Critique Article: Breast Feeding Essay

Breast feeding has been known from ages past to be an incomparable method of providing the best food for the healthy development and growth of new born babies. It also has a distinctive emotional, psychological and biological impact on both the mother and baby. Breast feeding is less expensive and has been traced to help in decreasing the risk of infection ,asthma,obesity,type 1 & 2 diabetes, leukemia, SIDs, necrotizing enterocolities (NEC), mortality and morbidity rate in children . In mothers breastfeeding can help in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, postpartum depression, ovarian, breast and other forms of cancer. Regardless of all the benefits of breast feeding, the rate and duration has been consistently low worldwide due to some cultural, economic, social and professional reasons (WHO, 2013). Problem Statement The author noted a clinical problem in Lebanon, which is increase mortality and morbidity rate as high as 27/1000 births. The death that occurs in children under the age of 5 is associated with poor nutrition and health status of mother and babies. The breastfeeding initiation rate has been inadequately low and varies between 63. 8% and 96% . Mother who exclusively breasted for less than one month were 58. 3% and 6 months old infant were 10. 1% – 4. 1% and only about 27. 1% breastfed for one year. More importantly the author noted that there was no government organization to promote and support breastfeeding mothers, and postpartum mothers are only entitled to forty (40) days maternity leave. The author attributed a lot of predisposing factors to the low prevalence and duration of breast feeding, giving birth by caesarian section, low socio-economic status, religion of parents, and having a pediatrician who is a male. Some hospital practices like separation of babies from mothers, introduction of formula, water, sucrose at birth instead of breast milk. Most mothers look at breastfeeding as torture to be tolerated for the sake of their newborn baby. Possibly, if mothers are aware of the benefits of breast feeding for their own health, they will be less ikely to leave when they run into problems. The author noted that all these factors have been previously cross-sectioned except exploring mother’s experiences or perception towards breastfeeding. Purpose of this Study The purpose of this study is to use qualitative method to identify barriers, promote and support breast feeding among Lebanon women, and explore their perception and experience during breastfeeding. Another purpose was to encourage health workers to provide proper information and also have a good understanding of management of breastfeeding. Some of the question that was design to be answer was ‘Tell me about your previous experiences with breast feeding? Tell me what motivated you to want to breast feed? Tell me about your perception on breastfeeding your baby? Tell me how long you intend to breast feed? The research questions were answered by the participants during the interview and they were related to the purpose of the study (Nabulsi, M. , 2011). Literature Review This research study was approved by the â€Å"Institutional Review Board at AUBMC, and hospital administrators of HDF and SGH†. The author conducted this research using qualitative method to explore postpartum mother’s experience; feelings and perception about breast feeding. The participants were recruited using theoretical sampling in the three different hospitals and they all had a full term delivery of healthy babies. The first interview was done by the researcher using focus group discussion with 5 open-ended questions between November and December 2007. The second section was conducted by the researcher with 10 postpartum mothers who were shared into group of 3 to 4 in each group. This interview was done in â€Å"Arabic† language for about 60 to 90 minutes and it was recorded in tape and was transcribed. The second stage was done with in-depth interview with 36 mothers between January and May 2008 with 12 members from AUBMC, 10 from HDF, and 14 from SGH. The researcher followed them up for up to one year or until breastfeeding was stopped. Reference point interviews were done with each of the participants for about 30 to 60 minutes which were recorded and audio-tape before they were discharge from the hospital. The follow-up interviews were done by telephone and face to face in the participants home every month for the first 6 months, then once every other month for another 6 months at each time the interview lasted for about 10 to 30 minutes. These follow up were done to discover breastfeeding barriers, mother’s experiences, perception, feelings and natural factors that may interfere with their decision to successfully breastfeed. They were all asked about their current status with breast-feeding and the reason for still breastfeeding or stopping if they did. According to the author in spite of their knowledge of breast feeding benefits, most of the participants also expressed some personal fear of excessive weight gain, change in shape of their breast, cultural belief that their milk is bad or could cause harm to the baby, breast feeding is so tiring and exhausting, pain, not enough breast milk, infant constantly crying, sleep deprivation. The author concluded that negative experiences during breast feeding seemed to have a significant impact on mother’s decision to stop breastfeeding( Nabulsi, M. , 2011). The author cited about 22 relevant journal articles and literature review and only about three were less than five years which is very normal in a qualitative research. There was no adequate information in the literature review to build a logical augment and no weakness was indicated during the study. The perspective from which the study was developed is from the women of Lebanon who were consistently experiencing low breast feeding rate and the author did not use grounded theory qualitative inquiry, and no diagram or framework was developed from this study. In conclusion breast feeding is still the most natural and acceptable food for babies worldwide. Making an attempt to increase the initiation and duration of breast feeding without significant change in the feelings and perception of mothers towards breast feeding may result in more mothers having negative experiences and consequently reduces the rate of breastfeeding. There will be great need for health professional to prepare pregnant mothers on how to successfully breastfeed and this will help improve their confidence and willpower (McInnes, R. Chambers, J. , 2008). More education will need to be done with certain population including low-income mothers, ethnic and cultural group and educating nurses and doctors in breastfeeding management. Finally there will be need to develop government policies and program that will assist mothers that are breastfeeding, extending postpartum leave, providing child care at work places for mothers. However in Lebanon further research is required to assess the efficiency of future interventions in regards to breast feeding.

Reading Response “Homemade Education” Essay

In the essay â€Å"A Homemade Education,† Malcolm X begins with explaining the struggles of how he taught himself to read and write in prison by using a dictionary and wrote from every night. He discusses how his interest and resolve to be â€Å"able to read and understand†(Malcom 227). Literature has led him to a freedom which he had never felt before. As he followed the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, he found astonishing interest in black history and slavery. His tone obviously changes from the beginning which is kind of uniformed individual he once was to a powerful view on racism in America and helped him to seek civil and political rights for African Americans. While he was in prison, he spent most of his time reading and copying from the dictionary then reading it back to himself many times. As his vocabulary expanded, finally he was able to read books and understand them. As a result, he describes his feeling of success to the readers by indicating â€Å"in fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life† (Malcom 227). Teachings of Elijah Muhammad inspired an interest for Malcolm X in black history, slavery, and the white man’s brutalities and lust in the world. However, since he doesn’t consider what good things the white men have done for this world, he develops his essay by dislike towards white men. The audience can feel that as he states, â€Å"book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the sufferings of exploitation. I saw how since the sixteenth century, the so called â€Å"Christian trader† white man began to ply the seas in his lust for Asian and African empires, and plunder, and power†(Malcom 231). Through his essay, the audience can clearly see that the literacy changed his life and encouraged him to find an interest in history. And it is not just history, but the history which white men left out. He became further interested in this topic, and found himself research more and more. The readers can know that his interest never slowed down even years later, and he gives all the credit to the homemade education that he gave himself in prison. By using his experience, historical references, and specific people, he hopes to get the readers to seek knowledge over important things that  involve their lives as a new world was opened to him from the homemade education.

Stem Cell Research Persuasive Speech

I. Introduction: A. Thesis: I'm here today to convince you that we should continue to use stem cell research treat human disease and abnormalities. B. Claims: 1. Claim 1: To begin, stem cells have the ability cure thousands of people. 2. Claim 2: I'll show you that the potential of stem cells are endless and committing to research can only prove so much more. 3. Claim 3: Finally, I'll also explain to you how the plasticity of stem cells can treat such a wide range of disease. II. Body: A. Claim 1:†¦ To begin, stem cells have the ability cure thousands of people. . Evidence 1: To begin, in a 2007 issue of the National Right to Life News, therapy has saved the lives of victims of myeloma and congestive heart failure. The treatment would have stem cells travel through their bloodstream into their bone marrow to establish a disease free immune system. 2. Evidence 2: In addition, stem cell therapy has revealed beneficial effects on the regeneration of impaired heart muscles according to Alex Martin's 2012 article Stem Cell- Therapy-Saving Lives one Heart at a Time.This therapy has the ability to reduce the chance of heart failure and can restore all the parts necessary to a damaged heart. B. Claim 2: Next, is that the potential of stem cells are endless and committing to research can only prove so much more. 1. Evidence 1: In fact,the website for the National Institutes of Health resource for research states that stem cells may replicate many times unlike muscle, blood, or nerve cells. This means they are capable for long-term self-renewal, meaning these cells can divide and renew themselves for very long periods of time. 2.Evidence 2: Also, in 2009, the Internet Journal of Bioengineering explained how stem cells can go from unspecialized to specialized cells that have the ability to differentiate into a wide variety of cells. These cells are proving to be the mainstay of rengerative medicine. C. Claim 3: My final point is explain to you how the plasticity of s tem cells can treat such a wide range of disease. 1. Evidence 1: First, in a 2012 issue of the Las Vegas Review Journal, scientists have started banks for umbilical cord blood stem cells which are a rich source of stem cells, being able to repair or even replace damaged cells in the human body. . Evidence 2: Additionally, Mark Anstead has written in a 2011 issue of Mail on Sunday about the ability of stem cells to treat a genetic blood condition known as sickle cell disease. Through blood transfusion, stem cells were transplanted into the patient's bone marrow and within days, his bloodstream was populated with healthy new red cells and no longer has to take his medication. . III. Conclusion: A. Thesis: Today, I've tried to convince you that we should continue to use stem cell research treat human disease and abnormalities.B. Claims: 1. Claim 1: First, I showed you that stem cells have the ability cure thousands of people. 2. Claim 2: Next, I told you how the potential of stem cells are endless and committing to research can only prove so much more. 3. Claim 3: Finally, I showed you how the plasticity of stem cells can treat such a wide range of disease. List of Sources Used Author: Townsend, Liz Title of article: â€Å"Survivors Speak Out: Adult Stem Cells Save Lives. † Title of publication: National Right to Life NewsTitle of database: Academic Search Premier Year: 2007 Author: Anstead, Mark Title of article: â€Å"Pioneering stem cell treatment saves the life of sickle cell victim. † Name of publication: Mail on Sunday Title of database: Academic Search Premier Year: 2011 Author: Madan, Natasha, Neeraj Madan, Pankaj Bajaj, Neelam Gupta, and Shweta Yadav Title of article: â€Å"Stem Cells – A Scope For Regenerative Medicine. † Name of publication: Internet Journal of Bioengineering Title of database: Academic Search Premier Year: 2009Author: Martin, Alex and Francesca Coxe Title of article: â€Å"Stem Cell Therapy – Saving Lives one Heart at a Time. † Title of website: MetroMD Year: 2012 Author: ARACONTENT Title of article: â€Å"Umbilical cord stem cells provide life-saving treatment for children. † Title of publication: Las Vegas Review-Journal Year: 2012 Author: no author Title of article: â€Å"What are the unique properties of all stem cells? â€Å" Title of website: Stem Cell Information: The National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research Year: 2009

Hungary`s agricultural industry in the 20th century, Impact of the Essay

Hungary`s agricultural industry in the 20th century, Impact of the Social System - Essay Example This paper presents the historical overview of the agricultural industry in Hungary, more specifically the industry in wool and sheep livestock, before and after the Second World War. The economic history of Hungary in the respect of the wool industry development, is indicating of the ineffectiveness of the central-planned economic system Prior to World War II Hungary was producing some 6,000 metric tons of wool for textile processing and export; post World War II that production dropped to 2,000 metric tons, but jumped back up to 4,000 metric tons in 1951. Post World War II Hungary’s economic directions were dictated by state planners. Poultry and eggs became export products during the late 1930s. Herds of sheep and other livestock decreased and a reduction in the farmland devoted to fodder was observed. Hungary had rich farmlands, while the Soviet Central Asian countries had a more harsh environment, suitable to raising sheep for wool and wool exports. Recent developments as cited by the OECD indicate that there are new markets opening for the textile industry, and, like any other nation, Hungary has an opportunity to avail itself of that opportunity, and return to a pre World War II economic way of life that served it well. The model for income food consumption relationship values by Rask and Rask is analyzed. The impact of economic development on consumption of food products depends heavily on the level of per capita income, as demonstrated by the Engel Curve. In order for Hungary to sustain a viable wool production industry, it would have, using the model, calculate the animal product CEs of feeds consumed by those animals in correlation to the production of consumable livestock yield.

Managing Interest Rate and Exchange Rate Volatility Assignment

Managing Interest Rate and Exchange Rate Volatility - Assignment Example Buckley (1996) identifies two other types of interest rate risk, which include basis risk and Gap risk. If interest rates are determined on a different basis for assets and liabilities then a firm having loans and debts will face basis risk. A company faces basis risk when the interest rates on its loans and debts are determined using different basis. (Buckley, 1996) Assume for example that Kaufman & Connelly Plc issues a fixed rate bond to fund its financing needs and at the same time gives out a loan to another party at a floating interest rate. Her interest payments will therefore be fixed while interest receipts will be variable and will depend on prevailing rates. She will therefore be facing basis risk since her interest expenses and revenues will be determined on different basis. A company faces gap risk when it has both fixed rate liabilities and assets. When fixed rate liabilities exceed fixed rate assets then there is positive Gap, with a positive gap a rise in short term rates increases margins while declining rates decrease margins. On the contrary if fixed rate liabilities are less than fixed rate assets, then there is negative gap. In this case a rise in short-term rates decreases margins while a decrease increases margins.(Buckley, 1996). Elekdag and Tchakarov (2006). Changes in interest rates have also been the major determinants of business cycles or trade cycles in emerging markets such as Thailand in recent times. (Elekdag and Tchakarov, 2006). The figure above is an indication of how interest rates and business cycles are related in Thailand. High interest rates lead to low output whereas low interest rates lead to high output. Therefore Kaufman & Connelly Plc is likely to face decreases in demand for its products during a period of the high interest rates and increases in demand during lower interest rates. ii. FOREIGN EXCHANGE EXPOSURE Exchange rate exposure can be defined as the degree to which a firm's cash flows, assets, liabilities and value can be affected by exchange rate movements. (Buckley, 1996). According to Buckley (1996), assets, liabilities, profits or expected future cash flows are said to be exposed to foreign exchange risk when a change in exchange rate would result in either a positive or negative change in the home functional currency (home currency) value of the asset, liability, profit, expected cash flow or firm value. The term "exposure" used in the context means that the firm has assets, liabilities, profits or expected future cash flow streams such that the home currency value of assets, liabilities, profits or the present value in home currency terms of expected future cash flows changes as changes in exchange rates occur (Buckley, 1996: pp 133). From the foregoing foreign-currency-denominated assets and liabilities as well as expected foreign-currency-denominated future cash flow streams are clearly exposed to exchange rate risk. (Buckley, 1996; Shapiro, 2003). Buckley (1996) also notes that home-currency-denominated expected future cash flows may also be exposed to foreign exchange risk. For example, a firm based and selling goods in the United States may be competing with European firms and as such its expected future c

How successfully were the Soviet authorities able to contain Baltic Essay

How successfully were the Soviet authorities able to contain Baltic nationalism from 1945-1991 - Essay Example Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are the three countries in the Baltic region, called Baltic States. While Lithuania got independence on 11 March 1990. Estonia and Latvia had declaration of Independence on 20th and 21 August 1991. Lithuanian population of almost 3 million people comprises around 8 percent of Russians, 6 percent of Poles and remaining are the native Lithuanians. The country was independent from the year 1918 until the soviet occupation from 1945 to 1991.(Samuolyte, 2011) After formally incorporating Baltic States into USSR during 1940, Stalin unlashed a wave of terror in these states with systematic destruction of political institutions and prosecution of military as well as cultural persons of importance. In addition, all enterprises and industries were nationalized. While Latvia and Estonia were historically against Germans, their hatred was now directed against Russians, because of above Soviet actions. However, the German occupation of Baltic States also did not meet the aspiration of locals, since Germans treated them as belonging to an inferior race. While Germans were harsher on Lithuanians, their treatment towards Estonians and Latvians was relatively milder. Hence, partisan movement was more active in Lithuania in comparison to Latvian or Estonian movements. However, Baltic States had to make a choice, during World War, for joining either the Germans or the Soviets. Although Germans organized campaigns for volunteer recruitment in Estonia and Latvia, the Red Army of USSR was able to recapture the two States during 1944, followed by capture of Lithuania in 1945. Participating in the World War, Estonia and Latvia lost almost 20 percent of their population. In addition, the Red terror also continued unabated. After the recapture of Baltic States by Soviet Union, authorities tried to collectivize the agricultural farms.

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X - Essay Example Political philosophy: The deep differences in their political philosophy are an example of the extent to which their formative years impacted their adult life: King drew inspiration from the champion nonpareil of nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi, who, without so much as lifting his little finger, had brought the behemoth of British imperialism crumbling down. Apart from an unswerving commitment in theory and practice to nonviolence, both Gandhi and King drew from the core ideals of their respective religions. If the Mahatma embodied the tolerance and spiritual expansiveness of Hinduism in all its depth, King was the practitioner of the quintessential Christian virtues of inclusiveness, compassion, and forgiveness. (Lischer 53) On the other hand, Malcolm despised the religion he was born into, frequently abused and cursed the Book of God, deserted Christianity, (Malcolm X) and was vehemently committed to the policy of racial exclusiveness and separatism. His beliefs were based on the †˜eye for an eye’ doctrine. (Adams) Legacy: Another area that characterized the sharp difference between the two related to their legacies. If King was to leave behind a legacy as a champion of nonviolence, a principle to which he swore till the end, the finest culmination of which was the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, a year after winning the Time’s ‘Man of the Year’ award, (Cone 86) Malcolm left behind a legacy that was totally dissimilar to King’s, and was as tormented as his life and principles.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 66

Leadership - Essay Example The poor organizational culture is among the key factors that contribute to the consistent failure of the team. On the contrary, the junior varsity team shows commitment to excellence owing to the ability of every team member to commit to the aspiration of the team coupled with their discipline and respect for each other. The existence of two teams each with a set of unique yet contradictory values shows a disjointed organizational structure with an equally uncoordinated organizational culture. Lack of effective leadership and models of communication within the organization is responsible for such a culture (Schein, 2010). Coach P is not yet in the â€Å"sweet pot† that Zenger and Folkman describe in their book. The two explain that in order for leaders to reach the sweet pot, they must enjoy success, have constant engagements, enjoy love from the firm and learn new skills happily from their daily experiences. Such are not the case at the Army Crew as the Varsity team does not enjoy and Coach P is always a frustrated coach owing to the team’s poor performance. Coach P can reach the sweet pot in his current organization. However, he must work hard in order to achieve that. Firstly, coach P must align his core competencies to the dictates of his team. This will enhance efficiency since ever undertaking will have a desirable result. Additionally, he must examine his passion and ensure that he stays happy at the organization. His attitude influences the outcome of the team (Zenger & Folkman,

Vacation in Austria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vacation in Austria - Essay Example When we landed in Vienna, the capital city of Austria, we were received by guides working for the travel agent we had sourced to assist us throughout our stay. The weather was unsurprisingly cooler since Austria’s climate is temperate in nature. From the airport, we were taken to the hotel where we would live for the duration of our vacation. It was located about 5 kilometres from the airport. On the way to the hotel, my sister marvelled at how clean and serene the city was, but the taxi driver remarked that her observation was informed by our location: the outskirts of the city. According to him, the central business district was livelier, busier, noisier, and more chaotic. At night, we were served a buffet meal consisting of, among others, roast potatoes, vegetable salads, roasted lamb, grilled chicken, and dessert. In the morning, we set off for our first attraction: Seefold skiing resort. This resort has one of the best terrains that suits skiers who are in the beginner or intermediate levels (Costa, Panyik, & Buhalis, 2014:42). We practiced skating while taking the features of its amazing nature reserve. After that, we proceeded to Hohensalzburg Castle, which is one of the most well-maintained and largest medieval cast les in the European continent. Its location at the peak Festungsberg Mountain makes it seem like it is towering above and staring down at the city of Salzburg (Costa, Panyik, & Buhalis, 2014:45). However, the most exciting attraction in the castle was the â€Å"Salzburg Bull.† This is an organ that has more than 200 pipes. It is a spectacular piece of medieval design and a symbol of Salzburg’s identity. Over the remaining period of our vacation, we visited other top tourist attractions such as the Melk Abbey, the Vienna State Opera, Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Innsbruck Altstadt, St Anton am Arlberg,

Fix the report of HR strategy of BWM in china Essay

Fix the report of HR strategy of BWM in china - Essay Example There are different laws, rules and regulations of different countries which will affect the global business activities. Cultures will be different, environmental factors will also be different. So the business may face some constraints, challenges and conflicts which may be raised from different laws, culture and societies. To operate business outside the national borders a company should think about their planning and taking decisions and it will take initiative to incorporate international business related considerations. The management of the company have to decide at first that what will be the goods and services or ideas that will be fitted in the international market, how the company will deliver goods to that market. Is the company delivering from domestic production unit or it will make production centre in the international market and goods will be supplied from there. The company should enter in the international market through trade or through investment this will be anot her point of decision. Customer’s behaviour also can be changed in different country’s market according to the time changes. The company should maintain the features of the product or the way to offer its services in accordance with the customer’s behaviour. If customers wants to get fast and quick services on time in case of logistics and transportation then the related companies in this field should be updated and change their speed of services. They will take some operational strategy to provide fast and quick services on time to meet the requirement of customers. If they will unable to take such initiatives then they will not survive in the international market. Recession is another big point in case of international business. Revenue, profit and sales will be declined. Company will stop to hire employees or cut down some manpower. Generally it will reduce the income of people and at a time reduce the purchasing power. Market change also helps to reduce the

Understanding Of The Theoretical Concept Essay Example for Free

Understanding Of The Theoretical Concept Essay In this essay, my objective is to demonstrate my understanding of the theoretical concepts and techniques used in hypnotic inductions and to discuss my reasons for believing that it is best that an induction is personalised as well as the reasons why they may not always be the best strategy. Research shows that words make up 7% of our communication, tone and volume make up 38% and our body language make up 55%. In order to practice hypnosis, an individuals eyes are closed and the aim is to relax the body completely, leaving only words, tone and volume to communicate, this makes these factors very important in the process of hypnosis therefore using these factors right is the key to a successful induction. To my understanding, a personalised induction is a hypnotic induction screed that is tailored to suit a specific inividual. There are 2 induction styles that are used when personalising an induction, those are; the permissive technique and the authoritarian technique. In the permissive technique, a softer tone of voice is issued to draw the subject into a state of relaxation. With this technique, the subject and the hypnotherapist are equal partners in the process of hypnosis. More imaginative suggestions are used and greater responsibility is given to the hypnotic subject to create the right state that is needed to achieve results. Subjects who are most responsive to this technique are individuals who are very imaginative an creative because more specific imagery is used in the induction. This technique was devised by Milton Erickson in the 1900s, It is particularly used in subjects who are gaining to reach goals, such as people who want to become more successful in their occuption or career. The Authoritarian technique is a more direct and authority based technique. Its purpose is to establish control over the subject. In this, the hypnotist commands the individual to respond in a specific way. Repititious commands are given in order to alter the subjects behavior. This technique was made famous by Franz Mesmer. Subjects who are most responsive to the authortarian technique are those who have great respect for authoritarian figures, such as teachers, employers and police officers. This technique is best used on individuals who are suffering with problems that began from childhood which usually originates as a result of a response to an authority figure. The authoritarian and permissive technique can also be personalised to an individual by identifying which type of suggestions an indiviual will best respond to and is most comfortable with. These are called modalities. There are 3 main types of modalities; visual(sight), auditory(hearing)and Kinaesthetic(feeling). There are many ways to identify an individuals modality. Their interests, eye movements when using their imagination, tone of voice, the words and phrases they use when speaking and even their body type. Individuals who respond best to the visual modality induction are usually very creative and are interested in drawing, design and television. A visual person When speaking would usually use wording like; looks good to me or the future looks bright. Or they may use more color references than persons with other modalities. When using their imagination, their eyes would go up and to the right. Their voice tone is generally faster but in a high, clear tone. An auditory individual loves music and talking on the phone and find unpleasant and undesirable sounds highly intolerable. They would frequently use phrases like that sounds good or I hear what youre saying. Their eyes would go right when imagining something. Their voice is usually an even paced tone. Individuals who would respond best to Kineasthetic suggestions would usually use such wording like; i know how you feel, i cant put my finger on it or heated argument. Their eye movement when using their imagination would be down to the right. Their tone of voice is usually a soft, deep tone and speaks with pauses in speech. A hypnotherapist would usually identify the best modality to use by conversating with the client, being sure to listen to the client as this provides more doorways into their subconscious, as paying attention to the things that relax them, the way they process experiences and the style of behaviour that they will likely best react to. The therapist would also, to be more acurate, determine the clients moality through the use of rapport during the initial consultation. This helps the therapist to become more aware of any fears, phobias and illnesses of the subject.The results would then be used in the development of a personalised induction or in some cases it would actually prove that a personalised induction is not even necessary as the indivduals case may be basic enough to decide on the option of the use an already written or recorded script which would be a time saver. In one sense, we use personalised inductions because people are individuals and deserve the personal touch. However, it it because we recognise that people are individuals and are unique, that we recognise that an initial consultation cant tell you everything you ever need to know about someone. A personalised induction can presume too much. I do however believe that after a rapport a hypnotherapist cannot go wrong with personalising a screed because not all screeds are very effective in all circumstances. Each induction tends to be more effective in different situations and with different subjects, for example; The authoritarian technique would be very effective when used in a private session when dealing with an individual who is struggling with a bad habit which may have resulted from a past experience with an authoritarian figure, for eg. smoking, drinking or over eating. This is because the authoritarian technique would be used to take an indivdual back to their past to discover where their problem originated and to help the individual in understanding that incident and therefore let go of the behavior that compensates for it. In this situation, a personalised induction is more effective. However, The authoritarian style, would not be the best option to utilise in a group session, because whereas there are some individuals with which the authoritarian approach would be very effective, not all individuals respond very well with recieving a command. This could cause some individuals to become very uncomfortable which would make it difficult, if not impossible, to get some individuals into a trance. As a result, the hypnotherapy session would be very unsuccessful as a group treatment. I also believe that more direct techniques, in contrast, are powerful and often effective but often more difficult to make effective use of, often very narrow in their impact and they involve an unecessary element of submission, helplessness and reluctant agreement on the part of the subject. Personalised inductions may, sometimes be less effective with permissive suggestions because in this technique an individual is presented ideas in a carefully crafted general manner, he or she tends to process the incoming words on the basis of what he or she expects to hear, wants to hear, needs to hear. Thus, because of indirect techniques, the listeners own mind assures that suggestions are personally form-fitted to his or her needs and expectations so in this case, personalisation is not necessary. I also believe that it is best to personalise a screed because people are different in many ways. They have different likes and dislikes, cultural backgrounds and experiences therfore people have different perspectives, traits and outlooks. Personalising an induction takes these factors into account, thus helping to avoid making mistakes with a client. These factors are also what determines an individuals modalities and the more effective induction style for them, which is very important in developing a sucessful screed. For instance, some individuals may find recieving a demand when the authoritarian technique is used to be very offensive and it may even be processed as agression. The subject may even feel the need to retaliate as a result. Therefore the authoritarian style of induction may not best used with this individual. Or an subject may find it very difficult to get into a trance because of difficulty with visualising the induction, as they may be more of an auditory or kinaesthetic modality. In cases of people with phobias, personalised inductions are definitley the best option for such reason that, for example,the therapist may use the imagery of floating on a cloud with a client who is afraid of heights, this would be very disturbing for this client. Or a suggestion of floating on water may be terrifying for a client who suffers with the fear of drowning. In these cases, a personalised screed would be best utilised.

From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing Essay Example for Free

From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing Essay This report discusses how the marketing mix management paradigm has dominated the marketing thought, research and practice since it was introduced almost 40 years ago, but today new marketing approaches are being introduced and used. The globalization of business and the evolving recognition of the importance of customer retention and market economies and of customer relationship economics, among other trends, reinforce the change in mainstream marketing. Marketing Mix The term marketing mix is probably one of the most famous marketing terms used by millions of people. Its elements are known as the Four Ps, which are price, place, product, and promotion. These four variables are the variables that marketing managers can control in order to best satisfy customers in the target market. Figure 1: Marketing Mix Model – 4Ps Marketing the way most textbooks treat it today was introduced around 1960. The concept of the marketing mix and the Four Ps of marketing – product, price, place and promotion – entered the marketing textbooks at that time. Quickly they also became treated as the unchallenged basic model of marketing, so totally overpowering previous models and approaches, such as, for example, the organic functionalist approach advocated by Wroe Alderson as well as other systems-oriented approaches and parameter theory developed by the Copenhagen School in Europe that these are hardly remembered, even with a footnote in most textbooks of today. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) The marketing mix refers to variables that a marketing manager can control to influence a brand’s sales or market share. Traditionally, these variables are summarized as the Four Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion, and place (i. e. , distribution). Product refers to aspects such as the firm’s portfolio of products, the newness of those products, their differentiation from competitors, or their superiority to rivals’ products in terms of quality. Promotion refers to advertising, detailing, or informative sales promotions such as features and displays. Price refers to the product’s list price or any incentive sales promotion such as quantity discounts, temporary price cuts, or deals. Place refers to delivery of the product measured by variables such as distribution, availability, and shelf space. The 4Ps model is just one of many marketing mix lists that have been developed over the years. And, whilst the questions we have listed above are keys, they are just a subset of the detailed probing that may be required to optimize your marketing mix. Amongst the other marketing mix models have been developed over the years is the 7Ps, sometimes called the extended marketing mix, which include the first 4 Ps, plus people, processes and physical layout decisions. Another marketing mix approach is Lauterborns 4Cs, which presents the elements of the marketing mix from the buyers, rather than the sellers, perspective. It is made up of Customer needs and wants (the equivalent of product), Cost (price), Convenience (place) and Communication (promotion). Cultural policies to promote diversity of cultural expressions today must deal with numerous factors and needs, some of which concern the right of all groups to their forms of expression, and others strictly with business feasibility and the possibility of marketing on a global scale. These different factors may be difficult to reconcile but they are complementary as none can survive and be managed without referring to or involving the other. From the perspective of production development, it is frequently stated that cultural expressions need to find their market in order to survive, but it is also the case that the sacrificing of cultural content with little market value lowers the value of cultural production overall. From the perspective of rights to and processes of identity construction, culture generates services that cannot be governed exclusively by the market, especially in view of the marginality of subaltern groups. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to think of cultural practices and consumption today without involving the market in some way. For marketers in the cultural industry it is important to identify the factors influencing consumers’ purchasing. Cultural factors are essentially important in selection of the two elements of place and product. For example, someone brought p in an environment that values art would be more likely to buy artistic products. Even it may be important considering customers in terms of their sub-culture. One may be surrounded by people who not only value art but place a higher priority on paintings as opposed to the music. As a result, they will be more likely to buy paintings rather than musical instrument. Pricing the artistic products and act ivities should also follow a logic trend. This practice may be done through some standards set among artists of the same class or by the very artist creator of his work. In general, as it can be seen, due to the difference. (Shahhosseini Ardahaey, 2011) The Four Ps of the marketing mix became an indisputable paradigm in academic research, the validity of which was taken for granted. For most marketing researchers in large parts of the academic world it seems to remain the marketing truth even today. The Four Ps of the marketing mix had been even referred to as â€Å"the holy quadruple†¦of the marketing faith written in tablets of stone. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) The marketer plans various means of competition and blends them into a â€Å"marketing mix† so that a profit function is optimized, or rather satisfied. The â€Å"marketing mix†, concept was introduced by Neil Borden in the 1950s, and the mix of different means of competitions was soon labeled the Four Ps. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Any marketing paradigm should be well set to fulfill the marketing concept, i. e. the notion that the firm is best off by designing and directing its activities according to the needs and desires of customers in chosen target markets. Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) American Marketing Association, in its most recent definition states that marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchange and satisfy individual and organizational objectives (emphasis added) (Gronroos, From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, 1994) The problem with the Marketing Mix One can easily argue that the four Ps of the marketing mix are not well able to fulfill the requirements of the marketing concept. As Dixon and Blois put it, â€Å"†¦indeed it would not be unfair to suggest that far from being concerned with a customer’s interests (i. e. somebody for whom something is done) the views implicit in the Four P approach is that the customer is somebody to whom something is done! † (emphasis added) . To use a marketing metaphor, the marketing mix and its four Ps constitute a production-oriented definition of marketing, and not a market-oriented or customer oriented one. Moreover, although the interactive nature of the Ps is recognized, the model itself does not explicitly include any interactive elements. Furthermore, it does not indicate the nature and scope of such interactions. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Van Waterschoot and Van den Bulte recognize three flaws in the Four P model: * â€Å"The properties or characteristics that are the basis for classification have not been identified. * The categories are not mutually exclusive. * There is a catch-all subcategory that is continually growing† . Many marketing-related phenomena are not included. Moreover, as Johan Arndt has concluded, marketing research remains narrow in scope and even myopic, and methodological issues become more important than substance matters. Gronroos, From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, 1994) The Nature of the Marketing Mix The usefulness of the Four Ps as a general marketing theory for practical purposes is, to say the least, highly questionable. Originally, although they were largely based on empirical induction and earlier lists of marketing functions of the functional school of marketing, they were probably developed under the influence of microeconomic theory and specially the theory of monopolistic competition of the 1930s, in order to add more realism to that theory. However, very soon the connection to microeconomic theory was cut off and subsequently totally forgotten. Theoretically, the marketing mix became just a list of Ps without roots. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Managing the marketing mix makes marketing seem too easy to handle and organize. Marketing is separated from other activities of the firm and delegated to specialists who take care of the analysis, planning and implementation of various marketing tasks, such as market analysis, marketing planning, advertising, sales promotion, sales, pricing, distribution and product packaging. Marketing departments are created to take responsibility for the marketing function of the firm, The marketing department approach to organizing the marketing function has isolated marketing from design, production, deliveries, technical service, complaints handling, invoicing and other activities of the firm. As a consequence, the rest of the organization has been alienated from marketing. Therefore, it has made it difficult, often even impossible, to turn marketing into the â€Å"integrative function† that would provide other departments with the market-related input needed in order to make the organization truly market oriented and reach a stage of â€Å"co-ordinated marketing† the marketing specialists organized in a marketing department may get alienated from the customers. Managing the marketing mix means relying on mass marketing. Customers become numbers for the marketing specialists, whose actions, therefore, typically are based on surface information obtained from market research reports and market share statistics. Frequently such marketers act without ever having encountered a real customer. The marketing department concept is obsolete and has to be replaced by some other way of organizing the marketing function, so that the organization will have a chance to become market-oriented. A traditional marketing department will always, in the final analysis, stand in the way of spreading market orientation. The use of the marketing mix management paradigm and the Four Ps has made it very difficult for the marketing function to earn credibility. Some firms have solved this problem not only by downscaling or altogether terminating their marketing departments but also by banning the use of the term marketing for the marketing function. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) What is the History of the Marketing Mix? A paradigm like this has to be well founded by theoretical deduction and empirical research; otherwise much of marketing research is based on a loose foundation and the results of it questionable. Let us look at the history of the marketing mix paradigm and the four Ps. The marketing mix developed from a notion of the marketer as a mixer of ingredients, which was an expression originally used by James Culliton (1948) in a study of marketing costs in 1947 and 1948. The marketer plans various means of competitions and blends them into a marketing mix, so that a profit function is optimized, or rather satisfied. The marketing mix is actually a list of categories of marketing variables, and to begin with, this way of defining or describing a phenomenon can never be considered a very valid one. A list never includes all relevant elements, it does not fit every situation, and it becomes obsolete. And indeed, marketing academics every now and then offer additional Ps to the list, once they have found the standard tablet of faith too limited. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Kotler has, in the context of megamarketing, added public relations and politics, thus expanding the list to six Ps. In service marketing. Booms and Bitner (1982) have suggested three additional Ps, people, physical evidence and process. Judd (1987) among others, has argued for just one new P, people. Advocators of the marketing mix paradigm sometimes have suggested that service should be added to the list of Ps (e. g. Lambert and Harrington 1989 and Collier 1991). J It is, by the way, interesting to notice that after the four Ps were definitely canonized sometime in the early 1970s new items to the list are almost exclusively put in the form of Ps It is also noteworthy that Bordens original marketing mix included 12 elements, and that this list was not intended to be a definition at all. Borden considered it guidelines only, which the marketer probably would have to reconsider in any given situation. In line with the mixer of ingredients metaphor he also implied that the marketer would blend the various ingredients or variables of the mix into an integrated marketing program. This is a fact that advocators of the four Ps (or five, six, seven or more Ps) and of todays marketing mix approach seem to have totally forgotten. In fact, the four Ps represent a significant oversimplification of Bordens original concept. McCarthy either misunderstood the meaning of Bordens marketing mix when he reformulated the original list in the shape of the rigid mnemonic of the four Ps where no blending of the Ps is explicitly included; or his followers misinterpreted McCarthys intentions. In many marketing textbooks organized around the marketing mix, such as Philip Kotlers well-known Marketing Management (e. g. 991), the blending aspect and the need for integration of the four Ps are discussed, even in depth, but such discussions are always limited due to the fact that the model does not explicitly include an integrative dimension. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Contemporary Theories of Marketing In most marketing textbooks the marketing mix management paradigm and its Four Ps are still considered the theory of marketing. Indeed, this is the case in much of the academic research into marketi ng; however, since the 1960s alternative theories of marketing have been developed. As Moller observes in a recent overview of research traditions in marketing, â€Å"from the functional view of marketing ‘mix’ management our focus has extended to the strategic role of marketing, aspects of service marketing, political dimensions of channel management, interactions in industrial networks; to mention just a few evolving trends. The interaction/network approach to industrial marketing was originated in Sweden at Uppsala University during the 1960s and has since spread to a large number of countries. Between the parties in a network various interactions take place, where exchanges and adaptations to each other occur. A flow of goods and information as well as financial and social exchanges takes place in the network. In such a network the role and forms of marketing are not very clear. All exchanges, all sorts of interactions have an impact on the position of the parties in the network. The interactions are not necessarily initiated by the seller – the marketer according to the marketing mix management paradigm – and they may continue over a long period of time, for example, for several years. The seller, who at the same time may be the buyer in a reciprocal setting, may of course employ marketing specialists, such as sales representatives, market communication people and market analysts but in addition to them a large number of persons in functions which according to the marketing mix management paradigm are non-marketing, such as research and development, design, deliveries, customer training, invoicing and credit management, has a decisive impact on the marketing success of the â€Å"seller† in the network. In the early 1970s the marketing of services started to emerge as a separate area of marketing with concepts and models of its own geared to typical characteristics of services. In Scandinavia and Finland the Nordic School of Services more than research into this field elsewhere looked at the marketing of services as something that cannot be separated from overall management. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) The New Approaches and the Marketing Mix The interaction and network approach of industrial marketing and modern service marketing approaches, especially the one by the Nordic School, clearly views marketing as an interactive process in a social context where relationship building and management is a vital cornerstone. They are in some respects clearly related to the systems-based approaches to marketing of the 1950s (compare, for example, Alderson 1957). The marketing mix paradigm and its four Ps, on the other hand, is a much more clinical approach, which makes the seller the active part and the buyer and consumer passive. No personalized relationship with the producer and marketer of a product is supposed to exist, other than with professional sales representatives in some case. The development of innovative theories, models and concepts of industrial marketing (interaction/network approach) and service marketing has clearly demonstrated that the marketing mix paradigm and its four Ps finally have reached the end of the road as the universal marketing theory. From a management point of view the four Ps, undoubtedly, may have been helpful. The use of various means of competition became more organized. However, the four Ps were never applicable to all markets and to all types of marketing situations. The development of alternative marketing theories discussed above demonstrate that even from a management perspective, the marketing mix and its four Ps became a problem. Their pedagogic elegance and deceiving sense of simplicity made practical marketing management look all too clinical and straightforward even for actors in the consumer packaged goods field where they were originally intended to be used. Consumer goods amounts to a considerable business, and there the four Ps could still fulfill a function. However, many of the customer relationships of manufacturers of consumer goods are industrial-type relationships with wholesalers and retailers, and the retailers of consumer goods more and more consider themselves service providers. In such situations the four Ps have less to offer even in the consumer goods field. Moreover, as far as the marketing of consumer goods from the manufacturer to the ultimate consumers is concerned, there is a growing debate whether one can continue to apply marketing in the traditional mass marketing way. Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) The Future: The Relationship Marketing Concept In the relationship marketing concept to be presented here the core variables are relationships, networks and interaction. The choice is not arbitrary; these variables recurrently emerge in the new marketing theories that have challenged the reigning marketing management paradigm during the past twenty-five years. These variables are not new; they we re there thousands of years ago and they present themselves ‘‘here and now. ’ They will be here in the future, no matter if they are represented by relationship marketing or something else. They are part of society. In fact, society is nothing less than a network of relationships within which we interact, and marketing is a dimension of society. Research and education in business have only recently begun to acknowledge the existence of relationships, but have not as yet understood their omnipresence and deep impact on marketing. Although it is encouraging that relationships have been made visible and that the interest in them is soaring, major problems follow. One is that those who start to explore and implement relationship marketing techniques are often not sufficiently familiar with the foundations of relationship marketing, its paradigm. Furthermore, relationship marketing is put under siege by the traditional marketing management paradigm, and the techniques used in relationship marketing implementation are often more grounded in marketing management values than in relationship marketing values. (Gummesson, 2002) An integral element of the relationship marketing approach is the promise concept, which has been strongly emphasized by Henrik Calonius According to him the responsibilities of marketing do not only, or predominantly, including giving promises and thus persuading customers as passive counterparts on the marketplace to act in a given way. Fulfilling promises that have been given is equally important as means of achieving customer satisfaction, retention of the customer base and long-term profitability (compare also Reichheld and Sasser). He also stresses the fact that promises are mutually given and fulfilled. (Gronroos, Toward a Relationship Marketing Paradigm, 1994) Relationship Marketing There are many definitions of relationship marketing, most of them stressing the development and maintenance of long term relationships with customers and sometimes with other stakeholders. Total relationship marketing is marketing based on relationships, networks and interaction, recognizing that marketing is embedded in the total management of the networks of the selling organization, the market and society. It is directed to long term win-win relationships with individual customers, and value is jointly created between the parties involved. It transcends the boundaries between specialist functions and disciplines. Total relationship marketing embraces not just the supplier-customer dyad as does one-to-one marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) but also relationships to a supplier’s own suppliers, to competitors and to middlemen; these are all market relationships. (Gummesson, 2002) Is There a Paradigm Shift in Marketing? Relationships do not function by themselves. As McInnes said already three decades ago, â€Å"the existence of a market relation is the foundation of exchange not a substitute for it†. Only in extreme situations, for example when the computer systems of a buyer and a materials provider are connected to each other in order to initiate and execute purchase decisions automatically, the relationship, at least for some time, may function by itself. In such situations one comes close to what Johan rndt called â€Å"domesticated markets†, where â€Å"transactions†¦are usually handled by administrative processes on the basis of negotiated rules of exchange†. Normally, advertising, distribution and product branding, for example, will still be needed, but along with a host of other activities and resources. (Gummesson, 2002) However, what marketing deserves is new perspectives, which are more market-oriented and less manipulative, and where the customer indeed is the focal point as suggested by the marketing concept. Conclusion Marketing mix as a general perspective evolved because at one time it was an effective way of describing and managing many marketing situations. Before the marketing mix there were other approaches. Now time has made this approach less helpful other than in specific situations. New paradigms have to come. After all, we live in the 1990s, and we cannot for ever continue to live with a paradigm from the 1950s and 1960s. However, bearing in mind the long-term damages of the marketing mix as the universal truth, we are going to need several approaches or paradigms Relationship marketing will be one of them.

Strategic Supply Chain Management Business Essay

Strategic Supply Chain Management Business Essay Abstract In early stages supply chains were seen as just the supply process from a companys immediate supplier through to the immediate customer. They had their own goals, targets, deadlines, margins, and policies and also all these were depend on them based on how to cater the market demand. It is easy to perform especially in a monopoly market with very few outlets which is spread in a limited area. But when the business is growing they have to take solid decisions about expansion policies as well as the integration of supply chain operations to survive in the market and to gain the competitive advantage with the rapidly changing competitive climate. The manufacturing industry faces great challenges equally as any other industry, which is a result of economic crisis, especially when it comes to the diversified, large-scale companies with huge expansions and a customer base, as Singer Sri Lanka PLC. In particular to perform in the current competitive environment its not only the existing methods are important, but the latest logistics and supply chain management practices are matters a lot as well. Time has changed and out thinking about the way we manage our improvement activities also has to change. Good is not good enough Only our very best will attract the customers in todays competitive environment. Producing an excellent product is not cut the mustard today. Over the years Singer (Sri Lanka) structure has strengthen immensely to incorporate with the strategies formulated to face the changes in the environment. A critical study was carried out to understand the major competitive priorities in current supply chain of Singer Sri Lanka PLC; the supply chain management principles, strategies and techniques that are used in achieving these competitive priorities; other possible tools which could be used for improving the present performance of the organization and how the company can go beyond the excellence by using these practices as well. (Abstract is not included in the word count) 1.0 Scope of the Assignment To investigate Singer Sri Lanka PLCs supply chain with a view to, Understanding the supply chain systems and operations and to assess its impact on the chain. Identify the current supply chain strategies and the influence from various market conditions. Make recommendations in order to improve the current supply chain in the company and over come the identified critical issues and challenges by applying strategic supply chain management principles. Company Overview Singer Sri Lanka Started its operation in 1872 in Sri Lanka and is a Company that has grown over the years into a benchmark entity in Sri Lanka in terms of popularity, modernity and reach. Singer today is synonymous with quality, wide reach, and wide product range across diverse lines and wide appeal to consumers across the entire spectrum of buying power. Source -Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report Singer Sri Lanka PLC is a diversified, large-scale company, which was established and started its operations with few shops and now Singer has nearly 550 retail outlets spread all over the country with a group of more than thousand permanent employees. Furthermore Singer has widely spreaded distribution channels, such as Singer Plus, companys largest distribution channel, Singer Mega ,which optimises true modern trade retailing, promising a shopping experience on par with the best in the world, Singer Homes, the furniture store contributed to offer high quality and stylish furniture, Sisil World, promotes mainly Sisil brand products and it is the second slot in the distribution hierarchy, Singer Wholesale, Satellite shops and Duty Free etc are the other channels of distribution. Singers product portfolio is highly diversified and consists of products across a range of household, industrial and financial categories. Singer product portfolio: (Source: Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report 2009) Organization Structure Pyramid Singer Organization structure consists of three main management levels which include Junior, Middle and Senior. Senior and middle levels has two sub layers as illustrated below. A Foreign Component Suppliers B Local Component Suppliers Prodimix International Germany Arpico Haffle Fittings Italy Regional Sharpeners Dolken Company Germany St. Anthonys Company Hevea Company Malaysia Laminex Company Australia C Other Local Suppliers D Foreign Suppliers Soft Logic National/ Panasonic Epsi Computers Sony Craft Suppliers Samsung Nilkamal Hitachi TCL Whirlpool Wedge Unix E Retail Outlets F Corporate Customers Singer Mega Dilmah Singer Homes Nestle Singer plus John Keels Holdings Sisil World Media Services (Pvt) Ltd. The Supply Chain Competition Supply Chain is a network of connected and interdependent organizations mutually and co-operatively working together to control, manage and improve the flow of materials and information from suppliers to end users (Source: Christopher 2005, p.6) It is clear that current world companies cannot act individually and survive or gain a competitive advantage in the market for a long run. Therefore supply chain integration is a powerful concept for survival and growth in todays business environment. A product or a service should have key attributes to be competitive in the market place, which are known as the competitive priorities. The competitive priorities may change with the market segment. For example, when consider the Singer customers in a rural area may be interested primarily in the cost of product while the customers in urban areas are interested in quality of the same product. 3.1 Identifying the Competitive Priorities Cost Advantage: This is a strategy where the company seeks efficient facilities and uses tight cost controls to produce products more efficiently and effectively than competitors. Singer Sri Lanka had only around 10 brands in early 2000 and mainly concentrated on market penetration by providing affordable products to the mass market. In order to bring down the price, the company has moved to strategic sourcing of its major brands through an intermediary which purchases for the entire south Asian region which affects economies of scale. Eg: i. Discontinued the TV plant at Singer Industries Ltd., Ratmalana in 2001 and started sourcing form China. ii. Started the factory in Piliyandala for furniture water pumps to reduce imports as well as duties and offered innovative products at a competitive prices. At the same time manufacturing plants should plan their systems in such a way that all resources such as material, labour and machines are efficiently used to bring down the cost significantly. Also company should make sure to keep sufficient margin to cover all other overheads before going to reduce the selling price to get more volumes. This can be illustrated as follows; Value Advantage: Customers dont buy products, they buy benefits Adding value through differentiation is a powerful concept of achieving a defensible advantage in the market. Singer has moved to a differentiation and multi brand strategy to enter into a new era of retailing. In all categories, different brands positioned to appeal different customer segments. Singer trade name has changed to SINGER plus from SINGER on 1st of January 2007 and the slogan to MORE BRAND MORE CHOICE. It enables to increase the appeal to customers and the message of choice available in the stores and adds differential plus over competitive offerings. Singer adds value through service by providing unmatched service to their customers by giving not just a product but with a full package which includes super shopping environment, friendly customer care staff, product demonstration, discount schemes, easy payment schemes, free delivery to the door step, free installation, customer training, free services for selected items like A/Cs, extended warranty scheme, excellent after sales service, etc. When considering the product designs, certain designs may increase inventory holding or transportation costs with long manufacturing lead time. In Singer basically in furniture factories this issue can be seen. This will be a huge impact on the whole production of Singer factories if not properly address the problem. Multi Channel Strategy (Source: Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report 2007) Delivery Lead Time : Consumers in all markets, industrial or consumer are increasingly time sensitive and this is reflected in their purchasing behavior. This should be visible from the time of manufacturing to the delivery of the item. In all the Singer factories they use Computer Numerical Control (CNC Programmable machines) to make sure speedy, efficient and reliable manufacturing process. As a policy they also maintain average three months finished goods inventory in all the stock keeping units (SKUs) in general and 1.5 to 2 months finished goods inventory for identified fast moving items in the sub warehouse. Singer also has the island wide distribution network with more than 500 shops and goods are transporting everyday to all the locations from the central warehouse. Shops are also permit to keep sufficient inventory in their stores. But here the main issue is that the uncertainty of holding more inventories. Though they have reduced their lead-time, with the volatility of the markets some times they have resulted in excess inventory situations, where sometimes the loss can be very high. This is mainly for the items such as televisions, refrigerators and white goods (washing machines, home theatre systems) etc. since these can be out dated with the new technology enhancements. This should be addressed for an immediate solution, because it can have a huge impact on the whole supply chain in the long run. Quality: Quality should be there in every aspect including design quality, process quality, product quality, service quality, etc. While maintaining ISO 9001:2000 standards Singer Sri Lanka factories make sure that every item produced up to the required or expected level in terms of both quality of conformance and quality of design. In overall companys point of view it is also a crucial factor to maintain the balance approach between the price and quality of all the products. So to have a full range of products in each category company has decided to go with multi brand strategy, where the company doesnt want to compromise quality and damage the brand image due to get the price advantage. Analysis of key areas in Singer Supply Chain Analysis of the above competitive priorities has given a clear insight about the issues that can be impacted on the current supply chain and also here I would like to draw the attention on major key areas which should be considered to have an effective and efficient integrated network for the business organization. Areas to be reviewed; Supply chain competitive strategy Supply chain agility, flexibility and responsiveness How well the supply chain is synchronized 4.1 Supply Chain Competitive Strategy Competitive context of business continues to change basically because of four major reasons; i. The new rules of competition ii. Globalization of industry iii. Downward pressure on price iv. Customers take power to demand on goods/ services Analysis of Current Situation Currently Singer Sri Lanka has an internally integrated system which provides mainly an end to end planning framework and they highly depend on the hierarchy. So there is a high possibility of delaying the decisions due to lack of confidence and authority levels. Also the focus on reducing obsolescence properly is also a major issue. Possible Strategic Recommendations Singer Sri Lanka has to move ahead with external integration with their international suppliers this will lead to manage better up stream and down stream interaction in order to maintain an effective and efficient value chain and to get a better cost advantage. By having an effective ERP system they can handle all the transactions and information regarding the manufacturing, logistics, distribution, shipping, invoicing, accounting, human resources, shop sales, market campaigns, bargain or auction sales, promotion activities, etc. through this and also by applying internet, intranet and extranet facilities the company can avoid having excess inventories and maintain a proper inventory which is aligned with customer needs, especially when it comes to the multi brand multi channel concept. The other important fact is to identify the power position of Singer relative to their suppliers and customers with regard to the scale matters. Finally in this aspect they have to focus on managing 4Rs (responsiveness, reliability, resilience, relationships) thoroughly to strengthen the linkages between the customers and suppliers, where the competitor would find hard to break. Best fit in an organization can be illustrated as follows; 4.2 Supply Chain Agility, Flexibility and Responsiveness Demand in todays volatile markets causes most of the current pressure on supply chains to compete as networks and to use planned network configurations to drive flexibility, agility and responsiveness. Agile or Lean? Analysis of Current Situation In the current status of Singer Sri Lanka, they keep sufficient stocks of finished goods in ware houses of each channel and also raw materials at the main Singer factories, where some times it can cause huge losses because of excess of stocks. Though the overall lead time is reduced when under taking special orders such as providing customized items for corporate clients locally or internationally, there can be situations where timely response may be poor. Possible Strategic Recommendations By making the supply chain more agile it can make the operation of the company more smoother. For this applying the seven principles which is given in Table 1will be important. Efficient responsiveness should be improved by de-coupling the up stream and down stream processes and utilizing the principles of postponement wherever possible. As the company strongly believe that there should be a flexibility and variability in all categories. It can be improved by developing new products, by incorporating some product changes to fit the customer specifications and also quickly able to respond increasing and decreasing demand due to the seasonal sales pattern and also can position different brads to appeal the different customer segments in terms of quality and the price. Table 1: Basic Principles for the creation of agile supply chain Principle Application Synchronize activities through shared information Needs to enhance the companys new IT systems (ERP system, Electronic fund transfer, Internet, e-mail etc.) which enable effective on line purchasing other services Work Smarter not harder Reduce non value adding activities such as manual activities identify the parallel processes in the company (already this is done up to certain level of transactions) Partner suppliers to reduce inbound lead times Work more closer with suppliers and share information about different demand schedules to reduce time delays Seek to reduce complexity Enhance the advance capabilities of information systems increase the transparency of processes to reduce confusion delays Postpone the final configuration This is already being used for certain range of items Manage processes not just functions Needs to manage across its supply chain or the inter related cross functional processes to be more flexible agile in responding to demand Utilise appropriate performance metrics Singer already uses performance monitoring metrics, but can make out the other possibilities which fits the structure of the organization do necessary modifications design improvements Enhance the supply chain strategies through agility: 4.3 How well the Singer Sri Lanka Supply Chain is Synchronized? Synchronization implies that each stage in the supply chain is connected to the other and that they all march to the same drumbeat. The way in which entities in a supply chain become connected is through shared information. (Source: Christopher 2005, p.177) Key processes that needs to be linked, up stream and down stream to supply chain synchronization of Singer Sri Lanka: Key Processes Analysis of Current Situation Possible Strategic Recommendations Planning Scheduling This is done by sharing information between each tier, but the main focus is on the first tier customers suppliers. Properly linked information system should be implemented with an integrated ERP system in order to have a proper control over the lead time inventory. Design Since the poor communication with the tier 2 suppliers it has lead to a lack of market innovation and confidence about new design developments IT based systems (e-mails, internet etc.) can be used to optimize the connectivity among all the tiers New Product Introduction Though this is done through the differentiation strategies, still there are loop holes where the trends are not clearly identified and communicated When this comes to the bulk production it is essential to identify obsolete items and replace them with new product designs. to gain competitive advantage For this properly linked network channel is essential Product Content Management When a change is required it has implemented after going through a very long process where totally based on the hierarchy of management, which is very time consuming and complex Should have a proper alignment with the strategies and the critical processes in the supply chain to minimize the impact over the customers Order Management Most of the main suppliers have their own individual order tracking systems and basically the order processing is done by basic methods as communicating via telephones, where timeliness is a question To increase the agility with the highly volatile market demands Singer has to be inline with new technological advancements where they can reduce the order management time and optimize the efficiency of the whole supply chain Sourcing Procurement This is performed well in the current system, but this is limited due to high confidentiality As some of the suppliers work with competitors this should be remain but can be improve the visibility by having strategic partnerships Properly synchronized system would be as follows: 4.4 Other recommendations for further improvements in supply chain management: Mini Warehouse Concept: Since singer has more than 500 retail shops islandwide, keeping sufficient stock at each locations is involving considerable amount of money. So its better to locate mini warehouses in each district to maintain required inventories. Be Green Through Reverse Logistics: Company can reverting back all outdated and obsolete goods directly from the customers and try to send these to their suppliers at a nominal amount, which they are sometimes in a position to upgrade the products again. This reverse logistic concept can extend into having a more greeny environment as a responsible corporate citizen. Convert Major Suppliers Into Strategic Partners: Singer can try to discuss with its major international suppliers and convert them to strategic partners via joint venture or partnership agreements, which would enable to have a long lasting business relationship to both parties. Optimize Supply Chain: By nature consumer durable market is categorized as a seasonal market. Singer sales pattern has two main seasonal effects throughout the year (Apr/May and Nov/Dec). Its quite common to run out of the stock during seasonal times and having excess stock during off seasons. Both ways this is not good for the company since they are loosing customers during the season while considerable amount of money tied up in the inventory during the off season period. Structure Vs Strategy: Companys typical tall hierarchical structure in not infavour of the decision making system since each minor decisions should go above the line to the top hierarchy, which takes lots of time to get the final decision to the down the layers. If the company can adequately empowered its middle and first line managers company can be more proactive than the existing situation. Red to Blue Ocean Strategy: Singer has number of head to head competitors in the market who are engaging in the business in similar nature. So company can immediately identify its strengths and competitive priorities (which can be experienced management team, islandwide network, etc) to be edge over the others in the competitive environment. In other words they can enjoy lots of advantages by following the Blue ocean strategy. 5.0 Conclusion Supply Chain Management principles and techniques are not common to all the industries. Some times it can be a complex scenario in which it also change time to time due to internal industrial factors such as union actions, product line changes, design changes, etc. and due to external factors such as changes in economic condition, other company rules and regulations imposed by the government, new market competition, international market forces, etc. Singer Sri Lanka has strong formulated strategies and also as per the analysis carried out considering the strategic recommendations will be more effective in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the industry by efficiently managing its supply chain. So it is vital to be more realistic when selecting the proper supply chain management principles and tools in a highly volatile and dynamic environment. This also can be result in reflecting the bottom line profitability of the organization.

Woman To Man :: essays research papers

Woman to Man At first glance, the title seemed to have more than one connotation. "Woman to Man;" is the woman giving something to the man, maybe a gift? "Woman to Man." Maybe the title is trying to compare the two genders? I was slightly confused when I read this poem at first, but it became apparent from the rich metaphors, that it was about the sexual relation between the woman and man. It is also about conception - or rather the potential of creating a child from this sexual act - told from the woman's point of view. Judith Wright was very bold in writing such a poem since it was published in 1949, when such issues weren’t discussed in the public, but as a well regarded poet, she had achieved a good reputation for expressing herself, and therefore could write a subjective poem about this issue. The main idea of this poem, is based upon female sexuality and sensuality, and that sex is symbolic of life, or death if pregnancy fails. The title seems to mean now, "Woman to Man" as if the woman is offering herself to the Man, offering her body to create a child, through the act of sex. It also means that the woman has something to give to the man, not only the pleasure, but through blood and pain, a child. The language compliments the mood of this poem, as it varies from a sad and melancholy cry, to a voice of hope, all in a constant confident feel, and by this, the poet's reflections and contemplation’s are communicated successfully to us, making us feel in the same way she has felt. The first stanza begins with a bold and confident entry describing in a simple way the sexual relation between the man and the woman; or better said; Woman to Man. The ‘seed’ which the woman holds - has the potential of becoming a child. The image of the day of birth as a ‘resurrection day’ is important in this respect for, just as the resurrection of Christ defeated death, so too, does each individual conception and birth. The use of alliteration in this first stanza contributes a crescendo of confidence, which relates to the pain, and stress building up until the conception. This also can be interpreted as the excitement during the sexual act. The relief following is shown in the three remaining stanzas which are quieter, and are more explanatory, and by this the poet has intended to show us the relief emancipated from the mother after the birth, or also, after their sexual act.

Alfarabi And Aristotle: The Four Causes And The Four Stages Of The Doc

Alfarabi and Aristotle: The Four Causes and The Four Stages of The Doctrine of The Intelligence Alfarabi was raised as a young boy in Baghdad. His early life was spent studying the art of linguistics, philosophy, and logic. His teachers were Syrian Christians experts in Greek philosophy. He studied Aristotle and Plato in detail, and it became evident in his later writings that they were a strong influence on him. He became quite a prolific writer, and he wrote more than 100 works, many of which have unfortunately been lost including his a lot of his commentaries on Aristotle. He was one of the earliest Islamic thinkers to transmit to the world of his time the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle. He is considered by many to be the founder of an authentic philosophy. His writings created a lot of support, debate, and controversy. He contributed materials on the proof of the existence of the First Principle, and on the theory of emanation, as well as the theory of knowledge, in addition to his commentaries on Greek philosophers. The Greek influence is clearly present in his works, especially with his Opinions of the Inhabitants of a Virtuous City, where he laid down a philosophical, religious, and social system for the humanity at large; a system that sought to break barriers and facilitate relations among people and nations. This work sounded very similar to the work presented by Plato in Plato's Republic. They both took into consideration the matter of city/state, who was to govern, who was to be governed, how this governing was to take place, how it was to be enforced, and so on. It also appears clear that he was influenced greatly by Aristotle. This influence is present in his "Doctrine of the Intellect". The Doctrine of the intellect was Alfarabi's approach to giving his own interpretation to the intellect. There are strong similarities between Alfarabi's Doctrine of the Intellect and Aristotle's "Four Causes". Needless to say that they each are comprised of four stages, but the stages seem very similar, they seem to be representative of one another, almost to the point of defining one another. It will be demonstrated that Alfarabi used Aristotle's "Four Causes" to derive and support the Doctrine of the Intellect. Alfarabi draws off of Ar... ... of Alfarabi, then it is clear that there was a strong Aristotelianism influence on Alfarabi. This is evident in several of the writings such as in his mentions of the four senses, intellect in potentiality, intellect in actuality, acquired intellect, and with the agent intellect. There are several other writings that are credited to Alfarabi that were based on Plato and Aristotle, so there is no real reason to assume that these writings were not those of Alfarabi. It appears that Alfarabi uses the basic principles of Aristotle and has applied them to his principles of the Doctrine of the Intellect in order to rationalize his philosophy. Alfarabi was a philosopher that grabbed new ideas and harnessed them with some of the greatest philosophical minds known to man. He took Aristotle to a new level, doesn't any true philosopher? He embodied the thoughts of previous minds, and united them with his own and became a very powerful influence on Islamic philosophy. It is clear that Aristotle was used to develop his Doctrine of the Intellect. The similarities, the context, and the rational are too similar to belong to anyone else. Alfarabi And Aristotle: The Four Causes And The Four Stages Of The Doc Alfarabi and Aristotle: The Four Causes and The Four Stages of The Doctrine of The Intelligence Alfarabi was raised as a young boy in Baghdad. His early life was spent studying the art of linguistics, philosophy, and logic. His teachers were Syrian Christians experts in Greek philosophy. He studied Aristotle and Plato in detail, and it became evident in his later writings that they were a strong influence on him. He became quite a prolific writer, and he wrote more than 100 works, many of which have unfortunately been lost including his a lot of his commentaries on Aristotle. He was one of the earliest Islamic thinkers to transmit to the world of his time the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle. He is considered by many to be the founder of an authentic philosophy. His writings created a lot of support, debate, and controversy. He contributed materials on the proof of the existence of the First Principle, and on the theory of emanation, as well as the theory of knowledge, in addition to his commentaries on Greek philosophers. The Greek influence is clearly present in his works, especially with his Opinions of the Inhabitants of a Virtuous City, where he laid down a philosophical, religious, and social system for the humanity at large; a system that sought to break barriers and facilitate relations among people and nations. This work sounded very similar to the work presented by Plato in Plato's Republic. They both took into consideration the matter of city/state, who was to govern, who was to be governed, how this governing was to take place, how it was to be enforced, and so on. It also appears clear that he was influenced greatly by Aristotle. This influence is present in his "Doctrine of the Intellect". The Doctrine of the intellect was Alfarabi's approach to giving his own interpretation to the intellect. There are strong similarities between Alfarabi's Doctrine of the Intellect and Aristotle's "Four Causes". Needless to say that they each are comprised of four stages, but the stages seem very similar, they seem to be representative of one another, almost to the point of defining one another. It will be demonstrated that Alfarabi used Aristotle's "Four Causes" to derive and support the Doctrine of the Intellect. Alfarabi draws off of Ar... ... of Alfarabi, then it is clear that there was a strong Aristotelianism influence on Alfarabi. This is evident in several of the writings such as in his mentions of the four senses, intellect in potentiality, intellect in actuality, acquired intellect, and with the agent intellect. There are several other writings that are credited to Alfarabi that were based on Plato and Aristotle, so there is no real reason to assume that these writings were not those of Alfarabi. It appears that Alfarabi uses the basic principles of Aristotle and has applied them to his principles of the Doctrine of the Intellect in order to rationalize his philosophy. Alfarabi was a philosopher that grabbed new ideas and harnessed them with some of the greatest philosophical minds known to man. He took Aristotle to a new level, doesn't any true philosopher? He embodied the thoughts of previous minds, and united them with his own and became a very powerful influence on Islamic philosophy. It is clear that Aristotle was used to develop his Doctrine of the Intellect. The similarities, the context, and the rational are too similar to belong to anyone else.

We Must Ban Assault Weapons Essay -- argumentative, persuasive, gun con

The controversy over assault rifles is one of the most problematic issues related to the contributions of gangs, drug traffickers, and most criminal activity. More often than not, criminals have access to the weapons of their choice more easily than it should be. Getting them from licensed dealers, black markets, and family members’ homes, the availability of these militia weapons has become to effortless to obtain. The rise of criminal activity is part of the reason more than one-third of high school students have easy access to a weapon or gun. â€Å"Four out of five guns brought to school are actually brought from their own homes† (Page par 2). This is one of the biggest problems when faced with where criminals get their guns. They either steal them from relative’s homes, ask to borrow them, or steal them from licensed sellers. There are a lot of ways people can get guns. People who should not be able to purchase a firearm are allowed t o, and illegal transactions are also a huge issue with criminals getting their guns. For all these reasons that is why Government should require restricted gun ownership to protect society, prevent crime, and allow for recreational use. Assault weapons have been labeled as the number one source for mass killings in America. The idea that a weapon can fire a large amount of bullets at a remarkable speed can be used for recreational use was thought of otherwise. This type of weaponry was made for one reason and that is to eliminate as many people as possible and accomplish it in a reasonably fast time. The problem is everywhere and to help control the issue the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to enacting and enforcing gun... ...laws protect the society. They need to understand that bans and laws work and that they need to be enforced more strictly so the people of the nation can feel safe and protected. The nation has brought many new ideas to try to solve the issue on illegal gun selling and gun traffickers. They have provided with legislation laws on gun control, the declining of allowing fully-automatic weapons to be legal in this country to keep all citizens safe. All of the proposals that legislation has introduced do a great job in monitoring the selling and purchasing of weapons that should not be bought and sold. If the country wants us to be safe and protected by our government, they need to know that bans and laws on assault weapon works and saves lives of the American people and that there needs to be cooperation with them so the bans and laws can stay strict and strong.

Compare how Shakespeare and Luhramann Essay

One of Shakespeare’s most well acknowledged and famous plays Romeo and Juliet was a written in such a manner which would have been liked by a wide range of audience on the Elizabethan stages. Similarly Baz Luhrumann has attempted to recreate Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into a feature film with some touches of the 21st century to suit the modern audiences today worldwide. Throught the main themes and the prologue of the play, Shakespeare has tried to hold the audiences interest. The prologue has played a very important and central point of the whole play. Shakespeare set the scene in ‘fair Verona’ because of the simple reason that he didn’t want to offend the British audience and the Queen, as the characters are shown as very violent and short tempered. This already has a very large impact on the Elizabethans as it gives the audience a very proud feeling of being British and the also to the Queen that her monarchy is comparatively superior. Plus to show the Italian culture and the stereotypical image of the Italians, which suited the situation very well. The play was to be staged on a Elizabethan stage which was organized in such a way that the sittings would be arranged according to the class, so the Aristocrats would on separate chairs at the back of the theatre whereas the peasant would be standing in front and were named the Groundlings as the were on the ground. This proves that all ranges of audience came to watch his plays. Which means that he would have to write plays according to the taste of the Queen, the Aristocrats and the groundlings. Shakespeare created the prologue keeping in mind the audiences taste. The Prologue is written in forms of a sonnet, a trailer to what the audience was going to see. The main themes of the are summarized to give the audience a glimpse as it says â€Å"From ancient grudge break to new mutiny†, this means that there is going to Violence and blood shed leading to peace. Then it says that Romeo and Juliet will fall in love and their fate is death,†A pair of star crossed lovers will take their life†, â€Å"and â€Å"Doth with their death-marked love†, this grabs and holds the audiences attention as it tells them what’s going to happen later on so the audience stays to see how the conflicts occur. The prologue seems to unfold the entire story by referring to the â€Å"lovers† and they â€Å"doth with their death â€Å", this makes audience absorb the situation and also creates suspense among the audience In Act 1 scene 1 the story is opens in the streets of Verona. Both of the Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory are in a chatting about their enemies. During this discussions Shakespeare holds the audiences attention through using some puns and bawdy humour â€Å"Tis true and therefore women being the weaker vessels are thrust to the wall, and thrust his maids†, this kind of bawdy humour was acknowledged by all the audience, again this was a tactic to grab the audience’s attention. The dialogues in act scene 1 consisted some Stichomythia, which a was enjoyed by the audience as it is enjoyable to watch an argument and the Elizabethans would be delighted in word-plays, especially the puns and sexual humor’s. Then Benvolio from the Montague family enters and begins a â€Å"quarrel† with Samson and Gregory. â€Å"Let us take the law of our sides, let them begin†, this dispute between the two servants from the Montague and Capulet demonstrates the foolishness of the quarrel between the two families and how pointless it is and engages the audience with some humour. In the next part ahead Shakespeare creates a very different atmosphere compared to all the disputes and quarrel. Montague and his wife asks where about is his son, Benvolio then says that he has been seen walking around alone unwilling to get out, and is in love with a girl who doesn’t seem to like him, â€Å"Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love†, the language used in this line describe the mood swings that Romeo is going through. Romeo has fallen in love and feels that time flies in love, and that time drags on when there is no love in his life, â€Å"Not having that, which, having, makes them short†. The girl is the cause of Romeo’s miserable attitude who’s name is Rosaline, who doesn’t appear in any of the acts as Shakespeare wanted to keep her anonymous and create a curiosity among the audience, for another the fact that she was his past and Juliet was going to the future love and to show that Romeo was love-sick from the beginning. Romeo urges for Rosalines love and he makes his room appear as if it is night, because light represents love to him and he is out of love. The sadness in the scene is in strong contrast to love that he feels throughout the play â€Å"When then brawling love, O loving hate†, Shakespeare’s consistence use of oxymoron’s is to portray Romeo’s love-sickness, the use of contrasts continues â€Å"Misshapen chaos, well seeming forms†, to show the audience the abstract thoughts of Romeo in his â€Å"course of love†. Baz Luhrumann has used Shakespeare’s concepts combined with his direction and modern film techniques to engage today’s modern audiences. He has shortened the script, as the attention span of today’s audience is lesser than the Elizabethans. The prologue has been presented in a very differently to suit the modern concept, A women on television presenting a news which is the prologue. Luhrumannn has used television a modern source of information to convey the prologue in a more contemporary manner, as it will interest more of today’s audiences of today. The camera angle slowly intensifies into the television, as if he wants the audience to indulge themselves in to the story. This kind of cinematic techniques is a preview of the drama and violence coming up in the film. The dramatic music helps to strengthen the affect. This has been influenced by music videos to suit the younger audience. He has presented as if the whole story is smashing news on television and that it is a live coverage. When the newsreader mentions â€Å"both alike in dignity†, it shows two equal towers to show the households are alike. Baz Luhrumann symbolizes the family crest â€Å"sword† as a gun in the film to suit the modern audiences . He highlights the contrast by showing similar towers of the â€Å"two houses† with fast modern music to enhance the contrast. He then uses the scene in the petrol station to show the â€Å"ancient grudge† and the conflict between the two families. The sign, which says, â€Å"Add fuel to your fire,† predicts the further disputes. The costumes, which Luhrumann uses in the petrol station scene, distinguishes the two families, as they are modern and helps them portray the image of contemporary gangs, it also facilitates them to create an identity. The use of fast camera shots helps Luhrumann to engage the audience in the fight scene between the two families. The movie continues as it opens out on the next scene, where it demonstrates a very modern setting, with modern punk costumes to suit younger audiences taste. On the other hand he has kept the dialogues, as it is to maintain Shakespeare’s concepts. The scene with quarrel between the four members of the Capulet and Montague’s are set in a petrol station to make the quarrel more obvious and outstanding. The ‘Add fuel to fire’ sign symbolizes the ancient grudge, which breaks to new mutinity and meaning add fuel to your anger. The part where Tybolt is smoking and the use of guns also symbolizes the danger of the fight. Samson gets hit by the citizens which portrays the characterization, this means that Samson is stupid and brainless character and Gregory is in control. This implies that the characters are written to engage the audience as the characters portray a certain image and humour through that. Again Luhrumann has tried to maintain the themes of the play, which in this case would be ‘Hate’ this plays a very important role in the movie, in the film Luhrumann has shown the two differences and hatred between the families by the separations of the towers, cars, and two sides of the city. And why was there hatred? Nether of Shakespeare or Luhramann decided to explain the ancient grudge as it the point of the story. As it didn’t seem necessary for the audience to know the reason Another important theme â€Å"Love†, it is a grand passion similarly to â€Å"Hate† which has been the support of Romeo and Juliet journey. Romeo’s love for Rosaline has been portrayed in an exaggerated way in the first act, as he becomes cynical while describing her â€Å"She is rich in beauty, only poor† and â€Å"That when she dies, with beauty dies in store†. As mentioned earlier in the prologue â€Å"star crossed lovers†, which means the play is based on â€Å"Love†. Luhramann has presented the bawdy humour more physically than verbally, the shot where a woman is dancing on the streets while a man is watching her. Which leads to the scene where Romeo enters which is shot on the beach with the sunrise to show the calm but depressing atmosphere. The scene moves on to showing Romeo writing his diary, and reading his diary in his mind as he is writing, this idea of a voice over was a modern concept of Luhrumann, that grabs the audience’s attention. â€Å"For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo†, this would have been said by the Prince in the play whereas Luhrumann has changed it to show the same newsreader from the prologue ending the show with this line. The two star-crossed lovers had to give their life in order for their families to end Overall both Shakespeare and Luhrumann’s main motive was to engage their respected audiences. With different techniques Luhrumann wanted re-create the play in to a film to suit today’s audiences, keeping in mind the themes, which Shakespeare had included. The motive was fulfilled as Luhrumann tried to store the ideas to make a modern film. Shakespeare and Luhrumann both made the three main themes outlined very clearly love, hate and fate. The two star-crossed lovers had to give their life in order for their families to end their fighting. Romeo and Juliet ends with AA story of more woe (sorrow) Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.