CaseStudy Paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CaseStudy Paper - Case Study Example The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths of Shouldice Hospital must be taken into account when considering expanding operations. The strengths of the hospital entails: effective capacity utilization, efficient process, customer satisfaction, and specialized care. The hospital has a very effective and efficient service process. This entails four processes; pre surgery, surgery, recovery and follow ups (Hauch, 2002). These processes are overseen by highly trained and competent medical personnel. The hospital also faces some weaknesses; for instance, narrow product line, number of locations, and age of certain key personnel. The hospital only offers one major medical service; this is herania operations. The hospital should make attempts at broadening the medical services offered; for instance performing other different operations and transplants. Majority of medical specialist at the center are elderly; therefore, the management must start recruiting young medical practiti oners, who will receive mentorship from the older staffs (Bendavid, 2005). There exists tremendous opportunities for expanding hospital operations. For instance, entering new locations, and ability of increasing medical service demand (Atul, 2002). The hospital should open additional branches in the entire North American region. There is a huge demand for hernia operation services in the United States and Mexico. Therefore, the hospital should plan on offering medical services in United States and Mexico. The threats experienced by the hospital during operations are; government involvement, staff changes and inadequate capacity. The government keeps on introducing new legislations governing the health sector. Therefore, the hospital should be up to date on legislation changes. Implementing these new changes may be expensive, due to resources involved

Reflective writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective writing - Assignment Example The nurses, or other clinical and medical practitioners, cooperate and work with each other, enable better communication, more understanding, faster decision-making, and a stronger supervision for each other. Group leadership skills provide a solid foundation for using group concepts, theory, and research with a wide variety of groups and group settings (Carolyn, 2008). It is also observed that the patients with chronic health problems are better treated when examined by a group of nurses or doctors. In this way, a constructive research and discussion takes place, and there is an enhanced relationship with the patients. Moreover, while working in groups, the professional skills of nurses are also groomed and they begin enjoying helping and facilitating one another in professional activities (Nursing Times, 2000). The advantage that the concept of group working gives is that there is a more formalized joint approach to the planning of patient care through further participation of patients as well as nurses. The group support also helps relieve anxiety from both the doctor and the patient. I think, in a group working situation, it is also easier to brainstorm and find solutions to the existing problems. It also encourages an effective utilization of the resources, and helps to keep complete records and collection of data whenever needed. In the profession of nursing, it is essential to have mutual cooperation, trustworthiness, sense of accomplishment and respect for the individual values and beliefs. All these aspects can be worked on while performing the tasks in a group (The Scottish Government, 2004). Moreover, working in groups is extremely beneficial for the organizations which operate in a complex manner. There is increased competition, and conformity to better productivity. It results into more and better idea generation and an individual learns to lead and attain a sense of responsibility on his/her part. Shared knowledge and experience gives the

Business plan Essay Example for Free

Business plan Essay Introduction Selective marketing strategy Most of the small business or businesses seeking to enter into new venture like creative technology seeking to enter the American headphone market will employ select marketing with the main objective being to get higher returns on their marketing investments. To achieve this objective, creative technology should strive hard in knowing their customers in the basis of their origination, who they are and where do their products do well (Homburg, etaal, 2009). Once they have that in mind, then they will try to maximize the best performing market segment, to realize these high returns on investment (ROI). The other vital objective of creative technology is to eliminate the guess works and the wastes involved in new venture and replace them with specific targeted efforts. This will ensure that they reduce on the operating cost and maximize their returns on investment. Also, owing to the luxury nature of the product that Creative Technology is to introduce in the United States market, they should gravitate towards these selective marketing as their product target a very limited population segment. Creative Technology employs this type of marketing to achieve their objectives as this product which they want to engage in is not for everyone and so they want to ensure that the message meets the right consumers and so reflecting in increased sales. Mostly, Creative Technology might include a glossy ad in the magazine and televisions. This is so because most of the population would be uninterested with luxury goods adverts. Moreover, Creative technology should employ tactics to differentiate the product from other brands in their category of products. This entails at classifying a brand as being more superior to other competing brands. This will involve stressing the quality of brand and design on their historical relevance and the longevity of the brand. In this approach, they will strive to paint the other competing products as unreliable, generic as and of a lesser quality than their own headphones (Homburg, etaal, 2009). This will ensure that Creative Technology meets its objectives of high returns on investments. This is so because it will reduce the extra cash and time spent on advertising messages directed towards consumers who may otherwise not be interested in the product. Also in addition to making this product stand out, specialized focus on specific market areas can help in building product’s reputation and ensure that this product has a long term fostered loyalty. Target Market Creative technology will then employ the tactics of target market selection in order to engage in the market which they are sure that their product will sell. There are two important factors which they should consider in doing this. These include; the attractiveness of the market segment and also how the segment will fit their objectives and resource capabilities (Shaw, E. 2012).. When they are selecting the target market, they should consider the following aspects. The size of the segment; this basically entails to the number of their customers that are in that population. When they ascertain that the segment has a considerable number of people then they can choose to invest in it and the vise versa. The other aspect which they should also consider is the growth rate of the segment. This will help them to determine their future prospect in the market. Also, they should be at a position of determining the level of competition in the population that they want to invest in. this will enable them decide their product in a manner that they will be more appealing than that of their competitors. In doing so, they will also know the loyalty of the customers in the competing brands and hence know the strategy of invading this market segment. In addition they will be at a position of determining the attainable markets share if they got the knowledge of the competitor’s expenditure in promoting their brands. Given the size of the population, they should also ascertain the required market share so as to break even and the profits they expect from the sales in the said segment (Aaker and David, 2008). To obtain this information, market research and analysis is vital for Creative Technology. For instance, buyer intentions, test marketing, sales estimation and analysis in demand is very useful in determination of sales potential. The micro and macro environmental variables on the segment should also be put into consideration (Shaw, E., 2012). It is very important for the Creative Technology to note that larger segments are not advisable for targeting as they will already have more competition. It could be more profitable to invest in two or more small segments with little or no competition. However, if the firm is sure of developing a competitive advantage like patent protection, they can engage in larger market segments. Target Market Strategies There are different marketing strategies that should be employed by Creative technology in their endeavors of choosing a market strategy. These strategies include; Single segment strategy: this strategy is also referred to as concentrated market strategy.Here one market segment is served as opposed to the entire market. It is a strategy which should be employed by smaller firms with little resources. Selective specialization: it is a multiple- segment strategy and is also referred to as differentiated strategy. Different market segment are served with different marketing strategies. Only the promotional message varies with the product not being the same in these markets. Product specialization: In this strategy, the company specializes in particular products that tailored to different market segments Market specialization: here the company will specialize in a single market and serve it with varied products. Creative Technology cannot employ market specialization as it is planning to employ only one product, the headphones. Full market coverage:   Here the organization tries to cover the whole market. It is mostly achieved either through mass marketing where a single undifferentiated market mix is employed to the entire market or by a differentiated strategy in whicha different mix is offered to every segment. Individual marketing strategy: this is a strategy which has been employed recently owing to the technology where market mix is tailored in accordance to the individual consumer (Brian Solis,2011). For the Creative Technology to remain competitive in the market and realize high returns, it should always target a market that matches its capabilities. Once it has gained momentum, then it can expand by embarking on specialization strategy, tailor the product for different markets. Positioning strategy After selecting the target market, the firm will now embark on deciding on how it will position itself in the chosen market segment. Positioning refers to how the firm wants their customers to view their product. It is about effective conveyance of messages to the target market about the firm’s product or service. Position strategy development The first step is to do a market research. The main aim of this is to feel the features of your product that the consumer wants to feel their presence in the target market of your choice. You research the general features and not the features offered by a particular brand for example headphone features by Creative Technology Company. Once you have identified the features which are preferred by your potential customers and their ranking according to your target customers, the then compile a list of product in that target market offering these features. Then draw a map showing not only the features of the product but also the competitors that offer those products with the same features. It is also advisable to place your product in this map too, for comparison purposes. After this you will have a clear picture on where competitors products are positioned in your map in the chosen target market, you can the make an informed decision on where you would like your product to appear on the map. Position strategy development mostly depends on how the firm will position itself. The firm can take a ‘me too’ strategy and position themselves adjacent to the competitor and allow the customers to directly compare the product features or they can choose a strategy positioning themselves away from their competitors. One way of doing this is by offering a feature absent from the competitors’ products that their market research revealed that the consumers in that market rank as vital. Market mix This refers on how the firm, Creative Technology will distribute their headphones to their consumers. They should plan this strategy so as to distribute their products (headphones) to their consumers at the right time and place. Efficient distribution is imperative if the firm is to meet their objectives. If for any reason they underestimate or overestimate the demand, the firm’s profitability will be negatively affected (Borden, Neil,2013). Choosing the Distribution channel There are two available channels of distribution which include direct and indirect distribution channels. Indirect pertains to the distribution where one uses the intermediaries in distribution. For instance, they can sell to the wholesaler who sell to the retailer and then to the end user. Conversely, direct distribution is where the company will be distributing directly to the end users at the right time and place required. It is mostly preferred as it gives the manufacturers direct control over their products. Choosing a distribution strategy Different products are distributed differently and there are three different distribution strategies which can be employed. There is; intensive distribution strategy which is employed in distributing low priced products, exclusive distribution which involves limiting distribution to a single outlet. This strategy is mostly employed in the highly priced product like vehicles and also may require an intermediary (Borden, Neil,2013).. Selective distribution; here a small number of outlet, especially retailers, are chosen for product distribution. If Creative Technology adopts a selective or exclusive strategy, they should choose an intermediary who is well versed with handling these or similar product and is well know by the target consumers.       Planning assumptions Projected cost and sales Financial tracking is a very vital part of any given business plan. In this financial tracking, one should be careful to note that the programme cost not only refers to the cost of the project but also the cost involved in administering this programme itself. Any project, for instance the Creative Technology’s project of venturing into the US market should contain the expected cost and the return or the sales expected from the same. In addition it should show clearly where the project’s resources will be obtained to make sure that it will not fail on the way. The projected sales and cost is the culmination of all the previous section of the business plan as each section will always impact on the cost and sales hence affecting the whole project finance. For it to create accountability, it should show clearly the firm organization structure so that it may indicate who is responsible for what, who will be making decisions regarding productions, legal compliance and financial management. Sensitivity analysis This is a tool which can be used by firms to examine their effects on the net income whe sales levels increase or decrease. These changes against which the sensitivity analysis is done are the unexpected event or the contingencies I outlined in the contingency planning. This analysis will usually centre its process on the ‘what if question’. Mostly these questions are as the following; what would be the firm’s income if it has a sales forecast of 12%, 16% or 34% higher? Also what can be my firm’s net income is the firms forecast a 12%, 16% or 34% lower than the expected (Helton etaal, 2009). Contingency plan Contingencies are events which are not expected or not expected in the firm business plan. So the company must develop a contingency mitigating strategies or plans in order to be prepared for these unexpected outcomes. This is because these events do not arise from time to time and so they must be ready with these plans in case they occur. These plans entail preparing for crises and for unwelcome outcomes in case they occur (British Standards Institution, 2012). This will ensure that the firm will easily recover these unexpected events. It will also ensure that these impacts are minimized. When drawing a contingency plan, the first step is recognizing its need, and then indentifying all the possible scenarios. After this they must know what the consequences of these crises will be. Then assess the degree which might be caused by these eventualities. After they have done all this then the final step is to choose a risk strategy to employ so that they can mitigate these crisis and lastly do a crisis simulation which is testing their plan. (British Standards Institution, 2012) The firm management should also consider the ‘what if’ question where they prepare scenarios which could arise in the business operations. Some of these questions could include: what if the competitors produce a very powerful product with much favorable features in the eyes of the consumers of the target market? What if the firm does not meet its expectations? What if their competitors employ advanced advertisement strategies than the firm? Etc References Baker, Michael The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit 2008. p. Homburg, Christian; Sabine Kuester, Harley Krohmer (2009): Marketing Management A Contemporary Perspective (1st ed.), London. Marketing basics Marketing strategy based on market needs, targets and goals. Aaker, David (2008) Strategic Market Management Baker, Michael The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit 2008 p. 27 Shaw, E. (2012). Marketing strategy: From the origin of the concept to the development of a conceptual framework. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 4(1), 30–55. Pinson, Linda. (2004). Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Business and Securing Your Company’s Future (6th Edition). Page 20. Dearborn Trade: Chicago, USA. A. Simon, Rational decision making in business organisations, American Economic Review Borden, Neil. (2013)The Concept of the Marketing Mix. Brian Solis(2011) Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, John Wiley Sons, Inc. pp.201-202. Koichi Shimizu (2003)Symbiotic Marketing Strategy,4th edition, Souseisha Book Company. Intrieri, Charles (10 September 2013).  Business Contingency Planning. Flevy. Retrieved 29 September 2013. British Standards Institution (2012). Societal security – Business contigency management Systems – Requirements: London Saltelli, A., Ratto, M., Andres, T., Campolongo, F., Cariboni, J., Gatelli, D. Saisana, M., and Tarantola, S., 2008,  Global Sensitivity Analysis. The Primer, John Wiley Sons. Campolongo, F., J. Cariboni, and A. Saltelli (2008). An effective screening design for sensitivity analysis of large models.  Environmental Modelling and Software,  22, 1509–1518. Fassà ², Alessandro ()  Sensitivity Analysis for Environmental Models and Monitoring Networks. Preprint J.C. Helton, J.D. Johnson, C.J. Salaberry, and C.B. Storlie, 2009, Survey of sampling based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.  Reliability Engineering and System Safety

Developing Personal Goals for Career Development

Developing Personal Goals for Career Development Abstract Planning goals is one step towards the development of a career. To achieve a goal, one must plan on how to make this happen. You just dont wake up one day and decide that this is what I want to achieve without first of all considering the ways and means of achieving that and the possible hindrances on the way. It is important to break down your goals because it is through this that that you are setting reasonable goals as well as creating a long term plan. It is also important to make a plan to achieve the goals that you have set. A goal that has been set but does not have a plan remains just that. A goal. That is why people have visions, dreams, ideas and intentions but these never happen because they have not been planned. Goal planning helps when you want to advance your career and a good goal should not necessarily be time bound. One needs to select an area of specialization as a target to your goals. In this case I have chosen Nurse Consultant as my area of specialization. This is the role which I will focus during my masters degree in a nursing program. I have expounded on the areas that I am competent in, and the potential areas that are of interest to me. I have chosen to specialize in nurse consultancy because this is a new field that is not heavily crowded. Hence there is a greater chance of getting employment and if not, I can still employ myself by opening a nurse consultancy. Introduction There is a need for people to set their own goals in life. The first step is usually setting goals that are not too high but which all in all present a challenge. This means that goals must be reasonable, attainable and achievable. One must then develop a plan on how to achieve the set goals because goals with no plans are simply fantasies. Also the goals that one sets must have a challenge. This is because what you have already achieved does not pose a challenge at all. SMAART planning methods are a necessary guide to achieving goals. SMAART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Action Oriented, Results oriented and Time-phased. This means that you should say what you want to achieve clearly and concisely, you should have a unit of measure for your goals hence they should be objective rather than subjective, should be realistic, should be written in an active rather than a passive voice, one should focus on end results and at least one should set a deadline to achieve the stat ed goals. My main goal in life is to be a fully qualified and successful nurse and work with the best institution in the country so as to help all the people regardless of their backgrounds. I plan to achieve this by completing my BSN and then after attaining a MSN. Career goal. My goal in life is to be a senior nurse in the best institutions in this country. I want to be a highly qualified nurse with an MSN.This I want to achieve by obtaining a masters degree from a nursing institution. I am aiming to attain this after completing my BSN which I will this year on June. After this I want to get a good highly paying job at the best institution in this country and it is after this that I will consider myself successful. I am a registered nurse with the National Health Service (NHS). I am currently working two jobs one as a Childrens nurse and the other one as a tutor in a small business college. Professional short term goal My professional short term goals is to better my career by attaining the BSN. When I achieve this, my career will have improved in terms of services that I will offer because I will have improved my scope of knowledge Professional long term goal. My professional long-term goal is to be the head nurse of a National hospital. This I can achieve after attaining my MSN. Personal short term goal My personal short term goal is to work just one job that is well paying because taking two jobs is becoming cumbersome on my part. Personal long term goal I want to earn more money and change my lifestyle want to have a good life and a nice car. I also want to buy a better house in a more posh and safer neighborhood also want to move away from my current home which I have rented and into a new home that I own. Needed skills The skills needed to achieve the goals I have set for myself include personal skills, social skills, and professional skills, educational and thinking skills Personal skills I need Self awareness in order to identify my own needs, attitudes, feelings, strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve my goals. I will also actively identify and utilize a wide range of all the available resources and seek other viewpoints and opinions. I will consider actively the implications of my studies on my daily activities and my job. That is why I have come up with a well developed but dynamic plan. I will consistently motivate myself and assure myself that I can make it no matter what. I will listen to other peoples opinion share with them and ask their support whenever I need it. I will work closely with my colleagues both in campus and at the job. I will make sure that I achieve my MSN so that my long term goals can be achieved. Management of time. I will need to routinely use time well and ensure that I have not wasted any time on unnecessary activities. When I enroll for my masters, I will drop one job so that may concentrate more on my studies. Milestones for achieving the goals. Short term goals After completing my BSN degree. when I start working one well paying job Long-term goals when I become the head nurse of a National hospital When I build my own house. When I move out of my neighborhood into a better high class neighborhood. Hindrances Fear-this is one of the barriers that may prevent me from achieving the goals. This may be fear of not fairing well in my BSN which may inurn inhibit me from enrolling for my MSN. I am also afraid that my application for masters may be declined. I plan to work hard to ensure that such an occurrence will not happen. Unsupportive people-I have many friends and relatives who do not have the level of education that I have. They usually discourage me a lot and tell me to stop harassing myself with books and that I have two jobs. I plan to keep them off and to those that I cannot; I will simply ignore and /or assume them. Conclusion Personal commitment and dedication will be required to achieve the above goals. I will have to work with other people closely to achieve my long term and short term goals. This is because no man is an island. I will avoid negative thinking completely and work on being optimistic and motivated. I must have a strong drive and belief that I will achieve these goals. Though I have not stated a particular deadline, I plan to attain these goals in stages and to finally achieve my long term goals within the next 5years.i will also trust in God and pray unto him to make my plans come into fulfillment. Recommendations A personal goal plan should be realistic and attainable. There is need for each and every person to write up a personal goal plan. This will help one know what he is aiming in life and also what one has achieved so far. Goals may change and therefore one need to critically think what he/she wants in life before listing down the goals. Even after there is a change in goals one should not see him/herself as a failure. In that case, one should write up new goals and aim to achieve them. Change of short term goals does not necessarily mean a change in the long-term goals.   References Chapman, A. (2007). Goal Planning Templates for Personal and Organizational Aims. Retrieved February 09 http://www.businessballs.com/goal_planning.htm Mind tools ltd (2010).Essential Skills For an Excellent Career. Retrieved 09 February http://www.mindtools.com/ Peterson, D. (2008). How To Write SMAART Goals and Objectives. Retrieved February 09 http://adulted.about.com/od/personaldevelopment/ht/smaartgoals.htm Johansen, K. (1996). The Business Focus of HRD Leaders. Paper presented at the 1996 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference held in Minneapolis in February, 1996. Legge, M. Career tools retrieved February 4, 2010 from http://www.coaching-life.co.uk/career/index.html Rouda, H. Kusy, M. (1995) Career Development.Tappi Journal.

Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers

Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984. Critical Opinions Essay -- Essays Papers Critical Opinions Oliver Goldsmith, author of The Deserted Village, spent years as a hack writer, turning out books and articles on all sorts of subjects for London booksellers. Eventually, Goldsmith used his fluent pen to write himself out of obscurity and become one on the most characteristic and best English writers of the late 1700s, with his works The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller, and The Deserted Village. The Deserted Village is one of Goldsmith's acknowledged masterpieces, and probably the most distinguished long poem by an Irishman. Despite the popularity of The Deserted Village it became the focus of criticism from Goldsmith's contemporaries. Not all criticism, however, was negative. Literary criticism refers to a balanced analysis; even when literary critics supplement, they generally discuss the merits as well as faults of a work in order to arrive at a sound, deliberate assessment (Murfin 64). Most criticism of Goldsmith's The Deserted Village tended to be positive. Nevertheless, some contemporaries ranked The Deserted Village below The Traveller. For instance, according to Sir Samual Edgerton, The Deserted Village is a poem far inferior to The Traveller, though it contains many beautiful passages. Its inferiority to its predecessor [The Traveller] arises from its comparative want of compression, as well as of force and novelty of imagery. Its tone of melancholy is more sickly, and some of the descriptions which have been most praised are marked by all the poverty and flatness, and indeed are peopled with the sort of comic and grotesque figures, of Flemish landscape (Moulton 630). Irish literary nationalists believe that the village of Auburn in The Deserted Village is the Irish village of Lissoy. ... ...ened by touches of pathos; if sorrow disturb the heart, it is more than half consoled by the thought, that gentle or happy natures will find or make for themselves such simple and unexacting pleasures, wherever their lot may cast (Moulton 681). Oliver Goldsmith continued to write regardless of the different critical views from his contemporaries on the The Deserted Village. While doing my research I came across a very poignant quote by Goldsmith, "Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better." Works Cited Moulton, Charles Wells, ed. The Library of Literary Criticism. Gloucester, Mass: The Moulton Publishing Company. 1959. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books. 1997. Swarbick, Andrew, ed. The Art of Oliver Goldsmith. London: Vision Press. 1984.

Comparison Between “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”

Edgar Allan Poe is known for some of the most horrifying stories ever written through out time. He worked with the natural world, animals, and weather to create chilling literature. Two most notable thrillers are â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†. Poe was infatuated with death, disfigurement, and dark characteristics of the world. He could mix characters, setting, theme,and mood in a way that readers are automatically drawn into reading. Both of these short stories have the same major aspects in common. The narrators in both works prove to be similar in several ways. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the story is told through a psycho narrator; both stories contain apparent psychological imbalances within their story tellers, â€Å" -his central character or narrator so psychologically obsessed with a mysterious phenomenon that everything in the story irresistibly revolves around it...†(May, Charles E.) There really is no motive for the murder of the old man; just his eye that he cannot stand. He repeats himself frequently, trying to assure the reader, and himself, that he is sane; leading to believe he may not be psychologically stable. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† the narrator can also be considered a mad man by the way he plays games with his victim. Montressor says to Fortunato that they should go home because â€Å"his health is precious.† This conversation is ironic because Montressor does not really want to protect Fortunato's health, but to kill him in the catacombs. Both of the narrators are proud of their murders and brag about them within the stories. Not only are the narrators similar but the settings are alike once the murders take place, both locations of the victims are buried in a dark place with no escape. I... ...ted Baraban, Elena V. "The Motive for Murder in 'The Cask of Amontillado'." Rocky Mountain Review 58.2 (Fall 2004): 47-62. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Vol. 111. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. Benton, Richard P. "The Cask of Amontillado: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. Chua, John. "An overview of 'The Tell-Tale Heart,'." Gale Online Encyclopedia. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. May, Charles E. "The Tell-Tale Heart: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Dec. 2010. Valiunas, Algis. "No to Poe." Commentary 127.1 (2009): 42+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.

The Secret Recipe of The Body Shop

The Body Shop is the 2nd largest cosmetics franchise in the world; their stores are everywhere throughout the world – 2400 stores in 61 countries. Its brand name is something but simply, and represents the shop that sells all the goods for body, beauty, and healthcare from top to toe. Its logo is unique and also defines its simplicity, with the green color that describes nature – clearly indicates that the company is environmental friendly. Finally, you will notice that The Body Shop anywhere in the world will not ignore its famous, green, and white logo; and those two colors will be pretty, dominant in any Body Shop outlet that you visit. The Body Shop's products are naturally made and against animal testing. There's something special with the packaging – First of all, the tubes and bottles are recyclable, made by minimum 30% of plastics. The company is trying to reduce of using plastic for higher level recycled content every day. Body Shop also likes to recycled things and made it into accessories. So, aside from being useful and unique, it's highly eco-friendly. The entrepreneurs of Body Shop, Anita Roddick, succeeded not because of a capitalist goal which is profit, but she thought of ways to survive in the market. The body shop always born with new ideas and innovations, and they keep improving customer services. Here, we are going to describe more about The Body Shop and its secret recipe to succeed in franchising world. 1. Franchising Anita Roddick appointing a head franchisee in each major national market to be able to concentrate on the development on new product lines and the company's global vision, rather than the complexities of administration or personnel management. Body Shop has their secret ingredient of selecting its franchisee; that is openly acknowledged a preference for women as franchisees. Roddick kept strict control over the franchising process, she was really careful with this franchising thing. Her objective was to ensure that The Body Shop image and the principles it was based on, were not diluted through franchising. 2. Team Management â€Å"We were searching for employees, but people turned up instead† – Anita Roddick Body shop selects staffs that support the company's vision, and the employees aren't kept in the dark – they are supported in the belief that they are part of an exciting future. The value of integrity defines its interaction with its customers, staff and suppliers. The teams are managed to build their passion through a fun and simple atmosphere within the firm. The employees are knowledgeable and fully committed to the company's goals. The trustees of Body Shop look for projects which are committed to addressing social and economic injustice, access to education and protection of the environment and animal life, taking into consideration current global issues and situations. The directors and the employees can build a good correlation. These executive directors are the people who develop their company's performance plans. The plans are signed by the employees and then passed on to the management for approval. They make sure that company performance plans are complete and adequate before signing the forms. Executive directors also discuss the company performance plans with the employees in a clear and organised manner. Non-executive directors document their company's performance and provide feedback to the executive directors from time to time throughout the company performance cycle. Furthermore, the company is maintaining good relations and open communications with its investors. As a matter of fact, shareholders are regularly invited by the corporation whenever there are gatherings to discuss trade updates. Moreover, whenever there is an annual general meeting, investors get the chance to meet The Board members themselves. And of course, for private investors, they can also access the company's website for various shareholder services. Undoubtedly, the company has good consideration for all of its stakeholders; past, present and future. It seems to be a very well planned framework in the firm's corporate division. It has good policies and procedures with regards to financial matters and operational concerns. Its procedure of assessing the different kinds of situations that come up is certainly a good move on their part. Not to mention, they have maintained good relations with their stakeholders. 3. Training The Body Shop management trainee program provides autonomy, a challenge and gives the opportunity to run our own store. The trainee will spend the first year in one of their top performing stores as an assistant store manager and in the second year the trainee will manage their own store. During the program, the trainee will also spend time with The Body Shop Commercial team, get involved in project work at head office and gain an insight into what The Community Trade team does. Beyond the program, there are number of opportunities available from managing a store internationally to moving into a commercial role. The company will support their trainee with training, on the job learning, progress reviews and support from senior management. 4. Operation According to the Body Shop Retail Sales report, the total sales worldwide boosted by 7% to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½772 million (Body Shop International. With the growing market capacities of the Far East Asian region, international brands like Body Shop will definitely create big. It is reported that Body Shop stores in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, increase its sales by 12% while operating profits to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½19.7 million. In 2002, The Body Shop shoppers do not just go to its chains just to buy its products, because the Body Shop products themselves are the ones that go to the American homes. Surprisingly, the results are promising. It has predicted a 35% profit in operations. In operating process, body shop always born with new ideas and innovations of their product. Definitely, innovations are proven to increase business' performance and existence. The special thing about body shop operation is not just in the manufacturing, but also the services that the company offers. Body shop is campaign for social justice and human rights; they fund the organizations environmental campaign. 5. Marketing Products: The company â€Å"body shop† sells organically grown body products, for the consumer who likes to take care of him or herself. It is known for its cosmetic products that are naturally made and environment-friendly. These organically products is used by different women across the globe, and different products with different functions composed by the ingredients that come from different countries. (Ex: sesame seed from Nicaragua, shea butter from Gnana, coco milk, mangoes, strawberries, etc). Those ingredients are kept on improving along with the new ingredients. Price: The products are priced more exclusively than the mass merchandised cosmetics, but well under exclusive department store lines. We can conclude from here that the company has sufficient information about the customer's prices – company knows exactly its target group and knows what the target group is willing to pay, so the products actually are comparatively cheap; which means, still, there are lots of people can afford them. Place: The company is B2C related which means that its target group is consumers on the B2C market. They use a mixture between intensive and selective distribution. All the shops are run on a franchising basis. Their customers are willing to pay in high prices and are in the medium class or higher; so they put their store mostly at exclusive department store lines, big shopping centers, and located in major cities. Promotion: The company is against promotion, so they don't do business by promoting, but they have their own internet site, where you can see their selection of products. The unique thing about Body Shop's promotion, it deviates from its fellow cosmetics line with regard to its advertisements. It never made use of famous celebrities nor supermodels to endorse its products. Furthermore, the characteristics those models posses are far from the stereotypical model or from the Western standards. If we are to access the Body Shop International's website, as cited in this paper, we will find out that these models are black. From this we can derive that the pioneer of Body Shop ventures into something that is more than just business. There is politics behind. The cosmetic business is bound by principle. 6. Hazard Management The body shop provides safety to its customers. The products itself are naturally made and environmental friendly. They are against animal testing. So the company supports animal and human rights, and the economically climate. In October 2009, the Body Shop was awarded a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award' by the RSPCA in Britain, in recognition of its uncompromised policy which ensures ingredients are not tested by its suppliers. Note that the promise of not testing on animals has no bearing on whether the ingredients are from animal sources. They are unique with the outlet decoration. The Body Shop's corporate identity provided a consistent visual cue in its shops. The company's original shop interior concept, nicknamed the â€Å"green box† was developed to complement the corporate image. It featured a dark green modular system constructed in timber, and dark green tones on both the exterior and interior. CONCLUSION Lessons learned from The Body Shop's success – Authenticity adds value – The importance of staff selection – Globalization can lead to greater success – Don't confuse your personal strategies with business strategies. Here, a company must have clear strategies. – Advertising and marketing add value – Don't underestimate your competition