web platform, where anyone can post their photos wearing a Burberry trench, moreover, can create their own trench coat based on the iconic trench from Burberry. Ahrendts goal is to deepen, broaden and vary the communication between the company and the customer through every activity the company is involved in.She emphasizes on the vital necessity of the cross-channel communication to be â€Å"totally connected to everyone who touches your brand†. [2] The new vision and the new additions to the established mission of the company have formed the brand’s new strategic intentions 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 3. 3. Values Burberry is a brand with over 150 years of history. [6] All that time the company has been run by the efforts of many people and, naturally, these people might have bee n of a completely different personalities, views and opinions. However, being a company, which in this case is Burberry, draw hese people together united not only by common vision of where the company is going, but also by the values, which in a context of a corporate culture set the behavioural norms of the company through years for everyone who entered it. Edgar H. Schein describes corporate values as â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†. 7] Burberry defines their core values as Protect, Explore and Inspire. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s CEO, often refers to the company as the â€Å"new and old company†[9] and such description definitely reflects the way the company constantly strives for the new opportunities, but always staying faithful to its old priorities. The essence of the Protect, Explore and Inspire company’s core values can be explained through the objectives of Burberry as an organization. 2. 2. Classification of Burberry values 2. 2. 1. Protect 1. Cultural value of the company to traditionally remain a â€Å"quintessentially British† brand.Burberry is proud of its rich heritage which has seen over a 150 years of British history. Thus the company is passionate about the the authenticity of their trade mark and core product in design and purpose, such as world-wide recognized trademark check and Prorsum horse logo and a traditional modern classic style trench coat. 2. Environmental value aims the environmental excellence of the company. Burberry is continuously aware about the environmental issues, such as climate change and carbon dioxide emissions and animal welfare, for example.The company is a member of the UN Global Compact and uses the Compact’s Ten Principles to guide its Corporate Responsibility activities. It is listed on the FTSE4Good Index and achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. [15] The work of the Business for Social Responsibility Sustainable Luxury Working Group, of which Burberry was a founding member, also continued this year, focusing on animal welfare guidelines and the exotic skins supply chain. As a result, the release of a common Animal Welfare Policy by the Group was communicated to Burberry suppliers, detailing its high expectations in respect of welfare standards. 15] Burberry is also a member of the Leather Working Group, supporting its efforts to improve transparency in the leather industry. Burberry does not utilise sandblasting on any of its products manufactured by or on behalf of the Group. [15] 3. Ethical value is in the desire of the brand to ensure the rights of their employees are highly valued and carefully followed. Burberry constantly shows its striving towards the improved C orporate Responsibility (CR) performance.To achieve long-term improvements in labour conditions, Burberry provides support and resources to suppliers to empower them to take responsibility for their factory and subcontractor conditions. The CR team delivers supplier training covering the Group’s ethical trading expectations, management systems and counsel on transparency and standards for subcontractors. [5] Burberry strongly believes that a policy of equal opportunity in employment is integral to the strength and growth of its business as a global brand with a diverse stakeholder and customer base.The company aims to ensure that the most capable job applicants are recruited and the most competent employees in the company progress. All decisions about people’s employment are based solely on an objective assessment of their suitability for the job. Burberry aims to maintain a working environment free from harassment or intimidation on discriminatory grounds and ensures that employment conditions and job requirements reflect its commitment to equal opportunities. [5] 2. 2. 2. Explore Burberry values in that area are very much business oriented.Thomas Burberry, the founder of the brand, explored the world of outerwear of his generation by inventing his sensational waterproof Gabardine and a trench coat, which none has ever seen nor worn before. Today Burberry’s aims to expand its production range to make it as diverse as possible to increase the market share. However at the moment the range already goes from the core innovative outerwear to not only womenswear and menswear, but to the non-apparel items, e. g. accessories, watches, childrenswear and even some home decoration items. 8] Burberry has always been aiming for the new markets: first sports and outdoors, then military usage and later civilian clothing. Now that the company has established itself on the different types of market, it is striving for the geographical expansion taking mar kets throughout the world, with a balance across major geographic regions. 2. 2. 3. Inspire They are the Burberry social objectives. Burberry believes that contributing into the local communities the company works with will make a positive impact.In 2008 Burberry established the Burberry Foundation charity organisation the purpose of which was to help young people realise their potential through fashion and creativity, built their confidence and self-esteem. [9] 3. Monitoring and evaluating of the strategic goals and objectives Ahrendts approach to monitoring and evaluating of the strategy execution and achieving the goals is â€Å"Divide and conquer†. According to that there were particular teams created to monitor and evaluate particular aspect of the new strategy. Design team, headed by Chief Creative Office, responsible for everything the consumer sees, including merchandising and creative media;[4] †¢Marketing team responsible for integrated advertising, PR and comm unications functions, which together focus on building and elevating brand awareness through traditional and digital media;[4] †¢Digital commerce newly-formed team, driving digital commerce globally to accelerate the brand’s digital leadership position in the luxury sector and help unlock the huge opportunities in this high-growth channel;[4] †¢Merchandising and planning team, which assorts, procures, and analyses the global collections in alignment with brand initiatives and commercial opportunities. [4] Every year Burberry reveals their annual results and achievements according to the itinerary in their annual report. ConclusionA straight forward highly innovative strategy by the new Burberry CEO caused uncertain reaction from different people in 2006 as well as it still causes doubts. Some think those were unnecessary changes, which made Burberry loose its original look and spirit, and some believe it was the best thing that have happened to Burberry in the last 50 years. However, the facts and numbers indicate that Burberry grew up to 500 stores in over 50 countries and led to increase the total revenue up to +23% in five years by September 2012 with the on-line sales increase in 50%. [3] Almost certainly the course has been changing during those five years due to the macro and micro external factors, which were indicated above.Nonetheless, it is obvious that creating a relevant and detailed strategic business plan and a consistent monitoring of its results and execution are crucial for a successful management of the company. Also, the earliest possible setting of the strategic goals and stating the company’s vision and mission and staying faithful to them makes the strategic plan effective. And in conclusion, understanding the values of an organisation will keep the corporate culture of the company stable, which is directly linked to productivity and job satisfaction among employees. References 1. Angela Ahrendts. (2011). Burberry uses salesforce com to create the ultimate Social Enterprise. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=oRpLo44nUEQ. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 2.Angela Ahrendts. (2011). The Young-Old Company – Angela Ahrendts, Burberry. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=_i50d6wiCBc. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 3. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012 4. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 5. BW staff. (2009). The 100 Best Global Brands 2009. Available: http://images. businessweek. com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/4. htm . Last Strategic Marketing at Burberry Content Page Introduction2 1. Business planning and developing a strategy. 3 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan. 3 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and mission 4 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis. 5 2. 3. 2. Vision and mission7 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 8 3. 3. Values8 3. 4. Classification of Burberry values. 8 3. 5. 3. Protect8 3. 5. 4. Explore9 3. 5. 5. Inspire 10 3.Monitoring and evaluating of Burberry strategic goals and objectives. 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The report below tells about the history and development of the iconic luxury brand from Britain, Burberry. It reflects the company’s mission, vision and core purpose, which consequently form the values of the brand. The report indicates the key strategic goals and objectives, which form the competitive advantage of the company, how they are being monitored and evaluated.Having been found as a small shop in B asingstoke, Hampshire, by a young draper Thomas Burberry in 1856 and developed into a large world-know brand ever since, Burberry is one of the first names that springs in mind when it comes to fashion and luxury. [4] The company went through many-years history of change and development. However, the core Burberry product still remains the trench coat made out of the brand weatherproof but breathable Gabardine invented and introduced by Thomas Burberry himself in 1880. [4] Today, according to Business Weekly, Burberry is the 98th most valuable brand. 10] 1. Business planning and developing a strategy Creating the strategy of an organisation is a part of business planning, on one hand, but it is the essence of the strategic planning on the other, where the difference between the strategic plans and the business planning is only in timing of implementing and the process of evaluating the two. Different authors writing in the field of strategic marketing give various definitions of str ategic planning. However, all of them tend to agree in the fact that it always includes the major points below. Vision – developing a common â€Å"vision for the future† or a â€Å"conceptualization† of where an organisation wants or desires to be in the long-term;[10] * Assessment – appraising or determining where an organisation is currently (i. e. , its goals, objectives, activities, results, etc. );[10] * Strategies – identifying how an organisation will actually realise (via concrete and predetermined actions) its mission, goals, and objectives;[10] * Measurement – evaluating the progress of an organisation in the implementation of its action strategies. [10]The report below will be based on the resumptive understanding of the term as a process of formulating of the mission, vision and goals of the organization and choosing the specific paths for outlining and gaining the desired resources to be used in order to provide the successful f unctioning of an organisation in future. Strategic planning is a useful tool in making the decisions concerning the total management of an organisation. Its main purpose is to ensure the right amount of innovation and modification for the organisation to be able to respond to the changes on the market.However, creating a strategy does not lead to an immediate action, but it sets up the general direction for the company to follow in order for its fence-mending and growth. 2. 1. The formation of Burberry’s new strategic business plan One of the main features that characterizes the strategic plan is its possibility to be adapted to the ever changing circumstances initiated by both internal and external factors. Thus over the decades Burberry has been changing its strategy and approach to trading.So when the age of the globalization brought new strong competitors into the market new ways of winning the customers loyalty and preference were to be found. In the 2006 the current CEO Angela Ahrendts joins the company replacing Rose Maria Bravo, who managed to greatly expand the Burberry market share in the US. [6] Ahrendts modernizes every aspect of the company’s behaviour and positioning itself on the market having chosen an innovative five year strategic business plan. 2. 2. Business strategy, vision and missionAccording to the new plan the company concentrates its investment efforts on opening its own stores rather than on the wholesale, especially in London. The new CEO recognizes Burberry’s presence in its genuine way and major PR activity in this city precisely, as another way to emphasize the British heritage of the brand. However, Ahrendts points out there are 25 such â€Å"Londons †, where Burberry will strive for recognition and loyalty, which include such metropolises as Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, etc. 12] As due to the fact that the company produces luxury goods Ahrendts prefers to play more or less safe and concentrate on those parts of the world which are likely to be protected from the wider economic problems. As another crucial factor for the growth and development that Ahrendts chooses, predicting the future customer be younger, is the company to not maintain their traditional product line and merchandising way only, but to enhance it with the new design and presentation to be able to satisfy the demand of the new type of a customer.Thus the new strategy with the new vision and mission appeared that has brought changes into every area of the company. 2. 3. 1. Successful strategy and achieving the goals based on analysis According to Michael Porter â€Å"Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value†. [13]The creation and the development of a new strategy to manage such a diverse business with the global outreach as Burberry is very complex in nature. Depending on various both internal and extern al factors it often requires to be made in the uncertain situations.It also often involves the radical change in the current culture of an organisation which is always uneasy for the employees and may adversely affect the performance of the organisation. Being an international company with the Global outreach makes it challenging for the company like Burberry to develop and maintain the competitive strategy that will encourage financial growth and gain advantage on the market. Nevertheless, Angela Ahrendts chooses the most ambitious and strategic plan Burberry has had in almost 50 years. * Leveraging the franchise[4]Where the goals are brand momentum by consistent global articulation, marketing innovation and product excellence. * Intensifying the development of non-apparel[4] By focusing on the yet under-penetrated non-apparel categories, such as men’s collections, soft accessories collections and licensing the eyewear, fragrance, make-up and watches products globally. * Acc elerating retail-led growth[4] To change the static wholesale model of the company to a dynamic retail model by driving the productivity, putting the customer needs in the centre, and investment into opening new stores. Investing in the underpenetrated markets[4] The goals are engaging China, developing India and the Middle East markets and elevating the wholesale presence. * Pursuing operational excellence[4] To be recognised not only by operational excellence, but by product and marketing excellence. However, despite the most well-considered strategy a company is always dependent on both internal and external factors able to make an impact on its development and trade. PESTEL method will help to analyse the macro external environment Burberry may find difficult to deal with in order to realise its strategic plan.Political| Economical| Social| Technological| Environmental| Legal| Being an international company may create problems with possible tensions between the governments of th e countries where Burberry trading takes place| Continuous recession| Fairtrade responsibilitiesAnti-fur/ leather campaigns| New highly technological approaches to selling , buying and advertising the product appear| The impact on the Planet while manufacturing and transporting the goods | Different taxation and trading rules and regulations in different countries|However, not only the macro external factors, but the micro external factors too might cause obstacles for the company’s strategy. Michael Porter’s Five Forces analyses gives the clearest understanding of the micro external environment, which includes the threat of the existing competitive rivalry, threat of bargaining power of the suppliers, threat of substantial products, as well as the threat of the customer bargaining power and the threat of the new entrants. It can be seen from the scheme, that Burberry’s main existing competitors include Stella McCartney in the market of clothing and shoes (appar el); Hermes in the non-apparel market, e. . bags and scarfs; and Chanel to talk about make-up. Moreover there is also a threat from the substantial products, such as those produced by Sisley, Ted Baker and Karen Miller, which are not luxury brands, however do have a reputation of a great quality and they are also British. Which means in times of recession people might switch to them. There is a threat from the suppliers in case they would increase the price, as Burberry only works with those the members of the Ethical Trading Action Group.There is a threat coming from the customers too due to the fact that most of the Burberry products are fashion oriented, which means once they are out of fashion, people will refuse buying them. However, the threat of the new entrants is not essential, as even though the new brands may offer novelty, they cannot offer the name with such a rich background and heritage that Burberry has. All of these factors must be taken into consideration for Burbe rry current strategy to be successful. 2. 3. 2. Vision and missionWith the appointing of Angela Ahrendts as a CEO in 2006 when the Internet was booming bursting the opportunities of the global trade with its no-boarders possibilities, Burberry steps on a completely new path of high-tech cooperation with its customer. [5] With the core Burberry ideology of â€Å"The faster we move forward, it becomes even more critical to look back and never forget who we are and never forget where we came from. And what made this brand such a great global luxury brand today†[2] in mind Ahrends sets the new core purpose for Burberry. We had a vision† – she admits in one of the interviews – â€Å"And the vision was to be the first company who was fully digital from end-to-end†. [2] Ever since the company has been working on integrating various digital approaches to its business. Burberry’s advertising campaigns and catwalk shows became more and more technologic ally complex whereas the on-line trading on the contrary became easier and more available by the company’s partnering with various on-line selling platforms to take that vision and built the social enterprise.The experience expected was that the customer would have the total access to Burberry across any device anywhere and would get exactly the same feeling of the brand, feeling of the culture, regardless of where, when, how they were accessing the brand. Everyone now should be able come into Burberry world and see the Burberry journey and mission. The new vision enhanced the Burberry mission to sell its â€Å"distinctive Britishness† to the world with the new flavour of community that every customer is believed to become a part of buying or at least being interested in a Burberry product.Such attitude intends to create greater customer’s loyalty to the brand as this is the community, where one’s opinion in a way of a feedback is valued and appreciated. Even the personal preferences of how the core Burberry product should look like is taken into consideration from now on as the company launched www. artofthetrench. com web platform, where anyone can post their photos wearing a Burberry trench, moreover, can create their own trench coat based on the iconic trench from Burberry. Ahrendts goal is to deepen, broaden and vary the communication between the company and the customer through every activity the company is involved in.She emphasizes on the vital necessity of the cross-channel communication to be â€Å"totally connected to everyone who touches your brand†. [2] The new vision and the new additions to the established mission of the company have formed the brand’s new strategic intentions 2. Protect, Explore and Inspire. Burberry values. 3. 3. Values Burberry is a brand with over 150 years of history. [6] All that time the company has been run by the efforts of many people and, naturally, these people might have bee n of a completely different personalities, views and opinions. However, being a company, which in this case is Burberry, draw hese people together united not only by common vision of where the company is going, but also by the values, which in a context of a corporate culture set the behavioural norms of the company through years for everyone who entered it. Edgar H. Schein describes corporate values as â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†. 7] Burberry defines their core values as Protect, Explore and Inspire. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry’s CEO, often refers to the company as the â€Å"new and old company†[9] and such description definitely reflects the way the company constantly strives for the new opportunities, but always staying faithful to its old priorities. The essence of the Protect, Explore and Inspire company’s core values can be explained through the objectives of Burberry as an organization. 2. 2. Classification of Burberry values 2. 2. 1. Protect 1. Cultural value of the company to traditionally remain a â€Å"quintessentially British† brand.Burberry is proud of its rich heritage which has seen over a 150 years of British history. Thus the company is passionate about the the authenticity of their trade mark and core product in design and purpose, such as world-wide recognized trademark check and Prorsum horse logo and a traditional modern classic style trench coat. 2. Environmental value aims the environmental excellence of the company. Burberry is continuously aware about the environmental issues, such as climate change and carbon dioxide emissions and animal welfare, for example.The company is a member of the UN Global Compact and uses the Compact’s Ten Principles to guide its Corporate Responsibility activities. It is listed on the FTSE4Good Index and achieved the Carbon Trust Standard. [15] The work of the Business for Social Responsibility Sustainable Luxury Working Group, of which Burberry was a founding member, also continued this year, focusing on animal welfare guidelines and the exotic skins supply chain. As a result, the release of a common Animal Welfare Policy by the Group was communicated to Burberry suppliers, detailing its high expectations in respect of welfare standards. 15] Burberry is also a member of the Leather Working Group, supporting its efforts to improve transparency in the leather industry. Burberry does not utilise sandblasting on any of its products manufactured by or on behalf of the Group. [15] 3. Ethical value is in the desire of the brand to ensure the rights of their employees are highly valued and carefully followed. Burberry constantly shows its striving towards the improved C orporate Responsibility (CR) performance.To achieve long-term improvements in labour conditions, Burberry provides support and resources to suppliers to empower them to take responsibility for their factory and subcontractor conditions. The CR team delivers supplier training covering the Group’s ethical trading expectations, management systems and counsel on transparency and standards for subcontractors. [5] Burberry strongly believes that a policy of equal opportunity in employment is integral to the strength and growth of its business as a global brand with a diverse stakeholder and customer base.The company aims to ensure that the most capable job applicants are recruited and the most competent employees in the company progress. All decisions about people’s employment are based solely on an objective assessment of their suitability for the job. Burberry aims to maintain a working environment free from harassment or intimidation on discriminatory grounds and ensures that employment conditions and job requirements reflect its commitment to equal opportunities. [5] 2. 2. 2. Explore Burberry values in that area are very much business oriented.Thomas Burberry, the founder of the brand, explored the world of outerwear of his generation by inventing his sensational waterproof Gabardine and a trench coat, which none has ever seen nor worn before. Today Burberry’s aims to expand its production range to make it as diverse as possible to increase the market share. However at the moment the range already goes from the core innovative outerwear to not only womenswear and menswear, but to the non-apparel items, e. g. accessories, watches, childrenswear and even some home decoration items. 8] Burberry has always been aiming for the new markets: first sports and outdoors, then military usage and later civilian clothing. Now that the company has established itself on the different types of market, it is striving for the geographical expansion taking mar kets throughout the world, with a balance across major geographic regions. 2. 2. 3. Inspire They are the Burberry social objectives. Burberry believes that contributing into the local communities the company works with will make a positive impact.In 2008 Burberry established the Burberry Foundation charity organisation the purpose of which was to help young people realise their potential through fashion and creativity, built their confidence and self-esteem. [9] 3. Monitoring and evaluating of the strategic goals and objectives Ahrendts approach to monitoring and evaluating of the strategy execution and achieving the goals is â€Å"Divide and conquer†. According to that there were particular teams created to monitor and evaluate particular aspect of the new strategy. Design team, headed by Chief Creative Office, responsible for everything the consumer sees, including merchandising and creative media;[4] †¢Marketing team responsible for integrated advertising, PR and comm unications functions, which together focus on building and elevating brand awareness through traditional and digital media;[4] †¢Digital commerce newly-formed team, driving digital commerce globally to accelerate the brand’s digital leadership position in the luxury sector and help unlock the huge opportunities in this high-growth channel;[4] †¢Merchandising and planning team, which assorts, procures, and analyses the global collections in alignment with brand initiatives and commercial opportunities. [4] Every year Burberry reveals their annual results and achievements according to the itinerary in their annual report. ConclusionA straight forward highly innovative strategy by the new Burberry CEO caused uncertain reaction from different people in 2006 as well as it still causes doubts. Some think those were unnecessary changes, which made Burberry loose its original look and spirit, and some believe it was the best thing that have happened to Burberry in the last 50 years. However, the facts and numbers indicate that Burberry grew up to 500 stores in over 50 countries and led to increase the total revenue up to +23% in five years by September 2012 with the on-line sales increase in 50%. [3] Almost certainly the course has been changing during those five years due to the macro and micro external factors, which were indicated above.Nonetheless, it is obvious that creating a relevant and detailed strategic business plan and a consistent monitoring of its results and execution are crucial for a successful management of the company. Also, the earliest possible setting of the strategic goals and stating the company’s vision and mission and staying faithful to them makes the strategic plan effective. And in conclusion, understanding the values of an organisation will keep the corporate culture of the company stable, which is directly linked to productivity and job satisfaction among employees. References 1. Angela Ahrendts. (2011). Burberry uses salesforce com to create the ultimate Social Enterprise. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=oRpLo44nUEQ. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 2.Angela Ahrendts. (2011). The Young-Old Company – Angela Ahrendts, Burberry. Available: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=_i50d6wiCBc. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 3. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012 4. Burberry. (2012). Annual report. Available: http://www. burberryplc. com/documents/full_annual_report/burberry_ar_final_web_with-urls_indexed. pdf. Last accessed 13. 12. 2012. 5. BW staff. (2009). The 100 Best Global Brands 2009. Available: http://images. businessweek. com/ss/09/09/0917_global_brands/4. htm . Last