Gabriel Oak Essay Example for Free

Gabriel Oak Essay The minor character in the novel, such as the farm labourers and Bathshebas maids, although appearing to be insignificant and unimportant actually have influential and crucial roles to play in the novel. They provide the story with many aspects which help move the plot forward whilst bringing authenticity, humour and personal views to the tale. Undeniably the most important minor character is Liddy, she provides the reader with large amounts of valuable information concerning the personalities of Bathsheba from the conversations they hold. This is mainly due to the close relationship between the two, Liddy being Bathshebas maid. As a result, the characteristics of the latter are shown, not through narration which would be too crude and observable for Hardys style, but through conversations between the two. By using this method Hardy can exercise his trademark subtlety and let the audience come to their own conclusions concerning Bathsheba, that of which Hardy originally intended. A good example of this technique where by using Liddy as a medium in which the characteristics of Bathsheba are fed to the reader is at the beginning of the novel where we first come into contact with Bathshebas excessive vanity. The following quote was from a conversation between the two women on the subject of Oaks proposal: HHHHHHHHHHHHsad A man wanted to once, she said, in a highly experienced voice How nice it must seem! said Liddy, with the fixed features of mental realization. And you wouldnt have him? He wasnt quite good enough for me. Although Liddys main role is to provide the reader with the characteristics of Bathsheba, she has also serves the purpose of moving the plot along. In fact, one of the most essential developments in the story was sparked by a comment from Liddy, the decision to send Boldwood the Valentine card which later lead to his complete psychological breakdown: What fun it would be to send it to the stupid old Boldwood, and how he would wonder! said the irrepressible Liddy. Besides Liddy there are also many other minor characters that play important and influential roles in providing the story with the ingredients that contribute to making the whole book an attractive read. One of the most major roles that they play is their comments on the main characters and actions which take place. This was Hardys method of relaying information that have not been directly covered in the narration to the readers. The mindless chat of the labourers and maids provide us with essential gossip on the actions of the main characters but also they provide the audience their own views on the subject in hand. By giving the reader views from characters in the book, Hardy knew that this would inspire our own thinking upon the subject and they for us to form our own judgements. From those judgements, the majority of the reader will come to the same conclusion, that of which Hardy originally intended. Due to the predictions that the reader will be subconsciously making whilst all this information is relayed to them it creates an air of suspense as one waits to see if their prediction was correct. An example of this can be seen when Gabriel Oak first arrives in Weatherbury and is told about the story of the stealing balif by the rustics: As to shepherd, there, Im sure misess ought to have made ye her baily-such a fitting man fort as you be. This comment by Joseph Poorgrass makes the reader wonder if Bathsheba will indeed employ Oak as her balif. And automatically the audience moves to the question of whether Oak and Bathsheba will actually develop a relationship should Oak work for her. This is Hardys technique of ensuring interest from the audience, by using the comments of the rustics he is able to create curiosity and suspense in the story. Another example of Hardys style of parallels of what is to happen comes from a conversation Liddy and Boldwood hold after the town hears of the death of Troy: My mistress certainly did once say, though not seriously, that she supposed she might marry again at the end of seven years from last year. Reading this remark once again sparks the interest of the readers drawing them to the question: will Bathsheba marry again at the end of the seven years and if so who? Boldwood or Oak? However, despite the subtle intention of drawing attention from the readers the rustics also have a more basic objective of providing the reader of more understanding of the characters and the events. Especially, we learn more detail regarding the past of the main characters which gives us a more comprehensive understanding of the saga as a whole. In addition, from this knowledge more accurate pre conceptions are made and leads back to the point I suggested previously on the topic of drawing interest. We learn that Boldwood has had madness in his family and therefore gain a more perceptive insight into Boldwoods passion and obsession: Oh Coggan, said Troy, as if inspired by a recollection, do you know if insanity has ever appeared in Mr.Boldwoods family? Jan reflected for a moment.

Change Management in Nursing

Change Management in Nursing A health care setting institution with advanced health technology and high calibers doesnt mean quality nursing care can be offered, unless accompanying with effective clinical leadership. This essay has a strong focus on all aspects of clinical leadership. A case will be used to find out how should effective leadership skill be. Both internal and external factors should be analysed. The latter factors can be found out by PESTEL. Change management is helpful to develop strategies for handling the issue. In recommendations, teamwork, power, communication and presentation skills, conflict management, emotional intelligence and autocratic leadership style all are crucial to solve the issue and a clinician should equip with them. Before concluding all the discussion, training myself as a reflective practitioner is helpful to develop my future practice. Clinical leadership- What is this? It has various definitions. Harper (1995, p.81) defines a clinical leader as one who possesses clinical expertise in specialty practice area and who uses interpersonal skills to enable nurses and other healthcare providers to deliver quality patient care. More elaborately, it also involves an environment where nurses are empowered and where there is a vision for the future. Clinical leadership requires leadership skills for team building, confidence and respect of others, as well as vision and empowerment. Equally important, clinical leaders must also be good communicators. Meanwhile, Stanley (2006) suggests not only the abovementioned elements clinical leaders have to demonstrate, but also the followings- approachable and role model. Approachable means a clinical leader should be friendly and openness rather than controlling and dictatorial (Stanley, 2006). Role model means clinical leader who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by other nurses (Stanley, 2006). To summ arise the above elements, clinical leadership is effective if clinical leaders are expert in their field, and because they are approachable, effective communicators and empowered, are able to become a role model, motivating other nurses by matching their values and beliefs about nursing and care to their practice (Stanley, 2006). Leadership is important in healthcare today. In Hong Kong, Hospital Authority emphasises any potential or experienced leaders should be educated and trained. Enhancing professional competencies and building up effective leadership is the top priority. In action, providing simulation skill-based training for nurses; developing new in-house specialty training programs for nurses; offering corporate scholarship for overseas training; creating full-time executive development positions; organising senior executive development program and other leadership development all are beneficial to nurture competent clinical leaders (Hospital Authority annual plan, 2010). Case scenario This short paragraph is going to describe a case I experienced at my area of practice. Having been a senior nurse at my workplace, I am mainly responsible for nursing administration, such as arranging vacation leave for my colleagues. One day, one of my subordinates requested annual leave during the Chinese Lunar New Year as she hasnt been a long vacation leave during the festival for a few years. Her request was simply rejected because of compelling reason- inadequate manpower. I think it was reasonable to reject her request. However, the colleague had seemed disappointed my decision and complained this incident to my senior. It is time for me to contemplate which aspect, for example, communication and interpersonal skills or poor decision making, which I was doing wrong in this leadership issue. In short, there might be conflict issues between the subordinate and senior. Analysis There are many external factors which affecting the leadership issue. It is important to reveal them so as to maximize the opportunities and minimize the threats to my work environment. PESTEL is an analytical tool to help decision-maker to consider what external factors are important. Political, economic, social, technological, ethical and legal factors or PESTEL factors in short should be discovered. The following grid shows the analysis: Any inequality legislation committed due to subordinates request being rejected A lot of alternative nursing employment may contribute staff submitted resignation Staff social life may be affected due to imbalance work and social time Outdated IT equipments impede work flow and efficiency Unfair to the subordinate or not, lack of respect as her wish is rejected Take precaution of any changes in employees holidays policy/protocol Having listed the key factor in each PESTEL area, elaboration will be given regarding to individual area. Political factor can be interpreted as what is happening politically in the environment in which a decision-maker operates (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should pay attention that any inequality ordinance may be committed, for subordinates request for holidays during public holidays is refused. Economic factor can be interpreted as what is happening within the economy (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should take notice on every decision. Careless decision may incur angry healthcare staff submitted resignation, for there are a lot of nursing vacancies offered by other clinics, hospitals and old age homes. Social factor can be interpreted as what is occurring socially in an environment in which a decision-maker operates (Mennen, 2007). Having vacation leave during special festival is a reasonable desire for all shift-based healthcare staff. A decision-maker may be in dilemma whos e staff can have vacation leave as manpower is so tight. Technological factor can be interpreted as what is happening in technology which can impact what a decision-maker does (Mennen, 2007). In this regard, outdated healthcare technology can affect the leadership issue also. Inefficacy may be caused by the outdated equipment results time-consuming in a simple procedure, such as preparing a roster for frontline staff. Ethical factor can be interpreted as what is right or wrong philosophically (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should underscore any decided judgment should be morally acceptable, such as frontline staffs request should be fairly arranged. Prejudice and bias should be avoided. Legal factor can be interpreted as what is happening with changes to legislation (Mennen, 2007). A decision-maker should update his/her understanding in any staff vacation leave protocol or policy in order to maintain the staff maximum benefit. To make a brief summary, PESTEL can enable an organiza tion to anticipate future threats and take action to escape from their impact. Change management The term-change management is coined by Lewin (1951).Change management model is known as unfreeze, change and refreeze (Mind Tools Ltd, 2010). Change is unavoidable of something is needed to be amended. This paragraph is going to explore how the change management model can be applied in the clinical issue. Before application, force field analysis should be performed. The analysis starts from the premise that any situation is held in a stable position by a series of equal and opposite forces. Change occurs about when the forces become out of balance. The analysis is useful when a decision-maker knows where he/she wants to go but is stuck. The following shows the analysis: Restraining forces forces Pushing forces Maintaining adequate manpower is the top priority Staff discontents the holiday during the Chinese New Year Poor mood and low work efficiency due to no holidays during the special festival Power and discipline are paramount to uphold better patient services/benefit Involved staff politicizes the issue (i.e. complaint the issue to management level) Frontline staff is an important asset in caring-demand work environment To execute change, pushing forces must be greater than restricting forces and the need for change has been recognized. In application of the Lewin (1951) model, the first step should prepare the organization to accept that change is necessary, which involves break down the existing status quo before building up a new way for the next stage (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, ensuring there is strong support from management team. Compelling message should be disseminated vacation leave during special festival is possible if manpower is enough. Maintaining stable manpower is essential to provide quality nursing care. At the same time, managerial staff should remain open to subordinates concerns and address in terms of the need to change. The second stage is where people begin to resolve their uncertainty and look for new ways to do things. People start to believe and act in ways that support the new direction (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, effective communication and empowerment are significant. More clearly, managerial staff should prepare every staff for what is happening if staff requests annual leave during special festival. Also, explanations exactly by the managerial staff how the changes will affect every staff. The third stage is when the change (i.e. no one is approval for vacation leave during special festival unless manpower is allowed) is taking shape and subordinates have embraced the new ways of protocol, the organization is ready to refreeze (Paton McCalman, 2008). In practical step, the organisation should anchor the changes into the culture. Establishing feedback system is helpful to sustain the change. Having vacation leave immediately after special festival is encouraged. Recommendations There are six recommendations to solve the leadership issue. The concept of teamwork should be imparted into the ward practice. Nursing care is teamwork-based. The importance of teamwork should not be ignored. Teamwork in health care can be defined as a dynamic process involving two or more health care professionals with complementary backgrounds and skills, sharing common health goals and exercising collaborated physical and mental effort in assessing, planning, or evaluating client care (Agich, 1982). I have to explain her that the importance of teamwork. All colleagues need to understand how important it is for them to work smoothly together if they want to provide quality care. All colleagues must be dedicated to the whole nursing team and be willing to act unselfishly. In other words, sacrifice, in a certain extent, is necessary. To build up teamwork culture, making sure that the team goals are completely clear and understood and accepted by each frontline staff. In addition, I have to be careful with interpersonal issues. Early recognising them and dealing with them in full are highly recommended. Power There is a famous proverb-nothing can be done without power (Power, 1999). The appropriate use of power is important for clinical leadership, for a healthcare setting environment depends on social relationship based on power. Power (1999) defines power in terms of control or influence over the behaviour of other with or without their consent. Power can be classified as physical, position, resources, expert and intuitive. Position rather than other power should be used in the issue. Position power equals legitimate power. It means occupancy of a role entitles one to the rights of that role in the organization (Power, 1999). As a decision-maker, I have considerable right to determine something. Not approving staff with vacant leave during the special festival during the Chinese New Year is a logical and reasonable decision. Both parties interest (i.e. patient and ward) can be preserved. Presentation and communication skills Oral communication skills consistently rank near the top of competencies valued by clinical leaders. As a clinical leader, promoting positive workplace relations through conservation is highly recommended (Burnard, 1997).. In the leadership issue, I have to offer constructive criticism pertinent to the issue rather than directly rejecting her request. Think currently about what I want to say is the first step. Next, be specific in conveying core message during face-to-face communication. Clear rather than vague assertion is preferred. I do wish there is enough manpower during the special festival so you can have holiday us better than your request is banned due to inadequate manpower. On the one hand, I have to offer help and empathy her. More clearly, holiday after the special festival should be arranged immediately and understanding that the mood of no holiday during the festival. Conflict management Since different staff will have different viewpoints, ideas and desire, conflict is unavoidable in any group. The sources of conflict are disagreement on how things should be done, personal interest as well as tension and stress (Shortell Kaluzny, 1997). The outcomes of conflict include polarization, low morale and regrettable behaviours produced. Therefore, conflict should be well encouraged In this regard, understanding how conflicts arise is important. Obviously, the above mentioned conflict can be categorized as personal interest (i.e. requesting on holidays during the special festival). To handle the conflict due to personal interest, compromise or negotiation is effective to settle down the incident. I have to talk with her gently as manpower is too tense, your compromise is critical. At the same time, I have to manage the issue intelligently, banning her request straightforwardly seems provoking her emotion. Rather, I have to refuse her request euphemistically. For example, y our request must be approved if manpower is enough. Emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence is recognition of our own feelings and those of others (,). A clinical leader who accurately perceives others emotions can handle change better and build stronger social networks. To achieve so, three emotional intelligence skills a clinical leader should possess. The skills include social skills, motivation and self-awareness. Social skills are the ability to influence or persuade others (Pahl, 2008). Good communication skill is a typical example. Motivation is able to enjoy challenges and be passionate about work and initiate optimism (Pahl, 2008). Motivating all frontline staff to work at the special festival is a big challenge task. Self awareness is a deep understanding of ones emotions or self-assessment in short (Pahl, 2008). Understanding my own strengths and weaknesses is helpful to deal with emotional event. Authoritarian Autocratic rather than laissez-faire and democratic styles should be considered. Autocratic style is an autocratic leader who is directive and makes decisions for a group. Being autocratic does not mean the leader is a dictator. Instead, the leader usually provides direction and makes decisions (Northhouse, 2010). Meanwhile, laisser-faire style is noninterference in the affairs of others and democratic style is subordinates have an equal say in the decision-making process (Northhouse, 2010). In the leadership issue, if a lot of subordinates requests annual leave during the special festival, inadequate manpower is guaranteed. Therefore, laissez-faire and democratic styles mustnt be adopted because it is impossible for subordinates to freely choose the period of vacation leave. To prevent any chaos in holiday arrangement, autocratic style is the best style to be adopted. Development of future practice This experience should be in my heart because the experience I engaged is helpful to my future practice. Reflective practice is highly recommended. It is associated with learning from past experience, and is regarded as an important strategy for health professionals who embrace lifelong learning (Johns, 2009). Due to the ever changing context of healthcare, there is a high level of demand on healthcare professionals expertise. Healthcare professionals could benefit from reflective practice, since the act of reflection is seen as a way of promoting the development of autonomous and qualified professionals. Engaging in reflective practice is associated with the improvement of the quality of care and stimulating professional growth. In practical step, there are several frameworks for reflection, for instance, Gibbs reflective cycle. Gibbs (1998) developed the reflective cycle in order to provide structure for reflecting on a nursing situation. The cycle involves six phases. The first ph ase is to describe what happen (i.e. the case scenario). The second phase is to think and feel about the scenario (i.e. unwisely to handle the issue). The third phase is to evaluate what was good and bad about the experience (i.e. adequate manpower can be maintained but the involved subordinate become angry). The fourth phase is to analyse what sense can I make of the issue (i.e. managing conflict of personal interest intelligently). The fifth phase is to think what else could I have done (i.e. managing conflict tactically). The final phase is to prepare contingency plan (i.e. if it arose again, what would I do). Conclusion So far, all aspects of clinical leadership have been covered. To solve the issue due to personal interest, negotiation with involved staff, wisely-used conflict management skills, fully utilizing position power and compelling presentation skills all are constructive to the issue. Before settling down the issue, both PESTEL analysis and change management should be engaged. The strengths of the above are to discover any threats as soon as possible and implement related changes immediately. Successful settling down the issue doesnt mean a clinical leader demonstrates effective clinical leadership. As clinical leadership is a persistent phenomena performed by a clinical leader, reflective skill a clinical leader should have so as to enhance clinical leadership in an advanced level. (Words: 2711)

Shakespeares Othello

Shakespeares Othello Language plays a very important role in all of Shakespeares plays. When Shakespeare performed his plays, no scenery and very few props were used. This meant that the language had to set an atmosphere, whether it is high in tension or a light hearted conversation. Use of language was also very important, as the vast majority of the audience was made up of common people. This meant that he had to make the language compelling and accessible. He does this by including jokes and curses, even in his tragedies. This comic relief is also used to create contrast and highlight the tragic sections, for example the Clown in Othello directly after act 3 scene 3, a very serious emotional part of the play. Language is also used to distinguish between the important characters and the lesser roles. The main characters like Othello tend to speak mostly in verse; this gives them a sense of superiority and elegance, while the less important speak in short, un-poetic sentences highlighting the difference . In this essay, I will look at how power and control influences the play and how the different characters use it, in particularly Iago. I will also look at how power and control shifts between the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Power plays a very important role in the plot and overall outcome of this play. Power is used to create control and vice versa. This is very important as it allows Iago, who is lower ranking than Othello, to generate power through controlling Cassio and ultimately Othello. The fact that the play is set within the higher ranks of the Venetian army allows clear divisions in power to be highlighted immediately, and Othello being the General automatically puts him at the top of the triangle of power. However, as the play unfolds, the power seems to shift to Iago, the villain of the play. Right at the very beginning, Iagos manipulative nature is revealed when he convinces Roderigo to give Iago all of his money in return for helping Roderigo win Desdemonas hand, which is obviously a false promise. This allows Shakespeare to show that although Iago lacks power socially and within the army, he is adept at controlling others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Controlling others is something which Iago repeatedly does throughout the play. In act 2 scene 3, he displays his control over Cassio, when he tries to make him drink. Like the beginning, even though Cassio is a higher rank that Iago, he still lets Iago bully him into drinking. At first, Iago suggests that he should drink for Othello and Desdemona and when Cassio refuses he implies that he is therefore a bad friend O, they are our friends. When Cassio still refuses Iago becomes more aggressive in his speech What, man! Tis a night of revels; the gallants desire it. When Cassio leaves to fetch the men at the door Iago has his first soliloquy, in which he reveals his intentions. If I fasten but one cup upon him, with that which he hath drunk tonight already, Hell be as full of quarrel and offence (II, iii, 41-43). In this soliloquy, Iago moves into verse, this could be to show the real Iago to the audience, not just the manipulative acting which h e puts on. Another reason for Iago going into verse is to make him appear more important in the play. Othello also controls others of a higher rank, albeit not in the manipulative nature of Iago, in Act 1 Scene 3 when Brabantio accuses him of stealing Desdemona and corrupting her using spells and medicines. Othello stays calm, also demonstrating his self control and talks his way out of it using long speeches in blank verse. In this speech, Othello repeatedly refers to the fact that he has a common tongue, Rude am I in my speech and little blessd with the soft phrase of peace, little grace I shall cause by speaking for myself. The reason for this self-criticism may be to emphasise that that what he is saying comes from the heart not the brain, demonstrating his love for Desdemona. This also reduces the sense of power and it makes Othello appear as just a man in love. Othello states that he is rude in speech, but he actually speaks very well, this could also be Othello showing his false modesty and trying to show off to Brabantio, questioning Othellos honesty. In stark contrast, Othel lo ends his speech with a contrasting last line, I won his daughter. This powerful last line restores his authority in the eyes of the Duke and the Senators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This scene shows the power that accompanies self control, Iago also utilises this by showing a great deal of restraint when trying to convince Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful in act 3 scene 3. Did Michael Cassio, when you wood my lady, know of your Love? (III, iii 95-96) this question does not have any real meaning. However it gets Othello impatient and curious. He did from first to last. Why dost thou ask? to which Iago replies But for the satisfaction of m thought; No further harm. Iagos could have easily told Othello about Desdemona, but instead he resisted, this meant that Othello wanted to know even more. By putting Othello in this situation Iago used Othellos persistence to gain control and power over the situation. In unwillingly giving the information, Iago is laying down a false sense of trust. Throughout the scene Iago repeatedly reminds him of this, with constant remarks about how much he loves the moor. To show the love and dut y that I bear you, I humbly do beseech you of your pardon for too much loving you. During this scene, Othellos language is always changing. Sometimes he speaks in short broken up sentences, but then he composes himself and speaks in verse again. This shows the way that Othello is fighting jealousy. However when he finally gets proof that Desdemona is cheating in him, he loses all control and allows jealousy to take control of him, O monstrous! Monstrous!, Ill tear her all to pieces. Look here, Iago, all my fond love thus do I blow in heaven: Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne to tyrannous hate!. (III, iii, 447-450) In this speech, Shakespeare shows that Othello has lost his self control by using punctuation to break up his once flowing sentences. The punctuation however would have only been visible to the actors. This means that they are more like stage directions than literary devices. Shakespeare used other stage directions to create a sense of power and superiority in this scene, like when Othello kneels at the end of his speech, (443-451). This shows visually Othello breaking down, and the fact that Iago is still standing symbolizes that Iago is the most powerful in this scene. In kneeling down, Othello also loses his stature and authority, as he is now below Iago. Do not rise yet. Here Iago shows his influence over Othello, Iago did not want Othello to rise by himself, it would make Othello feel more in control and powerful. Instead Iago joined him; this meant that Iago would conform to his position of sharing Othellos pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One very prominent statement made by Iago, in which he compares jealousy to a green eyed monster (III,iii, L. 166) can be seen as an attempt to further his control over Othello by warning him of Jealousy. He goes on to say that the monster Mocks the meat it feeds on, in this he is suggesting that if Othello gives in to jealousy it will mock him. The word mock in this context may mean destroy and the meat could symbolize Othellos love for Desdemona. Friendship and trust is what holds the story together, and Iago knows this. By constantly reminding the characters of this and by showing his devotion to them, he gets into a position of having more influence over what they do and how they behave to a certain situation that they do. When Iago is trying to force Cassio to drink, he reminds him that O, they are our friends (II, iii, 32). They fact that he refers to them as our friends gives the impression that they share something in common, bringing them closer and also increasing the amount of trust that Cassio has for Iago. Trust is a major fact of that scene, as well as trying to gain trust with Cassio, he is also trying to break up the trust between him and Othello. At the beginning of the scene, you get a strong sense of friendship between Othello and Cassio. Good Michael, look you to the guard tonight. (II, iii, 1) by using Cassios first name it shows that they are close friends.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this play, Iago is a bit of an outsider, and has no relationships other than with his wife Emilia. When Iago is with Emilia, it shows his real persona attitude. Unlike with all the other characters, he shows no effort to show his devotion and love for her even though he is her wife. This is prominent in act 3 scene 3 when Emilia gives Iago Desdemonas handkerchief. When asked what will you do witht, Iago snatches it defensively and says Why, whats that to you? In this part of the scene, it shows Iagos lack of control and patience, something which is not evident in the rest of the play. This is very important, as this section of the play is very high paced and full of big events and big powerful scenes. This part of the scene also shows the real nasty side of Iago which you only previously saw in his quite frequent soliloquies outlining his plans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this play, power and control is a very important and ever changing factor, ultimately influencing the outcome of the play. Iago stays quite constantly emotionless showing his self control and Othello is the complete opposite, staying emotionally attached to almost every aspect. This in due course led to his death. This plays shows the power of the rumour, love and jealousy, not only in the play but in Elizabethan and modern day society. This is why; much like a lot of Shakespeares plays it shall always stay relevant.

Medieval Art in a Modern World Essay -- Essays Papers

Medieval Art in a Modern World When I was looking at different works of art from the Middle Ages in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (medieval wing), one in particular caught my attention. Entitled â€Å"Plaque with the Crucifixion and the Stabbing of Hades,† this piece embodies life and death, triumph and defeat, divinity and humanity. Carved in ivory, this plaque, depicting the Passion of Christ with an allusion to Hades (god of the underworld), is from the mid-tenth century, or Middle Byzantine era, and was made in Constantinople. The plaque depicts the death of Christ as a triumph over Hades and thus presents a victory for man’s salvation. Centered in the plaque is Christ’s limp body, his head hanging low to the right, arms outstretched, and knees slightly bent. On the left side of the plaque is Mary, Jesus’ mother, mourning the death of her son, the Messiah. On the other side is John the Baptist, also in mourning. Beneath Christ’s feet are three Roman soldiers, shown dividing his garment. Mary, John, and the soldiers are many times portrayed as the main witnesses of Jesus’ suffering for his mercy on humanity. To the immediate left and right of Christ are two angels waiting to escort their Lord back to heaven. Its title is self-descriptive. The plaque itself is intense in representation and represents more generally the religious devotion present in the medieval period. Since Christianity was a very large part of medieval society, the Crucifixion was a central theme in Go...

A Home on the Range :: Personal Narrative West Papers

A Home on the Range I swear that I spent my entire childhood waiting for Ray and Mary-Beth Garson. I would rock back and forth on the plush golden chair to the right of my Grandpa's and look out towards the golden Wyoming hills and the hay stack, waiting for their trailer to come bouncing down into the yard of the Dodds Family Gatecreek Ranch. Once they were in sight, I would dash outside and pretend to be busying myself with the saddles or sprucing up the area around the barn. It was never clear how many horses they would bring, but they always brought April and that was all that mattered. She was my horse. When my mother would tell Ray how much I loved April, he would just look down at his feet, smile and say, "She's a good horse." This time, however, I was not waiting for Ray and Mary-Beth by the window. I actually was busy in the yard, preparing a barbeque on our new grill from Kmart. In summers long past, we would have gone up to the picnic grounds to have dinner, but this time because it was just my mother and I we decided to stay at the house. There were no cousins, aunts, uncles, or siblings milling about, making trips to and from the house with the food and friends. There were no horses in the now terribly overgrown and rundown corral and there were no cows in the meadow behind the house. An elaborate meal was not on deck; it was just burgers, salad, and a Dominos pizza that Mary-Beth brought from town. I had not been to the Ranch since the death of my grandmother, four years earlier. She died on the eve of the millennium, perhaps not wanting to embark into the 21st century, after living through three open-heart surgeries, and the loss of a child and two husbands. Her one true source of joy came from Roger, my mother's half brother, the product of her first marriage which ended when her husband's plane was shot down during World War II. Roger was her prince and she showered him with more love than my grandfather, Thomas Dodds, would ever experience. Tensions had always run high between Roger and the rest of the family, but they came to a climax after my grandmother's death.

Customer Perception Towards Branded Carbonated Drinks

STUDY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS BRANDED CARBONATED DRINKS Submitted by : Hari Baboo CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Beverage Industry in India: A Brief Insight In India, beverages form an important part of the lives of people. It is an industry, in which the players constantly innovate, in order to come up with better products to gain more consumers and satisfy the existing consumers. FIGURE 1: BEVERAGE INDUSTRY IN INDIA The beverage industry is vast and there various ways of segmenting it, so as to cater the right product to the right person. The different ways of segmenting it are as follows: * Alcoholic, non-alcoholic and sports beverages * Natural and Synthetic beverages * In-home consumption and out of home on premises consumption. * Age wise segmentation i. e. beverages for kids, for adults and for senior citizens * Segmentation based on the amount of consumption i. e. high levels of consumption and low levels of consumption. If the behavioral patterns of consumers in India are closely noticed, it could be observed that consumers perceive beverages in two different ways i. e. everages are a luxury and that beverages have to be consumed occasionally. These two perceptions are the biggest challenges faced by the beverage industry. In order to leverage the beverage industry, it is important to address this issue so as to encourage regular consumption as well as and to make the industry more affordable. Four strong strategic elements to increase consumption of the products of the beverage industry in India are: * The qua lity and the consistency of beverages needs to be enhanced so that consumers are satisfied and they enjoy consuming beverages. The credibility and trust needs to be built so that there is a very strong and safe feeling that the consumers have while consuming the beverages. * Consumer education is a must to bring out benefits of beverage consumption whether in terms of health, taste, relaxation, stimulation, refreshment, well-being or prestige relevant to the category. * Communication should be relevant and trendy so that consumers are able to find an appeal to go out, purchase and consume. The beverage market has still to achieve greater penetration and also a wider spread of distribution. It is important to look at the entire beverage market, as a big opportunity, for brand and sales growth in turn to add up to the overall growth of the food and beverage industry in the economy. The Carbonated Drinks Industry In India; A Perspective The Rs. 17000 crore market of carbonated drinks industry in India looked really bad just after the â€Å"Pesticide† controversy last year. But some cool promotions and quick reactions by cola companies have handled the crisis satisfactorily. The controversy has thought the industry few lesson or so and in the process consumer and the economy also benefited. â€Å"Colas, contributing more than 50 per cent to fizzy drink sales, saw a huge slide after the pesticide controversy, but are believed to be making a come back. Thanks to increased advertisement spends which is over 20 per cent higher than last year. There is some good news on the non-cola segment. The lime and lemon segments with brands like sprite and 7up have registered a 30 to 40 per cent growth, although on a smaller base. Nevertheless, the battle between two cola giants, Coke & Pepsi, did not go any slow. Rather it has become fiercer. They are now fighting each other even at the local level. That too the trend is as old as start of this millennium. The present scenario of the carbonated drinks market is behaving the way it has all to do with a duopoly situation. A duopoly is a competitive situation where there are two competitors, normally of roughly equal si ze. Although in every place they have local competitors and there is a huge unorganized flavoured water market. Yet again, packaged water is also a competitor to the cola brands and in this category neither of the two cola companies are market leaders. However, as far as the carbonated drinks are concerned there are only two brands, Coke and Pepsi. Therefore, we can safely say that this condition does qualify to be a near duopoly situation and thus there is such intense competition. Unless, the two parties in a duopoly collaborate with each other, which is certainly not the case in the cola market worldwide or in India, this battle is not going to slow down even a bit! Rather, it would grow stronger with every passing day. In a situation like this it is very interesting to observe marketing strategies in general and Product & Pricing strategies in specific of the players, merely because the action of one player is bound to invite similar reaction from the other. As if, the third law of Newton, that ? every action has an equal and opposite reaction? , can‘t fit better in any other situation! In a duopoly like situation, as far as cola industry in India is concerned, it can be said that it is foolish to cut prices unless, one of the two parties has a much lower cost base. But that is not the case in India. In fact, both the companies, Coke and Pepsi, invest heavily in advertising and in distribution through their franchise as well as their own systems. However, a great deal of attention is paid by both companies to cost, particularly in the development of a tightly effective supply chain system in which economies are squeezed out and, wherever possible both overheads and working capital are controlled. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to for both the parties to play with the prices. Rather, it is counter-productive exercise, as when prices are reduced in a particular area by one of the cola brands, the second must follow. If we look into the history of pricing of these two particular players of the carbonated drinks industry, we will see that the first major initiative in the price front took place some years ago when the brand Coca-Cola came back to India. At that point of time colas were available only in 200 ml bottles. Coca-Cola, in it‘s come back trail, broke the tradition by launching Cola in the 300 ml size bottles but at the same price as Pepsi, which was then in a 200 ml bottle. With this strategy, Coke expected to gain advantage in the market especially in India, which is traditionally a highly price sensitive market. However, Pepsi, as being a fierce competitor was prepared for it and soon launched its colas in the 300 ml sizes. Thereby, in India, it was the 300 ml bottle which became the standard in most parts of the country, making the price a parity issue between the two brands. Then, a few years ago, one litre and 1. 5 litre non-returnable PET bottles at a discount in comparison to, a 300 ml returnable glass bottle, the traditional packaging in this product category, was launched by Pepsi. It was a successful move resulting in significant increase in the consumption level especially amongst the loyal consumers in the urban areas. And part of the rule of the game, Coke followed Pepsi in the above move in order to reduce the cost per glass to the consumer. Then came the days of a 500 ml non-returnable PET bottle which was advertised almost totally on the cost of the consumer per 100 ml of cola! Nevertheless, the great advantage that the PET bottles provided is that they have increased home consumption level which was not of much significance compared to out of home consumption till then. And in very recent times the Coke did a u-turn that is price cuts. The latest move of reducing price to the consumer is the very opposite of what has been happening to-date. It has now re-launched a 200 ml bottle at a unit price of approximately 2/3rd of the 300 ml price, thus making retail purchase look cheaper. This strategy was meant to fight consumption pattern of smaller towns and rural areas where two people share a 300 ml bottle. Importantly, by making the bottle smaller it has only reduced unit price without affecting the trade margin. It has been reported that Pepsi has been cutting the price of its 300 ml bottle in some places, until an inventory of 200 ml bottles was built, as an answer to the Coke‘s strike. However, this act of Pepsi might boomerang as there is a strong probability of having some negative effect on the supply chain and other inventory cost in the long run. Competitive Arena The soft drink market all over the world has been witnessing a neck to neck battle between the two major players, Coca-Cola and Pepsi since the very beginning. The thirst quenchers are trying hard to have the major chunk of the pie of carbonated soft drink market. Both the players are spending their energies in building capacity, infrastructure, promotional activities etc. Coca-Cola being 11 years older than Pepsi has dominated the scene in most of the soft drink markets in the world and enjoying leadership in terms of market share. But the Coca-Cola people are finding it hard to keep away Pepsi, which has been narrowing the gaps regularly. The two are posing threats to each other in every nook and corner of the world. While Coca-Cola has been earning most of its bread and butter through beverage sales, Pepsi has a multi products portfolio with some portion from the same business. Aims/Objective In this research we are making an attempt to study which carbonated drink is preferred by consumers around Manipal, and do they take into account factors such as price, brand, taste etc while purchasing a carbonated drink. * Consumer perception towards Carbonated drinks. * To understand buying behavior of consumers. * To recommend for future course of action. CHAPTER 2:RESEARCH DESIGN Research Design: Descriptive research- also known as statistical research, describes data and characteristics about the population. Descriptive research answers the questions who, what, where, when and how. COLLECTION OF DATA 1. Primary data : Based on questionnaire, will be distributed among consumers & direct interview will be taken, to collect the data. 2. Secondary data : Collected from articles, magazines, newspaper research reports and internet. 3. Sampling: Stratified sampling technique will be considered. A sample size of 200 consumers will be selected from Manipal to study. The process of grouping members of the population into relatively homogeneous subgroups before sampling. Proportionate allocation uses a sampling fraction in each of the strata that is proportional to that of the total population. If the population consists of 60% in the male stratum and 40% in the female stratum, then the relative size of the two samples (three males, two females) should reflect this proportion. SAMPLE SIZE This refers to the number of element to be selected from the universe to contribute a sample. The sample should be optimum i. e. it should fulfill all the requirement of efficiency, respectiveness, reliability and flexibility pertaining to the research conducted. It is generally denoted by ‘n’. It can be calculated using the formula:- n = z / e? in case of Infinite population. Where, n=sample size ?=Standard deviation e=error Many a times, the standard deviation of population is not known and sample is not yet taken, rough estimate of the population will given by, Range of Population Distribution 6 Here range is the difference between highest and lowest score. In this case, range = 5-1 =4 Therefore standard deviation, For 95% confidence level, from normal distribution table, z=1. 96 Error, e=0. 1 Substituting these values in the above equation , we get, n= (1. 96 0. 67? )/(0. 1? ) Sample size, n=172. 44 Taking sample size as 200. Random sampling is undertaken for selecting sample from the population SAMPLING ERROR: In any study involving the sampling process, there would normally be a certain amount of inaccuracy in the data collected. This inaccuracy is termed as ‘Sampling Error’. In other words, sampling errors are those errors which arise on account of sampling. Limitations of the Study 1. Some of the respondents refused to fill the questionnaires. 2. The responses may vary as some people did not want to come up with real answers. 3. The people were busy in their own work so they might not have given actual responses. . Limitation of time. 5. The survey is conducted only in few areas of Manipal; hence the results may vary in other parts of the cities. 6. Small sample size. 7. And like any other research the limitation of personal bias of respondents limits the scope of the study. 8. The findings are based on the survey conducted in the month of feb; the results may vary in other months. CHAPTE R 3. DATA REPRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 3. 1 DEMOGRAPHIC FACTOR Gender of respondents Frequency table: GENDER | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| male| 106| 53. | 53. 0| 53. 0| | female| 94| 47. 0| 47. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | Inference The above pie chart depicts the distribution of the total sample that we had undertaken in our study. We observe here that most of the respondents are male than female. Male respondents are 106 out of 200 respondents whereas females are 94 out of 200. Age of respondents Frequency table AGE | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| 0-15| 68| 34. 0| 34. 0| 34. 0| | 16-25| 56| 28. 0| 28. 0| 62. 0| | 26-35| 44| 22. 0| 22. 0| 84. 0| | 36-45| 26| 13. | 13. 0| 97. 0| | 46-70| 6| 3. 0| 3. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | As per respondents, age group of 0-15 people with the frequency of 68 out of 200, 16-25 group people are around 56 , 26-35 are 44 people , 36-45 are 26 people respec tively. 3. 2 PROFESSIONAL FACTOR Frequency table WORK| | | | | | | | | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| professional| 26| 13| 13| 13| | | businessman| 18| 9| 9| 22| | | service| 52| 26| 26| 48| | | student| 98| 49| 49| 97| | | others| 6| 3| 3| 100| | | Total| 200| 100| 100| | | Inference As per respondents the student respondent are 98 out of200while service people were around 52 out of 200 ,professional people are around 26 ,businessman people are around 18 whereas 6 of them are in others category. 3. 3 CARBONATED DRINKS Frequency table COLA | Frequency| Percent| Valid Percent| Cumulative Percent| Valid| coca cola| 36| 18. 0| 18. 0| 18. 0| | pepsi| 34| 17. 0| 17. 0| 35. 0| | thumbs up| 52| 26. 0| 26. 0| 61. 0| | 7up| 24| 12. 0| 12. 0| 73. 0| | sprite| 22| 11. 0| 11. 0| 84. 0| | mazza| 16| 8. 0| 8. 0| 92. 0| | fanta| 16| 8. 0| 8. 0| 100. 0| | Total| 200| 100. 0| 100. 0| | | | | | | | | | | | | As per respondents, 52 people out of 200 likes thumbs up, while people loves to drink coca cola , pepsi, 7up, mazza, fanta 36,34,24,22,16,16 respectively Gender vs. age GENDER * AGE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | AGE| | | | | Total| | | | 0-15| 16-25| 26-35| 36-45| 46-70| | GENDER| male| Count| 34| 30| 25| 14| 3| 106| | | Expected Count| 36. 04| 29. 68| 23. 32| 13. 78| 3. 18 | 106| | female| Count| 34| 26| 19| 12| 3| 94| | | Expected Count| 31. 96| 26. 32| 20. 68| 12. 22| 2. 82| 94| Total| | Count| 68| 56| 44| 26| 6| 200| | | Expected Count| 68| 56| 44| 26| 6| 200| | | | | | | | | From the respondents, in the age group of 0-15 have 34 males and females respondent respectively. While 16-25 age group have 30 males and 26 females’ respondent respectively. While 26-35 age group have 30 males and 26 females’ respondent respectively. Because they are major consumers of branded carbonated drinkers Gender vs. Occupation GENDER * WORK Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | WORK| | | | | Total| | | | professional| businessman| service| student| others| | GENDER| male| Count| 20| 12| 23| 47| 4| 106| | | Expected Count| 13. 78| 9. 54| 27. 56| 51. 94| 3. 8| 106| | female| Count| 6| 6| 29| 51| 2| 94| | | Expected Count| 12. 22| 8. 46| 24. 44| 46. 06| 2. 82| 94| Total| | Count| 26| 18| 52| 98| 6| 200| | | Expected Count| 26| 18| 52| 98| 6| 200| As per respond ents, male generally who respondent are majorly students and in female also major respondent were student only. While service people are only 23 as male and 29 as female respondent, professional count is 20 in male and 6 at female. In businessman category 12 are male respondent while 6 of them are female. Gender vs. Prefer branded carbonated drinks GENDER * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | GENDER| Male| Count| 21| 22| 31| 12| 8| 5| 7| 106| | | Expected Count| 19. 08| 18. 02| 27. 56| 12. 72| 11. 66| 8. 48| 8. 48| 106| | female| Count| 15| 12| 21| 12| 14| 11| 9| 94| | | Expected Count| 16. 92| 15. 98| 24. 44| 11. 28| 10. 34| 7. 52| 7. 52| 94| Total| | Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| | | Expected Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondent male person like thumbs up are around 31 persons while 21 and 22 people like coca cola and Pepsi respectively. In7up category 12 male respondent and in sprite, mazza, fanta 8,5,7 respectively are there. And in female person like thumbs up are around 21 persons while 15 and 12 people like coca cola and Pepsi respectively. In7up category 12 female respondent and in sprite, mazza, fanta 14,11,9 respectively are there. Gender vs. Effect of advertisement GENDER * ATTRACT Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | ATTRACT| | | | | Total| | | | creativity| Effect of brand ambassador| idea| frequency| logical| | GENDER| male| Count| 29| 25| 14| 28| 10| 106| | | Expected Count| 25. 4| 26. 5| 11. 66| 26. 5| 15. 9| 106| | female| Count| 19| 25| 8| 22| 20| 94| | | Expected Count| 22. 56| 23. 5| 10. 34| 23. 5| 14. 1| 94| Total| | Count| 48| 50| 22| 50| 30| 200| | | Expected Count| 48| 50| 22| 50| 30| 200| As per respondents, advertisement is mode of marketing where frequency of ads, creativity and effect of brand ambassador for male respondent are 28,29and 25 respectively. While in female has effect of brand ambas sador, frequency of ads and logic of ads are 25, 22 and 19 respectively. Age vs. Preferred branded carbonated drinks AGE * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | | coca cola| Pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | AGE| 0-15| Count| 13| 12| 15| 13| 5| 5| 5| 68| | | Expected Count| 12. 24| 11. 56| 17. 68| 8. 16| 7. 48| 5. 44| 5. 44| 68| | 16-25| Count| 8| 11| 9| 8| 7| 7| 6| 56| | | Expected Count| 10. 08| 9. 52| 14. 56| 6. 72| 6. 16| 4. 48| 4. 48| 56| | 26-35| Count| 11| 7| 15| 2| 5| 1| 3| 44| | | Expected Count| 7. 92| 7. 48| 11. 44| 5. 28| 4. 84| 3. 52| 3. 52| 44| | 36-45| Count| 4| 3| 12| 0| 4| 2| 1| 26| | | Expected Count| 4. 8| 4. 42| 6. 76| 3. 12| 2. 86| 2. 08| 2. 08| 26| | 46-70| Count| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| | | Expected Count| 1. 08| 1. 02| 1. 56| 0. 72| 0. 66| 0. 48| 0. 48| 6| Total| | Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| | | Expected Count| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondents, 0-15 age group does show that much of variation and as same at other age groups. While the age group of 16-25 show much variation than 46-70 age group pe ople. Age vs. Reason of purchase AGE * LIKE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | | | | LIKE| | | | | | | Total| | | brand name| taste| easy avail| packaging| price| Effect of brand ambassador| others| | AGE| 0-15| Count| 16| 16| 9| 10| 11| 6| 0| 68| | | Expected Count| 13. 6| 17| 10. 88| 6. 8| 13. 6| 5. 44| 0. 68| 68| | 16-25| Count| 9| 14| 9| 4| 15| 3| 2| 56| | | Expected Count| 11. 2| 14| 8. 96| 5. 6| 11. 2| 4. 48| 0. 56| 56| | 26-35| Count| 10| 8| 11| 2| 10| 3| 0| 44| | | Expected Count| 8. 8| 11| 7. 04| 4. 4| 8. 8| 3. 52| 0. 44| 44| | 36-45| Count| 5| 8| 2| 4| 4| 3| 0| 26| | | Expected Count| 5. 2| 6. 5| 4. 16| 2. 6| 5. 2| 2. 08| 0. 26| 26| | 46-70| Count| 0| 4| 1| 0| 0| 1| 0| 6| | Expected Count| 1. 2| 1. 5| 0. 96| 0. 6| 1. 2| 0. 48| 0. 06| 6| Total| | Count| 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| | | Expected Count| 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| As per respondent, 0-15 age groups reasons for purchases of branded carbonated drinks are basically on brand name and taste. While age group 16 -25 group people think price and brand name is the important factor in selection of drink. Other age group thinks taste as one of the factor and as well as brand name, prices are important factor. Null hypothesis: ho: Is taste dependent on the selection of branded carbonated drinks? The results are as shown below with the help of table and graphical representation. COLA * TASTE Cross tabulation | | TASTE| Total| | | very important| important| not important| not at all important| | COLA| coca cola| Count| 5| 19| 7| 5| 36| | | Expected Count| 8. 1| 17. 6| 7. 7| 2. 5| 36. 0| | Pepsi| Count| 15| 8| 9| 2| 34| | | Expected Count| 7. 7| 16. 7| 7. 3| 2. 4| 34. 0| | thumbs up| Count| 5| 33| 10| 4| 52| | | Expected Count| 11. 7| 25. 5| 11. 2| 3. 6| 52. 0| | 7up| Count| 9| 8| 6| 1| 24| | | Expected Count| 5. 4| 11. 8| 5. 2| 1. 7| 24. 0| | Sprite| Count| 5| 13| 4| 0| 22| | Expected Count| 5. 0| 10. 8| 4. 7| 1. 5| 22. 0| | Mazza| Count| 3| 8| 5| 0| 16| | | Expected Count| 3. 6| 7. 8| 3. 4| 1. 1| 16. 0| | Fanta| Count| 3| 9| 2| 2| 16| | | Expected Count| 3. 6| 7. 8| 3. 4| 1. 1| 16. 0| Total| Count| 45| 98| 43| 14| 200| | Expected Count| 45. 0| 98. 0| 43. 0| 14. 0| 200. 0| We can observe here that the respondents takes as taste as important in selection of carbonated drinks. A s taste is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Test | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 31. 655(a)| 18| . 024| Likelihood Ratio| 33. 984| 18| . 013| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 13 cells (46. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 1. 12. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 024 is less than 0. 05, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the taste is dependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. Null hypothesis: ho: Are carbonated drinks only popular among the youth? AGE * COLA Cross tabulation Count | COLA| Total| | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza| fanta| | AGE| 0-15| 13| 12| 15| 13| 5| 5| 5| 68| | 16-25| 8| 11| 9| 8| 7| 7| 6| 56| 26-35| 11| 7| 15| 2| 5| 1| 3| 44| | 36-45| 4| 3| 12| 0| 4| 2| 1| 26| | 46-70| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| Total| 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondents, age group 0-15 are 68 respondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 13,12,15,13 respectively. Age group 16-25 are 56 respondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 8,11,9,8 respectively. Age group 26-35 are 44 re spondent where they like coca cola, Pepsi, thumbs up,7up 11,7,15,2 respectively. We can observe here that the respondents age factor affect importantly in selection of carbonated drinks. As taste is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 27. 016(a)| 24| . 304| Likelihood Ratio| 31. 222| 24| . 147| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 18 cells (51. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 48 . INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 304 is higher than 0. 05, we accept the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the age is interdependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, carbonated drinks are popular among the youth. Null hypothesis: HO: Is advertisement a major factor in the selection of the brand of carbonated drinks? COLA * LIKE Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | Count | | | | | | | | | | | | LIKE| | | | | | | Total| | | brand name| taste| easy avail| packaging| price| Effect of brand ambassador| others| | COLA| coca cola| 11| 7| 4| 3| 9| 1| 1| 36| | pepsi| 7| 10| 3| 3| 8| 3| 0| 34| | thumbs up| 10| 11| 9| 4| 13| 5| 0| 52| | 7up| 5| 9| 5| 3| 1| 1| 0| 24| | sprite| 1| 6| 6| 4| 2| 2| 1| 22| | mazza| 3| 4| 4| 2| 2| 1| 0| 16| | fanta| 3| 3| 1| 1| 5| 3| 0| 16| Total| | 40| 50| 32| 20| 40| 16| 2| 200| We can observe here that the respondents advertisement affects importantly in selection of carbonated drinks. As advertisement is one of factor which influence in the selection of carbonated drinks Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 32. 104(a)| 36| . 654| Likelihood Ratio| 33. 992| 36| . 564| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 34 cells (69. 4%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 16. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 654 is higher than 0. 5, we accept the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the advertisements are interdependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, advertisement affects in the selection of branded carbonated drinks. Null hypothesis: HO: Does occupation has a role in selecting the Carbonated drink? WORK * COLA Cross tabulation| | | | | | | | Count | | | | | | | | | | | | COLA| | | | | | | Total| | | coca cola| pepsi| thumbs up| 7up| sprite| mazza | fanta| | WORK| Professional| 5| 4| 7| 2| 3| 2| 3| 26| | Businessman| 6| 12| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 18| | Service| 11| 8| 14| 14| 4| 1| 0| 52| Student| 14| 9| 30| 7| 14| 12| 12| 98| | Others| 0| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| Total| | 36| 34| 52| 24| 22| 16| 16| 200| As per respondent, 30 student select thumbs up as their favorite drink , in businessman category nobody likes other drink rather than coke and pepsi. While in other occupation doesn’t have any definite favorite drinks. Chi-Square Tests | Value| df| Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)| Pearson Chi-Square| 73. 241(a)| 24| . 000| Likelihood Ratio| 77. 160| 24| . 000| N of Valid Cases| 200| | | a 22 cells (62. 9%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is . 48. INTERPRETATION: Since the calculated value 0. 000 is lower than 0. 05, we reject the null hypothesis and conclude saying that the occupation are dependent on the selection of carbonated drinks. So, occupation does not affect in the selection of branded carbonated drinks. CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION Findings 1. Maximum number of people surveyed is below 15 years because they are major consumers. 2. Out of 200 people 13%are professionals, 9% are businessman, 26% are serviceman, and 49% are students. 3. Out of 200 respondents, 97% of consumers buy cold drinks and only 3% of them do not buy. 4. 9% respondents prefer coke, 18% prefer Pepsi, 12% 7up, 11 % of them prefer Sprite, 9% Fanta, and 23% prefer Thumbs-up. 5. 25% people purchase cold drinks because of taste, 20% people purchase cold drinks because of brand name, 20% people purchase cold drinks because of packaging, 15% people purchase cold drinks because of price, 11% people purchase cold drinks because of brand ambassador, 8 % people purchase cold drinks because of easy availability & 1% people purchase cold drinks because of any other reason. 6. Out of 200 consumers 98% have seen the advertisement and only 2% have not seen the advertisement of any brands. 7. 3% people remember the advertisement of coke, 23% people remember the advertisement of Pepsi, 1% people remember the advertisement of 7up, 6% people remember the advertisement of sprite, 4% people remember the advertisement of Fanta, and 23% people remember the advertisement of Thumbs-up. 8. 24% people remember the advertisement because of creativity, 25% people remember the advertisement because of brand ambassador, 11% people remember the advertisement because of their idea of delivering the message, 25% people remember the advertisement because of frequency of ads, and 15% people remember the advertisement because of logical reason. Conclusion From the analysis of the data collected and from the experiences we have reached the following conclusions: * COKE is most popular amongst its users mainly because of its TASTE, BRAND NAME. Thus it should focus on good taste so that it can capture the major part of the market. But most of the consumers prefer THUMSUP as their 1st preference, then COKE. * We come to the conclusion that visibility affects the sales of project in a very special way. And in terms of the advertisements lays is lacking behind mostly consumers remember the advertisement because of the frequency of add and brand ambassadors, creativity. After acquiring a new customer, there is lot of importance of its retention also. This can be done only by providing extra flavors and good taste. * In today’s scenario, customer is the king because he has got various choices around him. If you are not capable of providing him the desired result he will definitely switch over to the other provider. Therefore to survive in this cutthroat competition, you need to be the best. Customer is no more loyal in today’s scenario, so you need to be always on your toes. We feel that there is cut-throat competition between COKE,PEPSI,THUMSUP so to be on top of mind of the customers they need to do something outstanding every time. CHAPTER 5:ANNEXURE QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Sir/Madam, This questionnaire has been prepared with a view to make a STUDY OF CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS BRANDED CARBONATED DRINKS . The information will be strictly used for educational purpose only by the students of Manipal Institute of Management (Manipal University) . we would be grateful if you could spare some time in filling up this questionnaire. ) NAME : 2) AGE :a)0-15 b) 15-20 c) 21-35 d) 36-45 e) 46-70 3) Gender : M F 4) Occupation : Professional Businessman Service Student Other 5) Do you drink soft drinks: Yes No 6) If yes which soft drink Brand: Coke Pepsi 7) If No why so?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8) Which carbonated drink do you prefer most: Coke Pepsi 7Up Mountain Dew Thumbs Up Sprite Fanta 9) Which packa ge do u prefer most: Pet Bottle Glass Bottle 10) About Carbonated drink what do you like the most: Brand name Taste Easy availability Packaging Price Brand ambassador Any other†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11) What is the importance of taste in a carbonated drink? (Please rate them from 1- 4) 1=>Very Important 2=>Important 3=>Not important 4=>Not at all important 12) Have you seen any advertisements of carbonated drinks: Yes NO 13) Advertisement of which carbonated drinks do you remember the most : Coke Pepsi 7Up Thumbs Up Sprite Mountain dew Fanta 14) What attracted you in the advertisement? (PLEASE RATE THEM from 1-4) Creativity Brand ambassador Idea of delivering the message Frequency of add Logical reason 15) What is your opinion of the brand? Excellent Good Fair Poor 16) What is your monthly consumption? 17) Any suggestions? ____________________________________________________________ __ CHAPTER 6 : BIBILOGRAPHY (i) Research methodology by C. R. Kotari (ii) Websites: www. cocacola. com www. pepsi. com www. wikipedia. com (iii) Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS by Daniel Muijs.

Commonwealth Bank Business Report Essay

Section 1: Executive summary CBA has put record profit of $8.68 billion dollar although the company is facing Royal Commission inquiry with regard to Financial Planning scandal (Yeates 2014). At present, CBA is a dominant leader in the retail-banking sector across the Australian financial services industry with premium price trade due to its largest customer base in Australia with its disruptive technology (Rose 2014). However, it is important for CBA to invest in service improvements and innovation to maintain its current market leadership position. Therefore to identify the success factor behind CBA, it is important to assess Australian Financial industry as a whole to examine the attractive features of Australian Banking sector and the internal strength of CBA to clarify its competitive advantages and capabilities. Industrial life cycle Australian Financial industry has exhibited the characteristics of shakeout stage lifecycle stages (Shapiro 2014). In shake out stage cycle, competition and price-war between financial institutions have intensified since big four banks are imposing discounts on variable interest rates available to a broader range of borrowers and lowering their fixed rates on mortgage offers (AAP 2014). Since then, services offered by big four banks become difficult to differentiate each other and this has helped the customers to broaden their option to have selective acquisition with the major banks. Further analysis will explain CBA’s clients and competitors power change due to industry evolution and its regional expansion strategy. Then, the further report will analyze the reason behind CBA to attain premium stock price over competitors and its ethical implication in financial industry. Section 2: Environmental Analysis External Analysis To analyze the external industrial environment that lead CBA to stay ahead of competitors, overall Australian Financial industry will need to be analyzed in term of Porter’s five forces followed by PESTLE model to observe how the competitiveness of the Australian Financial environment and macroeconomics factors have changed within the industrial structure (Thomas 2007). PESTLE Model Political-Legal Conservative supervisory of APRA, which approached more intensive than the Basel II minimum requirement, has assisted Australian Financial Institutions to have minimum impact during the 2008 GFC period (RBA 2014). Moreover, Four Pillar Policy which prevents mergers between Australian’s big four banks to main competitive financial environment at low risk had also shielded the Australian Banking System from the worst of 2008 GFC (Durie and Gluyas 2009). Consequently, Australia’s strong and dynamic financial policies have favoured sustainable growth even in the hard time to former government owned incumbent CBA to withstand attack from aggressive competitors under a well-regulated financial environment (Brisden 2012). Economical During the pre GFC time, RBA’s interest rate has increased from 5.50% in 2000  to 7% in 2008 (RBA 2014). These inclining rates have favored big four banks during the crisis period since the high interest rates increased the bank’s deposit and helped Australian Banks to fund their debt in the hard time (Kerr 2011). Beltratti and Stulz (2009) also stated that the larger banks within strict regulations with more deposit financing at the end of 2006 had significant high return during the GFC. Therefore, during the crisis, the effect of GFC on Australian Financial Institutions were considerably low compare to other developed economies and CBA had also came through the economic turmoil with strong gain in deposit share by delivering $4.72 billion full-year net profit in 2008 (Leyden 2009). This has clearly showed that favorable Australian economical scape has favored CBA to retain premium share over competitors in post and pre GFC periods. Technology Eyers (2014) stated that Fintech (Financial Technology) scene is expanding rapidly in world financial centers. Financial Technologies are also challenging existing business models of financial institution since non-traditional players in Australian financial sectors are leveraging new innovation to deliver flexible services to consumers in a more convenient way (Wade 2014). However, CBA is operating efficiently in the dynamic technological environment. This is because, CBA has set its strategy to capitalize on the difference between its three big rivals by injecting $1.1 billion upgrade to its core banking system and invest $300 million a year in the high-tech modernization program (Smith 2012). So, this has clearly clarified that technology is one of the factors that lead CBA in a dynamic business environment to stay two to three years ahead of competitors (Faherty 2013). Porter’s five forces Next, Porter’s 5 forces will be used to determine the financial industry’s profitability, which influence over the success of CBA in Australian financial market. The threat of new entrants Nowadays, the digitalized financial system appears to be reaching maturity and every major big four banks are utilizing different channels of entrants to capture the market share (Eyers 2014). Consequently, there is a high threat from competitors in financial market beyond APRA’s highly regulated  financial systems since potential competitors from overseas and domestic (e.g woolworths/Coles) could have used technologies to offer virtual and physical financial services in Australian Financial Market (Eyers 2014). Since then, this could eventually challenge the growth of CBA’s physical banking in the long run. However, CBA is still a major incumbent in a financial industry, which captures majority of market share with strong domestic presence in Australia (CBA 2014). Bargaining power of customers In Australian Financial industry, there is a high bargaining power of customers since Australian major big banks have brought similar financial packages with competitive rates to expand their market share in a concentrated market. As Australian market is favoring customers to bargain on the best rate, CBA has dynamically influenced the bargaining power of the market by offering an aggressive rate at low risk to itself for such customers by dropping its five years fixed home loan rate to record-low 4.99% in 2014(Yeates 2014). Rivalry among existing competitors Todays, the financial market in Australia appeared to be reaching maturity. Mason (2014) stated that financial industry in Australia has developed at compound annual growth rate of 13% over the past decade and ranked among the most profitable banks in the developed world (Australian Trade Commission 2011). Nevertheless, Australian Financial industry is considered as Red Ocean since big four banks could potentially face more mortgage competition each other for the concentrated market share (Janda 2014). Thus, if market leader CBA failed to maintain its current competitiveness in an aggressive market, the market share could be missed out and it will be given away to competitors. Section 2.2: Internal Analysis Strategic Resources Harrison (2014) stated that combination of tangibles and intangible assets of which control by the CBA could be identified as key resources to execute its strategic capabilities. Resources include teamwork among managers and Past/Present Chief executive officers, firm’s reputation among customers and its strong balance sheet has helped CBA to attain premium share price over competitors. The possession of CBA’s strategic resources ahead of  competitors has favored its long-term survival and alleviated its competitive advantage. The strategic resources of the CBA will be demonstrated by using the value Chain framework. Value Chain Analysis Primary activities Operation Efficiency Smith (2012) stated that CBA appears to be ahead of competitors in its IT development strategy and this has induced CBA to attain not only cost and operational efficiency but also improve customer satisfaction. As a result, due to its new modernization in core banking system with best in class online banking platforms, CBA has attained the biggest improvement in its customer satisfaction score out of big fours and achieved Money magazine’s best innovative awards in 2014(News 2014). Moreover, CBA’s strong shareholder with a resilient balance sheet has also empowered full funded acquisition from internal and external stakeholders (Letts 2014). CBA’s significant balance sheet growth with high earning assets and deposit has empowered organic capital growth and investor’s confidence in investment. Therefore, it is assumed that strong financial strength with high profit return has amplified CBA to stay ahead rivals and trades its shares at premium over their dom estic competitors. Outbound Activities CBA’s strong acquisitions with Aussie Home loan and concrete financial brokers network have improved its home loan supply to the new customers in the financial market (Elsworth 2014). Moreover, CBA’s 1000 plus extensive branch network in Australia with highly efficient technology platform has also aided CBA to gain solid netbank customer loyalty bases in Australia (CBA 2014).