Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Horses, and Rats Help Win the Civil War Essay

The Civil War intensified pork production as firms strove to meet the needs of the war effort. Beef packing also increased dramatically during the war, but dwindled after it ended, as cities like Kansas City that were closer to the centers of cattle farmers began to dominate production. As plants grew, the operations became more mechanized & specialized. The introduction of the refrigerated rail car in 1869 dramatically bolstered the industry, allowing it to become a year-round industry and to expand internationally (Dictionary of Wisconsin History, 2013). The North had a greater advantage than the South in that their commissary system was already established at the outbreak of the war, while the Confederacy struggled for many years to obtain food and then get it to its armies. By the end of the war, many soldiers in the Confederate army were on the verge of starvation. During the Civil War There were plenty of other Civil War food options on a soldier’s menu (The American Civil War, 2013). The salt pork that was given to the soldiers during the war was a stinky kind of blue extra-salty meat, with hair, skin, dirt, and other debris on it. It was, however, their main supply of protein. Salt beef was basically all of the very worst parts of a cow, including organs, necks, and shanks. But the basic meat was pork. When in enemy territory, the soldiers frequently helped themselves to chickens, fruits, vegetables, and other items from local farms and households. However, â€Å"During the final months of the war, more than a few horses, mules, dogs, cats, and even rats were eaten by soldiers,† said a Confederate doctor (Civil War Food, 2013). Rats especially were found to be quite a luxury: †¦superior, in the opinion of those who eat them, to spring chicken†¦and there were few among the garrison whose natural prejudices were so strong as to prevent them from cooking and eating their share. Nor did rats appear on the starvation menus of only besieged Confederates. In the winter of 1862-63 in Virginia, [Union soldier Berry] Benson and others on picket found many rats, and they teased each other about trying them. Soon someone killed a few and roasted them. They found that they tasted rather like a squirrel. If that time were back, I don’t think I would not be squeamish,’ Benson said later. ’ (Davis, 2003, p. 24) After the Civil War The market for Texas cattle diminished after the Civil War & ranchers were left holding several million heads of cattle. Ranchers began to drive their cattle north again in 1866, but with little financial gain. Fortunately for the cattlemen, the close of the Civ il War also marked a major transition in U. S. meat-consumption patterns. A national preference for pork abruptly gave way to beef. Cattle worth $4 a head in Texas might be sold at $40 a head in Missouri or Kansas. In addition, a ready workforce was already in place: the de-commissioned horsemen of the Confederate cavalry plus freed ex-slaves and Mexican gauchos combined to provide a ready supply of skilled horsemen. Soon others saw the wild Texas herds as a ready means to tap into the lucrative northern market with little start–up capital. The famous Chisholm Trail became a major route. The trail was established in 1865 by Jesse Chisholm and ran 600 miles from San Antonio, Texas, to Abilene, Kansas. Typically rivers and Indian lands had to be crossed, but good grazing, relatively level terrain, and higher prices waiting at the destination made the hazards worthwhile. Drives were cost-effective too—a drive of 2,000 or more cattle usually required only a trail boss and a dozen cowhands. In 1867, the Goodnight-Loving Trail opened markets for Texas cattle in Colorado & New Mexico. Cattle ranching had become big business and attracted Eastern investors. In 1869, more than 350,000 head of cattle were driven along the Chisholm Trail. By 1871, more than 700,000 head were driven along the route. The Reconstruction Period The post-war Reconstruction period was difficult and would have been different in at least two ways if President Lincoln had not been assassinated. First, Lincoln would have been more generous in providing government aid to the fallen South. Instead, President Andrew Johnson punished the South. Moreover, if Lincoln had been the post-war president, it is likely that there would have been a lot less racism and he might have even prevented racist and white-supremacists like the KKK and other groups (Nicely, 2011). Second, the death of Abraham Lincoln changed all the plans by which a Southern state could be readmitted into the Union. Lincoln wanted to reunite the Union quickly by showing forgiveness. Most of the moderate Republicans in Congress supported his plan because they thought it would make a more immediate end to the war. Reconstruction would have gone much more smoothly if Lincoln had not been assassinated (Nicely, 2011). Industrialization and urbanization during Reconstruction brought many changes to the social, economical and political lives of the people. Industrialization led to mass production of goods with technological advances which led to cheaper products and better living conditions for the average American. With the improvement of living conditions, came the need of more workers at the factories. This need led to the migration of people to rural areas to the cities. The migration of the people to the cities and the addition of more and more factories lead to harmful contaminants in the environment such as water and air pollution. We also had the distinction of social classes given the wealth differences among the business entrepreneurs and factory workers. There was also a change in the family structure. Men and women who worked in the same factory performing the same task were paid differently. This structure established what we know today as having the man be the â€Å"breadwinner† and the woman encouraged to stay at home with the children. At this point, children were seen as low-cost labor. Race Relations The federal and/or state courts and legislatures handed down decisions or passed laws during the period that served to discriminate against non-white citizens and immigrants in many ways. The Black Codes were enacted in the South to regulate the status and conduct of the newly freed slaves. This deprived black people of many rights given only to whites such as owning property, to testify in court with whites, to make contracts, travel, preach, speak, and many more. Also contrary to expectations of the Bill of Rights, the court also held that because the amendment provided that â€Å"no state shall† deprive persons of the rights its guaranteed, Congressional legislation protecting blacks and Republicans from Ku Klux Klan violence exceeded the power of the federal government. References Civil War Food (2013). Retrieved from http://www. civilwaracademy. com/civil-war-food. html). Davis, W. C. (2003). A Taste for War: The Culinary History of the Blue and the Gray. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, PA. Dictionary of Wisconsin History (2013). Retrieved from http://www. wisconsinhistory. org /dictionary/index. asp? action=view&term_id=10802&term_type_id=3&term_type_text=things&letter=M) Gale Encyclopedia of U. S. Economic History (1999). Retrieved from http://www. ncyclopedia. com/topic/Cattle_drives. aspx Mitchell, P. B. (2013), â€Å"Cooking for the cause. † Retrieved from http://www. civilwar. org/education/pdfs/civil-war-curriculum-food. pdf Nicely, B. J. (2011). What IF #5—How would have Reconstruction been different if Lincoln had not died on April 15, 1865? Retrieved from http://deeprunwildcats. org/nicely/? p=631 The American Civil War (2013). Retrieved from http://www. ducksters. com/history/civil_war/ life_as_asoldier_duri ng_the_civil_war. php

Hill Country Snack Foods Co Essay

Hill Country Snack Foods Company manufactures, markets, and distributes snack foods and frozen treats throughout the United States. Hill Country is overall well performed company. Sales, Net Income, ROE and ROA had increased at a steady rate. Company mainly focused on maximizing the shareholder value by the CEO and other management’s managerial philosophy. Currently, Hill Country uses a risk adverse strategy to choose their business or project. Hill Country’s industry is high competitive but it kept going well with cost efficiency and quick reaction to customer requirements. From these reasons, Hill Country has few risks. However, analyst and experts present that Hill Country’s excess liquidity with zero debt is going to lose benefit and fail to maximize the shareholder value. Risk may be hided in the steady company’s good performance. Pending retirement of CEO is one of risks. ii) Briefly discuss the current corporate culture Hill Country was a well-managed company with decisions which can make shareholder value. CEO and other management insiders also held a significant proportion of company’s common stock. It means that they have responsibility as employee and owner. Company also has strong commitment to efficiency and controlling costs. These are great power to survive in highly competitive markets. Another important of Hill Country’s culture and managerial philosophy was caution and risk aversion. From that reason they choose zero debt financing and fund internally hold large cash balances. From the discussion of our team members, some of members think that it is too risk aversion position. Only efficiency will be stuck in near future so they should invest somewhat risky project and raise the debt. The others think that it is unique and fresh and in snack and food industry, it may be good strategy and philosophy like Coca-Cola’s permanence. iii) How does the stock market evaluate Hill Country’s current situation compared to its peers in the same industry (base your discussion on the valuation in the stock market) As shown in Exhibit 2, we can easily check the financial status of Hill Country with two competitors. In comparison to Snyder’s, a company with a little larger sales, and Pepsi, a company with 47x more sales, Hill Country performs well given its size. Hill Country has 3.5 times more NI than Snyder’s. However market capitalization of Hill Country is 1,412 mil USD which is lower than Snyder’s 1,517 mil USD. Market doesn’t think that Hill Country has lower value which expresses future expectation. This could be a result due to its capital structure and risk aversion strategy. P/E ratio also shows the same judgment. In the part of book value of asset, Hill Country’s ROA is higher than Pepsi’s ROA. However Hill Country’s ROE is lower than Pepsi’s because of debt. This is another indication of market evaluation. iv) Discuss how much financial risk the company would face at each of the three alternative debt-to-capital ratios presented in case Exhibit 4(you may discuss based on the financial risk faced by firms with different credit ratings); As the debt-to-capital ratios increases, the possibility of bankruptcy and cost of financial distress increase. In the case of Hill Country Snack Foods, Co., the credit rating will be downgraded1 and interest rate will increase according to the increased level of debt. Interest coverage ratio which measures company’s ability to honor its debt payments also decrease dramatically as quality of debt increase. Impact on net income from changing in EBIT will increase and financing flexibility will get worsen with the increased level of debt. It also can lose chance to time the market if it has more debts as it has little buffer to issue new debt.

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example In fact now a debate has started whether the concept of 'managing diversity; forms an alternative to 'equal opportunities' based on gender bias. In the UK, human resource practitioners and academics alike are becoming more aware of the emergence of managing diversity. There is now a view that, after twenty years of the ' stick' of legal compliance (which has achieved little), the 'carrot' of underpinning the business case for equal opportunities will perhaps achieve more (Dickens 1994). Thomas1 (2000) argues that, with the growing number of mergers and acquisitions, workforce diversity will become more of a priority for organizations and, therefore, in the future, people will become clearer on what diversity is and how to manage it. The business case for managing diversity therefore offers a way to operate equal opportunities as a strategic issue, a core value linked to organizational competitiveness (Dickens 1994). Diversity not only comes in the form of culture and values, but it also consists of several other visible and non-visible factors, which include personal characteristics such as sex, race, age, background, culture, disability, personality and work-style. Harnessing these differences is bound to create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, their talents are fully utilized and organizational goals are met. Considering these factors, the underlying philosophy of managing diversity tends to imply that an organization can gain massive competitive advantage, resulting in enhanced performance with the help of a satisfied human capital. It rests on the premise that the organization will be able to serve increasingly diverse customers, meet increasingly complex business and management problems by actively seeking and managing a diverse workforce (Stephenson and Lewis 1996; Cox 1991). In the era of globalization, when MNCs prefer to take advantage of multi-location facilities, lower costs of production, expertise from the world over, diversity is bound to be there at the workplace. It is for the organization to manage the diversity by recognizing, appreciating, valuing, encouraging and utilizing the unique talents and contributions of individuals from across a wider spectrum of society. But circumstances sometimes create peculiar conditions which brings to the fore the inherent weaknesses prevalent in our society. There are rules and regulations which provide broad guidelines for keeping a delicate balance in dealing with such matters so that mutual harmony is maintained amongst the workforce. The world is a rich and diverse place, full of interesting cultures and people who should be treated with respect. Skirmishes arising out of 'discriminatory' behavior often result in tensions amongst colleagues. Though there are federal laws in place, but it is the human cha racter and nature which has to do the implementation part. In coming years this problem is bound to come out with many more challenging situations for MNCs. These corporations are supposed to foresee some such circumstances and then come out with suitable strategies to handle the issues. Therefore, the topic appears quite appropriate to

Substituting Nonrenewable Energy with Renewable Energy Research Paper

Substituting Nonrenewable Energy with Renewable Energy - Research Paper Example Statistics have indicated that over 85 percent of the energy used is from non-renewable sources. Examples of non-renewable energy include nuclear power and fossil fuel such as oil and coal (Field et al. 2008). These sources of energy are considered as non-renewable because they cannot be regenerated enough to keep pace with their utilization. On the other hand, renewable energy is generated from natural sources such as tide, rain, sun, and wind and it can be regenerated over and over as and when required. Renewable energy sources are inexhaustible, plenty, and the cleanest sources of energy (Macqueen, 2011). Similarly, energy from biomass from plants, geothermal, and wind can be transformed to electricity for both domestic and industrial use (Field et al. 2008). Environmental problems such pollution and ozone layer depletion resulting from energy wastes have called for the need to substitute non-renewable energy with renewable energy. This is primarily intended to conserve the enviro nment by adopting clean sources of energy, and preserving the scarce sources of non-renewable energy (Macqueen, 2011). The need to substitute a non-renewable biomass energy source by a renewable biomass is of significance because an energy fuel, which increases carbon dioxide concentration, in the atmosphere, is replaced with energy fuel that reduces the concentration of carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere (Field et al. 2008). Renewable biomass reduces anthropogenic emissions, into the atmosphere because it involves complete energy consumption.

The classical music business may be considered a minor part of the Essay

The classical music business may be considered a minor part of the music industry in 2014, but it is actually a vital component - Essay Example This developed a type of musical lyrics in which the musical notation emerged as just one of the many written sources that provided information. Such information enriched an individual with musical comprehension, its works and performances. Performance of classical music became entirely dependent on how well the performer construed the essence of the musical score and lyrics of that music. The advent of gramophone record and its impact on music has contributed towards the decline of literacy in classical music. This has diffused classical music that surpassed the conventional connection between the subject matter of music with its social context and performance venues (Dahl, 2009, p.66). This paper explores the classical music in contemporary music industry. Music can be inspirational for all although its preference may decline with age. As per one research, it was found that young people give more importance to music than adults and therefore they listen to music more often. Moreover young people prefer listening to different kinds of music in all occasions as opposed to adults who prefer specific kinds of music mostly in private context (Bonneville-Roussy et al., 2013, p.703). Music as an inspiration and relaxation has been proved by many researchers. Today, music is used everywhere from shopping malls to dental offices since it is both stress reliever and a positive force on psychology (Joyce, 2003, p.5). According to Kramer (2008, p.13), classical music is almost like a â€Å"living museum, living precisely because it is a kind of museum, and, like a museum, a place that exhibits new works as well as old†. The state of classical music in modern time is mostly shaky. For several years, classical music has experienced a steady decline in its popularity especially in America. There are many symptoms that prove this fact like a weakening CD market for classical music, lack of fund for symphony

Project Statistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Statistics Project Example The base cost is inclusive of all cost that are associated with making the machine operational and they include purchase cost, set up cost, installation cost, tax, shipping and freight among others. The residual value is the value the firm expects to sell the asset after its useful life and is also referred to as scrap value. The estimated useful life is the period the asset is expected to be used by the firm (Kimmel and Jerry, 35). a) Assets tend to loss value faster in their first year of operation hence the net book value of the asset in the initial years may not be a true reflection of its market value. If the asset is used as collateral for a loan, the bank may value it differently and hence there will be a variance in value assigned. Depreciation of the asset will be based on usage of the asset or the units being produced per period. Therefore, in the year where the asset will be used extensively, the depreciation allocation will be higher and will be low when production is low. The depreciated value is calculated based on the expected total amount of units it can produce in proportion to the cost basis less residual value. No depreciation is charged the year, which the asset is not in use. This will provide the depreciation of the asset per unit produced. The expected units multiply this for each period to find the amount of depreciation to charge that year and less from the current net book value to find the end year book value of the asset (Kimmel and Jerry, 36). It is an accelerated depreciation method where the majority of the depreciation is allocated in the first years of the asset useful life. It is most appropriate for charging depreciation to asset that loss value fast during their first years and when the company want to shift profit recognition to the future. The depreciation is calculated by multiplying the rate of straight-line depreciation by two and then this is multiplied by the net book value

Concept Paper Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Concept Paper - Dissertation Example By interviewing 25 past and present entrepreneurs the information gleaned within this research may improve future business ventures and provide much needed information to the business world about the steps that ultimately lead to success and those actions to avoid. The literature review of this research study has offered a variety of opinions on entrepreneur mentors, successful tips, and planning guidelines. It is hoped that the lived experiences of the participants will bring to light new information that can create a paradigm shift in the business world of today’s global economy. Background It has been a tradition in many cultures and thus past precedence that the trade of a father would be passed on to the son or other person interested in learning that skill. The ancestors of the United States were all apprentices at some point; learning the skills necessary to run a cotton plantation, become a blacksmith, a carpenter, a cobbler, or even a milliner (Levinison, 2011). Some families even bartered for their sons to be placed with the best tradesman in the community when the child was very young. Some children were place into indentured servitude, which in the end taught them a trade in exchange for their room and board and a few coins being offered to the parents. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, many of the old trades were forgotten as more people when to work in factories and on assemble lines. The factory jobs and assembly line work did not teach the trade as a holistic venture, but only a small portion to one person and another portion to someone else further down the line. It was easier for business men to accumulate vast wealth if they had many people doing various jobs that would create mass production of a product rather than one person completing the production of a single item from start to finish. Machines were invented that replaced the worker and the production rate continued to increase in larger quantities than any huma n could have accomplished. Those individuals who were interested in the repair of the machines found work alongside the very thing that had excluded them from the workforce. Those who did not fancy the maintenance aspect of the industry were required to seek employment elsewhere. Going back to the basics of owning a business seemed to be the answer for some, but the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful venture were lacking, as the trade had not been passed down from the previous generation. Wacker (1998) discussed how this phenomenon provide the necessary parameters for the study of entrepreneurships in the existing world. By looking at the variables, the relationships within the business, and the underlying factors, the foundation for entrepreneurial ventures was recognized. Careful analysis of the business world uncovered the basis for further study and opened the channels for scientific theory to be considered in future studies (Henderikus, 2007; Henderikus, 2010). The Small Business Administration Report in 2007 claimed that 2/3 of every new business venture failed within the first two years. Half are reported to fail within the first four years and over 58% fail within the first five to ten years. The reasons behind the failure of these business ventures encompass a variety of factors that change with each entrepreneur. Finding a way to combat this excessive failure rate could open the door for

Kingston Communications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Kingston Communications - Assignment Example Using "Porter's Five Force Model" (http://www.12manage.com/methods_porter_five_forces.html), let us see where the issues may exist for Kingston Communications. Porter's model states that thefollowing forces can affect how business relates to the rest of the marketplace: The problem that Kingston had in converting from what was then a traditional telecoms industry using analogue technology to modern digital technology was that they did not readily have the expertise, technology or the agreements in place with providers such as British Telecom, in order to compete against established companies, such as Skype and recently, Vonage. Since then there have been a proliferation of VOIP providers. Various broadband providers have included VOIP as part of their services, when originally all they provided was a dial-up service to access the internet, and later broadband. There are now several companies on the market providing integrated services, including broadband as an 'add-on' as opposed to a primary service as was the case in the recent past. Examples are Sky Television, Orange mobiles, and even BT have got in on the act, by offering digital services alongside their communications offerings. Therefore, Kingston is not alone in feeling the heat of the com petition, as others strive to win market share. How this has changed from a few years ago, and especially for Kingston Communications who used to have a monopoly on these types of service. Kingston probably recognized this as they acquired companies and organizations that had the technology and the resources available. This would make the transition easier, but it came at a price. The acquisition of Affiniti, the business communications integrator,Information Services providing contact centre and directory services, plus the development of their own broadband services would allow Kingston to compete on a level playing field. 2. Threat of substitutes. With regard to VOIP, a substitute phone serviceis exactly what happened.Once the technology for Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) was developed, it became a real threat, not only to Kingston, but other large telecoms companies such asBritish Telecom (BT).The real threat was in the cost of the service. For example, Skype offer a free telephone service to other Skype users. This is now standard among most VOIP providers. It became obvious to Kingston and other telecom providers that drastic decisions had to be made with regard to their technology strategy. 3. Bargaining power of buyers. With the proliferation of VOIP and integrated providers, the relative bargaining power of buyers in this market is relatively strong, especially for the average consumer. They can now choose between integrated solutions, such as digital TV and VOIP services, or choose a relatively low-cost broadband only solution. The costs of these services continue to decline, as more and more suppliers compete for market share. 4. Bargaining power of suppliers.In the early days of VOIP, perhaps the

Google Car Essay Example for Free

Google Car Essay Google Car: In the paper, the point of view will be Google’s. Questions that will be answered in the paper including but not limited to the economical and technical viability for Google to produce Google car in a large scale, reasons that Google will succeed or fail, the best strategy for Google to adopt. For the industry analysis, Porter’s five forces (Appendix 1) will be used to explore the environment of the automobile industry and if Google will be able to enter the industry and produce automobiles on its own. The financials of Google will also be analyzed to prove if it is economically capable of investing enough capitals in the system and manufacturing automobiles. A SWOT analysis and discussion of the competitive advantages of Google will also be included to examine the internal capability of Google. Since the idea of a Google Car was introduced, the reviews have been polarized. here are plenty of positive comments about Google Car. Google’s strong and enormous database, especially data on maps is greatly applauded and trusted to be useful and essential in developing the driverless car. On the other hand, there are skeptics who question Google’s ability to produce the automobiles because car building requires certain expertise that Google does not have. In addition, pressures from automobile manufactures, unions and insurance companies might hinder the certain legislations of manufacturing driverless cars to be approved by Congress. The actions that Google should take to rebut the doubts that public and critics have about the functions, utility, safety, etc. about the car will also suggested in the paper. The most crucial question that the paper will try to answer is what is the optimal strategy that Google should do with Google Car. There are many possible outcomes including allying with an automobile manufacturer, purchasing a manufacturer, selling the technology of its driverless car system to interested manufacturers. All three strategies will be discussed and one final solution will be suggested for Google. Sources: 1. Muller, Joann. â€Å"Will Google Kill The Auto Industry? No, And Heres Why†. Forbes.com, January 25th, 2013. Accessed April 2nd,2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=00fae55e-c3c5-4b78-bd6e-326f38265257%40sessionmgr10vid=2hid=23bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bthAN=85142822 2. Academic Minds (2012). Automotive Industry Analysis-GM,DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Ford, Honda. Accessed November 27th, 2012 from: http://academicmind.com/unpublishedpapers/business/management/2004-11-000aaa-automotive-industry-analysis.html 3. IBIS World (2012). IBIS World-Car and Automotive Manaufacturing. Accessed November 26th, 2012. http://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/us/industry/default.aspx?entid=826 4. Investopedia (2012). The Industry Handbook: Automobiles. Accessed November 26th, 2012. http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/automobile.asp#axzz2D0aOFEIL 5. Helft, Miguel, â€Å"Larry Page looks ahead†. Fortune, 00158259, 1/14/2013, Vol. 167, Issue 1. Accessed on March 29th, 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=dac8d930-8af3-40fa-91e3-71f73362d61a%40sessionmgr111vid=2hid=121bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bthAN=85623367 6. Brown, Alan S. â€Å"Google’s Autonomous car applies lessons learned from driverless races†. Mechanical Engineering. Feb. 2011. Accessed 29th March,2013 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=405dc68c-19c8-4554-addd-6e6b7371c8fa%40sessionmgr11vid=6hid=10 7. Higgins, Tim. â€Å"Will driverless cars become the new road rage?† Bloomberg Businessweek. December 1st, 2011. Accessed on 1st April. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/will-driverless-cars-become-the-new-road-rage-12012011.html 8. Brown, Jerry. â€Å"California legalizes driverless cars† Electronics Weekly. October, 2012. Accessed 1st April. 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=405dc68c-19c8-4554-addd-6e6b7371c8fa%40sessionmgr11vid=5hid=10bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bthAN=82337032 9. Knapp, Alex. â€Å"Nevada passes regulations for driverless cars†. February, 2012. Accessed 1st April. 2013 http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=405dc68c-19c8-4554-addd-6e6b7371c8fa %40sessionmgr11vid=5hid=10bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bthAN=71870057 Appendix 1: Preliminary Industry Analysis A. Competitive dynamics within the industry The automobile manufacturing industry t is often considered as an oligopoly, where there is a medium to high industry concentration and only a handful of key players exist: Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group and Honda (IBIS World 2012). â€Å"Automakers compete primarily on the basis of price, fuel economy, reliability, styling and utility† (IBIS World 2012). B. Bargaining power of suppliers Due to the numerous parts that are required to produce an automobile, there are many suppliers in the supplying business and they are quite segmented, thus the bargaining power of suppliers in the automobile industry is extremely low. C. Bargaining power of customers In the automobile industry, customers hold medium amount of power. Consumers account for a significant or almost all of the industry’s outputs and revenues, and there is low cost involved in switching, the companies have to accommodate their tastes and needs. There are numerous factors that can alter their buying decision: brands, appearances, quality, functions, environmental effects and prices. Due to different demographics of the consumers, the manufacturers have to produce various models with people’s different needs. D. Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is low because there are high barriers to enter the industry. First of all, in order to be able to compete in the automobile industry, a company has to produce massively to achieve large economies of scales to make products accessible and competitive, and since it requires enormous amount of specialized and sophisticated capitals and manufacturing facilities and experienced workforce to mass-produce, there is a huge amount of upfront cost (Academic Minds 2012). In addition, not only the manufacturing startup cost is high, the cost of research and development View as multi-pages

Freud And James Theoretical Positions Essay Example for Free

Freud And James Theoretical Positions Essay Sigmund Freud and William James helped unveil a new zeitgeist in the burgeoning field of psychology. Freud’s psychoanalysis and James’ functionalism would influence theorists and practitioners for decades, earning each man a prominent place in psychology’s history books.   What are the cornerstones of these milestone theories of human behavior, and how do they compare? In regards to basic human nature, James and Freud could not have been more divergent in their views. William James’ functionalism promoted a free will that carries us toward a â€Å"final destination. † A personal analysis that reflects one’s own unique individual experiences was highly valued. Each event in our lives moves us through a constant stream of different contexts and consciousness. Therefore, James did not focus so much on our good or evil natures, preferring instead to view our world as painted with a palette of varying shades of gray. Human beings cannot be divided into convenient categories and labels, but rather exist as unique and complex individuals. James’ pragmatic and functional mentality (we all have a purpose) leant him a slightly humanistic view in which most people strive toward a common good for the betterment of society. (James, 1983) In stark contrast, Sigmund Freud heralded a rather pessimistic view of human nature, emphasizing instincts as our innate drive and aggression or sex as our primary channels for those desires. Much of his psychoanalytic theory centers around the concept of a libidinous id—a force deep within us and beyond our awareness which harbors all of our secret impulses and desires unfit for society. Most of our lives, our personality is spent in a conflict between the bad id and the good, law-abiding superego. We repress most of our negative feelings out of conscious awareness, but they still manifest themselves in the form of physical illness and mental neurosis, just as the infamous â€Å"Anna O.† demonstrates.   Also, Freud’s proposed psychosexual stages of development further reveal his emphasis on instincts (primarily sexual) in molding everyone (Schultz Schultz, 2000). The emphasis on innate physical causes for behavior represented a strong departure from structural and empirical schools of thought, and both Freud and James brought this difference to the forefront, albeit in different forms. â€Å"No mental modification ever occurs which is not accompanied or followed by a bodily change†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†The spiritualist and the associationist must both be cerebralists†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Psychology is â€Å"the adjustment of inner to outer relations†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.The psychologist must be a â€Å"nerve-physiologist†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..All of the preceding statements, taken from William James’ Principles of Psychology (1983), highlight an underlying theme in his theory—the body (most especially the brain) is a vital and essential component of â€Å"mental life.† Consciousness, he asserted, must be studied in its natural setting, and study of the â€Å"conditions† (the physical components) of â€Å"phenomena† is crucial. He cited as proof of the brain’s importance how factors such as a blow to the head, drug use, or other sorts of brain trauma have the potential to almost complete reverse someone’s behavior and personality. In addition, his theory of habits also indicates his belief in the brain’s ability to mold lifelong behaviors. Also, James held that emotions were the direct result of physiological reactions to stimuli (Schultz Schultz, 2000). Despite his nativist assertions, however, James did appreciate that vital role environmental factors played in human development. According to functionalist thought, the function of our consciousness is to freely adapt to our environment in order to survive. We accomplish this through â€Å"choosing† our paths. An active mind that filters, combines, selects, rejects, and generally â€Å"weave(s) an endless carpet† appealed to James. He prized the role of motivation in directing our attention. Far from being mere passersby on the highway of life, we are rather highly energetic and involved â€Å"drivers† paving our own indelible mark and fueled by free will (James, 1983). Freud shared James’ basic nativism. Freud’s study of Anna O. demonstrates his certainty that the mind can exert a tremendous influence upon the body. The whole concept of neurosis states that physical bodily symptoms which have no apparent physical origin are likely the result of defects or repressions within the mind (Schultz Schultz, 2000). Freud always remained very deterministic in his theories. All people are born with innate libidinous impulses. All people repress those instincts, resulting in various complexes. All people pass through the psychosexual stages of development, and the personality of everyone is basically set by the age of seven. However, unlike William James, Freud’s stance is rooted in a passive mind completely helpless to impulse. Perhaps this passivity—and lack of faith in the human condition—is the strongest contrast between Sigmund Freud and William James. However, both men will continue to influence psychologists across the world for many generations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References James, W. (1983). The Principles of Psychology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Schultz, D. P. Schultz, S. E. (2000). A History of Modern Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept Market segmentation can be defined as the process of breaking down the total market for a product or service into distinct sub-groups or segments where each segment may conceivably represent a separate target market to be reached with a distinctive marketing mix. Segmentation and the subsequent strategies of targeting and positioning start by recognizing that increasingly, within the total demand/market for a product, specific tastes, needs and demand may differ. It breaks down the total market for a product or service into individual clusters of customers, or segments. Here, customers who share similar demand preferences are grouped together within each segment. Effective segmentation is achieved when customers sharing similar patterns of demand are grouped together and where each group or segment differs in the pattern of demand from other segments in the market. In most markets, be they consumer or industrial, some kind of segmentation can be accomplished on this basis. 2 Targeted marketing efforts Most companies realise that they cannot effectively serve all the segments in a market, and must instead target their marketing efforts. For example, in developing a new car, the manufacturing firm will have to make a decision on many issues, such as should it be a two-, four-, or five-seater model, with a 1000, 2000 or 3000cc engine? Should it have leather, fabric or vinyl seats? The over-riding factor when deciding these issues is customer demand. Some customers (segments) may want a five-seater 2000cc model with leather upholstery, while others may prefer a four-seater with a 1000cc engine and fabric seats. A solution would be to compromise and produce a four-seater 1500cc model with leather seats and fabric trim. Clearly, such a model would go some way to meeting the requirements of both groups of buyers, but there is a danger that because the needs of neither market segment are precisely met, most potential customers would purchase from other suppliers who could cater for their specific requirements. Ironically, one of the biggest post-war car failures was the much heralded and much hyped American Ford Edsel car. This is a car that was produced following extensive marketing research, the results of which were aggregated, and the end product was a car that satisfied the true needs of very few buyers making it the most spectacular flop in modern motoring history. Target marketing is thus defined as the identification of the market segments that are identified as being the most likely purchasers of a companys products. Specifically, the advantages of target marketing are: Marketing opportunities and unfilled gaps in a market may be more accurately appraised and identified. Such gaps can be real (e.g. sweet, strong, harsh or mild) or they can be illusionary in terms of the way people want to view the product (e.g. happy, aloof, silly or moody). In the case of the former, product attributes can fulfil these criteria whereas for the latter these attributes might well have to be implanted in the minds of customers through an appropriate advertising message. Market and product appeals through manipulation of the marketing mix can be more delicately tuned to the needs of the potential customer. Marketing effort can be concentrated on the market segment(s) which offer the greatest potential for the company to achieve its goals be they goals to maximise profit potential or to secure the best long-term position for the product or any other appropriate goal. 3 Effective segmentation Theoretically, the base(s) used for segmentation should lead to segments that are: Measurable/identifiable Here, the base(s) used should preferably lead to ease of identification in terms of who is in each segment. It should also be capable of measurement in terms of the potential customers in each segment. Accessible Here, the base(s) used should ideally lead to the company being able to reach selected market targets with their individual marketing efforts. Meaningful The base(s) used must lead to segments which have different preferences or needs and show clear variations in market behaviour and response to individually designed marketing mixes. Substantial The base(s) used should lead to segments which are sufficiently large to be economically and practically worthwhile serving as discrete market targets with a distinctive marketing mix. The third criterion is particularly important for effective segmentation, as it is an essential prerequisite when attempting to identify and select market targets. In segmentation, targeting and positioning, a company must identify distinct subsets of customers in the total market for a product where any subset might eventually be selected as a market target, and for which a distinctive marketing mix will be developed. The following represents the sequential steps in conducting a segmentation, targeting and positioning exercise for any given product market. Select base(s) for segmentation and identify appropriate market segments. Evaluate and appraise the market segments resulting from the first step. Select an overall market targeting strategy. Select specific target segments. Develop a product positioning strategy for each target segment. 6. Develop an appropriate marketing mix for each chosen target segment in order to support the product positioning strategy. 4 Segmentation bases in consumer product markets Geographic segmentation consists of dividing a country into regions that normally represent an individual sales persons territory. In bigger companies, these larger regions are then broken down into areas with individual regional manager controlling salespeople in distinct areas. In international marketing, different countries may be deemed to constitute different market segments. Demographic segmentation consists of a wide variety of bases for subdividing markets, and each of these is now discussed: Age is a good segmentation variable for such items as clothes where the fashion-conscious young are more susceptible to regular changes in style and older segments are perhaps more concerned with such factors as quality and comfort. Sex is a strong segment in terms of goods that are specifically targeted towards males or females and again an obvious example is clothing. Here, fashion is a powerful element when purchasing, and a whole industry surrounds this criterion. Income as a segmentation base is more popular in certain countries like the USA than others who regard such matters very privately. Social class is possibly the single most used variable for research purposes. It is universally used. The National Readership Survey divides everybody into the following categories as shown in Figure 1: A Upper middle class (higher managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises about 3 per cent of the population B Middle class (intermediate managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises approximately 10 per cent of the population C1 Lower middle class (supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional) containing around 25 per cent of the population C2 Skilled working clsass (skilled manual workers) who comprise around 30 per cent of the population. D Working class (semi- and unskilled manual workers) or around 27 per cent of the population E Lowest levels of subsistence (state pensioners with no other income, widows, casual and lowest grade earners) who form the remaining 5 per cent, or thereabouts, of the population. Figure 1 Social class and grade structure Education is often related to social class, because, as a generalisation, the better educated tend to get the better jobs. It is generally acknowledged that a persons media habits are related to education. Accordingly, newspapers design to aim their news and newspaper content towards the upper or lower ends of the social spectrum, and encourage advertisers to target their advertising appropriately, depending upon whether an advertisers product has an up-market or down-market appeal. In fact they publicise their readership profile of the percentage of ABC1, etc groups that actually read their newspapers or magazines and this information is ascertained through independent auditors. This is done principally to alert advertising agencies who will place their clients advertising according to the social classes towards at whom their products are targeted. Nationality or ethnic background now constitutes a growing and distinctive segment for potential target marketing. Food products, clothing and hair care products are obvious examples of products that fit into this segmentation variable. Political is perhaps a less obvious segmentation base. An individuals political leanings might well influence the way he or she behaves in terms of purchases made. Such purchases are of course reflected in the types of newspaper and other media that is read, and this, in turn, contains advertising which is aimed at people who read such media, so political leanings might be more significant than it initially seems. Family size will have an effect on the amount or size of purchases, so this is certainly a meaningful segmentation variable. Family life cycle is a logical follow on to the above and this will tend to determine the purchase of many consumer durable products. This is based on the notion that consumers pass through a series of quite distinct phases in their lives, each phase giving rise to different purchasing patterns and needs. For example, an unmarried person living at home will probably have very different purchasing patterns from someone of the same age who has left home and is recently married. Wells and Gubar have put forward what is now an internationally recognised classification system in relation to life cycle and these stages are shown in Figure 2: Bachelor stage young single people not living with parents (which gave rise to the category of YUPPIES or young, upwardly-mobile persons) Newly marrieds no children (sometimes referred to as DINKIES meaning double income no kids) Full nest I with the youngest child being under six years of age (sometimes referred to as ORCHIDS meaning one recent child, heavily in debt) Full nest II is where the youngest child is six or over Full nest III is an older married couple with dependent children living at home Empty nest I with no children living at home, but the family head is in work (sometimes referred to as WOOPIES meaning well off older persons) Empty nest II where the family head is retired Solitary survivor in work Solitary survivor retired (unkindly referred to as COCOON meaning cheap old child-minder, operating on nothing) Figure 2 Family life cycle segmentation base SAGACITY is a refinement of the family life cycle grouping system. This is a system that believes that people have different behavioural patterns and aspirations as they proceed through life. Four main stages of life cycle are defined as: Dependent (mainly under 24 living at home) Pre-family (under 35s who have established their own household, but without children) Family (couples under 65 with one or more children in the household) Late (adults whose children have left home or who are over 35 and childless) Income groups are then defined as being in categories: better off and worse off Occupation groups are defined as white (collar) or the A, B and C1 social groups and blue (collar) or the C2, D and E social groups The system works as shown in Figure 3: Life cycle Dependent Pre-family Family Late Income Better off Worse off Better off Worse off Occupation White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue Approx % 7 7 5 5 11.5 10.5 2.5 7.5 10 7.5 9 18 adults UK (NB Because of rounding, total figure does not add to 100%) Source: Research Services Limited Figure 3 Sagacity Life Cycle Groupings Type of neighbourhood and dwelling (ACORN) is a relatively new segmentation base. Its underlying philosophy the fact that the type of dwelling and area a person lives in is a good predictor of likely purchasing behaviour including the types of products and brands which might be purchased. This classification analyses homes, rather than individuals, as a basis for segmentation. It is termed the ACORN system (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods). The source of this is the 10-yearly population census that is undertaken during every year ending with one the next being due in 2001. The system was developed by Richard Webber for Consolidated Analysis Centres Incorporated (CACI). It breaks down the census of population into various categories of homes as shown in Figure 4. Acorn Type of dwelling Approx % UK population Group A Agricultural areas 3 B Modern family housing, higher incomes 18 C Older housing of intermediate status 17 D Poor quality older terraced housing 4 E Better-off council estates 13 F Less well-off council estates 9 G Poorest council estates 7 H Multi-racial areas 4 I High status non-family areas 4 J Affluent suburban housing 16 K Better-off retirement areas 4 U Unclassified 1 (Source CACI) Figure 4 ACORN Classification system These ACORN classifications are further sub-divided into yet smaller groupings. For instance, Group C which refers to Older housing of intermediate status, is broken down into: C8 Mixed owner-occupied and council estates C9 Small town centres and flats above shops C10 Villages with non-farm employment C11 Older private shousing skilled workers Mosaic system This system is an extension of the ACORN system except that this is based upon individual postal codes (or zip codes). Each postal code in the UK consists of up to seven letters and figures. An individual postal code represents approximately ten dwellings and each of these groups of dwellings is given an individual Mosaic categorisation, of which there are 58 categories. The idea of mosaic comes from the notion that if a different colour was ascribed to each category and superimposed on a map of the UK the resulting pattern would resemble a mosaic. The full Mosaic listing is not reproduced here, but by way of illustration some of these are described below: M1 High status retirement areas with many single pensioners 1.0% of population M15 Lower income older terraced housing 1.5% M25 Smart inner city plats, company lets, very few children 1.5% M33 Council estates, often Scottish flats, with worst overcrowding 1.3% M46 Post 1981 housing in areas of highest income and status 0.2% M50 Newly built private estates, factory workers, young families 3.3% M57 Hamlets and scattered farms 0.7% Taken together, the demographic bases described constitute the most popular bases for segmentation in consumer product markets, since they are often associated with differences in consumer demand. As such, they are meaningful to advertisers. For instance, occupation and social class are linked because of the way that occupation is used to define social class. It is, therefore, relatively easy to reach the different social classes through their different media and shopping habits, although boundaries between the purchasing power of different classes become blurred when, for example, skilled manual workers are able to earn higher incomes than their counterparts in lower or intermediate management. Direct or behavioural segmentation appeals to marketing people as it takes customer purchasing behaviour as the starting point for segmentation. Such bases include: Usage status when a distinction might be made between say light, medium and heavy users. Brand loyalty status where customers can be divided into a number of groups according to their loyalty, or their propensity to repurchase the brand again. Status categories are: Hard core loyals who purchase the same brand every time Soft core loyals who have divided loyalties between two or more brands and purchase any of these on a random basis Shifting loyals who are sometimes called brand switchers in that they buy one brand, and stay with it for a certain period, and then purchase another brand and stay with it for a certain period. They may then return to the original brand Switchers who show no particular preference or loyalty to one particular brand, so their purchasing pattern cannot be clearly determined. Benefits sought is a segmentation base that determines the principal expectation(s) that a purchaser is seeking from the product. For instance, in the case of an automobile oil, purchasers might be looking for cheapness, a well known brand, its viscosity or its engine protection reputation. Occasions for purchase also falls under this category. An example here relates to the purchase of holidays. Lifestyle or psychographic segmentation is based on the idea that individuals have characteristic patterns of living that may be reflected in the products and brands which they purchase. The advertising agency, Young Rubican, has come up with a classification system called Four Cs where C stands for consumers. These categories are: Mainstreamers or the largest group who do not want to stand out from the crowd. They are the biggest segment (over 40 per cent of the population) and tend to purchase branded products over supermarket brands. Reformers are people who tend to be creative and caring, many doing charitable work. They are largely responsible for the purchase of supermarket brands. Aspirers are usually younger people who are ambitious and keen to get on at all costs. Their purchases tend to reflect the latest models and designs. Succeeders are those who have made it and do not see the need for status symbols that aspirers seek. They like to be in control of what they are doing and this includes their purchases where they generally have very clear and firm ideas of what they see as a good product and what they see as being a less useful product. 5 Segmentation bases in industrial product markets Segmenting an industrial product market introduces a number of additional bases, uses similar bases and also precludes some of the ones more frequently used for consumer product markets. Such bases are: Type of application/end use e.g. adhesives for home, office and industrial use Geographical e.g. North, South, East and West regions or by country Benefits sought Closely related to the above, but in terms of what the product actually does for the buying company e.g. detergents for general cleaning or detergents that are actually used in the production process Type of customer e.g. banks or insurance companies or people who purchase for public authorities Product/technology e.g. fibres for the carpet industry or the clothing industry Customer size e.g. larger customers might receive different treatment to smaller customers and this is called key account selling whereby the sales manager deals directly with major accounts Usage rate e.g. light users or heavy users; regular or sporadic users Loyalty of customer e.g. regular purchasers of the companys products and sporadic purchasers. The treatment accorded to loyal customers might differ to that given to occasional customers Purchasing procedures e.g. centralized versus decentralized purchasing (which can affect the buyer/seller relationship); the extent to which purchasing is carried out by tightly defined, or more flexible, specifications which allows the seller more latitude in terms of making suggestions, the extent to which purchasing is by tender (i.e. by some kind of closed bidding system) or by open negotiation Situational factors considers the tactical role of the purchasing circumstances. In some purchasing situations it requires a more detailed knowledge of the customer whereas in others the buyer/seller relationship is kept strictly to commercial matters Personal characteristics relate to the people who make purchasing decisions As with consumer markets, industrial market segmentation may be on an indirect (associative) or a direct (behavioural) basis. A variety of bases may be also be used in conjunction with each other in order to obtain successively smaller sub-segments of the market. The essential criteria given earlier for bases of consumer market segmentation being identifiable, accessible, substantial and, most important, meaningful are equally applicable to bases for industrial market segmentation. A nested approach has been suggested on the basis of a hierarchy from the broad to the specific (See Figure 5). DEMOGRAPHICS OPERATING VARIABLES PURCHASING APPROACH SITUATIONAL PERSONAL CHARAC- TERISTICS Figure 5 A nested approach to segmentation in industrial markets At the centre we have people who actually make buying decisions and their personalities must be considered. Then come situational factors that look at the tactical role of the purchasing situation. This demands customer knowledge. Purchasing approaches examines customer purchasing practices (e.g. who actually makes buying decisions, or the decision making unit). Operating variables allow a more exact pinpointing of potential and existing customers within the final category that is demographic variables, or the broad description of the segments related to customer needs and patterns of usage. 6 Effective segmentation Once market segments have been identified, the marketers task is to assess these various market segments. This appraisal should be in relation to sales and profit potential, or in the case of a non-profit organization, their ability to add to organisational aims. This means that each segment should be viewed in terms of its overall size, projected rate of growth, actual and potential competition, nature of competitive strategies and customer needs. Companies that decide to follow a concentrated or a differentiated targeting strategy must decide which of the segments in the market they wish to serve. Such a decision to select specific target markets must be based on some of the factors outlined earlier, including resources, competition, segment potential and company objectives. There are four characteristics that make a market segment particularly attractive: It has sufficient current profit and sales potential to meet the organisations aims and objectives Competition in the segment is not too intense There is good potential for future growth The segment has some previously unidentified requirements that the company has recognised and is now in a position to serve especially well 7 Product positioning A company has to develop a positioning strategy for each segment it chooses to serve. This relates to the task of ensuring that a particular companys products occupy a planned for place in chosen target markets, pertinent to opposing competition in the marketplace. The notion of product/brand positioning is applicable to both industrial and consumer markets, and the key aspects of this approach are based upon the following suppositions. All products and brands have both objective attributes (e.g. sweet/sour; dark/light; fast/slow) and subjective attributes (e.g. modern/unfashionable; happy/sad; youthful/elderly). Potential purchasers might think about one or more of these attributes when deliberating which product and/or brand to purchase. That potential customers have their own thoughts about how the various competing products or brands rate for each of these particular attributes. In other words, the positioning of the brand along the parameters of these attributes (eg entertaining on the one hand to mundane at the other extreme) takes place in the mind of the customer. Once this is done, it is possible to establish important attributes in choosing between different brands or products, together with the customers perception of the position of competitors products in relation to these characteristics, and then establish the most advantageous position for the company within this particular segment of the market. The final step in the appraisal of segmentation, targeting and positioning is developing appropriate marketing mixes. This involves the design of marketing programmes that will support the chosen positional strategy in the selected target markets. The company must therefore determine the 4 Ps of its marketing mix, i.e. what price, product, distribution (place) and promotional strategies will be necessary to achieve the desired position in the market. There are four acknowledged strategic options for target marketing: Undifferentiated marketing where there is one single marketing mix for every potential customer in the market. Differentiated marketing where there are many marketing mixes for different segments of the market. Concentrated marketing which has a single marketing mix for a segment of the total market. Custom marketing which attempts to satisfy each individual customers requirements with a separate marketing mix. 8 Summary We can now appreciate how marketing begins to work. Having defined the purpose of segmentation we have looked at the obvious and the less obvious bases for segmentation in both consumer and industrial markets. We have also ascertained that used well, the techniques and concepts described in this chapter can contribute significantly to overall company marketing success. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning decisions are thus more strategic than they are tactical. Segmentation variables should be examined in detail, especially new segments. These should then be authenticated in terms of viability and potential profit. Targeting investigates specific segments in terms of how they should be approached. Positioning relates to how the product is perceived in the minds of consumers and a suitable marketing mix should then be designed.

The Theory of Optimum Currency Areas Essay -- Eurozone Countries, Comm

The theory of optimum currency areas (OCA) explores the conditions under which a common currency can maximize the economic efficiency of a region. It strives to identify the essential characteristics for forming a common currency zone as well as its possible costs and benefits. The research has also provided much insight into the area of optimum exchange rate management. The phrase ‘optimum currency area’ was first coined by Mundell in 1961 in his seminal paper entitled â€Å"A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas†. Since then the theory has seen little development and the subject area has often lacked attention from economists. However, the formation of a European Monetary Union (EMU) has stimulated a resurgence of interest in the topic. (Citation) The creation of the EMU has been an ambition of the European Union (EU) since the late 1960s. However, the timeline for achieving the EMU and a common currency was not agreed upon until the signing of the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. The treaty eliminated the national barriers to the movement of goods, labour and capital within the EU, as well as planning the creation of the euro currency and the European Central Bank. (Bean, 1992) The euro was finally adopted on the 1st Dec 1999 by eleven of the EU countries - as well as the Vatican, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino - and has subsequently been expanded further to Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia, Montenegro and Estonia. (Citation) When Mundell introduced the OCA theory, the EMU was not a consideration and it was merely seen as an academic question. Mundell began by defining a currency area as â€Å"a domain within which exchange rates are fixed† and posed the prominent question â€Å"What is the appropriate domain of a currency area?†. To tackl... ...f incomes and extent of trade amoung the members. The OCA line is downward sloping as the advantages of a common currency depend positively on trade and negatively on income correlation. The higher and further right the points are the more benefitial a common currency would be. Points that are low and left should float their own individual currency. He declared that a common currency for Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands would be advantageous but would be a hindrance for Europe as a whole. However, Frankel outlined that â€Å"The OCA Criterion Might Be Satisfied Ex Post, Even If Not Ex Ante†. He expanded by stating that through the formation of a common currency area countries that were below the OCA line could end up above it. Frankel indentified this would happen due to increased trade integration which causes a higher income correlation. (Frankel, 1999)

Winter Olympics :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Welcome to the 2002 winter Olympics men’s bobsledding finals. We have gone though many icy events today but one of my personal favorites, bobsledding, is now ready to rumble. We will be going though three different rounds. All four competitors will race against the clock. The three teams with the lowest combined time will move on while the last remaining team will be eliminated. They will move on to two more final race which their scores will be combined to receive the metals. On track one is the Jamaican team coached by Lamar Dabua and is sponsored by the Coconut Canyon. On track two is the two time finalist the U.S.A team looking for that third chance for the gold and is coached by Bob Morin. On track three is a beginning team for Brazil that is coached by Travair Lapidaz which commented that the team feels they are lucky to have gotten this far and are still going to make this sport fun with a competitive attitude. And on the final track are Norway†™s finest bobsledders that are coached by Brillin Concoordz. These teams will be racing down an icy track at speeds well over 90 mph. All teams have a regulated sled for fair speeds. As we get ready to start we ask all contestants to have a good attitude and good luck to you all. The flag is now rising. And they are off. Down the tasks they go. Now zooming as fast as speeds of lightning. So far it is close. They still have mileage to go. Here they go rounding the biggest and the sharpest corner of them all. From here it looks like the U.S.A team is ahead but very close behind is the Jamaican team. The Norway team looks like they are getting off balance. Yes, they are. It looks like they are going to tip. They are! We are having paramedics down there right away. Now the three teams that are competing are getting more and more spread apart. With the U.S.A team still in the lead there is no question that things could go wrong and turn this race around. Speaking of that, it looks like the all teammates of Norway has successfully gotten out with no broken bones but I’m sure they will be a few cuts and browses. All teams that are still racing will move on and yes, Norway team is eliminated.

Case Study: the Coca-Cola Company Struggles with Ethical Crises

The Coca-Cola Company Struggles with Ethical Crises Coca Cola has been a leading competitor in the beverage industry and has the world’s top leading soft drinks, including Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. It also sells other brands such as Powerade, Minute Maid and Dansani. Coca Cola has the largest distribution system in the world. This company has demonstrated a strong market orientation, making strategic decisions and taking actions to attract, satisfy and retain customers. With changes in top management over the life of this company, Coca Cola leadership seemed to lack the ability to handle a series of ethical crises.Coca Cola’s ethical and legal problems have caused its stock to remain at the same price for the last ten years. The company has had issues with a contamination scare with consumers becoming ill after the consumption of the product in different countries. There has been issues internally with discrimination suits against the company by the African Ame rican employees, market research has been contaminated, sabotage within the company, and attempts to inflate earnings; all of which negatively affected the company. . Coca Cola has had one ethical issue after another over at least the last ten years. Investors, employees, customers, interest groups, the legal system, and the community often determine whether a specific action is right or wrong or ethical or unethical. With each of these determinants, they are the foundation of a strong ethical business. The ethical issues with Coca Cola are a result of inconsistent leadership.Coca Cola leaders did not execute strong ethical habits which resulted in a long chain of unethical practices. 2. Based on Enron’s downfall, I don’t think that Coca-Cola will have the same outcome. Enron’s downfall was a result from top management hoarding money for their personal gain. I feel with those unethical acts performed by Enron for strictly for the personal gain of the individuals involved. Coca-Cola’s issues appeared to be the direct reflection of poor management and ethical skills, specifically top management. . Coca-Cola should start with the top management and re-evaluate the ethical foundation. First, the company needs to understand the individual factors, organizational factors, ethical intensity and opportunity to determine the intentions and evaluations of the business. The leadership influences the ethical decisions performed by the business as a whole. Also Coca Cola needs to address and resolve any lingering ethical dilemmas going forward and work to continuously build a strong ethical foundation.

Looking for Alibrandi Sumary

chapter 29 summary Josie at speech night. Speech night was a very emotional night, the HSC was almost over and it would be the last time that they would be wearing their uniform. â€Å"I’m only Dux because I didn’t want you to be† she told me. When josie went to the ladies she bumps into Ivy and they start to talk to each other about how close they were to john and that they didn’t know what could have caused him to commit suicide, in the end Josie and Ivy hug each other and Josie tells Ivy that if they ever go to the same university that if they bumped into each other they would go out for a cappuccino.In this chapter we get to see that Ivy and Josie can get along when they choose to be and even though they had there ups and downs they still ended up as good friends, just the way that john hoped it would be like. chapter 28 summary Josie is hit with a shocking surprise.When Josie went to school the next day she sees Ivy sitting on the stairs holding her h ead in her hands and Josie asks her what was wrong then Ivy tells her that John was dead but Josie thought that it was a joke when Ivy told her but then when she saw anna come up to her and hold her in her arms and say that she was very sorry josie had to go to the ladies room and she vomited and then when she was done she fell to the ground and she felt like she wanted to cry but she couldn’t because she was so angry. â€Å"he killed himself. â€Å"He swallowed tablets and they found him this morning. † â€Å"For God’s sake, josie, he’s dead, my father wrote the fucking autopsy report. † In this chapter we get to see that josie and ivy have so much in common because they both loved john and they both cared about him so much, we also get to see that josie has a lot of fear in her because she is to scared to die and she never wants her family to die because she loves them so much. chapter 27 summary Josie goes to watch her cousin robert play at his rugby union game.While at the game josie bumps into john who was also watching the game and asks josie what she was doing at the game, she said that she bribed her cousin because if she went to his game he had to take her to the St. Anthony’s graduation. â€Å"Oh yes, where only the privileged can attend. I promised Ivy when we were about twelve I think. † In this chapter we get to see that josie and john get along very well and that they both like each other but they were both to shy to tell each other that they did when they were younger. chapter 26 summaryJosie forgives her grandmother for doing what she did over thirty years ago. â€Å"your grandfather francesco treated me like one of his farm animals. † Josie and her friends were going to go to Anna’s to do some last minute studying for the HSC but when the bus came Josie say’d to her friends that she would miss out and instead she went to her grandmothers house. When Josie got to her grandmo thers house she gave her the biggest hug she has ever given and she cried her guts out, when they sat down in the living room Josie asks why?And then her grandmother tells her more of what happened and because of that she starts to resent her nonno a bit because of what he did to nonna katia. In this chapter Josie learns that her grandmother had dreams like her and that she did what she did because she was angry with francesco and only him because he had left her alone for so long. chapter 25 summary Josie  and her family celebrate her mothers birthday. Josie lets her mother go to her cousins house and stays at her grandmothers house and then she blows her top off at her grandma and finds out that marcus sandford is her mother’s father and not her nonno.In this chapter we get to see that Josie dislikes her grandmother for doing what she did and she has been telling her that australians are bad and she should go out with an italian man instead. chapter 24 summary Jacob wants to meet Josie's grandmother. When Josie and Jacob are walking down the stairs she sees her grandmother and Jacob tells Josie that he wants to meet her because he thought it would be nice but Josie repeatedly says no because she has just earned her grandmothers trust again and she doesn't want to lose that. â€Å"My grandmother wouldn't understand, jacob. give it time. he was brought up in a different time and place . i know it's hard enough for you to understand. It's hard enough for me. † In this chapter we get to see that Josie feels kind of ashamed of her grandmother because her grandmother always to carry on with her family tradition. we also get to see that Josie and Jacob don't always have the right things to say to each other. chapter 23 summary Josie gets to understand her grandmother more than she has ever before. Josie learns that her grandmother was a very lonely person when she moved to australia because nonno had to work and he worked on the cain farms when they lived in Queensland. He came to see me though. he said that it would his heart if i would leave. i could see it in his eyes. but if i stayed i knew i would break my heart. † In this chapter we get to see Josie and her grandmother really close to each other, we also get to see that Josie is interested in what her grandmothers life was like when she first moved to Australia. chapter 22 summary Josie and her mum have a splurge day. they decided to go to one of the harbourside restaurants and although the weather was cool, it wasn't wet enough to ruin the view. â€Å"he's ultra cool, you know.Not cool as though he drives a sports car and dresses trendy, but he's a cool guy, he's up front. No bull. † â€Å"take things slowly, and they will work out. † this chapter reveal that christina was treated very badly by her father when she was pregnant and even before that, he called her every name under the sun, a tramp, a slut. he even hit me across the face and even hit my mother. chapter 21 summary Josie goes to the movies with John Barton to see Macbeth. While at the movies they bump into Jacob and he tries to have a go at John because Josie and Jacob are going out, but in Jacobs eyes that s not what it looks like. Well,, for your information, Miss Intellectual, we're studying Macbeth at school and that's what i'm going to see tonight,so never ever presume what i like and what i don't like. † In this chapter we get to see that Jacob gets jealous when Josie goes out with other friends that are boys, we also get to see that they both can get pissed of very easily with each other. if Josie had the option to go out with John and not Jacob she would but the only thing from stopping her is that he isn't that fun as Jacob but he shares so many things in  common with Josie and Jacob doesn't. chapter 20 summaryJosie is put in charge of keeping an eye on he little students at St Martha's on their annual Walk-a-thon that they have every year to celebr ate St Martha's day. While Josie is supposed to be looking after the slow people she instead goes with her friends to see Trey Hancock at the Sebel Town House. The next day Sister  Louise calls the girls into her office but dismisses three of them and tells Josie to stay behind. â€Å"Ivy doesn't have â€Å"one offs†. She's   responsible from the moment she walks into school till the moment she walks out. † â€Å"You were voted school captain but i gave the job to Ivy because she'd do a better job. In this chapter we find out that Josie was supposed to be school captain instead of Ivy, we also learn that Josie loves to do what her friends do and that she and her friends are trend setters for all the little people of St Martha's. chapter 19 summary Tomato Day! Josie and her family have a tradition that they have to make their own pasta and sauce to go with it, this is when the whole tomato thing comes into place every year on a specific day all the family comes tog ether and they pick tomatoes for the sauce, they squash them by hand and then cook them and then squash them again and then cook them one last time.Robert and I call this day â€Å"Wog day† or â€Å"National Wog day†. Nonna and Zia started to tell the story about Marcus Sandford and how he helped them with the garden while the men where at camp. â€Å"I thought that maybe by spoke to someone they would feel sorry for us and send us back one man. Maybe all our husbands. † This chapter reveals that Josie and her family get on very well when they aren’t fighting and telling others what to do and how to do it, we also get to see that Josie’s family loves to carry out tradition. chapter 18 summaryJacob surprises Josie by getting a car so they can go places instead of having to ride on his motorbike. â€Å"Tons of things ,† I said excited. â€Å"We could form a company. I’d be the theory part of the business and you’d be the practic al. † This chapter reveals that Josie believes that she can have a wonderful life with Jacob but at the same time she doesn’t as well because she doesn’t believe that she has chosen the right man for her. chapter 17 summary Josie gets to know her father more than ever over the holiday that they had together in Adelaide. â€Å"You sound like Mama†, I said, standing up through the sunroof.Josie enjoys the time that she spends with her father in Adelaide and meeting the rest of her family for the first time in seventeen years. This chapter reveals that Josie likes being with her father because she feels like she has known him for her whole entire life. When Josie gets back she sees Jacob on Saturday night and he tells her never to leave him again. chapter 16 summary Josie wags school on friday to go on a date with Jacob Coote. He leaned over and kissed me quickly. â€Å"what was that for? † i asked, embarrassed, but laughing. â€Å"I like the way you talk, I like the way you think. So much passion behind those bifocalled eyes.So much to say†. This chapter reveals that Josie is really opening up to Jacob and letting him into her life, and the same thing goes for Jacob he is letting Josie into his life and telling each other what they have done and what their families are like. chapter 15 summary Josie goes out with the girls to darling harbour after school, at the cafe` they see Jacob, Anton and four of their friends cramp themselves in to the booth behind them much to the dismay of Anna and Josie. â€Å"Listen, we’ll start over again, Okay, I looked into his clear green eyes which always seemed so warm and sincere no matter how bad he looked at times†.Eyes, my mother told me, never lie. This chapter reveals that Josie starts to like Jacob again even though he treated her like he did on their date to the movies. when Josie gives Jacob a second chance he asks her to wag school with him so they could go out on a proper date. chapter 14 summary Josie meets up with John barton again and give each other their pieces of paper with their emotions written on it. John talks to Josie about the fact that his father hates him at the moment just because he didn’t win the maths competition. My father was home when i got there this afternoon . Went through my mail. He owns m y life so of course he is entitled to open my mail,† he spat out bitterly. after John finishes telling Josie about what his father think s about him at the moment they decide to talk about the HSC and that they have to write what they are feeling at the moment and then they have to give it to someone else and then after the HSC the person that they gave the note has to ask them how they are feeling and read out what they felt before the test.In this chapter we are shown Josie’s feelings for John Barton again, we are also shown that Josie cares about what John does with his life and tries to help him with his pro blems. chapter 13 summary Josie goes out on a date with Jacob Coote but ends up spending the night with her father Michael Andretti. â€Å"Just because you had to meet my mother, you went and acted like a prick. Why? † â€Å"Okay, this is my proposition. How about you come work for me at the chamber? You can do photocopying and help the secretaries,† he suggested.Josie starts to dislike Jacob Coote because he was being a snob to her and her mother when he came to pick her up so they could go to the movies, when they got to the movies they started to have a fight and then Josie ran off and hid in one of the arcades and when she thought the cost was clear she ran out of the movies and started to walk home when she was being followed by a car, when it pulled up next to her she shouted at the driver saying that her father was a police officer and the person driving said actually he’s a Barrister, Josie jumps in the car and has dinner with Michael Andretti at a pizza place on Glebe point road.In this chapter we get to see a father, daughter relationship build and start to get strong we also get to see Josie’s true feelings towards her father, she feels that she wants to know him more but at the same time she doesn’t want to because what he did to her mother over seventeen years ago. chapter 12 summary Josie ask’s her grandmother to show her the photos of when she was young and her past. â€Å"I regretted it when i saw the look of glee on her face. Because the way Nonna makes my mother feel , I hate making that women happy. † Even hough Josie doesn’t like to make her grandmother happy she still tried to pay attention when she was telling her stories behind all the photos, Josie screeched when her grandmother told her that her first Australian friend was a hunk, but when her grandfather had found out that her grandmother had an aussie over about every day he got jealous and said she was never to see him again. I n this chapter we get to see that Josie tries to be nicer to her grandmother. chapter 11 summary Josie talks to her mum again and ask’s if she can go to the movies on saturday. Is that what all this buttering up has been all about† after telling her mother that she wants to go to the movies with Jacob Coote, her mother says that she will think about it. this chapter reveals that Josie has strong feelings for Jacob Coote more than ever because not only did he protect her after she as hurt by Greg Sims and she liked that he was being a protective person. chapter 10 summary Josie gets raped by Greg Sims and his posy. â€Å"He grabbed me by the front of the uniform and slobbered all over my mouth and i could hear Anna scream and pull me away while the bile rose in my throat†.Jacob Coote comes to comes to Josie’s aid while she is being forced upon by Greg Sims. In this chapter we are shown that not only can Josie be mean and cruel to other people, Jacob Coote c an also be just as mean and cruel to people. When Jacob drops Josie off she tells him that if he wants to go out with   her that he has to meet her mother, Jacob puts up a fight but in the end he gives in and ask’s her out to the movies on saturday night. chapter 9 summary Josie fights with her mum. â€Å"I don't like the fact that you're going out with him again. Josie doesn't like it when her mother leaves her at home alone just so she can go out with a guy, Josie doesn't want her mum to get married because she just wants it too be the two of them until they die. The chapter reveals that Josie loves her mother but she also doesn't want to hurt her by doing the wrong things. Josie has her moments with her mother every now and then, but they usually end up hugging each other or if it doesn't go well they don't talk to each other for a while. chapter 7 summary Josie goes to her grandmothers house because her mum is going out for the night. Oh God, Ma, I have to sleep in the same bed as her. She doesn't shave her legs. † Josie learns a lot about her grandmother that night that she sleeps over, she told Josie that she used to look exactly like her when she was her age, she also told Josie that she was forced to move to Australia with her husband and that meant that she would probably never see her family again. This chapter reveals that Josie starts to develop a stronger relationship with her. chapter 8 summary Josie brakes a girls nose. we are introduced to one of the beautiful girls Carly Bishop â€Å"they were all wogs. hey seem to be ever where,† she snickered. â€Å"I'm just the same as them and I'd appreciate you not going on about wogs every day. It offends me†   In this chapter we get to see a father daughter relationship develop between Josie and Michael Andretti. the chapter reveals that Josie does have feelings for Michael Andretti even though she told him to stay away from he he still came to the rescue when she called. chapter 6 summary Josie meets her father for the second time. â€Å"I don't want her,† he said flatly. oth Josie and Christina had a fight with Michael Andretti, first it was Christina who told Michael that they didn't want anything to do with him, then later on in the day Josie followed him into the lounge room and watched him look at all the photos that her grandmother had all around the place, Josie told him that if he ever hurt her mum that he would be in a lot of trouble. This chapter reveals that Josie feels anger and hatred towards Michael Andretti because he left her mum when she was young and didn't try to contact her since then. chapter 5 summary Josie goes to the regional dance.Jacob Coote gives Josie a ride home on his motor cycle even though Josie knows that if her mum found out that she did she was going to be dead or one of the people in another car saw her and recognized her they would tell her grandmother and she would tell her mother. â€Å"My mother will murder me†. â€Å"she'll find out alright†. this chapter reveals that Josie starts to develop a strong relationship with Jacob Coote. â€Å"do you know that I've been in this country my whole life and I've never spoken to an aboriginal†. chapter 4 summary Josie works with Poison Ivy at the debating night.We are introduced to John Barton. â€Å"To walk into the regional   dance with John Barton would make me the envy of every snob at St Martha's†. This chapter reveals that Josie shows her feeling for just more than one particular boy. she likes to flirt a lot with boys that she hasn't seen for ages or just met. chapter 3 summary Josie hates to go to her grandma's house because its her family ritual only because her mum makes her. We are introduced to Josie's father Michael. â€Å"Michael! my heart began to pound at one hundred miles per hour and I could feel the hairs at the back of my head standing up on end†.This chapter reveals that Josie feels hate towards her grandmother because she sayed that the daughter's behaviour always reflects on how good the mother is. chapter 2 summary Josie speaks about AIDS at the ‘Have A Say Day'. Josephine has friends such as Sera, Lee and Anna, who influence her life greatly. We are introduced to Jacob Coote at the ‘Have A Say Day' â€Å"†¦. If your an outcast with your own kind, you'll never be accepted by anyone†. â€Å"No matter how much I hate Poison Ivy, I want to be in her world†. This chapter shows more about Josie's relationship with her friends and how she deals with her family life.For days I just couldn't help thinking about my father. I felt sick at the idea of meeting him, though at the same   time I desperately wanted to. chapter 1 summary The reader is introduced to the main character and narrator of the story, Josephine Alibrandi. as a reader we find out that Josie goes to St Martha's high school. The narrator is a typical teenager who worrie s about issues such as peer pressure and relationships with others and teachers. â€Å"My biggest problem though, is being at a school dominated by rich people†¦ ho i can't see having a problem in the world† This chapter shows how Josie feels insecure because she is an outsider. My Mother was born here so as far as the Italians were concerned we weren't completely one of them. Yet because my grandparents were born in Italy we weren't completely Australian. Whole Book Summary ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is a story about a young girl, growing up in Sydney in the nineties. The only side of life to create any hassle is that she is Italian, with an Italian mother, grandmother and father, somewhere, growing up in an Australian world.Throughout the book, she spends her entire year twelve either at her home or at her grandmother’s, school or suburban areas, learning about herself and making friends. The main character, Josephine Alibrandi, or Josie, is a feisty a nd head-strong seventeen year old. She received an English scholarship at the beginning of highschool to go to a strict, Catholic college, St. Martha’s. She is very intelligent academically and can achieve excellent grades when she applies herself. She is also the vice-captain at St. Martha’s to Ivy, an Australian favourite of all, whom she calls Poison Ivy.Most of her friends from primary school didn’t end up there, so she has made new friends, although most of the school is from the rich, Australian side of Sydney. She has only just introduced boys as a major part of her life, mostly involving Jacob Coote from the state school and forming a friendship with John Barton, from the Catholic boy’s school. Josephine was born illegitimately to a seventeen year old Christina Alibrandi. The father, a boy of the same age named Michael Andretti, had to move away to Adelaide with his family before she was born. There was a part of him that knew Christina had gone t hrough with the pregnancy, however he as scared and not prepared for a child. Michael had to come back to Sydney when Josephine was seventeen for his work as a barrister and bumped into Christina at a wedding. Michael Andretti is stern and serious. Even Josephine notes him as â€Å"a worrier†. They have separate lives, he has a good job and a girlfriend. By the end of the story, they have grown close and he had gotten her out of trouble many times, like when she smashed Carly Bishop in the nose with a textbook and when she was wondering the streets alone after she stormed out of her date with Jacob Coote.He begins his life with her by saying that he doesn’t need any ‘complications’ and that it is all going perfectly without an ‘obnoxious creation’. Eventually they get to know each other and Josey works at his law chamber and begins to consider changing her last name to Andretti. Christina Alibrandi, Josie’s mum, is supportive of her dau ghter and has raised her on her own for her whole life, with the occasional help of her mother. Jacob Coote said: â€Å"You [Josephine] come across all tough and fearless while on the inside you’re a softy. She [Christina] comes a across a softy, whereas deep down she’s tough and fearless. Christina can be strong and honest when she needs to be and will do what she thinks is right, like suggesting to her daughter, the first time she met Jacob Coote and he was acting like a pig, that she didn’t think it would be good to let her go out with him again. She also is known to compromise, in letting Josie go out with him after she saw he’d smartened up a bit. She is like Josie, a dreamer. She says herself, â€Å"I wasn’t a rebel Italian [when I had you], I was a naive Italian. † She’d give her very life for her daughter and she loves her mother very much, despite not admitting to it.Katia Alibrandi, known as Nonna to Josie, is the mother of Christina. She felt things too, just as her daughter and grand-daughter; she describes herself as a youth to have been a â€Å"gypsie†. When she was younger and came to Australia with her husband, she was alone in the outback with little knowledge of the language. She had the help of an Australian man, Marcus Sandford, who loved her dearly and would do things for her, seeing as her husband would be away on work. She did not pursue a relationship with him; people were talking as it was. â€Å"People will talk† is the quote that she practically lives by.The Italian community are known to ‘talk’. He came into her house one day and Christina was born nine months later. Marcus was going to take her away where nobody knew them, however, seeing as she’d defied her marriage so much, she at least had to stay with her husband. Her husband had lied to her all of these years, he could not have kids, however they stayed together. Nobody knew about Christinaâ₠¬â„¢s illegitimacy, Katia distanced herself from her because of it, until Josephine figured it out after finally taking interest in her grandmother, and she never told anybody.Katia and Josie develop a good relationship, even though Christina must never know. Katia was strong and has memories, even though she is old-fashioned, just like how she would never accustom herself to Josie’s Australian boyfriend, who she has no knowledge of. Jacob Coote is the captain of Cook State Highschool. He is â€Å"deep and meaningful when he wants to be† in the words of Josie. He is with the ‘in’ crowd at Cook High. He has his pick of the girls and is popular and athletic. Jacob bullied Josephine when she was younger, not her specifically, however that was how life worked.He then falls for her and defends her, he beats Greg Sims when he tries to rape her and his friends, her friend, in the McDonald’s car park where she worked before the law chamber. They go through their fights, however they have high prospects in their relationship by the end of the book. Jacob’s mum died when he was young. It did hurt him, however he tries to move on from it. He does think about it, sometimes, however he is contented in his life otherwise. He now lives with his dad, who drinks a bit, and has an older sister of about 24 years of age with her own family now.Of course he naturally has prejudices against John Barton. John Barton grows up in a prissy world and has all of the doors open to him. He does enjoy it sometimes, however it isn’t really what he wants to do with his life. He is expected to do well; while Jacob and Josie aren’t expected to get far, and he’s prefer that. Ivy Lloyd, or Poison Ivy, decides that she owns him. John does quite like Josephine though. He tries to be diplomatic with things, although he does not want to enter politics as everyone expects him to.By the end of the book, he commits suicide with a drug overdos e right before his year twelve exams. That ruined the story for me, made me cry. Ivy and Josie begin to accept each other, however they are hurt as he was a true friend to them both. I can almost relate to John Barton, not the suicide, however in means of having pressure on him and having to meet expectations. I can understand that, because it is so real. All of these characters are real and this story is only too possible. The Italian Empire, where â€Å"people will talk† is real. It is very humorous actually, because it relates so much to my own life.Illegitimacy being the end of the world, and how gossip can start in one place and everybody know. I understand the gender stereotypes and the important role of religion, in when Katia cannot leave her husband. It is fairly old-fashioned and stubborn, the things that Josie is restricted from doing, however that seriously is life, no doubt about that. You’d have to be there to know it, and I’m there. I’m a l ot like Josephine. I can see how things aren’t fair, however I am able to accept them because decisions are made for me for my own good. Josephine says, â€Å"No way, Mama. If you say no I’ll accept it. I also do think, like Josephine does, that the entire world is crumbling around me and I can be a little inconsiderate at times, accidently of course. I’m learning about myself and growing up, just as she is. Only I’m not in year twelve yet, and I’m not in a leadership role, as much as I like to be a leader. The story is basically about growing up, which can be a challenge in itself, however the main complication is that she is Italian in an Australian world as previously outlined. It creates expectations and a way of life that may have been ethical in Italy, however not so in Australia.Also, the Italians here haven’t modernised with the Italians back there. Things that seem ordinary here just won’t flow with the Italian community, th ings like widows and women with children marrying, and two unmarried people living together, problems that both Katia and Christina face, and that Josephine will too unless she can run from it as she says she will, â€Å"I’ll run one day. Run for my life. I’ll run to be free and think for myself. † There isn’t really a resolution, except that Josie learns to accept who she is.She may still want to run, however, for the time being, she is happy with it. She even says that it will be a part of her forever, her nationality, and even if she dislikes it sometimes it will always make her who she is: â€Å"You can’t hate what you’re a part of. What you are. I resent it most of the time, curse it always, but it will be a part of me till the day I die. † Josie grows up, that is how it all works out. She learns more about the world around her, like the hardships that both her mother and her grandmother went through, and she becomes more aware o f the world around her.A major turning point is after the death of John, she suddenly realises that her life will always be what it is, and her deciding to get along with Ivy is another way of saying that she has gotten more mature, and that she understands. In the story, the way things progress, how relationships develop, and the steps that Josephine takes to grow up, all happen through the things that she encounters. She begins her journey at a public event where every school has to make a speech. Josephine represents her school, as Ivy is too busy talking to the Premier of the entire state.There she meets Jacob Coote and doesn’t really know what to think about him, however he is impressed by his speech on the vote. However, she hardly considers herself interested, despite everyone, including herself, finding him attractive. We then meet her grandmother and get a glimpse of her family life. She sees her father for the first time when he shows up at her grandmother’s house, however they do not converse, as ‘Nonna’ does not know who he is, and he’s only an old neighbour so far. There is inter-school debating and Josie talks to John Barton. He is friendly and Josie gets along with him well.They decide they will see a movie together for school. He would have been her ideal boyfriend. Ivy comes and steals him away, despite the fact that he is reluctant to go with her. He doesn’t get a chance to be with her at the school dance a while afterwards, being caught up with Ivy, seeing as he is in that crowd with her. Josie dances with Jacob Coote, who gives her a lift home on his motorbike, as much as she’d rather not ride on it. She finds out that his mother died when he was younger. He tries to kiss her, however she refuses, they agree that they are from two different worlds and he leaves on good terms with her.Next is Josie’s second encounter with Michael Andretti at her grandmother’s house. She speaks to him after her mother. Everyone is very clear that they want nothing to do with him. It is then that her grandmother realises who is and his relation to the family, at that, she decides she would not want to see him again, however she doesn’t cause a fuss. Josie stays with her mother overnight and learns more about her. She begins to take an interest after realising that her grandmother was a seventeen year old once too.She arrives at school and attends class where she overhears Carly Bishop bagging people of European descent, calling them ‘wogs’ as an insult. Josephine had taken it for years and finally had gotten sick of it. They argued and then Josie hit her with her ‘Concepts of Science’ textbook. She calls Michael Andretti, as he is a barrister to help her, seeing as she’d probably have been expelled and sued. He comes to her rescue, even though they’d agreed to never speak to each other again. On Friday, Josie speaks to Sister Loui se, the headmaster of her school, as scheduled.She realises that she does care and notices that she’s human, despite being a nun. Her mum goes out on a date for the first time. Josie and her grandmother are furious, however her mum has a good time and Josie accepts that. Whilst working at McDonald’s with her friend, Anna, Greg Sims, a boy who teased her as a child, enters with her friends. He would have been rude to her, however police came in to buy something so he leaves her be. They wait for her and Anna in the car park; they are ready to rape them both. Jacob Coote is just passing by with his friend, Anton, and he sees what is appening. He beats the living daylights out of Greg Sims. Anton takes Anna home, and they are quite fond of each other. Jacob takes Josie home. He asks her out, she considers it and decides to ask her mother. He agrees to meet her, only he’d never do that any other time and dislikes the idea. She talks to her mother who agrees to let h er go out with him. Curiosity gets the better of Josephine as she asks her grandmother to see photos and to tell her about her life. She finds out about how she met Marcus Sandford in a post office and he would help her, seeing as she was alone in the country.When her husband found out, he was furious and didn’t want to let her see him anymore. On Saturday, she goes on her date with Jacob. He is a pig to her mother in spite of the fact that he has to meet her. The date lasts ten minutes and she storms out of the cinema complex before even entering the movie. On the long walk home, her father is driving past and picks her up to go and get pizza. He tells her that ignoring her existence won’t make her go away and they begin to develop an understanding relationship. Her mother is not angry, only she isn’t too keen on Jacob Coote.Josie is enjoying her job at Mac Michael and Sons law chamber. Her joy is shattered when she has coffee with John Barton ant they talk abo ut life. He worries, her, saying things like, â€Å"I don’t think I want to live this life anymore, Josie. † She is extremely worried and they decide to write on a piece of paper the way they feel and keep each other’s so that they can read them after graduation. It gives him a little hope, however she is still extremely concerned. Josephine talks with her friends and tells them that she’d like to be a barrister when she grows up.Jacob Coote asks her out on another date. They decide they will wag school for it, not that she’d have ever dreamed of doing so in a million years. There won’t be any mother-meeting this time. They have a wonderful time and share in their first passionate kiss. On the mid-term holidays, Jacob gets a car. Her mum is supportive of them being together. There is the St. Martha’s Walk-a-thon. Josie leaves with her friends and is in major trouble with Sister Louise because it meant that the little kids were unsuper vised. She goes to see that movie with John and Jacob sees them there.They argue but they get over it. A couple of weeks later she is at his house for the first time. He would have liked to have sex with her, and she refuses it. After some conversation he accepts it. She finds out about Marcus Sandford being her real grandfather and promises not to tell if her grandmother accepts Michael Andretti. She talks to John Barton and he is cheery and happy and the day later at her year twelve exams she finds Ivy crying that he had killed himself. It is sad. She reads the note he wrote earlier that year and realises that it was what he wanted to do.She attends the funeral. Jacob was also torn up; he was taking it harder than Josephine. He felt had something in common with John, somewhere, and he’d experienced death before and this probably reminded him of his mum. Only now I realise that he was happy because he knew he would do it. He even said only the day beforehand, â€Å"Iâ€℠¢ve got my whole future planned out the way I want it to be and there is nothing anyone can do to take that away from me. † It is sad, but also a good thing in a sense. It is what he wanted. I think Josephine learns to accept it a little at the end.At the beginning of this book review, I though the ending was ridiculous and too sad. Now I understand more that it was really what John Barton wanted to do, kill himself. He was really looking forward to being able to run free, just like Josephine always said she’d wanted to do, even if that meant death for him. I like the ending, now I do. I now like that there was a challenge in figuring that out. Besides that, I liked that Jacob and Josephine ended up having a caring relationship and that they became incredibly happy. I like happily ever afters.Throughout the book, I enjoyed that they were always able to become friends again after a fight. It made the book a lot more exciting. I also enjoyed how the book exhibits how rela tionships developed throughout the novel. It was interesting to read about the way emotions develop between characters, specifically Josephine and her father. It was thrilling to read how they learn things about each other and accept each other in their lives, and the way that the Alibrandi’s become comfortable with him. It is also good to see how Josie takes interest in her grandmother and she can confide in her.I’d change the time she spends with her friends. I’d like them to have played a more prominent role, or not be included in the story, as they add little to the plot. It would’ve made me happy if she did not skip school. It just ruined a little of the part of her that I though resembled myself. I thought I’d have liked to change that John died. I now would not change that, it adds an important lesson for Josephine to learn on her journey of growing up. Death is something she had to learn to accept. However it could be in the blurb, it would ruin the story a little, although a warning would be nice for the light-hearted.I’d have liked if Melina Marchetta would elaborate more and explain how he saw his death was ‘running free’. I wouldn’t have understood if I hadn’t written this essay. I learnt more about death from reading this. That pretty much sums it up. I never saw suicide as a relief or an escape, although it apparently can be. I picked up on a few facts that I’d have found in a history book, they were another factor that kept me engrossed in reading. This would be a good book for somebody of European descent. It made it highly enjoyable for me as so much is only too true.It could possibly be aimed at someone a little older than myself, somebody who certainly has the insight to deal with suicide and not let it get to them. It has to be taken maturely, so possibly it would be a good story for the sixteen-and-up age group, however it does matter on the individual. ‘Look ing for Alibrandi’ by Melina Marchetta is an extremely wonderful book, definitely worth reading and re-reading. It gave me a lot, and I can understand why people made such propaganda about reading it. I rate it ‘I