Monday, September 30, 2019
A Dirty Job Chapter 3
3 BENEATH THE NUMBER FORTY-ONE BUS It was two weeks before Charlie left the apartment and walked down to the auto-teller on Columbus Avenue where he first killed a guy. His weapon of choice was the number forty-one bus, on its way from the Trans Bay station, by the Bay Bridge, to the Presidio, by the Golden Gate Bridge. If you're going to get hit by a bus in San Francisco, you want to go with the forty-one, because you can pretty much figure on there being a nice bridge view. Charlie hadn't really counted on killing a guy that morning. He had hoped to get some twenties for the register at the thrift store, check his balance, and maybe pick up some yellow mustard at the deli. (Charlie was not a brown mustard kind of guy. Brown mustard was the condiment equivalent of skydiving ââ¬â it was okay for race-car drivers and serial killers, but for Charlie, a fine line of French's yellow was all the spice that life required.) After the funeral, friends and relatives had left a mountain of cold cuts in Charlie's fridge, which was all he'd eaten for the past two weeks, but now he was down to ham, dark rye, and premixed Enfamil formula, none of which was tolerable without yellow mustard. He'd secured the yellow squeeze bottle and felt safer now with it in his jacket pocket, but when the bus hit the guy, mustard completely slipped Charlie's mind. It was a warm day in October, the light had gone autumn soft over the city, the summer fog had ceased its relentless crawl out of the Bay each morning, and there was just enough breeze that the few sailboats that dotted the Bay looked like they might have been posing for an Impressionist painter. In the split second that Charlie's victim realized that he was being run over, he might not have been happy about the event, but he couldn't have picked a nicer day for it. The guy's name was William Creek. He was thirty-two and worked as a market analyst in the financial district, where he had been headed that morning when he decided to stop at the auto-teller. He was wearing a light wool suit and running shoes, his work shoes were tucked into a leather satchel under his arm. The handle of a compact umbrella protruded from the side pocket of the satchel, and it was this that caught Charlie's attention, for while the handle of the umbrella appeared to be made of faux walnut burl, it was glowing a dull red as if it had been heated in a forge. Charlie stood in the ATM line trying not to notice, trying to appear uninterested, but he couldn't help but stare. It was glowing, for fuck's sake, didn't anyone see it? William Creek glanced over his shoulder as he slid his card into the machine, saw Charlie looking at him, then tried to will his suit coat to expand into great manta-ray wings to block Charlie's view as he keyed in his PIN number. Creek snatched his card and the expectorated cash from the machine, turned, and headed away quickly toward the corner. Charlie couldn't stand it any longer. The umbrella handle had begun to pulsate red, like a beating heart. As Creek reached the curb, Charlie said, ââ¬Å"Excuse me. Excuse me, sir!â⬠When Creek turned, Charlie said, ââ¬Å"Your umbrella ââ¬â ââ¬Å" At that point, the number forty-one bus was coming through the intersection at Columbus and Vallejo at about thirty-five miles per hour, angling toward the curb for its next stop. Creek looked down at the satchel under his arm where Charlie was pointing, and the heel of his running shoe caught the slight rise of the curb. He started to lose his balance, the sort of thing we all might do on any given day while walking through the city, trip on a crack in the sidewalk and take a couple of quick steps to regain equilibrium, but William Creek took only one step. Back. Off the curb. You can't really sugarcoat it at this point, can you? The number forty-one bus creamed him. He flew a good fifty feet through the air before he hit the back window of a SAAB like a great gabardine sack of meat, then bounced back to the pavement and commenced to ooze fluids. His belongings ââ¬â the satchel, the umbrella, a gold tie bar, a Tag Heuer watch ââ¬â skittered on down the street, ricocheting off tires, shoes, manhole covers, some coming to rest nearly a block away. Charlie stood at the curb trying to breathe. He could hear a tooting sound, like someone was blowing a toy train whistle ââ¬â it was all he could hear, then someone ran into him and he realized it was the sound of his own rhythmic whimpering. The guy ââ¬â the guy with the umbrella ââ¬â had just been wiped out of the world. People rushed, crowded around, a dozen were barking into cell phones, the bus driver nearly flattened Charlie as he rushed down the sidewalk toward the carnage. Charlie staggered after him. ââ¬Å"I was just going to ask him ââ¬â ââ¬Å" No one looked at Charlie. It had taken all of his will, as well as a pep talk from his sister, to leave the apartment, and now this? ââ¬Å"I was just going to tell him that his umbrella was on fire,â⬠Charlie said, as if he was explaining to his accusers. But no one accused him, really. They ran by him, some headed toward the body, some away from it ââ¬â they batted him around and looked back, baffled, like they'd collided with a rough air current or a ghost instead of a man. ââ¬Å"The umbrella,â⬠Charlie said, looking for the evidence. Then he spotted it, almost down at the next corner, lying in the gutter, still glowing red, pulsating like failing neon. ââ¬Å"There! See!â⬠But people were gathered around the dead man in a wide semicircle, their hands to their mouths, and no one was paying any attention to the frightened thin man spouting nonsense behind them. He threaded his way through the crowd toward the umbrella, determined now to confirm his conviction, too far in shock to be afraid. When he was only ten feet away from it he looked up the street to make sure another bus wasn't coming before he ventured off the curb. He looked back just as a delicate, tar-black hand snaked out of the storm drain and snatched the compact umbrella off the street. Charlie backed away, looking around to see if anyone had seen what he had seen, but no one had. No one even made eye contact. A policeman trotted by and Charlie grabbed his sleeve as he passed, but when the cop spun around and his eyes went wide with confusion, then what appeared to be real terror, Charlie let him go. ââ¬Å"Sorry,â⬠he said. ââ¬Å"Sorry. I can see you've got work to do ââ¬â sorry.â⬠The cop shuddered and pushed through the crowd of onlookers toward the battered body of William Creek. Charlie started running, across Columbus and up Vallejo, until his breath and heartbeat in his ears drowned all the sounds of the street. When he was a block away from his shop a great shadow moved over him, like a low-flying aircraft or a huge bird, and with it Charlie felt a chill vibrate up his back. He lowered his head, pumped his arms, and rounded the corner of Mason just as the cable car was passing, full of smiling tourists who looked right through him. He glanced up, just for a second, and he thought he saw something above, disappearing over the roof of the six-story Victorian across the street, then he bolted through the front door of his shop. ââ¬Å"Hey, boss,â⬠Lily said. She was sixteen, pale, and a little bottom heavy ââ¬â her grown-woman form still in flux between baby fat and baby bearing. Today her hair happened to be lavender: fifties-housewife helmet hair in Easter-basket cellophane pastel. Charlie was bent over, leaning against a case full of curios by the door, sucking in deep raspy gulps of secondhand store mustiness. ââ¬Å"I ââ¬â think ââ¬â I ââ¬â just ââ¬â killed ââ¬â a ââ¬â guy,â⬠he gasped. ââ¬Å"Excellent,â⬠Lily said, ignoring equally his message and his demeanor. ââ¬Å"We're going to need change for the register.â⬠ââ¬Å"With a bus,â⬠Charlie said. ââ¬Å"Ray called in,â⬠she said. Ray Macy was Charlie's other employee, a thirty-nine-year-old bachelor with an unhealthy lack of boundaries between the Internet and reality. ââ¬Å"He's flying to Manila to meet the love of his life. A Ms. LoveYouLongTime. Ray's convinced that they are soul mates.â⬠ââ¬Å"There was something in the sewer,â⬠Charlie said. Lily examined a chip in her black nail polish. ââ¬Å"So I cut school to cover. I've been doing that since you've been, uh, gone. I'm going to need a note.â⬠Charlie stood up and made his way to the counter. ââ¬Å"Lily, did you hear what I said?â⬠He grabbed her by the shoulders, but she spun out of his grasp. ââ¬Å"Ouch! Fuck. Back off, Asher, you sado freak, that's a new tattoo.â⬠She punched him in the arm, hard, and backed away, rubbing her own shoulder. ââ¬Å"I heard, you. Cease your trippin', s'il vous plaà ®t.â⬠Lately, since discovering Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal in a stack of used books in the back room, Lily had been peppering her speech with French phrases. ââ¬Å"French better expresses the profound noirness of my existence,â⬠she had said. Charlie put both hands on the counter to keep them from shaking, then spoke slowly and deliberately, like he was speaking to someone for whom English was a second language: ââ¬Å"Lily, I'm having kind of a bad month, and I appreciate that you are throwing away your education so you can come here and alienate customers for me, but if you don't sit down and show me a little fucking human decency, then I'm going to have to let you go.â⬠Lily sat down on the chrome-and-vinyl diner stool behind the register and pulled her long lavender bangs out of her eyes. ââ¬Å"So you want me to pay close attention to your confession to murder? Take notes, maybe get an old cassette recorder off the shelf and get everything down on tape? You're saying that by trying to ignore your obvious distress, which I would have to later recall to the police, so I can be personally responsible for sending you to the gas chamber, that I'm being inconsiderate?â⬠Charlie shuddered. ââ¬Å"Jeez, Lily.â⬠He was continually surprised at the speed and accuracy of her creepiness. She was like some creepiness child prodigy. But on the bright side, her extreme darkness made him realize that he probably wasn't going to go to the gas chamber. ââ¬Å"It wasn't that kind of killing. There was something following me, and ââ¬â ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Silence!â⬠Lily put her hand up, ââ¬Å"I'd rather not show my employee spirit by committing every detail of your heinous crime to my photographic memory to be recalled in court later. I'll just say that I saw you but you seemed normal for someone without a clue.â⬠ââ¬Å"You don't have a photographic memory.â⬠ââ¬Å"I do, too, and it's a curse. I can never forget the futility of ââ¬â ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"You forgot to take out the trash at least eight times last month.â⬠ââ¬Å"I didn't forget.â⬠Charlie took a deep breath, the familiarity of arguing with Lily was actually calming him down. ââ¬Å"Okay then, without looking, what color shirt are you wearing?â⬠He raised an eyebrow like he had her there. Lily smiled and for a second he could see that she was just a kid, kind of cute and goofy under the fierce makeup and attitude. ââ¬Å"Black.â⬠ââ¬Å"Lucky guess.â⬠ââ¬Å"You know I only own black.â⬠She grinned. ââ¬Å"Glad you didn't ask hair color, I just changed this morning.â⬠ââ¬Å"That's not good for you, you know. That dye has toxins.â⬠Lily lifted the lavender wig to reveal her close-cut maroon locks underneath, then dropped it again. ââ¬Å"I'm all natural.â⬠She stood and patted the bar stool. ââ¬Å"Sit, Asher. Confess. Bore me.â⬠Lily leaned back against the counter, and tilted her head to look attentive, but with her dark eye makeup and lavender hair it came off more like a marionette with a broken string. Charlie came around the counter and sat on the stool. ââ¬Å"I was just in line behind this William Creek guy, and I saw his umbrella glowingâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ And Charlie went through the whole story to her, the umbrella, the bus, the hand from the storm sewer, the bolt for home with the giant dark shadow above the rooftops, and when he was finished, Lily asked, ââ¬Å"So how do you know his name?â⬠ââ¬Å"Huh?â⬠Charlie said. Of all of the horrible, fantastic things she might have asked about, why that? ââ¬Å"How do you know the guy's name?â⬠Lily repeated. ââ¬Å"You barely spoke to the guy before he bit it. You see it on his receipt or something?â⬠ââ¬Å"No, Iâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ He didn't have any idea how he knew the man's name, but suddenly there was a picture in his head of it written out in big, block letters. He leapt off the stool. ââ¬Å"I gotta go, Lily.â⬠He ran through the door into the stockroom and up the steps. ââ¬Å"I still need a note for school,â⬠Lily shouted from below, but Charlie was dashing through the kitchen, past a large Russian woman who was bouncing his baby daughter in her arms, and into the bedroom, where he snatched up the notepad he kept on his nightstand by the phone. There, in his own blocky handwriting, was written the name William Creek and, under it, the number 12. He sat down hard on the bed, holding the notepad like it was a vial of explosives. Behind him came the heavy steps of Mrs. Korjev as she followed him into the bedroom. ââ¬Å"Mr. Asher, what is wrong? You run by like burning bear.â⬠And Charlie, because he was a Beta Male, and there had evolved over millions of years a standard Beta response to things inexplicable, said, ââ¬Å"Someone is fucking with me.â⬠Lily was touching up her nail polish with a black Magic Marker when Stephan, the mailman, came through the shop door. ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËSup, Darque?â⬠Stephan said, sorting a stack of mail out of his bag. He was forty, short, muscular, and black. He wore wraparound sunglasses, which were almost always pushed back on his head over hair braided in tight cornrows. Lily had mixed feelings about him. She liked him because he called her Darque, short for Darquewillow Elventhing, the name under which she received mail at the shop, but because he was cheerful and seemed to like people, she deeply mistrusted him. ââ¬Å"Need you to sign,â⬠Stephan said, offering her an electronic pad, on which she scribbled Charles Baudelaire with great flourish and without even looking. Stephan plopped the mail on the counter. ââ¬Å"Working alone again? So where is everyone?â⬠ââ¬Å"Ray's in the Philippines, Charlie's traumatized.â⬠She sighed. ââ¬Å"Weight of the world falls on me ââ¬â ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"Poor Charlie,â⬠Stephan said. ââ¬Å"They say that's the worst thing you can go through, losing a spouse.â⬠ââ¬Å"Yeah, there's that, too. Today he's traumatized because he saw a guy get hit by a bus up on Columbus.â⬠ââ¬Å"Heard about that. He gonna be okay?â⬠ââ¬Å"Well, fuck no, Stephan, he got hit by a bus.â⬠Lily looked up from her nails for the first time. ââ¬Å"I meant Charlie.â⬠Stephan winked, despite her harsh tone. ââ¬Å"Oh, he's Charlie.â⬠ââ¬Å"How's the baby?â⬠ââ¬Å"Evidently she leaks noxious substances.â⬠Lily waved the Magic Marker under her nose as if it might mask the smell of ripened baby. ââ¬Å"All good, then,â⬠Stephan smiled. ââ¬Å"That's it for today. You got anything for me?â⬠ââ¬Å"I took in some red vinyl platforms yesterday. Men's size ten.â⬠Stephan collected vintage seventies pimp wear. Lily was to be on the lookout for anything that came through the shop. ââ¬Å"How tall?â⬠ââ¬Å"Four inches.â⬠ââ¬Å"Low altitude,â⬠Stephan said, as if that explained everything. ââ¬Å"Take care, Darque.â⬠Lily waved her Magic Marker at him as he left, and started sorting through the mail. There were mostly bills, a couple of flyers, but one thick black envelope that felt like a book or catalog. It was addressed to Charlie Asher ââ¬Å"in care ofâ⬠Asher's Secondhand and had a postmark from Night's Plutonian Shore, which evidently was in whatever state started with a U. (Lily found geography not only mind-numbingly boring, but also, in the age of the Internet, irrelevant.) Was it not addressed to the care of Asher's Secondhand? Lily reasoned. And was she, Lily Darquewillow Elventhing, not manning the counter, the sole employee ââ¬â nay ââ¬â the de facto manager, of said secondhand store? And wasn't it her right ââ¬â nay ââ¬â her responsibility to open this envelope and spare Charlie the irritation of the task? Onward, Elventhing! Your destiny is set, and if it be not destiny, then surely there is plausible deniability, which in the parlance of politics is the same thing. She drew a jewel-encrusted dagger from under the counter (the stones valued at over seventy-three cents) and slit the envelope, pulled out the book, and fell in love. The cover was shiny, like a children's picture book, with a colorful illustration of a grinning skeleton with tiny people impaled on his fingertips, and all of them appeared to be having the time of their lives, as if they were enjoying a carnival ride that just happened to involve having a gaping hole being punched through the chest. It was festive ââ¬â lots of flowers and candy in primary colors, done in the style of Mexican folk art. The Great Big Book of Death, was the title, spelled out across the top of the cover in cheerful, human femur font letters. Lily opened the book to the first page, where a note was paper-clipped. This should explain everything. I'm sorry. ââ¬â MF Lily removed the note and opened the book to the first chapter: ââ¬Å"So Now You're Death: Here's What You'll Need.â⬠And it was all she needed. This was, very possibly, the coolest book she had ever seen. And certainly not anything Charlie would be able to appreciate, especially in his current state of heightened neurosis. She slipped the book into her backpack, then tore the note and the envelope into tiny pieces and buried them at the bottom of the wastebasket.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Life Changingsurviving Life’s Unexpected Events
Jerry Bruneau October 26, 2010 Personal Narrative Essay Life ChangingSurviving Lifeââ¬â¢s Unexpected Events My life was outstanding after moving to Dallas. It was like something you read about in magazines or watch in a movie. I had the dream job, car, house, and social life. I worked as a bartender at the hottest nightclub in town and made a lot of money. I bought a beautifully restored 1961 Porsche, a lot like the one that James Dean had died in. My car had a pearl- white paint job, a red-leather interior, and aluminum alloy wheels with low-profile racing tires.I was living in a guesthouse on the estate of the nightclub owner; he lived in the mansion in front. We had parties there almost every night around the swimming pool. Suddenly the dream life I had known came to an unexpected and abrupt end. One night while driving home after work, I got into a terrible car accident. It was just after 2:30 a. m. when a brand-new Cadillac slammed into the passenger side of my car. The car h ad come out of nowhere and hit me so hard that the front-end of the car ended up where my gearshift had been. The impact was so intense that it bent my car in half like a horseshoe.It made me hit the windshield with my face, and broke my seat belt. There was so much blood! I could hardly see, not realizing at the time that I had knocked my left eye out of the socket. The pain was unimaginable! The only thing on my mind after the impact was that I wanted to get out of my car and kick this personââ¬â¢s ass. When I tried to open the door of my car, I realized I could not move my left arm. I could smell gas, and see smoke, and fire coming from the front end of his car. I yelled for someone to get me out of the car before it caught on fire. Several people had seen the accident.One man came with a fire extinguisher,; he managed to put the fire out quickly. I knew I would have to wait for the fire department and the ambulance to arrive before I could be removed from the car. The firefig hters arrived on the scene first. They used the Jaws of Life to pry open the driverââ¬â¢s door, attempting to remove me from the car. Then the paramedics arrived and took over. The first thing they did after giving me a quick look over was to inform me my left eye had been knocked out the socket. My eye was lying on my cheek and they needed to put it back in the socket. They told me this was going to be very ainful, and they would not be able to give me anything for the pain until I was at the hospital. They put something in my mouth that resembled a rubber dog bone, to keep me from biting my tongue, and endure the severe pain. After getting my eye back in the socket, they bandaged up my head, and. my face.. I could still see with my right eye, and I noticed the police had arrived. They were handcuffing a man in his late thirties or early forties, and putting him into the back of their police car. The man had just hit me with his car. The firefighters and paramedics tried to remo ve me from my car.I screamed out in pain and begged them to stop. I was pinned in the car. My legs and feet were tangled up with the clutch and brake pedals. They had to remove the driverââ¬â¢s door, the windshield, and the steering wheel. It took the firefighters and paramedics quite some time to free me from the vehicle. When they finally succeeded, I was rolled on a stretcher into the ambulance and raced towards the hospital. I remember the sirens screaming and the paramedic told me, ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢re going to be all right, just holding on. â⬠Hell, I had a death grip on that stretcher.I was in excruciating pain it seemed like an eternity; however, I did have my rubber doggy bone to bite down on. It was only about fifteen minutes before we arrived at the hospital. They rushed me into the ER where a small army of nurses and doctors were already waiting for me. They started cutting away my clothing and inspecting me from head to foot. After they removed my clothing, I sa t up to see why my left leg hurt so intensely. I only got a quick glance before the nurses pushed me back down. My leg looked like it was put on backwards; my foot was facing the wrong direction, and it was the size of a football.It did not take them long to assess the amount of damage my body had received. The doctor in charge of the ER told me I needed surgery immediately, due to life-threatening injuries. He also told me that they might have to amputate my left leg. He wanted me to sign a waiver for them to do whatever surgeries I needed. ââ¬Å"Do whatever you need to save my life, ââ¬Å"I replied,â⬠but I will not sign a waiver to have my left leg amputated. â⬠I want to wake up in one piece, I told him. Then I was wheeled down the hall and up the elevator to the operating room. Once I was on the operating table, it only took a few moments for them to put me to sleep.Suddenly I woke feeling as if I was strangely floating above the operating table. I was watching them trying to shock me back to life. I remember thinking to myself, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m way too young to die! â⬠I wondered how it would affect my family if I did. The next time I woke up, I was in the ICU with tubes coming out of me everywhere. Both legs were in traction, but I was still in one piece, thank God! The only thing I could move was my right arm. I used it to try to pull the tube out of my throat. I wanted to get someoneââ¬â¢s attention. It did not take long; when I started to pull the tube out of my throat, all kinds of alarms went off.One of the nurses painstakingly finished removing the tube from my throat so that I could talk. A doctor came to my room and informed me of my current condition. Both hip joints were broken. My left kneecap was crushed and all the ligaments were torn. Both ankles were broken and all the bones in my left foot were crushed. They had managed to save my left leg from amputation; however, I would need more surgeries. They were going to fly two specialists in to finish the work on my leg;, I would have to sign a special waiver for experimental surgery.They also told me I would probably never walk again, at least not without crutches or a cane. A plastic surgeon stitched my face and head back together; plus some internal injuriesit took over 1,100 stitches. He did such a good job you would never know it to look at me today. Additional injuries included broken ribs and, which punctured both lungs, plus some internal injuries. I spent the next five or six months in the hospital. My rehabilitation was going excessively slow for me. They had just finished the last operation on my legs, and I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to let me out.Then one night a friend of mine came by to visit, and we devised a plan to sneak me out the hospital. First, he found an orderlyââ¬â¢s jacket and put it on. Then he put all my valuables into a laundry hamper and brought them out to his car. After that, he pulled his car ar ound to one of the side exits then came back to get me. He helped me into a wheelchair, snuck me out to his car, and drove me home. I spent the next three months rehabilitating myself at home. I had made up my mind that I did not care what any of the doctors had told me. I was going to do whatever it took, but I was going to walk again.In the beginning, I would hang off the diving board of the swimming pool just kicking, kicking my legs back and forth until I was in so much the pain andbecame unbearable. After two months, my legs were finally strong enough thto start walking around in the swimming pool after two months of this. I went back to the hospital after my recovery. They The doctors could not believe their eyes when they realized I walked in there they without the help of crutches or a cane. They never thought they would never see me again but, let alone see me walking. The doctor asked where I had been, so I told him the whole story.The doctor had to remove theforty metal s taples I had in and three screws from my legs. , which This was going to be extremely painful, since the skin had grown over the top of them. The doctor had to cut back the skin and pull them all out. I could not believe it when the nurse came up behind me and asked me to open my mouth, only to shove that dammed rubber doggy bone in my mouth. She said, ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢ll need this; itââ¬â¢s going to hurt a lot! â⬠After the doctor was finished, he recommended that I go to a professional physical therapist to finish my rehabilitation, which I did.During my rehabilitation, I had a lot of free time on my hands. Therefore, I practiced flipping liquor bottles around until I perfected the tricks I had seen other bartenders do. Three months later, I was almost as good as new. I did not have any problems getting around at all. I went back to work and became one of the best bartenders in Dallas. In fact, I was voted the best bartender in Dallas five years in a row. This unexpected event had taken almost a year of my life. Not only did I survive, but also I made a complete recovery despite my doctorsââ¬â¢ doubts.
Friday, September 27, 2019
Idealism and the power of ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Idealism and the power of ideas - Essay Example Notably, Locke was no stranger to France, as he studied Descartes, and came in contact with some of the greatest minds of his age there. It was there that Locke found time to reflect and gain personal development. Locke, greatly inspired, wrote and published some well acknowledged philosophical pieces that have really made him an accomplished man. He had reached heights that other philosophers before him doubted and never even thought possible. He wrote a series of books after that, which continued to make him one of the most influential and men from England in exile. Locke possessed a certain mix of attributes that made him have a permanent influence on politicians and other philosophers around the globe. Locke never married but lived a well balanced life of 72 years, and is fondly remembered. As great thinkers thought about drawing up the US Constitution rights, they kept his philosophical teachings close to heart.
Paratroopers in World War II Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Paratroopers in World War II - Research Paper Example Since most forces do not expect to be attacked from behind, paratroopers also had a distinct advantage which they could exploit to destabilize the enemy in advance of a larger ground-based force. Paratroopers of all services of the United States Military begin training at the U.S. Army Airborne School located in Ft. Benning, Georgia. For three weeks soldiers are trained by the "Black Hats" of the 1-507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The first week being ground week, where soldiers practice landings and in aircraft procedures, the second week being tower week, where soldiers practice exiting an aircraft out of mock towers and practice landing off the swing lander trainer. The third week is Jump Week, where soldiers must complete five successful airborne operations. Typically, the first two jumps are conducted wearing only the parachute, reserve chute and harness (referred to as "Hollywood" jumps), followed by two jumps wearing full combat gear and, finally, a night jump. After the suc cessful completion of five jumps out of a high performance aircraft, soldiers are awarded basic parachutist wings. This badge allows the now 'paratrooper' to be assigned to an airborne position within an airborne unit. (Cited from, wiki Pedia) The largest elite unit among Americaââ¬â¢s troops was the airborne division. ... oordinated with the paratrooper assault, known as a "vertical envelopment." But the war ended before Mitchell's innovative plans could be experimented. (Patrick K. Oââ¬â¢Donnell, Americaââ¬â¢s elite troops in World War II-the Airborne) After the war, the concept of vertical envelopment was neglected in the United States. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, pushed ahead with large-scale airborne exercises in the 1930s. Germany took notice of the Soviet exercises and began building its own airborne program, made up of paratroopers and infantry that would ride in gliders. The Fallschirmjager, the German paratroopers of World War 2, made the first airborne infantry assaults in history. When Germany invaded Western Europe in 1940, the German paratroopers parachuted and landed with gliders and captured strategic positions. A year later, in May 1941, in their greatest operation, they invaded and conquered the big island Crete in the Mediterranean solely by airborne troops. Their loss es were such that Hitler decided never to do another large airborne operation, so the German paratroopers served the rest of the war as elite infantry. With the outbreak of war, the Germans successfully used paratroopers to seize critical military objectives in Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where a small band of paratroopers and glider men seized Fort Eben Emael, which many had considered unconquerable. Kurt Student, a fighter pilot and squadron leader in World War I, was excited by the military potential of paratroopers, but the establishment of the German paratroopers force was delayed until the German military buildup began in 1935. In the meantime Student became an expert with gliders, the other element of his future airborne force (after World War 2 the helicopter replaced the glider as
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Latin history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Latin history - Essay Example While no underlining meta-narrative or explanation has been presented to account for the state of poverty in these regions, through the juxtaposition and comparison of these perspectives on urban poverty, shanty towns, and social violence, a pragmatic understanding of the issues affecting all societies and cultures is developed, ultimately promoting an empathetic understanding of the state of these marginalized poor. The film Bus 174 opens with an overhead shot of the Rio de Janeiro city landscape while voices from inhabitants leaving on the city streets are heard. The effect is very moving as the viewer begins to comprehend the expansive nature of the city and get a feel for the economic depravity facing many residents. The narrative voices explain how they are forced to beg for food, and attest to the difficulties of seeking shelter. They explicitly state that these issues are primary factors in their growing up enraged at the social order. The film consistently returns to the overhead shots of the city leading the viewer to consider the nature of the city landscape and the on-goings that are central to the film. The film is structured around a hostage situation perpetrated by a man named Sandro. The film reveals that it was the rampant crime in the city that led to Sandroââ¬â¢s mother being murdered when he was 6 years old, and ultimately leading to Sandro becoming a part of a street gang. The viewer becomes introduced to the depravity of Rio de Janeiro street life where large amounts of homeless children fend for their daily existence. In a sense, these inhabitants are presented almost like a scavenger or animal-like race that have been cast off from mainstream society. At one point during the film, a man states that if the police officers were aware that Sandro was a street kid they would have been more aware that he was
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Race in Turn of the Century America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Race in Turn of the Century America - Essay Example The problem of racial confusion was quickly becoming a serious issue, in the early twentieth century. This is because of the lack of a unified government, which would establish common grounds with racial equity and rights (King & Ruggles, 1990). After the end of the Civil War, eleven Southern States introduced national policies that further supported ââ¬Å"the problem of color-lineâ⬠, in relation to immigrants and African Americans, through the First World War. For example, ten southern states introduced laws prohibiting the mixing of races in ferries, railways, and steamboats (King & Ruggles, 1990). For instance, Atlanta, from 1908, introduced racially segregated elevators. Additionally, taxicabs were separated in Florida, Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Mississippi, Alabama. Similarly, it was illegal for Black and white baseball clubs to play, in proximity, in Atlanta (King & Ruggles, 1990). Change in welfare policy, after civil wars also promoted ââ¬Å"the problem of color-li neâ⬠. The Northern changed the social welfare policy to provide government assistances equally and help recipients become self-independence (King & Ruggles, 1990). This made the Southerners to further entrenchment of racism and slavery as a sign of disrespect to the Northerners, who defeated them in the civil wars. The Southern States that encouraged racism include Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida (King & Ruggles, 1990).
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Oil and Gas Extraction Accident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Oil and Gas Extraction Accident - Essay Example Moreover, numerous permits have been granted for assessment of mineral resources in the territorial waters allowing energy companies and international fisheries to move their activities into increasingly deeper waters. However, such activities increase the possibilities of accidents and disasters that can cause far-reaching impacts on sea ecosystems (Hsing,à Fu,à Larcom,à Berlet,à Shank,à 2013). Thus, on April 2010 in the northern Gulf of Mexico, there emerged an accident that released four million barrels of oil from Deepwater Horizon drilling rig to the Gulf of Mexico through the next month of the same year. While oil on the surface was removed by different cleanup operations, over thirty percent of the hydrocarbons were drowned in deep-sea plumes. As a result, the Deepwater Horizon blowout actually caused two incidents. First, the oil spill on surface influenced the deepwater plume with chronic subsurface effects and second, mid-water plankton and a variety of mid-water species, as well as the shores to which the oil spill came, were seriously damaged (Montagna PA, Baguley JG, Cooksey C, Hartwell I, Hyde LJ, et al. (2013). On April 20, 2010, the crew of the Deepwater Horizon was preparing to temporary abandon BPââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Macondoâ⬠discovery. The well had reached a depth. The final string of production had been put in the hole and cemented in place. Mud had been lost to the reservoir while drilling the bottom portion of the well. It is difficult to create a good cement seal between the casing and the formation and it is impossible to provide the efficiency of the cement seal without running a cement- bond log. The cement contained a nitrogen additive to make it lighter. à Gas from the reservoir may have further diluted the viscosity of the cement. The workers waitedà for the cement to dryà he crew began displacing the drilling mud in the wellbore and riser with sea water.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Identify and Discuss Classical Theories about The United Nations Assignment
Identify and Discuss Classical Theories about The United Nations Environment Programme - Assignment Example In management of UNEP, managers of the organization do not use coercion to guarantee compliance of its workers. However, its managers exercise power over their subordinates to assure the employeeââ¬â¢s compliance with organizational directives (Weber, 1958). In UNEP, bureaucracy exists in the sense that it represents the highest stage of rational development in its administrative system. The organization has delegated duties from the managing director, deputy-managing director to the organizationââ¬â¢s employees each with defined duties and responsibilities. For instance, there are fixed official duties at UNEP to ensure that officials have clearly defined duties and are delegated powers or authority to make significant organizational decisions within their sphere of specialization or competence. Further, there is hierarchy of authority at UNEP in that positions are arranged hierarchally in accordance with the level of authority. Management at UNEP represents an ideal administrative form that is based on technical expertise and in accordance with the laid down rules and regulations. Weberââ¬â¢s bureaucratic aspects of an organization evident in the UNEP management is that its managers have charismatic type of authority and it is comprised of a team of technical expertise who are selected and promoted based on their competence to do specific and specialized tasks (Weber, 1958). The classical school of management began in the year 1900 during the industrial revolution. This time, the factory system started to realize new problems in their operation. Scientific management theory proposed by Fredrick Taylor sought to bring every aspect of industrial production and task performance on an efficient and rational basis (Taylor, 2011). The theory was based on the view that organizational performance is improved by systemizing work performance and industrial operation, offering economic incentives to induce superior performance and standardizing tasks. Scientific theory
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Economic Growth in Nigeria Essay Example for Free
Economic Growth in Nigeria Essay The agriculture sector was the focus of intense development interest during the 1990s, with food self-sufficiency the goal. In 1990, agriculture was the subject of a separate three-year development plan involving public and private spending targets concentrating on the family farmer. The programà included price stabilization plans and schemes to revitalize the palm oil, cocoa, and rubber subsectors. The Agricultural Development Projects continued through the decade, but implementation of goals was difficult. The country still imports most of its wheat from the United States. An integrated petrochemical industry was also a priority. Using the output of the nations refineries, Nigeria produced benzene, carbon black, and polypropylene. The development of liquid natural gas facilities was expected to lead to the production of methanol, fertilizer, and domestic gas. Nigerias refineries operated at less than optimal rates throughout the 1990s. In the manufacturing sector, the government was backing a policy of local sourcing whereby locally produced raw materials were converted into finished products. By 1999, manufacturing accounted for less than 1% of gross domestic product (GDP). By the beginning of the 2000s, the government was more concerned about halting corruption and reigning in the state budget than economic development. Nevertheless, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was created to coordinate economic and social development in the oil-producing region. Nigerias foreign debt stood at around $28.5 billion in 2001, a large portion of which was interest and payment arrears. The Obasanjo administration in the early 2000s was supporting private-sector-led, market-oriented economic growth, and had begun economic reform programs. Privatization of state-owned enterprises continued. A Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), approved in 2000, lapsed in 2001 as the governments economic reform program went off track. There were indications a new IMF program for the country would be negotiated in 2003ââ¬â04. Read more: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Nigeria-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT.html#ixzz2HUrqN4ZB
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Group Dynamics Essay Example for Free
Group Dynamics Essay Trait approach- a trait is something we are born with. Certain characteristics have certain traits and these characteristics may make one player better suited to captaincy than another. Traits or personalities will affect performance and players in positive and negative ways. It can affect performance positively because if a person has a strong, slightly aggressive and determined personality then they can give the team an extra drive to win the game. However someone of this personality can get over aggressive if the team is losing therefore lowering other players morale and maybe causing arguments. Behavioural approach- this suggests that leaders display certain behaviours. This is different to trait in that behaviours are learnt rather than something we are born with. Players, managers and coaches who lack certain skills can watch others and pick up new skills and techniques. This will mostly have a strong positive affect on performance because if you are learning new skills then technically you are improving. On the other hand the new skills that are learned could not be very effective for a team/individuals style of play. Interactional approach- this combines trait and the environment influences. It looks at the need for different behaviour and leadership styles dependant on the characteristics of the group and the situation. If you have both type A and type B personalities on the pitch then this will have a positive affect on performance because you will have someone who can psych the team up and add some aggression to the team (type A) but you will also have someone who can clam things down and relax the team (type B). Stages of group development Forming- this is the development of relationships within the group. This usually involves a player assessing where they feel they fit into a group structure based on other players strengths and weaknesses. It also gives player the opportunity to see if the belong in that group. If a player fits into a team well it will have a positive affect on performance because it will raise the morale of both the individual and the team. However if the player finds that he/she isnt fitting into the team then their level of performance is likely to be low. Storming- sometimes involves conflict within the group as individuals attempt to establish their position and role in the group. It may involve confrontation between the leader and the player until different roles are established. This is more likely to have a positive affect on performance as players will be battling for positions therefore there will be a harder work rate from the team. On the other hand players may feel threatened and pressured by new players so they may be nervous in their performance incase they lose their position. * Norming- once the structure has been established the group gains stability and becomes cohesive. Players start co-operating and work towards their common goal. This is extremely positive on the teams performance because they are becoming more cohesive meaning that they will work better together and the team can become more successful. Performing- this is the final stage and involves all the players working together towards their common goal. Each individual accepts their role and supports other group members accordingly. Again this is very positive for the teams performance because by this stage the team will be both task cohesive and socially cohesive. It will bring great success to the team as players will be both mentally and physically prepared with each other.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Ben And Jerrys SWOT Factors
Ben And Jerrys SWOT Factors Ben and Jerrys is the ice cream company which is having the production facility in Vermont and marketing and selling the ice-cream most of the countries in the world. Ben Jerrys started making enquires about the Japanese market to start their operation in the world second largest ice cream market where the annual sales is approximately 4.5 billion USD. Even though the market is big and it is one of the toughest markets among the other. Here the language and the audience both seem unpredictable and understanding them without knowing their language is more difficult. But Haagen-Dazs have already entered into the market before 10 years. Ben and jerrys is the late entrant among those six leading players. It is the market where the consumers where demand high quality products and also with the more number of varieties and styles. Arguably this is the most affluent country in the world. Though Haagen-Dazss financial figures were not published, market intelligence suggested the ice cream maker had Japanese sales of about $300 million. Haagen-Dazs had managed to capture nearly half the super premium market in Japan. On the one hand, Haagen-Dazs would be a formidable competitor that would likely guard its market share. On the other hand, there would be no apparent need for Ben Jerrys to teach the local market about super premium ice cream. The market seemed to welcome the case information presents a situation report of Ben and Jerrys strengths, weakness, opportunity and threats (SWOT) factor report. Strengths Established successfully in the global markets in terms of USA and non USA Ben and Jerrys another part of their synonymous for social responsibility is Caring Capitalism. Ben and jerrys gave 7.5 percent of pre-tax profits to social causes like Healing Our Mother earth, which protected community members from local health risks, and Center for Better Living, which assisted the homeless Ben and Jerrys sell its ice cream with the chunky ingredients and catchy flavour names like Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey Weakness Ben and Jerrys unquestionably held the second largest market share (at 34 percent compared to Haagen-Dazs 44 percent) of the American super premium market, the company had started to lose market share. Hired Perry Odak at the recommendation of one of its member at a base salary of $300,000 with a start date in January 1997 Ben and Jerrys brand had the countrys fifth highest share of the ice cream market in terms of value, it still accounted for only a small 3.6 percent of the market Opportunities Seven- Eleven interested in bringing Ben and Jerry to Japan was that Seven-Elevens combined USA and Japan operation would become so important to Ben and Jerry Haagen-Dazs was being sold for 250 Yen per 120 ml and seven Eleven wanted to position Ben and Jerrys at a slightly lower price point Yamada would expect to add selected flavours of Ben and Jerrys ice cream cups to the Dominos delivery menu In todays health conscious societies the introduction of more fat-free and healthy alternative ice cream and frozen yogurt products Threats Ben and Jerrys was beginning to lose market share in both the total ice cream market and more importantly, the super premium market As the product would be exported from the United States, there would be a risk of negative exchange rate movement that could make exports to Japan no longer feasible Ice cream should be pack in personal cups and not in a 473 ml (one pint) size that Ben and Jerrys currently packed. The main fact is that small cups were the ice cream is seldom consumed as a family desert in Japan, but rather is consumed as a snack item. Customers mostly like to have that as an individual serving. Designing a small cups need the company to install new machines on the existing plants. The expense is more than $2 million for new equipments. Argument on General Terms Ben Jerrys began making inquiries about opportunities in Japan, the second largest ice cream market in the world, with annual sales of approximately $4.5 billion. Although, the market was big, it was also daunting. Japan was known to have a highly complex distribution system, its barriers to foreign products were high and the distance for shipping a frozen product from America was immense. Ben Jerrys would be a late entrant, more than 10 years behind Haagen-Dazs in gaining a foothold in the market. In addition, there were at least six Japanese ice cream manufacturers selling a super premium product. The company currently packing in a 473 ml (one pint) size but the market is for the personal cups. The main fact is the ice is the favourite snacks for the people in Japan. So the personal cups will pull the market towards the brand. Ben and Jerrys have not having the machinery to make the small cups. It would require around $2 million for new equipment and Ben and Jerrys are also ready to install the machineries in the existing plant itself. But in this period of time invest of $2 million for this purpose will affect the deal further. Japanese buyers basically expect the product on the perfect specification which they need. The Japanese customers are having the capacity to demand the company to offer the products on their specification. Merits and Demerits of entry modes: Ben Jerrys management was interested toward an entry into Japan it was not a good business plan. Entering into such a complicated market where the language and the audience everything is different. The entry will happen with the good financial background and the best management. The product is exporting from the Vermont so there is chance could be risk of negative exchange rate. It makes the company to face the unprofitable situation. This is the main risk factor on emerging the business in Japan for the Ben and Jerrys. The positive and negative factors are more in the entry of Japanese market for the company. There are lots of chances to get the distribution inside the country. On that entering with the help of Seven-Eleven is the safest way to the ban and jerrys. It reserves the freezer comaprtment for their product in the 7000 conventional immediately across the country. On the parallel side there is also a chance to lose the popularity among the audience. The Seven-Eleven planned to place the product within the conventional stores. Where the chances are like placing its product among the other existing market leaders. It will reduce the chance to be exploring the market like the Haagen-Dazs have done. Chances to become a store brands is too low. The deal between the Ben and Jerrys and Seven-Eleven will never affect the any existing product in the market. On the whole of business agreement there is a major drawback in signing the agreement and it is the ice cream package size. Ben and jerrys package size is 473 ml but the Seven-Eleven insisted Ben and Jerry are to be packaged only in 120 ml personal cups. The main factor is that Japanese market is mainly for the personal cups. They often consume ice cream in one of their snack instead of family desert. Yamada the company proposed to Ben and Jerrys to have the full control on the sales and marketing in Japan. By giving the full sales and marketing control to Yamada will helps the Ban and Jerrys in the positive way. Because dealing in an unfamiliar market like Japan will sure difficult for the company to operate. It also cares for the company to get the instant expertise in the unfamiliar market. Yamada is already known to the market in the frozen foods and building a chain for Dominos in Japanese market. By signing a legal agreement will make the Yamada to start the marketing process. It makes the Ben and Jerrys to be the leading brand in the market. And Yamada have already expected to add the different flavours to Ben and Jerrys ice creams and also planned to add some of its flavour to the dominos delivery menu. But so far no agreement has signed which makes there is no any specific plan. Seven Eleven can make the company to start the instant operation in Japan. But apart from that it cant make any more development in the branding. Because as Seven-Eleven committed it will sells six cups per day will never generate more popularity and revenue to the company. Ben Jerrys was the new product to the Japanese market and it is not having an enough budget to run a marketing campaign in the Japanese market. Seven-Eleven is the only hope for the company to handle the promotional efforts. But it never committed any specific plan with the company. Logistics Ben Jerrys had long been shipping ice cream to the West Coast and to Europe in freezer containers. Shipments to Japan were feasible in delivery reliability especially key, and, of course, costs would have to be minimised. Logistics research indicated it would likely take at least three weeks shipping time from the plant in Vermont to the warehouse in Japan. The product could not be shifted to another customer nor could another customers product be shifted to Japan.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
A Catcher In The Rye - Summary :: essays research papers fc
A Catcher In The Rye - Summary The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year-old boy recuperating in a rest home from a nervous breakdown, some time in 1950. Holden tells the story of his last day at a school called Pencey Prep, and of his subsequent psychological meltdown in New York City. Holden has been expelled from Pencey for academic failure, and after an unpleasant evening with his self-satisfied roommate Stradlater and their pimply next-door neighbor Ackley, he decides to leave Pencey for good and spend a few days alone in New York City before returning to his parents' Manhattan apartment. In New York, he succumbs to increasing feelings of loneliness and desperation brought on by the hypocrisy and ugliness of the adult world; he feels increasingly tormented by the memory of his younger brother Allie's death, and his life is complicated by his burgeoning sexuality. He wants to see his sister Phoebe and his old girlfriend Jane Gallagher, but instead he spends his time with Sally Haye s, a shallow socialite Holden's age, and Carl Luce, a pretentious Columbia student Holden treats as a source of sexual knowledge Increasingly lonely, Holden finally decides to sneak back to his parents' apartment to talk to Phoebe. He borrows some money from her, then goes to stay with his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini. When he believes Mr. Antolini to be making a homosexual advance toward him, Holden leaves his apartment, and spends the rest of the night on a bench in Grand Central Station. The next day Holden experiences the worst phase of his nervous breakdown. He wanders the streets, looking at children and talking to Allie. He tries to leave New York forever and hitchhike west, but when Phoebe insists on going with him he relents, agreeing to go back home to protect his sister from the ugliness of the world. He takes her to the park, and watches her ride on the merry-go-round; he suddenly feels overwhelmed by an inexplicable, intense happiness. Holden concludes his story by refusing to talk about what happened after that, but he fills in the most important details: he went home, was sent to the rest home, and will attend a new school next year. He regrets telling his story to so many people; talking about it, he says, makes him miss everyone By: Anna E-mail: Go0de2shu
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Mythical American Dream Challenged in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesm
Mythical American Dream Challenged in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman à à à Arthur Millerââ¬â¢s Death of a Salesman challenges the American dream. Before the Depression, an optimistic America offered the alluring promise of success and riches. Willy Loman suffers from his disenchantment with the American dream, for it fails him and his son. In some ways, Willy and Biff seem trapped in a transitional period of American history. Willy, now sixty-three, carried out a large part of his career during the Depression and World War II. The promise of success that entranced him in the optimistic 1920's was broken by the harsh economic realities of the 1930's. The unprecedented prosperity of the 1950's remained far in the future. Willy Loman represents a uniquely American figure: the traveling salesman. Every week, he takes a journey to stake his bid for success. It would be difficult to miss the survival of the American frontier mentality in the figure of the traveling salesman. The idea of the American dream was heavily influenced by the rush for gold and land in the nineteenth-century American West. It is no coincidence that in the 1950's, the decade most preoccupied with the mythical American dream, America experienced an unprecedented love affair with Westerns. Willy and Linda try to build their own version of the American dream with their family. In high school, Biff was the all-American boy as the captain of the football team. True to the myth of the all-American boy, girls and admiring friends surrounded him. Willy and Linda's lives are full of monthly payments on possessions that symbolize that dream: a car, a home, and household appliances. The proliferation of monthly payments allowed families with modest incomes to h... ...une promised by the American dream. He cannot admit doubt or insecurity because a good salesman always remains confident, and the American dream promises success to the confident, eager individual. Death of a Salesman addresses Willy's struggle to maintain his identity in the face of narrowing hopes that he or his sons will ever fulfill his dreams. Works Cited Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds.à The Norton Anthology of American Literature.à 4th ed.à New York: Norton, 1994. Corrigan, Robert W., ed. Arthur Miller.à Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969. Florio, Thomas A., ed. ââ¬Å"Millerââ¬â¢s Tales.â⬠The New Yorker.à 70 (1994): 35-36. Miller, Arthur.à The Archbishopââ¬â¢s Ceiling/The American Clock. New York: Grove Press, 1989. ---.à Death of a Salesman.à New York: Viking, 1965. ---.à Eight Plays.à New York:à Nelson Doubleday, 1981.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Can Sea Water Generate Usable Energy Environmental Sciences Essay
AbstractionAlternatively of following the conventional fuel oriented power coevals methods and dispersing its heat into environment, we evaporate saline H2O into steam and utilize its energy to bring forth power. Using this strategy would do sea H2O useable in power coevals which at the minute is merely being used for chilling intents in the power workss. The steam used for bring forthing electricity is finally collected, condensed and used for drinkable intents. The proposed strategy may be seen as Steam Power Generation with extra characteristic of desalinization. We set up an experimental trial bed in order to cipher the electric power available utilizing this strategy. To guarantee safety for human ingestion, we besides perform chemical trials on the desalinated H2O to see whether it is fit to be used for imbibing and agricultural intents. Our decisions are based on existent experiments and research lab trials ; processs outlined here may be used at larger graduated table for mor e in-depth analyses. We besides highlight future extensions and alterations in this work. Keywords: DC Shunt Generator, Desalination, Measurement, Power Generation, Thermal PlantsIntroductionMost of the Earth ââ¬Ës H2O is either belowground or in ocean. In both instances the high composing of different salts and minerals present in the H2O makes it useless for human public-service corporations. Merely 1 % of the Earth ââ¬Ës H2O exists in lakes, pools, or in any other soft H2O beginning, which is non sufficient for 1000000s of human existences. Human presently use 18 % of the accessible H2O every twelvemonth [ 1 ] . This calls for doing usage of other beginnings of H2O, for case sea H2O, which is available in copiousness. Before utilizing sea H2O, nevertheless, its salt content needs to be removed. The remotion of salt from sea H2O, called Desalination, occurs of course at ocean ââ¬Ës surface. The Sun evaporates saline H2O from the huge seas and oceans therefore giving rise to ââ¬Å" Natural Desalination â⬠[ 2 ] . These bluess occupy a cloudy construction w hich consequences in the purest signifier of H2O ââ¬â ââ¬Å" rain H2O â⬠. Apart from natural desalinization, there are two thermic desalinization procedures used worldwide viz. ââ¬Å" Multi Effect Desalination â⬠( MED ) and ââ¬Å" Multi Stage Flash Distillation â⬠( MSF ) [ 3 ] . In both of the mentioned engineerings, saltwater is evaporated and so condensed to get fresh H2O, though the procedures involved are rather different in each of them. Pakistan is blessed with more than 1000km long seashore line [ 4 ] . Rational use of this H2O resource is polar for the upheaval of an agricultural state like Pakistan. Sea H2O, nevertheless, has built-in job of holding salts and other minerals which need to be removed before doing it useable for drinkable and agricultural intents. Not merely in agribusiness, H2O play an of import function in carry throughing the power demands of the state. Country relies significantly on Thermal Power Generation, which burns fuel to heat H2O in the boilers for bring forthing electricity. Karachi Electric Supply Corporation ( KESC ) has 1756MW installed capacity for Thermal Power Generation [ 5 ] . Despite holding a big reservoir of sea H2O, its application in both agribusiness and power sectors of the state is impossible without taking its inherently dissolved salts and minerals. Desalination, although can give important benefits, brings considerable environmental harm because of its terminal merchandises. Some conservationists have claimed that the residuary by-product after desalinization with high salt concentration is a large Marine pollutant when thrown back into the sea at high temperatures [ 6 ] . On the other manus, desalinization has obvious cost benefits. Desalination might go even more economically feasible if renewable energy is used to heat the sea H2O alternatively of firing coal, oil or other fuels. The thought of utilizing renewable energy for desalinization is already in pattern at Perth Desalination Plant, which is partly powered by air current energy [ 7 ] . In an effort to foreground the possibility of utilizing desalinated H2O for power coevals before condensation, in this paper introduces a strategy to desalt sea H2O by heating it in boilers and to utilize the kinetic energy of steam to bring forth electricity. The proposed thought will non merely do sea H2O useable for agricultural activities but will besides bring forth considerable sums of electric power, which we need most desperately during the on-going power crisis [ 8 ] . In this paper, we are peculiarly interested in measuring the sum of electricity which can be generated utilizing the proposed set up and its impact on the chemical belongingss of H2O. It is deserving adverting that we are interested in the alterations in H2O belongingss caused by heating the sea H2O ; we ignore the alterations brought approximately due to the hit of H2O with the turbine blades. Rest of the paper is organized as follows. Proposed conventional and experimental set up is detailed in subdivision 2. Power generated following the proposed strategy is evaluated in subdivision 3. Consequences from chemical trials done on the condensed H2O are given in subdivision 4 and decisions are drawn in subdivision 5. Mentions are given at the terminal of the paper followed by the appendix incorporating the chemical trial study on the condensed H2O.PROPOSED SCHEMATIC AND EXPERIMENTAL SET UPAs mentioned earlier, the thought being evaluated in this paper is to boil sea H2O to acquire rid of its salt contents and utilize the kinetic energy of the ensuing steam to bring forth electric power. It can be seen from the proposed set up shown in Figure 1 that salt H2O is heated in a boiler under decreased force per unit area. The salt contents are retained into the boiler and the generated dry steam is sent out to the reaction-type steam turbine. The steam loses its kinetic energy again st the turbine blades in the turbine doing the traveling blades to revolve. This turbine coupled with the generator acts as its premier mover and hence electricity becomes available at the generator terminuss. Upon hit with the turbine blades, dry steam becomes wet and is subsequently condensed in the capacitor. Our experimental set up has used low capacity boilers, turbines and capacitor in order to enforce that the power we generate would be the minimal available from the set up. Bigger devices can of class output better power end products when used commercially. The shaft diameter of the turbine was 2.6cm, while that of turbine was 16cm. The blade tallness was 3.8cm and the nozzle angle was 20o. These specifications are given in Table I. The electromotive force construct up equation for a DC Generator is given in equation ( 1 ) [ 9 ] , where, P is the figure of poles, Z is the figure of music directors, Ià ¦ is the flux per pole, N is the figure of rotary motions per minute and a is the figure of parallel waies and Vg is the mean electromotive force built in the generator. Table 1: Specifications of equipment used in the proposed apparatus Volume of boiler 5lit Turbine type Chemical reaction Turbine Turbine diameter 16cm Turbine shaft diameter 2.6cm Turbine blade tallness 3.8cm Nozzle angle 20o Generator DC Shunt Generator Picture1 Figures: Proposed apparatus for desalinization and power coevals aÃâ à ¦ ( 1 )AVAILABLE TERMINAL VOLTAGE FROM THE PROPOSED SET UPIn this subdivision, we report our observations recorded from the set up discussed in subdivision 2. As has been mentioned antecedently, our primary involvement is in measuring the power generated from this set up, which basically depends on the rotary motions per minute of the turbine caused by the steam. Our observations suggest that the extremum revolutions per minute reached utilizing this set up is around 700rpm while mean value remained to be about 450rpm. Following, we evaluate the electromotive force generated by 450rpm in a typical DC Generator. Note that similar computations can be made for a synchronal generator. These observations are recorded in Table 2. Table 2: Observations on revolutions per minute and end product terminal electromotive force from the proposed apparatus Peak revolutions per minute 700 Average revolutions per minute 450 Terminal Voltage ( peak revolutions per minute ) 441V Terminal Voltage ( avg revolutions per minute ) 283.5V Mechanical Power ( peak revolutions per minute ) 24W Mechanical Power ( avg revolutions per minute ) 6.5W Therefore, for a lap lesion ( a=p ) , 6 pole, 1260 music directors, DC generator holding flux per pole of 0.03web used in our set up will bring forth about 283.5V mean electromotive force ( at 450rpm ) and 441V ( at 700 revolutions per minute ) . It must be noted that the dimensions of setup used in our set up is significantly little and greater electromotive forces may be achieved utilizing larger fringe.WATER TestingIn this subdivision we conduct intense chemical trials on the H2O recovered from the capacitor which had been used to revolve the turbine blades. We conduct these trials to guarantee that condensed H2O is suited to be used for imbibing and agricultural intents. In peculiar, we are interested in observing whether boiling sea H2O in a individual phase boiler has removed all unsought dissolvers. We have performed laboratory trials at Postgraduate Environmental Lab at NED University of Engineering and Technology on H2O collected in the capacitor obtained from 3 separate exp eriments. We present some of the interesting findings in the undermentioned. We attach one of the studies ( as sample ) in the appendix at the terminal of the paper. We discuss the consequences of chemical trial done on the condensed H2O in the followers. Our parametric quantities of involvement are pH value, Total Dissolved Salt ( TDS ) , Electrical Conductivity and Entire Coli-form. Obtained consequences are tabulated in Table 3. Table 3: Chemical belongingss of H2O recovered from the proposed strategy pH 7.8 Entire Dissolved Salt 5870mg/L Electrical Conduction 10.72mS/cm Entire Coli-form 0 Harmonizing to our trials, the pH value of the condensed H2O increased from 7.6 to 7.8. Condensed H2O, hence, is more basic in nature and helps forestalling wellness jeopardies due to sourness within the human organic structure. It must be noted that the pH values within the scope specified by World Health Organization [ 10 ] . This H2O will act as ordinary pat H2O when used in agricultural activities in footings of pH and will non turn out effectual in killing sources [ 11 ] . Heating the sea H2O at high temperature in our strategy is shown to significantly cut down the TDS value. The condensed H2O has merely 33 % TDS [ 12 ] compared with the original sea H2O. To be precise, TDS was found to be 5870mg/L which is classified ââ¬Å" brackish H2O â⬠in literature [ 13 ] . Although the salt content has non been removed wholly but writers believe carry oning similar experiments on larger graduated table can give better benefits. The electrical conduction of the condensed H2O, as given in Table 3 is found to be 10.72 mS/cm. The existent trial study ( besides given in the appendix ) suggests that electrical conduction can be well decreased by following the strategy outlined here. The ascertained value of conduction is similar to that of Divide Lake in Minnesota, United States [ 14 ] . It is interesting to observe that the H2O collected from capacitor has zero entire coli-form, which makes it ideal for drinkable intents in footings of hygiene [ 15 ] .DecisionThis paper investigates the thought of heating sea H2O at high temperatures for desalting its unsought contents and bring forthing electricity before distilling the same. Detailed proposed set up for the said thought has been given and by experimentation evaluated. It was found that around 24W of mechanical power is available across turbine blades utilizing really little graduated table research lab equipment. In order to measure the chemical alterations on sea H2O due to inordinate warming and hit with turbine blades, research lab trials were conducted on the condensed H2O. Although the condensed H2O did non turn out to be useable straight for drinkable intents, larger scale versions of similar trials might turn out utile. Still, sufficient betterment in chemical belongingss of sea H2O was observed in the trials. The chief motive for this research comes from the fact that Pakistan is blessed with a big coastal belt, which can be put to utilize in legion ways. This paper highlights one of those utilizations.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Kodak Company Essay
Eastman Kodak Company, commonly known as Kodak is an American multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquartered in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1889. Kodak is best known for photographic film products. During most of the 20th century Kodak held a dominant position in this sector. In fact, Eastman Kodak Co. is one of the dominant market share holders within the camera and other photography-related industries. Kodak pioneered amateur photography and is often credited for the invention of roll film and the first camera. The markets for color film and color photofinishing in 1954 were controlled by Kodak. It had over 90% of the amateur color negative film market. In 1994, Kodak appeals to court to terminate 1921 and 1954 decrees that restrict pricing policies. Moreover, fifteen years ago, Kodak was the fourth most valuable brand in the world after Disney, Coca-Cola and Microsoft, but today, the company has totally sunk. Indeed, on January 19, 2012, the company filed for bankruptcy. We will first discuss about the termination of the 2 decrees and then, try to find out what went wrong in the company that lead to bankruptcy. Finally, we will discuss about the changes I would have made if I was the CEO of Kodak in order to avoid such an end. Question 1: What are the decrees affecting Kodakââ¬â¢s actions? Why were they put into place? Two decrees affecting Kodakââ¬â¢s actions had been put into place, in 1921and then in 1954. According to the first decree, Kodak had to stop imposing different forms of dealing contracts on retailers, divest all of the acquired firms, license its photofinishing processes and technically assist anybody willing to start a photofinishing business. The decreeââ¬â¢s main goal was to provide better conditions for healthy competition in the photo industry. With the development of the color film market, Kodak became its unique leader. The company sold its color film only as a package together with processing. Thus, by bundling the cost of film and processing, Kodak effectively monopolized the photofinishing industry. This resulted in the second decree which placed a permanent restriction on Kodak from bundling the sale of its color films to the photofinishing process. It also required Kodak to divest itself of some of its photo labs. Thus, the decrees of 1921 and 1954 had facilitated the development of a competitive market for the sale of films as well as processing. The decrees against Kodak aimed to limit its market power and prevent monopolization of the photographic industry. Question 2: Who are the competitors for Kodak? What market share does Kodak have compared to its rivals? What competitive advantages does Kodak have? Kodakââ¬â¢s competitors are as follow: Fuji, Konica, Agfa and 3M. These are the four firms manufacturing and selling camera film in the US. However, despite a subtle difference in the quality of film, Kodakââ¬â¢s sales considerably exceed the ones of its competitors even though the prices charged by the company are generally higher. According to court, Kodakââ¬â¢s sales in dollar terms constitute about 75% of all the film sales in the US. About 241,000 major retailers provide Kodak film, while only about 71,000 provide its nearest rival, Fuji, even though its prices are reported to be 10% lower. As for the other competitors, their market share is relatively small: Konica accounts for only 4% of sales, Agfa for 3% and 3M for 8%. Kodakââ¬â¢s market share also increased thanks to several acquisitions it made; the most important one was the acquisition of Qualex in 1994 that currently accounts for 70% of all the wholesale macro lab photofinishing market in the US. The main co mpetitive advantage that Kodak has is the consumers ââ¬â¢trust and loyalty: despite much higher prices, 50% of consumers will only buy Kodak film, while 40% will prefer to purchase Kodak products. Moreover, the company also provides various incentives to those retailers who sell extra or only Kodak film. Question 3: What is the relevant geographic product market for film? According to the definition, a relevant product market includes ââ¬Å"all those products which are regarded as interchangeable or substitutable by the consumer by reason of the products characteristics, their prices and their intended useâ⬠. We can presume that the relevant market for film includes all of the five firms: Kodak, Fuji, Konica, Agfa and 3M. However, not all of these firmsââ¬â¢ products are viewed as fully interchangeable and substitutable by the consumer as stated in the definition. According to statistics, about 50% of consumers will only buy Kodak film despite of substantial price increases. This phenomenon indicates the consumersââ¬â¢ adamant belief in the superior quality of Kodak film. There were two different viewpoints on the relevant geographic product market for film discussed in the case. According to the district court, the relevant geographic market for film is worldwide, since foreign manufactures sell considerable amounts of film in the United States and Kodakââ¬â¢s market share is only 36% globally. However, the government argues that this determination is wrong and that the relevant geographic market in this case should be limited to the United States. The main explanation here is that a relevant geographic market comprises an area where the firm can exercise the market power. Taking into consideration the fact that Kodak charges much higher prices in the US comparing to other countries, the relevant geographic market for this case can be identified as the United States. Question 4: What evidence does the government provide that Kodak still maintains significant market power in the United States ? First of all, according to the government, Kodak had engaged in geographical price discrimination against its United States customers. The evidence shows that Kodak charges a higher price for its film in the United States than it charges for the same film in other parts of the world. The prices that Kodak sets within the US are normally above the competitive levels. This, as the government states, is one of the proofs that Kodak exercises market power in the United States. Another important thing is the US customersââ¬â¢ strong preference for Kodak film and the resulting premium price that Kodak is able to obtain for its film in this country. Despite the price disparity, Kodak still continues to maintain 67%-75% share in the US. However, the evidence shows that the quality of Kodak film is not better than its rivalsââ¬â¢ film quality. The last item evidence relied upon by the government to support a finding that Kodak has market power within the United States is the fact that Kodakââ¬â¢s own elasticity of demand is two. According to the government, an own elasticity of two indicates that Kodak is earning excessive profits from its film. This, as the government states, is strong evidence that Kodak exercises market power in the United States. The significance of an own elasticity of two, in the governmentââ¬â¢s view, is that it indicates that the sales price of Kodak film is twice the short-run marginal cost. Thus, from Kodakââ¬â¢s own elasticity of two, the government concludes that Kodak is exercising significant market power in the United States. Question 5: What risks are associated with terminating the decrees? More specifically, what actions might Kodak take that would hurt competition or unfairly hurt competitors? Terminating the decrees will definitely have some negative impacts and can seriously hurt the competition. It will provide Kodak with many relatively cheap ways to exclude competitors, such as introducing various price reductions and discounts, which the company can afford due to high sales volumes and profit margins. However, the same offers will be too expensive for the rivals, which might drive some of them out of business and only increase Kodakââ¬â¢s market share. Termination of the 1954 decree will again allow Kodak to bundle the sale of its film to photofinishing, as it did before and will involve some serious risks as well. As it has been admitted by the company, one of its main goals is improving its bargaining position with retailers. Since Kodak already enjoys market power over the film it sells to retailers, the termination of the decree will only strengthen its film monopoly and make it even more challenging for the rivals to compete. Thus, it is unlikely that termina ting the decrees and allowing bundles will benefit the competition in any way. Question 6: It was reported that Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection on January 2012. Please provide your comments on the failure of Kodak. If you were CEO of this company, what would you transform and reorganize in the company in the past decade? On January 19, 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection. The company was doing very well since its beginning in 1889, it was number one and above all, the consumers liked this brand. So, what exactly went wrong? What exactly lead a leader company in digital imaging and photography to bankruptcy? According to many people, economists, businessmen or just consumers, Kodak was killed by one thing, which is the digital camera revolution and an incompetent management that avoided embracing the innovations and changes to their market. In fact, rather than diversifying their product portfolio, they got stuck in cameras and printing and even then, did a poor job of innovating in both fronts. For most of the 20th century, Kodak was one of the largest producers of film for both still and motion picture cameras and it stuck with that business model even after the advent of digital cameras made its films, chemicals and papers obsolete. Kodak watched the market for amateur photography shrink for 30 years ; yet, management consistently made decisions trying to defend and extend the historical market rather than move the company into faster growing, more profitable opportunities. The irony of Kodakââ¬â¢s decline, however, lies in the fact that the companyââ¬â¢s own researchers had invented the first digital camera way back in 1976. That should have put Kodak in a position to dominate the industry with a stream of new products such as cameras, printers, printer papers and inks, just as it had in the old days. But it never happened. Despite the fact that Kodak invented much of the technology for digital photography, its leaders chose to license it to others rather than develop the market because they feared cannibalizing existing sales. Indeed, why would they risk reducing their high sales volume, their sales revenue or market share by introducing new products when the business is going perfectly? But they were wrong to think like that because it led them to their end. Kodak had been such a beloved brand for so long that its executives thought Americans would never desert it. By the time they woke up to the fact that film sales were dropping precipitously, it was already too late because the digital revolution was in full swing. There again, Kodak found itself behind the curve after its executives failed to anticipate how rapidly and completely the new devices would transform the photography market. Thus, the Kodak problem is that it did not move into the digital world well enough and fast enough. The former à « king of photography à » failed to reinvent itself in the digital age. So, Kodakââ¬â¢s failure was entirely due to strategic decisions either avoided or made poorly. As a result, from 2003 to 2010, Kodak reduced its workforce by 50,000 employees and closed 13 of its 15 film plants and 130 photo labs. By the end of 2011 it was rapidly running out of cash, its market share had plunged and its stock was selling for just 54 cents a share. The company found itself reduced to selling off its patents simply in order to stay afloat. In this kind of business, I think that the success is related to one simple thing which is innovation. As a CEO, the most important thing is to know when and how to do some changes in the business ; so, first of all, if I was the CEO, I would have changed the management team and hired people who were more open to innovation and who did not fear changes and were ready to take risks in order to achieve a better position and at the same time increase sales, revenue and market share. Then, the company was already leading since its foundation so if I was the CEO back then, in order to keep that high position in the photography and digital imaging sector, I would have always sought new technologies and innovations to always be one step ahead of competition. Even if sometimes innovating can be a failure it will never be worse than getting stuck with the same products for ages. Innovation is the key to success, but in order to make the innovation a success, it is essential to know the customersââ¬â¢ expectations and adapt the products to their need. By better meeting consumers demand, the innovation of new products is unlikely to fail. Furthermore, Kodak already had the consumerââ¬â¢s trust and loyalty which was a plus to its success. If we took into consideration the fact that photography became part of the daily life because of the phones; that half of the camera users did not know anything about photography; that printing pictures became less and less common because of social medias; that thanks to digital cameras, people took unlimited amount of pictures and most of those pictures went directly into social medias such as Facebook, Twitterâ⬠¦ It would have been intelligent and profitable to produce new products facilitating a ll of the previously mentioned elements years ago before bankruptcy and before competitors.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Media assignment â⬠Of Mice and Men Essay
Task: compare the opening sections of the two films versions of Of Mice and Men ââ¬â the 1939 black and white film starring Lon Chaney Junior and Burgess Meredith, and the 1981 colour version starring Randy Quaid and Robert Blake. You should look at the sections from the beginning of each film to the point where in each one Lennie says, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢m shutting up,â⬠on the night before they go down to the ranch. The 1939 version starts off with George and Lennie running away from a group of angry men. Both sets of people are running on foot, this is different in the 1981 film because the pursuers are on horseback. The 1939 film is obviously shot in a studio because the back projection is easy to make out, also there is no sense of distance between the chasers and the chased because they are never seen in the same shot because the studio is not big enough to have a long shot so all of the shots are close-ups. However the 1981 film it is shot outdoors and the pursuers are on horseback in the 1981 film to make it more exciting and to shorten the odds on George and Lennieââ¬â¢s escape. Having horses would be impossible in the 1939 film because it is shot in the studio and it would have been very hard for them to shoot a chase with horses in. There is a very different use of music in the opening sections, in the 1939 film there is little use of music and it does not change during the chase however the 1981 film uses music very obviously to ââ¬Å"make the viewing more pleasurable.â⬠Whenever George and Lennie are on shot the music is all jumpy as if the characters are being chased (which they are!) this gets the viewers attention up and helps them to feel part of the chase. Whenever the chasers are on screen there is ââ¬Å"bad-guy musicâ⬠and this shows the viewer that they are the bad-guys and George and Lennie are the good guys. This is a very simple technique to use but the 1939 film does not even need to. The only technique it uses is it has a very peaceful scene with some rabbits at and this peacefulness is broken up by the thrill of the chase. There is a big contrast here and it is designed to take the viewer surprise and keep them interested. This is significant and symbolic because George and Lennie are peaceful and all of their plans are made and then they are destroyed as if horses have trampled on them. There are also clouds that are seen usually at the start of a storm and this could signify the start of the storm for George and Lennie. The 1981 film was made for television, to keep the viewer interested they have the credits over the top of the action and because of this the credits are done with just text over the picture, they are presented very simply and this is because it is faster to do it this way so that it takes up less of the film and it can be done over the action without ruining that action. In the 1939 film it was one of the first films ever to have action before the credits. This meant that they took time over the credits because they were actually in the middle of a scene. An extract from the poem that the book and therefore the film are connected to is written of the side of the train carriage as if it has been written there. Then the writers name comes up in what looks like a handwritten font to look like a signature. The 1939 film mentions the poem by Robert Burns, which goes: ââ¬Å"The best-laid plans oââ¬â¢ mice anââ¬â¢ men Gang aft a-gley, Anââ¬â¢ leaââ¬â¢e us nought but grief anââ¬â¢ pain For promised joy.â⬠This is significant because the film is about plans made by George and Lennie which seem to be god and nothing could go wrong with them but something goes drastically wrong and leave George and Lennie with nought but grief anââ¬â¢ pain. The 1939 film does mention this however the book on which the film was based and the 1981 film do not. This could be because the 1939 film considers its viewers intelligent enough to understand and that they are at the cinema for a bit of culture however the 1981 film was made for television and so just for the action of it and it would not want to bore its viewers with poetry since most of the viewers will be watching for the action of the film rather than the significance of a link to a poem. The remaining credits are done skilfully and use the motion of the train and the objects that go past as wipes to change the credit picture so that it almost looks like they are actually written on the train. The way that the credits break up the action and are in between two sections of the film show us that time has elapsed and that the beginning was just setting the scene and the rest of the film is the main storyline. In the 1981 film there is a whole section with Aunt Clara that is not in the original film on which the later one is based. When George and Lennie are walking to Aunt Claraââ¬â¢s the music in the background is ââ¬Å"Red River Valleyâ⬠played on the mouth organ. This tells us a lot because the mouth organ was an instrument used a lot in ââ¬Å"old schoolâ⬠western movies so tells us where and when this film is set. A more important point is that the song is about going home and that implies that Aunt Clara is ââ¬Å"home.â⬠At Aunt Claraââ¬â¢s we are shown by his actions what Lennie is like when he says, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve been here beforeâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Arenââ¬â¢t you going to eat your pie George?â⬠This is a comical thing to say and produced some laughs while we were watching it but also shows that Lennie acts like a small child in the things that he says and does. Lennie obviously hero-worships George when he repeats everything George says and he is shown to be not so bright when he calls his own Aunt maââ¬â¢am. George ââ¬Å"moansâ⬠to Aunt Clara and the words are nearly exactly the same as when he moans to Lennie in the woods later on in this film and in the same place in the 1939 film. This could show that George is bitter about having Lennie tagging along with hi but the fact that he uses the same words again means that it is rehearsed and the words do not come from the heart so he does not really mean them. This also sets the scene for us when George says, ââ¬Å"He ainââ¬â¢t no kin.â⬠This tells us that George and Lennie are not related. The writer feels that he might need this scene in the film because Aunt Clara is mentioned later on and the fact that the film is intended for television where you get people watching who are not paying a lot of attention means that actions and characters need explaining more thoroughly. This also explains the music and some of Lennieââ¬â¢s comments such as ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ve been here before.â⬠George is presented a lot differently in the 1981 film than in the earlier version. The fact that George could even consider leaving Lennie would be impossible in the 1939 version. Even in the 1981 version George stutters when e tells Lennie to sit and wait as if he is not sure whether he should be doing it and that it is not planned. George then looks at Aunt Clara whose expression is impossible to read which tells us that she perhaps can understand why George would want to leave Lennie (backed up by her agreement to Georgeââ¬â¢s moans earlier on) but does not think that he will go through with it (which he doesnââ¬â¢t.) Lennie then fidgets and looks helpless when George gets a lift, George has always been around and is Lennieââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"comfort blanket.â⬠Lennie has complete faith in George when he mutters, ââ¬Å"I know youââ¬â¢re going to come backâ⬠but this is heard when an image of George on the truck seen and this makes the viewer very doubtful to whet her Lennie is right to place his faith in George. There is more use of music when George walks back after changing his mind. There is music playing when George walks back which suggests that time has passed and it is used so that it is not silent. The music stands still when George stands still and jumps when Lennie jumps and there is ââ¬Å"bad-guy musicâ⬠when the bad-guys are on and ââ¬Å"chaseyâ⬠music when Lennie has to run. This music is to try and get the viewer involved and to help them understand the film. This is a literalist use of music but is also a simple technique and it provides the viewer with a sense of excitement and involvement. The 1939 film does not use this technique at all. The following chase in the 1981 film is very similar to the original chase in the 1939 film and the later film could even start there and miss out anything before it if it wanted to be the same as the film that it was based upon. It is shot outside and the chasers are on horseback, they are running a different way and there are long shots indicating distances and George and Lennie lose them in a different way but simply George and Lennie are being chased and are almost caught but somehow they manage to get away. Both films then have George and Lennie travelling, in the 1939 film they are on the bus and in the 1981 film they are walking down the railway track. Both films suggest that they have travelled a long way, they fact that they are on the bus shows that it was too far to walk and on the railway track you can se for miles backwards and that implies that they have walked for miles from ââ¬Å"backwards.â⬠When George throws the stone at the advert in the 1939 film it is a very good shot to hit the face and this is not very good film making ââ¬â simply too good to be true. He throws the stone because there is an advert for the railway and by taking the bus they will have to walk for ten miles. The person on the advert is smiling a lot so this will irritate George because he will not be in the mood for smiling. Other examples of shots being done artificially include the huge amount of back-projection used in the 1939 film and the small amount used in 1981. The 1939 back projection includes: the original chase; jumping onto the train shown by the actors running on the spot and then stopping when they get on to the train and on the bus, first when sitting down and next when near the driver, shown by the phoney movement of the drivers arms on the wheel (there are fake bus noises when it stops, using brakes and then pulls away again.) The scene by the watering pond it is shot in a studio where again fake running water noises are used and fake bug noises that are ââ¬Å"supposedâ⬠to be realistic but in the 1981 film it is shot outside in the real open air and there are no bug noises there because none have been added in. The only place where back-projection was obvious in the 1981 film was when George was sitting on the truck and behind him was back-projection, cleverly edited with long-shots that were real and real film when he got on and off. Back-projection was used a lot more in the earlier film because by 1981 it was possible to do a lot more filming outside because technology had improved. The 1981 film uses other techniques though. The choice of music is very important because the music nearly always has meaning, this can be as explained above or by the actual piece of music itself. ââ¬Å"Red River Valleyâ⬠is used again when George and Lennie are by the river and because it is a song about going home it suggests that George and Lennie are going t their new home, which will be the ranch. ââ¬Å"New World Symphonyâ⬠is used when George and Lennie are walking along after the visit to Aunt Claraââ¬â¢s and the second chase. ââ¬Å"New World Symphonyâ⬠is based on a song ââ¬Å"Going Homeâ⬠which is used at funerals, this could mean that George and Lennie are on a trip to take one of them (Lennie) home for good. All the music is played on the harmonica, which is a plaintive instrument that amplifies the point that the songs are making. The last scene by the river are almost word-for-word the same in both films. The second film is an adaptation on the first film so this is to be expected. Even the acting of the four men is very similar and the moving around is the same. This could be because the adaptors of the second film have liked the way the first film does this part of the production and could not think of a better way to do it so they did it in exactly the same way as the first film.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Project on Cement Essay
Any accomplishment requires the effort of many people and this work is no different. I especially thank Mr. R.K.Gupta; Director of Cii & CITMS, whose support and patience was instrumental in accomplishing this project. I would like to thank our Faculty Guide Miss.Pubali Koley whose diligent effort made this project possible. My grateful acknowledgement to all the staff member of Ultra tech Cement limited for their support and cooperation. At last again I want to extent my thanks to all the teachers of Cii & CITMS ââ¬â Durgapur for giving support and confidence for doing this project. [pic] This ambitious project at ULTRATECH CEMENT under the project title ââ¬Å"ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL STRATEGYâ⬠has been carried out under the able guidance of company & institutional experts. The vision or the objective of this project was to identify the Advertising needs. As the growth is a continuous process, so it is also very much important to find out the corners or the areas where the scope for the development is present. The effectiveness of the Advertising was also under the scan during this period where it is observed that the effective Advertising can effectively maximize sales volume & revenue. This Advertising process is also effective to manage the planned sales strategy. The Advertising process at WEST BENGAL CEMENT WORKS is judiciously planned &Divided into four parts. This practical project helped a lot to get the knowledge from all the avenues of the Marketing Management &it is also perceived that it will help the company time to time in its growth process. Introduction T he function of Advertising is to close the gap between the desire performance and the actual job performance. The need for quality Advertising program is on the increase due to the fact that the highly competitive business environment is throwing up new and complex challenges, literally every day. New and complex services are coming into existence, thereby pushing up the need for high- quality Advertising program. Due to the slowdown in the economy, many jobs are coming into existence, many jobs cuts are taking place leading to a situation where works must retain themselves to stay employed in the same organization or to complete in the market place. [pic] â⬠¢ To identify importance of Advertising in the organization. â⬠¢ To identify the specific Advertising area. â⬠¢ To identify the effectiveness of different types of advertising. â⬠¢ To identify the best methods and techniques for advertising. â⬠¢ The development of Advertising and sales promotion schemes to meet desired goals of organization. ââ" Increase in sales volume ââ" Maximize profit ââ" Developed sales promotion schemes [pic] ââ Because of busy schedule of the employees the interview was quite tough after a quite of waiting time. ââ Most of the executives were too busy, thus to obtain the desired & accurate data there was a need to take the prior appointment from them. ââ 50% of the sample size were not giving the correct feedback (due to varied hidden reason), thus there will be variance in the outcome of the study. ââ Most of the employees were not confident about the proper management (misuse) of the information provided by them. ââ They were also often reluctant in identifying the needed information. [pic] TITLE: ââ¬Å"Advertising & promotional strategyâ⬠at West Bengal Cementâ⬠Works.â⬠Research methodology is the method through which the project has been done. This includes various sources of collecting data. TARGET GROUP: The target group for the survey was Managers, Officers, Supervisors and of ââ¬Å"ULTRA TECH CEMENT LIMITEDâ⬠and press releases. SAMPLE SIZE: Out of 38 employees, 35 were taken as a sample for the survey QUESTIONNAIRE The company is having small number of staff. So, the questionnaire was made mainly for Managers, Officers and Supervisors. Some specific questions have been prepared relating to the topic and have been analyzed in such a way that it can fulfill the objective of the project. FORMAL INTERVIEW: Formal interview has been taken during the non peak office hour. [pic] [pic] UltraTech [pic] OUR VISION TO BE PREMIUM GLOBAL CONGLOMERATE WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON EACH BUSINESS OUR MISSION TO DELIVER SUPERIOR VALUE TO OUR CUSTOMER SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES AND SOCIETY AT LARGE OUR VALUES INTEGRITY, COMMITEMENT, PASSION SEAMLESSNESS AND SPEED UltraTech [pic] West Bengal Cement Works OUR RESOLUTIONS ââ¬â 2009 â⬠¢ ââ¬ËZEROââ¬â¢ BREAK DOWN â⬠¢ GOOD HOUSE KEEPING â⬠¢ TRUST AND SUPPORT R.B.SINGH Sr.dy.general manager COMPANY PROFILE Company Name:UltraTech Cement Limited (An Aditya Birla group of company) Industry : Cement manufacturing Type of Company: Public Limited Company Unit Name& Address:West Bengal Cement Works Near EPIP, MUCHIPARA, G.T. ROAD Post-Rajbandh Durgapur-713212 District- Burdwan West Bengal Registered Office : UltraTech Cement Limited B- Wing, Ahura centre, 2nd floor Mahakali Caves Road Andheri (east), Mumbai-400093 Board of Executives â⬠¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman â⬠¢ Mrs. Rajashree Birla â⬠¢ Mr. R. C. Bhargava â⬠¢ Mr. G. M. Dave â⬠¢ Mr. N. J. Jhaveri â⬠¢ Mr. S. B. Mathur â⬠¢ Mr. V. T. Moorthy â⬠¢ Mr. O. P. Puranmalka â⬠¢ Mr. S. Rajgopal â⬠¢ Mr. D. D. Rathi â⬠¢ Mr. S. Misra, Managing Director Board of Directors Executive President& Chief Financial Officer Mr. K. C. Birla Chief Manufacturing Officer R.K. Shah Chief Marketing Officer Mr. O. P. Puranmalka Company Secretary Mr. S. K. Chatterjee AT THE HELM ULTRATECH The Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited is the Groupââ¬â¢s apex decision making body and provides strategic direction to Group companies. Its Board of Directors comprises: â⬠¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman â⬠¢ Mr. S. Aga â⬠¢ Mr. D. Bhattacharya â⬠¢ Mr. S. K. Jain â⬠¢ Dr. S. Misra â⬠¢ Mr. S. Misra â⬠¢ Dr. B. K. Singh â⬠¢ Mr. K. K. Maheshwari â⬠¢ Mr. Vikram Rao â⬠¢ Mr. Ajay Srinivasan MILESTONES [pic] 2009 â⬠¢ Grasimââ¬â¢s pulp and fibre division has won the highly prestigious Asian CSR Award. The Asian CSR Awards, Asiaââ¬â¢s Premier CSR Awards program, is a project of the Asian Institute of Management, Manila. â⬠¢ The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Government of Thailand will be conferred ââ¬Å"The Best Labor Relations and Welfare Award, 2009â⬠on Indo Thai Synthetic Company Limited. â⬠¢ Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has been named ââ¬Å"The Asset Management Company of the Year, Indiaâ⬠, by the Hong Kong based magazine, ââ¬Å"The Assetâ⬠, in the country awards category of their ââ¬Å"Triple an Investment Performance Awards 2009â⬠. â⬠¢ CNBC TV18 Crisil recognized Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund as ââ¬Å"The Mutual Fund House of the Yearâ⬠in 2008 and 2009 (for 2007 and 2008), creating history as the only fund house to have won this recognition in two consecutive years. â⬠¢ The Birla Sun Life Equity-Linked FMP won the ââ¬Å"Best Local Currency Structured Product-Indiaâ⬠at ââ¬â Triple an Investment Performance Awards 2009. â⬠¢ The Best ââ¬Å"Onshore Fund House ââ¬â India Awardâ⬠by Asian Investor, a Hong Kong based magazine at ââ¬â Asian Investor Investment Performance Awards 2009â⬠. â⬠¢ Rajiv Gandhi Award for Eminence in Social Field, 2009 was conferred on Mrs. Rajashree Birla by Mr. Jyotiraditya Scandia (Union Minister of State, Commerce & Industry) on 19 August 2009. The award recognizes Mrs. Birlaââ¬â¢s path breaking work among the poor, more so in Indiaââ¬â¢s villages, carried out through the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development. â⬠¢ Idea Cellular wins the Economic Timesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"Emerging Company of the Year Award for 2009â⬠. MILESTONES [pic] 2008 â⬠¢ The President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil conferred the much coveted Rotary International Polio Eradication Champion Award on Mrs. Rajashree Birla in an elegant function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Delhi), attended by the Chairman, select Rotarians and WHO officials. â⬠¢ The Aditya Birla Group was honored with the India Today Groupââ¬â¢s Readers Digest Gold award in recognition of the work that truly exemplifies the highest values of society as well as those of Readerââ¬â¢s Digest. The award was received by Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, and Aditya Birla Center for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, at the Pegasus Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2007 function. MILESTONES [pic] 2007 â⬠¢ Hindalco in a joint venture with Alex USA Inc. Tran Works Information Services announces success of bid to acquire Minacs Worldwide. â⬠¢ Grasim Industries Limited, India; Thai Rayon Public Company Limited, Thailand and P.T. Indo Bharat Rayon, Indonesia form a JV with Hubei Jingo Wei Chemical Fibre Company, China, for VSF. â⬠¢ Hindalco awarded the Genentech Safety Silver Award for its outstanding safety performance during 2005-06 â⬠¢ Hindalco awarded the CII ââ¬â Sorabji Green Business Centre ââ¬Å"National Award for Excellence in Water Management 2007â⬠. [pic] 2006 â⬠¢ Indian Rayon re-christened as Aditya Birla Novo. â⬠¢ Aditya Birla Group to set up a world-class aluminum project in Orissa. â⬠¢ The Aditya Birla Group signs a framework agreement to acquire St Anne Nackawic Pulp Mill, Canada. â⬠¢ Board reconstituted with Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla taking over as Chairman. â⬠¢ Completion of the implementation process to demerge the cement business of L&T and completion of open offer by Grasim, with the latter acquiring controlling stake in the newly formed company UltraTech. â⬠¢ Grasim, Nada, received the FICCI Annual Award 2003-2004 in recognition of corporate initiative in rural development. MILESTONES [pic] 2005 â⬠¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Group, is selected as Business Indiaââ¬â¢s Businessman of the Year ââ¬â 2003. â⬠¢ Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla is selected as The Economic Timesââ¬â¢ Business Leader of the year. â⬠¢ The Group is ranked 16th in Indiaââ¬â¢s first ever survey of ââ¬ËGreat places to work inââ¬â¢, published in Business World magazine. The Groupââ¬â¢s joint venture concern, Birla Sun Life Insurance, is ranked 9th in the same study. â⬠¢ The Group is ranked 20th in a study on the ââ¬ËBest Employers in Indiaââ¬â¢, conducted by Hewitt Associates and Business Today. â⬠¢ Hindalco receives the Asian CSR Award for its ââ¬Å"Rural Poverty Alleviation Programâ⬠. LOCATION OF W.B.C.W IN WEST BENGAL [pic] Organizational environment West Bengal Cement Works has rail & road connectivity to meet inward & outward logistics requirements. The private railway siding is connected to main line of eastern railway at Durgapur, which is 8.72 KM from plant. The cement is packed in bags with the help of three packers operating round the clock. The packed cement is dispatched to various destinations by road & rail. Organization Culture â â" Purpose: To produce the cement as per marketing requirement with minimum cost. â â" Objective: Zero breakdown, Good Housekeeping, building trust & support. â â" West Bengal Cement Works is having following facilities: âž ¢ Clinker unloading by wagon tippler (cap. 15 trips per hour) âž ¢ Fly ash bowers unloading system âž ¢ Cement mill with 1.0 million ton per annum capacity âž ¢ Cement dispatch facility by road & rail âž ¢ Clinker, Gypsum & fly ash receipt by rail & road respectively Land Details: o Factory:61.67 Acres o 16 flat residential complex:10202.4 Esq. o Assisted siding:2830 M. o Private assisted siding:2210 M. WHY DURGAPUR? West Bengal Cement Works (WBCW) is the 10th cement manufacturing unit of Ultra Tech Cement Limited, Which is located at Durgapur. â â" RAW MATERIALS Clinker : Hirmi Cement Works Fly Ash : Bakreswar Thermal Power Station Durgapur Project Limited (DPL) Gypsum : Hindi Liver Chemicals, Haldia Slag : Durgapur Steel Plant (DPL) Bokaro Steel Plant POWER : GPL, DVC TRANSPORT : North Eastern Railway, National Highway-2 WATER : River Damodar MARKET : Local Growth of City development LAND : 62.92 acres of good land for Construction. CAPITAL : Huge number of Bank for getting easy Cash MANPOWER : Available amount of skilled and Unskilled Labors from local area DEMOCRACY : Good demographic structure is found Here CEMENT PROCESS GYPSUM from Yard Gypsum hopper Electronic weigh feeder SLAG from Yard Slag hopper FLUASH from Bin Supplied SCHENK For accurate quantity CLINKER from Silo Slag hopper to Mill SEPAX SEPARATION CEMENT PACKING PLANT PRODUCT MIXESPacking in 50 kg bag with electronic packer loading in truck or rack PORTLAND POZZALANA CEMENT CLINKER : 70-74% FLYASH : 20-25% FLYASH : 3-4% PORTLAND SLAG CEMENT CLINKER : 50-54% SLAG : 40-42% GYPSUM : 3-5% Plant Layout [pic] A Partial View of West Bengal Cement Works [pic] [pic] ON [pic] [pic] ââ" ¡ Advertising is the dissemination of information by non personal means through paid media, where the source is clearly identified as the sponsoring organization. Advertising is one of the important components of the promotion mix. It is a powerful communication medium and a vital marketing tool. FEATURES: ââ" ¡ Advertising is one of the methods of promotion mix. ââ" ¡ It is a paid mass communication, not aiming at a specific individual. ââ" ¡ It is salesmanship in writing or printed salesmanship. ââ" ¡ It is undertaken to influence the buying behavior of the customers. ââ" ¡ The communication media are diverse such as print (newspapers and magazines), broadcast (radio and television), and direct (mail, billboards and motion pictures). `NATURE OF ADVERTISING ââ Element of Marketing Mix ââ Promotion Mix ââ Mass Communication ââ Massages ââ Price of Advertising ââ Sponsor ââ Persuasive ââ Element of Control ââ Identifiable ââ Target Group SCOPE OF ADVERTISING ââ Effectiveness of Massages ââ Appropriate Media ââ Merchandise ââ Advertising Functions ââ Responsibility of Advertiser ââ Fulfillment of Objectives ââ Generates Various Activities ââ Advertising as an Art & Science PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF ADVERTISING: âž ¢ To increase sales âž ¢ Persuading dealers to stock âž ¢ Assisting dealers to stock âž ¢ Increase in per capita use âž ¢ Recognition for quality âž ¢ Protecting manufacturersââ¬â¢ interest âž ¢ To eliminate seasonal fluctuations âž ¢ Creation of demand SECONDARY FUNCTIONS OF ADVERTISING: âž ¢ Oral support to salesman âž ¢ To furnish correct information âž ¢ Ensures product improvement âž ¢ Sense of security âž ¢ Appointment of efficient employees â⬠¢ The scope of Advertising includes these activities such as selection of media, communication with customers, and maintenance of brand loyalty and so on. Advertising Objectives: ââ" ª Simulating Demand : âÅ"â The current user of a product may be persuaded to increase the existing rate of product consumption. This may be reminding them about the product, its brand and the possible advantages of the product. âÅ"â The second way of stimulating demand for the product is to attract new user into the market by telling them the qualities of the product and possible uses so that they may change their brand. âÅ"â The third way of stimulating demand is to tell the current users about new users of the product so that customers may use the companyââ¬â¢s product for several other purposes. ââ" ª Increasing profits âÅ"â Advertising does increase sale of the product. âÅ"â Advertising will reduce various ââ¬Ëmarketing costsââ¬â¢ Specific objectives of Advertising: âÅ"â It introduces new product to potential customers. âÅ"â âÅ"â It promotes the brand by repeat purchase leading to brand loyalty. âÅ"â It increases the timing and number of uses. âÅ"â It builds the product and company image. âÅ"â It sets the trend by changing perception and behavior. âÅ"â It aids sales promotion campaign. âÅ"â It shoots up the sale and increases the market share. âÅ"â It answers the competitive attacks. Reminder advertising: â⬠¢ Reminding them where to buy it. â⬠¢ Maintaining its top of mind awareness. ââ" ª Information Advertising : âÅ"â Informing the market about a new product âÅ"â Suggesting new uses for a product. âÅ"â Informing the market of a price change. âÅ"â Explaining how the products work. âÅ"â Describing the available services. âÅ"â Correcting the false informationââ¬â¢s. âÅ"â Reducing consumers fears. âÅ"â Building up a companyââ¬â¢s image. ââ" ª Persuasive advertising : âÅ"â Building brand preference. âÅ"â Encouraging switching to your brand. âÅ"â Persuading customer to purchase now. âÅ"â Persuading customer to receive a sales call. Advertising Goals: âÅ"â To increases sales âÅ"â To establish brand equity, and âÅ"â To enter the target market. Behavioral goals: âÅ"â Advertising goals aim at changing the attitude and behavior of the target audience towards a brand. âÅ"â Advertising goals in behavioral terms is analysis of the communication and decision process that will affect the desired buyer behavior. âÅ"â Advertising could be aimed at any of these or a communication of these intervening variables. Communication Related goals: âÅ"â Advertising is directed at a group of users of product called the target audience. âÅ"â Attract attention âÅ"â Secure interest. âÅ"â Build desire for the product and finally âÅ"â Obtain action. Approaches for setting Advertising Objectives: ââ" ª AIDAS model âÅ"â ââ¬ËAââ¬â¢ refers to Attention âÅ"â ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ refers to Interest âÅ"â ââ¬ËDââ¬â¢ refers to Desire âÅ"â ââ¬ËAââ¬â¢ refers to action; and âÅ"â ââ¬ËSââ¬â¢ refers to Satisfaction ADVERTISING COPY ELEMENTS âž ¢ Headlines âž ¢ Subheading âž ¢ Body copy âž ¢ Captions âž ¢ Blurb or balloon âž ¢ Boxes and panels âž ¢ Slogan, Logo, Signature GUIDELINES FOR COPY WRITING âž ¢ Cash in on your personal experience âž ¢ Write from the heart âž ¢ Learn from the experience of others âž ¢ Study the product âž ¢ Study competitorsââ¬â¢ advertisement âž ¢ Study testimonials from customers âž ¢ Solve the prospectââ¬â¢s problem âž ¢ Put your subconscious mind to work âž ¢ ââ¬Å"Ring the changesâ⬠on a successful idea COLOUR ââ Colors are often used to attract attention and to enhance memory value. ADVERTISING LAYOUT PROCESS [pic][pic] VARIOUS ADVERTISING MEDIA ââ" ¡ PRINT MEDIA: âž ¢ Newspapers âž ¢ Magazines âž ¢ Journals ââ" ¡ OUTDOOR MEDIA: âž ¢ Advertising Boards âž ¢ Vehicle advertising âž ¢ Electric displays âž ¢ Sky writing âž ¢ Sandwich men ââ" ¡ DIRECT MAIL: âž ¢ Leaflets âž ¢ Sales letters âž ¢ Folders âž ¢ Booklets âž ¢ Catalogues âž ¢ Brouchers ââ" ª BROADCASTING MEDIA: âž ¢ Radio âž ¢ T.V âž ¢ Film âž ¢ Web based advertising [pic] AN ââ¬â OVERVIEW S ales promotion includes all those activities other than advertising, personal selling, public relation and publicity, that are intended to stimulate customer demand and improve the marketing performance of sellers. Need of sales promotion: ââ" ª To secure attention towards new products. ââ" ª To improve the market share of a company. ââ" ª To avoid duplication of goods. ââ" ª To create awareness among consumers about new brands. ââ" ª To face competition in the market. ââ" ª To create talking points for their sales force. SALES PROMOTION TOOLS ââ" ª Contest ââ" ª Premium offers ââ" ª Mail ââ¬â in free offers ââ" ª Free gifts with goods ââ" ª Picture cards ââ" ª Gift coupons ââ" ª Coupons ââ" ª Cross coupons ââ" ª Jumbo packs ââ" ª Money ââ¬â off offers ââ" ª Sales letters SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY [pic] ADVERTISING & SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY TAKEN BY ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED ADITYA BIRLA GROUP ââ¬â AT A GLANCE o The roots of the Aditya Birla Group date back to the 19th century in the picturesque town of Pilani set amidst the Rajasthan desert. It was here that Seth Shiv Narayan Birla started trading in cotton, laying the foundation for the House of Birlas. Through Indiaââ¬â¢s arduous times of the 1850s, the Birla business expanded rapidly. In the early part of the 20th century, our Groupââ¬â¢s founding father, Ghanshyamdas Birla, set up industries in critical sectors such as textiles and fibre, aluminums, cement and chemicals. As a close confidante of Mahatma Gandhi, he played an active role in the Indian freedom struggle. He represented India at the first and second round-table conference in London, along with Gandhiji. It was at ââ¬Å"Birla Houseâ⬠in Delhi that the luminaries of the Indian freedom struggle often met to plot the downfall of the British Raj. Aditya Vikram Birla: putting India on the world map |[pic] | | | A formidable force in Indian industry, Mr. Aditya Birla dared to dream of setting up a global business empire at the age of 24. He was the first to put Indian business on the world map, as far back as 1969, long before globalization became a buzzword in India. In the then vibrant and free market South East Asian countries, he ventured to set up world-class production bases. He had foreseen the winds of change and staked the future of his business on a competitive, free market driven economy order. He put Indian business on the globe, 22 years before economic liberalization was formally introduced by the former Prime Minister, Mr. Narasimha Rao and the former Union Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. He set up 19 companies outside India, in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Egypt. [pic] Quality push: Mr. B. Venugopal, Senior Vice-President, UltraTech Cement Ltd, at the inauguration of mobile concrete laboratory in Durgapur. UltraTech Cement, as part of its ââ¬Ëproduct plusââ¬â¢ services, has introduced a mobile concrete testing laboratory for ascertaining the quality of reinforcement materials and for guiding those building houses about its quality. ULTRATECH: BRAND POWER Excerpts from an interview with O.P. Puranmalka, Group Executive President, Grasim Industries and Chief Marketing Officer, UltraTech Cement Ltd. |[pic] | | | In step with its global agenda, the cement business of the Aditya Birla Group, is orchestrating a contemporary brand makeover. With UltraTech Cement, the Aditya Birla Group has established itself as not only the most respected domestic player but also among the global leaders in cement. Associate Editor Vidyut Kumar Ta in an exclusive interview with O.P. Puranmalka, Group Executive President, Grasim Industries and Chief Marketing Officer, UltraTech Cement Limited, analyses the strategy behind promoting a single brand identity of the companyââ¬â¢s cement products. Signature line [pic] ââ¬Å"The name UltraTech with the signature line, ââ¬ËThe Engineerââ¬â¢s Choiceââ¬â¢, admirably captures the premium nature of the brand and its salience.â⬠According to Mr. Puranmalka, excellent product quality and customer care will remain the hallmark of UltraTech cement. Jaan Wahi Pehchaan Nayi [pic] K eeping pace with the current industry trend and taking the UltraTech brand to a new pedestal, the group decided to have one national brand. Birla Plus with its very strong presence in the North was a very well known brand. Its tag line ââ¬ËHar Nirman Ki Jaanââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËIs cement mein Jaan Hainââ¬â¢ had become household phrases. Observes Mr. Puranmalka: ââ¬Å"We opted for UltraTech as the national brand because while on the one hand, it gives us the opportunity to strengthen common attributes of a premium brand, scale of operations and the Aditya Birla Groupââ¬â¢s reputation, it also provides an opportunity to build on the positioning platform of ââ¬Ëexpertââ¬â¢ and imagery signifying ââ¬Ëprogressââ¬â¢, ââ¬Ëcutting edge technologyââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëmodernityââ¬â¢. Strategy A lthough cement is said to be a low-involvement category, the brand awareness in this category is very high. Major brands like ACC, Ambuja and some strong regional brands have been fighting for mind space. Says Mr. Puranmalka: ââ¬Å"Brand awareness is the category driver. We wanted to be different and were constantly on the look out for high visibility media. We found that cricket has a great following in our country and we wanted to explore the possibility of associating with this sport. CHAK ââ¬â DE STRATEGY [pic] I ndia, the worldââ¬â¢s largest producer of movies in as many as 10-12 different languages, provides a great opportunity for advertisers to reach the masses. Films are a great entertainment platform for most Indians. Many FMCGs have encased this opportunity. The in-film branding opportunity was used by UltraTech for the first time ever in the cement industry. The film Chak De India, promoting womenââ¬â¢s hockey in India, became an all-time hit. In the movie UltraTech was the sponsor of the Indian womenââ¬â¢s hockey team. UltraTech branding was all over, throughout the movie. ââ¬ËIt was a big gamble we took,â⬠à says Mr. Puranmalka. ââ¬Å"Initially we were skeptical, with many big banners with big stars failing in the recent past. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to go ahead with this gamble and finally Chak De India almost became like a national anthem, with India winning the womenââ¬â¢s hockey title in reality and our cricket team winning the inaugural 20-20 World Cup.â⬠BRANDED CHANNELS S urging ahead of competition, the cement business brought in a new concept in cement marketing ââ¬â UltraTech Building Solutions, a one-stop shop for all construction needs. ââ¬Å"This is a unique concept and was tested in Rajkot which is one of the fastest-growing cities in construction in the country today,â⬠says Mr. Puranmalka. ââ¬Å"Advocating our Plan, Build and Supportâ⬠philosophy, it seeks to enhance the shopping experience of customers and strengthen existing trade partnerships, by upgrading the service proposition. It offers a wide spectrum of end-to-end home building solutions, high quality construction materials and allied value-added services. As a business model, UltraTech Building Solutions offers home building solutions from planning to completion. B asically, every customer who walks in to UltraTech Building Solutions outlet receives guidance on construction-related issues as well as value-added services like Vastu, usage of budget software to estimate costs involved for construction, paper clearance procedures, etc. The customer gets a ready reckoner of information on how to choose and buy quality construction materials. With the Rajkot success and with key learning points, the company intends to open many more outlets across the country. Measuring Effectiveness ââ¬Å"O nce the goals are well defined we need to measure the effectiveness of all such initiatives that are undertaken from time to time,â⬠says Mr.à Puranmalka. ââ¬Å"We are research-savvy in our approach. We go into minute details to find out the cause and effect, keeping the larger picture in mind.â⬠This is true right from the selection of the brand name UltraTech to ad campaign testing, media effectiveness and so on. Regular Brand Health Monitoring studies are undertaken to understand various critical issues like awareness, usage pattern, equity indices, psycho-economic mix of the target group (TG), etc. Mr. Puranmalka adds: ââ¬Å"Recently we initiated and completed a customer satisfaction survey to understand the expectations of customers and benchmark with the best in the industry. Of course there are some insights, which we need to address internally, but overall we are happy with the outcome. The results are very encouraging and you would be glad to know we are steeri ng ahead of competition.â⬠Rajasthan Royals ropes in UltraTech as team sponsor: â â" Rajasthan Royals has roped in UltraTech Cement as their team sponsor. With this, the Emerging Media-owned IPL franchiseââ¬â¢s sponsor roster stands at eight. â â" Rajasthan Royals CMO Raghu Iyer, ââ¬Å"All deals are intended to be long-term. Our earlier team sponsor was Bajaj Allianz but we agreed to mutually part ways amicably.â⬠â â" UltraTech Cement will have branding on the team jerseys and team-replica merchandise. Iyer added that plans are being worked upon as to how the two parties can best take this relationship forward. â â" As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, TCS is the franchiseeââ¬â¢s technology partner. TCS will offer expertise in IT solutions to the T20 cricket team on and off the field for the next three years. The Television Plan: âž ¢ The franchisee is planning activities with Super sport which will air the IPL in South Africa. Rajasthan Royals had earlier entered into a strategicà partnership with the Nashua Cape Cobras. The first match will be played on 11 April. In the days preceding the encounter, there will be special features in the form of player profiles and interviews. âž ¢ In India the franchiseââ¬â¢s partners are Aaj Tak and Times Now. The plan is to offer them special footage and capsules. Ayer added that the franchisee is in talks with several broadcasters to air their DVD. Victory will be aired on the channel. âž ¢ Rajasthan Royals claims that it is witnessing good sales of the two DVDs that it has launched earlier. While Road to Victory is about how the team triumphed in the IPLââ¬â¢s inaugural edition, Access All Areas aims to give fans an idea of what goes on behind-the-scenes to make the IPL a success. [pic] The prime purpose of the project is to identify Advertising and sales promotion strategies of ULTRA TECH CEMENT LIMITED. The ingredient for a successful analysis is a structured questionnaire, for the better construction of analysis of the data generated from the questionnaire. The following step by step analysis is a proportionate mix of good high quality and dire views. 1. How ââ¬Ëadvertisingââ¬â¢ is effective to increase the sales volume? Always: ââ¬â 65% To great extent: ââ¬â 25% To some extent: ââ¬â 10% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: As there is no magic for success and to increase sales volume and profit, Advertising is the only key. 2. How ââ¬Ëadvertisingââ¬â¢ is effective to stimulate demand for the product? Always: ââ¬â 60% To great extent: ââ¬â 25% To some extent: ââ¬â 15% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Without advertising itsââ¬â¢ very complex to stimulate demand for product. 3. DO you feel that ââ¬ËAdvertisingââ¬â¢ will reduce various ââ¬Ëmarketing costsââ¬â¢? Always: ââ¬â 55% To great extent: ââ¬â 35% To some extent: ââ¬â 10% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is so effective to reduce various marketing costs. 4. Do you feel that ââ¬ËAdvertisingââ¬â¢ increases repeat purchasing? Always: ââ¬â 70% To great extent: ââ¬â 20% To some extent: ââ¬â 5% To very little extent: ââ¬â 5% Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Maximum no. of customer accepts that advertising increase repeat purchasing. 5. Do you feel that ââ¬ËAdvertisingââ¬â¢ informing the market about a new product? Always: ââ¬â 85% To great extent: ââ¬â 10% To some extent: ââ¬â 5% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is highly effective to inform the market about new product. 6. Is ââ¬ËAdvertisingââ¬â¢ act as building up a companyââ¬â¢s image? Always: ââ¬â 68% To great extent: ââ¬â 23% To some extent: ââ¬â 5% To very little extent: ââ¬â 4% Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Advertising is a successive method to build up companyââ¬â¢s image. 7. How ââ¬ËAdvertisingââ¬â¢ is helpful method for market positioning? Always: ââ¬â 52% To great extent: ââ¬â 25% To some extent: ââ¬â 10% To very little extent: ââ¬â 7% Not at all: ââ¬â 6% [pic] Remark: Advertising is quite impressive method for market positioning. 8. How ââ¬ËSales Promotionââ¬â¢ effectual to improve the market share of a company? Always: ââ¬â 55% To great extent: ââ¬â 20% To some extent: ââ¬â 15% To very little extent: ââ¬â 10% Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion is effective policy to improve the market share of a company according to people. 9. How ââ¬Ësales promotionââ¬â¢ work to face competition in the market? Always: ââ¬â 70% To great extent: ââ¬â 20% To some extent: ââ¬â 10% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion used as effective tool to face competition in the market. 10. Do you feel that ââ¬ËSales Promotionââ¬â¢ should attract the attention of the target audience? Always: ââ¬â 75% To great extent: ââ¬â 20% To some extent: ââ¬â 5% To very little extent: ââ¬â 0.0 Not at all: ââ¬â 0.0 [pic] Remark: Sales promotion should attract the attention of the target audience to purchase particular product. ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS Most advertiser try to measure the communication effect of an AD ââ¬â that is, its potential effect on awareness, knowledge, or preference. They would also like to measure the ADââ¬â¢S sales effect. ââ" ª The consumer feedback method asks consumers questions such as these: 1) What is the main message you get from this AD? 2) How likely is it that this AD will influence you to undertake the action? 3) What works well in the AD & what works poorly? 4) How does the AD make you feel? 5) Where is the best place to reach you with this message? ââ" ª Portfolio tests ask consumers to view or listen to a portfolio of advertisements. Recall level indicates an adââ¬â¢s ability to stand out and to have its message understood and remembered. ââ" ª Laboratory tests use equipment to measure physiological reactions ââ¬â heartbeat, blood pressure, pupil dilation, galvanic skin response, perspiration ââ¬â to an ad. SALES EFFECT RESEARCH What sales are generated by an ad that increases brand awareness by 20% and brand preference by 10%? The fewer or more controllable other factors such as features and price are, the easier it is measure advertisingââ¬â¢s effect on sales. The sales impact is easiest to measure in direct marketing situations and hardest in brand or corporate image ââ¬â building advertising. Companies are generally interested in finding out whether they are overspending on advertising. Researchers try to measure the sales impact through analyzing historical or experimental data. [pic] SALES PROMOTION EFFECTIVENESS [pic] O nce the goals are well defined we need to measure the effectiveness of all such initiatives that are undertaken from time to time,â⬠says Mr. Puranmalka. ââ¬Å"We are research-savvy in our approach. We go into minute details to find out the cause and effect, keeping the larger picture in mind.â⬠This is true right from the selection of the brand name UltraTech to ad campaign testing, media effectiveness and so on. Regular Brand Health Monitoring studies are undertaken to understand various critical issues like awareness, usage pattern, equity indices, psycho-economic mix of the target group (TG), etc. Mr. Puranmalka adds: ââ¬Å"Recently we initiated and completed a customer satisfaction survey to understand the expectations of customers and benchmark with the best in the industry. Of course there are some insights, which we need to address internally, but overall we are happy with the outcome. The results are very encouraging and you would be glad to know we are steering ahead of competition.â⬠[pic] The improvement in sales & profit is the evident for an organization. So requirement of advertising and promotional schemes is tremendous. ââ The structure of a persuasive message can influence the effectiveness of advertising. ââ Customers influenced by message appeals like comparative, fear and humor appeals. ââ The designs of advertisement impress customers. Design means the arrangement of various parts in a pre determined order say a blue print. ââ Advertising media should be elected carefully. Media reduces gap between customer and manufacturer. ââ Sales promotion schemes lead to increase of sales. [pic] ââ It has been observed during the course of questionnaire survey that 56% interviews suggested improvement of advertising and sales promotion techniques. Management is being advised to improve inefficiencies such as: âž ¢ Advertising message should be meaningful. âž ¢ Avoid unethical advertisings. âž ¢ Reduce use of women as sex objects in Ads. âž ¢ Banned on alcohol & tobacco ad. âž ¢ Reduce using of false claims & info. âž ¢ Careful about social values & consumer rights. ââ These are some initial steps which improve advertising efficiency. Efficient advertising and sales promotion schemes increase profit of organization. So, it helpful to meet organization goals. [pic] â⬠¢ PHILIP KOTLER, Marketing Management â⬠¢ Monthly Magazine issued by company â⬠¢ Mr.B.Devamaindhan, Advertising management and Sales promotion â⬠¢ Web based information CONCLUSION â⬠¢ Design good layout and message of advertising to make it effective. â⬠¢ Organize sales promotion programs to increase sales volume and repeat purchase. â⬠¢ Care about ethical issues and social values. â⬠¢ Provide quality service to the customers. â⬠¢ Use reliable schemes to promote consumers. A FINANCIAL REPORT ON ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED Cash Flow statement of UltraTech Cement Limited |Profit before tax |1,361.46 |1,507.01 |1,166.19 |285.59 |43.24 | |Net cash flow-operating activity|1,457.57 |1,375.26 |1,113.09 |551.63 |337.42 | |Net cash used in investing |-1,645.43 |-1,441.79 |-1,046.25 |-357.24 |-87.18 | |activity | | | | | | |Net cash used in fin. Activity |191.66 |77.63 |-38.84 |-191.02 |-235.81 | |Net inc/dec in cash and |3.80 |11.10 |27.99 |3.37 |14.43 | |equivalent | | | | | | |Cash and equivalent begin of |100.69 |89.59 |61.60 |58.23 |41.83 | |year | | | | | | |Cash and equivalent end of year |104.49, |100.69, |89.59, |61.60 |56.6 | Dividend Sheet of UltraTech Cement YEARMONTH DIVIDEND (%) |2009 |Apr | | | | |50 | |2008 |Apr | | | | |50 | |2007 |Mar | | | | |40 | |2006 |Jul | | | | |18 | |2005 |Apr | | | | |8 | |2004 |Sep | 5 | Annual results in brief ââ¬â UltraTech Cement Limited |à |Mar ââ¬Ë 09 |Mar ââ¬Ë 08 |Mar ââ¬Ë 07 |Mar ââ¬Ë 06 |Mar ââ¬Ë 05 | |Sales |6,436.96 |5,509.22 |4,910.83 |3,299.45 | | | | | | | |2,681.05 | |Operating profit |1,760.29 |1,720.06 |1,417.81 |554.26 |272.81 | |Interest |125.51 |75.67 |86.83 |89.64 | | | | | | | |106.88 | |Gross profit |1,684.46 |1,744.24 |1,392.44 |501.62, | | | | | | | |188.18 | |EPS (Rs) |78.48 |80.94 |62.84 |18.46 |0.23 | Profit loss account |à |Mar ââ¬Ë 09 |Mar ââ¬Ë 08 |Mar ââ¬Ë 07 |Mar ââ¬Ë 06 |Mar ââ¬Ë 05 | |Income | | | | | | |Operating income |6,385.50 |5,512.43 |4,909.05 |3,299.45 |2,681.05 | |Expenses | | | | | | |Material consumed |1,193.97 |1,008.92 |902.06 |733.72 |609.13 | |Manufacturing expensesà |1,805.56 |1,314.78 |1,194.54 |958.30 |839.40 | |Personnel expenses |216.76 |171.55 |117.22 |92.26 |72.96 | |Selling expenses |1,256.46 |1,143.02 |1,137.66 |843.99 |650.98 | |Administrative expenses |177.93 |160.03 |133.93 |109.57 |137.36 | |Expenses capitalized |-8.38 |-13.37 |- |- |- | |Cost of sales |4,642.30 |3,784.93 |3,485.41 |2,737.84 |2,309.83 | |Operating profit |1,743.20 |1,727.50 |1,423.64 |561.61 |371.22 | |Other recurring income |99.29 |87.31 |57.65 |23.11 |21.70 | |Adjusted PBDIT |1,842.49 |1,814.81 |1,481.29 |584.72 |392.92 | |Financial expenses |134.09 |81.93 |92.61 |96.99 |128.05 | |Depreciationà |323.00 |237.23 |226.25 |216.03 |221.78 | |Other write offs |- |- |- |- |- | |Adj usted PBT |1,385.40 |1,495.65 |1,162.43 |271.70 |43.09 | |Tax charges |384.44 |499.40 |383.91 |55.83 |-36.45 | |Adjusted PAT |1,000.96 |996.25 |778.52 |215.87 |79.54 | |Non recurring items |-23.94 |11.36 |3.76 |1.48 |-77.24 | |Other non cash adjustments |- |- |- |12.41 |0.55 | |Reported net profit |977.02 |1,007.61 |782.28 |229.76 |2.85 | |Earning before appropriation |2,575.14 |1,782.77 |962.85 |239.87 |20.77 | |Equity dividend |62.24 |62.24 |49.79 |21.79 |9.33 | |Preference dividend |- |- |- |- |- | |Dividend tax |10.58 |10.58 |6.98 |3.06 |1.33 | |Retained earnings |2,502.32 |1,709.95 |906.08 |215.02 |10.11 | SUBSTANCE: Observing this financial report we say the company is in good condition financially. The gross profit of this company was 188.18 in Mar 05ââ¬â¢ and it increased 1496.28 in Mar 09ââ¬â¢. We find a steady growth of UltraTech cement limited in six year. Companyââ¬â¢s dividend jump 5 ââ¬â 50 in six year only (2004 ââ¬â 2009). Net profit was 2.85 in Mar 05ââ¬â¢ and 977.02 in Mar 09ââ¬â¢. Advertising expenses of UltraTech cement limited jump 605.48 point in six years (04 ââ¬â 05). Advertising expenses of this company increases cause of advertising formulation strategy being changed. Company wants to capture potential market by good advertising and sales promotion activities. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â PCS SILO1 PCS SILO2 BALL MILL Step 1 THUMBNAIL SKETCHES STEP 2 ROUGH STEP 3 COMPREHENSIVE STEP 4 PASTE UP OR MECHANICAL DEFINING THE SALES PROMOTION TARGET SETTING SALES PROMOTION OBJECTIVES SETTING THE SALESPROMOTION BUDGET DEVELOPING THE SALES PROMOTION STRATEGY SELECTING TYPE OF SALES PROMOTION COORDINATING THE PLAN EVALUATING SALES PROMOTION EFFECTIVENESS SHARE OF MARKET SHARE OF MIND AND HEART SHARE OF VOICE SHARE OF EXPENDITURES
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