Ethical and Socially Responsive Business Essay

Describe key areas of the selected company’s code of conduct that are of significant importance to the business, and explain why. The first question we should ask ourselves â€Å"what is ethics?† I think ethics are a collection of principles and practices that a business believes in, statements and more specific policies about conduct to give employees, partners, vendors, and outsiders an idea of what the corporation stands for and how it’s staff should conduct themselves . The Cheesecake Factory was established in the 1940s by Oscar and Evelyn Overton. In 1972 they open their first business store to Los Angeles, CA known as the Cheesecake Factory. Now The Cheesecake Factory has over 170 locations around the world. Having such a large corporation like Cheesecake Factory brings a lot of ethical and business problems when it comes to having such a large stores and staff. We should always remember that everyone has their own set of moral ethics that they live by at tend to take those same ethics to the work place. When writing a code of ethics it is important that these will cover every staff member from the top of the corporation to the lowest lever employee. Key areas that are of significant importance to The Cheesecake Factory start with the general standards of conduct in how all its employees will be treated by fellow employees and by management. The standards deals the basic values that we all have, with the expectation of building trust, loyalty, honesty, respect, and a high level of professionalism within the company. The cheesecake Factory has an established code of ethical conduct that is an essential factor in maintaining a proper balance in the human aspect of ethics and the link to the business success. Corporate leaders and managements need to be careful about their behaviors and how they make important decisions. Although all areas of the Cheesecake Factory’s code of ethical conduct is important for the success of the company, there are a few key areas of the company’s code of ethical conduct that are of significant importance for The Cheesecake Factory. 1-The first occurs in Article IV, in the â€Å"Conflicts of Interest,† section that pertains to transactions and investments. This specifically states that an officer or a director† should avoid participating in any transaction or investment that conflicts with, or gives the appearance of a conflict with, the interest of the company.†(Reference 1) This is key in maintaining ethics because a person who is in a leadership / management positions must be loyal to only their organization; otherwise, all decisions that are made and act are suspect as to the integrity of the choice, especially concerning money matters. 2- A second key area of The Cheesecake Factory’s code of ethical conduct that is of significant importance is in Article V, in the â€Å"Compliance with Company Policies and Procedures,† section that pertains to confidential information. It is very important and essential for the success of any company and business especially, the confidentiality of information, especially for third parties, be maintained. This leads to another key area that is also in Article V of the company’s code of ethical conduct. In the section that pertains to insider trading. In the section that deals with prohibiting insider trading it states that, â€Å"An officer or director shall observe the Company’s policy prohibiting trading on the basis of material, non-public information.†(Reference 1) 2.Explain the key steps that the company should take to ensure that employees follow the code of conduct. There are some key steps that a company can take in order to ensure the employees follow the code of conduct. 1-The Cheesecake Factory should have a â€Å"compliance department† that handles all disputes and investigations regarding violations of the code of conduct. This specific department at Cheesecake Factory should have designated employees that govern the entire company’s employees and handle any issues that arise. 2-The Cheesecake Factory can  take to ensure the employees follow the code of conduct is to have each employee sign and date, the code of conduct when they hired and give it to the employee a copy and keep another copy in the employee files. This makes it possible for the employee and the company to be on the same page from the beginning of the working relationship. This process can repeat every year for the existing employees to follow the code of conduct. 3-The Cheesecake Factory can take to ensure the employees follow the code of conduct is complete mandatory â€Å" Business ethics† training videos for new and existing employees every year. These videos make sure reminder of all employees’ business ethics and code of conduct. 3. Suggest three (3) ways in which the restaurant can engage in socially responsive activities in the community within which it operates The Cheesecake Factory can engage many socially responsive activities in the local community. 1-The Cheesecake Factory can donate foods to local food banks, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Restaurants always have extra food that does not used for any reasons or left over foods. As a respectful company being able to donate fresh food to shelters and feeding someone who is unable to have a meal, would be wonderful social responsive project and activity. 2-The Cheesecake Factory could engage in socially responsive activities in the community would be to help raise money for a local non-profit organizations, charities, children hospitals or cancer associates. This could be done by donating money, ask costumers to participate or fund rising which will show that the company is giving back to the local community in which it is a part. 3- The Cheesecake Factory could engage in socially responsive activities in the community would be to offer free meals to shelters for specified holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. 4- Also Cheesecake Factory could run campaign for â€Å"Local Food Drive† to contribute as a company and ask their costumers donate dry and canned foods to reach local families who needs help .This is one of excellent way of giving back to the local community. References: 1. (March 16, 2004) The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. Amended and Restated Code of Ethics for Executive Officers, Senior Financial Officers, and Directors. Retrieved from: http://investors.thecheesecakefactory.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=109258&p=irol-govconduct. 2. (January 2001) C.B. And R.L. â€Å"The Legal Environment of Business: Text and Cases: Ethical Regulatory, Global, and Corporate Issues.† Cengage Learning, 8th edition. 3. (January 2012) Ferrell, O.C. And John Fraedrich. â€Å"Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases.† Cengage Learning, 9th edition.

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

GHANA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (GIMPA) MBA (PROJECT MANAGEMENT OPTION) GMBA 799 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT STUDENT NAME: EMMANUEL SESSOU STUDENT ID NUMBER: MBAE 10040217 Question: Write a short note on the Balanced Scorecard Balanced Scorecard  Basics The balanced scorecard is a  strategic planning and management system  that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals.It was originated by Drs. Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School) and David Norton as a performance measurement framework that added strategic non-financial performance measures to traditional financial metrics to give managers and executives a more ‘balanced' view of organizational performance. The balanced scorecard has evolved from its early use as a sim ple performance measurement framework to a full  strategic planning and management system. â€Å"The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures.But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation. The balanced scorecard suggests that we view the organization from four perspectives, and to develop metrics, collect data and analyze it relative to each of these perspectives: The Learning & Growth Perspective, The Business Process Perspective, The Customer Perspective and The Financial Perspective The Learning & Growth Perspective This perspective includes employee training a nd corporate cultural attitudes related to both individual and corporate self-improvement. In a knowledge-worker organization, people — the only repository of knowledge — are the main resource.In the current climate of rapid technological change, it is becoming necessary for knowledge workers to be in a continuous learning mode. Metrics can be put into place to guide managers in focusing training funds where they can help the most. In any case, learning and growth constitute the essential foundation for success of any knowledge-worker organization. The Business Process Perspective This perspective refers to internal business processes. Metrics based on this perspective allow the managers to know how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to customer requirements (the mission).These metrics have to be carefully designed by those who know these processes most intimately; with our unique missions these are not something that can be d eveloped by outside consultants. The Customer Perspective Recent management philosophy has shown an increasing realization of the importance of customer focus and customer satisfaction in any business. These are leading indicators: if customers are not satisfied, they will eventually find other suppliers that will meet their needs. Poor performance from this perspective is thus a leading indicator of future decline, even though the current financial picture may look good.In developing metrics for satisfaction, customers should be analyzed in terms of kinds of customers and the kinds of processes for which we are providing a product or service to those customer groups. The Financial Perspective Kaplan and Norton do not disregard the traditional need for financial data. Timely and accurate funding data will always be a priority, and managers will do whatever necessary to provide it. In fact, often there is more than enough handling and processing of financial data.With the implementat ion of a corporate database, it is hoped that more of the processing can be centralized and automated. But the point is that the current emphasis on financials leads to the â€Å"unbalanced† situation with regard to other perspectives. There is perhaps a need to include additional financial-related data, such as risk assessment and cost-benefit data, in this category. Reference Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, â€Å"Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System,† Harvard Business Review (January-February 1996): 76.

Job application letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job application letter - Essay Example Some of the courses that I have taken during my Bachelor’s course include Business Skills and Environment, Introduction to Corporate Finance, Investment Management, International Finance, and Risk and Insurance Management. I am qualified in the use of a wide range of softwares and computer programs including MS Power Point, MS Word, MS Excel. I also have an introductory knowledge of the Financial Ratio Analysis Software. During my internship at Masdar, I have been exposed to the Investment Lifecycle Management that acquainted me with the skills of tracking and preparing an investment Due Diligence with the team under the office of the CEO. This experience not only inculcated the necessary knowledge of the design and management of investment, but also provided me with an opportunity to work as part of a team so that I attain the teamwork skills required to excel in a culturally diverse and dynamic workplace. I have been a distinguished student throughout my academic career. This reflects in my GPA which is 3.732, as well as the fact that I received the Distinguished Students Scholarship, by the Scholarship Office- SCO (Abu Dhabi), and the USA-Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society. In addition to my technical capabilities, I also have myriad of skills that make me an excellent professional. One of my most weighty skills is knowledge of multiple languages. I can communicate both verbally and textually in English, and Arabic, though I also understand French. During the three weeks that I spent as an intern at Masdar, I happened to communicate with coworkers belonging to different ethnicities. Having worked in such a diverse work environment, my confidence that I can adjust well in a challenging environment increased manifolds. Besides, I have also taken a course of Technical Communications at the Ohio State University. I have a strong knowledge of work ethics which enables me to optimize on my potential to deliver my best both as an individual and as part of a

Cross-Cultural Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cross-Cultural Management - Essay Example The management practices at EZ-ABC are authoritative and do not motivate employees towards achievement of the organizational goals. The national culture of Korea is characterized by high power differences and high uncertainty avoidance. Korean culture is masculine and values collectivism unlike Canadian culture which appreciates individualism and autonomy in work. . Cross-cultural management Introduction Case study analysis The practices are not geared at fair compensation for all employees since a city tax deduction which is discriminatory and illegal is included in the employees’ salaries. The management practices aim at exploiting employees since a majority are foreigners. EZ-ABC does not allow employees to design their own lesson plans or interact with fellow employees during work. Sandy who is Australian woman with a doctorate in education leadership is authoritative and does not delegate some jobs to subordinates since she is in control of every decision in the school (F itzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). Lee who is a retired military man in charge of the local branch of EZ-ABC in Kangman district believes that higher salaries are the only motivating factor for employees (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). The management practices encourage competition among employees since those who receive low ratings are fired. The school norm does not allow teachers to share experiences or form informal groups. Ian who is an American teacher is forced to sign a document which will lead to his ultimate dismissal even if he is late again for one minute. Sandy is interested in furthering her own objectives of designing her own curriculum in order to run an ESL school once the curriculum is popular across the EZ-ABC chain (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). EZ-ABC policy prohibits discussion of pay among co-workers and Visa and apartment lease is tied to employer. If an employee is interested leaving the job, a letter of release must be granted by the employer which many employers are reluctant to offer (Fitzsimmons & Shantz, 2010). Evaluation of management practices of EZ-ABC using motivation theories and cultural dimensions There are two broad categories of motivation theories that are the content theories and process theories. According to content theories, the unsatisfied needs of individuals will create tension. Maslow’s theory of motivation asserts that individuals are motivated by satisfying their needs in a hierarchy (Bhattacharyya, 2010). The first needs that should be satisfied are the physiological needs which include food and shelter. The second needs include safety. EZ-ABC has not provided safety needs since employees need security of tenure in their work. The third class of needs is the sense of belonging which is not available in EZ-ABC since employees need to feel loved and appreciated by forming both formal and informal groups in the workplace. The fourth category is self-esteem needs. The employees at EZ-ABC have no self-esteem since the y are not happy with the current management practices. The highest hierarchy is self-actualization. For instance, Sandy has failed to attain this need since Lee has rejected the curriculum designed by Sandy. According to McClelland’s theory, employees need a sense achievement, affiliation and power in order to be motivated in their work. Some employees who need achievement may strive for personal success. For instance, Lee and Sandy are in need of power dominance and achievement which makes them take control of every decision in the organization. EZ-ABC should fulfill the employees need for affiliation and need of collective achievement in the school (Bhattacharyya, 2010). Process theories of motivation deal with the choices made by employees in their behaviors. Examples of these theories include equity

The Differences between Silent Movies and Spoken Essay

The Differences between Silent Movies and Spoken - Essay Example The following analysis will be concentric upon comparing and contrasting the ways in which material and technique are utilized to leverage different interpretations of good vs evil and the American experience to the viewing audience. Moreover, the analysis will discuss how â€Å"The Maltese Falcon†, represents a more nuanced and definitive approach to the film noir era as it encapsulates many more varied interpretations of this good vs evil subtheme that is so pervasive throughout the genre. Secondly, this is represented via the way in which â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† leverages better technology to create a more dramatic cinema effect that more reasonably captures the zeitgeist of the film noir era, the way in which â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† illustrates the genre through better representation of the American experience is represented. Lastly, the way in which â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† paints a better nuanced and three-dimensional example of the male charact ers and the identity of what Americanism is and how good vs. evil must be understood. Before delving into an analysis of the comparisons and contrasts between these two films, it must be noted that both of these films have achieved a great deal of notoriety; both within their own times as well as the present era. Film critics and scholars alike have denoted that these two films are representative of some of the very best plot lines, writing, directing, acting, and techniques that the film noir era had to provide. As such, with regards to the films in question, both of these represent to the viewer a flawed lead character. With regards to â€Å"The Thin Man†, the main character is a hard-drinking detective that suffers from career burnout and whose personal life is something of a disaster. Even though the same motif is represented within â€Å"The Maltese Falcon†, the character growth and differentiation is not as labored and comes off as a much more natural explanation as compared to â€Å"The Thin Man†. By casting the lead detectives in this way, both of the films are able to provide a much more nuanced interpretation of life and the way in which these characters portray their roles; however, only â€Å"The Maltese Falcon† is able to do this in a fully convincing manner and one that is the most indicative of the film noir era. Another shared aspect between these two films is with respect to the way in which the detectives fulfill the role of the simple/every man against a system of crime and intrigue that includes money, power, and politics. By representing the flawed character in a fight against such crime and corruption in such a way, Hollywood began to tacitly define the way in which American films would come to be known by the rest of the world for many decades to come; films where the good ultimately triumphs and the evil is ultimately vanquished. The similarity between good and evil and how it is represented/portrayed within these films is something that cannot and should not be dismissed. Ultimately, the reason for why such a high level of focus is placed upon the importance of defeating evil and undermining the plans that these individuals might have with regards to the crimes they intended to commit was integrally tied to the social and political aspects of the world in which these respective films were created.

Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example Circumstances sometimes create peculiar conditions which bring to the fore the inherent weaknesses prevalent in our society. There are rules and regulations which provide broad guidelines for keeping a delicate balance in dealing with such matters so that mutual harmony is maintained amongst the workforce. The guiding principle behind this thought is that the world is a rich and diverse place, full of interesting cultures and people who should be treated with respect. Skirmishes arising out of 'discriminatory' behavior often result in tensions amongst colleagues. Though there are federal laws in place, it is the human character and nature which has to do the implementation part. One such incident recently took place in the corporate office of a multinational company located on the 4th floor of a multistory office complex. Since the complex more than one office, so there are many employees working for different companies. On a Friday afternoon, when a young executive of one such company was working her way to get into her car, she had a peculiar experience, which highlighted the inherent fear is us. As she swiped her car card inside the garage, she found a tall guy speedily approaching her from behind. When she noticed him, she was scared and hurriedly sat into the car and started the car. But thereafter the lady gathered some courage and as she passed the tall man, she asked him the reason for his being at the place and asked him to furnish his id proof. The incident would appear to be a trivial one, but it became a big issue, hotly discussed in the corridors of the office complex and the media. The reason, the lady happened to be a 'white' lady while the g entleman was a 'black' American. The incident took racial overtones and the black gentleman complained in his office about the ill-treatment meted out to him. He questioned the very motive for being asked for the id proof. His contention - he was being insulted and discriminated against for his being 'black'. This incident highlights two basic issues; One, howsoever hard we may try to appear as liberal; there remains an element of presumption in most of us. In this incident, perhaps the lady got scared more because she noticed the tall 'black' man running towards her. And just to show that she is not scared, she asked for the identity proof from the gentleman. Similarly, the 'black' gentleman too lodged a formal complaint, perhaps only because he encountered the 'white' lady, and took it as a discriminatory policy, when the lady asked for his identity card.  Secondly, the media might not have taken any note of it, had it not been a case of 'black' Vs 'white'. Even for that matter, we might not be discussing it, had it been an all-white affair. Organizations need to handle such issues with the utmost caution, without allowing them to flare up in big controversies. Diversity consists of visible as well as non-visible factors, which require to be handled with care.  

Using Critical Thinking Effectively as a Leader Essay

Using Critical Thinking Effectively as a Leader - Essay Example Without critical thinking, chances of success as a leader are minimal. In this paper COBOL Systems, a fictitious IT company which deals in software and hardware, will be used as a reference point. The paper will focus on the critical thinking problems plaguing COBOL and how they can be solved. COBOL Systems manufactures and distributes computer software and hardware. It deals with several high-profile companies in the United States, taking care of their IT needs and offering technical support. The company was formed in 2002 by two young IT graduates with ambitious ideas on how to approach the IT segment. COBOL has since grown to become one of the largest IT firms in the United States. Revenues have grown and new branches have been opened to cater to serve their expanding clientele. It is not all good news however. The last 2 years have seen the company lose out on major deals to rivals, suffer a decline in market share, and launch underwhelming products. In January the board hired an auditing and consulting firm to help it determine what the problem was. There was a problem, that much was clear, but what was it? COBOL has a hierarchy-oriented culture. This means the company is structured, controlled, and leans heavily towards stability, efficiency and doing things right. This is not surprising considering COBOL is run by young, dynamic and highly-educated people who know what to do and how to get it done fast. However, this culture is unbalanced and lacks a quality desirable in all successful firms. Efficiency is not effectiveness, and quick execution does not mean excellent execution. The company lacks critical thinkers who can combine dynamism and efficiency with analytical sharpness to harness its potential. For instance, COBOL recently launched new risk management software that increased efficiency by 20 percent. However, the presentation and marketing of this software was so poor

Tikka enterprise and saffronspices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tikka enterprise and saffronspices - Essay Example the population of Indians in Scotland is large, the deal between the Tikka enterprises and Saffron Spice’s was that Tikka will be taught on how to prepare Indian foods. The task given to the Scottish company is the causative element of the conflict. In this case, socialization and interaction between team members dictate that there must be a hierarchy among the group members. Also, there must exist a limited resource/ need that every group member is struggling to attain (Furnell, 17). The conflict can be solved easily if both parties, especially, the Saffron Spice’s enterprise moves to court and make agreements with Barbara in the presence of the justice system. Naresh will, therefore, have a filed document that can sue the counterpart enterprise if they do not adhere to the agreement and make the required payments. For Tikka enterprises, both Indians and Scottish can be prepared different meals so that they can keep authentic food preferred by each race. Hence, this will improve the business (Furnell 7). In conclusion, satisfaction is the key factor in every business. On the other hand, every company wants to make maximum profits out of the ready market. Therefore, both companies can decide to operate the business together such that Indians are employed to cook for their fellow

Lightning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lightning - Essay Example To begin with, lightning contains a massive amount of energy. If it strikes a tree or a house it can destroy it due to the massive transfer of heat. Lightning can heat the air around it to almost 20,000 degrees Celsius which is about three times the temperature of the sun. So much energy travels so quickly in a lightning strike that it creates a supersonic wave which normal people call thunder. Because light travels faster than the speed of sound you usually see the lightning before you hear the thunder on a stormy day.1 It is often said that electricity was discovered by Benjamin Franklin when he went to go fly a kite in a big storm. It is true that the idea of harnessing the power of electricity came to him at that time, though others had carried out similar observations and experiments in the past.2 Even though this helped our understanding of static electricity, not a lot of new information has been learnt about lightning in recent years, how to harness it or use it for human purposes. This is unfortunate. Because of global warming we need new ideas about how to generate energy without harming the environment. If scientists can learn more, we may be able to use lightning to save the planet. Rakov, Vladimir A. Lightning: Physics and Effects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Interoffice memorandum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interoffice memorandum - Assignment Example Mr. Forest emphasized that the clients served from the Roanoke branch are vital to the overall success of Phoenix Advertising. In this regard, may I request the following team members to give me relevant information to address these issues: Executive Team Member Information Needed Mr. Frank Rodgers Profile of Personnel Resigning and Reasons Branch Manager, Human Resources What have been done to replace them? Roanoke, Virginia The number of creative talents in the Branch Compensation and Benefits Package Ms. Emily Smith Number of New and Current Accounts Manager, Advertising Projected Revenues and Time Frame Roanoke, Virginia for Completion Mr. Benjamin White Financial Statements of Phoenix Advertising Manager, Finance Compensation and Benefits Package The abovementioned team members are requested to forward the information needed tomorrow afternoon to me through a detailed report with clear alternative courses of action and proposed recommendations to address the identified dilemma.

Unconscious mind Essay Example for Free

Unconscious mind Essay ?The pioneer I chose to elaborate on is Carl Gustav Jung, his views and research tactics have contributed to today’s understanding of psychology and expanded our knowledge on several different aspects and elements of psychology. Jung is best known for his development of archetypes, studies of the human psyche, the dream analysis and the collective unconscious. Carl Jung was born July 26, 1875, in Kesswil, Switzerland; he passed away on June 6, 1961 in Zurich. Originally Carl studied medicine, but also developed an interest in spiritual phenomena. This fascination with medicine and spirituality led him into the field of psychiatry. In 1902, he graduated from the University of Basel with a medical degree. Jung worked with psychiatric patients at the University of Zurich asylum. In 1906, he wrote Studies in Word Association and sent a copy to Sigmund Freud. The two became friends. His time spent working with Sigmund Freud had a major impact on Jung’s later theories and helped him develop a fascination for the unconscious mind. Jung wanted to further understanding of the human mind through dreams, myth, art and philosophy. Jung began to separate from Freudian theory, rejecting Freuds emphasis on sex as the sole source of behavior motivation. It was during this period of intense self-analysis that Jung became increasingly interested in dreams and symbols, later using what he learned during this time as the basis for his theories of psychology. Jung became more organized about his theoretical approach, broke from psychodynamic theories and formed his own theory called Analytical Psychology. Jungs colleagues in the psychoanalytic community turned against him due to parting from Freud. Carl devoted himself to exploring his own subconscious. He recorded his experience in a previously unpublished book known at The Red Book and continued to write and illustrate the book over the next fifteen years, the book became published in 2009. Jung believed the human psyche exists in three parts: the ego (the conscious mind), the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Jung believed the collective unconscious was a reservoir of all the experience and knowledge of the human species. Jung also believed that the process of individuation was essential in order for a person to become whole and fully developed as a human being. Individuation is a process in which the various parts of a person, including the conscious and unconscious, become completely integrated so that the individual becomes his or her true self. In general, it is the process by which individual beings are formed and differentiated from others. While Jungian theory has numerous critics, Carl Jungs work left a notable impact on psychology. His concepts of introversion and extraversion have contributed to personality psychology and also influenced psychotherapy. His advice to a patient suffering from alcoholism led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous, which has helped millions of people suffering from alcohol dependence. According to Jung, dreams are a way of communicating and acquainting yourself with the unconscious. Dreams are not attempts to conceal your true feelings from the waking mind, but rather they are a window to your unconscious. They serve to guide the waking self to achieve wholeness and offer a solution to a problem you are facing in your waking life. Jung views the ego as your sense of self and how you portray yourself to the world. Part of Jungs theory is that all things can be viewed as paired opposites: good/evil, male/female, or love/hate. So working in opposition to the ego, is the counter ego or what he refers to as the shadow. The shadow represents the rejected aspects of yourself that you do not wish to acknowledge. The shadow is more primitive, somewhat uncultured, and a little awkward. http://www. dreaminterpretation-dictionary. com/carl-jung-theory. html Archetypes constitute the structure of the collective unconscious they are psychic innate dispositions to experience and represent basic human behavior and situations. Thus mother-child relationship is governed by the mother archetype. Father-child by the father archetype. Birth, death, power and failure are controlled by archetypes. The religious and mystique experiences are also governed by archetypes. The most important of all is the Self, which is the archetype of the Center of the psychic person, his/her totality or wholeness. The Center is made of the unity of conscious and unconscious reached through the individuation process. Archetypes manifest themselves through archetypal images (in all the cultures and religious doctrines), in dreams and visions. Therefore a great deal of Jungian interest in psyche focuses on dreams and symbols interpretation in order to discover the compensation induced by archetypes as marks of psyche transformation. The collective unconscious is an universal datum, that is, every human being is endowed with this psychic archetype-layer since his/her birth. One can not acquire this strata by education or other conscious effort because it is innate. We may also describe it as a universal library of human knowledge, or the sage in man, the very transcendental wisdom that guides mankind. Jung stated that the religious experience must be linked with the experience of the archetypes of the collective unconscious. Thus, God himself is lived like a psychic experience of the path that leads one to the realization of his/her psychic wholeness. http://www. carl-jung. net/archetypes. html http://www. carl-jung. net/index. html.

Marketing Analysis Of Md Lanka Canneries Limited Marketing Essay

Marketing Analysis Of Md Lanka Canneries Limited Marketing Essay Socio Cultural Analysis  ­Ã‚ ­Country History The Maldives is a country which is famous for is natural resources of fisheries, which is threatened by global warming and also one of the worlds poorest developing countries. The ancestors of Maldives were probably Sri Lankans and southern Indians who went there before 555 B.C.E. as the history begins Maldivians were originally Buddhists but around in the twelfth century Islam was announced as the national religion. It is a vital factor to focus since Islamic perceives different values and marketing products to Maldives will have focus on this aspect. Geographical setting- Location, Climate and Topography The Maldives is a country which consists of twenty-six coral islands, in the northern Indian Ocean, where the capital city Male. The closest neighbors are India and Sri Lanka. Due to high alkinity of the soil and poor water retention agricultural potential is limited. However, people grow vegetables, fruits and yams. The country climate is warm and tropical. Two yearly monsoons determine the seasonal changes. The northern islands are drier comparatively to the southern. The northeast monsoon lengthens from December to April by being dry and mild winds. Although the southwest monsoon extends from May to August brings heavy rains and winds. Concerning about these above stated factors are important to determine the distribution channels and how the eating patterns will change will and the effect of the monsoons since the fisheries industry will be affected. Living conditions Diet and nutrition, meat and vegetables consumption rates, typical meals, malnutrition rates and foods available The most prominent component of Maldivian food is natural fish mainly tuna. However, the different travelers from different parts of the world have been able to add new flavors of vegetables and seasonings were introduced. The Maldivian cuisine currently comprises Arabic, Indian, Sri Lanka and oriental tastes blended into a unique cuisine that represents a cookery identity of its own. Eating in male would be a different; especially the short eats known as hedika which comes in sweet, sour and spicy flavors. Rice and garudhiya (fish soup), with chilli, lemon and onion consists of the traditional meal. Sweet dishes include custard and fruits such as bananas, mangoes and papayas. During the fasting month of Ramazan watermelons are their favorites. Living conditions will be in concern when trying to seek for demand for canned fruits and vegetables and eating patterns of the Maldivians. Language- Official languages, spoken versus written languages and dialects Pronunciation and vocabulary differs between islands especially between north and south islands. Maldivians official language is Dhivehi, for business purposes they speak in English. Communicating is an important factor when trying to do business with another country. Languages and gesture observation is needed for business (Tourism Asia,n.d.). Economic Analysis There are a number of risks involved in international trade such as regulatory risks, governmental actions, risks unfavorable exchange movements etc that prevent from doing international business. A comprehensive economic analysis of Maldives will enable MD to identify future prospects and also drawbacks within Maldives. Further, it will give an insight for the past experiences of the dynamic world trade. Population Total growth rates, number of live births and birthrates The understanding of the total population will enable to understand the current demand trends. The total population is 305,027(2008) out the majority are female. The growth rate is 1.42% (2008) is comparatively high to countries like USA and India, but not in the extreme high (Index Mundi,2009). This figure helps to determine the future demand in the market. Economic statistics and activity In concern towards the total GDP is $1.716 billion (2008). A critical analysis of this factor will help to determine if Maldives economy is growing or rather moving towards recession. Hence it is also a fine tool to determine the monetary health of the Maldivians (U.S.Department of State,n.d.).Personal income per capita is $4,200 (Index Mundi,2009). The only resource that is of commercial importance is fish. According to the Nations encyclopedia there are no mineral resources in Maldives (Encyclopedia of the Nationas,2010). This indicates that it is a poor country in natural resources. This will assist the feasibility study in resources allocations and usage. Furthermore, an analysis of the transportation modes and usage rates will give an understanding to determine the distribution from the origin destination and also mode selection when preparing the marketing plan. There are taxis to travel within the main city of Maldives, Male. There are ferries and taxi boats to travel around t o visit the other island of Maldives. There are also inter island air systems; namely Maldivian Air taxi or Trans Maldivian Airways (Travelspedia,2007). In more concern towards goods transportation is shipping facilities provided. There are 29 merchant marines in total that engage in transporting goods. This contains four different fields such as total, ships by type, foreign owned and registered in other countries. In total there 5 Airports which are recognizable from air and out of which include the paved and unpaved ports. At glance at the Maldivian communication system, one of the best with latest technology and satellite systems (Rio Travels Inc,n.d.). The land telephone lines as well as the fax service and internet connections are provided even via wireless communication techniques. It also compromises of newspapers; television and radio are 3 radio broadcasting channels namely AM radio, FM radio and shortwave, also only 1 broadcasting station (Maps of World,2009). Such information will be useful to determine promotion mix in the marketing plan, because, there might be high clutter. There are also newspapers available. The Maldives national newspaper in Divehi is Afathis and the national newspaper in Divehi and English is Haveeru. In addition in Male there is the local newspaper in English namely, Evening Weekly (Newspapers24.com,2006-2010). Investment plays a critical role in the development of Maldives, where Maldives is progressively developing finance. The government of Maldives set up the FISB (Foreign Investment Services Bureau) to provide every potential manner to help and benefit investors. Banking, resource management, accounting, telecommunications, manufacturing and courier services are the key segments that foreign investment comes from to Maldives. The FISB has identified several sectors with potential of acquiring foreign investments. They are mainly the financial sector, the transport sector, information and technology, fisheries and also tourism (Maps of World,2009). Such information will assist in determining opportunities for business development. The trade exports are $113 million (2008) from fish products where the major markets are Thailand, U.K, France, Italy, Algeria and Sri Lanka. There is major imports worth of $1.276billion flowing out due to petroleum products, ships, foodstuff, intermediate and capital goods and clothing and the major suppliers are from U.A.E, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand (U.S.Department of State,n.d.). This in sequence, shoes that there might not be potential restriction for business because Sri Lanka is already currently in business with Maldives. There are not many retailers in Maldives, distributors in Maldives, since its a small country with many atolls. The national distributor is Islanders Maldives PTE LTD and the main retailers are Evince and Timepieces Duty Free. Since the business needs to operate with Maldivian employees it is important to know the labour size and unemployment rates. The labor size is 144,000 where as the unemployment rate is 14.6% (2006). Inflation, year over year has been 12.80%. This is an important indicator when setting the pricing strategies. Product MD Lanka Canneries Ltd is the planning the process of marketing canned Bitter gourd and Jak to Maldives. Relative Advantage MD Lanka Canneries Ltd has become a national icon in Sri Lanka for their distinctive unique brand of ice jam, cordial and canned vegetables and fruits. Hence, it is also the current market leader in Sri Lanka. The well established recognition is an added benefit to the product since we are entering into the state of Male in Maldives which has a relatively low competition. The company places special emphasis on the production of essences that go into the canned vegetables. Especially, their traditionally exquisite canned jak fruit, which is most popular dish among Sri Lankans. The Maldivians have a high tendency of switching brands and the younger generation has a trend towards consuming foreign products over their local products. Canned bitter gourd and jak is extremely high priced compared to other international canned vegetable competitors. A can of bitter gourd and mature jak cost of MRF 16. Compatibility In terms of compatibility, canned vegetables are a popular, existing product which has been accepted by almost all the Maldivians. There are no such cultural issues when it comes to consuming canned vegetables in Maldives. Therefore, this product will be purchased as soon as it is released to the market. Male state is a vastly populated state and their consumption of is comparatively not that low compared to Sri Lankans. Complexity We are offering them a product unlike a service which has the intangible aspect. Thus, canned vegetables are considered as a fast moving consumer good (FMCG). Hence, there are no such complexities to a well-known product such as canned vegetables. The only novelty will be the new unique range of vegetables canned which MD offers to the Maldivian market. Trialability Trialability is a definite possibility where we can make arrangements for consumers to test the flavor of particular canned vegetables prior to purchasing. This is important since the flavors are new to the Maldivian market. Observability Due to the tangible nature of the product, the consumers get the opportunity to evaluate the product in all three stages of consumption, which are pre-purchase, purchase and the post purchase stage. Implications No major issues and problems have been essentially identified through the evaluation. As mentioned above, the main issue which has the potential of hindering the growth of the products is the high level of competition. Since canned vegetables are a fast moving items consumers are very price sensitive. We will overcome the barrier of low literacy level of consumers by using both Divehi and English on the package labeling. Market Analysis Marketing trends The most widely used tools for marketing canned vegetables products are trade fairs and retail selling (H. Sinana, personal communication, March 23rd 2010). This is also a feature of overall B2B marketing (Dwyer Tanner, 2002). Trade fairs prove to be the most effective method of marketing in this industry. Retail selling is also used widely by all canned food producers, since many organizations do not have the facilities to conduct large scale advertising. Competitor products There are many competitors in the Maldivian market, and the main market player is Twin elephant its held 28% of market share and followed by Harvest at 11% and Dily food at 8% (personal word of mouth). All these brands are well known International brands which have already gained recognition and a good reputation in the particular market. Therefore, it is going to be difficult to differentiate ourselves from the competitors. Hence, marketing the product and building brand awareness is vital for the success of this product. The brand name has a huge effect on sales and therefore, it must be ensured that the MD logo and brand name is made common in the market, so that the target market can identify with the brand. The other brands hold a significant market share but the MD will stand a chance. The above mentioned brands offer a wide variety of features in their products. Especially brands such as Twin elephant have a wide variety of canned vegetables. Such as soy beans, baby corn etc. Competitor Prices and Promotions Canned vegetables providers such as Twin elephant, Harvest and Dily food are less expensive than MD Lanka Canneries Lanka Ltd products which will be MRF 14 because they cater to a slightly different market but on the other hand MD Canneries Lanka Ltd could end up being more expensive because it has to be produced in Sri Lanka and must bare all transportation and exporting costs. The price will also include some amount of tariff or tax on the product and since it is difficult for Sri Lanka to gain economies of scale, it is nearly impossible to give it at a very low price or rather lower than the local providers in Maldives. MD Canneries Lanka Ltd will be middle of the range product because other local vegetable providers will have very low prices. Maldivians are very much similar to Sri Lankans in terms of how they approach a new brand and what methods drive them into purchasing that product. The competitors too use various approaches to promote their products through print and electronic media, such as very attractive TV advertisements. References Annual Report.(2009).MD Lanka Canneries Ltd. Countries and Their Cultures.(2010).Maldivian Culture.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Maldives.html Dwyer, R. F., Tanner, J. F. (2002). Business Marketing: Connecting Strategy, Relationships and Learning .2nd edition. McGraw Hill Irwin. Encyclopedia of the Nationas.(2010).About Maldives.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Maldives.html Hello Maldives Holidays.(1998).Port Handling.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.hellomaldives.com/Services/Port_Handling/index.htm Index Mundi.(2009).Maldives GDP-real growth rate.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.indexmundi.com/maldives/gdp_real_growth_rate.html Maps of World.(2009).Maldives Communications. Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from Retrieved May28th,2010,from http://www.mapsofworld.com/maldives/information/communications.html Maps of World.(2009).Maldives Fanance and Investment.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/maldives/economy-and-business/finance-and-investment.html MD Lanka Canneries Ltd.(2004).Company Information. Retrieved May 20th, 2010, from http://www.lankacanneries.com/index.asp My Maldives Travel Guide .(2005-2010).Maldivian-Food.Retrieved May 20th, 2010, from http://www.mymaldives.com/maldives/maldivian-food.php Newspapers24.com.(2006-2010).Maldives Newspapers.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.newspapers24.com/maldives-newspapers/index.html Rio Travels Inc.(n.d.).Maldives.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.riotravels.com/maldives.html This is Maldives.(2010).Maldives Travel Tips.Retrieved May 28th, 2010,from http://www.thisismaldives.com/maldives/travel_planner/food.htm Tourism Asia.(n.d.).Maldives.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://maldives.tourism-asia.net/language-of-maldives.html Travelspedia.(2007).Maldivian Travel Information. Retrieved June 3rd , 2010, from http://travelspedia.com/ U.S.Department of State.(n.d.).About Maldives.Retrieved May 28th, 2010, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5476.htm Marketing Objectives Target Market The target market is for all Maldivian who are able to consume any type of hard food. This includes children starting from the age of one year to all adults. Business objectives and expected sales Even though canned food is widely available in all supermarkets in Maldives, the two products Bitter Gourd and Mature Jak is not yet available in Maldives as they are vegetables that are really rare. Thus MD Canneries Lanka Ltd would focus on three key objectives. First is to introduce the two new vegetables to the Maldivian market secondly to create value and demand for the two products and then to capture 5-10% of the market within the first one year (year 2011). In achieving the three main objectives MD Canneries Ltd would work towards achieving the following objectives within the first one and half years, To attract all the main super markets to sell the products with a good shelf space available for the product. To rapidly increase sales and thus make the two products an everyday needed product. To build a good brand name for MD Canneries Ltd so that in the future more products could be exported to Maldives. The product is expected to be priced at LKR.1760. The amount of cans expected to be sold are 24,000 per annum. Thus the sales for the first year (year 2011) are expected to be around LKR.37, 756,800 (See Appendix 5). Market Penetration Maldives could be considered as an emerging market and although the government encourages foreign business in the country the policies are not as free as it really appears to be. So weve decided the export-based entry is the strategy by which the market can be penetrated. Indirect exporting is where the home country agents are used to get the product in to the foreign markets which will be competitively feasible. Since they understand the market conditions and etc better the company will have an added advantage and could reduce research costs. And since most of the agents maintain good relationships with retailers it would be easier to enter the markets. The company could reduce risk such investing in unnecessary markets and so on. Furthermore there is an annual fair every four years and this year it will be done in November. We hope to go there and build up our network among the four leading retailers Red wave, Agora, STO super mart and VB mart (H.Sinnan,personal communication,May 12th ,2010). The core component of the product is the canned vegetables. There is no requirement of adaptation or modification to it as it would be sent in the same manner as used in Sri Lanka with brine as a preservative. The packaging is would not change as the can would be the most appropriate to support transportation. MDs labels are done in both English and Divehi languages. Further the MD labels and packaging are already approved within Sri Lankan and international standards. No specific and unique transportation method need. The taxis could be used for the distribution process. The production, packaging and labeling would be done in the MD Canneries Ltd factory Sri Lanka. Therefore the product sent to Maldives would be a ready sell product. Advertising and Promotional Mix Advertising All advertising and promotional activities would be restricted to Male only initially as the product would be first only introduced to Male. The advantage MD has is the acceptance of its brand at Maldives as many of its Cordial and Jam products are already being exported to Maldives. Advertising methods such as Magazine, Television, Radio and Billboards and both Trade and Consumer Sales promotions are suggested to be used. Advertising objectives To create awareness the Maldivian market, of the two new vegetable products by way of emphasising the nutrition factor and the ability to be consumed by the entire family of the products. To persuade all people in Maldives to purchase it and use it as an everyday product thus increasing repeat purchase. To further generate awareness of the brand MD in-order so that in the future more Vegetable products could be exported adding to the existing portfolio exported to Male. Media Mix The indoor advertising tools intended to use are TV, Radio and Magazine. Magazine The Rasrani (Female Beauty) monthly magazine would be used to publish a full page ad every month, in order to promote the product among all the mothers and house wives in Maldives. This is selected as it directly targets at the house wives, mothers and parents who purchase food for their homes (H.Sinnan,personal communication,May 12th ,2010). Television The local government TV channel Television Maldives (TVM) will be initially used for advertising a 30 second commercial. This is because Maldivians rely on the government messages a lot .The program chosen is Hendunu Hendunu(Morning Morning) program telecasted every morning from 7.15 am to 8.30 am which is targeted at females in Maldives which also have specific cookery demonstrations. Recommended is to take two programs every week Monday and Tuesday ,so that it will not clash with the Radio commercials on Wednesdays and Thursdays .This is used as it directly targets the house wife or mothers in Maldives where they would be the ones actually using the MD canned vegetable product (H.Sinnan,personal communication,May 12th ,2010). Radio The radio channel Capital Radio95.6, would be used for 10 second radio commercials. The Chefs Talk morning program from 10 am to 12 pm which they have twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays where a chef comes on air to speak on cookery will be used to air the radio commercials of the product as it directly target the uses of the vegetable can product i.e. the females in Maldives (Asiawaves,n.d.) (H.Sinnan,personal communication,May 12th ,2010). Billboards The billboards are recommended to be published close to the super markets Red Wave, Agora, STO Supermarket and VB Mart where the product is been sold in Male (H.Sinnan,personal communication,May 12th ,2010). Message The message that would be sent across to the target market is the same message used in all MD advertisements in Sri Lanka To be a household brand (Annual Report, 2009). Media Schedule and Budget allocation Media Name of programme Duration/Size of Ad No. of spots per episode/programme/publication Number of time telecasted/on air/published/ per year Total spots for an year Cost per episode/programme/publication/board Total Cost per year with tax(NBT 3%, VAT 12%)(LKR) Television Maldives Capital radio Hendunu Hendunu (Morning Morning) Chefs talk 30 sec 10sec 2 per episode 2 per program 52 episodes 104 programmes 104 208 100,000 8,000 13,553,031.00 Magazine Rasrani (Female Beauty Full page 1 per magazine 12 magazines 12 Magazines 33,330 553,728.00 Bill Boards 30x15 2 Billboards 250,000 576,800.00 Sales Promotions Both sales and trade promotions would be used in-order to generate and increase sales at the introduction stage of the product in Male. Sales promotions Objectives Trade Sales Promotion To ensure the product is available in all main supermarkets in Male. To ensure the retailers would promote the product to the customers and give good shelf space. Consumer Sales Promotions To give a rapid start for the sales of the product while its at the introduction stage in Male. To ensure the first two months sales target is achieved while creating the brands awareness. To continue to achieve sales target through the brand name built during the first two months. To build the brand MD into a household everyday brand by increasing the product portfolio exported to Maldives. Sales promotion mix Trade Sales Promotions Trade Discounting A discount would be given to the retailers in bulk purchasing. This would be a 10% off on all purchase of over 1000 cans. Reward Points / Loyalty Card Reward points will be given to all retailers on the purchase of item. A point each for every 100 cans purchased would be given. Once they have accumulated 100 points, a 20% discount would be given on the next purchase of 1000 cans along with a loyalty card which could be used to get a three months credit period and many other offers that are introduced from time to time. This would be done continuously in order to keep the sales levels high at all times. Consumer Sales Promotions Special offers. A special offer is suggested to be given within the first two months for all consumers. The offer would give every purchase of a can each of the two varieties together i.e. The Mature Jak and Bitter Gourd, a free recipe book with 4special Sri Lankan recipes to prepare the two vegetables the Sri Lankan way. This would create the Sri Lankan nature of the brand MD and thus achieve MDs objectiveness of building the local brand and also increase the sales rapidly during the introduction stage of the product in Male. Strategy Price per can (LKR) (Maximum) QTY purchased to receive discount (Per time) Discount (Maximum) Total Cost(LKR) Trade Sales Promotions Trade Discount Loyalty Cards Consumer Sales Promotion Special Offer-Recipe Book 1760 1000 cans 1000 cans 2 10% 20% LKR20 worth book 38,016.00 76,032.00 271,824.00 Strategy Price per can (LKR) (Maximum) QTY purchased to receive discount (Per time) Discount (Maximum) Total Cost(LKR) Trade Sales Promotions Trade Discount Loyalty Cards Consumer Sales Promotion Special Offer-Recipe Book 1760 1000 cans 1000 cans 2 10% 20% LKR20 worth book 38,016.00 76,032.00 271,824.00 2.2.3 Sales promotion budget Distribution The canned vegetables will be transferred from Colombo harbor port to the Port of Male. Such port was selected since it is the easiest and faster way to enter Maldives and will be cleared fast and last but not least since it is very convenient for the companys distribution of goods of canned vegetables (Hello Maldives Holidays,1998).Mode of selection would be taxis since it is not much to travel within the country. Hence the start up business is intended in Male only it will be easy. But for further expansions to other allots ferries would be used. Selecting such modes would be advantages since it is reliable and cost effective. It is compulsory the packaging is written in Divehi as well as English to meet Maldivian packaging standards. The port authority of Male should receive certain documents 24hrs prior to the arrival at the Port authority for clearance at the port. Documents such as the name of the vessel, name of master and nationality, port of registry and number, type of vessel, cargo of discharge, ETA to the port, LOA/Beam/ and maximum draft, name of the local agent and Call sign. Such documents are needed to get the clearance from the port (Hello Maldives Holidays,1998). 3.1 Channels of Distribution (Micro Analysis) The channels of distribution could vary since there are wholesalers, retailers and sales representatives. There are 4 main retailers in Maldives namely; Red wave, Agora, STO super mart and VB mart. Retailers We decided to distribute our product through retailers in Male, the direct exporting method. Initially, all the transactions will be done on cash. We will briefly explain the retailers the standards associated with frozen products once the shipment is cleared from the port until it is sold to the consumer. The retailers we have selected to distribute our product are Red wave, Agora, STO super mart and VB mart. Price Determination Cost of Shipment of cans The shipping cost would be same as the shipment of other products which are transported to Maldives by MD (Jam, Cordials etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). A shipment of a standard container with 10,000 cans would be LKR 75,000(Annual Report, 2009). Transportation cost Transportation cost will be borne by the Maldivian Retailers when the goods land at Male. The transportation cost from MD Lanka Canneries to the Sri Lankan Port would be less as it would be shared with the transportation of the other goods other than the two products expected to transport (Mature Jak, Bitter Gourd) Therefore the cost portion for the transportation would be a total of LKR 12,000 per tour (transportation turn) done (Annual Report, 2009). 4.3 Handling Expenses Handling charges inclusive of pier charges, warfare fees, loading and unloading fees and all other overheads while goods are transported to the port would include LKR15, 000 per tour (Annual Report 2009). 4.4 Insurance Cost The total insurance cost per annum for transportation of the two product variables only to Maldives is LKR250, 000.The figure is not as high as transportation bottled Jam or Cordials as the risk of damage for the products are less since the packaging is done in aluminum can. 4.5 Wholesale and Retail Mark-Ups A mark-up of 90% is kept over the production cost of a can of vegetable, exported to Male. Such high mark-up is kept to cover the cost of shipping, handling, insurance and other costs. The products would directly be transported to the retailers and thus, the retailers could enjoy a markup of 12% on the whole-sale price before selling it at their super markets. 4.6 Companys Gross Margin The mark up that MD Lanka Canneries Ltd could have over each cans production cost is 15% if sold locally. This is sufficient to enjoy a profit of 10% even after covering the local marketing, advertising and promotional costs. MD Lanka Canneries Ltd could set a mark-up of 90% after marketing promotion and advertising costs on each can exported to Male ( Mark-up of 90% should cover an estimated cost of 30% for shipping, handling, insurance and other costs). Thus a net profit of 60% could be enjoyed on each can exported to Male. 4.7 Retail Pricing The retail price is kept MRF2 higher than the Twin Elephant Competitor brands price of MRF14 for a 560g can. Thus the price is MRF16(16*110=LKR1760).The price is kept higher to indicate the better quality of the product and also as MD is already one of the most recognized and trusted brands in Maldives and thus has a good demand. 4.8 Terms of Sale 4.8.1 Cash on Delivery We have chosen the payment term as cash on delivery. These terms require payment to the transportation company for the full invoice  document which shows the terms of sale. This includes a full description of the goods, sale price, charges, and discounts and of course the amount at the time of the delivery. If the buyer will refuse to accept the shipment which means that the seller will have to bear the costs of freight charges to and from the buyers location, preparation and packaging costs and possible deterioration of the product, unlike

Hiring employees

Hiring employees factors when deciding the most effective way to assess the suitability of job applicant for vacancy. traditional unstructured interview most common but least effective, why still relied on by managers during selection process, and how to make selection process more effective? Explain best approach to making sound selection decisions and justify Hiring employees effectively is vital to the survival of any organisation. The hiring process consists of soliciting potential candidates during recruitment and then determining the best candidates to be employees during the selection process. The selection process, in particular, enables organisations to build and maintain a productive and motivated workforce that will be the key to their success. The objective of the selection process is to enable valid predictions of performance and effective employee decisions in potential employees. Mistakes in selection could have terrible consequences on the organisation. For example, if a company hires someone who does not have people skills and place him in customer services, it could result in loss of future sales. Therefore, it is in an organisations interest to make sound selection decisions and make the selection process as objective and scientific as possible. Any recruitment and selection process usually begins with the applicant indicating their formal interest in the vacancy. After that, there are several selection systems employed by organisations. Methods include interviews, psychological tests and performance tests. These are designed to assess the candidates knowledge, skills, personality and attitudes. Each of these methods has their strengths and weaknesses, and when evaluating each method, one should consider its practicality, sensitivity, legality, reliability and validity. Interviews are the most widely used method in the selection process, but also one of the least effective. According to the a CIPD survey from 2009, competency-based interviews is the most used method (69%), while interviews following a biographical CV and structured interviews ranked second and third respectively. Anderson (1992) summarised that interviews remain popular because of their social functions of selling, persuading and negotiating, their acceptability to interviewers and candidates, and also due to time and cost constraints. Unstructured interviews have many weaknesses and limitations, including stereotyping, the similar-to-me effect, the personal liking effect, the primary effect, and the contrast effect. Structured interviews in the form of situational interviews and behavioural interviews have proved to be more effective than unstructured ones. Behavioural interviews asking candidates how have performed in the past give good indications of how they will perform in the future. Situational interviews can find out more specifically how candidates would respond to a particular situation relevant to the job. These two types of interviews also obtain more consistent information for comparison as the same questions are asked of all candidates. Consequently, the structured approach has been criticised by Anderson (1992) as being inflexible and reduce the role of the interviewer to a mere administrator of questions, leading to potential resentment. Another selection method is psychological testing. These include cognitive tests of ability, numeracy and literacy, and personality measures. They are professionally developed and therefore checked for validity and reliability. This method is also scientific and objective, and increases the validity of selection decisions. Factors which cannot be measured through interview can also be tested in this way. This method is mostly used by larger organisations. However, racial and ethnic bias is a concern for this type of tests. Personality tests that use frameworks such as Big Five can capture up to 75% of a candidates personality. Emotional stability is an especially important trait to be tested. Performance tests require candidates to perform the job in a short period of time. These are done either by work samples or assessment centres. Work samples can give good indication with high validity of how well the candidate can perform at the job if they are designed well. However these are costly to design and must be specific to each job, having to be modified as the job changes. Assessment centres are also expensive. They assess a number of candidates together using multiple methods. New advances in technology are rapidly changing the selection process. The weighted application blank (WAB) captures data using a standardised application form and assigns weighted values to each question depending on the employee characteristic to be measured. The resulting score will then be used in making the selection decision. A study by Kaak et al. (1998) reported that the WAB is an effective selection tool that can distinguish good performers and can reduce turnover rate in the hospitality industry. It is an objective and scientific tool, and proves to be cost and time efficient once the scoring system has been established. In addition, many researchers have concluded that biodata is one of the best selection devices for predicting employee performance and turnover (Harold et al., 2006; Ployhart et al., 2006). Biodata is the life historical events that may contribute to shaping of the candidates preferences, attitudes and personality traits. Work sample and ability tests have the highest validities of over 0.4 while biodata, assessment centres and structured interviews follow closely behind. Other methods such as unstructured interviews and personality tests have lower levels of validity. Therefore, to make sound selection decisions, an organisation should use methods of high validity, taking into considering how cost efficient it is with the number of candidate expected.

Medicating Young Minds Essay -- ADD ADHD Depression Anxiety

Medicating Young Minds In the article, â€Å"Medicating Young Minds†, which was published in Time magazine, dated November 3, 2003, it is stated that using stimulant medication on the youth is harmful. The article's author, Jeffrey Kluger, states that society must find alternative ways to treat young people for problems such as; ADD, ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc. Jeffrey Kluger's argument is not very persuasive for various reasons: their ill-logical beliefs, their sarcastic tones, their opinion and lack of fact based information, and their tendency to be biased in their writing. All of these reasons make it a poor argument over a very important subject. In the article, â€Å"Medicating Young Minds† author Jeffrey Kluger goes into detail about the problems of medicating children today. It is Klugers et al belief that it should not be happening; medicating the youth. His argument is logical to himself but, it may not be to everyone, especially people who need medication to survive. Kluger uses a sarcastic tone and is somewhat biased in his article. He believes that people today are just looking for the easy way out to feel better, when in reality they use medications to help them be successful in life. He states reasons for why he feels medications to aid ADD, ADHD, depression, anxiety and other mood disorders are bad, but does not give logical explanations to back it up. Kluger states side effects that he believes should help people determine that these medications are not worth taking. However, none of these side effects are worse than the effects some one may have with out the medicine. Kluger et al lacks evidence and does not have logic to their argument. His opinion is built into the article and less fact. He does no... ...sm, etc. The argument does not seem to be too believable for it does not show that any of the authors have any experience in the topic of medication and the effects on the youth .Also, the examples et al give are weak and they are not backed up with anything solid. The bias attitude these authors tend to demonstrate through the article does not help with believing what the authors have to say. Lastly, the word choice and attitudes throughout the article are used to try to make the reader fear or question medication on the youth. These words or statements are not followed with any good back up leaving them not as effective. It is obvious that the authors hold values that may differ from the general populations on this topic and they are not ashamed to show it. Having these attitudes takes away from the logic, believability, and credibility of their argument as a whole.

Therapy Session Experience Review Essay -- Family Therapy, Family Coun

Our first session with the Smith family was very informative. The first 20 minutes of the session were the most noteworthy because of our effectiveness joining with the family and the depth of information we gained. This achievement is due, in part, to having all four of the Smith’s participate in the session. Pinsof (as cited in Sprenkle, Davis, & Lebow, 2014) believes that having the entire family involved in the therapy sessions from the beginning gives the therapist a clearer understanding of the system and â€Å"a more accurate understanding of the problem maintenance structure† (p.39). As the Smith family entered the therapy room, Regina’s tension was evident before the session officially began. As they were about to sit down, she quickly moved between George and Rob. During the session, I observed George making faces, rolling his eyes, and whisper comments to Rob. Rob would respond by making jokes about hurting George or threatening physical gestures; pu nching his fist into the palm of his other hand or moving a finger across his throat in a slashing motion. Afterward Rob would smile at Theresa and me and shrug his shoulders but George would act as though he hadn’t participated in the exchange. Regina and Kevin did not acknowledge George's behavior but would sigh or frown at Rob’s. This interaction would not have been observed if the entire family hadn’t attended. The session began with a brief introduction of everyone in the room which was followed by an ice breaker activity. During a previous classroom demonstration, markers were used as an ice breaker with a young family (D. Baker, personal communication, March 18, 2014). It was a simple action that created a connection so I adopted the practice. According to Patterson, ... ...: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Guildford Press. Patterson, J., Williams, L., Edwards, T. M., Chamow, L., Grauf-Grounds, C. (2009). Essential skills in family therapy (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Strengthening Families, (2014). Mormon.org. Retrieved from: http://www.mormon.org/values/family. Sprenkle, J., Davis, S. D., Lebow, J. L. (2009). Common factors in couple and family therapy: The overlooked foundation for effective practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Taibbi, R. (2007). Doing family therapy: Craft and creativity in clinical practice (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Walsh, F. (2008). Spirituality, healing, and resilience. In M. McGoldrick and K. V. Hardy (Ed.), Re-visioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice (2nd Ed.) (pp. 61-75). New York, NY: Guildford Press.

King Lear :: English Literature Essays

King Lear King Lear is a play written by William Shakespeare that focuses on the relationships of many characters, some good, some evil. This is a great tragedy that is full of injustice at the beginning and the restoring of justice towards the end. The good are misjudged as evil and the evil are accepted as good. It is not until the end of the play that the righteous people are recognized as such. There is great treachery and deceit involved in the hierarchy of English rule. The great mistake in this play was made by Lear when he decided to divide up his kingdom to his three daughters. In order to determine which share each should get, he had each of his daughters give testimonies of love for him. Cordelia, the youngest, refused to go overboard with her statement. When asked for her testimony, she simply replied, "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. I love your Majesty according to my bond, no more no less."(I,i, ln 91-93) Lear becomes enraged and casts ! her off saying, "Here I disclaim all my paternal care, propinquity and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold this from thee for ever."(I,i, ln 113-116). Some think that Cordelia was prideful, or even a fool in her response, but I believe she was simply being honest and true. Another mistake that was made in the course of the play was by the Earl of Gloucester. After being tricked by his bastard son, Edmund, into believing that his other son, Edgar, was plotting to kill him, he put all his faith in Edmund, which would eventually lead to his demise. Besides believing that Cordelia was being true and honest to her father, I think that Lear and the Earl of Gloucester were fools, regarding the banishments of their righteous children. After reading this play, I found it hard to believe that Cordelia was being anything but true in her simple proclamation of love for her father. I can't believe that Shakespeare was trying to portray her as a spoiled, prideful child. I do not believe she was foolish in her decision to restrain from trying to persuade him into giving her a larger portion of his kingdom. I think it was apparent early that Cordelia was struggling with what she was going to say to her father.

A Dirty Job Chapter 7

7 THANATOAST While Charlie's Beta Male imagination may have often turned him toward timidity and even paranoia, when it came to accepting the unacceptable it served him like Kevlar toilet paper – bulletproof, if a tad disagreeable in application. The inability to believe the unbelievable would not be his downfall. Charlie Asher would never be a bug splattered on the smoky windscreen of dull imagination. He knew that all the things that had happened to him in the last day were outside of the limits of possibility for most people, and since his only corroborating witness was a man who believed himself to be the Emperor of San Francisco, Charlie knew he would never be able to convince anyone that he had been pursued and attacked by giant foulmouthed ravens and then declared the tour guide to the undiscovered country by a sultry oracle in fuck-me pumps. Not even Jane would give him that kind of quarter. Only one person would have, could have, and for the ten-thousandth time he felt Rachel's absence collapsing in his chest like a miniature black hole. Thus, Sophie became his co-conspirator. The tiny kid, dressed in Elmo overalls and baby Doc Martens (courtesy of Aunt Jane), was propped up in her car seat on the breakfast bar next to the goldfish bowl. (Charlie had bought her six big goldfish about the time she'd started to notice moving objects. A girl needs pets. He'd named them after TV lawyers. Currently Matlock was tracking Perry Mason, trying to eat a long strand of fish doo that was trailing out of Perry's poop chute.) Sophie was starting to show some of her mother's dark hair, and if Charlie saw it right, the same expression of bemused affection toward him (plus a drool slick). â€Å"So I am Death,† Charlie said as he tried to construct a tuna-fish sandwich. â€Å"Daddy is Death, sweetie.† He checked the toast, not trusting the pop-up mechanism because the toaster people sometimes just liked to fuck with you. â€Å"Death,† Charlie said as the can opener slipped and he barked his bandaged hand on the counter. â€Å"Dammit!† Sophie gurgled and let loose a happy baby burble, which Charlie took to mean Do tell, Daddy? Please go on, pray tell. â€Å"I can't even leave the house for fear of someone dropping dead at my feet. I'm Death, honey. Sure, you laugh now, but you'll never get into a good preschool with a father who puts people down for their dirt nap.† Sophie blew a spit bubble of sympathy. Charlie popped the toast up manually. It was a little rare, but if he pushed it down again it would burn, unless he watched it every second and popped it up manually again. So now he'd probably be infected with some rare and debilitating undercooked toast pathogen. Mad toast disease! Fucking toaster people. â€Å"This is the toast of Death, young lady.† He showed her the toast. â€Å"Death's toast.† He put the toast on the counter and went back to attacking the tuna can. â€Å"Maybe she was speaking figuratively? I mean, maybe the redhead just meant that I was, you know, deadly boring.† Of course that didn't really explain all the other weird stuff that had been happening. â€Å"You think?† he asked Sophie. He looked for an answer and the kid was wearing that Rachelesque smart-ass grin (minus teeth). She was enjoying his torment, and strangely enough, he felt better knowing that. The can opener slipped again, spurting tuna juice on his shirt and sending his toast scooting to the floor, and now there was fuzz on it. Fuzz on his toast! Fuzz on the toast of Death. What the hell good was it to be the Lord of the Underworld if there was fuzz on your underdone toast. â€Å"Fuck!† He snatched the toast from the floor and sent it sailing by Sophie into the living room. The baby followed it with her eyes, then looked back at her father with a delighted squeal, as if saying, Do it again, Daddy. Do it again! Charlie picked her up out of the car seat and held her tight, smelling her sour-sweet baby smell, his tears squeezing out onto her overalls. He could do this if Rachel was here, but he couldn't, he wouldn't, without her. He just wouldn't go out. That was the solution. The only way to keep the people of San Francisco safe was to stay in his apartment. So for the next four days he stayed in the apartment with Sophie, sending Mrs. Ling from upstairs out for groceries. (And he was accumulating a fairly large collection of vegetables for which he had no name nor any idea of how to prepare, as Mrs. Ling, regardless of what he put on the list, always did her shopping in the markets of Chinatown.) And after two days, when a new name appeared on the message pad next to his bed, Charlie responded by hiding the message pad under the phone book in a kitchen drawer. It was on day five that he saw the shadow of a raven against the roof entrance of the building across the street. At first he wasn't sure whether it was a giant raven, or just a normal-sized raven projecting a shadow, but when he realized that it was noon and any normal shadow would be cast straight down, the tiny raven of denial vanished in a wisp. He pulled the blinds on that side of the apartment and sat in the locked bedroom with Sophie, a box of Pampers, a basket of produce, a six-pack each of baby formula and orange soda, and hid out until the phone rang. â€Å"What do you think you're doing?† said a very deep man's voice on the other end of the line. â€Å"Are you insane?† Charlie was taken aback; from the caller ID, he'd expected a wrong number. â€Å"I'm eating this thing I think is either a melon or a squash.† He looked at the green thing, which tasted like a melon but looked more like a squash, with spikes. (Mrs. Ling had called it â€Å"shut-up-and-eat-it-good-for-you.†) The man said, â€Å"You're screwing up. You have a job to do. Do what the book says or everything that means anything to you will be taken away. I mean it.† â€Å"What book? Who is this?† Charlie asked. He thought the voice sounded familiar, and it immediately sent him into alarm mode for some reason. â€Å"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry,† said the man. â€Å"I really am.† â€Å"I've got caller ID, you nit. I know where you're calling from.† â€Å"Oops,† said the man. â€Å"You should have thought of that. What kind of ominous power of darkness do you think you are if you don't even block caller ID?† The little readout on the phone said Fresh Music and a number. Charlie called the number back but no one answered. He ran to the kitchen, dug the phone book out of the drawer, and looked up Fresh Music. It was a record store off upper Market in the Castro district. The phone rang again and he grabbed the handset off the counter so violently he nearly chipped a tooth in answering. â€Å"You merciless bastard!† Charlie screamed into the phone. â€Å"Do you have any idea what I've been going through, you heartless monster!† â€Å"Well, fuck you, Asher!† Lily said. â€Å"Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I don't have feelings.† And she hung up. Charlie called back. â€Å"Asher's Secondhand,† Lily answered, â€Å"family-owned by bourgeoisie douche waffles for over thirty years.† â€Å"Lily, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. What did you call about?† â€Å"Moi?† Lily said. â€Å"Je me fous de ta gueule, espce de gaufre de douche.† â€Å"Lily, stop speaking French. I said I was sorry.† â€Å"There's a cop down here to see you,† she said. Charlie had Sophie strapped to his chest like a terrorist baby bomb when he came down the back steps. She had just gotten to the point where she could hold up her head, so he had strapped her in face-out so she could look around. The way her arms and legs waved around as Charlie walked, she looked as if she was skydiving and using a skinny nerd as a parachute. The cop stood at the counter opposite Lily, looking like a cognac ad in an Italian-cut double-breasted suit in indigo raw silk with a buff linen shirt and yellow tie. He was about fifty, Hispanic, lean, with sharp facial features and the aspect of a predatory bird. His hair was combed straight back and the gray streaks at the temples made it appear that he was moving toward you even when he stood still. â€Å"Inspector Alphonse Rivera,† the cop said, extending his hand. â€Å"Thanks for coming down. The young lady said you were working last Monday night.† Monday. The day he'd battled the ravens back in the alley, the day the pale redhead had come into the store. â€Å"You don't have to tell him anything, Asher,† Lily said, obviously renewing her loyalty in spite of his douche wafflosity. â€Å"Thanks, Lily, why don't you take a break and go see how things are going in the abyss.† She grumbled, then got something out of the drawer under the register, presumably her cigarettes, and retreated out the back door. â€Å"Why isn't that kid in school?† Rivera asked. â€Å"She's special,† Charlie said. â€Å"You know, homeschooled.† â€Å"That what makes her so cheerful?† â€Å"She's studying the Existentialists this month. Asked for a study day last week to kill an Arab on the beach.† Rivera smiled and Charlie relaxed a little. He produced a photograph from his breast pocket and held it out to Charlie. Sophie made as if to grab it. The photograph was of an older gentleman in his Sunday best standing on the steps of a church. Charlie recognized the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, which was just a few blocks away on Washington Square. â€Å"Did you see this man Monday night? He was wearing a charcoal overcoat and a hat that night.† â€Å"No, I'm sorry. I didn't,† Charlie said. And he hadn't. â€Å"I was here in the store until about ten. We had a few customers, but not this fellow.† â€Å"Are you sure? His name is James O'Malley. He isn't well. Cancer. His wife said he went out for a walk about dusk Monday night and he never came back.† â€Å"No, I'm sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"Did you ask the cable-car operator?† â€Å"Already talked to the guys working this line that night. We think he may have collapsed somewhere and we haven't found him. It doesn't look good after this long.† Charlie nodded, trying to look thoughtful. He was so relieved that the cop wasn't here about anything connected with him that he was almost giddy. â€Å"Maybe you should ask the Emperor – you know him, right? He sees more of the nooks and crannies of the city than most of us.† Rivera cringed at the mention of the Emperor, but then relaxed into another smile. â€Å"That's a good idea, Mr. Asher. I'll see if I can track him down.† He handed Charlie a card. â€Å"If you remember anything, give me a call, would you?† â€Å"I will. Uh, Inspector,† Charlie said, and Rivera paused a few steps from the counter, â€Å"isn't this sort of a routine case for an inspector to be investigating?† â€Å"Yes, normally uniform personnel would handle something like this, but it may relate to something else I'm working on, so you get me instead.† â€Å"Oh, okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"Beautiful suit, by the way. Couldn't help noticing. It's my business.† â€Å"Thanks,† Rivera said, looking at his sleeves, a little wistful. â€Å"I had a short run of good fortune a while back.† â€Å"Good for you,† Charlie said. â€Å"It passed,† Rivera said. â€Å"Cute baby. You two take care, huh?† And he was out the door. Charlie turned to go back upstairs and nearly ran into Lily. She had her arms crossed under the â€Å"Hell Is Other People† logo on her T-shirt and was looking even more judgmental than usual. â€Å"So, Asher, you have something you want to tell me?† â€Å"Lily, I don't have time for – â€Å" She held out the silver cigarette case that the redhead had given him. It was still glowing red. Sophie was reaching for it. â€Å"What?† Charlie said. Could Lily see it? Was she picking up on the weird glow? Lily opened the case and pushed it into Charlie's face. â€Å"Read the engraving.† James O'Malley, read the ornate script. Charlie took a step back. â€Å"Lily, I can't – I don't know anything about that old man. Look, I have to get Mrs. Ling to watch Sophie and get over to the Castro. I'll explain later, okay? I promise.† She thought about it for a second, staring at him accusingly, like she'd caught him feeding Froot Loops to her bte noire, and then relented. â€Å"Go,† she said.

Diary and Character Essay

Over the course of this 3 week unit, you will have the opportunity to explore the nuances of Macbeth by putting yourself into the mindset of a character you have selected. You will write a series of diary entries as if you were this character, that means from his or her point of view and create an appropriate and creative cover. Requirements: 1. You will be assigned 6 entries, with the option of skipping one entry at any time. If you choose, you may do all 6 entries and receive up to 10 points extra credit. 2. All entries must be at least a page long, double-spaced. Know that some of the topics that you write about will require more length in order to give a full and reflective response, though. 3. Entries must be original and of your own work. Plagiarism of any type will result in an F for this assignment. If you have any doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me. 4. Entries must be relatively free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. 5. Design a cover/title page for you diary. It must reflect some aspect of the character and should Include illustrations or graphics. 7. For each of the entries, you will pick from the following list of topics. Although you must stay within the limits of what the text says about the character, you are free to use your imagination to fill in the gaps. If you wish, you may also illustrate your entries. You may not repeat any topic. Specific Diary Topics: (Choose at least 5) 1. Pick a specific scene. How does your character feel that he/she contributes to this scene? What are his or her actions and why? Also, explain how your character is relating to other characters on stage at this time. 2. What is something surprising about your character? Discuss this from his/her point of view. 3. What happened today in the life of your character? 4. Have your character write a letter to another character. 5. Write down a quote from your character and have your character write in response to what he or she said. 6. What is your character feeling as a result of his/her actions? 7. What music or television shows might your character enjoy listening to or watching? Why? 8. Have your character talk about how he or she has changed throughout the play. 9. Choose from the following conflicting aspects that Shakespeare uses throughout the play and discuss how your character demonstrates both sides: ambition/duty, bravery/fear, stre ngth/uncertainty, good/evil, and fair/foul. Make sure your character journal matches what the teacher is grading you on in the rubric.

Compare the way love is presented in ‘Valentine’ and ‘Sonnet130’ Essay

Compare and contrast the way in which love is presented in the poems ‘valentine’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘sonnet 130’ by William Shakespeare. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast the way in which love is presented in the poems ‘valentine’ by Carol Ann Duffy and ‘sonnet 130’ by William Shakespeare. I will be drawing links of comparison and will explain the similarities and differences between them. The first poem ‘valentine’ was written by Carol Ann Duffy. It has no set rhythmic pattern and the stanzas are all different lengths. There are 7 stanzas in total. The title of the poem Valentine’ sounds very romantic and suggests that the poem is about hearts and roses and other items linked with the word valentine, however, once the first line is read this assumption is wiped away. The word satin from the first line ‘not a red rose or a satin heart’ immediately makes the reader think of a romantic gift that is soft to the touch and quite luxurious. However the line starts with ‘not’ suggesting that she is not going to give her lover a normal valentine present. This line is on its own which could mean that it is important and has been left on its own to stand out to the reader. The second stanza then starts by saying ‘I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper’. The writer uses juxtaposition to compare an onion to a ‘moon wrapped in brown paper’. The onion represents love and is symbolic and carol Ann Duffy makes the onion seem like a very special thing rather than just an onion. By saying that it is a ‘moon wrapped in brown paper’ it makes it sound like a present or a package waiting to be unwrapped. The next line ‘it promises light’ then goes back to the moon and light is normally seen as a special and good thing which represents their relationship. The stanza then ends by saying ‘like the careful undressing of love’. This is an effective way of ending the stanza as she connects the onion to their relationship. This is because by saying ‘careful undressing’ she is referring to the layers of an onion whereas by mentioning love it goes back to their relationship and how there are different stages or ‘layers’ to it. The third stanza starts with a one worded line-‘Here’. This is short and concise and calls the reader’s attention away from the description of the onion and starts to say what the onion would do. The next line, ‘It will blind you with tears like a lover’, connects the onion to love and compares the way an onion makes you cry to how love can make you cry. The word ‘blind’ is used as when people cry their eyesight becomes blurred and put off. The stanza ends by saying ‘it will make your reflection a wobbling photo of grief’. This is because when you have been or are about to cry water build up in your eyes and makes you vision go wobbly and blurred. The next two stanzas are each only one line. The first reads ‘I am trying to be truthful’. The word ‘trying’ suggests that it is the thought that counts and her gift of an onion has a lot of importance. ‘Truthful’ could indicate that she wants to give a present that means more than a typical valentine present. The second stanza ‘not a cute card or a kissogram’ is also only one line. This could be because the writer wanted to make an impact on the reader and wanted the line to stand out. The line links to the first stanza of the poem through the repetition of the word ‘not’. It is also saying the same thing – that she is not giving her lover a typical valentine gift, such as a ‘cute card’ which holds no importance or meaning. The sixth stanza begins with the use of repetition as it repeats the line ‘I give you an onion’ used in the beginning of the poem and refers back to the poems meaning. It could also suggest that carol Ann Duffy felt strongly about giving the onion and it held a lot of importance to her. The next line ‘its fierce kiss will stay on your lips’ implies the onion brings everlasting love. The word ‘fierce’ relates Duffy’s passion to her lover, with an onion and by using the word ‘kiss’ she brings a romantic and passionate atmosphere to the stanza. The taste of an onion is sharp and stays on the lips for a long time, similarly to a kiss which is remembered and can be felt on your lips a long time after as it is an important part of the relationship. The following line is only three words ‘possessive and faithful’ and is describing the kiss using very powerful adjectives that make an impact on the reader. She is saying that it is not an ordinary kiss but one with a deeper meaning which relates to an onion and how it leaves a strong taste on your lips. Duffy ends the stanza with ‘as we are, as long as we are’ stating that she hopes her love will last forever however know that it may not. The final stanza of the poem starts with a short line that reads ‘take it’. This is left on its own to stand out to the reader and is in a commanding tone. It shows that it is important to Duffy that her lover takes the onion. The consecutive line ‘its platinum loops shrink to a wedding ring’ refer to the loops of an onion that get smaller as you go up the onion. By using the word ‘platinum’ which is very precious she is making the onion seem much more valuable than it is. ‘If you like’ then changes the tone of the poem as she is giving her lover a choice whereas in the first line she was ordering him. The nest line ‘lethal’ is saying that love can be dangerous and it has been left on its own to stand out to the reader. The final two lines are ‘its scent will cling to you fingers, Cling to your knife. The word ‘cling’ sounds like it will not let go. The next poem, sonnet 130, was written by William Shakespeare. Unlike ‘valentine’ there is a set rhythmic pattern in the beginning of the poem (ABABCDCDEFEFetc.) however changes to rhyming couplets in the last two lines to make them stand out and show their importance to the reader. ‘Sonnet 130’ like ‘valentine’ also compares love with strange objects for example; he describes his mistress’s hair as ‘black wires’ which is not normally associated with beauty. It suggests that her hair is thick and wiry. Throughout the poem he criticises her in this way. By doing this he could be suggesting that beauty isn’t only skin deep and there is more to a relationship than looks. He believes that his love for her is rare and he accepts how she looks in an honest way because he loves her. Shakespeare also uses strong and powerful words, like ‘valentine’, however uses it differently. While Duffy uses words such as ‘possessive’ to describe an onion, Shakespeare uses words like ‘snow’ or ‘roses’ which create imagery. These words can be used by the reader to create their own image in their mind. Most of the words he uses such as ‘sun’, ‘snow’ or ‘roses’ represent good things and relate to happiness. However he says that his lover is the opposite of all theses things and therefore the reader creates a negative image of his lover in their head. He also uses juxtaposition but in a different way to carol Ann Duffy. Duffy uses juxtaposition by comparing love with an onion throughout the poem however in ‘sonnet 130’ Shakespeare uses juxtaposition in each line, contrasting objects with positive imagery with his mistress however saying that she is the opposite of them, for example, ‘but no such roses see I in her cheeks’. Shakespeare juxtaposes beauty to ugliness which makes this line effective. This contrast changes the tone of the poem. Roses are used to represent beauty and delicateness, however Shakespeare juxtaposes this by saying the woman does not remind him of roses. This suggests that his mistress is not beautiful. To conclude, I feel that ‘valentine’ was a much more effective poem as Duffy managed to get a lot of meaning out of just an onion and she used a lot of powerful language such as ‘possessive’. She also used many metaphors and similes and although the poem did not rhyme, the range and different lengths of stanzas had a good effect as it made certain things stand out. ‘Sonnet 130’ was also an enjoyable poem to read as it had a good rhythm throughout and had a lot of deep meanings to it. It also had good use of juxtaposition and the words used helped created imagery inside the readers mind. However, it was not as interesting as ‘valentine’ and did not express as much emotion.