Saturday, March 28, 2020

The Driving Pool

The Driving Pool is a compilation of three stories written by Yoko Ogawa, an award winning novelist from Japan. The Driving Pool revolves around the experiences of Aya, a young female narrator (James 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Driving Pool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aya is orphaned in a number of ways. For example, her parents are too busy in the wards and cannot create time to attend to her needs. It is against this background that Aya (who is emotionally abandoned by her parents) decide to shower Jun (a young athlete) with all her devotion and love. Jun has lived at the Light House for a decade now. Nonetheless, acquaintance does not rekindle disdain for Aya. Her feelings for Aya are not sisterly. Aya’s obsession with Jun is manifested when she spent most of her free time in the bleachers looking at Jun practice his favorite sport. When Aya is not in the bleachers, she idles around the home eager to bump into Jun. It appears that Jun feels the same way towards Aya (James 2). This tale could have had a merry ending if Aya had not subjected her loneliness and pain upon others. The seductive force of cruelty is manifested when Aya resorts to torture Rie (the youngest toddler at the orphanage) for pleasure. In spite of the fact that Aya’s actions are distressing, most of the readers are sympathetic with her deeds because they understand their origins. It seems the author has excelled in demonstrating how natural feelings can be overturned into anomalous ones and how benevolence can coexist with malevolence (James 3). It goes without saying that The Diving Pool examines the intensity of our intricate dark natures. Nevertheless, The Diving Pool does not sanitize anything in the process. It is a simple moral story that seems to suggest the impeding devastating revenge for the young woman (James 3). Majusi is the author of the internationally acclaimed book titled Black Rain. It astonishes that whenever a book dwells upon serious issues such as genocide, lynching, or Hiroshima bombing; it will frequently receive a rare evaluation irrespective of the manner in which subject at hand is presented. Black Rain focuses on a teenage girl who is caught in the middle of the radioactive â€Å"Black Rain† that ensued after Hiroshima was bombed. The writer based his novel on accounts of real-life records and dialogue with the victims of the holocaust. In his book, he manages to disclose the extent of suffering of human as a result of the atomic bomb (Schneider 1). In the novel Black Rain, the author narrates the manner in which the life of Yasuko that was altered forever as a result of the Hiroshima bombing.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The author describes how the attack caused him periodic bouts of radiation sickness and her suspic ions that her future generations may be affected too. Ibuse presents the horrific incident with a tinge of moderate humor which he is commonly known for. His compassion to the multifaceted web of feeling in a customary community dilapidated by the devastating attack has made the Black Rain one of the most highly recognize novel (Schneider 3). The novel talks about the survivors who witnessed the Hiroshima bomb as it unfolded. Nonetheless, the writer neither asks for sympathy from the readers nor blames anyone for the event. On the contrary, but he focuses his attention on the catastrophe itself from the human point of view. The author and those around him maintain a deep sense of self-respect and significance for human life and experience which stands out in the entire days after the Hiroshima bombing. In his account, he talks about the suffering many victims had to endure during and after the bombing and his description leave the reader less than pleasant. In the Black Rain novel, the author does not hold the back the information about the bombing nor try to overwhelm the readers with cheap words to narrate the devastating outcomes of the attack. He simply employs an exceptional narrative style that describes the suffering of the victims (Schneider 4). Pregnancy Diary is the second story in this collection. To most readers, Pregnancy Diary appears to be more complicated and even bleaker. Just like the other two stories, Pregnancy Diary talks about a displaced young female narrator. The diary in question is a vivid account of a woman concerning her sister’s pregnancy. Pregnancy Diary bears semblance to the other two tales because it is filled with horrific tales. It is worthy to mention that Pregnancy Diary does not dwell upon the foetus but on revulsion, food and greed as the narrator prepares an intoxicated grapefruit jam for her sister. Pregnancy Diary reveals the emotional turmoil that the children had to endure following the tragic and untimely dea th of their parents. According to this tale, it is very difficult to establish whose delusions are prevailing in this world of emotional haziness (James 4). All women featured in Ogawa’s tales are basically numbed and emotionless as they attempt to gain power by subjecting their weaker specimens to cruel deeds. Their disturbing inertia in reaction to their limited roles is counterpoised with vicious twists and turns which the author portrays with a distinctive coolness of tone. The sense of emotional estrangement, of cultural universality as well as the use of weird disappearance cuts across the three tales (Briscoe 7). Dormitory is the last tale in this collection. Dormitory rarely qualifies as a bedtime story because it is filled with dark twists and turns in spite of the fact that there is some ray of hope as the horrific tale comes to an end. Nonetheless, Dormitory leaves many questions unanswered (James 5).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Drivi ng Pool specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, why is the young wife not attempting to search and save her cousin? What is behind the bizarre inertia contaminating her right from the start? What would she have found behind her cousin’s bolted door? And what exactly is happening to the landlord? In Dormitory, a woman in Tokyo is busy sewing a patchwork coverlet as she waits to join her husband in Sweden. Meanwhile, her young cousin calls to inquire if she can reside in the college dormitory where she once lived as a student. In the meantime, the manager of the hall of residence is a terminally ill amputee infatuated with body parts of healthier students. As the cousin takes residence at the college dormitory and disappears later, the narrator is drawn into a distorted world full of garish tulip colors and sickly buzzing of bees that threatens to overwhelm the ordinary daily life as a background to insanity. It seems that the author has met all the preconditions that qualify a story to be regarded as horrific (Briscoe 8). Ogawa has successfully depicted the workings of human psychology in her three tales. The author has been able to demonstrate her in-depth knowledge of psychological workings through her wonderful and well-executed pose. Reading Ogawa’s tales is synonymous to entering an illusory state that is filled with frightening scenes (Briscoe 9). The narrators of both Pregnancy Diary and The Diving Pool commit dreadful acts (poisoning an expectant woman and tormenting a young orphaned toddler). They commit these horrendous acts as if by impulse and do not care of the possible consequences of their actions. It is worthy to mention that the three tales bear similarities in terms of structure and arrogance. Nevertheless, The Diving Pool is an exceptional tale that depicts an author whose evocative, disconcerting narrative style speaks more by leaving some details unarticulated (Briscoe 9). Works Cited Briscoe, Joanna. â€Å"Dark Side of the Dormitory.† 2 Aug. 2008. Web. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/02/fiction5. James, Victoria. â€Å"The Diving Pool, by Yoko Ogawa: Everyday Horror in Suburban Tokyo.† 8 Aug. 2008. Web. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-diving-pool-by-yoko-ogawa-trans-stephen-snyder-887841.html.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Schneider, Jessica. â€Å"Book Review: Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse.† 16 Jan. 2011. Web. This essay on The Driving Pool was written and submitted by user Tori Boyer to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Summary

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Summary A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Summary NOTE! The below paper is just an example written by one of our staff writers. If you need an original summary of A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings or a paper on a different topic, feel free to place your order. In the short story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Colombian writer, talks about Pelayo and Elisenda, a couple who found an old man in their yard. This man had wings. Pelayo and his wife tried communicating with him but in vain. They eventually got their neighbor woman who informed them that he was an angel who had come for their ailing child. As a result, they kept the angel in a chicken coop when their child developed a fever. At sunrise, the whole community had landed to see the angel (Marquez, 1999). In any case, when Father Gonzaga came, he announced that the man was fake. He vowed to get the genuine truth from the church’s higher court. On the other hand, news about the angel spread widely, and many people came to see it. As a result, Elisenda decided to charge a fee of five cents for one to view the angel, believing they will finally get rich. The group left when a carnival flaunting a Spider Woman arrived to the village. Observers scrutinized her, and she disclosed to them how she was transformed into a tarantula one night when she disobeyed her folks. This seemed appealing to the majority than the old winged man who could overlook the individuals around him. Along these lines, the curious villagers before long left the angel for the creepy-crawly, leaving the yard of Pelayo. Afterwards, Pelayo and Elisenda constructed a mansion with all the cash they had gathered and ignored the angel, consequently keeping their child from drawing near to the chicken coop (Marquez, 1999). Ultimately, the elderly person turned into a piece of their life, and they never again dreaded him. The kid could visit him regularly. Inevitably, the chicken coop broke, and they enabled him to move around their home, even though it caused Elisenda much pain. At last, Elisenda watched him fly away to her extraordinary help. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Characters The Old Man The old man in the A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings story appeared in the yard of Pelayo and Elisenda looking squalid and tousled. He had wings and could communicate in an unknown language that nobody could understand. His wings and incoherent language prompted a few people to accept that he was an angel and the church to think he was a Norwegian. Pelayo He is the spouse to Elsenda. He is an unfortunate and ordinary resident who hesitantly shielded the winged elderly man in his chicken coop. Pelayo protected the elderly man against harm by modestly consulting the village priest. However, he could oppose progressively indulgent advice he got from different locals. Elisenda She is the spouse of Pelayo. Elisenda persuades Pelayo to charge residents to see the elderly person, yet, later believes him to be a nuisance. A reasonable lady, she fundamentally worries about the welfare of Pelayo and their kid and is consequently relieved when the old man at last leaves. Father Gonzaga He is an authority figure in the community who acts as a priest. He willingly volunteered to observe whether the elderly person is an angel as the townsfolk accept or only a human with wings. Father Gonzaga is doubtful that the grimy elderly person could be a messenger from heavens, yet he obediently reports the occasion to his superiors in the church. The Neighbor Woman She is the bossy neighbor to Pelayo and Elisenda. The savvy neighbor lady appeared to be more similar to a silly know-it-all than a good advisor and is the first to recommend that the elderly person is an incapacitated holy messenger. She went ahead to advise Pelayo to club the old man to death. This way he would keep him from taking Pelayo and Elisenda’s child. The Spider Woman The spider woman is depicted as the monstrosity show attraction who visits the village. The spider lady had the body of a colossal creepy crawly and the head of a miserable young lady. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Themes Theme 1: faith Faith is one of the essential themes in A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings short story. People in this community show an inconsistency of faith. In the story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, Marquez focuses on the weakness of the faith of people. The author adds the angel as a symbol of faith in God. However, despite this evidence, the villagers questioned the mundane external characteristics of the angel. According to Marquez (1999), the angel seemed too much of a human. When the spider woman, who was another mythical creature, arrived in town, the villagers lost their interest in the old man. Additionally, Marquez states that the villagers asked her all sorts of questions about her as she narrated her story. As a result, the villagers believed her story behind her transformation, unlike the old man who ignored everyone around him. However, the villagers did not have any factual evidence. Theme 2: supernatural Another theme evident in the story is supernatural. Here, the old man is viewed as creepy, supernatural or spiritual. However, the village priest needs time to consult. However, according to the crowd and the neighbor woman, the old man is an angel. Theme 3: suffering Suffering is another theme portrayed in the story. The old man enters the yard in bad condition that seems to get even worse. The old man is also subjected to many questions from the curious villagers. He is trapped in a chicken coop, poked, prodded and neglected. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Symbolism In the A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings story, Marquez has used symbolism to convey a deep meaning to the story The old man with wings One of the most visible symbols is the old man with wings. Here, this old man is perceived to be an angel. He is used to symbolizing the unknown or unfamiliar that seems to be appearing in the civilized community (Marquez, 1999). However, the angel in the story is not treated like other heaven-sent creatures. The angel, in this perspective, symbolizes the faith people have in whatever they believe. As a result, apart from the many wings that the angel had, the people were not entirely convinced he was an angel. The chicken coop The chicken coop, as used in A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings short story, is equally symbolic. It is used to show the boxed belief that the people in this community have. When people from different places came to know that the old man was an angel, they could plug and prod the old man in an attempt to test who he was. However, the old man did not meet their expectations. This is a clear indication that this community has boxed its ideas into what they believe. The spider woman According to the story, the spider woman is another symbol. She is used to showing the introduction of another freak of nature. This woman shows the faith that people of this community had and how they could easily be swayed when the unique creature arrived in their community. As a result, the people shifted their attention to the spider woman who could eat mothballs and ignored the existence of the old man. A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Analysis In the A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Mrquez has utilized a few inventive diversions from the primary storyline to make the interpretation progressively subtle. Amid the story diversions, the techniques and themes that are used turn out to be indistinguishably entwined. The old man is the main character in the story with each event bearing on him. Notwithstanding, the conduct, appearance, personality and the attention given to the old man is hindered repeatedly by shifts of focus to different characters, which are, once in a while, named and depicted finally (Marquez, 1999). The noticeable quality of the storyteller occupies the readers. The story falters between the perspective of the omniscient storyteller and that of local people, independently and collectively. For example, Father Gonzaga reveals his questions about the old man. The readers of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings children’s story appear to occupy a place that is better than that of its characters, who view old people as jokesters and accept that their neighbors have supernatural powers. The attitude of the readers is critical concerning the role of invention and interpretation. The reader acknowledges innovativeness in itself and makes sense of how to perceive its advantaged position in the story. The redirections from the basic storyline give innovation need over closure or action. The reader approaches the interpretation carefully, as attributing symbolic characteristics to either the elderly person or his baffling vanishing may be acts of inconsequential analysis. References Marquez, G. G. (1999). A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.Leaf Storm and Other Stories.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Maria Full of Grace by Joshua Marston Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maria Full of Grace by Joshua Marston - Essay Example Convinced that the job is easy and with great rewards, Maria flies to the USA with approximately sixty-tow pellets of cocaine that she swallowed, in her stomach. Nonetheless, not all the plans seemed to work as scheduled. Maria lands herself in a dangerous and deadly world where those who smuggle drugs face serious penalties including imprisonment or death sentence. Maria falls into the trap of Franklin who introduced her to the smuggling of cocaine. However, Franklin does not tell her directly regarding the smuggling of cocaine but, rather, gives her a business proposition involving traveling from one place to another. The traveling offered by Franklin is meant to give Maria some extra money to help catering for her family that has been depending on the meager salary obtained from the flower garden. Nevertheless, the traveling involved smuggling of drugs from one place to another in order to obtain the rewards promised by Franklin (Snyder 58). The fact that Maria gets pregnant from a man (Juan) she does not love compounds her problems. Even though she uses her pregnancy to avoid being X-rayed in a bid to finding out whether she is a drug mule following her suspicious movement, other mules find themselves in trouble, and this makes Maria escapes with Blanca. In the process, the traffickers kill Lucy as they open her up to retrieve the drug pellets (Snyder 89). When Maria and Blanca go to Lucy’s sister house to live there, they do inform her of Lucy’s death. Narrative Structure In a bid to pass his message, Joshua Marston creates a tension-filled drama of a woman who goes into smuggling of drugs due to poverty. The young energetic woman does all she can to pull herself out of the doldrums of poverty whilst also ensuring that every member of the family receives all the basic needs. Joshua Marston’s film does not spare the viewers of the frightening scenes and dimensions of being a drug mule. Such frightening scenes include swallowing of the 6 2 cocaine pellets, explosion of cocaine pellet in one of the co-workers leading to her death, as well as pressures from both drug dealers in the US and customs officers. In addition, the film director attempts to narrate the same ideas through bringing in death, dangers, betrayal, and violence that are common in societies (Snyder). Through Maria, Joshua Marston brings out the idea of courage and determination that every individual should possess. There is no doubt that Joshua displays a humanistic picture of a young woman’s solitary life that is ready to accomplish her mission, irrespective of the method applicable. According to her, the result justifies the means, contrary to the usual moral way of the society where the means should justify the result. The author narrates about such a life within the looming shadows of economic and cultural crises, with special reference to the United States of America. It is undeniable that a strong political statement is applicable in narr ating the whole story in which there is the creation of a universal plight of the main characters through bringing together the personal, social, and political aspects of the whole scenario. At the end, the film director dramatizes connections, as well as contradictions existing between political realities in the

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Introduction to Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to Microeconomics - Essay Example This replaces Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) that was in force earlier. Tier II: Under this, skilled workers get entry in the UK, who have a ready job offer. This essentially replaces Work Permit rules granted to workers in UK. Tier III: This fulfills the need of lower skilled requirement of workers to meet temporary shortages in the labour market. This has now been tilted in favour of EU migrants only. Tier IV: This specifies the needs of students who want to study in UK and get enriched with skill and knowledge. Tier V: This is a general category as per the agreement with other countries to allow youth mobility and purely as a temporary work permit. Skilled migration has played a pivotal role to keep economy of UK buoyant and competitive. Doctors, engineers, scientists, MBAs, fall under the category of highly skilled individuals who were encouraged to immigrate and remain in UK since 2002. The problem arose because government imposed a cap which affects migration in this c ategory. From April 2011, the Government has decided to impose a permanent restriction on skilled immigration replacing Tier 1 (General) category with a new 'exceptional talent' visa. Currently the Government has stopped accepting new applications from the people outside of the UK. (Highly Skilled†¦) There have been serious concerns on levels of immigration after the worldwide economic downturn in 2008. The UK imposed no cap on immigration from the previous Eastern Bloc Countries that joined the EU in 2004. There has been a significant growth in Eastern European migration at the expense of non EU migration. Total immigration between the year 2004 and 2010 can be observed in below mentioned illustration. Surprisingly, it was highest in the year 2005. The year 2009 and 2010 do not show any drastic increase in immigration population so as to make any serious concern and any unemployment issue for locals cannot be seen having any linkages to any increase in immigrant population. To tal long-term international migration estimates, UK, 2000–2010 Source: ONS, Long-Term International Migration Statistical Bulletin–Migration Statistics, Page 5 In fact, non EU migrants have got the biggest hit owing to Government efforts to quell public concerns over immigration. Because of the EU Law, government is not in a position to restrict immigration from EU Countries and what UK needs is the migration of highly skilled workers from non EU countries. The UK Government has declared a permanent ceiling of 21,700 on skilled immigration to be applicable in April 2011. Further, investors, entrepreneurs, and 'exceptionally talented' individuals will get entry under Tier 1 and Tier 2 will be restricted to graduate level occupations. Entrepreneurs and investors will have no restriction whatsoever that can come to the UK with certain net worth. It will be pertinent to note that in 2009, UK issued 50,000 visas to non-EU citizens under Tier 1 category. Present cap of 21,70 0 visas in the highly skilled category is a substantial cut if seen from the perspective of visas issued in the year 2009. Shortage of Skilled Workers It will be interesting to see what business leaders say about the shortage of skilled workers. Ignacio Galan, the owner of Scottish Power Ltd has shown apprehension that UK’s plan to improve power-generation and to embark on renewable energy projects will be seriously hampered by the shortage of engineers.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Corporate Social Responsibility And Competitive Advantage Theories Management Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility And Competitive Advantage Theories Management Essay Corporate social responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business, sustainable responsible business (SRB), or corporate social performance, is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. ¼Ã‹â€ Wood, D. 1991 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° Kotler and Lee (2005) thought CSR is a commitment to community well-being through discretionary business practices and contributions of corporate resources. Ccorporate social responsibility includes human rights, employee rights, stakeholder rights, environmental protection, community relations, transparency and corruption. (Frynas, 2005) Competitive Advantage Competitive advantage is generally believed that the company holds the trumps in resources, capacity, and value created for customers, profit levels and market share and so on. Barney (1991) said a firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors. The basis of a competitive advantage comprises low costs for raw materials and energy, efficient production technologies and locational advantages.(Torsten Frohwein, Bernd Hansjurgens,2005). The opportunities for competitive advantages derive from the following implications: regulation and information.(A. B. Jaffe, R. G. Newell, R. N. Stavins,2001) The relationship of CSR CA Porte (1995) identifies the objectives of environmental improvements and enhanced competitiveness can be combined in a win-win situation. There is no consensus that the relationship of Corporate Social Responsibility and Competitive Advantage. In this paper, the relationship between CSR stakeholders is analyzed. A model of CSR contribution to competitive advantage was built so as to study the relationship between CSR CA. CSR is divided into the main stakeholders investors, employees, consumers, business partners, natural environment, community and government responsibility, using the description of corporate social responsibility and stakeholder theory framework. The essay described the competitive advantage from three dimensions: strategic resources, enterprise core competencies and business environment according to the comprehensive theory of competitive advantage. Main body CSR Enterprise Strategic Resources Barney (1991) analyzed competitive advantages from point of view of resources: Valuable, Rare, Imperfectly Imitable and Non-Substitutable. This essay selected two closely related resources with CSR to analyze: corporate reputation and corporate personnel. CSR Corporate Reputation Olins (1990) said that corporate reputation might be extended to a large range of product brands. Balmer (1998) Pointed out that corporate reputation finally is able to bring competitive advantage for enterprises and it is an important strategic resource. Corporate reputation comes from stakeholders; therefore, companies must be responsible to its stakeholders. That means CSR could effect corporate reputation, thus affecting t competitive advantage. Conversely, good reputation will also help companies to promote corporate social responsibility. Since the reputation determines attitude of the public and generates more favorable effect. Some multinational companies with high reputation, such as Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Nike and McDonalds fulfilled corporate social responsibility in brand-building to rebuild corporate reputation, image and corporate culture, thus enhanced the influence of brand. From a long-term perspective, corporate social responsibility is more conducive to enhance the long-term development and public image. CSR corporate personnel From the point of human resources, human capital is the basis for competitiveness. Staffs including employees and employers are makers, implementers, innovators and evaluators of core competitiveness of enterprises. Business survival and development depends on initiative and creativity of staff. Staff is the driving force for the development. Staff is a powerful competitive advantage to obtain protection. An enterprise survival depends on staff. Therefore, how to retain staff and how to develop staffs contribution of core competitiveness is the core issue. Companies must not only provide employees with reasonable salary and benefits, but also need to create equality, non-discrimination, safety and health, continuing training, working environment. All these are responsibility that enterprises must bear to employees. Staff loyalty and satisfaction result in competitively in the market. The enterprises fulfill their social responsibilities to their staff, such as attracting staff, retaining staff and stimulating creativity, which would have a positive impact. CSR Core Competencies CSR risk control capabilities Risk control is that managers have taken various measures and methods to eliminate or reduce various possibilities of risk, or to reduce losses caused by the incident. CSR that enterprise lead to its stakeholders could reduce the possibility and losses of risk, while appropriate penalties could be subject to ignoring the social responsibility. CSR business innovation Business innovation means such new methods or procedures that an enterprise uses its skills and resources to build new technology and products so that customer requirements can be changed or provide in better response. Business innovation includes product innovation, production process innovation and management innovation. Enterprises create new products and services by innovation to access to excess profits rather than average profit and win in the competition. Therefore, enhancing business innovation can obtain competitive advantage. In 2007, the British consulting firm Account Ability and CSR Network conducted Corporate Social Responsibility Assessment, and British Petroleum was ranking first. BP has also invested $20 million to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to resolve the problem in order to mitigate global warming. The result of carbon dioxide emissions was reduced by 10%in 2001 compared to 1990. And it also received $560 million of value-added returns. Therefore, CSR will stimulate innovation and bring benefits for enterprises. CSR the corporate environment A good relationship with stakeholders helps enterprises to expand market, win opportunities so as to form competitive advantage. CSR Consumer CSR the Natural Environment CSR Business Partners CSR Community CSR Government model Competitive Advantages Business partner Community Government Consumer Natural Environment Staff Corporate Environment Competencies environment mpetencies Transformation and Influence between CSR CA CSR can be transformed into competitive advantages. First, corporate social responsibility is good for optimizing the living environment. Corporate social responsibility can help corporations avoid condemnation, punishment and restrictions from government, community and the public so that decision-making and management are flexibility and autonomy. Maybe they enjoy preferential policies and incentives by government. Second, enterprises carry out their social responsibility to improve the public image, advance enterprises visibility, reputation, enhance social harmony, to attract consumers. All these can create a broader market and better development. Third, corporate social responsibility can cross international barriers. At present, corporate social responsibility has become accepted indicators of high standards and strict requirements. In an increasing economic globalization, corporate social responsibility would help enterprises to international markets, reduce the impact of social responsibility and enhance and upgrade competitiveness in the international market. Fourth, corporate social responsibility will help to attract talent. Corporations regularly involved in social responsibility are more well-known to easily recruit and retain talent. Fifth, corporate social responsibility will help improve financial performance, because Investors are always interested in responsible corporation.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

How write a compare contrast essay Essay

The Elements of a Compare-contrast Essay What is comparison? Explaining the similarities or points of connection between two ideas, people, or things to give the reader a deeper understanding of each What Is contrasting? Explalnlng the differences or points of disconnection between two Ideas, people, or Adapted from Webster’s Third New International Dictionary On what subjects can I write a successful compare-contrast essay? Your subjects will need to each be significant in their own right to merit discussion. They will also need to have some sort of relationship to each other so that showing hem side by side allows the reader to learn more about each. In other words, there must be a reason to compare them. Here are some reasons to compare and contrast. To consider two subjects side by side and show their distinctions. To choose between two things. To explain one subject In terms of another. What are the types of compare-contrast essays? Wrltlng Strategies for a Persuasive Essay 1. Read the question or essay prompt. Identify your topics and be sure that you understand what each really is. You may need to do a little research to be clear on this. 2. Decide what your purpose for writing is (to show distinctions, to choose, to xplain). 3. Develop a thesis statement. Remember that a thesis statement must be more than â€Å"X and Y have many differences and similarities. † Your thesis should reflect which purpose you chose. Example: â€Å"Examining the similarities and differences between the work of Hemingway and Fitzgerald allows us to see how the contexts of their lives affected their work. † 4. Decide what your points of similarity (connection) and difference (disconnection) will be. 5. Research! Find relevant, credible publications, web sites, and individuals that offer evidence that supports your tnesls ana nosen poln ts 0T connection ana Olsconnectlon. 6 The style in which compare-contrast essays are written Compare-contrast essays are similar to persuasive essays in a couple key ways: Point of view Level of personal voice Point of View and Personal Voice in Persuasive Essays A compare-contrast essay is almost always formal academic essay in which the writer presents a thesis, or. In most formal academic writing, the proper point of view for the essay is third person (using the pronouns he, she, it, they). It is 0K to use first person (l, me, we) in the conclusion INCORRECT: First person I think that Fitzgerald and Hemingway share many similarities despite their very different use of descriptive language. CORRECT: Third person Fitzgerald and Hemingway share many similarities despite their very different use of descriptive language. Evidence ; Citations Compare-contrast essays rely on a lot of direct evidence from several sources. You will need to quote extensively to be successful. Why use quotes? 1 . They demonstrate you read the available information closely. 2. They serve as concrete evidence to support your position 3. They demonstrate a deeper level of understanding, which is persuasive to readers. Where can evidence come from? What can I quote from? Books, films, newspaper articles, credible websites, newscasts, etc. What cant I use? Wikipedia, encyclopedias, other student essays, interviews with non-experts, etc. How snou10 1 weave In quotes ana The S-C-C-C Format evidence? This is a very useful format for citations if you are not very familiar with citations and need to practice a tried and true method. As writers become experienced with citations, they can move away from this format and mix elements up as they see fit. 1 . Set it up. Set up the context that the quote is from, so that the reader knows when nd where the quote is from and who is doing the speaking/writing. 2. Citation. Write the quote out, in quotation marks. 3. Commentary: Explain how the quote supports your argument. (Commenting on the quote. ) 4. Commentary: further commenting on the quote EXAMPLE: According to a recent article in the Seattle Times,† seemingly sure bet that higher education will pay off can be upended by any number of factors: broken marriages, illnesses, lost Jobs, substandard schools and unrealized dreams. † (With no way out of trouble, more students likely to default, October 6, 2008). Students sed to feel that borrowing for college was always going to pay off, no matter what happened. Now, many are finding it harder to pay it back due to many factors. The Embedded Citation This is useful when you would prefer to pick out very small phrases to prove your points. Write your own sentence beginning, include the quote, and write your own sentence ending. The quote flows into and out of the sentence. EXAMPLE: Borrowing to pay for higher education used to be seen as a â€Å"sure bet† but now some students are finding that their plans to repay student loans can be disrupted by â€Å"†¦ oken marriages, illnesses, lost Jobs, substandard schools and unrealized dreams. † (With no way out of trouble, more students likely to default, October 6, 2008). These unexpected obstacles may repayment difficult if not impossible How to Write Commentary Of all the skills students must learn in writing, writing commentary is considered the most difficult. Writing comment ary means giving your own opinion and interpretation aoout sometnlng, wnlcn requlres a nlgner level 0T tnlnKlng tnan most students are used to using. Using commentary makes an essay interesting to read and shows that ou can analyze and evaluate information. When you write commentary, you are commenting on a point you have made with evidence. Synonyms for commentary: analysis – breaking an idea into its parts interpretation – reading between the lines of an idea insight – adding personal experience to the explanation of an idea evaluation – judging the quality or validity of an idea explication/explanation – explaining what an idea means discussion – – explaining what an idea means speculation – trying to predict what will happen if an action is taken or an idea is accepted Source: Jane Schaeffer Publications, Style Analysis (1998) The Basic Outline for a Compare-contrast Essay Example of a Subject by Subject Essay Introduction Thesis statement: Despite the fact that television and radio are distinctly different media, they use similar strategies to appeal to their audiences. Television Audiences Point One: Techniques for appealing to men Point Two: Techniques for appealing to women Point Three: Techniques for appealing to children Raalo Aualences Techniques for appealing to men Point One. Techniques for appealing to women Point Two. Conclusion: Restatement of thesis or review of key points. Source: Kirszner and Mandell (1998). Example of a Point by Point Essay Thesis statement: While both Republicans, presidential candidate Mr. X is definitely more conservative than presidential candidate Mr. Y is. Fiscal Policy Mr. Y Gun Control Abortion Welfare I ransltlons Think of a transition as a bridge from one thought or idea to another. It shows how one sentence or idea relates to another and also directs the thinking to a new focus. A transition may be one word, a short phrase, a sentence or entire paragraph. The following list cites several transition words and phrases and their meaning. Meaning Transitions Along the same direction of thought and, also, besides, furthermore, in addition, for the same reason, whereupon, moreover, whereby, indeed, similarly, likewise, but Contrast but, yet, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, still, although, whereas, on the contrary, not only, but also Comparison in fact, indeed, moreover, than, as†¦ as, so†¦ as. Affirmative alternative or, anyhow, moreover, still, else, whereas, whether, either†¦ or. Negative alternative nor, neither, however, instead, otherwise, on the contrary, nevertheless, except that, only, whereas, neither†¦ nor. Cause, result, reason or, so, accordingly, as a result, hence, as, consequently, thereby, therefore, thus, that, so that, inasmuch as, in order that, since, whereas, why. Condition although, as if, as though, though, provided, providing, unless, if, lest, once. Example for example, in fact, indeed, for instance, namely Exception although, in so far as, though, unless, while, notwithstanding, in fact that. Time henceforth, meanwhile, than, next, once, as long as, as soon as, before, once, since, until, when, whenever, while, at length, first†¦ second†¦ third, till.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Nestle Distribution Channel

Table of Contents Sr. No. | Title| Page Number| 1| Introduction| 2| 2| Distribution Channels Structure| 2| 3| Terms of Appointment and Incentives for Distribution Channels| 3| 4| Reporting, Control and evaluation system for their sales force| 5| 7| Recommendations and Conclusion| 5| 8| References & Bibliography| 6| Introduction: Success toady in the competitive world has become very difficult. This is because it does not solely depend on basic factors but on all the factors related to the organisation.Earlier it was possible for an organisation to dominate in the market but today due to lot of different methods, channels and modern tools for marketing and functioning of the organisation, the world has become very competitive. In this assignment the author is concentrating on two major players in this competition, the distribution channels and the sales force. The company in discussion here is Nestle UK and the product for narrow research is Nestle’s own most successful bra nd â€Å"Kit Kat†.Nestle homes itself in Switzerland since 1867 today is one of the world’s most successful organisation in the FMCG category. www. total-logistics. eu. com, accessed 08 August 2010) It started its UK activities around 100years before and started their own manufacturing unit. Today Nestle has 8 manufacturing plants in UK with two head offices in Croydon and Dublin. (www. nestle. co. uk, accessed 08 August 2010) Distribution Channels Structure: According to Brassington and Pettitt, a channel structure is a route selected in order to move the product to the market through different intermediaries. This is the distribution channel structure which proves vital for the smooth movement of the product and making it available to the end consumer.Distribution Channel Structure forms the fourth element of the Marketing mix for any product. The ‘Place’ element, and therefore it becomes an important factor. There are various channels of distribution ad opted by various companies according to their product requirement and strategies. Apart from the above said vital function of a distribution channel, it has various other functions like: 1. Gathering market information which includes market research that helps future market planning. 2. Searching potential buyers and communicating them. 3. Doing promotional activities. 4. Achieving buyer specific demands and requirements. 5.Deciding on offers and pricing issues. 6. Storage and transportation of goods. 7. Managing funds required for functioning of the distribution channels. (www. tutor2u. net) Nestle adopted a strategy that their products should be made available in all the parts of UK and that they should not be falling behind for the supply, basically called as the ‘whenever’, ‘wherever’, ‘however’ strategy of distribution. In order to achieve this they needed a strong distribution network which supported their strategy and was cost effective. According to marketing department of Nestle UK they had analysed the following different channels of distribution.Single Tier Distribution Network: Producer – Retailer – Consumer Two Tier Distribution Network: Producer – Distributor – Retailer – Consumer Multi-Channel Distribution Network: Producer – Distributor – Regional Distributor – Wholesaler/Retailer – Consumer (www. nestle. com, accessed 08 August 2010) Owing to the huge retail market in UK the single tier distribution was almost impossible for Nestle to adopt as the distribution for Nestle directly would have become very complicated and the product strategy could not have been achieved.So they opted for multi-channel distribution network and appointed their own major distribution points at Bardon in Leicestershire and York in North Yorkshire. Bardon handles the food and beverage industry of Nestle in UK and York handles the confectionery industry of Nestle. The product in discussion here is Kit Kat which is distributed from York distribution centre. The physical distribution is done by trucks carrying composite palettes. The transportation is appointed by Nestle and is dedicated only for Nestle. York is a huge hub of confectionery and has heavy storage capacity to cater the market needs.Kit Kat being highly popular in the market there is continuous distribution running round the clock for Nestle. The demand in the market though fluctuating is handsome and so Nestle deals with it very efficiently. This generates high profit for Nestle as compared to other products. Nestle has their own regional distribution depots which are so placed that they cover the whole of UK. Kit Kat is transported from the national distribution centre at York to the regional depots as and when the requirement is put on. These regional depots then supply pallets of Kit Kat to the whole sellers in the market.In UK Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, etc. are the major wholesalers those purchase huge stock from Nestle. (www. nestle. com, accessed 08 August 2010) All this is supplied from the regional depots. These whole sellers are direct retailers as well. So Kit Kat reaches the consumers from them as well as from small off license and small retailer shops. Terms of Appointment and Incentives for Distribution Channels: The distribution channels and its elements are all a part of the distribution strategy for any product.In order for the smooth functioning of the channel there are some terms and conditions between the company and the distributor. This is an agreement between the two over the products. The following are the mainly considered point in the appointment of any distributor as per UK law. 1. The Parties: are the guarantors needed for any obligations of the distributor 2. Territory/Products: The place and its boundary that the distributor is allotted for sale. The products the distributor is allowed to sale and many tim es the clause of new products that they get added automatically or new agreement has to be done each time. 3.Nature of Appointment: The company may reserve right to sell the product directly in the same territory or if needed can appoint a new distributor in the same territory. This point can be a complete no or flexible. 4. Duration of Appointment: The length of agreement or contract between the company and the distributor, as in fixed term or short term. If the contract is short term then the notice period has to specified, if it is a fixed term then the exact duration needs to be specified. There can be a linkage of the duration to the distributors performance say above a certain level then certain duration if not then discontinue.There also can be a probation period allotted for the distributor wherein the performance can be evaluated and then agreement can be decided. 5. Obligation of or restrictions on distributor: These are generally related to the sales, promotion and advert ising of the product. The rights can be kept by the company or can be given to the distributor. This point also refers to any requirements for sales in the territory say government licenses, quality certificates, pollution certificates, food and drug licenses, etc. The agreement also clearly states the cost bearer of all these permissions and licenses e. . the company or the distributor. This also covers for any taxes or duties that need to be paid for any particular territory, etc. 6. Intellectual Property: This point in the agreement covers for any patents, trademarks, particular registered designs, technical know-how, and other product related factors held by the company. This point covers for the permission needed if any by the distributor to use product factors for selling. Also the need of any license to use certain elements that the distributor needs to take before taking the distributorship.In some cases like if the trademarks are owned by the company the distributors are ap pointed as the registered users. 7. Termination: This covers the termination period and conditions in which termination can take place from both sides the company and the distributor. The notice period before the termination, if termination is due to some underperformance then any rectification time that is allotted to improve, etc. is a part of this clause. 8. Effect of Termination: In case of termination of the agreement the effect of it on the existing orders, stock already at the distributor, etc. elated information comes under this clause. If the distributor needs to sale the stock back to the company, what will be the cost at which he can sale? All these terms are covered under this point. 9. Notices: In some cases the headquarters are not in UK, so the jurisdiction of the territory may need a UK address for the notice. This is cleared under Notices point. 10. Arbitration: This applies only if needed. And if needed, the language and the place of arbitration are clearly mention ed in the agreement. 11. Relevant Law: This covers for any specific laws those required for the agreement.The jurisdiction of the territory is fixed. Many times the parent company is in other jurisdiction or vice versa, so the binding jurisdiction is decided and clearly mentioned in the agreement. 12. Notification: Some territories may require additional registration or notification in the local registering bodies; this is also mentioned in the agreement. (Weise, 2007) These are some standard and basic points covered in any appointment of distributorship. Nestle also follows the local law and has these sort of agreements are done with their distributors.Nestle incentives are very tempting for its distributors as nestle opts for win-win situation strategy. This helps them to keep the product moving always. Majorly two types of incentives are given to the distributors. Sales based commission in percentage of sales target achieved and holiday packages to exclusive tourist locations. (D emirag, 2010) The first one is major of the two as it depends on the performance of the distributor, the more the sales the more the commission. This is purely in the hands of the distributors so it is easy for them to achieve more incentives.These incentives affect major sales of any product. Reporting, Control and evaluation system for their sales force: Salesforce plays another vital role with distribution channels because it is a major element of the distribution network that works individually. Any organisation should have a proper channel of reporting, control and evaluation of the sales force. Salesforce management is of utmost importance as they face the customers directly and hence the reputation of any company is somewhat dependent on them.Success or failure is somewhat directly related to salesforce performance (Venugopal, 2006), therefore proper reporting, control and evaluation of the same needs to be very strong and clear in any organisation. (Muczyk and Myron, 1987, e t al cited Venugopal, 2006). Reporting of sales force is completely dependent on the hierarchy of the organisation and it differs from country to country and organisation to organisation. The reporting is from daily to weekly to monthly basis. Reporting is done by filling forms or computer generated sheets, emails and now a days through software.Reporting is usually to the regional managers in the sales department. (Marks, 2008) Software’s are becoming popular as the data can be available for the senior management to evaluate and check anytime they want. Salesforce performance needs to be evaluated through various methods in order to achieve maximum sales. Marks in his book explains’ about the evaluation techniques and methods of salesforce. Monthly audits and performance mapping of individual person in the sales team gives a clear idea of the performance of each individual. This helps the sales manager to design his team and decide the future actions and plans.Target setting also can be done with useful data from evaluation process. Based on this evaluation the salesforce needs to be compensated with rewards. This serves as motivation to work more efficiently. Regular training and meeting with senior and experienced staff helps improve selling methods and way of work. For Nestle the sales team has monthly orders from the big wholesalers like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, etc. Kit Kat being highly popular it comparatively easy for the sales team to achieve the set target due to high demand as a result of the popularity.They work on credit accounts that are opened initially after a small credit check and then the terms of credit period and payments are decided. Recommendations and Conclusions: Overview of Nestle UK concludes at a point that they have one of the best practices in the functioning of the product process in the market for Kit Kat. The only recommendation is that use of the railway network in UK in order to fast supply of the goods and reduction in time factor. This will improve their efficiency in the market and they can achieve the target sales smoothly without any shortages.In order to have a healthy business salesforce need to be motivated and kept happy. They are the major players in getting the business for any organisation. (Zoltners, Sinha, Lorimer, 2004) Any organisation selling product is complete only if they have a proper distribution structure and effective and efficient sales team. (Johnston and Marshall, 2010)