Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress Essay Example

Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress Paper Spain, being recently unified, wanted spices and gold. The gold to them could purchase anything. So they offered Christopher Columbus ten percent of the profit, if he would bring back gold and spices. Christopher Columbus was sent to Asia with three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Columbus sailed for thirty-three days not sighting land. It wasn’t until early October of 1492 that he and his crew finally landed. He supposedly was the first to sight land and received a ten thousand maravedis as his reward. It was not him, but a member of his crew who first sighted land, Rodrigo. But Columbus got the credit. As Columbus and his crew approached the island, they were greeted by the native inhabitants of the island. The natives were the Arawak Indians, and the island they were on was the Bahama Islands. The Arawaks gave them food, water, and incredible gifts. Columbus took some of the natives as prisoners so they could show him where the gold was. They took him to Hispaniola. Hispaniola, as Columbus reported, was beautiful, fertile, filled with gold and other metals. Columbus had promised Spain and investors gold, but there wasn’t much gold to be found. He ordered that Indians ages fourteen and over to collect gold. We will write a custom essay sample on Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer After the Indians collected the amount of gold required, they were given copper token necklaces to prove that they had collected the gold. Later, it was obvious that no more gold was left to collect, so the Indians were taken to work on estates. They worked hard and many died. None of the original Arawaks were left on the Bahama Islands. Bartolome de las Casas transcribed Columbus’s log. He wrote a multivolume History of the Indies. He wrote that the Indians had no temple, if not a religion. Las Casas writes of how the Spaniards were becoming more conceited as the days passed. The Spaniards killed for fun. They considered themselves to on top of the world. After collecting gold for about 6-8 months, the gold was melted. This was such hard labor, that many died. According to Casas, over three million died. The women were so malnourished that they could not produce milk for their babies. The babies were often killed out of the mother’s desperation. The men worked so hard in the mines, stressed killed them. Samuel Eliot Morison wrote that we shouldn’t accept the atrocities so easily, but to not make a big deal about it either, because it was in the past. It didn’t happen to us in the present. No point in grieving for the victims or judging the villains, because it won’t make a difference. It’s much easier to bury the truth than hide it. Columbus did it to the Arawaks, and others did the same. Such as Cortes to the Aztecs, and Pizarro to the Incas. They all took advantage of the natives and abused everything they received. Were these massacres really necessary for the progression of the human race? Of course this question can easily be debated, but remember the key word, necessary. All the gold and silver Spain received, it didn’t make it richer, but a little more powerful in the combat area. What was the point of being a little stronger if you lost the wars to come? Everything became worse than it was before. Even though Columbus referred to the natives as Indians, we do so because there is the possibility that they originated from Asia. Indians have become more evolved. Around the time of Christ, there was a culture of Indians, also known as Moundbuilders. They built many gigantic sculptures. Many Indian cultures had their own laws, poetry, and tales to tell on to future generations. The main point being this: is it right for someone to take another’s life just to progress in life and tell the story as if they were the heroes?

THE MARKET essays

THE MARKET essays DISCUSS THE MERITS AND DEMERITS OF THE MARKET AS AN INSTITUTION OF EXCHANGE The global economy is categorized into two broad economies i.e. the command economy that is directed by a centralized government and a market economy which is based on private enterprise. Market economy is gaining global popularity as an economic ideology that has been tested and proved to provide fair level playing ground where the fairest of them all gain from the consumer purchasing power. ... command economy model has failed to sustain economic growth to achieve a measure of prosperity, or even to provide economic security for its citizens... the market economy is not an ideology but a set of tested practices and institutions about how individual and societies can live and prosper economically. It is therefore evident that market economy is the most preferred system due to its many avenues and comfort of and variety of choice. The market economy is believed to be fairer because of its decentralized system and Adams Smiths principle of the invisible hand. Market is defined simply as buying and selling of goods and services in exchange of money. The market concept operates under two hypotheses that: firstly the market emerged as a result of need of the economic exchange and secondly, the market only arises as a result of external factors. From the above theories we can therefore deduce that the market operates under the principle of price mechanism i.e. anything that has a price also has a market. However, it should be noted that demand and supply as the rhythm of the market determines the price depending on the presupposed value. This paper is divided into three parts and it seeks to first define the concept of the market, second to define the role of the State as a guarantor of free fair and stable economy through provision of necessary market infrastructure and lastly the papers will seek to identify the meri...

Entreprenuership and small firms. How useful are the concepts of Essay

Entreprenuership and small firms. How useful are the concepts of enterprise 'push' and 'pull' in explaining the factors - Essay Example In developing countries particularly, the economic conditions drive many individuals to become entrepreneurs so as to redefine their economic conditions. The research field of entrepreneurship has been considered to be the major target of the most diverse area of study as presented by the enlarged range of theories and approaches and the trend is developing at a faster rate which is grounded on innovation, risk taking and proactiveness. The field of entrepreneurship has continually experienced attention from scholars leading to various theoretical frameworks being developed; however, new theories that are in line with the contemporary issues in the globe need to be developed (Islam, 2012, p.67). The growth of the business is influenced by the pull and push factors of starting a business. Entrepreneurs who start up a business out of the pull factors, such as desire to expand, will see their businesses growing successfully. On the other hand, entrepreneurs who are compelled into busine ss by, say, unemployment, the situation will not experience much growth. It is important to determine the major factors that influence entrepreneurs and make them start businesses since every business calls for different strategies and drive (Deakins and Freel, 2012, p.32). The growth and success of a business establishment will depend on the commitment made by the entrepreneur which usually differs in accordance to the motivating factors. Individuals with expertise, creative ideas, innovation, and demographic characteristics, including age and education of an entrepreneur, will influence establishment and growth of an enterprise. Young, energetic and highly educated entrepreneurs are served with advanced high-tech and knowledge required in running a business. The study endeavored to identify the concepts of enterprise ‘push’ and ‘pull’ that play a significant role in explaining the factors that influence the decisions of individuals to become self-employed and/or start up a business. This will help in understanding the reasons that motivate to become entrepreneurs and establish business enterprises. The findings from case studies indicates that the need for higher social status, profitability nature of the business, self-employment, need to make money, business tradition of the family and knowledge as well as personal experience are considered to be the pull factors (European Commission, 2012, p.1). Whereas, lack of formal education, dissatisfaction in previous occupation, family pressure and unemployment issues are considered to be the major push factors. Research Questions This paper intends to answer a number of questions including: 1. What motivates individuals to be entrepreneurs or enter into self-employment amongst the gender? 2. Is there a positive correlation between pull and factors and entrepreneurship? 3. Is the decision of starting up a business affected by gender, age, education, risk, finance, information availability and complexities of the entrepreneurship process? 4. Are women and the minority group predisposed to a unique pursuit of self-employment? Main Body The forces that propel individuals to set-up businesses despite the personal, financial and social risks that are associated with new venture are diverse. Individuals will decide to engage in businesses out of several motivations, some of which are positive and others negative. The positive factor â€Å"pull† and the negative factors ‘

Comparative legal system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Comparative legal system - Essay Example In a religious legal system all the religious laws converge to one ultimate concept and that is religion. However in a secular legal system, by contrast, changes and amendments forms a necessary part of the process as the concept of the system is to continuously improve formal law and practices, and their influence on the tradition of life. People and state-welfare is given due importance and the office of jurisdiction is reinforced by guarantees of judicial independence. There are few countries where the legal system is exclusively religious, though some (mainly Islamic countries) aspire to this. It is not only the State that upholds the responsibility of implementing laws in the religious system, even the people seem to share a common ground of 1understanding that no tolerance should be practiced while dealing with violation of the religious laws. On the other hand a large number of countries have secular legal system where the laws are made and enacted with a constant effort to develop the social and financial infrastructure, human rights and freedom. This is well illustrated in the very first words of the First Amendment to the Constitution 2of the United States, which came into force in 1789: â€Å"Congress shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion†. The United States has many constitutional and statutory guarantees of religious liberty. Most important are two sentences in the Constitution of the United States. The first is the Test Oath Clause, in Article 6, clause 3, which provides: â€Å"[N]o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States†. England has historically required office holders to swear an oath that they believed in essential doctrines of the Church of England, or of Protestantism more generally. The Test Oath Clause prohibits

A Personal Experiment in Renunciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Personal Experiment in Renunciation - Essay Example I substituted with a plant-based diet inspired by Asian cuisine that is based on eastern traditions. Eastern traditions hold that food can be effectively used to attain balance and harmony within the body. On this day, I consume tofu laver soup and polenta. My craving for meet is quite evident. I struggle to refrain from eating meat and animal products which I am quite used to on the first day. I do not realise any significant change in my body save for the fact that I do not use a tooth pick to remove food particles stuck between my teeth. Day 2: July 24, 2014 - Instead of the usual tea, sausage, pizza and chicken, I consume spoon cabbage and tofu soup noodles on the second day of the experiment. Having ordered something that I have never ordered from a restaurant in the past, my friends are quite surprised and amused by my choice of food. I have to struggle with my self-centred ego as I try to convince my friends that I have not gone crazy. I almost swear that this is the last time I am eating out with my friends during the period of my experiment. chicken that is clearly delicious. I am concerned about their amusement and greatly tempted to give up. I am also greatly attracted to the meal that my family members are taking....its far more tasty than what I am going to eat. I realise that my concern for external things is still high. Day 4: July 26, 2014 - I am greatly tempted to give up the exercise. Luckily, a friend of mine on vegetarian diet encourages and convinces me to go on with the exercise. I feel like I am missing meat and may not be able to resist a bite if it is offered to me. I am getting used to the taste of the vegetarian diet gradually. I feel that my breath has gotten fresher and I am more self controlled at the end of the day as I care less about what others think of my choice to go vegetarian. Day 5: July 27, 2014 – On this day, quite surprisingly my two wisdom teeth that have been making me

High Contact Service

High Contact Service Summary of the Reviewed Article High-contact service industries are those in which service employees and customers have close and direct interactions for a prolonged period of time (Chase, 1981). A high-contact environment of services has the characteristics of longer communication time, understanding of communication, and richness of the information exchanged (Kellogg and Chase,1995). In this article, the impact of employee satisfaction on, quality and operational performance in high-contact service industries is investigated. The hypothesized relationships among employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability are examined. Employee satisfaction plays a significant role in enhancing the operational performance of organizations in the high-contact service sector. Firm profitability has also a moderate effect on employee satisfaction, which lead to a satisfaction-quality-profit cycle. The reason of conducting this research is that the research in operational management to invest igate the relationships between quality, customer satisfaction and business performance has been conducted (e.g., Heim and Sinha, 2001; Balasubramanian et al., 2003; Nagar and Rajan, 2005), but research on the impact of employee satisfaction on operational performance is relatively scarce. In order to represent the whole service firm, service employees are often the first party and therefore are essential to shaping customers perception of service quality (e.g., Parasuraman et al., 1985; Hartline and Ferrell, 1996). Service employees job is considered as a three-cornered fight, in which the organization and customer are at the two ends, while service employees are caught-in-the-middle among them, Bateson (1985). It is important for service employees to meet the target of productivity performance in the organization and to fulfill customers needs and external quality goals. Hypotheses There are four hypotheses made by the writers of this article with empirical support and theoretical backing of the previous studies that employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability have relationships with one another. Hypothesis-1. Employee satisfaction has a positive influence on service quality. Hypothesis-2. Service quality has a positive influence on customer satisfaction. Hypothesis-3. Employee satisfaction has a positive influence on customer satisfaction. Hypothesis-4. Customer satisfaction has a positive influence on firm profitability. Data Collection This study was conducted in Hong Kong. They identify 12 main shopping areas in Hong Kong (e.g., Tsimshatsui and Causeway Bay) and they selected five major shopping centers randomly from each area. They choose small service organizations with only two to five service employees, because employee satisfaction level tends to be more consistent and easier to capture. in small organizations (George and Bettenhausen, 1990). To collect the data, they prepared survey packets, in which one shop-in-charge questionnaire and two service employee questionnaires are included and they choose eight different types of service shops. Results In their results they show that All the four hypothetical relationships were supported at the significance level of p = 0.01. The linkage between employee satisfaction and service quality (Hypothesis 1) is highly significant (P = 0.423, t = 4.778). Supporting hypothesis-2 service quality has a positive influence on customer satisfaction (P = 0.287, t = 3.33). Employee satisfaction has a significant and direct impact on customer satisfaction, H-3, ( P = 0.234, t = 2.77). The relationship between customer satisfaction and firm profitability (Hypothesis 4) is also highly significant (P = 0.270, t = 3.64). Hypothesized model Alternative Models In this study, the writers have also made some alternative models which shows the different relationships among employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability. They did this work keeping in view the point of Bentler and Chou (1987), who said that to shed light on the key features of the hypothesized model, the researcher should build a few alternative models in an ideal situation. Critical Review In this article, it is asserted that employee satisfaction is an important determinant of operational performance and is crucial in achieving quality and profitability in the service industry. While in another research paper it is suggested that customer satisfaction has a significant impact on financial performance, findings also suggest that employee satisfaction has no direct impact on financial performance because the relationship between employee satisfaction and financial performance is an indirect one, which is mediated by customer satisfaction(Christina G. Chi *, Dogan Gursoy, 2009). In another study of the relationship between employee loyalty, service quality and firm performance in the service industry, it is argued that employee satisfaction has no direct relationship with customer satisfaction. When there is an employee satisfaction, then employee loyalty is created which has the direct effect on customer satisfaction and employee loyalty is an important determinant of f irm profitability. In the same study it is concluded that a loyal employee has more opportunities to understand and fulfill the specific needs of the customers, leading to a greater impact of employee loyalty on service quality and if there is low contact time between employee and customer, then the relationship between employee loyally and service quality would diminish. Employee loyalty plays a significant role in enhancing the performance of organizations in high-contact service sectors and is used to boost service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Workers who are strongly committed to the organization or highly satisfied with their jobs show up at work more often than those with weak commitment and low satisfaction. Employees who are highly satisfied with their jobs and are strongly committed to the organization will avoid withdrawal behaviors, (like absenteeism, lateness), and maintain continued attachment to work (Blau Boal, 1989). An employee who is absent from work intentionally or unintentionally is expressing negative attachment to the organization. In the reviewed article a lot of material is written on the relationships between employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction and financial performance and it is highly asserted that employee satisfaction is very important and cannot be neglected in any case. But how an employee satisfaction can be gained, it is not emphasized. In another research, some factors are mentioned as antecedents of employee satisfaction. These antecedents are the employee empowerment, Employee training, teamwork, appraisal systems, and employee compensation. When an organization focus on these factors, then employee compensation is automatically created. All employees will become satisfied, when they are given empowerment, training, teamwork, compensation and their efforts are appraised. Formal and informal training could focus on instilling the employees with the thought that service quality involves also transferring positive emotions to customers. The writers of study have found that top management commitment has a positive impact on all the antecedents. And as a result, all these factors have a positive impact on employee satisfaction (Minjoon Jun , Shaohan Cai , Hojung Shin, 2005). Relevant to the Organizational Policies This topic is highly related to our subject that is organizational policies, because while making policies, employee satisfaction cannot be neglected. Oliva and Sterman (2001) unambiguously showed that maximizing throughput that drives employees to working overtime traps service organizations in a vicious cycle of declining service quality, causing severe and permanent financial losses. There is a concept of balanced scorecard, where employee morale and growth, internal business process, customer satisfaction and financial measures are regarded as four balanced quadrants that drive the strategic initiatives of an organization (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). In case of a lack of focus on any of these four perspectives, the entire organization will be thrown out of balance, causing strategic efforts in operations to collapse. As it is concluded that organizational profitability emanates from satisfied employees, so it is suggested that organizations in high-contact service industries should thus focus their efforts on improving employee satisfaction, and only satisfied employees can maintain the service quality and ensure customer satisfaction.

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams :: A Streetcar Named Desire Essays

â€Å"All the characters in â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† are to some extent living an unreal existence†. Agree or disagree with this statement about the characters and be sure to use quotes to support your comments. Not all the characters in â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† are living an unreal existence, however some are, in particular Blanche, Stella and Stanley. Blanch to some extent is living in her own fantasy world plagued with delusions and outbursts. It is quite obvious that she is living an illusion. Stella is living an unreal existence in regards to the way in which she likes to pretend she is living in a happy home. Stanley is also however to a much lesser extent living an unreal existence. He is very self-centered and towards the end he seems to be living a life nearly devoted to breaking down Blanche. We can see why and in what way these characters are living an unreal existence through exploring the major themes of this play and their relation to the characters in regards to â€Å"living an unreal existence†. These themes which will be discussed later on include reality versus illusion, confronting reality, male domination and truth versus lies. Reality versus illusion is one of, if not the major theme of the play. It also has the most relevance to the way in which Blanche, Stanley and Stella are living in their own fantasy world. Perhaps the reason Blanche chose illusion rather than reality is because of her somewhat troubled past. When Blanche was 16 she married Alan who was 17. The impression we get of Alan is that of an attractive, gentle and kind young man. However, he had a somewhat feminine quality about him. Blanche soon finds out that he is involved in a homosexual relationship by catching him in the act. Blanche expresses her disgust and soon after Alan commits suicide by shooting himself. Already traumatized, the situation grew quickly worse when Blanche looses Belle Reve, the family estate. This proves only to worsen Blanche’s mental state to an all new low. This coupled with other events led Blanche to living with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley. Perhaps the events which had occurred led her to the edge of insanity which she was resting on during her time living with Stanley and Stella. It was easier for her to create her own fantasy world rather than to face up to reality.

Guide for Assignment Presentation

Introduction An assignment should be regarded as a piece of academic writing. The following comments and suggestions about the construction and presentation of assignments are intended to provide a guide.They are not intended to be considered as rigid rules. However, there are a number of academic conventions which should be met in academic work. Of most importance in academic writing is an overriding need for internal consistency in presentation. Internal consistency is achieved by thoroughness and attention to detail in the presentation of work. The purpose of an academic piece of writing is to report the results of an investigation to other members of the discipline for their information, evaluation and criticism.Communication of the results of academic activity is important as it allows the dissemination of information and is fundamental to the establishment of groups of people who are interested in similar problems and who are interested in applying similar analytical techniques to identify solutions to these problems. Writing an assignment is an exercise in effective communication and requires more than just learning of techniques of analysis and facts about the economic process. There are a number of books available that assist with writing assignments.See for example, Betts and Seitz (1986) Writing Essays in the Social Sciences and Anderson and Poole (1994) Thesis and Assignment Writing. It is recommended that students consult these for information about how to research and write an assignment. 2. Assessment Criteria Each units/modules offered through the HND Programme will have stipulated the criteria for assessment of assignments in the Course Outline. A number of assessment criteria that may be relevant for all courses are listed below. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Relevance of your answer to the question or task set. Clarity of expression. Supporting documentation for arguments.Proper acknowledgement of documentation and t he use of a bibliographic convention. Logical planning and sequence. Overall presentation, including correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Comprehensive coverage reflecting mastery of set readings and text. 3. Presentation of the Assignment You should always ensure that you prepare two hard copies of your Assignment and keep a copy on disc. On occasions assignments go missing, or second copies are required by University/College. †¢ Each Assignment should be clearly marked up with your name, your study centre, your Student registration number and at the end of the assignment a word count.The assignment should be word-processed. 1 TEG 2007 †¢ The assignment presentation format should directly meet the requirements of the assignment brief (i. e. reports and presentations are the most called for communication formats). You must ensure that your assignment does not appear to be an extended essay. If it does, you will lose grades. †¢ The word limit will be included in the assignment brief. These are specified by Lecturer/Tutor and must be adhered to. †¢ Appendices should clearly link to the assignment and can be attached as supporting documentation at the end of the report. However, failure to reference them by number (e. . Appendix 1) within the report and also marked on the Appendix itself will lose you grade. Only use an Appendix if it is essential and clearly adds value to the overall Assignment. The Appendix is not a waste bin for all the materials you have come across in your research, or a way of making your assignment seem somewhat heavier and more impressive than it is. 4. Time Management for Assignments One of the biggest challenges we all seem to face day-to-day is that of managing time. When studying, that challenge seems to grow increasingly difficult, requiring a balance between work, home, family, social life and study life.It is therefore of pivotal importance to your own success for you to plan wisely the limited amount of t ime you have available. Step 1: Find out how much time you have Ensure that you are fully aware of how long your module lasts, and the final deadline. If you are studying a module from September to December, it is likely that you will have only 10-12 weeks in which to complete your assignments. This means therefore, that the meeting of deadlines is vitally important, as submission schedules are extremely tight. Step 2: Plan your timeEssentially you need to work backwards from the final deadline, submission date, and schedule your work around the possible time lines. Clearly, if you have only 10-12 weeks available to complete three assignments, you will need to allocate a block of hours in the final stages of the module to ensure that all of your assignments are in on time. Late submissions will not be accepted, and no extensions will be allowed. Students who do not submit will be treated as a ‘no show', and will have to re-enter for the next assessment period and undertake an alternative assignment. Step 3: Set prioritiesYou should set priorities on a daily and weekly basis (not just for study, but for your life). There is no doubt that this mode of study needs commitment (and some sacrifices in the short term). When your achievements are recognised by colleagues, peers, friends and family, it will all feel worthwhile. Step 4: Analyse activities and allocate time to them Consider the range of activities that you will need to undertake in order to complete the assignment and the time each might take. Remember, too, there will be a delay in asking for information and receiving it. 2 TEG 2007 †¢Preparing terms of reference for the assignment, to include the following. 1 A short title 2 A brief outline of the assignment purpose and outcome 3 Methodology (the methods you intend to use to carry out the required tasks) 4 Indication of any difficulties that have arisen in the duration of the assignment 5 Time schedule 6 Confidentiality – if the assig nment includes confidential information ensure that this is clearly marked on the assignment 7 Literature and desk research undertaken †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ A literature search in order to undertake the necessary background reading and underpinning information that might support your assignmentWriting letters and memos asking for information either internally or externally Designing questionnaires Undertaking surveys Analysis of data from questionnaires Secondary data search Preparation of first draft report Always build in time to spare, to deal with the unexpected. This may reduce the pressure that you are faced in meeting significant deadlines. 5. Planning and Sequence of an Assignment The assignment should contain at least three well defined and distinct sections: (a) An introduction (or ‘a beginning’) (b) The body of the assignment (or ‘a middle’) (c) A conclusion (or ‘an end’) †¢The introduction, whi ch occurs at the beginning of the assignment, should include a statement of the aims or objectives of the assignment. The introduction provides a clear statement of the problem or question to be considered; the limitations or assumptions you plan to use when examining the problem, and the analytical techniques used. Although the task set will frequently determine the question posed for the assignment, there is still scope for the introduction to define more precisely the question/task or to set the bounds of the assignment. Do not simply state the title of the assignment or repeat the task posed by the lecturer. The body of the assignment contains the argument that you present in support of the question you have posed in the introduction. The argument should be logical and embody the standard techniques of analysis as well as display familiarity with standard economic concepts and doctrines. †¢ The conclusion should complete the assignment by following up discussion points rais ed in the previous sections. It should relate clearly to your statement of aims and purpose provided in the introduction. As a general rule, no new material should be introduced in 3 TEG 2007 the conclusion.The conclusion normally should draw conclusions and point to further directions one could take from matters which have been argued fully and stated in the body of the assignment. Do not simply repeat, or summarise, what you have already said in the body of the assignment. Repetition is regarded as padding. 6. Common Specific Instructions used in Assignment Questions or Tasks Define Set down the precise meaning of a word or phrase and show why the distinctions implied in the definition are necessary by expanding on particular elements that may be sources of confusion or misunderstanding.Discuss Investigate an issue by examining the positive and negative arguments and by exploring interesting alternatives. Illustrate Use a model to clarify a particular point or use examples taken f rom everyday reality. Explain Clarify by the use of explanation, model and example. Compare Describe the similarities and differences and evaluate likely outcomes. Contrast Present an overview of two points of view and set them in opposition to bring out the differences. Describe Give a detailed explanation and clarification. EvaluateMake an appraisal on the basis of pre-established criteria, explore other points of view and, perhaps, include your personal opinion. Interpret Expand the meaning of a particular issue or event. Justify Show the basis for a decision or conclusion by the use of an appropriate model or relevant evidence. Outline Describe the major features of an issue or theory omitting minor details and emphasising structure and key conclusions. Relate Show how things are connected to each other and how they influence each other. State Present in brief, clear form. SummariseGive a brief overview of the key points of a matter, omitting details and examples. Trace Follow t he development of a topic from some point of origin. 4 TEG 2007 7. PRESENTATION The style and presentation of assignments are important. Your assignment should be easy to read and be presented in a way that shows you have organised your material to present your argument clearly. In addition, your assignment should be referenced where appropriate and literature cited in the text should be accurately documented. 7. 1 Writing Report Students often ask ‘what do they mean by a report? ‘ or ‘what should the report format include? ‘There are a number of approaches to reports, formal or informal: some report formats are company specific and designed for internal use rather than external reporting. For Assignment-Based Assessment process, you should stay with traditional formats. Below is a suggested layout that might assist you when presenting your assignments. A Title Page – includes the title of the report, the author of the report and the receiver of the re port Terms of reference – who ordered the report, when and why, any conditions (Optional) Contents page – providing a clearly structured guide to the contents of the report with page number references for each item.All section numbers and titles, using exactly the same wording as in the report. Executive summary – a brief insight into purpose, nature and outcome of the report, in order that the outcome of the report can be quickly established (Optional) Introduction – background information Main body of the report includes findings, description, facts, opinions, etc. This must be well structured and divided into sections, which are clearly labelled. Decimal numbering is common. Here is brief example. 1. 0 Introduction 1. 1 Situation Analysis 1. 1. 1 External Analysis 1. 1. 2 Internal AnalysisConclusions – draw the report to a conclusion, highlighting key points of importance that will impact upon any recommendations that might be made. It’s also summary of results. Recommendations – clearly outline potential options and then make your recommendations. Where appropriate, justify recommendations in order to substantiate your decision. Appendices – ensure that you only use appendices that add value to the report. Ensure that they are numbered and referenced within the text. If you are not going to reference it within the text, then it should not be there.Appendices (not always necessary) – additional details, tables, graphs, detailed analysis. 5 TEG 2007 Bibliography – whilst in a business environment a bibliography might not be necessary, for an assignment-based report it is vital. It provides an indication of the level of research, reading and collecting of relevant information that has taken place in order to fulfil the requirements of the assignment task. Where possible, and where relevant, you could provide academic references within the text, which should of course then provide the basis of your bibliography.References should realistically be listed alphabetically and in the following sequence Author's name and edition of the text; Date of publication; Title and sub-title (where relevant); Edition number; Place of publication; Publisher; Series and individual volume number where appropriate. 8. Tips for Writing Assignments Everybody has a personal style, flair and tone when it comes to writing. However, no matter what your approach, you must ensure your assignment meets the requirements of the brief and so is comprehensible, coherent and cohesive in approach. Think of preparing an assignment as preparing for an examination.Ultimately, the work you are undertaking results in an examination grade. Successful achievement of all four modules in a level results in a qualification. There are a number of positive steps that you can undertake in order to ensure that you make the best of your assignment presentation in order to maximise the grades available. Step 1 – Work to the Brief Ensure that you identify exactly what the assignment asks you to do. †¢ †¢ †¢ If it asks you to be a marketing manager, then immediately assume that role. If it asks you to prepare a report, then present a report, not an essay or a letter.Furthermore, if it asks for 2,500 words, then do not present 1,000 or 4,000 unless it is clearly justified, agreed with your tutor and a valid piece of work. Identify whether the report should be formal or informal; who it should be addressed to; its overall purpose and its potential use and outcome. Understanding this will ensure that your assignment meets fully the requirements of the brief and addresses the key issues included within it. Step 2 – Addressing the Tasks It is of pivotal importance that you address each of the tasks within the assignment.Many students fail to do this and often overlook one of the tasks or indeed part of the tasks. Many of the assignments will have three or four tasks, some wil l have even more. You should establish quite early on, which of the tasks requires you to collect information and which provides you with the framework of the assignment, i. e. the communication method. Possible tasks will include the following. †¢ Compare and contrast. Take two different organisations and compare them side by side and consider the differences and contrasts between the two. 6 TEG 2007 †¢ Carry out primary or secondary research.Collect information to support your assignment and your subsequent decisions †¢ Prepare a plan. Some assignments will ask you to prepare a plan for an event or for a marketing activity. Provide a step-by-step approach, rationales and a time-line. Ensure your intended outcomes are measurable and achievable. Make sure your actions are very specific and clearly explained. †¢ Analyse a situation. This will require you to collect information, consider its content and present an overall understanding of the situation as it exists . This might include looking at internal and external factors and how he current situation evolved. †¢ Make recommendations. The more advanced your studies, the more likely it is that you will be required to make recommendations. Consider and evaluate your options and then make justifiable recommendations. †¢ Justify decisions. You may be required to justify your decision or recommendations. This will require you to explain fully how you have arrived at as a result and to show why, supported by relevant information. In other words, you should not make decisions in a vacuum; as a marketer your decisions should always be informed by context. †¢ Prepare a presentation.This speaks for itself. If you are required to prepare a presentation, ensure that you do so, preparing clearly defined PowerPoint or overhead slides that are not too crowded and that clearly express the points you are required to make. †¢ Evaluate performance. It is very likely that you will be asked to evaluate a campaign, a plan or even an event. You will therefore need to consider its strengths and weaknesses, why it succeeded or failed, the issues that have affected it, what can you learn from it and, importantly, how can you improve performance or sustain it in the future.All of these points are likely requests included within a task. Ensure that you identify them clearly and address them as required. Step 3 – Information Search Many students fail to realise the importance of collecting information to support and underpin their assignment work. However, it is vital that you demonstrate to your tutor ability to establish information needs, obtain relevant information and utilise it sensibly in order to arrive at appropriate decisions. You should establish the nature of the information required, follow up possible sources, the time involved in obtaining the information and likely gaps in information.Consider these factors very carefully. Tutors are very keen that stude nts are seen to collect information, expand their mind and consider the breadth and depth of the situation. Submitting a bibliography is a good way of illustrating the level of information collection and application within the assignment. 7 TEG 2007 Step 4 – Develop an Assignment Plan Your assignment needs to be structured and coherent, addressing the brief and presenting the facts as required by the tasks. The only way you can successfully achieve this is by planning the structure your Assignment in advance.Earlier, we looked at identifying your tasks and, working backwards from the release date, in order to manage time successfully. The structure and coherence of your assignment needs to be planned with similar signs. In planning the Assignment, you should aim to include all the relevant information requested. You should also plan for the use of models, diagrams and appendices where necessary. Plan contents †¢ Introduction †¢ Content †¢ Main body of the assig nment †¢ Summary †¢ Conclusions and recommendations where appropriate Step 5 – Prepare Draft AssignmentIt is good practice to produce a first draft of a report. You should use it to ensure that you have met the aims and objectives, assignment brief and tasks related to the actual assignment. A draft document provides you with scope for improvements, and enables you to check for accuracy, spelling, punctuation and use of English. Some tutors provide you with an opportunity to review a draft assignment. If this is the case, you should take every opportunity to let them provide you with support. Step 6 – Prepare Final DocumentIn the section headed ‘Presentation of the Assignment' in this guide, there are a number of components that should always be in place at the beginning of the assignment documentation, including labelling of the assignment, word counts, appendices numbering and presentation method. Ensure that you adhere to the guidelines presented, or alternatively those suggested by your tutors. 9. Group Working †¢ Group work is necessary to develop the skills to be effective in real work situations. Very rarely do you work completely on your own †¢ Group work can be more productive as there are more people generating ideas †¢Group projects are often more interesting as the task can be more complex †¢ Group members can motivate and support each other Group problems: †¢ Domination – one or two members take over, and the others lose interest 8 TEG 2007 †¢ Critical – in order to sound knowledgeable, some members are always critical. Sometimes competition emerges †¢ Conflict – sometimes open, sometimes not †¢ Sexism and racism – you must inform your Tutor, or Equal Opportunities Co-ordinator †¢ Avoidance – whole group avoiding the task, often due to fear of failure †¢ Inactive listening – nobody listens – people working as individuals , not as a groupSome suggestions: †¢ Analyse the skills and strengths of each member †¢ Brainstorm ideas and form a plan of action †¢ Allocate tasks and set dates for task completion and regular meetings †¢ Set up communications – phone numbers, room numbers, e-mail addresses †¢ Set meeting places – this is absolutely essential at a first meeting †¢ Keep reviewing progress on the task and on any problems with the group †¢ Discuss any problems openly and with all group members 10. Effective Reading Before you start: †¢ Is this the correct book/article for your purpose? Check date/author/scope †¢Scan the contents, is it the right level? Read a section/chapter to check †¢ What questions are you trying to answer? †¢ Clarify before you start Reading: †¢ Read with purpose (what questions to be answered? ) †¢ Read selectively – scan and skim – only read in detail what you need to †¢ Mentally r ecite what you have just read †¢ Make notes at appropriate points – bullet points, do not rewrite the whole book. Review: †¢ Did I answer the questions I wanted to? †¢ Do I understand and remember what I read? 9 TEG 2007 11. Oral presentation Plan: †¢ What is the purpose? What are your objectives? †¢Who are your audience? †¢ What facilities can you use? – flip chart, OHP, PC, etc. †¢ Structure your presentation -the old rule is: Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em, then tell 'em, then tell 'em what you told 'em. i. e. an introduction, the contents, a conclusion †¢ Make sure any visual aids can be seen and read †¢ Rehearse and time your delivery Delivery: †¢ A good start – make an impact, and make your audience want to listen †¢ Don't read – use crib cards, OHP slides as notes †¢ Speak slowly and clearly †¢ Look at your audience, don't talk to the wall, your feet, or the OHP screen †¢ Vary the speed and pitch of your voice †¢ Make sure you are not standing in front of the visual aids †¢ If it is a group presentation, make sure that you link well together †¢ Be lively and finish on a high note 12. Punctuation Why use it? It is to guide the reader in the natural pauses in writing. It is also there to show how the grammar of a sentence is supposed to work; a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a full stop at the end. Punctuating your sentence need only involve: colon, semicolon, full stop, question mark, dash, apostrophe, comma, quotation marks, brackets. †¢Colon (:) is most often used to introduce a quotation or a list. †¢ Full stop (. ) Use full stops more than you expect to. When in doubt, your instinct should always plump for a full stop. Semicolon (;) Represents a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a full stop. (If in doubt about its use don’t use it. ) †¢ 10 TEG 2007 It is used between clauses when the second clause expands or explains the first e. g. neither of them moved; they waited to see if the intruder made a quick exit. It is also used before clauses which begin with â€Å"nevertheless†, â€Å"therefore†, â€Å"even so†, and â€Å"for instance† e. . He looked before he leaped; even so he landed in the water. It is used to mark off a series of phrases or clauses which themselves contain commas. e. g. You will need the following ingredients: four eggs, preferably size 3; 4oz caster sugar; a few drops of vanilla essence; and 2oz almonds, which must be ground. †¢ Question mark (? ) Use a question mark every time there is a genuine direct question. That means Are you going? but not I asked if he was going? (wrong because it is a reported question). †¢ Dashes (-) Use dashes but don’t overdo them.You can use a pair of dashes – in place of brackets – or a single dash to mark a break in the sentence before a punch line or a throwaway remark: In life, two things are never with us – death and taxes. †¢ Apostrophes (‘) They do not make things plural. They are not used to make things plural e. g. 1990’s, MP’s HQ’s. The general rule is: if something belongs to someone you write someone’s or for example, the student’s. If it belongs to several people (the students), you write the students’. Plurals like people and children, that aren’t made with an s, take apostrophe s i. e. children’s.Apostrophes are also shown where letters are missed out – can’t play, won’t play. It’s is short for it is. Beware of : its, (meaning â€Å"of it†)yours, hers, ours, theirs, and whose. None of them takes as apostrophe. †¢ Commas (,) Commas, like buses, often come in pairs. It is wrong to write The reason is as it always was, to save money. Two commas should be used, like brackets, either side of the phrase as it al ways was. The test is whether, grammatically, the sentence would hold up if the section between the commas were removed. The common mistake is to forget the second comma.Commas are needed, and are not optional, when someone or something is being addressed. Kiss me, Hardy must take the comma after me. Yes Minister should have be Yes, Minister. Pairs of commas should be used when however, say, meanwhile and for instance are interjected into sentences – he might be paid, say, ? 50,000 a year. 11 TEG 2007 At the beginning of a sentence, these words or phrases need to be cordoned off with a single comma – However, investigations into†¦ , For instance, if we look at†¦.. Commas are used to mark off separate items in a list, except, usually between the last two items.You can put a comma in before and if it's needed to make the sentence clear Goods are transported by lorry, horse and cart, and even handcart. A strong adjective usually takes commas after each one excep t the last – old, crabby, pedantic Dr Johnson. †¢ Quotation marks (â€Å") Use double to enclose direct speech. Use a colon, not a comma before quotes – Mr. Smith said: â€Å"This is good news for all poor students. † Use a comma after quotes (before the second quotation marks) – â€Å"It will help many students,† said Jim. Quotations direct from a book or journal also need to have double quotation marks (â€Å") Davis et al. 1991, p243) stated that â€Å"Equilibrium is the sense which tells you when your body is balanced and when it is tipping, turning or inverting. † Unless the length of the quotation is more than three lines of your text, in which case it is indented and no quotation marks are necessary. †¢ Brackets ( ) The use of brackets (whose technical term is parenthesis) should be kept to a minimum. They are used to indicate a supplementary remark, or a qualification of some sort. Grammatically they work like commas, but the remarks inside the brackets tend to be less important than those inside commas.Brackets are always used in pairs. If the brackets surround an entire sentence then the full stop at the end of the sentence stays within the brackets. (This is the procedure you should follow. ) If the brackets only surround part of the sentence, the full stop goes outside. This is the procedure you should follow (under normal circumstances). †¢ Square brackets [like these] Square brackets are used to indicate your changes or your own comments on somebody else’s writing. The report that 25000 had been killed in battle [a figure shown to be greatly exaggerated] changed the course of the war. 3. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the act of passing off as your own work another person’s writing, words, or ideas. You must make it clear which ideas and which words you have obtained from someone else. Superficial and minor changes do not disguise your use of the words of someone else. You commit plagiarism if you do not acknowledge the source of a direct quote, or a specific piece of writing that you have paraphrased, or even if you describe an idea or concept that you have heard or read somewhere without a reference or acknowledgement.University / College rules will apply into plagiarism and also subject to disciplinary action. 12 TEG 2007 14. General Guidelines Follow these stages while you are doing your reading/note taking. Generating ideas †¢ What are the implications of the title? †¢ What ideas lie behind the title? †¢ What are you being invited to explore? †¢ Put your ideas on paper †¢ Things should become more complex at this stage †¢ There should be a mixture of fact/description and theory/argument Finding your perspective †¢ Try to sort the complexity into a clear, logical pattern †¢Is there an obvious sequence such as: intentions/results; pro/anti; before/after; cause/effect; hypothesis/evidence? †¢ What's most relevan t/interesting, convincing/contentious? †¢ What evidence supports your argument? †¢ What is the basic question/problem here? †¢ Diagrammatic structure of ideas may help A draft plan of the essay †¢ Roughly, the structure of the content †¢ Sequence of the argument †¢ You may be able to plan your paragraph structure †¢ A diagram plan may be useful †¢ Plan to go from the general to the specific Write a draft version †¢ Amend as you go along Maybe start each section on a separate page †¢ Several drafts may be needed †¢ Should new paragraphs be added/ some be divided? The final version †¢ Ask someone else to proof-read it for you. 13 TEG 2007 BTEC Higher National Grade Descriptors The assessment of BTEC Higher National qualifications will be at unit level and there will be no overall grade for either the Certificate or the Diploma. Each unit will be graded as a pass, merit or distinction. A pass is awarded for the achievement of all outcomes against the specified assessment criteria.Merit and distinction grades are awarded for higher-level achievement. In order to demonstrate achievement, learners typically undertake assessment activities that include a series of tasks or assignments, reflecting typical practice in the sector concerned. In order to judge the level of achievement, assessment criteria are used for the pass grade and grade descriptors for the merit and distinction grades. Achievement of a pass grade – a pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the assessment criteria for each individual unit.Achievement of a merit or distinction grade – all the assessment criteria and merit grade descriptors need to be completed within a unit to achieve a merit grade. All the assessment criteria, merit and distinction grade descriptors must be completed within a unit to achieve a distinction grade. The generic merit and distinction grade descriptors need to be viewed as a qualitative extension of the assessment criteria within each individual unit. The grade descriptors will be contextualised to meet the needs of the unit and be incorporated into the design of the assessment activities.Any single assignment however, as with BTEC Higher Nationals, will only be able to indicate that the learners has achieved some of the descriptors, say M1 and D2 unless it is a project style assessment that covers the whole unit (i. e. all learning outcomes and criteria). For example, if an assignment task requires the learner to: To pass the task you need to explored the organisational structures and cultures of the two organisations and prepared a suitable comparison in terms of the unit content requirements — types of organisation and associated structures, organisational networks and linkages, organisational culture.The qualitative aspect of the work, that will be used to determine your achievement of M1 on this occasion, will be the level of detail of both understanding of the subject matter (effective approach to study) and the depth to which you have taken this in the comparisons (effective approach to research). The approach taken in the example above shows how the indicative criteria can be adapted to better fit the work being undertaken in the task. In some cases the indicative characteristic could be used just as it is with no more than an identification of the evidence to which it relates (e. g. report, presentation, diagram, etc. ).

An Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Local vs. International Brands in the Fast Food Sector

An Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Local vs. International Brands in the Fast Food Sector Introduction In this paper, the marketing strategies of two fast food restaurants, McDonald’s and Little Chef, are reviewed and compared to one another. Both companies are in the fast food sector. Little Chef serves customers from only one country while McDonald’s serves clients from different countries across the world, and this creates a significant difference in their marketing strategies. This difference is discussed in the paper. The paper is divided into four distinct parts: definition of terms, overview of the organizations, the marketing strategies and conclusion. Important terms used throughout the paper are defined and explained briefly. The overview helps readers to understand the organizations better, which in turn enables them to understand the marketing mix better. In the marketing strategies, market segmentation, targeting, positioning and marketing mix are thoroughly reviewed before the paper is concluded.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Local vs. International Brands in the Fast Food Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Definition of Terms Marketing Strategy Every organization has a number of marketing goals all put together at the start of the business year or the start of the business. In order to achieve these goals, the marketing manager, together with his team, have to sit down and come up with a way to attain these goals. This is the organization’s marketing strategy. The marketing strategy is based on market research done by the organization’s marketing team and focuses on the best product mix that will maximize profits. Once the strategy is complete, it is set out in a marketing plan and executed (BusinessDictionary, 2011). Critical Analysis In academic writing, the critical analysis of a subject or topic involves consideration and evaluation of material authored by other bodies, investigating whether the basis of these claims is sound, and scrutinising whether or not these the claims made by these authors apply to the situation being examined. A critical analysis must not be based purely on description, but must examine the content of other authors and judge how applicable and relevant they are to the topic at hand using knowledge gained in the field, at work, through study or by experience. Not everything written by the authors is to be taken at face value (Birmingham City University, 2011). A critical analysis is a piece of subjective writing, since it expresses the opinion of the writer, and how the writer evaluates a text. An analysis breaks down a topic into study parts to ease the analysis process (LeJeune, 2001). Product Mix In order to achieve maximum profit potential, some of its products have to be marketed together to minimize cost. The process of marketing a range of products that are related to one another and help reduce marketing cost – hence maximising pr ofit – is what finding the organization’s product mix is all about (BusinessDictonary, 2011).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Overview of the Two Organizations McDonald’s McDonald’s started as a small restaurant, founded by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald. Despite slow beginnings, McDonald’s soon picked up and became a fast-food selling restaurant, a business idea that was picking up in the 1940s. Success for the company, however, came when the McDonald brothers’ equity in the firm was purchased by Ray Kroc, an American investor and businessman. With aggressive business tactics and tactical genius, Kroc expanded the business into one of the most recognizable brands in the world today. With 64 million customers served daily in its restaurants, it is the globe’s largest hamburger fast food restaurant. Hamburgers and other fast foods are not the only source of income for McDonald’s. It also gains large amounts of income from fees paid by franchises, royalties and rents. The company’s financial performance over the last five years, despite the recession, has been steadily growing, partly because of its marketing strategy. According to figures released by the company in October 2011, the company’s revenue rose by 5.5 per cent because of the popularity of its Monopoly game in the United States. Revenues also rose in Europe by 4.8 per cent and in the Middle East/Asia Pacific/Africa region by 6.1 per cent (Associated Press, 2011). Little Chef Little Chef is one of Britain’s most successful, and most controversial, fast food restaurants. The fast food chain identifies itself as a ‘roadside restaurant’ that serves over ten million people every year. It was established in 1958, the same year that Britain got its first motorway. It has grown from a single, 11- seat restaurant to a 162-restaurant chain. Apart from serving tea, bacon eggs and sausages, it offers its customers additional services like Wi-Fi internet connectivity, free ice cream for children under ten, and a ‘to go’ menu for customers who want to take their food away (Little Chef, 2011). The company went into administration in 2007 after it was revealed that it was losing over three million pounds per year. It was purchased by the investment company RCapital, and revamped to ‘keep up with the needs of customers’ (Baker, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Local vs. International Brands in the Fast Food Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Its marketing campaign after it was bought out of administration also involved a marketing campaign by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal (Warman, 2009). Little Chef is now picking up, thriving and looking fabulous under the new management. Marketing Strategy Segmentation Market segmentation refers to a marketing practice where organizations divide their target markets into smaller units – or segments – and apply different marketing strategies depending on the nature of each segment. Market segments are demographic, geographic, psychographic, transaction or functional (Wedel Kamakura, 2000). Demographic markets are divided in terms of the markets demographic elements. The most common used demographic elements used are age, sex, financial status, religion and nationality. Geographic markets are divided according to their geographical location, climatic condition or location from a point. Psychographic segmentation is done based on the knowledge, attitude and opinion that the market has towards a product. Functional segmentation depends on how and why different customers in a market use a product. Transactional segmentation is an easy way of segmenting a market that invol ves using a large number of unique criteria to divide the market. Transactional segments are based on different elements like memberships or even specific demographic elements (Smith, 2004). Market segments are significant because they enable a company concentrate their resources on one segment and create products that appeal to various segments. If a car company segments its market demographically, for example, younger members of society will have cheaper and perhaps flashier cars targeted at them, while high-end, high performance and expensive cars will be marketed to the older and wealthier. McDonald’s As a global brand, McDonald’s segmentation strategy is geographical on a global scale and demographic at a local scale. This is the case because the company has to consider its global performance as a business, while, at the same time, it has to appeal to different customers and their demographic needs. The key to marketing on a global scale is to reduce cost of marke ting, therefore, increasing profits. The key to marketing on a regional or demographical scale is to ensure that customers in a certain region are not left because of demographic issues (Kotler Armstrong, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a global business, McDonald’s segments its markets regionally first. Every region has countries where McDonald’s franchises are located. The main criterion used to select each country is the potential for growth, and the potential to maintain a high level of annual income turnover. In Europe, for example, the United Kingdom is one of McDonald’s largest markets, with over 1,200 outlets across the country. This comes as no surprise, considering that the UK is one of the world’s largest economies in the world, has one of Europe’s highest populations and is the largest consumer of fast food in the world after the United States, Japan and Canada (Walkman, 2007). The European region has the largest number of McDonald’s franchises. This is because Europe is the richest region in the world, with several countries in the world among the world’s top ten richest economies. In addition, Europe is the richest continent in the world (Masters, 20 09), although the current economic decline in the continent may not be an encouraging sign for McDonald’s. After the economic crisis of 2008, McDonald’s pulled out of Iceland, one of Europe’s hardest hit economies, after it realized that it would not be making sustainable profits from the country. Other countries where McDonald’s does not operate in are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Batty, 2009). This mode of market segmentation, where a region is selected, and specific countries within the region are chosen to have McDonald’s franchises, combines both demographic and geographic segmentation. Geographically, more aggressive marketing is done in countries that present higher potential for growth than countries with lower productivity. Higher potential is determined by the country’s location, its infrastructure and its climatic conditions, all of which are geographic factors. However, this potential is also determined using demographic fact ors like the citizen’s income levels and the markets’ potential for return on investment. In Africa and South America, for example, only countries with the highest GDPs and higher levels of income are targeted. McDonald’s has franchises only in Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Uruguay, Egypt and South Africa (McDonalds, 2011). Little Chef Unlike McDonald’s, Little Chef is only operational in one country, the United Kingdom. Its market segments, just like McDonald’s, are both geographic and demographic. Naturally, however, the segments are not the same as McDonald’s, as discussed below. Little Chef is a roadside cafà ©, with menus specifically designed to serve travellers. Therefore, the main geographic segment is roadside locations. Nearly all Little Chef cafes are located along a road or highway in Britain. The total number of current Little Chef restaurants exceeds seventy, all located along highways. By directly targeting travellers, the restaurant has segmented its market geographically. As defined before, geographic segmentation is not only about countries or regions, but it is also about proximity to certain points. The main demographic element used by Little Chef is age. Most of their foods are relatively affordable and do not focus on a religion, gender or financial status. Most of their foods are ‘normal’ foods consumed by a majority of Britain’s population. This is known as undifferentiated marketing and is further explored in subsequent sections (Kotler Armstrong, 2010). They serve breakfasts, main courses, light choices, desserts and drinks (Little Chef, 2011). However, they have a menu for children. The children’s menu consists of two distinct segments: Children Up to Ten Years, and Toddlers Babies. For children up to ten years, Little Chef has a distinct menu that serves breakfast, main meals and puddings. For toddlers and babies, they serve food in three categories: 4+ mo nths, 7+ months and 10+ months. Targeting Market targeting is the next step after market segmentation. A market segment is a set of potential buyers with common characteristics that an organization chooses to serve. There are three aspects to consider when choosing a target market. The first is the size of the market, and its potential for growth. The second is the market’s structural attractiveness. The final consideration to make is the business’ objectives and resources (Bragg, 2004). When targeting a market, there are three options an organization may opt for. The first is undifferentiated marketing, where a company may choose to target its product to the entire market, regardless of geographical or demographic differences. Coca-Cola’s initial marketing strategy was in this form, although customer needs are now considered in the manufacture of diet sodas, caffeine free soda and other considerations (Kotler Armstrong, 2010). The second option is to target se veral segments and develop distinct products for each segment. For example, airline operators have business and economy classes, and marketing is done differently for each target group. This is known as differentiated marketing (Kotler Armstrong, 2010). The third option is to segment the market and target one market. This is known as concentrated marketing. Rolls Royce, for example, develops its vehicles only for high-end customers looking for, and willing to pay for, comfort and luxury (Kotler Armstrong, 2010). McDonald’s Over the years, McDonald’s has become famous for targeting families with their ‘happy meals’. Its lower-priced menu means McDonald’s franchises appeal more to larger families than smaller ones. The traditionally cheaper prices of food at McDonald’s signify that it targets a larger spectrum of customers than other fast food restaurants in the United States and across the world. In addition, most McDonald’s franchise s are located in suburbs and downtown areas of crowded cities across the globe, which takes them closer to a large number of middle-class citizens (Greco Michman, 1995). McDonald’s has been accused in the past of specifically targeting children with its promotional material. The use of colourful advertising and targeted messages has raised concerns in America over business ethics and the regulation of advertising among large corporations. Teinowitz and MacArthur (2005) reported that McDonald’s were reportedly targeting children as young as four in their marketing campaigns. The main ethical issue raised was the manner with which McDonald’s was taking advantage of the vulnerability of children. Little Chef Towards 2007, Little Chef was accused by several publications and experts for their inability to tap into new target markets. Roadside restaurants are a highly lucrative idea. However, their inability to adapt to the changing needs of customers is reported to be one of the major sources of its downfall. Based on the organization’s core concept, Little Chef’s target market are travellers along British roads. All its restaurants are located along busy motorways and highways in the United Kingdom. Just before it went into administration in 2007, criticism was directed towards the company’s marketing strategy by many experts including Andy Poole, a Senior Accounts Manager at a leading Public Relations firm in the United Kingdom. Little Chef still has a vast target market of consumers aged 25 years plus with mass potential that has not been tapped into. Hopefully this will be realised and any future investment spent on unlocking this rather than trying to target new markets with lame publicity campaigns and branding techniques (Poole, 2007). Positioning Once a company decides to target select market segments, the next step is to occupy a unique position within the customer’s mind. This means that the customer has t o have a different and unique perception towards a company’s product. As Ries and Trout (1972) explain, â€Å"Positioning is not what you do to a product; it is what you do to the mind of a prospect.† In essence, market positioning answers the organization’s question of ‘who’ they want to be. A good example of how to position a product is the case of Coca Cola and the Diet Coke. Most male consumers regarded Diet Coke as a girly and feminine product, and naturally they felt left out and did not feel obliged to purchase that product. In response, Coca Cola introduced the branded Coke Zero, designed to appeal to male consumers. Market positioning is used to reach out to a particular audience in a crowded market place. McDonald’s Dylan (2007) states categorically that McDonald’s has always wanted to be identified as a family-oriented and family friendly. It has, therefore, marketed itself in a way that draws families and family-oriented cu stomers towards it. They developed this identity, as explained by Dylan, even before they developed their product. It is also noteworthy to mention that McDonald’s does not only market itself as a family-oriented fast food chain of restaurants, but also as a reasonably low-priced fast food restaurant that offers meals that taste fantastic. Obviously, McDonald’s has the potential to target a larger market audience, but they chose not to. It chose to position itself as a family-oriented fast food restaurant, and picked families and children as their target audience. To provide better focus McDonald’s market position, certain decisions made by the company can be considered. First McDonald’s does not choose to prepare better quality meals at a higher price and longer preparation hours than its competitors. Secondly, they have the capability to offer more meals, a wider menu and a larger variety of meals, but they choose not to and stick with well-known produc ts. Finally, they have continued to target children and families, but not adults. Little Chef In an article for the Financial Times, Stern (2009) describes Little Chef with the same emotion that most analysts and pundits across Britain do: nostalgia. Most adults in the UK today remember visiting Little Chef as children with their parents. It was a must do for nearly all British children, particularly during journeys across the country. Little Chef’s position, therefore, is already set. However, the cause of their decline in the late nineties and the early part of this century was their inability to adapt to the market’s needs. The arrival of American food and the ‘McDonald’s style’ of service caused a shift in the attitudes of the majority. Currently, the company is undergoing an evolution. They have the advantage of heritage and market presence on their side, but it is necessary that they establish modern methods of doing business (Peletier, 2011). Marketing mix A firm must find a way of marketing itself to success by mixing four key elements, commonly known as the four Ps of the marketing mix. These are product, price, place and promotion. A firm must find the right product, sell it at the right price, find the right place to sell it, and find the most suitable way to promote it. Having the right product means the product must have all the right features, and it must work well. The price of the product also has to be right, because a price too high or too low may compromise the product’s profit margins. It also has to be available in the right place at the right time, so that customers do not fail to get it. Finally, promotion is necessary to ensure customers are aware of the product’s existence and availability (The Times 100, 2011). McDonald’s Product McDonald’s is very particular on the products it offers. Their top consideration when creating their menus is their consideration of the customerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability and willingness to spend. There is, therefore, considerable emphasis on the products that are placed on the menu. McDonald’s is also acutely aware of the changing preferences of customers, and they endeavour to ensure that they keep in touch with their customers’ preferences. Figure 1: McDonalds Product Life Cycle (McDonalds, 2008) When introducing a new product, however, McDonald’s takes significant caution to safeguard the sales of existing products. The new product must not cannibalize the sales of another product (McDonalds, 2008). Price Price carries psychological connotation to the customer, and therefore the price of a product has significant bearing to the buying habits of customers. Price is therefore guided by the customer’s perception of value. As discussed in previous sections, McDonald’s has historically targeted customers in the inner cities of highly populated cities (McDonalds, 2008). The organization must be caref ul to ensure they do not price the product too high or too low. Pricing the product low could have a negative impact on the customers’ placement of the product. Low prices usually signify compromised quality. In addition, if competitors reduce their prices to match McDonald’s prices, profits will have been reduced without the company gaining market share. Place Place is not only about finding the right location or the best points of distribution of a product. It also about managing a range of processes to ensure the product reaches the end customer in the best possible way. McDonald’s restaurants are located in most of the world’s major cities. It places itself in cities to ensure they get the maximum number of customers that can afford and are wiling to eat fast food. Promotion Promotion covers all aspects of communication by a company. McDonald’s uses promotional methods like promotions, merchandising, telemarketing, exhibitions, seminars, demons trations, loyalty schemes and point of sale display. Advertising is also widely used, particularly on TV, radio, online, in magazines and in newspapers. All these contribute to ensuring customers are aware of the existence and availability of the company’s products (McDonalds, 2008). The first step that McDonald’s use is to gain the attention of their customers, and to make sure they retain their interest. The next step is to ensure that these customers like the products that the company offers. The key to reaching their customers has been to combine all these media in ensuring they reach families and young people. The messages, colours, tag lines and promotional material used appeal to the target market. Their promotional style has been accused by protesters and human rights groups as wrong, since it is considered ethically wrong to target vulnerable children with advertising. Little Chef Product The main product that Little Chef offers, of course, is food. They have their menu divided into breakfasts, lighter courses, main courses, desserts, drinks, children and takeaway. Their breakfast dishes include the bloomer butty, the American style breakfast, the healthy breakfast and their famous Olympic breakfast. The Olympic breakfast has bacon, sausage, eggs, mushroom, grilled tomato, baked beans and potatoes, served with fried bread or toast. Their light courses are salads, bloomer bread toasties and various snacks. Their main courses have burgers as their main dishes, with additional options like onion rings and Coleshaw. Little Chef serves pancakes and ice creams for dessert, hot, chilled and alcoholic drinks, and various takeaway meals. Price Little Chef has always priced its commodities quite highly compared to its competitors. Before the takeover in 2007, one of the chief complaints by customers was that the food was not worth the high price that was being charged by the company. The new management has revamped the restaurant, made several key changes to their restaurants and menus and most importantly, prices have not increased by much. This makes the customers appreciate the amount of money they pay for their food. Most customers give a positive review, stating that the food may be a little expensive, but the quality is well worth the price (Little Chef, 2011). Just like McDonald’s, pricing their food too low may have compromised their market position. Place Little Chef targets travelling individuals and families across Britain, so it is natural to locate its restaurants along Britain’s highways. Nearly all major highways have a Little Chef restaurant. However, being on highways, the placement of their business presents two main challenges. First, the business relies heavily on travelling folk. This is not a problem at the moment, however, but if this changes and people start relying more on cooked food, the business could be endangered. Secondly, there are situations where travellers on only one side of the highway are served and not the other. For example, the Barton Stacey, Carcroft and Fenstanton restaurants along the A303, A1 and A14 respectively serve only westbound, northbound and eastbound travellers respectively. Promotion Just like McDonald’s, Little Chef uses communication media to reach its customers. In 2007, however, they had to use a more aggressive method to reach its new customers and inform them about their new look and new restaurants. This led RCapital, the new owners of the company, to hire the services of celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to promote its restaurants. Little Chef relies a lot on its heritage. They use it to appeal to its customers, who are primarily British. Conclusion Based on the history of the businesses, both companies were started around the same time but have had very different growth paths. McDonald’s has had a meteoric rise to world domination, thanks to proper management and effective marketing, while Little Chef has remaine d confined to one corner of the world and has struggled. However, looking at both companies at the moment, the marketing approach used is quite similar. They have created products that appeal best to their target markets and served the food in restaurants that promote their standing as restaurants. McDonald’s approach to marketing differs significantly from Little Chef’s because of the magnitude of the company, and its global presence. It has to adapt different marketing strategies to different cultures, regions and markets, while maintaining its core appearance and products. Little Chef, on the other hand, uses a similar marketing approach to all its restaurants no matter where they are located in Britain. For both companies, once they have set a marketing strategy, tasks are given to different people for execution. They quantify success by ensuring they meet their short term targets, and they obtain feedback from the market using set systems. One great way to obtain feedback has been the internet, through which the company can get fast and unfiltered feedback fast. It is important to note, of course, that all these marketing goals have to be reached within the confines of a tight and finite budget. Bibliography Associated Press. (2011, November 10). McDonalds remodelling pays off in revenue rise. Retrieved from New Zealand Herald: nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10764891 Baker, R. (2011, May 11). Little Chef cooks up a new look. Retrieved from Marketing Week: marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/food-and-drink/little-chef-cooks-up-a-new-look/3026245.article Batty, D. (2009, October 27). McDonalds to quit Iceland as Big Mac costs rise. The Guardian, pp. web: guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/27/mcdonalds-to-quit-iceland. Birmingham City University. (2011, May 27). Critical Analysis. Retrieved from Study Guides : Study Skills: http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/Study%20Skills%20Guides/4%20Critical%20analysis.htm Bragg, R. (2004). Target Market Identification Development. Spring Hill, TN: Welcome to the Center for Profitable Agriculture (CPA). Business Dictionary. (2011). Marketing Strategy. Retrieved from BusinessDictionary.com: businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing-strategy.html BusinessDictonary. (2011). Product Mix. Retrieved from BusinessDictonary.com: businessdictionary.com/definition/product-mix.html Dylan, W. (2007). Even McDonalds has a market position. In W. Dylan, Small Business, Big Marketing (pp. 4-6). MarketingYourSmallBusiness.com. Greco, A., Michman, R. (1995). Retaining Triumphs and Blunders: Victims of Competition in the New Age of Marketing Management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of Marketing. London: Pearson Books. LeJeune, E. (2001, November 8). Critical Analysis. Retrieved from Southeastern Louisiana University: http://www2.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/elejeune/critique.htm Little Chef. (2011). A Little Bit About Us. Retrieved from Little Chef : http://littlechef.co.uk/aboutus Little Chef. (2011). Menu. Retrieved from Little Chef.co.uk: http://littlechef.co.uk/menu Little Chef. (2011). Your Comments. Retrieved from Little Chef: littlechef.co.uk/customercomments.php Masters, T. (2009). Snapshot. In T. Masters, Europe on a Shoestring (p. 36). Melbourne: Lonely Planet. McDonalds. (2008). Marketing At McDonalds. Oak Brook: McDonald’s Corporation. McDonalds. (2011). About McDonalds. Retrieved from About McDonalds: aboutmcdonalds.com/country/map.html Peletier, C. (2011, May 12). Little Chef. Retrieved from Identity Designed: http://identitydesigned.com/little-chef/ Poole, A. (2007, January 9). How would you save Little Chef? Retrieved from U Talk Marketing: utalkmarketing.com/Pages/Article.aspx?ArticleID=923Title=How_would_you_save_Little_Chef? Ries, A., Trout, J. (2001). Introduction. In A. Ries, J. Trout, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind (p. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill Books. Smith, B. (2004). Market Segmentation. Perth: University of Ballarat. Stern, S. (2009, November 2). Big lessons we can learn from Little Chef. Financial Times, pp. web: ft.com/cms/s/0/49b28e4c-c7e0-11de-8ba8-00144feab49a.html#axzz1dP0o8R9S. Teinowitz, I., MacArthur, K. (2005, January 28). McDonalds ads target children as young as 4. Free Press, p. web: freepress.net/news/6424. The Times 100. (2011). Marketing mix (Price, Place, Promotion, Product). Retrieved from Marketing: thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theorymarketing-mix-(price-place-promotion-product)243.php Walkman, D. (2007, August 29). Top Fast Food Countries. Retrieved from International Trade: http://daniel-workman.suite101.com/top-fast-food-countries-a29881 Warman, M. (2009, January 13). Heston Blumenthal: Big Chef Takes on Little Chef. 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The Pursuit Of Truth Through Religion And Science Religion Essay Example

The Pursuit Of Truth Through Religion And Science Religion Essay Example The Pursuit Of Truth Through Religion And Science Religion Essay The Pursuit Of Truth Through Religion And Science Religion Essay Truth as defined in the lexicon is something that corresponds to fact or world. In recent civilised history, scientific and spiritual positions have frequently conflicted with one another. However, truth can be proven in legion ways. Religious thoughts are usually presented foremost, and so sufficient scientific grounds gathers to make bold spiritual beliefs. The 2008 Mumbai onslaughts were an illustration of strong and devoted spiritual beliefs by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan. In add-on, 90 per centum of the universe s population believes in religion of God go forthing the others sing scientific discipline and assorted positions. Albert Einstein and Galileo Galilei had a greater scientific spectrum and deemed it had an reply to about everything. These finds of scientific discipline are met with amazement and most are considered a divergence. Life of Pie by Yann Martel and Robert Zemeckis movie Contact, contribute significantly in understanding decently, the definition of truth. These two illustrations and the people involved are portrayed by their undetermined heads to happen the chase of truth. So, what is truth? The ethos of scientific discipline was ever been about seeking for the truth. Science is demonstrated clearly and has a distinguishable point in the two comparings. Mr. Satish Kumar from Life of Pie is an Atheist. He says, I do nt believe in faith. Religion is darkness. ( Martel, 29 ) . This statement proves that he disapproves of faith and does non hold religion. He believes in scientific discipline since he is a Biology instructor. Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba doubted the being of religion since they do non believe Piscine Patel s ( Pi ) narrative about the carnivorous island drifting bananas. Therefore, he has a more scientific position. Dr. Eleanor Arroway from Contact, a dedicated truster of scientific discipline was determined to happen other signifiers of life utilizing radio uranology. She says, It s like you re stating that scientific discipline killed God. What if scientific discipline merely revealed that he neer existed in the first topographic point? Contact. This demon strates that she has a higher spectrum towards scientific discipline, and considers that scientific discipline can turn out that God neer existed. Michael Kitz, has a deep scientific head and inquiries Ellie about her experience in the wormhole and, if to believe in religion. Dr. Arroway and Mr. Okamoto both have similar constructs and inquiry themselves about What is truth. Faith is understood to be an unverified cognition that is acknowledged and believed through faith missing the demand of cogent evidence. In some cases, faith is demonstrated significantly, by terrorist act Acts of the Apostless and protest. Pi s male parent has faith in faith and accepts it as truth. He merely wants Pi to believe in Hinduism. He utters, But Muslims? It s wholly foreign to our tradition. They re foreigners. He is dedicated to one faith and wants Pi to be attached to it besides. Joseph from Contact who is a passionate truster in faith represented himself dramatically by perpetrating a self-destructive mission. He did that to give any new informations found on the exhibition. Joseph is the leader of an organisation that prohibits the usage of scientific discipline and merely believes in God. This bold act demonstrates his domination of religion and being of the God. David Drumlin from Contact claimed to believe in God but is unsure of truth. Therefore, is truth faith? The Centre of the spectrum, both includes spiritual and scientific beliefs. Pi accepts and considers both in the being of God and the survey of scientific discipline. In add-on, he besides studied fauna and faith. He prays to three different Supreme beings. He says I merely want to love God ( Martel, 69 ) . His cognition about God and faith helps him last the assorted obstructions he faces on the lifeboat. Pi besides thinks about ways to last utilizing the scientific cognition taught by his instructor. Palmer Joss from Contact spent his life seeking for truth through the religion in God. He replies, Ironically the thing that people are most hungry for, significance is the one thing that scientific discipline has nt been able to give them Contact. This statement shows that he believes in faith but, he besides considers scientific discipline since he is destined for truth utilizing both signifiers of information and besides an writer of an astronomy book. Truth is better understood by these persons. Truth plays an of import function in the defining of an single character. This is represented in infinite ways and has legion accounts. Religion and scientific discipline have ever been in clang with one another because they each demonstrate complete opposite ideals. Religion is widely accepted since 90 per centum of the universe s population believes in religion of God. Most scientists believe that scientific discipline can explicate that God neer truly exists and there is nil like religion or hope. Therefore, what is truth?

Recycled Blackberry Phones Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Recycled Blackberry Phones - Assignment Example This project has been taken into concern for the purpose of designing an appropriate project management plan for recycled Blackberry phones. For making this project successful, various strategies that have been adopted by the company in the past will be deeply analyzed upon. As a project manager, future plans of actions will be decided based on the past strategies adopted and executed by the company. Also, the potential shareholders who can provide variable amount of contribution in the recycling process will also be identified. As a project manager, it will be one of the primary duties to create a well diversified SMART project scope which can be effectively utilized in the overall recycling process of Blackberry phones. The project will also include a well diversified plan concerning the sequence of activities in a step-by-step process that will be implemented in a timely and orderly manner. In addition, written documents concerning the exact amount of resources that will be requir ed for the execution of the project will be maintained. Moreover, another plan concerning HR will be developed along with the broad criterion that will be adopted for identification the success or the failure of the project (BlackBerry, 2013; Cleland & Ireland, 2006; Verizon Wireless, 2013). Stakeholders These entities may include the employees of Blackberry, suppliers and distributors of raw materials along with finished goods. In addition, certain other stakeholders like the creditors of the company along with the customers whose role are considered to be important in determining the overall profitability of an organization would be taken into concern. ... Stakeholders The stakeholders in this recycling process will include different entities that will directly or indirectly get affected by the project especially in an affirmative manner. These entities may include the employees of Blackberry, suppliers and distributors of raw materials along with finished goods. In addition, certain other stakeholders like the creditors of the company along with the customers whose role are considered to be important in determining the overall profitability of an organization would be taken into concern. Being the project manager, it is quite needed to ensure that various outsourced agencies which can deliver effectual ideas pertaining to the launch of new applications and programs in Blackberry phones are also needed to be included in the list of the potential stakeholders. Specially mentioning, the above identified stakeholders would play an imperative part in developing the overall project management planning procedure and most importantly enhancin g the decision-making procedure by a considerable level. It is expected that the roles which play by the recognized stakeholders would eventually standardize the ongoing viability of the project by a greater extent (Groman, 2007). Project Management Plan This portion of the project management plan would hold the top most priority in successful completion of the project concerning recycled Blackberry phones (Hossenlopp, 2010). In order to execute the plan in an orderly and appropriate manner, a few of the most fitting actions will be undertaken that would provide greater aid in quick start of the project (Hossenlopp, 2010). These actions have been elaborated hereunder. Collecting and arranging all reports relating to the availability

Interpretative planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Interpretative planning - Case Study Example The plan itself is a comprehensive document detailing the focus of specific projects that could be considered interpretive works. The project may be a single exhibition or showing or a guided walk or display for a permanent project. Whatever the scale of the project, the essential questions when formulating the plan are; who is the project designed for' What is to be interpreted' Why is to be interpreted' (McArthur, 1998). As such, the interpretive plan takes in the big picture and provides a broad statement of intent. At the level of the heritage organisation the interpretative plan outlines the intentions to the approach of interpretation over the long-term. And can also allow for the collaboration of interpretation across numerous related heritage organisations. At the regional level, the heritage organisation could cooperate with other organisations to present a common or complementary perspective to interpretation in their region. Ultimately the interpretative strategy guides th e interpretation process to meet the needs and expectations of the projects purpose, and of the visitors. This paper will provide answer the question, 'Why do Australian Botanic Gardens use interpretation' Firstly, this paper will briefly outline the purpose of botanic gardens in Australia. Secondly, the stories plants tell through interpretive planning will be presented. Next, how the interpretive plan can use plants as education tolls will be highlighted. And then the interpretive message provided by plantings will be discussed. Finally a conclusion shall synthesis the main points of the paper and demonstrates that the paper answered the question of why botanic gardens use interpretative planning. Review of the Literature Botanic Gardens of Australia Botanic Gardens have a long history as part of Australian heritage. The key emphasis of all the botanic gardens is that they are collections of plants for conservation, preservation and beauty. Australian botanic gardens cluster plants together according to themes. The themes tend to be placed across a large garden site, with plants being located to areas where they will look and survive best. The themes are important as they provide continuity and meaning to the displays, otherwise the collections would not readily be able to engage the interest of visitors. Collections of plants clustered according to themes allow botanic gardens to more fully communicate critical information about the plants to visitors. Interpretive planning as used in botanic gardens provides a channel for story-telling to the public about the importance of plants in the ecological cycles that make up geographical spaces in which humans live and act. The Stories Plants Tell Botanic gardens are able to communicate critical information about vanishing rainforests, not only in Australia but the world. As such, the themed collections can more fully relate a story about the part each plant plays in the bigger picture which is an area/region/nation or global ecology. Many insects, animals and other plants are reliant on specific plants for nutrition, shelter or reproduction. When visitors understand how each plant has a role in the wider survival of global species then interpretative planning can be said to have succeeded (Moscardo, 1998). A modern botanic garden is of course far more than