Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Asian American Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Asian American Arts - Essay Example Before one can analyze Jang's contribution, it is necessary to understand his background; this facilitates an appreciation of his influences. Jang began his musical journey one year before he turned twenty. At that time, he was trying to familiarize himself with basic piano skills. Shortly after, he joined a Music School called Oberlin Conservatory where he sharpened his piano skills and learnt how to compose songs. This artist completed his studies after three years and received a degree in music. It is also worth noting that the artist was born in America; specifically in Los Angeles and was subsequently raised in California. However, Jang still stayed in touch with his Chinese roots. He draws from his experiences as an immigrant Asian American but at the same time acknowledges the issues addressed in other forms of music such as social injustice in African American musical expressions. (Jon Jang, 2002) During his performances in San Francisco, Jang highlights some of the hidden facts about China town. This was especially because the Festival had been organized as a way of paying homage to the efforts made by Alice Yu in China town. Jang has an amazing way of showing his appreciation and respect for historical times that may have been forgotten or those ones which had never been mentioned before. This is because he unearthed some songs like Reparations now and Tiananmen at a Jazz Orchestra. (Jon Jang, 2002) Despite intensive tu... Some enthusiasts have called Jang's music 'two flowers on a stem' because they believe he has stayed true to his traditions yet at the same time has encouraged creativity through improvising his dual cultural identities. (Jon Jang, 2002) Jang's creativity has been employed by numerous entities in the world of classical music. For instance he did some work for The Library Congress, thereafter; he did some compositions for Chanticleer and Kronos quartet. Some of his compositions have also been presented in theatres; he wrote a composition for 'The Woman Warrior'. (Jon Jang, 2002) In an effort to complement his contributions to the Asian American musical scene, Jang has received an award from his former conservatory. He has also received a Golden ring award and has also been nominated severally by Cal Arts. Furthermore, Jang has been appreciated by the Ford Foundation for the immense contributions he made to American music. One cannot cover all the events that Jang has participated; in his capacity as a pianist, Jang has been to; -Europe -Canada -South Africa -The US One of the major highlights of these tours was his performance at the Arts Alive Festival in South Africa. While performing, Jang collaborated with Max Roach. Jang has also had the pleasure of performing in the London Royal Festival. Additionally, he has been to Berlin, Zurich and Milan in his capacity as an artist. Paul Robeson has appreciated Jang's work and so did the president of the Republic of China. There are also numerous collaborations done by this highly versatile artist. The major artist he has worked with is Max Roach. He has also joined forces with David Murray, James Newton and Maxine Hong. (Jon Jang, 2002) Not only has Jang done some
Monday, October 28, 2019
Two Milestones In The History Of Space Exploration Essay Example for Free
Two Milestones In The History Of Space Exploration Essay The subject of space conquest has been a very interesting aspect of human history for the past few decades. Although to date, we already use advanced technologies, high-powered telescopes, satellites and spacecrafts, it would still be helpful for us to look back through time and consider the beginnings of space exploration. We will do this by studying two important events that enabled humanity to realize the possibility of conquering space.            On April 12, 1961, Moscow Time, the world entered the realm of outer space flight when the spacecraft Vostok 1 carried to outer space the first human being to ever orbit the earth. The name of the cosmonaut to first orbit the earth was Yuri Gagarin. Zal (2002) wrote an interesting record of the Vostok 1 flight as follows: â€Å"The launch vehicle blasted off nearly as scheduled at 09:06:59.7 Moscow Time and the orbital insertion looked nominal to Gagarin. However unknown to the pilot, the core (second) stage of the rocket burned longer than scheduled, leaving the spacecraft in a 327-kilometer apogee orbit, instead of planned 230 kilometers. It meant, that in case of a complete failure of the braking engine, a natural reentry of the spacecraft caused by the friction in the upper atmosphere would take place at least five days after a 10-day supply of vital life-support consumables onboard Vostok would run out†.            When the Russian government launched the Vostok 1 project and chose Yuri Gagarin to be on board, there was no complete certainty that the mission would work out one hundred percent successful. Two years earlier, the first artificial satellite to enter geocentric orbit, named Sputnik 1, burned into space as it attempted to reenter the earth’s atmosphere. Previous unmanned test launches of Vostok 1 prototypes turned out to be failures. â€Å"Out of seven prototypes of the Vostok spacecraft flown (Versions 1K and 3KA), two spacecraft did not reach orbit due to the failure of the launch vehicle and two vehicles did not complete all their tasks†. (Zal, 2001)            A few hours before the flight of Vostok 1, it encountered a strange problem. During the closure of Gagarin’s capsule hatch, one of its sensors suddenly would not turn on. The hatch had to be re-opened to activate the sensor and everything went back to normal. Later however, the spacecraft, was able to successfully get out of the earth’s atmosphere. Its flight around the earth’s orbit took a total of 108 minutes.            The plan regarding Gagarin’s reentry into the earth was that he would detach from the spacecraft and enter the atmosphere by a capsule. Strange as it may seem, the capsule took ten minutes longer than expected before it actually detached from the spacecraft. This is crucial because any miscalculation and digression from the plan may cause the capsule to explode in the atmosphere. According to Gagarin, he experienced rapid spinning and extreme heat as the capsule began to enter the atmosphere. In the midst of the turmoil, Gagarin sent a message to the ground monitors which will later become an inspiration for other cosmonauts for the years to come: â€Å"Everything OK†.            Needless to say, Yuri Gagarin successfully returned to earth and was regarded a hero by Russian authorities. His name also changed the history of space exploration forever.            Meanwhile, if Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit the earth, Galileo Galilei was the first person to use a telescope to study the moon and other heavenly objects. What he did was improve the newly invented spyglass (invented in 1608 by a Dutch spectacle maker)[1] and turned it skyward in an attempt to study elements in outer space. His findings were shocking to the people of his time. Galileo found out that the moon doesn’t have a smooth surface, just like everyone supposed. In fact, it was full of rocky terrain and craters. He was also the first to discover sunspots, the four large moons of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn.            Although Galileo’s findings were challenged and was not generally accepted by the religion of his time, still he was able to contribute to modern space conquest and research. Isaac Newton, in 1750, improved Galileo’s concept of the telescope. In future centuries, telescopes of a greater and broader view of the universe were invented. Among these far reaching telescopes are the Keck Telescope, the Very Large Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. According to Mould, Geffner and Lesser (1991), the Keck telescope is 33 feet in diameter, situated 33,000 feet above sea level in the Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The Very Large Telescope, a European project, is 52.5 feet in diameter and situated in the mountains of Chile. The Hubble Space Telescope is a satellite telescope and can see images in outer space up to 14 billion light years away.            Galileo’s basic findings through the telescope evidently paved the way for giant leaps of astronomical findings in future years and gave us a better understanding of the universe. Works Cited: Bellis, M. (2005). History of the Telescope – Binocular. Retrieved September 1, 2007, from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltelescope.htm Mould, J.A., Geffner, S.L., Lesser, S.M., (1991). General Science (3rd ed.).     New York: Amsco School Publications. Pogge, R.W. (2006). Lecture 16: The Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei the  Telescope. In An Introduction to Solar System Astronomy (Astronomy 161). Retrieved September 1, 2007, from http://www-astronomy.mps.ohio- state.edu/~pogge/Ast161/Unit3/galileo.html  Zak, A. (2001). Vostok 1: Dawn Of Human Space Flight. Retrieved September 1,        2007, from http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostok1.htm            [1] Although the credit for the invention of spyglass or early telescope was often given to Hans Lippershey of Holland, there was no sufficient evidence that he was the first to make one. See Bellis (2005).
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Huck Finn Grows Up :: essays research papers
Many changes violently shook America shortly after the Civil War. The nation was seeing things that it had never seen before, its entire economic philosophy was turned upside down. Huge multi-million dollar trusts were emerging, coming to dominate business. Companies like Rockefeller’s Standard Oil and Carnegie Steel were rapidly gobbling up small companies in any way possible. Government corruption was at what some consider an all time high. “The Rich Man’s Club'; dominated the Senate as the Gilded Age reached its peak. On the local front, mob bosses controlled the cities, like Tammany Hall in New York. Graft and corruption were at an all time high while black rights sunk to a new low. Even after experiencing freedom during the Civil War, their hopes of immediate equality died with the death of Lincoln. Groups like the KKK drove blacks down to a new economic low. What time would be better than this to write a book about the great American dream, a book about long h eld American ideals, now squashed by big business and white supremacy? Mark Twain did just that, when he wrote what is considered by many as the “Great American Epic';. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, “The great American epic,'; may be one of the most interesting and complex books ever written in the history of our nation. This book cleverly disguises many of the American ideals in a child floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a black slave. On the outside of the story, one can see an exciting tale of heroism and adventure; however, that is not all. The book shows Mark Twain’s idea of the classic American idealism, consisting of freedom, morality, practicality, and an alliance with nature. Twain manages to show all this while poking fun at the emergence of the “robber barons,'; better know as the big business of the late nineteenth century. Twain portrays many different American values in this book by expressing them through one of the many different characters. The character that Twain chose to represent morality and maturation is none other than Huck Finn himself. Throughout the novel one sees many signs of chang e. The setting is constantly fluctuating, except for the constant Mississippi, and Huck and Jim, a runaway slave, under-go many changes themselves. At the end of the novel Huck Finn shows a large change in his level of maturity than he had exhibited in the beginning of the book.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Characterization in Oedipus the King Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus
Characterization in Oedipus Rex           The dialogue, action and motivation revolve about the characters in the story (Abrams 32-33). It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate the types of characters present in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, whether flat or round, and whether protrayed through showing or telling.  Werner Jaeger in â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development†pays the dramatist the very highest compliment with regard to character development:  The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women ofGreek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).  Surely it can be said of Sophocles’ main characters that they grow beyond the two dimensional aspect into really rounded physical presences. This is done through mostly the showing technique, though the chorus at times is involved in telling the audience various pieces of information. At the outset of Oedipus Rex the reader sees a king who comes to the door full of curiosity: â€Å"Explain your mood and purport. Is it dread /Of ill that moves you or a boon ye crave?†When the priest has responded that the people are despairing from the effects of the plague, the king shows another dimension to his character with his deep sympathy for his subjects: â€Å"Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain, /How great soever yours, outtops it all.†Shortly thereafter a second round character makes his appearance on stage in the pers... ...and Creon become so later in the tragedy. Rarely does the dramatist use the chorus to convey information; most of this comes from exchanges of dialogue, which would be the showing technique.  WORKS CITED  Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.  Ehrenberg, Victor. â€Å"Sophoclean Rulers: Oedipus.†In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O’Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.  Jaeger, Werner. â€Å"Sophocles’ Mastery of Character Development.†In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.  Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Discuss Ways in Which Edward Thomas Presents Memory in ‘Aspens’ Essay
Empty as sky, with every other sound No ceasing, calls there ghosts from their abode†Discuss ways in which Thomas presents memory in ‘Aspens’. In your answer, explore the effects of language, imagery and verse form, and consider how this poem relates to other poems by Thomas that you have studied. Memory is presented as either a way of life or a community of change, as demonstrated in ‘Aspens’, ‘Old Man’, ‘Aldestrop’. He does this through the variety of techniques such as change in form, use of imagery and alternations in the tone of each poem to explore memory. As well as this, Thomas explicates the devastation of emptiness due to the consequence of war, which is portrayed through the use of soft consonantal sounds or the use of sibilance to carry the silence through the poem as it does in the places described in each poem. Quatrain A, B, A, B combined with the iambic pentameter shows regularity in the stresses of the beat, which reflects the motion of the Aspens as they sway consistently in the breeze. Alternatively, the regularity in the rhythm could reflect the beat of the hammer of the Blacksmith’s, as mentioned in the second stanza to emphasise how the vignette was once active, busy and lively. This is also seen in the sonnet by Robert Frost, Acquainted with the Night, where iambic pentameter could have been used to reflect the constant depressive state the poet experienced at the time. This contrasts with another of Thomas’ poems, ‘Tears’, where his thoughts are disjointed and disorganised as he tries to recollect his memories. Thus the use of free verse and an 18 line stanza, unbroken, is appropriate as it reflects how he struggles to remember. Despite this, the whole stanza is in iambic pentameter but Thomas has used this technique in order to reflect what is going on in his memory. For example, the last 6 lines of the stanza regulate, as all are of the same length, which expresses the formality of the soldiers marching and their systematic organisation. In comparison, ‘Old Man’ has an irregular structure and this use of free verse conveys Thomas’ uncertainty in dealing with the subject of memory. It would be deemed applicable to say that the struggle to reminisce is present in ‘Aldestrop’ as Thomas uses the hyphen at the end of the first line to show the pause in his recollection, as seen similarly and previously in the first line of ‘Tears’ as the use of two hyphens portrays Thomas’ thought process. The theme of emptiness is seen throughout Thomas’ poems. The wartime poet writes of his memory of livelihood and activity in villages, such as the one described in ‘Aspens’, and then how it begins to disappear as a result of war. This is shown as the village is left with a ‘lightless pane and footless road’ causing the village to appear as ‘empty as sky’ and this simile gives a sense of vastness of the effects of the war, emphasising on the emptiness in the poem. Further, the mention of the ‘cross-roads to a ghostly room’ explicates that the village is so empty that it is leading nowhere. This metaphor is ironic as cross-roads are suggestively open gateways and a sense of choice in direction. However this connotation is altered as Thomas uses the metaphor ‘ghostly room’, to portray the vacant village and this is supported by the cross-roads as they lead to emptiness and isolation. This is also seen in ‘Old Man’ as the paradox ‘only an avenue, dark, nameless, without end’ gives a sense of no lead despite the fact that an avenue should lead somewhere. It is clear here that Thomas’ state of depression is reflected in this last line as the imagery conjures connotations of death, gloom and finality. The emptiness is also portrayed in ‘Aspens’ as Thomas describes the ‘ghosts from their abode’, which suggests he is referring to the ghostly memories of the village, comparing them to how things have changed. We also see emptiness in ‘Aldestrop’ as Thomas explains how the unexpected stop is ‘bare’. The reason for this could be because the train was not due to stop at Aldestrop; on the other hand it could indicate the effects of wartime, particularly desolation. Loss of memory is seen in many of Thomas’ poems through different ways. Edna Longley, critic, points out that the part of the mind that remembers is the same part of the mind that generates poetry- the subconscious and comments that in ‘Old Man’ ‘perhaps / thinking perhaps of nothing’ is a rhetorically cunning line break. The verb ‘think’ is central to the poem as is the verb ‘remember’. Particularly in ‘Old Man’ Thomas uses the metaphor ‘I have mislaid the key’ to present his attempt of recollecting his first memory of the plant, Lads-Love. He portrays this as tantalising as he can ‘think of nothing’ when sniffing the herb, which suggests he finds loss of memory as frustrating. This is shown from the anaphora of ‘no’ at the end of the poem as it rightly expresses that the more he tries to remember the less likely the memory will reappear, which further shows his frustration of struggling to regain his memory. Despite this, Thomas makes it clear that the memory brings him sentimentality and this is clearly important to him. He shows that although the smell of the bush is ‘bitter’ he admires the plant because it brings back memories of his daughter. In comparison, Thomas also mentions that names are important in ‘Aldestrop’ as ‘I remember Aldestrop -/ The name’ suggests that the name brings every detail for him. A sense of change in community is seen in various poems by Thomas, due to the effects of war. Most specifically, ‘Aspens’ shows clearly how vibrant and animated the village was once before through the onomatopoeic sounds ‘clink, the hum, the roar’ as they reflect the vivacity that was once present before the war. This is contrasted as the silence is emphasised through the dominance of sibilance through ‘a silent smithy’ and ‘a silent inn’, which emphasises the hollow atmosphere. The silence is further shown by the sibilance in the penultimate line ‘ceaselessly, unreasonably grieves’, which allows the silence of the trees to continue through to the end of the poem. A sense of change is also seen in ‘Aldestrop’ as Thomas uses the metaphor of ‘all the birds’ to represent the people of England as they suffer from the effects of the war as a whole. The fact that Thomas mentions countryside towns such as Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire shows how much Thomas values traditional English scenery and therefore shows his devastation of the effects of war. Thomas uses lots of different techniques in order to portray memory through a communal change, emptiness and as a way of life. Through his language, structure and symbolism within his poems, the reader is able to understand Thomas’ thoughts about memory (those being that it is frustrating to have ‘mislaid the key’ and how memories can change over time) and relate their own experiences with Thomas’ due to his profound and truthful portrayal of memory.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Legalization essays
Legalization essays Have you ever been arrested for possession of marijuana? Last year there were more than 695,201 marijuana arrests in the United States. Of those arrests 87.2% were for possession - not for sale or manufacture of marijuana. There have been over 11 million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1965. 12.7% of todays overcrowded federal prison population is made up of people incarcerated for marijuana offenses, with an average sentence of about three to four years. Even with heroin use on the rise, the police seem to be preoccupied with arresting marijuana smokers. In 1990 there were over 34,000 emergency room admissions resulting from the use of heroin and four years later, that number had doubled. Many of those patients did not survive. Yet even though heroin has done much more damage to this society than marijuana has, statistics say the chances of a heroin dealer being arrested are 1 in 10,900 deals. Is marijuana really a harmful drug? The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy asked the United States Institute of Medicine to conduct a research to assess the possible health benefits of marijuana. In March of 1999 the review was made public. The evidence concluded that the THC in marijuana is effective treatment for symptoms such as pain, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and wasting, which is the resulting characteristics associated with cancer and AIDS treatments. Recently it has also has been proven that marijuana reduces muscle pain and spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis, prevents epileptic seizures, helps bladder control, and reduces eye pressure and blood flow to the optic nerve in Glaucoma patients. This conclusive evidence brings up the question why not legalize marijuana as medical drug treatment. Marijuana has been proven to be less dangerous than cocaine and morphine, two legalized drug treatments that have been proven to be addictive. According to the ...
Monday, October 21, 2019
Assessing the macro- and micro- environmental forces Essay Example
Assessing the macro Assessing the macro- and micro- environmental forces Paper Assessing the macro- and micro- environmental forces Paper Assessing the macro- and micro- environmental forces that explain the success of John Lewis John Lewis is a chain of market department stores in the LIKE. In accessing its success, critically looked at the macro- and micro- environments of the organization. Here the micromanagement comprises three major sections: the economic environment, the social and demographic environment, and the technological environment. The purpose of this essay is to assess John Lexiss success, in relations to the forces within these sub-environments. Furthermore, I assess the links these forces have with John Lexiss circumvention. The Micromanagement The Economic Environment Palmer Hartley (2012) says that Businesses need to keep an eye on indications of a nations prosperity, (p. 10). This is due to the likelihood that during recessionary periods, peoples spending power on goods and services is likely to decline. This might not be the case with John Lewis, as its affluent customers have been less impacted by the economic downturn, (Donkey, 2013). However, all customers are likely to become more concerned about whom they spend their money with. Andy Street, the managing director of John Lewis says that When money is tight youre far more likely to think about who you spend it with The results are based on one word above all else, which is Trust, (Rowley, 2012). Street then talks about the success of John Lewis in this economy saying In an economic climate which continues to be volatile, to have achieved these results is testimony to the strength of the John Lewis brand, (Ruddier, 2013). Here the SUccess of John Lewis arises from two main reasons. The first is John Lexiss main target audience, which consists of the more affluent customers who have proved to be resilient in this economic climate. The organization is able to maintain its success, as their customers spending power remains constant regardless of the trends in the economy. The second reason is the John Lewis brand, which is strongly built on trust. Customers are likely to turn to their trusted brands in this economic climate regardless Of how affluent they may be. Note that trends in the economy are inevitable and organizations have to respond to these appropriately in order to succeed. John Lewis can be seen as simply benefiting from its intended target audience for the reasons I have mentioned, but I believe that their investments in rand and trust buildings are the main reasons for their success. The Social and Demographic Environments It is suggested that society is becoming Increasingly concerned about the ethical values adopted by its business organizations, (Palmer Hartley, 2012, p. 186). Hence it is important for John Lewis to act and respond appropriately to this social trend. The recent tax avoidance for numerous organizations in the UK has had a beneficial effect on John Lewis. Andy Street publicly expresses the need for the government to deal with multinational organizations, which are paying little to no tax in the country, (Batty, 2012). The publicity of this statement highlights the simple fact that John Lewis is a UK-based organization that are paying taxes, whilst the backdrop comprises other household organizations avoiding them. Street believes that the tax criticisms Amazon. Com, Inc. Has received spurred the sales of John Lewis saying, I cant prove it, but it definitely has been good, Id call it background publicity for us, (Ruddier, 2012). The increased concern about organizations ethics goes beyond the headline- worthy issues such as the tax avoidance. Speaking of John Lexiss organizational structure, Charlie Mayflies, John Lexiss chairman, says that Most shoppers will not be able to describe the chains unusual structure of the partnership but theyll say that its a good place to work, that we look after our staff well, (Clark, 2010). Palmer Hartley (2012) says that increasingly large segments of the population take into account the ethics of a firms employment practices when evaluating alternative products, (p. 81 Since John Lexiss employees are their shareholders, they benefit from annual bonuses. The organizations ethical employment practices had been publicly highlighted as Nick College encourages other organizations to adopt the John Lewis economy, (Mason, 2012). Here John Lexiss success is the result of two different responses to the social trends. Firstly, in the case of the tax avoidance crisis, John Lewis did not succeed from having to respond to any social trend, but instead benefiting from the failure for other organizations to meet them. The second is John Lexiss unusual structure and its employment practices. This garners a lot of public attention and propels the ethical brand image for the organization, contributing to its success. It is worthy to look at the demographics of the UK in relation to John Lexiss target audience. In countries such as the ASK, the older population is increasing as people are living longer. Studies have shown that older populations are more concerned about the ethics of organizations compared with the younger populations. Believe that this does not only account for more potential customers for John Lewis, but it also increases the trust values, especially due to the current economic and social environments. This ultimately contributes to the success of John Lewis, as there is strong customer retention. The Technological Environment The rapid technological developments have altered the relationship between n organization and its customers. One example is that Technological developments have allowed new methods of distributing goods and services, (Palmer Hartley, 2012, p. 10). This includes the booming online shopping as shoppers are spending 12. 8% more on the Internet last year than a year earlier, Manville, 2013). It also highlights that department stores are benefiting the most from this shift to online shopping (Manville, 2013). Initially, online shopping appeared to simply revolutionize the way goods were bought. However, Wallop (2013) reports that the concept of online shopping and livery did not work out well, as Royal Mail, DHAL, and other delivery services were not up to scratch. As of during the month of December, at least 225,000 parcels each day failed to arrive when promised. Another from Which? , found that 60 per cent of people shopping online shopping online last year had problems with delivery, (Manville, 2013). This is when John Lewis responded to this problem with the development Of Click Collect. This new scheme consists of placing and pays for an order online, then picking up the goods from the Customer Collection Point chosen by the shopper. Neil Saunders, the managing director of Consuming says that The reason click and collect took off over Christmas was because it solves the age-old problem of the final mile of delivery. People just dont like waiting in for deliveries, but most are happy to pick up from their local high street, (Manville, 2013). This has proven a success for John Lewis as orders have doubled between 201 2 and 2013, accounting for 35% of online sales, (Butler, 2013). Karen Dorado explains Customers love the fact that they are in control and can decide where and when to collect, (Knight, 2013). Here the success of John Lewis is due to its ability to spot the shift to online shopping. Furthermore, it also notices the trends in problems regarding online shopping and delivery, and successfully meet customers needs by developing Click and Collect. Technology also means that it is easier to gain exposure of unethical business practice as there is expending media availability and an increasingly intelligent audience, (Palmer Hartley, 2012, p. 86). Hence the trends in the technological environment are inextricably linked to the trends in the social and demographic environment. In this case, technology helps customers to know abduction Lexiss ethical practices and other organizations unethical practices, and thus propelling the success for John Lewis. Micromanagement Customers Customers have the utmost importance in determining the Success Of organizatio ns as no customers mean no business, (Palmer Hartley, 2012, p. 31). Hence it is vital to respond appropriately to the changing needs of customers. Indeed this is what the analysis in the micromanagement section has been trying to highlight. The Economic Environment means that customers, affluent or not, require a rand that they can trust. John Lewis succeeds by providing the customers with the trust values they are looking for in order to spend. The Social Environment means that customers prefer to shop from ethical organizations and John Lewis had gone to highlight its ethics, both implicitly and explicitly. The Technological Environment means that customers require new ways of purchasing goods and John Lexiss Click and Collect has been proven a success. Suppliers The relationship between John Lewis and its suppliers contributes to its success in a number of ways. The available technology means that goods can e made overseas, at a lower cost. Because of the customers increased concern in organizations ethics, John Lewis had improved its relationship with its suppliers. John Lewis is aiming to invest at least IEEE,O over the next three years in projects that will boost sustainability within its supply chain as well as education and employment projects, (Butler, 2012). This includes a project of providing a training program for cotton farmers in India. Palmer Hartley (2012) says that society has rising expectations for organizations to be friendly to their local communities by supporting their coal suppliers. John Lewis initially invested in these projects as the supply for cotton was becoming scarce as prices were raised. Hence by doing this, John Lewis benefits from its relationship with the suppliers in two ways. First is that there is an increased level of security in their supply of cotton. Second is that the organization also benefits from helping local suppliers, which in this case is the cotton farms in India. John Lewis benefits from meeting societys expectations and is seen as an ethical organization. Competitors In a highly competitive market, it is vital to understand you competitors. As I have mentioned, John Lewis had adopted several strategies in response to the trends in the micromanagement. These strategies are the main reason why John Lewis is ahead of its competitors. Other reasons may include the speed of adopting these strategies. One example is the shift to online shopping and John Lewis responds speedily and successfully to this, putting it in the dominant Sector in online shopping. This is a First Mover Advantage as it is one of the first organizations to successfully shift to online shopping. Hence this could be another reason for the success of John Lewis in relations o its competitors. Conclusion In summary, I have critically assessed the macro- and micro- environments of John Lewis in trying to understand its success. Within the micromanagement, have analyzed how John Lewis has successfully responded to the changing trends within: the economic environment, the social and demographic environment, and the technological environment. It is the appropriate responses to these trends that made John Lewis successful as they are all linked to what the customers need. I have also made links between the micromanagement and the micro-environmental factors: customers, appliers, and competitors. John Lewis has to also have appropriate relationships with these other organizations and individuals in order to be successful.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Why was Mussolini able to come in to power as early as 1922 Essays
Why was Mussolini able to come in to power as early as 1922 Essays Why was Mussolini able to come in to power as early as 1922 Essay Why was Mussolini able to come in to power as early as 1922 Essay Mussolini took a considerable short amount of time to come to power a substantial three years. Mussolini came to power within a couple of years and the main point to argue this is due to the fact of the weakness of Italy as a whole. Italy was a breading ground for the Fascist regime and Mussolini took full advantage of this and he profited from this a large amount. Italy had a lot of problems before the First World War and they only got worse after the war. Italy fought the war mostly against the Austrians along there northern boarders and was conflicted with severe causalities. The problems that Italy faced after the war included discontent amongst the citizens of Italy, economical problem and also cracks amongst the Italian government. Italy dealt with heavy casualties and their national debt rouse from 16 billion lire in 1914 to an enormous 85 billion lire in 1919. Other areas that hit Italy were their industries; the ammunition industry suffered heavily after the First World War as the demand for weapons dramatically decreased. This was a very good happening for Mussolini because at this time the people needed somebody to look up to, to guide them through this hardship and lead them to good times. Mussolini rose from power at the exact right time and he benefited from this. The government of Italy proved to be a key factor in the rise of power for Mussolini. The Italian government was very weak at the time and became even weaker when proportional representation was introduced. The first issue that the government faced was the actual parties in the government. The government was divided between the two major groups which rarely agreed on anything so making decisions were very hard to be made. The socialist party would never agree with anything the popular party agreed on so coalitions were rarely made. Other parties such as the General Confederation of Labor, Italian Confederation of Workers and the Communist party were not able to gain too much power because the appealed only to certain group of people. Unlike Fascism, which was formed for a certain group of people. The government basically was very weak and Mussolini did not have to do much in making the people believe that the Fascists party would make the government stronger as the Italian government was too weak to understand the meaning of strong. The popularity of Socialist was another factor that worried a lot of people in Italy; people were scared that the Socialist would cause a revolution like the Bolsheviks in Russia and cause chaos in Italy. People were afraid of the socialist parties as there occasionally strikes and ransacking made them feel that the government could not control them. But overall the Socialist party was a very weak party indeed, historian Mack Smith argues that Socialism lacked responsible leadership and had no clear aim of how to reach power and the fact that they never co-operated with other parties. If they had done so they would have achieved control of Italy easily but they did not and were taken apart. Mussolini again took advantage of this problem and announced to the people that he could resolve the socialist problems and his political army of Fascists would crush there strikes and ransacking. He was seen as a savior for the people of Italy and he gained popularity with the public after his outbursts of future intentions and Italys bright future. Even though that the ras were crucial for the success of fascism, Mussolini had a lot of characteristics which made him and made people see him as a good leader. Mussolini had many abilities such as in writing and as a leader he knew what the people demanded from him. He was a natural speaker, his ability to speak publicly was immaculate as he would grip his crowd and leave them roaring with excitement. Also he was the only person that was in control of the ras, who in turn was seen by the ras as vital because the movement needed a very strong a reliable figure that the people could support. His flexible policies also enabled more people to appeal to Fascism thus gaining a lot of support in a short amount of time. Another key factor that led to the Fascists coming to power would be the March on Rome. This was when Mussolini was invited to become the Prime Minister of Italy by the King, as he did not want his cousin to gain power over Italy. As a result he gained a lot of support from the people and it was his first real large step that gave him power before 1922. The fascists were able to gain power in such a short time mainly because Italy was overall an extremely weak country. In only three years fascism came into power with only several seats in parliament, it could have been stopped but a few lucky events proved lucky for Mussolini and handed him power in 1922. He was very lucky at times an example being the March on Rome, Mussolini himself did not expect himself to gain power so easily so worried and was prepared to flee, but still he conquered Rome and was given power easily. If the socialist party had been more organized and co-operative then they might have come to power, but fate played into Mussolinis hands. Although the movement could have been stopped very easily, the weakness of the government to take action against the Fascists gave then success and this was why Mussolini and the Fascist party was able to achieve dominance of Italy.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Building Sustainable Communities Through Green Action Plans Research Paper
Building Sustainable Communities Through Green Action Plans - Research Paper Example Technology has evolved to such a magnitude that people are now able to intensively and extensively exploit each and every aspect of their environment. This is evidenced by the rapid population increase where it is estimated that the global population would stand at about nine billion by 2070 from the current six billion (Harrell). Other potential negative impacts of over-exploitation of the environment include a decline in the vital ecosystems. Thirdly, such over-exploitation of the natural environment has led to global climate change with the climate changing to the extremes. Taking into account the aforementioned consequences of unsustainable human practices, there is no doubt that human life is jeopardized. For these very reasons, the time is now to take action. If the people of the world want to continue to live on this planet in the future, the creation of sustainable communities through green action plans is an imperative key for human survival. Sustainability initiative through green actions is indispensable for human survival. The UN World Commission on the Environment and Development defines sustainable development as that which â€Å"meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs†(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). The concept of sustainability thus entail all those efforts to find a mid-point whereby there is a balance between what humanity demands from the ecosystem and the ability of this ecosystem to replenish itself. Taking more from the environmental without allowing for replenishment of what has been taken will eventually lead to the depletion of the system. With a depleted environment, the future generations will have to labor in scarcity and these could eventually lead to an end to humanity.
Friday, October 18, 2019
The history and culture of Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
The history and culture of Japan - Essay Example Japan's history is a rich and varied one, with the different periods marked by remarkable change. In the Yayoi period (300 BC - AD 300), rice cultivation was introduced from China and Korea, and Japan's oldest religion, Shinto, identified "divine forces in nature and in such human virtues as loyalty and wisdom."The Kofun period (300-645) showed the emergence of powerful clan rulers, and Japan begins to establish close contacts with mainland Asia. The Asuka period, (645-710) brought a great wave of reforms and new aristocratic families were created. During the Nara and Heian periods (710-1185) the emperors began to practice Buddhism, believing its teachings would protect the state. The Muromachi era (1333 to 1568) brought disintegration of the central government, firearms were introduced by the shipwrecked Portuguese soldiers, and Christianity was introduced . Finally in the Edo period (1600-1868) Japan enters into an age of "peace and national isolation". The United States wants to u se the Japanese ports as supply bases for its commercial fleet, and, in a surprise move, Japan accepts the US demands and opens its doors for the first time in two centuries. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the emperor was restored, and Japan made its transition to nation-state. The Showa period (1926-1989) brought many more changes for Japan, including World War II and its aftermath, including the necessary economic recovery. In 1941 Pearl Harbor brought the US into war in the Pacific and in August of 1945 "the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the second on Nagasaki; the emperor airs by radio a statement of unconditional surrender." (Background, 2005, p. 5). The years of 1945-1952 brought allied occupation of Japan, with women gaining legal equality as well as the right to vote. Japan's political life was changed to a parliamentary state, and with the peace treaty signed in 1951, Japan regained independence. The "High Growth Age" in Japan occurred from the late 1950's t o the early 1970's and Japan was rewarded with a booming economy. (Background, 2005, p. 5). Japan is made up of five islands; however there are some thirty-six hundred islands in the entire group, and dozens that are actually inhabited. Japan has twenty-nine thousand kilometers of coastline, and the total land area is 142,000 square miles which makes Japan one-twenty-fifth the size of the United States, or roughly the size of Montana. Ostensibly, some one billion years ago these Japanese islands were part of the Asian mainland, however movement of the earth's plates resulted in part of the Asian coastline breaking free and traveling east. Then a mere 100 million years ago, in the area that is now the Sea of Japan, a huge lake appeared, eventually linking up with the Pacific Ocean in the north and south, leaving the highest regions to become the islands of Japan. (Lafayette, 1995, p. xi). Seventy percent of Japan's land mass is made up of high mountains and hills. These mountains have over two hundred volcanoes and geothermally active areas. There are eleven peaks in Japan that are over three thousand meters high, and thirteen that are over 2500 meters high. These mountainous areas make Japan one of the most scenic groups of islands in the world.(Layfayette, 1995, p. xi). The climate of Japan is generally rainy, with a fairly high humidity. The Japanese enjoy warm summers and long cold winters in the north, and hot humid summers and short winters in the central regions. The southwest has long, hot, humid summers, and mild winters. (Library, 2005, p. 1). Japan's population is currently 127,417,224 million people, a huge number for such a small area. Japan is second only to the United States in the number of large cities-they presently have ten cities with populations over one
Walmart Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Walmart - Assignment Example Retuned items and goods whose shelf life is about to elapse are sold at lowered prices in bulk as well. In turn, impulse buying by the customer is evident. The wastage of such goods is then relieved from the business. The location of these goods is the he cashier’s stand that the customer accesses every time. The location plays a vital role in effortless accessibility and capturing of the individuals attention. The allocation of coupons for items to the customers after every visit to the retailer promotes moneyless or little money in use when purchasing goods. Consumers collect as many coupons as possible overtime. The coupons purchase bulk items when presented to the cashier. There are instances where the buyer is relieved from using money at all where the coupons available satisfy the number of goods. The other outcome is paying extra for the goods where the items shopped exceed the value of the coupons. On both accounts, a negligible or low price on items purchased respecti vely is evident. The mentioned methods for lowering of prices are a future cost anticipated by the business on transactions based on established goals and forecast (Boyd, 23). Budgeted costs define the cost incurred for discounting and couponing to the business. It is safe to say the management should utilize the method on price lowering. The discounts allow for increased purchasing power on the consumers end. Goods bought are more in comparison to anticipated purchasing by the consumer at a given time. The mechanisms attract more consumers for this reason. The business creates a loyal large customer base. Overtime the business is able to foot the budgeted costs incurred. Increased demand of products is a merit on its own. Wal-Mart is reputable for quality goods. The methods for price reduction promote continuous flow of goods in the business. For this reason, expired or outdated goods evade the business. It is an advantage to the retailer because
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Resolving Ethical Business Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Resolving Ethical Business Challenges - Essay Example In this situation, Marry is also facing an ethical problem that either she should care for the customers to lie or to speak the truth. On the other side, it is also important that if she lies to the building owner and the buyer then what would be the benefit of it. In the business world, the ethics program may also include the true and sincere involvement of the employees with their business and the business parties and stakeholders. If Mary lies to the building owner and hides the reality of her negotiation with the owner of the buyer then it also indicates that she is trying to fulfill her duty. However, she may face a little problem after the negotiation when both parties will come to know the truth. At least until that time, the building will be sold and this sale is actually beneficial for both parties. The building is not considered for many years and now the only customer who wants to own this building is here. Therefore, if Mary put her efforts to make this purchase possible then it will not be considered as unethical. However, it is quite possible that if Mary is successful in her efforts to convince Ted that the buyer is purchasing that building for a noble cause and he cannot arrange the required down payment because of the charity funds. Then it will not be a problem for the buyer and the seller that there is an issue with the agreement.
Education. What issues can arise during 'transition' Essay
Education. What issues can arise during 'transition' - Essay Example The difficulties are based on mental growth development and educational curriculum demands which calls for young learners to make the transition, or else be left behind in the educational system. For most young learners, the transition difficulties are only seen during the first few days or weeks of the school year, however, for others, the difficulties may persist throughout the school year. There are different issues encountered during the period of transition for students and these issues shall be discussed in this paper. The transition focused on would mostly be on the transition from primary to secondary school in the UK. Possible suggestions on how the transition may be eased would also be discussed in this text in order to provide some clarity and recommendations based on the issues noted for transitioning learners. Body Transition, as was mentioned above refers to the child’s move and adjustment period from primary to secondary schools. The transition process here also includes not just the transition of students from primary to secondary school, but any other transitions these children may make which eventually causes a change in venue (change schools), including transfers to different schools due to family moving from one home to another. The transfers may also be attributed to a family death or parental divorce/separation. Various studies have been carried out on the issues encountered during the transition process (Graham and Hill, 2002; Galton, Gray and Ruddock, 2000). Reviewing studies on the subject matter has revealed various themes or issues during such transition period. Alston, Sammons, and Mortimore (1985) carried out a longitudinal study for children from 50 primary schools in the London area, assessing the transition experiences of the children. About 1600 students were evaluated for their study, evaluating their attitudes, behaviour, attendance before and during their transition period to secondary school. The study revealed that m ost of the students transitioned well into secondary school and had favourable attitudes towards secondary school (Alston, et.al., 1985). Most of them were also pleased with their work in their new school. Admittedly, most of the students initially had reservations about secondary school, however, most of them gradually settled well into their classes and were actually happier than was expected for transitioning students. This study however has contrasting results with the Fouracre (1993) study which indicates the presence of a discontinuity between primary and secondary school as teachers often underestimate the abilities of their pupils. There also seems to be a mismatch between the student’s expectations of the work in secondary school and their actual experiences in the classroom (Fouracre, 1993). One of the issues encountered during transition are elements relating to social class. Studies reveal that those belonging to the lower income communities are likely to have tro uble transitioning into the secondary school system (Keating and Hetzman, 1999). Socioeconomic status as well as parental social class has a huge role during the transition period as students with lower social status likely to have trouble transitioning and eventually leave the educational system early (Ferguson, Tilleczek, Boydell, Rummens, Cote, & Roth-Edney, 2005). As discussed by Keating and Hetzman (1999), there is less extracurricular participation among these students, as well as limited school personnel support for these students. Some of them also increasingly experience daily hassles from school personnel (Keating and Hetzman, 1999). It was also established by McGee, Ward, Gibbons, and Harlowe (2003) that children having higher socioeconomic status
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Resolving Ethical Business Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Resolving Ethical Business Challenges - Essay Example In this situation, Marry is also facing an ethical problem that either she should care for the customers to lie or to speak the truth. On the other side, it is also important that if she lies to the building owner and the buyer then what would be the benefit of it. In the business world, the ethics program may also include the true and sincere involvement of the employees with their business and the business parties and stakeholders. If Mary lies to the building owner and hides the reality of her negotiation with the owner of the buyer then it also indicates that she is trying to fulfill her duty. However, she may face a little problem after the negotiation when both parties will come to know the truth. At least until that time, the building will be sold and this sale is actually beneficial for both parties. The building is not considered for many years and now the only customer who wants to own this building is here. Therefore, if Mary put her efforts to make this purchase possible then it will not be considered as unethical. However, it is quite possible that if Mary is successful in her efforts to convince Ted that the buyer is purchasing that building for a noble cause and he cannot arrange the required down payment because of the charity funds. Then it will not be a problem for the buyer and the seller that there is an issue with the agreement.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Strategy Management and Health Information Technology Essay
Strategy Management and Health Information Technology - Essay Example As will be discussed in the preceding sections, this level of organic growth was most heavily impacted with regards to the acquisition of several key firms that offered software and logistics solutions with regards to the application of EMR (Goodwin et al, 2013). Finally, the current business seeking to broaden upon the way in which the Canadian health system integrates with and understands/utilizes electronic medical records. This is of course something of a gamble as it cannot be definitively determined which direction the health and governmental organizations that control the system might develop. Nonetheless, this is a gamble that Telus Health has been willing to take. Telus Business Strategy: As with any firm, Telus Health is most supremely interested in maximizing profits. Likewise, in order to affect such an end, it is necessary for the firm to grow into new markets, integrate with new products, and gain a higher level of customers/sales. Although there are many means to affec t such an end, the particular business strategy that Telus Health has chosen to engage with can most definitively be described as one of acquisition. An acquisition strategy is a strategy that many firms/organizations would doubtless love to be able to pursue. However, there is a costly requirement in order to pursue such an end. Generally, firms that pursue an acquisition strategy have excess capital in reserve. In order to do this, it is necessary for the firm to of experienced a large degree of success in the past or to have assets that it is willing to leverage in order to affect such a strategy. A small company with extra capital may use an acquisition strategy to gain a competitive advantage. An acquisition strategy entails purchasing another company, or one or more product lines of that company. For example, a small grocery retailer on the east coast may purchase a comparable grocery chain in the Midwest to expand its operations. As the reader can see, the acquisition of KinL ogix, MD Practice Software LP, and Wolf EMR have all served to underscore the level and extent to which the firm is leveraging the strategy of acquisition in order to boost profits. Explanation of Telus Health broader objectives In order to gain a larger share of profitability, firms generally seek to make gambles with regards to what direction they believe the industry is moving towards (Business Policy and Strategy, 2010). Accordingly, many times such gambles pay off. Conversely, many firms see their profits and viability wither and died based upon incorrect calculations of future markets in the direction to which current trends are pointing. Likewise, Telus Health has made a significant gamble with regards to the current market and prospects of the way in which the Canadian healthcare system will integrate with EMR. As such, the reader can see that Telus Health has come to the understanding that EMR will dominate the Canadian healthcare system in the near future. Accordingly, Tel us Health desperately wants to be part of the transformation by acquiring as many EMR firms that coalesce with its mission and desired future mission as possible. This is done as
Health care Lecture Essay Example for Free
Health care Lecture Essay Summary Dr. Curtis lecture was one of healthcare and how it relates to his profession, chiropractic medicine. He also hit on health in general and medications. Dr. Curtis started rather quite abruptly with his self helping theories as to what he does as a profession and also what other medical fields are doing to help him become rich, yet keep the healthcare level of the United States down to the lower levels it has been hovering at for years. This may be in direct contradiction to the fact that even though the United States only has three percent of the worlds population, it still consumes more than half of the drugs produced in the world. What does this tell the reader? Dr. Curtis explained that a lot of these drugs are not needed, and in fact have actually hurt the patients. As proof, he stated some startling facts from the American Journal of Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine, perhaps the two top most medical specific journals in the world. Some of these facts included that one hundred and sox thousand people die every year from properly proscribed drugs. Per year, there are seven thousand medical errors resulting in someone dying. One point five million people have Introgenic diseases, or physician caused diseases. It is estimated that the United States as a whole is spending seventy seven billion dollars a year fixing these problems. These indeed are very troublesome statistics. Dr. Curtis also goes on to explain that the reason why the United States continues to spend excess amounts of money for drugs and procedures they do not need is because of mainly one thing, advertising. Billions of dollars are spent on advertising for drugs every year. Over one hundred and thirty two dollars were spent last years on advertising alone. Often companies give kickbacks like trips or bonuses to doctors that proscribe a certain number prescriptions of a specific drug. This practice, which should be illegal, is what is known as Off Label Promoting. The United States populace continues to believe advertising of drugs. The advertisements dont tell the truth most of the time. For example, twenty percent of antibiotic prescriptions are useless. What is bad is that when people take unneeded antibiotics, they raise their immunity to them, and they will not work next time, or people will have to up the dosage to get it to work. This is extremely bad for health reasons, considering that if patients were to mix two or more drugs, there is an eighty eight percent change of adverse side effects, even more illness and injury. The Food and Drug Administration Agency is not helping matters either. The practice of rushing promising drugs like Fen-Fen to the market without proper timed tests has added to the health problems of the United States. Dr. Curtis is not saying do not go to the doctor, he is just saying to make sure you are doing the correct thing, which included getting second opinions, and doing your own research on drugs and what they can and cannot really do. Sometimes Doctors can not be trusted because of the one hundred and sixty drugs labeled by the FDA as do not use, people still proscribe them. With only a selection of twenty three out of those one hundred and sixty drugs, there are still one hundred million prescriptions being filled. These are drugs known to do harm, and they are still being prescribed. One must be vigilant in his own healthcare is the message of the day. Reflections At first I didnt even know what Dr. Curtis was a doctor in, however due to time constraints I understand that the normal introduction and background speech has to be cut. I have listened to many doctors speak and lecture, not nearly enough as professors and other professionals of course, but enough to know that normally there is at least five minutes of talking about oneself before the actual lecture begins. Also, he being young did not add to me actually listening to his opinions that well. However, Dr. Curtis did not give many opinions and his statements were backed up quite well and documented quite nicely as well. He obviously put in the needed time to prepare the lecture. Time constraints not only cut up his lecture, but also his speech pattern as well. Normally lectures should be flowing, his statements were extremely choppy. He states many things that were actually surprising to me. Not the fact of advertising, I already knew that, but I didnt realize the actual statistics of these healthcare problems, and that a lot were caused by those in the healthcare field. His explanations as to how his field fitted into his lecture were actually quite easy to understand. The fact that stress messes up your nervous system, which in turns messes up the rest of you, is basically what he was saying without stating his words verbatim. He explains that even though the United States is third best in the world in what we eat, we still have one of the lowest life expectancies. I enjoyed his explanation as to how posture really controls a lot of health problems. He explains that proper diet, mental attitude, exercise, a non-stressed nervous system, and plenty of rest and relaxation are the keys to keeping the body as self healing as it is designed to do. Overall I enjoyed the lecture and learned quite a lot out of it.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Supply chains and distribution in India
Supply chains and distribution in India Abstract Indias FMCG industry has emerged as a distinct sector over the last few decades. Multinationals are seeking to pursue growth opportunities in emerging markets due to increased globalization and competition. India is one such emerging market that not only provides multinational companies with a large customer base but also welcomes western products. Having a presence in India means sourcing, moving and processing up to one billion or more units. In addition, the cost expectations and the larger size of the consumer market will have implications on supply chains. Excellent supply chain strategies for India will involve adopting efficient processes enabling products to smoothly change hands from the supplier to the consumer while adapting to the constraints of cost, infrastructure availability and market size of the economy. Other constraints associated with political, religious or cultural barriers may also need to be considered. The report is divided into two major parts. One deals with the distribution chains prevalent in the urban market while the second part delves into the intricacies of the rural distribution market. We follow the same format for both the parts starting with an introduction into the current trends found in the urban or rural market, then clearing our point with a case study and finally presenting what are the challenges faced by the companies. Supply Chain Management in Urban region- Introduction The FMCG sector is the fourth largest sector in the country and has been growing in folds in the past few decades. The sector has both organized and unorganized players and the number of players in both the segments are on increase, in addition to this there is also an increase in the number of products introduced every year. Since the sector is characterized by the fast movement of goods and services its dependence on effective supply chain is higher than that of any other sector so supply chain management is become one of the most vital functions. Supply chain management in urban sector typically refers to procurement of raw materials, processing them into finished products and distributing them in the urban region till its reaches the end consumer. Every company/ firm in the FMCG sector has its own supply chain models which are similar yet different from one another. Below are two examples of the supply chain models. The supply chain management in urban regions is more to do with choices for instance in logistic a firm can choose to transport the product via railways, roadways, airways or in some case even waterways. An effective supply chain will enable the firm to minimize the cost, maximize returns, match the supply to the demand and ultimately satisfy the customers. An urban supply chain in most cases has clear cut distinction between the inbound supply chain (pertaining to providing raw materials and components), in house supply chain (conversion process), outbound supply chain (distribution of good and services. The profile of the urban consumers plays a crucial role in determining the supply chain because at the end without the consumer there is no point in building up the supply chain model. Strategic decisions like number of outlet the firm would have to distribute its product, the kind of outlet, method to transport the product, places from were the raw material is procured, manufacturi ng method (automated, semi automated or manual) etc are taken keeping the consumer and the utility of the product to the consumer in mind. This is on account that the urban consumers are well informed and there are many competitors fighting for that consumer. The Supply Chain of Dominos Pizza (India) Dominos Pizza in India Dominos Pizza opened its first store in India in 1996. Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, a Jubilant Bhartia Group Company holds the Master Franchisee Rights for Dominos Pizza for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Prior to Sep 24, 2009, the company was known as Dominos Pizza India Limited and underwent a name change, rest of the terms remaining the same. The promoters of the company are Mr. Shyam S Bhartia, Mr. Hari S Bhartia and Jubilant Enpro Private Ltd. Today Dominos has more than 300 stores in India with more than 9000 employees. According to the India Retail Report 2009, we were the largest Pizza chain in India and the fastest growing multinational fast food chain between 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 in terms of number of stores. Over the years Dominos Pizza has focused on:- Delivering great tasting pizzas Superior Quality Exceptional Customer service Think global and act local Value for money offerings Being a home delivery specialist capable of delivering pizzas within 30 minutes or else FREE Revenue in India 70% of the revenue comes from home deliveries 30% of the revenue comes from OTC sales 30 minute Guarantee Dominos has its unique proposition that they deliver pizza at a customers doorstep within 30 mins of placing the order or they would receive the pizza free. They have positioned themselves as a brand that delivers happiness home (Khushiyon ki Home Delivery) has an emotional benefit which they offer to their customers Dominos Supply Chain Integration Shown below is a high level flow of the supply chain followed by Dominos Pizza, India:- Raw Material Procurement Distribution Logistics Inventory Management Operational Strategy Production Process Quality Initiatives Customer Service R Raw Material Procurement Dominos has 4 commissaries or production kitchens-cum-warehouses (Regional Centralized Facilities) in India Delhi Caters to 54 outlets in NCR region including 33 outlets in Delhi City itself Bangalore Caters to 90+ outlets across south zone Kolkata Caters to 15+ outlets in Kolkata Mumbai Caters to 80+ outlets in Maharashtra including 51 in Mumbai and 15 in Pune Raw materials like Wheat is brought in from Jalandhar and sent to commissaries in refrigerated trucks. Pizza dough is prepared using a proprietary recipe in the commissaries. They are then made into dough balls and sent to retail outlets in refrigerated trucks. Vegetables like tomato, capsicum, baby corn, onion and spices are purchased locally. Cheese is brought in from Karnal, Haryana. Food which is frozen is sent in these trucks at -18 deg Celsius. It uses a hub and spoke model with commissaries as Hub and retail outlets as spokes. Logistics Wheat (Jalandar) Dough Vegetables (Local) Cheese (Karnal) Commissary Refrigerated Trucks Retail Outlets Inventory Management Major inventory consists of perishable items with a very small shelf life. Some of the items are tabulated below:- ITEM SHELF LIFE Dough Ball 3-4 days Seasoning and Toppings 4-5 days Onion, Capsicum , Tomato 5 days Cheese Blend 4-5 days Chicken Meat 2-3 days Cheese Dip 4-5 days Mexican Wrap Base 3-4 days Each store maintains approximately 4 days of inventory since most of the items have a shelf life of around 3-4 days. Inventory is refilled by trucks from the commissary every 4 days. There is a mini cold storage in every outlet. Inventory levels are monitored centrally by POS (point of sales) data using Intura Vision (POS management system) installed in every outlet. Intura Vision is the simplest and most reliable point-of-sale management system available for delivery and quick service restaurant operations. Intura Vision streamlines every aspect of your operation, including order taking, credit card processing, kitchen management, deliveries, inventory, and customer marketing, to make your business more efficient and profitable. There are two POS per outlet. Orders are received in telephonic form also there are in-store orders. Production Process The entire production process is streamlined into three stages:- Dough Table Here the pizza base is prepared. It is rolled out of the dough ball. There are three standard sizes Personal (8 inches), Medium (10 inches) and Large (14 inches). Personal, medium and large serves one, two and four persons respectively. Then cheese blend is applied on the base. The entire process of making a pizza base takes 1-2 minutes. Bake line In this stage toppings and seasonings are applied on the top of the prepared base. The choice of toppings depends upon the pizza ordered. Customers also have the facility to customise their own pizza by choosing their toppings from a variety of toppings available. Toppings can be veg, non-veg or both. Customer can also choose the seasoning they prefer depending upon the spices they would like to have in their pizza. The entire process of make line is 1 minute. Ven The pizza is then ready to be baked in oven. The temperature maintained is 470 Fahrenheit. Oven has a capacity to bake 6-7 pizzas in one slot. The pizza needs to be baked for about 5-6 minutes. The ovens used now-a-days are fully automatic along with a conveyer belt, so that the flow is continuous. In case of production in India, Dominos has a turnout of 1 pizza per minute. This meets the current demand requirement. The constraint here is the oven. They have overcome this by withdrawing the 30 min guarantee during festivals like New Year, Christmas, Diwali and rush-hours. Operations Strategy Dominos follows a hub and spoke distribution network wherein the 4 commissaries are the hubs and the retail outlets are the spokes. The raw material is replenished in the outlets from the hubs every 4 days or when it gets over, whichever is earlier. Vegetables are purchased locally (delayed differentiation). They have incorporated IST (interstore transfer) to cater to sudden spikes in the orders during special occasions wherein inventory falls short. In such cases material from nearby store is transferred to the critical store so that there is no halt in operations. They also have performance based costing for their employees where employees are given incentives depending upon the volume of sales which they achieve. Higher the sales better the incentives. Present status due to mismanaged Supply Chain in India: In India, about 60% of food value is mislaid in the supply chain from the farm to the final consumer. Consumers end up paying approximately 35 percent more than what they could be paying if the supply chain was refined, because of wastage as well as multiple margins in the present supply structure. Comparing with what returns farmers in India get (30%), in the USA the farmers can receive up to 70 percent of the final retail price and wastage levels are as low as 4 to 6 percent. Therefore we can appreciate the benefits that could be generated from implementing those practices and tapping those skills for the supply chain in India. The significance can be understood by the fact that the logistics cost component in our country is as high as 7 10 percent against the global average of 4 5 percent of the total retail price. Therefore, the margins in the retail sector can be improved by 3 5 percent by just improving the supply chain management. Supply Chain Challenges Urban India Some key reasons of underperformance of supply chain management in urban India 1. Supply chain risk mitigation in an economic downturn: supplier financial risk, volatility in energy, commodity, labor rates and currency exchange, unpredictable economic recoveries. 2. Searching for working capital: FMCG companies will look to reduce inventory and lower operating or carrying costs. Buyers will look to extend payment terms Suppliers will drive to collect receivables more quickly, creating the need for a liquidity buffer such as supply chain financing 3. Shortening the supply chain by making proper use of transportation facility: Companies will need to plan a distribution system that takes care of the realities of domestic transportation infrastructure. Indias supply chains must contend with slow transit networks and inadequate infrastructure. For example, 70 % of Indias seaborne trade is handled by just 2 of the 12 major ports. The Railways is also constrained when it comes to freight movements. Historically, the countrys rail capacity was limited to passenger traffic, and people protested the use of rail for freight movement. Only of late has the government initiated efforts to promote rail shipments. Most commercial shipments in India make their journey aboard a truck. Hiring a carrier meant working with a small trucking company, as the country has no large, national transportation companies. A recent study of the transportation industry found that the majority of carriers had less than five trucks in their fleets. Scheduling deliveries and pickups also can be tricky. At present, most warehouses are located in the heart of Indian cities, and many municipalities prohibit large truck movements during daytime hours. It is possible to negotiate special exemptions in some places, but generally shippers must plan on nighttime movements. Another alternative is to unload large shipments at a cross dock outside the city and move orders to smaller vehicles for delivery. 4). More free-trade agreements and more scrutiny: The entry of foreign players in the retail segment will increase competition even further. More importantly multi-national companies might be having more money at their disposal. Thirdly they will also have access to latest technology and a ready highly efficient model to implement from.  5). Push-pull boundary: Increased competition, and fluctuating demand will make it difficult to identify the points at which the flow of goods switches from being pulled by consumers to being pushed by extractors.. 6). Maintenance of safety stock: Instead of having huge safety stocks at different places, centralized place will have to be used to have even more cash liquidity and lesser availability of godowns. 7) Judicious use of newer technologies and decision making tools: Use of newer technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) continue to change the way SCM systems are designed and managed. Until recently, barcodes were the primary means of tracking packages. The advent of cheap, reliable RFID technologies have eliminated the need to physically scan packages in shipment, storage, etc, since packages with the embedded chips can be remotely scanned. 8) Creating a demand-driven supply chain To support a demand-driven supply chain, FMCG companies must deploy performance-oriented supply chain practices, such as continuous monitoring and alert notification. This will give them a clear idea of their total supply network to adapt to changes in demand and adjust based on real-time insight into global operations. A reliable demand plan provides the foundation for sales and ops planning (SOP) which helps FMCG companies better arrange daily operational; more effectively balance supply and demand; and make better decisions that impact both the top and bottom lines. 9) Other problems faced:. Inadequacies in infrastructure such as lack of high quality road networks, power shortages and insufficient storage spaces. The current rise in property prices and rentals may render a few retail business models unviable. The retail industry loses to the tune of US$120 to US$130 million every year in frauds, thefts and employee pilferage, shop lifting, vendor frauds or inaccurate supervision despite using standard and modern security features Multiple taxes at the federal and state level Rural Market Introduction The FMCG sector in the urban areas is becoming quite saturated (though it will continue to dominate in the next 8 10 years) while the penetration in the rural areas are only about 1%. The rural areas have and will continue to make up more than 50% of Indias total households and accounting for more than its current 66% contribution to total FMCG consumption. Rural India has a large consuming class with 41 per cent of Indias middle-class and 58 per cent of the total disposable income. Currently, nearly 34% of the off take of FMCG companies come form rural areas. Companies like HUL, ITC and Colgate have already established good distribution networks in these regions. Other companies would start catering to these regions in near future. Figure 1: Urban and Rural growth rates (Personal Care products) A huge segment of this market is currently flooded with obscure brands that are largely manufactured and distributed by small and medium enterprises. However, with the growing competition in the FMCG business, it has become difficult for SMEs to market their products sustainably. This is mainly due to the solidly established brand images of bigger players and the increasingly sophisticated demands of the urban customer. SMEs also lack the capital investment needed to compete with bigger players. However, with the growing economy, substantial business opportunities for FMCG producers have emerged in the Indian rural sector. The rural FMCG market is growing with a CAGR of 3-4%. In the case of products like soaps, talcum powder, cooking oil, tea, cigarettes and hair oil, the share of rural market crosses 50%. The capital expenditure of urban consumers on FMCG products is Rs. 49,500 crore, while that spent by rural population is over Rs.63,500 crore. This is indicates the growth rate and participation of rural FMCG markets in India. Despite the huge scope for FMCG products in the fast-emerging rural markets, some gray areas need to be worked out before SMEs can establish sustainable businesses: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rural India does not represent a homogeneous market. The tastes and preferences of the consumers vary from district to district in the country. With changes in the language and dialect, advertising has to be tailored specifically for different target consumers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Networks are not efficient to tackle the distribution demands. Problems exist in reaching the interiors of the country. Initial expenditures to develop distributor networks are immense, because in Roads and communication networks are not efficient to tackle the distribution demands. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ As there is little consumer research regarding the rural markets, companies commit the folly of overestimating the awareness of product usage in the rural market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The Indian consumer is traditionally price sensitive and more so in the rural parts. Multinational companies that modify portions and packaging to create a greater value proposition have succeeded in targeting the rural consumer. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The rural distributor cannot stock a large variety of products because of credit problems. Also as the retailer plays a vital role in the village in convincing the consumer about the usage of the product, it becomes imperative to provide sufficient information and infrastructure support to stock adequate inventory of goods. Major global brands have included villagers in their distribution channels, not only providing employment but also extending the reach in the rural markets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ While increased penetration of telecommunication has resulted in an increased awareness among villagers, it is still important to understand that a major chunk of rural community is not educated enough to comprehend the technicalities of the product/brand usage. Models for Rural distribution chains Approach 1 : Dedicated Rural Entrepreneur: The Individual is preferred to have a two wheeler and act as the spoke between the super stockiest and the villages in a hub and spoke model. He is expected to know the area well and has sufficient education to run a business. He is recruited to cover the nearby areas as well ( upto a 40KM range). He acts as the point of contact to receive and deliver the goods to the respective stores in his area of service. The analysis says this model works well for products that cost more than 75 per Kilo and the important part is that the company need not worry about the administration part of the operation. Approach 2: Distributor consolidation for urban and rural markets: Here we are to consolidate the urban distributor and the super and sub stockiest into a single group to serve the retail outlets. This entity is supposed to cover the town and the villages nearby. Approach 3: Consolidated Distribution with tele-order booking: Rural tele-density in India is expected to go up in the near future. This would help to remove the role of saleman an facilitate direct communication with the rural retail outlets to the super stockiest. However the drawback is that the company might loose on the relationship with the retail store in the absence of a sales person. Approach 4: Distributor choice based on unutilized reverse logistics potential Another non-traditional form of Collaboration for rural distribution could be to partner with other partner low-margin, high-reach players in rural markets. An example could be that of the dairy industry. The vehicles form the Dairy factories goes empty to the rural areas for collection and comes back with the milk. So it could be used for the transportation of goods from the factory site to the rural areas. Pepsico Distribution Chain Pepsico Indias distribution in rural areas thrives on two major factors :- Third party outsourcing Hub and spoke model in the rural areas. This mechanism is followed in the urban areas as well but in the rural regions the local entrepreneurs from the smaller spokes of the distribution channels. In all its operations the transportation is outsourced to the third parties. However there are some cases in which large distribution centres have their own fleet for transportation of finished products. The major two challenges faced by the company in the Indian context are the insufficient distribution in the rural sector and the inherent market risks. Distribution forms a major part of the companys concerns as it not only accounts to the revenues lost but also the potiential market share. The concern is primarily because of the Physical conditions of the Indian market and also the low purchasing power of the rural customer base this results in the setting p of the distribution centre cost being high. Coupled to that we have the insufficient sales offsetting the set up cost. Another concern is the taste of the rural customer who is more attracted to the local juice store or the fruit stall thereby increasing the competition from the unorganized sector. In case of distribution we have the issue of the size of retail store. The retail outlets in rural areas are more or less Kirana stores and there is near complete absence of the retail chains. So the amount of inventory that can be stocked in the small retail stores is very small. Apart from the distribution channel issues we have the risk of the market conditions. The small shops in the rural areas lack the refrigeration or storage capacities. The inventory is kept to meet the demands for the day and most of it is kept out in the open dues to lack of storage facilities. Thus many a time during the rainy season we can see the closure of these shops and sales of the products getting stalled. Pepsico has implemented the following strategies to overcome these concerns Utilizing the collective efforts of the small scale farmers, land holders and regional government Alliances with other multinationals Promoting entrepreneurship It started with a strategy similar to project Shakti used by the Hindustan Lever, but alliances were with local entrepreneurs and other multinationals. Its started by making the entrepreneur the spoke of its regional distributional network in the rural areas and then went along with Hindustan levers to share its distribution network. This helps the entrepreneur having a larger spectrum of products for distribution and hence a better prospect. The distribution chain of Pepsico India has a fragmented design which can be largely attributed to the lack of transportation infrastructure. And this resulted in the creation of collaborative and entrepreneurial partnership that thrives with symbiotic existence. An example could be that of a supplier who Is willing to lease land holding from other farmers Supply Chain Management in Rural Market- Challenges The following are a few of the challenges that a company faces while managing its supply chain in rural markets. Multiple Tier, Higher Cost and Administration Problem In the first place, the rural supply chain requires a larger number of tiers, compared to the urban one. The long distances to be covered from the manufacturing points to the scattered consuming households cause this situation. At the minimum, the rural supply chain need the village-level shopkeeper, the mandi-level distributor and the wholesale/stockiest in the town. And on top of them are the manufacturers own warehouse and branch office operations in selected centres. Such multiple tiers and scattered outfits push up the cost and make supply chain management a major problem. The scope of manufactures direct outlet such as showrooms or depots is quite limited in the rural market unlike in urban areas. It becomes expensive as well as unmanageable. The dependence of the firm on intermediaries is much greater in rural areas as direct outlets are ruled out. But controlling such a vast network of intermediaries is a difficult task. Control is mostly indirect. And because of these factor s the firm has to be more careful while selecting the supply chain members in rural areas. Non-availability of dealers Another problem is the availability of dealers. Many firms find that there are limited numbers of suitable dealers. Even if the firm is willing to start from scratch and try out rank newcomers, the choice of candidate is really limited. Poor Viability of Retail Outlet Retail sales outlets in the rural market suffer from poor viability. A familiar paradox in rural distribution is that the manufacturer incurs additional expenses on distribution, still the retail outlets find that the business in unremunerative. The scattered nature of market and the multiplicity of tiers in the supply chain use up the additional funds the manufacturer is prepared to part with. And no additional money comes to any of the groups. Moreover, the business volume is not enough to sustain the profitability of all the groups and the retail outlet suffers the most. Inadequate Bank Facilities Supply chain in rural markets is also handicapped due to lack of adequate banking and credit facilities. Rural outlets need banking support for three important purposes. To facilitate remittances to principals and to get fast replenishment of stocks To receive supplies through bank (retiring documents with the bank) To facilitate credit from bank As banking facilities are inadequate in rural areas, rural dealers are handicapped in all these aspects. It is as estimate that there is only one bank branch for every fifth village. Inadequate Credit Facilities Inadequacy of other institutional credit is another constraint. Rural outlets are unable to carry adequate stocks due to lack of credit facilities. They are unable to extend credit to their customers. Thus there is a vicious circle of lack of credit facilities leading to inadequate stocking and loss of business, finally resulting in poor viability of outlets. Lack of Transportation Facilities Many rural areas are not connected by proper transportation facilities. There are a very few villages with railways lines. Atleast 50 percent of the rural roads are poorly surfaced, and many totally destroyed or severely damaged by the monsoons and remain unserviceable. Also the use of bullock carts looks inevitable for many years into the future. In such a scenario distribution of goods via any supply chain is a huge challenge in itself. Lack of Proper Communication Facilities Communication with these villages is difficult and highly expensive. Moreover, 300,000 villages in the country have no access to telephone. This acts as a hindrance to proper supply chain management. Other Challenges Apart from the above there are various other challenges that firms face on day on day basis like. Low literacy rate Difference in languages and Dialects Prevalence of Seasonal Demand Rural policy Caliber of the rural community- they have great acumen but they need intensive training Supply Chain Management in Rural Market- How to tackle the Challenges In order to tackle the problem of supply chain management the following strategies can be implemented. Satellite Supply Chain In this system stockists are appointed in the major towns and feeder towns. They by and large discharge the following functions; (a) Financing (b) warehousing and (c) sub-distribution. Retailers in and around feeder towns get attached to these stockists. The manufacturer supply goods to the stockists either on consignment or on cash/credit basis. Further these stockists deliver the good to the retail market points or satellite markets. Over a period of time some retailers grow in stature and importance. If such retail points also coincide with centres of demand and transportation within the feeder town area, they are elevated to stockists points. If 15-20 retailers were operating as part of the original stockists network, 5 or 6 get elevated over a period of time to stockists. Fresh retail points get established simultaneously out of which some get attached to the original stockists while others to the new one. This process continues as long as the market and consumption level keep expanding and the supply also catches up via such a supply chain. Just like second-generation stockists, set of third generation stockists get established with the passage of time. At any point of time, a certain number or retail points hover round a particular stockist. Hence the system is called Satellite Supply chain distribution. The satellites have their own satellites too. The advantages of this system are Market penetration takes place without manufacturer having to expand his direct stock points. This system can bring in ample rewards in terms of increased sales and lesser distribution costs. Syndicate Supply Chain This solution is essentially for small companies: tie up with leading companies that already has a presence in rural market and distribute products through there supply chains. Relying on Private Village Shops Tie ups with the village private shops are the cheapest and most convenient channels in the rural markets. Supply Chain Management in Rural Market- Opportunities In the present scenario, companies operating in India will have only two options: either
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Frankenstein And Schizoprenia (My Teacher LOVED This Paper) :: essays research papers fc
Schizophrenia and Frankenstein In a psychoanalytic view of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Robert Walton develops, during a â€Å"dreadfully severe†trip through the Arctic, a type of schizophrenia; this mental condition enables him to create a seemingly physical being representing each his superego and his id (9). In his mind, Walton creates Victor as his very own superego and the monster as his id. The superego and the id battle throughout the story to produce the final result: Walton, the ego. Many of the qualities Walton develops during his trip are symptoms of schizophrenia. His letters exude an aura of depression, loneliness, In his second letter, Walton emphasizes an obsession with his aspiration to lose his loneliness. He â€Å"desires the company of a man who could sympathize with [him]†(Shelley 7). According to Merrell Dow, Preoccupations†¦are fixed ideas, not necessarily false (like delusions) but overvalued. They take on extraordinary importance and take up an ordinate amount of thought time. One idea often returns and returns†¦Characteristically, the worry grows and becomes unrealistic (par 16). Walton reiterates his loneliness; even though he is surrounded by people on his ship, he â€Å"[has] no friend†(Shelley 7-8). Contributing to this feeling of isolation, Walton uses a tone of depression in his letters, a recurring feeling he experiences. He hints in nearly every letter clues indicating his fear of death. He wants his sister to â€Å"remember [him] with affection; should [she] never hear from [him] again†(Shelley 10). By constantly mentioning the possibility of his own death in his letters, Shelley stresses Walton’s overvalued worry of dying. Walton longs to see his sister; his mental condition leads him to even consider himself abandoned. Walton admits that success during this mission will lead to â€Å"many, many months, perhaps years†before they would meet again; however, failure results in either quick departure for home, or death (Shelley 6). Whether he succeeds or fails, he will have negative results. These constant recurrences emph asize the validity of his mental illness. As he develops the mental disease, Walton creates a world that makes sense in his mind, and his mind alone; he â€Å"[lives] in a Paradise of [his] own creation†with characters whom spawn from his own psyche (Shelley 5). Once schizophrenia becomes severe, Walton develops two seemingly real characters in his imagination. Walton’s mental condition and obsessive longing for someone to connect with leads him to separate himself mentally from his superego and id.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The Lottery Essay -- essays research papers fc
When â€Å"The Lottery†was first published in 1948, it created an enormous controversy and great interest in its author, Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1919. When she was two years old, her family moved her to Burlingame, California, where Jackson attended high school. After high school Jackson moved away to attend college at Rochester University in upstate New York but after only a short time at Rochester and, after taking off a year from school, she moved on to Syracuse University. At first, Jackson was in the School of Journalism at Syracuse but soon moved to the English Department to pursue her interest in writing. Jackson soon started publishing works in the school news paper and eventually, she and a classmate and future husband, Stanley Hyman started their own magazine under the supervision of teacher, Leonard Brown, who Jackson later described as her mentor. After graduating from Syracuse in 1940, Jackson and college sweetheart Hyman married and moved to Vermont. In Vermont, Jackson did a lot of writing, publishing many books, children’s stories and humorous pieces, including a book about family life titled â€Å"Life among Savages.†â€Å"The Lottery†was a radical departure from the tone and contents of her other works. (http://reagan.underthesun.cc/sjackson/sjackson1.html) In 1948, Jackson wrote what turned out to be probably her most famous short story entitled â€Å"The Lottery.†When â€Å"The Lottery†appeared in the New Yorker, it created a huge controversy and received a lot of press for its dark psychological horror. Many people believed that â€Å"The Lottery†was about how society can be cruel to individuals, the violence in society and the overwhelming need of humans to conform to the norms of society without regard to right or wrong. Many people found the story gross and disgusting because of the surprising murder at the end of the story. The story has been interpreted by many literary critics and scholars with the general conclusion that â€Å"The Lottery†is a satire on the willingness of people to engage collectively in abhorrent behavior, racial prejudice, and sexism all of which are social evils†(Barr 248-49). Jackson recalls when she first got the idea to write â€Å"The Lottery.†â€Å"The id ea had come to me while I was pushing my daughter up the hill in her stroller-it was, as I say, a warm morning, and the hill... ... a work of fiction, its underlying themes of human violence and cruelty, obedience to rituals and authority can be seen in many of the events of recent and contemporary history. The people of Jackson’s time era were not used to someone telling such graphic truths through a short story. If Jackson had written her Story today I am sure there would not be anything close to the public uproar that occurred in 1948 when the story was published.           Works Cited Barr, Donald. â€Å"A Talent for Irony.†New York Times Book Review (1949): 4 Rpt in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 9 Detroit: Gale, 1992. 248 Crisis Group. â€Å"Crisis in Darfur.†20 Mar. 2005      Hyman, Edgar Stanley. â€Å"Biography of a Story.†Come Along With Me. (1960): 211-25. Rpt in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie. Vol 39 Farmington Hills: Gale, 2000. 181-185 Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery.†Literature The Human Experience Reading and Writing. Ed. Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 328-334 Reagan, Bette. â€Å"Shirley Jackson – Life and Work.†18 Mar.     Â
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