A Horse and Two Goats Essay

‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is a masterpiece of literature by R. K. Narayan (1906 – 2001). The writer is a brightly shining star in the galaxy of the leading literary Indian fiction writers, particularly who wrote in English including Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. Narayan is given credit for bringing the Indian Literature in English to show the whole world. For this great service to the Indian literary world, he is rendered as the greatest Indian novelist and short story writer. see more:article on old age homes The setting of this story is in the real and small village, Kritam unlike his most of the stories. His stories have simple language and common characters that are grappling with their social problems of everyday life as we see in his story ‘A Horse and Two Goats’. Narayan has been compared to as great writers as William Faulkner and Guy de Maupassant. He has reflected humour and passions of ordinary life and exposes the bitter truths about human life in different shades and colours. With respect to this trait, he is counted a humanitarian artist in his own way and distinctive style. However, R.K. Narayan’s style has met bitter criticism for simplicity of his diction. It is said that he is too simple to be intellectually entertaining. The story has just two main characters. Muni, an old and very poor Indian and a red-faced American. Both of them represent their cultures through language. They speak their own languages and hardly can understand each other. In other words, language proves a great barrier in communication between the two individuals who belong to two entirely different cultures. This difference of cultures speaks volumes about the conflict of the East and West, with their own distinctive values and standards. Moreover, the two characters represent their respective nations. One is from the First World, America, the highly developed one and the other is from India, the Third World. Muni is symbol of austere poverty, materially as well as morally. He is in fact telling a lie to his wife when he tells her that ‘I have sold our goats to a red-faced man. He was absolutely crazy to have them, gave me all this money carried them off in his motor car’ (p.16). The American has mistakenly bought th e statue of horse. He misunderstands that the horse-statue belongs to the poor old man, Muni. His misunderstanding is owing to his utter ignorance of the Indian culture as well as his materialistic outlook. He misunderstands that money can buy anything he likes. He stands as a symbol of the American that their material superiority can make them able to buy the cultures of the poor nations with money. He time and again talks about his business and his keen desire to become a big businessman. This fact can be seen in these wistful words of him: I repeat I am not a millionaire. Ours is a modest business; after all, we can’t afford to buy more than sixty minutes of TV time in a month, which works out to two minutes a day, that’s all, although in the course of time we’ll may be sponsor a one-hour show regularly if our sales graph continues to go up†¦(p.14). Moreover, the American fails to discern the reality that the horse-statue is not the possession of the poor goat-man but it belongs to the whole village of Kritam. On contrary, Muni is very poor but he is not preoccupied with materialistic pursuits. He talks about his religious and spiritual preoccupation. According to him: †¦our pundit [†¦] told us that Vishnu is the highest god. Whenever evil men trouble us, he comes down to save us. He has come many times. The first time he incarnated as a great fish, and lifted the scriptures on his back when the floods and sea waves †¦ (p.12). This discourse exposes the truth about the conflict of the East and West on spiritual and materialistic grounds respectively. The writer seems to suggest that West is hollow at heart and worshipper of materialism whereas East is spiritually rich and deep-rooted in culture and traditions which cannot be snatched from them because they are their life and spirit. Muni’s these words point this fact out that ‘ At the end of Kali Yuga, this world and all other worlds will be destroyed and the Redeemer will come in the shape of a horse called â€Å"Kalki†, this horse will come to life and gallop and trample down all bad men’(page:13). Similarly, at individual and social level, the story exposes evils of poverty. Muni is awfully poor and under the burden of loans even for bare bread. The story reveals the fact that how strange the way of the world are. When Muni grows poorer and poorer, the people of his village begin to look down upon him as someone low and base. They do not treat him as a respectable individual of the society. It implies about the inhuman behavior of the fellow beings with one another when their social status is not equal. Poverty becomes a curse at home and in the society for the poor people like Muni. His wife quarrels with him because there is nothing to eat to live. Owing to his poverty nobody is ready to give him loans. The shop man who used to give him small loans has now refused to give anymore because the poor Muni has piteously failed to repay his former loans. Muni promises but without any use that ‘I will pay you everything on the first of the next month’ (p.3). His poverty causes him a great disgrace and he helplessly utters ‘My poverty is exposed to everybody. But what can I do’ (p.4)? He gets rid of the shopkeeper when he insults him before the eyes of the people Muni tells him that he will pay back as soon his daughter sends him money on his fiftieth birthday. Thus Muni’s poverty is symbolic to the poverty of the common people who are maltreated only for their poverty in this world which is mad with worship of the wealth and material things. Muni unlike the American is conservative. He says, the cinema has spoiled the people and taught them how to do evil things. He has least lust for material things and no high ideals in life. He only dreams of opening up small shop under a thatched roof, selling fried nuts, sweets and coconut to the travelers in need of quenching their thirst and mitigate their hunger. In other words, Muni is very good-hearted poor man who loves to serve humanity but the American has excessive lust for wealth has no love to serve humanity. He tries to gratify his aesthetic sense by buying the statue-horse but never thinks about spending his money for the benefits of the humanity. Besides, the story stresses upon the fact that the poor may have tender feelings for humanity but not the rich because they have mostly the hearts of gold and silver which are without sympathetic feelings for others. The American talks to Muni so long only because he has a great desire to buy the statue. In addition, the two men have little knowledge about each other’s society and culture. Muni fails to understand the reason why the American wants to buy the statue when it has no practical benefit at all. It also indicates that the poor and illiterate people have mostly least approach beyond their belly. The American also cannot realize that the statue is the cultural symbol of the people belonging to a small village, Kritam which represents whole India. To sell the statue is tantamount to sell cultural identity. However, Muni sells his two goats and the statue for hundred rupees because he has nothing to eat due to his poverty. He tells lie to his wife that he has sold his two goats in hundred rupees without mentioning the sale of the statue. Perhaps he does so due to two reasons. One reason is that he cannot imagine that the statue has such great importance for the American and he will not take it with him. Second reason is that the statue does not belong to him only but the whole village and by selling it he will get money to take home and please his wife who is mostly annoyed with him for poverty. It means that poverty may compel a person to go to such limits as telling lies and selling ones legacy. Furthermore, the Big House stands for discrimination in village of Kritam. It is only one such big house in the village whereas other abodes are no more than mere huts and mud houses. It is the symbol of monopoly and feudalism. Muni has to pay for using the back part of the Big House for his goats and sheep when Muni had good days and prosperous life with as many as forty goats in his pen. However, the Big House is a great source of relief for Muni and his family. He has hardly anything in his house even water and is dependent on the Big House for drinking purposes. Muni says, ‘Bath! Who can dream of a bath when you have to scratch the tank-bed for a bowl of water? We would all be parched and dead but for the Big House, where they let us take a pot of water from their well’ (p.4). In other words, the writer criticizes the poor condition of the South Indian people who been kept so much deprived by the rulers. They have worst condition and have no availability of daily communities as essential as drinking water. The writer wants to convey the message to the State about negligence and least care of the masses who living in exceedingly miserable plight. This poor condition also goes back to the colonial age of the Subcontinent when the colonizers ruled their colonies and did least for the welfare of the people who were the subjects. They proved looters of the resources of their colonies and did not improve their poor condition. They rather cause the flourishment of the feudal culture which is there long after their departure from the subcontinent. They have left but have left behind their influence and their discriminatory system among the Indians. The Big House is the representative of this concept. The Big House has well of water whereas the other population, not to speak of other daily commodities of life, has not even water for them to drink. The American has come to visit India which was colony like his own country of the USA but America has rose successfully from the slavery and has come to the fore front due to their sincere leaders and their welfare system of the State. The writer wants the world know about the poor condition of the South India where there is no standard of living at all. He seems to expose the bitter realities of life in pinching grip of austere poverty. Narayan like Guy de Maupassant is ranked as great figure in the world of modern short story. Maupassant he has followed the last two conditions as a writer: 1. a moral relation of the author to the subject, 2. the clearness of exposition, 3. sincerity, that is, an undisguised feeling of love or hatred for what the artist describes, But Narayan has followed the whole three ones quite successfully in his short stories. Also like him Narayan has the ability to compress text without losing the basic message. He was endowed with that particular gift, called talent, which consists in the author’s ability to direct, according to his tastes, his intensified, strained attention to this or that subject, in consequence of which the author who is endowed with this ability sees in those subjects upon which he directs his attention, something new, something which others did not see. Narayan evidently possessed that gift of seeing in subjects something which others did not see.

European influence in Africa Essay

The presence of Europeans in African countries had a great influence on the cultural benefits, traditions and norms of Africans. African societies were composed of small ethnic groups bound by deep cultural and traditional benefits. Slave trade in North Africa disintegrated these cultural systems. The entry of Europeans in North Africa led to breaking of those small indigenous units into modular states that could be easily controlled by the colonial rule. They abolished the indigenous legal systems and imposed new legal systems based on European concepts of law. North Africa was integrated into the world capitalist system, where its main function was to provide raw materials and new markets for Western industrial revolution. This led to imposition of taxation forcing Africans into cheap wage labor. Land grabbing and alienation in settler colonies made it impossible for the economy of the colonized countries to grow. This is because the colonial administrations only developed areas they saw fit for their benefit and it led to growth of colonial cities such as Dakar, Lagos and Nairobi. Westernization in North Africa led to the rise of Christianity and reduced the number of Muslims in sub Sahara, which contributed to the destabilization of Africa traditions and cultural benefits. Christianity promoted the assimilation of new ideas and new lifestyles such as monogamy and nuclear family. African societies believed in polygamy and extended families. This is being practiced even to day. Christian missionaries introduced Western education, which involved mastery of European language and literacy. The adoption of new habits and tastes coupled with Christianity and western education, led to the development of a new elite that included teachers, clerks, lawyers and doctors. Slave trade degraded the value of African people because they were used against their will to benefit the European economy. This impacted negatively on African leaders because some still practice slave trade today. Europeans brought about, modernization in Africa in terms of Western education, Christianity and Western lifestyles. European influence in Asia (1650-1815). South East Asia comprised of societies that varied in different aspects. Main societies in south East Asia included China, Thailand and Cambodia, therefore European influence on South East Asia varied extensively depending on indigenous states. Societies in South East Asia had very distinct traditional beliefs and rulers who reigned with a conviction of permanency and stability. Europeans created new economic relationships in South East Asia by establishing new industries like rubber production and improvement of traditional ones such as rice and sugar industries. They were improved and expanded to meet the European needs. Communities in Cambodia protested against economical changes when agribusiness in form of plantation farming was introduced. Europeans aimed to make the traditional cultures modern. This was received positively by some south East Asians who had been trained in Western schools. They believed that Western culture would have positive effects on their cultural and economical backgrounds. The elites adopted the European language and mode of dressing. Adoption of the Western culture led to political, economical and social growth in Asia. However, it was difficult to assimilate the European culture and lifestyles in Asia because of the diversity of Asian cultural customs and traditions. Asia is composed of Muslim, Christianity and Buddhism and therefore impacting Christianity in Asia was difficult. These traditional settings emphasized on unifying of social, economic, political and social spheres, though it is impractical to unify all the spheres. The influence of Europeans in Asia was highly varied and uneven throughout the region. They used superior military technology to achieve conquest and monopoly. The Portuguese invasion of Malacca led to the decline of the trade systems as they tried to dominate the spice trade. The European therefore, caused the detachment of producers form their traditional markets. As a result the powerful trading cultures in southeastern Asia collapsed due to colonial influence. European influence was limited to the coastal ports and the adjoining regions. Peasant life in Asia was not affected by the European influence as they remained inside the confines of their village. (Alagappa 130-138). European influence in Middle East (1825-1941). Middle east societies combined religion with governance of their states. European powers overwhelmed the region and tried to separate governance from religion. They replaced the indigenous educational, social and political systems through modernization. The Kuranic schools were replaced by the Western education. Middle east is an Islamic region that viewed European powers as enemies for creating Christianity in the Muslim dominated region. This created a sense of distrust of the Europeans by the Arabs. Europeans faced great resistance form the Arabs who used national movements to adopt anti-western speeches in order to gain favor from their people.. European powers in the Middle East replaced the Muslim leaders by non-Muslim leaders to create artificial political territories since they did not arise from the societies. They created states that had conflicting ethnicities and divided other ethnic groups into two or three portions. For instance they divided the Kurds into Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. (Kaelble 120-127). Dividing ethnic communities stirred political rivalry and violence in the Middle East. It also created instability among the Arabs, preventing political, social and economical development. The Arabs formulated revenge missions to the Europeans and resisted any form of invasion whether political, economical, educational or social.

Manic Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Manic Depression - Essay Example There is not a specific year for this illness to appear but it is a long-term disorder that has to be treated carefully all along the patient's life (NIMH, 2008). NIMH points out the following about this mental disorder: "Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it; an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide." It is relevant to note that during the manic episode the person can feel very creative, and it is well known that very intelligent people has suffered from this illness. One dangerous feature of the bipolar disorder or manic depression is the fact that during severe crisis the patient can experience psychotic symptons like hallucinations (hearing, seeing, or sensing the presence of things that are not actually there) and delusions (false, strongly held beliefs not influenced by logical thinking or explained by a person's cultural concepts) (NIMH, 2008). These psychotic symptons appear according to the manic or depressive state the patient is experiencing. For example, delusions of grandiosity thoughts reflect a manic state, and suicidal thinking reflect a depressive state (NIMH, 2008). It is important to differentiate between major depression and mania as Conrad Stppler remarks it: "What differentiates bipolar disorder from major depression is the occurrence of manic episodes, often described as emotional "highs," between the episodes of depression. Symptoms of manic states are varied and include restlessness, increased energy, euphoric mood, racing thoughts, poor judgment, intrusive or provocative behavior, difficulty concentrating, and a decreased need for sleep. People experiencing manic episodes often speak

Society-Law & Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Society-Law & Government - Essay Example The adult parole population grew 1.1%, rising to a total of 732,351 by December 31, 2001.† Glaze also added that since 1995, there had been a steady growth in correctional population. From 1.3 percent annual growth, it had increased to 3.7 percent per annum on jails, 3.6 percent per annum on prisons, and 3.4 percent per annum on probation (Glaze, 2001). With the continued financial difficulty brought about by the global economic crisis, it is no wonder that more and more people are committing felony. For some, drugs could have been a way of escape since 25 percent or a quarter of all probationers were convicted of a drug law violation. Others, alcohol had been a way of escape since 18 percent of all probationers were arrested for driving intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol (Glaze, 2001). I would definitely agree with the statistics given the fact that the general American public is very stressed out with ways of coping with financial difficulty that almost everyone is experiencing right now. Social stratification refers to the various strata of social groups that make up the community. Social groupings based on gender, ethnicity, power, economic affluence, are just a few means to which people are grouped together. For instance, in our current society, people are more often associated with upper, middle, or lower classes. By studying the concepts of social stratification, one would be able to identify how each social group relates to one another and how their presence affects the community as a whole. By doing so, it hopes to be able to find the root causes of inequality and its impact on the overall aspects of the social life (Saunders, 1990). In terms of the delivery and quality of legal services in the United States, I believe that economic inequality and ethnicity are two driving social forces that impact its efficacy.

What is a Theoretical Approach Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What is a Theoretical Approach - Coursework Example However, even if the philosophical topic is a changeable topic that cannot be sufficed by the formation of theories that try to explain such broad and complex concepts, formation of a comprehensive and all inclusive theoretical framework can give us an explicit way to aid in tracing and identifying any territory of philosophy. This would further increase our understanding of philosophical concepts, which are purported to be beyond human understanding (Costa, 2002). A theoretical approach refers to an organized set of principles put forward by an interested party in the study of a topic of interest put bring forth their conceptualization of a matter of importance. This theoretical approach must follow a given methodological approach to put it in the required context to further understanding. A prescriptive theoretical approach aims at explaining what a concept under study should be. It outlines definitions in order to give concept under study meaning that can be used to further unders tanding. This approach is not concerned about past events but focuses on the future to guide an analysis. A descriptive theoretical approach aims at explaining what philosophy has been by looking at the past.... Aristotle can indeed, be considered a theorist given the numerous contributions in philosophy through theories highlighted in his book, Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle contributed greatly in the explanation of concepts of human lives jointly with other theorists such as Plato (Ackrill, 1981). The theorist presented ideas on matters that pertains happiness sequentially to bring comprehension of the origin and other dynamics of happiness. According to Aristotle, happiness was reliant on individuals instead of other people around humans. Aristotle presented critical thinking concerning the pursuit of happiness in the world. Aristotle modified and incorporated observations concerning happiness thus presenting the intricate and reasonable theory concerning happiness. Aristotle utilized or presented intricate situation in his works as a theorist using skill and comprehension of concepts in order to develop ideas that were applied in formulating theories (Ackrill, 1981). The situation that Ar istotle structured in order to come up with the theories in philosophy and other fields were meant to serve a clear purpose within the contexts of the structured theories. In various works presented in the book, Nicomachean Ethics, certain ideas or concepts offered by Aristotle were never immediately important although other relevant ideas got presented by other theorist in response to either add on or deduct irrelevant ideas. Aristotle developed ideas that he presented in his works, through stepwise methodology, to ensure that the problems that were presented go solved perfectly although it is not certain that the ideas were facts or fiction. Aristotle can

Amazon Incorporation analisys Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Amazon Incorporation analisys - Research Paper Example art from this, Amazon.com also presents millions of ethnic and unique as well as refurbished items of varied categories such as books, movies, music & games, electronics and computers; home & garden; toys; kids and baby; grocery; apparel; shoes and jewelry; health and beauty; sports and outdoor; and tools, auto and industrial and many others. This is one of the prime causes that lead to the development of Amazon.com and also improved its portfolio within the minds of the customers. Side by side, technological innovation also enhanced the growth of Amazon.com in the world among others. Other than this, due to wide range of products, international retail websites, worldwide network of fulfillment along with customer service centers enhanced its growth to a significant extent. This helped Amazon.com to become a Fortune 100 company. Due to which, the economic performance of the organization improved to a certain extent as compared as shown in the below graph: Economic performance of Amaz on.com Thus, due to its vision to expand in numerous countries with the help of internet enhanced the goal of becoming the number one organization in the entire world. 2. SWOT analysis Strength: Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer... Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to the implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered the high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is also another renowned business strategy that improved its net sales and profit margin. Information Technology (IT) also supported Amazon.com to improve its economic performance and growth. Along with this, it also helped the customers to access the site from varied locations in order to attain the products. Amazon is also a global brand and also the original dotcoms due to the presence of the huge range of customer in the entire world. It became the first online retailer due to the presence of e-commerce techniques. This enhanced the performance and ROI of the organization in the world that proved extremely significant for it

TABLE 1 References to Time Management Concept in EBSCO database by Essay

TABLE 1 References to Time Management Concept in EBSCO database by Decade - Essay Example As per the given tabulations, the factored systemic variance within the cycles of the outputs and alternatively, these classifications are deeply organized into behavioral models which work collectively with the predictable market and search models. In his analysis, Neville et al, (2005) illustrated that IT concepts were technically built from information obtained from business models. The valuable strength management of a system is proportionally matched with the most ideal technological interpretations of the data warehouses and the information portal (Rainer and Thomas, 2004). An increasingly secure data is protectively commissioned through the required security features but the evaluation of a search provides an important platform. Ideally, the databases which contain these items are repeatedly factored and allocated specially designed keywords called Keys. The technology itself works by classifying inputs, such as cost of the products, cumulative costs for different products, credit worth and the latest changes in prices. According to Neville et al, (2005) the database search aspect also provide the clients with adequate information regarding customer behaviors, responses and the basic build up models of future customer trends (Neville, 20052000). The data mining systems are effective communication strategies which build a bulk emailing component in the system. The inclusion of discounts and general reduction of prices, these updates are automatically relayed to clients’ inboxes (Carson, 1990) The key beneficial trends of time management are determined by the customer participations. These basically involve the relational implementation of the strategic time management phases. The specification of customer based information satisfaction is gained periodically by engaging the business trends with the people (Boulding et al., 2005). The core objective as per Carson, (1990) is to enhance the views of customers in

Making money online Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Making money online - Coursework Example Communication has been enhanced, and, therefore, information flows more efficiently from one person to the next regardless of place and time. Markets are now defined mostly in terms of the number of potential buyers and consumers. There exists a very large global market that has provided the opportunity for online businesses to thrive. Many organizations now conduct most of their marketing and sales online. Moreover, individuals undertaking online jobs and assignments have made a considerable amount of money through the niche. Prism Enterprise considers departmentation as a key element of an organization’s structure. Therefore, the firm has adopted the functional organizational structure. The structure is most desirable as it enables the management to establish the key functions of the organization and thus create departments from the functions. The main functions carried out by Prism Enterprise are Finance, Sales and Marketing, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Research and Development (Study.com, 2015). There are a lot of benefits derived from the application of such a structure. Each department is given its due attention, and workers in the various departments specialize in their tasks thus improving productivity and quality. Moreover, it enhances delegation and makes managers accountable. The Span of control is another element of an organization’s structure that has been used by the firm to design its structure. The business applies the tall structure of an organization. The structure minimizes possibilities of making errors and fraud in an organization due to the increased degree of control and supervision. The work-load of managers is also substantially reduced, and unity of command is guaranteed. Employees only report to one boss thus chances of conflicts of interests and power struggles are eliminated. The business is faced with various internal and external environmental factors. The

Emission Trading System in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emission Trading System in Australia - Essay Example This paper explores the Emission Trading System in Australia and its annihilation with focus placed on three economic variables (demand, supply, and government regulations). The price control (EMS elimination) was introduced with the view to lower the amount spent on environmental protection significantly by 2020. However, this process develops differently in the short run and in the long run. Elimination of the EMS in Australia will lead to reduced investment in the Australian market especially for manufacturing companies. Increase in government regulations encumbers economic growth because it makes the economy rigid and costly to invest in. The cost of investment in the Australian market generates two dissimilar effects on the economy. First, it increases the cost of investment in the country and the cost of environmental control within the country. The gridlocked EMS would lower the cost of carbon by $20 to $25 per ton (Davis & Taylor, 2011, p.1). This cost shifts to the investors, which raises operational costs. Second, it increases the price of manufactured commodities in the country. Increased investments (loanable funds) from LF0 to LF1 increases the supply of commodities showed through the curve SLF. The reverse is true when investment levels reduce irrespective of the reasons for the reduction. Reduction in investment can also arise from decreased profit margins due to increase in the operational costs for businesses operating within the country. The situation in Australia, with eradication of EMS, produces a combination of both factors working against increased investments in production companies in the country. However, the government regulation to switch to renewable sources of energy as an alternative to carbon emitting sources will reverse the situation (Wang & Blackmore, 2012, p.4389). The initial cost for the companies will definitely be high

Comparison & Contrast Essay Example for Free

Comparison Contrast Essay In society it seems that everywhere we look we are surrounded by advertisements whether it is television commercials, billboards or advertisements. Obviously, the main purpose of advertisements is to get the consumer to purchase the product. Print advertisements are an extremely effective way to reach a mass audience because the advertisements are in print, the use of color, text and photography are all key factors in luring the consumers in to buying their product. Advertisements cannot simply attempt to sell the product in question; they must make it appeal to the consumer. It is important that advertisements not only attempt to make the product they are trying to sell clear but also to actually make the advertisement mean something to us, the consumer. The two advertisements that I will be comparing and contrasting are two make-up ads. I picked these two ads because I feel they do a great deal of drawing their consumers in. Mascara is a must have in the make-up world. Most women wear mascara to make their eye â€Å"pop. † Consumers will automatically look at these two ads because of the brand names and how people classify make-up. By knowing that a lot of consumers look at these ads they have to make the ads interesting. Not only will I be comparing and contrasting these two ads but by doing that I will also be telling how they draw consumers in to looking and buying their product. The first ad for mascara came from the magazine Lucky. Lucky is mostly targeted towards young teens and women. This mascara in the advertisement is made by Rimmel London. The use of color is very helpful in this ad because it uses bright vibrant colors that catch your attention. The color of the mascara is black and electric green. Also, the color of the models eyes is very blue which accentuates the true color of the mascara. By making the models eyes such a pretty color it might make people think that if they use this certain mascara it might make their eyes â€Å"pop† like the models does. In the article all the words are written in white and all caps in the background. I think the reasoning behind writing all the words in white is because it is a neutral color and it also stands out. Although the colors really help, keywords also have a great toll in selling a product. By putting â€Å"REV UP THE VOLUME† in big letter it draws your attention. It draws people in that want more volume for their eyelashes. All caps draws your attention and makes you want to read every word on the ad. By putting that if you use the product you will have denser more numerous lashes in 30 days it make consumers want to buy this product and actually see if the product will work. Last but not least is the layout of this ad. Layout really helps make an advertisement. By making the model take up most of the page, your attention goes directly to her. Even without knowing what the ad is about; if you just look at her you can automatically tell it is a mascara ad by her eyelashes. By putting the words around the model you can read them and after every word you read about it helping your eye lashes you can’t help but look back at her eye lashes. The brush of the mascara is out of the bottle so the consumer can see what the brush looks like and how it will form their lashes. The second ad is also found in the Lucky magazine, which means it also mostly targets young teens and women. The mascara in this particular ad is made by Revlon which is a very popular brand of make-up. This company took a very smart approach by getting a celebrity model to endorse this product which is a very beneficial thing. The colors in this ad are more laid back compared to the Rimmel London ad. The use of all black and then making just around the eyes a little lighter automatically draws your attention not just to the model but to her eyes. The words are in white and a very pretty aqua color. These colors stand out very well on the black background. By closing the eyes I believe it shows how long the lashes look. The words are on the top and on the bottom of the page. In my opinion, the reasoning behind this is so that if you start at the top of the page you will read down to the bottom of the page. The mascara top is out of the bottle and shows quality of the brush and just how thick it is and by doing this, Revlon is trying to visually convince the consumer that with this thicker brush, the more luscious your eyelashes can become. After looking at all of the aspects of these two ads, they have a lot of similarities. The first main similarity is that they both came from the magazine Lucky. By putting these ads in the same magazine, these two mascara providers are competing with each other for the teenage and young woman market. On both of the ads the mascaras are in very pretty colors. Although the colors are different they both stand out and make the mascara unique. Keywords of these ads are very alike. All of the very important words are in all caps, big, white, and very noticeable. The layouts of these two ads are almost just alike. Both of the ads have the model in the very middle of the page which is where usually all the main focus of the reader goes. Both of the mascaras are on the bottom right corner of the page which goes well because after the reader has seen this beautiful woman and what this mascara has done for her, the reader looks to the bottom to see just exactly what the mascaras name and appearance is. Even with many similarities, there are still some differences between these two ads. The brands of the mascaras are different, one is Rimmel and the other is Revlon. The use of color is very different in these two ads; Rimmel London used black and electric green where Revlon used black and aqua. In the Rimmel ad the colors are very bright and vibrant colors, while the Revlon ad is very dark and dull. Although the keywords are alike they are very different too. In the Rimmel ad the words are in all caps, no matter how big they are they are still in caps. Some words in the Revlon ad are all caps but then the words that are small are in regular font. After comparing and contrasting these two very marketable mascaras, it is very difficult to pick which one is the clear cut winner. Many people have different styles, so maybe the black and electric green appeals to half of the readers where the black and aqua mascara appeals to the other half. Both of these companies did a very good job in putting their advertisement out there and making their product very attractive and marketable. These companies have been around a long time and know what they’re doing. If that means coming up with competitive ads week in and week out, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to be the top mascara provider in the world.

Learning experience at university

Learning experience at university Coursework 3 Reflective Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning at university is an amazing experience for me as a student; it is totally different from the time when I was at high school. In the past several months, I have gradually developed my academic skills and, realized that I have to change my learning styles to be able to integrate with the new environment. Therefore, to be able to achieve the best results, the purpose of this essay is to reflect on my strengths, weaknesses with the results and feedbacks from the last assessed assignments of two previous 119ECN Coursework, 113ECN Coursework 1, 121BSS Coursework 1, 185ACC Phase Test 1 and the 119ECN Presentation. Then from that, considering what appropriate actions should be taken to make up the deficiencies and improve my skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based on each coursework, I consider my strengths to be able to identify all the main important points that need to be highlighted on a writing essay like â€Å"summarize an article† (from 119ECN Coursework 1), and organize well the presentation of an essay like 121BSS Coursework 1,113ECN Coursework 1. Since I like to draw a plan beforehand of each essay to create a good structure, and it may be just my hobby trying to make the essay looks nice and tidy. I understand the teachers perspective in each essay, I know what I should mention; however, my academic writing skill is not good enough to get high mark, and the fact that I only get 55% (113ECN Coursework 1) is the highest mark that I can get from previous writing coursework. As the result that I had never done a writing essay before in high school, and especially I am an international student so my English language skills has a quite serious problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Normally in my essay, I will need to rephrase a number of sentences or words because it would not make sense, and the reader find a difficult time to understand it it is clearly said in the feedback of 119ECN Coursework 1 and in other coursework, the teacher only said my analysis or writing is enough or satisfactory but mostly never come to good. And even thought in 121BSS Coursework 1, I tried to read more reference books, used more academic writing styles, and I actually had a good analysis of private sector company types, I still got problem with my spelling and punctuation; I did not focus enough on the second part of the essay thus overall I did not get a high mark for the assignment (46%). Eventually, I make the same mistake in 119ECN Coursework 2 I did not pay enough attention and effort on the second part of the essay my explanation on the first part is only enough to satisfy but it comes to unsatisfactory on the second part, in the end, I get 36% for the coursework (the worst mark that I ever got).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 113ECN Coursework 1, the type is quite different from the other coursework like 119ECN or 121BSS; I have to draw 3 4 charts and analyze them. My presentation and charts are quite good so they make up for my analysis; hence I get 55% for overall (the highest mark up until now for writing). The 119ECN Presentation is not a writing essay but a speaking communication, so the mark was average (13/20, about 65%); my speaking is quite clear and covers the entire required subject because I practice numerous times before the presentation day. Nevertheless, the hindrance is still my writing skill, my slide consists of too much information, so it is hard for the audience to follow my speaking and they only try to read the slide, not listening. And the presentation exceeds the given time because my group only practices individually so we couldnt manage to time ourselves in time. Finally, 185ACC Phase Test 1 is not exactly a writing test, it is more like a test of solving math problems so it involves more in calculating so it is easily to understand why there is no feedback for this test. To me, math is the easiest subject as I practice it frequently since I was young, and more interesting than other subject (especially subjects that I have to write essay). The test is not too difficult and has plenty of time so I did not have much trouble to finish it with perfect mark (100%).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the result, I realize that my biggest weakness is my academic writing skills, and it is obvious that I have to do a large number of essays when I am at university as they are the main assessed mark. For that reason, I have to improve my academic skills by many ways like: Read more guide books about writing skills at university to help increase my academic words, and how to use them efficiently in the essay as I can find many examples in those books. Read more books about my subject like finance or business, and even newspaper to help improve my ability to analyze the data and have a wider range of knowledge to be able to develop the quality of the essay. Check through the essay several times when the tutor gives back the assignment with feedback and reflect on it make note of what lacking in the essay and what need to improve base on the tutors feedback. Find someone with high result to reflect the essay together and pay attention on what they have that I dont have. Listen to their opinion about my work, and try to improve it base on their comments. Scan the essay several time before hand it in to check if there is any mistake and see if it makes sense. Especially try to pay attention to the second part of the essay more as I always neglect it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, through this essay I know all of my strengths, and weaknesses on my current academic skills based on previous assignments of several modules. I have a lot of actions that need to be taken to develop my academic skills before the end of this semester. To be able to have a good result of the first year at university, I still have to try more to get a good hold of wider knowledge. Appendices: Page 1

Symbolism in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Walker Everyda

Symbolism in Alice Walker's Everyday Use History in the Making Heritage is something that comes to or belongs to one by reason of birth. This may be the way it is defined in the dictionary, but everyone has their own beliefs and ideas of what shapes their heritage. In the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, these different views are very evident by the way Dee (Wangero) and Mrs. Johnson (Mama) see the world and the discrepancy of who will inherit the family’s quilts. Symbolism such as certain objects, their front yard, and the different characters, are all used to represent the main theme that heritage is something to always be proud of. The main objects of topic throughout the story are the quilts that symbolize the African American Woman’s history. Susan Farrell, a critic of many short stories, describes the everyday lives of African American Women by saying â€Å"weaving and sewing has often been mandatory labor, women have historically endowed their work with special meanings and significance† and have now embraced this as a part of their culture. The two quilts that Dee wanted â€Å"had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me [Mother] had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them† (par. 55) showing that these quilts were more valuable as memories than they were just blankets. The fabrics in the quilts â€Å"were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell’s paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the piece of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War† (par. 55) putting forth more evidence that these are not just scraps, but have become pieces of family history. The q... ...big yard, and the characters are all symbols that have gotten the theme across that you must always cherish your heritage. Dee will go back to the city and support her more broad perspective of all blacks as Mama will stick to her tighter confines of family history. The one young lady (Maggie) that has yet to be engulfed by others opinions will be the one to press on both histories as one: When Maggie finally smiles ‘a real smile’ at the end of the story as she and her mother watch Dee’s car disappear in a cloud of dust, it is because she knows her ‘mother holy recognition of the scarred daughter’s sacred status as quilter is the best gift if a hard-pressed womankind to the fragmented goddess of the present.’ (Piedmont-Marton) This story full of symbols will carry on generation to generation because as things change so will the people and their outlooks on life.

Animal Farm Summary :: Animal Farm Essays

The book starts in the barnyard of Mr. Jones' "Manor Farm". The animals gather at a meeting led by the white boar, Major. Major shows them that no animal in England is free. He also explains that the stuff that they produce is taken by man and the animals do not benefit. The only thing that man gives is food to survive so more money can be made off of the animals. Majors lets them know that man is the source of all problems and should be eliminated. He proposes that all of the animals should avoid man's habits. Above all Major says to the animals that they cannot kill one another, that they are all equal.A few days later Major dies, but his message remains in the hearts and minds of the animals. Under the leadership of the pigs, who are clearly the more intelligent of the animals, they strike against their human master and manage to get rid of him. After the rebellion, under the direction of Napoleon, the most outspoken pig, and Snowball, the most articulate pig, the animals continue to work the farm with success.The animals now come up with a set of rules to run their society. They are labeled "the Seven Commandments of Animalism" and are posted on the barn wall. 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend.3. No animal shall wear clothes.4. No animal shall sleep in a bed5. No animal shall drink alcohol6. No animal shall kill any other animal.7. All animals are equalThe animals succeed at running the farm for a little while. They finish all of their work with stunning efficiency and every week hold ceremonies to celebrate the rebellion and to plan work. Meanwhile, the pigs as leaders are taking bigger food rations for themselves justifying their behavior as something necessary for the "brains" of their animal society. They explain that it is necessary or else the farmers might come back and take over the farm.The farmers do try to reclaim their tries to reclaim his power but the animals prevent him from doing so in what they call "The Battle of the Cowshed". The conflict between Napoleon and Snowball gets more intense. At every meeting they can never agree on what needs to be done. Napoleon and Snowball fight over whether or not a windmill should be built.

Nicolaus Copernicus :: essays research papers

Nicolaus Copernicus His Life:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout history people have always looked up at the sky and wondered about the universe. Some just wonder while others attempt to solve this mystery. One of the people who had endeavored to solve it was Nicolaus Copernicus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Copernicus was born in the present day town of Torun, Poland in February of 1473. While still a young boy, Copernicus was put in custody of his uncle when his father died. His uncle made sure that his nephew got the best education they could obtain. This is how Copernicus was able to enter the University of Krakow, which was well known for its mathematics, and astronomy programs. After finishing in Krakow, he was inspired to further his education by going to the University of Bologna in Italy. While there, he roomed with Domenico Maria de Novara, the mathematics professor. In 1500, Copernicus lectured in Rome and in the next year, obtained permission to study medicine at Padua. Before returning to Poland, he received a doctorate in canon law from the University of Ferrara.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Copernicus lived with his uncle in his bishopric palace. While he stayed there he published his first book which was a translation of letters written by the 7th century writer, Theophylactus of Simocatta. After that he wrote an astronomical discourse that laid the foundation of his heliocentric theory; the theory that the sun is the center of our solar system. However, it was 400 years before it was published.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After leaving his uncle, he wrote a treatise on money, and began the work for which he is most famous, On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres, which took him almost 15 years to write. It is ironic that what he devoted a good part of his life would not be published until he was on his deathbed. His Theory:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the contribution Copernicus made to the astrological community, you first need to understand the theory that had been accepted at the time of Copernicus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of the arrangement of the planets arose about 4000 BC. At this time the Mesopotamians believed that the earth was at the center of the universe and that other heavenly bodies moved around the earth. This belief was synonymously know as geocentric. They believed this, but they had no scientific proof to support it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was not until the 2nd century that the famous astronomer, Ptolemy, gave an explanation for the movement of the stars across the sky, that the geocentric theory began to become creditable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That was the theory that existed at the time of Copernicus. Copernicus was not the first one to come up with the idea of a sun-centered (heliocentric)

Education and Religion Essay

1. Education and Religion were the two major foundations on which Charlemagne fortified his empire. The emperor had a profound love for the knowledge passed down by older civilizations. Specifically, he studied the culture and language of Ancient Greece and Rome, was able to speak Latin as fluently as his native tongue and could understand Greek very well and speak it a little. Under Alcuin he studied theoretics, dialectics and astronomy. He also tried to collect ancient manuscripts wherever they could be acquired which kept the knowledge of the ancients alive. Charlemagne employed religion as a unifying factor in his empire. He sought to convert to Christianity all the countries he had conquered. The Carolingian Empire was mainly agriculture based. He built roads to facilitate travel from one point of his empire to another. He relocated people from densely populated areas of the empire to the sparsely populated areas to even out the rate of production as well as he could and minimize the transport of necessities.. Lending with interest was forbidden. In general, our modern nations are still following Charlemagne’s strategy for agriculture with the focus on infrastructure development in poor countries, especially in Africa. The arbitrary relocation of people is somewhat of a problem. In the Philippines, squatters in the city who had been relocated to the provinces would not stay there since since communal agricultural labor is no longer in practice due to great possibility of land disputes arising from that arrangement. The squatters would have no job in the province and would return to the big city. the conduct of commerce and trade however, Charlemagne made no considerable contribution. Today, religious freedom is advocated globally. However, although not subscribing to the religion of the country you work in is not prohibited, subscribing to it provides a definite advantage. Many Overseas Contract Workers have converted to the religion of their host country to curry favor to its authorities. 2. In 1076, muslims captured Jerusalem on the pretext that the holy stone on which Muhammad prayed was there. But since Jerusalem was also the place where Jesus Christ died, Christian Europe organized campaigns to recapture it from the muslims. There were crusaders however who joined the campaigns for personal gain and riches to be found in the middle east. The crusades had both negative and positive effects. Many lives were killed, treasures were stolen, hatred was born between the Muslim and Christian peoples. On the other hand, Europe gained much by their introduction to the exotic treasures from the middle east like spices, brassware,rugs and silks which helped it boost its trade. Today we still see repercussions of the Crusades in the prolonged conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a conflict which has largely implicated their allies in the modern world. 3. Research reveals 83% of learning is acquired visually and only11% through hearing. divided among the other sense organs. The retention of learning is lowes with purely audio learning, higher with visual learning and highest with audio-visual learning. In other words, learning by sound is really second in rank to learning by vision it did not become so because of the use of audio-visual techniques in education. The reverse is true. Advertisers have resorted to audio-visual devices because learning and retention of information is optimum in that mode.

Describe a Sports Event That You Took Part in or Watched Essay

I love to play badminton especially in the summer time. It is a game I really enjoy, so play it whenever I can get a willing partner. It is a lot like tennis, but I can play badminton anywhere. I do not have to go to a tennis court to play and I can play in between classes without getting sweaty. Badminton is played with rackets that look a lot like tennis rackets, but they are much more delicate. You should have a net, which sits high above the ground, and a ball that is called a birdie. The birdie has a small rubber half a ball on one end, and it fans out with feathers on the other end to help it to fly. A badminton court has a net in the center that stretches from side to side. Each side of the net has a square that the team mates play in. It is ideal to play badminton with four people, but you can play one on one as well. You can also play without points or a net, but I do not think it is as much fun. It is a game that takes a lot of energy so you get plenty of exercise playing badminton. The main reason I like the game is that everyone, man or woman, has an equal chance to compete. There are so many sports that require height or strength to be good; it is refreshing to play one that I have an equal opportunity to win. Maybe that is why I get very competitive and energetic when I play. I love the game; it is fun and rewarding, and I feel alive when playing. Describe a difficult thing you did well. ä ¸â‚¬Ã¤ » ¶Ã©Å¡ ¾Ã¦ Å¾Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¤ ºâ€¹ Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã¥ â€šÃ§â€¦ §Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ¸ ªÃ¤ ½  Ã¥ â€šÃ¤ ¸Å½Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¥ Ë†Ã¤ ½Å"é ¡ ¹Ã§â€º ® You should say: what it was and explain why it was difficult. or and explain how you felt after you did it. Difficulty is a very subjective term. What one person may find difficult the other may find rather easy. For me overcoming my glossophobia was a very difficult thing. I used to be very stage shy and could never speak in front of an audience. It so happened that once I participated in an environment fair held in my hometown. We were a team of four students – Mohit, Rohan, Ravi and I. We had to make a model on pollution. It was very difficult to collect ideas for the model, but our teacher, Mrs Promilla helped us. We collected all data from different sources like the internet, library, magazines and so on We presented all three types of pollution – air, water and noise pollution – on thermocol In this project we showed the causes, effects and ways to control pollution We had to speak turn wise on our model. I remember I was very afraid to speak. But my other friends gave me the confidence. I felt very good that I was part of that team. I spoke very well that time. Getting over my glossophobia was an accomplishment for me. I felt very good after that. We won the first prize in this competition. The judges specially mentioned that the first prize was mainly because of the verbal explanation of the model. This fair was covered by the local cable TV and so many people of the neighbourhood congratulated me the next day. Our photograph was also there in the local newspaper Jag Baani. Our school principal also appreciated us I cannot forget that day. All four of us were on cloud nine on that day. So, this was a difficult thing I did well. something useful you learn from family member Describe a person who taught you a certain skill, such as cooking or driving or swimming. Please say – Who is that person? – How did he/she teach it to you? – Why did you learn it? – Was this skill useful to you? I have learnt many skills from people around me in my life. Here I would like to talk about my mother who taught me a very useful skill of cooking. My mother is in her forties and she is very tall and beautiful. She has a gifted hand in cooking. She has her unique way of teaching us, I mean me and my sister, how to cook. She never made us feel as if she was teaching us. She just kept us involved in the kitchen while she cooked. We learnt a lot just by observing her. I learnt cooking because I too want to be able to cook like her. I also learnt cooking because it is a very useful skill in today’s time. Moreover, as I plan to go abroad for my higher education, this skill will be veryuseful. I will not face any food problems. I am a vegetarian and I have heard that veg. food outlets are very few in foreign countries. This skill has proved very useful because many times I have been able to attend to guests when my mother was not at home. My mother not only taught me simple routine cooking but also some Chinese dishes. She also taught me how to make pizzas in the electric tandoor. She also bakes excellent cakes. Whenever anybody in our neighbourhood celebrates a birthday, the cake is always baked by my mother. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and she has many of her own recipes which are quick and easy and at the same time very delicious. She also presents her dishes very well. She says that the look of the dish is as important as its taste. I am fortunate, I have a talented mother who has taught me this useful skill. something you saw or experienced that made you laugh Here I would like to talk about one when I really laughed from my heart. It was my cousins wedding two months ago and we were all dancing on the beats of DJ. The groom’s father that is my uncle had taken a few pegs of whiskey. He was dancing the maximum. His odd and weird dancing steps were very hilarious and everyone was laughing at him. But he was not at all perturbed. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. My aunt tried to stop him many times but he wouldn’t listen. He was wearing a silken dhoti kurta. Suddenly he tripped and his dhoti came off.That was the most hilarious moment of all. The bride and the groom also had a hearty laugh.The photographer captured it all very nicely in his video camera. Even today when we see that we all have a hearty laugh. So this is the situation when I laughed from my heart. Describe a special meal you would like to eat: What would it be? Where would it be? Whom would you like to share it with? Why it is special for you? I’ve had many special meals in my life. Some were special because of the quality of food. Others were special because of the occasion And some were special because of the people with whom I shared those meals with. Here I would like to talk about a special meal that I would like to have. It would be dinner at the Rangla Punjab section of Haveli which is a beautiful restaurant in the suburbs of my home town. I would like to share it with my best friend who is now studying in Australia but is coming next week to spend his winter vacation here. Actually his birthday next month and I would like to treat my friend to a dinner at Rangla Punjab. Dinner is very special at Rangla Punjab. It is accompanied by cultural programmes. They serve dinner with traditional Punjabi hospitality. First they serve buttermilk which is followed by salad and light snacks. Then they serve two to three types of green vegetables and some lentil curry and rice with various types of chapatti. During winter they also serve makki di roti and sarson ka saag. Makki di roti is a chapatti made of maize floor and sarson da saag is a dish made of mustard leaves to which spinach leaves can be added. In the end they serve rice pudding and after that some jiggery. I have had dinner several times at Rangla Punjab but I would love to have it again with my friend. This time his company would make the meal even more special. I know he has never been to Haveli so he would also love it. Describe your favourite way to communicate with someone. You should say: what it is and explain why this is your favourite way to communicate Man is a social animal. To survive in this society we need to communicate with others. We can communicate in many ways – such as through cell phone, e-mail, internet chatting or by face to face communication. My favourite way of communication is through cell-phone A cell phone is a very useful gadget. We can communicate with almost anyone, from anywhere and at any time. That is why it is my favourite means of communication. It has become an indispensable part of my daily life. I use it daily to stay connected with my friends and family. I can call them, send messages and even send and receive e-mails through my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 model It is fully touch screen It has android operating system. It has its own application market through which we can download various applications according to our needs. I downloaded Talking Tom application which copies and speaks whatever you speak. I downloaded various games also. I have downloaded Sudoku which I play daily. My friends also play Sudoku and we compare our timings with each other. It has GPS facility through which we can search the desired location. Once I went to Delhi and through this GPS system I could locate my Uncle’s home easily. Otherwise it is very easy to get lost in Delhi. It has wi-fi facility. It has many inbuilt applications .It has a 12 megapixel camera. Describe a child you know. You should say: how you know him or her how often you see him/her what kind of person he/she is (= what his/her personality is like) and explain what you like about this child. I know many children but here I would like to talk about my niece, Gia, who is three years old. She is my cousin’s daughter and lives in my neighbourhood. She is very cute and I just adore her. She is a very chubby child. When she smiles, she has dimples on both cheeks which look very beautiful. I always feel like picking at her cheeks but she screams when anybody does so. She has curly hair and does not like getting her hair combed. Almost every day she comes to my house with my cousin. Then she comes to my room and messes everything up. Normally I don’t like if anyone messes up my things but with Gia I don’t mind at all. She loves chocolates and candies and I always keep some in stock for her. She is only 3 years old but she really knows how to twist everyone around her little finger. It is sometimes very amusing to watch her small pranks. She surely knows what she wants and gets it somehow. Recently, my cousin admitted her to a pre-nursery school called Petals. That school is in our neighbourhood and is very nice. She goes there happily and enjoys the three hours she spends there. She has learnt many nursery rhymes over there. Sometimes I go to pick her up from school as my cousin is busy in the household chores. I just love it when she comes running to me and hugs me tight. She has so much to share with me about her school and her new friends. May God bless her with a long and happy life. A job you would like to do My ambition is to become a teacher. I would like to teach small children i.e. primary level students. A bachelor’s in education degree is required to be a teacher. Nowadays, teaching has become a very lucrative profession. Moreover, I like being with young children. I am good at telling jokes and stories. Secondly, I am a very sensitive person. I am the first person to note if someone is sad or not feeling well. Since children don’t always say what they feel. My sensitivity would make me a good teacher. I am also a very organised person. Children need to be organised too So, I can instil these values in my children. I know that I don’t have a very high ambition but this is a very fulfilling ambition. I believe in enjoying what I do and at the same time I wish to do quality work. These children are our future. I aspire to would them to become good human beings tomorrow. I believe god has sent us all on this earth with a purpose. I hope I can fulfil this purpose by becoming a teacher. A gift you have given I have given and received many gifts in my life Here I am going to talk about a gift which I gave to my best friend on his eighteenth birthday. It was a mobile phone. He had always wanted a mobile phone. But his parents would not buy him one I saved all my pocket money for five to six months to buy this mobile It cost me Rs 2800 It is a small mobile – a Samsung X-210 model It is black rectangular and a folder type model It has many features like watch, calculator, FM radio, alarm, timer and a memory card to store phone numbers It does not have a camera but all the other features are very useful I saw an ad of this phone six months ago and immediately started saving money to buy it. Then, I used to get Rs 500 per month as pocket money. I was so fond of chocolates and candies that I used to spend all my pocket money on these things. But I remember I did not eat a single chocolate those six months. I was overjoyed to see the happy look on my friend’s face when I gave him the mobile phone. I honestly feel that there is more pleasure in giving than receiving. A childhood toy I had many toys in my childhood but here I am going to talk about my electric toy car. My father gifted it to me on my 11th birthday. I used to spend hours playing with it. I was greatly fascinated by it It is red in colour It worked with four pen torch batteries fixed in a box under the car. When I switched it on it would move in all directions If there was an obstacle on the way then the car could change directions Along with that it had lights which flickered at times. I was so fascinated by this car that I used to finish its batteries very soon. I used to show it to my friends with pride. None of my other friends had such a beautiful toy car. I just loved it when I saw the jealous look in their eyes. I remember, once I took it to school in my bag. When I came home I got a big spanking from my mother. I was very possessive about my car and never used to let anyone touch it. Even though I don’t play with the car any more I still have it in my room It brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood favourite time in a day The evening time is the best time of the day for me. It is the time when all my family members are together and we sit together and have our evening tea and chat with each other. We discuss all our day’s happenings with each other. During the day we all are busy and have no time for each other. In the evenings, sometimes, I go with my mother to do some shopping for grocery and vegetables. Once or twice a week I go out with my friends. There is a park near my house. Occasionally I go there also. All the children of my neighbourhood are there. I play some games like passing the ball with them. The elderly people of my neighbourhood are also there. It is a good time to interact with them and learn some values of life from them. There is a Mrs Sharma in my neighbourhood. Sometimes I meet her in the park. She has a great sense of humour. Ten or twenty minutes with her are really very refreshing. She is a lecturer in Kamla Nehru College, Phagwara. Sometimes, she guides me regarding studies too. Then I come home and take a nice cool bath. After that I watch TV for half an hour to one hour with my family over dinner. We all love watching some reality shows and sitcoms. Then I study or read something for an hour or two before going to bed. Describe a friend you haven’t been in contact with for a long time but who you would like to see again. ä ¸Å½Ã¥â€"Å"æ ¬ ¢Ã§Å¡â€žÃ© â€™Ã¥ °â€˜Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¥ Ë†Ã¥ ¹ ¶ In our life we come across many people and make a lot of friends.I too made a lot of friends during my school and college days. Here I would like to talk about a special friend of my school days with whom I lost contact but would really like to meet again. His name is YINYANG. He joined my high school in 2nd when his father got transferred to my hometown.His father was teacherin my high school at that time.I remember, he was very shy by nature and used to sit next to me. In just a few days we became good friends.He was not very tall AVERAGE in terms of appearance with his curly hair and a dimple on his chin. He was very good at studies.I used to trouble him all the times as I always had problem with maths, but he was always willing to help. We remained very good friends for three years and then his father got a promotion and was transferred to Chandigarh. After that we lost all contact because we are busy with our study I always think of him and would really like to meet him as soon as possible. I made other friends but I could not get as intimate with anyone else as I was with him I could share all my secrets with him and be sure he would never tell anyone. He was so trustworthy.I think I will have to travel changchun province to reach him. I would like to share all my experiences which I had till now after we separated. It has been 3 long years and I am sure he would also be happy to see me or hear from me.I wonder what he is doing now. a decision made by others but wrong in your opinion You should say: who the person was what the situation was what decision they made and explain why you think it was the wrong decision. In our day to day life we all have to take a lot of decisions. Some decisions turn out to be very good and some turn out bad. Here, I would like to talk about a person who made a wrong decision. Actually he did not mean it to be wrong but it turned out to be wrong. This person is my cousin Ravi. He is in his mid thirties. He is not tall but looks very handsome. He is running his own business of readymade garments. He has a seven years old son Rohan, who is very naughty. He was fed up of his naughty pranks and to punish him he sent him to a boarding school in Shimla. He thought that a boarding school would teach him discipline but when Rohan came home from his boarding school everyone at home was shocked because he had become very stubborn and even more naughty. Now he answers back to everyone and does not show any respect or love for his parents. Actually, he knows that the boarding was his punishment. This was a mistake done by my cousin. Children are very sensitive and should be handled with care. My cousin should have told him that the boarding was necessary for him because the education there is very good. Then perhaps Rohan would have not felt bad about going to the boarding school. Now my cousin repents for his decision. He has decided to call Rohan back from his next session. We had a family meeting and there it was decided that it would be better if Rohan stay at home with all of us. Talk about a meaningful song I love music and I love listening to Hindi and Punjabi songs. Most of these songs are very meaningful. Here I would like to talk about a Punjabi song by a famous Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan The name of the song is Boot Polishan. It is from his album Boot Polishan It was released in 2008. The song gives the message that work is worship. Instead of begging for money a person should work and earn. It does not matter if the work is small. If a person works and earns he can always hold his head high. I heard this song about two years ago and since then it has become my favourite song. Actually Gurdas Mann is my favourite singer. He is a multifaceted personality. He is a singer, actor, director and a lyricist as well. He writes the lyrics of his songs himself. He has also acted in many Punjabi movies. All my family members also love his songs. When we go out anywhere together we play his songs in the car. All his songs have messages. He even performs in stage shows. There is a village near my home town where he comes every year and performs for charity. I went there last year. It was an electrifying experience. A thing make you relax Once I have accepted that there are unhappy issue impacting my life, it’s necessary to make room for relaxation amid all those busy things I am doing. Walking the dog can be one of the most effective ways to ease your mind. What I want to mentioned is that My pet is a very important part of life. Spend time with my pet is the most relaxing time for me. when I feel lonely, I turn to play with her. I will Talk to my pet about all the stress and anxiety I ‘ve been going through ,that makes me feel a lot better. I guess that Pet therapy is a genuine means for relaxing; you can also learn a lot from watching how the pet relaxes.

Artificial Birth Control

Definition of Artificial Birth Control Artificial birth control can be defined as any product, procedure or practice that uses artificial or unnatural means to prevent pregnancy. Barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms, hormonal methods such as the pill and IUDs, and surgical sterilization procedures such as a vasectomy or hysterectomy are all considered to be artificial birth control methods. Artificial birth control is also refers to the use of any medication, barrier or device to prevent pregnancy.Many people use it instead of or in addition to natural family planning, which relies on tracking menstrual cycles, body temperature and consistency of mucus discharge to determine when a woman could conceive. The term â€Å"artificial birth control† is most frequently heard in relation to religious teachings on family planning. Many religious groups encourage the use of natural family planning as opposed to artificial birth control, believing that using artificial contrace ption is contrary to God's will. Certainly, though, there are also non-religious people who choose not to use artificial birth control for personal, ethical or medical reasons.Barrier Method The barrier method is one type of artificial birth control and as the name implies, barrier contraceptives use some sort of barrier to prevent sperm from reaching an egg. Available barrier contraceptives are male condoms, female condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps and contraceptive sponges. Spermicide acts as a chemical barrier and therefore also falls into this category. It is also to prevent pregnancy by killing ejaculated sperm. Spermicide is often used in conjunction with barrier birth control. Hormonal Method Any type of hormonal contraceptive is considered to be artificial birth control.Although the birth control pill is probably the most common hormonal contraceptive, it's far from being the only one. Other available hormonal contraceptives are the birth control patch, the vaginal ring, De po-Provera injections, Lunelle injections and the intrauterine device (IUD). Intra-uterine devices (IUDs) are small devices inserted in a woman's uterus. They prevent the fertilization and/or implantation of the egg by changing the mucus around the cervix and the uterine lining. They last for several years. Surgical Sterilization The final type of artificial birth control is surgical sterilization.For men, the sterilization procedure is called a vasectomy. For women, both tubal ligations (also known as having one's tubes tied) and hysterectomies cause sterilization. It's important to understand, though, that a hysterectomy is typically performed for medical reasons, including cancer or endometriosis. For this reason, a hysterectomy is not usually considered artificial birth control. Alternative Methods If you have decided that artificial birth control methods are not right for you but you aren't yet ready to have a child, you may want to consider natural family planning.Natural fami ly planning involves tracking your temperature or cervical mucus changes to determine your fertile days. On those days, you abstain from sex to avoid pregnancy. The rhythm method finding your ovulation date based on your menstrual cycle and withdrawals are also considered by some to be natural family planning methods. History Artificial birth control methods have been used for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians created vaginal suppositories thought to prevent pregnancy, and many cultures used condoms made of linen or animal intestines.

PUMA case study Essay

In order to arrive at the correct judgment of what will be puma’s opportunities and threats, let analyze the external environments factors affecting the company basing on the PESTEL and industrial competitive factors using five forces framework. And later when determining the company’s strengths and weakness I will look at the company’s internal capabilities by looking at its value chain, value network and any other competitive factors which gives the company more competitive advantage than rivals. By definition external environmental factors are those factors which have impact on company although the company has either very little or no control at all over those factors. Usually these factors are classified as PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). External Political Factors These refer to the following sub-factors:(I)Government stabilityThis has influence to any business. When the government in which Puma operates become unstable politically business will definitely be affected. For example civil wars affect both operations, leisure’s and sports events which are Puma’s business. In our case study we saw that after terrorist attacks of September, 11, 2001 and wars in Afghanstan, geopolitical uncertainty led puma to shift its production from Pakistan to China (Puma case study, 2003). (ii)Foreign Trade Regulations These includes treaties and agreements which must be respected by the member countries and Companies (Czinkota, Rivoli and Ronkainen, 1992).For example General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT),regulations in respect of monopoly and competition standards, Trade fair Act(1997), Paris conventional for the protection of industrial property, to name but a few. These have impact on Puma since wherever it operates it must adhere to. (iii) Taxation Policy These have impact on Puma’s business because are an expenses which reduce revenue but it can also be used as the barrier to entry to the targeted potential markets. Some government use to fix higher tax to incoming foreign company. Economic Factors These factors have a huge impact on Puma’s business. These are factors like cost of energy, oil, inflation, recession and recovery. For example interest rates(interest on loans and borrowings), inflation and unemployment has got negative impact on business since an increase of one or both of these factors is equivalent to the raise of business running costs at the same time will mean reducing the purchasing power(inflation and unemployment) of the people. GNP Trends can have impact on Puma’s business since a good GNP shows that the per capita income of the people is good. Positive growth trends means increases on people purchasing power which has a positive influence to Puma. People with big disposable income can spend more on the leisure like sports and also buys more of the products as oppose to the people with less disposal income. Sociocultural factors(i)Population demographic; there are arguments that the population is getting older and therefore Puma should starts to focus on the senior people segment in order to remain profitable and for business growth. (ii) Uneven income distribution means there are few people with disposable income (the rich) and the majority have very less purchasing power. It is not therefore a market puma should target. (iii) Lifestyle Changes These have the impact in business and it needs the company to be strategically innovative in order to cope with peoples’ taste/fashion changes to retain and persuade the customers. This is one of the factors making customers switch from one product to the others of the same use. (iv) Attitudes to work and leisureSince Puma operates globally it is possible to meet different societies with different attitudes to work and leisure. Negative attitude to work and leisure will have negative impact to business and positive one will have positive impact to Puma business. Technological FactorsProbably these are the most dramatic forces shaping our destiny which creates whole new markets and destroy others. These are such as;New discoveries/development and speed of technology transferThese makes the products life cycles get short and creates a fierce competition among industries and hence forcing the company to invest more on R&D so as to remain strategically innovative (cost implication to business). Technological factors can lead to both high rate of obsolescence and Increase Company’s budget (through R&D). Environmental factorsMost of the nations and international bodies have been enacting laws to protect the environment (green issues).Companies have been compulsorily required to adhere to these laws; for example the law to internalise pollution, waste remittance and all legislations regarding safety and environment issues. These have significant impact to business like Puma because it reduces revenue. Legal factorsThe company which operates globally must expect different laws in different markets place within its operations. For example employment laws, health and safety regulations and financial regulations. It will also need to know advertising and promotion regulations, pricing regulations and consumer protection legislations. (Brassgton and Pettiti, 2007). Porter’s five forces of competitive strategyWas developed as a way of assessing the attractiveness (profit potential) of different industries. It helps to identify the sources of competition in an industries or sectors (Johnson, scholes and Whittington, 2006).The focus is in the environmental factors influencing this competitiveness; which are as follows;(i) Threats of new entrantsThere are six major sources of barriers to entry which includes economies to scale, capital requirements, and control of distributition channel, customer loyalty, experience and retaliation. (Porter, 1998). To my opinions and with reference to sports industry for more than three decades, threats of entry has a very little influence to Puma. This is because to enter into sports industry you need not only heavy capital and technology but experience and knowledge together with attractive customer base which is the strong barrier to entry. Suppliers Power Suppliers can have power if;(a)There are a concentration of suppliers and they can purchase in big quantities(b)Suppliers have a wide range of customers and can easily switch from one supplier to the other(c)The cost of switching from one Supply another is very high and,(d)If they pose a credible threats of integrating forwards into the industry business. To my opinion these conditions does not apply to Puma and therefore can not be threats because Puma policy on suppliers is such that Puma have no long term relationships with supply and the fact that production, logistics, distribution have been outsourcing surely Puma will be having very few suppliers (mostly not related to production and transport departments). In addition to that it is not possible for those suppliers to integrate backward into industry’s business. Buyers bargaining power According to Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2006) buyers are likely to have influence on industry’s business if the following condition prevails;(a)There are concentration of buyers and they purchase a big volume(b)The cost of switching a supplier is lower or involves little risks(c)The buyer pose a credible threats to integrate backwards to make the industry’s product. To my views this factor is not a threat to Puma because buyers are scattered all over the world such that they can not have collective bargaining power and the cost of switching from Puma to another suppliers is very big and risks because Puma is among reliable and paying company. The threat of substitutes Substitutes reduce demand for a particular â€Å"class† of product as customers switch to alternative even to the extend that this class of products becomes obsolete (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006).Looking at the trend of sports industry for more than 40 years you will find that there are always Puma and the big three which dominates the sport industry and each having a very attractive customer base and thus this is a justification that Substitutes is no a threats to Puma. Competitive rivalryRefers to organisations with similar products and services aimed at the same customer group; which for Puma can be Adidas, Nike and Reebok and Fila, Diesel and Prada for football, running, basketball and apparel and accessories respectively. This is not a threat at all since for this factor to be threats the following conditions must prevail; there are must be numerous competitors and are roughly have equal size and power which is not the case for sports industry(Look at Adidas,Nike, Rebook and Prada,diesel and Fila) all have different power and sizes. The other factor is that for the rivalry to take place the markets must be matured but this is not the case for Puma because although the traditional market segment were heading to mature there are several niches which offer attractive growth, and yet analysts expect growth in geographical regions for football especially Europe, Asia and Americans. Opportunities and threats Looking at the environmental factors and the five forces affecting Puma I have noted some of the opportunities and threats for the company;OpportunitiesTrends of accessories/equipments is attractiveIf accessories can be properly managed can be greater opportunity for puma to grow the business. Currently 60% of the total sales are generated from footwear division, but according to experts apparel and accessories categories are showing attractive growth rate .why not Puma utilise this opportunity by providing its customer variety of such products by focusing on both high-value and stylish product and lower priced products so that can get shares from companies like LVHM, Hugo Boss and Prada. In my opinion Puma can start focusing on virgin markets such as Racing especially Horse racing, skateboarding, snowboarding to mention but a few. Alliances and joint venture Although puma has acquired some of the largest companies such as Swedish Tretorn the European third largest manufacturer of Tennis balls, it is not enough. Alliances and joint venture is one of the major opportunities for Puma to both expand geographical markets for its products and at the same time get access to valuable technology and competences. Threats Puma faces both intertype and intertypes competitorsPuma’s internal capabilitiesIf the companies are to achieve competitive advantage by delivering value to customers, they need to understand how that value is created or lost (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006).Puma’s value Chain has been divided into two; Primary and Support activities. If you consider the primary activities side you must understand that puma is described as Virtualized Company. Its in-house resources and activities such as inbound outbound logistics, operations and Procurement have been outsourced. This gives the company to deal with its core competency more effectively. It does not mean however that the company doesn’t care for the outsourced activities but the management are very careful on the selection of suppliers, logistics providers and producers but also it has a strong information technology infrastructure which helps them to coordinate easily and efficiently. Human resources management Puma with no doubts it has a strong HR by looking at the CEO and his deputy. The CEO being graduate in international business administration and having an ample experience in international business and marketing and worked for Colgate-Palmolive. Also the deputy CEO having an extensive experience in supply chain management and strategy implementation is one of the justifications that the company have strong HR capability. Technology development Puma has a proprietary technology which helps the company in terms of innovation and designing and also in information technology. For example the company due to technological ability developed shudol shoe. One of the technological innovations can also be seen on â€Å"cell technology†. To manage its entire coordination and consolidation from all 80 countries is one of the justifications that Puma is strong technology wise. Marketing and SalesPuma’s strengths come from the best implementation of its strategies in marketing and sales. Puma’s core competencies have been divided into marketing, brand and product management. Brand ManagementOne of the major reasons for puma’s turnaround was the new  positioning of the brand itself (refer to case study).One of the strategies used is sponsorship of either individual player or teams and associated the company with charismatic personalities who proliferate the desired brand perception, recogonition and awareness It has association with biggest names in history of sports such as Pele, Maradona and Cruyff. Recently the CEO, use the technique of associating the company with entertainment professional such as Arnon Milchan (the influential film maker),David Matalon and Peter Chernim these stars making brand appears in several Hollywood production. Apart from sponsoring teams like Jamaica and Cameroon Puma has been organising several events such as Puma street soccer in 1994 and 4SOME competition in 2003 aiming at both displaying puma label and communicating Puma philosophy. By 2003 the brand was so high that super stars like Madonna were proud to wear Puma Product without any compensation. Marketing Puma’s marketing division is responsible for all Puma advertising, promotions, PR and selling. Strong promotion and advertisement helps Puma be known company globally. Management are careful to select a media of advertisement and promotions.Footbal, Basketbal and running cups have become the mega events watched by viewers from across the global. Puma has been sponsoring either individual or teams. As a result these events offer excellent marketing opportunities for the company to create awareness of its brand. It has been fine turning its marketing strategies for football cups from 1960’s when Stars like Pele, Maradona and Cuyff to recent stars like Madonna. Product management Product management at Puma concerned with designing, operating and maintaining good products. This ensures that the company doesn’t only produce but creates a product that people will want to buy. Fistly; the company has a wide range of product which help the company to easily respond to different customers with different levels and interests. For example Puma football, running and basketball and others in accessories and equipments. In terms of technology and also to ensure that it offers customers’ product of high quality Puma has association with engineers and famous designers such as Jil Sander Mihara.For instance Puma innovation was â€Å"Cell technology† which convinced famous athletes to be Puma products such Cameroon National soccer team and Jamaica running professionals. Puma is innovative in each stage of the production for example to develop the new â€Å"Shudol shoes† worked with the team of Jordan Grand prix engineers. From Puma’s internal capabilities the following strengths and weakness have been observed;StrengthsStrong brand-name image/company reputationPuma has a reputation for being a pioneer in sports and the brand has very strong heritage in world football, featuring a glittering list of past brand ambassadors which includes some of the biggest names in the history of the game such as Maradona, Pele and Cruffy.It boasts most of the exiting teams and individuals and as a result of having such sports people as customers creates good atmosphere for Puma to enjoy not only the survival but also the company growth. Attractive customer base Having the association with quality players it gives an image to most of the people that the company have quality as well. As the results puma has loyal customers worldwide. This landmark deal laid a foundation for sports marketing and PR drive which saves and strengthens Puma’s position as one of the best performers on footwear, apparel and accessories for years now. Lower cost base and marketing Focused CompanyPuma is a virtualized company because it has outsourced all production, procurement of materials, distribution and logistics making its working capital just small. This make the company not only have a lower cost base but more importantly focuses in its core competencies. Weakness(i)The virtualized company can have serious strategic weaknesses in the long runPuma mainly depends on partnerships, collaboration and networking. Although virtual can meet and satisfy its customers adequately just like other, there arguments that such an extreme form of outsourcing are likely to result in serous weakness in the longrun, as the company become devoid to core competences and cut off from the learning which can  exists through understanding these activities in house (Johnson,Scholes and Whittington,2006). (ii) PricePuma products’ prices are relatively lower than rivals. This is a weakness because price may bring implication that you product has lower quality because most of customers associates high price with high quality. Therefore if the product is priced lower to some customer it will mean that its quality is lower as well. Secondly it reduces the revenue especially if it is not accompanied by high volume of sales. To determine and propose the optimal strategies for Puma in light of the above SWOT and analysing possible change issues and challenges in implanting the strategies. Having looked at Puma’s strengths and weakness and taking into consideration opportunities and threats the company can encounter. The following are my proposal of what would be the optimal strategies for the company:-A Hybrid strategyUnder this strategy the company seeks to not only provide product or services benefits which are valued by the customers that are different from those of competitors but also provide those products at a lower price than that of competitors. It has both lower price strategy and differentiation strategy. Lower price strategyThis can be a best strategy for Puma given its financial position and market shares as compared to rivals. Also Puma has already some element of this strategy which can be a foundation for the implementation of hybrid strategy. For example Puma’s products have lower price than those of competitors, defenitely is because the company have a low cost base after outsourcing all logistics, production, procurement of materials and distribution.Without lower cost base you can not sustain this because lower price reduce margin which unless you have some where within other portfolio to subsidise your business will be very difficulty to sustain. However lower price strategy alone can not be effective and sometimes is dangerous because is can led to â€Å"price war† as your rivals imitate what you  have done. Thus to be strategically safe it should be accompanied by differentiation. Differentiation seeks to provide products that offer benefits different from that of competitors and that are valued by buyers. In this case Puma can upgrades its product’s quality and add to them appealing attributes than that of competitors. This can be achieved by Puma because the company have been in this line of business for decades now such that it clearly know its strategy customers (what they want ) and it clearly know what are the competitors(what they offer and their strengths).After upgraded the products Puma can sell them at similar price of that competitors. In this occasion Puma will be increasing its market shares as more people will go for its products. In addition to that Puma can use hybrid strategy to enter into the markets where their rivals are well established. If you look at the big three i.e. Adidas, Nike and Reebok you will note that they are more well off in terms of both financial and present in every country than Puma making it difficulty for Puma to grow the business and grab from them the market shares. But entering the market with a superior product and with lower price will help Puma to take market share, divert the attention of the competitors, and establish a foothold from which they could move further (Porter, M, 1998). It should clear however that the best results from implementation of the hybrid strategy depends on the sustainability of the strategy itself. And to achieve this Puma need to work harder in order to achieve more sales volume so that to compensate the reduced margin due to selling products at the lower price. This can be achieved by strategically driving down costs .For example Puma should encourage more e-business which will enable the company to sell more but maintain lower cost base. It will also enable the company to sell across the boundaries with very minimum resources but yet be able to achieve high volume at least cost. Also incorporating the supply chain into the system with a quick delivery time which can be a critical success factor. Change issues and possible challengesDefinitely what is behind hybrid strategy is selling at the lower price than that of competitors and at the same time seeking to provide products that offer benefits different from those of your competitors. To achieve efficiencies and productivity from hybrid strategy Puma will need to make changes on the entire staff within and around the organisation. It will need to change employees ‘attitudes so that to direct efforts and dedication to achieving of the positive results from the operations with least costs. This can only be achieved if the management will inspire the people towards Maximising output subject to minimisation of cost (cost sensitive strategy) and build and maintain the marketing and sales focused team. To achieve lower cost base require real time visibility to cost-critical information for many important decision that impact cost prior to products delivery. This visibility must be immediate available and understood to all who impact costs in the process across the enterprise. Selling at a lower price reduce margin and to compensate the lost margin you need to increase sales volume. You can achieve this by having a skilled and competent sales force because such a sales force can; †¢Effectively persuade customers to buy and hence increase market shares. †¢Reduce time and efforts necessary to sell by increasing the relationships level with customers. †¢Increase competitive ability and strengths by reducing predictability and delivery concise and consistent. Financially the good sale force can have the following positive results;†¢Good team can expand the size of each deal and close more deals. †¢Can decrease selling expenses. When the team doesn’t perform well sales cycles are extended and multiple calls are required to convince customers. †¢Lower recruitment and training cost. †¢Also if you able to sell more with fewer costs associated with sales efforts your margin increase. †¢A good team easily adapt to changesAll these can positively contribute to lowering down the cost base for the best implementation and achievement of the hybrid strategyReferencesBrassington and Pettitt (2007) Principle of MarketingCzinkota, rivoli and Ronkainen (1992) International business (2nd edition) New York, London, sydnet, Tokyo-The Dryden pressJohnson, Scholes and Whittington (2006) Exploring corporate strategy (7th edition) London Prentice Hall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_strategyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_5_forces_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PESTELArmstrong. M. (2006). A handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, (10th edn), Kogan Page, LondonGrant, R.M. (2005), â€Å"Contemporary Strategy Analysis†, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford (U.K.), 2005Hunger, J. David & Wheelen, Thomas L. (2003) â€Å"Essentials of Strategic Management†. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.