Establishing customer need Essay Example

Establishing customer need Essay A consumer requires goods and services of all types for personal as well as household usage. Sometimes referred to as customers, each consumer is something of an enigma to marketers. How does he or she perceive products, brands, stores or even entire organisations? How are individuals product choice made? Is customer loyalty attainable? A trend of consumer behaviour has emerged in recent years to help Virgin Trains better understand critically important issues such as these. Targeting Virgin Train 1st Class traveller can be divided into two different segments. These segments are made up of business clients and consumers from social classes A, B and C1. Keynotes (2002), state that the average number of trips per week on national rail for social class A-C1 is considerably higher than that of social classes D E. Also, the age groups that use the national rail most frequently are 20-34, which are those from an employed status. We will write a custom essay sample on Establishing customer need specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Establishing customer need specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Establishing customer need specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, Virgin Trains have decided to target the first class business traveller. Tapp (2000, p16) states that most airlines are driven by the 80/20 rule which could also be applied to the rail sector. The rule is that twenty percent of customers are from the business sector contributing to eighty percent of its profits. This suggests that it may be more profitable for Virgin Trains to target the business traveller. An existing database holds information about companies who have previously booked first class seats on Virgin Trains. This will be used as a way of targeting existing customers and further lists will be bought from another source. Segmentation In order to maximise the effectiveness of the marketing strategy it is essential to segment, especially in terms of geographic location. It is important that the companies and business people targeted are geographically located along Virgin Train routes, as there is no point in communicating to companies who do not have easy access to Virgin Trains. Market research Before any service can be properly marketed Virgin Trains must know a great deal about: * The market it is to be operated in * The demand for the service itself * The needs of the users for design, quality, colour, etc. * The best media to advertise the service in * The price which people are prepared to pay for the service. Most of this information is obtained by specialist marketing people who arrange for two types of research to be carried out: 1. Secondary Research which involves finding out what has been written already about the service and the market for it. 2. Primary Research which is the testing of the service ideas by asking people what they think of it and by looking at the competition (how good are competitive services and how much is being charged for them). Secondary research is highly skilled work and requires patience and the ability to know which facts are useful and which are not. Primary research on the other hand, requires skill in writing questionnaires and in arranging samples of the public to try out the product. The scope of marketing and market research is very broad. In fact almost every aspect of the production, promotion, sales life of a service is scrutinised at some point for one particular purpose or another. Primary Research Surveys A survey usually involves asking questions of respondents people or organisations who reply to the questions asked. Virgin Trains, for instance, used a survey to find out about the quality of service and preferences of consumers. The survey showed that most of the people said the quality of service was very good. Surveys can only be useful for market research purposes if the questions asked are appropriate. For instance, sometimes it is important to ask closed questions. These are questions which have a definite answer. An example would be: how may train journeys have you had last week?. Other times, the market researcher might want to find out about opinions and allow the respondent to develop an answer. It is best then to ask open questions, which have many possible answers. For instance, why do you like this service? is an open question. Sampling A survey cannot ask every customer for his or her opinion. Only a fraction or sample of customers can be surveyed. To be useful, the sample chosen must be representative of all customers (the population). In a random sample, every potential respondent has an equal chance of being chosen. Random numbers can be used to do this or it can be done by picking people out of a hat. It is often quite difficult to construct a truly random sample. So a cheaper and quicker method is to use a systematic sample. This is where, say, every 100th or 1000th person on a list like a telephone directory or the electoral register is chosen. A systematic sample is not truly random though and therefore the results may be less reliable. In a quota sample, the sample is broken down. This is a far cheaper method than random sampling. Below is a sample of the questionnaire I used for my primary research. I did most of my questionnaire around train and tube station like Sudbury hill station. Questionnaire This questionnaire will be asking questions to you about the rail industry and what you think about the situation it is in. *Please circle the appropriate answer Q1.Have you ever travelled by train? If not go to question 4. Yes No Q2. What was your main reason for commuting? Work Pleasure Hobby/Sport Education Other Q3. How would you rate your train service? Very bad bad average good very good Q3. Would you pay more for a better service? Yes No Q4. Which of the following do you think will improve rail services? More funding Extra staff Improve catering Cleaner carriages Comfortable seating Other______________ Q5. Should the rail industry be taken back into Government ownership? Yes No Q4. Which of the following do you feel is safer to travel on? Rail Car Thank you for answering these questions. Results of Questionnaire My questionnaire received a number of votes supporting the re-nationalisation of the railways. A lot of people felt that the only real incentive for Railtrack and the operating companies like Virgin Trains is to make more profit for their shareholders. They felt Railways should be seen as part of the public infrastructure and returned to public ownership. One person said they would be prepared to pay more if the railways were publicly owned, but not to private companies just to add to their profits. Recent reports from the BBC News online suggest that it will be unbelievably expensive to re-nationalise the railways and will give less control to the government but they would have more direct control and influence over the polices and practices. My questionnaire revealed that 58% of people are willing to spend a little more if it will guarantee them a better service. Secondary research Public transport According to social trends 2000, the number of rail journeys has increased since 1981-82, and is now approaching the levels of the late 1950s. Because of the great increase in car travel, however, rail has a much smaller share of total travel in the 1950s. Below is a graph showing the percentages of each mode of passenger transport. Source: department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Rail Journey Below is a graph showing the number of rail journeys made by each operator during 1981-1999. Source: department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions A significant development in recent years has been the increase in the number of rail operators. Following the privatisation in 1996, passenger rail services on the national network are provided by 25 franchise holders which lease rolling stock and pay access charges to Railtrack plc for use of the track. Virgin Trains are one of those franchise holder and they regulated by the Franchising Director of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (SSRA), which monitors their performance and controls fares. Virgin Trains runs on the National Rail line, Passenger traffic on this line rose by three per cent in 2001-01, when some 957 million passenger journeys were made (table above). This is the highest number of passenger journeys since 1962, but there had been more than a billion rail passenger journeys a year in 1961 and before. The amount of distanced travelled are much higher than the early 1960s, which suggests that people are using the railways for longer journeys than previously. This stat is good for Virgin Trains as they provide a long distance travel service to places like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Rail complaints Following the Hatfield crash in October 2000, which the Health and Safety Executive believe was due to a fractured rail, temporary speed restrictions (TSRs) were imposed by Railtrack on around one thousand sites throughout the national rail network. Due to these restrictions Virgin Trains had to issue new timetables for its services, and these, coupled with severe flooding in some areas, had an adverse affect on service timelines. For example, between July and September 2000, 80 per cent of long distance trains arrived on time (within 10 minutes of advertised time); between October and December, this figure fell to 48 per cent. Below shows the percentage and types of complaints received. Source: Strategic Rail Authority These problems contributed to a sharp increase in complaints made to the Train Operating Companies (TOCS), which run trains on Great Britains rail system. Between the fourth quarter of 1999-00 and the fourth quarter of 2000-01, the rate of complaints received per 100,000 passenger journeys rose by 54 per cent. Complaints about train service performance, although the most common type of complaint increased by only 2 per cent from 1998 to 2001.

How to write like an industry expert - Emphasis

How to write like an industry expert How to write like an industry expert Developing your writing skills is key if you want to become a recognised industry expert, says Rob Ashton. If you take a poll to find the worlds top music executive, the chances are that most people will say Simon Cowell. There may be other executives with more talent and panache. You can even argue that his fellow judges are more musically adept. But Cowell has positioned himself as the expert. The public are divided revering and reviling him in equal measure. But what he says goes. No-one can deny his status and authority in the music industry. As a sales professional, you could do well to take a leaf out of Cowells book. The market for office supply equipment is crowded, with many brands jostling for space. Your prospects need a shortcut to enable them to decide who to buy from and what to buy. There often isnt time for them to kick-back with a cup of tea and analyse the messages youre communicating through your sales and marketing material. But you can stand out by positioning yourself as an expert. Prospective customers will start to see you as a trusted advisor before theyve even engaged your services. And they will be more likely to buy from you as a result. Expert status can lead to other opportunities, such as giving speeches or hosting workshops, which again make selling easier. Its a virtuous circle. Yet, we Brits can be a self-deprecating bunch. We often prefer to operate our businesses and careers with as little fanfare as possible. The thought of public speaking can send shivers down our spines. But through writing, even the most unassuming character can shine. And writing reports, articles, white papers and blogs can help you to become the preferred provider in the industry. Whats more, good writing doesnt just have to be an innate skill: its something you can learn. These seven steps will help you write your way to expert status. One Consistently show how your company differentiates itself in the marketplace. Dont be afraid to recommend doing things differently. Two Be curious about your clients. What really makes them tick? Get to know your clients inside out by asking lots of questions, rather than making assumptions about what they need and want. Three Then write from their perspective, not yours. Think beyond the products or services you offer and focus on how your business has an impact on the lives of your clients. Whether youre writing a brochure, pamphlet or article, you need to focus on your clients needs. Begin by asking yourself: What is the document about? Who will read it? How much do they already know about the subject? What do they absolutely need to know? How important is the subject to them? How interested are they in the subject? (Note that readers arent always interested in whats important to them. So you often need to make them interested.) To become a trusted advisor, your writing needs to be clear and punchy. You can achieve this with careful planning. Brainstorm everything you want to include in your document using the headings Who?, What?, Where?, When?, and Why?. Then only include what you think is essential for your readers to know. Your document will be much clearer as a result. Four Comment on relevant industry stories by writing letters to magazines. Use the SCRAP formula: Situation Begin by explaining the situation (or where the industry is). Complication Introduce the idea that theres a problem (why the industry cant stay as it is). Resolution State your answer to the problem. The reader will think of you as an expert because you can offer a practical, considered solution. Action Suggest what action the reader can or should take. Offer a viewpoint that is new and intriguing. Politeness Finally, end with a polite but thought-provoking sign-off. Five Suggest article ideas to trade newspapers and magazines. The articles that will best position you as an expert are how to features. You could reveal the secrets behind photocopier maintenance, or how to eke the most out of ink cartridges, for instance. Send a synopsis of the article to the magazine first. Write a snappy headline and standfirst (the two lines under the headline). Then write an attention-grabbing opening paragraph and a few bullet points about what your article will include. The magazine editor can then give you further guidelines to ensure your article is a hit with the readers. Six Blogs have a worldwide audience of millions. So its well worth setting up a blog and using it to connect with your clients. Pay careful attention to every post you make. Only write things you dont mind being broadcast on the 10 Oclock News. Dont ever gripe about clients or competitors. Seven In your writing, include examples of how you and your company make a real difference to people. Make your writing personal. Its more powerful to write that one in five people found that their ink lasted longer than to use the term 20 per cent. Speak directly to the reader by using words such as you, we, us and our. And use the active voice as much as possible. For instance, weve helped over 1000 customers with their printing needs is far more effective than Over 1000 customers have been helped with their printing needs. Positioning yourself as an expert is a skill that will serve you throughout your whole career. Even if you decide you want to sell condos in the Caribbean in the future, the skills youll learn are transferable. You may not achieve the wealth and fame of someone like Simon Cowell. But you can forge your way as a leader in your industry. And with a little thought, care and attention, your expert status will pay dividends.

Descartes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Descartes - Essay Example because it is not possible to differentiate the experiences that we have while awake, and the experiences that we have while dreaming; for Descartes, it is possible that we are dreaming while thinking that we are awake. For this reason, therefore, the doubts that Descartes suggests in the dream argument are different and more extreme than the doubts that Descartes suggests in the senses argument; while in the sense argument Descartes argues that it is only some knowledge derived from the senses that can be doubted, in the dream argument Descartes argued and demonstrated that all sensory knowledge can be doubted. The evil demon argument is more extreme than either the sense or the dream argument. This is because, first, while the sense argument suggest that it is only some types of sensory knowledge that can be doubted, the evil demon argument suggest and demonstrate that all sensory knowledge can be doubted. Secondly, while the dream argument demonstrate that sensory knowledge can be doubted, it can reasonably be objected that some simple truths like the truths of mathematics and geometry cannot be doubted; on the other hand, the evil demon argument suggests that even the truths of mathematics and geometry can be doubted because these truths may be nothing but deceptions of an evil genius. While the evil demon argument can deceive Descartes in all his beliefs, the evil demon, however, cannot deceive Descartes into believing that he doesn’t exist. This is because for Descartes, existence is a pre-condition of doubting; according to Descartes, one should exist before doubting. For this reason, Descartes argued that, since he is able to doubt, this means that he exists. Descartes, therefore, concluded that the evil demon cannot deceive him into believing that he doesn’t exist. The main difficulty for Descartes’ philosophical project is accounting for how human body and human mind interact. In giving explanation to how human mind and human body interact,

The Right to Water as a Human Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Right to Water as a Human Right - Essay Example The question of this essay is â€Å"Should the right to clean water be considered a universal human right? I will discuss on the traditions that provide access to water, pollution of water, as well as the issue of privatization of water. This essay is divided into three sections. The first section addresses the issue of key definitions that relate to the human right to water. In this section, I will also look at the impacts that denial to the right to water can cause as well as the advantages that could arise if water was made an international human right. The second sessions will focus on why I think that making the right to accessibility of safe water a human right would reduce several challenges facing different societies as well as different regions of the world. The third and last section will make a conclusion on the issue of water right as a human right (Hu, 2006). Water is a very crucial necessity for both human as well as other living organisms. The right to water is an iss ue that has being under discussion for a long time. The primary argument is on whether making the right to access safe water a human right would resolve the extreme water scarcity experienced by people in some regions of the world especially in the Middle East and North Africa particularly the Sahara region. A human right is a law that demands for equal allocation of the resources that are considered crucial for human existence. Water right is thus a water law that insists on suitable distribution of water to ensure that all people irrespective of their social, economic, or political status access safe, adequate, and affordable water (Hodgson, 2006). I will discuss several water rights. The rights include the riparian water rights, use-based water rights, as well as water rights on basis of water bodies’ tenure. Riparian right is water rights based on property ownership. Use- based water rights allots the water rights on the bases of laws of torts that demand that access to w ater on hierarchical foundation thus all people do not have equal rights to water. The other water right is based on ownership of water bodies for example in Finland where water bodies are privately owned. However, in Finland flowing water bodies cannot be owned privately which is similar to the Roman Water Law. Inability to access sufficient and clean water in some regions of the world can lead to poor people being deprived of water, even drinking water (Hu, 2006; (Scanlon, Cassar, & Nemes, 2004) Traditional Views on the Right to Water Right through history, different societies strive to make the right to access safe water a human right. Traditionally, the right of water was closely related to land ownership. The roman water law conferred the right to water based on the advantage of owning land near water resources. However, the Roman law was against private possession of running water, an aspect that was present in the European legal traditions. In 533-34 AD, the Institute of Just inian publications posited that water alongside air and wildlife was among the things that could not be owned privately by and individual (Bruns, Ringler, & Meinzen-Dick, 2005). River and water were public properties and only the government had the right to prohibit any person or group of persons from accessing the resource. However, seasonal water sources were considered privately owned by those owning

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Case Study Example The iPad and the kindle reader were created to serve the same purpose which is to aid ion acquiring scholarly materials. However, the iPad has been developed to incorporate many features and tasks. However, the kindle reader stands out as the best gadget to use in terms of education. With its partnership with the marketing giant Amazon, the kindle reader has made shopping for books much easier. The kindle reader has been developed to download all file formats of documents. Additionally, the kindle reader has been developed to suit all handheld and computer gadgets. To its features, there is an inclusion of the outstanding 8GB memory which makes storing of files easier. The kindle reader also has the ability of storing 6000 books which makes it the ultimate gadget to use in accessing books. Texting while driving has been an issue posing increasing negative effects on the transport system across the globe. From the social setting, lives are lost each due to carelessness driving mainly attributed to texting while on the wheel. According to Laudon (2012) the effects of texting on the while has cost the society the lives of many people. The political front has also felt the effects as governments officials are banned from texting while driving. This was evidence that the government is more than willing to curb the mess. It unethical to text while driving knowing the danger you are exposing yourself and others to. This in some cases can be termed as murder. The effects of texting while driving has been severe in the United States like many other nations around the globe. The states around the United States share the same negative sentiments when referring to texting while driving. However, the general population is not well sensitized as people continue with this ignorant trait. Individuals ignore the warnings made by authorities and other concerned parties. Amid the warnings from authorities, two separate

Responsibility of Health Promotion in Nursing

Responsibility of Health Promotion in Nursing Health promotion as defined by World Health Organization is â€Å"a health strategy that aims to incorporate skills and community development and to create supportive environment for health, endeavors to build healthy public policy and looks at re-orienting health services. (WHO, 1986). Health promotion is strongly rooted in a social philosophy that attributed the etiology of ill health to adverse social conditions rather than medical care. Both theoretically and practically, health promotion has been found wanting in addressing equity and social justice concerns. Also, structurally and traditionally, the formal health system often produces major obstacles to meaningful involvement in health promotion and community empowerment activities. The communities do not have the interest and the capacity to make any tangible contribution to community participation even if they are willing to do so but the basic concepts of health promotion which have their root in ancient civilization has be en developed in the last two decades. The purpose of health education is to strengthen the skills and capabilities of individuals to take action, and the groups or communities to act collectively to take control over the determinants of health bringing about positive change It serves as essential guide in addressing the major health challenges encountered by developing and developed nations including communicable diseases and issues associated with human development and health enabling people to take action either as individuals or groups. Also, it is an avenue to encourage individuals to take preventive measures in averting worsening of an illness or disease and to adopt healthier lifestyles. Health promotion programs have proven to be an effective tool in slowing the growth of healthcare costs and reducing chance of suffering from disease and creating supportive environments for health backed by healthy public policy. (Bennett, Perry Lawrence, 2009). The responsibility of a nurse in health promotion and education is considered as a major factor by numerous researchers and policy initiatives from the government to promote health, understanding that health promotion is essential. In the three journal articles selected for review from the GCU Library which incorporates the three levels of health promotion namely; primary, secondary, and tertiary, the nursing responsibilities were described to include; educating and helping people obtain skills to maintain their health, making efforts to better understand the patients and their conditions in order to provide effective care because mutual understanding between a practitioner and patient is the key to giving quality care. The nurses must have an evidence-based knowledge of the significant effect that can be made through health promotion interventions and communicate this understanding to the community at large. As more people grow in their awareness of activities that lead to good heal th and become knowledgeable about their own health status, the health of their families, the overall health of the population will improve. Knowing that health promotion encompasses a broader spectrum and include social and political interventions that could provide change to services and policies in the community promoting social responsibility for health, nursing roles and responsibilities have evolved in health promotion by allowing nurses to promote health in diverse settings like homes, schools, prison, general practice and workplace contrary to the past when it was limited to hospital settings only. (Watson, 2008). The implementation of health promotion starts from setting priority , assessing needs and program planning stages, according to the journal article reviewed from GCU Library, the topic being; â€Å"Collaboration between primary and secondary/tertiary services in oral health†, the process includes: capturing high level support by re-orienting health services , building links with primary care and reducing inequality, creating health promotion team in a way that individuals will have a role and more innovative ideas, workforce development, developing health promotion policy, collecting data that will drive the health promotion initiatives, helping to assess health interest and risks thereby helping to guide the kind of health program to offer, choosing appropriate health promotion initiatives that flow nationally from data so as to address the prevailing risk factors of the people, crafting annual health promotion so as to promote continuity, giving encouragement opportunities a nd rewards, maintaining leadership and innovation, communicating with everyone involved in the program throughout, monitoring regularly and consistently evaluating the outcomes. The process of executing the program must include; education of the nursing staff, education of the patients and family, screening, individual risk factor assessment and immunization, social marketing and health information, health education and skill development, community action. Settings and supportive environments, Health education is an important factor of health promotion. As described by Naidoo and Wills (2000), the three levels of health education are: Primary prevention which is health promotion activities that prevent disease. For example immunization, it’s a holistic idea of positive health that encourages the achievement and maintenance of a suitable level of health which enables every individual to lead a productive life both socially and economically. Secondary prevention aims at shortening episode of illness or disease by hindering the progression of ill health through prompt diagnosis and treatment limiting disability. An example is screening also known as† health maintenance†. It is the domain of clinical medicine. It is more expensive and less effective than primary prevention. Tertiary prevention help limit complications related to a disease or a state after it has been developed by minimizing suffering caused by existing departure from good health and promote the patients adjustment to irreversible conditions such as cardiac rehabilitation. In line with the literature review from the GCU Library journal article, I agree with the fact that approach to health promotion should be the one that demonstrate a range of values and beliefs that are commonly held because an individual’s approach will be influenced by their own beliefs and that of the profession they represent. According to Ewles and Simnett (2003), these approaches include medical approach, beviour change approach, educational approach, e empowerment approach, and social change approach. In conclusion, According to Ewles and Simnett(2003), theses approaches includes behavior change, medical, educational, empowerment and social change. When relating it to the literature review from the GCU library journal article approach towards health promotion should be the main focus because it reveals a range of values and beliefs that are commonly held based on an individual’s approach or believe and the profession they represent. References; Edelman, C. Mandle. C. L. (2010). Health promotion throughout the life span (7th ed.). . St Louis: Mosby Naidoo J, Wills J (2000) Health Promotion) Foundations for Practice (2nn ed) Edinburgh. Watson M (2008) the health promotion general practices. Quality in primary care 16.  3, 177-185 Ewles L, Simnett I (2003) Promoting Health A Practical Guide. (5th Ed). Edinburgh. www.healthvicgo.au; steps in health promotion. Jan 25, 2011. Retrieved on 12/18/2011 WHO, Ottawa chapter of Health promotion .Geneva WHO, 1986. Article published.  Online, Oxford Express, 2011. Bennett . C, Perry J. Lawrence Z (2009) Nursing standard. 2009 Jul 29. Journal- Health  Promotion. CINAHL Database. Collins, Fair N. Dickinson. A .Peacock. K. Primary health care (2009). Feb 19. Collaboration between primary and secondary/tertiary services in oral health.

Coming to Terms :: Personal Narrative Writing

Coming to Terms It's not a light bulb that suddenly turns on. It's not a bolt of lightning that strikes you without pain. It's more like a boot; a steel toe boot that literally drops out of the sky and kicks you directly in the face, knocking out the majority of your teeth and smashing your nose into a bloody mess. That's more what it's like when you come to a realization. All that talk of a magical epiphany is left in the dust while the boot moves on to its next victim. It doesn't let you see through some new set of eyes; it dulls your other senses so that all you can do is see. You see what you've been missing for a long time. Being a person of many passionate convictions, its fair to say that I've had to have facial reconstructive surgery quite a few times. It most notably happened my sophomore year of college, taking a class called â€Å"Cubans in the USA .† Of course my family warned me that the professor was a raging communist, known for such ghastly evils as not believing in the embargo, questioning the motives of the Cuban American National Foundation, and, dare I say it, not thinking that Fidel Castro was the anti-Christ in the flesh! (Oh no! Stone Him!) So sure enough, the first day I went in, wearing a Cuban flag pendant, guns ablaze, ready to strike down this hedonistic infidel with my passionate patriotism. But something happened. He told us to give him a chance to ward off these notions our grandmothers instilled in us. (Oh no, he's already using some evil mind control technique! ) But I did give him a chance. And at the end of the semester, I was eager to learn more of how to correct my mis-education, without loosing my sense of pride in my background, while slowing recovering from the boot's most vicious attack. But even more recently, and more notably, it happened during our visit to the South Florida Water Management District. I scanned the website the night before class and went in on Friday morning, armed with my deep, uncontestable knowledge of the everglades, ready to battle this evil government agency whose sole purpose had to be to serve as a faà §ade for the fact that the government didn't care about the everglades.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles Essay

Sophocles was one of the greatest Greek playwrights presented the most delightful work of the human civilization – the drama â€Å"Oedipus the King†. Sophocles is a person that stood in the centre of the plot and determines the central crisis of the tragedy – moral self-determination of Oedipus. However, the crisis is not as simple as it may seem. One more central problem is that all deeds and actions of Oedipus are fated by the Gods and, therefore, Oedipus doesn’t have free will to choose his destiny. Sophocles reveals the theme of the universal scope: who rules the destiny – the God or a person himself. Looking for an answer to eternal question the main hero Oedipus has left his native town and practically doomed himself to a certain death. Thus, Oedipus can be defined as dramatic character. The downfall of Oedipus the King was fated by the Gods and he was unable to change his destiny. All Oedipus’ actions were formed by a virulent divinity. For example, Oedipus was foretold by the Gods to kill his own father and to get married with his own mother. Exactly the Gods willed him to do everything he didn’t want to. He found, as he thought, the right decision to leave his house. But he didn’t understand the most important thing: the Gods determined the common aspect of person’s destiny, its direction and one of the possible versions of future reality. The destiny could be changed in some situations but the results would be the same as the Gods had foretold. Oedipus was shown to be free at his choice and his ways. But simultaneously all these choices led him to an inevitable results and even to a catastrophe. When he revealed truth of his life he decided to live his native town as he couldn’t cope with new reality which was killing him mentally. Thereby he expressed the main idea of the dramatic plot: it is the God who rules the destiny and the person is only an instrument. The fate and inevitability are nothing compared to a person who understands and realizes his own moral and spiritual essence.

The eNotes Blog Names and Nonsense Ten Curious Names of the Famous, Infamous, andOthers

Names and Nonsense Ten Curious Names of the Famous, Infamous, andOthers Naming your baby is a weighty task. Most people strive to select names that either have a connection to family or ones that have a   certain  panache.   But then there is that portion of the public where the name they select for their newborn is either offensive, unpronounceable, or unbelievablesometimes all three. In the United States, you can name your baby Dustpan Ghoul III if you please. Hey,   freedom of speech, although I am guessing none of the Founding Fathers would have envisioned this right being applied to Lil Dustpan. Some countries, however, are not so laissez-faire. In New Zealand, as  much as you may want to,   you are officially, not, nope, no way, allowed to name your bundle o joy Anal and your fall-back choice, Prince of Darkness, is out too. Here are a few odd names from history that you will probably be glad you never heard screamed at  you  on the playground. 1.   Armand Hammer,  famous industrialist born on 21 May 1898 in Manhattan, New York. His father â€Å"had named him after the symbol of the Socialist Labor Party.† As a youth, he sometimes claimed that his father had named him after Armand Duval, a character in the Alexandre Dumas novel  La Dame aux Camà ©lias  (1848). 2.   Ima Hogg:  Ima Hoggs first name was taken from  The Fate of Marvin, an epic poem written by her uncle  Thomas Hogg. She endeavored to downplay her unusual name by signing her first name illegibly and having her stationery printed with I. Hogg or Miss Hogg. Although it was rumored that Hogg had a sister named Ura Hogg, she had only brothers. 3.   Christine Daae: The Phantom of the Opera fan â€Å"changed her name from Victoria Bohm by deed poll† so that â€Å"if the Phantom came back today he would have a Christine Daae who would stay by him at the end.† 4. Kal-El Coppola: Is there some sort of pretentiousness contest when celebrities have babies? I vote for Superboy, aka Kal-El, son of He-of-the-Perpetually receding hair-line, Nicholas Cage. 5.   Velveeta: Anyone who has taught for as long as I have has their own personal stash of unusual names. My all-time favorite was a woman named Velveeta. She simply explained her mom loved the cheese and liked the sound of the product name. Velveeta, the woman, isnt famous yet but I would not be a bit surprised if she was one day. 6.   Ikea: My 15-year-old daughter has a classmate named Ikea. My guess is that the Dr. Spock manual was about as helpful as assembly instructions in Swedish. 7.   Lady Bird Johnson: If I had titled this image Claudia Alta Johnson I bet those of you non-Texans would have no clue who this woman was.   She is in fact, the former First Lady of the United States, wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Though she was named for her mothers brother Claud,  during her infancy, her nurse, Alice Tittle,  commented, she was as purty as a  ladybird,  which is a brightly colored  beetle. That nickname virtually replaced her actual first name for the rest of her life. Her father and siblings called her Lady,  though her husband called her Bird, which is the name she used on her marriage license. During her teenage years, her schoolmates had called her Bird, though mockingly, since she reportedly was not fond of the name. 8.   Tupac Shakur: One of most recognizable faces and one of the best-selling artists of the 1990s and beyond, Tupac is indeed his given name and he was named after an ancient Incan warrior and chief. 9. Dovakiim: Completely, 100% accurate representation of the offspring of two obsessed Skyrim fans. I think I hear  Triumph the Insult Comic Dog  warming up in the background On the plus side, he need never leave his parents basement as the reward for naming him Dovakiim is a lifetime supply of free games from Bethesda. 10.   Napoleon:   Perhaps you want to honor your French heritage. Perhaps you just like the polysyllabic name  Napoleon.   Everyone knows the dangers of giving your child a lofty name to live up to. Maybe it will work out for Cash, or Lakshme, or Sultan. But it might also be this How about you? What memorable names have you come across? Whether it be someone you know, a name from history, literature, a celebrity, whether you have been given an unusual name yourself, or given  someone a unique name wed love to hear them!

About Nickel Dimed Essays

About Nickel Dimed Essays About Nickel Dimed Paper About Nickel Dimed Paper Barbara Ehrenreich’s non-fiction bestseller, Nickel and Dimed, is the story of an essay writer who went undercover as a low wage worker to find out how non-skilled workers make ends meet. The experiment took place in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, with the author finding a job and lodgings in each location. The experiment was to be held for one month in each location, working full time and living only off the amount of money earned in low-wage jobs. The goal was to determine whether or not the author could both live off the money earned and have enough money at the end of the month to pay the next month’s rent. The purpose of Ehrenreich’s book is simply to determine if she â€Å"could match income to expenses, as the truly poor attempt to do every day. † Working different jobs in restaurants, a hotel, a nursing home, a cleaning service, and at a major retailer Ehrenreich finds the truth – it is nearly impossible to match income and expense on wage income. Her research shows that a strong â€Å"work ethic† is often not enough to provide necessities like shelter, food, and transportation. For people who work in restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and other service jobs the pay is simply not enough to work your way up the ladder of success. Barbara undertakes life as a person that earns poverty-level wages. The book is a real eye opener to what you can actually do for six to seven dollars an hour. The theme of this book is, from my view, you never realize what you have until it is gone. People all across the United States of America live without some of our necessities because they cant afford much more than shelter and food. Barbara shows in this book that living on minimum wage is possible, but barely. My analysis of the theme in this book is very important for people to see and understand that the group of people who earn the bare minimum wage is probably what you wouldnt suspect. Most Americans believe all those who are poor and homeless are those without a job, only surviving on a little amount received through governmental aid. But in this book, we learn that is no always true. People can still have a job living in the same conditions as someone who doesn’t have a job. They can just have very low-wage jobs. These low-wage jobs hourly pay from the $5. 15 mandatory minimum to the mere but reputable $10 wage. At this salary one may not seem noticeably poor, however factor in the needed expenses of housing, food, childcare, and transportation, one may dwindle into poverty. With an increasing amount of low wage workers from such communities as those of welfare recipients, the employment opportunity is becoming scarce forcing one to migrate in order to accomplish the best salary, leaving a more stressful lifestyle with many more hardships to endure.

New york city Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

New york city - Research Paper Example New York City is on the Atlantic seacoast. It has a challenging geography for settlement because the Hudson River dissects the boroughs, cutting them off from one another and creating the island of Manhattan. As a result, there are many bridges that connect the boroughs of New York City. The climate of the city is a Continental climate type with a hot summer. Legends tell of the Dutch settlers buying the island of Manhattan for a few strings of beads. This is part of the foundation mythology of New York City. After the British took over, the great harbor in New York caused trade to flourish. New York City became America’s biggest city in 1790 and has stayed that way ever since. The arrival of immigrants into America from Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries happened mostly in New York City. Many of them were allowed into the country through Ellis Island. Here they became United States citizens. Over the years, neighborhoods and boroughs in New York City have changed. Places that were once the homes of Jews or German immigrants are now home to immigrants from Pakistan or Vietnam. New York City is the most ethnically diverse city in the world. More languages are spoken there than any other place on earth. New York City has seen many waves of immigrants over the course of its history. The city is marked by a humid-continental climate with a hot summer. New York City enjoys seasonal changes. The seasons are distinct in regards to temperature but not with rainfall. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 31 F. The hottest month is July with an average temperature of 76 F. Rainfall is evenly distributed through the whole year, averaging between three and four inches each month (Climate Data, 2010). The Atlantic Ocean has a moderating influence on the climate of New York City but does not dominate it. Other things that affect the climate on a micro scale is the phenomenon of the urban heat island. This

Basketball as the Most Popular Team Sports Essay

Basketball as the Most Popular Team Sports - Essay Example Thus, it can be said that a basketball team, although not too large a group, is a discourse community in that the members have developed a specific institutionalized way of thinking through the use of all forms of communication, be it through speech, actions or text. The very specific language used to communicate between players, between coaches and players, between the referees and players, between the referees and coaches, and between the players and fans contributes positively to the whole experience and excitement of the game. In fact, it is inevitable as is a game that has very specific rules. This perpetuates the creation of phrases, words, signals and actions that are exclusive to the game. Furthermore, because the game is fast-paced, effective communication is necessary in order to be able to play and win the game. It contributes to the enjoyment of fans, as they are able to follow and understand the game and experience a sense of belonging. This paper aims to argue the poin t that the establishment of a discourse community in basketball positively affects the perception, experience and enjoyment of the game and is inevitable through a discourse community analysis based on the observations of this author of several basketball games. Discourse is a concept that pertains to â€Å"all forms of communication,† which means that language as used here denotes spoken language, sign language, and even written language (El Hadi 1). However, because written language is not used much in basketball—unless printed commentaries are analyzed, which is not a part of the observable factors in the game—the word language, when used generally here, will mean words and actions. When discourse is combined with the world community, it now points to how language has been used by groups with  the same social characteristics. This is a testament to the progressive notion that discourse functions within standards and practices that are defined by communities.