Customer Satisfaction Of Airtel & Grameenphone Essay Example for Free

Customer Satisfaction Of Airtel Grameenphone Essay 1. Introduction The introduction of the telecommunication sector has been pretty late in Bangladesh compared to that of the neighboring countries. The mobile telecommunication service has been doubling on an annual basis over the last two or three years. Now-a-days there are six mobile phone operators in the country with Grameen phone, Robi, Teletalk, Banglalink, Airtel and Citycell. They are offering different new package and offers different value added services to satisfy the customers ‘demands. Customer satisfaction is a fundamental marketing construct in the last three decades. In the past, it was unpopular and unaccepted concept because companies thought it was more important to gain new customers than retain the existing ones. However, in this present decade, companies have gained better understanding of the importance of customer satisfaction (especially service producing companies) and adopted it as a high priority operational goal. Customer satisfaction, a term frequently used in marketing, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as the number of customers, or percentage of total customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings) exceeds specified satisfaction goals. People in Bangladesh are becoming busy day by day and more professional than previous. They need to share more information to each other because demography has changed due to the era of globalization. Mobile phone has introduced a tremendous change in the communication sector in our country. It has changed the communication structure also. People in various occupations and income levels are using mobile phone intensively for their occupational purpose and personal purpose as well. 1.1 Basic information The telecom sector of Bangladesh began its journey with land phone. Then SEBA was the first company to bring cellular telephone services. The telecom sector has completely changed both in terms of coverage and efficiency of services. Cellular telephone services have achieved great commercial success. For most firms, the preeminent goal is to maximize the value of the  firm for its owners or shareholders. Increasing competition (whether for-profit or nonprofit) is forcing businesses to pay much more attention to satisfy customers. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables, which correlate with satisfaction behaviors. For this majority of the firms is trying to be a customer-oriented, customer- focused, or even-customer driven enterprise. Airtel is one of the late movers in telecommunication sector of Bangladesh. And like all other telecom companies, it is trying hard to penetrate the market and get a hold of significant market share t hrough their valued customers. 1.2 Background information Airtel Bangladesh Ltd. is a GSM-based cellular operator in Bangladesh.Airtel is the sixth mobile phone carrier to enter the Bangladesh market, andoriginally launched commercial operations under the brand name WaridTelecom on May 10, 2007. Warid Telecom International LLC, an Abu Dhabi basedconsortium, sold a majority 70% stake in the company to Indias Bharti AirtelLimited for US$300 million. Bharti Airtel Limited took management control of thecompany and its board, and rebranded the companys services under its ownAirtel brand from December 20, 2010. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission approved the deal on Jan 4, 2010. Grameenphone widely known as GP, is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh. With more than 46.04 million subscribers (as of September 2013), Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the interna tionally acclaimed microfinance organization and community development bank Grameen Bank. Telenor, the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 55.8% shares of Grameenphone, Grameen Telecom owns 34.2% and the remaining 10% is publicly held. Grameenphone was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh. It also established the first 24-hour Call Center to support its subscribers. With the slogan Go Beyond, Grameenphone promises its customers to bring the best of communication technologies so that they can Go Beyond. 1.3 Objective of the report The objective of the report is divided into two parts. They are specific and  broad objectives. The specific and broad objective of this report is given below: 1. Broad Objective: The broad objective of this report is to find out the customer satisfaction level of Airtel Grameenphone customers. 2. Specific Objectives: The specific objectives will be To find out specific areas of satisfaction of Airtel Grameenphone users To figure out specific areas of dissatisfaction of Airtel Grameenphone users To know the overall satisfaction level of the customers To figure out possible improvement sectors to reduce dissatisfaction To know the better service provider between this two companies 1.4 Literature Review Airtel is the 6th mobile phone carrier to enter the Bangladesh market and launched commercial operation on May 10, 2007. Indias bharti Airtel limited bought 70% share of Warid telecom international. This is the largest investment in Bangladesh made by an Indian company. Airtel offers both prepaid and postpaid connections with lots of diversified packages to its customers. It also offers massive value added services to its subscribers. Below is a description of timeline of Warid Telecom in Bangladesh, Bharti Airtel and its taking over Warid: In December 2005, Warid Telecom International paid US$ 50 million to obtain a GSM license from the BTRC and became the sixth mobile phone operator in Bangladesh. In a press conference on August 17, 2006, Warid announced that its network would be activated two months ahead of schedule, in October, 2006. Again in October, 2006 Warid Telecom put off the launch of its cell phone services in Bangladesh until April, 2007 after its major supplier Nokia w alked out on an agreement over a payment dispute. Warid had a soft launch at the end of January 2007. It gave away complimentary subscriptions among a selected group of individuals, whose job was to make test calls and the operator adjusted its networks quality based on their comments. On May 9, 2007, Warid in an advertisement in some daily newspaper stated that it would be launching publicly on May 10, 2007. However, no call rate or any package details were revealed. The advertisement included an announcement for the people interested to buy Warid connections to bring the documents like ID card, etc., to the  designated franchise and customer care centers. On October 1, 2007, Warid Telecom expanded its network to five more districts raising total number of districts under Warid coverage to 56, said a press release. Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Rajbari and Narail towns were covered by Warid network. On November 10, 2007, 61 districts under Warid network coverage. On June 10, 2008, Warid Telecom expanded its network to 3 more districts Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati. Now all 64 districts of Bangladesh are under Warid network coverage meaning Warid Telecom now has nationwide coverage. On December 20, 2010, Warid Telecom was rebranded to Airtel. Bharti Airtel Limited is commonly known as Airtel. It is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G, 3G and 4G services depending upon the country of operation. Airtel is the third largest telecom operator in the world with over 243.336 million customers across 20 countries as of March 2012. It is the largest cellular service provider in India, with over 181 million subscribers at the end of March 2012. Airtel is the third largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile and China Unicom. Airtel is the largest provider of mobile telephony and second largest provider of fixed telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services. It offers its telecom services under the Airtel brand, and is headed by Sunil Bharti Mittal. Bharti Airtel is the first Indian telecom service provider to achieve Cisco Gold Certification. It also acts as a carrier for national and international long distance communication services. The company has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine cable connecting Chennai and Singapore. Airtel is known for being the first mobile phone company in the world to outsource all of its business operations except marketing, sales and finance. Its network—base stations, microwave links, etc.—is maintained by Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Network and Huawei, and business support is provided by IBM, and transmission towers are maintained by another company (Bharti Infratel Ltd. in India). Ericsson agreed for the first time to be paid by the minute for installation and maintenance of their equipment rather than being paid up front, which allowed Airtel to provide low call rates. Bharti Airtel began its journey in Bangladesh in December 2010 when it acquired 70 percent stock  of Warid Telecom of Abu Dhabi Group. So, it can be said that Airtel Bangladesh has just completed its maiden year in the country. And within this period of time, the operator has also created a vast job opportunity in diverse segments of the organization and as of August 2013, Airtel Bangladesh has 7.97 million subscribers with 7.3% of market share. Before Grameenphone’s inception, the phone was for a selected urbanized few. The cell phone was a luxury: a flouting accessory for the select elite.The mass could not contemplate mobile telephony as being part of their lives. Grameenphone started its journey with the Village Phone program: a pioneering initiative to empower rural women of Bangl adesh. The name Grameenphone translates to â€Å"Rural phone†. Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, Grameenphone has come a long way. Grameenphone pioneered the then breakthrough initiative of mobile to mobile telephony and became the first and only operator to cover 98% of the country’s people with network The idea of providing universal mobile phone access throughout Bangladesh, including its rural areas, was originally conceived by Iqbal Quadir, who is currently the founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT. He was inspired by the Grameen Bank microcredit model and envisioned a business model where a cell phone can serve as a source of income. After leaving his job as an investment banker in the United States, Quadir traveled back to Bangladesh, after meeting and successfully raising money from New York based investor and philanthropist Joshua Mailman, and worked for three years gaining s upport from various organizations including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and the Norwegian telephone company, Telenor. He was finally successful in forming a consortium with Telenor and Grameen Bank to establish Grameenphone. Quadir remained a shareholder of Grameenphone until 2004. Grameenphone received a license for cellular phone operation in Bangladesh from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on November 28, 1996. Grameenphone started operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day in Bangladesh. Grameenphone originally offered a mobile-to-mobile connectivity (widely known as GP-GP connection), which created a lot of enthusiasm among the users. It became the first operator to reach the million subscriber milestone as well as ten million subscriber milestone in Bangladesh. Since its inception Grameenphone has built the  largest cellular network in the country with over 8500 base stations . Presently, nearly 99 percent of the countrys population is within the coverage area of the Grameenphone network. Grameenphone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in t he local telecom market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997. Grameenphone was also the first telecommunication operator in Bangladesh to introduce the pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center, introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE, personal ring back tone and many other products and services. In October 2013 the company launched 3G services commercially. The entire Grameenphone network is 3G/EDGE/GPRS enabled, allowing access to high-speed Internet and data services from anywhere within the coverage area. There are currently over 7 million 3G/EDGE/GPRS users in the Grameenphone network. Today, Grameenphone is the leading and largest telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh with more than 47.64 million subscribers as of January 2014. Grameenphone has so far invested more than BDT 24,300 crore to build the network infrastructure Grameenphone is one of the largest taxpayers in the country, having contributed more than BDT 35,500 crore in direct and indirect taxes to the Government Exchequer over the years. There are now more than 1600 GP Service Desks across the country covering nearly all upazilas of all districts and 94 Grameenphone Centers in all the divisional cities Grameenphone has about 5000 full and temporary employees. 300,000 people are directly dependent on Grameenphone for their livelihood, working for the Grameenphone dealers, retailers, scratch card outlets, suppliers, vendors, contractors and others. In this report we tried to discuss the comparative analysis of Airtel 7 Grameenphone over the customers. 2. Research Method 2.1 Data sources †¢ There are two types of data sources are used to obtain the required information. 2.1.1 Primary Data †¢ Direct interview though a survey questionnaire 2.1.2 Secondary data †¢ Commercial websites of Airtel Grameenphone †¢ Online articles on telecommunication sector †¢ Previously conducted research papers on different issues of telecommunication Company‟s magazines, brochures, etc. 2.2. Method of collecting data 2.2.1 Selecting Sample The population of this study are customers of Airtel Bangladesh Grameenphone and we took interview 120 person of different age group in our study. We targeted different people from different age group. The target population were divided among following age groups- 18-30 years 60 30-50 years 30 50-70 years 20 70- above years – 10 2.2.2 Procedure of data collection After determining the target population and sampling frame we were looking forward to conduct the survey for collecting the information. As our extent of the target population was preplanned and structured, therefore, we did not have any trouble to collect the information from the fieldwork. Whenever we found a student who was sitting idle or gossiping with their friends we went to them, cordially introduced ourselves and asked them whether they were using airtel or GP. After receiving a positive response, we provided a questionnaire form and asked them to participate in the survey. Fortunately, no one denied participating in the survey because it did not take more than four minutes to finish. Moreover, every respondent was looking enthusiastic in taking part and some of them were very cooperative and supportive. They also assisted us to find out active airtel GP users. By this way, we collected data from 100 respondents. Rest 20 set of questionnaires were given to my friends and th e neighbors who were the Airtel or GP users. 2.2.3 Method of analyzing data After completing the research survey, we started the data preparation for the project. As soon as we received the questionnaires from the field I kept all the information in Microsoft Excel program. Since, this is a descriptive  research and the data analysis should be done quantitatively. For this reason, we used MS Excel software because we have enough insights of using this program. In the beginning portion of the questionnaire, there were some general questions to aware of the some information about the respondents, for instances, gender, age, duration of the network age and some direct question related to their usage pattern. This information is analyzed collectively rather than individually. Here, no statistical tools have been used. The next section of the questionnaire contains 13 statements. Each of the statements has been arranged in such a way which is directly related to the customer satisfaction factors. 2.3 Limitations of the study The survey is subjected to the bias and prejudices of the respondents. Hence 100% accuracy can’t be assured. The researcher was carried out in a short span of time, where in the researcher could not widen the study. The study could not be generalized due to the fact that researcher adapted personal interview method. It is so difficult to survey questionnaire among target samples. 3. Result Discussions: Findings 3.1. Findings on respondents’ analysis The general analysis of the 120 samples is presented in this section. The main objective of the respondents‟ analysis is to get the overview about respondents. Here, respondent‟s gender, age limit, duration of their network, and usage pattern, etc. have been discussed briefly. There is no statistical tool used to analysis the respondent’s overview because this information will not affect directly to the customer satisfaction factors. For collecting data from the field, the research survey has been conducted among 80 male and 40 female users of airtel GP users. Thus, the ratio of male user is 60% and the ratio of female user is 40%. We have conducted the research on 18-30 years 60 30-50 years 30 50-70 years 20 70- above years 10 From this scenario, it can be said that most of the airtel is more polular in  urban areas in young generation. There were also two direct questions asked to the respondents to know the reason of using Airtel and to know which of the value added services are used by the respondents. Research findings show that 40% of the respondents use airtel only for the lower cost. 20% of the respondents use airtel for the highest FnF benefits. 10% of the respondents said they are using airtel for low on-net tariffs. 30% of the respondents use GP for network, voice quality and for the brand image. 3.2 Findings on questionnaire analysis 1. How many sim do you use? Most of the respondents use 1 sim. Rest others use 2 sims for various purposes. 2. Which company’s sim you are using now? Most of the respondents use Airtel. Those who use 2 sims, they have Grameenphone, teletalk, Robi Banglalink sim. 3. What is the reason behind of your choice? Most of the Airtel users use Airtel for the lower call rate. Grameenphone users use it for better network service. 4. Who is following better business strategy? Most of the Airtel users think Airtel is following better business strategy at this moment to attract new young generation. Grameenphone users think GP should obtain more attractive business strategy to retain the existing customers as well as draw interest to new customers. 5. Who provides more facility for their customers? In this question, most of them think Grameenphone is providing more facilities to its customers. With their network, service customer care outlet around the country Grameenphone is far better than Airtel. 6. Who is more responsible for social welfare?  Most of the respondents expressed that being the most popular largest telecom company, Grameenphone is contributing more for social welfare of Bangladesh. 7. Call Rate  Most of the respondents are satisfied with the call rate of Airtel. Few of them think it is moderate. On the other hand, most of the respondents think call rate of Grameenphone is highly expensive. They are dissatisfied with this. 8. Service.  In service issue, most of the respondents feel moderate with the Airtel service but Grameenphone have many satisfied clients in this regard. 9. Network.  In network issue, Airtel has dissatisfied customers. The respondents are not satisfied at all with the striggling network of Airtel. On the other hand Grameenphone is reigning the telecom scenario with their operative network. 10. Bonus Offer.  The respondents are satisfied with the endless bonus offers of Airtel. Most of them are agreed with that. Contrariwise Grameenphone’s bonus offers are not so much satisfactory to its clients. 11. Bundle Offer.  Most of the respondents are satisfied with the bundle offers of Airtel. A small number of them are moderate with that. Inversely the bundle offers of Grameenphone are dissatisfactory to its clients. 12. Which company’s sim you will suggest for using to your friends? 60% of the respondents told that they will suggest Airtel sim to their friends. Rest of them stated that they will recommend Grameenphone to their friends. 3.3 Best According to Customers 3.4 Reasons of the First Choice: Grameenphone 3.5 Reasons of the First Choice: Airtel 3.6 Competitive Advantage of Grameenphone Airtel 3.7 Customers Recommendations In the respondent‟s opinion and suggestion section, 12 respondents did not put any opinion. However, rest 108 of the respondents shared their valuable opinion regarding Airtel Grameenphone services and those are given below accordingly: Most of the respondents suggested Airtel to upgrade its network coverage as soon as possible. The also suggested Grameenphone to reduce the  call rate. Some respondents also suggested to: Stop sending unwanted SMS Reduce VAS tariffs Increase the validity for bonus talk time Offer attractive handset bundle package

Worship Of Hindu Gods Now And Then Religion Essay

Worship Of Hindu Gods Now And Then Religion Essay Hinduism: Hinduism or Sanatan (meaning a universal religion) is considered to be the worlds oldest religion that originated on the Indian sub-continent. According to its Vedic records, its history of origin is dated between to 6,000 to 10,000 years and that is why it is considered as one of the ancient religions of the world. It is the native religion of India and it has neither a specific human founder nor a single book of reverence but rather laid its foundations on ancient sacred scriptures that were passed down the generations by a word of mouth and later written down into scripts and texts forms (Zavos, 2001). Hinduism has a massive number of followers reaching up to one billion worldwide with majority of them (95%) being from Indian and the rest in United States ,Europe and other parts of the world. Demographically, it is the world third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism constitutes a complex mode of worship ranging from the grand festivals like Kumbhela, which is a religious big gathering of up to 45 million people to the very simple Darshan, the devotional seeing in home shrines. Hindus worship in the numerous ancient and contemporary mandirs and shrines. Hindus regard Vedas (ancient texts) as the most ancient and the most authoritative texts of the religion and hence they form the foundation of all branches of Hinduism. Hindu has three trinity which include Shiva, Brahman and Vishnu unlike Christian who have only one trinity. These gods represent the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation where Vishnu is responsible of preserving the universe, Shiva destroys the re-creator of the universe and Brahman create the Universe. The three goddess are the second trinity of Hindu as well as the gods wives of the first trinity. However, all the goddesses and gods have their forms of incarnations. Hinduism involve the worship of God and its numerous deities with the major ones being Brahma (creator) Vishnu (the preserver) and Siva (the destroyer), so depending on ones opinion Hinduism can be said to be polytheistic, monotheistic or henotheistic (which involves devotion to a single God while accepting the existence of other gods) (Zavos, 120). Modern Hinduism is categorized into two major groups: Vaishnavism (those who worship Vishnu and all other living things subservient to him) and Shaivism (stream of Hinduism who worship Shiva and believes that Shiva is the destroyer and the creator of the universe). Hinduism is based on the principle of Brahman that states that the universe is one and all realities are a unity, Devine entity that is simultaneously at one with the universe who transcends it as well. In Hinduism human beings are preserved to be trapped a Samsara which is a meaningless cycle of birth death and rebirth with karma ;ones accumulated sum of good and bad deeds and these determines on which level in the caste system will one be born in the nest cycle life. Ancient Hindus worshiped and interacted with their gods in a slightly different way as compared to contemporary mode of Hinduism. According to ancient Hindu scripts ancient In the Vedic religion, there were no temples of worship as compared to contemporary Hinduism where there are millions of temples and mandirs build for worship. Hindus worshiped in the open and temples were first constructed in India in 200 years and it marked the transition of Hinduism from the Vedic religion of ritual sacrifices to the religion of Bhakri or love and a devotion to a personal deity. Ancient temples were constructed of wood and brick but in later times, use of stone became a preferred building material. Temples constructed in the medieval era varied in architectural styles and often symbolized the ruler at the time and his richness and devotion. In ancient Hinduism, the followers worshiped nature and had gods that represented each element of nature for instance the god of wind, god of fire, god of the sea and god of light. More over, Hindus worshiped animalistic deities (Sacred animals that represented various gods).they believed that animals just like human shad spirit and soul. Sacred animals in Hinduism are cows, monkeys, tortoises and elephants. According to ancient Hindu texts, Hindus worshiped mother goddess with great reverence than it is in modern Hindu religion. Contemporary Hindu followers put a great regards in worshiping of personal deities who represent their God who is the overall deity. According to ancient Hindu texts, there is evidence that suggests that ancient gods intermarried with humans and that gods had human characters and would come to humans in several avatars. These gods had spirits not different with that of humans and interacted freely as they both worshiped the Brahma who is their overall deity. There is no such kind of relationship between Hindu gods and its worshipers. The type of human interactions with gods depended on individual position in the caste system and those in higher caster were regarded to be more close to gods than those in the lower caste levels. There was no priestly class in ancient Hinduism but today priest are the ones responsible for leading the worshipers in temples. In ancient Hinduism, social mobility in the caste system was allowed though it was very difficulty. The social caste system was involved of two dynamic social systems one based on age (Varna) and the other Asrama that clearly defined individuals roles and responsibilities sin the society. From time to time people could move from one caste to another or establish a new one. In the contemporary Hinduism, the evolving caste became unfair to those in the lowest order and was gradually disregarded as it was seen to be discriminatory (Ghanshyam, 45). Caste system though still plays an important factor in modern in arranging for of Hindu marriages. The government in 1947 abolished caste system and hence caste discrimination is now illegal in India. In modern Hinduism, the social system has been degraded and no longer a main major religious characteristic of Hinduism. Ancient Hinduism was not oppressive to women and most scholars believe that women had somewhat important roles they played in the rituals of the early Vedic period, but with time the Vedic ritual became more complex and the importance of roles women played diminished gradually. Also during this period, there were other ritual traditions that women were allowed to participate in. In ancient Hindu religion, some sacred rituals and ceremonies for instance the ritual of scared dance and music offering were practiced. Some of these traditional sacred rituals (upacharas), changed with time. A classic example of a change in Hinduism ancient traditions and rituals in the past few hundred years, is the replacement of the music offering and dances which are sacred which were prescribed by Agama Shastra, with the modern offerings of rice and sweets. In ancient Hinduism the Vedic rites of fire-oblation (yajna) were often practiced but are just now only occasional practice in the modern Hindu religion, these practices are however are highly revered in theory. According to Vedic scripts, in ancient Hinduism, slaughter of animals was permitted but this ritual has virtually disappeared in modern Hinduism. It is in the 19th and 20th centuries that, prominent figures of Indian spirituality like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda and Ramana Maharshi emphasized the importance of ahimsa. In ancient Hinduism, the Brahmins never allowed members of the lower caste to enjoy equal status privileges. There is little tolerance mostly for lower section of the Hindu community which in any fact their own people. This has been the norm over the years that it is until recently such lower sections of the community were allowed to read Vedas which was another important religious scriptures. In addition to that, these individuals were not in any way they were also not allowed to enter the temples, where Brahmins were worshiped, and worship god. These class of people did not as well allowed to draw water in the same well with others and neither would share their foods with higher castes. This rules were applicable either in social or religious gathering. In ancient Hinduism, sacrifices were offered to God through its subordinate gods but in modern Hinduism, food is instead offered to personal gods or individuals before eating. By offering of food to god and deities, internalization of sacrifices were achieved by eating what is being sacrificed, which is being believed as making the persons body being a sacrifice to god. It is also widely believed by Hindu community that offering gods with food is a sign of devotion or self surrender. It is also believed that those who eat food being scarified to gods would not be harmed by any tamasic or rajasic which would be in the food. (Houben Et al, 45) In ancient Hinduism, there were a less number of Hindu sects and gods as compared to modern Hindu religion where many sects have emerged with increased freedom on an individual worshiping any god he or she wishes. Many of these are as a result of varying believes in the interpretation of the Hindu texts. Modern Hinduism involve occasional especially during religious festivals going to temples for worship but many prefer worshiping at home where one often creates a shrine with icons dedicated to their chosen form or forms of god. In most cases, temples are dedicated to a deity that is primary while associated deities to most multiple deities Hindus perform their worship through icons (murtis) which each icon serves as a tangible link between the worshiper and his or her supreme God. The image or the designated is often considered a manifestation of God, as God is immanent. According to the Hindu texts the Padma Purana makes clear that the mÃ…Â «rti is not to be thought of just as mere stone or wood but as a manifest form of the Divinity. In ancient Hinduism image worship and veneration of multiple deities was a common religious practice but in the recent times, there have evolved sects of Hinduism that prohibit such religious practices. It more of fire sacrifices of the Vedic fire and Vedas, which Gandhi thought that (ahimsa). The precludes which were used were not only meant to inflict physical injury but also hatred, having evil thoughts, being dishonest or speak harsh words which do not conform with ahimsa (Farquhar, 62). Generally, in ancient Hinduism, people worshiped their dead parents honored dead by going to their gravesites and live behind flowers, candles or lighted lamps or food (Kenneth, 35). This was a practice carried out mainly by the Indo-Europeans who in the months of May and November they mostly worship their parents. At the sometime those who were dead were being honored as well but such religious practices are not practiced in contemporary Hindu religion. Ancient Indians did not tolerate religion which was opposing the religion or even comment badly about it. However, present day Hindus exhibit a greater degree of religious tolerance. This secular attitude of the present day Hindus is because of their  recent past characterized by their modern education,  an increased sense of responsibility from increased awareness of ancient religion and heritage. However, political and social change over the years have compromised the ancient Hindu which the Hindu has never embraced it and they have been trying to stop it but they have not been able to address all incoming changes

Sources Of Competitive Advantage Tourism Essay

Sources Of Competitive Advantage Tourism Essay Abu Dhabi is the capital city and largest out of the seven emirates of the UAE; it constitutes for 85 of the UAEs total land mass. It is home to just over 613,000 people. However, it is the second largest city after Dubai. Over the recent years, Abu Dhabi has evolved into an international conurbation. It is the epicenter of the UAEs political and industrial activities. The city is also home to prime officials, such as the royal Emir Family and the United Arab Emirates central, federal government. Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the worlds largest producers of oil and a pantheon for regional commerce. Abu Dhabi has been recently putting in tremendous effort to actively diversify it economy through multiple investments in financial services as well as the tourism sector. From the tourism perspective, Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the worlds most fastest growing tourism destinations. Also, it is deemed to be a city that offers its visitors an opportunity to experience a comb ination of culture-rich tradition, modernity, adventure, and utter relaxation. Alongside that, Abu Dhabi is also a place where people can experience aesthetic beauty both in terms of the natural landscapes and contemporary architectural designs. In addition, the Abu Dhabi International Airport has also been ranked among the best airports in the Middle East region. Given its blissful beaches, luxurious hotels, and all-embracing shopping experience, Abu Dhabi is an ideal destination for tourists and visitors. Destination Mission: Abu Dhabi has set long-term goals with respect to its tourism plans and priorities. Bearing in mind its initial plans of development and sustainability, the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi plans to achieve certain key strategic goals over the next year. According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ABTA), they are aiming to collectively building a world class tourism destination (http://www.abudhabitourism.ae, 2012) via developing an extensive range of products that fulfill the needs of their target markets, and by developing some form of awareness with regards to their target market and by creating the necessary level of proficiency in the marketplace. From our standpoint, our mission is to create a marketing plan that will promote Abu Dhabi as an exceptional and globally recognized tourism destination. Abu Dhabis Competitive advantage: As Abu Dhabi continues its growth, it has managed to gain competitive advantage a customer base as well as on a product/service base and that is through enhancing the citys infrastructure to reduce traffic, build a more environment friendly city (Masdar City), and the biggest yet to come, the metro. Abu Dhabi reflects a relaxed yet sophisticated lifestyle. Its a busy city and a very important business hub but yet maintains a quiet life unlike Dubai which is the city that never sleeps. And it is all in line with Abu Dhabis vision. It has become the perfect holiday getaway along with pleasure with business where now a business trip can also mean a good time for the family as well. Sources of competitive advantage: Etihad airways UAEs second national carrier and one of the leading award winning airline, offering the best services for their customers and projecting Abu Dhabis true hospitality. Having top notch services in the aviation industry gives tourist their first best experience in Abu Dhabi as soon as they choose them as a way to get there. Experience: For these seeking a unique thriving experience these are some of the thing to do while in Abu Dhabi: Yas Island: just an hour and a half away from Dubai hosting state of the art hotels, F1 races in Yas Marina Circuit, residential area by the beach, and fun family time in Ferrari World. Get the chance to ride the track in Yas Marina Circuit. Abu Dhabi islands: Saadiyat Island if relaxation and resorts is what you need, and Sir Bani Yas to explore UAEs natural preserve and largest island, as well as Delma Island, holding the Gulfs most important pearl diving centers. Desert balloon expeditions Helicopter tours Cruise tours Sports and Recreation: Sports lovers will have a great share of excitement in Abu Dhabi with some out of many of activities for them to do such as: Golf Water sports and sailing Motor Sports and karting Off-road driving Shooting Fishing Diving Horse riding Tennis; with Mubadalas World tennis championship. Shopping: Shopping lovers and fashionistas will indeed have a great shopping experience in Abu Dhabi and these are some of the places and goods they can shop for: Best buys and bargaining Shopping malls Carpets Art Arabian and local souvenirs (Sougha) Luxury retail Traditional markets and souks Gold jewelry Culture and Heritage: A famous quote is exchanged between people in the middle east and to be specific within the Arabian Gulf region: one who doesnt have a past, doesnt not have a future, and from there we take on the words of our late leaders and visionaries to illustrate how the Emirates and Abu Dhabi to be exact takes its steps in growing and blooming. Hence, Abu Dhabis heritage villages theme park, and archeological sites in Sir Bani Yas illustrate the UAEs rich culture and heritage. Other Amazing Must-See Sites: Masdar City and Masdar institute: a place on almost everyones destinations list to see the completely sustainable building and environment friendly city. The Grand Mosque: one of the largest mosques featuring amazing Islamic architecture. The grand mosque has the capacity to host 41,000 worshippers, 82 domes, over 1000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the worlds largest hand knotted carpet. Emirates Palace Al Ain Zoo Arabian Wildlife park in Sir Bani Yas island Course Project Focus: In the course project focus we would like to move away from the clichà © of Abu Dhabi being a business hub only and home of embassies and consulates, and go beyond that. Abu Dhabi is indeed much more than that. Its a vacation destination everywhere you look around beginning with Abu Dhabis cornice to Al Ains Oasis city, and not to mention the western region of the Empty Quarter desert in Al Gharbia for the adventure seekers  [1]  . We will construct a marketing plan to change our audience perception of Abu Dhabi and gain more attention and tourism attractiveness and shape tourism in Abu Dhabi, as well as to meet the goal of Abu Dhabis Economic growth vision in 2030. Section 3: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS Industry Analysis: For the UAE as a whole, the tourism sector had another good year in 2011, although annual growth in foreign tourists slowed slightly to an estimated 11.0%. BMI anticipates a slowdown in the sector over the short term, with growth in arrivals forecast at about8% in 2012 (raised slightly this quarter). Growth in visitors from Europe to Dubai has been weak in recent years. Continuing favorable opportunities exist for the UAE to exploit regional tourism growth, such as from Saudi Arabia. The tourism industry has also become a notable bright spot for the construction sector. The most recent figures for Abu Dhabi for January-July show the emirate welcomed 1.37mn hotel guests, an 11% increase over the corresponding period in 2011. The already burgeoning tourism sector appears to have benefited from the Arab Spring, with tourists attracted away from other locations in the region. Given the ongoing instability, there is potential for the industry to benefit further in this regard. Annual tourist visits is expected to rise from 1.8 million visitors in 2010 to 2.7 million by 2013 and to 7.5 million by 2030. Every aspect of the strategy works towards showcasing Abu Dhabi as an exclusive, high-end tourist destination where visitors can engage in world-class business and relax. SWOT Analysis: TOURISM IN ABU DHABI ENVIRONMENT EVALUATION INTERNAL STRENGTHS Base to a large number of leading corporations in the world Presence of leading luxury hotels Easy access worldwide due to close proximity of Abu Dhabi Intl Airport Well laid out and congestion-free streets Wide array of destinations and events for a family holiday WEAKNESSES Lacks the luster and glamour of neighboring Dubai Development and implementation of projects is slow Does not cater much towards young single adults. EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES Rising global position of the region Presence of natural resources (petroleum) Ever expanding globalization THREATS Rise of other oil states like Qatar and Kuwait Disturbances in the region Overview of SWOT Analysis: The SWOT analysis sums up the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism industry of Abu Dhabi. The above table shows us that the tourism industry in Abu Dhabi has the potential to grow and become one of the largest in the region. Being the Capital of the United Arab Emirates has made Abu Dhabi home to most of the head offices of leading global corporations in the region. The large number of luxury hotels makes Abu Dhabi a prime location to host business events and conventions. Abu Dhabi caters to families also by having a variety of cultural destinations as well as those that cater to fun. The Ferrari world in Abu Dhabi, The upcoming Yas Waterpark, The Grand Prix and rock concerts such as Creamfields is an attraction that pulls in lots of fun seeking crowds. Abu Dhabi unlike Dubai lacks certain glamour, with tourism and business not being the prime source of income, the implementation of projects is quite slow. Dubai and other oil states in the MENA region are therefore a competition t o Abu Dhabi that cannot be ignored. Competition: Competition for tourism in Abu Dhabi involves both local and international level competition. At the local level, it faces tough competition mainly from its sibling Dubai the Las Vegas of the middle east. Abu Dhabi has announced new ambitious tourism targets, complemented by a US$30 million marketing budget and huge infrastructure projects, and it is opening up representative offices around the world and attending world travel fairs. The emirates ambitions would appear identical to Dubais but this sibling wants to be different. However the end product differs from Dubai, Abu Dhabi is now throwing impressive figures into the mix in a bid to attract an estimated U$11 billion in tourism projects by 2015. Ultimately Abu Dhabi may develop a superior tourism product to Dubai, buts its path to achieve this will follow Dubais development example, which has shown what you can achieve with a well-coordinated and funded marketing approach. On the other hand, Abu Dhabi faces solid competition from the other metropolitan cities around the world and renown for tourism. Abu Dhabi has still not turned out to be a popular word among the people around the world and this is what Abu Dhabi needs to aim at. With strong marketing strategies and effective implementation along with determination, Abu Dhabi can definitely reach this goal with top rankings in the worlds best destinations. Customer Analysis: The customers in a tourism industry are nothing but the tourists. These tourists visit a county for either of the two purposes Business or Leisure. Abu Dhabi, being a place which was known for standing up during the recession period and still booming in the market at a good rate with a lot of upcoming projects proves to be a good attraction to business entrepreneurs around the world. Abu Dhabi should definitely focus more on attracting customers who visit for business purposes. At the same time, families and other people who need to take a trip for fun could satisfy themselves in Abu Dhabi with the numerous attractions. Abu Dhabi has attractions for all the age groups and if people know more about the attractions and events in Abu Dhabi, theyll definitely not miss out on these. People nowadays are becoming more aware of and interested in tours and Abu Dhabi has very good potential to cater to the interests of all age groups. Abu Dhabi has enough to serve both the types of customers very well and this is what that makes it an effective place for tourism. Section 4: SEGEMENTATION, TARGETING, AND POSITIONING (STP) Market Segmentation: When it comes to tourism planning and strategy formulation, it is of utmost importance to segment the market prior pursuing a course of action or marketing plan. Market segmentation refers to breaking down or classifying the market at hand into submarkets or segments based on certain characteristics or aspects. Such characteristics (demographics and psychographics) may include age, purpose of travel, and opportunities available to them. In our case, promoting Abu Dhabi as the next big tourism destination, the tourism market can be broken down into several segments. The first main segment is families, which consist of parents and children- perhaps also young adults within the household- and even senior members like grandparents. This segment can be further divided into different age groups. For example, this classification can be done as follows: toddlers and children ranging from the age of 5 to 12, teenagers and young adults starting from 13 years of age up to 19, a youth category w hich encompasses the younger generation (i.e. 20 to 29 years old), and lastly the adults or seniors which are mainly above the age of 30. The second main market segment would be the business travelers. As mentioned earlier in the project, Abu Dhabi is a regional hotspot for business opportunities and investments. Thus, it can attract potential businesspeople. As a result, it is important to consider professionals as a segment within that particular market. Lastly, a third possible segment could be individual/pair travelers such as bachelors, singles, newlyweds (honeymooners), couples without children, and finally, retired or senior couples. Target Market Identification: To target a particular segment, a particular destination must prove what is has to offer to be of value to the targeted market. In this case, we believe the predominant target market would be families. There are many reasons why Abu Dhabi would consider promoting itself to families, and conversely, there are many reasons why families might consider Abu Dhabi for their next vacation spot. When firms are marketing a certain product or service, the consumer must understand what the product or service uniquely offers to them compared to that of its competitor and what added value it provides. Similarly, a tourism destination must offer its tourists a unique experience in every regard. It is easy for a family to pick a destination that has amazing parks, state of the art resorts, and large shopping malls, but the question is, what is so different about a beach in Salalah, Oman, a resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and a shopping mall in Dubai, with what Abu Dhabi has to offer? What is it e xactly that pushes a family to visit one place over another? The answer is value and experience. The experience and joyful memory is what stays with a person, especially after a trip or vacation. Abu Dhabi is home to many things that a vacationing family would be on the lookout for. There are many activities that one can do both indoors and outdoors. A business man flying to Abu Dhabi to close some deals can worry no more about leaving his family back home. While hes busy during the day his wife can take away the kids to Ferrari World, or if theyre a couple with no kids, the wife can go out shopping or enjoying a relaxing spa day in Saadiyat island resort. Nevertheless, business and pleasure has become a very do-able thing in Abu Dhabi where business partners can take a cruise along the sea, golf, or competing on the tennis course while discussing work. What makes Abu Dhabi different is that the visitors do not have to worry about getting stuck in traffic while getting from one place to another. The activities venues are very spread out all over Abu Dhabi beginning with Yas Island, just an hour and a half away from Dubai, to Al Gharbia the western region of the Empty Quarter desert. Additionally, Abu Dhabi has beautiful natural preserves and natural islands where the family can enjoy kayaking along and enjoy the natural beauty, and archeological specimens that reveals the rich heritage and culture of the UAE. Abu Dhabi is the destination where modernity and heritage meets, and greet its visitors with warm welcoming Arabian hospitality and traditions were inherited along the years and are carried on from one generation to the next, therefore the special treatment is always given away wherever you go about Abu Dhabi. Worry no more about what can your family can do à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because theres fun for everyone in Abu Dhabi. Positioning A quote from His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general of ADTA regarding Abu Dhabis positioning in the tourism industry says the following: Abu Dhabi is seeking to attract discerning tourists who will be attracted by a diversified product base of beach, nature, culture, sports, adventure and business tourism. Our mandate is to position Abu Dhabi as an international city of wealth and culture, while maintaining a balanced approach between development and environmental preservation and sustainability. In our five-year strategic plan, 2008-2012, we have prioritized wider international marketing of this destination and we envisage that by the end of this year we will have ADTA representative offices in Australia, Italy and China joining our existing overseas office network which serves our primary markets of the UK, Germany and France.  [2]  Thus, Abu Dhabi seeks growth in the tourism industry and position itself within the market using product characteristics and customer benefits as a positioning strategy. Section 5: MARKETING MIX MARKETING STRATEGY Marketing Mix: The proposed marketing mix for the betterment of the tourism industry of Abu Dhabi consists of four main elements: Product formulation, Pricing, Promotion and Place. Product Formulation: Product in the tourism industry is any benefits or quality of experience that meets the needs and wants of the customer. Abu Dhabi needs to ensure that the tourism experience that it provides its guests meets their needs. This can be done by ensuring top performance in four aspects of its product. Designed Characteristics: The tourism in Abu Dhabi can be given a boost by attracting more customers, this can be done by clubbing together different aspects of its tourism like cultural sites, hotels, leisure activities into single deals and promotions. Service Component: All tourism staff should undergo special training for interaction with customers. There should be a uniform form of administration for all tourism organizations within the emirate. When customers notice the same uniforms and procedures within different tourist spots within the country, it instills a form of familiarity within them. Branding/Ambience: Abu Dhabi should create a brand for itself as a top end tourist destination. The brand should consist of a catch phrase as well as a logo. The catch phrase should project in the mind of the traveler an image of the destination and a feel of the people and culture. The logo can include prominent structures of the emirate (eg. Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi). Having a brand and its consequent promotion around the world will give a boost to the tourism industry in the emirate. Price: Pricing is a very important marketing strategy as it helps control the sales volume. Abu Dhabi has over 125 hotels, where many of these are five star hotels. The published prices of these hotels tend to be very high and do not attract a lot of customers. The tourism industry could create deals that club together hotels and different leisure activities and charge a promotional price. This way, the customer perceives more value for the cost they are paying. Abu Dhabi could also create seasonal pricing strategies that can cater a specific tourism season. Promotion: Promotion is perhaps the most visible of the four marketing mixes and perhaps what Abu Dhabi lacks the most. As a tourist destination, Abu Dhabi needs to send a global message that they are now ready to enter the tourism market. This can be done through hosting tourism exhibitions and signing contracts with international hotel groups and airlines for promotional prices. Publishing magazines and brochures as well as a more interactive advertising in travel websites can help make the consumers more aware of Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination. Place: In tourism, place does not refer to the destination alone, rather all points of sale for the destination. This includes travel agents, online booking as well as convenience of access. Abu Dhabi should start a tourism office in major cities around the world offering deals at promotional prices. Etihad Airways already connects Abu Dhabi to different parts of the world, ensuring ease of access to the city. Marketing Strategy: A well-developed efficient marketing strategy for the targeted segments is very trivial for growth of the product. This can be achieved by the following means: Sector Regulation: Work with industry sector stakeholders to enhance overall tourism sector standards. Develop and implement sector licensing and classification. Visitor Experience: Improved and consistent visitor experiences founded on unique culture character. Visitor services program Advocacy with other departments and agencies to meet the travelers needs. Accessibility: Significantly improved access to and within Abu Dhabi. Stakeholder Collaboration: Champion the development of the tourism industry with stakeholders. Tourism Product Development: Foster leisure and business tourism attractions and events. Promote Abu Dhabi: Promotion of Abu Dhabi as an international destination. Produce a steady stream of innovative event and concepts which are aligned to, and reinforce brand Abu Dhabi. Job Creation: Increase in skilled tourism employment and generate greater levels of Emirati participation. Organization Excellence: Increase the organizations effectiveness by operating with a streamlined structure, well-defined and documented processes and using the latest available technology tools. Workforce Development: Increase the organizations effectiveness and efficiencies by recruiting and retaining skilled employees and empowering them to the highest levels of professionalism with a customer focus attitude. Sustainable Tourism: Promote development of a sustainable tourism sector adding value to the local community.

Russel Edsons Counting Sheep :: Edson Counting Sheep Essays

Russel Edson's Counting Sheep After British scientists had cloned a sheep called Dolly, people were asking them why they had done it and they said because they could do it. Last week it was anounced that the human genome had been decrypted. Although everybody agrees that this is a blessing for mankind, many people are worried about what scientists might do with their new toy, again, just because they are able to do it. Long before anybody even thought about cloning sheep, Russel Edson had them shrinked. His poem "Counting Sheep" is a subtle approach to the question of use and misuse of science. The ability to shrink matter certainly stands for a technically very advanced culture, in which scientists must have almost god-like powers. But after shrinking the sheep, this scientist "wonders what he should do with them." In a way, he resembles a child and the innocent atmosphere of the poem contributes to this impression. He falls asleep counting sheep. Like in Goethe's "The Magician's Apprentice", the creation overcomes its creator. However, when the scientist thinks of possible uses for his invention, he thinks about "a substitute for rice, a sort of wooly rice", but never about shrinking hostile armies and crushing them with the tip of a finger. Edson makes him look so naive, that we almost forget that we are dealing with a very serious issue. Even when the scientist rubs the sheep "to a red paste between his fingers," he doesn't do it on purpose but seems more like a bull in a china shop. What if it were not sheep but apes or even humans? He definately has the po wer to do that. We are reminded of the scientists who discovered nuclear power. It had never occured to them that someone might use it to build the worst doomsday weapon ever. By describing the minimum credible accident, Edson makes us think about the maximum credible accident. Like "The Death of an Angel", "Darwin Descending" and "The Automobile", "Counting Sheep" is partly a parody on our modern society's attitude towards science and technical advancement, which has almost assumed religious features. Edson comments on the way we treat our scientists like half-gods and on our blind believe in their seemingly unlimited powers.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers fc

A big house, nice cars, 2.5 kids, a dog, a beautiful devoted spouse, power and a ridiculous amount of money. That is the classical American Dream, at least for some. One could say, an outsider perhaps, that Americans strive for the insurmountable goal of perfection, live, die and do unimaginable things for it, then call the product their own personal American Dream. Is having the American Dream possible? What is the American Dream? There is one answer for these two questions: The American Dream is tangible perfection. In reality, even in nature, perfection does not exist. Life is a series of imperfections that can make living really great or very unpleasant. Living the American Dream is living in perfection, and that by definition is not possible, thus deflating our precious American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald proves this fact in The Great Gatsby, through his scintillating characters and unique style. Characters in books often mirror the author's feelings towards the world around them. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggested the moral decline of the period in American history through the interpersonal relationships among his characters. The situations in the lives of the characters show the worthlessness of materialism, the futile quest of Myrtle and Gatsby, and how America 's moral values had diminished- through the actions of Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Gatsby's party guests. Despite his newly acquired fortune, Gatsby still cannot afford his one true wish, therefore he cannot buy everything which is important to Daisy. "..Their love is founded upon feelings from the past, these give it, notwithstanding Gatsby's insistence on being able to repeat the past , an inviolability. It exists in the world of money and corruption but is not of it." (Lewis 48 ) In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the uses of literary technique of symbolism to reflect what life in the 1920's was like, through Fitzgerald's eyes. The image of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's eyes is used to signify an ever watchful godlike figure. "Just as Wilson comes half—consciously to identify the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg with God, so the reader gradually becomes aware of them as representing some kind of detached intellect, brooding gloomily over life in the bleak waste land surrounding it, and presiding fatalistically over the little tragedy enacted as if in sacrifice before it." (Miller 36) The eyes not only symbolize a god—like being but also Fitzgerald himself and his negative views of 1920's society. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers fc A big house, nice cars, 2.5 kids, a dog, a beautiful devoted spouse, power and a ridiculous amount of money. That is the classical American Dream, at least for some. One could say, an outsider perhaps, that Americans strive for the insurmountable goal of perfection, live, die and do unimaginable things for it, then call the product their own personal American Dream. Is having the American Dream possible? What is the American Dream? There is one answer for these two questions: The American Dream is tangible perfection. In reality, even in nature, perfection does not exist. Life is a series of imperfections that can make living really great or very unpleasant. Living the American Dream is living in perfection, and that by definition is not possible, thus deflating our precious American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald proves this fact in The Great Gatsby, through his scintillating characters and unique style. Characters in books often mirror the author's feelings towards the world around them. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggested the moral decline of the period in American history through the interpersonal relationships among his characters. The situations in the lives of the characters show the worthlessness of materialism, the futile quest of Myrtle and Gatsby, and how America 's moral values had diminished- through the actions of Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Gatsby's party guests. Despite his newly acquired fortune, Gatsby still cannot afford his one true wish, therefore he cannot buy everything which is important to Daisy. "..Their love is founded upon feelings from the past, these give it, notwithstanding Gatsby's insistence on being able to repeat the past , an inviolability. It exists in the world of money and corruption but is not of it." (Lewis 48 ) In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses the uses of literary technique of symbolism to reflect what life in the 1920's was like, through Fitzgerald's eyes. The image of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg's eyes is used to signify an ever watchful godlike figure. "Just as Wilson comes half—consciously to identify the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg with God, so the reader gradually becomes aware of them as representing some kind of detached intellect, brooding gloomily over life in the bleak waste land surrounding it, and presiding fatalistically over the little tragedy enacted as if in sacrifice before it." (Miller 36) The eyes not only symbolize a god—like being but also Fitzgerald himself and his negative views of 1920's society.

Classic Pen Co. Case

Classic Pen Co. Case In the past Classic Pen Company had been the low-cost producer of black and blue pens and had profit margins over 20% of sales. Over the last five years Pen Co. decided to start producing red and purple pens. They require the same basic production technology but can be sold at 3% and 10% premium selling prices. Sales Manager Dennis Selmor is just seeing the financial results and is not happy with the numbers. The first issue that Pen Co. is facing is their decline in profitability. Even though the numbers show the red and purple pens are more profitable individually (red 14. %, purple 18. 2%), the overall return on sales is declining (13. 5%). A second issue that Pen Co. has is the issue of addition of resource costs. It requires a substantial amount of time for physical changeover of production from one colour pen to another. Particularly changing from another colour to red. The final issue Pen Co. faces is the increase of costs related to scheduling and purchas ing activities. Most of the indirect labour costs and computer system costs are related to scheduling and purchasing.Pen Company’s declining profitability could be based on the amount of the company’s overhead. They have determined overhead to be 300% of direct labour costs, when previously the overhead cost was only 200%. The make-up of this overhead is indirect labour, fringe benefits, computer systems, machinery, maintenance, and energy. The reason for such a large increase in overhead is because of the higher demand for indirect costs due to the addition of more complex and specialized products. While the cost for direct labour per one unit is the same for each colour of pen produced.The cost for indirect labour is made up of three different activities: 50% for handling production runs ($10,000), 40% for physical changeover or set up costs ($8,000), and 10% for maintaining records or parts administration ($2,000). The cost for computer systems is made up of two act ivities: 80% for production run activities ($8,000), and 20% for record keeping or parts administration ($2,000). Finally the remaining indirect costs are the machinery ($8,000), maintenance ($4,000), and energy ($2,000).These are all used to supply the machine with the capacity to produce the pens with a total of $14,000. Overall Classic Pen Co. must improve upon several areas of demand in order to increase its profitability similar to what it had been in the past. They need to increase their planning and try to adjust their current planning system and organizing. They could invest in more computers to increase the amount of scheduling being done by computers and as a result lower their indirect labour costs.Finally I recommend they should invest in some more machines to produce the different colour pens in. This would have a high cost of capital but would eventually save the company money in the labour cost and time required for the physical changeover between colours Calculation Page Indirect LabourMachine Support Handling Production Runs = 10,000Machinery = 8,000 Set Up = 8,000Maintenance = 4,000 Parts Administration = 2,000Energy = 2,000 Fringe Indirect Labour = 8,000Total = 14,000 Computer SupportFringe for Direct LabourHandling Production Runs = 8,000Fringe = 8,000 Parts Administration = 2,000 Total Overhead = 60,000 Calculating Activity Rate Activities| Activity Cost| Cost Driver #| Calculation| Activity Rate| 1) Handling PR| 22,000| 150| 22,000/150| 146. 67 / Run| 2) Set Up| 12,000| 526| 12,000/526| 22. 81 / Hour| 3) Parts Admin. | 4,000| 4| 4,000/4| 1000 / Product| 4) Machine Support| 14,000| 10,000| 14,000/10,000| 1. 4 / Hour| 5) Fringe DL| 8,000| 20,000| 8,000/20,000| 0. 4 / DL Cost| Total| 60,000| | | |

Discuss Ethical Issues in the Use of Non-Human Animals in Research in Psychology (15 Marks)

Animal testing became a vital feature of psychological research in the 1800’s, as it was more economic and quick way of testing hypothesis on living beings. Due to an increase in sometimes cruel animal research, in 1986 the BPS outlined the UK animals (scientific procedures) act. This act laid out measures to be considered when licensing of animal research was being sought. Some of these criteria were: benefits to outweigh the costs, minimum possible amount of animals to be used and mice are preferred over animals such as monkeys or horses.Although there is legislation in place to prevent suffering to animals, Dunnayer (2002) states that â€Å"making something legal doesn’t make it right†. It its leaning towards the notion that legislation simply serves to set standards involving the imprisonment, torturing and killing of defenceless animals. Animal testing gains a lot of attention in the media for being unethical and unfair towards animals that do not have their own voice to be heard.One advantage of animal testing is that it is possible to carry out procedures on other species that simply would not be allowed on humans. Examples include Brady’s executive monkey, Morgan’s hamsters, Pavlov’s dogs etc. This is because humans are seen as having more ethical rights than animals due to the Marxist view that homo-sapiens â€Å"contribute towards society† whereas animals do not. Another point is that generations of animals can be studied in a relatively short period of time.This is beneficial when researching a drugs long term effects and want to know if it will affect offspring. Clearly, this kind of study would not be viable on humans since you could be waiting 30 years; whereas rats can reproduce and reach sexual peak very quickly. Thirdly, we can draw comparisons between the causes and function of animal and human behaviour due to the similarity of our brains; underlying structures of the midbrain for example are q uite similar across all mammals and other biological processes.This may lead us to believe that there is continuity in function and effects imposed from external factors being manipulated will be very similar between an animal and a human. In stark contrast, generalising from one species to another is difficult. Each species has adapted to survive in its natural environments. As a result, each species has its own unique set of behaviours. Koestler (1970) referred to generalising from rats to humans as ‘ratomorphism’. He also found that morphine has a calming effect on humans and rats, but on cats and mice it auses mania. Ecological validity poses another problem within animal research as experiments are carried out under laboratory setting, where humans wouldn’t be caged, animals are. This will inevitably cause distress to the animal and cause abnormal behaviour such as self-mutilation and pacing (Dunnayer (2002) however the UK animals procedures act does state r esearchers should ensure the environment is appropriate for the species being used and where possible a naturalistic environment should be used).Other behaviours such as mating may become inhibited like with captive pandas. Finally, animals are unable to verbalise what they are feeling. This sets human apart from other species, animals show limited behaviour to indicated the effects of drugs, theories etc. For example, we can understand when an animal is in pain or distressed, but not the extent to which they are suffering which may be crucial in research results. This could affect the validity of a study.