English and Vietnamese Adjective Phrases.

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale. Nowadays, English is the most widely used in the world and plays an important role together with the development of society and technologies. English is not only the effective means of communication but also show its progressive effects in many aspects of life. Practically, study on the similarities and differences between the two languages and cultures English and Vietnamese has been one of my concerns. It is clear that there are many differences between the two languages of as those in grammar, lexicology, translation, phonetic and so on.However there still exist plenty of similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese that can be demonstrated contrastive analysis. When choosing the subject for the assignment, I put much attention to adjective phrases because this field may make me confused. I hope that this study help me as well as other learners will understand adjective phrases in English and Vietnamese thoroughly. 2. Aims of the s tudy. My research aims at. : + Giving theoretical background of English and Vietnamese adjective phrases. Analyzing of the word order in English adjective with Vietnamese equivalence + Presenting some difficulties faced by Vietnamese learners of English in adjective phrases and 3. Scope of the study. During the study process, I have been attracted by adjective phrases. Because of time allowance and knowledge, I cannot cover all its constructions, functions, etc. but only focus on orders, and I introduce some similarities and differences of adjective phrases between English and Vietnamese for the research. PART B: DEVELOPMENT I. Literature Review I. 1.Definition of Adjective phrase : I. 1. 1. English Adjective phrase According to Quirk et al. (57) and Greenbaunm (32), an adjective phrase is a phrase with an adjective such as big or happy as its head. Within the adjectives phrase, the adjective may be pre-modified (too careful) or post-modified (afraid of ghost ) or both of premodifed and post modified (too cold to swim, extremely afraid of ghost). The structure of the typical adjective phrase is shown at the following figure. The parenthesis indicate the optional elements. [pic] Eg. I am tired head The room is full of smoke ead postmod. The bus is very slow to set off premod. head postmod. I. 1. 1. Vietnamese Adjective phrase According to Di? p Quang Ban (5) and Nguy? n Tai C? n (10), a Vietnamese adjective phrase is a phrase in which there is an adjective as a head. For example: t? t, v? n r? t t? t, r? t t? t, t? t qua. Like English adjectives, Vietnamese adjectives have the ability to combine with modifiers which are divided into two parts: modifiers preceding the head are called premodifiers, whereas those following the head are called premodifiers.In Vietnamese adjective phrases, some modifiers can appear both before and after the head. eg. xinh qua, qua xinh, c? c k? t? t, t? t c? c k?. Like the structure of noun phrases and verb phrases, the full constru ction of an adjective phrase consists of three components : a head, premodifier, and postmodifer and the short construction may consist of one component (a head) or two components (a head and premodifier or a head and postmodifier). The structure of the typical Vietnamese adjective phrase is in the following figure: premodifier(s) + head + postmodifier(s) I. 2.Adjective phrases and their orders I. 2. 1. Word order through syntactic functions of English adjective phrases According to Greenbaum (32) Adjective functions have two main functions: premodifier of a noun (attributive function) and subject predicative(subject predicative function). Eg. : – premodifier of a noun (attributive function): My cat is a very curious cat. – Subject predicative(subject predicative function). : My sister is very pretty Besides, There are some other functions of adjective phrase: – Object predicative function: They are going to paint their house pink Postmodifier of a pronoun : Sha ll we go to somewhere cool? – Postmodifier of a noun I don’t mean to make my wife sad – Nominal adjective: You should confuse the Chinese and the Japanese – Complement of a preposition he did not come back home till late last night. a. Word order in attribute function: – When they come before nouns, they occur in the following order: a (adjective) + b (noun) Eg. : Barack Obama is a extremely strict president a + b As the example shows, adjective phrases used in premodification are usually either one word phrase. When they come after nouns, they occur in the following order: b (noun) + a (adjective) Eg. : I am thirteen years old b + a Anyone intelligent can apply for the job b + a Barack Obama was the president elect. b + a b. Word order in predicative function In adjective phrase, an adjective not only occurs in attributive position, it can also appear in predicative position as subject complement after linking verbs like be, seem, appear, especial ly the verbs of sense taste, look, smell, etc. There is a copular relationship between subject and subject complement.The word order can be formalized as: a (subject) + b (linking verb) + c (adjective) Eg: The cake tastes sweet a + b + c Your perfume smells musky a + b + c That music sounds beautiful a + b + c She seems innocent a + b + c I. 2. 2. Word order through Syntactic functions of Vietnamese Adjective phrases a. Word order in Attributive function In Vietnamese adjective phrases, adjective in the attributive function often follow the noun they modify according to the order: a (noun) + b (adjective) (noun) + b (modifier) + c (adjective) a (noun) + c (adjective) + b (modifier) Eg. : Lan da nau c? a co ? y v? n cu? n hut toi = Her brown skin still attracts me Do la bu? i sang mai th? t d? p = That is a very nice early morning M? t chi? c vay l? a Ha Dong th? t d? p a + c + b + d M? t chi? c vay c? a Ha Dong b? ng l? a th? t d? p a + b + c + d M? t chi? c vay l? a th? t d? p c? a Ha Dong a + c + d + b M? t chi? c vay th? t d? p b? ng l? a c? Ha Dong a + d + c + b b. Word order in Predicative Function In Vietnamese adjective phrases, adjectives can directly function as predicative like verbs and the order can be formalised as : a (subject) + b (adjective) Eg. : B? phim th? t hay = The film was very interesting a + b When Vietnamese adjectives are in the predicative function, they can combine with the criteria of verbs. These are : + aspect-time maker: da, s? , t? ng, con, chua, etc. a (subject) + b (aspect-time maker) + c (head) Eg. : Co ngu? i toc da b? c pho + b + c II. Contrastive analysis of the word order in English adjective with Vietnamese equivalence It is obvious that both English and Vietnamese are analytical languages but they belong to different linguistic typologies. English is an inflectional and analytical language, whereas Vietnamese is a typical isolating and non-inflectional language. Therefore, apart from the similarities which do not caus e difficulties for learners, there are many differences between English and Vietnamese adjective phrases and their orders which can cause a variety of problems (errors and confusion) for learners.So, I will go deeply into the differences only and I think comparison might be the best way to identify the differences in the word order in English and Vietnamese adjective phrases. The following comparison will focus on the differences in : 1. Word order through syntactic functions of adjective phrases 2. Word order in premodification of adjective phrases 3. Word order through basic degrees of comparison II. 1. Word order through syntactic functions of adjective phrases In terms of main syntactic functions, most English and Vietnamese adjectives can be used both attributively and predicatively.When adjective function attributively, they attribute to a quality or characteristic to what is denoted noun they modify. However, there are differences in the word order in the English and Vietname se adjective phrases through their syntactic functions. II. 1. 1. Word order in Attributive function |he is a very generous man |Anh ? y la m? t ngu? i hao phong | |Premod. + N |N + postmod. | |English is a rather difficult subject |Ti? ng Anh la m? t mon h? c kha kho |Premod. + N |N + postmod | From the above examples, it can be seen that both English and Vietnamese adjective functions as attribute of nouns, i. e. in attributive function, and they do not vary in form to agree with nouns. However, in the attributive function, English adjectives are used as premodifier of the noun, i. e. they come before the noun and appear between the determiner and the head of the noun phrase, whereas Vietnamese adjectives share the same character in that they often function as postmodifier, i. . they come after the noun. This is an important difference between the two languages. II. 1. 2Word order in predicative function The following examples show the difference in the word order of adjective ph rases in predicative function. Eg. : |Lan is very pretty and intelligent |Lan r? t xinh d? p va thong minh | |intensive V. Adj. + Adj. |Adj. + Adj. | |I don’t like living in the house because it is so |Toi khong thich s? ng trong ngoi nha do vi no b? n th? i va t? tam | |dirty and dark |Adj. + Adj. | |intensive V. Adj. + Adj. | | Apart from the attributive function, both English and Vietnamese adjectives can also be used predicatively. However, in English, when adjectives function as predicate they are used after an intensive verb â€Å"be†. Unlike English adjectives, Vietnamese adjectives play the predicative role directly without the linking verb â€Å"be†, i. e. in this function, Vietnamese adjectives are used to complete a sentence without any verbs or verb phrase.On the contrary, English adjectives can never function as verbs. In a sentence, they must follow a verb or a verb phrase. Moreover, when we translate from English into Vietnamese, we often meet a great number of disyllabic adjectives in Vietnamese. For example: xinh – xinh x? n (beautiful) kho – kho khan (difficult) ch? m – ch? m ch? p (slow) g? n – g? n gang (tidy) Generally, these disyllabic adjectives are formed from monosyllabic adjectives. Whether using monosyllabic or disyllabic depends on the habit of the Vietnamese Eg. : It is clear that he is quite slow Ro rang r? ng anh ? y kha ch? ch? p The weather makes me feel tired Th? i ti? t lam cho toi c? m th? y m? t m? i Furthermore, almost all Vietnamese monosyllabic adjectives can be used repeatedly to diminish the characteristics or levels. And these are typical features of Vietnamese adjectives which we do not find in English, for example; I felt cold (Toi c? m th? y lanh l? nh). Unlike English adjectives, in Vietnamese, some adjectives can combine with nouns â€Å" adjective + noun† to form the group of state adjectives to express the state of the characteristics. For example: My mo ther is a very careful and helpful womanM? c? a toi la m? t ngu? i ph? n? c? n th? n va nhi? t tinh These group of words have metaphoric meaning and can function as predicate and attribute. Here are some groups of words which are frequently used: nong tinh(hot-tempered), d? tinh(easy-going), t? t b? ng(knid-hearted), sang d? (clever), dung c? m (brave), etc. However, when the order of the groups of words is inverted, the metaphoric meaning disappears. Besides, in Vietnamese, the structure: â€Å"ma + adjectives† is used to strongly express the objection to an opinion, a remark just made by the speaker.This structure is only applied the peers or inferiors Eg. : Is Nam really friendly? Anh Nam ma than thi? n a? Generally, in languages, the positive sentences have the positive meaning, but in Vietnamese, when â€Å"ma† precedes adjectives in the sentence, the sentence has the negative meaning. The sentence â€Å"Anh Nam ma than thi? n a? † (Is Nam really friendly? ) means â€Å" Nam is not friendly† Another feature of Vietnamese adjectives which does not exist in English. That is, adjectives that precede â€Å"ra, len, di l? i† to form compound words or the group of words turn into verbs or have the character of verbs.In Vietnamese, the pattern: â€Å" adjectives + ra/len/ di/l? i† is used to express the development of character, state of things or people. When these words combine with adjectives, they often imply the presupposition and have the opposite content, for example when we say: â€Å" Lan d? o nay trong xinh ra†. It implies that Lan is more beautiful than before. In Vietnamese, the sense of positive uses the pattern: â€Å" adjective + ra/len†. In English, this structure is expressed by Intensive verb + adjective with the comparative meaning. |The earth is becoming warmer |Trai d? t dang nong d? len | |Vintensive + Adj |Adj + len | II. 1. 3. Word order in premodification of adjective phrases In th is section, we will discuss and analyse the differences in the word order in premodification of English and Vietnamese adjective phrases in detail through translation Eg. : |I am very glad to meet you |Toi r? t vui m? ng du? c g? p anh | |Intensi. + Adj |Intensi. Adj | |The tigers are very big and savage |Nh? ng con h? ?y to l? n va hung d? l? m | |Intensi. + Adj + adj |Adj + adj+ Intensi. | |She is very nervous before each exam |Co ? y da qua lo l? ng tru? c m? i k? thi | |Intensifier + Adj |Intensi. + Adj | |I am very remorseful and disappointed |Toi th? an h? n va th? t v? ng qua | |Intensifier + Adj + Adj |Adj + adj+ Intensi | Through the above examples, it should be noted both English and Vietnamese adjectives serve as the head of adjective phrases. Adjective phrases may contain only an adjective as the head, or two components; the head and premodifier or the head and postmodifier. Both English and Vietnamese adjectives are premodified chiefly by adverbs. Generally, premodi fiers are intensifiers.In English, they are very, extremely, rather, a bit, quite, etc. and in Vietnamese, they are r? t, r? t la, qua, th? t, c? c k? , hoi, etc. However, there are some differences in the order of the adverbs denoting degrees in the two languages. In English, these adverbs are followed by adjectives while in Vietnamese, they can occur both before and after adjectives. For instance, in Vietnamese, the adverbs : â€Å"r? t, qua, l? m† are used to indicate the highest degree of the personal or non-personal characteristics and they are the same meaning but different in usage.All of them can be translated as â€Å"very† besides, â€Å"qua, l? m† may be translated as â€Å"too† and â€Å"so† in English. These examples also show that the word order of adverbs of degree â€Å"very† in English and â€Å" r? t† â€Å" r? t la† in Vietnamese is the same, i. e. they occur before adjectives. However, â€Å"very† and â€Å"r? t† are often used in written language, whereas â€Å"r? t la† is often used in spoken language. But when â€Å"very† is used as â€Å" l? m’ or â€Å" qua†, the word order us absolutely different. â€Å"L? m† in Vietnamese must be preceded by adjectives and it is often used in spoken language.Contrary to â€Å"l? m†, the word â€Å"qua† may occur before or after adjectivels in spoken language to express an exclamation. Also â€Å"c? c k? , tuy? t, th? t† may occur before or after adjectives. However, the words â€Å" qua, c? c k? , tuy? t, th? t† often appear after adjectives, therefore, when they are used before adjectives, they are often used with the meaning of emphasis or assessment. Unlike English adjectives, Vietnamese adjectives can play the predicative role directly, so they can combine with the aspect-time criteria of the verbs such as da, dang, s? , v? n,c? con and it is a typical feature of V ietnamese. This combination expresses the relation between the characteristics and time. These characteristics are based on the sense of native speakers and they exist like the form of the state. In short, modifiers: da, dang, s? , v? n, c? , con not only express grammatical meaning but also the purpose of the statement and the relation between a speaker and reality. In Vietnamese, in certain situations of the sentence, these meanings will be distinguished. Eg. : |They were very successful |H? a r? t thanh cong | |Vintens. + Intensi. + Adj |time-maker + intens. + adj | |Our country is different now |D? t nu? c c? a chung ta da khac xua | |Vintens.. + Adj |time-maker + adj | |After the wedding, She is very happy |Sau l? cu? i, co ? dang r? t h? nh phuc | |Vintens. + Intensi. + Adj |time-maker + adj | |I hope that you will be comfortable |Toi hy v? ng la b? n s? c? m th? y tho? i mai | |Aux. + Vintens.. + Adj |time-maker + adj | |My wife was still angry |V? toi v? n con gi? | |Vinten s.. + Adv + adj |time-maker + adj | From these, we can see a very remarkable structural difference: In English, aspect-time categories are indicated by the forms of the verbs, whereas do not Vietnamese do not have the category of time and the meaning of the time is indicate by supporting words: da, dang, s? , v? n, c? , v? n con. In Vietnamese, the predicative function is expressed by the structures: â€Å"da/dang/s? /v? n/c? con/v? n c? /con c? + adjective†, but in English this function is expressed by different structures â€Å" intensive verb(past) + adjective† â€Å" intensive verb(present) + adjective†, â€Å"auxiliary + present participle+ adjective† â€Å" auxiliary + be + adjective†, â€Å" intensive verb + still + adjective†. II. 1. 4 Word order through basic degree of comparison Most adjectives in English and Vietnamese can take comparison. These are gradable adjectives and they have three degrees of comparison: – same degre e – higher degree – lower degree a. The â€Å"same degree† comparisonIn both English and Vietnamese, when we say two things or persons are equal, we use the adjective in the same degree. In english, we use the structure : as + adj + as, whereas in Vietnamese, we use some modifiers: â€Å"nhu†, â€Å"b? ng†, â€Å"tuong t? † after adjectives in the structure: adj + nhu/b? ng/tuong t?. For example: |My wife is not as beautiful as yours |V? toi khong xinh b? ng v? anh | |My house is as small as your office |Nha c? a toi ch? b? ng van phong c? anh thoi | |Nobody can understand me as much as my mother |Khong ai co th? hi? u toi nhu m? c? | b. The higher degree comparison In order to indicate the difference in the word order in the degrees of comparison. First I would give here some examples and their translation into Vietnamese. |Hanoi is much more beautiful than Hanoi was |Ha N? i ngay nay d? p hon nhi? u Ha N? i tru? c kia | |Health and happin ess are more important than money |S? c kho? va h? nh phuc quan tr? ng hon ti? n b? | |One of the worst diseases which mankind have is cancer |M? t trong nh? ng can b? nh nguy hi? m nh? t ma loai ngu? i ph? i ch? u la ung | | |thu | These examples show that in the higher degree of comparison, English adjectives change their forms. They are indicated by the inflection â€Å"er† or the premodifier â€Å"more† in the comparitive degrees of comparison. We also add the inflection â€Å"est† or the premodifier â€Å" most† to show the superlative degree.We have some specific rules when using â€Å"er†, â€Å"est†, â€Å"more† and â€Å"most†. In contrast, in Vietnamese, in both comparative and superlative degrees, modifiers always come after the adjective they modify and adjectives do not change their form in both cases c. The lower degree of comparison When we want to say a person or a thing has less of a quality then the other, w e use the comparison of the lower degree. In the lower degree, English adjectives take the modifier â€Å"less†¦.. then? or can be negated from the equality degree and the lowest degree can be denoted by adding the modifier â€Å" the least†.In the lower degree, on the other hand, Vietnamese adjectives take the modifier ‘kem hon† or negative words ‘khong b? ng† â€Å" Khong du? c nhu† and the lowest degree can be expressed by the words â€Å"kem nh? t† â€Å"it nh? t†. For example: |The film was less interesting than I expected |B? phim nay khong hay nhu toi mong d? i | |less + adj + than |khong + adj nhu | |This city is not as dangerous as others |thanh ph? nay khong nguy hi? nhu cac thanh ph? khac | |not + as + adj + as | | In Vietnamese, the relation between these modifiers is very complicated. For instance, we may consider â€Å"b? ng† opposite to â€Å"kem† and ‘ khong b? ng† may replaced by â⠂¬Å"kem†. The word ‘hon† may have the similar meaning as â€Å"b? ng† when it combines with â€Å"khong† (khong hon). For example: Khong co gi quy hon d? c l? p t? do (Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom) Di? m c? a anh ? y khong hon di? m toiDue to the complete semantics of these modifiers we do not have grammatical category relating to the meaning of degrees of comparison of Vietnamese adjectives. In short, in this chapter, we have discussed the major issues relating to the differences in the form, the word order through the syntactic function, the word order in premodification and basic degrees of comparison of English and Vietnamese adjectives. We can say the word order in Vietnamese phrases is much more complicated then that in English adjective phrases because in Vietnamese adjective phrases, more modifiers can occur both before and after the head adjective phrases.The striking difference between the English and Vietnamese adj ective phrases is in the word order through the attributive and predicative functions. Moreover, Vietnamese adjectives may appear with the modifiers showing aspect-time criteria of verbs which we do not find in English. Besides, in English. we clearly distinguish parts of speech: adjectives and adverbs with words denoting manner while in Vietnamese we have only one: adjectives. II. 2. Some students’ common mistakes in using adjective phrases English and Vietnamese are quite different languages, so it is impossible to avoid mistake when learners use adjective phrases.The following mistakes can be the most common ones: + Learners often put adjectives in the wrong order because of the influence of their mother tongue. As you know both English and Vietnamese adjectives are used to modify nouns, but English adjectives often precede the nouns they modify, whereas Vietnamese adjectives often follow the nouns they modify. That is the reason why Vietnamese learners use adjectives inco rrectly. + Vietnamese learners often confuse between adjectives which have the â€Å"-ed† and â€Å"-ing† : worried/worrying, excited/exciting, etc.They do not know when they have to use â€Å"-ed† adjectives, when they must use â€Å"-ing† ones. For example : a boring film† or â€Å"a bored film† PART C: CONCLUSION This study has analysed, compared the word order in English and Vietnamese adjective phrases. It has analysed the similarities and differences in the arrangement of the words in adjective phrases between two languages based on the basic grammatical structures. By examining the description and comparison of the word order in English adjective phrases with Vietnamese equivalents, this study has shown there are both similarities and differences in the two languages.The most typical similarity is in the structure premodifier + Adj + postmodifier shared by the two languages where the head of the adjective phrases is in the centre of th e phrase and around it there may be modifiers: premodifier and postmodifier, but they are optional. The basic differences in the word order in English and Vietnamese adjective phrases are likely to cause many problems in understanding, expressing ideas and translation. So much attention should be paid to the differences in teaching adjective phrases to Vietnamese learners. ——-The end——- REFERENCES 1. Aarts. F. & Aart,J. , (1982) English syntactic structures. Oxford: Pergamon Press 2. Alexander,L. G. (1992). Longman English Grammar. Essex:Longman 3. Ban, Diep Quang (1998) Ng? Phap ti? ng Vi? t. Ha N? i : Nha xu? t b? n Giao d? c 4. Fisiak,J. (1981) Contrastive analysis and language teacher. Oxford: Oxford Pergamon Institute of English 5. M? nh, Tr? n H? u. (2000). A guide to University grammar of English. Ha N? i: D? i h? c M?. 6. Quirk,R et al. (1973). A University Grammar of English. Essex: Longman ——————— – ADJECTIVE PHRA SE Pre-modifier(s) Adjective Postmodifier (s)

Disadvantages of Early Marriage

Marriage can provide a great deal of stability in a relationship, giving spouses certain legal and monetary advantages, as well as bringing them closer together emotionally. But marriage isn't the best option for everyone, and has certain disadvantages for younger couples. The average age for a first marriage in the US is 27 for women and 29 for men — roughly six to seven years older than first marriages of previous decades. However some couples still choose to get married much younger — sometimes right out of high school. Related Searches: Marriage Divorce LawMarriage and RelationshipMarriage Divorce LawMarriage and Relationship Sense of Self One disadvantage of early marriage is that younger people haven't had the opportunity to explore themselves much beyond their families, or small groups of friends. In order to develop a keen sense of self, one that is capable of contributing fully to a relationship, some discovery is needed about interests and goals. Giving each other several years to uncover these likes and dislikes will go a long way in bringing together more mature partners in a marriage. Goals When it comes to goals, you may know what you want to do right after high school. In fact, you may have your entire career mapped out — right down to retirement. But funny things can happen when you go to college or start your chosen career. You may find that the path you chose doesn't suit you at all. Instead of a 9-to-5 job, you may want one that allows you to travel the world, for example. If your spouse isn't keen on going with you, it may spell trouble for your marriage. Commonalities It's easy to have things in common when you attend the same school, have the same friends, and live in the same town. Unfortunately, this can create a false picture of all the aspects of life that you share with your spouse, or future spouse. You may find that when you are alone together — without the benefit of common pursuits — that your true interests or perspectives just on't mesh. Finances Meager finances are a major pitfall of marrying too early. If you want a nice wedding, the average cost is $25,000. Then there are student loans to consider, relocating costs, and even possible child care expenses. Younger people aren't likely to be at the point in their career when they can easily shoulder such burdens. This can cause fighting and tension that leads young married couples to divorce. Wu

Kfc strategic brand managemnt Essay

The fast food industry in Malaysia is saturated with players such as McDonalds, KFC, Wendy’s, Chili’s, Nandos and the like. The industry is relatively large in terms of the participating brands in fast food business. Fast food business is categorised according to the food served as well as their facilities and locations. There are restaurants selling specifically burgers, pizzas or only chicken, Mexican cuisine and many others. According the location, some restaurants are drive-ins whereas others provide in house catering as well as off premises catering.The market of the fast food business is stratified, but all in all inclusive of all groups of the society. As observed in many restaurants, they provide meals even for children, hence allowing all ages to enjoy their meals from the restaurants. Fast food business enjoys a high level of prominence in Malaysia as the trend of home cooking is currently on the fade, and the intertwinement of a busy life, promotes the fast foods as the reliable and available sources of food during breakfast, lunch and dinners. Moreover, the eating habits of Malaysians give a good breeding ground for the fast food industry to flourish as people are fond of food and eateries have become places where business deals are concluded as well as assignments completed, for instance Starbucks. As per this year, it is projected that the sales of this industry will jump up according with the increase of tourism as it is the proclaimed year of tourism; this will eventually see, the increment in revenues collected by the fast food restaurants as the tourists will add up to the current population in Malaysia. 1.2COMPANY OVERV IEW This study focuses on the brand of KFC or otherwise as known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. This is an international brand that hosts a large number of franchisees all over the world. KFC started in USA, and slowly infiltrated the rest of the world with its premier tasting chicken. In Malaysia, this brand started its operations in 1973; it has sustained a healthy growth over the years with many outlets being opened all around. With the introduction of ‘Meals on Wheels’, customers are able to be delivered food upon orders made through the internet or by the phone. The fast food business is very competitive as there is a stiff competition in securing market. The plenty number of fast food makes the competition even higher and harder, moreover,  it is not easy for newer businesses to penetrate especially if such a business does not do so with innovation. KFC has enjoyed recognition and surely it is a major brand. However with all the fame, KFC struggles with loyalty from customers. Customer loyalty is the tendency of customers having a strong purchase relationship with the business. Loyal customers are those who maintain purchases with the particular brand regardless of any changes. Customer loyalty can be expresses in two ways; either as a behaviour or the number of times that a customer comes back to purchase from the same brand. The increase of competition may be attributed as one of the causes that lead the decrease of loyalty. This is because the market is flooded with any options which a customer may be able to choose from. Moreover, innovative strategies and more value added service to purchases tend to decrease loyalty. The perception of service value is an important factor that builds or destroys loyalty. It has been an area where many brands have been concentrating on in order to keep in phase with the on-going competition. KFC has attempted to revise its menu and incorporate new stuff that will make its brand more adorable to customers. Initially, KFC has been centred on its 11 spiced recipe of chicken. The core product I KFC is its fried chicken; over time, the brand has added burgers, pokkits, rice and potatoes to its menu so as to improve the menu by diversifying what they offer. 1.3BRAND A brand is termed as an identification of a particular product or service that is specifically different from other product. The study of brand equity and its management produces loyalty from customers that is highly associated with satisfaction. Brand equity that takes a customer centered approach enables the easy creation and maintenance of loyalty. Brand equity, as explained by Keller consists of brand salience, performance, imagery, judgement, feeling and brand resonance. Keller portrayed the composition of brand equity in a form of a pyramid where brand salience forms the base and brand resonance is at the apex of the pyramid. 1.4SALIENCE This is at the base of the pyramid, and in fact it is the foundation of a brand. This depicts the extent that a customer considers your brand during purchase. It deals with the situation whether your brand is recognisable or  even well thought of by customers. for the success of any brand, there is a need of having a strong salience amongst customers, as this wil affect the chances of your brand being sold or even adored by customers. KFC fares reasonably well with salience, as its products carry much recognition as well as they is generally accepted by the market. This is evident by the fact the chicken meals served there as it is distinguished for only selling amazingly tasting chicken. Brand salience consists of brand awareness and brand associations. Brand awareness is defined as the extent to which a product is recognised and recalled. Brand associations are the connotations that surround the product. As explained above, salience forms the base of brand management that eventua lly leads to loyalty and satisfaction. If at all a company lacks or has minimal salience, it is highly likely that it shall face much challenges to sustain its existence. 1.5PERFORMANCE Performance is on the second tier of the brand equity pyramid. After the establishment of the brand identity in the salient base of the pyramid, next is the performance and imagery. To further mark a distinction of a product from another, there is a need to highlight or show how the product performs, albeit its functions or in what way does it satisfy the need and desires of customers. Brand performance highlights its relevancy, value and service of the product. In terms of KFC, the performance is at the capacity of a meals restaurant where each meal is value added to allow the customers to enjoy partaking their meals. However, in the performance of the service, many flaws are identified in KFC that may amount to the decline in loyalty. Apart from the rich flavours of the food as expected, the service given is usually below expectation. There are usually long queues in the outlets as well as the level of tideness and cleanliness is a debatable issue. These factors give a low percepti on of the service given, hence a potential obstacle to customer loyalty. 1.6IMAGERY This term encompasses the image and personality of a brand. The image of the brand is what the brand projects or portrays to the customers whereas brand personality reflect on the values and visions that a product embraces. Actually, brand imagery is all about the definition of a brand. This is important as it describes the features and peculiarities tat are unique to  the brand alone. KFC attempts to project itself as a restaurant where a family can always have reliable means. On top of that, it has identified itself to be selling halal food; of which it is an added advantage with regards with the high number of population in the country consuming only halal foods. More so, it has identified itself as children-friendly by providing kiddies meal as well as areas where kids can host their birthday parties. In general, I has established itself to be a casual dining area where individuals can enjoy their meals in a relaxed manner. 1.7JUDGEMENTS These refer to the some of the responses from customers towards the products. This covers judgements in terms of action as well as spoken word on the product. Furtherly, judgements of the brand acts as a feedback mechanism to the brand by showing whether the customers as the sole market for the product are by any chance impressed with the products. KFC has been able to gather positive comments over te quality of service and the items on the menu, but there has been a slump in the feedback that has been received. Customers judge it as being an innovative compared to the other restaurants. This has pushed KFC to revise its menu items and introduce some tangible changes to the products, for instance the introduction of Zinger burger Reloaded, and in a bid to diversify their menu items, the introduction of more fish based meals in the menu. 1.8FEELINGS Feelings towards the brand work hand in hand with the judgements over the brand. This is more likely the satisfaction meter of a product amidst its customers. It addresses the potential feelings that are harboured by the customers to the product and the service altogether. The issue is whether it makes the customers feel all the positive feelings and emotions towards it. KFC is positively thought of by many customers as the meal is quite special in a way. Together with the corporate social responsibility program it has embarked on; the one of building homes for the homeless, the society does not repel it as it is a positive act. In addition to that, the number of employment it creates, alone, allows people to develop a positive outlook to it. 1.9RESONANCE Brand resonance is at the topmost part of the pyramid. It reflects the  relationship between the product and the customer. It expresses the level of attachment that a customer has to the product. More so, it points out the level of engagement the product yields on a customer. Brand resonance is measured in terms of its activity and intensity. The depth and extent of this engagement between the product and the customer result as the product of the salience, performance as well as the judgement and feelings bore by the customers to the brand. KFC seeks to maintain a high level of attachment of customers. However, it should be noted that, loyalty has a foundation in keeping the customers satisfied. The approval of the customer, in terms of the feedback from the customers help in the building of better channels where loyalty is groomed. 10.0RECOMMENDATIONS IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF SERVICE OFFERED. There is always room for improvement in terms of the services rendered by the company. The reluctance to improvements is costly. This is evident from the fact that retaining a customer is less costly compared to the conversion and recruiting new customers. With such knowledge, it is essential that operational activities are constantly under review as well as scrutinised for their performance. The review of feedback is necessary as it generally maps out the perception of the service by customers. Such improvements can be in the form of fast service provision as well as more levels of hygiene in the outlets. TRAINING OF STAFF in order to increase the responsive nature of the brand, there is a need to continuously train the staff of the company so that the product and services offered are distinguished from their high levels of credibility and performance; this is interpreted as good perception of the brand by the customers. KFC should implement the time to time checks and training to the employees to make sure the customers are attended to with utmost importance. BRAND MARKETING To improve on the loyalty of customers, it is suggested to reinforce the  marketing strategies undertaken by the company. Market strategies are based on the 4 Ps are Product, Price, Product and Promotion. An effective marketing mix will enable the brand to be positioned in an advantageous place. For the case of KFC, the brand manager may opt on placing more promotions and refining the product in order to better suit the wants of the customers. the marketing of the brand should aim at establishing satisfaction on the side of the customers so that loyalty can be promoted. INTRODUCTION OF DISCOUNT CARDS This suggestion directs to the introduction of cards or coupons that will offer discount upon purchase of the products. It may be a way of marketing, but it actually serves both purposes; marketing and loyalty in customers. These cards or coupon act like a link between the customers and the brand since the customers may view it as more economical sound to utilise the coupons or cards to purchase the same brand. In other sense, these cards give a sense of relation, making it fussy for customers to switch brands as they will consider this as the switching cost. FOCUS ON A REPEAT BUSINESS With the market competition set so high, it is crucial for a brand that seeks to maintain customer loyalty to gear the operational philosophy towards generating an atmosphere that encourage repeated purchases. The brand manager should focus every aspect of the brand to achieve this goal. This will help to maintain loyalty in customers as repeated transactions are highly encouraged. This can be in the form of giveaways, or free products when a certain number of purchases re made. For instance, KFC may offer free meal on the fifth visit to the restaurant. This helps in locking the customers in the restaurant. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT There is a need of assessment of the performance of the outlets in order to be able to raise the bar of standards higher, keeping in mind that satisfaction is key to customer loyalty. This assessment can be carried out by considering the comments of the customers s well as by assessing whether the key performance indicators are achieved in due time and thoroughly. In the scene of KFC, this is possible through the crosscheck and assessment of the outlets by putting a comments box where customers are free to leave comments with regards to the service they got. TEAMING UP WITH TRENDS The society at present is flooded with trends. This can be in the form of personalities, games or even movies. The teaming up with whatever is trending in the society puts the brand in a position where it hammers a competitive advantage over the market. For instance, McDonald’s is assured with loyalty from customers by the contract it as with te upcoming FIFA World Cup. KFC should follow suit with the sponsoring of a great event, and thus, it will also secure a great deal of allegiance from customers. CONCLUSION Customer loyalty is an advantage for a business because of two main things. First, loyalty asures increased revenues and sales and secondly, loyalty gives a prestigious feeling. Any flourishing business desires to be known by the population as well as attaining profits from the service rendered. KFC is a brand that is mature in the market hence, it has experienced times and times of revenues, however loyalty is slumping. The time is right for KFC to re-invent itself, not only on what meals they sell, but a wole change that will rejuvenate the business. This sort of changes aims to be innovative and strategic, and will target the operations of KFC as a brand. KFC should strive to have the competitiveness that is market wothy. References Garvin,D(1988),Managing quality: the strategic and competitive edge, Free Press, New York. Jacoby, J. & Chestnut, RW (1978), Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management, John Wiley, New York. Loverlock, C. & Wirtz, J. (2004), Service Marketing, 5th edition, Pearson Education International, New York. Boulding, W. et al., (1993), â€Å"A dynamic process model of service quality: form expectations to behavioral intentions†, Journal of Marketing Research, Dyer, W., (2003) The Family: The Missing Variable in Organizational Research, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 27(4). Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004), available at http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195517965.001.0001/m-en_au-msdict-00001-0051392 accessed on 12 April 2014 Huse, M. (2000) Boards of Directors in SMEs: A Review and Research Agenda, Entrepreneurship & Regional

Health issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health issue - Essay Example The matter is considered paramount given that obesity is substantially associated with other diseases such as health failure and diabetes. Over the precedent few decades, the occurrence of obesity has been in a frequency that is over twice the number that experienced the health issue (Sturm, 2005). This implies that obesity will soon turn out to be the topmost causative agent of death for the populace at young ages. It still threatens to reduce the quality of existence and add to health costs through various diseases to which it is associated. Over the time, various causes have been presented through research leading to development of interventions and recommendations towards the alleviation of the condition. The major causes of this health issue are nutrition and poor physical exercise. In the recent time, people within the society have profoundly valued junk foods and other modern ways of spending leisure such as playing video sport. These have substantially added to obesity in various ways. The nutritional content of junk foods is considered poor since it only provides the body with calories and not nutrients (Sturm, 2005). These calories are later converted into energy that is often converted into fat since the obese individuals do not engage in physical fitness activities. The matter has profoundly affected the way of living of these individuals and according to research the greater part of the populace mainly in US being obese. Further projections have indicated that, by 2015, four individuals will be obese for every group of ten. The increment of individuals who are obese with a figure that is more than double shows that the matter has to be alleviated to prevent a further rise (Sturm, 2005). Obesity affects all people within the populace although greater harm is imparted on individuals used to taking junk and

Jean-michel Basquiat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jean-michel Basquiat - Essay Example His artistic out-put was later described as Neo-Expressionism ( Etier, 2010), defined as :- Although he no longer lived on the streets in his later years, the graffiti influence was always there in Basquiat’s works, as was evidence of his place as part of the African diaspora. He was also a drug user and often the works were also created under the influence of drugs. His work moved on from pure graffiti into other areas, so he became hard to fit into just one category. His work ‘Flexible’(1984) has been called ‘a bridge between traditional tribal art, graffiti art and modern socio-political propaganda ‘ and so crosses many boundaries (Rakaa 2013) or acts to give these differing genres some unity. Basquiat was precocious, in that his artistic genius flourished and was recognised very early when he was still in his early twenties, especially after he participated in a joint exhibition alongside other young artists of the time in 1980 ( Brooklyn Museum, 2014), but his artistic life, his whole life, ended with his early tragic death in 1988, still in his twenties. He was considered black, yet had few black friends, and according to Hoban, did not want to be known as a black artist, but as a famous artist. With that end in mind he was driven to produce thousands of images, not only on conventional surfaces such as canvas, card and paper, but also on the easily available surfaces of a variety of found objects, such as refrigerator doors, book margins and elsewhere ( Brooklyn Museum, 2014). The word Graffiti most commonly refers to writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illegally on a surface in a public place. It can also be said to refer to a style or group of styles, even if produced licitly, as for instance to decorate a youth centre on even on line as in Graffiti Creator ( undated) . Some people think the art form began in New York in the late 1960s, whereas others associate it with the Second World War, but it is

Health Care Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Care Campaign - Essay Example To begin with, the Lets Move campaign should focus on media programs designed to promote healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents. Media campaigns, as a program for public health, are an effective approach because of the large number of people likely to be reached through the media (Mazzeo, Arens, Germeroth & Hein, 2012). Additionally, television and the Internet are becoming increasingly popular among the young people as attributes of advancements in information and communication technologies. Media programs for promotion of the Lets Move campaign should aim at informing parents and their children on healthy lifestyles. The design of the media messages and images should be performed effectively to capture the attention of the target audience. More significantly, the messages must be convincing to the young people by demonstrating the reasons for practicing healthy lifestyles and proper diet. Education programs within learning institutions are recommended as a strategy of fu rthering the goals of the Lets Move Campaign. It is in this sense that the government policies on education should support the campaign against obesity among the young people. ... It has been argued that childhood obesity can best be prevented through proper formal education programs. In addition to the formal education in classrooms, it is recommended for community education programs to target the parents of the young people. The community education programs should aim at informing parents on healthy eating for their children, the nutrition content of various food products within stores and the management of the eating habits of their children. They recommend scientific studies on the social, economic, and cultural behavior patterns in regard to food purchase and consumption as a way of preventing obesity among young people. The recommended studies will provide evidence based information that will aid the decision-making process with the creation of government policies in the manufacture and the retail of various food products. Therefore, the government policies on funding should be supportive of the financial incentives directed on the recommended studies. I n addition to the investigation of consumer behavior, the environmental aspects, such as lack of exercising enabling environment, must also be researched upon. The research findings should be presented to the parents, teachers, policy makers, food producers, and retailers in an effort of reducing the prevalence of obesity among the young people. Furthermore, the recommended research must be involved in the assessment of the health condition of the young people. The health assessment must be aimed at determining the current health status of the obesity predisposed children and the factors that are likely to increase their risk of developing obesity. It is through research that the issue of obesity can be investigated, and evidence-based knowledge used to control the problem

Duty of law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Duty of law - Essay Example Emphasising on this understanding, the essay will aim at addressing the principles mentioned under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) concerning the fiduciary duties of directors in a company. The essay will also aim at analysing the purposes and effectiveness of these statutory principles to restrict the directors from performing unethical conducts or wrongdoings, taking the opportunity of the power enjoyed by them. 2.0. Background Companies act as an artificial legal entity which can be managed with the enforcement of its human legislatures. The board of director’s form an important part of any organization as the decision making and the managerial powers remain mainly with its directors (Austin & Ramsay (2013). For instance, as stated in section 198A (1) of Corporations Act 2001(Cth), the directors are eligible to manage the company’s affairs under their jurisdiction. ... Previous instances have often illustrated unethical conducts performed by the directors, misusing their power or authority to satisfy the organisational interests above their personal objectives (Austin & Ramsay, 2013). 3.0. Duty of good faith 3.1. Code of conduct As stated under the section 181 of Corporation Act 2001(Cth), duty with regards to good faith bestowed upon directors in compliance with the interest of the management is to avoid conflicts which might arise from personal benefits (Milne, 2006). Under this provision, if the directors of a company decipher reckless attitude and/or depict behaviour of intentional dishonesty, which in turn hampers the interests of the corporation at large. In this context a director of any corporation must enforce or exercise the bestowed responsibilities and powers with regards to good faith and for a ‘proper purpose’. If the director violate this duty or responsibility they are liable for punishment under civil penalty provision under section 1317E of Corporation Act 2001(Cth) (The Legal Exchange, 2012). 3.2. Case Examples According to the case of Charterbridge Corporation Ltd v Lloyds Bank Ltd (1970) a test was conducted to find whether the decision made by the director in relation to that situation was valid. As per the case convictions, it was held that directors in a particular company owe a certain degree of responsibility towards the company’s creditors at the time of its insolvency (Sourdin, 2009). It is worth mentioning in this context that even though the provision unambiguously dialects the implications of good faith, it fails to render a precise notion of ‘proper purpose’ and thus can be deemed as subjected to the judge’s rationality when assessing

Service visit and analyzes assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Service visit and analyzes assignment 1 - Essay Example It can be stated that this service provider though operates in a small space with limited guest arrangements but provides high quality food items to its customers. The restaurant even maintains customer relationship through taking details of their guests and informing them about discounts or new dishes being introduced in their menu list. On the other hand Club A Steakhouse is a restaurant that serves high-end customers and is the most famous steakhouse in the city. This restaurant has differentiated its service through creating an artistic ambience, proper lighting, soothing music and excellent food (Bryson and Daniels 112). Club A Steakhouse was established in the year 2008 and since then it has been able to maintain family hospitality in its service with wide range of choices in terms of menu items. Little Owl restaurant believes that it can maintain its market share through delivering high quality food and develops an atmosphere of casual dining. However I feel that ambience is necessary for any restaurant apart from offering good food. As customers spend their valuable time in food outlets so it becomes essential to create an atmosphere that enhances their experience. The seating arrangement of this restaurant is not appropriate which creates a bad impression on customer mindset. On the contrary, Club A Steakhouse is the perfect destination for all those customers who are looking for proper dining with classic ambience. It has drawn a positive impression about the restaurant and I feel that its sophisticated culture is suitable enough for customers to spend their personal time. The restaurant even gives special attention to each of the customers and organizes private events to promote their service quality. In Little Owl restaurant aroma and structural shape are some of the physical evidences that have influenced my customer experience. This restaurant

Cognitive week9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cognitive week9 - Essay Example Sternberg (2001) uses the example of Charles Darwin's theories in evolution. Charles Darwin was thought to be a creative because of his high intelligence – he was able to generate the idea of evolution and to critically analyze it against other possibilities. If his analysis had not been intelligent, then his creativity could have been a chance happening, or it would not have been his theory of evolution in the first place. Hence he underlines the distinct lines between creativity and intelligence. * Description of a problem (personal or historical) in which creativity or insight could or could have been applied to bring about a solution or a better solution.   I remember having an old computer parts in my storage; the keyboards, the old chargers and spare screen that I had long ago put away. They were all in working condition only that they were redundant due to the fact that I worked on my new laptop and hence having them around was of no use. Finding them in storage an ol d buddy of mine asked if he could take them off my hands. Without hesitating I agreed since my storage was already packed to the maximum and I could do with the space. A lot later coming across items for sale on eBay I saw a whole collection of what I would refer to ask junk or obsolete computer equipment being sold for reasonable prices. It was then that I realized that perhaps If I had been more creative with what use I could gather from things I had so easily referred to as obsolete I would have been able to regain part of the cost that I had sustained in acquiring them. * Creative solutions to the problem.   As far as creative solution to the problem is concerned what I could have done is like so many other people on eBay sold the electronic equipment that was occupying so much needed space of my storage. Redirection, starting over might possibly work well in this case (Sternberg, 2009). I could have taken a completely different approach to tackle this problem by viewing the e quipment as possibly useful in monetary terms and hence changed my perception of wanting to get rid of it in any way possible. If my conventional approach to perceiving the worth of the equipment as much less than the increase in storage space had been revised I would have been a lot more careful with how I handle its disposal. References   Sternberg, R. (2009). Cognitive psychology (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.   Wallas, G. (1926)  The Art of Thought.  New York: Harcourt Brace. Assignment 4 The definition of creativity in terms of how it is interlinks with intelligence is a very solid concept to base your personal definition on. Furthermore it is commendable how the line between creativity and intelligence is firmly drawn by stating that not everything intelligent is necessarily functional and good. Putting all the right measures of intelligence, evolution and the environment into a operational definition of creativity is no easy feat. However the writ er has done a commendable job in linking the theory with their own personal definition ‘creativity can be defined as and ability to produce something new and original that is also purposeful and good’. The example being that of preparing an organic garden with time being the critical constraint is well defined with the number of creative solutions provided highly practical. With the best possible creative solution being that of the idea of giving up my beloved garden, and looking

Human Resource Information System Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Information System Essay The function of human resources (HR) departments is generally administrative and common to all organizations. Organizations may have formalized selection, evaluation, and payroll processes. Efficient and effective management of Human Capital progressed to an increasingly imperative and complex process. The HR function consists of tracking existing employee data which traditionally includes personal histories, skills, capabilities, accomplishments and salary. To reduce the manual workload of these administrative activities, organizations began to electronically automate many of these processes by introducing specialized human resource management systems. HR executives rely on internal or external IT professionals to develop and maintain an integrated HRMS. Before the client–server architecture evolved in the late 1980s, many HR automation processes were relegated to mainframe computers that could handle large amounts of data transactions. In consequence of the high capital investment necessary to buy or program proprietary software, these internally developed HRMS were limited to organizations that possessed a large amount of capital. Raija and Hlonen (2009) described the role of information systems in the process of combining district organizations which use information system in financial administration, HRM and social welfare. They explored the role of IS in decision-making in public sector. The lack of inter-opera ability between legacy systems and new information systems was perceived as a huge problem. In the present situation of our economy, most of the companies used manual system in their company, also some are using computerized system which lessen the expenses and saves time. An effective and well-designed Human Resource Information System shall make it easier to manage record, update files and retrieve records in Employee records. Confidentially, accuracy and integrity are maintained. The use of computer enables user to minimize efforts to do a certain job or action nowadays. When the Information Technology emerged, it gave a great impact when it comes to business problems especially when it comes to data entry accuracy, managing data’s and retrievals. Dr. Karishna Meena (2010) identified the various functional areas to which ICT is deployed for information administration in Higher Education institutions. Current level of usage indicates a clear integration of ICT for managerial or information based administration in higher education institutes. Matthew Douglas (2009) analyzed that nature of developing IS in any organization is characterized by multi dimensional and often messy problems, involving technical organizations and personal dimensions. David et al(2010) analyzed the main traits of efficient firms and the main sources of firm’s efficiency through samples of catalan firms. Firms efficiency shows a significant improvement when advanced ICT uses are combined with human resource practices, Dileep (2010) indicate that HRIS is an integration of HRM and information systems. HRIs helps HR managers perform HR functions in a more effective and systematic way using technology. HRIs system usually a part of the organization’s larger management information system which would include accounting, production and marketing functions. Ikhlas Zaid (2010) indicate that the quick response and access to information were the main benefits of HRIS implementation. They also identified the cultural and financial barriers to the implementation of HRIS. Kristine David (2010) identified the implementations or upgradation of HRIS has been undertaken with the aim of utilizing HRM functions.. Barriers also associated with the acceptance of new or upgraded HRIS.HRIS play an important role in shaping user perception and behavior. The addition of information technology to the human resource industry has revolutionized the contemporary workplace. HR professionals now have an increased capacity not only to gather information, but also to store and retrieve it in a timely and effective manner. This has not only increased the efficiency of the organization but also the effectiveness of management functions. New technology has also created opportunities for higher levels of stress for younger and older workers alike (Mujtaba, Afza, and Habib, N. (2011), unethical temptations and behaviors (Mujtaba, 2011), and opportunities for better leadership practices (Mujtaba and Afza, 2011). After delivering our suggestions for the Customer Appreciation Program, Kudler has asked us to evaluate the Human Resource Department, to see what changes need to made, to make the process better and smoother. Before making suggestions, we have to analyze their current setup. The Human Resources Department is a valuable department, so we want to assure that Kudler’s is running smoothly and efficiently. Kudler’s current HR Department is setup in the following manner: they use Quick Books and outsourced their payroll to Intuit. Intuit tracks all the following information for each employee. They track the employee’s personal information, pay rate, tax exemptions, hire date, seniority date, and organizational information. Changes to any of this information, can only be change by submitting a special form in writing by the employee’s supervisor and entered by the accounting clerk. The accounting clerk also keeps a file with the appropriate tax forms for each employee and all changes to employee data. The employees turn in manual time sheets weekly, which are approved by the store manager. The time sheets are then faxed to accounting, where they are entered for payroll. All changes have to be approved by the direct supervisor and store manager. Each store manager is responsible for keeping the files of their employees. They are kept in a locked file and include the following information: job application or resume, performance reviews, I-9 forms, and any disciplinary memos or performance management issues. The managers are also responsible for tracking any time off, which includes vacations.

Agency Theory Accounting practices

Agency Theory Accounting practices Agency theory the contribution of agency theory to the development of current accounting practices Introduction The aim of this report is to develop a relationship between agency theory and the existing practices of accountancy. In the report, the problem of agent-principal will be described with the main consequences for business-related relationship. After identifying the problem, the accountancy practices will be linked to the issues addressed in model that will be explained. The report will look at a case study related to agency theories and its affects within accounting practices. Finally it will show the ways the accountancy practices meet the problems raised by the agent-principal relationships. The agency theory is a mixture of the relationships between principals and agents, it occurs when principal and the agents create a delegation (Donaldson, L. Davis, J.H., June 1991). Berle and Means 1932 stated that the Agency theory argues that in modern corporation, where share ownership is widely held, managerial actions depart from those required to maximise the shareholders return, this was also backed up by Pratt and Zeckhauser in 1985. According to Jensen and Meckling, 1976, In Agency theory terms, the owners are principals and the managers are agents and there is an Agency loss which is the extent to which returns to the residual claimants, the owners, fall below what they would be if the principals, and the owners, exercised direct control of the corporation (Donaldson, L. Davis, J.H., June 1991). The long term strategies for agency theory include the principle of company, business, franchise, etc providing incentives such as increasing commission, continuing to provide advertising, training and motivation to increase outlet operations. To argue this Carney and Gedajlovic stated that regarding of the exogenous factor, outlet managers have an incentive to shirk and misrepresent their abilities because the firm is hard to differentiate the managers performance behavior (Mathieu, 1997), While the short-term strategies include balancing supply with demand at the shortest turn around time. Agency theory tends to impact business decisions by focusing on establishing incentives as mentioned in the long-term strategies above. However, it may be very costly and may create moral hazards if top management tries to over maximise profits for themselves instead of for the employees. The cost to manage and monitor transactions can affect both the domestic and global financial managers due to the strategy becoming very expensive; nevertheless this strategy can have the negative impact upon the organisations survival. Conflicts of agency theory There is a conflict between principals and agents (shareholders and managers) that can potentially have a devastating business consequence. The cost of monitoring efforts, measuring results and opportunities lost can be substantial. Incentives and disincentives may not result in wanted outcome, when businesses should scan their environment constantly to seek opportunities to meet the interest of their own stakeholders. Agency theory is a small entity of financial economics that looks at conflicts of interest between people that have different interests for the same assets, this means that their will always be constant conflicts between: shareholders managers and shareholders bond holders. These are the reason why organisations make constant acquisitions that tend to be bad for the shareholder, why convertible bonds are preferably used while normal bonds are often sold with warrants and finally shows the importance of capital structures. According to Eisenhardt (1989a), agency theory is devoted to the solution of two problems that can arise from agency relationships. The first problem is goal related and arises when: i) there is a conflict between the goals of the principal and the agent; and ii) the verification of the agents behaviour is difficult or expensive to be verified by the principal. The second problem is risk-related. If the agent and the principal have different attitudes towards risk, it is likely that both will behave differently and in accordance to their risk preferences. Identifying conflicting positions between any two agents and explaining the governance mechanisms underlying these relationships (that limit the agents behaviour) is known as the Positivist agency theory (Eisenhardt, 1989a). A different position is found in the principal-agent research (as opposed to the positivistic agency theory) and relies on a more mathematical and abstract approach to the problem. Although in different perspectives, these two approaches can be complementary as it can be seen in the quotation below (Eisenhardt, 1998a: 60): â€Å"Rather, the important point is that the two streams are complementary: Positivistic theory identifies various contract alternatives, and the principal-agent theory indicates which contract is the most efficient under varying levels of outcome uncertainty, risk aversion, information, and other variables†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Problems of agency theory The major popularity of the application of the agency theory to the relationship between shareholders and the board if directors produced a vast amount of research devoted to this issue. In fact, this phenomenon relates to those cases in which ownership and management are represented by different individuals. Being each individual maximising its utility leads to the existence conflicting positions between the agent and the principal. This became the main focus of research, and justifies the need of such an agency theory. This problematic is in the basis of the role of agent theory in the accountancy practices. According to Bricker and Chandar (1998: 488-489): â€Å"Contracts between shareholders and managers are written in order to reduce agency cost, and thereby, the dead weight loss in firm value as a result of the separation of ownership from control. Accounting is considered to play an important role as an integral part of the contracts that define a firm. For example, lending arrangements between a firm and its creditors often contain several accounting based covenants. Accounting-based bonus plans are frequently a component of executive compensation plans. Accounting measures are commonly used in the performance evaluation of a firms cost and profit centers. Watts and Zimmerman argue [1986, p. 196]: if accounting is an important part of the firms contracting process and agency costs (and hence, firm value and/or managers compensation) vary with different contracts, accounting procedures have the potential to affect firm value and/or the managers compensation. This rationale has given rise to several hypotheses regarding the role of accounting information in market valuation of firms and managers use of accounting discretion.† The table presented below summarises some of the key issues associated with agency theory and relates them to several assumptions of different nature: Key idea Principal agent relationship should reflect efficient organisation of information and risk-bearing costs Unit of analysis Contract between principal and agent Human assumptions Self interest Bounded rationality Risk aversion Organisational assumptions Partial goal conflict among participants Efficiency as the effectiveness criterion Information asymmetry between principal and agent Information assumptions Information as purchasable commodity Contracting problems Agency (moral hazard and adverse selection) Risk sharing Problem domain Relationships in which the principal and agent have partially differing goals and risk preferences (e.g. compensation, regulation. Leadership, impression management, whistle-blowing, vertical integration, transfer pricing) Table 1: Agency theory overview Source: Eisenhardt (1989a) Development of agency theory Agency cost is a major problem with organisation and with constant fraud cases that are growing around the world their needed to be major development of the theory in accounting practices. A way of developing the theory is to minimise agency costs that can be accomplished through communications, sharing risks and benefits and seeking to balance the scorecards. The theory has developed by establishing performance standards, using cost effective processes, cost management tools and incentives have all helped the problem of managing agency problems. Accountancy provides information to base future decisions on historical performances. Providing accurate information about costs it is possible to predict the result of future production. This perspective is particularly important in the case of, for example, government contracts, in which an agent- principal relationship is also established. For example, Reichelstein (1992) draws upon the agency models to explain government contracts, showing how agency theory can be used to design incentive contracts, and demonstrating that the agency models have actually influenced managerial economics. A different perspective is that accounting provides an opportunity of control from the agent over the principal. In this respect, the insights about the relationship between the shareholders and management were particularly important in demonstrating the role of accountancy as key information provider. To that extent, it was suggested that accountancy reporting is a result of the separation of ownership from management phenomena. Hence, it can be argued that the reporting practice is a result of the agent problem and serves the control needed to verify the agents performance. Another perspective was the budget development based on historical accounts. Contracts usually include a price for production which has not taken place yet. The pricing of these contracts has to be based on historical costs that can only be provided by accountancy. To that extent, accountancy practice is not a result of the agent-principal problem but is originated to avoid uncertainty in principal-agent relationships. case realted study to agency theory Taking a prime example of Enron and its relationship with accounting practices clearly show the affects of agency theory within an accounting practice can affect organisations. The collapse of Enron was entirely related to the accounting practices adopted by the company. It has a number of these questionable, and in some cases straight out fraudulent, accounting practices that pertained to the most dramatic collapse of a major company in years. An analysis of some of these accounting practices brings to light the problems with the use of concepts such as mark-to-market accounting and the use of special purpose entitys (SPEs), the interrelation of agency theory suggests that the basic ideals surrounding agency theory applied to the Enron Case at some point in time, however the continuation of this principal deteriorated as time went on. The agency theory was clearly an issue in Enrons case because the managers of the firm were transferring wealth from the shareholders to themselves in the form of stock performance. Not only were there the Shareholders to Management agency problem there was also an employer to employee agency problem. With regard to the shareholder to management problem, the shareholders had placed a large amount of decision-making capability onto the management team and had not successfully monitored the agents behaviour. Given that the managers had all come to Enron with a strong reputation, it was expected that they â€Å"would act in the interest of the shareholders. [As such the shareholders] had monitored the managers performance very little† (Godfrey et al, 2008). As a shareholder, it would have been in the best interests to implement monitoring costs to â€Å"measure, observe and control† Schillings behaviour. Unfortunately this would not have been enough. The introduction of Fa stow, described as â€Å"a genius† in a number of sources, allowed for the performance of Enron to appear strong even in dire times. The use of SPEs and mark-to-market accounting allowed for the â€Å"reduction of monitoring costs by incurring bonding costs [in the form of quarterly statements]† that allowed Enron to perform better than it appeared. Another point that links is that the agency theory is the â€Å"the principal will remunerate the agent according to the principals expectations of how much the agents behaviour is likely to be contrary to the principals interests† (Godfrey et al, 2008). Given that managers of Enron were all major shareholders of the company the focus was on driving the share price up which was done by a process called â€Å"pump and dump; this process involved buying up the share price and then selling out† (Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room) this allowed the directors to maintain high remuneration because they were achieving high share prices for the principals and also allowed them to gain from share price rises before selling out at the top. Finally, the principal-agent relationship that occurs between Skilling and Fastow (CEO of Enron) is that of an employee to employer. This relationship is important because it â€Å"emphasises the importance of the ability to monitor employees work efforts† (Akdere, Azvedo, 2004). Skilling and Ken Lay claim that they were unaware of what Fastow was doing with regards to the financial statements, however, Skilling and Lay were acting as the agents for the shareholders as well as acting as the principals for Fastow. Their involvement in such transactions as the one with LJM were â€Å"not only disclosed to the board at a meeting which took place in 1999, but the board approved of [Fastows] participation, following a recommendation to this effect from the then CEO and Chairman, Ken Lay† (Deakin, Konzelmann, 2004). From this we can clearly see that Lay, Skilling and Fastow were all part of the agency problem that occurred. conclusion This report has shown that several areas of accounting have been affected by the agency theory model. This theory has defiantly had implications in the financial accounting, management accounting and in corporate finance. Nevertheless, the strongest argument that relates to agency theory with accountancy mainly relies in the nature of both, the accounting and agency theory rely on the existence of contracts, these contracts rely at the core of the relationship between agents and the principal. Furthermore agency theorys core role is the risk associated with the relationship whereas accountancy reduces risk by providing information about the agents in action. Additionally reporting previous behaviours of the agent showing that the historical agent has kept the conditions of contract, may provide indications for the principal about the future behaviour of agents; increasing trust levels in the relationship and reducing the risk associated with relations. In conclusion, the current features (and practices) of accountancy meet the agency model problems proving the information to avoid opportunistic behaviours and ensuring that relational contracts are met. Referances Journals Davis, J.H., Schoorman, F.D., Donaldson, L. (1997), Toward a stewardship theory of management, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 22 No.1, pp.20-47. Berle, A. and G. Means, 1932, The Modern Corporation and private property (New York, Maacmillan) Jones, D. R. Butler, J.E, 1992, Managing internal corporation entrepreneurship: an agency theory perspective (Journal of Management) Bricker, R. and Chandar, N. (1998). On Applying Agency Theory in Historical Accounting Research. Business and Economic History 27(2): 486-99 Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989a). Agency Theory: An Assessment and Review, Academy of Management Review, 14 (1): 57-74. Eisenhardt, K.M. (1989b). Agency- and Institutional Theory Explanations: The Case of Retail Sales Compensation. Academy of Management Journal, 31 (3): 488-511. Kaplan, R.S. (1984). The Evolution of Management Accounting. The Accounting Review, LIX(3): 390-402. Reichelstein, S. (1992). Constructing Incentive Schemes for Government Contracts: An Application of Agency Theory. The Accounting Review, 67 (4): 712-731. References for Enron case study: Serwer, Andy. 2002, ‘Dirty Rotten Numbers: Enron has made us shine a light on the books of Americas public companies. Now, if your company carries even a hint of bad accounting, the stock will be savaged, Fortune. Vol 145, i4, p74+. Shleifer, Andrei. 2000, ‘Are Financial Markets Efficient Oxford Scholarship Online Economics and Finance. Pp 1- 5. Akdere, Mesut and Azevedo, Ross. 2004, ‘Organisational Development, Agency Theory, and efficient Contracts: A Research Agenda. Pp2-8. Deakin, Simon and Konzelmann, Suzanne. 2004, ‘Learning From Enron Corporate Governance. Vol 12, pp134-142. Haldeman, Robert G. 2006, ‘Fact, Fiction, and Fair Value Accounting at Enron The CPA Journal. Pp1-10. Thompson, Robert B. 2004, ‘Corporate Governance after Enron. HeinOnline. Pp99-117. Godfrey, Jayne. Hodgson, Allan. Holmes, Scott. Tarca, Ann. 2006. ‘Accounting Theory: Sixth edition. Wiley, Australia. ‘Enron: The Smartest Guys in The room 2005, DVD, Dendy Films. USA. ‘Encarta: Online. Copyright MSN Encarta, 2008, Accessed 15/05/08 from http://encarta.msn.com/media_701610605/the_fall_of_enron_stock.html

Research Paper On The Shinto Religion

Research Paper On The Shinto Religion On every continent of the world, there are groups of people who over centuries have passed on traditions that have been in their families, communities and cultures that define their way of life. The most influential tradition of them all is the religious belief that the group take to heart. One such religion is known as Shinto. The religion is thought to have been introduced between 500 to 2000 BCE on the continent of Asia, and is closely tied to nature, and recognizes the existence of various Kami, nature deities. So we will be looking at the foundations of this religion, how it was formed, and how it is viewed by those who follow its teachings, what is the structure of the religion compared to other religions, and what types of visions the followers seek from the religion. Shinto, as a religion, does not have a defined founder, as the major religions of the world, such as Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. These religions have documented books written specifically for the followers, so that they can read and absorb the message, so that they can fell apart of the religious belief. So where did this religion come from. Historians have studied the origins of Shinto and have come to the conclusion that Shinto, evolved many years ago as an native religion from Japan, and is still being practiced by many Japanese communities today, and it is unique in its attachment to nature, and as such, constitutes the basis of Japanese culture. (John Breen, 2000) Until the relatively recent publication of a series of seminal articles by the historian Kuroda Toshio, the Shinto establishments construction of the Shinto past went unchallenged by specialists writing in Japanese, English and other Western languages. To this day, that construction remains largely unquestioned in non-specialist literature. There is some value, therefore, in a brief rehearsal of both the establishment position and Kurodas incisive critique of it. (John Breen, 2000). According to scholars, Shento is thought to be a religion that has been around for many years. The religion is different from others, because it is not a system of beliefs. In the book Mans Religion by John Noss, he states that It is basically a reverent loyalty to familiar ways of life and familiar placesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is true to say that for the masses in Japan love of country, as in other lands, is a matter of the heart first, and of the doctrinal substance second. (Noss, 1969). The religion is said to not be weighted down with canons of sacred literature, and no explicit code of ethical requirements. The meanings of many of its elaborate rituals are unknown by many who practice them. Historically, individual clans apparently worshiped a particula r deity as their own ancestors. Which included invisible spirits and natural powers, but such worship was localized until the eighth century CE, when the term Shinto came into use to distinguish indigenous Japanese ways from Buddhism and other imported religions. Shinto is different in, its connection to the natural belief, and, is the bases of the Japanese culture. The religions label Shinto was formed from the words shin (divine being, which can be read as kami) and do (way). (Fisher, 2008) Clark B. Offner defines Shinto as the traditional religious practices which originated in Japan and developed mainly among the Japanese people along with the underlying life attitudes and ideology which support such practices. (Offner, 1976) one of the differences of this religion is that it has a free style of belief, and is not so drawn to predispositions as other religions are, they believe the spiritual, kamis are present and take various forms. In Shintakus book; The Way of the Kami, he believes that the belief is in the spiritual world and knowledge that the earth is inhabited by both humans and kami alike. (Shintaku, 2011) In the religion, sin is considered original, but a condition of personal moral development and a connection with the Kamis . According to historians, the oldest recorded usage of Shin-do is in the Nihon-shoki dating to the Emperor Yomei between 552-587, who is said to have believed in the law of Buddhism and revered the way of the kami. The word kami is often translated to god with a small g. This is usually taken as grounds for claiming that the religious culture of the Japanese is polytheistic. The above may be confusing to those who know the Japanese language, because the language has no distinction between singular and plural and although there may be many kami, they all share the same character. Kami thus refers to the essence of many phenomena that the Japanese believed were endowed with an aura of divinity. (Picken, 1994) Shintoism is filled with an inestimable quantity of kami inherited spirits of the people of Japan. Some worshipers have the belief that the deceased become kamis after passing. Shintaku notes in the way of the Kami they live on in the afterlife as special kami. Respect for family has high priority of the people of Japanese culture with roots deep within Shintoism. (Shintaku, 2011) One often told story, is about the sun goddess Amaterasu-o-mi-kami ( glorious goddess who shines in the heavens). The story taken from Shintakus book talks about how the goddess was lured out of hiding by festive sounds, music and dancing. She was hiding because of her disapproval of her siblings actions, and out of the store came symbols that are special to Shinto believers. 1. A mirror (to reflect your true nature and the symbol of Amaterasu -o-mi-Kami). 2. A sword (symbol of power and Susano-o-no-Mikoto) 3. A jewel to represent ones influence over others. (Shintaku, 2011) The place for those who worship the religion of Shinto occurs at any of the many shrines that cover Japan. Even though many people have constructed personal alters around their homes, the main place to worship is at a local shrine. Because Shinto has numerous deities, it is hard to worship all of them. Because of this, many are not worshipped consistently other than the sun goddess. Outside of Tokyo, there is a grand imperial shrine that is dedicated only to Amaterasu. This location is the most sacred in all of Japan for worshipers of Shinto. It is said that this place of worship pre dates Christ. Shinto followers make a pilgrimage to the sacred worship site and pray in the outer court of the facility, one rule when coming to this site to worship, is that non priests and public servants must pray in the outer area because the internal facility is available only to the priests and public servants for worship. The following Shinto prayer faithfully recited during their visit that shows the intertwined spirit and nature that the religion encompasses as presented in Stewarts book the Handbook of Todays Religions; I declare in the great presence of the From-Heaven-shinning-great-deity who sits in Ise. Because the Sovereign great goddess bestows on him the countries of the four quarters over which her glance extends, As far as the limit where Heaven stands up like a wall, As far as the limit where the blue clouds lie away fallen- The blue sea plain as far as the limit whither come the prows of the ships without drying poles or paddles, The ships which continuously crowd on the great sea plain, And the roads which men travel by land, as far as the limit whither come the horses hoofs, with the baggage-cords tied tightly, treading the uneven rocks and tree-roots and standing up continuously in a long path without a break- Making the narrow countries wide and the hilly countries plain, And as it were drawing together the distant countries by throwing many tens of ropes over them, He will pile up the first-fruits like a range of hills in the great presence of the Sovereign great goddess, and will pe acefully enjoy the remainder. (Stewart, 1983) As shown in the prayer, nature and spirit has a very close relationship to the mindset of those who are worshippers. And because the livelihood of the people comes from the natural essence of their surroundings and everything natural, their economy, is an extension of their belief, so it too has a place in the religion as well. As it is said, that the religion is concerned not only with the sacred but also with the secular, all activities necessary for the production of nourishment, clothing and shelter, and the development of culture and giving happiness to the world, has a direct connection with the kami. (Ono, 1962) In order to ask for blessings and enlightenment, worshippers engage in festivals, rites, ceremonies. Some celebrations such as the New Year, a childs birth, puberty, farming, marriages, and ceremonies for new construction are some of the main ones. At the local shrines, regular festivals are held to acknowledge special dates that relates to the worship site and its deities, along with a plethora of blessings ranging from a good harvest, fertility, health, and success of a business. Many shrines use the planetary calendar for traditional ceremonies. Some events on are, the new moon, the first half-moon of the year, the full moon, and the half-moon of the last three months of the year are said to be a sacred period that are known as Hare-no-hi. ke-no-hi are said to refer to the remaining days of a month. Stewarts breaks out the Festivals into three main parts. 1. Kami Mukae, Welcoming the kami. A special welcoming ceremony to invite deities to earth. 2. Shinko The main event, typical ly with the local community parading in the streets or shrines with palanquin, in which the kami are enshrined. 3. Kami Okuni, meaning sending the kami back to their heavenly abodes. Not ending with this ritual, is thought to invite disaster. (Stewart, 1983) Even though the religion of Shinto does not have a formal document to follow, it does have traditions, rituals, temples, and deity(s) as the more known religions. Peace harmony to all life form and nature are the takeaways from this information. The peaceful admiration of nature and all natural things is thought to bring a spiritual feeling of purpose to all, and to give thanks for being apart of what was created by the gods should be worshiped and protected.

Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth :: Movie Film Essays

Mise en Scene in the Film Yellow Earth The Film Yellow Earth uses its own unique style of editing within the frame to portray its aesthetic qualities, which is known as mise en scene. The scene where father is plowing the land with Gu by his side is the best example of mise en scene. This scene is important because of its possession of a unique camera angle, loose framing, and deeper hidden meaning, which contribute to the overall effect of the movie. First and foremost, this scene uses a low angle shot. In the shot the camera tilts the camera upwards while getting a whole shot of father and Gu in the frame while also getting the yellowish hills and sky in it as well. The director uses a low angle shot in order to convey the meaning of how important the land was to the people. If he would of chosen to do a high angle shot it would have denied the reader of viewing the yellowish hills in the background. Those hills are symbolic of the trapping qualities of both fates, nature and society, the core principle of the movie. It was the spectator’s figurative position that was closely tied to the views of father and Gu. Next, Yellow Earth uses editing in the movement through its use of loose framing. In the scene, the characters had full motion. The director used this full motion of father and Gu in order for the viewer to get a glimpse of the actual work that took place. This strenuous manual labor would be grueling for any man. This work showed the viewer that the family was trapped in a life chained to the fields of rural China, a fate that young Cuiqiao wished to escape. Lastly, this scene does a great job by creating a symbolic, underlying meaning of what father actually believed in.

Theme of Carl Sagans The Demon-Haunted World :: Sagan Demon-Haunted World Essays

Theme of The Demon-Haunted World Books that promote pseudoscience are often popular and profitable. Much less marketable are those books which promote skepticism (Nickell 106). The underlying theme in the first part of Carl Sagan's book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark is that there can be overwhelming harmful effects if science is not used as a way to observe that which is not completely understood. This means that people should study everything objectively and let popular beliefs interfere when drawing their conclusions. In the last part of the book Sagan emphasizes that education is a tool which is much too rarely utilized (Sagan 351). Even without stating it directly, Sagan's first theme stands out quite well. It doesn't lurk behind sentences, only occasionally poking its head out, it parades in front the paragraphs saying "look at me!" This is because Sagan's writing is so vivid and potent. He needs only to add a few comments and his examples explain themselves. One the most obvious places this works is when Sagan writes about medicine and its relationship to science. He describes how medicine was making huge advances until the middle ages when a lack of interest in science caused all progression to stop. There was a century where "no advances were made in any field" (Sagan 17). Disease ran rampant. Sagan then writes about how medicine today has all but eliminated many once fatal diseases. Here Sagan doesn't have to states his theme, the message is clear; where would we be without the medical advances brought about by science? When people stopped using science as a tool to look at the world th ere was chaos. In the beginning of the chapter entitled "The Path to Freedom," Sagan chronicles the rise of a young African-American named Frederick Bailey from an illiterate slave in Baltimore to becoming one of the greatest orators of his time. He changed his name to that of a character in Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake, becoming who we know as Frederick Douglas (Sagan 353). This and the chapters after it do wonders to show just how much of a benefit one can get from an education. Sagan really has strong feelings about the power of knowledge. This probably has to do with the fact that he came from a lower middle class family and by working hard has become one of the most respected scientists in the country (Sagan preface).

A Comparison of the Writing Styles of Mary Austin and Willia Cather Essay

Steve rayburn! ! !Every author has his or her own style of writing in the works he or she produces. Two female British authors, Mary Austin and Willia Cather, both have similar but distinct styles of writing.! !Mary Austin wrote a novel called â€Å"Land of Little Rain† that depicts death valley and the surrounding desert. The landscape of the story is no doubt a desert; sand dunes, small shrubs, will grass, blistering heat, scavengers and very little water. Although the desert can be easily described, Austin goes to great lengths to show the relationships between the subtle changes in  the landscape, behavioral patterns of animals, and even the way plant life grows around the landscape. For example, she describes and almost personi? es the way that the dunes are blown up on themselves that eventually form a shield that protect the grasses and shrubs that grow behind the dunes. Austin takes a blunt picture of the landscape and shapes and sharpens it into a ? uid ecosystem. She shows the vibrance of life that exists in the so-called death valley.! !Willia Cather is the author of the novel called â€Å"My Antonia† that follows the path of a boy,  Jim Burden, who moves west and befriends a bohemian family that settles close to his. Jim is a thoughtful, self-aware individual that is very introverted; wandering through the woods and pasture on his horse, his thoughts wandering like he is. Like Austin, Cather uses the landscape to springboard themes and motifs throughout the book, often the scenery being an outward expression of the thoughts and feelings of the characters. For example, the rugged, untamed, potentially dangerous landscape foreshadows the imminent suicide of his friend’s father. The death is also very dangerous because he was the main breadwinner of the family, and without him the family could potentially be trapped in the winds and chill of the landscape themselves. Cather pulls from the scenery but uses it as a garnish rather than the main focus of Austin’s work.! !Although both writers use the landscape to build their stories, they use it very differently. Austin’s story is the landscape, while Cather uses the landscape as an element. The style of both authors have similarities but have distinct differences.

Market Growth and Trends

Growth Rate of the Aircraft Manufacturing IndustryAccording of FAA Aerospace Forecasts, the number of commercial aircrafts is expected to grow from 7,626 in the year 2006 to 11,203 in the year 2020 with an average annual growth rate or 2.8% or 256 aircrafts (FAA Aero space, 2007, p. 14)Trends in the Aircraft manufacturing Industry & Its effects on the industryOf these the number of passenger jets in the mainline carrier fleet, in this period, would on an average increase by an average of 163 aircrafts per year to reach a total of 6,041 in 2020.   The number regional jets has been forecasted to increase on an average by 3.4 %   from 1,687 in 2006 to 2,689 in 2020. The turbo-piston aircraft is however expected to decline from 1056 in 2006 to 1,005 in 2020. The cargo jet aircrafts are projected to increase by 23 aircrafts per year, the narrow-body aircrafts are projected to decline by 4 aircrafts a year, and the wide-body jet fleet i.e. the Airbus A-380 segment is projected to incre ase by more than 37 aircrafts a year. (FAA Aero space, 2007, p. 15)The demand for the business jets have been seen to increase over the past couple of years and this trend is expected to continue in the coming decade. Hence a demand for micro-jets is expected to rise in this period. The year 2005 saw a new type of aircraft â€Å"light sport aircraft†. Looking at the number of aircrafts being registered, the number of this type of aircrafts is projected to rise rapidly. (FAA Aero space, 2007, p. 16)Boeing Company: Key CompetitorsFollowing are they Key Competitors of Boeing:1.Lockheed Martin Corporation – The Company’s aeronautic division manufactures military aircrafts and related technologies. Some of the products of the company are: â€Å"F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-22 air dominance attack and multi-mission combat aircraft, the F-16 multi-role fighter, the C-130J tactical transport aircraft, and the C-5 strategic airlift aircraft† (Yahoo Finance, 20 07, para 1)2.European Aeronautics Defense and Space Company EADS N.V. – EADS has been formed by combing the following companies: The Daimler Chrysler Aerospace or DASA and Aerospace Matra from France, and Construcciones Aeronicas SA or CASA from Spain (Yahoo Finance, 2007, para 1)3.Airbus S.A.S. – This is the world’s #1 commercial aircraft manufacturer. Some of the aircraft manufactured by the company are the A318, A319, A320, A321 of the single aisle type and A300, A310, A330, A340 of the wide body type. (Yahoo Finance, 2007, para 1)4.Northrop Grumman Corp.- The company manufactures various types of aerospace systems for the US Government (Yahoo Finance, 2007, para 1)5.General Dynamic Corp.- The airline division of this company manufactures business-jet aircraft for various clients like private individual, government agencies and corporations (Yahoo Finance, 2007, para 1)6.GE Aviation – The company is world’s largest engine manufacturer for milita ry and commercial airplanes (Yahoo Finance, 2007, para 1)Marketing MixProductThis paper focuses on the Boeing Corporation’s aircraft products. The aircrafts produced by this company are the commercial jet aircrafts for the airline industry. The company manufactures aircrafts for 100-500 passengers. The products of the company include the following aircraft types: 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner.PriceThe pricing strategy that Boeing, when it enters is new market is to use the penetration pricing strategy i.e. use low cost combined with better quality of products. This strategy was immensely successful in making the 737 family a well known name outside the US market. (Cavallone, Cassia, & Zappella, 2007, p. 5)   A strategy that proved to be a failure however was that reduction of prices for the entire fleet at a time, and terming it as a sale. The repercussion of this was. Northrop and EADS captured strong market shares which were previously held by BoeingPlacementAs m entioned above, Boeing has different families of products for different market segment. Each of the family is placed in a different category. For instance 737 is aimed towards smaller and low cost airlines, 747 has a presence with almost every major airline, 767 and 777 are aimed towards airlines flying international and long distance etc.PromotionAircraft manufacturing industry is a B2B business segment. The cost of products is huge while the numbers of products sold are less. The company regularly participates in fairs where its products are displayed. In addition to this the company also participates in indirect marketing by publishing its technical achievements in various technical fests via news and print media.Works CitedOnline ArticlesCavallone M, Cassia F, Zappella C, 2007, International g Mix, 8th October 2007,http://www.unibg.it/dati/corsi/6489/21318-4.%20The%20International%20M-Mix%20-%20Product%20and%20Pricing%20Strategies.pdfWebsitesâ€Å"Commercial Airplanes†, 2 007, Boeing, 8th October 2007,â€Å"FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal years 2007-2020†, 16th March 2007. FAA-USDepartment of Transportation,. 8th October 2007,Pages taken from Yahoo FinanceYahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007, â€Å"Airbus S.A.S Company Profile†. Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,â€Å"European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company EADS N.V. Company Profile†,Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,   Ã¢â‚¬Å"GE Aviation Company Profile â€Å".Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,â€Å"General Dynamics Corp.†, Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,â€Å"Lockheed Martin Corporation†. Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,â€Å"Northrop Grumman Corp.†. Yahoo Finance. 2007. Yahoo Inc. 8th October 2007,