Market Segments

CUSTOMER-DRIVEN MARKETING STRATEGY: CREATING VALUE FOR TARGET CUSTOMERS PREVIEWING THE CONCEPTS – CHAPTER OBJECTIVES define the four major steps in designing a customer-driven marketing strategy: market segmentation, market targeting, differentiation, and positioning list and discuss the major bases for segmenting consumer and business markets explain how companies identify attractive market segments and choose a market targeting strategy discuss how companies differentiate and position their products for maximum competitive advantageJUST THE BASICS This chapter looks further into key customer-driven marketing strategy decisions—how to divide up markets into meaningful customer groups (segmentation), choose which customer groups to serve (targeting), create market offerings that best serve targeted customers (differentiation), and positioning the offerings in the minds of consumers (positioning). Then, the chapters that follow explore the tactical marketing tools the Four Ps—by which marketers bring these strategies to life. INTRODUCTIONBest Buy: Embracing the Angels and Ditching the Demons. Best Buy set out to identify its best customers and win their loyalty by serving them better. At the same time, it identifies less attractive customers and began to send them packing. To better differentiate itself in a crowded marketplace, Best Buy needed to stake out is own turn – to identify its best customers and serve them in ways that no discount on online competitor could. Rather than trying to make all customers happy all of the time, Best Buy segmented its market and sharpened it’s positioning.This resulted in what they term â€Å"customer centricity. How has this worked for Best Buy? Very well. They have designed a customer-driven marketing strategy that builds the right relationships with the right customers. Market segmentation involves dividing a market into smaller groups of buyers with distinct needs, characteristics , or behaviors that might require separate marketing strategies or mixes. Market targeting (or targeting) consists of evaluating each market segment’s attractiveness and selecting one or more market segments to enter.Differentiation involves actually differentiating the firm’s market offering to create superior customer value. Positioning consists of arranging for a market offering to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers. MARKET SEGMENTATION Through market segmentation, companies divide large, heterogeneous markets into smaller segments that can be reached more efficiently and effectively with products and services that match their unique needs. Segmenting Consumer Markets Geographic SegmentationGeographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, regions, states, counties, cities, or even neighborhoods. Demographic Segmentation Demographic se gmentation divides the market into groups based on variables such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, and nationality. Demographic factors are the most popular bases for segmenting customer groups. Age and LifeCycle Stage is offering different products or using different marketing approaches for different age and lifecycle groups.Gender segmentation has long been used in clothing, cosmetics, toiletries, and magazines. Income segmentation has long been used by the marketers of products and services such as automobiles, clothing, cosmetics, financial services, and travel. Psychographic Segmentation Psychographic segmentation divides buyers into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, or personality characteristics. Marketers use personality variables to segment markets. Behavioral Segmentation Behavioral segmentation divides buyers into groups based on their knowledge, attitudes, uses, or responses to a product.Occasion segmentation is grouping buyers according to occasions when they get the idea to buy, actually make their purchase, or use the purchased item. Benefit segmentation is grouping buyers according to the different benefits that they seek from the product. User Status is segmenting markets into nonusers, ex-users, potential users, first-time users, and regular users of a product. Usage Rate is grouping markets into light, medium, and heavy product users. Loyalty Status is dividing buyers into groups according to their degree of loyalty. Using Multiple Segmentation BasesMarketers rarely limit their segmentation analysis to only one or a few variables. PRIZM NE (one of the leading segmentation systems) classifies every American household based on a host of demographic factors. Segmenting Business Markets Consumer and business marketers use many of the same variables to segment their markets. Business marketers also use some additional variables, such as customer operating characteristics, purchasing approaches, situational factors, and personal characteristics. Many marketers believe that buying behavior and benefits provide the best basis for segmenting business markets.Segmenting International Markets Companies can segment international markets using one or a combination of several variables. * Geographic factors: Nations close to one another will have many common traits and behaviors. * Economic factors: Countries may be grouped by population income levels or by their overall level of economic development. * Political and legal factors: Type and stability of government, receptivity to foreign firms, monetary regulations, and the amount of bureaucracy. * Cultural factors: Grouping markets according to common languages, religions, values and attitudes, customs, and behavioral patterns.Intermarket segmentation is segmenting of consumers who have similar needs and buying behavior even though they are located in different countries. Requirements for Ef fective Segmentation To be useful, market segments must be: Measurable: The size, purchasing power, and profiles of the segments can be measured. Accessible: The market segments can be effectively reached and served. Substantial: The market segments are large or profitable enough to serve. Differentiable: The segments are conceptually distinguishable and respond differently to different marketing mix elements and programs.Actionable: Effective programs can be designed for attracting and serving the segments. MARKET TARGETING Evaluating Market Segments In evaluating different market segments, a firm must look at three factors: 1. Segment size and growth, 2. Segment structural attractiveness, and 3. Company objectives and resources. The largest, fastest-growing segments are not always the most attractive ones for every company. The company also needs to examine major structural factors that affect long-run segment attractiveness. * A segment is less attractive if it already contains m any strong and aggressive competitors. The existence of many actual or potential substitute products may limit prices and the profits. * The relative power of buyers also affects segment attractiveness. * A segment may be less attractive if it contains powerful suppliers who can control prices. Selecting Target Market Segments A target market consists of a set of buyers who share common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. Undifferentiated Marketing Using an undifferentiated marketing (or mass-marketing) strategy, a firm might decide to ignore market segment differences and target the whole market with one offer.This mass-marketing strategy focuses on what is common in the needs of consumers rather than on what is different. Differentiated Marketing Using a differentiated marketing (or segmented marketing) strategy, a firm decides to target several market segments and designs separate offers for each. Concentrated Marketing Using a concentrated marketing (or n iche marketing) strategy, instead of going after a small share of a large market, the firm goes after a large share of one or a few smaller segments or niches. It can market more effectively by fine-tuning its products, prices, and programs to the needs of carefully defined segments.It can market more efficiently, targeting its products or services, channels, and communications programs toward only consumers that it can serve best and most profitably. Micromarketing Micromarketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing programs to suit the tastes of specific individuals and locations. Micromarketing includes local marketing and individual marketing. Local marketing involves tailoring brands and promotions to the needs and wants of local customer groups—cities, neighborhoods, and even specific stores. Local marketing has drawbacks. It can drive up manufacturing and marketing costs by reducing economies of scale. * It can create logistics problems. * The brand†™s overall image might be diluted if the product and message vary too much in different localities. Individual marketing is the tailoring of products and marketing programs to the needs and preferences of individual customers. Individual marketing has also been labeled one-to-one marketing, mass customization, and markets-of-one marketing. Choosing a Targeting Strategy Which strategy is best depends on: * Company resources. * Product variability. Product’s life-cycle stage. * Market variability. * Competitors’ marketing strategies. Socially Responsible Target Marketing Target marketing sometimes generates controversy and concern. Issues usually involve the targeting of vulnerable or disadvantaged consumers with controversial or potentially harmful products. Problems arise when marketing adult products to kids, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The growth of the Internet and other carefully targeted direct media has raised concerns about potential targeting ab uses. The issue is not so much who is targeted, but how and for what.Controversies arise when marketers attempt to profit when they unfairly target vulnerable segments or target them with questionable products or tactics. Socially responsible marketing calls for segmentation and targeting that serve not just the interests of the company, but also the interests of those targeted. DIFFERENTIATION AND POSITIONING Value proposition: How a company will create differentiated value for targeted segments and what positions it wants to occupy in those segments. A product’s position is the way the product is defined by consumers on important attributes. Positioning MapsPerceptual positioning map show consumer perceptions of their brands versus competing products on important buying dimensions. Choosing a Differentiation and Positioning Strategy The differentiation and positioning task consists of three steps: 1. Identifying a set of differentiating competitive advantages upon which to build a position, 2. Choosing the right competitive advantages, and 3. Selecting an overall positioning strategy. 1. Identifying Possible Value Differences and Competitive Advantages To the extent that a company can differentiate and position itself as providing superior customer value, it gains competitive advantage.It can differentiate along the lines of product, services, channels, people, or image. 2. Choosing the Right Competitive Advantages How Many Differences to Promote Ad man Rosser Reeves believes a company should develop a unique selling proposition (USP) for each brand and stick to it. Other marketers think that companies should position themselves on more than one differentiator. Which Differences to Promote A difference is worth establishing to the extent that it satisfies the following criteria: Important: The difference delivers a highly valued benefit to target buyers.Distinctive: Competitors do not offer the difference, or the company can offer it in a more distinc tive way. * Superior: The difference is superior to other ways that customers might obtain the same benefit. Communicable: The difference is communicable and visible to buyers. Preemptive: Competitors cannot easily copy the difference. Affordable: Buyers can afford to pay for the difference. Profitable: The company can introduce the difference profitably. 3. Selecting an Overall Positioning Strategy The full positioning of a brand is called the brand’s value proposition.More for More positioning involves providing the most upscale product or service and charging a higher price to cover the higher costs. More for the Same positioning involves introducing a brand offering comparable quality but at a lower price. The Same for Less positioning can be a powerful value proposition—everyone likes a good deal. Less for Much Less positioning is offering products that offer less and therefore cost less. â€Å"Less-for-much-less† positioning involves meeting consumers†™ lower performance or quality requirements at a much lower price. More for Less positioning is the winning value proposition.In the long run, companies will find it very difficult to sustain such best-of-both positioning. Developing a Positioning Statement Company and brand positioning should be summed up in a positioning statement. The statement should follow the form: To (target segment and need) our (brand) is (concept) that (point of difference). Communicating and Delivering the Chosen Position Once it has chosen a position, the company must take strong steps to deliver and communicate the desired position to target consumers. All the company’s marketing mix efforts must support the positioning strategy.Discussing the Issues 1. List and briefly describe the four major steps in designing a customer-driven marketing strategy. 2. Discuss the behavioral variables used to segment buyers and provide an example of each. 3. Explain how companies segment international markets. 4. Name and describe the characteristics of useful market segments. 5. In the context of marketing, what is a product’s â€Å"position†? How do marketers know what it is? Under the Hood: Marketing Technology When you think of hybrid or electric automobiles, you probably think don’t think â€Å"sports car. But the Fisker Karma is about to shatter that stereotype. It’s been called the hybrid with â€Å"sex appeal† and is often compared to a Mercedes-Benz roadster. During the haughty Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, it was seen cruising around Monterey, California with the likes of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. In the increasingly crowded field of new-generation electric vehicles, Fisker Automotive wants to carve out a niche as a high-performance eco-car with lots of style. The creator, Henrik Fisker, was formerly head of design at Aston Martin.The Fisker Karma goes from 0 to 60 in six seconds, can go 125 miles per hour, and can travel 50 miles on electric power and 300 miles on combined electric and gasoline power. All this performance and style does not come cheaply, however. Prices range from $87,900 to $106,000. The company already has orders from 1,400 buyers. If this is above your means, don’t worry—the company is promising a lower-priced, mass-market version for the rest of us in a few years. 1. On what basis is Fisker Automotive segmenting the automobile market? Is the company using a single segmentation approach or a combined approach?Explain. 2. What market targeting strategy is Fisker pursuing with this automobile? How is the company differentiating its automobile and which value proposition is it using? Staying on the Road: Marketing Ethics In 2009 Anheuser-Busch launched the Bud Light â€Å"Fan Can,† a promotion that included 27 different color combinations of its cans in college team colors. For example, students at Louisiana State University could purchase purple-and-gold cans of Bud Li ght. Anheuser-Busch timed the campaign, called â€Å"Team Pride,† to coincide with students returning to campus and with the kickoff of the football season.Several schools, such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa State, University of Colorado, and others, objected strenuously. As a result, Anheuser-Busch halted the program in those markets. The promotion also caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission. Both the FTC and college officials are concerned about the high rate of underage and binge drinking on college campuses. Some school officials also were concerned about trademark infringements, and about the appearance that they support Budweiser’s activities.As criticism brewed around the country, A-B released a statement claiming that it did not mean to encourage underage drinking—it just wanted to create more fun for sports fans. Although the company halted the promotion in areas where college officials objected, controversy surrounding the promotion appear ed in newspapers and on television nationwide. 1. What type of market targeting strategy is Anheuser-Busch using with the Team Pride promotion? 2. Was this a wise promotion? Explain. Rough Road Ahead: Marketing and the Economy Vanilla Bikes Portland-based Vanilla Bicycles sells hand-built bikes with price tags ranging from $4,000 to $12,000.Now, after only nine years in business, owner Sacha White has stopped taking orders – not because business had dried up but because he has a five-year waiting list. White and his crew of three make only 40 to 50 bikes a year. Frames are made from exotic metals, are welded with silver alloy, and weigh as little as 30 ounces. No two Vanilla bikes are the same. Each is custom fitted to the client and features intricate metal carvings and an artisan paint job. Amazingly, almost all of these high-end velocipedes are sold to middle-class customers. Still, orders have not ebbed with the economic downturn.In fact, Vanilla could ramp up production significantly and still sell everything it makes. However, White claims that would compromise the special nature of what customers consider to be works of art. Vanilla bikes are so special that when Portland bike couriers describe something as cool, they routinely say, â€Å"That’s soooo Vanilla. † 1. Based on the segmentation variables discussed in the chapter, construct a profile for Vanilla Bicycle’s probable target market. 2. Given that most luxury products suffer in an economic downturn, why has Vanilla still succeeded?

Aspects of Contract and Business Law Essay

Laws, contracts and customs are rules that shape our everyday lives. These date back for centuries. There are a number of different elements that make up a valid contract that can be used in business today, these consist of the following. Offer Offers are made to sell or buy a product from an individual or company. Unilateral offers are offers that apply to everyone, i.e. an advert in a newspaper. An offer must be precise, specific and certain. In order for there to be a contract then an offer must first be in place. Rocky Tops offer indoor climbing sessions to the public upon which they choose to accept or not, depending on the price. Their offer to host indoor climbing lessons must be clear on what the customer will get in return for their money, this would be things such as how long the sessions last, what will be available to them and whether equipment is included within the price. Consideration Consideration is when an individual or company assesses what they would get out of the offer and what benefit it would be to them. So when Nick saw the poster and went to buy a new set of ropes and crampons he had to consider what would he was getting out of the deal. He has to hand over his cash in order to receive the ropes and crampons and needs to assess whether it is a beneficial outcome to him. Two Parties A contract is between two parties. One contract cannot provide details for anymore participants as it wouldn’t be certain enough. In order for it is certain one contract is kept between two parties. One party will offer a deal and the other party has to consider whether to accept it or not. An example of a contract formed between two parties within the case study is Rocky Tops and Julie. This is when Julie decides to book a block of 6 climbing lessons and signs a document stating that the sessions can be cancelled by either herself or Rocky Tops within 7 days’ notice. Capacity In order to accept an offer you must have the capacity to do so. This requires you to be above the age of 18 and in the right state of mind to carry out the deal with full knowledge of what you are getting into (i.e. you can’t be under the influence of alcohol or drugs). Rocky Tops is formed by a partnership between Bill and Ben. When they anticipated to both make Rocky Tops into a partnership they both had the right capacity to do so, this means they could make the decision individually to go ahead with the partnership contract in which they are both legally bound to. Acceptance Acceptance is when both parties agree to the terms and conditions stated in the contract and are both aware that they are legally bound to the contract. When an individual accepts the offer the contract is signed. Rocky Tops accepted an offer from Weathering Heights as they agreed to purchase  £50,000 worth of equipment to be dispatched and delivered by 1st February 2011. They agreed to the terms and conditions and both parties are legally bound to the contract. Communication Communication between the two parties needs to be consistent as each individual needs to be clear on what they are agreeing to and also needs to be kept in the loop should anything change in the contract. When writing up the contract it should be clearly communicated, especially with price. The buyer must be aware of the final cost because if the price included contained hidden costs then the contact isn’t valid and there are grounds for complaint. Bill and Ben, the owners of Rocky Tops, had to communicate with Julie in order to tell her that her third lesson has been cancelled. They did so 10 days prior to the third lesson via a letter. The letter stated that if she fails to rebook within one week she will forfeit her money for that session. Legality When writing up the contact everything stated has to be legal. You can’t put anything that is against the law as it will make the contract invalid. Rocky Tops did this when creating a sales contract with Julie when she wanted to book a block of 6 climbing lessons. They had to make sure that everything stated in the contract was all legal in order to prevent the contract falling through or being taken to court. Intention When an individual or company decides to accept the contract they must do so with the right intentions. This means that when they sign the contract they are actually willing to carry it out and are serious about it. This is evident in the case study when Rocky Tops agreed to purchasing  £50,000 worth of equipment from Weather Heights. This was a contract that the terms were defined by the supplier. Rocky Tops entered with the right intentions as they actually meant to go through with the contract. Case Study Contracts: â€Å"Bill and Ben are keen rock-climbers and wish to establish a new business† Partnership contract â€Å"They aim to have their grand opening on 1st March 2011 and already have premises confirmed† Estate agent contract â€Å"Rocky Tops have agreed to purchase 50,000 worth of equipment from Weather Heights to be dispatched and delivered by 1st February 2011† Terms of supplier contract â€Å"Rock Tops will also be offering instruction and lessons on their indoor climbing wall to both novice rock climbers and the more experienced† Liability Insurance Contract â€Å"Nick sees the poster and buys a new set of ropes and crampons† Sales Contract â€Å"Julie goes to Rock Tops and books a block of 6 climbing lessons and signs a document stating that the sessions can be cancelled by either herself or Rocky Tops within 7 days notice†

Downsizing Definition Essay

Downsizing occurs when a company permanently reduces its workforce. Corporate downsizing is often the result of poor economic conditions or the company’s need to cut jobs in order to lower costs or maintain profitability. Downsizing may occur when one company merges with another, a product or service is cut, or the economy falters. Downsizing also occurs when employers want to â€Å"streamline† a company – this refers to corporate restructuring in order to increase profit and maximize efficiency. Downsizing results in layoffs that are often followed by other restructuring changes, such as branch closings, departmental consolidation, and other forms of cutting pay expenses. In some cases, employers are not fired, but instead become part-time or temporary workers to trim costs. In a business enterprise, downsizing is reducing the number of employees on the operating payroll. Some users distinguish downsizing from a layoff, with downsizing intended to be a permanent downscaling and a layoff intended to be a temporary downscaling in which employees may later be rehired. Businesses use several techniques in downsizing, including providing incentives to take early retirement and transfer to subsidiary companies, but the most common technique is to simply terminate the employment of a certain number of people. Recentll, country’s largest cell phone company Grameenphone, has embarked on major operational cost-cutting measures that include the downsizing of its manpower in some specific sections of the company. GrameenPhone is the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh. In the midst of lack of communication means, GrameenPhone has introduced an effective and user-friendly mobile phone network. It has put a positive impact on the lifestyle of the people of Bangladesh.It is one of the largest cellular operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation. Telenor is the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 51% shares of Grameenphone. It is amongst the oldest, most sophisticated, and diversified telecom companies in the world. Grameen Telecom itself owns 35% shares, 9.5% shares are held by Marubeni Corporation in japan and the remaining 4.5% shares are held by Gonofone Development Corp in New York. In addition, three leading international financial institutions– the International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank and the Commonwealth Development Corporation — are also shareholders of GrameenPhone. The three organizations each hold three per cent of preferred shares of GrameenPhone. It was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh. It also established the first 24-hour Call Center to support its subscribers. With the slogan Stay Close, stated goal of Grameenphone is to provide affordable telephony to the entire population of Bangladesh. At present around 4800 employees, both permanent and contractual, are working in different sections of the GP. But the sudden decision to downsize its manpower has created panic among most employees of the company that saw substantial rise in its annual profit-earning in recent years. The victims of the latest cost cutting measures are in most cases permanent employees who worked in the sales and services departments. The company has abolished its logistics services in all regional offices and in the case of sales it has reduced the number of posts and declared the remaining post vacant. Interestingly, it has asked all the sales staff either to compete a fresh for the vacant posts or take an attractive ‘exit’ package. Management is saying it is a part of the business alignment process, Through a so called performance evaluation process the company is conducting termination of permanent employee who were meant to be loyal and efficient. Even in many cases employees are being forcefully asked to leave the organization. some of the employees have complained that Grameenphone’s management has threatened them to submit their resignation letter otherwise they will be mentally humiliated as well as downsized at work. From employee source it is found that in many cases the company is violating the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 but the government or the labor law enforcement bureau is not t aking any action. The statistic shows that last year the company profit incensement was almost 205% and the employee of the company was suppose to get a potation of the profit as per the company policy. But it never happened. As Grameenphone’s profit already is in increase as per last year’s report than the company should provide a valid reason of termination of such a large number of employment within a short time. Recently the management have introduces a new system of re-interview within the company to ensure the existing position of the individuals. Management has claimed this process as a part of performance evaluation tool which has made the employee to raise their voice against this injustice. By using such words like ‘Business Alignment’ and ‘Change in structure’ actually the company is terminating the employment of permanent employee who has given his 8 hours of every single day with loyalty to built this organization to this height. Even in some cases the company had forced some of the female employee to attend the interviews during their maternity leave and terminated their employment contract as claiming the employee is less productive for the company which is a direct violation of Bangladesh labor Act 2006. Employees have claimed that the management is not providing any written announcement or instruction but verbally they are asking to leave the organization through phone calls and general meeting. This year the government has announced 11% inflation rate but Grameenphone being a multination company has provided only 0%-5% incensement to it’s employees though it’s quarterly report shows almost 81% increase op profit with is this year. Back in 2009 Almost 1500 permanent employees are asked to leave the organization without any valid reasons but based on performance evaluation process. So how come the number of termination became so high based on performance evaluation process after a certain period of time every year? And how downsizing a large number of senior employees into junior position became ethical practice or business alignment process? As a Norwegian company people had a better expectation from Grameenphone but now it seems to be the reason behind of distraction of hundreds of employee’s career.

A Restaurants Management of Its Customers Assignment

A Restaurants Management of Its Customers - Assignment Example The first thing I noticed amongst the waiters is that they never said ‘no’ to the customer. In one incident, a customer asked whether the appetizer was sweet; however, the waiter went ahead to give the description of the ingredients that the restaurant’s chefs used to prepare the appetizer. In this case, the waiter did not give a straight answer to the customer, which gave the customer the choice to make an informed decision so as not to complain once they took what they ordered. Once the waiter brought the appetizer, the customer described the appetizer as spicy, which made me understand the reason why the waiter did not give a definite answer. Throughout my visit, waiters continued informing the customers about their inquiries, and I never heard the words ‘no’ and ‘I do not know’ uttered at any one time. Â  The location of the restaurant is close to a tavern that did not prepare any food. As such, patrons from the tavern would come to the restaurant in a drunken stupor after imbibing in alcohol. With some of the clients drunk, the restaurant’s staff required to have impeccable skills to handle such clients. Based on my observation, the waiters handled the drunken clients excellently without denying services to any of the drunken customers. In addition, none of the waiters, regardless of their gender, shied from approaching a client despite the client being sober or drunk. In a way, this handling of the customers was essential to ensure that the restaurant was not subjected to any unnecessary suits resulting from denying services to any customer. It is obvious that the restaurant has devised ways to handle their customers in an extraordinary manner. However, there is slightly one downside in the overall handling of the customers, especially when delivered their orders.

Ch. 15 From the earliest art to the Bronze age Essay - 1

Ch. 15 From the earliest art to the Bronze age - Essay Example The Peliolithic era coincided with Stone Age just before man starting herding and practicing agriculture. Other art forms that were evident in the early Neolithic era were pottery and the construction of megalith and sculpture (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 240-245). In addition, the chapter focuses on Venus of Willendorf, which has also been referred to as the Woman of willendorf. Made between 25,000 and 28,000 BCE, the Woman of Willendorf is the earliest female figure made by humans and was estimated to be about 11.1 centimeter high. The statuette was found by workman Johann Veran in 1908, during an excavation that was conducted by several archaeologists, including Hugo Orbermaier. The statuette was found in Paleolitihic site which was within the vicinity of Willendorf, a small village that was located in Austria. The chapter reveals that the Woman of Willendorf statuette was curved from oolistic limestone which, the archaeologist discovered that it was not from the local area. The statuette also had red orchre tints on its surface. The Woman of Willendorf was seen as a Great Woman Goddess and, the statuette was used by the local people for religious purposes (Emeritus, Preble and Frank 245-246). The art displayed in the Iranian western plateau was temples of massive structures which were constructed in the valley of Mesopotamia. These structures took after the shape of terraced-step pyramids; each of the terraces represented a level that carried stories of the people residing near the plateaus. In fact, the terraces represented the hierarchy on gods at different platforms, and they were erected at the centre of each city, state, taking the shape of the rectangle. It is believed that Ziggurats had a possible inspiration in the construction of the biblical story. The Ziggurats embodied the idea of the â€Å"sacred mountains† that acted as a connection between the heaven and

The Growth of California in the Late 19th Century and the Development Essay

The Growth of California in the Late 19th Century and the Development of a Unique State History - Essay Example Change came for California beginning in the middle of the 19th century. Previously owned by Mexico, then the Spanish as a consequence of Spanish advance towards the Pacific, in 1848 the land changed from the Spanish2, and in 1850 it was admitted to the Union of the United States of America3. Despite this, interest in the state by Americans was not immediate, and it took until near the end of the 19th century for the news of ‘merchant adventures’ to reach the ears of Americans, and for them to begin to develop a fascination with the state4. This change in statehood was of crucial importance, as under Spanish rule, colonists of California were restricted from trading with the Americans. However, as a consequence of the necessity of the trading, and the daring of the Americans, trade often happened despite the restrictions5. A second force that struck in the middle of the 19th century was the gold rush which began in 1849. This resulted in the rapid migration of many more i ndividuals that would normally occur in the course of settlement. Men, women and children travelled many hundreds of miles of dangerous and unknown terrain for the hope California and the promised riches offered. The gold was not the only driver, for California offered a large supply of game, natural resources and many possibilities6. In May of 1869, another monumental step was made; the Central Pacific Railway was completed. The tracks spanned the United States from the East to the West, linking the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. This success meant large changes for California, oxen were no longer crossing the terrain carrying weary travelers, and the populations at the mines were dwindling. Instead the cities and agriculture began to grow substantially, with migrants coming to the state through the railroad7 (Cleland – 394-396). The final change which set California free to grow as a state and to form its own history and future was the rewrite of the constitution of 18798 .By this time the state was already growing rapidly, and was recognized among the ten most urbanized states within the United States, with its agricultural prowess growing at a fast rate9. The constitution developed in 1949 was powerful, and the constitutions of 21 other states were consulted when deciding how to word the constitution. It represented a complete rejection of all the legal systems that had occurred in California prior to it becoming a state10. The 1879 rewrite of the constitution built on this, becoming a strong document, and empowering California to move forward as a state. The period between the mid and the late 19th century was a period of turbulent change for California. Before it even joined the Union, the Spanish state had experienced an extreme influx of migrants from throughout the country as a consequence of the gold rush and the desire for a better land to settle. The changes incorporating the growing state into the new Union as well as the increase connecti on through the rail system, and the revised constitution gave California the space to grow and to develop as a state in its own right, forming its own unique history. Bibliography Cleland, R. G. A History of California: The American Period, The Macmillan company 1922). Pincetl, S. S. Transforming California: A Political History of Land

Plato Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plato Paper - Essay Example The writings also get used to teach various subjects like mathematics, religion, ethics, logic and philosophy. His exact place and time of birth is not known but it is certain that it came from an influential and aristocratic family. In his writing about Phaedo, Myth of Theseus, he writes about Socrates’s last days. He narrates that Socrates got condemned for polluting the youth of Athens and assisting in the introduction of the worship of strange gods. In the city they wanted him to die through consuming hemlock. However his death was postponed because there was a religious festival that had just started during the trial and according to the Athenian law executions were prohibited during the festivals so that the city could be kept pure. The festival was about commemoration of the event where Theseus traveled with fourteen people to King Minos and they wanted to defeat Minotaur. Plato highlights that the dialogue was ongoing against his knowledge of it and also the fact that the dialogue involved Phaedo and thirteen people, he expects the readers to identify the parallel and expect an outcome similar to the one in his tale (Plato 52). As Theseus moved with the fourteen Athenians who were threatened through Minos to challenge and slay Minotaur known to be monstrous. Also Socrates traveled with thirteen philosophers in the call for argumentation to challenge and eliminate what threatened him and his companions, known as the fear of death. So as Theseus could triumph against Minotour and free Athenians Socrates could also triumph over death. According to Plato, philosophy as a practice is for dying because like philosophy death separates the body from the soul. He argues that philosophers always distance themselves from the body as long as they disdain honors and wealth. He says the body acts as an obstacle in the process of acquiring knowledge, which is the core pursuit and intention of philosophers. According to Plato senses do deceive in some cases but philosophers seek knowledge and truth (Plato 112). He also says that sensuous pleasures and senses distract people from reasoning. According to Plato philosophy is a form of purification which frees the soul off contact from the body. He argued that Socrates had a reason to hope he would be better off if he drunk the hemlock as he would probably find out the truth upon his death and he would also find better friends and masters. He argues that the soul is immortal and it does not die. According to him all generation is cyclical and life equates the opposite of death and the souls of those who are living originate from the souls of the dead. He says that the body dies and decomposes and it cannot be revived but the soul leaves for ever because it is immortal. When a person passes always it is his body that dies but his soul will live on and it come in another person who will be born after the death. Plato also strongly suggested that learning is Recollection. He narrated that Heracli tus maintained that all things are in a form or state of flux where everything is constantly changing and he is remembered for saying that an individual cannot step twice in the same river. Plato supported the Heracliteans who said that every occurrence in the world of time and space was in a continuous flowing motion. Change occurred throughout and nothing could resist change and as a result, nothing was appeared the same in

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Motivation - Essay Example As a direct impact of the competition between the firms, in various markets, various new economies and markets are emerging. These new markets and economies are providing the companies across the world with a significant amount of future growth potential because of their consumer needs as well as the consumer needs of the masses. However, the opening of the global markets has also led to the increase of risks in the business environment as well as spillover effects arising from slow economic growth in countries around the world. The macro and micro economic developments of nations and continents around the world are highly affecting the business scenario around the globe and making the companies go for sporting a lean cost structure. This approach of the companies to downsize staff in an attempt to cut costs is having a toll in the minds of the employees of the company, who gets increasingly worried regarding the process of thinking of ways for maintaining a sustainable lifestyle rat her than losing his job. So, naturally it can be said that the entire business scenario is playing a major role in the process of affecting the moral of employees, thereby hampering their productivity at the workplace. Theory 1: McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory In an attempt to tackle the issues related to handling of the declining levels of motivation, there are a large number of motivational theories that have been discussed and analyzed by the human resources experts around the world. In a measure to increase motivation of the employees, the human resources managers and employees of various organizations focus on implementing the motivational practices in the workplace. One very important theory of motivation is the achievement motivation theory by David McClelland. This theory essentially highlights three important factors like the needs for achievement, need for power as well as need for affiliation (Aswathappa, 2005, p. 364). Need for Achievement This particul ar need brings into focus the need of the human being to excel in their field of work and thereby focus on setting a bench mark of quality standards for others. The existence of this need is high among employees who gain tremendous satisfaction through the fulfillment of their personal goals. Need for Power This particular point reflects the needs of a person in regards to having the power of authority for making decision and recommending the course of future actions for an organization. The subjects with a high on power need garner satisfaction by having the positions of influence and control of the physical as well financial and human resources in the organization. Need for Affiliation It can be said that the individuals apart from the achievements and power based needs also has a significant amount of need for affiliation and recognition. As a matter of fact, the subject will gain satisfaction by the process of interacting with others as well as working in a friendly environment. Theory 2: Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation With the rise of

Financial Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Analysis - Assignment Example Even though there are other rivals offering similar products in the global market, Cartier’s performance has continued to grow tremendously for a long period. Alfred, Cartier’s took over the management of the business in 1874. In 1904 the company started designing and producing watches for different companies. Cartier entered into an agreement 1907 with Edmond Jaeger as supplier of the company’s watches. By 1912 the company introduced two new brands of watches Baignoire and Tortue followed by Tank model introduced in 1917. Cartier ownership changed in 1972 when a group of investors bought the Paris business from the initial owners. Also, the same group bought Cartier London in 1972 and Cartier New York in 1976 (Coleno 69). The company engaged in mergers and changed its management with an aim of strengthening its operations. Also, the company has been involved in different exhibitions held in different parts of the world with an aim of increasing its market across the globe. Cartier has several branches in different parts of the world and deals with different brands of jewelry and watches that are marketed and distributed across the globe. Carter has over two hundred branches located in more than 125 countries across the globe and over ten thousand employees. The company has shops in Middle East, America, Japan, Asia and Europe. The company deals with different products such as watches, leather goods and accessories. The carter products are marketed to affluent individuals who have great concern for personal status in the society (Coleno 87). Some of their products are designed to bring together individual’s celebrity, drive and lifestyle in order to establish a distinguishable market section. The gross margin is impressive and depicts an increase from the year 2009 across 2011. This implies that the business profitability is increasing as a result increasing sales.

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR & LEADERSHIP - Essay Example Thus, for this reason Employee 1 used to work even in the weekends for receiving the bonus (Podsakoff & Schriesheim, 1985). Coercive power refers to such situation when an employee is forced by managers to abide by the order as a means of punishment. It may lead to employees’ dissatisfaction in the job. The marketing manager of Corporation A wanted that entire marketing employees should comply with his orders and work for more hours in a week (Podsakoff & Schriesheim, 1985). Legitimate power means that it is the perception of employees that managers have the capacity to give orders depending on the position. In the marketing department of Corporation A, employees considered that managers had the right to order and encourage them due to his position (Podsakoff & Schriesheim, 1985). Referent power relates to the respect of employees towards managers. In this context, managers direct by citing examples and it exists basically upon trust. In the given scenario of Corporation A, Employee 3 who works in sales department had only 1 year experience in this organization. His personality was liked by each individual for his positive attitude and charismatic nature. In one of the meetings, he had suggested a project for sales growth and was appreciated by everyone. Though he had not led team before, the corporation gave him the responsibility to manage the team over the project after receiving admiration from colleagues (Podsakoff & Schriesheim, 1985). Expert power indicates that a particular employee has high skill level or specialized knowledge over others. Employee 2 is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) of the corporation. He had only the specialized skill for the formation of financial statements of the corporation. For this reason, he negotiated with the accountant manager to work only four days in a week and manager allowed as there was no other

Jury Nullification Paper Essay Example for Free

Jury Nullification Paper Essay Jury nullification is a constitutional doctrine that allows juries to acquit defendants who are technically criminals guilty, but who do not deserve punishment. It occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judges instructions as to the law. A jury verdict contrary to the letter of the law does not belong only to the particular case before it. If a pattern of acquittals, however, develops in response to repeated attempts to prosecute a statutory offense, it can have the de facto effect of invalidating the statute. A pattern of jury nullification may indicate public opposition to an unwanted legislative enactment. In the past, it was feared that may unduly influence a judge alone or a panel of public officials to follow established legal practice, even if such practice had drifted from its origins. In most modern Western legal systems, however, often instruct juries only serve as finders of facts, whose role is to determine the veracity of the evidence, and the weight accorded to evidence, to implement these tests the law and reach a verdict, but not decide what the law is . Jury Nullification â€Å"It is not only the juror’s right, but his duty to find the verdict according to his own best understanding, judgment, and conscience, though in direct opposition to the direction of the court.† This is what John Adams said of jury nullification. John Jay, who was the first justice of the Supreme Court said, â€Å"The jury has the right to judge both the law as well as the fact in controversy.† So what is jury nullification and how does it influence courtroom proceedings and judicial practices? The definition of jury nullification according to thefreedictionary.com website jury nullification is defined as a sanctioned doctrine wherein members of a  jury disregard either the evidence presented or the instructions of the judge in order to reach a verdict based upon their own consciences. It espouses the concept that jurors should be the judges of both law and fact. The doctrine of jury nullification is based one important things, one that a juror can never be punished for the verdict they bring back to the judge, and second that a defendant cannot ever be retried once the jury has returned to the courtroom with a not guilty verdict. The first case of jury nullification in British law dates back to 1670 in trial of William Mead and William Penn, (William Penn would later go on to be the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania) these two men were charged in England for unlawful assembly, which was a law that was aimed at preventing different religious groups that were not noticed by the crown from worshipping. Both of these men were clearly guilty of breaking the law according to British law and the judge presiding over the case demanded that the jury find William Mean and William Penn guilty, but the jury refused to find these two men guilty because they felt that the law itself Jury Nullification was unjust. The judge continued to insist that the jury find these two men guilty, and the jury repeatedly refused, the judge became so infuriated with the jurors that he threw the jurors in prison. The highest court in England ordered that the jurors be released and established into common law the integrity of jurors in criminal cases. In America the Founding Fathers recognized the relevance of letting jurors determine not only the guilt or innocence of the person on trial, but the fairness of the law in which the person is charged with breaking. In more recent cases, in California a jury convicted Ed Rosenthal in two-thousand three of growing marijuana which was a violation of federal law. During the case the jury did not know and was never allowed to hear that not only was Ed Rosenthal growing medical marijuana for medical patients, but he was growing and harvesting the marijuana for the city of Oakland, California. When the trial ended and the jury found out the true facts of the case they were outraged and the foreman of the jury was quoted in the New York Times as saying â€Å"it is the most horrible mistake I have ever made in my entire life.† Should Ed Rosenthal b een convicted of growing marijuana? I feel that he should not have been convicted and the jury had a right to know the truth about who Ed Rosenthal was growing the marijuana for and for who it was being provided to. Another case would be that of Richard  Pen of Florida, who is serving a twenty-five year prison sentence in Florida for distribution of a controlled substance. Richard Pen was a forty-six year old paraplegic man who became a paraplegic after being involved in a very serious car accident that badly damaged his back, and after having back surgery that did not go as planned, Richard Pen was left in indescribable amounts of pain. Richard Pen realized that Jury Nullification. He could relieve his pain by taking large amounts of opiate painkillers, but the amount of medication his doctor had prescribed him was not enough, and they could not prescribe him anymore because it would exceed the amount of what his doctor could legally prescribe. Richard Paey felt that he had no choice but to obtain the medication illegally and he began photocopying the prescription and used them to get his medication from local pharmacies. Richard Paey was arrested and was charged with distribution of a controlled substance, but he never sold the medication, and never gave the medication away, he only used the medication for himself so that he could live somewhat of a normal existence and be free from the excruciating pain that he was in. But once again because of the way the laws are written the jury had no choice but to return to the court with a guilty verdict. In these two cases, I do feel that they did break the law, but should they have been found guilty of the charges against them? I do not feel that they should, and if the jurors were allowed to hear the truth about these cases these two men, Ed Rosenthal, and Richard Paey would not be serving time in prison, and since the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors on the federal level can continue to arrest and charge people who use medical marijuana, you should expect to see more and more cases like this crowding up our courtrooms. You will probably see more and more cases such as Richard Paey, and other patients like him who are just trying to manage their pain and try to live somewhat of a normal life crowding up our courtrooms as well. So what can us as citizens do to undo the injustice of the Richard Paey’s and the Ed Rosenthal’s? Well unless you are serving on a jury panel, nothing, but if you happen to get a jury Jury Nullification Summons in the mail, do not ignore it as I have done many, many times before although I did have valid reasons for not being able to serve as a juror, I had a disabled parent and I was his sole caregiver, instead send back the summons stating that you are available to serve as a juror, and who knows you might be able to undo some  of the injustices of the judicial system, and keep an innocent person from serving a lengthy prison sentence. References http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/jury+nullification http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163877,00.html http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/emal1.1.1.html

Contact Zones Essay Example for Free

Contact Zones Essay Parodies are pieces of writing or presentations that deliberately copy and make fun of other writings or subjects. Although parodies may offend or make others uncomfortable, they have a peculiar way of benefitting learners by forcing them outside of their natural realms, allowing them to be analytical, and curious of their surroundings. Mary Louise Pratt describes this as creating a contact zone where parody, critique, and unseemly comparisons create social disruptions in which students are challenged. In her essay â€Å"Arts of the Contact Zone,† she proposes that classrooms should take up this style of educating. What would a contact zone in a classroom perform like? Out of all the elements that are capable of creating a contact zone, parody is one of the more familiar choices that would behave well in a classroom. Say for instance an English classroom is designed to be a parody of the students for a week. The professor decided that maybe the students are not performing as well as he had hoped. They haven’t been coming to class, they do not always bring their drafts and their efforts on their papers are lacking. He wants to challenge them by informing his students about all the stereotypes aimed at young students. He brings up statistics about texting in class, the percentage of homework actually turned in on time, the hours a night spent studying, partying, or drinking, test scores and more. He mocks them when he walks in the classroom, wearing baggy clothes and a sideways hat. He asks them to repeat their questions claiming he wasn’t listening because he was texting on his phone. What kind of reaction would the students have to this kind of behavior? As a student in this classroom, a person might be confused, angry even at the assumptions made about his or her generation. Everyone is different. The professor can’t make a generalization about everyone in the class based on a stereotype. It is not fair. But what the professor is really doing is allowing the students to question themselves. â€Å"The very nature of the course put ideas and identities on the line,† (496) Pratt says about a course similar to this. The students, seeing themselves in another person’s  perspective, may begin to question how they define themselves. Likewise, they will begin to analyze how their newly questioned selves affect their judgments on other elements of their lives, such as people they know or opinions they had prior. This is important because it gives them room to make change if they are dissatisfied with their findings. Although the classroom might have acted as a community, the separation between the students and the teacher by this newly established contact zone may start to break it apart. The students begin to form a safe house. â€Å"We use the term to refer to social and intellectual spaces where groups can constitute themselves as horizontal, homogeneous, sovereign communities with high degrees of trust, shared understandings, temporary protection from legacies of oppression† (497). In other words, a safe house is a group of people with like fears or concerns who find comfort in each other’s understandings of the conflicts within the contact zone. The parody the professor is making of his students would be discomforting and flamboyant; enough so that they would confide in each other for a reasonable explanation. Although each student is different, every person has room for personal growth and achievement; therefore â€Å"despite whatever conflicts or systematic social differences might be at play, it is assumed that all participants are engaged in the same game and that the game is the same for all players† (494). Pratt states that for the most part this is true, although there are a few exceptions. In this case however, we are assuming that the â€Å"game† is improvement individually, not to a set classroom standard. The professor expects each student to out-perform his stereotype, whatever it may be, and become more studious overall. In a way, safe houses have the potential to transform into alliances, where those communities could come together to attempt to defeat something bigger than their individual parts. For example, the students, embarrassed by what society has believed thus far of young scholars, may form an alliance and agree that the only way to change this viewpoint is if they all consent in working towards eradicating this label on the young people. They will learn to work hard to achieve success and think past what critiques may bound them to. Now there exists a choice the students can make: do they want to live up to the judgments made of them, becoming self-fulfilling prophecies, or do they want to prove their professor wrong? Most students would choose to challenge the professor’s exaggerated opinion. Therefore, unknowingly the students would react the way the professor determined they would. They start coming to class on time, engage in discussions and turn in their homework. They mute their phones and actually pay attention. All they are trying to prove is that the professor’s belief of them is false. Not every young student is neglectful of his work and not every young student would rather be somewhere else. Pratt’s idea of incorporating contact zones in classrooms in this case worked out well. The students became aware of whom they were perceived as and who they wanted to be. This challenge could work for any classroom. It is not unique to English classes alone. If a person is capable of feeling shame, embarrassment and guilt, the contact zone method could be very successful.

The Travel And Tourism Sector Tourism Essay

The Travel And Tourism Sector Tourism Essay As with everything else, the travel and tourism business is changing constantly with more people booking trips on the Internet, increasing numbers of adventure travellers and fewer people having disposable income since the financial crash of 2009. To get people to bring their tourist dollars to your destination, your plan must accurately identify whose vacation needs you can best serve and get the word out specifically to them. PREMIER INN RESORTS: TASK 1 Know Your Customers Know who is visiting your tourist destination. Texas, for example, did a marketing survey that showed the state brought in nearly $470 million in 2008 with European visitors, most from the United Kingdom. Washington State noted that it made about two-thirds the amount of income from people staying with friends and families as it did from those staying in hotels, so that was a significant market. Make sure local institutions keeping as close track as possible on where people travel from and their demographics so you know where your marketing is working and can more aggressively target areas where the response could be stronger. Set Specific Goals Decide what your specific goals are, such as wanting to double your tourism revenues in the next two years; draw more families to visit your tourism site; increase traffic from a neighboring state to a specified amount; or triple the number of visitors to a specific sightseeing attraction. Identify Travel Trends Stay abreast of travel trends, such as increasing interest in adventure travel, growing numbers of girlfriend getaways, changing demographics that mean more seniors traveling and increased use of Internet for bookings. Use this information to shape how your tourist destination will brand itself, what attractions it will invest in and emphasize and what marketing vehicles it will use. Get Your Message Out Figure out what vehicles will be most effective for promoting your message to the markets you have chosen, including travel review forums, social marketing avenues, Internet broadcasts, and magazine and news articles in general interest and special-interest publications or television ads. Enlist local businesses in advertising and offering specials and discounts for slow periods. Keep in mind, travellers sharing their positive experience at your destination is going to be your strongest marketing tool. TASK 2 . Do a Situational Analysis Target Markets Even if you are experienced at managing holiday rentals, it pays to do an on paper assessment of your target renters. If youre brand new to renting, you may have to do a little bit of research into your area to determine which groups you should target. Demographic Try to determine which demographic groups the majority of your guests belong to, such as: gender, familial status, household income, and education level? Its likely that other belonging who call into the same category as your past guests will also enjoy your home. Geographic What geographic area are your guests from? Do they travel from overseas? Do they fly or drive to your destination? If they drive, how far is a typical journey? Psychographic What do your guests do in their leisure time? What do they want out of their holiday? Market Needs Trends Look at your local holiday rental market as a whole. Are there any traveller groups that dont seem to be well catered for? Has your local area undergone any major changes in the past year? 5 years? 10 years? Look for trends in the number of visitors, demographics of visitors, new construction in the area, sharp increases or decreases in the value of property, significant increases in property taxes, or new or proposed regulations regarding short-term rentals. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis Completing a SWOT analysis will help you determine where the strengths of your holiday rentals business, where you can improve, and what opportunities exist in the market, and what threats loom on the horizon. Strengths: What does your holiday home offer that other homes in your area do not? What makes your home special? Are your rates competitive? What do you do as an owner that is better than other owners in your market? Examine your online adverts.   What does your ad do well? Weaknesses: What do other holiday homes in your area offer that you do not? Are there any areas where your home could be improved (facilities, dà ©cor, furnishings, etc.)? Examine your portal website listings.   What could be improved about your ads (better photos, better written descriptions, etc.)? Opportunities: Are there any improvements being made or attractions being added in your market (have the beaches been given a special award, or is there a new activity centre opening)? Does your property cater to any of the following growing market segments: retirees, business travellers, families with grown children? Is the area opening up to travellers from a new geographic region? Threats: Are there any new property developments coming to your area (i.e. increased competition)? Has there been a significant increase in property taxes for second homes? Are there any new regulations being imposed on holiday rentals in your area? Competition In positioning your holiday home, you should consider who you are competing with for business, what they offer, and how their pricing compares to yours. After youve compiled a list of your biggest competition, take note of where they currently advertise, which marketing tactics theyve chosen to implement. Then launch your counter attack, by applying strategies that will more effectively or persuasively reach the target customers you have in common. Other Holiday Accommodations in Your Holiday Market This could include other holiday rentals in your area, as well as hotels, bed and breakfasts, all-inclusive resorts, hostels, caravan parks or camp sites. Other Holiday Destinations Often youre not just competing against other accommodations in your area. You may also be competing against holiday homes and hotels in surrounding areas, or even other markets altogether. Holiday Rental Benefits What does your home have to offer travellers? Amenities An amenity is anything included in your home that may be of interest to potential guests. The next time youre at your vacation home, go room-to-room and make a list of the items in each room. Download the Equipment and Facilities Checklist to see if youre missing anything. Suitability Who is your home perfectly situated for? Families with small children? People with disabilities? The elderly? Travellers with pets? 2. Determine Your Marketing Strategy Marketing Objectives What are your most important goals for marketing your holiday home? To receive enquiries? To book a certain number of weeks? To generate a specific amount of revenue? Positioning When setting your marketing strategy, its important to determine how you plan to market your retnal. That is, who your home is suitable for, and how you plan to ? Many holiday home owners make the mistake of trying to target uncomplimentary groups of travellers. For example, if you have a large property in the Algarve, Portugal, creating a home that is too family friendly (for example turning ample sized bedrooms into childrens bedrooms) could alienate groups of adult friends on golfing breaks or girls getaways. However, become too broad in your appeal, and you could seem bland or irrelevant to travellers. Marketing Mix Most marketing activities conducted by holiday rental homeowners fall into the categories of online advertising, offline advertising, and word-of-mouth marketing. Online Advertising Portal websites like HomeAway.co.uk or OwnersDirect.co.uk Specialised websites like your local tourist board Personal websites (your holiday rentals business website) Offline Advertising Print media like newspapers and magazines Radio or TV Collateral material like business cards, fliers or vouchers Word-of-Mouth Customer relationship marketing efforts to past guests, or friends and family discounts Referrals Charitable donations Marketing Research Get to Know Your Target Customer Take the time to do some research about your target renter. The best way to do this is by talking to past guests, friends, and family members about what they enjoy about your home, what could be improved, and whether or not it fulfils the requirements they are looking for in a holiday home. You can also download our Guest Feedback Survey to send to your previous guests Become an Expert on Your Local Area Travellers will often look to you for advice about your area. Put on your travel agent hat and learn about the area attractions and restaurants that may interest your target renters. Stay Current with Events in Your Market Its important to stay abreast of events in your area. Consider subscribing to the local newspaper in your vacation home market or set up Google News Alerts to come to your email. Follow Industry Trends Staying educated on the holiday rental industry will give you a leg up in marketing your home. Keep an eye on our Industry News section, for the latest reports. 3. Get Your Financials in Order (Budgets and Forecasts) Break-Even Analysiskeys to success Even if you do not rely heavily on rentals to cover the expenses for your home, its important to determine how much money you have coming in and how much you have going out each month. Revenue How much rental income do you hope to generate from your holiday home this year? Formula for projected revenue for primarily weekly rental markets: (Number of Peak Weeks x Peak Rate) + (Number of Off-Peak Weeks x Off-Peak Rate) + (Number of Weekends x Weekend Rate) Formula for projected revenue for primarily nightly rental markets: (Number of Peak Nights x Peak Nightly Rate) + (Number of Off-Peak Nights x Off-Peak Nightly Rate) Expenses What do you expect to spend this year to keep your holiday rental running? Note: This formula does not include capital improvements. Cash Flow Calculating your projected cash flow should help keep you aware of where you stand in relation to your rental goals. In addition, consider setting milestones or benchmarks for where you should be when. If you hit a milestone and determine that youre not on course, then its time to implement a contingency plan. Sales Forecast During which months do you get the majority of your income? Be sure to factor in payment schedules, but to simplify the cash flow process, do not include any refundable deposits (otherwise youll have to also include the refund in your expenses). Expense Forecast Determine when you will have money coming out of pocket. Which expenses occur monthly (e.g. mortgage, utilities, etc.)? Quarterly?   Annually? Dont forget about seasonal fixed expenses like such as home or grounds maintenance. Contingency Planning What potential difficulties do you foresee in renting your holiday home? Brainstorm all of the potential problems you could face in your rentals process, and create a plan and a backup plan to deal with each one if it occurs. By preparing contingency plans, you wont be caught off-guard when a less-than-ideal situation arises. 4. Determine Your Personal Keys to Success in Renting Your Home After creating a marketing plan for your holiday rental home, you should be able to answer the following questions: Who is your target market and how is your home best suited for them? What is your homes theme or position in the market? Which marketing vehicles should you use to reach your target renters? How many peak weeks, off-peak weeks, and weekends do you need to rent to break-even on your fixed expenses? What are the potential risks in renting your holiday home and what can you proactively do to prepare for them? What you define as success may be different to what other owners in your area would. The key to personal success in renting is to set goals for yourself and your holiday rental. By setting goals before you begin, you always have a number of booked weeks (or nights) to work toward and will more likely stay motivated and fulfilled (INSKIPP, Carol, 2008) COMMUNICATION SKILLS: As a tour guide, communication will be your main tool in informing and guiding guests around sights and keeping their interest. Below, we have some suggested reasons why communication is so important in a tour guiding context. After reading through them, why dont you tackle the activities which follow, which are based on some of the main reasons for communicating in tour guiding. To inform, remind and advise You will use communication to present your country to tourists. As a tour guide you will have to answer many questions, handle queries and present information to tourists. Among these types of information will be: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ giving directions and commentaries; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ explaining procedures and itineraries; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ providing advice on safety and security; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ describing tourist attractions. This information to guests can be: helpful suggestions to prepare themselves for a tour, advice about personal belongings to take, medical advice on preventative medicines, and information about available services at tourist destinations. To clarify, and to avoid confusion and misunderstandings Communication helps to clarify facts so that there is no confusion or misunderstandings. Also, sometimes there are unexpected events during a tour which can force the tour guide to change plans, and these changed plans have to be communicated to the tour group as soon as possible, to get consensus on alternative itineraries. To promote and persuade Communication is also the tool youll use to promote the tourism products and services of your country, such as the destinations and events they will visit and enquire about. Remember, tourists visit your country in order to see what attractions the country has to offer and to perceive and experience the country from your perspective. As a tour guide, therefore, it will be your responsibility to motivate and reinforce the tourists interest in your country. Your commentaries are the  « eye  » through which tourists will see the country and you are the representative of the people of your country. To build relationships How well you communicate with your tour group will determine the success of the tour and how successful you are in your career as a tour guide. Conversations help to develop rapport which will build interpersonal relationships. This is important for sustaining the tourism activities. To evaluate your services Communication will enable you to collect relevant feedback from the tourists with a view to gauging the interests and expectations of the tourists. This feedback obtained can be communicated to all concerned. From this you will be able to explore ways of improving subsequent tour activities. TASK 1 Email To: XXXX From Anamika Sinha CC Subject Cox kings share Holdings Dear XXXXXX I have recently visited Cox kings share Holdings and attach my report. The prospects for devolving HR activities to the line are examined in this article. Evidence drawn from a wider study of HRM in practice suggests that, while line manager involvement is possible, their practices tend to be inconsistent in implementation and uneven in quality. A number of constraints on line management practice were identified. First, there is limited reinforcement of practice through institutional forces. Secondly, the short-term nature of managerial activity means that a greater priority is placed on the achievement of the numbers rather than the achievement of numbers through people. Finally, downsizing and delivering place tremendous pressures on the time which line managers could allow for people matters generally. These findings challenge much of the rhetoric associated with the idea of giving HRM back to the line by arguing that the quality of line management practice may distort the overall impact of HR policies. TASK 2 Phone Communication Phone communication remains an important means of business communication because it can link partners, employees and business professionals nationally and globally. Costs of phone communication can be significant, particularly if a business requires a lot of international calls. Verbal Communication Verbal communication in groups and between individuals is still a critical and popular method of business communication. Mastering the art of verbal communication can help you articulate ideas and solve problems in ways that everyone will understand. The Internet and social media Web-based portals, such as Face book and Twitter, have taken the business world by storm. Email and social media represent ways for businesses to communicate important information in a matter of seconds. Fax Faxing is a fast way to communicate information and data as well. Faxing can be especially beneficial when information needs to be communicated in hard copy. Written Communication Believe it or not, companies still write memos and other reports that communicate information internally throughout a company. Written communication is an important method of communication because it helps establish a paper trail. TASK 4  · Speed and Costs of Communication The most significant impact of technology on communication is the spread of the internet and the possibility of sending emails and chatting. In the pre-information technology days, a document often required re-typing on the typewriter before the final version. Sending the letter across to someone else required a visit to the post office and a postage stamp. Faster methods such as telegrams had severe limitations in text, and remained costly. Computers and the internet have made easy the process of creating and editing documents and applying features such as spell check and grammar check automatically. Email allows sending the document to any part of the globe within seconds, making telegrams, and even ordinary letters mostly obsolete. The internet has thus increased the speed of communications manifold, and reduced the costs drastically.  · Quality of Communication The huge amount of knowledge accessible by a click of the mouse has helped improve the quality of communication. Translating a text from an unfamiliar language to a familiar language, seeking out the meaning of an unknown word, and getting follow up information on an unfamiliar concept are all possible thanks to the internet. Technology allows easy storage and retrieval of communication when needed, especially verbal communication, the storage of which was very difficult before. It now becomes easier to rewind and clear misconceptions rather than make assumptions, or contacting the person again to clear doubt.  · Change in Communication Style The invention of new gadgets such as mobile phones makes communication easier by allowing people to communicate from anywhere. An underestimated impact of mobile gadgets is their impact on the nature of communications. The nature of such impact includes the following: The possibility of high quality communication from anywhere in the world to anywhere else at low costs has led to a marked decline in face-to-face communications and to an increased reliance on verbal and written communication over electronic mediums. The small keyboards in mobile phone and other hand held devices that make typing difficult has resulted in a radical shortening of words and increasing use of symbol and shortcuts, with little or no adherence to traditional grammatical rules. Such change now finds increasing acceptance in the business community. Communication has become concise and short, and the adage brevity is the soul of wit finds widespread implementation, though unintentionally.  · Accessibility to Communication The answer to the question how has technology changed communication is incomplete without a mention of the role of technology in the democratization of communication systems. Technology has brought down the costs of communication significantly and improved peoples access to communication. The proliferation of online forums, live coverage of news, and other such media related initiatives have resulted in world wide access and participation in news and information for almost everyone. In the realm of business, access to communication or privileged information was hitherto a major source of competitive advantage. Technology helps remove such barriers and ensure a level playing field in this aspect for the most part.  · Nature of Communication The ease of communication and the spread of interactive communication methods such as instant messengers and video conferencing has increased the volume of communications, but reduced the average length of communications. People now communicate whatever comes up instantly, and tend to break up different topics into different communications. Finally, technologies such as the internet help spread the net of communication by tracking down old friends, shedding light on new business opportunities, and the like (JOHN SWARBROOKE, Susan Horner, 2001) PEOPLE IN THE ORGANISATION: TASK 1 All these organisations are connected to either the National Government, which is departments or ministries, or to local Government. This chart shows the range of commercial and non commercial organisations involved in Travel and Tourism. The government organisation, the DCMS (The Department for Culture Media and Sport. This is one of the many civil service departments which serve the elected government of the day, whatever their political views. These departments do not have any political bias. Examples: Treasury doles out all the money the taxpayers money to other departments, e.g. education, defence, DEFRA (Department for the Farming and Rural Affairs), which is the department for the environment.  · The DCMS is responsible for and to oversee: Government policy on the arts, Sport The National Lottery, Tourism, Libraries, Museums and galleries, Broadcasting, Film, The music Industry, Press freedom and regulation licensing, Gambling Historic environment.  · The present secretary of the DCMS is Tessa Jowell. Funding of the DCMS ===================  · Funding comes from the taxpayer (income tax)  · In addition, the Treasury decides what share each government department will get. Stakeholders Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest in an organisation. The people who are hold an interest in the DCMS range from: Government of the day. This is because DCMS carries out the policies. This relates to Tomorrows Tourism Today, which outlines plans for action and responsibilities for delivery for the DCMS and its key partners in five areas. These are the four joint priorities agreed by the DCMS and the tourism industry; marketing and e-tourism, quality, skills and data, plus a fifth priority for the DCMS advocacy for tourism across Whitehall and the EU. Tomorrows Tourism Today, which had the working title of the Tourism Prospectus, is the result of consultation by the DCMS with its key partnership organisations; Visit Britain, the England Marketing Advisory Board (EMAB), the Tourism Alliance, the Local Government Association and the Regional Development Agencies. It also reflects comments from over 30 organisations and individuals who responded to a final round of general consultation. The idea for Tomorrows Tourism Today came from the series of Hartwell Conferences between the DCMS and the tourism industry. They were part of the process of tackling the downturn in tourism that followed the Foot and Mouth outbreak and the September 11th attacks in 2001. The public as the taxpayers, as the DCMS is spending our money. Customers of tourism in the UK. Businesses, which benefit from the work of the DCMS. Employees of the DCMS civil servants. NGO`s (Non Governmental Organisations), which are not elected and have no political bias. Organization Chart Non-Governmental Organisations  · These are non-elected organisations, which advise the main government departments or ministries and through them advise the elected Minister of the day.  · NGO`s: Advise the department on policy. Co-ordinate activities. Produce strategic plans such as Tomorrows Tourism Today. Allocate government funds to all organisational and activities connected with tourism.  · Examples of NGO`s are: Visit Britain English Heritage Countryside Agency Sport England TASK 2 REPORT SECTION A: Communicating effectively can be the difference between the success and failure of any business endeavour. Effective business communication involves time-honoured practices and customs you can easily learn. These business communications best practices remain as relevant now as they were in the past. These best practices also apply to any form of business communication you choose to employ; whether it is a print brochure or an online website. Be Clear and Concise The most important business communication practice is to be clear with your message. Too often, business communicators load their messages with jargon and technical terms the intended audience cannot understand. Dont be vague. Use concrete terms and be specific. You should use clear, easily understood words. Avoid industry-specific terms and acronyms unless they are common knowledge to your audience. Err on the side of caution, however; dont assume you know what your audience will understand. Focus on Audience Effective business communication practices target a specific audience. Communicators should always ask Who is my audience? What is their level of knowledge about what you are presenting? What are their needs and values? Knowing the answers to these questions can help focus your message. Business communication author Ken OQuinn, writing for the International Association of Business Communicators, says you should frame your appeal in a way that makes it relevant to your audience. Your ideas need to be in their realm of experience, he writes. Dont Sell Features. Sell Benefits. Whether you are writing an internal memo or a sales brochure, your business communications should focus on value. A best practice is to sell benefitshow your idea or product will improve the lives of your internal and external customers. Selling benefits will grab attention and sustain interest far more than simply selling the features or physical attributes of a product or service. In an International Association of Business Communicators article, writing coach Daphne Gray-Grant says selling features is dull. Selling benefits generates excitement, she says, and leads to business communication with high impact. Use Multiple Channels Peter Lowy of the Business Communications Strategies group, Brookline, Mass., writes that you cannot afford to deliver your message using only one medium. The proliferation of media offers people numerous choices for consuming information. People have their preferences, and they process information at different times, Lowy says. In addition, for your communications practices to be effective, you should optimize your message for each medium. For example, a message delivered through a website will typically be shorter and more to-the-point than the same message in a print newsletter article. REPORT SECTION B: There are numerous advantages of teamwork in business. Some of the genuine advantages of teamwork have been discussed below. The following advantages of teamwork are not only applicable for businesses but they can also be noticed in departments that function with the help of united efforts. United Effort Teamwork in any business ensures that the task at hand is executed with the help of a united effort. The significance of the united effort is that the business organization that is concerned, functions like a single person, thereby enhancing the quality of the operations. There are, also, some other related factors, such as ensuring equality in profit-sharing and division of work. It also helps the members/owners of the organization to maintain a very good system, that designates appropriate authority and responsibility. A united effort, also, reflects good team building and team spirit. Division of Work Teamwork ensures that there is an equal and fair distribution of work within the organization. A fair work distribution ensures that every person or every working unit, executes any task at hand, with the best possible efficiency. The division of work, also, ensure that the work is done on time and deadlines are not extended. Reduction of Risk When the task at hand is executed with the maximum possible efficiency, there is a reduction in risk. The best advantage of teamwork in business is that the burden of failure is borne by all the members of the team and it does not fall on the shoulders of just one person. Specialization in Work Another very good advantage of teamwork in business is that a person is able to specialize in one specific field. That is, he can optimize the quality of the work that he does, and can also work with the maximum possible efficiency. This ensures a high quality output from all individuals and the whole team. Subordination of Personal Interest to Organizational Interest One of the biggest advantages of teamwork is that personal interest is subordinate to organizational interest. This ensures that all the team members put in the maximum possible efforts into their work, thereby ensuring a high quality and timely output. You must have noticed that the list of advantages points out to two basic facts that work when distributed reduces one persons workload and a reduced amount of

Transformation of the Tragedy in Oedipus, King Lear, and Desire Under The Elms :: comparison compare contrast essays

Transformation of the Tragedy in Oedipus Rex, King Lear, and Desire Under The Elms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the course of time, many things tend to transform significantly. Such is the case of tragic literature and the cathartic effect it has on the reader, which has deteriorated a great deal from Sophocles' writing of the true tragedy, Oedipus Rex. King Lear exemplifies partial decomposition of catharsis, whereas Desire Under The Elms epitomises an almost total collapse of the cathartic effect. It is assumed that the lower the social status of the tragic hero, the weaker the ability of the 1990's audience to identify with the character's flaw. The term 'identify' refers to the ability to relate to the situation or idea. The lower social status of the protagonist in Desire Under The Elms allows a weaker level of reader identification than that experienced in King Lear or Oedipus Rex, which is made evident by examining stages two and three of catharsis.    The lower social status of the protagonist in Desire Under The Elms allows a lower level of reader identification than that experienced in King Lear or Oedipus Rex which is made evident by examining stage two of catharsis. The classic tragedy, Oedipus Rex tells the story of the King of Thebes, Oedipus, who foolishly tries to challenge fate and evade a prophecy which proclaimed that he would murder his father and marry his mother. When trying to free Thebes of a plague, he discovers that the prophecy had, in fact, come true and he did murder his father and marry his mother. According to Aristotle, there are three main elements in the second stage of catharsis (The Cathartic Moment) which include the tragic hero's point of greatest misery, the fall of shields which protected him from an ultimate truth about himself, as well as the hero's moment of enlightenment. The play Oedipus Rex displays the three elements of the cathartic moment almost perfectly. Oedipus' point of greatest misery occurs after he realizes that the prophecy had come true and he discovers that his wife, Jocosta has hung herself in her bridal-room after she finds that Oedipus was her son. A messenger tells the chorus of the incident in the following quote:    She died by her own hand....cried to her husband Laius in the grave, with mention of that seed whereby he sowed death for himself, and left her a son to get her fresh children, shamefully.

Harry Potter :: essays research papers

During this day and time there are many cool fads that catch on quite quickly and leave quickly as well. Lately there has been one fad that has caught on and it doesn’t seem as if it is going to leave anytime soon. This fad has caused much chaos and controversy throughout America. This fad is called Harry Potter. It seems as if everyone has his or her own opinion on it. Harry Potter started out being a book by J. K. Rowling, intended to entertain children. But somehow it has gotten dragged through the mud and made into a bigger deal than it was until the name Harry Potter is commonly heard on everyday news. The media and many adults are claiming that these books and movie are evil. Robert McGee, associate pastor of the First Baptist church of Merritt Island of CA Says â€Å"I’ve read the Potter books and they are wonderfully written but were not talking about the Smurfs here. Children are leaning the elements of witchcraft in the context of being told it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.† Many of the spells that are used in the movie and books are real spells from the religion Wicca from Great Britain. Roger Coleman, a Wiccan minister of the Church of Iron Oak in Palm Bay, said he found very similarity between his religion and the witchcraft in the series. This is believed to bring children to want to try witchcraft. A video was by The First Baptist church of Merritt Island has started a Potter movie of their own. The one-hour video has been shown to hundreds of people in 11 churches across Brevard County CA. The truth, according to the video, is that â€Å"children as young as kindergarten are being introduced to human sacrifice, and the sucking of blood from dead animals.† On the other hand though many people believe that the books are harmless and are meant to make children use their imagination. Kristin Kendall, an 11-year-old from Port St. John said, â€Å"most kids can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I’ve read all four books, they are all pretty good. I like the mythical creatures like the unicorn.† Judith Krug ALA spokeswoman said the Potter books are Challenged for two main reasons. â€Å"The complaints are based on the feeling that evil pervades the works and the belief that if young people read these books they’ll forget everything their parents taught them and immediately become witches and warlocks.

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When doing business meetings in Italy punctuality is not a priority, being late with a good reason will not have any negative consequences. The typical business hours of stores in Italy are from eight am to one pm and from three pm to seven pm and usually do not open on Monday mornings. Some major stores will stay open through lunch breaks some may not. Malls and Food Markets are open all week except on Sundays, although there are some specific Sundays which they do open. In major cities supermarkets are open from 9am till 9pm and are open Monday through Sunday. The bank hours in Italy are from eight thirty am to one thirty pm, and then they have a break for about two hours or so and return to work at three till four thirty in the afternoon. Banks are not open on the weekends or on national holidays. Post offices work from eight thirty am until six thirty in the afternoon; they are open from Monday’s through Saturday’s. The Monetary Denomination in Italy is the euro. On e US dollar equals 0.73 Euros or 1.00 Euro has the value of 1.367 USD. In Italy the currency has more value than the currency in the United States. â€Å"In Italy they have twelve national holidays the first one is Capodanno which is celebrated on January first, this holiday is the celebration of the first day of the year. The second holiday is Befana celebrated on January six. This holiday is to celebrate the arrival of the three kings to the stable where newborn Jesus is staying with his parents, this holiday is like the holiday that is named â€Å"el dia de los Reyes magos† to Hispanics. The third holiday is named Carnevale; Carnevale is the period of relaxation and parting before Lent. The fourth holiday is Pasque, which is the same as Easter in the United States, this is... ...hen all of a sudden the company takes a hit because the business partners which you did business with did not look at the major risk factors and at the end your company is the ones who takes a hit, that is one of the major factors which you should look at. Another advantage you have for working with Italians is that the monetary denomination has more value than the monetary denomination in the United States. A disadvantage that your company may encounter is that Italians do not work much, which means that businesses are not opened the regular hours American businesses are open for; this means that there are many hours in which your company may not be making progress or making money. That is the only major disadvantage that may impact your business. Throughout this research paper you and your company can see more advantages that your company may have.

Does Herodotus Offer Adequate Explanations for Colonisation

Does Herodotus offer adequate explanations for Greek colonisation in the archaic period? Herodotus gives all ancient historians invaluable insights into colonisation in the archaic period, despite having his well known limitations. We must overall regard his work ‘The Histories’ as an equal to archaeological evidence and Thucydides’ work when it comes to studying colonisation in this period. Before I begin this essay, however, I must first quickly define two crucial terms.The term ‘colonisation’ (as we mean it during the during the archaic period) has for some reason been debated at great length by ancient historians, who seem determined to remove it as far away from the imperial meaning of the word as possible. I don’t see why, as both have glaring similarities and only minute differences. They both involve one kind of people moving in significant numbers to a new place (where either a different kind of people or no people were present) and es tablishing their way of life in said location.The only real differences being the literal translation of the word in Greek meaning ‘home away from home’ or ‘trading place’ and the imperial meaning of the word leaning more towards the subjugation of the local inhabitants rather than the replacement of them (which was more common in archaic Greece). The second term is ‘Archaic Period’ which in this essay will be defined as the period from 800 to 478BC.To examine in detail Herodotus’ explanations for colonisation during this period I will examine to what extent he informs us on: land-hunger, trading considerations, drought[1]and I will also comment on his references to the Delphic oracle. I have picked these areas to judge Herodotus on, because they are the most regularly agreed upon reasons for colonisation occurring and therefore his comments on these areas have the potential to be most informative to us, as A.Graham eloquently sums up wi th ‘though a very large number of extant authors provide some piece of information relevant to the history of Greek colonisation only a few are of overriding influence†¦ their [Herodotus and Thucydides] importance lies in their relatively early date, although they belong to a period after the Archaic colonising movement, they are nearer to it than our other substantial sources’[2]. It is for this paramount reason that Herodotus’ comments on these subjects are so crucial to our study of colonisation.In scrutinizing Herodotus’ comments in this field I will look some of the examples that he uses, namely: Chalkedon, Sigeion, Egypt, Olbia and of course Cyrene. So through looking at the four main reasons for colonisation and cross-referencing it with the examples stated I will fully evaluate whether or not Herodotus is an adequate source to look to regarding the archaic colonisation period. It must also be mentioned at this point that ‘political facto rs’ would have also been a strong factor to consider, however, would take up the word count fully all by itself, so will be left for a another time.Land–hunger refers to one of the push factors that are widely believed to have caused many Greeks to leave their original homes in search of more land and in particular, more fertile land. We see this especially in the case of mainland Greece and the Peloponnese where there were less fertile plains and more arid and mountainous terrain Although Herodotus never explicitly tells us that this was a major cause for colonisation, we can infer from some of his writing that this would have been a factor.Herodotus enlightens us to the existence of a colony on the coast of the black seathat ‘have sanctuaries dedicated to the Greek gods and †¦ whose language is a mixture of Scythian and Greek’[3]. Now this alone does not specifically tell us that the Greeks moved to this area because it was particularly fertile or t hat their home region was lacking in enough land, but when you continue to read on and see that it was the Megarians who colonised Chalkedon[4] and Byzantium (located either side of the Bosphorus) then one can easily see the extent to which a Peloponnesian city-state would go to find new lands.This is a weak argument on its own, however, twinned with some basic knowledge of Antiquity it grows in strength. For instance anyone with knowledge of mainland Greek states will know that the Megarians were indeed very restricted with regards to land. They were squashed between the Peloponnesian League members such as Corinth, to the south, and Attica (ruled by Athens), to the north and east. The fact that they set up at least three colonies: Megara Hyblaea, Chalkedon and Byzantium, clearly indicates land-hunger, just as their geography would suggest.On top of this, anyone with a basic knowledge of antiquity would also be aware of the huge agricultural resources available around the black sea , proved by Athens’ later dependency on grain imports from this region during the Peloponnesian wars. The way in which Herodotus describes Cyrene as having a ‘hole in the sky’[5] (i. e. it rains more making the ground more fertile) can also be taken as a heavy hint as to why Cyrene was set up.My point being, when reading Herodotus, sometimes he must be used in conjunction with elementary knowledge to support or disprove points. In this case he has supported the idea that land-hunger was an adequate explanation for Greek colonisation though not explicitly telling us. One has to admit though that over the course of the whole work, Herodotus does fail to fully support this factor. Unless you are a primitivist, trading advantages had to be a substantial pull factor for your city to advocate colonisation.I will develop this argument assuming that the Greeks were an enterprising race because this is the argument that will prove to be entirely accepted in due course. Th e finest example of Herodotus explaining colonisation, in regards to trading motives, is his account of the settlement set up at the mouth of the River Nile called Naukratis. He declares ‘Naukratis was the only trading-station and there was no other in Egypt’[6] and goes on remark on the religious temples set up in honour of Zeus, Hera and Apollo naming Aeginetans, Samians and Milesians all present in the city.This was clearly a settlement set up with the aim of extending trade relations with the Egyptians for the benefit of Greeks. In a separate example though, one can again use basic knowledge of Hellenes in antiquity (the basic knowledge being that the Bosphorus was extremely important to trade even in archaic times) combined with Herodotus’ passage on Chalkedon[7] to see that control of the Bosphorus was important enough to trade that colonies were set up here on numerous occasions.Sigeion, just south of the Bosphorus and situated on the mouth of the river St rymon was (as Herodotus informs us) fought over furiously by Athens and Mytilene[8], again signifying the importance of trade to the foundation of colonies in the archaic period. So Herodotus then giving us comprehensive proof of trade being an adequate factor in the establishment of colonies in the archaic period. Dillon points to drought as one of the factors that lead directly to colonisation. No better example of this, in ancient literature, exists than the account of Cyrene’s foundation. For the next seven years, however, no rain fell on Thera, and all their trees, with a single exception, withered. ’[9] Now, following this short passage, we again encounter a common limitation of Herodotus, ‘The islanders consulted the oracle, and the Pythia reminding them that they were supposed to colonise Libya’[10]; that is his continuous permeation of oracles into most of his work. This is not to say that we can disregard ancient historians’ reference†™s to all oracle’s all the time, but it is of my own opinion that we take much of Herodotus’ oracular reports with a pinch of salt.So although Herodotus may have been reported a tale of curses and prophecies regarding Thera’s drought, I would take his account and remedy a notion that what was most likely to have occurred was: that the Therans had some bad luck with the weather for a indeterminate period of time and as a result could not sustain the population they included†¦ so, decided to relieve pressure on the city by sending a portion of its population to a land where they could survive (or perhaps even sustain the original colony? . To clarify my earlier ‘pinch of salt’ phrase it moves me to use the words of M. Giangiulio expressing the idea that ‘cultural memory does not ‘reflect’ historical reality, even if it expresses a form of historical self-awareness’[11]. This is the sense in which I believe we should us e Herodotus, using our modern sense of hindsight and sensibility to understand ‘historical reality’ more accurately. For further details on ‘intentional history’[12] see footnote.This is the most blatant example I have touched on so far of Herodotus supporting one of the five stated reasons for colonisation and therefore yet again going some way to adequately explaining Greek colonisation in the archaic period. The Delphic Oracle is central to the explaining of why many colonies are set up. Maurizio Giangiulio supports this line of argument by telling us ‘The decisive role played by the Delphic oracle is very strongly emphasized, through various narrative devices’[13] in this case Herodotus: ‘the oracle declared that he would found a community in Libya’[14].It is ion this way that Herodotus is able to properly shed light on a crucial part of explaining the colonising process, making evident that it was foolhardy to go on an expedit ion without the expressed will of the gods ‘the importance attached to the god’s will is an integral part of a representational strategy [of a colony]’ states Giangiulio, extending this with ‘Cyrene represent themselves- it would seem –as a polies which stood high in Apollo’s favour’[15]. To conclude, there is no denying that Herodotus has his flaws in providing explanations for Greek colonisation.I am not pushing the argument that Herodotus is an infallible source on every case study he mentions either. What must be clear though after reading this essay is that Herodotus can be used with great effectiveness to inform us on the explanations of Greek colonisation. Simple guidelines can be fitted to reading his work that allow one to see past what modern minds would usually consider fantasy, but which can really help reveal the truth in many of the cases he does use.He supports three of the four reasons very strongly, and even if he does fall short in regards to land-hunger he more than makes up for it by placing huge emphasis on the importance of oracles and trading which must be considered the principal reason for explaining in the archaic period. Words: 1,961 ———————– [1] Dillon, Ancient Greece, 2000, Routledge, pp. 1 I have not looked at political consideration only due to my word count being limited to 2000, not through sloth or lack of interest. 2] Boardman, 1982, pp. 85 (Cambridge Ancient History) [3] Herodotus, 4. 108. [4] Herodotus, 4. 144 [5] Herodotus, 4. 159 [6] Herodotus, 2. 152-154, 178-181 [7] Herodotus, 4. 144 [8] 5. 94-95 [9] 4. 151 [10] 4. 151 [11] M. Giangiulio, Constructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 120 [12] H.Gehrke, Mythos, Geschicte, Politik-antik und modern, 1994 pp. 239-64 [13] M. Giangiulio, Co nstructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 117 [14] 4. 150 [15] M. Giangiulio, Constructing the past: colonial traditions and the writing of history ‘the case of Cyrene’, in N. Luraghi The Historian’s Craft in the age of Herodotus, 2001, pp. 118