Grapes Essays (679 words) - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl,

Grapes Of Wrath By Steinbeck Explain how the behavior of the Joads shows Steinbeck's view of the responsibility of the individual to society as a whole. Chapter 14 made an interesting point. At one point in the chapter it was stated that a farmer lost his farm. As this man's family picks up their belongings and heads west they meet up with another family dealing with a similar situation. Now these two families share a common bond. A brotherhood is forming. This is the catalyst. No longer is it one farmer saying he lost his land but two farmers united saying they lost their land. Much the same transformation happens to the Joad family ? especially to the characters of Ma, Young Tom, and Rose of Sharon. At the onset of the novel we see the Joad family struggling just to keep their immediate family together. They are focused on just themselves. By the end of this wonderful book we see the Joad family branching out in many different ways to embrace all of mankind as one big family. Ma Joad's main concern at the beginning of the story is her family. She wants to keep the unit together and works diligently to achieve this goal. However, one by one, family members leave the group for various reasons leading to the slow but sure disintegration of the Joad clan. The first to go is Noah; then Grandpa and Grandma die;Connie walks off and leaves Rose of Sharon; Young Tom leaves because he has gotten into trouble again; and Al becomes engaged and decides to go with his fiancee's family. Ma deals with each loss as best she can. As the story progresses, we find Ma Joad becoming more and more concerned with people outside the family unit. She feels the need to share whatever meager food and belongings her family has with other families enduring hardships. She saw the needs of her own family at the beginning of the story and by the end of the novel, she sees the needs of her fellow man. Young Tom appears to be self-centered when he if first introduced. He has just left prison after serving four years for murder. Tom want to enjoy life to the fullest and to be with his family. He is very disturbed to find the family home deserted and almost destroyed. He by this time has reacquainted himself with Jim Casey, an ex-preacher. The more Tom listens to Jim and his views on life, the soul of man, and the fellowship of mankind, the less he focuses on himself and his needs. He then begins to focus on the plight and abuse of the homeless farmers. He starts to realize that in order for the migrant workers to survive and succeed they must unite. He knows that if they band together as one, they can demand that their God-given rights under the constitution be honored. They can begin to gain respect from their fellow man. After Jim is killed, Tom takes up the cause of "his" people. He plans to work with them. Just as Jim taught him, Tom realizes that man is no good alone and that every man's soul is just a piece of a bigger one. Rose of Sharon is totally focused on herself from the beginning. She is pregnant for the first time and in love with her husband so her little world is complete. She constantly bemoans the fact that she needs nutritious food so her baby will be healthy. She is always concerned that what she does or what others do to her will hurt her baby in some way. She is so wrapped up in herself and the baby she is carrying that she does not realize that her family is falling apart. She whines and moans her way through most of the book until her baby is born dead. The death of her child seems to transform her. At the very end of the novel she breast feeds a dying man. To me this is symbolic of drinking from the milk of human kindness. She gives of herself to save another human being. She too is learning about the fellowship of man. In conclusion, as the Joad family seemingly disintegrates, they actually merge in to a larger, more universal family ? the family of man.

75 Synonyms for Cheat, Fraud, or Trickery

75 Synonyms for Cheat, Fraud, or Trickery 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Cheat,† â€Å"Fraud,† or â€Å"Trickery† 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Cheat,† â€Å"Fraud,† or â€Å"Trickery† By Mark Nichol Human beings have developed cheating, fraud, and trickery into such a high art (or, more accurately, a low one) that, in English at least, we’ve created an extensive and colorful vocabulary to describe such activity. Here is an exhaustive but incomplete list of synonyms in noun and/or verb form for cheat, fraud, and trickery. 1. Bamboozle: to deceive or undermine 2. Beat: to cheat 3. Beguile: to deceive or trick (or to lure) 4. Bilk: one who defrauds; to defraud (or evade or frustrate) 5. Bleed: to be the victim of extortion 6. Blind: see subterfuge 7. Bluff: an act of deception or misdirection; or to undertake such an act 8. Buffalo: to deceive 9. Bunco: a game or scheme designed to cheat someone 10. Burn: to deceive 11. Chicanery: deception 12. Chisel: to engage in unfair practices 13. Chouse: to cheat or trick 14. Con: one who cheats or manipulates, or an act or operation to that end; to cheat or manipulate (from confidence) 15. Cozenage: fraud (the verb form is cozen) 16. Craft: cunning (usually employed in the adjectival form crafty) 17. Crib: a method or device for cheating on a test; to cheat, or to have the habit of cheating, in this manner 18. Diddle: see swindle (verb form only) 19–20. Do (or do in): to cheat 21. Doctor: to alter or modify deceptively 22. Dodge: an act of deceit or a trick; to deceive or trick 23. Dupe: one who fools another, or the act of fooling (as dupery, the act of fooling or the condition of being fooled); to deceive or trick 24. Duplicity: using words or actions to deceive 25. End run: an evasive maneuver or trick 26. Euchre: to cheat or trick (also the name of a card game) 27. Feint: a fake attack or blow intended to distract the target from a real assault; to make such a move 28. Fiddle: see swindle (British English; also, also, to deceive by altering or manipulating) 29. Fix: an act or instance of influencing illegally or improperly; to influence illegally or improperly 30. Fleece: to perpetrate extortion or fraud (or to charge excessively) 31. Flimflam: fraud or deceit; or to subject someone to fraud or deceit 32. Front: an entity ostensibly responsible for something but masking the identity of the entity actually engaging in an endeavor; to act as the masking agent 33. Fudge: to fake or to go beyond the bounds of proper conduct 34. Gammon: deceitful talk; to deceive or fake 35. Gaff: a fraud, trick, or gimmick; to deceive or trick or set up a fraud or trick 36. Gull: one who is easy deceived (the root of gullible); to deceive 37. Gyp: one who cheats or deceives, or an act of cheating or deception; to cheat 38 Have on: to deceive or trick (British English) 39. Hoax: an act of deception, or something intended to deceive; to trick into accepting or believing something false 40. Hose: to cheat or trick 41. Humbug: something intended to deceive, or a deceptive person or attitude (also, nonsense); to deceive 42. Hustle: the act of deception to obtain or sell something; to use deception to obtain or sell something, or to lure others to gamble 43. Jig: a trick 44. Jugglery: deception or trickery; in verb form (juggle), to deceive or trick 45. Legerdemain: to deceive by distraction or misleading (literally, â€Å"sleight of hand†) 46. Mulct: to defraud or obtain by fraud (also, a fine, or to fine) 47. Nobble: to cheat (especially, in British English, by drugging a racehorse) 48. Pluck: see fleece 49. Put on: an act of deception or trickery (the noun form is hyphenated); to deceive or trick 50. Ream: to cheat 51. Rip off: an act of cheating or fraud (the noun form is hyphenated); to cheat or defraud (or to steal or copy) 52. Rook: to defraud 53. Scam: a deceptive or fraudulent act or operation; to deceive or defraud by such action 54. Screw: to extort or trick (also, to pressure or threaten) 55. Shake down: an act of obtaining money deceptively (the noun form is a closed compound); to obtain money deceptively 56. Sham: a trick (also, hypocrisy, or a counterfeit or imitation) 57. Shell game: see thimblerig 58. Short: see shortchange 59. Shortchange: to cheat by giving less than is due, or to cheat in general 60. Skin: see fleece 61. Skulduggery: devious behavior 62. Skunk: to cheat or fail to pay 63. Snooker: to cheat 64. Snow: to deceive (or charm or persuade) 65. Sophistry: argument or reasoning intended to deceive 66. Squeeze: to extort, or obtain by extorting 67. Stick: to cheat or to overcharge or trick into paying more 68. Stiff: to cheat by refusing or failing to pay 69. Sting: an act of cheating or charging excessively; to cheat or charge excessively 70. Subterfuge: trickery to conceal or evade 71. Sucker: one who is easily cheated or deceived; to cheat or deceive 72. Swindle: an act of deception or fraud to obtain something; to obtain something by deceit or fraud 73. Smoke screen: something intended to conceal or deceive 74. Thimblerig: a trick in which a small object is moved among three overturned cups and someone attempts to identify the cup it ends up under, or the person who performs the trick; to cheat this way or in general 75. Wile: a deceitful trick (also, one that is merely clever or playful), or skill in luring or tricking others (in the sense of luring, often plural) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-Efficient10 Techniques for More Precise Writing48 Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids

Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances Essay

Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances - Essay Example This special document, regarded supreme, provides the means by which each of the three branches can resist the incursions of the others. Drawing from a rich background of theories from scholars regarding a systematic order of governance, the framers of the US constitution drew up this basic charter conferring sufficient institutional powers to govern. While aware of the power of the masses, the charter had in it inbuilt safeguards.1 As such, the document withheld the principle of abridging the liberties of the citizenry.  Nevertheless, no one institution was to wield absolute power. Indeed as said by Madison, â€Å"the truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted†¦Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe, there are more abridgement of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power by violent and sudden usurpation†¦The accumulation of all powers; legislative, executive and judicial in the same hands, whether of one, few or many †¦..may just be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.†2 Referring to the works of Montesquieu, Madison alongside many other statesmen convincingly argued for the concept of separation of powers embedded with the safeguards of checks and balances within the three branches of government. The doctrine of separation of powers ingrained in the Constitution provides for the separation of government into three distinct branches; the legislative, executive, and the judicial branches. Each branch has unique responsibilities with functional separate powers. Despite the separation and functional autonomy, each branch was granted the capability to place limits on the powers exercised by the other two branches. In effect, no single agency was granted the power to exercise complete authority, thereby creating a system of interdependency. For purposes of clarity, separation of powers on one hand means that no one branch had the capacity to control the other two arms of government.

Religion And Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religion And Theology - Essay Example For instance, the whites used religion to justify slavery and mistreatment of the slaves while the black population was frustrated by the religion and used aspects of their native religion to make them feel better. Religion has been used for reforms as it provides a basis through which people form their belief systems and consequently affect how they relate to other people. Africans were brought to America by the whites to provide free labor on their plantations. The white Americans mostly used religion to justify slavery and to make their actions acceptable. They quoted verses such as slaves are meant to obey their masters and that the benefits they gave to the black population was much more than the ills. Apologists argued that they provided meals, housing, and even clothing (Pennstate World Campus, 2015). They also felt justified in that religion taught that they are the masters and slaves should always obey their masters. Africans, on the other hand, used religion to uplift themselves and incorporated some of their traditions into Christianity such as voodoo and conjuring. They had secret gatherings that they used to worship in the manner that they are used to. The teachings by Gommes Eannes De Azurara show sympathy for the slaves but still assuaged it by claiming that the lacks benefitted from the exposure to westernization.

Aboriginal Rights (Canada) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aboriginal Rights (Canada) - Essay Example They are separate entity rights in Canada that the aboriginal people have practiced and acclimatized to over time. Historically, the aboriginal rights merely protected the aboriginal people and their status in the society. However, the rights and freedoms accorded to the aboriginal people have taken a new shape in the recent times. The aboriginal people now enjoy more emphasized and cemented rights and freedoms, as do other people in Canada. This paper analyzes the aboriginal rights and freedoms from a political angle in order to determine their application in Canada. Past Application of Aboriginal Rights In the past, the aboriginal rights and privileges in Canada only applied within the borders of the country. Aboriginal politicians defended their countries especially when foreign countries infringed on the rights. Particularly, the aboriginal politicians complained to the international bodies like the United Nations over the imposition of the British crown rules on the aboriginal p eople (Panagos 407). The politicians argued that the aboriginal people were governed by the aboriginal laws hence the imposition of the British crown laws lacked meaningful ground for application. Many aboriginal groups however call upon the government to recognize the aboriginal laws. ... However, the government and colonial masters brought discriminatory pieces to the aboriginal rights hence the aboriginal people faced more discrimination even in the face of the new treaties. On such grounds, the aboriginal people in Canada are resistant to allow the government any point of disrespect to the aboriginal rights. Court Implementation and Application of the Aboriginal Rights In the existence of the aboriginal rights, the court has played a major role in solving disputes and aligning the aboriginal rights among the people. The courts have previously arbitrated the conflicts between the aboriginal politicians and the governmental agencies. According to Ray (400), in the recognition of the aboriginal rights by the government in 1982, the government did not define what these rights were. This brought a lot of confusion over the application and enjoyment of the rights. In a statement during the adoption of the aboriginal rights, the courts attained the power to determine the definition and jurisdiction of the aboriginal rights. In this sense, the courts would determine cases on grounds of whether the aboriginal rights applied to a case or not. The courts have also played a role in the aboriginal rights through the creation of the â€Å"sparrow test† in the case of the 1990 R v Sparrow decision. The case brought two factors into existence as regards the aboriginal rights (Collins 959). First, it defined the extent to which the aboriginal rights could apply and the pieces or parts that could be infringed by the government. The case also confirmed that the aboriginal rights were not absolute because the court, which

The Marketing Strategies Of Kellogg Cornflakes Marketing Essay

The Marketing Strategies Of Kellogg Cornflakes Marketing Essay This is a report on the investigation and evaluation of the marketing strategies adopted by Kellogg Company for the marketing of Kellogg Cornflakes a popular household name among branded breakfast foodstuff. Kellogg cornflake is a cereal product which is highly consumed by children and adults as breakfast foods. Cereals are major popular items at the grocery store. Kellogg Company is a leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavoured snacks, frozen waffles and veggie foods. The report explores the marketing strategies for Kellogg Cornflakes on the basis of the promotional methods and target consumer. It also makes some recommendation for the improvement of these marketing strategies. Marketing is a fundamental aspect of any organisation sustainable competiveness. It is at the heart of the organisation and a key driver of its financial and economy performances. As a result of its importance, organisation defines the best appropriate ways to market the company and its product. Kotler et al (1999, p. 7) notes that todays successful organisation is one that is dedicated to sensing, serving, and the satisfying of the needs of the customers in well-defined markets. Marketing is at the core of this. Marketing is simply the delivery of customer satisfaction at a profit (ibid, p. 7). Therefore, marketing involves the process to identify and satisfy the need of the consumers. These processes are made in several parts, and the main purpose of this short report is to identify, investigate and evaluate this process in regards to Kellogg Cornflakes. In this light, this report will investigate and evaluate the design of Kellogg Cornflakes to satisfy and attend to the needs of the consumer. The consumers as identified are parents and older adults; they represent the main buyer of this product. The transmission of the companys offers to the specific target is therefore very important in the process to meets consumers satisfaction. Specifically, it relates to the identification of target consumer, identification of objectives of the goods (Kellogg Cornflakes), evaluation of media options and identification of best possible media vehicle and the content of the message both in terms of the verbal and visual contents of the message. Therefore, the investigation and evaluation of the marketing strategies for Kellogg Cornflakes would be done on the basis of target consumer and the promotional methods. However, these are simultaneously examined in the context of traditional marketing mix within the customer perspectives of four Cs  [1]à ‚  of marketing. This section followed by recommendations on the best ways Kellogg Company needs to go about marketing Kellogg Cornflakes. It also serves as the conclusion. 3.0 Promotional methods/marketing tools The most noticeable contemporary marketing tool for Kellogg Cornflakes are the company newsletter which incorporates all its product and latest news on each, mass advertising i.e., TV and print media, and direct promotion i.e., coupons. The company is using the right marketing tools through such avenues as newsletter that kept updating the consumer on latest improvement and available offers by Kellogg Company; its television advert in United Kingdom which is based on the sunshine street breakfast and putting the good in good morning and its direct promotion by using coupons which enable consumers to redeem prices. The coupons allow customer to claim box of cereal. This is even made much easier by allowing the customers to claim the free box of cereal coupons on the Kelloggs promotional website (www.freecereal.co.uk). Kelloggs Company promotional methods show that it focus more on its target consumers so as to get in their minds. The company recognises the needs to get in the minds of its customers which are also important towards getting information from the customers. Kellogg Cornflakes is not only appealing in outlook and contents, its promotional offer of free cereal box are also appealing to customers. Therefore, through its coupons Kellogg management is aware of price sensitivity of consumers and gives out coupons that will enable the consumer redeem a free cereal box which is an indirect way of price reduction. The company has also been using the packaging of Kellogg Cornflakes to influence consumer beliefs about the product. Kellogg Cornflakes has colours green, purple and yellow which depict perceptions of green as wellness, natural and organic, purple as creativity and sensitivity and yellow as brightness, happy and uplifting. Colour plays an essential part of business and marketing at b oth strategic and tactical level since it affects consumer emotion and behaviours towards a particular product (Wright 2006, p. 115-116). Kellogg cereal promotional offers such as news and offers from Kellogg i.e., coupons, special offers and promotions, great tasting recipes, nutrition tips, product sneak peeks and getting great saving on their products ensure the company maintain its competitiveness. With its innovative promotional adverts, it is able to strengthening the company market shares and develops more focus organisation. Doyle (2000, p. 1) affirms that in todays rapidly changing environment, a company cannot long maintain market share of profits unless it is innovative. While, keeping abreast of competition in the food industry, it has not in any way compromise it products value. It consistently provides its teeming customers healthy food and as specified on the product packs. However, it is notable that Kellogg Cornflakes promotions are made according to the specification of targeted consumers, in this case mainly children. Therefore it has fancy phrases; fancy labels and pictures specifically to attract c hildren who as earlier stated are the highest consumer of cereals. 3.1 Target Consumer The target consumers for Kellogg Cornflakes are children. Therefore, this group of consumers should be able to identify Kellogg Cornflakes among the tens of cereal boxes in the grocery stores. Kellogg Company designs Kelloggs Cornflakes is such a way that is very attractive to children. The picture on the park is cork hen head, which is bold enough to attract children attention. Children are assumed to like chickens, it fascinates them. So the pack design with cork head will fascinates children to draw the attention of their parent to buy Kelloggs Cornflakes. It is a visual message that children understand easily. Therefore, for children as the consumer, it is convenience and an easy way to find a product they want as well as ensure their parents purchase it. The ability of a company to identify customers need and wants and design products that meet this need and wants is what Fifield describes as real marketing (2004, p.112). The graphics on the Kellogg Cornflakes box captures the c ustomer convenience and communication as it relates to children. The visual communication content explains how this product is advertised to children. On the part of the parents and older people who eat cornflakes, they are hardly concern about the visual contents of the adverts but rather the real contents in the cereal box. This has to do with the amount of cornflakes inside the box and the nutritional contents. In this regard, they will want to search for cereals that are healthy by looking at their nutrition fact labels. With the nutrition labels boldly inscribed on the side of the box of Kelloggs Cornflakes, the parents/ adults are able to check through the nutrition label, which is certainly to meet the nutrition standard for a healthy living. In essence, the product description as low in saturated fat and cholesterol and contains several vitamins will catch the attraction of this group of consumers. This shapes their perceived value of the product. Kotler and Keller (2006, p. 141) argues that customers estimate which offer will deliver the most perceived value and act on it. Consumers are more educated and informed than ever , and they have the tools to verify companies claims and seek out superior alternatives (Ibid, p.141). Certainly, a parent would not want to buy unhealthy product for the child likewise, an adult would not buy unhealthy foodstuff. By regularly updating the vitamin contents of this product therefore, Kellogg Company ensures that the product meets the changing consumer needs. It also has varieties of this product to satisfy different needs of consumer. This explains the promotional aspect of the marketing mix and where communication really matters. The product dimension shown in nutrition fact label explains what is good about Kellogg Cornflakes that is by providing healthy food with its fat specification near 0 and letting the target consumer aware of it easily. However, the possibility that an adult will not concern itself with the graphics on the Kellogg Cornflakes does not remove the fact that package graphic is very important in strengthening or weakening marketers explicit verbal claims (Bone and France, 2001). For instance, green is often used on a product package, particularly f oodstuffs to denote wellness because consumers associate the colour with fresh, natural and organic (Ibid, p. 468). 4.0 Recommendation Kellogg Company has more or less concentrate on marketing approaches that are meant to influence sale and turnover of the company. It has relegated to the background the need to make consumer happy, not just from the satisfaction derives from the product but also by developing a healthy customer relationships that seeks to secure customer loyalty. As a result of the lack of customer relationship aims at guaranteeing customer loyalty rather that directed mainly at product performance, this study recommends that the company upgrades its Kellogg Kids Club. The Kellogg Kids Club should be sponsor in all major primary school in the country. This club that will be taking place once a month will incorporates beautiful story telling about nutrition and wellness. This will ensure that Kelloggs Cereals are established in the minds of the kids and even if their parents have not been buying the product, the children will persuade them to doing so on the long run. Another important area that needs consideration is in the aspect of newsletter. Certainly, the purpose of a newsletter is to provide the necessary information that consumers need in regard to a product. However, considering that children are the major consumer of Kellogg Cornflakes, there should be a newsletter or children magazine that will covers such aspect on cartoons that children are most interested in. Corey, 1991 and; Kotler 1994 agree that market targeting implies major commitment to satisfying the needs of particular customer groups through the development of specific capability and investment in dedicated resources (Slater and Olson 2001, p. 1056). It should use striking and dramatic graphics that will draw the attention of children to want to read the magazine. Although they are children, the graphic pictures in the magazine should be to convey most of the advertorial messages. Hamilton states that we should never underestimate the readers intelligence but never overestim ate their interests (1996, p. 11). By regularly sending cartoon magazines to children, it will ensure their loyalty to Kellogg through to adulthood. In actual fact, creativity is the heart of new paradigm on customer relationship management, and it those organisations that adopt an effective, well-conceive customer relationship that will succeed in the 21st century (2003, p.3). The Kellogg Kids Club will be an avenue to let children sign up for the magazine and will be dispatch to them via regular mail. Apart from ensuring the loyalty of the children, it will ensure that the company have an encompassing database of its consumer, which is essential for the company to tapped into the value that is locked in that customer base outside of what it currently delivers. Therefore, by focusing on targets and keeping track of children and parents that are committed to Kelloggs line of products, it will be able use the database for future market forecast. This is important for the organisation performance. The fact that kids are central influencing factor on their parent necessitates that Kellogg should consider the location of its print media advert bill boards. Understanding and identifying who has influence on Kellogg Cereal products will enable the company to understand how such group apply their influence and how to turn that into the companys advantage. Therefore, given the impact the children can have on their parents buying decisions, it is essential that Kellogg Cornflakes advertorial be placed around children schools. Outdoor advertising is one of the main marketing tools that Kellogg Company should employ to win the attention of its target consumers. Advertising space is as important as the advert itself as such the adverts must reflect creativity that focuses on children sentiments. Hence, to focus on this sentiments and captures the attention of children, the billboards should be placed close and around children schools. At the same time, such outdoor adverts must reflect the product as affordable, best value for money and meets the standard requires in the industry. There are lots of cereal manufacturing companies and some other major brands that posed threats to Kelloggs share of the market using price competition and product proliferations. As a matter of facts, market competition is heated up in the breakfast cereal market as flat sales and low price are predominant. Simply, there are a lot of cereal boxes out at the grocery store and therefore Kellogg advertisement should focus on what differentiate and makes it product better than others. At the same time, the marketing of Kelloggs cereal product should also reflect optimum customer value through pricing and the contents in the boxes. This should be made clear to the consumer. It is also adviceable to get product catalogues to the customers. A regularly mailed catalogue is a direct way of marketing that can improve the sales volume and assist in customer loyalty base. The customer relationship marketing (CRM) involves a mix of marketing intervention such a direct mail, internet contacts, pe rsonal selling contacts, telephone contacts etc (Rust and Verhoef, 2005). In this way, the children would be able to compel their parents to always buy Kellogg Cornflakes since they will be able to say: mum please let us buy Kellogg, I love it and after all it is not expensive and good for health. 5.0 Conclusion Therefore, Kellogg market share is increasingly been challenged not only by other major brands but also by private label cereals product. Private labels cereals products are often more cheaper compare to the high price of branded cereal product. This underscored the need for Kellogg to have an effective marketing strategy so as to maintain its competitiveness in the industry. As stated by Slater and Olson (2001) marketing strategy is a crucial element that determines an organisation willingness to achieve it set objectives and goals. It is the set of integrated decisions and actions by which an organisation expects to achieve and meet its objectives and the value requirements of its customer (Ibid, p.1056). The study have shown that Kellogg Company concentrate of customer, that is it chooses the 4 Cs of consumer-side marketing by focusing on cost, customer value, consumer and communication. As Saunders et al have stated, relationships with customer is a significant advantage generating resources (2008, p.144). Kellogg Company has thus establishes a brand name not only in the minds of its customer but also in the industry that distinguishes and differentiates its product from those of others in the cereal breakfast markets. Kellogg Cornflakes brand allows allow the consumer to identify their desirable qualities and traits with the product. This enables the customer to have a relationship with the brand and thus they feel complete because of the brand. The company knows its target as well as the people that consume the product (mainly children). It capitalizes on this, and using its marketing approaches its product was able to get in the minds of its customers. Customer can even pay more because of the value they get from the brand since they have been associated with it.

Lying Is the Most Fun You Can Have Essay -- American Government, The B

The propaganda machine set up by the Bush administration channeled many lies concerning the story of Jessica Lynch. The media, in turn, played and replayed her story to excess. These numerous lies were then published in an article by the Washington Post, on which Krakauer remarks that: Thanks largely to details first revealed in this article, as well as dramatic video of the rescue distributed to the media by the Army, Jessica Lynch dominated the news for weeks. The details of the incident provided by military public affairs officers made for an absolutely riveting story that television, radio, and print journalists found irresistible: a petite blond supply clerk from a flea-speck burg in West Virginia is ambushed in Iraq and fearlessly mows down masked Fedayeen terrorists with her M16 until she runs out of ammo, whereupon she is shot, stabbed, captured, tortured, and raped before finally being snatched from her barbaric Iraqi captors during a daring raid by American commandos. (207-208) Krakauer admits that the article expresses there had been no verification of the details relating to Jessica Lynch's story, but this was largely ignored (208). It seems as though the administration was as good at covering their asses as they were at manipulating the public at large. This can be seen in the disclaimer in the article by the Washington Post. The article states that â€Å"Pentagon officials said they had heard â€Å"rumors† of Lynch's heroics but had no confirmation†(qtd. in Krakauer 208). They knew that truth about Jessica Lynch would eventually come through, and as long as the lies had their desired effect; they didn't care. The real story of what happened to Jessica Lynch is much less extreme. As Krakauer emphasize... ...t provided support for the war in Iraq and kept our troops there, the better. As illustrated by Krakauer, â€Å"Bin Laden regarded the invasion of Iraq as a tremendous gift from President Bush―a 'rare and essentially valuable' opportunity to spread jihad† and that â€Å"the American occupation was fueling Muslim rage even more than the invasion of Afghanistan had, inspiring throngs of Arab men to join the ranks for al-Qaeda† (255). The Bush administration's treatment and spinning of the stories of these heroic soldiers into a vehicle of propaganda for their own ends was abhorrent. I feel disgusted at their using of people and lies to maintain their unjust war, and their war must be indeed have been unjust if they had to go to such extremes to support it. It is tragic that the people of the United States and other countries have been subjected to this kind of betrayal.

Evaluation of Canon’s Strategies

Evaluation of Canon’ Strategies The first part of this investigation involves an evaluation of the strategies used by Canon and the key factors for success. In order to being this review, it is first necessary to consider how the company has performed in recent years. Table 1 provided below provides an overall review of the organization’s performance in recent years. The data clearly suggests that Canon has made notable progress toward developing market share, revenues and profitability. In addition to reducing its debt to asset ratio in 2008, the organization also increased its stockholder equity to assert ratio.Table 1: Key Performance Indicators for Canon, 2004-2008 [pic] Data courtesy of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf Other indicators of Canon’s success are provided in Figures 1 and 2 below. These illustrations provide a review of net sales and ROE/ROA for 2003-2007. Figure 1: Net Sales for CanonFigure 2: ROE/ROA for Canon Data courtes y of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf With the realization that Canon has performed so well in recent years, it is pertinent to consider the specific areas which have promulgated success for the organization.A crucial review of the case information provided on the organization suggests that there are a number of pertinent strategy elements which have been pertinent to the success of the organization. In particular the organization has worked to develop a mission and vision which it has incorporated on all levels of its operations. The development of a guiding mission for the organization is essential for success (Henry 2007). Missions provide the foundation for the development of actionable processes which can be used for moving the organization toward specific goals (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008).In addition to developing a mission and vision which provided the organization with a directive for action, Canon also developed a firm strategy focused on at tainable goals for operations. Specifically, the organization set the specific goal of obtaining 30 percent of the world market by the 1980s. Research regarding the current state of achieving this objective suggests that even though Canon has not been able to maintain a 30 percent market share in the industry, it has overcome competitor Xerox to become second only to Hewlett Packard.Figure 3 below provides a review of global market share for companies competing in Canon’s industry. Figure 3: Global Market Share for Canon and Competitors [pic] (Data courtesy of â€Å"Office electronics industry profile,† 2008, p. 12) The focus on a specific goal for the organization has clearly had an impact on outcomes for operations. By using this specific goal for development, Canon has been able to set clear, measurable objectives which can be evaluated by the organization to determine outcomes. Setting measurable goals is an important component of developing a strategic plan for th e organization (Huang, 2009).Measurable goals are viewed as essential to the successful implementation of a strategic plan which provides significant results for the ongoing development of the organization. Another issue which appears to have had notable implications for the successful development of Canon is the use of specific core competencies to ensure the outcomes of operations. In addition to developing a strategic plan which provided clear and measurable objectives, the organization delineated specific core competencies which it has been able to optimize in order to coordinate its strategic objective and achieve its goals.A review of what has been noted regarding the use of core competencies suggests that core competencies can provide the organization with the ability to focus development in particular areas (Zook, 2007). This process, in turn, sets the stage for the development of management practice and shapes how the organization approaches the market and its competitors. Collis and Montgomery (2008) provide a more integral review of core competencies noting the importance of review intended core competencies in the context of the external environment in which an organization competes.As reported by these authors, organizations need to consider the external environment and competitors in developing core competencies. While it is evident that core competencies must meet the internal demands and capabilities of the organization, Collis and Montgomery assert that improper alignment of core competencies in light of competitors and the larger industry in which the organization operates will result in failure of core competencies to be effective. In developing its core competencies, Canon appears to have taken these issues into consideration.The specific outcomes in this area are witnessed by the fact that in the 1970s, Xerox held a majority market share, which it has subsequently lost to Canon. In the 1970s, Canon recognized that the formula for success b eing used by Xerox was not the same formula which it wanted to pursue in the development of its organization. In this context, Canon chose to pursue a different pathway for competitive development; one which enabled the company to synthesize its internal capabilities with the market environment to create a unique competitive advantage against its largest rival.Because of this process of developing particular core competencies for operations, Canon was able to maximize its internal capabilities and use this as a strategic advantage in the marketplace. In summarizing the overall approach used by Canon to develop its strategic plan and subsequent management processes, it seems reasonable to argue that Canon did more than just place words on paper to establish a foundation for the organization. Rather, the organization developed a comprehensive plan for vision, strategy and development which were implemented on every level of the organization’s operations.In addition to delineati ng the larger objectives for the organization, Canon developed all of the intermediate steps that would be needed to achieve these objectives. In doing so, the organization aligned all of its activities toward the achievement of the organization’s overall strategy. The development of strategy in this manner is commensurate with what scholars note about the strategic planning and management processes. Kaplan and Norton (2008) assert that the strategy planning and development processes for the organization often end in failure because of the inability of the organization to effectively execute its strategy.Further, these authors assert that strategy failure is common because of implementation problems which manifest as organizations attempt to make critical connections between strategy objectives and specific outcomes which will be achieved to ensure that objectives are reached. Placing this information into the case of Canon, it becomes evident that these issues did not arise. Rather than struggling to implement, the organization developed to tools and resources needed to effectively ensure that it built a foundation which would enable success.It is this specific process which has enabled the success of Cannon. When strategy development is formulated as more than just specific words on paper the end result is the development of a strategic plan which provides concrete action steps for the organization to take. With these action steps in place, the organization is better poised to control the development of the strategic plan and its implementation (Neilson, Martin & Powers, 2008). This element of control in the strategic planning process has been noted to be an important contributor to the success of strategic implementation.When control is established in the strategic planning process, the organization is able to dictate the specific changes which will occur and respond to outcomes in a manner that is commensurate with the capabilities of the company an d responsive to the specific external environment which will impact the outcomes of operations. What Other Companies Can Learn With a basic review of the success of Canon in the development of its strategy provided, it is now possible to consider what, if anything, can be learned by other companies from this case.In examining the development and outcomes of Canon, it becomes evident that the specific protocols and practices which have been used by the organization to achieve success should not be mimicked by other companies. Even though Canon has been quite successful in its efforts to develop its products and services, the reality is that other companies cannot expect to use the same formula for success and to achieve the same outcomes achieved by Canon. Other companies have attempted to use this approach in the past—i. . Circuit City, K-Mart, etc. Even though mimicking another organization may provide some benefits in the short-term, the reality is that the outcomes achieve d will not provide an organization with a long-term foundation for development. Even though companies examining the case of Canon may not be able to use the same specific tactics employed by the organization, Canon did employ a number of general models for strategic planning and development which could be considered by other organizations.In particular, the development of core competencies for operations is an important tool which other companies could consider for success. An examination of models for the development of core competencies in the organization suggests that companies need to begin with a core strategy for the development of their operations. Once this core strategy has been delineated, it is then possible to articulate specific areas of organizational development by attaching them directly to the core strategy.Figure 4 on the following page provides a generic model of how core competency development for the organization has been conceptualized in for translation of co re competencies into organizational practice. The application of this model to the development of core competency planning for the organization would serve as the foundation for the development of the basic ideas which could then be used for the further development of the organization. Based on the specific core competencies decided upon by the organization, a formal strategic plan for organizational development could be implemented.This plan would need to reflect the development of measurable goals to ensure the overall success of achieving core competencies. Figure 4: Generic Model for Core Competency Planning [pic] Image courtesy of: http://www. ulv. edu/cbpm/business/img/mba_exp_graphic. jpg Once the core competencies for the organization have been delineated, it will then be possible for companies to consider the development of a strategic plan. Examining the specific steps used by Canon, it becomes evident that solid advice for planning and development in this area are provide d in the case.In addition to developing a driving vision and mission, the organization also implemented critical success factors which enabled the organization to formulate goals. The goals were codified in the context of action steps which provided a concrete foundation for the organization to achieve success. All of these issues were supported by the core competencies established by the organization. Figure 4 below provides a review of this process and demonstrates how other organizations could effectively adopt this process to generate success in their strategic planning and management processes.Figure 5: General Strategic Planning Processes [pic] Figure courtesy of: http://www. bottomlineresultsonline. com/images/uploads/StrategicPlan-Graphic_t humb. jpg In the end, the most pertinent lessons that organizations can learn from the Canon case are those related to the development and execution of strategy. Although Canon’s success is due in part to the specific choices that it made, the development and implementation of strategy on every level of the organization’s operations clearly had implications for the success of the company.Other organizations seeking to capitalize on this success should consider the development of core competencies, the evolution of an integrated strategic plan and the development of clearly defined goals for execution which can be measured to ensure progress and outcomes. By following these basic processes, other organizations should be able to create notable success in strategic planning and development. Reference List Canon Annual Report (2007). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. om/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf. Canon Annual Report (2008). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf. Collis, D. J. , & Montgomery, C. A. (2008). Competing on resources. Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 140-150. Henry, A. (2007). Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Huang, H. C. (2009). Design a knowledge-based system for strategic planning: A balanced scorecard perspective. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(1), 209-218. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. , & Whittington, R. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kaplan, R. S. , & Norton, P. (2008). Mastering the management system. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 62-77. Neilson, G. L. , Martin, K. L. , & Powers, E. (2008). The secrets to successful strategy execution. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 60-70. Office electronics industry profile: Global. (2009, March). Datamonitor, 1-32. Zook, C. (2007). Finding your next core business. Harvard Business Review, 85(4), 66-75.

French Gestures ~ Understanding Using French Gestures

French Gestures ~ Understanding Using French Gestures If youve ever been to France or watched French movies, youve undoubtedly seen French people performing some familiar gestures as well as a few unfamiliar ones. While some gestures are vulgar, others are as innocuous as shaking or nodding ones head. In any case, it is as essential to understand this French sign language as it is any vocabulary. These pages include photos, explanations, and register ratings for 45 gestures. Top 10 French Gestures Among the dozens of gestures and facial expressions in these lessons, there are ten that really stand out. French Gestures by Register  (what is register?) Note that some gestures have different names and are thus listed more than once. Normal Informal Familiar Use with anyone Use only with people you tutoie Use only with close friends A peu prs Alors, l Ae, ae Baiser la main Au poil Barrons-nous Cest fini Bises Bisque ! Chut Bof Camembert Jai du nez Bouche cousue a pue On a sommeil Cest nul Cest pas donn Parfait Comme-ci, comme-a Clapet Pardon Dlicieux Coup dans le nez Rptez Faire la bise / le bisou Du fric Se serrer la main Faire la moue Ferme-la ! Silence Gallic shrug Il est cingl Tlphone Je le jure Je men fous Se tourner les pouces Jen ai ras le bol Mon il ! Un, deux, trois Sen jeter un derrire la cravate On se tire Magnifique Pied de nez Motus et bouche cousue Que dalle ! La moue Quelle barbe ! Nul Verre dans le nez On boit Passer sous le nez Poil dans la main Quest-ce quil chante, l ? Vulgar - Offensive Ras-le-bol Use with extreme care Rien Le bras dhonneur Shrug Cocu Sous le nez Va te faire foutre Victoire Zro

Free Essays on Immigration In Canada

Immigration Immigration is a worldwide phenomenon. Canada is an increasingly ethnically diverse country. Canada’s reflection of ethnic diversity is due to the increasing flow of immigration. The vast majority of Canadians are born in Canada, and most of them are from European descent. Close to, half of all immigrants that came to Canada between 1991 and 1996 reveal a first language other than French or English. During this time, many immigrants came from Asia and the Middle East. It’s been reported that 29 percent of Canadians have more than one ethnic origin. Native peoples make up about 3 percent and blacks about 2 percent of the population. Canada has an open immigration program that accepts newcomers approximately from every other country in the world. The estimated population in 2002 was 31,902,268. Immigration is important in maintaining Canada’s population. The current childbearing generation has smaller families than earlier generations: the fertility rate is 1.6, less than the population replacement rate of 2.1. At the same time, older people are living longer, so that the average age of the population is higher. In 2002, Canada’s rate of natural increase was 0.36 percent, resulting from a birth rate of 11.1 per 1,000 persons and a death rate of 7.5 per 1,000. There is a downward trend in the birth index- in 1981, it was 15.3- and the likely result will be zero growth or population loss. For this reason the Canadian government in the 1980’s decided to balance the low birth rate by allowing more immigration into the country. The way immigrants adjust to life in Canada has much to do with the reason why they came here. Most modern immigrants are motivated to relocate far from their homelands by the desire to improve their and their family’s lives. Such people are known as economic immigrants. They r... Free Essays on Immigration In Canada Free Essays on Immigration In Canada Immigration Immigration is a worldwide phenomenon. Canada is an increasingly ethnically diverse country. Canada’s reflection of ethnic diversity is due to the increasing flow of immigration. The vast majority of Canadians are born in Canada, and most of them are from European descent. Close to, half of all immigrants that came to Canada between 1991 and 1996 reveal a first language other than French or English. During this time, many immigrants came from Asia and the Middle East. It’s been reported that 29 percent of Canadians have more than one ethnic origin. Native peoples make up about 3 percent and blacks about 2 percent of the population. Canada has an open immigration program that accepts newcomers approximately from every other country in the world. The estimated population in 2002 was 31,902,268. Immigration is important in maintaining Canada’s population. The current childbearing generation has smaller families than earlier generations: the fertility rate is 1.6, less than the population replacement rate of 2.1. At the same time, older people are living longer, so that the average age of the population is higher. In 2002, Canada’s rate of natural increase was 0.36 percent, resulting from a birth rate of 11.1 per 1,000 persons and a death rate of 7.5 per 1,000. There is a downward trend in the birth index- in 1981, it was 15.3- and the likely result will be zero growth or population loss. For this reason the Canadian government in the 1980’s decided to balance the low birth rate by allowing more immigration into the country. The way immigrants adjust to life in Canada has much to do with the reason why they came here. Most modern immigrants are motivated to relocate far from their homelands by the desire to improve their and their family’s lives. Such people are known as economic immigrants. They r...

Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac Essay

Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac - Essay Example and advice which altogether serve as a vehicle to improve a poor man’s economy and to realize how one’s wise utilization of frugal and industrious efforts and good perception of time may remedy deep situations of crisis among the impoverished and uneducated. Franklin even made it a point to equip his composition of Richard Saunders with proverbial sentences to teach poor people the simple yet practical means to procure wealth. Through â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanac†, I think that Franklin desires for the people to achieve the heart of enlightenment and understand that love for wisdom, despite economic depression, can be a huge source of relief. To him, it occurs as though heavy taxes imposed by the government were not the ultimate cause of severe poverty in men, rather idleness which kept them from improving the quality of life. On further reading, it may be recognized as truly expressing sentiments that reflect an emerging American culture for which Franklin seeks to establish a purpose of comprehending that while the government should be held responsible herein, American people ought to have a more profound sense of accountability for

Head Start Early Education Program Annotated Bibliography

Head Start Early Education Program - Annotated Bibliography Example Educational development is both a short-and long-term goal. As noted by Sciarra et al. (2015), the program serves the at-risk preschool-age children. To ensure its continuity, funds are provided by the federal government through the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. The transition from preschool to elementary school results in varied changes in the development of the child such as the need for children to engage successfully with their peers outside the home and adjust the space and requirements of the classroom. To that effect, the McWayne et al (2012) discuss how the Head Start Early Education Program is designed to develop strong family relationships, improve the children’s educational performance, and design an environment to develop strong cognitive skills. Deming (2009) asserts that the Head Start Educational program is among the longest-running programs in America that attempt to address systematic poverty and improve educational performance. It is equally important to note that the ABCD Head Start program is at the forefront of cutting-edge work in early education. The program helps the children develop their brain (Action for Boston Community Development, 2015). Lee (2011) illustrates the effect of the duration of Head Start enrollment on the academic outcomes of children. The study reported that the program improved performance. Furthermore, the article by Besharov and Call (2009) critique the program outlining its weaknesses. The article provided crucial information on elements of the policy that require reform. Lee, K. (2011). "Impacts of the duration of Head Start enrollment on childrens academic outcomes: Moderation effects of family risk factors and earlier outcomes." Journal of Community Psychology 39 (6),