Rhetorical Analysis of Mirror, Mirror On the Web by Lakshmi Chaudhry Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of Mirror, Mirror On the Web by Lakshmi Chaudhry - Essay Example The writer is successful in using the tools of effective communication to advise internet users concerning the intention of using the internet and its effective utilization to avoid deception from selfish users. Rhetoric in Lakshmi Chaudhry’s Mirror, Mirror On the Web is evidenced by the way he attempts to inform, persuade and motivate his readers. Chaundry’s rhetorical devices are critical in his essay as they provide heuristics that enable him to discover, understand and develop excellent arguments concerning the use of the web. The three persuasive audience appeals prevalent in the essay include logos, pathos, and ethos. Logos constitute persuading the audience by use of reasoning that backs up the claims. Pathos provides means of persuading the audience by appealing to their emotions as a way of enhancing the receptivity of the argument. Ethos is critical in writing since they trace the immoral actions and appraise the moral acts to promote ethics in society (Longaker and Walker 23). Lakshmi Chaudhry’s article portrays clear evidence of the three persuasive evidence appeals. The writer argues that with the corollary of individualism has become narcissism, an inflated evaluation of self-worth devoid of any real sense of "self" or "worth." (Chaudhry 2) The current generation is characterized by widespread selfhood in favour of success. People lose the morality of being concerned about others and adopt character traits of callousness where personal happiness becomes the sole goal of hard work. This is actually what drives the generation ‘Me’ to fame since they want to be the centre of attention. People have embraced the internet as a panacea for various political ill motives (Chaudhry 3).

Strategy Management Essay Example for Free

Strategy Management Essay 1. Current situation overview Nowadays, the world video games market has become conspicuous and profitable, resulted by rapid increase of amount by video games players. The key assessment for winning in video games market is to attract the consumers to buy and focus. Meanwhile, the current situation of video games industry has become more competitive, which dominated by Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. This case sketches a framework of video games historical development for past a few decades and the future strategic prospection by Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. In addition, this case also describes the innovations and course of actions for broadening the market share holding by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Moreover, those companies have renewed their own console generation and technology in order to gain competitive advantages in the video games market. During the recent stage of video games development, the players are not only focusing on ‘just playing a game’, but also they will consider the games’ design, art, animation and quality assurance. 2. Summary of macro environment analysis The macro environment analysis is relevant to the long-term strategic thinking which focus on the factors in the wider environment, those factors include economic, political, social, demographic, international, sustainability and technological. The purpose of the macro-environment analysis is to summarize the complex and uncertain information in particular the company impact by macro-environment to figure out the demand for products and service in the market. Determining the macro-environment is the way that firms in an industry produce and distribute their outputs, and the way in which organizations are able to compete with one another (Hubbard, Rice Beamish 2008 p. 76). In addition, macro-environment analysis is also able to distribute the product and service and establish the trends for the future development of the industry (Haberberg and Rieple 2008, p.105). Those factors concerned have been analyzed in appendix 1, also including the determent of effects on the industry growth (positive or negative). 2.1 Economic factor By viewing the analyzed contents in appendix 1, overall information analyzed  has been demonstrated that the current economic situation for the video games industry is definitely seems to be worse because of the economic recession worldwide. The trend of the purchasing power for video games console seems to be downwards by recent years because of the decrease of people’s disposable income. Furthermore, generally considering the reasonable inflation of raw material and hardware accessories is getting higher and higher, which may result to the cost for consoles is increasing. 2.2 Political/legal factor â€Å"Political factors define the legal and regulatory parameters within which firms must operate (Pearce Robinson 2009, p.97). These affect the business and its managers to a great extent. As the political factors analyzed in contents of appendix 1, it is expected to have a negative effect on future industry growth. For instance in China, the government has issued the regulation on video and online games, which has limitation for playing by 4 hours per day which people who under 18. People must make a registration via internet by updating their identification card number, real names and address who under 18. Considering most of the customers with video games are 17 to 33, this regulation may have negative impacts on the video games industry. Additionally, the government also issued the violence restriction in the video games market, which classifies the violence level to the games, in order to protect the children to avoid aggression and violence. However, as the fact that, according to the evidence showed by Dietz (1998, p.425), nearly 80% of the video games includes aggression or violence as part of the strategy or object. While 27% of the games contained socially acceptable aggression, nearly half included violence directed specifically at others and 21% depicted violence directed at women. According to the establishment showed as above, most video games contains huge amount of aggression and violence contents, the government regulation should have negative impact on video games industry growth beyond reasonable concerns of mental protection for children. 2.3 Social/cultural factor As this part of factors impact by social and cultural, this part probably does not have too much impacts whether positive or negative on industry  growth. Accomplishing with the globalization over the world, video games are hot and popular in current stage of period in development. Focusing on this circumstance, the video game industry tends to design the games with cultural diversity and culture preference. For instance by Xbox 360, has designed some games which suitable for some countries under preference, such as some sports games like NFL in US, AFL in Australia. Furthermore, Sony also designed a game ‘Dynasty Warriors’, which describes a real history in ancient China, a dynasty with disorder. Moreover, some cultural factor by religion difference must be also concerned for the industry growth. Actually in some countries, such as some mid-east countries, the violence games are banned under religion efforts. 2.4 Demographic factor By reviewing this part of analysis, the demographic factor should be considered with population, gender and age, and indeed have positive effect on the industry growth. The video game industry is now attempting to look for their ‘new’ players belonged. The industry has been designed more different types of games which suitable for women and even the elder. The trend of impact by demographic factor is rapidly increasing by recent years in particular with the demand by women and the elder for video games. As the fact that has been mentioned before, the most video game consumers is 18-44, now, the new strategy for broadening the consumer base is now expected and being concerned by the video game industry. This may contribute to increase the population by playing video games, which may result to increase the sales of consoles. In fact, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have also focused on difference breakdown by gender and age, which means that to make the games be varied and mu lti-suitable for people. 2.5 International factor Globalization has been contributed to the success for video game industry, which breakdown the trade barriers between countries. In fact, according to Consalvo (2006), the video game industry and culture can be recognized in the transnational corporations that contribute to its formation and development, which contribute to the cultural exchange between countries. This also advantages to the video games industry which has positive effects  on industry growth because the games may become more acceptable for the people who under different cultural background. 2.6 Sustainability factor This factor is considering the sustainability of the video game industry in future. In fact, the video game entertainment absolutely has many substitutes. Therefore, the trend for the industry development maybe seems to downward in future depend on the changing and unpredictable people’s favors. People have rights to select their own favors to entertain as they want, such as sports, karaoke, twitter, and facebook. Moreover, the current video game market situation is likely to be saturated, which Grand (2010, p.687) states that, almost 40% of the US households have their own consoles, which means that the industry must spend huge amount of money to renew the consoles annually to keep their products be competitive and preferable in order to make the console be ‘sustainable’. 2.7 Technological factor Technology is the most significant factor which must be considered by the video games industry. From the evaluation by the appendix 1, the industry growth displayed an overall negative effort on the video game industry. In fact, a console generation renewing must spend nearly a decade period from structuring to publishing, which spend too much time and money to renew. Despite the huge cost and longtime preparing on console renewing, even the games titles also must be spend a lot of time. Actually, according to the study by Grant, (2010, p685) there are some evidences to show that a new title game which from designing to publishing, approximately taking 18-36 months to complete based on a new platform. Comparing with the ‘big 3’ in this case, they have their own advantaged areas in technology development. For instance, PS3 has Blu-ray DVD strategy on their consoles, which have fantastic game’s feature, Xbox 360’s positioning eschewed technology in favor of versatility, design and hardware’s multifunctionality, Wii even lacked the advanced features of either the Xbox 360 or PS3, but its remote wand-like controller is innovative and easy learning, which can concludes that overall the advantaged area by the ‘big 3’, is based on the technology support, which means that the technology factor is quite significant to the  video game industry. Therefore, the trend of impacting power by technology is increasing. 3. Summary of industry environment analysis Michael Porter claims that the five competitive forces influence the state of competition in any industry, and collectively determine the profit potential of the industry as whole (Hubbard, Rice Beamish 2008). The purpose of the industry analysis is to determine the ultimate profit potential in the industry, where profit potential is measured in terms of long-run return on invested capital. 3.1 Threats of new entrants There are some sufficient evidences which demonstrate that the threats of new entrants are extremely low. In fact, the video games industry is dominated by the ‘big 3’ in this current stage of period. PS3, Microsoft and Nintendo have their own loyalty with the brand, which ensures the consumers’ confidence on their product. On the contrary, the new entrants do not have such brand loyalty as the ‘big 3’ does. Consumers maybe have less confidence rather than PS3 or Xbox 360 on the product quality. In addition, the ‘big 3’ has incomparable advantages, which leading in technology and experience on software development. Furthermore, the capital of equipment and technology cost huge amount of money, the ‘big 3’ have their own experienced and professional designing team for innovation and technological development. New entrants are difficult to maintain and develop their business unless sufficient finance supports. 3.2 Bargaining power of suppliers The overall impact raking for bargaining power by the suppliers is high, based on the appendix 2 bargaining power of suppliers’ analysis. In fact, the supplier also called publisher is few and monopoly in the video game market, which result to the profitability with the supplier. The publishers are responsible for financing, manufacturing, marketing and distributing video games. Grant (2010, p.688) also states that video game publishing is increasingly dominated by a few companies, such as electronic Arts, Konami, take-two Interactive and Activision. This may contribute to the suppliers  have more powerful bargaining power to the industry. In addition, the supplier has low switching cost in the market. 3.3 Bargaining power of buyers The consumers have low switching cost on the products, which depends on the product’s quality, price and product preference by the consumers. Moreover, the video game industry must also be aware the other entertainment, which have possibility to substitutes the video game industry. Furthermore, the buyer profitability factor is considering with the buyers’ disposable income, if the income is high, the bargaining power by the consumers is high, otherwise is low. As the fact that, the current situation for the economy is worse and unemployment rate is getting higher, thus the buyers are seem to be unprofitable, indeed the bargaining power for buyers is low. 3.4 Power of substitutes The power of substitutes is strong, which displayed by the competition between PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The ‘big 3’ companies have dominated the video game market and attempt to gain competitive advantages via using their innovative ideas and technology. The most important factor considered by the consumers is the products’ price and quality, focusing on this concern, the Wii may win in the market by sales because of the cheaper price of consoles. However, it not means that the Wii can substitute either Xbox 360 or PS3. Actually, the key assessment for winning in video games market is to catch the consumers’ propensity. Furthermore, despite the internal competition by the industry, also the other entertainments have possibilities to substitute the video game industry. Thus, it is difficult to predict the video game whether may be substituted in the future. 3.5 Intensity of industry rivals It is absolutely high barriers to exit in the video games industry, unlike the PC games industry. According to the study by Williams (2002, p46), which states that PC games manufacturing fees are significantly lower versus console games, because PC games need only CD duplications, a jewel box, instructions and a box, typically $2-3 total per unit. However, comparing with the PC games industry, console development requires ‘development kit’  typically costing $10 to $20 thousand. In addition, Grant (2010, p688) also mentions that the huge cost by video games development is result of the demand for multi-featured, which contribute to the significant cost on technological talents hiring, equipment cost and advertising. Thus, video games industry must be high barriers to exit because of the significant cost efforts. 4. Interconnections between macro-environment analysis and industry environment analysis Reviewed to the above macro-environment analysis and industry environment analysis, there are some interconnections between them, which are sustainability factor, related to the presence of substitute inputs. This highlight must be considered by the video game industry, because the preview of sustainability to the industry development is quite important. The key assessment for the industry development is to keep their products ‘un-substituted’ and competitive. Therefore, the industry must focus on the innovation and technological development by their games and console in order to keep the video game ‘long-being’ for the future. 5. Recommendation Technology and innovation play a main role in the video games industry. The video game industry is so profitable that many new entrants may want to enter the industry. However, the industry looks like ‘unhealthy’ because PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii have dominated the industry for a decade. Furthermore, the current economic situation is still on recession, and may last a few years. This may contribute the cost of consoles increase, and decrease the sales of consoles result by the people’s income decrease. Actually, it is hard to preview the future of video game development, but, by now, the video game market has saturated, even the technology and innovation is good. Form the figures evaluated by Flacy (2011), the video game sales over July dropped over 25 percent year over year and have fallen to the lowest levels since 2006. Total sales in July 2011 amounted to $707 million while sales just a year ago in July 2010 topped $960 million. The reasons for the decline by sales should be varied, as mentioned before, which causing by the economic recession and market saturation. Moreover, the people’s favors may  also change; video game playing is not the only way for people to entertain because people can entertain by the other ways. Thus, the video game industry development is getting tough and unpredictable for the future, even the recession has over. Appendix 1 – details of macro-environment analysis Environment factor| Comment| Effect on industry growth| Economic factor| | |  global finance crisis| Widely impact on the manufacturing industry| negative| inflation| price of raw material and console accessories increased, result to the cost increase| negative| Economic recession| People’s disposable income decreasedreducing purchasing power| negative| Overall: negative| Political/legal factor| | | Government issue for video game violence| Legislation for classifying the amount of violence under age. | negative| Regulation for playing limitation| Time limitation for playing under 18 | negative| Overall: negative| Social/cultural factor| | | Multiculturalism| Different cultural background’s people may have different type of favors on video games| Positive| Religion| Some violence games is restricted by some countries under religion efforts| Negative| Overall: medium| Demographic factor| | | Population numbers| Attracting more ‘new’ consumers possibly. Attracting more customers means increasing sales.| positive| Gender difference breakdown| Designing more games which suitable for women playing, make the games be varied.| positive| Age difference breakdown| Video game is not only designed for 18-33, which could possibly consider to attract some aging player| Positive| Overall: positive| International factor| | | Globalization| Reducing the trade barriers for games imports and exports| positive| Overall: positive| Sustainability factor| | | Substitution by other entertainments| More and more entertainments can substitutes the video games, such as sports, karaoke, twitter, facebook etc.| negative| Strikes by online games| Computer games are seemed more popular and preferable.| Negative| Market saturation| More and more rivals tend to enter the video games market to gain advantages.| Negative| Overall: negative| Technological factor| | | Lack by renewing generation| Console generation needs to spend a lot of time and money for generation renewing| negative| Long time for designing a new title game| Taking 18-36 months to complete a new title based on a new platform | negative| Console generation (PS3)| Fantastic games’ feature (HD) based on Blu-ray drive technology.| Positive| Console generation (Xbox 360)| Large amount of titles by games, multifunctionality based on high-technology support.| Positive| Console generation (Wii)| Easy to control, hand movement based on their innovative ideas and technology. | Positive| Overall: positive| Appendix 2 details of industry environment analysis Items| Issue analysis| Impact ranking: extremely low, low, medium, high extremely high.| Threats of new entrants | | | Product differentiation| If a company wants to survive even win in the competitive market, a unique product with considerable difference must be offered. Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 has achieved this as well| Extremely high| Brand loyalty| Company must have their own brand loyalty which can prevent new entrants from making their way into the market. Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 have extremely great loyalty with their brand.| Extremely high| Economic of scales| Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 have large sales on their product every year. It is tough for new entrants to have such huge finances to fund | Medium| Capital equipment and technology development| Wii, Xbox 360 and  PS3 have their own experienced and professional designing team for innovation and technological development. New entrants are hard to maintain their business unless sufficient finance supports.| High| Government policy| Many industries are either owned or regulated by the government, causing barriers for entry.| high| Overall: extremel y high | Bargaining power of suppliers| | | Switching cost of suppliers| The switching cost of suppliers is low| Medium| Supplier concentration| The supplier will have strong bargaining power if there are only a small number of suppliers. (monopoly) There are some publishers for the video game industry (electronic Arts, Konami, take-two Interactive, Activision etc.)| high| Information about suppliers’ product| The suppliers should be aware their product (consoles, software and title games), as these suppliers have minimal competition, they hold strong power and influence.| Low| Supplier profitability| Suppliers are able to bargain because there are few rivals and highly profitable nature. | Extremely high| Overall: medium| Bargaining power of buyers| | | Switching costs of buyers: | Switching costs of buyers is low; the power of buyers will be high. Buyer can easily switch to a rival product, which depends on the products’ quality and price and there are almost no switching costs for customers| Extremely high| Buyer concentration: | The number of buyers is related to whole industry. Massive numbers of buyers on video game industry. | Medium| Presence of substitute inputs: | The ‘big 3’ is not just competing against with each other, they are also competing against other entertainment, such as online games and twitterThere are lots of substitute are present to convert the buyer| Extremely high| Buyer profitability| If the buyers are unprofitable, they are unable to bargain.Since economic decrease and high levels of unemployment, people will be entertaining less.| High| Overall: high| Power of substitutes| | | Relative price/quality of substitutes| Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 although have their own specialties and advantages in different areas, but substitution is  also available and possible. It depends on price and quality of the console.| Extremely high| Buy propensity to substitutes| Video games market is huge, customers tend to be varied. The key assessment for winning in video games market is to catch the consumers’ propensity. Develop their own advantaged area, and create a new strategic to attract the new customers.| Extremely high| Switching cost| The ease of buyers switching products.It is very simple for the customers to switch to a different product as it cost them less and with similar experience.| High| Overall: extremely high| Intensity of industry rivals| | | Industry growth rate| Growing rapidly in recent years, but grow slowly now because of the economic recession. However, the trend is positively growing.| Extremely high| Exit barriers| Significant exits costs because the capital to enter the industry is so high (including technological talents hiring, equipment cost and advertising) and spends too much time for preparing. | Extremely high| Overall: extremely high| References Consalvo, M 2006, ‘Console video games and global corporations Creating a hybrid culture’ viewed 28 August 2011 http://nms.sagepub.com/content/8/1/117.short Dietz, T, 1998, ‘An Examination of Violence and Gender Role Portrayals in Video Games: Implications for Gender Socialization and Aggressive Behavior’ Volume 38, No. 5-6, p425-442 Flacy, M, 2011, ‘NPD: Video game sales in July fall to the lowest level in five years’ viewed 29 August 2011 http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/npd-video-game-sales-in-july-fall-to-the-lowest-level-in-five-years/ Grant, R.M., 2010, Contemporary Strategy Analysis, Sussex. Wiley p.680-691 Hubbard, G, Rice, J Beamish, P, 2008, Strategic Management: Thinking, analysis and Action, 3rd edition, Pearson Education, Australia. Haberberg, A, Rieple, A 2008, Strategic Management: Theory and Application, Oxford University Press, NY. Pearce, JA 2009, Formulation, implementation, and control of competitive strategy, 8th edition, McGraw-Hill, America, New York. Williams, D, 2002, ‘Structure and Competition in the U.S. Home Video Game Industry’ the International Journal on Media Management Vol. 4, No. 1, p.41 – 54

The Major Issue Of Ralph Lauren Marketing Essay

The Major Issue Of Ralph Lauren Marketing Essay There are widely varieties of luxury brands which are not essential but are badly needed and associated with wealthy and affluent society around the world. The reasons why luxury goods are bought are that people wants to satisfy self-esteem and increase their status, or to go for the high quality and exclusivity of products. In addition, luxury brands provide the sense of mystery and elegance to consumers who want to be made to feel self-worth (Roumeliotis, 2012). In this assignment, Ralph Lauren will become the target brand and base on the relevant literature and theory to analyse and collect data with different research approaches. Background information, purpose of the study Ralph Lauren is a well-known and global brand in the products of apparel, accessories and it has always stood for the premium lifestyle as well. Furthermore, it has created the diverse sub brands which are innovation, distinct design and superb craftsmanship, such as Polo, Club Monaco and Rugby (Trefis Team, 2013). Moreover, it initially focused on the men market and following markets were women and different ages across countries worldwide through online shop and in-store retailer. However, there is a great deal of competitors like Chanel, Calvin Kevin, and private label brands that Ralph Lauren is facing. Hence, the purposes of this study may not only help Ralph Lauren maintain existing and grow new consumers, but also understand what people desire, attitude and behaviours. Problem statement Recent years, Ralph Laurens brand share has been shared by private labels which are gradually increasing at department stores (Trefis Team, 2011). This threat may seriously result in the reduction of existing customers who have loved for Ralph Lauren. Additionally, another problem is Ralph Lauren expands its retails into Asia, but strategy and control have lost. In addition to this, it has to face the high percentage of piracy products which hurts its reputation and brand image in Asia (Trefis Team, 2012). Management research question What specific ways can be done to retain original consumers at department stores? How to increase its revenues and customers even private labels come out? Development of objectives rationale Estimate competitors structures, strategies and prospects to increase more its competitiveness. Realize consum{Aggarwal, 2008 #16;Corporation, 2013 #6;Corporation, 2013 #10;Devault, 2012 #12;DiFrisco, 2009-2011 #8;Keller, 2013 #17;Logos, n.d. #9;Perner, 1999-2010 #13;Quester, 2002 #14;Roumeliotis, 2012 #2;Srivastava, 2011 #20;Summers, 2005 #19;Tombs, 2011 #11;Trefis, 2011 #4;Trefis, 2012 #5;Trefis, 2013 #3;Wikinvest, 2011 #7;Wood, 2010 #18;Wright, 2006 #15}ers perceptions to retain consumers and the relationship between them. Literature summary Ralph Lauren has successfully existed in the field of premium lifestyle goods for more than 30 years due to well-organized marketing strategy and vogue design. Particularly, it has powerful brand identity and awareness in customers mind through the extended number of products, sub brands, international markets and easily recognized logo (Ralph Lauren Corporation, 2013a). According to Ralph Laurens official website (2013a) mentions that the integration of advertising, marketing, merchandising and visual presentation will be a uniquely tremendous way to take into the corresponding showcasing of the world. Hence, this strategy has deeply entered into humans mind and stimulated customers to fall in love with the brand. Besides, a wide range of price choices from discount to luxury is an advantage which accords with customers expectation and preferences that could attract more broadly clients (Trefis Team, 2011). However, Ralph Lauren still has problems need to overcome. First of all, the website of Wikinvest (2011) has showed that a wave of  integration in the midst of department store  chains has made for the emergence of major players like  Macys Inc. (M), J.C. Penney (JCP)  and  Nordstrom (JWN). Biggish purchasing power is benefit to these chains which are able to decrease the number of physical stores. Furthermore, these chains start their own brands and sale own designed products at department stores to weaken premium brands position. Therefore, the competitors of Ralph Lauren have been increasing. Ralph Lauren needs to contend with the private label brands which these chains launch their own with low prices and high quality (wikinvest, 2011). As a result, the market share has decreased and lost part of loyalty customers owing to these private labels. The second major issue is that Ralph Lauren has started expanding its business into Asia as a crucial growth strategy in emerging markets, whereas the problem comes out. In 2010, Ralph Lauren was licensed to Dickson Concepts in China because this way could conveniently enlarge brand recognition and expand greater consumers and reduce capital expenditures (Trefis Team, 2012). However, not only did Ralph Lauren lose its direct control of the business but also its reputation damaged due to piracy of Polo shirts (Trefis Team, 2012). Because the unstable macroeconomic condition in the world, most manufacturers realize that consumers look forward to cheaper goods to replace luxury goods. Consequently, in order to gain more benefits, Dickson Concept was centred on low-cost production line to produce Ralph Laurens products with a stale, low quality brand image in China. It was opposite to the luxury image in US and Europe (Trefis Team, 2012). It causes customers change their love into privat e labels or piracy. All in all, in order to maintain its position in the world, Ralph Lauren has to understand its appeal and competitive advantages and whether these advantages have remarkable influence on consumers attitude to love for Ralph Lauren. Also, they have to conclude what affects brand loyalty and how to sustain or grow their position in peoples mind. Model development There are three developed models to describe the observed features and psychological constructs or attitudes. Model 1 aims to describe the significant features that impact on preference. Model 1: Features and Levels Logo The brand has a strong recognition to compete with new rivals. The brand does not have a strong recognition to compete with new rivals. Service The brand offers multifarious services to contest with new rivals. The brand offers limited services to contest with new rivals. Integrated marketing communication (IMC) The brand utilizes multichannel advertising campaign to attract customers. The brand utilizes single advertising campaign to attract customers. Product The brand produces high quality and delicate products to satisfy customers. The brand produces low quality and rough products for customers. Logo ¼Ã… ¡According to a most influential designer, Milton Glaser, said, The logo is the entry point to the brand (DiFrisco, 2009-2011). Logo makes customers easily recognize a particular brand and distinguish from different brands which do not have obvious logos to recall. Moreover, it can be penetrated into peoples mind when the logo design is simple, colourful and meaningful that associates with the name of brands. The logo of Ralph Lauren is a man with a mallet on a horse that reveals a clear feeling of the wealth people and American look. Besides, Ralph Lauren uses the colours of white and black to show the prestige of its brand (Famous Logos, n.d.). Service ¼Ã… ¡Customer service is based on satisfying customers prospects and maintains the relationship between companies and customers. The official website of Ralph Lauren offers online customer assistance services which include tracking orders, returning and refunds policy, gift services (Ralph Lauren Corporation, 2013b). IMC ¼Ã… ¡Integrated marketing communications means The concept under which a company carefully integrates and coordinates its many communications channel to deliver a clear, consistent and compelling message about the organization and its products (Tombs Seamons, 2011). Most of brands use more than one channel to promote their products due to the fact that multichannel marketing brings effective and impressing feeling to attract consumers. Ralph Lauren capitalizes on multichannel advertising campaign, like making the most of online media websites, print media advertisement and in-store (Devault, 2012). Product ¼Ã… ¡Not only are customers gradually becoming sensitive and careful on the quality, but also considering the uniqueness of products which could performance their status and reputation. Ralph Lauren delivers luxurious goods in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances to different age (Ralph Lauren Corporation, 2013a). Consequently, satisfied customers will tend to love Ralph Lauren. Model 2 purposes to explain and define buyer behaviours. Buyer Behaviour Model Input (External influence) Firms marketing efforts ¼Ã… ¡ products, promotion, pricing, channels of distribution, market segmentation Sociocultural environment ¼Ã… ¡Family, communication and reference groups, social class, subculture and culture, opinion leadership and diffusion of innovation, public policy and consumer protection. Process (Decision making) Need recognition Pre-purchase search Evaluation of alternatives Psychological field Experience Consumer needs and motivation Personality and self Perception Learning and involvement Attitudes Organisational field Organisational buying Output (Post-decision behaviour) Purchase ¼Ã… ¡ Trial Repeat purchase Post purchase evaluation Source: 2011, Pearson Australia, Schiffman et al, Consumer Behaviour, 5th Edition (For the explanation of buyer behaviour model refer to the appendix.) Resonance Judgments Feelings Performance Imagery Salience Model 3 aims to explain the relationship between brand and customers from the bottom to the top. Particularly, it also conducts that customers love for brand due to satisfaction and loyalty. CBBE model Source: 2011, Pearson Australia, Strategic brand management: building, measuring, and managing brand equity, 4th Edition CBBE model (Customer-Based Brand Equity) was proposed by Keller in 1993. He claimed differential effect that brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing of that brand (Aggarwal, 2008). Salience ¼Ã… ¡This layer is talking about the depth and breadth of brand awareness that customers memories can be recalled and recognized the brands in different situations (Keller, 2013). Performance and imagery ¼Ã… ¡Performance includes the internal products or services that fulfil consumers need. The dimensions of performance do not only focus on product dependability, durability and reparability, but also style, design and price (Keller, 2013). Imagery is the personalities of brands that telling a story about the products and its customers expectation. Therefore, brand imagery needs to be strong, favourable and unique to convince and attract the eyes of the consumers (Keller, 2013). Judgments and feelings ¼Ã… ¡The dimensions of judgment are brand quality, credibility, consideration and superiority. Yet the feelings dimensions are to measure the social approval, self-respect, excitement and security. Both of two dimensions are to conduct the positive and accessible responses from customers (Keller, 2013). Resonance ¼Ã… ¡It is to estimate the relationship between brands and customers in order to foster higher brand loyalty. The dimensions include behavioural loyalty whether frequent purchasing the same brands, attitudinal attachment, like proud of brands, sense of community and active engagement (Keller, 2013). Method This section reveals the approaches to use in the study. Research design The study will analyse customers attitude toward Ralph Lauren and others, also evaluate new rivals performances. Therefore, the research will be designed to accomplish the objectives. Research context Most customers keen on cheaper products instead of luxury brands in recent years, due to the fact that macroeconomic conditions cause the piratical products and private labels have been increasingly launching. Consequently, more and more competitors are scrambling the market of apparel and accessories. That is why this research tries to help Ralph Lauren figure out a way to get over the threat and more widely understand customers need to retain and attract new and old customers. Most important thing is that defining the brand love in customers mind. Data Collection In this study, both primary and secondary data are used. First of all, the primary data will be using a printing and an online questionnaire survey at the same time that is called A survey of comparing luxury brands to piracy and private labels. The questionnaire will have close ended questions, open ended questions, brand rating and choice questions. The advantages of questionnaires are that practical and convenient collect data from a great deal of people in a short time without high cost. However, it still has some disadvantages, such as lack validity (Wood Ross-Kerr, 2010). Secondly, beside the primary data, comparative data can be provided from the secondary data resources which include firms internal information system and electronic database. The advantages of it are economical and specific information can be collected to support primary data. Nevertheless, its data may be out-dated (Summers Johnson-Morgan, 2005). Sampling The samples of the research study consist of customers from luxury brands and private labels as respondents. The respondents have been divided by nationalities, ages and different backgrounds. It is a non-probability method which includes convenience, judgement, quota and snowball sampling. Furthermore, the advantages of this sampling are that spending lower cost and data can be collected easier than the population measurement. Nonetheless, sampling method provides less precise and creditable information (Srivastava Rego, 2011). Measurement Features statement This proposal will use factorial design to collect the data of features and feature levels. In Model 1, there are four categories of brands feature. Each category has two different levels. So it is a 2x2x2x2 factorial design. Design Matrix for 2x2x2x2 Factorial Designs Feature1 Feature2 Feature3 Feature4 Product A -1 -1 -1 -1 Product B 1 -1 -1 -1 Product C -1 1 -1 -1 Product D 1 1 -1 -1 Product E -1 -1 1 -1 Product F 1 -1 1 -1 Product G -1 1 1 -1 Product H 1 1 1 -1 Product I -1 -1 -1 1 Product J 1 -1 -1 1 Product K -1 1 -1 1 Product L 1 1 -1 1 Product M -1 -1 1 1 Product N 1 -1 1 1 Product O -1 1 1 1 Product P 1 1 1 1 This study will use a seven-point rating scales, which is easy for respondents to answer, to evaluate consumers preferences. Attitudes measurement In the behaviour model, it assumes buyer behaviour as Y1, firms marketing effort as X1, sociocultural environment as X2, decision making process as X3, purchase X4 and post-purchase evaluation as X5. Firms marketing effort The brand offer high quality products to fulfil your need. The price of this brand is worth to pay. The brands channel of distribution is easy to find and be recognized. The brands promotion is strongly attracting you. Sociocultural environment The brand can increase your status. The brand brings a strong cultural spirit. Decision making process The brand can raise your personal traits. The brand has a name you can trust. The brand has the ability to deliver what it promises. The brand meets your expectation. The brands quality has been consistent for long time. Purchase I would repeat buy this brand. I would consider buying this brand. I would never buy this brand. Post-purchase evaluation I am more interested in this brand. I would recommend friends or family to buy this brand. This measurement will use five-point rating scales. Respondents are asked for the degree of each statement. Brand statement This research uses balanced incomplete block designs (BIBDs) to compare luxury brands and piracy and private labels. Parameters of BIBDs: There are five brands including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Kevin, Bar III, Halogen and Chanel (v=5). There are ten choice sets (b=10). Each brand comes out six times (r=6). Three brands appear in each choice set (k=3). Each pair of brands appears three times (ÃŽÂ »=3). Incidence Matrix for a BIBD with Parameters (5, 10, 6, 3, 3) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 Respondents have to choose the best and the worst option in a set of available options. Analysis plan This research will summarize the data collection to check whether the objective is solved by using the computer software known as Statistical Package for Service Solution (SPSS) program. Furthermore, refer to data screening to check for the data what missing and reporting descriptive statistics. Moreover, identify the techniques, such as ANOVA and regression analysis, for modelling several variables that appropriate to each objective. Ethics statement In this research, respondents are anonymously volunteer participants who can withdraw from this study anytime. Furthermore, it will be a safety study which protects the personal rights of participants. The study will use only for academic research to understand consumers attitude on brand love; hence, private information will not be recorded. The data collection will be digitally stored in database. On the other hand, researchers may meet the problem is sensitive respondents so each method needs to be careful designed. Moreover, in order to ensure the quality of this project, questionnaire needs to be previously sent to estimate whether it is straightforward. Brief summary Restate research objectives The mainly objectives are to estimate competitors strategies and to enhance more Ralph Laurens competitiveness as well as to grow closer relationship by comprehending consum{Aggarwal, 2008 #16;Corporation, 2013 #6;Corporation, 2013 #10;Devault, 2012 #12;DiFrisco, 2009-2011 #8;Keller, 2013 #17;Logos, n.d. #9;Perner, 1999-2010 #13;Quester, 2002 #14;Roumeliotis, 2012 #2;Srivastava, 2011 #20;Summers, 2005 #19;Tombs, 2011 #11;Trefis, 2011 #4;Trefis, 2012 #5;Trefis, 2013 #3;Wikinvest, 2011 #7;Wood, 2010 #18;Wright, 2006 #15}ers perception. Therefore, there are three developed models to specify the observed features, psychological constructs and attitudes. Finally, the objectives will be checked whether they are solved by summarizing the data collection. Potential importance of the research Turning to the details, there are four important features, like logo, service, IMC and product, which may impact on consumers preference. Thus, Ralph Lauren can compete with new rivals by analysing their weaknesses and strengths. While the psychological attitudes on buyers behaviour include external influences, decision making and post-decision behaviour. This model could help Ralph Lauren understand what consumers will consider and be influenced when choosing brand and the attitude of post-purchasing. The last one is aims to explain the relationship between Ralph Lauren and customers by CBBE model. Implications of the research The data will be collected to examine the objective is solved or not through SPSS program which may offer high credibility and high value for Ralph Lauren to gain more customers and maintain greater reputation.

Themes Presented in Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti Essay -- Gobli

Themes Presented in Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti Christina Rossetti's used her poetry to express herself; her work exhibits many autobiographical elements and from it the reader can discern Rossetti's emotions, beliefs and her comments on the society she lived in. As a female poet it would have been improper for Rossetti to deal directly with these issues though and so her ideas are masked through appearing to be children's poetry and having simple meanings. 'Goblin Market' superficially appears to a moral story about two sisters one of whom gives way to the temptation of the goblins forbidden fruits but through her poetic techniques Rossetti manages to embody her fears and desires. One of the desires Rossetti appears to have in this poem is for a relationship similar to that of Lizzie and Laura; the closing lines of the poem express the joys of having a sister "To fetch one if one goes astray", but Rossetti had only brothers. This theme of friendship is crucial to the plot of the poem and maybe Rossetti yearns for someone she can feel close to. Rossetti shows the difference between the love Laura has for the goblins fruits and the love between the sisters through the use of parallelism. While Laura "sucked" the goblins' fruits "until her lips were sore" showing Laura's greed as she gives way to temptation and gives a strongly physical image, Lizzie calling "Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices / Squeezed from goblin fruits for you" brings to mind Lizzie's self-sacrifice - the difference of Laura's lust for the juices and Lizzie's love for her sister is apparent. The image by Rossetti describing the sisters "Like two pigeons in one nest" creates a strong impression of the closeness between the two s... ...n coming before love in Rossetti's life. 'Goblin Market' contains many of the key themes that appear throughout Rossetti's poetry. In typical Rossettian style it appears almost superfluous on first reading but subtexts hidden within it. The casual rhyming scheme suggests that the work is a aimed at being children's poetry but the issues it deals with are distinctly adult. Early in the poem Laura is described as "rearing her glossy head" and much later on Lizzie is referred to as being stubborn as a "horse"; this demonstrates that through repetition and subtle parallels Rossetti manages to show how both sisters are so similar and yet so far apart. Christina Rossetti's use of poetic devices allows 'Goblin Market' to work on several levels allowing her to write poetry both acceptable to the society she lived in while also allowing her to express herself.

“Eveline” By James Joyce and “Samphire” by Patrick O’Brian Essay

Both of these stories tell of women wanting to break away from dominating male influences in their lives. Eveline is fed up of working at home and of looking after her father where as Molly wants a life away from Lacy. But at the end of each story, neither woman is nearer to her goal of a new life. The start of â€Å"Eveline† is very descriptive and gives the reader the impression of her life so far. Although Eveline works around the house, â€Å"in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne†. â€Å"She was tired† and these three words set the tone of the story for the reader. In contrast, â€Å"Samphire† opens with the uplifting white cliffs and the vicious sea. â€Å"The wind †¦ brought the salt tang of the spray on their lips†. This opening is also very descriptive but in a different way to â€Å"Eveline† – the sheer power of nature and the quiet and simple home. But both of these openings are effective in setting the scene for the story. Eveline lives at home with her father as â€Å"her brothers and sisters were all grown up, her mother was dead.† This last fact obviously had a huge effect on Eveline and her father, possibly making her father become violent, â€Å"she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father’s violence†. And now Eveline wants â€Å"to go away like the others, to leave her home.† Molly’s problems or intentions about what she wants to do are not known about until near to the end. It is possible though to guess at what she is irritated about – her husband Lacey. â€Å"He had a high, rather unmasculine voice, and he emphasized his words.† He is very persistent, â€Å"three times he pointed it out†; patronising, â€Å"how he had even to be a little firm†; childish, â€Å"wagging his finger†; trying to be humorous, â€Å"made a joke about the shop being a house of ill-fume; but the tobacconist did not understand†; not attractive, â€Å"the thin, fluffy hair that covered his baldness†, and extremely image conscious, â€Å"and how the people would stare when they brought it back†. But it wasn’t all easy for Eveline either. She had to put up with her father who said that â€Å"she used to squander the money† and â€Å"that she had no head†. She had â€Å"hard work to keep the house together† and overall it was † a hard life†. But Frank was a totally different person, â€Å"very kind, manly, open hearted† compared to her violent father. Her relationship with Frank was going fine until â€Å"her father found out the affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him.† This is because he relies on her and that he doesn’t want to lose. There is also the possibility that he is quite a stubborn man and that Frank is intruding on his relationship with his daughter. Throughout the whole story, there is the doubt or guilt factor that is preventing Eveline from leaving and going off to Buenos Aires with Frank. â€Å"Now she was about to leave it (her life) she did not find it a wholly undesirable life†; â€Å"her time was running out†, and that â€Å"her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her†. Then near to the bottom of the second page come the crucial facts about why she does not want to leave home: the promise to her dying mother, â€Å"her promise to keep the home together as long as she could†. The plot of â€Å"Samphire† is that Lacey sees â€Å"a clump of samphire† on the edge of a cliff and is determined for Molly to see it. Once she has seen it, there is a great satisfaction from Lacey as he knows that Molly is scared of heights, â€Å"heights terrified her, always had†, but he still forces her to look at the plant. The next day Molly â€Å"said she would like to see the samphire again† much to the joy of Lacy. She obviously does this to keep him happy and possibly to keep him quiet for a little while. As they reach the top of the cliff and turn the path, Lacey cries out, â€Å"it is still there. Oh jolly good. It is still there†. As he stretched over the cliff to try and reach the plant, Molly stepped forward and tried to push him off the cliff, â€Å"but as she pushed him she felt her arms weak like jelly†. It is almost as if in her heart she doesn’t want to push him off. â€Å"For a second the wind bore his body and the stick scrabbled furiously for a purchase on the cliff†. He gets up, screaming at her, â€Å"you pushed me Molly, you – pushed me, you – pushed me†. Lacey is in complete shock as he realises what Molly was trying to do. â€Å"Still she stood, stone – still† not listening to him. She marches off down the path, with Lacey following after her. Before he was leading the way, but now she is the dominant figure in their relationship. And still he is trying to believe that it was an accident but he was lucky that she didn’t push him all the way off. The end of â€Å"Eveline† results in her doing what her heart feels is best as well, just like Molly as she leaves Frank to stay with her father. † All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart†. It was a difficult decision but one that she had to make.

How Laszlo Biro Changed the History of Ballpoint Pens

How Laszlo Biro Changed the History of Ballpoint Pens No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had. Samuel Johnson. A Hungarian journalist named Laszlo Biro invented the first ballpoint pen in 1938. Biro had noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper smudge-free, so he decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. But the thicker ink wouldnt flow from a regular pen nib. Biro had to devise a new type of point. He did so by fitting his pen with a tiny ball bearing in its tip. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from the ink cartridge and leaving it on the paper.   Biros Patents This principle of the ballpoint pen actually dates back to an 1888 patent owned by John Loud for a product designed to mark leather, but this patent was commercially unexploited. Biro first patented his pen in 1938 and he applied for another  patent in June 1943 in Argentina after he and his brother emigrated there in 1940.   The British government bought the licensing rights to Biro’s patent during World War II. The British Royal Air Force needed a new pen that would not leak at higher altitudes in fighter planes the way fountain pens did. The ballpoint’s successful performance for the Air Force brought Biro’s pens into the limelight. Unfortunately, Biro had never gotten a U.S. patent for his pen, so another battle was just beginning even as World War II ended.   The Battle of the Ballpoint Pens   A lot of improvements were made to pens in general over the years, leading to a battle over the rights to Biros invention.  The newly-formed Eterpen Company in Argentina commercialized the Biro pen after the Biro brothers received their patents there. The press hailed the success of  their writing tool because it could write for a year without refilling. Then, in May 1945,  Eversharp Company teamed up with Eberhard-Faber to acquire exclusive rights to Biro Pens of Argentina. The pen was rebranded as the â€Å"Eversharp CA,† which stood for â€Å"capillary action.† It was released to the press months in advance of public sales. Less than a month after Eversharp/Eberhard closed the deal with Eterpen, a Chicago businessman, Milton Reynolds, visited Buenos Aires in June 1945.  He noticed the Biro pen while he was in a store and recognized the pen’s sales potential. He bought a few as samples and returned to America to launch the Reynolds International Pen Company, ignoring Eversharp’s patent rights. Reynolds copied the Biro pen within four months and began to sell his product by the end of October 1945. He called it Reynolds Rocket and made it available at Gimbel’s department store in New York City. Reynolds’ imitation beat Eversharp to market and it was immediately successful. Priced at $12.50 each, $100,000 worth of pens sold their first day on the market. Britain was not far behind. The Miles-Martin Pen Company sold the first ballpoint pens to the public there at Christmas 1945.   The Ballpoint Pen Becomes a Fad Ballpoint pens were guaranteed to write for two years without refilling and sellers claimed they were smear-proof. Reynolds advertised his pen as one that could write under water. Then Eversharp sued Reynolds for copying the design that Eversharp had acquired legally. The 1888 patent by John Loud would have invalidated everyones claims, but no one knew that at the time. Sales skyrocketed for both competitors, but Reynolds’ pen tended to leak and skip. It  often failed to write. Eversharp’s pen did not live up to its own advertisements either. A very high volume of pen returns occurred for both Eversharp and Reynolds. The ballpoint pen fad ended due to consumer unhappiness.  Frequent price wars, poor quality products, and heavy advertising costs hurt both companies by 1948. Sales nosedived.  The original $12.50 asking price dropped to less than 50 cents per pen. The Jotter   Meanwhile, fountain pens experienced a resurgence of their old popularity as Reynolds’ company folded. Then  Parker Pens introduced its first ballpoint pen, the Jotter, in January 1954. The Jotter wrote five times longer than the Eversharp or Reynolds pens. It had a variety of point sizes, a rotating cartridge, and large-capacity ink refills. Best of all, it worked. Parker sold 3.5 million Jotters at prices from $2.95 to $8.75 in less than a year. The Ballpoint Pen Battle Is Won   By 1957,  Parker had  introduced the tungsten carbide  textured ball bearing in their ballpoint pens. Eversharp was in deep financial trouble and tried to switch back to selling fountain pens. The company sold its pen division to Parker Pens and Eversharp finally liquidated its assets in the 1960s. Then Came Bic   The French Baron Bich dropped the ‘H’ from his name and began selling pens called BICs in 1950. By the late fifties,  BIC  held 70 percent of the European market.   BIC bought 60 percent of the New York-based Waterman Pens in 1958, and it owned  100 percent of Waterman Pens by 1960. The company sold ballpoint pens in the U.S. for 29 cents up to 69 cents. Ballpoint Pens Today   BIC  dominates the market in the 21st century. Parker, Sheaffer, and Waterman capture smaller upscale markets of fountain pens and expensive ballpoints.  The highly popular modern version of Laszlo Biros pen, the BIC Crystal, has a daily worldwide sales figure of 14 million pieces. Biro is still the generic name used for the ballpoint pen used  in most of the world.

Thermal insulators Essay Example

Thermal insulators Essay Example Thermal insulators Paper Thermal insulators Paper Essay Topic: Sula To investigate different materials for the most effective thermal insulator for a house. Introduction Heat transfer is the gain and loss of energy. There are three ways in which thermal energy can be transferred:   Conduction   Convection   Radiation Conduction this is when energy travels from molecule to another. When one molecule receives energy it begins to vibrate and hits other molecules and makes them vibrate. And will spread throughout the object. Convection this will only occur in gases and liquids. When heat is applied to the bottom of the substance, it will heat it up. When it heats up, it will rise to the top, forcing colder areas towards the heat source and then they will receive energy and rise to the top, etc. Radiation it travels in waves. When it hits a molecule it makes it vibrate. I will be concentrating on conduction, as this is the main way in which thermal energy is transferred lost from housing. Which means that I need something that is a bad thermal conductor (good thermal insulator) to keep the amount of conduction to a bare minimum? Plan. I am planning to test five materials (paper, cling film, cloth, bubble wrap and plastic) and one control, three times and find the average (to ensure accuracy). Whichever material changes the temp of the water the least is the best insulator. I will wrap them around a 200ml beaker (no lid) and fill it with 200ml of boiling water. Then Ill take the temp eleven times: once at the beginning, and once every min for a period of ten minutes. Equipment List Stop watch 1 Thermometer 6 200ml beakers 6 Kettle 1 Fair Test The following will be kept the same throughout the whole experiment:   Method Time given to cool. Equipment   Conditions Also some of the variables will be need to be kept the same throughout the whole experiment: The variables The variables that will be kept the same The variables that will be changed Start temp of water Start temp of water Material (insulator) Start volume Start volume Room Temp Room Temp Material (insulator) Surface area of beaker Surface area of beaker   this is a variable because it changes the amount of convection that happens. Method 1. Prepare the beakers by insulating them with the five materials (except the control) using elastic bands. 2. Put water in the kettle and turn it on. 3. When the water is hot, pour 200ml into any 3 of the 6 (doing three at a time, gives you more control over the experiment. 4. Place thermometers in the beakers. 5. Record the start temp. 6. Start the stop watch. 7. Record the temp every min for ten min. 8. Repeat the process for the remaining three. Prediction I think that the best thermal insulator will be the bubble wrap due to the fact that it contains trapped air. Trapped air is a good insulator therefore it takes longer for energy to transfer through gasses because the molecules are further part, a vibrating molecule takes longer to hit into another molecule and make it vibrate. The worst thermal insulator will be something that has compact molecules as it is easy for the vibrations to spread throughout. Results in degrees Celsius Material Start temp i C 1 min 2 min 3 min 4 min 5 min 6 min 7 min 8 min 9 min 10 min Cloth did plan to repeat the experiment three times and find the average. However due to a lack of time this did not happen. Analysis All the materials are above the control; this gives me the impression that all the materials do have some resistance to the thermal energy that is transferring through the beaker. The graph has a negative correlation which explains, as time goes on the temperature of the water decrease. The papers final result is 68 and plastics is 67, however they both have same line of best fit, which implies to me that their results are very similar. This may well me that they are equally good insulators. My prediction was that the bubble wrap was the best insulator because it contains a lot of trapped air. However after completing the investigation, my prediction proved to be incorrect. The best insulator proved to the paper. My only explanation to this is that when the paper was wrapped round the beaker some air became trapped between the paper and beaker and cause and insulation sufficient enough to keep the temperature of the water higher than the rest. Evaluation Although this experiment went well I felt that it could have been improved, for example. Having the same length and width of each material would have the experiment much better in fairness. Also I was not able to repeat the experiment twice more due to lack of time which severely affected the accuracy of the results and investigation. Finally having a thermometer for making sure the room temp stays the same I think that the method was fine and has no problems of any sort except one: testing the room temp and making sure it stays the same. Conclusion To conclude, this experiment was seemingly fair, however there is a margin for improvement. The paper was the best insulator however I think this was an accident due to the trapped air. I now know that the closer the molecules in an object the better the object is at conducting energy. Which means any thing with trapped air would be a sufficient insulator. This is why they use double glazed windows as an insulator. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section. 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Double Negatives in Spanish

Double Negatives in Spanish I cant get no satisfaction. I dont know nobody. You aint seen nothing yet. Because they contain double negatives, the above English sentences are considered substandard (although, of course, people often talk like that in real life). But theres no such prohibition in Spanish. In fact, in many cases, use of double negatives is required. Even triple negatives are possible. Double Negatives in Spanish Double and even triple negatives are not unusual in Spanish even though they are usually considered improper in English.Generally, negative and affirmative elements (such as the equivalents for never and always, respectively) shouldnt be used in the same Spanish sentence.Double-negative Spanish sentences can usually be translated in more than one way, such as I dont know anybody and I know nobody. Double Negatives Not Viewed Negatively in Spanish Grammarians may tell you that English doesnt use double negatives because the two negatives contradict each other and make a positive. (In other words, I dont know nobody is the same as saying I know somebody.) But negatives arent thought of in  that way in Spanish - the negatives are seen as reinforcing rather than contradicting each other. Although sometimes the second negative is used to make a stronger statement just as it is in substandard English, in most cases it is merely part of the structure of the sentence. In Spanish, the most common negative terms in addition to no (no, not) are apenas (barely, scarcely, hardly), jams (never), nadie (nobody), ni (neither, not), ninguno (none, no), ni siquiera (not even), nunca (never), and tampoco (not even, nor, neither). Most of these terms in Spanish have a corresponding affirmative term: algo (something), alguien (somebody), alguno (some), siempre (always), tambià ©n (also), and siquiera (at least). How To Use Double and Triple Negatives As a general rule, a sentence cant include both affirmative and negative terms; where one element of a sentence (subject, verb, object) includes a negative term, the other elements should use a negative term where a term is needed. Also, with the exception of nunca jams (see below), not more than one negative term is used before the verb. By following these rules, it is possible to have one, two, or three negatives in a sentence, as in the following examples: Apenas come. (She barely eats.)Apenas come nada. (She barely eats anything.)No tengo ninguno. (I dont have any.)Nadie sabe eso. (Nobody knows that.)Jams fumo. (I never smoke.)Tampoco comià ³. (She didnt eat either.)Tampoco comià ³ nada. (She didnt eat anything either.)No hablà ³. (He didnt speak.)No dijo nada. (He said nothing.)No le dijo nada a nadie. (He didnt say anything to anybody.)No compro ninguno. (Im not buying any.)Nunca le compra nada a nadie. (She never buys anything for anybody.)No come ni siquiera pan. (He doesnt even eat bread.)Ni siquiera come pan. (He doesnt even eat bread.) Note that in some cases (such as the final two examples in the chart) it is possible to say the same thing in more than one way, with either one negative or two. Generally, that is because in Spanish the subject can come before or after the verb; where a negative subject comes before the verb, a no is not needed with the verb. In this example, ni siquiera no come pan would not be standard Spanish. There generally isnt much difference in meaning between using one negative or two. Note also that various translations to English are possible. Tampoco comià ³ could be translated not only as she didnt eat either but also as neither did she eat. When a verb is used with a negative term, it isnt always necessary to use a negative term after the verb. For example, No tengo amigos (I dont have friends) is grammatically acceptable. What you shouldnt do, though, is use an affirmative term for emphasis. If you want to say I dont have any friends, use a negative term after the verb: No tengo ningà ºn amigo. Other Uses of Double Negatives There are at least two other cases where a double negative is used for added emphasis: Nada as an adverb: When used as an adverb in a negative sentence, nada usually can be translated as at all. No ayuda nada. (He doesnt help at all.)No usa nada los ordenadores. (He doesnt use computers at all.) Nunca jams: When these two negatives meaning never are used together, they reinforce each other. Nunca jams vuelo. (I never, ever fly.)Dijo el cuervo, nunca jams. (Quoth the raven, nevermore.)

Corporate Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Law - Assignment Example The rights include voting during the election of the directors, amending corporate bylaws as well as articles of incorporation and participating in annual meetings associated with the stockholders. Besides, the other fundamental rights of the minority shareholders include voting on a few selected corporate events which include liquidation of the business entity, mergers or sale of assets, calling special meetings of the stockholders and scrutinizing the books, records as well as the lists of the shareholders. It is in this context that with the majority shareholders holding a strong position in a company, in frequent instances, disagreements between the majority and the minority shareholders have been identified in the modern business context. The disagreements have been mostly regarding the exclusion of the minority shareholders from management participation, disproportionate allocation of shares and withholding of dividends with profits among others (1). In this discussion, a detai led analysis of the problems concerned with the rights held by minority shareholders, playing vital role causing potential disagreements amid the members of both majority as well as minority shareholders, will be taken into concern. Moreover, the different statutory remedies which are available to the minority shareholders in order to deal with situations where the majority shareholders misuse their power or breach their duties will also be portrayed in the discussion. A Brief Analysis of the Scenario The minority shareholders are often acknowledged as institutional investors among different business entities who play a limited function in influencing the background of corporate governance construction. This is majorly due to the fact that the presence of the majority shareholders within a business firm owing the rights to partially control its decision making process often facilitates significant sources of conflicts affecting the interests of the minority shareholders (2). However , it is worth mentioning in this regard that the minority shareholders posses certain rights which may be accessible in accordance to any ‘state close corporation laws’. These rights generally include amending corporate by-laws, voting during the election of the directors and organizing as well as managing annual meetings related with the shareholders among others as mentioned in the articles of association and memorandum. Despite, it has often been observed that the minority shareholders or the institutional investors find it to be quite challenging to exercise the aforementioned rights in a smooth way witnessing minimum disruptions. This is simply because the majority shareholders tend to dominantly control the business operations as they bear large proportion or percentage of shares along with various decision making rights concerning the corporate governance structure of the particular entity. As the majority shareholders possess maximum quantity of shares (i.e. mor e than 50% of the total equity shares), it has been viewed that the interests of minority shareholders are being oppressed by several means. In this similar context, the different ways which contribute towards the oppression of the minority s

Religious Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religious Terrorism - Essay Example Both the US and UK leaders are careful not to cross the line and publicly condemn Islam in its entirety, offend Muslim allies and fail to get the support of the "moderate" Muslims. However the terms that Bush and Blair have used are clear condemnations of at least a part of Islam. However, other statements from official and unofficial sources and media's treatment of the issue have gone further, reducing the world's perception of the situation to a battle between civilizations, between demons and angels, good and evil, black and white. Former US Speaker of the House and neo-conservative Newt Gingrich has openly spoken of World War III between "the West and the forces of Islam" and ruled out the possibility, and even desirability, of accommodation and compromise between the two parties (Lobe, 2006). The grandson and namesake of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke of "radical Islam" as a threat equal to the WWII Nazis and Soviets in the Cold War era. The concept of Islam as the "main threat to Western civilization" has also been popularised by writers such as Samuel Huntington in his work, The Clash of Civilizations (Nasser, 2006). The question that must first be addressed is how big a threat terrorism actually is to global peace and human security. The US State Department has defined terrorism as "premeditated and politically motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets bygroups or clandestine agentsto influence an audience" (Whitaker, 2001). In its 2006 Country Reports on Terrorism, the US State Department reported that 14,000 terrorist attacks were launched all over the world, resulting in 20,000 fatalities or an average of 1.4 fatalities per attack. These figures represent an additional 25 percent in the number of attacks and an additional 40 percent in the number of deaths compared to 2005. It should however be clarified that fully 45 percent of the incidents and 65 percent of the fatalities reported were concentrated in Iraq, a nation where the entry and continued presence of the US-led coalition has sparked off some intense resistance (often reported as terrorist activities) from many se ctions of the population. Demons and Angels 4 On the other hand, the Human Security Report (2005), after three years of an intensive research effort, concluded that political violence has decreased significantly since the early 1990s (with the only exception being international terrorism). The study, which was supported by the UK, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, noted an increase in the total number of terrorism-related casualties from 1982-2003. However, even with this trend, the casualties from terrorism still amount to less than 1,000 people each year for the last three decades, and comprise only a "small fraction" of total fatalities due to political violence (including wars and genocides) or even common crime. Despite that relatively low number, the public's fears and insecurities have been exacerbated by high profile terrorist attacks since the entry of the new millennium, namely the July 2005 bombings in London, which killed more than 50 and injured hundreds, the March 2004 bombings in Madrid which killed 190 and

William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying study questions Essay

William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying study questions - Essay Example Each character is shown as being differentiated and actually utterly alone in his thoughts and interpretations of the events. Whatever a character is thinking is what what is encountered by the reader. Incomplete thoughts and hard-to-decipher dialect compound the initial problem that the reader encounters. Since the reader is obliged to follow the mental meanderings and preoccupations of each character, one at a time, it is inevitable that the reader will become confused. The reason for the family's obstinacy in getting Addie's request fulfilled is left to the reader to decipher from the family's behavior and thoughts. Aside from the unfolding of events (the story itself), what holds the interest of the reader is the challenge, or at least the wait, of being able to piece this puzzle together. The presence of characters not part of the Bundren family allows the reader feel that he can make a more objective judgment, and these outside characters show us that what the Bundren family is doing is not 'normal'. In the early parts of the book, I expected that there would be quite a lot of confusion. Faulkner gives only small glimpses of the plot, and slowly, so that the picture becomes clearer as the story goes on. The structure of the novel began to feel simpler as I pro

Income Statement for Leak-Stoppers LLC for the Year Ended 31st Essay

Income Statement for Leak-Stoppers LLC for the Year Ended 31st December 2013 - Essay Example As the discussion outlines, the accrual concept states that revenue is recognized when it is earned and realized or realizable while expenses are recognized in the period in which the related revenue is earned. In the case of Mr. Mansoor, the insurance premium expenses can only be realized when revenue is earned and therefore the prepaid premium of 200 is subtracted from 800 to obtain premium expense of 600. Also the interest expense for the cash borrowed from Mustafa is an example of accrued expense. The principle states that a company should report an expense on the income statement in the same period that the related revenue is earned. For instance, the depreciation expenses for the non-current assets such as plumbing equipment and van are only recognized to the current year i.e. at the end of 2013 when they might have earned revenue. The prudence concept states that the transactions that the company is uncertain about should not be overstated or understated. Mr. Mansoor has exercised the prudence concept since he has created allowance for the doubtful debts that should be written off i.e. 10% of the accounts receivable. Since the company was able to record a net profit of $12,926, this shows that its currents expenses are less than its revenues/income. Therefore, the company is able to meet its short-term financial needs. Additionally, the income statement shows that the company is liquid and can be able to meet its daily/short-term needs. The balance sheet reflects a snapsho t of the performance of the company on a single date; it’s usually on the last date of the financial year. Judging from the income statement, the company’s financial performance as at 31st Dec 2013, the company’s current ratio i.e. current assets/current liabilities, 10,887/1,773=6.14 shows that the company is able to pay the bills.  

Analyzing the Cinematic Element of Suture in the Dick Van Dyke Show Essay

Analyzing the Cinematic Element of Suture in the Dick Van Dyke Show Episode of the Bank Book - Essay Example In support of this concept, Silverman also discusses that for suture to have success, there are three tools that must accompany its use. These tools are shot relationships, narrative progressions and the sexual difference portrayed through the shots taken. By comparing the aspects of sexual difference with the often desexualized nature of the characters in the Dick Van Dyke show, the purpose of this essay is to determine how sexual difference or lack thereof affected the suture used in the episode entitled â€Å"Bank Book #6565696.† In order to complete this analysis, this essay will first establish the principles of sexual difference within suture, give a background on the Dick Van Dyke show as well as an episode summary and then analyze how these cinematic organization tools are seen throughout the chosen episode itself. Upon the completion of these steps, this essay strives to demonstrate how suture and sexual difference influences a viewer’s impression of the Dick V an Dyke Show episode of the Bank Book. Defining Suture As mentioned in the essay’s introduction, Silverman defines the concept of suture as a cinematic technique that when used properly helps viewers forget that the camera is the source of what they are seeing (Silverman). In addition to the overall definition of suture, Silverman also discusses the three supporting tools that can bolster the efforts of this film tool. The first of these tools is the notion of shot relationship. This aspect of suture is comprised of the shot/reverse formation. The basis of shot/reverse formation includes two or more shots that are edited together to simulate what happens when a character looks around or when multiple characters exchange glances (Silverman). The second tool is narrative progression which Silverman defines as a film technique that leads the audience through the story by providing them film shots which literally tell the story. Because of this notion, narrative progression essen tially follows its name as the story line is told through the way the film shots are compiled. The final tool to be used with suture is that of sexual difference. The main crux of the concept of sexual difference is that the footage is based on either the excess of the female body in film footage or the lack thereof (Silverman). By determining the level of female involvement is featured in filming, one can decipher the intent of how the suture is being used. In regard to the Dick Van Dyke Show episode of the â€Å"Bank Book,† the tool of sexual difference is the most appropriate to use to develop the argument of how the filming of the characters of Rob and Laura demonstrates the major variations of presence on film between the male and female characters. Evidence Background As the basis for this essay’s argument, the evidence for this analysis is an episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Before discussing the episode in detail and how it can be linked to the sexual differe nce aspect of suture, it is essential to first provide some background information on the show itself. According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the immensely popular and iconic Dick Van Dyke Show ran from 1961 to 1966 on CBS. During its five year tenure, the Dick Van Dyke Show helped to bridge the gap between the more vaudeville-style television shows of the 1950’s to the socially-driven comedies of the 1970’

Finicail management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finicail management - Essay Example The proposed orthopedic unit will offer integrated and comprehensive services covering the entire gamut of orthopedic and spine injury treatment, and total joint replacement programs. The elements will include pre-surgical education, diagnosis, elective surgical and non-surgical treatment, post surgical care and rehabilitation, and assistance in ongoing management of the condition. This unit is being mooted as a unique center that will provide comprehensive treatment and services through the joint efforts of a team of competent medical and paramedical staff, in a manner that no other hospital in the area provides. The center will be recognized as one that provides a continuum of these services with a focus on safety, comfort, and predictable outcomes. Orthopedic and spine disease and injury treatments involve a number of initiatives that include pre-operative education, diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment, post operative rehabilitation, and ongoing management of illnesses and injuries. Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has most of these elements, which at present are not integrated. Integrating these services and offering a comprehensive program will help patients receive comfortable, safe and complete care and treatment. Such integration will also help EHMC to offer total joint replacement programs. The proposed center – the joint center of excellence – will integrate therapies and introduce a new marketable program in the community that would provide unique advantages to those requiring orthopedic and spine disease treatments and joint replacement. With proper promotion, such a program is expected to generate substantial interest, and result in increase in volume of in-patient cases. The advantage to the patients will be the availability of a state-of-the-art center that will meet all their needs related to orthopedic treatment, and ensure maximum comfort and

Income Statement for Leak-Stoppers LLC for the Year Ended 31st Essay

Income Statement for Leak-Stoppers LLC for the Year Ended 31st December 2013 - Essay Example As the discussion outlines, the accrual concept states that revenue is recognized when it is earned and realized or realizable while expenses are recognized in the period in which the related revenue is earned. In the case of Mr. Mansoor, the insurance premium expenses can only be realized when revenue is earned and therefore the prepaid premium of 200 is subtracted from 800 to obtain premium expense of 600. Also the interest expense for the cash borrowed from Mustafa is an example of accrued expense. The principle states that a company should report an expense on the income statement in the same period that the related revenue is earned. For instance, the depreciation expenses for the non-current assets such as plumbing equipment and van are only recognized to the current year i.e. at the end of 2013 when they might have earned revenue. The prudence concept states that the transactions that the company is uncertain about should not be overstated or understated. Mr. Mansoor has exercised the prudence concept since he has created allowance for the doubtful debts that should be written off i.e. 10% of the accounts receivable. Since the company was able to record a net profit of $12,926, this shows that its currents expenses are less than its revenues/income. Therefore, the company is able to meet its short-term financial needs. Additionally, the income statement shows that the company is liquid and can be able to meet its daily/short-term needs. The balance sheet reflects a snapsho t of the performance of the company on a single date; it’s usually on the last date of the financial year. Judging from the income statement, the company’s financial performance as at 31st Dec 2013, the company’s current ratio i.e. current assets/current liabilities, 10,887/1,773=6.14 shows that the company is able to pay the bills.  

Finicail management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finicail management - Essay Example The proposed orthopedic unit will offer integrated and comprehensive services covering the entire gamut of orthopedic and spine injury treatment, and total joint replacement programs. The elements will include pre-surgical education, diagnosis, elective surgical and non-surgical treatment, post surgical care and rehabilitation, and assistance in ongoing management of the condition. This unit is being mooted as a unique center that will provide comprehensive treatment and services through the joint efforts of a team of competent medical and paramedical staff, in a manner that no other hospital in the area provides. The center will be recognized as one that provides a continuum of these services with a focus on safety, comfort, and predictable outcomes. Orthopedic and spine disease and injury treatments involve a number of initiatives that include pre-operative education, diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment, post operative rehabilitation, and ongoing management of illnesses and injuries. Englewood Hospital and Medical Center has most of these elements, which at present are not integrated. Integrating these services and offering a comprehensive program will help patients receive comfortable, safe and complete care and treatment. Such integration will also help EHMC to offer total joint replacement programs. The proposed center – the joint center of excellence – will integrate therapies and introduce a new marketable program in the community that would provide unique advantages to those requiring orthopedic and spine disease treatments and joint replacement. With proper promotion, such a program is expected to generate substantial interest, and result in increase in volume of in-patient cases. The advantage to the patients will be the availability of a state-of-the-art center that will meet all their needs related to orthopedic treatment, and ensure maximum comfort and

19th Century Theories in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay Example for Free

19th Century Theories in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay 19th Century Theories in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? These words said by Friedrich Nietzsche encompass the theories present in Dostoevskys nineteenth century novel, Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky, living a life of suffering himself, created the character of Raskolnikov with the preconceptions of his own sorrowful and struggling life. Throughout his exile in Siberia from 1849-1859, his sentiments of suffering, sorrow, and the common man surfaced and heightened, inspiring him to begin writing Crime and Punishment in 1859. The main motif in this novel is that of suffering. It is apparent that all characters, major and minor, experience some sort of internal or external affliction. The overall theme of the work is that all mortal men suffer, and that salvation can not be obtained unless this anguish is present. Dostoevskys protagonist, Raskolnikov, must evolve and realize this fact to overcome his conflicts and reach the salvation of peace and tranquillity. Volumes and volumes of critique can be written on where this suffering originated, but Dostoevskys main concentration and focus is not where, but why suffering must exist and how this suffering can be overcome. See more:Â  First Poem for You Essay This is seen from the fact that throughout the six sections of the novel, only one section is focused on the origin of the torment the Crime, and the remaining five sections are concentrated on Raskolnikovs path to overcoming this anguish the Punishment. By focusing solely on the punishment, the internal and external conflicts that arise within the novel do not only provide Raskolnikovs own philosophy of the path toward salvation, but encompasses that of the German philosopher Nietzsche, as well as his contemporaries. Raskolnikovs justifications for his actions are relayed in his own Extraordinary Man Theory, which states that there are two classifications of men in the world: ordinary, and extraordinary. He wanted prove that he was extraordinary, that he could commit a crime as horrid as murder, but because he did it for the betterment of society, he would feel no sympathy or regret for his justified actions. In following Raskolnikovs theory, it becomes apparent from where his conceptions originate. Though the whole work encompasses the philosophies of all the nineteenth century theorists, Raskolnikovs ideas spawn from that of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Wilhelm Hegel. Since it has already been established that the entire novel contains theories of its era, to begin an analysis in regard to the novels main ideas evolving from the concepts of merely Nietzsche or Hegel would, in a way, belittle the importance of the remaining non-Hegelian nineteenth century philosophers. By analyzing the ideologies of the major theorists from Father to Fruitcake (Kierkegaard to Freud) with respect to Crime and Punishment, Dostoevskys intentions, motifs, and ideas can be interpreted with ease. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) believed that truth is both power and suffering. He is often noted as the Father of Existentialism, an innovated modern belief that life has no meaning, and that we must live life just for the sake of living, and nothing else. To know the truth about life and the individuals living it would be a form of powerful knowledge incomprehensible to man. The truth is Life is suffering. Kierkegaard believed that man was blessed with the greatest gift of all free will, but this free will creates decisions, and decisions generate emotions. Emotions are the key to the suffering of man. Happiness creates a fear in losing prosperity, fear leads to anger toward lifes unjust ways, anger leads to hatred of life in general, and hatred leads to the suffering of the individual mind. This is the path of the common man, the man who thinks that life can be blissful. The existential man believes that life has no meaning, no substance, and no path for happiness. He is the man who knows and accepts that all things, good and evil, exist, including suffering. This is why the existential man is indifferent toward the benefits and consequences of life. Raskolnikov believes that The Extraordinary Man feels no suffering and no pain. He is the man who can break the laws, transgress the laws, and make the laws. Raskolnikov believed that if he were extraordinary, he could commit any crime, even the crime of murder, and walk away from it indifferent, apathetic, and without emotion. What he did not realize was the main point of Kierkegaards philosophy, that no matter what man suffers. Raskolnikov thought that he could avoid the truth and avoid suffering. It is not until he confesses to both Porfiry and Sonia, which coincidentally is the same instant that his own pain begins to vanquish, that he fully understands and believes in the suffering of man. Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), another prominent philosopher of the nineteenth century, hypothesized a dialectic method for the analysis and comprehension of history. He believed that all events in time move in a teleological fashion contrary to the popular belief of a circular path. Hegel stated that history, rather than repeating itself, learns and moves forward toward a purpose. In his theory this purpose is the freedom of all men in a rational state, and moving toward such a beneficial purpose justifies all good and evil events in history. The dialectic method also consisted of a diagram regarding this teleological path. Hegel believed that history is made up of a series of events all corresponding to a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. The thesis and antithesis serve as the conflict in history, while the synthesis becomes the result. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is the thesis, the symbol of good intentions, while Svidrigailov is the antithesis, the epitome and reality of evil and suffering. With the battle of good and evil comes salvation, or the synthesis, in this case Sonia, the representation and key to Raskolnikovs salvation. This method can also be viewed in the perspective of Dostoevskys primary concentrations. With that respect the crime can be viewed as the symbol of good intentions. Raskolnikov killed Alyona because she represented the evil in society. Because her death would be a blessing and benefit to the world he believed his crime would be justified. The punishment can be viewed as the reality of suffering. It is not until after he commits the crime that Raskolnikov realizes that all men in fact do suffer. The key is to overcome this suffering instead of avoiding it. The salvation can be viewed as the redemption and end to suffering the result of the crime and of the punishment. This analysis also maps Hegels teleological perspective because the novel moves in a linear fashion. The Crime (thesis) encompasses Part I of the novel, the Punishment (antithesis) is demonstrated in Parts II-VI, and the salvation (synthesis) is introduced in the epilogue. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844- 1900) did not believe in the suffering of all men. He believed that there existed a superman, a powerful individual that lived for self-gratification and nothing else. The Nietzschean superman asserts his own power to situations while he watches the common and ordinary man suffer because of lifes imperfections. This man needs no justification in his actions, because as long as he has satisfied himself, then his dominance over others requires no reason. Nietzsche also believed that in order to become a superman, an individual must surpass the common man. He must have no qualms or regrets in his actions, and above all, he must not fear his actions or consequences. Fear is the mother of morality, it is an emotion only known to ordinary men. A superman has no fear. Perhaps the character of Svidrigailov emits the best example of a Nietzschean superman in the novel. He is the epitome of evil and lives only for self-gratification. His downfall to his superman visage is suicide. Death is the escape to suffering. Svidrigailov feared its company, and in turn, took his own life to avoid it. Raskolnikov on the other hand, did not avoid suffering he conquered it. Though before his crime he did ask the Hegelian question of Will this crime serve a noble purpose, he also asks the Nietzschean question of Do I dare commit this murder and therefore prove myself to be a man by proving that my will is strong? It is after this that he commits the crime and begins to endure this suffering. Unlike his rival, Svidrigailov, Raskolnikov overcomes his pain through salvation with the help of Sonia, ends his isolation, and returns to the humanity of society. Karl Marx (1818-1883) believed that society was the root of suffering. His common man, the proletarian, struggled because of the capitalistic bourgeoisie. He believed that the proletariat goes through various stages of development. The first stage is the struggle against the bourgeois, which later turns to suffering. Through the growth of the masses, the final stages of the common man of strength and victory evolve. The goal and path of the Marxist man is to emerge from being a mere commodity of society into being a creative and active member of it. The strength that allows him to do this is the realization that he is suffering because he lives for others, and his victory is obtained by overcoming this anguish through the bond of the proletariat. Though Raskolnikov does not face the same pain of worthlessness as the proletariat, he develops in the same fashion. He struggles against his inner emotions of reason and morality, and suffers because of it. Though Sonia and Porfiry contribute to his salvation, it is Raskolnikov himself that overcomes his emotions. He does not need the bond of the masses to aid him in his survival and path toward salvation; he only needs the bond of his inner rational and emotion states. This is why Raskolnikov survives. In 1859 the theorist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) published a controversial book of survival entitled The Origin of Species. In this work Darwin established that an organisms evolution or devolution in life is representative of their ability to conform, adjust, and survive within the harshness of its environment. This theory of survival of the fittest, later became the coined theme of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism believes that man survives and prospers in nature because he is the organism that is fit enough to do so. In a battle between man verses nature, and even man versus society, only the strong shall survive, while the weak will parish. Faith and belief no longer have any bearing on the members of tomorrows society, only strength. Â  his theory is presented many times in Crime and Punishment. Alyona and Lizaveta both perish because they are not capable of defeating Raskolnikov. Alyona also did not survive because Raskolnikovs beliefs were stronger than her will and intentions. Svidrigailov cannot conquer the constraints society has placed upon him, and in turn, he commits suicide. The only exception to this theory is Raskolnikov. His inner strength of intelligence may be strong, but his physical and emotional abilities do not coincide with Darwins notion of fit. Raskolnikovs survival is from his redemption. He reaches salvation because he chooses to, and therefore he survives because he chooses to. He does this through his own realization and rationalization. The psychologist and theorist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) believed that an individuals decisions are not always determined by the rational state of mind. He believed that all humans possess three distinct decision making chambers of human behavior. He refers to the first of these as the id. The id is the childhood and instinctual need of the individual. This is the sector that satisfies an individuals wants and desires, accomplishing them at no fear of risk. The second portion of human behavior is referred to as the ego. The ego is the rationalist, the sector that makes decisions that benefit the individual and society. Freud believed that the majority of all individuals make decisions based on their ego. The final and third division of an individuals behavior is called the superego. The superego is the ideal individual. This individual makes decisions that should be made; he does things the way they should be done in his opinion, and no matter what the results may be, has no reason for regret. Though most of the characters in the novel make decisions based upon their ego, it is evident and apparent that Raskolnikov does not. He knows what he believes to be right and wrong, and tries to right the wrongs in society with his superego. Though he is the only one to use his superego, all of the other Freudian sections of human decisions exist in the work. Throughout the novel, Svidrigailov uses his id. His encounters with women, prosperity, and fortune are not prolific because he deserves them, but because he wants them. It is his id that leads him to his desire for an end to suffering, and his death near the end of the novel. Sonia and Dounia both rationalize their actions through their ego. Though Sonia does not and should not be a prostitute, she knows that it is the only way for her family to survive. Dounia is in a similar predicament. She did not wish to marry Luzhin, but his wealth and proposal to help Raskolnikov rationalized her to stay. Later, her ego permits her to marry Razumihin for his compassion, admiration, and companionship. This use of the id, ego, and superego supply a Freudian element to Dostoevskys work. With all of these theories analyzed, computed, and settled, we can end this critique where we began: I teach you the Superman. Man is something that has to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him? Is Raskolnikov a Superman? Well, he follows Kierkegaards existential statement of I believe, therefore I am, which means that he surpasses the common man who merely thinks. Through the ideas of Hegel, his teleological movements from crime to punishment all serve a justified purpose in benefiting his moral and rational states. He overcomes the common man through the salvation he obtains from this linear evolution of trials. He suffers not from Marxist classes, but from internal struggle, excluding him as a member of the proletariat, or common man. Though not physically or emotionally fit to survive, his confession becomes his salvation, his survival, and his disclaimer in the Darwin theory of surviving. The common man may survive because he is fit to survive, but Raskolnikov survives because he chooses to survive. Unlike Freuds theory that the everyday man lives his life through his ego, Raskolnikov makes his decisions based on his superego, doing things not just because it would be rational, but because that it the way it should be done. So then, Is Raskolnikov a Superman? Yes.