Meaning of life Human Essay

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long as you are young. When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you’ve grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.  · : Three Days to See(Excerpts) ( ) Three Days to See All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets? Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of â€Å"Eat, drink, and be merry†. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do. Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill. I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.  · :Companionship of Books ( ) Companionship of Books A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age. Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog. † But there is more wisdom in this:† Love me, love my book. † The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them. A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good. Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe. The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.  · :If I Rest,I Rust , If I Rest, I Rust The significant inscription found on an old key—â€Å"If I rest, I rust†Ã¢â‚¬â€would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor. Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer. Labor vanquishes all—not inconstant, spasmodic, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success.  · :Ambition Ambition It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be! There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.  · :What I have Lived for What I Have Lived For Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy—ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness—that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what—at last—I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.  · :When Love Beckons You When Love Beckons You When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to our roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but it self and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.  · :The Road to Success The Road to Success It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself. Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is â€Å"aim high†. I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, â€Å"My place is at the top. † Be king in your dreams. And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it. The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. â€Å"Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. † is all wrong. I tell you to â€Å"put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket. † Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration. To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, â€Å"no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves. †  · :On Meeting the Celebrated On Meeting the Celebrated I have always wondered at the passion many people have to meet the celebrated. The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account. The celebrated develop a technique to deal with the persons they come across. They show the world a mask, often an impressive on, but take care to conceal their real selves. They play the part that is expected from them, and with practice learn to play it very well, but you are stupid if you think that this public performance of theirs corresponds with the man within. I have been attached, deeply attached, to a few people; but I have been interested in men in general not for their own sakes, but for the sake of my work. I have not, as Kant enjoined, regarded each man as an end in himself, but as material that might be useful to me as a writer. I have been more concerned with the obscure than with the famous. They are more often themselves. They have had no need to create a figure to protect themselves from the world or to impress it. Their idiosyncrasies have had more chance to develop in the limited circle of their activity, and since they have never been in the public eye it has never occurred to them that they have anything to conceal. They display their oddities because it has never struck them that they are odd. And after all it is with the common run of men that we writers have to deal; kings, dictators, commercial magnates are from our point of view very unsatisfactory. To write about them is a venture that has often tempted writers, but the failure that has attended their efforts shows that such beings are too exceptional to form a proper ground for a work of art. They cannot be made real. The ordinary is the writer’s richer field. Its unexpectedness, its singularity, its infinite variety afford unending material. The great man is too often all of a piece; it is the little man that is a bundle of contradictory elements. He is inexhaustible. You never come to the end of the surprises he has in store for you. For my part I would much sooner spend a month on a desert island with a veterinary surgeon than with a prime minister.  · :The 50-Percent Theory of Life The 50-Percent Theory of Life I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they re worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Let’s benchmark the parameters: yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale. Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos. But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory. One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone that neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutal—the worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioned died; the well went dry; the marriage ended; the job lost; the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tune—music I loathed. Only a surging Kansas City Royals team buoyed my spirits. Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn’t last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. The reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that can thrive. The 50-percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals’ recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest. For that on blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with corn—fat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tip—while my neighbors’ fields yielded only brown, empty husks. Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.  · :What is Your Recovery Rate? What is Your Recovery Rate? What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from actions and behaviors that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The longer it takes you to recover, the more influence that incident has on your actions, and the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell, the longer it takes you to recover, the weaker you are and the poorer your performance. You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and, no doubt, accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your heart and respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you let go of an issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium, the healthier you will be. The best example of this behavior is found with professional sportspeople. They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missd opportunity and get on with the game, the better their performance. In fact, most measure the time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and most reckon a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long! Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to play your part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at the end of each sentence is a ful stop. Each time you get to the end of the sentence you start a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is not affected by it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability. Don’t live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to overcome the past. Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don’t allow thoughts of the past to reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your life. Learn to recover quickly. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate each day. Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don’t lie in bed saying to you, â€Å"I did that wrong. † â€Å"I should have done better there. † No. look at your day and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an incident. This is a success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step by step process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change here. Your aim: reduce the time spent in recovery. The way forward? Live in the present. Not in the precedent.  · :Clear Your Mental Space Clear Your Mental Space Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion—like stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think? The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion. Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute—but only one minute—to do nothing else but feel that emotion. When the minute is over, ask yourself, â€Å"Am I wiling to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day? † Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really fell it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly. If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion. When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath. This exercise seems simple—almost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task. Try it. Next time you’re in the middle of a negative emotion, give yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper with you that says the following: Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity? Breath deep, exhale, release. Move on! This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel you’ve felt it enough, release it—really let go of it. You will be surprised at how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want to do!  · :Be Happy Be Happy! â€Å"The days that make us happy make us wise. †Ã¢â‚¬â€-John Masefield when I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it. Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear. Active happiness—not mere satisfaction or contentment —often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision. Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles. The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you—-people, thoughts, emotions, pressures—are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.  · :The Goodness of life The Goodness of Life Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life’s goodness can at times be overshadowed, it is never outweighed. For every single act that is senselessly destructive, there are thousands more small, quiet acts of love, kindness and compassion. For every person who seeks to hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and to healing. There is goodness to life that cannot be denied. In the most magnificent vistas and in the smallest details, look closely, for that goodness always comes shining through. There si no limit to the goodness of life. It grows more abundant with each new encounter. The more you experience and appreciate the goodness of life, the more there is to be lived. Even when the cold winds blow and the world seems to be cov ered in foggy shadows, the goodness of life lives on. Open your eyes, open your heart, and you will see that goodness is everywhere. Though the goodness of life seems at times to suffer setbacks, it always endures. For in the darkest moment it becomes vividly clear that life is a priceless treasure. And so the goodness of life is made even stronger by the very things that would oppose it. Time and time again when you feared it was gone forever you found that the goodness of life was really only a moment away. Around the next corner, inside every moment, the goodness of life is there to surprise and delight you. Take a moment to let the goodness of life touch your spirit and calm your thoughts. Then, share your good fortune with another. For the goodness of life grows more and more magnificent each time it is given away. Though the problems constantly scream for attention and the conflicts appear to rage ever stronger, the goodness of life grows stronger still, quietly, peacefully, with more purpose and meaning than ever before.  · :Facing the Enemies Within Facing the Enemies Within We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us. Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! â€Å"Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along. † Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the to of the mountain. The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy. The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities nad doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it. The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve.

Music Appreciation Essay

Question 4: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was a very interesting song; there were many changes through out the piece. It started out sounding like a battle symphony where Tchaikovsky used the instruments to make a choppy sound, which reminded me of a march, as well as gun sounds. He has a great use of crescendo at the beginning. Along with increasing the sound level he also increases the tempo and brings the piece into a dramatic point as all of the instruments join. This includes many different types of instruments: orchestra, woodwind, and percussion. This composer also has a great use of repetition, in the first minute of the song he repeats small sections with the same instrument, but as the song develops he makes this more complicated and repeats longer sections and changes instruments each time. I really like this style because it allows the listener to hear each instrument individually, which is rarely done in a song. Drums are used to keep the beat in this section of the piece, whic h makes the battle feeling stronger and alludes to a heartbeat sound. But it is really the trumpets that stand out in the song and give the beginning of the battle presentation. After the repetition involving different instruments the song begins a decrescendo, this is a great transition into the next big change in the music. A dramatic shift happens and the music turns into a soft, smooth melodic tune that you would dance to at a ball. There is the use of a tiny bell sound that lightens the mood. The notes in this section are much longer and smoother than previously. Also, the woodwinds were taken out during this section and we only hear orchestra. I did not particularly enjoy this song until it transitioned in such a dramatic way; I have never heard such a transition in a piece where it goes from a battle theme to a ball dance theme. This section is very relaxing when compared to the pervious part. We then  transition into the third section and the tempo speeds up, the instruments still include the orchestra and a tambourine was added. The music quickly becomes quiet with a long pause and returns to the sound of the trumpet just like in the beginning of the piece along with the orchestra. There is a great crescendo and all of the instruments join in together, to me this section really clashes due to all the different sounds. This is where the gun shot sound comes in. All of the instruments join in a long scale that continues to decrescendo as the tempo slows. This is a simple part to write but I believe it is a very good part because it makes all of the instruments really need to work to stay together because it would be very obvious if one were a note off on the scale. As the scale ends the instruments instantly come to a loud crash. There are so many bells and trumpets and other instruments playing that it is hard to distinguish what is going on. This part is very repetitive with all of the instruments playing. The song then changes into a faster tempo and I recognize this tune from somewhere else, it is the trumpets and drums mainly playing until the cannon sound returns once again, and we come back to the battle scene. The is a very big, dramatic scale leading into the large bell sounds as the song is ending. All of the instruments then play the same half notes with short pauses between them and end with a long note to finish of the song. Overall, I really enjoyed this piece it was very interesting to listen to and hear all the different ways that the composer switched up the mood in the song. Question 8: Mozart Don Giovanni Act 2 Finale Part 2 Commendatore Scene is a great piece of opera, and I usually do not like opera. This part of the opera takes place in Don Giovanni’s dining room, he is having a feast made for a king when Donna Elvira arrives to tell him that she is no longer mad at him, but he questions why she isn’t and it is because she now pities him. She then asks him to change his lifestyle, but he refuses to and laughs claiming that women and wine are the necessities of mankind. She angrily leaves and then you hear her scream. Don Giovanni tells Leporello to find out why she screamed. He then leaves and comes back frightened as well and jumps under the table. He tells Don Giovanni that the statue he invited from dinner has arrived. Don Giovanni meets him at the door. The statue tells him to repent  for his sins, but just as before he refuses. When he does this a flash appears and the Earth below them opens and the statue pulls him down to hell. When Donna Elvira arrives on the scene the tempo is quick with light music showing the excitement and turn of events, but when she is asking him the important question of changing his lifestyle the music quiets down because he wants you to hear what she is saying to him. Then during his answer the music crescendos as he pokes back at her and gets down on his knees as well. Then as the discussion continues the music is played as the characters speak and stopped when they stop speaking. At the end of their argument they are holding each other and both singing at the same time and while they are doing this music crescendos with their argument to make it more dramatic. Then when she leaves the room and screams the tempo speeds up and gets loud for a second when Leporello screams. When he is explain what is going on to Don Giovanni the tempo increases to its greatest point showing fear and anticipation. When Leporello stomps on the ground to imitate the steps of the statue the music mimics him as he does it, which adds to the effect. We then hear the great set of knocks at the door accompanied by the whole orchestra and woodwinds. As the flash occurs all of the instruments are playing loudly in a sort of frantic way. There then is a long pause before they all come back in together dramatically as the statue enters. The music quiets as the statue begins to talk and this makes his voice sound very loud and booming in a scary way. It then turns to just the orchestra playing this Halloween type of tune that gives off a scary, creepy feeling. As the statue talks again the music quiets, I really like how the composer does this because it really sets his voice apart from the others. As he continues to speak the music in the background does a little scale heightening the anticipation. This continues quietly as they argue back and forth. The music quiets right before the statue makes his big announcement of why he came and they comes back in with a loud burst when he begins to speak. As the statue speak the music gets louder and as he stops speaking it grows quieter to show his authority. When Don Giovanni is answering the music goes back to the orchestra making the Halloween type of music. As they are holding hands the music cuts in and out, playing when Don Giovanni is talking and stopping when the statue is. This music crescendos as the Earth opens beneath them and does not stop until the play does getting louder and  deeper in sound as it goes. Question 5: Wagner’s Die Walkure â€Å"The Ride of the Valkyries† is a very familiar piece to most people because it is used in many other things. The leitmotif is what is so memorable in this song and what has been used so many times. The purpose of the leitmotif is to have a consistent sound that listeners will remember because it continues to repeat over and over again. A motif is very important because it creates a theme, it then links this sound to the story and when people hear this again they will think back to what was going on. This leitmotif has been used for so many different movies and played by so many people. I think the leitmotif is a great way to make a piece stand out, generating a common theme and repeating it over and over will stick it into the listeners minds and they will anticipate and expect it to come and when they are correct it bring a sense of joy. I like the idea of using this type of form; I believe it is very powerful and effective. Question 7: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is my favorite of all of his songs. This is another example of a great motif. The first four notes of this piece set the stage for the rest of the song. It is three short notes (G) followed by a longer note (Eb). The time signature is 2/4 and there is a quarter note rest at the beginning of the bar. This was actually used in World War 2 as ‘dot-dot-dot-dash’ for ‘V’, which stood for victory. This is a very widely known set of four notes. The best part about this piece is the fermata that Beethoven put in the opening because it is an indefinite hold which means that the conductor can hold onto the note as long as he wants.

Analysis of Act 1 Scene 7 from Shakespeare’s Macbeth Essay

This extract is from act one scene seven. This is when Macbeth gives his soliloquy on stage, right after Duncan arrives and is invited into their house by Lady Macbeth. The setting is still in Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. He is confused as to whether to kill Duncan or not. This scene is mainly about Macbeth giving his soliloquy where he shows his dilemma on whether he should kill Duncan or not. His wife Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of being a coward and that she herself would want to kill Duncan or at least pass on her evil ideas to Macbeth. Macbeth feels very emotional about killing Duncan as he feels that they are kinsmen and that Duncan has high regard for Macbeth. He is also doubtful that they might be caught in the process and that they will be in a worse off situation. Lady Macbeth brainwashes him and at last gets him to listen to her. There is a main theme in this scene that is that whether Macbeth should kill or not kill his king Duncan, who also happened to be his guest. Macbeth’s conscience comes over him and he feels that he should not commit this horrendous deed while his wife teases him about his weakness and cowardice. This is when Macbeth decides once in for all that he will kill Duncan as Macbeth has nothing to argue with Lady Macbeth so he listens to her. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is very strong. Macbeth is a very weak and cowardice man when compared to his wife as she is outgoing and is very strong. Macbeth is a brave and strong warrior but his emotions and his conscience make him very weak and frail. This causes him to have doubts on whether he should kill his king or not. There is a lot of imagery in this scene of the play. First there is all the dark imagery which portrays the evil in the book. There is also Macbeth’s ambition which is portrayed as a horse in the statement â€Å"Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself†. There is also some child imagery in the line â€Å"And pity, like a naked newborn babe†. There is once again the reversal of values in the last line â€Å"False face must hide what the false heart doth know†. The dramatic effect in this scene is very high as in most of the other  scenes. There is a heightened suspense of whether Macbeth will choose to kill Duncan or not. The audience is made to believe that Macbeth will not kill Duncan, but Lady Macbeth brainwashes Macbeth towards the end and he decides to kill Duncan and take the throne. This scene should be enacted on a very dark and gloomy setting where there is a lot of echo. This gives the audience the effect of evil in the set. If this scene is performed well the audience will be struck by the seriousness and the suspense of the scene. This scene is very important in the whole play as this scene shows the faithfulness of Macbeth towards Duncan. This scene also shows the good side of Macbeth. The audience is shown that Lady Macbeth was one of the main motives behind pushing Macbeth towards murdering Duncan.

International Business Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Business Marketing - Essay Example (Tai, et al 2005). Population growth rate and FDI are considered the main factors for country selection. Examining the statistical results, it is evident that China is on the top of the list having the highest population in the world (Table 1). The average rate of population growth is a lower than in India and Indonesia, nevertheless, it is expected that in 2025 the population in China will be about 1,476.0 ml, in contrast to India which will has only 1,363.0 ml (2004 World Population Data Sheet, 2005). According to the survey, "China was the largest FDI destination in the world in 2003, overtaking the US" (FDI Confidence Index, 2004). It has stable political situation, and high rates of economic growth. In case of China, FDI is a very important feature of the economies of the developing countries. For many big Western companies, expansion of their sphere of operations through the establishment of branches in other countries is regarded as a key aspect of strategy, often more important than immediate returns on capital. Many firms are seeing their investments as lower than they would have to be in the future and as providing them with a first-mover advantage as those economies begin to grow significantly. In 2003, FDI inflows were $53.5 billion. The economic health of countries is also assessed to determine whether the macroeconomic conditions are conducive to stable economic conditions. The economic prognosis says that 40% of world's investors "expected a more positive outlook on China's economy" (FDI Confidences Index, 2004). China expects liberalization of market, and that is why all those risks will be minimized. Demographic factors, taken into account together with measures such as disposable income per head, shows that China and India are two potential markets for this product. For instance, GDP per capita growth rate is the highest in China (8.8%) in contrast to other countries included in the list (GDP per capita, 2001). The penetration strategy will be based on specific product line which has not been developed yet. The strategy will be aimed to promote luxury skin care line for pregnancy and early motherhood. Estee Lauder has not promoted this product line, but its skincare product meet high quality standards making them safe for pregnant women. Cosmetics for pregnancy is based on all natural cosmetic line (Begoun, 2006) as those proposed by Estee Lauder. This strategy is important because there are limited number of companies promote this line in China (Dowling, 2006). International expansion strategy will consist of several steps. 1.The first step (during the first year) - co-operation strategy and selection of sales agents in big cities. (This step is aimed to evaluate market potential and growth rate, as well as competition tension. Estee Lauder will sale its products through drug stores and specialized stores for pregnant women in big cities around the country). 6 month - identification of potential agencies and sellers; contracting and licensing 6 month - advertising and promotion campaign, opening a Web page After the first year of performance - evaluation and analysis of the market potential 2.The second step (during the second year) - employing sales representatives and agents in order to promote products around the country (the aim is to sell products in middle-size cities through agents, drug stores and specialized stores for women; competitive rivalry on both a price and a non-price basis. 3.The third year - to

Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Diversity - Research Paper Example Festivals function to meet particular needs, on top of providing amusement. These occasions of celebrations present a feeling of belonging for social, religious or geographical groups. A hobby refers to a habitual interest or activity, which is embarked on for joy, customarily done in one’s leisure. A mix of vegetables and meat and several kinds of white bread comprise the main diets. There is custom for baking white bread, which is flattened (tandyr, lavash,churek). Kuftebozbash (potatoes and meat in a reedy sauce) is also a widespread dish. Crammed pepper leaves, as well as soups likewise form a part of everyday meals. The broth borsch as well as other Russian food is part of the cookery too. Azeri’s restaurants offer numerous varieties of kebabas an international cuisine (WTG, 2013). At ceremonial occasions, steamed rice (Pulov) adorned with raisins and apricots are main dish during ritual festivities. It is taken alongside onions, meat and fried chestnuts. In the holiday of Novruz, wheat is sautà ©ed with nuts and raisins (gavurga) (Azer-embassy, 2012). Every homestead should have seven kinds of nuts upon a platter. Sweets like paklava (a rhombus-shaped finely coated pastry covered with sugar and nuts) as well as shakarbura (a pastry of thin bread covered with nuts sugar and nuts) are an essential part of festivities. On weddings, various kebabs and pulovare supplemented byshyra (a sweet nonalcoholic drink) as well as alcohol too. At burials, the major dish is usually meat and pulov, dished up with shyra and then followed with tea. The most observed traditional Azerbaijani festival is Novruz Bayram that is the customary festivity of the primordial New Year. Bayram Novruz is a festival celebrated by family. During the evening, a fore the feast the entire family assembles around the feast table arranged with numerous dishes to

List given to choose from Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

List given to choose from - Research Paper Example Brian Turner is an American army veteran who served the army for seven years. He was assigned in Bosnia in 1999 and Herzegovina in 2000. Later, in 2004 he served as a team leader in the first Stryker brigade sent to Iraq, and was stationed near Mosul for much of 2004. As a poet, Turner’s contributions to war poetry, as Clover and Brouer note, are his earnest and proficient observations of war, which the audience would not find in a press release. In his poems, Turner provides his reflections of war apart from the Yeatsian style, which is said to â€Å"negotiate between the expectations of antiwar audience and the demands of American poetry as a national genre† (Metres 14). Instead, Turner employs seriality in his poems. The term seriality was first introduced by Jean-Paul Sarte and was later used by Iris Marion Young to refer to the collectivity of women â€Å"based on social experiences† (Zack 139). In this paper, the term seriality is used not just to refer to women but to a group of people with the same experiences, particularly soldiers or promoters of peace. In â€Å"Here, Bullet,† one can conceive the seriality among soldiers, not just American soldiers. The persona in the poem is a soldier who challenges bullet in his body to take his life, saying, â€Å"I dare you to finish what you have started. ..triggering my tongue’s explosives for the riffling I have inside of me† (8-9, 12-13). By talking to the bullet this way, the persona embodies every soldier’s view of life and death. Turner does not limit the identity of his persona to an American soldier. There are no descriptions to identify the soldier’s nationality. As such, the poem achieves universality as it deals with the struggles of soldiers for life. The seriality in Turner’s poems leads the audience to empathize with soldiers and feel resistance to war. The poem does not limit the audience to share the author’s political view of war. Instead, the poem guide the readers to gain personal insights and understanding of the issue by submerging them into the experience and not just soliciting reactions or observations as other poems usually do. This view of the audience as active participants in the experience is in accordance with Adorno’s view (Metres 13). Specifically, in Turner’s award-winning poem, â€Å"Here, Bullet,† the author powerfully uses the first-person perspective to address a bullet that is supposed to cause the persona’s death. The persona uses an implied personification and talks straight to the bullet, saying, Because here, Bullet,/here is where I complete the word you bring (9-10). As the readers recite the poem, they are led to assume the persona’s identity by the use of â€Å"I.† Addressing an inanimate object such as a bullet signifies a one-sided conversation that captures the interest of the readers to engage in the communication either as the per sona or the addressee. Unlike in a monologue where the persona controls his/her thoughts as he/she addresses him/herself, the dialogue allows the audience to participate as either the persona or the addressee, thus achieving seriality not only among soldiers but peacemakers alike. Turner’s use of polyvocal collage invites the readers to be active participants to the war experience or the journey. The term polyvocal collage suggests the use of different speakers in the

Creative Leadership and Management in International Schools Essay

Creative Leadership and Management in International Schools - Essay Example As the report declares creativity requires the application of existing knowledge in new ways, so that enhanced outcomes will result. Creativity is prized because it aids in the creation of value in a knowledge based economy. Creativity is a subjective measure whose outward manifestation is the enhancement of any aspect of an administrative function. Creativity has been defined as the â€Å"ability of a person to be flexible, muster initiative and achieve a goal with what is at hand. According to the discussion findings leadership is not an overnight event, and certainly not an inherited trait. An analysis of the most successful schools in the United States was recently conducted through financial assistance from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which identified the fact that administrators in successful schools share an unrelenting commitment to excellence for all students and have developed a high quality curriculum coupled with strong leadership skills. Therefore, the role of leadership and creativity both appear to be significant factors in contributing to success of schools and may be relevant especially in international schools where creativity will have to be exercised in the development of a curriculum that helps students to interact in a global environment. Leadership is often confused with management, but the factor that assumes importance when considered from the perspective of leadership for international schools, is that of creativity.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Globalization - Essay Example In addition, technology facilitates constant connectivity, which has led to establishment of a current generation living in a globalized world. Therefore, tracking communication and interaction with technology through my Smartphone for a period of four-hours depicts that there are numerous features offered by these device. After tracking use of my technological devices such as Smartphone and laptop, I acquired understanding of the way people use technology to communicate. In this case, people are able to connect through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In fact, accessibility to these social networking sites has been facilitated by the internet. Therefore, through my Smartphone, I was able to access information and services that I was interested in. Nonetheless, the internet plays a significant role in processes of reducing traditional barriers of communication across different parts of the world. During this period, I was using my laptop, and this made me realize that there are numerous software that have been developed along with protocols and standards aimed at enabling computers to interact through the internet. In fact, I was interacting with students from different parts of the world, thereby discussing issues regarding school projects. Therefore, collaboration platform has been developed in order to enable people share digital content (Friedman, 3). In fact, these collaboration platforms are referred to as flatteners, which expand opportunity through which people communicate and interact. These technological devices integrate internet functions, thereby making people’s lives more enjoyable. In fact, during this assessment period, I was able to watch new videos and play a game. Moreover, there are other emotional experiences, which are thrilling and exciting such watching a movie. Internet has become a social club since people have managed to develop and maintain friendships. For instance, during the assessment period, I had a g ood feeling of being socially connect with friends living in different parts of the world. In this case, we were able to interact and share some ideas, while making new friends. People have acquired ability to multitask, while using the internet and other technological devices. For instance, during the assessment period, I was logged into my Facebook account, whereby I was chatting with my friends; I was also logged into my tweeter account at the same time. Moreover, I was listening to Smartphone’s music, and I was still receiving calls from friends. In addition, during the same period, I got a chance to check my e-mail and play and online game. Therefore, use of technological devices among people in different parts of the world is increasing gradually with increases in levels of innovativeness and technological advancement. In addition, technology is used in order to achieve certain tasks in peoples’ lives such as learning and offering health care services. Part Two: Living Without Technology In order to understand the condition of living without technology, I conducted an assessment for a period of one hour. In this case, during this assessment, I refrained from using technological devices such as my laptop and Smartphone. On the other hand, I focused on using pens, paper and face-to-face conversation. Nevertheless, during this period, I was tempted to look at the messages and incoming calls from my friends on my Smartphone.

Construction Technology And Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Construction Technology And Innovation - Essay Example In the provided setting, looking out for all the environmental impacts comes in handy. The building is located in a busy location with a lot of traffic. It is thus important to understand that the cars passing by the house do not spend a lot of time at the location because the ground is rather weak. It is a requirement that the house uses rather tough tiles and the most recommended is the ceramic tiles. Green Raw Materials and Concepts Ceramic is harder than stone and hence effective enough to use in places with clay soil and having many people around. In the making of such houses, it is important to ensure that there is minimal use of space while still providing satisfactory area for people to use. The surrounding environment to the house should not have any building around it and should provide ample space for some form of field with grass. Grass is necessary seeing as the ground beneath is clay provides a rather smooth setting and environment for growth. Moreover, research has sho wn that having chemicals sprayed over the grass eventually leads to the clay soil beneath the foundation of the house stronger and can assist during the rainy season (Vasil, 2009, 77). Clearly, having ample grass space is not an aspect to conform to because it is a town setting but leaving space for it nevertheless is advisable in the setting. Clay soil is strong and provides a great support for the foundation and the basement. This is from the way its particles join to form one large compact Substance. This substance leaves no space for air and thus makes it even harder. However, during the dry periods, the soil gets wet and the particles, having not supported themselves alone, end up breaking into pieces. This consequently has the building developing cracks and eventually falling to the ground, which is a hazard needless to state. Below is an example of a building in the initial stages of construction just before the pouring of concrete Energy Conservation Conservation of energy i s one of the most important aspects to understand when dealing with the construction of a green building basement. The basement in this situation is for the provision of energy from a more effective and reputable source. Natural lighting comes in effective for the preservation of any type of commodity that the building owners may term important. The basement should have photovoltaics that are rather an effective method to save on energy used in not only the preservation of the basement, but also the establishment of the foundation. Fuel cells to run the mortar in the creation of bricks can come from new house appliances. An environmentally friendly house is otherwise known as a green house. Inspection An inspector is a vital aspect in the analysis of the already set foundation for the building. Most precisely an engineer ought to observe the already set foundation for the determination of the stability position that the building will have. Failure to analyze this may lead to the con tractors and the builders carrying on with their work with no idea whatsoever of the sensitivity of the issue (Pearon, 2011, 102). The surveyor then comes in after this stage and determines the kind of footing to put depending on the type of building that the owner requires. In this case, a green house would require a rather high footing provided the soil formation and characteristics at the

Pricing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pricing - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is pricing that can be approached at three distinct levels such as industry level, market level, and transaction level. Industry level pricing process considers overall economics of the industry including changes in customer needs and supplier prices. Zuponcic states that Market level pricing takes into account market trends and competitors’ strategies; whereas, transaction level pricing specifically focuses on the discounts management. Modern marketers practice a range of pricing strategies mainly including cost plus pricing, skimming pricing, market oriented pricing, penetration pricing, premium pricing, price leadership, target pricing, absorption pricing, and value based pricing. A set of economic factors is to be considered before recommending a pricing strategy for a particular product since pricing is the most effective profit lever. As Sloman points out, it is necessary to evaluate market demand and price elasticity of the product. Fo r instance, if there is high market demand for a product, the marketer can fix a relatively higher price whereas he will be forced to lower product prices when market demand declines. Some products including jewelleries and automobiles are very sensitive to price; and hence, even a small increase in price will lead to a noticeable decline in their market demand. As Clausen indicates, economic theories do not encourage the setting of higher prices for such price sensitive products. In addition, production costs and expected profit margin have to be analyzed while choosing a pricing strategy.... In addition, production costs and expected profit margin have to be analyzed while choosing a pricing strategy (ibid). When a product’s cost of production is high, firms generally charge higher prices in order to ensure adequate return on the huge investments. In the view of Senior (1852, p. 102), organizations need to consider huge profit margins if the cost production is high and fix a low profit margin if production costs incurred are near to the ground. Shaw (2001, pp.58-59) points out that market structure also plays a crucial role in ensuring successful pricing since market demand is the key driver behind product movement. To illustrate, a skimming pricing policy would probably fail to attract customers in a market where competition is intense, because a set of other product choices are available to customers. Therefore, it is better to adopt a cost plus pricing policy or penetration pricing policy while operating in a highly competitive market environment. Similarly, pr ice discrimination strategy would be advisable in a market which contains diverse population. This strategy seems to be potential for mobile phone industry, particularly to Aslan. According to George, Joll, and Lynk (1992, pp.181-185), in an oligopolistic market environment, a small number of sellers dominate the market; and hence economic theories advise firms to compete in such market segments with relatively low prices and high production. If a marketer increases his product prices in an oligopolistic market environment, customers will certainly switch their demand to other sellers who market their products more affordably. Marketers must give specific focus on the pricing of simple configurable products. Economic approaches direct that price

Includes limitations and recommendations for further research Essay Example for Free

Includes limitations and recommendations for further research Essay The Chinese banking industry has a prime role to finance the growth of China by adapting global best practices. Banks as HSBC are financing the growth across a wide swathe of people, businesses and nations. The Chinese Banking industry is rapidly adapting to the international financial mechanisms, adopting the best practices of many banking activities such as internet and mobile banking, increased customer focus and bundling of services. Bank of China is providing a high level of service to its customers, which has been so accepted by two thirds of the populace that it has served. However there are number of areas in which there is scope for efficiency and better customer service where low scores in some case of a mere 30 % plus have been indicated which should be a cause of concern for the management and specific areas as indicated by the research need to be addressed. The Bank of China will have to invest greater technological as well as management resources in enhancing its internet banking model to satisfy the customers, provide timely and efficient services. Since large quanta of customers are likely to use the internet in the future, investment in this critical resource will prove to be greatly beneficial to banks. HSBC on the other hand has provided a good model of internet banking which other banks could well emulate. The trend is also to induce customers to go on line and use the communication enabled services on offer including mobile and internet banking. A key facet which is noticeable in HSBCs services is bundling of personal services with travel insurance, travel money and even airport parking all into one large group and providing discounts on all three to varying degrees thereby adding to the convenience of the customer as well as enabling the bank to easily service him. China’s banking sector is set to see two major challenges which will be faced by banks as BOC. The first which would be obvious from the study is the threat of foreign banks such as HSBC which having a better experience of providing customer friendly services and with an ability to introduce innovative products which will be able to attract a large portion of the high value and business clientele in the country. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). This is likely to see greater increase with China’s accession to the WTO. In the beginning of 2007, foreign banks would be conducting commercial banking in foreign currency as well as Renminbi without any limitations of locations. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The Chinese government is also encouraging the entry of foreign participation in the finance sector, particularly related to automobile financing and also in reform and restructuring of the financial institutions. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). The other challenge identified is the demand for high value products which can enable growth of economy as well as reduce the risk such as investment banking and insurance. The need will also be felt for products relating to asset management. These could also extend support for underwriting during mergers and acquisitions and financing and securitization of projects. (BOC Global Offering, 2006). However as a competitive business entity, HSBC is focusing on the perceived growth areas such as credit cards and it is said to be teaming up with the Chinese Bank of Communications to provide credit cards to the large majority of Chinese who do not own one thereby creating vast business opportunities. (Schuman, 2006). The Bank of China could exploit such a strategy while at the same time fulfilling its social obligations in personal banking for the less privileged. A survey of the issues covered in the research will indicate that the lead banks of China are well set to undertake this challenging task of providing services of a global standard. An increased interaction with global banks as HSBC will prove beneficial for BOC to attain its ends as stated in its vision of a, â€Å"Market-driven, Client-oriented, World-class Financial services institution, a robust corporate governance structure, capable of delivering outstanding performance over a long term. † (About Bank of China,. 2006). There were a number of limitations during this research; first of all, the number of respondents to questionnaires is limited, because it is difficult to collect information from large number of consumers due to constraints of time and resources. Secondly the subject being of a contemporary nature the response of the bank staff is restricted to the stated company policy. As also there is limited research material in terms of reference books on the specific subject, thus there has to be reliance on sources provided by the two banks as well as journals and the internet. This limitation might induce some error in the research, however the researcher insisted on a precise approach, therefore the results of research are reliable. The Chinese banking industry provides a number of areas for further research. Detailed research can be undertaken on the impact of WTO on Chinese banking industry. In addition research on the role of the central bank in China in supporting financial autonomy and greater growth can also be undertaken. Adoption of best practices by other state banks of China could also be another area of study. References 1. About Bank of China. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3EInformation+Center%3EAbout+BOC%3EAbout+Bank+of+China. ( 22 August 2006). 2. Agent. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=ROOT%3Een%3ECorporate+Banking%3EOther+Services+in+Money+Management%3EAgent+Bank+Business. (23 August 2006). 3. Assurance. 2006. http://www. hsbc.co. uk/1/2/business/insurance. (26 August 2006). 4. Bancassurance, 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099361248100. (23 August 2006). 5. BOC Global Offering. 2006. 202. 66. 146. 82/listco/hk/boc/prospectus/pro060518. pdf . (26 August 2006). 6. BOCI. 2006. http://www. bank-of-china. com/en/common/third. jsp? category=1099540300100. (25 August 2006). Cantrell, D. C. (n. d. )) Alternative paradigms in environmental education research: The interpretive perspective.

The Unification of China Essay Example for Free

The Unification of China Essay When I first read the entire Sima Qian document, I immediately thought that I was entering top secret files or records or something like a diary from Qian himself. Then I realized that this was his job, to document the activities of the Emperor, and I got a little less excited about the drama within the reading but focused on the material. The unification of China had its good and bad results. I personally think that the results could have been obtained a different and less cruel way than what the Emperor did, but regardless of the process, a totalitarian government was formed as a result of the events unifying China. When the Emperor ordered the history and free speech to be destroyed, in his mind at the time it made sense. He was trying to rule a nation and eventually graduate to the world in the eyes of the way that one person, himself, shall see it and run it. That makes perfect sense to erase, or order everyone, to burn all remains of education, knowledge, and information from the society he wished to overtake. He was a very smart man because he was intelligent enough to try to get everyone to see that it was his way or death, and everyone feared death so they obeyed his orders and ridded all documents and books among other paraphernalia. This man reminded me of Hitler almost except Hitler used more psychological tactics and convinced a whole nation that they were superior to the Jews. The Emperor here just threatened everyone to side with him or they were to be executed, so logically these citizens just did what he said to avoid dying. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same exact thing they did. Most people were probably scared of this man and the amount of power he obtained and how he was using his power was threatening within itself. The Emperor really was in his own little world psychologically and he tried to make that fake world a reality almost and forced others to do what he wanted to make his fantasy a reality. Apparently there was some kind of myth involving immortality herbs and plants or something of that nature and of course the Emperor’s greedy ass  wanted it and had people searching for this substance; then he ordered people to start building walls and roads, which is where the Great Wall of China came from, and hiding him out in places because he didn’t want anyone to know of his whereabouts as he gets this sacred plant of immortality. At some point in what I call his personal solitary confinement, he goes crazy thinking that just because the carriages and outriders a re outside that they all know that he is located there in the mountains and even when they leave, he is still paranoid and blamed the eunuchs for leaking his hide out spot. He approaches the eunuchs, gathers them all and asked them who exposed of his get-a-way place and of course none of them confessed (probably because none of them did it) and he arrested them all and executed them. At this point, I’m thinking this man is either crazy or on a super power struggle and it might be a mixture of both. Master Hou and Master Lu prove exactly everything that I said was true with this quote, â€Å"The First Emperor is by nature obstinate, cruel, and self-willed. He rose up from among the feudal rulers to unite the entire empire, and now that he has achieved his ends and fulfilled his desires, he believes that there has never been anyone like him since remote antiquity†¦the emperor delights in showing his authority by punishing and killing, and everyone throughout the empire dreads punishment and tries merely to maintain his position, none daring to exert true loyalty. The emperor never learns of his mistakes and hence grows daily more arrogant, wh ile his underlings, prostrate with fear, flatter and deceive him in order to curry favor. This moved me in the sense that I cannot image this crazy man being my president or having any type of power because he obviously doesn’t know how to use it properly for humanity. This man killed people without thinking twice but simply because he had the power to do it, he did. That kind of mentality is shocking and then to know he had no remorse for killing 460 scholars for no reason is even more shocking. He got each scholar to sell each other out and they still got killed anyway. It’s just depressing that a human being would do that much damage and kill all those people with the simple title of â€Å"Emperor.† I don’t think that him unifying China was supposed to happen honestly. He wanted to unify the world into little Martians of what he wanted it to be which is why he took the approach of invading all of those cities and taking everything that the â€Å"black-headed people† had so they would have nothing else to live for than  what he emplo yed them to do because they almost had no other choice if they wanted to survive. The only other option, given the Emperor’s history, is most likely death so they just accepted his invasion and turned into little robots for him. This was probably the Emperor’s plan for how he was going to take over the entire world, but of course we know it didn’t get quite that far. The first Emperor’s impact was quite beneficial for the people. They realized that after having only one person running a country that it turns to chaos with a major power struggle and the only way to have a good civilization is for all of the little cities to come together and rule as a whole. This emperor’s craziness was all the motivation for the people to unite and become as one nation instead of many little ones that will only fight for power and resources. They collected all weapons and put the materials to good use in casting bells, bell stands, and statues. The remainder was used in the palace and the people created one standard writing system for the future.

Efficient Movement Of Finished Goods Marketing Essay

Efficient Movement Of Finished Goods Marketing Essay Physical distribution is the set of activities concerned with efficient movement of finished goods from the end of the production operation to the consumer. Physical distribution takes place within numerous wholesaling and retailing distribution channels, and includes such important decision areas as customer service, inventory control, materials handling, protective packaging, order procession, transportation, warehouse site selection, and warehousing. Physical distribution is part of a larger process called distribution, which includes wholesale and retail marketing, as well the physical movement of products. Physical distribution activities have recently received increasing attention from business managers, including small business owners. This is due in large part to the fact that these functions often represent almost half of the total marketing costs of a product. In fact, research studies indicate that physical distribution costs nationally amount to approximately 20 percent of the countrys total gross national product (GNP). These findings have led many small businesses to expand their cost-cutting efforts beyond their historical focus on production to encompass physical distribution activities. The importance of physical distribution is also based on its relevance to customer satisfaction. By storing goods in convenient locations for shipment to wholesalers and retailers, and by creating fast, reliable means of moving the goods, small business owners can help assure continued success in a rapidly changing, competitive global market. A SYSTEM APPROACH Physical distribution can be viewed as a system of components linked together for the efficient movement of products. Small business owners can ask the following questions in addressing these components: Customer servicehat level of customer service should be provided? Transportationow will the products be shipped? Warehousinghere will the goods be located? How many warehouses should be utilized? Order processingow should the orders be handled? Inventory controlow much inventory should be maintained at each location? Protective packaging and materials handlingow can efficient methods be developed for handling goods in the factory, warehouse, and transport terminals? These components are interrelated: decisions made in one area affect the relative efficiency of others. For example, a small business that provides customized personal computers may transport finished products by air rather than by truck, as faster delivery times may allow lower inventory costs, which would more than offset the higher cost of air transport. Viewing physical distribution from a systems perspective can be the key to providing a defined level of customer service at the lowest possible cost. CUSTOMER SERVICE Customer service is a precisely-defined standard of customer satisfaction which a small business owner intends to provide for its customers. For example, a customer service standard for the above-mentioned provider of customized computers might be that 60 percent of all PCS reach the customer within 48 hours of ordering. It might further set a standard of delivering 90 percent of all of its units within 72 hours, and all 100 percent of its units within 96 hours. A physical distribution system is then set up to reach this goal at the lowest possible cost. In todays fast-paced, technologically advanced business environment, such systems often involve the use of specialized software that allows the owner to track inventory while simultaneously analyzing all the routes and transportation modes available to determine the fastest, most cost-effective way to delivery goods on time. TRANSPORTATION The United States transportation system has long been a government-regulated industry, much like its telephone and electrical utilities. But in 1977 the deregulation of transportation began with the removal of federal regulations for cargo air carriers not engaged in passenger transportation. The deregulation movement has since expanded in ways that have fundamentally altered the transportation landscape for small business owners, large conglomerates and, ultimately, the consumer. Transportation costs are largely based on the rates charged by carriers. There are two basic types of transportation rates: class and commodity. The class rate, which is the higher of the two rates, is the standard rate for every commodity moving between any two destinations. The commodity rate is sometimes called a special rate, since it is given by carriers to shippers as a reward for either regular use or large-quantity shipments. Unfortunately, many small business owners do not have the volume of shipping needed to take advantage of commodity rates. However, small businesses are increasingly utilizing a third type of rate that has emerged in recent years. This rate is known as a negotiated or contract rate. Popularized in the 1980s following transportation deregulation, contract rates allow a shipper and carrier to negotiate a rate for a particular service, with the terms of the rate, service, and other variables finalized in a contract between the two parties. Transportation cos ts vary by mode of shipping, as discussed below. TRUCKINGLEXIBLE AND GROWING The shipping method most favored by small business (and many large enterprises as well) is trucking. Carrying primarily manufactured products (as opposed to bulk materials), trucks offer fast, frequent, and economic delivery to more destinations in the country than any other mode. Trucks are particularly useful for short-distance shipments, and they offer relatively fast, consistent service for both large and small shipments. AIR FREIGHTAST BUT EXPENSIVE Because of the relatively high cost of air transport, small businesses typically use air only for the movement of valuable or highly-perishable products. However, goods that qualify for this treatment do represent a significant share of the small business market. Owners can sometimes offset the high cost of air transportation with reduced inventory-holding costs and the increased business that may accompany faster customer service. WATER CARRIERSLOW BUT INEXPENSIVE There are two basic types of water carriers: inland or barge lines, and oceangoing deep-water ships. Barge lines are efficient transporters of bulky, low-unit-value commodities such as grain, gravel, lumber, sand, and steel. Barge lines typically do not serve small businesses. Oceangoing ships, on the other hand, operate in the Great Lakes, transporting goods among port cities, and in international commerce. Sea shipments are an important part of foreign trade, and thus are of vital importance to small businesses seeking an international market share. RAILROADSONG DISTANCE SHIPPING Railroads continue to present an efficient mode for the movement of bulky commodities over long distances. These commodities include coal, chemicals, grain, non-metallic minerals, and lumber and wood products. PIPELINESPECIALIZED TRANSPORTERS Pipelines are utilized to efficiently transport natural gas and oil products from mining sites to refineries and other destinations. In addition, so-called slurry pipelines transport products such as coal, which is ground to a powder, mixed with water, and moved as a suspension through the pipes. INTERMODAL SERVICES Small business owners often take advantage of multi-mode deals offered by shipping companies. Under these arrangements, business owners can utilize a given transportation mode in the section of the trip in which it is most cost efficient, and use other modes for other segments of the transport. Overall costs are often significantly lower under this arrangement than with single-mode transport. Of vital importance to small businesses are transporters specializing in small shipments. These include bus freight services, United Parcel Service, Federal Express, DHL International, the United States Postal Service, and others. Since small businesses can be virtually paralyzed by transportation strikes or other disruptions in small shipment service, many owners choose to diversify to include numerous shippers, thus maintaining an established relationship with an alternate shipper should disruptions occur. Additionally, small businesses often rely on freight forwarders who act as transportation intermediaries: these firms consolidate shipments from numerous customers to provide lower rates than are available without consolidation. Freight forwarding not only provides cost savings to small businesses, it provides entrepreneurial opportunities for start-up businesses as well. WAREHOUSING Small business owners who require warehousing facilities must decide whether to maintain their own strategically located depot(s), or resort to holding their goods in public warehouses. And those entrepreneurs who go with non-public warehousing must further decide between storage or distribution facilities. A storage warehouse holds products for moderate to long-term periods in an attempt to balance supply and demand for producers and purchasers. They are most often used by small businesses whose products supply and demand are seasonal. On the other hand, a distribution warehouse assembles and redistributes products quickly, keeping them on the move as much as possible. Many distribution warehouses physically store goods for fewer than 24 hours before shipping them on to customers. In contrast to the older, multi-story structures that dot cities around the country, modern warehouses are long, one-story buildings located in suburban and semi-rural settings where land costs are substantially less. These facilities are often located so that their users have easy access to major highways or other transportation options. Single-story construction eliminates the need for installing and maintaining freight elevators, and for accommodating floor load limits. Furthermore, the internal flow of stock runs a straight course rather than up and down multiple levels. The efficient movement of goods involves entry on one side of the building, central storage, and departure out the other end. Computer technology for automating warehouses is dropping in price, and thus is increasingly available for small business applications. Sophisticated software translates orders into bar codes and determines the most efficient inventory picking sequence. Order information is keyboarded only once, while labels, bills, and shipping documents are generated automatically. Information reaches hand-held scanners, which warehouse staff members use to fill orders. The advantages of automation include low inventory error rates and high processing speeds. INVENTORY CONTROL Inventory control can be a major component of a small business physical distribution system. Costs include funds invested in inventory, depreciation, and possible obsolescence of the goods. Experts agree that small business inventory costs have dropped dramatically due to deregulation of the transportation industry. Inventory control analysts have developed a number of techniques which can help small businesses control inventory effectively. The most basic is the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model. This involves a trade-off between the two fundamental components of an inventory control cost: inventory-carrying cost (which increases with the addition of more inventory), and order-processing cost (which decreases as the quantity ordered increases). These two cost items are traded off in determining the optimal warehouse inventory quantity to maintain for each product. The EOQ point is the one at which total cost is minimized. By maintaining product inventories as close to the EOQ point as possible, small business owners can minimize their inventory costs. ORDER PROCESSING The small business owner is concerned with order processingnother physical distribution functionecause it directly affects the ability to meet the customer service standards defined by the owner. If the order processing system is efficient, the owner can avoid the costs of premium transportation or high inventory levels. Order processing varies by industry, but often consists of four major activities: a credit check; recording of the sale, such as crediting a sales representatives commission account; making the appropriate accounting entries; and locating the item, shipping, and adjusting inventory records. Technological innovations, such as increased use of the Universal Product Code, are contributing to greater efficiency in order processing. Bar code systems give small businesses the ability to route customer orders efficiently and reduce the need for manual handling. The coded information includes all the data necessary to generate customer invoices, thus eliminating the need for repeated keypunching. Another technological innovation affecting order processing is Electronic Data Interchange. EDI allows computers at two different locations to exchange business documents in machine-readable format, employing strictly-defined industry standards. Purchase orders, invoices, remittance slips, and the like are exchanged electronically, thereby eliminating duplication of data entry, dramatic reductions in data entry errors, and increased speed in procurement cycles. PROTECTIVE PACKAGING AND MATERIALS HANDLING Another important component of a small business physical distribution system is material handling. This comprises all of the activities associated with moving products within a production facility, warehouse, and transportation terminals. One important innovation is known as unitizingombining as many packages as possible into one load, preferably on a pallet. Unitizing is accomplished with steel bands or shrink wrapping to hold the unit in place. Advantages of this material handling methodology include reduced labor, rapid movement, and minimized damage and pilferage. A second innovation is containerizationhe combining of several unitized loads into one box. Containers that are presented in this manner are often unloaded in fewer than 24 hours, whereas the task could otherwise take days or weeks. This speed allows small export businesses adequate delivery schedules in competitive international markets. In-transit damage is also reduced because individual packages are not handled en route to the purchaser. FURTHER READING: Artman Les. Clancy, David. Distribution Follows Consumer Movement.  Transportation and Distribution.  June 1990. Bowersox, Donald, et al. How Supply Chain Competency Leads to Business Success.  Supply Chain Management.  September 2000. Brenner, Gary, Joel Ewan, and Henry Custer.  The Complete Handbook for the Entrepreneur.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Evans, James.  Production and Operations Management: Quality, Performance, and Value.  West Publishing Company, 1997. Schmenner, Roger.  Production and Operations Management: From the Inside Out.  Macmillan, 1993. Supply Chain, Distribution, and Fulfillment.  International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management.  October 2000. Wood, Donald, and James Johnson.  Contemporary Logistics.  Prentice Hall, 1996. SEE ALSO:  Distribution Channels;  Transportation Source:  Encyclopedia of Small Business,  ©2002 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved.  Full copyright. Importance of physical distribution by  ADMIN  on  MARCH 28, 2007 Physical distribution / marketing logistics form a pivotal part of the marketing task. It is physical distribution that confers place-utility and time-utility to a product by making it available to the user at the right place and at the right time thereby it maximizes the chance to sell the product and strengthen the companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s competitive position. If any product made in any place could be consumed in ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s entirely at the very place of production and at the very time of production, there would be no need for physical distribution of that product. But such products are very rare. In practice, almost every product gets consumed at places and times that are different fro those of their manufacture. They have to be carried to places of consumption; they have to be stored; and they have to be distributed. Where Production Locations and Markets are distanced, Physical Distribution becomes more crucial. In some cases, production locations are totally dictated by considerations like proximity to sources of raw material. As a result, the points of production might be far away from the markets for the product. In some cases, huge production capacities get established at a given location on consideration of technology and economies of scale. In all such cases, the product has to be marketed over an extended territory; it has to be transported over long distances, stored for a considerable length of time and sold. There are products, which are impacted by the seasonality factor- either production is continuous but demand is seasonal, or demand is continuous but production is seasonal. Here too, physical distribution becomes particularly crucial. It has to perform the balancing act between production and consumption. Helps Build Clientele It is physical distribution that determines the customer service level to a large extent. As a result, it serves as a vital tool in building clientele / market for the product. And conversely, ineffective physical distribution leads to loss of customers and markets. A Promising Area for Cost Reduction Physical distribution is a fertile area for cost savings. Over the years, in most businesses, physical distribution costs have grown into a sizeable chunk of the total costs and now ranks second among all cost elements, next only to material costs. And surprisingly, it has remained one of the neglected areas of cost control. The Dark Continent: Peter Drucker has rightly compared physical distribution to the à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“dark continent of Africa of napoleonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s daysà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢. He said, à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“we know about physical distribution today just as much as what Napoleonà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s contemporaries knew about the interior of Africa. We know it is there and we know it is big and thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s allà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢. The message is obvious. Physical distribution is the most promising area for cost control. more at  http://www.citeman.com/1665-importance-of-physical-distribution.html#ixzz258EK3EJO Warehousing   Warehousing Warehousing is the second major component of physical distribution. Warehousing management has two distinct and equally important parts: 1. The physical job of creating and running the network of storage points and 2. The managerial task of controlling inventory levels without sacrificing service levels. Role and Importance of Warehousing Points below explain the role and importance of warehousing. Like transportation warehousing too vests the product with time utility and place uti   Article On CiteMan.com Inventory management some crucial factors   Inventory management some crucial factors Inventory management is the third major component of physical distribution task. It will be obvious that without effective management of finished product inventory it is impossible to run any business efficiently and profitably. Inventory is Inescapable: Carrying inventories is inescapable in most business. This is because the producing and consuming activities take place at different times in different locations and at different rates. Inventories are   Article On CiteMan.com Sales promotion budget   Sales promotion budget 1. Direct Fixed and Variable Costs: The direct fixed costs are costs of physically distributing samples placing advertisements and point of purchase material etc. Variable costs are payment made to the retailer for each coupon redeemed. 2. Likely market response: The marketer it is suggested should analyze six types of market responses. These are: a Redemption rates b Displacement rates c Acquisition rates d Stock up rates e Conversion rates f Product line effects Le   Article On CiteMan.com Importance of physical distribution   Importance of physical distribution Physical distribution / marketing logistics form a pivotal part of the marketing task. It is physical distribution that confers placeutility and timeutility to a product by making it available to the user at the right place and at the right time thereby it maximizes the chance to sell the product and strengthen the companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s competitive position. If any product made in any place could be consumed in ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s entirely at the very place of production and at the    Article On CiteMan.com Transportation   Transportation The importance of transportation in physical distribution emanates from a variety of factors. Transportation confers à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“time utilityà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“place utilityà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ to the product; it determines the companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s customer service; it also has a crucial bearing on the other elements of physical distribution and marketing like warehousing inventory control and channel management. Finally transportation is a very important cost element in most businesses. Assessment of the Transportation Re   Article On CiteMan.com Outsourcing marketing logistics   Outsourcing marketing logistics In recent times firms have been taking to non conventional approaches in the matter of physical distribution / management of marketing logistics. Complete outsourcing of marketing logistics is perhaps is perhaps the most noteworthy of them all. Globally outsourcing of physical distribution and channel services has become the inthing in recent years. Firms strike arrangement with external logistics service providers and allow them to function as their extended arm    Article On CiteMan.com Designing a marketing logistics system   Designing a marketing logistics system The Steps involved in designing a physical distribution system as shown below. The first step distribution objectives of the firm must be properly articulated and the minimum service level to be guaranteed in delivery must be clearly specified. In fact the guaranteed minimum service level in delivery is the key to a physical distribution system. It is also the touchstone for measuring the efficiency of the system. Component Functions of Physical Distributio   Article On CiteMan.com Materials Management An integrated ViewHYPERLINK http://www.citeman.com/index.php?p=4546   Materials Management An integrated View The various components of the management of materials were discussed such as: 1. Purchasing 2. Inventory Control 3. Storage and materials handling 4. Physical Distribution of materials Each of these is equally important and although some division of responsibility and authority is necessary for dealing with them we cannot treat them as isolated water tight compartments. The decisions taken by a purchasing executive will have to be tempered or modified by    Article On CiteMan.com Marketing logistics   Marketing logistics Physical distribution / Marketing Logistics Physical distribution is the process of delivering the product to the marketing channels and consumers. It encompasses the various activities involved in the physical flow of the product from the producer to the consumer. Marketing logistics is somewhat larger in scope compared to physical distribution. It covers physical distribution plus a part of the task of marketing channels. While physical distribution takes care of functions    Article On CiteMan.com Physical distribution marketing logistics needs a system approach   Physical distribution marketing logistics needs a system approach As the functions are interdependent the cost there of are also closely interrelated. Very often one function subsidies another For example if the firm is prepared to incur increased costs on transportation it may be in a position reduce its warehousing/inventory cost. This is because in such a case the firm can use the fastest mode of transport and rush the stocks to the desired warehouse unmindful of the transportation cost. Obv   Article On CiteMan.com Physical Distribution Management (PDM)HYPERLINK http://www.citeman.com/index.php?p=4530   Physical Distribution Management PDM A customer is served by: 1 identifying an existing or potential need of the customer giving concrete expression and shape to the need through advertising designing the product and pricing it; 2 manufacturing the product; and 3 making the product available to the customer at the right place and time by a proper arrangement of the movements and local storages of the product. Physical Distribution Management function also called Logistics is concerned with item.   Article On CiteMan.com Linear ProgrammingHYPERLINK http://www.citeman.com/index.php?p=4833   Linear Programming Linear Programming is an Operations Research technique which originated during the early 1950s. Having diverse practical applications this technique has benefited immensely various organizations in their production and other operations. Prof. G B Dantzig is one of the pioneers in formulating the procedure of linear Programming. This technique can be applied in various situations: long range planning production planning warehousing decisions physical distribution marketing and    Article On CiteMan.com Concept behind physical distributionHYPERLINK http://www.citeman.com/index.php?p=10700   Concept behind physical distribution The concept behind physical distribution is the achievement of the optimum lowest system cost consistent with customer service objectives of the firm. If the activities in the physical distribution system are viewed separately without consideration of their interdependence the final cost of distribution may be higher than the lowest possible cost optimum cost and the quality of service may be adversely affected. Additional variables and costs that are interde   Article On CiteMan.com What is physical distribution in marketing? Physical distribution is the set of activities concerned with efficient movement of finished goods from the end of the production operation to the consumer. Physical distribution takes place within numerous wholesaling and retailing distribution channels, and includes such important decision areas as customer service, inventory control, materials handling, protective packaging, order procession, transportation, warehouse site selection, and warehousing. Physical distribution is part of a larger process called distribution, which includes wholesale and retail marketing, as well the physical movement of products. Read more:  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_physical_distribution_in_marketing#ixzz258KzBFH3 What is the Physical Distribution of Market? Physical Distribution focuses on an efficient movement of manufacturer to intermediaries and the consumer .channel and physical distribution decisions are interrelated but channel decisions tend to be made earlier. The aim is to provide intermediaries and customers with the right products, in the rights quantities, in the right locations, t the right time. Effectives physical distribution save the cost and improve customer service  Ã‚   levels. Cost saving can be achieved by   reducing inventory levels , using cheaper   forms   of transport and shipping   in bluk.Customer service levels   can be improved by   fast and reliable delivery  Ã‚   ,holding high inventory so that a customer have  Ã‚   a wide choice   and the chance of   stock out   are   reduced , fast order processing   and   ensuring   product arrive   in the quantities and   quality .Physical distribution   management   concern   the balance between   cost reduction and   mee ting customer service requirement . Trade offs are often necessary, for instance, low inventory and slow, cheaper transportation method reduce the cost   but lower customer   services levels   and   satisfaction   as well .   Determining this balance is a key marketing decision as physical distribution can be a   source   of  Ã‚   competitive advantage .   Distribution (business) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Marketing Key concepts Product marketing Pricing Distribution Service Retail Brand management Account-based marketing Ethics Effectiveness Research Segmentation Strategy Activation Management Dominance Marketing operations Promotional contents Advertising Branding Underwriting spot Direct marketing Personal sales Product placement Publicity Sales promotion Sex in advertising Loyalty marketing Mobile marketing Premiums Prizes Promotional media Printing Publication Broadcasting Out-of-home advertising Internet Point of sale Merchandise Digital marketing In-game advertising Product demonstration Word-of-mouth Brand ambassador Drip marketing Visual merchandising v t e Wikibooks has a book on the topic of:  Marketing Distribution channel redirects here. So does Channel (marketing). Product distribution  (or  place) is one of the four elements of the  marketing mix. Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user, using direct means, or using indirect means with  intermediaries. The other three parts of the  marketing mix  are  product,  pricing, and  promotion. Distribution is one of the classic 4 Ps of marketing (product, promotion, price, place a.k.a. distribution). Its a key element in your entire marketing strategy it helps you expand your reach and grow revenue. B2B and B2C companies can sell through a single channel or through multiple channels that may include: Wholesaler/Distributor Direct/Internet Direct/Catalog Direct/Sales Team Value-Added Reseller (VAR) Consultant Dealer Retail Sales Agent/Manufacturers Rep Contents   Ã‚  [hide]   1HYPERLINK #Channels_and_Intermediaries  HYPERLINK #Channels_and_IntermediariesChannels and Intermediaries 2HYPERLINK #Channel_Design  HYPERLINK #Channel_DesignChannel Design 3HYPERLINK #Distribution_Types  HYPERLINK #Distribution_TypesDistribution Types 4HYPERLINK #Channel_Mix  HYPERLINK #Channel_MixChannel Mix 5HYPERLINK #Managing_Channels  HYPERLINK #Managing_ChannelsManaging Channels 5.1HYPERLINK #Channel_Motivation  HYPERLINK #Channel_MotivationChannel Motivation 5.2HYPERLINK #Channel_Conflict  HYPERLINK #Channel_ConflictChannel Conflict 6HYPERLINK #See_also  HYPERLINK #See_alsoSee also 7HYPERLINK #References  HYPERLINK #ReferencesReferences 8HYPERLINK #Lin