Personal affirmation leads to greatest triumph or worst defeat Essay

Personal affirmation leads to greatest triumph or worst defeat - Essay Example It is through personal affirmation then that he realizes his greatest victory or worst defeat. This notion is aptly illustrated in the two novels namely A House for Mr Biswas by VS Naipaul and The Old man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. A House for Mr. Biswas (House from now on) is a mammoth epic of nearly six hundred pages that illustrates one man's refusal to accept fate and to rise above the circumstances. It chronicles the life of Mohan Biswas who has just one dream all his life i.e. to win his independence by having his own place. He wants to be able to free himself from the clutches of the Tulsi family and while he dies at the young age of 46, he is one contented man having gained his independence. It is as early as in the prologue that we learn about Mohan's mission when we see that he is a sacked reporter who is dying at the age of forty-six in his own place "on his own half-lot of land, his own portion of the earth," on Sikkim Street, Port-of-Spain: How terrible it would have been, at this time, to be without it [a house]: to have died among the Tulsis, amid the squalor of that large, disintegrating and indifferent family; to have left Shama and the children among them, in one room; worse, to have lived without even attempting to lay claim to one's portion of the earth; to have lived and died as one had been born... In this he resembles Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea who is not an ordinary aging protagonist himself. From the very beginning Hemingway creates a portrait that alerts us that we are not dealing with an ordinary character when we learn that: "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish" ( Hemingway 1952, 9). That Mohan's life would be extraordinary is clear from right from the auspicious time of his birth. He was born at midnight which according to Hindu myths was not a very fortunate time. The pundit prophesizes that Mohan would be a liar and lecher and the midwife feels he would be the cause of his father's death. As luck would have it, he inadvertently causes his father's drowning and is forced to live with strangers. It is during really tough times that he gets the brutal lesson of "ought oughts are oughts," which if we recall Lear's words means that "Nothing will come out of nothing." But Mohan is not the one to believe that. He was willing "to create himself and his world out of nothing." (Boxill, p. 37) The actual struggle begins when Mr. Biswas is dismissed from his position as a live-in pundit apprentice and from there on starts his solitary journey: "The neighbours had heard, and came out to watch Mr Biswas as, in his dhoti, with his bundle slung on his shoulders, he walked thr ough the village" (pp. 56-7). It is after some odd jobs that he finally lands a place with a powerful, conservative, land-owning family, the Tulsis who admire his sign-painting skills. Once inside their house, Biswas loses his independence completely. The Tulsis are a cunning lot who trap Mohan into marrying their daughter Shama because of his high caste. From their on,

Whole Foods Market Essay Example for Free

Whole Foods Market Essay In 1980 Whole Foods Market made its introduction into the natural food industry. Overtime Whole Foods has captured the title of the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, with 193 stores in 31 states, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company targets locations with consumers that have a college degree and are more likely to focus on the importance of consuming natural products. As our economy continues to battle the recession Whole Foods will struggle with competitors that are offering similar products at lower prices. Whole Foods will need to invent a solution to maintain their position as the number one leading retailer of their industry.

The Message of Rip Van Winkle Essays -- Rip Van Winkle Essays

Rip looked, and beheld a precise counterpart of himself, --[It appears Rip has seen an exact mirror-image of himself--the way others have always perceived him]-- as he went up the mountain--[This was the way he was before his "sleep," or journey up the mountain]--: apparently as lazy, and certainly as ragged--[Before he encountered the party on the mountain, he was a casual, rough and lazy person]--. The poor fellow was now completely confounded--[It appears to everyone that Rip Jr. was confused in his thoughts, however, just as Rip Sr. was, he knew exactly what was going through his head--it appeared he had a plan for everything]--. He doubted his own identity, and whether he was himself or another man--[I believe Rip underwent some type of self realization and was beginning to realize this change--wondering whether he was the same old Rip, or the newer, more aware Rip]--. In the midst of his bewilderment, --[I'm trying to figure out here whether Rip was just very confused with what was going on in seeing his son, or whether he's still drunk and in a "daze."]-- the man in the cocked hat demanded who he was, and what was his name?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "God knows,--[God is the only person at this time who knows what/who Rip is. Rip doesn't know, his son doesn't know, nobody knows except God himself]--" exclaimed he, at his wit's end; "I'm not myself-I'm somebody else-that's me yonder-no-that's somebody else, got into my shoes--[He sees that he has passed along his traits to his son, and his son has taken over Rip's identity and habits. We "grow" into other's shoes]-- -I was myself last night, but I fell asleep on the mountain, and they've changed my gun, and every thing's changed, and I'... ...ters closest to his heart and guide his family, what's left of it, and give it some direction to go in. He has slept away the past twenty years of his life, and more than likely-in a sense, slept through many years before he ever climbed the mountain. It is time to wake up and deal with the issues at hand and correct any mistakes or act upon any awakenings he may have had involving his regrets in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there is one thing Rip Van Winkle has to offer to us I think it is to pay attention to ourselves. As many of us often do, we get to wrapped up in other's affairs and don't deal with our own lives. We tend to strive for perfection in everyone else's life and lack in our own. Rather that sleep away so many years and let time take its toll on us and those we love, we must act now and be a little more selfish in caring for ourselves.

Mountain Man Brewing Company

Mountain Man Brewing Company| To:| Chris Prangel| From:| 001706975| CC:| David Nasser| Date:| 3/4/2013| Re:| Bringing the Brand to Light| Comments:| For the first time in the company’s history, Mountain Man Brewing Company is experiencing declining sales in response to changes in beer drinkers’ preferences. Mr. Prangel’s response to this problem is introducing a â€Å"light beer† form of the popular Lager. In the past six years, the â€Å"light beer† industry as increased at an annual rate of 4% while sales of traditional beer has been declining annually by 4%. Although this seems like a probable solution, there are two major problems Mr.Prangel is facing: 1. ) Mountain Man’s current target market will not approve of this new beer, and 2. ) bringing in a light version of the Mountain Man Lager could ruin the brand image and ultimately destroy the company. Mountain Man’s biggest target market currently, and pretty much since it started in 1925, is males ages 45-54. Most of these males are blue-collar, hardworking males. It has been known as â€Å"West Virginia’s Beer† known for its authenticity, quality and its toughness. To the younger beer drinkers, the market the light beer appeals to, view Mountain Man beer as too strong and a â€Å"working man’s† beer.Not only do the younger beer drinkers have their negative thoughts about Mountain Man developed, but the blue-collar customers account for a huge percentage of sales. The brand loyalty rate for Mountain Man Lager is 53% which is higher than any of its competitors. The â€Å"light beer† appeals to the younger generation, especially the females, and Mountain Man Lager has always appealed to the older, rugged, blue-collar male. The appearance of Mr. Prangel’s dilemma is very evident. Based on the evidence, Mountain Man should not introduce the light beer.The light beer industry is growing, that can’t be denied, howev er for Mountain Man, it is not in their best interest yet. Although the quantitative reasoning is included below, it would be in Mountain Man Brewing Company’s best interest to take the $750,000 and spend it elsewhere: create a new beer (non-light) that can appeal to more than the current target market without losing its brand image, spend more money for advertising to the younger beer-drinking market. Mountain Man Brewing Company needs to have a wider target market before introducing a completely new product that could potentially destroy the company if it were unsuccessful.THE PROS AND CONS OF INTRODUCING A LIGHT BEERThe most beneficial pro of introducing Mountain Man Light will be reaching the younger beer drinkers. It is shown that the younger beer drinkers enjoy the light beer better, and also in their twenties, usually haven’t committed to a brand yet. Mountain Man is very well-known by the younger beer drinkers, however, they tend to buy and consume in quantity; the Mountain Man Lager is not on their top preference, along with other lagers and full-flavor beers. Introducing this light beer could reach the younger beer drinkers and potentially lead to brand loyalty amongst them. A few cons could be losing brand loyalty amongst the older generation, losing sales of the Mountain Man Lager due to cannibalization, and a lower contribution margin.THE BRAND NAME OF A LIGHT BEERIf the light beer were introduced, the name Mountain Man Light is not the best option for the market Mountain Man is already in. A 53% loyalty rate is great for a company that produces one flavor of a brew. If the company that they have seen as for years as a rugged, authentic, â€Å"West Virginia’s Beer†, puts out a â€Å"light† version, its image could be lost immediately. In response to the introduction of a light beer by Mountain Man, it was the man in his fifties and early thirties that found it to be absurd.BREAK EVEN AND BREAK EVEN IN MARKET SHAR E IN 2 YEARSBy keeping the same price for light as the lager, breakeven in dollar amount is almost $10,000,000 which then translates into 100,473 barrels. Within two years, Mountain Man Light will have to produce almost $10,000,000 in sales and sale 20% of what Mountain Man Lager has worked almost a century to sale. As for the market share, Mountain Man Light will need to gain a 26% of the market share in 2 years to break even.This seems very unrealistic since the leading brand light beer now consumers 32. 9% and the second leading brand holds 17. 8% of the market. Mountain Man Light will have to become the second leading brand in the market within only 2 years (assuming that the sales of â€Å"light beer† continue to grow annually by 4%).CANNIBALIZATION RATEBecause Mountain Man Lager produces so many units and produces such high sales already, the difference in cannibalization of 5% to 20% is pretty significant (almost 1,000,000). Two year contribution with a 5% cannibalizat ion rate is $32,895,226. 2 compared to $31,988,859. 59 with a 20% cannibalization rate. This is a major loss in sales of the Mountain Man Lager. If cannibalization is inevitable, the lower percentage of cannibalization is the best option, it yields a higher contribution. Anything above 20% is unnecessary and definitely not worth introducing the Mountain Man Light.BUDGET FOR THE LAUNCHThe budget of $750,000 added onto the $900,000 already annual cost of SG&A costs is not appropriate. Not only is it adding that money onto the annual SG&A costs, it adds $4. 9 more per barrel in variable costs. Yet, the price of the light will still be the same as the lager. It will produce a 60% awareness level for Mountain Man Light, however, reduces the contribution margin by 16%; the price remains the same and cost of goods sold increases. Adding an expense like $750,000, a company should expect it to be better for the company. A 16% decrease in the contribution margin is not good for a company like Mountain Man that has its one specialty product in which it is known for.THE LAUNCHAlthough it is not recommended to introduce this Mountain Man Light because of the previous stated concerns, Mountain Man should not stop there and let the company fail. Mountain Man can take their $750,000 and introduce another beer just not a â€Å"light beer†. Keep the authentic, rugged brand image by introducing a different type of brew that will continue to appeal to the target market. Mountain Man should try to increase its target market with its original idea before it tries to introduce a new brand.If this is not ideal, the $750,000 can be spent on gaining, and retaining, a younger, beer drinking crowd. There is always a way to appeal to a younger crowd, Mountain Man needs to find the window of opportunity and take those consumers. With the high awareness of Mountain Man Lager by the younger beer drinker, however, Mountain Man could change their marketing strategy and discover a way to appeal to the younger market. | Contribution of Lager and Light Breakeven in Dollars and Units (Barrels) Market Share Cannibalization of 5% Cannibalization of 20%

How to Reduce Poverty Through Education Essay

There is no strict consensus on a standard definition of poverty that applies to all countries. Some define poverty through the inequality of income distribution, and some through the miserable human conditions associated with it. Irrespective of such differences, poverty is widespread and acute by all standards in sub-Saharan Africa, where gross domestic product (GDP) is below $1,500 per capita purchasing power parity, where more than 40 per cent of their people live on less than $1 a day, and poor health and schooling hold back productivity. According to the 2009 Human Development Report, sub-Saharan Africa’s Human Development Index, which measures development by combining indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment, and income lies in the range of 0.45–0.55, compared to 0.7 and above in other regions of the world. Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to rise unless the benefits of economic development reach the people. Some sub-Saharan countries have therefore formulated development visions and strategies, identifying respective sources of growth. Tanzania case study The Tanzania Development Vision 2025, for example, aims at transforming a low productivity agricultural economy into a semi-industrialized one through medium-term frameworks, the latest being the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP). A review of NSGRP implementation, documented in Tanzania’s Poverty and Human Development Report 2009, attributed the falling GDP—from 7.8 per cent in 2004 to 6.7 per cent in 2006—to the prolonged drought during 2005/06. A further fall to 5 per cent was projected by 2009 due to the global financial crisis. While the proportion of households living below the poverty line reduced slightly from 35.7 per cent in 2000 to 33.6 per cent in 2007, the actual number of poor Tanzanians is increasing because the population is growing at a faster rate. The 2009 HDR showed a similar trend whereby the Human Development Index in Tanzania shot up from 0.436 to 0.53 between 1990 and 2007, and in the same year the GDP reached $1,208 per capita purchasing power parity. Again, the improvements, though commendable, are still modest when compared with the goal of NSGRP and Millennium Development Goal 1 to reduce by 50 per cent the number of people whose income is less than $1 a day by 2010 and 2015. More deliberate efforts are therefore required to redress the situation, with more emphasis placed particularly on education, as most poverty-reduction interventions depend on the availability of human capital for spearheading them. The envisaged economic growth depends on the quantity and quality of inputs, including land, natural resources, labour, and technology. Quality of inputs to a great extent relies on embodied knowledge and skills, which are the basis for innovation, technology development and transfer, and increased productivity and competitiveness. A quick assessment in June 2010 of education statistics in Tanzania indicated that primary school enrolment increased by 5.8 per cent, from 7,959,884 pupils in 2006 to 8,419,305 in 2010. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) was 106.4 per cent. The transition rate from primary to secondary schools, however, decreased by 6.6 per cent from 49.3 per cent in 2005 to 43.9 per cent in 2009. On an annual average, out of 789,739 pupils who completed primary education, only 418,864 continued on to secondary education, notwithstanding the expansion of secondary school enrolment, from 675,672 students in 2006 to 1,638,699 in 2010, a GER increase from 14.8 to 34.0 percent. Moreover, the observed expansion in secondary school education mainly took place from grades one through four, where the number increased from 630,245 in 2006 to 1,566,685 students in 2010. As such, out of 141,527 students who on an annual average completed ordinary secondary education, only 36,014 proceeded to advanced secondary education. Some improvements have also been recorded at the tertiary level. While enrolment in universities was 37,667 students in 2004/05, there were 118,951 in 2009/10. Adding to this number the students in non-university tertiary institutions totalled 50,173 in 2009/10 and the overall tertiary enrolment reached 169,124 students, providing a GER of 5.3 percent, which is very low. The observed transition rates imply that, on average, 370,875 primary school children terminate their education journey every year at 13 to 14 years of age in Tanzania. The†¨17- to 19-year-old secondary school graduates, unable to obtain opportunities for further education, worsen the situation and the  overall negative impact on economic growth is very apparent, unless there are other opportunities to develop and empower the secondary school graduates. Vocational education and training could be one such opportunity, but the total current enrolment in vocational education in Tanzania is about 117,000 trainees, which is still far from actual needs. A long-term strategy is therefore critical to expand the capacity for vocational education and training so as to increase the employability of the rising numbers of out-of-school youths. This fact was also apparent in the 2006 Tanzania Integrated Labour Force Survey, which indicated that youth between 15 and 24 years were more likely to be unemployed compared to other age groups because they were entering the labour market for the first time without any skills or work experience. The NSGRP target was to reduce unemployment from 12.9 per cent in 2000/01 to 6.9 per cent by 2010; hence the unemployment rate of 11 per cent in 2006 was disheartening. One can easily notice that while enrolment in basic education is promising, the situation at other levels remains bleak in meeting poverty reduction targets. Moreover, apart from the noticeably low university enrolment in Tanzania, only 29 per cent of students are taking science and technology courses, probably due to the small catchment pool at lower levels. While this is so, sustainable and broad-based growth requires strengthening of the link between agriculture and industry. Agriculture needs to be modernized for increased productivity and profitability; small and medium enterprises, promoted, with particular emphasis on agro-processing, technology innovation, and upgrading the use of technologies for value addition; and all, with no or minimum negative impact on the environment. Increased investments in human and physical capital are also highly advocated, focusing on efficient and cost-effective provision of infrastructure for energy, information and communication technologies, and transport with special attention to opening up rural and other areas with economic potential. All these point to the promotion of education in science and technology. Special incentives for attracting investments towards accelerating growth are also emphasized. Experience from elsewhere indicates that foreign direct investment contributes effectively to economic growth when the country has a highly-educated workforce. Domestic firms also need  to be supported and encouraged to pay attention to product development and innovation for ensuring quality and appropriate marketing strategies that make them competitive and capable of responding to global market conditions.  It is therefore very apparent from the Tanzania example that most of the required interventions for growth and the reduction of poverty require a critical mass of high-quality educated people at different levels to effectively respond to the sustainable development challenges of nations.