Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Adidas Market Entry Strategy

Adidas Market Entry Strategy Adidas aims to achieve the mission of being the leading sports brand in the world. They aim to achieve this by the brands broad and unique product portfolio spanning from apparel and footwear for professional athletes to premium fashion (adidas-group, 2010). It allows Adidas to address multiple consumer needs, exploit market opportunities from various angles as well as be less affected by one-dimensional market risks. Adidas commitment to product innovation and its rich heritage differentiates the brand from competitors and provides a solid platform for future growth (adidas, 2010). For over 80 years the Adidas Group has been part of the world of sports on every level, delivering state-of-the-art sports footwear, apparel and accessories. Today, the Adidas Group is a global leader in the sporting goods industry and offers a broad portfolio of products. Products from the Adidas Group are available in virtually every country of the world (linkedin, 2010). Adidas is a brand name which comprises of a group of companies specializing in athletic footwear, clothes and equipment. After being founded in 1948, the company has several branches, joint stock enterprises and representative offices located around the globe. Its products are sold in more than 160 countries (intercomp, 2010). Today, the total staff employed by Adidas-Salamon AG group extends to 17,000 (intercomp, 2010). Of this number, over 3000 people are employed by two basic corporate centres- its headquarters in Herzogenaurach (Germany) and its operations centre in Portland, Oregon (USA) (intercomp, 2010). Al so located in Herzogenaurach are the strategic business units for Running, Soccer and Tennis as well as the Research and Development Centre. Adidas propose to work on a simple strategy that involves continuously strengthening their brands and products to improve competitive position and financial performance. The company also operates design studios and development departments at other locations around the world, corresponding to the related business activity. Adidas Sourcing Ltd., a fully-owned subsidiary headquartered in Hong Kong, is responsible for worldwide sourcing (adidas, 2010). Most marketers face many demands due to globalisation in todays marketplace. Globalisation in simple words can be said to be a trend expiring in the western world which can be easily taken into an emerging market (Jackson and Shaw, 2009). Globalisation involves global markets and global marketing which comprises of customers, competitors and the marketers who help companies to be successful. Global marketing can be defined as the marketing activities which are coordinated and integrated across multiple country markets, may involve standardised products, uniform packaging, similar advertising and coordinated sales campaigns across markets in several countries (Johansson, 2009). There can be five major classes of variables which propel companies towards globalisation in todays world. These are known as globalisation drivers and are market drivers, competitive drivers, cost drivers, technology drivers and government drivers (Johansson, 2009). Overview of Russia Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones and covering one-eighth of the worlds land surface. It is a combination of 89 different entities that constitute 16 autonomous republics, five autonomous regions, 10 national regions and several provinces and metropolitan cities and most of its residents live in urban areas (icmrindia, 2010). Russia is sometimes also referred to as the Russian Federation and hosts 141.9 million citizens descending from more than 100 ethnic groups (state, 2010). The capital and largest city in Russia is Moscow and is increasingly important as an economic and business centre; it has become Russias principal magnet for foreign investment and business presence. Moscow is rich in cultural tradition with many museums devoted to art, literature, music, dance, history, and science, as well as hundreds of churches and dozens of notable cathedrals (state, 2010). The second-largest city in Russia is St. Petersburg, which was established by Peter the Great in 1703 to be the capital of the Russian Empire as part of his Western-looking reforms. In Russian economy, the highest emerging industry is retail industry (Aslund, 1995). In recent years, Russia has appeared as a leading name among the countries contributing to retail environment. The fast development of retail trade and high consumer expenditure has been attracting large number of global companies to Russia (Voronkova and Lucey, 2005). Russian economy and businessÂÂ  are facing the boom period and are about to gain more momentum in the coming years. As per the estimates in the year 2007, the current financial year GDP would be around US $733 billion. As per the estimates, the GDP growth rate would remain above 5% till the year 2012 (mapsofworld, 2010).ÂÂ  Other participants ofÂÂ  Russian economy and businessÂÂ  sector are industrial productions, import and export business, agriculture and many others. The main centres of business at Russia are Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Vladivostok, St Petersburg and Novosibirsk (mapsofworld, 2010).ÂÂ   Recently thousands of private companies have been carrying out their business in Russia, adding revenue to the Russian economy (mapsofworld, 2010).ÂÂ   Overview of Bangladesh Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, is the second largest Muslim country in the world. The capital, Dhaka, has over 2000 mosques and is known as the city of mosques. Bangladesh is bordered on the west, north, and east by India, on the southeast by Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and on the south by the Bay of Bengal (mapsofworld, 2010). Bangladesh is one of the worlds most densely populated countries, with its people crammed into a delta of rivers that empties into the Bay of Bengal (bbcnews, 2010). Most of the people of Bangladesh are restrained to villages, with only 26 per cent living in urban areas. More than 98 percent of Bangladeshs population are Bengalis, who are largely descended from Indo-Aryans; the remaining two per cent includes Biharis and non-Bengali Muslims who had migrated from India. Bangladeshi culture, in many ways, reflects the culture of Greater Bengal (mapsofworld, 2010). Bangladesh has been in the course of a rough economic past. Two partitions led to wide economic neglect and even producing jute in large quantities contributed very little towards economic growth, as the country could not find much investment in this sector (mapsofworld, 2010). The foremost employer is agriculture, but it is unable to meet the demand for jobs. Thus many Bangladeshis in common with citizens from other countries in the region seek work abroad, sometimes illegally. The country is trying to diversify its economy, with industrial development a priority (mapsofworld, 2010). Overseas investors have pumped money into developed and the energy sector. Onshore and offshore gas reserves hold out some chance of future prosperity. Urbanization is proceeding rapidly, and it is estimated that only 30% of the population entering the labour force in the future will be absorbed into agriculture, although many will likely find other kinds of work in rural areas (mapsofworld, 2010). PEST Analysis All organisations operate in market places that are affected by forces outside their control (Jackson and Shaw, 2009, pp 300). Factors considered within the macro environment affect not only the company but all the other members of its micro environment, namely its suppliers, consumers, etc ( Easey, 1995). An analysis of the external factors that influence the firm is known as the PEST analysis i.e. Political, Economic, Social and Technological. PEST analysis of any industry sector investigates the important factors that are affecting the industry and influencing the companies operating in that sector. Political factors include government policies relating to the industry, tax policies, laws and regulations, trade restrictions and tariffs etc. Political factors affect both the producer and the consumer in various ways (Bohdanowicz and Clamp, 1994). A stable political surrounding is the basis for long-term decisions. The economic factors relate to changes in the wider economy such as economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation rate, etc. Vignali et. al, (2008), express that economic trends are extremely important for the business and that they depend to a great extent on the governments politics. Social factors often look at the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, changes in tastes and buying patterns, etc. Changes in lifestyle and opinions influence the demand and the way of selling products (Vignali et. al, 2008, pp. 364). The technological factors relate to the application of new inventions and ideas such as RD activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. As in all areas of industry new technology is making great inroads to improve quality of life and increase speed and quality of manufacture (Easey, 1995). 2.1 PEST Analysis of Russia (P)olitical factors The Russian economy underwent tremendous stress in the 1990s as it moved from a centrally planned economy to a free market system. In the political system established by the 1993 constitution, the president wields considerable executive power. There is no vice president, and the legislative branch is far weaker than the executive. Difficulties in implementing fiscal reforms aimed at raising government revenues and a dependence on short-term borrowing to finance budget deficits led to a serious financial crisis in 1998. Lower prices for Russias major export earners (oil and minerals) and a loss of investor confidence due to the Asian financial crisis exacerbated financial problems (state, 2010). Russia, initially Soviet Union has faced many economic difficulties in the past. The current President Russia is Dmitry Medvedev, but the government is still thought to be run by the previous President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (bbcnews, 2010). The budget deficit of Russia rise n sharply in 2009 to around $60bn (Â £42bn). Moscows revenues are sharply down because of the plummeted oil prices due to a drop in global demand. (E)conomic factors The Russian economy is largely dependent on its export resources, oil and gas. The energy giant Gazprom is controversially close to the Russian state and critics say it is little more than an economic and political tool of the Kremlin (bbcnews, 2010). The Russian labour force is undergoing tremendous changes. Although well educated and skilled, it is largely mismatched to the rapidly changing needs of the Russian economy. Official unemployment dropped to its lowest rate of 5.4% in May 2008, and labour shortages appeared in some high-skilled job markets (state, 2010). The economic crisis which began in late 2008, however, quickly reversed this trend and the ranks of unemployed swelled to an International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated 9.5% in the first quarter of 2009; 1.8 million Russian lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2009 alone (state, 2010). , President Dmitry Medvedev claimed Russias economy will shrink by 7.5% in 2009 (bbcnews, 2010). However, real disposable income s have doubled since 1999, and experts estimate that the middle class constitutes approximately one-fourth of the population. The economic crisis, however, caused real disposable incomes to drop by 6.7% year-on-year in January 2009, and wages fell by 9.1% year-on-year in January 2009 (state, 2010). (S)ocial and Cultural Factors Russias population was 141.91 million as of January 2009, a very slight decrease from the previous year according to the government statistics service and the Ministry of Public Health The birth rate in 2008 was the highest recorded in the last 15 years. Life expectancy remains low compared to developed countries, but rose to 61.4 years for men and 73.9 for women in 2007 (state, 2010).Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, traffic accidents, and violence continue to be major causes of death among working age men. Many premature deaths are attributed to excessive alcohol consumption and smoking. A truly healthy Russia will require serious improvements in the health sector and some major changes in current cultural norms. Russias educational system has produced nearly 100% literacy. About 7 million students attended Russias 1,090 institutions of higher education in 2006, but continued reform is critical to producing students with skills to adapt to a market economy (bbcnews, 2010). Unemployment is highest among women and young people. Russia has an area of about 17 million square kilometres (6.5 million sq. mi.); in geographic terms, this makes Russia the largest country in the world by more than 2.5 million square miles. But with a population density of about 22 persons per square mile (9 per sq. km.), it is sparsely populated, and most of its residents live in urban areas (state, 2010). (T)echnological factors Russian TV broadcasting is dominated by channels that are either run directly by the state or owned by companies with close links to the Kremlin. The government controls Channel One and Russia One two of the three main federal channels while state-controlled energy giant Gazprom owns NTV (bbcnews, 2010). For most Russians, television, especially via the national networks, is the main source of domestic and international news. There are more than 400 daily newspapers, catering for every taste and persuasion and the major nationals are based in Moscow. Around 38 million Russians use the internet (bbcnews, 2010). 2.2 PEST Analysis of Bangladesh (P)olitical factors The first government of new formed Bangladesh after partition was formed in Dhaka with Justice Abu Sayeed Choudhury as President, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Mujib) who was released from Pakistani prison in early 1972 as Prime Minister (bbcnews, 2010). The president, while chief of state, holds a largely ceremonial post; the real power is held by the prime minister, who is head of government. The president is elected by the legislature (Parliament) every 5 years. The presidents circumscribed powers are substantially expanded during the tenure of a caretaker government. In the caretaker government, the president has control over the Ministry of Defense, the authority to declare a state of emergency, and the power to dismiss the Chief Adviser and other members of the caretaker government. Despite serious problems related to a dysfunctional political system, weak governance, and pervasive corruption, Bangladesh still remains one of the few democracies in the Muslim world (state, 2010). H owever, democratic institutions and practices remain weak (bbcnews, 2010). (E)conomic factors Bangladesh has been through a rough economic past because of two partitions that led to widespread economic neglect and producing jute in large quantities contributed very less towards economic growth, as the country could not find much investment in this sector. The major employer in Bangladesh economy is agriculture, but it is unable to meet the demand for jobs. The country is trying to diversify its economy, with industrial development a priority. Overseas investors have pumped money into manufacturing and the energy sector. Onshore and offshore gas reserves hold out some chance of future prosperity (bbcnews, 2010). The Economist Intelligence Unit expects the fiscal position to remain weak in fiscal years 2009/10-2010/11 (July-June) as the government increases its efforts to implement a wide range of development projects (prlog, 2010). Real GDP growth is forecast to remain fairly stable, averaging 5.7% in 2009/10 and 5.9% in 2010/11, after the economy grew by 5.9% in 2008/09 (prlo g, 2010). Bangladesh deals almost equally in both exports and imports with total exports for Financial Year 2008 are $21.6 billion: capital goods, food grains, petroleum, textiles, chemicals, vegetable oils whereas total imports were $14.11 billion: garments and knitwear, frozen fish, jute and jute goods, leather and leather products, tea, urea fertilizer, ceramic tableware (state, 2010).ÂÂ  Urbanization has occurred rapidly in recent years and it is estimated that only 30% of the population entering the labour force in the future will be absorbed into agriculture, although many will likely find other kinds of work in rural areas (mapsofworld, 2010). (S)ocial and cultural factors The area that is now Bangladesh has a rich historical and cultural past, combining Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Mongol/Mughul, Arab, Persian, Turkic, and west European cultures. About 98%, Residents of Bangladesh are ethnic Bengali and speak Bangla, thus called Bangladeshis (mapsofworld, 2010). Urdu-speaking, non-Bengali Muslims of Indian origin, and various tribal groups, mostly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, comprise the remainder (mapsofworld, 2010). Most Bangladeshis (about 88.3%) are Muslims, but Hindus constitute a sizable (10.5%) minority (bbcnews, 2010). English is spoken in urban areas and among the educated. Bangladesh is one of the worlds most densely populated countries, with its people crammed into a delta of rivers that empties into the Bay of Bengal. Poverty is deep and widespread; almost half of the population live on less than one dollar a day. However, Bangladesh has reduced population growth and improved health and education (state, 2010). (T)echnological factors The main broadcasters Radio Bangladesh and Bangladesh Television (BTV) are state-owned channels and are considered government-friendly. There is little coverage of the political opposition, except in the run-up to general elections when a caretaker government takes control. TV is the most-popular medium, especially in cities. Foreign, especially Indian, TV stations have large audiences in Dhaka and other cities. State-run radio covers almost the entire country. BBC World Service programmes in English and Bengali are broadcast on 100 MHz FM in Dhaka. Newspapers are diverse, outspoken and privately-owned. English-language titles appeal mainly to an educated urban readership (bbcnews, 2010). 2.3 Adidas Entry to Russian Market Adidas boasts a 25 year history of success in the Russian market (intercomp, 2010). Its products are currently sold through 700 outlets in Russia and the CIS, and it owns 70 signature stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Novosibirsk, and other places in Russia and the CIS countries (intercomp, 2010). Adidas has also proven to be successful previously in Russia and other European economies. Russia has been a successfully emerging market within the last decade in comparison to Bangladesh. The gross domestic product and geographical comparison of both countries also identifies Russia to be more sound economically and larger than Bangladesh. Russia Retail Market will grow from RUB10.87trn (US$425.0bn) in 2007 to RUB22.58trn by 2013 (prlog, 2010). The other factor which supports the move of Adidas towards Russia is the 100% literacy rate in Russia which makes it easier for Adidas within an educated workforce. Bangladesh on the other hand still is a developing country with deficiencies like poverty and uneducated workforce holding the progress of the country to some extent. Similar to Adidas many other international brands have been attracted to Russia such as Nike. The emergence of free market entry in 1993 in Russia significantly made them a potential target for international brands. Bangladesh has been a target of bitter rivalry between two women- Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia both former prime ministers. They both had been jailed for suspected corruption but were released to contest the vote (bbcnews, 2010). The rivalry between these two women has been ongoing for past two decades has been a major factor in the slow economic growth of Bangladesh. Both these economies possess potential to attract international brands but Ba ngladesh still lack behind Russia in order to be the choice of market for Adidas. Higher GDP, more educated workforce, previous history of success, larger geographical area and political support are some factors which make Russia the choice of market for Adidas. ENTRY METHOD Entering an international market is never simple or nor automatic for any international brand (Burnett, 1993). There are many different ways to gain entry for companies which are largely dependent on their internal strengths and competitiveness in comparison to the regional competitors. In practice, many firms use a customised approach to entering a market. They determine their competitive advantage over other firms at home or overseas and then plan their entry strategies accordingly (Blythe, 2003). Jeannet and Hennessey (1992) cited by Blythe (2003), identified the primary market entry strategies which are more recently considered to be divided into three main groups: Exporting, Joint Venture and Direct Investment or Strategic Alliance. Exporting can be described as selling of a product in another country without making a commitment to the local production (Burnett, 1993). Exporting is further divided into direct and indirect exporting. Joint Ventures are joining of a foreign company with an outside partner to share the stock ownership of the new company. Strategic alliances are the recent method of entry into a foreign market and involve more effort than a joint venture (Burnett, 1993). The entry method of choice for Adidas to move into Russia should be either indirect exporting or by creating local manufacturing. Local manufacturing might be more useful as it will obtain create more jobs for local people and that will help in creating a good image for the company and the product. On the other hand indirect exporting has been proven to be successful in many European companies for example Japanese soap company Kao (Burnett, 1993). COMMUNICATION STRATEGY A communication strategy of a company must be integrated across the whole range of marketing activity, should include a feedback system, reflect organisational objectives and finally competition (Blythe, 2003). Careful integration and co-ordination of many communications Channels to deliver a clear, consistent and compelling message about the organisation and its products is referred as Integrated Marketing Communications (Kotler, 2001). Push and pull strategies can be described as marketing strategies with different objectives and operational methods. A pull strategy attracts customers to a brand through advertising and other communications, with the aim of persuading customers to seek the brands and products. On the other hand, push strategy involves incentivising retailers to carry and self stocks (Jackson and Shaw, 2009). Push strategy greatly depends on the personal selling ability of retailers and stockists. Adidas needs to use the pull strategy in order to successfully move into the Russian market as previously, Adidas has been creating their brand name with heavy advertising on Russian TV channels. For most Russians, television, especially via the national networks, is the main source of domestic and international news (bbcnews, 2010). Adidas, the second largest brand in the market has always flirted with fashion more overtly than nearest rivals. Adidas retain the services of global advertising agencies and use of promotional tools such as costly TV campaigns and guerrilla marketing (Tungate, 2008 ). The other factors in Russian market discussed in the PEST analysis of Russia such as stable political structure, business culture dominant environment, growing economic conditions, high growth potential, positive demographic trends, innovative/business retail culture and niche opportunities within the retail structure provides strong basis for the use of Pull strategy by Adidas (Hines and Bruce, 2001). 4.1 Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Market segmentation refers to the process of identifying a division of a wider market in order to target it effectively within the marketing mix. The selected market segment needs to be sufficiently homogenous to respond to a single integrated marketing mix (Jackson and Shaw, 2009). Although every customer is different, it is possible using segmentation, targeting and positioning techniques, to place them into understandable group and to then ensure that we deliver the right fashion products to them (Thorne cited by Jackson and Shaw, 2009, pg51). Market Segmentation takes place on many different basis such as demographic, purchasing behaviour, geographic and psycho-graphic segments of the market. The demographic segmentation relates to topics like age, gender, race, religion, family size etc, purchasing behaviour relates to benefits, loyalty level, user occasion and readiness to purchase, geographic relates to country, town, city, climate, hemisphere, travel time and psycho-graphic relates to social class, lifestyles, spending behaviour and attitudes (Jackson and Shaw, 2009). Although these factors listed above are the most common and relevant, changes in the socio-culture can force marketers to re-evaluate these according to the situation. The ultimate purpose of market segmentation is to select a target market or markets. The targeting of a market includes segments that company intends to serve and the process of determination of these segments is called target market determination (vignali et.al, 2008). Three marketing strategies can be undertaken by Adidas to identify their target market which are undifferentiated, differentiated and concentrated marketing. Undifferentiated can be described as the strategy where the company ignores some of the market segments in order to achieve benefits and thus creates and enters the market with a completely unique marketing mix. The advantage of this strategy lies in lower costs: as the identical product, promotion and price and sales efforts for the whole market ensures low costs (vignali et.al, 2008). Concentrated this approach is suitable for companies with insufficient resources for differentiated market and concentrates on one or several segments (vignali et.al, 2008). Differentiated this approach focuses on covering all the segments of the market with different marketing mix for each segment. This is appropriate for large international brand names in order to create and spread their brand to every consumer (vignali et.al, 2008). Adidas will be successful in using differentiated strategy as they will be able to concentrate on each individual segment and create their brand name with the help of right promotional tools. This approach will also be useful as Adidas has been able to advertise heavily using TV adverts previously. Positioning Positioning is the development of a service and a marketing mix to occupy a specific place in the minds of customers within target markets (vignali notes). Positioning begins with the customer. But positioning is not so much what you say about your products or company as much as it is what your customers say about you. Regis McKenna, Relationship Marketing (vignali notes). Positioning implies adjustment to all marketing activities to the consumers expectation in the given segments. The basis for product or brand positioning is market segmentation and Positioning creates competitive advantage. Adidas needs to identify their target segments, and then needs to utilize the right marketing strategy in order to provide right market positioning for their product in Russia. Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer has claimed Russia to be the biggest market in Europe for Adidas (retail news, 2008). Positioning can be achieved in six major possible ways which are specific product features, Benefits, problem solution, or needs, specific usage occasions, user category, against another product and Product class dissociation (vignali notes) 4.2 Branding and Brand Equity The purpose of a brand is to differentiate a product or service from competitor offerings, and to achieve effective positioning. (Bruce and Barnes, 2005 as cited in Littler, 2005) A global brand is one that is available in most countries in the world and shares the same strategic principles, positioning and marketing in every market throughout the world, although the marketing mix can vary. It has a substantial market share in all countries and comparable brand loyalty. It carries the same brand logo. De Mooij (2005). Branding provides visual cue to convey messages to consumers, it directs customers buying behaviour, differentiates from competitors, acts as positioning, help develop and sell brand extensions and also provides brand equity to company. Brand equity can be described as the total value of a brand including tangible and non tangible assets such as brand name, loyalty, perceived quality and associations (Jackson and Shaw, 2009). BUSINESS RISK Adidas moving into Russia have many advantages; however it also posses the potential for a few unwanted risk such as Political risk, Economic risk, Commercial risk, Taxes and legislation relating to company incorporation (Vignali notes). The political risks comprising of foreign policies and the risk of new government policies into action, economic growth is on the rise but Russia did face a crisis in 2008 from which they only recently have recovered (bbcnews, 2010), risk to competitors locally and internationally create a high risk of failure and finally the taxation and other legislation can be quite expensive and have an effect on the marketing strategies of the company. CONCLUSION/ RECOMMENDATIONS Russia and CIS countries are set to become Adidas groups biggest market in Europe by 2010, says chief executive Herbert Hainar (retail news, 2008). Russia is a very dynamic country and is known for world-class athletes as well as enthusiastic fans. By expanding our own retail network in Russia and the CIS countries, we are giving consumers access to a unique brand experience and to achieve their personal best. Martin Shankland, managing director of Adidas group in Russia and CIS (retail news, 2008). The new ÂÂ  BMI Russia Retail report predicts that the countrys total retail sales will more than double in local currency terms by 2013, growing from RUB10.87trn (US$425.0bn)ÂÂ  in 2007 to RUB22.58trn by 2013 (prlog, 2010). Rising disposable incomes, an expanding middle class and rising levels of credit penetration are key factors behind retail market expansion. . Russia has around 14 cities with more than 1mn people, and consumers are increasingly looking to modern retail outlets for aspirational purchases. The countrys large population and in particular the affluent urban population of the capital Moscow, is providing a solid base for the expansion of the retail market (prlog, 2010). Being an emerging market Russia possesses the potential for being successful for international brands and also poses some threats or risks. Adidas business entry strategy needs to be very cautious and similar to the strategies used before by them in Russian market. They also needs to have contingency plans in case of failure of the current strategies adopted by the company and also needs to carefully consider the promotional tools.

Monday, January 20, 2020

A Rose for Emily Essay examples -- essays papers

A Rose for Emily In â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner’s symbolic use of the â€Å"rose† is essential to the story’s theme of Miss Emily’s self-isolation. The rose is often a symbol of love, and portrays an everlasting beauty. The rose has been used for centuries to illustrate an everlasting type of love and faithfulness. Even when a rose dies, it is still held in high regard. Miss Emily’s â€Å"rose† exists only within the story’s title. Faulkner leaves the reader to interpret the rose’s symbolic meaning. Miss Emily was denied the possibility of falling in love in her youth, so subsequently she isolated herself from the world and denied the existence of change. Miss Emily was denied her â€Å"rose†, first by her father, then by the townspeople, and then Homer Barron. Through the explicit characterization of the title character, Miss Emily, and the use of the â€Å"rose† as a symbol, the reader is able to deciph er that Homer Barron was Miss Emily’s only â€Å"rose.† Miss Emily’s father denied her the ability to establish a â€Å"normal† relationship because of their family’s social position. She lost the will and the desire to do so, even after he died. The reader is aware that Miss Emily’s chances of having a â€Å"normal† relationship are hindered by her father’s obstinace. Miss Emily’s father was a prominent well-respected southern gentleman, and he would not allow his only daughter to be courted by just anyone. â€Å"None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such. We had long thought of them as a tableau.† As most little girl’s do, Miss Emily idolized her father, and held him in high regard, even though he was a strong and forbidding man, who did not allow her to experience life. Miss Emily’s father â€Å"robbed† her of her ... ...ad ever come to her, including her self-esteem, and the ability to conform to her father’s and society’s wishes. She isolated herself so that she could be who she was. Miss Emily Grierson isolated herself from a society that would not accept her for who she was. She was viewed as someone to be pitied and scorned. Everyone deserves a rose in life, and yet Miss Emily was denied her rose from everyone that ever came into contact with her. Her father, the townspeople, and even Homer Barron denied her love. Miss Emily found her rose and she would not accept the loss of love. She gave up her freedom, and isolated herself so that she could be with the one that she loved, and remember the embrace that they once may have shared. Like a flower between the pages of a bible Miss Emily found that living with memories was better than living in a society that scorned her.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 7

Finding Todd and Vic turned out not to be easy. It was late afternoon by the time Mary-Lynnettewalked into the Briar Creek general store, which sold everything from nails to nylons to canned peas. â€Å"Hi, Bunny. I don't suppose you've seen Todd orVic around?† Bunny Marten looked up from behind the counter. She was pretty, with soft blond hair, a round, dimpled face, and a timid expression. She was in MaryLynnette's class at school. â€Å"Did you check over at theGold Creek Bar?† Mary-Lynnette nodded. â€Å"And at their houses, andat the other store, and at the sheriff's office.† The sheriff's office was also city hall and the public library. â€Å"Well, if they'renot playing pool, they're usuallyplinking.† Plinkingwas shooting atcans for practice. â€Å"Yeah, but where?† Mary-Lynnette said. Bunny shook her head, earrings glinting. â€Å"Yourguess is as good as mine.† She hesitated, staring down at her cuticles, which she was pushing back with a little blunt-pointed wooden stick. â€Å"But, you know, I've heard they go down to Mad Dog Creeksometimes.† Her wide blue eyes lifted to Mary Lynnette's meaningfully. Mad Dog Creek. . . Oh, great. Mary-Lynnette grimaced. â€Å"I know.† Bunny raised her shoulders in a shiver.†I wouldn't go down there. I'd be thinking about that body the whole time.† â€Å"Yeah, me, too. Well, thanks, Bun. See you.† Bunny examined her cuticles critically. â€Å"Good hunting,† she said absently. Mary-Lynnette went out of the store, squinting in the hot, hazy August sunlight. Main Street wasn'tbig. It had a handful of brick and stone buildingsfrom the days when Briar Creek had been a gold rush supply town, and a few modem frame buildings with peeling paint. Todd and Vic weren't in any of them. Well, what now? Mary-Lynnette sighed. There was no road to Mad Dog Creek, only a trail that was constantly blocked by new growth and deadfall. And everyone knew more than plinking went on there. If they're out there, they're probably hunting, she thought. Not to mention drinking, maybe using drugs. Guns and beer. And then there's that body. The body had been found last year around thistime. A man; a hiker, from his backpack. Nobody knew who he was or how he'd died-the corpse wastoo desiccated and chewed by animals to tell. But people talked about ghosts floating around the creek last winter. Mary-Lynnette sighed again and got into her station wagon. The car was ancient, it was rusty, it made alarming sounds when forced to accelerate, but it was hers, andMary-Lynnette did her best to keep it alive. She loved it because there was plenty of room in back to store her telescope. At Briar Creek's only gas station she fished a scrolled fruit knife from under the seat and went to work, prying at the rusty gas cap cover. A little higher up . . . almost, almost . . . now twist †¦ The cover flew open. â€Å"Ever think of going into the safecracking business?† a voice behind her said. â€Å"You've got the touch.† Mary-Lynnette turned. â€Å"Hi, Jeremy.† He smiled-a smile that showed mostly in his eyes,which were dear brown with outrageously darklashes. If I were going to fall for a guy-and I'm not-itwould be for somebody like him.Not for a big blond cat who thinks he can pick his sisters' friends. It was a moot point, anyway-Jeremy didn't goout with girls. He was a loner. â€Å"Want me to look under the hood?† He wiped his hands on a rag. â€Å"No, thanks. I just checked everything last week.† Mary-Lynnette started to pump gas. He picked up a squeegee and a spray bottle and began to wash the windshield. His movements were deft and gentle and his face was utterly solemn. Mary-Lynnette had to swallow a giggle herself, butshe appreciated him not laughing at the pitted glass and corroded windshield wipers. She'd always had an odd feeling of kinship with Jeremy. He was the only person in Briar Creek who seemed even slightlyinterested in astronomy-he'd helped her build a model of the solar system in eighth grade, and ofcourse he'd watched last year's lunar eclipse with her. His parents had died in Medford when he was justa baby, and his uncle brought him to Briar Creek in a Fleetwood trailer. The uncle was strange-alwayswandering off to dowse for gold in the Klamath wil derness. One day he didn't come back. After that, Jeremy lived alone in the . trailer in the woods. He did odd jobs and worked at the gas station to make money. And if his clothes weren't as nice assome of the other kids', he didn't care-or he didn't let it show. The handle of the gas hose clicked in MaryLynnette's hand. She realized she had been daydreaming. â€Å"Anything else?† Jeremy said. The windshieldwas dean. â€Å"No †¦ well, actually, yes. You haven't, um, seenTodd Akers or Vic Kimble today, have you?† Jeremy paused in the middle of taking her twentydollar bill. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I just wanted to talk to them,† Mary-Lynnettesaid. She could feel heat in her cheeks. Oh, God, hethinks I want to see Todd and Vic socially-and he thinks I'm crazy for askinghim. She hurried to explain. â€Å"It's just that Bunny saidthey might be down by Mad Dog Creek, so I thoughtyou might have seen them, maybe sometime this morning, since you live down around there†¦.† Jeremy shook his head. â€Å"I left at noon, but I didn'thear any gunshots from the creek this morning. Ac tually, I don't think they've been there all summerI keep telling them to stay away.† He said it quietly, without emphasis, but Mary-Lynnette had the sudden feeling that maybe evenTodd and Vic might listen to him. She'd never knownJeremy to get in a fight. But sometimes a look came into his level brown eyes that was ..: almost frightening. As if there was something underneath thatquiet-guy exterior-something primitive and pure and deadly that could do a lot of damage if roused. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette-I know you probably think thisis none of my business, but †¦ well, I think you should stay away from those guys. If you really wantto go find them, let me go with you.† Oh. Mary-Lynnette felt a warm flush of gratitude. She wouldn't take him up on the offer †¦ but it was nice of him to make it. â€Å"Thanks,† she said. â€Å"I'll be fine, but †¦ thanks .† She watched as he went to get her change insidethe station. What must it feel like to be on your own since you were twelve years old? Maybe he neededhelp. Maybe she should ask her dad to offer him some odd jobs around the house. He did them for everyone else. She just had to be careful-she knew Jeremy hated anything that smacked of charity. He brought back the change. â€Å"Here you go. And, Mary-Lynnette †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She looked up. â€Å"If you do find Todd and Vic, be careful.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"I mean it.† â€Å"I know,† Mary-Lynnette said. She had reached for the change, but he hadn't let go of it. Instead hedid something odd: He opened her curled fingers with one hand while giving her the bills and coins with the other. Then he curled her fingers back over it. In effect, he was holding her hand. The moment of physical contact surprised herand touched her. She found herself looking at his thin brown fingers, at their strong but delicate grip on her hand, at the gold seal ring with the black design that he wore. She was even more surprised when she glanced up at his face again. There was open concern in his eyes-and something like respect. For an instant she had a wild and completely inexplicable impulse to tell him everything. But she could just imagine what he would think. Jeremy was very practical. â€Å"Thanks, Jeremy,† she said, conjuring up a weak smile. â€Å"Take care.† â€Å"Youtake care. There are people who'd miss you if anything happened.† He smiled, but she could feel his worried gaze on her even as she drove away. All right,now what? Well, she'd wasted most of the day looking for Todd and Vic. And now, with the image of Jeremy's level brown eyes in her mind, she wondered if it had been a stupid idea from the beginning. Brown eyes †¦ and what color eyes did the bigblond cat have? Strange, it was hard to remember.She thought that they had looked brown at one point when he was talking about his old-fashioned family. But when he'd said he liked a girl with spirit, she remembered them being a sort of insipid blue. And when that odd knife-glint had flashed in them, hadn't they been icy gray? Oh,who cares?Maybe they were orange. Let's just go home now. Get ready for tonight. How come Nancy Drew always found the people she wanted to interrogate? Why? Why? Why me? Ash was staring at a yellow cedar weeping into a creek. A squirrel too stupid to get out of the sun was staring back at him. On a rock beside him a lizard lifted first one foot, then another. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He didn't even believe it. He'd always been lucky. Or at least he'd alwaysmanaged to escape a hairsbreadth away from disaster. But this time the disaster had hit and it was a total annihilation. Everything he was, everything he believed abouthimself †¦ could he lose that in five minutes? For a girl who was probably deranged and certainly more dangerous than all three of his sisters put together? No, he concluded grimly. Absolutely not. Not in five minutes. It only took five seconds. He knew so many girls-nice girls. Witches withmysterious smiles, vampires with delicious curves, shapeshifters with cute furry tails. Even human girls with fancy sports cars who never seemed to mind when he nibbled their necks. Why couldn't it have been one of them? Well, it wasn't. And there was no point in wondering about the injustice of it. The question was, what was he going todo about it? Just sit back and let fate ride over him like an eighteen-wheeler? I'm sorryfor your family, Quinn had said to him. And maybe that was the problem. Ash was a victim of his Redfern genes. Redfern never could stay out of trouble; they seemed to tangle with humans at every turn. So was he going to wait for Quinn to come backand then offer that as an excuse? I'm sorry; I can't handle things here after all; I can't even finishthe investigation. If he did that, Quinn would call in the Elders and they would investigate for themselves. Ash felt his expression harden. He narrowed his eyes at the squirrel, which suddenly darted for thetree in a flash of red fur. Beside him, the lizard stopped moving. No, he wasn't just going to wait for fate to finish him off. He'd do what he could to salvage the situa tion-and the family honor. He'd do it tonight. â€Å"We'll do it tonight,† Rowan said. â€Å"After it's fully dark, before the moon rises. We'll move her to the forest.† Kestrel smiled magnanimously. She'd wonthe argument. â€Å"We'll have to be careful,† Jade said. â€Å"That thingI heard outside last night-it wasn't an animal. I think it was one of us.† â€Å"There aren't any other Night People aroundhere,† Rowan said gently. â€Å"That was the whole pointof coming here in the first place.† â€Å"Maybe it was a vampire hunter,† Kestrel said.†Maybe the one that killed Aunt Opal.† â€Å"If avampire hunter killed Aunt Opal,† Rowansaid. â€Å"We don't know that. Tomorrow we should look around town, see if we can at least get an ideawho mighthave done it.† â€Å"And when we find them, we'll take care ofthem,† Jade said fiercely. â€Å"And if the thing you heard in the garden turnsup, we'll take care of it, too,† Kestrel said. She smiled, a hungry smile. Twilight, and Mary-Lynnette was watching thedock. The rest of her family was comfortably, settledin for the night; her father reading a book about World War II, Claudine working conscientiously on a needlepoint project, Mark trying to tune up his oldguitar that had been sitting in the basement for years. He was undoubtedly trying to think of words to rhyme with Jade. Mary-Lynnette's father looked up from his book. â€Å"Going starwatching?† â€Å"Yup. It should be a good night-no moon till aftermidnight. It's the last chance to see some Perseids.† She wasn't exactly lying. It would be a good night, and she could keep an eye out for stragglers from the Perseid meteor storm as she walked to Burdock Farm. â€Å"Okay; just be careful,† her father said. Mary-Lynnette was surprised. He hadn't said anything like that for years. She glanced at Claudine, who jabbed with her needle, lips pursed. â€Å"Maybe Mark should go with you,† Claudine said, without looking up. Oh, God, she thinks I'm unstable, Mary-Lynnette thought. I don't really blame her. â€Å"No, no. I'll be fine. I'll be careful.† She said it too quickly. Mark's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Don't you need any help with your stuff?† â€Å"No, I'll take the car. I'll be. fine. Really.†Mary Lynnette fled to the garage before her family could come up with anything else. She didn't pack her telescope. Instead, she put a shovel in the backseat. She looped the strap of her camera around her neck and stuck a pen flashlight in her pocket. She parked at the foot of her hill. Before she gotthe shovel out, she paused a moment to look dutifully northeast, toward the constellation Perseus. No meteors right this second. All right. Keys inhand, she turned to open the back of the station wagon-and jumped violently. â€Å"Oh, God!† She'd nearly walked into Ash. Mary-Lynnette's pulse was racing and her knees felt weak. From fear, she told herself. And that's all. â€Å"You nearly gave me a heart attack!† she said. â€Å"Doyou always creep up behind people like that?† She expected some smart-ass answer of either the joking-menacing or the hey-baby variety. But Ashjust frowned at her moodily. â€Å"No. What are you doing out here?† Mary-Lynnette's heart skipped several beats. But she heard her own voice answering flatly, â€Å"I'm starwatching. I do it every night. You might want to make a note of that for the thought police.† He looked at her, then at the station wagon. â€Å"Starwatching?† â€Å"Of course. From that hill.† She gestured. Now he was looking at the camera looped around her neck. â€Å"No telescope,† he commented skeptically. â€Å"Or is that what's in the car?† Mary-Lynnette realized she was still holding the keys, ready to open the back of the wagon. â€Å"I didn't bring a telescope tonight.† She went around to the passenger side of the car, unlocked the door, reached in to pull out her binoculars. â€Å"You don't need a telescope to starwatch. You can see plenty with these.† â€Å"Oh, really?† â€Å"Yes,really.†Now, that was a mistake, Mary -Lynnette thought, suddenly grimly amused. Acting as if you don't believe me †¦ just you wait. â€Å"You want to see light from four million yearsago?† she said. Then, without waiting for him to answer: â€Å"Okay. Face east.† She rotated a finger at him. â€Å"Here, take the binoculars. Look at that line of fir trees on the horizon. Now pan up †¦Ã¢â‚¬ She gavehim directions, rapping them out like a drill sergeant. â€Å"Now do you see a bright disk with a kind of smudgeall around it?† â€Å"Um. Yeah.† â€Å"That's Andromeda. Another galaxy.But if you tried to look at it through a telescope, you couldn't seeit all at once. Looking through a telescope is like looking at the sky through a soda straw. That's all the field of view you get.† †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†All right. Okay. Point taken.† He started to lower the binoculars. â€Å"Look, could we suspend the starwatching for just a minute? I wanted to talk toyou â€Å"Want tosee the center of ourgalaxy?† Mary -Lynnette interrupted. â€Å"Turn south.† She did everything but physically make him turn.She didn't dare touch him. There was so much adrenaline racing through her system already-if shemade contact she might go supercritical and explode. â€Å"Turn,† she said. He shut his eyes briefly, then turned, bringing the binoculars up again. â€Å"You have to look in the constellation Sagittarius.† She rattled off instructions. â€Å"See that? That's where the center of the Milky Way is. Where all the star clouds are.† â€Å"How nice.† â€Å"Yes, it is nice. Okay, now go up and eastyou should be able to find a little dim sort of glow†¦.† â€Å"The pink one?† She gavehim a quick look. â€Å"Yeah, the pink one.Most people don't see that. That's the Trifid Nebula.† â€Å"What are those dark lines in it?† Mary-Lynnette stopped dead. She forgot her drill sergeant manner. She stepped back. She stared at him. She could feel her breath coming quicker. He lowered the binoculars and looked at her. â€Å"Something wrong?† â€Å"They're dark nebulae. Lanes of dust in front of the hot gas. But †¦ you can't see them.† â€Å"I just did.† â€Å"No. No. You can't see those. It's not possible, notwith binoculars. Even if you had nine millimeter pupils †¦Ã¢â‚¬  She pulled the flashlight out of her pocket and trained it full in his face. â€Å"Hey!† He jerked back, eyes squeezing shut, hand over them. â€Å"That hurt!† But Mary-Lynnette had already seen. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were right now, because the colored parts, the irises, were reduced to almost invis ible rings. His eye was all pupil.Like a cat's at maxi mum dilation. Oh, my God †¦the things he must be able tosee. Eighth-magnitude stars, maybe ninth-magnitude stars. Imagine that, seeing a Mag 9 star with yournaked eye. To see colors in the star clouds-hot hy drogen glowing pink, oxygen shining green-blue. To see thousands more stars cluttering the sky .. . â€Å"Quick,† she said urgently. â€Å"How many stars doyouseein the sky right now?† â€Å"I can't seeanything,†he said in a muffled voice, hand still over his eyes. â€Å"I'mblind.† â€Å"No, I meanseriously,†Mary-Lynnette said. And she caught his arm. It was a stupid thing to do. She wasn't thinking. But when she touched his skin, it was like completing a current. Shock swept over her. Ash dropped hishand and looked at her. For just a second they were face-to-face, gazes locked. Something like lightning trembled betweenthem. Then Mary-Lynnette pulled away. I can'ttakeany more of this. Oh, God, why am Ieven standing here talking to him? I've got enough ahead of me tonight. I've got abody to find. â€Å"That's it for the astronomy lesson,† she said, holding out a hand for the binoculars. Her voice was justslightly unsteady. â€Å"I'm going up the hill now.† -240She didn't ask wherehe was going. She didn't care, as long as it was away. He hesitated an instant before giving her the binoculars, and when he did he made sure not to touchher. Fine, Mary-Lynnette thought. We both feel the same. â€Å"Goodbye.† â€Å"Bye,† he said limply. He started to walk away. Stopped, his head lowered. â€Å"What I wanted to say †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well?† Without turning, he said in a flat and perfectly composed voice, â€Å"Stay away from my sisters, okay?† Mary-Lynnette was thunderstruck. So outragedand full of disbelief that she couldn't find words. Then she thought: Wait, maybe he knows they're killers and he's trying to protect me. Like Jeremy. Around the sudden constriction in her throat she managed to say, â€Å"Why?† He shook his drooping head. â€Å"I just don't thinkyou'd be a very good influence on them. They'rekind of impressionable, and I don't want them getting any ideas.† Mary-Lynnette deflated. I should have known, shethought. She said, sweetly and evenly, â€Å"Ash? Get bent and die.†

Friday, January 3, 2020

Questions on working with an leading people - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2592 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Putting the right person in the place in the right time is the Human Resource Development Departments job. So, a good recruitment, selection and retention program plays an important role in an organisation. Hungry Petes must have a good structure in order to help in the recruitment, selection and retention program. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Questions on working with an leading people" essay for you Create order The structure of the new concept store can be found below: After designing the new concept stores structure. We now move to the recruitment process. As Hungry Petes is starting a new type of business, the management will have to decide whether to move resources from his restaurant or recruit all new staffs. In this case, as the business type is different, we may choose fresh employee. The following steps will have to be taken for selection process: Advertise for the prospects either on newspapers, internet or other source of communication. Short listing of the best candidates. Call them for an interview. Suitable tests (character tests, aptitude tests, leadership tests where applicable). Choosing the best candidates for the different jobs (Putting the right person in the right place). Announcing the decisions of the Human resource department to the best profiles. (b) Retention of qualify or good staffs is something very crucial for an organisation. These kinds of people who know their work very well and are jack of all trades must be retained. This goes in the benefits of the organisation. For example, at the management level, fringe benefits, like company car or car allowance should be given. Concerning both the management level and the lower level, there must be a good wage incentive scheme, along with time-off, better and flexible working hours, insurance cover, performance appraisal bonus and presence bonus would motivate a staff to work harder for his benefit as well as the organisation. After working hours or non-working days, outings can be arranged so as to better create team spirit with the workers. Training of staffs should be included as it is a long run investment for the organisation. Nowadays, a person is considered as an asset. These types of concern for the employees will surely retain them from leaving the organisation. These a re good incentive measures. As far as succession planning is concerned, it enables the organisation to recognise talents of the employees to provide them with trainings for future responsibilities. This may improve the workers capabilities and therefore retention as well. The concept of succession planning may apply in hungry Petes in case of a the chief waiter resigns and a simple waiter may take his place or in the case as the administrative manager resigns and a clerk may take his place and responsibility as well. The workers will feel his importance and contribution in the organisation, hence, a psychological factor where an internal happiness, confidence and productivity which leads to efficiency at work. Better distinctive team spirit and motivation will surely prevail. (c) Ethics refer to the environment we working in and ethics goes side by side with legal matters. Ethics applies to the individual and the organisation as well. Core values of the organisation are defined by the business ethical considerations. As applied in the case of Hungry Petes, the workers must be aware of the discipline and legal implications like health and safety, hygiene, the local Food act, compliance with food regulatory and the organisations must be aware of the company laws, labour laws, local laws concerning business, the government taxation system etc for example, the cook must be aware of the local food act and food act, so as to produce the goods according to the laws prevailing in the place while the administrative manager must be aware of the government taxation system, the company laws and the labour laws. Compliance with ethical and legal implications may attract competitive candidates applying for the job in the organisation as well as customers. Task 2 (a) The group culture is the teams way of working together. This develops mutual respect, share of ideas, group cooperation, creativity, effectiveness and group satisfaction. Team work refers the effort, communication, mutual support, coordination of the workers. If these two factors is merged together, this would definitely result in the prosperity of Hungry Petes. This would create motivation along with share of skills and knowledge with good communication and hence overcoming any problems. This would also create mutual understanding where a sense of belonging would be shared within the organisation. this would motivate the workers to work hard or even for longer hours without complaining. That creates the working atmosphere and this plays a psychological approach to the workers. This enhances productivity and effectiveness. But if there is any conflict between the team members, there would be de-motivation at work. Effectiveness and productivity will definitely fall. And it would have a drastic effect on the organisation as the workers will not give their best at work. This may create tension with other workers as well. The idea of team spirit is broken and selfishness will prevails. And this may lead to the fall of the organisation. (b) A team charter is a written document by the workers of an organisation to define the teams mission and objectives. A team charter can be created by the management level or by the team itself. The team needs to know what the management expect of them and vice versa. The team charter includes: The purpose of the team: The purpose statement specifies the creation of the team. Resource limitations: Resource negotiations and allocations between the two parties. Ex, cannot hire more people in the organisation. Success measurement: The teams success will be determined by final report to the management Team composition and characteristics: Willingness to work with everyone, acquiring knowledge, to work as a member of the team Mission statement The aim of the organisation in the view of the team: to achieve a high level of excellence and perfection in our products with continuous improvement and innovation while attaining an international standard of consumer satisfaction. (c) Applying Belbins team roles concept in Hungry Petes case have a positive effect on the organisation as starting with: Implementer This means that the implementer makes all the decision and ideas of the team into accomplished, feasible and effective in real circumstances Shaper The shaper is such an individual that can handle pressure work and has the bravery, fortitude and intrepidity to overcome obstacle and is goal directed. Completer or Finisher That individual is very attentive to small details and is able to meet all the deadlines. Co-ordinator His job is to facilitate interconnectivity and decision making Team Worker Those kinds of individuals are good listeners, friendly type, groupware, thoughtful and respectful towards others. Resource investigator That individual is an extrovert one, can communicate very well, can make contacts and bring intense interest to the team. Planter The planter acts as a thinker to the organisation and is problem-oriented so as to develop effective response strategies. Monitor or Evaluator The individual who has a good thinking ability with a good judgement Specialist Focussed, curious and dedicated individuals who like to learn and make contribution of his knowledge to the organisation. These team roles are very important as their contributions to the organisation will be very helpful. Everyone has a different talent and angle of viewing problems and solutions and when combined together, concludes in a good team work and good team spirit in the case of Hungry Petes. Task 3 (a) A managers job is to do what is provided or required for the organisation. He manages day to day activities, thus creating the environment. A manager has subordinates to help them or even work for them. He is paid to get things done within tight constraints of time and even resources like money or labour. A manager normally enjoys a position of authority and are relatively risk-averse, avoiding any type of conflicts. Its the manager who ensures that the vision of the leader is carried out and his job consists of delivering output. He controls the whole operation and ensures organisational stability. He has transactional skills of management. He makes sure that the objectives of the company are being carried out. He minimizes risk, has short term objectives, wants results, makes rules and takes all the credit. A leader is that person who sets the goal for the company. A leader has a vision and is a facilitator or provider of resources to the manager and organisation. A leader lea ds the people by setting a direction for the organisation. a leader has a personal charisma, shapes culture, wants achievement, uses conflicts, takes risks, gives credit, take blame and has long term objectives. He normally has a transformational style and is good in communicating, convincing, motivating, persuading and inspiring people. He is a visionary and work for excitement or personal interest or satisfaction. He is the backbone of the organisation. As in the case of Hungry Petes, both a manager and a leader would be needed so as to set the goal of the organisation and a manager to manage the day to day activities. A leader can also be a manager as well. (b) Both the autocratic style of management and democratic style of management may apply in the case of hungry Petes. The autocratic style of management may apply in the case of new or untrained employees who do know which tasks to perform or which procedures to follow. Effective supervision can be provided only in case of well detailed instructions. Decisions are taken in a limited time. This style can be applied in the case of Hungry Petes as it is a new set up organisation and as it is a new concept store, there are likely to have a high volume of production needs on a daily basis. This style may be used only if the organisation is short in time and have motivated staffs. The democratic leadership style also called the participative style encourages the employees to be part of the organisation as their opinions are heard out. The manager keeps the employees informed on nearly everything which motivates them to work harder. This allows employees to set up their goals and encour ages them to grow in the job and scope for promotion. Both of the style of management has different advantages and disadvantages as well. What Hungry Petes must do, is to make a combination of both the style of management to have better management on the organisation as well as the employees. (c) Improving the morale and empowering the staffs may prove very beneficial to Hungry Petes. This would definitely bring efficiency and effectiveness at work. Several ways may be used to improve morale of staffs like the adoption of a flex time schedule so as to alleviate stress. Incentives like paid time off, gift vouchers to restaurants or hotels, or even awards to the best employees so as to booster their morals during work time. Scope for promotion or internal growth must be given so as to encourage them to work harder to achieve higher grades. Empowerment of staff is most likely to be the best idea for motivating employees. More tasks and responsibilities should be assigned and delegated to them. The reason for the task being given to them should be known to them. The task should be overviewed to the employees before giving them the details. The employees must be assured that they are being totally trusted in the works assigned. Suggestions must be taken from employees so t hat they may feel important in the organisation. Delegation of responsibilities may a great role as well. These factors which may be seem as small things is more or less a good motivation for the employees. Motivated employees are equal to high efficiency of the work. Task 4 (a) Learning styles contribute largely in the blossoming of an individual. There exists several types of learning styles namely, sensory, intuitive, visual, verbal, active, reflective, global and sequential styles. The sensory type learns by procedural, practical or concrete information. These persons would rather look for factual information. The intuitive type would learn by innovations or theoretical information. They look for meaning. The visual type would rather learn by information displayed on graphs, pictures or diagrams. They look for visual representation of data. The verbal type prefers to read or hear information. They would look for explanations in the words. Reflective type prefers to think of possible problems and solution and make an assessment on the situation and have the enthusiasm of solving the problems on their own. Sequential type likes to have the data in an orderly way and hence joining the pieces of the puzzle to figure out the solution. G lobal type prefers systematic approach. They like to see to problem in a whole way, then figures out the details. Understanding these different approaches, we would best fit the right person in the right place at Hungry Petes. Then, we can make the weakness of an individual becomes his strength by giving the different sorts of training required for each and every individual, and to help the manager to better understand his staffs so as to promote team spirit and motivation. (b) Hungry Petes Coffee House: CASHIER ASSITANT COOK CLEANER WAITER WAITER WAITER CHIEF WAITER SHOP MANAGER CHIEF COOK As shown in the diagram below, in the shop, work is allocated by the Shop manager to the Chief waiter, Cleaner and the chief cook. The chief waiter then allocates work to the waiter, the cashier and the chief cook allocates work to the assistant cook. But somehow, there is a connection between the chief waiter, the cleaner and the chief cook. The chief waiter will respond as per consumer demand, if there are orders. Hungry Petes fast food restaurants: SHOP MANAGER WAITER WAITER WAITER WAITER CHIEF WAITER CLEANER CHIEF COOK CHIEF CASHIER CASHIER INFORMATION CLERK ASSISTANT COOK The restaurant work allocation is a bit more complex as it operates on higher level. The chief waiter plays a key role in this concept. He allocates work to the waiters, cleaner and the chief cook who then allocates to the as sistant cook. The information clerk reports to the shop manager while giving information to the chief waiter as well. The chief cashier reports to the shop manager while the cashier reports to the chief cashier. That is why a team work is important in an organisation. (c) Performance appraisal is the best way to monitor and assess a staff. The appraisal is usually carried out by the manager or supervisor who best knows the employee. This adds benefit in the way that the employees may believe that the management is taking an interest in them. The management can make sure that the works are being done properly and can keep track of good employees. The appraisal can be rewarded in incentives or disincentives by the management. Customer feedback can be taken into consideration by putting suggestion boxes as well. Punctuality, rate of absenteeism, communication or presentation can be taken into consideration. Surveys may be conducted as well. Woking hours of the employees count in the monitoring of staffs. As far as Hungry Petes is concerned, the appraisal will benefit a lot for the company for retention of suitable employees. The organisation may very well offer remunerations and rewards for the most appraised candidates so that they may be more moti vated to work in favour of the organisation. This will encourage them to work more efficiently. An efficient work force means a happy customer and a happy customer is what makes a business.