Handling Strategic Management for Global Operations Essay

Handling Strategic Management for Global Operations - Essay Example This is mainly due to the fact, that with the business of information distribution, a larger scale of customers is needed to support the said industry. Surely, with the traditional set up of business industries, a corporation's aim of reaching the most number of customers may not be that possible. But because of the emerging of virtual business and e-commerce, reaching a worldwide range of different customers had been possible for publishing companies in the present times. One of the examples of companies taking the said big step of development is the HarperCollins Publishers in UK. To learn how the said publishing company progressed so much with the step they took in business, it is very important to know how the company used to deal with their business before they accepted the challenge of changing their systematic approach on their chosen industry. HarperCollins Publishing Company has started only with the printing of pamphlets, hymnbooks, and other religious publications when Millworker William Collins has founded it in the year 1819-1824. The humble beginnings of the company took a great leap during the 1853. This was the time when most of the old publishing materials of the company had been upgraded to support larger amount of printing jobs which the company is already receiving. Years continue to change the different printing systems that the company uses. And every year, more and more books are published through HarperCollins Publishing Company. Yet, the big change had happened when the year 2001 came around. The technological innovations such as the internet paved way to the company's further expansion. The company launched its first ever e-book from a large publishing in UK. The lists of books, which the company displayed through the net, were subdivided into two main categories, which are the information books and the entertainment books. Indeed, one of the main consequences of the major improvement taken by the company had brought many customers closer to the company as well as bringing its stockholders closer to the world. Surely, the profit rate went up and the sales became considerably larger than the usual publication income they got before the innovative years came to the company's existence. But surely, there are still other certain big changes that have to be considered. Of course, attaining success from change is not an easy thing to pass. The Changes Being a part of a virtual organization is not an easy task for a "used to be" traditional organization. In fact, taking this step requires a lot of risks for a certain company. This is because there are a lot of adjustments that are involved when the cyber business is already taking place. Of course, the branches of HarperCollins around the world is still adopting several traditional principles both in business management and marketing. But because the company organization it has formulated for the e-world is set a part from the traditional ways of dealing with business, there had been a lot of adjustments specifically with the skills of the employees needed in operating the

Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Article Critique - Essay Example Purpose of the research The research sought to establish the factors from the SCT standpoint that influence the consumption behaviour of fruits and vegetables among the adolescents in the low-income bracket of the black Americans in the lower Mississippi Delta region. Personal, environmental as well as behavioural factors have been investigated in the study to establish the extent to which they influence the consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables by the targeted adolescents. Method of the research This qualitative research used the focus group methodology to collect data from the participants. 42 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 13 years were involved in the focus groups which were divided equally into six. 21 female and 21 male adolescents were involved in this study. The advantage of this method is that it enabled the researcher to get personal opinions from the participants about the factors that influenced their consumption behaviour and patterns of fruits and vegeta bles. Results of the research The results of the research have been divided into three main categories of the Social Cognitive Theory which include behavioural, personal and environmental factors. ... Personal factors such as taste played a major role in influencing the consumption behaviour of fruits and vegetables among the youths who participated in the survey. There were both negative and positive connotations about the taste of fruits and vegetables. For instance, many youths revealed that they like fruits because of their sweet taste while the taste of vegetables produced more negative reactions. Many youths described the taste of vegetables as â€Å"nasty† and they said that they would rather prefer to eat vegetables that have been prepared with sugar or cheese since these ingredients could improve the taste. The results of the study also revealed that environmental factors have an influence on the consumption behaviour of fruits and vegetables by the youths. The aspect of availability played a major role in influencing the behaviour of youths towards fruits and vegetables. Many participants pointed out that fruits and vegetables were not readily available at their h omes as well as the nearby grocery shops. Some of the youths said they ate fruits and vegetables when they visit their friends’ places. This showed that the youths cannot be able to consume something they cannot readily access and this is seen as a barrier to their consumption behaviour of the fruits and vegetables. Conclusion of the research The purpose of this research was to explore factors that influence the low-income southern black American adolescents' fruit and vegetable consumption patterns with the aim of developing tools that are culturally relevant for intervention and measurement of behaviour among this target group with regards to choice of fruits and

“Doll’s House” by Ibsen Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Doll’s House† by Ibsen Essay In all cultures it is easy to see the effects of change. Change can be a revolution, a new form of thought, or a new idea surfacing. No matter what these changes are, they often emerge from the minority. In several cases this results an uprising, turning the social system on end. Simple examples of this type of change can be seen in the French or American revolutions, and even in the hippie movement of the 1960’s. These changes depict how an idea shared only by a select few can snowball into the mindset of thousands. Within A Doll’s House and An Enemy of the People, Henrick Ibsen shows his standpoint on the benefits of social change, and evolution within a people. (Downs 1950) The title of the play, A Dolls House invites us to apply a metaphor to the play, to see what is going on in the Helmer household as somehow analogous to a childs game featuring an artificial life of dolls manipulated by the doll master or mistress. (Bloom 1999) A Doll’s House presents a revolutionary change for Norway in the 1880’s. During this time period women were seen as second or even third class citizens, and though numerically this is not true, a minority . Ibsen presents his character Nora as a plaything, sorely manipulated by the men in her life. The inferior role of Nora is extremely important to her character. Nora is oppressed by a variety of tyrannical social conventions. Ibsen in his A Dolls House depicts the role of women as subordinate in order to emphasize their role in society. Nora is oppressed by the manipulation from Torvald. Torvald has a very typical relationship with society. He is a smug bank manager. With his job arrive many responsibilities. He often treats his wife as if she is one of these responsibilities. Torvald is very authoritative and puts his appearance, both social and physical, ahead of his wife that he supposedly loves. Torvald is a man that is worried about his reputation, and cares little about his wifes feelings. (Bloom 1999) Ibsenss play is a modern tragedy which functions on two levels, questioning the established social order of the day and presenting the death of a marriage. Both these events create a great deal of tension, and combined with the language and actions used by the characters, make the play very intense. (Downs 1950) The main cause of dramatic tension throughout the play is the way that the difference between the real nature of the characters and the roles they are assigned by society is presented. This difference is demonstrated by the disparity in the action of the characters in comparison with their lexical choice. (Bloom 1999) A century and a quarter have passed since Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House scandalized respectable audiences and delighted independent thinkers. A lot of progress has been made since then, especially in the area of women’s rights. But, as the old saying goes: â€Å"The more things change†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Downs 1950) It’s not all that different nowadays after all, as any female who has hit her head on the glass ceiling might tell you. All of which makes Ibsen’s drama – one of the great classics of the stage at any time – incredibly relevant. Today the play is most certainly not as shocking as it was considered when it was released in it’s time purely because of the fact that today women are considered as equals. It does bring up issues of the time however and shows us that it took people to speak out against traditionalist views to get to the situation we are in today. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a highly regarded play nowadays and has been studied and analysed all over the world. Ibsen was influenced by many things and I believe they all contributed to the making of A Doll’s House. I think Ibson had a strong personality and was certainly not afraid to voice his opinion. The fact that he travelled because he didn’t believe in his Country at the time was a bold choice and did a lot for his work I think. Upon the whole, I liked reading the play A Doll’s House. In this play Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. Of course, its more interesting to read a play, then a short story or even a poem. Its the most fascinating play Ive ever read before. (Downs 1950) Works Cited Bloom, H. (ed. ). Henrik Ibsen. Chelsea: Philadelphia House Publishers, 1999. Downs, Br. A Study of Six Plays by Ibsen. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1950.

The Marketing Strategies Implemented By The Airline Easyjet Marketing Essay

The Marketing Strategies Implemented By The Airline Easyjet Marketing Essay This report has been conducted in order to clarify the marketing strategies implemented by the airline easyJet in order to gain a competitive edge over its rivals in the market for low-cost aviation. We researched in depth the European budget airline industry and looked at the various strategies used by easyJet, along with its main rivals. The main findings from our study suggest that easyJet has been very successful in its approach to its marketing campaigns, as it has built and sustained a strong image over the course of its operations at the top of the airline industry. The company however, must continually seek out new strategies and ideas as the industry becomes increasingly more competitive. Introduction EasyJet was established in 1995 by Stelios Haji-loannou and operates as a no frills low-cost airline, aiming to under-cut its rivals, such as, BMI Baby, Ryanair, and FlyBe. They all operate on a similar business model to that of the highly successful USA southwest airlines. The competitive advantage of budget airlines is maintained by achieving low operating costs, increasing revenue and using new economy technologies such as the Internet to sell their product. The low-cost airline sector currently has an 8.65% share of the total airline market with easyJet attaining 3.76% (Belfast Telegraph, 2004). EasyJet achieved a profit of  £62.2m in 2004 and announced major expansions into Central/Eastern Europe in an effort to apply their winning formula to a wider proportion of the airline industry (EasyJet, Company Overview 2005). The project will consult easyJets marketing and competitive environment to ascertain the position they hold in the industry, thereby constructing an analysis of the various strategies easyJet implements to achieve a competitive edge over their rivals. EasyJets Marketing and Competitive Environment EasyJets marketing environment will involve a PEST analysis, highlighting major influences upon the low cost airline industry. The competitive environment analysis will signify as Sanderson and Luffman confirms, current strategies of competitors, the potential of new competition to enter the market, the behaviour of suppliers and buyers, and the availability of substitute products (2001, p.20). Introduced in the form of a SWOT analysis. Marketing Environment Political In 1990 the European deregulation of commercial aviation coincided with the expansion of the low cost airline industry. The low cost carriers in the industry were able to take advantage of the relaxed laws and expand their operations. Economic Mercer Management Consulting (2002) reported that the low cost airline market conforms to the criteria of three components (Figure 1). Firstly, it provides a simple product consisting of no seat reservation, free seating, and adequate in flight service. They are a genuine no frills airline with a simple product offered to the market. Webster (2004) noted easyJets ability to maintain a high degree of customer focus through a new, user friendly website with an improved booking process. Figure 1: Source Impact of Low Cost Airline Mercer Management Consultancy 2002 Secondly, it is apparent that the low cost airline market is characterised by: mergers and acquisitions; the expansion of existing low cost airlines and finally, market exits as a result of bankruptcy e.g. Debonair. Furthermore, the low cost carriers operate short haul, point to point traffic with short frequencies, pursue aggressive marketing campaigns and deal with secondary airports. EasyJet, however, has differentiated in this respect by dealing with major hub airports e.g. Gatwick. Finally, the industry operates a low cost ethos, which is maintained by lean sales, high productivity of resources, low maintenance costs and low wages. The price of oil which is currently 50% more expensive than a year ago is a cause of concern for the low cost airline industry. Chief Executive of easyJet Ray Webster said: The price of fuel remains high and volatile. In spite of this, operating margins for the period are expected to be broadly in line with last year. The problem of high oil prices may be a cause for concern for smaller carriers who are not able to maintain low cost bases. Social The low cost carriers position their product to leisure travellers and non business travellers (See Figure 2), however easyJet has differentiated by targeting the business and leisure segments. This behavioural segmentation creates a more dynamic edge in comparison to their competitors who solely focus on leisure travel. Thus, easyJet must ensure that its strategy is tailored to a wider market. Walton (2005) confirmed that easyJet was presented as a European low cost airline with a current reading of 26 million passengers in 14 key countries. It has 190 routes to 58 airports and 163 million people live within one hour of easyJets airports. Figure 2: Source Low Cost Airlines Gaining Momentum in Europe Schneiderbauer, D. Fainsilber, O. (2000) Technological Low cost carriers have the ability to maintain a high degree of customer focus through user-friendly websites with improved booking processes. These websites have the capability of charging bookings with greater ease and utilising an easy to use fare finder to obtain the cheapest fares. Selling tickets via the technological medium of websites and hence by having no travel agents, they avoid paying agency commissions. Competitive Environment Strengths EasyJets core strengths according to Morgan Stanley relate to their ability to provide a simple fare structure with good value for money and maintain low unit costs. Furthermore, they have developed a strong brand through serving the Swiss and UK market and through strong corporate culture, whilst developing a broad multi base network. Weaknesses EasyJets weaknesses have become apparent in the fiscal year of 2003, whereby crew costs rose by 68% to  £97 million which accounted for 13% of operating costs. Additionally, advertising costs also increased by 43% to  £28 million, accounting for 3.7% of total costs and crucially, easyJets airport charges had surged to 103% to a staggering  £149 million. Opportunities The BBC (2005) highlighted easyJets acknowledgement of the opportunities that can become apparent as a results of the fierce competition from Ryanair. The new demand from business customers has forced the need for the provision of certain facilities such as airport lounges for the frequent flyer; one way of looking at the practicalities of developing better services. Meeting the demands of lifestyle changes is crucial and with the ever growing new routes such as to Rome and Berlin, this will help retain some competitive edge. Threats Some of the main competitors are Ryanair, Bmibaby and FlyBe. Ryanair were initially founded in 1985 and then re-launched in 1990-91. Their aim was to offer fares 50% or lower than those offered by the big flag airlines, specifically as a low-fares, no-frills operation. Mintel (2003) reported that Ryanair generated  £190 million profit before tax. They had acquired other rivals such as KLM and Buzz, hence in the 2004 3rd quarter results they stood in first position for passenger growth, with the lowest fares and lowest costs in Europe. It was apparent that recently, they have continued to maintain their position at the top of the industry. Ryanair have responded aggressively to easyJets home markets. They have lowered their prices in the newest markets such as Knock, Cork and Shannon. They are building up pressure in Liverpool and Luton with further rises in operating flights and with the development of new competitors such as Jet2 and Monarch, easyJet are facing potentially turbulent times. EasyJets Marketing Strategies to Achieve Competitive Advantage An analysis of easyJets marketing strategies, namely; product differentiation, mergers and acquisitions, location, the website, advertising and marketing campaigns and the Airline TV documentary will now be performed to depict how easyJet gains a competitive advantage in the low cost airline industry. The consumer matrix (Bowman and Faulkner, 1997) details perceptions that customers have with regard to the product or service offered to them and the prices charged. Applying this to easyJet we can guestimate the general perception generated by the market. EasyJets flights offer the consumer value for money as the benefits gained from the transaction relative to price appear favourable in comparison to their competitors. Perceived price Hi Hi Perceived use value Lo Lo West Heterogeneous views, with regard to the demands for the service, indicate that, one service meets all demands may lead to mistakes in the competitive strategy. Within the airline segment there will be consumers who are price sensitive and thus demand the low-cost alternative. Hence, easyJet are following the customer matrix price strategy in order to attain sustainable competitive advantage (maintaining benefit whilst reducing price): Location One of easyJets successful marketing strategies implemented is the location element of the destinations to which it runs flights. In order to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors, easyJet flies to all the main business and leisure airports in Europe so that customers do not then have to then transfer a long distance to their final destination. Other firms in the industry such as Ryanair for example, although attempt to compete at a price level with easyJet, do not operate nearly as efficient a route map. Arguably such rivals can only offer the low-cost advantage through flying to more remote destinations. EasyJet operate to the highest level of efficiency at the airports themselves with rapid turnaround times and can thus fully utilise their fleet system, whilst running extra flights for passengers. EasyJet has greatly expanded its hub airports, to now having bases in all parts of the UK and more recently, integration into European airports. Advertising and Marketing Campaigns Through utilising to the full the marketing channels available, easyJet has been able to build and sustain a successful corporate image from the birth of the company 10 years ago. EasyJet advertisements can be seen everywhere, in cities all over Europe from giant billboards to public transport buses. The company has made sure that wherever there are potential customers for the airline, their presence is made known through advertising offers on flight costs, launch of new routes or merely to express why one should chose to fly with easyJet. In a highly competitive market, easyJets marketing team has had to sustain a strong advertising strategy and look to implement new marketing ideas so that they are not losing out to other airlines. In more recent years, they have taken much greater advantage of online advertising and with the increasing personal use of the Internet, this has considerably enhanced easyJets consumer reach. Although national media is an available marketing option, easyJet adopt a regionalised European approach to advertising (Dixon, 2005). Much of easyJets marketing campaigns have concentrated on making an impact at a local level and has proven to be a more personalised strategy, which has enabled them to adopt their methods of marketing to the regional customers they are addressing. Airline TV documentary series A marketing strategy implemented by easyJet which has contributed to their success, was the fly on the wall documentary series Airline broadcasted in January 1999. It was aired across the nation on prime time TV channels and was nominated for programme of the year in 2001 (BBC, 2005). Although the programme depicted easyJet in a bad light in certain instances, for example, refusal to allow passengers to board the planes, it acted as positive publicity for easyJet. EasyJet promoted themselves as a cheap and reliable airline, in a market where there were previously few competitors going for the low cost image. This clearly shows that according to Miles and Snows theory (1978), easyJet were acting as a prospector, as they were the first movers in the market place to try and unlock the low cost airline niche market. Website EasyJets website acts as a main distribution channel for e-ticketing with all flight information also accessible to customers online, thus reducing material costs. EasyJets website can be viewed in 15 languages in attempt to make their flights accessible to a wider audience. Sophisticated yield management systems have been implemented in order to maximise seat revenue which is seen as the largest area of competitive advantage (Jobber, 2004). The use of new economy technologies has improved flows of information, allowing easyJet to update prices immediately, thus maximising flight profitability. Porters theory in relation to easyJet clarifies that they are adopting a cost leadership strategy which is portrayed to customers via the cheap fares offered online. However, although technology provides advantages in terms of cost reductions for easyJet, its competitors have followed suit and have established websites of their own, offering consumers extremely competitive rates in comparison to easyJet. Consequently, easyJet needs to constantly adapt it strategies in order to retain a competitive advantage. Product Differentiation Porters theory details two basic types of competitive advantage: lower cost and differentiation (OShaughnessy, 1996). EasyJet achieves a competitive advantage by following the cost-leadership approach, transferring this low-cost advantage to the consumer in the form of low price. EasyJet have made notable attempts to make their product stand out from its low-cost airline competitors. McDaniel (2000) argues that a products differentiating feature acts as a competitive advantage and there will be no long-term survival unless it has one. Also, it is evident that easyJet is generally the trend setter for differentiation in its market. CNN reports that EasyJet has recently relaxed hand luggage restrictions which are 40% bigger than the current allowance (EasyJet, 2004). EasyJets no weight restriction for cabin baggage and flexible ticket scheme which can create earlier flight standbys highlights their ability to pursue consistent innovation for their customers. This may be an attractive prospect for business passengers and differs from other low-cost airlines, which maintain limits. Furthermore, they have implemented a 100% self check in with plans for self-handling to minimise disruption. EasyJet has also deviated from the typical pricing methods used by other airlines by implementing inclusive pricing instead of prices that exclude booking charges and taxes. This decision came after the Air Transport Users Council had highlighted consumers dislike of airlines trying to con them with low fares that do not exist, by offering a low fare up front, only to add a host of spurious taxes and charges later on in the booking process (Internet Travel News, 2005). On Thursday 1 August 2002, easyJet and Go completed a merger deal worth  £374 million. This represented a form of horizontal integration and indicated easyJets desire to increase its market share. By December 2002 easyJet had reached two further important milestones in its merger with Go by announcing a single Air Operator Certificate (AOC), and the launch of a unified sales channel. The integration costs incurred amounted to  £7.9 million, approximately  £3 million less than forecasted (EasyJet Financial report 2002/2003). According to Stelios, the deal contributed significantly to our objective to become Europes leading low-cost airline, by strengthening our position in important target markets(Financial Times, 2004). The Go acquisition was a major step away from easyJets own strategy of growing organically. By operating almost as a monopolist in the low fare airline market, the merger gave easyJet the option to raise prices and restrict supply in order to create supernormal profits. Additionally, the merging firms were able to exploit economies of scale to reduce cost. The purchase of Go has given easyJet a major presence at Stanstead, home of both Ryanair and KLMs buzz. Prior to the acquisition, their networks barely competed and they had rarely even flown out of the same airport. The following data was compiled a year after the deal completion which illustrates the success of the merger between EasyJet and Go: Airbuses willingness to support the costs of introducing the new aircraft type to the fleet far outweighed the costs of the complexity of running a dual fleet. The A319 provides a number of advantages for easyJet. It offers passengers more comfort, safety, travel quality, higher reliability and the opportunity for lower fares with its unbeatable operating economics. Additionally, the sizing of the A320 family allows easyJet to graduate up to the 180 seat A320 and even 220 seat A321, if they choose to do so in the future. Mathur and Kanyon (2001) proposed a matrix (see below) that identifies and classifies types of competitive positioning which creates differentiation. EasyJet, in terms of support differentiation, provide a differentiated service by offering many prime routes to major airports such as recent expansions at Gatwick airport (and other European airports) which shifts the focus to high yield traffic while abandoning economic and operative advantages of secondary aiports. In terms of merchandise differentiaton, easyJet provide variables such as self check in kiosks, ease of use for the websites and booking of tickets, unrestricted baggages restraints; such features of differentiation helps the consumers to make repeat purchasers with easyJet. Furthermore, easyJet use high quality Airbus A319s which provides customers with a range of benefits as listed above. The purpose of this report has been to assess how EasyJet has utilised successful marketing strategies through the various channels available, in order to establish and maintain a dominating position in the low-cost airline industry. One of the great business success stories of the past five years has been the launch of the easyJet airline company (Dixon, 2000). To facilitate our analysis of this objective, we not only researched EasyJet and its marketing campaigns adopted over the years, but also identified the main strategies used by the other leading competitors. EasyJet has constantly tried to identify itself to its consumer base as the best form of budget travel in Europe. The company recognised the demand for this form of travel and its marketing strategies have been primarily geared around providing more efficient, low-cost flights, whilst maintaining as a high a quality of service as possible. Through their clear, effective website, they have strived to make it increasingly easy for customers to deal with the company, whilst strategically positioning their advertising to be directed at the market served. Policies for expansion have been the driving force behind easyJets significant growth and have enabled them to eliminate key rivals from the industry. However, with the emergence of new, strong competitors in the industry and the increasing demand for low-cost travel, it is evident from the report that easyJet must remain innovative in its marketing and allocate sufficient resources to securing a long-term position as the market leader. Recommendations The low-cost airline industry is reaching maturity. Miles and Snows theory of the Four Business Strategies would suggest easyJet should move towards being an Analyzer from a Prospector. This therefore takes into account that easyJet needs to concentrate on maintaining its established market leadership. With regards to enhancing their market power both long and short-term, easyJet should look to move into newer mediums for advertising, primarily using television broadcasting. EasyJet need to further consider developing the levels of efficiency and motivation within their wide employee base and by fomenting such other dimensions of this business, will help maintain another key element which still, other rivals fail to recognise. Word Count: 3,195

Animal Abuse Essay examples -- essays research papers

Animal Abuse Animals are sometimes treated as friends but are also treated as enemies. We keep them as pets, but if it suits us, we slaughter them in their own habitats and in slaughterhouses. If we could kill them in a quick and pain-free way, like a special injection, which is not harmful to us, it would be a lot nicer to the animals being killed. However, the scenes in slaughterhouses are ones of bullying and torture. The people hurt the animals in the most horrific ways possible, for example, slitting their throats while they are still alive and dropping them from great heights to break their legs and necks and other bones. These are just two of the many ways of slaughter that are used today. Meat is needed for a good healthy diet. We should not hunt animals for sport ...

Creating Tension throughout Red Room by Nicci French :: Red Room Nicci French Gothic Novels Essays

Creating Tension throughout Red Room by Nicci French This gothic story is about an arrogant man who has heard of the â€Å"Red Room† and believes he is above the caretakers. He makes his way through the house, commenting on his surroundings. When he arrives at the room he is less confident than he was before. He sits waiting with his revolver at the ready, expecting something solid to attack him. When the candles start to extinguish, he is suddenly unnerved. He panics and falls unconscious and awakes to find himself in the presence of the caretakers with several injuries. A gothic story is a type of romantic fiction that predominated in English Literature in the 1800’s, the setting for which usually a ruined gothic castle or abbey. The gothic novel, or romance, emphasized mystery and horror and was filled with ghost-haunted rooms, underground passages and secret stairways. The â€Å"Red Room† conforms to the gothic genre because it is about an ancient castle under the ruling of some elderly people who are terrified and have not yet visited the â€Å"Red Room† In this particular story the narrator seems to speak with an air of superiority â€Å"‘I can assure you,† said I, â€Å"that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me’†. He believes he is above the caretakers and is sneering at them. â€Å"‘And I stood up before the fire with my glass in my hand’† The narrator feels the elderly are beneath him and speaks condescendingly to them. There is tension between the narrator and the elderly: â€Å"If I see anything tonight I will be so much the wiser† He is unbelieving of the caretaker’s theory of a ghost’s presence and does not care to show them kindness. The narrator is scathing towards the caretakers and refers to them ruthlessly. â€Å"More bent, more wrinkled† It shows his lack of respect towards the caretakers and that he sees them as hideous monsters. The narrator is assertive and speaks to the caretakers with pomposity, â€Å"it is my owns choosing,† The elderly caretakers are hostile to one another from the beginning of the story, such words as â€Å"positive dislike† and â€Å"took no notice of his arrival† suggest this. The narrator is distant with the caretakers and is unfavorable, â€Å"wrinkled†, â€Å"bent† and â€Å"withered† illustrates this. The narrator sees the custodians as monsters showing them little respect. When the narrator tries to ask for directions to the room he is ignored many times by the elderly; this implies that there is tension between the custodians and the narrator. As he begins his journey he becomes startled and paranoid along with the feeling of fear towards the house â€Å"I stood rigid for half a minute

Proposal for Reparations of African Americans Essay

Due to the fact that many African-Americans cannot trace their genealogy back more than three generations, It would be extremely difficult to distinguish between those who are descended from Freemen and those descended from Slaves. Therefore, although it should have some impact on reparations, we must take into account those who cannot trace their genealogy( approximately 3/4th of African- Americans). We also must remember that in essence, no African-Americans were completely free. Many blacks, Freeman and Slaves alike were lynched, falsely imprisoned, raped, murdered, and subject to sub-human treatment. It is almost impossible to estimate the economic hardship caused by slavery and the aftermath that followed. To this day the African-American family still suffers from the aftermath of slavery. We see it in the form of Poverty, under-education, Discrimination, and Black on Black crime. Consider that Blacks are seriously under-represented in many of our nations top fields. Less than .05 percent of African-Americans are CEO’s in corporate America. Blacks are also a rarity in Law, Medicine, and higher education, What follows is my estimation of the reparations needed. 1st generation descendant of slave: 500,000 of Freeman: 350,000 2nd generation descendant of slave: 350,000 of Freeman: 225,000 3rd generation descendant of slave: 225,000 of Freeman: 180,000 4th generation descendant of slave : 180,000 of Freeman: 120,000 5th generation descendant of slave: 120,000 of Freeman: 90,000 6th generation descendant of slave: 90,000 of Freeman: 60,000 7th generation descendant of slave: 60,000 of Freeman: 30,000. Additional Moneys. Family member lynched: 60,000 per family Family member raped by slave master: 20,000 Family member falsely imprisoned: 6,000 It is important to note that in the event that it cannot be determined whether a family descended from Freemen or Slaves, an average should be taken from the two. Also, in the event that a generation has no living survivors, that money shall not be awarded and is not subject to inheritance. As for Moneys for family menders lynched, raped, or falsely imprisoned, this must be a direct result of slavery and most be proven beyond a preponderance of the evidence. Therefore, each state shall appoint a committee of six members, at least three of them being African-Americans. These committees will be responsible for investigating all claims on an individual basis and awarding money. If, for example, a member of the 3rd generation starts a claim and dies before the moneys are awarded than that money shall be subject to inheritance. The committee will have a period of five years to investigate and award all moneys. In the event that a family wants to appeal their award or lack there of, their claims shall be directed to the State supreme court. The court will have three years to render decisions on all claims. In order to ensure the financial stability of the United States, these payments shall be made over a period of 15 yrs. However, in the case of persons who have been awarded moneys and are over the age of 55, they will have the option of taking a discounted lump sum of 40% of the moneys owed.