Product Marketing Element in the Luxury Car Industry

Product Marketing Element in the Luxury Car Industry Preface This essay discusses the role of product (a marketing element) in the luxury car industry. Various frameworks of strategic marketing management are reviewed and applied to the context of the luxury car industry. The essay argues that product decisions should not be done in isolation, as they are rather complex concepts that transcends the physical products itself, so a comprehensive approach is necessary during the strategic marketing process. Many of the business functions, including but not limited to marketing, have received strategic relevance in contemporary business discussions (Olson et al. 2005). This means that marketing is viewed (i.e. strategic marketing) as a strategically important component in business decisions in order to better reach and satisfy customers and to improve organisational performance (e.g. productivity and profit). Therefore, marketing should not be considered as a distinct business function that is only involved in promoting the product and sensing customer needs (Caru, 2008). In reality, strategic marketing closely collaborates with other functions to effectively differentiate from competing firms in a particular market by answering three rudimentary questions, which are where, and how the organisation should compete. This means that if strategic marketing is applied, it is well probable that strategic planning will have a close and an intensive dialogue with the marketing department (Smith et al. 1999). This essay intends to critically analyse the role of the product marketing mix in the luxury car industry. The reason why the product marketing mix was chosen is that this element plays an elevated role for those industries where there is a physical product sold (Trott, 2011). This does not mean that in other more service orientated industries (such as the banking and financial sector) the product mix have a lower role, however, marketing managers may want to focus more on other elements of the marketing mix to deliver an enhanced customer experience. Generally speaking, the key criterion for product is that it must satisfy existing or emerging customer needs in competitive markets, so organisations must place an extra emphasis on communicating why their products are superior to that of their competitors (Grà ¶nroos, 1997). This could be particularly true in the luxury car market industry where the competition between existing brands could be intensive. Short overview of the industry and its trends First and foremost, a key distinctive factor of the luxury car market is that its performance (i.e. sales volume) is less affected by changes in the macro environment (Bordley, 1993). The recent financial crisis severely hit the car manufacturing industry, however, the demand fluctuation in emerging markets was offset by a growing desire for luxury cars in emerging markets, such as China and the Middle East (Rapoza, 2014). The luxury car market is dominated by three brands, which are Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi, altogether controlling the majority of the sales in this sector (Behrmann, 2016). The industry is expected to grow in the future, however, manufacturers and resellers must ensure that they closely follow developments in their external environment. The aforementioned brands are expected to maintain their market leading position, however, many other brands (such as Vauxhall) are also trying to enter the luxury market, mainly through by changing their product mix (i.e. the use o f premium materials in the interior or including such design features (e.g. large diameter wheels) that used to be the hallmark of luxury car products (Morton, 2013). The relative importance of the product mix in the luxury car industry It is widely understood that organisations must first carry out an internal analysis if they are pursuing strategic marketing and if they want to ensure that their products will be successful in their selected market(s) (in this case the luxury car industry) (Stevens et al. 1993). According to the 5C framework, organisations should analyse their customers need, their resources to produce and distribute a particular product, their industry context, competitors strategy, performance and whether or not forming strategic alliances could be a rational choice (Kaynak, 2005). To give relevant examples to the luxury car industry, the following assumptions regarding the 5C model could be taken: exiting and unsatisfied consumer needs (need for safety, prestige, luxury feeling without compromising the automobiles functionality); company resources: does the organisation have access to luxury suppliers or does it possess the necessary skills and expertise to manufacture luxury goods in house (e.g. high performance engines for Mercedes Benz AMG performance line cars); context: the products must follow changes in the external environment (e.g. growing interest towards electric cars or other miscellanies changes); competitors: identification of competing firms and benchmarking against them to develop a differentiated product; collaborations: is there any opportunities to form strategic alliances with suppliers? Many luxury cars openly associate themselves with other brands (e.g. Brembo). Once an organisation has assessed the above mentioned constraints (and preferably devised strategies to overcome these), the constraints must be linked with the marketing mix. Although this paper solely focuses on the role of product in the marketing mix, it must not be forgotten that strategic marketing may only contribute to organisational success if an integrated approach is adopted (Keller, 2001). The STP process (segmentation, targeting, positioning) is also a critical part of this holistic methodology, so product decisions must also be consistent with the selected market(s)s needs. Therefore, achieving business success is done through the development of a close with between the product, the customer and the marketing (Mohr et al. 2009). As such, a luxury car must have those product attributes which are sought after by the luxury car customer and the external communication strategy (i.e. the marketing communication) should clearly set out a product that is highly valued by poten tial customers (Martin, 1998). The product levels in the luxury car industry Despite the fact that the author of this paper previously argued that products are often perceived to be physical items, the theory of product levels illustrate that successful organisations must address all layers of the of product level diagram (Kotler et al. 2016). These levels are hierarchical, so the suggested holistic approach is also recommended for product management in order to ensure that customers are provided with a consistent product experience, given that each level closely reflects the target markets (luxury car buyers) expectations. The core product (even if it name suggests otherwise) is an intangible element of the product. It essentially entails the realisable benefits from the product use. In general terms, people purchase cars to facilitate their transportation from point A to point B, as other alternative modes of transportation (e.g. bus, taxi, walking à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.) might not satisfy customer needs. The basic transportation need is overly generic for luxury car manufacturers, so understanding the psychology behind purchasing a good that well exceeds realistic customer needs is of paramount importance (Shukla, 2012). Luxury cars are seldom purchased for their convenience other car makers could perfectly satisfy transportation needs too, so there has to be another rationale behind a high value purchase. Although this paper is too short to enlist the possible psychological factors influencing luxury car purchases, it is realistic to assume that these decisions are overly driven by emotions (Kapferer , 1998). People driving luxury cars intend to communicate their status or they want to leverage on state-of-the art technology and safety features that somewhat counterbalance the irrational choice of luxury cars. Correspondingly, luxury car manufacturers must convince prospective buyers of the presence of these attributes, and seemingly the three market leading brands are succeeding. BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz are recognised as status brands and their technological advancement and safety features are well above the industrys standards. In essence, this is the first step that customers examine before they actually visit a luxury car saloon to discuss further details of the product with a sales associate. The next product level is more tangible in its nature, as it encompasses the actual product (the actual car model, e.g. BMW X5, S-Klasse or S6) and its visual aspects (such as colour, style, quality, chassis contourà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.) (Kotler et al. 2016).   Even though it is hard to separate this level from the actual product, it is important to emphasise that the core and the actual product must complement each other, so if a luxury car is designed to offer buyers a status symbol, this should be reflected in the cars physical appearance and certainly in other parts of the marketing mix (e.g. price, place, people) to maintain consistency. Whilst it is tempting to categorise goods into either services are products, there is often a continuum between the two polar ends of the spectrum, so luxury car manufacturers should also focus on the augmented product level (Zimmerman and Blythe, 2013). The augmented product level is mostly composed of service elements, such as after sale warranties, the delivery of the luxury car, maintenance services, financing and a quality customer care to address any customer concerns before, during and after the purchase. The concept of product level shows that the physical product is often just a fraction of the product marketing mix, as successful sellers must address each level in their product management. As it was previously suggested, a concerted approach to marketing is necessary, so luxury car manufacturers must warrant that other components of their marketing strategy (e.g. other elements of the marketing mix) are consistent with their product decisions (Kotler et al. 2016). If these recommendations are adhered to, organisations are able to establish product leadership, which is essential to maintain anticipation and excitement towards the products and to increase the number of new and existing customers (Cooper, 2005). This must be accompanied by a continuous product innovation (instead of just adding variety to products without any value or inspiration) so that luxury cars superiority is maintained. Product Assortment Product Width, Length and Depth A final consideration for product management in the luxury car market is product assortment. Product assortment entails all products that the seller offers for consumers (Thompson, 2000). Product width refers to the number of different product lines a manufacturer carries (e.g. high performance hatchbacks, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), sedans, minibusesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.); product length measures the number of product variants within one category (e.g. optional car features, such as GPS or blind spot monitorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ etc.), while product depth shows the total number of variants available at a particular manufacturer. Serving all segments is seldom possible, so organisations must carefully analyse potential customer segments to target, while also maintaining the financial interest of shareholders (Crane and Northeastern, 2012). The luxury car industry (or a matter of fact, the luxury good sector in general) could be considered to be in a highly specific market, opportunities in increasing product width is not always possible. For example, as introduced during lectures, Dyson manufactures vacuum cleaners, air treatment equipment and hand dryers, which are seemingly completely different products, nevertheless exiting resources could satisfy production needs for all products and there are definitely cross selling opportunities (i.e. commercial vacuum cleaner buyers might also be interested in air treatment equipment). In case of the luxury car industry, such synergies could be more difficult to attain, since the deployment of capacities for different product lines could be difficult, although Mercede s has successfully diversified into the heavy truck industry seemingly without compromising its luxury perception in its consumer market. Product length assortment consideration is more common in the luxury car industry, as within the passenger car product category, a high number of variants has been developed (Kotler et al. 2016). As previously mentioned, luxury cars come in a variety of forms, satisfying varying customer needs. While this product decision satisfies customer needs, it is also a kind of product diversification that helps luxury car manufacturers to shelter themselves from economic cycles conceivably during the economic recession, large luxury cars were sold in lower volume, yet a cheaper model variant remained affordable to the target without compromising on quality. To conclude, the essay demonstrated the role of the product marketing element in the luxury car industry. It was gradually explored why careful product considerations are necessary in order to ensure a consistency in an organisations marketing strategy and marketing process. It was also highlighted that thinking of products as physical items is not advisable to fully understand what a product is instead, as the theory of product levels has shown, products must provide a holistic consumer experience in the luxury car industry. References Behrmann, E. (2016) Mercedes on pace to win 2016 global sales crown from BMW. Available at: http://www.autonews.com/article/20160811/RETAIL01/160819974/mercedes-on-pace-to-win-2016-global-sales-crown-from-bmw (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Bordley, R. F. (1993) Estimating automotive Elasticities from segment Elasticities and First choice/Second choice data, The Review of Economics and Statistics. 75(3), p455. Carà ¹, A. (2008) Strategic market creation: A new perspective on marketing and innovation management. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley Sons. Cooper, R. G. (2004) Product leadership: Pathways to profitable innovation. New York, NY: Basic Books. Crane, F. G. and Northeastern (2012) Marketing for entrepreneurs: Concepts and applications for new ventures. London: SAGE Publications. Grà ¶nroos, C. (1997) Valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ driven relational marketing: From products to resources and competencies, Journal of Marketing Management. 13(5), pp.407-419. Kapferer, J.-N. (1998) Why are we seduced by luxury brands?, Journal of Brand Management. 6(1), pp.44-49. Kaynak, E. (2005) Marketing issues in western Europe: Changes and developments. New York, NY, United States: International Business. Keller, K. (2001) Mastering the marketing communications mix: Micro and Macro perspectives on integrated marketing communication programs, Journal of Marketing Management. 17(7-8), pp.819-847. Kotler, P., Keller, K. L. and Brady, M. (2016) Marketing management. Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education. Martin, C. L. (1998) Relationship marketing: A highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ involvement product attribute approach, Journal of Product Brand Management. 7(1), pp.6-26. Mohr, J. J., Sengupta, S. and Slater, S. (2009) Marketing of high-technology products and innovations. Boston, MA, United States: Prentice Hall. Morton, R. (2013) Insignia: Vauxhalls luxury company car. Available at: https://www.businesscarmanager.co.uk/insignia-vauxhalls-hidden-luxury-company-car/ (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Olson, E. M., Slater, S. F. and Hult, G. T. M. (2005) The performance implications of fit among business strategy, marketing organization structure, and strategic behavior, Journal of Marketing. 69(3), pp.49-65. Rapoza, K. (2014) Emerging markets to drive automotive comeback. Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2014/09/01/emerging-markets-to-drive-automotive-comeback/ (Accessed: 15 January 2017). Shukla, P. (2012) The influence of value perceptions on luxury purchase intentions in developed and emerging markets, International Marketing Review. 29(6), pp.574-596. Smith, P. R., Berry, C., Pulford, A. and Baxter, M. (1999) Strategic marketing communications: New ways to build and integrate communications. London: Kogan Page. Stevens, R. E., Sherwood, P. K., Dunn, P. and Winston, W. (1993) Market analysis: Assessing your business opportunities. New York: Haworth Press. Thompson (2000) Strategic Management. New York, NY, United States: McGraw-Hill Education. Trott, P. (2011) Innovation management and new product development (5th edition). Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Zimmerman, A. and Blythe, J. (2013) Business to business marketing management: A global perspective. London: Taylor Francis.

Employee Rights & Managing Discipline

Employee Rights & Managing Discipline All corporations strive to have strong employee relations, recognizing employee rights and effectively administering discipline are two vital aspects of developing this relationship. These aspects, meticulously executed, generate increased job satisfaction amongst employees and improved performance. Identifying and observing various employee rights is an integral piece of managing discipline. Management must be cognizant of these employee rights, divided into three separate categories: statutory rights, contractual rights, and other rights (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 441).Statutory rights, particular rights protected by specific legislation are often regulated by an agency of a state or federal government. A crucial right, developed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the protection from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age, or handicap. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of the federal government monitors employers to ensure that current and/or potential employees do not suffer from unfair discrimination.Protection against unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, another vital statutory right, falls under the regulation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 441). Contractual rights, granted by the law of contracts, derived from a legally binding promise created by two or more competent parties with remedies for non-compliance are another key element. Employment contracts, a classic example, clearly define the terms and conditions of employment for all involved parties.An advantage of such contracts entitles an employee to compensation if he/she is discharged for reasons other than nonperformance; this particular privilege is usually only available to individually negotiated contracts. Yet, benefits sheltered by union contracts include the right to due process and wrongful discharge remedies. Due process, the impartial investigation of discip linary actions allow members under a union contract to claim back pay and other job rights if found to have been wrongfully discharged (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 441-442).However, these contracts are rare in the work force; most individuals, commonly employed at will, grant employer and/or employee an opportunity to terminate the relationship at any time for any cause. Employee rights, neither statutory nor contractual are other rights, encompassing, the right to ethical treatment, a limited right to privacy, and a limited right to free speech. Fair and ethical treatment by an employer is a reasonable expectation of employees, thus management needs to devise a culture promoting such treatment.Developing this culture include, but not limited to, techniques, such as, developing trust, acting consistently, demonstrating integrity, and ensuring that employees are treated equitably. Incorporating some of these practices will aid organizations to avoid high turnover rates, which can be damaging to the bottom line. The limited right to privacy, another defined other right, enables employees from unreasonable and unwarranted invasions of their personal affairs. Searches of an employee’s personal workspace or listening to their conversations should be limited situations initiated by reasonable cause or acquiring prior consent.Mark Dupont and Roy Clarke, shareholders of Richards, Watson, & Gershon, outline an effective method in which a corporation can acquire consent from employees: â€Å"Cover everything. Make the policy as broad as possible to cover all types of electronic communications that occur on work equipment, including those that may be developed and implemented in the future [cell phone, e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, and so forth). The policy should be set up to evolve with the rapid pace of technology. . . Make sure the policy matches practice. . .Take care that mid-level managers do not undermine the policy with stray comments and assurances that are contrary to the policy. Make sure that the policy matches up with actual practice. If the policy intends a no-personal-use policy, do not undermine that directive with mixed messages. It is also advisable to have employees sign an acknowledgement that they have read and understand the policy, . . At the same time, make sure the policy is practical if incidental personal use is inevitable, understand the implications of such a policy, and address it (Privacy rights). Another privacy issue arises from the handling of employees’ personnel files, containing sensitive personal information. These essential files ought to be available only to a limited population of the corporation in order to protect an employee’s privacy. Individuals vigorously protect the right to free speech, a cornerstone of the U. S. Constitution; nonetheless, this is limited within the private sector. An employee publicly disagreeing with corporate strategies is to expect disciplin e. Moreover, inflammatory or abusive language insulting superiors, peers, and/or clients warrant negative onsequences (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 442-445). Successful implementation of discipline while adhering to the standards and expectations of employee rights does encounter adversity; random drug testing, whistle blowing, and the restriction of office romances consist of a few challenges management must confront (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 447). Many employees view random drug testing as a direct violation of their right to privacy, claiming the practice is an unreasonable invasion. The intent of random drug testing is to create a safer work environment by the most equitable means, but it continually meets resistance.Therefore, many private corporations have opted for other avenues to ensure workplace safety. One method utilized by private firms is pre-employment drug testing, a test given to all potential employees, as a step in the hiring process dissipates tension bet ween employee and management concerning the issue, in essence, an applicant’s failure of this drug test enables a firm the right not to extend an employment opportunity. Another alternative is probable cause drug testing, occurring when an employee engages in unsafe or suspicious behavior.Both forms of testing do not arise randomly, but transpire for a predetermined reason, alleviating the issue of invasion of privacy (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 447-449). The act of whistle blowing, an instance when an employee discloses illegal, immoral, or illegitimate practices of an employer, presents another delicate situation for corporations. A whistle blowing incident requires a tempered response from a firm’s management team, compelling them to retain authority without trampling an employee’s right to free speech.Managers must refrain from behaving inappropriately and encouraging dire measures, such as, ostracizing, harassing, or firing the vocal employee. Despite a reasonable response from management, whistle blowing is still a risky endeavor and an individual should accumulate the proper documentation before going forward. Yet, such undertakings have produced valuable legislation; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, provides protection to whistle blowers and holds offending parties accountable for their infractions (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 451-453). Administering restrictions on office romances commands another balancing act from managers.Management must determine the appropriate measures to limit the firm’s liability from sexual harassment litigation, but not infringe upon employees’ off-duty relationships and behaviors, invading their privacy. A few corporations elect to establish a no-dating policy even with this policy’s drawbacks; namely, the difficulty of enforcing the policy or being compelled to terminate a valuable employee for a violation of this policy despite no illegal activity occurring. Conversely, othe r firms encourage office romances acknowledging the benefits of a happier and more stable work force.These two scenarios are the extremes, most companies find comfort with the middle ground of neither condemning nor condoning office romances, rather accepting them as long as they do not involve a supervisor and his/her direct subordinate (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 453-454). Effectively disciplining employees while respecting their rights may be cumbersome, but two different approaches, commonly used, are a progressive style and a positive style of discipline, both consisting of the manager discussing questionable behavior with an employee (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 454).Progressive discipline, multiple interactions giving employees opportunities to correct deviant behavior before dismissal, typically addressing minor infractions comprise of three to five steps. The initial step, a verbal warning, describes the behavioral miscue and notifies the employee of possible consequ ences if the undesired behavior persists. An employee committing another infraction of the same policy within a specified period will be subjected to a written warning.This recorded documentation, entered into the employee’s personnel file, reiterates the issue and describes further repercussion if the problem continues. The severity of the situation increases with each successive step of the progressive discipline process, thus not heeding these warnings, an employee may face unpaid suspension and/or eventual discharge from a company (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 455-456). Another multiple step form of discipline, positive discipline, is similar to the progressive method without the adversarial aspect.This process encourages cooperation among managers and employees, opening a dialogue to correct deficient behaviors. The first step involves a discussion of the poor performance and a verbal solution to the problem. If this proves ineffective, the subsequent step is another c ounseling session, but the agreed upon resolution is now documented. Squandering both these opportunities still results with the employee taking time away from the work, as with progressive discipline, however, under the positive method this is paid.This approach attempts to avoid ill-mannered behavior from the offending employee upon return with hope that the performance is improved, if not, separation of employment is the final action. While the initial implementation is costly and the administering of this method is time-consuming, both, managers and employees prefer this process. The cooperative construct of counseling eliminates apprehensions regarding discipline, creating managers more apt to intervene when an issue arises, fostering better working relationships with their employees (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy 455-457).Incorporating basic principles within the management of discipline regardless of the severity of the infraction creates uniformity and understanding. Manage ment should communicate the rules, expectations, and performance criteria to all employees clearly, thus creating a workforce knowledgeable of the policies, procedures, and consequences of their violation. All information, properly documented, enables both, management and employees, to present and/or dispute only facts.Furthermore, discipline administered quickly, consistently, and without discrimination is the most effective. Michael S. Lavenantan, attorney at the law firm of Landegger & Baron, specializing in labor & employment law suggest: â€Å"To avoid liability for harassment, discrimination, or wrongful demotion or termination, every organization should train its supervisors to follow these six non-negotiable rules of discipline. 1. Be fair. 2. Be consistent 3. Be uniform. 4. Be honest. 5. Be objective. 6. Be prepared.Following these six rules will help you minimize liability when an employee makes a claim. Educating supervisors about these rules will give them the right bal ance between authority and receptivity. The result will be low turnover and high productivity for your organization† (The Art of Employee Discipline). In conclusion, recognizing employee rights and managing discipline is a complicated task requiring the attention to numerous details, yet, done in an efficient, effective manner will generate a stronger work force prepared to succeed.Works Cited Gomez-Mejia, Luis R. , David B. Balkin, and Robert L. Cardy. Managing Human Resources. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Dupont, Norman, and Roy Clarke. â€Å"Privacy rights: employee use of electronic devices in the workplace. † Public Management 92. 10 (2010): 24+. Academic OneFile. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. Lavenant, M.. â€Å"THE ART OF EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE: How to Retain Control & Increase Production. † Nonprofit World 1 Jul 2010: ABI/INFORM Global, ProQuest. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

Vegree in medicine Essay

The gentle breeze of summer is kissing the rice fields of a well known man named Pedro. His majestic house is facing the fields as if they were being observed in a daily basis. Pedro is known for his kindness with his neighbors. He is able to help them in times of need and he is really ready for giving his hand to the charity. Though he resides in a rural area, his sons and daughters were sent to urban places where they can have new information about the world. The schools or universities where his children study are of high quality. Moreover, one of his daughters often get high grades at school that he really becomes so proud of her. Their neighbors are getting envious with the achievements that they get from the universities. Pedro thinks that he can retire at an early age given that there will be someone who will take care of the farms and, that will be his children who can make the business expand. One morning, Pedro realized that there were already 6 months since he last saw his firstborn. The 20 year old girl was taking up a course in the premium University of their State and is trying hard to pursue a degree in medicine. He named the girl Gennovive as the name may imply uniqueness and extravagance. Indeed, this girl’s education costs the largest among the 3 children of Pedro. Since she is pursuing medicine, Pedro and his wife Hanami, get used to seeing her only once in a month. But this time is different. With a very troublesome afternoon, Gen was scolded by his father for having a number of failing grades at school. This is the first time that the girl received those kinds of marls in the class cards. Emotions of Gen â€Å"The sole reason why I got those grades is the difficulty of the subjects themselves. † Those were the words Pedro remember Gen told her the time they had the encounter. The only thing that Gen was concerned about was to help his dad in putting up a new business and expanding their assets as she graduate from her school. She sobbed, closed herself in her dim lit room to reflect her shortcomings during the previous semester. She has some faults, yes! Letting someone get into her heart with such a close relationship and loving him whole heartedly. After some time, she found herself broken with the memories of her so-called boyfriend. Things that she could not confront with her dad, these are such examples. After that, she was too busy grieving for her loss only to realize how miserable she was with the mourning and crying. It was too late when she decided to take a step away from her past, from the man who actually stole her everything. Long Awaited With some tears on Pedro’s face, he saw a silhouette of a girl who eventually approached her and hugged her with tears. â€Å"Dad, I am sorry! †. Both of them were over whelmed that they did not notice Hanami approaching. Gen told her father of how she coped with her sadness and the reasons while she failed the last semester. In turn, she gave her dad 3 medals that she garnered for some contests in their university plus the news that she was chosen to be a delegate for the international campaign for health. The whole house was very happy for her arrival. Just like the story of the Biblical Prodigal Son, Pedro invited his closest friends to have a dinner at their place to celebrate Gen’s come back and the victory of being chosen as the delegate of the nation.

Taming of the Shrew essays

Taming of the Shrew essays Within The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare unfolds a plot that uses the tools of silence and misinterpretation to satirize the roles of women and marriage during Elizabethan times. Ironically, it is Katherine who is labeled a shrew, yet she has very little actual voice within this play. On the other hand, while acting in a shrewish manner, Petruchio gives voice back to Katherine in exchange for her submission. The silence of Sly is important, as his presence buffers the seriousness of the concerns raised by the perspective of his character watching a play. This leads us to question: is it Katherine who is being tamed, or is it the audiences reaction that is being tamed? During the Elizabethan era, women were expected to conduct themselves according to strict social norms. A woman was only considered suitable for marriage if she were obedient, chaste and silent in manner. For a woman to step outside of this traditional role whether by voicing an opinion in contradiction to her husband, or in not obeying his instruction was to break social order and thereby be labeled a shrew. This behavior was considered the ultimate curse to a husband. It was acceptable custom for the perpetrating wife to be carted through town, publicly humiliated and cast out of their circle of friends and neighbors. According to the historical reference in the Oxford English Dictionary, the term shrew meant an endless chattering tongue, but also denoted an evil or disdainful nature. The term was typically applied to women. Shakespeare pokes fun at the formal restrictions on behavior of females in Elizabethan society and questions the benefits of marriage in this play, yet he does so in a removed fashion through the use of Slys character most likely so as to not to invoke contempt of the court. The audience is watching Sly watching a play. Shakespeare tells us ...

The Seattle Scene essays

The Seattle Scene essays Nirvana. Pearl Jam. Soundgarden. Alice in Chains. The early 90s were ruled by bands like this. They were all grunge bands and Seattle was the origin of it. But were these the bands that started it all? Where did they suddenly come from? How come music like this was never heard of before until these bands emerged on the scene? What exactly was the music scene like before Well truth be told, all of these bands were actually formed from numerous other bands that had gone their separate ways. But before I get ahead of myself, allow me to take you back to the late 80s and early 90s. Seattle was very much like any other town with a small music scene. Most of the bands in Seattle would actually move to la to see if they could get signed or to see if they had any future in music. Many musicians in the small dreary town of Seattle would actually just go a record their music and put out a small album that really only sold to locals. One of the more popular labels in Seattle was Sub-Pop Records. In 1986, they released an album called Deep Six, which really was a compilation of various small bands. Of course the album was purchased only by locals and not really anybody else. The two owners of Sub-Pop records came up with a great marketing idea. Instead of promoting the music, they promoted their label. It was made out to be like an honor to be on this label. They paid for a music critic form London in 1988 to fly over , see of couple of shows of a band called Mudhoney, and then sent him back. Well this reporter spoke so highly of the Seattle scene that London was actually where all this music was hitting. Everything and anything from Seattle was being exploited. After about 2 years, and no radio play in the US people in Seattle thought that this little phenomenon would die. Then in 1991, a guy named Kurt called Jack Endino, who ...

Are Science and Religion in Conflict Research Paper - 1

Are Science and Religion in Conflict - Research Paper Example Many are the times when religion has various inconsistencies with science. While some people are alight with religion, some do not find this route appealing. As a matter of fact, there have been various debates that try to bring religion and science together. Many parties have come up with strong points that are aimed to settle the differences (Draper, 2010). However, not a single party is willing to water down their stand. As such, they have been in constant opposition as to which has a legitimate stand. Consequentially, some people are torn in between as they come to terms with issues raised by both sides of the divide. Most people only focus on the positive attributes of the two sides. As such, they do not have a concrete decision to fully settle for either religion or science. For these reasons, this paper answers the question as to whether there is a conflict between religion and science. Religion is based on religious practices and beliefs which are taught in defined settings a nd contained in various literature. Religious norms state that their followers have to uphold utmost faith in their beliefs. As such, they are to follow religious teachings and values at all times. One of the most outstanding issues in religion is that God is the creator of everything. Since He is the supreme creator, human beings have no legitimacy to compare themselves to the Supreme Being. In this case, humans have no reason to compare themselves to the Almighty through His mysterious ways (Radcliffe, 2012). The point is that religious fraternities are not in agreement with scientific innovations with scientists trying to compare their creations with those of the Almighty. The most outstanding example in this case is cloning. Science has made it possible for humans to create other humans through cloning, which is a scientific way of breeding humans through science. This is unacceptable to many religions as followers consider this to be mimicking their Creator. As a matter of fact , they consider the Almighty as a steadfast priority and should not be compared to anything else that exists or ever existed (Draper, 2010). For a human being to glorify cloning is ridicule to God as stated by the religious fraternities. Therefore, according to religious groups, the numerous scientific innovations are ill advised and should not try to compare their innovations with God’s creations. This has been a heated point of argument as scientists advance on their innovation in total disregard of the sentiments from the religious people. On the other hand, scientists state that there is no point of concern with their innovations in regard to cloning. In fact, some scientists state that the Almighty gave humans the brain as well as the right to fill the earth. As such, they are enhancing the Almighty’s task to multiply the human population and fill the earth. Since this is a strong point, scientists feel that they have an obligation to increase the human population in an easier and scientific way. Consequentially, religious fraternities state that this is not the intended approach to multiplication of the human kind. They state that the Almighty intended for the natural way of multiplying human beings. As such, these religious fraternities are totally against cloning of human beings. This creates a serious drift between the two parties as each tries to justify their opinions and approaches (Bury, 2010). Since they all have their supporting points and references, they seem to be in conflict. Apparently, this conflict seems to intensify with each development and cannot be solved on a round table agreement. Conflict arises between religion and science especially when there is such a profound contention. As a matter of fact, religious groups have one thing in common, which is their beliefs and faith in a superior being (Dennett & Plantinga, 2010). Therefore, all the people that interact with the religious groups will have to assert their beliefs

Lack of jobs for college graduates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lack of jobs for college graduates - Essay Example Consequently, this has affected a large number of young college graduates. Moreover, this acts as a way of making many graduates loose hope. Most of these graduates work hard in their school lives and use more amount of resources in order to get a good college education and respectable jobs. However, after graduation the reality strikes that only a few jobs exist for the large number of graduates entering the job market. Various graduates who majors in areas of studies also face these challenges. The finance major students have faced an example of such challenge. The state is expected to last for a time due to the current nature of United States economy. Analysis of the unemployment rate in United States helps in highlighting challenges faced by college graduates such as Joblessness, getting low income, failure to repay loans. The poor economic nature that is taking place in the country is making college graduates lack jobs. The poor economy started in December 2007 (Shierholz, Sabadish and Finio, 1). The government response to the poor state of the economy has been weak and slow. Consequently, the jobs become fewer for those getting out of college. For example, there lack over 8 million jobs and the unemployment rate has risen to a high of 7 percent as compared to the previous years (Shierholz et al. 1). In fact, the unemployment rate has risen to a rate that was not even experienced in The Great Depression. The weak labor force continues to affect young workers especially those graduating from college. â€Å"The March unemployment rate of workers under age 25 was twice as compared to the national average† (Shierholz et al. 1). However, there has been a rise in the number of available jobs, but the availability is yet to satisfy many graduates. As a result, the ability to get jobs for young high s chool and college graduates remain