Smart Corporate Marketing Objectives

Smart Corporate Marketing Objectives Marketing objectives should be based on understanding strengths and weaknesses, and the business environment you operate in. They should also be linked to the overall corporate strategy and So before you start marketing, set some objectives, SMART ones. What do I mean by SMART objectives? Well, its one of those business acronyms taught in all business and marketing qualifications, but unlike many others, this one is actually worth bothering with. Specific Your SMART objectives should be specific, detailed, well defined and results orientated. They should include exactly what has to be achieved and by who. Measurable Objectives are far more effective when they have a measure. For example to increase sales has little effect, but to increase sales by 25% gives you a specific measure to work to. This measure can then be evaluated and used to help form new SMART objectives in the future. Achievable Your SMART objectives must stretch you, but at the same time be achievable. There is no point in setting objectives that you wont be able to achieve for years, as you will soon lose motivation. Realistic Closely linked to achievable, realistic relates more to resources. Do you have the man-power, money, time and opportunity to achieve the SMART objectives? Is there something else that has to happen before you can make a start on that objective Timed Perhaps most importantly set deadlines for achieving your SMART objectives time frames are great at prompting action. It is worth noting that the marketing plan objectives should always lead to actual sales revenue. If not, you need to re-examine your marketing objectives and restate them so that they relate to sales results. In simple words marketing objectives should be: Clear and specific Tangible and measurable Be time-based, with a target achievement date Linking marketing objectives to corporate strategy Your marketing objectives should also be consistent with and indicate the priorities of the organization. This means that objectives should flow from the mission statement of your business, towards the financial objectives and to the rest of the marketing plan. A linked marketing objective could be to add pre-packaged garden soil as a new complementary product line to be offered with plant sales. To grow the business as per the strategic goal and meet the financial objective of 100,000 in extra sales, it has been calculated that a total of 7,500 bags will need to be sold at their selling price of  £100 each. ACTIONS REQUIRED TO ACHIVE MARKETING OBJECTIVES To run a business successfully, today, one must consider the need for publicity, an online presence, direct marketing, advertising, brand identity, word of mouth advertising, networking, viral marketing, pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization, positioning, market segmentation, html email campaigns, experiential marketing, etc. Many of these activities are phase I functions that need to be considered and begun from day one of marketing. Here are 5 main factors to achieve the marketing objectives: Marketing should be broken into stages. Every marketing activity should be weighted by how well it addresses business objectives, then by investment and how fast it delivers return on investment. Also, the chronology is important. For example, it would be ineffective to run an html email campaign before developing and launching your web site. Time will be in short supply early on. Working with one marketing firm will help to streamline communication, reporting and execution. Start with publicity. If you are able to achieve some quality article placements in key media, you will be able to use that publicity in coming months/years and in other marketing vehicles to build brand awareness and credibility. Set reasonable expectations for response and return on specific marketing activities. Remember that your company is an unknown entity to your marketplace until you are able to begin building brand awareness and identity. This will take time. Dont change course from a marketing plan that isnt broken, simply because youre growing impatient in other aspects of your business. Be realistic about your budget. In business, you might or might not be able to invest in simultaneous, integrated initiatives. Likewise, if your budget needs to be amended, let your marketing team know. They will adjust the plan and schedule to meet that new reality. Detailed Review of plans and programs At this stage, you will need to review your overall marketing objectives into detailed plans and program. Although these detailed plans may cover each of the 7 Ps, the focus will vary, depending upon your organizations specific strategies. A company will focus for the 7 Ps around each of its products. A market or geographically oriented company will concentrate on each market or geographical area. Each will base its plans upon the detailed needs of its customers, and on the strategies chosen to satisfy these needs. These plans therefore are: Clear They should be an unambiguous statement of exactly what is to be done. Quantified The predicted outcome of each activity should be, as far as possible, quantified; so that its performance can be monitored. Focused The temptation to proliferate activities beyond the numbers which can be realistically controlled should be avoided. Realistic They should be achievable. Agreed Those who are to implement them should be committed to them, and agree that they are achievable. The resulting plans should become a working document which will guide the campaigns taking place throughout the organization over the period of the plan Measurement of Marketing objectives Continuous monitoring of performance, against predetermined targets, represents a most important aspect of marketing. However, perhaps even more important is the enforced discipline of a regular formal review. Again, as with forecasts, in many cases the best (most realistic) planning cycle will revolve around a quarterly review. Best of all, at least in terms of the quantifiable aspects of the plans, if not the wealth of backing detail, is probably a quarterly rolling review. Performance analysis The most important elements of marketing performance, which are normally tracked, are: Sales analysis Most organizations track their sales results and marketing .The more sophisticated track them in terms of sales variance the deviation from the target figures which allows a more immediate picture of deviations to become evident. `Micro-analysis, which is a nicely pseudo-scientific term for the normal management process of investigating detailed problems, then investigates the individual elements (individual products, sales territories, customers and so on) which are failing to meet targets. Market share analysis Few organizations track market share though it is often an important metric. Though absolute sales might grow in an expanding market, share of the market can decrease for future sales when the market starts to drop. Where such market share is tracked, there may be a number of aspects which will be followed: overall market share segment share that in the specific, targeted segment relative share -in relation to the market leaders annual fluctuation rate of market share Expense analysis The key ratio to watch in this area is usually the `marketing expense to sales ratio; although this may be broken down into other elements (advertising to sales, sales administration to sales, and so on). Financial analysis The bottom line of marketing activities should at least in theory, be the net profit (for all except non-profit organizations, where the comparable emphasis may be on remaining within budgeted costs).

Political Issues In The Presidential Election Of 1960 History Essay

Political Issues In The Presidential Election Of 1960 History Essay In this paper, there will be an examination of the main political issues in the presidential election of 1960. This paper will also inform the reader of what influenced voters and factors such as the nations and the candidates past history, the image of the candidates and priming that took place during this campaign, and also how fraudulent voters had an effect on this election. To begin, the 1960s are known as the era of youth. Seventy million children from the post-war baby boom became teens and young adults. There was movement away from the conservative 1950s to a more revolutionary way of thinking. This was a time of change in lifestyles, entertainment, education and laws. The Supreme Court decided that prayer in public schools was unconstitutional. Political arenas and social issue out breaks formed over the chaos of race and a push for equality and black unity. College campuses became the center of debates and protest, from the civil rights movement supporting black activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. with peaceful protest to Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael representing Black Nationalism and the Black Panther Party. The number of Hispanic Americans tripled during this period to become recognized as the oppressed minority, and the American Indian population who were unemployed formed violent riots. The Cold War had no definite start date, though it began as WWII was ending in Europe. When the United States dropped atomic bombs on two cities of Japan, it forced the Japanese government to surrender, signifying the end of conflict in the Pacific. The ending of WWII led to United States and the Soviet Union (Russia) engaging in an arms race. The Soviets were unhappy with the United States as their former allies and were unwilling to share atomic technology, thus leaving the United States to use information-gathering techniques otherwise known as spy planes. The 1960s shadowed one of the great embarrassments to the United States that encouraged a marked relapse in its relations with the Soviet Union, the U-2 spy plane episode. An American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. The United States was forced to admit the planes role as a secret surveillance aircraft when the Soviet government beared its remains and surviving pilot. Along with spy, planes there were many oth er issues the United States had been involved in during this time with other countries (Goldman, Lillian). At the end of World War II, fears of a communist subversion also heightened as Fidel Castro led the transformation of Cuba into a one party socialist republic and Cubas revolutionary government became economically and militarily dependent on the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba during the Cold War. In September 1962, the Cuban and Soviet governments placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. When United States military intelligence discovered the weapons, the U.S. government did all it could to ensure the removal of the missiles. The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in the exploration of outer space. It involved revolutionary efforts to launch artificial satellites, send man into space, and land him on the moon. The Space Race took place during the Cold War and had its start in the missile-based arms race between the two nations. It effectively began with the Soviet launch of the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957 (Goldman, Lillian). Moreover, the election of 1960 began. The United States presidential election of 1960 marked the end of Dwight D. Eisenhowers two terms as President. Eisenhowers Vice President was Richard Nixon, who was now running himself for the Republican nomination, along with New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, while the Democrats nominated Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, Texas Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, Former governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson, and Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey. The electoral vote was the closest since the election between T. Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey and Charles Hughes of New York in 1916 where Wilson edged out Hughes by a margin of 277 to 254. The electoral vote totals in the election of 1960 were not as close with Kennedys 303 to Nixons 219 (Carney, Francis M). In the popular vote, Kennedys victory was among the closest ever in American history. Kennedy garnered 49.7% of the popular vote while Nixon held 49.6% . However, an election is not based on the popular vote but the electoral vote. The electors actually cast the vote, meaning a president without the popular vote can be elected president. The 1960 election is still of great debate historically among many people as to whether voter fraud in selected states benefited Kennedys victory, which was one of the major issues within this election. The election consisted of 531 electoral votes plus the addition of 2 U.S. Senators votes and 1 U.S. Representatives vote from both Alaska and Hawaii. On January 3 and August 21 of 1959, Alaska and Hawaii were granted statehood allowing the states to participate in their first presidential election. This was merely only one of the firsts during the election. This was also the first election where a candidate carried more than half the states (Nixon with 26) but lost the presidency, and it was the first election in which the four debates were nationally televised which is another major factor resulting to Kennedys victory. Accepting the nomination before a crowd of 75,000 people in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Senator Kennedy introduced (4President Corporation). The New Frontier of the 60s. We stand today on the edge of a new frontier the frontier of the 1960s a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats. This resulted in the Democratic slogan, And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country(4President Corporation). Kennedys campaign promises amounted to many as he recognized the nation as having fallen behind the Soviet Union in the Cold War militarily and economically and promised to get America moving again. He recognized the fear of becoming a communist country and promised to fight against it. He identified himself with the liberal form tradition of the Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and promised a new surge of legislative innovation in an attempt to win the vote of conservative Catholics and to show he encouraged the civil rights movement. Kennedy supported a higher minimum wage, increased unemployment compensation, a broader federal housing program, and safer working conditions. He assured farmers of a fair share of national income; his surplus food distribution and food-for-peace bills received wide support from both urban and rural organizations. As Senator, Kennedy drafted a 10-point plan to provide older people with housing, medical care, and recreational faci lities. He also sponsored a bill to provide for hospital, nursing, and medical care for older citizens (4President Corporation). In addition, as Chairman of the Government Operations Subcommittee, Kennedy guided The Hoover Commission bill, which estimated to ultimately save the taxpayers $4 billion annually (4President Corporation). Aside from his promises, Kennedy was a member of the Senate Rackets Committee. This committee battled relentlessly to free American labour and management from racketeers, hoodlums, and union busters. Senator Kennedy also spent four years in the military services and fourteen years in Congressional service, thus familiarizing himself with several branches of the U.S. Government (4President Corporation). Kennedys candidacy was controversial because no Roman Catholic had ever been elected president. However, Kennedy was aware of the dangers of mixing religious and political organizations. He strongly promoted the separation of church and state: It is my firm belief that there should be separation of church and state as we understand it in the United States that is, that both church and state should be free to operate, without interference from each other in their respective areas of jurisdiction (letter to Glenn L. Archer, 23 February 1959). Also initially criticized by some Democratic Party elders, including former President Harry Truman, Kennedy was viewed as too youthful and inexperienced to be President; these critics suggested that he should agree to be the running mate for a more experienced Democrat. Despite the criticism, Kennedy continued his run for presidency and selected Lyndon Johnson to be his running mate. In contrast, Kennedys opponent Richard Nixons campaign promised to campaign in all fifty states; he also pledged to keep the federal government from dominating the free market economy in the lives of the American people. He promised he was not going to join the parade of those who promise to spend more while ignoring the reality of the present situations. He acknowledged that the cost of living was rising and more government spending would only add to inflation, hurting those people it was meant to help. He indicated a budget cut, not increase, and suggested it would be an act of total irresponsibility to promise additional federal billions that were simply not available. Nixon promoted and encouraged tax cuts and presented a plan for economic growth and deficit reduction that appealed to many. Nixon also wanted to make considerable progress toward balancing the federal budget so that millions of Americans could make possible balancing their family budgets and promised to not neglect education (4President Corporation). Like Kennedy, Nixon had military time. Nixon joined the Navy to serve in World War II, rising to become a lieutenant commander and resigning in 1946. In 1947, he was elected a U.S. Representative. In addition, in 1950 he became a U.S. Senator, where he worked until being selected as Eisenhowers running mate in 1953, becoming one of the youngest Vice Presidents in American history. This contributed to Nixons presidential campaign in 1960, when he chose Henry Cabot Lodge to run as his Vice President (4President Corporation). Candidates tend to focus their electoral campaigns either on policy issues or on personal images. Social psychologists idea of priming stresses a notionally conceivable campaign strategy for treating image and issues as interconnected strategic concerns. Evidence suggests that Kennedy deliberately used these popular strategies to shape the electorates standards for evaluating his personal attributes rather than to win over helpful maximizing voters (The Structure of Electoral Politics 362). Sneaky unclear policy positions and attractive personal images of strength, boldness, competitiveness, honesty, and trustworthiness, project a favourable personal attribute and image. How ever, this is a risky strategy for holding together a party base and attracting wavering voters. Priming is a way to understand the unification of image and issues in campaign strategies. This process suggests that candidates use popular policy issues to influence the electorates standards for evaluating their personal attributes. Priming focuses public attention on certain topics and provides the main basis for evaluation. Because mass media provides individuals with much information, it can be considered a priming stimulus. The message communicated through and by the media during an election significantly influences the attitudes and information that are likely to be retrieved and incorporated into voters judgments (Issues, Candidate Image, and Priming 528). During the Kennedy campaigns, Louis Harris, polling engineer and conductor serving on the Kennedy strategy committee, used inventive public opinion surveys to heighten the interest and skill in using position taking to shape the candidates image taking limited information about voters policy preferences. Harris devoted a section of his surveys to tracking and analysing the publics image of Kennedys personality and his job performance. Kennedys aides carefully tracked their candidates image and attempted to identify his perceived personal characteristics that were considered unfavourable. The campaign wanted to identify issues that both appealed to party activists and responded to the concerns of the centrist voters (Issues, Candidate Image, and Priming 529). The campaign introduced major innovations in terms of number, structure, and political use of opinion polls. Campaigns draw on analysis of individual perceptions and distinctions between availability and accessibility of public information and attitudes. Kennedys campaign objective was to use priming to construct an image that would be noticeably different from Nixons. They decided to fashion a move- ahead image for Kennedy to demonstrate a large difference between the Republican and Democratic candidates. The campaign used popular policy issues as part of a priming strategy, along with salient accessible issues in order to construct an appealing image of the candidate as competent and caring. Priming is supported in evidence found in records and interviews, as well as in a combination of both interpretive and quantitative analysis (Identifying the Persuasive Effects of Presidential Advertising 960). His campaign polls were based on personal interviews with large representative sampl es in separate states. Many of the states were polled at multiple occasions. There were sixty-six polls during the primary and general election campaign; twenty-six of them were between September and November, meaning that the polls were bunched into six weeks. The questions what is the most important problem? and what do you think can be done? measure the importance of an issue, which tells how a particular policy area is ranked compared to other issues (Issues, Candidate Image, and Priming 530). Kennedy cautiously reacted to the area divisions and the public opinion; in terms of the Democratic Party, Kennedy was thoroughly guided by polling on voters concerns. His success in using this strategy confirms the role of competitive elections and leadership selection. Public opinion became more influential during and after the nationally televised debates. The first debate was over domestic issues. Questions were asked of both Nixon and Kennedy to address their position on farm surpluses, expanding welfare programs for schools, teacher salaries, medical care, reducing the federal debt, and their opinion on communist threats to our national security. An estimated 80 million viewers watched the first debate. TV viewers believed Kennedy had won; he was well rested before the first debate and appeared tanned, confident, and relaxed during the debate. In contrast, Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate and had not completely recovered from his hospital stay for his knee injury, thus looking pale and sickly, as well as underweight and tired. Resulting from his refusal to wear makeup for the first debate, his beard stubble showed particularly on the eras black-and-white TV screens. Radio listeners believed Nixon had won. However, after the debate had ended, polls showed Kennedy moving from a slight shortfall into a slight lead over Nixon (Vancil, David L., and Sue D. Pendell). The second debate addressed issues dealing with the defence of two small islands off the Chinese mainland named Quemoy and Matsu, civil rights, and the U-2 flight incident. Political observers at the time believed that Nixon had won this debate as well as the third debate, which was also based on the Quemoy and Matsu island problem and questions over the US economy. The fourth debate was considered the strongest of the four debates by both candidates but was still seen as a draw. This debate focused on nuclear weapon testing and foreign policies (Kraus, Sidney). On October 2, 1960, during a sit-in in Atlanta, Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and sentenced to a four-month term in prison. He was taken to the state prison at Reidsville, Georgia. Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy called Coretta Scott King to express sympathy. Kennedy then contacted Georgias Governor Ernest Van diver seeking Kings release from Reidsville Prison. King was released after eight days in jail. This ultimately resulted in Kennedy receiving more black votes and more votes from northern/Midwestern cities. On the contrary, Nixon remained uninvolved in this issue. Eisenhower was a strong supporter of Nixon throughout the election. He made strong campaigns for Nixon and began a tour on behalf of the Republican candidate over the last ten days before elections, which lead to a boost leaving Nixon and Kennedy at a tie. The support of Eisenhower resulted in rural suburban areas in the Midwest favouring Nixon. Although, when President Eisenhower was asked to give one example of a major idea of Nixons that he adopted, his reply was, If you give me a week I might think of one. I dont remember,(Eleanor Roosevelt, John Kennedy, and the Election of 1960). which ended up damaging Nixons campaign. When regarding fraud in this election, the first issue addressed are the claims made that mobster Giancana had connections with the Kennedy family and is believed to have influenced the election in Illinois and assisted in Kennedys defeat of Nixon. Giancana and Kennedy also were believed to be sharing the same mistresses and passing information to each other through her. At the end of the election, Kennedy was also accused of voter fraud in states and counties including Fannin County and Angelina County, Texas, where more votes were casted then registered. Fraudulent voters were accused in Cook County, and Chicago, Illinois, as well. Kennedy won Hawaii and Illinois; he carried twelve states total, including all northeast and southern states except for North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. Kennedy also carried California; however, he lost the state to Nixon. Nixon won California and carried six states, all but three western states including California, and Ohio, which was his biggest victory. Nixon also carried Hawaii, although he ended up losing the state to Kennedy after absentee ballots were counted. Nixons campaign staff encouraged a recount in Illinois, Missouri, and New Jersey, but Nixon declined. Eventually Nixons chairman challenged eleven stated to be recounted, but the only overturned state was Hawaii. Respectfully, Richard Nixon refused to call for any recounts or investigations, under the sham that such an action might cause a constitutional crisis. Moreover, influences in the presidential election of 1960 that affected the electoral behaviour consisted of the issues shadowing from World War II, the issues ahead leading into the Cold War and political movements within the nation, the use of priming, and the suspicion of fraud during the election.

Logical Fallacies Summary and Application Essay -- English Writing Fal

Logical Fallacies Summary and Application What do you see when you look at Begging the Question, Hasty Generalization, and Appealing to Emotion? When you initially look at these three categories they may not seem to have too much in common. However, when you look deeper you will see that in fact, they are all different types of logical fallacies. Logical fallacies are errors of reasoning, errors that may be recognized and corrected by prudent thinkers (Downes, 1995). The following quote helps explain why logic is important to us in today’s society. â€Å"Logic is not everything. But it is something—something which can be taught, something which can be learned, something which can help us in some degree to think more sensibly about the dangerous world in which we live (Fischer, 1970, p. 306).† Begging the Question is a type of fallacy that is used quite a bit. It is considered to be a fallacy of assuming when trying to prove something. One of the main things to remember with the use of this fallacy is that the term â€Å"Begging the Question† has a very specific meaning. This means that if someone was trying to prove something to us but they are not being specific and leave room for there to be more questions asked then there is a good chance this is an example of a begging the question fallacy. According to Whitman, "The fact that we believe pornography should be legal means that it is a valid form of free expression. And since it's free expression, it shouldn't be banned (Whitman, 2001)" is an example of begging the question. When you are confronted with something that could be a question of Begging the Question you need to think it through and see if what you are seeing or hearing is actually true. Or if it is just an interpretation of what the artist, speaker, or author wants you to believe when exposed to the form of media. An example of Begging the Question is an ad where there are a lot of arms with fingers pointing to a bottle of Pepcid Complete and the arms are clothed in what appears to be medical jackets. Under the picture are the words â€Å"Pepcid’s the #1 choice of pharmacists. Get the point?† This ad is implying that we get the point that Pepcid is the #1 choice of pharmacists because there are a bunch of pharmacists pointing at it. However, another bigger question could be are these people really pharmacists or just a bunch of models since a... ...the first line on the form is â€Å"Yes, my heart is broken by the needs of a child.† This ad is implying that if you do not send money to help these children not only will your heart be broken but also these children will die. As you can see logical fallacies are all around us. They are in most advertisements that you pick up, in most debates you hear, in many political arenas. Fallacies are not something that will just go away. However, if you know that they exist perhaps you can be wiser than the advertisers and not fall into their marketing traps. Just think before you act – and that is advice you can always use! References Downes, S. (1995). Stephen's Guide to the Logical Fallacies. Retrieved January 19, 2005, from http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/ Fischer, D. H. (1970). Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought. : Harper & Row. Labossiere, M. C. (1995). Fallacy Tutorial Pro 3.0. Retrieved January 21, 2005, from http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ Whitman, G. (2001). Logical Fallacies and the Art of Debate. Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Committing%20your%20very%20own%20logical%20fallacies

Contrasting Fortinbras and Laertes with Hamlet Essay -- comparison com

     Ã‚   In William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras and Hamlet find themselves in similar situations.   While Hamlet waits for the right time to avenge his father's death, Laertes learns of his father's death and immediately wants vengeance, and Fortinbras awaits his chance to recapture land that used to belong to his father.   Laertes and Fortinbras go about accomplishing their desires quite differently than Hamlet.   While Hamlet acts slowly and carefully, Laertes and Fortinbras seek their revenge with haste. Although Laertes and Fortinbras are minor characters, Shakespeare molds them in order to contrast with Hamlet.   Fortinbras and, to a greater extent, Laertes act as foils to Hamlet with respect to their motives for revenge, execution of their plans and behavior while carrying out their plans.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although each character plots to avenge his father in the play, the motives of Laertes and Fortinbras differ greatly than that of Hamlet.   Fortinbras, who schemes to rebuild his father's kingdom, leads thousands of men into battle, attempting to capture a small and worthless piece of Poland. After his uncle warned him against attacking Denmark.   The added land will do little to benefit Norway's prosperity, but this campaign may cost "two thousand souls and twenty thousand ducats" (4.4.26) .   This shows that pride is a driving factor behind Fortinbras' plan because he is willing to put the lives of his countrymen at risk for a minimal gain.   Laertes, on the other hand, is compelled to seek revenge because he loses his father and eventually his sister.   The root of Laertes' revenge appears to be the love for his family because he proclaims that he will "be revenged / most throughly for [his] father" (4.5... ...side Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.    Rosenberg, Marvin. "Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat." Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907-21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html   

Julius Caesar: Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Tragic Hero Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sometimes our friends keep us from achieving our goals. We make sacrifices to make our friends a part of our goals and achievements. If a friend gets left out, we stay behind with them to keep them from being alone. Some achievements require us to leave out our friends. This is what happens in the case of Julius Caesar. He became the ruler of Rome, leaving out his good friend Brutus. Brutus and other conspirators assassinated Julius Caesar turning him into a tragic hero. A tragic hero must portray four main traits. The hero may neither be perfect nor ultimate evil, the audience must feel pity or fear for the hero, and must be a ruler or leader; good but with flaw. The hero must also come to recognition; from ignorance to knowledge. William Shakespeare identifies three tragic heroes throughout the play; Caesar, a great ruler who took advantage of his power; Brutus, a gullible noble Roman, and Rome. Julius Caesar was an honorable man, but with his power, came his corruption and greed in the eyes of Rome’s leaders. Several high political figures in Rome were becoming more and more discontent. Caesar’s friend Brutus tells Cassius, â€Å"[w]hat means this shouting?/I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king.† (24). Brutus and Cassius felt Caesar was gaining to much attention to quickly. With each amount of increasing support from the Romans, Caesar extended his use of power further. Brutus and the conspirators then go on about Caesar’s abuse of power: â€Å"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonourable graves. Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.† Cassius uses this line to persuade Brutus into joining him in a conspiracy against Caesar. To Cassius, Caesar was a gigantic Colossus walking all over the common people, ignoring the opinions and thoughts of the Roman people. His abuse of power leads to the discontent of several political figures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brutus was a kind noble man; however, he was very easy manipulated. This bad trait eventually molded Brutus into a tragic hero. Cassius tried to persuade Brutus by stating that: â€Å"Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

Philippineâ€American War

The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902), was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following annexation by the United States.The war was part of a series of conflicts in the Philippine struggle for independence, preceded by the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish-American War. Fighting erupted between U. S. and Philippine revolutionary forces on February 4, 1899, and quickly escalated into the 1899 Battle of Manila.On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States. The war officially ended on July 4, 1902. Members of the Katipunan society continued to battle the American forces. Among them was General Macario Sacay, a veteran Katipunan member who assumed the presidency of the proclaimed Tagalog Republic, formed in 1902 after the capture of President Aguinaldo. Other groups, including the Moro people and Pulahanes, continued hostilities until their defeat at the Battle of Bud Bagsak on June 15, 1913 Opposition to the war inspired Mark Twain to found the Anti-Imperialist League on June 15, 1898.The war and occupation by the United States would change the cultural landscape of the islands, as the people dealt with an estimated 34,000–1,000,000 casualties, disestablishment of the Catholic Church as the state religion, and the introduction of the English language as the primary language of government and some businesses. In 1916, the United States granted the Philippines autonomy and promised eventual self-government, which came in 1934. In 1946, following World War II, the United States recognized Philippine Independence through the Treaty of Manila.

Carnival Corporation Case Study Essay

Carnival Corporation as the largest cruise line in the world is being a leader and innovator in the cruise line industry. Many of the onboard activities and services were introduced to strengthen the competencies between competitors. The challenges of the Carnival were being overcome by the management with creative and innovative strategies. As a corporate entity, Carnival did not refuse to withdraw money to settle the ocean pollution charged by public. The expansions of cruise line market via acquisition of a few subsidiaries dominate the cruise line in the world. 1. Strengths (internal factors) First, the largest cruise line in the world, as the leader and innovator in the cruise industry (growth from two converted ocean liners into an organization with multiples cruise lines). Second, the belief of management and Board of Directors that the company will grows better. It motivates the employees to work hard. Third, internal grow in term of vessels that approximately ten vessels are under construction. Fourth, employees loyalty (the longest period employees remain in this organization is around eight years) because Carnival management treating well to their employees in terms of wages). Fifth, creative and innovative corporate officers that is ready to face challenges. Sixth, Carnival has operational experience and economic of scales that causing them to have lowest break even point in the same industry. Weaknesses First, in 1972, the speed of ship was slow. Second, the long-term debt within 1999 and 2001 is increased (the payback of debt may lower the revenue and thus decreasing the dividend payment for shareholders). Third, the expand market (business) of Carnival causing the difficulty in managing the business. Fourth, reducing on net income in 2001 is because of higher costs and expenses. 2. Opportunities (external factors) First, the expansion through acquisition can reduce the competitors in same industry and has the ability to compete with other competitors (lower advertising costs). Second, collaboration with travel agents can promote cruises. Third, the industry is expected to have bright future in passengers, consolidation through mergers, buyout, and smaller cruise operator failure, and the expansion of the industry worldwide. Fourth, expand of target customers from older people to younger people. Fifth, expand of onboard activities (casino, disco, and nightclub). Threats First, terrorist events that were happen in 11 September 2001. Second, negative publicity in 2002 where Carnival subjected by the ocean pollution charges and â€Å"Norwalk-like† virus that affect the cruise industry. Third, the increased of fuel costs and airline costs that affect the industry. Fourth, the failure of Carnival discontinued operations of Fiesta marina Lines that affect the company image. Fifth, Persian Gulf War that was increased competitors in the cruise industry especially in Caribbean area. Sixth, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines had institute a major shipbuilding program that challenges Carnival. The emergence of Walt Disney Company in the cruise market; and the prospect of new ships on the horizon give impact to the â€Å"family† cruise vacation segment. 3. Core competencies Yes, Carnival has core competencies because it is the competency crosses divisional boundaries, Carnival can do exceedingly well, and must continuously reinvest in it: i) Adding diversion onboard – such as disco, nightclubs, casino, and others. Carnival also tries to attract younger cruisers by providing vacation package that included airfare to the port of embarkation and home after the cruise. ii) Product positioning – Carnival believes that cruise market comprised to three segments (contemporary, premium, luxury) with different passenger demographics, characteristics, and growth requirements. iii) Travel agents – collaborate with travel agents to promote cruises. Carnival also training travel agents from nonaffiliated travel firm to sell cruises. 4. Distinctive competencies Yes, Carnival has distinctive competencies because distinctive competency is the superior to those of the competitions and difficult for competitors to compete with Carnival: i) Investment in new ships – Carnival is expanding its internal growth by investing in new ships. The ships under constructions are around 10 vessels. It is difficult for other competitors to invest in these large numbers of ships in same period but Carnival can do. ii) External expansion through acquisitions – Carnival has five subsidiaries that control the major cruise lines in different countries. This causing Carnival becomes as the largest cruise line in the world. 5. What trends are emerging in cruise industry?  i) The adding diversion onboard such as planned activities, disco, nightclubs, casino, and other forms of entertainment activities (different kinds of activities that suitable for different ages of target customers). ii) Moderate priced vacation for younger cruisers that included airfare to the port of embarkation and home after the cruise. iii) All inclusive packages that began with bags were tagged for the ship at the airport, air-conditioned bus, meals, onboard activities, house keeping service, until passengers were transported back to airport. iv) Love story movie such as â€Å"Titanic† and â€Å"Love boat† that promote the romance onboard encouraging couples to join cruise. 6. Marketing strategy i) Price – moderate price (vacation packages) that middle-class clients afford to pay. Prices for different levels of rooms are charged according to the customers needs. ii) Product – vacation package that suitable for the clients aged. Other onboard activities such as casino and disco. The service from picking up the clients at airport to board and dropping clients again at airport. iii) Place – Caribbean ports and other destination such as Walt Disney World, Holland, and Costa, as long as the clients want to go. iv) Promotion – some of the promotions are done by travel agents. The â€Å"Fun Ship† cruise that with designated shipboard party and everyone is welcomed by Carnival is another success promotion. 7. The importance of travel agents The travel agents will help Carnival to promote the cruises as an alternative to Disney or European vacation. For people who never take a cruise in their life, or afraid of taking a flight to the destinations will be attracted. Thus, it shows that the important role of travel agents to Carnival. Besides that, not only attracting clients to take a cruise as the core business, selling cruise is also part of the Carnival business. Thus, Carnival is training travel agents from nonaffiliated travel firms to sell cruise. Because of the attractive benefit in term of money provided by Carnival, in year 2000, Carnival took reservations from about 29000 travel agencies to promote the business. And, it proves that this strategy in promoting cruises either to attract clients boarding the cruise or selling the cruise is succeed. 8. Flight or cruise? We will choose cruise because we have not travel yet to some where by cruise before. i) In our opinion, although the price for a cruise might be higher a bit than to take a flight to Caribbean island that we can afford to pay. By choosing a package for the cruising is worth because there will be variety of services that suitable for us as active younger cruisers rather than just to sit in the flight and we have nothing to do. ii) Even though cruise may take a longer time to reach Caribbean island, the final destination that we will reach is Caribbean island no matter we take a cruise or flight. Thus, we can enjoy the onboard facilities that we have paid for. Disco, nightclubs, gym room, cinema, and casino are the places that we seldom go for but we can enjoy if we take a cruise for this vacation. iii) Cruise is a place that we can relax ourselves since the purpose of travel is to relax our mind. The sea view from a ship can make us happy and reduce our stress. On the other hand, we c an also meet some new friends through this trip. iv) Besides, we can experience some exotic destinations when the cruise will sail in the ports. The cruisers can come down from the vessel and visit some famous spots. Adversely, if we take flight, we can’t visit anywhere except just transit in airport. 9. Evaluation of Carnival’s targeting to specific target market i) Contemporary segment – served by Carnival ships, featured a casual ambiance. ii) Premium segment — served by Holland America, for longer market and appealed to more affluent consumers iii) Luxury segment – served by Seabourn and Cunard, catered to experience cruisers. The above are the target market for Carnival. Each segment has different types of costs to be charged to consumers. For the contemporary segment, it is more suitable for family and people who need relaxing during a short period of holidays. The price is cheaper than premium or luxury segment. For the premium segment, it is more suitable for affluent consumers, who need a longer period to relax. It normally targets an older people to board because the facilities in the ship are more suitable for their ages. This segment of cruise will have more cabin or public space per person. In term of price, it is the most expensive and little people can afford to pay. The price for this segment is higher than contemporary segment. Not everyone will prefer this segment of cruise because they need to consider the available time for taking the cruise. The luxury segment targets for extremely rich consumers where they were served as â€Å"king† and â€Å"queen† in the ship. The consumers who taking this segment of cruise can show that they have a higher social status and prestige is the main consider by consumers. 10. Strategic management in Carnival Carnival has a very unique and successful strategic management in cruise industry. During terrorist events in 2001, the world cruise industry was negatively impact by it. However, to overcome this problem, Carnival offered a deep discount to lure back the passengers. In year 2002, Carnival was subjected to the ocean pollution charges. The company was withdrawing $18 million to overcome this issue. This strategy is not only to overcome the issue ethically but also to maintain the company image. Carnival is doing well in pricing strategy where they offer different kinds of packages with moderate price for different kinds of customers. To improve the core competency of the company, Carnival tried to increase the services onboard and adding diversions onboard. Even though other cruise company can imitate this strategy but Carnival is the first to invent the same strategy that succeeds to gain revenue from it. Carnival tried to introduce new strategy to make more convenience to consumers such as the â€Å"all-inclusive package†. The main purpose of this strategy is to maximize the satisfaction of consumers on Carnival services. Finally, to reduce the competition in cruise industry and to compete with other competitors in the same industry, Carnival did acquisition on many cruise lines as subsidiaries. The expansion of Carnival in cruise line market through acquisition can tighten the status of Carnival in cruise industry. 11. The advantage of being a CFC The individuals (foreigners or locals) who held the stocks of Carnival under the CFC status are incorporation exempt shipping operations of United States persons from income tax. Carnival with all of its income (except of United State source of income from transportation, hotel and tour business of Holland America) would be exempt from United State federal income taxes at the corporate level. This exemption not only can increase the revenue of Carnival, it also allows the company to have more funds (liquidation assets) to run more projects or activities for the company. The reason of government to give exemption to Carnival is because to encourage this industry to growth and attract more passengers boarding on ship, especially the ship with casino. It will increase the government sources of money. 12. How to maintain low costs, high level of service? i) Vertical integration or outsourcing – Carnival can try to produce in-house or outsource the products or services in related industries such as shipbuilding, meal preparation industry, and transportation (bus). This is because either vertical integration or outsourcing, which contributes the lowest cost, will be the choice of Carnival to either produce in-house or to outsource the needs. The good relation with suppliers can guarantee the best quality of the products or services. The in-house produce (vertical integration) can guarantee for the high level of products and services quality. ii) Maintain employees – Experienced employees can be the senior for the new comers. They can train and guide the new workers while doing a task rather than the company to send them for training course. Thus, maintaining experienced employees can save the labor cost and maintain the service quality to passengers. iii) Maintain crui se standard (such as sanitary standard) by periodically checking to avoid break down during cruising and it may need higher cost to repair and bring inconvenience to passengers. Conclusion The success of Carnival is depends on the innovative Board of Directors and management. The growth of cruise market becomes more significant because of the low fares high quality of service. Carnival is dominating the cruise line market but they still do investment in improving the services so that to avoid the core competencies become the weaknesses of the company. Even though the net profit of year 2001 is decreased but it did not mean that they have weak internal control. External factors such as increased in fuel cost also are considered the factor in the declining profit. Finally, Carnival has the potential to grow in cruise line market because they already gained the experience in cruise line and they have strong financial to support many cruise activities.