Gender, Authority and Dissent in English Mystical Writers Essay Example for Free

Gender, Authority and Dissent in English Mystical Writers Essay The Book of Margery Kempe certainly provoked an intense amount of controversy, not least in the present but in her own time as well; a debate that centred on her position as a mystic. This position entailed having true knowledge of God, to work towards a union with him where they would essentially become one. Margery Kempe, at the very least views herself to be one of Gods vessels through which He can allow her to experience spiritual visions and feelings. It is in her book that Kempe conveys through words what she considered to be the most significant of these experiences, in order that those who read them would derive great comfort and solace. It is Kempes individual and brilliant adaptation of what was originally a discipline for cloistered elites1 that draws attention to her. Yet it is this individual voice, the style she uses, and her firm relationship with the market world that questions her experiences of higher contemplation. Certainly Kempe does not conform to the solitary life of a conventional mystic, much like Richard Rolles statement of running off into the woods, and at one point she is even sorrowful and grieving because she has no company. Yet she uses many of her interactions with others to confirm her position as a mystic. She visits the revered mystic Julian of Norwich to seek advice as to whether her visions were genuine or not (Chapter 18), and receives confirmation from Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury. Essentially what it has been suggested that Kempe experiences is a higher level of contemplation positive mysticism. This was the search for God through human imagery, which insists on the physical as a legitimate means of access to the spiritual.2 Certainly one of the standard patterns in mystical experience were the feelings of love between the mystic and God which is often described as fire, hence Rolles Incendium Amoris. Kempe notes that there was an unquenchable fire of love which burnt full sore in her soul, and that Christ had set her soul all on fire with love. Thus the intensity of her visions can not be brought into question as she certainly shares with [the tradition] a mystical sense of God at work in human experiences.3 These human experiences included her own body, as she suffers illness and indulgences in self-mutilation, wearing a haircloth, fasting and even biting her hand so violently that she has to be tied down. However, the visions that Kempe experiences, as mystics viewed them as gifts, are not a product of studious praying and meditating. In most ways what she conveys is an imitation of what many female European mystics experienced, like Bridget of Sweden and Dorothy of Montou or Catherine of Siena. She seeks justification for her mystical standing by linking herself closely to others and, though illiterate receives much of her inspiration from such mystical texts as Incendium Amoris, Stimulus Amoris, and Walter Hiltons Scale of Perfection. However, as Glasscoe has pointed out, her spiritual experiences were not an easy thing for Kempe to meditate on. Whereas Hilton focused on inner spiritual growth, Kempe can only explain her transcendence through what was familiar to her the body.4 She even says that sometimes, what she understood physically was to be understood spiritually. Thus, whereas her visions may at many points seem extreme and even distasteful it does not necessarily mean that she was experiencing anything less than what is considered mystical. What also inspires Kempe, whilst also bringing into question her status as a mystic is the fact that she was a woman who was firmly placed in the world. David Aers describes her as an independent businesswoman, who before her initial vision was active in the market economy, investing money, organising public work and employing men.5 Mysticism was overwhelmingly contemplative, and there was not much spoke about the active life, with the exception of Walter Hiltons positive description of the mixed life. However instead of accepting that she is too busy with worldly occupations that must be attended to6, like Hilton proposed, Kempe integrates the economic world into her mysticism. Shelia Delany proposed that in her work one is constantly aware of the cash nexus. 7 This is true in the sense that Kempe even strikes a deal with Jesus, in the sense that he becomes the mediator between Kempes social responsibilities as a wife and her desire to lead the spiritual life. Through Christs help she can lead the chaste life by buying off her husband, hence paying off all his debts (Chapter 11. p.60). Atkinson, commented that what Kempe creates is a God, who controlled the economy of salvation, [and] functioned as a great banker of a merchant prince.8 Also Kempes drive for more is also indicative of her market drive values, in the same sense that she sees that by giving charity to her fellow Christians she will receive in heaven double reward. This unusual market driven line of thought is not the only factor that distinguishes her from her predecessors. Her style of writing is different and her visions are certainly unique. She actively takes part in many of the experiences, using speech, as Carol Coulson has suggested to inject herself into the holy narrative,9 even at one point acting as the handmaiden to God, and as a replacement to the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. Her first vision is also very personal, and in some ways domesticated. Jesus is said to have appeared in the likeness of a manclad in a mantle of purple silk, sitting upon her bedside. The Incarnation is taken to the extreme, where her visions sometimes sit outside the historical moments of the Bible and become part of her own world. Despite distancing herself by calling herself the creature throughout the text many have accused her work of being self-absorbed I have told you before that you are a singular lover of God, and therefore you shall have a singular love in heaven, a singular reward and a singular honour. Certainly her relations with God are very personal, and in many ways conveyed in sexual terms, as when Christ says to her Daughter, you greatly desire to see me, and you may boldly, when you are in bed, take me to you as your wedded husband. However, again this great pomp and pride, is said to emerge from her experience as a female within an urban class which fostered within her a strong sense of class identity and self-value.10 A self-value that she never really agrees to give up, thus because she refuses to traditionally quieten the self, Kempe does not sit comfortably as a mystic. Similarly she never really abandons her desire for worldly goods. She even admits in the first chapters that after her initial vision she refused to give up her worldly leisures, and still took delight in earthly things. This earthiness continues throughout the book. At one point she explains that she was embarrassed because she was not dressed as she would have liked to have been for lack of money, and wishing to go about unrecognised until she could arrange a loan she held a handkerchief in front of her face. This embarrassment does not hold well with the lower stage of mysticism in which the visionary is to dispel themselves of all earthly matters so that their soul is open to heaven. Her mysticism is driven to accumulate. She refuses to be content with the goods that God has sent her, whilst ever [desiring] more and more. From God she can attain spiritual status, whilst through her (fathers) social position she maintains earthly standing, thus she is caught between two (masculine) worlds. As David Aers has noted the market world never really receives rebuke in her mystical world, in fact it remains a natural part of it.11 Yet to see her as the victim of a capitalist society is, as Glasscoe maintains, to ignore her avowed purpose.12 Yet it is hard to ignore the element of hysteria in her work. She certainly experiences the traditional mystical dilemma that her visions will never be truly conveyed to those who stand outside it, that herself could never tell the grace that she felt, it was so heavenly, so high above her reason and her bodily witsthat she might never express it within her world like she felt it in her soul. However her Gift of Tears, in which she cries abundantly and violently, break quite brutally this silence of contemplation. It may be however that her loud screams and cries convey her devotion and justify her higher state. Certainly tradition showed that mystics thought of themselves as vehicles for suffering and their broken voices and lacerated bodies reflected the stress under which they laboured.13 Her crying brought attention to her being, even in her own time when crowds flocked to see her, becoming somewhat of a spectacle. These tears are almost a sign of her fertility in her contemplative life, and also justified in the Bible Psalm cxxvi, 5-6 says that they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing Her tears therefore, although extreme and lead many throughout her work to rebuke her, are essentially a sign of grace demonstrating that the Incarnation for Kempe was an ever-present reality.14 Ursula Peters suggested that female mystics, through mysticism turned inward and [discovered] ways to describe their own experiences.15 In fact the role Kempe plays as a woman is very important to her whole mystical experience, and in some ways may even bring it into question. In her experiences with God she plays the wife, the mother, the sister and the daughter. When her husbands exclaims that she is no good wife it again demonstrates that Kempe struggled between two worlds, that of the spiritual and that of her family commitments. St Bernard once proclaimed that natural human feeling doesnt have to be suppressed but channelled into God, and in some ways this is exactly what Kempe achieves. By using the idea that she is a holy vessel she is able to assert herself as a woman in the highly competitive world quite drastically. She refuses to abandon her personality and quite forcefully, hence her adamant desire to be chaste, asserts who she is. The Church even attempted to denounce he r as a Lollard, which shows that she was a threatening (female) voice and the only way to quieten her was to denounce her as a heretic. Rather than being a mystical treatise, The Book of Margery Kempe is a narrative account, almost a story, or even an autobiography as many have stated it to be, in which she attempts to adopt the contemplative ideal of piety.16 In fact it is more than mysticism, it is the experiences of a woman trying to find her voice in a masculine social world, and the only way that she can achieve this is through having spiritual authority. Certainly her devotion can not be questioned, and she cant even predict herself when the intensity of Christs Passion will overwhelm her, be it sometime in the church, sometime in the street, sometime in the chamber, sometime in the field. Yet her extreme metaphors and use of language certainly bring into doubt her status as a mystic. As Susan Dickman has suggested prayers and visions certainly occupy the text, yet they are embedded in a larger structure17, namely how she was painfully drawn and steered, [her pilgrimage acting as a metaphor for her mystical journey] to enter the way of perfection. Certainly painfully is an apt description, leading many to criticise her as a charlatan, a terrible hysteric and even one who was possessed by the devil. Yet this account is from a very independent and highly spirited woman, who although struggled with her identity and sought the higher state to explore that larger structure of herself through God, was deeply devoted to her faith. In the end her piety was very ordinary, it is her style of conveyance however, the lack of the abstract vocabulary of Julian of Norwich, Rolle and the Cloud author18 that brings her status as a mystic into controversy. Bibliography Aers, David., Community Gender and Individual Identity in English Writing, 1360-1430 (London, 1988) Bancroft, A., The Luminous Vision: Six Medieval Mystics and their Teachings (London, 1982). Evans, Ruth and Johnson, Lesley (eds.)., Feminist Readings in Middle English Literature: The Wife of Bath and All Her Sect (London, 1994) Klapisch-Zuber, C (ed.)., Silences of the Middle-Ages (London 1992),447 Glasscoe, Marion (ed.)., The Medieval Mystical Tradition (Exeter, 1980) http://www.anamchara.com/mystics/kempe.htm http://www.ccel.org/h/hilton/ladder/ladder-PART_I.html http://www.sterling.holycross.edu/departments/visarts/projects/kempe/index.html Knowles, D., The English Mystical Tradition London (London, 1961) Meale, Carol. M., (ed.)., Women and Literature in Britain 1150-1500 (Cambridge, 1993) 1 C. Klapisch-Zuber, Silences of the Middle Ages (London 1992),160 2 J.Long., Mysticism and hysteria: the histories of Margery Kempe and Anna O, in Feminist Readings in Middle English Literature, ed. R.Evans et al. (London, 1994),100 3 M. Glasscoe, English Medieval Mystics: Games of Faith (London, 1993),268. 4 M. Glasscoe, English Medieval Mystics: Games of Faith (London, 1993), 268. 5 D. Aers, Community, Gender and Individual Identity English Writing 1360-1430 (London, 1988), 112. 6 http://www.ccel.org/h/hilton/ladder/ladder-PART_I.html 7 J.Long., Mysticism and hysteria: the histories of Margery Kempe and Anna O, in Feminist Readings in Middle English Literature, ed. R.Evans et al. (London, 1994), 87-111 8 D. Aers, Community, Gender and Individual Identity English Writing 1360-1430 (London, 1988), 106 9 http://www.anamchara.com/mystics/kempe.html 10 D. Aers, Community, Gender and Individual Identity English Writing 1360-1430 (London, 1988),115. 11 Ibid. 12 M. Glasscoe, English Medieval Mystics: Games of Faith (London, 1993), 275. 13 C. Klapisch-Zuber, Silences of the Middle Ages (London 1992),446 14 M. Glasscoe, English Medieval Mystics: Games of Faith (London, 1993), 276. 15 C. Klapisch-Zuber, Silences of the Middle Ages (London 1992),447 16 http://www.anamchara.com/mystics/kempe.htm 17 S. Dickman., Margery Kempe and The English Devotional Tradition, in The Medieval Mystical Tradition, ed. M. Glasscoe (Exeter, 1980), 156-172 18 M. Glasscoe, English Medieval Mystics: Games of Faith (London, 1993), 272.

Marketing Strategy of Olpers Milk

Marketing Strategy of Olpers Milk Engro Foods (Pvt.) Limited (EFL) was established in 2005 as part of a huge diversification process at the Engro Group. Engro Group itself is one of the leading business corporation with high ventures in the fertilizer, food, power, generation, petrochemicals, automation and terminal storage industries. Engro wanted to setup a latest fertilization plant but due to certain restrictions from the government was not able to expand in the fertilization field. There, the organization decided to invest into a new market. Olpers Milk, companys first brand was launched in 2006 in major cities of Pakistan simultaneously so that product gains popularity and visibility together. By this information, we got the idea of launching a processed milk that will fulfill all the needs of a household related to the use of milk. The plan, in a very brief way describes what segments the company is going to target, how and what strategies to take on to achieve a brand position and make maximum profits. The plan also points out the strengths, weaknesses that accounts to internal factors that can affect a product and opportunities and threats, which are the external factors disturbing the product Current Marketing Situation Marketing research is an important step when a new product is to be launched into market especially for an organization with no experience in the field. There are numerous risks associated with the new product. so to reduce the risks, research is a very important step towards the launch. The research uncovered that the food industry held the maximum promise and profits if on right track. The statistics show that Pakistan is the third largest milk producing country in the world, with urban consumption of about 7 billion liters annually. There is an overall growth in the PLM sector due to awareness in health and hygiene, this coupled with an increasing dissatisfaction with the loose milk from the local doodhwala. In Punjab loose milk costs between Rs. 46 and Rs. 50 while tetra packed milk costs around 75, same is the case is in Sindh where the price difference between the fresh milk and packed milk is around 20. These are a few problems which have to be solved in order to penetrate the market to the full extent. Market description The milk sector consists of the consumers that have standardized preferences. All consumers that drink either fresh or processed milk have homogeneous and similar preferences and wants. Keeping these things in mind, it is very difficult for a new company to take on a challenge of producing on a large scale, distributing it extremely effectively and massively promoting. The preferences that the consumers want are nearly similar according to the survey. The inclination towards particular qualities milk should attain are, the milk should be white, milk should not smell, hygienically processed and is good for health and bones. Keeping these preferences Engro Foods introduced two more products besides Olpers milk: Olwell diet and Olpers cream As previously mentioned, the preferences of all the consumers demanding or wanting milk are the same. So segmentation is really a problem for the Engro Group but the preferences differ for a few consumers that prefer skimmed milk. The segmentation was done according to demographics, psychographics and behavior. Market segmentation Demographics generally refers to the age, sex and to which life cycle stage an individual or group of people comes under. There are many products which are affected by the demographics of the customers. but Olpers milk is not affected by these boundaries and limits. This product is produced for all potential buyers and users from higher or middle class families. The research suggested that the lower class families have a different attitude towards the processed milk. All the companies and groups in the milking sector are trying to change the image of the packed milk. Due to this image of the processed milk, even though not wanting to be, Olpers milk will gain an image where it will look, it is made for a special social class Psychographic in marketing refers to the personality, brand consciousness, lifestyles and values of people. Some people are more goal-oriented and passionate about their goals. As Olpers milk and Olwell both focus on a person being physically and mentally fit, so people will look upon this as a brand and will be expecting benefits which the marketers have described. Behavioral factors include on which behavioral aspects are involved when segmenting the market. As mentioned above the company has divided its market into three totally different segments according to how people respond on different stimuli. This segmentation is done on a basis that people want milk that can be used as a tea whitener so obviously the color of the milk does matter a lot. Secondly, customers want a product which they can use for all purposes, not solely for a single use. Marketers of this firm have to keep in mind that they have to compete with opponents such as Nestle and Haleeb which are in this department for a period longer than Olpers and they attain many loyal customers who will prefer the their respective brand respectively. Product Review different packaging of all the three products: Olpers milk, Olwell and Olpers cream Marketers have decided to position it as a product that can be used for all purposes that the fresh milk does UHT heated processor, that means high quality of milk 6 layers of tetra pack for extra cleanliness and protecting the preserved milk from bacteria and germs 3 months of shelf life, that means that storage of milk, or consumers can buy cartons of milk without worrying that the milk will get useless. Milk that attains all the nutrients which the fresh milk has. A product that helps weight conscious people to loose weight Helping all users to have a chance to have healthy and strong bones Olpers cream specifically tackles people who are addicted to desserts and meetha. This product can be used in desserts and cake icings and etc. Competitive review Competition is very severe in the milking sector. Although there are only a few major competition in this sector but the competition is increasing very rapidly. The major contestants which the marketers of this company will have to study and research upon are Nestle and Haleeb, both of which have grasped enough experience in this field and have acquired many brand loyal customers Nestle The market leader in this milking market is Nestle, which is producing and selling its product with the name Milkpak since 1981. They introduced the concept of processed milk and established the concept of tetra pack milk in Pakistan. This was pretty well perceived by majority in Pakistan and a synonym was attached to the Milkpak as quality milk. The company has got vast experience and is tracking growth strategies. They have got a secure financial background so they will be willing to invest both in promoting and advertising if needed. They have targeted their market to areas restricted to near proximity to urban areas and are targeting people having a middle or high social class. They have always served the milking sector up to their capacity. The product is unique due to the addition of irons, vitamins A and C in the milk. Haleeb Milk Haleeb foods was established in 1986, just after the initiation of Milkpak from Nestle. Haleeb foods is serving this country for the past 27years and have been quite successful in doing so. They were quite a competition for nestle when they launched haleeb milk in 1986, but somehow or the other they were unable to make that sort of a image that the Milkpak achieved in early 80s Haleeb milk is said to be homogenized that means that all the nutrients and minerals are spread equally in a single carton. They have pure UHT standardized milk, with 6 layered packing with a shelf life of 3 months or so. Anhaar Milk Anhaar fresh milk just turned into the milking market recently. They have entered market with a different aspect of processed milk. They turn down the idea of UHT standardized milk because according to their research UHT heated milk looses its original nutrient and minerals. Along with this the UHT heated milk lessens the advantages and over stresses the immune system This milk has a shelf life of only 3 to 4 days. They milk cow daily and the fresh milk is provided to the market soon after the milking process. Pure milk exhibits healthy digestive systems, healthy skin nails and hair, reduces chances of cancer, prevents diabetes and lowers cholesterol levels, controls blood pressure and improves immunity. So according to this firm they are providing all this to the end consumers. This can be a turnover in the milking market from UHT plant to providing farm fresh milk. Taraang milk Taraang milk joined this market to target low class families. Their main objective is to provide this class with a milk that doubles the taste and smell of tea. They have taken their way to attract people by celebrities dancing and fascinating advertisements rather than letting consumers know of how their product is different than the existing products in the market SWOT analysis Strengths Engro food is being backed up by the Engro group financially and by experience also Relationship with the farmers, as farmers are the suppliers of the milk to Engro foods Third generation plant Strong consumer and product research Positive response from the users Weaknesses Packaging low quality milk distribution milk collection centers narrow brand portfolio Olwell quite liberal ads according to our culture Opportunities Government funding for development of this sector ever increasing growth in the consumers of processed milk third largest producer of the processed milk Threats immense competition price difference Consumer behavior and perception Objectives and issues First year objective The objectives for the period starting from the launch till the end of the first year include attracting customers, changing consumers perception of processed milk, making this product a brand. Second year objective End of the second year objectives will include regular customers, with brand loyal customers as well, and break evening the production costs as well as the plant costs. Issues These objectives will be a lot difficult to achieve if the marketing department fails to promote and advertise the product to the optimum level. If the first year objectives are not met than it will be approximately impossible to get through with the second year objectives Marketing Strategy As marketing strategy means to make strategies that are customer driven and implementing them through programs and awareness programs. This way new customers will be attracted, and will help the company to make profits and help the company build profitable customer relationships. The marketers will set a position of Olpers milk according to uniqueness of the product. The marketers of this company will target middle to high social class that want a product that is as useful as its perceived value. Positioning The red color that has been chosen for the packaging of Olpers milk is quite eye-catching and distinctive than the colors that have been used in Pakistan in the milking sector till now. The product will be positioned in a way that it conveys the message that it will fulfill all the purposes of a consumer that the fresh milk does. Olwell will be positioned in a way that it will target people who are goal-oriented and focus on their careers. This will also exhibit a image that this will help people remain fit and in the same shape without worrying for the fat contents in the regular milk Product strategy Olpers milk along with the Olwell will include all the features and core values that have been mentioned so as to receive maximum consumer satisfaction. More will be given than promised so as to achieve customer delight. A massive advertisement campaign with Olpers logo on every bill board, ads and newspapers. Every marketing campaign will be utilized in order to let people know of the new product. There will be many below the line activities including free tea using Olpers milk will be provided to the potential buyers at major departmental stores for testing purposes, so that people know what type of product they will be using. Pricing strategy We would be adopting competitive pricing strategy for all the products; Olpers milk, Olwell, Olpers cream. In this type of pricing strategy, the prices of the competitors are studied and the products prices will be determined by this. As the price of Milkpak is around 70 Rs, we will introduce our milk with a price slightly lower than this and then gradually increasing it. Distribution Strategy Olpers milk will be launched in many major cities, and will number around twenty. Olpers milk will be distributed to over 80 cities very effectively in a short period of time after launch, because it is very difficult to launch a product in more than 25 cities simultaneously. The distribution strategy includes division of the country into five major regions. These regions will be Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Islamabad and Peshawar. This requires efficient transport facilities as well as warehouses and storages in different cities for the effective distribution. Trained personals will be hired who will be having an experience of at least two years in the distribution field. The dependence on technology for the distribution is necessary so new technology will be used to monitor the storages, warehouses etc. In order to attract distributors with experience a fixed commission rate of 5% will be set, that will be not be negotiable in order to avoid future fights and hassle. Sales targets will be set twice every month after discussing the market situations with the distributors. Incentives, bonuses, increments, and training will be provided to the distributors and staff for further improvement in the distribution field. Marketing research In the marketing research that we conducted after the launch of the product included interviews, questionnaires and surveys. This will enable us to improve our product and further diversify in the food field itself. The questionnaire was distributed to the customers at the local shops and departmental stores. 250 questionnaires and 50 interviews will be studied to evaluate customer satisfaction and what customers need and expect from our product. According to the survey, we found out that people between 28 to 50 use milk in tea, at the breakfast table, and youngsters drink milk when studying or going to school

Intelligent Memory Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Intelligent Memory Professor’s comment: Not only does this research paper reflect an obvious understanding of the complexities of the technology under review, it does so in remarkably clear prose. The student obviously took to heart one of the central tenets of my course, that technical material aimed at a technical audience can be clearly written. Abstract The growing processor-memory performance gap creates a bottleneck in the system; the memory system cannot supply enough data to keep the processor busy. Before this bottleneck is resolved, faster processors can do little to improve the overall system performance. Intelligent memory is a new memory/system architecture that aims to resolve this bottleneck. There are four intelligent memory models with published results: Active Pages, CRAM, PPRAM, and IRAM. Despite their architectural differences, they all agree to put processing elements physically closer to the memory, lifting the bottleneck by increasing processor-memory data bandwidth. Initial studies of these four models have shown promising results. However, in order for these academic ideas to become a reality, intelligent memory researchers must study how their models can be cost-effectively integrated into commercial computer systems. Introduction Microprocessor and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) technology are headed in different directions: the former increases in speed while the latter increases in capacity. This technological difference has led to what is known as the Processor-Memory Performance Gap. This performance gap, which is growing at about 50% per year, creates a serious bottleneck to the overall system performance [Pat97]. The problem boils dow... ...rakis C.; Romer C.; Wang H.; â€Å"Evaluation of Existing Architectures in IRAM Systems,† Workshop on Mixing Logic and DRAM: Chips that Compute and Remember at ISCA ’97, Denver, CO, 1, June 1997. Elliott D.; â€Å"Computational Ram: A Memory-SIMD Hybrid and its Application to DSP,† The Proceedings of the Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, Boston, MA, 3, May 1992. Elliott D.; â€Å"Computational RAM,† http://www.eecg.toronto.edu/~dunc/cram Murakami, K.; Inoue, K.; and Miyajima, H.; â€Å"Parallel Processing RAM (PPRAM) (in English),† Japan-Germany Forum on Information Technology, Nov. 1997. Oskin M.; Chong F.; Sherwood T.; â€Å"Active Pages: A Comutation Model for Intelligent Memory,† International Symposium on Computer Architecture, Barcelona, 1998. Patterson, D.; Anderson T.; Cardwell N.; Fromm R., et al; â€Å"A Case for Intelligent DRAM: IRAM,† IEEE Micro, April 1997.

Baja Taco :: essays research papers

â€Å"Baja Fresh & Taco Bell† In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace businesses must be very creative in their marketing strategies in order to attract as much business possible. Companies spend a tremendous amount of their budget on advertising, soliciting, marketing and selling their products and / or services. Businesses that aren’t creative don’t appear to succeed as much as those that produce good marketing campaigns. Fast food restaurants are one of the most recognized businesses. It appears that at just about every major intersection you’ll find some sort of fast food establishment. Which one do you select? Why did you select it? Is their food good? Was it because you found their marketing approach â€Å"funny†? Are your funds limited? There are multitudes of reasons why consumers solicit a particular business. I analyzed two fast food restaurants; one is an established major fast food provider, Taco Bell, the other restaurant is also a fast food provider, however, relatively new in the industry, Baja Fresh. Taco Bell has literally become a household product throughout much America. The marketing campaign Taco Bell initiate states that half of the American population sees a Taco Bell commercial at least once a week. Their most recent marketing slogan is a talking Chihuahua that speaks Spanish. One of his more well known punch lines is â€Å"Yo quiero Taco Bell!† Taco Bell restaurants serve Mexican fast food. They are the largest Mexican fast food restaurant chain in America. Taco Bell does not consider itself to be fast food, they consider themselves to be quick-serve Mexican style restaurants. Taco Bell focuses a great amount of their marketing strategies towards the younger age group. They are usually marketing their products around â€Å"blockbuster† movies or popular action figures, and will usually offer some sort of marketing token with many of their meals. The food at Taco Bell is priced relatively inexpensive; however, the quality is typical of a fast food restaurant; you get what you pay for. Taco Bell is constantly producing new food items in order to attract more customers. Competition is strong and dynamic in most markets. So it is essential for a firm to keep developing new products-as well as modifying its current products-to meet changing customers needs and competitors’ actions (Perreault, 281). Taco Bell continually is experimenting with new food product lines. Taco Bell is a part of the Tricon Global Restaurants Group; one of the largest restaurant chains in the world.

Recommendations To Make The Organization More Competitive :: Business Analysis

The more competitive corporations are in markets, the less the strategies are available to any corporation. All corporations become reactive rather than proactive, unable to impose their will on the market. They cannot control price, they cannot differentiate their product. Competition denies them the resources to acquire other enterprises. In reality cost positions differ, often significantly, and products are perceived to be different, sometimes so different that some are branded. This generates both the scope and resources needed for acquisitions, aggressive price behavior or a major marketing campaign. The specific recommendations the Board is seeking are how: A. to make the organization more competitive: The main outcome of having a competitive strategy advantage is clear. Such an advantage translates into the positive outcomes of a profits earned by our corporation with above average for the industry, instead of a loss less than that earned by others. It does not necessarily mean an above-normal profit since this depends on the nature of our industry. It is easy to recognize when competitive advantage exists, when an our corporation, is competing with another corporation, for the same customers in the same market, is able to earn either a realized, or potential, profit which is higher than that of competitors, or a loss which is smaller. Provided the accounting is accurate, it is not difficult to identify the corporation with a competitive advantage. The result of a better financial performance is made possible by the key characteristic of any competitive advantage, the greater utility or value given to the customer by an enterprise. Customers buy our service either in greater numbe rs or at a higher price because of this greater advantage. Competitive advantage is then the ability to better satisfy our customers than competitors could. The causes of the existence of such an advantage reflect the combined ability to recognize opportunity and therefore position the corporation accordingly, and produce what is wanted at a cost and therefore a price which is acceptable. Both these abilities are the result of the appropriate application of the core competencies possessed by the corporation. B. to provide high quality customer services: The corporation realization of entrepreneurial goals requires, for its success, adequate, even high-quality management inputs. Many of these management inputs involve specialist knowledge of functional areas. The proportion of entrepreneurs and managers required within an enterprise, or indeed the desirable blend of these characteristics within the same individuals, can vary markedly. Recommendations To Make The Organization More Competitive :: Business Analysis The more competitive corporations are in markets, the less the strategies are available to any corporation. All corporations become reactive rather than proactive, unable to impose their will on the market. They cannot control price, they cannot differentiate their product. Competition denies them the resources to acquire other enterprises. In reality cost positions differ, often significantly, and products are perceived to be different, sometimes so different that some are branded. This generates both the scope and resources needed for acquisitions, aggressive price behavior or a major marketing campaign. The specific recommendations the Board is seeking are how: A. to make the organization more competitive: The main outcome of having a competitive strategy advantage is clear. Such an advantage translates into the positive outcomes of a profits earned by our corporation with above average for the industry, instead of a loss less than that earned by others. It does not necessarily mean an above-normal profit since this depends on the nature of our industry. It is easy to recognize when competitive advantage exists, when an our corporation, is competing with another corporation, for the same customers in the same market, is able to earn either a realized, or potential, profit which is higher than that of competitors, or a loss which is smaller. Provided the accounting is accurate, it is not difficult to identify the corporation with a competitive advantage. The result of a better financial performance is made possible by the key characteristic of any competitive advantage, the greater utility or value given to the customer by an enterprise. Customers buy our service either in greater numbe rs or at a higher price because of this greater advantage. Competitive advantage is then the ability to better satisfy our customers than competitors could. The causes of the existence of such an advantage reflect the combined ability to recognize opportunity and therefore position the corporation accordingly, and produce what is wanted at a cost and therefore a price which is acceptable. Both these abilities are the result of the appropriate application of the core competencies possessed by the corporation. B. to provide high quality customer services: The corporation realization of entrepreneurial goals requires, for its success, adequate, even high-quality management inputs. Many of these management inputs involve specialist knowledge of functional areas. The proportion of entrepreneurs and managers required within an enterprise, or indeed the desirable blend of these characteristics within the same individuals, can vary markedly.

Fences vs. Oedipus Essay

The Importance of Fatherhood Fatherhood is important and is often taken for granted and not treated with the respect it deserves. In the plays Fences and Oedipus the King, Troy and Oedipus are affected by the lack of fatherhood. In Troy’s case, he fails to be a supportive father to his son, Cory, ultimately distancing himself from his family. As for Oedipus, he is cursed by the gods before his birth, due to his father, Laius, raping and kidnapping a young boy (Weineck). Although the situations of each play are different the need for fathers is very similar. This topic may not seem of much importance but fatherhood can truly affect a child or the actual father. Both of these plays seem to be affected by the past which leads to the fathers putting their problems on the shoulders of their child. Fathers play an important role in a child’s life. Not only are they seen as their rock, but also as their protection. This is especially important in a boy’s childhood. This is shown by the relationship of Troy and Cory. Although, Troy is always around in Cory’s youth, he never gives any support for what Cory does. This is proved when Cory has a chance to talk to a college recruiter about football, but Troy claims he has no future in sports and just needs to give it up and go get a job and start making money (Roberts 1046). This incident, along with other questionable actions, lead to the resentment of Troy, not only by Cory, but by the entire family. The other questionable action by Troy was him cheating on his wife with another woman. This event is what totally crushed his relationship with his family, whom now refused to give him any respect. With no respect for Troy, Cory one day makes a comment towards his father, which does not sit well with Troy. This comment soon turns into an argument which, leads to Cory picking up a bat and threatening Troy. Troy then takes the bat from Cory’s hands and knocks him down (Weales). At this point Troy can show his dominance towards Cory but instead tells him to leave (Roberts 1071). This not only shatters the relationship between Troy and Cory but it shows the carelessness of Troy towards his son. Throughout the rest of the play, when Cory is present, the resentment of Troy is shown. Cory even contemplates not attending Troy’s funeral because he was tired of living in the shadow of his father (Roberts 1074). The relationship of a father to his son is essential to not only the son’s maturation process, but also to the father and his livelihood. Troy and Cory make good examples for this, because after Cory left Troy was never the same and in the same light it can be said the Cory learned from his father. He learned how to not be like his father. Before Oedipus the King, we know that King Laius of Thebes commits a crime in which he is punished for raping and kidnapping a child from a different kingdom. For this crime Laius is cursed by the god, Apollo. The curse stated that Laius’s â€Å"first born son would murder his father then marry his mother†. Instead of Laius abstaining from marriage or sex to prevent this curse from occurring, he marries and has a son, Oedipus (Weineck). This stupidity of Laius begins the failure of his fatherhood. Laius has not only compromised his life but he has created a terrible situation for Oedipus when he is grown. This father and son relationship is not direct but the actions and carelessness of Laius ultimately affect Oedipus, which makes his life literally a living hell. Like in Fences Laius is careless about his son, like Troy. Although Oedipus is his father’s murderer, it is unknown if Oedipus intentionally killed Laius. It is actually said that he was defending himself, so it is hard to put any fault on the lack relationship with Laius (Roberts 786). This lack of relationship also can be said to have led to the downfall of Oedipus. This is because when Oedipus find that he has murdered his father and married his mother he exiles himself. It can be said that if Laius had not impregnated Jocasta, or had he killed Oedipus as an infant, this terrible fate would never had happened. Laius could have also raised Oedipus and created a positive relationship between the two which could have prevented this situation. This relationship between Laius and Oedipus was flawed from before the birth of Oedipus resulting in the horrific fate that Oedipus experienced. This flawed relationship can be argued to have had no chance but it can be seen that at the end of the play Oedipus is affected by the knowing of murdering his father. The difference in Oedipus’s relationship with his father compared to normal father/son relationships was that he never really knew he had a relationship with his father, but all along it was his faulty relationship with Laius that cursed Oedipus in the first place. Although these two plays are very different in time periods, the basic buildup of each play is very similar. Father’s and son’s is a way these two plays connected very well. Laius and Troy perform a very careless fatherhood whereas Oedipus and Cory are helpless and cannot defy what their fathers do or have done. Cory, out of respect for his father, cannot do the thing he wanted to do such as, football, and this resulted in the broken relationship between Cory and Troy. This is comparable to Oedipus, in a way, because he was unable to defy the curse of the gods on his father which also leads to a broken relationship with Laius. These plays at first glance have nothing in common but when broken down they truly have a similarity in the importance of a father.

Indian Army Essay

India has one of the best armies in the world. The Indian Army came in existence with independence and has inherited most of the infrastructure of the British Indian Army. In whichever war they have been presented, victory was always theirs. Apart from conflicts, the army has also been an active participant in the United Nations Peacekeeping missions. The British army was a critical force for the dominance of the British Empire, both in India and across the world. In World War I and II, the Indian Army has served. They have fought in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and won glory for the British Empire. They have served in France and many other countries too. The primary mission of the Indian Army is to ensure the national security and defence of India from the external threats and aggression and maintaining peace and security within its borders. They also conduct rescue operations during natural calamities and other destructions. The army also includes the Indian Air force and the Indian Navy. Since the freedom of India and the formation of Pakistan, the first war was in 1947 itself for the state of Kashmir. From then on there have been several wars that the Indian Army has faced like the Sino-Indian War in 1962, The Indo- Pakistan war in 1965 and again the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971, later Kargil war in 1999 and have returned all with victory. Apart from these wars, they have also been active participants in peace and assistance missions like during the Korean war, the Indian Army was sent to Korea for peace keep and medical assistance in 1953, they were there for the Liberation of Goa in 1961, they have also undertaken numerous Un peace keeping missions. For our Indian soldiers to be well organized, and alert they do follow certain principals in life and the qualities that they follow is what makes them stand apart from the rest of the world in many ways. The main qualities that they posses and cling on till the end are: Firstly Discipline – The Indian Army is well disciplined and trained on a regular basis. Second is the love and respect they build for their country that no conditions could break it. The next is the Do or Die situation. The courage they have cannot be measured in any aspects as they are very much willing to die for their nation. The passion for their nation is something that we as citizens of India should look up and learn. The Indian Army is the most powerful army and they have no failures recorded. With more equipment’s and proper training, India could be more proud of her Jawans in the coming years and we should respect and honour the soldiers who guard us day and night, sacrificing their pleasures for the safety of the nation. India has one of the finest armies in the world. Our soldiers have proved their mettle in all theatres of wars since prehistoric times, hi recent times our soldiers were sent to the Congo, Suez, Indo-China and Korea on missions of peace. During the last two World Wars our soldiers fought in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and won laurels for the British Empire. Our soldiers served in France and other countries also. They helped to bring Hitler and his armies to their knees. Wherever they were sent, victory was theirs. It goes to the credit of the Indian Anny that the first Victoria Cross went to the credit of an Indian soldier. Our soldiers have never surrendered. Their motto has always been â€Å"do or die†. In the India-China war of October-November 1962 and later in the Indo-Pak war of September, 1965 one Indian soldier killed many times his enemy counterparts on various fronts. If India retreated in the India-China war it was not for want of courage but for want of adequate weapons which the Chinese had and we did not. hi fact our soldiers were not even adequately clothed. As an American paper said, our soldiers were fighting on icy tops of the mountains in summer uniforms. If we had fought for the British so heroically, we could certainly fight for defending our freedom. But we have to train our army for the purpose. We are not only short of weapons but also short of trained officers to lead the armies. We will have to fill all the gaps as rapidly as possible. It is a hazardous task to give rapid promotion to junior officers but we are sure they will justify the confidence of the nation placed in them. The Indian Army has three wings-land forces, navy and air force. The Chiefs of the three forces are directly under the President of India, who is the Supreme Commander of our armed forces. The three wings of the Indian Army need to be strengthened. It is a pity that some of the leaders of our country failed to foresee the Chinese threat and slowed down defense production. The India-China war has served a useful purpose. With the aid of  friendly nations we will soon make up the loss. Let every Indian soldier remember the inspiring message of one of the ablest leaders of India, Sardar Patel:- â€Å"The deeds of gallantry you performed in the two Great wars adorn the pages of world history. Even the enemy recognised your merit in war. You proved yourself first-class soldiers, inferior to none in the world. But then you fought for others. Now you have to fight for your own country, your beloved India. â€Å"You should prepare yourself for the responsibility which will continue to increase. We have won the freedom. It is for you to guard it. You have to make an all-round effort to maintain and consolidate it. Let the discharge of your duties be your privilege. You will enhance the reputation of your country and the country will be proud of you.†