“A change in my life that has been for better”

Ten years ago, I married my beautiful wife and that was one of the best things that could ever happen to me. Marriage completely changed my life for the better and I am grateful for that.When I first came to the United States at the age of 14, with no parents with me except one sister I was alone. Overwhelming with her own responsibilities, my sister could not care for me, so I had to care for myself. That is one of the reasons why I was married at an early age of 22. Married to my wife changed me for better in many ways.Firstly, as my wife she cares for me in way which my mother would. For example, she washes my clothes for me, cooks for me and most basic things that my mother would have done for me in a regular basis.As a custom in my culture, when a man choosing a wife, she must be able to do everything that a mother would do for a son and more, such as prepare a good meal for the husband, make sure that he has clean clothes and be a shoulder for him to cry on if he need to. Anoth er thing a mother would do is to give advice when needed.Secondly, she loves me, because of her love I know what love is. I never knew real love before I met my wife. I never thought that I would be able to love or trust someone. She shows me that I was able to love and that completely changed my life certainly for the better.I feel free now that I know that someone loves and cares for me. She gives me hope to forward in life. She made me feel like all things are possible for me. That’s alone making me want to leave.Finally, her companionship is also as important.   Since were married I am never by myself except in school or unless we are at work. We have never spent a week away from each other. That is how much we love being together. She makes me feel safe when I am with her. I can remember vividly, we were having a conversation, and then she told me â€Å"you know Man, I am your protector, I was sent by God to protect you†.I also believe that being married saves m e from many diseases out there. Without being married, I probably would date as many women possible until I find the right one. Because now that I am married, I have to stay with one woman therefore, that saves me.Marriage could have both negative and positive effects on one’s life, but for me marriage was positively changed my life. I never imagine my life to be better except through marriage.

Impact of Marketization on Higher Education in the UK

Abstract Marketization is an increasing phenomenon within the current environment. Every sector of the economy continues to adopt the concept of marketization in a bid to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the affected sectors. One of the main sectors identified in the current literature review is higher education. The paper below provides a critical literature review on the basis of theoretical and empirical reviews. The theoretical review identifies and explains the theory of marketization whereas the empirical review evaluates the varied findings and views of the scholars and researchers on the impact of marketization on higher education. The results of the review state that there are both negative and positive impacts of marketization on higher education in respect to UK. Key words: Marketization, higher education, theoretical, empirical Introduction The following is a review of literature on the impact of marketization on higher education in the UK. Evidently, marketization, which involves the restructuring, remodelling, and transformation of publicly-owned enterprises or organisations into market-based entities, continues to be a common phenomenon especially in the current century. Through marketization, majority of the higher learning institutions in the UK have been transformed from being owned by the government to market-oriented institutions to enhance quality and operations. A number of researchers and scholars have conducted an evaluation and analysis on the impact of the concept on higher education in the UK. Therefore, the current paper aims at reviewing some of the literatures explaining the impact of marketization on higher education. In accomplishing this objective, the current literature review is performed on the basis of theoretical and empirical reviews. The review ends with a concluding remark that summarises th e main points whilst stating the stand of the analysis. Theoretical Review Marketization theory describes the functionality of marketization. According to Raffe and Croxford (2013), the theory of marketization provides a good foundation to nations in introducing the aspects of choices, competition, and public accountability, which are essential in enhancing the quality of products or services under production. Evidently, the theory of marketization helps in eliminating different economic problems and concepts such as unfavourable market competition, inefficiencies in markets, and the lack of players and market forces that are likely to influence the production process. Based on the theory of marketization argues it is important to transform an entire economy by getting rid of the planned economic system and allowing market-based scenario to prevail in the economy in question (Quinlan, 2014). Amongst the aspects discussed within the theory of marketization include liberalisation, contracting reforms, stimulating of competition, incentive creation, and outsou rcing reforms that will help in transforming the higher education sector. Other aspects explained within the theory of marketization include the reduction of regulation, opening market-oriented systems, and effective allocation of resources (Xue-chao, 2012). From such perceptions, it is arguably important to note that the theory of marketization explains the fact that through the concept of liberalising an economy all the trade barriers and price controls are significantly removed, which provide space to the various stakeholders to actively engage in ensuring that there is high quality production process. From the perspective of the marketization theory, a number of economies across the globe are calling upon for the deregulation of institutions of higher learning with the aim of making them more competitive within the global market. The 2013 year has been a year of marketization of the higher education system in the UK (Raffe & Croxford, 2013). Throughout the 2013, UK developed policies and strategies towards attaining a fully marketised system especially for the higher education sector. Since 2013 UK has developed numerous and possibly effective policies that are aimed at encouraging the expansion of higher education. Expansion of higher education as anticipated by the UK government through development of various policies has the sole objective of increasing participation of all the stakeholders in education (McNeill, 2012). Increased participation of all involved stakeholders in the higher education courtesy of marketization concept results into a more educated workforce, which has actually enabled the UK to experience a growth in its economy. Indeed, marketization of the higher education in UK has offered a perfect ground-breaking insight on how the government policies can be employed towards altering the structures and operations of different institutions for higher learning especially universities and technical colleges (Xue-chao, 2012). The following section provides an empirical review of the previous studies and views of the scholars on the impact of the marketization on higher education with special focus to the UK. Empirical Review Different scholars and researchers have performed evaluation, analysis, and studies on the impact of marketization on higher education in the UK. Brown (2013) conducted a study that aimed at describing the concept of market-based policies with regards to higher education in the UK. In addition, Brown (2013) also aimed at assessing the historical background regarding the current reforms within higher education in UK especially in respect to marketization. The study by Brown (2013) established that there has been an improvement in higher education as seen within the idea of competition, efficiency, responsiveness, as well as innovation courtesy of marketization. From the perspective of the theory of marketization, Brown (2013) argued that marketization has provided the opportunity for different stakeholders other than government to also engage in providing services of education and learning in higher institutions of learning. Therefore, from the study of Brown it is evident that market ization has positive impact on higher education within UK. The other study was performed by Hommel and King (2013) who sought to find out the financial dimension of specific reforms by the government especially in respect to developing an educational sector that is risk-based. From the corporate risk management literature, Hommel and King (2013) found out that business schools, which continues to adopt the risk-based regulations and reforms to meet their objectives and targets with respect to learning process, face a lot of challenges especially in line with managing risks. In this respect, Hommel and King (2013) established the fact that business schools especially within the ranks of universities and other institutions of higher learning should be careful about their financial solvency through effective and efficient maintenance of functioning risks. Hence, on the perspective of the study conducted by Hommel and King (2013), it is evident that in as much as marketization provides some positive impacts there are negative impacts that accrue due to the concept for instance the increase exposure to various financial risks. Natale and Doran (2012) also performed a study on the marketization of education in a bid to identify the ethical dilemma that exists in the same. From the study, it is clear that the marketing of education continues to be epidemic, which calls for the suffusion of both practices and principles of business in the management of higher education. However, Natale and Doran (2012) established in their study that in as much as the higher education is becoming more advanced, efficient, effective, and very competitive, the idea of exposing higher education to marker-based systems has resulted into increased costs of education. As a result, there is a growing ethical concern, that is, even though on one side the higher education sector is becoming more efficient, effective, and competitive, the cost of accessing such higher education has become higher and unattainable since the pricing has been left on market forces. Such views have also been put forward by Tapper (2013), who argue that desp ite positive impacts of marketization on higher education, the market-based systems have exposed the pricing of higher education to market forces, which makes the entire cost expensive. Hence, there is need to identify whether to enhance efficiency at the expense of the cost of providing education. The other study was conducted by Holmwood (2012) with an aim of analysing markets and publics as the new battlegrounds for the sector of higher education across many economies. Holmwood (2012) evaluated the recent policy changes especially started by the British Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. The policy by the coalition government is a preferred paradigm shift with respect to restructuring and remodelling of the higher education sector. The findings from the study showed that there has been radical and neo-liberal approach towards transforming the higher education sector. So far, the policies developed by the government have been very successful in enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of higher education. However, Holmwood (2012) stated in the study that the only problem with transforming higher education sector into a market-based system is the fact that monocultural perspectives are likely to result into value of what is lost. Despite th e problem of monoculture as created by the market-based systems, Holmwood (2012) strongly believe that marketization is indeed a good concept; a view that has also been supported by Nickola et al (2012). Consequently, marketization continues to be a good foundation for changing higher education in the UK. Conclusion The above is a literature review explaining the impacts of marketization on higher education with special focus to the UK. The review contains two main sections, namely, the theoretical review and the empirical review. On the basis of the theoretical review, it is evident that the theory of marketization calls for the removal of the public or government dominance in the running and management of institutions of higher learning. What’s more, the theory of marketization explains that through changing the higher education sector to market-based system, the private sector is highly involved, which results into enhanced efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of the higher institutions of learning. On a different perspective, the empirical review provides an analysis and evaluation of the various findings by different researchers and scholars on the impact of marketization on higher education. From the empirical review, it is clear that whereas there are numerous positive im pacts of marketization on higher education, the concept also has negative impacts on the same sector. List of References Brown, R. 2013, â€Å"Access to Higher Education: The Shift towards Market-Based Policies in the UK†, DICE Report, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 23-27. Holmwood, J. 2012, â€Å"Markets versus Publics: The New Battleground of Higher Education†, Harvard International Review, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 12-15. Hommel, U. & King, R. 2013, â€Å"The emergence of risk-based regulation in higher education†, The Journal of Management Development, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 537-547. McNeill, T., 2012, ‘‘Don’t affect the share price’’: social media policy in higher education as reputation management. Research in Learning Technology, vol. 20. Natale, S.M. & Doran, C. 2012, â€Å"Marketization of Education: An Ethical Dilemma†, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 105, no. 2, pp. 187-196. Nickolai, D. H., Hoffman, S. G., & Trautner, M. N., 2012, Can a knowledge sanctuary also be an economic engineThe marketization of higher education as institutional boundary work. Sociology Compass, vol. 6, no. 3; Pp. 205-218. Quinlan, K. M., 2014, Everything for saleThe marketisation of UK higher education. By Roger Brown with Helen Carasso. British Journal of Educational Studies, (ahead-of-print), 1-3. Raffe, D., & Croxford, L., 2013, How stable is the stratification of higher education in England and Scotland?. British Journal of Sociology of Education, (ahead-of-print), 1-23. Tapper, T., 2013, Roger Brown and H. Carasso: Everything for saleThe marketisation of UK higher education. Higher Education, vol. 66, no. 5; Pp. 641-643. Xue-chao, Y. H. J. M., 2012, Marketization of Higher Education in the UK: The Perspective of Financing [J]. Tsinghua Journal of Education, vol. 3, no. 015.

Medication errors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medication errors - Essay Example inistration requiring higher skills like the intravenous route, but occur even when medications are administered through the simpler non-intravenous route (Ghaleb et al, 2006). Tang, Sheu, Yu, Wei, and Chen, 2007, report that among physicians, pharmacists and nurses, who make up the chain of healthcare professionals involved in the use of drugs for therapeutic reasons, the contribution of nursing professionals to medication errors is high, even though they are only involved in the administration of the drugs. They fall back on a multidisciplinary committee analysis of 441 medication errors in a hospital in the United Kingdom. The report of the committee showed that nurses were responsible for twenty-two percent of these errors and that twenty-five percent of these errors were medication errors. The authors provide additional information on the background of the nursing professionals involved in medication errors. More than ninety percent of medication errors occurred after graduation from a nursing school, with more than thirty percent of the errors occurring in nursing professionals, who had graduated in the previous year. The average length of work exper ience was found to be 2.2 years with a plus or minus error of 0.7. More than half of these errors occur in large teaching hospitals or medical centers, while 36.1% of the errors occurred in regional hospitals and 12.5% in local hospitals. The more significant medication errors within a hospital were the intensive care units and the medical wards. Data on the break up of the types of errors is also provided. Wrong dose makes up the highest percentage of medication errors at 36.1%, followed by wrong drug at 26.4%. The other types of medication errors involved were wrong time at 18.1%, wrong patient at 11.1%, wrong route 8.3%. Wrong administration of antibiotics made up 38.9% of the medication errors. The medication errors regarding the administering of electrolytes were 8.4%, analgesics 6.9%, anti-diabetics 6.9%

Substance abuse documentation confidentiality Research Paper

Substance abuse documentation confidentiality - Research Paper Example According to 10A NCAC 26B .0102, the state, individuals or area facilities with access to confidential information must take the affirmative measures in safeguarding such information. Any confidential information must not be released, except in accordance to G.S 122C-51 through the 122C-56. The release of confidential information regarding substance abusers must be based on federal regulations of the part 2 of 42 C.F.R. The confidentiality of records for drug and alcohol abusers adopted by the G.S. 150B-14(c) must be pursued unless in case of restrictive rules (Ganley, 2005). Each area within the facilities of the state maintaining confidential information record must provide a secure place for storing the records. Also, they must develop the written policies and procedures on controlled access for the records. All area of the state must ensure authorized access of such records. The director in each state facility must ensure the presence of the clinical staff members to protect and explain the records when the legal person of the client demands the review of the records. Delegated employees develop the procedures and policies on the provision of safeguards to enhance controlled access of such information (Martin & Moracco, 2008). The director of the state facility must ensure that all people involved in handling confidential information know the terms and conditions provided under G.S. 122C-52 through to 122C-56, and the facility must develop written procedures and policies based on the rules. The facility must provide trainings to all individual authorised access of confidential information. The individual in training must indicate their understanding of the governing requirements confidentiality through signing a statement of compliance and understanding (Ganley, 2005). Employees must sign the statement upon employment and in case the revisions happens

Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

1 - Assignment Example The impact of globalization on developing and emerging nations is said to be minimal. The policies that are affected by globalization are of special consideration as they determine how a country performs in global affairs such as trade. Policies needed to reduce negative impacts of globalization on developed nations are suggested in the paper. Policies touching on immigration, employment, and foreign competition are of interest to the paper (Gokhale, 2010). In my opinion, globalization has not reduced poverty because, even if, it has boosted exports and foreign investment in countries, it has provided for a ground on which developed nations are abusing these merits of globalization. They take advantage of the cheap labor in developing nations, dump pollutants there, and the international companies are only after their gain of profits and not for the alleviation of poverty. An example of globalization in the US is that of the US Federal Reserve Bank. The US dollar is the global reserve currency; this has allowed the US to control global interest rates and investment trends (Goldberg, 2013). Hence, this has had a positive impact on the inner cities and rural areas of the country by providing financial stability in the country. Financial stability allows for growth in local start-up businesses and companies that are revenue sources for the rural areas and inner cities. Globalization is rooted in economics to the extent that if one currency in the globe does poorly, or a country is in recession, or the oil prices rise or fall, then nearly all countries are affected by these economic trends. Each country is affected in a unique way depending on their standing in the global occurrences. Goldberg, E. (2013, March 12). The Globalization 5 -- How Globalization Changed America in 2013, and What It Might Mean for 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014, from Huffington Post:

Chinese dessert culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese dessert culture - Research Paper Example This is according to 2013 population estimate. This is a population big enough to call for business establishments that support their culture. Naturally, human will tend to congregate in areas where they believe other â€Å"families’’ are found. This together with other factors formed the basis on which mango medley restaurant together with other restaurant offering the same services were founded. Mango medley was started to focus Asian community living in sun set area as the target market but has since diversified the market to include also the locals by providing a variety of cuisine at a fairly cheaper prices as had been discussed above. Currently the Asians form center of interest due to their large size and due the fact that their population is increasing faster relative to others. This promises a bright future for business. Diversifying the market to also include other locals in the dishes they provide is also a strategy to beat the competition and keep customers locked. This will be facilitated by providing everything they need in terms of variety of dishes specific to the needs of each customers. According to (Kathy Lin,2000), shopping for fresh food is essential for Chinese cooking, â€Å"this is something that is taken seriously by Mango Medley restaurant by ordering fresh fish from Tokyo† notes an observer. Asians being people who value their culture so much, have shown a biased towards cuisines from other regions but the east. This to me explains why there has been emergence of many dessert restaurant in San Francisco area. Some of the competing restaurants in the above area include but not limited to; Creations, Candybar, Geary street, Kingdom of Dumpling, Old Mandarin, San Tung, Swich and many others. Factors that have promoted emergence of this night restaurants life may be the relaxed legislation that is in Francisco on when business operations should end. There is no

Charater notebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Charater notebook - Essay Example This one-act play comes in eight episodes with six characters, exemplifying the antagonism that existed between the business class community and working class. This discussion bases on the character of Joe and the ways it is portrayed by the playwright. The play starts at a Labor Union meeting, where the striking members are addressing their issues regarding the strike to the fellow audience. Harry Fatt, the corrupted union leader, favors the employer and tries to quell the strike by silencing the workers’ protest. However, the demand for strike is high and the workers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their elected committee chairman, Lefty Costello. Meanwhile, Fatt tries to convince the seekers of the strike proposal by stating that the president is taking care of their interests, and so the strike seems to be unnecessary and unproductive in various regards. He even spies and intimidates the workers, accusing those who oppose his opinion as communists or cowards. While waiting for Lefty, the members are allowed to express their views on the necessity of the strike. Each of the character addresses their economic necessity - the primary reason for them to take the job as a cab driver. They explain their intentions behind t he strike proposal and how they are involved in the union. Firstly, Joe Mitchell takes his stand on the strike issue by defending the courage and conviction of Lefty. He also denies and opposes being called as a ‘Red’ by showing his war wounds as a symbol of patriotism. He speaks out about the poverty and exploitation of the working class by arguing that the strike is the only way out for them. He even persuades the workers to make up their minds in support of the strike, referring to his wife, Edna’s persuasion. The conversation between Joe and Edna reflects the tedious life of the cab drivers and their desperate households. Edna taunts Joe for his reluctance and persuades him to go on strike for higher wages.

Computed Tomography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computed Tomography - Assignment Example lues based on dispersed dose quantities while on the other side, the NCRP technique demonstrated an overestimation of the least vital obstacle of depth. Breast shielding method is another shielding method. It helps in reducing radiation dose. The main side effect of breast shielding is that it produces low quality images during the study. Bismuth shielding method on the other side has also contributed to reduce doses effects to patients of CT such as breast, thyroid and eye lens. (Jankowski et al., 2004). Bismuth shielding method is also easy to use compared to other methods. Radiation protection shielding helps in reducing exposed body parts which are sensitive such as thyroid and gonads and the breast from radiation. Having gone through several findings about computed tomography radiation protection shield, it is our concern to consider different body parts that experiences radiation effects. The reviews specify a favorite shields for computed tomography angiography versus ventilat ion perfusion scanning in the diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolus to the patients with lung disease (Jankowski et al., 2004). The nature of likeness is geared with a number of factors that varies between the institutions and the selection of the patient. Shielding calculations for computed tomography system is based on British Institute of Radiology and institute of physics in Engineering in Medicine (BIR-IPEM). Studies reveal that people are much affected by computed tomography (Jankowski et al., 2004).

Nursing Informatics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Nursing Informatics - Coursework Example It limited in details though on the parts played by the patient and doctor yet presents the technology as the superior aspect. Aimee McPeck’s is piece is about nursing practice and patient safety. The authorship is well directed and is a plea to all nurses in practice to put the safety of patients at the first spot. It is in this claim that I find this response particularly imperative and essential for prioritization. In the respect, the work is presented in a fashion implying that knowledge gathering about safety in nursing is imperative and should be taken as a continuous process. The paper cites Sherwood and Zomorodi’s work in line with patient’s sensitivity in participating in the nursing process because their worry leads to no progress. As a nurse, I fully acknowledge and appreciate the pointer by Aimee. However, Aimee is not vivid about the source of knowledge in that subject matter. I would prefer the author to mention books, journals, and participation in events like brainstorming and frequent discussion meetings to keep all abreast. Cynthia Vaughn is an author with experience, which to me is required of any nurse practitioner. I was particularly attracted by her introduction of the HER systems. With the claim that one can find their records right from birth to their last day is a strong statement and catchy. Her example considering the Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is informative and presents the point home (Harshberger et. Al., 2011). She narrates in a short yet direct to the point experience with a doctor in the handwritten records time hence bringing out the disadvantages of the traditional system. In that fashion, a reader is able to acknowledge the need for HER. Harshberger, C. A., Harper, A. J., Carro, G. W., Spath, W. E., Hui, W. C., Lawton, J. M., & Brockstein, B. E. (2011).

Tesco in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Tesco in India - Essay Example The various segments of this research paper comprise a brief study of cross-cultural management, impact of cultural diversity on international firms and a relevant analysis of cross-cultural scenario related to TESCO’s store location, possible conflicts and methods of resolving. In the contemporary business world where every organisation wants a global presence, cultural variation is no more a new aspect. Cultural diversity in terms of behaviour, language and communication is observed in different areas of management (Kottak, 2011). This cultural variation stems from the involvement of employees with different cultural backgrounds (Triandis, 2001). Multi-national companies are currently expanding to as many countries as possible and this has brought cultural differences in the workplace (Chevrier, 2003). For a management to operate successfully, it is necessary that the workforce interact with each other without considering background, religion, cultural and linguistic differences. This is why a number of multi-national companies with workers from different parts of the world are working successfully in Middle East and western countries (Kawar, 2012). However, there are examples of failure of multi-national companies such as, Nestle, who was unsuccessful to sell baby food in impoverished market of Africa because their assumptions went wrong (HSBC, 2012). To understand the concept of cross-cultural approach, it is important to understand the term ‘culture’. One’s culture is inculcated since childhood as a result of influence from parents, family members, teachers, playmates and neighbourhoods (Harrison and Huntington, 2000). Culture is an integration of values, tradition, ethics, language, religion, life style and verbal and non-verbal expressions. It conditions one’s intellect and behaviour pattern. Culture is classified as generic culture and local culture. While local culture is a set of

How great websites help improve your business Essay Example for Free

How great websites help improve your business Essay Mission Statement Our diversity mission is to foster a culture that integrates diversity and inclusion into all aspects of the business in order to further fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling.   Vision Statement Harley-Davidson values, embraces and celebrates diversity in order to develop and continuously improve mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders to fulfill dreams and provide extraordinary customer experiences in an increasingly dynamic, diverse and global market.   Objectives   Create a viable brand that would effectively compete within the Non-Menthol, Lo-Fi category. Attract more young adult (25-49) male smokers into the Lorillard family.   Develop a highly targeted â€Å"Niche Brand’ that would generate modest share goals.   Build strong brand awareness and imaginary.   Gain trial and repeat purchase. Create consumer confidence.   Strategies MARKET PENETRATION Get some more market share from the existing market, like U. S, U. K, and Japan etc through more marketing techniques like advertising. Harley-Davidson has a good brand name so it’s easy for them to eat up the competitor market share if they can provide some more customer benefit. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Younger generation and female are now coming to this segment so expand the motor cycle segments to younger generation and females.   MARKET DEVELOPMENT Harley-Davidson can bring in their vehicle to Asian countries like India and China, because these countries have a high population and the market potential is also high.   DIVERSIFICATION Bring new bikes to attract customer and market.   INVESTING IN THE BRAND The Company is reinforcing its support of the Harley-Davidson brand, accelerating its ongoing marketing efforts to reach out to emerging rider groups, including younger and diverse riders. In addition, the Company will continue to focus on product innovations targeted at specific growth opportunities with its strong core customer base and new riders.   ADJUSTING THE COST STRUCTURE Consolidate its two engine and transmission plants in the Milwaukee area into its facility in Menomonee Falls, Wis.   OBTAINING ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR HDFS The Company said it is evaluating a range of options to provide the necessary liquidity for the wholesale and retail lending activities of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) Recommended Mission To be branded as the best motorcycle available in the world. Recommended Vision The best quality motorcycle, motorcycle products and financial services will be provided worldwide is the commitment of Harley-Davidson. Customer satisfaction is our motto and the Harley-Davidson customers can experience the taste of reality of motorcycle dreams by relaying their satisfaction on us. Harley- Davidson is dedicated to use the advanced technology to produce the most superior motorcycle in domestic and international markets. Stay competitive and continue growth worldwide remain profitable and survive is our philosophy. Employees of Harley-Davidson are the foundation of the company and they are the driving force behind the Harley-Davidson name. The total team effort of Harley-Davidson employees is devoted to fulfilling dreams of customers and we believe that there is not a motorcycle riding experience like a Harley-Davidson’s. Excellence is our push though our Harley-Davidson bar and shield logo that says superior quality. Honesty and customer loyalty and these morals are the heartbeat of Harley-Davidson organization. Harley-Davidson do our part in supporting all environmental laws in every country we do business. Determination and commitment is the place where Harley-Davidson intends to stay.   External Opportunities The European demand for Harley Davidson is the highest in the international market and represents the single largest motorcycle market in the world Women and younger riders are increasing becoming interested in bikes   The international heavy weight market is growing and is now larger than the U. S. heavyweight market Market share increasing in Europe and Asia for the last two years   Increasing demand in US markets for bike. Buell division needs to continue to produce a quality motorcycle under Harley’s brand name.   Competitive Profile Matrix: Critical success factor| Harley- Davidson| Honda| | Weight| Rating| Score| Weight| Rating| Score| Advertising| 0. 10| 4| 0. 40| 0. 10| 3| 0. 30| Product Quality| 0. 15| 4| 0. 60| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| Price Competitiveness| 0. 20| 1| 0. 20| 0. 20| 3| 0. 60| Management| 0. 10| 3| 0. 30| 0. 10| 4| 0. 40| Financial Position| 0. 15| 2| 0. 30| 0. 10| 4| 0. 40| Customer Loyalty| 0. 15| 4| 0. 60| 0. 15| 2| 0. 30| Global Expansion| 0. 05| 3| 0. 15| 0. 05| 4| 0. 20| Market Share| 0. 15| 2| 0. 30| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| Total| 1| | 2. 85| 1| | 3. 10|   External Factor Evaluation Matrix Key External Factors| Weight| Rating| Score| OPPORTUNITIES| | | | The European demand for Harley Davidson is the highest in the international market and represents the single largest motorcycle market in the world| 0. 15 | 4| 0. 60| The international heavy weight market is growing and is now larger than the U. S. heavyweight market| 0. 15 | 4| 0. 60| Women and younger riders are increasing becoming interested in bikes| 0. 10 | 3| 0. 30| Market share increasing in Europe and Asia for the last two years| 0. 05 | 2| 0. 10| Increasing demand in US markets for bikes| 0. 05 | 2| 0. 10| Customers value quality parts| 0. 02 5| 1| 0. 025| THREATS| | | | Harleys ongoing capacity restraints caused a shortage supply and a loss in domestic market share in recent years| 0. 15 | 4| 0. 60| Harleys average buying age is 42 years old and increasing| 0. 05| 2| 0. 10| The European Union’s motorcycles noise standards are more stringent than those of Environmental Protection Agencies in theU. S and increased environmental stand| 0. 05 | 2| 0. 10| Some competitors of Harley Davidson have larger financial andmarketing resources and they are more diversified| 0. 05 | 2| 0. 10| Environmental protection laws| 0. 15| 4| 0. 60| Buell division needs to continue to produce a quality motorcycleunder Harley’s brand name| 0. 025| 1| 0. 025| Total | 1| | 3. 25|   Internal Strength   The standard and performance segments of Harley Davidson make up 70% of the European heavy weight motorcycle market. Harley-Davidson operates in two segments: Harley-Davidson motorcycles related products and HDFS (Harley-Davidson Financial Services).   Harley-Davidson is the only major American heavyweight motorcycle manufacturer.   Strong brand name.   The HOG (Harley Owners Group), which have a 7, 50,000 members worldwide is the industry’s largest company sponsored motorcycle enthusiast organization.   Buell Riders Adventure Group (BRAG) was also formed recent Customization of the bikes, this is Harley-Davidson’s major revenue maker. Harley-Davidson has a good marketing division and it’s divided as dealer promotions, customer events, magazine and direct-mail advertising, and public relations.   Internal Weakness   High price Harley-Davidson has problems in gaining more market share in some European countries (That’s one of the main markets for Heavyweight motorcycles outside U. S).   They didn’t yet start its sales in India, one of the biggest markets. Required production is not met, analyzing the future of Heavyweight motorcycle market.   Recommended specific Strategies and Implementations. MARKET PENETRATION   Get some more market share from the existing market, like U. S, U. K, and Japan etc through more marketing techniques like advertising. Harley-Davidson has a good brand name so it’s easy for them to eat up the competitor market share if they can provide some more customer benefit.   Competition is high in this segment mostly in U. S so market penetration can be a good choice for the company.   Expand the HOG (Harley Owners Group) to Asian countries, if the company can provide the customer satisfaction that they are providing to the U.S customers to the Asian customers they can increase the sales. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Younger generation and female are now coming to this segment so expand the motor cycle segments to younger generation and females.   In Europe they can increase or expand the Buell’s market share by introducing new motorcycles.   MARKET DEVELOPMENT   Harley-Davidson can bring in their vehicle to Asian countries like India and China, because these countries have a high population and the market potential is also high. The cost to bring in the old vehicles (old product) to India is so much difficult because there are so much environmental laws are there which won’t allow that type of vehicles to come to India, and its difficult that taxes and levis are high in India so starting new plant in India can solve this problem. Negotiations with the Government can solve these problems.   DIVERSIFICATION   Bring in new vehicles to new markets like India and china is a good choice, but it’s too costly.   Bringing new types of recreational vehicles is a best choice.   Recommended Long-Term Objectives. Establish Harley-Davidson as a recognized leader in the development and participation of its people, to maximize each employees potential.   Grow and maintain demand by providing exceptional product styling, performance, quality, reliability and customer service at prices our customers can afford.   Meet the demand by expanding our existing distribution and manufacturing capacity, and, where necessary, adding new production and retail distribution points.   Improve information services capabilities to enable all stakeholders to easily do business with Harley-Davidson, through the creative integration of information technologies. Drive financial results to the levels achieved by acknowledged high-performing companies.   Recommended Procedure for Strategy Review and Evaluation   Review underlying bases of strategy   Once again prepare all the internal and external analysis.   Compare the already prepared analysis with the one which will be prepared after the new strategy implementation. Measuring organization preferences   Analyze all financial ratios current and the future.   If any advantage, then implement the new strategy, otherwise continue with the present one.

Internal and External Impacts on Child Development

Internal and External Impacts on Child Development The expected pattern of children’s development is as follows. The development of children should be viewed in a holistic way each child is unique and will develop in their own way. Physical Development 0 -3 years. This is a time of fast physical development . New born baby’s have little control of their bodies at first it is reflex movements eg. Sucking , grasping. In the first year they gradually learn to have more control over their bodies and most babies have stated to crawl or roll as they continue they will begin to walk and control their bodies, also they may climb and begin to feed and dress themselves. By about 3 most children will page turn and colour and explore toys like tricycles and cars. They will have developed their gross motor skills ,but have no sense of danger they require close monitoring. Also their vocabulary may be around 200 words but consistency in behaviour 3 -7 years. At this stage children will be more co-ordinated and will gain confidence as a result. Their fine motor skills will have developed and they can cut write and draw. Also their gross motor skills are developed running , kicking a ball and using large equipment are easier. 7 – 12 years. Children will continue to grow and develop, and refine many skills. They may start to have hobbies and interest which help their fine and gross motor skill for example dance, football, ,music or sewing. Girls may star to show signs of puberty from 10 or 11. In boys this is usually later. 12 – 16 years. At this stage young people will be growing stronger. Boys will begin puberty and many girls will have completed the process. Between these ages height and strength will vary most boys will be taller than girls on average. 16 – 19 years. This is the stage at which young people are adults, although most girls may have reached physical maturity, boys continue to grow into their mid -20s Intellectual and Cognitive development. It is important to know that children develop in a variety of ways depending on their own experiences and opportunities given from an early age. Children have their own strengths and abilities. Good point. 0 -3 years. Babies will start looking at the world around them and enjoy repetitive games. They begin to understand that when objects are hidden they are still they also they may point to objects. 3 – 7 years. At this stage children will be starting to learn to read and developing skills of number and writing. They will be looking for adult approval and learning about their world 7 – 11 years Children will start to decide what activities or subjects they enjoy. They will still be influenced by adults. They will transfer information and think In a more abstract way. They will be becoming fluent in reading and writing. 12 – 16 years. Young people by now will have a clear idea of subjects they like and be motivated in these areas. They will be choosing their learning pathways. They may lack confidence and avoid less popular subjects. It is very important that they feel good and want to belong. 16 – 19 years. School leavers will now be thinking about career or university choices. They will focus on their areas of strength and look forward to continuing development. Communication and language development. 0 -3 years. From birth onwards adults will talk to their baby even though they do not understand what is being said yet this is important for babies to be stimulated and have an interest shown in them if this does not happen they may struggle to communicate later in life. After early babbling babbies at about 12 months they will try to speak single words but not very clear. Between 1 and 2 they will start to put words together by about 2 years old they will have about 200 words .Between 2 and 3 they will start using plurals and negatives I their speech but may still make errors like â€Å"I drawed it. 3 – 7 years. Communication is very important at this age for friendships to develop they are very sociable and enjoy jokes and stories. They will also ask a lot of questions and be able to talk about things past and present with confidence. 7 – 12 years and upwards. By this stage most children will be fluent in their language. They will develop in reading and writing and be able to think and discuss their ideas in more abstract terms. Many young children will now use phones and technology to communicate with their friends. Social, emotional, and moral development. This area of development concerns how children and young people feel about themselves and relate to others. They need to learn how to grow in confidence and how to become independent adults. 0-3 years. Very young children will be finding out about themselves. They need strong attachments to parents/carers. In nursery children are usually given a key worker who will be the main contact. They may begin to have tantrums at this stage through frustration when wanting to do things for themselves. They will also begin to smile and show enjoyment and recognise certain routines or familiar sounds that make them smile. 3 – 7 years. Children In this age group will be more independent and make their own choices. They will start to play alongside their peers and socialise in imaginative play. It is now important for children to recognise boundaries . Friendships are important at this stage and many children will have close friends. Even though children are becoming independent they still need parents/carers to meet their emotional needs. They will respond well to responsibility for example class helpers, but still need adult approval. 7 – 12 years . Children’s friendships will be more settled and they may have best friends. They will now need the chance to solve problems and carry out activities which require independence. At around 12 years old children may be moving schools this transition may cause anxiety if they are to be separated from their friends. They will still need encouragement and praise, and will be very aware of what others may think of them. 12 -16 years . At this stage young people self-esteem can be very vulnerable, as their bodies look grown up they still need guidance. They will spend more time with their own friends, but may display some childish ways because they may be unsure how to behave in some situations. Children are more aware of actions and consequences and are thinking about other children’s feelings. 16 -19 years. Children now enter adulthood but will sometimes still need advice and guidance from adults. Some will still will lack emotional maturity and vary in interaction with others. Young people have a very good understanding of right and wrong. Influences on Development. How development is influenced by personal and external factors’. A child’s development begins at conception ,the genetic information for that child is determined .A healthy embryo is 46 chromosomes 23 form the egg and 23 from the sperm if any are missing and the baby survives this will have a dramatic effect on the development of the child. For example most children with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes the additional one is 21,also the older a mother is the risk is higher. A baby can also be affected due to smoking, taking drugs and alcohol consumption. According to the NHS choices your health your choice. The alcohol a mother drinks passes from her blood to the placenta and to the baby. A baby’s liver is the last organ to develop and does not mature until the last half of pregnancy .Too much exposure to alcohol can really affect the baby’s development. If you drink too much during pregnancy your baby may develop (FAS) foetal alcohol syndrome which presents as restricted growth, facial abnormalities and learning and behaviour disorders. Good. Illegal drugs use during in pregnancy including cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin) can have serious effects on your unborn baby. However people who take drugs daily need to seek medical advice due to withdrawal problems when stopping any drugs. Also not all â€Å"natural† remedies are safe always seek medical advice. A child’s birth experience will have an influence on their development if a baby is premature or does not breathe straight away their brain may be starved of oxygen which can affect learning in later life. A child’s health can be determined by genetic factors for example NHS choices states the blood disorder Sickle cell anaemia can cause a wide range of symptoms though not all people will experience all symptoms which are ,episodes of pain which is the most common and upsetting symptom. A crisis is triggered when the abnormal blood cells block the small blood vessels that supply the bodies tissues, this causes swelling and damage younger children may have swelling of the hands and feet. As a child gets older the most common areas of pain are ribs, spine, pelvis, abdomen, breastbone, long bones in the legs and arms A crisis can occur for no apparent reason but certain triggers are, changes in body temperature due to illness or environment, dehydration or a sudden lack of oxygen due to sudden exertion or stress. In older children potential triggers are alcohol , cigarettes and illegal drugs. Children with sickle cell anaemia are prone to infections under the age of 3 because of th e abnormal blood cells which disrupt the function of the spleen which filters harmful bacteria and viruses from the blood so these children are vulnerable to pneumonia, osteomyelitis a bone infection and meningitis .Jaundice is another common symptom as are lower leg ulcers, delayed growth and priapism in teenage boys. Due to the life threatening conditions it is important to seek medical advice straight away if your child’s develops any of the above symptoms. Coeliac disease is a common digestive condition where the person has an adverse reaction to gluten eating foods that contain gluten can trigger a range of symptoms such as : diarrhoea, bloating and wind, abdominal pain, weight loss, and feeling tired all the time .This disease is known as an autoimmune condition, this is where the body’s defence system against infection mistakenly attacks healthy tissue due to substances found inside gluton. This damages the small bowel disrupting the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food .Why this happens is not clear although a combination of genetic make- up and the environment play a part. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, which is in pasta, cakes, breakfast cereal, most breads, certain sauces and some ready meals .There is no cure for coeliac disease but a gluten free diet may help control the symptoms and prevent long term consequences. Complications may occur if you continue to eat gluten which are osteop orosis and anaemia. The symptoms of Tuner syndrome vary upon the age of the girl or woman affected .Baby’s born with Turner syndrome often have swollen hands and feet which is caused by excess fluid around the tissues. Other symptoms that may develop before birth are thick neck tissue .swelling of the neck and being a small baby. The 2 most common symptoms are short height and ovaries that do not work properly. Baby’s with Tuner syndrome usually grow normally until the age of 3yrs, after this they will grow at a slower rate. At puberty there is not the normal growth spurt and on average a woman with this symptom is about 20cm smaller than other women .Ovaries may not function properly which may result in infertility. The appearance is also affected causing, a short wide neck, a broad chest and wide nipples, arms that turn slightly at the elbows, a low hairline ,mouth and teeth problems, a lot of moles, spoon shaped nails, a short fourth finger or toe. Eye symptoms are eyes that slant down, droopy eyelids, a squint, lazy eye, cataracts, short sightedness. Ear symptoms are low set ears, reoccurring middle ear infections, hearing loss which may occur in later life .Turner syndrome is associated with other conditions some are heart murmur , underactive thyroid, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, scoliosis, diabetes, lymphoedema, gastrointestinal bleeding, other digestive conditions, kidney and urinary tract problems. Most girls have good language and reading skills, however some social and behaviour difficulties are over looked by doctors and this can cause great anxiety for the family, they are problems with social intelligence, lack of spatial awareness problems with numeracy, attention and hyperactivity problems. About a third of girls will have social relationship problems due to the way the brain develops. More than 8 out of 10 females will have spatial awareness problems which may cause problems when driving of using a map. A similar number struggle with maths this is known as dyscalculia and if teachers are not aware of this it may cause problems. ADHD may be present in toddlers which may reduce about 12 years old. In some cases medical treatments may not work because of Turner syndrome. Any child who has any learning difficulties should be encouraged to develop to the best of their ability in all areas of learning and development. When working with SEN children you will have advice from other professionals regarding this. External factors. Pupils will come from a range of different background, family, culture, circumstances. Many families will go through a lot of changes in a child’s school years some of which the school may not be aware of. These may be divorce, bereavement, illness or moving house or country . Good overview of the external factors that may influence development. Any one of these may affect children’s emotion or intellectual development you may notice a change in the pupil. Poverty and deprivation will have a significant effect on pupil development. Statistics show that children who come from deprived background s are less likely to thrive in school. This could be relative poverty which is comparison of income compared to the average.. It is concerned with material possessions that society deems relevant to daily life. Absolute poverty is the lack of basic human needs such as food, shelter, warmth, sanitation, education and health care. This is quite rare in the UK. Poverty can have an effect on diet, housing and play opportunities A balanced diet Is important for children growth. Families on a low income have to buy cheaper foods which are mostly fast food or highly processed, these types of food contain little nutrition value. Eating this food can lead to becoming over weight and malnutrition in children which means they may become lethargic unsettled and hyperactive. Diets that lack certain vitamins may cause health conditions for example lack of Vitamin C may cause scurvy-easy bruising spontaneous bleeding, joint and muscle pain lack of Vitamin D may cause rickets –tiredness aches and pains as will lack of calcium, lack of Iron may cause anemia delays in infant motor functions and if present in pregnancy small or early births and fatigue. Poor housing conditions resulting in damp and crowded houses may results in child on set of asthma and no room to play or develop due to lack of exercise. These children need other clubs or groups but due to low income they cannot be provided, this may lead to obesity and delay in physical development. A child’s development is strongly influenced by the family around them and parents are the most important educators and source of information in the childcare setting. Most parents will do their best to stimulate and help their children to thrive and grow. But some parents are unable to do this because of ill health or drug abuse or depression .Also stress with in the family through bereavement or divorce can cause anxiety within a child and lead to a major change in their behaviour. .As children grow older they will often decide for themselves which club to join and which friends to have. They will be in situations which require their own decisions to be made, they may find themselves under pressure to experiment with drugs or alcohol and the decisions they make will affect their behaviour if they choose to abuse drugs such as cannabis as this can affect brain development. Also they now decide what they eat and the wrong choice may result in obesity. A good quality of education from home and school is extremely important to a child’s overall development both social and moral. The reasons why children’s development may not follow the expected pattern are personal and external factors as stated above. There are also many other factors which are as follows Emotional, Children grow and learn when their emotional needs are fully met and their development will benefit. Physical reasons are if a child has difficulties with their growth their fine motor skills and hand eye co-ordination may be affected. Environmental factors are an external factor as stated above. Cultural reasons these are the different values and beliefs according to their country of origin and their religion in some cases boys are treated different from girls ,girls are often viewed as the homemaker and it is not essential for them to complete their education. This can affect their development as they do not receive their statutory education as recommended in the UK. Good point. Social influences and family structure as stated above family structure and lifestyle has an influence on children’s development, divorce or bereavement will cause a child to stress resulting In the child becoming anxious and withdrawn. If parents struggle with a particular area of learning this area may become delayed. Disability may affect development in many ways. Depending on the child’s need it may cause a delay in a certain aspect of their development for example a physical disability may affect their social skills and if they become withdrawn this may lead to becoming frustrated also the attitudes and expectation of others affect the child- if we assume that it is not possible for a disabled person to do something we restrict their opportunity to take part so we restrict their development in all areas. It is important that we look at the needs of the child no on the disability. In my role as TA2 in special needs school we always have to be realistic about the expectations of our children as all our children require extra support but are 100% encouraged to be as independent as is possible. There are no labels in our school only children and their needs. Early intervention is important when delays are suspected so a child may receive the help they require as soon as possible, as this may help the child live a full and successful life as adults. Early years settings play a crucial part in early identification of SEN in young children. When a young child attends an early years setting they will be assigned a key worker who will observe and assess the child’s development and can quickly identify any possible delays. For example if a child has a language delay which is crucial to learning, as it is linked to our thoughts, which enables us to store information an organised way, they will be at a disadvantage straight away as their thought process will be less able and they may struggle to express themselves .The earlier any delay is detected the sooner other professionals can be sought and advice and plans for support are given. This is important for the child as early years are a time of rapid growth and development.

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation Provide a hypothetical ROMI analysis if Virgin spent an extra  £5m in marketing based on a 25% margin, 10% for costs, against  £500m in sales, what is the break even on the  £5m extra investment, provide the calculations and critical analysis. INTRODUCTION The marketing department is certainly at the heart of any organization, since it is responsible for setting, implementing, and evaluating marketing strategies to meet the customers wants and needs, and to retain customers so as to build profit and sustain the business. Smith and Rapin (2008) stated that marketing success is always driven by a thorough understanding of the market and a set of strong marketing strategies. They have advocated measuring the marketing performances of many companies in recent years. This trend of measuring marketing activities also was noted by McDonald and Mouncey (2009), who observed that increasingly, boards of directors and marketers desire to evaluate market performances to show how marketing boosts shareholder value and whether a firm is accomplishing its marketing objectives. There is a need to understand the business, to develop a framework, and to quantify the performance of marketing objectives and programmes. Furthermore, Ambler (2003) defined the term marketing metrics, which is a measure of the whole businesss marketing performance, and suggested employing a portfolio of metrics to increase the accuracy of the results. Rust et al. (2004) found that a company employing market metrics to forecast future uncertainties and directions has enhanced resource allocation, since better decisions can be made by drawing on lessons from the past. Therefore, measuring marketing performance, a company can improve its marketing efficiency and effectiveness, identify its strengths and weaknesses, establish precise insights between the investment in marketing activities and the financial value that investment generates, and so forth. The purpose of this essay is to develop a practical framework of marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic Airways to measure its marketing efforts and identify its challenges. The essay begins by (1) presenting the business model for Virgin Atlantic Airways, (2) identifying the correct marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic and evaluating those, and (3) calculating the marketing performance by computing the return on marketing investment (ROMI) of the campaign spending and a break-even analysis of the airlines new offer. PART I BUSINESS MODEL OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Company Overview Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (Virgin Atlantic) is Britains second largest long-haul international airline. Apart from scheduled services, Virgin Atlantic operates cargo transport services, flies to 31 destinations around the world using 37 aircraft, the average age of which is approximately six years (it has one of youngest fleets worldwide), carries nearly six million passengers each year, and employs nearly 9,000 people currently (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 a; Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a subsidiary company and the best-known business in the Virgin Group Ltd. (Virgin Group), which possesses a 51% stake of it, with the remainder having been sold to Singapore Airlines so the two airlines could operate together as a strategic partnership (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic was founded in the U.K. in 1984. Its founder, Richard Branson, was motivated by three problems of the airline industry in that time: flights were expensive, companies lacked innovation, and long-haul flights were monotonous and uncomfortable (Twivy, 1986). Therefore, Richard established Virgin Atlantic and differentiated its brand with other airlines by positioning fun, quality, and innovation as its core brand values. This can be seen from the airlines vision statement: to provide the highest quality innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers. Its objective is to fly a profitable airline that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a company setting a new standard for the industry. It was the first to break the cabin hierarchy from a three- to two-class system, to install individual televisions on the seat backs in economy class, to introduce a fully flat sleeping bed in upper class, and to fly using bio-fuel at 30,000 feet (Twivy, 1986 Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its innovative and unique offerings are great contributing factors to its having won many business, customer service, and trade awards worldwide. To sum up, the offers and value that Virgin Atlantic gives were a marked revolution for the airline industry. Business Map The map above is created by summarising from the student information pack, Financial Information Press Kit Full Press Information Kit 2009 at virgin-atlantic.com. (Notice: The customer section indicated above is only concerned with the passenger market). Appendixes A and B describe Virgin Atlantics current strategies and market segmentation. Industry Highlights The airline industry can be classified as either business logistics or passenger. Those that specialize in air-passenger transport can further divided into scheduled and non-scheduled services. In recent years, the low-cost carriers of the scheduled market have grown rapidly, while the high-cost carriers are continually struggling to grow (Manley, 2009). Many airlines offer three flying classes for its passengers-first, business, and economy class-and they set different prices for the different segments. In terms of the consumer, the purchaser may not be the ultimate user of the service, so it is necessary for airlines to recognise the different needs of decision makers and users. Recently, the industry has been suffering during the economy downturn. In such conditions, more companies tend to downgrade their travel policies, so first and business class flights are being decreased sharply (Shaw, 2007). For airlines to maintain their business, they always have to pay for high operating and fixed expenditures (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 b). Furthermore, economic, political, and legal changes, weather, and changes of fuel prices can have a significant impact on airlines (Manley, 2009). Many airlines attempt to cooperate with other similar airlines to serve more destinations, to be more convenient for customers, and to retain customer by rewarding with frequent flyer miles. (Appendix C describes Detailed Industry Overview) SOWT Analysis SWOT analysis is a tool that illustrates a companys strengths and weaknesses (its internal environment) related to its competitors and what opportunities and threats it faces (its external environment) (Capon, 2009). Virgin Atlantic strengths are its strong brand image, its innovation for setting a new industry standard, its excellent customer service products, its close interactions with its customers (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 a), and its strategic alliances with other quality airlines that offer more destinations (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its weaknesses are that it is too reliant on Branson (a sharp drop in sales occurred after Bransons death), weak in the economy class-leisure market, and offers only limited destinations. Its opportunities are to target new segments of customers due to the aging of the population, to improve its service quality to become a five-star airline in Skytrax, and to reach more destinations to increase its market share. It is vulnerable  (threats) to losing its customers due to the open-skies agreement (less regulation of flights between the E.U. and the U.S.), to intense pressure from the rapid growth of low-cost carriers, recession, new industrial regulations, terrorist attacks, and soaring oil prices. (Appendix D and Appendix E discuss PESTEL analysis of the airline industry and Competitors analysis for Virgin Atlantic) PART II MARKETING METRICS FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS After reviewing of Virgin Atlantic, I would recommend a number of crucial marketing metrics, which can be categorised into the following four performance aspects: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. The following paragraphs explain why these were selected and discuss the measurement needs and impacts on the decision-making process of each metrics. Finally, recommendations and limitation of the framework are drawn. Profit is the most important factor for a company to survive. Kerin and Sethuraman (1998) pointed out that marketers always monitor financial performance because increasing earnings and cash flow turnout increases shareholder values made, and all marketing activities are funding by it. Therefore it is need to measure the financial-related performance which at least three metrics can used to monitor Virgins profit and cost how efficiency of Virgin spend and generate profit-return on marketing investment (ROMI), return on sales (or profit margin), and net sales contribution. Firstly, return on marketing investment is the percentage of net profit generated by marketing activities divided by total marketing expenditures. ROMI measures how marketing expenditures contribute to profits and is used to insight into the profitability of Virgins marketing activities. Secondly, return on sales is the net profit as a percentage of the sales revenue, which measures how company efficiency generates profits from sales turnovers and downplays spending, since net profits are equal to sales revenue minus total cost. Virgin Atlantic can use the above metrics to understand itself and the market by comparing these metrics against its key competitors or industries. Other important indictors related to financial performance include sales, gross profits, profit before taxes, and liquidity ratio, which do not require metrics since they can be easily obtained from the companys financial statements. Ambler (2003) observed that managers always concern the financial performance, and ignore other non-financial activities, for instance, sales is driven by customers indeed. Therefore customer is definitely needed to measure. Before marketing department is responsible for attracting and retaining customers-without customers, identifying who target customers are is also important, how they generate profit to Virgin. So, retention and churn, customer profitability, customer lifetime value, and net sales contribution can include. Firstly, retention rate is the percentage of customers a company is able to retaining over time, which also measures customer loyalty, while churn measures the percentage of customers lost. If the retention rate is low, the company has to spend more effort to retain its customers since it costs less than attracting new customers. If it is high, marketers should investigate the profitability of its relationships; to measure this, customer profitability can be emp loyed. Customer profitability is the profitability of customers based on the differences in customer revenue and cost, helps the company identify the most profitable customers. Farris et al (2006) suggest a process to calculating it: sorting customers net profits, grouping customers by the customers profits in 10 deciles, then it can show the distribution of profit generated by each group. Normally, the profitability of the top group is between 150 to 300% (ibid). Fourthly, customer lifetime value is an estimation of the customer value in the number of years the customer is expected to purchase a given product, which measures the worth of a customer as a loyal purchaser of the companys products or services. It is important to be aware that metrics are rough estimations since input data is difficult to predict and may change over time. Fifthly, net sales contribution is the sales generated from a specific segment divided by total sales. It measures how well the segment performed with in all segments and insights which segments contribute the most to sales. The metrics mentioned above are valuable to mangers to identify profitable customers and which marketing programs can be developed to reinforce the customer relationship with them (Davis, 2007). Other important indictors related to customer performance include purchase frequency, average amount per transaction or sales, and the number of customers or new customers from transaction support systems. Market performance and trends directly link to financial result, and are indictors for manger since they would know how potential of the market. No surprising, the measurement of market-related aspects is also needed. The break-even analysis, market share and growth, and category share, can be included. Firstly, break-even analysis is a tool for projecting the use of a new product or service, which measures how many units will be required at a certain price to reach the break-even point. It can show how changes in price affect sales levels or how many years it will take to break even (Paek, 2000). Therefore, if the market size is not big enough, it is probably not to serve. Secondly, market share is the percentage of Virgins shares owned within the whole market which can calculate by the number of customers or sales value. Market growth is similar to market share but shows the percentage increase of this year compared with previous years. Thirdly, category share is the percentage of the number of customers who purchased an item of a specific brand divided by the number of customers who purchased an item under a specific category, measuring the popularity of a brand. Over time, market share, market growth, and category share provides marketers insight about Virgins performance sales against its competitors by monitoring the growth of the company and its competitors and consumer trends within the market, but category share shows more details about category growth, for example, whether customers were acquired from competitors or if total users were gained under the same category. According to McDonald, M. and Mouncey, P. (2009), brand account for at least 20 % of the companys asset, it helps customer to distinguish the company and its product among competitors, so it is indispensable to measure, but the challenges are many approaches available and difficult to qualify. The measurement of brand-related for Virgin can include brand awareness and loyalty, and customer satisfaction. Firstly, Brand Awareness measure the proportion of potential customers and consumers recognised the brand while brand loyalty is measured by usage, how was the frequency customers purchased a brand. Awareness, loyalty top of mind (the first brand in a customer mind within a given category), attitudes (the degree of customer belief towards a given brand) can simultaneously be measured by conducting a survey. Those can insight the brand location in the customers heart which influences customer purchasing behaviours and the sales. More importantly, recognizing consumer and non-consumer g roup is needed since results of them is always different (Gupta Lehmann, 2005). Secondly, customer satisfaction is a rating to measure customers experiences on specific aspects, also measured by a survey. It shows how well of their offers meets customers expectations. However, the selection of survey respondent should be careful, high satisfaction may not mean all the customers are satisfied; some disappointed customers may simply leave from the company to competitors before the company noticed. Measuring marketing metrics is a continuous process, which should be done regularly (Patterson, 2005). Over time, metrics can illustrate the effectiveness of marketing strategies and tactics and market changes. More importantly, the measurement methods of metrics also changes over time; methods currently employed are considered state-of-the-art. Although Virgin can use the above models, still reminding other intangible factors cannot be measured, such as relationships, reputation and trust, culture and values, skills and competencies, knowledge, and processes and systems. These are important because of generating value for a company, and account for the majority of a companys assets (McDonald and Mouncey, 2009). In conclusion, the metrics recommended to asses Virgins marketing outcomes involve the following performances areas: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. Working with these metrics Virgin can monitor its revenue and spending, identify and retain the valuable customers, identify the chance expanding its market, insight customer perception towards the brand. PART III MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Marketing Challenge and Strategy Virgin Atlantic feared that the E.U./U.S. Open Skies Agreement, introduced in March 2008 (Stewart, 2007), would have a negative impact for the future of its market share. Virgin Atlantic may lose part of its customers, since 40% of Virgin Atlantics business class-travel now is between the U.S. and Europe (Foresight, 2008). No doubt Virgin Atlantic needs to retain its customers or to expand into other new markets. According to the World Tourism Organization, the route that serves the most passengers between the U.S. and London airports is between London and New York (ibid.). Virgin Atlantic plans to offer frequent business travellers an exclusive private luxury flight experience, operating a twice daily flight between London and New York, and pricing the ticket at  £1000. Virgin Atlantic also decided to initiate a marketing campaign by using TV commercials and outdoor advisements near the airports to raise Virgin Atlantics brand awareness among business travellers who fly often between New York and London. The target audiences are frequent flight business travellers or upscale leisure passengers (those who fly an average of ten times a year), male, aged 25 to 65, with more than  £50,000 income per year. The following section employs two metrics, the break-even analysis and return on marketing investment, to forecast and measure Virgin Atlantics marketing performance. Assumptions: the objective profit margin for the campaign was expected to be 25 %; the 10% overhead on its sales generated; the extra sales generated by the campaign are  £15 million; the operational and variable cost for flights twice a daily per year is  £24 million; the extra marketing expenditure for the campaign is  £ 2 million; the price of a flight is  £1,000; the average number of flights per consumer is ten per year; the net profit contribution is 24 %; the year of customer loyal and purchasing the tickets 10 times a year is 5 years. Calculation of Break even for new business-classes flights Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Number of customers need to Break-even= operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 24m /  £12,500 = 1,920 If Virgin Atlantic can have 1,920 frequent flight customers who purchase the flight for 5 years, and 10 times per year, then this project will reach break even points. Calculation of ROMI Campaign profits = assumed profit margin * extra sales generated = 25% * £15 million = £3.75 million However, the campaign was overhead 10% in the  £15 million sales, Extra cost for campaign= overhead percentage * extra sales generated = 10% * £15 million sales = £1.5 million Net profit generated from the campaign = Campaign profits -Extra cost for campaign =  £3.75 million- £1.5 million =  £ 2.25 million. ROMI = (Net Profit generated from the campaign / Campaign cost) *100% = ( £ 2.25 m /  £ 2 m)*100% =112.5 % The result of ROMI is positive which means that marketing spending is deemed. As the extra cost  £ 2 million is needed for the campaign, the break even point will be changed as follows: Calculation of Post-Break even for new business-classes flights with extra cost in marketing. Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Total cost for flights twice a day per year = operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year + extra marketing cost =  £ 24 million + £ 2 million = £ 26 million Number of customers need to Break-even= Total cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 26m /  £12,500 = 2,080 The break-even analysis indicated that Virgin Atlantic will need 2,080 frequent flight customers who will purchase the flight ten times per year for five years to reach the break-even point for the whole new route with the new marketing campaign in play. After reaching 2,080 customers, the company will start to make a profit. The break-even analysis is computed twice to show the different outcomes if extra marketing spending is added. In fact, as the costs increase, the number of customers needed increases as well. Therefore, if the managers believe it is easy to reach the break-even point, the airline is likely to launch this route. As the break-even analysis uses customer lifetime equity for the calculations, it is possible for that the break-even point may fail to be met in the short term, but for long-term outlooks and for retaining customers, it still can be profitable (Dwyer, 1999). The positive ROMI indicates that the activity is healthy. If ROMI is equal to 100%, this means the marketing campaign will break even. To compute the ROMI, the cost is needed, as Amber (2003) mentioned that sales revenues may not increase immediately after advertising begins, and it is difficult to determine whether the costs belong to the marketing department. Furthermore, spending decreases can result in maximizing the ROMI, so balancing expenses with marketing expenses with ROMI is also important (Lenskold, 2004). (3392 words)

Personal Narrative - My University Education Essay -- Personal Narrati

My University Education When I decided to attend State University, I pictured university education as an "Ivory Tower". I thought that I would be able to drown myself in my studies and not be affected by everyday life. Boy was I wrong. I found out in the fall of my freshman year that university education isn't the Ivory Tower that I pictured it to be. I was working 32 hours each week and attending classes full time and therefore, didn't have the time to devote to my studies that I had wanted to. When I look at my university education now, I can picture it as a trip that a family takes in the car. It's full of things that you want to see, things you don't want to see, and things you don't care about. The family begins the trip by planning where to go and what to do. Similar to a university education, a person plans what major to pursue and what classes to take. Just as travel plans always change, university plans always change. The major that was chosen changes to a different major and classes that the student planned to take are exchanged for other classes. Before th... Personal Narrative - My University Education Essay -- Personal Narrati My University Education When I decided to attend State University, I pictured university education as an "Ivory Tower". I thought that I would be able to drown myself in my studies and not be affected by everyday life. Boy was I wrong. I found out in the fall of my freshman year that university education isn't the Ivory Tower that I pictured it to be. I was working 32 hours each week and attending classes full time and therefore, didn't have the time to devote to my studies that I had wanted to. When I look at my university education now, I can picture it as a trip that a family takes in the car. It's full of things that you want to see, things you don't want to see, and things you don't care about. The family begins the trip by planning where to go and what to do. Similar to a university education, a person plans what major to pursue and what classes to take. Just as travel plans always change, university plans always change. The major that was chosen changes to a different major and classes that the student planned to take are exchanged for other classes. Before th...

Use of Biblical Imagery in Margaret Laurences The Stone Angel :: Stone Angel Essays

Use of Biblical Imagery in Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel In the novel The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence introduces a character who seems to evolve her life around biblical imagery. Hagar Shipley, a ninety year-old woman, does not accept things easily, like life. Hagar is recognized as a biblical imagery because of her name. "Hagar" is introduced and recognized in the Old Testament as the Egyptian hand-maiden of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. By reason Sarah was unable to provide offsprings for Abraham. Since Sarah could not concieve, she gave her servant, Hagar, to her husband, so she can produce heir under Abraham's name. And Sarah said unto Abraham, Behold now, the Lord that restained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that i may obtain children by her. And Abraham hearkened unto the voice of Sarah... And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceieved, her mistress was aespised in her eyes". (Genesis 16, 2-4) Symbolically, Hargar Shipley became a house keeper in her younger years. Hagar has always felt that she was to take care, nurture, serve others, it bacame her natural positon. Hagar saw herself as the "chatelaine," or possibly an outcast when she was married to Bram. The Shipley house was square and frame, two-storied, the furniture shoddy and second-hand, the kitchen reeking and stale, for no one had scoured properly there since Clara died. Yet seeing it, I wasn't troubled in the slightest, still thinking of myself as a chatelaine. I wonder who I imagined would do the work? I thought of Polacks and Galicians from the mountains, half-breeds from the river valley of the Wachawa, or the daughters and spinster aunts of the poor, forgetting that Bram's own daughters had hired out whenever they could be spared, until they married very young and gained a permanent employment." (p. 50-51) Hagar is feeling like a prisoner in her own habitat, that she is not "free" in spirit; "I was alone, never anything else, and never free, for I carried my chains wihin me, and they spread out from me and shackled all I touched" (pp. 292). The imagery that Hagar is enslaved like the prisoners in the early era's, B.C.-A.C., she became a slave of her own emotions which is strugggling within her. Also noted, Hagar also was seen and explained as "a creature of wilderness". Like the pharaoh's daugheter, she left the security of her father and went to explore the wilderness.

Persistence: Endurantist vs. Perdurantist :: essays research papers

The notion of Persistence gives way to several predominant theories; of which, attempt to account for many possible questions that arise from it. As in most cases of debate, when more than one account of such is held to be true, there will clearly be much disagreement. Two views that claim to account accurately for persistence that remain widely known are , that of an endurantist (Threeist) and that of a perdurantist (Twoist). The endurantist will hold that objects are wholly present at all times, a persistent object ‘endures’ over time. The conflicting view of a perdurantist claims that objects are actually composed of temporal parts, more precisely, proper temporal parts. Further, a Twoist (vs. Oneist), will say that a name most often refers to the sum of one’s temporal parts, whereas a Threeist believes a name to refer to one who is wholly present during all times of its existence. The two opposing theories stated very simply, as above, give insight as to the nature of their arguments against one another. It does seem, however, that the Twoist’s account of persistence gives an exceedingly useful notion in regards towards many more subjects of philosophy, as well as an explanation that accounts for much more in terms of the problems associated strictly with persistence itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The argument posed by VanIwagen, a Threeist, against the Twoist is known as the problem of Essential Duration; and the counterpart argument given by the Twoist is referred to as the problem of Temporary Intrinsics. VanInwagen’s (modal) argument goes as follows: One could have lived longer than did in the actually world; this must be accounted for by either, one having been composed of more temporal parts that actually was, or at least some of one’s temporal parts had a longer duration than did in the actual world. VanInwagen continues with; a twoist must clearly hold that temporal parts have their duration essentially; their duration can not be shorter or longer. It then follows that a person is also a temporal part, which is to say they are the sum of all his or her temporal parts, making this the largest part. If this is so, says VanInwagen, then the Twoist must hold this duration essentially and one could not have lived longer than did in the actu al world. A contradiction is reached, VanInwagen then very quickly disregards any additional consideration of such an avenue.

Methyl acetate uses

In many applications, Eastman methyl acetate can be an effective replacement for acetone and other fast-evaporating solvents. Strength?assay Methanol Water Acidity as acetic acid color, PC's Some common cleaning applications include: universal cleaner LOW-VOCE and environmental cleaners Aerosol carburetor cleaners Paint gun cleaners Cleaners for printing inks Table 1 Sales specifications Property Eastman methyl acetate can be used alone or In easily blended formulations to optimize cleaning efficiency. Because methyl acetate is miscible with most organic aerospace, marine, and industrial.Eastman methyl acetate methyl acetate, high purity 96. 0% mint. 2. 5% Max. 1. 5% Max. 0. 15% Max. 5 Max. 99. 5% mint. 0. 10% Max. 0. 05% Max. Cleaners for industrial wipes Regulatory and VOCE-exempt status Concerns for work place safety and the environment have led to the deselecting of chlorinated solvents in many applications. In the United States, methyl acetate was added to the list of compounds excluded from the definition of volatile organic compound (VOCE) on the basis that these compounds have been determined to eve negligible photochemical reactivity.Methyl acetate is relatively nontoxic, nonrestrictive, and readily biodegradable, making it useful in environmentally friendly formulations. Fast evaporation rate Fast drying is often a key performance requirement in cleaning applications. A slow-drying solvent can impede the cleaning process, adding additional labor cost. In addition, slow-drying solvents can attract airborne contaminants and leave residues that negate the effectiveness of the cleaning processes. Using Eastman methyl acetate in cleaning applications (Continued)Table 2 shows physical properties of methyl acetate versus other fast-evaporating solvents. Methyl acetate evaporates faster than MEEK and ethyl acetate, allowing its use as a replacement for those solvents in applications where VOCE reduction is required. Methyl acetate is similar to acetone in eva poration rate, VOCE exemption, and non-HAP status but offers a higher flash point and hydrophobic property. The hydrophobic nature of methyl acetate can be a key performance criteria in cleaning applications where moisture-related problems can damage or corrode parts, eating to defects or rejects.

Black Women Writers Essay

Early significant analyses of Maud Martha, Gwendolyn Brooks’s only novel moreover release it as an ineffective fiction and/or viewed it as a mere expansion of Brooks’s poetic poetry. Those untimely reviewers, often in evaluations of less than a solitary page, lauded the novel’s â€Å"quiet charm and sparkling delicacy of tone† (Winslow 16) but didn’t comment the irritation and nervousness below the description surface. Latest criticism has centered on the undercurrents of fury and revolution of the character, Maud Martha Brown. This fury boils underneath the exterior of the novel’s 34 vignettes of the apparently ordinary, daily life occurrences of a black woman living in the south side of Chicago in the 1940s. The shift in serious viewpoint of the novel, then, is noticeably dissimilar across cohorts. As Mary Helen Washington declares in â€Å"‘Taming All that Anger Down’: Rage and Silence in Gwendolyn Brooks’s Maud Martha†: â€Å"In 1953 no one seemed prepared to call Maud Martha a novel about bitterness, rage, self-hatred and the silence that results from suppressed anger. No one recognized it as a novel dealing with the very sexism and racism that these reviews enshrined. What the reviewers saw as exquisite lyricism was actually the truncated stuttering of a woman whose rage makes her literally unable to speak† (453). Washington’s divided commentary is one of the first to recognize the protagonist’s irritation and inner rebellion as Brooks interlace them into the tapestry of the novel; Washington distinguish a regular outline of concealed fury and anger during the work. Further grinding the center on one meticulous description conflict in Maud Martha, Harry B. Shaw discovers the title character’s â€Å"War with Beauty,† as he subtitles a milestone essay, depicting the dark-skinned black woman character brawl against Eurocentric paradigms of substantial appearance. Shaw’s article describes the property of this partial, color-conscious scheme on Maud’s mind, and accentuates its role in spawning internal encounter with self-hatred and self-doubt (255-56). While I concur with Washington’s and Shaw’s arguments regarding the psychological battles faced by Brooks’s protagonist, I also find that the conflict and confusion that recapitulate Maud Martha’s life unite into a whole imitation of conjugal epic warfare. This conjugal epic warfare expands past Shaw’s â€Å"war on beauty† and integrates all areas of domestic and ancestral ties. Familial conflict exactly describes Maud Martha’s resistance to acquire and preserve her home and relations with family members as she struggles to keep a sense of individuality within this detain structure. Maud Martha detains the conservative literary epic’s spirit of clash by summarizing the figurative symbol of conjugal conflict as female ambitious with Maud Martha as the hero of her homeland. Like with customary epic, Maud Martha emblematizes the cultural paradigms of a decisive moment in history, enlightening the struggles of post-World War II America to reunite the roles of women, in particular African American women, in the public and private area. Through the course of the novel, Maud Martha fights a war against sexism, classism, and racism to create her identity. Winning this war is of supreme significance and of heroic dimensions at bet for Maud Martha, as delegate woman, is home and family, as well as independence, originality, and self-expression. Mainly during the early 1950s, the time in which Maud Martha was printed and set, the familial realm was one of worry and fluctuation as women toil to balance their roles as wives, mothers, and artists. With World Wars I and II only lately past, and the Korean and Vietnam clash on the horizon, (white) women workers found their roles in culture changing. They had pierced the US workforce during the wartime era, providing the nation with a much-needed font of labor. Yet after the war, the arrival of their male complement forced working (white) women’s return to the residence and to family duties. To battle and frustrate these writing of domesticity, in Maud Martha Brooks sum up a clearly female pattern of symbolic warfare that undermine patriarchal and communal structures, and declare the dominance of new visions of female enlargement and original appearance. To build her epic of family warfare, Brooks utilize such description strategies as prearranged meanings within names, change in narrative voice, and conflations of birth and death descriptions; thus, she threaten and redefines customary description of domesticity, of matrimony, and of maternity. For Brooks these organization twist to sites of group and responsibility for women. She confuse the empire of the domestic beyond a sphere of binary and competing gender functions to critique the roles of men and women in producing and preserve the social arrangement that bound female expansion and to assess how race, class, and gender notify the relation viewpoint of the heroine. Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience Jill Nelson offered the most piercing critique yet on racism at The Washington Post. Nelson, an African-American journalist who was employed at the paper for four years, pleasures the reader with a memoir that’s raw, sharp and amusing; she gladly picks at the scabs of race and sex and class that most writers favor to leave unhurt. For Nelson, repayment is hell, and she pays back – with retaliation, settling some malicious scores with the firm organ that seduced her from freelance writing in New York and then deserted her in the back-stabbing nation’s capital. Nelson gets her defeat in good. Ben Bradlee turns out to be â€Å"a small, gray, crumpled gnome. † Bradlee sheers such inspirational lines as â€Å"I want the fashions [section] to be exciting, new, to portray women who dress with style, like my wife. † Publisher Don Graham is â€Å"a rich kid waiting for his mother to let go of the reins. † Other Posties are uncharitably described as â€Å"weasel-like† and â€Å"mottled, plump, sour-lipped. † But ultimately, is a touching tale of being a black woman in a white and male corporate world – â€Å"voluntary slavery,† she calls it. â€Å"I envy the egotism,† she writes of the Post, â€Å"their intrinsic belief in the value of whatever they’re doing, the complacency that comes from years of simply being Caucasian and, for the really lucky, having a penis. † A core sister who revels in the racy, Nelson explains utilize like having sex with a mortician on his preserve table and the joys of male. Nelson’s attitude about the opposite sex is a simple one: â€Å"One thing I love about men and pussy is that is makes them so predictable. â€Å" Still, it’s race, not sex, which fuels all through it all. Nelson is evermore in search of her own â€Å"authentic Negro experience,† forever at war between her own arrogance in being black and her self-criticism for not being black enough. She writes touchingly of her own exacting family pathos – a brother on crack, a sister eternally immobilized by a drug overdose – and resist with her own guilt at being a part of the black bourgeoisie. But Nelson’s dispute falls short when it comes to clearing up the steamy issue of race at the Washington Post. But Nelson’s spotlight on Barry-bashing at the Post pleads the question: If the paper was so bigoted, why did it go trouble-free on Barry for so long? Nelson doesn’t actually try to answer this question; in its place, much of what she writes is an explanation for the coke-tooting mayor. Nelson declares Barry was only â€Å"supposedly† smoking crack on the well-known FBI videotape; that a female who bear witnessed that Barry enforced her to have sex had it coming; that the Post was â€Å"part of a de facto plot on the part of the U. S. Attorney †¦ to get’ Marion Barry. † But she does reluctantly recognize this: â€Å"Overweight, greasy, usually dripping with sweat, Barry speaks English like it’s his second language. † Bambara’s feisty girls: resistance narratives in Gorilla, My Love – Toni Cade Bambara When Thunder buns, the â€Å"huge and awful matron,† charges the passageway of the movie theater in Toni Cade Bambara’s story â€Å"Gorilla, My Love,† the kids finally â€Å"shut up and watch the simple ass picture† (Gorilla 15). She is the â€Å"decorated† matron, the one the organization lets out â€Å"in case of emergency,† when potato chip bags start igniting and the kids are turning the place out. Thunder buns are the shape of co-opted black power. As such, she set as the dead reverse of Bambara’s spirited, aggressive, no-nonsense young female conversationalist/protagonist of the story, who is variously named, depending on the occasion, â€Å"Scout,† â€Å"Badbird,† â€Å"Miss Muffin,† â€Å"Hazel† (her â€Å"real name†), â€Å"Precious,† and â€Å"Peaches. â€Å" Thunder buns, as her friends call her, emerges in the inset story Hazel tells in â€Å"Gorilla, My Love† to exemplify how adults deceive children. Thunder buns are not truly the agent of disloyalty here, but rather the enforcer of ethnically charged commercial treachery. Hazel and her brothers, Big Brood and Baby Jason, have rewarded their money to see a film called Gorilla, My Love, only to be shown a tattered old brown print of a Jesus movie: â€Å"And I am ready to kill, not because I got anything against Jesus. Just that when you fixed to watch a gorilla picture you don’t want to get messed around with Sunday School stuff† Hazel is briefly silenced by the weight of Thunderbuns’s consequential power, But not for long. With warrior like power her brothers rejecting the call–she rushes into the manager’s office and ask for her money back. She sees his pasty-complexioned condescension. And, in comic foray, she informs us, her reader/intimates, that he is wrong about her authority and ability. She has the full determine of her families ethnically conversant, equally forced, disobedient self-possession behind her. Even as her mother will threaten the teachers at P. S. 186 who dare to â€Å"start playing the dozens behind colored folks†, Hazel will carry on her threats. When the money is not reimbursed, she starts a fire below the candy counter that close up the theater down for a week: â€Å"I mean even gangsters in the movies say my word is my bond. So don’t anybody get away with nothing far as I’m concerned†. The story â€Å"Gorilla, My Love† first emerged in Redbook Magazine in November, 1971, a year after the periodical of Bambara’s path breaking, cherished, and inflammable black feminist anthology The Black Woman. The story itself has a descent, however, dating back to 1959, when Bambara’s first child-narrated short story, â€Å"Sweet Home,† appeared in Vendome magazine. When Bambara was interviewed by Beverly Guy-Sheftall in the mid-seventies, (1) she comment on the prospects for her changeable and authorize girl narrators, whose stories had been emerging all through the sixties and were lastly gathered up on the wings of the success of The Black Woman and published in a collection entitled Gorilla, My Love in 1972: There are certain kinds of feelings that people are very thankful of, people who are tough, but very sympathetic. You put me in any neighborhood, in any city, and I will tend to descend toward that type. The kid in â€Å"Gorilla† (the story as well as that collection) is a kind of person who will stay alive, and she’s successful in her survival. (233) All but four of the fifteen stories in Gorilla, My Love are enclosed by the realization of a child or teenage character; of those, ten are voiced in the first person (2)–with the singular â€Å"I† drawing its energy and power from an implied â€Å"we† of community. When Hazel storms into the manager’s office, then, she is traveling on the strength of more than a decade of such acts of defiant resistance by Bambara’s feisty girls. Bambara calls her â€Å"the kid†Ã¢â‚¬â€œof the story and the whole collection. But in fact there is no particular narrative â€Å"kid† in any dull sense unites the whole collection. Some of the â€Å"I† voices are youngsters; others quite young children, including Hazel herself from the title-story–who is proud to be the guide of her grandfather’s car on the way back from a pecan-gathering journey. But, as she admits, she actually likes the front seat because the pecans variables in the back are scary: There might be a rat prowling somewhere. And she admits to us that she still sleeps with the lights on and blames it on Baby Jason. Still, she is one of the most tough-talking and self-possessed young female voices in American literature. And she shares individuality with the other girl-children in Bambara’s stories of that decade for the laser-like intensity of her ethical cleverness and her ability to distinguish the convolutions of adult hypocrisy. Bambara wrote in a personal narrative entitled â€Å"Salvation Is the Issue† in 1984: What informs my work as I read it–and this is the answer to the regularly lift question about how come my â€Å"children† stories administer to escape being unbearably shy, delightful and sentimental–are the basic givens†¦. One, we are at war. Two, the normal reply to domination, lack of knowledge, wickedness and bewilderment is wide-awake confrontation. Three, the natural reply to pressure and disaster is not collapse and surrender, but alteration and regeneration†¦. BIBLIOGRAPHY †¢ Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks. Retrieved on December 25. From http://www. amazon. com/Maud-Martha-Gwendolyn-Brooks/dp/0883780615 †¢ Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience by Jill Nelson. Retrieved on December 25. From http://www. amazon. com/Volunteer-Slavery-Authentic-Negro-Experience/dp/014023716X †¢ Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara. Retrieved on December 25. From http://www. amazon. com/Gorilla-My-Love-Vintage/dp/0679738983 †¢ African American Literature. Retrieved on December 25. From