Wal-Mart Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Essay At the same time, it continued to look for retailing opportunities elsewhere, particularly in developing nations where it lacked strong local competitors, where it could gradually alter the shopping culture to its advantage, and where its low price strategy was appealing. Recently, the centerpiece of its international expansion efforts has been China. Wal-Mart opened its first store in China in 1996, but initially expanded very slowly, and by 2006 had only 66 stores. What Wal-Mart discovered, however, was that the Chinese were bargain hunters, and open to the low price strategy and wide selection offered at Wal-Mart stores. Indeed, in terms of their shopping habits, the emerging Chinese middle class seemed more like Americans than Europeans. But to succeed in China, Wal-Mart also found it had to adapt its merchandising and operations strategy to mesh with Chinese culture. One of the things that Wal-Mart has learned is that Chinese consumers insist that food must be freshly harvested, or even killed in front of them. Wal-Mart initially offended Chinese consumers by trying to sell them dead fish, as well as meat packed in Styrofoam and cellophane. Shoppers turned their noses up at what they saw as old merchandise. So Wal-Mart began to display the meat uncovered, installed fish tanks into which shoppers could plunge fishing nets to pull out their evening meal, and began selling live turtles for turtle soup. Sales soared. Wal-Mart has also learned that in China, success requires it to embrace unions. Whereas in the United States Wal-Mart has vigorously resisted unionization, it came to the realization that in China unions don’t bargain for labor contracts. Instead, they are an arm of the state, providing funding for the Communist Party and (in the government’s view) securing social order. In mid- 2006 Wal-Mart broke with its long standing antagonism to unions and agreed to allow unions in its Chinese stores. Many believe this set the stage for Wal-Mart’s most recent move, the purchase in December 2006 of a 35 percent stake in the Trust-Mart chain, which has 101 hypermarkets in 34 cities across China. Now Wal-Mart has proclaimed that China lies at the center of its growth strategy. By early 2009 Wal-Mart had some 243 stores in the country, and despite the global economic slowdown, the company insists that it will continue to open new stores in China at a â€Å"double digit rate. †66 3. Why do you think Wal-Mart failed in South Korea and Germany? What are the differences between these countries and Mexico? 4. What must Wal-Mart do to succeed in China? Is it on track?

Development And Implementation Of Business Strategy Marketing Essay

Development And Implementation Of Business Strategy Marketing Essay The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the strategic methods Bavarian Motor Works (BMW Group) applied to become one of the major leading automobile brand today. With reference of BMW automobiles Case Study by Mr. Valeriano Lencioni, I will further examine what happened with the company, what are the different business strategy approaches the company could use to overpower the high competition in the automobile industry, and what is in the future for the company. Like any other business companies, BMW went through rough time when they continuously keep on losing their market share and with the presence of tight competition, everything would have been unsuccessful. With the use of business strategies, BMW was able to determine what went wrong and what they could do to survive the pressure in the industry. Organisations in a similar environment are not identical but have different capabilities. BMW has strategic advantages that sets them apart from its competitors. BMWs resources and competences developed over years for the company to survive and grow. Every company needs a foundation to continuously keep up with its changing environment and with competition. Presently, BMW is a multi-billion company that manufactures several of the best-known cars in the market. BMW has gone way far ahead from its competitors even with the pressure from competition and still manage to survive and even growing and expanding globally. What are these business strategies BMW applied all these years to get there on top? How did the company even manage to be one of the biggest car manufacturers in the present time knowing the company went bankrupt in the year 1961? What is happening in the automobile industry and what is the position of BMW in the competition? Will it still manage to survive in the future? What are the challenges in store for the company for the next 10 years? BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND MAIN TRENDS IN 2004 The global car market started decline in 2003, led by the drop in the market in North America and Western Europe. Other regions of the world led by East Asia are seeing further car market expansion in 2003. In 2004, projections for livelier economic growth strengthen the continuation of car market growth in Western Europe and North America. Although how laws can get stricter and how badly it can affect the companies earnings, it also develop new technologies and markets. Another major external factor affecting the current situation of BMW is that industry structure is becoming more intense. BMW is a business which could face problems in the future if it doesnt take into consideration strategic alliances. Although, the problem was that the economy in North America and Western Europe has been affected by the overcapacity in the automobile industry. It became a global economic instability as consumers from the said part of the world decided to reduce spending on non essential goods. There was lower car demand and so, sales was automatically affected. The automobile industry is becoming more and more competitive, with 6 major groups which have recently formed. Car manufacturing presently is largely affected by external social and environmental pressures, which influence both current production practices and the development of future products and technologies. Environmental standards are mostly set by government regulation and even associations within the automobile industry. These acts aim to as anti-emission laws get stricter every year, and companies look to double or triple their fuel efficiency, alternative technologies are being developed to replace the traditional gasoline engines, and have started to hit the market. Increased fuel-economy and decreasing vehicle weight are gradual changes that slowly improve automobile performance; disruptive technologies include new fuel sources such as electricity, solar energy, and fuel cells. Please refer to Appendix III: UK car production in Year 2003. Within the automobile industry, it had too many difficulties and the players in this field have experienced the troubles of surviving. The change is needed as equity prices drops and geopolitical tensions arised, including the related threat to oil prices, all having a negative impact on the economy. Increasing the safety standards for automobiles also mean that nowadays cars take longer time to be developed and manufacturers should now focus on pre-marketing activities, making cars look more desirable to consumers due to their safety. Competitive forces determine the market power of competitors, the kind of competition they engage in, the factors that give some of them a competitive advantage, and the attractiveness of that market compared to others. BMW GROUP Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft (BMW) or Bavarian Motor Works is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. The BMW Group is now one of the ten largest car manufacturers in the world and, with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, possesses three of the strongest premium brands in the car industry. The group also has a strong market position in the motorcycle sector and operates a successful financial services business. The company aims to generate profitable growth and above-average returns by focusing on the premium segments of the international automobile markets. With this in mind, a wide-ranging product and market offensive was initiated in 2001, which has resulted in the BMW Group expanding its product range considerably and strengthening its worldwide market position. The companys brand is extremely strong and is associated with high performance, engineering excellence and innovation. Indeed, the BMW brand is often cited as on e of the best in the world, and the company continues to launch a stream of innovative products as part of its battle with German peer Mercedes to be the worlds largest luxury car maker. II. PESTEL Analysis for BMW; its impact and how these influenced its strategy Organisations, such as BMW, need to look into the macro environment in which they exist, as these factors will have an impact and influence upon their industry. The macro environment is broken up into six main categories forming the PESTEL analysis. Automobile manufacturers must identify and select the issues which are most important to their industry in order to conduct a valid external analysis. Political/ Legal Factors Trade barriers and restrictions, import tariffs and tax policies are critical factors to consider especially for global manufacturers as they can influence the pricing levels of their products in each market and affect the profitability of a company. Also, Environmental protection laws regarding the CO2 emissions; In 2007 the European Commission proposed binding rules to cut CO2 emissions on new cars to 130 gms/km and it shows Porsche whose cars have highest CO2 output fell 2% as a result and average BMW emissions drop to 170g/km. With the threat of legislation looming BMW has shown that even premium car makers can seriously reduce CO2, stated by Jos Dings, Transport and Environment Director. Please refer to Appendix IV: CO2 Emissions by Car Brand Economic Factors The overall economic health of the car industry will have a great effect on each of the industry players. Interest rates, exchange rates and the level of unemployment can also depress demand. Most importantly the level of consumers disposable income is a critical issue particularly for manufacturers such as BMW and Jaguar, who compete in the luxury car market, as an economic downturn can seriously damage sales and revenues. Socio-cultural Factors This is an important factor to consider especially with regard to the luxury car market such as BMW. The particular lifestyles of consumers determine which strategy the organisation should pursue in order to capture the needs of its market effectively. Levels of education also affect the industry, as a highly skilled labour force is required in order to produce high performance and excellently engineered cars. Other factors are the Population demographics, Income distribution, Social mobility, Attitudes to work and leisure and Environmental concern of the market. Technological With many organisations competing with one another innovation and technological developments can help differentiate the companys product. Years ago the level of technology that was available, limited and restricted the models and designs car manufacturers could produce. Nowadays, technology has significantly moved on and companies can deliver more and more to their customers resulting in fierce competition amongst industry players to stay ahead of the market and be the best. By incorporating the latest technology advancements, car producers can lead the market in this field and achieve a competitive advantage. Environmental Although not a major driving force, manufacturers must be aware of the advantages in producing cleaner cars as there is now greater emphasis on protecting the environment. BMW have taken this into consideration and launched their Hybrid model. The result is a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent compared with a comparable BMW running on a combustion engine alone or it could be driven by electric power only, on the combustion engine alone, or with a combination of both power units. III. BMWs competitive advantage According to Mr Lencioni, the car market was already full of good quality cars and consumers found very few ways to distinguish between many of the available brands and models. Quality was no longer an issue in the industry since most models were well built and reliable. Design and Brand Appeal became the distinguishing elements and customers choice factors. Companies that had given attention to the look of their automobiles, even this strategy can only make small gains, rather than losing market share. With this realisation, Design became the biggest factor in the fight for market share, as this feature grabbed customers attention. And with this action, automobile companies had to hire the most talented car designers which leads to massive costs for the company as well as the car prices. Pursuing quality and appeal in design was putting pressure on companies resources, so was brand building and management. It had become clear that a brand identity was one of the most effective ways to be more competitive in an industry where more and more products came to the market. BMW brand which is the circular blue and white logo represents an aircraft propeller. As company grew, the emblem evolved as the white and blue colours of the flag of Bavaria. The logo has made it easier for people to remember and has given the company more recognition. The BMW logo represents power, stylish and elegance, thus making BMW much more competitive in the market. Please refer to Appendix V: BMW logo. Apart from brand and design, BMW has able to survive through developing strong customer knowledge, special levels of service and access to distribution channels. Another method we could clearly understand the competitive advantage of BMW is through its strength of five forces. Please refer to Appendix VI: The Five Forces that Shape Industry Competition. Threat of new entrants Analyse shows that threat for new entrants is low mainly due to huge capital and cutting-edge technology. Car industry is highly depended on their suppliers, because of advancement of technology and materials needed to build car. Even though all firms produce cars, no two firms are totally different and no two firms are exactly the same. Strategic group maps display different competitive positions that rival firms occupy. Based on Information contained in perceptual map it is easy to notice that more and more firms are going into all sort of alliances which help to offer more and more cheap cars. Additionally, there are many substitutes, but these decrease if the special features of material increase. Bargaining power of suppliers and buyers Overall suppliers are weak because they are spread all over the world and cannot easily integrate forward, however more and more companies move into close partnerships with suppliers, even by acquiring them in order to reduce costs and exclusivity. The buyer concentration ratio and information availability is high as well as ratio of firms producing cars, on the other hand the power of buyers is weak due to low demand for non-consumer goods- automobile, high switching costs and low ability to backward integrate. The threats of substitutes are moderately strong because there are many different and less expensive transportation facilities. On the other hand, intense rivalry is strong because the major players are dominant in the market by nearly same technology and manufacturing processes, suppliers relationship and distribution systems. The ease of differentiating cars and price based competition. BMW is looking at entering into alliances, joint ventures, partnerships as it is the safest way of securing a market share, product attractiveness and competitive prices. In a decision to purchase a BMW product or that of the competitor, an individual will be influenced by a group of people that he or she wants to join; people in a certain social class or in a certain income level. There are also three factors that affect the buyer behaviour that a marketer must consider; they are social, personal and psychological. It will therefore be highlighted how these factors affect the consumer behaviour and in turn how the consumer behaviour affects the buying decisions. Competitive rivalry within industry BMWs attractive product variations were a very good source of strength. BMW is having a repetition of building a driving machine that respond really good and enjoyably to their drivers commands whilst also providing the safety, style, quality, reliability, and durability that help make long term ownership. On the other hand BMWs factories are measured very supple and most dynamic in Germany utilising the latest technology in each phase of its value chain. All the above strengths and many others has places BMW in a good position with respect to the main strong competitors in terms of performance, features, dealer networks , foreign markets, for example Lexus, Mercedes-Benz or Cadillac where rivalry among these competitors increases when they compete globally in US car market, Europe and Eastern Europe and South-east Asia, but BMW strong brand is more costly to be switched especially for quality conscious customers which makes strong competitors. Please refer to Appendix VII: Global ve hicle production and financial performance 2005-2006. Threat of substitute products The global marketplace is in jeopardy by lower car demand in North America and Western Europe, both comparatively established car markets that have been badly impacted by high-energy prices and very less consumer response. The global automotive market is extremely competitive. Many large businesses operate on a worldwide scale. Competitors are constantly trying to find new technologies and markets to increase global market share. Recent years have seen globalisation and consolidation strategies increase by competitors resulting in competition intensifying. BMW faces strong competition worldwide in the luxury saloon market. Traditional competition, which has always been strong from Mercedes and Audi, has intensified with the emergence of Lexus as a major player, along came Fords new model, Lincoln. IV. The future challenges for BMW BMW has modernised model almost after every few months that might shift emphasis on getting a new model to market rather than focusing on issues that may develop with existing models, issues such as software, and mechanical problems. Reflecting this possibility, BMW stock shares have dropped 41% in year 2002 as it was relying too heavily on one model, the 1 Series to uphold its high edge. BMW also earning profits due to the strong sales of the loaded models of the Mini but need to diversify, or in other words not keep all their eggs in one basket. Although this can also be identified as strength it can also be a true weakness. Strong competition with the major players that BMW needs to look out for, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and even Cadillac. As an example, the Lexus RX300 SUV rivals the BMW X5; the Mercedes E-Class still outsells the BMW 5 Series worldwide; Audi 3, 6 and 8 Series compete directly with BMWs 3, 5 and 7 Series; Cadillac which has a whole new generation of models, leaving buyers with strong power in building preferences. The 1 series may weaken the BMW trademark with comparison to 7 Series buyers, the 1 Series models may be viewed as cheaper cars with less quality. It could also be viewed as a tactic for BMW to obtain higher sales volumes. V. The Global Business Environment A combination of strategic models and frameworks will be used to critically evaluate the competitive landscape of the car industry in order to identify the prevailing conditions in the wider environment and the dynamics of the industry that can ultimately impact and influence HONDA and BMW car manufacturers. Car industry represents oligopolistic type of market with differentiated product features, unrestricted but hard to force entry barriers, strong competition and few dominant firms that hold most of market share. Governments rely on the car sector as well as related suppliers and services in terms of employment, taxation, GDP and balance of payments. Demand fluctuations are appearing between country markets. Increase in taxations of production which represents significant government revenue. In 1980 there were thirty car manufactures, by 2000 this had fallen to thirteen where smaller manufactures (Saab, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, and Volvo) were bought by larger companies (General Motors, BMW, Ford) Changing the upstream supply chain as component suppliers split into layers and become total solution providers. Full cell technology will replace safety as the number one technology issue. The volume of traffic in many cities around the world is forcing governments to consider a range of road pricing, congestion charging, and car and petrol taxation measures to encourage more use of public transport, potentially reducing demand for cars. High competition encourages manufacturers to locate plants in low-wage countries (Hungary, Brazil, Romania) generating job loss and resentment in traditional car manufacturing countries (Britain, America) Global demand has also emerged extensively. Please refer to Appendix VIII: Development in global demand in from the year 2004 to 2012. VI. Development and implementation of Business Strategy The automotive industry is always seeing new legislation appearing on matters such as safety and the environment. For example legislation on end of life of vehicles changed practices of many car manufacturers in 2002 and 2003 regarding materials used in car manufacture and other factors. BMW successful competitive strategies are grounded on the brand representation of BMW as a constructive and powerful; BMW reflects typically style, high value, up-to-date manufacturing and good performance to an object audience. Customer Feelings BMW is perceived as Quality Company and therefore seen as producing quality products. As a result, it is accepted among customers that BMW might charge higher prices. The BMW Group stays in fifth place amongst the worlds car manufacturers. Based on the external challenges, opportunities and potential future trends in the industry BMW should consider technological innovations looking at government policies concerning environmental issues. BMW should consider product innovation to reduce toxic emissions and to develop more efficient engines such as full cell technology which will replace standard car engines. BMW should consider all opportunities and take advantage of its strengths. Looking at the macro environment BMW should carefully examine world sales of cars, customers behaviour and shift in economy such as interest rates. For BMW to stay ahead in terms of competition and remain gaining market share, the company should understand the increasing weight in the global automotive market in developing countries and emerging markets. Collaboration between companies should be maximised in order for BMW to remain competitive and create strong links with suppliers due to soaring prices for steel, aluminium, precious metals and plastic. Cross boarder alliances and mergers should be considered by BMW in order to draw near to the Asian car manufacturers. BMW has noted that sales of its 7-Series model are up in the US, the product has been met with less enthusiasm in Europe. As Germany remains the companys most important market, this may be classed as a risk. A commonly held view is the radical restyling of the 7-Series has failed to excite the traditional BMW driver. This may be especially worrying given the releases of the new 5- and 6-Series models, as they are believed to have undergone restyling as well. If the designs prove to be too innovative or radical, the companys short-term growth could be seriously impacted. The risks associated with the introduction of a number of new models into an underperforming segment are only likely to increase the threat of failure within the segment. Competitive Strategy fitting with the Maturing Automotive industry Looking on the Automotive Industry in general we can see that it is in a maturing life cycle, where nearly all potential buyers are already users of the industry products, demand consists mainly of replacement, with growth totally depends on the competing firms abilities to attract new buyers and convince existing buyers to upgrade their usage, also the critical success factor (CSF) is mainly the cost efficiency. Throughout the firms Industry Life Cycles (ILC) many challenges faces the BMW corporate managers that needs to tailor BMW strategy , these changes on the strategy called the Strategy Fit , essentially managers will depend on certain input factors which are weighted when choosing the best strategy to fit the current ILC, these factors that affects managers decisions in choosing the company strategy depends on the industry life cycle phase introduction, growth, mature, decline, focusing on maturing and growth ILC phases as they are related to the selected companies. Maturing i ndustries challenges are mainly the slow growth in demand which generates more head to head competition, buyer become more sophisticated more familiar with competing brands with hard bargaining due to repeated purchases, for BMW more focus is on service and price combination competition, challenge of innovating new product feature of find further use of the product current features to keep attracting buyers attention. VII. BMW Strategic Effectiveness in the Market BMW took good steps in driving the costs down by focusing on the design and production, it activates Operation activity in the value chain, although the shared component is a good idea for cost reduction, but also BMW high different in the prices of its product series could be an important factor in customer perception to the concept of the product features and design, perhaps focusing more on other cost reduction areas and avoid disturbance to customer perception can be a recommended option . Based on the research it is possible to distinguish customers who follow standard patterns; buying affordable but comfortable medium size cars, are those aged between 20 and 40 years old, regardless of the sex but dependant on income and household status. These clients tend to have more urbanised and settled lifestyle. On the other hand those at middle age, male with high income and preferences tend to pay fortunes regardless comfort, fuel usage or environment issues. With regards to a variety of car models it is impossible to aim at mass market just with standard type of car. More applicable is a differentiated marketing strategy like those developed by GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler which target clients at high and low income and offers cars with separate marketing and mixed variables. This strategy favours merger and acquisitions to overcome mobility barriers and gain presence also in luxury car segment. Strategic success for BMW in maturing industries by introducing a wide selection of features in the products, enhancing the industry value chain for example increase use of advanced technology, integrate the suppliers by internet to streamline various value chain activities, drive down unit cost, developing more economical product design, increasing sales to present customers using promotions or more services, acquiring rival firms at bargain price, expanding internationally, adapting core competency according to customer requirements and expectations and pushing it towards distinctive competency where the firm better then rivals . As part of BMW strategy tailoring by developing more economical product design, and focusing more on the technology innovation that reduces the cost in the overall value chain, for example BMW has been using new technology called RoDip-3, it is a new method for pre-treatment of the electro coating vehicle bodies that provides many enhancements and reduce cost to this process as explained by Christoph Klocke from BMW group. The first of these new pre-treatment and electro coating plants to be installed anywhere in the world is now operating in BMW group. Being one of the market leaders, BMW was very successful in adapting its Sales strategy with customer new needs and new preferences, BMW offered the BMW financial service to facilitate the customer financial payments utilising the Internet technology and many payments facilities. VIII. Conclusion In order for BMW to compete effectively within their industry, they must first identify which issues are critical in achieving successful competitive strategies. Decisions concerning the direction and development of the company must take into consideration the whole range of external issues, which have been covered throughout this report. The significant factors affecting BMW have been raised and are summarised below. These issues are critical to BMWs success. Size of organisation There are many acquisitions and mergers between industry players and so a small sized companies such as BMW must understand their vulnerability have merged with other companies to fight off industry giants. Mass market organisations also need to achieve economies of scale to remain profitable, whereas for manufacturers in the luxury niche markets this is not as vital as they charge premium prices and achieve very high profit margins. Quality of resources High quality of resources can help companies achieve a competitive advantage over others. Quality is seen as a key success factors to becoming successful within the market. Technology and Innovation Customers are demanding newer products and developments in technology and innovation can achieve this. Using the latest technology will once again strengthen the companys competitive position in the marketplace. Strong Brand image BMW has and can continue to build up a strong brand image through high quality resources. This is essential in the automobile industry as it creates a unique position in the marketplace and builds up customer loyalty making it difficult for other competitors to steal market share. Differentiation This is the key to survival. Companies can either differentiate themselves on price or through their unique characteristics of their products. Differentiating themselves from competitors gives the company a strong competitive advantage as they offer customers something exclusive, which competitors do not already provide. IX. References Ahlstrom, J. and E. Sjostrom. (2005). CSOs and Business Partnerships: Strategies for interaction, Business Strategy and the Environment 14(4), 230240. Balogun, J., and G. Johnson. (2005) From intended strategies to unintended outcomes: The impact of change recipient sensemaking. Organisation Studies 26/11: 15731601. Blank, H. D. and Carty, C. M. (2005) The Eco-Efficiency Anomaly, Journal of Investing (in press) Chow I, Holbert N, Kelley L and Yu J, (2004), Business Strategy An Asia Pacific Focus, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall Clark, E. (2004) Power, action and constraint in strategic management: Explaining enterprise restructuring in the Czech republic. Organisation Studies 25/4: 607627. Coe, N.; Hess, M.;Yeung, H.W.-c.; Dicken, P.; and Henderson, J. (2004). Globalizing regional development: A global production networks perspective. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 29:468-84. Floricel, S., and A. Langley (2004) Strategy as dynamic leverage. Conference of the European Group of Organisation Science, Ljubljana, May. Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., and Sturgeon, T. (2004), The Governance of Global Value Chains, Review of International Political Economy, 12, 1, 78104. Gertler, M. S. (2004). Manufacturing culture: The institutional geography of industrial practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Gharib, M. and E. Wahlqvist (2004) A standardisation Story and its Paradox: Creating Credibility for the Business Social Compliance Initiative. Goetschalckx, Mark, Bernhard Fleischmann. (2005). Strategic network planning. H. Stadtler, C. Kilger, eds. Supply Chain Management and Advanced Planning, 3rd ed. Springer, BerlinHeidelberg, Germany, 117-137. Hart, S. L. and S. Sharma. (2004) Engaging Fringe Stakeholders for Competitive Imagination, Academy of Management Executive 18(1), 7-1. Holmstrom, J. and D. Robey. (2005). Understanding its Organizational Consequences: An Actor Network Theory Approach, in B. Czarniawska and T. Hernes (eds.), Actor Network Theory and Organizing (Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen), pp. 165187. Jarzabkowski, P. (2004) Strategy as practice: recursiveness, adaptation, and practices-in-use. Organisation Studies 25/4: 529560. Johnson G, Scholes K and Whittington R (2008), Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases, 8th Edition, FT Prentice Hall. Johnson G. Scholes K. and Whittington R. (2005) Strategic analysis of BMW Exploring Corporate Strategy. By signing this page I am stating that the work contained in this report is my own work and has not been plagiarised from other sources. I understand that my work will not be marked if more than 15% of the content is found to be plagiarised. Name: Date: Signature:

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - The Wife of Bath as Depicted in the Genera

The Wife of Bath Depicted in the General Prologue      Ã‚  Ã‚   At the first reading of the "General Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath seems to be a fairly straightforward character.   However, the second time through, the ironies and insinuations surface and show the Wife's bold personality.   For example, she is rather opinionated.   The second line in the passage, "But she was somdel deef, and that was scathe," seems only to indicate that she is a little hard of hearing.   However, coupled with a line from the end of the passage noting that she liked to talk, this deafness could mean either that she is really deaf and talks because she cannot hear what others say to her or that she simply does not listen to what anyone else says (Nardo 126).   The next line, "Of clooth-makyng she hadde swich an haunt," is obviously the Wife's own opinion of herself and not objective at all.   This is ironic because she is from near Bath, in western England, where the weavers were not very good, so she is probably not very talented at all (Bowden 215).   She, however, does not doubt herself.   The Wife is also very practical.   In lines 469 through 473 she is described in traveling gear:    Upon an amblere esily she sat, Y-wympled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or a targe, A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large, And on hir feet a peyre of spores sharpe.    Her overskirt keeps off the dirt of travel, and the pacing horse, trained to move both feet on one side together, is comfortable on long journeys (Rowland 117).   The fact that she is wearing spurs implies that she rides sensibly astride, like most women of her class.   However, her hat is compared to a shield, and spurs were a symbol... ... Tales.   London:   Greenwood Press, 1995. Herman, John P. and John J. Burke, Jr., ed.   Signs and Symbols in Chaucer's Poetry.   University, Alabama:   University of Alabama Press, 1981. Lambdin, Laura C. and Robert T. Lambdin, ed.   Chaucer's Pilgrims:   An Historical Guide to the Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales.   London:   Greenwood Press, 1996. Lucas, Angela M.   Women in the Middle Ages:   Religion, Marriage, and Letters.   Great Britain:   Harvester Press, 1983. Nardo, Don, ed.   Readings on the Canterbury Tales.   San Diego:   Greenhaven Press, 1997. Plummer, John F.   "The Wife of Bath's Hat as a Sexual Metaphor."   English Language Notes, 18 (1980-1981). Rowland, Beryl.   Blind Beasts:   Chaucer's Animal World.   Great Britain:   Kent State University Press, 1971. Serrailler, Ian.   Chaucer and his World.   New York:   Henry Z. Walck, Inc., 1968.

Imagery and Irony in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essays -- Scarlet

Imagery and Irony  in The Scarlet Letter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, uses a variety of literary techniques in order to produce energy and invoke the interest of the reader.   He creates the mood and the climax of the novel by using the techniques of imagery and irony.   Yet, it is his use of symbolism that truly carries the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An abundance of symbolism appears in many different forms, adding interest to the novel.   For instance, Hawthorne uses his characters, such as Pearl, as symbols; â€Å"It was the scarlet letter in another form, the scarlet letter endowed with life.† (Ch. VII pg. 103)   Pearl is a symbol of the sin of Hester and Dimmesdale.   She serves as a constant punishment and living conscience.   In addition, Hawthorne uses natural occurrences such as light and darkness as symbols by having Dimmesdale stand upon the scaffold only at night.   Darkness, therefore, is a symbol of the concealment of sin, and light becomes a symbol of truth and acceptance of guilt.   The use of light and dark occurs many times throughout the novel to place emphasis on the underlying morals.   Furthermore, Hawthorne uses everyday objects, such as the brook in the forest, to serve as a symbol.   Pearl refused to cross the brook and join her mother on the other side, making the brook a symbol of the boundary between the two worlds of truth and deception.   This natural setting is one of the most striking in the novel.   By using symbolism in these three forms (characters, natural occurrence, and simple objects) Ha... ...tter it were so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.   What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him-yea, compel him, as it were-to add hypocrisy to sin.†Ã‚   (Ch. III pg. 73)   One of the strengths in Hawthorne’s novel is his use of dramatic irony.   To the townspeople, this passage appears to be a breathtaking speech that would make any sinner confess, when in truth, Dimmesdale is pleading with Hester to reveal his sin.  Ã‚   The irony in the novel establishes the strife and dismay of the climax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne’s use of the three literary techniques of symbolism, imagery, and irony are what make his novel a masterpiece.   By using these three techniques, he allows the reader to find inspiration and morality, visualize the plot, and become absorbed in the work itself.

Briefer and Deeper: A Comparative Analysis of Depth-Oriented Psychother

Briefer and Deeper: A Comparative Analysis of Depth-Oriented Psychotherapy Introduction The use of psychotherapy in decidedly time-limited contexts is the hallmark of modern trends toward maximizing effectiveness and minimizing costs in the realm of health and mental health treatment. Although clients have historically utilized therapy for brief intervals (an average of 8 sessions), the use of models designed for this purpose is comparatively new. There is an ever-widening breadth of approaches - both formerly long-term designs modified to require fewer sessions and those born with the goal of brevity. Despite the diversity in brief psychotherapy (BPT) approaches, each therapy tends to be based on similar fundamental assumptions and general themes. For example, it is widely believed that a skillful therapist can affect useful changes in the lives of clients - changes that continue to build long after the treatment ends (Messer & Warren, 1995). These therapies also include root metaphors or ideas of where human difficulty arises, a set of curative factors, and an image of what it means to be mentally healthy (Borden, 1999). Finally, in an effort to address client issues briefly, the articulation of a clinical focus is seen as essential and can range from present day relational problems to underlying struggles with drives and anxiety - depending on the theoretical orientation. In comparison, Bruce Ecker and Laurel Hulley's Depth-Oriented Brief Psychotherapy (DOBT) model presents a slight variation to what has become the customary brief approach. DOBT is composed of techniques organized around the idiosyncratic, unconsciously held meanings of each client. Thus, there is no set formula or core dilemma to be address... ...ard theoretical pluralism in clinical practice. Most importantly, however, is DOBT's reassuring techniques which allows its clients a new, more coherent knowledge of themselves which leads to a deep and exquisite form of healing. References Borden, W. (1999). "Pluralism, pragmatism, and the therapeutic endeavor in brief dynamic treatment. W. Borden (Ed.) The therapeutic endeavor in brief dynamic treatment: Theory, research, practice, commentary. Haworth Press, New York. Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (1996). Depth-oriented brief therapy: How to be brief when you were trained to be deep and vice-versa. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco. Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (1999). Depth-oriented brief therapy. [Online]. Available: www.dobt.com Messer, S. & Warren, C. (1995). Models of brief psychodynamic therapy: A comparative approach. The Guildford Press, New York.

Mid Term 1 Solution

COT5405 Analysis of Algorithms Midterm 1 Solution Summer 2012 June 11 In all cases explain clearly and as succinctly as possible. Problem 1 10 Pts Answer: n T (n) = 2T ( n ) + log n 2 2 n = 4T ( n ) + logn n + log n 4 2 2 2 n = 4T ( n ) + log nn? 1 + log n 4 2 2 = †¦ ?log2 n 1 = nT (1) + n i=1 i ? n Since i=1 1 > ln n, T (n) ? ?(n log log n) i Problem 2 20 Pts Answer: The general idea is to use the technique similar to quick sort, by doing partition on both lids and cups.First we pick a cup randomly, and use it to partition the lids into two subsets: those lids smaller than the size of that cup, and those larger than the size of the cup. We can also ? nd the correspondent lid for that chosen cup. Second we use that lid to partition the cups and divide them into two sets. We keep on repeating this procedure on each subset of cups/lids until all the cups/lids are paired. The overall time complexity is O(n log n) (Worst case: O(n2 )). Problem 3 20 Pts Answer: In this problem we are more interested in ? ding the median instead of the minimum/maximum element. The ? n ? th element in a min/max heap is not the median. 2 In this case, we should develop a new type of heap to adapt this problem. Problem 3 2 The solution is to use two heaps: a min heap and a max heap. Suppose the total number of elements is n, we set the restriction that the max heap should contain ? n ? 2 elements. Correspondingly, the min heap contains n ? ? n ? elements. 2 When we insert an element, we always insert it into the max heap.If the number of elements in the max heap exceeds ? n ? , we remove the maximum element in the 2 max heap (the root), and insert it into the minimum heap. During this procedure, we need to do heapify to maintain the heap structure for both heaps. Under this setting, it is easy to see that all the elements in the max heap are less than those in the min heap, and the two elements at the root of both heaps represent the ? n ? th 2 and (? n ? + 1)th element. 2 Suppose the median is de? ned to be the ? n ? th element over all n elements.When 2 we delete the median, we just delete the root of the max heap, and the following two cases might occur: (1) If the max heap contains ? n? 1 ? elements, then we do delete-max to the max 2 heap. (2) If the max heap contains ? n? 1 ? ? 1 elements, we take out the root of the min 2 heap and set it to be the root in the max heap (because it is larger than all the elements in the max heap), then we do delete-min to the min heap. It is straightforward to see that the time complexity for both insert and delete-median is O(log n). COT5405 Analysis of Algorithms HW 2

Strength of Mice and Men

In this story, although some people have great strengths, they may have greater weaknesses, and sometimes the strong don’t always survive. Strength in something can greatly benefit a person. For example: 1. Lennie is physically strong and large. He is able to work very hard because of his strength, and he uses this to his advantage. Slim said, â€Å" By the way, what did you said about Lennie was absolutely right. Perhaps he isn’t intelligent, but I’ve never seen such a good worker as him.He worked much harder than the other men this afternoon, loading barley on to the waggon. Nobody can work as fast as him† ( it’s in chapter 6). Lennie also uses his strength to his advantage when he fights Curley. With his immense power he was able to crush Curley’s hand. 2. George’s intelligence. George is a very quick thinker. He is there to get Lennie out of trouble when he causes it. An example would be what happened in Weed. Lennie felt a girlâ⠂¬â„¢s dress and didn’t let go, so she accused him of raping her, and sent men to lynch him.George, thinking quickly, told Lennie to hide in a marsh so that the men wouldn’t find and kill him. 3. Curley, as a symbol of authority on the ranch and a champion boxer, makes this clear immediately by using his brutish strength and violent temper to intimidate the men and his wife. 4. Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is beautiful. Beautifulness is the strength in herself to flirts with all the men she met especially all the men in the ranch.5. Slim. Slim is the senior worker in ranch. So everyone respected him and his opinions. For example when Slim said â€Å" Carlson’s right. Your dog’s no good to himself. I’d be glad if someone shot me when I was so old that I could hardly move† . this ipinion makes Candy felt helpless and then he mau accept his dog will be shoted by the Carlson. (it’s in chapter 7) 6. Carson. He has the strengt h to shoted the Candy’s dog because he has a gun and Slim suporrted him. ( it’s in chapter 7)