The Pearl : Appearances Can Be Deceiving Essay -- essays research pape

John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil. When Kino finds the pearl he is shocked. " It was as large as a seagull's egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world" (Steinbeck 19).Kino and Juana revel in the excitement thatsurrounds Kino's finding the pearl, but their happiness soon turns to distrust. The pearl buyers, whoKino has to sell the pearls to in order to make a profit, try to cheat him. They tell him that the pearl is so big that it has no value. Kino has to hide the pearl, but while he sleeps a thief tries to steal it. The doctor who would not treat Coyotito's scorpion bite when they had no money now comes to them offering the best medical care he can provide.As the story of Kino's situation unfolds, Kino is forced to kill three men, and worst of all, Kino accidentally shoots Coyotito in the head while he is trying to shoot his pursuers. Finally, at Juana's urging, Kino throws the pearl back into the sea. He has made nothing from his fin... The Pearl : Appearances Can Be Deceiving Essay -- essays research pape John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of Kino, a poor pearl diver who lives in Mexico with his wife, Juana and his baby boy, Coyotito. One day Kino finds a huge pearl worth a great deal of money. Kino dreams of being rich and buying all that he wants after he sells the pearl. The one thing that Kino doesn't realize is that there are many people who will do anything to steal the pearl from him. No one ever suspects the pearl's power todeceive, corrupt, and destroy. Hence, The Pearl depicts the ultimate battle between good and evil. When Kino finds the pearl he is shocked. " It was as large as a seagull's egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world" (Steinbeck 19).Kino and Juana revel in the excitement thatsurrounds Kino's finding the pearl, but their happiness soon turns to distrust. The pearl buyers, whoKino has to sell the pearls to in order to make a profit, try to cheat him. They tell him that the pearl is so big that it has no value. Kino has to hide the pearl, but while he sleeps a thief tries to steal it. The doctor who would not treat Coyotito's scorpion bite when they had no money now comes to them offering the best medical care he can provide.As the story of Kino's situation unfolds, Kino is forced to kill three men, and worst of all, Kino accidentally shoots Coyotito in the head while he is trying to shoot his pursuers. Finally, at Juana's urging, Kino throws the pearl back into the sea. He has made nothing from his fin...

My Near Death Experience Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

The term death is often used lightly. It is frequently used in jokes and idle threats, and rarely taken seriously. Few individuals really grasp the concept of death and how it can distort the lives of the people it comes in contact with. I was among the clueless until I was ten years old. I was running home from soccer practice, speeding towards the cursed intersection, not but a quartermile from my house when it happened. Luckily I am here today to reflect on that moment. My near death experience has tremendously changed the way I live and perceive life, thus defining who I am.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a brisk fall evening, the orange sun was just setting when I foolishly misjudged how fast a car was moving. It seemed as if I had enough time to run across the street before the car passed, but apparently I was wrong. The car came screeching to a halt as the driver slammed on his brakes. The car struck my torso and threw me onto the damp grass, away from oncoming traffic. I apparently was briefly knocked unconciousious, and distinctly remember the foul smell of rubber burning as I opened my eyes to see the frantic worried look on the drivers face. At the time it seemed as if he was more relieved than I was that I was able to walk away from the scene with just a pounding headache and a few scratches. It seems as though the timely accident replays daily in my head as I make everyday decisions about life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people say that what happened to me was not exactly a bru...

Differences between the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt Essay

The antiquated Egyptian and aged Greek human advancements are two of the eldest known developments in our history. Looking again at the past it is most likely Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece were truly incredible. They were building their civic establishment’s peace by peace trough centuries. Egypt is a nation in North Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea, and is around the  most senior developments on earth. It began around 3150 BC and proceeded till the close of the Pharaoh lead in 31 BC. The antiquated Greek development is accepted to have been in actuality from 1100 BC work something like 146 BC. However, there are many, many differences between the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt in term of education system, art and geographical regions. In the advanced world no aptitude is more exceedingly esteemed than education. The saying â€Å"instruction† is typically utilized as a part of the restricted feeling of educated training; and the rate of proficient subjec ts has turned into a measuring stick of the social advancement of creating nations (Saggs, 1989). According to History kids in Ancient Egypt stayed with their moms until the age of four (n.d.). Throughout these years, a solid admiration for their moms was imparted in the kids. At the age of four, instruction of the young men was assumed control by their fathers. Whereas Children in the vast majority of old Greece began their training at age seven (History, n.d.). In Sparta, young men were given military preparing from ages seven to twenty to equip them for administration in the armed force. Young ladies likewise were obliged to prepare physically. They accepted solid ladies handled solid children. The exchanges Ancient Egypt had levels of income and force connected with them. Children regularly followed in the same exchange that their father honed. Some kids at this point went to a general town school while others went to a school intended for a particular vocation, for example, a minister or a copyist (History, n.d.) . While In Athens, poor youngsters finished not head off to cl ass. They were required around their homes to help their family bring home the bacon (History, n.d.). White collar class young men may head off to class for just three to four years. In ancient Egypt schools were taught composing, perusing, math, and games and in addition ethics and estates. At the age of fourteen, children of agriculturists or specialists joined their fathers in their callings (History, n.d.). Those kids whose folks had higher status professions preceded their training at extraordinary schools generally joined to sanctuaries or legislative focuses. In aged Greece the subjects they took in were perusing, written work, essential math, music, and physical preparing (History, n.d.) . At the age of eighteen, most young men were  obliged to join the armed force for two years of preparing. In antiquated Egyptian larger amount of instruction included taking in what was called â€Å"Guideline of Wisdom.† The â€Å"Direction of Wisdom† included lessons on morals and ethics. This more elevated amount of instruction likewise concentrated on aptitudes required for higher status positions, for example, specialist or recorder (History, n.d.) . The instructive track that a scholar emulated was regularly dictated by the position that the father held in the public arena, yet, understudies who indicated capacity were ready to get preparing for higher status employments however in aged Greece, after military preparing , young men from affluent families considered under a pedant. Regarded as an â€Å"intelligence vender,† a critic charged a charge to show subjects, for example, open talking or talk (History, n.d. . In Athens and different vote based systems, open talking and influence were exceedingly prized abilities. Based on history ocrates, the acclaimed Greek savant, accepted it was dishonest to take cash for showing youngsters (n.d.). He accepted the hunt for learning was more critical than the specialty of talking. Aged Greece is found in the mainland of Europe. Greece is encompassed by slopes and mountains, and is close to the Mediterranean ocean (University Press Inc, 2003). The Empire was the core of European civilization. Whereas antiquated Egypt is placed in the Nile Valley, in the north east of Africa ( The British Museum, n.d). By 3000 BC, the consolidated kingdom of Egypt took the entire Nile Valley and by 1500 BC, Ancient Egypt involved the area in all bearings from the Syrian coast to the Red Sea down along the valley past Nubia ( The British Museum, n.d). According to University Press Inc Athens is the image of flexibility, craft, and majority rule government in the soul of the socialized world (2003). The capital of Greece took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of astuteness and learning. In Athens memory never blurs. Wherever you stand, wherever you turn, the city’s long and rich history will be alive before you. This is the place that wonder of building design, the Parthenon, was made (University Press Inc, 2003) . This is the place  symbolization got indistinguishable from life, and this is the place Pericles gave the funerary discourse, that landmark of the spoken word. In the focal point of town are two slopes, the Acropolis with the landmarks from the Age of Pericles, and Lycabettus with the beautiful sanctuary of Ai Giorgis. Whereas, in Egypt it was divided in two sorts of area, the ‘dark area’ and the ‘red land’. River Nile the ‘dark area’ was the ripe arrive on the banks of the Nile ( The British Museum, n.d). The aged Egyptians utilized this area for developing their products. This was the main arrive in antiquated Egypt that could be cultivated since a layer of rich, dark sediment was kept their consistently after the Nile flooded. The ‘red area’ was the infertile betray that secured Egypt on two sides ( The British Museum, n.d). These deserts differentiated old Egypt from neighbouring nations and attacking guards ( The British Museum, n.d) . They additionally gave the aged Egyptians a hotspot for valuable metals and semi-valuable stones. An ominous aspect that sets the most obvious parts of both these progresses apart upon a look lies in their respective specialties. In antiquated Egypt, works of art were upheld and honed. A significant part of the workmanship portrayed in antiquated Egypt has been discovered to be typical in nature and is commonly found on tombs and landmarks (History, n.d.). Works of Egyptian craftsmanship have utilized numerous far more diverse yet expressive colours to paint sketches. Old Egyptians created numerous fine arts where they portrayed nifty gritty in nature and is usually intended to give recognition to the individuals who have passed in their eternity. Paper made from papyrus played a considerable role in the artistic creations of Egyptians (History, n.d.). On the other hand, figurines were an unmistakable work of art in old Egypt with Egyptian makings huge models of divine beings, Pharaohs, rules and monarchs. A standout among all these figurines is the sphinx as it displays Egyptian culture only lesser than the pyramids. Hieroglyphics scripts of pictures are images is another fine art of the old Egyptians. Workmanship utilized in antiquated areck is likewise very note worthy as it clear the paths for other westernize artistic expression. The areas made a variety of symbolizations. Earthenware was used for multiple purposes ranging from running regular errains to trophies or awards. The antiquated Greeks also worked with metals for numerous bits of craftsmanship (History,  n.d.). The Greeks also made a variety of dirt and terracotta figures. Huge models of marble, stone and metals like bronze are recognizable feature of Greek craftsmanship made throughout their time. Coins were another outlined aspect of Greek craftsmanship (History, n.d.). This practice is still accompanied by practically all the nations on the planet. The Greeks also develop a specialty of board painting, where put into practicality on dividers and columns and regularly told epic stories of heroes and divine beings. Different types of compositions that were practice by old Greeks include painting vases and many more Thus, we find that ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece had many differences. There are many differences between civilization of Egypt and Greece such as Egypt was built all the more in light of River society, Greece was on Sea society, Egyptian myths is all the more nearly identified with Christian mythology, While Egypt and Greece were both positively impacted by their divine beings responding as individuals may with insignificant jealousies and such, Greece’s divine beings were malignant to the point of torture and Egypt had a divine being for everything, Greece just had divine beings for the more basic components of life. The main differences are art, geographical, and the education of the two civilizations as discussed herein. References American tourism company.(n.d.)Ancient Egypt education and learning. The Life of Ancient Egyptians Education and Learning in Ancient Egypt.Retrieved from http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/lifeinegypt7.htm#ixzz2uyntwE4X History.(n.d.).History link 101.Education in Ancient Egypt.Retrieved fromhttp://historylink101.com/n/egypt_1/a-education.htm History.(n.d.).History link 101.Education in Ancient Greece. Retrieved fromhttp://historylink101.com/2/greece3/education.htm Joshua,J.(2013).Egyptian culture.Definitian.Retieved fromhttp://www.ancient.eu.com/Egyptian_Culture/ Miercoles.(2008).Compare and contrast essay.Ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.Retrievedfromhttp://xlxkasaxlx.blogspot.com/2008/04/compare-and-contrast-essay_16.html Saggs,H.,W.,F.(1989)Civilization before Greece and

Martial Law Essay

Batas Militar. Commonly known in its English translation as â€Å"Martial Law†. As stated in the 1973 Constitution of the Philippine Republic that the Prime Minister as the Commander-in-Chief may declare Martial Law under the same conditions, â€Å"in case of invasion, insurrection or rebellion, or imminent danger thereof, the public safety requires it. The President however, using this provision may corrupt the Military forces and become hostage of ambitious Generals who may want to exercise power through a puppet President, without corresponding responsibility. This provision as written in the Article VII, Section 10, Paragraph 2 placed the entire Republic of the Philippines as defined in Article I, Section 1 of the Constitution of the Republic during the Marcos Regime is the root of the Proclamation 1018 that has been executed on September 21, 1972 and remained in force until January 17, 1981. This proclamation also suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus, this suspends the human rights of an accused person to be fight for what he believe is right in front of an authority, but instead his fate depends upon the attitude of the President towards him. On the first days of this proclamation, I believe the country responded well, because they also believe that the Philippines is sick, rebellion against the government has been in power in some rural places and communist armed forces are trying to invade the nation. But I also believed that the authority who is Ferdinand Marcos during that time exceeded to his limitations as the head of state. During the Martial law, Marcos amended the constitution for several times and I believe he used this for his own good. Democracy has been ceased and no news opposing the Marcos administration can be seen in broadsheet and even in the broadcast media such as radio and television, they also put into closure those media stations that attack the wrong doings and failures of the Marcos administration. They put into prison those people whose only objective is to say what they think is right and what they think is best for the nation. Democracy and human rights has been violated during this time, not to mention the allegations of corruption and violation of its own constitution has been brought to the face of President Marcos. The most influential person to be put into prison is Sen. Benigno â€Å"ninoy† Aquino. He’s against the Marcos regime and its corrupt performance. He’s death is the eye opener of the Filipino people who is frightened and afraid to speak out against the Marcos administration, but before that, after he was put into prison, he was exiled to the United States of America, and because of love of country and people and also, maybe, because of his desire to be the next president of the Republic he returned back to his homeland and face the consequences, he was assassinated at the tarmac of Manila International Airport and after how many years named after him and was known nowadays as Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I certainly believed that during the Martial Law era, not to mention the good things that this proclamation brought to us such as discipline, obedience and loyalty to the one who is in power. This proclamation of Martial law has been used by the authorities in such a way that the citizens of this nation will hate them, violating their own constitution, corrupting the money of the people, corrupting the rights of the citizens, corrupting the minds of the military whose prime objective is to defend the nation and not to hurt it citizens. Martial law brought back the love of country and desire to have democracy not dictatorship of the one who is power. Martial law opened the minds of the citizens to move, to join, to fight, and to love freedom. Human Rights should not be sacrificed just to obtain a common goal. In order for us to move forward, we should set our goals and vision with due respect to the rights of the citizens and respect to our own constitution.

HBS Case Innovation and Collaboration at Merrill Lynch Essay

In a rapidly changing world, organizations need to continually identify new opportunities beyond existing competencies if they are to survive and prosper. Customers also increasingly want customized products. Customer service has become a hygiene factor and customer loyalty is now being driven by faster innovation, rapid concept-to-market and product co-creation. This has led to the extension of the collaboration paradigm to customer facing functions in the supply chain, namely the product design and prototyping phase. Collaboration is becoming a new and important source of competitive advantage. Historically, analysts in the investment bank tended to work independently. Especially, in the beginning of 1990s, the globalization overwhelmed the market and investor became to think that they should not just invest in the local market, but invest in the international market. With this change of clients’ attitude, the investment bank became to feel the need of innovation of their working style. Under these situations, Merrill Lynch decided to create totally different style of research report, the capital structure report which was only possible with the collaboration of international-market, cross-sector, and cross-asset analysts. The First Capital-Structure report about the U.S. Cable Industry covered seven companies. It was the first try of collaborative work in Merrill Lynch, so it didn’t have any clear guide lines for the effective team work. There was no clear goal of team work, and also there was no motivation for the participant. Analysts from different sections were asked to get together one day, and asked to make a capital structure report. Without any clear goal, and without the structure and system of team work, the whole procedure proceeded very inefficiently. It took lots of time to get the final report, but the quality of report was not satisfied. In other words, its try to change was innovative, but the team work itself was not so much â€Å"value-addable†. The second Capital-Structure report about U.S. Utilities covered 5 companies. This time, it seemed like there were clear goals; â€Å"The idea from get-go was that people would be able to pick up this thing and start generating trades  from it. That was goal number one. The second goal was to have the report sitting on people’s desks for a good period of time as a reference guide to how different parts of the capital structure impacted each other and affected valuations and potential opportunities† In addition, the participants in this project worked pretty closely together already. However, these were not enough for the effective collaboration. They were still not motivated to the project a lot, and the more commitment might have been called for. This means that they still didn’t have specific goal to head for. Absence of specific goal naturally brought lots of debates which slow the progress. When the team finished the project, the report got a lot of positive feedback from clients. And it seems that Merrill Lynch met its goal in the beginning. However, without the specific goal of what they should achieve, and with the lots of information they should mix all together, â€Å"it was a grinding exercise† to reach on the final result. The Third Capital-Structure Report was about auto companies. At this time U.S. specialists and Europe specialists worked together. Analysts did not need much convincing because they already knew the need for this collaborative work. There were lots of energy and enthusiasm already. In addition, this third project started with a plan; they knew what they want to achieve specifically and they also had the clear deadline. The whole procedure was progressed very smoothly from this step to the next. As a result, Sales heard from a client that â€Å"the value-added ideas contained in the report are original, differentiate Merrill from the rest of the Street, and give them another reason to pay Merrill commissions.† Even though Merrill Lynch learned lots of things undergoing the upper three cases, there still are many issues remained. The project might have been more timely and had a clear leader. To achieve the further successful innovation and collaboration, there are many important things Browning as the director of the research department should have thought about. As a leader for change, Browning should set the theme by communicating inspiring visions, which provide a picture of the future combining poetry and prose, imagination and pragmatism, drawing on destination, dream, prize,  target, message, and first step. So, first, as a leader Browing must be secure about team’s charter, mission, goals and objectives to team members. And employees must believe a certain level of individual effort will lead to achieving the corporation’s standards of performance. So Browing should set stretch goals which they energize people. And Browing must confront the key questions that must be answered and then communicate the inherent truth that inspires. The communication of that inspiring vision is arguably the indispensable condition. So For this, he should launch internal website for his innovative project and this website will help team members expedite project’s vision communication as well as timely information access. To be specific, formally, the analysts can share information about each sector regularly through email, e-news letter, and regular cross-sector meeting. For example, the equity analyst can have the summary about current bond market or derivative market weekly or biweekly. Also, through inner-information session for cross-asset collaboration report the analyst could have a chance of analyzing pros and cons of the collaboration report. Second, for effective communication, Browning has to build the trust and respect in the innovative project team. Informally, just as Fleishman insisted, through casual lunch or regular dinner, cross-asset analysts could be close to each other, and all-of-sudden they could be collaborating. And this interaction would encourage meaningful dialogue around issues of compelling importance to analysts. To develop solid foundation and mutual trust, face-to-face interaction is needed. In addition, just as Hezig recommended, having new hires rotate for a period of time before getting allocated to do research might be a useful tool for effective communication. New employees not only could be comfortable with cross-asset resources, but also could have close relationships with cross-asset colleagues. Third, Browing has to build the culture which voluntarily stimulates voluntary collaboration. So he has to pay attention to structure a collaborative innovation team which can add flexibility to planning and control systems. Without flexibility, analysts can stop their creative and productive ideas. So Browing need to consider this flexibility in a long term goal. Creative collaboration respects and honors the talents and  contributions of each person involved, regardless of rank, seniority or expertise. Organizations that are serious about collaboration make sure there is a safe environment for taking the risks that are necessary for creative collaboration. Fourth, Browing should create atmosphere where stimulates breakthrough ideas. It means that he should create norms to promote creativity. Collaborative Innovation is a new practice that improves on current practice or responds to new opportunities and challenges. Actually, many organizations are trying to build their own culture for innovation. Thus Browing needs to focus on risk taking for change. Risk taking is ‘no punishments for failure’ and ‘freedom to try things and fail’. For example, laughing at those who suggest new approaches can stop sharing information each other. Another norm to promote creativity is openness. Openness includes open communication and help share information, open access, willingness to consult others. Browing should be careful of knowledge evaporation. He should build up internal knowledge database as an instrument at the corporate level for collecting ideas and then promoting them. And also he has to give all the relevant employees to access the database. As a result, employees who are interested in any relevant subject can give negative or positive feedback and the subject can develop in a better way. Innovation is a process, not just an output. Time out is as important as time in. If we have a problem, our brains continue to search for the solution even while we are doing other things. Fifth, Browing should celebrate accomplishment making everyone hero. Celebrating accomplishments provides support for staff undergoing change. Just as Casea said, Browining has to convince analysts that collaborative project is additive to their franchise, that it’s not just an extracurricular activity. Financial rewards do encourage people to produce results. But the kind of ownership that really generates energy is not financial. It is emotional. Employees must feel that the rewards offered are attractive. Providing adequate pay, at the same time he could compliment the effort and result whenever he encounters. This will impart a motivating  sense of personal accomplishment and little by little will build commitment to the collaboration. A solid performance management system requires due respect to both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. So Browing should be skilled at communicating instrumental and expressive messages concurrently. The last suggestion for Browning is to decide or delegate the suitable leader and make him control the team under strong leadership. Just as Casesa indicated, non-hierarchical relationships across divisions among analysts complicated the task since there was also no actual leader when analysts made the third capital-structure report. To maintain this innovation, Browning also has to consider human side of innovation, because even the most technical of innovations requires strong leaders with great relationship and communication skills. The good leader might pull human resource to the collaboration when needed. Just as Haggerty brought an editor in meeting to help them structure the report, the environment which makes analysts easy to collaborate would also promote the positive image of collaboration. Under good and respectful leader, the future collaboration would create more successful capital-structure report. BIBLIOGRAPHY AMBLER, S. (1995) â€Å"USING USE CASES: REDUCE DEVELOPMENT COSTS WITH USE-CASE SCENARIO TESTING,† SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, 3 (6), JULY. BILOW, S. C. (1995) â€Å"DEFINING AND DEVELOPING USER INTERFACE INTENSIVE APPLICATIONS WITH USE CASES,† REPORT ON OBJECT ANALYSIS AND DESIGN. 1 (5): 28-34. INNOVATION THE CLASSIC TRAPS ,SKILLS LESSONS THE NOT-SO-SECRET INGREDIENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE, BE A GOOD BOSS LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE: ENDURING SKILLS FOR CHANGES MATERS, WRITER:ROSABETH MOSS KANTER THE NOT-SO-SECRET INGREDIENT OF HIGH PERFORMANCE, INTRINSIC REWARDS GENERALLY MOTIVATE BEST CORPORATION, CULTURE, AND COMMITMENT: MOTIVATION AND SOCIAL CONTROL IN ORGANIZATIONS, WRITER:CHARLES O’REILLY INNOVATION, WRITER:ROSABETH MOSS KANTER BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE GLOBAL BUSINESS TEAM, CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF TRUST Title :Leadership for Change: Enduring Skills for Changes Maters, Writer:ROSABETH MOSS KANTER, Page:4   See Building an Effective Global Business Team, Cultivating a Culture of Trust, page 69   Title:Innovation, Writer:Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Page:10   Title :Leadership for Change: Enduring Skills for Changes Maters, Writer: ROSABETH MOSS KANTER, Page:3 Title:Corporation, Culture, and Commitment: Motivation and Social Control in Organizations, Page:15, Writer:Charles O’Reilly   Title:Corporation, Culture, and Commitment: Motivation and Social Control in Organizations, Page:15, Writer:Charles O’Reilly   Title :Leadership for Change: Enduring Skills for Changes Maters, Writer:ROSABETH MOSS KANTER, Page:14   See Motivation: The Not-So-Secret Ingredient of High Performance, Intrinsic Rewards Generally Motivate Best, page 5-7   See Innovation The Classic Traps ,Skills Lessons, page 4   See Motivation: The Not-So-Secret Ingredient of High Performance, Be a Good Boss, page 17-18

Virgin Mobile Usa Analysis

Virgin Mobile USA Analysis [pic] August 08, 2009 Table of Contents Table of Contents2 Introduction3 Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE Matrix)4 External Factor Evaluation (EFE Matrix)5 Porter’s Five Forces6 Porters Generic Forces6 Financial Analysis7 Competitive Profile Matrix8 The Marketing Mix-The 5 P's9 Key Issues10 Boston Consulting Group (BCG Matrix)11 GE / McKinsey Matrix12 Space Matrix14 Recommendations16 Introduction Virgin Mobile is a great company that has been successful based in the U. K. The company is well known for its brand extension and was the first company to introduce the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in the U. K. , where they leased network space form another firm instead of running a network in-house and as a result avoiding infrastructure and large fixed cost. The company was well known for its hip and trendy position in the U. K. , and catered to the youth market. Although they have had a couple failures in the past including launching the MVNO in Singapore, the company decided to venture into the U. S. Virgin Mobile positions itself to come up with an appealing offer and ensure a run rate of one million subscribers in the first year and three million by the fourth year. Keeping with the brand strategy and philosophy of making a difference, it enters areas, which are not well served which in this case is the age group of 15-29 due to their low frequency of usage and poor credit rating. While targeting this segment lifestyle and psychographics factors are important as usage is inconsistent, and based on school and, vacation periods. Virgin customers are attracted to the products and services because of the flexible monthly terms, easy to understand pricing structures, stylish handsets offered at affordable prices and relevant mobile data and entertainment content. Virgin offers products and services on a flat per-minute basis and on a monthly basis for specified quantities, or â€Å"buckets†, of minutes purchased in advance in each case, without requiring customers to enter into long-term contracts or commitments (Virgin Mobile USA). Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE Matrix) Internal Factor Evaluation | |Matrix (IFE Matrix) | |CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | |What are those factors in the internal environment which are critical to the future success of the |Relative |How well has the firm, | ; 2. 50 = the firm and | |organization? Importance of that|or its strategies, |its strategies are not | |Does management have control over them? (The answer should be yes) |factor in the |res ponded to the |capitalizing on | | |firm's industry |factor? |opportunities or avoiding| | |0=Not Important; |1 = poor response |threats. | | |1=Very Important |2 = average response |> 2. 0 = the firm, and/or| | |or Critical |3 = above average |its strategies, is/are | | | |response |responding well to | | | |4 = superior response |threats and opportunities| | | | |in its industry. |STRENGTHS |   |   |   | |Virgin brand name [Globally recognized brand name] |0. 25 |4 |1 | |Competitive Price of Phone Package |0. 03 |2 |0. 06 | |On-line Store 24/7 |0. 2 |2 |0. 04 | |Excellent Sales Promotions |0. 1 |3 |0. 3 | |Pro-active and quick to act |0. 12 |3 |0. 36 | |Friendly staff – Good at understanding and meeting customer needs |0. 04 |3 |0. 2 | |Targeting a narrow target market [less advertising costs] |0. 02 |4 |0. 08 | |50-50 joint venture with Sprint no worry for fixed costs or physical structure |0. 1 |4 |0. 4 | |An exclusive multiyear content and marketing agreement with MTV networks to deliver music, games and|0. 05 |4 |0. | |other MTV-, VH1-, and Nickelodeon based content to Virgin Mobile subscribers | | | | |Unique mobile features and extras |0. 02 |3 |0. 06 | |Channel strategy that is more closely aligned to its target market selection. |0. 02 |3 |0. 06 | |Unique image youth oriented other providers focus on business people. 0. 02 |3 |0. 06 | |Unique advertising strategy |0. 02 |4 |0. 08 | |WEAKNESSES |   |   |   | |Limited [Low] advertising budget |0. 3 |4 |0. 52 | |No contract option means that there is a chance of having higher churn rates. |0. 01 |3 |0. 03 | |New Foreign Brand associated with Music/Travel |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |CBD Location is busy/inconvenient for Suburb Customers |0. 02 |1 |0. 2 | |Mobile Coverage |0. 01 |1 |0. 01 | |Separate Billing/Account information (More Direct Mail) |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |Total |1 |   |3. 44 | |   |   |   |3. 4 > 2. 5 | Virgin Mobile exhibited internal weaknesses and strengths wit hin its environment rated above weighted score of 3. 44 on a scale of 1 to 4. This can be attributed to the good leadership that includes friendly staff, the market niche that is image youth oriented, unique advertising strategy, channel strategy on the other hand limited advertising budget, potential higher churn rates and poor mobile coverage expose Virgin Mobile’s weaknesses that must be addressed. External Factor Evaluation (EFE Matrix) |External Factor Evaluation |Matrix (EFE Matrix) | |CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS |Weight |Rating |Weighted Score | |What are those factors in the internal environment which are critical to the future success of|Relative Importance of|How well has the firm, or| < 2. 50 = the firm and its| |the organization? |that factor in the |its strategies, responded|strategies are not | |Does management have control over them? The answer should be no) |firm's industry |to the factor? |capitalizing on | | |0=Not Important; |1 = poor response |opportunities or avoiding | | |1=Very Important or |2 = average response |threats. | | |Critical |3 = above average |; 2. 0 = the firm, and/or | | | |response |its strategies, is/are | | | |4 = superior response |responding well to threats| | | | |and opportunities in its | | | | |industry. |OPPORTUNITIES |   |   |   | |Penetration among consumers 15-29 is significantly lower and the growth rate among this |0. 12 |4 |0. 8 | |demographic is projected to be robust in the next 5 years [this segment hasn’t been targeted | | | | |yet] | | | | |Revenue for mobile entertainment projected to increase steadily over the next few years. |0. 1 |4 |0. | |Open more Virgin Mobile Stores across Capital Cities/Regional Markets |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | |Integrate into Music/Travel packages |0. 25 |4 |1 | |Wider Mobile Phone Coverage-National & International |0. 1 |3 |0. | |THREATS |   |   |   | |Market seems to have reached maturity |0. 14 |3 |0. 42 | |Market is overcrowded |0. 15 |2 |0. 3 | |Customers ages 15-29 are low value subscribers [don’t use their cell phone regularly] |0. 3 |2 |0. 06 | |Limited National Coverage |0. 01 |2 |0. 02 | |The age group targeted tends to have poor credit quality |0. 03 |3 |0. 09 | |Competition from A T & T, T-Mobile USA, Cellco and Verizon etc |0. 02 |2 |0. 4 | |Total |1 |   |3. 26 | |   |   |   |3. 26 ; 2. 5 | Virgin Mobile’s response to external opportunities and threats within its environment is rated above weighted score of 3. 26 on a scale of 1 to 4. There are wide opportunities for Virgin Mobile to open more Virgin Mobile Stores across Capital Cities/Regional Markets. Make the offers more attractive by Integrating Music/Travel packages. Provide wider Mobile Phone coverage-National & International. On the other hand there are threats that are looming due to the market that seems to have reached maturity and overcrowded. There is limited National coverage which needs to be expanded. There is also Competition from A T & T, T-Mobile USA, Cellco and Verizon etc. These threats must be countered effectively. Porter’s Five Forces Supplier power (Weak) – Lots of cell phone providers, therefore companies like Kyocera lower prices to contract with service providers. Buyer power (Strong) Current cell phone service providers are numerous, which allows for many options for buyers. Barriers to Entry (Weak) – There is nothing that will prevent Virgin from competing to an untapped market. The threat of substitutes (Weak) – There are very few substitutes available that offer mobile and immediate communication. Alternative like pagers are outdated & this target market cannot afford sophisticated PDA service. Degree of Rivalry (Strong) – Competitors have brand recognition in the US and have the majority of the market share. Porters Generic Forces Virgin Mobile applies the three generic strategies. Cost leadership strategy that seeks to minimize costs and maximize profits. For example the company had entered into distribution agreements with Target and Best Buy, both of which charged lower commissions than traditional industry channels $30 per phone, versus an industry average of $100. 6. They also sought to hire talented staff that is friendly and good at understanding and meeting customer needs. In terms of differentiation, the team decided that a key part of the Virgin Mobile service would involve the delivery of content, features, and entertainment, which they called â€Å"VirginXtras. To this end, the company signed an exclusive, multiyear content and marketing agreement with MTV networks to deliver music, games, and other MTV-, VH1-, and Nickelodeon based content to Virgin Mobile subscribers. Therefore Virgin Mobile focuses on unique image that is youth oriented while other providers focus on business people. Virgin Mobile also differentiated it’s service by good customer care. There are advantages and risks exhibited with each strategic option. Virgin Mobile’s opportunities in this market were based on determining the unmet needs and creating new ways or means for satisfying these unmet needs. And it had to be based on buyer types, buyers’ needs and the technological means of satisfying those needs. Virgin Mobile used a more concentrated approached; they identified buyers’ needs by focusing on the age group 15 to 29 with specifically those with no credit and may not have usage or a lot of minutes; The Company put an emphasis on usage of minutes, style, fashion, fun, honesty and great value for money. This segment represented a possible opportunities for market penetration. It identified two attitudinal and lifestyle markets in their chosen segment; those that had no credit and wanted a phone with no contracts but can indulge in text messaging, downloading information into the cell phone and they were more likely to use ring tones, faceplates and graphic and those that wanted a phone as a fashion statement. Even people with similar usage needs, often have differing lifestyles representing various value sets. For example some people have an active lifestyle in which sports and fitness play an important role, while for others, art, fashion and trends may be very important. Financial Analysis Virgin Mobile USA, Inc. Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008: Sales: $1,323. 5M One year growth: 0. 8% Net income: $7. 9M Income growth: 88. 4% AT Mobility Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008: Sales: $124,028. 0M One year growth: 4. 3% Net income: $12,867. 0M Income growth: 7. 7% Cellco Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2007: Sales: $43,900. 0M One year growth: 15. 5% T-Mobile USA Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008: Sales: $1,323. 5M One year growth: 0. 8% Net income: $7. 9M Income growth: 88. 4% Verizon Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008: Sales: $97,354. M One year growth: 4. 2% Net income: $6,428. 0M Income growth: 13. 7% Reference: http://www. hoovers. com/virgin-mobile-usa/–ID__156760–/free-co-competitors. xhtml The main competitors are AT&T, Cello, T-Mobile USA and Verizon. Initially, Virgin may have no great profits since they are trying to be the low cost provider. Although they were profitable i n the UK, they have no brand recognition in the US to fall back on. Based data, Virgin Mobile is able to compete effectively with their major competitors as far as sales are concerned. They are also able to do this will less employees, meaning low operating cost. The company’s ability to compete effectively gives a good indication on their ability to keep their current market share and expand operations into new target markets. Competitive Profile Matrix |Competitive Profile Analysis | |Competitive Profile Matrix | | |Virgin Mobile |AT & T |Cingular |Verizon |Sprint | |Critical Success factors |Weight |Rating |W. T. Score | |Overall Market Size |0. 20 |5 |1 | |Annual Market Growth Rate |0. 20 |5 |1 | |Sector Profitability |0. 12 |4 |0. 48 | |Competitive Intensity |0. 14 |1 |0. 4 | |Global Opportunities |0. 12 |4 |0. 48 | |Regulatory Regime |0. 05 |3 |0. 15 | |Opportunity to Differentiate |0. 04 |5 |0. 2 | |Technological Requirements |0. 5 |1 |0. 05 | |Entry Barriers |0. 02 |1 |0. 02 | |Distribution Structure |0. 06 |5 |0. 3 | |Total |1 |   |3. 82 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Business Unit Strength Factors |Factor Weighting |Business Unit Rating |Value | |Market Share |0. 2 |1 |0. 2 | |Share Growth |0. 2 |4 |0. | |Product Quality |0. 05 |2 |0. 1 | |Brand Reputation |0. 1 |1 |0. 1 | |Distribution Network |0. 31 |5 |1. 55 | |Promotional Effectiveness |0. 05 |5 |0. 25 | |Production Capacity |0. 2 |4 |0. 08 | |Cost Management |0. 01 |5 |0. 05 | |R Performance |0. 02 |5 |0. 1 | |Management |0. 04 |4 |0. 16 | |Total |1 |   |3. 39 | [pic] McKinsey model above shows us strong business attractiveness and that the business strength for Virgin Mobile is fairly low. The fact of the matter is that competition in the cellular phone business is strong with many competitors. Currently the top providers operate to benefit themselves and not the consumer with high prices and limited features for the money. Consumers have various choices as far as provider is concerned, but no company has differentiated themselves to benefit the consumer’s pocket. Virgin Mobile must strive to excel. Space Matrix Strategic Position & Action Evaluation [pic]    |   |   |   |   |   | |   |Internal Strategic Position |External Strategic Position | |   |Competitive Advantage |Industry Attractiveness | |   |Ratings |   |   |Ratings |   | | |(-6 worst, -1 Best) | | |(+1 worst, +6 Best) | | |   |-5 |Market share |   |5 |Market Growth potential | |   |-4 |Product quality |   |2 |Profit potential | |   |-3 |Produc t life cycle |   |4 |Financial stability | |   |-5 |Brand & Image |   |5 |Resource utilization | |   |-3 |Customer loyalty |   |2 |Capital intensity | |   |-3 |Technological know-how |   |2 |Barriers to entry | |  Total |-23 |   |  Ã‚  Total |20 |   | |Avg |   |AVG 3. 33|   | |-3. 83 | | | | |   |   |Total axis X score: |-0. 0 |   |   | |Financial Strength |Environmental Stability | |   |Ratings |   |   |Ratings |   | | |(+1 worst, +6 Best) | | |(-6 worst, -1 Best) | | |   |4 |ROI |   |-3 |Technological changes | |   |2 |Leverage |   |-5 |Demand Elasticity | |   |3 |Liquidity |   |-3 |Price range of competition | |   |3 |Capital required/available |   |-6 |Barriers to entry | |   |3 |Ease of market exit |   |-6 |Competitive pressure | |   |2 |Risk involved in business |   |-5 |Price elasticity | |  Ã‚  Total |16 |   |  Ã‚  Total |-28 |   | |Avg |   |Avg |   | |2. 67 | |-4. 67 | | |   |   |Total axi s Y score: |-2. 00 |   |   | With the given the Space Matrix data we realize that the company should pursue a defensive strategy. The implication is that the firm is operating within a market that is experiencing negative to stable growth and that Virgin Mobile is experiencing severe financial constraints. Virgin Mobile knows that the market is saturated and very competitive they went ahead and positioned themselves to pursue their niche in the market share. I recommend applying a combination of retrenchment, divestiture, liquidation and concentric diversification. Recommendations Virgin Mobile wants to compete within a new market and not have the competition beat them in this game. Several options as far as pricing were developed by the company. They can either clone existing prices, price below the competition, or create their own unique pricing strategy. Cloning the industry, will not allow them to differentiate themselves in order to stand out from the competition, although, it would be easy to promote. Pricing below the competition would still be copying the competitor’s strategy, but just offering a lower price. Their only differentiating factor would be that they were cheaper. I recommend a different strategy. Creating the new plan would bring about the changes that consumers want such as eliminating contracts, offering pre-paid services, lower priced phones, and eliminating hidden fees. Although this strategy could be risky, they will ultimately do what they set out do which was to gain the market share of the under-30 crowd. With the options that MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon networks will offer, I believe consumers will see the added value in the product as opposed

Who makes a better parent Men or women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Who makes a better parent Men or women - Essay Example the children. Thesis statement: Women make a better parent because they are emotionally attached to their children, but without ignoring their responsibilities. First of all, the importance of parenting in this modern age must be unearthed. Unlike animals, a newborn child is helpless and shows dependency towards its mother. When a calf is born, it can stand up, walk, or even it can run. But it is impossible for a human child. The only thing that it can do is to cry to attract its mother’s attention. So, one can see that the initial stages of a child’s growth and development is strictly limited to the sphere of the intimate care provided by its mother. Gradually, the child attains its adolescent age, teen age, youth and adulthood. During these stages of growth and development, the child’s behavior towards its mother undergoes gradual change, (maybe, negative or positive). In general, girls show attachment toward their mothers and boys try to imitate their fathers (there may be exceptional cases). But the point under discussion is still to be explored. The traditional role of men in families is that of the ‘breadwinner’ or the head of the family structure. Generally, men earn money for the whole family and looks after the other members with due care and responsibility. The image of men in a family is based on responsibility. Besides, men show keen interest to force other members to follow certain disciplinary guidelines. Their role as father and the caretaker of the whole family with responsibility is complex. From a different angle of view, their dual role (both are complex) limits the scope of friendly approach towards children. For instance, they possess an active role in protecting and defending the reputation of the family as a whole. The ‘father image’ is responsible for the deeds of other family members. So, they do have less time to concentrate upon the