Jungle Essays - Meat Packing Industry, The Jungle, Jurgis

Jungle The family knows all the dirty secrets of the meat-packing industry. The most spoiled of meats becomes sausage. All manner of dishonesty exists in the selling diseased, rotten, and adulterated meat to American households. The working members of the family fall into a silent stupor due to the grinding poverty and misery of their lives. Ona and Jurgis grow apart. Jurgis begins to drink heavily. He delivers himself from full-blown alcoholism through force of will, but the desire to drink always torments him. Antanas suffers all manner of childhood illnesses, but the measles attacks him with fury. However, he reaches his first birthday owing to his strong constitution despite the privations under which his family suffers. He is perpetually malnourished like the rest of Packingtown. Ona, pregnant again, develops a bad cough and suffers increasingly frequent bouts of hysterical crying. Winter arrives again, and with it comes the grueling rush season. Fifteen and sixteen hour workdays are frequent. Twice, Ona does not return home at night. She explains that the snow drifts kept her away, so she stayed with a friend. Jurgis discovers that she lied about staying with her friend. He wrangles a confession out of her. Sobbing hysterically, Ona confesses that, Connor, a boss at her factory continually harassed her and pleaded with her to become his mistress. Eventually, he raped her in the factory after everyone had gone home. He threatened to arrange the firings of every wage earner in her household. Moreover, he threatened to prevent them from obtaining work in Packingtown ever again. With these threats, he forced her into accompanying him to Miss Henderson's brothel in the evenings for the past two months. The recent snowstorms prevented Ona from returning home twice. Jurgis storms to Ona's workplace. It takes more than a half dozen men subdue him before he can choke the life out of Connor. Jurgis is arrested and taken to jail where old men and boys, hardened criminals and petty criminals, innocent men and guilty men share the same squalid quarters. Jurgis's trial date is set, and his bond is three hundred dollars. Jurgis spends the Christmas holidays in jail, worrying about his family. While Jurgis awaits his trial, he becomes friends with his cell mate, Jack Duane. Jack claims to be an educated man from the East. His father committed suicide after his business failed. Jack claims that a big company later cheated him out of a lucrative invention. After his misfortunes, Jack became a safe-breaker. Before his trial, Jack gives Jurgis his mistress's address and encourages him to seek his help should the need arise. Jurgis's trial is a farce. Kotrina and Teta Elzbieta attend it. Connor and several witnesses testify that Conner fired Ona fairly, and Jurgis attacked him for revenge. Jurgis tells his side of the story through an interpreter, but the judge is not sympathetic. He sentences Jurgis to thirty days in prison. Jurgis begs for clemency because his family will starve, but the judge remains firm. In Bridewell, Jurgis and the other prisoners spend the greater portion of their time breaking stone. He writes a postcard to his family to let them know where he is. Ten days later Stanislovas visits to tell him that he, Ona, Marija, and Teta Elzbieta have all lost their jobs. They are unable to pay rent or buy food. Marija is suffering blood poisoning because she cut her hand at work. Ona lies in bed, crying all day. Teta Elzbieta's sausage factory shut down. Stanislovas lost his job after a snowstorm prevented him from going to work for three days. No one can obtain other jobs because they are too sick and weak and because Conner is scheming to prevent them. Stanislovas asks if Jurgis can help them. Jurgis has no more than fourteen cents to give. Kotrina, Stanislovas, and the children earn money selling papers. Their only other income comes through begging. Commentary Packingtown is full of predators. Connor, empowered through his criminal connections, violates the marriage bond between Jurgis and Ona. No individual really has the power to fight for themselves. Marija tried to fight for her full wages only to be fired. Ona cannot afford to reject Connor's advances because he has the power to ruin her family. The wage laborer is systematically crippled and silenced by the power structure enabled by capitalism. Jurgis's attack on Connor would be perfectly justified according to the values of the American reading public. A man has violated his wife against her will. However, judges are bought and sold by

Acting essays

Acting essays Perhaps one of the most thought of questions that goes through ones head in a lifetime may be what drives a person to become an actor. Well, it could be imagination, a love, or just desire to stand out. When one desires to stand out they usually want to be in the light, and the stage is a great place to start. Being on stage for the first time is scary and yet exciting. Once a person has experienced this they most often want more. Usually a person of this stature was always entertaining or performing for friends and family member, thy have humor and it is most likely well developed and focused. Through their childhood they force themselves to be noticed. They love to be in the light. Love, just love for the art can make a person act. The people who love the art are usually the ones who care and understand it the most. Perhaps they can be considered the scarifiers, the one who will do anything to make the audience laugh, cry, and giggle, feel solemn, angry, and happiness. Their love for acting make them who they are and they dont even have to try. The ones who love acting become their character in a performance. Becoming a character is tough, except for those with excellent imaginations. Usually become actors because it comes easy to them, of course, their feet must get wet into acting for them to even begin to see their hidden talent. Once in a theatre, imaginers, if you will, are character in actors shoes, instead of actors in characters shoes. They have high concentration that is not easy to break. In fact, most usually become their character a week or so before a play. As one can see, these tree examples are just a few reasons why people become actors or actresses. Im sure one could easily choose which example they fall into. ...

Valuing People in Financial Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Valuing People in Financial Statements - Essay Example This is because their respective annual financial reports do not reflect the financial position of the customers to their business. This paper will discuss whether companies should have a financial value for their employees with reference to Mark Spencer’s annual report. Most businesses consider their customer base to be their most valuable asset. This is a myopic consideration since behind every satisfied customer there is a hard working staff who contributed to their satisfaction. This indicates that employees should be beyond the customers of the company since they are responsible for successful products and satisfied customers (Hart, 1995, p. 56). Therefore, the value of employees can be measured from the quality of the products that they are responsible for and, the level of customer’s satisfaction resulting from their efforts. Being of financial significance indicates that workers are assets to the company and the company has the responsibility to account for them . Companies consider their workers as expenses due to the salaries that they receive at the end of the month or the end of a given trading period. In this case, workers would appear in the right hand side of their balance sheet. However, this is not a valid reasoning since salaries or wages is a return or compensation for labor (Vygotsky, 1978). Labor has economic value to a business. This indicates that workers or the source of the labor also has economic value to the business. Indeed, workers are assets of a company due to the economic value of their efforts to the company. However, shareholders and other stakeholders of a company fail to consider the financial value of workers when evaluating a company. This evaluation does not give the actual position of the company since workers too have a financial significance to a company. According to Paul Herman the CEO of HIP investments, most companies fail to consider their workers as their assets. Layoffs are the main reason that quali fies workers to be expenses of a company. A company can increase its profit through various ways. The main method that companies use to increase their profit is reducing their cost of operation. Cost of operation includes fixed costs and expenses. In this case, fixed costs are costs that are incurred during the production process, and are invariable. On the other hand, expenses are cost incurred by the company due to factors that facilitate production or distribution of finished products. Layoff is considered as a method of increasing profits since it enable companies to cut down their expenses and hence their cost of operation. Laying-off workers has positive returns in the short term since economic downturns are not permanent (Kalb, 1993, p. 198). Economic downturns are followed by economic recoveries that force the companies to hire more employees to compensate for laid-off workers. In this process, the company spend money in hiring and training of new workers to compensate for t he laid off workers. Hiring new workers is critical to a company’s success. The abilities of a company to outsource for the best workers in a particular field determine the competence of its products in a given market (Ellen, 2009). This process has financial significance to the company since it is a form of investment. In addition, the company needs to train its employees in order to achieve

Where's the Pig Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Where's the Pig Business - Case Study Example The context of the promotional tool used has been discussed based on the main theory of cross cultural marketing. McDonald’s is a brand with a wide global presentation and it has to adjust accordingly when it comes to diverse cultures. Cross cultural marketing is an important aspect that global brands have to pay heed to. The case states how the difference between the promotional activity in Singapore and Hong Kong created a problem for McDonald’s and how the firm eventually resolved the problem by taking appropriate measures. In 2010, McDonald’s incorporated a new promotional theme in its promotional activities. It decided to incorporate the Chinese astrology into its promotion. It found out that the Chinese calendar holds great importance for the Chinese people. The Chinese astrology comprises of 12 animal signs which include rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. McDonald’s started offering 12 little Doraemon toys each of which represented a Chinese zodiac sign. The promotion came to be known as Doraemon Lucky Charms Promotion. The toy was to be purchased by the customers along with the purchase of the McDonald’s Happy Meal. This promotion was successful when it was implemented in Hong Kong. The corporations faced no problem as 95 percent of the population of Hong Kong had a Chinese ethnicity. Case Issues The main problem was raised when the same promotional strategy was modified when implemented in Singapore. ... This modification created a chaos for the McDonald’s Corporation and there was an upheaval in online blogs. The main point used to hit the corporation was that it does not respect the Chinese culture. McDonald’s was blamed for not conducting market research. Many critics raised a point that McDonald’s Corporation did not take sufficient time to think through the promotion. This whole modification stirred up a controversy as it offended the majority race in Singapore and was needed to be addressed before the brand image of McDonald’s got tarnished in Singapore. Another problem was faced when some customers said that there was no reason of buying an incomplete Doraemon collection set without a pig toy. It seemed like all minorities of Singapore except Muslims were not happy with this modification and on top of all it was the majority that got most offended. It was believed that on cross-cultural sensitivity McDonald’s over reacted. Malay culture prohi bits the consumption of pork, but McDonald’s on its own perceived that Malays will be offended by a pig toy. In addition many customers, in order to gather the 12 pieces animal collection, had to order it through their friends who lived in Hong Kong. The promotion was offered in Hong Kong. McDonald’s finally realized its’ mistake and apologized to the public of Singapore through the advertisement and its website and announced that the pig toy will be available. But this was long after the lunar year. The corporation invited its customers who were interested in buying the pig toy to visit the website and click on the Doraemon Lucky Charms Poll to indicate their interest. The apology and availability of the pig toy did not please the masses instead pacified only some publics. It

Significant Sociological Research In Relation To Educational Change Education Essay

Significant Sociological Research In Relation To Educational Change Education Essay The Educational changes in United Kingdom are basically the tripartite system, comprehensive education and the changes that have taken place since 1979 to 1988. The tripartite system was introduced in Britain in 1944 which set up three types of schools: grammar, secondary modern and technical school for pupils up to the age of 15. Each schools ordering a different type of education, was based on the idea that there were different kind of intelligence, each needing a different kind of schooling. Grammar school offered an academic education leading to qualification; secondary modern gave pupils a practical education with few opportunities to get qualification. Pupils were allocated to school via the 11+, better pupil were creamed off to grammar school while the rest attending secondary modern schools. The system was more bipartite than tripartite. [Gidden, A. p482] Comprehensive school were introduced in 1965 by labour along with grammar school. The aim of the government is to remove many of inequalities of the tripartite system and to end the selection at 11+via the 11+ exams and to break down the class barrier in society as one schools for all pupils in a particular area meant that all social classes would be brought together. Pupils would have more opportunities to gain qualification. The biggest changes in education took place in 1988 under Thatcher regime. They saw that education was failing to provide a sufficiently skilled workforce. They also believed that schools were failing pupils and needed to raise the standard of education. The education policy that took place under Thatcher regime were National curriculum in England and Wales, The Act also brought Standard Assessment Tests [SAT] at 7, 11, 14 and 16. School could opt out of their LEA and become Grant Maintenance School, Parent empowerment to choose school for their children, formula funding of schools and vocationalism education such as NVQ, GNVQ CTC and New vocationalism. In conclusion, tripartite system shows a class division in schools for creaming off the bright student in school to grammar school and the rest to secondary modern and technical school. Eleven + culturally favoured the middle class and majority of student in grammar school came from middle class background. Grammar school received more money per student than other types of school and girls have to achieved higher pass than boys before they can get to grammar whereas comprehensive school remove the inequalities that existed under the tripartite system and higher proportion of pupils gained more qualification and GCSE and A level rate have all risen and brighter pupils are not held back. According to Ball et al [1994] the government education policy encourage the parent choice, creation of new types of school- Grant Maintained, CTCs, Technology college status, publishing of the national testing and league tables of exams results and decision for a school to opt of LEA control was given to parents of pupil at school. The New Right thinking is about competition and choice[Haralambos and Holborn p616-621] 3.3 EVALUATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND UNDERSTANDING OF PROCESSES AND STRUCTURES WITH IN SCHOOLS. The Interactionist view on processes of schooling and the relationship between teachers and student seems to be very important for the effectiveness of education since social class influence in educational attainment. Teachers tend to share an image of ideal pupils whereas teachers perceived middle-class pupils as close to the idea, and lower working class pupils as furthest from it. Label is a major feature placed on a person by others. Teacher tends to label middle-class as good student this may discourage working -class pupils. When pupils labelled as bright others will tend to respond to them and interpret their actions in term of this label, there is a tendency for a self-fulfilling prophecy to result. The hidden curriculum refers to the message schools transmit to pupils without directly teaching them or spelling them out, it consists of values, norms, beliefs and ideas which are embedded in the normal routines and procedures of school life. In functionalists view, the transmission of society core values can be seen as part of hidden curriculum such as the value of individual achievement, pupils are encouraged to achieve good grades, qualification, it prepares them to achieve as individuals in the wider society. In Marxists view, the hidden curriculum of schools is the transmission of ruling class ideology, producing next of generation of workers schooled to accept their roles in the society. [ Haralambos and Holborn p603] Marxists are very critical of the role played by the education system. They do not agree with functionalists and others that it is a meritocratic system but rather it keeps the inequalities found in capitalist society going. It does by pretending to give everyone an equal chance but the reality is that those from middle class background do better at school than those from working class background. This is why Marxists often talk about the myth of meritocracy [Haralambos and Holborn p 604]. In functionalists view, education is a meritocratic that is a system in which social positions are filled on the basis of individual merit and achievement, rather than ascribed criteria such as inherited wealth, sex or social background. [Haralambos and Holborn p601]. In conclusion, Each of the theories have their own view on education but no one theories can stand on his own and we cannot blame the structure of schooling underachievement to outside influence. Functionalists think that education is needed and if it wasnt there, society wouldnt function properly and they teach the skills and knowledge needed in peoples future lives. Marxists think that education reinforce class divide and that it maintains inequality in society. Feminist thinks that education is bad as it clearly divides and separate girls from boys. They think it is more suited for boys. 4.14.2 EXPLAIN DIFFERENTIAL EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT SCHOOLS. AND ANALYSE CULTURE AND STRUCTURAL EXPLANATIONS OF DIFFERENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT. Education Attainment refer to as been able to complete a course successfully and obtain a qualification that may lead to employment. Children educational attainment from various background can be influenced by in school factor [human, physical, financial resources] and out-school factor [poverty, parental interest, language difference, cultural capital, positional theory] are related to background of the childs parent. Studies found that some student performs better than others. Evidence shows that class position; gender and ethnicity play an important role in determines the educational achievement of some and failure of others. The following sub section will explain those aspects in full details. CLASS AND ATTAINMENT/ACHIEVEMENT Social class differences in educational achievement are not purely the outcome of cultural factors, such cultural deprivation and cultural difference. There are many factors that contribute to the determination of why working class student tend to achieve less. Cultural deprivation is one of the reasons why working class student are generally achieving less than middle class student. It attributes to working class underachievement to the fact that they have often been brought up with a negative attitude towards education. According to J.W.B Douglas [1964] which focuses on the key role of parental aspirations, claiming that working class parents are less interested in formal education of their children and hence in their success[Haralambos and Holborn p629-630]. Boudon positional theory [1974] suggest that it is harder for working class children to aspire to university and high status professions because there is no parental role model to follow, hence expectations of parents, teachers and peers are lower[Warren,K. et al p242]. Cultural difference theorists, however suggest that there is a natural difference between working class culture and middle class culture, inevitably placing working class children at a disadvantage in schools. For example, Peter Bourdieu[1977] argues that middle class culture is more closely linked to that of the school, meaning that pupils are more likely to understand what is being taught. The point is about cultural capital the taste, ideas and knowledge of parents more closely matches that of teachers so their children are on the same cultural wavelength and are therefore rewarded with greater educational success. This was further back up by evidence carry out by Alice Sullivan [2001] who showed a close relationship between cultural capital and social class in terms of reading, access to TV, newspaper, participation In cultural activities and vocabulary used[Haralambos and Holborn p636]. Basil Bernstein [1990] support this idea with his study into speech codes, which suggested that middle class childrens knowledge of a more elaborated vocabulary allowed them to understand the teacher better than working class children, who were confined to a more restricted speech code. Bernstein view is that the middle class language structure is the same that used by teachers in contrast to the working class language structure code, which is far more restricted. Hence, the school system is culturally biased in favour of the middle class. According to Paul Willis [1969] in his study into sub-culture also limits student educational achievement as the student can only do as well as their label allows. Labelling of student by teachers is a theme that was developed by Keddie [1971] he concluded that the educational outcome for different classes becomes a self- fulfilling prophecy. The labelling is of course based less on actual performance than on stereotyped expectation[Warren,K. et al p242-243]. Functionalists believe that an individual academic success depend upon his IQ and effort they apply to their studies. They also believe society works in a meritocratic system. Marxists believe that this is due to social class and that in education only the ruling class values are transmitted. This means that working class people find it difficult to get along with the education system. GENDER ATTAINMENT/ACHIEVEMENT Girls outperforming their male counterpart from primary to university level and the dramatic change happen across culture and continent. In 1970 research focus on girls underachievement within the educational system. According to Oakley [1974] a radical feminist argued that primary socialisation plays an important role in shaping, conditioning boys and girl and help to reinforce existing gender stereotype. This also have impacts on the educational aspiration of girls who are socialised to become passive, submissive and future nest builders. Furthermore, Sue Sharpe [1976] support this view and claims that lower class girls priorities and aspiration is to be in love, get married, have a husband and children are in conflict with their educational success. Radical feminist emphasised on reading materials and the content of textbooks as being sexist in nature and these reinforce gender stereotype. Michelle Stanworth [1983] interviewed teachers and student from seven different classes in the humanities department and found that teachers both male and female displayed certain stereotypical attitudes towards their students. Girls, who were not in the lot of submissiveness, silent and unresponsive, were seen as having the potential to break through a professional career. Moreover, teachers themselves often saw marriage as the outcome of most girls. In term of classroom interaction, it was seen that boys were more assertive and took part in class discussion while teachers gave girls lesser attention, although they outnumbered boys. Functionalist argued that there is tendency to exaggerate over the issue of patriarchy impacting on school curriculum. They pointed out that feminists studies are not enough to rely on and not valid because there have been inadequate samples and weak methodologies to support their claims and make representative generalisation. Statistics have shown that boys and girls do achieve equally well at school and in different fields. Moreover, free and compulsory education has opened door for girls and they are able to compete on equal terms. Later, research by Randall [1987] criticise of Stanworths study by arguing that latters research are bias and unfounded. He also found that in laboratory classes girls are more forthcoming to interact with their teachers [Haralambos and Holborn p642-649]. ETHNICITY AND ATTAINMENT/ACHIEVEMENT Britain is a multicultural society and educational attainment of ethnic minorities has become nature of debate for a long time. The Swan Report [1985] found that there were several significant difference between the achievement of ethnic minorities and whites in Britain [Haralambos and Holborn 2000]. However, this phenomenon has not stagnated since other studies like The Studies Policy Institutes Fourth Survey of ethnic Minorities [1994] reported that there was considerate improvement in educational qualification of ethnic minorities when compared to figure in the 1980s[Modood et al 1997]. Below is the explanation of some studies that tries to explain why ethnic minorities do underachieve in education. Jensen [1974] and H. Eysenck [1971] both have sorted out that black were genetically less intelligent than whites while Herstein and Murray [1994] put forward that IQ scores are caused by both genes and environment factors, since black are more likely to live in poverty. They also found in their research that even if environment are equalised, that is when black and whites of similar income levels and occupational statuses blacks do have a slightly lower IQ test score. The Swan Report [1985] found that linguistic factor in Britain might be responsible for some ethnic minorities since English is not their mother tongue and lack of fluency became an obstacle. Bernard Coard [1971] saw that the British educational system made black children become educationally subnormal by making them felt inferior in every way. Racist stereotypes that exist in society are reinforced by teachers expectation; the latter would negatively label children coming from minority groups. The child comes to see him/herself as such and when he/she is only fit for manual and unskilled jobs[HaralambosHolborn. p649-653]. Bodmer[1972] criticism explained that sometimes it is impossible to control all environmental factors that can affect IQ scores as prejudice and discrimination against black people will always hinders equalisation of environment with whites. Pilkington[1997] challenge the idea of a genetic basis for IQ not fixed by genetics as IQ scores have increasingly been rising among ethnic minorities in many parts of the world and secondly, difference in socio-economic status largely explain educational differences. Coards view must be treated with care as he has over generalised over the issue, there is evidence of Asian children in Britain who have achieved well. However, according to Ken Pryce [1979] Afro-Caribbean preferred to send their children back to their country to study because black are deprived of the value needed for school success. [Warren,K.et al p246]. 4.3 EVALUATE A RANGE OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH FINDINGS IN RELATION TO ACHIEVEMENT, SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION. Paul Willis [1977] developed a neo-marxist approach to education. Willis approach focus on how education prepare workforce and adopted a research method by using symbolic interactionism in his study and variety of methods at Midland school in England. He used observation and participation observation in class, school, leisure time and formal interview. Paul Willis carried out his study by observing a group of 12 working class boys in one school in the Midland whom he observed for 18 month and followed them for the first few months at work. These 12 working class boys formed a group with a bad attitude towards school. Willis referred to them as lads. The lads form a counter school culture. They see themselves as superior to teacher and earoles. Having a laff is the most important thing and very sexist and racist, they also see themselves as a real man. Willis argued that the lads failed themselves deliberately in recognition of the inevitable manual working future that awaited them. According to Blackedge and Hunt [1984] they criticised Paul Willis for using small group of 12 pupils to carry out his research and all of them were boys ignoring the aspect of gender [girl]. He did not considered children in society as a whole. Willis ignores other cultures within the school and since 1977 there are few jobs in manual work, therefore many such lad stay on longer and develop same attitude to work. [HaralambosHolborn.p605-608] Michelle Stanworth [1983] interviewed is based on the A level student and teachers of humanities subject. She found that teachers gave more time and attention to boys and expected more from them. Teachers both male and female tend to know the names and expressed more concern and interest in boys. Stanworth conclude that all the attention and interest shown by the teachers both male and female to the boys, the girls do better than boys in the exams. Stanworth research was unethical because the girls did not know that they were been observed. Dale Spender [1983] the invisible woman claims womens contribution is largely controlled by men who use their power to further their own interests. The curriculum favour a male perspective womens contribution to human progress are often ignored. Girls receive less attention than boys in the classroom. Boys are often abusive to girls but are not told off. Male dominance in society is the cause of girls difficulties in education but schools help to reinforce the dominance. According to Randall [1987] he criticised the method used by Stanworth and Spender. Stanworths work was based on interview rather than direct observation. Therefore, it cannot actually establish that teachers are giving less attention to girls. [Taylor, P. et al p306-307] Mac en Ghaill [1992] studied African-Caribbean and Asian student in a sixth form college in Midland. He found that the way student responded to schooling varied considerably and was influenced by their ethnicity, gender and class composition of their former secondary schools. All of the ethnic minorities student experience problem in their educational system but in a different way depending on their gender and ethnic group. The study is important because it shows how class, gender and ethnicity interact with the school system and Mirzas study shows that negative labelling does not necessarily lead you to academic failure. [Kirby, M. et al p204-205]

Industry Analysis of the Coffee Industry Essay

Ex: A child’s toy available at a dollar store may be cheaper, but the quality may not be as great compared to a similar toy at a higher priced toy store. The company must market the value of the toy to the consumer rather than the price. Industry AnalysisThe Coffee Industry has been booming for years, but recently many new players have come onto the scene such as Caribou Coffee, Starbucks Coffee Co., and even Dunkin’ Donuts. Each company offers numerous different blends, flavors, and roasts, but each claims their own to have different qualities that appeal to different markets. The veteran of the bunch is actually Dunkin’ Donuts, which has been serving coffee, and various baked goods since 1950. The company was founded by Bill Rosenberg and has grown from five locations in 1954 to over 6,000 locations in 30 different countries. It is considered the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world and is tagged by the slogan: † The Dunkin’ Difference†. Dunkin’ Donuts had seemingly monopolized the industry until Starbucks Coffee Company came along in 1971. Their mission:†To inspire and nurture the human spirit-one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. â€Å"Howard Schultz joined on with Starbucks in 1982 as director of retail operations and began direct marketing to fine restaurants and espresso bars. By 1995 Starbucks had developed into a full-blown coffee company with its own line of glassware, coffee mugs, and even in store music sales. Today there are over 5,000 Starbucks locations in numerous different countries and a booming following of customers. Their target audience consists of a broad spectrum of Music, Art, and Coffee lovers which all can convene in a warm, musical atmosphere. Last but not least, the new comer to the scene, Caribou Coffee, which was established in 1992, based on the idea:†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦that if true passion, hard work and excellence go into an endeavor, the outcome will be a quality experience, and therefore rewarding.†Although a much smaller company, only comprised of around 500 locations, Caribou Coffee strives to create a unique experience for coffee drinkers that has that â€Å"aha momentâ₠¬  as they describe it. So if these three companies are obviously all selling coffee, why do they have very passionate followers, who would seemingly rather stop drinking coffee  than go to one of their competitors to get their morning jolt?Dunkin’ Donuts, like many other current companies are showing an enormous interest in the economic situations of their consumers. One of their current promotions is a â€Å"Free Turbo Shot† in any iced coffee purchased. Not only is the word FREE enticing it also offers some sort of financial relief and suddenly becomes a bargain in the eyes of their consumers. They are also very well known for their advertisements throughout the years, whether it is through the media in their numerous television commercials, or even in their print advertising in multiple magazines and coupons in newspapers. This is one of their key selling points over Starbucks because Starbucks as a company believes in word of mouth advertising rather than actual advertisements. Another campaign currently being run by Dunkin’ Donuts is for one lucky customer to create the company’s next donut. Not only are they getting their customers involved in creating the donut, they are allowing anyone with access to their stores and website to vote on the numerous entries in the contest. Although this may somewhat alienate a small portion of their clientele by creating a donut that not everyone likes they are able to take the mass market and narrow it down to what a large portion of their consumers are interested in seeing as a product. Although this is a great concept they are not the only company willing to include their consumers in their product production. Starbucks has a strong hold in many aspects of the coffee industry due to their intense strategic orientation as well as their product management. The company is not only very interested in what their customers have to say about their products, but also are interested in what their own employees have to say. They do frequent coffee and tea sample-tasting to develop not only buzz about the launch of their new products, but to get feed back on what should stay the same and what needs to be changed. Through this communal version of brainstorming Starbucks can better understand their consumers and their employees needs. Another huge selling point of the Starbucks brand is in fact the actual logo that represents the company. The green circle boldly stating STARBUCKS COFFEE around the picture of a singing Siren is known throughout the world. It has become one of the most recognized symbols in the world and is a great advertisement in and of  itself. Each Starbucks store also utilizes point of purchase marketing very efficiently. Throughout every store there are numerous signs and posters advertising upcoming sales on merchandise, new product lines, and even current products coupled with enticing pictures of not only their beverages but their delectable treats as well. Through something Starbucks likes to call the â€Å"Third Place† they are able to create a peaceful environment away from work and home that people can come to relax, enjoy great music, and even better coffee. Caribou Coffee is somewhat of a different breed. Dunkin’ Donuts focuses on the fast paced grab-n-go lifestyle, Starbucks is centered on tranquility and relaxation, but Caribou Coffee is all about adventure and exploration. Their founders actually created the company thanks to a trip through the Alaskan Wilderness, after a strenuous climb to the summit of a mountain. Their belief is that excellence is a product of hard work, and that life is too short for anything else. Caribou Coffee is not necessarily the cheapest coffee company around, but they definitely offer financially affordable drinks for people to enjoy. One of their current promotions is â€Å"Set Your Wild Free†, which is centered on their most recent launch of a line of â€Å"8 Delicious Wild Coolers†. It sticks to their adventurous theme as well as giving a little extra enticement to their new product line. So if these companies are doing so many things right through community involvement, Public Service Announcements, marketing their products, and creating a unique, and individualistic feeling in each store, what modifications can be made to their marketing tactics? First off Dunkin’ Donuts has proven to have longevity in their product due to their willingness to adapt and grow with their surroundings. They could however obtain an account planner in order to help them better understand other demographics that who they are currently marketing to. Maybe the inclusion of music selections in their stores, or even adding a few health conscious choices to their menu would boost their sales and increase their return on investment. Starbucks on the other hand who does feature in store CD selections as well as health conscious drink options needs to focus more on the financial side of their business. They need to begin taking into account  that the economy is in a slump, and even though they have a very marketable product, it will get them nowhere if the common man can’t afford to buy they products let alone consume them. I’m sure if they took a deeper look into their pricing and the actual cost of their product a happy medium could be obtained that would still benefit the company and the consumer as well. They also need to develop stronger marketing concepts that allow them to have more outside advertisements such as billboards, commercials, and maybe even coupons, which seem to be unheard of to the Starbucks brand. Finally, Caribou Coffee is actually in a great position to market their products because they have a great argument for opportunity cost to their consumers. They have a highly comparable product to the more pricey Starbucks line and are able to target a more accessible audience than the Starbucks brand. Marketing to the â€Å"every day Joe† will give them the opportunity to pull in people that may have never tried their coffee before but are willing to do so because of the price difference. Once discovering that their product is ironically similar to Starbucks in quality, but is more financially acceptable they are more likely to return as well as spread the word to others. In turn helping to increase revenue and benefiting the companies’ sales and popularity. In closing all three companies do a wonderful job of representing the coffee industry and have made millions marketing themselves as household names throughout the world. Slight adjustments for each company would allow them to grow and develop into even more productive companies that will prove to have great sustainability as well being dependable sources of that little extra boost that so people have come to rely on in their daily routines. Through in depth SWOT Analysis, Integrated Marketing Communication, and intense advertising these three companies has become a beacon of success. They will continue to illuminate the path to the future of coffee as well as our morning, afternoon, and sometimes late night buzz that we as warm blooded Americans crave. Works Cited 2003. â€Å"The Bean Stock.† www.thebeanstock.com2007. DD IP Holder LLC. www.dunkinfranchising.com2008. Caribou Coffee Company. www.cariboucoffee.com. 2009. DD IP Holder LLC. www.dunkindonuts.com2009. Starbucks Corporation. www.strabucks.com2009. Recall – Firm Press Release. â€Å"Caribous Coffee Participates in Nationwide Peanut Product Recall.† www.fda.gov†Coffee.† National Geographic Online. 1996-2009. www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee. Coffee Geek. 2000-2009. WebMotif Net Services, Inc. www.coffeegeek.comKenneth Davids. Coffee Review. 2009. www.coffeereview.comMonica Guzman. â€Å"Starbucks Ad Campaign is Gutsy†. May 1, 2009. http://blog.seattlepi.com

The Nature of Romantic Love in Shakespeare

The Nature of Romantic Love in Shakespeare's As You Like It The Shakespearean comedy As You Like It, discusses the nature of love through the stories of four couples that demonstrate a variety of love situations. All of the couples in As You Like It exhibit some elements of ridiculous Infatuation as well as elements of genuine connection in their relationships. This makes it possible to view love on all accounts as either genuine or ridiculous. The reader Is able to decide how they would Ilke to view the love stories In the play.In particular, the relationship between Silvius and Phoebe demonstrates the options that the reader has in viewing the nature of love in As You Like It. Silvius goes through a transformation of character, subtle as It may be. In the beginning, he is pining over Phoebe and seems to believe that his enduring the pain of her rejection Is a reality of love. He acts desperately to try to win her over and forgets to respect himself in the process, When Phoebe has p rofessed her love for Ganymede over him, he expresses that love is made of â€Å"sighs and tears† (V, ‘i, 88).Proving his foolish confusion of angst and infatuation with genuine love. But In his next sentence he says love is about â€Å"faith and service† (V, it, 93). So while Silvius has some very misguided thoughts about love, he seems to have some real understanding of what it Is. His true dedication and understanding of his emotions seems to suggest that he may be able to have a successful relationship, but he is certainly toeing the line of belief and delusion by refusing to let Phoebe go. Phoebe presents a slightly more interesting transition than her partner.Phoebe adamantly efuses a well-suited prospect for no apparent reason. Silvius Is clearly passionate about Phoebe. He is persistent and unrelenting; he does not doubt his own love. However, Phoebe loves Ganymede and has to deal with the disappointment of not being able to marry him. Through this, she m ay be able to relate to Silvius, whom had to accept the constant disappointments she gave him. When the truth about Ganymede becomes apparent to her, she tells Silvius â€Å"thy faith my fancy to thee doth combine† (V, iv, 155).She seems to change her perspective and begin to view Silvius' ersistence as commitment rather than desperation. The main problem with their relationship is that Phoebe would not have him, but In the end she does (even if she was tricked into D. So with that challenge surpassed, maybe they can begin to develop a healthy relationship. Although Silvius begins as a desperate character who cannot make a rational decision of self-preservation to stop loving the girl who will not have him. Phoebe has no reason to refuse Silvius, but one may speculate that she does it to feel more powerful.She emotionally abuses Silvius, but is it possible that she changes when she realizes how foolish she was to fall for Ganymede. This caused her to change her views on love and accept Silvius's commitment. Ridiculousness is not difficult to find in Silvius and Phoebe's relationship. On the other hand, it can be argued the couple has something genuine at the foundation of their connection, so they may be able to have a successful marriage. Silvius and Phoebe's relationship is a great example of a t Of2 situation In wnlcn tne reader or aualence.