Sunday, October 13, 2019
A Critical Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A Critical Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 'The Yellow Wallpaper' written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a riveting story of a dejected woman locked away as if she were insane. Her passion is to write and by doing so we are able to follow her on a journey in which she is victimized by those closest to her. The significance of the story is tremendous as it delves into the underlying issues of 'a woman's place' and feminism in the 19th century. The story not only gave an insight into the public perception of mental illness but it later caused a famous psychiatrist, Silas Weir Mitchell to alter his treatment of neurasthema. As the story begins, the woman-whose name we never learn-tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by her husband and brother who are both medical practitioners. "You see, he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?" We are able to see that the narrator has maintained the traditional patriarchal feelings, as many women and men did in 19th century, where women are discouraged from venturing out of their 'given sphere', due to the political makeup of the era. It becomes apparent that her mind was alluding to this point by the way she speaks about her husband, "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that." The structure of this sentence highlights the male laughing and the woman acquiescing, showed by the short sentence and the full stop - silencing any of her thoughts and opinions. An example of the dominant submissive relationship between them. He treats her as if she was a child and he was the controlling, domineering, yet loving parent. "What is it, little girl?' h... ...d self-analysis, and was symptomatic of the degeneration rife in society. This illustrates the protagonists warped head state as although yellow is associated with negativity, she craves it. This is portrayed when the protagonist claims that everything outside is 'green instead of yellow'. Her mind is so twisted that she feels everything outside of her 'sphere' is evil. The ending of the story is open to a variety of different interpretations. She feels victorious for escaping from her husbands grasp however in reality she is now trapped within herself. We feel that she may commit suicide due to her frustration, however the situation was reversed, and I was given the impression that she may have tried to murder her husband, in an attempt to free herself. However what ultimately happens we are never able to learn.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The Mother Daughter Relationship in The Kitchen Gods Wife Essay
The Mother Daughter Relationship in The Kitchen God's Wife à à à à Relationships mold people's thoughts and the way they live their lives. One very important relationship is the relationship between parents and their children. Parents are the first teachers of children. The most significant lesson one learns from them is love. When a baby is first born it instantly will feel love from the mother. A mother loves and nurtures her baby while it is still in her womb making the relationship between a mother and her child stronger than any other relationship. Only a woman can nurture her baby by using only her body. The bond between the mother and daughter is even more intense because they share the same femininity. A mother and daughter can bond like no other. Girls grow up looking up to their mother and wanting to resemble them when they grow up. Daughters seek their mother's to give them advice when they need help throughout their lives. When a girl is struck with a problem the first person she will turn to would be her mother . However some women are unable to have strong relationships with their mothers, this can be seen in then novel The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan. Unfortunately Jiang Weili wasn't able to have a powerful relationship with her mother. Because of her mothers absence Jiang Weili wasn't able to find her own identity and isn't able to have a productive relationship with her daughter. Pearl feels alienated from her mother however, Jiang Weili only believes she is doing the best for her daughter. Pearl and Winnie prove that the mother daughter relationship is essential for a girl to become a woman. The lack of such a relationship is severely detrimental to a girl growing up. à Jiang We... ...gic comedy with a happy ending. The novel is a love story but not with a male and female but with a mother and her daughter. à Work Cited Chapman, Jeff and John D. Jorgenson, eds. "Tan, Amy." Contemporary Authors Vol.54. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Graham, Judith, ed. Current Biography Yearbook Vol. 1992, New York: The H.W Wilson Company, 1993 Gray, Paul. "The Joys and Sorrows of Amy Tan." Time Magazine 19 February, 2001:72-74 Hunter, Jeffery W. and Timothy J. White, eds. "Amy Tan 1952-à à à ." Contemporary Literary Criticism CLC 120. Farmington Hills: Gale, 1999 Kim-Chan, Hyung, ed. "Amy Tan (1952-à à à )." Distinguished Asian American: Biographical dictionary. Westport: Greenwood, 1999. Kramer, Barbara. Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club. Spring Field: Enslow, 1996 Tan, Amy. The Kitchen God's Wife, New York: Ivy Books, 1991
Friday, October 11, 2019
J.S. Bach Flute Sonata in B Minor: the Development of the Baroque Flute
J. S. Bach Flute Sonata in B minor (BWV 1030): the development of the Baroque Flute, the flautists and the music Johann Sebastian Bach (J. S. Bach) is no doubt one of the greatest composers of all times. He composed many works for flute including works for solo flute, flute with harpsichord and/or continuo and, two flutes and harpsichord. However, there has been a controversy, over the flute works, whether they were composed solely by the composer, assisted by someone or under the guidance of J.S. Bach. In addition, some scholars doubted that some of works are not written for flute and they are actually transcribed for flute by the composer. Especially, the Sonata in B minor (BWV 1030) raises most number of controversies. The J. S. Bach flute compositions are standard repertoire for the flute even today. As a professional flute player, it is very important to have comprehensive knowledge on the background of these works because they directly affect the way of interpreting them.By rev iewing the development of Baroque flute and analyzing the time period of the compositions would greatly help flutists to have a deeper understanding on these important repertoire in flute especially the B minor sonata (BWV 1030). The development of the instrument, Baroque flute, plays no doubt very important role on influencing the work written for it. The difference in range, tonality, mechanisms greatly affect the compositions written for it. Unlike other wind instruments, the Baroque flute was developed later than others.Since it is made differently, it is definitely impossible to apply the styles of other instruments on the Baroque flute. Some research suggested that J. S. Bach has little familiarity of the flute and flute players because, although the style of the compositions are similar to the other pieces of the composer, the flute works do not show that he understands the characteristic and the quality of the instrument. 1 And, the lack of knowledge of the flute would proba bly be because the composer did not listen much works for flute and meet flutists in where he worked.As mentioned above, the development of Baroque Flutes has great impact on how the pieces were written for it. Consequently, it is impossible to overlook this element when doing this research. ââ¬Å"Fluteâ⬠is a general term for a large and diverse woodwind instrumental family of which players blow air across the surface of any hollow object to produce sound. The appearance of the instrument, not only in western music, is found all over the globe like di-zi in China. 2 In Western music, flute plays an important role from ancient Greek music to contemporary music nowadays. The design, uses and playing styles keep changing even today.As one of the oldest instruments in Western music, ââ¬Å"flutesâ⬠first appear in a picture of a shepherd playing the flute from the sermons of St Gregory of Nazianzus in a manuscript of early eleventh century. 3 It is mostly associated with nat ure and pastoral life. In Renaissance, flute was one of the instruments in mixed ensemble. More importantly, it played a notable role in sacred concerti or sacred symphonies. Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630), one of J. S. Bachââ¬â¢s predecessors, composed seven ensemble works that featured a transverse flute which is always assigned to the second voice.This tradition went on to the Baroque era and solo flute works became more popular from 1670. There were large changes in its mechanisms. The new instrument is now built in three or four sections instead of one piece; it is modified from a large cylindrical bore to a conical bore in which the diameter of the headpiece was greater than the foot piece which improves the tuning of the upper notes; most importantly, one key was added in the foot piece so there is an extra note which the little finger of the right hand cannot reach originally and it produces the new note d#ââ¬â¢. These inventions are very important. However, there i s a common misunderstand, however, regarding ââ¬Å"the fluteâ⬠as a single instrument. In fact, it refers to an instrumental family in the Baroque Period. There are, generally speaking, eight different kinds of flutes including concert flute, descant flute and flute dââ¬â¢amour. Different kinds of flutes appeared in different pitches. 5 In the music that Bach wrote for flute, he did not, like all the composers at that period of time, specify the type of flute they writing for.In addition, there is a possibility that different flutes were used in different performances. All flutes were written as if they were in the key of D especially in the first quarter of the 18th century. As a result, it is difficult to judge which flute the composer had in mind from the music. 6 In the journal ââ¬Å"J. S. Bach's Compositions for Solo Flute: A Reconsideration of Their Authenticity and Chronologyâ⬠by Robert L. Marshall, he suggests: ââ¬Å"It is still widely believed that Bach wro te eight works for the solo flute.But the view that has prevailed among Bach specialists for the past fifteen years is that the rather similar Sonatas for flute and harpsichord obbligato in G Minor (BWV I020) and E Flat Major (BWV io31) were probably composed by someone else-most likely Carl Philipp Emanuel Bachââ¬âand that the Sonata in C Major for flute and continuo (BWV 1033) was written by one-or two-of Bach's students (one of them, again, might have been Emanuel Bach), presumably in part under the composer's active supervision and intervention. â⬠7 This suggestion probably comes from the lack of normal musical style in his writing.Moreover, his writing shows no understanding of the qualities of the instrument. However, this argument seems invalid when considering the type of flute Bach was written for. The first flute solo work by Bach, Partita in a minor (BWV 1013), was written between about 1720 and 1730. He was one of the first German composers who started composin g music for solo flute. This may be stimulated by the new four-piece design of the Baroque flute. The instrument has an advanced feature to have an extended footjoint giving the note cââ¬â¢ however, Bach did not use this new feature in his B minor flute sonata (BWV 1030).Also, its middle joint has different length and can be replaced so that the pitch of the instrument can be altered to accommodate different pitches in different areas. Moreover, it now has a clearer and accurate tone. Fast passages and big leaps can now be played with ease. 8 This is probably one of the reasons why there are more compositions for solo flute. In addition to the development of the instrument, flautistsââ¬â¢ involvement plays another crucial role in flute music composition. Bach first work with flute players in Cothen. The Prince of Cothen happened to be a keen musician ho was not in favor of elaborate church music, so Bach concentrated on instrumental music. Interestingly, the flautists were con sidered assets to the court because the salaries of the flautists in the courts were around three times higher than other musician. And, in this Cothen period (1717-1723), flute appeared as a solo instrument in his Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (1719) and the B minor Suite for flute (BWV 1067). 9 Later, the ââ¬Å"violinlizationâ⬠of music in Paris was taken place of which a style characterized by constant semiquaver and arpeggiated passagework in Dresden. This style was achieved by the new Baroque flute.Bach moved to Leipzig in 1723 and he met new flautists there and started composing a large amount of flute chamber music. They begin with the Flute sonata in E minor (BWV 1034) dated c. 1724. Then, the later works are the C major (c. 1731), Eb major (1730-34), B minor and A major sonatas (c. 1736). These pieces seem match well with the larger-bored four-joint flutes with the most effective range. 10 However, two of Bachââ¬â¢s flute chamber works do raised some questions with th e fact that if they were written for flute because there is more than one score written by the composer and they seem not written for flute.They are the sonata in B minor (BWV 1030) and sonata in G minor (BWV 1020). The sonata BWV 1030 is the most important one. There are two scores written for the keyboard part, one in B minor and the other one in G minor. Some Oboists claimed that the G minor is the original version of the sonata for oboe and it is transposed for flute later in B minor. However, there is evidence that flute was a transposing instrument and there is no reason for Bach to write two separate version of music for different instrument. But, as mentioned before, Baroque flute is a family of instruments.There is a possibility that the piece is written for flute but that is not the concert flute. Every instrumentââ¬â¢s ideal sound is to emulate the ââ¬Å"singing qualityâ⬠of the human voice ââ¬â the music was written in a range that more suitable in lower ran ge flutes. The sonata in B minor (BWV 1030) particularly has a strong vocal quality which may suggests that the flute part is actually written for the flute dââ¬â¢amour. Like his Church Cantatas, the flute obbligatos part is intended for the dââ¬â¢amour. 11 Flute dââ¬â¢amour is an alto instrument tuned to D at French Chamber pitch.It sounds a major or minor 3rd below the normal pitch of harpsichords, and played at transpositions. But, this is a French tradition of transposing the pieces in the ââ¬Å"Clef francoiseâ⬠with the G on the bottom line. As a result, Bach wrote two separate scores for the flute and keyboard parts in his flute sonata in G minor based on the ââ¬Å"Clef italienneâ⬠. It is understood by the flautists who worked with Bach and they should recognize it at a glance. 12 To conclude, the B minor flute sonata (BWV 1030) by Bach is written for flute, Flute dââ¬â¢amour precisely.It raised much doubt about this because the composers of the time di d not specified what kind of flute they wrote for. And, nowadays, with misunderstanding that ââ¬Å"Baroque fluteâ⬠is a term for a single instrument, people may suggest that this flute piece is not suitable for a particular Baroque flute. However, with a clearer picture of the development of the Baroque flute family, the intention of Bach to write two separate scores and the common practice of the flautists those days, the Sonata in B minor should probably be intended for the Baroque flute, the flute dââ¬â¢amour.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Human Potential – Of Mice And Men
In the novel Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck Illustrates human potential and its effects on Lennie Crooks and George. Steinbeck suggests humans have the natural potential to seek happiness although the potential can be fatal or harmful. Although Lennie does not have the potential to be smart, Lennie has the potential to be a hard worker. However, Lennie s strength did not work with him and the result was fatal. Lennie is an extremely large man who had the strength of a bull. With the use of his strength, he was great worker but did not understand how strong he was. George explains Lennie s strength by: ââ¬Å"that big bastard can put up more grain alone than most pairs canâ⬠( Steinbeck 34). Through his size and his enormous amount of strength Lennie could out work the other men of the ranch by himself. Through the use of Lennie s strength he became a great worker who knew nothing more than to work. Lennie uses his potential to work hard, but does not understand how strong he is. Without George, Lennie does not understand what to do. Lennie gets frightened and uses his strength to hold on to objects. Lennie is just like a child. He will do what ever George tells him to: ââ¬Å"Curely was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie s hand. George slapped [Lennie] in the face again and again and still Lennie held on(63). Through Lennie s actions we can see that Lennie is very similar to a child. Lennie s first instinct when he is scared is to hold on. Just as a little kid holds on to its mom or dad when they become frightened, Lennie holds on to objects. Because of Lennie s low intelligence to understand his strength, he becomes frightened and kills Curley s wife and as a result, she ends up being killed by is otential: ââ¬Å"She took Lennie s hand and put it on her head And then she cried angrily. Lennie s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. He shook her and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was stillâ⬠(91). Lennie did not understand his strength and became frightened, and once again just like just like a little child he held on. But he ended up breaking Curley s wife neck. As a result of his actions Lennie ended up dead. Lennie had an extremely great potential to use his strength and become a great worker. However his difficulty to understand his strength lead to his death. Unlike Lennie Crooks potential is his knowledge, and Crooks has the ability to use his knowledge to, try to escape the problems he has on the ranch. However Crooks falls back into a 1930s attitude and chooses to neglect his knowledge. Crooks also uses his knowledge to express his ideas and feelings to Lennie. ââ¬Å"Books ain t no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him A guy goes nuts if ain t got nobodyâ⬠. (72) Crooks is proving that he is a very knowledgeable man When around others he may chooses to use his knowledge to express his ideas and become a stronger influence. Crooks uses his wisdom to express his ideas and eelings and leave a very strong impact. Crooks has the likelihood to use his knowledge, but how he uses his wisdom will determine his fate. ââ¬Å"I said s pose George don t come back no more. S pose he took a powder and just ain t coming back. What ll you do then? He won t do it Lennie cried. He ll come back tonight ââ¬ââ⬠(71). Crooks is using his knowledge as a power trip on Lennie who does not understand what Crooks is saying. Crooks is doing this because he has never had a chance to use his knowledge in such way before, but is really abusing it. Crooks chooses to use his knowledge around Lennie. But when a higher authority is around Crooks chooses to ignore it for his own safety. ââ¬Å"Listen nigger, [Curley s wife] said, (y)ou know what I can do to you if you open your trap? Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. Yes ma am, and his voice was tonelessâ⬠(80). When a higher authority is present Crooks chooses to ignore his knowledge because he is scared to speak out for fear of losing his job. Despite Crooks, knowledge he chooses to ignore it around higher authority, this ending up in a 1930 s attitude with his knowledge going to waste. Unlike Lennie or Crooks George has the potential to be his own boss. If George does not work hard enough his potential to be his own boss will be lost and his dream will be crushed. George has always wanted to be his own boss. When he sees that the potential is there, George tries to act on it. George says: ââ¬Å"We d just go there, we wouldn t ask nobody if we could ââ¬Å"(61). George would love to be his own boss and do his own thing, mainly because George would not have to take orders from any one. To accomplish being his own boss, George tries to save his money so that he can buy the ranch: ââ¬Å"If me an Lennie work one onth an don t spen nothing, well have a hundred bucksâ⬠(60). To fulfill his potential to be his own boss, George says he will save his money and not spend any. If George can accomplish this he will be his own boss. When Lennie breaks Curley s wife s neck, George realizes that the potential to be his own boss is lost. Candy says: â⬠You an me can get that little place, can t we George? Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knewâ⬠(94). Now that Lennie has broken Curley s wife s neck, George realizes that his possibility of being his own boss is gone. Without Lennie, George feels here is no hope. As a result the potential to be his own boss is lost. George has a great potential to be his own boss, but with the death of Lennie, George loses hope. George has chosen his fate to be a worker and not to be his own boss. In his novel, Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck illustrates to us that all humans have the potential to do well, but how they use their potential will determine their fate. Lennie, Crooks and George all have one thing on their mind: to accomplish their potential and make it reality. If they do not use their potential It can a source of pain and an unfulfilled dream.
Frankenstein and Blade Runner Comparative Study Essay
Through a comparative study of Mary Shelleyââ¬â¢s novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scottââ¬â¢s film Blade Runner it is possible to gain an understanding of the notion of what constitutes humanity. Despite bearing different contexts, the texts embody parallel values that reveal the fundamentals of human nature. Shelley uses elements of Gothic literature and Romanticism to highlight the value of moderation through Victor Frankensteinââ¬â¢s pursuit of knowledge and the resulting ramifications. Similarly, Scottââ¬â¢s film, set in 2019, reflects concerns of the late 20th Century and the consequences of emerging technological advancements and globalisation. In addition, Scott demonstrates Post Modern views of the nature of our existence in a world of rampant corporatism. Ultimately, both texts are shaped with the values of their respective contexts but each explore the dangers associated with the usurpation of God by man, emphasising the inexorable nature of humanity. Shelleyââ¬â¢s Gothic novel, Frankenstein, explores the complex nature of mankind by considering the consequences of an unrestricted pursuit of science. A rise in scientific experimentation with Galvanism during Shelleyââ¬â¢s time is reflected through the protagonist Victor as he uses it to bestow life. Shelley portrays Victor and the Creature as complex beings, demonstrating both inhuman and human qualities. Despite this, the subsequent rejection by his creator and the De Lacy family drives the Creature to ââ¬Ëeternal rejection and vengeance of mankindââ¬â¢. Victorââ¬â¢s initial response when meeting the creature, demonstrates his savage, cruel treatment and lack of responsibility towards his creation. ââ¬Å"Devil I exclaimedâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Do you dare approach me? Begone vile insect!â⬠The Satanic imagery of ââ¬Ëdevilââ¬â¢, positions the creature as evil and through the rhetorical question and exclamation, we learn of his aggressive and contemptuous feelings towards the creature. The metaphor of ââ¬Ëvile insectââ¬â¢ further reflects Victorââ¬â¢s disgust and anguish in creating his being. This reflects Frankensteinââ¬â¢s superiority in comparison to what he sees as an inferior, inhumane object. In her Gothic novel, Shelley demonstrates to audiences the question of who we are, through the actions of Victor and the Creature and the questions of what constitutes humanity during her time. Similarly, Scott utilises the film noir genre to depict the dystopian society during LA 2019, whilst reflecting concerns of power and unrestrained knowledge on the world. Scott is influenced by concerns from the 1980ââ¬â¢s of capitalist greed, eventually influencing societyââ¬â¢s treatment of the environment, reflected through Tyrellââ¬â¢s main objective, ââ¬Å"commerce is our goalâ⬠. The opening scenes reflect a dystopian world enthralled by technology and consumerism, shown through the neon bright lights. The extreme long shot highlights the blazing fires within the gigantic city representing a dystopian world and a reflection of hell. The contrast of the blazing fire against the dark city portrays the absence of nature of LA in 2019 and a world encapsulated by technological overload. This gloomy image is reinforced with the non-diegetic sound of the aircrafts, providing the responder with an eerie atmosphere. The effects of the rise in scientific advancement are emp hasised through Tyrellââ¬â¢s isolation, much like Victor in Frankenstein. Despite differing contexts, both Shelley and Scott portray these notions and reveal their effects on humanity and the world. Furthermore, Frankenstein is a cautionary tale as it warns of the dangers of attempting to usur[ God, through contrasting images of the Romantics view of the sublime. The depiction of the beauty of the outside world reflects the Romantic concern regarding the preservation of nature in which the Industrial revolution was a precursor for. Victor seeks the natural world to mollify his anguish about the recent deaths of William and Justine. Shelleyââ¬â¢s vivid descriptions of the natural landscape convey a Romantic appreciation of the beauty of nature, but they are intertwined with a sense of Gothic terror. The ââ¬Å"eternity of such scenesâ⬠, the ââ¬Å"savage and enduring scenesâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"wonderful and sublimeâ⬠feeling of the natural world enables Frankenstein ââ¬Å"to forgetâ⬠. The use of bucolic imagery shows the value that Shelley places in the beauty of the natural world. The fact that nature enables Frankenstein ââ¬Å"to forgetâ⬠his guilt fo llowing Williamââ¬â¢s murder indicates a strong connection between humanity and the natural world. ââ¬Å"While I watched the storm, so beautiful yet terrificâ⬠¦This noble war in the sky elevated my spiritsâ⬠Shelleyââ¬â¢s use of rich imagery as well as religious imagery in ââ¬Ëelevatedââ¬â¢ provides connotations of beauty and a pristine place. Scientific advancements during the time reflect Shelleyââ¬â¢s concerns of the dangers of unrestrained scientific knowledge during her context. Furthermore, Blade Runner reflects a postmodern questioning of the nature of humanity whilst exploring concerns of capitalism, leading to a diminishing of moral principles. Scott illuminates the dehumanising effects of such progress, foregrounded through Deckardââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"retiringâ⬠of the Replicant Zhora. Here, the stylistic placement of the transparent cloak places further emphasis on the violence of her death, with a slow-motion low angle shot conveying her heightened sense of humanity within her last moments. The frantic camera movements before Zhoraââ¬â¢s death indicate that she is more than just a replicant, bringing on questions of what constitutes a human, reflecting postmodern views. Additionally, the depiction of a tear running down Priââ¬â¢s face whilst she lies on the sidewalk surrounded by blood combined with sultry, non-diegetic sound and that of a heartbeat, reinforces this questioning of humanity. This is juxtaposed with Deckardââ¬â¢s emotionless features and the monotonous drone of the droid, suggesting that our artificial creations can lead to the dehumanisation of mankind, undermining our humanist framework and hence, cautioning us of the dire consequences of unchecked scientific progress. Blade Runner reflects ideals during the late 20th century of who we are, through the comparison of the replicants and humans, and inevitability reflecting the complex nature of humanity. Despite differing time periods both Mary Shelleyââ¬â¢s Frankenstein and Ridley Scottââ¬â¢s Blade Runner, explore similar concepts and values relating to their contexts. Frankenstein reflects Romantic concerns for the rise in technological overload and the effect this has, eventually leading to the questioning of humanity. Similarly Scott reflects these same ideals through Post Modern concerns of the time. Despite displaying similar concerns, both Scott and Shelley express these values and ideals in relation to their contexts.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
BRAND MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1
BRAND MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH - Essay Example This allows the company to cater to demands of all type customers. In this essay an attempt will be made to highlight the strengths and weaknesses on the brand of Toyota. The assessment of brand will be done with respect to the concepts of value, image and position of the brand. In the end recommendations will also be made on how brand can improve its performance. Strengths of Toyota Value of a brand can be explained as the net trade off received by the customer from all benefits and costs delivered by the product (Snoj, Korda, &, Mumel, 2004). In simpler words brand value is the utility (benefits minus costs) that a consumer derives from a product. Brand image can be defined as perceptions people have about a certain brand name (Rotfeld, H. 2008). The first thing that comes to peoples mind when seeing a brand is called the image of a brand. Positioning of a brand is the place of a brand in the market with respect to other products. Four components of brand positioning include brandà ¢â¬â¢s overall reputation, product performance, customer portfolio, and networks (Knox, S. 2007). It usually is related to the target market of the brand. The value of Toyota brand is very high among the customers all over the world and this is evident from the sales of the company. The company is known for producing cars that provide comfort, and are at the same time affordable. The company has product line of Camry and Lexus that are aimed at higher target markets. The brand value of Toyota is high because it provides more benefits in less cost, thereby increasing the utility of the consumers. This is one of the most significant strengths of the brand. It can provide high quality of comfort, at a relatively lower cost. This is the reason why the brand is famous in both the developing and the developed world. Almost all consumers like to have luxury but most of them cannot afford Mercedes or Ferrari. They are cost effective and for them Toyota is the answer. It has toughness, and at the same time it does not burden the pockets of the consumer. Recently the company brand value has decreased due to massive recalls of vehicles (Kageyama, Y. 2011), but before that the company enjoyed a leading position in the automobile sector all over the world. This is because of the way Toyota caters to the demand of everyone. This loss in reputation is great but still chances are that Toyota will come out of this crisis. Still it is the worldââ¬â¢s second largest automobile company according to the brand value (Cato, J. 2010). The global presence of the company also aids in its brand value because the brand is exposed to many people all over the world. Toyota innovates according to its customer demands and Toyota Hybrid is one of the examples in this regard. The recent focus of people on environment was accounted by the brand and a new product was introduced called Hybrid that was environmental friendly. In a line Toyota delivers to clientele according to their demand an d this is the reason of its high brand value. Brand image of Toyota has been positive for many years and only recently it was affected by the recall. Consumers regard the brand of Toyota not for luxury or style, but for reliability and predictability (Swanekamp, K. 2010). Toyota is a brand that is known for its affordable and tough cars. Affordability is also closely attached to the brand image of Toyota. The worldwide sales of Toyota would have been impossible if the company would not
Monday, October 7, 2019
Controlling Budgetary Pressures in Football Essay
Controlling Budgetary Pressures in Football - Essay Example With revenue cut in half, expenditures will need to be reduced to accommodate the new situation (Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC. 2006). The team management will need to make key decisions on players, as salaries are the largest single expense. A plan will need to be implemented that can reduce the costs associated with player demands and still provide a reasonable opportunity to compete towards a goal of promotion back into the Premier Division. Management will be required to draw up a business plan that reflects the business strategy of the team. Loss of revenue from relegation will mean restructuring the player roster and may amount to the loss of the best players. Other players may be sold to generate immediate cash. One of the first tasks of the budget will be to realistically match salaries and goals to achieve the required end. Management may set a long-term goal of remaining in Division 1 until they are competitive enough to produce a profit in the Premier League. Alternately, a team may set a goal of returning to the Premier League after only one season in the Championship League. This would involve structuring player expense to increase the probability of being promoted. The team may spend all their available cash as well as incur further debt. However, management needs to plan beyond the current season as well. Promotion to the Premier League may not be any financial advantage if they are unable to compete in the future at that level. Loss of cash and increased debt has the potential of creating a yo-yo situation where the team is alternately promoted and again relegated. A key consideration of relegation has to do with whether a team actually is financially better off by being promoted to a higher league. A Premier League team operates in a local market for selling tickets and a national market for selling media rights. In both cases, the demand for a team's products depends on its quality, the opponents, and their market. In general, teams in more populous, wealthier markets will generate more revenue. (Noll 2002 p. 172). Promotion into a league that is too strong for the market in which the team is located may have a negative effect due to marginal costs. The advantage of the increased press coverage that results in greater demand may be offset by the increased marginal player expense (Noll 2002 p. 173). Thus, a team that should be in a lower league from the perspective of profit maximisation may set goals that are not in the best financial interests of the stakeholders. Establishing a budgetary control process will be a necessity and require naming key individuals in each department that will be responsible for maintaining expenditures within the budget, and meeting the long term objectives. A sound approach to generating a good budget is characterised by the participation of as many people as possible, a budget that will consider the whole organisation, and utilises effective standards of performance. The budget must be flexible enough to allow for changing circumstances and analysing ongoing revenue and costs. A budget committee should be comprised of senior members of the organisation and should be represented by every part of the organisation. The budgetary committee will be responsib
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