Role of Women in the Odyssey Essay examples - 810 Words

Natasha Castillo October 3, 2012 Role of Women in â€Å"The Odyssey† â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer is an epic poem about Odysseus’ return to his wife and son in Ithica after the Trojan War. Women play an exceptionally large role in this epic poem. Odysseus’s son, Telemachus attempts to gain authority in the presence of the suitors but it is difficult. Especially once he goes on his own journey under the guidance of Athena. Throughout the epic poem however, the women play their roles as mothers, servants, seductresses, some are a combination. These ones can be seen as women in power because they use these tools in order to control men. Mothers portrayed in this epic poem are seen as the givers of â€Å"pity and sorrow† rather than true supporters of their†¦show more content†¦When Telemachus returns, he knocks some sense into Penelope. â€Å"Odysseus is not the only man who never came back from Troy, but many another went down as well as he. Go, then, within the house and busy yourself with your daily duties, your loom, your distaff, and the ordering of your servants; for speech is man’s matter, and mine above all others- for it is I who am master here† (Book 1). The sirens and Circe are the ultimate seductresses in the epic poem. Circe turns Odysseus’ men into pigs and tells him she will change them back only if he goes into bed with her. Odysseus does not realize that he stays in bed with her for about a year or so. Sirens sing to men at sea and make them fall in love with them and then eat them. These are great examples of seductresses. However, I believe Clytemnestra is another good example. She is Agamemnon’s wife and during his absence, suitors too surround her. Clytemnestra also went through a deep mourning and shows that women who are mothers and are devoted to their husbands, sons, and family, are prone to look for other men, in their absence. Clytemnestra falls in love with Aegisthus and they plot to kill Agamemnon when he returns. â€Å"At first she would have nothing to do with his wicked scheme, for she was of a good natural disposition; moreover there was a bard with her, to whom Agamemnon had given strict orders on setting out for Troy, that heShow MoreRelatedRole of Women in the Odyssey1201 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Women in The Odyssey The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem based on the story of an ancient Greek hero, Odysseus, and his twenty year journey—ten years spent fighting in the Trojan War and the other ten spent traveling home. In the poem, Homer presents the theme of the role and nature of women. Men were the dominant gender in ancient Greece, and women, who were inferior, were only valued for their beauty and their ability to reproduce. However, in this poem, Homer both exemplifiesRead MoreThe Odyssey : The Role Of Women In Homers Odyssey966 Words   |  4 Pagesinteractions. The Odyssey portrays what is right or wrong in relationships between god and mortal, father and son, and man and woman. In the epic poem, the role of women is a vital demonstration of Ancient Greece. The women in the epic are unique in their personality, motives, and relationships towards men. In Homers, The Odyssey, all women are different, but all of them help to represent the role of the ideal woman. Homers epic describes the world of women in Ancient Greece, a time where women were seenRead More The Role of Women in the Odyssey Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesThe Role of Women in The Odyssey Homer wrote the classic epic The Odyssey more than 2,500 years ago. At that time in ancient Greek society, as well as in the whole of the ancient world, the dominant role was played by men. Society was organized, directed, and controlled by men, and it was accepted that women occupied a subservient and inferior position. Women, of course, were valued, but were expected to possess certain traits and perform certain tasks that men demanded of them. Does Homers writingRead MoreEssay On The Role Of Women In The Odyssey739 Words   |  3 PagesImagine living at a time in which women were only seen as second-class or lesser beings. The Odyssey, by Homer, is an epic poem based on the story of an ancient Greek hero known as Odysseus. The Story follows his twenty-year journey, ten spent fighting the war, and the other ten spent getting home. Throughout the Poem, Homer presents the roles and nature of women. In The Odyssey, Greek society is controlled by men, while women face an entrenched so cietal expectation to be subservient and loyal withoutRead MoreCultural Role of Women in the Odyssey1025 Words   |  5 Pages   The cultural role of women in the Odyssey In Homer’s Odyssey the cultural relevance of a preferred woman’s role in society generally stands out in the roles of the female characters of Athena and Penelope simultaneously rejecting the negatively viewed characteristics of Calypso and Circe. The entire structure of Ancient Greek culture boasts its men in more superior roles than that of women. Greek society was largely built upon an idea that good women were only around to faithfully serve andRead MoreRole of Women in the Odyssey Essay1582 Words   |  7 Pagesmasculine point of view† (Ibsen). This saying also applied to the times of the Odyssey, an epic constructed by the blind, eight century B.C.E. poet, Homer. As one of the few representatives of ancient Greek social order, the blind, Homer witnessed women as substandard to men, regardless of their actions; many of them existed as seductresses, prostitutes, or slaves. He engraved into his poem women’s role s; the roles of women, as mothers, wives, seductresses, and goddesses are exemplified in this epicRead MoreThe Role Of Women In Homers Odyssey1165 Words   |  5 Pages The Role of Women In The Odyssey In literature, are women used as important roles or only used as love interests and for their beauty? This question has been around for a long time and there is still no clear answer. One literary example is the women characters in Homer’s The Odyssey- the ancient Greek epic of Odysseus and his journey home to Ithaka. When on his journey, Odysseus meets many women who are ultimately used as alluring characters to distract Odysseus on his journey home. ThroughoutRead More The Role of Women in Homers The Odyssey Essay695 Words   |  3 PagesThe Role of Women in Homers The Odyssey Women form an important part of the folk epic, written by Homer, The Odyssey. Within the story there are three basic types of women: the goddess, the seductress, and the good hostess/wife. Each role adds a different element and is essential to the telling of the story. The role of the goddess is one of a supernatural being, but more importantly one in a position to pity and help mortals. Athena, the goddess of wisdom,Read More The Role of Men and Women in Homers The Odyssey 1173 Words   |  5 PagesWho is the ideal Greek man? It can be argued that through the illustration Homer weaves throughout the Odyssey, Odysseuss character traits cast a lens as a prime example of a man in ancient Greek society. He appears to be brave, intelligent, well-spoken, and clever. Much of his knowledge is discovered by his travels, absorbing the local culture around him and using it as a guide. Aristocratic and a warrior. Perhaps the best warrior of all time. It is the Iliad which presents these attributes initiallyRead MoreThe Demeaning Role Of Women In Homers The Odyssey1280 Words   |  6 PagesThe Odyssey is one of two poems written by Homer describing the drama of the Trojan War, more specifically, the catastrophic journey of the hero Odysseus b ack home. Throughout the tales, female characters exhibit the many and diverse roles of Greek women, and also their significance in a world dominated by immortal beings.   Like countless others, the goddess Calypso’s beauty and elegance could be the cause of circumstances both good and evil. Calypso is remembered most for keeping Odysseus as a prisoner

The Chronicles of Gre Argument Essay Topics

The Chronicles of Gre Argument Essay Topics Nowadays it's quite hard to locate a trustworthy essay writing service. However you get ready for the essays, make sure you at least write a couple of each type before you take the actual GRE. There are scores and scores of mock essays on the web, and with a very simple google search, you can get access to several essays for the GRE. Employing good words improves the standard of the essay. So, you must make sure there are at least 5-6 paragraphs in your essay, if you would like a good score on the AWA. Substance matters more than every other component in regards to your essays. Take care to proofread your essay, when you finish writing it. Since you may see, the longer the essay, the greater the grades. So, it's safe to say that in case you write no less than a few sentences in English, you will receive a score of 1.0. Most students think about the GRE Essay as the absolute most stressful assignment ever, but it isn't so difficult as it appears. Consequently, you will wind up with a score much lower than that which you actually deserve. Nowadays you know what it requires to receive an ideal essay score. Things You Should Know About Gre Argument Essay Topics Also a reminder you could work with me if you're searching for issue essay feedback. You will find that it is possible to use a number of them for many essays don't let the very first thing that springs to mind box you in. Sample essay write about yourself custom essay writing has come to be an extremely popular task during the last few decades the key explanation is supposed to improve in. Given an essay is a lengthy bit of writing condensing into a 5 page structure is a powerful means to ensure it is comprehensive. While reading, you also need to make note of all of the unfamiliar words and later learn them. Practice brainstorming plenty of different essay prompts from the ETS website to get accustomed to coming up with examples that you may use to support your standpoint. Others, obviously, scoff at the idea since they're such great writers. Moreover a reading habit is beneficial as you come across a large number of new words which you'll be able to increase your vocabulary. The argument is weakened by the presence of several facets which might have directly or indirectly affected the ordinary property values of the Brookville community in the past seven decades. Debates are effective, since they attract people's attention on issue in how a speechmaker is not able to do. Though the response may start to deal with the assigned task, it provides no development. An answer to any other issue is going to receive a score of zero. The Secret to Gre Argument Essay Topics There's great benefit in practicing for the essay at the right time of preparation. If you're able to reveal wonderful writing skills together with a good ability to organize, you will become definitely an ideal grade. After all, the work of the student is to just explain how other positions might not be well informed or updated on this issue. Tell our experts what sort of homework help on the internet you will need to get. Students lead busy lives and frequently forget about a coming deadline. Consequently, they will find it increasingly difficult to afford off-campus housing. Every student demands help with homework from time to time. Most students believe that essay length the only important aspect in regards to AWA scoring. The Number One Question You Must Ask for Gre Argument Essay Topics The argument essay is deemed difficult by a lot of the students. The first element of the essay we'll analyze is the way that it succeeds in identifying and examining the pieces of the argument that are related to the job. The essay graders know that you simply get 30 minutes to compose each AWA essay and in addition, they know that you won't have the ability to cover every potential argument, reason and rebuttal. One of the absolute most important features about a compelling essay is its capacity to convince the reader by way of sound logical reasoning. It is essential that the thesis statement ought to be slimmed down so as to adhere to the guidelines of the given writing exercise. To begin with, the student should comprehend the argument completely. This essay is one possible reaction to the argument. Whether it's an argumentative or expository essay which you're writing, it is crucial to develop a clear thesis statement and an obvious sound reasoning.

Tony Hsieh free essay sample

Anthony (Tony) Hsieh was born in 1973 to Taiwanese immigrants in Illinois, and grew up in the San Francisco bay area. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in computer science in 1995 (The Billion-Dollar Question about Tony Hsiehs Las Vegas Experiment). In 1966 Tony Hsieh founded a business called LinkExchange with his college roommate. When Hsieh was only twenty-four years old he sold the business to Microsoft for $265 million (Tony Hsieh on His Secrets to Success). The main reason Hsieh and his partner decided to sell LinkExchange, was because the culture in the company had gone bad. â€Å"I was dreading waking up and going to work at my own company† Hsieh said to Niblez. com. This realization defined Hsieh as a leader throughout his remaining career. His dread of waking up to go to his own company inspired him to create an environment where culture plays a crucial role. He is very passionate about companies’ cultures and has stated, â€Å"Companies that have strong cultures outperform companies who don’t† (Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh Explains Why Company Culture Matters. We will write a custom essay sample on Tony Hsieh or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ). Hsieh got involved in the small shoe company called shoesite. com as an advisor and investor in 1999, about two months after the company was founded. The shoe company’s name changed to Zappos after the word zapatos, which means shoes in Spanish (The Zappos Family Story). Tony Hsieh invested $500,000 in the company and became the CEO of the company in 2000. During his leadership, Zappos has grown gross merchandise sales from $1. 6M in 2000 to over $1 billion in 2008 by focusing on its customer service (Hoovers). Zappos has thirteen hundred employees and is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada and also has an office in San Francisco and is working on their newest location in Las Vegas, Nevada. Zappos has been ranked as one of the best companies to work for by Fortune Magazine many years in a row. In 2011, Zappos was ranked number six on the list and in 2012 it was ranked number eleven (â€Å"Lexis Nexis†). Tony Hsieh undoubtedly possesses many traits that make him a leader and has produced an effective management style that has allowed him to create extreme success at Zappos. Hsieh is determined to succeed, ambitious even when facing failure, modeling the way through superb customer service, challenging the process by choosing to be untraditional, inspiring a company wide vision through his democratic management style, enabling his employees to act in an environment they can thrive in, and remaining confident in his company culture. By doing this, he has modeled a new way of effective leadership and created a successful company. Tony Hsieh’s determination is what sets him apart from other leaders in Corporate America. He has been entrepreneurial all of his life. From middle school on, he had his eyes set on the prize and ran a mail ordering service. From then he continued on to study at the prestigious Harvard University. While attending Harvard he ran a Grille where he would travel by subway to McDonalds every day to purchase a hundred frozen hamburgers patties that he could sell at a higher price, and then he ended up investing in pizza ovens that would deliver a higher profit (Hsieh). After that he invested in LinkExchange, and by the age of twenty-four he was investing in what is now one of the largest online retailers, Zappos. Without the determination to succeed, Tony Hsieh would not be in the position of where he is today. He has been an entrepreneur his whole life and was bound to end up with a great company. As Hsieh quotes in the first section of his book, Delivering Happiness, â€Å" I failed my way to success. † This famous quote by Thomas Edison perfectly expresses Hsieh’s leadership trait of ambition. From a young age Hsieh was a go-getter; he describes purchasing a worm farm at the age of 9 to breed and sell, which was a failure, calculating how much money he would make by distributing papers around his neighborhood or selling greeting cards. His biggest childhood business success, and the way he would become a billionaire, was his button making business that made him over $200 a month. These little steps of entrepreneurship led him to his first multimillion-dollar business, LinkExchange, and then on to Zappos, which grosses about $1 billion annually (Hsieh). His success with Zappos did not come easily; it was not until he realized his boredom at his previous jobs at Oracle and LinkExchange that he decided to strive for more than just a money-making business. At Zappos, Hsieh combines his ambition to make money with an environment that also makes his employees ambitious. His ambition allows him to have a management style that encourages his employees to grow within the company. As stated in the Zappos core values, he wants his employees to â€Å"pursue growth and learning,† because Hsieh believes the secret to success is a vision with passion behind it and that cannot be successful without everyone feeling like they are contributing to the vision (Quiqley). Tony Hsieh models the way through customer service, which is his number one priority for being an online retailer. He has made it his commitment to have all his employees trained in excellent customer service, and he prides himself on it. By having an online twenty-four hour help service and shipping delivery within five days, he is able to make sure all of his Zappos customers are happy. He stated his vision and modeled the way for all of his employees as seeing them as equals rather than being their leader. â€Å"We figure the best way to have an open-door policy is not to have a door in the first place† (â€Å"How I Do It†). As crazy as it may seem, this is why his business is effective and is so profitable. The employees can relate to him, and therefore they are able to better relate to the customer. â€Å"He participated in all of our activities throughout the week, but is clearly intent on being a platform builder, not a figure head. There was no motivational speech, only the evidence of a like-minded, fun, creative, focused group of people† (â€Å"Tony Hsieh on His Secrets to Success†). Tony Hsieh does not act above anyone; rather than dictating, Hsieh models the way for others to act by being involved on a day-to-day basis. Choosing to run a business can be a tricky thing to do. Tony Hsieh not only models how a leader should be, but he has also challenged the process along every step of the way. When he first started LinkExchange, which he later sold, he felt as though he was not using his full potential. He felt like he was stuck behind a desk and business was business. His passion, determination, and drive died. Once the company sold, Hsieh realized that he wanted to create a new culture and transform Las Vegas. Instead of focusing on the income he was bringing in, he focused on the potential of the people who would be living and working for him. This approach is not common in Corporate America; he wanted to change the workplace for everyone to be involved. His core values to change the culture include embracing drive and change, building a positive team and value, do more with less, create fun, build open and honest relationships, be humble, be a positive team, be open-minded (Quiqley). To keep a positive culture, each employee is interviewed with behavioral questions to make sure they are a right fit for his company. Most employers do not ask these kinds of questions and this is challenging the process through a CEO point of view. â€Å"I think it’s a combination of how self-aware people are and how honest they are. I think if someone is self-aware, then they can always continue to grow† (On a Scale of 1 to 10, How Weird Are You? ). He has enforced these core values in all aspects of business and overcome any obstacles he was faced with. Tony Hsieh inspires a company wide vision by motivating employees through a company vision that is about more than being number one. It is about running his business in a democratic style. He chooses to treat all his employees with extreme value and make the company values mirror those of his employees. The New York Times describes Zappos as a â€Å"highly social company where workers get free sodas and popcorn, decorate their cubicles, are invited to share ideas and can climb the career ladder from inside. † Hsieh wants to hold onto his employees who he thinks are the best and give them a chance to grow without ever leaving. To do this he creates a comfortable environment where his employees can feel motivated, enjoy themselves, and want to succeed within the Zappos structure. The Zappos culture and way of business allow the employees to set high goals- that are also realistic- of where they want to see themselves at Zappos in the future. In Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness, he reveals his framework to a successful business, which he calls â€Å"Happiness Framework 1. † In â€Å"Happiness Framework 1,† Hsieh discusses his way of handling pay raises and promotions. For example, in his call center, he uses a pay raise system that allows the employees to take control of their own pay raises and when they receive them; to do this, the call center representative has a list of skill sets that they must achieve, for each one complete and they receive a raise. By doing this, he notices his employees are happier when they have control and an ongoing sense of perceived progress. Hsieh’s democratic style of management was also influenced by rave culture, which he participated in during his younger years, and the mantra PLUR, that stands for â€Å"Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. † From this culture he realized that everyone is human at core, and instead of losing sight in business, politics, and social status, we should be appreciative of each another and our work (Hsieh). Tony Hsieh enables others to act by creating an environment that his employees can thrive in and be inspired to input new ideas. Zappo’s core values of being â€Å"adventurous, creative, and open-minded†, lead his employees to believe that anything within the business is possible. Hsieh believes that by focusing on inspiring his employees the overall business will be better (Quiqley). For a Zappos employee, anything is possible with the right planning and determination. For example, an employee thought about how many company birthdays there were at Zappos; from that thought she came up with the idea of putting a bakery in Zappos. When it was someone’s birthday, she would bake him or her a cake and deliver it right from inside the Zappos building. She planned her idea and pitched it, and with that Zappos funded it (Young). This management style of enabling others to act and thrive comes from Hsieh’s growth within the businesses he worked for and created, from working at Oracle to quitting Oracle and creating Internet Marketing Solutions to turning that business into LinkExchange and finally moving on from LinkExchange to explore and recreate Zappos. Tony Hsieh is confident in the culture that he creates for Zappos and keeps the culture of the company the number one priority. Hsieh says, â€Å"Its important to me to build a business where money isnt the primary motivator because in tough times, Ive found that it isnt enough to see it all the way through† (Tony Hsieh, The Billion Dollar Interview). When Zappos has a new hire, he or she goes through a traditional interview; once he or she passes that interview, the next interview is entirely based on how that person will fit in the company culture. If he or she gets hired, after a trial period, Zappos will offer him or her money to leave. They pay their new employees for the amount of time they’ve been working at the company plus a $1000 bonus. The reason for doing this is that Zappos knows that the environment is not for everybody, and they only want people there that really want to be there and like the culture of the company. By offering the new employees money, it is easy to sort out the people who are a really great fit and those who would rather take the money. About 10% of the new employees choose the money. The people that would rather have the money are not the people who are going to fit into the culture anyway (How I Did It ). â€Å"I think that happier employees lead to happier customers, and happier customers lead to better business overall,† Hsieh has said in an interview with success. com. He has also said that the best advice he ever got was to never forget that the most important thing in life is the quality of life we lead, which drives him to maintain the quality of life and culture at Zappos (â€Å"Tony Hsieh, The Billion Dollar Interview†). Tony Hsieh is proof that determination and creating a company culture that everyone can strive in leads to a successful business, motivated employees, and, most importantly, happy and satisfied customers that keep coming back. Hsieh not only challenges the way a business is traditionally run but creates an environment where he views his employees as valuable, gives them opportunities to climb the Zappos’ career ladder, and always welcomes new ideas. Hsieh pushes his employees to be creative, take risks, embrace change, be a little weird, have fun, but always remember the customer and the tools to provide excellent customer service. There are many traits we admire about Hsieh’s management style, but there are four main traits that really stick out. First, we admire his ongoing determination within Zappos. Though Zappos is already a successful business, Hsieh is always working to make it better and using his employees to help him do so. His personal adaptability makes him embrace the changing work environment at Zappos. Second, we admire that he includes everyone in all processes that affect Zappos. He is open to new ideas and how those ideas can be applied to make Zappos better. Third, he does not want his employees to leave in order to grow. He wants his employees to grow and improve within Zappos while always staying satisfied with an ongoing pursuit to be better or to reach a goal. Lastly, we admire how he uses his leadership to project a positive message and to uplift his employees. Hsieh knows that without his â€Å"Tribe† (employees), Zappos could not be where it is today.

Management of Digi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd free essay sample

The fundamental issue that is going to be discussed in this assignment is sales force management. The purpose of this assignment is to gain understanding on the real life application of sales force management in an organization. The organization our group had chosen to conduct an interview is of DiGi Telecommunications SdnBhd (DiGi). An interview has been conducted with the senior associate of consumer and enterprise sales department of DiGi. This insightful interview gives our group a complete view of how DiGi carries out the six-step process in managing its sales force. This report will begin with a brief introduction DiGi, then we will be looking into each of the six steps in the sales force management process, which begin with designing sales force strategy and structure, followed by recruiting and selecting salespeople, training salespeople, compensating salespeople, supervising salespeople, and evaluating salespeople. This section discusses on how DiGi implements these steps based on the data collected from the interview. We will write a custom essay sample on Management of Digi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Finally, we will recommend a few possible solutions to the weak areas of their sales force management. Our group had an interview with Billy Wong from DiGi who is the Senior Associate Consumer Enterprise Sales (Accounts Manager). The interview was held in Bangsar Shopping Center’s Coffee Bean at 2pm. Billy Wong is a senior who had been working for three years in DiGiand he is still serving the company. He is a friendly and nice person who is willing to share his experience and answer our doubt, our group had a good discussion with Billy Wong on the topic of the six sales force management in DiGi. Besides, DiGi provides variety of affordable mobile communication services such as internet mobility and broadband servicesthat allow consumers to have easy access into the internet through wireless service (The Edge 2011). In addition, DiGi had set the standard of innovative and creative data plans, prepaid and postpaid to serve consumers (DiGi 2012). According to Wong (2012), DiGiis one of the top three stable mobile communications companieswith a high market share of 30%. â€Å"There are 22 people in charge of the central region which forms the sales force of DiGi in Shah Alam. Likewise, the sales force consists of permanent employees†, said Wong (2012). Wong (2012) also mentioned that DiGihas a competitive advantage of strong internal direct work force team. Compare to DiGi’s competitors, it has direct teams that deal with their individual and corporate customers on a one to one basis. For instance, DiGi provides service and solution to corporate customers such as iPhone, Blackberry, Samsung, T. G. I Friday, Nando’s and etcetera. According to Henrik Clausen the CEO of DiGi. Com, DiGi has a history of being game changers in the way they deal with customers and provide services (The Edge 2011). Structure and Strategy Organizational structure determines how well activities are coordinated in serving customers profitability, and how quickly the organization can adapt to changes in the marketing environment (Hair et al. 2008, p. 161). Basically, DiGi is working under a horizontal organization structure. We look into the sales department, starting from head of department, then head of hunter and farmer team, followed by mangers and lastly the based-level workers(Wong 2012). Hunting team is in charge of finding new customer to increase the sales whereas farmer team is in charge of serving the existing customer and maintain the relationship with them. The staffs work in individually basis. Diagram below is the illustration of the structure of DiGi sales department. Despite the organizational structure, employees are welcomed to approach anyone in the any layer of the organization. The only disadvantage of this structure is that there slightly more reporting to be done and takes more time (Wong 2012). According to Wong (2012), DiGi practices open concept in their internal officewhere there are limited cubical rooms. Employees are not bound to a table but are able to work anywhere and everywhere with their laptops in the office and they are allowed to wear casually to work. The aim is to let the employees themselves feel more comfortable while working in this lovely and friendly environment. Strategy planning is the process of setting overall objectives, allocating resources, and developing broad courses of action (Hair et al. 2008, p. 155). Wong (2012) revealed that DiGiis now at a high growth and high market share state which is the â€Å"star† state of BCG Matrix. Wong (2012) added, â€Å"To improve the business DiGi is always innovative and differentiate their product with the others. † DiGi often comes out with new ideas with data plans. Currently, DiGi offers several rewards like birthday bonus, reload bonus, discounts on certain brands, new plans and packages etcetera. So we can say that DiGi places itself as differentiation in Porter’s Three Generic Strategy and using market penetration in Ansoff Matrix Strategy to increase their sales growth. Recruitment and selection Recruitment is finding potential job applicants, telling them about the company and getting them to apply (Hair et al. 2008, p. 212). Likewise, selection is choosing the right salespeople for the company (Hair et al. 2008, p. 234). DiGi recruits salespeople on an ongoing basis and whenever recruitment is needed (Wong 2012). Wong (2012) explained that DiGiprefers salespeople with at least few years of sales experience so that they can save up the training cost. However, fresh graduates are not hired but internship is available for them. According to DiGi (2012), the duration of DiGi internship programmes for fresh graduates have a range from three months to a year. Besides, this one year internship provided for fresh graduates to develop potential employees’ skills, personal development and technical rotation (DiGi 2012). Outstanding interns with right attitudes will be offered employment (DiGi 2012). In addition, DiGi recruits salespeople through online recruiting from Jobstreet and through employment agencies and professional recruiters. Wong (2012) said that potential salespeople should have the experience in similar roles in the previous company and there is an advantage for potential salespeople who come from the same industry which is telecommunication. Wong (2012) said, â€Å"InDiGi, potential salespeople have to go through several stages of interviews. Generally, an interview has two rounds. The first round is just a getting to know session where DiGi will find out about individual’s previous job and working experience. In the second round, DiGi will give salespeople a problem scenario to solve and set expectations for the potential salesperson. † Based on Wong (2012) experience, he has gone through four stages of interview. Billy Wong has two interview sessions with the superior, one with the Human Resource Department and a confirmation interview. Wong (2012) explained thatDiGi will shortlist potential salespeople from the pool of job applications. Salespeople who are shortlisted are the potential salespeople that have the qualification. Therefore, when there are vacancies for positions in the company, DiGi will select potential salespeople from a smaller pool of applicants who are shortlisted. Furthermore, the types of employment testing methods such as personality test and attitude and lifestyle test are used to select potential DiGi salespeople. 3. Training Salespeople Training is a continuing process that equips salespeople with the required knowledge, skills, and character (Hair et al. 2008, p. 250). According to Wong (2012), DiGi conducts sales training once a year for its salespeople. The types of trainings that the salespeople have to undergo includes product training, training on selling skills and soft skills such as relationship management between colleagues and customers. For instance, on the 23-26 April 2007 DiGi arrange Intellectual Property (IP) training to increase employees’ knowledge on IP rights such as patent, copyrights, trademarks and etcetera (DiGi 2012). Product training is not only about knowing the company’s product, but also to be prepared to solve customers’ problems and able to distinguish their product from the competitors’ (Hair et al. Since DiGi is using a relationship based strategy to retain its major customers, salespeople must possess the soft skills to listen to customers’ needs and problems, answer customers’ enquiries, and build a long-term relationship that benefits both parties. For example, DiGi organized integrity programme to train employees’ to face ethical issue and challenges with the right attitude and value (DiGi 2012). Besides conducting classroom trainings, DiGi also applies on-the-job training and mentoring (Wong 2012). For instance, junior salespersons will be supervised by seniors during their sales presentations. After that, the supervisor will analyze how the presentation was done and discuss on which areas to improve. In addition, on-the-job training and mentoring allows junior salespeople to learn directly from their senior teammates. Once the junior salespeople have developed the required skills, they will be asked to conduct sales presentations on their own. Wong (2012) stated that DiGi’s training courses and activities are organized by external training providers. For instance, DiGi’s Telenor group will select 12-20 graduates in every 18 months from all over the world to join the Telenor Global Trainee Programme (DiGi 2012). Likewise, â€Å"DiGi meets† programme an internal programme was arranged for employees by inviting external speakers to speak in order to challenge employees’ thinking and creativity (DiGi 2012). These trainings build salespeople’s confidence and enhance their knowledge, which have a significant impact on the sales force’s performance. Hence, by conducting training for new and current salespeople, company’s overall productivity will increase. At the same time, salespeople will be able to secure more accounts and develop continual growth. 4. Compensation Compensation is defined as a way to remunerate the employees for their works in term of financial and non financial support (Hair et al 2012, p. 358). DiGi offers several types of compensation including salary, commission, bonus, share option and insurance. According to Wong (2012), basic salary for sales staff is generally lower than other employees but they also earn commission which is based on their performance in achieving their targets. Besides, DiGi’s sale force is generally divided into two different teams, the farmer and the hunter team (Wong 2012). The hunter team is responsible to seek out new customers while the farmer team has the responsibility to retain existing customers (Rackham 1989). Targets are usually set on an annual basis. For example, the corporate team has a target of 10,000 new lines for the Central Kuala Lumpur region (Wong 2012). In addition to salary and commission, the sales staff also receive bonus on a quarterly and annual basis. Sales staff receives quarterly bonus ranging from 0.25% to 0. 5% of their monthly income, depending on the key performance indicator which is evaluated every 6 months(Wong 2012). For staffs who have been employed for ten years, they will also be awarded one lot of share option (Wong 2012). Insurance and medical benefits are available to staff after they pass their probation period and become permanent staff (DiGi 2012). After probation, each staff will also be given RM 1,000 cash for telephone related expenses and after that, the same amount will be given once every two years (Wong 2012). The primary aim of DiGi’s compensation package is to provide adequate salaries and employee benefits. The sales force has a commission scheme that offers high financially rewards to strong performers in order to encourage more sales. Likewise, DiGi always improve and match the salary and commission structure to what is being offered by other telecommunication companies (Wong 2012). Non-financial compensation offered by DiGi includes promotion and upgrade to a higher job band (Wong 2012). The sales staffs are more motivated by financial compensation rather than non-financial compensation; therefore, DiGi focuses more on the financial aspect of the compensation (Wong 2012). The compensation scheme should change to adapt to the DiGi’s sales target and any changes will be communicated by the managers prior to implementation. In general, DiGi does not allow commission to be higher than 12 months’ salary (Wong 2012). 5. Supervising salespeople Supervising is observing and directing the worker on their job. Through supervising, manager is able to understand the behavior of salespeople, motivate or even find out whether they are suitable for the job. The normal working hour for DiGi is 9am to 6pm. DiGi’s working hours are flexible, salespeople are allowed go back after they have completed their target of the day (Wong 2012). Billy Wong stated that DiGi do not practice the punch card system. According to Wong (2012), they go home after completing their work outside the company. Besides, in companies conflict happens all the time. DiGi deals with conflict by listening to both parties, explaining and clarifying the situation,then allow both parties to solve the conflicts between themselves (Wong 2012). In addition, DiGi does not send salespeople to motivation courses or counsel sessions. If salespeople fail to achieve sales target, the manager will provide one-on-one mentoring and coach the salespeople rather than issuing a warning letter, demoting or firing the salespeople (Wong 2012). The sales target of DiGi for every month is approximately 10, 000new lines (Wong 2012). The salary will increase 3 to 5 percent based on salespeople’s performance states Wong (2012). Besides, if salespeople do not respond to the incentive of more money, the employees will change role or switch to other companies (Wong 2012). According to DiGi (2012), salespeople have to obey DiGi’s policies such as anti-corruption policy, fraud and integrity, codes of conduct, supplier code of conduct and Health Safety Security and Environment policy. For instance, salespeople are allowed to receive gifts that do not exceed RM150 (Wong 2012). Hence, a warning letter will be issued by the senior manager to salespeople who are caught bribing, stealing, lying and cheating (Wong 2012). Sales Force Performance Evaluation Basically, every company would have performance appraisal on their employees in order to evaluate the employees on how they are performing the duties and responsibilities in their current position (Hair et al. 2008, p. 423). Moreover, performance management model with specific KPI is implemented by DiGi (Wong 2012). For instance, salespeople are evaluated base on their target sales achievement and performance. Besides, the sales department conducts evaluation on salespeople in every six months. Every salesperson will be evaluated personally based on their working behavior (Wong 2012). On the other hand, DiGi employees’ performance evaluations are conducted on a monthly basis by DiGi’srespondents. 80 percent of DiGi’s respondents will prepare performance evaluations and review performance plans monthly for all the employees. This is to ensure that all the employees are doing their jobs and archiving target sales. The employee performance review questionnaire is used to evaluate the satisfaction about their work environment and overall job responsibilities (INC 2012). Besides, the review questionnaire can be used to create a great relationship between employees and managers, develop a quality work and increase productivity. Wong (2012) added, â€Å"DiGi uses one-on-one approach to employees and managers, to discuss the direct report’s service monthly and focus on the individual’s needs of the direct report. † Furthermore, DiGi’s parent company in Norway also takes part in evaluating DiGi’s employees every year (Wong 2012). Recommendations According to Goh (2012), it shows that Maxis is the leading of market share in 2012 with 39. 1% and follows by DiGi with 27. 5% and Celcom with 33.4%. These figures are not consistent as it may change over every month. To catch up with the other competitors, DiGi should improve several issues. Firstly, DiGi salespeople should take a great interest in addressing the customer affairs and complaints and inflict the problem to the technical department. Most of the issue about DiGi is that the poor coverage network connection. Many consumers feel that other providers such as Maxis and Celcom have a better network coverage. To help DiGi sales team to increase sales, this issue should be solved immediately in order to maintain relationship with customers. Therefore, DiGi can improve their network coverage by implementing Femtocell technology which is capable in improving the coverage and sound quality (Reed 2007). Secondly, motivation is playing an important role among the employees. Aside from the existing training, DiGi should design a motivation course for the employees especially the salespeople. Motivation course is capable to help employees to practice and apply good motivational techniques in their working practices and understand how the job satisfaction can influenceitself. Besides that, motivation is important to encourage the employees to reach the desired goal, for DiGi salespeople it is the 10,000 new lines annually. Motivated salespeople are able to perform better. DiGi practices individual selling; however, these practices will cause salespeople to be aggressive and competitive. Furthermore, this will cause an unhealthy environment. Therefore, DiGi should organize leadership and team building camp to focus on building team work among the employees to improve the relationship between departments. All departments in DiGi should work together towards the same goals and wants of the company. Conclusion This report covers the six steps of sales force management process of DiGi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd. DiGi has a horizontal organization structure with hunter and farmer team. The hunter team finds new sales while the farmer team retains the existing customers. DiGi uses market penetration strategy to improve their sales growth. Another strategy used by DiGi is differentiation, DiGi always come out with something new and different. Besides, DiGi recruits salespeople through online recruitment and professional agencies. DiGi doesn’t accept fresh graduates because experienced salespeople save up training cost. DiGi’s management team selects salespeople who have the potential and the qualification for the job after having two rounds of interview with them. Likewise, simple trainings are provided like product and soft skills training. After coaching, salespeople would be capable in working on their own. DiGi compensates employees with salary, bonus, commission and incentives. For salespeople, they are paid with low basic salary with high commissions. Managers supervise and mentor employees to help them reach sales target. Besides, employees solve the conflicts by giving counsel on one to one and allow them to solve the problem on their own. Every month, DiGi let respondent to evaluate the performance of salespeople. DiGi’s manager does the evaluation with the employees every six months. Furthermore, the parent company in Norway does the evaluation of salespeople every year. To sum up, DiGi is a leading telecommunication provider today because they have an efficient and effective sales force management.

How to Write Your First Screenplay

How to Write Your First Screenplay How to Write Your First Screenplay How to Write Your First Screenplay By Ali Hale Have you ever daydreamed about writing for the big screen? I know I have! Writing a screenplay that gets picked up by Hollywood could see your story reach millions of people – whereas even bestselling novels often only sell in the tens of thousands. Writing a screenplay is very different from writing a short story or a novel, though. There are some specific conventions that you need to know about, in terms of the structure of your story itself, and in terms of how you lay it out on the page. I’m not going to attempt to give you an exhaustive guide in a single blog post – but I’ll take you through all the basics, and give you plenty of links to further reading so you can dig deeper on particular areas of screenwriting that interest you. What’s the Difference Between a Screenplay and a Script? Scripts for plays are laid out slightly differently. They’re designed to be performed live, rather than pre-recorded and shown on a screen. They’ll include stage directions (like â€Å"Exit, stage left† – or Shakespeare’s famous, â€Å"Exit, pursued by a bear†). Screenplays are scripts for something that will be filmed and later â€Å"screened† – shown in the cinema or on TV. They’ll often include instructions for specific shots – e.g. â€Å"CLOSE UP†. Assuming that you’re writing for film, they’ll also have specific length requirements. Coming Up With an Idea for a Screenplay Just as with any type of fiction you write, having a strong idea is essential. Your screenplay should be able to be summed up in a â€Å"logline† – a one-sentence summary of the plot. This logline should include: The protagonist (hero) – e.g. A suburban mother of two. Their goal – e.g. must save her husband The antagonist (villain) or antagonistic force – from a deranged and deadly neighbour. As James Burbridge says, in a great post about constructing a logline: If you can’t write a decent logline of your idea  before  embarking on the script, then maybe reconsider writing that thing. If it’s unfocused and muddled at the loglines stage, it’s not going to get any better as you write. If you’re short of ideas, you might look for inspiration from: Art or music – could something you’ve seen or heard spark off your story? Something you wrote in the past – perhaps you didn’t have enough material for a novel but it would make a great screenplay. A classic story – there have been many, many films based on fairy tales (Disney has probably cornered the market in these!) and Shakespeare. Your idea needs to be something that will take about 100 – 120 minutes to play out on screen. A minute on the screen equates to about one page of script so that means that your screenplay should be between 100 and 120 pages (when laid out with proper formatting, which we’ll come onto in a moment). Planning and Structuring Your Screenplay All writing has structure, and if you’ve written so much as a short story, you’ll know how important it is to have a beginning, middle and end. Screenplays have a more detailed structure, though. You might think this is restrictive – but there’s a lot you can do within this structure, and it’ll help you shape your ideas so your story doesn’t drag. The standard screenplay structure looks like this: Act I – roughly the first 25% of your screenplay. (20 – 30 minutes on the screen.) This is often called the â€Å"setup† – it’s where you introduce your characters and their world and get the story started. Act II – the middle 50% of your screenplay. (Up to an hour on the screen.) This is often called the â€Å"confrontation† – it’s where you complicate the story and the tension rises. Act III – the final 25% of your screenplay. (A final 20 – 30 minutes.) This is often called the â€Å"resolution† – it’s where there’s a confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist (or antagonistic force) and – normally – the protagonist prevails. Within these acts, there are particular points that you’re expected to hit at specific stages: The first turning point: this comes towards the end of Act I, and it changes things. It’s where the protagonist discovers something, or does something, that means nothing will ever be the same. This is what really kicks off the story. For instance, in the story a suburban mother of two must save her husband from a deranged and deadly neighbour, the first turning point might be the neighbour threatening or even attacking the husband. The second turning point: this comes towards the end of the second act. It raises the stakes and moves the story into the third act. For instance, this second turning point might have the neighbour kidnapping one of the children: the mother needs to rescue her child and protect her husband. There are plenty of other â€Å"points† that screenwriters are advised to meet, though you’ll probably find there’s some debate about what exactly these are! There’s a good breakdown of the five-point structure here, which you might want to follow. Laying Out Your Screenplay on the Page Screenplays require a very specific format, which is different from scripts written to be performed on stage. (For instance, these scripts will have character names on the left, with a colon after them, and screenplays have character names centred, with no colon.) For your screenplay, you should use the font Courier New, size 12. Why? Because that way, all scripts fit the same number of lines on a page – making it easy to estimate their run-time from the page count. (Courier is a fixed-width font, so each letter takes up the same amount of space.) Here’s how the first few lines of a script might look: Ive annotated it with some notes about the way in which its laid out. The easiest way to make sure you’re formatting your screenplay correctly is to use specialised software: Final Draft is the industry standard, used by the majority of professional screenwriters but it’s pricy ($249.99). Scrivener can be used to format screenplays (as well as novel manuscripts) – it’s not as specialised as Final Draft, but it’s a lot cheaper ($45). Each of these offer a free trial, so you can give them a try before deciding whether or not to purchase them. Writing a screenplay is no small undertaking – and we’ve only covered the basics of what you need to know. If you want to go further with your screenwriting journey, check out some of these great resources: How to Write a Screenplay, WikiHow While I sometimes find WikiHow’s articles low-quality, this is a great in-depth piece that’s been expertly reviewed and carefully put together. If you want a step by step, very beginner-friendly introduction to writing a screenplay, give it a read! How to Write a Screenplay You Can Sell, Stephanie Palmer, Good in a Room This honest, practical article explains what you need to do to write a good screenplay – from choosing one genre to watching the same movie over and over again to get to grips with structure. If you’re serious about screenwriting, give it a read. How to Write a Screenplay: Script Writing Example Screenwriting Tips, Mario O. Moreno and Kay Tuxford, Writers Store This is a detailed, reassuring article about writing a screenplay, with lots of specific details on layout as well as some helpful tips on length and even on binding and presenting your script. How to Write Your Screenplay in 24 Hours – Advice from a Hollywood Screenwriter and Producer, Dr. Kenneth Atchity, TCKPublishing In this post, you’ll find two really useful resource: precise instructions on what should happen by different points in your screenplay (with page numbers, for a 115 page script), and a nifty way to chart the rising and falling intensity of different scenes in your screenplay. 10 Screenplay Structures That Screenwriters Can Use, Ken Miyamoto, Screencraft If you’d like to look at some different ways to tell a story, going beyond the three-act structure, this post is a great place to begin. Throughout the post, there are examples of each type of structure, with tips on what types of story each one will work best for. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of Phrases15 Types of DocumentsDouble Possessive

Qué hacer cuando el pasaporte se extravía en el correo

Quà © hacer cuando el pasaporte se extravà ­a en el correo Si has solicitado un pasaporte americano y no te llega, es posible que simplemente sea una demora normal o que se trate de un extravà ­o.  ¿Cà ³mo saberlo y quà © hacer? En este artà ­culo se se trata   del caso especà ­fico en el que se ha pedido el pasaporte, por primera vez o en una renovacià ³n, y el gobierno lo envà ­a pero no se recibe. Es muy diferente al supuesto en el que sà ­ se recibe y posteriormente se extravà ­a o lo roban, en los Estados Unidos o en el extranjero. En este à ºltimo caso el procedimiento a seguir es diferente.   En cunto tiempo deberà ­a llegar el pasaporte al buzà ³n de correo La respuesta es depende de si lo has tramitado regularmente o de urgencia -y pagado por este servicio rpido. En todo caso puedes verificar por internet cà ³mo est tu tramitacià ³n en la pgina de check status U.S. Passport del Departamento de Estado. Deja pasar al menos 5 dà ­as desde que llenaste la aplicacià ³n. Adems, en esa pgina puedes enrolarte gratuitamente para recibir actualizaciones por email sobre la tramitacià ³n de tu pasaporte.   Si tu pasaporte aparece como enviado y no lo recibes despuà ©s de un tiempo de espera prudencial, lo primero que debe hacer es contactar con el National Passport Information Center marcando al 1-877-487-2778.Las personas con problemas de audicià ³n pueden llamar al 1-888-874-7793. Allà ­ te confirmarn si efectivamente ha sido emitido y enviado. Tienes que preguntar y anotar la fecha en la que se emitià ³ y la direccià ³n del lugar en la que se tramità ³. Esta informacià ³n la vas a necesitar a continuacià ³n. Cà ³mo reportar que el pasaporte se ha extraviado por correo Debes llenar la planilla DS-86 (Statement of non-receip of a passport) y marcar la casilla apropiada al documento que se ha extraviado: un pasaporte propiamente dicho (U.S. Passport book) o una tarjeta de pasaporte. Una vez completada y firmada debes enviarla a la direccià ³n del lugar donde se tramità ³ tu pasaporte (y que te dijeron en la llamada telefà ³nica que has hecho). No dejes que pasen ms de 90 dà ­as desde la fecha en la que el pasaporte fue emitido, segà ºn te confirmaron al llamar al National Passport Information Center. Si dejas pasar ms de tres meses, tendrs que aplicar como si se tratase de una solicitud nueva y volver a pagar la cuota correspondiente. No olvides incluir con la planilla DS-86 una fotocopia muy nà ­tida de un I.D. en el que conste su nombre y su foto, como por ejemplo la licencia de manejar emitida por un estado de USA. Por à ºltimo, si el pasaporte extraviado era a nombre de un menor de 16 aà ±os, deber firmar su padre, madre o persona que legalmente tenga su guardia y custodia. En estos casos, el nià ±o no tiene que poner su rà ºbrica. Quà © sucede una vez que se reporta el extravà ­o Una vez que se reporta que el pasaporte se ha extraviado por correo, se registrar esa informacià ³n en el Sistema consular de pasaportes extraviados. Eso quiere decir que queda inmediatamente sin validez. Consecuentemente, la persona que intente usar un pasaporte incluido en ese sistema puede ser detenida.  ¿Quà © debes hacer si el pasaporte finalmente aparece? Puede suceder que recibas en su buzà ³n de correos el pasaporte cuyo extravà ­o ya has reportado. En este caso es muy importante que no lo utilices. La razà ³n es que ha sido anulado informticamente. Si lo intentas usar para entrar o salir de Estados Unidos puedes ser detenido, multado e incluso condenado a pena de prisià ³n. En estos casos lo que debes hacer es: Esperar por el pasaporte nuevo que reemplaza al que previamente denunciaste como extraviado.Contactar inmediatamente con el Centro Nacional de Informacià ³n sobre Pasaportes (1-877-484-2778). Y a continuacià ³n envà ­alo a la direccià ³n que te van a indicar por telà ©fono. Tips sobre ingresar y salir de EEUU para los ciudadanos americanos Si tienes doble nacionalidad de Estados Unidos y de otro paà ­s recuerda que la ley exige que para entrar y salir de USA sà ³lo puedes utilizar el pasaporte americano, no el otro. Si eres ciudadano jams intentes ingresar con tu pasaporte extranjero. Si lo que quieres es cruzar por tierra la frontera con Mà ©xico o con Canad o si llegas en barco desde otro paà ­s del continente americano puedes utilizar otros documentos para ingresar a EEUU como ciudadano americano. Tener en cuenta las reglas para los nià ±os cuando no viajan con sus dos padres y que hay que evitar que se produzcan situaciones que puedan considerarse   como secuestro internacional. Para precisamente evitar este tipo de problemas se requieren reglas especiales para pedir el pasaporte para menores. Y, por à ºltimo, si se quieren evitar las demoras en el control migratorio, existen varias alternativas. Por ejemplo, el programa Global Entry para aeropuertos, o el Sentri para la frontera con Mà ©xico y Nexus, para la canadiense. Si se va a salir de Estados Unidos para vivir por largas temporadas en otro paà ­s Considera enrolarte en el programa STEP del Departamento de Estado, principalmente si viajas a un paà ­s que pasa por una situacià ³n de inestabilidad. Sirve para facilitar a las embajadas y consulados prestar asistencia. Tambià ©n conviene informarse sobre una creencia muy extendida y errà ³nea sobre pà ©rdida de la nacionalidad. Asimismo, conviene tener muy claros los principios que rigen la transmisià ³n de la nacionalidad a los hijos de ciudadanos que viven en otro paà ­s. Y recordar que como estadounidenses se siguen teniendo importantes derechos, como a votar en elecciones federales, como las que se elige al Presidente, o a recibir el cheque de la jubilacià ³n.   Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

British imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British imperialism - Essay Example In the first section of this Chapter, Stereotyping the coloniser and colonised, Johnson argues that one should make certain distinction between racism as an ideology of superiority of some biological races of humankind over the others, and racialism, which is, in his interpretation, merely a use of category of race in social sciences (2003, p. 107). Consequently, he argues that the racist ideas were relatively uncommon among the British population of late 18th to mid-19th century, when it was anticipated that the colonised population would swiftly cast away its ‘unenlightened’ mores and adopt to supposedly superior British culture. However, the â€Å"slow progress of change† in Westernisation of colonial peoples led to the rise of the ideas that blamed such intransigence on the supposedly backward inclinations of the ‘natives’ themselves (Johnson 2003, p. 108). The development of evolutionary theory, according to Johnson, facilitated the acceptance of the idea of inequality of the races, which led to the transition from racialism to racism in colonial ideology (2003, p. 109). Nevertheless, as Johnson points out, not all the members of colonial administration or British intellectuals dealing with the problems of relations with ‘natives’ were racist; he refers to progressive views of Mary Kingsley, David Livingstone and others that contravened the dominant racist discourse (2003, p. 111). Eventually, as Johnson remarks, the changing perceptions of racial identities after the First World War led to the relative decline of racist sentiments among British colonial administration and settlers, though campaigns for self-government of the colonies were still regarded as treasonous (ibid, p. 112). In the second section, Segregation, class and identity, Johnson turns his attention to the practices of formalised segregation. He lists several reasons for its establishment: concern among the colonisers over the possibility of di sease contagion from the native populace; the fear of the natives’ revolt; a desire to re-create British conditions of life in the ‘new’ place (Johnson 2003, p. 112-3). Another aspect of the segregation system was an abhorrence of racial mixing by the British Colonial society, which Johnson compares to the same sort of feeling towards sexual relations between persons of different social classes in Britain proper (2003, p. 114-5). Nevertheless, such attempts at minimising social contacts between representatives of different racial groups were constantly undermined by the necessity of trade interactions, the joint service in the colonial troops, etc. (Johnson 2003, p. 115). Johnson also notes the importance of class hierarchy in the colonial society, where race and class distinctions overlapped on the lower levels of social structure, while the local elites were treated by the colonial administration as almost equals (ibid, p. 115-6). Segregation in the settler col onies such as the Cape Colony or New Zealand was effectively used to cement the loyalty of the white population to the Empire and to remove chances of native elites using British political instruments or institutions (such as franchise) for their own benefit (ibid, pp. 117-8). Even though Johnson concludes that the intents of the British Empire as regarded conquered peoples were basically benevolent (2003, p. 108), and that

Reflective Learning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective Learning - Case Study Example According to my observation, the concept of place value is equally hard for the teachers to make students develop an understanding of the same. Also known as Hindu Arabic system, it is fundamental to all further use of numerics. The multi digit numbers concept is quite tough to understand. The physical base 10 blocks help students to develop meaningful and conceptual structures for multi digit numbers(English & Halford, 1995) and also understand the analogical relationship between the blocks and numbers (Fuson, 1992). To overcome the difficulty of physical blocks, electronic system is also introduced which includes the grouping and regrouping of numbers and blocks with supported with an audio help. There are many mental and written strategies for understanding the concepts of the place value system and involving different calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. mental strategies are very important as it records methods which is very useful for future understanding and reference. According to my observation, students apply and record these mental and written concepts strategies like I added 21+20 to get 41 and then added 5 to get 46, similarly for other numerical operations. Also students' own mental strategies are more competent then the written ones. The diagrammatic strategies involve: Solving problem via flow chart Finding relation between a quarter, halves, one thirds etc by diagrams Source: Board of Study, NSW, obtained from http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/pdf_doc/03_maths_syl_number.doc. Placing them on a number line Source: Board o

Islam Essay Example for Free

Islam Essay 1. The word â€Å"Islam† is derived form the Arabic root â€Å"asalama† which literally means peace, purity and submission. Thus Islam means â€Å"surrender to the Almighty† and Muslim means â€Å"one who is in a state of submission†. It is understood that this submission is to the Will of God, as is laid down in the Quran. This tenet is unequivocally accepted by all sects of Islam be they Shia, Sunni or Sufis. 2. Islam is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the existence of one God, his prophet Muhammad who is the Last Prophet (khatam-in-nabiyin) in a long line of prophets sent throughout time and to every civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah (the normative practices of the Prophet), as closely as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a faith (Deen-e-Ibrahimi) revealed too many prophets before; most notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose message has now been distorted. 3. The practices of Islam are based on the ubiquitous â€Å"Five Pillars†. These are, in order of importance, Shahadah or acceptance of One-ness (Taw hid) of God, Salat or five daily Prayers, Saum or Fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat or obligatory Alms-giving, Hajj or Pilgrimage to the Kaabah (House of God) at least once in a lifetime, for those able to afford it. These five â€Å"Pillars of Faith† are incumbent upon every Muslim and form the basis for his belief. Some scholars say that the pillars in Shia Islam involve an additional four points in addition to the principal ones. Namely, Nabuwah or Prophet Hood of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses etc., Imamah or Leadership of the Tweleve Imams, Qiyamah or Day of Judgment and Adel or Justice. 4. The fundamental goals of Islam are a complete submission to God and adherence to the teachings of the Quran and the example of Sunnah. When a child is born he is â€Å"ordained† into Islam by reciting the Kalima (the verses outlining Tawhid) into his ear, and thereby giving Shahadah i.e. acknowledgement of the One-ness of God. Muslims must perform the ritual of prayer five times a day, fast and give alms in the month of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the Kaabah if he is of sound mind and body and is able to afford it. The principles of the Promotion of Virtue (amr bil-maaroof) and Prevention of Vice (nahi an-al-munkar) are long-standing and Muslims are expected to inculcate them in their dealings with others. As Islam enjoins peace and harmony with mankind and with nature there is a great emphasis placed on community. Indeed, the Muslim brethren at large are considered one community (Ummah), irrespective of political, cultural or physical barriers. A Muslim is encouraged to perform good deeds for the community (masawaat) and to call people to worship the One God (Dawah). 5. Authority in Islam remains with God. His injunctions, as laid down in the Quran, and the practices and teachings of the Prophet, Sunnah are to be followed in establishing a political structure. Traditionally the concept of political leadership was embodied by the â€Å"Great Caliphs† (Khulfa-e-Rashiduun), who succeeded Muhammad in leadership of the nascent Islamic Empire. This political set-up personified adherence to the Shariah, duty of the rulers to seek consultation or Shura and of censuring unjust rulers. It is widely believed that the â€Å"Great Four†, the four to succeed Muhammad in succession, were the only ones in practice true to the cause of Islam and subsequent rulers fell victim to dynastic politics and greed. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire there was an abolition of the Caliphate, no matter how symbolic, and closure of the traditional Islamic political setup. Shia Islam has a theological concept of the Imamate. This term is often used interchangeably with the Caliphate but has very different connotations. The Shia believes that it is a divine institution succeeding the Last prophet and the Imams divinely chosen. The chosen Imams take up the mantle of religious, political, social etc. leader of all the Ummah. Traditionally Shia followers and scholars have shown political aloofness or activism against what was viewed as an increasingly corrupt caliphate. 6. The legal ideal in Islam resides with God. His injunctions form the basis for Islamic Law or Shariah. Shariah derives from two sources: divine revelations set forth in the Quran, and the normative practices of the Holy Prophet, Sunnah, as pertained to everyday matters. Fiqh or Jurisprudence extends on matters not directly touched upon in these primary sources. The foundations for Fiqh come from Ijma or consensus of learned scholars and qiyas, analogy from quran and Sunnah. Shia jurisprudence replaces this with aql or â€Å"reason†. Shariah law is not widespread, and even in Muslim countries there are often parallel justice systems. In countries where it enjoys official status Shariah is upheld by the qadis. Shariah has widespread implications; from matters of politics and economics to diet and personal hygiene. Shia scholars employ a different tack. According to them sources of law (usul-e-fiqh) are: Quran, Sunnah, the practices of the Twelve Imams and aql (reason). 7. Islamic philosophy and theology have more or less a harmonious perspective. Theology in Islam centers on six main articles of belief; Belief in One God (Tawhid), Belief in the Last Prophet (Nabi) and all the Messengers of God (Rasul), belief in Angels (Malaika), books sent by god (kutub), judgment (qiyamah) and predestination (qadar). Islamic philosophy as produced in an Islamic society is not exclusively concerned with religious matters nor is it wholly Islamic in origin; rather it has grounds in Hellenistic and Pre-Islamic Indian traditions. The golden age of Islamic philosophy is centered on the 8th to 12th centuries and exemplified Averroes and Avicenna. The first aspect of theology is Kalam which deals with theological questions and the other is Falsafa based on Aristotelianism. Kalam centers on ijtihad or using thought to investigate the doctrines of the Quran, while Falsafa was mainly concerned with the translation of Greek and Hindu texts and expounding them to the community at large. It is quite possible for a Muslim to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs; believing on the one hand in the Aristotelian principle that the existence of the world is not only a possibility but also a necessity, and also valuing the fact that existence of the world in due only to God. The Shia school of thought differs only in what it considers purely theological matters i.e. Roots of religion (Usul e-Din) and Branches of Faith (Furu-e-Din) 8. By the end of the 12th century, the Islamic Empire was a vast entity. Stretching from beyond the shores of the Mediterranean to much of India. Thus Islamic art and architecture shows wide and varied themes, each influenced by the culture and climate of the particular land. The principal Islamic architectural styles are the mosque, tomb, fort and palace and from these an idea of the recurring themes may be gleaned. Soon after Muhammad, a recognizable style of architecture emerged comprising interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome and decorative arabesques. The great mosque of Samarrah in Iraq, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Hagia Sofia in Turkey are prime examples. The conquest of the Persian Empire in the 7th century introduced large arcades and arches. Moorish architecture is perhaps the most familiar example in the western world. The Great Mosque (Mezquita) in Cordova, the Alhambra and the fort of Granada introduced wide breezy interiors and decorative foliage and Arabic inscription motifs. Mughal architecture has built a class of its own. Perhaps the most famous is the Taj Mahal, built in white marble entirely in symmetry with large minarets and cupola domes. The Mughals also introduced gardens as a relevant theme in their architecture, most famously the Shalimar Gardens. While theology does not have a very significant impact on Islamic architecture a recurring theme is the absence of human or animal imagery, widely considered to be forbidden by the Prophet. Instead calligraphic inscriptions of the Quran and geometric patterns replace as decorative influences.

Rotten Boroughs and Reform :: Victorian Era

Rotten Boroughs and Reform Background A borough was â€Å"a town possessing a municipal corporation and special privileges conferred by royal charter† (Oxford English Dictionary). Among these privileges, boroughs had the right to send representatives to Parliament. No new boroughs had been chartered in England since the 17th century (Corey 371). As the nation aged, its population and industry changed, creating a disparity between the nation's demographics and its system of governmental representation. With the advent and unrestrained growth of the Industrial Revolution, population and wealth concentrated and massed in northern towns and cities. While seats in Parliament remained occupied by representatives from the antiquated boroughs, "no provisions were made to represent the growing commercial and professional classes" (Corey 372). In some cases, boroughs had become severely degraded due to poverty, depopulation, or even natural disasters. â€Å"Another ancient borough, Dunwhich, had for centuries been buried under the North sea,† that sea-side town having long since given way to erosion (Hughes 84). Such boroughs were considered â€Å"rotten,† as they were effectively controlled by one town corporation or large land-owner, as only the propertied upper class was eligible to vote. Such aristocrats often controlled their constituents' votes by bribery and coercion (Corey 372). For example, see William Makepeace Thackeray's installment novel, Vanity Fair. Thackeray uses â€Å"Queen's Crawley† to represent a â€Å"rotten† borough. Reform The 1832 Reform Bill enfranchised lawyers, factory owners, merchants, and other members of the middle class, stipulating as a requirement at least a rental lease of at least fifty pounds per year (Bloy). In addition, fifty-six old boroughs were abolished, their Parliamentary seats redistributed among some new boroughs and counties, somewhat more appropriate to population demographics (Corey 372). Not all of the rotten boroughs were eliminated at this point, however. Widespread enfranchisement occurred slowly, as successive acts made their way through Parliament during the Victorian age. The 1867 Reform Bill lowered the stipulations to five pounds per annum for leaseholders, adding approximately one million voters. The subsequent Reform Bill of 1885 added two million voters to the electorate by enfranchising households in the counties as well (Hughes 84).

Evaluate the Possible Ways to Market a New Business Essay

For my business studies coursework, my new business will be a Junior Tennis Academy for talented tennis players aged 3-18. Its name will be named after where it is based, at St Georges College, Weybridge. Therefore its name will be The Weybridge Tennis Academy. It will provide top coaching for young talent, as well as providing state of the art facilities which include four indoor tennis courts, three artificial clay, eight acrylic and three grass courts, as well as a gym where the players can train to help get fitter and stronger to help give them that physical edge over their competitors. We offer these services because tournaments are played on many different surfaces and we need to train our players to the highest possible standard. We also offer a re-stringing service at extremely competitive prices as well as official Weybridge Tennis Academy merchandise supplied by a top sports company, which is available for purchase at a discounted price. These facilities will help the business because ‘Tennis Parents’ will see that our company has better facilities for their child than another tennis academy down the road. Tennis is a very expensive sport, so therefore our business is not only aimed at the players playing, but also the parents paying. Tennis parents are notoriously pushy people and they are usually quite well off, so therefore the more facilities we can offer, the more likely they will come to us. Usually, when money isn’t a factor, people go for the best product, and by offering so many facilities, we have that competitive advantage over our competitors. With our location being in Weybridge, we automatically have good transport links, such as the M25 and Addlestone and Weybridge train stations. This will target all people living in and around London. London is the biggest city in Britain, so therefore we have many more potential customers compared to a tennis academy in for example Northumberland . My business’ aim is to fill a gap in the market. It will meet a demand for a Tennis academy open to all standards, rather than one where you have to be invited to join. For example the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton, a 32 million pound facility is only open to players who have been invited. The Weybridge Tennis Academy is open to young players of all standards but with the same facilities as the National Tennis Centre. Therefore many more players will pass through the doors of my academy because it is open to a wider range of players. This will then lead to my business making a profit because there is not any other competition in the local area. During this coursework I will need to investigate the potential market and location to enable me to situate my business in the best possible location to help make as much profit as possible. I will also have to research the local competition to identify my main competitors and the buying habits of the local consumers to see what they look for most when investing in a product. The importance of Marketing Marketing is selling ‘the right product, at the right place, at the right time and at the right place.’ The marketing mix, sometimes known as the four P’s is used to describe the key elements that a consumer wants and needs when buying a new product. I will need to find out what a consumer looks for, and make sure I find the right elements to help make my business successful. My business has to offer the customer a better thing than the local competition otherwise my business will fail. This means that my business will have to offer the customer something that no other tennis academy offers in the local area. This is because obviously if every academy offered the same thing as my business my business would have no competitive edge which will lead to failure. The Weybridge Tennis Academy needs to offer the customer what they want and need. This will then identify the first stage of the marketing mix which is product. The second stage of the, marketing mix is place. Place means how the customers are going to access my academy. There are many factors affecting this decision. It has to be in a place where customers can easily get to, as well as somewhere where there are many potential customers. My business will be situated in St Georges College, Weybridge (hence the name of the business). By being in Weybridge, there are many convenient transport links, such as the M25 or Weybridge or Addlestone train station. Addlestone train station is in fact situated less than a mile away from the centre, which means that there are many good transport links. This will then draw customers in from all around London and the South East. The third section of the Marketing Mix is Price. The Price is how much the product is being sold for. The price is very important to any business because it is normally one of the first things to be looked at when a consumer is considering buying a product. The customer has to think that the business is good value for money, and by comparing the prices of local competition, I will come up with an appropriate pricing method for my business. It is important that I take into account how much the business has cost to build because obviously if the expenditure is higher than the income, I will have made a loss rather than a profit There are many pricing strategies available to me, for instance cost plus pricing, which means setting a price by adding a fixed amount or percentage to the cost of making the product. This means that however much I spend on my Tennis Academy; I will add a percentage of money to this amount and charge the customers that amount. By doing this, I will always make a profit because I will be getting my money back on the expenditure, plus an added amount. The second pricing strategy I could use is to set a price based on competitors pricing. This means that I would look at the price of my competitors’ product and I would make that cheaper or better value to help make customers buy into my product. The fourth and final section of the Marketing Mix is the promotion. Promotion means how your product is shown to the customer, obviously if the customer does not know the business is there they cannot buy it. One example of this is advertising. There are many ways of promoting a business; it could be through a newspaper, television, internet and radio. These are examples of advertising through the media. Another way of promoting your business is through merchandising. This is a crucial way that I plan to promote my business through players buying official Weybridge Tennis Academy Merchandise, wearing it to tournaments and promoting the company through people seeing the companies name or logo on a back of a player’s shirt. Most players at my academy will be competing against players from other academies. This is a way of promoting because other players will see the company’s logo and the tennis parents may well look into the possibility of sending their child to my acade my. However ways such as sales promotion, which could include special offers, price discounts or free gifts, would not be appropriate because my business is looking for long term customer rather than short term customers. To get the best results I will conduct numerous experiments and research which will help me to find what the customers want and need. I will conduct questionnaires, surveys and interviews with other people finding out what they look for in investing in a tennis academy. I will also research statistics such as the number of competing juniors in the south east and also the amount of tennis academies in that area. This will then help me gain a competitive advantage over my competitors. Market Research Market Research is used by a business to try and find out what people want and also what competitors and doing and planning. Market Research helps find out who the customers are, whether they will like the product, how the business can be promoted, how much the customers willing to pay, what type of customer will be interested, how the profile of the customers can be built, whether the business is in the right location and how the products will be distributed. There are two main ways of conducting research. Field/Primary research is used to find out new information, and Desk/Secondary research is useful for looking at an entire market, and analysing trends for future reference. I will use both to research how my business can best achieve its goals and how it can beat competitors to getting customers. Field/Primary research is the process of manually entering the population and asking first hand questions. The advantage of using this method is that it is specific to my business, meaning that it is up to date and relevant. This means that I can ask any questions on any subject, and receive answers that are highly relevant and suitable for my research. There are many techniques which can be used, such as surveys, questionnaires and interviews. I believe that by conducting the research in the area where my business will be situated, I will achieve the most relevant and suitable results. However, to ensure that the data is accurate you need to use large field samples which can be expensive and very time consuming. Desk research is useful for looking at an entire market, whilst analysing past trends for future reference. For example I would have to look at the trends of tennis academies across Britain. Desk research has already been researched and accessed by other companies, so it therefore already exists and therefore it takes no time to conduct or find the data you want. The data can be accessed through the internet, newspapers, government records and market research. Desk research is good because it is easy to obtain and it is cheap. The disadvantage is that it is not specific or relevant to your business. It can also be biased or out of date which severely affects the reliability. I will try and collect Qualitative data so I can then see exactly what people want, as well as their thoughts and feelings. This will then help me know what customers want which will help me gain an edge over the competitors. I will do this by interviewing a select amount of people and finding out what they look for in a tennis academy. The questions asked will be based on how much people will pay, how the location will affect their decision and once again what they look for when investing in a tennis academy. After I have found out the information, I will access it and make it relevant to my business. By knowing what customers look for in a company, I will know what to include when I am trying to promote my business. For instance if a lot of people want indoor courts to make sure that it can never be cancelled or so that there child can play all year round, I will make sure that the fact that my academy has indoor courts is highly publicised. Also, by knowing what customers want, I will have an advantage over my competitors. Evaluation Number of Competing Juniors: Berkshire-149 Essex-343 Hampshire-274 Kent-338 Middlesex-450 Surrey-536 Total number of competing juniors in the south east-2090 Information obtained from www.lta.org.uk Juniors includes all players born in 1990 Tennis academies in the south east: Clive Asprey Tennis Academy-Aldershot Sutton Junior Tennis Centre The National Tennis Centre-Roehampton Win Tennis-Bisham Abbey Esporta-Croydon Westway-London These are all TENNIS ACADEMIES this does not include any ‘LAWN TENNIS CLUBS’. Lawn tennis clubs are open to any people and are therefore not relevant to my business. These academies are my main competitors because it is invitational only. There are roughly 2000 competing juniors in the South East and there are six tennis academies (not including my academy) in this area. Therefore on average there are around 300 children to every academy. Obviously this would not be the case in reality but it gives a good idea of the Academy/Player Ratio. INFORMATION OBTAINED BY WWW.YELL.COM 1st Interview 1) What are the 3 main things that you look for in a tennis academy? The three main things I look for are the ability for the academy to get my child to its full potential, therefore I know that I am paying for excellence and I know my money’s being put to good use. The ability to play all year round is very important because I therefore know that sessions can never be cancelled due to weather and my child can therefore train all year round. Lastly the coaches have to be highly qualified and I would like to know a bit about them so I know that they can emphasize with players when they are going through tough times. 2) How would the location affect your decision of where to send your child? There would have to be good roads such as motorways because obviously I don’t want to be travelling all the time. Also if my child is of an age that he could travel on his own, I would like there to be easy to access buses and trains for him/her to use. 3) How important is the cost of the tennis academy? I wouldn’t mind paying a lot of money as long as the results were shown. Also if I had a younger child, I would want to pay less at first until I see that he/she was improving and that he was committed. As he/she improves I would be more inclined to pay more. 2nd Interview 1) What are the three main things you look for in a tennis academy? I would firstly look at the academy’s credentials, for instance its results of members, and the proof of its results. It would also have to be good value for money, so therefore I would need to be seeing an improvement in my child’s progress. Also the location is important because I don’t wish to be travelling all the time. 2) Why is the location an important factor in choosing where to send your child? I have got a busy life and I don’t wish to be travelling all across the countryside after I’ve had a long day at work. It has to be easy to attend so therefore good transport links are vital. 3) How important is the cost of the tennis academy? Obviously there is the factor of whether it can be afforded but the price is not important. I would have to see that my money is being put to good use so therefore the investment has to match the progress. 3rd Interview 1) What are the three main things you look for in a tennis academy? I look at the facilities of the academy, for instance whether it has indoor courts. I would also like to know the standard of the players that attend the academy and the background of the coaches. The attitude and the atmosphere of the academy are crucial because I have to know where I am sending my child. 2) Is the location an important factor in choosing where to send your child? Obviously I don’t want to be travelling too much and it has to be reasonably local otherwise we’ll spend more time travelling than actually playing. Also I don’t want to be paying a fortune for the transport fees, for instance petrol or train/bus fares on top of the price of attending the academy. 3) Is the cost important? The cost is obviously very important otherwise our whole life would be being run by tennis. I would prefer to pay less at the start and once I have seen an improvement or a commitment start to increase the price. Evaluation of Questionnaires: I have found out that what most people want is value for money. This means that however much they put in, they want out. This therefore means that the more they pay, the bigger the improvement in their child’s ability they would expect to see. Therefore I think I will give special offers to new customers, such as they get the first term half price so that they know that it is what their child wants to do and also if they do not see an improvement they have the opportunity to pull out. This was suggested to the people that I interviewed and it seemed a popular idea. Secondly, they found the factor of indoor courts crucial as that meant they could play all year round. As my academy would have this facility, this is a good thing, however many other academies have indoor courts and this therefore does not separate us from our competitors. Many people thought that the location was an important factor. Many parents have busy lives and they do not wish to be travelling all over the place. My academy is situated in a place with good public transport links, there are two train stations within two miles of the academy, and it is situated two miles from the M25. This was once again explained to the interviewees and they seemed to be in favour of the placement of my academy. Many people didn’t mind about the cost of the academy, as long as they saw the results. This was touched upon earlier and I will use a penetration pricing method, which means that I will make the price quite low at the start to try and draw customers in and then increase it as they see an improvement. This was a major aspect that the people that I interviewed would look for in tennis academy and this will help me gain that competitive advantage. Overall the research I conducted was extremely useful as it told me what customers wanted and needed, as well as giving me statistics that would help me gain a bit more knowledge in this type of business. I found out the amount of competing juniors in the south east, as well as the number of academies. It also told me how customers felt, for instance about the price and location of the academy. The information I have found out will help me in making the decisions about the academy, such as the pricing, structure and promotion of the business. Conclusion/Judgement Overall I believe that my tennis academy will work. There are six full time academies in the South East, not including my one, and there are over two thousand regularly competing juniors in the same area. This means that the ratio of Academies/Players is 6:300. Obviously in reality some academies have more players than others because of reputation, facilities, transport and cost. My academy has state of the art facilities, as explained earlier. It is also situated in a place where there are good channels of distribution and good transport links. This means that customers will be attracted because it is easy to get to. The cost will be determined by a ‘Penetration’ Pricing Method. This means that my prices will be low for new customers, so that parents then know that their child is improving, or enjoying the experience. Most parents interviewed wanted their money to be payed back through improvement of their child’s development. Therefore if I charge low prices at the start, for instance half price for your first term, and the child makes a big improvement, the parent is more likely to want to pay more from then on. If the child does not improve, the parent will then be giving the option of continuing with the programme. This will then help company/customer relations. This will then help my academies reputation, which will then attract more customers. As my academies reputation builds, more profit will come in and we can start charging higher prices. To help promote my academy, I will seek sponsorship from sports companies such as ‘NIKE’, ‘Adidas’, ‘Wilson’, ‘Babolat’, ‘Prince’, ‘Head’, ‘Dunlop’, ‘TTK’ and ‘Lacoste’. I will also sell official Academy merchandise such as training kit, match play kit, and tracksuits which will be worn to tournaments by players and other players will see them. This is a way of free advertising as the children/parents would be paying for the kit and wearing it around showing it off to other players and parents. I will also look to gain funding from the ‘Lawn Tennis Association’ who gives funding to academies that have regularly competing juniors. These are called ‘Satellite Clubs’ and they are given funding which helps pay for the costs of balls, rackets and other training equipment. As my academy builds in reputation, I will look to gain more funding which wi ll help me make more profit. Overall there is a lot of potential in this product. I believe that people will be attracted to my product because of the facilities, meaning the product itself; the price, meaning that I will make it cheaper at the start to draw customers in; the promotion, for instance the official merchandise that will be seen in tournaments; and finally the place; meaning the channels of distribution. This will attract customers because of where it situated, meaning that it is easy to get to. However my tennis academy does have a lot of competition, which means that I will have to use the knowledge that I found out through the market research to help gain the competitive advantage over my rivals.