The Lottery A Setting Analysis Essays - Fiction, Literature

The Lottery: A Setting Analysis Shirley Jackson takes great care in creating a setting for the story, The Lottery. She gives the reader a sense of comfort and stability from the very beginning. It begins, clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The setting throughout The Lottery creates a sense of peacefulness and tranquility, while portraying a typical town on a normal summer day. With the very first words, Jackson begins to establish the environment for her plot. To begin, she tells the reader that the story takes place on an early summer morning. This helps in providing a focus of the typicality of this small town, a normal rural community. She also mentions that school has just recently let out for summer break, which of course allows the children to run around at that time of day. Furthermore, she describes the grass as richly green and the flowers were blooming profusely. These descriptions of the surroundings give the reader a serene feeling about the town. The location of the square, between the post office and the bank, proves the smallness of this town, since everything centralizes at or near the town square and it acts as the primary location for the remaining part of the story, playing a significant role at the end setting of the story. Up to this point, nothing unordinary has happened, which might later reflect an ironic ending. Eventually, small hints about the unusualness of this town are added. The author points out significant buildings that surround the town square, but fails to describe a church or a courthouse, which are common buildings to all communities. In this, there seems to be no central governing body for this town, such as a court or a police station. Also, oddly enough, these people celebrate Halloween but not Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving, the largest holidays that normal people celebrate. However, Halloween implicates a certain proneness to defiant, evil activities. In addition, the children are building a great pile of stones in one corner of the square. An impression of the children as normal children gathering rocks is counterbalanced by their ironical construction a massive pile of stones in one corner, as if they were punished through labor. The introduction of the black box acts as the major turning point for the setting. It symbolizes an immoral act to the villagers as the villagers kept their distance from it. The introduction of the black box into the setting changes the mood and the atmosphere of the residents as they become uneasy around it. Furthermore, the black box changes the mood from serene and peaceful to ominous, where the moment of illumination reaches climax at the very end of the story. Through her use of subtle details in the setting, Shirley Jackson foreshadows the wicked emotional ending, which lacks official authorities, by the incoherent mentioning of stones. Indeed, the story starts to feel more and more uncomfortable, and the commonplace attitude of the townspeople remains even during the stoning of Mrs. Hutchinson. They are all unaffected by the outcome except for, obviously, the victim of their collaborate murder. Near the end, one of the women casually tells the victim to be a good sport as the y slaughter her with stones. In spite of the peaceful mood created by the town setting, everyone commits a brutal act by stoning an innocent person. Throughout The Lottery, the setting plays a significant role in portraying irony in the plot. However, Shirley Jackson does not end her story with a resolution to the plot, but she illustrates the irony she sees in the world through a creative ironical setting. Indeed, the setting expresses The Lotterys theme of a hidden reality beneath the surface of everyday lives. English Essays

History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

History of the Lewis and Clark Expedition On May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left from St. Louis, Missouri with the Corps of Discovery and headed west in an effort to explore and document the new lands bought by the Louisiana Purchase. With only one death, the group reached the Pacific Ocean at Portland and then returned back to St. Louis on September 23, 1806. The Louisiana Purchase In April 1803, the United States, under President Thomas Jefferson, purchased 828,000 square miles (2,144,510 square km) of land from France. This land acquisition is commonly known as the Louisiana Purchase. The lands included in the Louisiana Purchase were those west of the Mississippi River but they were largely unexplored and therefore completely unknown to both the U.S. and France at the time. Because of this, shortly after the purchase of the land President Jefferson requested that Congress approve $2,500 for an exploratory expedition west. Goals of the Expedition Once Congress approved the funds for the expedition, President Jefferson chose Captain Meriwether Lewis as its leader. Lewis was chosen mainly because he already had some knowledge of the west and was an experienced Army officer. After making further arrangements for the expedition, Lewis decided he wanted a co-captain and selected another Army officer, William Clark. The goals of this expedition, as outlined by President Jefferson, were to study the Native American tribes living in the area as well as the plants, animals, geology, and terrain of the region. The expedition was also to be a diplomatic one and aid in transferring power over the lands and the people living on them from the French and Spanish to the United States. In addition, President Jefferson wanted the expedition to find a direct waterway to the West Coast and the Pacific Ocean so westward expansion and commerce would be easier to achieve in the coming years. The Expedition Begins Lewis and Clarks expedition officially began on May 14, 1804, when they and the 33 other men making up the Corps of Discovery departed from their camp near St. Louis, Missouri. The first portion of the expedition followed the route of the Missouri River during which, they passed through places such as present-day Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska. On August 20, 1804, the Corps experienced its first and only casualty when Sergeant Charles Floyd died of appendicitis. He was the first U.S. soldier to die west of the Mississippi River. Shortly after Floyds death, the Corps reached the edge of the Great Plains and saw the areas many different species, most of which were new to them. They also met their first Sioux tribe, the Yankton Sioux, in a peaceful encounter. The Corps next meeting with the Sioux, however, was not as peaceful. In September 1804, the Corps met the Teton Sioux further west and during that encounter, one of the chiefs demanded that the Corps give them a boat before being allowed to pass. When the Corps refused, the Tetons threatened violence and the Corps prepared to fight. Before serious hostilities began though, both sides retreated. The First Report The Corps expedition then successfully continued upriver until winter when they stopped in the villages of the Mandan tribe in December 1804. While waiting out the winter, Lewis and Clark had the Corps built Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn, North Dakota, where they stayed until April 1805. During this time, Lewis and Clark wrote their first report to President Jefferson. In it, they chronicled 108 plant species and 68 mineral types. Upon leaving Fort Mandan, Lewis and Clark sent this report, along with some members of the expedition and a map of the U.S. drawn by Clark back to St. Louis. Dividing Afterward, the Corps continued along the route of the Missouri River until they reached a fork in late May 1805 and were forced to divide the expedition to find the true Missouri River. Eventually, they found it and in June the expedition came together and crossed the rivers headwaters. Shortly thereafter the Corps arrived at the Continental Divide and were forced to continue their journey on horseback at Lemhi Pass on the Montana-Idaho border on August 26, 1805. Reaching Portland Once over the divide, the Corps again continued their journey in canoes down the Rocky Mountains on the Clearwater River (in northern Idaho), the Snake River, and finally the Columbia River into what is present-day Portland, Oregon. The Corps then, at last, reached the Pacific Ocean in December 1805 and built Fort Clatsop on the south side of the Columbia River to wait out the winter. During their time at the fort, the men explored the area, hunted elk and other wildlife, met Native American tribes, and prepared for their journey home. Returning to St. Louis On March 23, 1806, Lewis and Clark and the rest of the Corps left Fort Clatsop and began their journey back to St. Louis. Once reaching the Continental Divide in July, the Corps separated for a brief time so Lewis could explore the Marias River, a tributary of the Missouri River. They then reunited at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers on August 11 and returned to St. Louis on September 23, 1806. Achievements of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Although Lewis and Clark did not find a direct waterway from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, their expedition brought a wealth of knowledge about the newly purchased lands in the west. For example, the expedition provided extensive facts on the Northwests natural resources. Lewis and Clark were able to document over 100 animal species and over 170 plants. They also brought back information on the size, minerals, and the geology of the area. In addition, the expedition established relations with the Native Americans in the region, one of President Jeffersons main goals. Aside from the confrontation with the Teton Sioux, these relations were largely peaceful and the Corps received extensive help from the various tribes they met regarding things like food and navigation. For geographical knowledge, the Lewis and Clark expedition provided widespread knowledge about the topography of the Pacific Northwest and produced more than 140 maps of the region. To read more about Lewis and Clark, visit the National Geographic site dedicated to their journey or read their report of the expedition, originally published in 1814.

Globalization and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Globalization and Poverty - Essay Example The political and military repercussions of this schism can significantly change the complexion and direction of inter-capitalist competition. The end of the Cold War and the powerful wave of Globalization vastly reconfigured the world order. We have seen the end of the old colonial world and the rise of Islamic militancy in the mid-90s. Post-Cold War globalization served to unleash many pent-up social contradictions previously held hostage by the Cold War, like racial and ethnic clashes both within the North and South alike. The most profound changes, however, are in the economic realm. Globalization-the accelerated expansion and heightened contradictions of international capitalism-is bound to intensify even more within the decade. (Hirst & Thompson, 2000) Vicious international competition among highly industrialized capitalist nation-states animates the world order. Economic globalization was mainly corporate-led. Incessant retooling of knowledge-based or high-tech corporations, including the mighty armaments industry and the rest of the multinational corporations in industrialized countries, keeps on accelerating the pace of globalization even more. Big corporate interests are more and more taking over the foreign policy directions of their respective governments. Alongside globalization is the concept of "neoliberalism". Neoliberalism has the same essence as the classic liberal economics. The latter was in vogue between the Industrial Revolution around the early 1900s and Keynesian economics around the 1930s Great Depression. Laissez faire ("free competition", to some) is at the core of both classical liberalism and neoliberalism. Laissez faire oppose Keynesian solutions that require vigorous state economic intervention. (Fischer 2003). Neoliberalism, ironically, is forced to adopt Keynesian solutions through the active manipulation of interest rates to keep inflation at bay. Furthermore, the US government as well as the Western European states actively subsidize their agricultural sectors, and even intervene politically in rearranging trade and financial mechanisms in their favor. These totally negate whatever "liberalism" or "free competition" there is in neoliberalism. Revolution in Productive Forces, Trade Wars, Uncertainties in the World Financial System The Second Word War and the military requirements of the Cold War ironically kicked off the revolution in science and technology, specifically in the fields of electronic computing, communications, air and space transport, biological warfare, and nuclear technology. Capitalist production techniques immensely benefited from these developments. The technological race seethes with greater intensity. A war over the control and monopoly of knowledge-intensive capital-especially information-communications-technology (ICT) and biotechnology-still rages among capitalist firms and nation-states. New, better, and increasingly cheaper commodities now flood the world market. The fight to open up more markets is the order of the day, not only to realize greater profits, but to stave off the increasing pressures of capitalist overproduction. (Robertson, 2003) Quite predictably, protectionist trade wars erupted between the large markets in northern America, Europe, and Asia. In an effort to secure commodity markets, tariff-cutting regional free trade associations sprouted along the continents, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European

Real Estate Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Real Estate Personal Statement - Essay Example This experience enriched me with a native fluency in the second language and unique experience in an international environment. In addition, I have greatly improved on my organizational skills due to continuous time pressure during my study abroad. I am conscious that a real estate agent, especially in touristic areas, has to be proficient in several languages and possess a power of persuasion. That is why French and Spanish are my additional languages of choice that I work on in parallel to my main studies and already achieved significant proficiency in both of them. Moreover, I try when possible to engage in volunteer activity or short part time work as a receptionist to polish my communication skills with as a large variety of people. In final years of my undergraduate study I focused more on the Real Estate related profession and in two years successfully acquired a Real Estate License from Chamber of Commerce of Perugia. As my final exams are approaching I would like to define my future career entry as precise as possible and make sure that any additional studies or internships are well aligned with my professional goals. I strongly believe that my motivation and enthusiasm combined with short, but intense professional experience will help me to tackle future challenges in professional as well as educational settings. I look forward in exploring new horizons and educational opportunities that could help to propel my future

Research the history, demographics, agenda, primary target choice of Paper

The history, demographics, agenda, primary target choice of Irish Republican Army - Research Paper Example In order to let this happen, the Easter Rising, a very significant insurgence in the Irish history was initiated, during the Easter Week. The Easter Rising aimed to revolt against the British rule in Ireland, and claim independence for Ireland. At this point, the Irish Republican Army came into being. Although, the British government appeased the movement of revolution shortly, revolutionists reassembled themselves under leadership of Michael Collins, and became the military part of the Sinn Fein, an Irish political party (Books LLC, 2010). History: After the establishment of the Irish Republican Army, a lot of unrest began; huge campaigns of insurgence were began opposing the British domination over Ireland, which included military raids, bombardments and more operations of the same kind. At last, 1922 bought the much awaited success for the Irish Republican Army and Ireland gained its much anticipated independence. Although the Irish Republican Army succeeded in achieving its await ed independence from the British rule, it came at a huge cost (Books LLC, 2010). The Anglo-Irish treaty signed in 1921, divided the Irish Republican Party itself in two parts. The Anglo-Irish treaty agreed on establishing Ireland as an independent, Free State, but it also considered Ireland as a territory under the British Empire (Derkins, 2003). Moreover, it also gave Northern Ireland the option of opting out of the Irish Free State, which it practiced. As a result, there was much resentment amongst the Irish Republican Army itself, resulting in a partition among the army itself. One of the groups under the management of Michael Collins, supported the treaty; while the other group established the anti-treaty counterpart, petitioned against the signing of the treaty. This headed to further unrest into the Irish lands, resulting in a civil war amongst both the parties of the Irish Republican Army, which lasted for the next nine months. The civil war ended with the defeat of the anti- treaty group of the Irish Republican Army and a huge increase in the death toll at the battlefields from both the sides. After the civil war, the Irish Republican Army, remained mostly irregular with its hangings, until in 1950s, when it again came in the news due to its efforts of regaining the Northern Ireland from the British rule (Derkins, 2003). The Irish Republican Army attacked the British infrastructure in the Northern Ireland to make the British army more vulnerable to the Irish Republican Army attacks. In spite of the series of attempts to conquer the Northern Ireland, and massive support from the Irish political parties and armies, the operation ended up being a massive failure for the Irish Republican Army, resulting in no fruitful results for them (Books LLC. 2010). Later in 1969, the Irish Republican Army split up again in two groups, but this time conspiring of the â€Å"officials† and the â€Å"provisionals† (Shanahan, 2009). The officials advocated the idea of a united and independent state of Ireland, but through peaceful proclamations, provisionals on the other hand, believed terrorism to be a prerequisite to attain an independent state. In accordance to their ideas, the provisionals launched a series of terrorist attacks on the Northern Ireland and on Britain as well. They tried to dismantle the British rule over the Northern Ireland and continued with their terrorist campaigns that aimed to weaken the

The Inbound Tour Operators

The Inbound Tour Operators Mass Market tour operators have dominated in the outbound market for years, with the rise of holidays abroad becoming more and more popular since the end of the Second World War. Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice are examples of mass market tour operators. Thomson and First Choice belong to TUI, these are known as mass market tour operators as they sell/sold holidays that appealed to the majority of holiday makers. Some of the larger mass market tour operators have diversified in now offering more specialised products such as safari and skiing. TUI AG is the largest travel group in the world; Thomson belongs to TUI and is a travel agency as well as having its own airline. First Choice is another travel agent that has its own airline, which belongs to TUI. TUI travel was formed in 2007, with the merger of TUI; their existing distribution, tour operators, air-lines and destination groups; with First Choice Holidays Plc. TUI travel is the majority shareholder of the company and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They operate in 180 countries worldwide, making TUI the leading tour operator within Europe; to become this they provide a wide and varied service for over 30million customers. TUI is a British based company, with their head office in Crawley, West Sussex, not too far from Gatwick Airport; one of the UKs busiest international airports. TUI has over 200 different brands to over, over 140 aircraft and 3,500 retail shops across Europe, employing approximately 50,000 employees. TUI is separated in too four sectors of business, covering all 200 plus brands, these are: Mainstream Specialist Activity Accommodation and Destinations The mainstream sector is the largest of the four sectors in size, operating profit and the number of employees. The 3,500 retail outlets through-out Europe, providing over 25million customers per year, with package, self-package, sun and beach holidays. This sector operates over 140 aircraft to a wide variety of destination through-out the year, incorporating a large number of high street retail stores. The Specialist and Emerging Markets sector includes 40 specialist tour operator companies, providing and selling tour destinations to a smaller demographic, this sector is becoming more popular as people are starting to spread away from the usual package beach holiday. Specialist travel and emerging markets are places such as tours in North America, Europe and further afield such as China and Russia, the emerging markets that have not been popular in the past due to inaccessibility. This sector also provides escorted tours to the Galapagos, around-the-world trips and student gap years to Australia for example. The Activity sector is designed in providing customers that are seeking adventure or active holidays unique tours or packages to suit them. These specialised tour operators operate in the marine, adventure, ski, student and sporting segments, for example hiking in Kilimanjaro, polar expeditions, skiing in Canada and chartering yachts in the Caribbean. The Accommodation and Destination sector provides on and offline accommodation and destination services worldwide; selling accommodation directly to the customers through online hotel booking sites, such as Laterooms.com; Hotelpedia.com and Asiarooms.com. It also provides accommodation, transfers, excursions and a destination agencies portfolio to tour operators, travel agents, cruise lines and other corporate customers. Thomas Cook is another example of a mass market tour operator. As with TUI, Thomas Cook has travel agencies, airlines, hotels and tour operator; Club 18-30. In 2007, Thomas Cook merged with MyTravel; this was to cut costs; a predicted  £75million per year saving; and to combat competition from the low-cost airlines and web-based travel agents, that are on the rise in where customers are buying their holidays from. All tour operators that offer air inclusive packages are required by law to have an Air Travel Organisers Licence (ATOL). This protects customers from losing their money and/or being stranded abroad if something was to happen to the flights. ATOL is managed by the Civil Aviation Authority (www.caa.co.uk) Specialist Tour Operators Specialist tour operators cater for niche market holidays, they specialise in particular destinations and/or in a particular product. For example Journey Latin America specialises in the particular destination of Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) and Active Diving specialise in Scuba Diving holidays around the world (www.activediving.co.uk). Journey Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) specialises in holidays to Latin America; some of the destinations they include are: Antarctica Argentina Belize Chile Cuba Caribbean El Salvador The Galapagos Islands The Falkland Islands Guyana Peru Mexico Nicaragua Venezuela They provide a wide variety of different types of holidays for a wide range of different markets. The types of holidays available are: Tailor-Made Tours Small Group Tours Value Active Beach Wildlife Expedition Honeymoon Responsible Family Learn to (learning a new skill) Cruise JourneyLatinAmerica markets to everyone, with holidays suitable for low-budgets to the higher budgets, family holidays to romantic honeymoons. Wildlife holidays with JourneyLatinAmerica offers the traveller a vast array of wildlife and birdlife to see, from giant tortoises to llamas to sloths and penguins, all depending which country has been chosen to go to, there is the added advantage of there being the largest rainforest, driest desert to the longest mountain range and biggest river within the territories of the holidays available. There is plently of advantages of travelling with a smaller, specialised tour operator, the service is more personal and the smaller operators tend to have more of a passion for the area they specialise in. Smaller operators are experts in their destination, enabling them to give first-hand advice and recommendations to the holiday maker. They also have more care towards to the places, the people and the environment and try to minimise the negative effects of the holiday. Inbound Tour Operators Not only is there tour operators for outbound tourists, either specialised or/and mass market; there is also many tour operators for inbound tourists, specialised and/or mass market. These tour operators specialise and cater for inbound tourists to the UK from many different countries. They provide tours and holidays in many different languages and for different budgets. One example of an inbound tour operator is British Tours. British Tours (www.britishtours.com) specialise in tours of Britain. They provide tours to all size groups, from private groups up to 7 persons by car with their own guide; to larger groups by mini-bus or coach, with own guide. All prices are per car not per person. Tours are available in most languages, at an extra cost; including French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Tours are suited to individual travellers, families, people with special interest, people with special needs and anyone who wants the freedom to travel at their own pace with their guide to help and inform. The tours of Britain cover the main tourist attractions and sites; the more famous to the lesser known authentic tourist sites; all with guide that are local to the area with a vast knowledge and interest of the particular site. Some of these tours are Stonehenge at Dawn, Legal London, Harry Potter and Englands Gardens. British Tours offer private day tours leaving London as well as personally guided tours of Scotland, Wales and England, special interest tailor-made tours. They also provide European destination tours, such as Paris, Normandy Beaches by private plane and private bus tours of Rome and Italy. British tours work with 100s of travel agents worldwide, as well as many UK companies for sightseeing, ground-handling, interpreting and corporate entertainment within the UK. British Tours is a member of the London Tourist Board, the British Incoming Tour Operators Association, The Society of the Golden Keys and the American Society of Travel Agents. An example of a tour and costs with British Tours: Harry Potter Tour includes the locations where the Harry Potter films have been made, including London, Oxford and Gloucester. Oxford and Gloucester tour only (not including the London sights) for up to 7 people taking roughly 10 hours to complete would cost  £655 per car; price includes private car and guide, collection and return to hotel; anywhere in London; entrance and meals are not included in the price. These tours are also available in most languages.

Essay on the Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie -- Glass Menagerie

The Theme of Escape in The Glass Menagerie    The Glass Menagerie, a play by Tennessee Williams, is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family, housing Amanda Wingfield and her two children Tom and Laura. The father left many years ago, and is only represented by a picture on the living-room wall. The small, dingy apartment creates a desperate, monotonous feeling in the reader. None of the Wingfields has any desire to stay in the apartment, but their lack of finances makes it impossible to move. Escape from this monotonous and desperate life is the main theme throughout the play. The different characters in 'The Glass Menagerie' have their own individual ways of escaping from their realities. Tom Wingfield, the main character and narrator, probably has the one that most clearly relates to what we usually call escaping. His dream is to get away from the entire place in which he is currently living. He is tired of supplying his mother and sister without getting anything but remorse in return. Early in the play we can see this urge to get away through his frequent visits to the movie theatre. To him the movies serve as windows into another world, an exiting world filled with fun and challenges. Another thing that it is worth mentioning when speaking about this is Amanda's attitude towards the movies. She thinks that he spends too much time on the movies, and she keeps haunting him for it. I believe that this is supposed to tell the reader that Amanda has some kind of feeling that Tom sometime will follow in his fathers footsteps, and that she is trying to preven t this from happening. For Amanda this is a very natural reaction; with Tom out of the apartment there would be nothing left for her and her daughter to feed from.... ...ot a way of solving your problems, and that true freedom only can be found through confronting your problems, not by running away from them. Works Cited and Consulted: Bloom, Harold. Introduction. Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 1-8. King, Thomas L. "Irony and Distance in The Glass Menagerie." In Tennessee Williams. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. 85-94. Levy, Eric P. "'Through Soundproof Glass': The Prison of Self Consciousness in The Glass Menagerie." Modern Drama, 36. December 1993. 529-537. Thompson, Judith J. Tennessee Williams' Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol. New York: Peter Lang, 1989. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. In Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 4th ed. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. 1519-1568.

Invisalign Case Study Essay

Customer: The patient holds the beginning and end of the channel flow in the Invisalign process, looking for a service for malocclusion treatment from their orthodontist. Customers of Invisalign have the edge by having nearly invisible aligners, removable while eating, and hygiene of the aligners while eating and cleaning. Orthodontist: Orthodontists are the main source for the customer whether to suggest invisalign to them or not. If suitable, the orthodontist will go for photographs, X-rays, impressions of dental arches, a wax bite and an Invisalign prescription for the patient. This information is then sent to the next channel member in Santa Clara for processing. 3-D simulations were developed in Pakistan. The orthodontist will make adjustments and corrections to the proposal after getting from Pakistan. A program called â€Å"ClinCheck† is used to view the 3-D simulation, of the proposed treatment plan. Any changes made are sent back to Pakistan for correction. The orthodontist also works with the customer to maximize insurance coverage along with a payment plan to cover the cost of the treatment. Major motive why Invisalign are preferred over traditional braces include reduced labor and chair time, minimal training and potential to increase patient base. Invisalign: The Santa Clara headquarters serves as focal point between all channel members. Once Invisalign receives the patient’s information from the orthodontist, employees analyzes the data and constructs plaster and computer models of the current dentition. After completion, this model is forwarded to Pakistan for further analysis. Santa Clara is also responsible for approving the simulated treatment proposal created in Pakistan along with constructing a series of molds of the patient’s teeth for each of the 2 weeks before sending them to Mexico. Financially, Invisalign is responsible for providing monetary incentives to orthodontists that refer their business. This includes establishing pricing and discounts to provide the  service to the end customer. Software Development (Pakistan): The patient’s treatment plan is designed in Pakistan, which includes simulated tooth movements for each of the two weeks for the entire treatment process. Once approved by Invisalign and the orthodontist, these molds are then sent to the next channel in Mexico for production. Manufacturing (Mexico): Aligners are created from the molds received. They are trimmed, cleaned, polished and inspected before they are shipped directly to the orthodontist, which then forwards to the end customer. Traditional Braces Traditional braces flow channel comprises of: * Customer * Dentist * Orthodontist Customer: Similar to Invisalign, the patient starts and ends the channel flow in the traditional braces process. The patient may either inquire or be referred by their dentist to seek malocclusion treatment. The cost of traditional braces tends to be cheaper than Invisalign. Dentist: The patient visits their general dentist and if malocclusion is diagnosed, a referral is made to an orthodontist. Orthodontist: In the initial visit with the orthodontist, X-rays, photographs and dental moldings are collected from the patient. A treatment plan is created and in the next visit, brackets are cemented to each tooth and linked with an arch wire. The patient returns monthly for retightening and adjustments. At the end of treatment, the brackets are removed and replaced with plastic retainers. Some of the reasons why orthodontists choose traditional braces over Invisalign are credibility, cost and low level of patient compliance. 2. Invisalign Advertising Channel There are different functions performed by advertising channel. There are three different channels used by Invisalign for promotion, these are: 1. The sales force 2. Call centers 3. Media ads These channels are designed to increase the awareness in the customers regarding Invisalign and also to reach the customers through different ways. The target customers are the dentists, orthodontists and patients. These services are the part of marketing strategy of Invisalign to capture more and more customers through direct contact and through referrals. The sales force setup was used to target the orthodontists, who are the key focal point for the patients. Besides introducing Invisalign, sales force also used to train the orthodontists on case selection, pricing and how to use the Invisalign website and ClinCheck software. These types of trainings with orthodontists created a sense of security and care of Invisalign for its customers. Also it would help the orthodontists to get equip with the tools needed to recommend Invisalign to their patients. We can say that Invisalign uses push strategy to generate the sales. The second source was call centers. It is for those customers who are more curious in knowing about the Invisalign, these customers can call at toll free number, 1-800-INVISIBLLE. Customers will get the desired information regarding invisalign by calling this number. The third medium used was media ads. This includes direct mails, journals advertising and trade shows. In these activities customers are convinced to use Invisalign. As dentists are the main source of referrals to orthodontists, these ads also provide awareness to the dentists regarding any new development in invisalign, so that they could recommend it to their customers. We can say that Invisalign uses Pull strategy here to attract customers. Question # 3: Are there any gaps in the channel? Are channel members performing functions that invisalign intends them to do? If not, why not? Demand-Side Gaps: Capturing the Existing Market: The market of potential malocclusion customers is about 200 million individuals. Only 2 million actually elect orthodontic treatment (1 % of potential market); half of those customers (1 million) do not even go for the treatment, this is the first â€Å"gap† in the channel. This is due to the very nature of the product, since the orthodontist treatment requires dentition to be constantly observing the patient and to make corrections in advance. One of the important members of the process is the orthodontists. This member stands between the customer and Invisalign’s product, it is the responsibility of the orthodontist to recommend Invisalign to more and more customers but it found to push the product less enthusiastically than desired by Align. There might be conflict of objective here among the two members. Nominally, 25 percent of the nation’s orthodontists have not been trained on the new system. This detracts from the spatial convenience of the marketing channel. Capturing the potential market: Besides the 1 million qualifying patients in the existing market, the promise of the invisalign product is to expand into the population of non-children that have IV-treatable malocclusion (80 percent of people above the age 15), but do not seek orthodontic treatment. â€Å"Orthodontists (should) be eager to expand their patient base,† said Zia Chishti. Indeed, only a relatively small proportion of this potential population seeks treatment because of the drawbacks associated with conventional treatment, but Align’s process overcomes many of these shortcomings (as described in case study). This gap might be attributed to the orthodontists (described above) and the media advertisement, which is focused on raising awareness, and describes advantages over the conventional method (instead of brand benefits). Supply-Side Gaps: Delivery Incentives: A possible gap in the delivery of the offering may stem from the basic economic incentive for orthodontists. Profit margins were about the same for  both Invisalign and Traditional Braces ($3,600 vs. $3,500 gross, or 88% vs. 66%, respectively). So short of the orthodontists possessing very high brand loyalty or customers specifically requesting the Invisalign treatment, the promotion to customers breaks down here. In addition, the ClinCheck simulation takes 3-4 weeks to complete. This seems like a very long time. Invisalign may find a way to incentivize Pakistan to turn around the simulations faster to cut down on production time. Likewise, incentives for the sales force were designed for the objective of brand awareness (bonuses based on non-sales activities). The company is now looking for boosted sales, so it may its current plan may be affecting sales. Production Process Time: Invisalign has essentially inserted itself right in the middle of the traditional malocclusion treatment process. As, the procedures of invisalign is entirely customized (fitted) to each patient. These two facts combined create a longer supply chain this is why the entire supply chain works slowly as the order and product get routed through the various intermediaries. The Invisalign process includes three centers (Santa Clara, Pakistan and Juarez, Mexico). The entire process took up to six weeks, compared to an immediate treatment with traditional braces. As we know that Customers increasingly prefer faster delivery channels. Question # 4: Are channel power sources affecting Invisalign’s success? If so, how? Answer: yes, the channel power sources do affect the Invisalign’s success. Being the part of product flow and promotion channel, the channel members have the power to affect the Invisalign’s success. Orthodontists: The greatest power source affecting Invisalign’s success is the orthodontist. He stands in-between Align and the patient, and has the power of his expertise. The two customer segments (health conscious and beauty conscious) value their orthodontist’s opinion. Indeed, conversion seems to disappears at the stage were orthodontists are engaged: over 3,500 referrals to orthos every week from IV, but only 100 customers sign up (8,000 calls, 80% referred to ortho, 55 to 65 percent follow up, 3 percent convert to sales).  His expert power validates IV’s treatment to customers even though his impetus may lie in something non-expertise, such as his economic incentive (profit margin) or reception to change. Dentists Invisalign’s â€Å"exclusive† distribution to orthodontists prompted one general-practice dentist to file a legal complaint against Align, alleging anti-trust laws were violated. Aside from this legitimate power, dentists exercise a type of referent power. Since dentists are to refer qualifying customers to orthodontists, their choice could end up helping or hurting conversion rates for IV, depending on the referred orthodontist’s brand loyalty to IV. Invisalign Invisalign’s sales force uses a tiering structure which rewards orthodontists who are very proficient in the Invisalign process. IV commits more resources and potential business (through their call center and website) to these valued doctors. In this way, IV can extend extra benefits for performing in a manner consistent with its own objectives. Patients Patient compliance affects IV’s success because of the high degree of participation required for a success treatment (aligners were removeable at the patients discretion). Some orthodontists did not like being associated with a treatment that could fail from no doing of their own. Therefore, patients show a sort of anti-referent power–doctors did not want to be â€Å"associated† with them. Question # 5: What would you do to complete conversion? Our team proposes the IV offering is closer to the growth stage in the product life cycle than it is to the introduction stage. Marketing channels should change as the product moves along in its cycle. Our umbrella suggestion is to have dentists administer the IV treatment process. Specifics are outlined here. * Intensive distribution. There are 14 times more general dentists than orthodontists. IV should move from selective  distribution to intensive. The increased number of retailers (dentists and orthodontists) makes it easier and more likely for patients to receive treatment (enhance spatial convenience). The increased distribution should drive prices down as retailers compete for customers; dentists may be willing to accept lower margins than the orthodontists. * Better align incentives. â€Å"Being able to stimulate channel members to top performance starts with understanding their needs and wants† (pg 423, marketing textbook). Dentists are incentivized by volume of patients and perform non-specialized tasks that require less treatment, all opposite of the orthodontists. This matches brilliantly with the IV offering. In fact, some of the characteristics seen as unattractive from the orthodontists would be viewed as benefits for dentists. * Heterogeneous customers. The offering can be adjusted to match the needs/wants of the various segments of customers. This idea comes from the readings on CRM programs. Each patient segment (prior use, beauty and health conscious) has different preferences and a varied propensity to buy, as would the retailers (dentists and orthodontists). The other side to this is IV can â€Å"fire† bad orthodontists, which is another way of saying reward/coercive power can be exercised more exactly. * Brand benefits. Because brand awareness is achieved (80 percent), advertisement should shift focus from aesthetic advantages over the traditional system (the a $40 million media campaign) to brand benefits. The existing approach approach targets the existing market. We want to capture some of the potential market–the big table!

Is Technology Destroying Our Life? Essay

Technology is a wonderful thing giving us almost instant access to the world’s information. It makes our life easier, and enables us to stay in touch with distant friends and family. But it’s not all great. From big stuff like cancer to small stuff like being distracted texting, technology is killing us slowly every day. Texting while driving or walking is a killer People hate talking to people on the phone, so they’ve taken to texting. The problem with texting You need to have your eye on your phone to make sure you get the message right. Fine when you’re sitting still, a disaster when you’re driving. From 2001 to 2007, 16,000 people died from texting while driving. Even out of the car, texting is a disaster. Emergency rooms were seeing over 1,000 visitors who were getting into accidents because they were distracted trying to walk and text. We sit around using computers at work Sitting all day long is terrible for you. It makes you fat and weak, and can actually increase the odds of you dying sooner than later. So, what’s that got to do with technology? Well, thanks to technology we’re sitting at work more and more using computers to get our jobs done. Cell phones are probably giving us cancer This is one that remains inconclusive and divisive. Researchers haven’t found a definitive link between cancer and cell phones, yet there is a body of evidence linking the two. If you have a cell phone constantly glued to your ear, there is at least some reason to be worried about a tumor forming. Just use a headset to play it safe. Facebook is fueling divorce, which can lead to depression Facebook is actually leading to divorce for married couples. Spouses can get jealous when they look at who is friends with who, or if they see flirtatious messages being sent. It drives a wedge in the marriage, which can end in divorce. Divorce can lead to depression, which can lead to suicide. Craigslist, if you’re not careful, can be very deadly Craigslist is an amazing service making it much easier for us to sell old crap with minimal hassle, or find a new apartment without a broker. However! If you’re not careful with how you approach Craigslist, you could get yourself in hot water. Take a look at Congressman Chris Lee, who used Craigslist to look for hook ups. It ruined his career (and probably his marriage too.) There are also more serious examples of danger from Craigslist like Philip Markoff, the so-called Craigslist killer. Cellphones on planes can clog up the radio signals There’s something about being on a plane that when the crew tells you to turn off your phone you can’t help but scoff and try to squeeze in reading a few more tweets, or checking email one last time. What’s the harm in it? Well, the FCC worries that a plane load of people doing just that can scramble radio signals and cause problems for the plane. People are losing their sleep thanks to TVs, cellphones, and other screens Staring at bright screens before you go to sleep can disrupt your sleep, says a Berkeley sleep specialist. The bright screens of an iPhone, iPad, or even TV, disrupt your body’s natural rhythms at night. If you don’t get enough sleep, your lifespan can be significantly shorter according to research from the University of Warwick. Electric cars are dangerous for the blind Electric cars and hybrids are silent, and as such, they are a threat for people that rely on hearing cars coming. Hybrid and electric car makers know that silent cars are a threat, and they’re considering adding noise makers to the car to alert the outside world. More efficient farming and shipping is making us fat Our instinct as human animals to eat fatty and sugary things — things that give us the most energy to store because throughout most of evolution we did have to go through stints of deprivation. In modern life, we still have the same tastes but we don’t need to anymore. Now, thanks to technological innovations in farming and shipping, fatty and sugary things are available everywhere—and super cheap. This is making us fat, and being fat is killing us (and costing us lots of money). Finally I hope to forget the technology a little bit and take care about each other more because our social life is going to die . I think if we stay like this we will lose our friends , maybe our family and our humanity.

Free Essays on Living A Dream (Descriptive Essay)

Living in a Dream July thirty-first, summer, not too hot, not cold. Brian is eighteen years old, five foot eleven, brown hair, green eyes, full of energy and looking forward to tonight’s events. Brian is going camping with three of his close friends: Dan, Kate and Julie. Like a typical group of eighteen year olds, this is not just some â€Å"let’s roast marshmallows† camping trip. They have plans to have an experience of a lifetime, an experience that cost them forty dollars. As far as they are concerned it is forty dollars well spent. Seven o’clock PM and it’s been one hour since Brian and his friends ate the forty dollar dried mushrooms. When they ate the mushrooms they instantly noticed a horrible taste. They did not taste anything at all like one would expect forty-dollar mushrooms to taste like; but they didn’t buy these mushrooms for taste. The mushrooms tasted horrible, bland at first and when the after taste kicked in they actually tasted like crap. Why shouldn’t they? They were grown in cow pies. It has taken an hour for Brian to finally understand why his money was so well spent. The campsite is so high up on the mountain that they escape the clouds seen below them. The sun is beginning to set and Brian decides to go watch it. He is sitting in a folding chair in a field of tan waving grass that continues out twenty feet beyond him and drops off with the rest of the mountain. The air is calm and beginning to cool. As Brian sits in his chair he is overtaken by immense relaxation; thoughts of getting up any time soon have escaped from his mind. Brian slouches down in the chair to make himself more comfortable. He is feeling a strange buzz throughout his body, almost a tingle but not quite. Right when his body becomes nearly completely relaxed he suddenly becomes very tense. He is now starting to shake; he feels he is in control of it, but can’t manage to stop it. His body continues ... Free Essays on Living A Dream (Descriptive Essay) Free Essays on Living A Dream (Descriptive Essay) Living in a Dream July thirty-first, summer, not too hot, not cold. Brian is eighteen years old, five foot eleven, brown hair, green eyes, full of energy and looking forward to tonight’s events. Brian is going camping with three of his close friends: Dan, Kate and Julie. Like a typical group of eighteen year olds, this is not just some â€Å"let’s roast marshmallows† camping trip. They have plans to have an experience of a lifetime, an experience that cost them forty dollars. As far as they are concerned it is forty dollars well spent. Seven o’clock PM and it’s been one hour since Brian and his friends ate the forty dollar dried mushrooms. When they ate the mushrooms they instantly noticed a horrible taste. They did not taste anything at all like one would expect forty-dollar mushrooms to taste like; but they didn’t buy these mushrooms for taste. The mushrooms tasted horrible, bland at first and when the after taste kicked in they actually tasted like crap. Why shouldn’t they? They were grown in cow pies. It has taken an hour for Brian to finally understand why his money was so well spent. The campsite is so high up on the mountain that they escape the clouds seen below them. The sun is beginning to set and Brian decides to go watch it. He is sitting in a folding chair in a field of tan waving grass that continues out twenty feet beyond him and drops off with the rest of the mountain. The air is calm and beginning to cool. As Brian sits in his chair he is overtaken by immense relaxation; thoughts of getting up any time soon have escaped from his mind. Brian slouches down in the chair to make himself more comfortable. He is feeling a strange buzz throughout his body, almost a tingle but not quite. Right when his body becomes nearly completely relaxed he suddenly becomes very tense. He is now starting to shake; he feels he is in control of it, but can’t manage to stop it. His body continues ...

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Case Study Example The only lacking portion is the enforcement of strict sanctions and rewards mechanisms which would ultimately deter the employees to even consider bribery or manifesting corrupt behavior. 2. The steps instituted by Siemens Global to root out corruption is already extensive and comprehensive. As noted, there must be a system of rewards for compliance and sanctions for non-compliance. Likewise, since there is an aspect of cultural element that have considered bribery as part of their organizational culture, there should be vigilance and regular monitoring of the performance of all employees regarding conformity to the zero-tolerance policy through performance appraisals, random checking, and imposition of stricter penalties for violations, as deemed necessary. 3. Yes, one strongly believes that given the massive scale of previous corrupt transactions that involved billions of dollars through the years, the financial penalties were merely about 3.75% of their 72 billion annual sales, which was not even commensurate to the usual percentages (a minimum of 5 to 6% of the contract’s value to a maximum of 40%) accorded to bribery in their previous dealings. Therefore, they should have been imposed additional financial penalties to hurt so much that they would not ever consider bribery and corruption in current and future undertakings. 4. Siemens can therefore move beyond compliance to develop a healthy ethical climate by being more vigilant and ensuring through frequent monitoring, training, and performance evaluation that all employees and officers comply with the zero-tolerance policy. A code of ethical behavior should be integrated as part of their organizational policies. Only through a system of regular check and balance, as well as conformity to transparency and accountability, would Siemens Global be able to regain an ethical culture that

Carrico Ending 42 Years On High Court Research Paper

Carrico Ending 42 Years On High Court - Research Paper Example Appointed judiciary members, unlike elected ones, are likely to be impartial. Effective judiciary systems are those that consist of appointed judges because they do not have to seek popularity among the masses, unlike the elected judges do. Mandatory retirement provisions ensure that the judiciary remains effective in delivering quality public service. They establish racial and gender equality among male and female, white and non-white judges. These provisions allow for continuity in the judiciary with the incorporation of fresh talent from young judges. Carrico Ending 42 Years on High Court Ethical advantages and disadvantages of an appointed vs. an elected judiciary There is a current tag of forces in various American states as they consider switching from appointing their members of judiciary to electing them. One of these States is Tennessee, where the judicial bench has always been appointed since the 1970s, but the system is being flawed by conservative legislators whose opinio n is that appointed judges are unaccountable to the electorate. Accountability is thus one of the greatest advantages of an elected judiciary as opposed to an appointed one. ... Besides, majority of the public is disinterested in judicial elections and would not give them the attention given to presidential elections, for example. This means that the current judges who would be most profound would be easily believed by the public leading to voting back incumbent judges regardless of their suitability for the positions. On the other hand, appointed judges are in a better position to do their work in a non-partisan manner, without their rulings being influenced by the opinions of their electorate. Electing members of the judiciary thus has a disadvantage of influencing elected judges to rule in favor of popular opinion (Packer, 2007). Putting judges in a position to seek votes from the public also means that they have to seek funds to drive their campaigns. Those who grant them funds would often have vested interests in the judges perhaps to influence the outcome of certain cases, which creates a opportunity for corruption in the electoral system of the judici ary. Appointing judges for lengthy periods of time or for a lifetime has also been a successful way of running the judicial system as in the case of retiring Chief Justice Carrico, who has served at the high court for 42 years without compromising his standards of service. When members of the judiciary are appointed for lengthy periods, they are not put in any compromising situation to woo the public and other supporters for anything. This ensures that they carry on their duties with diligence without compromising their duties and positions. This has been successful with Carrico and it can be with other judges as well, as long as periodic performance reviews are carried out to determine whether they remain on the bench or not. Ethical advantages of