KM Phase Project Report

Electronics (GAPE) to analyze their processes and to come up with a KM improvement plan to shorten their product development lead-time. We took a closer look at the key activities in the product development process and identified critical activities that had most impact on the development lead- time which is the focus for our study. We also got to learn development that did not go as planned as well as getting to know what is working well in product development.Completing the KM assessment has allowed us to draw the following results: GAPE should focus on Exchange, Combination and Colonization (for both Knowledge Sharing and Discovery). Attention should be given to Routine, Direction, Sterilization and Initialization. The majority of knowledge were captured through formal procedural processes and stored in the Exchange database. But it is not easy for engineers to find them. Knowledge locator may help to solve this problem.The current KM Infrastructure does not support colonization w ell enough and does not really exhibit knowledge sharing between development teams. This could improve by setting up community Of practices. The key to success is in getting the product design requirements right the first mime, perform thorough evaluations on all project risks and get the design right the first time. This goes with the reuse of knowledge (I. E. Past product development experiences, standard proven design, lessons learned from the past so that mistakes will not get repeated and the use of best practices).This calls for all internal as well as external brains together to approve design before proceeding to the next stage of development. [2] Company Background Information Gold Peak Industries GAP (Holdings) Limited -the parent company of GAPE- was established in 1964 and it has been in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since 984. It is well known by the public for its battery products under the GAP Batteries brand. GAPE is in the design and manufacturing industry special ized in both consumer and professional audio products. Reduces developed range from personal audio system & HI Speakers to professional amplifiers & speakers use in cinemas, stadiums and concerts. Engineers take ideas from product concepts through to mass production, then leave the design in safe hands to their manufacturing colleagues in their Hough production plant. The Center of Engineering Department is located in downtown Sheehan and as over 135 Engineering staff. Located in the same site, there are over 65 staff from various associated activities to support the Engineering needs.The Engineering Department is organized into 3 main branches: Product Development Operation (65 persons) Technology (35 persons) Engineering Support Services (35 persons) Also the Acoustic Team at Hough factory has 44 persons And at Hong Kong office the RFC Team with 7 engineers. The Department Business Strategy is strong product development with dedicated functional teams – Electronics Teams, M echanical Teams, Software Teams, DSL Teams, RFC Teams, Quality Assurance Teams, Safety & Environmental Team, Test & Measurement Team, etc.For further information, please visit our client's websites: Gold Peak Group www. Galloped. Com Electronic Division: www. Gap-industries. Com [3] Assessment Scope and Objective Assessment Scope : Product Development Product Development is the primary task in the Engineering Department. Therefore, putting forward Product Development as our assessment scope came with no surprise. Assessment Objective : Shorten Product Development Lead-Time There are wow key strategic performances in product development, namely Quality and Time-to-Market.In order not to make our assessment too broad for this Knowledge Management project, we have chosen the latter as our assessment objective which is also the most important out of the TV'0 for GAPE. By improving Time-to-Market, in product development perspective, we are referring to shortening product development lead -time. The following are advantages from a shorten product development lead-time: Stay competitive in the increasing competition in the worldwide market Avoid back-orders and preventing lost sales. It may also lead to more orders and more sales if development is ahead of schedule. 4] Organization Chart Figure 1: Organization Chart In reference to Figure 1, we have the Department's organization chart. Sitting at the top of the chart, we have the Engineering Director and then branching down to sections Of functional teams. Starting from the left, we have the Product Development Section composed of a team of project managers and 4 Development Teams. Development teams are primarily consisted of Electronics engineers where they are responsible for electronics design and development as well as leading the verbal activities in Product Development.Next, we have the Mechanical Section consisting of Mechanical engineers. Mechanical Product development team support mechanical related design an d development of Product Development. Advance Mechanical section specialized in new design techniques and choice of materials, simulation and other tools that may help development. The Engineering Service Section provides support and services to other sections. It consists of the Safety, Environmental and Material Teams, The Artwork and workshop. Document Control takes care of all documents in & out of Engineering.The Technology Section consisting of Advance Engineering, Software Team, RFC Team and the DSL Team all working towards the same goal to maintain a competitive edge to compete with the others. These are the lucky group in the department whom will get to learn, design and develop first of the kind in both technologies and products (I . E. Technologies and products that are new to GAPE). Finally we have the Acoustic Team. This Team is responsible for design and development of drivers and speakers. 5] Product Development Process projects are initiated with feasibility and just ification with the introduction Of product design specification. In reference to the Product Design Specification Engineer, the engineers will review all past design in the Exchange system with similar specification and review all lessons learned from similar field. The engineers will then work on the initial draft design considering technical risk assessment, BOOM cost, tooling cost, development lead-time and Engineering hours and other investment that go with the project.Reuse existing design and components where appropriate. Tacit Sharing on design and progress are held on a weekly basis. Only the final sign proposal will be uploaded to their Exchange system when all criteria are met and ready for management approval. Formal procedures (routines) and document format are in place for uploading design document to the Exchange system at the end of each development stage. Design are checked according to design rules and approved by managers before the upload is approved. Please refer to the following figure for the Product Development Process Flow.Figure 2: Product Development Process The Product Development Process consists of 4 stages – Feasibility, Design & Realization, Industrialization and Mass Production. The items in the middle are key activities that we have identified in the product development process. At the bottom are the outcomes from each of these stages. Below is an explanation Of the activities in each Of the 4 Stages. Feasibility Stage The project typically starts with a set of requirements listing out the required features, the industrial design and the target cost.The engineers will need to process this information, consider their Use Cases and their User Interface. They will then find out if there are any past projects and designs that can be used to meet some of these requirements. Reusing proven designs will minimize the development lead-time and impose minimal risk to the development. The engineers will then put together a proposal for customer to sign off the project. Often a time the proposal will get adjusted to better match with the end user's needs, cost target of the customer and time to market.Any new technology, new component needed and any performance specification required beyond those achieved in the past by the department had to be found, evaluated and learned. All risks will need to be assessed before committing to the project. These are conducted in the Technology Scouting & Evaluation activity. Once all risks are assessed and requirements are met per customer wish, Engineer can proceed with the Project planning activity to draw up the development schedule and plan all resources (both man power and equipment) for the development. The concept release will be granted after successfully completing all feasibility activities.Design and Realization This involves all knowledge from past projects, lessons learned and best practices together to come up with the solution. Design involves electronic circu its, software and mechanical design. Once the design is drawn, the engineers will conduct simulations to predict if the design conformed to performance requirement. Once the design passed simulation test, Engineer will design the circuit on PC. This is the PC Layout Design activity. They will also design a test plan to qualify the design at board level as well as at system level.The realization is a collection of activities in getting physical samples, build and design tested. These activities are the Prototype Sample Build, the Engineering Sample Build and the Tool Making. Only a few samples (typically 3 sets) will be built during the Prototype stage. The Engineering Sample Build mom after the Prototype Build involving a larger quantity (typically 1 5 sets) and it will have all design improvements in place from the prototype design. Engineer will initiate Tool Making once the mechanical design is mature enough and off-tool parts will be used on the Pilot Build.The design release is granted only when enough confidence is gained from the design during the Design and Realization stage. The engineers may proceed to the next stage of development after granting Design Release. Industrialization This stage consists of 2 key activities: the Pilot Build and the Pre-production Build. Both builds are conducted on the production floor with production flow, processes and test fixtures specifically designed for the product. The design for Manufacturing issues and Standard Operating Procedure gets verified and optimized on the Pre-production Build prior to Mass Production.The build quantity is considerably larger than previous builds. These processes are also very valuable in verifying design tolerances and production process variations. Mass production At this stage, all design and production processes would have been fully verified and qualified for production in huge quantities. Product Development Process Flow will come to an end after executing the first production lot . The engineers will then leave the design, repair and product know to their Manufacturing Engineers whom will have full responsibility of the product from there onward. 6] Learning from Past Product Developments Let's take a closer look on past product development and see if we find opportunities to shorten the development lead-time if we had been given another chance to do it again. We have reviewed 10 products developed in the past 12 months. We have observed there was no hold up on schedule urine the Industrialization Stage and the Mass Production Stage. The following activities typically are more procedural and time controlled and they did not show sign to have impact on the lead-time: Project Planning, Simulations, PC Layout, Test Plan, Prototype Build, Engineering Sample Build and Tool Making.We found issues that lead to a longer lead-time fall into the following categories: Technology Scouting and Evaluation Example: Risks are not thoroughly understood before committing to d evelopment. One of the projects had its USB Audio with intermittent audio while operating from Windows XP. This intermittent problem was unknown until the team got to the evaluation stage on the first prototype sample. The problem resides in the software driver design where the solution provider could not solve in a short time and the team has no access to the driver codes to solve it.The team had to find an alternative USB Audio solution to continue the development. This had resulted in a time loss of 2 months. Circuit, Software & Mechanical Design a) Example 1: Design from scratch where they could have reused an existing proven solution. We have identified one Of the project where the engineers ad designed an all new amplifier from scratch where they could have simply reuse design from a past project. This new amplifier had no performance, cost, weight or size advantage over the existing design.The reason for designing the new amplifier was because the team of engineers was not aw are that there was an equivalent amplifier design which they could have just copied. This has resulted in a time loss of 1 month and also in a waste of engineering effort. B) Example 2: Repeating problems that had been encountered and solved by another team in past developments. [7] Critical Activities Figure 3: Critical Activities in the Product Development Process After understanding what went on with past product developments, we have concluded that some Of the activities are less critical to our assessment objective.In reference to Figure 3, these non-critical activities are highlighted in grey colored text. Activities remained in black color text are areas we have targeted to focus our study to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in order to shorten the overall development lead-time. [8) KM Assessment [8. 1] Desire KM processes We have mapped out contingency factors to each of the 2 critical sub- recesses to determine their desired KM processes.These contingency factors come from informal interviews conducted with various experienced Engineers working on product development in the department. These factors reflected how they overall judge each of these activities based on their participation in current and past product developments. Figure 4: Chart to determine desire KM Processes Major Processes Us b-processes Task Characteristics Knowledge Characteristics Organizational Characteristics Environmental Uncertainty Desired KM Process(SE) Uncertainty InterdependentTIE DIP Size Strategy Feasibility Technology scouting & Evaluation Medium High D Combination Colonization for knowledge Discovery Design Circuit , Software , Mechanical Low Exchange Colonization for knowledge sharing Projects handle by the department vary considerably in complexity ranging from a simple audio docking system to a complex Audio Visual Receiver involving complex DSL processing. By averaging out these extremes, we have decided to weight Task Uncertainty as â€Å"Medium† f or both sub-processes. This weighting is more representative of the real situations.

Deja Vu Informative Paper Essay

The mind is a wonderful thing – there is so much, which remains a mystery to this day. Science is able to describe strange phenomena, but cannot account for their origins. We all have some experience of familiar feelings, which comes to us occasionally, about what we say and do, what we know and see, what we listen and hear. When you walk into the house of a new friend, you realise something strange. The place looks familiar though you have not been there and the people look familiar though you have not seen them. You have been there before, but not exactly in person. A serious recollection makes you realise that it was in a dream, a dream that perfectly portrayed with every small detail the exact room you’re now standing in. Sounds familiar? This is an experience that is not as rare as most people think. For many, these arbitrary feelings of extreme familiarity, known as dà ©jà   vu, come through dreams that some say predict the future. These dà ©jà   vu feelings are all of the dreams that we have each night that we cannot remember. You feel as though you have already been there because you have, in your dreams. The things that dreams show may not be significant, just a random moment proposed to happen somewhere in the near or far future. There have also been accounts where the dreamer claims they saw a catastrophic event occur before the incident actually happened. The study conducted by Colorado State University psychologist; Anne M. shows that this unnatural phenomenon has become more and more popular with time. Multiple cases of this have come forward, all of them experiencing the same distinct feeling that dà ©jà   vu brings. Natalia from Brazil stated- â€Å"I was fast asleep and I was having a dream. A dream where all my neighboring huts were burning down, it was wild; everyone was screaming for help and running around deranged. I was choking in my dream, I was struggling to breathe, I felt like it was happening for real but I couldn’t find myself waking up from the horrible dream and then suddenly in my dream my son had died. I woke up trembling, shivering, sobbing at the middle of the night, the entire dream felt like it was happening, but then I reassured myself that it was just a dream and went back to sleep. Two days after early in the morning I smelt something burning and woke up instantly to find out that my dream had come true†¦.. All the huts were burning down, I instantly went looking for my son, but it was too late†¦ my son was already dead. I wish I would have known before.†- Brazil, favelas. What is your theory on why we experience Dà ©jà   vu? â€Å"The electrical signals that allow us to store memories in our brains can take a number of different routes to arrive at their final destination. If a ‘memory’ in the form of an electrical signal takes a couple of different routes at the same time, it is possible that if one route is longer than the other, it arrives in the memory part of your brain only to find that the same memory has already arrived by a shorter route. This would make you think that you had already experienced the event on a previous occasion. It is a bit like hearing an echo when a sound wave has been reflected via different paths. That’s my theory, and I’m happy with it. – Says Philip Carter, Researcher and Sociologist in UK. â€Å"I think that at some point in our dreams we have dreamt about a face, place or situation and at some point when we are awake we could be doing something similar to our dream that triggers the brain into thinking that we have done this before.†- Says Dean Ferdje, Head psychologist in Stanford Research Institute. â€Å"It is a 7th sense. Some people are psychic; they have full control of retaining information of what they see in the future, and however most of us do not have such abilities. At one point we catch a brief glimpse into the future, usually an insignificant event. That glimpse is stored somewhere in the deep recesses of our mind. When that event actually happens, dà ©jà   vu occurs, it triggers the memory of that momentary glimpse, because of its brevity and depth it is stored in our mind we do not remember having it in the first place. It is familiar, but not recognizable†. – Dennis Ladwe, psych pharmacologist in Australia SMU Psychology Professor Alan Brown identified these facts about dà ©jà   vu by studying different kinds of people, people with different jobs, different age, different personalities and different life styles: * A majority of people experience dà ©jà   vu, roughly two-thirds of the population. * The frequency of dà ©jà   vu decreases with age and is most common among people from 15 to 25 years old. * High income and well educated people have more dà ©jà   vu experiences. * Dà ©jà   vu appears to be associated with stress and fatigue. * Those who travel have more dà ©jà   vu experiences. * Some people report that dà ©jà   vu experiences appear to repeat prior dreams. Even you reading this article can be a dà ©jà   vu.

Unilever Product Life Cycle

Introduction †¢William Hesketh Lever founded lever Brothers in 1885. †¢In the beginning as soap manufacturer but later diversified in to food and personal care products. †¢Unilever's corporate centers are London and Rotterdam. Walls’ Introduction †¢Walls introduced in Pakistan in 1997-98. The product line consists from lollies to ice creams. This includes Cornetto, Callipo, Max, Kulfis, Top Ten Choc Bars, Feast, Milky Way and etc. †¢Unilever committed its own resources to acquire ‘Polka' and consolidate the ice cream market for Lever Brothers Pakistan. Low gearing and reputation as a multinational blue chip give Lever ready access to capital at good terms to fund growth †¢Magnum! huuuuuuuuuuuuu †¢Magnum was introduced in 15th of June,2001 †¢Effective weights of mass audience advertising publicly displayed in the summer landscape, would strengthen consumer attachment to the brand and develop strong associations with the summer season †¢The first premium-quality ice cream to enter the adult impulse market.. ;l †¢Product Life Cycle If one looks at a category, the product life cycle seems to be an important determinant for all sorts of decisions †¢Generally a product should be kept in the growth stage as long as possible. †¢Magnum’s Life cycle †¢Magnum is in the growth stage. Due to the amount of awareness in the market, and the sales figures crossing targets, the product can be seen in the growth stage. On the PLC, market growth is also associated with increase in sales. This leads to the market becoming more attractive. Cycle-Recycle Pattern †¢The Cycle –Recycle Pattern is adopted because of seasonality of the sale. In Eid,Happy New year, Valentines day,Christmas and other seasonal events the sales follow pleasant upward trend due to the new flavors and varieties introduced by the firm. †¢Total Quality Management †¢Its all about ever barricading eminence i. e ever improving quality. †¢The quality of the product should be increase with the passage of time to keep customers as well induce new customers. Magnum’s TQM Introduction of new Magnum’s Cup will certainly improve the quality because of inclusion of â€Å"choco-topings†. The new Cup will increase the value to the customer because of its â€Å"take away† facility. pricing? † †¢Magnum’s TQM Again †¢Since Magnum is a premium choc bar and people are paying the premium to get this premium choc bar ,the TQM does have a great vitality in th is context. †¢Magnum is thought as a superb quality choc bar that’s why people wouldn’t compromise on the quality . †¢They know â€Å"they are paying for the best† †¢Forecasting and Demand Management †¢The ice cream market is particularly influenced by the weather and Wall uses a weather index to gauge conditions for sales †¢Also during peak seasons like Eids, Happy New Year and Independence Day demand is high and rices are lowered so as to compete with the other rivals prevailing in the industry . Magnum’s sales forecast †¢In terms of Magnum, this seasonality is relatively low. This is because Magnum is an impulse buying item . †¢In examining the seasonality one must consider the target market of Magnum. Will these people refrain from having a magnum in cold weather? †¢The variation in sales will not be as high or drastic as other ice creams or categories. †¢Positive Aspects for Sales †¢Pakistan’s population growth rate is almost 2% per annum. †¢Urbanization trend on the boom i. people are inducing towards higher life standards of living in cities. †¢Growth in GDP/capita reflects in the consumption pattern of the people. †¢Improved level of law and order conditions results in more FDI’s hence an attractive market. Product and Product Mix †¢A product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a need and and want of the customer. †¢Product includes different product levels which are, †¢Core benefit: The fundamental service or benefit that the customer is really buying †¢Basic product: the marketer has to turn the core benefit into basic product. Levels of Product †¢Expected product: A set of attributes and conditions buyers normally expect when they purchase the product. †¢Augmented product: Augmented product means things beyond the expectation. †¢Potential product: which encompasses all the possible augmentation and transformation Magnum’ Levels †¢The core benefit of the Magnum are satisfaction and the indulgence †¢The basic product is the premium Choc Bar †¢Expectations are related with the Magnum is that it would provide that quality others can not. †¢Potential product,introduction of Magnum in new jar. Product mix †¢Product mix is the set of products the company is offering to the customer. †¢Product mix includes, width, length, depth and consistency. †¢Magnum’s Product Mix †¢Unilever is the parent company and it operates in many businesses like tea, soaps, shampoos etc. this includes in width †¢Length includes different products of the walls like Magnum, Feast ,Cornetto etc. †¢Depth includes variants of the similar product like Magnum, Feast, Sunday all are chocolate related items. †¢Unilever product lines are consistent because most of them are consumer goods. SBU Strategies †¢Almost every business unit of Unilever including Walls holds a lion’ share in their respective markets. †¢For Magnum. hold strategy is appropriate and its holding by the firm. Corporate and division Strategic planning †¢Mission Statement †¢The Mission Statement underlines the dedication to the satisfaction of the everyday needs of the customers. †¢Quality is priority in all senses. †¢We are the part of the society in which we operate. †¢Our Vision is â€Å"Touching hearts changing life† Boston Consulting Growth Matrix †¢Star †¢Question Mark †¢Cash Cow Dog Internal Environment Analysis †¢Strengths †¢- Brand Image †¢- †¢Brand recall is high †¢- †¢Qual ity is one of the best in the market †¢Weaknesses †¢Multiple Brands therefore lack of focus †¢Unhealthy competition in the corporate culture External Environment Analysis Opportunities: – Westernization of Pakistani Society – No DIRECT competition except Quanta Relatively good growth of market †¢Threats: †¢- Threat of bigger competition in the next two years †¢- Instability of Pakistani Political system Marketing Alliances Promotional Alliances The strategic alliance by the Walls with leading fast food corners like KFC and Pizza Hut outlets was an attempt to promote their product. †¢ Marketing Channel †¢These channels are essential to move product from the manufacturer’s warehouse to the consumer’s house. †¢Firms have options to decide levels of channels I. e how many channels does it want to include in the distribution of its product. †¢Walls’ Channels †¢Walls’ uses multi level channel marketing. †¢Walls uses backward integration. †¢Walls’ sales men whirl in the streets of the city on their lorries ,I. e direct marketing. Walls’ own supplier make its product available to consumers. †¢Pull and Push Strategies †¢The painstaking music produce by the whirling lorries of WALLS let its voice count ,pulling the kids to pull their parents. †¢The usage of billboards and print media is a device to push up the target customer. †¢Promotion al Tools †¢In Pakistan, Ice-Cream industry competition may be healthy but there are very few brands to name. †¢Companies have to fight for their market share and use various strategies from price to promotional, which could make them leader in the market. †¢Firms try to compete on the basis of quality, uniqueness and brand name Magnum’s Promotion †¢The most commonly used are the major media that includes billboards and posters in the display media †¢The retailers were provided with free refrigerators by the Walls to motivate them †¢Since the logo of Walls was endorsed on these refrigerators,the brand was promoted as well. †¢Pricing †¢ Historically, for most products price has been the major factor affecting the buyer choice †¢Ice cream companies’ pricing decisions are influenced by both internal as well as external factors. †¢Pricing †¢Internal Factors †¢Survival †¢Company’s objectives †¢Marke t Profit Maximization Market Leadership †¢Product Quality †¢External Factors †¢Economic Factors †¢Governmental rules and regulations. †¢Social concerns. †¢Resellers. †¢Pricing Strategies †¢The management of the Magnum uses â€Å"Price Premium Strategy†. †¢The notion of â€Å"Self Indulgence†transferred the brand advertising doctrine to brand experience I. e â€Å"have a bite please†. †¢Price doesn’t matter to target consumer of Magnum. †¢What's wrong with the Price! †¢Its is said that â€Å"Magnum is too expensive† †¢It is thoughts as a reason of minimal sales. †¢There are relatively inexpensive choc bar exists. †¢Price is not the problem! The Magnum is targeted to the people of elite class ,higher in the socio-economic ranks. †¢The target set for Magnum’s sales have achieved up to maximum extent. †¢Lowering the price will usurp its supremacy and satisfactio n level may decline because of this move. †¢Marketing Management Philosophies †¢The philosophies speak about the different strategic behavior adopted by the firm to sell their product. †¢The philosophies are adopted in the foremost interests of consumers. †¢Magnum’s Marketing Philosophies †¢Product concept , better the quality and the product attributes the better will be the sales. Selling Concept,pushing and pulling consumers time and again , inducing them to buy Magnum, otherwise it will be left †¢un noticed. †¢Marketing Concept,better than that of competitors in satisfying customers’ needs the better will be you share in the market. Magnum’s Marketing Philosophies Customer concept,provide customer what he wants at the price you want The customers decide what we serve to them. Societal Marketing,Walls started a campaign to keep the environment clean in the northern areas to preserve them †¢Brand Decision †¢Creation ,maintenance ,protection and enhancement of a brand is an art. Brand is a symbol,name,term,design or a system or amalgamation of them. †¢It’s a marketing tool and tactic. †¢A promise by seller to deliver specific set of features and values to the buyer †¢Brand Equity †¢High brand awareness of Magnum as a member of Walls’ family. †¢Magnum possess high degree of brand preference. †¢Customer is satisfied with the brand and devoted to it . †¢Customer doesn’t want to change the brand over price issue. Brand Building Tools The campaign inaugurated by the Walls to â€Å"Save the environment† added privileged to the Walls as well its family. Wall’s â€Å"Heart Branding† captures the enthusiasm of the young and the young-at-heart, laying claim to 72% of the frozen desserts market share in Pakistan. Analyzing Competitors †¢By knowing our Competitors we may be able to predict their next moves, exploit their weaknesses and undermine their strengths †¢Who are your competitors? †¢What customer needs and preferences are you competing to meet? †¢What are the similarities and differences between their products/services and yours? Magnum’s Competitors †¢Competitors for walls in general are many; in fact they include all the ice cream providers. For Magnum we would like to define our competition strictly in terms of the target market. In this definition we would consider the product category level. Major Competitors †¢In this list we consider Igloo Quanta to be our main competitor due to similar attributes of the product and a very similar target market. †¢For the purpose of a nalysis we will group the competitors into two. First we would discuss our main competitor i. e. Igloo Quanta and then the rest in one group Who Is The Competitor †¢Igloo Quanta †¢Moven Pick Ice cream †¢Snoopy Ice cream parlor †¢Gelato Affairs Ice cream parlor †¢Igloo Dip Shop Imported Ice creams like Hagen Dazz, Dove, and Galaxy available at places like Aghas Stake Holders †¢At Unilever we are dedicated to meeting the everyday needs of people everywhere. †¢We participate in the well being of the society ,we live and work †¢Touching hearts by changing lives RESOURCES †¢Unilever committed its own resources to acquire ‘Polka' and consolidate the ice cream market for Lever Brothers Pakistan †¢Low gearing and reputation as a multinational blue chip give Lever ready access to capital at good terms to fund growth. †¢In the local ice cream market not many have the capability to invest in completely new technologies. Financial ass ets of more than RS. 7 BILLION. Human Resources †¢People are the driving force for success. †¢HR initiatives focused on encouraging empowerment and transparency in the organization. †¢E-town project brought the Chairman and top team to everyone’s desktops via live streaming video and allowed employees to address their concerns to the panel via a chat server. Resources †¢Me and U,an interactive HR portal that brings employee information to to everyone’s desktop. †¢Child Day Care center allowing employees to have their infants in close proximity under very best care Resources †¢Distinctive Capabilities advantage. †¢Walls has a weather index that helps in describing peak seasons for selling ice creams. †¢Sharp market sensing. †¢Intimate linking with the customers. †¢Strong channel bonding. Organization and it’s Culture †¢Uni Lever ,a visionary organization. †¢Highly professional Organization with the highly professional people. †¢The society is the family and look after of family is my own responsibility Market Segmentation The Magnum has segmented the market on the basis of income ,social and economic class and esteem level. Nice marketing strategy has been adopted focusing on the smaller but elite segment of the society as well as of market. Psychographics Segmentation Life style The people from the A/A+ class are considered for customer ship. Personality People having high level of esteem ,standing high on the need hierarchy pyramid. Behavioral Segmentation Occasions The Magnum focuses on the occasions when somebody wants to rejoice himself by himself. â€Å"I hate somebody nobody hates me! I love somebody no body loves me† Self Indulgence is the underlining theory. Loyalty Status Hard Core Loyals. TARGET MARKET †¢Magnum focuses on the upper niche market. The upper class segment is whom we want to buy our product. †¢These are people who wouldn’t mind spending †¢Rs 25 for an ice cream; rather they would impulsively buy the product whenever they go out for a drive or something. †¢Magnum is â€Å"Just for You† †¢The concept of sharing is not embedded Target Market †¢Target market people from the ages of 18-30, upper class, possessing a very high set of self esteem people †¢People who have style and don’t mind spending more for better quality, brand value etc Market Positioning An art of designing the product of the company and it’s image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. Positioning is not what you do to the product. Its what you do to the mind of the panorama Market Positioning †¢Marketing positioning means how the customer rate your product in comparison with your competitors. †¢The firm should offer a substantial value to its customers to sustain the positioning of its product. Magnum’s Positioning Attribute Positioning For self immoderation User Positioning Appealing to stylish people Quality and Price Positioning High price for the higher quality Magnum’s Positioning Since a Rs 25 choc bar is quite prestigious bar,so people feel good when buying the Magnum. The higher the price the higher will be the quality & the higher will be the satisfaction level. People rank it as a premium brand with priceless quality Marketing Research System †¢Walls has its own department for Marketing Research. †¢Primary Data is provided by Sales team. †¢Secondary Data is gathered from publications and other sources.

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

Criminology Theory - Case Study Example Ashley's mother had every right to be worried. In July 2006 Simpson took notes of another phone call from her not long after a man who was suspected of murdering Ashley had been released on the word of a jailhouse informant who had said that Ashley had stolen drugs from this person. Not long after that, Ashley's mother was told that no charges would be laid and to this day the murder has remain unsolved. Ashley's mother died on November 19, 2006 after falling ill after the death of her daughter. Becker (1963) describes labelling theory as describing a situation where a group of people who fail to act within the accepted norms of society are ostracized, isolated and in some cases persecuted because of their behavior. Using the term "outsider" Becker (1983) explains that although individuals may act out in certain ways and that this can be considered a primary deviance, that many of these people become involved in secondary deviance or criminal behavior.

Management - Compensation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management - Compensation Methods - Essay Example In this paper, we will discuss some major compensation methods/employee benefit programs, which a company can use to improve employee performance. Types of Compensation According to Menguc and Barker (2003), use of compensation plans influences all dimensions of organizational performance. Companies use different types of compensations to increase employee motivation. Some major types of compensation include bonuses, free meals, housing allowance, health insurance, company car, travel allowance, free patrol, promotion based on performance base pay, overtime pay, and commissions. In some companies, the compensations like bonuses and commissions are associated with the job responsibilities of the employees. Some jobs are of very difficult nature, so the companies put some rewards for the people associated with those jobs in form of bonuses in order to encourage them and make them dedicated to their jobs. Companies categorize different types of compensations into short-term and long-ter m programs. Mazin and Smith (2004) asserts, â€Å"Short-term programs are usually based on cash payments, while long-term incentives typically involve stock† (p.113). Short-term rewards include cash and stock bonuses, which a company gives to the employees when they achieve short-term goals, such as, increase in the company’s revenue. ... The basic purpose of short-term compensation programs is to increase employees’ performance and productivity over a specific time. Long-term rewards, on the other hand, are such rewards that a company gives to its employees when they increase the company stock’s value in the market. The stock value increases when a company maintains its product standard and quality for a long time. Good quality of products generates higher levels of productivity and revenues, which result in increasing the stock value of the company. Companies reserve long-term rewards usually for the employees who are at managerial posts. Calvin (2001, p.119) asserts, â€Å"In established firms, long-term incentives, such as stock options, are reserved for senior salespeople, national account managers, and sales managers†. Commissions and bonuses are two of the most useful types of compensations because they attract a large number of employees towards the companies, which offers such compensatio ns to the employees. Commission is a form of compensation that a company gives to its employees on achieving some targets. Commissions and bonuses play a key role in retaining talented and skilled employees for a company. Increase in salaries is also one of the most effective ways to retain key employees of a company. Employees do not want to leave the job when their companies reward them in terms of increase in their salaries. Compensation programs not only make employees work hard to achieve the incentives but also make the company achieve higher levels of profitability and productivity. Apart from increase in salaries, some other types of rewards also play a good role in increasing employee motivation. These rewards include foreign trip of

Security Audits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Security Audits - Essay Example Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy) Furthermore, it can diminish the security loopholes or any flaws that exist in the company’s current IT infrastructure. In order to enforce this policy, one must understand that running a security audit can save an organization millions of dollars in case of a crucial emergency(2011). Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy). It can dynamically help an organization be prepared for disasters and mitigate the IT risks that can potentially threaten its sensitive information. Security audits are beneficial because they also ensure that the security systems are in fact working (2011). Network Security Audits. http://www.securityspace.com/smy). Without a doubt, there are numerous benefits of both internal and external auditing. Internal audits can be beneficial as they catch management’s attention in critical business issues (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). It lets management understand and analysis the current weaknesses in the system of the control and make key suggestions to improve these controls (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). Moreover, one cannot diminish the fact that internal audits clearly give positive reassurance to management when controls are operating in an effective manner (2001). Internal audit. http://www.entrepreneur.com/tra). It gives the organization confidence to rely on their systems and to penetrate the technology aspect to gain a competitive advantage. Lastly, internal auditing can give management an early notice of risk and potential problems that can be addressed before any harm is conjured. The best way to understand the necessity of a sec urity audit is to look at real-life scenarios. For example, a company can run sample testing on certain users who have unauthorized access to log on accounts which have been the root cause of financial

Plastic Innovations Case Material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Plastic Innovations Case Material - Essay Example A stable attention to a new strategy and a very professional innovative staff allow strategy to reach a great qualitative point and to obtain great paybacks in the sector. The operations have supported the innovation strategy enormously by inventions of new technologies and machines. The strategy has changed from production of consumer durable items, toys and component of automotive used in industries to spatulas, pasta strainers, hand whisks and others. This has been enhanced due to change in machines from small plastic moulding machines to 24 large injection-moulding machines. Early 1980s small moulding machines were used for toys and automotive components. This later expanded to enhance production of household items. The market change in 2002 from industrial commodities to household; facilitated strategy enhancement to a greater height. This later facilitated change in expertize as seen in 2006 when a new marketing manager was hired. The Focus and Concept brands were initiated due to the change in management of marketing director. It also changed the market targets and enhanced profit margin. The market is competitive and thus requires new innovations and ideas to keep up with stiff competition. Similarly, operation to keep up with demands and quality must keep on changing its requirements. Markets do change as consumers frequently change their aspects of the environment. Likewise, operational requirements must change to meet or challenge environment change. As markets demands get sophisticated, so do operational requirements do. Markets and operations requirements differ in the sense that larger markets mean more and more profit but, operational costs go higher as markets expanded. Operation requires experts to implement the desired result or objections of company. Similarly, markets require qualified team to achieve desired results. The demand for an idea or concept choice is less predictable that leads to unpredictable changes in

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

Meditation - Essay Example I kept asking myself what might have been wrong with her. Something within me kept telling me something was amiss. Suddenly, when I heard hoots and brakes’ screeching is when I realized that I was so engrossed in my thoughts and I was almost being ran over. I quickly grabbed my bicycle brakes and came to a sudden halt; almost falling down. It is when I realized I had gone extremely far from home without noticing. I changed my course, and decided to ride back home. Today I meditated on being grateful for my bike. I got the bike as a present from my dad for my exemplary performance in school. I had always wished to own one and every day after school, I would drop off my school bag in my room and rush to Tom’s house, my neighbor and friend, in order to ride his bike. I adore my bike so much. Apart from exercising using it, sometimes I save my parents the pressure of dropping me to school when they are running late for work. Sometimes I wonder what I would do if sometime stole it; I guess I would be sick for a week. When sent on short errands such as buying groceries from the store, my bike usually plays an integral since it enables me take shortest time possible; thus, making my parents proud of me. In case I am stressed or bothered about something, taking a ride in the woods near my home always gives me amazing refreshment. A two-hour ride and I go back home rejuvenated and feeling better. My bike is a gem to me. Today I practiced meditating when taking a shower. A warm shower in the morning is the best way to jumpstart one’s day. While enjoying the warm water hit my back, I reminded what my History teacher told us in class yesterday about respecting and appreciating our parents. I could not help thinking of what I could do without my mum and dad. My thoughts wondered how they are always there for me. They comfort and encourage me every time I am worried about something. They have always provided me with everything I need and sacrificed a lot to take

Economics Essay, applying Porter's Diamond to the construction Essay

Economics , applying Porter's Diamond to the construction industry - Essay Example The work includes building of roads, bridges and other major infrastructures. The real estate business is also urban based; so the constructions companies need to base all their business activity in urban areas in order to compliment the real estate industry. The repair and maintenance of existing buildings and other infrastructures also falls under the domain of construction industry and its major business comes from the densely populated urban areas. This is due to the fact that the more usage of infrastructure in densely populated urban areas results in higher damages and hence is subject to repair. There are mainly three categories in which the construction industry is divided. First, being the heavy constructions that require high civil engineering; in this category we have the construction of roads, bridges and other big infrastructures. In this category the big guns of construction industry come into function for all major commitments. The second category is the general constr uction of buildings of real estate; in this category the construction companies operate in housing development works. The small construction companies mainly operate in this category, as it requires small budgetary involvements. The third and final category comprise of special constructive work, which is done in small scale. Specialized areas of construction fall in this category like the construction work on wood, electric related works, etc. In this category very specific construction companies operate as it require specialization in specific field of work. (Economy watch, n.d). It is seen that the contractor may be an individual or any organization; contractors definitely fall in any of the above categories in construction business. A construction firm, of any size can fall under these three categories of the construction business. The scope of growth of construction industry is favorable in the developing countries where the trend of

SIDS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

SIDS - Research Paper Example Although there is need for more research, the current notion denotes that SIDS results when an infant’s body experience difficulty in regulating blood pressure, temperature or breathing (or a merger of these factors) because of a developmental problem or an underlying vulnerability. Additionally, when infants get stressed by external factors, with inclusion of factors like sleeping on their stomachs, they can easily die of SIDS. An action that parents can take in order to shun occurrence of SIDS is to ensure their infants sleep on their back but not stomach. This ensures that a baby breathes more easily and also prevents the chances of them breathing in their own exhaled air that can collect under their nose, mainly if the infant cuddles a lot with the pillow or blanket. In addition, parents must ensure their babies sleep in rooms with appropriate temperatures, which offers warmth to them (William, 2009). An article â€Å"Sudden Infant Death Syndrome† by Polina Gelfer and Michelle Tatum provides current scientific evidence regarding SIDS. Gelfer and Tatum’s epidemiologic study indicates that the age groups between 2-4 months face the highest risk of SIDS; whereby 91% of infant mortality occurs between the ages 1-6 months old. Thus the research further implies that the preterm infants and low-birth-weight infants experience highest risk of SIDS (Gelfer & Tatum, 2014). Additionally, Gelfer and Tatum comment that SIDS normally occurs seasonally, whereby more deaths occur during winter as a result of factors such as overheating within the houses (Gelfer & Tatum, 2014). Normally, several factors including modifiable as well as non-modifiable have been proven to have considerable associations with SIDS (Gelfer & Tatum, 2014). There exist possibilities that case control design normally used in the study of risk factors for SIDS, brings about unmeasured

Do school vouchers improve the quality of education Research Paper

Do school vouchers improve the quality of education - Research Paper Example . Non-voucher education systems compel guardians who take their children to private schools to double taxation, since they still contribute to public schools funding. Generally, school vouchers are put in place to offset the cost incurred by families who choose to enroll their children to private schools that best fit their needs in a bid to improve their performance and quality of education (Altidor, 2005, p.15). School vouchers were first introduced with the aim of improving the quality of both the elementary and secondary school education with regards to Milton Friedman’s proposition in the 1950s. Parents and guardians seeking to provide high quality education for their children have contributed greatly to renewed interests in school vouchers. School voucher proposals seek to support households that choose to enroll their children in private schools through vouchers from the government to cover private school tuition costs either partly or fully. Arguments in support of the school voucher programs claim that through this program, households with are able to encourage educational systems competition that would go a long way in enhancing the quality of education that is being offered among the competing schools.Arguments in support of the school voucher place emphasis of aspects that suggests that students from low-income households who are enrolled in private schools have a higher probability of achieving higher performance levels on standardized tests unlike those in public schools.

Globalization, Ethics and Islam Essay Example for Free

Globalization, Ethics and Islam Essay Ian Markham in his book stated his view of religion and its value to human race. Just like the view of Said Nursi, his source of ideology, he firmly believed in world peace that is founded on deep religious ethics. For Markham, all religions of the world have responsibility and authority in keeping moral ethics alive in the society. This is contrary to the view of Alasdair MacIntyre who claimed that â€Å"there are adequate non-religious alternative foundations for ethics† (p. 66); Aristotle who said that moral assertion is â€Å"an intelligible framework† (p. 68); and other names in history like Kant, Hume. Globalization therefore, will make its sense in the absence of hate and war, and in upholding ethical values instituted in religious beliefs worldwide. Though he accepts justification for ethics of other religion, yet he believes that Islam faith could draw clearly the idea of ethical system. Religions of the world should establish its own paradigm of ethics for Markham puts it, â€Å"†¦ because moral factors should (and in practice – do) shape our public life† (p. 68). He further added, â€Å"The basic commitment to decency in our public discourse is a moral judgment that the public square needs. † Furthermore, Markham also believes that the place of religion is private and not public, which he meant that the State should not control the citizens’ beliefs and practices but the same should not allow any public expression of religious belief for â€Å"public disorder would ensue† (p. 67). Therefore, as Markham tried to explain, religion has greater responsibility in maintaining world peace if it holds to the principles of morality and ethicss; for only when faith made sense, ethical framework would not have any sense either. Comparative Analysis of Markham’s View and Thomas Michel’s on Issue of Ethics and Globalization Thomas Michel the advocate of Catholic faith believes that there are similarities in his view and that of Markham on issue of religion and world peace, which he called â€Å"the ethics of peace† (p. 37). He recognized the contribution of these two great persons to the topic. Pope John Paul II on World’s Day in 2002 delivered a message that proposed, â€Å"True peace must rest on †¦justice and forgiveness† (p. 37). Pope explained that peace in form of ‘cease-fire’ only amplify the issue; while peace may be attained by getting to the â€Å"heart of the conflict and try to heal human relations† (p. 38). He added, when there is oppression or injustice peace is impossible. The resolution for world peace according to Pope is justice in forms of moral virtue and legal guarantee; these, he believed are the elements of international system of relations among peoples – â€Å"full respect for rights and responsibilities† (p. 38). This concept is closely related with the idea presented by Markham in which, religion has to stand on idea of having moral and ethical standard established and practiced in the society. Markham clearly emphasized in his book that the world â€Å"needs deeply committed orthodox, exponents of each tradition to outline an ethical system that is both true to the beliefs and practices of that tradition† (p. 65). The Pope emphasized in the message the importance of justice and forgiveness as virtues people must embrace to have peace. Qur’an teaches about patience, which is a predominant virtue in that book. Yusuf 12 verse 90 of Qur’an says, â€Å"One who is mindful of God and patient indeed God will not forfeit the recompense due to those who do good. † Work Cited Markham, Ian S. and Ozdemir, Ibrahim. Globalization, Ethics and Islam: The Case of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Burlington, USA: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. , 2005

Child Rights On Decision Making Young People Essay

Child Rights On Decision Making Young People Essay Children have the same rights as adults. As a vulnerable group, children have particular rights that recognize their special need for protection and also that help them develop their full potential. Children are not helpless objects of charity or a property of their parents. They are recognized as human beings and the subjects of their own rights. A child is an individual, a family and community member with rights and appropriate responsibilities for his or her age and development stage. Children should enjoy the basic qualities of life as rights rather than privileges accorded to them (CRC 2006) Every child whether a boy or girl irrespective of age is unique and has important value as a human being with the right to respect for their human dignity. It has a right to be heard and to be considered in all matters and decisions that concern him or her, a right to be listened to and to be taken seriously (CRIN, 2002). This increases mutual respect and understanding between children and adults. Childrens participation protects them more effectively from abuse and exploitation. When we understand and respect childrens own experiences, we are able to create better protection mechanisms and the children themselves can act as active agents in their own protection. This helps to develop and build recognition of children as independent bearers of rights with a sense of identity and a positive implication for their self esteem (CRIN, 2002). Childrens rights are defined in a wide spectrum of economic, civil, political and social rights. These rights have been labeled as the right to protection and right to empowerment. Some of these rights are: Right to provision: Children have a right to be provided with a good standard of living, education and services, health care and a right to play. These include access to schooling, a balanced diet and a warm bed to sleep in. They also have a right to be protected from neglect, abuse, discrimination and exploitation (CRC, 2006) Children also have a right to participation. They have a right to their own programs and services and to take part in them. This includes decision making and involvement in libraries. Some rights allow children to grow up healthy and free. This include; Freedom of speech, Freedom of thought, Freedom from fear, Freedom of choice and to make decisions and Ownership over ones body. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides a framework for addressing not only rights to child protection care and adequate provision, but also for participation. A child who is capable of making his or her own views shall be assured by the parties of the state a right to express them freely (CRC, 2006) The views of the child are given weight according to the maturity and age of the child. A child can participate in the sense of taking part or being present or participate in the sense of knowing that ones actions are taken note of and may be acted upon. The extent to childrens participation will vary between and within societies (CRC, 2006) There has been a clash between the childrens protection and participation rights. Protection rights protect the children against exploitation and abuse for the best interest of the child while participation rights allow children to take part in decisions concerning their lives and a right to freedom of conscious and to hold an opinion. Adults and their childrens views may not always coincide. Many childrens wishes and views are ignored by the adults for the best interest of the child. For instance; Every child is entitled to acquire a name and a nationality. All children registration should be upon birth. The childs name, birth date and parents names are recorded. When a child is given a name at birth, he or she is not given an opportunity to choose a name for himself or herself. The parents do this for the best interests of the child. The child may however, decide to change its name upon reaching the age of maturity. In this case the child is denied a right to participate in choosing its name at first but at later stages of development; the same child can participate in the same by changing to its desired name (CRC). A child has a right to be protected from all forms of punishment or discrimination regardless of their age, race, sex, religion, status, their expressed opinions, activities and beliefs of the family members. As much as a child has a right to religion, to express their opinion, or equality regardless of their age, these are sometimes restricted by their parents or legal guardians. For instance, a child is not at liberty to join a religion cult without the parents interference. It is not because the child is denied its freedom to worship but its for the best interest of the child (CRC). Children also have a right to get and share information and to express them. In exercising this right, they are supposed to be careful not to damage themselves or the freedoms, rights and reputations of others. They may share information through talking, writing or drawing. A childs wishes may be ignored if it is for the best of the child. For instance, a child may be denied the right to express dislike or hatred towards a particular person by hauling insults at the person. On the same, the child may be restricted on the manner of expression. For instance through shouting or screaming or demanding instead of asking politely (CRC). Children have a right of association. They have a right to meet and to join groups and organizations. Not all groups joined by children are acceptable by their parents or guardians; this brings a clash between the childrens right of association and prevention of joining them. Children are also restricted from joining into these groups if they stop other people from enjoying their rights. For instance a rioting group which will probably cause peace disturbance to others, or an outlawed group will not be acceptable that the children join (CRC). Children have a right to privacy. They are protected from attacks in their way of life, their name, families and homes. However, their way of life can be invaded by their parents or guardians if its for their best interests, for instance, when parents suspect that the child may be involved in drugs or other unlawful activities they may be forced to ransack the childs room or personal effects (CRC). Its a right for the children to access information. This they get through the radio, newspapers, television, internet and childrens books. They have a right to choose what kind of information they would like to access and in which manner. However, not all information is suitable or helpful to them (CRC). Most of the information provided by the mass media especially the radio, television and internet is unsuitable to children. It may contain violence, obscenity or strong language. Since these are harmful to the children they dont have a right over them and so their parents or guardians have to protect the children from such by deciding on what is good or bad for them. The parents also have to protect on what their children browse on the internet since they can access pornography or sites with violence which are harmful to the child (CRC). It is a childs right to live with its parents. The child can however be separated from the parents when the conditions are not favorable for the child. Such conditions may be neglect or abuse by the parents or separation by the parents hence the state has to decide on which parent has to live with the child. If the child has no parents the state decides on a home or an institution for the child to live. In this case the child may not have much of a say in the choice of who to live with. Sometimes children run away from their birth homes to live with their relatives or even live on the streets. This may be as a result of poverty or rebellion. The best interests of the child are considered first before the child is taken back to its parents home (CRC). Conclusion Children have a right to participate in decisions that shape their life and therefore should be given a chance to express their own opinion. However, this right is only exercised considering the maturity and the best interest of the child. Not all decisions that a child makes will be supported by their parents or guardians. For instance, a child cannot make a decision not to go school. For the best interests of the child the child will be forced to attend school.

Characteristics of Pure Competition

Characteristics of Pure Competition 1.0 Introduction Basic microeconomic theory states that firms should seek to maximize profits and that this is achieved where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost. A number of assumptions underpin this theory, including the assumptions that firms clearly understand the nature of the demand for their products, and why people buy, and that they are willing and able to control production and sales as the model demands. In reality, decision makers do not have perfect knowledge and production and sales are affected by suppliers and distributors. However, this basic theory has resulted in the development of market models and characteristics of these in respect of barriers to entry into the industry, the number of firms in the industry, whether those firms produce a standardized product or try to differentiate their products from those of other firm. At the early 1920s, only two distinct market models are present in the economic studies which are Pure Competition and Pure Monopoly. However, economist found out that most firms operate in markets that fall between the extremes of pure competition and pure monopoly. These firms do not face competition from numerous rival producers all selling a homogeneous product at a single price. Instead, most firms in the real commercial world face varying degrees of competition. In some cases, there are competitions offering more or less identical products; in other instances, firms produce and sell differentiated products. In the latter case, a competitors product is merely an attractive su bstitute. In the real commercial world, there may be numerous competitor, or there may be only a few other sellers in a given market. The need of for a more accurate world for markets of this type of this type led to the development of imperfect market to refer to such markets. Imperfect competition refers to markets lying in between the two extreme forms of markets, pure competition and pure monopoly. In order to bridge the gap of these extreme forms of market structure, two economists, Joan Robinson of Cambridge University of England and Edward Chamberlin of Harvard University in the U.S.A., introduced independently a third market world to explain and illustrate the theory of imperfect competition in the year of 1993. In other words, their model of market organization is what as refer as monopolistic competition. As a result of the variations between the markets present, four distinct market structures are introduced: Pure Competition, Pure Monopoly, Monopolistic competition, and Oligopoly. Pure Competiton Pure Competition is a rarity as such as a theoretical market model. Pure competition involves a very large number of firms producing a standardized, non differentiated product that is exactly identical to that of other firms as perfectly competitive. Pure Competition is a market which firms will only make normal profits, the amount required for them to stay in the industry. In Pure Competition market there are no major barriers to entry into the industry so new firms can enter or exit the industry very easily. If a Pure Competition market reaches a situation which supply exceeds demand then the ruling market price is forced down and only the efficient firms survive. Monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition is characterized by a relatively large number of sellers producing differentiated products such as clothing, furniture and books. However, as there are once more no major barriers to entry the above situation concerning profits applies in terms of long run. Newcomers increase supply and although those firms with distinctive products can charge some premium they will still have to move in line with market prices generally, which made the price takers. This will have a dampening effect on profits the firms gained. Monopoly Pure monopoly is a market structure in which one firm is the sole seller of a product or service. Only a small number or even one large firm is dominant and constitutes the entire industry. Pure monopoly is a real opportunity for supernatural profits, in excess of what is required to stay in business since the entry of additional firms is blocked or the barrier is high to entry. Monopolist produces a unique product that the firms make no effort to differentiate its product. Only in monopoly, excess profits could be made if government did not act as a restraint but under normal circumstances their actions in terms of supply and pricing are monitored and regulated. Oligopoly Oligopoly involves only a small number of large firms of an identical or similar product. This situation resulted in each of the firms tend to be wary of each other as rivals and the prices are held back to some extent for a fear of losing the market share. Firms are interdependent and fear that a price decrease will be met by competitors and price increases will not. There are two types of oligopoly, depending on whether opportunities exist for significant differentiation. In all of these models competition is a major determinant of profit potential and therefore objectives must be set with competitors in mind. The firms that we have chosen for this assignment are Tesco Astro Kaspersky Lab Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Nescafe Carlsberg Cavenzi Air Asia Coca-cola Indah Water consortium Bhd Maxis Face To Face Petronas Gas GSCinemas Brands Outlet Nike Casio Tenaga National Bhd Logitech Telekom Malaysia Bhd 2.0. Pure Competition Characteristics of Pure Competition There are few characteristic of pure competition. One of the characteristic is large number of small sellers in this market. Therefore, the action of any single seller does not have a significant effect on other sellers in the market. Also, it is assumed that many buyers and resources (particularly capital) can easily be transferred into and out of the industry. Secondly, there is no product differentiation in pure competition concept. All firm sell identical products. In other words, all products are completely standardized product in this concept. There are numerous firms in pure competition; each one is so small a part of the market that it cannot alter the market price by selling a little more or little less of its own output. Thirdly, pure competition has been used to refer to markets in which firms are price takers historically. Any firm in a market will be price takers accordance to four conditions; 1. All of firm in the market are producing an identical produce; 2. There a la rge number of firms exist in the market; 3. Each firm supplies only a very small portion of the total amount supplied to the market; 4. No barriers limit in the entry or exit in the market. Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd Products Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd supplies agricultural goods and food products. Justification After I studied market model of pure competition, I have realized pure competition is relatively rare in the real world market; this market model is highly relevant. I founded that Weng Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd has the characteristic of the closest firm to a pure competition market structure. One of the factors Wenf Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd belonged to Pure Competition market is that there is a very large number of independently acting sellers who also sells agricultural goods and food product, often proposing their products in international markets. The product supplied by this firm is standardized or identical. If the price is the same, consumers will be unconcerned about which seller to buy the product from. Besides that, new firms can freely entry and existing firms can freely leave purely competitive industries. Lastly, this firm may is a price taker due to this firm exerts no major control over product price. Each firm produces such a minor portion of total output that gr owing or diminishing its output will not clearly influence total supply or, therefore, produce price. 3.0 Monopolistic Competition Characteristics of Monopolistic Competition One of the characteristic of Monopolistic Competition is that there are many numbers of firms in the industry producing and selling a slightly but yet differentiated product in terms of brand, quality, location, services and other factors. Firms which operate under Monopolistic Competition normally have no control over the price of the product. In a Monopolistic Competition market, the barriers to entry to industry are easy and non price competition with advertising, brand names, trademarks etc to boost their respective ruling over a certain market. Many producers in Monopolistic Competition sell products that areÂÂ  differentiatedÂÂ  from one another as goods but they are not perfectÂÂ  substitutes for that certain product which is similar to it.ÂÂ   Kaspersky Lab Products Kaspersky Labs products for home and home office are specifically designed software to provide hassle-free and quality protection against viruses, worms and other malicious programs, as well as hacker attacks, spam and spyware Justification Kaspersky Lab is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many firms providing different types of antivirus software in Malaysia. From a roughly estimated report on the internet regarding the numbers of antivirus software present in the current market, there are 10 to 15 antivirus software firms which are selling antivirus software. Even though each of these products shared the same purpose of defending against malwares, but there is still an element of differentiation in each of the products itself. Kaspersky Lab is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with antivirus firm by other competitors. For example, customers will choose different brand of antivirus as they please. The antivirus industry is easy to entry and exit because the antivirus software that are easy to be replaced by another substitutes and the cost production are lesser compare to the products produced in the monopoly and oligopoly market structures. Nescafe Products Nescafe produces a combination of freeze-dried coffee granules, coffee bean and instant coffee all in one powder. Justification Nescafe is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firms is selling instant coffee powder in Malaysia like Power Root and Ah Huat White Coffee. Nescafe is selling a varieties of differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with coffee drink by other competitors. For examples, there are many brands of instant coffee powder with different packaging, ingredient of the product and price. There are independent action means with numerous of coffee firms in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Nescafe are no personal selling because the product is of low unit value and do not have they own chain of retail stores. Cavenzi Products Cavenzi is a company to sell low price and many type of furniture Justification Cavenzi is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firm also selling furniture in Malaysia. Cavenzi is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with furniture by other competitors. For examples, it had many brand of furniture just different package, design, ingredient of product and price. There are Independent action means with numerous of furniture firm in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Coca-cola Company Products Coca-Cola produces a variety of soft drinks and refreshment beverages. Justification Coca-cola Company is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of soft drink dealer in Asia. Based on the current Asia market, it is roughly estimated that there are 10 or more firms are selling soft drinks. Coca-cola is selling many differentiate products which is claimed to be respond to customer requirements. However, among all the soft drink, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, the soft drinks are differentiated by different packaging or creativity advertising. There are some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Coca-Cola Company considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as the creative advertising released by Coca-Cola Company profound att ention to the public. Compare with another soft drink their different of taste and ingredient to making price competition in the market. Face To Face Products Face To Face provided noodle as its main product and there also got sell drinks, fried rice and snacks as like restaurant. Justification Face To Face is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of restaurant selling in Asia. Fact To Face is selling differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with restaurants sold by other competitors. For example, if restaurant are full slot and customer has choice go to Face To Face and older food as their like. However, among all the restaurants, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, restaurants have different packaging or some has delivery services. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Face To Face have its own pricing policy and it considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many economic food to attr act their product from public. It will consider price competition with other restaurant. Brands Outlet Products Brands Outlet is one of a brand under Padini Holdings Bhd. They offer a variety of brands, styles and items for men, women and children. Another feature of Brands Outlet is that the store layout is designed to make the shopping experience easy and fun. Justification Brands outlet considered as market model of monopolistic competition because there have many other band tee in the market we know, so it consider as relatively large number of sellers. Each of band tee firm own market shares that have a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market price. They are no collusion to each firm due to restrict output and set prices are unlikely. Besides that, they always do promotion like graphic tee RM50/ 3 pieces due to product differentiation to do some control over price. The consumers will pay for it to satisfy their preferences. Nike Products Nike is known by every teenager or sporty guy. We mostly recognize this brand though to the sport shoes. They also developed some accessories for sport and tee. Justification Nike considered as a market model of monopolistic competition due to few factors. The first factor is that the Nike shoes industry (Nikes product mainly on sport shoes) has many competitors like Adidas and Puma which is selling similar products. Nike has its own unique design, quality of work to create a sense of differentiation in their products in order to gain the upper hand in the industry. Nike retailing store often compete mainly on the basis of location. Locations which are close to consumers like a busy street or mall. In additionally, they may advertise their produces that differs from rivals product with famous football players. Casio Products Casio produces projector, cash registers, label printer and other product that benefit to businessman. Justification Casio considered as market model of monopolistic competition because either one of product that them selling has a lot of competitors. Like categorises of watches, the rival present are Rolex, Citizen, Seiko and Skagen. Casio has small market shares in each of firm has a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market. They have its own independent action each other, with numerous firms in an industry, there is no feeling of interdependence among them. Each of they can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Logitech Products Logitech provide computer peripherals that are essential to our laptop and desktop such as mouse, keyboard, speaker and microphone. Justification Logitech considered as market model of monopolistic competition because them have relatively large of number of sellers in the market. There is no collusion between Logitech to other computer peripherals firm. The presence of relatively large number of firms to restrict output and set prices us unlikely. Logitech is selling a bunch of differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with other computer peripherals sold by other competitors. For example, if one of Logitechs mice sold out, the consumers also can choice other Logitechs mice provided in the shop. However, among all the computer peripherals, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. Different packaging and performance are to be expected on other computer peripherals. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit l ower and that can product many at same time. Logitechs computer peripherals considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many computer peripherals to attract their product from public. 4.0 Pure Monopoly Characteristic of Monopoly Monopoly has extensive market control. It controls the selling side of the market. They must pay the monopoly firm if anyone wants to get the production sold by the monopoly firm. This means that the demand curve facing the monopoly is the market demand curve, they are one and the same. There is only one firm but not a lot of small firms in a monopolized industry because there are no close substitutes in the market. A monopoly often owes its monopoly status to the fact that other potential producers are prevented from entering the market. No freedom of entry here. Neither is there perfect information. A monopoly firm often has specialized information, such as patents or copyright which are not available to other potential producers. The most important aspect of being a single seller is that the monopoly seller is the market. The market demand for a good is the demand for the output produced by the monopoly. This makes monopoly a price maker, rather than a price taker. And of course, a Monopoly market structure must have a unique product with no close substitutes to be the only seller of a product. Hence, seller has full control over the market price, and also there is no need to advertise for his goods. ASTRO Products The Malaysian direct broadcast satellite (DBS) Paid TV service. It transmits digital satellite television, movie and radio to Malaysia Bruneis households. The name Astro is an acronym for All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator. Since 2008, a video streaming service to mobile phone users throughout the country (Astro Mobile TV) has been offering by ASTRO and subsequently Astro B.yond Mobile. Justification ASTRO is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there are only one number of firm which provide broadcast satellite Pay TV service in Malaysia. They control the market for pay TV equipment and accessories. ASTRO has sole control over price. Besides, ASTRO is selling unique products which is claimed to be non substitutable by other firms products. For example: No other firms give services like ASTRO did, so if costumers want to get the services from ASTRO, they just have to pay them. For ASTRO subscribers, it is nothing but pay, pay and pay for everything from the day of installation and even when they decide for early termination. Late payment charges, reinstallation charges and servicing charges add on. TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) Products TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB), the sole provider for electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. TNB is responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia. Justification TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is as considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only provider of electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, TNB is selling unique products electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia which is claimed to be non-substitutable by other firms products. For example: TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is the only firm which provides transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. To get the transmission and distribution of electricity from TNB, all the Malaysian must pay TNB for the respective electricity supply. Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) Products The largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. Justification Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because according to UK definition of monopoly, it says that any company holds more than 25% of the market share is consider as monopoly and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is the largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which holds more than 25% of the market. Telekom has set up the fibre optic backbone in the westerm Malaysia, this allowed Telekom Malaysia to set a slighty hight than the normal price, along with the governments consent, this made Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) a price maker instead than a price taker. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd Products Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, a national sewerage company, owned by Minister of Finance Incorporated, is responsible for providing sewerage services, operating and maintaining over 5,750 public sewage treatment plants and 13,000km networks of sewerage pipelines. Justification Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only supplier of sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd has a monopoly over the sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is selling unique services which is claimed to be non substitutable. For example: Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd provides sewerage service like no other firm did, so if costumers want to get the services from Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, they must pay them. PETRONAS Gas Bhd Products Petronas Gas Bhd supplied petroleum, natural gas, liquidated petroleum gas and other types of fossil fuels to automobiles and household. Justification PETRONAS Gas Bhd is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there is only one price in market which control by government. Government control the price of the product for there is no close substitute. Government attempted to set the price into the same, so that the price would not has large difference. By this, Government regulates in the public interest. For example: when the price of the petrol are same everywhere in Malaysia, consolidation of smaller companies into bigger ones enabled some very large corporations to escape market discipline by fixing prices or undercutting competitors. 5.0 Oligopoly Characteristics of Oligopoly An oligopoly are maximizes profits by producing where the marginal revenue equals to marginal costs and oligopolies are price setters rather than price takers. The barriers to entry are high but there only so few firms that actions of one firm can influence the actions of the other firms. They can retain long run abnormal profits and their product may be homogeneous or differentiated. They also have perfect knowledge of their own cost and demand functions but their inter-firm information may be incomplete but buyer have only imperfect knowledge as to price, cost and product quality only. The distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence, typically composed of a few large firms. Each firm is so large that its actions affect market conditions therefore the competing firms will be aware of a firms market actions and will respond appropriately. Tesco Products Tesco is a supermarket, it offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meats, vegetables, soft drink, television, air conditioner and etc. Justification Tesco is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other supermarkets such as Jusco, Giant and Carrefour so they always have price war between each other and we as a consumer will get more benefit about this. Let say if Tescos soft drinks price drops then another supermarket soft drinks will also drop because they are interdependent. Tescos price strategy is more focus on Tescos Low Price Guarantee and Every Day Low Price strategy so Tesco is performing long run abnormal profit. Carlsberg lager beer Products Carlsberg lager beer is the flagship in the Carlsberg Groups portfolio of beers. It contains 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Justification Carlsberg beer is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other beers such as Tiger beer, Heineken beer and etc. They have price war between each other like price of the Carlsberg beer drop then Tiger beer will use some reward to retain their sales. Taste of the beers have some different, it mean differentiated and many beers pop out from the market but they cant survive in this market because of the start-up cost are high. Carlsberg has put forward a new marketing strategy for Carlsberg Sport, the energy drink so they already created a new field of the market and this is a long term strategy. Air Asia Products Air Asia is Asia largest low-fare, no frills airline and pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destination spanning 25 countries. Justification Air Asia is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because our country has other air travels such as Malaysia Airlines and Firefly. They are provide the same services for customer but they all still have some different. Let say AirAsia offers free seating but the Malaysia Airlines offers assigned seats and the price between each of them also different. This is the product differentiation of both products. The strategy of AirAsia playing is safety, low fare, good services and simplicity so their market can be strong in the economy market of the air travel. Maxis Products Maxis provide a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, international roaming, MMS and WAP. Justification Maxis is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because here have other communication company like digi, celcom, and Umobile. Maxis and digi provide the postpaid service to customers but the price of both are different like maxis is RM28 free 200min voice call and 100 SMS, digi is RM43 free 200min and 200 SMS. They can set the price as low as possible but still have minimum profit to earn so they are retain long run. Strategy of Maxis playing are good network coverage around Malaysia, good deal and special offers for different age groups and also target group and always the first to introduce new mobile plans that why Maxis stand at the first of the telecommunication market. Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) Products GSC is a cinema in Malaysia which is operates Malaysias first-ever boutique cinema with only Gold Class and Premiere Class Halls in The Gardens Mall, KL. Justification GSC is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other cinemas like MBO, TGV and BigCinema. Most of the services provided by them are the same but the feeling give to the customers are different like some people feel that GSC more comfortable than other cinema. They still set the price at RM11 per ticket on the weekdays and weekends even though some cinema was increases the price of the but GSC still maintain the price of the ticket which meant GSC are playing long run profit. GSC offers Special Wednesday Rates, selling ticket for only RM6. Children and senior citizens are offered at a price of RM5 per ticket while student will be charged at RM7 before night on the weekdays by flashing their student cards so now Malaysia already have 23 GSC cinema including East Malaysia. 6.0 Conclusion To conclude this assignment it is useful to emphasize the market structure that each firm is operating, in establishing the main strategies and direction in which each firm should take to maximize its profit or to reduce loss as lower as possible. By using the characteristics of each of the four market models, we are able to sort out the market structure of each firm and figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each of the market model. The table below has shows the major characteristics of each market structures. With the help of the table above and the studies done on each firm mentioned in this assignment, we may sort out the firms that weve selected into their respective market model in terms of activities, products and strategies. The table below shows the firms sorted to their respective market model according to their characteristics.

Comparing Katharina, of The Taming of the Shrew and Beatrice of Much Ad

Comparing Shakespeare’s Katharina, of The Taming of the Shrew and Beatrice, of Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare’s Katharina, of The Taming of the Shrew and Beatrice, of Much Ado About Nothing, are very similar characters.   Each is plagued with unrequited love, and depressed by their inability to woo the suitor of their choosing.   Neither will accept the passive female role expected by society. Yet, both women seem to accept their role as wife by the conclusion.   Upon further examination, one will find that Beatrice is a much more complex character.   One would have to agree with the critic who said, "Katharina is a character sketched in bold, rapid stokes, with none of Beatrice's sophistication, verbal brilliance, or emotional depth."   In Taming of the Shrew, the first introduction to Katharina, by Gremio and Hortensio, tells that she is a shrew, (1.I .54-60) and that she will never find a groom.   When she first speaks we see her responding to these insults, but she was provoked so her words seem appropriate.   Yet as the play continues we see Katharina tying up Bianca, (2.I.29) and hitting her.   This can be rejected as sibling rivalry, but later Katharina slaps Petruchio when he is trying to woo her (2.I.214). Katharina seems to have a physically violent side that isn't present in Beatrice.   She also does not seem to have as strong as a character as Beatrice, especially when one considers that Petruchio was able to tame her in a very short time. In the opening scene of Much Ado About Nothing,   Beatrice says some harsh things about Benedick (1.I.37-43).   She seems to be unprovoked but very rigid in her opinion of him.   In Leonato's house, the discussion of Beatrice and marriage leads her uncle to conclude that, "Thou... ...y is important.   But the most important thing to note is that the weaker of the two did change her attitudes, beliefs and actions in order to become a better wife for her husband.   Both women seem to be happy as do the men and like most conclusions of Shakespeare's plays, all the loose ends are tied up. Works Cited and Consulted Barton, Anne. Introduction. Much Ado About Nothing. The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 361-365. Dash, Irene G. "Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare Plays". The Critical Perspective Volume 2. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 825-833. Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Logan, IA: The Perfection Form Company, 1996. Shakespeare, William; Much Ado About Nothing; Washington Square Press; New York, NY; New Folger Edition May 1995

Struggle to Cope with Death in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Es

Struggle to Cope with  Death in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night Poetry requires more than just a verse.   It must appeal to your mind and generate emotion.   It should be constructed in a way that appears so simple, yet is intricate in every detail.   Dylan Thomas's poem, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night is a brilliant poem that appears so simple, yet upon looking closer it's complexity can be seen.   Dylan Thomas was born on October 27, 1914 in Swansea, Wales.   He was educated at Swansea Grammar School.   He was urged by his father to go farther in his education, however Thomas began to write.   He published his first book in 1934.   Thomas and his father had a very close relationship throughout his life.   This is important to know while reading the poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.   His father was very ill for many years, and Thomas had to watch his father's suffering.   Thomas has said, "Poetry comforts and heals".   Hopefully that is what Thomas was doing when he wrote this poem.   The structure of the poem is a villanelle.   The villanelle comes from the French middle ages and is composed of nineteen lines.   It has five tercets and a concluding quatrain:   ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABA-ABAA.   Two different lines are repeated.   Lines one, six, twelve, and eighteen are all the same.   Line three reappears in line nine fifteen and nineteen.   Each tercet will conclude with an exact or very close duplication of line one or three.   The final quatrain repeats line one and three.   The villanelle is one of the most difficult forms of poetry to follow.   Perhaps Thomas wanted to use this form to show how special his father meant to him.   Dylan Thomas speaks of death throughout this poem.   Death is the major theme of the vil... ...ther should be traveling into the light, and not into the darkness.   Thomas should not be scared of death, yet he questions it in most of his poetry.   He is angry at death and believes that the only place with light is in this world.   He may be saying that light is life.   Life is happiness.   Is death then age and unhappiness?  Ã‚   The last quatrain of this Villanelle describes his father on top of the list of men facing death.   Thomas curses himself for wanting his father to fight even though he sees his suffering, yet he is not ready to let go of his father.   He begs his father to fight death.   This whole poem is Thomas's struggle to cope with his father's death.   He writes the poem while his father is still alive and never shows it to him.   This poem may have helped him to deal with his father's death, and it may have taught Thomas a little about death itself.