Cola Wars Group Case Analysis Essay

After reviewing the case and doing an in-depth analysis of the industry, we found that the concentrate industry is profitable for a variety of reasons. Chief amongst the reasons for the industry’s profitability is the remarkable net profit percentage at 35% (Exhibit1). When compared to the yahoo finance page that we viewed in class, the concentrate industry would rank amongst the top ten most profitable industries. If we compare the concentrate industry to the bottling industry, we see that the concentrate industry dwarfs the bottling industry meager 9%. In fact, if we compare it to retail and CPI (measure of the average change in price of consumer items over time), it is evident that the price growth in the concentrate industry performs better than both measures from 1988 to 2000 (Exhibit 2). This suggest that not only is the concentrate more profitable than the retail function, but also, the concentrate industry is performing better (from a revenue standpoint) than the average house hold good. We can also see that from 1970 to 1998 on Exhibit 3 in the case, the consumption of carbonated drinks has consistently increased, whereas most other liquids have been inconsistent. Since carbonated drinks are dependent upon the concentrate producers, this data would suggest that he the concentrate industry has longevity along with the carbonated soft drink industry. Despite the great profitability of the concentrate industry, there have been very few firms to successfully enter the industry. Using Porter’s Five Forces model, it is apparent why so few firms enter the concentrate business. Two of Porters’ Five Forces are very low, the power of buyers and the power of suppliers. The power of buyers is very important in any industry, and the lower the power of those buyers the better for the industry as a whole. However, there are two ways of looking at the power of buyers in the concentrate industry. First, the bottlers who are buying the concentrate and mixing it with the carbonated water and other ingredients have very low power. Coke and Pepsi have both consolidated bottlers and changed them because of price changes and other factors. Therefore, these buyers have no power because they can be easily replaced at a very little cost to the concentrate producers. The second way of looking at buyers in this industry is the consumer who is actually buying the end product. These consumers have a great deal of buying power. For example, the entire soda industry has been declining in recent years due to a higher awareness of health concerns of drinking soda as well as other replacements being more appealing to customers, such as flavored water and sports drinks. Coke and Pepsi have been competing for market share and customers are the factor that affects market share. The companies are competing for the customers’ business, giving them higher power in the industry. The power of suppliers is also very low. The raw materials that supply the concentrate industry are not hard to find and have been replaced many times throughout the history of the concentrate industry. The suppliers of the raw materials have no power over the concentrators and will not be able to affect the prices they sell their product for. This in turn, makes the industry that much more profitable because of this low power of suppliers. Another one of Porter’s Five Forces is threat of entry, which is very low for the concentrate industry due to the presence of so many entry barriers. There are seven barriers to entry; supply-side economies of scale, demand-side economies of scale, customer switching costs, capital requirements, incumbency advantages independent of size, and restrictive government policies. Supply-side economies of scale means when producing larger volumes, the cost per unit decreases. Coke and Pepsi concentrate producers have economies of scale due to the fact that they have huge capacity. With this large capacity, their fixed costs are lower than any rivals. The case stated that one concentrate plant could serve the entire United States. This increases the power that Coke and Pepsi concentrate producers already have. They also have demand-side economies of scale, meaning the existing concentrate producers have a very extensive network, and new entrants would be at a disadvantage if they decided to enter because Coke and Pepsi already dominate the industry. Customer switching costs are low if talking about the end consumers of soft drinks, because consumers can easily switch from Coke to Pepsi without incurring extra costs. With respect to the customers being the bottlers, who buy the concentrate and finish the production process, their switching costs are much higher. The case mentioned contracts that the bottlers have with Coke and Pepsi, and if switching, the bottlers would have to go through extensive paperwork and deal with legal concerns. Another barrier to entry is capital requirements. The concentrate industry is very unique and actually does not require very much capital investment to start things up. The majority of the concentrate producers’ costs are in marketing efforts, rather than the production of concentrate itself. However, this barrier is still high because all the investment Coke and Pepsi have put into building their brands is very high. If a new concentrate producer were to try to enter the industry, they would have to invest a lot of money into getting their name out there, and gaining a sizeable market share would be nearly impossible. This established brand leads to the mention of another entry barrier, incumbency advantages independent of size. Everyone knows who Coke and Pepsi are, and they have very high brand equity. This makes entry into the concentrate industry very difficult. There is also the experience aspect. The current concentrate producers know exactly what to do to keep costs down and produce a consistent product efficiently. A new entrant may run into some roadblocks strictly due to lack of experience. Both Coke and Pepsi have been in the industry for a very long time, so they have an immediate advantage. Unequal access to distribution channels is another very high entry barrier for the concentrate industry. Coke and Pepsi have established relationships with suppliers and buyers of their product. A new entrant would have difficulty accessing channels of distribution, because they have all already contracted with one of the existing companies. The final barrier to entry is restrictive government policies. The case mentioned several issues with regulation when speaking of Coke and Pepsi’s efforts to go international. For example, â€Å"When Coke attempted to acquire Cadbury Schweppes’ international practice, it ran into regulatory roadblocks in Europe and in Mexico and Australia, where Coke’s market shares exceed 50%† (Page 14). There is also mention of a mandatory certification for bottled water. This certification caused smaller local brands to fail. After analyzing all the barriers to entry, it is obvious that the threat of entry into the concentrate is very low, contributing even more to the industry’s profitability. Threat of substitutes, another of Porter’s five forces, is also low in the concentrate industry. The soda industry is very profitable, with Americans drinking soda at higher levels than any other beverage. Traditional substitutes such as water, coffee, tea, and milk have never served as a real threat in concentrate producers’ 100 plus year history. In recent times, consumer trends have brought the emergence of other alternatives including Diet Sodas and â€Å"non-carb† beverages. The Large concentrate producers have been on the vanguard of these trends, adapting new alternatives with a changing market. However, the primary concentrate companies, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper still dominate the market. The brand power that has been established over the last century is not likely to be challenged by a newcomer despite the low startup costs for concentrate factories. In essence, the major concentrate companies have become their own substitutes, transferring losses due to substitutes. Porter’s fifth force is rivalry among existing competitors. While the two major concentrate industry’s competitors initially had fierce competition, the threat of competition outside of Coke and Pepsi is relatively low. The phase of price driven competition ended and now the Coke vs. Pepsi war is played out with differentiation through advertising and brand lifestyle. This form of co-operation, where prices remain relatively high with only temporary store promotions, increased the overall profitability for Coke and Pepsi. The brand loyalty established over the last century means that the threat of substitutes is low and competition is generally for marginal changes in market share. Rivalry among concentrate companies has also expanded to new venues, such as sports drinks and bottled water. But aside from the primary concentrate companies, there is no real threat to market share. This analysis confirms that all of Porter’s Five Forces are low, meaning industry profitability is high. Although high profitability would in most cases attract new firms to enter the industry, there are a variety of reasons that is not the case for the concentrate industry, as mentioned above. Coke and Pepsi have almost created an oligopoly out of the concentrate industry, and their strong brand identities will keep them far ahead of any possible entrants.

The use of online digital resources and educational digital libraries

This survey aimed to understand the usage of educational digital libraries by module members and teachers With respect to the usage, motives and barriers. Furthermore this survey investigates the find and usage of educational digital beginning sing the turning desire on the portion of module members and teachers to utilize them, and an increasing trouble in their ability to happen, entree and utilize them. It besides examines connote the hypotheses of the usage of the changeable type of on-line educational beginning would change based on figure of demographic variables, Most specifically, sort of establishment, sort of assignment or learning experience degree. The hypotheses is really specific due to the inquiries good be asked to faculty members and teachers such asThe importance of this survey is summarizedThis survey is really of import in term of bettering the digital educational beginning, therefore it is finishing the other attempts which were adapted by such as National Science Foundation ( NSF ) in US which has spent over 150 1000000s to this betterment [ 29 ] . Issues about the digital libraries ‘ users and about how do they utilize them hold became the highest cost in order to better and keep the educational digital libraries [ 23,37 ] . The justification of this investing, the existent usage and impact of educational digital libraries ‘ contents have become really important to stakeholders. Due to all of that some inquiries have risen: What do faculty members and teachers perform with the digital beginnings which they get from the educational digital libraries? Do module members tread these beginnings as a worthwhile beginning? How do the usage them in poke bettering their instruction? What are the obstructions which are confronting the module members when they use them?Methodology:In this paper, the writers report based on the Outcome of a national study of American module members and the teachers regard to the usage and non-use of on-line digital beginning. This survey looked profoundly into the obstructions of the usage for illustration the restrictions of clip and resource, the issues of accessing to high quality stuffs, deficiency of flexibleness of the stuffs themselves, and academic belongings [ 17,23 ] . Two groups were conducted at one research university, one at a community college, three were conducted at chiefly learning universities, one group each at two historically black colleges, one group at a broad humanistic disciplines college and two groups at theMERLOT International Conference2 whose participants represented awide assortment of institutions.We sought input from this scope of module members and teachers because we assumed that several factors would be critical to understanding their demand for on-line digital resources and their hunt and usage behaviours, such as, type of establishment, learning experience, learning burden, type of classs taught, etc. Analysis of the focal point group transcripts provided some grounds of the importance of these factors and the study was designed to further prove the value of these factors in foretelling user behaviour. Our focal point groups confirmed Harley et Al. ‘s [ 23 ] findings that faculty members did non cognize what educational digital libraries were. Furthermore, these module members and teachers did non separate between a curated aggregation, such as the BEN scientific discipline web ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.bioscienet.org ) where merely those points that have been peer reviewed aremade available and that of a simple of list of URLs that might be found at a co-worker ‘s web site. These findings, in add-on to Harley ‘s, highlight how of import it is to utilize the linguistic communication that possible respondents understand when planing study instruments. So similar Harley, we avoided utilizing linguistic communication in the study questions3 associated with digital libraries, e.g. , aggregation, metadata, etc. Alternatively, in order to better the face cogency of the instruments, we carefully described the contents of aggregations, e.g. , scholarly articles , ocular images, historical paperss, etc. and asked respondents how they searched for and used these stuffs. The study instrument consisted of 105 points that included demographic information, inquiries about motives for usage of stuffs, barriers to utilize and descriptions of usage. To minimise study weariness, the study design employed skip logic so that respondents were asked inside informations about their usage of stuffs merely after bespeaking they used them. Questions covered how an single module member or teacher used peculiar sorts of on-line stuffs, e.g. , lifes, simulations, scholarly resources, images, etc. ( see Table 3 for a definition of thesematerials ) , if they modified thesematerials in any manner and their motives for the usage of these stuffs. Survey participants were asked to rank their likeliness of usage of a digital aggregation as compared to other hunt engines such as Google or Yahoo.com. Respondents were besides asked a series of demographic inquiries sing their instruction experience, type of establishment in which they work and so forth. External cogency was determined by pre-testing the study with about 20 module members from the different types of establishments represented in the sample.3.1 The study sampleTo make the survey Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs population, we approached establishments to help us in reaching their module members and teachers. Using the Carnegie Foundation 2000 list ofUS establishments of higher instruction, a wide invitation to take part was issued to the bulk of higher instruction establishments in the United States. A likely contact was identified at each establishment by sing the establishment ‘s web site. Contacts were by and large head bibliothecs, caputs of module development, or academic deans. Of the about 3,500 establishments contacted,4 more than 250 responded, and in the terminal, 119 establishments agreed to take part. Table 1 shows howthis study ‘s sample of establishments comparisons to the existent distribution of types of establishments in the Carnegie list. For the intents of the disposal of the study, the sample was non stratified with respects to institutional type because we felt that trying to make so would negatively impact institutional buy-in and execution of the study . United States at the full spectrum of establishments. However, because issues of usage are non alone to STEM subjects, we felt that restricting the study to merely those faculty members and teachers would do it excessively hard for establishments to take part in the research. Consequently, we encouraged establishments to include their full module in their invitation to take part in the study. The bulk of take parting establishments sent the study to their full module organic structure, though some sent it to a random sample of their module. By the terminal of the study period ( September 2006-January 2007 ) 4,678 persons from the 119 take parting establishments responded. Of those respondents, 4,439 instructed pupils ; the majority of the analysis was conducted on this group of teachers. The demographics of the study respondents can be found in Table 2. About a 3rd ( 30 % ) came from Masters allowing establishments, a 4th from biennial or associate grade allowing schools ( 26 % ) , followed by four-year Baccalaureate or Liberal Arts College or Universities ( 22 % ) and, Doctoral Granting Institutions ( 21 % ) . The respondents were besides chiefly tenured module ( 41 % ) with somewhat over 10 per centum describing that they held accessory position ( 13 % ) , or were chiefly teachers, lectors or held other non-tenure path places ( 12 % ) . The bulk by far, held full-time places ( 81 % ) and 40 % had term of office. It is likely that these module members were over-represented in the sample given that 46 % of all US module members hold parttime places [ 1 ] . Most of the participating establishments chose to administrate the study to their full module instead than insulating STEM merely module. When asked to bespeak in which subjects they taught, more than one tierce of the responses ( 38 % ) represented a traditional STEM field ( biological scientific disciplines, chemical science, computing machine scientific discipline, technology, geoscience, wellness scientific disciplines, mathematics, or natural philosophies ) . Approximately 45 % represented the humanistic disciplines, humanistic disciplines or the societal scientific disciplines while approximately 20 % represented the professional schools, e.g. , instruction, concern, etc. This dislocation may non reflect the teachers ‘ disciplinary preparation and respondents were allowed to choose multiple subjects. The sample was besides made up of module who were extremely experient teachers, with merely one 4th holding less than 7 old ages of learning experience. This approximates the age distribution of higher instruction teachers with about 65 % being older than 45 old ages old [ 25 ] . Slightly over half of the sample ( 54 % ) reported utilizing class direction systems or had a class web site. Almost all ( 95 % ) of the respondents reported learning face to face classs, though about a fifth ( 21 % ) reported learning distance instruction or online classs. Merely 12 % reported learning intercrossed classs, that is, classs that both fitting face to face and are conducted online. If a respondent noted he or she did non instruct pupils, they were skipped to the terminal of the study replying a inquiry on the services offered by aggregations of digital resources, and concluding demographics4.1 What sorts of on-line digital resources do module usage?To analyze the relationship between the value of digital resources and their usage more closely, we went back to our focal point group informations. For although these participants tended to value digital resources extremely, they besides failed to separate between the different types of online digital resources, e.g. , educational digital libraries, web pages, on-line diaries, and were non witting of utilizing a digital library specifically [ 38 ] . Focus group participants defined educational digital libraries and digital resources loosely doing few differentiations between for illustration, a loose aggregation of PowerPoint slides ( available from a well known or trusted co-worker ‘s web site ) and a aggregation of stuffs such as MERLOT. Rather than coerce a definition of digital library for the study onto a group of respondents who most likely non equate educational digital libraries or aggregations as beginnings for these extremely valued on-line digital resources, we alternatively used merely linguistic communication depicting the digital resources. We so sub-divided the resources into five classs as described in Table 3. To analyze how faculty members reported utilizing these stuffs on the study, we looked at the â€Å" top box † mark, i.e. , the resource which module indicated they â€Å" really often used † . Survey consequences indicated that themost popular types of stuffs used by module members and teachers included on-line scholarly resources ( 51 % ) and digital images/visual stuffs ( 43 % ) . About a one-fourth of the respondents ( 29 % ) reported frequent usage of instruction and acquisition activities or on-line datasets ( 23 % ) . On-line simulations and lifes were used the least with merely 11 % of the respondents describing frequent usage.

Regulated Power Supply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Regulated Power Supply - Coursework Example So what is a power supply? In the days before complicated ICs and complicated digital electronics, a simple power supply was composed of a transformer and a rectifier circuit. The transformer is where alternating current or AC voltage enters. AC voltage comes from the normal voltage from the electrical outlet at home. It carries with it alternating current and has to be transformed and rectified into direct current (DC) so that it can power up the electrical appliance. It has an input and an output. The output is the desired DC voltage for an electronic circuit which depends whether it is 6 volts or 12 volts or even higher. Since it is the heart and that it supplies the main lifeblood of an electronic system, it is easy to locate, and if one has become acquainted with it, easy to troubleshoot and repair. That is easy said than done, but in any electronic troubleshooting mastery of the block- and schematic diagrams and every detail of the circuitry will ensure a troubleshooting succes s. For electronic technicians and engineers, pinpointing the location of the power supply is as easy as troubleshooting itself. 1.1 Definition of terms 1.1.1 Transformer – A transformer is a devised used to transform voltages or current; the transformation is from higher voltage to smaller voltage (step-down transformer), or from smaller voltage to higher voltage (step-up voltage). Most electronic circuits in appliances and gadgets use step-down transformers. For example, if the power supply in our home is 220 volts or 110 volts, we are going to use a step down-transformer to transformer the higher voltage and current to 6 volts, 9 volts, or 12 volts, as the case maybe. 1.1.2 Alternating Current/Direct current (AC/DC) – The current that enters a transformer is known as alternating current (AC). This is a static current which do not respond to the needed direct current of an electronic circuit. Therefore, the AC current has to be transformed into a DC or direct current. The AC voltage/current comes from the utilities company that supplies our electrical needs at home. First, we have to compare the different types of current and be able to name the parts in it. As mentioned, there are two types of current – the alternating current and the direct current. The alternating current is not regulated – the sine waves are alternating, and this has to be rectified using a diode or diodes, with a capacitor and other filtering components, so that the circuit can produce an output of a DC current. After we have transformed the AC to DC, then we still have to regulate it to match the needed voltage and current that a particular electronic circuit needs. In our high-tech world nowadays, designs have eliminated the transformer and other analog circuits; instead, integrated (IC) circuits have replaced many of the components. 1.1.3 Rectifier Circuit A rectifier is a diode or a circuitry of diodes that transforms alternating current into direct curren t. In a simple rectifier circuit, a diode is coupled with a filter capacitor and load resister to complete the rectification process. This produces a half-wave and does not completely provide full rectification. 1.1.4 Regulator A regulator can be a transistor or an integrated circuit (IC). The purpose of a regulator is to provide a steady DC output. A well-regulated DC is needed in circuits to produce the needed output or purpose of that

Recession and Consumer Spending Habits in the Clothing Indusrty Essay

Recession and Consumer Spending Habits in the Clothing Indusrty - Essay Example They also spend in different ways due to the recession. As borrowing becomes harder, consumers are more likely to make spending sacrifices. â€Å"People are clearly starting to get a sense that things are not as easy financially as they once were,† said Peter Ayton, Chief Statistician at Mintel. Recession not only affects how much consumers have to spend, but also how they behave. This project investigates changes in womens spending habits and examines how they will change in the future. The project considers a number of essential questions. Will womens spending behavior change when the recession ends? Or will they revert back to their old spending habits? Will consumption be back to the same level as years past? Will women spend less, delay purchases or trade down to cheaper alternatives? Economic recession can be defined as a significant decline in economic activity lasting more than a few months (NBER, 2009). The United Kingdom has been in recession since July 2008. This was prompted by many problems, including: The increased levels of unemployment and high levels of personal debt, mean consumers are feeling the squeeze. During recession it’s a normal propensity of consumers to cut down on spending and save money. The decline in consumers spending is due to decline in consumer confidence levels. The decline in confidence levels may be caused by unemployment or a financial crisis. Therefore, businesses are forced to lower their prices to attract consumers. When prices decrease, consumer spending capacity increases. In terms of profit and human capital, the recession has negatively impacted many industries. Prominent among the industries hit by the recession is the clothing industry. The UK retail clothing & footwear market was worth an estimated  £48.55bn in 2007 (Clothing HYPERLINK "http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/594454"&HYPERLINK "http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/594454"

Hatton Gallery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hatton Gallery - Essay Example People from all walks of life, although learned and ingrained upon themselves the importance of "home" as well as its essence becoming a basic part of the human lifestyle rarely take a breather and view the "home" as an art. "Front Door, Back Gate" tries to encompass domesticity as theme on-going in Jeannie Finaley's exhibit at the Hatton Gallery. This exhibit is a yearly endeavour undertaken by the students from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The exhibit also reflects the limited space of domestic life as well as the varying themes underlying actions, choices, moods, and between-the-line emotions. The group have chosen "interior" and exterior" as the sub-theme showing Hatton;s historical collection along with contemporary works giving a wider variety and balance on domesticity as an art. The group also used complementary home and garden furniture to exude comfort and create an atmosphere that welcomes. The vivid "Red Table" by Patrick Heron reflects love and solitude as well as denoting lifestyle and exuberance. Heron have an affinity for the vivid, exotic and captivating red, and this abstract still life painting shows an interior space with a table, a selection of everyday objects. The table seems to be set for one, which addresses sustenance, yet also gives a sense of solitude. Perhaps the time and comfort of home allowed the artist to look at these ordinary objects differently. The composition is inspired by forms and patterns extracted from the domestic surrounding, which allows more artistic freedom and activates the space around the objects. Simplicity adds a flare of innocence to the painting and invites the mind to think of the story of the place. It is provocative in a sense that red is played in various hues, contrasting with the bright yellow and yet implying connectivity. It is mysterious in a way that shapes are obscured but with details that strike out like questions. Leon Maurine's "Net" photograph shows direction and sense of belonging. Likewise, the "Net" curtain photograph also reflects aspiration, privacy, territory and voyeurism. This photograph shows a glimpse through a net curtain looking out onto a blurred view. The image creates a visual link between interior and exterior. The sheer layer of the net curtain infuses the two spaces. The image conveys a "pulse" of life on both sides. It makes us think about the time spent behind and beyond the net curtain. We commonly think of interior spaces as private and reflective. Often exterior spaces are more public and engaging. The relationship between domestic public and private spaces has never been static- its boundaries are changing with time and new ways of life. The details of the net, or crocheted curtain also invokes domesticity as a pained detail of art form. It is not something to be lightly taken, but with meditation and composure. One slip of the hook, or an extra count makes an imbalanced design and finish which juts out like a sore finger. Same thing is pictured with domestic life. Everything must be in harmony and although with various patterns, a part of a whole. Front Door, Back Gate Reasons for

Activity Based Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Activity Based Costing - Essay Example More than that, it traces back the cost to the activities and processes (Heisinger, 2010). Above all, use of activity based costing (ABC) method especially in companies with diverse centers and distribution channels has proven to be suitable. Unlike other methods, the activity based costing (ABC) method ensures that there exists a direct correlation between the related overhead costs and the occurrence of an activity (Chang, 2010). Without doubt, the marketing manager decision to use the activity based costing (ABC) method, as a way of critically analyzing the customer support and distribution costs is more suitable, as compared to taking the store with the highest contribution margin ratio.... Without doubt, the marketing manager decision to use the activity based costing (ABC) method, as a way of critically analyzing the customer support and distribution costs is more suitable, as compared to taking the store with the highest contribution margin ratio. Workings Cost allocation based on revenue Total revenue is $ 500,000 1) Department Stores = $150,000/ $500,000 = 0.3 2) Specialty Shops = $100,000/ 500,000 = 0.2 3) Gift Shops = $250,000/500,000 = 0.5 (Bragg, 2002) i) Variable production cost is $150,000 Department Stores = $150,000 * 0.3= $45,000 Specialty Shops = $150,000 * 0.2 = $ 30,000 Gift Shops = $150,000 * 0.5 = $ 75,000 ii) Production Overhead $120,000 Department Stores = $120,000 * 0.3= $36,000 Specialty Shops = $120,000 * 0.2 = $ 24,000 Gift Shops = $120,000 * 0.5 = $ 60,000 iii) Selling & Distribution Costs $180,000 Department Stores = $180,000 * 0.3= $54,000 Specialty Shops = $180,000 * 0.2 = $ 36,000 Gift Shops = $180,000 * 0.5 = $ 90,000 Activity Based Costin g (ABC). Total costs/No of orders places $40,000 10 90 900 Cost drive is the number of orders placed Department Stores = $40,000 * 10/1000= $400 Specialty Shops = $40,000 * 90/1000 = $ 3,600 Gift Shops = $40,000 * 900/1000 = $ 36,000 (Finkler, Ward & Baker, 2007) Total costs/No of sales calls 80,000 5 195 800 Cost drive is the number of sales calls Department Stores = $80,000 * 5/1000= $400 Specialty Shops = $80,000 * 195/1000 = $ 15,600 Gift Shops = $80,000 * 800/1000 = $ 64,000 Total costs/No of shipments 60,000 20 480 1,000 Department Stores = $60,000 * 20/1500= $800 Specialty Shops = $60,000 * 480/1500 = $ 19,200 Gift Shops = $60,000 * 1000/1500 = $ 40,000 Allocation of other costs is based on the

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench Assignment

Marketing Plan for the Next Year for Atlantic Quench - Assignment Example Atlantic Quench aims at availing the highest quality of juice and non-juice drink to the UK market at affordable prices. The juice drinks include: Cranberry Original Juice and Cranberry Mixed Juice Drinks, which are the main drink. They also offer Juice Max – pure Juice and Grab ‘n’ Go – Single Serve, among many others. The non-juice products include Cranberry Sauces and Cranberry Cordial Juice Drinks, as listed by Katsigris & Thomas (2012) as well as Fresh Cranberries, and New Dried Cranberries. The company also aims at introducing a new drink within the next one year.EconomicGiven the fact that the company always make sure that their products are as affordable as possible, it has been seen that the products are doing well in the UK market. Furthermore, the income per capita of the UK population is high enough for them to afford these products by Atlantic Quench (Lamb 2012, p. 197). Socio-culturalThe people of UK also like drinking juice. This is the reaso n as to why the brand has been able to do well in the UK. The new product being a tropical juice drink is likely to do well given the fact that UK residents consume juices in large quantities.TechnologyTechnology has also been a very important factor in the performance of the brand in the UK. The company has the latest production technologies that enable them to get the most from the fruits and make sure that they are preserved in a manner that the consumers are not affected in any way.

The Impact of Morrison's slow migration to online sales and promotions Essay

The Impact of Morrison's slow migration to online sales and promotions - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that sales and marketing procedure can be considered as one of the major functions of any organisation. The marketing techniques and sales procedures of various organisations are facing rapid changes due to a continuous development of technologies. This rapid development is enabling the population to easily access the details about any organisation and its offering from different corners of the world. Digital marketing procedure is assisting organisations to custom their sales and marketing techniques as per the consumer behaviour. In today’s global environment, marketers are developing digital strategies which are assisting them to secure a competitive position in the market. This contemporary issue of marketing has provided a great impact on the global retail businesses. Most of the retail businesses are promptly shifting their traditional marketing approach to the digital marketing approach. This procedure is also allowing them to shift the consumer behaviour pattern. On the other hand, the inefficiency in digital marketing and a promotional procedure is adversely affecting a number of organisations in terms of their global reputation and market growth. Over the last few years, Morrisons had confronted huge competition from the local as well as global market competitors due to the rapid development of the digital marketing and sales procedure. Currently, the organisation has secured the fourth position within the largest supermarket chains of the United Kingdom.

Critique paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique paper - Essay Example For instance, Charles Krauthammer considers the climate being a ‘settled science’ as mythical. He criticizes Barrack Obama and other leading scientists for selling this idea. In the article, â€Å"The Myth of ‘Settled Science’, Krauthammer mainly argues that the issue has been hyped by propaganda and fallacies of certain scientists and global politicians. To be specific, Charles Krauthammer does not deny that global climate alteration is a solemn problem that requires immediate solution. Neither does he denies the global warming problem. His argument is that climate change is not a ‘settled science’ as presented by Barrack Obama and the likes. He finds nothing scientific in this idea because science is neither static nor impervious to challenge. He uses an example of mammograms that was assumed ‘settled’ to reduce deaths due to breast cancer to an extent that Obamacare made it a mandatory requirements. However, few years later a massive research study of 90,000 randomized women showed that mammograms have no effect on breast cancer deaths. In this article, Charles Krauthammer presents a real and factual analysis of the global climate change situation. He articulately uses the ‘settledness’ to present his arguments in the most truest sense. He uses this to word to show that climate change is not a ‘settled science.’ Despite the depth of the problem, there are rooms for change of ideas as the world get to learn more about climate change and its solution (McGann, 1983). Secondly, Krauthammer uses the word ‘mock’ to show the fallacies of the global politicians and some scientists. In essence, he mocks the world’s idea of dealing with the climate change by not providing real solution but rather relying on some models, which are deemed to change with time. Although Charles Krauthammer presents very passionate arguments against making the climate

Critical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical - Essay Example They established a system to investigate the membrane dynamics of the events occurring at the interface of HIV-1 infected and receptor expressing T cells. The authors selected appropriate CD4+/CXCR4+ T cell lines for the study and maintained them in an antibiotic supplemented cell growth medium and established the purity of the cell lines at a level greater than 90% by flow cytometry by indirect immunofluorescence. These CD4+ cells were labeled as target cells. Jurkat CE 6.1 cells infected with HIV-1 strain LAI were used as effector cells. After phenotyping the cells for surface Env and CD4 expression, the effector and the target cells were mixed in equal quantities on cover slips, with or without inclusion of mAb (monoclonal antibody). For specific time intervals after which they were fixed and stained. Kinetic studies were conducted in separate experiments by immunostaining of conjugates for specific mAbs. Appropriate software and methods for confocal microscopy and photography wer e employed. Inhibition of cytoskeletal rearrangement and signaling were studied in separate experiments. Cell-cell fusion assay and transmission electron microscopy were the other experiments conducted. The authors have been able to develop a novel system to study the cell to cell dissemination of HIV-1 by demonstrating a close packing and concentration of the virus particles in the plasma membranes of both effector and target cells, though they could not actually demonstrate the formation of a synapse between the two cells, which they suggest is the most likely mechanism. The role of an actin dependent mechanism in the Env-dependent recruitment of CD4, CXCR4, and LFA-1 has successfully been demonstrated. This cytoskeleton dependent receptor movement during infection of the target cells along with formation of an adhesive junction has been proposed as the likely

Compliance with Nursing Homes Regulations Essay Example for Free

Compliance with Nursing Homes Regulations Essay Determine how compliance with the regulations and development of risk-management and quality-management systems for each type of organization contribute to the organization’s overall performance-management system. Nursing homes contribute to their overall performance management systems by making sure that management offer an opportunity to set goals, while clarifying expectations, always being able to reinforce a job well done, initiate change, and foster a healthy working relationship between supervisor and employee which is most important because that will affect the work performance of staff and the quality of the care that is being provided. ( Julie Ditzler Developing an effective system for performance appraisal. Drug Manufacturers contribute to their organizations performance management systems by applying the competency process of Control, Optimize, Reduce, and Extend ,better known as the CORE process. This stands for Control – You can leverage contract templates and extensive term and clause libraries with process-specific authoring and approval cycles that eliminate non-standard terms and prevent rogue contracts from cutting into an organization’s revenue. Optimize – Analytical tools and template-based authoring are just some of the tools that help you create an advanced workflow to drive the best possible deals for you, your partners, and your share holders. Reduce – You can reduce use of non-standard terms and conditions, and thus shorten time-to-contract and increase your margins, using a clause-level, multi-conditional approval hierarchy built into the authoring process. Extend – You can expand the way your organization uses contract-based risk profiles by identifying and aggregating contract-specific language that normally would be locked in a file cabinet. (www.invistics.com/drug-manufacturers-pursuing-operational-excelle) ââ€" ª In mental clinics and hospitals the management teams in quality, development, and risk support their organization’s contribution to performance management systems by Treat people fairly and respectfully regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, or age. ââ€" ª Regard, recognize and value differences in the needs and views of others. ââ€" ª Take advantage of the rich backgrounds and diverse talents of their staff. ââ€" ª Consider and honor different opinions, styles and ways of working. (www.linkedin.com/title/physician/at-allina+hospitals+clinics/) All hospitals want to be on top in regards to quality of care and revenue and although getting to the top is a hard job it is even a tougher job to stay there once you reached the top. The performance management systems in hospitals allows management to identify areas for improvements, plan systematic performance improvements initiative, while setting targets and tracking metrics continuously.

The Automobile Industry And Performance Economics Essay

The Automobile Industry And Performance Economics Essay The success of Malaysia automotive in producing the national car should be a proud of because of internationally outstanding performance. In this journal, the authors determine that Malaysian government do a lot of alternative ways to protect automotive industry to sustain the industry locally keep survive especially to compete in internationally such as various protective measures for example tariff and non-tariff barriers and local content policy. In 2002, the automotives industry show great achievement in highest production point when producing half a million of vehicles in economic prosperity. PROTON and PERODUA becomes the two main national auto manufacture contributed mostly in producing small and medium class production of national cars Malaysia. Thailand becomes the biggest competitors when full implementation of AFTA in 2005 that cause the national car industry faces a lot of challenges. Some proactive measures taken by two automakers through cooperate with foreign automaker s to allay the challenges in auto production to increase the production and market of the national car company. Since 1985, Malaysia has obtained accepting regionally and internationally for its great achievements in the automotive industry. Proton itself make a collaboration with its affiliate, the Lotus International (United Kingdom ) in 1996.Proton cars have captured local markets for medium car class and made its presence felt even in certain developed countries by producing various car models including Proton Saga,Wira,Waja and most recently, the Gen-2.The author states that in this journal reveals the Malaysian experience in promoting the automotive industry and examines the overall performance of the sector especially in national auto production. The automotive industry in Malaysia proves that Islamic countries gives a big impact to participate and compete in economic activity which is known well naturally controlled by non-Muslim countries that shows the ability of Malaysia to start and improves the industry. There are a lot of efforts and sacrifices to face the challenges and compete in highly competitive and technology-intensive industry to Malaysian industry survive in future. To compete in local market since the neighbor country close competitors such as Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, Malaysia should focus on production of commercial vehicles in short term. While in long term, stiffer competition would be faced by the national automakers with full implementation of AFTA (Asian Free Trade Area) and this would may affect that in this industry can no longer be heavily protected as it was past. Automotive industry in Malaysia: an assessment of its development In this journal, the authors analyzing and evaluating the growth of Malaysian automotive industry within the reason of infant industry and trade protection by the government will cause many arguments when using a global value chain perspective including the impact of global crisis in 2008-2009 on the Malaysian automotive industry. Even though the impact of global crisis is moderate but the domestic demand is decreasing and the weaken performance of the industry remain continue. The industry having difficulties when failed to increase to upgrading the industry and international competitiveness base on their quality of production even though the industry trying to expand the sales, production ,employment and local content every past year. Inadequate of encouraging political for high challenge with high maintain situation, low technological and marketing abilities and small amount of participation in the global value chain are the basic things that lead the industry easy to achieve the failures. By push the industry to achieve good performance, more transformation and strategy trough forming coalition with multiple shareholders even though there are industry protection policies that may help with their own initiatives. At the end, this industry applying captive of the regionalized Japanese keiretsu system in manufactures the production. The authors also mention about some question on how industrial policy might assist to place in developing countries in terms into the global economy. Based on the journal, the industry mainly focusing in manufacturing on passenger car manufacturing and causing increasing employment and average incomes with its employees in years 1980 to 2009 which is the industry has expanded too much starting from their infant industry. Japanese cars makers still dominating the auto market and industry because they have high competitive benefit to infiltrate global markets due to its high scale of technological advancement and product advancement mainly among parts and component suppliers, a lot of and high skilled workers and strong global marketing abilities when compared to Malaysian automotives industry. Introduction of new models shows the positive way of PROTON to increase the marketing strategies in the industry. Malaysian automotive industry still have an option when applying and generating more vibrant automotive group throughout production improvement and strengthening of advance method such as create high performance working systems to give more knowledge and working experience to the automotive industry workers. Supplier Development Framework in the Malaysian Automotive Industry: Protonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Experience In this journal, the authorsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ main focus is in Malaysian automotive industry on PROTON which is in raising the suppliersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ relationships and their development. PROTON plays a important role with their supplier development to expanding inclusive support in example supplier selection and meeting, improvement, match making and encouraging constant performance expansion and enhancement programs. Supplier improvement stands for inventiveness by the buyer firm to enhance the performance and abilities of their suppliers and is explained as an important that have been applied by PROTON. However, the importance on price-cutting and independent achievement by PROTON represents the frequent observe of most US buying firms. A supplier advance effort stand for inventiveness by a buying firm which may assist the firm to assemble strategic organizational objectives. Buying firms must be agreeable to spend in the relationship with a lo ng-term perspective. Successful two way communication, long-term commitment, and continues support may give more benefits to the achievement of supplier expansion efforts will help the automotive industry can compete in global market successfully. PROTON should immediate concerns to face the problems which is they need to have a better relationships with their suppliers. To see the relationships have a better impact, the procurement practice is the best ways to be practiced by PROTON. In contrast, the long term relations between the suppliers can happens when the partnerships characterized by joint decision making within the buyers and suppliers. However, the internal suppliers force and effort to develop them are the most important things in development of supplier and the advancement of technology will increase their effort to boost up competitiveness through continuous research and development (R D), reduction the cost of production and value added with engineering value in main taining market value. New strategies such as find partnership to share the technology and enough effort and knowledge can help the industry to penetrate the markets whether in locally and global. Literature Review Performance of national cars in Malaysia should be boost up so that the industry can perform well to compete with our neighbor country such as Thailand and Indonesia and even worldwide. Automotive sector will become more competitive and by empowering the human capital available to high technology. In fact we are the pioneers of the automotive sector in the region, so we need to rise up with a new formula to bolster this sector. Our main national cars manufactures PROTON and PERODUA should come out from comfort zone. However, the success of Malaysia producing their own national cars should be a proud of all Islamic nations especially out citizens (Rosli, 2006).Malaysian government takes a lot alternative ways to make the industry remains survive especially to compete internationally such as provide tariff, customs tax and other local policy. Thailand becomes the biggest competitive of our production in national car when full implementation of AFTA was released. In additional , Malaysi an automotive industry faces many challenges to survive and compete based on their quality of production the industry already expanding their sales, production, employment and technology every past year. By making collaboration with foreign automakers can improve the quality of the national cars and some of its part and component. Besides, Malaysian automotives industry also should have good relationship with their supplier of the product. PROTON as well must maintain their communication and full commitment to their supplier so this will gives better outcome of their performance. Our national car industry performance can be improved by reducing production costs, increasing knowledge and skills among the worker who works in the industry, find another foreign partnership that can help the automotive industry to penetrate the local market but also internationally

Freight Transport and Logistics Services

Freight Transport and Logistics Services Intermodal (rail) freight transport market assessment Coursework requirement Intermodal solutions are regularly promoted as a key way in which modal shift from road to rail can be achieved. As discussed in the class in Week 3, there is a range of different intermodal types used for rail movements, the key ones being ISO containers, swap bodies, piggyback and rolling road. You are required to conduct a strategic assessment of the current and future role of each of these types of intermodal operation within the European Union. This assessment should focus on intermodal freight transport which involves the use of rail and must include: INTRODUCTION Intermodal transport focus on freight system as a regular mode to promoted as a key way in which modal shift from road or rail can be achieved. There are four different intermodal types used for rail movements, the main ones being ISO containers, swap bodies, piggyback and rolling road. This report will be summarised of the general purpose of intermodal transport and the key characteristics for each intermodal type mentioned above. Second will be highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses and identifying the typical markets for intermodal transport. Third, will be given a brief overview of the existing intermodal market in the European Union. Then, will create action plan containing for the short-term and long-term to develop European intermodal transport activity. Finally, some conclusions. THE PURPOSE OF INTERMODAL TRANSPORT The simple concept of Intermodal transport the goods are usually located in a container that is created to store various products and be moved with no effort from one point to another, (S. Brian, 2016, p.219). Intermodal transport on other hand refers to liking the two appropriate modes in conjunction to formulate an incorporate transport chain, designed to achieving operationally efficient, cost-effective and delivery of goods in an environmentally sustainable method from their point of origin to their ending, (D. Lowe, 2006, p.1). The loading unit, reliant on the method in used, may be a swap body, container, complete road vehicle or a separated articulated semi-trailer. The objective of these modes here is to transferred from one mode to another is an important aspect of the intermodal transportation, (D. Lowe, 2006, p.21). The purpose of transportation is to moving goods for short, medium or long distances in large quantities by road, rail and collecting or distribute, (Arnold, P ., Pierre et al, 2004, pp.255-270). CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERMODAL TRANSPORT Following those definitions of intermodal transport, the characteristic of the intermodal transport should be cited. First, all intermodal transport is not only a mode of transport, like trucks or railways are, but is an idea for establishing the logistics chain. As bundling is an important component of generating competent and effective transport chains, the character of intermodal transport permit this feature, (Joseph S. Szyliowicz et al, 2016, p.22) The intermodal transport method of transportation of goods and incorporated into standardised loadings, such as semi-trailers, ISO containers and/ or swap-bodies, between their dispatchers they are collected and receivers where they are delivered, which are situated on both end of a given freight transport access to the market. The dispatchers and receivers are typically large or small size but huddled logistics centres, warehouses freight terminal and or manufacture plants. The arrangement combines at minimum two transport modes, rail and road in this situation- whose vehicle fitting at the intermodal road and rail terminal, where they swap loading units, using transhipment services and equipment according to the process. The goods receivers can be in the warehouse and could be shippers or should stay for short time at the intermodal terminals, i.e. to be unloading from the incoming trucks and loading onto the outgoing characteristics of intermodal freight transport or Long Intermod al Freight Trains at the receive side, and vice versa, at the shipper side, (J., Milan., 2008). The road transport mode is the complement and challenging the alternative delivery loading units door-to-door principally by trucks, in most cases, without the middle transhipment and loading. Nevertheless, in some aspects, loading at depots along the route, as well as transfer the loading units by different vehicles, which suggests both their unloading and loading, can also take place, (J., Milan., 2008). STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES ISO containers Strengths Weaknesses It is strong and resilient to carriers all heavy, tall or hard to load material such as vehicle, trucks, trains, etc. out of railway container transport Swap bodies Strengths Weaknesses It fit on the road train, and contribute a similar space as a conventional road train. Fits on a semi-trailer chassis. Offers the same interior space as a conventional semi-trailer used. Use for international transport in Europe. Short transposition over the road and port operation. Weak support legs. Source: Adapted from: (International Transport Forum, 2009, p.121) Piggyback Strengths Weaknesses Strong to transport vehicle, trailers and containers every way. Operation in diverse type of services including groupage, packing and track. Dependent with another trailer to be lifted on to a rail flatcars. Can transportation container with high volume, example larger ISO container, etc. Rolling road Strengths Weaknesses Ease and rapidly to loading and unloading the goods. Investment requires for the terminals. Geographical restriction access. The condition of different regions could not be the similar and not comparable. THE TYPICAL MARKETS FOR INTERMODAL TRANSPORT In Europe, intermodal transport has grown significantly; typically, with such operation as the French and German road-rail systems, which transportation ISO containers, swap bodies, piggyback and use Rolling road between ports and inland destination, (D. Lowe, 2006, p.12). The intermodal transport mode is efficient to use the unit-load system and proficient of transfer between road, rail and other transport modes, and which permits for the collection of loads by delivery without trans-shipment or repacking of the consignment itself. The normal loading unit take the form of any road-going semi-trailers conforming to standard dimension and designed to be piggybacked aboard rail waggons, or more habitually, swap bodies and shipping containers build to international ISO standards which are completely transposable between a diversity of road vehicle combinations, sea-going ships, rail waggons and river and canal barges. In all situations, the load remains complete and secure within the loading unit which is lifted or transferred by exclusive equipment into the hold of a ship, a canal barge, rail wagon and then back to a road vehicle at the end of the trunk-haul leg of the journey (D. Lowe, 2006, p.3). Such intermodal system offers greater flexibility for the client, who may be either the consignor or the beneficiary, by permitting the goods to be loaded or unloaded at customer premises in a conventional manner without changing the present practices applied to national or international. It also promises to see the freight securely packed and wrapped in an intermodal loading unit, the customer knows that it will not be bothered again until it delivers the goods its final destination it is the responsibility of a groupage load, (D. Lowe, 2006, p.3). The main benefits of unit-load intermodal transport are: Long journeys the cost is lower. In certain circumstances delivery time is fast, in particular, cases require to be assesse as individually process. A diminution in road congestion, a main advantageous factor in these modern time. Some dangerous products are safer for the transit. Overview of the existing Intermodal transport market in the European Union In general, the new intermodal operator are found in the northern part of Europe and particular in the lager market for hinterland transport of maritime containers related to the ports of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdan and Antwerp. The ports themselves have also demonstrated their interest in hinterland transport by rail. In the case of Germany, for instance, the port operator HHLA has bought 50 per cent of transfracht from DB. These initiatives all aim at cherry-picking EIT: they do not capture new market shares from road transport, but rathe existing intermodal services. P. (9) TitleJ. W. Konings (2008) The Future of Intermodal Freight Transport: Operations, Design and Policy, Transport Economics, Management and Policy Series, Editors-Hugo Priemus, Peter Nijkamp, Publisher-Edward Elgar Publishing, p. (9), 360 pages, [Online], https://books.google.co.uk/books, [Accessed 15/03/17] Because of growing freight traffic and an increasing imbalance in the use of the various transport modes and infrastructure, the transport system in the European Union is showing signs of inefficiency from a socio-economic point of view. Increasingly, freight transport appears as a source of environmental and social costs to its citizens. Intermodal freight transport provides transport for consolidated loads such as containers, swap-bodies and semi trailers by combining at least two modes (European Commisson, 2002). In Europe, intermodal freight transport has frequently been seen as a potentially strong competitor to road transportation and to be environmentally friendlier in many contexts.1 Its development to date, however, has not confirmed such expectations. For example, during 1990-1999, European intermodal freight transport grew steadily from an annual volume of about 119 to about 250 billion t-km2 with an increase in its market share volumes from about 5%-9%.3 This was mainly due to enhancement of operations in Trans-European corridors of 900-1000 km that carried about 10% of the tonnage. (J. Milan, 2007) Janic, M., 2007. Modelling the full costs of an intermodal and road freight transport network. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 12(1), pp.33-44 Overview of the existing Intermodal transport market in the European Union 2. A concise overview of the existing intermodal market in the European Union, including discussion of the key statistics relating to trends in activity. You must ensure that you focus on the most important information (20% of marks) intermodal transport market in the European Union, discussion of the key statistics relating to trends in activity. overview of the existing intermodal market in the European Union discussion of the key statistics relating to trends in activity the most important information Discussion of the key statistics relating to intermodal transport market activity in the European Union Development European Intermodal activity in 5 years and more than 5 years the opportunities and barriers relating to its implementation   Original action plan containing for 5 years and more than 5 years to develop European intermodal transport activity and assess the opportunities and barriers 3. An original action plan containing specific actions for the short-term (i.e. within 5 years) and long-term (i.e. more than 5 years) to develop European intermodal activity. For each action, you must justify the reason for its inclusion in the plan and assess the opportunities and barriers relating to its implementation. In developing the action plan, you should prioritise actions so as to gain maximum benefit in each time period (40% of marks) European intermodal activity with ISO containers, swap bodies, piggyback and Rolling road development in 5 years and more than 5 years plan opportunities and barriers Conclusion: The development of intermodal freight is regarded as a key way in which rail can achieve a greater share of the freight transport market, but the limitations of official datasets make it difficult to develop a strong appreciation of the characteristics of existing intermodal flows References: Arnold, P., Peeters, D. and Thomas, I., 2004. Modelling a rail/road intermodal transportation system. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 40(3), pp.255-270. David L. (2006), Intermodal Freight Transport, Publisher-Routledge, p.1,304 pages, [Online], https://books.google.co.uk/books, [Accessed,10/03/17]. European Conference of Ministers of Transport (1998) Report on the Current State of Combined Transport in Europe, Source OECD.: Transport, Publisher-OECD Publishing, p. (34), 168 pages, [Online], https://books.google.co.uk/books, [Accessed, 15/03/17] International Transport Forum (2009) Intermodal Transport National Peer Review: Turkey: National Peer Review: Turkey, Publisher-OECD Publishing, p.121, 196 pages, [Online], https://books.google.co.uk/books, [Accessed,14/03/17]. Joseph S. S., Luca Z., Genserik L.L. R., Dawna L. R., (2016), Multimodal Transport Security: Frameworks and Policy Applications in Freight and Passenger Transport, Publisher-Edward Elgar Publishing, (p.22), 328 pages, [Online], https://books.google.co.uk/books, [Accessed, 13/03/17]. Janic, M.., (2008) An assessment of the performance of the European long intermodal freight trains (LIFTS). Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 42(10), pp.1326-1339. Slack, B., (2016), Intermodal transportation, Sustainable Railway Futures: Issues and Challenges, Routledge, New York, pp.219-231.

Free Narrative Essays - Before You Leap :: Personal Narrative Essays

Before You Leap One bright Easter day about four years ago, my family had gone to my grandparents' house to celebrate Easter like we usually do each year. We talked, ate, and had fun. Little did we know when we drove up to the house that, by the end of the day, we would be in a hospital emergency room. It all started when my cousin suggested that we have a water fight. We had water guns and "water Easter eggs." These were plastic eggs filled with water that would come open when you hit someone. My cousin Ryan and I were on one team and my cousins Philip and Lance were on another team. We played outside the house and also on a deck extending from the second floor of my grandparent's house. For about thirty minutes we played and got a little wet but nobody had been hurt. At one point during the game, when I was inside, my cousin Philip, who was on the deck, said "I've had enough. Come out here." "Is this a trick?," I asked. It seemed a little suspicious. "No, of course not. I'm just sick of this game." "Well, okay." I hesitated then decided to go out to the deck. "Ha! Got you!" said my other opponent, Lance, who was hiding behind the door with a water egg in his hand. "Liar!," I yelled at Philip. My instant reaction was to jump off the deck onto the grass below. I had done it many times before and knew that I would be okay. That way I could get away from Lance and I would not lose the water fight. The water egg whizzed right past my head as I vaulted over the railing of the deck. I shouted "Missed me!" without thinking about or looking at what was below me. The only thing that I was thinking about on the way down was not getting hit with that water egg. This thoughtlessness was my big mistake. Since I was not paying attention on the way down, I lost my balance and landed on my left foot in a painful fall. "Are you all right?

Glass Menagerie :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?The Glass Menagerie?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the ?The Glass Menagerie?, two themes are used so that the characters can deal with their painful facts of life. ?Illusion? and ?Escape? are the two themes which all the characters use. Tom Wingfield uses both of these themes to try and live a good happy life. Tom is capable of maintaining a life outside of his home, at his job, and going out of town. Tom is not a business man, he prefers more of a literature and reading environment to sustain his fantasies. Amanda Wingfield is another character that uses illusion and escape to deal with the painful facts of life also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Wingfields are distinguished and tied together by their similarly weak relationships to reality. However, the illusions to which they concede are not exclusively a characteristic of theirs. The outside world is just as open to illusion. Tom also finds illusion in the movies he watches, Tom think?s that other viewers at the movies he attends are substituting on-screen adventure for real-life adventure, which fullfils his illusion rather than real life. Amanda's relationship to illusion is the most complicated in the play. Unlike her children, she is partial into the real world values and longs for social and financial success. Yet her attachment to these values is exactly what prevents her from perceiving a number of truths about her life. Amanda's retreat into illusion is in many ways more pathetic than her children's, because it is not a willful constructive imagination, but instead a wistful distortion of reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom shows ?escape? because of not having a father, In the beginning of the movie, The Merchant Marine Service and the fire escape outside the apartment, haunts Tom. The play takes an unclear attitude toward the moral implications and even the effectiveness of Tom's escape. As an able bodied young man, he is locked into his life not by outside factors but by emotional ones. By his loyalty to and maybe even love for Laura and Amanda. Escape for Tom means the restrain and denial of these emotions in himself, and it means doing great harm to his mother and sister.

Race and Loyalty in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Race and Loyalty in Othello    William Shakespeare`s Othello is centralized around the conflicts that are, for the most part, tied in with racial issues and questions of loyalty. These conflicts stem from the society that encompass the couple, as well as from the couple themselves.   Indeed the couple are entrenched in different social strata, class and ethnicity.   The female protagonist is the daughter of a highly-respected Venetian senator: Brabantio. Othello--also known as the Moor--is a foreigner, black in color, has a past filled with tragic and exotic tales and has proved himself worthy of the title General in the Venetian army. Even before we, as an audience, have had a chance to meet Othello and Desdemona we learn that the match is considered as disgusting as it is outrageous. From the very beginning everyone and everything seem to work against them, but in the hope that love will conquer all we do not allow ourselves to despair as yet.   Perhaps similar to the way in which Romeo and Juliet are famously bequeathed to be ‘star-crossed lovers’ on the onset of the play. Our assumption of Othello and Desdemona are met in the first act. After having explained why they love each other the world seems to accept this alliance. But Brabantio`s comment informs the reader that not everything is as it seem: (I.iii.293-4) "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see She has deceived her father and ma... ...on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 1-19) Bloom, Harold. "Introduction" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (1-6) Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Neely, Carol. "Black and White in Othello" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 68-90) Snyder, Susan. "The Issue of Race in Othello" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37)

Limited Brands Financial Analysis

Limited Brands, Inc. , like many other companies, saw a downturn in profits and revenues during the economic slowdown. Limited Brands owns companies such as Victoria’s Secret, The Limited, Bath and Body Works and others. Chairperson and CEO Leslie Wexner did not fear the economic crisis, she did not focus on things that were out of her control, but instead, focused on getting even closer to the customer. Wexner (2010) stated, â€Å"we had to be frugal with resources, time and money†¦we streamlined the business, stayed lean and quick and concentrated all our efforts on the few things that produce the biggest returns. While there was a decline between 2009 and 2010, Wexner’s efforts paid off, as Limited Brands has seen an increase in profit margin during the 2010 year. Analyzing the notes in the income statement gives a better understanding of how Limited Brands is operating. Limited Brands fiscal year ends on the last Saturday of January each year. On January 31, 2 009, the cash and cash equivalents were $1. 17 million. On January 30, 2010, cash and cash equivalents were $1. 8 million. According to the notes, cash and cash equivalents consist of â€Å"cash on hand, demand deposits with financial institutions and highly liquid investments with original maturities of less than 90 days† (Limited Brands, 2010). The notes also state, â€Å"The companies outstanding checks, which amounted to $76 million as of January 30, 2010 and $86 million as of January first 2009, are included in Accounts Payable on the Consolidated Balance Sheets† (Limited Brands, 2010). Limited Brands continues to disclose the nature of their investment portfolio, which currently consists of â€Å"U. S. and Canadian government obligations, U. S. Treasury and AAA-rated money market funds, bank time deposits, and highly rated commercial paper† (Limited Brands, 2010). Accounts Receivables 2009 were $236 million compared to 2010’s receivables balance of $219 million. Limited Brands not only monitors the use and creditworthiness of individuals and businesses, when extending credit, but also limits the amount of credit exposure with any one entity when requesting credit. Inventories in 2009 were valued at $1. 18 million and declined to just $1. 03 million in 2010. For Limited Brands, inventories are primarily valued at the lower cost or market, on a weighted-average cost basis. Valuation adjustments are made at the discretion of management if the cost of inventory on hand, exceeds the amount expected to receive from sale or disposal of the inventory. Management bases the decision to adjust value based on future demand and market conditions, while also taking into consideration and analyzing historical sales data. Inventory Loss adjustments are also made for estimated physical loss of inventory since the last physical inventory. Managers will also take into consideration operating trends and historical data when making these adjustments. As of January 30, 2010, inventories consisted of: Finished Goods Merchandise$ 973 million Raw Materials and Merchandise Components$ 64 million Total Inventories$1,037 million Limited Brands discloses in the Restructuring section: In 2007 they recognized a pre-tax charge of $19 million related to excess raw material and component inventory with Bath and Body Works. The cost was included in Cost of Goods Sold, buying and occupancy in the 2007 Consolidated Statement of Income. Gross Profits for 2009 were $3. 02 million versus $3 million in 2008.

James Berardinelli. “Twelve Monkeys” Essay

12 monkeys Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the movie ‘12 monkeys’ there was a virus which was deliberately released in 1996 and killed more than five billion people. The survivors went to seek refuge into the underground sending volunteers to bring insect specimen from the universe to test for the virus presence. One of the sent prisoners is James cole who goes is given a chance to go back to 1996 but he is taken to 1990 instead. He remembers things as if he was in a dream. Among the things is where he remembers witnessing a man being killed in the airport while he was a child. This is what is always seen to be the Centre stage in whole movie (Lynette, 3). Below is a discussion on how mental illness can be judged on this particular movie for part one, part two discusses the definition of mental illness in regard to the social norms and believes, with part three closing with the discussion of how Cole’s experience relate to Plato’s allegory of the cave.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this film, mental illness is featured in many instances for instance, when Jose mentions that the so called volunteers are said to go mad. This presents a clear show of mental illness in the movie. We also notice cole being locked up in the mental institution with other lunatics, showing that there were other many lunatics present. Goines is definitely crazy or schizoid because of his hallucinating and grandiosity nature. Dr. Railly, the psychiatrist alludes that may be the whole world may be insane. We really don’t understand if cole was really from the futureor was he ‘mentally divergent’. We notice cole questioning his mental capabilities, where he asks himself if it could not be great if he was crazy. Simultaneously the Dr. is convinced that he is from the furfure of which we know that this can not be right (Lynette, 8). If he was really sane and from the furfure, then how can one explain the voice that he hears, the one he calls bum calling him Bob, what of the changing guard faces what of the fact that he is never seen coming or leaving and his memory lapses? We really can’t know the physical divergence he claims to have because one can’t explain his fore knowledge about the boy in the well. The appearances in the world War onephotos and the bullets in his leg. In short, this movie seems to be implying that we may not be mentally ill or weird than the world we live.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Relative to the social believes and norms, mental illness or abnormality can be seen as not being an exact process as it tends to focus on different individuals with different lines of thinking. This relies on different situations, behaviors and context to which the measurement is applied (Weinberger ,2001)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In defining abnormality, people from different societies and countries have varied ideas. Each and every culture has its own concepts of what it considers to be normal or abnormal. This can make us conclude that what is considered as abnormal in one society is not the same in other societies. So, there is no society which is mere superior than the other in their perception of mental illness or one society has got many mental disorders than the other (American Psychiatric Association. 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If we look at the deviation from the norms, something or somebody can be considered abnormal if does not conform to what could be considered statistically abnormal. Those who focus on this aspect, only consider specific aspects. For instance, the intelligence quotient (IQ), the personal traits and their distribution. Asserting that a person is is abnormal in this aspect typically means that they deviate from the numeric average of a specific trait and behavior patterns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other mostly applied aspect in examining the mental illness of people is the deviation from the social norms. Naturally, some behaviors are considered as being not accepted in the society, but they can still be expected to be applied in certain situations. The majority of the population knows how to adjust and come along with these changes (Weinberger ,2001). The ones that contradict this are taken as abnormal or mentally ill on the extremes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also, a person is considered abnormal if he/she is not functioning correctly in that he or she may lack a full range of emotion and feelings and therefore his life is considered abnormal. These kinds of people can only be able to participate in only limited range of functioning lifestyle(American Psychiatric Association. 2000). Distress can also be used to gauge the mental illness capability of people as it could be an underlying mental problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another aspect in the social norms definition of mental illness is the person’s association with others. If a person relation with others courses people to feel discomfort, it could be taken as these people are not mentally right. Along with this is the people’s unpredictable behavior which could much reflect on their mental health.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Cole’s experiences relate to the Plato’s’ allegatory of the cave’ as his allegations that the real world may not be what our senses reveal. In relation to the Cole’s experience, we see him moving from one world of the past to the furfure or the vice varsa. In real this could only be a dream or mere imaginations, this alludes that Cole’s experiences could be reflecting Plato’s thoughts or allegations. In his Dialogue with Glaucon, we are not sure of the cave which he was referring to, either it could be the underground that the people had escaped to after the virus struck the universe or the prison where Cole was imprisoned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When he imagined that the prisoners could think that the sound that they heard were really coming from the shadows, it coincides with Cole seeing the changing face of the guard and that of omnipresence. His concepts on the shadows could reflect Cole’s switching from one world to another. Was what he saw from the 1990 world true or could it his experience from the 1996 and 2035? Which was the truer experience?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the last part of their discussion with Glaucon, he tells him that they, meaning the government, can not show any gratitude for the culture which they have never received. This could be reflecting the 12 monkeys who had released the virus that almost eliminated the human race according to the film. He said that with education on how to tackle issues, one will be able to defeat these ill minded people, reflecting Cole’s endeavors. References Roger Ebert (1996-01-05). â€Å"12 Monkeys†.Chicago Sun-TimesLynette Rice (August 26, 2013). â€Å"12 monkeys pilot†. Entertainment Weekly James Berardinelli. â€Å"Twelve Monkeys†.Reviews Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences Education, National Research Council. 2000. How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Weinberger, D., Torrey, E.F., and Berman, K. 2001. Schizophrenia PET scan. Retrieved July 13, 2008 American Psychiatric Association. 2000. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition The Allegory of the Cave http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html Source document

Psychodynamic Theory Essay

What Psychodynamic Theory Has to Contribute to Our Understanding of   Counselling in a Multicultural Society? If counsellors are to discern very well their clients of diverse backgrounds or culture and their place in a multicultural society, psychodynamic theory may be particularly helpful in this respect. Theories and techniques used in counselling are diverse and it is imperative for counsellors to know how to use their knowledge of psychodynamic theory in conceptualising systems for both counselling and therapy. In psychodynamic therapy, which is an approach in counselling based on psychoanalytic theories, it is postulated that conscious and unconscious influences mold human behavior and social relationships. This concept of the unconscious is often associated with Sigmund Freud whose contribution in psychoanalysis can not be discounted. Psychoanalytic theory though, is not exclusively Freudian. Freud’s brilliant ideas and theories, were controversial. His theories were under attack from many directions and it was a good thing though that from his perspectives, many other psychoanalytic theories emerged as well. Carl Jung was famous for his collective unconscious and his oriental approach was unorthodox for Western psychoanalytic theorists. D.D. Winnicott’s transitional objects and good- enough mothering for instance, are interesting contributions to psychoanalysis as well. It should be fascinating to explore these theorists’ contribution to systems and approaches of multicultural counselling. In as much as these theorists’ perspectives seem to have distinct or even conflicting orientations, we may have the chance to look upon their theories, in many ways, complementary in the practice of counselling in a multicultural society. Their theories can prove to be useful at any point in counselling (or therapy) sessions in understanding clients, their unique history, individual concerns, and understanding their behavior, the impact of their past experiences to their present condition in life, and some of their underlying motives and beliefs. Sigmund Freud   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychoanalytic approaches to therapy and counselling originated from the works of Sigmund Freud. He viewed that people are driven by unconscious influences, a part of their inner world of which they are not aware of. He theorised that repressed unconscious thoughts and feelings could manifest through dreams, fantasies and odd behavior. Until after these repressed forbidden desires, hurtful memories and experiences are brought to conscious awareness, these were presumed to lead to irrational and maladaptive behavior. Based on this concept, effective counsellors can effectively draw upon these repressed thoughts and emotions through psychotherapy to ease their client’s depression or anxiety and to rebuild their client’s self-esteem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freud’s concept of eros (sexual and life instincts) and thanatos (aggressive and death instincts) are considered motivating factors of personality, with the term libido referring to basic energy of life associated with Eros. Troubled individuals may manifest death instincts through destructive behavior such as, alcoholism, substance abuse, aggression (towards self or others), and even suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freud theorised that the individual’s behavior is assumed to result from the interaction of three components of the personality: id, ego, and superego. The id is said to be the source of instinctual drives and operate in terms of the pleasure principle. It is capable of eliciting mental images and wish-fulfilling fantasies (Coleman, 1980).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second personality component is the ego, which intercedes between the demands of the id and the external world, and operates in terms of the reality principle. For instance, Freud believed that sexual or aggressive tendencies are in conflict with society’s rules and prohibitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was clever of Freud to introduce the third personality component, which is the superego, or commonly known as conscience. If one has learned and adapted to the moral demands of society, the individual would have a better grasp of what is right from wrong. The superego serves as personality’s system of control to inhibit immoral desires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freud believed in the interplay between the id, ego and superego, and how it becomes crucial to behavior. Inner conflicts may arise because the id, ego and superego are striving for different goals. Inner conflicts could manifest as a mental disorder if not resolved. Another important psychoanalytic concept of Freud is defense mechanisms. For him, whatever pains or anxieties are eased by distorting reality, if one can not deal with it rationally (Coleman, et.al., p. 54). Therefore, an individual’s distorted perception of reality poses behavior problems. This only happens though when the ego can no longer cope with the pain or anxiety by rational measures. Freud’s contribution to developmental psychology is his theory on five Psychosexual stages: the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.   He believed that these stages of development could determine one’s defenses, anxieties, and impulses. A child who has been deprived of fully experiencing any of these stages may suffer fixation at that stage of development. The first three stages of development, the oral, anal, and phallic stages, are the most crucial, as one’s personality is molded at this time. If fixation happens at any point during this period, then the child would likely develop distinct personality type. From birth to 1 year (oral stage), the mouth is the principal erogenous zone and it is assumed that an infant’s greatest source of gratification is sucking. If the caregiver is overindulgent or depriving, then the child is likely to develop fixation at this stage. Some traits associated with overindulgence are optimism, manipulativeness, boldness and admiration. On the other hand, deprivation would lead to traits such as pessimism, suspiciousness, self-belittlement, passivity, and jealousy. Further, as Freud theorised, fixation at this stage, or when the individual did not receive adequate oral gratification during infancy, the individual is predisposed to excessive drinking or eating in adult life. When the child is about 18 months to 3 years (anal stage), the anus and rectum are considered to be the primary sources of pleasure. Either an excessive demand or permissiveness from a child’s caregiver, will lead to the development of anal personality. Other psychological problems that are thought to arise from this stage are obsessive-compulsivity and paranoia. During the phallic stage, or when the child is about 3 to 6 years old, the penis or clitoris is assumed to be the major source of pleasurable sensation. At this stage, the child learns to manipulate the genitals and becomes curious about the opposite sex. Curiously enough, Freud also believed that it is at this stage when the child develops intense sexual feelings for the parent of the opposite sex, or otherwise known as Oedipus and Electra complex. The Oedipal complex is the perception that boys desire to possess their mother. Freud thought that boys have incestuous cravings for their mother, even sees their father as rival, but they have fear that the father will harm them (castration anxiety). Likewise, the Electra complex is the assumption that girls desire their father, and want to replace their mother. The fear of the same-sex parent leads to sublimation of their sexual attraction for the opposite sex parent into non-sexual love, and they learn to identity instead to their same-sex parent.   For either sex, it imperative for them to resolve the conflict, such that when they enter young adulthood stage, they are likely to have a satisfactory heterosexual relationship. In the years from 6 to 12 (latency stage), sexual motivations are put aside and the child channels his energy into school, play, shared activities with friends, and sports. Finally, the genital stage, which is from puberty onwards, the deepest feelings of pleasure come from heterosexual relations. At this stage, the individual channels his energy into socially acceptable ventures such as entering into romantic relationships, establishing friendships, career planning and also some recreational activities.   Freud’s cathartic hypnosis was popular during his time, but more than the technique of hypnosis as a therapeutic cure to psychological illnesses, was his concept that feelings were drawn from the unconscious. His contribution stands out in the sense that he was the one who developed techniques such as free association and dream analysis in dealing with both the conscious and unconscious aspects of mental health. Freud emphasized the role of the unconscious motives and ego-defense systems, and the importance of early childhood experiences in the personality adjustment and maladjustment of adults, as well as the relevance of sexual factors in human behavior and mental disorders (Coleman, et.al., p. 57). Freud’s techniques now used in contemporary psychodynamic counselling provide much deeper understanding of the (client’s) self, and can prove to be helpful in emotional, spiritual development and self-awareness. Carl Jung   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most original and controversial features of Jung’s theory on personality was the concept of collective unconscious. He theorised the existence of universally shared motives, drives, potentials, fears and symbols – that human beings have more or less the same collective unconscious. Collective unconscious is defined as the â€Å"storehouse of latent memory traces inherited from one’s ancestral past† (Hall & Lindzey, 1978, p. 119). Simply put, with this theory, there is probability of reviving experiences of past generations. â€Å"Humans are born with many predisposition for thinking, feeling, and perceiving according to definite patterns and contents that become actualized through individualized experiences† (Hall & Lindzey).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If Freud’s â€Å"unconscious mind† is often associated with repressed forbidden desires, hurtful memories and experiences, Jung’s collective unconscious is a vast resource of subliminal contents and potential, which includes the â€Å"wisdom and experience of uncounted centuries, and laid down in its archetypal organs† (Jung, cited in Hall & Lindzey, p.120). The collective unconscious can then serve a very good purpose to the individual. But, if this ignored by the ego, â€Å"the unconscious may disrupt the conscious rational processes by seizing hold of them and twisting them into distorted forms (Hall & Lindzey, p.120).   Instances of irrational behavior could arise such as phobias and delusions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jung believed that the individual achieves completeness or wholeness only as fantasies, images and dreams from the personal and collective unconscious become accessible to the conscious self (Coleman, et.al., p.58).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jung’s concept of archetypes refers to patterns of behavior within the unconscious mind. The most common of these archetypes are the persona, shadow, self, and anima and animus. The persona is tantamount to the social personality – the â€Å"face† an individual has in his social relationships. A healthy persona could then mean good adaptation to the demands of society or the environment where one belongs. In some respects, Jung’s concept of the persona is similar to Freud’s superego. The shadow has some resemblance to Freud’s concept of the id. It is considered the hidden or dark side of personality that sometimes the individual is not even aware of. This part of the psyche would be difficult to accept. If a certain trait of another distress an individual, then this could be a reflection of his shadow. Traits such as laziness, attention-seeking, anger expression, etc., are usually kept from consciousness and is often projected to others. The self can be considered the sum total of one’s personality, the motivating factor of human behavior that causes one to constantly strive and attain wholeness. It was Jung’s view that the self can only emerge only if various aspects of the personality have fully developed (known as individuation) (Hall & Lindzey, p. 124). Thus, this does not happen until one has reached middle age when one â€Å"begins to make a serious effort to change the center of personality from the conscious ego to one that is midway between consciousness and unconsciousness† (Hall & Lindzey). Jung believed that one takes the journey toward individuation, spending almost half of his life individuating, and the second integrating. This concept has direct application and relevance to career counselling. Notice that most individuals who reach middle age begin to have more focus and sense of purpose, not wasting their time and energy where they do not fit or are not welcome, and extending effort only in activities that will lead them to their true calling. Somewhat parallel to Freud’s Oedipus and Electra complex which prove relevant to understanding one’s heterosexual adjustment is Jung’s anima and animus. This is much like the â€Å"yin and yang† of the Chinese, the masculine and feminine side of human personality. The role of biological hormones cannot be discounted, but from a Jungian perspective, this is more considered to be a product of racial experiences of man with woman and vice versa. Jung’s anima and animus may be of relevance in understanding man-woman relationships in a counselling setting. Man is supposed to â€Å"apprehend the nature of woman by virtue of his anima, and woman apprehends the nature of man by virtue of her animus† (Hall & Lindzey, p. 123), and without regard to the real character of the other, their relationship will most likely lead to discord. Donald Winnicott   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The influential concepts of transitional objects, the good-enough mother and the true and false self are attributed to Winnicott. A transitional object is some sort of a security blanket for a child. It could be a favorite stuffed toy, baby blanket, pillow or any symbolic object that a child finds comfort in having. A transitional object helps a child cope with fear while their principal caregiver is away. The most influential person (object) during a child’s development would be the principal caregiver. In a counselling setting, the counselor serves as the transitional object, who gradually helps his client overcome frustrations and develop greater independence over time. The good-enough mother pertains to the principal caregiver whose parenting style fit the child’s developmental needs. Winnicott believed that caregivers have to be good-enough in providing the child’s needs, but not too much. They have to teach children as well to tolerate frustrations, and teach them the lesson of independence and self-sufficiency. Winnicott theorized that children’s needs, if not adequately met, could help develop a false self (this is somehow identical to Freud’s concept of fixation). On the other hand, when children’s needs are adequately provided, then, they are likely to develop a true self. A relationship based on trust, a relationship that is more real, will grow between the caregiver and the child. This concept may apply to counselor (or therapist)-client relationship. An effective counselor knows how to provide a safe â€Å"holding environment† for his client, and is adaptive to his client’s needs. The counselor knows how to respond to his client’s emotions with warmth and empathy, thus helping his client reveal his true self. References Coleman, James C., James N. Butcher and Robert C. Carson. Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life (6th ed.). Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company. Dakai, S.H. (2003). â€Å"Addiction Counseling: Examination of Various Addiction Counseling and Therapy Approaches.† Journal of Addictive Disorders. Breining Institute. Hall, Calvin S. and Lindzey Gardner (1980). Theories of Personality (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. McGinnis, James D. and Kenneth R.Thomas (1991). The Psychoanalytic Theories of D.W. Winnicott as Applied to Rehabilitation. The Journal of Rehabilitation. 1 July 1991